The Rockford Files (1974) s06e10 Episode Script
The Big Cheese
(PHONE RINGING) Hello.
Something's coming in the mail for you.
Something big.
A couple of guys who were looking for a package that was addressed to you.
Did they get it? Whoever did it knew his stuff.
An ice pick right into the heart.
What Eddie Hellinger sent to you belongs to me.
I want it back.
Rockford just took it away from me.
What do we do now? I don't have the slightest idea.
Hey, Rockford! (TRUCK HONKS) (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) This is the Baron.
Angel Martin tells me you buy information.
Okay, meet me at 1:00 a.
m.
Behind the bus depot.
Bring $500 and come alone.
I'm serious.
MAN ON P.
A: Sierra Chief from Seattle, Tacoma and Portland will be arriving on Track 29.
That's Gate 4, for Track 29.
Mr.
Fred Barnes.
Will Mr.
Fred Barnes go to the main terminal information counter, please? You got some of them stamps, honey? They've been in there a long time, Angie.
Hey, don't worry about it.
Ain't going nowheres.
At least they ain't going nowheres you can get to by train.
What happens if one of 'em tries? Hey, don't worry so much.
MAN ON P.
A: Sunset Express is now ready for boarding on Track 12.
There he is.
Does he have it? Can't see it.
Better go check him out, Coco.
(MACHINE CLANKING) Thanks, honey.
MAN ON P.
A: We have a lost child.
We have a lost child.
A boy about 7 years old.
He says his name is Timmy.
He has brown hair and is wearing a Rams warm-up jacket.
Timmy will be at the security office.
He didn't have it.
Did he say anything? Yeah, he said, "Don't.
Please don't.
" (SIGHING) Well, I guess the other guy got it for sure.
(PHONE RINGING) Hello, who is it? Hey, Jimbo, don't you recognize the voice of the fourth estate? It sounds more like a fifth of sour mash.
How're you doing, Eddie? Hey, you know me, Jimbo.
I always have a good time.
Listen, I just called to say hello, to tell you there's something coming in the mail for you.
Something big.
The last time you got me mixed up into something big, I sweated out the suspension of my license for six months before the smoke cleared, Eddie.
(GRUNTS) Eddie? You all right? Eddie, what happened there? Are you okay? (PHONE RINGING) Robbery Homicide, Sergeant Roy Floyd.
Sorry, Lieutenant Becker's out of the office right now.
Can I take a message? Rockford, huh? Oh, yeah, sure.
I'll tell the lieutenant you called.
Let's go.
It's time to saddle up.
A patrol unit found a couple of stiffs at Alameda and Macy.
The train station.
Oh, that's very good, Floyd.
Very, very good.
I'm gonna put you in for a special commendation for memorizing your map books.
Let's move it out.
Yes, sir.
Who's gonna take over the desk? Come on, come on.
You can go, Floyd.
All right, let's go.
The boss wants to see you.
You gotta be kidding.
The boss? The man said, "Let's go.
" So let's go! STAMPS: Don't.
Do you mind if I just put on my slippers? Okay? Shall we? CHUCK: Give me a break, will you, Eunice? This damn phone is freezing.
How many times I gotta tell you, don't call me at work.
Will you stop already? I told you what to do when I left the house.
You gotta go back there tomorrow and tell this Colonel Gilstrap that I already paid a whole year's tuition.
He's got to keep the kid in school.
Eunice, Eunice, I don't wanna talk about this no more.
I'm hanging up the phone, Eunice.
You know who I am, Rockford? Chuck Ryan.
I recognized your union label from your mug shots in the paper.
I don't like wise guys.
I don't either.
I particularly don't like to be dragged out of my bed in the middle of the night, or standing around in your meat locker in my pajamas.
You just tell me what I wanna know, and I'll have the boys take you home.
Fair enough? Depends on what you want to know.
I want you to tell me about that little phone call you got about 11:30 from Eddie Hellinger.
Hey, stop slugging the meat, will you? So, you were gonna tell me about the phone call.
I was? Sure.
He's sending me something in the mail.
Sit on him until he gets his package.
Now, wait a minute What Eddie Hellinger sent to you belongs to me.
I want it back.
If I don't get it, I'll crack your head.
COCO: Hey, don't bust the yolks, Rockford.
I like it spilly, not watery.
Yeah, not too crisp on the bacon either.
He didn't leave nothing outside.
COCO: Mr.
Ryan ain't gonna like this.
Mr.
Ryan? There ain't nothing.
Two overdue bills and an ad for life insurance.
Yeah, sure, sure.
I'll tell him, Mr.
Ryan.
Mr.
Ryan said, you should have a nice day.
Oh, well, with you leaving, how can I miss? We'll be back tomorrow for mail call.
And breakfast? Would you bring back the plate? (DOOR CLOSES) CHAPMAN: I wonder what they were looking for.
Stinking joint looks like a chef's salad.
FLOYD: I'm glad I don't have to clean it up.
I've got a little surprise for you, Floyd.
You are going to clean it up.
You're gonna pick up every newspaper, cigarette butt, magazine, and garment in the place.
It's all evidence.
You might not realize this, Floyd, but this is an important case.
Very important.
It could open a lot of doors.
It might even mean a transfer to Internal Affairs.
Hey, Lieutenant, I mean, we don't even know if this place was tossed.
I mean, maybe this guy Hellinger was just a slob.
Floyd.
(KNOCK ON DOOR) ROCKFORD: Eddie? (KNOCKING) Eddie? Hey, Eddie? Eddie! Chapman, what are you doing here? Shut up, Rockford.
Up against the wall.
I just hope you and old Roy-Boy here have a search warrant, 'cause when Eddie sobers up, he's gonna dump a lot of dirt on your department for trashing his place without one.
You got it all twisted, Rockford.
The dirt's gonna be dumped on Eddie, not me.
What are you talking about? We just mopped what was left of your pal Hellinger off the floor at the train station.
He looked like a leaky paint bucket.
Oh, no.
CHAPMAN: I want you to listen, and listen good, Rockford.
Right now, I've got you dead-bang on a burglary charge, and you're just one jump away from being an accessory to a murder.
And you're one jump away from the traffic division if you try to get a complaint from the DA on either one of those little hummers.
I saw you break into Hellinger's apartment, remember? I told you, he was a friend of mine.
Eddie Hellinger was a Ioner.
His only friend was his bottle.
(PHONE RINGING) Yes? Oh.
Yeah, right, right.
(CHUCKLING) Sure, I'm gonna make it on time.
Don't worry about it.
Yeah, right.
Hey, thanks for calling.
Yeah, see you.
Your pal was the biggest stew pot in town, Rockford.
Floyd! Get in here.
But we're gonna give him the same kind of all-out investigative effort that we'd give to any other citizen.
Floyd.
I want you to conduct a thorough interrogation of Mr.
Rockford here, keeping in mind that the man is a possible suspect in a homicide case.
All right? FLOYD: Yes, sir.
Sweat him till you've got a good-sized puddle.
(DOOR CLOSES) Okay.
Let's try it again.
From the top.
You broke into Eddie Hellinger's apartment because you and him were such good buddies.
That's your story, huh? (DOOR OPENS) You booking this man? Huh, Lieutenant Chapman told me to question him.
Well, book him, or cut him loose.
Yes, sir.
