- the name's Brogan, lieutenant Brogan.
For 20 years, I was with the n.Y.P.D.
Now... Well, let's just say,
"I've transferred to another precinct."
- How are we doing?
- Estimated atmospheric entry about 30 seconds, major.
- Stay on it. - You bet.
- Where's it gonna hit?
- Projected impact Area is eastern edge of the bay,
and the ocean beyond.
So track and chart every damn fragment!
Hey, no problem.
Most of it'll burn up in the atmosphere.
I don't care!
I can't afford to take any chances!
Understood?
Yes, ma'am.
Heaven help us, if we lose it.
- Oh, boy!
You've really done it this time.
- Nope-- You heard me right.
- Skiles, you barely know the girl.
- Oh, believe me, Mr. Butler, I know her well enough.
And, her and me are in love.
- Well, in that case, there's only one thing I can say.
- Oh?
- Congratulations! - Oh!
- Looks like you've got yourself some fireworks
to celebrate the occasion.
- Whoa!
- Let's go take a look! - Yeah.
- Skiles, get the Bales!
- Okay, Mr. Butler!
- Fantastic!
- Mr. Butler!
- Ah!
- Mr. Butler!
Oh-Oh, please!
Oh, geez!
Hang on, Mr. Butler-- I'll get help!
- I'm fine, Skiles.
Just help me get to my feet. - Okay, Mr. Butler.
You sure you're okay?
- Yeah. - Oh, thanks be.
The darn thing must've picked up a whole bunch of static
on the way down.
I gotta admit, you had me scared there, for awhile.
Geez, what is that thing?
- Oh, Bertha, you're just too good to me.
What is it today? - Urchin stew.
It's good and healthy, but only if you eat it, Virginia.
- Oh, urchins-- In this heat?
- Now, don't start with me.
- Okay, okay.
Did you hear-- The gushongs moved out yesterday?
One day, you got neighbors-- the next, rats.
- Well, I'm not going anywhere.
This is our home. - I know, I know.
Here.. for you.
- Oh, it's beautiful!
- I thought you needed a little color in your life.
- Peter...
Who could Peter be?
- I have no idea-- why don't you ask her?
- She put that box of chocolates on her desk, just to bug me.
I know it. - Not that it does.
You know, one of these days, you and Jane are gonna
have to stop stringing each other along.
- "man's inhumanity to man."
You know who said that? - Uh, nope.
- me neither.
Lucky thing we're tarns!
- He came by again-- The new landlord.
He made me another offer. - oh!
- Sure is in a hurry to empty this place.
- But you told him where to get off, right?
- Well, uh...
it's a lot of money, Bertha! - Oh!
- Oh, I know-- I know!
You're right-- This is our home.
- that's my gal-- See ya later, Virginia.
- Okay.
- excuse me, gentlemen.
- Oh, lady wants to get past.
What do you think?
Should we move aside?
- Ooh, I'm kinda comfortable standing here, myself.
And you? - Yeah.
- What do you want?
- Whatever you got.
- Ooh, nice!
- Yeah.
Oops! - How dare you!
- Ooh!
- Do you think she can fly? - Uh, let's find out.
- Brogan, haldane, mugging in progress.
Roetem towers.
Contact a mrs. Newton, top floor.
- We're there, fredo.
- Ow!
- Where is she?
- There. - Leave me alone!
- Look, there's no way I can set her down here.
Um, you wanna jump?
- Help me, please-- Please, help me!
- Just get me close.
- Please-- Please, hurry!
Please, help me!
- Right there!
- I'll work my way back up from the street!
Break a leg! - Right.
You all right? - Oh, don't just stand there!
Go get 'em! - Yes, ma'am-- Stay put!
Brogan. - I'm with ya.
First floor-- Workin' my way up the stairs.
- I got the 12th.
- Did you get 'em?
- I thought I told you to wait inside.
- I thought you might need some help.
