"NARRATOR:" "That was the scene in California 's Mojave Desert, five years ago." "Our historic first view of the Newcomers' ship." "Theirs was a slave ship, carrying a quarter-million beings... bred to adapt and labor in any environment." "But they've washed ashore on Earth... with no way to get back to where they came from." "And in the last five years, the Newcomers have become the latest addition... to the population of Los Angeles." "Gee, Sikes, if I'd have known you had money... I would have taken your marriage proposals much more serious." "Matthew proposed to you?" "Only in her dreams." "Come on, Sikes, I've known you what, five years?" "The only resort you could ever afford was bank account falls." "Hey, the trip's free, I won it." "He cheated." "I was in the right place at the right time." "I won it fair and square." "Claiming Leo Bavaqua's prize is hardly "fair and square."" "Leo Bavaqua?" "Yeah, the guy who used to live in my apartment." "Big deal. lt was still my address." "But it said "Leo Bavaqua."" "Look, he didn't leave a forwarding address, I figure old Leo wants me to have it." "Hey, Leo's better off." "I've been to Honolulu, Sikes, I know." "Okay, while you're stuck partnering with Honest Abe... I'll be fancy-free in Waikiki." "MATT: [Singing] Aloha...." "Hello." "Lois, I thought ghouls only came out at night." "They put you on day, didn't they?" "Hi. I'm Lois Allen." "Zepeda." "She just made detective." "Guess they lowered the standards." "She'll be working with George on this one while I'm gone." "MATT:" "What do we got?" "LOlS:" "In a word, bizarre." "LOlS:" "The head wound is the culprit, it looks like a .38." "It was pinned to the body." "It's written on a medical prescription form." "It's a real piece of literature." ""Take two aspirin and call me in hell."" "GEORGE:" "Do you think she was killed here?" "That's my guess, and not long ago." "I'll have the results to you tomorrow." "Don't look now, but there's the two-headed-baby reporter." "I hate that guy." "And the rag he works for." "Anything good happen over here?" "He makes all cops sound like clowns." "Surprised to see you here, Burns." "Didn't know slime could run uphill." "What's this I hear about a psychotic note?" "Must have been reading your own paper." "How about a little peek?" "Wrong." "Come on, Sikes, don't be a stickler." "Rules are meant to be broken." "Funny, that's what I think about your neck." "What's this here?" "Real mature, Sikes." "SUSAN:" "How's it going?" "GEORGE:" "All right." "SUSAN:" "How's it going?" "GEORGE:" "All right." "Mom, can I go to the mall with Cyndy after school on Thursday?" "I don't see why not, as long as you've done all your chores." "Great." "The new leather store, it's giving away friendship bracelets." "Buck, it must be sturdy." "I think this sporot could hold a dozen zepno players... carrying full neelexea." "Let alone little Vessna in a half-hour ceremony." "Buck, you better take her off the oscillator, she's had plenty today." "You will have a great moocteebuti." "I tried to explain to my teacher about the ceremony." "She said it sounded like what humans call a christening." "It is, except moocteebuti not only embraces... the new life into the arms of Andarko and Celine... but into the hearts of the family, too." "Albert, thank you for coming over this evening." "Trying to plan the ceremony with our schedules has been very difficult." "Watching the young one being embraced into the family... is one of the good things of being a Binnaum." "Now, the gifts that you give her are symbolic... of what you are responsible for teaching her." "I should have the vessel of Celine ready for the gift offerings." "What did you each choose?" "l picked tradition." "l have chosen love." "l've chosen spirituality... which leaves the gift of honor to you, Em." "Emily, do you understand your responsibility?" "l guess." "Em, this is tradition." "Don't guess, know." "GEORGE:" "Buck." "If you follow what the writings of Celine tell us to do..." "Vessna will enjoy good health." "Don't worry, Albert, we'll all follow the rules." "Remember, by sundown on the days leading up to the ceremony... everyone takes a turn putting a gift of their love... into the vessel of Celine." "It's very important." "Macadamia nuts, Zepeda?" "Yeah, Sikes, about the size of your brain." "Like that." "ZEPEDA:" "Break them open." "Come on." "MATT:" "I'll pass the honors." "George?" "[All laughing]" "This