Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) s02e10 Episode Script
Con-Text
In New York City's war on crime, the worst criminal offenders are pursued by the detectives of the Major Case Squad.
These are their stories.
Jimmy, the flowers were a bad idea.
I shouldn't even be here.
Don't be like that.
There he is.
Ten hours on a bus from Montreal, my roids are screaming blue murder.
Well, welcome home, Mickey.
We need to talk.
Where's your car? In the lot, down by 9th.
Look, you're gonna have to take a cab.
Roseanne, I'm sorry.
What about the USB account? Empty.
They're all, except Trust House and Citibank.
Those I managed to close before he got to them.
I put the money in a safety deposit box.
Son of a bitch! And Dougie did all this by himself? Just don't hurt him.
Mickey, I didn't know it was yours.
Who did you think it belonged to, you worthless twit, Santa Claus? You don't understand.
This is the most important thing in my life.
That money is my life! And I want it back, every penny, or I swear to God, I'll take it out of your hide.
Mmm? You've worked too hard for this.
Maybe I should just give it back.
Baby, you're slipping.
Let me call them.
Look, Doug, we need their help.
Doug's apartment is empty.
Nobody's seen him since yesterday.
His mother'll know where he is.
He called her.
I promised her he wouldn't get hurt.
Seabreeze Motel in Montauk, Room 114.
Excuse me.
You're excused.
Stand up, you son of a bitch! Law & Order CI The old man, Mickey Connelly, owns this place.
His son Jimmy used it as an office when he was out of the country.
The old man was ducking a RICO indictment for bookmaking on the internet.
Yeah, well, his legal troubles are over now.
Got a murder here, suicide there.
He ate the gun.
Cleaning service found them this morning.
Time of death sometime last night.
- Thanks.
- All right.
Can I get a pair of tweezers, please? This must be some of that father-son bonding I've heard so much about.
These cuts were made before he died, but for some reason they were untreated.
I'll be over here while you do that.
It's frosted glass.
He has abrasions delicately around the sides of his mouth.
Well, he was gagged.
Explains why he didn't answer his phone.
He's got voicemail.
The lab can retrieve the messages.
Mickey's passport.
Irish customs entry stamp dated November last year.
Exit stamp dated two weeks ago.
Having fun? I'm listening.
He left Ireland two weeks ago.
Canadian customs stamp, also from two weeks ago.
No US stamp.
Make a note to the ME to check for ocular fluids.
His eyes are dry and irritated.
The mucus is thick.
Could be from sleep deprivation.
And he's dehydrated.
His cuticles have shrunk.
Maybe Junior kept him on ice before killing him.
Except that Junior shows the same signs.
Mickey had to have a damn good reason to come back and risk getting pinched on a fugitive warrant.
How's two million bucks? That's what the DA's always figured he had stashed away somewhere.
Works for me.
The old man found out the kid was skimming from him, they got their Irish up.
I don't think that they got anything up.
The ME found elevated levels of sodium, urea, nitrogen in the eye mucus, kidney and liver enzymes outside the normal range.
Stomach and the bowels empty.
Now, the Connellys, they were starved, sleep deprived, dehydrated.
They sound like POWs.
The ME also found minute traces of duct tape around the ankles and wrists of both men.
The tech's got the code for Mickey's voicemail.
His son's birth date.
It's Roseanne again, calling for Jimmy.
It's been a week.
I need to hear from you.
Just call me.
Roseanne would be Jimmy's wife.
Last Wednesday.
It's a week since she's heard from him.
You think she would've filed a missing persons report.
HOME OF JIMMY AND ROSEANNE CONNELLY HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7 I thought he was away on business.
I didn't even know he was with his father.
You've been camping out in here? Andy fell asleep watching a video.
I didn't wanna move him.
I noticed that your bedrooms, they face the street.
Is it safer back here? You're terrified.
Anybody that has the front to kill Mickey Connelly and his son might just come after you, too.
You knew Jimmy was in trouble.
Maybe you had something to do with it? He called Thursday.
He tried to pretend everything was okay, but I knew better.
Where was he? He was with Mickey.
He said he'd be home soon.
There was some problem, some money was missing.
He called you just to check in? No, he wanted Andy's Social Security number.
He didn't say why.
Your son have a back account? They opened an account for the kid when he was born.
Last month Jimmy got a safe deposit box under the account.
The bank says he emptied the box two days ago.
Two days ago he was dead.
So who emptied the box? We're checking the bank security tapes.
That's him.
We know this guy? These are the left ears of both men.
Same shape.
Similar lobes.
Ear structure patterns run in families.
Especially siblings.
Want some? He'll meet you tomorrow when they break for lunch.
Doug, it's almost over now.
No one can ever tell you what to do again.
His name is Douglas Morgan.
He's Mickey's son by his second ex-wife.
Jimmy's half-brother.
How come we never heard of him? Well, there's no record he's ever been involved in his father's business.
Just a couple of misdemeanor forgeries.
- He's been a pipsqueak up until now.
- You like this guy.
Well, a nobody who scammed the scam artist? I'd buy him a drink.
First, you have to find him.
He moved out of his last known three years ago.
No job since last winter.
Credit report says he got five credit cards in the last four months.
They never learn.
If you don't want to be found, pay cash.
SEABREEZE MOTEL MONTAUK, NEW YORK MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11 Mr.
Morgan, he checked out last Monday.
- He was here for a couple of weeks.
- By himself? He had visitors.
- No, I didn't notice those two.
- Who did you notice? Well, this one young man with blond hair, goatee.
He spent a lot of time parked out here in a chair, reading.
Well, you'd think he'd be warmer inside.
I figured Mr.
Morgan had company and this fellow was giving him his privacy.
Well, that's one way to look at it.
This room is very clean.
There's no marks.
No fingerprints.
Same story here.
We keep things tidy.
Anybody stay here since Mr.
Morgan left? Nah.
We don't get a lot of traffic out here after Labor Day.
When did they replace the shower door? We didn't.
There's lime encrustation and soap residue on this door.
And there's none on this one and the caulking is still soft.
This shower door was broken, and they replaced it.
The frosted glass in Jimmy's arm.
They were here.
They were kept here for two weeks.
