The Lincoln Lawyer (2022) s01e09 Episode Script
The Uncanny Valley
It's juror number seven, isn't it?
- All I know is he's bought and paid for.
- I thought you had investors.
Not the kind you're thinking of.
I had a roommate in college named Pavel Kosevich.
I know.
His father's name is Sergei Kosevich.
This is not a man you fuck with, Mickey.
Maybe juror number seven's dead.
Did you think of that? Maybe you and I are next.
Who did this to you? Without your witness, Soto walks.
[judge.]
Bail will be set at $2 million.
Tanya, did Soto do anything to confirm he had your friend killed? The night before your witness was killed, I drove him to the same flower shop.
[Lankford.]
There's not enough on the phone to nail him.
We gotta get him to turn on Soto.
Do you know why Lara Elliott reached out to you? She just said she had something to tell me and needed to do it in person.
Did Mr.
Elliott seem worried or panicked? [officer.]
No.
But it looked like he was scrolling through his email.
We had this case won and you threw it away.
Tell me something.
How do you sleep at night? I'm going to enjoy watching the jury convict your client.
[Mickey.]
We established that this vehicle was not cleaned.
Could that account for the gunshot residue on my client's hands? Given the staggering amount of GSR, it's the only thing that could account for it.
[Izzy.]
What's it like, the moment when you know you've won? You never really know for sure.
We missed you last night at the meeting.
My ex is in town, doing a show.
We had dinner.
How did that go? She asked me to get high with her.
I came within a millimeter of saying yes.
I need to win in the court of public opinion.
No lawyer can give you that.
That's why I need to testify.
[Izzy.]
Woke up in my clothes.
Haven't done that in a while.
In a teenager's room.
Tell your daughter she's got good taste in music.
I am down for the K-pop.
Thanks for the rescue.
- Was that a stumble or a fall? - A stumble.
I called my sponsor and I'm going to a meeting.
Promise.
Good.
I don't want you worrying about me.
You got a trial to win, right? Yeah.
Maybe.
Maybe not.
[sighs.]
I miss something? My client wants to testify.
Can't talk him out of it.
Isn't that what you're not supposed to do? It's like boxing.
We won the fight on points, but my guy wants to brawl.
I just have to convince him to play defense and not get knocked out.
- You going in early? I'll take you.
- No, you take yourself to that meeting.
I'll drop you off at your car.
Part of my generous benefits package.
Your wife was sleeping with another man, you expect this jury to believe that you found them naked in bed, shot to death? That's what happened.
You went there 'cause you knew they'd be together.
No.
You crept up the stairs with a .
45 and confronted them? No.
I found them dead.
- I told - You shot Jan Rilz first, point blank.
No.
Your wife begged for her life, you killed her too? No! No! [exhales.]
I have to get you ready for cross-examination, you understand? Golantz has nothing to lose, Trevor.
He's already bleeding.
Why are you offering him your throat? Mickey, I told you this from the beginning.
I will not spend the rest of my life hearing people whisper, "Did he do it?" behind my back.
I'm gonna do that whether you win or lose.
- Yeah.
Lorna.
- Uh.
Whatever Golantz throws at you, your job, Trevor, is to tell the jury how much you loved your wife.
All right? Now you do that, maybe we can pull this off.
[opening theme music playing.]
- [greets in Spanish.]
- [in English.]
Hey.
- I read your closing.
- And? It's good.
It's thorough.
- You hate it.
- No, I You hate it.
Come on.
Just give it to me straight, Lorna.
[sighs.]
It's about gunshot residue and forensic analysis.
That's my defense.
I don't have anything else.
That's Jerry's defense.
Just It doesn't feel like you.
I know.
But I've got my entire career riding on this and he This whole time, I just feel like I'm wearing a dead man's suit.
That's disgusting.
Don't say that in court.
[sighs.]
Sometimes, you just gotta ride the horse you rode in on.
I gotta go.
[Alvin.]
Call my parole officer.
Where is he? This is bullshit.
You got nothin'.
Violate me or let me go.
You done, Alvin? 'Cause you're giving me a headache.
So this is you.
This is where David Loresca was killed ten minutes later, a block away.
That is a hell of a coincidence.
We got you at the scene, Alvin.
With your record, you're looking at life.
However we know that it was a job.
We know who paid you.
We know why.
And that's who we want.
Okay? So you just have to help us help you.
Just give it up, Alvin.
You know we can make this all go away.
[sobbing.]
[laughs maniacally.]
I knew my phone was acting weird after that bullshit search.
Yeah.
I was there.
Making a delivery.
Call my boss.
Better yet call Father Cruz at St.
Lorenzo's.
He signed for it.
Bullshit, but it checks out.
How long have we got? He burned his phone call thinking it was a parole beef, we can hold him for ten hours.
As soon as we cut him loose, he'll tell Soto.
Soto'll circle the wagons.
Won't take him long to figure out who turned on him.
Maybe not though.
Right now, Alvin thinks someone in his gang snitched him out, so maybe they'll go on a witch-hunt there instead.
Okay.
That's good.
Use that to scare him before you let him go.
Give Soto something else to worry about.
- Wait, where you going? - To throw a Hail Mary.
[door closes.]
[Mickey.]
You want my client to wear a wire? [Maggie.]
I don't have a choice.
[Mickey.]
You do.
Tell fucking Lankford to go to hell.
[Maggie.]
It's my idea, Mickey.
She's the only person Soto might open up to.
You want to make a pregnant woman collateral damage, Maggie? [laughs incredulously.]
You're judging me? The tactics I've seen you pull in cases Now I see where Hayley gets her ideas.
I do what I have to do for my clients, Maggie.
Really? What about Eli Wyms? - What? - [Maggie.]
People talk at the DA's office.
You stuck him in a psych ward until you could spring him on Golantz.
- He wasn't collateral damage? - That was Jerry.
Wasn't me.
Bottom line, it's her call, Mickey.
Maggie, you sent her to me because you knew I would take care of her.
- Right? Now you just want me to roll over? - This is taking care of her.
She needs to get out from under this thing.
All right, fine.
You want Tanya to wear a wire? If, for some reason, she agrees, the second she gets a confession, she's done.
- Meaning? - She never has to testify against Soto.
- And you relocate her immediately.
- I don't know if I can do that.
This is not negotiable, Maggie.
The guy kills witnesses.
[sighs.]
Okay.
Okay.
Good.
I'll sit with her in a few days, and I'll explain everything - This has to happen today.
- I'm in the middle of a trial.
Then I'll talk to her.
You want me to let the DA talk to my client about wearing a wire without me? - No.
Hell no.
- I'm not the DA.
I'm me.
You wanna rebuild things? You want me to trust you again? Then start by trusting me.
Okay? [Mickey.]
What do you want from me, Cisco? My client is insisting on taking the stand.
Yeah, well, I don't get it, Mick.
Hey, babe.
If this guy blows up his own case, Sergei Kosevich is gonna kill him.
What does he have? A death wish? I don't have time to figure out the answer to that right now.
[Cisco.]
Well, how about you? Do you have one? Because this guy's putting a target on your back and your family, too.
I don't have a choice, Cisco.
I've got to do what my client wants.
And Hayley and Maggie, they're safe.
At least for now.
Oh, yeah? How do you know? Because I've got people watching them.
- Who? - It doesn't matter, Cisco.
The best way I can keep everybody safe is to get my client an acquittal.
That's what I'm gonna do.
All right? So just wish me luck.
[sighs.]
[elevator dings.]
[cell phone chimes.]
Excuse me.
Haller.
You got a minute? [clears throat.]
Voluntary manslaughter.
Eleven years.
Probably do nine.
