The Rockford Files (1974) s05e14 Episode Script

You got anything on me? Rockford.
The name's James Rockford.
You know, with any luck, that guy's gonna eat it for all of us.
He's with the National Intelligence Agency.
Oh, wonderful.
Wonderful! The fix is in, top to bottom.
She and I, and possibly you, are just hard-luck pawns that stumbled into the wrong game.
There goes my case right out to sea.
Well, there's no way to stop it.
Are you kidding? I'll sink it if I have to.
(PHONE RINGING) ROCKFORD ON ANSWERING MACHINE: This is Jim Rockford.
At the tone, leave your name and message.
I'll get back to you.
(BEEPS) Miss Hallroy, City Federal.
Your last check still hasn't arrived.
It's impossible for us to lose checks.
So unless we receive full payment by noon today, we'll foreclose.
Do you know what day today is? The first day of the rest of your life.
That's how I look at it.
We're right at the start of day one.
Everything back there is just so much spilt milk under the bridge.
But up ahead Well, that's a brand-new ball game.
Yeah, that passenger's got a pint of booze, all right.
There he goes, he's hoisting it again.
Looks like we're gonna have to haul our butts out into the heat again.
DISPATCHER ON RADIO: Y- 40, here's your wants and warrants on a 1975 Cadillac, license number 876, Opel Mary William.
The car is reported as a Canoga Park stolen.
Oh, great.
(SIREN WAILING) Mr.
Petrankus.
Bernie.
Bernie.
Chug-a-lug it, Bernie.
Make it empty.
I told you not to drink in here.
Put it Keep your hands in view and get out of that vehicle now! What? Just do it.
Move it.
Get out of that car and put your hands on your head.
Hey, what is this? How fast were we going, huh? Shut up.
Hey, have you guys read the constitution recently? Well, there's not a whole lot in there about stolen cars, now is there? Stolen? See, we got what here is probable cause, and that makes it kinda nice, 'cause we can go all the way.
Get down here.
Ben, pop the trunk.
ROCKFORD: Holy Leroy! (WOMAN CHATTERING ON POLICE RADIO) Well, what is it with my luck? I asked for a lawyer.
Where's John Cooper? Out of town on business.
He sent me.
That should be recommendation enough.
Well, no offense, son, but how old are you? Age isn't the critical factor here.
What should be important is that I went to Harvard Law.
Good.
Do you have any Harvard answers? Right.
Now, I would say, just tell it like it was.
Get your story down for the record.
Meantime, they'll print the car and guns, that'll substantiate, and you should be golden.
Just tell it like it was, huh? What do you think I should say? I didn't know the guns were loaded? I didn't know the trunk was loaded? You don't have to make it so Yeah.
That's what you're gonna wind up saying.
Hey, wait a minute, you can't go in there.
It's all right, honey.
Yeah? I understand you're covering the Cadillac gun bust.
Who are you? Tony Musia, ATF.
Treasury Department.
The FBI can handle things.
Hey, hang loose a minute.
Treasury's got a righteous interest here.
Alcohol, tobacco and firearms.
Look, we'll wrap this up in-house.
Then we'll shoot you a copy for your files.
Okay? That way you'll be covered.
Unacceptable.
You just bumped into the tip of the iceberg.
Five will get you ten, those guns are part of a truckload that disappeared from Fort Grant in Nevada last month.
And the FBI isn't about to hand over an open-and-shut in an interstate felony.
Don't give me any of that shuck.
You fell into this because of the stolen car.
Everybody in this building knows the FBI jumps hot car busts.
That's what keeps you looking good on the year-end stats.
Okay.
If you wanna do some good, then go in that first interrogation room and get Petrankus' story.
He was just the passenger.
He may or may not be involved any deeper.
All right.
That's more like it.
Good to be on board.
You've had some experience with firearms, huh? Oh, about two months.
Before that, I was mostly in tobacco.
Mary Ann, get Rockford in here and bring along your notepad.
You ready to answer some questions? I don't know what to say.
I've never been arrested before.
Should I talk to a lawyer first? Depends on whether you've got something to hide or not.
If you don't, why bother? Excuse me, Jeannie? I'm Stacy.
Sure you are.
Could you do me a favor? I don't know.
If I can.
Take some dictation for me? I'm not really authorized to I could really be in a lot of trouble if I don't get back to the pool right away.
