The Rockford Files (1974) s05e04 Episode Script

What are they gonna do, kill us? Come on, don't make me laugh.
I don't know any of these people and I'm actually on this case as a friend.
Are you the Lance White that saved Mr.
Hillman's life? Let's just say it's closer than I like to come.
Is it about time for an intermission? I'm out of popcorn.
Because of a sense of caution, I am a man without a country.
Any attempt to enter into this affair from this point forward will bring severe reprisals.
This is Jim Rockford.
At the tone, leave your name and message.
I'll get back to you.
Pacific View Lots, perpetual care by people who care.
At an unbelievably low price.
Call Montieff and Snell, the full-service mortuary.
We won't rest easy, until you rest easy.
My gun barked, snapping flames at the two shadowy figures, but they kept on.
Melissa was at my side, I could hear her breath coming in gasps, and then I saw a flame jump from his.
45.
A white-hot, searing pain ripped at my temple.
In a moment of red-orange agony, I heard her scream and then I took the big leap.
It sucked me down, down to that pit of silence where nothing moves and time stands like an idle drunk weaving slightly, ready to fall.
I was back in death's waiting room, in the outer office to eternity.
Hi, Rocks.
Just like Dan Slade.
What? Dan Slade, the private eye.
I've been reading this here book about him.
You know, the more I read this, the more I understand what's really going on around here.
Yeah, that was quite a dish you just said goodbye to out there.
Or, as Dan Slade would say, "Lush and lovely and ready for love.
" She's my bail bondsman's secretary.
She preaches while she drives you home.
Bail bondsman? Yeah, well, the card game got busted.
Angel hit a cop.
Ah.
Ugh! I was worried about that one, that's why I put it in the front.
Rocky, if you're worried about it, then throw it out.
Oh, you got a call about 10:00 last night.
I put it down.
A fellow named Teasdale from Pasadena wants to see you this morning.
Let me tell you something, Rocks.
You've been telling me all my life.
Get a straight job, drive a truck.
I don't know, maybe you were right.
Aw, you're just feeling down because you spent the night in jail.
You know, that leach Eddie is holding my car on a crummy $200 bond.
You know, the only reason I was in the card game was to get the bank off my back.
That one's okay, but I can still taste the other one.
Which, I guess, is a commentary on my whole life.
That fellow Teasdale, he wants to see you at 9:00.
You can borrow my truck.
No, that's all right, Rocky.
I've still got a couple of hundred bucks here.
If you'll just take me back, I'll pick up my car.
Sure.
Hey, I'm sorry, Dad.
You just caught me at a bad time.
But, reading that detective fiction doesn't help.
I mean, things aren't like that, you know.
They're never black and white.
There aren't any heroes, they die young.
See? His gun is deadly, mine's in the cookie jar.
Is there something wrong, Miss? Er, no.
Oh, good.
I think that's him.
Mr.
Teasdale? No, he's upstairs.
Just a minute.
Hello, Angela.
I came as soon as I could.
Apparently, Mr.
Rockford did some work for It's okay.
Hi, Jim.
How's tricks? What are you doing here, Lance? I'm only here as a friend, Jim.
Don't worry, this is your case.
That's what you said the last time, remember? Ooh, time's wasting.
We've got work to do.
What do you say we get on it? Thank you, Lance.
Oh, it's okay, honey.
Friends are for helping.
That's why I came.
Okay, let's do it.
Why don't we just Don't worry, Jim.
Things have a way of working out.
They always do.
Yeah, they sure do.
Yes? Please, come closer.
Well, which one of you is Mr.
Rockford? I am, sir.
Who's your friend? Oh, I'm sorry, sir.
White.
Lance White.
I'm a friend of your secretary, Angela.
She called me when you became concerned about Veronica's disappearance.
Of course, I know Joey Blackwood.
Now, I was in Phoenix on business so I hopped a flight and got back here as soon as I could.
Well, if you know Joey Blackwood then you know why I am concerned.
It would ease my mind if I knew who Veronica is.
Veronica Teasdale, Mr.
Teasdale's daughter.
Now, she's missing, and Mr.
Teasdale suspects that Joey Blackwood, whom she was seeing, may be involved.
He suspects foul play.
What else does Mr.
Teasdale suspect? You were recommended to me by Mr.
Farely.