You can go now, Mr.
Rockford.
You heard about Eddie? Yeah, I heard.
Come on, I'll buy you a cup of coffee.
You never really got a chance to know Eddie, Dennis.
I mean, really know him.
Everybody said he was undependable.
I've been hearing that about Eddie ever since he was 15 years old.
You wanna know something? He never let me down.
He let himself down a lot, but never me.
Never a friend.
It was a doubleheader.
Did you know that? A double What are you talking about? Well, they found another body about a block away from the station, in an alley.
There was no ID on him, but he had the same kind of puncture wound in his back that they found on Hellinger.
From an ice pick maybe.
Another body? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Maybe not, but whoever did it knew his stuff.
A straight shot between the ribs, right into the heart.
(SIGHS) Keep me posted on this thing, will you, Dennis? I'll pass along what I can, but stay out of Chapman's way.
Me and him have been tangling over you, and it's getting to be a regular gun battle around here.
I'll keep my head down.
I bet you will.
Thanks.
Uh, Mr.
Rockford.
Yes? Hi.
I'm Sally Packard.
I worked with Eddie on the paper.
He mentioned you a few times.
He did? Yeah.
He said you were a friend.
They assigned me to write his obituary.
You feel like talking? Yeah, well Why not? SALLY: That was the biggest steak I ever saw.
Oh, I've seen Eddie put away two of those things then top it off with a slab of lemon meringue pie.
Oh, it's funny.
I worked with Eddie, sat right next to him, but I didn't really know him that well.
Yeah, well, he was a private kind of guy, you know, good food, good booze, but not too big on company.
I suppose you knew him as well as anybody, growing up together.
Yeah, I suppose.
There's a lot to be said for long-time friendships, the mutual trust that's built over the years.
Yeah.
For you, it was Eddie.
For me, it's Mary-Ann Reicker.
We go all the way back to the seventh grade together.
I tell Mary-Ann things I wouldn't tell my analyst.
You have an analyst? I don't need one, I have Mary-Ann.
I guess you and Eddie shared a lot, too.
Mmm.
He was so excited about that series of stories he was writing on Chuck Ryan and his union.
He was doing a series on Chuck Ryan? I didn't know that.
I was up to San Jose on an insurance case.
Well, I don't know if Eddie had anything solid on Ryan, but he was really digging his spurs into it.
Do you think that's what got him killed? Oh Ryan is from the sticks and stones school.
I don't think he'd bring down a lot of heat on himself just because of a couple of nasty newspaper stories.
I don't know.
Well, come on, let's get out of here.
You need some sleep, and I still have a story to file for the morning edition.
Maybe we can get together again sometime.
I'd like that.
I don't quite see where I fit in, Jimmy.
Yeah, well, Eddie Hellinger worked for the Globe.
He was working on a story about Chuck Ryan, the grand vizier of the meatpacker's union.
Now, what I need to know is if any other papers, like your brother-in-law's, has ever done anything in-depth on Ryan.
You know, I'm just looking for background.
This is a good buddy of yours, this Hellinger, huh? Yeah.
I really feel for you, Jimmy.
Thank you, Angel.
Thank you.
The thing that's kind of eating me is though that it looks like I'm gonna be the only one around to mourn for Eddie, except a woman he knew at the paper.
Whew.
A Ioner, huh? Guy didn't have no family? Nobody? No, he lived by himself up in a bachelor pad on Vermont.
Kinda makes you wonder, don't it? What it'll be like when Mr.
D.
Calls your name.
I know I wonder who will mourn for Angel Martin? Probably a couple of credit companies.
I don't want to get into that Angel, huh? It's Eddie Hellinger that's dead.
Not you.
Yeah, yeah, I know, but, you know, your mind thinks funny things at a time like this.
You remember that old song when you were a kid? (SINGING) Did you ever think when the hearse goes by That you may be the next to die They put you in a big long box And cover you up with dirt and rocks You are a bulwark in my time of need, Angel.
A beacon in the storm.
I just hate to see you drain yourself in your sensitivity any more, so I will leave now, and I will come back for the information later.
That's the thanks I get for letting you lay this bummer on me.
I guess the less said about that job, the better, huh? Well, it's not too bad.
You did the best you could, Dad.
Well, I ain't talking about my putting it together, I'm talking about whatever it was that pulled it apart.
Where you pulling me, huh? Dad, as you can see, I'm having a little problem here.
(CHUCKLING) You're having more than a little problem, if that door's any indication.
Look, won't you please try and get yourself into a decent line of work? All right, that's it.
Hold it right there, Dad.
We had this conversation about a year and a half ago, and we agreed we would not have it again.
And this has nothing to do with my work.
What am I supposed to think? I come over here and see the door looking like that! We're not gonna discuss it, Dad.
Now, I want you to get out of here, and I don't want you to come back till I tell you it's all right to come back, okay? Well, I don't wanna be in nobody's way.
Dad, where you going? I gotta get my tape measure.
I just want you out of here.
Probably come back and see all your ribs stove in.
Well then, don't come back, huh? Not till I tell you to.
And this has nothing to do with my work.
It's just a little problem with the mail.
CALDER: Mrs.
Dobbs just said I was supposed to help you intercept a package of ROCKFORD: Fulminating pneumo-bacillus.
Bacillus? You mean Mrs.
Dobbs didn't tell you what this is all about? Oh, I guess it's just as well.
We want to try to prevent any kind of panic whatever.
Panic? You mean this is that serious? I mean, the regulations are very clear about sending dangerous sub Believe me, Mr.
Calder, the young woman who made the mistake is paying dearly for it.
I just hope that the vomiting and the convulsions are over by now.
You want me to red-switch the place? I can stop every piece of mail in here, if you say so.
Let's just trace that package, okay? Oh, we'll trace it all right.
Now, you sure it was addressed properly? Let me explain something to you, Mr.
Calder.
The secretary at the lab, Mona, has a bit of a drinking problem, so when she was addressing the package, her hand could have been a little shaky.
You know what I mean? How could you have allowed a woman like that to handle something so dangerous? I just got married last month.
We are wasting valuable time, Mr.
Calder.
Hoag! If the address is illegible, the package goes to the nixies.
They're experts at deciphering illegible addresses.
Mr.
Hoag, please give this gentleman every assistance.
Top priority, you understand? Top priority.
You're gonna have to excuse me.
My wife's not feeling well.
Well, Mr.
Hoag, you're gonna get a chance to be a hero, maybe even save a few innocent lives.
Mr.
Calder tells me that you have a reputation of being the best nixie in the business.
Well, I'm better than any machine.
Well, this package would have been mailed from somewhere around the train station night before last by an Eddie Hellinger.
The addressee was named Rockford.
Well, I've got it over here if I read it.
Yeah, I've got it, but you're wrong about the addressee.
The name was Rockfield.
I'm the addressee.
James Rockford, What I read was John Rockfield, Mar Vista.
Mr.
Rockfield? Yeah? Hi.
I'm here about a package that the post office delivered to you by mistake.
I told him I didn't want it, but he just insisted.
Who did? That special delivery postman.
I told him if he just looked at it real close, you could see it didn't say Rockfield, but he insisted it is for me.
So what happened? Well, he refused to take it back to the post office.
Well, you don't have to worry about it anymore, Mr.
Rockfield.
I'm Jim Rockford, so you can just give it to me.