Oh, you'll get back.
It won't take that long.
Just an arrest statement.
I was on my way home from Vegas.
I was tapped out, except for some change, you know? So I looked up over my sun visor, and there was this brochure.
You know the kind of thing, it's Two free drinks, a roll of nickels, eight lucky bucks, that kind of thing, you know.
I figure, it's not too far off the beaten path, so I'll drop by, and maybe turn my luck around.
What was the name of this place? The Last Chance.
Well, I'd never been on a junket before, and it sounded like a lot of fun.
Well, I signed the card and I got a 200-dollar line of credit.
That helps me make it through the night.
But then the sun came up, and I was tapped out again, so I decided to hang it up and head for my car.
But the parking-Iot attendant won't give me the keys.
So, I'm about ready to waltz him around the lot, when these two thumb-busters step up and say the car's collateral.
That they keep it right there until I come back with the 200.
So I'm sitting in the Mother Lode.
That was the name of the place I was having my last free drink.
So I swallow my pride along with it and try to bum a ride home.
He says he'll give me a ride to LA.
In his Cadillac.
But I didn't realize the catch was That I was gonna drive, and he'd never stop talking.
Then he started talking weird, something about a truckload full of poppers.
He was just about to put me to sleep at the wheel When the two policemen stop him.
Boy, I'll never say anything disparaging about an officer of the law again.
(TYPEWRITERS CLACKING) (TELEPHONES RINGING) (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) What is it? Oh, Mrs.
Bateman.
Can I help you? You can be of great help to me, Mr.
Spelling, if you will simply comply with the departmental guidelines regarding steno services.
You'll have to excuse me, but I'm at somewhat at a disadvantage.
Could you tell me what you're referring to? I am referring to the unauthorized use of pool personnel.
I am afraid I'm still in the dark on this, Mrs.
Bateman.
I have it on good authority that one of my secretaries has been recruited by your staff without requisition and without my approval.
Well, it could have been that fellow Musia from Treasury.
Treasury? Well, yes, he's interfacing with us on this weapons case, and those ATF boys have been known to bend the rules.
Which office is he in? First one down the hall.
I, for one, am really glad that's settled.
You just talk guns.
Mr.
Donnegan.
Excuse me.
You going in? No, I just came down to use the bathroom.
The one upstairs is busted.
One goes to the FBI, one to ATF, and the original goes to Records.
And the same for the statement when you get it transcribed.
Oh, hi, Mrs.
Bateman.
Stacy, I want to see you in my office, immediately.
Oh, well, first I have to go up to Immediately.
Do you understand? You can't just barge in here during an interrogation.
I have nothing to discuss with you now.
We'll take this up at another time.
After I have filed a report.
Well, I guess that wraps us up for now, Mary Ann.
Have Musia get a marshal in here and take Rockford and his buddy over to county for the night.
Oh hey, come on, now, Spelling, I just told you the whole story.
I leveled with you.
Tallafero, what do you got to say about all this, huh? I don't know what to say.
I'm I'm very discouraged.
Discouraged.
Petrankus, Bernard L.
Yeah! Yeah! DEPUTY: Let's go.
You got a roll-up.
Hey, Deputy? Deputy? Hey, Deputy, down here.
Hey, Deputy, you got anything on me? Rockford.
The name's James Rockford.
You got anything on me? PRISONER 1: (MIMICKING) "Hey, you got anything on me? "I'm Jim Rockford!" PRISONER 2: They got nothing on me either, Rockford.
(LAUGHING) (MUSIC BLARING ON STEREO) I checked out the samples.
I'll buy.
(MUSIC STOPS) Where's the hardware? Stashed.
Hey, those are what you call demonstrators.
Not for sale.
I get them back, you get the factory merchandise, you dig? The FBI got them.
They what? I got popped on a hot car beef.
They found them in the trunk.
You stole a car to haul my pieces around? No.
It belonged to my ex.
She gets lushed up, she decides she hates me.
Phones it in stolen.
Hey, well, that still don't explain why you walkin' around here, smokin' them squares instead of sawdust.
Civil rights loophole when they opened the trunk.
Illegal search and seizure.
Trash-canned the bust.
Hey, look, I still want that whole truckload.
Well, it's got to be by midnight tonight.
I don't dig these new happenings.
