1
00:00:04,404 --> 00:00:06,235
She didn't get
shoved off a cliff,
2
00:00:06,306 --> 00:00:08,866
because she wasn't supposed
to get shoved off a cliff.
3
00:00:09,009 --> 00:00:11,000
Are you saying
someone tried to hurt Susan?
4
00:00:11,144 --> 00:00:12,975
Why's somebody
trying to take you off?
5
00:00:13,279 --> 00:00:15,543
Because I've been nosing
around the Dave Kruger case.
6
00:00:15,615 --> 00:00:18,277
You don't want a detective.
You want a bodyguard.
7
00:00:18,451 --> 00:00:19,509
Chicken?
8
00:00:19,786 --> 00:00:21,686
Well, of course.
Goes without saying.
9
00:00:21,788 --> 00:00:24,780
But you're a
private investigator.
Why don't you carry a gun?
10
00:00:25,058 --> 00:00:26,821
Because I don't want
to shoot anybody.
11
00:00:27,060 --> 00:00:28,994
I thought you didn't like
to shoot people.
12
00:00:29,162 --> 00:00:31,562
I don't shoot it.
I just point it.
13
00:00:31,664 --> 00:00:32,756
Did you get through
to Becker?
14
00:00:32,999 --> 00:00:34,967
Yeah. He said he'd get
as much help as he can.
15
00:00:36,403 --> 00:00:37,768
We got a boat
angling in on us.
16
00:00:41,941 --> 00:00:43,169
(PHONE RINGING)
17
00:00:45,045 --> 00:00:46,876
ROCKFORD:
(ON ANSWERING MACHINE)
This is Jim Rockford.
18
00:00:46,946 --> 00:00:48,413
At the tone, leave your name
and message.
19
00:00:48,481 --> 00:00:49,505
I'll get back to you.
20
00:00:49,582 --> 00:00:50,571
(BEEPS)
21
00:00:50,650 --> 00:00:52,117
(ON TELEPHONE)
Hey, Jimmy, it's Cousin Lou.
22
00:00:52,185 --> 00:00:53,812
Gonna be in town
a couple of days,
23
00:00:53,887 --> 00:00:55,252
know you won't mind
putting us up.
24
00:00:55,321 --> 00:00:58,688
It's just me and Aunt Cissy,
and B.J., and the kids,
and little Freddy, and...
25
00:02:37,990 --> 00:02:41,187
Mr. Hummel, I got a letter
from your computer today.
26
00:02:41,260 --> 00:02:42,921
It was very cordial,
very nice.
27
00:02:42,995 --> 00:02:45,486
It's short.
I wanna read it to you.
28
00:02:45,564 --> 00:02:47,054
"Dear Mr. Rockford.
29
00:02:47,132 --> 00:02:50,067
"Please accept our apologies
for any inconvenience.
30
00:02:50,135 --> 00:02:52,103
"We have located
the missing invoice,
31
00:02:52,171 --> 00:02:54,799
"photocopy of which
is enclosed."
32
00:02:54,940 --> 00:02:57,534
Mr. Hummel,
nothing was enclosed.
33
00:02:57,609 --> 00:02:58,701
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
34
00:02:58,777 --> 00:03:00,074
Yeah. Come in.
35
00:03:00,546 --> 00:03:01,535
Yeah.
36
00:03:02,381 --> 00:03:04,315
Oh, I'll be right with you.
37
00:03:04,383 --> 00:03:05,407
Yeah.
38
00:03:05,484 --> 00:03:08,317
Mr. Hummel,
let me put it to you this way.
39
00:03:08,787 --> 00:03:11,984
You do a dandy two-step,
but I'm tired of dancing.
40
00:03:12,057 --> 00:03:15,356
Now, it's been three months.
No invoice, no payment.
41
00:03:16,361 --> 00:03:18,693
It's a computer foul-up.
Jim Rockford.
42
00:03:18,764 --> 00:03:20,994
I know. I'm Susan Alexander.
43
00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:22,531
Well, what can I do for you?
44
00:03:22,601 --> 00:03:24,398
I'm a feature writer
with Henton Publications,
45
00:03:24,469 --> 00:03:26,164
and I'm doing an article
on penology.
46
00:03:26,238 --> 00:03:28,468
Six and a half years ago,
a man named Dave Kruger
47
00:03:28,540 --> 00:03:31,134
was convicted of murder.
He's serving a life sentence.
48
00:03:31,210 --> 00:03:34,043
Now, I think he's innocent
and I want you to help me
prove it.
49
00:03:34,546 --> 00:03:36,605
After six and a half years?
50
00:03:37,049 --> 00:03:39,017
I only became aware
of the case a month ago.
51
00:03:39,084 --> 00:03:40,381
That's how I met Dave.
52
00:03:40,919 --> 00:03:43,547
And springing him
would sell a lot of magazines.
53
00:03:43,622 --> 00:03:46,523
Yes, it would.
But if it meant
a drop in circulation,
54
00:03:46,592 --> 00:03:48,253
I'd still be determined
to clear him.
55
00:03:48,327 --> 00:03:49,385
Why?
56
00:03:49,461 --> 00:03:51,622
Because I don't believe
people should be in prison
57
00:03:51,697 --> 00:03:53,460
for crimes they didn't commit.
58
00:03:54,032 --> 00:03:55,556
I don't either.
59
00:03:55,934 --> 00:03:58,425
And Dave, he says
he's innocent, huh?
60
00:03:59,404 --> 00:04:00,701
I'm a reporter.
61
00:04:00,772 --> 00:04:02,933
Now, if the person I'm talking
to has a stake in the matter
62
00:04:03,008 --> 00:04:05,533
I assume that every answer
I get is gonna be a lie
63
00:04:05,611 --> 00:04:06,703
to one degree or another.
64
00:04:07,145 --> 00:04:10,205
People are self-serving.
So you take that
into consideration.
65
00:04:10,282 --> 00:04:12,079
Would you care
for a cookie?
66
00:04:12,718 --> 00:04:13,742
No, thanks.
67
00:04:14,987 --> 00:04:18,548
All right, you're not just
taking his word for it, right?
68
00:04:18,724 --> 00:04:20,487
So if you've turned up
anything solid,
69
00:04:20,559 --> 00:04:23,460
why don't you go to the D.A.
And have him reopen the case?
70
00:04:23,528 --> 00:04:26,622
If I had anything solid,
I wouldn't need you.
71
00:04:27,232 --> 00:04:28,824
Dave's girlfriend,
Cheryl Wilson,
72
00:04:28,900 --> 00:04:31,368
was bludgeoned to death.
She was beaten so badly
73
00:04:31,436 --> 00:04:34,132
that the only thing
that made positive
identification possible
74
00:04:34,206 --> 00:04:35,434
was her fingerprints.
75
00:04:35,507 --> 00:04:38,670
Mmm-hmm.
And Dave,
he's a sweetheart of a guy.
76
00:04:39,411 --> 00:04:41,538
I've sat through
a lot of murder trials,
77
00:04:41,613 --> 00:04:43,740
and I've heard
a lot of witnesses say,
78
00:04:43,815 --> 00:04:45,976
"But he was such a nice guy."
79
00:04:46,051 --> 00:04:48,383
Now, I'm not saying Dave
is incapable of violence.
80
00:04:48,453 --> 00:04:50,580
I'm saying,
I don't think he killed her.
81
00:04:50,656 --> 00:04:53,181
Now, that is just
pure gut instinct.
82
00:04:54,192 --> 00:04:56,524
Are you always
this hard to hire?
83
00:04:56,762 --> 00:04:59,060
Oh, only when somebody
comes in with "mark"
84
00:04:59,131 --> 00:05:00,393
written all over them.
85
00:05:00,465 --> 00:05:03,992
Dave didn't ask me to get
into this. It was my own idea.
86
00:05:05,003 --> 00:05:06,493
Well, lady...
87
00:05:08,006 --> 00:05:09,974
I think
you're being suckered.
88
00:05:10,042 --> 00:05:11,236
Then you don't want the job?
89
00:05:11,343 --> 00:05:12,332
Mmm.
90
00:05:12,878 --> 00:05:14,277
I didn't say that.
91
00:05:14,346 --> 00:05:16,814
No, I just like
to be upfront,
92
00:05:16,882 --> 00:05:18,611
and then I don't feel so bad
taking your money.
93
00:05:19,084 --> 00:05:20,244
How much?
94
00:05:21,119 --> 00:05:23,110
$200 a day plus expenses.
95
00:05:24,323 --> 00:05:26,291
I want you to meet Dave.
96
00:05:28,293 --> 00:05:31,888
Yeah, well, all right,
let me, you know, get my coat.
97
00:05:39,171 --> 00:05:41,605
In New York
the going rate's $250.
98
00:05:47,846 --> 00:05:49,313
I was about ready
to give up on this.
99
00:05:49,381 --> 00:05:51,849
I mean, I've been over
the trial transcript
a dozen times.
100
00:05:51,917 --> 00:05:53,179
I kept digging
for information.
101
00:05:53,251 --> 00:05:55,014
And nothing but dead ends.
102
00:05:55,087 --> 00:05:56,987
If that man hadn't tried
to kill me today...
103
00:05:57,055 --> 00:06:00,149
Oh, wait a minute,
wait a minute.
104
00:06:00,692 --> 00:06:01,716
Why?
105
00:06:01,793 --> 00:06:03,658
Who tried to kill you?
106
00:06:03,729 --> 00:06:06,197
I don't know.
I've never seen him before.
107
00:06:06,264 --> 00:06:08,858
But he tried to force my car
off the road right about here.
108
00:06:08,934 --> 00:06:11,630
I reported it to the police,
and they've already
checked the area.
109
00:06:11,703 --> 00:06:13,637
Why didn't you tell me?
110
00:06:13,972 --> 00:06:15,530
Physical violence
has a tendency
111
00:06:15,607 --> 00:06:16,869
to put some people off.
112
00:06:16,942 --> 00:06:19,934
Yeah, I'm one of them.
You should've told me.
113
00:06:20,011 --> 00:06:22,445
We could have saved both of us
a lot of time.
114
00:06:22,514 --> 00:06:24,379
I don't hire out as muscle.
115
00:06:24,449 --> 00:06:26,542
Did I ask you to put on
a gorilla suit?
116
00:06:26,685 --> 00:06:30,280
I hired you to help me prove
that Dave Kruger is innocent.
117
00:06:30,355 --> 00:06:32,846
And what happened
this morning tells me
I'm on the right track.
118
00:06:32,924 --> 00:06:34,789
Somebody doesn't want
this case reopened.
119
00:06:34,860 --> 00:06:38,091
Well, what happens
when somebody decides
to take another crack at you?
120
00:06:38,163 --> 00:06:39,824
They won't.
