NYC 22 (2012) s01e07 Episode Script
Block Party
All right, be on the lookout for a couple operating as Mr.
and Mrs.
Upstate.
They've been flimflamming tourists, saying they've been robbed of their wallets and need money to get back on the Greyhound.
European backpackers have been falling for it.
A certain Hakki from Helsinki had a change of heart, gave chase to get his donation back, when, uh, Mr.
Greenjeans here pulled a revolver on him.
So we're eager to put these two out of commission.
Greenjeans doesn't look like he could beat an egg, let alone a backpacker.
Doesn't take much strength to pull a trigger.
Did somebody say something? Item two: There's been a sweep of unlicensed gypsy cab drivers.
They're in the desk area for processing.
It's overcrowded; They're unhappy.
Proceed with caution.
Last thing: there's quite a few block parties today, which is why we pulled you in four hours early.
Four hours of OT? I'll take it.
Sarge won the rib-eating contest last month on 118th.
Actually, that was the limbo contest.
What's a block party? A little bit of this, a little bit of that.
Fun for the whole fam-damily.
Don't forget to tag anyone with an open alcohol container.
Things got lax last month.
We got more than a few complaints, and an assault on 121st.
All right.
Roll out.
You, uh need me, boss? No.
No, sorry.
Just a second, I'll be right with you.
Hector? Hey, you okay? You all right? Your hands.
They, uh They should be looked at.
Excuse me.
What's your name? Monica Pridgen.
someone else, not you, is in trouble.
"Khan.
" Sometimes I wish I could say my first name was Bill, or Mike Joe.
My brother's name is Joe.
Huh? My brother Your brother would want you to let me help.
I can't It's okay.
I can't say it What if I say it? There was a knife.
But not at first.
You tried to fight.
Then the knife came.
You gave him the money you had, but that wasn't want he wanted.
No.
Where did this happen? The basement of the Alder House Projects.
How long ago? I don't know.
Okay.
Kenny.
Yeah, what's up? I need you to go tell Sergeant Dean I think we have a rape victim here.
I don't want to leave her alone.
I was going to work.
I didn't see him.
He pulled me down a stairway.
Monica, I'd like to focus on a description first.
This individual may still be in the area, and I'd like as many officers as possible to know who to look for.
There you go.
What was his race? His what? Uh, white, black, Hispanic Oh, uh, black.
And how tall was he? Medium.
Medium like Officer Khan? No, Officer Khan's tall.
Hair? Black.
Any tattoos? Facial hair, scars? Almost anything would be helpful to us.
He had long eyelashes.
Really long.
Like a girl.
And he had a bellybutton that went out, not in.
I don't know, I just just remember that.
Good.
That's good.
How old would you say? I don't know.
Just 20s.
Maybe a little older.
And what was he wearing? Nothing, you know, um Blue jeans, sneakers, T-shirt Except his hoodie.
That was green and gray.
Green like what? Like grass? Like Christmas trees? Green like a parking cone.
Fluorescent green.
Okay, we need to get you to a hospital.
I know you do, but could I I would like to help.
Are you up to taking a quick ride with us? See if you can spot him? Uh, the officer I spoke with.
Would he be with us? If you want him to.
Okay.
Hey, hey, hey, hey So Mr.
Dali Lamas Another sister's shooting heroin tomorrow Amputees in Freetown, Sierra Leone's The church wasn't honest : We got two or three cars blocked this afternoon.
Look, there.
No, more gray.
I don't understand.
How could he vanish like this? Try and take it easy, Monica.
We've only been out here ten minutes.
One thing I just remembered.
If you could speak up for me? He had one of those new watches, like the rappers and the NBA players have.
Um the face, it's red and black.
Has a biohazard sign on it.
Oh, my God.
Stop! Police! Oh, damn! Uh [Jay-Z's "Heart of the City" playing.]
Listen, first the Fat Boys break up Now every day I wake up Somebody got something to say Where's the love? Look scrapper, I got nephews to look after I'm not lookin' at you dudes, I'm looking past ya Ain't no love in the heart of the city I said, "Where's the love?" Ain't no love in the heart of town Holla at me Ain't no love In the heart of the city Where's the love.
She's probably in shock.
Spotting a face in a crowd's different than clocking a gray and green sweatshirt.
I'd be surprised if she could ID the president.
She wanted to try.
She's just been raped.
She might not be making the best decisions for herself right now.
Sorry, sorry.
My bad.
It's just some clumsy kid.
Look, any time you want to stop, just let me know.
Look at the guy by the, uh, one, two, three fourth house on the right.
Jeans, with the vest, medium build.
He's definitely noticing her.
Well, see, but that's just it.
She's a young woman walking through a block party.
Guys are gonna look, period.
Why can't I find him? That's our job.
We'll get him.
Look, let's get you out of here, get you checked out.
Okay.
See that store? Club there at one time.
High-stakes stone-thug craps game.
Troy Minton breaks in, robs each and every one of them.
By himself! He was 16.
Troy who? Minton.
You never heard of him? Wow, I mean, he was thug royalty back here in the '70s.
You might know the history of the neighborhood, but to me this job is all about instincts.
And reading people, right here, right now.
A place is just a place, all due respect to Troy Minton.
Hey! Officers! What seems to be the problem? My next-door neighbors.
They've been renovating for over a year.
- The noise.
- If the work occurs between 8:00 a.
m.
and 5:00 p.
m.
, it's legal, ma'am.
But they have a backhoe.
We'll look into it, ma'am.
No permit.
Aren't you going to shut them down? The anticrime band's plugging up the hole behind that church.
But he had plenty of time to get through there.
Tell you what.
I see a lot of doorways.
I see ducking in, laying low.
Well, let's leave my rooks here in case you're right.
They got a fleeting look at him maybe they'll recognize him again.
Maybe, maybe.
Meanwhile, we've got to get her to the hospital to get a rape kit.
Hey, McLaren.
You and Khan stay here.
Patrol the party, but keep your eyes open for our boy.
Think he might still be around? He knew there was a party to get lost in, maybe knows the block, maybe lives around here.
And, uh, don't let Khan make any judgment calls on this one.
