Law & Order (1990) s02e13 Episode Script
Severance
Narrator: In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups the police who investigate crime, and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
I want the slides first, then we show them the stills.
The miniatures are the knockout punch.
Damn! We're already late, and the traffic I'd better call.
Peter, pull the car around and meet me at the gate.
Ah, damn.
Four quarters, please.
I'm not supposed to give change.
Look, I'm in a rush.
Yeah, it's Moskowitz.
Tell him 15 minutes.
I know.
- You okay? - Yeah.
Ms.
Moskowitz? Uh, I'm okay.
Take your time.
Uh I'd just hung up on the phone, and I didn't see the car.
I told Peter and Craig to bring it around.
So I went looking.
There was this van nearly clipped me on the way out.
What color was the van? Uh, gray or maybe silver.
Big.
How about the driver? Did you get a look at him? Barely a white guy.
I don't know.
And then I found them You said there was a woman? A brunette? Uh-huh, I don't know where she went.
Dude was doing at least 35.
He busted through the gate.
Mr.
Rozakis got a partial on the plates.
The APB's already out.
- Would you recognize him? - No, I never saw him.
The machine gives a ticket on the way in, you're supposed to pay on the way out.
He's probably halfway to Canada by now.
Sure the plates were Canadian.
I told them that.
"Je me souviens.
" I remember.
The motto on the Quebec plates.
There's a lot of Greeks in Canada.
I got uncles, cousins in Montreal, Toronto.
Oh um on the van, the bumper, there's a a sticker that says "Tilford Rentals.
" They're like the Hertz of Canada.
That's it? Yeah.
Listen, you remember anything else, - give us a buzz.
- Sure.
- Logan: So Sammy, tell us.
- It's two shots each to the heart.
- No exit wound.
- Cerreta: What'd they take? Nothing, wallet's intact.
One of them's got a $1,000 Piaget on his wrist.
No powder burns, no defensive wounds.
I figure they got it from 10, 15 feet at least.
Four shots, probably silenced, right through the heart.
- A marksman.
- A pro.
Fellas, you're telling me that a pro rents a van in Montreal, drives 500 miles, then in the open guns down two ad men? - Disgruntled client, maybe.
- Witnesses? Nothing we can use.
We got a hit on the APB here.
Traffic towed a gray van, Canadian plates, corner of 33rd and 8th.
That's a post office.
He's going to mail himself back to Canada? I'm thinking he'd be more comfortable on the train.
The station! No backup! If he even smells a uniform, he's gone.
New Jersey on track 3.
Stopping in Newark, and Metropark, Westfield, Plainfield, Princeton final destination, Trenton, New Jersey, now boarding.
Hey! Montreal train, what track? Track 8, departs in 15.
Six down, two to go.
There you go.
Going to Montreal? Excuse me, sir, are you going to Montreal? - Yes.
- Can I see your ticket, please? Vacation? Don't you guys have anything bet Look, just tell her I already mailed the check.
My friend! Hey! Forget something? Thanks, I had a little too much coffee today.
It'll keep.
You mind if we look in here? Can I stop you? We could always get a warrant.
But then you wouldn't want to miss your train.
Put your hands right on top of your head.
Down! You're under arrest.
Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law.
How many times are we gonna go through this? Mr.
Kemp, what do you say we call your lawyer? No reason to call a lawyer.
I didn't do anything.
You had a semi-automatic with a fully loaded clip.
So I had a piece.
So I was a naughty boy.
I'll pay the two bucks.
I'm thinking it wasn't just a piece, Frank, I'm thinking it was a murder weapon.
I'm happy for you.
Okay if I smoke? Cerreta: Mike? Mike! Want some coffee? What do you say we have some coffee? Yeah.
Man: Cream, no sugar.
We're doing all the talking.
A little leverage wouldn't hurt.
We hit on ballistics, it's all over.
Did you check his yellows? Yeah, six arrests from gun possession to attempt.
No convictions.
A van rented in your name was spotted at the scene, then it was found three blocks from the train station where we found you.
I told you the van was stolen.
I stopped for breakfast at some diner on 46th and Lex.
It was not there when I came out.
- You reported it? - Mm-hmm.
To who? The police, the rental company? All of the above.
What's the big deal? This the first car stolen in the city? Mr.
Kemp, you live in Plattsburgh, upstate New York.
What's that, about an hour outside of Montreal? - 45 minutes.
- You went that far to rent a van? I'm not rolling in the bucks like you guys.
Exchange rate, no per mile, I save a bundle.
Why did you need a van to come down here? My mother.
She owns this great old clock, a Seth Thomas.
Some dealer on the West Side offered me five grand for it.
The dealer's name? In the van.
With the clock? And you always take a semi-automatic and an eight-inch blade on a trip? What do you want? It's New York.
Yeah.
- Mike, labs you ordered.
- And? Negative.
The gun in his bag didn't kill our guys.
The bastard knew it all along.
A different story on the knife, though.
Minute traces of human blood of recent origin.
Wait a minute, I thought these guys were shot? They were.
Great.
That's great.
So we got two stiffs with no murder weapon and a bloody knife with no victim.
That's great! Standard "pop and hop.
" Effective, but impacts the resale value.
So Kemp makes like someone took his van.
He knows how to throw a few curves.
And he's a consummate pro.
This is the address of an antique dealer on the West Side.
Yeah, he's good.
Covers all the bases, establishes an alibi.
If he's so good, why not ditch the knife? You can't match a knife like you can a bullet.
Why toss it? "Waste not, want not.
" Everyone gets hit by the recession.
We got pretty recent gunpowder residue here.
I'll bring it over to the lab.
At least we know we got the right van, but that doesn't put Kemp in the driver's seat.
Feel like a doughnut? Yeah.
Cook: BLT down.
all with cream cheese, and this turnip wants peanut butter.
Was that yesterday? Sits there doing the puzzle for an hour.
I live on tips, little he cares.
- But what goes around, comes around.
- What do you mean? He leaves, comes running back five minutes later looking for a phone someone stole his car.
Serves him right! You ever work a counter? No.
Michelle Pfeiffer could be sitting there, you wouldn't know.
They don't look at their faces.
A waitress in a place like this probably serves 100 breakfasts a day.
But she remembered him.
Because he wanted her to.
- The guy's good.
- So how come our two guys rate such a pro? Were they involved in something? That's what we're trying to find out, Ms.
Moskowitz.
Can you tell us anything about their lives outside the office? Friends, relatives? Craig Hovis was like a plowhorse.
As far as I knew, he was here all the time.
- What about the family? - From Phoenix.
- No family in town.
- And Coyle? Peter was a different story.
Freelanced until I convinced him to come aboard.
To Peter, corporate America was up there with root canal.
But you turned him around? Well, money can't buy love, but it helps.
Coyle, was he all work as well? Peter was an artist.
He breathed life into every frame.
I'd finally convinced him to show his portraits.
I have a friend who has a gallery in Soho.
So I take it that you talked to Peter about things other than work? We'd just started seeing each other.
Dating.
Was he the one? It looks like Coyle had a more interesting life than the plowhorse.
Nobody had a piece of this guy.
another 50 and change in a retirement fund.
Hardly worth killing for.
"Esquire," "Hockey News.
" Tax deductibles Greenpeace, United Way, "Jerry's Kids.
" Huh a card from Moskowitz.
These guys look like boy scouts.
Yeah, with shadow lives.
Somebody paid good money to get them dead.
Dig deep enough, something pops out of the shadows.
None of the usuals play.
Mob, drugs, who else hires a hitter? Jealous husband.
Both of them? Maybe "Mr.
Plowhorse" was dunking his doughnut in somebody else's coffee.
Husband gets a whiff, doesn't like the smell.
And Coyle? Wrong place, wrong time.
