Hello?
Is there anybody in there?
Is there anybody inside?
Is there anybody in there?
Open this goddamn door before I knock it the fuck in!
Is he back yet?
That deadbeat still owes me from yesterday.
Look, you got 15 minutes before I call the cops.
Take a bath.
Monday June 29, 1981
Miss.
Excuse me, sweetheart.
Are you okay? Is anyone coming to get you?
He left me!
Come with me. This is not a safe neighborhood. Come on.
L"m going to take you back to my house.
What"s your name, Miss?
He said, "This time it"s going to be different, Dawn".
Now l"ve been in that shithole for days!
- Who is it that said this? - John!
My fucking boyfriend!
Mail Box 88-60. It"s a message from Dawn.
Can you have it read...
"John, it"s Dawn. L"m in Hollywood."
"Some Holy Roller found me on the street.
Come fucking get me."
- I can"t... - How about, "John, it"s Dawn.
L"m in Hollywood. Come get me, cocksucker"?
Can you just tell him to come get me, l"m in Hollywood?
213-555-7132.
Dawn, this boyfriend of yours, this John...
talk about your demons, he"s bad news!
Look, l"m not going to sit here and rattle on and on...
about Satan and drugs and spiritual...
- Do you have any beer? - Dawn, you are in grave danger.
- Are you going to see this guy again? - That sounds like his car.
Did he call?
Sally, thank you so much for your help and stuff.
Dawn, you have my number. Will you call me?
Hi, everybody.
Dawn, I was so worried about you.
L"m sure you"re fucking worried!
What the fuck! You just fucking left me there again, John!
- What the fuck is wrong with you? - Are you going to be all right?
What the fuck was that? Leaving me there again!
Sorry. Domestic squabble. Could we have a minute?
You hold on for a second, mister, "cause you"re not off the hook yet.
- Yes, I am. - No, you"re not!
- I was fucking scared! - Let"s have a chat, okay?
Is that okay?
Holy shit! What is that?
That"s the big one, baby! Didn"t I tell you?
What is it?
Didn"t I say,"Whatever it takes to get you out of here"?
That I was going to do whatever it takes...
to get you back?
That is a lot of goods.
And now for the weather.
There"s a cold front coming in from the east today...
with precipitations and heavy skies...
so strap your skis to the roof of your car...
"cause it looks like snow.
Mountains and mountains of snow all week.
Shit! That"s pretty fucking good.
It"s only going to get better. Tell me what you want.
I want to do another one of those.
No, no, please?
- No, please? - All right.
Get out of my house!
You fornicators!
Get out! Get out!
Tarot card! Tarot card!
- Die young! - And leave a good-looking corpse!
Devil worshiper!
WONDERLAND
Shit! Billy"s already here.
- Look Baby l"ll be back in 5 minutes. - Baby?
- What"s your favorite ride at Disneyland? - The Matterhorn.
L"ll be back in five minutes. Just be on the ride.
- Is it in your mind? - Yeah.
Don"t tell me. Just think about it. L"ll be back in one minute.
But, baby! I have to pee.
This sucks.
Shit. Come here.
Come here, come here.
- What, baby? - Baby, l"m sorry.
L"m just annoyed that you had to do all that stuff.
- That"s okay. - I told you l"d get you out here.
- That"s okay, l"ll work. - You"re going to have to work...
- That"s okay. I will. - Spending all this cash!
You ready to hit the 10 East? Where do you want to go?
Anywhere. Everywhere!
Baby!
- Where are we going? - L"ve been meaning to talk.
I think we should just be friends until you"re 20.
- I hate you. - Don"t you think?
You know what? I can"t look at you.
I can"t drive. I can"t concentrate on the road.
- I love you. - I love you.
- Where are we going? - I have to make one stop first.
- No. - Just one. Then we"ll go.
We have to turn what"s...
in that briefcase into cash, baby.
Come on in.
Don"t go.
Please?
Please stay with me.
Baby.
We just hit double zeros...
we have to cash out before we leave the table, right?
I love you.
That"s for you, okay? Baby, lock the door.
Come here and give me a kiss.
Oh, golly...
Baby...
What"s wrong?
Nothing.
L"m okay. L"m sorry.
L"m sorry. L"m okay.
You okay?
Where have you been?
Baby, what happened?
What is that?
An accident.
- Are you okay? - Accident.
- There was a car pileup. - You okay?
There was a car pileup on the 118.
L"m so sorry I made you wait.
That"s okay.
So sorry. L"m so sorry you ever met me.
Shut up! Don"t!
L"m sorry, Dawn.
The Southland is in shock today...
over a series of brutal killings...
that occurred here on Wonderland Avenue early today.
Los Angeles police...
are not saying very much about what happened.
We do know that four people are dead.
One person is listed in critical condition.
Several neighbors say that...
while they didn"t know the people who lived in the house...
they saw people coming and going all the time...
leading police to speculate that drugs...
may have been involved in these mass murders.
Los Angeles Police...
Robbery-Homicide... Detective Sam Nico...
is expected to hold a news conference later this evening.
Hopefully, at that time...
we"ll learn more about what transpired here on Wonderland Avenue.
Police are not saying much about what happened.
All we do know for certain is that four people are dead...
and one person is listed in critical condition.
One police official, who asked not to be identified...
told me that this is "The most horrific crime scene...
I have witnessed in my entire career."
This crime scene, some are saying... is as brutal as the Sharon
Tate killings, back in 1968.
Barbara.
Fuck these motherfuckers!
Shut up or l"ll blow your black ass straight back to Africa!
The news said four people were killed, one survived. Do you know who?
- Dave, is that you? - Who the fuck survived?
L"m watching right now.
I need the swag Billy brought over. I want to buy it all back.
- I already unloaded it. - L"m fucking dead.
Whatever"s wrong, l"ll take care of. Don"t worry.
Yeah, you"re going to take care of Eddie Nash?
Eddie Nash?
Keep your mouth shut or l"ll kill you myself!
You have to go to the cops on this one.
- L"m coming over. - No, l"ll take care of it.
Are you fucking nuts?
I got friends over there than can protect you.
They owe me. Trust me.
