Hello, Lobo.
Let me guess.
You boys are on a crack bust, and you can't stop to talk.
Right?
Thanks for bailing me out, MacGyver.
You violated your probation, Lobo.
You promised the judge you'd keep your art on the canvas!
That wasn't art, it was a message.
Hey, what was I supposed to do?
Stand around and wait for the man to evict my grandmother?
He did it anyway. Right after you left.
Come on, I borrowed a truck.
We can move her stuff to my place.
Hold it, Kasanti.
I thought there were no legal encumbrances
holding up the sale of this building.
I paid you a fortune for this slum.
Now my lawyers tell me I can't take title and start demolition
because a Gloria Diaz
is contesting your eviction notice.
Was contesting the eviction notice.
The judge threw her case out this morning
because her lawyers couldn't come up with the so-called evidence.
Come here.
Take a look.
Please, put the table over there by the boxes
and be careful you do not bang the legs.
Easy! That's my wedding day china.
I lived my married life
and raised five children in this building.
They might as well cut my heart out.
We'll get your things in the truck, Grandma.
I never had trouble with the old landlord.
He was no angel.
But he treated us like human beings.
Not like Kasanti.
Kasanti has no heart.
Trust me. She's history.
You better be right.
I'm not about to delay
a $200 million urban renewal project
because you couldn't handle one little old lady.
The quilt, Antonio. Put the quilt over that rocking chair.
Mrs. Diaz, you don't have to worry about your stuff.
We'll take care of it just fine.
Thank you, MacGyver.
I only know you a little while, but you are like family.
Hey, how about that, MacGyver?
We're related.
Great.
My lawyers.
Oh, Gloria, I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry.
That's what happens when you don't pay the rent.
I don't have to pay the rent!
Not until your boss fixes up this place
like the law says, Stroud!
You had your day in court.
I thought you two weren't gonna let them evict my grandmother.
Lobo, all the evidence we had against Kasanti
was stolen from our office last night.
The photographs, the documentation, the affidavits, everything.
There was no way we could stop them from getting an eviction notice.
So much for the law, eh, MacGyver?
This is Mr. MacGyver,
Antonio's savior last August,
when the police caught him redecorating the freeway overpass.
Ah, the man who recognized his talent
and gave him his own art studio.
Actually, it's just a corner in my garage.
Helen Dempsey and Rose Magruta.
- Hi. - Hi.
Uh, this evidence that was stolen, uh,
what was it all about?
Proof that this building was a fire trap.
And proof that the plumbing didn't work.
Not to mention evidence
that three families were living in one little apartment.
And the fact that Kasanti lied
when he said this place met the city building regulations.
Kasanti.
That's the guy you were advertising, right?
Yeah.
My grandma told him to stuff it when he came around for this month's rent.
It was their legal strategy.
We thought we finally had a case against him.
It's not your fault, Rose.
Uh, ladies,
what if I could get this evidence back?
- We'd go to court in a flash. - Oh.
Okay.
Um, you're gonna need a camera.
My grandson is having his sixth birthday today,
but, uh, snapshots can wait.
Could you ladies give my grandma a ride to my place?
Oh, of course.
Okay.
Well, let's get moving.
- I know, darling... - There are things to do.
Everything is gonna be fine.
I think this young fellow can help us.
You need to relax. We'll make you a nice cup of tea.
This is where I grew up, MacGyver.
My mama was a hair stylist.
Her dream was to move to a house of our own.
Problem is, she died a year later when I was three.
Goodbye, dream.
Oh, what about your dad?
Just a name on a wall.
The Vietnam Memorial.
Yeah. My grandma made this place a home in spite of Kasanti.
She was the only tenant left, right?
Everybody else gave up and moved out.
Here, check this out.
This was my room till last year.
I decided I was independent enough
to find my own level of poverty.
Thank you very much.
Yeah, welcome to Club Dread.
Southern exposure overlooking
an airshaft full of garbage,
hot and cold running rats.
No heat in winter.
Who could ask for anything more?
"Vegetables suck"?
Pretty nice, huh?
Oh, yeah.
That's when I knew art was my life.
I was seven.
Well, you like expressing yourself so much,
grab something to write with and take some notes.
Oh! Gee!
I think we got a problem.
Yeah? What's that?
That guy, MacGyver? Helped move the old lady out?
He's in there snooping around with the kid taking pictures.
Mmm. Not for long.
Smoke alarm's not even connected.
Figures.
Hey, you two!
What the hell do you think you're doing?
This is private property.
And you're in luck, MacGyver. It's Kasanti, the blood-sucker himself.
Yeah, well, you guys are trespassing. Out!
Out, before I call the cops.
Well, you do what you got to do.
I'm not quite finished here yet.
What's that supposed to mean?
That means this place is a deathtrap,
and I'm gonna prove it.