Sarge? I was just reading, there was a rape last week in the 88.
Afghan dad tried to have his daughter arrested for filing a false report instead of pursuing the rapist.
Yeah, that's not Ahmad.
Maybe not, but these cultural reflexes run deep.
When push comes to shove he may feel uncomfortable catching this guy.
But he was the one Yeah, just be aware.
You may be on your own on this one.
Yes, sir.
I saw Retread's girlfriend last night.
Oh, yeah.
What's his gang, the DDDs? No, the DDLs Die-Hard Ding-a-Lings.
Or is it the DDWs Dummies Doing Wrong? Yeah, I saw her with a guy from a rival gang.
I'll tell you, beefs over these shorties can turn ugly.
Yeah.
Damn! It's like the mother of all bottlenecks.
It's gotta be, like, two dozen cars trapped here.
I think I saw this in a French movie once, you know? By the end, people started eating each other.
Aw, man Aw, come on! Will you guys do something? Okay.
See, look.
Here's the problem here.
You got this Corolla, it must be, like, at least three feet from the curb, which makes it the ideal car, in this genius's mind, to park alongside.
Turn that garbage off! Now! Hey, hey! Hey, hey! Hey! Hey! You got a license for that thing? Officer Don't get too pleased with yourself.
Hey! This is America, man.
Yeah, well, as this block's founding father, I decree you have disturbed the peace.
Me? What about him? He reminds me of my grandfather.
He just gets a warning.
Let's see some I.
D.
So, uh, what did Yoda say to you? Say to me? When? After Special Victims took Monica through the block party.
Oh, that.
Nothing.
He was just wanting to make sure we checked every entryway.
He couldn't tell both of us? Relax.
He told me; Now I'm telling you.
Okay, uh, let's start checking these entryways.
Check it out.
That's the watch she described.
There's another one, 10:00.
That's a nice watch.
What'd you pay for it? They sell 'em all over.
What, you think I got 8K for the real thing? It's a frickin' watch fiesta.
Another damn dead end.
Hey, ma'am.
Sorry to disturb you.
Just a quick check, if we could.
Do you have permits for the yard work? Certainly.
I forgot to post them.
Can we see them, please? Of course.
Please, come in.
You're not welcome.
Nice home.
Oh! When my husband was transferred from L.
A.
to New York, we started looking for houses in Harlem, and I saw this one come on the market, and I remembered the address from my grandmother's childhood stories.
Look like she remembered it? She passed a few years ago.
Sorry for your loss.
Oh, my God! Somebody get out here! Someone take a look at this! Back it up! Back it up! Don't dig any more! I been digging up the decades all over Harlem.
You know, pottery shards, coins, buttons, rubber dolls but this this is a first.
Stay put.
MLI says the remains aren't fused together as they would be for an adult.
They have to take the skeleton back to the M.
E.
's office, but he's pretty sure it was a teenage female, and from the degeneration, she's been here quite a while.
Could be over half a century.
The owner just bought this house last year.
What do we do? You go back to patrol, and be happy don have to spend half your day on paperwork and phone calls, trying to figure out who this is after 50-some-odd years.
So you gonna tell me what Yoda really said? It doesn't matter.
Good.
Then it won't matter if you tell me.
Something happened in Brooklyn last week a rape.
The Afghani family.
I read about it in the papers.
Yeah.
It just got under his skin a little.
He thought you might not feel comfortable being aggressive on a rape case.
You're kidding me, right? Let's just find this guy, all right? Another one of those damn watches.
Look how loose it is.
You knowhe rapist got rid of his sweatshirt to keep us from identifying him He might've figured he had to ditch the watch, too? Or give it to someone to hold.
You should've won.
I never heard a police with that accent before.
You like it? Yeah.
What's your name? Dawn.
What's yours? Ahmad.
Nice.
It's weighing you down.
Uh, it's my brother's.
He gave it to me.
Really.
Actually, no.
He got it from my dad.
He loaned it to me for good luck in the dance contest.
I gotta go.
All right.
Catch you later.
Let me guess: It's not hers.
Her father's, her brother's.
She's lying about it in any case.
Could be his.
Could be anybody's.
Let's just see if someone comes looking for it.
They dug up a body in there? The remains of one.
Is some kind of ghoul on the loose? Doubt it.
What they found is pretty old.
Hoold? Old enough you shouldn't be worrying about it.
That's Etta King.
She's kind of strange.
She's been a little odd since she been a teenager.
Used to be a dancer, back in the day.
Her family been around here since the flood.
Couple stories almost that old, too.
She lives in the house she was born in.
Ma'am? How old are they saying? Half a century, maybe.
Do you know who? Who lived there back then? The piano teacher.
Mr.
Hubert Holmes.
It's not a grown man they found.
No, it was a teenage girl.
How do you know that? Her name is Dorothy Walker.
Empty.
Get this termite twit towed! Sir, let's try a little Zen here, if we could.
Zen?! Would you say "Zen" to me if I was Caucasian? Probably not.
The number you've reached has been disconnected.
Whoa, whoa! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Show me some love.
Show me some love.
I got it.
Here we go.
All right.
Come on.
Come on Sounds like the starter.
Pop the hood.
Ere is no hood.
Sounds like the starter.
The engine's under the seat.
I got it, though.
I got it.
It's just Whoa I have a meeting! Really? Right in front of me? I had a meeting 20 minutes ago, for a major deal.
Here's my deal: You're going to jail, pal.
It could be him.
Different pants.
He could've changed 'em.
Showing some teeth.
And he just took his watch back.
Hey, wait up! Yo, what'd she tell you? Whoa, we just want to talk to you.
Yo, what that bitch tell you? Bitch! Yo, she's lying! Don't move.
Come here.
Come on.
Long eyelashes.
What?! Out.
Not in.
Just like Monica described.
My friend Dorothy Walker and I, we were taking piano lessons at that house when we were maybe 14, 15.
Back in the '50s.
But Mr.
Holmes he was up to other things.
He caught me unawares one day, and I let him kiss me.
I guess he got a lot farther with Dorothy.
Ma'am, why do you think it's Dorothy we found? One day she told me she was gonna run away with him.
