Cold Case s05e16 Episode Script

My name's Pete.
And I'm an alcoholic.
I used to be the best stickup man in North Philly.
It's no joke.
Wasn't nothing I couldn't rob.
Let you in on a secret.
It's not the gun.
It's the attitude.
I'd look in my victims' eyes.
Talk to 'em real quiet.
Remind 'em what's on the line if they play hero.
They'd never have another Christmas, never hear their wife laugh again.
Never hold their children.
No problem after that.
Eh, that's not me anymore.
Been inside 12 years.
Sober every one of them.
Wasn't easy.
A lot of time to worry on my mistakes.
This kept me going.
Letter from my kid when he was five years old.
Caught the football for the first time.
Only I wasn't the one who threw it to him.
All I could do, write him back.
Which I done consistent.
I haven't heard back in a while.
Don't blame him.
Kid's got a life.
Proud of that.
I'm gettin' out today.
Goin' back to my son.
Got a job lined up.
Gonna do it right this time.
God granted me a second chance.
I'm takin' it.
Check out the looky-loo.
Narcs's too busy congratulating themselves to clean up for us.
Hey, get lost, buddy.
This is a crime scene.
Yeah.
Mine.
But you have my permission to stay, Cagney.
I never heard that one before, Serpico.
Touch? Who's the jackass? Eddie Saccardo.
Runs the narcotics task force.
This is his bust.
Heard of him.
Keyed in on every corner in Philly.
They say he knows the crime goin' down - before the crook does.
- Yeah, regular Superman, this guy.
Know the name Pete Doyle? Fugitive.
Pulled his prints off five guns with murders to match ten years ago.
Could never track him until now.
- This him? - No.
This is.
+++ +++ +++ What's with the hand, Manny? That's my gimmick.
"The man with the hand.
" - Catchy.
- Yeah.
I wanted to get one of those voodoo guys to shrink it for me, so I could wear it around my neck.
Your boss said I could observe.
That's my drug dealer.
Where's the rest of Pete Doyle? Guy that belongs to that hand.
Assume he owed you money.
Double-crossed you.
That's why you killed him.
No, he didn't kill Pete.
- I didn't kill him.
- You found him.
- I found him.
- Where? Fifth street.
Past Lehigh.
Used to run a corner over there.
I used to run a corner back there.
When was this? About ten years ago.
Fall, I think.
It was chilly.
I'm on my way to work.
There it is.
- The hand.
- The whole body.
Couldn't leave the guy on the corner.
Bad for business.
Mmm, decide the right thing to do is saw off the hand? He wasn't needin' it no more.
You know how much I made selling fingerprints off that thing? What about the gun? Keep that, too? Hell no.
It had a body on it.
I sold the gun.
Kept the hand.
Duh.
What do we have on Pete Doyle? Besides the fact he's favoring his left hand? Some kind of stickup man in North Philly.
Uh, Pistol Pete was the stickup man.
Had real corner appeal.
Neighborhood loved him.
Always good for a couple bucks.
Real Jesse James type.
Went away for armed robbery in '85.
Got pinched busting a check cashing joint.
North Kensington.
Arresting officer caught him with the cash and a.
44 Smith & Wesson.
Pete's weapon of choice.
Served 12.
Good behavior.
You memorize his rap sheet? No, we used to date.
So Pete gets out September '97.
Ends up dead a few weeks later.
He might have pissed someone off.
Says here he had a partner.
Tommy Connell.
Career jag-off.
You'll find him at The Tap House.
Polluting the same stool for 20 years.
Pete also had an ex.
Jules Murphy.
Used to be a party girl.
Pete knocked her up.
Then he had the nerve to get put away.
Hear she holds a grudge.
What's the matter? It's not in your file? I'll pick up Tommy Connell.
Guess I'll pay the ex a visit.
Why are you still here? Waiting to take possession of my drug dealer.
Well, we'll call you when we're done.
Been waiting for the day you'd arrive, tell me Pete's dead.
Pete did a number on you, Jules.
Left you high and dry with a kid to boot.
You won't get an argument out of me.
