The Firm (2012) s01e15 Episode Script

Previously on The Firm Mitch took the drive.
I don't know where, and neither does she.
And since you don't know where to find the drive, I don't need you anymore.
Let's make a deal.
At 2100 hours, you will drive to Dulles Airport Access Road and you will wait for further instructions.
I don't care about the drive, I just want Abby.
McDeere's wife doesn't know where the drive is.
How do you know? Let's just say we asked her in a way that encouraged the truth.
You tortured her - Stack? - I told you to come alone.
You're under arrest as a material witness in an FBI investigation.
If a judge rules he's not a material witness, the FBI have no right to search the drive.
Then get McDeere out, and get us that drive.
Cuff yourselves.
I've known Abby longer than I've known my own wife.
You just find Abby.
- You're in federal custody.
- Not anymore.
I got out, and we got the drive.
I'll tell you what we're gonna do - No, hey, you listen to me! Meet me at the park near Grace Church on the south side of the street.
It's the only option we have at this point.
Wait 'til we make contact.
When I give the order, drive her in.
- Do you have the drive? - Where's Abby? Close.
You know, I have to say I underestimated what you and your family are capable of.
When Sarah violated protocol, asked the court to assign her a lawyer, I guess it was bad luck for both of us.
You win, Stack.
I just want my wife back.
It's not about winning, it's about shifting the balance.
I don't give a damn about your mission.
Show me my wife, or I will walk away right now.
You know, we're not too different, you and I.
We make choices everyday - which client to fight for which ones you can't save - You and I are nothing alike.
- Don't be too sure.
It's easy to think of me as a monster.
Killing.
People can't look past it.
That's something you learn to get over as a soldier; People die.
And no amount of wasted money or tears can stop it.
Drive her in.
- I need to see her.
- Not possible.
You chose this place, I can't drag her out in front of everyone.
When I get the drive, my men in the car will walk away.
How do I know that that's Abby? How do I know it's the real drive? It seems we've come to the point where we're just going to have to trust each other.
Excuse me Uh, I like your camera.
I've been thinking about getting one of those.
You should.
You mind if I take a look? Sure.
Great, thanks.
My people won't be patient much longer.
Do we have a deal? Thank you.
Where are you going? McDeere! You do not want to test me! - What happened? - It's not her.
What - how do you know? Because I can see it wasn't her wedding ring.
It's not her.
It's a set-up.
Look, are you sure? We're not getting a second chance.
It's not her.
He didn't bring her.
Why wouldn't he bring her? If she was alive, he would have let us see her.
You You don't know that.
She's dead.
He killed her.
He never planned to let us see her.
I have to talk to Claire, I have to see Claire.
I did this.
It's my fault! Hey, you didn't do anything! We were all in this, right from the start! We all go wrapped up in it.
And it's not over yet.
Stack's crazy, and if that wasn't Abby in the car, he's comin' after us now.
Mitch, we can find her.
FBI's gonna help us.
Come on, get in the car.
I don't have the drive.
McDeere wouldn't give it up.
You're a persuasive guy, Kevin.
How's that possible? - He demanded to see his wife.
- And? And I couldn't make that happen.
- The situation went bad.
- Bad how? You know what - don't tell me.
It doesn't matter now.
If McDeere gives the real drive to the feds, nothing we do is going to matter! My thoughts exactly.
But every mission comes to an end.
The safe play now is to eject.
You're leaving? Doesn't have to be alone.
Emotion's not my strong point, Alex, but the truth is, I've come to care about you and what we have.
Kevin I've made arrangements at the airport.
I can have someone pick you up.
I'm sorry, Kevin.
You know how I feel, but my life is here.
My firm The FBI will come at you.
I'm ready for that.
Nothing they have connects to me.
I made sure the trail ends with the other 3 partners that are involved.
I expected as much.
Goodbye, Alex.
Like hell it's over.
This won't be over until you charge him with obstructing justice.
You keep pointing that finger at me, it's going to be obstructing your windpipe.
He's angry, Lewis.
I'm angry.
I went after McDeere to make a point.
