Hotline Cagney and Lacey

Children of the night? Hi. How do you like working midnight to eight? We don't.

Not if we get mugged twice tonight. I know what you mean.

Two kids found the body a half hour ago. Samuels has come from Brooklyn?

You don't enter a crime scene!

Negative. He was sleeping at the station when we caught this one.

Don't ask me why.

Strangled.

I'd say in her early 20s. We got a lot of work to do. Start with those two space cadets who found the body.

Opal and Hilary Durrell? You're detectives? Which one is Opal?

I'm Opal. I'm not. We found her. It was gross. Totally.

Are you two in a play?

No. Costume party? For the Rocky Horror Picture Show, celebrating my 47th time.

It's a movie. They run it at midnight on weekends. All the kids dress up. It's really something.

I bet. Does your mother know you're out this late? No, she works nights, but if she found out...

She'll know if we don't get the last train to Larchmont. You'll miss it. I've got to ask you some questions.

You wanna come with me? Over here!

Give me your mother's number. I'll explain. 555...

Some time tonight, OK? ..914? Mm-hm. OK.

How long does it take to get a phone number? I'm sorry, sir.

We can rule our robbery - she had money in her purse. From round here? No. Roseanne Fiello, 24,

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Lived with her parents. Anybody notify them?

Yeah. I sent La Guardia to pick up her boyfriend. Get Isbecki. He's off. Get him in!

We're staying on this until we get something.

Denise Callan, Patricia Molloy and now Roseanne Fiello. Isbecki, am I keeping you awake?

No. Those are the homicides I worked on last week. And? Denise Callan, Riverdale housewife,

Patricia Molloy, Greenwich Village student. Now you got Roseanne Fiello. Brooklyn secretary.

We were gonna get married three weeks from tomorrow.

Do you know what she was doing in the city last night? She said she had some shopping to do.

Later on, I was gonna meet her, have some coffee.

Where were you last evening, Mr Romano? I was painting.

I was painting what was gonna be our new apartment.

We had a fight about the colour of the bedroom. When you say fight...

No, no, no, I mean argue, you know?

We always argued. It never meant nothing.

The most serious argument we had was about the ring. What ring? The engagement ring.

I've been laid off for five months.

But Roseanne...

She went and bought it anyway.

She said she was gonna do some more freelance typing to pay for it.

Can I go?

I should be with her father.

I should help... bring her to the funeral home.

Alone painting? He had paint under his fingernails, Chris.

Well, we'll check it out.

Wait! One question at a time. While there are similarities in the three murders,

many things are dissimilar. No connection between the victims? There's no evidence to suggest

we should look for one strangler. When will this air? On the 6 and 11. Over here, guys.

Excellent, just excellent. Authority, sincerity, concern. You project all those images.

That's showbiz. Lieutenant, are unrelated murders like this common?

I'm not sure they are unrelated.

So the city has a strangler on the loose? I think so. You disagree with Inspector Marquette?

I think we've a strangler out there.

May I talk to you in the office?

I can't believe he said that. Neither can Inspector Marquette.

I can just see the headlines in the papers.

"Strangler on streets" or "Lieutenant demoted to directing traffic"? Quiet!

We all put our foot in it sometimes.

No. When an experienced cop does that, the pressure is getting to him.

Until this case is resolved, you're all off the chart. You don't really think there's a strangler?

I don't need any smart mouth from you! The DA's... Focus on this case! Cagney and Lacey, you're on days.

Starting tomorrow? Now! Yes, sir. Petrie, Isbecki - Callan and Molloy.

Cagney and Lacey - Roseanne Fiello. Inventory of her personal effects.

What did the boyfriend say? He was painting. $120 cheque for Mary Ellen Stewart from Pierre's Restaurant.

Roseanne's parents said Roseanne worked for Stewart part-time.

The boyfriend said something about freelance typing. Check it out. Come on, let's get on it! Now!

There's no address on this cheque. Ever heard of Pierre's Restaurant?

I haven't been out to dinner in 18 months! What time is it? 8.33.

Do we have to do this today?

Think of the overtime. I'll be with you in one minute.