Now, mind you, and Dorothy was 15.
Run away You mean? See, Mr.
Holmes was Smitty Davis's favorite piano player.
Smitty Davis, the racketeer back in the '50s.
The one who owned Smitty's Crib.
And it was command performances there all the time for Mr.
Holmes.
So, even if he was ready to leave his family, which he wasn't, no way he could get away from Smitty.
You said that at the When Dorothy disappeared, the police questioned me, but I was too scared to tell them anything about her and Mr.
Holmes.
It's haunted me all these years.
How else could he have gotten rid of her, a 15-year-old girl? He couldn't have her rejected and upset, going to the police.
I'm telling you: That's Dorothy's skeleton in that backyard.
Thank you.
Go outside for a second? What part of "resume patrol" didn't resonate? That poor lady's been carrying this guilt around for 60 years! People carry around all kinds of personal grief.
So that's it? Her best friend may have been murdered.
All right, listen, it's only natural, you see a sad old lady and your heart goes into savior mode, until your 20th or 30th sad old lady, and then you look at the merits of the statement.
Listen I'm just asking, with all due respect, are you writing this off? No.
This is an active lead in what might be a murder case or might not be a murder case.
I'll run it down.
But not right away.
I have two robbery complaints coming in, and a burglary arrest to enhance, so, no no, not right away.
Take your time.
This isn't a race.
He seems nicer than I Which one? Numb 1.
He looks nicer? Than I remember.
Number 3, I think.
Maybe.
No, I'm sorry.
Not him.
Okay.
Thank you.
I hate to say it, but I think she's fried.
What, that's it? He walks? No evidence, no I.
D.
Watch isn't evidence of anything.
My take on Monica? That's the rapist.
She's just too shook to I.
D.
him.
I've seen a lot of lineups.
She's not the type.
Too gentle, too sensitive.
It's the angry ones that can do it.
My take on Monica is that she didn't see him in there, and that the rapist is still out there somewhere.
Of course, I might not be seeing it clearly, my cultural biases being what they are.
I told him.
Clearly.
All due respect, Sarge, you're wrong this time.
Give the suspect a discon summons for popping off at the party, then kick him loose.
And then can we head back? We got to find this guy.
Yeah, go.
Return date's on the back.
Lock me up for nothing, then give me a ticket? I knew she wouldn't go this far.
I should sue her for lying on me about the watch.
Lying about what? I didn't steal it from her.
She gave it to me.
Everybody's been talking about how she's been stepping out on me with some other fool.
And then I see that watch hanging off her wrist? It ain't hard to figure out where she got it from.
Then she try to play it off like it was for me.
I ain't stupid, but it's a $8,000 watch.
I don't care where it come from, I'll take it.
How do you know that's an $8,000 watch? How do you not? Yeah, and me with my extensive watch collection.
Yo, when do I get it back? Just a second.
You think he's telling the truth? I think he's too stupid to come up with a lie that fast.
Running from the police or not, I wouldn't hand off an $8,000 watch to someone I didn't know well.
If the rapist is Dawn's other action then Dawn can I.
D.
him for us.
Officer, I've learned my lesson.
No.
After you've spent a few hours in the precinct, followed by the Kafkaesque nightmare of trying to get your car out of impound, then, and only then, will you stand a chance of learning your lesson.
Looks like you got yourself a real conga line here.
Normally I approve of traffic jams, you know.
It's nature's way of telling people to ride a bike.
Seventh cavalry.
Finally.
Son of a! I think I'm gonna go home now.
Thought the squad had this.
I only found one Hubert Holmes in Harlem.
Let's find out if it's the same one and turn it back over to Mascis before our lunch break is over.
Come on.
We could be solving a murder.
Tell me that doesn't get your engine going.
My engine is telling me Mascis was right about you.
What's under your skin with this? Etta's like my grandma.
She's black? Before I was born, this one time, she handed the car keys over to my teenage uncle when he'd been drinking on the sly, and he wound up wrapping himself around a tree.
My nana never forgave herself.
Walked around with a hole in her gut for the rest of her life.
I just want to see if we can put something to rest for her one way or the other.
I've been waiting for you Mr.
Holmes? You know why we're here? I hear you've been digging up my old backyard.
So it is Dorothy Walker they found buried back there? Dorothy? What? The body.
What body? I'm, I'm talking about the money.
What money? From the armored car robbery.
That Smitty Davis buried in my backyard in '58.
If we're right about the watch and Dawn's relationship with the rapist But that's a lot of "What ifs," starting with if Monica even I.
D.
'd the right kind of watch.
I believe in her.
I have since I saw her sitting alone in the front of the precinct, unnoticed by everyone else.
Watch came in stolen from a rape/homicide in Central Park Precinct two months ago.
That's why the rapist was trying to hid it.
It's evidence.
That watch can put him away for life.
He's gonna want it back, bad.
And Dawn doesn't have it.
If he finds out what happened, guesses what we know he's gonna realize Dawn can give up his name.
Then he's gonna have to kill her.
I'll have Special Victims and Anticrime circulate through the party, but you guys are our fastest I.
D.
on Dawn.
She wasn't wearing a coat, and the temperature was dipping down in the 50s.
I'll bet she lives on the block.
Well, even if she doesn't, it's the best place to start looking.
Look, if you see her and she's not in trouble, then hang back and call for backup.
And if she is in trouble? Then you make your best judgment call.
Meaning Kenny's judgment, right? You have something you want to say to me? Not while there's a rapist on the loose.
You think this is real? Old guy was any more specific, he would have gave us a map with dotted lines and an "X.
" I hit something.
Holy kid, you just did not want me going home on time, did you? Damn.
Lift it up.
It's dirty.
No, don't move it yet.
Don't move it yet.
Lift it up.
I'm pushing down.
Lift it My hands are dirty.
George.
There you go.
Officers, my car's about halfway down the block.
Well, you should stay with it.
Let us do what we can up here.
Well, that's kind of the thing.
I got carjacked two days ago, and the guy who did it is kind of behind the wheel.
How you doing today, sir? Stupid question, right? Uh, can I see your license and registration, please? Hey, where do you think you're going? There you go.