You apparently did some work for him at our Hanover plant.
I wasn't aware that you owned Hanover Resources.
Oh, Mr.
Teasdale acquired it last June.
It's part of the Teasdale Defense Industries package.
You seem quite well informed, young man.
Just a layman's knowledge, sir.
Would you mind, Lance? Er, Mr.
Teasdale, do you think we could talk about this alone? No, no.
Please, please, stay.
You're an investigator, too? That's right, sir.
Lance White Investigations.
We handle just about everything from security breaches to active homicides.
Well, I'm going to have to correct you on that, Lance.
You see, Mr.
Teasdale, licensed investigators aren't permitted on active homicides.
I don't want the police involved for reasons of my own.
That's very important.
Well, there's no problem there.
At least in my case, the police seem to understand when I don't involve them for reasons of client confidentiality.
Right, Jim? Yeah, look, I think the best way to handle this is if I just move on.
You and Lance should get along fine.
Jim, you were called in first.
I'm only here as a friend.
I wouldn't take that job for anything.
Not for anything, Lance? No.
Don't kid a kidder.
I'm prepared to pay 500 a day.
Not for 1,000, not for 10.
Ethics are ethics, Mr.
Teasdale.
And they don't change when the price goes up.
They usually do.
But I'm not going to argue about it.
I'll take it.
Angela will give you a list of Veronica's friends and a photograph.
I suppose the place to start looking is Blackwood's nightclub.
I understand she was there two nights ago.
Thank you for coming and, uh, you'll be in touch? No, Jim will.
I'm only here as a friend, Mr.
Teasdale.
But don't worry, everything's going to work out just fine.
I'll just see myself out.
Jim.
I am a good judge of people.
That is a fine young man with a remarkable character.
Oh, no doubt about it.
Lance is perfect.
It's his only flaw.
It's good to see you again, Angela.
I just wish it was under some kind of different circumstances.
Ah, here's Veronica's picture, Jim, and a list of her friends' names.
Now I promise to stay out of the way this time.
You've got the job.
You're the one being paid.
I'm just here as a friend.
I think it's wonderful that Lance cares for others.
It's why everyone loves him.
Yeah, well, we got snarled up in a case in August.
I ended up doing county honor farm.
Well, I'm sorry about that, Jim.
But I had my client's interests to protect and you did break into that hotel room.
What client? Who were you working for? Nobody ever seemed to know.
Well, that was kind of a strange one.
Those three little boys hired me.
The triplets? They were only eight years old.
Yeah.
Well, when their folks were killed by the mob, I kind of took them in.
Finally I made arrangements for them to live on a friend's farm in Vermont.
Oh, isn't that nice? A happy ending.
All of us got to go to a farm.
Mr.
Ziegler? We're here, sir.
Mr.
Ziegler, sir? We're here.
Come on, let me help you.
Well, it ain't exactly the Playboy Club, but it ain't gonna draw no brown shoes neither.
That's Long Beach over there? Yes, sir.
The Star is tied down the wharf there.
Mr.
Vincent's got all the details worked out.
We're aiming for tomorrow night.
There used to be a place I went to in Long Beach.
Saul's Deli.
He made matzo balls as big as your fist.
Well, Mr.
Ziegler, I could find out if it's still open.
I could bring back some stuff.
Manny's got the stove working.
We've hooked up some power.
Maybe, if it's not too much trouble.
For you, sir? Are you kidding? This guy, Saul, he's gonna cater you a dinner if we have to dig him up out of St.
Mary's Cemetery.
He'd be at Mount Sinai.
Yeah, of course he would.
It's a strange odyssey.
Everybody says Israel is beautiful in the spring.
I've seen pictures, it's true.
Sir, Mr.
Vincent told us we would be working with you while you're in L.
A.
You know, anything you want, we'll do.
I might want to see a rabbi.
We'll find one, Mr.
Ziegler.
Mr.
Vincent will be here shortly and give you an update on the whole Teasdale situation.
Good.
Well, I guess we'll leave you alone now.
Yeah, later.
He's not what I expected.
He's spooky.
He still bankrolls the whole outfit, coast to coast.
The guys we only hear about call him "sir.
" Matzo balls? Come on.
Hey, hey! What do you guys think you're doing? Hey, come on.
Get out of here.
Hey! Get out! What do you think you're doing? Yeah, uh-huh.
