You had to explain the money somehow, and the truth would've put you behind bars along with your with your friend.
7 seconds sound clip from the Kojak - Season 1, Ep. 5 - Girl in the River movie soundboard.
You can hear this line at 00:44:07 in the DVD version of the movie.
Quote context
[...]
- That's why he went in not at the ready.
- I don't believe it. He wouldn't do that. He couldn't do that.
- Oh, not if you're tellin' the truth about shakin' down a john.
- Only we both know different, don't we?
- So you told your father the one story he could square with his policeman's conscience.
- And your father figured he could square things by returning the money.
- And that's what got him killed.
- I didn't know. I swear to God...
- You didn't wanna know! That's the difference between us, the difference between you and me... I did.
[...]