T.J. Hooker (1982) s05e04 Episode Script

(dramatic music) (suspenseful music) - Wait a minute.
Come here.
- No! I don't wanna do this anymore.
- Come here.
Oh! You didn't wanna do that.
- You make me sick.
I hate you.
- Come here.
Come here.
- No, get off of me.
- All right, little girl.
You wanna play rough? Well, then, we'll play rough.
Stupid broad.
- Wendy? Oh, my god.
She's dead.
You killed her, Lester.
- Turn that thing off, you stupid idiot! (dramatic music) - Damn, now where is she? - [Police Dispatcher.]
All units in the vicinity of 18th and Century, report of a body left in the alley.
Suspect driving a late model red sedan.
- 4-Adam-30 responding.
(suspenseful music) (siren blaring) This is 4-Adam-30.
I'm in pursuit of a red sedan.
Send a backup to the alley.
(gun fires) (gun fires) (suspenseful music) (footsteps) Control, this is 4-Adam-30.
Suspect abandoned the red sedan and exchanged shots with me at the water tower.
He escaped on foot.
I didn't get close enough to make an ID.
(crowd speaking) - Yeah, okay, that's all right.
The dead body that was dumped from the car.
He was looking though the trash when he saw her.
A young woman.
- Let's take a look.
- Put her out here.
(woman speaking over radio) - Oh, no.
- You know her? - Yeah.
She lives with Max Brodsky.
I think she's his niece.
- Hey, Hooker! Just in time for the celebration.
Finally nailed these characters.
- Max.
Wanna talk to you.
- Yeah, something I can do for you, Hook? - It's about Wendy.
- Wendy? What about her? - There's no easy way to tell you this.
She's dead.
- Dead? What the hell you talking about, dead? What are you talking about? - She was dumped out of a car.
Found her at an alley downtown.
I just came from there.
- An alley, downtown? - I chased the subject.
And I lost him.
I've asked for the case.
I'll handle it.
- God.
I've got this bust, Hooker.
Who would wanna kill her? I mean, she's just a kid.
- Partner'll take care of the bust.
Let me take you home.
- No, no.
Thanks.
I'm okay.
Where was I, Hooker? - You did the best you could.
- What could I do with a 17-year-old kid from Ohio with stars in her eyes? Where'd they take her? - The morgue.
They have to do an autopsy.
- I was here, and my niece It's a cop's life, right? What a waste.
- Let me take you home.
- For what, Hooker? Tell me that.
For what? (slow jazz music) Come on, let's wrap this up, huh? (Max shouting) - As soon as I heard she was dead, I figured I ought to pull her file.
Where's Hooker? - He's breaking it to Max.
- She was only 17.
- Lotta creeps out there.
Sometimes I feel like I know every one of 'em.
- Did Max know about this, Nathans? - He never saw the file.
But my partner and I figured he oughta know what was going down with her.
We told him Wendy was gettin' in with a pretty heavy crowd.
Running wild.
- Drugs, solicitation, drunk public nuisance? Sad story.
- Yeah.
How come no convictions? - We never pushed very hard.
It's Max's niece, you know what I mean? - Poor guy.
- Nathans.
- Hooker.
- Haven't got enough to do in Ad Vice? - Show him the file, Stacy.
- How many times you bust her? - Three, four times.
- Why didn't you let somebody know? - Take it easy, Hooker, we did.
Told Max.
- And? - Max said she made her own choices.
Wouldn't listen to him.
- What about Juvenile Authority? - They washed her face, put her back on the street.
- Same old story.
- We did what we could.
- Something else? - Forget it.
- How's Max doing? - Max? It hasn't hit him yet.
He said she'd run away, but I guess he expected something bad to happen, but not this.
- Max is pretty tough.
Maybe it won't get to him at all.
- Oh, it'll get to him.
When it finally grabs Max, it won't let go.
- Have you talked to O'Brien about taking the case? - He's cleared it with Homicide.
I wanna find out who killed Wendy and why.
Stacy, punch Wendy into the computer.
She didn't come up with any contacts.
Jim, check your snitches.
I'll be out in the street.
(energetic jazz music) - [Police Dispatcher.]
on abandoned red sedan shows vehicle to be stolen from out of state.
Partial print, lab picked up.
Turned out to be the owner.
Sorry, Hooker.
- Excuse me.
Need some information.
Either one of you ever seen this girl before? Her name is Wendy.
- Is there a reward? What'd she do? - No reward, she's dead.
- What happened? - Murder, dumped in an alley.
- Look, I think I know her.
Yeah, she hung around a lot.
- When was the last time you saw her? - Maybe a week ago.