The attempt this morning
121
00:06:39,898 --> 00:06:42,298
was against a woman alone
and unarmed.
122
00:06:42,367 --> 00:06:45,165
Yeah, and next time
it'll be against the two of us
123
00:06:45,237 --> 00:06:46,898
alone and unarmed.
124
00:06:47,773 --> 00:06:48,899
You're not armed?
125
00:06:48,974 --> 00:06:50,134
No.
126
00:06:50,208 --> 00:06:53,644
But you're
a private investigator.
Why don't you carry a gun?
127
00:06:54,413 --> 00:06:56,608
Because I don't want
to shoot anybody.
128
00:06:58,884 --> 00:07:01,944
ROCKFORD: Why is Dave
so important to you?
129
00:07:02,154 --> 00:07:04,418
I grew up with a lot
of Dave Krugers.
130
00:07:04,489 --> 00:07:06,889
Not enough money,
bad neighborhood.
131
00:07:06,958 --> 00:07:09,722
When they get tagged,
what kind of defense
can they afford,
132
00:07:09,795 --> 00:07:11,057
what kind of appeal?
133
00:07:11,129 --> 00:07:13,427
This is just
a personal crusade.
134
00:07:13,498 --> 00:07:16,467
Very personal. It's why
I became a journalist.
135
00:07:17,102 --> 00:07:20,367
And Henton Publications
gives me a power base,
136
00:07:21,573 --> 00:07:23,006
a very strong voice.
137
00:07:23,074 --> 00:07:26,566
Now, Dave Kruger isn't guilty
and he shouldn't be
serving time.
138
00:07:26,645 --> 00:07:28,840
Everybody in here
is in on a bum rap.
139
00:07:28,914 --> 00:07:30,040
Just ask them.
140
00:07:30,115 --> 00:07:33,778
No, no, when Dave
was arrested, he took
three lie detector tests.
141
00:07:33,852 --> 00:07:36,013
And all three proved
he was clean,
142
00:07:36,087 --> 00:07:38,612
and all of them
were invalidated
on technical grounds.
143
00:07:38,690 --> 00:07:41,181
It wouldn't have been
admissible in court anyway.
144
00:07:42,394 --> 00:07:44,328
Don't you trust anybody?
145
00:07:44,763 --> 00:07:47,231
My father.
Of course, he's bonded.
146
00:07:47,532 --> 00:07:48,897
Hey, Susan.
147
00:07:49,100 --> 00:07:51,625
Two visits in one day.
It's like my birthday.
148
00:07:51,703 --> 00:07:54,001
This time I brought along
a friend. Jim Rockford.
149
00:07:54,105 --> 00:07:55,834
Hi. How are you?
Hi.
150
00:07:55,974 --> 00:07:57,999
Nice to meet you.
I've heard a lot about you.
151
00:07:58,343 --> 00:08:01,107
Mr. Rockford is
a private investigator.
152
00:08:01,179 --> 00:08:02,942
He's gonna help me try
to get you out of here.
153
00:08:03,315 --> 00:08:04,839
No kidding.
154
00:08:04,916 --> 00:08:06,508
(LAUGHING)
Hey, hey.
155
00:08:06,585 --> 00:08:09,110
Oh, this is some day, huh?
156
00:08:09,254 --> 00:08:10,812
First, Susan calls me
and says,
157
00:08:10,889 --> 00:08:12,789
"That's it,
we got no place else to go."
158
00:08:12,858 --> 00:08:14,985
So I say, "Hey,
can't we talk about it?"
159
00:08:15,060 --> 00:08:17,051
So, she come out here
and we talk.
160
00:08:17,128 --> 00:08:19,858
She says how she's run into
nothing but stone walls.
161
00:08:19,931 --> 00:08:23,833
She tried, but it's no use.
So I figured I'm cooked,
right?
162
00:08:24,002 --> 00:08:26,869
End of the line. Hey. Hey.
163
00:08:27,239 --> 00:08:28,604
Well, I knew you'd be happy.
164
00:08:28,673 --> 00:08:31,972
Oh, happy?
Boy, that don't half say it.
165
00:08:32,244 --> 00:08:34,769
Now, you just tell me
what you want.
166
00:08:34,846 --> 00:08:36,108
You just tell me what to do.
167
00:08:36,181 --> 00:08:39,173
Well, since
I'm sort of jumping in
the middle of this thing,
168
00:08:39,251 --> 00:08:42,379
I think the best way
to start is you and I
get to know one another.
169
00:08:42,454 --> 00:08:44,513
Oh, that's great.
Why don't we all
sit down here?
170
00:08:44,589 --> 00:08:46,853
Do you mind
if Dave and I just...
171
00:08:46,925 --> 00:08:50,554
Oh. No. No, of course not.
I can wait in the car.
172
00:08:51,162 --> 00:08:52,754
I'll be in touch, Dave.
173
00:08:55,667 --> 00:08:59,194
Mr. Rockford, do you want
I can start from where
me and Cheryl met?
174
00:08:59,271 --> 00:09:03,264
Or from where
what happened to her?
175
00:09:03,341 --> 00:09:05,707
I gotta tell you,
it's been more than
six years
176
00:09:05,777 --> 00:09:09,110
and it still twists my guts
like when I first heard.
177
00:09:10,882 --> 00:09:12,474
She was my girl.
178
00:09:13,385 --> 00:09:17,378
Dave, stop sticking your toe
in the ground, huh?
179
00:09:18,023 --> 00:09:20,583
That sod-kicking act
just won't make it.
180
00:09:20,659 --> 00:09:21,683
What?
181
00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:23,853
Hey, come on, pal,
I know what
you're trying to pull.
182
00:09:23,929 --> 00:09:26,989
I've done time.
I know all the cons,
I've worked them myself.
183
00:09:27,933 --> 00:09:30,163
I don't know
what you're talking about.
184
00:09:30,936 --> 00:09:32,904
She didn't get
shoved off a cliff,
185
00:09:32,971 --> 00:09:35,462
because she wasn't supposed
to get shoved off a cliff.
186
00:09:35,540 --> 00:09:37,974
There's no percentage in it
if the lady's dead.
187
00:09:38,043 --> 00:09:40,341
Are you saying
someone tried to hurt Susan?
188
00:09:40,412 --> 00:09:42,937
For a big, old country boy
you're pretty smart.
189
00:09:43,014 --> 00:09:45,915
You hired some rumdum
to throw a scare into her,
190
00:09:45,984 --> 00:09:47,849
because you knew
that was the one thing
191
00:09:47,919 --> 00:09:49,216
that would keep her
on your case.
192
00:09:49,287 --> 00:09:51,278
Anybody else
would've said adios.
193
00:09:51,356 --> 00:09:53,620
Nah, she thinks
she's onto something.
194
00:09:53,692 --> 00:09:55,421
She smells a story.
195
00:09:56,695 --> 00:09:58,185
Well, that ain't what I smell.
196
00:09:58,897 --> 00:10:00,524
Well, I would never
hurt Susan.
197
00:10:00,599 --> 00:10:03,033
She's the only one
that ever tried to help me.
198
00:10:03,168 --> 00:10:05,796
She's the only one
ever believed in me.
199
00:10:06,137 --> 00:10:09,334
I never killed Cheryl,
somebody did.
200
00:10:09,874 --> 00:10:12,638
If stirring up this old case
is gonna bring harm to Susan,
201
00:10:12,744 --> 00:10:15,474
I want you tell her,
flat out, forget it.
202
00:10:16,114 --> 00:10:17,411
Now, I mean it, Mr. Rockford.
203
00:10:17,482 --> 00:10:20,007
I want you tell her
I said forget it.
204
00:10:21,052 --> 00:10:24,078
Now, look,
I got some money.
205
00:10:24,356 --> 00:10:25,414
Not much.
206
00:10:25,490 --> 00:10:27,390
But I'd give it over gladly
207
00:10:27,459 --> 00:10:29,586
if you was to keep
an eye on her.
208
00:10:29,995 --> 00:10:31,895
I already got a client.
209
00:10:33,565 --> 00:10:35,829
I'll keep an eye
on her anyway.
210
00:10:42,473 --> 00:10:45,067
He's had about as much
as he can take.
211
00:10:45,976 --> 00:10:48,536
You had no right
making those accusations.
212
00:10:48,612 --> 00:10:51,274
You hired me
to investigate.
I'm investigating.
213
00:10:51,348 --> 00:10:52,815
The wrong person.
214
00:10:52,883 --> 00:10:55,351
The warden told you
Dave didn't make
any telephone calls.
215
00:10:55,419 --> 00:10:56,784
He couldn't have set me up.
216
00:10:56,854 --> 00:10:58,651
Everybody loves Dave.
217
00:10:58,722 --> 00:11:00,815
Somebody could've made
the call for him.
218
00:11:00,891 --> 00:11:02,586
Everybody loves Dave,
219
00:11:02,660 --> 00:11:04,992
because he's exactly
the person he appears to be.
220
00:11:05,062 --> 00:11:06,222
Yeah, maybe.
221
00:11:06,296 --> 00:11:09,754
Come on.
I want you to read
the transcript of the trial.
222
00:11:12,169 --> 00:11:13,500
What is it?
223
00:11:13,737 --> 00:11:16,900
That's the car that tried
to force me off the road.
224
00:11:17,441 --> 00:11:18,703
(GUN FIRING)
225
00:11:20,844 --> 00:11:22,573
SUSAN: He's getting away!
226
00:11:24,448 --> 00:11:26,177
He's getting away!
227
00:11:28,185 --> 00:11:29,709
That's past tense.
228
00:11:29,787 --> 00:11:32,347
If you'd move,
maybe we could catch him.
229
00:11:32,423 --> 00:11:33,515
And?
230
00:11:36,894 --> 00:11:37,918
He has a gun.
231
00:11:38,729 --> 00:11:40,856
Very good. Now get in the car.
232
00:11:43,901 --> 00:11:46,665
Car belongs
to a Harry Freidell.
233
00:11:47,705 --> 00:11:51,402
1422 West Dunsmuir.
234
00:11:51,842 --> 00:11:53,104
Name mean anything to you?
235
00:11:53,177 --> 00:11:54,166
No.
236
00:11:54,244 --> 00:11:56,610
No reason it should.
Freidell wasn't driving.
237
00:11:56,680 --> 00:11:59,376
That car's been
on the hot sheet
since 8:00 this morning.
238
00:11:59,450 --> 00:12:01,281
I told you
we should've followed him.
239
00:12:02,052 --> 00:12:03,610
Fearless Fosdick.
240
00:12:03,721 --> 00:12:05,916
There've been two attempts
on my life today.
241
00:12:05,989 --> 00:12:08,116
I'd kind of like to know
who wants me dead.
242
00:12:08,192 --> 00:12:09,250
Two?
