(ALL CHATTERING)
(ALL CHEERING)
I thought mail-order brides went out with the Wild West.
Welcome to Dodge City, baby.
If Maria's any example of what Guerrero can deliver,
you can bet your life that business is booming.
We're out at the church. Stand by.
Congratulations. Thank you, son.
You're a very lucky girl.
Make my father happy.
I will try, Ramon.
You do good work, Guerrero.
She's more than I had hoped for.
Nothing but the best for you, Louis.
Thank you.
And now maybe you could find a wife for my very serious son.
I don't need his help, Papa.
GUERRERO: That's what all you young men say, before you look around.
These modern women, all they think about are their careers,
their charge cards, their health club memberships.
But my girls, not only are they beautiful,
they know their place. They know how to please their man.
(LOUIS CHUCKLING)
Guerrero.
RICO: Louis! Louis!
I want to wish you both a lifetime of happiness.
Many thanks, Cooper,
but at my age, I'd settle for 10 good minutes.
Congratulations. You're a beautiful bride.
Isn't she?
I picked out the dress myself.
I'm Lucia Pendroza.
My late husband, Carlos, was Louis' older brother.
I remember the name.
He was a great man.
Have you met my son, Carlos Jr.?
We've seen each other around.
Excuse me, cousin. The boat's waiting, Papa.
In one minute.
Why don't you follow us to my yacht?
I'd like to discuss some business.
And then, perhaps, my son would allow us
to have one glass of champagne before we leave.
Shall we?
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
(TIRES SCREECHING)
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
LOUIS: I'll kill you! I'll kill you!
(SCREAMS)
RICO: With the old man gone,
Ramon Pendroza's gonna fight it out with his aunt Lucia
for control of the family business.
Yeah, if whoever whacked Louis doesn't move in first.
One thing's for sure, those people are serious.
Our intelligence points to the di Marcos as the prime suspects.
Weren't they the ones who took out Louis' brother?
Lucia's husband, Carlos Sr.
Pendrozas and di Marcos have been bumping heads for a long time.
Forensics make the murder weapon as a Madsen M46 submachine gun.
South American.
Sounds like Colombians.
Well, di Marcos could have hired outside help.
Could have been someone else.
Half the families in Miami wanted in on the Pendroza's action.
Yeah, old Louis wasn't exactly Mr. Popularity.
Find out if anybody's moving in on Pendroza's territory.
You work on the family.
Man, seeing all those people wasted.
It really got to me, Sonny.
I should have listened to my mother and become a doctor.
Dr. Tubbs?
(LAUGHING)
Sorry buddy, I don't see it that way.
You in a white coat and latex gloves?
Uh-uh.
Yeah, me neither.
Now Dr. J,
that's a horse of a different color.
Yeah, I know you're getting old, now.
What do you mean?
(TELEPHONE RINGING) Even your heroes are over the hill.
Yeah, Tubbs.
CAROLINE: Hello, Rico. This is Caroline.
Oh, hi, Caroline. Is Sonny there?
No, you've got the wrong extension.
Look, I'll check and see if he's here.
Yeah, hi, how are you doing?
I just got back from seeing the principal at Billy's school.
What's up?
Well, they caught Billy playing hooky.
When they called him on it, he got abusive.
He told them to...
Well, you don't want to know.
Look, Billy's going through some changes, Sonny.
There are a lot of things going on in is life right now.
Things I can't help him with.
Can you come up?
He needs to see his father.
Well, Caroline, we're right in the middle...
No, you're damned right I can come up.
I'll work it out.
I'll call you back when I know I'm gonna be there.
Thanks. Yeah, bye.
Lieutenant, you got a minute?
Yeah.
What can I do for you?
I'm gonna need a couple of days off.
I know we're in a crunch right now and it's not the best of times to ask,
but, hell, it never is.
It's my son, Marty.
Haven't seen him in over a year.
Now he's in trouble.
Is it serious?
Maybe, maybe not. I don't know.
Maybe he's just being a wise guy.
Hell, I've been so self involved lately,
I haven't spent enough time with him
to tell you one way or the other.
It's not your fault.
You had a lot to think about.
Well, at the best of times
I'm not exactly Father of the Year.
But lately, I feel like I'm not even pulling my weight for anybody.
You're doing fine. Go on.
Just make sure I got a number where I can get in touch with you.
Thanks.
Do me a favor, will you?
Give Billy a hug for me.
