Come to Los Angeles.
The sun shines bright.
The beaches are wide and inviting.
And the orange groves stretch as far as the eye can see.
There are jobs aplenty. Land is cheap.
Every workingman can have his own house.
And inside every house, a happy all-American family.
You can have all this, and who knows?
You could even be discovered...
... become a movie star, or at least see one.
Life is good in Los Angeles.
It's paradise on earth.
That's what they tell you, anyway.
Because they're selling an image.
They're selling it through movies, radio and television.
In the hit show, Badge of Honor, the L.A. Cops walk on water...
... as they keep the city clean of crooks.
You'd think this place was the Garden of Eden.
But there's trouble in paradise...
... and his name is Meyer Harris Cohen, Mickey C to his fans.
Local L.A. Color to the nth degree.
And his number one bodyguard...
... Johnny Stompanato.
Mickey C's the head of organized crime in these parts.
He runs dope, rackets and prostitution.
He kills a dozen people a year.
And the dapper little gent does it in style.
And every time his picture's on the front page...
... it's a black eye for the image of Los Angeles.
Because how can organized crime exist...
... in the city with the best police force in the world?
Something has to be done.
But nothing too original because this is Hollywood.
What worked for Capone would work for the Mickster.
Mr. Cohen, you're under arrest.
Non-payment of federal income tax.
But all is not well. Sending Mickey up has created a vacuum.
And it's only a matter of time...
... before someone with balls of brass tries to fill it.
Remember, dear readers...
...you heard it here first...
...off the record...
...on the Q.T...
...and very...
... Hush-Hush.
You're like Santa Claus with that list.
Except everyone on it's been naughty.
Guy's been out of Q two weeks.
Leave it for later.
We got to pick up the booze and get it to the station.
Hollywood, this is 6-Adam-7.
Have Central send a prowler to 4216 Evergreen.
Parole violation: Assault arising from a family dispute.
We won't be here but they'll see him.
Quit your whining!
Quit whining all the time! It makes me sick!
Shut up!
Who the hell are you?
The ghost of Christmas past.
Dance with a man for a change?
You a smart ass?
You'll be out in a year and a half. I'll get cozy with your parole officer.
Touch her again, I'll have you violated on a kiddie-raper beef.
You know what they do to kiddie rapers in Quentin.
You got someplace you can go?
Go get yourself fixed up.
Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas, ma'am. - Let's go, Bud.
The guys are waiting.
What do you do on Badge of Honor?
I'm the technical advisor.
I teach Brett Chase how to walk and talk like a cop.
Brett Chase doesn't walk and talk like you.
That's because he's the television version.
America isn't ready for the real me.
Is it true you arrested Bob Mitchum?
The Badge of Honor guys like to pretend, but the real thing must be a thrill.
Why don't we go someplace quiet? I'll give you the lowdown on Mitchum.
Big V. Jack Vincennes.
- May I have this dance? - Of course.
This is Sid Hudgens, Hush-Hush magazine.
- Hello, Karen. - Hello yourself.
What that's about?
Her name was in a piece we did, "Ingenue Dikes in Hollywood."
My friend just sold reefer to Matt Reynolds.
He's tripping the light fantastic with Tammy Jordan.
Sorry, I lost you for a second.
Contract players, Metro. Pinch them, I do you up a nice feature next issue.
- Plus your usual $50 cash. - I need another $50.
Two 20s for two patrolmen, a dime for the watch commander.
It's Christmas.
No, it's not.
It's felony possession of marijuana.
Actually, it's circulation 36,000 and climbing.
There's no telling where this will go. Radio, television...
Once you whet the public's appetite for the truth, the sky's the limit.
Sgt. Ed Exley, son of the legendary Preston Exley.
Must be a hard act to follow.
Why not make a mark elsewhere? Why become a cop?
I like to help people.
We heard 2 officers were assaulted this evening.
- What do you think of that? - Goes with the job.
Luckily, they're okay.
Aren't you young to be watch commander?
It's only tonight.
The married men have Christmas Eve off.
That's a good lead for the story.
Merry Christmas, Captain.
- Captain Smith. - Drop the formalities, Bobby.
- It's Christmas Eve, call me Dudley. - I got the story's title.
I'm calling it "Silent Night with the LAPD."
That's grand.
Remember that's "Smith" with an "S."
Thank you, Merry Christmas.
Hold on, lads.
Merry Christmas.
I saw the results on the lieutenant's exam.
First out of 23.
What'll it be, then? Patrol Division? Internal Affairs? What?
Detective Bureau.
You're a political animal.
You have the eye for human weakness, but not the stomach.
You're wrong, sir.
Would you be willing to plant evidence on a suspect you knew to be guilty...
...to insure an indictment?
- We've been over this. - Yes or no?
Would you beat a confession out of a suspect you knew to be guilty?
Would you shoot a hardened criminal in the back...
...in order to offset the chance that some lawyer...
Then for the love of God...
...don't be a detective.
Stick to assignments where you don't have to make those choices.
Dudley, I know you mean well...
...but I don't need to do it the way you did... or my father.
At least get rid of the glasses.
I can't think of a man in the Bureau who wears them.
If I ever get held up, you better be here.
Hi, Nick.
I need a delivery.
A case each of gin, rum, Scotch.
Sounds like a hell of a party. Be right with you.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Officer.
That obvious?
It's practically stamped on your forehead.
There you go.
See what he wants, Buzz.
Get lost, why don't you?
Down! Get your fucking head down.
I got a license for that.
Cut me some slack. I used to be a cop.
"Leland Meeks"? Never heard of you.
They call me Buzz.
I don't give a rat's ass. Keep your head down.
And stay there... Buzz.
You okay?
She's fine.
I'm not asking you.
Who hit you?
It's not what you think.
What, then?
You got the wrong idea. I'm fine.
But it's nice to know you care.
Drive safely.
What's going on?
You know him?
Yeah, I've seen him around.
He used to be a cop.
They're sitting in the dark, goofing on the Christmas tree.
Put your camera right there.
When I walk out, get the movie premiere in the background.
I like it, I like it. "The Movie Premiere Pot Bust."
I don't want those goddamn floodlights of yours in my eyes.
Consider it done. You hear that, Chip?
Come on. Get down.
Go! Pop them!
Freeze! Police!
Jesus Christ!
Come on. Come on, let's go.
My family's coming...
- It'll be a nice Christmas gift. - Hi, Tammy. Hi, Matt.
Over here.
- Just turn. - Hold it. Got it!
- The Movie Premiere Pot Bust! - Take them. I'll get the evidence.
"It's Christmas Eve in the City of Angels.
And while decent citizens sleep the sleep of the righteous...
...hopheads prowl for marijuana...
...not knowing that a man is coming to stop them:
Celebrity crime-stopper, Jack Vincennes.
Scourge of grasshoppers and dope fiends everywhere."
You like it?
Yeah, subtle.
What took you?
My partner stopped to help a damsel in distress.
His priorities are all screwed up.
Up to your old tricks again?
