Original subtitles

- You're making us wait. - Watch it.

- Get out! - Watch it.

Hey, sarge, got this bunch from 48th Street and 8th Avenue.

What do you got?

Got this from 48th Street and 8th Avenue.

Alright. Take 'em upstairs.

'Okay, hold it a minute. Hold it a minute.'

Police officer Kendall, 27th precinct.

I'll be back to you in half a minute.

'Hey, sarge, got a call for Sergeant Delaney.'

- He's not here. - 'It's important.'

It's from Mother Cabrini Hospital.

His wife just had an emergency operation.

He's out on that homicide on West 81st.

Try the radio car. Maybe you can patch it in.

- Excuse me, sergeant. - Yeah?

Hey, I checked the gutters from here to the corner.

I didn't find anything.

Okay. Check the garbage bags.

See what you come up with.

Oh, shit.

- Hey. Hey. - Yes, sir.

When did you get out of the academy?

Two months ago.

Check both sides of the street.

Thanks.

You got a nice way with words.

Oh, yeah.

Alright, let's roll him over.

Easy.

Hold it. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

- Where's Delaney? Delaney! - Yo.

- Come here. - What do you got?

There's a wallet here underneath. Wallet.

Suppose it fell out of his pocket?

I don't know. It was just lying on the sidewalk.

- Easy. - Jesus.

- Pipe or a club? - N-no.

Yeah, now these facial lacerations

are from his death fall.

No, there's no depression, nor any crushing

but there's a definite puncture, there's a hole..

Back of the skull.

A hammer?

Yeah. It's possible.

Depends on how deep the penetration is.

I'll know better when they get him downtown.

Anything else you can tell me?

No, not that I can see.

But you know, he's a husky guy.

It's amazing he didn't put up a fight.

Maybe the poor bastard never had a chance.

- Yeah, boss.

- Get this dusted, will you? - Yes, sir.

- Could you get me up.. - Come on, doc, I'll get you up.

Suppose you could get me a preliminary report by morning?

Oh, you know, I could never refuse a pretty face.

Doc, you got great taste and very good eyesight.

- 'Hey, sarge.' - Yeah.

There's an emergency call for you.

'Dr. John Edwards, you have a patient waiting.'

'Dr. John Edwards, you have a patient waiting.'

- Oh, I'm really beat. - I'm gonna get a bite to eat.

- Why don't you come on up? - Dr. Bernardi?

Sergeant Delaney, they got a hold of you.

Yeah, they, said it was some kind of an emergency.

W-What-what happened?

Well, several hours ago

Barbara began running a high fever

and experiencing severe pain in the lumbar region.

She was going into shock, so we thought it best to operate.

We, had to remove one of her kidneys.

Remove? What?

Well, it was very badly infected.

Diseased, rotted. We had no other choice.

Diseased with what?

Well, we're still not sure. It's down in the lab.

We'll know in the morning.

Sergeant, a person can live with one kidney.

Listen, she's been in here one week.

You told me originally that even if it was a kidney stone

she'd be out of here in a couple of days.

I know what I said, sergeant. I was wrong.

You were wrong?

Sergeant, I'm not God.

Yeah, that's pretty obvious, isn't it?

Well, I'd like to talk to her.

Well, you can't for several hours yet.

She's still in the recovery room under heavy sedation.

Thanks a lot.

Alright. We got a-we got a car on that.

Yeah, remember, 16 is on its way.

It should be there in a few minutes.

'Yeah.'

Got anything for me, sergeant?

- Yeah. Here you go. - Thanks.

Listen, take that up to Delaney.

Tell him it just came in.

He's supposed to be working 4:00 to 12:00 this week.

- What's he doin' here? - Came in a couple of hours ago.

Hey, listen, when you see him, take it easy on him.

His wife had some kind of an emergency operation.

Alright. Oh, here's the night owl.

Sergeant.

'Hello, Johnny.'

Listen, Curdy asked me to drop this off for you.

What's happening?

Nothing much. Just killing time.

It's got to be something to have you here this late at night.

Yeah. DOA on, West 81st Street.

Some guy zapped another guy on the head

with some kinda hammer. He crushed his head.

Jesus. West 81st used to be a safe area.

Nothing's safe.

You know, Correlli had something like that last week on,

73rd and Amsterdam.

- Where? - 'On, 73rd and Amsterdam.'

Look, I, I heard about your wife.

She gonna be alright?

I don't know.

Well, look, if there's anything I can do

you know where I'm at?

Sure.

- John. - Yeah?

When time's Correlli come on, do you know?

He's working days this week, 8:00 to 4:00.

- Thank you. - Okay.

- I'll see you later? - 'Right.'

'Dr. Sim Jeung, Dr. Sim Jeung'

'please go to OR number 7.'

Mr. Delaney.

- Mr. Delaney. - Yeah?

You can see your wife now.

T-thank you.

'Dr. David Menday, Dr. David Menday'

'you're needed in Postop.'

Hi, kiddo.

You look great.

You don't look so hot yourself, wise guy.

Well, you know how it is with us New York cops

out partying all night long.

Anything good?

Nah. Couple of centerfolds. Not much.

How are you feelin'?

Lousy.

Food's okay.

Some food.

What did they get me for?

Kidney.

You know, a guy was telling me the other day that a person

can live just as easily with one kidney as-as two kidneys.

'Told me that just the other day.'

You proposing to me, sergeant?

Suppose I am proposing. What do you plan to do about it?

A girl's got to be crazy to marry a cop.

And you wouldn't know anything about that now, would you?

Wouldn't I?

"Jesse Torrez.

"Male, Puerto Rican, 439 East 89th

age 21, occupation, waiter, unmarried."

Now, according to his brother, he was clean.

No drugs, didn't gamble, no known enemies.

Somebody just felt like whackin' him

over the head with a hammer. Simple.

Dull night, nothing else to do, right?

What time did it happen? He say?

Oh, it was about 11:00, 11:30.

It's in the report.

We thought we had a suspect.

A, hooker name of Sonny Jordeen.

We got there and we found her

going through Torrez's pockets.

We booked her on attempted theft.

Her pimp posted bail.

He had her out by morning.

Did you check any other precincts

to find out if they had this type killing?

I've checked it. Come on, Delaney. Are you kidding?