Two men in a tub.
Last year, when Mickey went on the lam, a dozen bank accounts were opened using Doug Morgan's Social Security number.
Within two months, there was nearly two million dollars in those accounts.
Mickey hid the money under Doug's name without telling Doug, figuring no one would look there.
Somehow Dougie found out.
Starting four months ago, he emptied all but two of the accounts.
Those two accounts were closed the same day Jimmy opened the safe deposit box.
We think that Jimmy got wind of what was going on and got the money out before Doug did.
And put it in the safe deposit box.
So Dougie tortured his father and his brother just to squeeze the last dollar out of them? Well, the last two hundred thousand dollars.
What the hell is wrong with this kid? Didn't daddy spend enough time playing catch with him? Or he got too much attention from his mother.
His last parole report says he was living with her as of three years ago.
How sweet.
HOME OF VERA MORGAN QUEENS, NEW YORK TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12 Dougie thought he had a God-given right to freeload off his mother.
Uh-uh.
Don't walk there.
You're gonna make dirt on my carpet here.
/ Yeah.
Put these on.
I got them at the hospital.
Put them over your feet.
There's only three of them.
Well, someone could sit on a chair.
This is a one bedroom, right? Mmm-hmm.
Where did Doug sleep? Where do you think? On the couch.
I used to have a bigger place, but after I got out of the hospital cleaning a big place didn't appeal to me.
What about his father, Mickey? You been in touch with him? What do I want with that louse? A louse who knows his way to your heart.
Thank you.
That's $73.
It's a bit expensive.
I mean, unless it's Canadian dollars.
Did Mickey drop it off? I wouldn't set foot in the same room with that man, unless it was to go to his wake.
Just your luck.
He was found dead four days ago.
Oh Dear Mary.
Oh.
What about his boy, Jimmy? Why, you like Jimmy? He was decent enough.
Hadn't been for Jimmy, Dougie wouldn't have even known he had a father.
Jimmy brought this to you? Came over looking for Doug? And you knew where he was, because Doug keeps in touch with his mother.
Yeah.
He told me if Jimmy comes asking for him, to say where he is.
And when Jimmy left here, you called Doug and told him that Jimmy was on the way? Dougie wouldn't hurt Jimmy.
He loved him! We still need to find him.
Mickey left a lot of money behind.
Really? You mean, like clean money that could go to Dougie? If we can find him.
I don't have his address.
It's in Brooklyn.
It's a sublet.
He said over on Ovington.
- A nice, bright place.
- You been? He sent the picture.
- No return address.
- Bird seed.
We just ask the neighborhood bird seed store.
Look, through the window, across the street, on the roof.
A pigeon coop.
You've come a long way, Doug.
No more self-doubt, no more negativity.
Thank you, sir.
This isn't just a gift to the program, Doug, this is a gift to yourself.
I'm proud of you.
I'm sure Lena is, too.
You go home.
I'll catch up later.
There, second floor.
It's the same color curtains.
All these show is a man resembling my client entering and leaving a room.
What he did in there is anyone's guess.
We guess he stole the contents of his brother's safe deposit box.
Right, Doug? My guess, you got nothing and we're not adding to it.
I think your client has something to say.
Am I right? You have something to tell us? You think I'm responsible for what happened to my father and Jimmy.
- Well, are you? - Now, wait a minute.
No, wait.
You gotta say it out loud, so we all understand.
Don't say a word.
When you see things clearly, you make them happen.
I did what I had to do.
I killed them.
Okay, he did that against the advice of his counsel.
I need to speak to him in a room, right now.
Well, that was smooth.
You better get Carver down here.
Do you have the letter that he sent his mother? This spontaneous statement might not take the place of a confession, but I can't see how his lawyer can step away from it.
He's using an interesting vocabulary.
Is this something I should be concerned with? Here's another one.
"Without your encouragement, "I'd still be someone without a future, sleeping on his mother's couch.
" He thanks her for kicking him out.
This about Doug Morgan? It's the letter that he wrote his mother.
The first part, he apologizes for the hurt that he caused her.
Second part, he thanks her for everything that she's done for him.
Last part, he lays out his plan for his future.
"I now understand I need to develop a new strategy for my life, "a new program for the software of my conceptions.
" - It's gobbledygook.
- It's high-level gobbledygook.
This is from a guy who didn't even finish the tenth grade.
These are not his ideas.
You saw the way he glanced up every time before he spoke? Manson's women did the same thing during their murder trials.
He's visualizing.
Visualizing what? No, not what.
Who.
What's he looking at? He's looking for support, for direction.
He's looking for her.
No, no, no.
I don't know these people.
Mr.
Morgan, if someone influenced you, it would mitigate your responsibility.
I am responsible.
Nobody told me what to do.
You did it to transform yourself? That's what it says in the letter to your mother.
Your "Negative self programming" was leading you to "a counter-effective life strategy.
" Yes.
You wanted to transform your context.
Yes.
That's what I did.
What's a "context", Doug? You know, Doug, it's in your letter.
You don't, you don't know what it means? It's hard to say.
Because someone told you to write it? This girl? Is that who you picture when you look up? No.
I am the author of my life and I make the choices.
And I choose, I don't wanna talk to you anymore.
I took another look at Doug's credit cards.
Every couple of weeks, there's a four to five hundred dollar charge to one of two out-of-state companies.
It'll take a few days to chase them down.
Every couple of weeks.
All right, try a keyword search.
Use "Context transformation.
" Nearly a thousand results.
Now refine it.
Add "Tuition".
Maybe "Four hundred bucks," the going rate for self-improvement.
Here we go.
"Optimize your psychic drive.
"Learn the principles of context transformation.
"Tuition for the two day seminar is $450.
"GraceNote Powerful Living.
" What else is on their website? Testimonials, seminar photos.
Who do we have here? At the head of the class.
The teacher's pet.
Bet she took her lessons to heart.
"Introductory seminars every weeknight.
" Want to go for a little psychic drive? GRACENOTE SEMINAR, REGENCY HOTEL WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13 I, you know, I don't see her.
- Give her a little time, honey.
- It's going to start.
We're supposed to wait for the person who told us about GraceNote.
