"Saw Bobby and little Howard on the ride in." "They said something about felling that big oak tree out front." "Yeah, the geologist report says there's an aquifer under it." "That's a century oak, Jack." "It's been here longer than we have." "We're not cutting it down." "I like that tree as much as anybody, but we got 300 new head of thirsty cattle to water." "Well, there's an aquifer over in the northeast parcel." "It's a pretty good spot for a well." "Sure would be if you want one that takes ten times the manpower to run pipe way out there." "Well, that's where we're putting it." "We'll see." "Not gonna answer itself." "Yep." "Yeah, he's here." "The Savoy?" "Got it." "Time to go be sheriffs." "So, Mr. Durr, miss Rizzo, my chief accounting officer, tells me you've been stealing from my casino." "C-card c..." "Speak up, Mr. Durr." "I said card counting isn't stealing." "I'm not talking about card counting." "Card counting is just bad manners." "I'm talking about you sitting at first base behind a weak dealer, sending signals to your pal on third base about whether to bet." "Now, to me, that's not just bad manners." "To me, that's stealing." "Sheriff, come on in." "My office said you called." "What's this about?" "Let me introduce Mr. Durr." "I'd like you to place him under arrest for cheating, which..." "I don't have to remind you... is a felony in a Nevada casino." "I'd also like to press charges against his partner in crime, who we're holding downstairs." "You want to deny the charges?" "All right, Jack, put the cuffs on him." "We'll get to the bottom of this." "Miss." " I want to thank you for coming." " I was surprised." "You people usually handle this kind of thing on your own." "You really don't know me very well." "Mr. Savino, I pegged you the first moment I laid eyes on you." "Well, good." "I'm glad we have an understanding." "Miss Rizzo." "Looking good, Bonnie." "I talked to Chicago." "They're sending out a new courier for the skim." "Angelo's nephew." "Mostly, he wants you to get the kid laid." "Call Magda." "Damn shame about him shutting down your plans for the Savoy." "Not right." "It's okay, Red." "I got a new plan;" "It's gonna be good for everyone." "Yeah?" "Angelo doesn't want to expand from the inside, but no one says a guy can't expand from the outside." "Outside?" "Outside what?" "The Tumbleweed Club." "You're looking at the future part-owner." "That dump?" "That land." "Mert hayes owns The Tumbleweed, the building next door and the parking lot in the back." "No other casino has that kind of acreage." "We can build a place twice as good as this one." "What about Angelo?" "I'm not using Chicago money." "We get it done fast, quiet." "Then when the deal's done, we bring it to him all tied up in a bow." "With his usual cut, of course." "Under the radar." "Smart." "Where you going?" "A bank." "Bank?" "♪ Roll 'em, roll 'em, roll them dice ♪" "♪ Love is a game of rolling dice... ♪" "I brought 502 the extra hand towels she called in all of five minutes later." "And you know what she said?" ""Your kind ain't much on hurrying, is it?"" "Alice, I pray you left it there." "I suppose I could have." "But before I knew it, I was telling her that if she meant by "my kind"" "a size 16, then maybe we're related." "Say, you know that cute Leonard that works the boiler?" "He's having a rum mixer at the boarding house." "We could go together." "After my shift." "I should go to the meeting." "Well, you take notes for me, sweetie." "And I'll tell Leonard you had to wash your hair." "Don't disappoint me." "Got it, Mr. Cornaro." "I won't let Milwaukee down." "Thanks for coming." "Speaking for myself, it's high time we started talking about what's really going on here at The Tumbleweed." "Kitchen staff, porters, busboys in this union... management's stepping on every one of us." "I got two guys in the kitchen, steam burns all over their arms, equipment's falling apart." "It ain't right." "It's the maids, too." "We're working 15-hour shifts with no breaks." "Which is why we need to make some big changes in this house, starting now." "Has this got to do with the strike?" "Who said anything about a strike, Estelle?" "I keep hearing whispers about a wildcat strike against The Tumbleweed." "Our contract's not up for six months, which means a strike now would be illegal." "We're in a situation here." "You maids are making 22 a week;" "You don't want more?" "I want what we deserve." "And if we don't get it at the end of our contract, then we strike." "But now, we lose everything we fought for." "No strike fund, no benefits, probably lose our jobs." "All