243
00:12:09,727 --> 00:12:11,627
The other took place
out near Chino.
244
00:12:11,695 --> 00:12:13,253
I reported it
to the police there.
245
00:12:13,330 --> 00:12:15,389
Why's somebody
trying to take you off?
246
00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:18,691
Because I've been nosing
around the Dave Kruger case.
247
00:12:18,769 --> 00:12:19,997
I think he's innocent.
248
00:12:20,070 --> 00:12:22,095
Whoever's guilty
is getting a little nervous.
249
00:12:22,172 --> 00:12:23,161
Kruger?
250
00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:26,232
Yeah, it was about
six and a half years ago,
Dennis.
251
00:12:26,310 --> 00:12:27,504
A Murder One.
252
00:12:27,611 --> 00:12:29,772
Oh, yeah, I remember.
They had him cold.
253
00:12:29,847 --> 00:12:33,647
Motive, opportunity.
The last known person
to see the girl alive.
254
00:12:33,751 --> 00:12:35,946
Violent quarrel
before she disappeared.
255
00:12:36,019 --> 00:12:37,179
He didn't kill her.
256
00:12:37,488 --> 00:12:40,286
I met Kruger
today, Dennis.
257
00:12:40,357 --> 00:12:41,790
And he comes across
pretty straight.
258
00:12:41,859 --> 00:12:45,351
But the fact is
that somebody did try
to kill Miss Alexander.
259
00:12:45,429 --> 00:12:47,329
Now, Kruger is
no candidate there.
260
00:12:47,397 --> 00:12:49,160
I mean, he's in the joint.
261
00:12:49,233 --> 00:12:51,724
Okay, let's say you're right.
What am I supposed to do?
262
00:12:51,802 --> 00:12:54,362
We got the license number
of a stolen vehicle,
263
00:12:54,438 --> 00:12:55,996
and we got
a physical description
264
00:12:56,073 --> 00:12:57,836
that fits half
the guys in L.A.
265
00:12:57,908 --> 00:13:00,138
You got something else,
Dennis. You got the case file.
266
00:13:00,210 --> 00:13:01,234
Oh, no.
267
00:13:01,311 --> 00:13:03,040
Let me take a look at it.
What's it gonna hurt?
268
00:13:03,113 --> 00:13:04,580
My chances
of making lieutenant.
269
00:13:04,648 --> 00:13:07,515
Oh, nobody's gonna
come down on you
for letting me see a file
270
00:13:07,584 --> 00:13:09,279
that's been closed
for six and a half years.
271
00:13:09,353 --> 00:13:11,583
Another six months
it's gonna be
out of the file room
272
00:13:11,655 --> 00:13:14,283
and onto microfilm.
That's the last anybody
is gonna think about it.
273
00:13:14,358 --> 00:13:15,689
I said no.
274
00:13:15,893 --> 00:13:20,626
Dennis, you just took a report
on an attempted homicide.
275
00:13:20,697 --> 00:13:22,631
Now, maybe there's something
in that file
276
00:13:22,699 --> 00:13:24,826
that would save
the young lady's life.
277
00:13:26,537 --> 00:13:27,561
Huh?
278
00:13:28,839 --> 00:13:30,500
No, it's not here.
279
00:13:31,074 --> 00:13:33,736
Well, could it be
in another file room?
280
00:13:34,144 --> 00:13:35,702
No. This is it.
281
00:13:36,246 --> 00:13:37,577
Could somebody have
checked it out?
282
00:13:37,648 --> 00:13:39,912
No, they had to sign
for it. They didn't.
283
00:13:39,983 --> 00:13:41,541
Well, do you keep duplicates?
284
00:13:41,618 --> 00:13:44,553
No. Not on a case that's
been closed for six years.
285
00:13:44,621 --> 00:13:47,920
Jimbo, you better start
looking over your shoulder.
286
00:13:48,158 --> 00:13:51,491
There's only one reason
for walking off
with a dead file.
287
00:13:51,562 --> 00:13:53,894
Yeah.
To make sure it stays dead.
288
00:13:58,702 --> 00:14:01,068
Do you know
what was in that file?
289
00:14:01,538 --> 00:14:04,234
Yeah. Everything
the police turned up
in their investigation.
290
00:14:04,374 --> 00:14:05,966
The results of
the polygraph tests,
291
00:14:06,043 --> 00:14:08,341
all the preliminary
questioning.
292
00:14:09,146 --> 00:14:12,274
There may have been
something new that
we could follow through on.
293
00:14:12,349 --> 00:14:13,907
Or something old.
294
00:14:13,984 --> 00:14:16,544
Who were the
principals involved,
besides Dave?
295
00:14:17,287 --> 00:14:19,016
Well, there was
Cheryl's mother.
296
00:14:19,089 --> 00:14:21,216
She made the identification.
297
00:14:21,391 --> 00:14:22,585
Took it hard.
298
00:14:22,659 --> 00:14:24,422
I can't see her wanting
to help us free the man
299
00:14:24,494 --> 00:14:25,961
she thinks
killed her daughter.
300
00:14:26,029 --> 00:14:27,792
Well, what about
the witnesses?
301
00:14:28,265 --> 00:14:30,597
For the defense,
character witnesses
302
00:14:30,667 --> 00:14:32,396
going all the way back
to grammar school.
303
00:14:33,203 --> 00:14:34,966
And for the prosecution?
304
00:14:35,038 --> 00:14:37,632
There weren't any
eyewitnesses to the crime.
305
00:14:37,708 --> 00:14:40,040
But there were
a number of neighbors
who testified
306
00:14:40,110 --> 00:14:43,511
to the argument
that Cheryl and Dave had
just prior to her death.
307
00:14:44,114 --> 00:14:46,344
Dave never denied
the argument.
308
00:14:46,450 --> 00:14:48,941
In fact, he said that Cheryl
309
00:14:49,019 --> 00:14:51,419
seemed to be deliberately
provoking the argument
310
00:14:51,488 --> 00:14:53,012
as if she wanted the fight.
311
00:14:53,090 --> 00:14:56,059
Did anybody see Cheryl
after that argument?
312
00:14:56,393 --> 00:14:58,827
Except when
they found her body?
313
00:14:58,896 --> 00:15:00,363
Well, no...
314
00:15:01,632 --> 00:15:02,997
it was about a week later.
315
00:15:03,066 --> 00:15:06,297
There were some kids up hiking
in the Santa Monica mountains.
316
00:15:06,370 --> 00:15:08,565
They're probably still
having nightmares.
317
00:15:08,672 --> 00:15:12,608
Well, maybe Dave's attorney
would have some good ideas.
318
00:15:13,410 --> 00:15:14,809
Mr. Newcomb?
319
00:15:15,045 --> 00:15:17,775
He had a stroke shortly
after Dave was sentenced.
320
00:15:17,848 --> 00:15:20,339
He's been in a rest home
ever since.
321
00:15:20,484 --> 00:15:24,887
I tried to talk to him,
but his mind is just... gone.
322
00:15:24,955 --> 00:15:27,480
He's fairly lucid
from time to time, but...
323
00:15:27,557 --> 00:15:30,390
Here.
Let me help you with that.
I'm used to making my own bed.
324
00:15:30,460 --> 00:15:32,428
No. No. This is mine.
You're gonna take the bedroom.
325
00:15:32,496 --> 00:15:33,861
No.
326
00:15:33,964 --> 00:15:36,296
Hey, look,
this is my idea, huh?
327
00:15:36,500 --> 00:15:38,491
I mean, you can't go back
to your own apartment.
328
00:15:38,568 --> 00:15:40,365
I want you right where
I can keep an eye on you.
329
00:15:40,437 --> 00:15:41,802
I've slept
on the couch before.
330
00:15:41,872 --> 00:15:43,863
Well, so have I.
Not yours, but...
331
00:15:43,941 --> 00:15:47,240
Now, look,
the gallantry's very nice,
but it's very unnecessary.
332
00:15:47,311 --> 00:15:49,973
I've slept in freight cars,
telephone booths,
333
00:15:50,047 --> 00:15:52,914
and a few years ago,
when I was covering
a dock strike in New York,
334
00:15:52,983 --> 00:15:55,850
I even spent the night
on a pool table
in McGinty's Bar.
335
00:15:55,919 --> 00:15:57,784
Then you earned
a good night's rest.
336
00:15:57,854 --> 00:15:59,151
You're stubborn,
aren't you?
337
00:15:59,890 --> 00:16:01,016
Aren't you?
338
00:16:06,563 --> 00:16:07,723
That's him.
339
00:16:14,771 --> 00:16:16,170
SUSAN: Mr. Newcomb?
340
00:16:18,175 --> 00:16:20,473
Do you remember me,
Mr. Newcomb?
341
00:16:21,445 --> 00:16:23,572
They don't
play shuffleboard
in the main house.
342
00:16:23,647 --> 00:16:25,911
They have a court,
but they don't play
there anymore.
343
00:16:25,983 --> 00:16:27,883
This is Mr. Rockford.
344
00:16:27,951 --> 00:16:31,216
He'd like to ask you
a few questions
about Dave Kruger's case.
345
00:16:32,556 --> 00:16:33,853
Hello.
346
00:16:34,424 --> 00:16:36,221
I should have won that case.
347
00:16:37,127 --> 00:16:38,458
Never filed an appeal.
348
00:16:38,528 --> 00:16:41,497
You know, if I had
filed an appeal...
349
00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:45,625
Well, I don't know, it's...
350
00:16:46,069 --> 00:16:47,730
It's hard to say.
351
00:16:50,374 --> 00:16:52,274
We're looking into
the possibility
352
00:16:52,342 --> 00:16:54,606
that Dave Kruger
may have been innocent.
353
00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:59,007
I never play
shuffleboard anymore.
354
00:16:59,082 --> 00:17:01,880
I mean, I used to play
when they let us use the court
355
00:17:01,952 --> 00:17:03,613
in the main house.
356
00:17:04,488 --> 00:17:07,946
Mrs. Tucker said
we had to play outside
357
00:17:09,226 --> 00:17:12,252
'cause it woke up
the people who had the rooms
on the second floor.
358
00:17:13,230 --> 00:17:14,595
Mr. Newcomb,
359
00:17:15,465 --> 00:17:18,434
try and remember
Dave Kruger.
360
00:17:19,336 --> 00:17:20,928
Try to picture him
in your mind.
361
00:17:21,571 --> 00:17:24,631
He was convicted of killing
his girlfriend, Cheryl Wilson.
362
00:17:24,708 --> 00:17:27,199
You defended him
over six years ago.
363
00:17:27,277 --> 00:17:30,644
It was the last year
of your practice,
just before you came here.
364
00:17:34,618 --> 00:17:37,086
I don't remember him.
I'm sorry.