Hello? Hey, Harv. Where are you? Michael, that's enough butter.

You're missing waffles. 'We're stuck here with a homicide. I'll be home for supper.'

Mrs Barbero wanted to pick Harv Junior up early. 'They left ten minutes ago. When will you sleep?'

Samuels breakin' chops there, huh? Very much so. I gotta go. There's chicken in the freezer.

I love you. I'll take it out. Later. Ready!

There isn't any Pierre's Restaurant. I know I've heard of it. Fancy French place on 53rd off Madison.

Pierre's is a hole in the wall joint off Lexington and 28th.

I read about it in New York Magazine. It's on Central Park South.

Great. Thanks, guys.

I'll call the bank.

Do you wanna find a phone...?

Hey, you wanna watch where you're going! Sorry, but it helps to look where YOU'RE going!

You know this building? I'm in and out all day long. A&K Messenger Service.

You know Pierre's Restaurant? Take that elevator to the 12th floor.

Hang a left, it's 12-14. Are you looking for a job? We just wanna find the place. Thank you.

12th, please.

Well, this has got to be the wrong place. I knew the kid was a flake.

Excuse me.

Just wait right there, OK? Yeah.

This is just an answering service. Yeah.

I know you wanted to stay, but there'll be other jobs. I know you do good work.

Yeah. These things happen.

How's your daughter's leg?

You are a dirty boy!

Yes, you are. Yeah.

Just relaxing in your bedroom?

Yeah.

What are you wearing?

Are you comfortable?

Sounds nice.

Yeah.

Come on. I know we'd be terrific together.

Sounds like we like the same things.

Satin sheets.

I like that, too.

I can't believe you! What is going on? These girls are probably talking to their husbands and boyfriends.

Don't you talk to Harvey this way?

Yeah.

LAUGHS LOUDLY

You'd like to do what? I don't believe it.

Chris, you don't wanna go over there. Why not? She is talking about things even I've never heard of.

I may ask... Look, kids. Christine! I'm really jammed. Have you worked for an erotic hotline before?

Why call it Pierre's Restaurant?

Credit cards. So? You're single, Isbecki.

If you charged a call to the hotline and you were married and your wife opened your mail... She'd kill you.

Yeah. What about Mary Ellen Stewart? They didn't know her, but we have some checking to do.

They have branch offices - Affairs By Phone and Sheila's Loveline.

We're looking into those now. You had a shot to make a collar. Vice tells us the whole thing is legal.

I only care about these homicides.

Denise Callan. From four to six on the day she was killed, she had a baby-sitter.

She had the same baby-sitter four times that week. She gave her a number?

Couldn't be reached by phone. Sounds like she has something on the side.

Everything sounds that way to you.

Well, find him or her or whoever.

What about Patricia Molloy? Until last week, she was studying Business Administration at NYU.

She lived with a room-mate on St Mark's Place. And her movements?

From four to six, she didn't show up for her exercise class. I checked. She dropped out six months ago.

Did her room-mate know that? No, she'd show up every day at 6.15 saying how terrific her work-out was.

Good. Now we're getting someplace.

(Four to six, you and him...) A two-hour block of unaccounted for time. Next!

Where's the boyfriend? Funeral home in Brooklyn. Ride out there.

See what he knows about Mary Ellen Stewart. Get back here with some answers!

I don't wanna bother those people. I'll handle it.

Have you two got a problem?

We don't feel that going to the funeral home would be useful. We talked to the boyfriend.

You don't wanna disturb him at the funeral home? Is that it?

Partly. It's just not right to invade these people's lives.

This is a murder investigation. We got a strangler on our hands!

A strangler, OK... Oh, I see. You don't think there IS a strangler out there!

We know you're under pressure. I'm doing my job and you two are not doing yours!

A trail of a homicide investigation gets cold within 48 hours.

If you haven't got what it takes... Wait a minute. We didn't say that. I'm saying it!

OK.

Fine. You go to work with Petrie and Isbecki. I'll question the boy for myself.

Good. Nice work.

My feet are killing me. I don't wanna type up this stuff tonight. We hit one dead end after another.

I wanna give Samuels something. I'll tell you what I'd like to give him!