- Ah!
Uh, nothin' my way.
They didn't use the stairs.
- Wait a minute-- You're bleeding.
- Oh, it's nothing. - Let's get this gal to e.R.
- I'm not a gal-- I have a name!
Bertha fluss,
and it'll take more than a couple of punks
to put me in the hospital. - Uh, did you, uh,
know these punks, mrs. Fluss?
- I never set eyes on them before, sergeant.
- All right, well, tell you what, mrs. Fluss.
Why don't you come back to the station with me
and the sergeant,
and we'll take care of that arm and get a statement.
Okay?
- That's it-- I am movin' out!
I don't need this kinda grief! - What's the matter?
Didn't you finish your breakfast?
- Oh, very funny.
She wants me to call if I'm gonna be late for dinner.
What next, a curfew?
- There's only one way to handle a woman.
You gotta stand up and tell her how you feel.
Be forceful, be direct! - To my mom?
- What are you, a creon, or a wimp?
Oh, no-- I don't believe it!
It's the beast! - What?
- Bertha fluss-- the beast of "Astronomics 101."
- One of your high school teachers?
- Shh!
- Please, make sure you wash and change the dressing
every day, mrs. Fluss.
- Is that all they teach you at medical school, these days?
- She'll be fine.
Nice meeting you, mrs. Fluss.
- Ma'am.
- Silas romek... is that you?
Well, of course, it is!
Who else, with that terrible posture?
You know, very well, who I am.
- Sure, he does.
- Oh, yeah, mrs. Fluss!
I-I-I didn't recognize you.
How ya doin'?
- I always thought you'd end up in a police station,
but I never imagined it would be on this side of the bars.
- Well, we do let him out, every once in awhile.
Come on, mrs. Fluss, let's see if we can get
a memory fit on the guys that attacked you.
- wimp! - Mmm!
- Honey, uh, I'm in the middle of my work day, here.
Look, I'll let you in on a little secret.
When I was your age, I almost didn't pass my own midterms.
- Great-- Mom's still at work.
What am I supposed to do? - What's Matt doing?
- Well, he's not helping me. - All right.
Well, you tell him to help you, or else.
I'll be home as soon as I can.
- Matt, dad said, "or else."
- Be still, now, and recall the events, mrs. Fluss.
- the thing is, he's been missing for weeks.
Look, I brought you some pictures.
- This isn't really a police matter, you know?
Have you spoken to missing persons?
- I have. - and?
- Nothing.
- Well, who's the other guy? - That's his boss.
Randall Butler.
He hasn't heard anything either.
Look, there must be something you can do.
People don't just disappear! - Well, it's a free planet.
You say you two were planning to get married.
Is it possible Mr. Skiles got cold feet?
- You think I'm making this whole thing up?
- No, no.
What officer took is trying to say is that,
unless we have evidence of foul play...
we can't do anything.
- Great.
Thanks a lot for your help-- Thanks.
- Oh, maybe I should give the coroner another call.
See if anything's turned up.
- You see, I don't understand.
I got a good look at those boys.
I should've given the sketch artist
a better picture. - It's all right, Bertha.
Memory fit's not an exact science.
- Well, don't patronize me, officer!
- I think what officer haldane is trying to say--
- I know what he's saying!
Those thugs frightened me more than I realized,
and it's affected my memory of the incident.
Look at this place!
No wonder there's a crime wave around here.
- Yeah, you oughta speak to your landlord.
This is pretty rundown.
- Oh, you can say that again.
- Mrs. Fluss!
- Oh, hello, Borden.
Gentlemen, this is my landlord, Randall Borden.
Lieutenant Brogan and officer haldane.
- nice to meet you, officers.
Mrs. Newton just told me what happened.
It must've been terrible.
Are you all right?
- Major, action on camera five.
- But, surely, you see the difference.
- I suppose, but it's pretty tenuous, skid.
I mean, language is about communication.
