You folks are American citizens?
I am, yes.
- Where were you born, Miss? - Mrs!
What? - Philadelphia.
- The name is Vargas.
Hey, Jim! See who's here?
Sure, Mr Vargas!
Hot on the trail of another dope ring?
Hot on the trail of a chocolate soda
for my wife. - Your wife?
Barely a bride, officer.
Can I get through?
So you cracked that Grandi business.
- We hear you caught the big boss!
Only one of them.
The Grandis are a big family.
No purchases, Mr Linnekar?
- Hey, I got this...
American citizen, Miss?
- I got this ticking noise...
No, really.
This ticking noise in my head!
Mike, this is the very first time
we've been together in my country!
And I haven't kissed you
in over an hour.
Mike, what happened?
- That car that passed us exploded!
How could it do that?
- I'll have to try to find out.
Better not come any closer.
We'll have to postpone that soda.
Mike, couldn't I...
- Susie, please be careful!
This could be very bad for us.
- For us?
For Mexico. Anyway, there's nothing
I can do over here. - So?
So I'll try not to be too long.
Go on, darling.
Wait at the hotel.
Blaine! I thought you were
in Washington. - I leave tomorrow.
You know Schwartz,
of the local O.A.'s office.
Who's in charge here?
- I can't even tell you what happened.
Why aren't you in Mexico City
for that dope trial?
Grandi? I hoped to go
on the morning plane, but now...
This business?
- Afraid so.
That bomb came from the Mexican side
of the border. - The car did.
He says
you don't understand what he wants.
I understand very well.
- He saved your life, lady.
Tell him I'm a married woman,
and that my husband
is a government official,
ready and willing
to knock out all his front teeth.
That's it, your husband.
- That's what he wants to talk about.
"Follow this boy at once. We have
something important for Mr Vargas."
Well, what have I got to lose?
Don't answer that?
Lead on, Poncho!
Across the border again?
Hey Doc, here comes the O.A.!
Where's Captain Quinlan?
- He's on his way.
Old Hank must be the only one
who didn't hear the explosion.
Terrible thing.
Has the daughter been told?
They're bringing her over now,
to identify her father's body.
An hour ago, Rudy Linnekar
had this town in his pocket.
Now you could
strain him through a sieve.
I guess that's my father.
Now Miss Linnekar,
can you identify the woman?
I'm not acquainted with my father's
girlfriends. - OK, Miss Linnekar.
Here comes Hank at last!
You've heard of Hank Quinlan, police
celebrity? - I'd like to meet him.
That's what you think!
Did they toss it in,
or was it planted ahead of time?
Who?
- Whoever did it, you jackass!
Hey lady, look at the pretty baby!
My nephew says
you called him "Poncho". Why?
Why you call him "Poncho"?
- Just for laughs.
This note says
you have something for my husband.
Seor Vargas, eh?
You know who I am?
Want me to guess?
- My name is Grandi.
You've heard the name before?
Aside from my husband's case,
isn't there a nightclub by that name?
Yeah. "Grandi's Rancho Grande".
My gun.
Kind of a joke.
Get it? - I can't say
it's the funniest thing I ever heard.
The name ain't Mexican.
I got a permit for this thing.
The Grandis been in Los Robles a long
time. Some in Mexico, some here.
Must be convenient for business.
- Yeah?
What business?
- Grandi business.
Yeah?
- Yeah!
You know what's wrong with you?
You've seen too many gangster movies.
Mike may spoil some of your fun.
- Mike? - My husband, yeah!
If you're trying to get me to call
him off, let me tell you something.
I may be scared, but he won't be.
You figure it was a bomb then, Hank?
- Or he was struck by lightning.
Where's the daughter?
- Marcia? She's waiting for you.
Let her go.
- You don't even want to question her?
Let her go, and put a tail on her.
Let's see if some Jane knew Linnekar.
- There was some strip-teaser.
What do you know? The O.A.,
in a monkey suit! - Well, it's...
You too! - We were all at the banquet.
- Political rally.
No, "Tootsie's Steakhouse".
- G-men, T-men...
Quite a little tea party,
all for Rudy Linnekar's bonfire.
I hear he even invited some Mexican.
- Vargas doesn't claim jurisdiction.
I hope not. 2 Americans are dynamited,
practically in my own police station.
What makes you sure it was dynamite?
My leg. - What?
- His game leg!
Sometimes he gets a twinge, like
some folks for a change of weather.
Intuition, he calls it.
Vargas thinks the murder took place
outside our jurisdiction.
Of course we're all
going to cooperate. - Don't worry,
I'm merely what the United Nations
would call an observer.
Well, you don't talk like one.
Like a Mexican, I mean.
You won't have any trouble with me.
You bet your sweet life I won't.
Mike must be looking for me now,
and that's bound to mean trouble.
What's so funny about that?
He wants to know
if your husband is jealous, Seora.
You silly little pig!
Who are you talking about?
- About you! You ridiculous,
old-fashioned, lopsided little Caesar!
I didn't get that, Seora,
you'll have to talk slow.
I'm talking slow,
but in a minute I'll start to yell.
I wouldn't do that, Seora.
Just a little while ago,
this was a quiet, peaceful town!
And now this Vargas comes along...
- Mr Grandi...
You have something for my husband.
Isn't it time you gave it to me?
It's time he laid off my brother
in Mexico City! That's advice.
That's what I got for him.
Then the conference is over?
I'm free to leave?
- Free?
Nobody was holding you,
Mrs Vargas.
Nobody laid a hand on you.
You were just
paying us a little visit.
Goodbye, all.
Quinlan, we just can't cross over
into Mexico like this.
Thousands do every day. - Tourists...
- So, we're tourists.
Quinlan wants to check on
that girl with Linnekar in the car.
She was one of the strip-teasers,
I think I told you.
Pete told me before I left the ranch.
- That's right.
I told him I wanted to see
all the strip-teasers in the joint.
This is Mexican territory.
What can we do?
There's no law against visitors
asking questions, is there, Mr Vargas?
Where'd he go?
Susie, where were you?
- Mike, darling! - What happened?
Just wait till I tell you.
The craziest thing...
Who's the Jane? - His wife.
- What do you know?
She don't look Mexican, either.
The key to this whole thing
is the dynamite.
