T.J. Hooker (1982) s05e18 Episode Script

(exciting music) (sighs) - One lukewarm chili dog.
One coffee black.
- Okay.
- One new toothbrush and one bottle of stomach antacid.
- That's what I need.
- Looks like you're set for a real swinging evening, Hooker.
Anything yet? - None.
Just got a room down the street.
His car's parked around the corner in a garage.
When he comes out of that joint, I'm going to tail him and see if he takes me any place exciting.
- What the hell are you doing staked out on your day off anyway? - If I'm not here where else will I be? - Look at you.
You're tearing up your stomach eating junk.
Working nights when you don't even have to.
You're a mess, you know that? - What's wrong with nights? I like nights.
- This guy you're waiting on, is he a hitman? - Imported from Detroit to dust somebody according to one of my snitches.
- Who's the contract out on? - Something to do with a big heist.
I don't know who's being hit and I don't know what's being heisted, but I don't like my streets being dirty.
- Yeah, tell me something new huh? Well, I'm due back on duty.
- You got the best legs on the force, kid.
Why don't you get out of vice and into something safe? - Think about getting married sometime, having babies, even having 'em with you.
- Babies? I'm pretty good with babies.
One out of two's not bad.
- You know you make the job your wife Hooker, someday you're gonna wake up and discover you married a whore.
- I'll take it under advisement.
You wouldn't force an alcoholic to take a drink would you? - Yeah well, I just think you're a real reclamation project, Hooker and I'm the lady who's on the case, ow! (suspenseful music) - Police, everybody down! (gunfire) (screaming) - Touch that brake, and I'll blow you away.
Hey, hey you down there, cop! You back off ya hear? - Put the gun down before you have real trouble on your hands.
- You're not gonna fire, 'cause this pretty little girl's gonna be hamburger if you even twitch.
- Let the girl go and you're clean! Tell that bus driver to stop and you walk.
(gunfire) Who were you sent to kill? Whose name is on the contract? - You figure it smart guy, you figure it.
- Come on Dupree, your ticket's already canceled.
Why don't you go out with a good deed? Tell me about the heist, and who's gonna be hit.
- I can use that information, so call me as soon as you get it, thanks.
Hey somebody die and leave you some money? - It's from Steven Kennedy.
He says he's learned how to use a word processor.
And that it's not as easy as playing the piano, but he's betting he has less typos than I do.
- My money's on Steven.
If you used the gun the way you type he would have been dead last Christmas.
- [Stacy.]
Anyway, he just finished his last quarter at grad school and is going to be coming out to stay with Bill at the beach.
- Oh yeah how's Bill doing? What's he up to? - [Stacy.]
Still working security.
- Happy at it? - [Stacy.]
I guess, why? - Once a cop sometimes it's hard to play toy soldier.
Hey Hooker, captain Danza's been looking for you.
- Fire in his eyes.
Have anything to do with last night's shooting? - How do I know? What am I a mindreader? - Oh beautiful, you're gonna be fun to be around today.
You get any sleep? - Slept like a baby.
Until somebody wanted to use the pool table and asked me to leave.
The deceased's name is Angelo Dupree.
Ever hear of him? - No, should I have? - I'm having R&I do a run, but one of my snitches tells me that he's a button man brought in from Detroit to plug a leak and something big is going down around it, like a sizable heist.
- Button man, we talking mob hit? - Bet on it.
And just because I got the shooter doesn't mean that the contract isn't gonna go down with somebody else behind the trigger.
- What about his personal effects? Anything that might take you in that direction? - We searched him and his room and there was nothing, no telephone number, no address, nothing to go on.
And we impounded the car he rented from Detroit.
- So maybe there will be something there.
- Maybe.
- Hooker.
Where were you two last night while Hooker was trotting around shooting up the city? - They were off duty captain.
- And so were you.
What are you a maniac, shooting up a bus crowded with citizens? - There were extenuating circumstances, in my report on your desk in triplicate.
- In my office, Hooker, now.
- You know you could learn to be a tad more diplomatic with him.