is comedy, yes?" "Funny, huh?" "Oh, yes." "Matt, I...." "For you." "What's this, a pet rock?" "You do know funny." "No, Matthew, it's a Tenctonese journey stone." "It's supposed to bring good fortune to the traveler." "Thanks, George, I'll get it a tan." "All right, people, enough frivolity." "Let's all get back to work." "Yeah, you're right, Bry, party's over." "Boot." "Listen, you guys." "Hey, thanks a lot." "This means a lot to me, I'm deeply and profoundly moved." "While I'm in Hawaii, I won't be thinking of you at all." "The coroner's report?" "Yesterday's victim." "She was a school teacher from Pasadena." "Gunshot wound was the cause of death... there was also a large amount of sodium pentothal... injected into her system." "ZEPEDA:" "Sodium pentothal, that's bizarre." "What is it, Matt?" "Nothing." "Sodium pentothal is an anesthetic." "It's also used as a truth serum, as well." "ZEPEDA:" "Yeah." "Hi, Albert." "Hello." "What do you suppose they're talking about in there?" "Wouldn't have anything to do with the killer's note, would it?" "I don't know." "What, are you forgetting your civics class?" "I'm the press. I represent the people." "The people have a right to know." "That's true, but the last time" "Yeah, but look, have one of these on me." "Sometimes... we react badly to tobacco." "These are mild." "Go ahead." "Like this." "Yeah." "These health nuts can drive you crazy, huh?" "A man enjoys a good cigarette every now and then." "Especially after you-know-what." "Albert, just between you and me, where are they keeping that note?" "What?" "Albert?" "Albert, you all right?" "l'm fine." "I don't think I'll have any more." "officer:" "There you go." "[Camera clicking]" "George and Zepeda can track the victim." "You know, history, relationships, personal stuff." "I'll work from the killer's side... where the sodium pentothal could've been bought" "Sikes, what about Hawaii?" "lt's not going anywhere." "This is too important, I want in." "Matthew, Beatrice and I are perfectly prepared to handle this case." "You should have your vacation." "l will, George, when this is done." "Reservations are made to be broken, right?" "Okay, Sikes, it's your life." "I thought you were looking forward to your vacation, Matthew." "Or has your guilty conscience finally caught up with you?" "I don't wanna leave you guys in the lurch." "The lurch?" "l don't get you, Sikes." "I mean, whatever happened to cold beer and warm ocean breezes?" "Zepeda, you walked the beat for 10 years." "Since when've you got something against an honest day's work?" "Look, I'm sorry." "I gotta check some things out." "I'll see you later." "How the hell did Burns get this note?" "GEORGE:" "We don't know." ""Doctor of Death."" "He's given the nutcase a reputation to live up to." "What do you mean?" "Look at all the other butchers we've had in LA." "They love to play the part." "The Hillside Strangler, The Night Stalker, the Skid Row Slasher." "Even one of your own, George." "The Slagtown Slaughterer, remember?" "l will never forget it." "Neither will I, George." "We can't be sure this Doctor of Death will kill again." "We can't be sure he won't, either." "Someone claiming to be the Doctor of Death just gave me... an address where we could find his latest patient." "Anybody here?" "It's me, Burns." "I got your message." "[Burns gasps]" "That'll be fine." "Thanks for all your help, Officer." "Just wait here." ""There is truth in death."" "He's following the Gospel According to Burns." "Look how he signed it:" ""The Doctor of Death."" "We're dealing with a very dangerous mind." "Which one, the killer's or Burns'?" "Don't take this the wrong way, Sikes... but it doesn't look like you can leave for Hawaii soon enough." "Any pertinent findings, Dr. Allen?" "I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, gentlemen, but I'm afraid... we definitely have a multiple killer on our hands." "Are we certain it's not a copycat?" "Very." "Both victims were injected with large doses of sodium pentothal... with identical hypodermic needles." "And after further testing... I also found the presence of identical cellulose fibers... near the point of injection." "Other than that, both bodies are clean." "I'm afraid that's all I have for you now." "Thank you, Lois." "Let's have sid run some tests on those fibers." "See if we can track them down." "There's gotta be a lead in there somewhere." "Sell many papers this morning, Burns?" "What