Innocent bystander- slash-witness.
Hold it! What if they both had bad timing? - Phil, I was kidding.
- Hear me out.
The guy in the lot and Moskowitz both said there was another woman.
She got there before Hovis and Coyle.
The brunette.
She went in but no one saw her go out.
And Kemp has a bloody knife in his bag.
So Kemp's doing the brunette with the knife, Coyle and Hovis see him en flagrante, - it's "bang, bang.
" - She went to the lot why? To get her car.
Which has still got to be there.
My boss says nobody stays long term.
- But you're a nice guy, right? - Ah, live and let live.
Besides I can use the extra cash a new VCR.
This is Mr.
Simmons, a lawyer.
Friday he says, "I'm going away for six days.
Anybody wants to take it, let them.
It's insured.
" Next.
This one's been here a few days.
After 48 hours, I'm supposed to have them towed, but I figure what the hell, she's a nice lady.
- She say she would be out of town? - Attendant: Not to me.
- This lady have a name? - Not that I know of.
She's in here all the time, though.
She's nice-looking.
Mike? Look.
Paint scratched down to the bare metal.
Someone wanted to get in there real bad, huh? Looks like someone else wanted it that way.
See, there's a toothpick, or a matchstick stuck in there.
Okay Janet Torrens, 6th Street, Brooklyn, New York, 27 years old.
Does that say "Ms.
" or "Mrs.
"? I was just thinking maybe next time I'd take her to see the Knicks or something.
I wouldn't hold my breath.
Man: Janet was out of work for a couple of months.
I told her, "Why waste the money? Your old room's empty.
" Last month, she started looking for her own apartment.
When did you see her last? What was it? Tuesday morning? Before she left for the city.
So you haven't seen her for two days? Janet's a grown woman.
She lived here, but we don't keep tabs on her.
She was under a lot of stress.
Mr.
Torrens, does Janet drive a red BMW? Yeah, she bought it used when she started working in Manhattan.
We found her car in a parking lot.
It's been there for 48 hours.
- Oh God! - It doesn't necessarily mean I told her, "You keep your mouth shut.
It's not your problem.
" - Jack, they told us not to.
- Excuse me? The FBI.
Jack! What the hell does it matter now? They're investigating that bum she used to work for Charles Martine for legal contracts or something.
- Janet was helping them? - Yeah.
- Cerreta: Do you have a name, an agent? - Mr.
Torrens: Blanchard.
We called him last night.
He told us not to worry.
She's done this before left the city for a couple of days without telling us.
Why would she leave her car in the city if she went to the island? All off the record, right? Charles Martine, as in "The United States versus " Any bells going off? Military contractor, built Martine Aeronautics from the ground up, sells the Air Force on a sophisticated guidance system.
- A million bucks a plane.
- A scam? Underbids everybody, delivers substandard goods.
US Attorney calls it fraud.
Maybe some flyboy's widow calls it murder.
Mr.
Martine is currently awaiting trial in the "no-bail suite" at MCC.
Indictment's got more counts than Nixon had plumbers.
What about Janet Torrens? Ms.
Torrens was Martine's bookkeeper for five years.
The past seven months, confidential government informant.
You have something on her? She came to us.
The young lady has guts the kind you don't see much anymore.
I really hope you guys are wrong about this.
I like this one.
You'll let me know, huh? I never heard of Janet Torrens.
The blood on your knife was type O, same as Janet Torrens'.
The same as me.
Does the name "Charles Martine" mean anything to you? I never heard of him.
Look, what's the deal here? Are you going to walk me through the whole phone book? Janet Torrens was working mornings as a temp two blocks from where the car was found.
Her co-workers said she had been there three weeks.
She was about to blow the whistle on Martine.
He doesn't like the music, he hires Kemp.
Hovis and Coyle got in the way.
Without the girl's body, it's a stretch.
Come on, Paul, the bottom line is she's been missing since Tuesday.
Her car was 10 feet from where Hovis and Coyle took a bath, and Kemp's van was spotted at the scene! The real bottom line is we can't put any of them in the same place at the same time.
You need some physical evidence to connect it all.
We got a team searching his place right now.
Give us a couple of days.
Something will pop.
Kemp's lawyer is screaming his head off about the delay.
Buy us a couple, Paul.
We will make the connection.
Martine's in a federal pen.
It's gonna take a day to get through the red tape to see him.
We ought to be able to get some mileage out of the gun.
Possession three, he'll walk before lunch.
Ben broke his wrist this morning playing tennis.
Maybe I can use that to postpone the arraignment.
He what? He dove for a lob.
He finally beat you, huh? He was up, 5-4.
Some subcontractor deals me a faulty board, I pass it on to the Air Force.
It's not my fault.
Mr.
Martine's dealings with the federal government were strictly legitimate.
- It will all come out in the trial.
- What about Janet Torrens? - She was my bookkeeper.
- Was? The feds start investigating, people nose around, production stops no books to keep.
Come on.
Your bookkeeper goes bye-bye, and two guys are found dead next to her car the same day.
Makes you wonder.
Are you accusing Mr.
Martine of murder? In case you haven't noticed, Detective, I've been indisposed for the last seven months.
Your pal Frank Kemp tells a different story.
I never heard of him.
If we find out you did, you'll be more than "indisposed" for the next 25 years, I promise you that.
Attorney: Check his visitors list if you like.
It's public record.
If you want, I'll even open his phone logs to you.
Martine swears he never heard of Frank Kemp.
- Oh, I know I believe him.
- As far as visitors go, nothing in the last seven months except his attorney Teasdale, and his wife.
Ditto with the phone traffic.
The only calls made were to Teasdale and the wife.
He never called Frank Kemp.
How about we take it from the other end? I'm sure our friends at New York Telephone would be happy to supply us with Mr.
Kemp's usage details.
No, thank you.
Frank likes Chinese food.
the East Village? Yeah.
Frankie's got a friend there.
Five calls last week, same number.
What did people do before they had answering machines? Cute voice maybe the girlfriend.
Even hitters have a life.
Reverse directory, I get the address.
Yes.
Is he in? No, it's personal.
No message.
The day before the shootings, Frank Kemp chats with a lawyer, 27 minutes.
The lawyer's name Larry Teasdale.
As in Martine's mouthpiece.
So he called here.
Doesn't mean I talked to him.
Maybe he's seeing my secretary.
Does your secretary happen to live in the Village? - Teasdale: Rockaways.
- Logan: Mr.
Kemp calls here the day before the key witness against your client disappears.
The world's getting smaller every day, Mr.
Teasdale.
Look I'm really backed up today.
Maybe we could continue this some other time? You're also a suspect.
Accessory to murder, three counts.
Fine.
Then if you want to speak to me again, hit my lawyer with a subpoena.
Law degree it's a license to lie.
Even if we get a subpoena, he's going to hide behind privilege.
Not if Kemp told him beforehand he was going to commit a crime.
- I'll call Robinette.
- Let's stop in the Village first.
Could be that Kemp's honey doesn't have a law degree.
I don't know any Frank Kemp.
He called you five times last week.
That doesn't mean I talked to him.
Ms.
McManus, Frank Kemp is suspected in the murder of three people.
- If you have any information - I told you I don't know him! Listen, I'm in a hurry.
Get this right.
You're not going anywhere until you talk to us.
I went out with the guy a couple of times, okay? Now the jerk won't leave me alone.
What's the matter? You don't like to pick up your messages? Cerreta: We don't mind.
Go ahead.
Here, let me let me help you out.
Recording: It's Larry Teasdale.
If you're listening, pick up.
Call me as soon as possible.
I'll be at the office.
And don't talk to anyone! Larry Teasdale everybody's favorite middleman.
- Logan: Teasdale called.
What did he want? - How should I know?! Frankie must have given him my number.
