Against the Wall s01e04 Episode Script

Against The Wall 1x04 The Fifth Body Don't do it so much.
I don't want it well done.
Why don't you guys come over here, then? You guys are sitting down.
Oh! Hey, who wants what? Burgers, whatever? Hey.
You're going down, CPD.
Fire's taking the Heroes Bowl.
Oh! Review of next week, ladies.
What, you throwing at your receiver's backside? - Oh! - I smell smoke.
Bye, boys.
You're going down.
See you later.
Keep it going, keep it going.
Pretty boys.
Crap.
She came.
- Richie.
- What? Who's gonna tell her? - 1, 2, 3.
- Not it.
No--what-- we don't really still decide things that way, guys.
- 0 for 2.
- Childish.
Childish.
Hey.
Abby, hey.
Whoa.
Didn't think you were going to make it.
Yeah, how could I pass up a beautiful Chicago day like this? Besides, I needed a break from the paperwork.
Oh, well, maybe you don't have time for the team anymore, yeah? Of course I do! Come on.
We're gonna crush Battalion 25 next week, huh? Ah, right.
Uh Richie.
What? Richie.
The guys don't want you to play.
They don't want an I.
A.
babysitter watching them on their off hours.
That's crazy.
I I've been on the team for five years.
I-I caught the winning touchdown at the Heroes Bowl last season.
I bring cupcakes to every barbecue.
- Sorry, Abs.
- Should've seen it coming.
How could you let them do this? How could I stop 'em? Did you even try? Look I will talk to the guys, okay? Okay.
We can fix this.
Just, um remind them that I have-- have the heart of Brian Piccolo and the hands of Willie Gault.
And an ego the size of Refrigerator Perry maybe, little bit.
So, uh, Molloy's cousin filled in for you today.
Kind of kicked ass.
- I seriously doubt that.
- And there he is now.
Abby.
Danny.
You two know each other? - Yeah, we're-- - Friends.
Well, isn't this a coincidence? They called me an I.
A.
babysitter, like I was gonna turn them in for a rough tackle.
It's time to make a choice-- badass Detective or prom queen.
Hi.
Can I help you? My sister's missing.
We can take you to missing persons.
When did you last see her? Monday night in the morgue.
Erin was murdered three days ago.
I was at school grading book reports when they called-- Little Women.
I'm a Meg-- traditional, maybe a little dull.
Erin was my headstrong jo.
What happened? Her boyfriend-- Ramsey Lawton III.
Claims it was an accident.
My sister didn't fall on her head 11 times.
I never liked the guy.
I told Erin to be careful.
I begged her not to move here.
Just give us a few minutes, okay? When did her body go missing? The funeral home was bringing her body back to Milwaukee this morning.
When they told me she wasn't at the morgue, I got in my car, and I came straight to Chicago.
I'm supposed to bury her this weekend.
And the coroner's office couldn't tell you where she was? I came to the police station to file a report, and they sent me to Internal Affairs.
You should go home.
Get some sleep.
When our parents died, Erin and I had each other.
Now I've lost her twice.
I'm not leaving without her.
Maggie, we will find your sister.
I promise.
- You promise? - Yeah.
- I have faith in us.
- Oh, I'm good.
It's just the rest of the world I can't account for.
Hey, I'll meet you in the car.
Sure thing, prom queen.
Richie, hey, whoa.
- Hey.
- So? Am I in the game? Abby, I really shouldn't push it right now.
Seriously? Okay, fine.
You know what? I will handle this myself.
I'll call a team meeting and put it to a vote.
Careful, Richie.
Rats carry diseases.
Team needs you this weekend, huh? Whoa.
Don't make this worse.
Make it worse? You're the one who replaced me with my stalker.
Okay, he's not really my stalker.
- What are you talking about? - Danny-- it's really starting to creep me out.
He tells me that he likes me, and then suddenly, he's everywhere I go.
My football game, my market, my office-- maybe he really is stalking me.
- Abby.
- What? - You're rambling.
- No, I'm not.
Yes, you were, and trust me, you're not really Danny's type.
Oh, I'm his type.
Then why'd I see him leave the barbecue with a brunette? It's too late to say you're sorry how should I know, why should I care? please don't bother trying to find her she's not there Yo, Bobby.
Meat suits on the move.