I know you think you've got me over a barrel, but you never know what a jury's gonna do.
That's it? You're not much of a salesman, are you? I'm not used to having to be one.
I'll take it to my client, but knowing him, don't hold your breath.
[man.]
All rise! Be seated.
Mr.
Haller, any more evidence to present? Just have one more witness, Your Honor.
Defense calls Trevor Elliott.
[murmuring indistinctly.]
[woman.]
Raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly state that the testimony you may give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? I do.
Mr.
Elliott, I think the jury is well aware of who you are.
Tell us what you do for a living? Of course.
I run a company called Parallax that I founded with my wife, Lara.
We make video games.
And what is your biggest selling game to date? It's called Nocturna.
It's a journey through a post-apocalyptic America cloaked in perpetual darkness.
And this is fun for people? [jury chuckles.]
Yeah, so much so, we're about to launch a sequel.
In your opinion, what makes the game special? Well, if you ask the players, it's the characters.
They look like real people.
In a way that when we started, other video games couldn't compete with it.
It's like a movie that you play a part in.
And in Nocturna, who would be considered the star of the movie? Sure, the hero's name is Jasmine Lumens.
But her image is based on my wife, Lara.
I designed the character after her as a way to honor her, and how much I loved her.
How much she inspired me.
How did you meet your wife, Mr.
Elliott? We met in grad school, at Stanford.
I was in front of the room, working on a problem up on the board.
When I'd finished, the professor immediately erased the entire thing because I'd made a fundamental error.
It was [scoffs.]
humiliating.
And what happened then? Lara raised her hand and said that she'd made the same mistake.
It made me feel better.
Until I was walking past her desk and happened to glance at her screen, and she got the problem right.
But that was Lara.
What was your marriage like? Well, it wasn't perfect.
We had problems like any couple.
[Mickey.]
What kind of problems? Infidelity, for one.
I knew she was having the affair.
[murmuring indistinctly.]
- [Mickey.]
Did you tell the police that? - [Trevor.]
No.
[Mickey.]
Why not? Because I knew it would make me look like an angry, jealous husband, and that wasn't true.
I'd forgiven her.
Why? Because her affair was my fault.
See, I I was working all the time.
And ignoring her.
And I had also been unfaithful.
- [Mickey.]
You had affairs? - [Trevor.]
Yes.
I was not a perfect husband in any way, shape, or form.
And I felt so lucky every day that Lara was able to look past that and see me for the man I was trying to be and not the man I sometimes was.
Why did you go out to the house that day, Mr.
Elliott? I went out there to fight for my wife.
To try and save our marriage.
Instead I found them dead.
[voice shaking.]
Both of them.
People would not oppose a break, so Mr.
Elliott can gather himself.
[Mickey.]
Unnecessary, Judge.
Mr.
Elliott I only have one more question.
Did you kill your wife? God, no.
I love her.
[sighs.]
I loved her.
[Stanton.]
Cross-examination.
Mr.
Elliott, you told the police that you and your wife had an argument the night before the murders.
Is that correct? Yes.
[Golantz.]
Contrary to what you told the police, you just testified that that argument was about her affair.
That's correct.
Now, you also told the police that you drove out to the Malibu house the next day to surprise Lara with a trip up the coast.
Is that right? Yes.
Is that in fact true, or another thing you lied to the police about? - Objection.
Argumentative? - I'll move on.
Prior to driving out to your house that day, did you make any reservations? Reservations? At a hotel? Or a restaurant? For your trip.
Yeah, not that I can recall.
I was trying to be spontaneous.
The People would like to enter into evidence, the People's exhibit 21.
[Stanton.]
So entered.
[Golantz.]
Is this your appointment calendar, Mr.
Elliott? That looks to be a printout of it, yes.
[Golantz.]
Could you please turn to the day of the murder, September 6th of last year? Do you see the list of meetings for that day? Yes.
[Golantz.]
How many are there? Uh, seven.
Now, did you cancel any of those seven meetings before getting in the car to surprise your wife with the trip? I wasn't thinking about that.
We just had a fight.
It's a yes or no question.
Did you or did you not clear your calendar that day? No, I don't believe I did.
You knew Jan Rilz was with your wife when you drove out to the house that day, didn't you? No.
[Golantz.]
This is People's exhibit 22.
The security camera log.
Now, isn't it a fact that you knew the cameras at your Malibu house were turned off that morning? I knew about the affair.
I didn't know Rilz was going to be at the house.
Your testimony is that you weren't upset because you had been unfaithful yourself? Well, yes.
Did you and Lara Elliott have a prenuptial agreement? No.
So if your wife divorced you, she would've been entitled to half of your fortune, right? Objection.
Mr.
Elliott is not an expert in family law.
[Stanton.]
Sustained.
The night before the murders, did your wife tell you she was meeting Sonia Patel? No.
Isn't it a fact that you were afraid that she was talking about divorcing you? Perhaps asking an old friend how to protect herself financially? - Objection.
Calls for speculation.
- [Golantz.]
I'll rephrase the question.
Mr.
Elliott, do you know why your wife reached out to Sonia Patel? No.
Lara hadn't seen Sonia in years.
I don't know why she contacted her.
- [Golantz.]
Do you own a gun, Mr.
Elliott? - [Trevor.]
No.
- [Golantz.]
Have you ever fired a gun? - I was raised by a couple of ex-hippies.
I wasn't even allowed to have a water pistol.
So your answer is no? No experience with firearms? [Trevor.]
Correct.
The People would like to enter into evidence, People's exhibit 23.
Now, this is Mr.
Elliott's game, Nocturna.
Now, I'm not much of a gamer, so I want to focus on this one moment.
[Jasmine.]
Take the gun.
You might need it.
This is the first time the hero picks up a gun? Yes.
The gun that would become her primary weapon throughout the game.
Can you tell the court what kind of gun that is? What kind? [Golantz.]
The brand and caliber of the weapon? Sidebar, Your Honor? Your Honor, is my client being tried on an Xbox or in a court of law? This goes directly to the heart of the People's case.
It's misleading and prejudicial.
Indeed, it would be.
If Mr.
Golantz had tried to enter this in his case in chief.
But he did not.
Your client opened that door when he testified that he had no experience with firearms.
I want my objection noted on the record for appeal.
Noted.
The witness may answer.
Ah, I believe it's a Heckler & Koch, .
45 caliber.
[Golantz.]
An HK .
45 semi-automatic.
That's the same gun that police believe was used to kill Lara Elliott and Jan Rilz, isn't it? I wouldn't know.
I guess, if that's what's on the police report.
Did your company own a Heckler & Koch .
45 semi-automatic used as a model for this gun? No.
So a search of your company's business transactions wouldn't reveal any such purchase? No, it would not.
And the fact that it was the same exact gun, that's just a coincidence then? Objection.
Argumentative.
I'll withdraw the question.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
- [Stanton.]
Redirect? - [Mickey.]
No, Your Honor.
[Stanton.]
Very well.
Court will take a 30-minute recess.
Then we'll hear closing arguments.
[sighs softly.]
- [Tanya.]
Hey.
- Hey.
- Mickey said all I have to do is listen.
- That's right.
Did you go to the flower shop? Yes.
And it led us to the man we believe shot David Loresca.
Then you got what you need.
[sighs.]
I wish it were that simple.
Listen, I want Angelo Soto to pay for his crimes, Tanya.
That's my job.
I don't apologize for it.
But there is a line that I won't cross.
I won't force you to do something that would put you or your baby at risk.
- What do you mean? - [Maggie.]
You have a choice.
You can back away right now and our case against Soto goes away, and you two can raise your child together, and you'll never hear from me again.
