The Firm (2012) s01e16 Episode Script

Previously on The Firm Ah! I'm calling about a woman named Abby McDeere She's been found.
We found the room where you were being held.
Now, the water and the white cloth.
Were they used? Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe.
You need to tell Mitch.
I'll tell him when I'm ready.
We arrested Kevin Stack.
He might have a lot to say about the lawyer who failed to keep him out prison.
I recorded every conversation you and I ever had about this mission of ours.
It's worth it to me to have a lawyer so motivated.
The defence will be moving to suppress the hard drive taken from my client.
- On what grounds? - On the grounds that it was stolen.
The hard drive is excluded; Mr.
Stack is free to go.
You have to testify.
Stack was there, wasn't he? You saw him give the order.
I saw him do more than that.
Kevin Stack, I'm arresting you for the murder of Andrew Palmer.
I didn't know you had a case for Andrew! I didn't know we had a witness.
Who? Me.
It's just different now.
We were young when we got married.
We went to the same high school.
The same college.
Yeah, I get it.
I mean, I met my wife in law school, she was 20, I was 22.
I resent him.
I know that's a crazy thing to say.
You were tortured, Abby.
You're entitled to a little resentment.
He just doesn't stop.
He gets involved in these insane situations and then, instead of walking away - He won't quit.
That's him.
That's what makes him a good lawyer.
I know, Andrew, but good lawyers aren't always good husbands.
What about you? You sat at that kitchen table, strategizing all those nights.
You could have called the feds, told them what you knew - So it's my fault? - I'm just sayin' You're an independent thinker.
Mitch didn't force you to look for the truth.
You wanted to.
But I never meant to push it this far.
But you did.
Hey it's not easy taking responsibility for your own actions.
Who knows better than me? At least you get to live with your choices.
Is that really the time? I'm supposed to get Claire.
MITCH: Abby, are you comin' down? Just a minute, I'm just getting dressed! Judge Kerzan sits at 9:30.
Diane wants to meet with us for a few minutes beforehand.
To prep? Yeah, I think she just wants to go over your direct, make sure that you're ready for Alex's cross.
We could go through it, if you're nervous.
I'm fine.
They'll ask a question, and I'll try to answer it.
It's not really that simple - I don't want to relive it over and over! I understand that, I'm just I'm trying to talk to you, Abby, I'm not really getting how you're handling this.
Well, it's how I'm handling it! You don't get to handle it! And I wish you'd stop trying to handle me.
TAMMY: Yoo-hoo! Hey You guys really shouldn't leave that door unlocked.
Although, the 5 federal agents on the front lawn is a pretty good deterrent.
We gotta go, Judge Kerzan sits at 9.
Nine-thirty.
I gotta get something, I'll be right back.
Everything cool? Yeah, I'm just gonna go start the car.
Okay She okay? I can't I promised her I wasn't gonna say anything, Ray.
She's been through a lot, obviously.
More than seeing Andrew die.
- Stack had her questioned.
- What do you mean exactly? You know that article you showed me a while back, about the techniques they use in the military? That was about waterboarding, Tammy.
Did she say that? You cannot tell Mitch though.
I promised her I wasn't gonna say anything.
What are you talking about? He has to know! She's not ready to have that conversation.
But she's willing to testify in open court? Diane Excuse me.
Thanks for being here.
I wish it was for any other reason.
Ray, would you hang back and give Abby and I a second to talk to Diane? Actually, I was gonna ask you the same thing.
I think I'd rather talk to Diane on my own.
It's probably best to talk one-on-one.
It's all right, I just think the fewer distractions right now, the better.
Yeah, of course.
This way.
I think my wife just called me a distraction.
I spoke to Louis Coleman.
He shared with me the details of what he found in the room where you were being held.
Today's just a probable cause hearing.
All we need to establish is enough to convince the judge to hold Stack for trial.
I will call you to the stand, walk you through the facts I'd like to start with how you were abducted.
