(DANCE MUSIC PLAYING)
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
(SHUTTER CLICKING)
So, Angie, how much can I make with this outcall service?
In a good week? I'd say about two grand.
Wow, really? Really.
$150 an hour plus whatever you pick up on the stroll.
Look, honey, here's the number.
The woman's name is Cheryl Stone.
Give her a call. Okay? All right.
Thanks. Thanks a lot.
Oh, my God. I don't believe this.
Oh, my God! What's wrong?
I gotta go. I gotta go.
Sandy! Excuse me. Hey, man.
(RINGS)
Hello.
Okay, fine. I'll see you there.
Excuse me, miss! That girl you were just with...
Fella, sorry. Later.
No, wait. You don't understand. Wait!
PROSTITUTE: Hey, Barry! How's business over there?
SONNY: Stuart Orr Whitley, the poor man's Oscar Wilde.
RICO: They start giving awards for bull, the man's gonna win the Nobel Prize.
Hey, check this out.
Don't be touchin' me! You wanna talk to me, you talk to my man!
Hey, something you ain't gettin', sister.
This is your man. Come here, I wanna talk to you.
What you gotta talk to me about?
Hey, you ain't got to be so rough. Hey!
Look, we ain't got nothing to talk about. Let go of me!
Ow.
Come here, come here, I got somethin' to show ya.
What? Hey you! Up against the wall!
Hey, lighten up! Yeah, yeah, turn around.
Come on, man.
I was just trying to show the chick how to defend herself.
Uh-huh, right. I got you.
Oh! Well, now you're gonna get to do all your teaching by correspondence,
from up the cut.
You all right?
That's too cold, Jim.
Take him away, he's all yours.
Move it.
Oh, look at what we got here.
I seen the man, seen the man.
You seen the man? The big man, the big man.
The big man. Well how big was he?
Counting or not counting the fin?
Counting the fin? Counting or not counting the fin.
You better go home and get some sleep, old man.
Man, boss fin man, boss fin.
Lights coming off it. Steam smoking out of his feet, man.
He got a girl, he got a knife! He got a knife, man!
Ain't no good gonna come out of this, man.
He's got a girl and a knife? He got a knife.
He's got a knife? Yeah, knife.
Show me where. Right this way.
Where is he?
Oh, man, not again.
The witness gave us nothing?
Nothin' we could use on this planet.
Just got a print match-up on the dead girl, Lieutenant.
Angela Nelson.
She moved here from Tampa about a year ago.
She's had two arrests since then. Both for prostitution.
Four dead and counting.
Check who her pimp was.
MARTIN: How about the girl before?
Michelle Barr. She was in Lester Cope's stable.
And we're still trying to make a line on Lester.
Try looking under a rock.
Homicide's report.
Same MO.
He was torturing this one when the vagrant dropped in,
so he killed her.
Figure some whacked-out pimp?
Yeah, or one trying to start a turf war.
We can't rule that out.
Trudy, Rico, work the pimp detail.
Then I want you back on the street.
See what the word is on johns who like to cut. That'll be all.
Make sure this gets on the wire right away.
Sonny, can I see you for a minute?
Take a look at these cuts. Do they mean anything to you?
Definitely some sort of symbol. Maybe Asian.
You think this could be some sort of a ritual thing?
These marks could be Thai, Japanese.
Check what they've got in the ritualistic killer file at the Justice Department.
Can I take these? Yeah.
Sonny, mate. Remember me? Stuart Orr Whitley. Weekly Gazette.
Oh, yeah, the missing kid case.
You're the jerk that dressed up like a mailman
to get inside the grieving parents' home. Right?
Well, you know how it is in this game, mate.
You gotta pull out all the stops to get the story.
Here, how's about you and I go have a little drink...
Hit the bricks, Stu.
Give me a break.
I got a few theories on who it is been, you know, knifing these ladies.
Confessions really pouring into that rag of yours, huh?
Wouldn't do any harm to add a little information. Come on.
Listen up, Stu, you pay off any of those witnesses,
and I'll nail you for abetting justice.
You hold anything back from me, and I'll send you back down under so quick
it'll make your head spin.
You know what it is I like about you, Crockett?
You're like me! A real stickler for the First Amendment!
Professor, I guess you've read the paper about the prostitute killings.
