The Equalizer (2021) s01e03 Episode Script

1 Previously on The Equalizer I mean, who do you go to if you can't go to the cops? MEL: We've gotten dozens of hits off that message you sent out.
- BISHOP: What are you doing? - ROBYN: I'm using my powers for good.
He's gonna be heavily guarded.
Well, then, I'm gonna need backup.
Trouble's my specialty.
ROBYN: Yes, it is.
Looks like you made some improvements with the place.
What do you need? I need those freaky-ass superpowers of yours.
Detective Marcus Dante.
Have you guys ever come across this woman as a part of your investigation? The facial rec turned up negative.
They said it's like she doesn't exist.
Except she does.
[DOGS BARKING.]
[INDISTINCT SHOUTING.]
[KLAXON SIREN WAILING.]
[HELICOPTER BUZZING OVERHEAD.]
[KNOCKS ON DOOR.]
Tommy, open up.
It's Dale.
I made it.
Tommy? Tommy? Tommy! Oh, no.
I'm sick with this Straight gangsta mack Oh, stop.
I can walk from here.
Oh, what, you don't want me to pump up my old-school joints? - [TURNS UP VOLUME.]
- Hey! - Oh, my God.
Mom, no! - Look at me, I'm skinny It never stopped me from getting busy, I'm a freak - No, stop.
Please.
- I like the girls with the boom I once got busy in a Burger King bathroom - Oh, hey, Jazzy.
- Mom.
[TURNS VOLUME DOWN.]
I haven't seen Jasmine in some time.
Any reason for that? No.
Just been busy.
See you.
[PHONE RINGING.]
Yeah? Morning, sunshine.
Bad time? No, I'm good.
What's up? There's some lawyer putting the word out to the "got a problem" person.
He sounds pretty desperate.
We got to find something better to call me than that.
Go ahead and set up the meet.
Come on! Ooh, do me, baby - Do the Humpty Hump - Hey, Humpty Hump - Come on, do the Humpty Hump - Uh, do the Humpty Hump - Check me out, y'all - Hey! Do the Humpty Hump So the rumors are true You really do exist.
I've heard rumors, too.
Nic Palermo.
Public defender.
Used to be a pretty good lawyer until you hit the bottle.
Yeah, well, I'm not here about me.
It's about an old client.
Dale Aldridge.
The murderer that just escaped Danford a few days back? I don't help criminals.
Please.
He's innocent.
His case nearly broke me.
I spent ten years trying to show folks that what happened to Dale was a gross miscarriage of justice.
But everywhere I turned, there were brick walls.
It wears on a man.
He's out of appeals now, but he's still trying to prove that he didn't do it.
And if the cops find him, they'll probably kill him.
He deserves better, better than I could do.
Look, if you don't believe me, just take a look at the case.
There's something off about it.
Okay, I'll look at the case, but I need to meet him face-to-face.
He called me from a burner.
I don't know where he is.
Let me handle that.
PALEY: Tommy Venti.
Parolee.
Released from prison four months ago.
U.
S.
Marshals found the body when they were tracking down that escapee, Dale Aldridge.
MONROE: Smart money's on a prison beef.
He and Aldridge were cellies.
This is Deputy U.
S.
Marshal Mike Monroe.
He's leading the fugitive task force.
Detective Marcus Dante.
MONROE: Not much for you, Detective.
Neighbor saw Aldridge fleeing the scene.
Pretty cut-and-dry.
Except this was more than a prison beef.
These marks This was an interrogation.
Someone wanted information.
Or just wanted to make it last.
If Dale Aldridge is settling scores, this won't be the only homicide you're following down.
[SIREN WHOOPS.]
Easy, Dale.
Easy, Dale.
I'm not a cop.
Your lawyer Nic, he sent me to help you.
How'd you find me? Tracked your burner phone.
[STAMMERING.]
: What are you, some kind of a P.
I.
? No.
I'm more of a specialist.