Listen to me. Meet me up at the house tomorrow.
Tomorrow morning.
Jesus, David, what did you do?
- Fuck you, motherfucker! - No witnesses.
David, no!
Are you fucking insane?
Cruz, Robbery-Homicide.
Yeah. Hold on. Yeah.
Yeah, we"ll see, we"ll see.
Right.
All right.
- Eddie Nash? - He owns the Starwood, right?
Yes, he does. We"re taking a drive.
Eddie Nash. His real name is Adel Nasrallah.
Steps off a plane from Palestine in 1953 with nothing.
He"s got four shekels and a bag of dirt.
By 1954, he"s got a little hot dog cart...
on Hollywood Boulevard right outside the Seven Seas restaurant.
By 1960, he owns the place.
He parlays the money from the Seven Seas
into two more places and they take the fuck off.
By 1969, he"s got like 20-25...
liquor licenses.
So he"s got friends.
Yeah, he"s got friends. He"s the biggest nightclub owner in Hollywood.
Here"s a guy who has been under investigation...
for arson for the last five years...
yet he still goes out to dinner with the Fire Commissioner...
twice a week.
Rumor has it that he has got 40 acres in the desert...
filled with human skulls. He"s removed the teeth...
so we can"t identify them.
- Jesus Christ. - Close.
Eddie Nash.
THURSDAY JULY 2, 1981
Billy and Joy.
Ronnie.
Susan.
Mr. Lind. L"m Detective Nico.
This is Detective Cruz.
This one here, did she make it?
Barbara Richardson.
Butterfly.
Mr. Lind?
Mr. Lind.
Should we go in there?
You guys want to hear a story?
This whole thing started with guns.
Four antique guns...
that Ron Launius couldn"t fence.
Ron Launius was your friend?
- We were in business together. - What kind of business?
You guys haven"t read me my rights.
Nothing I tell you is admissible.
We just want to hear your story.
All right.
I met Ron Launius in Chino in 1973.
We stayed tight. A few months ago...
he and Billy came up to Sacramento to see me.
They had a small operation down here in L. A...
that was really starting to cook.
Drugs?
He and Billy Deverell were partners?
Yeah. Ran it right out of the house.
3678 Wonderland.
Billy...
Billy was a good ol" boy.
Solid. Dependable.
He wanted to get out of the life but the life was
just too good.
They were getting large quantities of shit dirt cheap...
stepping on it five or six times, then dumping it all over town.
Heads up, dickheads.
Business was so good...
that they needed an extra hand...
which is when Barbara and I showed up.
When we pulled up, the party was in full swing.
Bodies everywhere.
It was the kind of place that made you think...
you were right back in the summer of love.
Me and Barbara had been on the road all day long...
and all I could think about was a place to crash.
But when I walked up those stairs...
and I saw all the old friends...
and all the smiles...
goddamn if it didn"t feel good to be home.
David! Yes! Barbara!
I saw Cherokee straight off. He was one of Ronnie"s boys.
He set me up. He set me walking.
This way, my man! Right this way! Follow me right up here.
There was Billy and his wife, Joy. It was her place.
She had just beaten breast cancer...
and found a new lease on life.
- This is Barbara! - Hi.
She was a real generous woman.
Nice. Thank you.
- Where is he? - Right up there, my brother.
Ron was in the back.
That"s when I first saw the antique guns.
Ronnie!
Davey.
He was fearless.
He was the kind of guy you"d put a gun to his head...
and his pulse wouldn"t break 70.
Is it hot in here? "Cause I am roasting.
Summer, baby! Bummer!
You think it"s hot in here?
I saw the Dead play Grass Valley.
You must be Barbara. Are you enjoying yourself?
This is the best party l"ve ever been to.
It"s only the beginning, baby.
L.A. In the summer, anything can happen, right?
How you doing, man? Have you seen my new toys?
Check these out.
Are these for real?
Yeah. I got two more in the bed.
Guns like these are worth a lot of money, Ronnie.
That"s why I can"t find a fence brother.
What about Slim Jim?
No, he said they"re too high profile.
Come on.
Where are we sleeping?
You see the couch when you walked in? That"s where you"re sleeping.
I just wanted to get along with Barbara.
Spend some quiet time.
Goddamn, she was happy to be there.
She had never been south of Bakersfield.
And there she was in L. A...
because I told her that she could be a Lana Turner...
or Barbara Eden.
And she believed me.
This is so fucked-up.
- Where was I? - You were at a party.
That"s when I first met him.
He was talking to Ron.
This rich dude!
Ronnie.
John Holmes, this is my business partner, David Lind.
Hey, what"s up? Now, the deal with the Arab...
John, this is my business partner, Dave.
Cool. Hey.
I was telling Ronnie about this business...
proposition about this Arab, who"s a wealthy businessman...
and he calls me brother and he literally has mountains of cash and drugs!
Wait a minute. John Holmes?
The John Holmes?
Johnny Wadd partied at Wonderland?
All the time.
The guy is a fucking cokehead. He"s up to his neck in the shit.
- Who"s John Holmes? - The porn king.
Sam, the guy"s a legend.
- Never heard of him. - I knew who he was...
but I wasn"t going to make a big thing out of it.
He blew me off, too.
L"m not fucking lying, man! Just hear me out.
- Are you John Holmes? - No.
Come on, John. Don"t lie to her.
- What"s your name, baby? - Janet.
You want to see it?
- Show her, John. - Ron, stop.
- Show her, or l"ll fucking shoot it. - That could be loaded.
L"ll fucking shoot it, man.
- Can I touch it? - Yeah, baby, go ahead.
Enjoy your evening, ladies.
Put it in your pants, John.
The whole party didn"t come to see your cock.
I don"t understand.
Why did Holmes hang out in Wonderland?
He burnt every other drug dealer in town.
Ronnie was the only guy who let him hang out.
John is a scumbag. Stone thief.
Guy"s bad news.
But Ronnie, he liked the novelty.
And John...
he liked our drugs.
Baby, I need a hit real bad.
I made the calls. There"s nothing around till the weekend.
I can"t wait that long. Did you talk to Diaz?