The spic waiter probably couldn't speak English

gets his skull cracked for skimping on his cuchifritos.

What city are you livin' in, man?

I'm sorry I asked you.

What did you put it down as?

A mugging victim.

A guy with a hole in his head is a mugging victim?

Hey, look, I was... planning

to run it through the next day, but Broughton pulled me off

and switched me into computer analysis.

You meet him yet?

I put in a few requests, but he's been tied up.

You're lucky.

Another of your friendly, ambitious

run-of-the-mill assholes.

Got ideas for reforming the entire precinct.

You know, today, the 27th

tomorrow, the... governor's mansion.

So, what's happening on your retirement?

I got a few more weeks.

So why are you jerking yourself off on these things?

Throw it back in the pile. Forget it.

Who gives a shit? Nobody.

I'd like to run this through the teletype

with other precincts. Do you mind?

Fine.

I've got a big surprise for you.

- What? - Fresh roasted violets.

Violets, this time of year, they must have cost the earth.

Nah. It fell off a truck when I was comin' over here.

Fell off a truck.

Now, tell me. What can I do for you, sweetheart?

Just sit there and talk to me.

Sure.

Is it nice out?

It's not bad. It's a little cloudy.

It's getting colder though.

Have any of the stores put up their Christmas decorations yet?

Nope, they're waiting for you to get well

and get out of this place.

Are you taking care of yourself?

Oh, sure. I'm fine. Don't worry.

You don't do too fine without me.

Now how could that ever happen?

How's Rocky?

Rocky?

He's tough, he's fat, and he's sassy.

Don't let him take advantage of you.

He won't. He's a good cat.

Honey Bunch had a cat.

Who?

Honey Bunch in the book.

When I was eight, they bought the whole set for me

underneath the tree in Santa Claus paper.

She, she's on the cover

with the wind in her hair and holding these lovely flowers.

Where she lived, the trees were always out..

And nothing bad could ever happen.

'Repeated contusions, temporal lobe.'

Repeated contusions, frontal lobe.

Coning of cerebellum.

Marked evidence of... edema.

And the lungs, 1500 grams

salt water.

Note, hematoma over scapula on the left

and approximate diameter is 7 to 11 centimeters.

Alright, file her under unidentified female

drowning victim, Caucasian.

Well, Delaney, what kept you?

You're usually down here an hour after I send in my report.

I must be losing my touch.

Well, you read the gilbert autopsy

and you've got some questions.

I read the report and I got a couple of questions.

- You got a couple of minutes? - Oh, but make it quick.

I got him stacked up on the corpse.

Yeah, first of all, I read that, the autopsy

says that the blow that killed Gilbert was circular.

That's right.

Does that also mean that the implement

used was circular?

- No. - No?

No. Delaney, look..

What I said was, and I think I remember..

Correctly.

Yeah, there it is. Alright, there it is.

I said, "The wound appears to be circular."

No mention of the weapon.

It also mentioned the fact

that the penetration was curved downward.

That's right. That's right. Yes, yes, yes.

That means that the point of the weapon is lower than the shaft.

Like, like an erection losing interest.

Could have been a pickaxe.

No.

Why?

It's too big.

But I'll tell you something, Delaney. Wait a minute.

If you could find a smaller version of a pickaxe

you might be on the right track.

What else can you tell me about the wound?

Well, penetration was straight down into the skull.

Now, what does that tell you?

I don't know, it could tell me that the killer is at least.

Four or five inches taller than the victim.

Yeah. Unless he was standing on a box.

- Did you see a box out there? - No, doctor, there was no...

- Six feet. Six feet. - Six feet.

And quick and powerful.

And also well-dressed and white.

Otherwise Gilbert would never let him get that close to him.

You know, Delaney, the intricacies of your mind

never cease to amaze me.

Say, doc, just a minute.

I've got another..

Piece of work for you here.

This autopsy was written by one of your deputies

about a week ago and I think it's related

to the Gilbert case. Will you read it for me?

Put it on the desk, would you?

You know, this is the Christmas rush.

Put it on the desk. Call me tomorrow.

Hello, Rocky.

Well, what do you want me to do? It's not like..

- Hold on. - Good morning, Nick.

Anything come in on those Torrez tracers I sent out?

First basket on your left.

No, it will take me about, about 3:30. Okay.

I want you to assign a couple of guys to go through these

and pull out any unsolved street murders

that occurred in five boroughs in the last three years.

Now, I'm only interested in killings

where there were used a hammer or some kind of a spike.

I got to have authorization to hand out special details.

I'm giving you authorization.

Okay, Delaney, but it's your ass!

'If the penetration was round'

that rules out almost any possibility

that the weapon, was medieval.

We're not absolutely certain, Mr. Langley

but, we feel at this time that the nearest guess

we can make is that the, puncture was circular.

Yeah. You see, sergeant

before the Industrial Revolution

it was verydifficult to hand-forge

any metal into a circle.

Most ironwork was done on an anvil

with a hammer and pounded

into various shapes.

To engineer, a cone or a circle

was a, a tediousprocess

and offered no particular advantage

in hacking through the shield

of another warrior.

In truth, in all my years

as a curator of arms and armor in this museum

I cannot recall

a single ancient war hammer or a hatchet

made of metal

that coned down to a-a-a round point.

What about something more recent?

For instance, something that could be hidden

in a newspaper or possibly in a coat.

Yes, probably what you're looking for

is something more like a-a tool than a weapon.

However I'd be glad

to-to check through my research books

and see what I can find.

That's very kind of you. Would it take very long?

No, not very long.

If you'd care to come back this afternoon.

- Thank you very much. - We close at 6.

I'll be back in time.

Mommy, look!

Excuse me. Mrs. Gilbert?

- Yes. - I'm Edward X Delaney.

I'm from the 27th precinct.

I wonder if I could have a word with you.

Yes. Sure.

First of all, please, accept my condolences about your husband.

And..

Secondly, I was wondering..

Did you know whether he was planning to meet anybody

when he came home that night?

No, he wasn't.

He was just on his way home to have meat loaf and watch TV.

Did he usually work that late?

Just when he had to get out his end-of-the-year statements.

I've already told another police officer all of this.

Yes, I know.

Did he have any..

Any enemies that you knew of?

- Enemies? - Enemies.

