T.J. Hooker (1982) s03e13 Episode Script
The Lipstick Killer
(upbeat music) (upbeat music) - You know, I don't know if I like Stacy going out with Dave Jamison.
- He's okay.
- Yeah, but he's divorced.
Will be.
- What's wrong with divorced men? - Well, for one thing, they're Terrific guys.
Come to think of it, divorced men are a real find.
A real find.
(mellow flute music) (sinister music) (screaming) (screaming) (sinister music) (Engine turns and revs) (tires squealing) - [Dispatcher.]
Four Adam 30 and all units in the vicinity of County Hospital.
A 187 just occurred.
Suspect left in brown late model Ford Fairmont.
License William, Dog, Mary, 6-4-6.
- Tell 'em we've got it.
- Four Adam 30, Roger.
(siren blaring) (upbeat music) (tires squealing) - I think that's him.
(tires squealing) (upbeat music) Four Adam 30 in pursuit of 187 suspect Southbound on Chandler crossing 8th.
- Four Adam 16, we'll pick them up at 10.
(upbeat music) (sirens wailing) (tires squealing) (explosion blasts) - Get out of here.
(explosion blasts) (sirens wailing) - I'll call it in.
- You guys okay? - Yeah.
- Your back hurting, Hooker? - Only when I breathe.
- You sure you're okay? - Let's get to the scene of the 187.
- We're gonna need a ride.
(fire crackling) (engine turns and revs) (chattering on radio) (siren wailing) - It's the staff parking area.
- The victim must have worked at the hospital.
- The motive probably wasn't robbery.
It's not likely that anyone on a hospital staff would be carrying a lot of money.
- You haven't paid any doctor bills lately.
- Let's see if we can give the detectives a hand.
(radio chattering) - Hooker.
Been awhile.
- Lieutenant Pete O'Brien.
My partner, Vince Romano.
- [Romano.]
Lieutenant.
- You're riding with top company, kid.
- You doing your brown bag number on this one, Pete? - Eh, you know me, Hooker.
Creature of habit.
What's your stake in this? - Well, we were in hot pursuit.
Lost the suspect and the car.
- That's too bad.
I wish you would've caught the lady.
- [Romano.]
Lady? The killer's a woman? - The report I got from division, says the witness described the killer as a woman dressed in a nurse's uniform, long brunette hair, 5'7".
The victim was a nurse too.
Bludgeoned to death.
- Bludgeoned.
Pete there were a couple of nurses in the Highland area that were bludgeoned to death.
Could me more of the same.
- I remember.
Three murders separated by a year.
That doesn't set a pattern.
- No, but there might've been others.
It's a big city.
- Could be.
(radio chattering) - Where's he going? The murder went down there.
- He knows what he's doing, Junior.
- Hooker, you look a little ouchy.
- No pain, no gain.
Well, let's hear it.
- A severe blow to the skull with a blunt instrument.
That's all I can tell you at this point.
- Joan, I have a hunch about this one.
Can you give it priority? - Hooker, have I ever said no to you? - This belong to her? - I guess so.
(sinister music) - I just checked the board, they assigned us to Pete O'Brien.
- Yeah, he wants us to assist in the nurse killing.
What did you dig up in records? - 11 months ago, Paula Lipton, several blows to the head with a blunt instrument.
Two days later Genevieve Mann taken out the same way.
- Where? - Highland, both of them, like you remembered, no apparent motive.
- Two senseless killings, two days apart and nothing.
- Till five months later.
In Bayside, another nurse, Ruth Russo.
Again a blunt instrument.
Then again two days later, one more, Louise Meredith.
- That's a pattern.
- Sorry to disappoint you but Louise Meredith was killed by a loaded street type driving a stolen vehicle.
- That 48 hour interval is like a red flag.
I had the same thing on a case I worked with O'Brien five years ago.
- They nurses too? - No, ordinary women.
And they were stabbed not bludgeoned, but they were killed 48 hour apart.
(phone ringing) I'll dig out the name of a hype driver.
You call Joan Wagner and tell her I want an autopsy report on the nurse that was killed last night and the file on Louise Meredith.
- You got it.
- Striking surface of the murder weapon measured 36 millimeters square.
- About an inch and a half.
- And probably metal judging by the clean definition of the wound and I'd say it was smooth.
- Can you get me a sketch of the wound configuration? - Better than that.
I'll have Dr.
Yamoto take an impression.
- Is that Louise Meredith's file? - What are you looking for? - To prove a theory.
There have been four homicides of nurses by bludgeoning the last 11 months, I'm betting that Louise Meredith makes it five.
- Hooker, look at this.
Cause of death, internal injuries.
- Isn't there any evidence of blows to the head? - It's too hard to tell.
Body was too badly damaged.
- Oh, Joan.
These three nurses, will you check and see if their wounds could have been caused by the same weapon? - Sure.
What else have I got to do? - Well, I'm sure if we put our heads together we can think of something.
(laughs) - You think maybe O'Brien got lucky? - Could be, he figures he's the luckiest guy in the world.
- You've got to be kidding.
The guy's in a wheelchair.
- Before I turned in my gold shield, Pete and I worked on that psycho killer case, the one Travers helped us with.
- Yeah.
- And Pete went after the killer on a rooftop chase, it was eerie as hell.
It was dark, there was no moon.
And Pete never saw the killer, he was just chasing shadows and shapes.
And suddenly he glimpsed a figure leaping across to the next building.
- And he followed and didn't make it.
- He fell eight stories.
But his fall was broken by a window awning.
He only lost the use of his legs.
Lucky for him.
Lucky for us.
He's a damn good cop.
(mellow music) Pete, what's up? - Tango red.