Tell me, did you know where they were taking you? I'm gonna need you to answer, Abby.
The court needs verbal responses for the record.
No.
You didn't know, okay.
And the men who grabbed you had you ever seen them before? It's just a probable cause hearing.
I'll be back in the office by noon.
Yeah, I know Diane just sent over the discovery.
No, I'm still waiting my client.
I'll look it over now.
ANDREW: I'm not sure what this has to do with me Her name's Sarah Holt.
She was arrested last night for murder.
The court assigned her case to a local lawyer named Mitch McDeere.
And? Thought you might recognize the name.
Solo practice? Married with a daughter? Plays in a basketball league for attorneys? So do I.
Yes, Andrew, now you know why you're here.
Ah, yeah.
I know this guy.
Plays once in a while.
Missed the last game.
Could you talk to him? If you approached him as a friend, would he find that strange? I don't think so.
- Why, you interested in his case? - Yes.
I need your help, Andrew, and, in return, I'll help you.
In fact, I think I may be looking at Kinross and Clark's newest partner.
- How's that sound? - That sounds sounds great.
I bought you that the day we met.
No you didn't.
We knew each other five months before you gave it to me.
That's when I gave it to you.
The first day we met, I knew we would connect.
I assume Abby McDeere intends to testify? Was always a loose end, I just never got to take care of it.
She's a smart woman, Kevin.
She knows what she saw.
This has nothing to do with what she saw.
What matters is what the judge believes she saw.
- And you control it.
- I'll try.
Oh, I know you will.
How did you get that in here? If you're worried about me getting into trouble, don't.
You have so many other things to worry about.
STACK: McDeere needs to go.
ALEX: I always thought we could control him.
But you're right.
It's time we end this.
I like you, Alex.
I may even love you.
But if I don't get out of here neither will you.
Your Honour, in light of your ruling excluding the hard drive defence is seeking to limit the scope of this hearing.
- Limit it how? - To the issues at hand.
My client is charged with ordering the murder of Andrew Palmer.
As well as the abduction and torture of Abigail McDeere.
Any testimony should go to those crimes alone.
The contents on that drive, and any conspiracy to murder Noble Insurance patients should be off limits.
I'm with you, Miss Clark.
If the hard drive is out, I'm inclined to keep it out.
- That's a mistake, Your Honour.
- Excuse me? The hard drive establishes motive.
The defendant abducted Mrs McDeere to trade her for that drive.
With all due respect, motive isn't the issue here.
I agree.
Why is not an element of the crimes.
If your witness saw it happen, counsel, you don't need the drive to make your case.
Your Honour, our burden here is low.
And if we don't get a fair hearing, my office will look into why.
Well, that's a first.
I haven't even ruled yet, and already I'm being threatened.
There will be no mention of that hard drive.
Are we clear? Thank you, Your Honour.
We're fine.
But all we have now is Abby.
I hope she's ready.
Abby? They're ready.
You cool in there? The United States call Abigail McDeere to the stand.
Did you know the men who abducted you? No, but I knew their names.
William Herman and Vincent Mercer.
They served with the defendant in Desert Storm.
And those men, they took you to a remote location? It was a warehouse of some kind abandoned.
I had a bag placed over my head.
When that bag was removed, that's when I saw Mr.
Stack in the room.
Who else was there? Another man, a former soldier of Mr Stack's, and Andrew Palmer.
His hands were tied and he was sitting in a chair opposite me.
Mr Stack said he wanted the hard drive.
Objection.
We're not offering the contents, Your Honour, she's testifying to what he said.
I'll allow it.
Andrew said he didn't know where it was.
You know what, Andrew? I believe you.
And since you don't know where to find the drive I don't need you anymore.
No! No! He gave the order.
He nodded to the other man who was there to kill Andrew.
And he did it in front of me.
What happened then? The man, uh He began the process of questioning me about the whereabouts of the drive.