The killer didn't just want Linnekar
dead, but destroyed. Annihilated.
Over here, Vargas.
We're going in the back way.
Seor Vargas!
Seor Vargas!
Yes?
Anything wrong, Vargas?
No, I just couldn't catch him.
I hardly knew him.
Adair, come on. - Yes...
And I'm not finished with you yet.
Show's over. I'm going home.
- No, Ma'am.
We're gonna find out
nobody even knew the murdered girl.
Let's talk to this young lady.
- Cita? I didn't know her.
She joined the show a few days ago.
Wasting our time around here.
- I wouldn't say that. Good night.
What happened to Menzies and Vargas?
- They'll show up.
Pianola...
- Hey, we go this way!
Tanya still open for business?
I don't know what Quinlan
thinks she's got to do with it.
Maybe she'll cook chili for him,
or bring out the crystal ball.
We're closed.
You've been cooking at this hour?
- Just cleaning up.
Have you forgotten your old friend?
I told you we're closed.
- I'm Hank Quinlan.
I didn't recognize you.
You should lay off those candy bars.
It's either the candy or the hooch.
I wish it was your chili
I was gettin' fat on.
Anyway, you're sure lookin' good.
You're a mess, honey.
- Yeah...
That pianola brings back memories.
The customers go for it.
It's so old, it's new.
We got the television, too.
We run movies. What can I offer you?
You haven't heard anything
about that bomb, have you?
That was on your side of the border.
- You hear things at these places.
I heard the explosion.
When this case is over, I'll come
and sample some of your chili.
Be careful.
It may be too hot for you.
Hank! Looks like our friend Vargas
ran into some trouble. - Where?
In the alley behind the nightclub.
- Yeah?
Well, what happened to Vargas?
Nothing.
- Oh no? - Al!
It had nothing to do with the bombing.
- Somebody threw acid at him.
It doesn't matter. He missed.
- Who was it, Al?
I don't know. He got away.
- It was one of the Grandi kids.
What makes you so sure of that?
- Intuition.
Intuition? - Vargas and his
Keystone Cops have been giving
the Grandi family
quite a tough time lately.
Does your intuition
also tell you about my wife?
She was accosted and led to some dive
on your side of the border.
The Vargas family seems to be
gettin' into a lot of trouble tonight.
Can you describe this man?
- The first one...
...was young, good-looking...
- So there were two men?
Not exactly.
You say she was taken by force?
Not by force, no.
One of the Grandis was there waiting.
Short, fat, with a moustache...
- Uncle Joe. - What?
They call him Uncle Joe Grandi.
- That's right.
Go on.
I've told you what happened.
Aren't you gonna do something?
You have to make a charge.
Isn't that procedure in Mexico?
You say your wife was attacked.
- I didn't say that.
Molested? - Not physically, no.
- Was obscene language used?
I don't think so. - So your wife
allowed herself to be picked up...
She was not picked up.
- I think we're on the wrong tack.
Then this young man was her friend?
- Obviously not!
You wouldn't call that getting
picked up? - Now we mustn't forget
that Mr Vargas
is not on the witness stand.
Hank's a born lawyer, you know.
- No, lawyers only care about the law.
Captain, you are a policeman?
Aren't you?
You don't seem very fond of the job.
Plenty of soldiers don't like war.
It's a dirty job, enforcing the law.
But it's what we're supposed to do.
When a murderer's loose,
I'm supposed to catch him.
Well, Pete,
let's get back to civilization.
Let's go, Hank. It's almost dawn.
You gotta get some rest.
No chance of that, partner.
We got a big day ahead of us.
See any better this way?
You can turn it off now, buster,
you're wasting your batteries.
What are you doing in the dark?
There's no shade on the window.
Can we turn the light on now?
No, we can't.
- Why not?
'Cause there's no bulb any more.
Risto! Risto!
Uncle Joe is plenty mad.
He wants to talk to you!
Risto! Risto, come back here!
Stop him!
Stop him, Sam!
Who told you to throw acid at Vargas?
Stop him!
Who told you to throw acid at Vargas?
Who's the boss of this family?
Who's the boss?
My old man.
- Sure, but he's in the pen!
Until he gets out,
who's running this outfit?
Who's in charge?
- Alright, you.
What a setup to work with!
One brother in jail, two others dead.
Nobody left to do business with
but a bunch of nephews!
Don't do that!
You lost your rug, Uncle Joe.
You lost your rug!
This isn't the real Mexico,
you know that.
Border towns bring out
the worst in a country.
Imagine your mother's face
if she saw our honeymoon hotel!
Seor Vargas!
Does this mean you're taking
the early plane back to Mexico City?
It doesn't leave for another 2 hours.
All I can say is, if you are taking
that plane, I'm very glad.
I'm very glad you're very glad.
Who told you to start this funny stuff
with the acid? Who told you?
I just wanted to give his wife
something to think about.
She's gonna get plenty, don't worry.
- Here, you lost your rug. - What?
You lost your rug.
My old man's in no shape for the pen.
If they give him ten, he dies.
And if Vargas gets hurt, what happens?
My brother Vic's as good as convicted.
You leave Vargas to me.
Uncle Joe!
- What?
Sam, take it to her.
I don't want any more postcards.
I don't speak any Spanish. What do
you want? - I was to give this to you.
Susan... - Mike, look at...
- That was the police.
Quinlan has a lead. I must meet him.
Tell me what you want to do.
If you're going to Mexico City,
I can take you to the airport.
Perhaps that would be best. Just for
a few days. - I don't think so.
But a minute ago... - A minute ago
I said a lot of things.
Now I think the best thing
is to stick close to my husband. OK?
I'm coming with you. - But I must see
Quinlan at the U.S. police station.
I'll wait at the motel.
- What motel?
There must be one
on the American side of the border.
"The American side of the border."
I'll be safe there.
You won't have to worry about me.
Did I say the wrong thing again?
No, but it would be nice
for a man in my place
to be able to look after
his own wife in his own country.
If I go to the American motel,
it's just for comfort.
Not for safety.
Whatever you say, my dear.
...wealthy contractor
Rudolph Linnekar
has been identified
with a blonde nightclub dancer
killed in an explosion
a few yards this side of the border.
We'll get him where it really hurts.