I'd sure like to do that, but I'm afraid I can't.
I don't have it anymore.
You don't? Where is it? Well, I don't want anything that's not rightfully mine, so I brought the package down to the post office and made 'em take it back.
You should have seen how upset they got.
Seems they don't have a regulation covering people bringing back mail, and it jammed 'em up like a rat in a drain pipe.
So, what happened to the package? Oh, it's safe enough.
Shouldn't have any more problem with it.
The post office has got it.
Hey, what are you doing? Cut it out! Stop! Hey, Fred! What the heck happened to you? They pushed me over with a car, and they was after Jim's mail.
All right.
You just hang on here.
I'll go call the police.
Thank you.
Rockford, you've got some explaining to do.
Dad? You and Fred okay? Yeah.
I said you got some explaining to do I can't tell you how tired I am of explaining today, Chapman.
Well, now, ain't that too bad, Rockford? The mailman here says he got smacked around by a couple of guys who were looking for a package that was addressed to you.
Did they get it? Not from him.
Now where is it and what is it? McGrew's Barbeque? Rub your gums across our ribs? Give me that.
Sure, Chapman, just doesn't sound like your kind of place.
My business takes me to a lot of different places.
Now, where's the package? It's in the post office, Chapman, and they're not about to give it up until they're good and ready.
I've spent most of the day trying to pry it out of them.
Is that right? Well, you just don't know how to handle 'em, that's all.
I guarantee, I get my hands on that package before you find your socks.
Oh, yeah? Well, I'll tell you what.
You go on down there.
You just do that, Chapman.
Go on.
Take 'em on.
What? Oh, don't forget to take a couple a sandwiches and maybe a change of clothes.
How can you eat that thing? I'm hungry.
Hey, Dennis, what did Chapman come up with on that other body they found at the train station? Well, not much.
Only that his name is Arnold Moe, he worked in a laundry someplace.
Chapman checked him out, and he said that the guy didn't have any connection to Hellinger.
How come he died? Well, maybe he saw the Hellinger killing go down.
They iced him to keep him quiet.
That's a little thin, Dennis.
You wouldn't happen to have Arnold Moe's address, would you? Yeah, I think it's the Barcelona Garden Apartments.
Second and Normandie.
Thank you, Dennis.
Hey, you want a piece of pie to go with your coffee? No, I'll pass, but listen, give me the receipt when you pay up, okay? You, too? Chapman's walking around with his pockets stuffed full of those things.
Well, Chapman is being audited by the Internal Revenue, and he Well, he kind of lost his old stubs.
So he's got all his friends out picking up phony ones for him, huh? You make it sound like a felony.
Dennis, it is a felony.
It's called income tax evasion.
(KNOCK ON DOOR) Hey Angel, open up.
It's me, Jim.
Hey, Jim.
Hey.
Hey, how did you do on getting the information on Chuck Ryan? It's coming along, coming along.
Why don't you just drop by in a few hours.
I haven't had no breakfast yet.
It's okay.
I'll wait.
Suit yourself.
I got certain things to do, you know.
The hotel cleaning lady, she won't make the bed, she won't sweep up the dust bunnies or nothing if you've got stuff strewed about.
Yeah, well, what I was wondering when you were doing the research on Chuck Ryan, did you run across the name Arnold Moe anywhere? He was a When did you get a typewriter? Brought it home from the paper.
E.
H.
Evanston Harold.
Aaron picked that stuff up when the paper folded.
It's Eddie Hellinger's, isn't it? (STAMMERING) That's Eddie Hellinger's typewriter, isn't it? You went over there and you picked his bones, didn't you, Angel, huh? You And that's his TV set, too.
Oh, Angel His press club award! Angel Jimmy, I did it for you.
I did it for you.
Me? I did it I did it for you.
I did it for you.
You know, Hellinger, this guy's got no family, there's no will made out.
Well, the state's gonna get all that money.
You don't want the state to have that money, do you? I was gonna call you as soon as you were feeling better Open the door! And I was gonna see who you wanted to send it to.
I don't believe a word you're saying, Angel.
Jimmy, it's not that bad.
I left his shoes.
(PHONE RINGING) Hello.
Sally, this is Jim.
Sorry to bother you at the office Well, Jim, it's no bother.
I told you to call me if there's anything I could do to help.
What is it? Sally, would you mind if I gave out your private number at the office for For what? Well, it's a little difficult to explain, but I think I've got a line on Arnold Moe, and I'm gonna need some information from the bank.
Bankers are just about the toughest people in the world to get information from, so What exactly do you want me to do? Would you take a message for a Mr.
Cooley if anybody should call and check me out? Mr.
Cooley? Yeah, I'll explain it at dinner, okay? Okay.
All right.
Thanks, hun.
Oh, Mr.
Neff? Yeah, what is it? Yeah, I'm Jim Cooley.
You know, the State Inheritance Tax Office? I called you earlier about Arnold Moe's assets.
You were supposed to be here an hour ago, and I'm on my way out.
Oh, I bet you're going to lunch.
Yes.
I hope I didn't ruin your lunch hour, but I just don't know where the morning went.
Say, maybe I could join you for lunch.
Well If I don't get a sandwich and a beer in my stomach, I'm not gonna get halfway through Mr.
Moe's assets.
Listen, how about that little bar and grill on the corner, is that good? Tommy's? It's fine.
Fine.
Fine.
Fine.
Time for number four, hmm? Anyway, like I was saying, I always try to do a little extra for our big commercial accounts.
You know, I'm always the first one in the office, and the last to leave at night.
We even won an award for the cleanest lobby in the district because I empty the ashtrays whenever they're full.
(EXCLAIMING) Thanks.
Can I have the check? Thank you.
You were gonna tell me about Arnold Moe? I was? Mmm-hmm.
There's not too much to tell.
He had extensive holdings, but there's only a little bit left now.
How much? (SIGHING) Oh, small change.
According to Mr.
Moe's instructions, his assets Well, we've been liquidating them for the past several months.
Converting them into bearer bonds.
Why would he convert them into bearer bonds? I don't know, but his safety deposit box is full of them.
I mean, I'll give you the exact amount when we go back to the office, but I can tell you, it is plenty.
Six figures.
You people are gonna have a real ball with this one, huh? You ought to get a real healthy percentage out of this, huh? I didn't know the laundry business was doing that good.
Laundry business? You gotta be joking.
Arnold Moe was an accountant.
A good one.
I mean, take it from me, he was a real wizard with the numbers.
I I don't suppose you would happen to know the address where he worked, his office? Hey State Accountancy Board, they'd know.
ROCKFORD: You know, this thing isn't all that sticky, it's just I'm having trouble getting the thing to hang together where it makes any sense.
The guy over at the Accountancy Board gave me Arnold Moe's office address.
Obviously, he worked for the union.
Probably an accountant.
Then why did he tell everyone he ran a laundry? Ah! Inside joke.
Yeah.
He was a real magician with numbers, you know.
He must have made the books look clean while Chuck Ryan stole the union blind.
Then that's what it's all about.
Mmm.
Yeah, but Where does Eddie Hellinger figure in, you know? Yeah, what got him killed? There's something about Eddie that I'm missing.
Something I'm forgetting.
Dessert? No, thank you.
Not a very appropriate farewell dinner for Eddie.