Your lawyer says you're trying to clear your name.
How you planning on doing that? There's this guy named Preacher, and my last cellmate, Tommy, did time with him a couple of years back upstate.
Overheard him confess to the murder I'm in for.
When Tommy got out, he tracked him down.
We were gonna confront him, but Preacher, he got to Tommy first.
Beat him to death.
So that was your plan, force a confession out of a killer? Even if you did, you're out of appeals.
You wouldn't even get a new trial.
I don't care about a trial.
The only thing I care about is him.
That's my son, Blake.
He thinks he's the son of a murderer.
His mother says he's self-destructing, going down the wrong path.
If I can just show him I'm not who they say I am, maybe he won't think that's who he is, either.
I just want him to have a chance.
Okay, so, where is this Preacher? That's just it.
Tommy wouldn't say, 'cause everything's recorded on prison phones.
Preacher, that's just a nickname.
I don't even know his real name.
Well, let me worry about that.
But it might take a minute.
I can put you up in a safe house for a few days.
I can keep myself safe.
Cops consider you armed and dangerous.
They will shoot to kill.
I appreciate the help.
Would you trust anyone if you were me? Well, okay.
But use this phone.
No one can track it but me.
Keep it on.
Lose the other.
And don't even think about trying to contact your family.
Cops will be on 'em.
In the meantime, I'll try to locate Preacher.
I remember this case.
They called it "Terror in Great Neck.
" The guy would cut alarms and break in when no one was home.
Except for the last time someone was.
Carol Walton, an ER nurse She was found stabbed to death.
A neighbor said they saw Dale hanging around her house that night.
Sounds suspicious.
Well, until you find out that he was working as a handyman at the house next door.
So based on the testimony of one person, Dale got sentenced to life.
There had to be other evidence.
I mean, DNA or a murder weapon.
ROBYN: Not according to his lawyer's files.
And he had no record.
Prosecution used the fact that he was working-class and struggling, trying to provide - for his family as motive.
- It's hard to imagine being locked up for something that you didn't do, and then watching, helpless, as your kid goes down the wrong road.
Got him.
No thanks to the Department of Corrections.
Their I.
T.
system's a pit of idiocy.
Reginald Floyd, aka Preacher.
Did a nickel at Fishkill for B and E.
Shared a block with Tommy for two of them.
Look at this.
- What? - Apparently, he got a traffic ticket ten years ago: Rolling through a stop sign in Great Neck.
MEL: Date on the ticket? Mm, June 11.
Same night as one of the first burglaries.
That's our guy.
How do I find him? HARRY: It looks like he's in Queens.
Apparently found God on the inside He's got some kind of inner-city, uh, ministry now.
Then he should know all about the power of confession.
Yo.
Rob, hey.
Uh, just watch your back out there.
That, uh, that cop that's been looking for you, Marcus Dante, he's on the task force that's hunting Aldridge.
Then I'll keep my eyes open.
MAN [ON TV.]
: If you have to carry the sheep, that means not only was it far away, it was wounded.
The enemy kidnapped your dreams, kidnapped your hopes, kidnapped your future, and tried to kill you in the process.
You were down, and you were bleeding.
But you survived.
Is there Are there any survivors in the church today? Are there any survivors online? Make a sound if you're a survivor.
[GRUNTING.]
[EXHALES.]
Ooh, you got a pretty good swing for a man of God.
[GROANS.]
What? What do you want from me? The truth.
'Cause, Preacher, today is judgment day.
I know what you're thinking I'm a killer but you're wrong.
Says the man who tried to grand-slam my head.
You broke into my house.
I heard someone from my prison days was looking to get even, then you showed up.
Looking for answers, about Great Neck, the Carol Walton murder.
Tommy Venti heard you confess.
Then he starts asking questions and ends up dead.
Tommy's dead? I did confess to the burglaries.
But I ain't never killed nobody.