That's who he's looking for.
Come on, Bettina.
The dial went off the meter an hour ago.
Kemp is in jail.
Teasdale knows it.
He was looking for you, Ms.
McManus.
I don't know anything about it! - I want to get out of here.
- You're not under arrest.
You can leave here any time you want.
Next time Teasdale calls, ask him how much he charges to draw up a will.
- Cragen: I hope she brought a change of underwear.
Cerreta: Scared is good.
Give it a minute.
She doesn't look like a player.
I doubt she is, but she knows everybody involved.
I just met him.
- Teasdale? - Kemp.
A couple of months ago, at a club.
Downtown.
The guy wore a suit.
We got lit in the ladies' room.
He was rolling in it.
Cocaine? You ever ask him where he got the money? All right, look, let me be straight with you, okay? There's a woman named Janet Torrens, she's missing.
She's probably dead.
You see where I'm going here? You want to join her? Be my guest.
Okay! I thought he was dealing, but that's all! I had no idea he killed people.
Did he say he killed Janet Torrens? I never heard of Janet Torrens until today.
What about Charles Martine? Alls I know is I get a call from some lawyer - Teasdale? - He says Frankie's "knee-deep.
" He says 25 grand is mine if I cover for him, say we were together and that I dropped him at the train station.
- And you said? - I said, "Sure.
" But then I thought "I don't know these guys.
Why should I step in it for them?" Martine ordered the hit, Teasdale gave the contract to Kemp.
Conspiracy to commit murder, three counts.
Good.
Get it on tape.
And you stay off those courts.
- Bettina: Frankie's okay? - Teasdale: Fine.
Getting better with your help.
He really messed up, didn't he? All you need to know is that you will be helping Frank out of a jam.
If Frankie's done something wrong I don't know I don't really like this.
This should help ease the pain.
of an aspirin.
This guy ought to reread the ethics code.
After he reads the criminal code.
Teasdale: You and Kemp spent the day together you had a drink, you hopped in the sack, you took care of business.
And then you went with him to the train station.
I'm not very good at this.
For 25 thou, you better be.
Shall we? Be my guest.
Is English a second language? I thought I made it clear.
We have nothing to discuss.
No discussion here.
We talk, you listen.
Larry Teasdale, you're under arrest for bribery, tampering with a witness, and murder.
I think the good counselor knows his rights.
Case number 26747, "People against Franklin Kemp, Larry Teasdale and Charles Martine.
" Charges are murder in the second degree, three counts, conspiracy to commit murder in the second degree, bribery, witness tampering.
Have we got any pleas? - Not guilty.
- Not guilty.
- Not guilty.
- So far, so good.
Mr.
Gold knows how I don't like surprises.
Keep me happy, Paul.
Jail status continued on Mr.
Martine.
$500,000 bail on Mr.
Teasdale and Mr.
Kemp.
- So ordered.
- W-wait! Your Honor! Uh, uh, uh! I'd love to stand around and chat, Mr.
Gold, but I have a very full plate.
Have a nice day.
- Keep them coming.
- Bailiff: Case number 26748 We're in for a long trip.
At the arraignment, Martine was represented by Arthur Gold.
His MO's legendary, he'll bury us in paper.
Arthur Gold he's all fizz and no gin.
- Sometimes fizz works.
- If you're referring to the Jacobs case, that was six years ago.
We were understaffed, Arthur Gold's laundry list of frivolous motions was abusive.
It was also good enough to get the murder weapon suppressed.
Good enough to beat you.
He wore out the judge.
His last article for "The Journal" was called "The Rule of M's: Mountains of Motions Multiply Mistakes.
" - He said no prosecutor could survive.
- We don't give him a chance.
You cock enough triggers, one of the pistols has to go off.
So between Kemp and Teasdale, one of them will roll.
And they'll all go away for a very long time.
Maybe not.
Teasdale and Kemp are represented by Gold's shadows Styger and Werner.
So? Schedule Werner at 2:00 and Styger at 4:00.
The case against your client is stronger than it appears.
The van, the knife and the tape should paint a pretty clear picture for a jury.
So what is this, a courtesy update? I want the man who hired your client.
You give me Charles Martine And you'll give me a medal? No, man one, one count.
I'd rather roll the dice.
That's fine, but they'll come up murder two, three counts.
- 25 to life on each.
- Attorney: Come on, guys.
Teasdale's tape has nothing to do with Mr.
Kemp.
The van was reported stolen, the blood on the knife matches that of what four million people in New York alone? Including Janet Torrens.
And you can't produce a body.
You rest your case, I move to dismiss.
My client would have surrendered, Mr.
Stone.
The humiliation of a public arrest was hardly called for.
I'm sorry, I missed the "Emily Post" chapter on the "etiquette of arrest.
" Ben, I thought we were friends.
Once a year we co-chair a Bar Association committee.
Friends, I don't think so.
You're serious about this? - About the bribery? Yes, I am.
- Alleged bribery.
And the murder of Janet Torrens, Craig Hovis and Peter Coyle.
You're going away for a long time, Larry.
Don't be stupid twice.
Don't go down alone.
Give me Charles Martine.
We'll work something out.
Dealing's a two-way street, Mr.
Stone.
There's nothing you can give me.
You'll never make a case against my client.
It's all on tape, Ms.
Styger.
I've got witnesses.
You've got "Hammad" problems up to your dimples.
Ms.
McManus was acting as an agent of the police when she spoke with my client.
- So? - So the last time he spoke with your men in blue, Cerreta and Logan, he told them in the future they should speak with his lawyer.
I assure you, I got no calls.
Your precious tape? It doesn't get near a jury.
Without it, you've got diddly.
She's got a point.
Under the "Hammad" decision, if Teasdale asked for an attorney, it wouldn't make any difference if he confessed to shooting 22 people in a Houston automat.
The tape is worthless.
Gold's orchestrating their joint defense.
Nobody talks, everybody walks.
We've still got McManus.
She can testify without the tape.
Is she credible? It can go either way.
I wouldn't bet heavy a cross by Arthur Gold Arthur Gold doesn't leap tall buildings in a single bound.
You know as well as I do that nine out of 10 cases are won without an eyewitness, and Martine and Kemp and Teasdale in the courtroom the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.
Well, that'll get you to the door, but it's a toss-up if it'll get you inside.
Have you tried dealing with all three? Charles Martine started the whole ball rolling.
Three people are dead.
There's no way I'd even consider dealing with that man.
But if you made it worth his while? Say one count man one, with a sentence to run concurrently with his federal time? He's got nothing to lose.
He'll have to talk.
It's worth it if you get Kemp and Teasdale.
Without Janet Torrens' body, Martine might not even do federal time, and he's the most culpable.
It's not the duty of this office to determine relative culpability.
Martine rolls, all three go to jail.
But not for murder.
Ben, is it that you don't want to deal with Martine or is it Gold? Gold's got nothing to do with it.
All right, then you'll talk to him.
Is that an order? Man one?! Don't insult me, Ben.
All right.
If Charles Martine gives us Kemp and Teasdale, one count man two, his sentence runs concurrently with his federal time.
Come on, Counselor.
Janet Torrens is nowhere to be found.
I strongly doubt that there's going to be a federal sentence.
You're showing your hand, Ben, and a four flush doesn't beat a pair of treys.
A woman agrees to testify against your client in a federal fraud case and ends up dead! - You got a death certificate? - I don't need one! I have motive.
And Teasdale's bribe attempt is corroboration in my book.
Well, you're on the wrong page, Ben.
Hell, you're in the wrong volume.
Teasdale called Kemp.
Maybe Teasdale is the one with motive.
Maybe Janet Torrens was about to sing his song.
Martine had nothing to do with any murders.
That's a crock and you know it! It's also reasonable doubt.
