All language subtitles for The Rockford Files S01e15 Aura Lee, Farewell

Do you need a permit to carry a thing like this?

I paint what I feel. You must not feel well.

You can tell Dick Stockton for me he's wasting his time.

I don't know the girl.

When it comes to political sabotage, I can duck and throw mud with the best.

Look out!

They're looking for his body now.

If he's dead, somebody murdered him.

This is Jim Rockford.

At the tone, leave your name and message.

I'll get back to you.

Mr. Rockford, you don't know me.

But I'd like to hire you.

Could you call me at...

My name is...

Never mind. Forget it.

Where you headed? Los Angeles.

Good. So am I. Tired of talking to myself. Hop in.

I'm Aura Lee Benton. Aura Lee.

It was many and many a year ago In a kingdom by the sea

Where a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Aura Lee

My apologies to Edgar Allan Poe.

Are you a lover of poetry?

Sometimes, between where I came from and where I'm going.

Listen, I was thinking of stopping up near Santa Barbara for a bite.

Would you care to join me?

I'd like that. Good.

You're overdue somewhere.

No. An anxious wife.

It's okay. I understand.

Look out!

Is he dead?

No, thank God. But we'd better go for an ambulance.

Shouldn't I stay with him? Get back in the car, will you?

Please, will you get in the car?

And get out of sight. Get your head down.

There's been an accident. A man's badly hurt.

I'm gonna drive for an ambulance. Would you watch him, please?

I don't understand. Why didn't you want me to stay?

All right. Look, please, it's... You're right, I am married.

Please understand in my line of work...

I can't afford to have anybody know...

that you and I were together. Please understand that.

I'll have to let you off up here alone. I know you'll be all right.

You need money? Do you need anything?

No. Don't worry. I'll be okay.

Operator. Now listen to me very carefully. This is an emergency.

I have just accidentally run over a man...

about a mile south of the Ventura County line.

Now, he needs a doctor and an ambulance immediately. I'll be waiting there.

This is State Senator Evan Murdock.

But wait till you taste these sandwiches.

Got this recipe from a little Scandinavian cookbook.

They're sardine sandwiches. Wait a minute.

When you said lunch, I thought you meant a restaurant, with you paying the bill.

I did sort of make it sound like that, I confess. But this is less expensive.

And it gets us even for the time you asked me to go out to dinner...

and then stuck a fishing pole in my hand. Remember that little disaster?

So you had bass and I caught a... A flounder.

Yes. They inhabit the very bottom.

They cruise around the kelp beds like nomadic scavengers.

I usually throw them back...

but since it was getting late and I didn't have to eat it...

Bet you really qualify as an enlightened man. I gotta give you that.

What's this?

That's the remainder of what I owe you for last year.

The first check you ever wrote me came back six times.

By the time that dog cleared it, it could get to the bank all by itself.

This one's okay.

Okay.

Why?

You mean, why pay it all off right now? Yeah.

The reason for that is because I want to hire you again.

I figured if I didn't clear up my old account, that you wouldn't go for it.

You know, I still won't go for it.

But, Jim, I can afford you this time. Sure you can.

That's why we're having a picnic instead of a real expensive lunch.

Don't you even want to listen to what it is I want you to do?

No. Now, where are we gonna eat this thing?

I'm supposed to go to a fashion show. It's a mile from here.

We could sit in the back... Nothing doing.

I know a place. It's the only place in town...

where I can stand eating picnic lunches.

In fact, I kind of enjoy it there.

Come on, you guys. Hit one of these things, will you?

You know, I made lunch, Jim.

All right. I'll have a super sardine sandwich.

You cut the crust off?

Right. That's what the recipe book told me I should do.

But I like the crust.

Jim, will you please listen to what it is I have to say?

I think I've been very patient.

I guess I put it off as long as I can.

But just because I'm listening, that's no sign I'm gonna take it.

Do you remember Aura Lee Benton? Aura Lee?

She worked in my boutique. She's young, pretty.

She was there two weeks ago, when you picked me up for my dream date, remember?

Come on, Sara. That was a good fight. It was a knockout in the fifth round.

Do you remember her? Yeah.

What about her? She's dead.

The police found her dead in her apartment in Venice two days ago.