Sonny. Hey, Bob. How's it going?
Oh, pretty good. Thanks for coming up.
Oh, yeah.
Caroline will be down in a minute.
She's getting up a little late these days.
Why, is she sick?
Hello, Sonny.
Well...
(SONNY CLEARS THROAT)
You didn't tell me about your delicate condition over the phone.
Some things you can't say over a phone.
It's going to be a boy.
Well, you two have a lot to talk about,
and I'm late for work.
I'll see you tonight. Yeah. Bye, honey.
Nice seeing you, Sonny. Yeah.
Oh, Bob, congratulations.
BOB: Thanks.
Billy's really upset, Sonny.
This is the third time he's gotten in trouble at school.
Did Bob talk to him?
He won't talk to Bob. That's part of the problem.
Well, did you talk to him, before you guys decided to have the baby?
We didn't decide. It just kind of happened.
I mean we're really thrilled about it,
but it was an accident.
Damn, Caroline. We're not teenagers anymore.
For God's sake.
Oh, that's just great.
You, of all people.
You, with your swinging lifestyle,
and your women, and your fast cars,
come up here and judge me.
For once in my life, just once,
I want to do something without asking someone's permission,
and you come down on me like a hammer.
Well, I'm sorry, Sonny. I'm sorry I even called you.
Look, I just thought
it might have been a good thing to discuss the possibility with him.
I mean, beforehand.
You're right.
You're right, I should have talked to him.
And now, it's too late.
And he'll probably never forgive me for this.
And I guess I'm just a terrible mother. Okay?
Caroline, listen.
Your hormones are all happening
and you're blowing this thing all out of proportion.
Oh, I don't know.
I'll talk to him. Come here.
Take it easy.
I'll talk to him. We'll make it work.
So what do you say, you name this one Sonny?
(LAUGHING)
My husband...
We met through Señor Guerrero.
Louis sent me letters.
He was so romantic.
I thought we would have a life together,
that in time I would come to love him,
and now he's dead.
I'm sorry for your troubles.
Thank you, Señor Cooper.
You are very kind.
RAMON: Cooper.
I need a word with you. Alone.
I hope you will visit us at the house.
I'd like that.
The di Marcos have been pursuing a partnership
between our two families for years.
My father was too stubborn to even consider it.
So they killed him?
Perhaps.
My father had many enemies, Mr. Cooper,
but I have no time for vendettas. They're bad for business.
This is an enlightened view.
(CHUCKLES)
I thought you'd feel that way.
Especially when I tell you that I'm expecting a large shipment
of top-quality product.
I want you to move it for me.
That's what I'm here for.
First I need your help, though,
in insuring against future unpleasantness with the di Marcos.
I'd like you to arrange a meeting with their top shooter,
a gentleman by the name of Tony Murati.
You'll offer him a deal. He'll accept.
When their muscle comes over to our side,
I can negotiate from a position of strength.
And we get on with our business.
Absolutely.
(PIANO PLAYING)
MAN: Hey, Tony, how's it going?
Mr. Cooper, you said you had a business proposition.
I'm listening.
Good.
Because you're about to make some easy money.
My favorite kind.
Pendroza wants peace, and he's willing to pay for lt.
How much peace are you talking about?
(GRUNTS)
(SCREAMS)
Ramon,
you and me got to have a talk.
Cooper, you care for some breakfast?
I lost my appetite last night at that peace meeting.
No, thanks.
Look, I can explain.
You set me up. Nobody does that to me, man. Nobody.
You almost got me killed last night.
I apologize for that. The hitter was overzealous.
But everything's worked out fine. Murati is dead,
Don di Marco has agreed to a truce,
and that shipment I talked to you about
is coming in as planned. I'm gonna let you handle the whole thing.
Plus a bonus of a hundred grand.
Your money doesn't make it right, Ramon.
You used me.
From now on there are no secrets between us.
You have my word. Your word?
I'll take the hundred grand.
Listen, tonight I'm having a little party
to celebrate my newfound friendship with the di Marcos.
I hope you'll join us. Won't you?
You know, your mom told me about the baby.
No kidding. That's all she talks about anymore.
What they're gonna name it, what color to paint the nursery,
what kind of car seat to buy.
The whole thing is so lame.
I'm never gonna have a kid.
You're feeling a little left out, are you?
It's not that. It's Bob.
He rags me about everything.
There's this great horror flick playing at the mall.