You know, there was some luggage stashed behind the couch in Arnold Moe's apartment.
Now, according to George Neff at the bank, he was cashing in his winnings.
He was ready to leave town.
But how? Chuck Ryan would never let him do that.
Not with all the information he must have had.
Yeah, that's got to be where Eddie Hellinger came into it.
Let's just say that Moe picked up a paper, and he read where Eddie was out gunning for Chuck Ryan.
Might seem like a quick way out of his dilemma.
You mean, feed information to Eddie that would incriminate Ryan and get him out of the way.
I think he gave him a little more than information, you know, maybe it was a book or an account ledger, something like that.
Whatever it was, it probably added up to No wonder he wanted to get his hands on it.
Then, that's what Eddie sent you.
The package.
Yeah, well, that book is the key to the whole thing.
It just ties the whole mess together.
It has got to be in the morning mail.
STAMPS: It just ain't showed up yet, Mr.
Ryan.
You guys know how important that book is? Yes, Mr.
Ryan.
Then get it.
It wasn't our fault it wasn't in the mail, Mr.
Ryan.
Now, if it comes tomorrow I don't want to hear no "if.
" Get it.
Now, if you will just explain what it is that you want.
I've already explained it since early this afternoon.
I've explained it to two different shifts of office personnel.
Now they've finally sent me to the top man.
Excuse me, top person.
I need a package from the mail.
It's important evidence in a murder investigation.
We only deliver to the addressee.
Federal regulations.
Well, why wasn't I told about this earlier? What is it with you people and regulations? That's all I hear all of a sudden.
Federal regulations.
You can't take this.
You don't count that.
This isn't allowed.
That isn't deductible.
I'm a police lieutenant.
Doesn't that count for anything? No.
You'll have to obey regulations same as everyone else.
Unless you want to get a search warrant from a federal magistrate.
Couldn't I fill out a form or something? Sorry, Mr.
Chapman.
Regulations.
Regulations All right.
Here comes Fred.
Right on time.
Fred! Oh, Fred, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to come up on you like that.
Now listen, I want you to do me a favor.
I've got There you go.
Oh, hey.
Thank you, Fred.
All right.
(STAMMERING) I don't have it.
Rockford just took it away from me.
What is it? It's Sweeney's Green Mountain Cheddar.
I don't understand.
It's my favorite cheese.
Well, what about the book? How should I know? Oh, they're not gonna believe it.
They are not gonna believe it no matter what I tell them.
All right, now look.
You're making a big (SIGHS) Two days, hunting a hunk of cheese.
It sounds so ridiculous.
You think so? When Chuck Ryan gets his hands on that cheese, he's gonna send those two yo-yos back for my head.
What do we do now? I don't have the slightest idea.
Ah! What is it, Jim? You remember that thing about Eddie that I couldn't remember before? I just remembered it.
You remember what a long-ball hitter Eddie was, and how obnoxious he could get when he was really bagged? I forgot about his box number.
Box number? Yeah, yeah, Eddie had to move around so much because of his drinking, he kept a box number in the classified section at the paper so he could always get his personal mail.
He never told you about that? Well, I guess I forgot, just like you.
Would you happen to have any pull with any of the people in the classified section? No more than you do, and I have to see the city editor or I'm going to be out of a job.
All right, now.
I'll get the package We can meet back at the car.
Yeah, okay, sure.
Okay.
Hi, Mr.
Gleeson's office sent me down for the package.
Mr.
Gleeson? Mr.
Arthur Gleeson, the Vice President in charge of operations for this newspaper.
Yes, sir.
Uh, what package was that? The one in Eddie Hellinger's box.
Yes, sir.
Sorry.
No package.
There wasn't anything in Mr.
Hellinger's box but this.
Ah, well thank you for your help.
Mr.
Gleeson is gonna be very happy about this.
Huh, excuse me, Sally Packard? Thank you.
Excuse me, I'm looking for Sally Packard.
I'm Sally Packard.
Well, how were things at the city desk, huh? Any late breaking stories? What? What are you doing? You worked with Eddie, but you never got too close, so I did a solo down memory lane.
What in the hell are you talking about? Give me my bag.
Just looking for a little ID.
Look, I am Not Sally Packard.
I just met Sally Packard.
All right.
I'm Sally Sternhagen, IRS.
I don't think I disturbed anything.
(SIGHS) Any questions? There's a couple.
Eddie Hellinger contacted us.
He said he had enough for us to nail Chuck Ryan for everything from income tax evasion to grand theft.
When Eddie was killed, I was supposed to pick up where he left off.
You thought I knew something about it? I thought Eddie might have confided in you.
For a while, it did look like he'd mailed you the book.
What'd you come up with in there? It's at the train station.
It's a lousy stinkin' cheese.
We didn't know.
You couldn't check? You couldn't open this box and look? Wait a minute.
If Hellinger mailed this from the train station, the book's still gotta be there.
MAN ON PA: Express service to Salt Lake City, Chicago and Cleveland will be boarding at There it is.
If it's not in here, I'm seriously considering taking one of the trains.
Here, tell you what, just wrap this up just like it was, okay.
You guys are moving into this train station and staying here.
What are we gonna eat, Mr.
Ryan? All right, you call the police.
Central Division's only about a block away.
Here.
How long we gotta stay here, Mr.
Ryan? Till somebody shows up with that book.
Hey, Rockford.
MAN ON P.
A: The Pioneer Express to Salt Lake City, Chicago, and Cleveland, Ohio is departing shortly from Gate 4, Track 27.
(TRUCK HONKS) (TIRES SQUEALING) (THUD) MAN ON P.
A: Ladies and gentlemen, the Pioneer luxury service to Salt Lake City, Chicago and Cleveland is departing immediately.
Come on out, Rockford.
You're finished.
You got no place else to hide.
That's right, Chuckie Baby, got no place else to hide.
You know something else, this is the first time you and I have been alone.
Where's Angie, where's Coco? I think they just missed the last train to Cleveland.
Here you go, Chuckie Baby.
You want it, you got it.
CHAPMAN: Looks like you've been very busy, Rockford.
Two critical injuries at the train station, and a third victim suffering from contusions.
Victim? Chuck Ryan and those two critical injuries are the ones who killed Eddie Hellinger and Arnold Moe, and that ledger there, that has the whole thing in it.
Motive, everything.
Shut up, shut up, Rockford.
This is my case.
Telephone call for you, Lieutenant.
Line two.
Can't you see I'm busy? Take a message.
Tell 'em I'll call 'em back.
He said it was very important.
It's your accountant.
Yeah, Murray? What is it? Well, change it.
Put down whatever you want.
Of course, I'd be willing to swear to it.
Murray, I'll swear to anything that makes it work.
You know those IRS guys, Murray, they're jerks.
Murray, will you stop worrying.
You know they never really check those things out.
Put it down, will you put it down.
Thank you.
Can I borrow your pen, Lieutenant? How about a pencil? That'll do.
Now, your first name is Douglas, isn't it? That's right.
The middle initial is 'J'.
What is this? You tell him.
Internal Revenue Service.
You didn't give me a chance to identify myself, Lieutenant.
Well, huh This phone call here was just a joke, you know.
My accountant, he's my second cousin.
Well, we kid around like that a lot, you know what I mean? Before you say anything else, Lieutenant, I want to warn you you have a right to remain silent.
