Law & Order: Los Angeles (2010) s01e12 Episode Script
Benedict Canyon
NARRATOR: In the city of Los Angeles, the People are represented by two separate yet equally important groups, the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
That's two hours of my life I'll never get back.
All this party chitchat just drives me up a wall.
You're a mom now.
You have more important things in your life.
(CHUCKLES) So guess who's wearing a million dollars' worth of diamonds on her wrist? Well, aren't you la-di-da? You know, this'll go another hour or so.
Why don't you come down? Sorry, Mom.
You're on your own.
I'll call you tomorrow.
Love you.
Love you, too, baby.
(POP SONG PLAYING ON RADIO) (GUN COCKING) RICARDO: No shells anywhere.
The shooter probably used a revolver, but we have a witness who saw a white male on a bicycle.
No wallet or purse.
Car was in her name, Lily Walker, celebrity stylist.
She picked out clothes for the A-listers.
I'm impressed.
With you.
Don't buy his BS.
He had no idea who Lily Walker was.
On the other hand, I haven't missed an issue of W in 10 years.
So I'll assume the bullets came from this direction.
What do you got for me? Lifted a hand print off the window.
Suspect probably braced himself on the car when he fired.
We're running it.
Counselor.
Got a hit on the print.
And the winner is Harry Rice.
Currently on parole.
Last known address, Venice.
Strike one, armed robbery, strike two, assault.
Strike three, Lily Walker.
Harry Rice! Police! Stop! LAPD, put your hands on your head! I ain't going back in! Hands on your head, Harry! Gun! What's the record for closing a robbery-homicide? I wouldn't polish the trophy just yet.
Look at this.
Stitches.
They look fresh.
He got them done this afternoon.
So why didn't they show up on the prints on Lily's car? Somebody's playing games.
(CHATTER ON POLICE SCANNER) Latent confirmed.
The print on the car is Harry's.
And Lily Walker was killed by a.
38.
Same caliber Harry was packing.
And we've got the bicycle.
Maybe the killer used that to roll up on Ms.
Walker.
Everything points to Harry.
Except the stitches on his thumb didn't show up on the handprint.
And this, fingerprint powder.
Somebody's been here dusting for prints.
Maybe they had found a print right here.
See, Harry used to stand here smoking, checking out the action in the alleyway.
Somebody could have lifted a print and transferred it to the car.
Meaning Harry was just a patsy.
Meaning this was a professional hit.
Very professional.
How am I supposed to tell our daughter? She's only two.
How do you explain that Do you know where your wife was going last night? She was on her way back from a dinner party at Robbi Nathan's.
She's a publicist.
She didn't even want to go.
Robbi insisted.
You weren't invited? I stayed home with Kate.
Our full-time nanny quit a few months ago and the new girl leaves at 5:00.
Who knew Lily would be at the party? Um, well, Robbi, obviously, and um Greta, Lily's assistant.
I I don't know.
I have to get home.
My mother-in-law is alone with my daughter.
she's a complete wreck.
ROBBl: One of our mutual clients was having an issue with Lily and I thought a little dinner party might provide a neutral ground to work out their differences.
RICARDO: Who's the client? Khloe Kardashian.
And what was the issue? Oh, Khloe wouldn't say.
Give me a few times and I can set up an appointment with her.
We set up our own appointments.
This helps me forget.
You should try it.
I hear it helps with anger, too.
I loved Lily.
No offense, but you had us fooled.
It's called acting.
So what was your beef with her last night? Lily dressed me in an Alexander Emery gown for the Golden Globes.
The dress made my ass look like a pancake.
That's hard to believe.
The Golden Globes were, what, three months ago? Why wait until last night to bring it up? Well, I heard a rumor that Emery paid her to put me in his clothes.
Paid as in kickbacks? Lily used to dress me in Jill Jennings.
Like a peach, Detective.
Then, out of nowhere, she puts me in this hack, Emery.
What did Lily say? She denied it.
I just hate that we left each other angry.
All right, thank you.
Thanks.
Alexander Emery.
If he was paying Lily kickbacks, he can't be thrilled our boxing beauty there stopped wearing his clothes.
Do you have any idea how many mansions in Malibu have been built on the bad taste and insecurities of actors? Sounds like you don't particularly care for the profession.
Stylists are glorified gatekeepers.
And they don't let you pass through the gates without paying a toll? Cost of doing business.
You're admitting you paid Lily under the table? Lily? No way.
My business was with Greta the goon.
Lily's assistant.
I figured one shot of Khloe on the red carpet wearing an original Alexander Emery would keep the country club mamas buying my designs for at least a year.
How much did you pay her? Ten thousand.
Why wouldn't I try to keep Lily's clients? I've been here for five years.
Her clients love me.
I'm good, you know? Well, you're certainly a self-starter.
Taking kickbacks from Alexander Emery.
So what? Truth is Lily is the only stylist I know who wasn't taking money.
So if she found out that you were, you might lose your job, might get blacklisted? It's one thing to take kickbacks, another to get caught doing it.
I didn't hurt Lily.
I swear.
I was just trying to put away some money.
I thought Lily was going out of business.
What makes you say that? Lily used to live large.
Big vacations, expensive restaurants, condo in Hawaii.
But six months ago, that all stopped.
She sold the condo, stopped the vacations, the dinners out.
That's the first we've heard of any problems.
You sure? Ask her business manager.
He'll know.
When she fired the live-in nanny, I figured it was code blue.
TJ: Her business was good.
(CHUCKLES) Business was great.
Here, see for yourself.
Look at that year to date.
Makes you wet, no? All to tell some spoiled brats what gatkes to wear.
Her assistant told us she was cutting back on vacations, dining out.
Yeah, to spend time with her kid.
Lily had a good head on her shoulders.
I'm going to miss making her laugh.
What's this? "Lily Walker Styles?" Uh, six months ago we converted the partnership into a corporation, just a different way of skinning the same cat.
Except all the shares of the new corporation are in Lily's name.
Her husband didn't buy it? He did not.
He's a broker of commercial real estate.
I don't represent him, but I assume he's doing okay.
Why would you assume that? Because around the same time he waived all his marital rights to Lily's assets, her corporation, and her bank accounts, securities, house in Brentwood.
All in her name.
Ah, excuse me.
Kay, listen Putting all assets in her name? It sounds like she was worried he was going to spring a divorce on her.
He told us the live-in nanny quit.
But Lily's assistant said that Lily fired her.
Did you know that nanny is Swedish for "Daddy gets lucky"? Maybe Lily caught him cheating, forced him to put everything in her name so that if he divorces her, he gets nothing.
On the other hand, a few well-placed bullets and he gets everything.
We let the nanny go because our daughter was getting too attached to her.
We asked because about that time you waived all rights to Lily's money.
Why wouldn't I? She'd earned it.
That's a refreshing attitude, but our boss would point out that as the surviving spouse, you get all that money back.
Are you accusing me of murder? Our boss would say you have motive.
You tell your boss that Lily put everything in a trust for Katie and she named her mom as trustee.
I got nothing from her death.
Nothing.
They say I should be strong but I'm not strong.