Of course he had enemies.

He worked hard for a living.

He saluted the flag. He loved his children.

And after seven years, I think he even still loved me.

What hard-working person in this city doesn't have enemies?

- I'm sorry. - Yeah.

I know. I know.

It's just so damn rotten. You know what I mean?

He was such a good man, and..

You want to do me a favor, Mr. Policeman?

Until you find whoever it was that murdered my husband

don't tell me you're sorry.

Please.

'Dr. Simmons.'

'Dr. Benjamin Simmons..'

'...please, go to ophthalmology.'

Oh.

Edward.

Edward.

How long have you been here?

Couple of seconds. How you feeling, kiddo?

- Better. - 'Good.'

I'm better. I'm a little tired.

Well, maybe I ought to let you sleep a little more.

No.

That's all I do.

Is that for me?

Yes, it's for you.

And I think you're gonna like it.

Just hold them.

"Honey Bunch."

Where did you find this?

Oh.

You're the real Honey Bunch.

Sure. Some Honey Bunch.

Oh.

I look... awful.

No, no, no. You look fine.

Listen... you remember that house

we saw at Greenport and we talked to the man

about selling and he didn't want to?

Well, we got a letter this morning.

And he thinks he wants to sell the house.

'And I was thinking that'

'maybe in a couple of weeks when you get stronger'

'we could drive up there.'

'Maybe spend averylongweekend.'

Now. I'm ready now.

Now? Oh, sure.

Well..

Maybe after just a little nap.

Okay.

Thanks for the book.

Anytime, kiddo.

Okay, you can get it out.

Nick, is this it? This all there is?

Yeah, we just finished 20 minutes ago.

I told you, you were gonna get your ass in a sling, Delaney.

Captain Broughton came by while we were sorting it out

he wants to see you, first thing in the morning.

Good. I wanna see him too.

I'm afraid, Mr. Langley, I've been wasting your valuable time.

On the contrary, sergeant

this merely confirms what both of us suspected

that it's not an ancient weapon you're looking for

it's a modern tool.

With that in mind

uh, during my lunch hour

I went through our picture file.

Now, this first one is a bricklayer's hammer.

The second is a tool used by carpenters

and the third is a hammer

used by upholsterers to tack in their fabrics.

Notice the curved,

coned end on each of them.

They don't curve downward as they should.

Precisely my conclusion, sergeant.

I'm only showing you these to indicate

the typeof weapon that must have been used.

In the morning, I planned to visit several

hardware stores and see

what else I can find.

That won't be necessary, Mr. Langley.

Thank you, but it won't be necessary.

Sergeant,

I'm an aging armory expert

who sits around going to waste.

Use me.

Alright, Mr. Langley.

You have a go at it.

See what you come up with and good luck.

- Thank you, thank you. - Alright.

It's okay, it's alright.

Funny, isn't it? I'm coming, you're going.

'You got any idea why they assigned me'

this command, Delaney?

I was put in here because this precinct

had become a shithouse.

Sloppy, inefficient, antiquated.

They needed somebody to clean it up.

Put it in touch with the 20th century.

That's me.

Now, Delaney, I have made my reputation

kicking ass and never sucking up to the brass

and I intend to make the 27th a shining example

of how mechanization and good old-fashioned discipline

can turn a piss-hole back into a police station.

I dote..

On absolute loyalty, dedication

and everybody doing what they're told to do

and when I order people to do a certain job

I don't want anyone taking 'em off for a special assignment.

Now, that brings us to you, Delaney.

Captain, I've been working on the Gilbert murder

and I think there's a link between his killing

and several other killings of...

Wait!

Delaney, you're not listening.

I don't want to hear theories about murders

taking place in other parts of the city.

But if I'm right, captain

there's a psycho runnin' around the town.

Delaney, I'm telling you for the last time I don't wanna hear it!

All I care about is cleanin' up the garbage in this dump!

We got enough whores, pimps, queers, freaks

roaming around out there to start my own Macy's Parade.

So, if you've got Jack The Ripper

going down on Lizzie Borden in the middle of Times Square

I don't want to know about it.

As you're not gonna be around much longer, sergeant

I won't cite you for insubordination.

Delaney, you got a superfine record here.

One I'd be damnproud to go out with.

So, for the few days you got left

I recommend you rest on your laurels

and... stay out of my way.

Nice to meet you, Delaney.

Is it okay, captain, if I stay on the Gilbert case?

Whatever makes you happy, sergeant.

Thank you.

Can I be any assistance to you, sir?

That depends.

I'm interested in something like this

b-b-but smaller.

Well, how's this one?

S-still too big.

I require something more compact.

Something that can be hidden and has a sharp point.

Well, perhaps if you tell me what you need it for

I mean, camping, gardening

hiking in the mountains.

It's to kill someone.

Wonderful.

Kill someone.

Of course.

Who says old folks don't have a sense of humor?

Nothing humorous about it.

That's more like it.

Still... too thick.

To really penetrate the skull..

It must have more of a spike.

A spike that curves down

if you follow me.

Yeah, I follow you, sir..

Listen, perhaps I should call my boss.

Why bother?

You seem to have a good head on your shoulders.

You rattled off a-a list of, of activities before.

Would you, say them again, please?

You mean, camping, gardening, hiking...

You said hiking in the mountains.

What about mountain climbing?

Don't they use special equipment for that?

Yeah, but we don't have that kind of stuff here.

Where do they have that kind of stuff?

Well, I guess you could find it

in some sort of a sporting goods shop, you know.

Thank you so much, young man.

You've been most helpful.

- 'Who is it?' - It's, Sergeant Delaney.

- Hello, sergeant. - How are you, Mrs. Gilbert?

I hope I'm not disturbing, it's just

couple of questions I'd like to ask you.

- Would you like to come in? - No, no, no.

We can, we can talk right here.

Did you and your husband ever live in Brooklyn Heights?

No.

Did he ever have any business in Brooklyn Heights?

I don't think so.

Did you ever at anytime live in Queens

in the Kew Gardens?

No. We lived right here from the time we were married.

That's fine.

That helps me a great deal. Thanks very much.

- You're welcome. - Bye.

Sergeant?

I'd like to apologize for yesterday.

I was just upset, you know.

'I mean, I really appreciate your effort.'