do you care, Sikes?" "They're for people who read." "He tipped you off, didn't he?" "That psycho told you where the body would be." "As a member of the fourth estate... I'm not allowed to divulge any information about my sources." "l got a source for you." "Matthew." "I didn't do nothing wrong." "Yeah, you took evidence from a police investigation." "I took a picture." "The people got a right to know." "I was just doing my job." "Yeah, well, the job you're doing is egging on a nutcase." "And it's my job to stop him." "Guess that kind of puts us on different sides of the fence, don't it?" "Doesn't this look like a fun bunch?" "While we're young, Zepeda." "All right, look, maybe something, maybe nothing." "But this woman just called." "She just read Burns' story... and it sparked her on something she saw." "I guess she saw a strange truck parked where victim number two was found." "They get a plate?" "Yeah. lt's a stolen truck, registered to a Star Tool  Die company." "Let's go." "See, Sikes?" "What I do is good for you guys." "Maybe we are on the same side of the fence, after all." "Sorry about the hard hat, but rules is rules." "I'm just following direction." "Mr. Groves, I've been directed to ask you about one of your workers, Brian Knott." "He don't follow direction." "And he took my truck." "Anyway, he's been working here, if you wanna call it that... about two weeks, delivery stuff." "But he ain't showed up for work in the last four days." "No call, no nothing?" "Got no phone, is my bet." "I'm telling you, Knott is as odd as a three-legged duck." "Spooky, I'd say." "And, like I said, he's got one of my trucks." "I filed a complaint." "You got any word on that?" "There is an APB out on it." "If it's found, you'll be notified." "Do you know where this man lives?" "I dug out his employment history, what little there is." "Never did give an address, though." "What does this Brian Knott look like?" "About 35, I'd say." "Not short, not tall... blond hair, blue eyes." "Course, his are kind of crazy." "Does he have any distinguishing marks, like maybe a scar?" "Yeah, he has a scar over his right eyebrow." "You find him." "Get my truck back." "Don't worry, we'll find him." "Matt, when you asked about the scar, it was as if you knew he had one." "A lot of people have scars, George." "Yes, Matt, but what I mean is" "Look, I've been a cop a lot longer than you have." "I may not have the alien senses, but I've got instincts of my own." "This is kind of dumb." "I mean, I can't even think of a gift... to put in the vessel for Vessna's moocteebuti." "According to the writings of Celine, Em, listen to your hearts... then physicalize that emotion with something symbolic." "What does that mean?" "It means what it means." "Thanks a lot, Buck." "Just remember, Em, sundown is your deadline." "[Knocking on door]" "Cyndy." "Hi." "My mom's waiting in the car to take us to the mall." "Are you ready?" "How are you, Cyndy?" "Fine, thanks." "They're gonna give out all the friendship bracelets, if we don't go now." "Can I go, Mom?" "Have you done all your chores?" "Everything you were supposed to do?" "Yeah, Mom, I've done everything." "Come on, Em." "Well, then, have fun, as long as you're home by 8:00." "But, Mom, l-- -lt's a school night." "Thanks." "Bogus, the guy's employment records." "It's a dry hole." "And I'm having no luck connecting the two victims." "The woman is a teacher from Pasadena." "The man, a carpenter from Orange." "Keep digging." "There's gotta be something." "Something?" "I got 12 hours of nothing, but I did trace the prescription pad... the doctor used to make his notes up to Edmonton, Canada." "But, you see, the Mounties have to get back to me... with those sodium pentothal similars." "Then run it in the national computers." "Run it through Interpol." "Tomorrow, Sikes. I'm cooked." "Great." "The guy's leaving a trail of bodies, and you're tired?" "It's late. I have to get home to Vessna." "We'll make a fresh start in the morning." "You look as though you could use some rest as well, Matt." "l'm fine." "Matt, what's wrong?" "Nothing." "Ever since you cancelled your trip to Hawaii... you've become very distant." "Now, I may not have been a cop as long as you... but it doesn't take a Sherwood Holmes to realize something's troubling you." "What's troubling me, Sherlock... is there's a psycho out there killing people." "Now, if you guys wanna go home, go home." "l'm gonna stop