The Rockford Files (1974) s01e12 Episode Script

1
You're honest, dependable,
and an ex-con.
That's what I need,
someone I can depend on.
I'd like to know how long
it'd take you
to get off this property
and out of Caledonia.
Fifteen minutes sound about right?
Why don't you make it 10?
I know those two guys.
They were in the same cell
block as Jerry and me.
They like to hurt people.
Do you know what you do?
What?
You apologize, all the time.
I'm sorry.
This is Jim Rockford,
At the tone, leave your name
and message.
I'll get back to you.
It's Doc Jones,
What'd you do to the hand, son?
Three fractured knuckles.
You hit somebody?
Your husband is still very
weak, Mrs. Hyland.
I can only give you a moment
with him.
Jerry.
Closer.
Caledonia.
California.
Worth a fortune.
No talking.
You gonna talk,
we got to hear.
Keep your voice down.
Jolene
I'm sorry, Mrs. Hyland.
You'll have to leave now.
Remember.
I'll remember, Jerry.
That's her.
I'm telling you.
Lennie's the one we should be on.
She's Hyland's wife.
She don't know nothing.
He can't tell her nothing in there.
They're watching him.
Let's go aha Lemme.
We stay WW“ the honey.
She knows where Hyland's
got it stashed.
Now, we're going to see
where she goes.
How far is it?
A few more miles.
What if it's not there?
What if we can't find it?
Relax.
It's only worth
half a million dollars.
Could be more. Could be less.
Well, Jerry did say a fortune.
What's wrong?
I think we've picked up
a tail.
Anybody else
know about Caledonia?
No.
Could you give me
the negative on that one?
Give me the negatives
on all of them.
Know what kind of political hay they
can make with a picture like that?
"Sheriff closes eyes
to crime."
Morning, Sheriff.
Take a seat over there.
How about one of you looking
at the wanted poster?
Oh, no.
Show people half your face,
they figure you got something to hide.
You shoot me straight on.
I want a picture that'll scare
off the criminal element
but not scare the voters.
Okay, Gib, you go on down and
get those things developed.
And Gib, you bring me
all the negatives.
Sure, Homer. See you later.
Coming up for re-election?
Your name's Rockford?
That's right.
When we ran into your deputy just outside
of town, we were on our way to see you.
That'“ cast you $1750.
Well, now.
You said that you wanted to
see me about something?
What about?
Gerald Hyland.
Well, Hyland was in Caledonia
about four years ago.
He's doing time now
for a swindle he pulled.
You were the arresting officer.
So?
So we were hoping that you'd give us
some of the details of the arrest.
Why?
This is Mrs. Hyland.
She'd like to know.
Was you Mrs. Hyland
four years ago?
Yes.
Sure took you along time to
work up a curiosity, didn't it?
What's your interest in this?
I'm working for Mrs. Hyland.
Private investigator?
Private investigator.
Which means, if I
don't tell you everything
you're going to go snooping
around the old newspaper files
until you find
chapter and verse on it.
Probably.
Why don't I save you time
and Mrs. Hyland some money?
Four years ago, Gerald Hyland
came through here
doing 70 to 75 miles an hour.
Right through
the middle of town.
You arrested him for speeding?
You bet your life on it.
I'd of thrown the book
at him, too.
Except, I was looking through
my old wanteds
and found that the LAPD
had a warrant out on him.
So I just kept him here
till they came after him.
That's all there was to it.
I was so sure
Jerry hid it in Caledonia.
That's what he said, "Caledonia,
California. Worth a fortune."
But if he was arrested
for speeding-- He wasn't.
But the Sheriff just said-- The
Sheriff played it all wrong.
That had to be
the biggest bust in his life.
He should've sat us down on cracker
barrels and bored us with every detail.
But he wrapped it up
in a couple of sentences.
I called a friend of mine
in Sacramento.
And I had him punch it out
on a computer.
Your husband was arrested
for trespassing.
He was picked up
at a little place
right outside of town
called Alberson's Farm.
There it is.
Jerry must've buried it
out here.
There'd be no other reason why he'd
be wandering around some old farm.
