Knight Rider (1982) s03e12 Episode Script

The man is dead.
Don't know much about | this business, do you? Had to have at least | 450 horsepower.
What keeps us from being | Grebs' next accident? You've hired a brand new | head of security.
By forcing Grebs' hand, we have | placed ourselves in a state of war.
This isn't business anymore.
| This is personal.
Knight Rider a shadowy flight into the | dangerous world of a man who does not exist.
Michael Knight, | a young loner on a crusade to champion | the cause of the innocent the helpless, the powerless in a world of criminals | who operate above the law.
What the Hey! What are you doing? Don't! lt's done.
l'll be stopping by | for payment in the morning.
All right! | You call that all right? That player on the bottom | may never get up.
Hey, KlTT, come on, | give me a break.
lt's the first hockey game | you've ever seen in your life.
The similarity of hockey and a war | between various caveman tribes on a frozen lake | bears a very close parallel.
Are you sure you're | not becoming a bit of a snob? Snob? Who are you | calling a snob? Good morning, Devon.
Do you know where | that word ''snob'' comes from? Yes, I do.
And if I were a | snob, I would not allow you to watch sports contests on | state-of-the-art Foundation equipment.
Good morning.
l'm on my way in.
| Good.
You've been rather difficult to | reach lately, particularly last night.
l got a weakness | for dancers.
Dancers pirouette on their toes to | the strains of violins and flutes.
They do not gesticulate wildly | to the throbbing beat of bongo drums and saxophones.
Devon, they are innocent girls | working their way through college.
Besides, every once in a | while, l gotta get away- Away from whom? l just gotta get away, period.
This subject is closed, | for now.
Michael, do you feel the need | to get away from me? No, KlTT, no, l What l meant was, l just gotta get | away, you know, the human condition l gotta take a break, | get away from life.
You and me, we're partners, | aren't we? Thank you, Michael.
You're welcome.
Two accidents with a connection | is one thing, but three in a row lead me to believe that there's | a great deal more involved than mere coincidence.
What about the police? lncidents occurred in three different | jurisdictions in two different states.
There's no reason | for them to make a connection.
But you made a connection.
They were all successfully | involved in the garment industry.
Okay, so that's the pattern.
| What's the motive? Extortion.
l see you haven't lost | your street instincts.
l have some evidence and a great deal more | speculative information that that's exactly what it is.
Any speculation | on who's behind it? Yes, D.
G.
Grebs.
Enormously well-organized | and absolutely deadly.
There he is.
He buys his muscle men | at group rates.
He uses the garment industry | to clean up his money.
He's got | a legitimate cash flow.
At Harvard, they call it | vertical integrity.
On the street, they | call it monopoly.
Really? Total control through force.
| That's Grebs' game.
KlTT has it all, including | a list of the businesses Grebs already has | under control.
l'm gonna make sure | we really do have a murderer.
Another accident, | another statistic.
Homicide goes about its business | and the Traffic Detail gets the heat.
You know something? ln New York, | anything darker than pale was a tan.
But out here, you have to cook yourself | for a couple of hours each day otherwise, you look like | an outpatient.
You did a good job.
Let's have a drink on it.
No, thank you.
To your health and your tan.
You know where | to reach me in the future.
The future? l need you now.
Sorry, l have an appointment | in New Orleans, a new client.
l'll buy it.
| Put a number on it.
There is no price | on my reputation.
So what's it gonna cost me for | a delay, $20,000? You got it.
Call it holding money for the next job, | not part of your regular fee, how's that? Okay, l can arrange that, | but for one week only.
Good.
Good.
That should just about tie | this whole thing up for me.
l got everything covered, from | trucking to fabric supply right on down to the buttons.
All l need now is a few successful | fashion houses in the sportswear business.
They run the largest | cash flow.
You seem to have everything under control.
| You could be wasting your money on me.
Money? That's easy.
All l do is raise the interest on the | money they borrow to make their fall line.
Yeah l'm also the largest factor | in this area.
Loan shark.
