"It's him." "Put me on speaker." "You did well." "Three go-getters." "But it's not over just yet." " That the bad news?" "No." "Mother, father, two boys." "Nice people who just ingested enough Zanafin to kill them by sundown." "That would be the bad news." "The good news is you can save them by doing something totally legal." "A Serbian named Anton Grol with a nice long criminal jacket in a rainbow of languages will be sneaking into the country in about 90 minutes." "Pick him up." "Better get dressed." "The case he just dropped, open it." "Got it." "Welcome to the United States." "Life here is gonna suck." "Alrighty." "Since I'm the one who knows this without looking you have the right to remain silent." "You do speak English, right?" "I don't wanna go through this whole thing and have you say, "I no understand. "" "Kiss my ass." "How was that?" "Excellent." "Ugh." "How was that?" "Tell me what you see." "I've got a laptop, uh, two canisters and three metal disks with timers." "Close it and take it." " Have right to an attorney." " Let's go." "If you do not have one, one will be provided for you." "Do you understand these rights?" "The family's name is Kogan." "1442 Greenwood Drive." " Van, Kogan, 1442 Greenwood Drive." "Got it." "Studio City, California." "I don't have the zip handy." "Dr. Grant, it's Van." "We got the name of the family:" "Kogan." "1442 Greenwood Drive." "Tell the hospital to keep a few more ambulances on deck today." "I dosed two more families." "You son of a bitch." "You're gonna wanna take two steps to your left." " What?" "Now." "Thank you." "What's going on?" "Relax." "It's over now." " Shot came from that way." " No, guys, don't." "Whoa." "Whoa." "Control them, please." "Don't move, all right?" "Stand down." "Rambunctious, aren't they?" "Maybe it's time for their nap." "Okay, call in the shooting." "Keep it vague." "Made an arrest from the tip." "You never saw the gunman, blah, blah, blah." "And don't lose the case." "Or two very nice families die, Wilhemina." "I know it's you, Nick." "You think you're gonna hide forever?" "Huh?" "You still scared of me?" "I guess you're still that scary, baby." "Masks, gas bombs." "Yeah, I'm sure this is all gonna work out fine." "Let's get our heads into this." "It's just a job, all right?" "That's all." "Nick is the mark." "We play the mark by staying close." "We pretend we're going along, we wait for our opening, and pow!" "Okay?" "You feel me?" "One big difference." "This mark is in total control of everything." "Why you gotta only see the downside, dog?" "We're trying to fire up here." "I don't know." "Maybe it's the near-death experience I just had." "I mean, that could darken a guy's outlook on things, don't you think?" "Van, it's a new day." "Be a new Van." "Do you have any idea the headache you get from almost flatlining?" "I'm not kidding." "Worse than Jägermeister hangover." "Nothing's worse than a Jägermeister hangover." " Well, it's close." " The Kogans?" "They all had Zanafin in their system." "Same dosage as you." " Great." "They're gonna be okay." "They're being treated now." "Haven't shown symptoms yet." "Why can't we just get this on the news, on TV?" "No." "I mean, we'd have one million people with headaches and two million people with stomachaches." "By the time we found the real victims, they'd be rioting in every ER in the county." "She's right." "We have to find those families." " How's the guy's number on McKussick?" " Not enough." " How about Hill?" " What about Hill?" " You had to know it was coming." " Ah, No." "Come on." "Between the jailbreak and the shootout, you guys blazed quite a trail." "Here's what worries me." "Hill is putting his charges together very, very slowly." "And this time, he's not rushing in here with a SWAT team until he has every incriminating fact locked down." "Did, uh?" "Did she identify herself?" "No, sir." "Well, sort of." "She showed me a badge..." "And then she stole your patrol vehicle." "Ouch." "That's gotta hurt." "Be good for a couple towel snaps in the locker room, though." "Yeah." " Well, I got it back." " That's worse." "Yesterday afternoon at Santa Monica Airport escaped prisoner Vincent Jax died from a 9-mm gunshot wound to his chest." "Twenty-one minutes later, British national Eldon Chuzzle, a. k. a." "Cali died from a 12-gauge shotgun wound to same." "This morning at the L.A. Train yard, Serbian fugitive Anton Grol was shot and killed with a single 223-caliber rifle bullet to his heart." "All three at the time of their death were in the custody or presence of one Lieutenant Wilhemina Chambers." "Note to self for possible quip while arresting Miss Chambers:" "Hey, honey, that's a big body count for a little lady." "Maybe it's time for some hormone-replacement therapy." "Mark above for possible punch up." "Okay, we broke the law." "We broke 50 of them." "And we'll answer to all of them." " But please, just try and keep Hill away." " He