- Sounds pretty exotic.
- It's supposed to and it's the name of a lipstick shade.
- You found this near the scene of Karen Peyton's murder? - Yeah, over near the hospital entrance.
- That's over 50 yards from the scene.
- [O'Brien.]
Close enough.
Had it analyzed the brand color ID is tango red.
Paula Lipton, Highland Hospital.
- [Romano.]
The first murdered nurse.
- Right.
Found not too far from the murder scene.
- [Hooker.]
Tango red.
That ties Karen Peyton to Paula Lipton.
And she was murdered two days before another nurse was bludgeoned to death.
It's coming together.
- Could be.
But according to your research one of the murders over at Bayside was a vehicular manslaughter.
- Committed by one Maurice Winston Morgan.
- Sounds like a banker.
- The only banking this Morgan's ever done is a cue ball off the rail while waiting for his connection to show.
Now it's our turn to pick up some garbage.
There he is.
The one on the left.
- Looks like he just bought himself a fix.
Gives us probable cause.
- You've been reading your manuals, Junior.
(tires squealing) (sirens wailing) (upbeat music) I got him, I got him.
Maurice, you always were a pain in the back.
- Hooker, I've only been out of jail for a month.
I don't wanna go back.
- That was for vehicular manslaughter.
This is a change for you.
- It was an accident.
That nurse ran right in front of my car.
- Your car? - Okay, so it was borrowed, but she wasn't even looking.
I told the detectives, like she was running away from the other nurse.
- This other nurse, what did she look like? - She was scary, wrapped up in that cape.
Bright red lips.
It was like George Hamilton in that vampire picture.
- Sounds like you were hallucinating.
- Yeah, that's what the detective said, only she was there.
She was a witness.
She could've gotten me off the hook but she split.
- I think I know why.
Hook him up, Romano.
We're taking him in.
- Hey, come on, Hooker.
I'm clean.
- Maurice, the reason the detectives didn't believe you about the other nurse, is that you lack credibility.
(engine revving) - You think Maurice can come up with somebody in the mug books? - We can go through the motions but we're not going to find our killer in a mug book.
- Why not? - I've got a feeling no cop has ever laid hands on this lady.
My gut tells me she's gotten away with murder five times and she's headed for number six.
- How do you figure? - Pairs.
Paula Lipton.
And 48 hours after that, Genevieve Mann.
Then Ruth Russo and 48 hours after that, one Louise Meredith.
And last night, Karen Peyton.
And I think that could mean within 24 hours another nurse will die at County Hospital.
(upbeat piano music) (sinister music) - [Corrigan.]
Cream and sugar, Stacy? - [Stacy.]
Yes, please.
- Stacy.
On such a chilly night you have quite a glow your love life picking up? - Well, I bet it is.
(laughing) - Heard you went out with Dave Jamison last night.
- Well, we were trying to keep it low profile, but no chance with you guys around.
- Well, that's life in the precinct goldfish bowl.
- [Romano.]
Low profile.
Sure.
- What's that supposed to mean? - Well, isn't Dave Jamison married? To a police woman? Works out of midtown.
- Don't start in, Romano.
Dave and Irene are separated.
They're getting a divorce.
- Okay, I was just trying to help.
- Well don't.
I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself.
- Stacy, I just care about you.
We all do, don't we, Jim? - Passionately.
- Just keep everyone out of my personal life.
Including yourselves.
- We're only trying to protect you, partner.
Heard that Jamison's wife shoots expert on the shooting range.
- Ah, come on you guys, will ya.
Stacy's right, it's her business.
Let's roll.
- Okay.
(mellow music) (sinister music) (mellow music) - [Intercom.]
Dr.
Klein, telephone please.
Dr.
Klein.
- Hooker, what are you doing around here? - Looking for you, Doc.
I need your expertise on these nurse killings.
- Killings, plural? I heard about last night but - Here's what came out of the computer.
It's not much.
But it reminded me of the case that you helped our psychiatric case you helped our people with when we first met.
- Five years ago.
Four women were attacked.
Only one survived, right? - You put together a psychological profile of the killer.
- A lot of good it did.
Murderer was never caught.
- The murders stopped.
And we didn't have much to go on.
And the one witness who did survive, she never eyeballed her assailant.
- You don't think this is the same killer starting up again, do you? - It could be.
Five years ago we didn't know whether the killer was a man or a woman.
- All right.
I'll take a look at this.
See what I can come up with.
- Thank you, Doc.
- Okay.
- Say hello to Marilyn for me.
- Ah, wish I could.
Split a couple of years back.
- Ah, I'm sorry to hear that.
Welcome to the club.
- See you later.
- Problems, partner? - Someone saw Dave Jamison out on a date last night.
(laughs) - When a guy splits with his wife, he sometimes plays the field.
- Yeah but the girl he was with was his wife.
- Well maybe I should have a little talk with him.
- Thanks, Jim.
But no thanks.
- Okay.
Just say the word if you want me to get into it with Jamison.
- I tried, Hooker.
But the division is not going to swing anyone to help.
- Well, at least you got the four of us.
- Yeah but Sheridan is not happy.
But he did clear you guys for 48 hours.
- We better get crackin'.
- All right, I'll get on the horn to Bayside and Highland Hospital and I'll have my boys waiting for you when you get there.
- Okay.
- Hey, Corrigan.
That partner of yours is USDA prime.
- Well starting now, Jamison, she's off limits to you.
- What I do is my business so butt out, huh? - Hey, read my lips, Jamison.
Hands off Stacy.
She doesn't need to be hit on by a married guy.
- Leave him alone, Jim.
He's not worth it.
- Stacy I want to talk to you.