Without laying a hand on him.
He's got a reputation!
He's got a young bride!
He's gonna leave this town
wishing they'd never been born!
But don't you see, darling,
if the bomb was planted in Mexico,
and the accused is Mexican, what an
international scandal this could be?
It might be kind of rough
on the tourist trade.
One of the longest borders on earth
is right here between our countries.
An open border, 1400 miles
without a single machine gun.
I suppose it all sounds
very corny to you.
I could love being corny,
if my husband would only cooperate.
Vargas? - Hello Schwartz. - Quinlan's
onto something new. Coming?
I have to drop my wife at a motel.
- Hank wants you with him. I'll do it.
No trouble at all, Ma'am.
- Won't you drive me?
I'll phone you. Which motel?
- The Mirador. - We better hurry.
Try to get some sleep, Susie.
- That Mirador's mighty hard to find,
with the new highway
branching off like that... Hey!
That's alright, I can find my way.
- His cane!
I forgot to give him his cane.
He really needs it for that game leg.
Did he tell you how he got it?
- What, his cane? - No, his bad leg!
Who are you talking about?
- Captain Quinlan!
He got it in a gunfight.
He was wounded stopping a bullet
that was meant for me.
But the bravest thing Hank ever did
was to give up drink.
He used to be a terrible lush.
But look at him now: no sleep,
still at it. Yeah, he never gives up!
What's wrong? - Why are you
following us? Get out of the car!
A man can't take a ride
in his own car? - Come on!
Wake up, Mrs Vargas.
We're here. This is it.
This can't be it. - It's all the motel
we got this side of town, Ma'am.
The others are all on the new highway,
mostly closed till the season starts.
Oh no!
- Oh yeah!
How long are you gonna
hold me here? I didn't do nothing.
Can you identify this man?
- Of course. That's Grandi!
I'm a member of the family, sure.
But nobody laid a hand on her!
Shut up. Get in the car.
What about my car?
- You can leave it here. - What, here?
In the middle of nowhere? - You're
coming with me! - On what charge?
I don't know yet.
That's for Quinlan to decide.
What was Grandi doing way out here?
- He was following us in his car.
Where are my bags? - We've already
put them by your cabin.
The last one, No. 7. - If you want
a change, just phone the desk.
Off season like this, I reckon
you're about the only one here.
I turned on the music for you
up at the office.
I turned the music up for you.
I thought you'd like it.
- Not just now.
It's past seven,
and I haven't been to bed yet.
You can get into it now.
I brought the sheets.
But if they think I'm gonna make it,
they got another thing comin'!
I'm not gonna be a party to...
I'm the night man.
It's day already.
I'm the night man. - Have the day man
help me make the bed.
There ain't no day man.
He was supposed to be here
at 6 this morning.
Now they phone and tell me
he ain't comin' at all.
They're sendin' a new man.
If they think I'm waitin' for him...
- Won't you help me make the bed?
Bed?
Wait a minute!
Your friend,
Mr Grandi...
He ain't gonna leave you here long.
He is not my friend.
He brought you here
in that car, didn't he?
No, he didn't.
In fact, he's under arrest.
Under arrest? Mr Grandi?
Yes, he is!
Hold back that second charge!
Stop that car!
Hold that car! Stop!
There was a complaint
about some stolen dynamite out here.
You fired anybody lately?
- I figured you'd ask about that.
A boy named Sanchez?
- Sure.
He's been playing around
with the boss's daughter.
I just recognized somebody.
- The one with the big ears?
We prosecuted him for voluntary
manslaughter. - That's Eddie Farnum.
Get out of here, we're gonna blast!
- How long've you been out?
- Who got you the job?
My lawyer, Howard Cranes.
- Grandi's lawyer.
Suspect now in custody.
- Well, this is it.
Suspect? Is that Sanchez, the one
you've been talking about?
They've located him, right?
- In Marcia Linnekar's apartment.
Stand still, we're gonna blast!
What's wrong, Farnum?
You short of dynamite?
Captain, have you anything definite
on Sanchez? - Not yet.
I'm goin' on my intuition.
- This car belongs to Howard Cranes.
You remember, that slick lawyer
that got Farnum a parole.
He was Rudy Linnekar's attorney, too.
Isn't that Quinlan?
- Quinlan?
I figured we'd have Quinlan
to deal with. You finished packing?
I've heard about that guy.
- Say nothing. Let's get your bag.
Remember: I'll do all the talking.
How do we begin? Nasty questions first
or the rubber hose right away?
Take it easy.
Vargas?
Yes, Captain?
I got my orders, Vargas.
I'm to show you courtesy, but that
don't mean you do the interrogating.
I know, Captain.
That's what I told Sanchez.
You're Ed Hansen?
- That's right, Captain.
Go and get me some coffee, Ed.
How about you, Miss Linnekar? Coffee?
No thanks.
I really need it. I'm an old man.
I go a whole night without sleep,
I feel it.
Of course,
it was a lot worse for you.
You've been livin' here
for some time, Marcia. How long?
Four months.
- Marcia!
You have a quarrel with your dad?
- I'm Miss Linnekar's attorney.
I'm Manolo Sanchez,
and I haven't got an attorney!
You two been sharing this apartment?
- I must explain.
My client is moving elsewhere.
- So she's been living with this man?
She'll be available for questions
later. I'll be present, of course.
Of course. Marcia, where was
your friend Sanchez last night?
Later, Captain. Later,
after she's rested. Come, my dear.
Casey, would you look in the desk?
See if there are some letters...
Unless you've already looked.
- We were waitin' for you.
I... I don't speak Mexican.
Let's keep it in English, Vargas.
Fine by me. He's just as unpleasant
in any language. - Unpleasant?
Strange, I've been told
I have a very winning personality.
The very best shoe clerk
the store ever had!
You weren't a shoe clerk on that
construction crew. Stick around.
I intend to.
Speak in English.
I don't like to repeat myself.
I merely asked him
if I could used the telephone.
Translation:
"The telephone is in the bedroom."
That's all he said.
He also said he thinks
he's in for some sort of third degree.
I assured him
he had nothing to worry about.
Go in with Vargas. Maybe he don't know
how to use an American telephone.
I think I ran onto something.
Some love letters.
Go and read them in the bedroom.