- I'm taking up needlepoint, I can only concentrate on one thing at a time.
- You realize how much heat is going to come down from this one? Calls from the chief, the mayor.
What do I tell them when they ask why you were indiscriminately blasting away in a crowd? - It was a hostage situation, I did what I could.
- I've been checking your file, Hooker.
You're making half the busts you should be making.
- Busts? I'll make all the busts you want to raise your numbers.
There's a difference between numbers and justice.
- Look who are we kidding here? You were on that bus because one of your scuz informants told you something was going down.
- I've made more cases with snitches than any other way, whatever works I'm gonna keep doing.
- So you have your own style, but you depend too much on the integrity of garbage.
Our job is to get the scum off the streets, not try to do it with mirrors.
- I don't need you to check into this precinct for 10 minutes and tell me my job.
- You're already over the line, friend, way over.
- What happened to you Danza? You used to be a good cop, now you're a headquarters guy trafficking in human beings and horse manure.
Busting a teenage hooker or a few guys rolling craps or some poor junky with a rusted kit isn't gonna solve anything and neither are your computers or your slide rules.
- And you know how to do it huh? Nail the big guys, clean the boulevards, straighten out the world? - No I don't know how to do it any more than the next guy, but I don't pretend that I do.
- Next time you bring heat down, I won't protect ya.
Or maybe I'll even bust you.
- If you want my badge, go for it.
Until then don't tell me my job.
(dramatic music) - You sure your man inside knows when to shut off the alarms? - Yeah my guy will be on schedule.
- Okay, take care of the gate.
- [Man.]
That dude makes me nervous.
- He did set up the inside man.
Don't worry, when this is all over he won't be around to spend his cut.
- All right everybody, cooperate and nobody gets hurt! You, move, open the safe.
Everybody down, face down on the floor, move! - On the floor, come on! - So what happened when Hooker tossed the hitman's rental? - The car was clean except for a .
44 Magnum, some hollow points, and there were some notes scribbled on the map in the glove compartment.
The only thing Hooker could make out was the name Shelly Martel.
- Could be the intended victim, but male or female? And what about the map? - You mean like was there an X marking the spot where the hit was supposed to go down? - Or the heist that Hooker heard about? - Forget it, unless Shelly Martel is a bear.
It was a tourist map to Yellowstone Park.
(beeping) - [Dispatch.]
Four out of 30 and any unit in the vicinity coast cargo terminal international airport 19th and Palmer handle code three.
- Four out of 30, roger.
- Action at the airport.
Let's pick up a couple tickets to the Caribbean while we're at it.
- You're on partner.
Four out of 16 rolling back up to 30.
- Okay that's all of it.
- Come on come on come on! - Oh no, no no don't do it! (gunfire) (screaming) (beeping) - [Dispatch.]
Four out of 30 an airport security car is en route.
We'll meet you at the terminal.
- Four out of 30, roger.
- Get the gate! - Airport security, come on let's go! Hurry hurry, let's go! (gunfire) (booming) (sirens wailing) - Black van, late model.
Heading east on 19th Street.
They're armed with automatic weapons, not shy about using them and call for an ambulance.
They smoked one right over there.
- Four out of 16 need assistance at south coast cargo terminal.
- Oh my god, it's Bill, Bill Kennedy.
(dramatic music) - Zoilas take a hit from that cop, he ain't gonna get up.
And if he does, he's not gonna be able to do the job he was supposed to do.
And Angelo Dupree before him which is to shut that chick's mouth before she spills chapter and verse.
- Man well did you ever think that maybe she won't tell nobody nothing huh? - Look, Innis is down and Dupree is down.
The baby blue spot is on you.
- What are you crazy, huh? - You're elected, you pull the trigger.
I'm telling my people that's how it's coming down.
- All right, then maybe I take one of these for insurance huh man? - I thought we were gonna split later.
- What am I an animal? I'm gonna go kill my wife? - Hey hey hey hey, come on! Let's get the hell out of here.
- I'll take care of you another time, later.
- Okay fellas now let's do this to the count of three all right? One, two, three, there we go.
Looks like the liver or the spleen.