Do you think Sheriff Prouty
knows about it?
Probably. He saw the
warrant that was out on your husband.
He ripped off, what was it,
about $4 million?
But Jerry turned that money in.
He made complete restitution.
Whatever he's buried,
belongs to him.
Where do we start?
We don't.
But it's here.
So is Sheriff Prouty.
You're on private property,
mister, and that's trespassing.
Sheriff Prouty.
We didn't expect to see you out here.
Yes, I'll bet you didn't.
But you see,
this whole county's my territory.
Now, would you mind explaining
what you're doing here?
We're on, what you might call,
a sentimental journey.
Mrs. Hyland wanted to retrace
her husband's footsteps
during his last hours
of freedom.
This is where you
arrested him, isn't it?
I'm the one
that asks all the questions.
Well, I'm sorry.
Just what was it you'd like to know?
I'd like to know how long
it'd take you
to get off this property
and out of Caledonia.
Fifteen minutes sound about right?
Why don't you make it 10?
Don't you think you
should've said something?
Like what?
Like, "You have no right
to run us out of town."
That never occurred to me.
You're not afraid of him,
are you?
Me? No.
I just don't think
I'd like his jail, that's all.
I don't want to
seem ungrateful,
but I could've gotten
run out of town by myself.
That's why I hired you,
so that things like that wouldn't happen.
I'll knock 25% off my bill and I'll
only charge you for half a day.
You're not quitting? You can't quit.
We have to go back there.
Why?
Because it's there. A fortune.
Well, so is Sheriff Prouty. Let's just
table that problem for the moment.
Let's say it is buried
on Alberson's farm.
Do you know how many acres
there are on that farm?
We could be looking
under artichokes for 10 years
and never come up
with anything.
Jerry told me as much as he could.
Well, it's not enough.
But I have to find it.
Whatever it is, it's worth a lot of money.
And I need money.
You see, a good lawyer
could get Jerry out on parole.
And then maybe
a heart specialist could
Well, it's the only chance
he has.
I have to do it for him.
I'm sorry, Jolene.
Gotcha.
Len!
How have you been, Jolene?
Let's get inside.
Give me a real welcome.
Just set it anywhere.
You look good, baby.
I knew you were out.
Yeah? How'd you know?
I have a calendar.
Hey, look
I never thought it was fair,
Jerry getting two more years than me.
It wasn't your fault.
Have you seen him?
No. Not since they put him
in the hospital.
It's pretty bad?
It's good to see you, Len.
Okay.
I'll settle for dinner.
This is nice.
But it looks very expensive.
I could've fixed
some dinner at home.
Yeah, only, I wanted to celebrate.
And you're a terrible cook.
Well, thanks for remembering.
I got a good memory.
Have you got any plans?
Oh, I'll get
something together.
Straight?
Why? Am I supposed to be
reformed or something?
Let me worry about business.
You worry about us.
Len, I've had four years to think
about what happened between us.
Even if Jerry had known what was going
on with us, he wouldn't have cared.
Now, that's not putting you
down, that's a fact.
He only cared about whatever con he
happened to be working on. You know that.
Well, that's an explanation.
Not an excuse.
Who's looking for an excuse?
lam.
Maybe we better order now.
It's like that, huh?
Okay. We'll order.
I understand they
let you in to see Jerry.
Yeah. Just for a minute.
What did he have to say?
Nothing very much.
You know, he's pretty weak.
Well, I mean,
he must've said something.
Like what?
Well, you know, like
Like what, Len?
Like where he buried
$746,000
in rare stamps.
I told him I'd think about it.
He wants 50%.
Give it to him.
Those stamps are worth three
quarters of a million dollars.
They don't belong to Len,
they belong to Jerry.
Why'd he tell Len where to find them?
He didn't.
All Len has is
a written set of directions
that don't mean a thing unless
I tell him where to look.
Jerry couldn't take a chance
on giving me that paper.
Not with the guard
watching us.
So he gave it to Len before
he went into the hospital.
Yeah, well.
He has the directions and
you have the location. Right?
And one's not any good
without the other?
You better work together
or forget the whole thing.