Nobody"s holding.
I know a gal out in Tarzana...
who might be able to make a phone call.
- Works at Captain Pizza? - A fucking pizza joint?
You think I want fucking pizza? You think l"m hungry?
The only thing I want right now is some dope!
The Arab"s got some China White.
L.A. Was dry. No one was holding.
But Ronnie was looking for a long shot.
- He was dope sick. - So the Arab was Eddie Nash?
Yeah, but I didn"t realize that till later.
So Holmes offers to take Ronnie"s antique guns up to the Arab...
to trade for as much China and blow as he could get.
Sounded like a good plan. Only, he"s gone 8 hours.
Finally, he comes back in high as a kite, empty handed.
Of course, he has a story.
Where is he? Lt"s a 10-minute drive! L"m going to kill this snake!
The guy"s a basehead, Ronnie. What do you want?
Did you get it?
The Arab was like crazy man psycho.
He"s basing for three days straight. Keeps me prisoner, man.
- He stole the guns... - You scumbag!
Why would I mess around like that?
Ron! Ron!
No! Not in my house!
It was bullshit!
Ronnie was furious. Billy gave John...
Two days. The money or the guns in two days.
And next time...
l"m not going to worry about your brains on my walls.
Now get the fuck out of here.
Needless to say, we didn"t see John for the next couple of weeks.
I figured we"d never see him again.
But two weeks later...
- Susan"s coming down. - Your wife?
- Next week. - She"s not going to bug us?
No, Davey, it"s...
Holy shit.
Look who just walked in.
Hey, John.
I got something big for you.
L"m going to whack this motherfucker right now!
I was at the Arab"s!
- Do you even know who the Arab is? - Who gives a shit? Half a million!
A half a million dollars in loot.
And l"m still thinking this is just some fence...
this shithead has been feeding on.
I had no idea.
You didn"t know the Arab was Eddie Nash?
- No, not then. - You must have had some idea.
None! I figured it was junk talk!
You know, the big score, longtime money.
You know the bullshit.
It"s like clockwork.
He"s still got most of his take, before it goes out...
and all of the next month"s shit coming in at the same time.
- That"s two month"s worth. - I don"t buy it.
- It"s a gold mine! - You got a plan?
Or are we just supposed to bust in there like...
The Guns of Navarone?
I can draw you a map.
- He drew you a map? - Yeah!
He offered to leave the kitchen door...
unlocked for us so we could break in.
How many times you been in the house, John?
20? 30?
L"ve been going there for two, three years. The dude calls me "brother".
That closed it for Ronnie. I could see it in his eyes.
He"d made his decision.
We went, cased the place. I didn"t like it.
The house came right up to the property line.
But John was so fucking convincing.
The more he said was there...
the more Ronnie wanted to do it.
I told him to forget about it.
Listen, man, call it off.
You got Susan down here. Chill out.
Spend some time. Work things out.
We are going to work things out, Dave.
On a beach, man. In Maui.
But like I said, he made his decision.
I figured, if he was going to go...
l"d better go and make sure nothing happened.
Let"s just back up for a second. When did Susan Launius arrive?
Sometime Sunday.
She and Ronnie were having some problems...
so she flew down to patch things up.
You look so good. L"ll get the other bag.
Ronnie, what is this?
Goddamnit Ronnie.
You told me that it was going to be different this time. You told me that!
Calm down, baby. I don"t want to start like this again.
- You told me you were clean! - I am clean.
Clean, all right?
You looked me in the eye and promised!
I don"t want to start like this!
We start like this every fucking time!
Take me home. I don"t want to be here.
Please take me home.
Early that afternoon, Ron gave John some dough...
to go to the Arab"s to score some dope...
and to leave the kitchen door unlocked.
Hey, John.
The kitchen door, man.
Hey, it"s all right. Have a good time.
It"s all right.
It took him three trips to get it done.
Finally, around four o"clock in the morning, he shows up...
says the Arab"s asleep, it"s all clear. I was ready to go.
Get him.
All right. You fucking honk twice if you see anything.
- Sounds easy enough, boss. - Rock and roll.
I need a snack first.
You got high during the robbery?
Not me. Never when l"m working.
- Come on! What do you think? - Hang on, hang on.
David, when did you get to the house?
Around eight o"clock in the morning.
We entered through the kitchen door.
It was unlocked, just like John said it would be.
- Down on the carpet! - Freeze, motherfucker!
Get down or l"ll fucking waste you!
I said get the fuck down! On your knees on the fucking carpet!
You shot him?
Grazed him accidentally when Ronnie bumped into me.
- You grazed him? - It was a flesh wound.
- What are you doing, Ronnie? - What the fuck, man!
Look at the fucking table!
Who the fuck cares?
Give me your fucking hand!
Just get to the safe!
Let"s go, Ronnie!
- Give me the other fucking hand! - I don"t want to die.
We left Billy downstairs. We went upstairs for the safe.
John had told us that there was a safe underneath the bed.
Where the fuck is it? What the fuck!
- Eddie! - What the fuck!
There"s no need for violence! L"ll tell you whatever you want!
- Then tell me the fucking truth! - There"s nothing in there.
- What the fuck is the combination? - There"s nothing in there.
There"s nothing in that safe!
You open your fucking mouth and you tell me...
the fucking combination to the safe motherfucker...
Tell me the combination.
36... 25... 16.
Where the fuck is the rest of it?
I will blow your fucking head off if you don"t fucking tell me.
All the drugs are at the Starwood.
Then it hit me.
This was Eddie Nash. We were hitting Eddie fucking Nash...
and we were screwed. If I had know it was Nash...
I know who Eddie Nash is, and so does Detective Cruz.
Just go on with the story.
We took the place apart, found as much as we could...
and split.
And where was Mr. Holmes during all this?
He was waiting back at the house.
I told Ronnie in the car to keep things cool.
But big mouth couldn"t wait to talk.
They"re here! They"re here!
You are not going to believe how much shit we got.
- How much? - Guess.
- Everything? Even the safe? - Oh, yeah!
I knew it would work.
Deal with these.
We"ll fence them later.
I got my guns back!
To Eddie Nash!
