In the Heat of the Night (1988) s01e01 Episode Script

1
[Train whistle blows in distance]
[Loud music plays from car radio]
[Man] Uh-oh, there's the chief.
What'd you stop for, Scotty. The light's green.
Got any objections to us having
ourselves a little fun? Huh, nan?
I got no objections to anything you want to do, Scott.
You know that.
Whoo-hoo!
[Siren blares]
[Indistinct chatter]
[Nan] Oh, look. Here he comes.
Well, that's pretty cute, lapeer.
Pretty cute.
We had a bet on, chief, whether you was awake.
I said you wasn't.
I guess I lost.
Get out and go wait over there by my car.
[Cup drops]
The rest of you pour out those drinks.
Do like I say. Pour 'em out.
[Scott] Be right back, nan.
Come on. Get out of there.
Won't be a minute, friends.
Chief just wants to see if old Scotty can walk.
Which one of y'all is sober?
I'm not drinking.
Then you're driving. Get up front.
Hey. Hey.
I told you to wait back by my car.
Go on.
You're getting funnier by the minute, Scotty.
This time it's going to cost you.
You're not really going to write me up, are you, chief?
Yeah, I'm really gonna to write you up.
I was just running some red lights.
Ain't nobody up this time, except you.
Now what's the harm in that?
What's the harm in that? Now let me think.
I got it.
It's against the law.
Not to mention, driving while under the influence.
If I could write you up for showing off,
I'd do that, too.
Uh, chief, you are making a big mistake.
Why? For not knowing who you are?
Well, I wasn't going to say it
Well, then don't, 'cause I know who you are,
and I know who your daddy is. And I know what he is.
Come right down to it, I don't believe I care.
Maybe you should.
You want to see me, Mr. Lapeer?
Yes. Yes, I do.
[Clears throat]
I don't believe you ever had children, did you?
No, sir. I didn't.
Didn't want any?
Well, I lost one when I lost my wife.
I imagine you wanted to see me about your son, didn't ya.
Did you really find it necessary
to embarrass Scotty in front
of all of his friends last night?
Well, if you can show me how to write a summons
without embarrassing somebody,
I wish you would.
He tells me that you spoke to him
in a manner that was uncalled-for.
Scott ran every traffic light
on main street, Mr. Lapeer.
Now, can't you make allowances from time to time
for a high-spirited boy?
High-spirited, huh? He was driving drunk.
Scotty tells me that he can't afford to have this citation
on his driving record.
I want you to Bury it.
I can't do that.
Gillespie, whether you know it or not,
your department is under review
by the mayor and the city council.
You need friends, strong friends.
I hope I have 'em, sir.
Goodbye, Gillespie.
I do appreciate your coming by.
Oh, chief
On your way down the drive,
you might take a look at the camellias.
They've never been more beautiful.
[Owl hooting]
Ah! Oh!
Ahhh!
I come happy here
and just hold my hold my hand ♪
take, take my hand
precious lord
and just lead me on
Precious lord
take my hand
precious lord
and lead me on
Let us all now gather at new Jerusalem cemetery
to put our sister tibbs to rest.
Mr. Tibbs, my name is Jim find lay.
We've never met, but we have corresponded.
Yes, of course. Mayor find lay.
How do you do?
- My wife.
- Ma'am.
I want to offer my deepest condolences on your loss.
That's very kind of you.
Well, it's a loss that's gonna
to be widely felt, Mr. Tibbs.
I'm sure you know your mama's
company catered every wedding,
birthday, and civic event
- in sparta for the past 25 years.
- At least.
She was a fine, generous woman
and a true credit to her community.
Thank you.
Uh, Mr. Tibbs,
I hope you won't take it amiss
considering the solemnity of the occasion
if I were to ask you
if you might find time to drop by and see me.
- Regarding your correspondence.
- Exactly.
Yes, I will.
Ma'am.
Morning, bill.
Good morning, mayor. How are you?
Well, Virgil, it's been a long time.
Couple of years.
Good to see you.
Sorry it has to be under these circumstances.
Your mama was a fine woman.
Yes, she was.
Althea
This is chief Gillespie.
I've told you about him.
Mrs. Tibbs.
Oh, yes. Chief.
When Virgil came back to Philadelphia
after his last visit here,
he could hardly talk about anything else.
Well bad as that, was it?
Well, I wouldn't say bad.
Colorful.
Virgil made you sound very colorful.
Well, I guess I've been called worse.
Well, I don't think he meant it in a bad way exactly.
[Siren]
I'm sorry. Excuse me.
Junior, what kind of damn fool are you
blowing your siren as you drive up to a funeral?
We got a body, chief.
Where?
Vacant lot over on meeker street, in the bottoms.
Uh, Virgil, if you have time,
you come and see me before you go, hear?
[Indistinct chattering]
I want everybody back. C'mon!
It's nan wood all, chief.
Yeah, it's poor little nan.
Call up Hewitt at the camera
store. Tell him to get down here.
We're going to need some homicide pictures.
Did you call the ambulance?
They should be rollin', chief. But you
know how they are, they take their sweet time.
Call up boatwright.
I want him and Jamison to go over
this whole lot with a fine-tooth comb.
It's boatwright's day off.
It was his day off.
Tell him I want to see him here in about five minutes.
I'll tell him. He sure won't like it.
Think she was raped, chief?
I'm not a doctor, am I?
You didn't see me look at the girl's privates, did ya?
No, but she's been laying here a while now.
Then how am I gonna tell whether she's been raped?
You want plaster of Paris here, chief?
Yeah, I want impressions of all those tire tracks.
You be sure you take pictures of them first.
Uh, junior, you just stay here.
Keep everybody else off this lot
And get one of your blankets
and cover up this child.
Let me by. Let me by, folks.
- Here comes the chief now.
- [Man] There he is.
That's Gillespie's car.
Yeah, I want to know what's going on. Let's ask him.
Is it true, chief, about nan wood all?
Yeah. I just come from telling her mama and daddy.
We've been talking about it, Gillespie,
and what none of us can figure
is, what a girl like nan wood all
was doing in the bottoms.
Isn't that where that boy lives,
who used to work for nan's father?
