Park over there. Leave the keys. That'll be a dollar deposit.
That model you told me to spot? Nesting here now.
Double bill, runs four hours.
Hey, it's a real cream puff.
Hey, Ray, you could give a guy a heart attack.
You know you give us extra work, Artie. We didn't order no vinyl top.
You know, I almost burned my pants.
Oh, my. Well, I mean, it figures.
It's a hot car. Huh?
Push over.
- Ray!
Central to Car 723K. Car 723, proceed to Wingate Park.
10-88. Victim with gunshot wound. Detectives on scene.
- Who found him? - Some kids phoned in.
Artie Fowler.
He used to love to play with cars, you know.
Strip 'em, drive 'em, steal 'em. Oh, well, what else?
Took one right through the heart. Never knew what hit him.
- Must have been pretty close. - Yeah, but not around here. There's no blood on the ground.
Lay out a small-time wheelman, and then go to all the trouble of dumping him someplace else.
Not for money. Whoever hit him, had time enough to pick him clean.
Must have wanted his body.
Must have been somebody he knew, huh?
Now, look, when Forensic gets finished with him, you go check his flat.
Pull out his yellow sheet, and then check with the motor vehicle bureau.
See if there's a car registered in his name, huh?
And keep this under wraps. I don't even want it to appear in the obituaries.
All right.
3:00,just like you said.
Artie deliver? Yep. Came through fine, just like you said.
Car's in the Bronx, all stashed.
How'd you handle our other problem?
That took care of itself.
- Vermont, Ray? - Yeah.
He said he'd... he'd call you in a day or two.
Who'd you give this to?
I don't know what you're talking about.
You fired that gun.
Didn't you?
You killed Artie.
You answer me, Ray. Okay. All right.
Now, wait, you said yourself... I never said anything about killing.
Look, you said that he was shooting off his mouth. He was gonna blow the whole thing.
Right, Steve? We don't wanna go back to the slammer.
That's sweat on you. That's fear and weakness.
You could drown in that stuff, Ray.
Oh, you're in lousy shape for this job.
Until this is over, you lay off the booze,
sleep right, eat good... tell the others.
Now get outta here. Take your gun, loser.
Yeah, Lieutenant, I go way back with Artie.
Almost to his hubcap days.
Sweetest little crook you ever wanna know.
I'd trust him with my mother, my sister,
but not with anything in my garage.
How much did Artie owe ya?
Did I say he owed me? Angie,
every stiff that comes into your joint owes ya.
Two hundred.
Five bucks to eat on, the balance for the ponies.
He was in that heavy, huh? Educated guess?
Over eight grand. In fact, I don't know.
Nice water. Is this the local juice?
Hey, it's imported. It's from the Bronx.
Hey, I just remembered about that 200.
He said he'd have it back to me by Monday sure.
That's right. And this girl,
the one he's so high on, Maria, a model.
She says to him, "What's happening by Monday?"
And he said back to her, he says,
"By Monday, the sun explodes."
"The sun explodes." Uh-huh.
All right, kids. Everyone on stage for rehearsal.
Places, please.
We'll take it from the top.
Mr. Jellicoe?
You alone, Macy? Come on, pick it up.
Come on up. That's better. Come on!
Hold it.
Take it from the top, please.
Is it legal to smoke up here?
Up here it's okay.
Together, girls. Come on!
Let's try it again.
- Got your message. - We in business?
Nobody, I mean nobody, ever pulled the kind of job you're figuring.
- That's why it'll work, Mr. Jellicoe. - I dig your cover.
Very original. Show business. It's to laugh.
I run a spotlight. I'm good at it. Take it from the top.
But right here is as far as I'll ever get.
Places, please. Married?
I was. The alimony hurts.
So, you figure a cockamamy heist...
- To you, it's cockamamy. - I say it's too far out.
Watch your tempo. A cop's gonna stand there and watch me...
and they still won't believe it's happening. Pick it up.
You're green, raw, working with a scratch team.