Factor.
lt's legitimate.
| l even pay some taxes.
l'll be in touch.
| For $20,000, you'd better.
l have an offer out to O & M | Fashions, some guy named O'Malley.
lf he says yes, | go to New Orleans.
lf he says no, be in touch.
What's taking so long, KlTT? It's definitely | two different sets of tires.
The second set | overlapping the first.
Sam Dennis was | forced off the road.
l need more.
What can you tell me | about the other car? Considering the weight of the | sports car and its trajectory I would say it exceeded | 100 miles per hour and had to have at least | 450 horsepower.
It overcame an excellent | braking system in order to shove | the sports car off the cliff.
Then this M.
O.
fits | the other accidents.
What we have here is a series of | murders, cleverly disguised murders.
All right, tap into your data banks.
| We've got to narrow down the field.
KlTT, give me a list of all | the companies and owners coming out | with a new fall line.
It's rather extensive, | I'm afraid.
There are hundreds | of companies involved.
Okay, now eliminate the ones | in business over two years.
All right, now scratch out the ones | with a Triple-A Dun and Bradstreet.
Can't touch people | with money like that.
Anything else? | How many left? All right, lose them, too, just give | me the ones in high-risk fashion.
That's sportswear.
| Just the hot ones.
We're down to nine.
Okay, key their owners | with the DMV and crosscheck job accidents | on the police band.
Then give me the top two.
That'll | make our potential victims list.
Which one? | They're both prime.
All right, then l'll pick.
| DebJo Fashions? You got it.
Be good.
Be serious.
I'm always good, | Michael.
You know that.
l know that.
Move over.
No, no, contrast, | darling.
l need contrast.
Yes! That's it, | it's perfect, here.
Hop up on the car, and give me a | little profile and a lot of leg.
Good.
lt's coughing.
lt? ''He,'' | darling.
So he has a cold.
Now hold it.
Good.
That's not ''holding it.
'' lt sneezed.
| lt? l told you, he probably has a cold.
| Now will you get back up on the hood play deaf | and be beautiful for me.
Good.
l'm sorry, we're not open to the public.
| That's all right.
l'm not the public.
We see salesmen first thing in the | morning and l know you're not a buyer- My name is Michael Knight.
The only thing l'm here | to sell you is some help.
Oh! Okay, l've heard that sales pitch | before.
How are you going to help me? l'm going to help you | kick Grebs off your back.
l don't know what you're | talking about.
l think you do.
He's pushing you | a little bit too hard.
Who are you? What do you know | about my business with Grebs? Money.
He's got it and you need it.
But once | he gets in, he'll never let you out.
You're wasting my time.
No, l'm not.
You see, you need about | $50,000 to get fabrics for your fall line.
You've got hot designs, accounts | receivable, more than enough to cover.
But you got no cash.
Grebs has | got that.
He's trouble, l'm not.
Debra.
Which one of these wools | falls better over the hips? Well, that's not | important now.
Joan, l'd like you | to meet Michael Knight.
ln shining armor | with a leather jacket and a blank check, | or so he says.
Wait a minute talking East Coast.
Remember, | l'm from the Midwest.
l can't give you a blank check, but | l can give you some straight talk.
You girls have got | a great business going here.
You deal with Grebs long enough and | he'll pick you apart, piece by piece.
l'm not sure what l'm supposed to say.
| You're not supposed to say anything.
Just think about it, huh? | Don't take too long.
Well, we'll have to talk it over.
| Great.
That's how to get ahold of me.
Oh, yeah, can you tell me | how to get to O & M Fashions? O'Malley? Yeah, he's in | the same boat you are.
Maybe, but he's got | a loaded paddle.
You, get out of here.
Go back to Grebs and tell him l can | take care of myself and my business.
And to stay away | from both of them.
Relax, Tom.
He's not one of | Grebs' people, l know them all.
Besides, the gun's | not loaded.
Yeah, put that thing away.
lt's the | unloaded ones that do all the damage.
So he's not from Grebs.