A regular Houdini you are.
I'm out of cuffs.
Uh, Smitty came by with a bunch of guys, said he wanted to, uh, use my backyard.
He buried three bags of money in the way back.
I never touched it.
Why not? Well wasn't mine.
Smitty Davis has been dead since 1960.
He wasn't the only guy who robbed it, and they all had guns.
Like I said, wasn't mine.
And Dorothy Walker? I'm not proud of, of carrying on with her back then, but I really don't know what the hell you're talking about.
I might have made a few false promises, but that's as far as it went.
I always thought she might have run off with some other older guy.
Can I go now? Did he confess? The detectives are still talking to him.
I can prove that's Dorothy's body and that there's no one else who would have put it there.
I-I'm sorry.
What is this? My half of a friendship ring.
Dorothy had the other half.
I'm sure one of your men would have found it by now in the soil where her skeleton was discovered.
Let's take a walk.
We need a jack or something.
You got any tools in there? Nah, man, I got nothing.
Come on.
You got to have something.
Uh, nah, I usually, um No, you know what? No, don't open it.
It-It's toxic.
It-it's mad toxic.
It, um Wow.
Boy, that is a lot of pot.
This ain't my truck? Ah.
Here it is.
Let me get him.
Come in.
Come in.
So you've brought me a visitor.
This is Etta King.
She's your neighbor.
Pleased to meet you.
Likewise.
This is Olivia Updike.
I couldn't help noticing a unique-looking necklace that's in some of your photos.
Oh, you mean this one? You found that buried in your yard? ; In my yard? My goodness, no.
This was my grandmother's.
Her she was with Dawn before.
I've been looking for you.
Have you seen Dawn that girl you were talking to? We were just about to ask you the same question.
That man she's been stepping out on DeVaughn with The one who gave her the watch? I shouldn't have said anything, but I kind of like DeVaughn and I thought This other man do you know his name? Roy, Ray something like that.
He was out here looking for her.
Does he know what happened her boyfriend getting arrested? Who would tell him? I got to say, the way that guy stares at you There's a lot of roughnecks around here, but this guy he straight-up scares me.
Did he find Dawn? I don't know.
She was supposed to meet me by the Carter barbecue, but she never showed.
Do you have her cell? Call her.
Lashelle? Is he there with you? Wait.
Who is this? I'm the police officer who talked to you about your watch at the dance contest.
Is he there with you? Yes.
Okay, don't talk.
Just listen.
Tell him I'm your old boyfriend.
Tell him I have his watch, then put him on the phone.
Just do it.
It's DeVaughn.
What? Yo, you can keep that cheating bitch, but I want $200 for the watch.
Like I'm gonna pay for my watch.
Don't pay for it then.
What did you just do? Hello? I'll give you $50.
Where you at? Where you at? I ain't got time for these games.
You want it or don't you? That nasty house with the tub.
And listen up, I ain't coming out alone.
I don't get my watch back, me, you, Dawn gonna have us a serious three-way conversation, you feel me? I'm walking over there now.
The house at the end of the block the one with the tub.
You stay here.
Police! Don't move! Back off or I'll skin her! man with a knife at the block party.
The whole precinct's on its way.
Drop the knife or I will shoot you! It's okay.
Number 3.
Grandmother Dorothy died in Los Angeles six years ago.
I don't understand.
That's her, a year before she passed.
She wore that ring around her neck, all those years.
Why didn't she tell me where she was? Maybe she tried to.
She ever say anything about Harlem? About leaving? She was in love with a piano teacher who lived here.
When he rejected her, she just up and ran away from home first to Chicago, then to L.
A.
, where she ultimately met my grandfather.
She said she was so heartbroken by that man she didn't even bother to tell her own parents when she left.
Or her best friend.
Etta, what you didn't speak up about when you were 14 years old, it didn't happen.
So you don't have to feel guilty any more.
I don't.
I feel angry.
All those years of not knowing, how could you not be angry? But it sounds like her silence grew out of her shame.
Just like yours.
And that's a silence that's just harder and harder to maintain.
I know you know that.
You have lovely long legs.
Did you ever train as a dancer? Couldn't dance my way out of a phone booth.
Oh, poor Dorothy.
I just hope she found some joy in her life.
I know I have.
Well, if her granddaughter's any indication, she sure knew how to raise decent children.
Only question is: if that skeleton's not Dorothy's, whose is it? Yeah! Woo-hoo! They say rain makes the best policeman.
Might have to switch my vote to traffic jams.
All right.
All right, everybody! Homes, children, jobs! Let's go! Let's go! Come on.
Let's go home.
Everybody.
Let's go home.
Come on.
All right, let's move it along.
Move it along.
Thank you for coming.
Move it along.
Thank you.
Don't forget to write.
Solved an armed robbery and a missing persons case in 12 hours.
Who's better than us? What? There's still a skeleton.
Some kid died alone and anonymous.
That's a mystery for another day.
Whoever they were, they gave us answers.
And the old lady got peace.
I mean, how many of us will be able to do that You always see the glass half full? I used to see it full full, then plumb empty.
Now half full is good enough.
I told Kenny to take the lead today.
And I was wrong.
I want you to know that.
Okay.
And to be honest, that story about the family in Brooklyn, it threw me.
Yeah, threw me, too.
I should have talked to you about it.
You're the one in charge here, not me.
You don't have to explain yourself to me.
Tell you the truth, I've never worked with a Muslim cop before.
I have no friends or acquaintances that are Muslim.
To the best of my knowledge other than the occasional cup of coffee at the corner store, I don't think I've ever talked to a Muslim, you know, that I wasn't arresting or taking a complaint from.
And until I left Kabul five years ago, I knew nothing but Muslims.
Can you imagine what I heard growing up all my life in Afghanistan about you people? So go figure.
Yeah.
The danger of working with rookies is assuming that there's nothing you can learn from them.
I made that mistake with you today.
I won't next time.
I don't believe it.
What? We never ticketed the, uh Corolla.
that started the whole damn traffic jam.