They said it was an overdose of heroin...

but I know she never used narcotics.

What are you thinking?

If the cops are calling it an OD, it was probably just that.

As I recall, that's pretty much the position you took...

when my father was murdered...

but we ended up proving who killed him.

If you think I'm gonna fall for one of the...

Jim, I can pay you this time. I have money.

How much is there? $2,600.

Where did you get it?

That's the funny part about it. I found it after she was murdered.

No. You mean, OD'd. Let's not jump to conclusions.

I was cleaning out the desk drawer...

where she keeps some of her personal things, and I found this.

This reminds me of a magic act I saw once.

Only instead of cash and cigars...

this guy had little white rabbits in his basket.

Sara, a lot of these guys are dopers.

Now, at least most of them have been busted.

They're part of the drug culture.

She didn't use drugs, Jim.

Her parents are dead. She had no family. Just me.

I want you to prove she was murdered.

You must have some employee's benefit plan.

It includes catching killers and everything.

She was good for me.

And to me.

So you owe her.

You're chasing your tail, Jim.

This girl was new in town. No family, no friends.

She gets Ionely, pulls out the needle. Goes for the long sleep.

You talk like she had a steady habit.

According to this, there were no needle marks.

If the kids kick the habit, the needle marks clear up.

A few months later, they get on a downer, start fixing again.

But the equipment we found in her apartment had seen plenty of service.

And hers were the only fingerprints on it.

Anaphylactic shock. Too rich a dose?

Especially, if the girl's system had never been drugged.

You're reaching.

Whose money are you wasting on this? Probably my own.

Stop. Stop it. Get away from me. Get away, puppy.

Abstract expressionism, right?

I don't label it. I just...

I feel it, you know. Yeah.

You ever see her?

Yeah. Sure. She lived in my apartment building.

You ever talk with her?

I hit on her a couple times. Zero.

You ever see her with anybody?

Yeah, there was one dude with the car. The car?

You a cop? Would it make a difference?

Look, the chick's dead, you know. I got no eyes to get involved.

How much?

$200.

I'll give you $10. Deal.

The dude with the car?

Look, I don't know his name, okay? He floats through here once in a while.

Maybe he's got a scam going or something. I don't know.

He's a big guy. Flashy dresser.

Drives one of those foreign jobs, baby blue.

The model? No, I'm not into cars, you know.

Materialistic trap. Right.

If you ever see him again, would you get his license number?

I'd appreciate it if you'd give me a call. Yeah, okay.

Hey, you forgot your painting.

Not yet, but I'm trying.

Hi. Hi.

You owe me $100.

That's for half a day of my time, and the gas and shoe leather are for free.

You're trying to tell me something?

Yeah. I agree with the police. You're quitting.

Look, I've put out some feelers.

If they don't start to pay off, I can't take your money.

Hey, did you hear me? Honey?

I think you'd better read this.

It came for Aura Lee in the afternoon mail.

Don't you know it's against the law to open other people's mail?

"Dear Aura Lee.

"It was a pleasant surprise to hear from you and receive all that money.

If you ever pass here again, I would like very much to see you. Oscar."

Oscar's, a little restaurant about 50 miles up the Coast Highway.

I looked it up in the phone book. Did Aura Lee own a car?

She told me she was saving up for one and suddenly lost interest...

and said she hadn't saved any money.

With $2,600 in her desk?

Do you like sand dabs Véronique? We get along.

Good. I know where you can take me for lunch after we go to Oscar's.

I might be able to help you. It all depends.

Yeah? On what?

You got a portrait of Andrew Jackson?

Maybe I could come across with something.

Who knows?

How about Lincoln?

I'll tell you what. Make it a Hamilton.

What are you two talking about? Money.

If you could make soup like you negotiate, this place would be packed.

Thank you. Hold it. Go back and get another one.

Come on, take a seat.

Go ahead, sit down.

Here. Look, what I meant was...

Try it. You ain't never gonna taste any better.

You know the reason this place stays empty?

It's in the middle of nowhere.

Listen, what about this note?

You said she sent you all that money.

How much money are we talking about?

All that money? I said that 'cause all I gave her was soup and a sandwich...

and she sent me a Jackson. That's $20.