No, that's exactly right.
That's fine.
No, no, just check him, Doug.
I'll call you back in about an hour and thanks, pal.
I know you're upset, Jim.
I mean, after all, I did promise to stay out of it, didn't I? A guy's got to do what a guy's got to do.
I know you're making fun of me, but I understand.
Are you late for something? I guess you could say, Jim, that I owe Angela the big favor.
She asked me to stay involved for a while and I couldn't turn her down.
You see, she saved my life once, a long, long time ago, so you're just gonna have to put up with me, like it or not.
Oh, come on, please, Lance.
Not again.
Now, I have already made some discreet inquiries here.
And I think I'm on to something.
How discreet? Okay.
With your hands in sight, you both move to that door over there.
Not very.
Pls.
Sonny says you was asking about Mr.
Blackwood.
When I came here, I thought Blackwood's was just a disco.
I find a stripper and a bunch of pugs sitting around slurping beer.
What've we got here? That's really in the "so what" department, Lance.
So Joey Blackwood runs a horse parlor, huh? Where's the strap line lead to? Outside? Where's the betting room? Next door? Well, maybe we ought to get the police down here and then I think we might get some answers, huh? Maybe we shouldn't announce that.
Look, fellows, I think we're getting sidetracked here.
The important thing to remember is that Mr.
Teasdale is interested in knowing if his daughter is well.
Now, any information confirming that fact would be worth a grand, maybe two.
Er, Joey and Miss Teasdale had been hanging out.
Personally, I think they maybe eloped.
If I told that to Teasdale, do you think maybe he'd come across? Well, I don't know, but I'll tell you what, Mr? Watson.
Tuner Watson.
Yeah.
Why don't I go out and I'll find out and then I'll call you back this afternoon.
The guy with the white hair outside, sitting next to the bar? Yeah? You know who he is? Yeah.
He's my second cousin.
He's a known felon.
Oh, you got to be mistaken.
I'm sure Mr.
Watson's second cousin, he'd never do that.
His name's Caster.
Peter Caster.
He's wanted on federal warrants.
Interstate sale of pirated record cassette tapes.
This guy's beginning to bug me.
Fix them both, Sonny.
Damn it, Lance.
What are they gonna do, kill us? Come on, don't make me laugh.
Come on.
Hey, you guys, what are you doing? Get out of there.
Go on.
What the hell! Come on, Jim, let's get out of here.
Go.
All right, just slow down.
Slow down, Lance.
I got to tell you something.
I don't think you've got all your oars in the water.
Maybe it's not important to you that Peter Caster, a know felon, is sitting in that dump but it really galls me.
They're running a horse parlor right there in plain sight.
They have contempt for everything that we stand for.
Oh, that's cute.
Look, we found out that Blackwood's is a mob joint.
That means that Joey Blackwood is connected.
I think we did great.
Well, we didn't do great.
We did terrible.
Just terrible, Lance.
I mean, I had the guy opening up until you came up with Peter Caster and his crummy cassette tapes.
You know, we got out of there just by the skin of our teeth, and they aren't connected.
Blackwood isn't connected.
They aren't mafia, not with names like Tuner Watson.
Yeah, well, at least they'll think twice before they try threatening us again.
These guys run on very lean mixtures.
They don't think twice.
That's why they're in the line of work they're in.
What line of work is that, Jim? I'll tell you.
They're in the misery business.
They create pain and hardship.
They deal in areas of human frailty.
I can't stand the thought that they walk the same streets that we do.
They shop at discount stores and go to ball games.
And one way or another, somebody's got to cut them down.
Missed me.
Oh, Lance, there's a woman waiting in your office.
Been there about 20 minutes.
Her name is Belle Labelle.
She's a dancer at Blackwood's.
See, Jim, things are working out.
They always do.
Miss Labelle? Belle Labelle? My name's Barbara Gortner.
Labelle is a stage name.
I'm thinking of changing it.
White.
Lance White.
This is Rockford.
Jim Rockford.
I assume you're here with some information regarding Blackwood.
Joey Blackwood.
I know you're looking for him.
You see, Mr.
White Lance, I love Joey, but he dumped me for Veronica Teasdale.
I think I may know where he's taken her.
He has a cabin at Lake Malibu.
I see.
Wait a minute.
Hmm? I'm just a little skeptical of all this.