Yeah. I got a city inspection report that says otherwise.
All right. We'll sort it out in court.
Fine, we will. Fine. Clear.
Look at them. Ain't they something?
On a rainy day, I'd hold the cockroach Olympics.
Fastest cockroach got to live.
- Yeah, yeah. - Hey, I'm writing. I'm writing.
Uh-oh, MacGyver, I don't think Kasanti called the cops.
It's that idiot, Stroud, the building manager.
Hey, guys. We got a problem here?
No problem. Just a warning.
We don't like strangers.
Ain't gonna get away with it, man.
Hey, pal, you're trespassin'.
We're just here defendin' ourselves.
Hey, Lobo,
is there another way out of here?
Yeah, straight up.
Great.
Gentlemen, uh, what do you say we just leave peacefully?
It's too late.
Over there, there's a fire escape.
Lobo,
we got to jump.
What, are you kidding?
Nope.
Stop 'em!
Go after 'em!
This way!
Keep going. Follow me.
Grab that pipe.
Oh, Mrs. Magruta, I don't know what to do.
Kim Soo, your ex-husband
cannot come and take your children away.
Now, I promise.
Here, drink some tea.
Yo, Helen, got the evidence.
Oh, thank God you're okay.
Gloria just called and said you two guys are lucky to be alive.
Well, uh, can I get you some tea? Cookies.
Rose, they're not your grandchildren.
Everything you need should be right in there.
Way to go.
Man, Kasanti's gonna wish he never laid eyes on us.
You think Kasanti was behind the attack?
Oh, it had to be him. He owns Stroud.
Perhaps we can explain.
Hamilton Plaza.
Is an urban redevelopment project.
If it gets city council approval,
it's gonna drive downtown real estate values sky high.
And let Kasanti sell his buildings
for a huge profit, right?
To Lawton Enterprises.
Andrew Lawton's company?
That's right. He's the prime contractor.
If you ask me,
he and Kasanti are two of a kind.
Anything for a buck.
Have you talked to Lawton?
Huh, tried to. We couldn't get an appointment.
Oh, nobody can get in to see him.
Phoenix Foundation? Send him right in.
Normally I don't take unscheduled meetings,
but you mentioned the magic word.
Phoenix.
Lawton Enterprises built your facility, Mr. MacGyver.
Beauty, grace, internal efficiency,
minimal ecological impact.
I wish I could be so fortunate with our next project.
Hamilton Plaza. Yeah, I know.
That's why I'm here.
Oh? Is there some kind of problem?
Well, the problem, Mr. Lawton, is urban renewal
at the expense of innocent people losing their homes.
You mean losing their sub-standard, vermin-infested apartments
no human being should have to live in.
Because slum lords don't keep them up to code.
All the more reason for them to move out.
Mr. Lawton,
I came here to make sure you were aware
of some of the tactics landlords are using to get people to move out.
That's none of my concern.
It should be.
Look, MacGyver,
there are gonna be a few dislocation problems.
But Hamilton Plaza means jobs,
a better quality of life, a tax base on which to build schools.
It also means a lot of poor people are gonna suffer
while you make slumlords like Victor Kasanti rich overnight.
Kasanti?
You know him?
Yeah. He ran a friend of mine out of one of his buildings.
Well, I'm sorry.
But as long as his evictions are legal,
I have no quarrel with the man.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I have to prepare for tomorrow's press conference.
Mr. Lawton, your new complex here is gonna look awfully funny
with a tenement stuck in the middle of it.
Are you threatening me?
No, sir, I'm not.
I came here to appeal to your sense of justice.
Obviously, you don't have one.
So, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to help fight this eviction
no matter how long it ties up Mr. Kasanti's property.
Get Kasanti on the phone.
Now.
How'd it go with Uptown Lawton?
Not like I expected.
Getting a rich education, ain't you, man?
Take a look at this.
Four of Kasanti's tenements,
four different inspectors.
That's weird.
Well, they can't all be on the take.
What mushroom have you been living under?
Here you go. Just pay the cashier down the hall.
Ah, thank you.
Excuse me.
Uh, just a minute.
Yes?
Yeah, I'd like to speak to an Inspector Miller.
So would I. He left with my favorite stapler.
- Left? - Fired.
Uh, what about an Inspector Gladston?
Fired.
Inspector Pelham?
Took a job in private industry.
I don't suppose Dale Winslow is around, is he?
Retired.
Well, it was fun looking for parking space.
Now, wait a minute. Excuse me.
Would you happen to know when these guys left?
The dates?
June 6, 1988,
April 23, 1989,
March 12, 1990
and October 2, 1990.
Gentlemen, perhaps I could be of some help.
I'm Clinton Ferris. I'm the director of Building and Safety.
Lobo. MacGyver.