Huh? - Exactly!
That's why it's so important to use it right.
Not just content, pal.
Form-- That's the key.
- Old age is for the birds!
If I'd been a few years Younger,
those punks would've been walkin' around
with only two eyes, right now!
- What is done, is done, Bertha.
Now, drink up your cocoa.
I've added a little potassium to realign your metabolism.
- I'm glad they invented you, Rocky.
Sometimes, it's as if Mr. Fluss had never died.
- Companionship is my function.
Given that, Bertha,
I would be grateful if you would inform me
when you are expecting company.
- What on altor are you talkin' about?
- Nice crib you got here, lady.
- Whatever you want, just take it,
and leave me alone.
- Oh, now, you don't really mean that, do ya?
- Oh!
Is that what you wanted?
- Rocky, call the police. - of course.
- Rocky!
- Wouldn't that have been easier?
- Sure, But not as much fun!
- You swine!
- Where'd the old bag go?
- Oh, no!
No!
Let me out!
- Sleep tight, Bertha.
- Now, we'll leave you alone.
- No, you can't leave me here!
- How about a nice, cool drink?
- Suits me. - Please!
- They're on their way. - send in the unit.
- Bertha?
- Oh, please, help me, please.
- Bertha?
Bertha?
- I-I'm in here.
- Bertha, is that you-- You in there?
- I'm in here. - All right, all right.
All right. - I'm in here!
- Stand back-- I'm gonna kick the door!
- All right, Officer.
- It's all right-- It's okay.
Okay, it's all right-- Come on, come on.
It's all right-- Tell me what happened.
- They came back!
I don't understand!
This place was a mess!
They killed my Rocky-- My robot!
- There you are, Bertha.
Whatever happened to you last night?
- Rocky!
Don't you remember?
- The last event I recall was that
you were popping up the stairs to see mrs. Newton.
You never returned.
- No, I don't understand!
They were here!
I swear, on my husband's grave!
- Look, mrs. Fluss,
the attack yesterday was very traumatic.
- You think I'm losing my mind, don't you?
- No, no.
- Well, what about being locked in the trash room?
Did I dream that, too? - No.
Look, I will admit,
something very weird is going on around here.
- You're tellin' me.
- Look, mrs. Fluss,
why don't you stay with some friends for a few days?
- This is my home, Officer-- I'm not going anywhere.
And I'm not goin' to a shelter, either.
So, don't ask! - Okay, all right.
What do you wanna do?
- I want protection-- I am a citizen!
I've paid more taxes than you've earned wages.
Now, that should count for something.
- Yeah.
- is this for me, Officer?
- Yeah... and I have a name.
It's Jack.
- Thank you...
Jack.
- You gotta be kidding me, haldane!
- Come on, captain-- An attempt was made on her life!
- What evidence do you have for that?
Were there any signs of a struggle?
- Well, no, but...
she has no reason to lie.
- Loneliness is a strange thing, haldane.
It feeds the imagination.
- Uh, captain, for what it's worth,
mrs. Fluss doesn't seem like the hysterical type.
- What-What is this?
You're police officers, not psychiatrists.
If you wanna help her, contact social services.
- Captain, wait--
Somethin' is definitely happenin' down there.
- What? - Uh...
- Come on, haldane, tell me.
What is happening down there?
Fellas, go catch me some criminals, huh?
- But...
- All right, dando, and thanks for your help.
That was the coroner's Office.
No one matching Skiles description.
- This is a strange one. - Why'd you say that?
- Well, suppose he did get cold feet.
He wouldn't disappear completely, would he?
- Well, maybe we should put slomo on this.
See what he can dig up.
- Hey, man, don't worry about Bertha.
We'll make a couple of extra stops on patrol.
The other guys'll do the same. - So, you believe her, then?
- Well, I didn't say that.
Look, why don't you go give her a call,
and I'll run a background search on This new landlord.
All right?