Just register and go in.
I'm sure she'll show up.
Well, I would, except Mr.
Skeptic here We only knew what she told us, we don't even know her name.
Maybe you know her.
She said her picture was on your webpage.
Could you look it up on your laptop? Hey.
Nice to see you.
That's her.
There, in the front.
I don't know her.
Well, maybe someone in charge does.
What about him? Bye, see you then.
That's Randall Fuller.
He founded GraceNote.
Well, even better.
Mr.
Fuller, we were invited here by someone who works for you.
We don't know that, honey.
Well You can see she's helping with the seminar, right there.
Anyway, nobody seems to know her Nobody seems to know her You made us, didn't you? - What gave us away? - Her sensible shoes.
And her sleeve.
It's shiny from rubbing against your holster.
Oh, and your belt is scratched where you clip your badge.
He's good.
/ Yeah, well, reading people is part of what I do.
And to answer your question, Detectives, she's probably a student volunteer.
Since everyone who attends our seminars signs a photo release, we'd have no way of identifying her.
What about Doug Morgan? He attended your seminars.
Thousands of people have.
And right now, some of those people are in there waiting for me.
You're welcome to join us.
Peggy'll give you some forms to fill out.
Four hours without a bathroom break.
I thought I was gonna pop a valve.
Four hours of constant promises of a better life or a more confident self.
It was a sales pitch for their weekend seminar, which is a warm-up for their insight series, the mentors program, the destiny workshops.
You could spend thirty grand on the whole nine yards.
- Is it a cult, mind control? - No.
/ Yes.
How reassuring.
They use the same psychological coercion as cults.
So did the guy who sold me my car.
No one forced those people to stay last night, - they were enjoying themselves.
- They stayed because of peer-group pressure, manufactured peer group.
They pay to sit in a room for hours on end.
They submit to group hypnosis, deep breathing, guided imagery That's a relaxation technique.
Those people did not look like zombies when they came out.
No, they were euphoric.
They got a shot of optimism.
It's very powerful.
They can't wait to repeat the experience.
So they sign up for another seminar.
If it helps them, what's the harm? Is it possible it had a more profound effect on Doug Morgan? What, someone susceptible, unhappy, with no clear sense of himself? Look, strip down all the double-talk, what is it that Randall Fuller really said to those people? Everything that you've done is wrong.
Everything you are is false.
But it's not your fault, you were programmed that way.
Leave it to GraceNote to give you back your life.
It's very seductive.
And they just happened to pick Doug to work their magic on? Every participant signs a release form.
The small print gives them the right to run a credit check.
They found the bank accounts under his name.
They knew before he did how much money he was worth.
- And they played him.
- He can't be the first one.
Check with consumer affairs.
If we can establish a criminal pattern, we can bring GraceNote to a crashing halt.
DENTAL OFFICE OF DR.
PHILIP OLIVER FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15 We went to one of their weekend seminars.
I used to feel so isolated, but after that weekend, I never felt so So alive? And the two of you signed up for more classes.
No.
Just me.
I had seminars every night, every other weekend.
There were cruises.
What kept you going back? Being in that room, being told that my life had limitless possibilities.
I needed to keep hearing it.
Tell me how they got your money.
I was encouraged to make large gifts.
Encouraged you, specifically, who encouraged you? Well, at first, the higher-ups in the organization.
And eventually, they brought in Randall Fuller.
- He was the closer.
- Yeah, and he was very good at it.
By that point I wasn't thinking very clearly.
Why did you drop your complaint? Was there a woman involved? Yes.
I thought she was another student like me.
I see now I was being handled.
Yes.
That's her.
That's her.
Lena Caruso.
He needs to see you.
I know.
I'm meeting him tomorrow.
He's going out of town for the day.
It has to be tonight.
He's sorry.
That isn't a problem, is it? A maid found her in a bathtub in a motel room in Long Island City.
She'd opened her veins.
Yeah, I have hesitation cuts on this one.
Yeah.
Same here.
She probably did it to herself.
Lips are cracked, gums are drawn back.
Cuticles are cracked pre-mortem.
Dehydration, starvation.
The GraceNote suicide diet.
Her family in Cleveland got a letter from her three years ago.
Same format as Doug's.
I'm sorry, I'm grateful, I'm moving on.
That's the last they heard from her.
- And the Connelly's money? - Gone.
- Into GraceNote's coffers.
- That hasn't been proven yet.
That's who she worked for.
That's why she's dead.
Even your dentist thought she was just a student at GraceNote.
He also said that Fuller's the one who closed the deals.
Look, Doug Morgan, he loved his brother, he feared his father.
Fuller's the only one that could've convinced him to kill both of them.
You believe it.
I'm happy to prosecute it.
Just get Doug Morgan to confirm it.
Four hundred, five hundred, twelve hundred.
It goes on and on, Doug.
All the money you paid to GraceNote.
I took their classes because I wanted to.
They helped me a lot.
Well, tell us what you learned, Doug.
Well, I learned tha I wasn't living a real life.
I was making decisions because of things that happened to me in my past.
Right, you started questioning everything you did.
Am I really making a free choice or am I being controlled by the bad programming in What is it GraceNote calls it, my psychic drive? Yes, because you can't trust the past.
There's what happened, and what you tell yourself happened.
It was holding me back.
- Holding you back from what? - From From being extraordinary.
It's hard to explain if you haven't been through GraceNote.
Yes.
They don't get it.
It was worth a lot to you, and you showed your appreciation with gifts.
The money that you took from your father, it wasn't for you, you gave it to GraceNote.
As a gift.
Did Mr.
Fuller know where the money came from? I told him my family gave it to me.
Doug, you remember the girl from the bank? Her name was Lena.
You met her at GraceNote, right? She was taking classes with me.
She helped you decide to make those gifts to Randall Fuller.
We talked about it, but I decided.
Randall Fuller used Lena to convince you to give that money to GraceNote.
He manipulated you into killing your father and brother.
No, no, Lena is in love with me.
She decided to be with me.
She made that decision.
Fuller makes the decisions.
That's not true.
Doug, listen to me.
Lena is dead.
She committed suicide last weekend.
