my name's john .  and i'm an alcoholic .
i didn't intend to speak today. matter of fact, i wasn't gonna come to the meeting .  but i wanna say a couple of things i hope may be of use, particularly as benny says, to the new faces here. i first came into this fellowship ten months ago. i came to a meeting i was convinced was gonna be my last - how could a buncha drunks help me? - then someone got up, i think it was micky, and described himself as "the shit around which the universe revolved." i don't know if that was original to him - it doesn't matter, it was the first time i'd heard it, and i still can't think of a better way to describe how i felt - we all have our own place in the darkness, and i was in such a mess i could hardly fucken see - i'd lost someone very dear to me - she hadn't died - i had - i don't know whether she left coza the drinking, or whether i drank coz i knew she was gonna leave - either way, the booze won - i replaced her with alcohol & anger - i was angry with her, myself, everyone and everything - where i was i wanted to be someplace else - any place but here - any moment but now - but here i am, and it is now, and there's a big change about to hap- pen in my life - and i'm going for it coz this time i know i'm not running away - i'm actually two miles into a 600 mile journey, and i feel good about myself going there - so i stopped off to share that with you - and to thank everyone of you, and everyone in this fellowship for letting me walk out of here, free .
i hope i'm not intruding?
old guy, offed himself with a knife. i can't find the knife.
i dunno .  guess the dozer musta shifted him? you need some hands up here to look .
no, sir. i haven't started till monday. i'm a "tourist."
week or two. musta been on the ker- osene. stinks like a diesel engine.
uh huh .  he's well rehearsed .
cut your own throat, you're ner- vous about it, tend to hesitate. he's got three trial cuts, lower left side of the neck, before he works up courage for the big one.
my pleasure .  who's popeye?
so what happened to the barbecues, and fishing?
what about that kid, ross?
looks like a woman's hand?
i think you're here all day.
we give it one more hour. did the photographer do the dogs?
two dogs. he should do the dogs.
alright, i'm coming .
yeah, he can go .
it's good to be with you, ross.
is this normal?
freddy? forever - he was my serg- eant when i was a kid - don't get to see a lot of each other - but we been buddies two hundred years .
i think he would have if he could have - been trying to get me up here long enough - i think he may have bribed the old guy to retire .
do me a favor, travis? bring in the resta the stuff from my car?
no .  but we have a theory .
maybe he's lying to you?
why did he ask if it was frozen?
you say the cut's left to right? isn't that unusual? he's left handed?
depends how healthy it is. if it's any good, i'll try and get a print .
who is who?
not for me .
not today .  i'm on a diet to- day .  i'll take a diet soda .
not too good in daylight .
would you drop these off for me?
yeah. what does that mean to you?
well, what?
where do i find the file on that?
no. been dead two weeks.
what time is it?
why so coy about the word "frozen"?
there's nothing in the files?
look - 1 - 2 - 3. 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 .
i already did. what's his problem?
it's a method for quitting smoking.
it's a technique i read about. if you smoke 60 a day, you buy three packs, throw one cigar- ette away, and smoke 59. day 2, you throw 2 away and smoke 58 .
because it's a ritual you gotta go through with. i'm down to 10.
maybe?
you're a saint, margie, thanks .
i am stopping smoking .
how'd you do it, old man?
a dollar? .  not worth giving up for a dollar .
fifty dollars? you got a bet.
i'm gonna dig up "jennifer."
laser enhancement of the finger- tip .  it's really bothering me .  see these striations right here? it's like she's always worrying the end of her finger? rubbing it with a thumb nail, or something?
hair on her hand. plus jen- nifer had raven black hair.
yes, sir, i think they maybe. i think "jennifer," and this lady got hit by the same guy?
i got four points of posit- ive comparison on the cut .
you'll have it in the morning .
i thought it was taylor's case?
what do you want me to do, chief?
c'mon, ross, the bra and hand were in different bags a 100 feet apart .
what do you mean?
what do you mean, ross?
why don't you dump the "fat lady?"