- 10-4, corpse convoy.
Bobby Russell, intake manager? Sure am.
Flores and Kowalski, Internal Affairs.
We need to ask you a few questions-- - I know why you're here.
- Then you found Erin Sarni? Not yet.
See, I lost four people in the last year to budget cuts.
Bodies keep coming.
I've gone over her paperwork.
It all adds up.
Body was logged in.
It was, uh, it was weighed, measured, photographed, washed, tagged, autopsied, and stored-- everything as it should be.
Until this morning.
Went to the gurney, it was empty.
First I thought it was the guys playing a prank, because I put a furby in the cooler.
- Does that happen a lot? - Uh, the pranks, yeah.
Yeah.
Um, losing a body, never.
We're gonna need you to do a full audit, account for every meat suit in here.
You don't have to stick around.
We'll call you the second we hear anything.
Look, you can stay as long as you want.
We can help you get a hotel.
Did you find Erin? No.
We will.
Can we get you anything? Just keep your promise.
Kowalski.
Homicide's report on Erin Sarni.
Ramsey Lawton has already got the name and money to work the system.
The state's attorney's case is strong, but it rests on the coroner's report.
Call the integrity of the coroner's office into question, they're looking more than reasonable doubt.
We have to find her fast.
My mom went to Crandall to get her pastry certificate when I was 12.
She smelt like vanilla extract for months.
Erin moved here to get her degree? Yeah, paid her way with student loans and a side job waitressing at Bella Bacino's.
That's where she met Ramsey.
Figures--only a jerk would go somewhere other than Giordano's for pizza.
34, Northwestern grad Oh, was named one of Chicago's most eligible bachelors for 2010.
Oh.
Likes the White Sox, sunsets, holding hands on the first date.
Oh, yeah, he's a real catch with prior charges of disorderly conduct, reckless driving, and simple assault.
Let me guess-- slap on the wrist, slap on the wrist, community service? Mm.
Standard trust fund punishment.
My wife just sent this to me.
Ooh, is this the one where the cat plays the cello? No.
That's the coroner's office.
It's all over the Internet.
State's attorney's on his way over now.
That's Erin.
And that's reasonable doubt.
To a long life.
You seem so quiet tonight.
Here Let's see if I can't get you to loosen up a little bit.
I calmed her a bit and let her know we had the video taken down.
Yeah, but once something like that is out there, there's no turning back.
Homicide and state's attorney's heads just exploded in my office.
500,000 hits before the video was pulled.
They say with no body, the Ramsey Lawton case is dead in the water.
- Who's our movie star? - Alex Deng-- intake attendant at the coroner's office.
Works night shifts.
We're checking his locker and bringing him in.
The incision shows the video was made after the autopsy.
Coroner already did his examination, so there's a bit of good news.
If we find the body.
Do we have the coroner's audit yet? Still waiting, praying they find Erin misfiled on the wrong shelf.
Like she's an old bank statement or something.
Stay on their asses.
We don't find that body, Erin's killer could soon be walking free.
- Mmm.
- What? - Mmm.
- You are the man, Mom.
- So good.
- So good.
Mmm.
- Thank you.
- This is awesome.
I'm so happy.
I just thought, you know, having my boys over for a real sit-down lunch would be a nice change of pace.
So much better than a hot dog in the patrol car, huh? Ha.
You said it.
We're still not letting Abby play in the Heroes Bowl.
What? That's not why I All right, fine.
Just give me one good reason why.
It's a team decision, Mom.
It's out of our hands.
Stevie, even I am not buying that.
Now, Abby is your baby sister, and you have to protect her, I.
A.
or no I.
A.
Mom, we are protecting her.
The rest of the guys are not happy about her promotion--she could get hurt.
Missed block, errant elbow.
Shit hap-- stuff happens.
Well, she grew up with the three of you, and I would think that she could take care of herself.
- Mom, come on.
- No one wants her around.
It is not smart for her to play on the team.
At least, you know, not for a while.
Hmm.
Not smart.
Yeah.
For Abby, or for you? - That's not fair.
- It's not like that, Mom.
I can't believe Abby still tattles.
You know what I can't believe? I can't believe that my grown-up sons still have lunch made by their mommy.
Meat suit Bobby.
We're here to open Alex Deng's locker.