So | he ain't Santa Claus either.
Point is, | he ain't one of us.
You, get out of here and take your | conversation back to the gutter.
Why don't you let him | talk first? Not to me.
Bet that guy has got a lot of | friends.
Yeah, l'm one of them.
He's a good man.
Forgets that he's not a | kid anymore, but we all like to do that.
You got a place here, too? They're | all mine, one time or another.
When cash gets tough, l front them | money on their accounts receivable.
A factor.
Well, then you're | in competition with Grebs, huh? Could be a little dangerous.
lf l can keep people in business, l | can deal with them again and again.
l'm a legitimate part | of this industry.
l believe you.
Then also believe you should wait a | few days before you talk to Tom again.
I'm glad we're leaving.
| We'll be back.
Two down, seven to go.
Michael, I'd prefer you | park me in a lot next time.
The people one comes | in contact with here You'll love our next stop, | Michael.
: Muriel's Menswear.
Can't be worse than the first | two.
l'm talking dead ends.
You think they were tough? Muriel's | been 52 years in the garment business.
Born in Brooklyn in | ought-nine.
Ought-nine? Wonder if she ever saw | the Brooklyn Dodgers play.
Michael, one of our keyed license | plates just flashed on police band.
An automobile-train collision | three miles north of here.
I'm afraid it's Tom O'Malley.
A witness placed a second car | leaving the scene westbound.
A red and white custom sedan.
Speak of the devil.
Let's get him before he causes | any more accidents.
He'll be hard | to catch, Michael.
We'll have to plot a course | doubling back against traffic.
Don't say it, do it.
Did you get a make on him? I'm | afraid not.
Contact was too brief.
There he is, Michael.
All right, we nail him.
You in a rush? Not anymore.
| l'll take this through myself.
That's against the rules.
Be my guest.
| Use all the soap you want.
How could we lose him? My calculations placed | our contact point right at this corner.
What'd he do, go airborne? No, Michael, but somehow | he just seemed to vanish.
There isn't a car like it | within four blocks.
l told you, l'm not the type.
| l'm not buying it, Lewis.
O'Malley was your friend.
| Hell of a pinochle player.
Every day over lunch, for years, | we played.
The man is dead.
The man is dead.
Help | me do something about it.
You don't know much about | this business, do you? lnnocent people are dropping like | flies.
How much do l need to know? Back on the Lower East Side of New | York, this used to happen a lot.
l buried | some good friends.
Great, so you want to watch it | happen all over again? Grebs decides to make the trade his | own backyard and everybody rolls over.
What can l do alone, huh? You get a crowd together, | l might get brave.
You know, l'm not that young | and l'm not a hero.
You are.
You are not alone.
Crowds | start with one or two people.
Believe me, | l get this thing rolling we'll attract | plenty of attention.
Help me, please.
l'm listening.
l'm crazy, | but l'm listening.
That's none of your business! Come on, you're not shy.
| How much do you owe Grebs? Why do you want to know? Because Mr.
Lewis here wants | to take over your factor.
He wants to buy out | Grebs' debt.
Obviously, | you don't know Grebs.
That's not very | smart business.
For us, maybe not.
| For you, it's brilliant.
What's his rate? | 20 points, 25? l'll take over your whole figure | for one point over prime rate.
What? Why are you doing this? l can't | even get a car loan that cheap.
l got my reasons.
Grebs killed | Tom O'Malley this morning.
l heard that was | an accident.
Yeah, right, just like | Sam Dennis was an accident.
Here's the draft.
Fill in the amount.
Add a | little cushion if you like.
The money is fine.
What keeps us | from being Grebs' next accident? l will.
l now own one share of common stock | in DebJo Fashions.
We don't have any stock.
| This is a partnership.
Well, when you do, consider me | in on the ground floor.
Right now, you've hired | a brand new head of security.
Partners? Partners.
Michael, l sent you out to stop the deaths, | not cause more.
Jeopardizing your own life | is one thing but drawing three innocent | people in is quite another.
Don't worry, l'll protect | them.
