Beth Davenport quotes from The Rockford Files

Beth Davenport

Yes, your honor. The defense is rather impressed at the speed with which the county was able to amass this formidable display of evidence. But it is my client's contention that all of it is either irrelevant, circumstantial, fabricated, and/or falsified.

Beth Davenport

Don't you even care if she's innocent?

Jim

Beth, I spent five years in prison. While I was there I never met anybody who wasn't "innocent."

Beth Davenport

Please Jim, for me? [pause] I guess I've never been able to quite pull that off, have I?

[at police HQ where Rockford is being held on suspicion of murder] And then I held him at, ah, gunpoint for ten, fifteen minutes, and then you guys showed up. [he nods his head at Beth, who is staring at him blankly] Hi. [he turns back to Becker grinning] Will you take a look at her! She's so starstruck she's speechless!

Dennis Becker

Is that everything? The whole statement?

Yeah, yeah that's it. [he turns back to Beth] Ah, listen honey, try not to stare. I know it's difficult, but why don't you just relax and later the two of us will go get some coffee. I'll let you look at my scrapbook, hah?

Beth

That'd be lovely, only I gave up reading the funnies in the third grade.

Beth Davenport

Two years ago when I first met you, I thought, 'This is the one', and I took out my little lariat and I swung it over my head and I took dead aim, and I tossed. I must have thrown it 50 times since then. But I gotta hand it to you, Jim, you're a tough catch. Sometimes, I don't know, last year I guess, I sort of settled for friend and I started looking for someone with more long-range possibilities. David looked like a good candidate.

Jim

Thanks, but I'm still jealous.

Beth Davenport

[about the Fifth Amendment] It doesn't apply!

Jim

What do you mean, it doesn't apply? It's in the Constitution!

Beth Davenport

It doesn't apply in this case, Jim. I told you the judge wouldn't buy your privileged argument! He read the questions the grand jury asked you, and he read your answers, and he said you waived your rights.

Jim

You want to know what I think?

Beth Davenport

I know what you think and I agree with you, only there's nothing I can do about it.

Jim

I don't even know Frank Sorvino, I don't even know what they're trying to prove, whether I kidnapped him or snuck him out of the country? The federal prosecutor is playing Clarence Darrow like he's got a whip and a chair!

Beth Davenport

Gary Bevins, he's bucking for the Attorney General.

Jim

And he'll probably make it too. It's his show all the way, no attorney for the defense, you gotta go take a hike to find a judge, it's just Bevins and his merry band of men!

Beth Davenport

Now look, Jim...

Jim

Oh yeah, yeah, and the jury foreman? He has a gavel! Now since when do they give gavels to jury foremen?

Beth Davenport

They don't, only it's not unusual for the average citizen to sort of get caught up in the role and...

Jim

And then ask for one.

Beth Davenport

No, I think they buy their own.

Jim

Oh, come on. Beth, how soon can you get me out of here?

Beth Davenport

I don't think I ought to try.

Jim

Try? Hey, even murder's bailable!

Beth Davenport

So is civil contempt, if I can convince the judge you got grounds for appeal.

Jim

Then convince him!

Beth Davenport

It's not that simple, Jim! You can go out one day and come back the next, you can't take this thing all the way to the Supreme Court!

Jim

You mean I'm going to be eating cream chip beef on toast till they decide to let me out of here?

Beth Davenport

Not exactly, you stay in jail until you agree to testify.

Jim

Well, I'm not going to testify! Bevins is a one-man lynch mob!

Beth Davenport

Or until the expiration of the current grand jury term.

Jim

When is that?

Beth Davenport

About nine months.

Jim

Nine months? Oh, that's a pretty stiff sentence!

Beth Davenport

That's why they made it civil contempt. If they'd made it criminal contempt, and asked for a sentence of more than six months, you'd have had a right to a trial by jury.

Jim

Nine months...

Beth Davenport

But, when the new grand jury is impaneled, if you're called again and you refuse to testify, again...

Jim

Then it's back to the old slammer.

Beth Davenport

Until their term expires, eighteen months. Then...

Jim

And then they impanel another jury and the whole thing starts all over again. I haven't been charged with anything, I haven't been convicted of anything, you know, with a deal like that, do you realize how long I could be in here?

Beth Davenport

Theoretically? The rest of your life.

Jim

Yeah.

Jim

Neither one of us knew it was gonna be a kangaroo court.

Rocky

Yeah, I don't understand it! You told them the truth!

Jim

Yeah, and they didn't buy it. Hey look, I'm out, right?

Beth Davenport

Temporarily. They're gonna hit you with another subpoena, Jim.

Jim

Well, let them. This time I go in knowing the ground rules. I give them my name and I take the Fifth Amendment all the way.

Rocky

That's what I'd do. Well, they think you're guilty anyway.

Jim

Look, I can use the Fifth Amendment, can I? I mean, they haven't repealed the law or anything?

Beth Davenport

No, sure, you can take it, and they'll dismiss you, it will just be postponing the inevitable. Gary Bevins will apply to the Department of Justice for a grant of immunity, then you'll be recalled and you'll have to testify, or be held in contempt of court, again. This time they're gonna get your name right, my love.

Lt. Doug Chapman

Bobby Boyajian's brothers tell us that you two guys took the kid apart in the wedding chapel in La Jolla, and now he's dead. So don't sit there like butter wouldn't melt in your mouths!