doesn't report to me, you know that." "Look, Bob, there are two people on this planet who know exactly how dangerous Nick McKussick is." "That is you and me." "We're the ones who created him." "We're the ones who let him get away." "And those two families?" "Whatever happens to them, it's our responsibility." "I want him too, Billie." "Bad as you do." "Maybe worse." "Then give me some time and some space." "I need your help, please." "I'll do what I can." "Thank you." " So Parish has history with this guy too." " Oh, yeah." "Then it's time we get the 411 on Nick, Billie." "I know." "I met him two years ago off a theory, I talked to Parish into backing that there are some crooks high up on the food chain, no cop could catch them." "The only way to catch these guys is to get one of their own to roll." "Nick, he was perfect." "His psych evaluations were very encouraging." " Every IQ test he took was off the charts." "Wait." "I didn't have to take an IQ test." "Did you have to?" "No." "Bring it anytime, I crush on tests." "I'm smart." "I just don't test well." "Believe me, I know." "And believe me, it's one of the reasons why you're here." "Because the way it turned out five weeks of testing, talking and reviewing I didn't know him at all." "I saw what he wanted me to see:" "A very bright, eager career criminal looking for a new life." "We made three high-level busts." "Every one, it was like clockwork." "Then he brought me a former associate." "Some dealer he was willing to flip." "He said he was a little paranoid, said we should go in alone." "Just the two of us." "He tried to waste me." "Everything he did, everything he pretended to be all to boost $4 million of China White." "That part didn't work out for him." "He broke my ribs." "I broke his hand." "He got away." "And all of this, well..." "All of this nearly ended before it even started." "So, what are we thinking?" "This Guy's back to even the score?" "No, he's not." "I don't want you guys to hear this, okay?" "McKussick, he's not crazy." "Whatever this is, I guarantee, he's been planning for a long time." "It's motivated by profit." "I don't know what it is." "I don't have a clue how to deal with it." "Well, ahem, luckily for you, I'm getting my second wind back." " Got mine yesterday." "I'm way into my third." " Did you guys not hear me?" "I don't know what to do." " I don't have a plan, I don't have an idea." " I got an idea." "See?" "My man Deaq, he's got an idea." "Hit her." "I take the IQ test." "Ahem." "Well, that idea sucked." "Still, it was an idea, right?" "Don't listen to him." "My scores would kill that OG of yours." "Make you feel a lot better." "You just did, because no idea is better than that idea, genius." "I was on my way to cheering the room up." " Yeah?" "Wilhemina?" " Hello, Nick." "Shh." " You hear that?" " Hear what?" " Oh, my God." "Aren't you gonna open up?" "He's here." "Wow." "This place hasn't changed a bit." "I'm not armed." "I am a little ticklish, though." " Tell your friends to put down their guns?" " Soon as I put this bullet in your neck." "You know what?" "I have a theory." "I think the poison works slightly faster on children." "You know, the immune systems aren't quite as hardy, smaller bodies." "The youngest was a boy, looked to be about 9." "Remember what it felt like when it first hit, Van?" "He's probably flat on his back right now." "And he has no idea he's about to die." "Unh." " Van." "Do it." "Go ahead." "The only way you get a name is in tomorrow's obit." "You don't believe me?" "Ask your boss." "She knows." "I want the name of the boy, Nick." "Excuse me?" "You're here, you want something." "Whatever it is, you'll get it." "But first I want the name." "Your voice is shaking." "You keep looking away." "Your palm's sweaty too." "You know, if I would have known that I would have gotten this kind of love I would have come back a whole lot sooner." "You're planning on giving me the name." "Hmm." "Hmm." "That's why you brought it up." "It will make us trust you more, make us work harder for you." "Don't look so surprised, Nick." "You learned that here." "From me, remember?" "Go ahead." "Feel." "Family name is Danko." "The boy's Stevie." "What we seize we keep." "What we keep we use." "Business is booming." "You hung on to this." "Birthday present." "I thought you would have tossed it by now." "No." "It's a daily reminder." " Of what?" " Not to trust anybody." " You've changed." " I hope." "You know, back in the day, she was very trusting." "Even a little bit vulnerable." "I don't see that much now, though." "It must be hell on you guys." "What do you want, Nick?" "Do you know that diamonds aren't rare?" "Their price is regulated by a cartel that controls the amount of stones released into the market every year." "Now, imagine a small well-funded group decides to take advantage of that fact." "So over the years, they jack mines, they bribe smugglers, they hit dealers." "So