As you protected O'Malley? Oh, sorry, Michael.
Sorry.
| That's all right.
You're right, Devon.
l'm telling you, these garment | people are a close, tight-knit group.
l wasn't getting anywhere | ringing doorbells.
So you decided | to go to the opposite extreme.
Michael, l wish you had | checked with me first.
Right, and by the time we get | through discussing procedure here another one bites the dust.
Devon, look l'm sorry.
l respect | what you do.
l really do.
While l was out there spinning | my wheels, l saw another man die.
l had to do something.
l assume you have | some plan in mind? l'll let Grebs know there's | another competitor on the block.
One that won't go belly up | when he snaps his fingers.
And then? lf l shake him hard enough l'm convinced l'll be the next | target for his mobile assassin.
Only l've got an ace in the hole.
KlTT? Exactly.
Now once l get his driver nailed and | he faces murder charges all alone ten to one he turns on Grebs and supplies | us with all the ammunition we need.
Right.
Michael, | good luck, old boy.
$20,000 cash.
l just paid off the debt | from DebJo Fashions.
l'd like the note.
Who are you, their guardian angel? | lt's a very good way of putting it.
The note? Those girls must be doing | better than l thought.
l'll have to look into it.
The girls are doing fine.
They just | found a better way to deal than you.
ls that so? | Yeah, that is so.
You see, l'm a new partner | in DebJo Fashions.
Oh, don't tell me, let me | guess.
You're into dresses.
No, l'm into money, | and muscle where it's needed.
The note please.
You know something? l've seen boys | like you come and go around here.
The sportswear business is a rough | trade.
The girls will be back to me.
l don't think so.
And if l were you, | l'd plan to lose some more.
You see, l'm going to move in | on every one of your accounts.
Get out of here before l | move you out the window.
Pleasure doing business | with you.
KlTT, monitor Grebs' phones.
| l want to see who he calls.
Very well, but, Michael you have an emergency call | from Joan.
She has to see you.
| At DebJo? No, she was afraid | to go there.
She's waiting for you | on top of the building.
The elevator's on your right.
| l'm on my way.
KlTT, l need you up here | right away.
Michael, Michael, | can you hear me? Yeah, KlTT.
My preliminary med-scan doesn't | indicate any serious injury.
That's easy for you to say.
I can call a paramedic unit.
No, l'll take a rain check.
Where's that killer car? | Long gone, I'm afraid.
Gone, but not forgotten.
| Not by a long shot.
Come on, we got work to do.
Michael how could you put yourself | in a spot like this? lt wasn't easy, | believe me.
lf it weren't for KlTT, | l wouldn't be here now.
Well, don't say | l didn't warn you.
l didn't like this plan | from the very beginning.
Don't rub it in.
| He's rubbing it in.
lt's his way of | showing you he cares.
l intensely dislike being | talked about in the third person.
And l don't need anyone to interpret | my statements, thank you very much.
What happened? l went to | meet Joan.
She wasn't there.
lnstead, l found | the killer car.
l assume there's | a reasonable explanation as to why she wasn't there.
Well, she said she saw me | leaving the parking structure and- There, there, you see now? By forcing Grebs' hand, we have | placed ourselves in a state of war.
Now your friends are vulnerable, | and we're obliged to protect them.
l guess you feel | pretty strongly about that.
l have never felt so strongly | about anything.
And no sacrifice | would be too great.
That's right, none, none.
| None whatsoever.
Good.
Bonnie.
Okay, gang.
lntroducing the temporary home | of DebJo Fashions.
What is this? You mind if l use the | phone, Michael? Go ahead.
lt's not bad | for off the rack.
l run a tight operation.
Not like some of these guys | who move to Miami and do their business | on a phone under a palm tree.
Now, all of a sudden, | l'm not in control any more.
People are defying me.
And you, the guy | who never misses suddenly, out of the blue, | you miss.
l hit him, he's hurt.
| Not enough.
You know what your trouble is? | You're too perfect.