I had no idea that Alex was doing any of this, and he will be dealt with swiftly and harshly.
We need that audit.
It's more than halfway done.
The video got me sidetracked.
Anytime.
What's he repenting for? Maybe this.
Where's Erin's body, Alex? I did not take that toe tag off her.
Oh, no, you'd never disrespect the dead.
Someone must have put it in there.
You were the last person seen with her.
Where did you put her? Exactly where I found her.
Look, my mom is on disability, on her own.
I need this job.
Right now your job is the least of your concerns.
The video wasn't supposed to get past the coroner's office.
Then how'd it end up online? I have no idea.
We all had a horrible night after the Third Street day-care fire.
Five kids, three boys, two girls had to be identified with their teeth.
I just wanted to cheer people up.
Oh, yeah, playing dress-up with a dead woman always cheers me up.
The body had already been autopsied.
Then there's no excuse for you not to have a glass of wine with her corpse.
That's not what I meant-- I am so sorry, okay? But it was just a joke.
A joke? The last memory Erin's sister will have of her is you feeling up her corpse in front of 500,000 people and counting.
Oh, and because of that, her killer might walk free.
That's hilarious.
It's up to 500,000 hits? Felony abuse of a corpse.
We're putting you on a 72-hour hold while we figure out what the hell you did.
Come on.
I told you everything.
We have a warrant to search your apartment.
Are we gonna find Erin? What? It's not the fishes' fault.
No sign Erin's been here.
You ever see any of your old friends from patrol? Sure, they come up for investigation every once in a while.
Jackpot.
Pretty sure intake attendants have no use for these.
Especially for home use.
Maybe a necrophile? He's into something he shouldn't be.
Coroner's office files, autopsy photos, DVDs.
Okay, let's bag the laptop, too.
That wasn't a request.
A comedy video circulating online of a city of Chicago coroner's employee posing with an actual corpse has scandalized the coroner's office and put the murder case against prominent commercial real estate developer Ramsey Lawton III into question.
And coming up I just feel so bad for Maggie, everything that's happened to her.
To lose a sister, and then to have them lose her body? It's so sad.
I'm glad Abby's on the case.
Why would I.
A.
be trying to find a lost body? I.
A.
does much more than just investigate cops.
If you knew the good that Abby's been doing-- I'm not talking to the boys.
Just give me one good reason why not.
- I agree with them.
- Oh! You are all being completely unreasonable.
Abby has made it perfectly clear that she doesn't want me to interfere in her life.
When she does, she can ask me.
So that's it? Okay, call me the second you find out anything at all.
Heard you were looking for me.
Hey, Zac, yeah.
Do me a favor.
- Tell me what you find on this.
- Sure thing.
So, Atlanta's favored by three this weekend.
Seriously? Hard to deny the Falcons' running game.
Hard to deny they're playing my Bears.
Your precious Bears do lose every once in a while.
Bad news.
Bobby finally called back.
They scoured the morgue-- no sign of Erin.
- Damn it.
Erin's delivered to the morgue Monday night, chain of custody fully accounted for until Alex makes the video, 2:30 in the morning Wednesday, according to the timestamp embedded on the video file.
Alex claims he put her back where he found her, right after.
Keyword--"claims.
" This morning Hidden Gardens Funeral Home drives from Milwaukee, arrives at the coroner's at 8:30 to get Erin-- no Erin.
30 hours-- no one at the coroner's can account for Erin for 30 hours? According to Bobby's audit, during that span, 11 funeral homes and 3 transport services picked up 19 bodies-- total of 14 pickups.
So either Erin went out with one of the pickups-- or some asshole snuck her out, i.
e.
Alex.
But why make a video, then take the body? Why would Alex spotlight himself like that? I think we've learned sound judgment isn't exactly Alex's strong suit.
Your top priority, first thing in the morning.
Abby, stay on Alex.
Lina, take the 14 pickups.
- Danny, hey.
- Hey.
So, you really are following me.
No.
I'm working a case.
Do you know who's handling the Erin Sarni body investigation? - Yeah, me.
- Oh.
Uh, guess I give this to you, then.
This may be awkward.
- What is this? - Court order.
I can read.
My firm-- McClelland, Engelman & Kohl, reps Ramsey Lawton.
The judge has ordered that I.