I don't want to leave Vargas alone.
Save the good stuff for me.
Now, in English. - What do you
want to know? - Everything, boy.
Want me to call the motel, Vargas?
- Later.
...how did you meet Linnekar's
daughter? - Selling her shoes.
You took the construction job
to get your hands on some dynamite!
I'll only slap you if you get
hysterical again. Nothing brutal.
In the old days, we never hurt people
in the face. It marks them up.
We gave it to 'em like this!
Boy's getting a rough deal.
- He could even be innocent.
Intuition? - Why not? Quinlan doesn't
have a monopoly on hunches.
Who do you like for the killer?
- It's still early, but that ex-convict.
Out on that highway job? Farnum.
- Maybe.
Wait! Some dynamite was stolen.
- The crew's working for Linnekar.
Amigo, you're onto something.
- Quite an apartment for a shoe clerk.
Marcia pay for it? - What if she does?
- How long's this been going on?
Ever since her father
had me fired from my last job.
Naturally, he objected
to a Mexican show clerk as son-in-law,
so you had to put him
out of the way. - Naturally!
Just because he speaks gilded,
that don't make him innocent.
You can show motive, but don't you
need a bit more? - We'll get it.
There's my coffee.
Didn't you bring me
any doughnuts or sweet-rolls?
You'll have to put him
on the scene of the crime. - We will.
You need evidence.
- We'll get it.
You didn't ask me to get doughnuts.
- Where are you going?
This is not my case, Captain.
- What finally convinced you of that?
This isn't my country, that's all.
I'm not convinced.
Ain't that a shame...
Is there another phone near here?
- Right across the street.
Excuse me, Madam,
could I use your telephone please?
Right in front of you.
Do you have a phone book?
I'm blind. You'll have to ask
for information. - I'm sorry.
Hello. I'd like the number
of the Mirador Motel.
What is this place?
- Get going.
He didn't do anything.
- Go on!
Who's this?
- Don't push!
Quinlan? - He's in here, makin'
a search. - What am I doin here?
Oh, Hank!
- What's the idea, barging in on me?
What've we got in here?
- I came to give you your cane!
Strange. When I was taking Mrs. Vargas
to the motel, I picked this guy up.
That's Uncle Joe Grandi.
Why'd you bring him here?
For some crazy reason,
he was following me in his car.
He was tailin' you?
Why would I be following a cop?
He's an idiot!
Maybe you thought he was
a Mexican cop. It was Vargas' car.
Right? - So I thought I was following
Vargas. So what?
Sit down!
It's a free country.
- Shut up!
Is this the Mirador? I'm tryin'...
- Yes, it's the Mirador, and it's me.
Darling, the news is bad. Quinlan is
about to arrest that boy, Sanchez.
Is that why you called? To tell me
somebody's been arrested?
No, that's not really why I called.
It's to tell you
how sorry I am about all this,
how very, very much I love you.
Susie?
I'm still here, my darling Miguel.
I thought maybe you fell asleep.
I was just listening to you breathe.
It's a lovely sound.
But I am sleepy.
Of course. Well, I'll be calling you
back later. Goodbye for now.
Hello?
- Yes?
I just wanted to tell you,
I'm awfully tired...
Excuse me, this is Mrs Vargas.
- I know. It couldn't be anybody else.
You're the only guest
we got here now. In the whole place.
As I started to tell you:
there's no sign to put up on the door,
and I just wanted to be sure
I wouldn't be disturbed.
That is, if you're the one in charge.
Don't worry, Mrs. Vargas.
I'm the one in charge here.
Nobody'll get through to you,
unless I say so.
Vargas. Sergeant Menzies
wanted me to give you this.
Your car keys.
- Thanks.
I thought we lost you for good.
- I had a call to make.
English!
I'm being set up as the fall guy.
- Just a minute!
Sure, I'm the fortune-hunter
who hypnotized Marcia,
who made her kill her father
for his money.
If I had that kind of power,
I wouldn't be where I am today.
So you don't care about the money?
Why should I lie? Without the money,
I wouldn't have given her...
I told her that from the start.
But still she wanted...
Why bother. You wouldn't believe it!
- Try me.
I'm a good listener.
Instead of the man chasing the girl,
suppose she was the one.
Suppose she asked him to marry her.
Should he say: "No, you and I
could never be happy with your money?"
What would you do?
- What did you do?
What did you do, boy?
- You know what I did, Captain!
Marcia and I made a bomb,
and we blew up her father!
You don't help yourself
by treating this as a joke.
You finished?
Anything more you want to say, Vargas?
No, Captain.
- Good. Pete, search the place.
I'm too tired for this. Sanchez' desk
has been looked into.
Take the bedroom and bathroom.
And be very thorough.
How long do I have to sit here?
I wasn't breaking the law!
I don't even know these people.
- You know Vargas. - Who's this?
Uncle Joe Grandi. You nabbed
his brother on a narcotics rap.
I don't know this Grandi.
- I got nothing to do with your wife.
I'm an American citizen. Listen,
Vic was arrested in Mexico City.
Vargas will testify at his trial.
It's got nothing to do with...
You just try any rough stuff,
and you got big trouble.
If anybody lays a hand on Vargas,
my brother's as good as convicted.
Hank? - What is it, Pete?
- I found it!
Found what, partner?
- Come in here and look!
I don't even know this Sanchez.
- Alright, boy. Come in here.
Just how much dynamite did you steal?
I've never seen any dynamite!
- Poor Rudy Linnekar.
He did everything
to keep you away from his daughter,
but she'll inherit a million bucks,
so you just moved in.
We married secretly.
- A million bucks ain't no secret.
You got scared he'd change his will.
You got yourself this highway job.
- You broke into the explosives bin!
That's a lie! - You stole
Hank's done it again.
He's nailed his man!
Thanks to you, partner.
- Me? Nah!
If that dynamite had been a snake,
it would've bitten me.
I promised to keep you informed.
This is it. We've broken the case.
Linnekar was blown up
with 8 sticks of dynamite.
Sanchez stole 10, that leaves 2.
And we found them both.
You heard that, boy.
That's impossible! Where did you find
this? - Right here in your love nest.
Where?
- Where you had it stashed.
What are you trying to do?
- Strap you to the electric chair.
We don't like it when innocent people
are blown up in our town.
Last night an old lady
picked up a shoe.
The shoe had a foot in it.
We'll make you pay for that.
They're trying to railroad me!
I never stole any dynamite!
You'll have to stop him yourself.
- He can talk Hindu for all I care.
He swears on his mother's grave that
there was never any dynamite here.
Sure, sure...
Take him in. Book him.
- Let's go.
You say you found this dynamite in the
bathroom. - Pete found it. Show him.
Can't you do something to help me?
What are you scared of, partner?
That stuff doesn't blow up as easy
as people think.
You found the dynamite in this box?
- Dynamite?
Yeah, Pete found it. I told you that.
Captain...
- Yeah?
I looked in that box, just now.
There wasn't anything there.
I know how you feel.
Do you?
- Sure I do.
You people are touchy.
It's only human you'd want to
defend your fellow countrymen.
Vargas, don't worry.
- Why should I worry?
Go ahead and say what you want.
Folks'll bear your prejudice in mind.
I saw that shoe box ten minutes ago.
- Well, maybe you didn't notice.
I knocked it over. I couldn't have
failed to notice 2 sticks of dynamite.
Tell any story you want!
Go and say it was empty.
I'm saying more than that, Captain.
You framed that boy. - Framed him!
Is he crazy, Hank?
- That must be it, crazy.
What are we gonna go with Grandi?
Take him in? - Grandi.
You ought to realize,
if Vargas is willing to testify...
Who are you working for,
the Mexican government?
No, for the District Attorney.
I got a position in this town,
a reputation! Who's Vargas?
Vargas has, too. Somebody'll have to
give in on this thing.
Either that or somebody'll be ruined.
Captain Quinlan...
- What do you want?
You saw that shoebox.
You know it was empty.
I didn't happen
to see it myself, but...
I believe you.
We're are both after
the same exact thing, Captain.
If Vargas goes on like this...
Move along. Stop making trouble.
- Trouble? Who's making trouble?
Vargas! For my brother Vic
in Mexico City, for you here.
Go peddle your papers, Uncle Joe.
- You just said it yourself:
Somebody's reputation'll be ruined.
Why not Vargas?
What are you waitin' for?
We got work to do! - Okay, Hank.
What do you want?
- Nothing that you don't want, too.
Spit it out then.
Captain,
we can't stand here in the street.
Let's go somewhere nice and private,
where we can sit and have a drink.
I don't drink.
Look, Schwartz...
- Al.
We must show where
Quinlan himself got the dynamite.
If you're really with me on this,
we have to get some proof.
We've got your word.
- Let's do better than that.
In your country, too, when explosives
are purchased, a record is kept.
And we're going to look it up.
How about Quinlan's ranch?
Where's that?
- Just outside town.
While you're looking for the records,
I'll go out there.
One thing worries me still.
- What's that?
I could be wrong about this.
That would be very bad for you.
Let's see if you're wrong first.
Could you turn that music off?
Could you ask
those people next door to move?
I'm trying to sleep.
Where should I take you, doll?
You got the stuff?
I brought that.
The other guys got more.
What are you doing here?
Turn it down!
I'm the night man.
- Yeah?
A little early, ain't you?
- I thought I'd see if the new...
Which one of you is the day man?
- I am!
Beat it.
It's a mile and a half
down to the highway...
I think I'd better stay. - Go in
the kitchen and get something to eat.
I brought my lunch.
- Eat it now.
Now?
I know you. You're the Grandi boys.
Your Uncle Joe know you're here?
- Who could that be?
Take it easy, pretty boy.
What's the sweat about?
It's a tough rap to get caught with
this! - It's only the Vargas dame.
Yes Ma'am?
- Get me 1-2-1-2.
Very good. 1-2-1-2.
That's the police!
- Yeah?
It's the police alright.
What do we do now?
- Nothing...
Just relax and have ourselves a ball.
I'm very sorry, Mrs. Vargas.
Phone's temporarily out of service.
I'll call you
just as soon as it's repaired.
Better call Uncle Joe.
So that is our little arrangement?
A real sweet setup.
And all the help...
- Listen, if you knock somebody off,
there won't be any little arrangement.
Not with Hank Quinlan!
It's for you. - Yeah.
- Vargas can't hurt me.
Maybe not. But maybe,
with our little deal, we can hurt him.
I don't make deals.
Something wrong? - Nothing we can't
fix. - Where'd you get that "we"?
I haven't given you an answer yet.
You talk like this was some deal
where I ask you
to get me out of a rap.
No, that ain't it at all.
In this thing we're partners.
Shall we drink to that?
I don't...
Juanita, two more double bourbons.
Make 'em nice and big.
This better be important!
- It is.
We're crazy to even be here in Mexico.
- Vargas, you sent for us?
Not really. Mr. Schwartz insisted
that I... - Let's get to the case.
Chief Gould, Mr. Vargas.
- Where's this so-called document?
Perhaps we'd better go to my room.
In here, gentlemen.
- Go ahead. - No, I'll walk.
The lift is rather small.
Chief Gould...
Just press the second floor button,
I'll meet you there.
I still don't know
why Vargas couldn't come to my office.
He has practically cabinet status.
- If he's so important...
He can't make a formal call on you
without going though his consulate.
Cut the fancy talk.
What does it boil down to?
This Mexican's bringing charges
against a respected police officer!
That's what it boils down to!
You must be quick on your feet!
The lift is just slow.
This way, gentlemen.
After you.
I have it right over here.
There.
While you're looking at it,
allow me to finish a call.
Where'd you get this?
- From your department of records.
It doesn't mean anything!
Are you calling your wife?
You know who owns the Mirador?
June 18,
Hill's Hardware in Los Robles.
to H. Quinlan.
Quinlan needed dynamite
for his ranch. Simple coincidence.
Mr. Adair... Hello?
Mirador? My name is Vargas.
I'd like to speak with my wife.
I'm very sorry, but your wife
left definite instructions.
She's not to be disturbed.
Honey!
You, in the next room!
What is it?
Come to the wall,
so I can whisper.
Yes?
You know what the boys
are trying to do, don't you?
They're trying to get in there.
They went to get the master key.
You know
what marijuana is, don't you?
Yes...
You know what a Mary Jane is?