right, Estelle, we get it." "Anybody else?" "No!" "We need to sacrifice now, so when the contract is up, we can get what's right." "Nobody is going to hold us down." "Nobody." "Not management." "And not a union that won't listen." "Can you tell me what you saw, sir?" "Girl was walking to the transit stop there." "Car swerved over to the other side and hit her." "Bam." "Probably some no-account drunk." "Didn't even slow down." "You happen to see what kind of car?" "Didn't get a great look." "Something big." "Blue, maybe green." "When was the last time you saw Estelle Drew?" "At the meeting." "What meeting?" "Ladies, I'm just trying to find out what happened to your friend." "The... the union meeting." "Estelle was a shop steward." "First colored woman ever to be one." "She and Mr. Kovacs... he's the senior shop steward... kind of had it out." "Where is this Kovacs now?" "I haven't seen him since the meeting broke up." "We need to notify next of kin." "Her mother passed last year." "I don't know any other family." "Always taking care of others." "None of us around when she needed it." "Hey, if you need a ride home, you just let us know, all right?" "Sounds like this Estelle was tangled up in union business." "Could be why she got run over." "See how far over in this Lane her body is?" "Driver had to peel way over just to hit her." "Drunk would've ended up in the scrubs over there." "Well, this one would've, too." "But he wasn't drunk." "He was trying to kill her." "Looks like it was a blue car after all." "♪ On night guard, I'm a-ridin'" "♪ Around a thousand bedded steers ♪" "♪ And tonight, my thoughts are... ♪" "Davey Cornaro." "What's the matter, the commode get backed up?" "Hey, Vinny, you making a move on Mert, too?" "Give my regards to Chalutz." "Mr. Hayes." "You next on the hit parade?" "What did those balloons want?" "I put the word out I'm selling a piece, everybody pops up, wants to be my partner." "Milwaukee says my union troubles will disappear." "That's the way Milwaukee operates." "They got shop stewards and organizers shaking down half the casinos on Fremont." "They'll muscle a piece out of you without paying a dime." "What's your muscle, the dead girl?" "You and your Chicago friends looking for a bargain?" "I'm not looking for a bargain." "You partner with me, we can turn this place around." "Make some real money." "Here." "Now, this..." "This is The Tumbleweed of the future." "Fancy shopping for the wives and the girlfriends of your high rollers." "They will never leave this place." "How you gonna pay for it?" "With suitcases and laundry bags?" "Legitimate financing..." "From a local bank." "That's how we're gonna pay for all this, Mert." "Now, you can lose The Sawdust and The Roy Rogers and come with me, or you can get buried under the asphalt avalanche that's coming." "Your choice." "How about I think it over?" "It's the most I can ask." "One second, man." "That union fellow, Kovacs... he's not at his apartment." "Landlady says she saw him come in and leave just as fast about an hour after Estelle was hit." "Please tell me he's got a blue car." "I will when I find out what he drives." "All right." "Hey, pops." "These men are here about Estelle Drew." "I'm Randall Paltrey." "This is my son, Terry." "How can we help you?" "Terry said that Estelle was killed by a hit-and-run driver." "I insisted we come right over." "What happened?" "Well, we don't know yet." "We're looking into it." "How do you know miss Drew?" "She was our housekeeper's daughter." "We've known Estelle since she was a little girl." "Terry basically grew up with her." "She's like family." "I want..." "I want to help any way I can." "What my dad means is, he'd like to offer a reward." "Cash." "Whatever you think it'll take to catch this bastard." "That's generous." "Listen," "We have an address on her out on Birch Street." "Do you know if that's current?" "I don't know." "I've never been there." "She usually visited us." "I'm headed out there right now, and," "If we find out anything, I'll let you know." "Please do." "Thank you." "Terry, come on." "Pop just radioed a license plate number." "He wants you to run it." "How come?" "He didn't say;" "Just said to do it." "Who's that?" "It's a new casino employee here for a work card." "I'm gonna help her out." "Run the plate." "Spoilsport." "Gigolo." "So, Miss Rizzo, you're here for your work card?" "Yes, deputy." "Call me Jack." "You ever been arrested, for a crime?" "No." "So, does everyone have to fill out one of those forms or just people like me?" "People like you?" "Women or pretty blondes?" "Daughters of people