Hollywood Jack, what brings you to our humble station house?
What are you doing here?
You know, keeping the streets safe.
Get these two dressed and book them.
- The party's upstairs. - I'll be right up.
What's that for?
Aren't you watch commander tonight?
Yeah. So?
It's from Hush-Hush magazine.
Buy yourself some loafers.
No thanks, Jack. You keep your payoff.
I'm not interested.
What's this?
Six spics.
The Mexicans who assaulted Brown and Helenowski.
I hear Helenowski bled 6 pints, Brown's in a coma.
They've got bruises and muscle pulls.
It's not what I heard.
Lock them up.
Stens, you guys hear what those taco benders did to Helenowski and Brown?
Helenowski lost an eye, and they're reading Brown his last rites.
Should make for a very merry Christmas for them.
Hey, guys.
Guys.
They brought the Mexicans in.
They're downstairs.
- Let's do it. - Come on. Let's get them.
The party's upstairs.
This doesn't concern you.
Come on, guys.
You got work?
Go back.
- Come on, it's Christmas, help me out. - Move it!
I just got a few more questions.
You don't have to be here.
Go!
You better get your partner before he kills somebody.
Teach him a lesson! Get him, Stens!
This is for ours, Poncho.
Let me through!
He didn't do nothing!
What are you looking at?
- Tell that Mexican to shut up! - Move!
You're sick!
Stens!
- Come on! - Don't break it up!
Get back! Get back!
Fuck your mother!
Fuck you!
Stop! That's an order!
You're all in my report!
"Bloody Christmas."
The press love to label.
This is bigger than the police board.
The grand jury's convening. Indictments may be handed down.
Will you testify?
No, sir.
District Attorney Loew?
You and Officer Stensland brought the liquor to the station.
Stensland was already drunk.
Appearing as a witness against him could offset the damage to yourself.
I won't testify against him or anyone else.
This man is a disgrace.
Your badge and gun, officer. You're suspended from duty.
Dismissed.
We need police witnesses to offset the damage done to the Department.
Justice has to be served. Of course I'll testify.
I'm glad you feel that way. Most of the men don't.
They think silence and integrity are the same.
Not exactly the image of...
...the new LAPD we're creating.
Welcome to Los Angeles, the city of the future.
- May I make a suggestion? - By all means.
The public will expect the Department to sweep this under the carpet.
Don't.
Shift the guilt to men with secure pensions.
Force them to retire.
But somebody has to swing.
So indict, try and convict Richard Stensland and Bud White.
Secure them jail time.
The message will be clear.
The new LAPD will not tolerate officers who think they're above the law.
Dick Stensland is an embarrassment as a policeman.
He's had rotten fitness reports from every C.O. He's ever served under.
But White is a valuable officer.
White's a mindless thug.
He's just a man who can say "yes" to the questions I asked you the other day.
The Department and the public need role models.
Clean-cut, forthright men the public can admire.
Sergeant...
...I'll promote you...
...to Lieutenant.
- Effective immediately. - Detective Lieutenant.
Ed, you're 30.
Your father didn't make lieutenant until he was 33.
I know. I also know when he made lieutenant, it was as a detective.
Before we start polishing our laurels...
...it'd look better if we had a corroborative witness.
That won't be easy to come by. The men hate a stool pigeon.
Jack Vincennes.
He hit one of the Mexicans.
A veteran like Vincennes might admit his own culpability...
...but not a fellow officer's.
Jack's the technical advisor on Badge of Honor.
He lives for it.
That's how to get to him.
I'd like you to observe, Ed.
Call Sergeant Vincennes.
Bright kid.
You may well reap the benefit...
...but are you prepared to be despised?
Yes, sir, I am.
So be it.
Sergeant, we'll get right to it.
Nine civilian witnesses identified you as hitting Ezekiel Garcia.
But we have a witness who will name names and testify that you hit back...
...after being hit.
You'll testify against 3 officers...
...who've already earned their pension, and plead ignorance about the rest.
No thanks. I'm not a snitch.
I'll guarantee a slap on the wrist, a brief suspension...
...followed by a temporary transfer from Narcotics to Vice.
Transfer out of Vice, you're back on the show.
The show?
Badge of Honor.
We need to tone down your profile for a bit.
I doubt you've ever taken a stupid breath. Don't start now.
Okay, I'll do it.
The grand jury hears...
...your testimony tomorrow. Dismissed.
And so it goes...
...Detective Lieutenant.
Ace them at the grand jury tomorrow.
Wear a smart-looking suit and ace them.
And Ed...
...lose the glasses.
So you're the stellar witness.
I should have known. What's the Chief throwing you?
Throwing me?
What's the payoff?
You're the payoff expert. I'm just doing my duty.
Come on. You're playing an angle here, college boy...
...so you don't have to hobnob with the rank and file...
...who'll hate you for snitching.
If they make you detective, watch out.
Some Bureau guys'll burn in this and you'll be working with their friends.
What about you?
I'm snitching 3 old-timers who'll be fishing in Oregon next week.
Next to you, I'm clean...
...and smart.
Edmund J. Exley to chambers.
And remember...
...Bud White will fuck you for this if it takes the rest of his life.
Captain, what do you want?
Call me Dudley.
Dudley...
...what do you want?
Look, lad, I admire your refusal to testify...
...and your loyalty to your partner.
I admire you as a policeman...
...and your adherence to violence as a necessary adjunct to the job.
And I'm impressed with your punishment of women-beaters.
Do you hate them?
What do you want?
They're yours.
Take them.
There's no bill on me?
- 4 witnesses recanted their testimony. - Why?
They had a change of heart.
And Stensland?
Your partner's through.
Scapegoat on the Chief's orders.
A year from his pension.
- Exley? - Exley got what he wanted.
As a politician he exceeds even myself.
The Department needs smart men like Exley...
...and direct men...
...like you.
Look lad, I need you for an assignment the Chief's given me.
A duty few men are fit for...
...but you were born for.
You'd be working out of Homicide at City Hall.
Homicide?
Working cases?
Your talents lie elsewhere, Wendell.
It's a muscle job.
You'll do as I say and ask no questions. Do you follow my drift?
In Technicolor, sir.
"Meet Tony Brancato and Anthony Trombino...
... two rising lieutenants in the Mickey Cohen rackets.
With the dapper little gent in prison...
... who knows how far they'll go? The sky's the limit.
Oh, well. "
"Meet Deuce Perkins, Mickey Cohen 's narcotics lieutenant.
Could he be behind the hits?
Is he consolidating organized crime power?
I suppose not.
One thing's for sure:
2- man triggers are punching the tickets on the Mickster's muscle. "
"Meanwhile, rumor has it the LAPD...
... has set up a not-so-Welcome Wagon to dishearten the criminal element...
... from filling the void left by Mickey's absence.
When I know more, dear readers, so will you.
Off the record, on the Q.T...
... and very...
... Hush-Hush. "
With Mickey Cohen in prison, Los Angeles is organized-crime-free.