You know what a mainliner is?
I think so.
But what's that got to do with me?
You take it in the vein.
You're telling me
the boys are drugged? Is that why...
You think
they're ready for that stuff yet?
Not yet, kid.
The fun is only beginning.
Hank, I've been looking
for you in every bar in town.
I've been in half of them,
only on the wrong side of the border.
I never drink on my own beat.
- Give us some black coffee, quick!
I don't need black coffee. - We're
meeting Vargas at his hotel. - Motel?
Right here, across the street.
- I don't need any coffee yet.
Not yet?
This is a swell time to get fried!
- My job's over, Pete.
You oughtta work on Sanchez.
Vargas is telling the O.A.
that you planted the dynamite. - Fool.
They're takin' him seriously.
I mean Sanchez. Dynamite's no way
to kill. Did I tell you the smart way?
Sure. Strangling.
- Clean, silent.
You told me all that.
Come on, finish your coffee.
I don't usually talk about my wife.
- Never when you're sober.
She was strangled, Pete.
- I know.
She was working at a packing plant.
The killer had the cord right there.
No fingerprints on a piece of string.
- What do I owe you?
That half-breed done it.
But I was just a rooky cop.
$ 4.75.
I followed him around,
eating my heart out,
tryin' to catch him,
but I never did.
Then the Lord done the job for me
in some mud-hole in Belgium in 1917.
That was the last killer
that ever got out of my hands.
Where're you going?
- To Seor Vargas' meeting.
He wants to fight dirty, OK.
That's the fight he's gonna get.
Perhaps...
- What?
Perhaps he honestly thinks Sanchez
is guilty. - No "perhaps" about it.
Hank Quinlan is an honest cop.
- There are all kinds of policemen.
A few take bribes...
Quinlan never took a dollar.
- Most are honest, yes...
But even some of the honest men
abuse their power in other ways.
Come in, Hank.
I don't know
whether I'm welcome or not.
I want you to hear this.
I've heard it already.
Our friend Vargas has some
special ideas about police procedure.
Seems to think it don't matter
whether a killer is hanged or not.
A policeman isn't a dog-catcher,
putting criminals behind bars. No!
In a free country, a policeman
is supposed to enforce the law.
The law protects guilty and innocent.
- Our job is tough enough.
It has to be tough.
A policeman's job is only easy
in a police state. That's the point!
Who's the boss, the cop or the law?
Where's your wife, Vargas?
You know as well as I do.
Sgt. Menzies drove her to the motel.
You're still here?
I'm checking out now and joining her.
Any reason for asking?
No. No special reason at all.
I just wondered...
Whaddya know! Mother pigeon
and her nest...
A pigeon egg.
You did buy 17 sticks of dynamite?
You're telling a story.
I don't have to answer your questions.
The hired hand at your ranch says
he used 15 sticks. - My ranch!
You been spying out at my ranch?
Foreigner!
- Without my knowledge, Hank!
He's just asking, Hank.
What's that for?
It's for letting him ask.
- Hank, wait!
Watch your blood pressure!
- And you allow this foreigner...
We were just giving you
a chance to answer. - Answer? No, sir!
I won't take back that badge until
the people of this county vote for it!
Will you listen a minute?
I don't ever want to see that man
at headquarters again!
You backed him up! You stood by
while he impugned the integrity...
I tried to stop him!
- You realize what Vargas has done?
He's smearing hundreds of fine men!
Have you caused enough trouble?
I want you to apologize!
To Quinlan?
- And Chief Gould!
Should I get on my knees?
- If you had any decency, you would!
I won't give you the chance
to test your authority in this matter.
Al, have I still
any credit left with you?
Some. - Where can I find the records
of Quinlan's old cases?
I'll show you. - I'd like to get back
to my wife. I hope it won't take long.
Hank, you're not going without this.
Well...
Now I guess I can talk.
- What do you mean, Hank?
Well, I couldn't really say it
in my own defense. - Go on, Hank.
What do you know about Vargas?
Isn't he in charge of some cleanup
on this side of the border?
Narcotics, mainly?
- Narcotics...
He's a drug addict.
He's got
that young wife of his hooked, too.
If I hadn't seen that hypodermic
myself... - Hypodermic! You saw it?
I just said so, didn't I?
- Are you sure?
That's how he come to imagine
all those crazy things. It's typical.
That's what his wife was doing
in that dive on skid row.
Both a couple of junkies.
He's usin' the job as a cover-up.
You don't mean he's mixed up
in this dope racket himself?
Hank, if this
is just one of your hunches...
I don't ask you to believe it.
I know it's not my department, but...
I'd like to show you I'm not
talking out of the back of my neck.
Just be careful, huh?
- Chief, I'll be very careful.
This takes guts, Al.
Standing up to your boss this way.
You could do me a favor: help me
look for an office. - How's that?
Quinlan's intuition may still turn out
to be better that yours.
If so, my intuition tells me I'll be
going back to private practice.
Here are the other names you want.
- Look, I can finish this alone.
And maybe you can't.
Well, let me try anyway.
I have no right
to drag you further into this.
Gonna do it alone, huh?
Just solve the murder,
and also prove that the idol
of the police force is a fraud.
Amigo, you've got your work
really cut out for you.
Hello Tanya. Is Captain Quinlan there?
Now, Sargeant!
- Tanya!
I'll be right there!
What would Quinlan be doing here?
He used to hole himself up at your
place for days with a case of whiskey.
That was years ago.
Now he's on candy bars.
Not tonight.
No, lemme stay. I wanna watch.
Hold her legs!
No, let me go! Don't touch me! No!
Close the door.
So, this is where
you've been all afternoon?
How'd they let you in here?
A foreigner.
Hall of records is open to the public.
- What are you doing?
You'll find out tomorrow morning.
- I want to know now!
What's all this?
- Records of every case
where you or Quinlan
uncovered the principle evidence.
In each case, the defense denied
the existence of that evidence.
Are you tryin' to break him?
Him?
What about you?
You never
planted any evidence, Sergeant?
Of course not. Neither did Hank!
It's all there: the axe in the Burger
murder, the dentures in the Yule case.
Planting evidence, framing suspects!
That's a lie!
- I think I can prove it, Sergeant.
Sure, you can smear him,
ruin his whole life's work.