I see Katie, her smile.
I see my daughter.
I'm sorry.
There's no need to apologize, Mrs.
Walker.
We're only here to confirm that Lily named you as trustee to Katie's trust.
That's right.
Um, I was not always the best mom so it meant the world to me that Lily trusted me to take care of Katie.
Why? Is there a problem? Well, what usually happens is the person names the other spouse as trustee.
Unless there's some sort of marital problem.
Lily and Douglas had a good marriage.
I mean, it was rough going for a while.
That's normal.
But they worked it out.
Rough going maybe six months ago? Around the time Lily fired their nanny? You think Douglas and the nanny If that was true then why would Lily have helped her find a new job with the people next door? She wouldn't have.
(SIGHS) Katie will be waking up from her nap soon and it would really upset her to see strangers here.
If not the nanny then somebody else.
No wife circles the wagons for nothing.
All this from your long experience as a bachelor? I've had a few wives cry on my shoulder.
Yeah, against your better judgment, I'm sure.
What would these wives say about the fact that Lily didn't throw Douglas out when she found he was cheating? I'd say Lily must have thought it was just a one-time thing.
What if the person it mattered to most was Douglas's jilted lover? Maybe she imagined a future with Douglas.
With Lily out of the way.
The night Lily was killed, Douglas stays home babysitting.
Maybe Lily kept him away from parties with her clients for a reason.
Maybe his fling was with one of her clients.
Clients like Khloe Kardashian.
Khloe was right.
Jill Jennings' clothes did make her butt look like a peach.
Well, makes you wonder why Lily switched to another designer.
Five months ago, around the time Lily moved her assets.
Dozens of articles about Lily and Jill Jennings.
"Lily and Jill once known as the combo made in fashion heaven "have officially descended into hell.
"The fallout is blamed for declining sales at Jill Jennings' showcase store "in Beverly Hills.
" A catfight.
Sounds promising.
Hell? What a load.
Lily was good for me.
I was good for Lily.
And after a year we moved on.
And you moved out of your Beverly Hills store to here.
Did Lily bad-mouth you? At least now I can design the clothes I like and not what some stylist thinks is stylish.
What exactly happened between the two of you? What's it matter? Am I a suspect or something? Lily's husband is.
We believe she discovered he was having an affair six months ago.
She was preparing to divorce him.
And you think the affair was with me? Well, it would explain the falling out.
WOMAN: Sorry, Jill, Mega Limo called.
Your driver's running 10 minutes late.
Limousine.
Old habits die hard, huh? Anyway, Douglas and me, there's not enough bourbon in Kentucky.
If anyone was unfaithful it was Lily.
That girl had all the sincerity of a push-up bra.
She didn't fall for the fake out.
Back in college I made extra cash driving a town car.
It always amazed me how quickly passengers forgot they weren't alone.
Whoever was driving Jill Jennings six months ago would have known if she was screwing Douglas.
We are talking about six months ago.
Yeah.
Some things I saw in my rear-view mirror were unforgettable.
Six months ago? That's easy.
Terry Briggs.
You see, some of the clients, they get a driver that they like, they stick with him.
Miss Jennings always requested Briggs.
This Terry Briggs, about 5'10", gray hair, likes to hoist a few? Yeah, that's him.
Jill would have needed a professional to kill Lily Walker.
Terry Briggs used to be a cop.
And her special driver.
Yeah.
The thing about Briggs, has a weakness for the ladies.
Jill Jennings is right up his alley.
Hey, Briggs still work here? No.
We had to can him for driving Miss Jennings off the books.
Yeah.
I know where to find him.
Thanks.
(LAUGHING) You son of a gun, I swear I danced all around the bar when I heard you came back to work with the good guys.
It's been a bumpy landing.
I figured swapping a few war stories might sharpen up the old instincts.
Don't sweat it, buddy.
The skills you got, they don't go away.
Yeah.
You seeing anybody? No.
No.
Yeah, well, maybe.
I I'm hoping it turns into something.
But hell, look at me.
It's not like I'm such a great catch anymore.
Rick, it's a shame we lost touch.
Yeah, it's got to be five years.
You know, I was shocked when I heard you retired.
I figured they'd have to drag you kicking and screaming out of there.
Well, they did.
I just retired two years ago.
Yeah.
Where were you hiding? Undercover Vice over around Venice Beach.
Venice Beach? Thought you hated the sun.
Ricky, you talk about a gig.
I had broads coming out of my ears.
Hey, Deb, come on, we're getting a little thirsty over here! Hey, Briggsy, you know what? I think I better go.
Mmm.
Mmm.
No, no, no.
No, no, no, these days, if I don't get a solid eight hours Come on, you wimp.
Briggs spent his last three years on the force working Vice in Venice.
Harry Rice was his confidential informant.
That son of a bitch Briggs killed Lily Walker.
(LAUGHS) You were playing me.
You know, Ricky, oh, man, you always were a scumbag.
You know, nobody ever trusted you.
Nobody.
Screw this.
I don't even know who this, this Lily Walker was.
But you know Jill Jennings.
And you know Harry Rice.
How many people can say that? He's dead by the way.
And what, I killed him, too? No, he blew his own brains out.
But that's what happens when an old friend frames you for murder.
And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you? The king of frame jobs.
This was found in your apartment.
The powder you used to lift Harry's prints and plant them on Lily Walker's car.
In case you forgot, murder for hire makes this a death penalty case.
She didn't pay me.
Not in money, anyway.
Names, dates, places, Terry.
You know the drill.
Back when I started driving Jill, Lily's dirtbag husband kept hitting on her, took advantage of her.
They had an affair.
Yeah.
Lily found out about it.
Dougie said that Jill was hitting on him.
So she blackballed her all over town.
Jill didn't deserve that.
So she begged me to do something.
Spell it out.
She asked me to kill her.
Rick, isn't there something you can do for me? Only if you do something for us.
Hey.
Hey.
BRIGGS: Ordered your favorite.
What's the occasion? What do you think? Celebrating.
What are you talking about? You know what I'm talking about.
Lily.
Okay, fine, don't I at least get a "Attaboy"? What for? Damn it, Jill, don't screw with me.
You know I killed her for you.
You did what? Are you for real? You asked me to do this.
Let go of me.
You stay away from me.
Don't look at me.
Look at him.
He's the murderer.
Miss Jennings.
Miss Jennings.
He's a killer.
He's crazy.
What are you doing here? You're under arrest for murder.
What did that loser tell you? Let's go.
Let's go.
Ricky.
Yeah, I know, Terry.
Come on.
She must have figured he was wired.
She played us.
Or Briggs played you.
You heard the surveillance tape.
She had nothing to do with the murder.
That was a nice performance for the police but our witness says otherwise.
That broken-down buffoon? Do you have anything other than his word that he acted on my client's orders? Beyond the fact that he had no other reason to want to kill a Hollywood stylist? Maybe she stiffed him on a tip.
JILL: Max, stop.
Terry and I were seeing each other.
I ended it a few weeks ago.
He still had feelings.
Maybe he felt sorry for me.
Lily ruined me.
It's true.
