"Captain." "Something off the port bow." "She ain't gonna make a fool out of me." "leaves me a note." "Ten years." "They're all scumbags." "What?" "They're all scumbags." "Who?" "All of them." "You're better off." "huh?" "You'll be driving this car the rest of your life." "You don't know nothing." "I'll get that bitch." "She ain't gonna jerk me around." "I'll get her." "You'll get her." "Damn straight I will." "One day this whole city is gonna explode." "Used to be able to play stickball on these streets." "Now look at these guys." "what's happening?" "you working?" "I ain't buying." "what is that?" "You'll break your ass you fall down in those high heels." "so will your sister." "My what?" "I'll break your face." "Come here." "okay?" "come here." "hard-on." "A lot of good it did me." "I cannot handle another bust this month." "shithead." "You know what that means?" "Get in the car." "In the car." "Pussy." "You remind me of a fella I used to know." "He used to be a coke sucker." "Before that he was a cork soaker." "You guys are hilarious." "Yeah?" "Come up here." "I wanna show you my nightstick." "Move your ass." "Get up here." "Do I qualify?" "really?" "I enjoy them." "All it is is anal regression." "I suggest you try another form of childhood stroke." "I don't wanna quit." "I suggest you try an ostrich feather... up your spine to the nape of your neck." "Sounds addictive." "Why do you come here?" "Why do you?" "I need to be worshiped and adored." "Where you from?" "Mars." "Terrific." "I never made it with a Martian before." "What are you doing?" "Just looking for a pack of cigarettes." "are you afraid?" "Should I be?" "Have you ever been ripped off?" "I don't have anything to take." "I can't believe you're not afraid." "Who's here?" "I'm here" "You're here" "Now I'm afraid." "Yeah." "Lie down." "Go on." "Lie down." "Yeah." "Turn over." "turn over." "What are you gonna do?" "I know what I have to do." "Please." "I don't wanna make this too tight for you." "Please." "Please." "Please." "Please." "Plea" "You made me do that." "Anus was dilated at the time of death slight rupture above the anus indicating intercourse." "We found semen but I can't identify it." "What do you mean?" "Aspermia." "In English." "No sperm." "Your killer's shooting blanks." "but it doesn't have any sperm in it." "Why not?" "maybe he has some physical aberration or a malfunction." "maybe he had a vasectomy." "What else?" "that's clean which means he never knew it was coming." "which means he tried to resist." "So we have a top-to-bottom grouping..." "I'd say your killer was right-handed." "This knife is leaving its own fingerprints." "That's right." "the depth approximately 3 inches into the flesh I'd say it matches the other killing pretty close." "Close enough." "I know this guy." "He don't come around no more." "He beat some guys out of some bread." "I know this dude too." "I seen him on the deuce." "He gives the best beatings like six ways from Sunday." "Didn't you work uptown with him?" "man?" "No." "I don't work with nobody." "A john just comes to me and tells me what he wants." "Have fantasy will travel." "that fellow was seen with the Columbia professor who got whacked." "And he says that you introduced him." "That's possible." "See?" "But this guy ain't no killer." "I mean he's a pull-together hustler." "All right." "alone." "Okay." "man." "These two cops working out of 6th Precinct they been leaning on me." "Who are they?" "I think one guy's name is Simone or something like that." "The other guy is Jerry something or whatever." "They're partners." "A couple of real fucking hard-ons." "they run me the other night... he made me give him head right in his radio car." "Take your foot off the table." "You're full of shit." "I swear to Christ." "How do you know they're cops?" "Because they're wearing shields and riding around in a radio car." "What are their shield numbers?" "They work out of the 6th Precinct." "Do you know how many guys are arrested for impersonating a cop?" "There's more guys out there impersonating cops than there are actual cops." "man." "Do you wanna put on a wire?" "we'll draw up a complaint." "Listen to what I'm saying." "These guys are bad dudes." "otherwise don't come around with stories." "you need me just as much as I need you." "Take a hike." "Son of a