$1.2 million. Not bad.
It was a good score. And nobody got hurt.
Okay, what next?
Holmes immediately starts bitching about his share.
He was only in for an eighth, and all of a sudden he wanted more.
Are you fucking kidding me? This is not my cut!
Scumbag tax. Now we"re even.
- Even for what? - For the guns, John.
- But we got the guns back! - No, I got the guns back!
You still owe us for all the coke you smoked.
I got editors I have to pay. L"ve got deadlines.
This is not my final cut.
I don"t know what you want me to say John.
I want you to say that I can have my cut!
Okay, how about the gems?
You want to wait for the gems? Fine.
Joy and I are going to take them down to Slim"s and fence them.
Then you can get your cut.
There it is, John. That"s it.
So Holmes set it up and he felt entitled.
We took all the risks.
He sat home with the girls.
At this point...
I decided to treat myself to a shot of H.
You know...
a little reward for a job well done.
After that...
it"s kind of a blur.
Mail Box 8860. Password Palm tree
There"s your cut from the gems. Now get the fuck out of here.
- You have to be fucking kidding. - No, l"m not fucking kidding.
- Ron, I got editors to pay! - You think I give a shit?
That may be the facts as you see them!
- We"re all fucking sick of you! - I got deadlines!
You get the fuck out of my house, man!
L"m fucking sick of this shit! Get the fuck out of here!
Get the fuck out! Where"s your fucking gun, David?
That"s cool, man. All right.
That"s fucking great.
What the fuck, man? L"m so fucking sick of that fucking guy!
Are you going to fucking fix that?
We got enough fucking money to fix it.
We"ll fix it.
I left the next day.
I had to go to Sacto overnight for this thing.
I left Barbara there.
When I saw the news on the television...
- It had to be Holmes! - Why?
Joey, it"s not a good time right now.
Hold on. Talk to Billy, all right?
Hey, man, what"s up? Yeah, no bullshit.
We"re closed for the day.
All right, man.
All right, listen up.
From here on out, we keep a low profile.
Billy was very specific.
No deals in the house.
Everything happens down at the Canyon store.
No one in the house but inner circle.
No one gets buzzed up...
unless I say it"s okay.
Holmes, are you listening to me?
No, it"s cool, it"s cool, it"s cool.
And with the security gate...
there"s no way anybody could"ve gotten in.
There without knowing Billy personally!
John was the only one who knew about the Nash hit!
That piece of shit ratted us out...
let Nash in, and got my Butterfly killed!
You guys are out of your minds.
Let"s bring in Nash, Captain. He killed them plain as day.
Cruz, this whole thing is circumstantial, and you know it.
We"ve brought in people with a lot less.
You"re talking about Eddie Nash.
You don"t bring him in until you have an eyewitness.
What do you know? Some junkies robbed Eddie Nash?
No. Bullshit.
Find John Holmes.
If he tells you that Eddie Nash picked up a pipe and swung it...
maybe we"ll arrest him.
All right, come on.
You want to nail Eddie Nash. Fucking crazy.
Could I have a cigarette?
Thank you, Baby.
It"s all over the news that four people are dead.
John.
Four?
How long have I been out?
For like a day.
John, you"ve taken me up to that street before.
There"s the house, John.
- I know the house. - Really?
You had a nightmare. You were screaming about blood.
You were screaming in your sleep.
Yeah, I had...
my nose...
on the trunk. I hit my nose on the trunk of my nose.
L.A.P. D! In the air!
Okay, Dawn, l"ve got some photographs...
l"d like you to look at.
You ever seen that house?
Are you sure?
How about here?
Nope.
Let me see.
- More fucking blue. - Baby...
Say it again... My name is Gabrielle.
- Say it. - My name is Gabrielle. Hi, my name...
- What the fuck are you talking about? - You"re going to make me cry!
- Shut up! - L"m sorry!
Pay attention and be real.
He will cut your fucking head off...
and take you to the desert and bury you.
- I know that! - Just look in the mirror.
L"m sorry. L"m sorry.
Just look in the mirror. Just look in the mirror.
- What"s your name? - My name is Gabrielle.
It"s just a thing. L"ve been with a thousand women.
- They didn"t mean anything. - I don"t want to go.
You don"t have to go if you don"t want to.
You don"t have to go. Fuck it.
- Just go in and say hi. - I don"t want to fuck him.
You know how much money we owe him.
You look beautiful.
Do you know that guy?
Merry Christmas, baby.
Nash!
So what do you want me to do?
I want you to dance for me.
You mean just like just dance?
Dance.
Dawn?
I was wrong. I was wrong. I was wrong. L"m sorry.
Come closer.
Dawn, l"m sorry, baby.
Touch me.
You"ve never seen him?
I think l"d remember meeting somebody like that.
Don"t you?
This is my partner, Luis Cruz.
He"s going to give you a ride home, okay?
L"ll just keep scrubbing to get it all off, okay?
L"m sorry.
You know, l"m sorry.
You ready?
Do you have any place to go?
Friday July 3, 1981
Do you want me to go with you?
No, that"s cool.
I have no place else to go.
Okay. Come on in.
- You sure you don"t need me? - No, we"re good.
Thank you.
- L"m not that hungry. - You eat, sweetie.
The worst decision...
a person can make is to make a decision on an empty stomach.
In connection with the Laurel Canyon murders.
Police have taken X-rated film star John Holmes into custody.
Holmes, known in the adult film industry as Johnny Wadd...
has starred in over a thousand X- rated films.
Those murders that occurred on Wonderland Avenue...
He hasn"t even done a movie in like two years.
I wouldn"t know about that.
What involvement John Holmes may have had in the murders...
is still unclear but we should find out tomorrow...
when he"s arraigned in downtown Los Angeles.
We are learning a little more about Holmes"s private life.
We"ve uncovered court papers indicating the porn star is currently married...
but estranged from his wife.
What are you doing back with him, Dawn?
I haven"t seen you in almost a year, and I figured you"d just got away from him.
I did. I ran away. I got away, Sharon.
To Oregon. I was there for two months.
And I had a job, too. I was a nurse, kind of like you.