o.k. and i'm not in love with this fukker? that's how i feel about him.
i just had this insane idea - if i'm wrong, i'll take a week off and redecorate your entire house .
i think i got something - twenty two years old, dark hair - study- ing mathematics - - last seen 5 weeks ago .
i'm afraid i can't give you an ans- wer to that, mr goodridge. as i ex- plained to your secretary, we're do- ing a lotta looking, but we're not even sure it's her we're lookin for .
i was hopin since we spoke that you might have remembered something that would give us an idea where she is?
yes, sir.
well, apparently, she saw amber the weekend she left, & was briefly in the room with the guy she left with.
i dunno .  i guess this is staff side of the building?
i'm mr berlin. mr ross is right here. and mr ross is maybe gonna take a few notes, if that's o.k.? o.k. .  i'd like you to tell me in what ever way you want, what you can remember about the time you spent with amber on the aft- ernoon she left? take your time, and nothing's too trivial, o.k.
what kind of friend? was he a boy friend? an old friend? new friend?
you must have some idea about him.
no.
john? .  you never said that on the phone? .  what makes you think his name was john?
this looks promising .  i think this one could be it?
let me just keep going a while. she might remember something?
the elevator wasn't working?
can i see your hands?
is there anything else you can tell me? anything about him or her? doesn't matter how small?
me?
d'you have a dog? seeing eye dog?
lotta scratch-marks on your door?
did amber have a dog?
what color was it?
 if she writes, or calls, or any- thing at all, you let me know, o.k.
had a seeing eye dog since she was eighteen .  didn't i tell you those dogs meant something .
alright, i didn't, but i nearly did, and if i had i'd have been right .  i knew there was some- thing about that labrador, that dog was too good to be dead .  we gotta get back up that dump .
we're going.
maybe not? i'm feeling lucky .
don't start again. if you win a bet, you can't keep winning it .
i haven't got it.
why?
i had one puff on a pipe.
what do you want it for?
what are you doing, ross? i've had that 15 years! .
i remember the old bastard's liver! i don't believe you did that. i had a great sent- imental attachment to that.
no! get me to that garbage dump! i'm gonna find that fucking dog!
you didn't shoot him did you?
 i put the slug in for a ballis- tics report, the man tells me, for get it. soft lead, it's worthless .  i think, fuck it. and fuck citrine. i call a friend of mine in los ang- eles, and he runs our whole damned show through a main-frame looking for anything similar to our ladies shot with a twenty-two - you don't believe what he finds in san diego .
six girls over a period of 18 months, and give or take a head or two, the m.o.'s exactly the same. dark hair. no hands. all shot with a high velocity twen- ty-two in the back of the head.
they possibly did - but they nev- er had a head, so they never had a bullet - and they never got an i.d. - not on any of em - never bust a homicide unless you know who your victim is - we're the first to get a positive identity.
that's what i'm here for. i want you to come and see citrine with me? he's not gonna here it from me but i know he'd listen to you.
i wanna take that fucking blind in- stitute to pieces .  every address book, every phone call, everyone in and outta there in the last 5 years .
we've fused into a major series, ross. this girl isn't the second victim. this is "jennifer eight."
i was wrong.
you believe me, don't you?
no, just a minute or two .  i knocked on your door - no one home, so i followed the music .
no problem. i'm not in a hurry.
i gotta admit, you're one of them. just wish i knew what you meant by a "hollow car?"
of course i would .
i'm sorry, someone slammed the door on me. i couldn't get out.
what are you reading?
no.
 i'll tell you what, if i prom- ise to stop being a cop, will you promise to stop being a witness?
no.
well, i'm glad we got the conver- sational side of lunch over with.
there's no one "looking at you" .  there's hardly anyone in here. the only person looking at you, is me.
was. but i don't like to talk about it.
i know, but you pick on the one time in my life i like not to remember. i was in the bad lands. really not well. it's something that happens to a lota cops. we don't wanna talk about that.
yeah, that'll do .  is that "hamlet?"