- You heard the lady, now buzz off.
I think he got the message.
- Yeah, so did the whole precinct.
From now on, stop acting like my guardian angel.
- Something wrong? - Just a little misunderstanding.
Heard the Captain assigned us to O'Brien.
- Yeah.
I want you and Stacy to go down to Highland Hospital.
Pick up a list of the nurses that were on staff at the time of the first two murders.
- Same for Bayside and the second two victims? - Right, and Romano and I'll pick up the list at County.
- We'll match up the rosters and see if there are any names that appear on all three.
- And afterwards we'll eliminate anybody who's not a brunette and under 5'7".
Let's roll.
- Come on, Hooker.
I can see your back is still bothering you.
That crash must have jostled that old slug you've been carrying around.
- It's a souvenir ever since I took down the Bonner Brothers.
I'm used to it.
- You still think the nurse murders are connected to that old case you worked on with Travers? - I don't know.
If only someone had seen the killer and tell us whether it's a man or a woman.
- You said one of the victims survived.
Maybe it's worth talking to her.
- We'll find out as soon as we leave the hospital.
- Here you go.
- [Hooker.]
Don.
- Hooker.
I'm afraid I don't have anything for you.
There wasn't enough information in the computer readout for a profile.
- Well, there's more now.
The details are in here.
Now, we're sure she strikes in pairs.
Two victims 48 hours apart, five or six month wait and then she strikes again.
- Interesting pattern.
Always the same MO? - She bludgeons her victims to death, metal instrument, square striking surface.
- My guess is, you're dealing with a rigidly compulsive individual here, probably paranoid with a controlled rage that breaks loose periodically and can only be suppressed through these ritualistic acts of murder.
- Suppressed until she feels the urge again? - Exactly.
- Don, I appreciate the diagnosis, but I need a specific profile now.
- I'll do the best I can.
I only hope it does some good this time.
- Doctor Travers, how you doing? - So far so good.
- Got the list, Hooker.
- Good, one stop, then we'll check her out.
Shirley Potter.
This is Officer Romano, my name is Hooker.
I've been trying to reach you at the office.
- I know, I got your message.
I left word that I didn't want to discuss the killings.
- Please, we've talked before.
Five years ago, I was a detective.
- Of course, the hospital after.
Oh god.
I can't.
- I know the memory of what happened must be very painful, but there's been a new series of murders, and it's possible they could be connected to the ones five years ago.
- I still have nightmares.
- Please try to remember.
- It's very important Mrs.
Potter.
- I tried so hard to forget.
I was coming home late, and, and all of a sudden, there was someone behind me and before I could just scream or run or anything, he grabbed me and he - He? You said he, are you sure it was a man? - When he put his hand over my mouth, I could tell it was a man's wrist because there was hair on the back of it, long hair, and it brushed my neck, and then he started stabbing me.
(sobs) I'll never forget it.
- I'm really sorry to bring it back like this.
- Are you okay, mommy? - I've told you all I can.
- You did very well.
Thank you.
- The killer five years ago was a man.
There goes your connection.
- Yeah, you win some You lose some.
(slow paced music) All right, nine brunettes who worked at each of the hospitals at the time of the murder.
- And just five of them are 5'7" or taller.
- Your instincts were right, Hooker.
First three victims, same murder weapon.
- Wound impressions, all 36 millimeters square.
- Like this, the mold from Dr.
Yamoto.
- Did you get anything from Travers on the profile? - I'm gonna call him right now.
- These two nurses live at the same address.
- Maybe they were roommates.
- I'll take them, we can split up the rest.
Something wrong, Hooker? - I'm disappointed to Don Travers.
- He dragging his feet on our profile? - He said he's not ready yet.
- Well then, we have to work with what we got.
- Well, I got Maryanne Friedman Taylorstream.
- The others all live near the hospital.
I'll work with Corrigan and Stacy on it.
- Let's go.
Excuse me.
- Can I help you? - Yes, I'm looking for Maryanne Friedman.
- Come on, I'll show you.
Number 12, right down that way.
(suspenseful music) - Mother? (screaming) - [Hooker.]
You, stop! You all right? (dramatic music) (tires screeching) (police siren blaring) (dramatic music) (exclaims) - How long have you had that bullet in your back? - About five years.
It has a way of acting up every now and then to remind me it's there.
- Well, I'm no neurosurgeon, but I think you should see one, and maybe stay here for a few days.
- I'll take a rain check on that.
- All right, so we shouldn't have interfered.
- You're the one who said he was going out with his wife.
- Well, it just proves that things aren't always what they seem.
There is nothing wrong with Dave and Irene discussing their divorce settlement.
- All right, so Corrigan made a mistake.
- Me? - All right, we both did.
- Look, from now on, your personal life is your own business.
- Thank you.
How's the patient nurse? - Impossible, but nice.
I had him scheduled for my first class massages, but-- - Listen, I've got this muscle spasm.
- Yeah, you can't stop talking.
Thanks for everything, Betty.
Come on, come on.
How'd you guys do with the nurses you questioned last night.
- Corrigan and I were each with one of them while you were chasing the killer, so they're in the clear.
- There's no way either one of them could have been involved.
- How were your candidates, Stacy? - One of them is still a possible.
Her roommate says she's out of town.
She's due back this evening.
- We can't let up.
The murderer's compulsion will keep her hunting for a second victim until she makes the kill.
- You sound pretty positive.
- Pretty specific, like you took a crash course in criminal psychology.
- I got the word from Don Travers just a few minutes ago.
- He was here? I don't know if I'd show up for work after my Porsche got totaled.
- Don's Porsche? He never mentioned anything about it.
- Yeah, the killer was driving it last night.