Vargas, I don't even know where he is.
That's what you've done to him.
- What I've done? - Yeah...
He's on an important case,
and he's disappeared.
Good and drunk, probably.
After 12 years on the wagon.
That's what you've done to him.
What about Quinlan, Sergeant?
What's he done?
What about all those people
he put in the death-house?
Save your tears for them.
What seems to be the trouble?
- Trouble?
The lights. The lights
seem to be out in all the cabins.
Somebody's been
monkeyin' with them fuses.
If they think I'm gonna fix 'em,
they got another thing comin'.
It ain't my job to fix 'em,
even if I know how.
Could you please
show me to my wife's cabin?
No.
Ain't nobody here.
You must be mistaken. My wife's been
registered here since this morning.
My name is Vargas.
Vargas? - Would you look
in the register, please?
The register?
It might be cabin 6.
- Possibly...
Maybe 7.
- Yes... here.
May I?
There's nobody
been registered all week.
No, it's off the season.
Nobody hardly comes around at all.
I'm the night man.
There was that party...
Party? What party?
It's a mess, awful mess.
- Where?
If they think I'm gonna clean it up,
they got another thing comin'.
Terrible brawl.
Cabin number 7.
In the middle of the afternoon!
Cabin number 7.
This brawl. You mean
there was some sort of fight?
Fight?
- Yes.
No.
No, it wasn't that kind of a brawl.
It was one of them wild parties.
You know the kind?
This can't be my wife's room.
This ain't her clothes, huh?
It stinks in here!
Let's get some air in here.
It's a mess, it's a stinkin' mess!
Those wild parties!
There's my briefcase.
I left it with Susan, it...
I'm gettin' outta here!
My gun!
You haven't been here?
You haven't been in that room?
I just looked in.
- I had a gun in this case!
You didn't take it?
- What would I want with a gun?
Well, somebody wanted it!
If they hadn't put that Grandi boy
on the desk this morning,
this wouldn't have happened.
- Grandi?
Who d'you think this belongs to?
- Where are they?
The kids?
- Yes.
Please!
Rancho!
- Rancho Grande? - Yes.
You got her undressed?
- We scattered the reefers around.
You didn't use
none of that stuff yourselves, huh?
You think we're crazy?
No Grandi gets hooked.
Understand? That's the rule.
We blew smoke on her clothes,
that's all.
We put on a good show, to scare her.
Let's hope it was good enough.
When she wakes up, she's gotta think
maybe something did happen.
Now beat it.
- What about our dough?
We weren't doing it for fun.
- You'll get your dough tomorrow.
Okay.
Beat it.
Turn out the light.
- Why?
Nobody can see you up here.
You sure?
- Of course I'm sure.
What are you doing?
I brought you up here for a reason.
- I don't get it.
I don't even see why we had to
bring her all the way to town.
I couldn't drive out to the motel.
My car's known.
So what?
You're a cop making an arrest.
The vice boys will do that.
What's that for?
Turn around!
Get the phone.
Now dial 1-2-1-2.
That's the police!
- Go on, dial it!
Stop, Quinlan. You're drunk.
Just stop and think for a minute!
See if they answer.
Ask for Sergeant Menzies.
Sergeant Menzies.
Quinlan, if you turn me in,
I'll have quite a story to tell.
You sure will.
See if it's Menzies.
- Hello? Menzies?
Got him?
Hand me the phone.
Hold it so I can talk.
Give me the receiver!
Hello, Pete!
Of course it's me.
Any news yet?
Sanchez still hasn't broken.
What?
Vargas' wife? A narcotics rap?
One of the boys
was onto this wild party.
Just relay it to the vice boys
as anonymous. Hotel Ritz, room 18.
Things got a little out of control.
Don't be surprised what they find.
What about me, Hank? What do I do?
Keep after him! Break him!
Put up the phone.
The receiver!
Gimme the key.
I told you
I brought you up for a reason.
Help! Somebody help me!
Listen, I'm no cop now,
I'm a husband!
What did you do with her?
Where's my wife? My wife!
Vargas!
It's your wife, Vargas.
They picked her up.
What do you mean, "picked her up"?
- The vice squad.
Quinlan?
You better come out with me, amigo.
No, don't. Tell me what happened!
- They found her at the Hotel Ritz,
half-naked on the bed, drugged.
There were reefer stubs
and a heroin fix.
Vargas!
The charge isn't just possession
of narcotics. - What is it then?
Murder.
Darling... it's alright now, Susie.
It's all in the report.
They found evidence of a mixed party.
Mixed party? - Articles of clothing,
half-smoked reefers, needle marks.
Could've been something else:
Demerol or sodium pentothal.
You could smell the stuff on her.
- This whole setup stinks!
Who does Quinlan think he is,
hanging a murder rap on my wife?
Susie, lie down.
Take me home.
Forgive me.
Don't go!
- I'm right here.
It's alright.
You know there's no formal charge
against your wife? - Oh?
Even vice isn't pressing anything.
- And that makes everything alright?
I got something to show you!
- Her good name hasn't been touched!
I found it in the hotel room.
With Grandi's body.
He's still just sitting in there.
- We've been waiting 3 hours already.
We won't get a word on this,
as long as he's near that piano.
Would you go in and shut it off?
- No, I have to get him out.
Give me the microphone.
- I can take care of this.
Not without me.
You know that Grandi kid we picked up?
Stand quietly.
- He started to talk.
He says the kids were all faking.
Your wife wasn't really on dope.
Doc says it was only that truth stuff.
- Sodium pentothal.
No harm in it at all.
- No harm?
Schwartz is driving your car
across the border.
I told him we'd be by the bridge.
He's bringing your wife along.
She's feeling fine.
Doc says she can travel.
Sergeant... - Look, she just wants
to catch the early plane out of here.
How can I leave here
until my wife's name is clean?
What are you
carrying that microphone for?
Remember, don't cross your arms.
- I know, I know.
I've got to get the truth
from Quinlan. On tape!
He could stay there
the rest of the week, like he used to.
Look, just take your wife home
and let me handle this. It's my job!
It's my job too, Menzies.
You think I like it? I hate
this machine, spying, creeping...
How d'you think I feel about it?
Hank is the best friend I had.
That's one reason for my staying.