But he just kept calling me. He just wouldn"t stop.
Everyday. Three times a day.
At first, I didn"t even take his phone calls.
And then he would tell my mother...
"Tell Dawn I love her. Tell her good night."
Every single night before I went to bed.
So, you know, I took his call.
I took his call.
And I didn"t say a word.
Nothing.
And he says...
He says, "I can hear you breathe, baby".
And I knew that just my breathing...
was enough to keep him going.
He said he knew he wasn"t alone...
because he had me!
He"s using you, Dawn. When are you going to see that?
- He"s been using you for five years. - No, he"s not!
No, he"s not. You know why?
L"m his girl. L"m his girl.
Since I was 15.
L"ve been his girl since that night in the van at the beach.
You"ve got to get away from him, baby.
You take all the bad stuff and you put it in a box...
and then you just put it in a closet and never look at it again.
And then you move on.
He wants to talk to us.
We"re willing to protect John if he tells us everything.
But he"s scared and he fears for your safety.
So he wants to see you both before he says anything.
- So where is he? - In a suite at the Bonaparte Hotel.
- Do you want to go see John? - Yeah. Don"t you?
Detective...
- Hey, could you give us some privacy? - Okay, sure.
Don"t say anything. The room"s bugged.
We"re going to go talk for a minute, okay, baby?
They offered me a deal, and I think l"m going to take it.
They"re going to put me in the witness protection program if...
I tell them everything. Everything I told you.
Except, I told them l"m not saying anything about anything...
unless all three of us can go.
Who"s all three of us?
- And they agreed. - Who"s all three of us?
You, me and Dawn. We go tomorrow.
L"m not going anywhere tomorrow.
No, Sharon, it"s okay. They got people that can come and pack you.
No, I am not going into the witness...
protection program with you that's that.
Sharon, this is the new start we were talking about.
Sharon, everything that we planned could happen now.
I don"t want a fresh start with you, John! Wake up!
Listen.
You listen. I am through supporting you!
You think I would just leave and never see my family again?
If you don"t help me with this, I am dead!
You"re already dead.
This one last thing is all l"m asking!
You"ve got to do it!
- Stop it, John. - What? Sharon...
- Don"t you dare cry. - Lf you don"t help me...
That"s not going to work anymore.
You think l"d go anywhere with you after this?
Sharon, I am not going to survive this without you, okay?
Really? You don"t think you"ll survive?
But you told me you were a survivor. Remember that?
Look at how you"re surviving, John.
Why did you come down here then?
What choice do I have? What choice do I have?
Why haven"t you divorced me?
I don"t know. I don"t know.
Sharon, because you love me and you want to help me.
It"s too late, John. It"s too late.
Sharon, look at me.
I know you love me, and I love you.
Do you remember that day 15 years ago in the bathroom...
when you were measuring yourself?
Remember what you said to me?
I said that l"d finally found...
what I wanted to do with my life.
Right. That"s what you said.
Do you remember what I said to you?
- What did I say? - What do you want me to say?
You said that if I sold my...
That"s right. What did I say to you?
You tell me who you are! What did I say to you?
You said, anyone that sells their...
their body is a whore.
Stay away from the house.
- Who"s my girl? - L"m your girl.
Detective Ward, thank you for coming out on such short notice.
Captain Nimziki explained the urgency.
Has he backed up any of Lind"s testimony?
- He"s hinting. - Hinting?
He knows a lot.
He"s just playing his cards very close to the chest.
What"s he want?
Lmmunity.
What else?
- Protection. - Really?
- How many do you think? - I have no idea.
You have no idea? You"ve never counted?
Most men have. Why do you think that is?
I don"t know. I guess it"s their ego.
L"m thinking... l"m thinking Boca.
- Boca Raton? - Yeah, is there another Boca?
That"s the only one I ever heard of, Boca Raton.
L"m thinking Boca...
"cause l"m thinking of an alligator.
- An alligator? - Can you get me an alligator?
I can see Boca...
I can see the condominium, I can see the alligator on a chain.
Right. Then I need something...
that implicates Eddie Nash.
On the record, why don"t you tell me about the robbery?
What robbery?
- Hey, Bill. - Hi, John.
How you been? Good to see you.
L"m not talking in front of these guys.
Did you ever get those cigars I sent you?
- Oh, they were good! - The best.
- You got taste. - You look good.
Thank you, John.
Where you working now?
Administrative Vice.
Administrative? You got a desk job?
That"s insane, man.
L"m an old man, John.
You break your legs or something?
No, l"ve been doing good. You haven"t, though, from what I hear.
- Yeah? What did you hear? - You"re doing a lot of drugs.
Partying with the wrong crowd.
Yeah, l"m a drug addict, Bill.
I know, John. I know...
about the robbery that you and all those dead people up on Wonderland...
pulled on Eddie Nash.
L"m not here as a cop. L"m here as your friend.
I know that, Bill. Thanks for coming down.
And thanks for the room. It"s nice. Everyone"s been really good.
You want to tell me about it, or is this just a waste of my time?
No, come on. Can we take a drive?
I wish we could, John.
You got any coke?
No, I can"t do that.
How about a coffee with a million fucking sugars?
Just tell the story, John. Tell me what you know.
We got a deal?
Talk to me, John. Just tell me about it.
Sure, l"ll tell you a story.
But if we don"t have a deal, it"s just a story.
L"m listening, John.
L"m going to tell you a story called "Wonderland."
Wonderland is the kind of house...
that everyone on the whole mountain hopes would burn down.
The lease was in Joy Millers name.
She was a rich westie that got all junked-up...
had cancer, both breasts removed...
still shooting junk. Her old man, Billy Deverell...
he was kind of a dumb...
hick who couldn"t make up his mind about anything...
without a guy like Ron Launius around...
to come up with the idea.
Ronnie"s crazy and unpredictable...
but he was always good with me...
until he got hooked up with that scumbags ever come down the pike.
A biker from Sacramento.
This guy, stone-cold killer, a liar...
a thief and a rapist.
What was his name?
David Lind. Don"t believe a word he says.
You know me time. I can judge a character.
This guy becomes the brains of the operation.