bitch." "Captain Edelstein?" "It's Edelson." "I'm sorry." "I'm Steve Burns." "Close the door." "Sit down." "Burns." "Why do you think you were called down here?" "I don't know." "They told me that there was some special assignment and that I was right for it." "Let me ask you something." "Have you ever had your cock sucked by a man?" "A man?" "No." "I" "Ever been porked?" "Or had a man smoke your pole?" "You gotta be kidding." "I knew it." "No." "that's all." "Take a look at the board over there." "Paul Vincent was a professor at Columbia University." "Loren Lukas was an actor." "the St. James Hotel stabbing." "I read about that." "How'd you like to disappear?" "Disappear?" "Go undercover." "These killings have a similar m.o but we've also been finding parts of bodies floating in the river." "We don't know a thing about these torso victims." "We don't even know who the hell they are yet." "It's my hunch that they were done by the same guy who did these killings up here." "So why me?" "all of the victims appear to be the same physical type." "they all look like you." "150 pounds." "dark eyes." "I see." "I wanna send you out there to see if you can attract this guy." "Out where?" "Lukas and Vincent were not in the mainstream of gay life." "They were into heavy leather." "S  M." "It's a world unto itself." "I don't know how much you know about that sort of thing." "If you take this assignment you'll come out with more experience than any of my detectives." "Do I carry a gun?" "no shield." "You get paid once a month." "You get a call telling you where to pick up the money." "You report only to me." "And nobody can know anything about what you're doing." "huh?" "What do you say?" "I love it." "What's this new thing you're doing?" "I told you." "Why not?" "Because I just can't... okay?" "Don't ask me." "How long are you gonna be gone?" "I don't know." "Is it dangerous?" "I don't know." "yeah." "then?" "gold shield right away." "yeah?" "Your father called today." "Yeah?" "Gold shield?" "I didn't realize you were so ambitious." "There's a lot about me you don't know." "Such as?" "Hi." "Hi." "When'd you move in?" "Yesterday." "Yesterday afternoon." "I must have been asleep with the air conditioner on." "I've been sleeping days and working nights." "only he's running a whole country." "Right." "I'm Ted Bailey." "I'm John Forbes." "Hi." "Hi." "Doing a little house cleaning?" "yeah." "Somebody left them in my closet." "that was Bobby." "He had exotic tastes." "Don't put them in the trash bin." "Mrs. McGuire likes it if we stack our magazines." "She sells them." "You're putting me on." "No." "so that she lets us throw out." "And don't hang any pictures." "she told me." "right down the street." "Dinnertime I only eat seafood." "I gotta watch myself or I balloon up like Shelley Winters." "It's worse when I'm working on something." "I hope my typing didn't bother you." "What are you working on?" "I'm trying to finish a play." "yeah?" "What kind of play?" "boy ends up with analyst." "It's a light romantic comedy." "It's old-fashioned and sophisticated." "The kind nobody's interested in anymore." "I hope that doesn't bother you." "it'd be hard to be ignored if I was Paddy Chayefsky but I'm just trying to make a buck." "Hey." "but I feel it's my destiny to be recognized." "so we get by." "What's your roommate do?" "He's a dancer." "Gregory Milanese." "He's out of town right now working on a musical." "so to speak." "How about yourself?" "commercial artist." "Good luck." "Yeah." "So where you been living?" "I was living in the Bronx with my folks." "The first Braille waitress." "did you read about the killings?" "I was reading about that." "Talk of every gay bar in town." "Scared to death of cruising myself." "They're gonna get that guy." "The cops are gonna get him." "The cops?" "they'll make him a member of the Vice Squad." "Let me tell you." "We had another killing like this one about five or six months ago." "I don't even think it made the papers." "But we heard about it around here." "The victim was a teacher at Columbia." "They found him in his apartment in about 1 0 pieces." "nothing came of it." "huh?" "Excuse me." "Could I ask you about these?" "What about them?" "What are they for?" "A light-blue hanky in your left back pocket means you want a blow job right pocket means you give one." "right side you're a buyer." "left side means you give golden shower... thank you." "See anything you want?" "I'm gonna go home and think about it." "I'm sure you'll make the right choice." "You into water sports?" "I just" " I like to watch." "Later." "Yeah." "asshole." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "How you doing?" "Good." "Bartenders are starting to give me some information." "like who the regulars are." "that stuff." "Good." "What else?" "there's this name keeps popping up all the time." "Tommy Mancusi." "five other places." "Tommy the Joker they call him." "Are you serious?" "Yeah." "Are you trying to tell me you don't know who Tommy the Joker is?" "I don't know who he is." "I do." "I can't move on him." "Why not?" "I ask the questions." "You dropped your chalk." "See you later." "Watch yourself." "You bet." "I think he's cruising." "it is." "I don't know." "It's kind of late." "but I don't have air conditioning yet." "that's too bad." "How about the park?" "Fine." "Who 's here?" "I'm here" "You're here" "man?" "Come on." "Where are you?" "man." "Where are you?" "I'm waiting for you" "Everything's ready." "Good." "Nance...." "Why don't you lie down for a little while?" "Don't let me lose you." "Okay?" "Don't let me lose you." "I love you." "You're not gonna lose me." "I love you so much." "Gregory called me last night." "Remember roommate Gregory?" "Seems the star of the show has hepatitis and the tour is canceled till he recovers." "he'll be home tomorrow." "That should make you happy." "Overjoyed." "I never told you about Gregory and me." "You know what he said when he called me up?" "He said I should forget about my writing and find a job until his show reopens." "He says it's my turn to work now." "He intends to flop on the beach and turn nut brown." "His very words." "Damn." "I was counting on having the rest of the summer." "I could've finished by Labor Day." "So tell him." "I did." "dear Gregory said that the world could wait for any play I might turn out but the summer sun waits for no man." "Who knows?" "He might be right about this play." "about the others I've written." "Nobody else cared much about them either." "So I guess I'll work my bricks off." "We need the money." "Gregory's tired." "I suppose." "You really feel like that?" "No." "I'm seething." "but I am mad enough for something." "the guy that used to have your room... only worse." "go stomping off down the stairs." "but later he'd tell me where he went." "Usually the baths." "blow a dozen guys in an hour." "You ready for that?" "No." "I'm not ready for that." "But I understand what made him feel that way." "I hate Mondays." "I wish I could help you." "Do something for you." "You do?" "You do." "friend?" "anything at all?" "Why?" "What's wrong?" "You a police officer?" "What?" "This is Precinct Night." "You got the wrong attitude." "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." "Right." "You looking for something?" "That bulge in your pants ain't a knife." "Why don't we take a walk?" "Yeah." "Not tonight." "won't you?" "Cross my heart." "I'll be on the island if you need to reach me." "I don't have that number." "It's on the wall in your kitchen under "reminders." "All right." "You know how paranoid Bess gets if dinner starts after 8 the night before she's shooting." "Not to worry." "Not to worry?" "I have Margo's dress to finish." "She opens in Vegas in two weeks." "Have fun." "I'll try." "You made me do that." "As if it's your place." "It's mine as much as yours." "As if it" " The hell it is." "When did you pay rent?" "I paid rent... you just listen to me." "is it?" "Yeah." "When you gonna work on Broadway?" "When am I gonna work on Broadway?" "As soon as you get a play that gets on Broadway." "How did he get hepatitis?" "That's none of your goddamn business." "None of my business?" "No." "You're asking me about my life." "I'm not asking you about your life." "I see what it is." "I don't have to ask a thing." "What is it?" "What is it?" "I told you." "idiotic" "You can see what I wanna do." "a flop play." "You can see it." "Your life is a flop play." "Let's see yours." "man." "That's life." "Get someone else." "I don't think you'll find anything as big as this." "man." "I can find anybody I want." "you're so good-looking and so fine." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Answer just one question." "Yeah." "One simple question." "When you gonna get into that stupid head of yours...?" "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about." "while you're just playing.... what do you make?" "I gotta pay the rent." "the mayor's on the phone." "Every gay group in the city." "They're stomping around my office all day." "Dave?" "I just have to do more with the information I already have." "you got 23 years on the job." "I'd like to see you go out on a high note but both our reputations are at stake on this one." "I recommended you for the squad and I am not going to have this thing explode on me." "I understand that." "So wrap it up." "I don't care how you do it." "You clean this thing up before the Democratic convention comes in or I will put somebody in your office who can." "we found this quarter in the coin box at the peep show." "but not this print we lifted from it." "asshole." "Come on." "Take a walk." "Take it easy." "Take a walk?" "I'll tear your goddamn head off." "The guy by the pinball machine." "The guy with the...." "The eagle on his jacket." "his name's Skip Lee." "He's a bad dude." "The other night he got stoned out." "Came on to a guy at the Eagle's Nest." "The guy gave him the swerve." "Skip went for his throat." "Leave him alone." "He's a scumbag." "what's happening?" "I'm with someone." "Aren't we all?" "Wanna dance?" "There he is." "the one with the hat." "The one on the outside." "Yeah." "He calls himself Skip." "I don't know his last name." "He's been in a lot of hassles here." "Is that the one that followed you?" "Yeah." "Why didn't you go with him?" "I don't know." "I kind of choked but I think you should check him." "the black card you lose." "I said watch my red card not my black." "That's a black and that's a black." "I won't say that." "Anybody else?" "Can I bid 10?" "Put it up." "Ten to hold." "Ten dollar to win." "I gotta pay." "I don't get mad when I lose." "Now watch my red number and my black number." "right here." "I need some information on a guy called Skip." "maybe 27 years old." "He's a regular at the Cock Pit and the Anvil." "Skip Lee?" "He works at a steak house in Penn Station." "The Iron Horse." "Got it." "Hey." "Edelson take care of those two cops for me?" "He's working on it." "I got something else." "What?" "You know that guy that was killed up at the Ramble?" "Couple of my friends were up there that night and they said they heard singing." "like:" "Who 's here?" "We're here" "Something like that." "Good evening." "Good evening." "Table for two?" "Yeah." "please." "There you go." "Okay." "Thank you." "Enjoy your dinner." "There's our boy." "would you like a drink before dinner?" "Heineken." "Okay." "sir?" "Something to drink?" "I'll have...." "I'll have a steak." "Okay." "Make it two." "Right." "How would you like those cooked?" "Rare." "Medium." "The pattern of lacerations match the serrations." "The depth and the width of the stab wounds could all have been made with this type blade." "Could you take off an arm or a leg with that thing?" "You'd have to be very strong." "it could get the job done." "This is what you're looking for." "Your man's carrying this." "let's get it going." "I'm on overtime." "Yeah." "Let's go to work." "Here we go." "man." "Are you kidding?" "That's not my scene." "then you tie me up." "man." "Are you saying you won't do it?" "but I do." "What do you want?" "You want me to tie you up..." "...and then what do you want me to do?" "Whatever you want." "Let's get out of here." "Who's here?" "Okay." "And do what?" "What the hell is this?" "Get your ass in." "Against the wall." "What' s going on?" "Your hand." "What's your name?" "I said give me your hand." "What are you doing here?" "Did he try anything?" "No." "Did he show you his knife?" "No." "what were you faggots doing up there?" "huh?" "weren't you?" "What are you talking about?" "Whose room was it?" "His." "Is that right?" "what we were doing is none of your business." "So you had no right to come in there." "I wanna know what you were doing." "Nothing." "Nothing?" "He's tied up lying face down." "Nothing?" "Is this what you had in mind for him?" "we got enough to stick you away for three years right now." "you wanna do yourself a favor?" "listen." "This guy cruised me." "I