i don't know, i haven't read much. i don't think poetry's my kinda thing?
pray?
no, i don't pray .  had a dream once, about god, just around the time i was getting well .  he was a nasty lookin little guy, moved into the apartment right on topa me .  i said, don't you listen to people's prayers? he said, prayers? not often. they're junk mail.
 i got really sick of the street .  so i went to school and became a scientific services officer, which is basically a scene of crime off- icer. then this came up, and i got what they call a lateral transfer .
 sorry your father, mother sis- ter, whatever .  i couldn't take another day of it .  come on, i'm gonna rob you of a cup of coffee .
no. getting dark though.
yes. i'm sorry.
coz this is a major & we're closer to this bastard than anyone's ever been.
he hasn't hidden it. he never made a hit this far north before, and he never read a weather forecast .  she's probably fifteen feet from the highway, three feet under snow.
no.
no, sir.
it's her hand. her scars. her dog. her dog's shot. and she's missing.
if you're not gonna hear me, chief .
we have a multiple homicide, sir .
all but .  how you doing?
i wish he'd tell that to citrine.
you looked like you did?
he didn't shoot it, ross. and no way by accident. there's a flash-burn. it was point-blank.
is she lying, ross?
my name's sergeant john berlin.
well, look at it. look at this line? that's the important one. dead straight down the page. no- body gets a dead straight down the page. even our expert says a dead straight's "exceptional."
you busted the box, lady! you flunk- ed it .  you lied about things you didn't need to lie about .  the only truthful statement you made's your name .  your name is carol emerson?
i'm doing it by the day .
working?
car accident.
it's been a great day.
she runs a kind of hair dress- ing and you know, beauty salon .
i was married to her sister .
how d'you know what i'm like?
really? what did he say?
he said that? what else did he say?
which is what?
you wanna drive? c'mon we're in a car park, miles from any- where .  there's nothing arou- nd but nothing and sand dunes .
a volkswagen van? are you sure?
is that my punishment for embarrassing mr heineman?
three or four.
once.
that's bullshit,
i never asked if he could "see." i just asked one or two of the stud- ents if they remembered anything?
no.
god, it pisses me off, ross.
a sailor?
how come he's suddenly so forth- coming? i'd like to kick him right in the ass. if he'd discussed it with me, i mighta gotten somewhere .
i never knew about the sailor the- ory, ross. he might have that one little thing i need in his files?
just makes to so god damned mad .
she wasn't lying about the van.
sure.
alright, enough, ross. you'll bring on my "nervous tick" .
 feel like i'm getting close to this guy .  and all the time, feel like i'm sharpening a pencil with a broken load .  i'm sorry, king j .
vehicle references.
i have to talk to you, helena.
you know? how do you know?
got your driver's license?
no, it was you that nearly ran into me .  you up there a lot?
where's your store, amanda?
next pit-stop, you make sure your doors are locked. merry christmas.
you put it in there.
don't lie, taylor. i just had this blattis guy on the phone asking me for a comment - you gave him the whole damned case!
so read it! you just hung a target around her neck!
don't you know nothing about this guy? he reads the newspapers. col- lects the cuttings. when are they gonna find her? now he's reading helena robertson's name, phrased like she's a fucking witness. you couldn't have done anything more stupid if you'd sat down & tried .
just walk away from me, taylor .
you don't know what you done, taylor.
i know what a "witness" is.
i'm gonna do something you never did, taylor. i'm gonna catch this bastard. and when i do, he's gon- na find out just how good a "wit- ness" she is .  meanwhile, you be aware of me - coz i wish you ill .
nothing you gotta say do i wanna hear right now. so save yourself saying it.
i'm already familiar with taylor's opinion.
one hundred fucking per cent! .  and you know why? coz i never told her good-bye. o.k.? is that good enough for the "committee?"
no .  you didn't know that .
that's a very stupid question, ross.
how the hell do i know who? some jerk-off. some peeping-tom prick.
i'm sick of this toy town shit.