'And I want you to know if I could ever help you in any way.'

'Please, feel free to call me.'

That's very nice and I appreciate it.

Thank you. Bye-bye.

Bye.

'Attention, please.'

'Recreation time will be over in ten minutes.'

'Please turn in all equipment'

'before returning to your cells.'

'Thank you.'

Sonny, you got a visitor.

Honey, see if you can get some cigarettes.

You wanted to see me?

Hey, an Irish cop. What will they think of next?

What are you in here for, Sonny?

Some crummy narc claimed I tried to sell him a kilo of grass.

And did you?

I don't smoke joints. I cop 'em.

Got a cigarette?

- You want one? - I don't smoke.

You been in here before.

Listen, about, ten days ago..

You found a wallet in the street.

Oh, man! That's ancient history.

Yeah. And there was a dead guy next to the wallet.

Skull was crushed. Name of Torrez.

What does that got to do with me?

I already told my story.

The guy was dead. What'd you expect me to do?

I don't know if you know this, but do you know that

they could reopen that case

and charge you with an accessory to murder?

You know that?

Here. Thanks a lot.

Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Don't get uptight.

I wanna ask you something about that night.

Did you see anybody there?

Particularly a guy. Did you see anybody in the area?

I don't know. I-I really don't know.

Think about it, will you, please?

Down the corner. A guy, fast..

He was walking fast wearing a black raincoat.

His face. Did you see his face?

Faces ain't my business.

Anything else?

No.

Hey, wait. Here, Sonny.

You forgot your cigarettes.

Thank you.

What's that?

Tell me about this.

Well, this is an ice axe.

It's used mostly for glacier climbing.

You know, as a cane or you can drive it

into the ice as a rope support.

When... is, this used?

Well, at extremely high altitudes

when the ice is like concrete.

This is used to chop out hand and footholds.

Is there a shorter model?

You want an ice hammer.

Why didn't you say so in the first place?

How's that?

Perfect.

My dear..

You've made an aging curator..

Ecstatic.

'Dr. Anatoro, please go to OR number nine.'

What do you say, doctor?

Delaney!

Well, what brings your friendly face here?

My friendly face has been looking for you to ask you

whether you had a chance read the Torrez report.

Oh, yes, I was gonna call you this afternoon.

Yes, I read it.

What did you find?

Very similar.

- To the Gilbert case? - Yeah.

Yeah, very similar.

And in the first place, both of them were struck from behind

as you know, but in both the skulls

the wounds were circular in shape.

Oh, now you're telling me that the implement

is circular in shape.

Something else too.

There were bone fragments found

in the hair of both victims.

Yeah? How do you account for that?

- I can't. - Why?

Well, it..

I-I-let's just say this

that apparently..

The weapon made a larger hole coming out

than it made going in.

Do you think there's enough evidence here for me

to get a court order to exhume the Torrez body?

Oh, well, you better get it.

Otherwise, you're never gonna be sure.

And now, look, I'm terribly sorry...

No, no, no. Not yet.

Ever hear of a man called Dr. Vincent Bernardi?

Vincent Bernardi? Sure.

Uptown doctor, uptown diseases. Why?

Couple of days ago, he operated on my wife

and removed her kidney.

Oh..

I'm sorry to hear that.

Now, don't, don't misunderstand me.

'Wait, wait, he's a fine physician'

'from all I'm able to gather and a fine man.'

I don't know. I'm not too sure.

I s.. I can't seem to get through to him.

I wanna ask him questions from time to time about my wife

and he, I don't think he cares.

Come on, Delaney.

Most doctors care very deeply

but some can't show it, that's all.

How's she doing?

Not too bad. She's doing alright.

She's got a good doctor.

She's gonna be fine.

Anything I can do, you call me.

I'm here all the time.

And exhume that Torrez body, would ya?

'I wanna get a look at the skull.'

I'll do it. Thanks, doc.

Mr. Langley, I'm sorry I'm late.

I didn't expect you so soon.

Oh, that's alright, sergeant.

I-I-I, as a matter of fact, I have something...

No, no, no. Let-let's get in here.

Sergeant, would you excuse us, please?

Surely.

What did you find?

Call it luck or-or something

but I think..

Or perhaps..

I-I found the murder weapon.

Where did you find this?

A sporting goods store

on, lower Broadway.

I must say, it's damn close.

Right down to the jagged teeth.

Except, this is a triangular tip.

And it's already been confirmed that the weapon

that the killer uses has a round tip.

Did you see anything like that?

No and I've been

to a half-dozen stores already.

Thank you, Mr. Langley.

However, one or two stores on

my list I haven't been to yet.

Perhaps, I'll try them in the morning.

Alright. But don't overdo it.

You don't know me, sergeant.

I, I like being good to the last drop.

- Thank you, sergeant. - Take care.

Yes, sir. Thank you.

19 West. Miss Fregosi.

Oh, my God!

I want a central venous set up

with a Foley catheter!

And somebody call Dr. Bernardi!

Excuse me, nurse. Where's, Dr. Bernardi?

I'd like to see him.

Dr. Bernardi isn't on duty tonight.

Well, how do I get him? Can I page him?

There must be someway I can get him.

Sir, he's not on duty tonight.

You can talk to his associate, Dr. Weston.

I don't wanna talk to his associate.

I wanna talk to him. God damn it!

Barbara, darling.

Barbara, it's Edward. Don't be frightened.

Everything's gonna be alright.

Everything's gonna be fine.

Every, everything's taken care of, Barbara.

Everything's fine.

You're gonna be fine. Everything's okay.

Everything's fine.

"They had stopped at a wharf painted white

"and now Honey Bunch followed her daddy and her mommy

"up this walk and found herself

"at the steps of the cunningest bungalow she had ever seen.

'"It was painted white and it had green window boxes'

'"and green shutters with little white acorns painted on them.'

'"The small room had five neatly-made beds'

'"positioned next to each other and a table with a bowl'

'"of cheerful flowers in the center.'

"Honey Bunch leaned forward and smelled the flowers.

"Their scent was very pleasant.

"Best of all, when she looked up

"she saw through a window

"a view of the shimmering, glorious sunlit lake

"that stretched far across the..

"On the closest shore, Honey Bunch could see

"a number of other girls her age swimming

"splashing and paddling canoes.