You mean the one her daddy fired for getting uppity?
I remember that. Name was Willie Smith.
No, it wasn't Smith, it was Jones.
I don't even know why we're talking about Willie Jones?
That boy's a good boy. Did some work for me awhile back.
Did some work on my barn. A real nice kid.
You want me to pick him up, chief?
If I did, I'd tell you, wouldn't I?
What are you gonna do, chief?
Well, if y'all let me go into my office,
I'll figure something out.
Chief
Wouldn't be nothing to drive down to the bottoms
and tell that boy to get in the car.
Wouldn't be nothing for you to change those white socks
and get into uniform.
You could hardly make a mistake doing that.
[Sighs]
[Man] In our police department, mayor?
[Mayor] That's right, boy. The time has come for change.
[Man 2] I never thought you were serious about that.
Serious enough to be corresponding
with New Orleans and Atlanta,
as well as Philadelphia.
Now, tolliver, 65% of our town is black.
Hell, look at Atlanta. They got a black mayor.
And I bet 70% of their police department is black.
You still thinking about running for congress?
- That about it, find lay?
- That's about it.
Look, a southern white man cannot run for national office
and hope to get elected without a record on civil rights.
And I haven't got one.
I will if I integrate the sparta police department.
You do and you'll lose half the white vote in this county.
So what I'll lose in white I'll make up for in black.
- Maybe it's time.
- Past time, I'd say.
Like hell it is.
Look, tibbs was born and
raised right here in sparta county,
and every one of you knew his mama.
Now, he is a top homicide detective
with the Philadelphia police department.
Today, we got the body of one of our loveliest young ladies
handed to us on a slab.
And as far as I know, bill Gillespie hasn't got a clue.
Now, tibbs is in town for his mama's funeral,
I'm going to catch him before he leaves.
And just what do you think
Gillespie going to say about all this?
It doesn't matter what he says.
Now, he is a good man,
but time is passing him by.
[Knocking at door]
Uh, chief, Dennis Gilroy's out here with his son Ben.
Says he wants to see you.
Wouldn't say why. Should I send 'em in or what?
Excuse me, Parker.
Gillespie, think we might have something
that's going to interest you.
Tell him.
[Ben] Well, you know I work
three nights a week for old man
For Mr. Everett.
It don't pay much
never mind that.
Well, I cut through the bottoms
on my way to work last night, and I seen nan wood all.
In the bottoms?
Yes, sir. She was on the street.
And?
Well she was talking to Willie Jones.
All right.
Now, y'all don't say anything about this
to anybody else, you hear?
Yes, sir.
Thank you, Ben.
Makes you think, don't it, chief?
[Indistinct chattering]
Good afternoon, Mrs. Jones.
Want to see your son Willie, if he's here.
Willie works all night. He's sleeping now.
I'm afraid you're going to have
to wake him up. This is important.
- Willie, chief wants to see you.
- Yeah, mama.
Willie, I want you to come down to the station with me
and answer some questions.
Did I do something, chief?
We just want to get some answers.
Better get yourself dressed,
and get ready to go with me.
[Mayor] Have you given any thought
to what I wrote you in my letter?
Yes, I have. I guess a person
always thinks about coming home
if they care about what they came from, who they came from.
Well, I'm glad to hear you say that
because I now want you to
consider my letter a firm proposal.
I want to be frank
and tell you that I took the Liberty,
possibly the vulgar Liberty,
of calling Philadelphia.
Several calls, matter of fact.
In fact, I'm told that you are
one of the finest homicide detectives they have.
You wrote in your letter that you
were looking for a chief of detectives.
The sparta police department doesn't have any detectives.
Well, we're going to change that.
Oh, and one more thing.
I'm prepared to offer you more money
than you're making in Philadelphia
$5,000 more a year, as a matter of fact.
[Whistles and chuckles]
That's very generous.
Tibbs, I want you to start now.
I mean, right now.
Now? Why?
Well, for one thing, we got over
in our morgue this very minute,
the body of one of our finest young ladies.
She's been murdered,
murdered, and, uh maybe raped.
You mentioned title, money.
The one thing you haven't mentioned is security,
job security, I mean.
The first time I step on a white man's toes,
am I out?
[Sighs]
I was hoping race wouldn't be an issue in this.
[Chuckles] I have a feeling the whole issue is about race.
I have a feeling I wouldn't be
standing here now if I weren't black.
No, no. Let me assure you
oh, you can assure me. You can
assure me by drawing up a contract.
I want three years firm.
Will that make the deal?
[Laughs]
It'll certainly make it worth my consideration.
All right. All right.
We'll give you a contract.
Now do we have a deal?
I'll let you know in an hour.
Hey, baby.
[Exclaims excitedly]
[Laughing]
- Your mama really had some good neighbors.
- Mmm.
Wait until you see the kitchen, wall to wall food.
[Chuckles]
And just don't sit there.
Did the mayor offer you a job?
Yeah.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
And what did you say?
- I told him I need an hour.
- [Laughs]
You figure that's all it would take to make me say yes?
- [Chuckles] Or say no.
- Oh.
Oh.
No, I don't think you want to hear a no.
I wanna hear how you feel.
- This is your first time south.
- Mmm-hmm.
And you haven't said a thing. I
wanna know how you feel about it.
Oh, come on, Virgil, that's not fair.
I haven't been here long enough to form an opinion.
Babe, you forget who you're talking to.
You hold the land speed record in opinion forming.
[Both laughing]
I say you'll do it in, what, 10 seconds tops.
Okay.
It's pretty.
'Pretty.' that's it?
Well, that's the best a Philadelphia black woman can say
about a Mississippi cotton town.
Virgil, I think your mind's going.
Baby, how many times have you
said you wanna live in a nice quiet place
with lots of trees?
Well, I was thinking about a couple
of neighborhoods around Philadelphia.
Okay, what about the times you said
that when I walk out that door to go to work,
you worry all day until I walk back in that door at night.
What are you saying?
That I wouldn't have a worry in the world down here?
Where all the white folks would
love and Cherish their one black cop?
Think about it, althea.
Chief of detectives, sparta police department.
It could be a big job one day.