I'll take my chance with the jury, if you've got the stamina to get that far.
Now a clean slate for Martine, and maybe then he'll talk.
Don't be ridiculous! You're still swimming upstream, Ben.
Open those baby blues you can't beat me! A jury sees a knife, hears that tape You don't really think I'm gonna let that happen, do you? I'll see you in court, Ben.
Hot off the presses.
Gold's suppression motion.
- The tape? - And the knife.
Claims they were both obtained illegally.
And? The knife's no problem.
The Supreme Court's said at least a half dozen times that consensual searches do not invoke Fourth Amendment protection.
- It's clearly admissible.
- You talked to Cerreta? He'll testify tomorrow.
Kemp agreed to let them search his duffle bag.
The tape's another story.
Cerreta confirmed Styger's claim.
Teasdale did tell them to talk to him through his lawyer.
The police cannot do through an agent what they couldn't do themselves.
It's "blackletter.
" Judge Jenklaw is a practical man.
He likes to do the right thing.
Maybe he'll overlook the letter of the law.
If I weren't bound by oath to give every litigant their day in court, I'd enter sanctions against each and every one of you.
Mr.
Gold I suggest you read the opinions of the Supreme Court on consensual searches, beginning with the latest sermon from the mount, "Florida v.
Bostwick.
" If the police can randomly search passengers on a bus, then no possible stretch of logic can mandate the inadmissibility of a consensual search of a train.
Your Honor, the case law in this circuit Highlights the frivolity of your motion.
And Mr.
Stone unless the "Hammad" case and its progeny have been overruled while I was napping, the tape is as dirty as last week's laundry.
All right, the knife is in, the tape is out.
Can we set this down for trial? A professor I had in law school said for enough money, he could keep any defendant out of jail for up to three years.
Martine's got the bucks.
In a perfect world, we wouldn't have discovery.
We wouldn't have pre-trial motions.
Just go to trial and let the chips fall where they may.
In a perfect world, people wouldn't get shot in the parking lot.
Round two from Gold.
This one's for change of venue.
"Excessive publicity in this county.
" I assume the return date is Monday? Yep.
You've really outdone yourself, Arthur "Adverse publicity.
" Really? The New York papers have already convicted my client.
I think I'd be doing myself a favor by transferring this to another court.
- Your Honor - I know you're opposed, Ben.
Look, Arthur, if you insist on going through with this, and I waste the whole weekend reading your papers, I promise you, I'm going to make the rest of your trip very difficult.
In light of Your Honor's predisposition Can the histrionics, Arthur! We're off the record.
- I will agree to withdraw the motion.
- Thank you.
However, Your Honor, some new information has come to my attention which could certainly bear on the outcome of this trial.
Now, since we're all here, I move that Mr.
Stone be disqualified - as prosecutor on this case.
- What? Your Honor, for the last two years, Mr.
Stone and Larry Teasdale have co-chaired a Bar Association committee.
There is no relevance Any favoritism that Mr.
Stone might show Mr.
Teasdale because of said "personal relationship" could certainly prejudice my client.
Three hours once a year.
I never so much as had a cup of coffee with the man.
How can I be sure of that? Your Honor, the defendants are being tried together, they should certainly be on a level playing ground.
I'm sure the District Attorney's office can spare another assistant to prosecute this case.
He's got a valid point, Ben.
I move to sever.
Paul Robinette will try Mr.
Teasdale separately, and I'll continue with Mr.
Kemp and Mr.
Martine.
You sure, Ben? Yes, Your Honor, I am.
Anybody here opposed? No, Judge.
As a matter of fact, I would consider it an honor to have the opportunity to clash swords with Mr.
Stone.
Am I missing something? The severance hurts the case.
Remove Teasdale and the jury sees no connection whatsoever between Martine and Kemp.
They could all walk, Ben.
Teasdale is the weak link.
Now that he's on his own, he'll roll.
Why should he? Without the tape, he's got no incentive.
If Gold had made the motion to sever, what would you have done? You would have hit the ceiling.
He wanted the severance.
He knew you'd oppose so he conned you into making the motion for him by asking to have you removed.
Gold knew you wanted another shot at him in court.
He led you to water and you dove in head first.
No excuses, you screwed up! - I thought that - Brains were not involved here.
You tried to out-flex him and it backfired.
- Adam - A personal agenda should be kept on the street! Not dragged into a courtroom where real people get hurt.
Wait a minute! You insisted I deal with the man.
What would you have me do now? Back away from severance? - Where do we stand? - We don't! What do you suggest? Find a way to make the tape magically admissible? The tape is inadmissible against Teasdale Paul is trying him separately You think the judge would let it in against Martine and Kemp? I think you ought to get them thinking about it.
Bettina on recording: I don't really like this.
Teasdale on recording: This should help ease the pain.
You and Kemp spent the day together, you cooked a meal, you had a drink, you hopped in the sack, you took care of business, and then you went with him to the train station.
I'm not very good at this.
For 25 thou, you better be.
So what? It wasn't admissible then, it's not admissible now.
The tape was inadmissible against Mr.
Teasdale.
The cases have been severed.
Teasdale is being tried separately.
So as to Mr.
Kemp here, it's a whole new ballgame.
I have already submitted motion papers for a re-hearing.
Now, if you still want to roll the dice, Mr.
Kemp, be my guest.
But the rest of your life is a very long time.
What are you putting in your coffee, Stone? You're high if you think I think this offer is open for another 10 seconds.
Next stop, Mr.
Martine.
I doubt if he's willing to take the chance to let that tape into evidence.
Man two, one count.
He serves five.
Murder two, 25.
Man one five to 15, and you got a deal.
And you serve the max.
I told him the parking lot would be a bust.
Martine? I never talked to him.
My contact was Teasdale.
I should know better than to listen to a lawyer.
He wanted me to do her with a knife, leave her in the parking lot like a mugging.
But Hovis and Coyle crashed the party? Everybody knows this city's "nuts-to-butts.
" If it hadn't been the suits, it would have been somebody else.
You should have seen their faces.
And Janet Torrens? What? I'm gonna leave her there with the dead guys? I want to know exactly where she is.
The rats got to her.
Another week, there'd be nothing left but bones.
So much for "sleeps with the fishes.
" East River, we'd be lucky to have the bones.
Six inches right across the neck.
- Robinette: I'll call her parents.
- Cragen: I hope they all rot in hell.
One more stop and they will.
It's man two or it's nothing.
Mr.
Teasdale is directly responsible for three deaths.
Which you have no way of proving.
You had nothing when he was in charge.
Things don't change that quickly.
Yes, they do, Ms.
Styger.
Frank Kemp has agreed to testify against your client.
Man one, one count.
You serve 15.
It's the same as we gave Kemp.
We're better off going the distance.
The "distance" is three terms, Think about it.
Ben There's nothing you can do? We'll take the 15.
In light of the fact that my client has withdrawn his plea of "not guilty" and entered a plea of "guilty," and thereby saved this court the time and expense of what surely would have been a lengthy trial, I respectfully request that Your Honor show lenience and sentence Mr.
Martine to the mandatory minimum sentence of 15 to life.
May I remind the court that Mr.
Martine has a wife and children? He should have thought of them before he ordered a murder.
Please rise, Mr.
Martine.
You have anything to say before I pronounce sentence? No, Your Honor.
Charles Martine, having plead guilty to the murder of Janet Torrens, Craig Hovis and Peter Coyle, I sentence you to three terms each of 25 years to life to be served consecutively in the State Correctional Facility in Ossining.
And just be thankful that that is the most severe sentence the law allows.
Silver platters I handed it to you, Ben.
You would never have thought to sever those cases had I not moved to have you disqualified.
I was going to use that tape, severance was the only way.
You're not that smart.
You never were.
Call me for lunch.