We all need to trust the system.
I have zero tolerance for cowboys.
I didn't think I had to make that point to you.
It's his wife, Diane.
The system can take a backseat for a minute.
You hear this? I'm arresting him right now.
It won't stick! I signed the McDeeres out for a debriefing and they overpowered me.
You don't even know where they are.
You don't even know if they're still in the city.
Miss.
Ruckheiser Mitch and Ray McDeere are here to see you.
Here? Yes, ma'am.
They're in the lobby with a nervous Russian.
We didn't get her - Stack still has Abby.
Do you have any idea where he's holding her? Did he give you any clue? We don't even know if she's alive.
Look, you have to help us! There is a drive in there that we got from Stack.
Now on it is information that proves that he's killing Noble Insurance patients.
It's encrypted.
It's military grade.
I got close, but I couldn't access the full key.
Who the hell is this guy? Dimitri Portnoy, a friend from my days at Brushy Mountain.
He's been helping us out.
Unofficially I'm on parole.
I'm not supposed to touch computers.
Wayne, take Mr.
Portnoy and the drive to the techs.
Mr.
Portnoy, if you can speed up our access, I'll personally take care of your parole.
What about Abby? What are you gonna do for her? Mitch we've got most of my people on it.
I'm gonna go see where they're at.
We're ready, Diane.
You have to hear the whole story.
Lewis Coleman.
Marshall Coleman, this is Officer Ford, DC Police.
I'm out in the seventh district.
I'm calling about a woman named Abby McDeere She's been found.
Her body's been found? Oh no, Marshall I mean yes, but not like that.
She's alive.
She was picked up by a passing motorist.
Obviously been through a lot of trauma.
She won't say much.
Seems to be in some kind of shock.
I ran her prints and got an alert to notify you.
Can you put her on, please? I can try.
We're gonna take her to the hospital Get her looked at.
That's when the court appointed Sarah's case to me.
Now she was supposed to call Stack.
But she broke protocol.
Sarah admitted that? We found her! Mitch It's Abby.
- Abby? - Mitch? Oh, God, I thought I lost you.
Are you okay? I love you.
We had to give her a sedative.
She should be fine.
So she's not hurt? It's hard to know what we're dealing with.
There are no apparent injuries, but her anxietal level is so high, it's affecting her vitals.
- Like a panic attack? - Yeah, exhaustion, anxiety I don't know what she went through, but whatever it was, it took an emotional toll.
We'll keep her for now, see how she does.
Thank you.
Not injured.
Yeah, but something happened to her.
And how did she get away? I don't know, I guess we'll figure that out.
Claire Your mom's gonna be okay.
They've just given her something to sleep.
What happened to her? They don't know.
They're gonna keep her here overnight, and just make sure that everything's fine.
So what about the hard drive? Feds have it, they're crackin' it now.
- And Stack? - We left him at Grace Park.
I hear Abby's doing well.
Here it comes.
Here what comes? You always want something, Tarrance.
You don't have to feign interest in Abby.
Just get on with it.
Our techs are cracking the drive.
Dimitri's been a big help, but we could use you there to put the evidence into context.
- How long do you need? - A couple hours.
You'd be back before Abby's up.
Just go, honey.
We'll stay here in case she wakes up.
The agents are with us, and you and Ray should finish it.
It's not gonna be over until Alex and Stack are convicted.
The hard drive contains The first has a formula: patient's name, medical condition, are entered here.
That triggers a number of input fields.
Formal diagnosis, prescriptions Age, family history, prior surgery.
Right, so the first part gives you a clear picture of the patient's condition.
Then it calculates life expectancy.
You can see here, this patient was expected to live for another 17 months.
And that file cross-references with the cost? Stack has been doing the math, seeing who costs the company the most.
Right, then they assign the patient a number.
More money they cost, the higher the number.
And that's how Stack chooses who to kill.
Now, the second file seems to be a database of victims.
They're all Noble patients, all diagnosed with terminal conditions.
- Any patterns? - Not really.
Male, female, as young as 20, as old as 98.