"Their laughter drifted up toward her like a happy song.

"Everyone was having such a gay, good time.

"Honey Bunch turned toward her mommy and daddy

"and smiled a smile they'd been waiting for..

"The one that said she was not afraid anymore.

"'I have a feeling' thought Honey Bunch

"as she studied her new brightly-colored surroundings.

"There's going to be lots and lots of surprises for her.

I just have to.."

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

What did you find?

Where's the manager?

Hey, amigos, turn the radio down here!

Arriba! Arriba! Get some work done around here!

Don't sleep all day!

Over here, we got the mountaineering files.

This side, we got the hunters and the campers.

'You make a purchase of any equipment around here'

you get a catalog for life, maybe longer.

Anyone who does any mountain climbing knows our catalog.

It's only one of its kind in the world.

I got subscribers from the first day we opened this dump.

You mean you've got all the names on file here?

Sure, once a Sol Appel customer

always a customer, that's my motto.

In short, if someone moves, you strike out the old address

and you put a new address on, right?

That's right, sure, and I send the names

to the mail order company, they send out the catalogs.

And then originally, you must tear off

the name and address from the sales receipt.

Sure. You don't have to ask. We do it all.

Another brilliant Sol Appel motto.

Can I borrow these for a couple of days?

Sure. Take 'em. Hey, do me a favor.

Don't bring 'em back? I'll even deliver.

No, no, no. I got a car. It's alright.

Okay. Deliver 'em to your car. Now, what else can I do for you?

- Yeah, I'd like to buy this. - Keep it!

Keep it as my contribution to crime prevention.

If the guy you're looking for turns out to be

one of my customers, I'll cancel his subscription.

My motto is Sol Appel don't do business with bums!

And you two guys! Come on, you gangsters, get those files!

Take 'em out to the guy's car. Hurry up!

Well, don't stand around here all day long!

Come on, for crying out loud, do a little work

'around here for a change..'

Doctor!

Oh! Delaney!

Come here. You got my message.

No, sir. I didn't get a message.

You know, you ought to go to the precinct more often.

I called you three times today.

I got something I want to show you.

This body was brought in this morning.

Accident victim... name of Feinberg.

He stepped off a curb on Riverside Drive

ran into a speeding auto

and died of broken everything.

What struck me was the familiarity..

Of these wounds.

You see that one right there in the skull?

- Yeah. - It's circular in shape.

It's not a very deep penetration.

See this one on his shoulder here?

Not circular in shape.

Now, that broke his collar bone, and now there's one

on his lower back here. You see that?

- Yeah. - Not circular in shape.

It just missed his lung.

Well, doc..

When you write your report

could you emphasize these wounds

so that I might be able to convince somebody downtown

that there's a lunatic running loose?

I could, but nobody's gonna pay any attention to it.

Why not?

These lacerations are not

the official cause of death.

And I'd be hard put to prove otherwise.

I brought something along that might help us prove it.

This is..

You see those serrated teeth there?

Alright, that's what could have caused the bone fragments

in Gilbert's and Torres' hair.

You know, you're terrific, Delaney.

- Where'd you find this? - In a surplus shop, downtown.

Can you leave it with me? I wanna run some tests.

Sure. Will it take long?

No.

Oh, Edward.

Well, how you feeling, kiddo?

Feeling better?

Tired.

Can't seem to wake up.

You look tired too.

What have you been up to?

Well, I'll tell you if you promise to eat a bite of dinner.

I heard from that fella about the house in Greenport.

'He's repainted it.'

'And he says it looks lovely.'

'And there's a path that goes all the way down to the beach.'

Does it have shutters?

Yes, it has shutters.

And a fence?

If it hasn't got a fence we'll get one, picket.

We'll paint it white.

You..

Not me.

What do you mean, "You, not me?"

I'm not painting the fence

on my vacation.

Oh.

Sorry.

Is it Christmas yet?

No, darling, but very soon.

Get a nice, full tree.

And... don't throw the tinsel on.

'Put it on strand... by strand.'

Strand by strand.

And get a nice roasted duck.

Two roasted ducks.

My..

Edward.

And a chicken.

'Now, it might seem unconventional to you'

but... I feel like I'm in a box.

The rules I used to rely upon don't work for me anymore.

And I'm running out of time.

So consequently, I've asked you to come up here.

I need a couple of more hands.

I believe that the person we're looking for..

Committed his first killing about two years ago

'in the, Brooklyn Heights section.'

"Six months later

"two more identical killings occurred

on the outskirts of Kew Gardens in Queens."

Didn't the police, notice the similarities?

Probably, but he moved so quickly into other areas

that there's never a chance for a real pattern to get set up.

My God.

'Then after a lull of several months'

'he struck again.'

"This time in the Bronx

"in the, Riverdale section.

"Three more killings. No witnesses, no motives.

All within a period of one month."

'And now he's in Manhattan.'

'Somewhere on the West Side.'

'I believe he's responsible'

'for two recent killings and possibly'

'a third in the last two weeks.'

Now, the odds are against us

but I'm hoping that you'll be able

to find in these cards

the change of address of a customer

'whose address corresponds with the 11 killings'

'in the past two years.'

Sergeant

how do you know he doesn't..

Drive or take a subway to the murder scene?

No. Because they all happen in clusters, Mr. Langley.

I think what he does..

Is that he moves into a neighborhood

familiarizes himself with the whole area

watches the goings and comings of people

and then he strikes.

Well..

We'll certainly give it our... best effort, sergeant.

Now, there are some cold cuts, soft drinks

or something a little hotter if you wish.

And, just help yourselves

and I'll try to get back in a few hours.

And thank you very much for what you're doing.

It's really quite nice. Thank you.

Well, Mrs. Gilbert..

Where shall we begin?

Well, with as much work as we've got here

let's start with..

Well, one place is just as good the other.

Let's see, R.

How is she, doctor?

She's just been sedated.

Would you mind waiting outside, please?

I'll be right back.

Well, sergeant, I understand you've been pursuing me

rather frantically.

Wouldn't you be doing the same thing under these circumstances?

Of course, but the fact is that your wife's relapse

was totally unexpected.

Now, any of my colleagues

could have explained that to you.

No. I want to hear it from you.

Alright.

The simple fact is the first series

of antibiotics failed.