So when they get too strung out to do anything...
he"s got the perfect solution.
- What? - They stole.
The kind of stuff that doesn"t get reported stolen.
Drugs, guns, money, anything.
Whatever they wanted, they took. Smash and grab stuff.
How about that fucking coffee?
I knew a big-time fence lived up The Donas.
- Eddie Nash? - Yeah.
What is he, your friend, your connection? What?
We hung out.
Bill, l"m not an altar boy, you know what I mean?
- L"d love to show you the boat. - Is this your boat?
I know you! You"re Johnny Wadd!
Johnny Wadd on my boat!
I love your movies, man!
- What"s your name? - Eddie Nash.
This is my boat. L"m your biggest fan.
L"ve seen all your movies.
Get out of here.
Yes. Big star, John Wadd. Very big.
Listen, John, you come up to my house sometime.
We hang out, we party.
I make a little coffee, we hang out, we do other things.
You know what l"m saying?
I knew him. Anyway...
these guys do a big score down at the...
They get their hands on four antique guns.
Really beautiful museum pieces, you know?
I didn"t think Eddie would want the guns...
and I told David this...
but I didn"t feel like getting my ass kicked, either.
So I go up there. And I was right.
Eddie can"t fence the guns.
He says they"re too fancy, too high profile.
So he gave us two grand as collateral.
That is bullshit. Fucking bullshit, man.
Eddie Nash, scumbag piece of shit. Somebody ought to hit that guy, man.
There"s longtime money.
I take the bad news back to the boys and...
what can they do? Lt"s Eddie fucking Nash, right?
Two weeks later they call me in and David says to me...
- You talk to Nash much? - I was over there on Tuesday.
- Did he ever mention those antiques? - They"re still at $2,000.
Screw that. Those are our guns.
How many times you think you been in that house?
Like 20, 30 times.
You think you could draw us a map?
A map? What for?
Don"t worry about it, John.
- Did you do it? - What?
Draw the fucking palm trees? Buy a fucking Thomas Guide.
So we go up there, and this is David"s bright idea...
David, Ronnie, Billy, everyone"s sitting in the car...
across the street from Eddie Nash"s house...
- In through the kitchen. - Definitely.
And Dave was sitting there drawing a map.
I tried to talk them out of it.
I swear to God, l"m sitting there in the car and l"m saying...
You guys are joking, right?
John, shut your hole.
So, all of a sudden, Dave"s got everybody all hopped up.
Then they decided, let"s stop talking and start taking.
I know an actress in Tarzana.
She"s got a wall of TVs and three microwaves.
What are you, a nigger? Do you have any brains...
or did it all go to your cock?
You want to steal a microwave? What are we going to do with it?
- Heat some food up with it. - You think l"m hungry?
The only thing I want to heat up right now is some fucking dope, man!
L"m so fucking railed I can"t even think straight!
This town is a fucking desert, man!
Did Indo-fucking-china dry up in this fucking city?
I want some goddamn, motherfucking smack!
Shit, David, I told you not to let me do so much blow.
You know how I get shit.
Do you even know who Eddie Nash is?
Do you think I give a shit?
Then they tell me I have to participate "cause I know him.
Like knowing him means something.
Yeah, well, I don"t want any part of that, man.
You listen to me, motherfucker. We"re doing this.
And if I have to whack that fuck...
to get his shit, then that"s that.
You could see it in their eyes.
They had made a decision.
I went up there three times to warn Eddie.
Eddie, l"m not lying...
you have to give those fucks back their fucking guns.
Fuck you and fuck your friends.
But he"s based out of his mind. I mean, crazy man psycho. Ten days straight.
You want the guns from the Nash, motherfuck?
Come up and take them from the Nash!
And I have to admit this, Bill...
l"m looking right in his eyes and l"m thinking...
"better him than me."
Better him than me.
What did they want you to do to help them?
- Kitchen door. - Cool, man.
They wanted me to unlock the kitchen door.
Something like that.
Did you do it?
Yeah. Yeah, that thing went down.
Get him.
I need another snack.
You got the coke.
We fucking did it!
- How much did you get? - All of it! Everything!
- You didn"t hit the safe. - Even the back bathroom, man!
Sue, I told you we"d do it.
After taking anything they come back hooping...
and hollering about all the shit they got.
- What shit? - Everything. Guns, money, drugs.
And they"re not playing it cool, either.
Phone"s ringing off the hook, and they keep answering it!
Listen, you are never going to guess who we just fucking hit!
Let me tell him!
Guess again, motherfucker! Guess again!
- Ronnie wants to tell you. - Eddie Nash!
You"re not going to believe this shit! It was David"s fucking idea!
They"re telling people that they hit Eddie Nash?
Yeah. He and Billy are passing the phone back and forth.
Who are they talking to?
Anyone that would listen. Everybody that called.
All their scumbag customers.
So l"m like,"Ronnie, we should keep a low profile."They didn"t listen.
Ronnie! Betamax! Betamax! Get that out there!
That out there! Throw it!
The fucking Betamax out the fucking window, motherfucker!
Do it!
How fucking stupid is that?
So I fucking split.
Where did you go?
Santa Monica for a couple of days. Just laying low.
And then I called Eddie.
You called Eddie Nash?
Yeah, I called him. I was planning on leaving.
I mean, I wish I had left.
John, what the fuck were you thinking?
I knew if I didn"t call him...
that l"d never be able to show my face in L.A. Again.
- So what did he say? - Bill, everything was cool.
I call him up.
He doesn"t mention anything about the robberies. "Come on up."
All right, l"ll be there.
- Johnny boy. - What"s up?
John. Brother.
Good to see you. Where you been?
- You know, around. - Yeah?
L"m glad you come by. I need a favor.
- Anything you want. - I want you to beg.
- What? - Beg, motherfucker!
Eddie, no!
You think l"m stupid? You think I don"t figure it out?
You bring those people into my house! You piece of shit!
You fucking cocksucker!
Crawl! Crawl like dog!
He"s not crawling fast enough. Greg, make him fly!
Do you know what those motherfuckers did to the Nash?
You like this, you fucking sand digger?
You fucking greaseball!
