Shark s01e20 Episode Script
Fall From Grace
Please.
Don't.
No, no.
(screaming): No! Sorry I'm late.
9:30 is "Sorry I'm late.
" 10:30 is more like "I was abducted by aliens.
" Meghan and I were studying.
I don't care if you were curing cancer.
Your curfew is 9:00 on a school night, period.
Fine, ground me for another month.
Whatever happened to earning my trust back? I'm trying.
It's an interesting strategy.
(sighs) You're right.
It was inconsiderate.
I apologize.
I'm going to pick you up after school tomorrow.
Why? I have someone I want you to meet.
Dad, I'm busy tomorrow.
I'll be there at 3:00.
(phone ringing) Battered Fathers Anonymous.
Where? STARK: Your evening clearly beat the hell out of mine.
Dinner with friends.
In that dress? Friends with benefits is more like it.
So, who couldn't wait for the elevator? Victor Burke.
He's not on the tenant list.
I.
D.
says he's 29 years old.
He's a computer science professor at California University.
Anybody call his family? Wife's on her way.
Force of impact plus the angle of the fall indicate he fell from somewhere between the tenth and 15th floors.
Ooh, it's not a good way to die, but I don't prosecute suicides, so M.
E.
says some of the bruises and lacerations were inflicted prior to the fall.
Which means Victor probably had help learning how to fly.
Witnesses? LAPD is knocking on doors, but there's a lot of celebrities in the building.
No one wants to talk.
Uh, dead college professor trumps coke stash in theheightstands.
Get warrants if you have to.
(panting) Victor! Oh, God.
STARK: You don't want to see him like this, okay? Victor! Let the M.
E.
take him in, okay? What happened? He fell from one of those balconies.
Are you telling me my husband killed himself? We don't think so.
Then somebody did this? Victor never hurt anyone.
We have a little girl.
(gasping) How am I going to tell her? (sobbing) 20th CENTURY FOX TELEVISION and CBS Not here for the view, Romeo.
Sorry, just reminiscing.
Listen, based on my interviews with Burke's students, he was certainly popular.
MADELEINE: Yeah, the other teachers liked him, too.
Victor started teaching computer science here when he was 26.
A year later they offered him tenure.
Serious overachiever.
So what was an academic whiz kid doing in the trendiest high-rise in L.
A.
? Cops have gone in to half the units.
Nothing yet.
Forensics found black silk fibers under the victim's fingernails.
Could be from the killer's clothing.
Raina, run a tenant list by the victim's wife.
See if she recognizes any names.
Hey, let me guess.
You also want me to snoop around the house, make sure this guy was on the up and up? I love it when you read my mind.
Madeleine, you and I will check out Burke's office.
You find Isaac.
Help the cops get into the rest of those condos.
Even I can't prosecute a crime without a crime scene.
Victor wasn't just a gifted teacher.
He was a good person-- loved his family.
Did he have any personal problems that you're aware of? He was brilliant, but he was really hard on himself, always worried about money.
A tenured professor makes a decent living.
L.
A.
's an expensive place.
Most of us commute from the Valley, but Victor insisted on living in Westwood.
We share this office.
As you can see, organization wasn't his strong suit.
Get permission from the dean to seize his computer.
Good luck accessing Victor's files.
He was a genius with security software.
His teaching assistant said he seemed tired and stressed out.
Like I said, Victor was hard on himself.
You know, if you'll excuse me, I have a class waiting.
Thank you.
He was planning a trip to San Francisco.
That's where his wife's from.
Tell Raina to ask her about it.
Yeah.
Emerald Cuban cigars.
That's kind of pricy for a struggling professor.
Looks like he can afford it.
Oh.
Natalie? I'm sorry, um I'm gong to have to ask you a few personal questions.
Oh, I understand.
Hey, sweetheart, go play with grandma, okay? Okay, there you go.
She's beautiful.
It isn't fair.
She'll barely remember him.
I don't want to pry, but were you and Victor having problems? No.
Victor and I were fine.
There were some money problems.
I quit work after Claudia was diagnosed.
Claudia has a congenital heart defect.
Oh, God.
I'm sorry.
Eventually, she'll need a series of operations.
Victor's insurance would only cover half.
We didn't know where we would get the rest.
Um Here's a list of tenants at the L.
A.
Towers.
Do you recognize anyone? Victor and I didn't exactly hang around with the jet set.
(sighs) Hmm (sniffling) Wait, um, Brandon Cole.
How do you know him? We dated at Stanford.
Luckily, I came to my senses before it was too late.
What do you mean? Brandon went out with my friend Emily after we broke up.
One night he got drunk and he hit her.
I tried to get her to press charges, but she wouldn't.
Did Victor ever meet Brandon? We bumped into him a few times.
Why would Victor go see Brandon? So you know this guy, Brandon? We went to high school together, but we weren't really friends.
We knew the same people, hit the same clubs.
Wow.
Well, he's definitely living large.
Oh, yeah, it helps when your last name's Cole.
As in Decker Cole Pharmaceuticals.
Loaded.
Oh, thank you.
Something went down here.
How about this? Scuff marks on the balcony floor and the railing match Victor's shoes.
This is definitely the crime scene.
Victor knew his wife and Brandon dated.
Do you think something was going on between them? Oh, maybe he came over to confront Brandon, uh, they got into it, and one thing leads to another.
But why would Victor send his wife and kid out of town? Well, if he knew Brandon had a temper, maybe he was protecting them.
You got to have a hell of a temper to throw somebody over a balcony.
Yeah.
Any security cameras? Uh, disconnected.
Manager said celebs in the building are paranoid about pictures of their overnight guests ending up in a tabloid.
Mr.
Cole, my name is Casey Woodland; this is Isaac Wright.
We're from the DA's Office.
Thank you for coming down.
Where the hell is my son? Uh, we were hoping you could tell us.
I haven't seen Brandon in weeks, since his last trip to Vegas.
I can always count on a phone call when the markers come due.
Does your son have a gambling problem? Ask my accountants.
I understand the police are treating this as a homicide.
Is Brandon a suspect? We do need to talk to him.
All he does is hang out in clubs and casinos with that girlfriend of his.
Is this her? Yeah.
Nina something.
Look, my son's got problems.
But he's no murderer.
Dad.
This is a prison.
Somebody's ready for their SATs.
Don't I at least get a trial first? Relax.
There's somebody I want you to meet.
Eric, thanks for taking the time.
I'm made of time.
This is my daughter, Julie.
Julie, this is Eric Barrow.
Eric is serving three consecutive manslaughter sentences.
How old are you? Tell her how you got here, Eric.
Dad, I've seen Scared Straight.
I don't Just listen.
It was a couple of weeks before graduation.
I was partying with my friends.
We borrowed my dad's car.
We were just cruising around, smoking a joint, drinking a few beers, no big deal.
Next thing I know, I'm on the sidewalk.
I killed two people.
Another woman died two days later.
Jail sucks.
Do you know what the worst part is? Remembering how their families looked at me in court.
I'll get out someday, but I'll never get those people's faces out of my head.
We've got APBs out on Brandon Cole from San Francisco to San Diego.
How about the girlfriend? Nina Lange? She's an actress wanna-be club girl.
Let's pass her picture around a few of Brandon's hot spots-- the Standard, the Viceroy.
You're on your own.
I do not do the tragically hip scene.
Suit yourself, but since it's business, I will be expensing all the booze and food, and I know how you love your Cristal.
How many clubs have we been to tonight? I stopped counting.