A couple of confused dudes.
Yeah, we're working on a legal matter for someone.
Uh-huh. And?
Well, these inspection reports don't click, man.
Yeah, according to the dates, the inspectors signed them months,
sometimes years, after they had left the job.
- May I look at them? - Sure.
Please, why don't you step into my office over here?
Thanks.
Whoa, check this out.
- Doggie heaven. - Put it down.
It's kind of a hobby of mine.
Yeah?
This you?
Yeah, with Lord Jim.
Talk about a high point in one's life.
Carriage, conformation, stance.
Lord Jim had it all.
And then there's this kind of thing.
Goodness knows I try to sort out the bad apples.
What do you mean?
I mean that these are forgeries.
It's an old scam, Mr. MacGyver.
Slumlord bribes the building inspector,
the inspector signs the name of another inspector
who's no longer answerable for his actions.
Slumlords like Kasanti?
Yes.
Among hundreds of others.
And believe you me, the tenants are not the only ones they feed off of.
They feed off of poorly paid civil servants
who have bills to pay,
kids to put through college,
men who should know better,
but can't resist vultures like Kasanti.
Would you be willing to testify to all this?
Absolutely.
And I promise, I will find the men who forged these signatures,
and I will take the appropriate action.
All right, Ferris. You're one happening dude, bro!
Well, thank you.
We've got some interesting information.
We went to the tax assessor's office, and guess what?
The tax roles show joint ownership
of almost all of Kasanti's tenements.
- So he has a partner. - Mmm-hmm.
Dempsey and Magruta.
Yeah, uh, this is Victor Kasanti.
Victor Kasanti?
Mr. MacGyver is right here.
On one.
Yeah.
Yeah, enough is enough, MacGyver.
W-What do you say we get together?
We resolve this Gloria Diaz thing
and then--then we can both get on with our lives.
What do you have in mind?
Meet me at the building in--in an hour, okay?
You--You'll like what I got to say.
He wants to meet me at Gloria's building.
How can you trust that man?
Are you kidding?
He trusts everybody until they chase him with a pipe.
All right. Come on.
Man, this place is gettin' spooky.
What was that?
Maybe we should get out of here.
You say you heard people arguing?
Sure sounded like it.
How many people? Two? Three?
I don't know, man.
Did you recognize Kasanti's voice?
Uh-uh, they were too far away.
How about a car?
Did you see any kind of vehicle parked in front?
Nada.
You didn't see anyone?
That's all you can tell me?
Voices, then footsteps. That was it, man.
We don't know who it was.
I do. It was Mr. Uptown, Andrew Lawton.
Right.
Listen, we'll get back to you guys.
Is it true, Kasanti's dead?
- Yeah, too bad, huh? - Lobo.
Strange.
There's a certain irony
to a slum landlord having a fatal accident in his own building.
Well, I'm not so sure it was an accident.
Kasanti was arguing with Moneybags Lawton when we got here.
You don't know that.
It all makes sense, doesn't it?
Who else would snuff out Kasanti?
Look, Kasanti was in tight with Lawton,
and he got too greedy, so Lawton took him out.
Now he's got it all, my grandma's got nothing
and she's out on the street for good.
Maybe. Maybe not.
But you have no proof, so you better stop pointing fingers.
He's right, Antonio.
We have got to do this the legal way.
Yeah, right.
Your legal way got my grandma tossed out into the street.
- Hey. - No, MacGyver, admit it.
Lawton's holding a press conference tomorrow, man.
He won, we lost.
Lobo, we can still go to court.
Listen, it's not over yet.
Yeah? Well, it is for me. I'm out of here.
He may be right.
With Kasanti dead,
his grandmother may have no legal recourse.
Maybe not.
Remember, Kasanti had a partner.
- All right. - You keep talking.
- All right. - Come on.
He's out. We're not sure what he got.
All right.
All right, all right, hold on.
Yeah, I'm comin'. I'm comin'. I'm comin'.
It's not even noon yet.
All right.
Fine.
- Mo. - MacGyver.
What the heck are you doing here?
Do you know what time it is?
Hey, I'm sorry if I woke you up.
But I need a handwriting expert,
- and you're the best. - Oh, yeah?
Well, the D.A. didn't think so when he sent me up.
That's because you were forging signatures instead of analyzing them.
Well, it looks like you've done pretty good since you left the halfway house.
Well, they couldn't drag me back to the joint with a team of horses.
You know, I sort of like having doors that I can unlock from the inside.
You know what I mean?
Well, what have you got?
Uh, four signatures.
I want you to tell me if they're the work of the same person.
What's it all about?
Well, if I'm right, catching a killer.
I appreciate you joining me this morning.
I'm proud to announce that Hamilton Plaza
is about to become a reality.
As of noon today,
Lawton Enterprises will embark on the most ambitious
urban renewal project in this city's history.