Maybe if you took a drink out of | a dirty glass once in a while you wouldn't blow | the big ones.
You've said enough, Grebs.
| Now don't push it.
You're not behind | the wheel of a car now.
Like l said we get a couple of people | who refuse to go along and if we let them | keep breathing before you know it, there's four | or five of them, or maybe a dozen and so on, and so on.
None of this would be happening if | it wasn't for that Knight character.
l want him gone, Flood.
| l want him gone.
l double your fee.
Keep your bonus money.
| This isn't business anymore.
This is personal.
| This one is on me.
Feeling any better? | Oh, l don't know, l guess so.
Listen, you really | didn't have to drive me back.
Call me a little bit paranoid.
l don't | want to take any chances right now.
Any regrets? You mean about | standing up to Grebs? As a matter of fact, yeah.
l'm scared and l don't like | being scared.
You kidding? Nobody does.
Some people handle it better | than others.
You, for instance.
Occupational hazard.
He's going to win, isn't he? | Grebs.
ln the end, he'll win.
Not if l can help it.
Michael, what are we gonna do? We're | trapped.
He can just wait us out.
Unless l miss my guess, l don't think | waiting is one of Grebs' strengths.
Besides, l've got something in mind that | l think is really going to stir up the pot.
Michael, please don't leave me | on this dreadful street.
Relax, buddy.
I don't like people | sitting on me.
Oh, it's back, perfect.
Black on | black, a single strand of pearls! Not you again.
lt talks! | Who cares, most drivers do.
Listen, l'm doing print here.
| l don't pay S.
A.
G.
So just kind of drape yourself | over the fender.
Good.
Perfect.
It's none of my business, but | your F-stop should be opened and your | shutter speed reduced.
This is ridiculous! | No, he may have a point there.
Would you say F-8 or 11? You're talking | to an empty car! Given present light | conditions, eight.
Got you.
Hey, is this a ''take'' or | a ''leave''? lt's a ''take.
'' You okay? | Sure.
No, you're not.
| What's wrong? l was just remembering what it was like | when Joan and l first moved in here.
We had such high hopes.
We worked nights, weekends.
| Nothing was going to stop us.
Now l just have this awful feeling that | l'm never going to see this place again.
l got a great feeling | that you are.
You don't know Grebs.
| You don't know me.
l got some good news for you.
I'm listening.
l called in an old marker | from an old friend.
So l got | inside information now.
From now on, we'll know everything | we need to know about Michael Knight.
What he's planning, | where he is, where he'll be.
Just cleaning up some of | the mess here for Tom's wife.
His kids are all grown.
| They have a life.
But Annie is all alone.
Don't you think we owe her | a little something more? Like what? She's got | enough money from insurance.
Like Grebs' scalp.
l know this is the West, but | there's no more cowboys and lndians.
lt's the same difference, | you know.
We're just a bunch of | small-time operators here fighting the big, bad wolf, | you know? The cattle baron.
And none of us can fight | this guy alone.
We need to get a group of our | own people together, a posse.
That car must have hit you | too hard.
How's your head? Lewis, l'm serious.
Now how many of the owners | can you really trust? Tom's gone.
l don't know.
Maybe six or seven | more.
You do business with all of them? Used to.
| Grebs has them now.
Those are exactly the ones l | want.
Now, can you round them up? You try and put together | a meeting like that and Grebs will know about it | before anybody even sits down.
l made my move.
l put my money | where my mouth is.
Maybe it's time for me to shut up.
| Maybe it's time you visit Tom's grave and put some nice flowers | out there.
Oh, l got it: Teach his wife | how to play pinochle.
Sit around and tell a few | stories about good old Tom.
Maybe you're not too big to be | sitting on the floor, looking up at me.
Now, it's about time you got mad.
So | get mad at the right guy, will you? Get mad at Grebs.
The word is ''enough.
'' You've given enough.
You've taken enough, | enough of fear.
Come on, you people have | worked too hard all your life to give away everything | you've attained.
Lewis, what is it | with this guy? He's selling T-shirts | with targets on the back.