I slept with her husband, but he got me drunk and he dragged me to bed and I'm the one who ended up in Los Feliz.
I hated Lily but I never asked Terry to kill her.
Obviously, Briggs thought he could win her back by killing Lily Walker.
Drop the charges against Jill and she'll be more than happy to testify against him.
If that's the best you got, Mr.
Steinberg, we'll see you at the preliminary hearing.
Twenty-five years on the force, I never killed anyone.
But Jill was depressed, so I had to do something.
I love her.
So I did what she asked me.
She told me where Lily was that night and I waited outside on a bicycle.
And then I shot her.
JONAH: Thank you.
During your time with the LAPD, did you know Detective Morales? Yeah, sure.
We worked the same division for a couple years.
Uh-huh.
You two ever go out drinking? Yeah, I went out drinking with all the guys.
Huh.
Isn't it true that three days before you wore a wire to meet my client, you spent four hours with Detective Morales drinking at a bar on Figueroa? I don't know if it was four hours.
Would you like to see the bar tab? Over $100.
The drinking binge during which Morales presented you with a murder case against you.
And as a favor to his old buddy helped him cook up this scheme to entrap and frame my client.
That's not true.
I'm done with this witness.
Your Honor, that's not true.
You can step down, Mr.
Briggs.
STEINBERG: Your Honor, the People have failed to present any evidence implicating my client in the murder.
Other than the testimony of her co-conspirator.
I meant credible evidence, as opposed to an uncorroborated fable cooked up over drinks by two old pals.
Call it the "blue wall.
" Call it having your buddy's back.
Whatever you want to call it, an admitted murderer comes out a winner with a sweetheart plea bargain, while my client, an innocent woman, could end up on trial for her life.
Mr.
Dekker, this boys' night out doesn't sit well with me.
Mr.
Briggs' credibility is at best sketchy.
Without corroboration, his testimony is not probable cause to hold Miss Jennings for trial.
The charges against her are dismissed.
Oh, my God.
A four-hour pub crawl? $120 tab? I see why you didn't mention it in your report.
It was immaterial, Joe.
Briggs and I never discussed the case.
I never brought it up.
Well, next time do me the courtesy of letting me decide what's material.
I don't like being blindsided.
Why didn't you call me for a rebuttal? Would you have called you to the stand? You were pretty hard on him.
Considering the fact that he used to work across the hall, I wasn't hard enough.
Now we have to rebuild this case brick by brick.
I'm not buying revenge as the motive.
What if the motive is Lily's husband? Maybe the affair meant more to Jill than she let on.
I keep playing the what-if game.
What if I hadn't gone to the Four Seasons for drinks? What if I hadn't bumped into Jill? What if I'd told her to go to hell when she suggested we get a room? Lily would still be alive.
The affair was Jill's idea? I was going to end it.
And then Lily found out.
Jill and I were at a restaurant in Tarzana when Lily walked in.
I thought she was going to kill me on the spot.
Jill must have been shocked.
Jill was thrilled that Lily's client was wearing a Jill Jennings sweater.
Who chose the restaurant? Jill did.
Any chance she knew Lily'd be there? I suppose.
She could have easily found out.
Rule number one of the Mistress Handbook, never flaunt your thing in front of the wife.
Unless you want to break up the marriage.
Mmm-hmm.
Except Jill miscalculated.
Lily forgave Douglas.
Yeah, that's the kind of woman I'd like to meet one day.
Of course, it's not evidence that she had Briggs kill Lily.
Briggs could still be just some hopeless romantic who went the extra distance to win the woman he loves.
That's the kind of guy I'd like to meet.
Barry Baitos.
Both Lily and Jill wrote checks weekly to someone named Barry Baitos.
What are you thinking? Briggs testified that Jill told him Lily would be at that dinner party.
If Jill was on the outs with the in crowd, how'd she even know about that party? Lily had a standing appointment with me every Monday night.
She was born with spondylosis, it's an unusually thin vertebra at the L5 level.
So you saw Lily just before she was shot.
Yeah.
She was in a really good place, too.
You know, mentally, I mean.
Katie was starting nursery school, Douglas had closed some big deals.
You also work on Jill Jennings.
Tuesdays.
Lily recommended me to Jill.
She had L5 problems, too.
Car accident when she was a kid.
That Tuesday, did you happen to mention Robbi's party to Jill? I'm very discreet.
And I'm very skeptical.
I have my hands on a blank subpoena.
Would you like me to fill in your name? No need to get so nasty.
Look, yes, I told Jill.
I don't usually speak out of school.
It's just, well, Lily and Jill used to be so close.
Did Lily ever talk to you about Jill and Douglas? Jill and I I got the impression that Lily and Douglas were very tight.
She was really looking forward to going to the party with him that night.
I was supposed to babysit Katie, but if I hadn't been so damn selfish, Douglas would have gone with Lily and none of the horror would have happened.
What do you mean selfish? Oh, that afternoon, out of the blue, I got an invitation to a private showing at Van Cleef.
I'd never been to a private showing.
They even sent a car for me.
Who arranged the invitation? I thought Lily.
She was always doing things like that.
But she said it wasn't her.
I checked with the P.
R.
firm that handled the Van Cleef event, they said that Jill Jennings called and begged them to add Lily's mother to the guest list at the last minute.
Douglas was at home babysitting.
Leaving Lily on her own.
And an easy target for Briggs.
Call the cops.
Time to refile.
Oh, what now? I didn't separate my recyclables? Not to sound like a broken record, but you're under arrest for murder.
We got a new design for you, Miss Jennings.
Orange jumpsuits.
Now they know.
She planned it.
I was telling the truth all along.
Yeah, I hear they're going to put your face on a stamp.
So what is it you wanted to tell me? Does he have to be here? He's my partner, so yeah.
He has to be here.
I'm scared, Ricky.
They're sending me to Pelican Bay after the trial.
Putting me in with the animals.
I just I thought You were a D.
A.
Maybe you could make a phone call.
Twenty-five years on the job! You want to make me beg? I'm ashamed I ever knew you.
You put five bullets into an unarmed woman.
You leave a kid without a mother.
It's time to cowboy up, pal.
She called me on the way home.
She wanted to know if I was having fun at the jewelry show.
And we talked about the baby.
And then she hung up.
And that was the last time I talked to her, the last time I heard her sweet voice.
Thank you very much.
Mrs.
Walker, I am very sorry for your loss.
You now control the trust that Lily set up for your granddaughter.
Isn't that right? Yes.
The trust that pays you a substantial salary.
That's true, but I never wanted it.
How about your son-in-law, Douglas? The trust was made up of assets he was forced to renounce after Lily caught him cheating.
Doesn't he want it back? Objection.
Cause for speculation.
I'll rephrase.
Mrs.
Walker, were you aware if Douglas was unhappy with the way the marital assets had been redistributed? I heard arguments about it, but it Lily and Douglas were very happy together.
That was the important thing.
Since Lily's death, though, has Douglas talked to you about reclaiming those assets from the trust? No.
He can't.
It's all for Katie.
But with your help he could.