didn't even know him." "I didn't even know his name." "He got me to go up to his room." "That's bullshit." "Is that right?" "I told you it was my room." "That's all I'm gonna tell you." "I wanna see a lawyer." "What the hell was that?" "Did he show you his knife?" "What'd he hit me for?" "Who paid for the room?" "What was that?" "Who paid for the room?" "What'd he hit me for?" "Who paid for the room?" "man." "Fuck." "let's separate these two girls." "get up." "Let's go." "get up." "get in there." "Sonny." "You were too soon." "man." "You know this man?" "No." "Skip?" "Recognize him?" "Have you ever seen him before?" "huh?" "man." "Tremendous." "Nolan Ryan." "You know he did that off the two-hitter too?" "come on!" "Skip?" "I see them every day." "They give them out where I work." "Do you have one like it?" "huh?" "You're a lying son of a bitch." "Skip the day Martino Perry was killed you were seen coming out of his store." "I bought him an ounce of grass." "Get up." "Get on your feet." "Get your pants down." "What?" "Watch my lips." "Get your pants down." "Get them off!" "mister." "We're gonna get a sample of your sperm." "Then you're gonna take the floating-ball test." "What's that?" "We're gonna fill that sink with water... and if they don't float you're our main man." "Do you understand that?" "The prints don't match." "The print on the quarter's different than the kid's print." "let me have this guy." "I can make him give it up." "He's only been working in that steak joint a little over two months." "You got nothing." "He's the wrong guy." "Hi." "Hello." "Why didn't you use your key?" "Can I come in?" "I'm on my way out." "Okay." "What's going on?" "Nothing." "Why can't you trust me?" "Nance." "Is it me?" "Are you turned off to me?" "No." "Why don't you want me anymore?" "that's all." "I'm not an idiot." "what I'm doing is affecting me." "you know?" "I" "I don't understand what's happening to you." "Neither do I." "Maybe we should cut loose for a while." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Okay." "Steve." "Forget it." "I don't understand how you let those guys work me over like that." "Welcome to the Detective Division." "We're gonna have to find another way." "I'm not getting paid enough to go through this." "You think I enjoy it?" "We're looking for a killer." "We gotta make it convincing." "the guy was innocent." "You worked him over like he shot the president or something." "You destroyed that kid." "You didn't even have a case against him." "You fingered him." "I didn't think anybody was gonna go that far with him." "Sometimes you only get that one chance." "He didn't have a knife." "captain." "You're gonna come into days where you have to collar a dozen guys like that." "weird little guys who don't know why they have to do what they do." "it's the job." "I can't do the job." "captain." "that's all." "I don't know." "It's just...." "It's ju-- you know." "I don't know that I can handle it." "I want you to know that it's not because I'm afraid or anything." "I don't think I can...." "I can deal with that." "I need you." "You're my partner and you can't let me down." "We're up to our ass in this and I'm counting on you." "Steve." "This is from the Columbia University yearbook." "These pictures go back two years." "There's a check mark next to every student who ever took a class from that Columbia professor who got killed." "I'd like you to take this and see if you can recognize anybody." "Registrar's office." "Good morning." "Stuart Richards." "He was" " He' s in the department of Music and Speech." "Is he enrolled in the summer session?" "I believe he is." "please?" "Yes." "Hold on." "Yes." "the last address I have on Stuart Richards-- please." "Yes?" "It's 140..." "One-forty." "Morningside Heights." "Thank you." "I got it." "There you go." "what is this?" "Sheep shit?" "What do you expect for 50 cents a pack?" "I didn't realize things were getting that rough." "I think my old man's about to draw the line again." "He turned me down on the car." "yeah?" "He doesn't understand why I would want a car to do research in a library that's right across the street from where I live." "what are you gonna do?" "Live within my meager means and continue my thesis on the roots of the American musical theater." "All in the way of buying two more years before