now, this small group controls $6 billion in illegal diamonds." "Six with a B." "So they tell the cartel:" ""Pay us every month or we dump our ice into the market destroy the whole diamond economy. "" "Wow." "It's a tidy little business." "Keeping the world safe for J. Lo's earrings." "Now, I did security for these guys all over the world." "Me and two friends of mine." "Vinnie Jax, alias Jeremy Adler." "Now, the number you worked so hard to get, security code." "Pay attention." "That number is gonna be very important to you." "My other friend?" "Anton Grol." "He had the idea." "Grol, Jax and I, we did all the prep work." "On what?" "What you talking about, man?" "You still have his laptop?" "Hey, buddy, you wanna go fetch it?" "The group controlling the stones are all bankers." "They're based out of Amsterdam." "Now, they keep a set of fakes moving around the world from branch to branch." "Just visible enough to draw attention, well-guarded enough to be safe." "Now, right now, those factory doubles, they're in London." "The real ones?" "Thanks, buddy." "Three thousand four hundred and sixty-one pounds of unregistered illegal diamonds are in a vault in a basement in L. A two miles from here." "Why do you think I'm telling you this?" "Because I need a team that can roll hard take orders, criminal expertise, cop reliability." "You're the best, Billie." "You train the best." "I should know." "Anton Grol spent a year on these bank schematics." "You guys, you might wanna bone up." "This jumps off at 4:30 today." "Happy's coming with me." "Gotta go pick up his laundry." "No, he ain't crazy." "Perfectly normal, that boy." "That's quite a story." "I appreciate you being so candid." "If I could pause for a moment for an observation..." "Please." "Every time I think Billie and the boys have reached the lowest level imaginable they find a basement door." "I do have the facts right, don't I?" "They're currently at the beck and call of a psychopath trained by the Candy Store." "Did you know I keep a journal?" "For my memoirs." "But I write everything down now while it's fresh and happening." "And Captain Parish, you are making quite a hurdle for me for this chapter of my autobiography, because no one will ever believe this sh..." "There are lives on the line, Roland." "Seven, maybe eight hours left to save lives we swore to protect." "If the job's about anything else, let me know." "You want me to stand down until the crime wave goes tsunami?" "No." "I want a lot more than that." "Please tell me you're banging Billie." "Seriously, you're working there a year?" "What?" "You got no thing?" "What are you down there, Ken doll?" "Maybe the lesbo rumors are true, huh?" "What are we doing here?" "Best tuna tartar in the city." "Gotta give it up." "Your boy's plan is tight." "It's clean, fast." "Almost zero risk for him." "Not a move wasted." "When it comes to thinking ahead, I've never seen any like this." "Look in a mirror sometime." "Hmm." "Parish used to say the same thing." "He said Nick and I were like one brain, two bodies and no heart." "Obviously, you had a big impact on the guy." "The way he was walking around here, kicking back your best lines to you:" ""What we seize we keep." "What we keep we use. "" "What else?" "What's he using right now you taught him?" "Economy." "Never waste a move." "And?" "Don't use two moves when one's enough." "He loved that." "He used to say it back to me all the time." "He dosed Van in the club, right?" "The vault is the real problem." "It's on a timed lock, so it can't be drilled, burned or blown." "So a year ago, I recommended Gabriella for a job." "She works at the bank now." "Baby?" "We open the vault every morning at 9 and every afternoon at 4:30." "It only stays open for 20 minutes." "So you cannot be late and you cannot move quickly enough." "Because once the door starts to close, nothing can stop it." " Clear?" " So far." " I'll be watching." " From where?" "A safe distance." "I'm there to see the plan executed." "Any deviation..." "Well, if anyone's familiar with the consequences, it's you." "It's all about timing, control." "I mean, the best layout would be to dose them all at the same time." "Keep going." "You'd have to be there watching, right?" "Three families all at once." "Three families that didn't know each other, didn't live near each other." " Find out if they what?" "Ate out this morning." "Then I want you to call the Kogans and see if they ate out." "I willing to bet it's the same place around 7." "Be careful." "You be safe." "We always say that to each other." "I'll have to remember that." "Next time, I wanna puke on cue." "You know, the love of a good woman, it's a powerful thing." "Hey, look who's here." "You know, it was fun watching you two get close, then unravel." "I felt bad for you, actually." "You know, you got no life, no friends living for that pointless job." "You're the man that Wilhemina tried to turn me