Isn't that right? Why would I help him do that? Because that was your agreement, right? What agreement? You went to the jewelry show.
Douglas conspired with Terry Briggs to kill Lily.
In return, you and Douglas would plunder Katie's trust.
No.
That's monstrous.
I would never hurt my daughter.
Never, really? Isn't it true you abused your daughter as a child? No.
I did not You don't remember locking her in a closet so you could go out and party with your friends? Objection.
Relevance! It goes to credibility.
She claims she'd never hurt her daughter.
I'll allow it.
Answer his question.
I had a drug problem a long time ago.
I made mistakes.
I hurt Lily, but I have been clean for 28 years.
After I shot Lily, I rode the bike a few blocks back to my SUV, put the bike in the back, drove home.
I called Jill and told her it was done.
She started crying.
She thanked me.
We decided that it would be best if we didn't see each other until everything blew over.
That was the hardest part.
I really fell for you, baby, I got nobody to blame but me.
I'm sorry.
No more questions.
One moment, Mr.
Steinberg.
Consider the lateness of the hour, court will adjourn until tomorrow and you may cross-examine the witness then.
Everybody wanted Lily Walker dead as an alternate theory of the crime? It's pretty bold.
And compelling.
Steinberg just needs one juror to second-guess this.
And at this point, Briggs is about the only thing between us and a hung jury.
Damn.
Is this your ride? Yeah.
It's my stepfather's.
After he died, Mom couldn't bear to sell it.
Sat in her garage for four years.
Thanks.
(CELL PHONE RINGING) Rubirosa.
What? The guards found him with a shank in his neck.
Apparently, he picked a fight with a banger from La Familia.
Deputy said he didn't even try to defend himself.
Sixth Amendment guarantees my client's right to confront all witnesses against her.
Mr.
Briggs's death has rendered my cross-examination of him impossible.
You cross-examined him at the preliminary hearing.
That cross-examination can be read into evidence.
That is no way for a jury to weigh Briggs' credibility.
They've already heard his self-serving prejudicial testimony.
The only remedy here is a mistrial.
Your Honor, Mr.
Briggs committed what is tantamount to suicide, maybe in an effort to torpedo our case against his former lover.
You cannot allow Miss Jennings to profit from that act.
Mr.
Dekker, I am going to take this under advisement.
Hey, I checked the case law, it's 50-50 the judge will declare a mistrial.
And without Briggs, we can't win a new trial.
How in the world did Steinberg know that Lily's mother had locked her in a closet? I don't know.
Maybe Lily told Jill.
No.
I just talked to Lily's husband.
He didn't even know about it.
He said Lily never spoke about her childhood and doubts that she would have said anything to Jill about it.
I mean, is it possible that they knew each other when they were kids? (SIGHS) I don't see how.
Lily grew up in Glendale.
Jill in Simi Valley.
Have Jill's parents been to any of the court proceedings? That girl's a lot of things, but she's not our daughter.
But she listed you as her parents on her driver's license application 20 years ago.
We took in foster kids.
We couldn't have kids of our own so Jill was with us on and off for eight years.
So Jennings isn't her real name.
No.
It's Gwen.
Gwen Coulter.
We haven't seen her since she was 17.
She ran off.
I can't say I've lost any sleep over it.
She was trouble from day one.
What kind of trouble? Very aggressive.
She never bonded with the other kids.
Tell her about Sister.
Gwen came to us when she was nine.
She had a doll she called Sister.
I walked into her room and she was sticking one of my knitting needles into the doll's eyes.
Look, I don't know what somebody did to that girl.
We couldn't fix it.
STEINBERG: Fifteen years? You got to be kidding.
Without Briggs, you have no case.
No, there's enough circumstantial evidence to connect the dots without him.
The dots say Briggs killed Lily Walker.
They don't say my client hired him to do it.
Right.
Question of motive.
STEINBERG: She lost a fashion contract.
I think a jury will see that's hardly a motive for murder.
Hmm.
You might be right.
Thank you for coming in, Mrs.
Walker.
We wanted the victim's family to sign off on the deal before we finalize a plea bargain.
Well, I'm sorry they wasted your time, Mrs.
Walker, because we're not taking any deal.
Can I get you a pillow, Miss Jennings? I can see your back is acting up again.
I have a friend who has spondylosis, too.
She can't sit for more than 15 minutes.
That's not what I have.
I had a car accident when I was a teenager.
Of course.
What would be the odds that you and Lily Walker would share the same congenital defect? Maybe my back hurts because a certain lawyer won't get off it.
You know, about that car accident, Miss Jennings, I spoke with your parents, David and Ellie Jennings in Simi Valley.
They don't remember you being in any car accident.
Well, they just forgot.
It wasn't a big accident.
No, a parent wouldn't forget.
A foster parent, maybe.
And with all the kids that came in and out of the Jennings' home over the years, well CONNIE: You were nine when you were first placed in their home.
Oh, my God.
Gwennie? Gwennie.
That's not my name.
It is.
It's you.
Your eyes.
Oh, Gwennie.
Gwen Coulter.
That was your name.
Isn't that right? Yes.
Henry Coulter was Lily and Gwennie's dad.
When Mrs.
Walker was smoking crack 28 years ago, she lost custody of her girls.
When she went into court-ordered rehab, Gwen and Lily went into foster care.
Gwen was eight, and Lily was four.
One year later, Mrs.
Walker was clean and she regained custody of her girls, but she only took one, Lily.
She left Gwen in foster care.
I had to.
I I was on my own.
I couldn't take care of two kids.
JONAH: You see a nine-year-old couldn't understand that.
Could she, Miss Jennings? There had to be some other reason.
Lily was prettier, she had brighter eyes or a bigger smile No, that wasn't it.
Lily was younger.
She was still a baby.
She was helpless.
JONAH: But it wasn't fair.
You were the firstborn and Lily stole your mother from you.
If you could have, you would have stabbed her bright eyes out with a knitting needle right then and there.
But you had to wait 25 years.
And by then Lily had a perfect life, perfect husband, perfect daughter.
While your life was filled with struggle and failed relationships.
CONNIE: Lily must have been thrilled to find her long-Iost sister.
Why didn't you girls tell me? She didn't want anyone to know because you had a plan to wreck Lily's perfect life.
Isn't that right? You slept with Lily's husband and made sure she found out.
The venom must have been boiling in your veins when their marriage survived.
And that's when you turned to Briggs.
Did you tell him to make sure that he put two bullets in your sister's face? God.
Gwennie, your own sister? How could you? How could I? How could you? That first foster home they put us in, every night, Lily would crawl into my bed with me and I'd put my arm around her while she cried herself to sleep.
I'd tell her, "Mommy will be better soon.
"She'll come out of the hospital and she will come get us "and our lives will be the best.
" And then our big day finally came.
They told us Mommy was getting out of the hospital.
Our foster mom made us chocolate chip pancakes.
The other kids wanted some, but they were just for us.
It was our special day because we were going home with Mommy.
Why didn't you pick me? Why? Gwennie, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
She took 15-to-life.
It's on me.
Is that an apology? My dad used to say an apology was the best way to get the last word, so if that's what this is, Counselor, screw you.