Maybe you ought to | listen to him.
l did.
You guys know l'm not the easiest | person in the world to con.
So what do we do, buy guns, | circle the wagons? No, you cut off Grebs supply of | money.
You kill his cash flow.
l've been poor before | and l know what broke is.
Forget all the poetry written about it.
| lt's not fun.
l don't want to do it again.
l can't do it again.
| Why not? Why not? When l first met you, you | were a cutter on the third floor.
l backed you the first two years.
| You were a good man and a hard worker.
You pay Grebs off | and l'll back you again.
You, Joe, you were doing cuffs | in a denim factory 12 years ago.
You had guts and a talent | and l bet on it.
l'll bet on it again.
You have any idea | how much we owe Grebs? To the penny.
l've been around | too long not to know.
l'm willing to back | every person in this room.
Then we really got nothing | to lose.
You're the only one | who can take a bath.
l've been broke before, | you know.
Wasn't so bad.
Whether you like it | or not, you're a hero.
Yeah, yeah.
They're down there | at a meeting right now.
Michael Knight is trying to get | the whole group of them together.
And l can give you | every name.
So do it.
| l will, but l have to know what's going | to happen on my end of it.
l set you up with that | Debra Sands, didn't l? l helped make your line | the hottest in town.
What else do you want? | l want to run O & M Fashions.
l've struggled for 10 years.
l've even put up with Debra | playing showroom chic while l sweated it out | in the back rooms.
l want O & M for me! | lt's mine.
That's why l pushed on it.
That's why O'Malley | and the others are dead.
You're a piece | of equipment a piece of rented equipment.
| You understand that? l push the buttons.
l turn | you on and l turn you off.
You got that? lt's not just for me.
l can run that operation | successfully.
You know l can.
The names, the names.
There's | Lewis, the factor, and there's- The meeting could go on for hours.
| You want Michael Knight or not? You know l do, unless he's | too tough for you.
Don't push your luck, Grebs.
| Accidents can happen to anyone.
Well, Michael, you've done it.
Yeah, maybe not by the book, | but l think it will work.
I certainly hope so.
If not perhaps we both should get one of | those T-shirts with bull's-eyes on them.
What is this? You were | listening in, huh? If I'm going to be a target, | I'd like to know about it.
At least you'll be | a moving target.
Anything yet? Nothing out of the ordinary.
l think we've got company.
| Affirmative, Michael.
We've got a sharp curve | 1000 meters ahead.
Okay, pal, it's time to give | him a taste of his own medicine.
All right, l need everything | you can give me.
All right, KlTT, | let's give him a push.
Three hundred meters | to the curve.
He'll never make it past the | curve.
You have to slow down.
All right.
You and l are | going to talk about a couple of murders | and a man named Grebs.
Wise guy, huh? KlTT, you | want to do the honors? Okay, okay! | Thank you, KlTT.
Okay, what do you want to | know? Pop in the cassette, KlTT.
Michael Oh, thank God you got here.
| He wouldn't let me go.
Really? That's not | what Mr.
Flood said.
You know, once this guy started | talking, he had an awful lot to say.
Cuff them, both of them.
What are you doing? | Why don't you shut your mouth? Fits like a glove.
lt's | supposed to fit like a jacket.
l haven't heard that line | since l left New York.
Well, it was time.
| Thank you.
Thank me? | Michael, you're crazy.
lf it weren't for you, l'd be back | modeling rags on Eighth Avenue.
You probably would | look terrific doing it, too.
l'll see you in the | magazines.
Not so fast.
Now you can go.
| Bye.
He'll be back.
ls this your car? | The last time l looked.
Why? You ought to teach it | better manners.
Darling, this could be your best layout.
| This one could make you.
Come back.
KlTT what did you say to her? Nothing of | consequence, Michael.
Yeah, right.
I merely computed her exact | weight and advised her of it.
Did I commit a faux pas, | as the French would say? Yeah, as the French would say, | but as we say you made a big mistake.
| Oh.