Homes, hospices That's Margaret Whittaker, the woman that Sarah murdered.
Can we see that one? Looks like she was projected to cost the company two million over the next fourteen months.
Wow.
How many victims in total? Well, the hard drive has 117 patients that we can't confirm are dead, Well, the hard drive but it looks that way.
But there are another 46 that were scheduled for termination.
Thanks to you guys, they're now under our protection.
What about the third file on the drive? Those are Stack's people.
Sarah is one of them - Any names? - No, just numbers Probably people Stack knew from his days in the army.
We're that.
And Stack? Alex Clark? Those arrests are happening as we speak.
Before the deposition, let's get emails, texts, everything that predates the contract.
I'm sorry, what exactly is going on here? - Alex Clark? - Yes.
We need you to come with us.
Hands behind your back, please.
What is this about? It's fine, I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding.
One hell of a misunderstanding.
Excuse me You can't - We don't have him.
Track his cell, credit cards, everything! Get his face up at the airports.
What about the flight plan? I don't give a damn.
Just file it.
Where to, Major? Warfield.
We need a private air strip.
I can arrange for the equipment.
Negative, Sergeant.
Everything's arranged.
I've known this day might come for quite a while.
Is the mission over, sir? Are we standing down? Kevin Stack.
The FBI just left your office.
Good thing I wasn't in it.
Hardly a time for jokes.
Can I assume this precious mission of yours is blown? Looks that way.
Then you need to come in.
We need to know what we're dealing with here.
That's not a good idea.
Your judgement, Kevin, as to what constitutes a good idea at this point is worth less than nothing.
Now if you intend to disappear and leave us holding a bag of federal questions, you will at least come in and help us answer them before you go.
You're a smart guy, Allard, you'll think of something.
Oh, I am a smart guy, Kevin.
And a connected one.
Now you either come here now, or we'll come get you.
And whoever we send will not be in as good a mood as I am now.
Where? I'm still at the Washington Hilton, the Presidential suite.
If the feds are looking for me, I'm not walking into the Hilton.
Go in the back.
You'll find a freight elevator just past the massive kitchen.
Next time you threaten me, Allard, I will not be in as good a mood as I am now.
Look at you.
All your power.
You ever fight for anything, Allard? You ever care about anything other than money? Agent Tarrance! You didn't.
If I go down, so do you.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Agent Tarrance, this company will do everything in its power to help your investigation.
Kevin Stack, you're under arrest for the murder of Ah, hell, maybe I should list the people you didn't murder.
It might take less time.
Abby was picked up on the road about 200 yards north.
She must have been making a run for it.
Building's been abandoned for years.
This must be where Stack had her taken for questioning.
So who's this guy? Maybe the guy that was asking the questions.
You think Abby did this? We'll have to ask.
You know what this is for Not something you see everyday.
Waterboarding a civilian - A schoolteacher.
Yeah, well, Stack's military.
His guys are ex-army.
They did waterboard tests on CIA operatives.
The average agent could only hold back the truth for 16 seconds.
My God.
Can you just imagine what she went through? Hey How you doing? I'm right here.
Everyone's here.
Claire? She's just down the hall with Ray and Tammy.
We've been rotating.
We didn't want you to get overwhelmed.
I'm I'm okay.
I'm so sorry, Abby.
You want to tell me what happened? Where you were? What they did to you? It's okay, you don't have to talk about it.
You can tell me when you're ready.
Stack? He's been arrested.
It's over, Abby.
The feds, they have the drive.
They know everything.
Andrew's dead.
The police found his body in the river.
What about Alex? She was also arrested.
The US Attorney picked her up today at the office.
Good.
It's your choice, Miss.
Clark.
You can continue to deny involvement - You mean tell the truth? And take your chances, but lawyer to lawyer, you have my word: When we prove you guilty, this office will have no mercy for you.
Lawyer to lawyer - Last time I checked, you can prove a case without evidence.
We'll get it.
We arrested Kevin Stack.
He might have a lot to say about the lawyer who failed to keep him out of prison.
Somehow I doubt it.