You'd actually eat lunch with him? Only if he orders crow.
These are their stories.
I want the slides first, then we show them the stills.
The miniatures are the knockout punch.
Damn! We're already late, and the traffic I'd better call.
Peter, pull the car around and meet me at the gate.
Ah, damn.
Four quarters, please.
I'm not supposed to give change.
Look, I'm in a rush.
Yeah, it's Moskowitz.
Tell him 15 minutes.
I know.
- You okay? - Yeah.
Ms.
Moskowitz? Uh, I'm okay.
Take your time.
Uh I'd just hung up on the phone, and I didn't see the car.
I told Peter and Craig to bring it around.
So I went looking.
There was this van nearly clipped me on the way out.
What color was the van? Uh, gray or maybe silver.
Big.
How about the driver? Did you get a look at him? Barely a white guy.
I don't know.
And then I found them You said there was a woman? A brunette? Uh-huh, I don't know where she went.
Dude was doing at least 35.
He busted through the gate.
Mr.
Rozakis got a partial on the plates.
The APB's already out.
- Would you recognize him? - No, I never saw him.
The machine gives a ticket on the way in, you're supposed to pay on the way out.
He's probably halfway to Canada by now.
Sure the plates were Canadian.
I told them that.
"Je me souviens.
" I remember.
The motto on the Quebec plates.
There's a lot of Greeks in Canada.
I got uncles, cousins in Montreal, Toronto.
Oh um on the van, the bumper, there's a a sticker that says "Tilford Rentals.
" They're like the Hertz of Canada.
That's it? Yeah.
Listen, you remember anything else, - give us a buzz.
- Sure.
- Logan: So Sammy, tell us.
- It's two shots each to the heart.
- No exit wound.
- Cerreta: What'd they take? Nothing, wallet's intact.
One of them's got a $1,000 Piaget on his wrist.
No powder burns, no defensive wounds.
I figure they got it from 10, 15 feet at least.
Four shots, probably silenced, right through the heart.
- A marksman.
- A pro.
Fellas, you're telling me that a pro rents a van in Montreal, drives 500 miles, then in the open guns down two ad men? - Disgruntled client, maybe.
- Witnesses? Nothing we can use.
We got a hit on the APB here.
Traffic towed a gray van, Canadian plates, corner of 33rd and 8th.
That's a post office.
He's going to mail himself back to Canada? I'm thinking he'd be more comfortable on the train.
The station! No backup! If he even smells a uniform, he's gone.
New Jersey on track 3.
Stopping in Newark, and Metropark, Westfield, Plainfield, Princeton final destination, Trenton, New Jersey, now boarding.
Hey! Montreal train, what track? Track 8, departs in 15.
Six down, two to go.
There you go.
Going to Montreal? Excuse me, sir, are you going to Montreal? - Yes.
- Can I see your ticket, please? Vacation? Don't you guys have anything bet Look, just tell her I already mailed the check.
My friend! Hey! Forget something? Thanks, I had a little too much coffee today.
It'll keep.
You mind if we look in here? Can I stop you? We could always get a warrant.
But then you wouldn't want to miss your train.
Put your hands right on top of your head.
Down! You're under arrest.
Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law.
How many times are we gonna go through this? Mr.
Kemp, what do you say we call your lawyer? No reason to call a lawyer.
I didn't do anything.
You had a semi-automatic with a fully loaded clip.
So I had a piece.
So I was a naughty boy.
I'll pay the two bucks.
I'm thinking it wasn't just a piece, Frank, I'm thinking it was a murder weapon.
I'm happy for you.
Okay if I smoke? Cerreta: Mike? Mike! Want some coffee? What do you say we have some coffee? Yeah.
Man: Cream, no sugar.
We're doing all the talking.
A little leverage wouldn't hurt.
We hit on ballistics, it's all over.
Did you check his yellows? Yeah, six arrests from gun possession to attempt.
No convictions.
A van rented in your name was spotted at the scene, then it was found three blocks from the train station where we found you.
I told you the van was stolen.
I stopped for breakfast at some diner on 46th and Lex.
It was not there when I came out.
- You reported it? - Mm-hmm.
To who? The police, the rental company? All of the above.
What's the big deal? This the first car stolen in the city? Mr.
Kemp, you live in Plattsburgh, upstate New York.
What's that, about an hour outside of Montreal? - 45 minutes.
- You went that far to rent a van? I'm not rolling in the bucks like you guys.
Exchange rate, no per mile, I save a bundle.
Why did you need a van to come down here? My mother.
She owns this great old clock, a Seth Thomas.
Some dealer on the West Side offered me five grand for it.
The dealer's name? In the van.
With the clock? And you always take a semi-automatic and an eight-inch blade on a trip? What do you want? It's New York.
Yeah.
- Mike, labs you ordered.
- And? Negative.
The gun in his bag didn't kill our guys.
The bastard knew it all along.
A different story on the knife, though.
Minute traces of human blood of recent origin.
Wait a minute, I thought these guys were shot? They were.
Great.
That's great.
So we got two stiffs with no murder weapon and a bloody knife with no victim.
That's great! Standard "pop and hop.
" Effective, but impacts the resale value.
So Kemp makes like someone took his van.
He knows how to throw a few curves.
And he's a consummate pro.
This is the address of an antique dealer on the West Side.
Yeah, he's good.
Covers all the bases, establishes an alibi.
If he's so good, why not ditch the knife? You can't match a knife like you can a bullet.
Why toss it? "Waste not, want not.
" Everyone gets hit by the recession.
We got pretty recent gunpowder residue here.
I'll bring it over to the lab.
At least we know we got the right van, but that doesn't put Kemp in the driver's seat.
Feel like a doughnut? Yeah.
Cook: BLT down.
all with cream cheese, and this turnip wants peanut butter.
Was that yesterday? Sits there doing the puzzle for an hour.
I live on tips, little he cares.
- But what goes around, comes around.
- What do you mean? He leaves, comes running back five minutes later looking for a phone someone stole his car.
Serves him right! You ever work a counter? No.
Michelle Pfeiffer could be sitting there, you wouldn't know.
They don't look at their faces.
A waitress in a place like this probably serves 100 breakfasts a day.
But she remembered him.
Because he wanted her to.
- The guy's good.
- So how come our two guys rate such a pro? Were they involved in something? That's what we're trying to find out, Ms.
Moskowitz.
Can you tell us anything about their lives outside the office? Friends, relatives? Craig Hovis was like a plowhorse.
As far as I knew, he was here all the time.
- What about the family? - From Phoenix.
- No family in town.
- And Coyle? Peter was a different story.
Freelanced until I convinced him to come aboard.
To Peter, corporate America was up there with root canal.
But you turned him around? Well, money can't buy love, but it helps.
Coyle, was he all work as well? Peter was an artist.
He breathed life into every frame.
I'd finally convinced him to show his portraits.
I have a friend who has a gallery in Soho.
So I take it that you talked to Peter about things other than work? We'd just started seeing each other.
Dating.
Was he the one? It looks like Coyle had a more interesting life than the plowhorse.
Nobody had a piece of this guy.
another 50 and change in a retirement fund.
Hardly worth killing for.
"Esquire," "Hockey News.
" Tax deductibles Greenpeace, United Way, "Jerry's Kids.
" Huh a card from Moskowitz.
These guys look like boy scouts.
Yeah, with shadow lives.
Somebody paid good money to get them dead.
Dig deep enough, something pops out of the shadows.
None of the usuals play.
Mob, drugs, who else hires a hitter? Jealous husband.
Both of them? Maybe "Mr.
Plowhorse" was dunking his doughnut in somebody else's coffee.
Husband gets a whiff, doesn't like the smell.
And Coyle? Wrong place, wrong time.
Innocent bystander- slash-witness.
