03x26 - Log 125: Safe Job

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One-Adam-12, handle code 3.

♪♪

One-Adam-12,
One-Adam-12, see the man.

A 459 report. 209 Bethel Street.

One-Adam-12, roger.

I locked the place up
about 6:00 last night.

I opened up at 9 this morning.

Is that your regular routine?

Yeah, 9 to 6, Monday
through Saturday.

Drag job, right?

- Yeah. V technique.
- What's a drag job?

You notch a square of metal and
punch a screw hole at each corner.

Slide the cutout behind the
dial, and tighten the screws.

You can see the marks
of the screws on the safe...

Here, here, here, and here.

Tighten the screws,

it exerts about a


the combination knob gives.

That's Johnnie
Delaney's old M.O., isn't it?

Five or six years back.

Wasn't it you who
busted Delaney?

Yeah, that's right.

We checked Delaney
out. He's on vacation.

You see, Malloy, we've
had five jobs like this

in the last month.

C-style safes, the old drag job.

Delaney wasn't the only safe man
who used this M.O. around here.

No. There's Sam Taylor
and "Three Fingers" Lagana.

And Jim Mangut.
We checked them all.

Malloy?

Windows, doors, and
locks all untouched.

Does anybody else have a
key to your store, Mr. Davis?

- Just me.
- There's another means
of entry.

Unless entry was made
before the store was closed.

You mean somebody
could have hidden in here

during store hours?

Exactly. I just can't
figure out where.

Well the thing is, I check
the place before I leave.

Unless somebody has a
key that you don't know about,

it beats me.

Only had $490 from the safe.

- What about your stock?
- No, I already checked.

I just remembered.

Johnnie Delaney lives
somewhere on your beat, you know?

- Yeah, on Elm Street.
- Well, keep your eyes open.

Johnnie Delaney's
house is three blocks over.

Why don't we drive
by and take a look?

Maybe the old safe cr*cker
is back from vacation.

- Hey.
- Look at this.

Same date.

All of 'em.

Wednesday, the 17th.

What happened to Thursday,
Friday, and Saturday?

Open up, Johnnie!

Come in, you guys. Come on in.

Mustn't give the neighbors
anything to gossip about.

There. That's better, isn't it?

Malloy, you look
grand. Just grand.

Oh, I'll take those, Officer...

- Reed.
- Johnnie Delaney.

I guess your good-looking
partner's told you about me.

- Nice to know you, Reed.
- Johnnie, the newspapers.

They're all the same date.

Oh, well, I'll... I'll
tell you, Malloy,

uh, I was a little afraid
of a newspaper strike

so I started hoarding.

That's a bit of a joke, Malloy.

When I tell you
what it's all about,

you won't believe it.

Try me.

I'll do just that, Peter.

Excuse me a minute.

They didn't even
hear the doorbell.

Those kids could sleep
through an earthquake.

Kids?

- Are you a family man now?
- Oh, yeah.

I have been for the
past six months, Pete.

Yeah, they're my
niece and nephew.

My young sister's kids.

See, she and her
husband were k*lled

in an automobile accident
outside of Davenport, Iowa.

And well, there was nobody
else and so I'm raisin' the kids.

Here. Here's a picture.

Here. That's little Danny.

Looks like an altar
boy, doesn't he?

But I tell you, he's
a real little battler.

And this here, this is Denise.

Will you look at
the eyes on her?

They're nice
looking kids, Johnnie.

Uh, would you mind explaining

the newspaper and
milk bottle bit outside?

Oh, well, it's
like this, you see,

I got laid off a few
months back, Pete.

I was a checker down
at the Quincy warehouse.

Well, things got slow and... You
guys want a cup of coffee or anything?

No. No, thank you.

Well, anyhow, it's
vacation time, you see.

And all the kids on the
block are going away

and naturally, little
Denise and Danny,

they started asking
me about their vacation.

Well, how can I tell 'em that
I've got a bad case of the shorts?

Look, why don't you sit down
and make yourself comfortable?

Uh, no thanks, Johnnie.
You were saying?

Yeah, well, I finally told 'em.

I said, "Look, kids, we're
gonna go on a pretend vacation.

"Now we'll spread the
word up and down the block

"that we're going away
for a couple of weeks

to Lake Arrowhead, no less."

So that's when I got the idea.

I went out and bought the
milk and the newspapers.

Now, every morning
before anybody's up,

I put another bottle
and another newspaper

out on the front porch.

And you spend your
vacation right here.

Right.

At night, I spread a
sheet in front of the TV set

and we have a regular picnic.

And we race boats
in the bathtub and...