Turn me around Ain't gonna let nobody Turn me around Keep on walkin' Keep on talkin' Marching up to freedom land.
and Mrs.
Upstate.
They've been flimflamming tourists, saying they've been robbed of their wallets and need money to get back on the Greyhound.
European backpackers have been falling for it.
A certain Hakki from Helsinki had a change of heart, gave chase to get his donation back, when, uh, Mr.
Greenjeans here pulled a revolver on him.
So we're eager to put these two out of commission.
Greenjeans doesn't look like he could beat an egg, let alone a backpacker.
Doesn't take much strength to pull a trigger.
Did somebody say something? Item two: There's been a sweep of unlicensed gypsy cab drivers.
They're in the desk area for processing.
It's overcrowded; They're unhappy.
Proceed with caution.
Last thing: there's quite a few block parties today, which is why we pulled you in four hours early.
Four hours of OT? I'll take it.
Sarge won the rib-eating contest last month on 118th.
Actually, that was the limbo contest.
What's a block party? A little bit of this, a little bit of that.
Fun for the whole fam-damily.
Don't forget to tag anyone with an open alcohol container.
Things got lax last month.
We got more than a few complaints, and an assault on 121st.
All right.
Roll out.
You, uh need me, boss? No.
No, sorry.
Just a second, I'll be right with you.
Hector? Hey, you okay? You all right? Your hands.
They, uh They should be looked at.
Excuse me.
What's your name? Monica Pridgen.
someone else, not you, is in trouble.
"Khan.
" Sometimes I wish I could say my first name was Bill, or Mike Joe.
My brother's name is Joe.
Huh? My brother Your brother would want you to let me help.
I can't It's okay.
I can't say it What if I say it? There was a knife.
But not at first.
You tried to fight.
Then the knife came.
You gave him the money you had, but that wasn't want he wanted.
No.
Where did this happen? The basement of the Alder House Projects.
How long ago? I don't know.
Okay.
Kenny.
Yeah, what's up? I need you to go tell Sergeant Dean I think we have a rape victim here.
I don't want to leave her alone.
I was going to work.
I didn't see him.
He pulled me down a stairway.
Monica, I'd like to focus on a description first.
This individual may still be in the area, and I'd like as many officers as possible to know who to look for.
There you go.
What was his race? His what? Uh, white, black, Hispanic Oh, uh, black.
And how tall was he? Medium.
Medium like Officer Khan? No, Officer Khan's tall.
Hair? Black.
Any tattoos? Facial hair, scars? Almost anything would be helpful to us.
He had long eyelashes.
Really long.
Like a girl.
And he had a bellybutton that went out, not in.
I don't know, I just just remember that.
Good.
That's good.
How old would you say? I don't know.
Just 20s.
Maybe a little older.
And what was he wearing? Nothing, you know, um Blue jeans, sneakers, T-shirt Except his hoodie.
That was green and gray.
Green like what? Like grass? Like Christmas trees? Green like a parking cone.
Fluorescent green.
Okay, we need to get you to a hospital.
I know you do, but could I I would like to help.
Are you up to taking a quick ride with us? See if you can spot him? Uh, the officer I spoke with.
Would he be with us? If you want him to.
Okay.
Hey, hey, hey, hey So Mr.
Dali Lamas Another sister's shooting heroin tomorrow Amputees in Freetown, Sierra Leone's The church wasn't honest : We got two or three cars blocked this afternoon.
Look, there.
No, more gray.
I don't understand.
How could he vanish like this? Try and take it easy, Monica.
We've only been out here ten minutes.
One thing I just remembered.
If you could speak up for me? He had one of those new watches, like the rappers and the NBA players have.
Um the face, it's red and black.
Has a biohazard sign on it.
Oh, my God.
Stop! Police! Oh, damn! Uh [Jay-Z's "Heart of the City" playing.]
Listen, first the Fat Boys break up Now every day I wake up Somebody got something to say Where's the love? Look scrapper, I got nephews to look after I'm not lookin' at you dudes, I'm looking past ya Ain't no love in the heart of the city I said, "Where's the love?" Ain't no love in the heart of town Holla at me Ain't no love In the heart of the city Where's the love.
She's probably in shock.
Spotting a face in a crowd's different than clocking a gray and green sweatshirt.
I'd be surprised if she could ID the president.
She wanted to try.
She's just been raped.
She might not be making the best decisions for herself right now.
Sorry, sorry.
My bad.
It's just some clumsy kid.
Look, any time you want to stop, just let me know.
Look at the guy by the, uh, one, two, three fourth house on the right.
Jeans, with the vest, medium build.
He's definitely noticing her.
Well, see, but that's just it.
She's a young woman walking through a block party.
Guys are gonna look, period.
Why can't I find him? That's our job.
We'll get him.
Look, let's get you out of here, get you checked out.
Okay.
See that store? Club there at one time.
High-stakes stone-thug craps game.
Troy Minton breaks in, robs each and every one of them.
By himself! He was 16.
Troy who? Minton.
You never heard of him? Wow, I mean, he was thug royalty back here in the '70s.
You might know the history of the neighborhood, but to me this job is all about instincts.
And reading people, right here, right now.
A place is just a place, all due respect to Troy Minton.
Hey! Officers! What seems to be the problem? My next-door neighbors.
They've been renovating for over a year.
- The noise.
- If the work occurs between 8:00 a.
m.
and 5:00 p.
m.
, it's legal, ma'am.
But they have a backhoe.
We'll look into it, ma'am.
No permit.
Aren't you going to shut them down? The anticrime band's plugging up the hole behind that church.
But he had plenty of time to get through there.
Tell you what.
I see a lot of doorways.
I see ducking in, laying low.
Well, let's leave my rooks here in case you're right.
They got a fleeting look at him maybe they'll recognize him again.
Maybe, maybe.
Meanwhile, we've got to get her to the hospital to get a rape kit.
Hey, McLaren.
You and Khan stay here.
Patrol the party, but keep your eyes open for our boy.
Think he might still be around? He knew there was a party to get lost in, maybe knows the block, maybe lives around here.
And, uh, don't let Khan make any judgment calls on this one.
Sarge? I was just reading, there was a rape last week in the 88.