- Who'd she hang around with? - She had this friend, uh, Janet, I think her name is.
They were always together.
- This Janet, where can I find her? - I don't know.
She just hangs around.
- She have a last name? - Not one that I know.
Sorry.
- [Lester.]
What do you think, Mr.
Parton? - Well, I don't think we lost a superstar on Wendy.
Lester, I think I'm gonna hold onto this.
Just for future reference, in case you, uh, get out of line.
And Lester, this kid that flew the coop? If the cops get ahold of her, we'll all end up doing a hell of a lot of time.
- She won't go to the cops.
She didn't want her parents to find out about her.
Not to worry.
I took care of dumping Wendy's body.
And I'll take care of finding Janet.
- She's a street kid.
Go to the halfway house.
Sooner or later, they all end up there, anyway.
- Yeah, that's a good idea.
I'll find her.
- I appreciate your confidence, Lester.
But I'd appreciate a dead witness even more.
(guns firing) - Max.
- All that meanness builds up on you, Hooker.
Sometimes it just helps to let it out.
- Max, I need some help.
All I've got is a first name.
- Which is? - Janet.
She may have been the last person to see Wendy alive.
- There's nothing for me.
You know, Hooker, she was a wild kid.
But I thought she was getting her act together.
I thought she and I were getting closer.
We gotta get him, Hooker.
- Max, you're too close.
Stay back, I'll handle it.
- Stay back? Wendy's my business.
The proper channels don't hold water when the victim is mine.
- Whoever did it, I'll find.
Leave it to me.
Trust me.
- Then what? They get seven to 10 and some parole board lets him out for being good in the pen? No way! - Gonna say it again.
You're too close, you can't be judge and jury.
Back off.
Is that clear? - Now, wait a minute.
Why don't you put yourself in my position, and put somebody you love in that Dumpster and see how you'd react.
You'd blow the lid off this city to find the slime that killed her.
- Work with me.
We'll blow the lid off together.
- I don't mind working with you, Hooker.
All you gotta do is keep up with me.
- Hooker! Watch commander radioed you wanted to see me.
How's the case going? - Well, while Sheridan is checking the files on serial killers and sex offenders, Corrigan is squeezing the junkies and the pushers to see if they know anything.
- Sounds like you don't have much.
- That's what I wanna talk to you about.
Yesterday, you were gonna tell me something about Wendy.
I'd like to hear it now.
- You're not gonna like it.
But I'll let you see for yourself.
You recognize her? - [Hooker.]
Wendy.
- There's a VCR down the hall, if you want.
It's run-of-the-mill porn.
- I'll take your word for it.
You kept this from Max? - How do you tell a guy about something like this? After all, I mean, I got a daughter.
You do too, don't you? (energetic music) - Wait a minute, I've seen that guy before with Wendy and Janet! He may make this easier.
- Yeah? - Hi, I'm looking for somebody.
Janet's her name.
She used to hang around with a girl named Wendy? Take a look.
What's that supposed to mean? Janet said she met Wendy here.
- Well, then this must be the place where she met her.
- I want some answers.
Hey, you're gonna have an extra mouth to feed, pretty soon.
Maybe you can use a little help.
- What kind of help? - This kind of help? Ah.
Janet.
- She was around when I first got here.
I haven't seen her for a week, maybe.
- More.
- She had a boyfriend.
His name was Nick, I think.
- Nick.
Know where he hangs out? - I heard he was working on one of those porno theaters on 4th and Broadway.
- Broadway and 4th.
Thank you, ma'am.
(funky instrumental music) (car engine revs) - Last time we picked her up, Wendy said she'd only made that one film.
Got paid a hundred bucks for it.
- They offered her a lot more for the next one, right? That's how they keep kids like her in the business.
- Who are they? - Guys who shoot that kind of slime change with the tide.
And when they're busted, they're out working again before the reports are finished.
- Thanks for the plug.
- There's gotta be a way to nail 'em.
I mean, somebody has to pay these girls.
Somebody had to recruit Wendy, get her involved.
- They work the bus depots, the street corners.
Word of mouth.
They get kids who are hurting, or in big trouble at home.
They offer them sympathy.
Then they string 'em out on dope.
- This one's got a built-in stinger.
Wendy was underage.
That could buy somebody hard time.
- Okay.
But how does that move you any closer to whoever killed her? - Well, it might give us some leverage.
If we could rack some of these guys, there's no telling what'll spill out.
- You got something special in mind? - Yes, I do, and I'm gonna need your help to set it up.
I wanna put someone inside the local porn business.
(suspenseful music) (jazz music) - You Nick? - He's around here somewhere.