However, we're working our way through a whole new spectrum

and this time we're hoping for better luck.

Luck?

Doctors don't use luck.

They use medicine and brains, not luck.

You know what I mean.

No, I don't know what you mean.

We are doing everything possible

to stop the infection.

Listen, she's sensible, she's not sensible

she rambles, she's in, she's out..

I don't know what the hell's going on.

Now, explain it to me.

That doesn't worry me, you see, with this..

It doesn't worry you? You son of a bitch!

That lady in there is my wife.

She's my whole world, do you understand that?

- Get a hold of yourself. - She trusts you!

She hired you.

You keep giving her all that bullshit

about antibiotics and steroids

and I think it's killing her instead of curing her.

- And why her? Why her? - Calm down.

Hey, hey, take it easy. Take it easy.

Come on.

We're in a public place here. Come on.

Now, look, I, I..

I can't answer why, okay?

Sometimes the practice of medicine is unfair.

The drugs we use on one patient don't..

Look, I don't want to lose her any more than you do, sergeant.

'I'm doing what I can.'

Jesus, Edward, we have, we have known each other

since the academy, almost 30 years.

And you still can't reach out when you're in pain.

How long has she been in the hospital?

About ten days.

Damn you. Why didn't you call?

Janet would have been out there every day.

That's exactly what Barbara didn't want.

She made me promise I wouldn't tell anybody

until she got out of the hospital.

Edward, what's the use of having friends

if you can't call them in an emergency?

I don't understand you.

You through bitching on me, Ben?

Yeah. Yeah, I'm through.

Why are you here?

I want you to help me get a body exhumed.

My grave-robbing days are over, man.

No, what I mean is I need a superior officer

to sign a writ so that I can get a court order.

So what's the matter with, McGraw?

Mr. McGraw is no longer our commander.

He's been replaced by Mr. Broughton.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, I forgot that jerk

had been moved over to the 27th.

Yeah, he was moved.

I had some words with him the other day

and he gave me nothing but a bunch of bullshit.

He's a mean mother to mess with, Edward.

That's why I wanna go around him.

That's why I'm coming to you.

Yeah, but in trying to move around him..

It's gonna feel like you're messing with him.

He's gonna come out like a mad bull

and he's gonna jump all over both of us.

You mean, he's got that much juice?

He's plugged straight into the mayor's office.

He's the kind of conky that believes every black officer

should be riding a tricycle over at traffic control.

Well, at least he's got something right.

Now, I hear you, Delaney.

What do you want the writ for?

I got a hunch, that's all. Just a hunch.

- You want to tell me about it? - Nope.

Because if I tell you about it

you might wind up in traffic control on a tricycle

and you ain't beautiful enough for that kind of a job.

Now, listen. Now, take it easy, Edward.

- And don't push too hard. - I'll try.

Listen, tell Barbara that Janet and I asked about her.

And when she starts feeling better

we want to come visit her.

I think she'll like that.

Thanks, Ben. You're my man.

- 'Hello?' - Oh. Hello.

I didn't expect to find you here so late.

Well, we just finished up ten minutes ago.

I was just putting things away.

Well, you don't have to do that. I could have cleaned up later.

Oh, I don't mind at all. I rather enjoy it.

Mr. Langley's company was wonderful.

You should've seen him the last couple of hours.

He tried so hard to stay awake.

How'd you come out?

Oh, not bad at all for amateurs.

We got through all those cards, believe it or not

and unfortunately, we only came up

with three of the names of the pattern you described

but I put their names and addresses

in alphabetical order.

Guess you've done better than I expected.

- Really? - Yes.

- Well, I hope it works. - So do I.

Mr. Langley said that your wife was in the hospital.

How's she feeling?

Not too badly.

Been looking at her paintings.

She's a very good artist.

Yes, she's pretty good.

Well... I guess that's it.

I better be getting home, I have a... a babysitter

waiting there that's probably gonna give me hell

for being so late. Thank you very much.

Why don't you let me drive the both of you home?

Oh, no. It's alright. Don't worry about it.

I brought my car and I don't mind giving Mr. Langley a lift.

I'll wake him up now.

- Mr. Langley? - Yes. Yes.

- Mrs. Gilbert. - Yes, it's time to go.

Sergeant..

Have you heard the good news?

- I heard. - We finished.

And you did damn well too.

Thank you. We were most meticulous.

We filed, we cross-filed, we refiled.

Now..

It's up to you, sergeant.

I'll do the best I can, Mr. Langley.

I know you will.

Wanna thank you both for what you've done.

It's been quite marvelous.

I had to heat some on the stove every night..

And the cockroaches and the mice?

They just run all over everything.

Well, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do

and I think we all ought to do the same thing...

Excuse me, is there a Mr. Sawtell

who lives in this building?

Yeah, I know him, he lives in the, the last door

in the back, the last door.

And what about the garbage?

And I, I'll tell you what I..

'Mr. Sawtell?'

'Freeze! Freeze it right there, sucker!'

'Get your hands higher! Hands higher, sucker!'

'Alright, fool, before you die'

'you wanna tell me what you came to rob here?'

I just came over and wanted to talk to...

'I told you I'll blow you through that closet'

'right into the next room!'

I'm Detective Sergeant Edward X. Delaney

from the 27th precinct.

And I wanna talk to S-Sawtell.

Calvin Sawtell.

My ID is in my left coat pocket.

'Get it out here.'

'Move it slow, slow.'

'Real slow.'

'Toss it back here.'

'Okay, sucker.'

'Now turn around real slow.'

'I like to see a man's face'

'before I blow his brains out.'

Wasn't that great?

You know, I never thought I'd get a chance

to use all that corny dialogue

you hear on television.

Oh, you're a lot of laughs.

I mean, Kojak would have pumped five bullets in me by now.

When did all this happen to you?

Who remembers?

I slipped on a banana peel coming down Mount Whitney.

'What do you wanna know?'

I'm here because my report reads

that you moved four times in two years.

Would you like to tell me why?

Maybe I'm looking for more banana peels to slip on.

It's none of your damn business.

You're right. None of my damn business.

Hey!

What do you wanna know?

I just want to know why you move so often.

'Cause I got a wife who's as big an asshole as you are

and keeps moving me from one VA hospital to the next

looking for a miracle.

