Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) s03e18 Episode Script
Ill-Bred
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.
I don't understand why you didn't follow up.
The bleeding is symptomatic of everything you checked for.
Eh, it's minor.
And she's 13 years old.
It happens.
If it's all the same to you, I'm having her rechecked for C.
E.
M.
Knock yourself out.
I've only been doing this for 20 years.
There's no way anybody knows.
I'm just getting worked up over nothin'.
You usually do.
Hey, Paige, I'd like to think I'm not just doing this for me.
It wasn't my idea.
I spoke with him.
Everything is fine.
Don't worry about it.
Mom, we're gonna be late.
Can we motor, please? Molly said McClintock had to use the whip this morning.
That's happy news.
Does Paige know how pretty Molly is? I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up with endorsements for teeth whiteners on his saddle.
Lighten up, Megs.
He's putting some zing into the sport.
Oh, really? I could think of other sports in more desperate need of zing.
Speak of the devil.
Hello, Neil.
We werejust talking about your terrific streak.
Yes.
I heard that you had trouble getting your horse over thejumps this morning.
They're showoffs, Mrs.
Townsend.
They'll be fine once there's a crowd.
Excuse me.
Is that how you're planning on winning tomorrow? By getting us all sick? I have to take this.
Good luck to us all tomorrow.
Yeah.
How bad? Give me 10 minutes.
I'll meet you out there.
I'm sure we've met before.
Last summer in the Hamptons.
I've never been to the Hamptons.
No? Where do you summer? Same place I winter.
In Bedford.
Ralph Lauren's Fourth ofJuly barbecue.
You were playing tennis, right? That's, uh, how you keep this arm so well-toned.
I keep it well-toned by sticking it up a cow's rectum once a day.
I'm a vet, and I have patients to see tonight.
My fault.
I didn't realize the help was invited to this dinner.
What happened? Oh, my God.
! What happened? What happened? Law & Order CI Security found herjust after 1:00.
Name's Molly Simms.
She's a veterinarian in Bedford.
She's in town for the horse show.
She came from the party? A dinner for the horse folks.
She was doing a bed check on the clients' horses.
- McClintock? - No.
Madison.
Uh, what killed the horses? Three-inch nails through the skull.
Found a nail gun in the stall.
I'll get Mr.
McClintock.
She came to check on the Madison horse and found somebody pumping nails into these horses.
Yeah, see the way her legs are tucked under? She came in, she saw the injured horses.
It would have been her instinct to kneel down to help them.
Another lovely pearl.
It must have fallen in when she was killed.
The killer closed the bag.
He didn't want us to know that she started to help the horses, which she would have done if she didn't feel in danger.
Because she knew the killer.
This is Dr.
McClintock and his groom, Roy Daniels.
I just can't believe this.
That poor woman.
It's terrible.
We think she walked in on somebody killing your horses.
You know any reason why somebody would want to hurt them? No.
Who'd kill a horse, especially these? - They were champion jumpers.
- Million-dollar horses.
Million dollars.
What's your specialty, Doctor? I'm a dentist in Stamford.
You were favored to win this weekend? Doc's won his last five competitions.
Doc was the man to beat.
And these were the horses to beat.
Is that your saddle? Yeah.
Fancy saddle.
It's newer than the other ones here.
How long you been jumpin', Doc? In competition? Six months.
Five wins in six months.
That must have put a burr under these other saddles.
I'm not gonna point any fingers.
Come on, Roy.
You have this all wrong.
The world of show horses is like a big family.
Dr.
McClintock.
This is who he was up against today? Yes, that was the order for the morning ride.
Looks like they erased one of the names.
You know, I see a "K" and and an "O.
" There's a "C.
" McClintock.
You put him in the last position.
He told me last night he was fighting the flu and he might have to scratch, so I moved him to give him extra time to get himself together.
I see that he was well enough to practice yesterday.
How'd he do? His horses were balking at the jumps.
McClintock was using his whip liberally.
Sounds like they caught his flu.
This dried blood around the nostrils of both horses suggests a pulmonary hemorrhage brought on by overexertion.
They were running the horses to death.
That explain why they balked at the jumps? Yes.
It also suggests they were being doped.
I found nearly a dozen needle marks just above the hooves of each horse.
I tested each site and found traces of oxygen-enhancing performance drugs.
But these horses were competing.
Don't they get tested for drugs? Yes, but I detected high levels of furosemide in their blood.
Furosemide causes a horse to urinate at an elevated rate.
Which flushes out whatever performance drug they were taking.
Enough to pass the urine test.
And these cuts on the lips? They're bite marks.
The horses were in distress.
They could have easily injured each other.
PIER 94 12TH AVENUE AT 55TH STREET MONDAY, MARCH 22 The horses weren'tjumping because they were barn sour.
Horses are like little kids.
They're always acting up.
And like little kids, they get nosebleeds? Our vet says this is a symptom of pulmonary hemorrhage.
And these needle marks You want to know what she says about those? She told us that the horses were being doped upand run to death.
What do you think about that, Mr.
Daniels? Nothing.
What does Roy Stubbs think of it? That was your name, right when the Florida Racing Commission banned you for doping horses? We got your fingerprints off McClintock's fancy saddle.
The people in Florida They told us you were the best.
That's why McClintock hired you, isn't it? Give him an edge.
Doesn't matter now.
The horses are dead.
Because that Friday night, you put them out of their misery.
Molly Simms walked in on ya.
McClintock panicked.
Not you.
He killed her.
And then he had you put the horses down with the nail gun to hide the real cause of death.
That never happened.
We-We never saw that girl.
And the horses were fine when we left.
Fine? With bleeding nostrils and their lips cut from biting each other? - They were all riled up from the doping.
- You don't know what you're talking about.
Those bite marks? They were from the horse in the next stall the Madison horse.
That mare bit our horse Friday afternoon.
And you're all crazy if you think we killed anybody.
What do you do when one horse bites another? What do you do to stop them? Nothing.
You just keep 'em apart.
Is that what happened with the Madison horse? Yeah, they moved her Friday.
Madison That was one of Molly's clients.
Mmm, one of the horses on her list for the bed check.
We're staying at the party too long.
I gotta stay.
I got goals to meet.
Yeah, but if you want me to stay, you better make it worth my while.
You know, Dale, I always took you for a weak character, but you've really impressed me.
Marriage must have toughened you up.
You know, you should try that raisin pie.
It's really good here.
I moved the Madison horse here Friday.
We always keep an empty stall in case we have a biter.
Uh, thanks.
These horses You know, you got Crendall, Townsend, Sheppard, Lansing.
These were Molly's clients.
So she came to check up on them.
She didn't have any horses around the corner where McClintock's were.
If the Madison horse was moved over here with her other clients, she didn't have any reason to be around the corner.
Unless someone created a reason by calling for help for McClintock's injured horses.
Killing the horses was a cover for the real target.
Molly.
Anybody else she might have talked to in the building? Another vet? No, Molly was our only vet.
Anyway, she mostly worked out of her van.
Local calls.
Couple to the city.
A few upstate to Newburgh.
This is from a lab, marked for a Saturday delivery.
Is that common for a lab to pay extra for a rush delivery? No.
Molly was expecting that.
She told me to call her as soon as it came in.
It's the results of blood work on a horse named Mariah.
Maybe another doping case.
Do you know how her filing system works? Uh, it's by species.
The drawer with the red tag is horses.
Uh, it's filed by owner, and then horse's name.
Well, if she had a file on Mariah, it's missing.
The city vet said these are the tests you'd run if the horse had internal bleeding.
Lab have a way of tracking this horse? What about this number next to the horse's name? It was supplied by Molly Simms.