But I didn't kill him.
He was my first love.
Real sweet.
Yeah, he could be.
Charming, too.
Part of him, at least.
- The other part didn't care about no one or nothing.
- Not even your kid? Uh, Petey Jr.
Way he saw it, family got in the way of his "career.
" But that kid adored the man.
Must have been tough when Pete went away.
I was left to fend for myself.
Lot of resentment there.
I was too busy raising my boy.
That's when we got together.
Tried to make a good home for Petey.
Yeah.
And we did.
So, Pete comes back.
Discovers his son's got a new dad The nerve.
Don't see him for 12 years.
An hour after he's released, he's on our doorstep.
Girard to North Sixth, cut over on Spring.
No he told me you know this town.
No, you're going to be blocked up.
See you readin' that book.
Like it got the answers to everything.
I used to read a lot of those crime books.
Pass the time.
You're him, aren't you? My dad.
Yeah.
You're in jail.
Not anymore.
What? You escape? No.
Done my time.
I'm free.
Got it when I was your age.
My declaration of independence.
You got any tattoos? That was a joke.
I got you somethin'.
Your favorite.
Told me about it in one of your letters.
I was five.
I play soccer now.
I didn't know.
It's okay.
I've had a lot a time to think.
I'm not standin' here expectin' the world to stop now I'm back.
You got a life.
Only hope maybe I can be a part of it, if that's okay with you.
Get in the house, Petey.
Jules.
You look great.
I know, you're pissed.
Don't worry.
I dried up inside.
Got my GED.
I'm committed to doin' right - by you and Petey.
- You think you can just drop by? Not even the courtesy to let us know? I meant to.
I kept tryin' to put pen to paper.
Explain it all.
Nothin' came.
But I told Petey.
Last couple letters.
Petey didn't get your letters.
I kinda figured.
Leave us be, Pete.
Honestly, for the sake of the boy, it'd be better if you're still in jail.
Never came back after that.
Only good thing he did: staying away.
Petey Jr.
ever go looking for his dad? Seek out the hero? Kept his eye on the prize.
College, a real job.
Never mentioned Pete again.
Tommy Connell, Pete Doyle's wingman.
You're a real sweetheart, Tommy.
Been reading your record.
You can read? Ooh.
Laugh riot.
You and Pete pulled some crazy jobs back in the day.
Oh, the nostalgia file.
That's 20 years ago.
- Don't got nothing recent? - What about Pete Doyle's murder? I heard about that.
It's a damn shame.
You can do better than that, Tommy.
I took it as a blow.
- We was like brothers, me and Pete.
- He went down hard for that check-cashing heist back in '85.
We know you were the second man.
Could've got five years had he gave you up.
Did 12 instead.
Real stand-up guy.
So maybe Pete starts thinking you owe him.
You figure it's easier to clear the books.
If what you were saying was true, and I admit nothing, I'd have been grateful.
One way of looking at it.
Other way, a debt like that becomes a burden - hanging over your head.
- Shows what you know.
I did everything I could to help when he got out, but he wouldn't accept.
This was a different Pete Doyle than the one I knew.
I've been calling and calling.
Your cousin was my counselor inside.
Said you hired guys like me.
Used to.
I got burned too many times.
Not by me.
I'm a man of my word.
I'll work straight commission.
I got an aptitude.
It's win-win.
All I want's a chance.
I don't have any openings.
Sorry.
Please, don't come here anymore.
Tough break, but what'd you expect? I got other options.
Whoa! That's the "hello" I get 12 years later? - I got to hear on the street you're out? - Sorry.
Forget it.
Let's get a drink.
Can't.
Looking for a job.
I'm crewing up for a piece of work if you're interested.
Real job, Tommy.
"Real job," huh? Let's see.
"Busboy.
"Car wash.
Janitor?" Ain't what you were meant for, cleaning some mope's toilet.
This isn't you, Pistol Pete.
Ain't that guy no more.
I've been spending some time with that kid of yours.
Comes by the place.
We talk about the old days.
He loves those stories.
I don't want you talking to him.