I mean, people don't just walk in and volunteer information on cue.
Now, what are we supposed to do? We go up there, knock on the door and eat a double-ought calling card from Tuner Watson? I don't think so, Jim.
Barbara's in love with Joey.
He dumped her for Veronica.
It only makes sense that she'd come here with information.
It doesn't make any sense at all, Lance.
I don't understand what you're so angry at, Jim.
How did she know we were looking for Veronica? Sally Moreno told me.
She works with Angela at the Teasdale place.
Who's Sally Moreno? Sally Moreno used to run the chorus line at the Grove.
Sally and I go way back to my whipped cream days at the Trocadero.
We both danced in that line.
Then you must know Don Hillman.
Don took me in when I was down and out.
His father is an old client.
I still see Mr.
Hillman, Senior, every Easter up at Oak Crest.
Are you the Lance White that saved Mr.
Hillman's life a long, long time ago, when the mob was moving in at the club and threatened his wife and four grandchildren? Let's just say it's closer than I like to come.
Is it about time for an intermission? I'm out of popcorn.
Thank you for the information, Miss Labelle.
If we need you, we'll call you.
In 10 years, you're the first person I've given my real name to.
Funny, isn't it? Funny.
Don't you think, Jim? Oh, yeah, yeah.
In an abstract and totally frustrating way.
Look, you must be busy.
I'm going to be moving.
Jim, if you're thinking of calling a cab and going up to Lake Malibu, I wouldn't do that if I were you.
You see, my car is outside and I will probably beat you by about half an hour.
It hasn't occurred to you that this is a trap? A trap? Come on, Jim.
I doubt that.
I can't explain why you're still walking around.
It's not going to last long.
You know, you're naive, Lance.
You really are.
You have to be cynical.
You have to question things.
You can't take someone named Belle Labelle on face value.
What's her angle? Who's payroll is she on? You find out the answers to those things and then you start moving fast and crooked.
You go through doorways sideways and low, at odd angles.
You look for the big lie.
Question everything.
I'm going up to Lake Malibu.
Why don't you come with me? They'll kill him.
You have to understand how this happened, sir.
We were prepared to snatch this Teasdale girl, but we didn't want to do anything until you arrived.
There was some question in the message we got that you may not arrive.
Kidnapping is serious and it was my decision to wait until you were actually here before taking the girl.
Because of a sense of caution, I am, what? A man without a country? I can't go back to St.
Thomas.
Maybe I should stay on this scow for the rest of my life.
Sir, she apparently was seeing a man named Blackwood.
He's a sort of, you know, local sharpshooter.
The rumor we got is that they may have eloped.
I got Auggie checking on all his known hangouts.
As a matter of fact, he's on his way to Lake Malibu right now.
Caution is a disease.
It flourishes in opulent environments.
We're doing everything possible.
In all my life, Mr.
Vincent, I have never wanted anything as much as I want this.
I was told you were the best out here.
I selected the best.
I must go to Israel before I die.
They must be forced to accept me.
If you fail, I swear to you, I will turn my last ounce of strength against you, because you will have hurt me worse than any enemy.
It will be done.
Tell you what, have Doug boy call the office.
I'd like him to check up on a few things.
Right.
Thanks.
Hey, are you on some kind of medication? That thing keeps going off.
That's because I set it at 10-minute intervals.
Why do you do that? Because time is valuable, Jim, and I don't like to waste it.
I like to be aware that it's passing.
Time is just a measurement.
It doesn't improve because you watch it.
I'm afraid I don't understand what you're driving at.
All right, let me put it this way.
What do you do for fun? I help people.
All right, great.
But what do you do after that? What about girls? I like them.
Do you date them? But there's no time.
There never is.
What about Angela, Teasdale's secretary? She's very nice and she seems attracted to you.
And I'm attracted to her.
You and Angela sometimes relax together, maybe? Come on, Jim, I respect her too much for that.
Besides, she's a good friend.
Hey, take my word for it, she'd do anything for you.
And I'd do anything for her.
You're going to have to turn up here.
Lance, go! Get in the car.
Got away, huh? Yeah.
It's a honeycomb of little roads.
You okay? Yeah.
That's Blackwood? Yeah, his clock ran out.
I called the cops.
They're on the way.
Jim, I don't want you to feel like it's your fault that we wasted all that time at the office.