Now, what do you got going for you nobody else has?
- Everything I need to make it work. - Like what?
I got a first-class wheelman. I got the truck and both sedans off the streets already.
I got two guys working on the transmitter.
And I got, uh, someone inside. Relax!
- Inside? - That's the key.
You know, the price you want for the merchandise, we're talking big money.
Three, four. It's firm, Mr. Jellicoe.
Macy, there's a lot involved here. Don't let anything go wrong.
The organization I'm dealing with doesn't tolerate mistakes. That's it. You're doing fine.
Just right.
Excuse me.
I'm Maria Cranston. I'm supposed to see a Lieutenant Kojak.
Yeah, right through that door.
Come in.
Outrageous.
- Is that legal? - I'll vote for it.
Thank you for coming, Miss Cranston.
Maria.
Please.
Sit down.
I hope you don't mind. L-I left this location with my answering service.
No sweat.
Sure rotten timing.
I get the feeling my wholesome smile is a little out of whack today.
You know, Maria, we've put the lid on Artie being murdered.
Yeah, you mentioned that on the phone. It's important.
- Sure. Anything. - Are you, uh, new in town?
Only where work is concerned.
I'm this close to getting my second job.
But it took me three years to land it.
Hmm.
You know something, Maria?
You and Artie, that's, uh, well, that's one knot I find hard to tie.
Yeah, well,
what do you do with a guy who says he loves you?
Doesn't make one single demand.
Sends you valentines in July.
Hmm. Did he owe you money?
No.
He was always asking if I had enough to meet my bills.
As a matter of fact, the past few weeks, he's been promising me the moon.
- A windfall? - No.
I figured he was just bragging, trying to impress me.
Hmm. You know, Maria,
we have reason to believe that Artie was involved in something that cost him his life.
You mean, it wasn't just bragging?
Did he ever nail down a time when this windfall was supposed to happen?
No, no, he... J-Just soon.
- He, uh... - Maria?
He said that this thing was gonna push the police right into the comic section,
that, uh, the whole town would be laughing at you.
Hmm.
Yeah. Yeah.
Huh, it's for you.
Oh.
Hello?
Oh.
Yeah, yeah, sure. I know where it is.
Okay, yeah. Sure thing.
Oh.
Oh... I didn't even say thank you.
Hello? Did you get the job?
Crazy day. Crazy day.
Gerry figured wrong on the paint. We need another 50 beans.
- Gerry? - Yeah, well, it's gonna be a bit more like 60 bucks, Steve.
- You couldn't spring for it? - No way, old buddy.
I bought 38 seats for Hal Prince's new show.
You know, I-I'm tapped out until I can unload them. Really. Really.
Hey, Ray, Artie give you the keys for this? He said he was gonna get an extra set made.
No. No, we'll hot-wire them. That's okay.
All right. I got a paycheck waiting for me at the theater.
I'll go cash it. Gerry, you stop by around intermission. I'll give you the bread.
All right.
Gerry, this job feel good to you?
Are you kidding? It's gonna be great.
You got choice merchandise, in demand, and an anxious buyer waiting in the wings.
Thank you.
I'm not the only one that gets paid on Monday.
Artie's bookie was here, and he gets paid on Monday too.
- 8,200 bucks. - 8,200? From where?
His grandmother died or something. Left him a fortune.
Excuse me a minute.
When I was in school, my grandmother died six times, always during the World Series.
Oh, yeah. We all had the same grandmother.
Ooh, something died in this water.
Yeah, candlelight and I wind up with you.
What do you think, Frank? Huh? Weekend job?
It comes Monday, they all split it up? Spread the cheer?
A punk like Artie is on the block for maybe... five percent of a whole.
If he was counting on 10 grand...
Somebody figures to net a quarter of a million, maybe more.
Uh, "the day the sun explodes," that's Angie quoting Artie.
Sounds like he was expecting a lot more than just enough to pay off his debts.