Serious.
He's a good kid.
You stay the hell away.
Catch you next time.
But I ain't worried.
I know the real Pete Doyle's in there.
You have him come see me when he's ready.
Expect us to believe he went straight? As a frickin' arrow.
Wanted a regular job, regular life.
Didn't matter.
Got him killed anyway.
Pete Doyle checked in weekly with his PO, never missed curfew, tested clean for drugs.
Guy was making a go of it.
Got to respect the effort.
Just found a report on the arrest of Peter Doyle back in September '97.
Weapons charge.
So much for regular life.
Oh, not the father- the son, Petey Jr.
Not the choirboy his mother said.
Picked up at St.
Alvin's Prep with a gun, .
44 Smith & Wesson.
Pete's weapon of choice.
Same caliber we think killed him, too.
???? I don't buy this pistol pete turning over a new leaf.
That's 'cause you're cynical.
It's like that old parable, the tiger and the mouse.
Mouse gets eaten, even though he pulls the thorn out; it's in his nature.
No, you mean the spider and the frog.
Frog gets bitten after he takes the spider across the river.
No, it's the mongoose and the scorpion.
hey, guys, I don't care what it is.
There's no way a hard con like this guy goes legit.
What about the son? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Yeah, a regular Al Capone.
Want to tell us about the gun you brought to school? Seriously? That was, that was - years ago.
- It's a felony.
Yeah, but I pleaded to a misdemeanor, and my record was supposed to be sealed.
It turns out your father was murdered around the same time.
Same type of gun, too.
Pete Doyle wasn't any kind of father to me.
See, things like that make me think you might've gone after him.
Lot of anger, frustration Yeah, I was angry.
I was the kid whose dad was locked away.
That was my identity.
Pistol Pete's son.
I brought the gun to school, showed everyone they were right, got arrested and expelled.
Not my happiest time.
Understandable, way he abandoned you.
I'd write him letters.
Like he cared.
I was convinced that he would break out and take me away.
Ridiculous, huh? When he finally did show up? He wasn't any kind of legend.
Mom said you only saw him one time.
Yeah, once he was back.
Knowing he was there, I couldn't help but go looking for him.
Your mom know you're here? You shouldn't disobey her.
I know.
You're my dad.
I should get a say.
Wow.
This is where you beat up that group of Marines.
Tommy told me the story.
You shouldn't put too much stock in his version.
It was one guy.
You need to get out of here.
They got rules about underage.
You saved them.
The letters I sent.
You kept them.
Every one.
Kept me alive in there.
So how come you never wrote back? Hey, mop boy! Go home, Petey.
Well, if it ain't Pistol Pete.
I heard you were out.
You remember me? Officer O'Leary.
Guy who put your worthless ass away.
Hey, watch the shoes.
My good pair.
Nice gig you got here.
Sure you working some scheme on the side.
I'm out of the game.
I told you to watch the damn shoes.
Dad? Well, hell, Pete.
You got a son.
Little thug in training.
It's in the blood, right? Get out of here, Petey.
Go.
Yeah, run along, Petey.
Sure I'll be locking you up real soon.
Give you one of my famous tours of the city.
Remember those, Pete? Think the kid'll take to it like you did? Do it.
I'm begging you.
You'll slip up.
And when you do, I'll be there.
And we'll settle this.
The way he just took it.
Kept cleaning up after that jerk.
It was humiliating.
Your pop was supposed to be larger than life, but he was just a man.
No, he was a coward.
And a liar.
Best thing he ever did, disappearing from my life.
How's retirement treating you, Dan? Living the dream, John.
Only have to work two jobs to cover my alimony.
But that's not why I'm here.
It's about Pete Doyle.
Detective Miller.
I heard you found his hand.
I only wish I was there to see it come off.
Kind of harsh.
You know how Pistol Pete got his name, sugar? His first robbery.
Liquor store.
He pistol-whips the salesman.
Cracked his head open.
Guy's in a coma for a month.
Pete was 15.
He'd kill you as much as look at you.
Maybe you did it first? You threatened Pete Doyle in a bar full of customers.