The lab doesn't know what it corresponds to.
We got a name with no horse.
Well, this horse had a job.
Mariah was a carriage horse in Central Park.
The number on the lab report was issued by the Department of Health and burned into her hoof.
She's a 13-year-old mare.
She hauled tourists around Central Park until five years ago when she was sold to a farm up in Wallkill.
Wallkill? You know who her next-door neighbors are? The nice folks at Wallkill medium-security prison.
FINDEL FARM WALLKILL, NEW YORK THURSDAY, MARCH 25 You're saying Mariah isn't here? She was stolen last year.
She was a sweet-natured horse.
She'd have walked off with anyone dangling a carrot.
You know, I noticed, uh, some of these guys wearing interesting work clothes.
They come from the prison? Yeah, it's a work release program.
They get assigned a horse, learn to take care of it.
Who did Mariah get assigned to? A con named Rabbit Winters.
He's still in Wallkill, doing time for, uh, burglary and drugs.
Uh, careful.
That's a quick-release knot.
So Winters He get along well with Mariah? Oh, yes, he took good care ofher.
Even fed her out ofhis own lunch box.
Did you ever notice the horse having any kind of medical problems, like, um, internal bleeding? There were a couple of instances, but it cleared up on its own.
Now, did Winters have any reasons to take the horse into the prison gates? Sure, on visiting days, so the kids could play with her.
It's therapeutic for the cons and their families.
I wouldn't say that nag brought me luck.
Bit me at least twice a week.
I see your file says in the three years you took care of Mariah, you enjoyed special privileges in here.
Your own TV, extra time in the yard.
And then when Mariah disappeared, your luck turned bad.
No more TV, no more privileges.
That's life behind a wall.
It's the horse.
You know, Winters, the horse? Come on, you stuffed it full of drugs, you walked it past the guards once a week.
It made you the popular guy behind the wall.
Until somebody stole her.
I don't know what you're talking about.
The somebody who procured the drugs and helped you load 'em into Mariah That's who we want.
I'm telling you.
It never happened.
He trained the horse.
He took the biggest risks.
And now his partner's transporting drugs, maybe by trailer, down from Canada, up from Miami.
He's making all the money.
- Would that piss you off? - That would piss me off.
That would piss me off.
Would it piss you off? Not enough to make me turn snitch.
Guard.
If this mystery partner is moving horses up and down the eastern seaboard, it'll be tough to find him.
Maybe we're setting our sights too low.
The calls Molly made to Newburgh.
Stewart International Airport.
ANIMAL QUARANTINE CENTER STEWART INT'I.
AIRPORT NEWBURGH, NEW YORK, MONDAY, MARCH 29 I get a lot of calls from vets, but I don't specifically remember a Dr.
Simms.
You have a better memory for animals? A horse called Mariah? - No.
Sorry.
- So how does it work? The horses fly in from overseas, and then you examine them? Yeah, we quarantine them for a couple of weeks.
So if there's anything wrong with them internal bleedingyou catch it? Yes.
It's not foolproof, but yes.
That's probably why Dr.
Simms called you.
You see, she ordered up some lab tests for Mariahfor internal bleeding.
But I never talked to her.
Oh, that's a micro-frown.
You know, the little, uh, muscle between your eyes.
You see, the face It constantly gives off micro-expressions.
You know, little muscle twitches that reveal your true emotions.
That was a micro-frown.
That's a tell for lying.
You're funny.
He doesn't really think I'm funny 'cause that wasn't a smile of enjoyment.
If it were, then the muscle in the corner of your eye it's called orbicularis oculi it would have raised up.
That was an anxious smile.
Read this expression.
You're in a restricted federal facility under the jurisdiction of Homeland Security.
You have to leave.
We'll expect those records by this afternoon.
If we don't like what we see, we'll be back with a subpoena.
Easy, Mariah.
You're almost done, girl.
Almost done.
Dale, I want to show Dad my new saddle.
The tack room's unlocked.
Not as exciting as a baseball mitt, but what the heck.
Maybe that day will come, Mr.
Townsend.
We're trying, Paige.
We'll see what happens.
Dad, come on! All set? It's not right, Paige.
Grow up.
The animal quarantine center processed a horse named Mariah four weeks ago.
She belongs to the Townsend Farm in Bedford.
The horse was returning from a show in Russia, in St.
Petersburg.
Townsend.
That's one of Molly Simms's clients.
And they had horses competing in the New York show last week.
In the last 18 months, Mariah and the other Townsend horses have been in competition in Dubai, Ankara and Moscow.
I'm seeing a common denominator.
They're all entry points for Afghan heroin into the West.
Someone traveling with the horses buys the heroin and puts it inside Mariah.
Our vet thinks two to three kilos can fit inside Mariah's uterus.
That's what caused the internal bleeding.
The horses land here, and the drugs are removed during the quarantine.
Probably by that vet, Reeves.
Two to three kilos of uncut heroin each trip.
That's a lot of easy money.
It's nothing compared to the price Molly Simms paid.
Mariah ran off last night.
Somebody left the pasture gate open.
If she gets into the woods and the coyotes get to her You don't seem all that broken up, Mr.
Mullen.
Mariah was just a stable buddy, an easygoing horse to settle down these thoroughbreds.
How 'bout long plane rides? She traveled with other horses? - That's right.
- You travel with them? Sure.
Me and three handlers and Ms.
Townsend.
What is it that you do? I'm sorry.
I can't keep up with all this, uh, horse terminology.
I'm the farm manager.
So why aren't you on the farm managing rather than on a plane? I do what Mr.
Townsend tells me.
Oh! - Oh, that's a quick-release knot.
- Sorry.
I just tugged on it.
- I'll pick it up.
- That's all right.
I'll get it.
So you ever work as a groom on the Findel Farm up in Wallkill? You're asking about the Findel Farm.
My husband worked there just before I met him.
Hi.
I'm Paige.
They're, uh, here about Mariah.
- Did you find her? - No.
Mr.
Findel told us she was stolen from his farm a year ago.
We wouldn't know about that.
Dale bought her at auction for cash over in Litchfield.
Ah, I'm starting to feel bad for this poor city horse, bouncing from farm to farm.
Was anything wrong with her? Dr.
Simms found some internal bleeding.
We were waiting on the test results.
Did, um Do you know a Rabbit Winters up in Wallkill? He was one of the convicts who worked on the farm.
Were you friendly with him? Dale is friendly with everybody.
He's a big, sweet-hearted guy.
Some people see that and take advantage.
It's like how we feel about Mariah.
Well, if she turns up, you'll let us know? Who else from your firm was in the city that night? Oh, um, the two grooms, Freddy and Johnny.
Uh, Paige.
She exercises the horses.
We just met her.
And her husband? Oh, yes, of course, Dale was there.
Did they stay with you? At the townhouse? No.
No, we put them up in a hotel near the pier.
And Mariah? Did she come along too? Well, yes, she always keeps the other horses company.
Seems Dale's been everywhere with her, even overseas.
Is he the stable buddy's buddy? Well, he handles all the horses.
Travel arrangements, Customs.
You notice any unusual behavior during the trips? I don't keep tabs on my employees.
We believe Dale used Mariah to smuggle drugs.
Ms.
Townsend? Well, I I can't imagine Dale doing anything criminal.
I mean, he's-he's absurdly honest.
Well, that's quite a vote of confidence.
Uh whose idea was it to have Dale travel with youand the horses? Yours? I couldn't care less.
It was my husband's idea.
Is he here today? No, he stays in the city during the week.
But I'll mention your suspicions to him.
I'm sure he'll be amused.
Have a pleasant drive back.