And you bring an extra 10 grand.
Hey, hold on.
You already said Well, that was before you started sleepin' with the pigs.
Okay.
(ENGINE STARTS) ROCKFORD: Is he in? SECRETARY: Is he expecting you? Never mind, honey, he'll see me.
Hey, what is this? Just what do you think you're doing, cruising in here like that? I didn't send for you, did I? I wanna talk about Petrankus.
Well, that's different.
I'll get a steno in here.
Just forget the game, huh? I spent a lot of time and hard-earned money getting bailed out.
Now I want to know what you did with him.
I put him in jail, same as you.
And then you cut him loose.
What is he, some kind of bait? I don't know what you're talking about.
I didn't cut anybody loose.
Oh no? Then Petrankus just ascended, huh? Huh? I don't want to hear from "huh", Spelling.
When my lawyer bailed me out, he said some things that really distressed me.
Petrankus is not scheduled for a prelim, and then when he tries to find out why, the jail operator says there is no computer record of any Petrankus ever being checked in or out.
Look, I really don't know what you're talking about, Rockford.
But, now, if we can find Patty Hearst, give us a day or two on this one, okay? There's no record of him ever being in jail! Which already makes your case on me look better by default.
Hey, humor me, huh? I think I'd feel a lot better if I could prove that he was here yesterday.
Well, there's a file on him with his fingerprints in it, the statement he made.
It's on microfilm, it's been put in the computer.
Do you have a copy of it? Well, not in front of me, no.
Well, why? It's an active case, isn't it? Well, I guess it hasn't been sent out yet.
Maybe it got hung up somewhere.
Then how do we trace it? Now, look.
I've got about in front of me, including a robbery on Cal Bank's central branch, so we don't do anything.
Now if you're concerned about your future, then you go check at Repro or the steno pool.
An ATF agent handed it to one of the gals for processing.
A Stacy Hutchins, so go talk to Mrs.
Bateman.
This is the federal government, huh? Now I know why my old man got 111 Medicare cards sent to him.
Not one of them had his name on it.
Mary Ann, give me the county jail.
Sergeant Gainey.
It is important that you understand the official position of the department on this matter.
It is not the act of pilfering that concerns us, it is the attitude that condones it.
That presumes it's all right, because no individual is deprived of anything.
But it is the individual that comprises this system.
And we are each, to some degree, diminished by the crime against the whole.
So it is imperative that we stop this filching of supplies.
We are policing the members of the staff for their own good and for the good of the department.
And we must encourage them to police each other.
Wait here.
Yes, ma'am.
Is there something Oh, Mrs.
Bateman.
Stafford, Personnel.
Just a spot check on absenteeism.
Nothing official, so don't worry.
Could you tell me why this one's out, please? I'm not sure there's the least justification for your being here.
Oh, well, the formal record-gathering is somewhere down the road.
But there was a meeting this morning and I thought, with some preliminary data, we could draw a cause-and-effect parallel, and give us a head start on the whole evaluation process.
Will you come into my office, please? Surely.
Now, I assure you, I'm just collecting numbers.
I'm not pointing any fingers.
Now, this Stacy Hutchins is the only one absent? Yes.
She's on sick leave.
Are you certain? Of course I'm certain.
Her father called in for her this morning.
I took the call myself.
But you're out of order.
I do not submit to inspection without previous notice.
Well, thank you very much, Mrs.
Bateman.
You seem to run a very tight ship here.
Mrs.
Bateman? Yes? I don't mean to meddle where I'm not welcome Oh, no, what is it, what is it? Well, Stacy's parents both live in Kansas City.
She mentioned it the other day at lunch.
Are you sure? Oh, yes, ma'am.
She said she didn't have any relatives in California.
WATKINS: It's got to be by midnight tonight.
I don't dig these new happenings.
And you bring an extra 10 grand.
PETRANKUS: Hey, hold on.
You already said 75,000.
Well, that was before you started sleepin' with the pigs.
Just what the hell were you trying to do out there? Keep the lid on the case of cigars.
How? By changing the time frame? You just violated an agency parameter.
It's a stress situation.
You either relieve the pressure or you push it to the limit.
Hey, you've read this guy's profile.
Now, you push him too far, this cigar's liable to blow up in our face.
I had to get Petrankus' mind off that vaudeville routine we pulled at the jail last night.