I told him I was waiting for him to slip up.
Which I was.
John, tell her what it was like when cops actually did police work.
Like your famous tour of the city? Take 'em out to the river, show 'em the business end of your nightstick.
You know, I'm not going to explain myself.
I had a job.
I did it good.
Way we heard it, it was personal - between you and Pete.
- Yeah.
I took it personal.
Every score he made.
Every time he flashed a roll of dirty money in a bar.
That smug grin on his face.
But I didn't want to kill him.
- What did you want? - Put him where he belonged.
Prison.
I knew I'd get my chance.
He was back to his old ways in no time.
Thanks for this,I guess.
I been going to these meetings, one form or another for years, mostly in the joint.
I'm out now a few weeks.
Yeah.
Working the program like they tell you.
"Make amends.
" Found a higher power, tried to change from what I used to be.
Problem is, nothing changed with me.
The way you're looking at me now.
I can see it.
That suspicion that I might snap.
I can live with it.
But my son the disappointment he has watching me humiliate myself for nothing.
How's a man supposed to live with that? Well,maybe I should just give in? Accept what I am, bad through and through? At this point, I don't see why the hell I shouldn't.
That's all I got.
You should have locked him up.
Parolee strapped like that.
I didn't want him on a gun charge.
Word on the street was that,uh,Pete and Tommy had a big score.
They were ridin' around in a stolen car.
Gearing it up.
I was gonna catch 'em in the act.
But it never happened.
Pete fell off the face of the planet.
I never figured out what they were plannin', but one thing I knew.
??? Still in there? Will hasn't even come out to take a pee.
We been goin' at this guy eight hours.
Any luck? Just lawyered up.
Sending him down to wait for his mouthpiece.
What's this? Bunks Barbecue.
Best in Philly.
Just a little thank you for being so cooperative in releasing my prisoner to me.
Oh,it's official, Saccardo.
You're goin' in my will.
Hmm.
What a guy.
Hey,admit it.
You missed me.
Hey! Tommy! Been a while.
How's your sister? Hey,she still,uh, "cocktailing" over at the Hi-Life? Yeah.
Don't worry.
Lawyer's on the way.
But what I hear- been hitting the bottle again.
Don't know how confident I'd be if I was you,Tom.
Cat got your tongue? You're not still mad about Phil the Pill? It was an honest misunderstanding.
I mean,accidents happen,right? Every day.
Hey,Detective? Get him out of here.
Now you hurt my feelings.
Please.
Excuse me.
That ain't right, bringin' him here.
You shouldn't do that to a guy.
Tell me about Pete,Tommy.
You two were planning a robbery.
I want to make a deal first.
All we care about is Pete's murder.
Complete immunity then in writing.
I could bring Saccardo back in to discuss that with you.
All right.
Point made.
I knew it had to be the right job to get Pete back to work.
Something choice.
Still took a lot of convincing, but he changed his mind.
Why'd he finally give in? I had an ace in the hole.
I'm ain't gonna lie to you.
This is ambitious.
It's probably the biggest score we ever had.
We're talkin' a bank? All will be revealed in due course.
Drink your beer.
I'm on the wagon.
I figure we go in heavy.
Shotguns blazing, kneecap one of the guards.
Show 'em we mean business.
And if the guy dies, that's felony murder.
Guaranteed life.
I don't intend to get caught.
I didn't,either.
You got to understand these guards: whatever they're protecting doesn't belong to them.
End of the day, they want to go home.
Let 'em know there's no profit for dead heroes.
Damn! My man is back.
Now will you tell me what the score is? Hmm.
Why don't you ask the brains of the operation? You should see the look on your face.
You put him up to it? It was my idea.
Kid worked the whole thing out.
Just like his old man.
Hmm? What are you thinking? You're better than this.
You're smart.
You got a future.
As what,a bus driver? Yeah.
An office worker? Yeah.
I don't want that.
I want this with or without you.
Guess that's settled then.
Let's have a drink,hmm? To the future.
Pete let his 15-year-old son participate in an armed robbery? Wasn't any older when his cherry broke.