into." "You know I could dose her at any time, right?" "So thank you." "Today, tonight." "Two weeks from now." "Why do you think I'm telling you this?" "Because you can." "Very good, Van." "Oh, very good." "I want my reluctance made clear." "Yeah, don't want nobody confusing you with a cop." "Deaq, if you wanna whip out fitness reports, I'm right here." " Where's Dr. Grant?" " Danko house." "Roland." "Ratio of convictions to arrests, citations, pay grade?" " Hey, buddy, add me up." " Adds up to nothing to me." "Why don't you just skip right down to dick size?" "My vote is on Deaq." "If you only knew." "This place is like a Gymboree." "So, what's the move?" "We split up." "I'll talk to the Kogans, you talk to the Danko's." "Copy that." "Hillary." "Mr. McKussick." " They tell me you're checking out." "Yeah." "I'm afraid so." "Well, I have your bill and a letter from the manager thanking you for being such an excellent guest." " Mr. Strummer." " Hey." " You two know each other?" " Yeah." "We go way back, me and Van." " Really?" " Are you surprised?" "You just ugh, seem very different." "Hillary, can I buy you a drink?" "Actually, we are pretty different." "That's a good point." "I look at Nick here, he's in a nice suit, heh, he's very well-mannered." "Me, I mean..." "Hey, hey, hey." "I, uh, constantly find myself hitting people in front of you, which, I don't know maybe you just bring out some kind of "dawn of man" in me ahem, which you probably don't find very attractive, and neither do I." "It's just that I wish I could explain all this..." "Can you hang on one second?" "Don't ever threaten anybody in front of me again." "What are you gonna do, Nick?" "Fire me?" "The vault opens in three hours." "I'm a little hard to replace." "You know why I did that?" "Because I could." "Thank you for a lovely stay, Hillary." "Yeah, yeah, me too." "Uh, I'm gonna be checking out tomorrow." "Put the lunch on my bill." "Put the glass on his." " It's Hill." " Lieutenant Hill, this is Dr. Grant." " Lieutenant Chambers gave me your cell." "Yeah." "I'm over at the Danko's." "I just talked to the parents." "Both families ate at a diner this morning called ZB's over on Tujunga." "I'm on my way." "We can't wait any longer." " We either do this or..." " No discussion." " We do it." " Okay, this is how it's gonna go down." "Four-twenty, I walk through the entrance of the bank." "I'm not gonna be strapped, so I'll go right through the metal detector." "I bring the truck around back." "I'll cover the front." "I set the gas." "Yeah, we get some early birds." "Not so many families." " This morning you had what?" " Uh, I don't know." "Light day, you know?" "I was mostly back in the kitchen, but we had a few in." "Yeah, this guy, he was at the counter." "Sir, what I'm about to ask you is very, very important." "Besides the Dankos and the Kogans, what other families were here this morning?" "And that gee-I-don't-know look in your eye that's not an option." "All right." "Okay, okay." "Stay back, stay back." "Yeah?" " We've got a problem." " What is it?" " Four cops out front." " It wasn't us." " Well, it wasn't me." "Okay, I'll take care of it." "No." "I'm in position." "Just follow the orders." "You unload the vault." "And I'll handle the police." "No, you won't." " Really?" " You shoot, we walk, you hear me?" "And then you can come down here, hold your breath and get the stones yourself." "What's up?" "We got cops." "What are we gonna do?" "I have no idea." "Yes, I understand." "Just move on." " Look, I..." "I'm sorry, ma'am." " Thank God you're here." " What's going on?" "Please do not go in, they gassed the place." " Who?" " It knocked everybody." "People are dropping." "I'm a cop, okay?" "I'm on the job." "It's my day off." "I just went in there to make a deposit." "What do you know?" "The doers, three males with masks." " Left three minutes ago." " Get backup." "Did you hear me?" "The doers are gone, okay?" "What you need to do is get a HAZMAT team and start pulling people out of there." "The rest of you, please, start securing the streets, okay?" "Listen up, everybody, all right?" "We have a very hazardous gas inside." "I need you guys to stay away from the front door, move across the street." "Do you think you're special, lady?" "Move across the street." " We had a glitch." " Cops?" "Of course." "But your Wilhemina took care of it." "As soon as the truck pulls out, I'll signal." "Helicopter's inbound." "It's gonna be quite a sight." "Middle of downtown at rush hour dropping onto Hope Street." "You won't wanna miss it." "So be careful." "Be safe." " Yeah?" "Got them." "Leland Family." " Ambulance is on its way." " Oh, thank God." "Actually, me, which you can do at your arraignment." "Have a nice bust." " Roland came through?" " Roland came through." " Damn, he might be all right." " How you wanna play this?" "I know exactly how." "You're gonna call Nick." "Tell him the ice is rolling." "Got a