Thanks. I was about to fall behind there.

You happen to remember the exact day she wandered in here?

It was about maybe a month and a half ago,

and it wasn't day, it was night.

And the reason I remember is 'cause I thought it was strange.

Yeah? Why?

Well, she couldn't have been dropped off by somebody...

who was turning off on the main highway. Thank you.

'Cause there's no turnoff from that road within 10 miles.

Damn, that's good!

Anyway, she seemed like a sweet kid, so I fed her.

And pretty soon I got busy, and she left with the...

The lobster bisque. How's that?

A fellow sitting in the corner booth, he was having lobster bisque.

The guy she left with...

you remember what he looked like, what kind of car he was driving?

No, I don't. I was too busy. Midweek I only got one girl on the job.

It was midweek? Yeah, I guess it was.

Which night? Who can remember?

Could have been any night, except Saturday or Sunday.

Thanks for the help. Thanks for the Hamilton.

Been waiting for you, man. I called you over two hours ago.

Don't you ever check your service? Now and then.

Do you need a permit to carry a thing like this?

I told you, I paint what I feel. You must not feel well.

Yeah, well, it's yours for $50.

Why would I want to buy a piece of junk like this?

Gratitude. See, I got the license number of the dude you're looking for.

You know, it does have a certain gross charm.

I thought you'd like it.

License is 811 QJK.

You realize, of course, if you're scamming me...

I'll climb your easel and break all your brushes.

I'm just trying to hang in, man.

Becker, here.

Hey, Becker. Jim Rockford. I need a favor.

License number 811 QJK.

Name, address and rundown on the guy who owns it.

Why should I give you that information? I mean, it is against policy.

Because if I find out who killed Aura Lee Benton...

and I don't let you in on it...

you're gonna feel awful silly reading about it in the papers.

811 QJK.

I'll wait for your call.

Who is it?

LAPD, Lt. Rockford.

You Dirk Schaffer? Yeah.

Look, I gave at the office, pal.

That's great. A real funny man.

I got my degree in musical comedy wise guys.

Have you got a warrant, pal?

I was hoping I wouldn't need one.

Look, make it fast, will you? I was just going out.

Lieutenant... Rockford. Lt. Rockford.

So, what is it? What?

Let's talk about Aura Lee Benton.

I don't know the lady.

According to our witness, you do.

You were seen picking her up at her apartment in Venice several times.

In Venice? Come on, buddy, I don't move in that part of town.

There's no part of town you don't move in.

It may make you happy to know you're the best bunko artist in the city limits.

Bribery, extortion...

What kind of scam were you working with Aura Lee?

Look, you got a point to make, make it or get out.

Aura Lee Benton was murdered.

It was meant to look like an OD, but it was murder.

You're the only one we can connect her with.

Look, you got no warrant, right? So get out of here.

I got an attorney who wrote the book on police harassment.

That's great. That's really great.

You tell him to bone up on a murder one charge, huh?

You're gonna choke on one.

Look, make it fast, will you? I was just going out.

Lieutenant. Rockford. Lt. Rockford.

So, what is it? What?

What did he say? Nothing.

He must have said something. You were up there for at least five minutes.

He's your average, clean-cut bunko creep.

Probably goes to a lot of Humphrey Bogart movies.

He talks out of the side of his mouth a lot...

calls you "buddy" and "pal."

A real brass cupcake.

But he knew Aura Lee Benton.

He said that? No, I said that.

Could I get you a beer, Dirk, or some salted peanuts or something?

Look, make it fast, will you? I was just going out.

Lieutenant. Rockford. Lt. Rockford.

So I lied a little.

Okay, now I'm gonna tell you how it was with Aura Lee, Lieutenant, right?

I picked her up hitchhiking on Sunset Boulevard one day.

Said she worked in some kind of dress shop.

She was living in a one-room hole in Venice. I liked her.

I took her to dinner a couple times, but she turned out to be a squirrel.

That's not the way I heard it.

Yeah? Well, you heard wrong.

Said she had something going, it was gonna make her a lot of bread.

Did she say what it was?

Then she asked me if I could get her a couple of dime bags.

Said she was getting strung out on the caper.

You didn't sell her any.

Hey, pal, she asked me for it.