A.
release all of its findings in the coroner's case related to Erin Sarni.
For what reason? Well, without a body, the defense can't perform an independent examination, and given the recent misconduct at the coroner's office, I have no choice but to request to the judge tomorrow morning that the Ramsey Lawton case be dismissed.
No, it's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay.
- What are you doing? - My job.
Setting murderers free, torturing innocent families? I've been going with "Defense attorney," but yours has a certain ring to it.
You saw Maggie out there.
This is her sister we're talking about.
How can you joke about this? I'm sorry for her loss.
And I'm glad she has you on her side.
Well, thanks.
But anyone with a heart would be on her side.
How can you take this case? Everyone deserves a defense.
And if your defense happens to take you to my office after you join my football team-- Oh, yeah, you got me.
I took this case a week ago hoping the coroner's would screw up and lose Erin's body and then her sister would come to you to find it, allowing me to get my client off and us to spend some quality time together.
I'm a friggin' psychic genius.
When you put it like that, it does sound kind of crazy.
I'm here to make the system work.
At the expense of actual justice? You're making this too personal.
You're not making this personal enough.
Blackstone's ratio-- it's better that ten guilty people escape than one innocent suffer.
Yeah well, Blackstone should tell that to the ten families.
And then he throws this law school crap at me, like it's gonna make any difference at all.
Honey, easy.
We're not making meringue.
We're making muffins to get you in that game.
The game-- the game that Danny's in because he's everywhere I go.
- Maybe that's fate.
- What? Well, you seem awfully upset about somebody you don't even like.
I never said I didn't like him.
Oh, so you do like him? I like him.
I just don't like him like him.
- Oh.
What's the difference? - We're just friends.
That's all I want from anyone right now.
You don't believe me.
Honey, being in a relationship doesn't mean that you have to be somebody or something that you don't want to be, especially if it's the right relationship.
But how do you know if it's right if you don't take the time? And that's something I don't have a lot of right now, time.
Just have to trust your gut, I guess.
Well, that's the problem.
My gut only works for work.
When it comes to love, it tends to lead me in all the wrong places.
It's just part of life.
You know, you fall down, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, laugh about it.
And I didn't raise my children to run from anything.
- Besides, he's really cute.
- Mom.
What? I saw him on the news.
Wow.
Hey.
Hey.
Ah! Nick, don't you dare.
What, afraid I'm gonna mess up your fancy new detective clothes? Congrats.
Always knew you were the brains of the bunch.
I brought you your favorite-- banana chocolate chip.
Well, well.
Now, are you trying to poison me and keep me out of the Heroes Bowl? Safe.
See? Hmm.
So, you ready for the game? We can take on the cops, even your brothers.
Want a secret weapon? Oh, yeah.
A Kowalski switch sides.
Hear me out-- I've got the heart of Brian Piccolo and the hands-- Yeah, I know.
I'm not questioning your skills.
Justwhy? They won't let me play.
Well, if it pisses Donnie off, you know I'm in.
Welcome to the team, honorary firefighter.
Ooh, does this mean I get to slide down the pole? - Yeah, no.
- Just once? Fine.
So, Alex How did your father die? Shot--robbery.
You've put a lot of effort into preserving his memory.
Is that when it started your obsession with death? Look, I can explain that.
Working with bodies wasn't enough, so you bring home videos, but you still needed more, and that's when you took Erin.
No, I want to be a coroner.
I brought this stuff home to study.
We have your laptop.
We know you put the video online.
Stop lying.
Tell me where Erin is.
I had my computer at the office for days.
I used it to edit the video.
Anyone there could have done it.
Did any of them make the video, keep Erin's toe tag, bring home autopsy files? Your father was murdered.
I don't have to tell you what Erin's sister is going through.
I've thrown away everything my dad worked for.
I'm sorry, Alex.
But you really messed up.
Breakfast? I haven't seen you eat anything yet, so If he goes free, I'll kill him.
Nothing's been decided yet.
The autopsy report-- "No body, no case.
" We will find Erin.
You keep saying that, but when? Why haven't you yet? She didn't get up and walk away.
She's dead.
We will find her.
Just eat something, please.
Good morning.
Bears blow.
You don't want to say that to an armed woman.
- Bears rule.
- I got a Glock.
Hey, did you find any evidence that Alex signed up for any classes lately? Yeah, actually.
I found a few emails about an online school-- something to do with autopsy technician training.
- Why? - Just something Alex said.
Let's get that laptop fingerprinted.
I want to see if anyone else could have sent that video.
Find anything in yesterday's pickups from the coroner's office? Nothing yet.
Alex? He's a good kid who made a stupid mistake.
I don't think he knows where the body is.
Either something went wrong with the pickup, or there's something happening at that coroner's office.
Well, we know it's doubling as a movie studio.
Today just keeps getting better and better.
Now what? Just had what's left of my ass chewed off by the mayor's office.
Oh, damn it.
Judge Bruckner could be looking at the motion to dismiss the case against Ramsey Lawton as early as tomorrow.
She's actually considering it? Seems Danny's request for a dismissal started a trend.
18 other defense attorneys have filed for dismissals or appeals.
This continues, we could have dozens of violent criminals back on the streets.
Good news, bad news.
Good.
Coroner's office released five John does yesterday.
But looking at the audit, only four actually left.
Please tell me Erin's is the fifth body.
Well, she didn't have a toe tag.
Great.
Where do they take the unclaimed bodies? You said you wanted the good news first.
So Alex makes the video, then misplaces Erin's body, and she winds up here.
Misplaces her straight into a group of John does set to be cremated the next day? I don't know.
- Can I help you? - Tony Fennigan? Depends who's asking.
Yeah, that's me.
We're looking for a body, would've come in yesterday as a Doe.
I remember her.
Only Jane in the whole bunch.
I couldn't imagine how a young girl like her could die and be buried alone.
So I offered her this prayer.
"While springtime is ours, "through all of life's hours, let us smile each chance we get.
" And then I put her in the furnace.
Well, we found her.
Somehow, I doubt the mayor's office is going to see it that way.
Take this for a second? What? Alex's dad-- his ashes were light, maybe five pounds.
These weigh at least ten.
What are you doing? Erin was only 5'3".
Alex's dad was at least a good foot taller than him.
There's no way these ashes weigh more than his.
This isn't Erin.
This is Lake Michigan.
Hey, Shee.
All right, fine.
I'm sorry we had a fight.
Honey you got to come in here, see what I found.
Oh, so that's how you want to play, huh? You want to play like that? All right, come on, let's get this game going.
Hike.
Aah! She always came to me -for anything.
- I know.
All right, you want to play with your brothers, right? I want to play! She's too young to play with her brothers.
No, she's not.
Are you too young to play with your brothers? - No.
- Okay.
- Oh, look at her.
- She is so tiny.
You keep your shoulders down and your knees bent.
It doesn't matter how big they are, you have the leverage.
Leverage-- like she knows what leverage is.
She gets the body language.
She gets it.
Let me see that football face of yours.
Yeah, I see it.
Come on, now run at me.
Run at me.
Come on.
Try to get it.
Oh! I miss my little girl.
Your little girl is a grown woman now with a mind of her own that we taught her to have.
And she happens to love you very much.
So why don't you stop being so stubborn and make up already? Hmm? Tony? Chicago P.
D.
What? I'm smoking him out.
Detectives.
What brings you back here? We need to take a look at your logbook.
Yeah, sure.
Follow me.
How many furnaces do you have here? Two.
Why? How long does it take to cremate a body? Two hours, give or take.
So you can cremate, what, eight bodies in a workday? Yeah, that's about right.
- 13 cremations yesterday-- 5 more than possible, 5 of them Does.
Yeah.
No, no, that's-- no, that's probably a mistake.
You have a contract with the city to cremate John Does.
Pretty sweet deal, huh? 1,000 bucks a body? I'd take it.
100% profit If you don't actually cremate any of them.
Where's Erin, Tony? I don't know.
Well, she was brought here, but you didn't burn her.
So where is she? Phony ashes, falsified logbook, the prayer? You think I don't recognize an Irish drinking song when I hear one? Everything that's come out of your mouth has been a lie.
How long do you think it's gonna take for us to find out what's really going on here? You tell us where Erin is right now, and you have the chance to save a murder case.
I've got to believe a judge would look kindly on that.
Last chance.
We will knock this place to the ground and dig up every square inch.
Tell me where you put Erin.
At a farm in Minooka owned by the cremator.
She's at the coroner's now.
A patrol officer can give you a lift.
She looked okay.
With Erin back, the D.
A.
should have a case.
"Should"? I wish I could give you something more concrete.
Thank you for helping my sister come home.
Good job, Detective.
What's the latest in Minooka? Excavation team's still out there-- mass grave, 32 bodies so far.
Tony's going away for a long time.
Your fingerprint analysis came back from Alex's laptop.
Two sets of prints-- Alex Deng's and Bobby Russell's.
Hmm.
Meat suit Bobby leak the video? And maybe took the body? Got Bobby's prints from the AFIS database.
Bobby has a record.
Hit-and-run a few years back.
Guess who defended him? Danny's law firm.
Hey, I think this is all just a misunderstanding.
My computer froze the other day.
I needed to send an email.
Alex's laptop was the closest.
I'm sure that's how my prints showed up.
Perfectly valid theory.
So let's talk phone records-- no calls to your old defense attorneys in three years.
Suddenly, four calls back and forth Wednesday afternoon.
You planning a reunion? I'm not gonna say anything else without my lawyers.
Call 'em right now.
We got the number.
March 9, 2008-- you veer your truck into oncoming traffic and strike a family of four head-on.
Then you fled the scene of the accident while paramedics were lifting a 12-year-old boy into the ambulance.
You weren't drunk.
Just a coward.
So you're in deep, and you need more than a mere public defender, so you hired the good people at McClelland, Engleman & Kohl.
They kindly pled your case down to a misdemeanor.
Sound about right so far? You just paid a fine, got to keep your job.
But now you owe your high-priced attorneys 10 grand.
So, when you saw that video starring the murder victim of Ramsey Lawton III, who you saw on TV standing next to your attorneys You saw an opportunity to wipe your debt clean.
So you make a few calls.
Wednesday afternoon, say around 1:34, 2:51, 3:35, and 4:01.
You agreed to leak the video and destroy the body.
Of course, you didn't count on a crematorium that doesn't actually cremate bodies.
God bless Chicago.
So you're losing your job and being charged with yet another felony, not to mention serving an extra helping of misery to an already grief-stricken sister.
But, hey, your credit score went up a few points, so that's good, huh? What attorney were you working with at McClelland, Engelman & Kohl? Let's go back to Wednesday afternoon.
Who did you first speak with on the call at 1:34? You think it was me? Wasn't such a bad scam.
Bobby mixes up Erin with the batch of John Does, puts all the heat on Alex.
Slips the toe tag into his locker and posts the video from his laptop.
Bobby was defended by Andy Kohl three years ago, who's since made partner.
This was all done over my head.
Do attorneys routinely interact with clients without your knowledge? Not routinely, but-- are you interrogating me? I'm just doing my job.
Well, write this down.
I didn't know a thing about a deal with Bobby.
- I promise you.
- Ramsey Lawton is your client.
You couldn't have been that much in the dark.
Defense withdrew its request for dismissal.
Andy Kohl is going to be disbarred and indicted.
Ramsey Lawton is going to trial.
Wait, "The defense"? I resigned from the firm about an hour ago effective immediately.
Keep digging that hole, Abby.
Just keep digging it.
Oh, relax.
- Keep doing it.
- Get back here.
Hey.
Whoa.
What the hell are you doing? I told you I was going to play in this game.
You are asking for trouble.
Bring it on, sucka! Ready? Hike.
Oh, oh.
Set, hike.
Guys, guys.
- Someone's gonna get hurt.
- I hope so.
- Don.
- Oh, just give 'em a minute.
You sure do have an effect on people, Kowalski.
What is she doing? - Don! - All right, all right.
I got it, I got it.
All right, you guys, come on, break it up.
Come on, break it up.
- Don! - Get off him! Hey.
I just wanted to say thank you.
For what? I brawl with cops all the time.
So how's the job search going? Well, if you know anybody who needs a highly skilled criminal attorney to iron their shirts or wash their toilets Well, I should get out of here.
I got to go ice the iron fist of fury.
Right.
Well Oh.
I'm sorry.
Uh Yeah, I think he likes you.
Okay, hold still.
Ow, ow, ow.
I haven't touched you yet.
I was just preparing myself.
You ready? Mm.
Go for it.
You looked good out there, kid.