I've got him thinking about me now.
I gave him somebody to hate.
This is an update from Echo Three.
Petrankus has a logistics problem with the boat.
He may not be able to meet your midnight deadline.
(SIGHING) There's just too many complications.
First the stolen car, then the steno with the file.
You know, actually, considering what we fell into, the Company's gonna come out of this smelling like a rose.
I mean, we've even got a sponsor on the Cadillac.
What's that guy's name? Rockford.
Yeah.
Rockford.
You know, with any luck, that guy's gonna eat it for all of us.
Who's backing me up tonight at the warehouse? Well, it looks like you're gonna have to recruit somebody by yourself.
Say what? No partner? You expect me to deal with Petrankus by myself? Look, I'm gonna be completely honest with you, Watkins.
We're having a hard time finding black guys we can trust.
Yeah? Well, now, I think that's vice-versa.
I just talked to Records.
They don't have one scrap of paper on Petrankus.
Same with Distribution, nothing's been processed.
But I gave it to that girl.
Now I'm getting a very sick feeling about all of this.
I called my guy at County.
He couldn't turn a thing.
It's like Petrankus was never there at all.
The fix is in, top to bottom.
I don't wanna think about what it takes to jerk that many strings.
Look, why don't you talk to the steno? I mean, maybe there's a note on her desk or something.
Good morning, Jill.
(EXCLAIMS) Morning, Mrs.
Bateman.
Busy day? Yes, ma'am.
They all are.
I was hoping you could help me, Mr.
Donnegan.
I'm checking up on one of my girls, Stacy Hutchins.
What seems to be the problem? Well, her father called in this morning and said that she was sick.
But her father lives in Kansas.
Well, it sounds to me like you've got a personnel problem.
No, no.
I pride myself on knowing my staff better than that.
Stacy might have told me that she was taking the day off, but she would never have bothered to lie.
What are you bringing this in here to me for? Well, I think you may be one of the last people in the building to have seen her yesterday.
What do you mean? You were watching her in the hallway downstairs.
Well, now, I don't recall.
You got in the elevator with her.
I thought you might remember what floor she got off on.
Mrs.
Bateman, I assure you that I have absolutely no interest in the comings and goings of your employees.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a luncheon date I have to confirm.
(DIALING) Jill, you should leave for lunch on time.
That way, you won't come back from lunch late.
Yes, ma'am.
(DOOR CLOSING) We've got another problem on the cigar shipment.
That old battle-ax from the steno pool.
I think we've got to give her a vacation, too.
And do it quickly, before anyone starts listening to her.
(PHONE HANGS UP) What do you figure? Rockford's taking the fall so Petrankus can move the rest of the ordinance? Yeah, maybe.
But any way you look at it, there's some heavy machinery involved here.
But who? Why don't we just sit on Rockford's place for a while? See what kind of company he keeps.
You got any friendlies in the area? (LOCK CLICKING) Women usually just wear the tops.
Oh! Oh, Mr.
Stafford! What are you doing in Stacy's apartment? I'm snooping.
But not near as efficiently as you.
I should call the police and have you arrested.
Well, good, why don't you do that? I'd be interested in hearing how you explain to them what you're doing in Stacy's apartment.
I am not stealing anything.
Then what are you doing? (SIGHING) This is Echo Two.
I'm in position.
Well, it looks to me like she hasn't been home in a couple of days.
What makes you think so? Oh, she left a pound of hamburger out to thaw.
It's getting a little funky.
That's not exactly evidence of foul play, but it does make you wonder.
Is there anything that you know that might help us find her? No, not really.
Well, I don't think we should stay around here any longer.
Is your car out front? No.
I took a taxi.
Could I give you a lift back to work? No, that'll be all right.
I'll catch the bus.
Cat burglars don't usually depend on the RTD for any kind of quick getaway.
Echo Two to LC One.
Subject is present, repeat present.
Leaving premises with unidentified male Caucasian.
Advise.
MAN: Echo Two, this is LC One.
Maintain mobile surveillance, but not too closely.
Do you copy? That's a roger, LC one.
I'll make a deal with you, Mrs.
Bateman.
I'll tell you my dream, if you tell me yours.
What do you mean? Well, my name isn't Stafford, it's Rockford.
And I'm looking for Stacy because of my welfare as much as hers.
Well, she has the key that might keep me out of the slam.