Come on.

Working late, aren't you? You, too. Yeah.

Don't you wanna know what happened at the funeral home?

I made a jackass of myself.

The boyfriend and the whole family sick with grief

and I show up and I...

bully them.

It's a tough situation to walk into.

After I was through, they stared at me like I was the scum of the earth.

When I was a kid, I...

I saw a friend of my father's get his face bloodied by a detective.

It was over nothing.

That cop was a fat slob who wasn't fit to be a human being, let alone a detective.

That's me.

That's me when I got my shield.

I promised that, no matter what, I would never do anything like that.

This thing with Inspector Marquette, it's bothering you, huh?

When I was a Lieutenant, he was still a uniformed sergeant in Harlem.

Now he's a Deputy Inspector and I'm still a Lieutenant.

Yeah, that's part of it.

Maybe you need a rest, some peace and quiet. A week or two at home would do you the world of good.

What'll I do there? Things with Thelma aren't so good.

Don't worry. I won't pull a number like that Captain from the 1-6.

Captain Casanova Reznikov?

That's the one, yeah.

Came in one day and said, "I quit."

Left his wife and kids and ran off to Arizona with a manicurist.

I hate the desert.

And I don't know any manicurists.

Go on home.

What about you? Go on, I'm fine.

Good night, sir. Good night. Good night.

ALARM BUZZES

Good morning.

PHONE RINGS

Hello?

Chris.

Mary Beth? 'Yeah.' I got a call from Isbecki this morning. 'How wonderful for you(!)'

He's got something about Roseanne and Samuels wants us in. What did he get? He'll tell us when we get in.

'I could kill him.' I'm on my way. Bye-bye. 'Bye.'

Oh, honey! They want me in early.

They're gonna have to wait.

'This is for you on the Patricia Molloy file.'

Christine, I want you to follow this through. What have you got here?

Lacey, where have you been? I asked for everybody to be here early. Sorry, sir. I hope it was worth it.

Hold on. It's Marquette's PIO guy - Daniels. Yeah?

When can you make a statement saying you changed your mind about the strangler? Tell him to go to hell!

Four o'clock will be fine. He'll see you then... I had to say something.

By four o'clock you could be out on an emergency.

Denise's mother-in-law thought Denise was cheating on her son, hired a private detective.

Petrie's looking for him. Isbecki's been doing good work. Really(?)

Roseanne's engagement ring is worth over three grand. She bought it last month for cash.

That's a hunk of change! We checked her bank statements.

Roseanne Fiello's depositing Mary Ellen Stewart's cheques from Pierre's Restaurant in her account every week,

once a week for nine months.

Total? That's 9,000 dollars.

You know this woman? Yeah. Name? Mary Ellen Stewart. Are you sure?

Positive. Her real name was Roseanne Fiello. We don't use our real names here.

I'm losing patience! Roseanne was murdered. She was getting married.

I didn't know it was her. I don't ask the girls their real names. What else don't you know about her?

Got a file on her or something? Yeah. Get it. Ladies, gather round.

14th Squad, Detective Petrie?

We're at the hotline place. Mary Ellen Stewart and Roseanne Fiello are the same person.

That's two of 'em? Three. Isbecki went to Patricia's exercise class.

She told one of her friends she got a job that paid big bucks talking to pathetic guys on the telephone.

Tell Samuels we'll be back there as soon as we can.

Hang on a minute.

All three victims worked for these hotlines. Then Samuels hit it right. We are looking for a strangler. Yes.

Inspector Marquette, what sort of person are you looking for?

An individual with sexual problems.

Did your opposing views early on create any friction?

No. Lieutenant Samuels was right, but we're concerned about apprehending the strangler, not who's right.

Do you have any suspects? No, we don't. But we will have soon.

You're right about one thing. The Lieutenant did call the shot.

Instinct. Samuels got it. All the great detectives have it.

I got it.

Thank you. You're welcome. Come with me.

What's the matter? In the middle of all this, I'm thinking about Roseanne Fiello.

She had a choice, Mary Beth.

She paid a very high price.

Detectives Cagney and Lacey, right?