I don't want to raise my child with him.
Then you can make a different choice.
You can wear a wire, a hidden microphone, and you can get Angelo to confess to ordering the murder of David Loresca.
I promise, we'll be right outside.
How old were you? - When? - When he brought you here.
Made you work for table scraps until he took a liking to you.
How old? Nineteen.
Nineteen.
Well, if you wanna escape from him once and for all, Tanya, this is your chance.
But it's up to you.
Closing is about to start.
Where are you? I'm right in the middle of something, babe.
- [Lorna.]
For the Elliott case? - [Cisco.]
Kinda.
I'll be there as soon as I can.
You weren't lying.
Excuse me? When you said you were gonna be at the trial till the end.
It's the least I could do for Jan.
Carol, I'm so sorry for your loss.
I should have told you that the first day.
Whatever happens, I hope this brings you some peace.
[Stanton.]
Mr.
Golantz? [Golantz clears throat.]
Ladies and gentlemen.
This case is simple.
A man discovers that his wife is having an affair and they have an argument.
This is not disputed.
Next morning, he drives to their beach house, where the security cameras are turned off.
Also not disputed.
There, he claims he finds his wife and her lover have been shot to death.
Now, the defense asks you to believe the absurd story that the defendant went to the house to surprise his wife with a trip up the coast.
That the gunshot residue found on his hand, that didn't come from firing a gun.
No, that came from an unwashed police car.
That it's just a coincidence that the killer used the identical gun as the hero in his video game.
And that he was the victim of a rush to judgment, despite the fact that he admits to lying to police to hide the appearance of guilt.
But common sense and logic will tell you who fired the bullets that ended the lives of Lara Elliott and Jan Rilz that day.
Now, you heard the defendant testify that he loved his wife.
What does love mean to a man like Trevor Elliott? He used Lara as the model for his video game.
Because that's what he wanted her to be.
An empty shell that he could control with a few buttons.
He locked his wife in a gilded cage, and when she tried to break free, he murdered her and her boyfriend.
Because if Trevor Elliott couldn't have Lara, neither could anyone else! Simply put, Trevor Elliott is guilty.
If common sense and logic are your guide, there is no other conclusion.
Thank you.
Mr.
Haller? How much do closing statements really matter? Hasn't the jury already made up their mind? Remember, it's not a speech, it's an argument.
If you don't listen to what the prosecutor is saying, you'll miss your chance to take the weakest part of your case and turn it into your greatest strength.
My daughter is taking algebra, and she hates it.
She hates it.
She says, "Dad, why do I need this?" I say, "Honey, when the ancient Mayans wanted to understand their world, they developed math.
" "They discovered the calendar, 365 days in a solar year.
" "Amazing, right?" - Didn't work.
She still hates it.
- [jury chuckles.]
Anyway, why am I telling you this? Because we're gonna use math to understand our world.
Now, bear with me.
Mr.
Elliott's car leaves his office at 10:44 a.
m.
At an average speed of 35 miles per hour, right? So he arrives at his house in Malibu, which is 21.
2 miles away in 36 minutes.
That is undisputed.
So, he arrives at 11:20 a.
m.
and calls 911 five minutes later at 11:25 a.
m.
Now, this call triggers the arrival of the videographer, who begins filming Trevor Elliott outside of his house at exactly 11:27 a.
m.
That leaves just seven minutes.
Seven minutes from when Mr.
Elliott arrived until the videographer began filming him outside of his house.
Seven minutes for him to commit these crimes and cover them up.
Now, the victims were shot at point-blank range.
There was no blood on Mr.
Elliott's clothes or hands.
That means he would have had to clean up and change before the deputies arrived.
And that brings us to the gun.
Now, Mr.
Golantz says that this, this cartoon weapon is somehow proof that Mr.
Elliott must have owned a gun like this.
But if that's true, then where is it? Where is the real gun that killed Lara Elliott and Jan Rilz? Where are the bloody clothes? Now, the beach house is on top of a hill.
It's a ten-minute drive down to the PCH, and the police searched the entire area with dogs and found nothing.
Nothing.
And Mr.
Golantz wants you to believe that in seven minutes, seven minutes, Mr.
Elliott shot his wife and her lover, cleaned up, and disposed of the evidence where the police could never find it.
It's impossible.
And that is what math tells us.
It tells us that Mr.
Elliott didn't do it, and the real killer, whoever he was, took the evidence with him.
So, who else had a motive to kill Jan Rilz and Lara Elliott? Who did Detective Kinder ignore as a suspect until he was put under oath? Who do we know carries a gun because he told us so when he was on the stand? Anton Shavar.
A jealous husband, who, unlike Trevor Elliott, has a long history of violence.
Now, Mr.
Golantz asked you to use common sense and logic, and I couldn't agree more.
But don't let yourself be manipulated by cheap, emotional tricks.
With common sense and logic as your guide, you will find that Mr.
Elliott could not possibly have committed these crimes.
And I am confident that you will return a verdict of not guilty.
Thank you.
- I talked to Tanya.
[clears throat.]
- [Maggie.]
And? And I don't like it, Maggie.
But it's up to her.
And listen, Mags, the second you see any trouble, you get her out of there.
All right? I promise.
And Mickey, thank you.
[cell phone chimes.]
[Cisco.]
Trevor's story about Sergei Kosevich, it's bullshit.
- [Mickey.]
Based on what? - Corporate records of Trevor's company.
Turns out the investors are legit.
Usual venture capital crowd.
Well, that's because Kosevich is a silent partner.
Trevor would never admit he was funded by a thug.
[Cisco.]
I thought so, too.
So I went straight to the source.
Kosevich's son, Pavel.
- That's Trevor's roommate at Stanford.
- Took me a while to reach him.
And the minute I mentioned Trevor, the guy hung up on me.
- Which proves nothing.
- Yes, and no.
Turns out there was a third roommate at Stanford.
Ben Hoffman.
He's the CTO of Pavel's company.
Him, I got through to.
He says Pavel hated Trevor's guts, and that his dad was never gonna finance anything of Trevor's.
- Still, it doesn't prove anything.
- Maybe not.
But Trevor took the stand when the case was already won.
Now, would he actually do that if he had a Russian mobster holding a gun to his head? [Mickey sighs.]
You don't let anything go, do you? Yeah, well, you didn't hire me just to tell you what you wanna hear.
The question is, if it's not the Russians, then who the fuck has been following you? [cell phone ringing.]
Mickey Haller.
Yes, I'll be right there.
Thank you.
Jury's back.
- Has the jury reached a verdict? - [juror.]
We have, Your Honor.
[Stanton.]
The defendant will stand.
You may read the verdict.
"In the matter of the State of California vs.
Trevor Elliott, on the charge of first-degree murder of Jan Rilz, we find the defendant not guilty.
" [indistinct chatter.]
No.
[juror.]
"On the charge of first-degree murder of Lara Elliott, we find the defendant not guilty.
" - [indistinct chatter.]
- [Trevor exhales.]
[Stanton.]
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I want to thank you for your service and deliberation.
Mr.
Elliott, you're free to go.
[exhales.]
[inaudible conversation.]
[exhales.]
[Lorna speaks Spanish.]
[in English.]
We have champagne and sparkling grape juice for you and Izzy.
[Mickey.]
You guys celebrate.
I've got somewhere I have to go.
Mick? Are you sure you're okay? I will be.
What is this? I already signed my plea deal.
It's an affidavit, signed by me.
You were right, Eli.
Jerry dumped you here and did it to hide evidence from the prosecution on the Trevor Elliott case.
You were collateral damage.
And why are you doing this? Well, because you lost six months of your life here, so Jerry could So I could win a case, and it's not right.