Mmm.
All the bodies had the same knife cuts.
They seem to be some kind of Asian symbols.
I thought you might be able to help.
Would you mind taking a look at these?
By all means.
Hmm.
Interesting.
Well, Lieutenant, you're absolutely right.
These markings certainly are Asian. To be exact, they're Japanese.
You're sure about this?
Oh yeah, yes, yes. Quite sure.
This mark here, this is used in certain ancient Japanese rituals.
Here.
Associated with the storm goddess, Susano.
In her destructive phase, I don't think I need to add.
Um, the intent is to let the victim bleed to death slowly.
The idea is to bring about purification.
Um, regeneration, if you like.
It's an ancient custom dating back hundreds of years.
Now this mark here, this mark here, this lunar mark,
I can't quite make this out, but it's some sort of Japanese crest.
If you like, I'll check into it.
Thank you. I'd appreciate that.
It was her, I tell you!
She was with this hooker! At this club!
Mixing with street scum!
Detective Joplin, Detective Tubbs, this is Mr. Dyson.
His daughter Sandy's a runaway.
He claims he saw her with Angela Nelson the night she was killed.
Claims he saw her? You think I don't know my own daughter?
Hey, hey, Mr. Dyson, just relax, take it easy.
Appreciate it. Why don't you have a seat?
Would you like a cup of coffee? No, no.
Now you say you saw your daughter at a club.
Do you remember which one?
Yeah. The Razor's Edge.
Beats me how you cops can let these places stay open.
Sandy's a kid, Detective.
She shouldn't be running around in joints like this!
How old is she, Mr. Dyson?
Eighteen. Here, I uh... I brought you this picture.
She's a pretty girl.
It was taken last year.
She was just a senior in high school.
On a camping trip with her girlfriends and now...
Can't you issue a warrant or something?
She's 18.
That's beyond the age of consent.
That kinda, like, limits us.
You can give a statement to Trudy.
We'll make copies of this and pass it out.
You wanna follow me? Thanks.
Mmm-hmm.
Detective Tubbs, there's a call for you on line two.
Thank you.
This is Tubbs.
GINA: Rico, I just got a line on Lester Cope.
455 East Ocean Avenue.
Call Stan and have him meet me there.
Right.
(WHISTLES)
Hey, Lester!
WOMAN: Oh, my gosh!
Gee, sorry, Les!
Come on, get up here.
Listen, Les, you been hiding on us?
We figured one of your girls gets killed, you'd come see us.
What? You think I did it, man?
She was my money chick. Now, why the hell would I wanna kill her?
Maybe she wanted to be traded to another team
and her manager lost his temper.
No, no way, man.
Cocaine, PCP...
Listen, Les, we been doing a little checking.
We understand there's a couple of boys you burned
just waiting for your triumphant return to county cut.
Now we can take you there right now, if you want to.
Hey, man, get real, all right?
Tell us something.
Okay, man, look, the chick went with this Japanese dude.
Big dope dealer. Name's Tegoro.
He's a sick guy, man. Bad news, you dig?
Uses a knife.
Hey, but you never heard it from me, all right?
Get out of here.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
(SIRENS APPROACHING)
Cops!
Ha!
They're not even after us.
Whew!
Hey, you're new. I ain't seen you around.
Just trying to make some extra bread.
I hear you. My name's Cookie.
Sandy. Is that coffee?
Can I get a sip?
Sure. You can have it.
Thanks.
Sandy.
Hey, is you the Sandy this guy's been looking for?
Which guy?
I dunno. Some older dude. Said he's lookin' for a girl called Sandy.
Hey, don't worry. I'm not gonna say nothing.
I don't want no man looking for me.
He's my father.
No kidding. You a runaway?
My father's a real creep.
I just couldn't take it anymore, you know?
Yeah. Well, nobody digs their old man.
Hey, my dad was a real piece of work.
Lived it up in all the clubs, went after every girl in the neighborhood.
I wish mine did that. Only thing he ever went after was me.
Look, I gotta date. Thanks for the coffee.
Ah, gentlemen. An unexpected pleasure.
You don't mind if we talk while my latest acquisition is being mounted? Do you?
Quite exquisite, isn't it?
Sure, art. Let's talk about art.
Recognize that?