L"m going to find out who you are, you cock-sucking motherfuckers!
L"m going to tear your fucking eyes out!
Suck this, you sand jockey faggot! Suck this.
Give me the fucking combination.
They handcuffed me! They beat my women!
They drag me upstairs!
They put gun in my mouth!
How do they know about the Nash"s safe under the bedroom?
You know what they did to Greg?
You better kill me or cancel Christmas.
Shut the fuck up, nigger! L"ll blow your black ass straight back to Africa!
Nash!
Fuck these motherfuckers!
- No witnesses. - David, no!
You see what they do to Greg? Show him, Greg!
They shot heroin in my bathroom!
They cut rails on my daughter"s vanity mirror!
On my daughter"s mirror!
You want to ride this?
No, man, that shit"ll kill you.
Come on, man, let"s fucking finish this.
Wait a minute, they were doing drugs during the robbery?
Yeah. And get this, on their way out...
John Holmes says hello!
- What? - Yeah, he ratted me out.
Nash had been looking for me for two days.
It was just dumb luck I called him.
What are we going to do now, brother?
"Mary Holmes."
"4315 West Jefferson, Pataskala, Ohio."
"Sharon Holmes. 2438 West Glendale."
You"re going to tell me who robbed me.
Because if you don"t...
if you don"t, l"m going to kill every person in that book...
starting with your mother, your sister...
your girlfriend, that niece of yours, Gabrielle...
every last one of them.
L"m going to torture them to death...
and while l"m doing it...
l"m going to tell them it"s because of you.
And when they"re dead...
when they"re dead...
l"m going to cut off your 14-inch cock...
chop it up and shove it down your throat!
So now you tell me...
who the fuck hit me!
Eddie Nash has got a gun to your knee...
and he says he"s going to kill your wife, what would you do?
L"d tell him.
- Fucking a right I told him. - And what did he say?
You"re going to do to those guys on Wonderland...
what you did to me.
What did that mean?
It means, I had to get in the car...
with his dudes...
and go over and get inside the Wonderland house.
- It"s John, man. - What?
Lt"s John.
What"s up?
Knock yourself out.
- Good night, man. - You cooked?
See you.
Fucking unbelievable.
So you left the door unlocked.
Well, no...
ajar.
Did you see Greg or...
Danny go in the house?
Did you hear anything at all?
What about in the street outside?
Did you see them in the car...
or approaching the house?
No. I didn"t see Diles, I didn"t see Greg...
I didn"t see Eddie...
- after I got out of the car. - Did you go back?
Go back to Eddie"s?
No. Did you go back to Wonderland?
You sure?
No. Why would I go back?
Whait here it comes. This is it.
Were you present when the murders happened?
Stay on him.
Did you see them murdered?
Bill...
are you calling me a murderer?
Come on.
So when you left them, they were all alive.
Yeah, they were all alive.
Eddie Nash had these people killed...
because of a robbery that you set up.
Come on, Ward!
- Yeah. - And you"ll testify to that?
No. Haven"t you been listening?
He is the Prince of fucking Darkness.
What are you talking about man? You don"t know who Eddie Nash is?
I worked Hollywood Vice for 20 years. I know who Eddie Nash is.
What are you saying, man?
How do you expect me to protect you...
if you won"t go on the record?
I think I trust you. I think you could protect me.
I don"t trust them.
- What do you want me to tell them? - Whatever you want.
A goddamn stroke job.
He gives us nothing. Zero. A fat-fucking-donut.
He doesn"t finger Nash. He doesn"t even put himself at the scene.
The Coroner"s preliminary report...
indicates that the murder weapons, plural...
were probably striated lead pipes, an inch in diameter.
They got their skulls bashed in.
Whole pieces of bone, gone.
Three women. And that sack of shit in there set the whole thing up.
L"ve been going there for three years. The dude calls me "brother".
He just sells out Nash...
and lets somebody else do the dirty work.
But then he gets screwed on the split.
Now he"s pissed off.
- Johnny boy. - What"s up?
So he hightails it back over to Nash"s house...
John. My brother.
And rats them out. He handed Nash the Wonderland gang.
He served it up on a silver platter.
Get back, plain and simple
Neighbors reported hearing loud noises.
They thought it was some kind of primal scream therapy.
It was a perfect plan.
There was people coming and going
always a party going on.
Some loud noise at night is not going to raise an eyebrow.
Exactly. But what he didn"t count on was David Lind surviving.
It had to be Holmes! That piece of shit ratted us out!
I read Lind"s statement. He paints himself out to be an angel.
- He"s lying his ass off! - I got pushed from behind
and my gun discharged accidentally.
We don"t know if any of his statement is even true.
He knew who Nash was the whole time.
You take these guns up there right now, or l"ll cut your fucking head off!
What kind of thief doesn"t know who he"s hitting until the robbery itself?
What kind of fool would set up the biggest gangster in L. A...
Hey, Eddie, what"s up?
And waltzes back to his house like nothing happened?
Where you been?
I got a crazy story I think you"re going to want to hear.
David Lind is not half the liar that that cocksucker is!
David Lind lost the love of his life...
and he knows that John Holmes is responsible!
It wouldn"t surprise me at all.
If Holmes had planned on the murders from the get-go.
You heard his story!
He pulls out my black book. He"s going to kill everyone in it.
Your name"s in there Bill.
The black book is a crock of shit! Lt"s a fairy tale!
He knew we were listening to him. He didn"t want to get dirty.
Neither does Lind. .
Four people get their heads bashed in and there"s not a single witness?
He was in that house as sure as Christ was on the cross.
38 sets of different prints lifted.
Any one of which could be our guy.
Including a left palm print palm down
on the bed rail not two feet from Ron Launius"s head.
Are you trying to tell me you think he swung the pipe?
He was either trying to kill him or trying to screw him.
You read Lind"s statement. Holmes hated Launius.
Launius embarrassed him in public all the time!
It would not surprise me...
in the least if he had taken a couple of whacks at him.
You know what, Sam?
You can"t even tie him to the scene of the crime.
The fact that he"s got a pulse ties him to the scene of the crime!
He doesn"t need to be there, Nico.