You know, I don't understand Len.
Prison didn't help him at all.
Was it supposed to?
They put him in there
for swindling.
You wouldn't think he'd still
be pulling the same con.
No, you'd have thought he might
have picked up some new ones.
I called the AMA, and they gave
me a list of really good doctors.
And I've got one for Jerry.
A specialist by the name of
Dr. Leland B. Harris.
A specialist costs
a lot of money.
I knew I'd run into
some kind of trouble,
but I never thought
it would be from Len.
He was Jerry's partner.
Why don't you just
give him the 50%?
It's a lot better
than 100% of nothing.
Because I don't trust him.
If I went to Caledonia with Len by
myself, he'd rip it all off.
I wouldn't end up
with bus fare home.
So you need protection.
Yes, for 5%.
Of $746,000?
Seems fair.
Good.
You have to get directions
from Len.
He'll have them
written down someplace.
That's not the kind of thing
he'd trust to his memory.
I have his address.
Once we get those directions,
we'll find it.
Yeah.
But first, I have to find
the keys to my car.
What happened?
I don't know. I think
we better find out.
There's a police officer
right here.
We ask a cop,
we won't get any answers,
but we might get
a trip downtown.
But I'd just as soon
not explain
how we're tied in
with Leonard Blair.
It's Len.
Who're you looking for?
An indignant man
with an authority complex.
Why?
He'll be the motel manager.
And there he is.
That's where we get our answers.
Hey, looks like
you lost a tenant.
Just checked in a couple of days ago.
Hell of a way to check out.
Is he hurt badly?
No. He just got beat up.
The room is in worse shape
than he is.
This looks like this probably used
to be a pretty good neighborhood.
It still is.
Yeah, that guy they took out in the
meat wagon might give you an argument.
He'll probably be
in traction for a month.
No, they're just keeping him in
the hospital overnight, that's all.
Hey, you really got plugged into
this thing quick, didn't you?
Of course.
I run this place.
I got to know what's going on.
Insurance inspectors,
the owner.
What went on here's got nothing
to do with the neighborhood.
Couple of thugs come in off the
street, start tearing up the place.
That kind of thing goes on
all the time everywhere.
Not in Mineola.
Law and order town.
L.A. ain't doing
too bad, mister.
Did the police catch the men?
Did they catch them?
They almost did.
I called the cops,
but the sirens tipped them off.
They came running out of here just
before the black and white pulled in.
They're just a little too late
to help your tenant out.
He gets beaten senseless, probably
lost every penny he had in his pocket.
He picked up
a couple of lousy bruises
and he didn't lose
one lousy dime.
If you're so hot on Mineola,
why don't you just
go on back there?
Not on your life. You never get
this kind of action in Mineola.
If those men
didn't steal money from Len,
they must've been
after the directions.
Your husband talks too much.
What if they found them?
It's still only
half an equation.
And your information is
what makes it work.
We can't go back
to your apartment.
They probably got it
staked out.
I've got to get you
in some safe place
until we can get in contact
with your friend, Len.
I think I'd rather
negotiate with him
than the two gorillas
that worked him over.
And I sure don't want them
getting to you.
He couldn't
have been hurt too bad.
He's out here
hitting golf balls.
Len will play
golf in a hurricane.
Do you see him?
No, I don't.
Maybe he's around
on the other side.
That's him.
Will you do the talking?
Yeah, don't worry about it.
I'll handle it. Just leave it to me.
Who's he?
He's with me.
I'm--
I can see that. Who is he?
I'm--
Jim Rockford. He's my partner.
Well, if you want to give him
part of your end, that's okay.
Now, wait a minute, Len.
You keep talking about 50-50,
like that's something we agreed on.
I'm not giving you 50%.
No, baby, you're not giving it.
I'm taking it.
What did Jerry promise you,
10%?
Jerry's got nothing to do with it.
It's his property.
I'm
I'm going to hit
a few golf balls.
Any time you want to deal me into this
conversation, I'll be right over there.
You negotiate with him, Len,
or not at all.
Okay. What's the deal?
Well, whatever's fair. There's three of
us, we'll split it three ways.