You expect me to believe that? When Carol Walton was murdered by someone using the exact same M.
O.
as those robberies? I'm a man of God now.
I confessed my sins, and I'm telling you, murder wasn't one of them.
So, what? This just a coincidence? No.
It's the same M.
O.
, 'cause whoever killed that woman used my crime to get away with their own.
When the cops picked me up on another charge, I was terrified they were gonna pin that murder on me, until they arrested that other guy, Dale.
After that, I thanked God every day.
I changed my life.
I promised I'd do his work.
By letting an innocent man take the fall? - You could've come forward.
- And said what? "I did the robberies but not the murder"? Black man, white woman? It don't matter if I had a rock-solid alibi.
I'd never see daylight again.
Okay, so you had an alibi for then.
What about last night when Tommy was killed? I was ministering in a soup kitchen.
I ain't never kill nobody.
Not then, not now.
Somebody used my crimes to get away with murder, and now they're trying to make sure that their secret stays buried.
And we've got officers posted there as well.
Well, that's good to know.
Well, if it isn't Detective Dante.
District Attorney Grafton.
Didn't want to interrupt.
I was hoping for a moment with Judge Cooley about Dale Aldridge's case.
You were the prosecutor? We were just discussing security measures.
And since he's all out of appeals, he's got nothing to lose.
I, on the other hand, have a family.
I've reviewed his phone calls from prison.
So far, he hasn't made any direct threats against you or anyone else involved in the case.
Hardly a comfort, given he murdered a woman in cold blood and just killed his old cellmate.
I understand.
It's just, uh What? Also in those calls, uh, Dale and Tommy spoke about finding the real killer.
Sounded like Dale was looking to clear his name.
I hate to ask, but - Uh, Detective - No.
It's fine.
It was a big case, Detective.
Lots of media attention.
So yes, we looked.
I can assure you, there was no evidence it was anyone other than Dale Aldridge.
WOMAN: Your Honor, we're ready.
Uh, I'm due back in court.
You have any other questions, please call.
Did you really just accuse the judge of putting away the wrong guy? I'm a cop, not a lawyer.
- Meaning? - Not every question is an accusation.
My job is to make sure the story fits the facts.
By all accounts, Dale and Tommy were friends.
Doesn't make sense he'd kill him.
And when I pulled surveillance, I saw a stolen car leaving Tommy's place.
The man in it wasn't Aldridge.
Detective, we have an escaped killer running around my city.
If you want to chase ghosts, how about you do it after he's back behind bars and before another body drops? DALE: But it has to be him.
He confessed.
To the break-ins, not the murders.
I checked Preacher's alibi from ten years ago and the night Tommy was killed.
It's not him.
So, what? This was all pointless? No.
It means the real killer is still out there.
We just need to find 'em.
How? Th-There's no place to start.
We start with the victim.
Carol Walton.
Someone wanted her dead.
We just need to find out who.
After a decade? You really think that's possible? Well, the killer seemed to think so.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have moved on Tommy.
Which also means you're not safe.
Not here or back there.
You need to let me protect you.
No.
I'm tired of putting my life in other people's hands.
I'll figure it out on my own.
Dale.
Dale.
HARRY: You know that phone you gave him? It's in a Jersey landfill.
He's clearly not that into you.
[SCOFFS.]
Well, can you blame him? Ten years of fighting, and his one shot ends with his friend being dead.
I think he's losing hope.
So, what are we supposed to do? If someone doesn't want our help, do we just stop? We help him anyway.
I mean, we're not getting paid to do any of this, right? We're making a choice to help people who need it.
I mean, clearly, this dude needs it.
He's out there, he's alone.
So we help him before he gets himself killed.
Hey.
What's that for? It's for you being you.
- Oh.
Thanks.
- You're welcome.
So what's our next move? Well, Carol's body was found by her friend Elaine Gibson, so maybe she can shed some light on what was going on in her life back then.
In the meantime, we got to find Dale again.