I, uh, seem to remember something about expensive champagne.
Business before pleasure.
Excuse me, hi.
Have you ever seen these two? My bosses don't want us talking to cops.
Do I look like a cop? They were here a few days ago.
I don't know her name, but everybody knows Brandon.
Did they hang out with regulars when they came in? Actually, they spent most the time over there with the brothers.
I forgot the Lundys own this place.
Our office has investigated those guys for loan-sharking, illegal gambling, racketeering They're not very popular in Vegas either, but their clubs are hot with the Hollywood crowd.
Gentlemen, we're from the District Attorney's Office.
Mind if we ask you a few questions? Our liquor license is up-to-date and we're carding at the door.
We understand you know Brandon Cole and Nina Lange.
Have you seen either of them in the last two days? No.
Why don't you two just get the hell out of here right now? We're investigating a homicide, so you can talk to us here or downtown.
It's your call.
I've got a better idea.
Why don't you talk to our attorney? Nicki Ross.
Is there a problem? We're with the high- profile crime unit.
You work for Sebastian.
My condolences.
Unless you intend to charge my clients with something, they've got nothing to say.
(phone rings) Hello.
Right.
Uh-huh.
Yeah, got it.
Isaac just got a heads up on Brandon's credit card.
He just booked a private plane at the Van Nuys Airport.
Something tells me that flight is about to be canceled.
(indistinct radio communication) Another five minutes and Brandon would've been chomping peanuts at 20,000 feet.
Brandon Cole, I'm Sebastian Stark with the D.
A.
's Office.
You're under arrest for the murder of Victor Burke.
I didn't kill anybody.
Got a gun, cash, some phony I.
D.
's.
The whole O.
J.
Simpson travel kit.
You're going down, Brandon, and I'm gonna make sure you land just as hard as Victor Burke.
I didn't do anything wrong.
Right, the husband of your college sweetheart takes a swan dive off your balcony, your girlfriend's missing, and you make a mad dash for the friendly skies.
You're like a poster boy for a guilty conscience.
Either you killed Victor or you know who did.
Look, I got a problem.
Cards, horses, sports book.
It's not like you need the cash.
It's not about the money.
It's not about the money; it's about the juice, right? Who do you owe? Max and Gavin Lundy.
You travel in dangerous circles.
How did Victor Burke get involved? I was in deep with the Lundys-- 250 large.
I knew that Natalie's husband was some kind of computer genius.
The state hired him to hack into voting machines, see if they could be rigged.
Oh, you figured if he could rig a voting machine, he could do the same with a slot machine? What, say, video poker? Yeah.
(chuckling) And being a genius yourself, you decided to target the Lundys? It worked great at first.
I was almost even, Victor was up serious cash.
Then the brothers caught on.
I'm surprised you're still breathing.
I borrowed 100K from my dad, started paying them back.
These guys, they were still pissed.
They wanted to send a message.
Are you saying the Lundys killed Victor Burke? It had to be them.
Where were you that night? I was meeting with some investors about opening a club.
What happened to your girlfriend? As far as I know, Nina was at the condo that night.
She must have let Victor in.
I guess the Lundys got there first.
Where's Nina now? I don't know.
I can't get in touch with her.
But if she saw what happened that night, those guys aren't big on witnesses.
Your office is engaged in a systematic pattern of harassment against Max and Gavin Lundy.
We're conducting an ongoing investigation, Ms.
Ross, but we've gone out of our way to protect their rights.
Well, two members of your high profile crime unit rousted my clients last night at their place of business.
Nicki Ross, so how's tricks? I take it you two know each other.
We're old friends.
Ms.
Ross was one of my associates at Stark Bell.
Well, I'm a partner now.
Fox, Bender, Dirkin.
Ah! Yeah, I loved stealing clients from those guys.
So the Lundys, huh? Business been slow since they hung Saddam? (chuckles) This coming from a man who made murder a relative term.
You look good, Sebastian.
Slave wages are treating you well.
Yeah, I recently changed my diet.
I stopped swallowing my principles.
Madam District Attorney Sebastian, always a pleasure.
Harass my clients again, our next meeting will be in court.
I'll bring the hors d'oeuvres.
Best associate I ever had.
Totally ruthless.
I was so proud.
I've been investigating the Lundys for two years-- search warrants, wiretaps, surveillance Yeah, that was for illegal gambling and racketeering.
I'm investigating a murder.
I'm just saying you could have maybe given me a head's up.
Fine.
All right, so can Brandon Cole put the brothers at the scene? No, but we're going after the satellite company that runs the Lundys' GPS, see if we can track their movements that night.
citywide elections, the latest poll has District Attorney Jessica Devlin holding a narrow two percentage point lead over challenger Brian Cutler.
Cutler's numbers have surged in recent weeks, despite Devlin's record-high conviction rate.
He's hammering me on the Calison case.
Oh, please, Cutler's the worst trial attorney I've ever seen in my life.
Nobody's going to vote for that hack.
You just heard it.
According to the polls, he's closing in fast.
Not after we nail the Lundys.
Believe me, it's not going to be that easy.
I mean, every time I get these guys in a corner, it's like they know what's coming.
The difference is: this time, I'm what's coming.
In order to make a case against the Lundys, we need to put them at Brandon's condo the night of the murder.
I'll see how long it's going to take Louis to examine Victor's computer.
Good.
Madeleine, pull every file we have in this office on the Lundys.
Casey, where are we with Nina Lange? None of her friends have seen her since the night of the murder.
You guess what I'm thinking? Loud and clear.
If she's alive, I'll find her.
Good.
Uh Didn't you tell me when you were a kid, you used to break into cars? Uh, yeah, yeah, so? So let's see if you haven't lost your touch.
(beeping) (phone buzzing) (sighs) What? RAINA: Hey.
The thing that I wanted to tell you.
The other night really meant a lot to me.
Uh Yeah, yeah, me, too.
Now that you opened up to me like that, I Can we, can we talk about this some other time? Why? Are you sorry it happened? No, I'm kind of in the middle of something right now.
Okay.
Are we, um, are we still on for dinner? Yeah, but I might be a few minutes late.
No problem.
It, um, it just really makes me happy that I feel like I can finally trust you.
Good, good.
(beeping) Bye.
Bye.
(crickets chirping) You cook for me? Spinach lasagna-- nice.
Think of it as the last supper.
(wry laugh) Dad, did you really think I needed to have a heart-to-heart talk with a prisoner? I got a news flash for you: If you weren't lucky enough to be pulled over that night, you could be that prisoner.
Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I feel bad about that? Honestly, I don't know.
It's not like we ever talk anymore.
We do talk, Dad.
Mm.
(stammers) The problem is, you want me to be the perfect daughter that you hung out with on weekends.
Well, I can't be that, okay? I never asked you to be perfect, Julie, just honest.
I know.
I should've called you when I got arrested, but I didn't want to let you down.
You didn't.
You just scared the hell out of me, that's all.
You're all I've got in the world, kiddo.
I want to get past this.
So the lasagna was a peace offering? I'm really sorry about everything.
Mm.
Can we start over? I think we already have.
What about the GPS download? Is it done? It's time coded.
So you can see the Lundys' car leaving their club and moving to the Tower.
In time for Victor Burke's murder.
We got 'em.
In its vendetta against my clients, the DA's Office has finally crossed the line between obsession and criminality.
Is that an argument or a movie trailer? My client's car was broken into, Your Honor.
An illegal search was undertaken by Mr.
Stark's team, and my client's private GPS system was hacked into.