Jim

I don't care what they say, we didn't start anything, it was Boyajian himself.

Angel

That's right, they're a bunch of liars, if you've ever dealt with the Boyajians, you'd know what creeps they are!

Lt. Doug Chapman

Mr. Martin, Bobby's sister Regine said that you telephoned her at Azie Boyajian's house last night, you tried to arrange a meeting with her brother so you could iron out some problems, is that right?

Jim

Wait a minute, Angel, you did what?

Angel

Regine can't testify against me, she's my legal wife.

Lt. Doug Chapman

Regine hung up on you, Mr. Martin, so maybe you telephoned Bobby at his home and he agreed to meet you.

Dennis Becker

Bobby's wound was point-blank. It had to be somebody who knew him, somebody who could walk right up to him.

Lt. Doug Chapman

Right. So what I'm saying is this: you (points at Angel), or you (points at Jim) or both of you met Bobby and got what you really wanted, which wasn't to iron out any problems, but to fill the kid's face with double-aught buckshot!

Dennis Becker

It was birdshot, Lieutenant!

Beth Davenport

[Slams her purse on table] Birdshot, buckshot, how much speculation do we have to listen to?! You may have a motive, maybe opportunity, but do you have an eyewitness, a weapon, anything that's at all solid?

Jim

Well, I think that ought to take care of that. I don't think the District Attorney's office is gonna file on loose charges, will they?

Lt. Doug Chapman

Sit down, Rockford!

Jim

What for, you can't file a charge?

Lt. Doug Chapman

Not on the homicide, not yet. But I've got you on fraud, grand theft! Complaint signed by the Boyajian brothers. Sergeant, get somebody from the Bunko Squad up here, book these guys for the Red Barn Con. [Dennis leaves. Chapman removes the visitors' passes from Rockford and Angel's chests] Like I said, sit down, gentlemen.

Angel

Hey, Jimmy, how you're doing? [Jim and Beth glare at him angrily] What are you cheesing me about, I got you off the bunko rap!

Jim

Angel, you get too close to me, I'm gonna pull out your beard hair by hair!

Angel

Hey, it ain't like you're the one who got the chargin', no, I mean it wasn't your partner that got beaten to death. You're not the one who's got somebody going to hit you over the head with a lead pipe. For you, it's over with!

Hey! Hey, what are you two guys doing out on the street?

Angel

Hey Azie, how are you? I'm so terribly sorry to hear about Bobby.

Beth Davenport

[Leads Jim away] Jim, just keep walking. Don't say anything, I mean it!

Rockford, you scumbag, don't you turn your back on me!

Azie, don't get into it, not here!

Yeah, we gotta pick up Bobby's belongings, then I guess we're gonna give them to the Goodwill, cause he ain't never gonna use them no more. His whole face is gone! Then the police lets sleaze like you go free, huh? Okay, so be it! We know where to find both of you!

Beth Davenport

I'm Mr. Rockford's attorney, should I interpret that as a threat?

Come on, come on! [The Boyajians leave]

Jim

[Glares at Angel] It's over, huh?

Beth Davenport

Jim, I think the thing for you to do is just lay low until the cops nab Bobby's killer. These guys will cool off.

Angel

But they ain't gonna make that call if they're set on sticking me and Jimmy with the killing. I'm talking about survival now, you're gonna have to try and find that murderer!

Beth Davenport

Oh no, no, absolutely not. I don't want--

Jim

[Interjects] Beth. Beth, he's right. It's either that or we wait to join the melon rinds in the back of some garbage truck.

Beth Davenport

Warren is a brilliant chess player.

Jim

He's a turkey!

Jim

I'm the one who spent the night on the county, Beth!

Beth Davenport

And everybody has apologized. Now will you listen to me?

Beth Davenport

I hope Angel won't say anything that's gonna get Rocky into trouble.

Jim

Hey, Angel has been in stir. He knows better than to talk without his lawyer present. And you're his lawyer. Angel knows better. He'll keep his mouth shut.

Angel

See, you wanna be talking to Jim Rockford and his father, Joseph. Let me spell that for you. That's Rockford. R-O-C-K-F-O-R-D. The guy's got a record, too, you know, but the State, they pardoned him. But you know the State, they just practically give them pardons away. This guy and his dad, they're dirty. You talk about marked bills and mob money. You want to find these guys right away. I wouldn't waste any time. Now, Rocky, that's the father, he's at the Palm Shores Hotel. That's in Hawaii. A lot of mob guys hang out there. I'd grab him and I wouldn't let him go. I'd grab him right away if I was you.

You better be straight with us, Martin.

Angel

Straight? Straight? I'm so straight, my back's hurting.

You better be. We've got a shopping list of charges to hang on somebody. You're pretty handy right now.

Angel

Who me? Charges?

Five to ten for fraud. Five to ten for conspiracy to avoid taxes. Five to ten, obstructing justice. Twenty to life, accessory to murder.

Angel

Murder? Wait a minute. Wait a second. I wouldn't murder no one, not for a couple of Cs. Look, you want to talk to the Rockford gang. That's R-O-C-K-F-O-R-D.

Beth

I don't want to raid Harcourt and Lowe's client list when I leave, but I am worried about clients; where are they going to come from?

Jim

Oh hey, they'll come, they'll come! And, you know, you've always got me!

Beth

Thanks Jim. I was talking about paying clients though.