365
00:17:38,188 --> 00:17:39,951
I mean, sometimes
things are so clear
366
00:17:40,023 --> 00:17:43,151
I can remember
summations, speeches.
367
00:17:43,727 --> 00:17:46,423
I can remember
right to the last letter.
368
00:17:46,963 --> 00:17:49,932
And I can say them
just the way I did then,
369
00:17:52,002 --> 00:17:55,062
and then,
right in the middle,
it all fades away
370
00:17:55,138 --> 00:17:57,402
and I can't
remember anything.
371
00:17:59,476 --> 00:18:01,569
Do you like baked potatoes?
372
00:18:02,212 --> 00:18:03,338
Yeah. Yeah.
373
00:18:03,413 --> 00:18:06,439
On Wednesdays they have
baked potatoes for lunch.
374
00:18:06,616 --> 00:18:09,414
But I can't eat them.
Give me gas.
375
00:18:10,687 --> 00:18:12,780
I told them in the kitchen.
376
00:18:13,256 --> 00:18:15,690
So they give me
the potatoes uncooked.
377
00:18:16,893 --> 00:18:21,193
I put toothpicks in them,
grow them in a glass of water.
378
00:18:25,902 --> 00:18:29,269
You said you never
filed an appeal, Mr. Newcomb.
379
00:18:29,339 --> 00:18:31,136
Were you going
to file an appeal?
380
00:18:31,842 --> 00:18:33,469
I never filed it.
381
00:18:35,412 --> 00:18:39,280
Mrs. Wilson came to me,
382
00:18:41,451 --> 00:18:44,614
and she wanted me
to file an appeal
383
00:18:48,058 --> 00:18:49,855
but I had the stroke.
384
00:18:50,193 --> 00:18:53,424
Mrs. Wilson? Is that
Cheryl Wilson's mother?
385
00:18:56,633 --> 00:18:58,430
I'm sorry. It's gone.
386
00:18:59,336 --> 00:19:03,568
Isn't it terrible?
It just comes and it goes.
387
00:19:04,207 --> 00:19:05,640
Sometimes,
388
00:19:06,843 --> 00:19:10,040
I feel as like I did
when I was 20.
389
00:19:10,113 --> 00:19:14,106
I feel I could run
and jump over that fence
down there...
390
00:19:16,686 --> 00:19:19,621
and then I know
I'm just an old man
391
00:19:20,390 --> 00:19:21,789
who can't remember things.
392
00:19:21,858 --> 00:19:24,884
You know,
I wish it would be
one way or the other.
393
00:19:24,961 --> 00:19:28,795
Oh, that's all right,
Mr. Newcomb. You've been
very cooperative.
394
00:19:29,766 --> 00:19:31,233
You gonna stay for lunch?
395
00:19:32,435 --> 00:19:33,527
Well...
396
00:19:33,603 --> 00:19:35,298
If you stay,
can I have your potato?
397
00:19:37,407 --> 00:19:38,396
Oh.
398
00:19:38,875 --> 00:19:40,706
Yeah, sure. Sure.
399
00:19:41,378 --> 00:19:44,279
Thank you, Mr. Newcomb.
Thank you very much.
400
00:20:05,068 --> 00:20:07,696
What was Cheryl Wilson's
mother's name?
401
00:20:08,038 --> 00:20:10,336
It was in the court records.
402
00:20:11,107 --> 00:20:13,302
Mary? No, Martha Wilson.
403
00:20:13,710 --> 00:20:15,371
She lived in Santa Monica,
I think.
404
00:20:15,445 --> 00:20:16,969
Her address
was in there somewhere.
405
00:20:18,548 --> 00:20:21,449
Seems strange that
she would go to Newcomb
406
00:20:21,518 --> 00:20:24,351
and want to finance
an appeal
407
00:20:24,454 --> 00:20:27,855
for the man
who was convicted of
killing her own daughter.
408
00:20:27,924 --> 00:20:30,188
Yeah, I suppose,
but you can't
discount the fact
409
00:20:30,260 --> 00:20:32,125
that it was so hazy
in Mr. Newcomb's mind
410
00:20:32,195 --> 00:20:33,992
that he might be
remembering some other woman,
411
00:20:34,064 --> 00:20:36,032
or even some other case.
412
00:20:36,233 --> 00:20:38,701
Well, let's go
talk to her anyway, huh?
413
00:20:38,768 --> 00:20:41,328
We'll drop by your apartment,
pick up the records,
414
00:20:41,404 --> 00:20:42,996
and we'll go on from there.
415
00:20:45,075 --> 00:20:47,305
I wonder why
they won't let him
play shuffleboard
416
00:20:47,377 --> 00:20:50,107
in the main house
in the mornings,
when nobody's asleep.
417
00:20:51,181 --> 00:20:53,172
Kind of makes you hate
Mrs. Tucker, doesn't it?
418
00:20:54,384 --> 00:20:57,285
For a journalist,
you sure have a thin skin.
419
00:20:57,787 --> 00:20:59,687
That's why I'm so good.
420
00:21:13,803 --> 00:21:15,134
ROCKFORD: I guess this is it.
421
00:21:15,772 --> 00:21:17,501
SUSAN: Yeah,
this is the right address.
422
00:21:18,275 --> 00:21:19,765
Well, maybe
the house sold.
423
00:21:19,843 --> 00:21:21,401
It's been
six and a half years.
424
00:21:22,345 --> 00:21:23,437
What're you doing?
425
00:21:27,150 --> 00:21:29,345
I'm out of real estate cards.
426
00:21:32,088 --> 00:21:33,715
(CLATTERING)
427
00:21:40,930 --> 00:21:42,693
That's marvelous.
428
00:21:43,033 --> 00:21:46,059
I never saw
anything like that.
Where did you get it?
429
00:21:47,771 --> 00:21:50,672
Oh, good, the real estate
plate is still on.
430
00:21:51,808 --> 00:21:54,368
Well, I get all
my bogus business cards
printed up professionally.
431
00:21:54,444 --> 00:21:56,878
But it doesn't give me
anywhere near
this much flexibility.
432
00:21:57,681 --> 00:21:59,342
Well, an old client
is a printer,
433
00:21:59,416 --> 00:22:01,213
and I told him
what I needed
434
00:22:01,284 --> 00:22:02,649
and he designed it for me.
435
00:22:02,719 --> 00:22:03,708
(SUSAN LAUGHING)
436
00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:05,217
Well, I want one.
437
00:22:05,288 --> 00:22:07,415
I mean, that's the best tool
I ever saw.
438
00:22:08,725 --> 00:22:10,852
Oh, hey, wait a minute.
Hold on.
439
00:22:11,161 --> 00:22:14,062
I love the printing press,
but I don't love
the real estate approach.
440
00:22:14,130 --> 00:22:16,257
I think we got
a much better chance
if we go in as surveyors.
441
00:22:16,866 --> 00:22:18,800
Here, wait a minute.
442
00:22:19,436 --> 00:22:20,562
There.
443
00:22:22,105 --> 00:22:23,663
Well, now why is that better?
444
00:22:23,740 --> 00:22:25,731
Well, as surveyors,
you can prowl around
445
00:22:25,809 --> 00:22:27,504
and ask all kinds
of technical questions.
446
00:22:27,911 --> 00:22:30,436
But with real estate,
if she's not interested
in selling,
447
00:22:30,513 --> 00:22:32,413
she'll just slam the door
and we're cooked.
448
00:22:33,350 --> 00:22:34,783
Look, I know what I'm doing,
449
00:22:34,851 --> 00:22:37,183
I've opened up
a lot of interviews.
I'm pretty good.
450
00:22:37,787 --> 00:22:38,776
Yeah?
Yeah.
451
00:22:38,855 --> 00:22:39,947
So am I.
452
00:22:46,329 --> 00:22:47,853
We'll do it my way.
453
00:22:47,931 --> 00:22:49,694
You do it your way,
I'll do it mine.
454
00:22:49,766 --> 00:22:50,755
I'll do the talking.
455
00:22:50,834 --> 00:22:53,064
Now, you're my lineman
and sighter.
456
00:22:57,707 --> 00:22:59,174
Hello. We're with the...
457
00:22:59,242 --> 00:23:00,800
Double A Realty.
458
00:23:00,877 --> 00:23:03,641
Actually, I'm the broker
and this is my client,
Mrs. Damion.
459
00:23:03,713 --> 00:23:05,704
And we were just driving by
and saw your house.
460
00:23:06,082 --> 00:23:07,674
It's just what Bill
would like.
461
00:23:07,751 --> 00:23:09,048
We had a ranch style
in Detroit,
462
00:23:09,119 --> 00:23:11,917
but the roof wasn't
pitched enough
and it froze in the winters
463
00:23:11,988 --> 00:23:14,013
and developed dry rot
in the rafters.
464
00:23:14,090 --> 00:23:16,217
In California, of course,
that isn't a problem.
465
00:23:16,292 --> 00:23:18,419
You see, the Damions,
they're moving out
from Detroit.
466
00:23:18,495 --> 00:23:21,293
Mr. Damion is a computer
specialist with Diatron.
467
00:23:22,065 --> 00:23:23,089
Well, I don't know.
468
00:23:23,166 --> 00:23:25,430
Of course you don't.
Let me explain.
469
00:23:25,502 --> 00:23:28,300
See, we were driving by
470
00:23:28,438 --> 00:23:31,066
and Mrs. Damion talked me
into ringing the bell.
471
00:23:31,141 --> 00:23:33,439
It's just exactly
what they were looking for.
472
00:23:33,510 --> 00:23:36,604
Oh, do you mind?
I hope we didn't bother you.
473
00:23:36,679 --> 00:23:39,375
Oh, no. No, of course not.
It's...
474
00:23:39,849 --> 00:23:41,680
It's just that
I never considered selling.
475
00:23:41,751 --> 00:23:44,811
Oh, I hope we can
talk you into it
because it's just perfect.
476
00:23:44,988 --> 00:23:48,082
And there's a school nearby
so little Jess can walk.
477
00:23:48,158 --> 00:23:50,023
They have a son
in the second grade.
478
00:23:50,193 --> 00:23:52,184
(STAMMERING)
I don't know, I...
479
00:23:52,395 --> 00:23:54,727
Well, would you mind
if we came in?
480
00:23:54,798 --> 00:23:56,459
Yeah. Of course not.
481
00:23:59,002 --> 00:24:00,299
SUSAN: Thank you.
482
00:24:01,271 --> 00:24:04,172
(GASPING)
We could put Bill's wet bar
483
00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:06,105
in the corner
with the blue sofa.
484
00:24:06,276 --> 00:24:09,768
Oh, I just never know
what to do
with that big blue sofa.
485
00:24:09,846 --> 00:24:12,474
I mean, most rooms
just can't handle it.