That's a very serious charge.
I'll say; especially since The People have a valid search warrant for the Lundys' vehicle.
Can prosecution produce that document? I thought you'd never ask.
The warrant was requested during an ongoing racketeering investigation against the Lundys.
It's still in full force.
This was obtained over a month ago.
And yet, oddly minty fresh.
There is no time limit on the warrant, Your Honor.
Our search was completely valid.
I have to agree.
Then why break into the car? Why not just ask? Mr.
Stark? We knocked, Judge, nobody was home.
It was a time-sensitive matter; we executed the search.
I respectfully request that Mr.
Stark's petition for an arrest warrant for my clients be denied.
Sorry, Ms.
Ross.
In light of the prosecution's legally-obtained evidence, an arrest warrant for xwell and Gavin Lundy is hereby granted.
Separate counsel, huh? So much for brotherly love.
Let's cut to the chase.
Your case is built on stolen evidence.
You have no witnesses.
Drop the murder charges.
We may not sue for wrongful arrest or malicious prosecution.
Your clients have one chance to tell us what happened to Victor Burke.
Oh, we have no intention of discussing a plea.
Does he talk? Or does he have to sit on your knee with your hand up his ass? You guys may be tough on the strip, but you get up to Tehachapi, the boys are gonna pass you around like a box of Girl Scout cookies.
We're done here.
Just remember, gentlemen, whoever knocks on my door first gets the deal.
Second place is a jail cell for the rest of your life.
One of those guys better roll over.
Well, separate counsel works for us-- divide and conquer.
We go after these guys and lose, Cutler is going to crucify me.
I'm not going to let that happen, Jess.
Anybody's going to crucify you, it's going to be me.
You met Natalie Burke at Stanford.
We dated for a year.
STARK: So, you're a bright guy, Brandon, but you were no wunderkind like Natalie's husband, Victor.
No, Victor was the smartest guy I knew.
How'd you meet? Uh, Natalie introduced us.
But at that point, you owed the defendant somewhere in the neighborhood of a quarter of a million dollars in gambling debts, correct? Yes.
STARK: And you enlisted Victor Burke's help in a scheme to eliminate that debt? I knew that Victor needed money for his daughter, so I convinced him to hack into video poker machines to determine when certain card combinations would hit.
And to whom did those poker machines belong? Max and Gavin Lundy.
Did your plan succeed? At first.
Victor and I were winning big.
Then I got greedy; I pushed it too far.
The defendants figured out that you were cheating them.
Yes.
They threatened to kill me.
I borrowed some money and paid back part of what I owed.
How about Victor? Victor, uh, he wasn't as lucky.
When he couldn't afford to pay the Lundys back, they killed him.
Objection.
Speculation.
Sustained.
No further questions.
Mr.
Cole, you conned Victor into working with you.
No, no, he knew what he was doing.
Well, you knew he had a sick child, and you played on that, correct? I guess.
Your girlfriend Nina Lange was at your condominium the night Victor Burke died.
Do you know where she is now? No.
Did you two break up? No, she she just disappeared.
I've been I've been worried sick about her.
I see.
Do you have a history of violence towards women, Mr.
Cole? Objection.
Relevance? Overruled.
Did you not strike Emily Chapin at Stanford University in 1997? (sighs) Yes.
That was just one time.
Things got out of hand.
Did things get out of hand with Victor Burke? Did you two argue over money? One thing led to another, and you pushed him off the balcony? No.
I wasn't there that night.
I was at a meeting.
And after that, I was going back to the condo To pick up your girlfriend, Nina.
Only she's missing.
Sure hope she's okay.
STARK: How the hell did Ross know about Brandon's history of abuse? She couldn't.
Emily Chapin was the only incident, and she never filed a complaint.
Victor's wife told me about it.
I checked Emily out.
She lives in Berlin now.
Well, there's no way Natalie Burke is feedingnformation to the guys who killed her husband.
Well, somebody sure as hell is.
I should have seen this a mile away.
You think we've got a leak? I don't know, but every time we get close to these two, they're a step ahead.
Well, if there's a leak in this office, the Lundys are the least of our problems.
They could threaten every case in this building.
Thousands of prosecutions.
You ready for some good news? I'm not sure I'd recognize it.
I've got Louis monitoring the Lundys' computer accounts.
Gavin Lundy just got an e-mail from Naughty Nina.
As in Nina Lange.
Ran through a server in 29 Palms, which is right next to Joshua Tree, where this photo was taken.
DEVLIN: All right, so, if Nina Lange is alive, and she saw what happened Break out the sunscreen, you're heading for the desert.
ISAAC: Nina Lange? Who's asking? We're from the L.
A.
District Attorney's Office.
We've been looking everywhere for you.
(laughs) Why? We're concerned with your well-being.
I know Brandon Cole will be relieved to know you're okay.
Oh, yeah? How is he? ISAAC: Well, he's a suspect in a murder investigation, so he's been better.
(sighs) Look, Brandon didn't kill anybody.
How do you know? Because I know Brandon, okay? What's your relationship to Gavin Lundy? Um we just, you know, hang out sometimes.
CASEY: According to your e-mails, you do a lot more than that.
You know, I don't really feel like talking anymore, so I'm going to go.
Uh, you don't have a choice.
Victor Burke is dead, and you're the only one who knows how he got that way.
Please, I really I don't want to get in the middle of this.
You're already there.
I heard Jimmy Radcliffe really likes you.
Ugh! Total Lacrosse dork.
Pass.
He's really cute.
And his parents have a house in Kauai.
This is what I love about you, Danielle-- you are not shallow.
(laughs) Sorry I'm late.
Hey.
I just heard the Thermals are at the Kappa house at SC tonight.
Cute guys, beer.
We are so there.
Julie? I can't.
My dad would have an aneurysm.
Come on! You're allowed to go to parties, right? Yeah.
Did your dad ever specifically say no frat parties? No.
Loophole.
Where did you meet Brandon Cole? In L.
A.
And Brandon's a good guy.
You know, when he's winning.
Let's drop the "when he's winning" part, okay? How long have you and Brandon been together? Uh, about 14 months.
Living together for, like, the last six.
What about Gavin Lundy? (sighs) Look, I want to be an actress, okay? And Brandon said he knew a lot of producers, but he never actually came through.
Well, Gavin did.
(laughing): It's mercenary but honest.
What happened the night Victor Burke was killed? I was, um I was at the condo, and Brandon was out in a meeting.
And then Victor came by freaking out, so I let him in, and I I just told him to wait.
And what did you do then? (anxious sigh) I called Gavin.
I knew that he and Max were looking for Victor, but I never thought that they were going to kill him.
Tell me exactly what you saw.
Um they started arguing.
And I heard Victor say something about going to the police.
And that's when they dragged Victor out onto the balcony.
(muffled crying) What happened, Nina? (anxious breaths) Gavin was holding Victor by the throat, pushing him over the rail.
(sighs) Victor was just begging Gavin to pull him back in.
But he didn't.
Victor was trying to hang on and then he just went over the side.
Gavin was wearing a black sweater that night? Yeah.
Yeah.
And then he gave me some money, and he told me to get out of town.
But (voice breaking): I mean, I swear to God I swear to God, nobody was supposed to die.
Uh, Your Honor, we have just located a witness who was not previously available to us.
We call Nina Lange to the stand.
Your Honor, the defense is concerned that Ms.
Lange's testimony could expose her to criminal liability.
Well, that's touching, but counsel isn't Ms.
Lange's attorney-- the witness has been given immunity.