I know you're involved in this investigation. I'd like to ask you a favour. If something should break,

I'd appreciate it if you'd call me first. Mr...? Daniels. Peter.

Mr Daniels, that man in there is our Lieutenant.

If something happens, he's next in the chain of command. It might be broken soon. Pardon?

Lieutenant Samuels is very close to becoming a memory in this department.

If Inspector Marquette sees a chance, he'll bounce him out.

You two are in a position to do yourselves some good. Thank you.

Think about it.

Cute, isn't he?

All right, the circus is over. We get back to work.

Vice detectives say these hotlines are connected, controlled by Allen Brown.

Lacey, we want this man's client list. Right, sir. One of his customers may be our strangler.

Cagney, see if the women who work for the hotlines can recall any especially weird customers.

Will do. All arranged. Petrie and Isbecki, you've got an appointment with the psychologist.

Get more on the profile, so we can find out what kind of a wacko we're looking for.

Right. Anybody got anything to add? No.

All right, let's get on it.

What are we gonna do here, Chris?

About what? About Samuels. I think we've got to tell him. Look at him, Mary Beth.

Another crisis is not what he needs. His marriage is in trouble. He knows he's not Marquette's favourite!

Detective Lacey, I can make you some cappuccino. No, thanks. I do nothing illegal.

I pay my taxes, my parking tickets, but a lot of lonely guys need somebody to talk to.

I want a list of your clients in New York. Magazines want it, lonely hearts organisations, swingers clubs.

A Save The Seals organisation wants our mailing list, but my clients' names are confidential.

If we were to look into your hotline services, we might find that these phone calls lead to prostitution,

which is illegal. Detective Lacey, use your head.

For a phone conversation of four minutes, customers pay 38.50.

When they get their credit card bills, it says "Pierre's Restaurant", "Northeast Marketing",

"Galaxy Communication Incorporated".

This operation is active in 26 states. Last year, we averaged two million dollars.

I gotta get involved in prostitution? What for?

Why are three women dead? I have no knowledge of what happened to them.

I'm dealing with a murder investigation here!

It'll take time, but I can get the court to sub-poena your client list.

Maybe. And maybe not.

If you make me go to court, you will be harassed so you regret the day you were born!

Let me ask you this. Your customers, the men that you talk to - are there any weird ones?

How do you define "weird"? Some might think this is normal. You've no right to judge.

I'm not. It's part of my job. I just need to know.

We have steady customers we talk to five times a week. We're like friends to these guys.

We talk about a lot of things besides sex. What? Family problems, whatever.

It's cheaper and maybe better than going to an analyst. Oh, boy! Thanks.

Hey, baby. Did you get that job?

I am not your baby and I didn't get the job. You don't want people to know. That's cool.

Understand this.

I'm the heat!

It's my best. I swear. Taste it.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Oh, my... Oh, that's good!

It is good. Oh, yeah. Hmm? Perfect.

It's perfect. That should be against the law. Salud!

Sweetheart... Huh?

We got two things of this in the freezer already. Michael's birthday party. Vintage stuff.

We should label this like wine bottles. Why all this?

It was your idea. It was? You cut out the coupons. The butcher had a sale on pork shoulders.

Me and the kids went over there, made a big score. Oh, yeah.

I forgot all about it.

Samuels still putting you and Chris through the hoops with this strangler business? Yeah.

It's a bad time for him. It's not just work. I think things between him and Thelma don't sound so good.

Every marriage has its ups and downs, huh?

I don't know. It bothers me.

What bothers you, babe?

What?

He looks so tired.

And old.

It's bad enough, you turn around, the kids are growing up.

Come on, Mary Beth, huh?

Nothing like that's gonna happen to us.

There's too much at stake.

We're sitting on a fortune in spaghetti sauce here.

You got sauce on your chin.

About time you got here! You don't take the subway.

Brown's list did it. The computer guys have been working on it. Since when did they work so fast?

They matched the customers who had contact with the victims. The computer had a busy night!

It came up with the one guy who talked to all three victims a lot.

Mary Beth, I think we got him. Yeah!

Here's more on that psychological profile. "Passive, unresolved anger towards mother."