The Chief wants to keep it that way.
In Cleveland, you're an organized crime associate...
...in desperate need of re-education in the ways of polite society.
I hear things.
Like those 2-men shooter teams.
They're 86ing Cohen's lieutenants.
What do you want?
We want you to go home.
Picture-book smut, men.
There's been a bunch of this found at crime scenes lately.
Quality ranges from piss-poor...
...to very well done.
Look who's back from suspension.
We're honored, Sergeant Jack.
Look at that. The Great Jerk-Off Case of 1953.
Is there someplace you'd rather be?
Yeah, working Narcotics, looking for Cohen's missing H.
Yeah, finding 25 pounds of heroin would get you plenty of ink.
You should've thought of that before Bloody Christmas.
Make a major case. It's the only way you'll get out of here.
Dismissed, gentlemen.
Go get the facts, Jack.
Just the facts.
Whatever you desire.
Hi. I'd like to get a delivery to Beverly Hills.
I don 't know you.
A friend just gave me this number and I wanted to find out if there was...
Would you grab a reverse directory and shag a name and address for me?
Crestview-2239.
Hush-Hush, off the record, on the Q.T.
Sid, it's Vincennes.
Jackie, you back on narco? I need some good copy.
I have something going with Vice.
Something juicy for the Sidster?
Tracking porn. Arty, high-class stuff.
Know about Fleur-de-Lis? Slogan's "Whatever you desire."
No, I've heard bupkes.
Get me some narco skinny. I want to do an all-hophead issue.
Shvartze jazz musicians and movie stars. You like it?
I'll talk to you later.
- What do you got? - The number's not assigned.
Thanks, Ginger.
A bootleg.
Take it easy.
Tough break, Stens.
We're going to miss you.
Raw deal, Stensland.
Here comes the snitch.
Sorry about that, Lieutenant.
Stay out of trouble, Bud.
I got some time. I'll buy you a drink.
Rain check. I got a hot date.
Who is she and what did you arrest her for?
It's confidential.
Like that magazine that Vincennes scams for. Hush-Hush.
I'll see you later in the week.
We'll do the town, on me.
Yeah. I'll bring my wallet just in case.
- See you tomorrow. - Hang on a minute.
I'll walk down with you.
Punk kid. Who is he trying to impress?
Yeah, I wonder.
Got himself a real career going.
Sergeant Williams, pick up, please.
Sergeant Williams?
Is there anybody up there in Homicide?
Anybody there?
Lieutenant Exley.
You've got a homicide downtown.
- The Nite Owl Coffee Shop. - I got it.
It's mine.
At least one person's dead. I stopped for coffee...
No one comes through the front door. Understand?
I want barricades both ends of the street. Make sure...
I took the call. It's my case.
You don't want it and you can't have it.
I took the call.
It's mine.
I'll make you my second-in-command.
Captain, over here, please.
The cook drew a gun and set it off. The rest died in the men's room.
We got a total of 15 spent 12-gauge Remington shotgun shells.
I'm betting 3 men, 5-shot capacity pumps, all of them emptying once.
Excuse me, we got an I.D. on one of the victims.
It's Dick Stensland.
At first, I thought she was Rita Hayworth.
Yeah, me too.
Hell of a way to avoid prison.
What happened?
Appears 3 men held up a coffee shop.
The guy at the register pulled a.38, so they killed him.
Then they killed everyone else.
Lieutenant, we're ready with that Nite Owl I.D.
Is this your daughter?
I don't know.
We know this is difficult. Take your time.
It seems like my Susan.
But my Susan was a blonde, not a redhead.
When was the last time you saw her?
Just before Christmas.
We'd fought. I didn't like her boyfriend.
Mrs. Lefferts...
...does your daughter have any distinguishing marks?
You got the wrong idea, mister. I'm fine.
She has a birthmark on her hip.
It's her.
My baby.
I'm sorry, Mrs. Lefferts.
Who's in charge of this investigation?
Captain Smith and myself. Why?
"The Nite Owl Massacre."
Hyperbole aside...
...this is a heinous crime that requires swift resolution.
Six victims.
One of them, one of our own. Dick Stensland.
He was a Nite Owl regular, in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Robbery is the likely motive.
We have rubber glove smears on the register and forensics...
...tend toward a trio of shooters. We do have one hot lead.
Three Negro juveniles...
...were seen discharging shotguns last night in Griffith Park.
A park ranger I.D.'d them as driving a 1948-1950 Mercury coupe...
...maroon in color.
An hour ago a canvassing crew turned up a news vendor...
...who saw a maroon Merc coupe parked by the Nite Owl at 1 a.m.
DMV has come up with a registration list of Merc coupes.
48 two-man teams will shake three names apiece.
Interrogations will be led by Lt. Edmund Exley.
Enough on that!
Gentlemen, just go out and get them. Use all necessary force.
The people of Los Angeles demand it.
Dismissed.
Why not just put a bounty on them?
- Ready to roll? - You take them. I got something to do.
What if one of these names...?
Get somebody else.
I got our assignments, Big V.
If we go by this list, we'll never make this collar.
I got a guy who knows what happens south of Jefferson. He'll put us at 50-50.
What are you doing? That's the same thing that got you in trouble before.
I'll take those odds.
We got it from here.
You should bring along a photographer.
I need an address on a customer of yours. Her name is Lynn.
- That's all I got to go on? - Yeah.
You already know who I mean, so cough it up.
There's a billing address and a delivery address.
Are you Pierce Patchett?
I am.
Are you soliciting for police charities? Last time you called my office.
Go on down to the driveway. We'll talk there.
What can I do for you?
- Where were you last night? - I was here hosting a party.
Tell me about Dick Stensland.
I don't know him, Mr...?
Officer White.
You know Sue Lefferts?
You know I do. You saw me with her.
How did you find me?
Nick's Liquor. This is where Lynn Bracken's booze bills go.
Of course.
Sue Lefferts died at the Nite Owl.
I'm investigating.
Everything all right?
Fine, Phillip, thank you.
What happened to the other guy? Buzz.
Buzz Meeks no longer works for me.
Lefferts looked beat-up Christmas Eve but didn't act it. Why?
I think she'd been hit in the face with a tennis racket. She is... was...
...a big doubles fan.
You're a known associate of a woman killed in a mass murder.
- Want to go downtown to discuss it? - Is this official?
Somehow I have the feeling this is more personal with you.
All right, then...
...are you concerned about criminal matters peripheral to the murders?
- Not at the moment. - So you're not obligated to report them.
Why were Lefferts' eyes black?
I needed a Rita Hayworth to fill out my little studio.
What little studio?
Well, there's Gardner, Russell, Monroe, Turner...
Lynn Bracken is my Veronica Lake.
I use girls that look like movie stars.
Sometimes I employ a plastic surgeon.
When the work was done, that's when you saw us.
It's why her mom couldn't I.D. her.
Jesus fucking Christ.
No, Pierce Morehouse Patchett.
I sense you're on your best behavior, but that's all I'm saying.