I have to go out in the world." "Stuie." "What about tonight?" "okay?" "Sorry." "Paul." "I have to go out." "I should do more work." "if you get tired of studying figure I can get my old man to adopt you." "You're too kind." "You noticed." "I need to talk to you." "I wish just once you'd say something positive to me." "I tried to do everything you wanted but it's never good enough." "Stuie." "You know what you have to do." "You know what you have to do." "Yes?" "I'm looking for Ted." "I live" " I got the room next door." "You must be the famous John Forbes." "it looks as if I got back just in time." "What do you mean?" "Do you usually come barging in on Ted at dinnertime?" "I don't know whether that's any of your business." "Wrong." "It's exactly my business." "you struck out tonight." "Ted isn't here." "Where is he?" "he's out working an IBM machine in a primo brokerage house." "Pays well because normal folk don't like working at night." "It's good for him." "if you know what I mean." "I don't know what you mean." "No?" "No." "Ted is too sensitive to have many involvements." "We found that out with the last piece of trash that moved in." "do you suppose?" "You bastard." "Pussy." "you cocksucker!" "asshole." "Fuck." "shit." "Motherfucker." "You ain't normal." "You are shit." "Dog shit." "mister." "You ought to be committed." "I'll play with you." "Get out." "Got a light?" "Thanks." "Who 's here?" "I'm here" "You're here" "You're very funny." "You got a place?" "I have a place." "But it's not available right now." "where is that?" "West Village." "Too far." "How about right down there in the tunnel?" "I'm not too crazy about public places." "there's nobody around." "How big are you?" "Party size." "What are you into?" "I go anywhere." "I don't do anything." "That's cool." "Hips or lips?" "Bashful?" "No." "Then get them down." "I wanna see the world." "Go for it." "the man you attacked the other night was a police officer." "He attacked me." "We know you killed Martino Perry." "Your fingerprint was on the quarter." "We're going to indict on that." "The upside for you is 20 to life." "That's all you're gonna get is an indictment." "If you confess to the murder of Martino Perry and Loren Lukas and Eric Rossman and four or five others we think you're involved in we'll reduce your sentence." "no more." "and he's willing to go along." "I never killed anyone." "You'll have to run it down for the grand jury." "Grand jury?" "Just a formality." "you can never be sued or face any charges." "tell them what your assignment was... and you'll walk away." "captain I appreciate the chance you gave me." "You were there for me." "I" " I" "I appreciate it." "Your orders should come down after the grand jury." "take the rest of the week off." "Burns welcome to the Detective Division." "Thanks..." "..." "Captain Edelman." "Edelstein." "down here." "Mr. Gaines?" "They look like pictures of Stuart when he was a kid." "I got a box of old letters here." "All addressed to the same guy." "St. Louis." "That was his father." "I wonder why he never sent these." "He's been dead for 10 years." "yeah?" "I guess he never got over it." "He used to talk about him like he was alive." "captain." "2:30." "Did you hear anything they were saying?" "Captain." "The landlady discovered the body about 2:30 a.m." "The guy downstairs heard some screaming." "He's giving the details to Patrolman Desher outside." "Who is he?" "nights." "Went to the beach today with three friends." "went to work." "He must have got hit just after he came home." "nothing seems to be stolen." "Must have been someone he knew." "I think we got the murder weapon in there." "It's a kitchen knife." "He had a roommate by the name of Gregory Milanese." "He's a dancer." "We got an alarm out for him." "Looks like a lover's quarrel to me." "DiSimone." "Sir?" "Sixth Precinct." "sir." "Who lives in that apartment down the hall?" "but he's away for the summer." "The one next door is registered in the name of John Forbes." "The landlady thinks it's phony." "She ain't seen him in a couple days." "What's that name?" "John Forbes." "Jesus Christ." "Sir?" "When'd you get in?" "A little while ago." "I'm back." "Can I stay?" "Sure." "I'm glad." "I need to talk to you." "I wanna tell you everything." "Okay?" "Let me just get this off." "Okay." "[english]"