Is this your latest trademark?
A little bit to the left.
Ah, better, better.
What the hell?
Gee, I'm sorry. I get so clumsy, especially when I'm ignored,
Now, about the girl.
Do you know her?
I know lots of women, Detective.
Some living, some dead.
This one? I don't believe so.
Whatever would make you believe that I would do such a thing?
'Cause that's your bag, Tegoro.
And we've got your sheet to prove it.
Ah, the excesses of youth.
I'm straight now, gentlemen.
Where were you night before last?
At a club, I believe. Razor's Edge.
Charming place. Appeals to my weakness for sharp instruments.
A work of art, no?
Cuts beautifully.
Blends well with the female motif.
Does this excite you, Detective?
I'll tell you, what really excites me
is the thought of you in a cell somewhere
with all the fathers of the daughters that you've turned out.
Now, that's exciting.
Hi, baby, it's me. How're you doin'?
You want me to come now?
Okay, sure.
Hello.
Anybody home?
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)
(MUFFLED SCREAMS)
(CHATTERING ON POLICE RADIO)
Oh, my God. My baby.
MARTIN: Let Gina stay with him for a while.
Then take him over to his daughter's place.
See if there's anything there for us.
Trudy,
what the hell's eatin' you?
Certainly has his grief down pat.
Do you know somethin' I don't?
Yeah, he's not father of the year.
She was only a kid. Just starting out.
Kills me to see her like that.
Yeah, some start you gave her. Right, Dyson?
What'd you hear?
Trudy ran across Sandy just a couple of hours before she was killed.
She mentioned that you were lookin' for her.
Then you know.
I've been through therapy, Mr. Tubbs.
I'm not like that anymore.
I wanted to take her home so that
I could prove to her that I could be a father.
Now this.
Find something?
Yeah, a diary.
"Scored nine on my motivational quiz today.
"Means I'm a real self-starter.
"I've got to get as tough as Cheryl Stone. Cheryl's a bitch.
"But no one messes with her.
"If I could just get with Cheryl,
"I'll really be on my way to success."
Success?
God!
Cheryl Stone. Let me keep this.
Hi, may I help you? Hey! You can't go in there!
This is a legitimate escort service.
How dare you walk in here like this? Just who the hell do you think you are?
Cheryl, allow me to be direct and straightforward.
What we are, are Vice cops,
and with your checkered record, we could shut you down right now.
There's a girl named Sandy Dyson.
We know she was one of your escort girls.
We wanna look at her date list.
Sandy Dyson? Doesn't ring any bells.
Oh yeah? Is that right?
That's not what she says right here in her diary.
Oh, so some little broad wrote a book.
Maybe you should find her a publisher.
Wrong, Cheryl. This is non-fiction.
And it's gonna be a bestseller at the DA's office.
Okay, wait a minute.
She just started few days ago.
How many people did she see?
One, that I know of. A guy called Carlos.
I took the call myself. And she met him at the Walden Hotel.
This guy Carlos, he ever called here before?
Yeah, a few times.
What the hell is this all about, anyway?
Sandy was killed last night.
She's not the first, is she Cheryl?
Who else?
A girl called Angela Nelson.
(KNOCKING)
Mr. Dyson?
Yes.
Yes, I'm sorry to bother you at a time like this,
but your daughter often confided in me.
Might I have a word with you?
I guess so, Father.
Hey, what is this? Get out of here!
No, not so fast, me old copper.
Here. Stuart Orr Whitley. New York Times.
You give me an interview,
I may be able to tell you who it is killed your daughter.
Fair?
All right, thanks.
Well, Gina talked to a waiter at the Razor's Edge.
The night Angela Nelson was killed,
Tegoro was with a guy called Carlos.
That puts 'em together. That could make it.
You think that Carlos is procuring the girls for him?
Makes sense.
I mean, with Tegoro's report card, why risk a direct approach?
He's used the same dating service twice.
I'm tellin' you, this guy is playing games with us.
I mean, he's just begin' for us to catch him.
We have to get somebody under before he makes his next move.
It's no problem, I can handle it.
It's all we've got. Set it up.
Cheryl Stone's Escort Service.
How may I best help you?
MAN: I need a special girl for this evening.
A girl who is experienced, a girl who understands things.
My name is Carlos.