Yeah, but immunity for federal charges? My clients are under investigation by the U.
S.
Attorney's Office for loan-sharking and bookmaking.
JUDGE: Mr.
Stark, have you secured federal immunity for your witness? I would remind the court that this is not a federal prosecution.
I'd just like to be sure that Mr.
Stark has been completely forthright with his witness.
And I assure the court the witness has been advised of her status.
Better safe than sorry, Mr.
Star Ms.
Lange knowing that the immunity agreement could leave you open to criminal liability in a federal court case, do you still wish to testify? Uh Does-Does that mean that I could actually go to jail? That's exactly what it means.
Oh.
Don't tell me there's not a leak in our office.
We just lost our star witness.
How the hell did Ross get the details of our immunity agreement? She didn't even know Nina was alive.
Nobody's that good except me and God.
You know what? I want you to call Musso & Frank's, make a 9:30 reservation, then call Ross's office, tell her to be there, my treat.
(Stark grunts) You always like the old joints.
Yeah, I only go to the trendy spots to arrest people.
I've got you cold on this one.
Why not dismiss? Save yourself further humiliation.
Sounds like a pretty good idea.
You've become a hell of a lawyer, Nicki.
I had a good teacher.
Manny.
I haven't been here since we celebrated burying those bank documents in the Saltsman case.
Yeah, you left early that night.
I asked you to come with me.
Yeah, I had a wife at home.
Right.
I've remedied that situation.
(Nicki chuckles) Didn't you also have a rule against sleeping with your associates? I did, I did.
But not on moral grounds.
It clouds your judgment, I think.
Gets in the way of winning.
To no longer working together.
Yeah.
(chuckling) Prosecution rests.
Round three in the shower? You got a defibrillator and some nitroglycerin in there? For you (chuckling) Mmm.
(water running) (phone ringing) Tech lab.
STARK: Yeah, I'm here.
What the hell am I looking for? A documents folder.
Files pertaining to your case against the Lundys.
(water running) I'll be damned.
They hacked into our system.
They've been spying on us all along.
Meet at my place in 20 minutes.
NICKI: Sebastian! STARK: Better make it an hour.
STARK: How the hell did Nicki Ross access the district attorney's database? According to Louis, it wasn't Ross.
It was Victor Burke.
So we're saying the victim helped Ross hack into our files.
No.
No, well, in a way.
It wasn't Ross.
He was helping the Lundys.
Wait, come again? Think.
How does a computer whiz pay back two thugs under investigation by the D.
A.
's Office? He hacks into the D.
A.
database so the brothers know exactly what we have on them.
Why didn't Victor just give them the cash we found in his office? Because because he had a sick kid.
Man.
All right, so what are we supposed to do? If opposing counsel wants to hack our files, let's give her something really juicy to steal.
(sighs) You had a late night.
Hope you had fun.
Just work.
I have to tell you something.
Shoot.
I went to a frat party at SC.
Nothing happened.
I didn't even drink.
I just I just wanted you to know.
Full disclosure, right? Okay.
That's it? I just appreciate your being honest.
Hey.
Victor Burke may have hacked into the DA's system for the Lundys, but that doesn't make him an arch criminal.
He was just a desperate father trying to save his child.
I'm guessing, at some point, he realized he was committing a major felony.
Nina said Victor threatened to go to the cops.
Well, maybe that's why he sent his wife and daughter up north, to protect them from Max and Gavin.
The question is, how do we prove it? We don't.
The Lundys do.
Hey, our defendants like to eavesdrop, so "Jessica "heard from Hoffman.
"His client, Gavin Lundy, is prepared "to testify against his brother.
Meeting is at 4:00 to seal the deal.
" You think that's enough to convince Max his brother's rolling on him? There's no honor among thieves.
I give Ross till mm lunch.
(knocking) Mr.
Stark.
Is everything okay, Natalie? I keep hearing awful things about Victor-- people he was involved with.
Is that true? Victor made some mistakes.
He got in over his head, yes.
He was a good man and a great father.
I'm sure he was.
If he was doing anything wrong, it was because he felt he had to.
(phone ringing) I'm sorry.
Yeah.
Got it.
As a matter of fact, your husband may have just helped me put away two really bad guys.
So what's the rush, Nick? I was scheduled for 18 at Rivierra.
My client has decided to discuss a plea.
Anything in particular change your mind? We want full immunity.
Max walks.
We serve Gavin up on a silver platter.
How about this? First degree murder, 20 to life.
And he testifies against his brother.
You've got nothing.
I think we both know that's not true.
Well, I guess we'll take our chances in court.
Fine.
Hey, you're a gambler, right, Max? How about this? How about I bet you your life I can convince 12 people you are a scum-sucking dirtbag? Manslaughter.
He does seven to 12.
But only if we put Gavin away for life.
He's my brother.
I'm not asking.
You roll on him or I roll on you.
Take your pick.
All right.
You've got a deal.
Talk.
I wish I'd never met Victor Burke.
I was willing to forget about the whole video poker scam, but Gavin just wouldn't let it go.
When Victor couldn't pay us back, Gavin came up with a different form of repayment.
What did you ask Victor to do? Hack into the DA's computer.
We wanted to know what they had on us.
And Victor agreed to do this? Trust me, Gavin didn't him much choice.
Cut the crap, Max.
One more outburst and I'll have you removed, Mr.
Lundy.
MAX: Victor was awesome.
Tipped us on a warrant to search the club, the racketeering investigation, everything.
And this settled his debt? And then some.
We started paying him.
Victor needed the money.
We needed him.
Everything was cool.
So what went wrong? Victor got scared.
He knew he'd go away for a long time for what he was doing.
He wanted to be there for his daughter.
He wanted out.
STARK: But you wouldn't let him.
He threatened to close the hole in the firewall, go to the cops.
We couldn't let that happen.
STARK: Now at this point, Victor went to Brandon Cole for help, is that correct? Yeah.
We got a call from Brandon's girlfriend Nina and we headed over there.
So what happened when you got there? Gavin said we were just going to smack him around a little, straighten him out.
Next thing I know, Gavin's got him hanging over the balcony.
I tried pulling him back up, but Gavin was pissed.
Victor was hanging off the side, begging for his life.
And then Gavin just let go.
VICTOR (screaming): No! No more questions.
So should I congratulate you or rather handle that yourself? Admit it, you were worried there for just a second.
Let's just say I wasn't exactly anxious to toss my opponent another big loss to throw in my face.
Oh, our data system has been secured.
Yeah, breaking into the D.
A.
's computer-- what will they think of next? Jealous you never thought of it when you were on the other side? Who says I didn't? Ah-- bugging the opposition.
You're playing with fire, Nicki.
I don't know what you're talking about.
I should be prosecuting you for spying on the D.
A.
's Office.
You slept with opposing counsel and violated my private files.
If I go down, you go down.
I like the sound of that.
No hard feelings? I'll let that one go.
(chuckles) Way too easy.
See you around.
Mr.
Stark.
You ever been to Stan's Donuts? They've got a chocolate cheese Danish that ought to be outlawed.
I looked for you after the trial.
I wanted to thank you.
I know it won't bring Victor back.
No, but at least those animals are paying for what they did.
You might want to take a look at this.
I don't understand.
They found it in Victor's desk.
There's no specific link to the Lundys or any illegal activity.
You might want to shut that.
So as far as the DA's Office is concerned, its discovery was circumstantial.
Mr.
Stark, if this money had anything to do with Natalie this is your money.
Victor wanted you to have this.