You get the feeling she and Dale have been playing around? That's one way for Dale to keep going on those trips.
Everybody's covering everybody's backs.
Until we find Mariah, we're not gonna make any headway.
The vet at the animal quarantine center, Dr.
Reeves Assuming he's the one that removed the drugs from the horse, he'd have to hand it off to Dale.
Maybe when Dale was picking up the horses.
Yeah.
The quarantine center's got cameras everywhere.
They'd have to do it somewhere off site, somewhere that wouldn't arouse suspicion.
JOE'S DINER NEWBURGH, NEW YORK WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31 Hi, Doctor.
There go those facial muscles.
What are you doing here? Your secretary said you eat lunch here every day.
We just had to know why.
It turns out it's the raisin pie.
Waitress told us it was the house specialty.
She also said she's seen you a few times hunched over the trunk of your car with somebody who looks just like this guyDale Mullen.
Yeah.
I don't know him.
I got divorced a year ago.
I've been selling off our old stuff over the Web.
- Selling out of your trunk? - Yeah, to different people.
You have a peddler's license to peddle stuff out of your vehicle? On someone else's property, that's trespassing.
You mind opening this up? Ooh, there go your lips.
They're They're turning white.
You wanna know what that means? What was in here? Nothing.
It's Okay.
Oh, well Sorry.
There's a seam from plastic packaging.
Wanna tell us what was in the package, Doc? Got a dark stain.
You're a vet.
What do you think? Animal blood? Even I can read that expression.
We're impounding your car, Doc.
We'll be in touch.
Think we're gonna put things on hold for a while and see what happens.
Right.
See what happens.
Paige, you don't have to turn out Ace tonight.
Shelly's gonna take him out early in the morning.
Okay.
What's she really want? She's canceling the trip to Vienna next month.
She won't be competing for a while.
She say why? What do I look like? Her friend? We have a piece of sharp plastic stained with the horse's blood.
The vet diagnosed her with internal bleeding.
The horse was under his control.
What about the two weeks it was in quarantine? Ask those people what they did to it.
Your client might not like the answers they come up with.
Especially Dr.
Reeves's answers.
How long you think he's gonna hold out before he tags you for drug smuggling? - Don't fall for this.
- Murder? - I didn't kill anybody.
- They know that.
They have nothing but a pile of manure, and they're sorting through it hoping to find a kernel of corn.
Talk to us, don't talk to us.
We could dispose of the murder if your client has an alibi for Friday night.
I was in my hotel room watching TV.
You ask my wife.
We will, right after we ask her about your globe-trotting affair with Ms.
Townsend.
I'm not having an affair.
No? Your last trip to Russia.
The hotel faxed us the details of your bill.
We found a couple of late-night calls from your room to Ms.
Townsend's daughter's private line.
Uh, Ms.
Townsend She made those calls, didn't she? And next month, another romantic trip.
What do you think Paige is gonna think about that? There's no more trips.
Ms.
Townsend's not competing anymore this year.
Okay? - That's all over.
- As is this interview.
Your hands take a beating.
I work 'em.
Can't always wear gloves.
Our luck.
Can you get an order to pull some blood? From Mr.
Mullen? He doesn't look like a user.
Well, if he's handled heroin in the last three weeks, and it got into his bloodstream through the cuts on his hand, it'll show up on a tox screen.
The tox screen came back negative for heroin.
We ordered up the full menu.
Dale's in the clear for controlled substances.
But when, uh when they tested him for steroids, he came up positive for gonadotropin.
It's a drug used to increase sperm motility.
Dale's taking male fertility drugs? Not the smartest thing to do if you're cheating on your wife.
Gets results.
And he said that Marguerite Townsend was taking time off from competitive jumping.
All that jumping and jarring is not so good for a baby.
Marguerite Townsend is pregnant? Uh, sounds like it.
And if she's keeping the baby, then she must think that her husband is the father.
He might be, even if Dale is taking fertility drugs.
Still, even with all the contraception in the world, for a man who's taking fertility pills Dale should be very concerned the baby might be his.
Assuming he knows he's taking the pills.
Someone else might be pulling the reins.
There's nothing here.
We don't use heroin or any drugs.
Do you think we wanna get fired? Why are you taking those? It's what we do.
So, speaking of being fired, aren't you worried that Ms.
Townsend won't be competing? No.
It's only temporary until her baby comes.
And her girls'll still be on the junior circuit.
I'm surprised that you and Dale don't have kids.
And raise them where? Above a garage? There's a lot of space outside.
I mean, horses Not my space.
Not my horses.
Are you almost done? Yeah, just one more thing.
That Friday night, did you and your husband go to the dinner for the horse show? We weren't invited.
We worked the horses; then we went back to the hotel.
I went to sleep, and Dale stayed up in the sitting room watching TV.
- Sitting room? - Mm-hmm.
So the Townsends, they got you nice hotels.
Um, is it the kind with the key cards and the minibars? Yeah.
I got his toothpaste and mouthwash.
And look what I found.
She's on the pill.
Chewing tobacco.
Already opened.
The tobacco is cut so that it nicks the gums when you use it.
It's a very efficient way to deliver nicotine to the bloodstream.
Not to mention fertility drugs.
His wife spiked his chew.
But Paige is on the pill.
She's not out to get herself pregnant.
She's out to get Marguerite Townsend.
You'd think Dale would have the brains to use condoms.
Paige had the brains to find where he kept 'em.
We passed their photos around local drugstores.
Dale was I.
D.
'd buying condoms in one place, while Paige was I.
D.
'd buying the same condoms in another.
She pokes a couple of pin pricks in 'em, makes the switch, Dale's turbocharged swimmers do the rest.
And with Dale using condoms, Marguerite Townsend would feel pretty confident that her husband's the father.
What's in it for Paige? Revenge? She might be trying to break up Marguerite's marriage.
So it isn't Sunnybrook Farm.
Just make sure babies aren't the sideshow to the main event.
Well, babies rate pretty high in my book.
Maybe drugs are the sideshow.
OFFICE OF JAMES TOWNSEND MONDAY, APRIL 29 My wife told me that you actually suspect Dale of running drugs? What's your evidence? Drugs? Money? No drugs.
And money's easy to hide, as long as you don't spend it.
Well, I hope you're wrong.
Dale told us that it was your idea to have him accompany your wife overseas.
No.
No, Paige was the one who suggested it.
You don't think she's involved in this.
Now that you mention it She has a terrific reputation as a horsewoman.
It makes no sense that she would jeopardize her future like this.
You know, we're sorry to bother you at a time like thisyour wife's pregnancy.
A blessed event.
You can say that again.
I've always wanted a boy.
Ms.
Townsend must be thrilled.
Actually, it blindsided both of us.
But Megs can use a break from competitive jumping.
She gets so stressed before every show.
Like the one two weeks ago? How'd she handle it? She paced downstairs all night.
That's her routine.
What is this call? It's on your return list.
It's from the McCarter Farm.
Is that a Connecticut number? You can read that from there? It says "Re P.
M.
" P.
M.
Uh, Paige Mullen? They left a message with my secretary.
I think it's about a reference.
I hope she's not planning on leaving us.
My wife and I sell organic feed.
Ms.
Mullen was looking to open an account with us.
Wejust needed a reference.
The place for sale? Oh, that's an old sign.
But the earth is pretty fresh.
The sign's been taken down recently.
You find a buyer? What do you got there? What a gorgeous horse.
Yeah, he's a foundation stallion.
He's got beautiful legs.
Hyah! That horse is gonna make a goodjumper.
Now, has Ms.
Mullen seen him? Is that who's gonna buy your farm? Farm.