You see how her lips are chapped? The cracked cuticles on her fingers? Those are the same things we found on your dad and your brother.
Lena was denied sleep, food, water.
- Doug, he broke her.
- It's not true.
He drove her to suicide.
It's bad programming.
It's just a story from your past.
- Doug, it's what happened.
- No! You It's how you see it.
It's the story you tell.
It's how you see it.
It's not the way it is.
You can't differentiate one thing from another, you I know how it is.
I get it.
You don't.
You're not clear.
I'm getting a sense my client might be amending his plea.
Not guilty by reason of mental disease? I don't know about an insanity defense, but his credibility as a witness against Fuller is doubtful.
Assuming he'd even testify against Fuller.
Must be frustrating, a mind even you can't unlock.
Well, let's get someone who can.
The person who locked it in the first place.
GRACENOTE SEMINAR, GRAND HEIGHTS HOTEL BROOKLYN, NEW YORK MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18 your life, your day.
Thank you.
- Mr.
Fuller - I have a car waiting.
We'll take you wherever you like.
We asked you if you knew a man named Doug Morgan.
He attended your seminars, but you didn't remember him.
Right, I was in a hurry.
You mean, you remember him now? Oh, yes, of course.
He made a large donation to GraceNote.
He told us a little over two million dollars.
Yeah, somewhere in that neighborhood.
Why, is there a problem? Yes, see, Doug Morgan stole that money from his father's bookmaking operation.
I had no idea.
The girl we asked about, that student volunteer, Lena Caruso, she helped him.
"Helped," that's a bit of an understatement.
She manipulated him.
I'm really sorry to hear it.
You don't know how sorry.
Because the money is proceeds from an illegal enterprise.
/ The bookmaking.
The DA is moving to seize it under the RICO act.
We're here to serve you with the papers.
This money was a gift.
You can ask Mr.
Morgan.
Well, between us, Mr.
Morgan isn't making a lot of sense right now.
I'm sure your lawyer can work out a repayment schedule with the DA.
But this money has been committed.
Look, we're innocent victims here.
You know what, to tell you the truth, I don't care if you keep the money or not.
Right now, we have a problem with Mr.
Morgan.
He confessed to the killing.
He confessed to stealing the money.
But right now, his present mental state, I don't think his confession's gonna hold up.
Mr.
Morgan was pretty unstable to start with.
Well, I mean, if you just have a look at him for yourself, maybe you'll be able to straighten him out for us.
And if I straighten him out? I'm sure the DA wouldn't have a problem with taking a look at your money problem.
You can't promise that! I don't want him skipping out on an insanity plea.
I'll fix it with the DA.
Just think about it.
The DA said that if you help them with Morgan, they won't push for restitution.
What if we just gave them the money outright? They'll still insist on an audit.
If I'm unsuccessful, if Morgan ends up more unstable than before, do I still get to keep the money? According to the DA, all you have to do is try.
Mr.
Fuller.
Hello, Doug.
Why don't you sit here.
You've been going through a challenging time, Doug.
I'd like to assist you.
Mr.
Cooper, you've explained to your client that we're prepared to accept his claim of sole responsibility for the two murders? Yes, Mr.
Carver, I did.
Before we proceed, we need precise details of how you committed the crimes.
Do you understand? Go ahead.
Well, I took my father's money and he found out.
Hold on.
We said precise details.
The money, how did you find out about it? What's the hidden context, Doug? I'm not a competent person.
I can't handle money.
I was getting my finances in order.
I sent away for my credit report.
The bank accounts were listed on the report.
Weren't you afraid your father'd come after you? I'm still a child, I let fear control me.
Yes, that's the context.
I wanted to use the money for a good purpose.
Something that I'm passionate about.
I wasn't afraid.
So, when your father came after you I took his gun, I made Jimmy tie up Dad and I tied up Jimmy.
And then you kept them in that motel room for twelve days? Just you, alone, and those two guys? I know this one.
I'm not strong.
I'm not powerful.
No one listens to me.
Yes, just me alone.
I made them give up the rest of the money.
I drove them to Dad's office.
And that's when you overcame your biggest fear.
You changed your way of being.
Yes.
You killed your dad and transformed your life.
Yes, I did.
And you killed your brother for the same reason.
Yes.
The brother who loved you, who watched out for you.
It wasn't real love.
The context wasn't authentic.
He watched out for me out of guilt.
It's old stuff.
It's in the past.
You killed your dad and you let it go.
Yes.
Well, so then you became everything that GraceNote promised you.
I mean, like it says right here in the brochure.
Look, you became the creator of your own destiny.
That's right.
That's right.
Wow, look at you, you're a success story.
Doug's a success story.
Well, Detective Well, look at him.
He's the master of his own fate.
Put the past in the past.
He transformed his way of life.
He created his own destiny.
I think he hit the GraceNote trifecta.
Yes, Mr.
Fuller? In a manner of speaking, sure.
So, aren't you gonna use him as a shining example of what can be accomplished with GraceNote's help? I don't know about that.
But don't you want your students to follow his example? I would hope they would find another path.
Oh? What do you mean? You mean murder is not the right path? I would have to say no, Detective.
So, he failed.
Wasn't killing his father a way to free him from the past? Of course not.
Do you hear that, Doug? You failed the course.
You're the same scared loser you were, when you joined GraceNote.
You You told me if I killed him, if I killed him, I'd make the break.
That's not true, Doug.
That's a myth you constructed.
You told me! You I did everything you told me, Mr.
Fuller.
Everything? / To get the money, all the money, and to kill them.
He said it would be the last step to power, to excellence.
- That's what you said.
- That was a lie, Doug.
That was a big lie.
And that's why you killed Lena.
Did you? Did you do it? Of course not.
She slashed her wrists, she committed suicide.
How do you know that, Mr.
Fuller? Well, I can't say exactly.
She knew someone at GraceNote.
They must've told me there.
The only people we informed of her death were her parents, but they weren't told how she died.
Randall Fuller, you are under arrest for murder.
What did you do to my life? It wasn't much of a life to begin with.
And I'm not sure the rest of yours will be something to write home about.
At least Doug learned one of GraceNote's lessons.
Taking responsibility for his actions.
Something even Randall Fuller couldn't do.