Take care of that little girl, huh?
Don't.
No, no.
(screaming): No! Sorry I'm late.
9:30 is "Sorry I'm late.
" 10:30 is more like "I was abducted by aliens.
" Meghan and I were studying.
I don't care if you were curing cancer.
Your curfew is 9:00 on a school night, period.
Fine, ground me for another month.
Whatever happened to earning my trust back? I'm trying.
It's an interesting strategy.
(sighs) You're right.
It was inconsiderate.
I apologize.
I'm going to pick you up after school tomorrow.
Why? I have someone I want you to meet.
Dad, I'm busy tomorrow.
I'll be there at 3:00.
(phone ringing) Battered Fathers Anonymous.
Where? STARK: Your evening clearly beat the hell out of mine.
Dinner with friends.
In that dress? Friends with benefits is more like it.
So, who couldn't wait for the elevator? Victor Burke.
He's not on the tenant list.
I.
D.
says he's 29 years old.
He's a computer science professor at California University.
Anybody call his family? Wife's on her way.
Force of impact plus the angle of the fall indicate he fell from somewhere between the tenth and 15th floors.
Ooh, it's not a good way to die, but I don't prosecute suicides, so M.
E.
says some of the bruises and lacerations were inflicted prior to the fall.
Which means Victor probably had help learning how to fly.
Witnesses? LAPD is knocking on doors, but there's a lot of celebrities in the building.
No one wants to talk.
Uh, dead college professor trumps coke stash in theheightstands.
Get warrants if you have to.
(panting) Victor! Oh, God.
STARK: You don't want to see him like this, okay? Victor! Let the M.
E.
take him in, okay? What happened? He fell from one of those balconies.
Are you telling me my husband killed himself? We don't think so.
Then somebody did this? Victor never hurt anyone.
We have a little girl.
(gasping) How am I going to tell her? (sobbing) 20th CENTURY FOX TELEVISION and CBS Not here for the view, Romeo.
Sorry, just reminiscing.
Listen, based on my interviews with Burke's students, he was certainly popular.
MADELEINE: Yeah, the other teachers liked him, too.
Victor started teaching computer science here when he was 26.
A year later they offered him tenure.
Serious overachiever.
So what was an academic whiz kid doing in the trendiest high-rise in L.
A.
? Cops have gone in to half the units.
Nothing yet.
Forensics found black silk fibers under the victim's fingernails.
Could be from the killer's clothing.
Raina, run a tenant list by the victim's wife.
See if she recognizes any names.
Hey, let me guess.
You also want me to snoop around the house, make sure this guy was on the up and up? I love it when you read my mind.
Madeleine, you and I will check out Burke's office.
You find Isaac.
Help the cops get into the rest of those condos.
Even I can't prosecute a crime without a crime scene.
Victor wasn't just a gifted teacher.
He was a good person-- loved his family.
Did he have any personal problems that you're aware of? He was brilliant, but he was really hard on himself, always worried about money.
A tenured professor makes a decent living.
L.
A.
's an expensive place.
Most of us commute from the Valley, but Victor insisted on living in Westwood.
We share this office.
As you can see, organization wasn't his strong suit.
Get permission from the dean to seize his computer.
Good luck accessing Victor's files.
He was a genius with security software.
His teaching assistant said he seemed tired and stressed out.
Like I said, Victor was hard on himself.
You know, if you'll excuse me, I have a class waiting.
Thank you.
He was planning a trip to San Francisco.
That's where his wife's from.
Tell Raina to ask her about it.
Yeah.
Emerald Cuban cigars.
That's kind of pricy for a struggling professor.
Looks like he can afford it.
Oh.
Natalie? I'm sorry, um I'm gong to have to ask you a few personal questions.
Oh, I understand.
Hey, sweetheart, go play with grandma, okay? Okay, there you go.
She's beautiful.
It isn't fair.
She'll barely remember him.
I don't want to pry, but were you and Victor having problems? No.
Victor and I were fine.
There were some money problems.
I quit work after Claudia was diagnosed.
Claudia has a congenital heart defect.
Oh, God.
I'm sorry.
Eventually, she'll need a series of operations.
Victor's insurance would only cover half.
We didn't know where we would get the rest.
Um Here's a list of tenants at the L.
A.
Towers.
Do you recognize anyone? Victor and I didn't exactly hang around with the jet set.
(sighs) Hmm (sniffling) Wait, um, Brandon Cole.
How do you know him? We dated at Stanford.
Luckily, I came to my senses before it was too late.
What do you mean? Brandon went out with my friend Emily after we broke up.
One night he got drunk and he hit her.
I tried to get her to press charges, but she wouldn't.
Did Victor ever meet Brandon? We bumped into him a few times.
Why would Victor go see Brandon? So you know this guy, Brandon? We went to high school together, but we weren't really friends.
We knew the same people, hit the same clubs.
Wow.
Well, he's definitely living large.
Oh, yeah, it helps when your last name's Cole.
As in Decker Cole Pharmaceuticals.
Loaded.
Oh, thank you.
Something went down here.
How about this? Scuff marks on the balcony floor and the railing match Victor's shoes.
This is definitely the crime scene.
Victor knew his wife and Brandon dated.
Do you think something was going on between them? Oh, maybe he came over to confront Brandon, uh, they got into it, and one thing leads to another.
But why would Victor send his wife and kid out of town? Well, if he knew Brandon had a temper, maybe he was protecting them.
You got to have a hell of a temper to throw somebody over a balcony.
Yeah.
Any security cameras? Uh, disconnected.
Manager said celebs in the building are paranoid about pictures of their overnight guests ending up in a tabloid.
Mr.
Cole, my name is Casey Woodland; this is Isaac Wright.
We're from the DA's Office.
Thank you for coming down.
Where the hell is my son? Uh, we were hoping you could tell us.
I haven't seen Brandon in weeks, since his last trip to Vegas.
I can always count on a phone call when the markers come due.
Does your son have a gambling problem? Ask my accountants.
I understand the police are treating this as a homicide.
Is Brandon a suspect? We do need to talk to him.
All he does is hang out in clubs and casinos with that girlfriend of his.
Is this her? Yeah.
Nina something.
Look, my son's got problems.
But he's no murderer.
Dad.
This is a prison.
Somebody's ready for their SATs.
Don't I at least get a trial first? Relax.
There's somebody I want you to meet.
Eric, thanks for taking the time.
I'm made of time.
This is my daughter, Julie.
Julie, this is Eric Barrow.
Eric is serving three consecutive manslaughter sentences.
How old are you? Tell her how you got here, Eric.
Dad, I've seen Scared Straight.
I don't Just listen.
It was a couple of weeks before graduation.
I was partying with my friends.
We borrowed my dad's car.
We were just cruising around, smoking a joint, drinking a few beers, no big deal.
Next thing I know, I'm on the sidewalk.
I killed two people.
Another woman died two days later.
Jail sucks.
Do you know what the worst part is? Remembering how their families looked at me in court.
I'll get out someday, but I'll never get those people's faces out of my head.
We've got APBs out on Brandon Cole from San Francisco to San Diego.
How about the girlfriend? Nina Lange? She's an actress wanna-be club girl.
Let's pass her picture around a few of Brandon's hot spots-- the Standard, the Viceroy.
You're on your own.
I do not do the tragically hip scene.
Suit yourself, but since it's business, I will be expensing all the booze and food, and I know how you love your Cristal.
How many clubs have we been to tonight? I stopped counting.
I, uh, seem to remember something about expensive champagne.