486
00:24:13,349 --> 00:24:14,748
Would you mind
if I asked you
487
00:24:14,818 --> 00:24:16,342
a few questions
about the house?
488
00:24:16,419 --> 00:24:19,217
Oh, no. It's just
that I never really
considered selling.
489
00:24:19,289 --> 00:24:21,416
Bill should see it first.
490
00:24:22,091 --> 00:24:23,285
How many bedrooms?
491
00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:25,156
Three. And a den.
492
00:24:25,228 --> 00:24:26,354
Baths?
493
00:24:26,429 --> 00:24:28,021
Mmm-hmm. Two and a half.
494
00:24:28,665 --> 00:24:30,292
Yeah, well, good. Good.
495
00:24:30,366 --> 00:24:32,391
Looks like the house
is about 20 years old?
Mmm-hmm.
496
00:24:32,469 --> 00:24:35,097
Of course, you're not
the original owner.
497
00:24:35,171 --> 00:24:37,935
No, no. My aunt was
the second owner.
498
00:24:38,174 --> 00:24:40,301
I think she bought it
from a developer.
499
00:24:40,376 --> 00:24:44,278
Yes. Well, you know,
I've been in the area
for quite a while.
500
00:24:44,347 --> 00:24:45,814
I always like to know
the residents.
501
00:24:45,882 --> 00:24:48,248
A good broker
is a good listener.
502
00:24:48,351 --> 00:24:52,287
Let's see, your aunt
would be Wilson.
Mrs. Wilson?
503
00:24:52,355 --> 00:24:53,447
Yeah.
That's right.
504
00:24:53,523 --> 00:24:54,854
Yeah. Martha Wilson.
505
00:24:54,924 --> 00:24:57,757
Yeah. She left it
to my second cousin
506
00:24:57,827 --> 00:24:59,124
when she died
507
00:24:59,195 --> 00:25:00,719
five years ago.
508
00:25:01,364 --> 00:25:04,891
He kind of, you know,
lets me live here temporarily.
509
00:25:05,034 --> 00:25:07,366
I think he's the one
you ought to talk to.
510
00:25:07,437 --> 00:25:09,735
Well, it was a shame
about Mrs. Wilson.
511
00:25:09,806 --> 00:25:11,068
I'm terribly sorry.
512
00:25:11,140 --> 00:25:13,734
She was old,
and she took a lot of pills.
513
00:25:14,277 --> 00:25:16,768
It was an accident,
but she was
in her late 60s.
514
00:25:16,846 --> 00:25:19,178
Yeah. Your second cousin
would be...
515
00:25:19,349 --> 00:25:20,976
Roy Pierce.
Roy Pierce.
516
00:25:22,819 --> 00:25:25,549
The patio
is a little small.
517
00:25:25,989 --> 00:25:28,082
Look, how much
would you be willing
to offer me?
518
00:25:28,157 --> 00:25:31,183
Well, let's see,
for a house like this
with a little tiny patio
519
00:25:31,261 --> 00:25:33,354
only two and a half baths...
520
00:25:33,429 --> 00:25:34,828
Oh, I'd say
about $20,000.
521
00:25:34,898 --> 00:25:36,627
You'd take back
a second at 6%.
522
00:25:36,699 --> 00:25:38,098
That sound about right?
Mmm-hmm.
523
00:25:38,167 --> 00:25:39,361
Not to me.
524
00:25:39,435 --> 00:25:41,960
Yeah. I'm afraid
I wouldn't even be
slightly interested in it
525
00:25:42,038 --> 00:25:43,403
at that amount.
526
00:25:43,473 --> 00:25:45,839
Maybe we should keep looking,
Mr. Rockford.
527
00:25:45,909 --> 00:25:48,673
For $20,000, I wouldn't even
sublet the back bedroom.
528
00:25:48,745 --> 00:25:49,905
Yes. Well, you have my card.
529
00:25:49,979 --> 00:25:51,446
And if you should
change your mind,
530
00:25:51,514 --> 00:25:54,574
I'm in the office usually
between 9:00 and 10:30.
531
00:25:54,651 --> 00:25:55,948
That's except on Wednesdays.
532
00:25:56,019 --> 00:25:58,112
That's when we have
our real estate caravan.
Thank you.
533
00:25:58,187 --> 00:25:59,211
Bye-bye.
534
00:26:01,658 --> 00:26:04,786
Except for Wednesday,
when we have
the real estate caravan?
535
00:26:04,861 --> 00:26:08,558
Right. Right.
The real estate brokers
get together
536
00:26:08,631 --> 00:26:09,962
and caravan
all the new listings.
537
00:26:10,033 --> 00:26:12,263
Usually on Wednesday morning.
538
00:26:12,402 --> 00:26:14,427
Don't take it so hard.
It worked.
539
00:26:14,504 --> 00:26:17,439
When I hire operatives,
I usually get a chance
to call the shots.
540
00:26:17,507 --> 00:26:19,907
Well, I'm not an operative.
I'm a private detective.
541
00:26:19,976 --> 00:26:21,603
You hire me,
you get the whole product.
542
00:26:21,678 --> 00:26:23,703
Yeah. Complete with
a phony real estate pitch.
543
00:26:23,813 --> 00:26:25,337
How about that.
544
00:26:27,417 --> 00:26:30,443
What do you think?
Was Mrs. Wilson a suicide?
545
00:26:31,187 --> 00:26:33,747
Her daughter gets murdered
and six months or so later,
546
00:26:33,823 --> 00:26:36,257
she's dead
of an overdose of pills.
547
00:26:36,626 --> 00:26:38,253
I suppose it makes sense.
548
00:26:38,328 --> 00:26:40,523
She was dejected
over the murder.
549
00:26:40,597 --> 00:26:42,462
I guess the best thing
would be to check it out
550
00:26:42,532 --> 00:26:44,261
with the medical examiner.
551
00:26:44,334 --> 00:26:46,996
I'll call Becker and
we'll give it a whirl, huh?
552
00:26:59,716 --> 00:27:01,775
Everybody involved
in this case
553
00:27:01,851 --> 00:27:03,910
is either dead or retired.
554
00:27:03,987 --> 00:27:05,648
Which one is
the medical examiner?
555
00:27:05,722 --> 00:27:08,816
Retired, about eight months
after Cheryl Wilson's death.
556
00:27:09,726 --> 00:27:13,287
He's got a boat at the Marina.
His name is Patrick Elber.
557
00:27:13,496 --> 00:27:15,555
Becker checked
the records for me.
558
00:27:15,632 --> 00:27:17,293
Same guy did both autopsies.
559
00:27:19,369 --> 00:27:21,303
Isn't that a little strange?
Why?
560
00:27:21,371 --> 00:27:24,363
They got
two deputy coroners
doing the autopsies.
561
00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:27,705
That means
it's a fifty-fifty chance
same man'd do both of them.
562
00:27:27,777 --> 00:27:29,938
No. It's fifty-fifty
he'd do one.
563
00:27:30,013 --> 00:27:32,140
It's 25-75
he'd do them both.
564
00:27:34,484 --> 00:27:35,644
You're right.
565
00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:40,821
You're right.
That's one in four.
566
00:27:45,528 --> 00:27:46,995
That's my taco.
567
00:27:47,063 --> 00:27:49,361
I've been re-reading
the mother's testimony.
568
00:27:49,432 --> 00:27:51,059
She broke down twice
on the stand
569
00:27:51,134 --> 00:27:53,068
and ended up in the hospital
during the trial.
570
00:27:53,136 --> 00:27:54,763
They had to postpone it
for two weeks
571
00:27:54,837 --> 00:27:56,304
until she was well enough
to testify.
572
00:27:56,372 --> 00:27:58,272
Yeah, and then
she went to Mr. Newcomb
573
00:27:58,341 --> 00:27:59,808
and wanted him
to file an appeal.
574
00:27:59,876 --> 00:28:02,003
Then he had a stroke,
and she committed suicide.
575
00:28:02,945 --> 00:28:05,209
The people standing in Cheryl
Wilson's emotional attic
576
00:28:05,281 --> 00:28:06,339
didn't fare too well,
did they?
577
00:28:06,749 --> 00:28:10,082
I suppose you're right.
If I know what you mean
by "emotional attic."
578
00:28:10,553 --> 00:28:13,044
Your journalistic metaphors
are showing.
579
00:28:13,122 --> 00:28:15,215
I know. I do that sometimes.
580
00:28:15,458 --> 00:28:17,426
Do you have the slip number
to Mr. Elber's boat?
581
00:28:17,493 --> 00:28:19,051
Yeah.
Well, then let's go.
582
00:28:19,128 --> 00:28:20,356
Oh, wait, wait, wait.
583
00:28:20,430 --> 00:28:23,456
Let's get together
on how we're gonna go
after this one, huh?
584
00:28:23,533 --> 00:28:25,330
I'm just gonna show him
my press card.
585
00:28:25,401 --> 00:28:26,698
I think with
a medical examiner,
586
00:28:26,769 --> 00:28:28,862
that's the best way,
just go in straight.
587
00:28:30,073 --> 00:28:32,098
Kind of takes all
the fun out of it.
588
00:28:32,175 --> 00:28:33,733
I mean,
we can't overlook the fact
589
00:28:33,810 --> 00:28:36,335
that the case file is missing.
I mean, somebody's got it.
590
00:28:36,412 --> 00:28:38,209
Maybe this guy's
on somebody's payroll.
591
00:28:38,281 --> 00:28:39,680
You got a better idea?
592
00:28:40,316 --> 00:28:43,615
Well, how about
an insurance investigator
593
00:28:43,686 --> 00:28:47,144
works for an attorney
who's filing
a loss of life claim
594
00:28:47,223 --> 00:28:49,054
against the insurance company
595
00:28:49,125 --> 00:28:51,025
that carried
Mrs. Wilson's policy?
596
00:28:51,094 --> 00:28:52,652
No. I don't like it.
It's just too complicated.
597
00:28:52,962 --> 00:28:54,691
Oh, it'll work.
All we need to do is
598
00:28:54,764 --> 00:28:57,255
scrounge a little information
from the Coroner's Office.
599
00:28:59,001 --> 00:29:00,093
Wait.
600
00:29:01,471 --> 00:29:03,803
You're right.
You're right again.
601
00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:07,336
ROCKFORD:
First, the Coroner's Office
and then Elber.
602
00:29:08,644 --> 00:29:09,906
ELBER: Mr. Slauson.
603
00:29:10,947 --> 00:29:14,383
You must be new.
I don't remember
either one of you.
604
00:29:14,450 --> 00:29:17,248
ROCKFORD: Well, I've been
there almost 18 months now.
605
00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:19,720
SUSAN: You retired before
either one of us got there.