Well, he'll have plenty of opportunity to learn where he's going.
These are their stories.
Jimmy, the flowers were a bad idea.
I shouldn't even be here.
Don't be like that.
There he is.
Ten hours on a bus from Montreal, my roids are screaming blue murder.
Well, welcome home, Mickey.
We need to talk.
Where's your car? In the lot, down by 9th.
Look, you're gonna have to take a cab.
Roseanne, I'm sorry.
What about the USB account? Empty.
They're all, except Trust House and Citibank.
Those I managed to close before he got to them.
I put the money in a safety deposit box.
Son of a bitch! And Dougie did all this by himself? Just don't hurt him.
Mickey, I didn't know it was yours.
Who did you think it belonged to, you worthless twit, Santa Claus? You don't understand.
This is the most important thing in my life.
That money is my life! And I want it back, every penny, or I swear to God, I'll take it out of your hide.
Mmm? You've worked too hard for this.
Maybe I should just give it back.
Baby, you're slipping.
Let me call them.
Look, Doug, we need their help.
Doug's apartment is empty.
Nobody's seen him since yesterday.
His mother'll know where he is.
He called her.
I promised her he wouldn't get hurt.
Seabreeze Motel in Montauk, Room 114.
Excuse me.
You're excused.
Stand up, you son of a bitch! Law & Order CI The old man, Mickey Connelly, owns this place.
His son Jimmy used it as an office when he was out of the country.
The old man was ducking a RICO indictment for bookmaking on the internet.
Yeah, well, his legal troubles are over now.
Got a murder here, suicide there.
He ate the gun.
Cleaning service found them this morning.
Time of death sometime last night.
- Thanks.
- All right.
Can I get a pair of tweezers, please? This must be some of that father-son bonding I've heard so much about.
These cuts were made before he died, but for some reason they were untreated.
I'll be over here while you do that.
It's frosted glass.
He has abrasions delicately around the sides of his mouth.
Well, he was gagged.
Explains why he didn't answer his phone.
He's got voicemail.
The lab can retrieve the messages.
Mickey's passport.
Irish customs entry stamp dated November last year.
Exit stamp dated two weeks ago.
Having fun? I'm listening.
He left Ireland two weeks ago.
Canadian customs stamp, also from two weeks ago.
No US stamp.
Make a note to the ME to check for ocular fluids.
His eyes are dry and irritated.
The mucus is thick.
Could be from sleep deprivation.
And he's dehydrated.
His cuticles have shrunk.
Maybe Junior kept him on ice before killing him.
Except that Junior shows the same signs.
Mickey had to have a damn good reason to come back and risk getting pinched on a fugitive warrant.
How's two million bucks? That's what the DA's always figured he had stashed away somewhere.
Works for me.
The old man found out the kid was skimming from him, they got their Irish up.
I don't think that they got anything up.
The ME found elevated levels of sodium, urea, nitrogen in the eye mucus, kidney and liver enzymes outside the normal range.
Stomach and the bowels empty.
Now, the Connellys, they were starved, sleep deprived, dehydrated.
They sound like POWs.
The ME also found minute traces of duct tape around the ankles and wrists of both men.
The tech's got the code for Mickey's voicemail.
His son's birth date.
It's Roseanne again, calling for Jimmy.
It's been a week.
I need to hear from you.
Just call me.
Roseanne would be Jimmy's wife.
Last Wednesday.
It's a week since she's heard from him.
You think she would've filed a missing persons report.
HOME OF JIMMY AND ROSEANNE CONNELLY HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7 I thought he was away on business.
I didn't even know he was with his father.
You've been camping out in here? Andy fell asleep watching a video.
I didn't wanna move him.
I noticed that your bedrooms, they face the street.
Is it safer back here? You're terrified.
Anybody that has the front to kill Mickey Connelly and his son might just come after you, too.
You knew Jimmy was in trouble.
Maybe you had something to do with it? He called Thursday.
He tried to pretend everything was okay, but I knew better.
Where was he? He was with Mickey.
He said he'd be home soon.
There was some problem, some money was missing.
He called you just to check in? No, he wanted Andy's Social Security number.
He didn't say why.
Your son have a back account? They opened an account for the kid when he was born.
Last month Jimmy got a safe deposit box under the account.
The bank says he emptied the box two days ago.
Two days ago he was dead.
So who emptied the box? We're checking the bank security tapes.
That's him.
We know this guy? These are the left ears of both men.
Same shape.
Similar lobes.
Ear structure patterns run in families.
Especially siblings.
Want some? He'll meet you tomorrow when they break for lunch.
Doug, it's almost over now.
No one can ever tell you what to do again.
His name is Douglas Morgan.
He's Mickey's son by his second ex-wife.
Jimmy's half-brother.
How come we never heard of him? Well, there's no record he's ever been involved in his father's business.
Just a couple of misdemeanor forgeries.
- He's been a pipsqueak up until now.
- You like this guy.
Well, a nobody who scammed the scam artist? I'd buy him a drink.
First, you have to find him.
He moved out of his last known three years ago.
No job since last winter.
Credit report says he got five credit cards in the last four months.
They never learn.
If you don't want to be found, pay cash.
SEABREEZE MOTEL MONTAUK, NEW YORK MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11 Mr.
Morgan, he checked out last Monday.
- He was here for a couple of weeks.
- By himself? He had visitors.
- No, I didn't notice those two.
- Who did you notice? Well, this one young man with blond hair, goatee.
He spent a lot of time parked out here in a chair, reading.
Well, you'd think he'd be warmer inside.
I figured Mr.
Morgan had company and this fellow was giving him his privacy.
Well, that's one way to look at it.
This room is very clean.
There's no marks.
No fingerprints.
Same story here.
We keep things tidy.
Anybody stay here since Mr.
Morgan left? Nah.
We don't get a lot of traffic out here after Labor Day.
When did they replace the shower door? We didn't.
There's lime encrustation and soap residue on this door.
And there's none on this one and the caulking is still soft.
This shower door was broken, and they replaced it.
The frosted glass in Jimmy's arm.
They were here.
They were kept here for two weeks.
Two men in a tub.