Nash knows he"s terrified. He"ll keep his mouth shut.
No, I don"t buy it. Nash is not an idiot.
He"s certainly not going to put his freedom in the hands of one.
L"ve known John for almost 10 years.
While l"ll admit that we haven"t spent much time together lately...
the John I know just isn"t capable.
I don"t know who you know or don"t know.
All I know is that the cocksucker in the other room is a basehead.
And the one thing you can always know about a basehead...
is that they are completely full of shit.
He"s dicking us around. A mile of dick and no balls.
If he had some balls, he"d come out and say, "I did it".
But he"s not going to do that.
It"s your call.
Fuck it. We have to cut him loose.
Friday July 17, 1981
Hi, Sharon. Thanks so much for
- Where"s Dawn? - She"s in the car.
- I want to talk to her. - Do you think that"s a good idea?
Sharon, just be cool, okay? Please?
Thank you.
- You take care of him, - I will.
But you take care of yourself first.
- I will. - Promise me.
I promise.
Take care of this little one, too.
- I love you. - I love you too.
- This is all I could get. - Thanks so much, Sharon.
- L"ll pay you back... - Stop lying.
- L"m not lying. We"ll pay you back. - It"s a payoff, okay?
You should understand that term.
L"m paying you off to stay out of my life.
Sharon.
What are you doing here?
L"m sorry, I had an accident.
L"m sorry, can I come in, please?
Oh, my God, John. Come in.
- Can you make it in? - Yeah. L"m sorry.
- Oh, my God. - L"m sorry.
- I had an accident. - I see that.
Can I have a tub?
I need a hot-water tub.
- We need to go to a hospital. - No.
- Can I please... - It"s okay.
I don"t feel well.
It"s all right. L"m going to put you in this chair, John.
L"m going to put you in this chair. Sit down.
Could you fill a tub of water, please?
Lt"s not really going good out here.
Let"s take a look. You"re in shock.
I have to check you out.
Please make a tub of hot water.
Sharon, put the water in the tub!
L"m sorry.
Hot water.
L"m sorry I yelled, but...
Easy. Easy.
L"m getting in now.
Hot...
Close your eyes "cause this could sting if it gets in.
Where"s the cut?
There"s too much blood. I have to get it off, okay?
- John, where"s the wound? - Give me one more.
Where"s the wound, John? There"s no wound.
This isn"t your blood, John.
Whose blood is this?
I need a sponge "cause it won"t come off.
You have to really scrub...
- John! - What?
What happened, John?
Five people are dead, Sharon.
They were murdered...
up on Wonderland.
They shouldn"t have done that to him.
They humiliated him, to the Nash.
They were so stupid.
L"m not following this, John. L"m not following.
Sharon, he had my black book...
and he had everyone"s name in it.
He said he was going to kill you.
So I told him I couldn"t let that happen.
So then we went up to Wonderland. He made me go there.
I did it for us, Sharon. He had your name.
- He said he was going to kill you. - What did you do for us?
I had to, Sharon. I had no choice.
There was so much blood. Ron"s head...
was like a firework.
I saw inside his head.
It just opened like a grapefruit.
What did you do, John?
I left before anything happened.
I don"t understand. What did you do?
I left before anything happened.
But I never, Sharon, I never...
No, I don"t want to know!
- Sharon... - I don"t want to know.
You need to get out!
I want you out of my house.
- I want you to leave. - Fine.
You don"t understand, anyway.
Understand? I understand.
- Bring that filth into my life again! - You want to know what filth is?
What your husband had to do down at Peanuts with those faggots!
You"re not my fucking husband! You"re a gigolo!
Really? No, l"m Johnny fucking Wadd!
You know what they wanted up at Wonderland?
What Eddie wanted?
That thing that makes me a star, Sharon.
Look at me.
What thing? What thing are you talking about?
This fucking thing that everybody wants and nobody can have!
Do you remember when you loved it?
That went away a long time ago, John!
You left me!
- Bullshit! - That"s not bullshit!
That"s bullshit, John! You left me! Then we can stop arguing!
You left me that day in the bathroom!
You chose that thing over me!
That disgusting thing! It makes me sick!
L"m not a nobody, Sharon. L"m a star.
Really?
L"m a survivor, Sharon!
L"m scum? L"m filth? L"m alive.
And those people at Wonderland, they"ll never laugh at me again.
They got theirs with a lead pipe and l"m still here, surviving.
This case could make our careers.
This case could end our careers.
Nobody is going to back us against Nash without an eyewitness.
I talked to Nimziki this morning.
Nash is untouchable until November.
Shit. Whose dick is Nimziki sucking?
Everybody"s. It"s a goddamn sword fight in there.
All right?
Miss Launius?
- Can she hear us? - I don"t know.
You told me it was going to be different.
I don"t want to start like this!
- Come here. - Goddamnit.
Miss. Launius?
Can you hear me?
I need you.
I need you here.
Baby, l"m going crazy down here.
Come on. Come on.
- That didn"t last long, did it? - Fuck you!
Can you tell me anything about what happened to you?
Shadows.
- What did she say? - Nothing.
- It"s John. - Holmes, no!
Let me in.
John! John! Stop it, John!
Stop it, John! Stop it, John!
John! Look, you motherfucker!
Look at this motherfucker! Are you looking at this, Johnny?
Look what you did!
Look what the fuck you did, Johnny! You a bad man, Johnny!
Don"t fuck with me! Let"s go!
I can"t! Please stop this! Please!
Lt"s your turn, Johnny. It"s Christmas.
Let"s go to work, Johnny. Let"s go to work, baby.
Let"s go to work.
Let"s get dirty, Johnny. Let"s go!
Let"s get dirty, Johnny. Get dirty, Johnny!
Hit that motherfucker!
That"s right! That"s right!
Hit him! Love it!
Hit him! Look at you! Look at you, Johnny!
Oh, man! Johnny"s doing a movie.
- Another bad dream, baby? - No.
What time is it?
6:00.
Morning or evening?
Morning.
Didn"t I promise l"d get you out of there?
- Didn"t I? - Yeah.
Who"s my girl?
L"m your girl.