from Chicago." "Everybody has to fill out the form." "How long you here for?" "Indefinitely." "Your brother threw my father in jail." "Does that make us enemies?" "I don't know what that makes us." "I am not my brother." "Just like you are not your father." "Job title at the Savoy?" "Count room manager." "Are you married?" "For the form." "Single." "Boyfriend?" "That's not on the form." "It's not?" "No, you're right, it's not." "Miss Rizzo is here for her work card." "Don't keep the lady waiting." "Thank you." "Sheriff." "Ma'am." "Got the identification for that plate." "That car at Estelle's... vehicle is a black El Camino registered to that union steward Kovacs." "You truly have quite an operation here, Mr. Savino." "Well, The Tumbleweed could be even grander, Mr. Farwood." "With your bank's help." "No doubt." "Do you mind me asking when your family settled this valley?" "1870." "My great-grandfather came down the old Spanish trail in the wagon train." "Part of the first mormon settlement." "Well, then you understand something about opportunity." "And the tumbleweed is the best one that's hit this town in decades." "With all due respect, Mr. Savino, your business is..." "Well, it's different than mine." "You people come in from Chicago and New York and start waving your pension funds and your certificates of deposits." "It's not the same." "This will be different." "Financed by your bank, no outside influences." "Look, I'm sure you can continue to invest in Alfalfa fields and Bauxite mines forever, but this is different." "By investing in me, you can be part of your own town's future." "You know, this is the best lemonade" "I've had in years." "And my daughter Irma, she placed second at the Overton Fair last summer." "Well, then I'll have the chef send the recipe right over to her... unless you think she'll be offended." "No, she'd be delighted." "I need my last paycheck." "It's a family emergency." "Can you please just go get me my paycheck?" "Mr. Kovacs." "Sheriff's department." "You in a hurry to leave?" "What are you talking about?" "I'm talking about you jumping out of a dead girl's window a couple hours ago." "I didn't break into her apartment." "A white guy breaks in a Westside apartment, and you didn't think anyone would notice?" "What I meant was I was there, but the door was already busted." "The place was trashed, too." "He can do better than that." "A lot better." "Why'd you break into Estelle's?" "What's this?" "That's personal property." "A bunch of names." "Mostly women." "Estelle's friends who are against the wildcat strike." "I just wanted to talk to 'em." "Talk to 'em or mow 'em over like you did Estelle?" "I didn't touch her." "She had plenty more to worry about than me." "She liked trouble." "The white male kind." "I got a friend, Linda, works over at The Blue Note." "Couple nights ago, she saw Estelle rubbing up on this white fella." "Stand up." "You're under arrest." "What for?" "Breaking and entering for starters." "Evading a law officer." "Plus, I don't much like you." "That works, too." "Put him in the car." "Plus, I I'll be right there." "Yes, sir." "What are you doing here?" "Got a murder suspect." "You?" "That shop steward's death last night... there may be mob involvement." "Savino?" "It's possible." "DA's office is hearing rumors of union problems." "Union problems often mean organized crime." "I came to talk to Mert Hayes about it." "Fire!" "Get down!" "We got one or two injuries." "Nobody hurt bad." "You okay?" "I'll live." "You got knocked around pretty good there." "Thank you, by the way." "You always knew how to sweep a girl off her feet." "My pleasure." "All anybody saw was two guys in a red and white sedan." "No plates." "They tossed the bottle and took off." "Seems like a lot of firepower to stop us from looking into Estelle's death." "It could be linked to The Tumbleweed union issues." "Organized crime groups like to use bombings like this as a warning." "Mert Hayes heard that loud and clear." "He vamoosed right after the explosion." "Can't find him." "Dixon, I want you to check into who lit this place up." "I don't want anybody thinking they can make a habit of it." "I'd like to help." "Please do." "I run a casino." "I'm not a tough guy." "How am I supposed to fight" "Milwaukee when they're tossing bombs at my casino?" "You need to relax." "Relax?" "Cornaro says if I don't partner with him, the next bomb's gonna be smack in the middle of the floor." "Cornaro's a goon." "A stupid goon on a cheap hustle." "Well, stupid scares me." "Are you listening?" "I'm saying this once." "If I get Cornaro and