New York's finest? They're gonna wind up...
making the Keystone Cops seem like grave diggers.
That's what Artie told the model. We're gonna be good for lots of laughs.
Half million maybe. Sweet.
Without Artie biting into it, it's even sweeter.
Ah, come on, will ya, Frank?
I mean, they knock him off for five percent of the take?
Just a thought.
Top of the head, Theo. Go with anything.
I come up empty too.
But two things I do know. I don't think we got much time.
I think I know why Artie was killed.
- Why? - He talked too much.
Anyone see you go into Artie's place?
No, not even the landlady. I used his key.
I see.
Oh, look at this.
Bonwit Tellers, perfume.
Saks Fifth Avenue, costume jewelry.
Leather purse, Bloomingdale's. What about them?
Well, he had a girlfriend, a Miss Cranston.
A model. Nice girl. Oh, sure. Right.
- No, nice girl. - I'm running all the numbers in his phone book.
These pictures, they looked old. Could be the family, I think.
- You know that girl you mentioned? - Maria.
- Yeah, he's got her pictures all over the place. - Yellow sheet?
No bulletin there. What about the known associates? Want me to run them down?
No, not yet. No surprises then, huh?
No surprises, but something a little kinky.
The motor vehicle bureau has a '58 Mercedes registered to Artie,
but I found car keys for two other vehicles.
And the code numbers tag them as fitting a '72 Plymouth...
and a two-a-half-ton Dodge truck.
Which are not parked in the neighborhood. Right.
And Detroit provided the information first...
for the serial numbers and the engine numbers.
D.M. V.'s playing computer bingo and should have the license plate soon.
Right. And then you'll check the hot sheet and see if the vehicles were stolen, right?
I'm a firm believer in the work ethic.
Take a look at this? No, I just glanced at it.
- Is this just a street map, or what? - Look at this.
Squiggly marks along the New England Thruway.
These X's. 1:00.
This is all written in the same type of felt pen used in the book here.
Oh, which might make them the newest entries. All right, let's check these out.
- All right. - And these X's, two of them.
Check 'em out too. Visit the locations, nose around, see what we can dig up.
Take Stavros and Valano. Arrange a stakeout at Artie's place.
Okay.
I just don't see you enough.
You know all that's gonna change, Liz.
Everything work? You got any problems?
No, no. Uh, it's all right here.
Nobody suspects anything? Oh, stop worrying.
This is your requisition.
All you have to do is remember to let them open the logs before you make your move.
You drilled Carl on the frequency codes?
He can recite them in his sleep.
Darling,
it's a piece of cake. You're a piece of cake.
I love you, Liz. You know that.
I guess I really won't be sure until we're in Hawaii.
Well, I got a handball game at the club, and then I gotta check my calls.
Listen.
Lots of guys get cold feet the second time around.
Forget about the ex-Mrs. Macy.
Have you?
Hey, honey, you're crushing my requisitions.
Oh. Well, we certainly can't have that, can we?
What's the matter? I had the map in here.
It's gone.
The map is gone. Are you sure? Don't you keep that thing locked?
Course I keep it locked. It hasn't even been out of the apartment.
Artie.
It had to be. All the others got copies of the map.
He must have waltzed off with it after the last briefing.
I'll get it back.
I'll talk to Gerry.
Well, that's right, Detective Carter. We have five Morgans here. Don't you have a first name?
No, and the Knickerbocker Athletic Club is the only number I have on him.
Well, we have a Lewellyn Morgan.
He's a news writer for a local radio station, about 55 years.
Do you have anyone is his late 20s, early 30s?
Well, that'd be Stacy Morgan.
Do you have an address on him?
That's very nice, sonny. All right, what do you got?
Artie's phone book, those numbers in red? I've been calling them.
One was to a candy store, probably his bookie.
Then another was to Maria. Then there was one from Morgan.
And the Knickerbocker Athletic Club answered.
Came up with a Stacy Morgan. No yellow sheet.