Horse.
Uh, look, she asked me not to talk about it.
How much did she offer? Just over 600,000.
Did she say where she was getting the money? Investments.
She put 10,000 down and said she'd get me the rest in four months.
Did she come alone or with her husband? - She didn't mention being married.
- Hey, Clare.
! Four months.
Must be when her investment matures.
Argentina? You don't even speak Spanish.
So? Lots of Americans have bought ranches down there in "Pintagonia.
" Patagonia, Dale.
It's called Patagonia.
You can't expect me to just leave my life here.
You won't.
I'll go down first, set everything up with the money I saved.
Brand-new lives, Paige.
You and me? Brand-new.
So the money from the farm could be coming from Dale Mullen's drug dealing.
He's only made four trips.
Subtract expenses, his split with Dr.
Reeves, he wouldn't have enough to buy the farm.
In four monthsMarguerite Townsend is gonna be in her third trimester.
That's too late for an abortion, too late to lose the baby from an accident.
That's when Paige will approach her.
Blackmail her.
Threaten to tell Mr.
Townsend the baby isn't his.
Should be worth at least a million bucks.
Yeah, a payday that Molly Simms almost spoiled.
You know, if Dale got arrested for the drug smuggling before he impregnated Marguerite, that would have ruined Paige's plan.
So they both have a motive to kill Dr.
Simms, and they're each other's alibi.
I don't see how you pry them apart.
You know, Dale might have a better alibi.
James Townsend said his wife was up all night pacing.
Maybe she found another way to calm her nerves.
So now you have three people with a secret to protect and every reason not to incriminate each other.
We do have one wild card.
Dale, your new friends are here.
They want to take a look at Mariah's stall.
It's this one over here.
Wh What are you looking for? A bit, or her blanketanything with her D.
N.
A.
On it to make a positive I.
D.
You found Mariah? Is she okay? We can't get into that right now.
If you don't need me anymore, I have to have some lunch with my friends.
"Absurdly honest.
" That's what you called Dale, isn't it? Do you still stand by that? I haven't seen any evidence to the contrary.
Oh, you will, once our vet examines Mariah.
And then anybody standing too close to Dale better take a step back.
I didn't do anything.
You know, we we really need to ask how Dale packed one of your horses full of heroin, put him on the plane with you and flew back home.
Dale is responsible for the horses.
I don't even fly with them on the same plane.
What about you, Paige? You didn't notice all that fresh drug money flowing into the household? Uh, if Dale struck it rich, he forgot to tell me.
Well, that's some vote of confidence.
You know, Dale, I think they're already starting to step back.
You know, the night that Molly was killed you told us that Dale was in the hotel room watching TV.
Yes.
And you told us you were asleep.
I kept waking up because of the TV.
- But you didn't get out of bed.
- No.
So you really don't know if he was actually in the sitting room.
Now, Paige, don't think with your heart.
Think with your head.
Because a lie won't save Dale, but it will hurt you.
I didn't see him.
He might have gone out.
He said he might go check on the horses.
Paige.
I'm sorry, honey.
I just messed it up.
That leaves you unaccounted for at a very bad time.
I didn't kill that girl.
I wasn't anywhere near those stables.
I was out walking around.
We'd really love to take your word for it, but unless you can give us the name of somebody who saw you You know something about this? No.
I'm sure Dale is telling the truth.
I was with her.
I went to meet her at a hotel.
A real fancy one.
- That is an obscene lie.
- Obscene? Obscene for someone like you to be sleeping with someone like him? Well, that's what she did.
We've been going at it since last fall.
Oh, shut your low-class mouth! I'm sorry, Paige.
I didn't think you wanted me anymore, and you know how she likes to flirt.
I don't want to listen to this filth.
I want this man out of my barn now.
! Ms.
Townsend, sooner or later you'll have to answer the question: Did you meet him at a hotel that night? Yes.
Oh, don't expect me to apologize.
I'm not the one who let his talents go to waste.
Don't talk to her that way.
Oh.
UhWow, these quick-release knots, they are, uh, very quick.
You know, Dale, Paige would have been disappointed if you hadn't if you hadn't ended up with Marguerite.
What are you talking about? Do you notice a like, an extra kick in your in your step? Or, um, you know, like, an extra bounce in the bedroom? Maybe.
So what? It's the fertility drugs you've been taking.
- I don't take that stuff.
- Yes, you do.
It's ground in your chew, thanks to Paige.
Your condoms You hide 'em in here? Or in your truck? Well, anyway, Paige found your stash.
Your condoms now have a small design flaw called a pinhole.
- Oh, my God.
- It's a bunch of lies! - I don't get it.
Why would Paige - I'll show you.
His name is Pepper Pot.
He's a foundation stallion.
That's a beautiful animal.
All in, including the farm that he lives on, it's just over $600,000.
Paige already put a deposit down.
Where were you getting all this money? Stud fees.
The baby that Marguerite is carrying Odds are it's yours.
PoorJames.
He's been He's been wanting a son for so long.
But, you know, with his sperm count, he's shooting blanks.
While Dale here, he's, uh, practically a Gatling gun.
Four months from now Paige was gonna shake down Ms.
Townsendfor a nice slice ofher family fortune.
Yeah.
No more exercising their horses.
No more living above their garage.
This would be your place, your horse.
I wasn't gonna blackmail anyone.
That horse That is just a dream.
A dream that almost slipped through your fingers.
You see, Paige wanted to keep you out of trouble long enough to get Marguerite pregnant.
Molly Simms was about to blow the cover off your drug smuggling.
Paige killed her.
I should have known.
Shut up! I didn't kill her! Everyone else has been spoken for but you.
I was in my room.
Anybody see you? Maybe you ordered room service? No, I told you.
I was sleeping.
Well, then you have a problem.
You know the nice hotel room Ms.
Townsend put you in? The one with the electronic key card? It has a security system that records every time someone opens the door.
Now, your room, the door was opened four times after 11:30 that Friday night.
Two of the times must have been when Dale went to see Marguerite and came back.
That's not right.
Dale probably forgot something.
Opened it, reached in, grabbed it and left.
That still leaves the fourth time the door was opened.
That's after Dale came back.
I woke up, I was cold, I asked him to have the hotel send up a blanket, he opened the door, he reached and got the blanket.
You remember, don't you, honey? Before you answer, you should know that in her conversation with the owner of the horse and the farm, your name never came up.
You're not part of the plan.
No.
! Dale, it was for both of us.
Who you gonna believe? You gonna believe this woman who put you out to stud? It's why she married you.
It's why she brought you here.
You don't belong here.
You don't belong upstairs with Marguerite.
- Not even downstairs with Paige.
- No.
You do.
You belong with me.
She put you here to use you, Dale, just like Mariah.
You know, everybody's stable buddy, bouncing from farm to farm.
Paige hitched her wagon to you just long enough to get where she was going.
Now she thinks her ride is over.
What do you think? I know what happened.
I didn't forget anything in the room.
I didn't get you a blanket.
I told her about the heroin.
- I told her Molly would figure it out.
- You dumb ox! When I came back to the room, her clothes were in a pile, all sweaty, her hair was wet from taking a shower.
! You didn't think I'd notice? You didn't think I'd figure out what you did? You think I'm just a big, sweet-hearted dummy.
She doesn't anymore.
You're under arrest, Paige.
Ohh! Ho-ho! Why are you so high and mighty? I didn't waste Dale's talent! I sure didn't waste yours! I've seen brood mares offer themselves up with more fight! I need to tell you.
Mariah's fine.
I boarded her on a farm up near Ghent.
We figured.
When I was a kid, I used to dream about living on a horse farm.