Afghan dad tried to have his daughter arrested for filing a false report instead of pursuing the rapist.
Yeah, that's not Ahmad.
Maybe not, but these cultural reflexes run deep.
When push comes to shove he may feel uncomfortable catching this guy.
But he was the one Yeah, just be aware.
You may be on your own on this one.
Yes, sir.
I saw Retread's girlfriend last night.
Oh, yeah.
What's his gang, the DDDs? No, the DDLs Die-Hard Ding-a-Lings.
Or is it the DDWs Dummies Doing Wrong? Yeah, I saw her with a guy from a rival gang.
I'll tell you, beefs over these shorties can turn ugly.
Yeah.
Damn! It's like the mother of all bottlenecks.
It's gotta be, like, two dozen cars trapped here.
I think I saw this in a French movie once, you know? By the end, people started eating each other.
Aw, man Aw, come on! Will you guys do something? Okay.
See, look.
Here's the problem here.
You got this Corolla, it must be, like, at least three feet from the curb, which makes it the ideal car, in this genius's mind, to park alongside.
Turn that garbage off! Now! Hey, hey! Hey, hey! Hey! Hey! You got a license for that thing? Officer Don't get too pleased with yourself.
Hey! This is America, man.
Yeah, well, as this block's founding father, I decree you have disturbed the peace.
Me? What about him? He reminds me of my grandfather.
He just gets a warning.
Let's see some I.
D.
So, uh, what did Yoda say to you? Say to me? When? After Special Victims took Monica through the block party.
Oh, that.
Nothing.
He was just wanting to make sure we checked every entryway.
He couldn't tell both of us? Relax.
He told me; Now I'm telling you.
Okay, uh, let's start checking these entryways.
Check it out.
That's the watch she described.
There's another one, 10:00.
That's a nice watch.
What'd you pay for it? They sell 'em all over.
What, you think I got 8K for the real thing? It's a frickin' watch fiesta.
Another damn dead end.
Hey, ma'am.
Sorry to disturb you.
Just a quick check, if we could.
Do you have permits for the yard work? Certainly.
I forgot to post them.
Can we see them, please? Of course.
Please, come in.
You're not welcome.
Nice home.
Oh! When my husband was transferred from L.
A.
to New York, we started looking for houses in Harlem, and I saw this one come on the market, and I remembered the address from my grandmother's childhood stories.
Look like she remembered it? She passed a few years ago.
Sorry for your loss.
Oh, my God! Somebody get out here! Someone take a look at this! Back it up! Back it up! Don't dig any more! I been digging up the decades all over Harlem.
You know, pottery shards, coins, buttons, rubber dolls but this this is a first.
Stay put.
MLI says the remains aren't fused together as they would be for an adult.
They have to take the skeleton back to the M.
E.
's office, but he's pretty sure it was a teenage female, and from the degeneration, she's been here quite a while.
Could be over half a century.
The owner just bought this house last year.
What do we do? You go back to patrol, and be happy don have to spend half your day on paperwork and phone calls, trying to figure out who this is after 50-some-odd years.
So you gonna tell me what Yoda really said? It doesn't matter.
Good.
Then it won't matter if you tell me.
Something happened in Brooklyn last week a rape.
The Afghani family.
I read about it in the papers.
Yeah.
It just got under his skin a little.
He thought you might not feel comfortable being aggressive on a rape case.
You're kidding me, right? Let's just find this guy, all right? Another one of those damn watches.
Look how loose it is.
You knowhe rapist got rid of his sweatshirt to keep us from identifying him He might've figured he had to ditch the watch, too? Or give it to someone to hold.
You should've won.
I never heard a police with that accent before.
You like it? Yeah.
What's your name? Dawn.
What's yours? Ahmad.
Nice.
It's weighing you down.
Uh, it's my brother's.
He gave it to me.
Really.
Actually, no.
He got it from my dad.
He loaned it to me for good luck in the dance contest.
I gotta go.
All right.
Catch you later.
Let me guess: It's not hers.
Her father's, her brother's.
She's lying about it in any case.
Could be his.
Could be anybody's.
Let's just see if someone comes looking for it.
They dug up a body in there? The remains of one.
Is some kind of ghoul on the loose? Doubt it.
What they found is pretty old.
Hoold? Old enough you shouldn't be worrying about it.
That's Etta King.
She's kind of strange.
She's been a little odd since she been a teenager.
Used to be a dancer, back in the day.
Her family been around here since the flood.
Couple stories almost that old, too.
She lives in the house she was born in.
Ma'am? How old are they saying? Half a century, maybe.
Do you know who? Who lived there back then? The piano teacher.
Mr.
Hubert Holmes.
It's not a grown man they found.
No, it was a teenage girl.
How do you know that? Her name is Dorothy Walker.
Empty.
Get this termite twit towed! Sir, let's try a little Zen here, if we could.
Zen?! Would you say "Zen" to me if I was Caucasian? Probably not.
The number you've reached has been disconnected.
Whoa, whoa! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Show me some love.
Show me some love.
I got it.
Here we go.
All right.
Come on.
Come on Sounds like the starter.
Pop the hood.
Ere is no hood.
Sounds like the starter.
The engine's under the seat.
I got it, though.
I got it.
It's just Whoa I have a meeting! Really? Right in front of me? I had a meeting 20 minutes ago, for a major deal.
Here's my deal: You're going to jail, pal.
It could be him.
Different pants.
He could've changed 'em.
Showing some teeth.
And he just took his watch back.
Hey, wait up! Yo, what'd she tell you? Whoa, we just want to talk to you.
Yo, what that bitch tell you? Bitch! Yo, she's lying! Don't move.
Come here.
Come on.
Long eyelashes.
What?! Out.
Not in.
Just like Monica described.
My friend Dorothy Walker and I, we were taking piano lessons at that house when we were maybe 14, 15.
Back in the '50s.
But Mr.
Holmes he was up to other things.
He caught me unawares one day, and I let him kiss me.
I guess he got a lot farther with Dorothy.
Ma'am, why do you think it's Dorothy we found? One day she told me she was gonna run away with him.