There's a guy I know, owed me a favor,

he slipped me a couple of dime bags.

I gave them to her.

And she killed herself?

Those are the risks when you start jamming a needle in your arm, pal.

So why tell me now?

Hey, look. I got a lot of good things going in this town.

You keep walking around pretending to be a cop...

talking to the people I deal with, they get nervous.

They think maybe I'm a bad risk.

Hurts my business, so it's time for you to dummy up quick.

And if I don't dummy up?

...going out.

Lieutenant. Rockford. Lt. Rockford.

You made your point.

So, you think he was telling the truth?

I said his story had the ring of truth.

He admitted just enough to convince me that all his moves made sense.

But then, he's a con artist. So I'm not buying it, not yet.

I'll keep trying. Wonderful. Where do we look?

We start back at square one. Square one?

Yes. Square one is that stuff you kept taking out of the picnic basket.

Let's go through it again.

I have been through that at least 10 times.

Yes, but not with a brilliant, qualified $200-a-day expert.

Will you get it?

Dominick's. You ever been there? Is it important?

No, but they cook a chicken that will knock you dead.

Come on, Jim. She didn't know any of them.

Did she ever mention their records? Anything like that?

No.

If she thought enough of them to save this,

you'd think she'd at least talk about them.

What does it mean?

Sara, would you stop saying, "What does it mean" and "Is it important"?

I'm just thinking out loud.

Why don't you just admit you don't know what it means?

Because when you charge $200 a day...

you don't go around admitting things like that.

Boris Stanik. Did she ever mention him?

Is it important? It's not important.

I don't know. I'm just fishing.

I hope you don't get stuck with a flounder.

Me, too.

Becker. Becker, Rockford.

What do you want to know, Jim?

Who is Boris Stanik?

Wino.

So?

Listen, Jim, I shouldn't be giving this stuff out to you.

Come on, Dennis, who is he?

He's nobody, but he was run down on the Coast Highway by a state senator.

The paper threw a blanket on it.

'Cause our investigation showed that Senator Murdock wasn't at fault.

Where was he hit?

About a mile south of Ventura County line.

When? June 5.

Thanks, Dennis.

Listen, you've used up this year's supply of favors...

and don't call for another one.

When did Aura Lee start working for you? Sometime in June.

It was the seventh.

This guy got run over one mile from Oscar's restaurant...

two days before she started working for you.

What do you think?

It sure ain't no flounder.

It sure ain't.

Mrs. Murdock, how do you like campaigning...

with your husband?

It's a little hectic, of course...

but we're trying to settle into a routine...

that I can get used to. What are you doing here today?

We're here to help launch support...

for several charities the Senator and I are involved with.

Sen. Murdock, I gotta see you in private.

I'm sorry. You have to see my campaign secretary.

Yeah, I did that. I can't wait two weeks.

I'm sorry. I'm extremely busy.

You understand how it is.

Senator, would you like me to step out in front of the TV cameras...

and ask you to explain your relationship with a Miss Aura Lee Benton?

My office is on the 15th floor.

I'll see you in a few minutes.

Both, really.

I'm sorry, I can't give you any more of my time.

I've got a meeting.

Don't flex up on me, Senator.

If I get insulted, I might feed you to the newspapers.

If you people think this Laura Lee is supposed to shake me up...

you got another think coming.

You can tell Dick Stockton for me he's wasting his time.

I don't know the girl.

When it comes to political sabotage, I can duck and throw mud with the best.

I suppose Dick Stockton's the guy you're running against.

You're well informed. All right, look.

You said that the girl was on the highway when I hit the old man.

No. I said she was in the car with you and now she's dead.

I don't know Dick Stockton from a box of Post Toasties.

So if you want to jerk me around, fine,

I'll give my theories to the police.

Let me say this.

Senator, I was just on my way to the office to see you.

Yeah, you go ahead. I'll join you.

Okay.

What kind of a shakedown is this?

I'm just looking for a straight answer.

All right, I'll give you one.

A: I don't know the girl. B: I was driving down from Santa Barbara.

I hit an old man, it was an accident.

You can check that with the highway patrol.

Needless to say, I have a lot of political connections.

If you're trying to smear me with something...