For the whole evening, sir, that will be $500,
in advance, in cash.
Okay?
No problem. But I want you to send me a girl who is talented,
who has sensitivity.
Of course. I know just the one
for a cultured man such as yourself, sir.
She'll be available at 9:00 tonight.
Would you like her number?
Yes.
555-8723.
She's there right now. Waiting for you.
Come on, come on.
Is this Trudy? Bingo! He's got Trudy on the line.
My name's Carlos. Call's being made from an apartment on West Eighth.
They told me you're a very interesting girl.
1421 West Eighth Street. It's the Bay View Hotel. Room 38.
Good work, Stan. Carlos Esteban.
... Bay View Hotel.
Stan, where's Tegoro?
Just going into the club.
You think he wants Carlos to bring her here?
I doubt it.
I think they'll take her to a warehouse or a hotel.
Just stay on him.
Right.
Money, money, money, hmm?
Filth.
Let us never mention it again.
This is not a bank. This is not a stock exchange.
This room is a temple.
TRUD Y: A temple of love?
A temple of pain.
Look, made from the hide of a rhinoceros.
It's called a sjambok.
Can you feel this, my dear?
A very special instrument, no?
It brings pleasure, such painful pleasure.
(GROANS)
You are so fine.
Rico, he's gonna do her.
I give you all the power.
(WHIPPING)
Yes! Hit me! Hit me harder! Whip me!
Rico, you believe young Carlos?
That chump is a pain freak.
Hit me harder!
Hey, Rico. Yeah. Jack Dyson just went into The Razor's Edge.
What the hell's he doin' there?
I don't know.
You scum! You killed my daughter!
(GUN FIRES)
(WOMEN SCREAMING)
Look out, police! Police!
Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I'll try and have something for you
on these lunar cuts as soon as I can.
I understand how urgent this is.
Please try. We appreciate all you're doing.
Thank you. Thanks again, Doc.
Dr. Halliwell, I've always been a great admirer of yours.
I understand you're assisting the police with their inquiries.
Who are you?
Who am I? Oh, yes.
Stuart Orr Whitley, Special Correspondent, New York Times.
He calls himself a reporter.
But they only use the papers he writes for to line trash cans.
Thanks a lot, mate!
(PHONE RINGING)
Hello. This is Trudy.
This is Carlos, my talented little beauty.
Why didn't you call me back?
Well, you know, I was busy. You know how it is.
You were very good to me last night, Trudy. Tonight?
Maybe.
You know what I think, Trudy? I think you have a taste for danger.
How would you like to do something really exciting, hmm?
That really turns me on, Carlos.
I'd like you to meet a friend of mine.
A very interesting friend.
Tell me. Where would you like me to pick you up?
You know the Parkgrove Motel?
I can find it. Why don't I meet you there 11.00?
I'll be waiting out front.
Oh, I just can't wait.
I just got the sheet on Carlos Esteban, Lieutenant.
Guatemalan immigrant. Came to this country in 1969.
Military services: Vietnam, Special Forces, 1973 to 1975.
Worked as a mercenary from 1982 until recently.
Some gaps in between. We're still checking.
You said he mentioned a friend.
He said he wants me to meet someone but he didn't say who.
Tegoro?
Must be the MO.
Sandy Dyson wasn't killed the first night.
Maybe Carlos gets to play with 'em first,
and then he turns 'em over to Tegoro.
What time is he supposed to meet you?
11:00.
Cor blimey!
Good afternoon, Mr. Whitley.
(STAMMERING) Doc! You're back already?
I was just about to leave you a note.
The door was open.
Hope you don't mind my barging in like this.
Certainly not.
Something you wanted to ask me, was there?
Oh yes, yes, as a matter of fact...
Stay, then. Please.
Have a drink.
Oh, by the way,
this is Carlos.
Carlos.
What's your pleasure, Mr. Whitley?
Ah, not right now, thanks. Never was much of a drinker.
What do you have there?
This? Um...
Yes. May I see it?
Find these interesting, do you?
(STAMMERING) Most illuminating, Doctor.
(SNICKERING)
Yes, yes, I can tell they've had quite an effect on you.
You can say that again.
'Course, I won't say anything, naturally.
No. Well, I'm glad to hear that.
I get so tired of people who adopt psychological approaches to torture.