Even if we would have left right after Belle, we probably would have been too late.
That's really nice of you, Lance.
Makes me feel better already.
You okay? It's okay it's just Don't say a flesh wound.
A flesh wound.
Lance, did you call the cops on that phone in there? Mmm-hmm.
Now that's what I mean about you being naive.
You got to wise up.
They're gonna destroy you.
Really? Yeah, really.
The cops get mad when you use the phone at the scene of a crime.
I mean, there could be fingerprints.
I hate it when anyone dies.
Even someone like Blackwood.
He wasn't such a bad guy at heart probably.
Aw, yeah, yeah.
Well, you got a point.
I mean, after you throw out all the cocaine busts and what little pushing he did around the high school, what do you got left? Just a sweet guy with a problem.
Now, Lance, about the cops.
When they get here, they're gonna land on us pretty hard.
How do you figure? Well, to begin with, we knew there was a chance that Veronica was kidnapped and we didn't report it.
We come up here, we stumble onto a murder.
They're gonna want to know why.
And thirdly, there's Bell Labelle, who's probably a ringer.
We're going to go look for her, she's not going to exist.
All of which is going to look pretty flakey to the cops.
You know, it's even money that they're going to run us in.
So if they start with the accusations, you just keep your mouth shut and we call our lawyers.
Just let me handle it, all right? I'll show you how.
Oh, bad break.
Doug-boy.
I'm glad you could make it.
Hi, Lance.
It's a homicide and a kidnapping.
Uh-huh.
Rockford, what are you doing here? Oh, he's with me, Doug.
Mmm-hmm.
You okay? It's just a flesh wound.
Ah, good.
What have you got? Nothing much.
A few hunches.
Ah, Billings, don't touch anything until we find out what Lance's got for us.
Right, Lieutenant.
What are your hunches? Now, I need your word, Doug, that you'll protect what I tell you and keep it out of your report.
He can't do that, Lance.
Any information he finds in an investigation has to be reported.
Facing a big confidentially problem, Lancer? I sure am.
I'll do the best I can.
Teasdale.
Armand Teasdale.
Ring any bells, Doug? Yeah, yeah.
Defense.
Big outfit.
Very important.
It's a kidnapping, Doug.
Mr.
Teasdale's daughter, Veronica.
Oh, no.
Exactly.
Two guys, we were both witnesses, it's an old game, Doug.
We've both seen it before, abduction at gunpoint, nylon masks, brutal but quick.
Your hunch? Well, nothing too solid yet.
My guess? They're probably holding Veronica Teasdale for some kind of a ransom.
Oh, there's a hot flash.
Now you just shut up.
You understand? What else you got? Hey, Lance.
Becker.
How you doing? How's tricks.
How's tricks.
Hey, that's pretty good.
Hi, Dennis.
Hi.
Hi.
Lance and I are going over this case together.
Becker, you make sure that nobody touches anything till we get through.
See you later.
You, too.
Nice seeing you, Dennis.
Right.
Lance, are you going to mention the elopement? Didn't I tell you to shut up? You got something on an elopement? Well, Doug, there was a rumor that they were planning to elope.
What he's trying to tell you is that Blackwood didn't kidnap Veronica.
He probably got killed trying to prevent the kidnapping that we walked into.
Is that what you're trying to say, Lance? More or less.
Okay, we'll take it from here.
Becker? Yes, sir.
I want you to dust everything down.
Start with the telephone.
Oh, I used the phone, Doug.
It's my guess that they probably never touched it.
Oh, yeah, you're probably right.
Yeah.
Forget the phone, Becker.
Start with the doorknob.
I'm leaving.
What are you hanging around with him for anyway? He's not such a bad guy.
I think if you gave him a chance.
I think you'd like him, Doug.
Hey, Lance, is this yours? Oh, thank you, Billings.
You're welcome.
Well, I'll see you, Doug.
If I get anything, you're the one.
Oh, listen, I appreciate that.
Goodbye.
Take it easy, Lancer.
Don't tell me.
You saved Chapman's life once a long time ago.
Right? Well, actually there was a lot of shooting.
It's hard to tell.
I'm just glad we both survived it.
He was wounded and I was knocked unconscious.
Yeah, I know, Lance.
I get the picture.
Look, I'm quitting.
Do you want to just take me to Teasdale's.