Well, besides
being cruise director

for this vacation wonderland,

have you been up to
anything else, Johnnie?

A little... Such as?

Oh, there have been
four or five safe jobs

in the area lately, Mr. Delaney.

Oh, well, that's
a terrible thing.

Oh, sure, you're not
looking at me, are you?

Whoever pulled the
jobs used your old M.O.

You mean, the drag job bit?

Oh, well, a lot of the
guys used that M.O.

Yes, sir. We know that.

Well, of course, I have to admit

that I was something special.

Well, I could open a
safe the way an artist

would paint a masterpiece.

But... But I've put
all that behind me.

I've... I've retired
from the profession.

Hey, Reed.

Did Malloy ever tell
you how he busted me?

No, he didn't.

Well, I got
overconfident, you see.

I... I was the best there was.

I used to take my
lunch with me on jobs,

like any skilled workman.

Well, I'd work a couple of hours

and then I'd have a lunch break.

And after the lunch break,

I'd light up and I'd
relax for a while.

Now, like they say in the books,

the criminal only
made one mistake.

He was clouting the safe at
the Workman Realty Company

and he left his
lunch pail behind,

with his name and address in it.

And what was it the judge said?

He said... Oh, yeah.

He said, "Leavin'
that pail there

betrayed my unconscious
need for punishment."

I'll leave that
stuff to the guys

with all the diplomas
on the walls.

- Take it easy, Johnnie.
- Hey, hey, wait, Malloy. Here's something.

Look, you know, there are not very many
of those C-type safes around anymore.

And they're the best
kind to use a drag job on.

Well, sir, about a year ago,

I spotted one in that
French dress shop, the...

What's it called?

- "Frankoises Beauty, Cuey"...
- Uh, boutique.

- Yeah.
- "Francois Boutique."

Yeah. Uh, I spotted
one of those in there.

- Thanks.
- Oh. Oh, wait!

Uh, I'd appreciate it

if you'd put these
back on the front porch.

Remember, everybody
here is on vacation

at Lake Arrowhead, no less.

Don't let the kids
fall out of the boat.

Don't worry. I'll keep
an eye on 'em, Pete.

They're my whole life now.

Take care, Reed.

One-Adam-12, clear.

One-Adam-12, clear on call.

See the man, a 415 fight.

11650 East Wilshire
Boulevard, Room 204.

Diploma Motel.
One-Adam-12, handle, code 2.

One-Adam-12, roger.

Mind telling us what
was going on here?

Look, I got no complaints.
I didn't call you guys.

The guy in the next unit did.

He said it sounded
like a Pier 6 brawl.

Well, I'll give him an
award for good citizenship.

The manager said you registered
as Mr. John Smith and wife.

That's right.

What happened to
your face, Mr. Smith?

Uh... I walked into
a closet in the dark.

Where's your wife?

She got bored.
Went out shopping.

A likely story, eh?

Sure. But that's the only
one you're gonna get from me.

Check your wallet.

The manager also said your wife

looks a lot like a girl he
knows named Lisa Bonelli.

So?

Lady does shopping.
Lady needs loot.

Okay, mister.

Hey, wait a minute.

They took something from me.

Something I need.
Something I want back.

Maybe you better
start at the beginning.

Okay.

Okay.

My real name's Albert Cook.

I met this chick, Lisa,

in a bar down the street.

The Hot Shot.

She said hello.

She speaks with a real heavy
Italian accent, by the way.

And I... I said hello.

We came up here

and she seemed kind of nervous.

I guess that was
part of the act, huh?

Anyhow, I offered her a drink,

a coffee, or a sandwich

and I put my wallet
and change over there

and I went in the bathroom.

When I came out,

she'd pulled the drapes
and the bedroom was dark.

And then this guy
comes out of the shadows,

like that.

Big guy. I hardly even saw him.

He hit me. That's all I know.

What'd he hit you with?

I'm not sure. I think
it was just his fist.

So they made a
fool out of me, right?

Took me like a
country boy in town,

with the egg
money in his pocket.

Then you guys show up.

I... I decided to
keep my mouth shut

and take my lumps.

But now...

But now?

They took something
besides money.

Something I can replace
for about half a dollar,

but just an ordinary
St. Christopher's medal.

With one little difference.

It stopped a b*llet
with my name on it

in Kaison.

I want it back,
Officer. I need it.

Well, Mr. Cook, if you want
your St. Christopher back,

you're gonna have to
do more than ask for it.

You're gonna have
to sign a crime report.

Okay, I'm your boy.

All right, we'll take the report

and then we'll stop
by the Hot Shot

and check it out on the chance

she may have gone back there.