I'll come down on you with half the civil servants in this town.

By the time you dig out from all the lawsuits, the court orders...

we'll all be too old to care.

Yeah, that might work, except for one thing.

You don't know who I am.

What'd you get? I don't know. Hand me the cigar box.

Here.

What are we looking for?

We're looking for a Santa Barbara address.

He was in Santa Barbara the night it happened.

Is this it?

Fraud, tax, burglary?

Which are we gonna be? You really cover all the bases.

I don't know. Depends on the guy. Probably taxes.

People really get shook up when you mention taxes.

They can't give you the information fast enough.

I don't know. I think I'd clam up...

or have my accountant talk for me.

I know what I'm doing. Here, this one's yours.

Assistant Investigator? Yeah. I'm gonna be the boss.

I don't talk to tax men. I did that once.

Ended up getting audited all the way back to 1970.

I think you'd better talk with my accountant.

Currently we're assigned to burglary.

You ever have your car stolen, Mr. Salisbury?

No. That's a real downer.

We're working on a bunch of car thieves.

They've been stealing cars in San Francisco...

and then bringing them down the coast.

And we figured they're probably staying over here...

for some sleep in Santa Barbara.

People are creatures of habit, Mr. Salisbury.

We figured if they stayed over here before at this motel...

next time through, they'll stay here again.

How're you gonna tell whether they were here?

We got a break.

We found out that one of the cars was a dark red Buick...

license number 385 OJF. F.

We're trying to find out if the guy stayed over here.

If you just show us your motel registration cards...

for June 5 and 6, we'll know for sure.

Okay, I'll show you the file.

Okay. Yes. Thank you very much.

I'm sorry to have bothered you. Bye.

Anything?

All three of the people who registered driving Buicks are for real.

Terrific.

You didn't expect Murdock to leave anything behind...

that could be used against him.

I've been through this motel routine before. People are creatures of habit.

They'll use a portion of their car registration or their name.

They'll transpose a letter or number in their license plate...

just in case anybody checks, it looks like an honest mistake.

Meaning the Senator never stopped here?

Either he never stopped here...

or somebody pulled the card we're looking for.

What now?

I'll have to run a bluff.

Isn't that what we just did?

Obviously I didn't make myself clear this afternoon.

But I did find out who you are, Mr. Rockford.

One of my campaign workers downstairs got your license number.

Now, that was a real clever move.

You said on the phone you had some evidence.

I'm interested in what kind of fabrication you've come up with.

It's not fabrication.

You and Aura Lee Benton visited at the Seacrest Motel in Santa Barbara.

I have the motel registration card.

Go on.

I want you to come with me to the police...

and admit that you were with her that night.

And you can tell them anything you know about her or her murder.

If I didn't know an Aura Lee Benton...

how could I know anything about her murder?

You're going to deny that you were with her in that motel on June 5?

Look, I was at that motel with a woman, but not Aura Lee Benton.

I see what kind of a shakedown this is.

How much do you want for the registration card?

Depends. On what?

What do you think, Senator?

I wouldn't consider selling it for less than $100,000.

$100,000? You must be joking.

I only joke with my friends.

I can't come up with any $100,000. I'll give you $10,000.

For that price, I don't think I'm interested.

I better turn it over to the cops.

For the last time, I didn't know an Aura Lee Benton.

Then why are we standing here dickering over a motel registration card?

Because I was in that motel with a woman, but not Aura Lee Benton.

She was one of my campaign workers.

We spent a couple of hours at the motel and drove south in my car.

She was with me when I hit Mr. Stanik...

but I don't think my marriage or my campaign...

would benefit by that kind of information getting out.

Now, since I know that I didn't murder Aura Lee Benton...

I will not pay you $100,000.

I'll give you $10,000 now and $10,000 after the election, all right?

I'll call you.

Hello.

Jim, have you seen the morning newspapers?

I can barely see the phone.

Senator Murdock killed himself last night.

They found his clothes lying on the beach, his wallet, his car.

They're looking for his body now.

I saw him last night. He was in that motel.

He claims he was with a campaign worker.

He offered to buy our registration card for $20,000.

It's one thing to have your wife find out about an affair...

that's pretty bad...

but to kill yourself...