That's a nice dream for a horse.
These are their stories.
I don't understand why you didn't follow up.
The bleeding is symptomatic of everything you checked for.
Eh, it's minor.
And she's 13 years old.
It happens.
If it's all the same to you, I'm having her rechecked for C.
E.
M.
Knock yourself out.
I've only been doing this for 20 years.
There's no way anybody knows.
I'm just getting worked up over nothin'.
You usually do.
Hey, Paige, I'd like to think I'm not just doing this for me.
It wasn't my idea.
I spoke with him.
Everything is fine.
Don't worry about it.
Mom, we're gonna be late.
Can we motor, please? Molly said McClintock had to use the whip this morning.
That's happy news.
Does Paige know how pretty Molly is? I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up with endorsements for teeth whiteners on his saddle.
Lighten up, Megs.
He's putting some zing into the sport.
Oh, really? I could think of other sports in more desperate need of zing.
Speak of the devil.
Hello, Neil.
We werejust talking about your terrific streak.
Yes.
I heard that you had trouble getting your horse over thejumps this morning.
They're showoffs, Mrs.
Townsend.
They'll be fine once there's a crowd.
Excuse me.
Is that how you're planning on winning tomorrow? By getting us all sick? I have to take this.
Good luck to us all tomorrow.
Yeah.
How bad? Give me 10 minutes.
I'll meet you out there.
I'm sure we've met before.
Last summer in the Hamptons.
I've never been to the Hamptons.
No? Where do you summer? Same place I winter.
In Bedford.
Ralph Lauren's Fourth ofJuly barbecue.
You were playing tennis, right? That's, uh, how you keep this arm so well-toned.
I keep it well-toned by sticking it up a cow's rectum once a day.
I'm a vet, and I have patients to see tonight.
My fault.
I didn't realize the help was invited to this dinner.
What happened? Oh, my God.
! What happened? What happened? Law & Order CI Security found herjust after 1:00.
Name's Molly Simms.
She's a veterinarian in Bedford.
She's in town for the horse show.
She came from the party? A dinner for the horse folks.
She was doing a bed check on the clients' horses.
- McClintock? - No.
Madison.
Uh, what killed the horses? Three-inch nails through the skull.
Found a nail gun in the stall.
I'll get Mr.
McClintock.
She came to check on the Madison horse and found somebody pumping nails into these horses.
Yeah, see the way her legs are tucked under? She came in, she saw the injured horses.
It would have been her instinct to kneel down to help them.
Another lovely pearl.
It must have fallen in when she was killed.
The killer closed the bag.
He didn't want us to know that she started to help the horses, which she would have done if she didn't feel in danger.
Because she knew the killer.
This is Dr.
McClintock and his groom, Roy Daniels.
I just can't believe this.
That poor woman.
It's terrible.
We think she walked in on somebody killing your horses.
You know any reason why somebody would want to hurt them? No.
Who'd kill a horse, especially these? - They were champion jumpers.
- Million-dollar horses.
Million dollars.
What's your specialty, Doctor? I'm a dentist in Stamford.
You were favored to win this weekend? Doc's won his last five competitions.
Doc was the man to beat.
And these were the horses to beat.
Is that your saddle? Yeah.
Fancy saddle.
It's newer than the other ones here.
How long you been jumpin', Doc? In competition? Six months.
Five wins in six months.
That must have put a burr under these other saddles.
I'm not gonna point any fingers.
Come on, Roy.
You have this all wrong.
The world of show horses is like a big family.
Dr.
McClintock.
This is who he was up against today? Yes, that was the order for the morning ride.
Looks like they erased one of the names.
You know, I see a "K" and and an "O.
" There's a "C.
" McClintock.
You put him in the last position.
He told me last night he was fighting the flu and he might have to scratch, so I moved him to give him extra time to get himself together.
I see that he was well enough to practice yesterday.
How'd he do? His horses were balking at the jumps.
McClintock was using his whip liberally.
Sounds like they caught his flu.
This dried blood around the nostrils of both horses suggests a pulmonary hemorrhage brought on by overexertion.
They were running the horses to death.
That explain why they balked at the jumps? Yes.
It also suggests they were being doped.
I found nearly a dozen needle marks just above the hooves of each horse.
I tested each site and found traces of oxygen-enhancing performance drugs.
But these horses were competing.
Don't they get tested for drugs? Yes, but I detected high levels of furosemide in their blood.
Furosemide causes a horse to urinate at an elevated rate.
Which flushes out whatever performance drug they were taking.
Enough to pass the urine test.
And these cuts on the lips? They're bite marks.
The horses were in distress.
They could have easily injured each other.
PIER 94 12TH AVENUE AT 55TH STREET MONDAY, MARCH 22 The horses weren'tjumping because they were barn sour.
Horses are like little kids.
They're always acting up.
And like little kids, they get nosebleeds? Our vet says this is a symptom of pulmonary hemorrhage.
And these needle marks You want to know what she says about those? She told us that the horses were being doped upand run to death.
What do you think about that, Mr.
Daniels? Nothing.
What does Roy Stubbs think of it? That was your name, right when the Florida Racing Commission banned you for doping horses? We got your fingerprints off McClintock's fancy saddle.
The people in Florida They told us you were the best.
That's why McClintock hired you, isn't it? Give him an edge.
Doesn't matter now.
The horses are dead.
Because that Friday night, you put them out of their misery.
Molly Simms walked in on ya.
McClintock panicked.
Not you.
He killed her.
And then he had you put the horses down with the nail gun to hide the real cause of death.
That never happened.
We-We never saw that girl.
And the horses were fine when we left.
Fine? With bleeding nostrils and their lips cut from biting each other? - They were all riled up from the doping.
- You don't know what you're talking about.
Those bite marks? They were from the horse in the next stall the Madison horse.
That mare bit our horse Friday afternoon.
And you're all crazy if you think we killed anybody.
What do you do when one horse bites another? What do you do to stop them? Nothing.
You just keep 'em apart.
Is that what happened with the Madison horse? Yeah, they moved her Friday.
Madison That was one of Molly's clients.
Mmm, one of the horses on her list for the bed check.
We're staying at the party too long.
I gotta stay.
I got goals to meet.
Yeah, but if you want me to stay, you better make it worth my while.
You know, Dale, I always took you for a weak character, but you've really impressed me.
Marriage must have toughened you up.
You know, you should try that raisin pie.
It's really good here.
I moved the Madison horse here Friday.
We always keep an empty stall in case we have a biter.
Uh, thanks.
These horses You know, you got Crendall, Townsend, Sheppard, Lansing.
These were Molly's clients.
So she came to check up on them.
She didn't have any horses around the corner where McClintock's were.
If the Madison horse was moved over here with her other clients, she didn't have any reason to be around the corner.
Unless someone created a reason by calling for help for McClintock's injured horses.
Killing the horses was a cover for the real target.
Molly.
Anybody else she might have talked to in the building? Another vet? No, Molly was our only vet.
Anyway, she mostly worked out of her van.
Local calls.
Couple to the city.
A few upstate to Newburgh.
This is from a lab, marked for a Saturday delivery.
Is that common for a lab to pay extra for a rush delivery? No.
Molly was expecting that.
She told me to call her as soon as it came in.
It's the results of blood work on a horse named Mariah.
Maybe another doping case.
Do you know how her filing system works? Uh, it's by species.
The drawer with the red tag is horses.
Uh, it's filed by owner, and then horse's name.
Well, if she had a file on Mariah, it's missing.
The city vet said these are the tests you'd run if the horse had internal bleeding.
Lab have a way of tracking this horse? What about this number next to the horse's name? It was supplied by Molly Simms.