him." "Matt." "Goodbye, George." "[Machine beeping erratically]" "WOMAN: [Voiceover] Please, don't." "[Sobbing] No!" "MAN: [Voiceover] Looks like you're the one who's gonna drop it." "Or I drop her." "WOMAN: [Sobbing] God, help me." "Please!" "MATT: [Voiceover] Let her go!" "MAN:" "Come on, hero." "Toss it away." "We all walk out of here, nice-like." "MATT: [Voiceover] No deal." "MAN:" "Come on, cop." "You shoot me..." "MAN: and I even jerk, she's dead." "WOMAN:" "No!" "MAN:" "Now, toss it away!" "MAN: [Echoing] What's it gonna be?" "[Phone ringing]" "Yeah, this is Burns." "Hi, Headline, what's news?" "Who's this?" "l'm insulted you had to ask." "I'm the one that sent you the address that got you an exclusive." "It's the Doctor." "How'd you get my number?" "Well, that doesn't matter." "What does matter is what I've got planned for tonight." "If you thought the last one was good, be at the corner of 1 1th and Hill... 9:00 p.m." "Point your camera north." "You might just wind up with a prizewinner." "Yeah, I hear you." "Why" "[Dial tone ringing]" "[Man grunting]" "[Man screaming]" "No, I'm not saying I ain't interested." "I'm just saying I got better offers for the exclusive movie and TV rights." "[Knocking on door]" "Yeah, whoever it is, just leave it outside. I'm on the horn." "Yeah, so what've you got to offer me to make me more interested?" "Sikes." "What are you, crazy?" "You're the expert on crazy, Burns." "l'm on the phone." "Get lost." "You were on the phone, now you're under arrest." "Arrest?" "You are nuts." "You think I'm nuts, Burns?" "Come on, Sikes... you think I'm as nuts as your buddy, Doctor Death?" "'Cause he'd pull the trigger." "You're gonna hear from my lawyer." "Yeah?" "Good." "Maybe he can explain how you can let an innocent man die... so you can sell more papers." "Man, I didn't know this was gonna happen." "You knew something was gonna happen." "You were there with a camera." "You could have stopped it." "What could I have done?" "You could have called." "You could have done something, anything." "But you took pictures." "Like I told you, I got a right to report the news." "Yeah, you're not reporting it anymore, pal, you're creating it." "You're a participant." "And you're under arrest for accessory to murder." "Man, come on, you can't do this to me." "Let me go." "Let him go." "You heard me, Sikes, let him go." "Come on, Grazer." "Look, I know what he did." "But there's a thing in this country called a constitution." "Yeah." "And, unfortunately, it gives him the right." "Yeah, I got an obligation to the public." "What about your obligation as a human being, slime?" "Sikes, Burns' paper, if you can call it that... just marched an army of lawyers into the commissioner's office." "Matthew." "The call to release Burns is his, not mine." "I don't give a damn what the commissioner says." "Another innocent victim is dead... and I'm not gonna let him fuel the fire anymore." "Book him." "Get out of here, Burns." "What?" "You heard me." "It's about time." "You better get new locks on your doors, Burns... 'cause whether you know it or not, you and the Doc are in bed now." "GEORGE:" "Matthew." "MATT:" "You're his eyes, his ears." "Every time he kills, you're right there with him." "With the printed words." "Sikes, that's enough." "With the printed words." "Sikes, that's enough." "Don't be surprised if that army of lawyers returns to the front." "This time with a lawsuit." "Sikes, I need to see you in my office." "Look, we know this guy's a random killer, there's no predicting it." "So, the way to nail him is to trail his bait." "Burns." "l doubt Burns will cooperate." "The hell with cooperation." "We tap his phone, we read his mail, we watch his every move." "Sooner or later, the Doctor's gonna make a house call." "You know as well as I do that with all the recent press harassment cases... the warrants will be impossible to get." "To hell with the warrants!" "Do we wanna nail this guy, or don't we?" "There's a flight leaving for Honolulu within the hour." "l'm booking you on it." "So you're a travel agent now?" "Francisco will drive you to the airport." "What?" "We've settled this all without me?" "Matt, we thought it best." "Look, I can't go." "This case" "This case will be handled by Francisco and Zepeda, as originally planned." "You need the R and R. -l feel fine." "Matt, look at yourself." "Sikes." "Matt, I know we hardly ever see eye to eye... but trust me on this