Last year, when Mickey went on the lam, a dozen bank accounts were opened using Doug Morgan's Social Security number.
Within two months, there was nearly two million dollars in those accounts.
Mickey hid the money under Doug's name without telling Doug, figuring no one would look there.
Somehow Dougie found out.
Starting four months ago, he emptied all but two of the accounts.
Those two accounts were closed the same day Jimmy opened the safe deposit box.
We think that Jimmy got wind of what was going on and got the money out before Doug did.
And put it in the safe deposit box.
So Dougie tortured his father and his brother just to squeeze the last dollar out of them? Well, the last two hundred thousand dollars.
What the hell is wrong with this kid? Didn't daddy spend enough time playing catch with him? Or he got too much attention from his mother.
His last parole report says he was living with her as of three years ago.
How sweet.
HOME OF VERA MORGAN QUEENS, NEW YORK TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12 Dougie thought he had a God-given right to freeload off his mother.
Uh-uh.
Don't walk there.
You're gonna make dirt on my carpet here.
/ Yeah.
Put these on.
I got them at the hospital.
Put them over your feet.
There's only three of them.
Well, someone could sit on a chair.
This is a one bedroom, right? Mmm-hmm.
Where did Doug sleep? Where do you think? On the couch.
I used to have a bigger place, but after I got out of the hospital cleaning a big place didn't appeal to me.
What about his father, Mickey? You been in touch with him? What do I want with that louse? A louse who knows his way to your heart.
Thank you.
That's $73.
It's a bit expensive.
I mean, unless it's Canadian dollars.
Did Mickey drop it off? I wouldn't set foot in the same room with that man, unless it was to go to his wake.
Just your luck.
He was found dead four days ago.
Oh Dear Mary.
Oh.
What about his boy, Jimmy? Why, you like Jimmy? He was decent enough.
Hadn't been for Jimmy, Dougie wouldn't have even known he had a father.
Jimmy brought this to you? Came over looking for Doug? And you knew where he was, because Doug keeps in touch with his mother.
Yeah.
He told me if Jimmy comes asking for him, to say where he is.
And when Jimmy left here, you called Doug and told him that Jimmy was on the way? Dougie wouldn't hurt Jimmy.
He loved him! We still need to find him.
Mickey left a lot of money behind.
Really? You mean, like clean money that could go to Dougie? If we can find him.
I don't have his address.
It's in Brooklyn.
It's a sublet.
He said over on Ovington.
- A nice, bright place.
- You been? He sent the picture.
- No return address.
- Bird seed.
We just ask the neighborhood bird seed store.
Look, through the window, across the street, on the roof.
A pigeon coop.
You've come a long way, Doug.
No more self-doubt, no more negativity.
Thank you, sir.
This isn't just a gift to the program, Doug, this is a gift to yourself.
I'm proud of you.
I'm sure Lena is, too.
You go home.
I'll catch up later.
There, second floor.
It's the same color curtains.
All these show is a man resembling my client entering and leaving a room.
What he did in there is anyone's guess.
We guess he stole the contents of his brother's safe deposit box.
Right, Doug? My guess, you got nothing and we're not adding to it.
I think your client has something to say.
Am I right? You have something to tell us? You think I'm responsible for what happened to my father and Jimmy.
- Well, are you? - Now, wait a minute.
No, wait.
You gotta say it out loud, so we all understand.
Don't say a word.
When you see things clearly, you make them happen.
I did what I had to do.
I killed them.
Okay, he did that against the advice of his counsel.
I need to speak to him in a room, right now.
Well, that was smooth.
You better get Carver down here.
Do you have the letter that he sent his mother? This spontaneous statement might not take the place of a confession, but I can't see how his lawyer can step away from it.
He's using an interesting vocabulary.
Is this something I should be concerned with? Here's another one.
"Without your encouragement, "I'd still be someone without a future, sleeping on his mother's couch.
" He thanks her for kicking him out.
This about Doug Morgan? It's the letter that he wrote his mother.
The first part, he apologizes for the hurt that he caused her.
Second part, he thanks her for everything that she's done for him.
Last part, he lays out his plan for his future.
"I now understand I need to develop a new strategy for my life, "a new program for the software of my conceptions.
" - It's gobbledygook.
- It's high-level gobbledygook.
This is from a guy who didn't even finish the tenth grade.
These are not his ideas.
You saw the way he glanced up every time before he spoke? Manson's women did the same thing during their murder trials.
He's visualizing.
Visualizing what? No, not what.
Who.
What's he looking at? He's looking for support, for direction.
He's looking for her.
No, no, no.
I don't know these people.
Mr.
Morgan, if someone influenced you, it would mitigate your responsibility.
I am responsible.
Nobody told me what to do.
You did it to transform yourself? That's what it says in the letter to your mother.
Your "Negative self programming" was leading you to "a counter-effective life strategy.
" Yes.
You wanted to transform your context.
Yes.
That's what I did.
What's a "context", Doug? You know, Doug, it's in your letter.
You don't, you don't know what it means? It's hard to say.
Because someone told you to write it? This girl? Is that who you picture when you look up? No.
I am the author of my life and I make the choices.
And I choose, I don't wanna talk to you anymore.
I took another look at Doug's credit cards.
Every couple of weeks, there's a four to five hundred dollar charge to one of two out-of-state companies.
It'll take a few days to chase them down.
Every couple of weeks.
All right, try a keyword search.
Use "Context transformation.
" Nearly a thousand results.
Now refine it.
Add "Tuition".
Maybe "Four hundred bucks," the going rate for self-improvement.
Here we go.
"Optimize your psychic drive.
"Learn the principles of context transformation.
"Tuition for the two day seminar is $450.
"GraceNote Powerful Living.
" What else is on their website? Testimonials, seminar photos.
Who do we have here? At the head of the class.
The teacher's pet.
Bet she took her lessons to heart.
"Introductory seminars every weeknight.
" Want to go for a little psychic drive? GRACENOTE SEMINAR, REGENCY HOTEL WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13 I, you know, I don't see her.
- Give her a little time, honey.
- It's going to start.
We're supposed to wait for the person who told us about GraceNote.
Just register and go in.
I'm sure she'll show up.
Well, I would, except Mr.