Virgil, you've always told me
that in the north, the white man
doesn't care how big the black man gets,
just as long he didn't get too close.
But in the south, he didn't care how close he gets
just as long as he didn't get too big.
Yeah, I know I said that and it's still true.
[Sighs] Chief of detectives is a big sounding title.
And you're still a black man in case you forgot, honey.
Now, I don't think either one of us truly believes
that this offer came from the
goodness of the mayor's heart.
So what's he really thinking about?
Himself.
But I'm thinking about us.
Mr. Tibbs! Mama asked me to
bring this fried chicken to you.
And to tell you that she's fixing
some okra and turnip Greens.
- [Exclaims]
- [Laughs]
Thank your mama for me, baby.
- Okay.
- Bye, now.
Bye.
I keep asking the same questions,
you keep giving the same answers,
we aren't gonna get anywhere.
I been telling the truth.
I swear before god I have.
He's lying.
I wasn't near the bottoms last night.
I was a whole night out on route 10.
Well, if you can find anybody to back you up,
we can let you go home.
Willie, I can't imagine anybody working eight hours
without seeing another soul.
Hello, chief.
I hope we're not interrupting anything important.
Well, give me a moment, will you?
All right, Willie, we're going to
have to keep you here a little while.
Give you a chance to think about this again.
Put him in a cell.
Come on, Willie.
Come on, boy. Out of that chair.
[Gillespie] Skinner Skinner.
Remember I'm conducting this interrogation, will you?
Oh. Oh, yeah.
Come on, Willie.
[Gillespie] Uh, Virgil, I know I told
you to come by and have a little visit
before you left town, but we're pretty busy right now.
You may have heard we got a murder here.
Uh, Mr. Tibbs isn't leaving town, Gillespie.
He's your new chief of detectives.
Uh, Virgil, would you mind if I had a
word or two in private with the mayor here?
Thank you.
He's my new chief of what?
What are you talking about?
We haven't got any detectives.
Well, I see no reason for any great surprise.
I mean, the council gave me
power to create this job and I'm done.
Council gave you power
to build a football stadium too,
but you haven't built one 'cause
we haven't got any need for one.
I'll be the judge of what we need, Gillespie.
Now, tibbs will be working under you, of course.
I believe you had some dealings with him a few years back?
A man comes into town
and five minutes later,
he's made chief of detectives,
of which we haven't even got any at the moment.
Now, what's behind all this?
Who's behind it?
I suggest you ask the city council.
They are, after all, the ones who hired him.
Oh, yeah, the city council brings in a
black detective to force me out here.
But the man behind it all is Harold lapeer, isn't it?
No. Now, lapeer's got nothing to do with this.
Look, everybody knows you're a good old boy, Gillespie,
and you do a good job, but times are changing,
and we've got to change with them.
Sure changing in a hell of a hurry, aren't they?
[Both chuckling]
Well, let me tell you something.
It's going to take more than Virgil tibbs
to get me out of here.
You tell that to Harold lapeer
next time you're talking to him.
And you better keep it in mind, yourself.
You want to go in there, Mr. Tibbs?
Now, you got any questions, you know where to find me.
Oh
[Knock on door]
Come on in.
Well, Virgil tibbs.
I don't suppose I have to tell you
this appointment of yours
came to me as a big surprise.
It came as something of a surprise to me too.
Well, I'd say taking this job means, uh
Taking a big cut in salary.
Not exactly.
Well, I mean, a small town like sparta
couldn't afford to pay you
what a big city like Philadelphia could.
Could it?
The pay is what my contract calls for.
Your what?
My contract.
Now, if you'll show me where my office is,
I can get to work.
We got no spare office around here.
What's wrong with this one?
It's mine
That's what's wrong with it.
Well, you won't mind sharing it for a while, now, will you?
Oh, and I'll need a city car.
A city car?
Yeah.
You want a chauffeur with that car?
No.
A detective with a chauffeur
might draw a little too much attention.
Now, I've been told you've had a murder.
You want to tell me about it?
Yeah. Sure.
Pride of sparta county got her head caved in.
What more you want to know?
Who was the black kid in here when I came in?
The black kid in here when you come in here
is the closest thing we got to a suspect.
And I suppose you had good reason to bring him in,
like prior arrest, motive, murder weapon,
witnesses, prints
No, we didn't have any prior arrests, prints, witnesses,
or any of that.
We do know there was bad blood
between that boy and the girl's daddy.
And we know that him and the girl were talking together
on the day of the murder,
right near where she was found.
Yeah, I'd like to talk to him.
Well, you're the detective,
or so I was recently informed.
Go ahead.
Hey, boy.
You can't go back there.
Chief!
Maybe you'd care to explain
that I will be going into that cell block
or anywhere else I choose,
when I choose.
We'd better get another thing straight.
You will not call me 'boy.'
I want to like you people.
And I want you people to like me,
but there can't be liking without respect,
and until there is that respect,
you will call me
Mr. Tibbs.
Willie, why don't you come clean, son?
Because if you don't
If you don't
I'm going to have to
[tibbs] You're going to have to what?
What are you doing back here?
You got no business back here.
I'm with your department now.
I'd like to talk to the prisoner.
I don't know exactly what that means?
It means you can leave now.
I'd like to talk to him alone.
Fine. Just fine.
Hello.
I'm Virgil tibbs. I'm a cop.
Sit down.
Tell me about this girl
that was murdered.
I never killed her.
Truth is, we were friends.
I always liked her. She liked me.
Did her father like you?
No.
I used to work for him,
but then he told me to get off
his property and never come back.
Said if I do, he'd kill me.
Why did he fire you?
For talking to nan.
That was the girl's name, nan?
Yeah.
We went to high school together.
We had classes together.
I always talked to her at school.
Did you talk after her father fired you?
Once.
It was raining. I gave her a ride.
Her father would've killed me if he would have known that.
When did you give her the ride?
Few weeks ago. Never seen her since.
That old police chief in there won't
believe I watched the cats all night.
And I was nowhere near the bottoms when nan was killed.
You watch what cats?
D9-cats.
Big tractors with blades for pushing dirt around.
I'm the night watchman
for that highway project on route 10.
I'm out there all night.