He wouldn't let me go. He treats me like a baby.
And I'm not even his.
Dad, why can't I come live with you?
Billy, man, there's nothing I'd love more in the world
than have you come live with me.
All right!
No, no, no, come on, let me finish.
Come on, you know what I do for a living.
The kind of job I do,
I'm out all hours of the night,
I'm dealing with all kinds of weirdos.
I never know what the hell time I'm going to come home
or if I'm gonna come home.
I mean, that's no life for a kid.
Sounds neat to me, Dad.
(CHUCKLES)
I love you, you know that?
Your mom loves you too. More than anything.
And I think this guy Bob, I think he's okay. He loves you.
You got a pretty okay life, don't you think?
Dad, you haven't been around.
Everything's totally different now that they're having a baby.
You just don't know.
They don't want me around anymore, that's it!
Come on, listen...
And you don't want me to live with you either.
Great! That's just great!
What's the matter with you?
You don't get enough kicks from your regular whores?
You gotta play peeping Tom with that peasant girl?
What do you want from me?
Your father used to run this family.
Now is your chance to take his place.
My father paid for his power with his life.
I have no plans to follow him.
Then you're no son of mine.
I've been thinking about getting him into therapy.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Well, one thing for sure, he needs all the attention he can get right now.
He's a resourceful kid. He'll come out of it.
Yeah, I know.
You know, Caroline, part of the problem
is that I don't get to see him enough.
We need to spend more time together.
Something on a regular basis. Something he can count on.
Like what?
Well, summer vacations for starters.
We need to spend a solid month together.
You'd to that? Take time off?
Hell, yeah.
Excuse me, this the Ballard residence?
You got it.
I got the crib you ordered.
Stay there, I got it. You got to save your strength.
Just leave it in the hallway. We're still working on the nursery.
That's why they give you nine months, right?
First one?
Oh, no. We've done this before.
Haven't we, honey?
Oh, number two. Good luck.
(ALL CHATTERING)
Excuse me, may I?
Thank you.
Maria?
You look like somebody who could use some company.
Señor Cooper.
Please call me Rico.
Rico.
I like that name.
Don di Marco, you honor my home.
You were kind to invite me.
I am only sorry it took so much pain to bring us together.
How dare you invite my husband's murderer into our home?
Get out of here. You're drunk.
Don di Marco, I apologize for my family.
You apologize to that butcher?
Why don't you get down and kiss his ring?
Get her out of my sight.
Take me away from here, Rico. Please.
I could use a change of scenery, too.
Let's dance!
You remember that night I put together Billy's first crib?
It took me all night.
We didn't know what we were doing.
Maybe this time I'll be able to get past the first few months
without going completely wacko.
Don't count on it.
You remember that night he had the croup?
We had to stay up...
We stayed up three nights straight.
Yeah, three whole nights. The both of us.
Put so much steam in his room, the paint peeled off the walls.
Yeah.
How'd we ever get though it, huh?
I don't know.
(TELEPHONE RINGING)
Hello.
Yes?
Yes, of course. Thank you.
Billy got into some kind of fight at school.
And he's run away.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
MAN: It's extraordinary how crazy you can make a lot of couple
on a couple of bottles of beer.
(PEOPLE LAUGHING)
I wish I'd known you were into the classics.
The last two pictures I looked in on,
a moth ate a guy's head, and in the other one, a giant worm slimed Cleveland.
This is the best part, Dad.
He kills her,
but it's like a mistake.
He's just trying to play.
Yeah, they think he's a monster,
but really he's just scared.
GIRL: I'm Maria.
Would you play with me?
Your mom's really worried about you. Bob, too.
Yeah, sure.
Dad, isn't it weird for you that Mom's having a baby with Bob?
Yeah. It's weird.
But it's happening. We got to deal with it.
I don't want to deal with it. I hate it that they're having this baby.
Well, I'm sorry to hear that, Billy,
'cause you're going to miss out on something real special.
Like what?
Well, when I was a kid,
my older brother, your uncle Jake,
used to take care of me.
And he taught me an awful lot.
Like one time, I must have been about eight years old.
I was playing baseball in this field near our house,
and it was my turn to bat.
I was going to step up to the plate
and this big kid named Jimmy Vannuchi,
he says it's his turn, right?
Well, it wasn't his turn, it was my turn.
So I stepped up to the plate,
and he came after me with a bat.
And he would have hurt me too.