Business before pleasure.
Excuse me, hi.
Have you ever seen these two? My bosses don't want us talking to cops.
Do I look like a cop? They were here a few days ago.
I don't know her name, but everybody knows Brandon.
Did they hang out with regulars when they came in? Actually, they spent most the time over there with the brothers.
I forgot the Lundys own this place.
Our office has investigated those guys for loan-sharking, illegal gambling, racketeering They're not very popular in Vegas either, but their clubs are hot with the Hollywood crowd.
Gentlemen, we're from the District Attorney's Office.
Mind if we ask you a few questions? Our liquor license is up-to-date and we're carding at the door.
We understand you know Brandon Cole and Nina Lange.
Have you seen either of them in the last two days? No.
Why don't you two just get the hell out of here right now? We're investigating a homicide, so you can talk to us here or downtown.
It's your call.
I've got a better idea.
Why don't you talk to our attorney? Nicki Ross.
Is there a problem? We're with the high- profile crime unit.
You work for Sebastian.
My condolences.
Unless you intend to charge my clients with something, they've got nothing to say.
(phone rings) Hello.
Right.
Uh-huh.
Yeah, got it.
Isaac just got a heads up on Brandon's credit card.
He just booked a private plane at the Van Nuys Airport.
Something tells me that flight is about to be canceled.
(indistinct radio communication) Another five minutes and Brandon would've been chomping peanuts at 20,000 feet.
Brandon Cole, I'm Sebastian Stark with the D.
A.
's Office.
You're under arrest for the murder of Victor Burke.
I didn't kill anybody.
Got a gun, cash, some phony I.
D.
's.
The whole O.
J.
Simpson travel kit.
You're going down, Brandon, and I'm gonna make sure you land just as hard as Victor Burke.
I didn't do anything wrong.
Right, the husband of your college sweetheart takes a swan dive off your balcony, your girlfriend's missing, and you make a mad dash for the friendly skies.
You're like a poster boy for a guilty conscience.
Either you killed Victor or you know who did.
Look, I got a problem.
Cards, horses, sports book.
It's not like you need the cash.
It's not about the money.
It's not about the money; it's about the juice, right? Who do you owe? Max and Gavin Lundy.
You travel in dangerous circles.
How did Victor Burke get involved? I was in deep with the Lundys-- 250 large.
I knew that Natalie's husband was some kind of computer genius.
The state hired him to hack into voting machines, see if they could be rigged.
Oh, you figured if he could rig a voting machine, he could do the same with a slot machine? What, say, video poker? Yeah.
(chuckling) And being a genius yourself, you decided to target the Lundys? It worked great at first.
I was almost even, Victor was up serious cash.
Then the brothers caught on.
I'm surprised you're still breathing.
I borrowed 100K from my dad, started paying them back.
These guys, they were still pissed.
They wanted to send a message.
Are you saying the Lundys killed Victor Burke? It had to be them.
Where were you that night? I was meeting with some investors about opening a club.
What happened to your girlfriend? As far as I know, Nina was at the condo that night.
She must have let Victor in.
I guess the Lundys got there first.
Where's Nina now? I don't know.
I can't get in touch with her.
But if she saw what happened that night, those guys aren't big on witnesses.
Your office is engaged in a systematic pattern of harassment against Max and Gavin Lundy.
We're conducting an ongoing investigation, Ms.
Ross, but we've gone out of our way to protect their rights.
Well, two members of your high profile crime unit rousted my clients last night at their place of business.
Nicki Ross, so how's tricks? I take it you two know each other.
We're old friends.
Ms.
Ross was one of my associates at Stark Bell.
Well, I'm a partner now.
Fox, Bender, Dirkin.
Ah! Yeah, I loved stealing clients from those guys.
So the Lundys, huh? Business been slow since they hung Saddam? (chuckles) This coming from a man who made murder a relative term.
You look good, Sebastian.
Slave wages are treating you well.
Yeah, I recently changed my diet.
I stopped swallowing my principles.
Madam District Attorney Sebastian, always a pleasure.
Harass my clients again, our next meeting will be in court.
I'll bring the hors d'oeuvres.
Best associate I ever had.
Totally ruthless.
I was so proud.
I've been investigating the Lundys for two years-- search warrants, wiretaps, surveillance Yeah, that was for illegal gambling and racketeering.
I'm investigating a murder.
I'm just saying you could have maybe given me a head's up.
Fine.
All right, so can Brandon Cole put the brothers at the scene? No, but we're going after the satellite company that runs the Lundys' GPS, see if we can track their movements that night.
citywide elections, the latest poll has District Attorney Jessica Devlin holding a narrow two percentage point lead over challenger Brian Cutler.
Cutler's numbers have surged in recent weeks, despite Devlin's record-high conviction rate.
He's hammering me on the Calison case.
Oh, please, Cutler's the worst trial attorney I've ever seen in my life.
Nobody's going to vote for that hack.
You just heard it.
According to the polls, he's closing in fast.
Not after we nail the Lundys.
Believe me, it's not going to be that easy.
I mean, every time I get these guys in a corner, it's like they know what's coming.
The difference is: this time, I'm what's coming.
In order to make a case against the Lundys, we need to put them at Brandon's condo the night of the murder.
I'll see how long it's going to take Louis to examine Victor's computer.
Good.
Madeleine, pull every file we have in this office on the Lundys.
Casey, where are we with Nina Lange? None of her friends have seen her since the night of the murder.
You guess what I'm thinking? Loud and clear.
If she's alive, I'll find her.
Good.
Uh Didn't you tell me when you were a kid, you used to break into cars? Uh, yeah, yeah, so? So let's see if you haven't lost your touch.
(beeping) (phone buzzing) (sighs) What? RAINA: Hey.
The thing that I wanted to tell you.
The other night really meant a lot to me.
Uh Yeah, yeah, me, too.
Now that you opened up to me like that, I Can we, can we talk about this some other time? Why? Are you sorry it happened? No, I'm kind of in the middle of something right now.
Okay.
Are we, um, are we still on for dinner? Yeah, but I might be a few minutes late.
No problem.
It, um, it just really makes me happy that I feel like I can finally trust you.
Good, good.
(beeping) Bye.
Bye.
(crickets chirping) You cook for me? Spinach lasagna-- nice.
Think of it as the last supper.
(wry laugh) Dad, did you really think I needed to have a heart-to-heart talk with a prisoner? I got a news flash for you: If you weren't lucky enough to be pulled over that night, you could be that prisoner.
Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I feel bad about that? Honestly, I don't know.
It's not like we ever talk anymore.
We do talk, Dad.
Mm.
(stammers) The problem is, you want me to be the perfect daughter that you hung out with on weekends.
Well, I can't be that, okay? I never asked you to be perfect, Julie, just honest.
I know.
I should've called you when I got arrested, but I didn't want to let you down.
You didn't.
You just scared the hell out of me, that's all.
You're all I've got in the world, kiddo.
I want to get past this.
So the lasagna was a peace offering? I'm really sorry about everything.
Mm.
Can we start over? I think we already have.
What about the GPS download? Is it done? It's time coded.
So you can see the Lundys' car leaving their club and moving to the Tower.
In time for Victor Burke's murder.
We got 'em.
In its vendetta against my clients, the DA's Office has finally crossed the line between obsession and criminality.
Is that an argument or a movie trailer? My client's car was broken into, Your Honor.
An illegal search was undertaken by Mr.
Stark's team, and my client's private GPS system was hacked into.
That's a very serious charge.