I don't get home until it's light out.
And I don't get up until it's time to go back to work.
Did you ever threaten nan or her father?
Mr. Tibbs, I never threatened nobody.
How long I'm gonna have to stay here?
You're telling the truth?
I am, Mr. Tibbs.
Truth is all I know.
Law says they can hold you for
24 hours without pressing charges.
I can't see reason for them doing that.
Settle down.
You'll be out in the morning.
Why are you holding that kid here?
Because I want to keep him near me.
Come on. A man fires a kid,
and that's supposed to be the kid's motive
for killing the man's daughter?
You can't hold him here for that.
Even in sparta.
Virgil, you and I better get some ground rules straight
right from the start.
You're the chief of detectives,
but I'm the chief of police here.
And you will not tell me
what I can or can't do in my own jail.
Yeah, what?
Well, now we got ourselves a black detective,
I imagine he's gonna be
wanting us to let that black boy go.
That's what he wants, and that's what we'll do.
Unless you find some hard evidence to hold him.
You want to run that by me again?
[Gillespie] Yeah, sure.
Without evidence, we can hold him 24 hours,
then we got to turn him loose.
The suspect's got his rights.
His rights. What about the victim's rights, chief?
What about nan wood all's rights?
She ain't got none?
You said that good, Skinner.
Real good. I like it.
I really like it.
The only thing is, I just don't know
- where to put it.
- Oh.
[Rock music playing in the background]
We hear you got the guy, chief.
Not that it's going to bring nan back.
Had. Had the guy.
You said 'had.'
Had the guy.'
What's that supposed to mean?
It means we got to let him go. That's what it means.
That little bastard killed nan,
and you're gonna let him go.
Why don't you keep barking at me, boy. It ain't my idea.
Skinner, you can read him article 1113,
section 'd, ' of the penal code,
or you can tell him mind his own damn business.
Your choice.
Penal code.
Those don't sound like your words, chief.
They sound like the words of that nigger
you brought down from Philadelphia.
Well, Scott lapeer, you sound like a fool.
And you, chief You sound like a nigger-lover.
I am considering the extreme grief
that you must be feeling,
so I'm not gonna do to you what someone
should have done to you a long time ago.
But don't say another word, you hear me? Not one more word,
or I swear they're gonna have
to get the state police for me
and an ambulance for you.
Now you sit down and behave yourself.
What's bothering you? What's going on?
What's bothering me is that nothing is going on.
I mean, if the Jones kid
says he didn't leave that machinery all night,
we should be looking for someone who can say he did.
Why? I thought you said you believed him.
I do, I think,
and I think the chief believes him, too Halfway.
But we gotta try and prove he's lying
if we want to show that he isn't.
I don't know who's out there doing what.
I don't have a duty sheet. Haven't seen a duty sheet.
Go.
- What?
- Go down to the station.
That's what this is all about, isn't it?
Thanks. I'll only be about an hour.
If it's longer, I'll let you know.
[Paramedic] All right. Wait a second. All right. Ugh!
[Skinner] I wasn't here when it happened.
[Gillespie] You wasn't here when it happened?
You had the desk duty tonight.
Well, I got a call and I had to leave.
He's telling us that he left this place open
without a single soul here except Willie Jones.
I tried to raise junior. He wouldn't answer.
And that's your excuse for leaving a jail open?
Excuse? Excuse?
Man, I don't have to make you no excuses.
I locked the door when I left.
It was unlocked when I got back from the call.
Well, I hope that call was from the lord god almighty,
because you shouldn't have left for anybody else.
- It was from Carl Henderson again.
- Who?
It was from Carl Henderson again.
He said there was a prowler tryin' to break into his house.
He was scared. He was whispering.
But when I got out there, I didn't find
no prowler. I didn't find nothin', really.
Just a window that looked like somebody tried to pry open.
Nay, I bet you didn't find Henderson, neither.
Yeah, that's right. Well, he must
have run off scared or something.
That he did. This afternoon.
He told me when I called him
that he was going to drive to tupelo
for a day or so.
What's going on?
Where the hell have you been?
Why didn't you answer me when I called you?
That's because I wasn't in the car.
There was a wreck on the interstate on-ramp.
You don't believe me.
Here's the blood to prove it.
Will you please take the desk
for the rest of the night?
So now what are you saying?
That this guy Henderson called you
from out of town?
This man asked you a question.
- You answer him.
- Oh, come on, chief.
I said answer him.
All I know is, I got a call.
I must of thought it was Henderson
'cause he's always calling here.
And I have never lied to you,
and you know that.
You go out there and you hang around with junior
and you stay close, hear?
Yes, sir.
Now, listen, I know he did a stupid thing,
but day in and day out, he's a good police officer.
Good?
He was on duty
with one prisoner to look after,
and that prisoner is now dead.
He's been on this force for 10 years.
He's never given me any reason to question his honesty.
Honesty?
Chief, you have more reason to lock up Skinner
than you ever had for Willie Jones.
You know damn well he's the kind
of redneck that would kill a black man
just to pass the time of day,
and he's talking to get away with it.
They oughta issue combat ribbons
- for staying in this town.
- Hold on.
Hold it, now. Virgil, if you want to be preachin',
you got to learn to pause for the amen.
All right. Amen. Satisfied?
No. I'll tell you what would satisfy me.
A list of everybody in this town
with keys to this jail.
Fine! I say amen to that, too.
Amen. Amen.
- [Tibbs] Dr. Bridges.
- Yes.
Virgil tibbs.
Yes. You're the new detective I've heard about.
What can I do for you?
Well, I'd like to see the bodies if I may?
You mean the boy's body.
No, I mean both bodies. The girl's first.
What was the girl wearing when she was found?
This is it? No underwear?
No underwear.
I don't know what that is.
It was in her fist, her hand.
Looks like videotape.
Thank you.
What was the time of death?
I can't say exactly because of the weather.
It was hot.
Well, approximate.
Somewhere around midnight.
Anywhere between 11:00 and 1:00.
Any vaginal tears or bruises?
I have not yet examined her vagina.
So you haven't checked yet for the presence of semen.