She stole it from the hospital parking lot.
- You're kidding.
Did the homicide talk to him? - Yeah, didn't get anything that could help us though.
- Why don't the two of you double check that nurse that's supposed to be out of town, see if she's back, see if her story holds up.
- Will do.
- Okay.
Let's drop in on Don along the way.
(doorbell rings) Don.
I want to talk to you about your car.
- Well, I was trying to catch a few winks.
- Oh, I'm really sorry, but maybe there was something the detectives didn't get.
- There's not much to get.
I was working late, when I went to get in the car, it was gone.
- Did you notice anything, I mean, where the car was parked.
- An empty space.
- No, Don, I mean on the ground, something that might have been dropped.
- Come on, Hooker, I loved that car.
I almost went into shock when I saw it was gone, as a matter of fact, it took me quite a while to get myself together to call the police.
That was it.
- Well, I guess so if you can't remember anything more about last night.
- You mean, if I saw a tall brunette nurse sneaking around the hallway on the way to steal my car, the answer's no.
- We'll get out of your hair.
- You collect antiques? - It's a surgeon's kit from the turn of the century.
- It must be worth quite a bit of money.
- An old family heirloom.
I'm sorry I'm so crabby.
It's been a rough couple of days.
- So I've been told.
Thank you.
(soft mood music) - The nurse you saved last night, she was still in shock when I got to the scene, but she had some strands of hair clutched in her fist.
- [Hooker.]
Human hair.
Some of the ends have traces of a rubber based adhesive.
- Maybe they were yanked out of a wig.
- I say our killer isn't a brunette.
- I'd go one step further, Pete.
I have a hunch our killer isn't a woman.
- That's out of left field, Hooker.
- What do you got to hang that on? - I never saw a woman run like that, and I'm not just talking about speed.
- Shirley Potter said long hair.
Her attacker could have been wearing a wig too.
- You got it, partner.
We could be after a man.
We'll be in touch, Pete.
Tell 'em to get back to the morgue.
We'll go over those victims' files one more time.
- [Joan.]
Looks like you struck out, Hooker.
- I was really hoping that we'd missed something.
- But there's zip.
- Another nurse may die tonight, and we keep hitting dead ends.
What's this? - Surgical mallet.
- It's metal, smooth.
If the head wasn't round.
- You're right.
- My god, it was so close to me, I didn't see it.
- See what? - That's a modern surgical mallet.
The old ones had a square head.
- Old, like in turn of the century old? - Yes.
How'd you know? - A friend of mine, Don Travers, has a collection of antique surgical instruments.
(suspenseful music) - Tonight, I'm going to kill you, mother.
And then Then (growls) You will not come back to haunt me.
You will die.
Die.
Die.
(police siren blaring) - Don.
Don.
- [Romano.]
Hooker, in here.
Uniforms, over there on the dressing table, makeup.
- The wig, it's gone and so is he.
- He's out there, Hooker, looking to kill again.
- The question is who, I'll tell you, Romano, it's a nurse who works at County whose been given a long stem rose.
- How do you figure that? - I'll bet ya money this picture's his mother, and those murders are tied up with his feelings about her.
- Karen Peyton, in the hospital parking lot, the rose left near her body.
- And last night, the nurse he tried to kill, she had a long stem rose.
- Hooker, there could be 100 nurses at County, how do we find out which one he sent the rose to? - We go down to the hospital and ask questions.
Get Stacy and Corrigan on the horn and tell them to meet us down there and fast.
- [Woman on Intercom.]
Nurse Macrae, nurse Betty Macrae, report to Dr.
Miles in pathology.
(police siren blaring) - We'll split up.
Stacy, you take the nurses' lounge, Corrigan, you cover the cafeteria.
- They're covered, Hooker, got hospital security scouring the spot where nurses gather and backups rolling from the precinct.
- We'll cover this place floor by floor.
You take the second, we'll take the third, and we'll work our way up.
- [Woman On Intercom.]
Dr.
Kline, telephone please, Dr.
Kline.
Dr.
Henso, to surgery please, Dr.
Henso.
- This is the floor you were on.
- Find some nurses to help spread the word.
Don travers has left his calling card.
- And he left it with Betty.
- Betty Macrae, where is she? - She was just called down to the basement, to pathology.
- At this time of night? - One of the doctors must be working late.
I saw her start down.
- Junior, if Betty shows up, keep your eye on her.
(suspenseful music) (screaming) - [Hooker.]
Don, Stop! Get upstairs, tell the police I've got Travers down here, now.
- Travers? Oh, my God.
- Do it, now! (dramatic music) (objects crashing) (grunting) (glass shattering) (fire alarm blaring) Dr.
Travers.
- Travers' mother mistreated him as a child and didn't let up until the day she died.
Our police shrink speculated that the first victim of each pair represented his mother, and the second, her ghost.
- The case you were working on, five years ago, it was Travers even back then in drag.
What I don't get is that there were a few years in between there when he wasn't killing.
- Well, he met a lady, right? - Marilynn, while they were involved, when they split up, he started killing again.
- Only this time, he focused on nurses, like his mother.
- @@ Travers, it's all mumbo jumbo to me.
The important thing is, we nailed Travers before he started killing again.
- Jameson's wife have any hard feelings? - Hard feelings? She told me he's been working extra shifts, special duty, he doesn't come home much at night.
- You mean they're still together and she doesn't know he's-- - You got it, the creep.
And I'm supposed to meet him for dinner tonight.
Maybe one of you would like to keep my date for me.
- I'd love it, let me at him.
- Wait a second, hold on, Romano.
- Wait a second, I-- Call it, call it, he's not all yours.
- Heads.