The lab doesn't know what it corresponds to.
We got a name with no horse.
Well, this horse had a job.
Mariah was a carriage horse in Central Park.
The number on the lab report was issued by the Department of Health and burned into her hoof.
She's a 13-year-old mare.
She hauled tourists around Central Park until five years ago when she was sold to a farm up in Wallkill.
Wallkill? You know who her next-door neighbors are? The nice folks at Wallkill medium-security prison.
FINDEL FARM WALLKILL, NEW YORK THURSDAY, MARCH 25 You're saying Mariah isn't here? She was stolen last year.
She was a sweet-natured horse.
She'd have walked off with anyone dangling a carrot.
You know, I noticed, uh, some of these guys wearing interesting work clothes.
They come from the prison? Yeah, it's a work release program.
They get assigned a horse, learn to take care of it.
Who did Mariah get assigned to? A con named Rabbit Winters.
He's still in Wallkill, doing time for, uh, burglary and drugs.
Uh, careful.
That's a quick-release knot.
So Winters He get along well with Mariah? Oh, yes, he took good care ofher.
Even fed her out ofhis own lunch box.
Did you ever notice the horse having any kind of medical problems, like, um, internal bleeding? There were a couple of instances, but it cleared up on its own.
Now, did Winters have any reasons to take the horse into the prison gates? Sure, on visiting days, so the kids could play with her.
It's therapeutic for the cons and their families.
I wouldn't say that nag brought me luck.
Bit me at least twice a week.
I see your file says in the three years you took care of Mariah, you enjoyed special privileges in here.
Your own TV, extra time in the yard.
And then when Mariah disappeared, your luck turned bad.
No more TV, no more privileges.
That's life behind a wall.
It's the horse.
You know, Winters, the horse? Come on, you stuffed it full of drugs, you walked it past the guards once a week.
It made you the popular guy behind the wall.
Until somebody stole her.
I don't know what you're talking about.
The somebody who procured the drugs and helped you load 'em into Mariah That's who we want.
I'm telling you.
It never happened.
He trained the horse.
He took the biggest risks.
And now his partner's transporting drugs, maybe by trailer, down from Canada, up from Miami.
He's making all the money.
- Would that piss you off? - That would piss me off.
That would piss me off.
Would it piss you off? Not enough to make me turn snitch.
Guard.
If this mystery partner is moving horses up and down the eastern seaboard, it'll be tough to find him.
Maybe we're setting our sights too low.
The calls Molly made to Newburgh.
Stewart International Airport.
ANIMAL QUARANTINE CENTER STEWART INT'I.
AIRPORT NEWBURGH, NEW YORK, MONDAY, MARCH 29 I get a lot of calls from vets, but I don't specifically remember a Dr.
Simms.
You have a better memory for animals? A horse called Mariah? - No.
Sorry.
- So how does it work? The horses fly in from overseas, and then you examine them? Yeah, we quarantine them for a couple of weeks.
So if there's anything wrong with them internal bleedingyou catch it? Yes.
It's not foolproof, but yes.
That's probably why Dr.
Simms called you.
You see, she ordered up some lab tests for Mariahfor internal bleeding.
But I never talked to her.
Oh, that's a micro-frown.
You know, the little, uh, muscle between your eyes.
You see, the face It constantly gives off micro-expressions.
You know, little muscle twitches that reveal your true emotions.
That was a micro-frown.
That's a tell for lying.
You're funny.
He doesn't really think I'm funny 'cause that wasn't a smile of enjoyment.
If it were, then the muscle in the corner of your eye it's called orbicularis oculi it would have raised up.
That was an anxious smile.
Read this expression.
You're in a restricted federal facility under the jurisdiction of Homeland Security.
You have to leave.
We'll expect those records by this afternoon.
If we don't like what we see, we'll be back with a subpoena.
Easy, Mariah.
You're almost done, girl.
Almost done.
Dale, I want to show Dad my new saddle.
The tack room's unlocked.
Not as exciting as a baseball mitt, but what the heck.
Maybe that day will come, Mr.
Townsend.
We're trying, Paige.
We'll see what happens.
Dad, come on! All set? It's not right, Paige.
Grow up.
The animal quarantine center processed a horse named Mariah four weeks ago.
She belongs to the Townsend Farm in Bedford.
The horse was returning from a show in Russia, in St.
Petersburg.
Townsend.
That's one of Molly Simms's clients.
And they had horses competing in the New York show last week.
In the last 18 months, Mariah and the other Townsend horses have been in competition in Dubai, Ankara and Moscow.
I'm seeing a common denominator.
They're all entry points for Afghan heroin into the West.
Someone traveling with the horses buys the heroin and puts it inside Mariah.
Our vet thinks two to three kilos can fit inside Mariah's uterus.
That's what caused the internal bleeding.
The horses land here, and the drugs are removed during the quarantine.
Probably by that vet, Reeves.
Two to three kilos of uncut heroin each trip.
That's a lot of easy money.
It's nothing compared to the price Molly Simms paid.
Mariah ran off last night.
Somebody left the pasture gate open.
If she gets into the woods and the coyotes get to her You don't seem all that broken up, Mr.
Mullen.
Mariah was just a stable buddy, an easygoing horse to settle down these thoroughbreds.
How 'bout long plane rides? She traveled with other horses? - That's right.
- You travel with them? Sure.
Me and three handlers and Ms.
Townsend.
What is it that you do? I'm sorry.
I can't keep up with all this, uh, horse terminology.
I'm the farm manager.
So why aren't you on the farm managing rather than on a plane? I do what Mr.
Townsend tells me.
Oh! - Oh, that's a quick-release knot.
- Sorry.
I just tugged on it.
- I'll pick it up.
- That's all right.
I'll get it.
So you ever work as a groom on the Findel Farm up in Wallkill? You're asking about the Findel Farm.
My husband worked there just before I met him.
Hi.
I'm Paige.
They're, uh, here about Mariah.
- Did you find her? - No.
Mr.
Findel told us she was stolen from his farm a year ago.
We wouldn't know about that.
Dale bought her at auction for cash over in Litchfield.
Ah, I'm starting to feel bad for this poor city horse, bouncing from farm to farm.
Was anything wrong with her? Dr.
Simms found some internal bleeding.
We were waiting on the test results.
Did, um Do you know a Rabbit Winters up in Wallkill? He was one of the convicts who worked on the farm.
Were you friendly with him? Dale is friendly with everybody.
He's a big, sweet-hearted guy.
Some people see that and take advantage.
It's like how we feel about Mariah.
Well, if she turns up, you'll let us know? Who else from your firm was in the city that night? Oh, um, the two grooms, Freddy and Johnny.
Uh, Paige.
She exercises the horses.
We just met her.
And her husband? Oh, yes, of course, Dale was there.
Did they stay with you? At the townhouse? No.
No, we put them up in a hotel near the pier.
And Mariah? Did she come along too? Well, yes, she always keeps the other horses company.
Seems Dale's been everywhere with her, even overseas.
Is he the stable buddy's buddy? Well, he handles all the horses.
Travel arrangements, Customs.
You notice any unusual behavior during the trips? I don't keep tabs on my employees.
We believe Dale used Mariah to smuggle drugs.
Ms.
Townsend? Well, I I can't imagine Dale doing anything criminal.
I mean, he's-he's absurdly honest.
Well, that's quite a vote of confidence.
Uh whose idea was it to have Dale travel with youand the horses? Yours? I couldn't care less.
It was my husband's idea.
Is he here today? No, he stays in the city during the week.
But I'll mention your suspicions to him.
I'm sure he'll be amused.
Have a pleasant drive back.