This is going to give me my six months back? No, but you can use it to sue Jerry Vincent's estate.
He had malpractice insurance.
That money can help you get back on your feet once you're out of prison.
And here I thought all you lawyers stuck together.
[Mickey.]
There's a lot of things I would do to win a case.
I will walk right up to the line, but I won't sell out a client, ever.
[indistinct chatter on TV.]
Look who's on the TV news.
I do wanna say something to the LAPD.
Do your job.
Lara's killer's out there.
I'm not gonna rest until they're brought to justice.
[Eli.]
Kinda worked out for you though, didn't it? Jerry did all the dirty work.
[Trevor.]
Lara was the love of my life You got all the glory.
[Trevor.]
And I will continue to work tirelessly to celebrate her memory.
Thank you.
Cisco, you know those records you found on Parallax? I need you to find something else for me.
[Tanya speaking Tagalog.]
[sighs.]
Tanya.
Where were you? I called you! Shopping for the baby.
My phone died.
What happened? I thought they got to you too.
[in English.]
Who? The police.
They wanna ruin me.
[Tanya.]
What are you talking about? Angelo, you're scaring me.
Shit.
- What? - It's just a weak signal.
Can we move? Fuckin' densest neighborhood in LA.
I'm sorry, I'm just upset.
Someone has been talking to the police.
They questioned an employee, he told me what they said.
But couldn't he be the one lying to you? [in Tagalog.]
I'm surrounded by snakes! [in English.]
Angelo, it's okay.
It's okay.
Come here.
[Angelo.]
Don't believe anything you hear about me.
Anything? - [Angelo.]
I'm a good person.
- Yeah.
[Angelo.]
All I've done is give people better lives.
She's got him talking.
How is my life better? What do you mean? - Oh, shit.
- What? - [Angelo.]
I've given you everything.
- Girl's improvising.
[Angelo.]
Everything I do is for us, our family.
People think you killed that man.
Did you? - Don't ask me that.
- I need to know.
[Angelo scoffs.]
I can handle anything as long as I know.
- I did what I had to - Did you? Yes, I did it, Tanya! I did it to protect us! To protect our baby! Now, enough! It's okay, it's okay.
You did it for us.
No.
No.
The police said someone betrayed me.
- What if it's you? - Why would I talk to the police? I don't know anything.
You do now.
Angelo, please.
[in Tagalog.]
Have you done this before? Or do you need to pay someone to do it? [gasping.]
[Angelo grunts.]
[chokes.]
[officer.]
LAPD! Hands where we can see 'em.
[Lankford.]
Angelo Soto, you're under arrest.
Turn around, get on the fucking ground, and put your hands behind your head.
[Tanya gasping.]
[Tanya exclaims softly.]
You'll never make any of this stick, you know that, right? Watch me.
You okay? You did great.
Thank you.
Okay.
You're good.
[dance music playing over speakers.]
[woman.]
Mr.
Haller, I'm so glad you could make it.
Trevor's at the bar.
[inaudible conversation.]
I think I've got his attention, thank you.
There you are.
I was talking to the media outside the courthouse, - I blinked, and you're gone.
- I told you, I'm not a celebrity lawyer.
Come on, don't be modest.
This win puts you in a whole new league.
You mean those guys? I bet I could find a potential client over there.
I hope not.
Those are the ones acquiring my company.
And I owe it all to you, Mickey.
Cheers.
It looks like we both got what we wanted.
[scoffs.]
Too bad Lara didn't.
- What is it you think Lara wanted? - For the truth to come out.
Relax, Trevor.
You don't just have attorney-client privilege now, you've got double jeopardy too.
No one will ever know your secret, at least not from me.
So the, uh, lawyer that advertises on bus benches has come down here to put me in my place.
You played me, Trevor.
I don't get played.
[sighs.]
I was so caught up in getting back to the top, I forgot the first rule.
- Which is? - Everybody lies.
She did all the dirty work and you got all the glory.
I'm sorry, Mickey.
I'm just not following.
Sonia Patel said that Lara was a brilliant coder.
Yet she quit her job to follow you? Why? Because she loved me, Mickey.
Because she's the one who did it.
Not you.
Those hundred lines of code that changed everything.
Lara wrote them.
Didn't she? Except she was working for Chaos Games.
So whatever she created belonged to them.
But if you created it instead of her, then it belonged to you.
She was the genius, not you.
For ten years, she had to watch you take all the credit.
That's quite a story.
I just have one question, how much blow did you do before you got here? Like I said, everybody lies.
But even the best liars give themselves away.
I saw it on the stand.
When Golantz asked you about Sonia.
[woman.]
He rubs his legs.
It can be a sign of deception.
The fight wasn't about Lara wanting a divorce, she was gonna tell Sonia the truth.
She was gonna go back to Chaos Games, take back what was rightfully hers.
And if she did that, all this goes away.
And everybody finds out you're a fraud.
You know, couple weeks ago, you came down to my office to beg me for a job.
Yeah.
And you told me that my previous attorney was good, but that you were better.
And you know what, Mickey? You're absolutely right.
You did a fantastic job defending me.
You asked all the key questions.
Where is the gun? Where are the bloody clothes? How could he have gotten rid of all of that in What was it? Seven minutes? Well, you showed me how you did that too.
I was just too blind to see it at first.
Your drone.
You know what the best part is? I watched you do it.
We all did.
You weren't checking your emails when the cops arrived.
You were controlling the drone that was carrying the gun and your clothes.
You sent it out over the ocean till it sank where no one would ever find it.
I gotta hand it to you, that was clever.
If you really believe all that is true, you must think I'm a monster.
I'll tell you exactly what you are, Trevor.
You're an addict.
There must be some rush to have people think you're a genius.
You'd do anything to chase it.
Even take the stand when the case was already won.
[chuckles.]
Hey, come on.
How much do you want? That's what this is, right? The shakedown.
I don't want your fucking money.
- No? - I wanna know who's behind it.
The bribe, killing Jerry, having me followed.
I mean, was it you? Because I don't like to be a pawn.
We're all pawns sometimes, Mickey.
Jerry kept me out of the loop.
Honestly, I have no idea who killed him.
Frankly I don't care.
You know, I didn't understand why Jerry left me his cases, and now I do.
He thought we were the same.
A lawyer who needed this so badly, he'd go along with a bribed juror.
You thought so too.
Until I threatened to quit.
That's why you told me that bullshit story about the Russians.
I did my due diligence.
I realized you were a man who might need a little extra incentive.
To believe you were innocent? You know, the secret to a successful video game? You have to keep the player engaged, you know? You have to curate their reality.
And right now, all this This is my reality.
That's one thing you're good at, Trevor.
Making it look real.
[cell phone ringing.]
I don't wanna hear anything else about Trevor Elliott.
Well, then you're in luck.
Glory Days is flying in tomorrow to see Raj.
You want me to go meet her? Ah, no, just text me the details.
I'll handle it.
- Good job, Cisco.
- No biggie.
And Mick? - Yeah? - Take the win.
Hell of a thing you did today.
[sighs.]
[cell phone ringing.]
- What is it, Cisco? - [man.]
Is this Michael Haller? Who's this? This is officer Anthony Reyes, LAPD, Valley traffic division.
How can I help you? I don't know, sir, we pulled over Izzy Letts at Griffith Park Overlook on suspicion of DUI.
She gave me your card and asked me to call her lawyer, then she kinda passed out.
I was about to go off duty, but I'm gonna have to impound her car, book her unless If you can get here quickly.
Just give me 15 minutes, I'm on my way, all right? Thank you.
[car tires screech.]
[Mickey.]