don't give me that! not another word! when you had the fat lady in there, and i asked you if she was lying, you looked me right in the eyes and said yes. so as far as i was concerned, she's ly- ing. and if the king of fucking england had walked in & told me different, i wouldn't have bel- ieved him - because you told me .
i dunno what i'd do with your help. i've gotta take her out of there .
screw citrine. he can fire me.
has he got your aunt's address?
who? probably angelo .  i'll take care of it .  don't worry, we- 're gonna find this guy, and everything'll be o.k. .  o.k.?
you're looking worried again, helena?
you're looking more worried now than when you "decided to stop worrying"?
he'll get over it. i'll roast us a chicken, o.k. with cand- les around it. how about that?
can't thank you enough, ross .
no.
are you sure you didn't call?
someone's calling the institute to talk to helena. says he wants to ask her some more questions .
you got a quiet phone somewhere?
that's just what i wanna find out.
jesus. what are you doin?
have you got any glasers? twenty fives?
i'm going up to the institute.
this "cop" that's calling, thinks she gonna be there over christmas.
listen, you don't havta come?
i guess by the bed.
bull shit .  i'm in my prime .
what d'you mean, "bits."
hit those wipers, ross.
we're not here. i don't want the desk to hear us .
alright. i'll start at the top, and work down.
that's a liability, ross. i don't want you hanging on to my shirt. anyone but me comes down these stairs, take em out but try and keep him alive. i want this bastard living .
where's margie?
does he know?
i want you to go to your aunt's.
it's not possible right now.
please don't ask no quest- ions now .  not right now .
margie .
she has an aunt, in vermont. i'll take her there tonight.
no .  not now .
what are you doing, travis?
why?
you got a warrant for this?
who sought the warrant?
i want a 24 hour protection of margie's house. otherwise i'm not saying nothing. you give me that, or read me my rights, and talk to a lawyer.
i want serato .  why can't i have serato?
i have done .
because of a feeling. i had a bad feeling this man was gonna turn up.
the man i detail in my report, sir.
i'm not prepared to be interrog- ated. i'll be interviewed as an officer, who may be expected to cooperate with the investigator.
yes.
it was the only shot i had .
that's right. except i'd decid- ed to go up there every night .
yes.
i had very good reasons for do.
you're asking the questions, sir .
i wouldn't use the word "assault."
not especially.
not they. he. taylor put a piece in the newspaper, which in my op- inion put my witness in jeopardy.
from the man i detail in my rep- ort. a crazy man, who to my cert- ain knowledge has killed at least eight girls. six in san diego, one someplace else, and one up here .
not a lot.
no.
what do you mean, sir?
i don't know who he is. who's "jack the ripper?" he's jack the ripper with an automobile.
no, sir .  i didn't have the res- ources, and it isn't my expertise.
you read my report, sir.
because he reads i'm investigating the disappearance of her friend, & miss robertson becomes the focus of his anxiety. how good of a "witness" is she? he's crazy, but not stupid, he's intelligent. got a flexible m. o., and he doesn't wanna get caught.
i realized the flashlight was at the bottom of the stairs
maybe. it would have been instinctive. all i know was i was in possession of it .
not that i specifically remember.
i don't know. i wasn't think- ing about it .  i was dazed .
i was unconscious 10 seconds ago.
then i picked up the flashlight, tried to get ross on the radio .  nothing. static. i got blood on my hand, realized my eye was cut.
yeah, i could see. then i ran. climbed out of the window, ran down the fire escape, and right at the bottom, i found ross .
sure i was breathless .
not until i was in the hospital.
no, i thought it must have fallen down the stairwell.
it was christmas eve.
yes.
i think ross had a mouthful?
i may have had a nip?
my left hand.
the beretta was in my right hand .
let's not start playing games, mr st anne.
i told you, i'd lost the walther .
the gun in my hand was a beretta. and for the record, i want that note corrected. now, please, sir.
with respect, sir, you didn't make a mistake. i know who you are, and you're far too experienced for mis- takes. now if you have doubts over the content, or veracity of my rep- ort, i wanna be made aware of them?