You get the feeling she and Dale have been playing around? That's one way for Dale to keep going on those trips.
Everybody's covering everybody's backs.
Until we find Mariah, we're not gonna make any headway.
The vet at the animal quarantine center, Dr.
Reeves Assuming he's the one that removed the drugs from the horse, he'd have to hand it off to Dale.
Maybe when Dale was picking up the horses.
Yeah.
The quarantine center's got cameras everywhere.
They'd have to do it somewhere off site, somewhere that wouldn't arouse suspicion.
JOE'S DINER NEWBURGH, NEW YORK WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31 Hi, Doctor.
There go those facial muscles.
What are you doing here? Your secretary said you eat lunch here every day.
We just had to know why.
It turns out it's the raisin pie.
Waitress told us it was the house specialty.
She also said she's seen you a few times hunched over the trunk of your car with somebody who looks just like this guyDale Mullen.
Yeah.
I don't know him.
I got divorced a year ago.
I've been selling off our old stuff over the Web.
- Selling out of your trunk? - Yeah, to different people.
You have a peddler's license to peddle stuff out of your vehicle? On someone else's property, that's trespassing.
You mind opening this up? Ooh, there go your lips.
They're They're turning white.
You wanna know what that means? What was in here? Nothing.
It's Okay.
Oh, well Sorry.
There's a seam from plastic packaging.
Wanna tell us what was in the package, Doc? Got a dark stain.
You're a vet.
What do you think? Animal blood? Even I can read that expression.
We're impounding your car, Doc.
We'll be in touch.
Think we're gonna put things on hold for a while and see what happens.
Right.
See what happens.
Paige, you don't have to turn out Ace tonight.
Shelly's gonna take him out early in the morning.
Okay.
What's she really want? She's canceling the trip to Vienna next month.
She won't be competing for a while.
She say why? What do I look like? Her friend? We have a piece of sharp plastic stained with the horse's blood.
The vet diagnosed her with internal bleeding.
The horse was under his control.
What about the two weeks it was in quarantine? Ask those people what they did to it.
Your client might not like the answers they come up with.
Especially Dr.
Reeves's answers.
How long you think he's gonna hold out before he tags you for drug smuggling? - Don't fall for this.
- Murder? - I didn't kill anybody.
- They know that.
They have nothing but a pile of manure, and they're sorting through it hoping to find a kernel of corn.
Talk to us, don't talk to us.
We could dispose of the murder if your client has an alibi for Friday night.
I was in my hotel room watching TV.
You ask my wife.
We will, right after we ask her about your globe-trotting affair with Ms.
Townsend.
I'm not having an affair.
No? Your last trip to Russia.
The hotel faxed us the details of your bill.
We found a couple of late-night calls from your room to Ms.
Townsend's daughter's private line.
Uh, Ms.
Townsend She made those calls, didn't she? And next month, another romantic trip.
What do you think Paige is gonna think about that? There's no more trips.
Ms.
Townsend's not competing anymore this year.
Okay? - That's all over.
- As is this interview.
Your hands take a beating.
I work 'em.
Can't always wear gloves.
Our luck.
Can you get an order to pull some blood? From Mr.
Mullen? He doesn't look like a user.
Well, if he's handled heroin in the last three weeks, and it got into his bloodstream through the cuts on his hand, it'll show up on a tox screen.
The tox screen came back negative for heroin.
We ordered up the full menu.
Dale's in the clear for controlled substances.
But when, uh when they tested him for steroids, he came up positive for gonadotropin.
It's a drug used to increase sperm motility.
Dale's taking male fertility drugs? Not the smartest thing to do if you're cheating on your wife.
Gets results.
And he said that Marguerite Townsend was taking time off from competitive jumping.
All that jumping and jarring is not so good for a baby.
Marguerite Townsend is pregnant? Uh, sounds like it.
And if she's keeping the baby, then she must think that her husband is the father.
He might be, even if Dale is taking fertility drugs.
Still, even with all the contraception in the world, for a man who's taking fertility pills Dale should be very concerned the baby might be his.
Assuming he knows he's taking the pills.
Someone else might be pulling the reins.
There's nothing here.
We don't use heroin or any drugs.
Do you think we wanna get fired? Why are you taking those? It's what we do.
So, speaking of being fired, aren't you worried that Ms.
Townsend won't be competing? No.
It's only temporary until her baby comes.
And her girls'll still be on the junior circuit.
I'm surprised that you and Dale don't have kids.
And raise them where? Above a garage? There's a lot of space outside.
I mean, horses Not my space.
Not my horses.
Are you almost done? Yeah, just one more thing.
That Friday night, did you and your husband go to the dinner for the horse show? We weren't invited.
We worked the horses; then we went back to the hotel.
I went to sleep, and Dale stayed up in the sitting room watching TV.
- Sitting room? - Mm-hmm.
So the Townsends, they got you nice hotels.
Um, is it the kind with the key cards and the minibars? Yeah.
I got his toothpaste and mouthwash.
And look what I found.
She's on the pill.
Chewing tobacco.
Already opened.
The tobacco is cut so that it nicks the gums when you use it.
It's a very efficient way to deliver nicotine to the bloodstream.
Not to mention fertility drugs.
His wife spiked his chew.
But Paige is on the pill.
She's not out to get herself pregnant.
She's out to get Marguerite Townsend.
You'd think Dale would have the brains to use condoms.
Paige had the brains to find where he kept 'em.
We passed their photos around local drugstores.
Dale was I.
D.
'd buying condoms in one place, while Paige was I.
D.
'd buying the same condoms in another.
She pokes a couple of pin pricks in 'em, makes the switch, Dale's turbocharged swimmers do the rest.
And with Dale using condoms, Marguerite Townsend would feel pretty confident that her husband's the father.
What's in it for Paige? Revenge? She might be trying to break up Marguerite's marriage.
So it isn't Sunnybrook Farm.
Just make sure babies aren't the sideshow to the main event.
Well, babies rate pretty high in my book.
Maybe drugs are the sideshow.
OFFICE OF JAMES TOWNSEND MONDAY, APRIL 29 My wife told me that you actually suspect Dale of running drugs? What's your evidence? Drugs? Money? No drugs.
And money's easy to hide, as long as you don't spend it.
Well, I hope you're wrong.
Dale told us that it was your idea to have him accompany your wife overseas.
No.
No, Paige was the one who suggested it.
You don't think she's involved in this.
Now that you mention it She has a terrific reputation as a horsewoman.
It makes no sense that she would jeopardize her future like this.
You know, we're sorry to bother you at a time like thisyour wife's pregnancy.
A blessed event.
You can say that again.
I've always wanted a boy.
Ms.
Townsend must be thrilled.
Actually, it blindsided both of us.
But Megs can use a break from competitive jumping.
She gets so stressed before every show.
Like the one two weeks ago? How'd she handle it? She paced downstairs all night.
That's her routine.
What is this call? It's on your return list.
It's from the McCarter Farm.
Is that a Connecticut number? You can read that from there? It says "Re P.
M.
" P.
M.
Uh, Paige Mullen? They left a message with my secretary.
I think it's about a reference.
I hope she's not planning on leaving us.
My wife and I sell organic feed.
Ms.
Mullen was looking to open an account with us.
Wejust needed a reference.
The place for sale? Oh, that's an old sign.
But the earth is pretty fresh.
The sign's been taken down recently.
You find a buyer? What do you got there? What a gorgeous horse.
Yeah, he's a foundation stallion.
He's got beautiful legs.
Hyah! That horse is gonna make a goodjumper.
Now, has Ms.
Mullen seen him? Is that who's gonna buy your farm? Farm.
Horse.