I'll say; especially since The People have a valid search warrant for the Lundys' vehicle.
Can prosecution produce that document? I thought you'd never ask.
The warrant was requested during an ongoing racketeering investigation against the Lundys.
It's still in full force.
This was obtained over a month ago.
And yet, oddly minty fresh.
There is no time limit on the warrant, Your Honor.
Our search was completely valid.
I have to agree.
Then why break into the car? Why not just ask? Mr.
Stark? We knocked, Judge, nobody was home.
It was a time-sensitive matter; we executed the search.
I respectfully request that Mr.
Stark's petition for an arrest warrant for my clients be denied.
Sorry, Ms.
Ross.
In light of the prosecution's legally-obtained evidence, an arrest warrant for xwell and Gavin Lundy is hereby granted.
Separate counsel, huh? So much for brotherly love.
Let's cut to the chase.
Your case is built on stolen evidence.
You have no witnesses.
Drop the murder charges.
We may not sue for wrongful arrest or malicious prosecution.
Your clients have one chance to tell us what happened to Victor Burke.
Oh, we have no intention of discussing a plea.
Does he talk? Or does he have to sit on your knee with your hand up his ass? You guys may be tough on the strip, but you get up to Tehachapi, the boys are gonna pass you around like a box of Girl Scout cookies.
We're done here.
Just remember, gentlemen, whoever knocks on my door first gets the deal.
Second place is a jail cell for the rest of your life.
One of those guys better roll over.
Well, separate counsel works for us-- divide and conquer.
We go after these guys and lose, Cutler is going to crucify me.
I'm not going to let that happen, Jess.
Anybody's going to crucify you, it's going to be me.
You met Natalie Burke at Stanford.
We dated for a year.
STARK: So, you're a bright guy, Brandon, but you were no wunderkind like Natalie's husband, Victor.
No, Victor was the smartest guy I knew.
How'd you meet? Uh, Natalie introduced us.
But at that point, you owed the defendant somewhere in the neighborhood of a quarter of a million dollars in gambling debts, correct? Yes.
STARK: And you enlisted Victor Burke's help in a scheme to eliminate that debt? I knew that Victor needed money for his daughter, so I convinced him to hack into video poker machines to determine when certain card combinations would hit.
And to whom did those poker machines belong? Max and Gavin Lundy.
Did your plan succeed? At first.
Victor and I were winning big.
Then I got greedy; I pushed it too far.
The defendants figured out that you were cheating them.
Yes.
They threatened to kill me.
I borrowed some money and paid back part of what I owed.
How about Victor? Victor, uh, he wasn't as lucky.
When he couldn't afford to pay the Lundys back, they killed him.
Objection.
Speculation.
Sustained.
No further questions.
Mr.
Cole, you conned Victor into working with you.
No, no, he knew what he was doing.
Well, you knew he had a sick child, and you played on that, correct? I guess.
Your girlfriend Nina Lange was at your condominium the night Victor Burke died.
Do you know where she is now? No.
Did you two break up? No, she she just disappeared.
I've been I've been worried sick about her.
I see.
Do you have a history of violence towards women, Mr.
Cole? Objection.
Relevance? Overruled.
Did you not strike Emily Chapin at Stanford University in 1997? (sighs) Yes.
That was just one time.
Things got out of hand.
Did things get out of hand with Victor Burke? Did you two argue over money? One thing led to another, and you pushed him off the balcony? No.
I wasn't there that night.
I was at a meeting.
And after that, I was going back to the condo To pick up your girlfriend, Nina.
Only she's missing.
Sure hope she's okay.
STARK: How the hell did Ross know about Brandon's history of abuse? She couldn't.
Emily Chapin was the only incident, and she never filed a complaint.
Victor's wife told me about it.
I checked Emily out.
She lives in Berlin now.
Well, there's no way Natalie Burke is feedingnformation to the guys who killed her husband.
Well, somebody sure as hell is.
I should have seen this a mile away.
You think we've got a leak? I don't know, but every time we get close to these two, they're a step ahead.
Well, if there's a leak in this office, the Lundys are the least of our problems.
They could threaten every case in this building.
Thousands of prosecutions.
You ready for some good news? I'm not sure I'd recognize it.
I've got Louis monitoring the Lundys' computer accounts.
Gavin Lundy just got an e-mail from Naughty Nina.
As in Nina Lange.
Ran through a server in 29 Palms, which is right next to Joshua Tree, where this photo was taken.
DEVLIN: All right, so, if Nina Lange is alive, and she saw what happened Break out the sunscreen, you're heading for the desert.
ISAAC: Nina Lange? Who's asking? We're from the L.
A.
District Attorney's Office.
We've been looking everywhere for you.
(laughs) Why? We're concerned with your well-being.
I know Brandon Cole will be relieved to know you're okay.
Oh, yeah? How is he? ISAAC: Well, he's a suspect in a murder investigation, so he's been better.
(sighs) Look, Brandon didn't kill anybody.
How do you know? Because I know Brandon, okay? What's your relationship to Gavin Lundy? Um we just, you know, hang out sometimes.
CASEY: According to your e-mails, you do a lot more than that.
You know, I don't really feel like talking anymore, so I'm going to go.
Uh, you don't have a choice.
Victor Burke is dead, and you're the only one who knows how he got that way.
Please, I really I don't want to get in the middle of this.
You're already there.
I heard Jimmy Radcliffe really likes you.
Ugh! Total Lacrosse dork.
Pass.
He's really cute.
And his parents have a house in Kauai.
This is what I love about you, Danielle-- you are not shallow.
(laughs) Sorry I'm late.
Hey.
I just heard the Thermals are at the Kappa house at SC tonight.
Cute guys, beer.
We are so there.
Julie? I can't.
My dad would have an aneurysm.
Come on! You're allowed to go to parties, right? Yeah.
Did your dad ever specifically say no frat parties? No.
Loophole.
Where did you meet Brandon Cole? In L.
A.
And Brandon's a good guy.
You know, when he's winning.
Let's drop the "when he's winning" part, okay? How long have you and Brandon been together? Uh, about 14 months.
Living together for, like, the last six.
What about Gavin Lundy? (sighs) Look, I want to be an actress, okay? And Brandon said he knew a lot of producers, but he never actually came through.
Well, Gavin did.
(laughing): It's mercenary but honest.
What happened the night Victor Burke was killed? I was, um I was at the condo, and Brandon was out in a meeting.
And then Victor came by freaking out, so I let him in, and I I just told him to wait.
And what did you do then? (anxious sigh) I called Gavin.
I knew that he and Max were looking for Victor, but I never thought that they were going to kill him.
Tell me exactly what you saw.
Um they started arguing.
And I heard Victor say something about going to the police.
And that's when they dragged Victor out onto the balcony.
(muffled crying) What happened, Nina? (anxious breaths) Gavin was holding Victor by the throat, pushing him over the rail.
(sighs) Victor was just begging Gavin to pull him back in.
But he didn't.
Victor was trying to hang on and then he just went over the side.
Gavin was wearing a black sweater that night? Yeah.
Yeah.
And then he gave me some money, and he told me to get out of town.
But (voice breaking): I mean, I swear to God I swear to God, nobody was supposed to die.
Uh, Your Honor, we have just located a witness who was not previously available to us.
We call Nina Lange to the stand.
Your Honor, the defense is concerned that Ms.
Lange's testimony could expose her to criminal liability.
Well, that's touching, but counsel isn't Ms.
Lange's attorney-- the witness has been given immunity.