If you persist, we'll meet with my attorney.
Would you like Lynn Bracken's address?
I got her address.
Find Susan's killer, Mr. White.
I'll give you a handsome reward.
Whatever you desire!
I know you're not asleep.
What do you want?
My 5 bucks.
It was the only one I had.
Right now?
Hey, dollface, tell him to leave us alone.
I understand. Okay, fine.
Oh, baby...
...bad news.
You have to go.
Go?
Something very important has come up and you have to go.
I'll make it up to you.
I will, I promise. Excuse me.
Is it the cops?
Miss Bracken...
...I'm Officer White.
I've been expecting you, just not this soon.
Pierce called. He told me what happened to Sue.
Everything all right, doll? Want me to get rid of him?
Hit the road.
Maybe I will...
...maybe I won't.
LAPD, shitbird. Get out or I'll have your wife come get you.
- Officer. - Councilman.
- Would you care for a drink? - Yeah, Scotch straight.
I was friendly with Sue Lefferts, but we weren't friends.
Know what I mean?
You sorry she's dead?
Of course I am.
What kind of question is that?
You know why Pierce is humoring you?
Use words like that, you might make me mad.
But do you know?
Yeah, I know.
Patchett's running whores...
...cut to look like movie stars.
And judging by his address, something bigger on the side.
He doesn't want any attention.
That's right. Our motives are selfish so we're cooperating.
So cooperate. Why was Susan Lefferts at the Nite Owl?
I don't know. I never heard of the Nite Owl till today.
How'd she meet Patchett?
Pierce meets people.
Sue had dreams of Hollywood and this is how they turned out.
Thanks to Pierce, we still get to act a little.
Tell me about Pierce.
He's waiting for you to mention money.
- Want some advice, Miss Bracken? - It's Lynn.
Miss Bracken...
...don't ever try to fucking bribe me...
...or I'll have you and Patchett in shit up to your ears.
I remember you from Christmas Eve.
You have a thing for helping women, don't you?
Maybe I'm just fucking curious.
- You say "fuck" a lot. - You fuck for money.
There's blood on your shirt. Is that an integral part of your job?
- Yeah. - Do you enjoy it?
When they deserve it.
Did they deserve it today?
I'm not sure.
- But you did it anyway. - Yeah.
Like the half dozen guys you screwed today.
Actually, it was only two.
You're different, Officer White.
You're the first man in years who didn't tell me I look like Veronica Lake.
You look better than Veronica Lake.
Pierce Patchett?
He takes a cut of our earnings and invests it for us.
He doesn't let us use narcotics and he doesn't abuse us.
Can your policeman's mentality grasp those contradictions?
He had you cut to look like Veronica Lake.
No.
I'm really a brunette, but the rest is me.
And that's all the news that's fit to print.
It's nice meeting you.
- I'd like to see you again. - For a date...
...or an appointment?
I don't know.
- If it's a date, what's your first name? - Forget I asked.
It was a mistake.
Leonard Bidwell?
Come down here and talk to us.
How's the left these days?
What's it to you?
I saw you fight Kid Gavilan.
I like your style.
What do you want, Mr. Policeman?
You got a brother in Folsom. I put him there.
Until 1970.
How'd you like to make it 1960?
I know the judge, and Lieutenant Exley...
...is good friends with the D.A.
We're looking for 3 colored guys who like to pop off shotguns.
One owns a maroon Mercury coupe.
- Want me to snitch? - Want to buy your brother 10 years?
- It was 10 years? - 10 years.
You don't have to say anything, just look at this list...
...and point.
He's bad, so I'll just tell you.
Sugar Ray Collins.
Drives a maroon '49 coupe.
Beautiful ride.
Don't know about shotguns, but he gets his thrills killing dogs.
He's righteous trash.
Look at that. It's five minutes from here. Thanks.
I'll hear from you...
...about my brother?
Keep it up, Lenny. Up.
There it is. It's in the back.
- One of ours. - Shit, somebody beat us here.
Damn it.
My glasses.
You're kidding.
Just don't shoot me.
What are you doing here?
We were in the neighborhood.
- What do you got? - Three 12-gauge pumps.
And cash.
So long, Vice. Badge of Honor, here I come.
Fuck you! This is our collar.
Quiet!
I'm ranking officer here. We go as a team. End of story.
Right.
How many ways in?
Only one. Up the stairs.
He's very serious.
Police!
Don't shoot!
- Don't move. - Shut up!
Anxious, aren't you?
Don't kill them.
Back, back, back!
Get off me!
Against the wall!
- Put your hands up! - Get over there.
Shut up! Hands behind your back!
So...
...how's it feel getting out of the office?
This came from forensics.
"Burning clothes...
...Casitas Youth Camp..."
It's crowded in here, White.
These guys killed Stensland.
The ejection marks on the shells fired from the shotguns...
...are identical to those on the shell casings found at the Nite Owl.
I want confessions, Edmund.
A night's stewing has softened them up.
I'll break them, sir.
Are you sure golden boy is up to the task, Cap?
I think you'd be surprised what the lad is capable of.
You're 22, aren't you, Ray?
Did an officer work you over?
- You're 22, right? - Why do you keep asking that?
22 makes it a gas chamber bounce.
You should've pulled this 2 years ago.
Get life, do a little Youth Authority jolt...
...transfer to Folsom a big man.
Get yourself a sissy.
I don't truck with sissies.
Louis.
What?
You did the Casitas Youth Camp with Louis.
Why you keep asking me about Louis? His business is his business.
Sugar, Louis told me you went sissy up at Casitas.
You couldn't do the time, so you got a big white boy to look after you.
Said they called you Sugar...
...because you gave it out so sweet.
Louis gave it up at Casitas. I was the boss jock in my dorm!
He was the sissy!
Louis gave it up for candy bars! He ain't got the sense of a dog!
You like to shoot dogs.
Dogs got no reason to live.
What about people?
What you trying to say?
We got the shotguns.
I don't own shotguns.
Why were you throwing clothes in the incinerator?
Say what?
A neighbor said she saw you throwing clothes in the incinerator.
Doesn't look good.
I ain't talking till I see a judge.
Were you on hop? You were passed out when we arrested you.
Ty and Louis fuck with that shit, not me.
Where do they get their stuff?
Come on.
Give me one to feed the D.A. It'll make me look good...
...and I'll say Sugar Ray's not a punk like his sissy partners.
Tell me where Jones and Fontaine...
...get their drugs.
Roland Navarette.
He runs a hole-up on Bunker Hill.
And he sells red devils.
Exley's good, I'll give him that.
I'll take a break.
You know, I'm talking about the gas chamber...
...and you haven't asked me what this is about.
You got a big "guilty" sign around your neck.
That was masterful.
He's ready to go.
Give Jones the newspaper. I want him primed.
Take the cuffs off so he can read it.
Ray Collins just ratted you off. Said the Nite Owl was your idea.
I think it was Ray's idea. You talk, I think I can save your life.
6 people are dead, and someone has to pay for it.