Uh, look, she asked me not to talk about it.
How much did she offer? Just over 600,000.
Did she say where she was getting the money? Investments.
She put 10,000 down and said she'd get me the rest in four months.
Did she come alone or with her husband? - She didn't mention being married.
- Hey, Clare.
! Four months.
Must be when her investment matures.
Argentina? You don't even speak Spanish.
So? Lots of Americans have bought ranches down there in "Pintagonia.
" Patagonia, Dale.
It's called Patagonia.
You can't expect me to just leave my life here.
You won't.
I'll go down first, set everything up with the money I saved.
Brand-new lives, Paige.
You and me? Brand-new.
So the money from the farm could be coming from Dale Mullen's drug dealing.
He's only made four trips.
Subtract expenses, his split with Dr.
Reeves, he wouldn't have enough to buy the farm.
In four monthsMarguerite Townsend is gonna be in her third trimester.
That's too late for an abortion, too late to lose the baby from an accident.
That's when Paige will approach her.
Blackmail her.
Threaten to tell Mr.
Townsend the baby isn't his.
Should be worth at least a million bucks.
Yeah, a payday that Molly Simms almost spoiled.
You know, if Dale got arrested for the drug smuggling before he impregnated Marguerite, that would have ruined Paige's plan.
So they both have a motive to kill Dr.
Simms, and they're each other's alibi.
I don't see how you pry them apart.
You know, Dale might have a better alibi.
James Townsend said his wife was up all night pacing.
Maybe she found another way to calm her nerves.
So now you have three people with a secret to protect and every reason not to incriminate each other.
We do have one wild card.
Dale, your new friends are here.
They want to take a look at Mariah's stall.
It's this one over here.
Wh What are you looking for? A bit, or her blanketanything with her D.
N.
A.
On it to make a positive I.
D.
You found Mariah? Is she okay? We can't get into that right now.
If you don't need me anymore, I have to have some lunch with my friends.
"Absurdly honest.
" That's what you called Dale, isn't it? Do you still stand by that? I haven't seen any evidence to the contrary.
Oh, you will, once our vet examines Mariah.
And then anybody standing too close to Dale better take a step back.
I didn't do anything.
You know, we we really need to ask how Dale packed one of your horses full of heroin, put him on the plane with you and flew back home.
Dale is responsible for the horses.
I don't even fly with them on the same plane.
What about you, Paige? You didn't notice all that fresh drug money flowing into the household? Uh, if Dale struck it rich, he forgot to tell me.
Well, that's some vote of confidence.
You know, Dale, I think they're already starting to step back.
You know, the night that Molly was killed you told us that Dale was in the hotel room watching TV.
Yes.
And you told us you were asleep.
I kept waking up because of the TV.
- But you didn't get out of bed.
- No.
So you really don't know if he was actually in the sitting room.
Now, Paige, don't think with your heart.
Think with your head.
Because a lie won't save Dale, but it will hurt you.
I didn't see him.
He might have gone out.
He said he might go check on the horses.
Paige.
I'm sorry, honey.
I just messed it up.
That leaves you unaccounted for at a very bad time.
I didn't kill that girl.
I wasn't anywhere near those stables.
I was out walking around.
We'd really love to take your word for it, but unless you can give us the name of somebody who saw you You know something about this? No.
I'm sure Dale is telling the truth.
I was with her.
I went to meet her at a hotel.
A real fancy one.
- That is an obscene lie.
- Obscene? Obscene for someone like you to be sleeping with someone like him? Well, that's what she did.
We've been going at it since last fall.
Oh, shut your low-class mouth! I'm sorry, Paige.
I didn't think you wanted me anymore, and you know how she likes to flirt.
I don't want to listen to this filth.
I want this man out of my barn now.
! Ms.
Townsend, sooner or later you'll have to answer the question: Did you meet him at a hotel that night? Yes.
Oh, don't expect me to apologize.
I'm not the one who let his talents go to waste.
Don't talk to her that way.
Oh.
UhWow, these quick-release knots, they are, uh, very quick.
You know, Dale, Paige would have been disappointed if you hadn't if you hadn't ended up with Marguerite.
What are you talking about? Do you notice a like, an extra kick in your in your step? Or, um, you know, like, an extra bounce in the bedroom? Maybe.
So what? It's the fertility drugs you've been taking.
- I don't take that stuff.
- Yes, you do.
It's ground in your chew, thanks to Paige.
Your condoms You hide 'em in here? Or in your truck? Well, anyway, Paige found your stash.
Your condoms now have a small design flaw called a pinhole.
- Oh, my God.
- It's a bunch of lies! - I don't get it.
Why would Paige - I'll show you.
His name is Pepper Pot.
He's a foundation stallion.
That's a beautiful animal.
All in, including the farm that he lives on, it's just over $600,000.
Paige already put a deposit down.
Where were you getting all this money? Stud fees.
The baby that Marguerite is carrying Odds are it's yours.
PoorJames.
He's been He's been wanting a son for so long.
But, you know, with his sperm count, he's shooting blanks.
While Dale here, he's, uh, practically a Gatling gun.
Four months from now Paige was gonna shake down Ms.
Townsendfor a nice slice ofher family fortune.
Yeah.
No more exercising their horses.
No more living above their garage.
This would be your place, your horse.
I wasn't gonna blackmail anyone.
That horse That is just a dream.
A dream that almost slipped through your fingers.
You see, Paige wanted to keep you out of trouble long enough to get Marguerite pregnant.
Molly Simms was about to blow the cover off your drug smuggling.
Paige killed her.
I should have known.
Shut up! I didn't kill her! Everyone else has been spoken for but you.
I was in my room.
Anybody see you? Maybe you ordered room service? No, I told you.
I was sleeping.
Well, then you have a problem.
You know the nice hotel room Ms.
Townsend put you in? The one with the electronic key card? It has a security system that records every time someone opens the door.
Now, your room, the door was opened four times after 11:30 that Friday night.
Two of the times must have been when Dale went to see Marguerite and came back.
That's not right.
Dale probably forgot something.
Opened it, reached in, grabbed it and left.
That still leaves the fourth time the door was opened.
That's after Dale came back.
I woke up, I was cold, I asked him to have the hotel send up a blanket, he opened the door, he reached and got the blanket.
You remember, don't you, honey? Before you answer, you should know that in her conversation with the owner of the horse and the farm, your name never came up.
You're not part of the plan.
No.
! Dale, it was for both of us.
Who you gonna believe? You gonna believe this woman who put you out to stud? It's why she married you.
It's why she brought you here.
You don't belong here.
You don't belong upstairs with Marguerite.
- Not even downstairs with Paige.
- No.
You do.
You belong with me.
She put you here to use you, Dale, just like Mariah.
You know, everybody's stable buddy, bouncing from farm to farm.
Paige hitched her wagon to you just long enough to get where she was going.
Now she thinks her ride is over.
What do you think? I know what happened.
I didn't forget anything in the room.
I didn't get you a blanket.
I told her about the heroin.
- I told her Molly would figure it out.
- You dumb ox! When I came back to the room, her clothes were in a pile, all sweaty, her hair was wet from taking a shower.
! You didn't think I'd notice? You didn't think I'd figure out what you did? You think I'm just a big, sweet-hearted dummy.
She doesn't anymore.
You're under arrest, Paige.
Ohh! Ho-ho! Why are you so high and mighty? I didn't waste Dale's talent! I sure didn't waste yours! I've seen brood mares offer themselves up with more fight! I need to tell you.
Mariah's fine.
I boarded her on a farm up near Ghent.
We figured.
When I was a kid, I used to dream about living on a horse farm.
That's a nice dream for a horse.