Now, mind you, and Dorothy was 15.
Run away You mean? See, Mr.
Holmes was Smitty Davis's favorite piano player.
Smitty Davis, the racketeer back in the '50s.
The one who owned Smitty's Crib.
And it was command performances there all the time for Mr.
Holmes.
So, even if he was ready to leave his family, which he wasn't, no way he could get away from Smitty.
You said that at the When Dorothy disappeared, the police questioned me, but I was too scared to tell them anything about her and Mr.
Holmes.
It's haunted me all these years.
How else could he have gotten rid of her, a 15-year-old girl? He couldn't have her rejected and upset, going to the police.
I'm telling you: That's Dorothy's skeleton in that backyard.
Thank you.
Go outside for a second? What part of "resume patrol" didn't resonate? That poor lady's been carrying this guilt around for 60 years! People carry around all kinds of personal grief.
So that's it? Her best friend may have been murdered.
All right, listen, it's only natural, you see a sad old lady and your heart goes into savior mode, until your 20th or 30th sad old lady, and then you look at the merits of the statement.
Listen I'm just asking, with all due respect, are you writing this off? No.
This is an active lead in what might be a murder case or might not be a murder case.
I'll run it down.
But not right away.
I have two robbery complaints coming in, and a burglary arrest to enhance, so, no no, not right away.
Take your time.
This isn't a race.
He seems nicer than I Which one? Numb 1.
He looks nicer? Than I remember.
Number 3, I think.
Maybe.
No, I'm sorry.
Not him.
Okay.
Thank you.
I hate to say it, but I think she's fried.
What, that's it? He walks? No evidence, no I.
D.
Watch isn't evidence of anything.
My take on Monica? That's the rapist.
She's just too shook to I.
D.
him.
I've seen a lot of lineups.
She's not the type.
Too gentle, too sensitive.
It's the angry ones that can do it.
My take on Monica is that she didn't see him in there, and that the rapist is still out there somewhere.
Of course, I might not be seeing it clearly, my cultural biases being what they are.
I told him.
Clearly.
All due respect, Sarge, you're wrong this time.
Give the suspect a discon summons for popping off at the party, then kick him loose.
And then can we head back? We got to find this guy.
Yeah, go.
Return date's on the back.
Lock me up for nothing, then give me a ticket? I knew she wouldn't go this far.
I should sue her for lying on me about the watch.
Lying about what? I didn't steal it from her.
She gave it to me.
Everybody's been talking about how she's been stepping out on me with some other fool.
And then I see that watch hanging off her wrist? It ain't hard to figure out where she got it from.
Then she try to play it off like it was for me.
I ain't stupid, but it's a $8,000 watch.
I don't care where it come from, I'll take it.
How do you know that's an $8,000 watch? How do you not? Yeah, and me with my extensive watch collection.
Yo, when do I get it back? Just a second.
You think he's telling the truth? I think he's too stupid to come up with a lie that fast.
Running from the police or not, I wouldn't hand off an $8,000 watch to someone I didn't know well.
If the rapist is Dawn's other action then Dawn can I.
D.
him for us.
Officer, I've learned my lesson.
No.
After you've spent a few hours in the precinct, followed by the Kafkaesque nightmare of trying to get your car out of impound, then, and only then, will you stand a chance of learning your lesson.
Looks like you got yourself a real conga line here.
Normally I approve of traffic jams, you know.
It's nature's way of telling people to ride a bike.
Seventh cavalry.
Finally.
Son of a! I think I'm gonna go home now.
Thought the squad had this.
I only found one Hubert Holmes in Harlem.
Let's find out if it's the same one and turn it back over to Mascis before our lunch break is over.
Come on.
We could be solving a murder.
Tell me that doesn't get your engine going.
My engine is telling me Mascis was right about you.
What's under your skin with this? Etta's like my grandma.
She's black? Before I was born, this one time, she handed the car keys over to my teenage uncle when he'd been drinking on the sly, and he wound up wrapping himself around a tree.
My nana never forgave herself.
Walked around with a hole in her gut for the rest of her life.
I just want to see if we can put something to rest for her one way or the other.
I've been waiting for you Mr.
Holmes? You know why we're here? I hear you've been digging up my old backyard.
So it is Dorothy Walker they found buried back there? Dorothy? What? The body.
What body? I'm, I'm talking about the money.
What money? From the armored car robbery.
That Smitty Davis buried in my backyard in '58.
If we're right about the watch and Dawn's relationship with the rapist But that's a lot of "What ifs," starting with if Monica even I.
D.
'd the right kind of watch.
I believe in her.
I have since I saw her sitting alone in the front of the precinct, unnoticed by everyone else.
Watch came in stolen from a rape/homicide in Central Park Precinct two months ago.
That's why the rapist was trying to hid it.
It's evidence.
That watch can put him away for life.
He's gonna want it back, bad.
And Dawn doesn't have it.
If he finds out what happened, guesses what we know he's gonna realize Dawn can give up his name.
Then he's gonna have to kill her.
I'll have Special Victims and Anticrime circulate through the party, but you guys are our fastest I.
D.
on Dawn.
She wasn't wearing a coat, and the temperature was dipping down in the 50s.
I'll bet she lives on the block.
Well, even if she doesn't, it's the best place to start looking.
Look, if you see her and she's not in trouble, then hang back and call for backup.
And if she is in trouble? Then you make your best judgment call.
Meaning Kenny's judgment, right? You have something you want to say to me? Not while there's a rapist on the loose.
You think this is real? Old guy was any more specific, he would have gave us a map with dotted lines and an "X.
" I hit something.
Holy kid, you just did not want me going home on time, did you? Damn.
Lift it up.
It's dirty.
No, don't move it yet.
Don't move it yet.
Lift it up.
I'm pushing down.
Lift it My hands are dirty.
George.
There you go.
Officers, my car's about halfway down the block.
Well, you should stay with it.
Let us do what we can up here.
Well, that's kind of the thing.
I got carjacked two days ago, and the guy who did it is kind of behind the wheel.
How you doing today, sir? Stupid question, right? Uh, can I see your license and registration, please? Hey, where do you think you're going? There you go.