If she fought with her assailant,
there could be skin under her nails
as well as blood,
and I'll want pictures of her labia and vagina
as well as cuttings from her pubic hair.
And of course you'll comb the pubic
area for any hairs that don't match.
Well, I suppose when I have all this you could tell me
what to do with it?
Each item will be placed in plastic and sealed.
And after you and I have cosigned each of these items,
they'll be sent to the FBI laboratory for analysis.
I suppose you intend to stay here and watch?
How else can I cosign?
However much you may not like it, Dr. Bridges,
we're both on the same team.
[Tires screeching]
When find lay brought you in here,
he didn't say nothin' 'bout you being crazy.
Not one word did he say about you being out of your mind.
Would you like to come in?
Don't answer me back. Just listen to me.
What I'm telling you is,
that you are not to go running hog-wild around town
without you letting me know what you are doing.
I'm still the chief of police
here in case it slipped your mind.
Would you like to come in, or do
you want to have this out in public?
What difference does it make? In out!
Here, go on in. In.
You are not to do a thing in this department
without you checking with me first.
Damn, I didn't think I had to tell you that.
If you'd let me know you were
going over there to see Bridges,
maybe I could have gone with you.
Maybe help keep your lid screwed down.
Virgil, who's that at the
Oh, it's you, chief Gillespie.
Mrs. Tibbs.
I was just making some coffee.
Why don't you have a seat?
Uh, well, this isn't, uh
This isn't exactly a social visit, ma'am.
Please, sit down.
Thank you.
You know, Virgil was telling me
how gracious you've been.
Oh, he was, huh?
Yes. Letting him share your office until he gets his own.
One of his own?
Oh.
I think I'll get that coffee.
Bridges told me you come running in there
and you ripped the sheet right off that girl!
I very carefully removed the sheet covering that girl,
and I very carefully folded it.
You was using words like
You was using words like vagina,
labia, pubic hairs.
What was going on in your mind, Virgil?
- Where the hell did you think you was?
- In a morgue.
I thought I was talking about a body.
Not a black body, not a white body,
but the body of a murdered girl.
If that girl had been black,
you never would have heard from your doctor Bridges.
- But she's white.
- Oh, come on.
And a black man is not supposed to look at a white girl,
dead or alive, much less talk about her,
isn't that right?
Well, isn't it?
Yeah, that's right, and you know why it's right.
Because that's the way it's always been.
Well, it's not going to be that way anymore, Gillespie.
And this town,
this county,
this state
Well, they're all going to have to get accustomed to it.
[Gillespie] Uh, excuse me.
We had some calls that a black man
was trying to break in to the Hendersons' house.
When they said he was wearing a suit,
I knew in my heart it had to be you.
Skinner told the truth about the window.
Uh-huh.
Which incidentally, doesn't let him off the hook.
Because he could've been working
with somebody else just setting up an alibi,
but he did tell the truth about the window.
I know he told the truth
because I already been here.
Talked to three of the neighbors here.
They saw him here.
Now, have you got anything against working with me?
I really don't know what you're talking about?
I'm talking about me running one way,
and you running the other.
This wasn't my idea,
because you know, you and I, we're
supposed to be working together.
In other words, I'm not supposed to do anything
unless you're in on it or know about it,
- is that what you're telling me?
- Uh-huh.
Amazing grace
how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me ♪
I once was lost
but now am found
was blind but now I see ♪
[Gillespie] Now, the girl's mama
and daddy are there in the front row
and then some relatives from pascagoula
and of course her school chums.
She was very popular girl.
She was president of her senior class,
she was a cheerleader, whole bunch of stuff.
Two years ago, she was miss sparta county.
I always figured she'd wind up on TV
in some glamour job,
like selling refrigerators or something.
What's the matter with that?
Nothing. That's glamour. That's glamour.
Why don't you give me a rundown on the back row,
left to right?
Oh, well, that's, uh
Scott lapeer and his daddy.
They own the cotton mill,
about 14,000 acres of raw land and cotton land.
The oldest family in the county,
and they don't let you forget it.
The boy isn't worth the powder to blow him up.
That's Anne strict land.
She's been a tramp since she was potty-trained.
Barbara giles there, she's a nice girl.
I often wondered why she'd run with that crowd.
I guess she's just got a good heart.
Then you got winthrop Mason.
They all call him winnie.
He doesn't know it's because
they all think he looks like a horse,
and then there's Ben Gilroy there.
He likes to run around with anybody rich.
Makes him forget about the fact that he's nothing.
He's the one who told me that he saw
Willie Jones having a conversation with nan wood all
the night she was murdered.
That he what?
That's why I brought Willie Jones in.
Why have you waited all this time to tell me that?
Well, Virgil, I had one or two other questions
on my mind.
Like what?
Well, like for instance, uh
Are you gonna keep on wearing
a suit and tie to work every day?
What's wrong with it?
Well, it just gives a man a kind of a start, you know.
They don't know whether you're comin'
from the internal revenue service or the naacp.
[Priest] God, does not
This Virgil tibbs comes highly
recommended, you'll be happy to know.
Yeah, by Yankees.
Highly recommended by Yankees.
Why, yes. Those are the people he works for.
I thought he might
help us solve the wood all gal's murder.
I understood that was solved.
I understood the first thing that black detective found
was a black body hanging in our jail.
It doesn't take a brilliant mind
to conclude that that boy killed himself
out of guilt, remorse, fear.
Happens all the time.
Well, sir, the chief hasn't yet
determined that was the case.
The chief works for you and me, Mr. Mayor.
Tell him not to waste any more time on it.
Let's get this miserable tragedy behind us.
So we can put our minds to bigger things.
I don't think I have to show you the way out.
No, sir. No.
You heard.
Yes.
Then get on with your life.
Nan is gone,
but her death has been paid for.
Yes, sir.
Virgil, there's a very fine recipe in here
for shrimp and scallop gumbo.
Now if your dear mama was alive, I'd just clip this
and I'd take it over to her.
Then maybe young Mrs. Tibbs might like it, too.
[Gillespie] Wait a minute. Wait!
You need a little help with that.
Hey, sylvio. Come out here.
Help the man with this thing.
Never said he needed help. Never said a word.
