T.J. Hooker (1982) s05e13 Episode Script

Murder by Law

("T.
J.
Hooker Theme") - [Radio DJ.]
That's all the national news at 6:33 exactly.
In local news, LC Police say they're now certain that the two mysterious shotgun slayings in the last two weeks were linked to each other.
Both victims were female attorneys and each was murdered on a Monday.
Police are now checking to see if the two women had any cases in common, but there's also the growing fear that there may be another serial killer on the loose.
We'll have more details when they come in.
On a lighter side, in sports-- (rock music) (suspenseful music) (car door opening) - Hello, is someone there? - Miss McGowan? - Yes? - Miss Jean McGowan? - Yes, what do you want? - You're the Jean McGowan from the Public Defender's Office? - Yes, look I'm in a bit of a hurry now, okay? - This will just take a minute.
- I'll be in my office tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, okay? - No, I can't wait.
It's something terrible.
Something that's been eating me alive inside.
- Listen, you nearly scared me half out of my wits just now.
I'm gonna have to insist it be tomorrow morning.
I'm running a little late, okay? - No, it'll have to be now.
It'll have to be, because of all the pain you caused.
- What? - Goodbye, Miss McGowan.
(suspenseful music) (tires squealing) - [Operator.]
Operator.
(beep beep beep) - [Dispatcher.]
Any unit in the vicinity, shots fired at the courthouse garage.
Possible 187.
- This is 4-Adam-30, I'm rolling.
- This is 16, rolling backup.
(suspenseful music) (beep beep beep) - [Dispatcher.]
4-Adam-30, driving a late model metallic brown van.
(tires squealing) (siren blaring) - 4-Adam-30, I have the van in sight.
I am pursuing west on 17th.
(police radio chatter) - The van the suspect was driving was stolen.
It flipped during the chase and he or she got away on foot.
I never got close enough to get a good look.
- Well, you're not gonna like this one.
It's Jean McGowan.
- My God.
Where's Stacy? - I called her, she's on her way.
- Number three, huh? Another attorney.
- Yeah, number three.
Same MO? - Got bot barrels point blank.
- Body was found by a security guard.
Saw the van split from here but didn't get a look at the driver.
I'd like to catch the scum who did it and give him a couple barrels of his own medicine.
- Any witnesses? - None, same as the other killings.
(police radio chatter) - Two attorneys, now one from the Public Defenders Office, all women.
What's happening, Hooker? - I wish I knew.
(somber music) - Jean.
- I know how close the two of you were.
- How'd it happen? - Shotgun, like the other three attorneys.
I'm sorry, Stacy.
- We grew up together.
All she ever did in her life was give to others.
That's why she joined the Public Defenders Office instead of going into private practice.
- Well, I know one thing.
She'll have the whole police force looking for whoever pulled the trigger.
(suspenseful music) - How long we been on this? A week? We got zip.
Nothing from the snitches, nothing from the streets.
- So you're a big help, Karen.
You call yourself a psychiatrist and you can't come up with answers about anybody sick enough to pull a string of murders like this? - What are you paying me for, right? - Yeah, something like that.
- Hostile today.
I can give you some answers about cops who pick on shrinks half their size if you really want instant gratification.
- Not funny, Karen, not this time.
- You're right, I'm sorry.
- Hey, hey.
Now women were killed.
Women attorneys.
Each of the killing took place on a Monday after the victims made an appearance in court.
Now that's quite a pattern.
- Could be some sort of fanatic.
Works himself or herself into some kind of a rage and strikes out in some distorted sense of vengeance.
- You mean like some kind of grudge? - It's possible.
- What's he killing, Karen? The person, or what she stands for? - Symbolism? - Well there is a pattern to what a psychotic killer does and how he does it, but without knowing him, I can only tell you, he's probably schizoid or paranoid schizoid.
- [T.
J.
.]
Up to now, he's been a week apart.
Do you think he might his again this Monday? - Maybe, maybe he won't kill again at all.