I'll catch a cab from there.
Oh, Lance, it's so terrible.
Mr.
Teasdale died.
He did? That's terrible.
He got this horrible phone call demanding ransom for Veronica, and then, all of a sudden, he just said, "God help me," and died.
Which one of you is Mr.
Rockford? I am.
I'm Mr.
Davies, executive vice president of Teasdale International.
We won't be requiring your services any longer.
I have a check made out in the sum of $500.
Please sign the receipt.
What happens to Veronica? Well that, of course, is in the very capable hands of the Teasdale board of directors.
Teasdale is dead.
The board of directors doesn't have an emotional attachment to Veronica.
What happens? You just drag your feet and hope for the best? All of which is no concern of yours.
Both you and Mr.
White are fired.
You can't fire me, because I was never hired.
That makes sense.
Both you gentlemen should be advised that any attempt to enter into this affair from this point forward will bring severe reprisals.
Let's go.
I still don't see what's bothering you, Jim.
It seems pretty cut and dry to me.
We go to Chappy, he pulls all the names of the known kidnappers who own that make of van out of the computer, and we work back from there.
Sure, it's a lot of footwork, dull, tiring, slogging work.
But we'll end up catching them, Jim.
I know it.
I hate it.
Okay.
Well then, you come up with something.
I'll tell you what bothers me is how many guys die when they get bad news.
Huh? Teasdale is sick.
Okay.
But he's the head of a huge pressure-packed industry.
He gets some bad news and jackknifes into a coffin? I don't believe it.
Well, they wouldn't lie, Jim.
Why would they? People lie all the time, Lance.
I know it's a downer.
I know that.
But it happens.
Try it this way, will you? Teasdale gets a call from the kidnappers.
They demand ransom, right? Now Teasdale can't come up with the money, so to buy time, he fakes his death.
Now the kidnappers are now dealing with a board of directors who couldn't care less about Veronica.
They snatched her and the one person who would pay a fortune for her is supposedly dead.
I think we ought to go to Teasdale's and stake it out.
If I'm right, if Teasdale is alive, he's going to have to negotiate with the kidnappers.
They might lead us back to Veronica.
That's pretty sharp.
Boy, I love this business, Jim.
Isn't it great? This thing is beginning to bug me, Lance.
Do you think we could wire it up or something? It's nothing.
They're delivering guard dogs, that's all.
They left the gate open, Lance.
So? If they were delivering guard dogs, they wouldn't leave the gate open, would they? Then this is it, Jim.
The big push.
What? The big push.
I want to get a closer look.
Lance.
Get in.
You got the papers? It's going to take time.
We ain't got time.
The Star of David sails in three hours.
Fine, it sails.
These things have to move along at their own pace.
The Israeli government already took a position here, you know that.
Now their ambassador has to move up through their parliament.
What can I tell you? You're just gonna have to wait.
We'll kill Miss Teasdale.
Well, of course I'd like to prevent that from happening, but I'm sure you can realize that, since Mr.
Teasdale's death, there's been a shift in our negotiating positions.
Look, buster, Mr.
Ziegler don't like being turned down.
We may arrange a party for you, if this doesn't work out for us.
You know that? Again, I have to say you're just going to have to wait.
I have a board of directors and the Israeli government has to agree to his naturalization.
These things take time.
Tell Mr.
Ziegler we're moving as fast as we can.
Maybe you'd like to tell him that yourself, huh? If you keep on abducting everybody who comes to negotiate with you, soon there won't be any negotiations.
That's it.
I'll be in touch.
Hey, you! Hey! Hey.
Come on.
Hey, Auggie, ain't this the guy you said you winged at Blackwood's? So you were gonna tail us, huh? I'm alone.
I came alone.
I'll bet.
Where's your car? It shouldn't be hard to find, Mr.
Vincent.
This goofball drives a white parade float.
Get in.
Come on.
Okay, looks like he's alone.
Let's go.
He's dead.
Mr.
Teasdale's dead.
I don't believe it.
They've got Lance, honey.
Maybe you ought to tell this starched collar to clue me in or Lance just might get his ticket punched.
Oh, no.
Please, not Lance.
Tell him, Brad.
Please tell him.
Be quiet, Angela.
I think I may know where they're holding Veronica.
If you want to know, you better get Mr.