one." "A few days in Hawaii would do you a world of good." "You've been worrying around the clock for days." "ZEPEDA:" "You're a good cop, Sikes, but we all get toasted." "Maybe you guys are right." "BUCK:" "These fumes aren't helping much, Mom." "Vessna's still wheezing." "SUSAN:" "Chop the pine needles finer... the tar mustn't be viscous enough." "This old Tenctonese remedy should work." "BUCK:" "I'm so glad you came home, Mom." "I mean, Vessna was breathing fine this morning." "l don't know what could have caused this." "l've never seen this before... but this is the first baby we've had on this planet. lt could be anything." "[Vessna crying]" "Hey, spaceman, did you get Sikes off?" "Yes, I put him on the bullet plane about an hour ago." "He should be there by now." "Sleema." "I do hope he has fun." "I've never seen him look so troubled before." "ZEPEDA:" "Sikes' desk is a regular junk-food store." "You still worried about Sikes, spaceman?" "Forget it." "By now, he's fancy-free in Waikiki." "officer: [Voiceover] Sikes, I'm hit!" "I'm hit!" "I'm all right, man, I'm all right." "He's gone upstairs, call for backup." "There's no time, he's mine." "Sikes!" "WOMAN: [Sobbing] Please!" "Please, don't!" "Drop it, police!" "No!" "DOCTOR:" "Looks like you're the one who's gonna drop it." "Or I drop her." "God, help me." "Please." "Let her go!" "Come on, hero." "Toss it away." "We all walk out of here, nice-like." "No deal." "You shoot me, and I even jerk, she's dead." "Now, toss it away!" "What's it gonna be?" "Okay." "Let her go." "No!" "[Machine beeping]" "[Phone ringing]" "WOMAN:" "Cloverleaf Liquor." "Yeah, this is Burns, over in Redondo." "Yeah, Mr. Burns, what can I do for you?" "BURNS:" "Yeah, would you send me up the usual?" "A fifth of generic scotch and a tuna sandwich." "But his plane landed two hours ago." "He should have checked in by now." "Yes, please check again. I'll hold." "We're still coming up empty on that APB on the pickup." "But listen to this, spaceman." "sid ran a check on those cellulose fibers found on the guy that did the swan dive." "Same kind used in newsprint back in the '80s." "Only five places in the city used it." "I'll check on it." "Hey." "The best info comes from Edmonton, Canada." "Ten years ago, they had a similar string of murders." "So I ran that and all our information through Interpol... for the last eight years, that same guy has been... in a half dozen cities between Glasgow and Perth." "And sodium pentothal was in each of the victim's bodies?" "Yep, in each case." "Yes, I'm still here." "Thank you for your help." "What?" "Matthew never went to Hawaii." "[Phone ringing]" "This is Burns." "Hey, Headline, we're looking good." "DOCTOR:" "You know, I've been thinking... what we need now is an up-close-and-personal." "Up-close-and-personal?" "Yeah, you know, Headline, one of those..." ""You've seen his work, now meet the man..."" "kind of profile." "DOCTOR:" "An exclusive interview, just you and me, tonight." "Sure." "9:00 p.m. South dome." "The old McClure building." "Gotcha !" "I'm Burns." "Relax, Headline." "We're partners, you and me." "I've been listening to the ship's horns calling me in the night." "It's time to move on." "DOCTOR:" "But I wanted my mission to be known before I went." "BURNS:" "Yeah." "What is your mission?" "This world is sickened." "So shots of sodium pentothal gonna cure this?" "I'm a messenger, and my medicine is the truth." "You're killing people." "Exactly!" "DOCTOR:" "This life is a lie, and the only way to escape the lie... is to reach that eternal truth which is death." "And I help people to find that truth." "Yeah?" "How do you know this truth?" "By tasting death, I live life." "I help people to find the truth." "And it's your mission to help me spread the truth before I go." "[Cans rattling]" "l trusted you." "l didn't do it!" "I didn't do it!" "Freeze, police!" "[Matt grunts]" "[Matt groans]" "She's breathing much more easily now." "She'll be fine." "Our love protects her." "Emily." "What are you doing up?" "It's my fault. lt's my fault she's sick." "Emily?" "I lied. I didn't keep my word to Celine." "I didn't put my offering in the vessel... and now she's punishing me by cursing Vessna with sickness." "You didn't give your offering?" "Emily." "I know how hard it must be for you to come to us with this." "We appreciate your honesty, Em." "But I lied to Celine." "Celine is all-forgiving." "I am sure she will