- Why's that? - Well, the unconscious doesn't know anything about numbers, and if it is some kind of vengeance, he could suddenly think it's completed any time.
- So the killer just quits, disappears? - And spends the rest of his life gloating over his victory, and his power.
- What happens the next time he sees a woman attorney? - He could just smile to himself and think about how he's already punished her, punished them all.
- That's great, we don't want him to try again.
But if he doesn't, we may lose him forever.
- Even the stuff that wasn't burned in the van came up clean of prints.
Nothing left behind, this guy is careful.
- You know, there may be one thing tying the victims together.
- What's that? - Marilyn Stuart, the first attorney who was killed, went to the same law school that Jean McGowan when to.
They even graduated the same year.
- What about the second victim? - I'm still checking.
- The captain's cleared it for us to work with homocide.
We'll be in the black and white, we'll report to O'Brien.
- What are we waiting for? Let's move on this law school thing.
- Now you just back of for a little bit, Stacy.
- What do you mean? - You're too involved.
At Jean's funeral you were falling apart.
- You're damn right I'm involved.
She was my friend.
- You're pressing, Stace.
- I thought Karen was the psychiatrist.
- She's got the diploma, I got the streets.
- Jim, you take the law school.
Stacy, you go back and work on the second victim.
I'll check in with the homicide boys, trade information, and see if we can come up with anything that pushes us closer to the killer.
(suspenseful music) - Here we are.
Yes, I remember this girl.
It was my second year on the faculty.
- 88 in the graduating class? - Yes.
- Marilyn Stuart, Jean McGowan.
Mr.
Petrelli, the second attorney who was murdered was named Joanne Dowd.
I don't see that name here.
- Dowd? Joanne Dowd.
Yes, yes, Joanne Dowd was with us for two years, and then she transferred to another school.
Then she's been murdered too? - I'm afraid so.
- What the hell's the world coming to? - Hm.
I think I'd better go over this whole folder, Mr.
Petrelli, very carefully.
And I'll need to have the names of the graduates and the others who were in the class, okay? - Sure.
- Francis Marie Driscoll, - Right.
- And Jessica Margret Mitchell, right here.
- Right, and Evelyn Moreno, right? - Right, that's it.
- 88 in the graduating class, plus 14 who transferred to other schools or dropped out.
Two died of natural causes, and the three victims of course.
- Then if we're figuring right, we've got the western states, - That list comes down to 12 if we stay with the premise that the killer's only going after women.
- You got addresses that go with those names? - I get the feeling we're about to do some legwork.
- What do you think, Hooker? Are all of them targets, or is one of them pulling the trigger? - I don't know.
Karen said it could be a grudge.
It's hard to think of one of them killing the others.
But somebody is.
(funky music) - Thank you very much.
- [Jim.]
Anything? - [T.
J.
.]
Nothing, you? - Maybe.
One of the ladies remembered something, a name that wasn't on our list, a Rosemary Shay.
- Why wasn't it on the list? - She washed out in her first year, had a nervous breakdown.
- Yeah, according to the lady we talked to, it was a bad scene.
This Rosemary Shay had totally flipped out, was a violent personality, threatened some people, even attacked one with a pair of scissors.
No serious injuries occurred, but I'll tell you, this Miss Shay sounds like a definite whacko.
- Where is she now? - We're still checking, but there's more.
- Apparently it was a group of student reps, The Women's Council, that brought Rosemary Shay's condition to the attention of the faculty advisors.
- Yeah, and she blames them for her washout.
- Oh, like Karen said, a grudge.
- Well, it sounds like it.
You know, three of the names on that council are dead.
- [T.
J.
.]
Jean McGowan? - Jean, Joanne Dowd, and Marilyn Stuart.
- [T.
J.
.]
Who are the others? - There's a girl living in The Valley named Catherine Mary Gomez.
- Yeah, there's another living in Europe.
- Who is she? - Evelyn Merino.
And then there's Jessica Margret Mitchell, the last one's the one you were going to see.
- Francis Marie Driscoll.