Could be a phony. And it could be legitimate.
For your information, sonny boy, most Americans don't have a yellow sheet.
Thank you. Would you keep reminding me, Lieutenant.
It's my only hook into reality.
All right, what about the maps? Any information on the X's?
Yeah, uh, one was on Tremont.
The other was near the Throgs Neck Bridge.
We covered both locations. If there's something shaking, it's invisible to the naked eye.
D.M.V. Called on Artie's cars.
Both the Dodge van and the four-door Plymouth were stolen three days ago.
Get Saperstein. Have him get a court order.
I want a tap put on this Stacy Morgan's, uh, calls at the Knickerbocker Club.
Hey, what's with the lollipops?
I'm looking to close the generation gap. Get outta here.
That was marvelous. Good.
All right, kids. Make your wardrobe changes.
Be back on stage for curtain in 10 minutes.
Let's move it. Come on!
Hey, you know how many tickets I moved on this show?
Huh? 180.
I told you. Listen, a few more hits like this, man, I could become a legitimate scalper.
I mean, like a sideline after we score.
Eighty for the paint, right? Yeah.
Is that the late edition?
Yeah. Listen, nothing about Artie. Not even the obituaries.
That's a break, 'cause I gotta tell you, we got a little problem.
Hmm? Uh...
I think Artie lifted my copy of the map.
Oh, man. And when the cops find his body,
they're gonna comb that dump he rented.
And, Gerry, sooner or later, they are gonna find him.
Hey, wait, wait. You're not gonna lay that one off on me, man.
I'm not going anywhere near Artie's pad.
Gerry, if they find that map,
they might just put it all together, just when we're ready to move.
Right, and if they find Artie... But they haven't.
Saperstein called in from the Knickerbocker.
Checked on Morgan's address, no one home. Phone tap?
One call... Gerry Erskine.
The conversation went something like this.
Erskine said he needed 10 more.
Morgan got teed off and said, "You trying to milk me, Erskine?"
Quote, unquote. And what do you got?
Well, there was nothing local on Erskine, so I checked Washington.
Naturally. Naturally.
Erskine, Gerald... a.k.a. Gerry Eastman.
Two years armed robbery in Michigan. Released last November.
Lives here now. He's a ticket scalper... sporting events, Broadway shows.
He had a cell mate named Steven Macy,
up on a manslaughter charge, a car accident.
He's a member of IATSE, the theater technicians...
Yeah, theaters, movies, projectionists, stagehands, et cetera. Yeah.
His union job description is front lighting man.
Currently at the 48th Street Theater with Happy February.
Steven Macy, Stacy Morgan. That's a crummy alias.
All right, I want a tail on him... around the clock.
What about Erskine? You got an address on him?
No, not yet. All right.
I want you to keep trying. It wouldn't hurt to have a man on him too, you know.
I got a cousin on the force in Denver.
He says stakeout's his favorite duty.
I think retirement's mine.
Hold it. Look.
Somebody's up there. You go call the lieutenant.
I'm going on up. You cover the back.
Okay.
All right, I'm on my way. If he comes out, you tail him. I'll catch you on the radio.
6897.
He hasn't come down yet. Uh-huh.
Stavros? He's covering the back.
I'm gonna get a heart attack. Come on.
How's it feel to be a hero?
Oh, tell Stavros to relax.
Maria.
Is that yours? Uh, yeah, all my pictures.
May I?
Artie had a friend who used to get me cheap copies.
Yes, Artie did give me the key to his place.
Hmm. You were in there a long time.
Artie's got a brother in Oregon. L...
I thought I'd write him a letter.
I couldn't find his address book.
Mm-hmm.
Oh. You gotta let me see that sometime.
What?
Uh, the wholesome smile.
Okay, you gave me that. I'll give you this.
Also get you a cab. Gimme that.
This is Stavros. Somebody just went in the back door.
Hold it.
In here.
You know him? Mm-mmm.
Oh, better let me have the key.
You'd better go now.