And I'm innocent, so anything he did say would be a lie.
You knew Kevin Stack was terminating Noble patients.
You knew Sarah Holt was a hired killer.
You pressured Andrew Palmer to bring Mitch McDeere in-house as a way to control Sarah's case.
How does this work, Diane? You just keep listing things you think I did, and then, what - I break down and confess? Here's my confession: I was terribly naive.
Apparently Stack was working with some of my colleagues behind my back.
Andrew Palmer is probably the ringleader.
Our records show that he set up some secret room at the firm for Stack to keep files.
But you knew nothing about that? No.
We preserved those files for your review.
They connect Stack to several other attorneys at Kinross, but not me.
We also found proof of payment made to those lawyers by Noble Insurance.
Very neat and clean.
My office will also send over a log for the those who accessed the room.
Proves I was never inside.
Before his death, Andrew Palmer made it clear that you were helping Kevin Stack.
Really Well, that sounds like What's the word Hearsay.
If you say so.
You're the trial lawyer.
You killed a lot of people, Alex.
Not just Kevin Stack, not just his loyal soldiers.
You.
And you will go down for your part in this.
I'm just getting started.
Shot in the dark here, but I'm guessing Yale law.
That's right.
Makes sense.
You Yalies are so conceptual.
No time for practical realities like facts.
I'm a Georgetown gal.
A bulldog, just like your boss, Frank Shore.
We're old friends.
You don't have enough to charge me and you know it.
Even worse, I know it.
So maybe we can cut the rest of our little chat short.
Hm? You can't release her! I don't want to release her, Mitch, but she's right.
We don't have enough to charge.
I can testify.
To what? She didn't choose which victims to kill, she didn't do the killing.
She is Stack's partner! She is equally responsible, and you know it.
Yeah, I do know that.
And I just told Alex I wouldn't rest until the day I could prove it.
But, sadly, that day is not today.
I'm sorry, I have to go.
This thing is really blowing up.
some attention around here.
Diane, we have to talk about this.
We're arresting 3 other lawyers at Kinross, our agents are picking them up right now.
And they would not help Stack without Alex's blessing.
We'll talk later.
Between Stack, his soldiers, and three lawyers, we have enough to focus on.
They're not charging Alex? Can you change it? Can you convince her? Well, we could try and go over her head You talk to her.
You said Diane was smart.
If there's a way, she'll get on board.
Mitch we cannot let her get away with what she did.
To us.
You going down? There she is.
It's good to see you up.
A few days ago it was you in here.
Did I miss Mitch? Yeah, he went to see Diane Ruckheiser.
She released Alex.
Ray and Tammy are just in the waiting room.
They could fill you in on the gaps, if that's what you need.
No, no.
Actually, I came to see you.
We found the room where you were being held.
So you know what else we found.
And who else we found.
I assume that you did what was necessary to get away.
There won't be an investigation.
It's closed.
Now, the water and the white cloth Were they used? - Yeah.
- I'm so sorry, Abby.
I know guys who've been through that.
And it stayed with them for a long time.
Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe.
Have you told the doctors? Have you told Mitch? You need to tell him.
Not yet.
You can't get out the other side of this without the people that you love.
You need to tell Mitch.
I'll tell him when I'm ready.
You promise me.
Lewis I need to tell him in my own time.
I'm on your side, Mitch.
You may not believe that, but it's true.
Then why don't you start acting like it, Diane.
Alex Clark is guilty.
I don't care if you have sufficient evidence.
The feds hold people all the time without proof! You practically made it an art form! Hey! What is going on with you? I'm fine.
You're not fine.
You're not anything close to fine.
You're a wreck.
You want to pick a fight with me, you can.
Will it change anything? It won't.
You got yourself into a mess, Mitch.
And it's not going away.
So you can stand here and yell at me, or go help your family start moving forward.
Might be easier to yell at you.
I'm sure.
It's okay, Mitch.
Maybe not today But it will be.
Okay, sit here.
We've got a blanket, pillows from upstairs, remote, tissues Fantastic.
Anything you need, just tell me and I'll get it.