look upon your words in the same light as well." "Emily... the moocteebuti ritual is a way for all of us... not just Vessna, to learn about life's passages." "The vessel is symbolic of that learning." "By giving Vessna love, we get love in return." "I think... that if you give Vessna an offering from your hearts... it will make her very happy." "[Doorbell ringing]" "Dad." "l'll get it." "Matthew." "I blew it, man." "I had him, and I blew it." "And now he's got Burns." "I blew it." "Checking up on me?" "l needed to know why." "Matthew Sikes." "Breaks the cardinal cop rule, puts his weapon down... gives it up... and what does he get?" "A killer gets away, and every person who's died since can thank me for it." "You got to stop blaming yourself." "Yeah, right." "lt was not your fault." "Tell that to his victims." "Tell that to a 22-year-old nurse I watched die." "Her name was Adell..." "Adell Alynn Addison." "She grew up in Long Beach... always wanted to be a nurse... wanted to help people." "She... always brought daisies to her patients." "Made them feel better." "She would have been 30 this June 21 ." "That's the longest day of the year, June 21, it's.... lt's the longest day." "You were a young cop." "You made a mistake." "You've got to forgive yourself or you'll never make up for it." "I'm not a young cop anymore... and I blew it tonight." "He got away again, and now he's leaving town." "Then let's go stop him." "Find him." "Do you think he's killed Burns?" "No." "The nutcase thinks Burns printing his words to the world... is part of his mission in this life or some kind of garbage." "He ain't gonna hurt him till that word gets printed." "Damn it, George, the answer's got to be right here." "All right." "We know he's killed in Canada and Australia... all over the world." "And now he's back in LA." "The only trail he's left is the sodium pentothal." "So random." "What about the cellulose fibers found on all the victims?" "They're from newsprint." "Zepeda's narrowed down the locations where that fiber can be found." "Here, see?" "There are five places in the city, in all." "Unfortunately, they're too spread out for the two of us to check." "The Valley, the wharf." "What?" "Maybe he did leave a trail." "He said he heard sounds of ship horns." "The water." "Harbor Gazette, it's abandoned." "It's the only one even close to the water." "It's all we got." "Bingo." "Matt." "Let's go." "Wait." "This is 1-William-1-52." "Request backup at the old Harbor Gazette building... 3275 Dock Point Road, possible 1-55-P in progress." "Now, let's go." "MATT:" "I can't see a thing." "GEORGE:" "Take my hand." "MATT: [Whispering] Watch for jingle wire." "GEORGE: [Whispering] Right." "I'm okay." "Matt." "Time is right for the word to be spread." "I...." "l need my own typewriter, you understand." "l understand only the word." "l want your word to get out, too." "But I gotta do it in the newsroom..." "or my editor, he's not" "Type!" "He's not gonna publish it." "He's gonna publish it." "If I have to tape it on your chest and blow your brains out... he's gonna publish it." "Okay, Headline... where shall we start?" "I'll flush him out." "You go get Burns." "The voiceless one first spoke to me as a child." "He told me the truth and he told me to spread it." "[Banging]" "Keep typing." "Get out the back door and down the stairs now!" "Move and you're dead." "Drop it." "We meet again." "We meet again." "The circle is complete." "You looked better in uniform." "lt's all over this time." "l'm out of here or he learns the truth." "Drop the gun." "l've seen how you keep your word." "Drop the gun." "If you shoot me, hero, and I even jerk, he's dead." "Now drop the gun. I said drop it!" "Maybe you won't jerk." "[Grunts]" "[Police sirens wailing]" "It's all over." "MATT:" "Call the coroner." "officer:" "I'll call it in." "I'm sorry." "It's all right." "He would've killed you." "I knew you wouldn't let him." "In your life, I shall be the one who teaches you... about loving others, as you love your universe." "In your life, I shall be the one who teaches you... about the journey and sacrifice of Andarko and Celine." "In your life, I shall be the one who teaches you... of your past as a Tenctonese." "In your life, I shall be the one who teaches you... the importance of being honest." "Milo." "Vessna, in your life... I'll be the one who teaches you how special your father is." "In your life, we shall love and teach you."