That's very important right now, since somebody's working overtime to put me there.
I'm not sure I understand any of this.
Well, I'm not altogether sure I do either.
But I have this gut-level nausea that She and I, and possibly you, are just hard-luck pawns that stumbled into the wrong game.
What is it you do anyway? I'm a private investigator.
Oh.
Well, I suppose that entitles you to engage in fanciful speculation.
Yeah, it's a great vantage point.
Put your ears on.
Let's get a reading.
Ah, Colonel Huxley.
Light colonel, retired.
Agent Spelling, FBI.
We appreciate the use of your facility, sir.
Well, I'm glad to be of service.
There's no problem.
And I'm also glad you're finally after that Rockford fellow.
You know, one night, Martha and I came out of the restaurant down there, and he was doing bat-turns in the parking lot.
Now, that's the truth.
Looks like we got some activity.
HUXLEY: I think that's his father.
I've seen him around there a lot.
You know, I believe in minding my own business as much as the next guy, but there's a place where you just have to draw the line, hmm? Hey! He's coming out.
SPELLING: Pearce, tag along with the old man.
If he takes you home, tap his line and patch it in here.
All right.
We'll get Rockford coming or going.
That's not my house.
It's the one with the Camellia bushes.
You mean the one with the blue car across the street with the guy sitting in it? Do you live alone, Mrs.
Bateman? What kind of a question is that? There's no Mr.
Bateman? I lost my husband in the war.
Oh, I'm sorry.
It was a long time ago.
Well, they're watching your house.
I just don't know what's in store for you next.
Mr.
Rockford, you're not going to frighten me with talk like that.
Okay, then I'll just drop you off at your house.
No, no.
There's this man in the building, a Mr.
Donnegan.
I went to see him this morning because I remembered that yesterday, he had been watching Stacy.
Well, first he tried to alibi her absence, and then he just became totally rude.
And that made me suspicious, so I Well, I happened to hear him on the telephone and he was telling a man to abduct me.
I couldn't believe my ears.
But when I went out to get my car, there were two men waiting there.
And I actually had to sneak out of the building.
Who's this Mr.
Donnegan? What does he do? I'm not sure.
But he's with the National Intelligence Agency.
Oh, wonderful.
Wonderful! But But it does play.
I mean, the guns, the files, Petrankus.
He must be their pigeon.
They framed me just to keep him on the bricks.
But why? Well, I don't know.
Maybe they aren't ready to burn him yet.
Maybe they're setting him up for something bigger.
Maybe anything.
And maybe we should just call the police.
Oh, and say what? That the National Intelligence Agency is following us? I don't wanna walk in there with that one.
Not unless we had something a little harder.
What do you mean? I want you to take a memo.
Motor Vehicle Department, request name of registered owner, vehicle license number Thank you.
That'll be all for the day.
You got a dime? Here.
Los Angeles, Golden West Tobacco.
The address is a PO box.
Yes.
All right.
Yes, thank you.
No listing.
It's probably an agency front.
Jill.
Who's Jill? Donnegan's secretary.
She can verify the name and give us an address.
Why would she wanna help us? Because she's one of my employees.
All secretarial personnel are answerable to me.
Oh.
Where do we find her? (DOORBELL RINGING) Mrs.
Bateman! Oh, hello, Susan.
I'm sorry to barge in like this, but I need to talk to Jill.
What are you doing here? I was hoping you could help us.
We need some information.
Forget it, Jill.
You don't have to kiss her feet anymore.
It's too late.
You've been shot right out of the box, lady.
And it couldn't have happened to a nicer gal.
I'm sorry, Susan, I really don't know what you're talking about.
I'm talking about you.
You're on your way down the tubes with the rest Susan.
That's enough.
They found some files in your desk.
Top secret papers that are missing from Naval Intelligence, and You've been suspended until they complete an investigation.
SUSAN: We're having a little celebration.
Please, don't join us.
Look, why don't you just back off a little, all right? Margaret's taking over the pool.
We came here because of Stacy Hutchins.
What about Stacy? Well, there's a chance that she may have been kidnapped by the same people who are trying to discredit Mrs.
Bateman.
Don't listen to them, Jill.
She's just trying to pull her own fat out of the fire.
I don't understand.
I mean, what do you want from me? We'd just like some answers to a few questions, that's all.