Hold it! What if they both had bad timing? - Phil, I was kidding.
- Hear me out.
The guy in the lot and Moskowitz both said there was another woman.
She got there before Hovis and Coyle.
The brunette.
She went in but no one saw her go out.
And Kemp has a bloody knife in his bag.
So Kemp's doing the brunette with the knife, Coyle and Hovis see him en flagrante, - it's "bang, bang.
" - She went to the lot why? To get her car.
Which has still got to be there.
My boss says nobody stays long term.
- But you're a nice guy, right? - Ah, live and let live.
Besides I can use the extra cash a new VCR.
This is Mr.
Simmons, a lawyer.
Friday he says, "I'm going away for six days.
Anybody wants to take it, let them.
It's insured.
" Next.
This one's been here a few days.
After 48 hours, I'm supposed to have them towed, but I figure what the hell, she's a nice lady.
- She say she would be out of town? - Attendant: Not to me.
- This lady have a name? - Not that I know of.
She's in here all the time, though.
She's nice-looking.
Mike? Look.
Paint scratched down to the bare metal.
Someone wanted to get in there real bad, huh? Looks like someone else wanted it that way.
See, there's a toothpick, or a matchstick stuck in there.
Okay Janet Torrens, 6th Street, Brooklyn, New York, 27 years old.
Does that say "Ms.
" or "Mrs.
"? I was just thinking maybe next time I'd take her to see the Knicks or something.
I wouldn't hold my breath.
Man: Janet was out of work for a couple of months.
I told her, "Why waste the money? Your old room's empty.
" Last month, she started looking for her own apartment.
When did you see her last? What was it? Tuesday morning? Before she left for the city.
So you haven't seen her for two days? Janet's a grown woman.
She lived here, but we don't keep tabs on her.
She was under a lot of stress.
Mr.
Torrens, does Janet drive a red BMW? Yeah, she bought it used when she started working in Manhattan.
We found her car in a parking lot.
It's been there for 48 hours.
- Oh God! - It doesn't necessarily mean I told her, "You keep your mouth shut.
It's not your problem.
" - Jack, they told us not to.
- Excuse me? The FBI.
Jack! What the hell does it matter now? They're investigating that bum she used to work for Charles Martine for legal contracts or something.
- Janet was helping them? - Yeah.
- Cerreta: Do you have a name, an agent? - Mr.
Torrens: Blanchard.
We called him last night.
He told us not to worry.
She's done this before left the city for a couple of days without telling us.
Why would she leave her car in the city if she went to the island? All off the record, right? Charles Martine, as in "The United States versus " Any bells going off? Military contractor, built Martine Aeronautics from the ground up, sells the Air Force on a sophisticated guidance system.
- A million bucks a plane.
- A scam? Underbids everybody, delivers substandard goods.
US Attorney calls it fraud.
Maybe some flyboy's widow calls it murder.
Mr.
Martine is currently awaiting trial in the "no-bail suite" at MCC.
Indictment's got more counts than Nixon had plumbers.
What about Janet Torrens? Ms.
Torrens was Martine's bookkeeper for five years.
The past seven months, confidential government informant.
You have something on her? She came to us.
The young lady has guts the kind you don't see much anymore.
I really hope you guys are wrong about this.
I like this one.
You'll let me know, huh? I never heard of Janet Torrens.
The blood on your knife was type O, same as Janet Torrens'.
The same as me.
Does the name "Charles Martine" mean anything to you? I never heard of him.
Look, what's the deal here? Are you going to walk me through the whole phone book? Janet Torrens was working mornings as a temp two blocks from where the car was found.
Her co-workers said she had been there three weeks.
She was about to blow the whistle on Martine.
He doesn't like the music, he hires Kemp.
Hovis and Coyle got in the way.
Without the girl's body, it's a stretch.
Come on, Paul, the bottom line is she's been missing since Tuesday.
Her car was 10 feet from where Hovis and Coyle took a bath, and Kemp's van was spotted at the scene! The real bottom line is we can't put any of them in the same place at the same time.
You need some physical evidence to connect it all.
We got a team searching his place right now.
Give us a couple of days.
Something will pop.
Kemp's lawyer is screaming his head off about the delay.
Buy us a couple, Paul.
We will make the connection.
Martine's in a federal pen.
It's gonna take a day to get through the red tape to see him.
We ought to be able to get some mileage out of the gun.
Possession three, he'll walk before lunch.
Ben broke his wrist this morning playing tennis.
Maybe I can use that to postpone the arraignment.
He what? He dove for a lob.
He finally beat you, huh? He was up, 5-4.
Some subcontractor deals me a faulty board, I pass it on to the Air Force.
It's not my fault.
Mr.
Martine's dealings with the federal government were strictly legitimate.
- It will all come out in the trial.
- What about Janet Torrens? - She was my bookkeeper.
- Was? The feds start investigating, people nose around, production stops no books to keep.
Come on.
Your bookkeeper goes bye-bye, and two guys are found dead next to her car the same day.
Makes you wonder.
Are you accusing Mr.
Martine of murder? In case you haven't noticed, Detective, I've been indisposed for the last seven months.
Your pal Frank Kemp tells a different story.
I never heard of him.
If we find out you did, you'll be more than "indisposed" for the next 25 years, I promise you that.
Attorney: Check his visitors list if you like.
It's public record.
If you want, I'll even open his phone logs to you.
Martine swears he never heard of Frank Kemp.
- Oh, I know I believe him.
- As far as visitors go, nothing in the last seven months except his attorney Teasdale, and his wife.
Ditto with the phone traffic.
The only calls made were to Teasdale and the wife.
He never called Frank Kemp.
How about we take it from the other end? I'm sure our friends at New York Telephone would be happy to supply us with Mr.
Kemp's usage details.
No, thank you.
Frank likes Chinese food.
the East Village? Yeah.
Frankie's got a friend there.
Five calls last week, same number.
What did people do before they had answering machines? Cute voice maybe the girlfriend.
Even hitters have a life.
Reverse directory, I get the address.
Yes.
Is he in? No, it's personal.
No message.
The day before the shootings, Frank Kemp chats with a lawyer, 27 minutes.
The lawyer's name Larry Teasdale.
As in Martine's mouthpiece.
So he called here.
Doesn't mean I talked to him.
Maybe he's seeing my secretary.
Does your secretary happen to live in the Village? - Teasdale: Rockaways.
- Logan: Mr.
Kemp calls here the day before the key witness against your client disappears.
The world's getting smaller every day, Mr.
Teasdale.
Look I'm really backed up today.
Maybe we could continue this some other time? You're also a suspect.
Accessory to murder, three counts.
Fine.
Then if you want to speak to me again, hit my lawyer with a subpoena.
Law degree it's a license to lie.
Even if we get a subpoena, he's going to hide behind privilege.
Not if Kemp told him beforehand he was going to commit a crime.
- I'll call Robinette.
- Let's stop in the Village first.
Could be that Kemp's honey doesn't have a law degree.
I don't know any Frank Kemp.
He called you five times last week.
That doesn't mean I talked to him.
Ms.
McManus, Frank Kemp is suspected in the murder of three people.
- If you have any information - I told you I don't know him! Listen, I'm in a hurry.
Get this right.
You're not going anywhere until you talk to us.
I went out with the guy a couple of times, okay? Now the jerk won't leave me alone.
What's the matter? You don't like to pick up your messages? Cerreta: We don't mind.
Go ahead.
Here, let me let me help you out.
Recording: It's Larry Teasdale.
If you're listening, pick up.
Call me as soon as possible.
I'll be at the office.
And don't talk to anyone! Larry Teasdale everybody's favorite middleman.
- Logan: Teasdale called.
What did he want? - How should I know?! Frankie must have given him my number.
That's who he's looking for.
Come on, Bettina.