All right, I'll take Driscoll, and Gomez.
You take Mitchell and see if you can get a line on Rosemary Shay.
- Okay, we're on it.
(suspenseful music) - [Martin.]
It's a beautiful day.
- Yes it is.
- They never seem to get tired, do they? - I was just thinking that, they play like their lives depend on it.
- They do, struggle in youth is what makes strong wings.
- Wings? - When I was a boy, I found a chrysalis.
Do you know what that is? - Chrysalis, that's a shell that the insects-- - Where is lives while it's changing from one kind of a bug into another kind of a bug.
Anyway, I dumped it in a jar until this butterfly started to come out, you know? And I could see it was having trouble, so I broke it open.
- Listen, would you excuse me? - No, but when it came out, it just sort of flopped around real weak like and then it died.
- I found out later it's the struggle in youth that makes strong wings.
- I see what you mean.
Listen, I really have to run.
- You must be Miss Driscoll, Miss Francis Marie Driscoll.
- No, I'm afraid you have us mixed up.
Happens all the time.
I'm Carey Driscoll, Francis is my sister.
- I'm sorry.
- About what? - I just figured you were Francis Marie Driscoll.
I was told you dropped a child off here every morning for school.
- That's true.
She's in Sacramento on business, until tomorrow.
I'm taking care of her little boy.
Look, is there something I can do for you? - No, thank you.
I just need to see Francis Marie Driscoll.
If she'll be back tomorrow, I'll see her then.
(suspenseful music) - Target for a killer? That's preposterous.
- Maybe, but we're just trying to cover all the bases.
You do remember Rosemary Shay? - Yes, yes of course I remember poor Rosemary.
- And the Women's Council? - Yes, we made a recommendation to the faculty about her, but that was a long time ago and I can assure you there was certainly no maliciousness in the counsel's intent when we talked to the faculty advisors.
- What was the reason for talking to the faculty advisors? - Rosemary Shay just wasn't capable of handling the pressures of law school.
She was headed for a breakdown, practically a basket case.
We did what we felt was right for her.
- And how did she feel about it? - Well, she was upset, angry.
- Angry enough to kill? - Oh, are you trying to say th-- - I am trying to catch a homicidal maniac before he kills again.
- Before he kills again, hm.
Why are you asking me all these questions about Rosemary Shay? - Because it's the only lead we have and we think it's a man because of the shotgun ammo.
- Isn't that a bit sexist? - Sexist? - The assumption that only a man could use a shotgun.
- Oh, give me a break will you, Miss Driscoll.
It's been a long day.
- Okay, what do you suggest? - Protection.
- Oh, sergeant, I'm sorry, I have a full court calendar, several cases I'm knee-deep into.
- Don't you have an associate who can fill in for you? - Of course, but I'm-- - Good, then we'll have a police woman take your place.
- Then you're assuming the killer doesn't know me on sight? - And Rosemary Shay does, yes, I know.
- There you go, you can't have it both ways.
- I could try.
Eyes full love Skies of (Rosemary humming) - Rosemary.
- Martin, I didn't think you were due for a visit until, when was is, next week some time? - Wednesday, I just thought maybe we could talk for a while.
- On a day like this? Martin, you should be off in the country somewhere.
- You don't belong here, Rosemary.
You belong out there where those others have been all this time.
- It's all right, Martin.
I'm happy here.
And what about you? How is that new job coming along? - I lost it.
I told you that.
- Oh, yes, yes of course you did.
Well, not to worry, you'll find another one.
You're very good at taking care of things.
- I have been taking care of things, Rosemary, for both of us.
All the pretenders are being punished.
All the ones who hurt you.
All the voices of evil.
- Yes.
There's too much evil among is in this world.
Bless you, Martin.
You're my only true friend.
- [Operator.]
Information, what city please? - Downtown.
I'd like a phone number and address for a Catherine Gomez.
- [Operator.]
One moment, please.
I'm sorry but there's more than one Catherine Gomez listed.