Izzy! [Trevor.]
You should have just gone along with it.
You and Vincent.
- I thought you had investors.
Not the kind you're thinking of.
I had a roommate in college named Pavel Kosevich.
I know.
His father's name is Sergei Kosevich.
This is not a man you fuck with, Mickey.
Maybe juror number seven's dead.
Did you think of that? Maybe you and I are next.
Who did this to you? Without your witness, Soto walks.
[judge.]
Bail will be set at $2 million.
Tanya, did Soto do anything to confirm he had your friend killed? The night before your witness was killed, I drove him to the same flower shop.
[Lankford.]
There's not enough on the phone to nail him.
We gotta get him to turn on Soto.
Do you know why Lara Elliott reached out to you? She just said she had something to tell me and needed to do it in person.
Did Mr.
Elliott seem worried or panicked? [officer.]
No.
But it looked like he was scrolling through his email.
We had this case won and you threw it away.
Tell me something.
How do you sleep at night? I'm going to enjoy watching the jury convict your client.
[Mickey.]
We established that this vehicle was not cleaned.
Could that account for the gunshot residue on my client's hands? Given the staggering amount of GSR, it's the only thing that could account for it.
[Izzy.]
What's it like, the moment when you know you've won? You never really know for sure.
We missed you last night at the meeting.
My ex is in town, doing a show.
We had dinner.
How did that go? She asked me to get high with her.
I came within a millimeter of saying yes.
I need to win in the court of public opinion.
No lawyer can give you that.
That's why I need to testify.
[Izzy.]
Woke up in my clothes.
Haven't done that in a while.
In a teenager's room.
Tell your daughter she's got good taste in music.
I am down for the K-pop.
Thanks for the rescue.
- Was that a stumble or a fall? - A stumble.
I called my sponsor and I'm going to a meeting.
Promise.
Good.
I don't want you worrying about me.
You got a trial to win, right? Yeah.
Maybe.
Maybe not.
[sighs.]
I miss something? My client wants to testify.
Can't talk him out of it.
Isn't that what you're not supposed to do? It's like boxing.
We won the fight on points, but my guy wants to brawl.
I just have to convince him to play defense and not get knocked out.
- You going in early? I'll take you.
- No, you take yourself to that meeting.
I'll drop you off at your car.
Part of my generous benefits package.
Your wife was sleeping with another man, you expect this jury to believe that you found them naked in bed, shot to death? That's what happened.
You went there 'cause you knew they'd be together.
No.
You crept up the stairs with a .
45 and confronted them? No.
I found them dead.
- I told - You shot Jan Rilz first, point blank.
No.
Your wife begged for her life, you killed her too? No! No! [exhales.]
I have to get you ready for cross-examination, you understand? Golantz has nothing to lose, Trevor.
He's already bleeding.
Why are you offering him your throat? Mickey, I told you this from the beginning.
I will not spend the rest of my life hearing people whisper, "Did he do it?" behind my back.
I'm gonna do that whether you win or lose.
- Yeah.
Lorna.
- Uh.
Whatever Golantz throws at you, your job, Trevor, is to tell the jury how much you loved your wife.
All right? Now you do that, maybe we can pull this off.
[opening theme music playing.]
- [greets in Spanish.]
- [in English.]
Hey.
- I read your closing.
- And? It's good.
It's thorough.
- You hate it.
- No, I You hate it.
Come on.
Just give it to me straight, Lorna.
[sighs.]
It's about gunshot residue and forensic analysis.
That's my defense.
I don't have anything else.
That's Jerry's defense.
Just It doesn't feel like you.
I know.
But I've got my entire career riding on this and he This whole time, I just feel like I'm wearing a dead man's suit.
That's disgusting.
Don't say that in court.
[sighs.]
Sometimes, you just gotta ride the horse you rode in on.
I gotta go.
[Alvin.]
Call my parole officer.
Where is he? This is bullshit.
You got nothin'.
Violate me or let me go.
You done, Alvin? 'Cause you're giving me a headache.
So this is you.
This is where David Loresca was killed ten minutes later, a block away.
That is a hell of a coincidence.
We got you at the scene, Alvin.
With your record, you're looking at life.
However we know that it was a job.
We know who paid you.
We know why.
And that's who we want.
Okay? So you just have to help us help you.
Just give it up, Alvin.
You know we can make this all go away.
[sobbing.]
[laughs maniacally.]
I knew my phone was acting weird after that bullshit search.
Yeah.
I was there.
Making a delivery.
Call my boss.
Better yet call Father Cruz at St.
Lorenzo's.
He signed for it.
Bullshit, but it checks out.
How long have we got? He burned his phone call thinking it was a parole beef, we can hold him for ten hours.
As soon as we cut him loose, he'll tell Soto.
Soto'll circle the wagons.
Won't take him long to figure out who turned on him.
Maybe not though.
Right now, Alvin thinks someone in his gang snitched him out, so maybe they'll go on a witch-hunt there instead.
Okay.
That's good.
Use that to scare him before you let him go.
Give Soto something else to worry about.
- Wait, where you going? - To throw a Hail Mary.
[door closes.]
[Mickey.]
You want my client to wear a wire? [Maggie.]
I don't have a choice.
[Mickey.]
You do.
Tell fucking Lankford to go to hell.
[Maggie.]
It's my idea, Mickey.
She's the only person Soto might open up to.
You want to make a pregnant woman collateral damage, Maggie? [laughs incredulously.]
You're judging me? The tactics I've seen you pull in cases Now I see where Hayley gets her ideas.
I do what I have to do for my clients, Maggie.
Really? What about Eli Wyms? - What? - [Maggie.]
People talk at the DA's office.
You stuck him in a psych ward until you could spring him on Golantz.
- He wasn't collateral damage? - That was Jerry.
Wasn't me.
Bottom line, it's her call, Mickey.
Maggie, you sent her to me because you knew I would take care of her.
- Right? Now you just want me to roll over? - This is taking care of her.
She needs to get out from under this thing.
All right, fine.
You want Tanya to wear a wire? If, for some reason, she agrees, the second she gets a confession, she's done.
- Meaning? - She never has to testify against Soto.
- And you relocate her immediately.
- I don't know if I can do that.
This is not negotiable, Maggie.
The guy kills witnesses.
[sighs.]
Okay.
Okay.
Good.
I'll sit with her in a few days, and I'll explain everything - This has to happen today.
- I'm in the middle of a trial.
Then I'll talk to her.
You want me to let the DA talk to my client about wearing a wire without me? - No.
Hell no.
- I'm not the DA.
I'm me.
You wanna rebuild things? You want me to trust you again? Then start by trusting me.
Okay? [Mickey.]
What do you want from me, Cisco? My client is insisting on taking the stand.
Yeah, well, I don't get it, Mick.
Hey, babe.
If this guy blows up his own case, Sergei Kosevich is gonna kill him.
What does he have? A death wish? I don't have time to figure out the answer to that right now.
[Cisco.]
Well, how about you? Do you have one? Because this guy's putting a target on your back and your family, too.
I don't have a choice, Cisco.
I've got to do what my client wants.
And Hayley and Maggie, they're safe.
At least for now.
Oh, yeah? How do you know? Because I've got people watching them.
- Who? - It doesn't matter, Cisco.
The best way I can keep everybody safe is to get my client an acquittal.
That's what I'm gonna do.
All right? So just wish me luck.
[sighs.]
[elevator dings.]
[cell phone chimes.]
Excuse me.
Haller.
You got a minute? [clears throat.]
Voluntary manslaughter.
Eleven years.
Probably do nine.
I know you think you've got me over a barrel, but you never know what a jury's gonna do.