Hey, sucker!

Bang-bang.

Bang-bang.

For Christ's sake, pal, will you move the car?

Move the car!

Excuse me. Excuse me, sir.

Who are you looking for?

- Daniel Blank, 21C. - He's at work.

You know, this is a full security building.

You're not supposed to walk in and out of here

like it's Grand Central Terminal.

I'm a private investigator. My name is Wade Miller.

What do you want Mr. Blank for?

Nothing big.

He's been romancing a young kid about 18

who's the daughter of a client of ours.

Picked her up in a disco a couple of weeks ago.

She's blond, about 5'6", nice ass

good-looking pair of jugs.

See anybody like that around here?

I see ten a day like that.

Unless she's got a wooden leg

I wouldn't remember.

Her old man has big bucks.

And he's worried that she's getting serious.

He's also worried that Blank might be a doper.

Or maybe even a pimp of some type.

Look, you on an expense account?

Yeah, a little bit.

Okay. Hold it.

- Hello, Mrs. Stern. - Hi.

Looks like it might rain a little later today.

Yes, yes, it's very damp out.

Has the mailman come yet?

No, no. He's a little late because of Christmas deliveries.

'Will you let me know when he comes?'

Of course. You'll be the first one I call.

- 'Thank you.' - Right.

Now, what were we talking about?

I just wanna be sure that you and I

are talking about the same guy.

What's he look like?

About 30-35, 6 feet 2, good build, dark hair.

But I'm on day, you see.

I don't know what kind of snatch

he's bringing in here at night.

Any matinees?

No, he usually drives out in the morning, 9:15.

Comes back 5, 5:30, 6.

You know if anybody lives with him?

Not that I know of.

He's only been here six months. He's on a short lease.

Meaning what?

Well, he's due to move out in two weeks.

You know if he has any hobbies?

You know, like tennis or golf

or something like that?

I don't know.

He's a climber... a mountain climber.

I helped him down with his junk last week to his car.

What kind of car has he got?

White '75 Porsche.

Have you ever noticed if he wears a black raincoat?

Hey, look, what has that got to do

with him banging an 18-year-old tomato?

I don't know what he wears when it rains.

I guess when it rains, he wears a raincoat.

'Hello, this is George.'

'I'm very sorry.'

'I think it was the rain we had over the weekend.'

Alright. Yes, Mrs. Alberson. Right, right.

Maintenance will be up in about a half-hour, yes.

'Well, they're, I think they're some place'

'on the ninth floor right now.'

The maintenance people have promised

to, help us out and do something about it, yes.

'Yes. Thank you.'

'As soon as they're finished, I'll personally make sure'

'that yours is the very next apartment'

'on their list. Alright. '

What, are you turning this into a country club?

Oh, very cute. Very cute.

Okay. Give me the keys, pal.

The meter's run out on your 20 bucks.

What will it cost me for the key and ten minutes to look around?

No.

I let you go upstairs, it's my buns.

How about 50?

I'll knock down a thousand in tips over Christmas.

You want me to put my balls on the line for 50 clams?

What, are you kidding? Come on.

Hundred?

Yeah.

This where he works?

Yeah. How about tomorrow morning?

How about right now?

The building maintenance people are around.

You know, I'll get in a lot of trouble.

Tomorrow.

629? Are you kidding, man?

The man from 629 from that building

told me to come here to 627.

This is where this company is.

I'm not gonna go back there back and forth.

I've been doing that twice now, man.

I can't. What do you think I am, a yo-yo or something?

- Will you shut up a minute? - All, All City Insurance.

Where do the employees from the Jarvis Publication

park their cars? I gotta check out a claim.

- Try level four. - Thanks.

Hey, why you talking to this guy before me, man?

What do you think I am? I'm a human being.

You know what you do with this? Take it!

Hey! Come back here! Hey, take this stuff with you!

'Jesus, I'm just not gonna do it anymore.'

I spent my whole lunch hour just waiting for somebody

to take my money, then they give me a slip of paper

to get 'em gift wrapped and the gift wrap line

you should've seen the gift wrap line go halfway around

the store on to the next block. I tell you, I've had it.

Acting like a bunch of animals. It's really crazy.

I mean, it's not like..

Excuse me.

- Yes? - Is this the 629 building?

Yes, it is.

Thank you.

Hello?

Hello?

'Hello?'

You little scum.

- What?

The man come in yet?

Alright! Shut up!

Come on.

Damn mutt, takes bigger dumps than that

one on 18C, Saint Bernard up there.

That one makes me crazy.

Pack a hundred?

Will do.

Okay. Let's get it straight.

Ten minutes and that's it.

Now, the building phone's hooked up into the private phone.

Anything happens, I'll ring it three times.

- Ten minutes. - Okay.

Just shut up!

Alright, give me a break! You're making me crazy!

Oh, God.

Come on.

Look, pal, the hundred bought you ten minutes, you know.

Not a half hour. What, are you deaf up there?

I'm sorry. I really am. Thanks very much.

'Sorry, love gives me a thrill'

'but it don't pay the bill.'

'Bring some money next time.'

How are you today? Feeling better?

Lovely weather out, isn't it?

Nice. Good to see you.

Suppose you've got the right guy.

He's a white Anglo executive.

Any half-ass lawyer will have him

back on the street in 24 hours.

- You want some coffee? - No, thanks.

His pattern fits all the killings

in all the other boroughs.

Fine, so he moves around a lot.

No judge will issue a warrant.

We have to have just cause.

He's a mountain climber and he owns an ice axe.

So what?

You just can't enter a person's home

and search it just like that.

You have to have a reason to assume

that a crime has been committed.

And that a search will procure evidence

to prove that crime.

I've seen the evidence.

You illegally entered his home.

The judge is more likely to throw you in jail

than he is your suspect.

You're just gonna have to wait him out.

Wait what out?

Wait until he goes out and kills again

and I come out of an alley and nail him?

You get an arrest warrant now, you'll do

nothing but tip him off.

That's it, right?

'Okay, Delaney, okay.'

I'll try to get the writ to have the Torrez body exhumed

and I'll speak to Captain Broughton personally.

No, no, no. I don't want you to speak to Broughton.

I'll get him to look at your reports.

There are no reports.

Delaney, Delaney. Wow!