Milwaukee off your back, do we have the deal we discussed?" "Get him out of my hair..." "Completely." "I just need a little time." "A little's all you get." "Close of business, Mr. Savino." "Then I'm going with the Milwaukee boys." "Hey." "Look at you marxist bastards." "Vincent." "Davey Cornaro." "What's the matter, you don't like my office?" "Anything for the working man." "Which is why I'm here." "You want to sit?" "Nah, just take a second." "The Tumbleweed... it's gonna be more problems for you than it's worth." "Yeah?" "I'm buying it." "Get out of here." "Which is why I came to see you." "To tell you that things are gonna be changing around here." "I want you to back off of Mert." "You're kidding me, right?" "I got that jerk Mert ready to marry me if I don't send him another cocktail." "Sure." "And you'll make a few bucks off of your food and beverage kickbacks and your cut of the union dues." "But it's a cheap hustle, and you know it, Davey." "Now, I want you to come with me on this one." "I'm offering you an opportunity to make some serious coin." "You want me to walk away from money on the table," "By the time I'm finished with The Tumbleweed, there won't be enough tables in this town for all your money." "You think the joint's gonna be worth that much?" "Maybe more." "That's a lot of tables, Vinny." "And it's just you on this." "No need to cut in Milwaukee." "You're making it sound hard to resist." "All right, make it quick." "I got mouths to feed." "Including my own." "Fellas," "You heard Vincent?" "Get rid of those things now." "Let's go." "Hey, Vince." "I better not regret this." "You won't." "Take a good look." "I see a lot of faces at The Blue Note, but I remember her." "Not every night I get to serve one of those Westside gals." "Takes guts to show up with a white fella, that I can give her." "You get a good look at him?" "Blue Note's dark for a reason." "Could've been Sinatra, for all I saw." "They act like lovebirds?" "It wasn't their best night." "They were quarreling." "About what?" "Same thing I always hear." ""Baby, you got to tell your wife about me."" ""Baby, I can't."" ""I don't want your money."" "Actually, don't hear that last one so much, you know?" "Excuse me." "Been looking into Estelle's bank accounts." "She's been getting deposits, $500 a month, regular as clockwork." "Best part is who's sending it." "Gentlemen." "Mr. Paltrey." "Is everything okay?" "We need to speak with you." "This about Estelle?" "Yes, it is." "Ma'am." "If you'll excuse us, we need to speak with your husband about..." "No." "I prefer to stay." "This is police business." "This is my house." "All right." "You want to tell us why you were giving Estelle money every month?" "Estelle?" "Estelle Drew?" "And why you were at The Blue Note motel with her?" "That had nothing to do with Estelle's death." "That was a private matter." "A private matter between you and a Westside maid at The Tumbleweed?" "Randall, what is this?" "Estelle was my daughter." "♪ Devil or angel" "♪ dear, whichever you are" "♪ I miss you, I miss you" "♪ I miss you" "♪ devil or..." "Having a colored mistress is one thing, but having a child with her... that could ruin you in this town." "And Estelle wanted to tell the world, right?" "Yes." "She came to me last week and," "Begged me to acknowledge her as my daughter." "That couldn't have made you none too happy." "Her wanting the world to know who her daddy was." "I could never hurt Estelle." "She had a secret that you wanted hidden." "You didn't even tell your family." "You lied to us, Mr. Paltrey." "You lied." "You withheld information." "I was afraid." "Did you break into her apartment?" "No." "Of course not." "I..." "I was trying to do right by Estelle." "I was giving her money for college." "She was making straight a's at Nevada Southern." "But she wanted more." "She wanted a father." "And I agreed." "I was going to tell Helen the truth." "And Terry." "Sheriff Lamb." "I'm on my way." "You're lucky to be alive." "Jerry, I'm fine." "It's a graze." "Cornaro's boys could never shoot anyway." "You're sure it was Milwaukee?" "They never would've approved the hit." "He was acting on his own." "I don't know what Cornaro was thinking, attacking us in our own house." "I was pushing him away from the only thing he knows, so he lost his nerve." "He had to hit me so he didn't look soft." "Idiot." "Yeah, well, he'll be hearing from us." "I do not need to know that." "Cornaro's got some outstanding warrants." "Why don't you have your friends in law enforcement pick him up, get him off the street for a while." "Mr. District Attorney." "Sheriff." "I