Anything you do say can be used against you.
Something's coming in the mail for you.
Something big.
A couple of guys who were looking for a package that was addressed to you.
Did they get it? Whoever did it knew his stuff.
An ice pick right into the heart.
What Eddie Hellinger sent to you belongs to me.
I want it back.
Rockford just took it away from me.
What do we do now? I don't have the slightest idea.
Hey, Rockford! (TRUCK HONKS) (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) This is the Baron.
Angel Martin tells me you buy information.
Okay, meet me at 1:00 a.
m.
Behind the bus depot.
Bring $500 and come alone.
I'm serious.
MAN ON P.
A: Sierra Chief from Seattle, Tacoma and Portland will be arriving on Track 29.
That's Gate 4, for Track 29.
Mr.
Fred Barnes.
Will Mr.
Fred Barnes go to the main terminal information counter, please? You got some of them stamps, honey? They've been in there a long time, Angie.
Hey, don't worry about it.
Ain't going nowheres.
At least they ain't going nowheres you can get to by train.
What happens if one of 'em tries? Hey, don't worry so much.
MAN ON P.
A: Sunset Express is now ready for boarding on Track 12.
There he is.
Does he have it? Can't see it.
Better go check him out, Coco.
(MACHINE CLANKING) Thanks, honey.
MAN ON P.
A: We have a lost child.
We have a lost child.
A boy about 7 years old.
He says his name is Timmy.
He has brown hair and is wearing a Rams warm-up jacket.
Timmy will be at the security office.
He didn't have it.
Did he say anything? Yeah, he said, "Don't.
Please don't.
" (SIGHING) Well, I guess the other guy got it for sure.
(PHONE RINGING) Hello, who is it? Hey, Jimbo, don't you recognize the voice of the fourth estate? It sounds more like a fifth of sour mash.
How're you doing, Eddie? Hey, you know me, Jimbo.
I always have a good time.
Listen, I just called to say hello, to tell you there's something coming in the mail for you.
Something big.
The last time you got me mixed up into something big, I sweated out the suspension of my license for six months before the smoke cleared, Eddie.
(GRUNTS) Eddie? You all right? Eddie, what happened there? Are you okay? (PHONE RINGING) Robbery Homicide, Sergeant Roy Floyd.
Sorry, Lieutenant Becker's out of the office right now.
Can I take a message? Rockford, huh? Oh, yeah, sure.
I'll tell the lieutenant you called.
Let's go.
It's time to saddle up.
A patrol unit found a couple of stiffs at Alameda and Macy.
The train station.
Oh, that's very good, Floyd.
Very, very good.
I'm gonna put you in for a special commendation for memorizing your map books.
Let's move it out.
Yes, sir.
Who's gonna take over the desk? Come on, come on.
You can go, Floyd.
All right, let's go.
The boss wants to see you.
You gotta be kidding.
The boss? The man said, "Let's go.
" So let's go! STAMPS: Don't.
Do you mind if I just put on my slippers? Okay? Shall we? CHUCK: Give me a break, will you, Eunice? This damn phone is freezing.
How many times I gotta tell you, don't call me at work.
Will you stop already? I told you what to do when I left the house.
You gotta go back there tomorrow and tell this Colonel Gilstrap that I already paid a whole year's tuition.
He's got to keep the kid in school.
Eunice, Eunice, I don't wanna talk about this no more.
I'm hanging up the phone, Eunice.
You know who I am, Rockford? Chuck Ryan.
I recognized your union label from your mug shots in the paper.
I don't like wise guys.
I don't either.
I particularly don't like to be dragged out of my bed in the middle of the night, or standing around in your meat locker in my pajamas.
You just tell me what I wanna know, and I'll have the boys take you home.
Fair enough? Depends on what you want to know.
I want you to tell me about that little phone call you got about 11:30 from Eddie Hellinger.
Hey, stop slugging the meat, will you? So, you were gonna tell me about the phone call.
I was? Sure.
He's sending me something in the mail.
Sit on him until he gets his package.
Now, wait a minute What Eddie Hellinger sent to you belongs to me.
I want it back.
If I don't get it, I'll crack your head.
COCO: Hey, don't bust the yolks, Rockford.
I like it spilly, not watery.
Yeah, not too crisp on the bacon either.
He didn't leave nothing outside.
COCO: Mr.
Ryan ain't gonna like this.
Mr.
Ryan? There ain't nothing.
Two overdue bills and an ad for life insurance.
Yeah, sure, sure.
I'll tell him, Mr.
Ryan.
Mr.
Ryan said, you should have a nice day.
Oh, well, with you leaving, how can I miss? We'll be back tomorrow for mail call.
And breakfast? Would you bring back the plate? (DOOR CLOSES) CHAPMAN: I wonder what they were looking for.
Stinking joint looks like a chef's salad.
FLOYD: I'm glad I don't have to clean it up.
I've got a little surprise for you, Floyd.
You are going to clean it up.
You're gonna pick up every newspaper, cigarette butt, magazine, and garment in the place.
It's all evidence.
You might not realize this, Floyd, but this is an important case.
Very important.
It could open a lot of doors.
It might even mean a transfer to Internal Affairs.
Hey, Lieutenant, I mean, we don't even know if this place was tossed.
I mean, maybe this guy Hellinger was just a slob.
Floyd.
(KNOCK ON DOOR) ROCKFORD: Eddie? (KNOCKING) Eddie? Hey, Eddie? Eddie! Chapman, what are you doing here? Shut up, Rockford.
Up against the wall.
I just hope you and old Roy-Boy here have a search warrant, 'cause when Eddie sobers up, he's gonna dump a lot of dirt on your department for trashing his place without one.
You got it all twisted, Rockford.
The dirt's gonna be dumped on Eddie, not me.
What are you talking about? We just mopped what was left of your pal Hellinger off the floor at the train station.
He looked like a leaky paint bucket.
Oh, no.
CHAPMAN: I want you to listen, and listen good, Rockford.
Right now, I've got you dead-bang on a burglary charge, and you're just one jump away from being an accessory to a murder.
And you're one jump away from the traffic division if you try to get a complaint from the DA on either one of those little hummers.
I saw you break into Hellinger's apartment, remember? I told you, he was a friend of mine.
Eddie Hellinger was a Ioner.
His only friend was his bottle.
(PHONE RINGING) Yes? Oh.
Yeah, right, right.
(CHUCKLING) Sure, I'm gonna make it on time.
Don't worry about it.
Yeah, right.
Hey, thanks for calling.
Yeah, see you.
Your pal was the biggest stew pot in town, Rockford.
Floyd! Get in here.
But we're gonna give him the same kind of all-out investigative effort that we'd give to any other citizen.
Floyd.
I want you to conduct a thorough interrogation of Mr.
Rockford here, keeping in mind that the man is a possible suspect in a homicide case.
All right? FLOYD: Yes, sir.
Sweat him till you've got a good-sized puddle.
(DOOR CLOSES) Okay.
Let's try it again.
From the top.
You broke into Eddie Hellinger's apartment because you and him were such good buddies.
That's your story, huh? (DOOR OPENS) You booking this man? Huh, Lieutenant Chapman told me to question him.
Well, book him, or cut him loose.
Yes, sir.
You can go now, Mr.
Rockford.
You heard about Eddie? Yeah, I heard.