What kind of questioning? He placed a cloth over my nose and mouth and water was poured over it.
My client wasn't there when you were abducted No, but he talked to my husband, and he sent a video link - Objection - Move to strike.
Hearsay.
No video link was ever found or placed into evidence.
Sustained.
You were tortured, waterboarded, that's your testimony? Assuming it even happened, my client wasn't there either, was he? No, he left before that happened.
Are you sure? Are you sure he was ever really even there? If you were tortured, maybe you imagined my client was there.
You were in shock.
He was there before I was tortured.
Can you prove it? Do you really expect us to believe that you had a clear sense of time? I know what I saw.
He gave the order for Andrew to be killed.
The order? By your own admission, he didn't say any words.
You think he nodded his head.
- Do I have that right? - He did.
He wasn't even there, Abby.
You imagined it.
- Objection! - Sustained.
You admit my client didn't pull the trigger.
The other man did.
What exactly happened to this other man? The witness will answer.
I killed him.
I'm sorry, I didn't I didn't get that.
I killed him.
I don't know what you're going through.
I know you're angry, and some of that anger is pointed at me.
Mitch.
I love you.
You know that.
But I don't understand why you felt you couldn't talk to me.
I told you I just couldn't.
But I don't I don't understand what that means, Abby.
It means this is different.
It means that one some level, I blame you for this, for the fact that we are even sitting here right now! But that's not fair.
I don't care, that's how I feel.
And maybe it is fair.
Maybe you need to realize just how fair it is.
- I never asked for this.
- No, but you didn't stop it.
Part of it is me.
I I was there the whole way, I accept that.
I chose to keep pushing to find out the truth but I never should have had to choose.
You kept walking right into all of it! And we went with you because we love you.
I need to go home now.
Can we go home? I called my parents.
As surreal as these last few days have been, I think that was the strangest moment yet.
How did it go? Fine.
I'd like to see them.
Claire has a break coming up.
And I could take her out a few days early.
Okay.
I think she should meet them.
And I could use some time, and Well, I think we both could.
I don't need time, Abby.
What I need is for you to talk to me.
I checked - There's a flight tomorrow afternoon at 3 o'clock.
Tammy could take us to the airport.
How long? A week.
Or more.
I Until I figure a few things out.
Or until Claire can't stand another day of my mother's cooking.
I never thought we would get here, Abb.
You going I'm going.
But I'm not leaving.
Her mother always hated me.
And now Abby is gonna go back there? After all these years, for the big 'I told you so'? You don't know that.
Maybe mother Sutherland's mellowed in her old age.
Yeah, right.
I just don't get it.
She's willing to tell the whole world in open court, but she won't talk to me.
I asked Tammy to stop her, but she wouldn't.
Wait, you knew? Yeah.
You knew, and you let me walk into that courtroom? Tammy told me in confidence.
What about not betraying the confidence of your family? Tammy is family.
Look, why are you trying to make this about me, instead of dealing with the real situation? Meaning what? Abby's leaving you.
She says that she's not.
But you're scared.
I get that.
So what the hell are you doing sitting here with me? She doesn't want to talk to you.
Too bad.
You guys keep telling me, 'Marriage doesn't work that way'.
She holds you responsible.
So you go there.
Wherever she is, you stand there.
And you talk.
And you fix it.
Brilliant.
It might not be brilliant, but it's real.
You know what, big brother? Lesson's over.
You fix your own life.
You're not serious.
Kevin, it's a probable cause hearing.
So? So the defendant doesn't take the stand! Is that the law? It's common sense.
It's basic legal strategy.
If you testify, anything you say could be used against you at trial! If I hand this right, there won't be any trial.
That's naive! The government's burden is very low.
The chances of winning in an outright dismissal right now - Better than you think.
We have a judge who's inclined to see things our way.
We just need to give her enough ammunition so that she rules in our favour.
I'm against this.
Their case is weak.
One wrong word, and you could change that.
You're right.
I should consider that.