A regular Houdini you are.
I'm out of cuffs.
Uh, Smitty came by with a bunch of guys, said he wanted to, uh, use my backyard.
He buried three bags of money in the way back.
I never touched it.
Why not? Well wasn't mine.
Smitty Davis has been dead since 1960.
He wasn't the only guy who robbed it, and they all had guns.
Like I said, wasn't mine.
And Dorothy Walker? I'm not proud of, of carrying on with her back then, but I really don't know what the hell you're talking about.
I might have made a few false promises, but that's as far as it went.
I always thought she might have run off with some other older guy.
Can I go now? Did he confess? The detectives are still talking to him.
I can prove that's Dorothy's body and that there's no one else who would have put it there.
I-I'm sorry.
What is this? My half of a friendship ring.
Dorothy had the other half.
I'm sure one of your men would have found it by now in the soil where her skeleton was discovered.
Let's take a walk.
We need a jack or something.
You got any tools in there? Nah, man, I got nothing.
Come on.
You got to have something.
Uh, nah, I usually, um No, you know what? No, don't open it.
It-It's toxic.
It-it's mad toxic.
It, um Wow.
Boy, that is a lot of pot.
This ain't my truck? Ah.
Here it is.
Let me get him.
Come in.
Come in.
So you've brought me a visitor.
This is Etta King.
She's your neighbor.
Pleased to meet you.
Likewise.
This is Olivia Updike.
I couldn't help noticing a unique-looking necklace that's in some of your photos.
Oh, you mean this one? You found that buried in your yard? ; In my yard? My goodness, no.
This was my grandmother's.
Her she was with Dawn before.
I've been looking for you.
Have you seen Dawn that girl you were talking to? We were just about to ask you the same question.
That man she's been stepping out on DeVaughn with The one who gave her the watch? I shouldn't have said anything, but I kind of like DeVaughn and I thought This other man do you know his name? Roy, Ray something like that.
He was out here looking for her.
Does he know what happened her boyfriend getting arrested? Who would tell him? I got to say, the way that guy stares at you There's a lot of roughnecks around here, but this guy he straight-up scares me.
Did he find Dawn? I don't know.
She was supposed to meet me by the Carter barbecue, but she never showed.
Do you have her cell? Call her.
Lashelle? Is he there with you? Wait.
Who is this? I'm the police officer who talked to you about your watch at the dance contest.
Is he there with you? Yes.
Okay, don't talk.
Just listen.
Tell him I'm your old boyfriend.
Tell him I have his watch, then put him on the phone.
Just do it.
It's DeVaughn.
What? Yo, you can keep that cheating bitch, but I want $200 for the watch.
Like I'm gonna pay for my watch.
Don't pay for it then.
What did you just do? Hello? I'll give you $50.
Where you at? Where you at? I ain't got time for these games.
You want it or don't you? That nasty house with the tub.
And listen up, I ain't coming out alone.
I don't get my watch back, me, you, Dawn gonna have us a serious three-way conversation, you feel me? I'm walking over there now.
The house at the end of the block the one with the tub.
You stay here.
Police! Don't move! Back off or I'll skin her! man with a knife at the block party.
The whole precinct's on its way.
Drop the knife or I will shoot you! It's okay.
Number 3.
Grandmother Dorothy died in Los Angeles six years ago.
I don't understand.
That's her, a year before she passed.
She wore that ring around her neck, all those years.
Why didn't she tell me where she was? Maybe she tried to.
She ever say anything about Harlem? About leaving? She was in love with a piano teacher who lived here.
When he rejected her, she just up and ran away from home first to Chicago, then to L.
A.
, where she ultimately met my grandfather.
She said she was so heartbroken by that man she didn't even bother to tell her own parents when she left.
Or her best friend.
Etta, what you didn't speak up about when you were 14 years old, it didn't happen.
So you don't have to feel guilty any more.
I don't.
I feel angry.
All those years of not knowing, how could you not be angry? But it sounds like her silence grew out of her shame.
Just like yours.
And that's a silence that's just harder and harder to maintain.
I know you know that.
You have lovely long legs.
Did you ever train as a dancer? Couldn't dance my way out of a phone booth.
Oh, poor Dorothy.
I just hope she found some joy in her life.
I know I have.
Well, if her granddaughter's any indication, she sure knew how to raise decent children.
Only question is: if that skeleton's not Dorothy's, whose is it? Yeah! Woo-hoo! They say rain makes the best policeman.
Might have to switch my vote to traffic jams.
All right.
All right, everybody! Homes, children, jobs! Let's go! Let's go! Come on.
Let's go home.
Everybody.
Let's go home.
Come on.
All right, let's move it along.
Move it along.
Thank you for coming.
Move it along.
Thank you.
Don't forget to write.
Solved an armed robbery and a missing persons case in 12 hours.
Who's better than us? What? There's still a skeleton.
Some kid died alone and anonymous.
That's a mystery for another day.
Whoever they were, they gave us answers.
And the old lady got peace.
I mean, how many of us will be able to do that You always see the glass half full? I used to see it full full, then plumb empty.
Now half full is good enough.
I told Kenny to take the lead today.
And I was wrong.
I want you to know that.
Okay.
And to be honest, that story about the family in Brooklyn, it threw me.
Yeah, threw me, too.
I should have talked to you about it.
You're the one in charge here, not me.
You don't have to explain yourself to me.
Tell you the truth, I've never worked with a Muslim cop before.
I have no friends or acquaintances that are Muslim.
To the best of my knowledge other than the occasional cup of coffee at the corner store, I don't think I've ever talked to a Muslim, you know, that I wasn't arresting or taking a complaint from.
And until I left Kabul five years ago, I knew nothing but Muslims.
Can you imagine what I heard growing up all my life in Afghanistan about you people? So go figure.
Yeah.
The danger of working with rookies is assuming that there's nothing you can learn from them.
I made that mistake with you today.
I won't next time.
I don't believe it.
What? We never ticketed the, uh Corolla.
that started the whole damn traffic jam.
Turn me around Ain't gonna let nobody Turn me around Keep on walkin' Keep on talkin' Marching up to freedom land.