And see if you can get eyes on his family.
I got a feeling he's gonna do something stupid.
You're still duct-taping the door handle.
You shouldn't be here.
How's Blake? Tell me.
I've tried, Dale.
I have.
He's just so angry about everything.
He hasn't been home for weeks.
Your last letter, you said he was in trouble.
You remember Bobby Crenshaw? Yeah.
Blake is jacking cars for him now.
I have to see him.
Oh, promise you won't.
The cops You should get going before the Marshals waiting outside get suspicious.
Promise me.
I can't lose you both.
Hey, promise me you'll get the handle fixed, okay? I love you.
[CAR DOOR CLOSES.]
Excuse me.
I need to see Elaine Gibson.
[MOUTHS.]
Oh, totally! That call cost them the touchdown.
I know! Pass interference, bro.
- Hey.
- You mind using your inside voice? You see that family? They're grieving.
I'm the head of emergency surgery.
Then it would be a real shame if you couldn't use your hands.
Hi.
I'm Elaine.
You looking for me? Carol was more than a friend.
She was like a sister.
Uh, we even got matching tattoos.
It never sat right, what they said happened.
I know it's been a minute, but can you think of anyone that would want to come after her? Bad relationship? Money problems? Anything? No, nothing like that.
I mean - she was a crusader.
- How so? Back then, the opioid wave was just hitting.
In the ER, we saw the damage firsthand.
Someone was flooding the streets with prescriptions.
Carol wanted to find out who.
The night she died, she said she'd gotten a name.
Some guy running a pill mill.
She just needed verification.
The next morning, she was dead.
Did you tell this to the police? Yeah, I did.
They said they'd look into it, but then they caught that guy.
Said the evidence was overwhelming.
You know, what else was I supposed to do? Dale's lawyer never saw Elaine's statement about another suspect.
- Someone buried it? - Yeah.
And they were willing to drop bodies to keep the truth from coming out.
Well, I think I might know who.
You know your buddy at the NYPD, Detective Dante? While everyone's been, uh, running around searching for Dale, this dude's been quietly swimming upstream.
Check this out.
He pulled these off the cameras in front of Tommy's apartment the night that Dale supposedly killed him.
It's a guy in a car.
Eh, it's not just any car.
That's a stolen car right there, man.
That was, that was reported stolen earlier that day.
You know, and what a coincidence, uh, some guy's roaming around in a stolen car in front of Tommy's apartment the night he's murdered.
Yeah, that's definitely not Dale.
Well, the bad news is, is that photo is way too grainy for the NYPD to run facial rec, so your boy Dante's gonna be at a dead end.
- So what's the good news? - Well, the good news is I may be able to, uh, run it through a little NSA software to clean it up.
But it's gonna take me a minute.
Well, I got to pick up Delilah from school, so just let me know what you find.
Yep.
Mm-hmm.
You want to watch, honey? You're adorable.
[SCHOOL BELL RINGING.]
Hey, Robyn.
- How you been? - Hey, Angela.
I saw your Jazzy yesterday.
- Heard she saw you, too.
- Yeah.
I don't like to ask, but did you notice some weirdness between our girls? Yeah, I noticed they completely ignored each other.
Any idea what that's about? [LAUGHS SOFTLY.]
Jasmine hardly tells me anything anymore.
Right now, I'm just her Uber and her ATM.
[LAUGHS.]
: You and me both.
Hey, why don't we just do one of our old movie nights? All four of us.
Saturday.
Maybe we can mend whatever the hell this is.
I'll bring the popcorn.
I will bring the M&M's, "Me and Merlot.
" [BOTH LAUGH.]
- Hey.
- What were you and Jazzy's mom talking about? We were just thinking how fun it would be if the four of us hung out again, you know? Watched a movie, snuggled up under the blankets.
Like we used to.
Tell me you did not just create a playdate for me.
[SCOFFS.]
What is wrong with a little hang? Hang? I mean, what's wrong is you didn't ask me.