Ah, I like this.
I should get sick more often.
I'm sorry, Claire.
It's okay.
So am I.
- For what? - Everything.
We were okay in the program.
I didn't hate it.
Why would you say that? Well, I just mean I know we left because you guys wanted me to have a normal life.
You listen, we left because we all wanted to have a normal life.
You have nothing to feel guilty about, do you hear me? Yeah.
- I like your hair.
- Thanks.
Tammy did it.
Socks I'll get your fuzzy ones.
There you go.
Do you want anything else? I think Claire's got it under control.
How you feeling? I just need to sit here for a while.
You going to Stack's arraignment? I don't have to.
No, you should go.
If you wanted to talk I still don't know what happened.
I told you, we'll talk about it when I'm ready.
I know, but it's just, I Babe, it's me.
What's goin' on? Mitch, I can't help you with this right now.
- What does that mean? - It means It means you should go to the arraignment.
That's what they're investigating.
Today, they'll charge a much lower amount.
Maybe ten or 20.
We also just got notice that the US Attorney may decide to pursue the death penalty.
They won't follow through with it.
They'll offer life without parole to avoid a trial.
Doesn't matter if it's true, Kevin.
It's enough that it's even a possibility.
What now? It doesn't look good.
We knew what would happen if the feds got the drive.
Who do they have? They're putting names to the faces of your people.
They're focused on finding the actual killers.
They also arrested the three partners at Kinross.
But not you.
They tried.
I was ready.
The other partners could talk, put you at the centre.
Just words.
They won't be able to prove the connection.
I'm sorry, Kevin.
I tried to protect you and the company but it just wasn't possible.
That doesn't work for me.
I brought you in to handle this.
And that's what I expect to happen.
I wish I could, but you knew the risk.
Listen to me.
You will figure this out.
You will find a way to get me out of here.
Or what? Or you're going down with the rest of us.
Here's some new information for you, Alex.
I recorded every conversation you and I ever had about this mission of ours.
- That's not true.
- Doesn't matter if it's true.
It's enough that it's even a possibility.
It's conflict for me to represent you.
I'll waive any conflict.
It's worth it to me to have a lawyer so motivated.
Calling CR-12461.
United States vs.
Kevin Stack.
Defendant is charged with 15 counts of murder.
Good afternoon, Your Honour.
We're only charging 15, but the FBI is investigating over 100 suspected killings.
Order.
Quiet! I'm only going to say this once.
If the gallery, including the members of the press, disrupt this process again.
Alex Clark for the defendant.
Waive reading of the rights and charges.
So waived.
Mr.
Stack, how do you plead? Not guilty, Your Honour.
Your Honour, my office is investigating Miss.
Clark's role in this enterprise.
We object to her serving as counsel.
Any conflict's been waived by my client, Your Honour.
And if Diane had anything real, I'd be waiting for my arraignment.
She's right, Miss Ruckheiser, I can't exclude her because you think she's involved.
The defendant is held without bail.
- Any motions? - Yes, Your Honour.
The defence will be moving to suppress the hard drive taken from my client.
On what grounds? On the grounds that it was stolen.
We don't know anything about that.
The drive was provided to us by a private citizen.
- The Fourth Amendment? - The Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable search and seizure by law enforcement.
We're allowed to use evidence turned in by private citizens.
Unless those private citizens are acting as agents of the police.
You met with Mitch McDeere.
He asked you to start an investigation.
You told him to come back with hard evidence.
I never encouraged any illegal activity.
You couldn't get a warrant for the drive, so you instructed him to do what you couldn't do yourself.
Oh, I won't stand here and listen to this.
Your Honour, this man and those loyal to him killed over 100 people.
We are talking about one of the most vile, mass murderers in modern criminal history.
I want a hearing.
My client was almost killed by Mitch McDeere and his brother, a convicted felon.
- Are we done? - We are done.
For today.
But I'm granting the hearing.
Your Honour It's 100 murders, Miss Ruckheiser.
All hinging on one key piece of evidence.
Any judge would look at the circumstances.
If you didn't blow it, you'll be fine.