Don't tell them a thing.
This is my apartment too, and I want them out.
Look here, if you would like to help Stacy, maybe even save her life, you can call me at this number.
Any time, day or night.
Thank you.
ROCKFORD: It seems to me you've been framed in a fairly slipshod manner.
I wouldn't worry too much about it.
MRS.
BATEMAN: I'm not worried.
You can't work in a building for 30 years without making contacts in the right places.
I can be reinstated tomorrow.
The thing that bothers me is how anyone could give credence to such a story in the first place.
Ah, well, people are always willing to believe the worst about somebody they Well, that they They hate? Is that it? Like Susan back there.
They were just waiting for the opportunity to get rid of the old battle-ax.
Ah, well, now, I don't know how much truth there is to that.
I have never been unfair or overly demanding on my employees.
All I have ever required was an honest day's effort in return for their salary.
And as a result I have been able to pride myself in an efficient and functional department.
Is there anything so horrible in that? No, no, I guess not.
As long as it doesn't become the sole reason for living.
Come right on in, folks.
Find yourselves a chair, any place.
Make yourself at home.
I'm sorry this place is such a mess here.
Why didn't you tell me you were bringing someone over? Oh, it's just a spur-of-the-moment thing, Dad.
We hadn't been planning that much ahead.
Are you a client of Jimmy's, ma'am? No.
I No, Mrs.
Bateman, or rather Eleanor, and I just kind of bumped into each other this morning.
Turns out we have a few friends in common.
Oh, would you like something to drink? Something cold or maybe a cup of coffee? Would you have some wine, by any chance? Would I have some wine by any chance? I got some of that Liefenbrau stuff.
You know, the kind that's so good with fish.
I'm gonna have a glass myself.
How about you, Sonny? Oh yeah, yeah.
Sure, Dad, thank you.
Did you say it was Liebfraumilch? Uh-huh.
Yeah.
ROCKY: There's a TV special on at 10:00 I've been waiting all week to see.
It's about them Portuguese fishermen.
You know, they put to sea for six months at a time, and fish from them little dory boats.
Why don't you stick around and watch it with me? Thank you, I'd like that.
All right, fine.
Jim called you "Mrs.
Bateman.
" What does your husband do? Oh, I lost him during the (MAN CHATTERING ON TV) He left me when I was 22.
I haven't seen him since.
(TELEPHONE RINGING) Hello? Hello, Mr.
Rockford? It's Jill.
What can I do to help Stacy? (WHISPERING) It's Jill.
Yeah, well, Jill, have you ever heard the name "Petrankus"? Yes.
Well, I've seen paper on him.
I think he's a distributor.
Of what? Cigars.
Cigars? And he works with your office? I don't know.
I think he's a A tobacco wholesaler.
Well, do you know what territory he covers? Well, he's out of the country a lot.
Customers? Well, anybody who smokes, I guess.
Jill, look, you're being very cryptic.
What is this guy? What do you know about Golden West Tobacco? Well, you won't say you heard it from me, will you? No, I promise.
I really don't know anything about this Petrankus.
But I think that Golden West is a You know, a A front.
Do you have an address? 3817 South Figueroa.
(RINGING) Yeah? Rockford's got some tie-in with Golden West Tobacco.
He was talking to some girl, but I don't know where she fits or who she's attached to.
They mentioned Petrankus and some cigar operation.
Tobacco, huh? You know, I'm beginning to get a strong whiff of our Agency friends here.
Let's see what the tobacco company has in stock.
You think that's the way to go? Well, use your head, Musia.
If the Agency's got something going and haven't advised us, then all we're gonna get if we ask some questions is triple talk.
They'd love to ice us out.
All they care about is looking good on the year-end stats.
Right.
My guess is that "cigars" is their euphemism for "guns.
" The Agency doesn't want Petrankus on the streets to deal them.
I don't even think the FBI is involved.
What are you going to do? Well, I think I'll cruise down to Golden West and see if they carry any US Army cigars.
I'm going with you.
Hey, what is this? Well, looks like we're just in time for the curtain.
You're jumpin' the gun a little bit, ain't you? Just keep your hands on the wheels.
The guns in there? Just close the door and let's go.
Just follow the jeep.
You're gonna take in the shots.
Now, look, man, we made a deal.
Now, I ain't crossed you or nothin'.