This is Jazzy we're talking about.
Okay, tell you what, you want to hang out with Jasmine so bad, you can go without me.
Delilah, where are you going? To find another ride home.
Delilah, come back here.
[SIGHS.]
Delilah, I understand you are upset, but I will not tolerate you slamming a door on me.
Do you understand? Fine, but you shouldn't have done what you did, either.
Maybe I would understand better if you tell me what's up.
Do you promise not to judge me or try to fix it? Oh, you might as well ask your mama for a pony.
Okay, we just aren't interested in the same things anymore.
Like what things? I don't know, she thinks she's all crazy woke.
I mean, all Jazz and her new friends do is go to rallies and make protest posters.
And what is wrong with that? Life is about more than just parties and clothes, Dee.
And there it is.
Thank you for the life lesson, Mom.
Hey, those things are important.
Yes, that's the problem.
They don't care about the causes.
It's all about their Instas.
I mean, she's just in it for the likes.
If you're gonna do something, believe in it.
Isn't that what you taught me, Mom? Well, have you tried to talk to her? - Tell her how you feel? - [SCOFFS.]
Okay, what? So she can act mad salty with her new friends? But y'all been friends since you were little.
It's not like we fought or anything.
Okay? She changed.
I changed.
It's not a thing.
There's nothing to fix.
Maybe I should just call Angela.
Tell her what? Her daughter's fake woke? [LAUGHS.]
Come on, Aunt Vi.
They've been like sisters.
You don't just toss that away.
I mean, even during the divorce, it was Jazzy and Dee, Angela and me doing everything.
So, uh, who are you really trying to fix this for? HARRY: Hey, so, we I.
D.
'd the guy in the stolen car outside Tommy's.
MEL: His name is Trent Sawyer.
Grand theft, assault, some drug convictions.
Reminds me of my prom date.
Would make sense he's involved.
Except Trent is 23.
Which means when Carol was murdered, he was 13 and living in another state.
So, how's he connected to all of this? HARRY: That's exactly the question we were asking.
Then we saw this.
MEL: Mm-hmm.
So, what are you thinking? I'm thinking we make a trade.
With who? That cop.
Detective Dante.
Our info for their info on Dale's case.
HARRY: You're gonna set a trade with the guy who's hunting you? Why don't you just, like, throw rocks at a wasps' nest while you're at it? He will make the trade.
How do you know? Because I know him.
Career law enforcement.
His father was a cop, too.
A legend who got busted for being dirty, which means he has to do things cleaner and better than anyone else.
Wow, stalker much? Know thy enemy.
Okay, so he's a Boy Scout.
Who's atoning for sins that aren't even his.
Yet he almost tanked his career going after an ADA who put politics before justice.
The man cares.
I can work with that.
Okay, who's to say, though, he doesn't draw you in, and then arrest you when your guard is down? My guard is never down.
[RINGS.]
Detective Dante.
Do you know who this is? Why don't you tell me? I'm that photograph you have in front of you.
You know who I am, so who are you? Let's just say, when the scales of justice are rigged, I serve as an equalizer.
You mean "lawless vigilante.
" Then I guess you're not interested in this information I have on the Aldridge case.
What information is that? The guy you're looking for.
The guy in the stolen car in front of Tommy Venti's house.
How do you know? Tell you what.
I'll give you his name for some information from Carol Walton's case file.
Why would I agree to that? Because we both know Dale's innocent.
All right, I'll play.
You first.
Your man's name is Trent Sawyer.
And up until a few days ago, he was awaiting trial on a murder two.
Says it was dismissed.
Technicality.
Look who dismissed it.
Judge Felicia Cooley.
Who just happened to be the original prosecutor on Dale's case.
So, Cooley dismisses the charges, Sawyer goes to Tommy's house, and And Tommy ends up dead.
Now, that's either the world's biggest coincidence, or Or Cooley's involved.