(LAUGHING) Make it another round.
These are their stories.
That's two hours of my life I'll never get back.
All this party chitchat just drives me up a wall.
You're a mom now.
You have more important things in your life.
(CHUCKLES) So guess who's wearing a million dollars' worth of diamonds on her wrist? Well, aren't you la-di-da? You know, this'll go another hour or so.
Why don't you come down? Sorry, Mom.
You're on your own.
I'll call you tomorrow.
Love you.
Love you, too, baby.
(POP SONG PLAYING ON RADIO) (GUN COCKING) RICARDO: No shells anywhere.
The shooter probably used a revolver, but we have a witness who saw a white male on a bicycle.
No wallet or purse.
Car was in her name, Lily Walker, celebrity stylist.
She picked out clothes for the A-listers.
I'm impressed.
With you.
Don't buy his BS.
He had no idea who Lily Walker was.
On the other hand, I haven't missed an issue of W in 10 years.
So I'll assume the bullets came from this direction.
What do you got for me? Lifted a hand print off the window.
Suspect probably braced himself on the car when he fired.
We're running it.
Counselor.
Got a hit on the print.
And the winner is Harry Rice.
Currently on parole.
Last known address, Venice.
Strike one, armed robbery, strike two, assault.
Strike three, Lily Walker.
Harry Rice! Police! Stop! LAPD, put your hands on your head! I ain't going back in! Hands on your head, Harry! Gun! What's the record for closing a robbery-homicide? I wouldn't polish the trophy just yet.
Look at this.
Stitches.
They look fresh.
He got them done this afternoon.
So why didn't they show up on the prints on Lily's car? Somebody's playing games.
(CHATTER ON POLICE SCANNER) Latent confirmed.
The print on the car is Harry's.
And Lily Walker was killed by a.
38.
Same caliber Harry was packing.
And we've got the bicycle.
Maybe the killer used that to roll up on Ms.
Walker.
Everything points to Harry.
Except the stitches on his thumb didn't show up on the handprint.
And this, fingerprint powder.
Somebody's been here dusting for prints.
Maybe they had found a print right here.
See, Harry used to stand here smoking, checking out the action in the alleyway.
Somebody could have lifted a print and transferred it to the car.
Meaning Harry was just a patsy.
Meaning this was a professional hit.
Very professional.
How am I supposed to tell our daughter? She's only two.
How do you explain that Do you know where your wife was going last night? She was on her way back from a dinner party at Robbi Nathan's.
She's a publicist.
She didn't even want to go.
Robbi insisted.
You weren't invited? I stayed home with Kate.
Our full-time nanny quit a few months ago and the new girl leaves at 5:00.
Who knew Lily would be at the party? Um, well, Robbi, obviously, and um Greta, Lily's assistant.
I I don't know.
I have to get home.
My mother-in-law is alone with my daughter.
she's a complete wreck.
ROBBl: One of our mutual clients was having an issue with Lily and I thought a little dinner party might provide a neutral ground to work out their differences.
RICARDO: Who's the client? Khloe Kardashian.
And what was the issue? Oh, Khloe wouldn't say.
Give me a few times and I can set up an appointment with her.
We set up our own appointments.
This helps me forget.
You should try it.
I hear it helps with anger, too.
I loved Lily.
No offense, but you had us fooled.
It's called acting.
So what was your beef with her last night? Lily dressed me in an Alexander Emery gown for the Golden Globes.
The dress made my ass look like a pancake.
That's hard to believe.
The Golden Globes were, what, three months ago? Why wait until last night to bring it up? Well, I heard a rumor that Emery paid her to put me in his clothes.
Paid as in kickbacks? Lily used to dress me in Jill Jennings.
Like a peach, Detective.
Then, out of nowhere, she puts me in this hack, Emery.
What did Lily say? She denied it.
I just hate that we left each other angry.
All right, thank you.
Thanks.
Alexander Emery.
If he was paying Lily kickbacks, he can't be thrilled our boxing beauty there stopped wearing his clothes.
Do you have any idea how many mansions in Malibu have been built on the bad taste and insecurities of actors? Sounds like you don't particularly care for the profession.
Stylists are glorified gatekeepers.
And they don't let you pass through the gates without paying a toll? Cost of doing business.
You're admitting you paid Lily under the table? Lily? No way.
My business was with Greta the goon.
Lily's assistant.
I figured one shot of Khloe on the red carpet wearing an original Alexander Emery would keep the country club mamas buying my designs for at least a year.
How much did you pay her? Ten thousand.
Why wouldn't I try to keep Lily's clients? I've been here for five years.
Her clients love me.
I'm good, you know? Well, you're certainly a self-starter.
Taking kickbacks from Alexander Emery.
So what? Truth is Lily is the only stylist I know who wasn't taking money.
So if she found out that you were, you might lose your job, might get blacklisted? It's one thing to take kickbacks, another to get caught doing it.
I didn't hurt Lily.
I swear.
I was just trying to put away some money.
I thought Lily was going out of business.
What makes you say that? Lily used to live large.
Big vacations, expensive restaurants, condo in Hawaii.
But six months ago, that all stopped.
She sold the condo, stopped the vacations, the dinners out.
That's the first we've heard of any problems.
You sure? Ask her business manager.
He'll know.
When she fired the live-in nanny, I figured it was code blue.
TJ: Her business was good.
(CHUCKLES) Business was great.
Here, see for yourself.
Look at that year to date.
Makes you wet, no? All to tell some spoiled brats what gatkes to wear.
Her assistant told us she was cutting back on vacations, dining out.
Yeah, to spend time with her kid.
Lily had a good head on her shoulders.
I'm going to miss making her laugh.
What's this? "Lily Walker Styles?" Uh, six months ago we converted the partnership into a corporation, just a different way of skinning the same cat.
Except all the shares of the new corporation are in Lily's name.
Her husband didn't buy it? He did not.
He's a broker of commercial real estate.
I don't represent him, but I assume he's doing okay.
Why would you assume that? Because around the same time he waived all his marital rights to Lily's assets, her corporation, and her bank accounts, securities, house in Brentwood.
All in her name.
Ah, excuse me.
Kay, listen Putting all assets in her name? It sounds like she was worried he was going to spring a divorce on her.
He told us the live-in nanny quit.
But Lily's assistant said that Lily fired her.
Did you know that nanny is Swedish for "Daddy gets lucky"? Maybe Lily caught him cheating, forced him to put everything in her name so that if he divorces her, he gets nothing.
On the other hand, a few well-placed bullets and he gets everything.
We let the nanny go because our daughter was getting too attached to her.
We asked because about that time you waived all rights to Lily's money.
Why wouldn't I? She'd earned it.
That's a refreshing attitude, but our boss would point out that as the surviving spouse, you get all that money back.
Are you accusing me of murder? Our boss would say you have motive.
You tell your boss that Lily put everything in a trust for Katie and she named her mom as trustee.
I got nothing from her death.
Nothing.
They say I should be strong but I'm not strong.
I see Katie, her smile.
I see my daughter.
I'm sorry.