Man, he would have hurt me bad.
About that time,
my brother Jake is on his way home from school,
and he sees it going down, right?
So he comes over and Vannuchi takes off running.
And my...
My brother Jake chases him. He catches him near this drainage ditch.
He throws him face down in the mud.
He did?
Yeah. Wow!
Well, that's different. You were the younger one, and you had the same parents.
Come on, Billy, you can handle this.
Your little brother will probably turn out to be your best friend.
No. I don't want him for a friend.
Well, that's up to you.
But in the meantime,
I want you to be nice to your mom.
She's having a hard time right now, you know.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
You're a very tender lady.
It's funny.
When I was a little girl,
I couldn't wait to leave the mountains where I was born.
See the city, the high life,
the glamorous people I had only read about in magazines.
Now I can't wait to go back.
It must be very beautiful.
On nights like this at home,
we'd sit by the phonograph and my father would sing along with Pavarotti.
I never heard anything so beautiful.
You really loved your father. Yes.
You miss him.
But I keep him in my heart.
Some nights,
I shut my eyes, and I can hear him singing.
He was a man not unlike you, Rico.
Strong, brave,
foolish.
Maria...
In my country, things happen slowly.
A boy and a girl court sometimes for years.
I have some feelings for you, Rico,
I shouldn't have.
I'm sorry if I rushed you.
Don't be.
But now I have to say good night.
(WOMAN SCREAMING)
Mama... Mama!
(PEOPLE WHISPERING)
What happened?
You killed her, you son of a bitch.
(WOMAN GASPS)
Your mother was drunk. She fell. You get a hold of yourself.
It was no accident. You killed her.
Diego, my cousin's upset. Take him upstairs. Give him a sedative.
I don't need a sedative.
I'm going to kill you!
(CURSING IN SPANISH)
I'm fine.
Ramon's laid his hands on 50 kees of Colombia's finest
and he wants me to move it for him.
A regular chip off the old rock.
RICO: Not according to Maria.
She says that Ramon killed his own father so that he could take over.
Possible.
Our sources say it wasn't the di Marcos.
Hits his old man, then pushes his aunt off the balcony?
Not exactly a model child.
He's a loose cannon.
We got to bring him in. When and where?
Tonight, 10:00.
The Southland Industrial Park. With a partial load.
Ramon will be there?
At this point, he doesn't trust anybody but me.
Can you blame him?
Play along.
We'll pick up Ramon when he delivers the full load.
This operation's over.
Lieutenant, could you put somebody on the widow?
You see, the old man left her the bulk of his estate,
and I got a feeling that Ramon, you know...
She might be next on his hit list.
I already assigned a unit to the house.
Anything more might risk blowing your cover.
I'm telling you, it's real bad out there.
She could get hit any second.
Rico, I can't do it.
Are you getting personally involved with this woman?
No, no way.
Good.
Mr. Cooper. It's good to see you, my friend.
I brought some friends of my own
as a down payment.
So we can cut the talk and get down to business.
You New Yorkers are so pushy.
I like that.
Go ahead, have a taste.
I'm sure your customers won't be disappointed.
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
Leave it!
The deal's blown.
Let's get out of here alive.
Di Marco's a dead man.
I'm gonna use his head for an ashtray.
Oh, my God! What happened?
Some uninvited guests crashed our party
and the cops were right behind them.
Rico, are you all right?
Well, it's not my idea of a good time, but I'll make lt.
Come upstairs. I'll get a bandage for you.
Is it too tight?
No, no, it's just fine.
If anything happened to you, I couldn't stand lt.
Nothing's gonna happen to me.
But the di Marco's won't quit until they've killed everyone.
Don't you see that?
Yes, I do.
That's why you should leave. No, I can't.
Ramon will steal everything.
Bring down what's left of the family.
It's my duty.
But you...
I'm not going anywhere without you.
Maria,
I'll make arrangements to get you someplace safe.
I told you, Rico...
And I told you.
You got to get out of here.
As long as I'm with you?
I want you to stay here.
Don't open the door for anybody.
I'll be back just as soon as I can.
(DOOR OPENING)
Carlos.
You wouldn't care for a drink, would you?
You killed my mother.
Don't be an idiot. Your mother killed herself.
If you were half the man she was, you'd do the same thing.
MARIA: He mocks you, Carlos.
He slanders your mother's name.
Well, we finally see the whore beneath the grieving widow.