Teasdale up out of his coffin, or I'm gonna bring in the police.
In that case, please come in, Mr.
Rockford.
It's not even complicated.
I'm shipping missiles to Israel.
The federal government made the deal.
Teasdale Industries is, of course, the manufacturer.
We're loading the missiles aboard an Israeli ship in the harbor right now.
Are you familiar with Meyer Ziegler? The banker for the underworld? Of course.
He wants to die in Palestine.
But they don't want him.
They turned him down a year ago.
He kidnapped your daughter to force you to get the Israelis to accept him? Only it seems the Israelis would rather lose the missiles than compromise and take in this notorious gangster.
They're sorry about my daughter, but they'll buy the missiles elsewhere.
So in order to buy time and decide what to do, I faked my death.
I've told you that they may be on a freighter.
I know Lance is.
We must save him, Mr.
Teasdale.
I think we ought to call in the police.
No, I won't do that.
Due to the international implications, the State Department and the Defense Department will be involved.
I don't want to speak bluntly, but the fact remains that my daughter's life just isn't much leverage when stacked up against the international balance of power in the Middle East.
No, we must handle this ourselves.
Can't you help us, Mr.
Rockford? I'll make it worth your while.
A bonus of $2,000.
Do you really have guard dogs? Are you okay, sir? Oxygen.
Here.
I'm beginning to feel better about this already.
Ziegler can't hurt us, he's going to be laughing too hard.
Sit down, dogs.
Do it exactly as I say.
Take my advice, Ziegler, and come quietly before it's too late.
Ha! Some advice.
You know, Ziegler, sometimes it's not such a bad idea to stand back and take a long, hard look at yourself.
There's more to life than making money.
You should live your life guarding each moment as precious and unredeemable.
Crime doesn't pay, Mr.
Ziegler.
I'm surprised, at your age, you haven't learned that yet.
Get him out of here.
He's giving me a headache.
Come on, get out.
Go on, dogs, get them! Go on.
Oh, no.
Go to the gangplank! My leg! My leg.
Come on, let's get the others.
There.
Are you okay, Mr.
Ziegler? Sit down.
I never fired a shot.
I must be doing something wrong.
Isn't it marvelous? It's just like a fairytale.
They meet and the next thing you know, they announce their wedding plans.
It's really so sudden, but so romantic.
Oh, no.
Please.
Well, if you insist, thank you.
Everyone, I'd like to propose a toast.
To Mrs.
Lance White.
Well, what do you think of him, son? Oh, Lance? Well, I guess you could say when they were passing out raincoats, he got a beauty.
Well, I suppose it does seem a bit unfair to you.
After all, you were the one who risked your life to save Veronica.
Lance ends up with the girl and, I suppose, everything else.
You see, I plan to set things up so that Lance will be able to support my daughter in the fashion to which she is accustomed.
Well, that seems fair.
And I think it's only fitting that you should profit in some additional way beyond the bonus.
After all, you're the real hero.
Oh, well that really isn't necessary, sir.
Fine, fine.
Just thought I'd offer.
Nice seeing you.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have a sort of special announcement.
Lance, Veronica, would you come here, please? Would you all gather round, please? Come on, everybody.
As you all know, I'm in ill health and I've been looking for someone to take over the reins at Teasdale International.
Now that my daughter has a husband, and a very capable one at that, I'm turning the company over to Lance White with my blessings.
Will you accept it, son? I don't know, sir.
It's a huge responsibility.
Brad.
Anything that you want done, you just tell Brad.
He'll take care of it.
What do you say? I think I'd like that very much, sir.
Oh, no.
You're You're working for him, now.
Good luck.
Brad, I wasn't going to bring this up, but as long as it's in my hands, I might as well.
What's that? Lance? I don't think we should charge the Israelis for those missiles.
It's a small country, surrounded by bigger ones, an underdog.
I'd kind of like to see that scale get balanced.
Well, sir, I don't mean to start out arguing with the new president, but that's really not a very good idea.
You see, the production costs alone are over 60 million, and a gift like that would really put a bite into our profit picture.
Well, it was just a thought.
Still, it sort of appeals to my sense of fair play.
But, sir, the stockholders will sue us.
The SEC will freeze our stock, we'll be ruined in three days.
Oh, I wouldn't worry about all that.
No.
Things have a way of working out.
They always do.