Tightrope

---

- Come on!

- You can blow better than that!

Blow it!

You all right, miss?

I thought someone was following me.

Would you like me to walk you home?

I live right there.

Could you watch to

make sure I get in?

Sure.

Hey, Dad.

Is he all right?

Well, I don't know.

He hasn't got a collar.

Looks like he's kind of hungry.

Oh, can we keep him?

I don't know, honey. Maybe we

ought to take him to the pound.

They'll find him a good home.

What happens if they don't?

There's a big turnout for Monday

Night Football at the Superdome.

New Orleans...

Hey, you know who should

be quarterbacking tonight?

- Stabler.

- Me.

We'll be ready to

go in two minutes.

Stabler, still suffering from bruised

ribs and coming off a big game...

in a losing effort against

the Buccaneers last week.

The Saints outgained Tampa

Bay by 100 yards...

Here you are, partner.

Damn it.

Yeah?

Right.

Sorry, girls.

- Any ID?

- A purse.

- What do you think?

- I think she died on the bed.

She couldn't have been killed

in here and dragged in there?

Possible, but not likely.

What time, about?

Well, from the rigor mortis and body

temp, about, uh, oh, 18 to 20 hours ago.

Hi, honey. We just wanted to

wish you a happy birthday.

Dad yelled to say he loves you.

We're excited you'll be home

for the weekend. Bye, dear.

He says she died 18

to 20 hours ago.

That would've made it no

sooner than midnight.

So what?

That clock looked like it was broke

in the struggle. If it says 9:15...

why wasn't she killed

until midnight?

Maybe someone wanted three

hours with her first.

I want everybody on

this block interviewed.

That's the neighbors,

mailmen, garbage people.

In fact, I want every garbage can and every

sewer looked into for a five-block radius.

You think it brings

the crazies out?

They're always out.

Good evening, Mrs. Holstein.

How are those kids?

Oh, fine, they're asleep.

Jesus.

Death came from strangulation.

Ligature marks on her throat...

and hemorrhages around her neck.

There are also two parallel slightly

indented marks on her wrists.

- From what?

- Handcuffs, possibly.

There are bruises on her arms and shoulder

blades from being pinned to the floor.

And what looks like a

knee bruise on her chest.

Before she died, she was penetrated

both vaginally and anally.

- What time did she die?

- Close to midnight.

- You sure?

- She ate a piece of banana cake at 7:00...

then, over the next hour and a half,

consumed eight ounces of white wine.

Chardonnay, I believe.

Then finished at 9 with a small amount

of Swiss vanilla-almond ice cream.

Anything else, detective?

Take a look.

First one is a human scalp hair.

The bulbous portion of the root is still

attached, meaning it was wrenched out.

The next one, the tapered

one, is an eyebrow hair.

And the one at the

bottom is a pubic hair.

- All from the same person?

- Dark-haired Caucasian.

- Probably male, probably in his 40s.

- You're really nailing him down for me.

- Heh. What more do you want?

- His phone number and address.

- Heh. His semen.

- Oh.

- What blood type?

- O. Just like the night before last.

This is a common everyday

rayon-and-acetate fiber.

I found it sticking to the

back of Melanie Silber's neck.

And I found this one under

Yvonne Larkin's fingernail.

You know, the killer didn't leave

any prints this time either.

Every print in the bedroom matched Melanie

Silber's. But there's one thing I don't get.

What?

There was a cup on the dresser

with traces of coffee.

- There weren't any prints on it.

- I saw it. So what?

Well, why would he take the

time to drink a cup of coffee?

He was starting to enjoy himself.

Wes, Beryl Thibodeaux from the rape

something-or-other wants to see you.

- Where is she?

- The reception room.

- Tell her I'm out.

- I did. She said she'd wait.

Good. Tell her I'm out of town.

Welcome back.

Thanks.

I've tried calling you five times.

Sorry.

Look, I'm not particularly eager...

to talk to women who go around

with chips on their shoulders...

tell everybody I'm doing a lousy job

and get everybody pissed off at me.

I wouldn't be eager to

talk to them either.

I'm really not eager to talk to cops

who have a chip on their shoulders...

stereotype women from rape centers and

then go to any length to avoid them.

I'm sure you don't care for

those kinds of cops either.

Another woman was

strangled last night.

Now, we're concerned it

could be the same killer.

- Why?

- Because she was killed in the same way.

And also because we heard a rumor

the murders might be connected.

- Well, you know how it is with rumors.

- But it could be the same person.

- That possibility always exists.

- Do you have any evidence?

I'm not at liberty to discuss

evidence in this case.

Have you been able to establish

a link between the victims?

I can't discuss that

either. I'm sorry.

Look, all I'm asking is to be involved

in the investigation, all right?

Maybe we could put up

some warning posters.

That say what? That some nut's going

around the city strangling women?

- Yeah, why not?

- Because we're not sure it's true.

All it would do is terrify

women all over this city.

Well, maybe it should.

- Did you brush your teeth?

- Mm-hm.

Well, you better get going.

Give your dad a smack.

Bye-bye, baby.

Come on, kids. We got a big day.

- You want some honey?

- I don't eat sweets.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes