russ millard, homicides. wife and kids thank you for the raise, officer.
anything common in the sex beefs?
whistles harshly with his fingers in his mouth.
before this gets out of hand let's put the kibosh on something. if this gets a lot of publicity we're going to get a lot of confessions. so we keep some things quiet. this girl was disemboweled. you keep this information to yourselves. not your wives, not your girlfriends, no other officers.
blood on the premises?
the lab'll be the judge of that.
is it. all right to smoke, doctor?
what's your best guess?
elizabeth short.
how many confessions so far?
double that by morning. more if loew got the press excited with his purple prose.
too much publicity is a hindrance, ellis. if you were a policeman you'd know that.
found it in storage down at the railway. carbons of mash notes to sailors. hundreds of 'em.
thank our friend bevo means at the herald. bevo's painting betty and her black dress like some actress in that alan ladd movie, the blue dahlia. should triple our confessions.
no dice. you're a bright penny and i want you here. betty's last known residences and ka's. go to university station and pick up bill koenig. fritzie's sick. keep bill on a tight leash, and you write the report because billy's practically illiterate.
call me russ and get out of here.
good report yesterday, bleichert.
what next?
wrong again. but keep going.
bright penny. you're doing well, bucky. run with the ball.
you calling your boss an evidence suppressor?
you're a brighter penny than i thought. betty sightings. wilshire division. i need smart pennies to eliminate the phonies from the tip sheet.
and you don't recall any of the names betty went out with last fall?
no one who would do her harm?
you have to tell us the whole thing, sweetheart. so think it through.
where was that?
why would you do that?
and he willingly gave you a copy of the film? for nothing?
whattya think?
bleichert you are a very bright penny today. well. looks like it's blue movie night at city hall.
long shot, chief. harry and i are headed down to tj tonight. the mex doesn't play as the killer. but maybe he showed it to someone--
bucky. blanchard's in tijuana. a border cop spotted him hobnobbing with a bunch of rough-looking rurales last night.
meticulously sifting through the material along with bucky.
i asked jack to keep you on.
because you're getting to be a damn good detective, bleichert. and harry's retiring in two years. need i spell it out?
you been working this case pretty hard. or is it the other way around?
it's not as much fun once it moves to the back pages, is it? i hear they arrested two mexicans in juarez for the bobby de witt murder.
you must be relieved.
he'll be found if he wants to be found.
bucky.
nope.
the pimp? i thought he said he'd never heard of her.
bright penny--
so good ol' fritzie's shaking down crooks, maybe sellin' 'em tip-offs before a roust.
easy, penny. they'd have to testify against him first. and that's not likely after he burns those carbons. but this issler business--why hide the issler- betty connection?
cocktailing.
you sit tight. go hack to swingwatch. me and harry'll poke around.
you'll get him, too. but you've got to cool your temper. it's all patience with the big fish or they wriggle off.
we've found her. meet me at 1546 north havenhurst in half an hour.
bucky--
ma'am.
anything else, miss stinson?
i'll be a chimp's priest, buck. a chimp's priest--watch the air bubbles--i shoulda known that johnny i d need a pro to lose his cherry. never had 'em for a kink and a cherry, though.
pentothal's good for another couple hours. no way he can lie.
there's a method to this, bucky. what's your name, son?
answer me anyway.
what's sixteen and fifty-two?
focus on january, johnny. your father--
yes. fritzie. he wanted you to lose your cherry. he bought you a woman for two days. is that right?
this was at the biltmore?
we'll be done soon, johnny. you met liz short at the biltmore, too?
and what did you and liz do?
did you whip her?
johnny. did you kill liz short?
easy son--
it's all right. do you know who did?
when your daddy found out you'd been with her, he tried to fix things didn't he?
i think you should go outside.
his statement. signed.
we should sit on this for a little bit. until i can talk to a legal officer.
it's the shithouse until you retire, you know that.
i got your message, bucky.
it?
calm down, son. tell me.
all right, then. it's your ball. what do you wanna do?
bucky.
god help her.
you all right?
are you sure you don't want to came home? mrs. millard'll fix up the couch.
you're a very very bright penny, officer.