I gotta tell you, Sara, I was pressing him pretty hard.

But, damn it, he just didn't seem that worried.

I told him I'd call him. So why would he kill himself before I called back?

Then he was murdered like Aura Lee?

I didn't say that.

Yes, you did.

Okay.

Okay, I did.

I don't want to look too interested. The cops will want to know why.

You think somebody killed Aura Lee...

just to keep that one-day affair a secret?

I don't know, but I don't believe that's suicide.

A guy like Murdock is too tough and ambitious to put his clothes...

on the beach and swim out to sea like a lovesick schoolgirl.

It just doesn't figure.

If he's dead, somebody murdered him.

Come on. Let's go. Where are we going?

Dirk Schaffer's. To do what?

Something I really hate to do. Break and enter.

No answer.

You wait right here.

Got anything?

I was looking for a picture. I got a bonus.

Mr. And Mrs. Evan Murphy, a Buick, June 5.

Lay your odds, a handwriting expert...

will tell you that's Evan Murdock's handwriting.

The question now is, how did Schaffer get it?

Aura Lee didn't give it to him.

I'd stake everything I own on that.

The police can get that out of Schaffer after they arrest him.

Are we going to the police now? Not yet.

All right. Which one is the lobster bisque?

Jackson. Lincoln.

Come on, Jim, give him a Hamilton at least. It's my money.

Settle for a Hamilton? Deal.

All right. The guy that Aura Lee left with, is he there?

Yeah.

Right there.

Now to the police? Now to the police.

What are you gonna tell them?

Well, let's say you're right about her.

If you are, it might run down something like this.

Schaffer picked up Aura Lee at Oscar's...

and she innocently told him what she'd been through that night...

and he reads about the accident in the papers...

realizes who she had been with.

So he goes to Murdock and starts shaking him down.

Aura Lee didn't have anything to do with that.

Probably not. No, he was just trying to keep her around.

He probably gave her the $2,600.

Maybe a loan, so she'd owe him and wouldn't leave town.

Schaffer killed her, didn't he?

Yeah, it had to be.

She found out that he was shaking down the senator...

threatened to go to the cops, so he killed her.

Then I put some pressure on the senator,

told him that Aura Lee had been murdered.

He had to figure that it was Schaffer who did it.

So, he went to Schaffer...

told him he was going to the cops and he got killed.

That seems to be a very unhealthy thing to say to Dirk Schaffer.

What's wrong?

I don't know.

What is it?

It's the carburetor. Suddenly, it's full of junk.

Get out. Quick.

Which way? In there. Come on.

Stay right there.

Come here.

Now listen, I want you to count to 30...

one, two, three, that speed...

and then start screaming and keep screaming.

Dirk Schaffer's gonna live, huh?

Yeah, if you call 20 to life living.

You missed your calling, you know that, don't you?

You shouldn't be messing around with the detective business.

You ought to get a job on a tuna boat.

Yeah. I like tuna fishing.

You hit a big school...

you can boat a hundred of them in 10 minutes.

That's a thrill.

Terrific. You want to eat one of these sandwiches...

or shall we break them up and use them for bait?

You can get one out.

At last.

No, that must be one of yours. How can you tell?

You cut the crust off. Remember, I like the crust on.

I'm sorry, Jim. I cut the crust off of all of them. I forgot.

I'm sorry. It's okay.

We did it again. We caught them.

I'm getting to be a pretty good... What do you call it?

Operative.

You're not too bad.

We're two for two.

That must do something good for your average.

Sara, it might surprise you, but when I work all by myself...

I hobble around a lot, but occasionally...

I get lucky and solve something.

I'm ready for dessert.

That's not bad. It's not bad at all.

Not exactly what I had in mind.

I want to get back to that, you understand.

It's just that I think we ought to square up accounts.

It's not that I don't trust you, sweetheart. It's just...

In the past, we have had our little problem, right?

Cute card.

Yeah, I looked and I looked. Where is it?

The police have it.

You see, when you find money that was gained in an extortion...

you can't keep it.

It's kind of like finders keepers, losers weepers...

and we're the losers.

Sara, we've...

Look...

How are you gonna pay me?

On the installment plan like before.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah.

I want the pink slip to your car.