Come on, I'll buy you a cup of coffee.
You never really got a chance to know Eddie, Dennis.
I mean, really know him.
Everybody said he was undependable.
I've been hearing that about Eddie ever since he was 15 years old.
You wanna know something? He never let me down.
He let himself down a lot, but never me.
Never a friend.
It was a doubleheader.
Did you know that? A double What are you talking about? Well, they found another body about a block away from the station, in an alley.
There was no ID on him, but he had the same kind of puncture wound in his back that they found on Hellinger.
From an ice pick maybe.
Another body? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Maybe not, but whoever did it knew his stuff.
A straight shot between the ribs, right into the heart.
(SIGHS) Keep me posted on this thing, will you, Dennis? I'll pass along what I can, but stay out of Chapman's way.
Me and him have been tangling over you, and it's getting to be a regular gun battle around here.
I'll keep my head down.
I bet you will.
Thanks.
Uh, Mr.
Rockford.
Yes? Hi.
I'm Sally Packard.
I worked with Eddie on the paper.
He mentioned you a few times.
He did? Yeah.
He said you were a friend.
They assigned me to write his obituary.
You feel like talking? Yeah, well Why not? SALLY: That was the biggest steak I ever saw.
Oh, I've seen Eddie put away two of those things then top it off with a slab of lemon meringue pie.
Oh, it's funny.
I worked with Eddie, sat right next to him, but I didn't really know him that well.
Yeah, well, he was a private kind of guy, you know, good food, good booze, but not too big on company.
I suppose you knew him as well as anybody, growing up together.
Yeah, I suppose.
There's a lot to be said for long-time friendships, the mutual trust that's built over the years.
Yeah.
For you, it was Eddie.
For me, it's Mary-Ann Reicker.
We go all the way back to the seventh grade together.
I tell Mary-Ann things I wouldn't tell my analyst.
You have an analyst? I don't need one, I have Mary-Ann.
I guess you and Eddie shared a lot, too.
Mmm.
He was so excited about that series of stories he was writing on Chuck Ryan and his union.
He was doing a series on Chuck Ryan? I didn't know that.
I was up to San Jose on an insurance case.
Well, I don't know if Eddie had anything solid on Ryan, but he was really digging his spurs into it.
Do you think that's what got him killed? Oh Ryan is from the sticks and stones school.
I don't think he'd bring down a lot of heat on himself just because of a couple of nasty newspaper stories.
I don't know.
Well, come on, let's get out of here.
You need some sleep, and I still have a story to file for the morning edition.
Maybe we can get together again sometime.
I'd like that.
I don't quite see where I fit in, Jimmy.
Yeah, well, Eddie Hellinger worked for the Globe.
He was working on a story about Chuck Ryan, the grand vizier of the meatpacker's union.
Now, what I need to know is if any other papers, like your brother-in-law's, has ever done anything in-depth on Ryan.
You know, I'm just looking for background.
This is a good buddy of yours, this Hellinger, huh? Yeah.
I really feel for you, Jimmy.
Thank you, Angel.
Thank you.
The thing that's kind of eating me is though that it looks like I'm gonna be the only one around to mourn for Eddie, except a woman he knew at the paper.
Whew.
A Ioner, huh? Guy didn't have no family? Nobody? No, he lived by himself up in a bachelor pad on Vermont.
Kinda makes you wonder, don't it? What it'll be like when Mr.
D.
Calls your name.
I know I wonder who will mourn for Angel Martin? Probably a couple of credit companies.
I don't want to get into that Angel, huh? It's Eddie Hellinger that's dead.
Not you.
Yeah, yeah, I know, but, you know, your mind thinks funny things at a time like this.
You remember that old song when you were a kid? (SINGING) Did you ever think when the hearse goes by That you may be the next to die They put you in a big long box And cover you up with dirt and rocks You are a bulwark in my time of need, Angel.
A beacon in the storm.
I just hate to see you drain yourself in your sensitivity any more, so I will leave now, and I will come back for the information later.
That's the thanks I get for letting you lay this bummer on me.
I guess the less said about that job, the better, huh? Well, it's not too bad.
You did the best you could, Dad.
Well, I ain't talking about my putting it together, I'm talking about whatever it was that pulled it apart.
Where you pulling me, huh? Dad, as you can see, I'm having a little problem here.
(CHUCKLING) You're having more than a little problem, if that door's any indication.
Look, won't you please try and get yourself into a decent line of work? All right, that's it.
Hold it right there, Dad.
We had this conversation about a year and a half ago, and we agreed we would not have it again.
And this has nothing to do with my work.
What am I supposed to think? I come over here and see the door looking like that! We're not gonna discuss it, Dad.
Now, I want you to get out of here, and I don't want you to come back till I tell you it's all right to come back, okay? Well, I don't wanna be in nobody's way.
Dad, where you going? I gotta get my tape measure.
I just want you out of here.
Probably come back and see all your ribs stove in.
Well then, don't come back, huh? Not till I tell you to.
And this has nothing to do with my work.
It's just a little problem with the mail.
CALDER: Mrs.
Dobbs just said I was supposed to help you intercept a package of ROCKFORD: Fulminating pneumo-bacillus.
Bacillus? You mean Mrs.
Dobbs didn't tell you what this is all about? Oh, I guess it's just as well.
We want to try to prevent any kind of panic whatever.
Panic? You mean this is that serious? I mean, the regulations are very clear about sending dangerous sub Believe me, Mr.
Calder, the young woman who made the mistake is paying dearly for it.
I just hope that the vomiting and the convulsions are over by now.
You want me to red-switch the place? I can stop every piece of mail in here, if you say so.
Let's just trace that package, okay? Oh, we'll trace it all right.
Now, you sure it was addressed properly? Let me explain something to you, Mr.
Calder.
The secretary at the lab, Mona, has a bit of a drinking problem, so when she was addressing the package, her hand could have been a little shaky.
You know what I mean? How could you have allowed a woman like that to handle something so dangerous? I just got married last month.
We are wasting valuable time, Mr.
Calder.
Hoag! If the address is illegible, the package goes to the nixies.
They're experts at deciphering illegible addresses.
Mr.
Hoag, please give this gentleman every assistance.
Top priority, you understand? Top priority.
You're gonna have to excuse me.
My wife's not feeling well.
Well, Mr.
Hoag, you're gonna get a chance to be a hero, maybe even save a few innocent lives.
Mr.
Calder tells me that you have a reputation of being the best nixie in the business.
Well, I'm better than any machine.
Well, this package would have been mailed from somewhere around the train station night before last by an Eddie Hellinger.
The addressee was named Rockford.
Well, I've got it over here if I read it.
Yeah, I've got it, but you're wrong about the addressee.
The name was Rockfield.
I'm the addressee.
James Rockford, What I read was John Rockfield, Mar Vista.
Mr.
Rockfield? Yeah? Hi.
I'm here about a package that the post office delivered to you by mistake.
I told him I didn't want it, but he just insisted.
Who did? That special delivery postman.
I told him if he just looked at it real close, you could see it didn't say Rockfield, but he insisted it is for me.
So what happened? Well, he refused to take it back to the post office.
Well, you don't have to worry about it anymore, Mr.
Rockfield.
I'm Jim Rockford, so you can just give it to me.
I'd sure like to do that, but I'm afraid I can't.