Yeah, but immunity for federal charges? My clients are under investigation by the U.
S.
Attorney's Office for loan-sharking and bookmaking.
JUDGE: Mr.
Stark, have you secured federal immunity for your witness? I would remind the court that this is not a federal prosecution.
I'd just like to be sure that Mr.
Stark has been completely forthright with his witness.
And I assure the court the witness has been advised of her status.
Better safe than sorry, Mr.
Star Ms.
Lange knowing that the immunity agreement could leave you open to criminal liability in a federal court case, do you still wish to testify? Uh Does-Does that mean that I could actually go to jail? That's exactly what it means.
Oh.
Don't tell me there's not a leak in our office.
We just lost our star witness.
How the hell did Ross get the details of our immunity agreement? She didn't even know Nina was alive.
Nobody's that good except me and God.
You know what? I want you to call Musso & Frank's, make a 9:30 reservation, then call Ross's office, tell her to be there, my treat.
(Stark grunts) You always like the old joints.
Yeah, I only go to the trendy spots to arrest people.
I've got you cold on this one.
Why not dismiss? Save yourself further humiliation.
Sounds like a pretty good idea.
You've become a hell of a lawyer, Nicki.
I had a good teacher.
Manny.
I haven't been here since we celebrated burying those bank documents in the Saltsman case.
Yeah, you left early that night.
I asked you to come with me.
Yeah, I had a wife at home.
Right.
I've remedied that situation.
(Nicki chuckles) Didn't you also have a rule against sleeping with your associates? I did, I did.
But not on moral grounds.
It clouds your judgment, I think.
Gets in the way of winning.
To no longer working together.
Yeah.
(chuckling) Prosecution rests.
Round three in the shower? You got a defibrillator and some nitroglycerin in there? For you (chuckling) Mmm.
(water running) (phone ringing) Tech lab.
STARK: Yeah, I'm here.
What the hell am I looking for? A documents folder.
Files pertaining to your case against the Lundys.
(water running) I'll be damned.
They hacked into our system.
They've been spying on us all along.
Meet at my place in 20 minutes.
NICKI: Sebastian! STARK: Better make it an hour.
STARK: How the hell did Nicki Ross access the district attorney's database? According to Louis, it wasn't Ross.
It was Victor Burke.
So we're saying the victim helped Ross hack into our files.
No.
No, well, in a way.
It wasn't Ross.
He was helping the Lundys.
Wait, come again? Think.
How does a computer whiz pay back two thugs under investigation by the D.
A.
's Office? He hacks into the D.
A.
database so the brothers know exactly what we have on them.
Why didn't Victor just give them the cash we found in his office? Because because he had a sick kid.
Man.
All right, so what are we supposed to do? If opposing counsel wants to hack our files, let's give her something really juicy to steal.
(sighs) You had a late night.
Hope you had fun.
Just work.
I have to tell you something.
Shoot.
I went to a frat party at SC.
Nothing happened.
I didn't even drink.
I just I just wanted you to know.
Full disclosure, right? Okay.
That's it? I just appreciate your being honest.
Hey.
Victor Burke may have hacked into the DA's system for the Lundys, but that doesn't make him an arch criminal.
He was just a desperate father trying to save his child.
I'm guessing, at some point, he realized he was committing a major felony.
Nina said Victor threatened to go to the cops.
Well, maybe that's why he sent his wife and daughter up north, to protect them from Max and Gavin.
The question is, how do we prove it? We don't.
The Lundys do.
Hey, our defendants like to eavesdrop, so "Jessica "heard from Hoffman.
"His client, Gavin Lundy, is prepared "to testify against his brother.
Meeting is at 4:00 to seal the deal.
" You think that's enough to convince Max his brother's rolling on him? There's no honor among thieves.
I give Ross till mm lunch.
(knocking) Mr.
Stark.
Is everything okay, Natalie? I keep hearing awful things about Victor-- people he was involved with.
Is that true? Victor made some mistakes.
He got in over his head, yes.
He was a good man and a great father.
I'm sure he was.
If he was doing anything wrong, it was because he felt he had to.
(phone ringing) I'm sorry.
Yeah.
Got it.
As a matter of fact, your husband may have just helped me put away two really bad guys.
So what's the rush, Nick? I was scheduled for 18 at Rivierra.
My client has decided to discuss a plea.
Anything in particular change your mind? We want full immunity.
Max walks.
We serve Gavin up on a silver platter.
How about this? First degree murder, 20 to life.
And he testifies against his brother.
You've got nothing.
I think we both know that's not true.
Well, I guess we'll take our chances in court.
Fine.
Hey, you're a gambler, right, Max? How about this? How about I bet you your life I can convince 12 people you are a scum-sucking dirtbag? Manslaughter.
He does seven to 12.
But only if we put Gavin away for life.
He's my brother.
I'm not asking.
You roll on him or I roll on you.
Take your pick.
All right.
You've got a deal.
Talk.
I wish I'd never met Victor Burke.
I was willing to forget about the whole video poker scam, but Gavin just wouldn't let it go.
When Victor couldn't pay us back, Gavin came up with a different form of repayment.
What did you ask Victor to do? Hack into the DA's computer.
We wanted to know what they had on us.
And Victor agreed to do this? Trust me, Gavin didn't him much choice.
Cut the crap, Max.
One more outburst and I'll have you removed, Mr.
Lundy.
MAX: Victor was awesome.
Tipped us on a warrant to search the club, the racketeering investigation, everything.
And this settled his debt? And then some.
We started paying him.
Victor needed the money.
We needed him.
Everything was cool.
So what went wrong? Victor got scared.
He knew he'd go away for a long time for what he was doing.
He wanted to be there for his daughter.
He wanted out.
STARK: But you wouldn't let him.
He threatened to close the hole in the firewall, go to the cops.
We couldn't let that happen.
STARK: Now at this point, Victor went to Brandon Cole for help, is that correct? Yeah.
We got a call from Brandon's girlfriend Nina and we headed over there.
So what happened when you got there? Gavin said we were just going to smack him around a little, straighten him out.
Next thing I know, Gavin's got him hanging over the balcony.
I tried pulling him back up, but Gavin was pissed.
Victor was hanging off the side, begging for his life.
And then Gavin just let go.
VICTOR (screaming): No! No more questions.
So should I congratulate you or rather handle that yourself? Admit it, you were worried there for just a second.
Let's just say I wasn't exactly anxious to toss my opponent another big loss to throw in my face.
Oh, our data system has been secured.
Yeah, breaking into the D.
A.
's computer-- what will they think of next? Jealous you never thought of it when you were on the other side? Who says I didn't? Ah-- bugging the opposition.
You're playing with fire, Nicki.
I don't know what you're talking about.
I should be prosecuting you for spying on the D.
A.
's Office.
You slept with opposing counsel and violated my private files.
If I go down, you go down.
I like the sound of that.
No hard feelings? I'll let that one go.
(chuckles) Way too easy.
See you around.
Mr.
Stark.
You ever been to Stan's Donuts? They've got a chocolate cheese Danish that ought to be outlawed.
I looked for you after the trial.
I wanted to thank you.
I know it won't bring Victor back.
No, but at least those animals are paying for what they did.
You might want to take a look at this.
I don't understand.
They found it in Victor's desk.
There's no specific link to the Lundys or any illegal activity.
You might want to shut that.
So as far as the DA's Office is concerned, its discovery was circumstantial.
Mr.
Stark, if this money had anything to do with Natalie this is your money.
Victor wanted you to have this.
Take care of that little girl, huh?