It's always the mother! "No tolerance for anxiety or rejection."

Listen, I was thinking. Why don't I call on the guy? The shrink gave ME the psychological profile.

So? I know what to expect, I know how to handle him. Are we mentally incompetent? We can read!

Are you sure this is the right place? Maybe we got the wrong Wyler.

Mr Colton Wyler? Who shall I say is here to see him? Detectives Cagney and Lacey, NYPD.

Why don't you just take us down to his office? Of course.

Would you ask him to step outside, please?

Yes?

Mr Wyler, could you come out for a moment, please?

Yeah, Marcie?

Mr Colton Wyler? Yes.

Do you live at 466, West End Avenue? Yes, that's right. Marcie...

I'm Detective Lacey. This is Detective Cagney. Can we speak to you in private? Sure.

Come on in. Thank you.

Mr Wyler, do you know these women?

No. I've never seen them before.

According to The Hotline, Sheila's Loveline and Affairs By Phone, you talk to them all the time.

That's not true. Mr Wyler, we have your credit card receipts.

That was private. You have no right to be here.

We have every right. These three women were murdered. Oh, no.

And you think I killed them?

Did you, Mr Wyler?

'Between the ages of 16 and 21,'

did you take anything of value that didn't belong to you? No. Are we both in New York City? Yes.

I gotta hand it to Samuels. With all his problems, he's really cooking. Look at him!

Are you afraid I will make a mistake on this test? Yes. Did you murder Patricia Molloy...?

I've been thinking about that creep Daniels. We gotta tell Samuels.

What do you think about Wyler? We'll turn him into a basket case.

No. Did you ever meet the victims of this homicide investigation? No.

No good, Mr Wyler.

I want you to see for yourself. Let's start with where I asked you if you ever met any of the victims.

See how the needle jumped?

Why? I wasn't lying.

I never met any of them. Someone once offered to arrange a meeting, but that wasn't my thing.

Who? I don't know his name. He's an office messenger.

I refused.

PHONE RINGS

Samuels... Yeah.

Right.

Lieutenant, can we talk to you, sir? Not now.

They just found another Hotline employee strangled, killed within the past couple of hours. Oh, Lord!

Then it couldn't have been Wyler. No. Get over to the Hotline offices.

The latest victim was Deborah Alfano. See what you can find out about her and this messenger.

This is wrong, Christine. I can't stand it. We gotta warn him.

He doesn't wanna listen. We make him listen. Go talk to him. He likes you better than me. He does not.

Where do you get that idea? He tells you he likes your instincts. He tells me he likes my scarf. Scarf?

You know, all the little blue and green owls on it?

I haven't worn it in a while. Chris! Go tell him! I'll keep the motor running.

What are you doing back here? I've got to talk to you, sir. This is not the time. Sorry, it can't wait.

The Inspector's Public Information Aide, Mr Daniels, asked Cagney and myself to let him know immediately

if anything happened with the case, which we refused.

He said the Inspector wanted to get rid of you. Doesn't surprise me.

He would have pulled me already, except it might make him look bad.

You haven't been around here long enough to see this kind of thing. I have. It's about humiliation.

It won't stop here. You can't let that happen, sir.

I've been thinking of pulling the plug myself. I've got my 20 years. Why do I need this?

If I can help, sir, I'd like to. Then find the strangler!

Yes, sir. Lacey...

Sir? You played this all wrong. It would have been easy for you to play ball with him

and find yourself a nice, cushy situation someplace. Yeah.

Like you said, I haven't been around here long enough.

What's going on? They're examining Deborah's things. We questioned one of your clients.

He got an invitation to meet one of the victims. I never knew about it. It came from a messenger.

We don't have a messenger, do we? No, we use A&K Service, but it's always the same guy - Manny.

The guy in the building. What, with roller skates?

Yeah. Would he have access to names and addresses?

He collects credit card receipts and delivers cheques to the girls.

He does have access. Where is A&K Messenger Service?

This schedule shows him in at four o'clock. Does he ever come in earlier? Take care of this.

You gotta be kidding me. If he shows up at four, it's a miracle.