Now, it can be you, or it can be Ray.
Louis, he called you queer.
- He said you took it up the ass. - I didn't kill nobody!
Son...
...you know what'll happen if you don't talk.
You'll go to the gas chamber. So admit what you did.
I didn't mean to hurt her.
- Maybe she's okay. - Okay?
They're in the morgue. They were dead when you left them.
I just wanted to lose my cherry. She don't die, so I don't die.
Louis, who's the girl? What's her name?
Who are you talking about?
Was she at the Nite Owl?
Listen to me, was she at the Nite Owl?
- This newspaper ain't shit! - Where's the girl?
You kill her?
Louis lost his cherry, but things got out of hand. You made her bleed.
She bled on your clothes, so you burned the clothes.
Who said that?!
Now, listen to me.
If she's alive, she's your only chance.
I think she's alive.
Where is she now?
You leave her someplace?
Tell me where she is!
What're you doing?!
Don't.
White!
1 in 6! Where's the girl?
I have this under control!
Where's the girl?
Sylvester Fitch, 109 Avalon...
...brown corner house, upstairs.
- Just give me one minute. - You got it.
Nobody moves.
We're going in the front. Stay put...
... until I give the word.
He went around back!
I'm Lieutenant Exley. I'm sorry, I need to know what time they left.
Get her to the hospital. Excuse me.
Give your career a rest.
Leave her alone.
A naked guy with a gun? Who'll believe that?
Get the fuck away from me.
- How will that look in your report? - Like justice. That's what the man got.
- Justice. - You don't know the meaning of the word.
You think it means getting your picture in the paper.
Go after criminals for a change.
Stensland got what he deserved and so will you.
It's best to stay away when his blood is up.
His blood's always up.
Perhaps you should avoid him altogether.
Raymond Collins, Ty Jones and Louis Fontaine.
They are considered armed and dangerous.
Repeat. The Nite Owl suspects have escaped.
How'd they get out the window?
They jumped from the 2nd floor.
Girl said they left her at 12. They could get to the Nite Owl by 1.
The question was, where did they get their drugs?
I haven't gotten that far yet.
"Roland Navarette lives on Bunker Hill. He runs a hole-up..."
Anyone seen Jack Vincennes?
Is something up?
I need backup. Come on.
- What? - Nothing. Let's go.
This should be it.
404.
Nobody moves!
Stay right there!
- You're under arrest. - Don't shoot!
Please don't shoot!
Don't move!
There he is.
You did good, kid.
You should've seen this place. Blood everywhere.
Who would have thought? Shotgun Ed.
Somebody get him cleaned up.
Come on.
Edmund J. Exley has amassed a brilliant record...
...in his 7 years with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Recently, he evinced spectacular bravery in the line of duty.
It is our privilege to present him with our highest honor:
The Medal of Valor.
- What kind of car was it? - It was a Ford.
My husband always drove a Ford. I know what they look like.
Excuse me, ma'am. Just the facts. Light or dark?
Light. And that's really all I remember, Officer.
Thank you. You've been a big help.
Cut! That's a print.
Big Jack!
He's back!
Jack's back.
Tell Mr. Patchett I have no intention of changing my vote.
It may surprise some that an official would admit to making a mistake...
...but after due consideration...
...I am changing my position on the matter before the council.
"Go west, America" was a slogan of Manifest Destiny.
Today is that last step westward with no stop signs...
...no traffic signals, from downtown...
...to the beach in 20 minutes.
What were you going to start with?
Prostitution?
Gambling?
Go back to Jersey, sonny. This is the City of the Angels...
...and you haven't got any wings.
Nice to see you again. Take care.
I wondered when you'd knock on my door again, Officer White.
It's Bud.
Bud.
Why me?
I don't know.
This election...
...is about the future of law enforcement in Los Angeles.
City Councilman Rogers represents that future.
So let's dig deep...
...and get a moral man re-elected. Ellis Loew wants to say a few words.
Thank you, Brett Chase. The talented star of Badge of Honor.
Let me tell you, I am so thrilled to be here.
Big V.
Good to see you back.
- How they hanging, Sid? - Down around my ankles.
You tight with the D.A., Jackie?
He tried to throw me off the force last Christmas.
How about some payback, big-time?
Plus the usual $50 donation to the Jack Vincennes retirement fund.
- Did you know the D.A. Was a swish? - No kidding?
Remember Matt Reynolds? Christmas Eve? "The Movie Premiere Pot Bust"?
- He just got off the honor farm. - What's he doing here?
Reynolds is acey-deucey, not to mention broke.
I'm getting him to fuck the D.A. For $ 100.
That's twice the $50 you got for wrecking his career.
- Come here, come here. - Jesus, don't bring him...
That's D.A. Loew right there.
You need a drink?
Yeah.
Look after him.
Matt, this is Jack. No secrets between me and him.
- How you doing? - I'm okay. How're you?
I'm good.
Have we met before?
Yeah.
Was it at a party?
It was something like that.
Fleur-de-Lis party, right?
Right.
Fleur-de-Lis.
"Whatever you desire."
Dope, hookers that look like movie stars...
...Pierce Patchett has it all.
You could say that again.
Pierce, he's not like regular guys.
I dig him...
...but you know...
...he scares me too.
Really?
How?
When I came out to L.A. This isn't exactly where I saw myself ending up.
Yeah, well...
...get in line.
Dutch courage, kid. Drink up.
I don't think I should do this.
It's not like you don't know how.
Jack's connected to Badge of Honor. Pull this off, you'll get a part.
I smell a comeback, don't you, Jack?
The D.A.'s free.
Go introduce yourself. Go on.
Tell him about the opening on the show.
I'm pretty sure I can get you a part.
But that's later on. Tonight, just go over and pretend it's an acting job.
Like show biz.
Acting, that's it.
Right.
No one's going to know about this?
No.
It'll be our secret.
- Show biz. - That's it. Go on.
Show biz.
If Reynolds works his charms, and he will...
...they'll be at the Hollywood Center Motel, room 203.
Meet me there at midnight for a photo shoot.
Maybe we can work in the Hollywood sign this time.
You know Pierce Patchett?
I know what you know.
He's rich. Invested in the freeways, which'll make him richer. Why?
I keep hearing rumors.
High-class porn, drugs, hookers that look like movie stars.
Patchett's what I call twilight. He ain't queer or red.
He cannot help me in my quest for prime sinnuendo.
As though Badge of Honor would touch that guy with a 10-foot pole...
...after he's been Hush-Hush cover boy twice in one year.
See you soon.
Midnight. I guarantee all kinds of illegal activity.
Another, Jack?
Kid?
Come on, you don't have to do this...
Thank you for what you did for me...
...for killing those animals who raped me.
Will you thank Officer White for me, please?
Sure.
Seeing him come through the door is about the only thing I remember.
Thank God.
You remember what time the Negroes left you?
In your statement, you said they left you at midnight.
They might have.
They "might" have?
I don't know what time they left me. I wanted them dead.
Would anyone care that they raped a Mexican girl...
...if they hadn't killed those white people at the Nite Owl?
I did what I had to do for justice.
Exley, over here.
Smile, Inez.
Is he your hero?
Fellas, how about this? "Rape Victim Wheeled Out by Nite Owl Hero."
All they get is Veronica Lake.
I get Lynn Margaret Bracken.
"Bisbee"?
I grew up there.
I'm going back in a couple of years, open up a dress shop.
The girls in Bisbee need a little glamour.
Where'd this come from?
I was 12. My dad went after my mother with a bottle. I got in the way.
So you saved her.
Not for long.
- I'm sorry. It's none of my business. - He tied me to the radiator.
I watched him beat my mother to death with a tire iron...
...and he left me there.
Three days before a truant officer found us.
They never found the old man.
Is that why you became a cop?
To get even?
Maybe.
Do you like it?
I used to.
Now it's all strong-arm, sitting duck stuff.
If I could get a chance to work Homicide like a real detective...
That prick, Exley. He shot the wrong guys.
Whoever killed Stensland's still around. I know it in here. I know it.
Something's wrong with the Nite Owl.
I just can't prove it, that's all.
I'm not smart enough.
I'm just the guy they bring in to scare the other guy shitless.
You're wrong.
You found Patchett. You found me.
You're smart enough.
Bud White. What brings you down to the basement?
A couple of Nite Owl questions.
Don't know if you read the papers, but that case is closed.
Anything bother you about it?
The fact that the pack-up boys haven't hauled this shit out of here yet.
The suspects' 3 shotguns match the strike marks on the shell casings.
What more do you want?
There's blood on the wall here.
I thought everyone got shot in the men's room.
That is Stensland's blood.
Blow to the head. Probably unconscious when they dragged him in the john.
They hit anyone else?
No, but he was a cop. Probably tried to do something.
Grilled cheese, black coffee. Someone was sitting next to him.
2 of the victims were women?
Yeah, Patti DeLuca, the night shift waitress, and a Susan Lefferts.
Susan Lefferts.
What about her?
You're welcome!
Mrs. Lefferts?
I'm Officer White, LAPD.
Tell me about the boyfriend. The one you mentioned at the coroner's.
Susie, I told you I didn't approve.
He was too old for you. And you let him be fresh with me.
They came here one day when I wasn't home.
Mrs. Jensen next door said...
...she saw Susie's boyfriend and another man...
...and she heard a ruckus.
What was his name?
We weren't properly introduced.
He had a nickname, Muns or Luns.
Stens? Was it Stens?
Maybe.
- I don't know. - Look at this picture.
That's him.
You said a neighbor heard a ruckus.
Outside?
Inside?
Outside.
And then Mrs. Jensen said they kept going under the house.
You have to leave now, Officer.
- What's through here? - Just a room full of old things.
Don't move that.
Don't mind the smell. I think a rat died behind the wall.
My Susie was a good girl.
She was never in any kind of trouble at all.
"Leland Meeks." Never heard of you.
They call me Buzz.
Was it a rat?
Yeah, a great big one.
Here.
Compliments of the Police Department.
Stomach of the week from a motel homicide.
Unemployed actor had frankfurter, french fries, alcohol and sperm.
Hell of a last supper, don't you think?
Anything bothering you about the Nite Owl case?
The fact that you guys won't let it go.
- What do you mean? - Bud White grilled me on it today.
Bud White?
He's not as dumb as I thought.
Did he say where he was going?
Let my daughter rest in peace!
I just want to ask a few questions.
Officer White already checked under the house.
Under the house?
- Where? - Out back.
All he found was rodents.
I need an I.D. on this as soon as possible. Talk only to me on this one.
I need your help.
I'm busy. Why don't you ask your boys in Homicide?
I can't. I need someone outside of Homicide.
I want you to tail Bud White.
Do me a favor. Leave me alone.
You make the 3 Negroes for the Nite Owl killings?
What?
It's a simple question.
Why in the world do you want to dig deeper...
...into the Nite Owl killings...
...Lieutenant?
Rollo Tomasi.
Is there more or do I have to guess?
Rollo was a purse snatcher.
My father ran into him off-duty.
He shot my father 6 times and got away clean.
No one knew who he was.
I made the name up to give him personality.
Your point?
Rollo Tomasi's the reason I became a cop.
I wanted to catch the guys who thought they could get away with it.
It was about justice.
Then somewhere along the way I lost sight of that.
Why'd you become a cop?
I don't remember.
What do you want?
I want to solve this.
Nite Owl was solved.
I want to do it right.
Even if it means paying the consequences?
All right, college boy, I'll help.
But there's a case your boys in Homicide don't care about.
They think it's just another Hollywood "homo"-cide. But I don't.
You help me with mine, I'll help you with yours.
Deal?
Deal.
Johnny Stompanato.
Officer Wendell White. How's tricks, paesano?
I ain't your paesano.
I ain't in the snitch business anymore.
You know a guy named Buzz Meeks?
Works for Pierce Patchett.
Should I?
You're muscle for hire. Meeks is muscle for hire.
You tell me.
Yeah, I remember now.
Meeks is a run-down ex-cop. Same as you'll be some day.
That's all you'll get.
Keep your $20.
What do I get if I give you your balls back, you wop cocksucker?
There was a rumor going around...
...that Meeks had a line on a large supply of H.
And?
And nothing!
He skipped out.
Bullshit.
How would Meeks get his hands on a large supply of heroin?
You're right.
It's probably bullshit.
Even if he did, he couldn't unload it.
Not without drawing all kinds of attention.
Maybe that's why he's under a house in Elysian Park not smelling too good...
... paesano.
Maybe White's not so dumb after all.
We got Rita Hayworth at the morgue, and now Veronica Lake with White.
I think your case and my case are connected. It's Fleur-de-Lis again.
Fleur-de-Lis?
"Whatever you desire."
Porno.
High-class whores cut to look like movie stars.
Who knows what else? Reynolds, the kid that got killed, was involved.
So is Pierce Patchett.
The millionaire?
I think we should talk to him.
First I want to brace Stompanato.
Want an autograph? Write to MGM.
Since when do two-bit hoods and hookers give out autographs?
What?
LAPD. Sit down.
Who the hell do you think you are?
Take a walk, honey.
- You're making a large mistake. - Get away from our table.
Shut up.
A hooker cut to look like Lana Turner is still a hooker.
- She just looks like Lana Turner. - She is Lana Turner.
She is Lana Turner.
How was I supposed to know?
I believe the Nite Owl's your area of expertise, Mr. Exley.
I saw you on television getting your medal.
And you're...
...that other Hollywood celebrity policeman, aren't you?
The Veronica Lake look-alike works for you. She's one of your whores.
- A vulgar term. - Why's she seeing Bud White?
Why do men and women usually see each other?
Let's try this on for size: Fleur-de-Lis.
"Whatever you desire."
An actor named...
...Matt Reynolds.
Nothing?
We want some answers.
We all want something.