I'm sure you... You know what I mean.
The torturer as the dual victim, trapped in the cycle of punishment.
It's absolute nonsense.
Nonsense, ab... Totally. I could not... I could not agree with you more.
I learned first-hand, you see, Whitley.
The Hmong tribesman taught me
in a little hut outside Vientiane.
It came to me in a flash.
It was a revelation, actually.
I experienced first-hand the extraordinary clarity
with which one views the world in a moment of agony
and ecstasy.
No, no, I won't say anything!
I know how to keep my mouth shut!
I swear. I'm not gonna give the game away!
That's right, Mr. Whitley, you won't.
(SCREAMS)
You bastard! You won't get away with this!
(SCREAMING CONTINUES)
Trudy!
Trudy?
We're early, man. Maybe she stepped out.
You boys looking for rooms?
Uh, no, we're meeting a lady friend here.
You may have a long wait. She just drove off with a guy.
What'd the guy look like?
Latin guy. You know, kind of, uh...
Was he bald? Did he have a scar on his cheek?
Yeah. I think.
Yeah, yeah, that's right.
You wanna know my personal philosophy?
No.
I love when you talk cruel to me.
You know what? I just remembered something.
I'm supposed to meet a girlfriend for a drink.
I better make a phone call. I'll be right back.
Such mundanities. Phone calls.
I will not hear of it. Hmm? Come on.
Aren't there any lights here?
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)
(GASPS)
You?
What the hell is holdin' up Switek?
We have every available unit looking for her.
Rico tossed Carlos' apartment.
Nothing. No papers, no addresses.
Just a bunch of mercenary magazines.
And we found Tegoro. He's at an art opening. Erotic car crashes.
I got the file on Carlos.
Get this. This guy was in counterintelligence after Nam.
He worked for Air America. Interrogation, guns-for-drugs.
Then he got thrown out of the agency after the Church Committee hearings.
Where in the hell have I heard Air America before just lately?
Yes.
Ten years in counterintelligence.
VP of Air America, Long Tieng, Laos.
The career of H.G. Halliwell.
Coincidence?
Where was Carlos stationed?
Long Tieng, Laos.
You think they knew each other?
We've been looking at this case with blinders on.
MAN 1: Nice. MAN 2: I like it, I like it.
(SLIDE PROJECTOR CLICKS)
(PEOPLE EXCLAIMING)
(PEOPLE OOHING)
(MEN CHEERING)
(PEOPLE APPLAUDING)
Thank you.
Lights, please.
(ECHOING) My mentor, gentlemen.
The late James Carruthers.
A specialist.
A man who understood that torture is cleansing.
It's worth ten years of psychotherapy.
Who knows how many transgressions
James Carruthers brought to the surface during his career?
He's gone now,
but his oeuvre lives on.
(WHISPERING) Check the kitchen.
What'd you find? Found this in a file cabinet.
It's a lease for a building in the warehouse district.
It was leased a month ago. Let's go.
(PEOPLE APPLAUDING)
(SHUTS OFF RECORDING)
I'm extremely pleased with this class's progress.
And tonight I have something very special to announce.
You are about to witness
an actual demonstration of the techniques
I have described.
Carlos.
Thank you.
A surprisingly delicate area.
Caruthers recognized this and passed it along to the Turks.
(WHIMPERING)
A technique known as falanga.
(APPLAUSE)
It involves beating a person on the soles of the feet.
Of course, today we use less strenuous methods.
Carlos.
Watch closely.
(PEOPLE APPLAUDING ON TAPE)
(MUFFLED SCREAMING)
Now this technique was developed in Asia.
It's my very own addition to the modern tradition.
In all modesty, I don't think the army gave me enough credit.
It's not that I demanded a medal.
No, no, nothing like that.
A mere citation would have done nicely.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
Halliwell, freeze it!
I got him.
You all right? Yeah, go!
You stay down, you hear me?
Carlos!
(SHUSHING)
Drop it.
Wait, wait, wait, wait a minute.
You're thinking of yourself as a victim.
You're not, you know.
I said drop it, now.
You were hand-picked.
(INAUDIBLE)
You were chosen.
Oh, you would have seen things,
you would have understood.
It's okay.
Let's go home, Trudy.
Let's go home. Come on.