That's it? You're not much of a salesman, are you? I'm not used to having to be one.
I'll take it to my client, but knowing him, don't hold your breath.
[man.]
All rise! Be seated.
Mr.
Haller, any more evidence to present? Just have one more witness, Your Honor.
Defense calls Trevor Elliott.
[murmuring indistinctly.]
[woman.]
Raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly state that the testimony you may give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? I do.
Mr.
Elliott, I think the jury is well aware of who you are.
Tell us what you do for a living? Of course.
I run a company called Parallax that I founded with my wife, Lara.
We make video games.
And what is your biggest selling game to date? It's called Nocturna.
It's a journey through a post-apocalyptic America cloaked in perpetual darkness.
And this is fun for people? [jury chuckles.]
Yeah, so much so, we're about to launch a sequel.
In your opinion, what makes the game special? Well, if you ask the players, it's the characters.
They look like real people.
In a way that when we started, other video games couldn't compete with it.
It's like a movie that you play a part in.
And in Nocturna, who would be considered the star of the movie? Sure, the hero's name is Jasmine Lumens.
But her image is based on my wife, Lara.
I designed the character after her as a way to honor her, and how much I loved her.
How much she inspired me.
How did you meet your wife, Mr.
Elliott? We met in grad school, at Stanford.
I was in front of the room, working on a problem up on the board.
When I'd finished, the professor immediately erased the entire thing because I'd made a fundamental error.
It was [scoffs.]
humiliating.
And what happened then? Lara raised her hand and said that she'd made the same mistake.
It made me feel better.
Until I was walking past her desk and happened to glance at her screen, and she got the problem right.
But that was Lara.
What was your marriage like? Well, it wasn't perfect.
We had problems like any couple.
[Mickey.]
What kind of problems? Infidelity, for one.
I knew she was having the affair.
[murmuring indistinctly.]
- [Mickey.]
Did you tell the police that? - [Trevor.]
No.
[Mickey.]
Why not? Because I knew it would make me look like an angry, jealous husband, and that wasn't true.
I'd forgiven her.
Why? Because her affair was my fault.
See, I I was working all the time.
And ignoring her.
And I had also been unfaithful.
- [Mickey.]
You had affairs? - [Trevor.]
Yes.
I was not a perfect husband in any way, shape, or form.
And I felt so lucky every day that Lara was able to look past that and see me for the man I was trying to be and not the man I sometimes was.
Why did you go out to the house that day, Mr.
Elliott? I went out there to fight for my wife.
To try and save our marriage.
Instead I found them dead.
[voice shaking.]
Both of them.
People would not oppose a break, so Mr.
Elliott can gather himself.
[Mickey.]
Unnecessary, Judge.
Mr.
Elliott I only have one more question.
Did you kill your wife? God, no.
I love her.
[sighs.]
I loved her.
[Stanton.]
Cross-examination.
Mr.
Elliott, you told the police that you and your wife had an argument the night before the murders.
Is that correct? Yes.
[Golantz.]
Contrary to what you told the police, you just testified that that argument was about her affair.
That's correct.
Now, you also told the police that you drove out to the Malibu house the next day to surprise Lara with a trip up the coast.
Is that right? Yes.
Is that in fact true, or another thing you lied to the police about? - Objection.
Argumentative? - I'll move on.
Prior to driving out to your house that day, did you make any reservations? Reservations? At a hotel? Or a restaurant? For your trip.
Yeah, not that I can recall.
I was trying to be spontaneous.
The People would like to enter into evidence, the People's exhibit 21.
[Stanton.]
So entered.
[Golantz.]
Is this your appointment calendar, Mr.
Elliott? That looks to be a printout of it, yes.
[Golantz.]
Could you please turn to the day of the murder, September 6th of last year? Do you see the list of meetings for that day? Yes.
[Golantz.]
How many are there? Uh, seven.
Now, did you cancel any of those seven meetings before getting in the car to surprise your wife with the trip? I wasn't thinking about that.
We just had a fight.
It's a yes or no question.
Did you or did you not clear your calendar that day? No, I don't believe I did.
You knew Jan Rilz was with your wife when you drove out to the house that day, didn't you? No.
[Golantz.]
This is People's exhibit 22.
The security camera log.
Now, isn't it a fact that you knew the cameras at your Malibu house were turned off that morning? I knew about the affair.
I didn't know Rilz was going to be at the house.
Your testimony is that you weren't upset because you had been unfaithful yourself? Well, yes.
Did you and Lara Elliott have a prenuptial agreement? No.
So if your wife divorced you, she would've been entitled to half of your fortune, right? Objection.
Mr.
Elliott is not an expert in family law.
[Stanton.]
Sustained.
The night before the murders, did your wife tell you she was meeting Sonia Patel? No.
Isn't it a fact that you were afraid that she was talking about divorcing you? Perhaps asking an old friend how to protect herself financially? - Objection.
Calls for speculation.
- [Golantz.]
I'll rephrase the question.
Mr.
Elliott, do you know why your wife reached out to Sonia Patel? No.
Lara hadn't seen Sonia in years.
I don't know why she contacted her.
- [Golantz.]
Do you own a gun, Mr.
Elliott? - [Trevor.]
No.
- [Golantz.]
Have you ever fired a gun? - I was raised by a couple of ex-hippies.
I wasn't even allowed to have a water pistol.
So your answer is no? No experience with firearms? [Trevor.]
Correct.
The People would like to enter into evidence, People's exhibit 23.
Now, this is Mr.
Elliott's game, Nocturna.
Now, I'm not much of a gamer, so I want to focus on this one moment.
[Jasmine.]
Take the gun.
You might need it.
This is the first time the hero picks up a gun? Yes.
The gun that would become her primary weapon throughout the game.
Can you tell the court what kind of gun that is? What kind? [Golantz.]
The brand and caliber of the weapon? Sidebar, Your Honor? Your Honor, is my client being tried on an Xbox or in a court of law? This goes directly to the heart of the People's case.
It's misleading and prejudicial.
Indeed, it would be.
If Mr.
Golantz had tried to enter this in his case in chief.
But he did not.
Your client opened that door when he testified that he had no experience with firearms.
I want my objection noted on the record for appeal.
Noted.
The witness may answer.
Ah, I believe it's a Heckler & Koch, .
45 caliber.
[Golantz.]
An HK .
45 semi-automatic.
That's the same gun that police believe was used to kill Lara Elliott and Jan Rilz, isn't it? I wouldn't know.
I guess, if that's what's on the police report.
Did your company own a Heckler & Koch .
45 semi-automatic used as a model for this gun? No.
So a search of your company's business transactions wouldn't reveal any such purchase? No, it would not.
And the fact that it was the same exact gun, that's just a coincidence then? Objection.
Argumentative.
I'll withdraw the question.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
- [Stanton.]
Redirect? - [Mickey.]
No, Your Honor.
[Stanton.]
Very well.
Court will take a 30-minute recess.
Then we'll hear closing arguments.
[sighs softly.]
- [Tanya.]
Hey.
- Hey.
- Mickey said all I have to do is listen.
- That's right.
Did you go to the flower shop? Yes.
And it led us to the man we believe shot David Loresca.
Then you got what you need.
[sighs.]
I wish it were that simple.
Listen, I want Angelo Soto to pay for his crimes, Tanya.
That's my job.
I don't apologize for it.
But there is a line that I won't cross.
I won't force you to do something that would put you or your baby at risk.
- What do you mean? - [Maggie.]
You have a choice.
You can back away right now and our case against Soto goes away, and you two can raise your child together, and you'll never hear from me again.
I don't want to raise my child with him.
Then you can make a different choice.