You mentioned Carol Walton's case file.
What information do you want? Walton's friend, Elaine Gibson.
She gave a statement to detectives about a possible motive for murder, unrelated to Dale.
Dale's public defender never saw it.
You want to know who buried it.
Well, you can pull the physical file.
If I do find something, how do I get in touch with you? Oh, don't worry.
I'll find you.
You like that he's looking for you.
[CHUCKLES.]
Any luck finding Dale? No.
Nothing.
Blake.
You don't have to do this.
Yeah, says the convict with every cop in the city looking for him.
Says your father, who loves you.
Yeah, well that's your problem.
You know there's a reward for you? All right, one call and you're back in prison.
Okay, 15 minutes.
That's that's all I ask.
Just give me 15 minutes.
[SIGHS.]
Fine.
[PHONE RINGS.]
Detective Dante.
You got something for me? You were right.
Elaine's statement was definitely suppressed.
I spoke to one of the cops on the case who remembers taking her statement and turning it over to the D.
A.
at the time Cooley.
And she buried it? That wasn't the only thing.
There's a key witness statement that's referenced in one of the files.
And it's missing, too.
Any idea what was in it? No.
And the detective who filed it retired years ago.
I've e-mailed Pension for a forwarding address, but that'll take few days.
Give me the name.
I'll find them.
[SIGHS.]
Why should I trust you? Because we're running out of time.
We got him.
Let's go! Name's Gail Montgomery.
But it may be too late.
What's happening, Harry? It's Dale.
They found him.
The day you were born The moment I laid eyes you I wanted to give you the world.
Then after the arrest, all those appeals, I did everything I could to get back to you.
- But you didn't.
- And it killed me.
Y-Y-Your visits were what I lived for.
Then your mother said you refused to come.
Do you have any idea what it's like when your father's a murderer? How other kids look at you? I mean, half of them scared of me, the other half showing how tough they are by wailing on me.
That's what you gave me.
Blake I swear to you I didn't do those robberies, and I did not kill that woman.
That's not who I am.
And this this stealing, that's not who you are.
How would you know who I am? Look, I'm gonna figure this out.
Okay? I'm gonna get to the bottom of it.
All right, nobody believes you, Dad.
Why should I? [SIRENS BLARING.]
Don't move! What did you do, Blake? What did you do? - The right thing.
- OFFICER: Show me your hands! - Like you wanted.
- Do it now! Get your hands up! Put 'em up where I can see 'em! Hey, if you don't believe anything, you believe this: I love you.
What is it? Nothing.
Just thought I saw something.
They're gonna arraign Dale tomorrow.
For the prison break and Tommy's murder.
He wants to plead guilty.
But he risked everything.
We can't let him.
I mean, we're not done.
He's done.
His own kid turned him in.
He's got nothing left to fight for.
You tried.
We all did.
What was that about? Dale's throwing in the towel.
And you? Well, the clock's ticking, but the buzzer hasn't sounded yet.
Good, 'cause I tracked down the detective who took the missing witness statement.
The night of the murder, a neighbor saw a man leaving Carol Walton's house.
Cops matched the neighbor's description to a colleague of Walton's.
Someone from the hospital? Yeah, someone from the ER, but the prosecutor deemed it irrelevant 'cause they already had Dale in custody.
Deemed it irrelevant, and then made the statement disappear.
Did the detective happen to remember who it was? No, just that he was an ER surgeon Young, brash and a piece of work.
So, I looked up the hospital records, and there were only three surgeons working the ER back then.
Two were in their 50s.
And one was this guy Conner Geraghty.
Oh, we've already met.
I told you, it's a waste of my time.
Give it to the new guy.
Yeah, Harry, what'd you find? Dr.
Conner Geraghty.
Guy's squeaky clean until you dig deep enough.
[CHUCKLES.]
Or you meet the guy.
Yeah, at the time of Carol's murder, he was the registered owner of three LLCs Companies describing themselves as community clinics.