team to tail the girl." " We get girl after Nick." " Don't you want...?" "Don't ruin the flow." "Check it out, Billie's back." "Yeah, don't ride the cocky monster just yet, but, yes, I'm back." "Okay." "I'm assuming you have a good news." "Diamonds are a girl's best friend." "Hope Street, parking lot between 9th and Olympic, you got 15 minutes." "Let's go." "They took game one of the best-of-seven series with a complete..." "Afterwards, Brian..." " I was listening to that, do you mind?" "Yes, you were." "Now you're not." "I think the whole Hillary thing is pretty much shot." "Van, we just committed our second felony of the day." "We're driving to the showdown with 6 billion in hot bling-bling and you wanna talk about this girl?" "I've got 10 minutes." "Want me to put the radio back on?" "I was in my own zone, okay?" "I wasn't bothering you." "Van, I want you to get your head in the game." "I'm getting my head in the game." "She hates me, dude." "She doesn't hate you." "She don't even know you." "I can't believe you got me talking about this." "No, no, you're right, you're right." "When this is over..." "When this is over, you gonna do the same punk-ass chicken sh... you always do." "Because it's the same punk-ass chicken sh..." "I do, but I don't talk about it." "Okay, you're gonna use your job to avoid any and all shots that you get for real happiness, growth and real intimacy." "Okay, you wanted me to say it, I said it." "Can we not talk about this?" "Trying to get my head in the game." "I'm saving one of these bullets for you." "Just remember that." "Yeah?" "I got good news and bad news." "Which do you wanna hear first?" "Don't play me." "Oh, I'm not playing." "Good news is your diamonds are here." "Bad news is your diamonds are here." "No, I heard it over there." "Here, check it out." "What's up?" "What's up?" "Let's go." "Let's go." "What happened?" "What?" "Oh, my God." "It sparkles, man." " Those are diamonds." "Diamonds, man." "This is Christmas, baby." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Partner, we got ourselves a situation here." "I got an idea, a little diversion, but I need you guys to back me up." " Give me your badge." "Don't make it worse." "Everybody, stop what you're doing right now." " Hey." "Hold it!" "Listen up." "What?" "Uh-huh, that's right." "The man is here, so you know what that means." "One handful per person." "Ha, ha." "You got two minutes, then we shut you down." "Go!" " Now, that was genius." " Thank you." "Aren't we in enough trouble?" "We're in so much trouble, it can't get any worse." "Good point." "Yeah." "Every now and then, this is the best job ever." "Time's up." "That's it." "If you don't have it now, it's a wrap." "Put it down." "I said one handful, not two..." "Good morning, Mr. Strummer." "Good morning, Mr. Strummer." " Ahem." " Good morning, Officer Ray." " What did you just call me?" " Officer Ray." "Did you...?" "Did he...?" "Yeah." " Excuse me for a second." "Sure." "What are you doing, man?" "That's my secret identity." "You can't do that." "You're like Alfred." "You let Kim Basinger into the Batcave." " People hated when he did that." " Tough love is a full-on trip, deal with it." "Get yourself a life, Van, okay?" "Stop playing around." "You quit talking about this girl all the time move your skinny ass to another hotel and commence the dating, player." "Here's your bill." "My number's on the back." "Just, uh, don't get used to the officer thing." "I might not be a cop for much longer." "Let's go, partner." " Any word on Gabriella yet?" " So far, slipped the noose." " Uh-oh." " Great." "Well, well, well, here we all are, and I hardly know where to begin." "Begin with the facts and stick with them." "Lieutenant Hill has been appointed new head of the Candy Store." " What?" " Come on, Captain Parish." "What's up?" "Pending the outcome of the civilian oversight hearing." "In the interim, I have a new assignment for you, lads." "I don't wanna give it away, but here's a hint." "You might wanna get a whistle, and a pair of white gloves and practice going like this." "How about we just stand here till you lay this out for Billie?" " Stand there while I lay him out for Billie." " That's hot." "Don't worry, I know a shortcut to a good hospital." "If the comely lieutenant has a shred of self-preservation right now, she's in a nice jungle in a non-extraditable country." "Excuse me." "Big huge room formerly known as the Candy Store." "I have Chambers." "If you give me the diamonds, you get her back." "If you don't, I start mailing body parts." "I want you to understand what Nick meant to me." "He was everything." "Everything." "He told me all about you." "He had this fantasy of what he'd do with you if he got you alone in a room." "He said you were proud that you kicked that nasty little heroin habit of yours." "You bragged about it a little too much." "And if he got a chance he'd put you right back on the spike."