Skeptic here We only knew what she told us, we don't even know her name.
Maybe you know her.
She said her picture was on your webpage.
Could you look it up on your laptop? Hey.
Nice to see you.
That's her.
There, in the front.
I don't know her.
Well, maybe someone in charge does.
What about him? Bye, see you then.
That's Randall Fuller.
He founded GraceNote.
Well, even better.
Mr.
Fuller, we were invited here by someone who works for you.
We don't know that, honey.
Well You can see she's helping with the seminar, right there.
Anyway, nobody seems to know her Nobody seems to know her You made us, didn't you? - What gave us away? - Her sensible shoes.
And her sleeve.
It's shiny from rubbing against your holster.
Oh, and your belt is scratched where you clip your badge.
He's good.
/ Yeah, well, reading people is part of what I do.
And to answer your question, Detectives, she's probably a student volunteer.
Since everyone who attends our seminars signs a photo release, we'd have no way of identifying her.
What about Doug Morgan? He attended your seminars.
Thousands of people have.
And right now, some of those people are in there waiting for me.
You're welcome to join us.
Peggy'll give you some forms to fill out.
Four hours without a bathroom break.
I thought I was gonna pop a valve.
Four hours of constant promises of a better life or a more confident self.
It was a sales pitch for their weekend seminar, which is a warm-up for their insight series, the mentors program, the destiny workshops.
You could spend thirty grand on the whole nine yards.
- Is it a cult, mind control? - No.
/ Yes.
How reassuring.
They use the same psychological coercion as cults.
So did the guy who sold me my car.
No one forced those people to stay last night, - they were enjoying themselves.
- They stayed because of peer-group pressure, manufactured peer group.
They pay to sit in a room for hours on end.
They submit to group hypnosis, deep breathing, guided imagery That's a relaxation technique.
Those people did not look like zombies when they came out.
No, they were euphoric.
They got a shot of optimism.
It's very powerful.
They can't wait to repeat the experience.
So they sign up for another seminar.
If it helps them, what's the harm? Is it possible it had a more profound effect on Doug Morgan? What, someone susceptible, unhappy, with no clear sense of himself? Look, strip down all the double-talk, what is it that Randall Fuller really said to those people? Everything that you've done is wrong.
Everything you are is false.
But it's not your fault, you were programmed that way.
Leave it to GraceNote to give you back your life.
It's very seductive.
And they just happened to pick Doug to work their magic on? Every participant signs a release form.
The small print gives them the right to run a credit check.
They found the bank accounts under his name.
They knew before he did how much money he was worth.
- And they played him.
- He can't be the first one.
Check with consumer affairs.
If we can establish a criminal pattern, we can bring GraceNote to a crashing halt.
DENTAL OFFICE OF DR.
PHILIP OLIVER FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15 We went to one of their weekend seminars.
I used to feel so isolated, but after that weekend, I never felt so So alive? And the two of you signed up for more classes.
No.
Just me.
I had seminars every night, every other weekend.
There were cruises.
What kept you going back? Being in that room, being told that my life had limitless possibilities.
I needed to keep hearing it.
Tell me how they got your money.
I was encouraged to make large gifts.
Encouraged you, specifically, who encouraged you? Well, at first, the higher-ups in the organization.
And eventually, they brought in Randall Fuller.
- He was the closer.
- Yeah, and he was very good at it.
By that point I wasn't thinking very clearly.
Why did you drop your complaint? Was there a woman involved? Yes.
I thought she was another student like me.
I see now I was being handled.
Yes.
That's her.
That's her.
Lena Caruso.
He needs to see you.
I know.
I'm meeting him tomorrow.
He's going out of town for the day.
It has to be tonight.
He's sorry.
That isn't a problem, is it? A maid found her in a bathtub in a motel room in Long Island City.
She'd opened her veins.
Yeah, I have hesitation cuts on this one.
Yeah.
Same here.
She probably did it to herself.
Lips are cracked, gums are drawn back.
Cuticles are cracked pre-mortem.
Dehydration, starvation.
The GraceNote suicide diet.
Her family in Cleveland got a letter from her three years ago.
Same format as Doug's.
I'm sorry, I'm grateful, I'm moving on.
That's the last they heard from her.
- And the Connelly's money? - Gone.
- Into GraceNote's coffers.
- That hasn't been proven yet.
That's who she worked for.
That's why she's dead.
Even your dentist thought she was just a student at GraceNote.
He also said that Fuller's the one who closed the deals.
Look, Doug Morgan, he loved his brother, he feared his father.
Fuller's the only one that could've convinced him to kill both of them.
You believe it.
I'm happy to prosecute it.
Just get Doug Morgan to confirm it.
Four hundred, five hundred, twelve hundred.
It goes on and on, Doug.
All the money you paid to GraceNote.
I took their classes because I wanted to.
They helped me a lot.
Well, tell us what you learned, Doug.
Well, I learned tha I wasn't living a real life.
I was making decisions because of things that happened to me in my past.
Right, you started questioning everything you did.
Am I really making a free choice or am I being controlled by the bad programming in What is it GraceNote calls it, my psychic drive? Yes, because you can't trust the past.
There's what happened, and what you tell yourself happened.
It was holding me back.
- Holding you back from what? - From From being extraordinary.
It's hard to explain if you haven't been through GraceNote.
Yes.
They don't get it.
It was worth a lot to you, and you showed your appreciation with gifts.
The money that you took from your father, it wasn't for you, you gave it to GraceNote.
As a gift.
Did Mr.
Fuller know where the money came from? I told him my family gave it to me.
Doug, you remember the girl from the bank? Her name was Lena.
You met her at GraceNote, right? She was taking classes with me.
She helped you decide to make those gifts to Randall Fuller.
We talked about it, but I decided.
Randall Fuller used Lena to convince you to give that money to GraceNote.
He manipulated you into killing your father and brother.
No, no, Lena is in love with me.
She decided to be with me.
She made that decision.
Fuller makes the decisions.
That's not true.
Doug, listen to me.
Lena is dead.
She committed suicide last weekend.
You see how her lips are chapped? The cracked cuticles on her fingers? Those are the same things we found on your dad and your brother.