Well, somehow I don't see him as the "caring about the community" kind.
Yeah, but what if there was money in it? Carol was looking into opioids flooding the streets.
Ah, so those clinics were pill mills.
Charging addicts for scripts.
Using multiple shell companies so none of the pharmacies would trip to it.
Nothing but a drug dealer in a lab coat.
Yeah, and then after the murder, suddenly he shuts 'em all down, still has enough dough to pay off a quarter of a million dollars in student loans, all on a resident's salary? Carol was gonna expose him.
He would lose his license, face some jail time.
It all fits.
Except for Cooley.
I mean, I don't get it.
Why would she go out of her way to protect him? I think I just found out why.
[CAMERA CLICKS.]
Hey! What are you doing in my office? Hey! Hey! So, Geraghty and Cooley knew each other.
He's friends with her son.
HARRY: It looks like they graduated to murder.
- ROBYN: Yeah.
- Ugh.
So, an ambitious prosecutor suppresses evidence in a high-profile case to help her best friend's son slip a murder rap, all the while making her own career.
Now, if that ain't the American dream, I don't know what is.
So she spun Dale into the better story.
A working stiff terrorizing a wealthy neighborhood.
Now they need to make sure the story sticks.
Well, fantastic theory.
Uh, high fives all around.
But we can't prove any of it.
Which means we can't save Dale.
Well, I think we can.
With a little inside help.
You can't be serious.
Are you serious? Do you know what you're asking here? I'd have to bring in the D.
A.
ROBYN: So bring in the D.
A.
Tell her what? To trust the word of a vigilante? She'd sooner have you arrested.
You seem like a man who wants justice, real justice.
It's why you didn't go after me today.
Because you know Dale is innocent.
So what are you willing to risk to make this right? Tell me, Detective, in your wildest dreams, how did you expect that this would go? I know how it sounds.
Do you? Because it sounds like you want me to take down a state judge on your say-so.
It could blow up in my face.
And even if it didn't, it would look like I was big-game hunting to help my electoral chances.
I wasn't really thinking about the election.
I was thinking about an innocent man that deserves to be free.
I was thinking I want to sleep tonight.
And I won't be able to, knowing I didn't do everything I could.
Will you? You have no proof.
Which is why I need you.
You couldn't have known, but you do now.
And it's our duty to do something about it.
So what are you willing to risk, Madam D.
A.
, for what you believe in? If I do this, I'm going to need to know where you're getting your information.
I don't think I can do this.
Yes, you can.
Holding Dale's life in my hands again, after all these years? Look.
I know the system let you down.
But this is your chance to make it right.
Haven't worn this suit in about five years.
How do I look? Like one hell of a lawyer.
[PHONE BUZZING.]
Dante.
- We good? - Not sure.
Grafton said she was in.
But I've been calling all morning, and I haven't heard back.
This doesn't work without her.
I did what I could, but we may be on our own.
Well, if that's true, I just sent Dale's lawyer into a slaughter.
People v.
Dale Aldridge.
I see counsel are here and have entered it into the record.
Dale Aldridge faces one count of escape in the first degree, one count of murder NIC: Uh, Your Honor? I have a motion.
Mr.
Palermo, this is an arraignment.
I'll set a motions date.
I'm moving for your immediate recusal, Your Honor.
On what grounds? Bias.
You were the prosecutor when my, um, client was initially convicted.
Motion denied.
I also have I have information that suggests you failed to disclose exculpatory evidence to the defense during the murder trial of my client.
- Is this true? - COOLEY: Denied.
Sit down, Mr.
Palermo.
Which is a Brady violation.
Prima facie evidence of prosecutorial misconduct.
I also have evidence that I'm not going to tell you again.
Well, then I'll tell you.
You must recuse yourself because you are involved in an ongoing criminal conspiracy.
You actively engaged in a cover-up for the real killer in the case against my client.