- He's mine.
(energetic mood music) (upbeat music) (Columbia Pictures jingle)
- He's okay.
- Yeah, but he's divorced.
Will be.
- What's wrong with divorced men? - Well, for one thing, they're Terrific guys.
Come to think of it, divorced men are a real find.
A real find.
(mellow flute music) (sinister music) (screaming) (screaming) (sinister music) (Engine turns and revs) (tires squealing) - [Dispatcher.]
Four Adam 30 and all units in the vicinity of County Hospital.
A 187 just occurred.
Suspect left in brown late model Ford Fairmont.
License William, Dog, Mary, 6-4-6.
- Tell 'em we've got it.
- Four Adam 30, Roger.
(siren blaring) (upbeat music) (tires squealing) - I think that's him.
(tires squealing) (upbeat music) Four Adam 30 in pursuit of 187 suspect Southbound on Chandler crossing 8th.
- Four Adam 16, we'll pick them up at 10.
(upbeat music) (sirens wailing) (tires squealing) (explosion blasts) - Get out of here.
(explosion blasts) (sirens wailing) - I'll call it in.
- You guys okay? - Yeah.
- Your back hurting, Hooker? - Only when I breathe.
- You sure you're okay? - Let's get to the scene of the 187.
- We're gonna need a ride.
(fire crackling) (engine turns and revs) (chattering on radio) (siren wailing) - It's the staff parking area.
- The victim must have worked at the hospital.
- The motive probably wasn't robbery.
It's not likely that anyone on a hospital staff would be carrying a lot of money.
- You haven't paid any doctor bills lately.
- Let's see if we can give the detectives a hand.
(radio chattering) - Hooker.
Been awhile.
- Lieutenant Pete O'Brien.
My partner, Vince Romano.
- [Romano.]
Lieutenant.
- You're riding with top company, kid.
- You doing your brown bag number on this one, Pete? - Eh, you know me, Hooker.
Creature of habit.
What's your stake in this? - Well, we were in hot pursuit.
Lost the suspect and the car.
- That's too bad.
I wish you would've caught the lady.
- [Romano.]
Lady? The killer's a woman? - The report I got from division, says the witness described the killer as a woman dressed in a nurse's uniform, long brunette hair, 5'7".
The victim was a nurse too.
Bludgeoned to death.
- Bludgeoned.
Pete there were a couple of nurses in the Highland area that were bludgeoned to death.
Could me more of the same.
- I remember.
Three murders separated by a year.
That doesn't set a pattern.
- No, but there might've been others.
It's a big city.
- Could be.
(radio chattering) - Where's he going? The murder went down there.
- He knows what he's doing, Junior.
- Hooker, you look a little ouchy.
- No pain, no gain.
Well, let's hear it.
- A severe blow to the skull with a blunt instrument.
That's all I can tell you at this point.
- Joan, I have a hunch about this one.
Can you give it priority? - Hooker, have I ever said no to you? - This belong to her? - I guess so.
(sinister music) - I just checked the board, they assigned us to Pete O'Brien.
- Yeah, he wants us to assist in the nurse killing.
What did you dig up in records? - 11 months ago, Paula Lipton, several blows to the head with a blunt instrument.
Two days later Genevieve Mann taken out the same way.
- Where? - Highland, both of them, like you remembered, no apparent motive.
- Two senseless killings, two days apart and nothing.
- Till five months later.
In Bayside, another nurse, Ruth Russo.
Again a blunt instrument.
Then again two days later, one more, Louise Meredith.
- That's a pattern.
- Sorry to disappoint you but Louise Meredith was killed by a loaded street type driving a stolen vehicle.
- That 48 hour interval is like a red flag.
I had the same thing on a case I worked with O'Brien five years ago.
- They nurses too? - No, ordinary women.
And they were stabbed not bludgeoned, but they were killed 48 hour apart.
(phone ringing) I'll dig out the name of a hype driver.
You call Joan Wagner and tell her I want an autopsy report on the nurse that was killed last night and the file on Louise Meredith.
- You got it.
- Striking surface of the murder weapon measured 36 millimeters square.
- About an inch and a half.
- And probably metal judging by the clean definition of the wound and I'd say it was smooth.
- Can you get me a sketch of the wound configuration? - Better than that.
I'll have Dr.
Yamoto take an impression.
- Is that Louise Meredith's file? - What are you looking for? - To prove a theory.
There have been four homicides of nurses by bludgeoning the last 11 months, I'm betting that Louise Meredith makes it five.
- Hooker, look at this.
Cause of death, internal injuries.
- Isn't there any evidence of blows to the head? - It's too hard to tell.
Body was too badly damaged.
- Oh, Joan.
These three nurses, will you check and see if their wounds could have been caused by the same weapon? - Sure.
What else have I got to do? - Well, I'm sure if we put our heads together we can think of something.
(laughs) - You think maybe O'Brien got lucky? - Could be, he figures he's the luckiest guy in the world.
- You've got to be kidding.
The guy's in a wheelchair.
- Before I turned in my gold shield, Pete and I worked on that psycho killer case, the one Travers helped us with.
- Yeah.
- And Pete went after the killer on a rooftop chase, it was eerie as hell.
It was dark, there was no moon.
And Pete never saw the killer, he was just chasing shadows and shapes.
And suddenly he glimpsed a figure leaping across to the next building.
- And he followed and didn't make it.
- He fell eight stories.
But his fall was broken by a window awning.
He only lost the use of his legs.
Lucky for him.
Lucky for us.
He's a damn good cop.
(mellow music) Pete, what's up? - Tango red.
- Sounds pretty exotic.
- It's supposed to and it's the name of a lipstick shade.