Yeah, well, put it in here somewhere,
just don't crowd me with it.
Over there, please, by the window.
Yeah. All right.
Swing back that way, so I can get this leg through.
[Gillespie] I think the damn thing is bigger than mine.
- [Tibbs] Thank you.
- [Sylvio] You're welcome.
Chief, who was that man?
Red Jack? He's just a jughead
who comes in here and cleans up around.
He has keys to everything?
Well, how is he gonna clean if he doesn't?
He's on that list I gave you.
Well, so is most of this town.
According to the list you gave me.
We got a few keys out.
I don't hand them out as party favors, only as needed.
That may not be the way they do things in Philadelphia,
but it's the way I do things here.
And I've never lost a prisoner.
You lost Willie Jones.
Suicides don't count.
Willie Jones didn't commit suicide.
Do you really believe
he'd kill himself at the prospect
of spending one night in jail?
Detective, this just came for you from the FBI.
Well, what does it say?
Dr. Bridges found sperm, but no evidence of rape.
Nan wood all had sex before she was killed,
and she was willing.
Oh, you're not saying with Willie Jones.
Hair found in her pubic area
was Caucasian, not black.
Somebody slipped a joker in your deck,
and that joker was Willie Jones.
They want us to think he did it and then killed himself.
Who's 'they'?
Whoever came in here and murdered him.
His body shows every indication of a struggle.
There were bruises around his
mouth, but no trauma to his head.
He was wide awake when they lynched him.
But tell me who is 'they.'
Well, we both know one person
couldn't hold a struggling man
up to those pipes.
The way you're looking at me,
I'm beginning to feel I need an alibi.
You got one.
You took that lady from the diner home at 6:00 P.M.,
and you stayed with her all that evening.
Did I enjoy myself?
[Chuckles]
Hmm.
Shrimp and scallop gumbo. Sounds pretty good.
Hang onto it. It may come in handy.
Says here Bubba Skinner's allergic to shellfish.
[Chuckles]
I can't believe these ledgers.
They're not just menus.
Mama has notes on everybody in this town.
You know it was kinda sweet,
the chief sending this over.
But who was that young fellow who brought it?
Junior Abernathy.
Doubt if he'll make it as a cop,
but I could say that about half the force.
[Telephone rings]
Hello.
Yeah, this is tibbs.
Who is this?
Yeah. I know where it is, but who is this?
Who am I talking with?
That was a man,
says he has information on both murders.
[Glass bottle rolls]
[Man] Hey, boy, how you like this?
Kick him! Kick him!
[Indistinct yelling]
[Man] It's the cops. Let's go!
It's the cops! Let's get out of here!
[Man laughing]
Chief! Chief! You better come out here.
Bubba, bring him in. Bring him
in. Put him on the couch in there.
Come on, junior, you go there,
get some of that first aid stuff and bring it in.
Then call Dr. Bridges on the telephone.
Put him right here.
Oh, yeah. Give me that.
Maybe you ought to lay down there.
No. No. I'll be all right.
Officer Skinner
Thank you.
Mmm-hmm.
All right now.
Turn around this way, and I'll
- I heard the keys.
- Huh? What?
I heard the keys.
Same keys I heard here. Heard 'em just before I passed out.
Red Jack.
- You sure?
- I swear it.
Just tell me where he lives. I'll bring him in.
Oh, no, no. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
You wouldn't want to tip off
whoever put that joker in the deck, would you?
No.
Now,
let me tell you an interesting thing about red Jack.
See, this job he does here,
this job hold it.
This job's only part-time.
You see, his main job
Is over at the cotton mill.
He works for lapeer.
So we visit lapeer.
All in due time.
We start with nan wood all's friends
First thing tomorrow morning.
Good.
I feel real bad about Skinner.
Got him all wrong.
Oh, well, that happens.
I met a black guy a long time ago.
I thought he was the meanest man in the world
Till he saved my life.
Rash judgments. I take your point.
Yeah, well, there's another point there, too.
See I was trying to be a war hero.
And my black friend, he saved me from being a corpse.
You can only be a hero
if the almighty calls you to it.
You try to be one out of pride,
you could end up gone.
You take that as if it come from your daddy.
[Chuckles]
That wasn't supposed to be funny.
No.
No.
I just had a vision of what I might be like
if I had a daddy like you. [Laughs]
Well, probably no better, no worse.
Probably.
[Laughs]
[Car door closes]
[Doorbell]
Good morning, Harry.
Now, this is Virgil tibbs
I heard. What can I do for you, Gillespie?
We'd like to ask your daughter some questions.
About what happened to nan?
Barbara doesn't know anything about that, Gillespie.
[Sighs] My god, you don't know what this has done to her.
- She hasn't been well.
- Harry, Harry
We just need about five minutes.
Honey.
Honey, the chief and
Well, they want to ask you a few questions about nan.
It won't be long.
Barbara
The chief tells me nan wood all was a friend of yours.
Nan was my best friend.
She was more than a sister to me.
I loved her.
When was the last time you saw her?
The night she
The night
[Tibbs] Uh, where?
At Scott's.
Scott lapeer's house on route 16.
We'd all went there for a party.
Nan really became upset about something
And she ran out.
She ran down the driveway to the road.
And that was the last time you saw her?
Running down the driveway?
No.
I saw the headlights of a car.
It stopped for her, and she got in.
And that's the last time I saw her.
What was it that upset her? What happened?
I don't know. I really don't know.
Well, all right, Barbara. Thank you.
You've helped us a lot.
Don't you go gettin' sick over it, you hear?
Thank you, Harry.
Thank you.
You call that helping out?
No. But then I'll bet you a dollar
she could've told us more than she did
if her daddy hadn't been standing there.
I get the feeling he's always standing there.
No, not on Thursdays.
On Thursdays, he drives to Jackson on business,
and her mama goes to the beauty parlor.
I guess you know everything about
everybody here in this town, huh?
Virgil if I was to sell all I know
to one of them little newspapers
at the check-out stand at the supermarket,
I'd have my fortune made.
At the same time,
there'd be a whole lot of murders, mayhems,
massacres, and suicides.
There's winnie.
[Church bells in the distance]
What do you want to bet he was in there with little Annie
getting his story straight with hers?