was just telling Mr. Savino that if he wants a mob war in this city, he's going to hear from us." "See that he understands, would you?" "Got a call you had a little trouble." "Yeah." "I fell." "You fell." "I saw your car." "15 bullet holes in it." "Looked like somebody put a contract out on you." "Don't suppose you know who that might be?" "Like I said, my gun went off when I hit the ground." "And it is licensed." "You fellas want to kill each other, that's just fine." "Don't do it in my town." "It's my town, too." "We'll see." "There you are." "I ran Paltrey's cars..." "Jack, is Vincent all right?" "I just heard." "Yeah." "No, he wasn't..." "I reckon he'll bury us all, miss." "One way or another." ""Jack,"" "Knock it off." "You may not want my advice, but that is a bad idea." "You want what I got or no?" "Shoot." "Paltrey and his wife have a black Cadillac, a green Pontiac and a yellow Studebaker." "But guess who drives a baby blue Olds F-85." "Where's your car, Terry?" "Where's your nice blue F-85?" "It's in the shop." "Busted radiator." "Really?" "Did you bust it on a light pole after you ran down Estelle?" "You trying to protect your dad?" "I'm not in the business of protecting my father." "And I've known for years that Estelle was my sister." "Just can't believe that mother was too blind to see it." "It's a big scandal if folks found out." "Well, my dad was the only one who cared about stuff like that." "That's all he cared about." "He cared you got arrested." "Enough to pull some strings, anyway." "Petty theft, picked up on Kersey Street, charges were mysteriously dropped." "That arrest was crap." "Kersey Street... that's a great place to score, isn't it?" "Let me see your arm." "Just..." "Just let me go." "Junkies need money." "All the time." "Estelle dropped out of Nevada Southern two months ago." "Registrar says she couldn't afford it." "And all the money was withdrawn in cash." "Is that where Estelle's money went, Terry?" "Did you take your sister's tuition?" "No." "Did you break into her apartment?" "I loved her." "I swear I did." "Get it off your chest." "You'll feel better." "I bought Estelle an emerald necklace and a bracelet last Christmas." "I knew what they were worth." "Where are they?" "I pawned them." "Yesterday." "Her jewelry box is on my couch." "This the box?" "You seen these before, Terry?" "Your prints on these?" "No." "Someone was watching her and Paltrey." "Want to bet she was paying to keep it secret?" "These are the officers of your union." "David Cornaro, Michael Daria, Anthony Miotto and Stuart Manz." "We have reason to believe that some of them may be connected to organized crime in Milwaukee." "We also believe that they may be responsible for the bombing of The Tumbleweed." "Anyone seen any of these guys around here?" "We need to get back to work." "This will only take a second." "Why don't you ask Mr. Hayes?" "Mert's too set in his ways." "He thinks things ain't never gonna change." "Well, I saw Mr. Hayes with someone from the union just before the bombing." "Mr. Hayes seemed really scared." "One of these guys?" "Are you sure you're okay?" "A cigar and a scotch, and I'll be fine." "Vinny." "Dad." "Hi, honey." "Hi." "Sorry to hear you're under the weather." "Johnny." "Welcome back." "I was in Los Angeles handling something for Angelo when I heard." "The punks are going wild out here." "I also heard you made a move on The Tumbleweed." "Had to." "To protect the Savoy." "You made a move on The Tumbleweed to protect the Savoy?" "If I didn't, five years from now, the Savoy would be The Tumbleweed." "Passed over and tapped out." "We get a foothold now, we can control the way this town grows." "Angelo give you his okay?" "No, but I wasn't hiding anything, Johnny." "You found out." "I was gonna tell him when it was all wrapped up." "What does Angelo care about how I put it together, as long as it's a great deal and Chicago gets its taste?" ""A great deal"?" "You think he cares?" "You made a move against Angelo." "Who says you were gonna tell him?" "You got caught in the cookie jar, Vinny." "There's always ten percent of that cookie jar waiting for you, Johnny." "Ten percent?" "How about I take half your cut on The Tumbleweed?" "That sounds good, right?" "After all, I'm not an animal." "And Angelo?" "Let me worry about Angelo." "And what about Cornaro?" "You're the businessman." "You figure it out." "Here's the thing I don't get about the blackmail..." "Estelle gave up her college education to protect this secret." "But why would she care if people knew her father's white?" "Her father cared." "She was protecting