First you tell me you can't give me the suspect's name

and now you tell me there are no reports.

How do you expect me to help you?

Do me a favor, will you? Don't worry about it.

Okay, Delaney.

'Dr. Marcus, emergency.'

'Dr. Marcus is needed in the emergency room.'

'Will Mr. Chris Davey please come to the information desk?'

'Mr. Chris Davey, please come to the information desk.'

How you feeling, kiddo?

Not so good.

Oh, you gotta get better, sweety.

You've gotta try hard. You gotta get better.

- I'm trying. - Yeah.

You've gotta do it for your fella.

You've gotta get well. Just have to get well, dear.

Just got to get well.

Oh, I love you.

- I love you. - I'm trying.

I'm trying.

Oh, please, God.

- Good evening, sir. - Good evening.

Could you tell me if Daniel Blank

lives in this building?

Yes, sir. Apartment 21-C.

No, no, no, just a moment. I don't want to disturb now.

It's a little late, I just want to know...

I'm sure he's in.

No, no, no, please.

I'll call him tomorrow.

Meanwhile, tell him an old friend of his

stopped by to say hello, okay?

- Merry Christmas to you. - Merry Christmas to you, sir.

Oh, evening, Mr. Blank.

Hello. I'll get the door, Mike.

What's it like out there?

It's cold. Looks like it might even snow.

I hope not.

Excuse me, Mr. Blank.

'Some man called by to see you just a little while ago.'

- Who was it? - He didn't give a name.

Just said he was an old friend of yours.

Thank you.

'Hey! What the hell's goin' on out there?'

'Get the hell out of here, asshole.'

'Better have your ass out out of here'

'before I call the police.'

'You son of a bitch.'

Oh, God, God, God..

'Alright, come out, Blank, come on.'

- No. I'm afraid. - 'It's alright, come on.'

No, I'm afraid.

I knew you'd find me. I knew it.

Could never hide anything from you.

I can explain everything.

Alright.

Suppose you tell me about it.

Th..

They were my friends.

We found truth together.

Because we came so close

it was far more than, than physical or

or romantic love.

You see, in, in love

'two people still retain their-their-their secret selves'

but... but in death

see, that gap, it disappears.

See, the act of dying

is the ultimate act of surrendering.

I mean, you... you really

you-you enter into another human being.

And, see, and... and through that moment of violence

I mean, for, for that split second

y-you enter into all humans.

I mean, you merge together

every fiber of being..

And they go on living here inside.

They, they are, all of them now, living inside me.

I mean... they-they're part of my life.

And I love them.

And they love me.

It is wrong if you think I meant to hurt them.

Do you understand this?

You didn't bring the leather bindings this time

or those-those

wooden blocks for my feet.

- 'Thank you.' - Alright, Daniel.

I want you to get dressed now.

What for?

Come with me.

Where?

Never mind where.

Just get your clothes on and come with me.

My God! God, God, not the cellar.

Not the cellar. Please, God, not the cellar.

It's so cold and dark there.

No, no, no, Daniel.

I'm gonna take you to a place that's warm.

Where there are people we can talk to.

I don't want to leave here.

Why do I have to talk to anybody else?

We haven't any choice, Daniel.

Yes, we do. We have choices.

You see... we can deny everything.

We.. If we're very careful

they'll never find out our secrets.

They'll never find us.

Now, come on, Daniel.

No. I'm not going.

You're not my.. You're, you're..

It was very clever of you.

You tricked me. You deceived me.

I'd forgotten how devious your kind can be.

How'd you know that's what frightens me most?

Darkness, shadows, making me undress.

Stand there and wait in all that freezing cold.

That's not you though.

I'll deny everything.

I'll deny you were even here.

Alright, mister.. Whatever your name is.

What is it you want, exactly?

Blackmail? Extortion? Well, I'm not paying you anything.

So you just get that little notion right out of your head.

'Cause, see, this time, I have influential friends

who are above reproach and I have very high standing

in this community.

My lawyer, his father just happens to be

a supreme court justice.

So I want you out.

Out.

Dare you accuse me

you weak, sniveling hypocrite.

It's people like you

who're destroying the fabric of this society.

But there's laws to protect me against people like you.

Trespassing, breaking and entering.

I'm gonna call the police.

'Operator.'

Yes. Get me the police, please.

Someone's broken in my apartment.

Well, 21-H. The addr.. I.. The address?

Well..

'525 West 83rd.'

- 'Name?' - 'Daniel Blank.'

'Are you in any physical danger?'

- No, I'm in no physical danger. - 'Hold on.'

Do me a favor, will you, Bob?

See that Captain Broughton gets this in the morning.

Yes, sir.

Take care of yourself.

Hey, Delaney.

Just got a homicide on West 83rd.

Some hotshot executive

just got blown away on the 21st floor.

- You wanna roll with it? - Nah.

Just handed in my papers.

You really did it?

- Congratulations. - Thanks.

It won't be the same here without ya.

It's always the same, sergeant.

'Yeah, yeah, lady, I'm still here.'

'And I'm real sorry your dog is lost.'

But it's almost 2:30 in the morning.

And the pound don't open for a couple of hours.

Well, if you can't sleep

take a, take a taxi down here.

Be first on line when it opens.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, that's what I get paid for, ma'am.

'Right. Yeah, well.. '

'"So while her daddy fixed the car'

'"her mommy made sandwiches for the picnic.'

'"Honey Bunch decided to visit'

'"her garden in the woods one more time.'

'"When she got there'

"she was surprised to see her neighbor"

"the little old lady who lived nearby."

"'Is this your garden?' asked the little old lady."

"'Yes, it is, ' said Honey Bunch, proudly."

"'It's beautiful, ' said her friend."

"'Do you want me to tend it until you return next year?'"

"'Oh, that would be so nice, ' exclaimed Honey Bunch."

"The little old lady reached down"

"patted the Earth."

"'Always remember, Honey Bunch, that"

"'people who grow flowers in beautiful colors are"

"'all very special people."

"'Not only do they find pleasures every day, but"

"'they also plant the seeds of tomorrow"

"for others to enjoy.'"

"And then Honey Bunch ran to tell her mommy.."

"And her daddy, what a lucky little girl she was."

"And that this had been

the happiest adventure of her life."