We'll each take 33.3%.
That is the most--
That's the deal.
You're cutting yourself
a pretty big piece
of something that
doesn't belong to you.
So are you.
Okay, it's a deal. But you got
to give me the name of the town.
I give you
the name of the town,
you take off
like a scalded cat.
Why don't you give us the directions?
It's not going to work, is it?
Don't you trust me?
Sure, about as much
as you trust me.
Well, there is one way it might work.
We could all go together.
Yeah, that could work. When?
Tonight. We'll pick you up.
Okay. Only, I moved.
Sleepy Hollow Motel.
It's on Barnham.
What about those two apes that
worked you over the other day?
They went through
a lot of trouble for nothing.
You didn't, maybe,
put them onto Jolene, did you?
I know those two guys.
They were in the same cell
block as Jerry and me.
Which is probably how
they got onto the deal.
Well, maybe, but
they do want in, you know.
Too bad. They're not in.
So quit worrying about them.
What time tonight?
7:00?
Okay.
Make sure you're not tailed.
Well?
Hey, wait a minute.
I hired you because of
your prison record.
I thought you were a man
I could trust.
I thought I handled that
rather well.
I didn't want to give Len 50%.
You just negotiated me down
from 50% to 33.3%.
No. I negotiated you up to
66 and two-thirds.
Less my 5%.
Len wouldn't have
bought the deal,
if I had put it to him
any other way.
Jim, I'm sorry.
I thought you were trying
to double-cross me.
Well, don't feel bad about it.
It did cross my mind.
You're not mad at me, are you?
No. Why?
Because of what I thought
back there.
No. You thought
I was a crook?
You made a normal,
logical assumption.
I had no right.
You had every right.
Well, I really feel awful about it.
Will you forgive me?
Jolene, do you know what you do?
What?
You apologize, all the time.
I do?
Yeah.
I'm sorry.
What's the matter?
Maybe nothing.
Well, it looks like we're
playing follow-the-leader again.
Who are they?
I guess they're
the same two guys
who worked over
your friend, Len.
That reminds me, I want to thank
Len for not putting them onto you.
What are we going to do?
Well, we'll try to get to Len
before they do.
They know right where he is.
They followed him to the golf range.
But they're not after Len,
they're after us. They're after directions.
They'll settle for
whoever's available.
Here we go.
It's okay.
I think I lost them.
I'll pay for the ticket.
It wasn't your fault.
You know, I felt
kind of sorry for them.
The cops?
Well, they had such a terrible
time trying to figure out
how to write up the citation.
Not as terrible as I'm going to
have trying to explain it in court.
I'm sorry.
Would you stop saying that?
It wasn't your fault.
You wouldn't say that
if you knew me better.
When I'm involved
things just seem to go wrong.
Take Jerry, for example.
All of his life, he was
a very successful man.
Until he married me.
Now look at him.
Did you talk him into making
swindling his life's work?
Well, no. I tried to
talk him out of it.
Jerry's the one
that broke the law.
Jerry's the one
that's in jail.
As far as I'm concerned,
that makes Jerry a loser, not you.
They got Len.
I'll lock the doors,
leave the keys in the
ignition, just in case.
Don't go. I think
we should call the police.
I don't think Len's going to
want to wait that long for help.
Now, lock the door.
All right,
we're listening, Blair.
Now, we got
as long as it takes.
And the longer it takes,
the harder it's going to be on you.
So why don't you just tell us where it is?
I don't know where it is.
You want to work on him this time,
B.., or you want that I should?
I'm telling you,
I just got half of it.
Jerry's wife's got the rest.
I seen you
talking to Jerry's wife.
We figure you made a deal.
We figure you got it all.
I can't tell you
what I don't know.
Okay, I'll tell you.
You start at the courthouse.
You drive due north
about 3.7 miles.
Then you go west,
it's a dirt road.
Go west 2.8 miles,
you make a hard right.
Wait a minute.
You're going too fast.
All right.
Make a hard right,
go three-tenths of a mile
and that'll take you
to a billboard,
it's buried underneath
one of the supports.