Done! Would you like to hear my decision? What the hell is he thinking? I don't know.
He's either deranged, or he thinks he can end this right here.
I know it's unusual for a defendant to testify in this kind of proceeding.
But I did not kill Andrew Palmer, and I wanted you to hear that from me.
Did you know Mr.
Palmer? Yes, he was one of the lawyers who represented Noble.
I liked him very much.
And the charges relating to Abigail McDeere? I can't say much there, except that I wasn't involved.
She's clearly a distraught woman.
I believe she believes I was there, but I wasn't.
Are you enjoying this, Mr.
Stack? You killed all those people - Objection! And here you sit, mocking us all? Sustained! Let's keep it about this case, counsel.
You kidnapped Abby McDeere to trade her for that drive.
You had her taken to a warehouse and tortured.
You can't prove that.
You kill Andrew Palmer.
You gave the order.
Is this where I slip up and confess? Ask him about the SoA.
Why? Why - Because he's too arrogant to deny it.
I have an idea.
Tell me about the SoA.
What about it? It's a group of medics; SoA stands for Staff of Asclepius, the god of medicine Yes, we served together in Desert Storm.
The man who tortured Abby McDeere was SoA.
- Is that right? - We found a tattoo on his arm.
A snake curled around a dagger cutting through a skull.
You have it too, don't you? Yes.
It's called a caduceus.
No.
Caduceus is a fraud.
A mistake.
The army adopted it in error.
One staff, one snake, no wings - That's the sign of the true healers.
And the SoA are true healers? Damn right.
Your Honour, may we approach? Let's go.
Did he just say what I think he said? Yes, Your Honour, he just described himself as a true healer.
He was describing the SoA.
He's a member! He said it just a few seconds ago.
He opened the door, Your Honour.
That's ridiculous.
It's not ridiculous, counsel, it's the law.
If he paints himself as a healer, they can offer up evidence to rebut that claim.
Evidence that includes the contents of that drive.
The client knew the risks Miss Clark.
He thought he was smarter than the room.
Turns out he was wrong.
Pride begets us all in the end.
The hard drive is fair game on rebuttal.
We'll take a recess and pick it up in an hour.
I can't believe you got him to open the door! All you have to do is introduce the contents of the drive! I need your help, we need to go through it.
You can't lose.
No judge can refuse to find probable cause in this record.
Even if he's bought her off, she's stuck.
You okay? Yeah, I'm fine.
It's just My wife's leaving for a flight in an hour.
Any chance you could finish this up without me? Go! Yeah? Yeah! You just saved my ass, do what you need to do.
Jessop, duty cap wants you down on three.
Why? No idea.
Just said take the wheel up here 'til six.
Yeah, sure, okay.
Ray.
Hey, I just got here.
Ray, he's out! Stack is out! I was headed to my car - - What are you talking about? - Listen to me.
Stack is out! We're on the side of the building in the alley.
He's got on some guard's uniform.
Are you sure it's him? Yeah! Well, no Hold on.
Hey, Stack! Is it him? Mitch! Mitch! Major Stack.
Permission to end this.
Not here.
Can't leave him.
Bring him with us.
I just got off with Mitch.
No, that's impossible.
Yeah, he's out.
Mitch said he saw him leave the courthouse dressed as a guard.
What? Come on! What do you know about this? Nothing.
Open the door.
You! Where's the defendant who was in that cell? - Which defendant? - Kevin Stack! Who are you? You weren't here this morning.
I'm Rodham.
I just came on.
There were no defendants on tap when I got here.
You McDeeres just don't know when to quit, do you.
Thought it was you.
I had to know.
Well now you know.
And now your daughter's going to know what it's like to grow up without a father.
Sarah Holt was loyal to you.
She cared about your mission.
You killed her.
Why? You don't know what you're talking about.
I saved Sarah Holt.
When I brought her into this, she was broken, alone.
Thinking about suicide.
She'd been back in the states for over a year.