What the hell did they do to you, Abbs? They wanted the hard drive, and they thought I knew where it was.
And they forced you to tell them? I told them about Dimitri.
But I didn't know where he lived.
I tried to lie, but they do it so that you think you're drowning.
Oh God.
Does Mitch know? Honestly, Tammy, when I see him, the things I want to say to him It's better that I don't.
These things that happen to us, they're not just bad luck.
He looks for them.
He finds them, and then he refuses to walk away.
You really think that? He talks about being a big lawyer, about all that potential being taken away, but he's just scared.
What if he's not that great? Well, this way, he never has to find out.
Big future interrupted again.
Honey, you're angry.
That's understandable.
I'm not just angry, Tammy.
I'm I'm different.
After what happened, it can't be the same.
I'll give you a few minutes.
I have a question.
And you actually think I'm going to answer it? Sarah Holt was protecting your mission.
All those innocent people you killed.
What kind of mission could ever justify that? I'm sorry, Counsellor.
I'm going to hang on to that one.
It's because there was no mission.
Other than whatever crap it is you told Sarah.
All your loyal pack of mental cases.
Bottom line, Stack, you're just a greedy corporate shill - who did it for the money.
- Careful, Mitch.
I'm a man with many friends.
Something Sarah forgot.
You're done.
Why, because I'm in prison? So was Sarah.
And yet, somehow, her cell door opened at just the right time.
What makes you think that can't happen again? Mr.
McDeere, Mitch! The US Attorney credits you for exposing the Noble conspiracy.
Exposing is one thing, proving it is another.
I ran your name through our archives, and there's a mention of a Mitch McDeere ten years ago.
You helped the FBI take out a mob law firm in Memphis.
So what's the deal here, is this what you do? I'm sorry, we need to go.
Alex Clark made a prediction this morning.
She said the hard drive would be suppressed.
Alex Clark isn't known for her stellar judgement.
Are you worried she'll embarrass you on the stand? Mr.
McDeere, is this a possibility? Kevin Stack killed over 100 people.
If he walks out today, the last thing the world should be worried about is my embarrassment.
Uh, excuse me - Mr.
McDeere? My name is Steven Hath.
This is my wife, Meredith.
This is my brother, Ray, and our associate, Tammy Hemphill.
We don't want to keep you.
We just, uh, wanted to say thanks.
Our son Daniel was one of the patients scheduled to be killed by Kevin Stack.
He has leukemia.
We just heard last month.
So thank you.
All of you.
for protecting what little time we have left with our son.
Thank you Please send your son our best.
- So sweet of you, thank you.
- Thank you for saying something.
- Good luck.
- Good luck to you.
You McDeeres, I gotta give it to you.
When you steal a hard drive, you go all out.
I talked to my bosses, they're offering full immunity in exchange for your testimony against Stack and his people.
Though, I have to admit, they had to think about it.
We'll take the deal, Diane.
But forgive us if we don't act like you did us a favour.
It's been hard for you guys.
I get that.
But it won't get any easier in that courtroom.
Mitch nervous? - In a courtroom? - No.
You must be.
I think I remember you saying you've never tried a case in court before.
Not quite.
Never tried a case in front of a jury.
I've done hundreds of hearings.
My cases never seem to last long enough to get to trial.
One of the partners at Kinross, Andrew Palmer, he told us about a secret room at Kinross.
- Objection, hearsay.
- Sustained.
Regardless of how you heard about the room, please tell the court how you obtained the hard drive.
We went to Kinross beforehand to assess the security.
You didn't just go to Kinross.
you and Ray wore a disguise.
Yes.
Because you intended to steal what you knew was private property.
You didn't want to be identified.
Okay, I suppose.
Tell us what was the disguise? I was pretending to be a woman getting a divorce.
Ray was my attorney.
Brilliant.
We needed to get a key to the room, from Kevin Stack.
And so we came up with a way to get access without anybody getting hurt.
You exposed him to peanut oil because you knew he was severely allergic and would be instantly incapacitated.
- For a short while.
- You didn't know that.