You can wear a wire, a hidden microphone, and you can get Angelo to confess to ordering the murder of David Loresca.
I promise, we'll be right outside.
How old were you? - When? - When he brought you here.
Made you work for table scraps until he took a liking to you.
How old? Nineteen.
Nineteen.
Well, if you wanna escape from him once and for all, Tanya, this is your chance.
But it's up to you.
Closing is about to start.
Where are you? I'm right in the middle of something, babe.
- [Lorna.]
For the Elliott case? - [Cisco.]
Kinda.
I'll be there as soon as I can.
You weren't lying.
Excuse me? When you said you were gonna be at the trial till the end.
It's the least I could do for Jan.
Carol, I'm so sorry for your loss.
I should have told you that the first day.
Whatever happens, I hope this brings you some peace.
[Stanton.]
Mr.
Golantz? [Golantz clears throat.]
Ladies and gentlemen.
This case is simple.
A man discovers that his wife is having an affair and they have an argument.
This is not disputed.
Next morning, he drives to their beach house, where the security cameras are turned off.
Also not disputed.
There, he claims he finds his wife and her lover have been shot to death.
Now, the defense asks you to believe the absurd story that the defendant went to the house to surprise his wife with a trip up the coast.
That the gunshot residue found on his hand, that didn't come from firing a gun.
No, that came from an unwashed police car.
That it's just a coincidence that the killer used the identical gun as the hero in his video game.
And that he was the victim of a rush to judgment, despite the fact that he admits to lying to police to hide the appearance of guilt.
But common sense and logic will tell you who fired the bullets that ended the lives of Lara Elliott and Jan Rilz that day.
Now, you heard the defendant testify that he loved his wife.
What does love mean to a man like Trevor Elliott? He used Lara as the model for his video game.
Because that's what he wanted her to be.
An empty shell that he could control with a few buttons.
He locked his wife in a gilded cage, and when she tried to break free, he murdered her and her boyfriend.
Because if Trevor Elliott couldn't have Lara, neither could anyone else! Simply put, Trevor Elliott is guilty.
If common sense and logic are your guide, there is no other conclusion.
Thank you.
Mr.
Haller? How much do closing statements really matter? Hasn't the jury already made up their mind? Remember, it's not a speech, it's an argument.
If you don't listen to what the prosecutor is saying, you'll miss your chance to take the weakest part of your case and turn it into your greatest strength.
My daughter is taking algebra, and she hates it.
She hates it.
She says, "Dad, why do I need this?" I say, "Honey, when the ancient Mayans wanted to understand their world, they developed math.
" "They discovered the calendar, 365 days in a solar year.
" "Amazing, right?" - Didn't work.
She still hates it.
- [jury chuckles.]
Anyway, why am I telling you this? Because we're gonna use math to understand our world.
Now, bear with me.
Mr.
Elliott's car leaves his office at 10:44 a.
m.
At an average speed of 35 miles per hour, right? So he arrives at his house in Malibu, which is 21.
2 miles away in 36 minutes.
That is undisputed.
So, he arrives at 11:20 a.
m.
and calls 911 five minutes later at 11:25 a.
m.
Now, this call triggers the arrival of the videographer, who begins filming Trevor Elliott outside of his house at exactly 11:27 a.
m.
That leaves just seven minutes.
Seven minutes from when Mr.
Elliott arrived until the videographer began filming him outside of his house.
Seven minutes for him to commit these crimes and cover them up.
Now, the victims were shot at point-blank range.
There was no blood on Mr.
Elliott's clothes or hands.
That means he would have had to clean up and change before the deputies arrived.
And that brings us to the gun.
Now, Mr.
Golantz says that this, this cartoon weapon is somehow proof that Mr.
Elliott must have owned a gun like this.
But if that's true, then where is it? Where is the real gun that killed Lara Elliott and Jan Rilz? Where are the bloody clothes? Now, the beach house is on top of a hill.
It's a ten-minute drive down to the PCH, and the police searched the entire area with dogs and found nothing.
Nothing.
And Mr.
Golantz wants you to believe that in seven minutes, seven minutes, Mr.
Elliott shot his wife and her lover, cleaned up, and disposed of the evidence where the police could never find it.
It's impossible.
And that is what math tells us.
It tells us that Mr.
Elliott didn't do it, and the real killer, whoever he was, took the evidence with him.
So, who else had a motive to kill Jan Rilz and Lara Elliott? Who did Detective Kinder ignore as a suspect until he was put under oath? Who do we know carries a gun because he told us so when he was on the stand? Anton Shavar.
A jealous husband, who, unlike Trevor Elliott, has a long history of violence.
Now, Mr.
Golantz asked you to use common sense and logic, and I couldn't agree more.
But don't let yourself be manipulated by cheap, emotional tricks.
With common sense and logic as your guide, you will find that Mr.
Elliott could not possibly have committed these crimes.
And I am confident that you will return a verdict of not guilty.
Thank you.
- I talked to Tanya.
[clears throat.]
- [Maggie.]
And? And I don't like it, Maggie.
But it's up to her.
And listen, Mags, the second you see any trouble, you get her out of there.
All right? I promise.
And Mickey, thank you.
[cell phone chimes.]
[Cisco.]
Trevor's story about Sergei Kosevich, it's bullshit.
- [Mickey.]
Based on what? - Corporate records of Trevor's company.
Turns out the investors are legit.
Usual venture capital crowd.
Well, that's because Kosevich is a silent partner.
Trevor would never admit he was funded by a thug.
[Cisco.]
I thought so, too.
So I went straight to the source.
Kosevich's son, Pavel.
- That's Trevor's roommate at Stanford.
- Took me a while to reach him.
And the minute I mentioned Trevor, the guy hung up on me.
- Which proves nothing.
- Yes, and no.
Turns out there was a third roommate at Stanford.
Ben Hoffman.
He's the CTO of Pavel's company.
Him, I got through to.
He says Pavel hated Trevor's guts, and that his dad was never gonna finance anything of Trevor's.
- Still, it doesn't prove anything.
- Maybe not.
But Trevor took the stand when the case was already won.
Now, would he actually do that if he had a Russian mobster holding a gun to his head? [Mickey sighs.]
You don't let anything go, do you? Yeah, well, you didn't hire me just to tell you what you wanna hear.
The question is, if it's not the Russians, then who the fuck has been following you? [cell phone ringing.]
Mickey Haller.
Yes, I'll be right there.
Thank you.
Jury's back.
- Has the jury reached a verdict? - [juror.]
We have, Your Honor.
[Stanton.]
The defendant will stand.
You may read the verdict.
"In the matter of the State of California vs.
Trevor Elliott, on the charge of first-degree murder of Jan Rilz, we find the defendant not guilty.
" [indistinct chatter.]
No.
[juror.]
"On the charge of first-degree murder of Lara Elliott, we find the defendant not guilty.
" - [indistinct chatter.]
- [Trevor exhales.]
[Stanton.]
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I want to thank you for your service and deliberation.
Mr.
Elliott, you're free to go.
[exhales.]
[inaudible conversation.]
[exhales.]
[Lorna speaks Spanish.]
[in English.]
We have champagne and sparkling grape juice for you and Izzy.
[Mickey.]
You guys celebrate.
I've got somewhere I have to go.
Mick? Are you sure you're okay? I will be.
What is this? I already signed my plea deal.
It's an affidavit, signed by me.
You were right, Eli.
Jerry dumped you here and did it to hide evidence from the prosecution on the Trevor Elliott case.
You were collateral damage.
And why are you doing this? Well, because you lost six months of your life here, so Jerry could So I could win a case, and it's not right.