What's the matter with you, anyway? No, you tried to jack me up, boy.
Nobody jerks me around like that.
I didn't even get a kiss.
Okay, okay.
Just tell me what I can do to make it up, all right? Too late now.
I don't like dealing with your kind of people.
MUSIA: There goes Rockford.
He must be tailing them too.
Well, let's fall in behind.
But don't get too close.
We don't have a parade permit.
That's it.
Okay.
Take out a few pieces, load them up, and be ready to cover.
(WHISPERING) They brought Watkins along.
Something's wrong.
Maybe not.
Let's see how it plays out.
Okay, climb aboard.
Climb aboard! Why? What for? You're going for a ride.
At least halfway.
Move! Climb aboard.
What are we gonna do? Well, there's nothing we can do.
The boat's got to sail.
We don't know that they're gonna kill Watkins.
That's right, we don't.
(SHIP HORN BLOWING) Well, Petrankus just got on that boat.
There goes my case right out to sea.
Well, there's no way to stop it.
Are you kidding? I'll sink it if I have to.
Anything to keep him from shoving off.
Do you think you can drive my pickup? Yeah.
All right.
You take it and call the police, all right? All right.
You head him off, I'll take the old broad.
SPELLING: Call the Coast Guard and the police, and have them seal off the area.
Get some of our people down here.
(SCREAMING) Get out of that truck! Hold it right there.
Hi! It was very foolish of you to come out here like this, Mrs.
Bateman.
An old lady like you wandering around here at midnight.
You could have an accident.
Now, let's go.
Yeah.
And it's a good thing you were here to help her.
Okay, come on.
What's going on down there? I don't know.
I can't make out who those people are.
Let's proceed down there on our own, slowly.
(ENGINE STARTING) Oh come on, shove off! Get those guns out of here! Where are they going? To the Third World.
Petrankus sells guns to revolutionaries in South America and Africa.
And you're interfering with a classified government mission, buster.
The Agency furnishes arms to communist revolutionaries? (SIRENS WAILING) This is the FBI.
We have you surrounded.
Drop your weapons, walk to the center of the pier with your hands on your heads.
(MACHINE GUNS FIRING) No.
Well, we were supplying those guys.
They were defective, loaded cigars.
The communists waste their money on these useless materials, undercuts their own reserve.
You guys actually sit around and think these things up? Get (INDISTINCT CHATTERING ON POLICE RADIO) MAN ON MEGAPHONE: This is the United States Coast Guard Cutter.
Hold on.
Maintain your position.
Okay, you can take these two gentlemen along with you.
I haven't figured out all the complaints yet, but ADW and conspiracy to commit ought to do for starters.
You're the one that's in trouble here.
Are you the one behind this fiasco, Donnegan? You and the FBI could end up with a whole lot of egg on your face, Spelling.
Me? This was a circus! And you seemed to have forgotten which country you were in tonight.
Creep! You were gonna let me sleep with the sharks! I ought to take your head off! We all knew the risks when we signed up, Watkins.
You can't give me that.
Somebody give me a tape recorder.
SPELLING: We'll get you one, my friend.
Mr.
Donnegan, where is Stacy Hutchins? She should be home in bed.
Those were the orders.
Termination at midnight.
Oh.
Well, I guess everything's back to normal.
Dick, this has been the most wonderful two days I ever spent in my life.
Me too, Stacy.
Tell you what, why don't you take the keys down to the desk.
Okay.
(DOOR CLOSING) This is Echo Seven.
Forward this transmission to Donnegan.
Operation completed on schedule.
Now terminated.
I think you're a little late for your first day back at work, aren't you? Mr.
Rockford! It's after 9:00.
Oh.
Well, I don't have to punch a clock.
Sometimes I go in late and sometimes I work late.
How come you're here? Well, you know, after all we went through trying to find her, I never met Stacy.
So I thought I'd drop in this morning, say hi, see how she's doing.
I appreciate your coming.
I know why you did.
Nervous about facing them, aren't you? Well, they thought they were getting a new boss.
I never realized they'd give a party to celebrate that.
You went out on a limb for Stacy.
They know that.
Yeah.
Well, they also know about 20 years of rule by intimidation.
Well, as the great philosopher Petrankus once said, believe it or not, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
" We can learn from everyone.
(SIGHS) (TYPING STOPS)