Northeast corner.
Is that it?
That's it. Okay.
So we start at the courthouse.
What courthouse? Where?
I don't know.
We're going to
start all over with you.
Let me, Wilson.
I'm telling you.
Jerry told his wife the name of the town.
She didn't tell me.
He didn't tell me, either.
Why would he
give you the directions
and not tell you
the name of the town?
That don't make no sense.
He didn't trust me.
He knew I'd try to cut her out if
he gave me all the information.
Jerry knew that.
Then she went ahead
and she hired some
second rate PI and now
I got him on my case
or I'd still be trying
to cut her out.
Jerry gave his wife the name of the town.
She didn't tell me.
He didn't tell me. Nobody told me.
You're lying, buddy.
And you're going to wish
that you told us
the truth the very first time
we asked you.
Because we are going to
bring you down.
What the What are you
doing here?
Whatever happened to
"thank you"?
Yeah, for what?
Protecting your interests?
You're a sweetheart.
Start walking.
I'm sending the cops back
for these guys.
What about the money?
We're supposed to
get the money.
We are. You aren't.
I hate to tell you this, Len,
but you're out.
I wrote down the directions.
Talk about your sweethearts.
You know, it's the company
I keep.
Yeah. Well, I'll see you
when you get back.
Come on.
You don't really think I told
those guys the truth, do you?
I mean, about the courthouse,
take two giant steps?
I made it up.
Well, you won't feel too hurt if
I tell you I don't believe you.
Be my guest. Check it out.
Yeah, I think I'll do that.
What if somebody
else already found it?
I mean, it's been
four years.
From what you
told me about your husband,
he's not going to make it
that easy to find.
You know, there's still something
that's not really clear to me.
Could you explain to me again
how I pay you?
Do I pay you
at the end of the day
or at the end of the week
and then
deduct that from the 5%
or what?
The 5% is a bonus.
It has nothing to do
with my regular fee.
You mean, $200 a day
and expenses and 5%?
That's right.
Look at these blisters.
Two hours of digging and for nothing.
When I get my hands on that
slimy, two-timing
All right.
What are you sore about?
I told you the directions were no good.
You didn't convince me.
So you took a ride and you
lost a little time. That's all.
You didn't really expect me
to cut myself out, did you?
Not after you went to all that
trouble to cut yourself in.
It's going to be 33.3
33.3, and 33.3.
And this time,
we all play it straight.
No argument.
Quarter of a million dollars apiece.
Not bad.
That's not bad.
You got plans, baby?
You're not really going to
spend it all on Jerry, are you?
Three quarters
of a million dollars.
You throw it all
down the toilet on a guy
who could hardly remember
your name.
You know why?
Because you feel guilty.
You spend every last cent on
him, you'd still feel guilty.
You were born guilty.
At least I feel.
You're a fine one
to be mouthing off at me.
You're cutting yourself in on
something that's none of your business.
That's Jerry's money
and he needs it.
It don't take three quarters
of a million dollars to die.
Tell me something, Len.
How much money
have you got on your own?
How much?
Yeah, nothing.
That's all you've ever had.
Jerry was always the brains.
He took his money
and he made money on it.
You took yours
and you blew it.
This is the last free ride
you're ever going to take on him.
When this is over,
I don't ever want to see you again.
That can be arranged.
Arrange it.
You're the biggest mistake
I ever made in my life.
Okay, Len.
Where do we start?
This it?
Yeah. This is the place.
Do you need any help?
I got all the help I need.
Come on, Rockford,
let me out.
This time, you're the one
who's out.
See, I got the directions.
I just needed the name of the town.
And you gave it to me.
This isn't it. I lied.
I don't believe you.
I don't blame you.
I figured you'd do
something like this,
so I deliberately drove
into the wrong town.
I had to follow your bad
directions, now you can follow mine.
You know that little fruit
stand back down the road?
Yeah. Jolene and I'll
wait for you there.
Nice try, Rockford.
This is the town.
You check it out.
You know, Len was right.
He's 3 Kat,
but even rats can be fight.
I do feel guilty about Jerry.
Why, because of Len?
No.