Long enough for what she'd seen in the field to destroy her marriage.
She thought she was drowning.
My men have all been there.
Your wife knows what that feels like now.
Hello, Sarah.
What happened to the woman I knew? The soldier? How did you find me? I didn't just find you.
I've talked to some of the others.
I'm arranging a meeting.
I need your help, Sarah.
Can you help me? The first meeting was scary for us all, but it was also the beginning of a new mission.
I remember the first time it happened to me.
The first time I saved a man's life.
And regretted it.
It's who we were.
It's what we were expected to do.
We saved them.
But why? We sent them home, but home to what? I was taught You were taught that all human life is sacred, that it must be preserved.
At all cost.
Any cost.
No matter how great, or impossible it was to bear.
Human decency human dignity came second.
Save life.
I don't believe that anymore.
And I don't think you do either.
All human life is not sacred.
There are costs that are too great to bear.
So I'm here to tell you about a new mission.
A new way to restore our sense of purpose.
To be the strong soldiers we once were, and still are.
The true healers.
You think my men are killers.
They're the bravest soldiers I have ever known on the most important mission we will ever encounter.
Once chance.
You've got one chance to tell the truth here.
You know where Stack is.
If he kills McDeere, I will charge you as an accessory, I guarantee it.
I never saw him.
He was gone when I came on duty.
Do you think we're stupid? We ran your name, we know you're ex-army, we know you were never assigned to relieve Officer Jessop.
Ray Anything? He won't talk.
I don't know why, but he's loyal enough that he'll do time for Stack.
Look, here's everything we've got on him so far.
'It's his application for a job as a court officer.
Pay stubs, background on his family We've got every cop, every fed in the district looking for Stack and your brother.
We'll find them.
Thank you.
I'm gonna take mine out to the car.
Sure.
Hey, we're just heading to the airport.
Stack's out - He walked out of the courthouse dressed as a guard.
Oh my god.
Mitch was following him.
Something went wrong, phone went dead.
I can't reach him.
What? How much time? Plane should be here within the hour, sir.
- Any problem with the flight plan? - None.
We filed the manifest, the feds haven't flagged it.
Good.
Get him inside.
That was Louis.
He's got nothing.
Guard won't talk, and nobody's seen him.
Well I called Dimitri, he said he's working on it.
Working on what? Louis is pressing the guard, but he's not gonna talk.
- We can't wait for the feds.
- So what can we do? The guard's name is Rodham, Ray has a file.
He's not gonna betray Stack, unless we give him a reason.
- Like? - We're thinking family.
His job application says he has an ex-wife and a six-year old son.
His son is the beneficiary on his pension.
We have an address for the mom and son.
- So how does that help us? - We don't know yet.
I looked up the address, it's a row-house but it's not registered to the mom's name.
I checked with my credit card connection, he says nobody with the mother's name there gets bills.
So maybe she doesn't have a credit card.
Possibly, but credit cards are hard to avoid unless - Dimitri! You sure? All right, thank you.
So you know how Dimitri works at that bank? He has access to all kinds of tax records.
He says that nobody with that name at that address has filed tax returns in the last five years.
We need to talk to her.
Your flight's gonna leave in an hour.
We're not leaving 'til we know he's okay.
Is this how you imagined it, Kevin? The end of your missions? You running? Forced to leave the country you spent the better years of your life defending? I gotta hand it to you.
You are a great leader.
You found a group of broken men and you gave them a purpose.
To make you rich.
Ugh! I never took a dollar of the money I saved.
That's a lie.
You want to talk about money? Last year, this country spent $55 Billion on the last two months of patients' lives.
You hear me? That's more than we spent on the Department of Homeland Security.
Or Education.
And for what? We didn't save a single one! That money kept them alive.
It bought them time.
Not always.
Americans believe in miracles.
That's our country.
It's in our blood.
Anything is possible.
So we run tests they don't need.
We take drugs that don't work.
We send 25 specialists in to puzzle over a terminal patient.
We're bankrupting the system, and no one cares.
As long as it gives us two more weeks with Grandpa, it's worth it.
This pill cost $300! And it won't work! So what! Take it! Procedure cost 400,000! And you'll probably die on the table! Doesn't matter! Do it! We're all about hope! So that's what this is all about? Waste? What's being wasted is life.
You just can't see it.
STACK: You're not serious.
Global increase.
We're haemorrhaging cash.
Co-pays need to go up.
We can't do this.
Pre-natal care? All those meds? Sir, if pregnant women can't afford the co-pay, they won't get pre-natal care.
And no pre-natal care means dead kids.
Look, I get it, Kevin.
But this is a business.
And we have only so much money to work with.
What about the meds? People need these drugs to live! If we make them unaffordable - Look You want the company to pay for this? Then find us a way to save the money somewhere else.
STACK: Cause and effect, Mitch.
Every dollar we waste stops us from paying for someone to get what they need.
You think I'm a killer.
People who could be living full lives are dying so that we can keep patients who won't last a year alive.
I'm shifting the balance.
You didn't see me? Me? You came out of nowhere! We honked! You honked, we honked! Look, there's some damage there, let's just exchange paperwork and we'll let the insurance companies deal with it.
I'm Tammy Hemphill, that's Ray.
- What's your name? - Cecilia Rodham.
I don't have my license with me.
I can call you.
Yeah, okay.
What about registration? Lemme guess.
The car's not registered under your name? And no insurance Coleman.
Louis, it's Ray.
Cecilia Rodham has no tax return, credit cards, driver's license, insurance, registration.
She's here illegally.
If Rodham goes to jail for helping Stack, the mom gets deported.
That means the son goes into foster care.
That's our leverage.
So Rodham's wife is illegally here.
Are you sure about that? Yeah, I'm sure.
Just play the card, see if he folds.
I'll call you back.
I need to talk to him.
Come in.
Alone.
Warfield Air Strip, hangar 12.
How? Ray McDeere.
Major Stack, your ride's here, sir.
We're fuelling up now.
Half an hour.
We're almost done, sir.
Permission to end this.
Denied.
Every killing since this started was done in service to the mission.
We kill to save.
We end one to save hundreds.
Our mission is over, Sergeant.
So is the killing.
Stand down.
Sir Stand down! I'll meet you outside.
The system may be broken.
But murder? You killed those people.
You can tell yourself whatever you want, Stack, but you're wrong.
My world's not so black and white.
So you think you're God now? I'm a soldier.
I'm doing what every commander on the battlefield does.
Making choices.
Every war requires some sacrifice.
You are not on a battlefield, and this is not a war, but yes, you are a commander.
And what happened to 'no man left behind'? If you leave a man behind enemy lines, you go get him.
You send a platoon to rescue him.
Why? More may die trying to save him.
But you do it.
Because it's not just about numbers.
'America believes in miracles'.
If someone's gonna die, then let's try and save them.
But not by giving up on others.
Yes we believe in miracles.
And that's why every once in a while, we get one.
Drop your weapons! Hands in the air! Let's go, let's go! COLEMAN Kevin Stack, This is the US Federal Marshall Service.
We have the building surrounded.
You come in here I will kill McDeere! Kevin, it's over.
They don't understand.
Nobody'll understand.
I've seen people die.
I've held them, looked into their eyes when the lights went out.
It doesn't end.
The people we've killed We moved them on to what's next.
- Put that down, Kevin.
- Better place Not here.
Not this insanity.
We're healers.
True healers.
Kevin Stack, step out of the building with your hands in the air.
It doesn't end.
Doesn't end.
Doesn't end.
Kevin, listen to me.
Save life? At any cost? Any cost? Why? Because you're afraid of death, but I'm not.
Because I know that death isn't the end.
This This is what you're all so afraid of? Go! Go! Move, move, move! Get in there! Move it!