Thanks. Well? The address Manfred Williams gave you at 123rd Street doesn't exist.

The phone number's out of service. What do you expect from a guy who comes to work on roller skates?

Has he any personal effects here? Back here. Oh, right.

Does that belong to him? Mandarin orange. He's the only one that drinks that junk.

You don't mind if I take it? We're gonna send someone over here to wait for him.

I don't know nothin'.

Chris! Thanks very much. Take care.

Stan? Hey, Bert, how are you doin'? What brings you to the big building?

Can you help me out? I need this done right away. It's a bad time. I got six priorities from K Squad.

Can you get Marquette's office to phone in a requisition? Can't do that. That way, I'm covered.

My back's to the wall, Stan. Marquette out to whack you on this? Something like that.

Well, let me see what I can do.

Go back to your office and I'll give you a call as soon as I get something. Thanks.

Taubman on three. Thanks.

Yeah?

What time was that?

Stay there in case he shows. Manny called. He's going straight to his runs at the Hotline.

'Yeah, Samuels.' You were lucky. We lifted a full five prints.

Did you get an ID? Marvin Woodhouse. Attica graduate, manslaughter.

Warrant for felony assault in Albany.

I heard enough. Thanks, Stan.

I'm on it. Grab him at the messenger service. He's going straight to the Hotline.

PHONE RINGS Hello? Is Grace Lipton there? This is Detective Lacey. Just a minute.

It's Detective Lacey on 3-5. Oh, swell(!)

Hello, Detective Lacey.

What am I doing? This woman is not gonna give me the right time of day. Do it for me.

Please. If you weren't so emotional!

Miss Lipton, this is Detective Cagney.

'Has the messenger been it yet?' Did Manny make his pick-up yet? He just left.

He just left. Where to? He's delivering cheques to the girls.

Names and addresses...? What would you do without me?

Have Central put out an alarm for Marvin Woodhouse. We're calling the messenger's delivery list now.

Rita Carlyle...? This is Detective Cagney, New York Police Department.

A messenger is on his way to your apartment. Do not let him in.

Do not let him in. We will have a uniform there as soon as possible.

INTERCOM BUZZES

Who is it? It's me, Manny. Come on in.

Oh, damn!

It's your own fault, you know.

Every call you make, they charge 38.50. You make what, ten?

Nine. You're a bigger fool than I thought. Why don't you work for me?

I'll get you all the calls you want and then some. I'll split it 50/50.

I'll take good care of you. Not like those other chumps.

PHONE RINGS

Hello...? Hi, Michael. Are we on for dinner tonight?

Yes, spaghetti. Right. Well, I can't wait.

Me, too. Could you hold on one second, please?

What about my offer?

I don't think so, Manny. You can let yourself out, can't you?

Michael...? Yeah.

Are you finished? Except for Paula Martin. She's busy.

Operator, this is a police emergency. I am Detective Lacey, shield number 340.

I want you to cut in on 555 8135.

Is that it?

Don't tease me, come on.

Do you want to or not? Aaagh!

You and me, let's talk business.

Thank you, Operator. It's a problem on the line or it's out of order.

Get over there. I'll alert Uniform and have some cars meet you.

SIRENS WAIL

SHE SCREAMS

No!

Police, open up! Don't come in here. I'll kill her!

Take it easy. We're just here to serve a warrant. No big deal.

Open up! Stay back. I'm gonna kill her! All right. We'll go round.

Open up! Is Paula in there with you?

Stay out of here or I'll cut her!

Oh, come on! Can you get that down?

Come on.

If you come in here, I'll kill her!

Stay back, stay back!

Don't you come in here! I'm telling you, I'll kill her!

I'll kill her!

Get away! Stay back!

Hold it! Don't give me an excuse, man!

Drop it down! Drop it down!

Drop it down!

They're waiting for you, sir. Let 'em wait. The Inspector seemed cordial enough.

If he could bury me, he would. It'll keep him off my back for a while.

This was an important collar. I hoped it would make up for some wasted years,

but it didn't. You're a good cop, Lieutenant.

Yeah.

Why don't you tell that to my wife? She wants me to be with her in group therapy.

Cute, isn't he?

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd