Perry Mason (2020) s01e06 Episode Script

1
[Barnes] The defendant,
Emily Dodson,
was the only person
who had the means
motive, and opportunity
to orchestrate this despicable plan.
Now, Emily Dodson knew
that her husband was the son
of a very wealthy man,
and therefore, someone with means
to obtain that ransom money.
That knowledge, gentlemen and ladies,
was her means to commit this crime.
Emily Dodson also had a lustful desire
to run off with her lover,
George Gannon.
And that desire was her motive.
As for opportunity?
She was Charlie's mother.
The person charged with protecting him,
an innocent, defenseless babe.
Now, Emily Dodson had all
the opportunity in the world
to put this plan into action.
Means, motive
and opportunity, and a child's life
cut short.
Now, the defense over there
will try and confuse you
with all sorts of wild theories
and preposterous propositions.
Because his client is guilty,
and he knows it, all too well.
But a trial is society's way
of finding the truth,
its way of seeking justice.
Now, at the end of this trial,
I will ask each one of you good people
to open your hearts and find that truth,
seek that justice.
I will ask you to stare down this woman
who chose lust and money
over her child's life.
Find Emily Dodson guilty
because she is guilty.
I thank you kindly
for your time and attention.
[Judge Wright clears throat]
Mr. Mason, we will hear you now.
Good morning. [clears throat]
My name is Perry Mason.
I represent Emily Dodson.
Unlike Mr. Barnes here,
who spoke for nearly two hours,
I will be briefer. Uh, brief.
Emily Dodson did not kill her baby.
Does anyone here really believe she did?
'Cause I sure don't.
Objection, as to counsel's
personal belief.
Sustained.
Sorry. Uh, you may have heard,
I'm new to this.
- Objection.
- Sustained.
See what I mean?
What really happened
in December of last year? [coughs]
[voice breaks] A good question.
And although the defense
is under no obligation
[coughs] I'm sorry.
[coughs] Is under no obligation
to prove anything,
it is natural to want to know
[voice breaks] the whys, the whos,
the whats and the wheres.
[coughing]
Would you like a minute, Mr. Mason?
[coughs] Uh, yeah, actually, just one
[coughing]
[coughs]
The prosecution [coughs]
Thank you.
The pro [gasps]
The prosecution's case is completely
and entirely circumstantial.
[Mason] I rehearse it here, I'm fine.
I get up in court,
my body won't do
what my head tells it to.
You know, same thing happens to me
- when I gotta whiz in public.
- [telephone rings]
- I mostly use stalls.
- [Hazel] Perry Mason, attorney-at-law.
Uh-huh.
And is this in Oregon or Utah, ma'am?
Yes, I'm not sure if this information
qualifies as pertinent, ma'am.
The word means relevant.
[Della] Did George Gannon's place
have a garage?
What? No.
Well, in his opening,
Barnes says he has a garage.
Well, DAs don't walk crime scenes.
I'm thinking you can hit Barnes
with a little buckshot.
I mean, he got this wrong,
he got that wrong.
The cops barely investigated the case.
And as you can see from this,
there's no garage.
All right. I'll take some pictures
of a hedge where a garage never was.
No, that's your investigator's job.
You're Emily's lawyer now. He'll do it.
Yes, ma'am. Anything else?
[Mason] Yeah. Something that connects
Sarecki and Nowak to Ennis.
Actually, anything would be nice.
[Strickland] You think I ain't been
looking for Sarecki and Nowak?
I run all their arrest records. Nothing.
Was Ennis ever up in Milwaukee
with these fucks? No.
He's in Baltimore, he's in Denver,
then the war, then LA.
- What about George?
- [Strickland] Nothing there, either.
It's like everybody in this thing
is a complete fucking stranger.
There's gotta be something you missed.
[Strickland] Well,
feel free to enlighten me.
I've only been grinding on this thing
for a month and a half
while you've been screwing around
with your career change.
- Like I had a choice.
- Oh, come on.
"Come on," what?
- [Strickland] You know what I mean.
- No, no, no. Enlighten me.
- You know exactly what I'm saying
- [Mason] No, no. I have no idea.
- [Della] Hey. Hey. Hey.
- What does that mean
This isn't helping.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Where are you going?
To take pictures of a garage
that never was.
- Catch you later, Gloves.
- [Hazel] Toodle-oo, Pete.
[door opens]
[door closes]
First day, and I already lost a juror
'cause my throat locked up.
[Della] No. It wasn't that.
Seven was looking at Emily
the whole time. All nerves and tics.
- She looked guilty.
- [scoffs] It's a hell of a start.
[sighs]
"Someday, George, my love,
our dreams will come true,
and we will be together forever.
Until then, I am and will always be
yours. [voice breaks] Emily."
[Barnes] Eleven love letters
from Emily to George Gannon
in the span of four months.
That last one dated December 18th,
less than two weeks
before the kidnapping.
I'm sorry, Matthew.
I know this is difficult,
but at the time of the kidnapping,
did the defendant tell you
that she had anything to do
with George Gannon?
No.
And when you were arrested,
put in jail for kidnapping,
did the defendant here tell you
she even knew George Gannon?
No.
[Barnes] And when it became clear
that George Gannon
was at the root of these heinous crimes,
did the defendant, your wife,
tell you that she'd had
an intimate affair with him?
No. She knew I was innocent,
and she let them put me in jail.
- You were screwing that guy for months
- Oh!
- [Mason] Objection!
- [Judge Wright] Sustained.
Compose yourself, Mr. Dodson.
I have no further questions.
Mr. Mason, your witness.
[clears throat] Um
Mr. Dodson, isn't isn't it true
you're the secret love child
of Herman Baggerly?
- [Barnes] Objection.
- No, no, now, wait. I I can ask that.
This has to do with this whole motive
argument thing.
Fair point, albeit poorly phrased.
Overruled.
- So, secret love child? Yes or no.
- Yes.
And is Herman Baggerly a wealthy guy?
- I guess.
- [Mason] You guess?
He's up there with Vanderbilt and Ford.
Um, when did you first learn
that millionaire Herman Baggerly
was your father?
- About five years ago.
- [Mason] So you packed Emily up
and took her away
from her friends and family
and you moved her halfway
across the country.
Did she know
that millionaire Herman Baggerly
was your father before this?
- No.
- [Mason] Oh.
It's a long drive from Missouri.
You tell her on the way?
- I can't tell you.
- [Matthew] No, I did not.
Why can't you tell me?
I don't understand.
Well, that's life-changing news.
Why did you keep it from your wife?
She didn't need to know about it.
Like you said, she's my wife.
- Oh, so you lied to her?
- I didn't tell her. That's all.
Isn't it true on the night Charlie was
kidnapped, you were at a dice game?
Yes.
But at first, you said you were at work,
so you lied to the police.
[clears throat]
I was embarrassed.
[Mason] And because of your dice games,
isn't it true, at one point,
you were some $3,000 in debt?
- [gallery muttering]
- Around there, yeah.
$3,000.
That's a lot of money to most folks.
How did you pay it off?
[softly] My father.
Uh
I I think he said his father.
That's Herman Baggerly there.
He covered your gambling debts.
Is that correct?
I just said he did, didn't I?
Is it also true that you were arrested
for Charlie's kidnapping and murder?
- Yes.
- [Mason] And because of that,
you spent, let me see,
a whole day and a half in jail
until the lawyer that your very wealthy
father hired got you out.
- Is that correct?
- Yes, that's correct.
So, in your opinion, were
the police incompetent to arrest you?
- They made a mistake.
- Or were they right to suspect you?
Because despite all your lying,
you're sitting here
with your gambling debts wiped clean,
your business bailed out,
and you now live in a mansion.
It sure looks like you've benefited
from Charlie's death.
- Objection!
- [Judge Wright] Sustained.
Strike from the record.
The jury will disregard that.
She's the one who's guilty, not me.
I asked about the kidnapping
of your son, not whether she's
- Who says he's my son?
- I'm sorry. What?
Who says he's my son?
How can you believe a word she says?
She ruined my life.
I hope they hang you, you lying whore.
- [gallery murmurs, exclaims]
- [Judge Wright] Order! Order!
Mr. Dodson, you will control yourself,
or I will hold you in contempt.
No further questions, Your Honor.
[children laugh]
[bicycle bell rings]
- [camera clicks]
- Voilà.
[workers whispering in Spanish]
[Judge Wright] Call your next witness,
Mr. Barnes.
- How's she doing with the jury?
- Pretty good, considering.
I think Two and Eleven
almost feel sorry for her.
[Barnes clears throat]
The people call Terrence Smith.
[door opens]
Hold on. Judge, we're, uh, not prepared
for this gentleman to be called today.
Uh, I'm sorry, Your Honor, Mr. Smith
is unavailable later. Travel plans.
Beg the court's indulgence on this.
We don't have a file on him.
I'm sorry. We don't have any discovery
material on this guy.
[Barnes] Judge, I assure you,
we turned over the discovery material
to the defendant's former counsel,
Frank C. Dillon.
- Well, I assure you, we don't have it.
- Well, you can have my copy.
It's just a one-page
detective's report, Your Honor.
The length isn't the issue.
My client is fighting for her life,
and the DA's withholding discovery,
and, I'm sorry, "travel plans"?
Is there some kind of court smell test
we could do here?
Mr. Barnes, you better make sure
the defense has every document
in this case going forward.
I will not be granting adjournments
for discovery disputes.
Very well, Your Honor.
I'll I'll make certain.
[Judge Wright] Swear the witness.
[bailiff] Do you swear the testimony
you're about to give
shall be the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?
[Smith] I swear.
- You know this guy?
- I don't think so.
Well, he seems to know you.
[Barnes] Kindly state your name
and occupation for the record.
My name is Terrence Smith.
I am the manager of the Star Hotel.
And do you know the defendant,
Emily Dodson?
[Smith] I've seen her.
Just the one time.
Would you describe that occasion
to the jury?
This past November the 12th,
a man came into the hotel,
asking for adjoining rooms.
That's where I saw her, the defendant,
sitting outside in the car, waiting for
him to sign the registry here.
What name did he sign?
- Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Kelly.
- [gallery murmuring]
He paid me in advance,
and I gave him the keys
and he went back to his car.
Did you see this couple again?
Nope.
I mean, no, sir.
Did anything unusual happen
shortly after they checked in?
[clears throat] Yes, sir.
As I was doing my rounds
about an hour after they checked in,
I pass by their rooms,
and I hear this baby crying.
I was concerned,
so I knocked on the door.
- [Charlie babbles]
- No one answered.
- [Charlie wailing]
- Then I continued to follow the cries
around the corner to the adjoining room.
- I used my room key.
- [Charlie coos]
I went in, and I find this baby,
alone on the bed,
bawling his little eyes out.
Hmm. What did you do?
Well, through the connecting door,
I heard sounds of, uh
lovemaking.
[gallery murmuring]
I was disgusted. I mean, who leaves
a baby all alone to have sex?
[Barnes] Fair question. What did you do?
[Smith] I banged on the door.
I yelled at them to stop,
to take care of the baby,
- or else I was going to call the police.
- Mmm.
And did you later find out
the real name of the man
who checked in to those rooms?
George Gannon.
- [gallery exclaims]
- [Barnes] And the woman?
[Smith] She's right there.
Emily Dodson.
- [gallery exclaims]
- [Barnes] Any doubt in your mind?
No, sir. That's the woman.
- Thank you. No further questions.
- [Judge Wright] Mr. Mason?
You may proceed.
[yells] Love letters and stolen kisses.
That's what you told me.
It was George's idea,
and the door wasn't closed.
- I left the door open.
- Oh, I'll be sure to get that on record.
"It's okay, folks. She could
see Charlie the whole time
George was pounding away on top of her."
Do you have any idea what
everyone in that courtroom now thinks?
That if you're okay
to leave your kid alone
while you have a "stolen kiss"
with George as he fucks you,
then maybe you're okay to let
George kidnap Charlie for a day or two.
That is why you tell me everything,
so I can be fucking prepared.
Then where is Charlie's killer?
You promised you'd find him.
- [door closes]
- [sighs]
I want to show you something.
Faith.
Every single one of these gifts is
someone's prayer for redemption,
for relief from suffering.
For something bigger than themselves.
- Isn't that something you ever feel?
- If I say yes, can I go back to work?
You were really hard
on Emily just now.
Yeah. For good reason.
She didn't tell you
because she was ashamed.
Haven't you ever done something
that you're ashamed of?
Of course I have.
- Have you?
- Yes.
How is your Easter Sunday looking?
I don't honestly know.
I gotta say, Sister,
you're not what I expected.
You were thinking Joan of Arc?
The Maid from Heaven with
a quivering throb in her voice?
"I'd rather die than do something
I know to be a sin."
Something like that. Yeah.
Why would that be any more real
than what's standing in front of you?
I honestly don't know.
You were good with Matthew
on the stand today.
You're better than you think you are.
- Faith, huh?
- Something like that.
[Mason] Don't come to court tomorrow.
I know you think you're helping,
but you're not.
[door closes]
And this is?
When you accused the DA of withholding,
it seems he took every piece of evidence
they had
in maybe nine or ten unrelated cases,
tossed them up in the air,
and threw them back in the boxes.
The old dumperoo.
This is from 1909.
Cat got stuck in a drainpipe.
[Della] It's not all bad.
Hazel actually got a pertinent tip
from Sarecki's last landlord.
A man calling in from Milwaukee said
he rented Sarecki a room in his house.
Said Sarecki gave him references
from his old landlord.
And guess where that was.
- Denver.
- Denver.
Remember Denver?
Ennis worked as a Pinkerton there.
Sarecki was in the same town
at the same time as Ennis.
What about Nowak?
Well, the tipster didn't rent a room
to Nowak.
We even got an address. Could be
the connection you're looking for.
To prove what? That Sarecki and Ennis
were in Denver at the same time
in 19-fucking-whatever?
What does that prove?
We got killed in there today.
I have no fucking idea
what I'm gonna do tomorrow.
Now this shit.
[softly] Fuck.
[door opens and closes]
[indistinct chatter]
[Mason sniffs]
[workers laughing]
Found something at Gannon's house.
"What is it, Pete?"
Well, Perry, it's this.
Two uncashed checks
from Radiant Assembly of God,
made out to something
called Sunroot Services, Inc.
Seems Sunroot Services
has the same address as George Gannon.
And if you look at the checks,
you'll see the stamped signature
of one Eric Q. Seidel.
Not sure what the Q's for,
but the address and the hinky signature
might mean that our boy George
was stealing from the church.
"Say, Pete, that's pretty interesting,
but what's it got to do with Emily?"
I don't know.
"What were Ennis and Sarecki
up to in Denver?"
I couldn't say.
"What should I do in court tomorrow?"
You should use the teeth.
What's this colored cop to you?
You think he's some kind of Boy Scout?
He's just as bad as the rest
of those bulls, Perry.
Looking the other way,
keeping his mouth shut,
trying to save his own ass.
- I got no respect for it.
- I gave him my word, Pete.
Yeah? What'd you give to Emily?
'Cause Barnes is dancing her to
the gallows while you sit on your hands.
Use these and get me to Denver.
It's the only chance she's got.
- [Mason] I use this, Drake is fucked.
- He's a cop.
- Will they kill him?
- They could.
- Well, "could" is different from "will."
- There's also being true to my word.
[Lupe] Looks to me like if you
don't use it, that lady gets the rope.
All they've got is innuendo
and circumstance.
I think I liked you better
when you was a bum.
Least I could understand you.
[sighs]
Give me the bottle.
- No.
- Come on. I'm not gonna sleep tonight.
- Give me the bottle.
- No.
[soft jazz music playing on radio]
If I make a mistake, someone dies.
Then don't make a mistake.
[sighs]
How long to fly to Denver?
[Barnes] Now, your report mentions
a trail of blood. Did you follow it?
- [Drake] Yes, sir.
- [Barnes] And where did it lead?
[Drake] Down the fire escape
to the street.
[Barnes] To where George Gannon
presumably parked his car
for his escape?
That's, uh, what the detectives say.
Yes, sir.
Thank you, Officer.
No further questions.
[Judge Wright] Mr. Mason, your witness.
Mr. Mason.
Um
Officer Drake, um
Can I please get the photographs?
Can you tell us
what it is we're seeing here?
[Drake] As I said before,
this is a photograph
of the dead bodies
left at the crime scene.
- And this one?
- The gun left at the scene.
- How about this one?
- Shell casings that I described earlier.
Now, you just mentioned a trail of blood
that led down the hallway
and onto the fire escape.
- Is that correct?
- Yes, I did.
How long would you say that trail was?
Maybe 20 feet down the hallway,
another 20 or so to the street.
A 40-foot trail of blood.
Uh, that's about [exhales]
Wow. That's
That's about from me to you.
That's a pretty long trail
wouldn't you say?
Yes.
[Mason] Would you please show
the members of the jury
the photographs that depict
this 40-foot trail of blood?
[clears throat]
I don't see any here.
Huh.
Thank you.
[Drake sighs]
Officer Drake, um, who was the first
responding homicide detective?
- Thank you.
- That would be Detective Ennis.
And did he arrive with his partner,
Detective Holcomb?
[Drake] No.
Detective Ennis arrived alone.
But other detectives
and Detective Holcomb
were there pretty soon after.
Does it seem odd to you
that Detective Ennis
was also first at Angels Flight
and among the first
at George Gannon's alleged suicide?
Objection. Compound question.
Calls for speculation.
[Judge Wright] Agree on both counts.
Sustained.
Really don't want him to answer that,
do you?
Your Honor.
Address your questions
to the witness, Mr. Mason.
[Mason] Certainly, Judge.
Officer Drake,
during your investigation,
did you recover any physical evidence
that pertains to this case?
I'm sorry. Can you repeat the question?
Did you recover any physical evidence
from the crime scene?
- No, I did not.
- Not one piece of physical evidence?
Objection. Asked and answered.
If you're getting at something,
Mr. Mason, please get there.
Your Honor, I have, um
I have no further questions.
[clears throat] Just fishing.
[Judge Wright] The witness is excused.
The jury is adjourned for the day.
You are reminded not to discuss the case
with each other or with anyone else,
and to refrain from looking
at any newspaper coverage.
[gavel bangs]
[inaudible]
[Elder Brown] Ten days
till Easter Sunday,
ladies and gentlemen.
Ten days to the resurrection,
the apparent resurrection
of Charlie the baby.
Down with McKeeganism.
- [door opens]
- [Elder Seidel] Mr. Mason?
What are you doing in here?
This room is not open to you.
- He said he had permission.
- [Elder Seidel] He does not.
- Put away the camera.
- Relax, Deacon.
We're about to make your church
look good.
We think George Gannon
was stealing from you.
Do you have any idea
why your former accountant
was sending checks to a company
with his home address
as the corporate headquarters?
Clearly, we weren't aware of
most of what George Gannon
was doing in this room.
He's brought nothing
but the worst attention upon us.
I'm sorry. What's Sunroot Services?
I believe it's an agricultural business
that our church has some investments in.
We probably have over 30 subsidiary
businesses in our endowment.
Looks more like 50 or 60.
If our church relied solely
on the donations of the assembly,
we'd be a much smaller ministry.
[Mason chuckles]
And here was me thinking
you were just hucksters
shaking down the hicks
and the rubes, Mr. Seidel.
Um, Mr. Seidel, who's J.H.?
- [Elder Seidel] J.H.?
- [Mason] Yeah.
[Elder Seidel] Mmm-hmm.
[Mason] I'm not very good
with numbers and such.
Down here, there's G.G.
George Gannon's hand.
But up here, where the new companies
were starting up, there's a J.H.
Big J, skinny H.
Mr. Mason, what does this have to do
with the defense of Emily Dodson?
Which we are charitably paying you for.
Well, if George Gannon
was stealing from you,
and trying to cover it up
with the Dodson ransom, that's motive.
Or he's just a professional thief.
Either way, it's good for Emily.
And, um, you might wanna
stop payment on those checks.
Thank you.
[door closes]
Miss Nina said
you wanted to see me, sir.
[Morton] I heard you spoke well
in court today.
Made this whole shitcan precinct
look good.
This is the time you say thank you.
- Thank you, sir.
- Great. Now beat it.
You were the first detective
on the scene
when Charlie Dodson's body
was discovered. Correct?
[Ennis] Yes, that's correct.
And how did you come to be
the first detective on the scene?
I was having dinner with the Elks
when the commotion kicked up outside.
[Barnes] Mmm-hmm.
And was Detective Ray Royce
first up on homicide calls
on the night in question?
What?
[Barnes] Did you pay
Watch Commander McGuire
to jump Royce and get assigned lead
on the case, Detective Ennis?
What the fuck is this bullshit?
Maybe that's something
you should've shared with your partner.
Did you pay off the watch commander?
You're telling me McGuire's
gonna get on the stand,
say he took money to move me up?
What happened
to that blood trail, Detective?
Who gives a fuck?
[Holcomb] If you can't answer
those questions,
Mason's gonna rip you
a new asshole up there.
- Fuck Mason. I can handle him.
- [Barnes] Let's try this again.
You were the first detective
on the scene
when Charlie Dodson's body
was discovered. Correct?
- Yes, that's correct.
- Thank you.
Emily's signature, as promised.
Matthew Dodson will need to
sign the release as well.
He disowned the child in court.
Under an oath to God.
I've been assured
that this will suffice.
You know, she signed this
just to make you happy.
You see that, right? She doesn't
actually want her baby dug up.
Emily has faith.
You're the one who doesn't
want this to happen, Mother.
Nevertheless, arrangements
for your service are still ongoing.
I would like to be at the cemetery
before Easter services.
I'm going to need all my strength
to become his instrument.
I've also made other arrangements. Come.
These are the other arrangements
that are ongoing.
- No. We're not running from this.
- Hey. Do you understand?
It's not just Elder Brown
and his billboard.
We are surrounded by those
who cannot wait for Easter Sunday.
- They can't wait for our ruin.
- If ruin is God's
[grunts]
- We have to run, okay?
- This church is mine. Mine.
The assembly, the Temple,
every cornerstone of every church
we've ever built.
Do you remember saying that?
I'm remembering
a lot of things lately, Mama.
You want to run? Go ahead and run.
[door opens and closes]
[Della] City records?
[Mason] Yes, I know
you'd rather be in court, Della.
I'd rather be tracking the leads.
But someone's gotta dog this ledger,
and Strick's already on his way
to Denver.
- [knocking on door]
- At least, he should be. I gotta go.
Who is it?
Who is it?
Officer Drake?
- Perry Mason, Esquire, may I come in?
- Of course.
- This a social call?
- Something I have to say to you.
I wanted to tell them, Mason.
I wanted to tell them everything
when you asked me.
Well, I shouldn't have asked you.
- I gave you my word.
- But you kept your word.
Yes, I did.
I almost wanted you to
force my hand, so that I could
So that I could blame you.
- Ah, you're just saying that now.
- I could've helped that woman.
I could've, but
I was afraid.
Look, the deck was stacked
from the start.
Anyone would've made the same choice.
'Cause there wasn't one.
You know what it's like to be afraid?
I was in the war.
Every day, I gotta wake up with
this ball of fear inside me.
Gotta go put on that uniform,
go out there and play the fool.
You know there's not one
Black officer assigned
to work with a white officer?
Not one.
We all on foot patrol, by ourselves,
keeping the coloreds in check.
Hell, they won't even let me
cuff white folks.
'Cause a Black man,
even a goddamn Black police officer,
can never stand up to a white man.
Never. Even a goddamn white criminal.
A white fucking murderer
gets to look down on me.
- You have any idea what that feels like?
- No.
Every day, I am scared, Mason,
that I'm going to let it all out.
[Drake sighs deeply]
[sniffs]
What they give me for being a good boy.
I do not like feeling owned.
Sits real bad on me.
[envelope thuds]
So I'm gonna help you.
I'm gonna help this woman.
Maybe buy
a little piece of my soul back.
What are you doing?
Well, ain't nobody ever certain what's
in half these boxes to begin with.
That's not exactly legal, Officer Drake.
No, Mr. Mason, it's not.
But it is something I can live with.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah.
Look what I just found.
Number 38.
I'd like to see
all articles of incorporation
filed with the state
by the Radiant Assembly of God, Inc.
For what reason?
I don't have to have a reason.
They're public record.
I have to write something down for
my boss. I don't care what you tell me.
[sighs] Write down
"pertinent curiosity."
Make a right down the hall,
door on the left. Wait there.
How do, old timer? You live here long?
Since '03. What's it to you?
[Strickland] I was hoping you
could help me out with a guy or two.
Marcin Sarecki. Stayed here back in '14.
During the Ludlow strikes.
- Can't say as I do.
- You sure?
I old. Not daft.
What about this one? Stanislaw Nowak.
That cocksucker I remember.
I guess so.
I reckon I rightly recall the bastard
that gave me this.
[mutters in Polish, spits]
Doctor, I ask you
to look at what is marked
as People's Exhibits 19A through H.
Can you tell us what these are?
The photographs I took
before the autopsy of Charles Dodson.
Now, as a result of the autopsy,
can you tell us the cause of death?
Yes. Asphyxiation.
Charles Dodson died as a result of being
deprived of oxygen to his brain.
[Barnes] Yeah. And your autopsy
also indicated that
baby Charlie's eyes
were sewn open with thread.
Can you tell us if they were sewn open
before or after his death?
Yes, I can. The sewing of the eyelids
was certainly done postmortem.
Thank you, Doctor.
No further questions.
[clears throat] Your Honor,
I would ask that the autopsy photographs
be published to the jury.
[Judge Wright] So ordered.
Uh, Dr. Sheets
[Barnes] Your Honor, I would ask that
the jury be given the opportunity
to view the photographs
before cross begins.
Of course. Mr. Mason, please wait
till the jury has viewed the exhibits.
Right now?
Yes, Mr. Mason. Now.
[jury members murmuring]
[Judge Wright] Very well.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
Your witness, Mr. Mason.
Dr. Sheets, would you please take a look
at defense exhibit number one?
Excuse me, Your Honor. I'm not exactly
sure what Mr. Mason is referring to.
It's a vouchered piece of evidence
that was turned over to the defense
in discovery material.
I'll allow it. Let's have the witness
identify the exhibit first, Mr. Barnes.
Oh, boy.
Dr. Sheets, would you mind telling us
what it is you're holding in your hand?
It it looks to be
a half of a denture.
- Objection. We did not turn that over.
- Overruled.
Have you ever seen
the other half of this denture before?
Um, yes, I have.
Was that during an autopsy
you conducted on George Gannon?
- Objection. Side bar.
- [whispering] Get up here.
What the hell is going on?
I can prove that George Gannon's
suicide was fake.
- He was murdered, Judge.
- Lower your voice. We're at side bar.
[loudly] That's Gannon's denture.
It was recovered in the alleyway
- outside the apartment where
- Mr. Mason. Lower your voice.
[loudly] It would prove that someone
other than Emily Dodson was involved.
In my chambers. Now.
[normal tone] Bailiff, recess the jury.
[gavel pounds]
[jury members murmuring]
After Dr. Nance
conducted the official autopsy,
Gannon's body was stolen
from the crematorium
and magically turned up
with a broken hip.
The hip was broken before the body
was stolen, Your Honor.
- You can't prove that.
- That's up to the jury, not you, pal.
A second autopsy on Gannon would require
a preliminary ruling to admit.
Uh, can Can I get that ruling now?
[Judge Wright] Hmm.
I'm not letting you bring wild theories
before a jury based on a stolen body.
You don't have a clean chain
of evidence.
- Thank you, Your Honor.
- This is bullshit.
Any reference to this denture
or second autopsy is inadmissible.
This is fucking rigged. I have
vouchered evidence from the DA himself.
- I've ruled on this.
- [Mason] Well
Someone murdered Gannon.
Someone who's still out there.
Someone who stitched
Charlie's fucking eyes open.
And you're as hellbent as he is
on covering this up.
Watch your tone
when speaking to me, Mr. Mason,
or you'll find yourself
held in contempt, disbarred,
and watching me wipe my hind parts
with your investigator's license. Now
Recess runs till 3:00.
I assume you'll be ready to proceed,
Mr. Barnes?
Most assuredly, Your Honor. I plan to
call my final witness and rest my case.
[Judge Wright] Good.
[door opens]
[Drake] Gonna miss the bus
if we don't hustle.
Just trying to get you there is all.
You tell your aunt,
I'm paying the phone bill,
so any amount of calls is all right.
I don't want her worrying,
or worrying you.
[cabbie] Afternoon, ma'am.
[sighs]
- This is some bad business.
- No. No, no. It ain't bad business.
I just need to
help this lady out is all.
I need you and this little one
out of reach while I fix it right.
Here you go.
There you are.
I was about to storm the men's room
when the bailiff ratted you out.
- Not now.
- Yes, now.
Wait till you see what I got you.
36 Del Pio Drive.
They're not putting Ennis on the stand.
And they gave me 15 minutes
to prepare for this fucking jail matron.
I found J.H.
Woodland Acres.
It's a church subsidiary.
A real estate development
out in the sticks.
Jim Hicks set it up, and Herman Baggerly
is named as chairman.
- Baggerly?
- Yeah.
Then I went across Spring Street
to the County Assessor's Office
and started pulling titles and deeds.
It's a place called Girard,
incorporated in 1927,
and they only sold 11 plots,
and guess who owns one
for next to nothing.
- You stole a title?
- You stole a body.
Look at the signature.
Big J, skinny H.
36 Del Pio Drive.
Twenty acres for a dollar?
It's a hell of a deal
for a former accountant.
- I could kiss you, Della Street.
- Please don't.
- [bailiff] Mr. Mason?
- Yeah.
- We're heading back, Counselor.
- Thank you.
That old Polack spits all over me,
tells me to come to see you.
I'm surprised
he didn't take a poke at you.
Those old bastards
got a real burr in their saddle
about that whole Ludlow mess.
Well, fortunately, he could barely spit.
No Sarecki. No Nowak.
Who'd you say the other one was?
- Ennis. Worked as a Pinkerton.
- Ennis. With an E?
- E-N-N-I-S.
- Very close to "penis."
Never thought about it like that.
Pinkertons, thugs, miners,
that's one thing.
It's a fair enough fight.
But when the army came in shooting
Mmm, mmm.
Sweet Jesus wept. Shit.
No Ennis, either.
- You sure? He's got to be there.
- That's where you look.
And you just saw me fucking look.
Most likely we paid the thugs in cash
and the Pinkies as a group.
How about the fella
who was doling out the dollars?
- Any chance he's still around?
- From back then?
- Yeah.
- Dog-fuck if I know.
Hope you don't mind me saying,
but you got a colorful way with words.
[Betty] You're not a goddamn papist,
are you? Here we go.
Accounting, 1914.
- Furthest thing from it. Episcopalian.
- Hmm. I don't like them much, either.
Dead. Don't know. Don't know. Dead.
That say "Seidel"?
- "Eric Q. Seidel"?
- Him.
He became vice president.
Top row, second from the left.
Betty, can I buy you a drink?
[bailiff] Do you swear that
the testimony you shall give
shall be the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?
I do.
Please state your name
and occupation for the record.
My name is Barbara Fry,
and I am the matron at the city jail.
And were you responsible
for the supervision
of the defendant, Emily Dodson,
on or about January 5th?
Yes, I was.
Did anything of note
happen on that date?
She had a visit
from Sister Alice McKeegan.
And were you present
for the entirety of that visit?
- I was.
- Please tell the jury what you heard.
Objection. Conversation between Emily
and her spiritual advisor is privileged.
Sit down, Mr. Mason. That privilege
is broken if a third party is present.
[Barnes] You may answer the question.
Emily said that if she had not been
with George, Charlie'd still be alive.
- Continue.
- Then she said, "I killed my baby."
- No. No. That's not
- Control your client, Mr. Mason.
That is not what I said.
Jesus. She's twisting it. Do something.
Then the Sister asked her if she had
pressed a pillow over her baby's mouth
and stitched his eyes open.
- And the defendant's response?
- Objection.
The defendant nodded and said, "Yes."
That is a lie. Stop lying.
Sit down, Mrs. Dodson,
or I'll have you removed.
- [Emily] She's lying.
- [Mason] I know.
Your Honor,
given this overheard confession,
I ask, no, demand,
that I be allowed to argue
in summation that the defendant,
Emily Dodson,
not only conspired to kidnap,
but, in fact, murdered her child.
- [loud clamoring]
- I didn't do it! I didn't do it!
- [Judge Wright] Order.
- I didn't do it.
- Order.
- Prosecution rests.
Order!
Order!
- [gavel pounding]
- [all shouting]
- [reporter 1] Hey. There they are.
- [man 1] Murderer.
[crowd clamoring]
[reporter 2] Mr. Mason,
is there any comment on that?
The woman perjured herself.
They don't have a case, so they lie.
That's how low the DA goes.
[inaudible]
You want a story? Ask him why he didn't
call the first detective on the scene.
Take her home.
[indistinct clamor]
[reporters shouting]
- [breathing heavily]
- [woman yelling]
- [man 2] Repent or die, whore.
- I can't believe that woman lied.
After what she let happen to you.
Take a runner.
It's okay. It's okay.
None of it matters, Della.
Don't give up hope. Okay?
It's our turn next.
No. Mr. Barnes is gonna drop
the charges.
Once Sister Alice brings Charlie back,
he'll be alive.
It can't be murder if he's alive.
[woman yelling]
[reporters clamoring]
How do you think that went, E.B.?
[imitates E.B.] Well,
I have a few observations, boyo.
[knocks on door]
- Hey, Gene.
- Hey, Ellie. Is your better half around?
Back in the garage
with his one true love.
- Do you want to come in for coffee?
- No, thanks. Not today. It's work.
Where the fuck have you been?
I didn't think I was needed.
Wasn't asked to testify.
Fucking Barnes ices me out.
For what? I don't know.
[Holcomb] You know what.
That bullshit with McGuire?
Like you haven't done the same thing.
- Barnes knows you're lying.
- Of course I'm lying.
What am I supposed to say to the DA?
That I'm getting soused at the Elks Club
when Charlie turns up?
Well, makes more sense
than what you told him or me.
Huge case drops in my lap,
I'm gonna grab it, yeah?
I got mouths to feed.
Case like this could move us
both up the ladder.
Bullshit. You jumped Royce
so we could run the crime scene.
No, Gene. You ran the scene.
I was your second.
You told me what to do.
I followed your lead.
And forget about Mason.
He can't prove a thing.
If Barnes wasn't such
a fucking chickenshit
Nice looking car, Joe. [grunts]
You love this car, huh?
It important to you?
What about Ellie? The kids, huh?
Or me? Your goddamn partner.
Just how dirty are you, Joe?
I need to know right fucking now.
You brought me into this racket.
You tied me in with the Lucky Lagoon,
the whores at Jin's, the kickbacks.
That ain't the same thing.
Sarecki, Nowak, Gannon.
Did you kill them all, Joe? [panting]
Did you stitch that baby up?
I got hired to do a thing.
That thing went a little off.
[sighs]
Who else can finger you for this?
- Really wanna know?
- No.
I want them dead.
[Mason imitating E.B.] See,
a good lawyer, an actual lawyer,
never would have promised to get
the client off, to find the killer.
Shouldn't prosecute
from the defense table.
You can't prosecute
from the defense table.
And yet here we are,
driving to God knows where
for God knows whatever reason,
when a real lawyer,
an actual lawyer
Would have done what?
[yelling, in normal voice]
Would have stuffed a towel
under the door
and turned on the fucking gas?
How the fuck is that
working out for you, E.B.?
They got Brandy Alexanders and
cigar girls in good lawyer purgatory?
'Cause guess what.
You should be here, doing your
fucking job, you fucking coward.
[brakes squeal]
[banging]
[sighs]
[knocks on door]
- [man] Hello.
- [Mason] Uh, hi.
I'm I'm sorry to bother you.
I'm looking for Jim Hicks.
You're that Dodson girl's lawyer?
Seen your picture in the newspaper.
Yeah. I
I've been waiting for you to find me.