The dial went off the meter an hour ago.
Kemp is in jail.
Teasdale knows it.
He was looking for you, Ms.
McManus.
I don't know anything about it! - I want to get out of here.
- You're not under arrest.
You can leave here any time you want.
Next time Teasdale calls, ask him how much he charges to draw up a will.
- Cragen: I hope she brought a change of underwear.
Cerreta: Scared is good.
Give it a minute.
She doesn't look like a player.
I doubt she is, but she knows everybody involved.
I just met him.
- Teasdale? - Kemp.
A couple of months ago, at a club.
Downtown.
The guy wore a suit.
We got lit in the ladies' room.
He was rolling in it.
Cocaine? You ever ask him where he got the money? All right, look, let me be straight with you, okay? There's a woman named Janet Torrens, she's missing.
She's probably dead.
You see where I'm going here? You want to join her? Be my guest.
Okay! I thought he was dealing, but that's all! I had no idea he killed people.
Did he say he killed Janet Torrens? I never heard of Janet Torrens until today.
What about Charles Martine? Alls I know is I get a call from some lawyer - Teasdale? - He says Frankie's "knee-deep.
" He says 25 grand is mine if I cover for him, say we were together and that I dropped him at the train station.
- And you said? - I said, "Sure.
" But then I thought "I don't know these guys.
Why should I step in it for them?" Martine ordered the hit, Teasdale gave the contract to Kemp.
Conspiracy to commit murder, three counts.
Good.
Get it on tape.
And you stay off those courts.
- Bettina: Frankie's okay? - Teasdale: Fine.
Getting better with your help.
He really messed up, didn't he? All you need to know is that you will be helping Frank out of a jam.
If Frankie's done something wrong I don't know I don't really like this.
This should help ease the pain.
of an aspirin.
This guy ought to reread the ethics code.
After he reads the criminal code.
Teasdale: You and Kemp spent the day together you had a drink, you hopped in the sack, you took care of business.
And then you went with him to the train station.
I'm not very good at this.
For 25 thou, you better be.
Shall we? Be my guest.
Is English a second language? I thought I made it clear.
We have nothing to discuss.
No discussion here.
We talk, you listen.
Larry Teasdale, you're under arrest for bribery, tampering with a witness, and murder.
I think the good counselor knows his rights.
Case number 26747, "People against Franklin Kemp, Larry Teasdale and Charles Martine.
" Charges are murder in the second degree, three counts, conspiracy to commit murder in the second degree, bribery, witness tampering.
Have we got any pleas? - Not guilty.
- Not guilty.
- Not guilty.
- So far, so good.
Mr.
Gold knows how I don't like surprises.
Keep me happy, Paul.
Jail status continued on Mr.
Martine.
$500,000 bail on Mr.
Teasdale and Mr.
Kemp.
- So ordered.
- W-wait! Your Honor! Uh, uh, uh! I'd love to stand around and chat, Mr.
Gold, but I have a very full plate.
Have a nice day.
- Keep them coming.
- Bailiff: Case number 26748 We're in for a long trip.
At the arraignment, Martine was represented by Arthur Gold.
His MO's legendary, he'll bury us in paper.
Arthur Gold he's all fizz and no gin.
- Sometimes fizz works.
- If you're referring to the Jacobs case, that was six years ago.
We were understaffed, Arthur Gold's laundry list of frivolous motions was abusive.
It was also good enough to get the murder weapon suppressed.
Good enough to beat you.
He wore out the judge.
His last article for "The Journal" was called "The Rule of M's: Mountains of Motions Multiply Mistakes.
" - He said no prosecutor could survive.
- We don't give him a chance.
You cock enough triggers, one of the pistols has to go off.
So between Kemp and Teasdale, one of them will roll.
And they'll all go away for a very long time.
Maybe not.
Teasdale and Kemp are represented by Gold's shadows Styger and Werner.
So? Schedule Werner at 2:00 and Styger at 4:00.
The case against your client is stronger than it appears.
The van, the knife and the tape should paint a pretty clear picture for a jury.
So what is this, a courtesy update? I want the man who hired your client.
You give me Charles Martine And you'll give me a medal? No, man one, one count.
I'd rather roll the dice.
That's fine, but they'll come up murder two, three counts.
- 25 to life on each.
- Attorney: Come on, guys.
Teasdale's tape has nothing to do with Mr.
Kemp.
The van was reported stolen, the blood on the knife matches that of what four million people in New York alone? Including Janet Torrens.
And you can't produce a body.
You rest your case, I move to dismiss.
My client would have surrendered, Mr.
Stone.
The humiliation of a public arrest was hardly called for.
I'm sorry, I missed the "Emily Post" chapter on the "etiquette of arrest.
" Ben, I thought we were friends.
Once a year we co-chair a Bar Association committee.
Friends, I don't think so.
You're serious about this? - About the bribery? Yes, I am.
- Alleged bribery.
And the murder of Janet Torrens, Craig Hovis and Peter Coyle.
You're going away for a long time, Larry.
Don't be stupid twice.
Don't go down alone.
Give me Charles Martine.
We'll work something out.
Dealing's a two-way street, Mr.
Stone.
There's nothing you can give me.
You'll never make a case against my client.
It's all on tape, Ms.
Styger.
I've got witnesses.
You've got "Hammad" problems up to your dimples.
Ms.
McManus was acting as an agent of the police when she spoke with my client.
- So? - So the last time he spoke with your men in blue, Cerreta and Logan, he told them in the future they should speak with his lawyer.
I assure you, I got no calls.
Your precious tape? It doesn't get near a jury.
Without it, you've got diddly.
She's got a point.
Under the "Hammad" decision, if Teasdale asked for an attorney, it wouldn't make any difference if he confessed to shooting 22 people in a Houston automat.
The tape is worthless.
Gold's orchestrating their joint defense.
Nobody talks, everybody walks.
We've still got McManus.
She can testify without the tape.
Is she credible? It can go either way.
I wouldn't bet heavy a cross by Arthur Gold Arthur Gold doesn't leap tall buildings in a single bound.
You know as well as I do that nine out of 10 cases are won without an eyewitness, and Martine and Kemp and Teasdale in the courtroom the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.
Well, that'll get you to the door, but it's a toss-up if it'll get you inside.
Have you tried dealing with all three? Charles Martine started the whole ball rolling.
Three people are dead.
There's no way I'd even consider dealing with that man.
But if you made it worth his while? Say one count man one, with a sentence to run concurrently with his federal time? He's got nothing to lose.
He'll have to talk.
It's worth it if you get Kemp and Teasdale.
Without Janet Torrens' body, Martine might not even do federal time, and he's the most culpable.
It's not the duty of this office to determine relative culpability.
Martine rolls, all three go to jail.
But not for murder.
Ben, is it that you don't want to deal with Martine or is it Gold? Gold's got nothing to do with it.
All right, then you'll talk to him.
Is that an order? Man one?! Don't insult me, Ben.
All right.
If Charles Martine gives us Kemp and Teasdale, one count man two, his sentence runs concurrently with his federal time.
Come on, Counselor.
Janet Torrens is nowhere to be found.
I strongly doubt that there's going to be a federal sentence.
You're showing your hand, Ben, and a four flush doesn't beat a pair of treys.
A woman agrees to testify against your client in a federal fraud case and ends up dead! - You got a death certificate? - I don't need one! I have motive.
And Teasdale's bribe attempt is corroboration in my book.
Well, you're on the wrong page, Ben.
Hell, you're in the wrong volume.
Teasdale called Kemp.
Maybe Teasdale is the one with motive.
Maybe Janet Torrens was about to sing his song.
Martine had nothing to do with any murders.
That's a crock and you know it! It's also reasonable doubt.
I'll take my chance with the jury, if you've got the stamina to get that far.