- Hey, loverboy.
I hear you've been seeing an older woman.
- don't start with me, castle.
Looks like somebody's doin' pretty good, though, huh?
- You're not jealous, are you?
- Say "Hi" to Peter for me.
- Hey, haldane, how's your love life?
- Excuse me?
- You seem pretty chummy with Bertha the beast.
- You know, romek, I can answer that,
but, for some reason, I don't think you'd get the point.
- Hey, it was a joke.
- Yeah, well, from what I heard,
you weren't much funnier in school, either.
- Oh, right-- So you are boppin' the beast.
- You know, why don't you shut up, romek,
or maybe you'd like me to shut you up!
- You want a piece of me, haldane!
- Yeah! - Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, hey!
Back off-- Back off!
Come on-- Come on!
- It was just a joke, lieutenant.
- Yeah, sit down.
- Officer took, Officer castle,
I checked out your missing person
with the hall of records, interplanetary and immigration.
As far as I can determine, Mr. Skiles does not exist.
- Well, he looks pretty real to me.
We should go and see the other guy in the picture.
Randall Butler.
- This is a hell of a surprise, mrs. Newton!
I've got movers scheduled! - I'm sorry, Mr. Borden.
I've changed my mind-- I have that right.
- of course, you do!
But, with all the crime around here,
wouldn't you be better off in a new building?
- I like it here-- I know people.
- Most of your neighbors have moved there, already!
- And that should be an incentive?
- Well, the offer isn't gonna be there forever.
Think about it.
I'll be back later. - You'll be wasting your time.
I never change my mind!
- I could live somewhere like this.
- On your own?
- I didn't say that.
- Well, we should get a visual on Butler's place,
any second now.
Ah, there we are.
- What's going on down there?
Tooky!
- You have entered restricted Military air space.
Change your heading to 0-9-6,
and exit This fly zone.
- the nerve.
- This is officers castle and took.
D.C.P.D. 88th precinct, on official police business.
Request permission to proceed.
- I repeat, change your heading and exit This fly zone.
Failure to do so will result in the immediate use of force.
- What the military chooses to do is, quite frankly,
none of our business!
I want to know what you two were doing out there,
in the countryside, on a low priority missing persons case.
- But, sir, we thought it odd that a guy who clearly existed,
had no history of ever being on altor.
- I imagine you officers are familiar with illegal aliens.
Now, how many of them do you suppose go around
advertising the fact, huh?
- We've got no reason to believe the guy's an illegal.
We talked with his fiancé.
- Why do I get the idea that every officer in my staff
is out there doing social work?
- Don't you think there might be a connection, sir?
- What connection?
- Between what's happening at Butler's farm
and the disappearance of Skiles!
- Oh, for heaven's sake!
You have no hard evidence of a crime!
Leave it to missing persons, all right?
- Are you expecting company, Bertha?
- No.
- You would like me to open the door?
- No!
- You must remind me to monitor your caffeine intake.
You're getting a little overwrought.
- Whoa-Whoa-- Easy, Bertha!
You could hurt somebody with that thing.
- that's the idea.
Well, don't just stand there-- Come on in.
- I just came by to see how you were doing.
- Damn cops... they're everywhere!
What if he gets in the way?
- We've just gotta let things take their course,
and keep an eye on our boy.
- Oh, it's you, again. - Hello, there, mrs. Newton.
Have you reconsidered, yet?
- I'm not interested-- This is my home!
- I'm sorry to hear that.
You see, you leave me no choice.
I have to persuade you. - Oh, no!
Get out of my home! - Come on, old lady.
- Get off me!
Get out!
- You can't let this continue.
The only way to find out who this Peter character is,
is to ask her.
- to be honest,
I think I'm afraid of what the answer would be.
- Let an old gal give you a bit of advice.
If you wanna be happy, you have to face your fears.
- Please, let me go!
- You know, the views here are great.
- Not just great-- They're spectacular!