There's no need to apologize, Mrs.
Walker.
We're only here to confirm that Lily named you as trustee to Katie's trust.
That's right.
Um, I was not always the best mom so it meant the world to me that Lily trusted me to take care of Katie.
Why? Is there a problem? Well, what usually happens is the person names the other spouse as trustee.
Unless there's some sort of marital problem.
Lily and Douglas had a good marriage.
I mean, it was rough going for a while.
That's normal.
But they worked it out.
Rough going maybe six months ago? Around the time Lily fired their nanny? You think Douglas and the nanny If that was true then why would Lily have helped her find a new job with the people next door? She wouldn't have.
(SIGHS) Katie will be waking up from her nap soon and it would really upset her to see strangers here.
If not the nanny then somebody else.
No wife circles the wagons for nothing.
All this from your long experience as a bachelor? I've had a few wives cry on my shoulder.
Yeah, against your better judgment, I'm sure.
What would these wives say about the fact that Lily didn't throw Douglas out when she found he was cheating? I'd say Lily must have thought it was just a one-time thing.
What if the person it mattered to most was Douglas's jilted lover? Maybe she imagined a future with Douglas.
With Lily out of the way.
The night Lily was killed, Douglas stays home babysitting.
Maybe Lily kept him away from parties with her clients for a reason.
Maybe his fling was with one of her clients.
Clients like Khloe Kardashian.
Khloe was right.
Jill Jennings' clothes did make her butt look like a peach.
Well, makes you wonder why Lily switched to another designer.
Five months ago, around the time Lily moved her assets.
Dozens of articles about Lily and Jill Jennings.
"Lily and Jill once known as the combo made in fashion heaven "have officially descended into hell.
"The fallout is blamed for declining sales at Jill Jennings' showcase store "in Beverly Hills.
" A catfight.
Sounds promising.
Hell? What a load.
Lily was good for me.
I was good for Lily.
And after a year we moved on.
And you moved out of your Beverly Hills store to here.
Did Lily bad-mouth you? At least now I can design the clothes I like and not what some stylist thinks is stylish.
What exactly happened between the two of you? What's it matter? Am I a suspect or something? Lily's husband is.
We believe she discovered he was having an affair six months ago.
She was preparing to divorce him.
And you think the affair was with me? Well, it would explain the falling out.
WOMAN: Sorry, Jill, Mega Limo called.
Your driver's running 10 minutes late.
Limousine.
Old habits die hard, huh? Anyway, Douglas and me, there's not enough bourbon in Kentucky.
If anyone was unfaithful it was Lily.
That girl had all the sincerity of a push-up bra.
She didn't fall for the fake out.
Back in college I made extra cash driving a town car.
It always amazed me how quickly passengers forgot they weren't alone.
Whoever was driving Jill Jennings six months ago would have known if she was screwing Douglas.
We are talking about six months ago.
Yeah.
Some things I saw in my rear-view mirror were unforgettable.
Six months ago? That's easy.
Terry Briggs.
You see, some of the clients, they get a driver that they like, they stick with him.
Miss Jennings always requested Briggs.
This Terry Briggs, about 5'10", gray hair, likes to hoist a few? Yeah, that's him.
Jill would have needed a professional to kill Lily Walker.
Terry Briggs used to be a cop.
And her special driver.
Yeah.
The thing about Briggs, has a weakness for the ladies.
Jill Jennings is right up his alley.
Hey, Briggs still work here? No.
We had to can him for driving Miss Jennings off the books.
Yeah.
I know where to find him.
Thanks.
(LAUGHING) You son of a gun, I swear I danced all around the bar when I heard you came back to work with the good guys.
It's been a bumpy landing.
I figured swapping a few war stories might sharpen up the old instincts.
Don't sweat it, buddy.
The skills you got, they don't go away.
Yeah.
You seeing anybody? No.
No.
Yeah, well, maybe.
I I'm hoping it turns into something.
But hell, look at me.
It's not like I'm such a great catch anymore.
Rick, it's a shame we lost touch.
Yeah, it's got to be five years.
You know, I was shocked when I heard you retired.
I figured they'd have to drag you kicking and screaming out of there.
Well, they did.
I just retired two years ago.
Yeah.
Where were you hiding? Undercover Vice over around Venice Beach.
Venice Beach? Thought you hated the sun.
Ricky, you talk about a gig.
I had broads coming out of my ears.
Hey, Deb, come on, we're getting a little thirsty over here! Hey, Briggsy, you know what? I think I better go.
Mmm.
Mmm.
No, no, no.
No, no, no, these days, if I don't get a solid eight hours Come on, you wimp.
Briggs spent his last three years on the force working Vice in Venice.
Harry Rice was his confidential informant.
That son of a bitch Briggs killed Lily Walker.
(LAUGHS) You were playing me.
You know, Ricky, oh, man, you always were a scumbag.
You know, nobody ever trusted you.
Nobody.
Screw this.
I don't even know who this, this Lily Walker was.
But you know Jill Jennings.
And you know Harry Rice.
How many people can say that? He's dead by the way.
And what, I killed him, too? No, he blew his own brains out.
But that's what happens when an old friend frames you for murder.
And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you? The king of frame jobs.
This was found in your apartment.
The powder you used to lift Harry's prints and plant them on Lily Walker's car.
In case you forgot, murder for hire makes this a death penalty case.
She didn't pay me.
Not in money, anyway.
Names, dates, places, Terry.
You know the drill.
Back when I started driving Jill, Lily's dirtbag husband kept hitting on her, took advantage of her.
They had an affair.
Yeah.
Lily found out about it.
Dougie said that Jill was hitting on him.
So she blackballed her all over town.
Jill didn't deserve that.
So she begged me to do something.
Spell it out.
She asked me to kill her.
Rick, isn't there something you can do for me? Only if you do something for us.
Hey.
Hey.
BRIGGS: Ordered your favorite.
What's the occasion? What do you think? Celebrating.
What are you talking about? You know what I'm talking about.
Lily.
Okay, fine, don't I at least get a "Attaboy"? What for? Damn it, Jill, don't screw with me.
You know I killed her for you.
You did what? Are you for real? You asked me to do this.
Let go of me.
You stay away from me.
Don't look at me.
Look at him.
He's the murderer.
Miss Jennings.
Miss Jennings.
He's a killer.
He's crazy.
What are you doing here? You're under arrest for murder.
What did that loser tell you? Let's go.
Let's go.
Ricky.
Yeah, I know, Terry.
Come on.
She must have figured he was wired.
She played us.
Or Briggs played you.
You heard the surveillance tape.
She had nothing to do with the murder.
That was a nice performance for the police but our witness says otherwise.
That broken-down buffoon? Do you have anything other than his word that he acted on my client's orders? Beyond the fact that he had no other reason to want to kill a Hollywood stylist? Maybe she stiffed him on a tip.
JILL: Max, stop.
Terry and I were seeing each other.
I ended it a few weeks ago.
He still had feelings.
Maybe he felt sorry for me.
Lily ruined me.
It's true.
I slept with her husband, but he got me drunk and he dragged me to bed and I'm the one who ended up in Los Feliz.