I promised you a cab ride. Take a rain check on it.
Go ahead.
Here we go.
He's got it bolted.
Stop or I'll shoot!
Are you okay? Yeah. Go. Go!
Somebody built a jungle. Uh-huh. Or camouflaged the tenants.
I lost him after he dodged the bus.
- Did you look at the bed? - The map wasn't there.
What map? Well, the map you gave me.
I had it xeroxed and gave the original to Valano to put into Artie's room.
I wanted to make sure it was important.
That's all he was looking for, the map.
You know those X's... Tremont Place and Throgs Neck Bridge?
You said if it signified anything, it was invisible to the naked eye.
Right. Not visible to us maybe, but certainly visible to Artie's killers.
I wonder what the hell they want.
All right, I give you this week's mystery map.
You solve the riddle, win a two-week trip to, uh...
Well, where do you wanna go? Home.
Ha ha. Why do I always yawn on Saturdays? Well, let's see.
A line's drawn on the New England Thruway beginning around Pelham Bay Park.
Now, I figure the thruway is an escape route.
The time on the side... 1:00? What's that, a.m., p. M? I don't know.
Well, that "X" is on Tremont. The other's near Throgs Neck Bridge.
You sell bridges, you don't steal 'em. Now, there's nothing else there.
- It's a.m. - What?
The Broadway theaters are closed on Sundays, right? Macy's got tomorrow off.
Oh, so he makes the hit after tonight's show, and then spends his day off celebrating.
All right. You can figure it that way.
You're that sure it's Macy we're after?
No, I'm not sure. I'm not sure of anything, but that's all we've got.
Him and that Gerry Erskine, wherever he is.
One thing I do know, whatever's coming off is coming off this weekend.
I have to keep my fingers crossed and go with what we've got.
If I'm wrong, well, that's the way the baklava crumbles.
Then why don't you just pull Macy in? What charge?
Defacing a street map? Hey, this is one cute cookie. Very, very cute.
I've had a surveillance on him for two days... I can't pick him up for jaywalking.
Captain. Lieutenant.
- It's coming off tonight. - What is?
- Uh, pick a card. Any card.
Captain McNeil.
Captain, it's Hugh Jellicoe.
Him and Macy have been cozy now for a couple of blocks.
Pretty heavy talk. Just now Jellicoe hands Macy an envelope.
- Is it thick enough for a down payment? - Fatter than my pension.
Macy's with Jellicoe. Hugh Jellicoe.
Number one crime profile...
numbers, prostitution,
gambling, razzle-dazzle.
We never nailed him on a big one.
He's just done 90 days on Rikers Island.
I wonder what he's buying from Macy and with whose money.
He's gotta have heavy backing.
Valano, we figure Macy's action comes off tonight. Hang with him.
I wanna give him support. Jellicoe is prime for something heavy.
- We're sending in more troops. - I'll listen for the bugle, uh, sir.
Lieutenant Kojak's office. I'm in church.
It's Valano. He lost Macy.
Well, remind him that the show must go on.
Hey, bubble brain, he still has to work that light tonight.
Catch him at the theater.
We need more culture around here.
Macy's show isn't running tonight.
They're getting the theater ready for the Tony Awards tomorrow.
Valano checked the union. Macy's off.
Central to Car 723.
Car 723K.
Proceed to suspect's apartment. A uniformed unit will meet you with search warrant.
I'm on my way, Central. 10-4.
Is this the warrant you wanted?
Sure looks like one to me.
Yeah.
See? Looks like he moved out.
He skipped. He can't do that. He's got a lease.
Mm-hmm.
Well, look around. Clues.
Who knows? He might have forgot to flush the toilet.
This Macy own a car? Who?
Mr. Mac... Morgan... whatever his name is.
No. He took the subway or a cab.
I see. Did you see him leave?
No. I was watching the game all afternoon. Dozed off.
Flat ginger ale in the fridge and that's it. Check out the cab companies.