What was the score,Tommy? Hey,you don't think Junior did his dad? That'd be messed up.
What was the score? Gosh,Detective, it was so long ago Lawyer's here.
Don't talk to a suspect of mine without asking again.
He gave you what you wanted, didn't he? Until his lawyer showed up.
I'm not the one who called him.
My desk.
My bad.
The guy you mentioned in there, uh,who freaked Tommy out.
Phil the Pill? Who is he? Friend of Tommy's from the block.
Kind of famous for his bad luck.
Arrested him one time up on this roof.
Guy tried to run from me, fell off,crippled himself.
Hmm.
Like I said,bad luck.
He fell off? That's how the story goes.
You got to try these ribs.
You lied to us,Petey.
Said you never saw your father after that time at the bar.
I didn't.
Lying again.
We know why you brought the gun to school.
Wasn't to prove a point.
For armed robbery.
The family business.
Talked to Tommy,huh? Made you out to be some kind of criminal mastermind.
Ready to put his hand on the Bible, say you're the triggerman.
We're givi you a chance to get out in front of this thing.
The day of the robbery, I was with Pete in the car.
It's all right,Petey.
You idolized your father.
Wanted to be him.
You brought him the score.
Figured you'd earned your right at the table, your father's respect, but something went wrong.
Something did,Petey, 'cause he ended up dead.
I wasn't looking for his respect.
I was lookin' for a reason to respect him.
He was pathetic.
Cleaning up after drunks, getting pushed around.
I wanted him to be the man that I had heard about growing up.
I wanted to believe.
Give me that.
Ready to use it? Yeah.
Point it at me.
Do it.
Like this? Look me in the eye now.
Show me you're willing to go all the way, squeeze that trigger, put my brains on the windshield.
I'm a man.
I can do it.
You think you're tough? Some kind of rd man,'cause you gave us a street address? Wrote down a time? Please stop.
It means nothing.
You mean nothing.
Dad Want to know why I never wrote you letters? 'Cause you weren't worth the effort.
You have zero to offer.
Get out of here! Truck's right on time.
What's up with the kid? Forget about him.
Let's do this.
Your stepdad drove an armored car? I told Pete everything.
I told him the,uh, the delivery route, how the guards orated, how much money there was.
I got screwed.
You consider what would have happened if he hadn't cut you out? What happened to the heist? It fell apart.
Bernie called the cops.
Did he know who was robbing him? A few weeks after her stepson's ex-con dad shows up Bernie's armored car gets hit.
Bernie's a smart guy.
Must have considered Pistol Pete Doyle was involved.
??? d You're a modest guy,Bernie.
Way you dress your attitude.
Unassuming.
I was in your house the other day.
Had no idea I was sitting across from a hero.
Single-handedly thwarted the robbery of your armored car.
I don't talk about it.
Well,it was brave.
Fighting off two masked gunmen.
Yeah,got a commendation from the company.
Even offered you a reward.
You turned them down.
Didn't think it was right, gettin' extra for doing my job.
Oh.
Two weeks later,you quit.
Yeah.
Was it the danger? Comin' so close to dyin'? Or was it guilt, Bernie,for what happened that day with Pete and Petey Jr.
? Put this on me all you want.
Leave Petey Jr.
out.
You knew who was robbing you.
That Petey Jr.
must have helped set it up.
Question is why you never told.
I was looking out for the boy.
I could see the change in him when his dad came back.
He was spinning in place.
You raised him like your own.
Tried to teach him right from wrong,best I could.
To be decent.
And Pete- he was the wrong kind of influence.
Petey Jr.
ate it up.
Adored that man.
Romanticized him.
I had to do somethin'.
Did you chase after him, take his gun? Shoot him down for Petey Jr.
's sake? I would have if it had come to that.
But it played out different.
All clear.
Give me the gun.
Don't even think it.
Give me the gun.
Drop it! Don't do it.
Drop your gun.
Drop it right now.
Drop it! Get out of the truck.
Get out of the truck! Put your hands on the dash.