I'll go find him.
- Hey, look, come here, police.
Get up here.
Come on, spread 'em! - Hey, I didn't do anything.
- Lied to me, Nick.
- Gonna arrest me for that? Read me my rights.
- Well, I don't care about your rights.
You wanna hear my rights, huh? (gun cocks) Know what that sound is, Nick? - Yeah.
- Where's Janet? - I don't know.
- Don't try to protect her, toilet face.
- I don't know where she is, honest.
(Nick grunts) - Still don't know where she is, Nick, huh? - On Saturdays, around noon, we all get together at the doughnut shop.
- That's good, that's good.
Now, what if I don't wanna wait 'til Saturday? - I haven't seen her very much.
She's too busy.
She's a big movie star now.
- Movie star, huh? - The kind of stuff they show here.
Her and her friend Wendy, they think they're actresses or something.
- Wendy? You lying sack of garbage.
- Right over there.
Look! (dramatic music) - Why don't you clean this place up? It's filthy! (dramatic music) - Hey, sport.
How 'bout some conversation? - Come on, man.
No more.
- You just tell me what you told him.
Or this'll be nothing compared to what I do to you.
(car horn honks) - My informer says it's a small operation.
Just a male and a female performer, couple of guys on the camera and the lights.
Girl is new.
Probably her first time.
That's what you said you wanted.
- Yeah, that's what we want.
Somebody young and new that we can scare a little into helping us.
- What a way to make a living.
- Their way or ours? (rock music) - Police.
Police.
- Come on.
- How old are you? - Come on.
- 19.
What's gonna happen now? - We'll talk about that later.
Go get dressed.
- I thought a night in jail might put Mary Ellen in the mood to cooperate this morning.
We'll find out.
- Just like Wendy, she's so young.
- Fresh off the farm, and in town one month.
- Think you can handle it, Stace? - Little walk and a little girl talk does wonders sometimes.
- Well, it's up to you.
Jim, check detectives.
See if you can find Max.
I'd like to talk to him.
- I'd like to help you, Mary Ellen.
- If I do what for you? - Okay, everything in life's a trade-off, right? - I'm learning fast, aren't I? - But for you, this could be the most important trade of your life.
All the charges will be dropped, so no record.
Bus ticket home to South Dakota, wherever you wanna go.
A whole new start.
I'd like to see you have that chance.
- Can you really do that? - Word of honor.
- What do I have to do? - Introduce me around as a friend of yours from back home.
Just arrived in town.
Looking for fun in the fast lane.
Interested in acting and not too bright.
- Funny, you just told me the story of my life.
- The person who I really wanna meet is whoever started you.
The guy who put you in porno films.
(Mary Ellen sighs) - Lester.
That's all I know him by.
I guess I was sort of fascinated by him at first.
But-- - But what? - Well, there's something about him.
Something bad.
He sort of runs things on the streets for the guys who produce the films.
- All you've gotta do is introduce me, Mary Ellen.
Then you're out of it.
We'll put you on the bus ourselves.
How 'bout it? - What is it you're really after? - Killer.
Someone who murdered a girl just like you.
Her name is Wendy.
- God, I know a Wendy! She helped get me this job.
You think it's her? - 'Fraid it is.
Now you know how badly we need your help.
Please.
- What do you got? - Your idea about shaking things up and pulling people in really paid off.
- I don't need to see a second installment of Wendy's mistake.
- One of our teams hit a porn lab last night, and among other things, they came up with a small piece of film that you gotta see.
If there was more, it's probably been destroyed.
Guy's face doesn't show on this.
- Here, come here.
- Get off of me! - All right, little girl.
Wanna play rough? - Wendy? Wendy? God.
- Make our case.
We gotta find that negative.
(rock music) - Relax, Mary Ellen.
You're doing fine.
- You haven't met Lester yet.
He's, he's spooky.
- Maybe we should try another place.
- No, this is where he hangs out.
He's here every night.
It's like his office.
- Bet there isn't one genuine ID out of 10 in that place.
- Ad Vice hit a lab.
They came up with a piece of porn film.
Wendy was the star.
What's it have to do with the murder? - She was killed, right there on the screen.
No faces, of course.
It was cut out of the scene, but I want this guy, Jim.
- Mary Ellen! Where you been? You remember Wendy, right? You hear about her? Oh, man, somebody killed her.
It was on TV! - Then it was her.
Yeah, I heard.
But I was hoping that-- - I was getting pretty scared for you, baby.
I mean, she was booked on a job, just like you, remember? And poof, nobody saw her after that.
It was like-- - Oh, it's okay, Gigi.
This is Stacy.