Lena was denied sleep, food, water.
- Doug, he broke her.
- It's not true.
He drove her to suicide.
It's bad programming.
It's just a story from your past.
- Doug, it's what happened.
- No! You It's how you see it.
It's the story you tell.
It's how you see it.
It's not the way it is.
You can't differentiate one thing from another, you I know how it is.
I get it.
You don't.
You're not clear.
I'm getting a sense my client might be amending his plea.
Not guilty by reason of mental disease? I don't know about an insanity defense, but his credibility as a witness against Fuller is doubtful.
Assuming he'd even testify against Fuller.
Must be frustrating, a mind even you can't unlock.
Well, let's get someone who can.
The person who locked it in the first place.
GRACENOTE SEMINAR, GRAND HEIGHTS HOTEL BROOKLYN, NEW YORK MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18 your life, your day.
Thank you.
- Mr.
Fuller - I have a car waiting.
We'll take you wherever you like.
We asked you if you knew a man named Doug Morgan.
He attended your seminars, but you didn't remember him.
Right, I was in a hurry.
You mean, you remember him now? Oh, yes, of course.
He made a large donation to GraceNote.
He told us a little over two million dollars.
Yeah, somewhere in that neighborhood.
Why, is there a problem? Yes, see, Doug Morgan stole that money from his father's bookmaking operation.
I had no idea.
The girl we asked about, that student volunteer, Lena Caruso, she helped him.
"Helped," that's a bit of an understatement.
She manipulated him.
I'm really sorry to hear it.
You don't know how sorry.
Because the money is proceeds from an illegal enterprise.
/ The bookmaking.
The DA is moving to seize it under the RICO act.
We're here to serve you with the papers.
This money was a gift.
You can ask Mr.
Morgan.
Well, between us, Mr.
Morgan isn't making a lot of sense right now.
I'm sure your lawyer can work out a repayment schedule with the DA.
But this money has been committed.
Look, we're innocent victims here.
You know what, to tell you the truth, I don't care if you keep the money or not.
Right now, we have a problem with Mr.
Morgan.
He confessed to the killing.
He confessed to stealing the money.
But right now, his present mental state, I don't think his confession's gonna hold up.
Mr.
Morgan was pretty unstable to start with.
Well, I mean, if you just have a look at him for yourself, maybe you'll be able to straighten him out for us.
And if I straighten him out? I'm sure the DA wouldn't have a problem with taking a look at your money problem.
You can't promise that! I don't want him skipping out on an insanity plea.
I'll fix it with the DA.
Just think about it.
The DA said that if you help them with Morgan, they won't push for restitution.
What if we just gave them the money outright? They'll still insist on an audit.
If I'm unsuccessful, if Morgan ends up more unstable than before, do I still get to keep the money? According to the DA, all you have to do is try.
Mr.
Fuller.
Hello, Doug.
Why don't you sit here.
You've been going through a challenging time, Doug.
I'd like to assist you.
Mr.
Cooper, you've explained to your client that we're prepared to accept his claim of sole responsibility for the two murders? Yes, Mr.
Carver, I did.
Before we proceed, we need precise details of how you committed the crimes.
Do you understand? Go ahead.
Well, I took my father's money and he found out.
Hold on.
We said precise details.
The money, how did you find out about it? What's the hidden context, Doug? I'm not a competent person.
I can't handle money.
I was getting my finances in order.
I sent away for my credit report.
The bank accounts were listed on the report.
Weren't you afraid your father'd come after you? I'm still a child, I let fear control me.
Yes, that's the context.
I wanted to use the money for a good purpose.
Something that I'm passionate about.
I wasn't afraid.
So, when your father came after you I took his gun, I made Jimmy tie up Dad and I tied up Jimmy.
And then you kept them in that motel room for twelve days? Just you, alone, and those two guys? I know this one.
I'm not strong.
I'm not powerful.
No one listens to me.
Yes, just me alone.
I made them give up the rest of the money.
I drove them to Dad's office.
And that's when you overcame your biggest fear.
You changed your way of being.
Yes.
You killed your dad and transformed your life.
Yes, I did.
And you killed your brother for the same reason.
Yes.
The brother who loved you, who watched out for you.
It wasn't real love.
The context wasn't authentic.
He watched out for me out of guilt.
It's old stuff.
It's in the past.
You killed your dad and you let it go.
Yes.
Well, so then you became everything that GraceNote promised you.
I mean, like it says right here in the brochure.
Look, you became the creator of your own destiny.
That's right.
That's right.
Wow, look at you, you're a success story.
Doug's a success story.
Well, Detective Well, look at him.
He's the master of his own fate.
Put the past in the past.
He transformed his way of life.
He created his own destiny.
I think he hit the GraceNote trifecta.
Yes, Mr.
Fuller? In a manner of speaking, sure.
So, aren't you gonna use him as a shining example of what can be accomplished with GraceNote's help? I don't know about that.
But don't you want your students to follow his example? I would hope they would find another path.
Oh? What do you mean? You mean murder is not the right path? I would have to say no, Detective.
So, he failed.
Wasn't killing his father a way to free him from the past? Of course not.
Do you hear that, Doug? You failed the course.
You're the same scared loser you were, when you joined GraceNote.
You You told me if I killed him, if I killed him, I'd make the break.
That's not true, Doug.
That's a myth you constructed.
You told me! You I did everything you told me, Mr.
Fuller.
Everything? / To get the money, all the money, and to kill them.
He said it would be the last step to power, to excellence.
- That's what you said.
- That was a lie, Doug.
That was a big lie.
And that's why you killed Lena.
Did you? Did you do it? Of course not.
She slashed her wrists, she committed suicide.
How do you know that, Mr.
Fuller? Well, I can't say exactly.
She knew someone at GraceNote.
They must've told me there.
The only people we informed of her death were her parents, but they weren't told how she died.
Randall Fuller, you are under arrest for murder.
What did you do to my life? It wasn't much of a life to begin with.
And I'm not sure the rest of yours will be something to write home about.
At least Doug learned one of GraceNote's lessons.
Taking responsibility for his actions.
Something even Randall Fuller couldn't do.
Well, he'll have plenty of opportunity to learn where he's going.