I don't have it anymore.
You don't? Where is it? Well, I don't want anything that's not rightfully mine, so I brought the package down to the post office and made 'em take it back.
You should have seen how upset they got.
Seems they don't have a regulation covering people bringing back mail, and it jammed 'em up like a rat in a drain pipe.
So, what happened to the package? Oh, it's safe enough.
Shouldn't have any more problem with it.
The post office has got it.
Hey, what are you doing? Cut it out! Stop! Hey, Fred! What the heck happened to you? They pushed me over with a car, and they was after Jim's mail.
All right.
You just hang on here.
I'll go call the police.
Thank you.
Rockford, you've got some explaining to do.
Dad? You and Fred okay? Yeah.
I said you got some explaining to do I can't tell you how tired I am of explaining today, Chapman.
Well, now, ain't that too bad, Rockford? The mailman here says he got smacked around by a couple of guys who were looking for a package that was addressed to you.
Did they get it? Not from him.
Now where is it and what is it? McGrew's Barbeque? Rub your gums across our ribs? Give me that.
Sure, Chapman, just doesn't sound like your kind of place.
My business takes me to a lot of different places.
Now, where's the package? It's in the post office, Chapman, and they're not about to give it up until they're good and ready.
I've spent most of the day trying to pry it out of them.
Is that right? Well, you just don't know how to handle 'em, that's all.
I guarantee, I get my hands on that package before you find your socks.
Oh, yeah? Well, I'll tell you what.
You go on down there.
You just do that, Chapman.
Go on.
Take 'em on.
What? Oh, don't forget to take a couple a sandwiches and maybe a change of clothes.
How can you eat that thing? I'm hungry.
Hey, Dennis, what did Chapman come up with on that other body they found at the train station? Well, not much.
Only that his name is Arnold Moe, he worked in a laundry someplace.
Chapman checked him out, and he said that the guy didn't have any connection to Hellinger.
How come he died? Well, maybe he saw the Hellinger killing go down.
They iced him to keep him quiet.
That's a little thin, Dennis.
You wouldn't happen to have Arnold Moe's address, would you? Yeah, I think it's the Barcelona Garden Apartments.
Second and Normandie.
Thank you, Dennis.
Hey, you want a piece of pie to go with your coffee? No, I'll pass, but listen, give me the receipt when you pay up, okay? You, too? Chapman's walking around with his pockets stuffed full of those things.
Well, Chapman is being audited by the Internal Revenue, and he Well, he kind of lost his old stubs.
So he's got all his friends out picking up phony ones for him, huh? You make it sound like a felony.
Dennis, it is a felony.
It's called income tax evasion.
(KNOCK ON DOOR) Hey Angel, open up.
It's me, Jim.
Hey, Jim.
Hey.
Hey, how did you do on getting the information on Chuck Ryan? It's coming along, coming along.
Why don't you just drop by in a few hours.
I haven't had no breakfast yet.
It's okay.
I'll wait.
Suit yourself.
I got certain things to do, you know.
The hotel cleaning lady, she won't make the bed, she won't sweep up the dust bunnies or nothing if you've got stuff strewed about.
Yeah, well, what I was wondering when you were doing the research on Chuck Ryan, did you run across the name Arnold Moe anywhere? He was a When did you get a typewriter? Brought it home from the paper.
E.
H.
Evanston Harold.
Aaron picked that stuff up when the paper folded.
It's Eddie Hellinger's, isn't it? (STAMMERING) That's Eddie Hellinger's typewriter, isn't it? You went over there and you picked his bones, didn't you, Angel, huh? You And that's his TV set, too.
Oh, Angel His press club award! Angel Jimmy, I did it for you.
I did it for you.
Me? I did it I did it for you.
I did it for you.
You know, Hellinger, this guy's got no family, there's no will made out.
Well, the state's gonna get all that money.
You don't want the state to have that money, do you? I was gonna call you as soon as you were feeling better Open the door! And I was gonna see who you wanted to send it to.
I don't believe a word you're saying, Angel.
Jimmy, it's not that bad.
I left his shoes.
(PHONE RINGING) Hello.
Sally, this is Jim.
Sorry to bother you at the office Well, Jim, it's no bother.
I told you to call me if there's anything I could do to help.
What is it? Sally, would you mind if I gave out your private number at the office for For what? Well, it's a little difficult to explain, but I think I've got a line on Arnold Moe, and I'm gonna need some information from the bank.
Bankers are just about the toughest people in the world to get information from, so What exactly do you want me to do? Would you take a message for a Mr.
Cooley if anybody should call and check me out? Mr.
Cooley? Yeah, I'll explain it at dinner, okay? Okay.
All right.
Thanks, hun.
Oh, Mr.
Neff? Yeah, what is it? Yeah, I'm Jim Cooley.
You know, the State Inheritance Tax Office? I called you earlier about Arnold Moe's assets.
You were supposed to be here an hour ago, and I'm on my way out.
Oh, I bet you're going to lunch.
Yes.
I hope I didn't ruin your lunch hour, but I just don't know where the morning went.
Say, maybe I could join you for lunch.
Well If I don't get a sandwich and a beer in my stomach, I'm not gonna get halfway through Mr.
Moe's assets.
Listen, how about that little bar and grill on the corner, is that good? Tommy's? It's fine.
Fine.
Fine.
Fine.
Time for number four, hmm? Anyway, like I was saying, I always try to do a little extra for our big commercial accounts.
You know, I'm always the first one in the office, and the last to leave at night.
We even won an award for the cleanest lobby in the district because I empty the ashtrays whenever they're full.
(EXCLAIMING) Thanks.
Can I have the check? Thank you.
You were gonna tell me about Arnold Moe? I was? Mmm-hmm.
There's not too much to tell.
He had extensive holdings, but there's only a little bit left now.
How much? (SIGHING) Oh, small change.
According to Mr.
Moe's instructions, his assets Well, we've been liquidating them for the past several months.
Converting them into bearer bonds.
Why would he convert them into bearer bonds? I don't know, but his safety deposit box is full of them.
I mean, I'll give you the exact amount when we go back to the office, but I can tell you, it is plenty.
Six figures.
You people are gonna have a real ball with this one, huh? You ought to get a real healthy percentage out of this, huh? I didn't know the laundry business was doing that good.
Laundry business? You gotta be joking.
Arnold Moe was an accountant.
A good one.
I mean, take it from me, he was a real wizard with the numbers.
I I don't suppose you would happen to know the address where he worked, his office? Hey State Accountancy Board, they'd know.
ROCKFORD: You know, this thing isn't all that sticky, it's just I'm having trouble getting the thing to hang together where it makes any sense.
The guy over at the Accountancy Board gave me Arnold Moe's office address.
Obviously, he worked for the union.
Probably an accountant.
Then why did he tell everyone he ran a laundry? Ah! Inside joke.
Yeah.
He was a real magician with numbers, you know.
He must have made the books look clean while Chuck Ryan stole the union blind.
Then that's what it's all about.
Mmm.
Yeah, but Where does Eddie Hellinger figure in, you know? Yeah, what got him killed? There's something about Eddie that I'm missing.
Something I'm forgetting.
Dessert? No, thank you.
Not a very appropriate farewell dinner for Eddie.
You know, there was some luggage stashed behind the couch in Arnold Moe's apartment.