He's a mistake I wouldn't have
made if my marriage had been right.
It wasn't.
See, Jerry didn't want a wife.
He picked me out like
you'd pick out a used car.
I was just part of his front.
All he really cared about
was business.
You mean, swindling?
I'm not putting
all the blame on him.
I married him
for the wrong reasons, too.
What was that?
Security.
Well, well, look who's here.
Find anything?
It was the wrong town.
If you'll remember, Len,
I told you that.
This is not going to work.
It's going to work.
First
you're going to have to
get rid of Godzilla.
That's it, Len,
the negotiations are closed.
I'll see you back in LA.
$200. Hey, you said-- I said,
I'll see you back in LA.
Yeah. Right.
Would you hold it, pal?
Hey, what are you doing?
You can pick this up
when you see him in LA.
Give me your right hand.
What are you doing?
Just insuring our partnership.
Before we start,
I want to get one thing clear.
This is a three-way split.
When we drive into that town,
and your memory starts getting fuzzy
you can't quite remember
the directions
there's one thing
I want you to remember:
I've been known
to play very dirty.
You got something specific
in mind?
Any parole violation would send
you back to the joint, wouldn't it?
Say, carrying
a concealed weapon?
I'm not carrying
a concealed weapon.
You will be
when the cops pick you up.
Come on, Jolene,
you're driving.
We're at city hall now,
heading north.
Okay. Check your mileage.
Turn right.
Go exactly
one tenth of a mile.
Move it.
Where?
What are the directions?
We're in front
of the Sheriff's office.
Turn right.
Go three-tenths of a mile
more, then hang a right.
Across a field?
That's what he said.
Turn right, then go six-tenths
and turn right again.
All right, Jolene.
Right there.
Okay. We can take
these things off.
But if you find you're
starting to lose
your sense of direction
they can go right back on.
This isn't it.
What's the matter with you, Len?
Do you enjoy pain?
Wait a minute. It's just over
there in the chicken shed.
Straight ahead, Jolene,
to the chicken shed.
Is that it?
Yeah, that's it.
Let's go.
Here, Len.
One, two, three, four, five.
Where is it, Len?
Right here.
I got a really good lawyer for
Jerry, did I tell you that?
No.
Come on, will you? Dig.
As soon as we get the money,
I'll pay him a retainer,
and he'll start work
right away.
He thinks we stand a chance.
I hit something.
I'll get it.
Why don't we let the lady
have the pleasure?
Here it is.
Do you need a key? No, I don't think so.
It's just this Here.
"Dear Jolene and Len,
there are no stamps."
"No stamps. There
never were, but if--"
"If you're reading this, you believed
my story and that's all that matters.
"Because, by now
"you two hate each other.
And that is worth
a fortune to me. Jerry."
He knew.
He knew about us,
so he set me up.
He set you both up.
I got caught pretty good,
myself.
There goes the attorney.
There goes Dr. Harris.
There goes my bonus.
I'm sorry, Jim.
There you go,
saying "I'm sorry" again.
Jerry didn't know you
very well, did he?
No, I guess not.
I guess that's where
he missed out.
Isn't this sweet?
Now, can we get out of here?
Don't nobody move.
You come on
out of there. Easy.
And bring what you found
with you.
That's it. Just easy.
Move right on over there.
There you go.
Right around the shed there.
That's it.
Now.
You just hand over
what you got there.
There isn't nothing in here.
Give him the letter.
It's self-explanatory.
No money?
Never was.
I been busting my back out
here for four solid years
and there never was no money?
Sneaking out every night, telling my
wife I was going to check up on things
breaking sod
like some jackass.
When I think of
all the time that I wasted
Sheriff. You shut up.
You're under arrest.
You're all under arrest.
Why?
Hey, what's the charge?
Unlawful entry.
Are you sure that statute
applies to a chicken coop?
That statute applies to any damn
place I want it to apply to.
You going to
read us our rights, Sheriff?
You're going to
hear your rights, all right.
First, you're going to hear
the charges.
Unlawful entry.
Trespassing.
Back-talking
to an officer of the law.
And illegal parking.