I hated Lily but I never asked Terry to kill her.
Obviously, Briggs thought he could win her back by killing Lily Walker.
Drop the charges against Jill and she'll be more than happy to testify against him.
If that's the best you got, Mr.
Steinberg, we'll see you at the preliminary hearing.
Twenty-five years on the force, I never killed anyone.
But Jill was depressed, so I had to do something.
I love her.
So I did what she asked me.
She told me where Lily was that night and I waited outside on a bicycle.
And then I shot her.
JONAH: Thank you.
During your time with the LAPD, did you know Detective Morales? Yeah, sure.
We worked the same division for a couple years.
Uh-huh.
You two ever go out drinking? Yeah, I went out drinking with all the guys.
Huh.
Isn't it true that three days before you wore a wire to meet my client, you spent four hours with Detective Morales drinking at a bar on Figueroa? I don't know if it was four hours.
Would you like to see the bar tab? Over $100.
The drinking binge during which Morales presented you with a murder case against you.
And as a favor to his old buddy helped him cook up this scheme to entrap and frame my client.
That's not true.
I'm done with this witness.
Your Honor, that's not true.
You can step down, Mr.
Briggs.
STEINBERG: Your Honor, the People have failed to present any evidence implicating my client in the murder.
Other than the testimony of her co-conspirator.
I meant credible evidence, as opposed to an uncorroborated fable cooked up over drinks by two old pals.
Call it the "blue wall.
" Call it having your buddy's back.
Whatever you want to call it, an admitted murderer comes out a winner with a sweetheart plea bargain, while my client, an innocent woman, could end up on trial for her life.
Mr.
Dekker, this boys' night out doesn't sit well with me.
Mr.
Briggs' credibility is at best sketchy.
Without corroboration, his testimony is not probable cause to hold Miss Jennings for trial.
The charges against her are dismissed.
Oh, my God.
A four-hour pub crawl? $120 tab? I see why you didn't mention it in your report.
It was immaterial, Joe.
Briggs and I never discussed the case.
I never brought it up.
Well, next time do me the courtesy of letting me decide what's material.
I don't like being blindsided.
Why didn't you call me for a rebuttal? Would you have called you to the stand? You were pretty hard on him.
Considering the fact that he used to work across the hall, I wasn't hard enough.
Now we have to rebuild this case brick by brick.
I'm not buying revenge as the motive.
What if the motive is Lily's husband? Maybe the affair meant more to Jill than she let on.
I keep playing the what-if game.
What if I hadn't gone to the Four Seasons for drinks? What if I hadn't bumped into Jill? What if I'd told her to go to hell when she suggested we get a room? Lily would still be alive.
The affair was Jill's idea? I was going to end it.
And then Lily found out.
Jill and I were at a restaurant in Tarzana when Lily walked in.
I thought she was going to kill me on the spot.
Jill must have been shocked.
Jill was thrilled that Lily's client was wearing a Jill Jennings sweater.
Who chose the restaurant? Jill did.
Any chance she knew Lily'd be there? I suppose.
She could have easily found out.
Rule number one of the Mistress Handbook, never flaunt your thing in front of the wife.
Unless you want to break up the marriage.
Mmm-hmm.
Except Jill miscalculated.
Lily forgave Douglas.
Yeah, that's the kind of woman I'd like to meet one day.
Of course, it's not evidence that she had Briggs kill Lily.
Briggs could still be just some hopeless romantic who went the extra distance to win the woman he loves.
That's the kind of guy I'd like to meet.
Barry Baitos.
Both Lily and Jill wrote checks weekly to someone named Barry Baitos.
What are you thinking? Briggs testified that Jill told him Lily would be at that dinner party.
If Jill was on the outs with the in crowd, how'd she even know about that party? Lily had a standing appointment with me every Monday night.
She was born with spondylosis, it's an unusually thin vertebra at the L5 level.
So you saw Lily just before she was shot.
Yeah.
She was in a really good place, too.
You know, mentally, I mean.
Katie was starting nursery school, Douglas had closed some big deals.
You also work on Jill Jennings.
Tuesdays.
Lily recommended me to Jill.
She had L5 problems, too.
Car accident when she was a kid.
That Tuesday, did you happen to mention Robbi's party to Jill? I'm very discreet.
And I'm very skeptical.
I have my hands on a blank subpoena.
Would you like me to fill in your name? No need to get so nasty.
Look, yes, I told Jill.
I don't usually speak out of school.
It's just, well, Lily and Jill used to be so close.
Did Lily ever talk to you about Jill and Douglas? Jill and I I got the impression that Lily and Douglas were very tight.
She was really looking forward to going to the party with him that night.
I was supposed to babysit Katie, but if I hadn't been so damn selfish, Douglas would have gone with Lily and none of the horror would have happened.
What do you mean selfish? Oh, that afternoon, out of the blue, I got an invitation to a private showing at Van Cleef.
I'd never been to a private showing.
They even sent a car for me.
Who arranged the invitation? I thought Lily.
She was always doing things like that.
But she said it wasn't her.
I checked with the P.
R.
firm that handled the Van Cleef event, they said that Jill Jennings called and begged them to add Lily's mother to the guest list at the last minute.
Douglas was at home babysitting.
Leaving Lily on her own.
And an easy target for Briggs.
Call the cops.
Time to refile.
Oh, what now? I didn't separate my recyclables? Not to sound like a broken record, but you're under arrest for murder.
We got a new design for you, Miss Jennings.
Orange jumpsuits.
Now they know.
She planned it.
I was telling the truth all along.
Yeah, I hear they're going to put your face on a stamp.
So what is it you wanted to tell me? Does he have to be here? He's my partner, so yeah.
He has to be here.
I'm scared, Ricky.
They're sending me to Pelican Bay after the trial.
Putting me in with the animals.
I just I thought You were a D.
A.
Maybe you could make a phone call.
Twenty-five years on the job! You want to make me beg? I'm ashamed I ever knew you.
You put five bullets into an unarmed woman.
You leave a kid without a mother.
It's time to cowboy up, pal.
She called me on the way home.
She wanted to know if I was having fun at the jewelry show.
And we talked about the baby.
And then she hung up.
And that was the last time I talked to her, the last time I heard her sweet voice.
Thank you very much.
Mrs.
Walker, I am very sorry for your loss.
You now control the trust that Lily set up for your granddaughter.
Isn't that right? Yes.
The trust that pays you a substantial salary.
That's true, but I never wanted it.
How about your son-in-law, Douglas? The trust was made up of assets he was forced to renounce after Lily caught him cheating.
Doesn't he want it back? Objection.
Cause for speculation.
I'll rephrase.
Mrs.
Walker, were you aware if Douglas was unhappy with the way the marital assets had been redistributed? I heard arguments about it, but it Lily and Douglas were very happy together.
That was the important thing.
Since Lily's death, though, has Douglas talked to you about reclaiming those assets from the trust? No.
He can't.
It's all for Katie.
But with your help he could.
Isn't that right? Why would I help him do that? Because that was your agreement, right? What agreement? You went to the jewelry show.