- Give me all of them, please.
- [Operator.]
It'll take a minute.
- I've got time, plenty of time.
- 16, I've got Francis Driscoll tucked away for the night at her sister's house.
I've got three different addresses on Catherine Gomez.
Finally located her at her new job at a law firm downtown.
What's your situation? - Jessica Mitchell is living in Detroit, according to her mother.
Her mother's gonna phone her to have her contact us.
- Okay, I left word that I wanted to see Gomez, and I'm just a few blocks away.
(cars honking) - Goodnight, Marsha.
- Goodnight, Miss Gomez.
(elevator bell dings) (elevator bell dings) - Milton, Grosse, and Silverburg, one moment please.
- Sergeant Hooker, LCPD.
I'm here to see Catherine Gomez.
- Oh my gosh, she was in conference all day.
I have your message, but I didn't give it to her, and she just left.
(suspenseful music) - Miss Gomez? - Yes? - Miss Catherine Gomez? - Yes, do I know you? - No, no you don't, but I know you.
You're one of the pretenders.
- What is this? - You should never have hurt Rosemary Shay the way you did, Miss Gomez.
Now it's your turn to pay.
- Oh, my God.
Help, please! - Miss Gomez! (suspenseful music) - Help, please! - Hang on, I'll call an ambulance.
- He was young, No more than that.
Brown hair, dark eyes.
- And he asked for your sister by name? - Yes, Francis Driscoll, Miss Francis Marie Driscoll.
He said it almost as if it was more for his benefit than mine.
- Miss Driscoll, yet you have a son? - Yes, he's adopted.
I'm a single parent.
- You don't think Francis's son is in any jeopardy? - Well, up to now, families haven't been a target, but we shouldn't take any unnecessary chances.
This young man, were you expecting someone? - No, but he could have gotten my name from a hundred different places.
If you're gonna be suspicious of everyone that I come in contact with, you've got a big job on your hands.
- This protection, you're gonna accept it? - If it doesn't interfere with my normal routine.
- You aren't gonna make this easy, are you? - You have your job, I have mine.
- Carey, I'm gonna ask you to give a description to a police artist.
Work with him on a composite.
- [Stacy.]
What is it, Jim? - Catherine Gomez died an hour ago in surgery at St.
Joe's.
- [T.
J.
.]
Was she able to say anything? - Never regained consciousness.
- What about Rosemary Shay, did you turn anything on her? - She had a complete mental breakdown six years ago.
She was committed to a mental institution, Southwest State Hospital.
- Did you follow up? - We're headed there now.
- Okay, stay with it.
We'll have to push harder.
Part of the MO is out the window.
Catherine Gomez made her appearance in court yesterday, but it wasn't Monday.
That may mean the killer is accelerating his pace.
- What about an APB on the car he drove? - It's done.
The silver sedan car, I got the first two letters of the license plate before he tried to make me a hood ornament.
- How about a DMV computer cross-check.
- Covered.
It'll take a couple of days.
- Hooker.
- I know, Francis Driscoll is the only name left who could make an immediate target.
I'm gonna stay with her, work on the composite.
- [Stacy.]
Did you get a good look at him? - Good enough to put him away forever, when we catch him.
(suspenseful music) - Then you're familiar with Rosemary Shay's case, Dr.
Walden? - Yes, I was staffing admittance the day she first came to us.
- She's never been out of confinement? - No, not for the past 4 years, but before that she was in and out, oh, about a half a dozen times.
- Dating back to her first confinement? - Yes, that's correct.
Would you care to speak with her? She's really quite harmless.
- Yes, I think we would.
- Martin? - Hey Doc, just stopped by for a visit.
- Nice to see you.
(suspenseful music) - Marilyn Stuart.
Stuart did you say? - And Joanne Dowd, Jean McGowan, Catherine Gomez.
- Do you remember any of those names, Rosemary? - No.
No, I can't say that I do.
Should I, Doctor? - Well as I told you, these are police officers trying to solve some terrible crimes.