I guess you've known her since she was a baby, too, huh?
Annie was never a baby.
Well, now, I've been expecting you.
Word I get is you've been out
all around town asking questions.
We haven't met.
I'm Anne strict land.
Virgil tibbs.
- How do you do?
- Fine, thank you.
We just want you to supply some answers,
like when you was in school, remember?
Well, now, I was never all that
good in school, chief Gillespie.
I've got a notion you'll be a whole lot better here
than if we took you down to the station.
Then why don't we just give a little try, shall we?
What do you want to know?
You first, Virgil.
I've never met a Virgil before.
What happened to your friend miss wood all
at Scott lapeer's party, miss strict land?
She got upset and left. That's all.
She ran down the driveway,
a car came driving up the road, and she got in.
That's the last I saw of her.
Seems as if I've heard that song before.
Well, it's all I know. Scout's honor.
Who'd she get upset with?
Well, it seems it was something
personal between her and Scott.
I can't say anymore now.
If you boys wanna work on my poor body with a rubber hose,
I think you should know I bruise easy.
Uh, wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Before we go in there to see that pampered dumb head,
- I want you to promise me something.
- Yes.
- That I'll be on my best behavior?
- No.
That you won't take any crap.
- Come on, get out. Now. Come on.
- [Woman] Why?
Get out now. Come on.
[Woman] Why?
Right now. Come on.
- Hustle, hustle.
- [Woman] Go where, Scotty?
[Knock on door]
Please come on in.
I must say I was expecting you,
the both of you.
I've been told you've been asking questions about nan.
I'm afraid I'm still in some kind of shock.
At least that's what the doctor says.
Nan and I, we'd planned to be married.
This is the last place miss wood all was seen alive.
By anyone you talked to, that is.
Nan's killer was the last to see her alive,
and I'm glad he's dead, because he did it,
and I don't want to know how,
with what,
why
Nothing about it.
I understand you had some strong disagreement
That night.
Yes, I had
And I'll never forgive myself, chief.
I wouldn't give nan
a specific date for marriage.
Then a lot of things just seemed to come to a head.
It was the wrong time and place
For talk.
But you fought.
Yes
Though it was hardly more than a tussle.
Next thing I know, she's out the house
running down the driveway.
A car stopped for her on the road,
she got in,
the car drove away.
And that, detective tibbs
Is the whole story.
A police officer seldom gets the whole story.
I want to thank you.
I won't take up any more time.
Thanks for your cooperation, Mr. Lapeer.
[Sighs]
[Door closes]
The girls that were at the river
Are they town girls?
I've never seen them before,
but young Scott seems to be
dealing pretty well with his grief, doesn't he?
[Dog barking]
[Car engine starts]
He wouldn't give her a definite wedding date.
Can you see a girl running out
into the night hysterical over that?
Well, let me tell you something about the la peers.
They don't marry beauty queens.
They're only too happy to make use them, but that's it.
So she found that out and ran away.
Okay, he's rid of her. Why kill her?
Well, Virgil, that Scott lapeer boy
is a really bad boy.
Maybe the girl found out something about him, I mean,
something real low-down or maybe even criminal.
Maybe.
Well, it's my experience that a woman
can go from sad to mad real quick,
and if she's got something to threaten a man with, well
I just want to find out what this is all about.
Uh-huh.
All right, watch out. Coming through.
[Man 1] Over here!
Take it to the left!
I got 15 more bales on these skids.
[Man 2] Hey! Red Jack!
Pick up the telephone.
Hello?
- [Lapeer] Red Jack, this is lapeer.
- Yes, sir.
I want you to get rid of that guy once and for all.
I'm afraid I can't tell you whether Scott lapeer
has an account with us or not.
Why the hell not?
That's privileged information.
Go on, Hewitt.
All right, so he has an account with us.
Well, fine. We'd like to see that
account say from the last two months?
Chief, this is privileged.
I'd like to, chief, but I can't.
You saying you can't to a man who knows
where you go every Wednesday night?
I'm glad he decided to cooperate
because he does crime photography for us,
unless you'd like to try your hand at that, too.
- Why you looking like that?
- Oh, nothing.
It'll just take a little getting used to I guess.
The homicide photographer runs a camera shop,
the funeral director moonlights as a coroner
Well, it works out pretty good.
A small town like this,
we don't do the volume business
y'all do in Philadelphia.
[Bell chimes]
[Hewitt] You'll find everything
posted for the last quarter.
Hand that book to him.
I believe there's a customer there.
Good morning.
Videotape, lots of videotape.
Where do you see that?
Oh, yeah
Well, I suppose he's taking a lot of home movies.
Home movies of what?
He lives alone.
No wife, no children,
but he brings lots of girls up there.
Well, now, Virgil
You're thinking about something nasty.
We're both thinking it. Say it.
Dirty pictures.
[Doorbell]
[Gillespie] Hello, Barbara.
My parents aren't home.
Well, that's all right.
We'd just like to talk to you.
May we come in?
Now
How long have you and I known each other?
Always.
Yeah. In fact, when you were born, your daddy was away,
and I was the one who brought you
and your mama home from the hospital,
so I've always felt you were kind of half-mine.
Well, you know I've always
felt that way about all the kids,
still do.
And now one of them is gone,
and I feel bad.
Now, you're nan's best friend,
don't you think you owe it to her
to tell us all you know about what happened?
Tell us the truth.
The truth's not always that good to hear.
The truth can be ugly.
Well, if it is, don't you think it's the best thing
to get it out, get rid of it?
What's that you got in your hand?
Nan gave it to me.
What really happened to nan, huh?
[Sobs]
Scott was taking
Pictures
Secret pictures of him and nan together.
And of me and Ben
and of Anne and other girls.
Winthrop was taking them. Winthrop Mason.
I mean, they were talking about getting married!
How did nan find out about it?
She caught him looking at something with winthrop.
Then she screamed at Scott.
They had a terrible fight.
And then she
Tore some kind of tape out of one of his cameras.
Then she started crying.
When she ran out of the house,
Scott was chasing her.
Then he came back, and
[Continues sobbing] He said she had a terrible accident.