him." "All right." "See this photo of Estelle and her father?" "So I took it to the camera store there on the back." "Guess what." "What?" "They had the original negative." "The killer caught herself in the side mirror." "She had to crop herself out." "Herself?" "It may not be your best side, but it's a pretty good picture all the same." "A lot of people probably don't think a maid could be as smart as you are." "Figuring out Estelle's secret the way you did." " What secret?" " That she had a rich daddy paying her tuition." "Who happened to be white." "Estelle said he was paying her tuition, is all." "She didn't say who he was." "So you followed her, took a photo of the two of them together just to find out who he was." " That doesn't mean anything." " Well..." "It meant a lot to your bank account." "'Cause," "See that?" "That?" "That?" "Where did all that money come from?" "Work." "Well, if maids got paid like that, there'd be no talk of a strike." "How did it work?" "I mean, you see Estelle with Paltrey, and you figure that he's the one that's paying her tuition." "And then you look into it a little deeper, and you find out, hey, this guy really is loaded." "That couldn't make you feel none too good." "Here's your friend, she's got a rich white daddy while you're barely getting by making 20 bucks a week, picking up people's wet towels off the floor every day." "She was a dirty little liar." "She said we were in this together." "All of that union stuff, she just couldn't shut up." "Talking about how we needed to be strong and make sacrifices." "What sacrifices was she making?" "Well, that wasn't fair." "No, you're damn right it wasn't." "Folks are getting rich every day, and all they got to do is pull a lever on a machine." "And what about me?" "Am I gonna be scrubbing toilets for the rest of my life while Estelle is just all set up by her rich old man?" "Hell, I got her the job at The Tumbleweed!" "It sounds to me like you just wanted to do what was right." "Hell, yes." "And she should have paid." "But she started talking about how she was gonna send me to jail." "So you ran her down in your blue Dodge." "Well..." "Her daddy can't help her anymore, can he?" "One for the state?" "All wrapped up with a signed confession." "I need something new to keep me busy." "Looks like Cornaro is behind The Tumbleweed bombing, but he isn't in his house or the union hall." "And he was last seen with Vincent Savino." "Two legitimate businessmen." "Why don't we just let them work it out?" "Really?" "We'll keep looking." "Guys like that, they have a tendency to turn up, one way or the other." "If you're busy, I can," "No." "Come." "Our winnings have been down all week from the slots." "I need to tighten them up." "Your call." "I'm, sorry about my dad dropping in." "If I'd have known, I would've given you a heads-up." "It worked out for the best." "It looks like The Tumbleweed will be ours." "Congratulations." "Thanks." "The mormon banker actually invited my wife and I to the country club." "To be a fly on that wall." "It must not be easy, trying things your way." "The old way was never easy, either." "Sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward." "What time is it?" "Almost 4:00." "Do you have an appointment?" "Nah." "Just lost track." "♪ How lucky can one guy be?" "♪ I kissed her and she kissed me ♪" "♪ Like the fella once said" "♪ Ain't that a kick in the head?" "♪" "♪ The room was completely black ♪" "♪ I hugged her and she hugged back ♪" "♪ Like the sailor said, quote... ♪" "Make sure you bury them good." "I don't want any guest appearances." "You got it." "Just went up to the north 40." "There's a big old well put in there." "Yeah." "Pumping pretty good, too." "And cost three times as much." "Why didn't you just build the damn thing right there?" "'Cause I didn't want to." "What's it matter?" "That's my point exactly." "Why not just put it where I wanted?" "Maybe I like the view." "You make the rules." "We all got to just take it." "Tough day?" "Can I give that work card back?" "No refunds." "Sorry." "Don't suppose you'd care to have dinner tonight with me." "I'm sorry." "I already have plans." "Nice." "No problem." "Miss Rizzo." "Deputy." "The district attorney offered to, show me around town." "Can you believe she's never seen the Hoover Dam?" "Shall we?" "Good night." "♪ I'll never believe it ♪" "♪ No, no" "♪ I'll never believe it ♪" "♪ I'll never believe" "♪ She'd make me cry" "♪ I'll never believe" "♪ She'd tell a lie" "♪ No, no ♪ I'll never believe it ♪" "♪ No, no, no" "♪ I can't believe it ♪" "♪ No, no" "♪ I can't believe it... ♪"