- You found this near the scene of Karen Peyton's murder? - Yeah, over near the hospital entrance.
- That's over 50 yards from the scene.
- [O'Brien.]
Close enough.
Had it analyzed the brand color ID is tango red.
Paula Lipton, Highland Hospital.
- [Romano.]
The first murdered nurse.
- Right.
Found not too far from the murder scene.
- [Hooker.]
Tango red.
That ties Karen Peyton to Paula Lipton.
And she was murdered two days before another nurse was bludgeoned to death.
It's coming together.
- Could be.
But according to your research one of the murders over at Bayside was a vehicular manslaughter.
- Committed by one Maurice Winston Morgan.
- Sounds like a banker.
- The only banking this Morgan's ever done is a cue ball off the rail while waiting for his connection to show.
Now it's our turn to pick up some garbage.
There he is.
The one on the left.
- Looks like he just bought himself a fix.
Gives us probable cause.
- You've been reading your manuals, Junior.
(tires squealing) (sirens wailing) (upbeat music) I got him, I got him.
Maurice, you always were a pain in the back.
- Hooker, I've only been out of jail for a month.
I don't wanna go back.
- That was for vehicular manslaughter.
This is a change for you.
- It was an accident.
That nurse ran right in front of my car.
- Your car? - Okay, so it was borrowed, but she wasn't even looking.
I told the detectives, like she was running away from the other nurse.
- This other nurse, what did she look like? - She was scary, wrapped up in that cape.
Bright red lips.
It was like George Hamilton in that vampire picture.
- Sounds like you were hallucinating.
- Yeah, that's what the detective said, only she was there.
She was a witness.
She could've gotten me off the hook but she split.
- I think I know why.
Hook him up, Romano.
We're taking him in.
- Hey, come on, Hooker.
I'm clean.
- Maurice, the reason the detectives didn't believe you about the other nurse, is that you lack credibility.
(engine revving) - You think Maurice can come up with somebody in the mug books? - We can go through the motions but we're not going to find our killer in a mug book.
- Why not? - I've got a feeling no cop has ever laid hands on this lady.
My gut tells me she's gotten away with murder five times and she's headed for number six.
- How do you figure? - Pairs.
Paula Lipton.
And 48 hours after that, Genevieve Mann.
Then Ruth Russo and 48 hours after that, one Louise Meredith.
And last night, Karen Peyton.
And I think that could mean within 24 hours another nurse will die at County Hospital.
(upbeat piano music) (sinister music) - [Corrigan.]
Cream and sugar, Stacy? - [Stacy.]
Yes, please.
- Stacy.
On such a chilly night you have quite a glow your love life picking up? - Well, I bet it is.
(laughing) - Heard you went out with Dave Jamison last night.
- Well, we were trying to keep it low profile, but no chance with you guys around.
- Well, that's life in the precinct goldfish bowl.
- [Romano.]
Low profile.
Sure.
- What's that supposed to mean? - Well, isn't Dave Jamison married? To a police woman? Works out of midtown.
- Don't start in, Romano.
Dave and Irene are separated.
They're getting a divorce.
- Okay, I was just trying to help.
- Well don't.
I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself.
- Stacy, I just care about you.
We all do, don't we, Jim? - Passionately.
- Just keep everyone out of my personal life.
Including yourselves.
- We're only trying to protect you, partner.
Heard that Jamison's wife shoots expert on the shooting range.
- Ah, come on you guys, will ya.
Stacy's right, it's her business.
Let's roll.
- Okay.
(mellow music) (sinister music) (mellow music) - [Intercom.]
Dr.
Klein, telephone please.
Dr.
Klein.
- Hooker, what are you doing around here? - Looking for you, Doc.
I need your expertise on these nurse killings.
- Killings, plural? I heard about last night but - Here's what came out of the computer.
It's not much.
But it reminded me of the case that you helped our psychiatric case you helped our people with when we first met.
- Five years ago.
Four women were attacked.
Only one survived, right? - You put together a psychological profile of the killer.
- A lot of good it did.
Murderer was never caught.
- The murders stopped.
And we didn't have much to go on.
And the one witness who did survive, she never eyeballed her assailant.
- You don't think this is the same killer starting up again, do you? - It could be.
Five years ago we didn't know whether the killer was a man or a woman.
- All right.
I'll take a look at this.
See what I can come up with.
- Thank you, Doc.
- Okay.
- Say hello to Marilyn for me.
- Ah, wish I could.
Split a couple of years back.
- Ah, I'm sorry to hear that.
Welcome to the club.
- See you later.
- Problems, partner? - Someone saw Dave Jamison out on a date last night.
(laughs) - When a guy splits with his wife, he sometimes plays the field.
- Yeah but the girl he was with was his wife.
- Well maybe I should have a little talk with him.
- Thanks, Jim.
But no thanks.
- Okay.
Just say the word if you want me to get into it with Jamison.
- I tried, Hooker.
But the division is not going to swing anyone to help.
- Well, at least you got the four of us.
- Yeah but Sheridan is not happy.
But he did clear you guys for 48 hours.
- We better get crackin'.
- All right, I'll get on the horn to Bayside and Highland Hospital and I'll have my boys waiting for you when you get there.
- Okay.
- Hey, Corrigan.
That partner of yours is USDA prime.
- Well starting now, Jamison, she's off limits to you.
- What I do is my business so butt out, huh? - Hey, read my lips, Jamison.
Hands off Stacy.
She doesn't need to be hit on by a married guy.
- Leave him alone, Jim.
He's not worth it.
- Stacy I want to talk to you.
- You heard the lady, now buzz off.
I think he got the message.
- Yeah, so did the whole precinct.