He said it would look bad for him
and that nobody would believe
that she'd fallen and hit her head.
Then he made up this story we should all tell.
And you all told it, too, didn't you?
He said if we didn't, he'd let
the pictures get out around town.
He said he'd make sure our parents saw 'em.
You think Scott killed her, don't you?
Yes
'Cause he was so scared he was shaking
Like I'm shaking now 'cause
I'm scared, and I'm telling you.
And then Scott telephoned his daddy, didn't he?
How did you know?
Oh Harold lapeer's
been pulling that boy out of messes
ever since he took his first steps.
Now, will you come down to the station with us and
And record all of this for us,
just like you said it here?
[Sobs]
[Dogs barking]
[Gillespie] I'm glad judge
Denver agreed to a search warrant.
All right, Horace, you know what to do.
Get those reserves into the woods.
What are we looking for, chief?
Anything that doesn't grow there.
[Horace] All right, men, this way!
Okay, you heard the chief.
Fan out!
Get those dogs going. Get to work!
- [Man 1] Lock and load.
- [Dog barking]
[Man 2] Safety's on.
[Man 1] Come on, girl. Come in here.
Give it up, red.
[Man 2] Yeah.
[Dog barking]
[Indistinct chattering]
[Tires screeching]
- What's in here?
- A clothes closet.
Start with the closets in the hall. Go look in there.
Virgil.
I knew her when she was a baby.
What happens in between?
[Indistinct chattering]
Now, take junior's car.
Bring all these films and the tapes
and all this junk down to the station.
Don't show it to anybody.
Just lock it in the property room.
How many keys are out to the property room?
There's only one. Ask Parker for it,
then keep it in your pocket.
And by the way, if ever you
decide not to wear a suit to work,
remember the key is in that suit.
[Tires screeching]
[Gillespie] Junior, get out and open that bridge!
Red Jack! Sam!
Hold it. Hold it. It's all over!
Now don't do anything silly.
You shoot me, these guys going to kill you.
You know that.
Now put those rifles on the ground.
Go on, do like I say.
All right, now.
Hold it, Virgil, let me handle this now.
Virgil! Virgil.
Hold it. Hold it. I was just telling red Jack here
he's a lucky man.
If I had my way we'd all beat him
half to death, and then read his rights,
but I got a smart Philadelphia detective here
who tells me I ought to go right by the book.
He doesn't want any mistakes before we go into court.
Come on, Bubba. Put the cuffs on him.
Now, I'm arresting y'all boys for the attempted murder
of a police officer,
for the murder of a prisoner in my jail
Willie Jones.
And accessory in the murder of nan wood all.
You have the right to say not one word,
unless you want to.
Take them down to the station, Bubba, and put 'em on ice.
All right, let's go.
Chief,
you have some pretty slick moves on you.
Come on. I want to show you something.
It's a shame what happens to a gentleman's wardrobe
in the line of duty.
You also got some good timing.
The men found this.
I thought it might interest you.
[Tibbs] Nan's other shoe.
You think maybe now we can go see the la peers?
I think maybe we might.
Boys, come in to the back of the house.
Get a photo of those tires.
What the hell's going on here, Gillespie?
Mr. Lapeer, this is detective Virgil tibbs,
he's the newest member of my department.
We know all about that.
Well, if you're going to talk to
me, you're gonna come inside.
Well, you heard him.
Well?
You are under arrest for the murder of nan wood all.
You have the right silent
we know our rights, boy,
but you have made a very bad mistake.
As I understand it,
the girl's body was found in the bottoms.
After it was removed from your son's property,
either by you
or at your direction.
We know Scott called you right after he killed her.
The tire treads found in the bottoms
ought to match Scott's mustang
or one of your vehicles.
You are also under arrest
as accessory after the fact,
and accessory
before the fact in the murder of Willie Jones'
I had nothing to do with that.
Maybe you yourself didn't walk into that cell
and lynch Willie Jones
or anyone associated with me.
Who you thinking about, lapeer, red Jack?
I'll say no more.
Well, it's just as well.
I suppose the truth will have
to wait for the trial to come out.
But in the meantime, the state and the federal authorities
will be very interested in the pornography business
young Scott here's been running.
Pornography?
Yeah, pornography.
Found the cameras, pictures, tapes, films.
Cut that out!
It's too late for that!
Do you realize what this does to our name?
I tried to protect you
when you said you killed nan.
- I tried to protect you.
- [Scott] No, not me.
All you ever tried to protect was the lapeer name.
And I don't want you to think that I let you down.
I did my best to perpetuate that name.
That name's known in every sex shop
and pornography outlet in 20 states.
And if we both weren't going to jail,
I plan on making it known World-Wide.
For god's sake, arrest me and get me the hell out of here.
I can't stand the sight of him.
Excuse me, Mr. Lapeer.
Sorry about these, but
They are the rules.
As we walk down that path of yours,
you might like to have one more look at the camellias.
They ain't never been more beautiful.
After you.
[Hammering]
Got a live alligator loose in here?
Morning.
[Tibbs] Morning!
Putting up a picture there,
I can tell you we don't need one.
We got enough pictures
hangin' up around here for a police station.
But I'm puttin' up a picture of a famous man.
Reminds me of other famous men.
The famous men we need to be reminded of
is the famous men on the wanted posters.
Let's go for a little bit of a
higher inspiration than that, huh?
Talking about wanted, here's one here that
Oh, now, Virgil
Virgil, that isn't going to work.
You got something against the man?
No, no. I've got nothing against the man.
If you want a picture of him,
why don't you have a little one for the desk.
You know, something you could
shove into a drawer quick, if you had to.
Well, this is a public office, and
this is still the state of Mississippi.
Yeah, well, you put up a hero of
yours, and now I got one of mine up.
Oh, come on, Virgil,
there's a whole world of difference there.
I mean, this man here
You're talking about a man up here
This man here come with the office!
In the heat of the night ♪
in the heat of the night ♪
I've got troubles wall to wall ♪
in the heat of the night ♪
yeah
must be an ending
to it all
oh
but hold on
it won't be long just you be strong ♪
and it'll be all right ♪
in the heat of the night ♪
in the heat of the night ♪