Start a second line with lactated ringers.
Don't deflate the mass suit.
Type and cross 10 units packed cells.
- It'll take 20 minutes.
- Too long get me some plasma.
- Blood pressure 60 over 40.
- Pulse? - [Woman.]
120 and thready, respiration labored.
- I can't get the IV, get me a cut down trach stat! - Okay let's get him intubated, I'll need a laryngoscope, an ET tube.
- I can't get a blood pressure.
- He's got a belly full of blood, notify the OR stat.
(beeping) (waves crashing, gulls cawing) - Well you've had a good workout.
You're blowing like you just finished the Olympic trials.
- Okay I'm a little winded, but I didn't mean to stop up here to get insulted.
Thought I'd check out your sand castle.
- Well anybody who's turned on by sand castles can't be all bad.
- Not only am I turned on by 'em, I used to be a champion at building them.
- Well you sound like a beach person.
- I had a little shack not too far from here a few summers ago.
I used to walk this beach every day at sunset.
- Well then we're practically neighbors.
My name's Steven Kennedy.
- Stacy Sheridan.
- Pleasure to meet you.
So what do you do besides steam along the sand at an hour when decent people are still asleep? - I'm a cop.
- Really? - Turn you off? - Should it? - I don't know, I've known a few gentlemen who was cruel.
- Well I'm actually very fond of cops.
My mother married one.
- Steve! - Speak of the devil.
- Are you ready for breakfast? - Sure! Dad I'd like you to meet a new friend of mine.
- Howdy friend, name's Bill.
- Stacy Sheridan.
- LCPD, which precinct? - Academy.
- I used to work out on the 18th myself.
Hell of a bunch of guys.
I miss 'em a lot.
Come on in and join us for breakfast! Wait'll you taste my pancakes.
- [Man.]
He's getting cyanotic, he'll never make it to OR.
- He's started to throw some PVC.
- Getting any pressure? - None.
- He's straight lined, we're losing him.
Pupils fixed and dilated.
- Clear.
(beeping) Come on, come on.
Come on, come on.
Come on, come on.
(waves crashing) - I put in 19 years on the force 'til I caught a slug in the spine from some freaked out punk on drugs.
So they shipped me out to pasture on a disability pension and I wound up doing security work for an outfit downtown.
Not the same as being in harness, but it pays the rent.
(glass tinkles) - Be careful you don't cut yourself.
- Did I just blow it, or didn't I fool you at all? - Well I didn't know down on the beach, if that's what you mean.
- Well, you've known some gentlemen who were turned off by finding out you were a cop.
I've known some ladies who took off like rabbits when they found out I was blind.
Figured I'd get to know you first and charm you to death before you had second thoughts.
- Well I'm finished with my running for the day.
Why don't I help you clean this up? - He didn't deserve that.
Two medals of valor, a lifetime of being a good guy, winds up on a slab in a morgue? While the maggot who shot him puts a notch on his gun and brags to his friends how macho he is.
- Bill? You sure Steve is back from school? - I talked to him this morning.
What do you have on the robbery? - Easy Stace.
- I just want to get whoever did this.
- Okay, what do you got? - Four gunmen, automatic weapons, military precision and a definite inside knowledge of how the alarm system at the cargo terminal works.
- Any idea how much they got? - On the first estimate it's three million in cash, diamonds, and securities.
They knew what they were after and hit before Brinks made their regular pickup.
I tell ya when your street source told ya a big heist was going down he wasn't kidding.
- Yeah, and the MO is similar to the heist at the San Francisco airport a couple of months ago.
Any idea on the guy that I wounded at the scene? - Nothing, but we'll have him printed and run through R&I.
- I want to head out to the beach, let Steven know how it happened.
- Okay.
It's almost daylight.
Get out of uniform, Jim will drive you.
- There's one other thing, Hooker.
All witnesses swear Bill Kennedy cooperated, didn't give the gunman any trouble.
The one who pulled the trigger seemed to just blow him away for no reason.
Almost like an execution.
- Yeah.
We're gonna nail him.