i wanna be made aware of them now.
there you go again? "do i want a lawyer, sergeant?" it's a game question. what do i want a law- yer for? i got nothing to hide .
you know i don't. so let's quit the bullshit and get down to it. what's your "angle," mr st anne?
i've no idea.
if it isn't in the institute, the man who shot ross took it.
aren't you gonna arrest me?
no.
i already told you what happened .  you're looking for an inconsisten- cy, and you're not gonna find one, because i'm telling you the truth.
i guess i was drinking too much.
sure.
five.
no.
there wasn't time .
no, sir, i didn't check.
what's the relevance of the janitor?
for what?
no.
two people know i didn't kill him, mr st anne. one's me, and the other's the man that did.
how d'you know the jan- itor didn't shoot him?
i need a friend, angelo.
 i know why you did it darlin, but you're not helping me. every- thing they're hearing they think is a lie. now here comes the man i'm desperate to prove exists, & whadda-ya-know, he turns up at my house, and has a "chat" with you?
i know you're trying to help me, but you don't understand.
the man who killed amber is a psychopath. he was up at the in- stitute to kill you - he don't wanna kill rose - he was there to kill you - that's the truth - and i didn't wanna tell it to you - but that's the reason i want you to stay at margie's - coz i can't protect you here .
coz he thinks you're a witness.
he don't know that. i didn't.
will you fucken stop it. i'm not serato .  he didn't kill you coz he wasn't here .  he isn't in the room with you, and lets you live .
a "breath freshener?"
 he's either here to take something .  or leave some- thing .  i don't find nothing .
he doesn't need my help.
you do?
ross was my best friend.
no.
he ain't offerin me shit.
you don't wanna sit here any more, sweetheart .
i think they're gonna arrest me.
it's not as bad as it sounds .  they can't refuse me bail. raise bail of my own cognizance & find the best damned lawyer there is .
i've told you the truth. it isn't me .  i've never call- ed ross "freddy" in my life .
you haven't. and you got no voice in here, taylor, so keep it shut.
i don't lie.
under exceptional circumstances.
i never lied to ross .
no way, mr st anne.
i loved that guy .  & the hard- est thing to take in here .  is knowing he thought i killed him .
i don't know what that is.
i need .  some time .  to think sir .
we got a break - isn't much, but it's a break .  the man that murdered ross gets asthma - it's not a breath fresh- ner, darling - it's an asthma inhaler .
this capsule came out of a v.w. van - i didn't even think about it - stuck it in the ashtray - if i'd been smok- ing, ita been thrown away weeks ago .  no, amanda - it's definitely amanda .
you be careful .  this man's close .
i'm sorry to trouble you, but eh .  wait a minute, don't i know you?
i'm afraid it's the "van" again.
is it your vehicle?
i'm sorry to worry you with this, but we had a real serious robbery, and we- 're chasing a white v.w. van? you guy came up an the computer, so as a matt- er of routine we have to check. could you tell me who's driven it recently?
how about any guys on your staff?
i see .
could i have his name? just so i can officially eliminate him?
i'll sign anything you want. please. bring here her .  i want helena here .
i am calm .  i am calm .
i'll sign anything you like - you write it, i'll sign it. but i want her and margie here. i want an opp- ortunity to talk to them - that's all i'm asking? - that's my deal? .
well, you'd better put it to him pretty dammed quick, mr st anne, because if you don't, she's dead.
he was up there to plant the gun.
are you getting in the way of it?
where are they?
is margie with her? is she with her?
come on, bobby, for god's sake. i wanna get the man that killed him.
go take a look in his office. it's fulla rattan - that's the connect- ion, that's the "link" - that's why they never got an i.d. - he kills blind girls - put their picture in the newspaper, and 99 percent of the people who know them are blind .
he is insane. his fucken brain's upside down. but he's also very cunning. he's not going after her with a "pearl handled colt," he- 'll just push her down the stairs .