- Those names are women you once knew.
We could use your help, ma'am.
- Is that right? Oh yes, yes of course it is.
Well, I don't know them anymore.
Or do I? - They're all dead.
- Oh.
- They've been murdered.
- Well, then I will have to pray for them.
Yes, too much evil in this world.
Yes, I will pray for them.
Indeed.
- Mm-mm, try that one.
- Nope, that's not it, his nose was thinner.
- Did you find anything? - Zilch, Rosemary Shay's been locked away for the past four years.
- Family and friends? - No relatives, no friends that they know of, just an occasional patient there that she speaks to.
- How's the composite coming? - I think we're getting close.
- What about the one you were gonna do? - We're working on it together.
- You mean the guy you saw shoot Catherine Gomez and the one Carey saw in the school yard's one in the same? - Or a reasonable facsimile.
- That's it, that's the one! - Are you sure? - Positive.
- [T.
J.
.]
I think so, too.
- Have you seen this man? - [Francis.]
Not that I recall.
- Stacy, get this on the wire.
Possible suspect, should be considered armed and dangerous.
- Jim, I'm not sure but didn't we just see this guy? - Is this the guy you saw hit Catherine Gomez? - [T.
J.
.]
Yes, where did you see him? - At the hospital, with Rosemary Shay.
- Yes, that's him.
- Martin Novak? - Yes.
- And he was discharged? - Yes, the latter part of last year.
Before that, he spent some time with us, but he was making such wonderful progress, we thought he was fit to return to society.
- Where do we find him now, Doctor? - [Doctor.]
Bring me the file on Martin Novak, please.
- Paranoid schizophrenic? - [Doctor.]
Correct.
- What about his family, a loner? Illegitimate, maybe? - Oh, not maybe, in fact.
- With a need for a father figure, a desperate need.
- Sounds as if you've already seen the file.
- Just working from type and with a little help from our own consultant.
This guy's a time bomb.
- Well, we're all human, we all make mistakes, but everyone who's mentally disturbed isn't a whacko about to explode.
- But this Novak, we knows Rosemary Shay pretty well? - Oh, worships her would be more like it.
You see, it was Rosemary's friendship which played a large part in what we believe was Martin's recovery.
Thank you.
See, Rosemary Shay filled the biggest void in Martin Novak's life, and he comes back regularly to see her.
- Doctor you know what we're going for, could Rosemary Shay have told Martin Novak about her days in law school? - Certainly, she has occasional moments of lucidity.
- And she could have told him about why she had to leave law school, and maybe mention the council that brought her problem to the attention of the faculty.
- And feeling what he does for Rosemary, Martin might have decided to avenge the wrong he thought was done.
- You mean even if Rosemary never said she wanted anything done to Jean McGowan and the members of the council, Novak may have decided on his own to kill them? - Stacy, it's as simple as this.
Rosemary Shay meant everything to Martin Novak.
Novak thinks that somebody ruined Rosemary's life, so he decides to get whoever it was that hurt her.
(suspenseful music) - [T.
J.
.]
Jim, you cover here.
Stacy, let's see who's home.
- Novak, open up, police! - Novak! - Hooker, it's all here, a list of all his victims.
(suspenseful music) - We have a stakeout team posted around the clock outside the suspect's hotel.
Desk clerk says he comes and goes at odd hours and sometimes disappears for days at a time.
- So where does that leave you? - It leaves me frustrated, that's where it leaves me.
- And since you're still a potential target, it means you're still in danger.
- You better listen when we tell you for your own safety that you need protection.
- I was listening the first time, Sergeant.
- Still nothing from the stakeout team.
- Dammit Francis, why are you being so stubborn? Go home and lock yourself in until this is all over.
- Carey, we have been through this.
I have a caseload that won't quit and a lot of people who are depending on me.
- Well there is a suggestion that Hooker made to you earlier.
- You mean have someone take my place? - Well, we're close enough in coloring, and if Martin Novak only has a general description of you, or has never even seen you, I could pass.