And anybody else who had anything to do with killing Bill.
I promise you that.
(elevator dings) (gentle piano music) - I don't think I ever told you before, but I wasn't born blind.
When I was seven I developed a disease that gradually weakened the optic nerve.
One day the lights just went out.
Dad thought for a while there might be a chance for an operation, but we finally gave up.
- Well he was proud that you pursued your music.
- He always felt I had talent.
Made me get off my tail and do something about it.
God.
Somehow after all he went through on the force, I guess I always thought he was immortal.
He was more than just my father, Stace.
He was my friend.
- He was my friend, too.
I know you don't want to think about this, but there are arrangements to be made.
- There's a will.
He wanted to be cremated.
His ashes scattered out at sea.
What about the people who killed him? - Well we don't have anything solid on 'em yet, but we're working on it.
Steven, Hooker worked with your dad and they knew each other for years.
There's no way he's gonna let this loose until he shakes every tree in this city to find the guy who pulled the trigger.
(phone rings) - Corrigan.
- Jim, Hooker.
We got lucky with a quick ID on the wounded man.
His name is Tony Ennis.
He's got a record, mostly small time burglary and he spent some time as muscle for several unions and was on parole when he showed up at the cargo terminal.
- But what about grilling him? - Well we tried that, but he's in intensive care and refuses to talk.
- His parole officer have a file on known associates? - She's giving us a list and we found an address on 'em but O'Brien sent a team there and came up with less than what the parole officer had with one exception, they found a phone number and a name scribbled on a scrap of paper.
- Do I guess? - [Hooker.]
Shelly Martel.
- The phone number? - A dance studio on the east side.
The lady's an instructor there but they wouldn't give out anything else on the phone.
I want you and Stacy to track Ennis's known associates while I find Shelly Martel.
- We'll be on it.
- Got a hot date tonight Shelly? - Yeah, with a pizza and a feather comforter.
Catch you girls later.
(suspenseful music) Can you, what are you doing here? (gun fires) (tires squeal) - Hang on sweetie and we'll get you to a hospital.
Somebody call an ambulance.
Are you Shelly Martel? Who did this to you? Do you know who did it? (sirens wail) She didn't have a chance.
What a waste.
- So the contract went down on schedule even without Angelo Dupree.
- And why her if she was just a dancer? - People have some kind of ID? - Who wants to know? - FBI.
- That the girl's bag? - Yeah, why? - We'll take care of it.
- Sergeant Hooker.
Officer Corrigan, officer Sheridan.
- Okay you people can move on now.
- [Hooker.]
What's that supposed to mean? - Just like it sounds, point yourself in a direction and walk.
No need for reports, we'll contact your superior to confirm.
- What's the fed's interest in this? The girl was iced before the sheet could be pulled up, you guys are crawling out of the woodwork.
- Hooker this isn't a game show.
If we tell you to disappear, you disappear.
It's as simple as that.
- What the hell is going down? First a button man from Detroit, then an airport heist.
- Then the hit goes down and now? - I don't know what's going down but I'm sure as hell going to find out.
- What about captain Danza? He'll lay the bricks to you if you ask for special duty.
- O'Brien will cover for us long enough to take a bite out of it, and if we turn something Danza will jump on the bandwagon in time to take a bow on the six o'clock news.
Salvatore Martel.
- Yeah.
- Hooker, LCPD.
- I already talked to the cops at the morgue you know? - Yeah I know you identified Shelly Martel's body.
I want to ask you a few more questions.
- Like I said man, I don't know nothing so why bother? - [Hooker.]
She was your wife right? - Happens every day.
One more life snuffed out, so who cares? - I care, I want to know who killed her and why.
We think it was a mob hit, shot by somebody who wanted her out of the way for some reason.
- That's crazy.
She didn't know anything that anybody'd want to kill her for.
- [Hooker.]
What would she know? - What? - I said somebody wanted her out of the way for some reason and you said it was crazy, that she wouldn't know anything.
What would she know? - It was a figure of speech.
Listen, truth is we've been separated since she started working at that damn dance studio.
That's all she had on her mind.