You want to give us a
description of the girl?

Lisa Bonelli?

Yes?

What do you want?

Just to talk

about a motel room, a
man who was slugged,

some missing money,
and a St. Christopher medal.

He made me do it!

He made me!

All week I have to meet men.

He's cousin to my husband.

Distant cousin. Name Antonio.

Antonio Minetti.

After my husband
drowned, it was...

How you say? Fisherman.

Antonio send money
for me and my bambina

to come here to United States.

He said to marry.

But he no marry.

He take my baby.

He say I see her
only in America.

Sunday.

He say if I do not work for him

on the streets,

I never see her again.

I think we've got a lot
more than robbery here.

- Child stealing.
- Yeah, at least.

Antonio let me keep this.

The medallion of
Santa Cristoforo.

When I was a little ragazza,

I prayed to him.

I pray to him now

that he help me!

Help my baby.

Signore poliziotto,

will you help me?

We'll do our best, ma'am.

Mrs. Bonelli says
this Minetti character

has her baby in apartment 2C.

You and Reed come with me.

Long, you stay down
here with Mrs. Bonelli

and keep an eye on the lobby.

Police officers! Open up!

Kick it.

Freeze!

Hands up against the wall.
Feet back and spread 'em.

What is this? I
ain't done nothing.

That's not what we heard.

Lisa, huh?

You have the right
to remain silent.

If you give up the
right to remain silent,

anything you say can and
will be used against you

in a court of law.

You have the right to
speak to an attorney.

Do you understand
each of these rights

I've explained to you?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But Lisa ain't pinning
nothing on me.

- She's my cousin.
- Distant, she says.

It's the wife who can't
testify against her husband.

Maybe you should have
married the girl, Minetti.

Look, I don't care
what lies she's told you.

All I know is it's her
word against mine.

Plus the word of
the guy who owns

this St. Christopher Medal.

Tina!

Oh.

What do you think will
happen to Lisa Bonelli?

It shouldn't go too hard with
her under the circumstances.

It'll be a different
story with Minetti.

You know what I did last night?

Hmm?

I went out to Ascot Speedway

and watched the races.

They're really something else.

Mm-hmm.

- Hey.
- Huh?

You haven't heard
a thing I've said.

I'm sorry. I was thinking.

What about?

What Johnnie
Delaney said last night

about "Francois Boutique"
having his kind of safe.

I wonder if he was
trying to tell us something.

Why don't we go
by and take a look?

Looks like your crystal
ball is working good.

Yeah. So is Johnnie Delaney's.

This is One-Adam-12,
show us code 6

at 1401 Axtel Avenue.

Request a backup unit.

Notify Far West Alarm
Service, telephone: 321-1321.

Possible 459. Suspects
inside building now.

One-Adam-12, roger.

Cover the outside.
Reed and I will go in.

You got the keys? Let's go.

Oh, I guess we
were seeing things.

Yeah, we'd better
get back on patrol.

Yeah.

Oh, now you've
spoiled everything.

I've spoiled everything?

Yes. Uncle Johnnie
said if anybody saw us...

Especially the police.

We couldn't play anymore.

So, our game's over now.

This game.

You hide in the store
'til everybody leaves?

And then when it's dark outside,

we start playing.

I see.

And Uncle Johnnie
taught you the game?

Yes. He's really good at it.

The stuff in the safe
belongs to Uncle Johnnie.

He could just ask
for it in the daytime,

but this way it's lots more fun.

Uncle Johnnie!

He found us.

The game's over.

I just came by to take 'em home.

That's how I happened
to meet Officer Reed.

The little girl's
right, Johnnie.

The game's over.

Hi, Malloy. Where are they?

They'll be at McClaren
Hall for a while

'til a court finds a
good home for 'em.

Look, I want to thank
you for not telling them.

Malloy, I just did it
to get a college stake.

Now, look, I'm nobody
to raise a couple of

bright kids like that.

I figured if I could get my
hands on enough money

to pay the premium on a
college insurance policy,

well, they'd have a chance.

Well, they'll have a better
chance this way, Johnnie.

I guess you're right.

Isn't that what you wanted?

What?

Well, you taught them an M.O.

that was like a
set of fingerprints.

You even gave us the name
of the place they were gonna hit

last night.

You did everything but
send up Roman candles

so we'd spot you and catch them.

Malloy, you sound
just like that judge.

The one that said that
I wanted to get caught.

Now, do I look like
the kind of a guy

who would blow the whistle
on his own flesh and blood?

Not on them,
Johnnie. On yourself.