From now on, stop acting like my guardian angel.
- Something wrong? - Just a little misunderstanding.
Heard the Captain assigned us to O'Brien.
- Yeah.
I want you and Stacy to go down to Highland Hospital.
Pick up a list of the nurses that were on staff at the time of the first two murders.
- Same for Bayside and the second two victims? - Right, and Romano and I'll pick up the list at County.
- We'll match up the rosters and see if there are any names that appear on all three.
- And afterwards we'll eliminate anybody who's not a brunette and under 5'7".
Let's roll.
- Come on, Hooker.
I can see your back is still bothering you.
That crash must have jostled that old slug you've been carrying around.
- It's a souvenir ever since I took down the Bonner Brothers.
I'm used to it.
- You still think the nurse murders are connected to that old case you worked on with Travers? - I don't know.
If only someone had seen the killer and tell us whether it's a man or a woman.
- You said one of the victims survived.
Maybe it's worth talking to her.
- We'll find out as soon as we leave the hospital.
- Here you go.
- [Hooker.]
Don.
- Hooker.
I'm afraid I don't have anything for you.
There wasn't enough information in the computer readout for a profile.
- Well, there's more now.
The details are in here.
Now, we're sure she strikes in pairs.
Two victims 48 hours apart, five or six month wait and then she strikes again.
- Interesting pattern.
Always the same MO? - She bludgeons her victims to death, metal instrument, square striking surface.
- My guess is, you're dealing with a rigidly compulsive individual here, probably paranoid with a controlled rage that breaks loose periodically and can only be suppressed through these ritualistic acts of murder.
- Suppressed until she feels the urge again? - Exactly.
- Don, I appreciate the diagnosis, but I need a specific profile now.
- I'll do the best I can.
I only hope it does some good this time.
- Doctor Travers, how you doing? - So far so good.
- Got the list, Hooker.
- Good, one stop, then we'll check her out.
Shirley Potter.
This is Officer Romano, my name is Hooker.
I've been trying to reach you at the office.
- I know, I got your message.
I left word that I didn't want to discuss the killings.
- Please, we've talked before.
Five years ago, I was a detective.
- Of course, the hospital after.
Oh god.
I can't.
- I know the memory of what happened must be very painful, but there's been a new series of murders, and it's possible they could be connected to the ones five years ago.
- I still have nightmares.
- Please try to remember.
- It's very important Mrs.
Potter.
- I tried so hard to forget.
I was coming home late, and, and all of a sudden, there was someone behind me and before I could just scream or run or anything, he grabbed me and he - He? You said he, are you sure it was a man? - When he put his hand over my mouth, I could tell it was a man's wrist because there was hair on the back of it, long hair, and it brushed my neck, and then he started stabbing me.
(sobs) I'll never forget it.
- I'm really sorry to bring it back like this.
- Are you okay, mommy? - I've told you all I can.
- You did very well.
Thank you.
- The killer five years ago was a man.
There goes your connection.
- Yeah, you win some You lose some.
(slow paced music) All right, nine brunettes who worked at each of the hospitals at the time of the murder.
- And just five of them are 5'7" or taller.
- Your instincts were right, Hooker.
First three victims, same murder weapon.
- Wound impressions, all 36 millimeters square.
- Like this, the mold from Dr.
Yamoto.
- Did you get anything from Travers on the profile? - I'm gonna call him right now.
- These two nurses live at the same address.
- Maybe they were roommates.
- I'll take them, we can split up the rest.
Something wrong, Hooker? - I'm disappointed to Don Travers.
- He dragging his feet on our profile? - He said he's not ready yet.
- Well then, we have to work with what we got.
- Well, I got Maryanne Friedman Taylorstream.
- The others all live near the hospital.
I'll work with Corrigan and Stacy on it.
- Let's go.
Excuse me.
- Can I help you? - Yes, I'm looking for Maryanne Friedman.
- Come on, I'll show you.
Number 12, right down that way.
(suspenseful music) - Mother? (screaming) - [Hooker.]
You, stop! You all right? (dramatic music) (tires screeching) (police siren blaring) (dramatic music) (exclaims) - How long have you had that bullet in your back? - About five years.
It has a way of acting up every now and then to remind me it's there.
- Well, I'm no neurosurgeon, but I think you should see one, and maybe stay here for a few days.
- I'll take a rain check on that.
- All right, so we shouldn't have interfered.
- You're the one who said he was going out with his wife.
- Well, it just proves that things aren't always what they seem.
There is nothing wrong with Dave and Irene discussing their divorce settlement.
- All right, so Corrigan made a mistake.
- Me? - All right, we both did.
- Look, from now on, your personal life is your own business.
- Thank you.
How's the patient nurse? - Impossible, but nice.
I had him scheduled for my first class massages, but-- - Listen, I've got this muscle spasm.
- Yeah, you can't stop talking.
Thanks for everything, Betty.
Come on, come on.
How'd you guys do with the nurses you questioned last night.
- Corrigan and I were each with one of them while you were chasing the killer, so they're in the clear.
- There's no way either one of them could have been involved.
- How were your candidates, Stacy? - One of them is still a possible.
Her roommate says she's out of town.
She's due back this evening.
- We can't let up.
The murderer's compulsion will keep her hunting for a second victim until she makes the kill.
- You sound pretty positive.
- Pretty specific, like you took a crash course in criminal psychology.
- I got the word from Don Travers just a few minutes ago.
- He was here? I don't know if I'd show up for work after my Porsche got totaled.
- Don's Porsche? He never mentioned anything about it.
- Yeah, the killer was driving it last night.
She stole it from the hospital parking lot.
- You're kidding.