That and shoes.
You know I'd be running someplace uptown if I had a 20 for every pair she had in her closet.
- I don't know, seems to me you got a good thing going here.
I was brought up on Mulberry Street.
Used to come in here all the time.
Was a little white haired guy who used to run the place.
- Yeah? He's dead, just like this old neighborhood.
This dump I bought on probate's the biggest mistake in my life.
That and marrying a dancer.
- Not exactly overwhelmed with grief are you? - Listen, she was a gypsy.
She had no morals, no conscience.
- I was with her when she died.
She seemed like a sweet, scared kid to me.
- Why don't you give me a break? I'm paying for the funeral huh? I got work to do pal.
- Maybe you heard about the airport heist? A friend of mine was killed in it.
By the punks who pulled it.
Some scum, executed for no reason.
I want him and I think Shelly's murder ties into it.
- I just run out of answers for your questions.
I got work to do.
- I'll be back.
- What's that a threat? - No man that's a promise.
- Hey you can't talk to me like that 'cause I didn't do anything wrong.
- Then you have nothing to worry about right? (phone rings) - Yeah? - [Salvatore.]
It's Sal, listen a cop was just here asking some more questions.
- So? What did you tell him? - [Salvatore.]
What do you mean what did I tell him huh? You think I'm stupid? I don't like this thing here.
I'm starting to feel the heat.
I think maybe we should split town huh? - We stay put.
With you or without you, we still have to fence that stuff.
But if it's without you, you're going to have to do some heavy explaining to the big boys.
- Look I just meant for a while you know? - Get your act together, Sal baby.
Or you can kiss your big future goodbye, hear? - Yeah yeah.
Hey listen you know I've been thinking about Bill Kennedy's son.
You know he was on the beach when we were talking to Kennedy at the house and I tell you I swear a couple times, I caught him staring at us.
- Don't worry about it okay? I'll take care of Kennedy's son.
- Yeah, right.
(ominous music) - We've gone over Tony Ennis's known associates list and one of them turns out to be a penny ante hood named Sal Martel.
- Shelly Martel's ex.
- [Stacy.]
I thought we came up with something.
- You did I just got there ahead of you.
How's Steve Kennedy? - With Bill gone he's having a rough time.
- I made some calls.
Tomorrow we talk with friend of justice about the feds who have been hassling us.
- What's the line on Shelly Martel? - How about this? She was about to become a protected witness but she wanted to make a deal first.
They were negotiating whether she waited too long.
- Any idea what they were trying to get out of her? - Something to do with the interstate shipments of stolen property.
- Cargo heists? - Starts to fit in doesn't it? - Anything else? - Just that the real juice thought she was gonna testify to had to do with the big heist that hasn't gone down yet.
- Which was probably the cargo terminal stickup.
- Where are you going? - I'm going to find the snitch who gave me the original rumble on Angelo Dupree hitting town.
(horn honking) - We gotta stop meeting like this Hooker or people are going to talk.
- Let 'em, you wired? - Nah it's turned off.
Those two bozos from ad vice that I'm working with are taking a break and I'm just trying to talk some religion into these street ladies who think some pimp in a gold limo is going to be their prince Charming.
- I'm looking for Crystal Court.
- She's not hustling the streets anymore.
Not since she got herself a sugardaddy and some catalog work, lingerie like that.
Anyway that's what she told me a couple days ago.
- Where can I find her? (gentle piano music) - My god Hooker you scared me to death.
- Would you rather I dropped by the table? - You know better than that.
- Crystal.
I need more on that hit that you said was going down.
- Look, I told you everything I heard.
I only called you to try to pay off some of my debt to you.
I'm clean.
I swear! - A friend of mine was murdered at that airport heist, a good friend.
He left a son behind.
Son is blind.
My friend had a lot more years to spend with that son, so you tell me about Salvatore Martel and Shelly Martel.
- Okay look, I overheard one of my Johns talking on the phone about the hit.
But I didn't know who the target was until after it went down, but what I didn't tell you was that Sal Martel was supposed to take over the hit after you took out the first trigger man.