606
00:29:19,789 --> 00:29:22,257
Oh, well.
Oh, come on aboard.
607
00:29:22,325 --> 00:29:26,056
It's good to talk to people
from the old office.
608
00:29:26,929 --> 00:29:29,124
Oh, say...
609
00:29:30,366 --> 00:29:32,334
Oh, Mr. Wilson says hello,
610
00:29:32,401 --> 00:29:35,029
and they miss you
every Thursday night.
611
00:29:35,738 --> 00:29:37,205
ELBER: Well, I miss them.
612
00:29:37,273 --> 00:29:40,504
That poker game made about
$1,000 a year to me.
613
00:29:41,511 --> 00:29:44,105
Oh, and this is my assistant,
Miss Lillian Dexter.
614
00:29:44,514 --> 00:29:45,742
Nice to meet you.
615
00:29:45,815 --> 00:29:48,045
Everybody still talks
about you, Mr. Elber.
616
00:29:48,384 --> 00:29:51,512
Pat or Patrick.
617
00:29:53,856 --> 00:29:56,518
So, what can I do for you?
618
00:29:56,893 --> 00:29:59,020
Well, what we're doing, Pat...
619
00:29:59,095 --> 00:30:01,757
I'll tell it, Lillian,
if you don't mind.
620
00:30:03,699 --> 00:30:04,825
Maybe you've heard
621
00:30:04,901 --> 00:30:08,200
that we're moving
all the old records
622
00:30:08,271 --> 00:30:12,105
from the Coroner's Office
on the building
on West 7th Street,
623
00:30:12,175 --> 00:30:15,008
over to the new microfilm
vaults on Hemmit.
624
00:30:15,344 --> 00:30:17,608
Oh, yeah, yeah.
I did hear about that.
625
00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:19,375
Across from the courthouse.
626
00:30:19,448 --> 00:30:22,508
Yeah. That's right.
Well, Miss Dexter and I
627
00:30:22,585 --> 00:30:25,748
what we're doing is
trying to sort out
all the old records
628
00:30:25,822 --> 00:30:27,483
so they'd be
ready to microfilm,
629
00:30:27,557 --> 00:30:31,425
and then we're trying
to reconcile them
against the obits
630
00:30:31,494 --> 00:30:33,291
that are filed with
the County Coroner's Office.
631
00:30:33,362 --> 00:30:36,092
Unfortunately,
there are a few omissions.
632
00:30:36,199 --> 00:30:38,690
Now, I thought
we might get
some information from you,
633
00:30:38,768 --> 00:30:42,135
well, so we could
at least include
some statement of death.
634
00:30:42,305 --> 00:30:43,772
If you could remember.
635
00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:46,832
Otherwise, we'll just
have to file them with a
No Cause of Death statement.
636
00:30:46,909 --> 00:30:49,002
Oh, boy, those files
were always in a mess.
637
00:30:49,078 --> 00:30:50,841
They probably were misfiled,
you know?
638
00:30:50,913 --> 00:30:54,644
Oh, it's really not that bad,
Pat, just four or five
that we can't find.
639
00:30:54,717 --> 00:30:58,881
But you know Mr. Buchanan
is such a stickler for detail.
640
00:30:59,155 --> 00:31:00,383
I remember.
641
00:31:00,456 --> 00:31:01,582
I remember.
642
00:31:03,726 --> 00:31:06,251
Would you just
get him the names,
Miss Dexter?
643
00:31:06,329 --> 00:31:08,126
So we don't
take up his whole day?
644
00:31:08,197 --> 00:31:11,496
Oh, sure. Such a nuisance.
We're sorry.
645
00:31:11,567 --> 00:31:13,057
Oh, it's okay. Go ahead.
646
00:31:13,369 --> 00:31:16,133
Well, now, let me see.
Where are they?
647
00:31:19,876 --> 00:31:22,538
We don't have all day
for this, Miss Dexter.
648
00:31:22,612 --> 00:31:25,240
I'm doing the best I can,
Mr. Slauson.
649
00:31:25,581 --> 00:31:30,143
Take it easy, Slauson.
You'll get the information.
Don't worry. Don't worry.
650
00:31:30,820 --> 00:31:34,847
Ah, yes.
We don't have the record
for a Jerry Kitteringhouse.
651
00:31:35,558 --> 00:31:38,686
Kitteringhouse.
Kitteringhouse.
652
00:31:38,895 --> 00:31:41,227
Wait a minute.
Let me think.
653
00:31:41,530 --> 00:31:45,762
Oh, yeah.
Gunshot wound
in the left ventricle.
654
00:31:45,835 --> 00:31:48,861
He was cleaning his gun.
Accidental death.
655
00:31:48,938 --> 00:31:50,701
Kitteringhouse.
Oh, yes, I remember that one.
656
00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:52,307
Oh, that's great.
That's all we need.
657
00:31:52,375 --> 00:31:54,502
Those records are so old.
It doesn't have
to be complete.
658
00:31:54,577 --> 00:31:56,704
Just enough
to fill in the blanks.
659
00:31:57,013 --> 00:31:58,503
Let's see now.
660
00:31:58,814 --> 00:32:01,044
Martha Wilson,
and Cheryl Wilson.
661
00:32:01,117 --> 00:32:04,211
They were mother and daughter,
and they died within
six months of one another.
662
00:32:04,287 --> 00:32:07,120
Oh, I sure remember that one.
I did both autopsies.
663
00:32:07,223 --> 00:32:08,383
Now, let me see.
664
00:32:08,457 --> 00:32:11,449
Cheryl was beat up
pretty good.
665
00:32:11,527 --> 00:32:14,553
We had to bring the mother
in for partial ident.
666
00:32:14,630 --> 00:32:18,589
Then, wacko. Few months later,
the mother was dead.
667
00:32:19,201 --> 00:32:22,102
I thought at first
it was suicide,
but after I did the autopsy,
668
00:32:22,171 --> 00:32:25,698
I found out that it wasn't
the drugs she'd been taking.
669
00:32:25,808 --> 00:32:27,366
It was her heart.
670
00:32:27,443 --> 00:32:30,606
She was 66 years old
and her heart just gave out.
671
00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:33,212
Myocardial infarction.
672
00:32:34,417 --> 00:32:36,146
Just put down
"heart failure."
673
00:32:36,652 --> 00:32:39,120
Oh. Well, that's it.
674
00:32:39,789 --> 00:32:40,983
Well...
675
00:32:41,457 --> 00:32:44,790
the memory is pretty sharp
for all these years.
676
00:32:44,860 --> 00:32:46,794
Yeah. It's not bad.
677
00:32:46,862 --> 00:32:48,193
Yeah, terrific.
678
00:32:59,709 --> 00:33:02,610
All right. That should
about take care of it.
679
00:33:03,779 --> 00:33:06,373
I still don't see
why you're quitting.
680
00:33:06,882 --> 00:33:08,509
Well, I...
681
00:33:09,151 --> 00:33:11,346
I kind of got where
I like you and I...
682
00:33:11,620 --> 00:33:14,453
I don't enjoy taking money
from my friends.
683
00:33:16,058 --> 00:33:18,492
That's very
sentimental and sweet,
684
00:33:18,561 --> 00:33:21,121
but since it's my money,
what does it matter?
685
00:33:22,431 --> 00:33:25,594
Where do we go from here?
We're fresh out of leads.
686
00:33:25,668 --> 00:33:27,397
The mother died
of a heart attack.
687
00:33:27,470 --> 00:33:28,767
The daughter was murdered.
688
00:33:28,838 --> 00:33:31,602
All the evidence in the case
points toward Dave Kruger,
689
00:33:31,674 --> 00:33:32,971
who could have fooled us both,
690
00:33:33,042 --> 00:33:35,408
and just may be up
for Chino's acting award,
691
00:33:35,478 --> 00:33:37,469
best performance
by a convict.
692
00:33:38,748 --> 00:33:41,876
What about the man
that tried to force me
off the road,
693
00:33:41,951 --> 00:33:43,475
or the one that
tried to shoot me?
694
00:33:45,121 --> 00:33:46,679
Well, I can't explain it.
695
00:33:46,756 --> 00:33:49,657
But it may have
nothing at all
to do with Kruger.
696
00:33:50,426 --> 00:33:53,293
It could be some guy
trying to level an old score
697
00:33:53,362 --> 00:33:55,796
for one of your Pulitzer Prize
winning exposes.
698
00:33:55,865 --> 00:33:59,494
Or Kruger could have
set it up just to keep you
churning away on the case.
699
00:33:59,602 --> 00:34:01,695
I mean, after all, a little
press never hurt a guy
700
00:34:01,771 --> 00:34:03,068
in Kruger's position.
701
00:34:03,139 --> 00:34:05,369
(SCOFFING)
I don't believe that
and neither do you.
702
00:34:05,441 --> 00:34:06,908
Don't tell me what I believe.
703
00:34:06,976 --> 00:34:10,104
Why not? You don't seem
to get very many
swift ideas on your own.
704
00:34:10,179 --> 00:34:11,476
Look, Susan,
705
00:34:11,547 --> 00:34:13,037
you're used to
getting your own way.
706
00:34:13,115 --> 00:34:16,744
Now, you and I both
went through this little maze
and we came out at Start.
707
00:34:16,819 --> 00:34:20,084
You do not get points
for ending up
where you started.
708
00:34:20,823 --> 00:34:22,222
So I...
709
00:34:22,291 --> 00:34:24,657
I gave you a break
on the rate,
710
00:34:24,727 --> 00:34:26,490
and I didn't charge
any expenses.
711
00:34:27,496 --> 00:34:30,863
Well, you didn't have any,
unless you want to count gas
and shoe leather
712
00:34:30,933 --> 00:34:32,560
and about an ounce
of printer's ink.
713
00:34:32,635 --> 00:34:34,762
Yeah, I want to count them.
714
00:34:35,037 --> 00:34:38,871
Yeah, well,
you don't want a detective.
You want a bodyguard.
715
00:34:39,408 --> 00:34:43,105
You think somebody
is still trying to
put your lights out. Okay.
716
00:34:43,412 --> 00:34:46,404
I can recommend some
very competent bodyguards
717
00:34:46,482 --> 00:34:48,814
who will do a much
better job at this
kind of thing than I will,
718
00:34:48,884 --> 00:34:50,818
and they cost a lot less.
719
00:34:50,886 --> 00:34:52,114
Chicken?
720
00:34:52,188 --> 00:34:54,019
Well, of course.
Goes without saying.
721
00:34:54,423 --> 00:34:57,221
What about the appeal
Mrs. Wilson was
going to finance?
722
00:34:57,526 --> 00:35:01,018
An appeal to get the man
convicted of murdering
her daughter out of jail.
723
00:35:01,097 --> 00:35:02,121
What about it?