Douglas conspired with Terry Briggs to kill Lily.
In return, you and Douglas would plunder Katie's trust.
No.
That's monstrous.
I would never hurt my daughter.
Never, really? Isn't it true you abused your daughter as a child? No.
I did not You don't remember locking her in a closet so you could go out and party with your friends? Objection.
Relevance! It goes to credibility.
She claims she'd never hurt her daughter.
I'll allow it.
Answer his question.
I had a drug problem a long time ago.
I made mistakes.
I hurt Lily, but I have been clean for 28 years.
After I shot Lily, I rode the bike a few blocks back to my SUV, put the bike in the back, drove home.
I called Jill and told her it was done.
She started crying.
She thanked me.
We decided that it would be best if we didn't see each other until everything blew over.
That was the hardest part.
I really fell for you, baby, I got nobody to blame but me.
I'm sorry.
No more questions.
One moment, Mr.
Steinberg.
Consider the lateness of the hour, court will adjourn until tomorrow and you may cross-examine the witness then.
Everybody wanted Lily Walker dead as an alternate theory of the crime? It's pretty bold.
And compelling.
Steinberg just needs one juror to second-guess this.
And at this point, Briggs is about the only thing between us and a hung jury.
Damn.
Is this your ride? Yeah.
It's my stepfather's.
After he died, Mom couldn't bear to sell it.
Sat in her garage for four years.
Thanks.
(CELL PHONE RINGING) Rubirosa.
What? The guards found him with a shank in his neck.
Apparently, he picked a fight with a banger from La Familia.
Deputy said he didn't even try to defend himself.
Sixth Amendment guarantees my client's right to confront all witnesses against her.
Mr.
Briggs's death has rendered my cross-examination of him impossible.
You cross-examined him at the preliminary hearing.
That cross-examination can be read into evidence.
That is no way for a jury to weigh Briggs' credibility.
They've already heard his self-serving prejudicial testimony.
The only remedy here is a mistrial.
Your Honor, Mr.
Briggs committed what is tantamount to suicide, maybe in an effort to torpedo our case against his former lover.
You cannot allow Miss Jennings to profit from that act.
Mr.
Dekker, I am going to take this under advisement.
Hey, I checked the case law, it's 50-50 the judge will declare a mistrial.
And without Briggs, we can't win a new trial.
How in the world did Steinberg know that Lily's mother had locked her in a closet? I don't know.
Maybe Lily told Jill.
No.
I just talked to Lily's husband.
He didn't even know about it.
He said Lily never spoke about her childhood and doubts that she would have said anything to Jill about it.
I mean, is it possible that they knew each other when they were kids? (SIGHS) I don't see how.
Lily grew up in Glendale.
Jill in Simi Valley.
Have Jill's parents been to any of the court proceedings? That girl's a lot of things, but she's not our daughter.
But she listed you as her parents on her driver's license application 20 years ago.
We took in foster kids.
We couldn't have kids of our own so Jill was with us on and off for eight years.
So Jennings isn't her real name.
No.
It's Gwen.
Gwen Coulter.
We haven't seen her since she was 17.
She ran off.
I can't say I've lost any sleep over it.
She was trouble from day one.
What kind of trouble? Very aggressive.
She never bonded with the other kids.
Tell her about Sister.
Gwen came to us when she was nine.
She had a doll she called Sister.
I walked into her room and she was sticking one of my knitting needles into the doll's eyes.
Look, I don't know what somebody did to that girl.
We couldn't fix it.
STEINBERG: Fifteen years? You got to be kidding.
Without Briggs, you have no case.
No, there's enough circumstantial evidence to connect the dots without him.
The dots say Briggs killed Lily Walker.
They don't say my client hired him to do it.
Right.
Question of motive.
STEINBERG: She lost a fashion contract.
I think a jury will see that's hardly a motive for murder.
Hmm.
You might be right.
Thank you for coming in, Mrs.
Walker.
We wanted the victim's family to sign off on the deal before we finalize a plea bargain.
Well, I'm sorry they wasted your time, Mrs.
Walker, because we're not taking any deal.
Can I get you a pillow, Miss Jennings? I can see your back is acting up again.
I have a friend who has spondylosis, too.
She can't sit for more than 15 minutes.
That's not what I have.
I had a car accident when I was a teenager.
Of course.
What would be the odds that you and Lily Walker would share the same congenital defect? Maybe my back hurts because a certain lawyer won't get off it.
You know, about that car accident, Miss Jennings, I spoke with your parents, David and Ellie Jennings in Simi Valley.
They don't remember you being in any car accident.
Well, they just forgot.
It wasn't a big accident.
No, a parent wouldn't forget.
A foster parent, maybe.
And with all the kids that came in and out of the Jennings' home over the years, well CONNIE: You were nine when you were first placed in their home.
Oh, my God.
Gwennie? Gwennie.
That's not my name.
It is.
It's you.
Your eyes.
Oh, Gwennie.
Gwen Coulter.
That was your name.
Isn't that right? Yes.
Henry Coulter was Lily and Gwennie's dad.
When Mrs.
Walker was smoking crack 28 years ago, she lost custody of her girls.
When she went into court-ordered rehab, Gwen and Lily went into foster care.
Gwen was eight, and Lily was four.
One year later, Mrs.
Walker was clean and she regained custody of her girls, but she only took one, Lily.
She left Gwen in foster care.
I had to.
I I was on my own.
I couldn't take care of two kids.
JONAH: You see a nine-year-old couldn't understand that.
Could she, Miss Jennings? There had to be some other reason.
Lily was prettier, she had brighter eyes or a bigger smile No, that wasn't it.
Lily was younger.
She was still a baby.
She was helpless.
JONAH: But it wasn't fair.
You were the firstborn and Lily stole your mother from you.
If you could have, you would have stabbed her bright eyes out with a knitting needle right then and there.
But you had to wait 25 years.
And by then Lily had a perfect life, perfect husband, perfect daughter.
While your life was filled with struggle and failed relationships.
CONNIE: Lily must have been thrilled to find her long-Iost sister.
Why didn't you girls tell me? She didn't want anyone to know because you had a plan to wreck Lily's perfect life.
Isn't that right? You slept with Lily's husband and made sure she found out.
The venom must have been boiling in your veins when their marriage survived.
And that's when you turned to Briggs.
Did you tell him to make sure that he put two bullets in your sister's face? God.
Gwennie, your own sister? How could you? How could I? How could you? That first foster home they put us in, every night, Lily would crawl into my bed with me and I'd put my arm around her while she cried herself to sleep.
I'd tell her, "Mommy will be better soon.
"She'll come out of the hospital and she will come get us "and our lives will be the best.
" And then our big day finally came.
They told us Mommy was getting out of the hospital.
Our foster mom made us chocolate chip pancakes.
The other kids wanted some, but they were just for us.
It was our special day because we were going home with Mommy.
Why didn't you pick me? Why? Gwennie, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
She took 15-to-life.
It's on me.
Is that an apology? My dad used to say an apology was the best way to get the last word, so if that's what this is, Counselor, screw you.
(LAUGHING) Make it another round.