This is going to give me my six months back? No, but you can use it to sue Jerry Vincent's estate.
He had malpractice insurance.
That money can help you get back on your feet once you're out of prison.
And here I thought all you lawyers stuck together.
[Mickey.]
There's a lot of things I would do to win a case.
I will walk right up to the line, but I won't sell out a client, ever.
[indistinct chatter on TV.]
Look who's on the TV news.
I do wanna say something to the LAPD.
Do your job.
Lara's killer's out there.
I'm not gonna rest until they're brought to justice.
[Eli.]
Kinda worked out for you though, didn't it? Jerry did all the dirty work.
[Trevor.]
Lara was the love of my life You got all the glory.
[Trevor.]
And I will continue to work tirelessly to celebrate her memory.
Thank you.
Cisco, you know those records you found on Parallax? I need you to find something else for me.
[Tanya speaking Tagalog.]
[sighs.]
Tanya.
Where were you? I called you! Shopping for the baby.
My phone died.
What happened? I thought they got to you too.
[in English.]
Who? The police.
They wanna ruin me.
[Tanya.]
What are you talking about? Angelo, you're scaring me.
Shit.
- What? - It's just a weak signal.
Can we move? Fuckin' densest neighborhood in LA.
I'm sorry, I'm just upset.
Someone has been talking to the police.
They questioned an employee, he told me what they said.
But couldn't he be the one lying to you? [in Tagalog.]
I'm surrounded by snakes! [in English.]
Angelo, it's okay.
It's okay.
Come here.
[Angelo.]
Don't believe anything you hear about me.
Anything? - [Angelo.]
I'm a good person.
- Yeah.
[Angelo.]
All I've done is give people better lives.
She's got him talking.
How is my life better? What do you mean? - Oh, shit.
- What? - [Angelo.]
I've given you everything.
- Girl's improvising.
[Angelo.]
Everything I do is for us, our family.
People think you killed that man.
Did you? - Don't ask me that.
- I need to know.
[Angelo scoffs.]
I can handle anything as long as I know.
- I did what I had to - Did you? Yes, I did it, Tanya! I did it to protect us! To protect our baby! Now, enough! It's okay, it's okay.
You did it for us.
No.
No.
The police said someone betrayed me.
- What if it's you? - Why would I talk to the police? I don't know anything.
You do now.
Angelo, please.
[in Tagalog.]
Have you done this before? Or do you need to pay someone to do it? [gasping.]
[Angelo grunts.]
[chokes.]
[officer.]
LAPD! Hands where we can see 'em.
[Lankford.]
Angelo Soto, you're under arrest.
Turn around, get on the fucking ground, and put your hands behind your head.
[Tanya gasping.]
[Tanya exclaims softly.]
You'll never make any of this stick, you know that, right? Watch me.
You okay? You did great.
Thank you.
Okay.
You're good.
[dance music playing over speakers.]
[woman.]
Mr.
Haller, I'm so glad you could make it.
Trevor's at the bar.
[inaudible conversation.]
I think I've got his attention, thank you.
There you are.
I was talking to the media outside the courthouse, - I blinked, and you're gone.
- I told you, I'm not a celebrity lawyer.
Come on, don't be modest.
This win puts you in a whole new league.
You mean those guys? I bet I could find a potential client over there.
I hope not.
Those are the ones acquiring my company.
And I owe it all to you, Mickey.
Cheers.
It looks like we both got what we wanted.
[scoffs.]
Too bad Lara didn't.
- What is it you think Lara wanted? - For the truth to come out.
Relax, Trevor.
You don't just have attorney-client privilege now, you've got double jeopardy too.
No one will ever know your secret, at least not from me.
So the, uh, lawyer that advertises on bus benches has come down here to put me in my place.
You played me, Trevor.
I don't get played.
[sighs.]
I was so caught up in getting back to the top, I forgot the first rule.
- Which is? - Everybody lies.
She did all the dirty work and you got all the glory.
I'm sorry, Mickey.
I'm just not following.
Sonia Patel said that Lara was a brilliant coder.
Yet she quit her job to follow you? Why? Because she loved me, Mickey.
Because she's the one who did it.
Not you.
Those hundred lines of code that changed everything.
Lara wrote them.
Didn't she? Except she was working for Chaos Games.
So whatever she created belonged to them.
But if you created it instead of her, then it belonged to you.
She was the genius, not you.
For ten years, she had to watch you take all the credit.
That's quite a story.
I just have one question, how much blow did you do before you got here? Like I said, everybody lies.
But even the best liars give themselves away.
I saw it on the stand.
When Golantz asked you about Sonia.
[woman.]
He rubs his legs.
It can be a sign of deception.
The fight wasn't about Lara wanting a divorce, she was gonna tell Sonia the truth.
She was gonna go back to Chaos Games, take back what was rightfully hers.
And if she did that, all this goes away.
And everybody finds out you're a fraud.
You know, couple weeks ago, you came down to my office to beg me for a job.
Yeah.
And you told me that my previous attorney was good, but that you were better.
And you know what, Mickey? You're absolutely right.
You did a fantastic job defending me.
You asked all the key questions.
Where is the gun? Where are the bloody clothes? How could he have gotten rid of all of that in What was it? Seven minutes? Well, you showed me how you did that too.
I was just too blind to see it at first.
Your drone.
You know what the best part is? I watched you do it.
We all did.
You weren't checking your emails when the cops arrived.
You were controlling the drone that was carrying the gun and your clothes.
You sent it out over the ocean till it sank where no one would ever find it.
I gotta hand it to you, that was clever.
If you really believe all that is true, you must think I'm a monster.
I'll tell you exactly what you are, Trevor.
You're an addict.
There must be some rush to have people think you're a genius.
You'd do anything to chase it.
Even take the stand when the case was already won.
[chuckles.]
Hey, come on.
How much do you want? That's what this is, right? The shakedown.
I don't want your fucking money.
- No? - I wanna know who's behind it.
The bribe, killing Jerry, having me followed.
I mean, was it you? Because I don't like to be a pawn.
We're all pawns sometimes, Mickey.
Jerry kept me out of the loop.
Honestly, I have no idea who killed him.
Frankly I don't care.
You know, I didn't understand why Jerry left me his cases, and now I do.
He thought we were the same.
A lawyer who needed this so badly, he'd go along with a bribed juror.
You thought so too.
Until I threatened to quit.
That's why you told me that bullshit story about the Russians.
I did my due diligence.
I realized you were a man who might need a little extra incentive.
To believe you were innocent? You know, the secret to a successful video game? You have to keep the player engaged, you know? You have to curate their reality.
And right now, all this This is my reality.
That's one thing you're good at, Trevor.
Making it look real.
[cell phone ringing.]
I don't wanna hear anything else about Trevor Elliott.
Well, then you're in luck.
Glory Days is flying in tomorrow to see Raj.
You want me to go meet her? Ah, no, just text me the details.
I'll handle it.
- Good job, Cisco.
- No biggie.
And Mick? - Yeah? - Take the win.
Hell of a thing you did today.
[sighs.]
[cell phone ringing.]
- What is it, Cisco? - [man.]
Is this Michael Haller? Who's this? This is officer Anthony Reyes, LAPD, Valley traffic division.
How can I help you? I don't know, sir, we pulled over Izzy Letts at Griffith Park Overlook on suspicion of DUI.
She gave me your card and asked me to call her lawyer, then she kinda passed out.
I was about to go off duty, but I'm gonna have to impound her car, book her unless If you can get here quickly.
Just give me 15 minutes, I'm on my way, all right? Thank you.
[car tires screech.]
[Mickey.]
Izzy! [Trevor.]
You should have just gone along with it.
You and Vincent.