724
00:35:02,198 --> 00:35:03,256
I asked first.
725
00:35:05,634 --> 00:35:07,226
I don't think
she ever went to Newcomb.
726
00:35:07,303 --> 00:35:11,069
I think that poor old man
just got his facts confused.
727
00:35:13,576 --> 00:35:15,669
That looked so promising.
728
00:35:16,112 --> 00:35:17,807
Yeah, but it petered out.
729
00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:20,610
Newcomb gave us
some information
that went nowhere,
730
00:35:20,683 --> 00:35:24,744
Patrick Elber confirmed
the official police report,
731
00:35:25,054 --> 00:35:26,885
Mrs. Atwater...
732
00:35:27,423 --> 00:35:28,583
What about Mrs. Atwater?
733
00:35:29,024 --> 00:35:31,891
There was something
that bothered me
when we talked to her today,
734
00:35:31,961 --> 00:35:34,191
and it just hit me
what it was.
735
00:35:34,263 --> 00:35:37,721
She said her second cousin,
Roy Pierce,
owned the house, right?
736
00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:38,789
Right.
737
00:35:38,868 --> 00:35:41,894
When I made her
a pretty insulting offer
on the property,
738
00:35:41,971 --> 00:35:44,064
she became very
proprietary.
739
00:35:44,273 --> 00:35:49,233
She said, "I wouldn't be
interested. I wouldn't sublet
the back bedroom for $20,000."
740
00:35:49,345 --> 00:35:51,939
I. I. Not Roy Pierce.
741
00:35:52,014 --> 00:35:53,675
Yeah. That doesn't make sense.
742
00:35:53,749 --> 00:35:55,478
If she owned it,
why wouldn't she admit it?
743
00:35:55,985 --> 00:35:59,477
Well, maybe
she doesn't own it,
but she sure feels at home.
744
00:35:59,555 --> 00:36:02,353
And maybe she
and Roy Pierce are close.
745
00:36:02,591 --> 00:36:03,615
And maybe something else.
746
00:36:03,692 --> 00:36:04,681
Like what?
747
00:36:06,061 --> 00:36:07,085
Let's go ask her.
748
00:36:11,734 --> 00:36:14,794
Well, there must be
somebody in there, with
two cars parked outside.
749
00:36:21,410 --> 00:36:23,002
Let's try around the back.
750
00:36:53,075 --> 00:36:54,508
Did you get
the license number?
751
00:36:54,577 --> 00:36:56,101
No, he's too far away.
752
00:36:58,547 --> 00:37:00,845
At least he left
the door open for us.
753
00:37:08,557 --> 00:37:09,922
What is it?
754
00:37:11,393 --> 00:37:13,224
BECKER: Whoever did it
was trying to get her out.
755
00:37:13,796 --> 00:37:16,924
She was tied up and gagged.
It looks like
she got the gag off,
756
00:37:17,066 --> 00:37:18,556
started yelling.
757
00:37:18,634 --> 00:37:21,535
He must've given her a whack
to keep her quiet,
got her in the temple.
758
00:37:21,604 --> 00:37:24,004
Then you showed up,
he dropped her and ran.
759
00:37:24,073 --> 00:37:26,064
One of the neighbors
saw him take off.
760
00:37:26,141 --> 00:37:28,302
Well, he split
in a blue Chevy.
761
00:37:28,377 --> 00:37:30,277
I didn't get
the license number.
762
00:37:31,180 --> 00:37:33,114
You were here twice
in one day. Why?
763
00:37:33,382 --> 00:37:34,815
I'm working for
Miss Alexander.
764
00:37:38,454 --> 00:37:40,649
Miss Alexander
usually has a lot to say,
765
00:37:40,723 --> 00:37:44,022
but apparently she's willing
to let me stand here
and turn bright blue
766
00:37:44,093 --> 00:37:45,355
without opening her mouth.
767
00:37:45,427 --> 00:37:46,860
What were you and Jim
doing here?
768
00:37:47,930 --> 00:37:51,058
Well, Sergeant,
I'm a journalist and
I'm working on a story.
769
00:37:51,133 --> 00:37:54,591
Now, if I tell you,
you tell the local press,
and I'm out a month's work.
770
00:37:55,037 --> 00:37:58,473
I'm instructing my employee,
Mr. Rockford,
to remain silent.
771
00:37:58,540 --> 00:38:00,371
The First Amendment
and all that.
772
00:38:02,478 --> 00:38:03,843
Where do you get them, Jim?
773
00:38:05,047 --> 00:38:07,481
I don't know, Dennis.
They just seem to seek me out.
774
00:38:21,030 --> 00:38:23,931
Okay, that just about does it.
775
00:38:24,099 --> 00:38:25,157
That's good.
776
00:38:25,234 --> 00:38:27,828
I instructed you
to remain silent.
777
00:38:27,903 --> 00:38:32,033
A journalist doesn't have
to reveal sources of
information or suppositions.
778
00:38:32,241 --> 00:38:34,300
It's all part of
the First Amendment.
779
00:38:35,144 --> 00:38:39,444
Listen, Susan, you and I
terminated our employment
agreement this afternoon
780
00:38:39,515 --> 00:38:40,709
just before the cops arrived.
781
00:38:40,783 --> 00:38:42,375
I do not work for you,
782
00:38:42,451 --> 00:38:45,386
and I'm not about
to withhold evidence
in a murder case.
783
00:38:45,587 --> 00:38:48,522
What information?
We don't know anything.
784
00:38:48,857 --> 00:38:51,155
Okay, Jim, sign this
and you can leave.
785
00:38:52,995 --> 00:38:56,829
We just got a printout on the
fingerprints and Photostats
we sent to Sacramento.
786
00:38:56,899 --> 00:38:58,594
It's about time.
What took you so long?
787
00:38:58,667 --> 00:39:01,693
Well, it's kind of strange,
sir, it was in the deceased
computer records
788
00:39:01,770 --> 00:39:03,431
and that woman
isn't named Atwater.
789
00:39:03,505 --> 00:39:04,938
Her name is Cheryl Wilson,
790
00:39:05,007 --> 00:39:07,635
and she was supposed
to have been murdered
over six years ago.
791
00:39:17,283 --> 00:39:19,080
Oh, good.
Could I speak to
her secretary, please?
792
00:39:19,151 --> 00:39:20,209
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
793
00:39:20,286 --> 00:39:22,754
And could you
put me on hold, please?
794
00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:29,022
Well, come in.
795
00:39:29,995 --> 00:39:31,360
They only kept you two hours.
796
00:39:31,430 --> 00:39:33,295
That's not too bad,
considering.
797
00:39:33,599 --> 00:39:36,193
What'd you do,
make a statement after all?
798
00:39:36,302 --> 00:39:39,499
You can only push
the First Amendment so far.
799
00:39:40,606 --> 00:39:43,598
I was headed for the lockup,
and I had a change of heart.
800
00:39:43,676 --> 00:39:46,201
But they promised me
they wouldn't release it
to the press.
801
00:39:46,579 --> 00:39:48,479
Gotta protect the old byline.
802
00:39:48,547 --> 00:39:49,912
No, I'm on hold.
803
00:39:51,350 --> 00:39:52,374
Oh, thank you.
804
00:39:52,451 --> 00:39:56,615
Yes, this is Mr. Rockford
at the Tres Elegante
jewelry store.
805
00:39:56,722 --> 00:39:59,020
Yes, I'm afraid
I've made a mistake.
806
00:39:59,392 --> 00:40:03,158
I gave Miss Alexander's watch
to a woman who said
she was Miss Alexander
807
00:40:03,229 --> 00:40:05,220
and I'm afraid
I gave it to the wrong woman.
808
00:40:05,297 --> 00:40:07,265
Could you give me
a description of her, please?
809
00:40:07,333 --> 00:40:09,130
Do you wanna see
my birth certificate?
810
00:40:11,637 --> 00:40:13,730
No. No.
I think it's all right.
811
00:40:13,806 --> 00:40:16,070
It sounds like
the right woman. Yes.
812
00:40:16,675 --> 00:40:18,472
It's your secretary.
You want to talk to her?
813
00:40:19,412 --> 00:40:20,504
Oh.
814
00:40:22,782 --> 00:40:24,147
Hi, Nance. It's me.
815
00:40:25,284 --> 00:40:26,478
No.
816
00:40:27,386 --> 00:40:30,913
All right.
Send the message slips home.
I'll answer them tomorrow.
817
00:40:31,724 --> 00:40:34,784
It's a long story.
I'll tell you later.
Bye-bye.
818
00:40:38,664 --> 00:40:40,131
We got off
to such a quick start,
819
00:40:40,199 --> 00:40:42,258
I never got around
to checking your credentials.
820
00:40:42,334 --> 00:40:43,961
Am I a suspect
of some kind?
821
00:40:44,036 --> 00:40:45,526
Well, it flicked
through my mind,
822
00:40:45,604 --> 00:40:48,004
but it didn't fit anything
so I discarded it.
823
00:40:51,877 --> 00:40:55,108
Well, Dave Kruger is
gonna get a hearing,
824
00:40:56,015 --> 00:40:59,644
and I guess it's a
foregone conclusion
that he's gonna be released.
825
00:40:59,718 --> 00:41:01,413
He's already served six years
826
00:41:01,487 --> 00:41:04,581
for killing someone who just
got murdered this afternoon.
827
00:41:05,124 --> 00:41:08,355
Who was the lady
that was killed six years ago?
828
00:41:08,694 --> 00:41:11,288
I think she was just
a very convenient body.
829
00:41:11,797 --> 00:41:12,786
Convenient?
830
00:41:14,233 --> 00:41:17,669
Cheryl Wilson's life
was insured for $200,000.
831
00:41:17,736 --> 00:41:19,499
Her mother
was the beneficiary.
832
00:41:20,506 --> 00:41:21,837
How do you know that?
833
00:41:22,208 --> 00:41:24,039
I have an inventive mind.
834
00:41:24,109 --> 00:41:27,044
And I went over
to the insurance company
835
00:41:27,112 --> 00:41:31,981
and I got some adjustor
by the name of Mr. Villon
very confused,
836
00:41:32,184 --> 00:41:36,553
and he gave me that little bit
of information inadvertently.
837
00:41:37,122 --> 00:41:38,350
Did you tell him
you were a cop?
838
00:41:38,424 --> 00:41:41,154
No. IRS investigator.
Doing a company audit.
839
00:41:43,462 --> 00:41:45,362
You never stop, do you?
840
00:41:47,766 --> 00:41:49,461
Okay. Okay. So?
841
00:41:50,302 --> 00:41:54,796
So, if you put old
Deputy Coroner Patrick Elber
into the picture,
842
00:41:54,874 --> 00:41:56,842
it begins to look
very interesting.
