Lawyer Raymond Pettigrew and his fiancée Madeline Powers pull up to 357 Marina Del Rey and Raymond assures her that it's a detective agency. Inside, Clay Gentry and Ray "Rake" Monroe are having coffee and discussing smiles. Raymond and Madeline come in and introduce themselves, and explain that they have a serious problem. Madeline's boyfriend Francis has been harassing them for the last month. She warns that Francis doesn't handle rejection very well, and Clay assures them that they'll handle it.
Rake and Clay go to their jeep and come back a few seconds later to ask where they're going. Raymond gives them an address and they go to the trailer park where Francis lives. The detectives decide to play "Good Cop Bad Cop" and knock on Francis' door. Francis, a biker type, complains that he's trying to leap. They give Madeline the ring, but she figures that she's with Raymond. They compliment Francis on his tattoos, and Francis points out the fresh graves of the last two PIs who came y. They quickly excuse themselves and Francis tells them to tell Madeline that they haven't seen the last of him.
As they go, Clay points out that if they don't return the ring then they won't get paid. Rake tosses the ring at Francis and run. Francis shoots at them and they take cover in a shed. Rake tries to call 911 but Francis shoots his phone and then reloads. Clay and Rake head back to the jeep and drive back to357 Marina Del Rey. They figure that they ditched Francis... unaware that he's hanging onto the bottom of their jeep.
Inside, Rake and Clay tell the couple that they returned the ring. Madeline asks if they had the right trailer, just as Francis comes in and orders them all to sit down. He tries to take Madeline with him, and she insists that it's over between them. Rake offers Francis a cappuccino but he isn't interested, but he isn't interested and leaves with Madeline. Once they're gone, Raymond offers to pay anything if they bring Madeline back. When they refuse and Raymond sees that Francis is stealing his Mercedes, he draws a gun and says that no one is bailing.
Raymond takes the PIs to the trailer park and realize that Francis is in his trailer. Rake knocks on the door and says that he's surrounded... and removes the trailer steps. When Francis comes out, he falls and Raymond grabs the gun. Raymond tells Madeline to come out. She does and says that she loves Francis, and is staying with him. Madeline says that she could never be a lawyer's wife and shows them the tattoo that Francis gave her.
Going berserk, Raymond prepares to shoot everyone. Rake claims that Liz Taylor is passing nearby, and then he and Clay beat up Raymond. Francis thanks them for saving his life, and the PIs say that Raymond still owes them. They then drive back to 357 Marina Del Rey in Raymond's car, while their jeep won't start.
Written by Gadfly on Mar 26, 2017