The guy's as cool as they come.
Lieutenant Exley, come in, please. Over.
Exley.
The coroner wants to talk to you. He says he has your I.D.
Tell him Sergeant Vincennes is coming in to talk to him.
- I'll drop you at your car. - Where are you going?
Lynn Bracken's.
To find out why Patchett has her seeing Bud White. See you at the Frolic Room.
Oh, great. You get the girl. I get the coroner.
Hush-Hush, off the record and on the q.t.
I was just coming to see you. Got that I.D.?
Thank God for dental records. Stiff used to be a cop. Leland Meeks.
Buzz Meeks?
- You knew him? - Of him.
He was around when I joined the force. Bad rep. Thanks.
"Just the facts."
Anything else?
Leland Meeks worked Vice '39-'41. I need to see his arrest records.
Miss Bracken...
...I'm Lieutenant Exley.
I know.
Bud told me all about you.
Is that so?
And what did White have to say?
He said you were smart.
He also said you were a coward, and that you'd screw yourself to get ahead.
Let's concentrate on my smarts.
Pierce Patchett made you, didn't he? Taught you how to dress, talk and think.
And I'm impressed with the results.
But I need answers.
And if I don't get them, I'll take you and Patchett down.
Pierce Patchett can take care of himself.
And I'm not afraid of you.
And you forget one thing, Lieutenant...
...Pierce also taught me how to fuck.
And he tells you who to fuck.
Why are you fucking Bud White?
What makes you think I'm not seeing Bud because I want to?
It would be easier for you if there was an angle, wouldn't it?
You're afraid of Bud because you can't figure out how to play him.
He doesn't follow the same rules of politics as you do.
It makes him dangerous.
I can handle Bud White.
Can you?
I see Bud because I want to.
I see Bud because he can't hide the good inside of him.
I see Bud because he makes me feel like Lynn Bracken...
...and not a Veronica Lake look-alike who fucks for money.
I see Bud because he doesn't know how to disguise who he is.
I see Bud for all the ways he's different from you.
Don't underestimate me.
The way you've underestimated Bud White?
Fucking me and fucking Bud aren't the same thing.
Stop talking about Bud White.
Come on.
Shit.
Jack Vincennes.
It's going on midnight.
I need 2 minutes, Dudley.
It's important.
Good thing for you my wife and daughters are at the beach in Santa Barbara.
Do you remember Buzz Meeks?
A disgrace as a police officer.
Straight D fitness reports from every C.O. He ever served under. Why?
12 years ago, he was on a vice roust with Dick Stensland.
They questioned Pierce Patchett about a blackmail scam.
Patchett had Sid Hudgens photographing prominent businessmen with hookers.
Anyway, charges were dropped. Insufficient evidence.
You were the supervising officer on that case. Remember anything about it?
What's this about, boyo?
It has to do with a murder I've been working with Exley on.
You're Narco, Jack, not Homicide.
Since when do you work with Exley?
It's a private investigation.
I messed something up. I'm trying to make amends.
Don't start trying to do the right thing. You haven't had the practice.
Buzz Meeks and Dick Stensland.
So, what does Exley make of this?
I haven't told him yet. I just came from the records room.
Have you a valediction, boyo?
Rollo...
...Tomasi.
Sergeant Vincennes was killed by a.32 slug to the heart.
Time of death, approximately 1 a.m.
Although he was found in Echo Park, forensics indicates the body was moved.
I want 2-man teams to scour that entire neighborhood.
Our justice must be swift...
...and merciless.
That is all.
Might I have a word with you?
We're trying to run down a lead on an associate of Vincennes.
The records check has led to a dead end.
What's the name?
Rollo Tomasi?
You ever heard Vincennes mention him?
No. No, I haven't.
It's probably nothing. Still...
...keep your eyes open, boyo.
I know it's unlikely, but suppose...
...somebody had a lot of heroin, who would they go to to move it?
White, in my office.
Captain. Look, just give me a name.
Mickey Cohen.
Captain?
I could use your fearsome habits at the Victory Motel.
When?
Now.
Close the door, lad.
You're a bit of a puzzlement to me these days.
You don't seem your old cruel self.
And I had such grand plans for your future.
What plans?
You have your extracurricular activities and I have mine.
We must have a clarification session one of these days.
However...
...right now...
...we'll brace a man who may know who killed Jack Vincennes.
So the question is...
...can I count on you, lad?
- Yes or no? - Yes, sir.
I want to know everything you and Vincennes talked about last night.
Start with the I.D. on the corpse.
An ex-cop.
Leland "Buzz" Meeks.
An ex-cop?
Did Jack know him?
Only by reputation.
Wendell, this is Sid Hudgens.
I'm willing to cooperate. No need to tie me down.
It's for your own safety.
What can you tell us about Sgt. Jack Vincennes?
Hollywood Jack? The Big V?
I can tell you he's on the night train to the Big Adios.
I had nothing to do with him getting killed, if that's what you mean.
- But you were business associates. - What's that got to do with anything?
Okay, so we worked together.
It was an information exchange.
I got him first-class collars, he got me good stories. We were friends.
We'll drop that for now.
What about Pierce Patchett?
You think he had something to do with Vincennes getting iced?
I'd like full and docile cooperation on every topic.
Okay, okay, okay. All right.
Everyone knows Patchett's worth a boatload.
But he has hobbies too.
He bankrolls B movies under the table.
And try this one on.
He's rumored to be a heroin sniffer.
All in all, a powerful behind-the-scenes strange-o.
- And? - And what?
Reciprocity, Mr. Hudgens, is the key to every relationship.
He runs call girls.
Primo tail fixed up to look like movie stars.
And?
Blackmail shit.
In my car, in the trunk, under the rug...
Patchett got me to photograph this cop screwing this gorgeous slut named Lynn.
She looks just like Veronica Lake.
Leave him!
I said leave him be!
Get him away from me!
Back off!
I wouldn't trade places with Exley right now for all the whiskey in Ireland.
Dudley, I thought you were going to let the dumb bastard kill me!
Learn to pull your punches a little better.
You can uncuff me now, fellas.
Fellas...
...we had a deal.
You, me, Patchett. We're a team.
Hush-hush.
- Anything? - Nothing.
Meeks never made an arrest the entire time he worked Vice?
Someone must've pulled the files.
What about the daily report books?
- They'd be buried in the basement. - Find them.
You talk to Exley?
Come in out of the rain.
What happened with Exley?
Just come in.
Will you tell me what happened with Exley?
We talked.
Tell me about him.
Later.
Now!
You fucked him.
I thought I was helping you.
I'm glad you're here. I need you to see this.
Wait.
Dudley killed Jack.
He wants you to kill me.
He showed you the photo, didn't he?
Didn't he?
Think! Goddamn you, think!
Get out!
I checked the daily report books.
Dudley, Buzz Meeks and Stensland go way back.
I knew Stensland lied to me.
Lefferts' mother I.D.'d him as Lefferts' boyfriend.
Stensland pretended he didn't know Meeks or her the night that I met...