Bailiff! Clear the courtroom, now.
Approach the bench, Mr.
Palermo.
How dare you come into my courtroom and level such outrageous accusations? I'm citing you for contempt and moving for your disbarment.
I think that would be unwise.
Detective Dante, you should stay.
D.
A.
Grafton? What are you Thanks to Mr.
Palermo's efforts, new facts have come to light.
Like a witness statement that you failed to disclose, placing an acquaintance of yours, Dr.
Conner Geraghty, at the victim's house just prior to her murder.
There is no such statement.
That's because you destroyed it.
Along with a statement from the victim's friend that went to motive and would've helped the defense.
You're citing documents that don't exist.
The documents may no longer exist, but the witnesses do.
Which is why, when you learned that Aldridge had escaped and was working with Tommy Venti to find the real killer, you dismissed charges against a street thug named Trent Sawyer and sent him to kill Tommy and the defendant.
No.
No, I We just took Sawyer into custody.
It's why I was running late.
So what story do you think he's gonna tell? Now, the way I see it, you have two options.
Face the media circus of a trial, or flip on Geraghty in exchange for a reduced sentence and we do this quietly.
After all, you have a family to protect.
I I didn't know Geraghty was involved.
Not at first.
When I put it together, he threatened me.
Threatened you how? One night at dinner with my son, Geraghty heard me talking about the string of burglaries.
How we couldn't find the guy.
He was fascinated.
Kept asking questions.
And you divulged privileged facts only the real burglar would know.
Facts he used to stage the crime scene.
He threatened to implicate me.
And when Aldridge escaped, Geraghty called me again.
Sawyer was just supposed to talk to Venti.
I never imagined he would kill him.
- I never wanted that.
- How could you? This is my life.
GRAFTON: No, you wanted a prestigious career, and you knowingly sacrificed an innocent man for it.
Bailiff, take the judge into custody.
[INDISTINCT WHISPERING.]
My handwriting is fine.
Get some freaking glasses.
DANTE: Dr.
Geraghty? You're under arrest for the murders of Carol Walton and Thomas Venti.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
Justice may be delayed or deferred, but we must never give up hope.
My client didn't.
And today, he walks free, an innocent man, having been given a full pardon.
[REPORTERS CLAMORING.]
NIC: All right, thank you, everybody.
Thank you very much.
Congratulations, Detective.
Had my doubts about you.
If I start pulling punches because the target's too big, I'm in the wrong line of work.
I still wonder, though, how you managed to unravel a decade-old conspiracy single-handedly.
Like I said, good old-fashioned police work.
And a good lawyer.
That must be it.
[DOOR OPENS.]
[SOBBING.]
[LESLIE SOBS SOFTLY.]
Blake? I Why would he want to see me, after what I did? He broke out of prison for you.
He'll never stop believing in you.
Maybe it's time you believe in him.
[KNOCKS.]
I called Angela.
I told her movie night is off.
I overstepped.
And I'm sorry.
You know, I just I miss us hanging out.
You know, you and Jazzy, and all your crazy dance moves.
Hey, I miss her, too.
Not her now, but us then.
I think we just held onto our friendship longer than we should have.
Well, you never know.
Hey, why don't we do movie night tonight? Yeah? Just us.
Popcorn and M&M's? Girl, you already know.
[LAUGHS.]
I'm in.
But I have an essay to finish, so give me an hour? Perfect.
'Cause I got one more errand to run.
- I love you, baby.
- I love you.
Give me an A! Trust me, I got it.
[LAUGHS.]
You're a good man, Detective Dante.
Opinions vary.
Tell me, what's more fun? Working with me or chasing after me? We're working together now? Well, we did just set an innocent man free.
Doesn't mean I approve of your methods.
How many laws did you break to get the information you needed? About as many as y'all did putting him away.
This equalizing you're doing if you don't stop, I have to come after you.
I'd be disappointed if you didn't.
Night, Detective.
Catch you later.