- Oh, you don't trust me?
Don't forget, I didn't have to
show you that cane.
Oh, yes you did, Sergeant.
- Somebody could've planted it there.
Besides Grandi's corpse.
- You know better than that.
You say the reefers were planted.
Why not Hank's cane?
You're an honest cop.
- Sure I am.
And who made me an honest cop?
Hank Quinlan. - Come on, Menzies.
I am what I am because of him.
What's my fortune?
You've been reading the cards, right?
I've been doing the accounts.
Come on, read my future for me.
You haven't got any.
- What do you mean?
Your future's all used up.
Why don't you go home?
Vargas?
I don't know if you can hear him
over that music, but I'll get him out.
I'll get him out, away from the music.
Be sure he doesn't see you.
I must be drunk.
A minute ago,
I thought you were Vargas.
Come on out, Hank.
- What's that?
Come on out, Hank, I'm tired.
- Who told you to come here?
I'm tired of waitin', Hank.
I've some questions you gotta answer.
Questions?
I need another drink.
- You had enough.
That's what Tanya keeps tellin' me.
How much is enough?
Hank, I'm sick of chasing around...
- You could use a drink yourself.
You gotta answer, Hank.
First, about Vargas' gun...
How d'you know about that?
He thinks you took it.
- Vargas?
Or was it Grandi who stole it?
You been talkin' to Vargas?
Then you took it from Grandi?
- You been gettin' kinda chummy.
Does that explain
that thing you're carrying?
What's it called,
that thing you're wearing?
What I'm wearing?
- Sure...
That halo.
- Halo?
Looks real pretty on you.
Soon you'll be
flappin' your wings like an angel.
Look out.
Vargas'll turn you into
one of these starry-eyed idealists.
They make all the real trouble.
They're worse than crooks. You can
always do something with a crook.
You're the one
that should be careful, Hank.
Sometimes you can be a crook, too.
Look what happened with Grandi.
Partner,
nobody ever called me a crook.
Look up there.
See?
That oil pump, pumpin' up money?
Money...
Don't you think I coulda been rich?
A cop in my position?
What do I have?
- Tell me about Grandi.
After 30 years, a little turkey ranch,
that's all I got. A couple of acres.
We gotta talk about Grandi.
An honest cop.
Then this Mexican comes along,
and look at the spot he puts me in!
- You can't blame Vargas.
I blame Vargas, for everything.
- Don't be crazy!
I wouldn't be in a situation
where Grandi could blackmail me.
You must be crazy! Insane!
- Sure, sure. I'm crazy.
You murdered Grandi. - I left my cane
by his body. That was sure crazy.
Let's start in the beginning.
What about Vargas' gun?
I was talking about my cane.
- The gun! - I forgot it.
The gun you stole from
Vargas' briefcase! Vargas' gun!
All you wanna talk about is Vargas!
You took the gun,
but you didn't use it.
Grandi was strangled. - Grandi was
a crook. - You're a killer, Hank.
Partner, I'm a cop.
- Yeah, yeah...
Drunk and crazy as you must've been
when you strangled him.
I guess you were thinking
of your wife, how she was strangled.
I guess I'm always thinking of her,
drunk or sober.
What else is there to think about,
except my job, my dirty job?
You didn't have to make it dirty.
- It's not dirty. Look at the record.
Our record, partner.
- Sure, sure...
All those convictions...
Convictions, sure.
How many did you frame?
Nobody.
Come on. How many did you frame?
- I told you: nobody!
Nobody that wasn't guilty.
Guilty, guilty.
Every last one of 'em: guilty.
All these years,
you've been playing me for a sucker.
Faking evidence.
- Aiding justice, partner.
Like the axe in the Burger case.
- Yeah, remember that?
I found the axe.
Just where you planted it.
Just like the dynamite with Sanchez!
Don't you think that Sanchez's guilty?
He's guilty. He'll confess.
Hey, listen to that!
Hank...
- Hear that?
Hear what?
- An echo.
Vargas?
I feel he's someplace around here.
Close to me.
I got a hunch.
- Why Vargas? Why should he...
You sound nervous, Pete.
My old game leg...
...is starting to talk to me.
Vargas...
Maybe he's tailin' me with a bug.
Recording.
You carryin' a bug for him?
A microphone? Don't lie to me!
Alright...
- Where is he? Where is he?
Why did you try to frame Vargas?
- Frame? Who's been framed?
Where is he?
I'm talkin' to Vargas now.
You hear me?
I'm talkin' to you, via this walking
microphone that used to work for me.
I ain't workin' for Vargas.
I'm working for the department.
Hank, give me Vargas' gun!
- OK, here it is. Vargas!
Well, Captain...
I'm afraid this is something
you can't talk your way out of.
You want to bet?
You killed him, Vargas.
- Come on, give me my gun back.
You don't understand me.
You killed Pete.
The bullet is from your gun.
You think anyone would believe that?
- They always believe me.
Anyway,
they'd never believe I killed him.
The gun.
- You resisting arrest?
How could you arrest me here?
This is my country.
This is where you're gonna die.
That wasn't a miss, Vargas.
That was just to turn you around.
I don't wanna shoot you in the back.
Unless you'd rather try to run.
Schwartz!
Did you bring my wife?
- She's in the car.
That's Menzies. He's dead. Quinlan's
been shot too. He's lying there.
I've got it on tape. - You sure you
got enough? - Play it back and see.
All these years,
you've been playing me for a sucker.
Faking evidence.
- Aiding justice, partner.
It's all over, Susie.
I'm taking you home. Home.
How many did you frame?
- Nobody that wasn't guilty.
Hank! - I ain't workin' for Vargas.
- Vargas! Vargas!
You better give me the gun.
- OK, there it is.
Pete...
That's the second bullet
I stopped for you.
His intuition was right after all.
He framed that Mexican Sanchez,
but he didn't even need to.
The kid confessed about that bomb.
Turns out Quinlan was right.
Is anybody gonna come take him away?
- Yeah, in a few minutes.
You really liked him, didn't you?
The cop did.
The one who killed him. He loved him.
Hank was a great detective alright.
- And a lousy cop.
Is that all you have to say for him?
He was some kind of a man.
What does it matter
what you say about people?
Goodbye, Tanya.
Adios.