He could have gone into anaphylactic shock.
- He could have died.
- That wasn't likely.
You recklessly risked his life to steal that drive.
That's reckless disregard for human life.
If he died, it would be murder.
We had a shot of epinephrine to prevent that.
I'm sorry, I didn't realize - Did you call an ambulance? - No.
No? Care to elaborate on that, Mr.
McDeere? I posed as a paramedic.
I kept my eye on him.
He was never in any danger.
I see.
Did you get a medical degree while you were serving time in prison for manslaughter? - Objection! - Sustained.
I have to say, Miss Ruckheiser the level of deception here is concerning.
I agree, Your Honour, but it doesn't change the fact that law enforcement wasn't involved.
Oh, please.
You met with McDeere.
He asked you for a warrant.
You told him to get it himself.
We've been over this.
Your Honour, you see what this was.
A carefully-plotted and then executed scheme to steal private property that almost killed my client.
True.
But it also exposed him as a killer, so you'll forgive me if I pass on the moral outrage.
Your Honour, it's over I wish that made a difference.
My legal analysis of the search is the same, regardless of the number of victims.
If you suppress the drive, Your Honour, I'd like my client released today.
File that under wishful thinking, Miss Clark.
I'll take the day to consider my ruling.
You'll have my decision in the morning.
Mr.
McDeere what you did saved a lot of lives.
As a human being, I thank you for that.
But as a judge, I'm not sure the law can endorse it.
An early *** in the prosecution of former Noble vice president, Kevin Stack.
Judge Kirzan should take the bench shortly.
Her decision could very possibly end this case before it really begins.
A tough day yesterday on the stand for lawyer Mitchell McDeere and the other government witnesses.
What if we lose? Forget the hard drive Why can't the government make their case another way? They could try, but then they couldn't use any of the evidence they discovered from the hard drive.
Which would be pretty much everything.
Are you sure you don't want to come inside? I'm not ready to see Stack yet.
But Claire and I are just fine out here.
I just wanted us all to be together when we win.
Is there anything more cowardly than hiring someone to kill? Paying someone, or persuading someone to do the unspeakable while you wait for news that it's done? Maybe one thing.
Hiding behind the law.
Hiring some mouthpiece to find a way out.
Making the law and the court your protector.
Let's be clear.
The evidence on this hard drive is staggering.
It proves beyond any doubt that this defendant is evil.
But is it admissible? Miss Ruckheiser's right.
The Fourth Amendment doesn't exclude evidence provided to the government by a private citizen.
But what does that mean? Is there no limit to what a private citizen can do to secure evidence? I don't know where that line gets crossed, but surely, the conduct in this case comes close.
And, more troublingly, was Mr.
McDeere acting as a private citizen when he hatched and executed this dangerous plan? If an average citizen had met with Miss.
Ruckheiser, I might feel differently.
But Mr.
McDeere is far from that.
An experienced lawyer, he knew exactly what Miss Ruckheiser was saying.
Get us evidence.
This court finds that Mr.
McDeere and his associates were, effectively, acting as agents of the government - the disguises, the peanut oil, all of it.
Shocks the conscience of the court.
The hard drive is excluded.
Miss Ruckheiser, I hope it's not all you've got, because, for now, Mr.
Stack is free to go.
Mr.
Stack! Any comments for the press? Mr.
Stack! Mr.
Stack! Mitch a word.
We'll look, but without the drive, we may not have enough to re-charge.
Diane Abby How could this be possible, Lewis? It doesn't have to be like this, Abby.
We can arrest him for what he did to you, but you have to testify.
Stack was there, wasn't he - you saw him give the order.
I saw him doing more than that, [whispers.]
Andrew Wait a minute.
Diane, we need to talk Like I said, I have friends everywhere.
Kevin Stack.
I'm arresting you for the murder of Andrew Palmer.
You can't be serious! Another charge you can't possibly prove.
We'll see.
I have a feeling this one might stick.
We have a witness who saw you give the order.
Let's go.
I didn't know you had a case for Andrew.
I didn't know we had a witness.
Who? Me.