- Who was your John? - A guy I've known on and off for a while.
Name of Manny Jacobs.
He's connected.
- How high up does that connection go? - I think Jacobs and Martel are low level guys who are sanctioned from above.
- Who put out the contract on Shelly Martel? - It could have been nine different guys.
She just knew things the mob doesn't want told.
- Maybe like you.
- Look, that's it Hooker, that's all I know! Except about the heist.
- What about the heist? - There was an inside man, a guy who was into the loan sharks heavy over some gambling debts.
- Who? - Your friend.
The security guard who was killed.
- Stay away from people who can hurt you.
I don't want you to end up in a drawer, wearing a toe tag.
- Hooker? The security guard's son? - What about him? - He's blind.
- That's right.
- [Crystal.]
They don't know that.
- What do you mean? - The guys who pulled the heist.
They think the son saw them.
They think he can identify them.
- Did you reach Stacy? - She was with Steven Kennedy at the beach.
I told her to bring him in.
(ominous music) - Steven! Steven.
Four out of 16 to control.
We need an ambulance at 626 Coast Highway.
The doctor's certain Steven's going to be okay.
He had a slight concussion and multiple fracture of the right arm.
- Is there a guard around his room? - Yeah, but he doesn't know why they came after him.
- When can I talk to him? - No visitors until the morning.
- All right, you get some rest.
Jim and I are going to go collect some garbage.
- Sal Martel? - You got it.
- Hooker.
You people know agents Brodsky and Carpenter don't you? - Yeah we've met.
- Yeah that's right we have.
Did you get anything out of Steven Kennedy? - Who? - You know Hooker it seems like this is where we left off with you.
- If you'll excuse us, captain.
- [Danza.]
Hold it Hooker.
We're cooperating with Brodsky and his people.
- That's right, and if you've got anything you share it.
Like what you found out from the security guard's son.
- Are you threatening me Brodsky? - You can take it any way you want.
We were on this case before you stumbled in with two left feet.
- Yeah you were on it all right, you were on it so good you got a young girl killed you should have been protecting.
- Shelly Martel? She said she had information.
We didn't know whether it was legit or not.
- Easy enough to check out if you've been doing your job.
Instead she's dead, a heist and another murder went down which you should have stopped, Shelly Martel knew names you should have squeezed out of her right away.
- Indictments are what we're after, the top dogs, not some small chain street hoods.
- Let's go Jim.
Either of you get in my face again, you're going to need a flashlight and forceps to find your badges.
- Oh watch out! (gunfire) - Four X-ray 30 to dispatch, requesting an ambulance to the scene at Broad and sixth, man shot.
(exciting music) I'm in pursuit of suspects.
Proceeding north on sixth crossing Grant.
(horns honking) - The irony is that Steven Kennedy didn't know anything.
He couldn't implicate anybody.
- Because he couldn't see the hoods we nailed meeting with his father.
Has Steven been released from the hospital? - He'll be okay.
- You know his father made one mistake in his whole life and it cost him his life.
- Martel is in bad shape, but I think he'll live.
I can give you two minutes.
- You know what I think Sal? I don't think you ever were a mob guy.
You wanted to be.
And they made you kill your wife to make your bones, to become a made man, but they were setting you up all along.
Who gave the order to pull the trigger? You don't want the wise guys who tried to dust you to walk do you? And they're celebrating, those big boys.
Those big boys are celebrating right now.
They're drinking a toast to what an easy target you were.
They're laughing at you Sal, laughing at you.
- I'm sorry but that's going to have to be all.
- Who set you up? Who wanted Shelly killed? Who were the bosses? - We've got to get him to the operating room.
- Testify Sal, name names.
Help me take them down.
- Please sergeant, please.
- I'll testify.
I'll testify.
I'll testify.
- [Danza.]
He still alive? - Breathing, if that qualifies.
They'll be mining the lead out of him for a week.
- Will he testify? - Yeah he'll testify.
First for us, then for the feds, if there's anything left.
- You're charming to the end aren't you Hooker? - I have my moments.
(pleasant music) (exciting music)