This guy had to be juggling a couple of suitcases before he left.
I'll get it.
Hi there.
Yeah, it's me.
Now, don't be a wise guy. What do you want, Stavros?
Okay.
Jellicoe. He's huddling with a couple of the cha-cha Sindacato.
What for? Those wise guys already got a lock on all the action in their territory.
Numbers, broads, narcotics.
What do they need thatJellicoe could sell them?
Here you go, Mike. Revised schedule for tonight.
Hey, you mean anybody can rent uniforms like this?
Nah. You just gotta have that showbiz look, you know.
Hey, look, it fits my gun.
Hey, where's your brother? Carl's all set. He's just waiting for Liz to show.
- You check out the gear? - No sweat. Relax, Steve. We know how to set up a transmitter.
Okay, everybody, find your size and get into it.
All right, here we are. Geographical midway point...
between Throgs Neck Bridge and Tremont Avenue.
All right? So, what do we got?
If you're asking me, Lieutenant, what we got is zilch.
The biggest heist in the entire area is a parking meter.
Here lives Detective Third Grade Angus Duncan.
He's 85 years old. He retired 34 years ago.
The car dispatcher at, uh, Diamond Cab just checked in.
A guy fitting Macy's description got a taxi outside of his apartment at 7:10 tonight.
And where did the taxi take him?
A garage near Hull and 204th Street.
Stavros here yet? He's outside.
All right. Have him check it out. All right.
Garage.
Allender, no gum.
Okay, let's go.
Lieutenant, I just talked to Stavros. He says that garage has been vacant for a year.
- Did he find anything? - Yeah, clothes. Like they were just dropped there.
Men's stuff... pants, ties, shirts.
Some paint-spraying gear and these big empty boxes from Martinelli Costumes.
- Costumes? - Costumes. Five empty boxes.
So, that means Macy and Erskine weren't alone. They got a couple of playmates, right?
Could be. You call the squad room.
See if you can't run down the owner of this Martinelli's Costumes.
- Find out what was in those boxes. - Right.
- Hold on a minute. - 10-13, assist patrolman.
Repeat, all units. Repeat.
- Hey, Lieutenant, you gotta let us go. - All right, you, you, you.
Car 311 responding.
Attention, all units in the 4-5 precinct.
Patrolman is in the 500 block of Bogart Avenue.
10-13. Attention, all units, vicinity Throgs Neck Bridge.
That means that every unit in town is gonna be responding to this 10-13.
Manhattan South detectives, we will respond.
It's almost time for the second one, Liz.
Central Car 304, responding. 10-13.
Liz, you all right?
Yeah, yeah, I'm... I'm just worried about Steve...
and... and your brother and the whole crazy thing.
Attention, all units in the 3-7 precinct,
9800 block of Tremont Avenue,
a 10-13, officer needs assistance.
Hey, Lieutenant, all the other units are covering that first 10-13.
... 3-7 precinct. 9800 Tremont.
That "X" here. That first call...
Throgs Neck Bridge. That "X."
Hi. We've got a pickup. Coming over now.
What's all the action out there?
Central, this is Car 311. Can we have that address again?
Oh, we're being suckered.
The calls are phony, diversions.
Here, put the two of them together, and what do you got?
That part of the Bronx looks like a police cruiser convention.
That leaves City Island up for grabs. The Pelham Firing Range.
Gimme that location again, will you?
The armory.
Central, Car 723. Go ahead, 723.
It's a phony, all right, and it's choking the frequency up here.
Acknowledged, 723. We have a fix on a location of the transmitter.
Units are on the way. 10-4.
They're coming this way. No.
They're going to Throgs Neck.
- Central, this is Car... - Any cruiser or truck come in here?
Pick up? Delivery? Down at the loading platform now.
Okay, close it up.
Stop! Police!
Freeze! Keep your hands right on the wheel!
Valano.
He's dead.
- Are you okay? - Yeah.
You ever shoot a guy dressed like a cop?
It's hard.