Did the homicide talk to him? - Yeah, didn't get anything that could help us though.
- Why don't the two of you double check that nurse that's supposed to be out of town, see if she's back, see if her story holds up.
- Will do.
- Okay.
Let's drop in on Don along the way.
(doorbell rings) Don.
I want to talk to you about your car.
- Well, I was trying to catch a few winks.
- Oh, I'm really sorry, but maybe there was something the detectives didn't get.
- There's not much to get.
I was working late, when I went to get in the car, it was gone.
- Did you notice anything, I mean, where the car was parked.
- An empty space.
- No, Don, I mean on the ground, something that might have been dropped.
- Come on, Hooker, I loved that car.
I almost went into shock when I saw it was gone, as a matter of fact, it took me quite a while to get myself together to call the police.
That was it.
- Well, I guess so if you can't remember anything more about last night.
- You mean, if I saw a tall brunette nurse sneaking around the hallway on the way to steal my car, the answer's no.
- We'll get out of your hair.
- You collect antiques? - It's a surgeon's kit from the turn of the century.
- It must be worth quite a bit of money.
- An old family heirloom.
I'm sorry I'm so crabby.
It's been a rough couple of days.
- So I've been told.
Thank you.
(soft mood music) - The nurse you saved last night, she was still in shock when I got to the scene, but she had some strands of hair clutched in her fist.
- [Hooker.]
Human hair.
Some of the ends have traces of a rubber based adhesive.
- Maybe they were yanked out of a wig.
- I say our killer isn't a brunette.
- I'd go one step further, Pete.
I have a hunch our killer isn't a woman.
- That's out of left field, Hooker.
- What do you got to hang that on? - I never saw a woman run like that, and I'm not just talking about speed.
- Shirley Potter said long hair.
Her attacker could have been wearing a wig too.
- You got it, partner.
We could be after a man.
We'll be in touch, Pete.
Tell 'em to get back to the morgue.
We'll go over those victims' files one more time.
- [Joan.]
Looks like you struck out, Hooker.
- I was really hoping that we'd missed something.
- But there's zip.
- Another nurse may die tonight, and we keep hitting dead ends.
What's this? - Surgical mallet.
- It's metal, smooth.
If the head wasn't round.
- You're right.
- My god, it was so close to me, I didn't see it.
- See what? - That's a modern surgical mallet.
The old ones had a square head.
- Old, like in turn of the century old? - Yes.
How'd you know? - A friend of mine, Don Travers, has a collection of antique surgical instruments.
(suspenseful music) - Tonight, I'm going to kill you, mother.
And then Then (growls) You will not come back to haunt me.
You will die.
Die.
Die.
(police siren blaring) - Don.
Don.
- [Romano.]
Hooker, in here.
Uniforms, over there on the dressing table, makeup.
- The wig, it's gone and so is he.
- He's out there, Hooker, looking to kill again.
- The question is who, I'll tell you, Romano, it's a nurse who works at County whose been given a long stem rose.
- How do you figure that? - I'll bet ya money this picture's his mother, and those murders are tied up with his feelings about her.
- Karen Peyton, in the hospital parking lot, the rose left near her body.
- And last night, the nurse he tried to kill, she had a long stem rose.
- Hooker, there could be 100 nurses at County, how do we find out which one he sent the rose to? - We go down to the hospital and ask questions.
Get Stacy and Corrigan on the horn and tell them to meet us down there and fast.
- [Woman on Intercom.]
Nurse Macrae, nurse Betty Macrae, report to Dr.
Miles in pathology.
(police siren blaring) - We'll split up.
Stacy, you take the nurses' lounge, Corrigan, you cover the cafeteria.
- They're covered, Hooker, got hospital security scouring the spot where nurses gather and backups rolling from the precinct.
- We'll cover this place floor by floor.
You take the second, we'll take the third, and we'll work our way up.
- [Woman On Intercom.]
Dr.
Kline, telephone please, Dr.
Kline.
Dr.
Henso, to surgery please, Dr.
Henso.
- This is the floor you were on.
- Find some nurses to help spread the word.
Don travers has left his calling card.
- And he left it with Betty.
- Betty Macrae, where is she? - She was just called down to the basement, to pathology.
- At this time of night? - One of the doctors must be working late.
I saw her start down.
- Junior, if Betty shows up, keep your eye on her.
(suspenseful music) (screaming) - [Hooker.]
Don, Stop! Get upstairs, tell the police I've got Travers down here, now.
- Travers? Oh, my God.
- Do it, now! (dramatic music) (objects crashing) (grunting) (glass shattering) (fire alarm blaring) Dr.
Travers.
- Travers' mother mistreated him as a child and didn't let up until the day she died.
Our police shrink speculated that the first victim of each pair represented his mother, and the second, her ghost.
- The case you were working on, five years ago, it was Travers even back then in drag.
What I don't get is that there were a few years in between there when he wasn't killing.
- Well, he met a lady, right? - Marilynn, while they were involved, when they split up, he started killing again.
- Only this time, he focused on nurses, like his mother.
- @@ Travers, it's all mumbo jumbo to me.
The important thing is, we nailed Travers before he started killing again.
- Jameson's wife have any hard feelings? - Hard feelings? She told me he's been working extra shifts, special duty, he doesn't come home much at night.
- You mean they're still together and she doesn't know he's-- - You got it, the creep.
And I'm supposed to meet him for dinner tonight.
Maybe one of you would like to keep my date for me.
- I'd love it, let me at him.
- Wait a second, hold on, Romano.
- Wait a second, I-- Call it, call it, he's not all yours.
- Heads.
- He's mine.
(energetic mood music) (upbeat music) (Columbia Pictures jingle)