Now a clean slate for Martine, and maybe then he'll talk.
Don't be ridiculous! You're still swimming upstream, Ben.
Open those baby blues you can't beat me! A jury sees a knife, hears that tape You don't really think I'm gonna let that happen, do you? I'll see you in court, Ben.
Hot off the presses.
Gold's suppression motion.
- The tape? - And the knife.
Claims they were both obtained illegally.
And? The knife's no problem.
The Supreme Court's said at least a half dozen times that consensual searches do not invoke Fourth Amendment protection.
- It's clearly admissible.
- You talked to Cerreta? He'll testify tomorrow.
Kemp agreed to let them search his duffle bag.
The tape's another story.
Cerreta confirmed Styger's claim.
Teasdale did tell them to talk to him through his lawyer.
The police cannot do through an agent what they couldn't do themselves.
It's "blackletter.
" Judge Jenklaw is a practical man.
He likes to do the right thing.
Maybe he'll overlook the letter of the law.
If I weren't bound by oath to give every litigant their day in court, I'd enter sanctions against each and every one of you.
Mr.
Gold I suggest you read the opinions of the Supreme Court on consensual searches, beginning with the latest sermon from the mount, "Florida v.
Bostwick.
" If the police can randomly search passengers on a bus, then no possible stretch of logic can mandate the inadmissibility of a consensual search of a train.
Your Honor, the case law in this circuit Highlights the frivolity of your motion.
And Mr.
Stone unless the "Hammad" case and its progeny have been overruled while I was napping, the tape is as dirty as last week's laundry.
All right, the knife is in, the tape is out.
Can we set this down for trial? A professor I had in law school said for enough money, he could keep any defendant out of jail for up to three years.
Martine's got the bucks.
In a perfect world, we wouldn't have discovery.
We wouldn't have pre-trial motions.
Just go to trial and let the chips fall where they may.
In a perfect world, people wouldn't get shot in the parking lot.
Round two from Gold.
This one's for change of venue.
"Excessive publicity in this county.
" I assume the return date is Monday? Yep.
You've really outdone yourself, Arthur "Adverse publicity.
" Really? The New York papers have already convicted my client.
I think I'd be doing myself a favor by transferring this to another court.
- Your Honor - I know you're opposed, Ben.
Look, Arthur, if you insist on going through with this, and I waste the whole weekend reading your papers, I promise you, I'm going to make the rest of your trip very difficult.
In light of Your Honor's predisposition Can the histrionics, Arthur! We're off the record.
- I will agree to withdraw the motion.
- Thank you.
However, Your Honor, some new information has come to my attention which could certainly bear on the outcome of this trial.
Now, since we're all here, I move that Mr.
Stone be disqualified - as prosecutor on this case.
- What? Your Honor, for the last two years, Mr.
Stone and Larry Teasdale have co-chaired a Bar Association committee.
There is no relevance Any favoritism that Mr.
Stone might show Mr.
Teasdale because of said "personal relationship" could certainly prejudice my client.
Three hours once a year.
I never so much as had a cup of coffee with the man.
How can I be sure of that? Your Honor, the defendants are being tried together, they should certainly be on a level playing ground.
I'm sure the District Attorney's office can spare another assistant to prosecute this case.
He's got a valid point, Ben.
I move to sever.
Paul Robinette will try Mr.
Teasdale separately, and I'll continue with Mr.
Kemp and Mr.
Martine.
You sure, Ben? Yes, Your Honor, I am.
Anybody here opposed? No, Judge.
As a matter of fact, I would consider it an honor to have the opportunity to clash swords with Mr.
Stone.
Am I missing something? The severance hurts the case.
Remove Teasdale and the jury sees no connection whatsoever between Martine and Kemp.
They could all walk, Ben.
Teasdale is the weak link.
Now that he's on his own, he'll roll.
Why should he? Without the tape, he's got no incentive.
If Gold had made the motion to sever, what would you have done? You would have hit the ceiling.
He wanted the severance.
He knew you'd oppose so he conned you into making the motion for him by asking to have you removed.
Gold knew you wanted another shot at him in court.
He led you to water and you dove in head first.
No excuses, you screwed up! - I thought that - Brains were not involved here.
You tried to out-flex him and it backfired.
- Adam - A personal agenda should be kept on the street! Not dragged into a courtroom where real people get hurt.
Wait a minute! You insisted I deal with the man.
What would you have me do now? Back away from severance? - Where do we stand? - We don't! What do you suggest? Find a way to make the tape magically admissible? The tape is inadmissible against Teasdale Paul is trying him separately You think the judge would let it in against Martine and Kemp? I think you ought to get them thinking about it.
Bettina on recording: I don't really like this.
Teasdale on recording: This should help ease the pain.
You and Kemp spent the day together, you cooked a meal, you had a drink, you hopped in the sack, you took care of business, and then you went with him to the train station.
I'm not very good at this.
For 25 thou, you better be.
So what? It wasn't admissible then, it's not admissible now.
The tape was inadmissible against Mr.
Teasdale.
The cases have been severed.
Teasdale is being tried separately.
So as to Mr.
Kemp here, it's a whole new ballgame.
I have already submitted motion papers for a re-hearing.
Now, if you still want to roll the dice, Mr.
Kemp, be my guest.
But the rest of your life is a very long time.
What are you putting in your coffee, Stone? You're high if you think I think this offer is open for another 10 seconds.
Next stop, Mr.
Martine.
I doubt if he's willing to take the chance to let that tape into evidence.
Man two, one count.
He serves five.
Murder two, 25.
Man one five to 15, and you got a deal.
And you serve the max.
I told him the parking lot would be a bust.
Martine? I never talked to him.
My contact was Teasdale.
I should know better than to listen to a lawyer.
He wanted me to do her with a knife, leave her in the parking lot like a mugging.
But Hovis and Coyle crashed the party? Everybody knows this city's "nuts-to-butts.
" If it hadn't been the suits, it would have been somebody else.
You should have seen their faces.
And Janet Torrens? What? I'm gonna leave her there with the dead guys? I want to know exactly where she is.
The rats got to her.
Another week, there'd be nothing left but bones.
So much for "sleeps with the fishes.
" East River, we'd be lucky to have the bones.
Six inches right across the neck.
- Robinette: I'll call her parents.
- Cragen: I hope they all rot in hell.
One more stop and they will.
It's man two or it's nothing.
Mr.
Teasdale is directly responsible for three deaths.
Which you have no way of proving.
You had nothing when he was in charge.
Things don't change that quickly.
Yes, they do, Ms.
Styger.
Frank Kemp has agreed to testify against your client.
Man one, one count.
You serve 15.
It's the same as we gave Kemp.
We're better off going the distance.
The "distance" is three terms, Think about it.
Ben There's nothing you can do? We'll take the 15.
In light of the fact that my client has withdrawn his plea of "not guilty" and entered a plea of "guilty," and thereby saved this court the time and expense of what surely would have been a lengthy trial, I respectfully request that Your Honor show lenience and sentence Mr.
Martine to the mandatory minimum sentence of 15 to life.
May I remind the court that Mr.
Martine has a wife and children? He should have thought of them before he ordered a murder.
Please rise, Mr.
Martine.
You have anything to say before I pronounce sentence? No, Your Honor.
Charles Martine, having plead guilty to the murder of Janet Torrens, Craig Hovis and Peter Coyle, I sentence you to three terms each of 25 years to life to be served consecutively in the State Correctional Facility in Ossining.
And just be thankful that that is the most severe sentence the law allows.
Silver platters I handed it to you, Ben.
You would never have thought to sever those cases had I not moved to have you disqualified.
I was going to use that tape, severance was the only way.
You're not that smart.
You never were.
Call me for lunch.
You'd actually eat lunch with him? Only if he orders crow.