Yo! Beautiful people,
- it's coffee time. - Who's that?
What the devil...
Now, what are you doing standing around in the dark?
You are missing one beautiful day.
Get him off there.
Am I right or am I right?
Whoa! "How fat cats get fat.
"They eat people's homes."
Hey, Lawton,
that's you!
Oh, my God, you've got to be kidding.
What is this? Who are you?
Keep rolling. I'm ready.
No, stop. This is ludicrous.
In other news, city police arrested 20 people...
Uh-huh.
Come here, take a look. I want to show you somethin'.
Look at it. See the curvature on the loops?
Which we also call the, uh, slant and terminal strokes.
Same guy?
Same guy forged all four names.
Mmm-hmm. I'd bet my life on it.
No, make that my shirt. I've bet my life too many times.
What about the signature on this check endorsement?
...soaring crime rate,
which Police Chief Harold Brooks admitted is the highest in the city.
Over 50 percent...
Yeah. Definitely, same guy.
And now, let's switch to News Central's Cindy Clark
for a live report.
This is Cindy Clark, reporting from downtown
where a bizarre scene is taking place.
Across the street, a shockingly graphic billboard
which questions the propriety...
Oh, man.
...of the newly-approved Hamilton Plaza project.
Here, inside the offices of prime contractor, Lawton Enterprises,
total confusion.
Please! May I have your attention?
I beg you.
With me is notorious graffiti artist, Lobo,
who claims responsibility.
Yeah, that's right. I want the whole world to know the truth.
And that is?
Andrew Lawton is driving poor and innocent people
like my grandmother from their homes.
He doesn't care if she ends up in the gutter.
All he cares about is money.
What do you have to say about that, Mr. Lawton?
Oops. Got to run now, folks, but stay tuned.
I ain't finished yet.
Come here. Come here, kid!
Around that way!
Mr. Lawton, what is your response to all this?
Well, Cindy, as you know, I have nothing to hide.
But what you're seeing here today is the work of a juvenile delinquent
who has nothing better to do with his life than deface property
and crucify innocent people.
You're saying Lobo's charges aren't true?
Friends of yours?
Yes and no.
Thanks, Mo.
Well, naturally, there are some tenants
who for whatever reason failed to make proper arrangements...
Anytime.
Hello.
Hey, MacGyver.
Hey, nice art show.
Yeah, tell me about it.
Listen, man, I want to turn myself in,
but I want you to go with me.
Where are you?
I'll be at my grandma's apartment.
There's some new evidence you got to see, man.
Okay. You all right?
Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just come quick, all right?
All right.
Attaboy, Lobo. Now you're learnin'.
Lobo?
Put it down.
Where's Lobo?
He's waitin' for you.
Now, move.
Sorry, MacGyver.
I didn't have a choice.
It's all right, Lobo.
At least now we know who we're dealin' with.
Right, Ferris?
That's very good, MacGyver.
I'm impressed.
Stroud was workin' for Ferris all along.
Yeah, I know.
Ferris was Kasanti's secret partner.
How'd you find out?
Your endorsement on the checks Kasanti was writing
to your shadow corporation,
Lord Jim Properties.
Tie him up.
You went 50-50 with Kasanti years ago, didn't you, Ferris?
Man had to do something with all the money
the landlords were paying him to look the other way.
Well, I told you, it's very hard living on a civil servant's salary.
And what about Kasanti?
Well, he was afraid you had enough on him to put him in jail,
and he was willing to hold up on the deal.
So you killed the dude?
If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Know what I mean?
Get the car.
This is not your, uh, standard demolition device,
but, uh, it's effective nonetheless.
Let's go.
It don't look that big.
No, it's just a trigger.
If the nitrates in that barrel go off,
the whole building will blow.
What are you doing?
These ties are made of plastic.
They've got a low melting point.
Come on.
How much time we got?
Well, enough time to defuse it.
Yeah, well, how about a vote? I say we run like hell.
Dang.
Dang?
Hey, they're getting away!
- Here, hold that. - What, are you kidding?
Whoa!
With me is Andrew Lawton, the developer of Hamilton Plaza.
Mr. Lawton, are you saying the project is on hold?
Only until the final plans have been revised
to include brand-new housing for current residents,
the vital need for which has been so eloquently expressed
by Mr. MacGyver on behalf of Gloria Diaz.
Gloria Diaz, the proud widow
whose fight to retain her simple home with all its memories
touched the heart of an entire city.
I believe you have something to ask Mrs. Diaz?
Indeed I do.
Mrs. Diaz,
out of the ashes of this and other buildings will soon rise
beautiful, new, affordable housing.
And in honor of your role in bringing this moment about,
I invite you to be the first new tenant to move in.
Sure.
As long as you pay for the moving men.