843
00:41:58,344 --> 00:42:00,141
Of course.
844
00:42:01,247 --> 00:42:03,977
He's the one
who made the identification.
845
00:42:04,116 --> 00:42:08,075
He sent the fingerprints up to
Sacramento for a positive ID.
846
00:42:09,421 --> 00:42:13,790
Cheryl, her cousin, Roy,
and Elber were probably
in it together.
847
00:42:13,893 --> 00:42:16,361
She took out
the insurance policy
848
00:42:16,428 --> 00:42:18,760
and they just waited around
for a good stiff.
849
00:42:18,831 --> 00:42:21,800
One that was so badly mauled
it couldn't be identified.
850
00:42:22,868 --> 00:42:26,964
And Cheryl probably
talked her mother
into doing a partial ID.
851
00:42:27,039 --> 00:42:31,703
And Elber substituted
Cheryl's fingerprints
and made it a positive ID.
852
00:42:32,278 --> 00:42:34,303
Cheryl was legally dead,
853
00:42:34,380 --> 00:42:37,349
the insurance company
had to pay off,
and they divided the money.
854
00:42:38,217 --> 00:42:42,745
And Cheryl became
Shirley Atwater
and went underground.
855
00:42:43,088 --> 00:42:45,113
And during the trial,
when the mother broke down,
856
00:42:45,190 --> 00:42:46,919
she must have been getting
an attack of the guilts
857
00:42:46,992 --> 00:42:49,222
when she realized
that Dave was gonna
get convicted of murder.
858
00:42:49,828 --> 00:42:52,422
Which explains her offer
to finance the appeal.
859
00:42:52,631 --> 00:42:56,727
It also makes her suicide,
her cardio-whatever, a murder.
860
00:42:57,803 --> 00:43:00,601
I don't like to think
that Cheryl had anything
to do with that.
861
00:43:00,673 --> 00:43:02,300
Oh, she probably didn't.
862
00:43:02,942 --> 00:43:05,934
When Cheryl was pretending
to be Shirley Atwater,
863
00:43:06,011 --> 00:43:07,706
she insisted
it was an accident.
864
00:43:07,780 --> 00:43:09,714
Patrick Elber could call it
anything he wanted.
865
00:43:09,782 --> 00:43:11,340
I mean, after all,
he was the Coroner.
866
00:43:11,884 --> 00:43:13,511
Yeah, but why kill Cheryl?
867
00:43:13,986 --> 00:43:15,419
Maybe she was getting nervous.
868
00:43:15,487 --> 00:43:18,456
Maybe she stopped believing
that her mother's death
was an accident,
869
00:43:18,524 --> 00:43:20,515
and started asking questions.
870
00:43:20,593 --> 00:43:22,424
Well, let's get on it.
871
00:43:22,928 --> 00:43:25,294
Yeah, we better bring
the cops in on it.
872
00:43:26,832 --> 00:43:29,426
Look, Elber's boat slip
is only about
five minutes away.
873
00:43:29,501 --> 00:43:31,969
I'll go keep an eye on it.
You call Becker.
874
00:43:36,976 --> 00:43:38,944
I thought you didn't like
to shoot people.
875
00:43:39,278 --> 00:43:41,872
I don't shoot it.
I just point it.
876
00:44:19,752 --> 00:44:20,878
He's gone.
877
00:44:21,720 --> 00:44:24,154
Does he honestly think
he can get away
on a boat?
878
00:44:24,556 --> 00:44:26,888
Hey, he doesn't know
anybody's chasing him yet.
879
00:44:26,959 --> 00:44:28,483
If he had have gotten
Cheryl's body out of there,
880
00:44:28,560 --> 00:44:31,290
gotten it on a boat,
he could have taken it out
on the ocean, dumped it
881
00:44:31,363 --> 00:44:32,387
and nobody'd been the wiser.
882
00:44:32,464 --> 00:44:36,127
This way he's got it figured
that the police will take a
little while to figure it out.
883
00:44:36,201 --> 00:44:37,668
Well, Becker's on his way
down here.
884
00:44:37,736 --> 00:44:39,670
Okay.
Here, call him back.
885
00:44:39,738 --> 00:44:42,138
I want you to tell him
to get a chopper
and the Coast Guard.
886
00:44:42,207 --> 00:44:43,538
I'm gonna bet on Mexico.
887
00:44:43,609 --> 00:44:44,633
Well, what're you gonna do?
888
00:44:44,710 --> 00:44:46,041
I'm gonna scrounge up a boat.
889
00:44:46,111 --> 00:44:47,373
All right.
890
00:45:02,261 --> 00:45:04,126
All right. Come on. No deal.
Get off. Get off.
891
00:45:04,196 --> 00:45:06,391
Come on, stop it.
It's gonna be a photo essay.
892
00:45:06,465 --> 00:45:09,491
You point your little gun
and I'll point
my little camera.
893
00:45:09,568 --> 00:45:11,399
Come on,
let's get out of here.
894
00:45:17,576 --> 00:45:18,634
Did you get through
to Becker?
895
00:45:18,711 --> 00:45:20,804
Yeah. He said he'd get us
as much help as he can.
896
00:45:35,994 --> 00:45:38,019
We got a boat
angling in on us.
897
00:45:39,965 --> 00:45:42,456
There's a shark rifle
down in the salon,
898
00:45:42,534 --> 00:45:46,334
starboard side. Got a scope.
Get it, Roy. Hurry up!
899
00:45:56,415 --> 00:45:57,473
He's coming in at us.
900
00:45:57,549 --> 00:45:59,107
Okay. Slow him down.
901
00:46:02,955 --> 00:46:03,944
(RIFLE FIRING)
902
00:46:08,861 --> 00:46:09,919
(RIFLE FIRING)
903
00:46:17,870 --> 00:46:20,998
You can't hit anything.
I can hardly keep this camera
on them.
904
00:46:21,240 --> 00:46:24,368
I just want to give him
something to think about.
Stay down.
905
00:46:39,992 --> 00:46:41,960
Fire right across their bow.
906
00:46:56,742 --> 00:46:59,074
Come on. Move faster.
907
00:46:59,211 --> 00:47:01,736
Just get your pictures.
I'm a little busy.
908
00:47:22,334 --> 00:47:23,562
You know,
909
00:47:23,635 --> 00:47:25,660
it seems strange to think
that Cheryl was alive,
910
00:47:25,737 --> 00:47:27,568
all those years
I was in prison.
911
00:47:27,673 --> 00:47:28,799
And Roy,
912
00:47:28,874 --> 00:47:31,502
Roy Pierce
was the one that killed her,
913
00:47:31,577 --> 00:47:33,272
and he was her own cousin.
914
00:47:33,345 --> 00:47:35,540
And the beneficiary
of her mother's policy.
915
00:47:36,415 --> 00:47:40,146
And Elber used his connections
at the department
to keep the lid on.
916
00:47:40,219 --> 00:47:44,178
He even walked off
with the case file when
one of his cronies told him
917
00:47:44,256 --> 00:47:46,087
Susan was digging
into the case.
918
00:47:46,158 --> 00:47:48,718
KRUGER: Well, I'm out
and that's what counts.
919
00:47:48,794 --> 00:47:50,625
Pretty good picture,
don't you think?
920
00:47:50,696 --> 00:47:53,563
That picture is causing me
a lot of trouble, Susan.
921
00:47:53,632 --> 00:47:55,725
Just because
you weren't supposed
to have a gun.
922
00:47:56,068 --> 00:47:57,296
It's just
a little technicality.
923
00:47:57,369 --> 00:47:58,996
I don't think
it's gonna cause you
much trouble.
924
00:47:59,371 --> 00:48:01,066
That little technicality
925
00:48:01,139 --> 00:48:03,903
is gonna cost me
a court appearance,
maybe a fine,
926
00:48:03,976 --> 00:48:07,173
and a possible
temporary suspension
of my license.
927
00:48:08,080 --> 00:48:11,015
Well, if they do that,
you can always go into
the printing business.
928
00:48:11,083 --> 00:48:12,914
That supposed to be a joke?
929
00:48:12,985 --> 00:48:15,681
Well, let's not quarrel,
this is Dave's party.
930
00:48:16,154 --> 00:48:18,019
You know, I spent
a lot of time in prison,
931
00:48:18,090 --> 00:48:21,617
and there was a time there
when I didn't think anybody
even knew I was alive.
932
00:48:21,693 --> 00:48:23,923
And then you come to me,
Miss Alexander,
933
00:48:24,096 --> 00:48:25,996
you threw me a lifeline.
934
00:48:26,064 --> 00:48:27,258
I drink to you.
935
00:48:28,166 --> 00:48:29,599
And to you, Mr. Rockford.
936
00:48:29,668 --> 00:48:30,760
Jim.
937
00:48:31,470 --> 00:48:34,769
You risked your life for me,
and you figured it out.
938
00:48:35,641 --> 00:48:38,906
I've been in jail six years
trying to figure it out
and I didn't have a clue.
939
00:48:39,211 --> 00:48:40,838
What are you gonna do
with your life, Dave?
940
00:48:40,913 --> 00:48:44,610
I mean, you're out
and you've got a pardon.
And now you've got a future.
941
00:48:45,317 --> 00:48:47,376
I don't have that
completely doped out yet.
942
00:48:47,452 --> 00:48:50,216
Maybe I'm gonna get in
the gas station business.
943
00:48:50,389 --> 00:48:52,050
I think I'd like to get
a gas station.
944
00:48:52,124 --> 00:48:55,116
What are you gonna do
tomorrow? Or next week?
945
00:48:55,193 --> 00:48:56,717
I'd like to do
a follow-up story.
946
00:48:56,795 --> 00:49:00,788
Well, first, I'm gonna
borrow $50, maybe a $100.
947
00:49:00,899 --> 00:49:03,026
Okay.
I'll loan it to you.
948
00:49:03,201 --> 00:49:04,190
Thanks.
949
00:49:04,269 --> 00:49:07,363
Well, then what are you
gonna do? Well, I'd like
to do a photo essay.
950
00:49:07,839 --> 00:49:09,898
You don't want
any pictures, Susan.
951
00:49:09,975 --> 00:49:12,307
Well, why not?
I think it'd be fascinating.
952
00:49:12,377 --> 00:49:13,435
You do?
953
00:49:13,512 --> 00:49:14,570
Yeah.
954
00:49:14,913 --> 00:49:16,505
Tell her what you're
gonna do, Dave.
955
00:49:17,149 --> 00:49:20,050
I'm gonna get a woman
and I'm gonna get drunk.
956
00:49:21,086 --> 00:49:22,110
Oh.
957
00:49:22,387 --> 00:49:24,150
I'll drink to that.
958
00:49:25,958 --> 00:49:27,721
Well, I guess I can, too.