- I'll move, I'll move!
- You know, she's a lucky lady,
living in a place with a view like this.
You take care, now.
- aaaah!
- I brought her her dinner every day.
She always complained...
But she always ate it.
- Mrs. Fluss, I just heard.
I'm so sorry.
Suicide's a hell of a thing. - never!
Not in a month of blue moons!
- It's always so-So unexpected.
- I think what she's saying is that
there's no way mrs. Newton would've killed herself.
- What are you talking about, Officer?
- I'm talking about the fact that we feel
there's a connection between this incident,
and the systematic harassment of tenants in your building.
- Frankly, I'm shocked, that you should make such a suggestion,
at a time like this!
I came here to offer my condolences to mrs. Fluss!
- Thanks very much for your help, Mr. Borden.
We'll let you know if we need anything.
- All right-- Okay.
- Why didn't you arrest him! - It's not that easy.
- What'd you find out on the background check?
- Borden's strictly legit.
Bought the building, outright, last month.
Certified credit package, 26-Hour electronic escrow. The usual.
- I'll tell ya something.
If he's clean, I'm a valerian glue dog.
- Yeah, well, listen to this.
He filed a demolition permit with city hall,
but he's not planning on building anything in its place.
- Hey, lieutenant, we found this in the victim's hand.
- I've seen that before!
Those thugs that attacked me,
one of them was wearing a jacket with a button just like that.
They murdered her!
They killed my best friend!
- Bertha, um, you said they came back?
- They sure did!
- Look, if we try a memory fit,
do you think you could remember their faces this time?
- Every nasty detail!
- Come on, you-- move it. - Hey!
- All right, guys!
- Nailed 'em at the shuttle gate,
interplanetary, tickets in hand.
- Two minutes later,
and they'd have been nothing more than a memory fit.
- Throw 'em in the cage-- Fatten them up.
- Hey, watch it!
- Brogan and haldane are on their way down, right now.
Very hungry.
- I guess this means you get home in time
for your mommy's curfew. - Very funny.
Let's not scare 'em too quickly.
- All right, then, I'll lose the cattle prod,
and we'll start with the thumb screws.
- Sounds good.
- What gives?
- Where are they-- Interrogation?
- They're, uh, they're gone, lieutenant.
- What? - Yeah.
A couple military types just walked right in and took 'em.
- Hey, you, hold it right there!
- Lieutenant Brogan, Officer haldane.
If you have any questions, see your captain.
- Who the hell are you?
- Captain Weldon, m.I.A.
- What does military intelligence want
with these two? - forget it, lieutenant.
This is no longer your problem.
- Since when is murder, in our precinct,
not our problem? - Since now.
As far as you're concerned, these two were never arrested,
and this never happened.
Talk to your captain, if you want.
- I'll do that.
This isn't over.
- It's over, Brogan! - What?
We catch the criminals and you let 'em go!
- I didn't let them go.
I handed them over to the military!
- Just tell me why!
- I don't like this anymore than you do!
Twice already, they've interfered with my command!
But, as long as they don't actually break the law,
we have to stand clear.
Hell, even if they do, we have to stand clear!
- Yeah, how far back is clear?
- All the way.
There's nothing I can do-- I'm sorry, gentlemen!
- Hey, Jane.
What was the story yesterday on that military plane?
- Well, you tell us.
We're flying along, minding our own business--
- Which was what?
- Well, we wanted to talk to a farmer,
in connection with a missing persons case.
- his name's enro Skiles-- He's the guy on the right.
- Wait a minute, the guy on the left,
that's Borden, the landlord.
- Borden-- his name's Butler.
- Yeah, he's the farmer.
- Yeah, they're both the same.
You know what, we're workin' on the same case here.
This is definitely not over yet.
- Psychopath.
He's torchin' the place-- Can you believe this?
- Huh, I can believe anything.
It's as good a way, as any, to get the building down.