She's a friend from back home.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Well, you ladies can stick around here if you want to, but I'm on my way to visit a friend up in Frisco where it's safer.
I mean, really, all the girls are rocking in their socks.
It's scary time.
- Who do you think did it? - Hey, honey, I got a big, fat idea, but all I'm gonna do is keep my mouth shut and split.
You could come along.
- Yeah, well, we kinda have some things we gotta do.
- Right, like building a stash, know what I mean? - Oh, yeah, um, we're looking for Lester.
- You're looking for big trouble.
If you got any smarts, you'll hear what I'm saying.
- Damn this waiting.
- I'm getting a little antsy myself.
- I'm going in there.
- No, you're not.
You're gonna let your partner do her thing.
- Lester, you scared me.
- No need to be.
Lester takes good care of all his little mamas.
But Mary Elle, I thought we were close.
I believe you're holding out on me.
Who is this sweet lady? - Oh, um, this is Stacy.
She's from back home.
She just got in town and she's staying with me right now.
- Stacy.
Are you as good as you look? - Last I heard, I'm better.
- All right.
Let me take care of these.
Got a table waiting for us right over here.
Right this way, ladies.
Stacy.
Little concerned about your girlfriend Mary Elle.
Heard she got took down by the man, right in the middle of her scene.
- Yeah, I suppose everyone heard about that by now.
- Don't worry about it, baby.
Big movie stars pay an arm and a leg for that kind of publicity.
I'll take care of everything.
But, Mary Elle? Get lost for a while.
- What? - Leave.
- It's okay, Mary Ellen.
The man just wants to talk with me.
- She could use some of your brains.
And some of your good looks.
- My looks haven't gotten me anything but man trouble and an empty bank account, so far.
- That could change if you want it to.
- I'm not looking for a handout.
I wanna go over the rainbow, but on my own.
I can act.
I just need a break somewhere.
- Sweetheart, nobody starts at the top.
Very competitive business we're talking about here, you know what I mean? You got the face, you got the body.
Maybe you got the talent, but you got to know somebody.
- I just don't wanna make the same mistake you hear about others making when they come to this town.
- Do you know the kind of work that Mary Ellen was doing when she got busted? - Yeah, she told me.
- [Lester.]
And? - I think she was working too cheap.
(Lester chuckles) - Yeah, you'll do just fine in this business.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think I got somebody I want you to meet.
- Lester, you're right.
I'm very impressed.
Lovely, honey, just lovely.
So you're an actress, huh? - All I need is a chance.
- Well, I think I can provide you with that chance, Stacy.
Honey, it all depends on your attitude towards, just, how you expect to start your career in films.
- She knows the score, Mr.
Parton.
All she doesn't know is the money.
- Money, it's no problem, all other things being equal.
Tell me, kid, you had any experience with hard stuff? And tell me the truth.
- Not exactly, but I learn fast.
- I'll bet you do.
Don't worry about it.
You have a sort of innocence, a freshness.
I like that, honey, I like that a lot.
Would you mind waiting outside for a few minutes? I'd like to have a word with your future costar, Lester.
- Okay.
- Thank you.
Okay, Lester.
Now, about the matter of the missing witness.
- Slime at the theater said that Janet was gonna be at a certain location at 12 noon.
So will I.
She'll get taken care of.
- Good.
Lester, that's a very special piece of merchandise out there.
She wants to be a star.
Let's make her one.
- I'm all for that.
- Excellent, that's settled.
Now get her out of here.
And Lester.
I'm gonna set up a photo session for this afternoon around five o'clock.
I think that I'm gonna select her wardrobe myself.
Maybe something in a cheerleading outfit.
Short skirt, something all-American.
Yeah, my client'll like that a lot.
(foreboding music) - I was never so glad to get away from anyone in my life.
Those creeps would give anyone the chills.
- Now the only real tie-in we have is what that girl Gigi said to you.
- Lester set Wendy up in a job.
And the next time anyone sees her, she's dead.
- So Stacy has to go back.
- She has to do more than that.
What you're gonna have to do is get in deeper.
- Let's get at it.
(jazz music) - Janet! - Max! - Janet! (gun fires) - Oh, my god.
Somebody call an ambulance.
Now! Hang in there, Janet.
Come on, baby.
Hang in there.
(mournful jazz music) - Captain wants to talk to you.
Tell you right now what he's gonna say.
You're under suspension.
- Sure.
Let the good times roll.
- I busted my butt for you.
Stacy put her life on the line.
You held out on me.
You knew about Janet all the time.
You kept her to yourself.
- Wendy was my niece.
And I wanted that guy, Hooker.