...Lynn.
Stensland and Meeks...
...what were they up to?
I don't know. But I think Stens killed Meeks over heroin.
What heroin?
Johnny Stompanato told me that Meeks had heroin for sale.
Meeks ends up dead.
Stensland dies at the Nite Owl.
It wasn't the Negroes.
The rape victim lied.
The first guys to the Mercury coupe were Breuning and Carlisle.
Dudley's guys.
They planted the shotguns.
They'd have killed the Negroes too if Jack and I hadn't shown up.
Dudley framed them because they were Negroes and had records.
He knew there'd be no questions asked...
...if they were killed resisting arrest.
Somehow it's all connected to Jack's angle.
Sid Hudgens...
...the pictures to blackmail Ellis Loew...
A kid got murdered.
To figure it out, we must work together.
Why are you doing this?
The Nite Owl made you.
You want to tear all that down?
With a wrecking ball.
Want to help me swing it?
Let's go see Ellis Loew.
Find out what the District Attorney knows.
You can't go in there.
- Want me to call the police, Mr. Loew? - Ask for Capt. Dudley Smith.
Tell him we're discussing an unemployed actor's death at a Sunset Strip motel.
These are the police.
What do you want?
I want D.A. Bureau men to tail Dudley Smith and Patchett 24 hours a day.
I want you to get a judge to authorize wiretaps on their home phones.
I want authorization to check their bank records.
On what evidence?
Call it a hunch.
Absolutely not.
Dudley Smith is a highly-decorated member of the department.
I won't smear his and Patchett's name without...
Without what?
Them smearing yours first?
What do they have? Pictures of you and Matt Reynolds with your pants down?
You have proof?
The proof had his throat slit.
So far, you're not denying it.
I won't dignify this with answers.
Now if you gentlemen will excuse me...
...I have a press conference for Jack Vincennes that I have to prepare for.
Unless you came to wipe my ass, I believe we're through.
Don't pull that good-cop-bad-cop crap. I practically invented it.
So what if some homo actor is dead.
Boys, girls. Ten of them get off the bus to L.A. Everyday.
Pull him off me!
I don't know how.
I know you think you're the A-number-one hotshot, but here's the juice.
If I kill you, 10 lawyers will take your place tomorrow.
They just won't come on a bus.
Okay!
Dudley and Patchett, they...
Oh, my God!
I wouldn't play ball so they set me up!
I gave in! But the kid heard everything...
...so they killed him.
Why?
- What are Dudley and Patchett up to? - Taking over Mickey Cohen's rackets.
Because of those pictures I couldn't prosecute them!
Oh, Jesus!
Help me up!
Is that how you ran the good-cop bad-cop?
Patchett?
Looks like his bodyguard had a conflict of interest.
Suicide note.
Says he killed Jack because Jack had figured out his pornography scam.
Slicing himself open wasn't his idea.
2 of his fingers are broken.
They held him there.
Or drugged him.
Dudley's tying up his loose ends.
Patchett's dead.
He sent you after me.
Lynn.
West Hollywood Sheriff.
- They're closer than we are. - I'll get the car. Keys!
We took her to the station for safekeeping.
Hold her as Joan Smith. And no one sees her unless I okay it.
Someone worked her over.
She wouldn't say who.
See you, Exley.
We should talk to Lynn.
You do it.
What will you do?
I'm going to talk to Sid Hudgens.
Compliment him on his performance at the Victory Motel.
Remember, Bud, we need evidence.
I'll get the evidence.
Are you okay?
You okay?
Bud hates himself for what he did.
I know how he feels.
I need to know what you can give me on Dudley Smith.
He's a police captain in business with Patchett.
I've never heard of him.
Do you have a place to stay?
I'll be okay.
Nobody goes in without official I.D.
It's okay. Let him through.
What happened?
Someone beat him to death, and stole a bunch of files.
Must have dug up garbage on the wrong guy.
We got it narrowed down to 1000 suspects.
Sergeant White...
...dispatch got a call for you.
Lieutenant Exley wants you to meet him at the Victory Motel.
You wanted to meet here?
- You called it. I thought Hudgens was... - Hudgens is dead.
Let's get out of here.
It's too late.
You figured it was a set-up but came anyway?
A lot of bad stuff happened here.
It's as good a place as any for it to end.
Clip.
All I ever wanted was to measure up to my father.
Now's your chance.
He died in the line of duty, didn't he?
Goddamn it!
You okay?
Yeah.
Come on. Easy.
Move!
Rollo Tomasi.
Who is he?
You are.
You're the guy who gets away with it.
Jack knew it.
And so do I.
Are you going to shoot me...
...or arrest me?
Good lad.
Always the politician.
Let me do the talking.
After I'm done, they'll make you Chief of Detectives.
Hold up your badge...
...so they'll know you're a policeman.
You think you can talk your way out of this, Lieutenant?
No...
...but I can tell the truth.
During our investigation...
...of events surrounding the Nite Owl case...
...Jack Vincennes, Bud White and I learned the following:
Your golden boy's throwing his whole life away.
The 3 Nite Owl suspects...
...while guilty of kidnapping and rape...
...were innocent of the multiple homicides at the Nite Owl.
The gunmen were most likely...
...Los Angeles police officers Michael Breuning and William Carlisle...
...and a third man...
...who may or may not have been Captain Dudley Smith.
The objective:
The elimination of another police officer...
...Richard Stensland...
...who, along with former LAPD officer Leland "Buzz" Meeks...
...also committed multiple homicides on behalf of Captain Smith...
...and then betrayed him...
...over 25 pounds of heroin...
...the retrieval of which...
...was the ultimate motivation behind the Nite Owl killings.
Beginning with the incarceration of Mickey Cohen...
...Capt. Smith has been assuming control of organized crime in Los Angeles.
This includes the assassinations of Mickey Cohen lieutenants...
...the systematic blackmail of city officials...
...and the murders of Susan Lefferts, Pierce Patchett, Sid Hudgens...
...and Sergeant Jack Vincennes.
Captain Smith admitted as much to me...
...before I shot him...
...at the Victory Motel.
That's it.
The press will have a field day.
Christ!
It'll stain the Department for years.
Decades.
If we can get the kid to play ball...
...who's to say what happened?
Maybe Dudley Smith died a hero.
- Good idea. - If we get the press to play.
Want to tell me what you're smiling about?
A hero.
How'd he know what we said?
He couldn't have heard us.
In this situation...
...you'll need more than one.
It is my pleasure to present this award to Detective Lieutenant Edmund Exley...
... two-time Medal of Valor recipient.
Next year the LAPD will move into its new facility.
With leaders like Edmund Exley...
...the image of fat cops stealing apples will be left behind...
...and Los Angeles will finally have the police force it deserves.
You just couldn't resist.
They're using me. So for a while, I'm using them.
Come on.
Thanks for the push.
Congratulations, Lieutenant Exley.
Some men get the world...
...others get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona.
Subtitled by: GELULA & CO., INC.