Nothing stupid.
I think we hit the jackpot.
I said, "I think we hit the jackpot.
" I think we hit the jackpot now.
Get on your knees.
Come on, on your knees.
I'm gonna need you to do something.
I'm gonna need you to hit whatever panic button you got in here.
Yeah,I do it,you starshooting.
Ha.
Usually,I'd be giving you all the reasons why you shouldn't act, but this is going to get bloody real soon.
You ain't fricking listening! You got the boy to consider.
Think about Petey.
He's at a rocky age.
He needs the right guidance.
That's on you.
Why are you doing this,Pete? Just do it.
You take care of him,okay? You're his dad now.
What the hell?! Cops pinned it on a couple pros who got killed in some other robbery attempt a few weeks later.
You didn't set them straight.
Would have brought up a whole bunch of questions.
Petey didn't need this hanging over him.
Cards he was playing- convict dad and all- he had enough to deal with.
Pete kept saying "We hit the jackpot.
" What'd he mean by that? Tell you, the way he was looking around.
Desperate,like he expected the seventh cavalry.
It's a signal.
Undercover says the magic words: "We hit the jackpot"- the bust goes down.
Pete an informant? Well,Robbery had no undercover ops in the fall of '97, didn't know about the armored car heist until it happened.
But we've got a body mic and wire checked out of the Communications Unit the day of the robbery, and guess whose John Hancock is on the log.
Officer Daniel O'Leary.
O'Leary was a rule-bender.
But dirty? He was obsessed with Pete Doyle.
He put a mic on him,sent him into the heist,then killed him.
That's guesswork.
No body,no evidence, nothing but a signature.
So we pull the equipment, run it for prints,DNA.
Already checked.
Communications threw that stuff out a couple years ago.
Well,O'Leary doesn't know that.
Know what this is? The wire you checked out of Communications back in September '97.
The one you gave Pete Doyle to wear day of the armored car robbery.
Sent it to the lab for a work-up.
What do you think they'll find? What,do you figure you're scaring me with the smoke and mirrors? I'm not some mope.
I got 20 years on the job.
True enough.
You were a good cop, maybe a little rough.
All this fuss over that dirtbag? And I was the only one trying to get Pete Doyle off the street.
The only one who cared.
Yeah,we talked to your old lieutenant.
You tried to get Robbery to investigate Pete and nobody listened.
Meanwhile, you were being pushed out of the department.
Eh,forced retirement.
My style didn't mesh anymore.
Didn't appreciate you.
You know who complains? Lowlifes pissed 'cause they got pinched.
And Pete's out there living the life of Reilly.
Eh,crooks get rich, cops get screwed.
We know you were there the day of the heist.
Juries eat this kind of evidence up.
Work with us here; it'll go easier.
You expect me to believe that this is real? I'd stake my career on it, like you did with Pete Doyle.
It's hanging heavy on you.
Let it out,O'Leary.
It's time.
All those years on the beat.
I was doing good.
I had honor.
Didn't mean anything.
Pete came to you,didn't he? Full cooperation, as long as his son was left out.
I was supposed to go to my bosses over it.
But you didn't.
I was halfway out the door, looking at a future with nothing but my pension, a lifetime of debt.
You ow how much money they keep in those trucks? You decided to rip him off.
What was he going to do? Call the cops? Hey! Where the hell were you? The money.
Where's the money? Tommy nearly killed a guy back there! Where is it,Pete? It's on the truck where it belongs.
I had the guard hit the panic button.
You were supposed to see this through no matter what.
And you were supposed to stop it,remember? Before anyone got hurt.
My kid's stepfather was in there, for crying out loud.
Did he recognize you? What? What are you doing? I can't go down for this.
Why didn't you just get the money? That's what this was for you.
Money.
Just shut up! Get down on your knees.
Do it.
You got ID'd.
Questions are going to come up.
You know what they do to cops in prison? I feel sorry for you,O'Leary.
At least I'm honest.
Stop it! I took my second chance.
I did it right, like I said I would.
Nothing you do to me now changes that.
I'm a good man.
What are you?