- What about the old lady?
- She's still up there in her apartment.
- Collateral damage.
There's a lot at stake here, Weldon.
We can't interfere with Butler.
He's all we've got.
Oh, no-- looks who's here.
- Get back in your cruiser, fellas.
- Not a chance.
We're on legitimate police business here.
- Put them back in their cruiser!
If they refuse to leave, shoot 'em!
- Don't try it, pal.
We're checkin' on a private citizen,
then we're outta here.
- Too late for that, I'm afraid.
- Too late for what? - Go home, officers.
You don't need to know anymore.
- the hell, I don't.
- No, let him go.
It won't make any difference.
- Bertha!
Bertha!
- Haven't you heard of a door com, Jack?
- Come on-- We gotta go. - What's happening?
- I don't know-- We gotta go!
Come on! - My robot, Rocky!
- There's no time-- Let's go!
Come on, let's take the stairs.
- Haldane. What are you doin' in there?
Answer me!
- Stay back, Bertha! - Haldane!
Get your Butt outta there-- We got a major fire down here!
- Yeah, right-- Tell me about it.
It might help if you put it out.
Okay, I'm gonna put you on my shoulder, all right?
Let's go-- One, two, three.
- oh!
- No!
- Aaah!
- Give me your hand, Brogan.
- I lost my robot-- Rocky!
- Come on-- Come on!
- Come on!
- That was my home.
- It's all right, Bertha.
Home is where the heart is-- You'll find another one.
- Damn you!
Butler's dead-- You just had to interfere!
- I tried to save him, but-- - We saw what happened.
- You were watching.
You were watching from the beginning.
Who was Butler?
Or, was it Borden?
What was he?
- You don't wanna know. - humor me, Weldon!
Is there something under the building?
Something he wanted? - That's classified.
It's all classified. - Oh, great!
So, you just stand back and watch innocent people die,
and nobody ever knows!
- Lieutenant, if a few citizens have to die--
Ten, 100, hell, even 1,000,
and we save the lives of a billion others,
we have to stop it. - Well, if it's that bad,
then people have the right to know what it is!
You don't know, do you?
You don't, either.
- Why him? - Hey, orrin...
good news, Buddy.
I found a place for you to live.
My neighbor's movin' out. - Uh, I don't need a place.
I live with my mom.
- Well, what about your quest for freedom?
Your-Your life without curfews?
- But, what would my mom do without me?
I mean, who would clean the compactor?
- What your dad's for, orrin. - Right.
Hey, uh, haldane, uh,
what I wanted to say was, uh--
I mean, uh, maybe I was a little bit out of line
about you and mrs. Fluss.
- Mmm, you know, that's funny.
Bertha told me that she meant everything she said about you.
- Huh?
Hey!
- How's Peter? - He's fine.
- Mmm-Mmm.
- Um...
we ought to clear this up.
- Look, um...
I just want you to know,
if there's somebody you're really interested in,
I understand.
And I want you to know that,
I only give you a hard time because...
Well, because I, you know,
I care about you.
- I care about you, too.
Really.
- So, who's Peter?
- He's my brother.
- Your brother.
Your brother? - Yes.
- Sorry to break this up--Haldane.
Podly won't budge.
- What-- you mean, on the Butler case?
- The arson squad says the fire was accidental,
the coroner says Butler was burned too badly to autopsy,
and the media seems to have slept through
the whole damned thing!
- It's like they said, "it never happened."
- M.I.A. Headquarters, how may I help you?
- Yeah, it's lieutenant Brogan, D.C.P.D.
Let me speak to captain Weldon.
- one moment, please.
I'm sorry-- There is no captain Weldon in this command.
- Well, maybe you can tell me how I can contact her.
- Negative-- I have no record of any captain Weldon,
in any department.
Are you sure you have the right name?
- No, I'm not sure-- I'm not sure about anything.
Thanks for your help.
You believe in ghosts?