Now, according to George Neff at the bank, he was cashing in his winnings.
He was ready to leave town.
But how? Chuck Ryan would never let him do that.
Not with all the information he must have had.
Yeah, that's got to be where Eddie Hellinger came into it.
Let's just say that Moe picked up a paper, and he read where Eddie was out gunning for Chuck Ryan.
Might seem like a quick way out of his dilemma.
You mean, feed information to Eddie that would incriminate Ryan and get him out of the way.
I think he gave him a little more than information, you know, maybe it was a book or an account ledger, something like that.
Whatever it was, it probably added up to No wonder he wanted to get his hands on it.
Then, that's what Eddie sent you.
The package.
Yeah, well, that book is the key to the whole thing.
It just ties the whole mess together.
It has got to be in the morning mail.
STAMPS: It just ain't showed up yet, Mr.
Ryan.
You guys know how important that book is? Yes, Mr.
Ryan.
Then get it.
It wasn't our fault it wasn't in the mail, Mr.
Ryan.
Now, if it comes tomorrow I don't want to hear no "if.
" Get it.
Now, if you will just explain what it is that you want.
I've already explained it since early this afternoon.
I've explained it to two different shifts of office personnel.
Now they've finally sent me to the top man.
Excuse me, top person.
I need a package from the mail.
It's important evidence in a murder investigation.
We only deliver to the addressee.
Federal regulations.
Well, why wasn't I told about this earlier? What is it with you people and regulations? That's all I hear all of a sudden.
Federal regulations.
You can't take this.
You don't count that.
This isn't allowed.
That isn't deductible.
I'm a police lieutenant.
Doesn't that count for anything? No.
You'll have to obey regulations same as everyone else.
Unless you want to get a search warrant from a federal magistrate.
Couldn't I fill out a form or something? Sorry, Mr.
Chapman.
Regulations.
Regulations All right.
Here comes Fred.
Right on time.
Fred! Oh, Fred, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to come up on you like that.
Now listen, I want you to do me a favor.
I've got There you go.
Oh, hey.
Thank you, Fred.
All right.
(STAMMERING) I don't have it.
Rockford just took it away from me.
What is it? It's Sweeney's Green Mountain Cheddar.
I don't understand.
It's my favorite cheese.
Well, what about the book? How should I know? Oh, they're not gonna believe it.
They are not gonna believe it no matter what I tell them.
All right, now look.
You're making a big (SIGHS) Two days, hunting a hunk of cheese.
It sounds so ridiculous.
You think so? When Chuck Ryan gets his hands on that cheese, he's gonna send those two yo-yos back for my head.
What do we do now? I don't have the slightest idea.
Ah! What is it, Jim? You remember that thing about Eddie that I couldn't remember before? I just remembered it.
You remember what a long-ball hitter Eddie was, and how obnoxious he could get when he was really bagged? I forgot about his box number.
Box number? Yeah, yeah, Eddie had to move around so much because of his drinking, he kept a box number in the classified section at the paper so he could always get his personal mail.
He never told you about that? Well, I guess I forgot, just like you.
Would you happen to have any pull with any of the people in the classified section? No more than you do, and I have to see the city editor or I'm going to be out of a job.
All right, now.
I'll get the package We can meet back at the car.
Yeah, okay, sure.
Okay.
Hi, Mr.
Gleeson's office sent me down for the package.
Mr.
Gleeson? Mr.
Arthur Gleeson, the Vice President in charge of operations for this newspaper.
Yes, sir.
Uh, what package was that? The one in Eddie Hellinger's box.
Yes, sir.
Sorry.
No package.
There wasn't anything in Mr.
Hellinger's box but this.
Ah, well thank you for your help.
Mr.
Gleeson is gonna be very happy about this.
Huh, excuse me, Sally Packard? Thank you.
Excuse me, I'm looking for Sally Packard.
I'm Sally Packard.
Well, how were things at the city desk, huh? Any late breaking stories? What? What are you doing? You worked with Eddie, but you never got too close, so I did a solo down memory lane.
What in the hell are you talking about? Give me my bag.
Just looking for a little ID.
Look, I am Not Sally Packard.
I just met Sally Packard.
All right.
I'm Sally Sternhagen, IRS.
I don't think I disturbed anything.
(SIGHS) Any questions? There's a couple.
Eddie Hellinger contacted us.
He said he had enough for us to nail Chuck Ryan for everything from income tax evasion to grand theft.
When Eddie was killed, I was supposed to pick up where he left off.
You thought I knew something about it? I thought Eddie might have confided in you.
For a while, it did look like he'd mailed you the book.
What'd you come up with in there? It's at the train station.
It's a lousy stinkin' cheese.
We didn't know.
You couldn't check? You couldn't open this box and look? Wait a minute.
If Hellinger mailed this from the train station, the book's still gotta be there.
MAN ON PA: Express service to Salt Lake City, Chicago and Cleveland will be boarding at There it is.
If it's not in here, I'm seriously considering taking one of the trains.
Here, tell you what, just wrap this up just like it was, okay.
You guys are moving into this train station and staying here.
What are we gonna eat, Mr.
Ryan? All right, you call the police.
Central Division's only about a block away.
Here.
How long we gotta stay here, Mr.
Ryan? Till somebody shows up with that book.
Hey, Rockford.
MAN ON P.
A: The Pioneer Express to Salt Lake City, Chicago, and Cleveland, Ohio is departing shortly from Gate 4, Track 27.
(TRUCK HONKS) (TIRES SQUEALING) (THUD) MAN ON P.
A: Ladies and gentlemen, the Pioneer luxury service to Salt Lake City, Chicago and Cleveland is departing immediately.
Come on out, Rockford.
You're finished.
You got no place else to hide.
That's right, Chuckie Baby, got no place else to hide.
You know something else, this is the first time you and I have been alone.
Where's Angie, where's Coco? I think they just missed the last train to Cleveland.
Here you go, Chuckie Baby.
You want it, you got it.
CHAPMAN: Looks like you've been very busy, Rockford.
Two critical injuries at the train station, and a third victim suffering from contusions.
Victim? Chuck Ryan and those two critical injuries are the ones who killed Eddie Hellinger and Arnold Moe, and that ledger there, that has the whole thing in it.
Motive, everything.
Shut up, shut up, Rockford.
This is my case.
Telephone call for you, Lieutenant.
Line two.
Can't you see I'm busy? Take a message.
Tell 'em I'll call 'em back.
He said it was very important.
It's your accountant.
Yeah, Murray? What is it? Well, change it.
Put down whatever you want.
Of course, I'd be willing to swear to it.
Murray, I'll swear to anything that makes it work.
You know those IRS guys, Murray, they're jerks.
Murray, will you stop worrying.
You know they never really check those things out.
Put it down, will you put it down.
Thank you.
Can I borrow your pen, Lieutenant? How about a pencil? That'll do.
Now, your first name is Douglas, isn't it? That's right.
The middle initial is 'J'.
What is this? You tell him.
Internal Revenue Service.
You didn't give me a chance to identify myself, Lieutenant.
Well, huh This phone call here was just a joke, you know.
My accountant, he's my second cousin.
Well, we kid around like that a lot, you know what I mean? Before you say anything else, Lieutenant, I want to warn you you have a right to remain silent.
Anything you do say can be used against you.