Now, can't you understand that? - We had an eyewitness to the murder.
Janet saw it go down.
Now she's in the hospital in a coma.
And we don't know if she's gonna pull out of it.
- Who's the guy? - She didn't have a chance to say! Captain's waiting for you.
- I just got off the horn with Nathans.
They leaned on the film editor they picked up.
Told him he might end up an accessory to murder.
- And? - He volunteered the information that he works most of the time for Arnold Parton.
- Looks like we may have the tie-in.
- Does Parton have a record? - Parton deals with porn.
But he's kept his record clean.
He uses that wholesale garment business as a front.
And that negative is somewhere in that warehouse.
- There's a heavy steel cabinet beside his desk.
- How do you feel about going back with Lester? - Scared.
I'm human.
- We've gotta lay a con on Partman.
And it all depends on you being able to carry it off.
And on perfect timing.
(rock music) - So, where are we gonna shoot this thing? - Right in here, baby.
Your own personal movie studio.
Wanna see the set? - Don't tell me I get star approval.
- You're gonna be very surprised at all the very good things that you get.
Come on.
Right back here.
Nice, huh? - Yeah.
- See, the way it works is, you're the all-American girl.
You're in your, uh, rah-rah outfit, your little blue pleated skirt, and you're in the park practicing.
And I am the big bad man that comes along.
Are you ready for that? - What I'm ready for is the cash.
- Yeah.
Well, we have to go upstairs to see Parton for that.
- Okay.
- Right.
This way, sweetheart.
- The camera crew? - Must be.
It has to be a tight operation.
- And Lester must be the guy in the film.
The killer, right? - If he is, we still gotta prove it.
Stacy has eight minutes.
- I picked this out for you myself, Stacy.
You're gonna look delicious.
Try it on.
- Look, downstairs is business.
But giving peep shows up here for the hired help is out.
- Hey, who the hell are you - Lester.
- putting down, you cheap tramp? - Lester, please, you heard our star.
Now, go on downstairs and see if the camera people are here.
- I'll see you on the set, baby.
- It's okay.
Why don't you go behind the screen and try this on? Stacy, you have a natural modesty.
It'll show in the film.
Honey, I like that.
I like that very much.
(slow jazz music) That's perfect, honey.
Just perfect.
That's the way Lester and I figured.
- Lester? What are you talking about? - I mean the act we just put on for you.
And I mean this.
It's the workprint of Wendy's last film.
And we have the negative film, too.
So you can't touch us.
But we can touch you.
Say for about a half a mil, young girl under 18 murdered in one of your porn flicks.
What do you say? - There's no way Lester could get that negative.
No way.
- Wanna bet? - Yeah.
I'm gonna call your bluff.
There could be anything on that film.
I wanna see it.
- Satisfied? - Max never showed in his office today, but he was seen following Stacy out when she left.
- He's gonna be here somewhere.
Could blow the whole operation.
Let's go.
- Okay, baby.
I want some answers.
Now.
(suspenseful music) (Parton shouting) - You're the guy, aren't you? - Take it easy, man.
Who are you? - I'm Wendy's Uncle Max, punk.
- Wendy.
I don't know no Wendy.
You got the wrong guy, man! (suspenseful music) - Hold it, you.
Take them.
Jim, Stacy, she must be upstairs.
- This film gives us proof in living color.
You just hung yourself, mister.
- Parton! Put your hands behind your back.
(Parton groans) Put 'em behind your back! - Easy.
- Doing okay? - Now I am.
(suspenseful music) - Max! It's not worth it, it's murder! (Lester shouts) Hold it! Stop, freeze! (Lester grunts) - You got him.
- Yeah.
You had to do it your way, didn't you? - What would you have done, Hooker? - Me? (chuckles) I'd have done it my way.
(slow jazz music) - Goodbye, show biz, hello, South Dakota.
- I don't know what to say.
- Say goodbye and good luck.
- Give yourself a break this time.
- I will.
Thanks, Stacy.
- Bye.
- Oh, for everything.
Oh, and I promise I'll write.
Bye.
- Let's just hope she's too busy with schoolwork to write.
- What about Max? He's still improving? - Oh, Max is eating and arguing with everybody.
He's gonna be fine.
- That depends on Internal Affairs, doesn't it? - My friend at the chief's office told me Internal Affairs is gonna give Max every break they can.
- And Janet's conscious and improving.
- So we've got our eyewitnesses and the evidence.
- Well, using an underage girl in a conspiracy to commit a felony during which she's killed adds up to a lot of trouble.
- For Arnold Parton and the sleazebags, it adds up to murder one.
(intense music) (heroic music)