- But what about my court cases? You can't take my place there.
- No, but she could be your shadow.
- You're absolutely certain that this guy's gonna try to kill me aren't you? - Well, it's a bet I wouldn't like to take, but if I had to, I'd say you're in a hell of a lot of trouble unless you smarten up.
(suspenseful music) - Your Honor, I object to the prosecution's obvious line of questioning.
They clearly have been leading the witness, and frankly I'm appalled.
- Objection sustained, Miss Driscoll, but spare us the editorial comments, please.
- Anything, Jim? - Zero, Grabowski and Wilson are the only suspicious looking characters I've seen.
- Hey, I didn't ask for this gig to begin with, Corrigan.
I was gonna go to the beach today.
- You got anything, Wilson? - I haven't had anything but an occasional pickpocket all day.
How come you get the inside job, Hooker, and we get to pound the pavement? - Because you're the outdoor type.
Stay awake, this guy isn't shy about poking his head into public places.
- This court is adjourned until nine o'clock tomorrow morning.
- Everything looks clear out here, Hooker.
Anything from the stakeout team at Novak's hotel? - Uh, nothing, and nothing here.
- Stacy, I appreciate everything you're doing.
- Oh, don't worry about it.
- I'm sorry about the others, and especially Jean McGowan.
Hooker told me she was your friend.
We stayed in touch after law school and I admired her.
- So did I, thanks for the thought.
- Hello, I'll have a car right out front.
- It's been a long day, Hooker.
You mind if I stop in the powder room before we hit the freeway? - Not a problem, Stacy go with her.
- Well, I guess that's preferable to you going in there with me.
- What a day.
Can you believe what that prosecutor's trying to pull? - Well, you seem to be handling him fine.
- Oh, well I just a Band-Aid until I can find an opening I can run in.
- Francis Marie Driscoll? - Yes.
- That's me, I'm Francis Driscoll.
- Which one of you is Francis Marie Driscoll? - I just told you, I am.
Now what is it you want? - Why did she answer when I said your name? - It's a little hard to hear in here sometimes, right Stacy? - Yes, yes it is.
- Look, why don't you go ahead to the car and I'll find out what this is all about.
- No way.
- Go on, go Stacy! - Not another step.
- Anything, Jim? - Just a whole lot of quiet.
How's it from your angle, Andy? - No movement in or out of the courthouse.
- That shotgun isn't necessary.
- You know, don't you? You know why I'm here.
- You came to see me.
- I came to see Francis Marie Driscoll, now which one of you is it? - I just told you it's me! - No Stacy, it's my life! - Out the window.
- [T.
J.
.]
Novak! Halt! (grunting) He'll live.
- Stacy and Francis? - They're okay.
Call an ambulance.
(Novak groaning) (police radio chatter) - He must have slipped into this alley from another building, then jimmied the window to the ladies room and entered there.
- But what if we hadn't decided to go in there at just that time? - Probably planning to come out after you, but he saw you and Stacy coming right into his hands.
- It's hard to believe one person can have so much hate in them.
- Particularly when it wasn't his own.
He confessed to everything, admitted that he was killing to avenge what happened to Rosemary Shay.
- A surrogate killer? - In his own twisted mind, he was doing what he thought Rosemary Shay would have wanted.
- Even though she never even hinted to him that she wanted the members of the council dead.
- You think this confession will hold up in a court, Hooker? - Well, you tell me, counselor.
You're the defense attorney.
- You mean I'm one of those damned attorneys who defends people that you bust? - I've seen people like Martin Novak roaming the streets when they should have been behind bars.
His files shows a history of violence going back to his teens, but slick lawyers, lenient judges, whatever.
He's received a slap on the wrist, and a ticket out for psychiatric examination.
- I don't believe this, I was just nearly killed and he's giving me a lecture.
Aren't you being a little hard on my profession? - Why don't you buy me a drink and convince me that I'm wrong? - You're on.
(lighthearted music) ("T.
J.
Hooker Theme") (fanfare)
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