Do it. Do it now.
Don't you listen to her, Carlos.
We're blood, you and I.
That's funny. You used to spit at me when we were boys.
I've gotten more sympathy from her in one night, a stranger,
than I've ever gotten from you my whole life.
No, no, you're wrong. You're wrong, cousin.
I have big plans for you. Let me show you something.
Strange.
I always thought I was weak. But...
Maria, with you I can be strong now.
Don't count on it.
Why?
Because you're a Pendroza.
This is one of the gunmen who raided your meeting with Ramon tonight.
Male, Hispanic, about 20 years of age.
Died of a single gunshot wound to the chest.
What about prints?
We're running them.
Whoever he is, he's not local.
There was one identifying mark.
Kind of interesting.
Some sort of totem etched into the scalp.
Almost from birth from the looks of it.
Escorpionista.
CORONER: You recognize it? RICO: Yeah.
It's a mark of the Scorpion Clan.
The Colombian version of the Cosa Nostra.
Stone killers.
Since when did they move into Miami?
I don't know,
but if the Scorpions are at war with the Pendrozas,
then Maria's in a lot more danger than I thought.
Let me see the case file.
Thank you.
Property report states that he was carrying a Madsen M46.
That's the same weapon they used as the hit on Louis.
You think the Scorpions are working for di Marco?
It's a possibility.
See if his prints ring any bells at Interpol.
Can I keep this? Sure.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
I need to talk to you, Guerrero.
Who the hell are you?
You arranged a marriage between Louis Pendroza
and a woman by the name of Maria.
I'm afraid all of my work is strictly confidential.
Really?
Well, I'm sure the INS would love to know all about it.
Come to think of it, I do remember that case.
Maria Ortega. A lovely creature.
Too bad about her husband.
Who is she? Where did you find her?
The truth is, she found me.
At least, her family did.
When they heard I was looking for a bride for Mr. Pendroza,
they made sure that Maria was the chosen party.
You mean they paid you?
Highly unusual, I know,
but one must be accommodating in these matters.
And her family was quite influential.
They seemed to run everything.
People were in awe of them.
They even had a special name for them.
Escorpionistas.
That's it. Interesting, isn't it?
Just you and me, partner. A solid month.
Just cruising the Keys, fishing every day...
Diving for a buried treasure, sleeping in as late as we want.
You got it. How does that sound?
Outstanding! Yeah.
Meanwhile, you gonna remember what I told you?
I guess so.
What do you mean you guess... Okay, okay, okay...
What do you mean... Okay, okay...
Who's there?
It's me, Rico.
Rico, you scared me.
I'm sorry.
Listen, I know who's killing the Pendrozas.
You do? Yeah.
You're in a lot more danger than I thought.
I want you to get dressed because I'm taking you out of here, now.
Rico, I'm so glad you're here.
I was going crazy waiting for you.
I missed you too.
Rico,
whatever happens, I want you to know that I love you.
Nothing's going to happen to us.
Nothing's going to happen to...
Escorpionista.
You're the one who set up Louis and Ramon.
Why?
My father was el alcalde of our village.
The Pendrozas came to him when I was a little girl.
They asked him to help them with the local growers.
He refused.
So they tie him on a chair.
Torture him.
I hide under my bed,
my blanket around my ears,
but still I could hear the screams.
My mother couldn't stand it.
She went to them, tried to make them stop.
They killed them both, Rico.
So you married Louis to get on the inside.
Their security was too tight. It was the only way.
To be with him was like death.
But what happened between us, Rico, it was real.
There's no reason why we can't be together.
There you are wrong, my sister.
Move, and I'll kill you.
No, Miguel.
Your boyfriend is the only one who could have tipped the cops
about our meet with Pendroza.
Maria, he killed Esteban.
Now he's gonna die.
No, Miguel. No more killing.
MARTIN: Freeze!
Maria.
Hold on, baby.
Rico.
I'm here.
I kept telling myself not to get involved.
But there was something about her.
Or maybe it was me.
I'm just tired of losing people, Sonny.
Yeah, man. I know what you mean.
Caroline and Bob are having a baby.
Must be nice for them.
I just can't keep from thinking
that's the one that got away.
I know what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna find me a straight woman,
one that's not connected with the business,
who doesn't have a career either.
Somebody who will love me with all her heart.
Yeah.
Have babies,
white picket fence,
a Winnebago,
weenie roasts.
No. No.