Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) s05e19 Episode Script
Cruise to Nowhere
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.
- Why don't you - Oops! See, sorry.
Oh, please.
Go.
Go on.
If you're in a rush.
Casino cruises.
- The more I lose, the more I eat.
- Uh, Dory? We're starving over here, huh? My husband.
Class act.
Mr.
Williams? It's on.
Cabin C.
Here you go.
Forty dimes.
/ I was told this was a half-million dollar game.
Ten rounds! He's got him on the ropes.
And he walks into a hook my mother could duck.
Here.
What are you looking at? Isn't it past your bedtime? Keep smiling, pal.
Who do you think you're playing with? I got friends, pal.
Mr.
Frost, have a drink at the bar.
Dumb luck.
That's all.
Now that is the way to eat a strawberry.
Hey, you got that right.
Waiter.
More, more champagne for the ladies.
Use the whip! The whip! You had him, you lazy P.
R.
Mari.
Excuse me.
Would you tone it down? - There, there are ladies here.
- You tone it down, lardass.
This is my space, that's yours.
Excuse me? Hey, Benny-boy.
Come on.
- Yo, yo, yo.
Come on.
- Excuse me? Don't waste your time.
We're gonna get him some air, baby.
Come on, babe.
Let's go.
I think you've got enough.
Make this foul, you genetic freak.
Ah, you dumb Fugazi bastard! Everything okay, gentlemen? Oh, yeah, yeah.
Our buddy's done for the night.
He's a real lightweight.
Bull's-eye! What are you boys doing? Stop bothering the ducks.
It's not a duck, Gigi.
Lord of mercy! No! Get away now.
Law & Order CI Well, if you're here, he must be a VIDP.
Benton Williams, as in the former school chancellor.
We're on our way to see his wife.
What can we tell her? He was drunk, and he drowned.
Smells like a Kentucky bourbon keg.
Any idea how long he was in the river? He went in some time this weekend.
This gash.
There's something with an edge.
Something he hit on his way into the water.
Or something somebody slugged him with.
Hey, look, what's this here? It's a transdermal patch.
Might be a painkiller, or nicotine patch.
Too bad it wasn't a swimming-lesson patch.
Home of Ben and Pam Williams Riverdale, New York Tuesday, March 13 I can't understand it.
Ben went to San Diego Friday for the Children First symposium.
He didn't check in over the weekend? No, he's so busy at those things.
Do you have his watch? A Rolex.
The mayor gave it to him.
Sorry, he wasn't wearing a watch.
What, what did, uh, your husband do for a living? Since he left the board of education.
He lectures.
He has a column on values and education.
Seems like he was doing very well.
Who handled the finances? Ben.
He thought I had my hands full making a home.
This looks like the Kentucky Derby.
Ben, he gambled on horse racing? No.
Not even when we went to Las Vegas for a conference.
He didn't understand why people think it's fun.
Stop it.
Leave me alone! - My kids.
- Mom! He didn't want her prying.
This computer's locked up tight.
Well, his DVR isn't.
Look what he's got programmed.
We got racing, hoops, hockey, pros, college.
Not a home team in the bunch.
A sports gambler's buffet.
I guess he decided gambling was fun after all.
Two homes, two cars, two kids with college trust funds.
Gotta be a catch, right? Forensic accountant's looking into it.
In the meantime, Williams called in sick to the San Diego symposium.
Playing hooky from his straight life.
And his even straighter wife.
When heroes fall, they take everyone down with them.
Yeah, along with their life's work.
You know, it's too bad.
Some of what Williams wrote, you know, it's good common sense.
The patch on the back of his neck? It was scopolamine for seasickness.
Sounds like he was on a boat.
Yeah, a gambling boat.
Casino cruises dock near where his body was found.
Cabin of Ben Williams Casino Cruise Ship Wednesday, March 14 Here's his cabin.
Well, it's been cleaned.
Saturday after the ship returned.
It hasn't been used since.
Someone's been out here.
This curtain's stuck in the door.
Look at the ledge there.
Blood? Maybe that's how Williams got that nice part in his hair.
You see anybody with Williams? Two gentlemen left the cabin around 3 A.
M.
Saturday.
They said they'd put Mr.
Williams to bed.
He was very drunk.
You know who these gentlemen were? Our bartender might.
Yeah, my wife met Benny-boy in a buffet line.
And, uh, five hours later, he was buying champagne.
- He got lucky at the tables? - Ah, on poker, I think.
Then he tried to get lucky with Jack's wife.
That had to bother you.
Aw, nah, nah.
Everyone's hot for her.
Yeah.
They get her going, it's less work for me, huh? Less work, that's good.
So how'd you end up putting him to bed? Benny-boy got into a thing with this kid at the bar.
We took him out for a breather, right? Oh, yeah, yeah.
He was done for the night.
So we just tucked him in like he was a baby.
This kid? Oh, some midget watching races on TV.
Starts mouthing off about this lazy PR Jockey.
- Now, my wife is Puerto Rican, right? - Yeah, and hot.
Shut up.
So Benny-boy stands up and tells the kid off.
He almost tipped over.
The kid, what happened to him after you put Benny-boy to bed? Don't know.
They had this O'Jays tribute band.
We were dancing till the boat landed.
Upstairs is hawking me for a break.
Those two any help? They said Williams was celebrating a big score at the poker table.
His behavior, he was flirting with another man's wife, it's like macho posturing.
Binge drinking.
It's more self-destructive than it is celebratory.
Well, maybe he didn't win.
Maybe he lost.
Lost hard and suicided? Find the dealer.
Get the straight story.
That's really nice of you, Joey.
Now we can get you that microscope.
Microscope? What do you do with that? Look at germs.
You going to be here for dinner? I can take something out of the freezer.
- I got a game.
- Joey, you haven't even been to bed.
Daphne, I got a game.
I need car fare.
What happens outside the three-mile limit stays outside the three-mile limit.
You want to flip for the collar? You want to arrest me? For what? For running a poker game for profit, what do you think? Outside the three-mile limit.
You took the job inside the limit, with the intent to break a state law.
- Now, that can't be right.
- Try us.
And try getting a job with a criminal record.
Cabin C.
A massacre.
Five players, 100 g's each, winner take all.
Three got cleaned out early, then there was just Williams and this kid, Joey Frost.
- A kid, with a big mouth? - A foul mouth.
All night he was bitching about losing a bet on a fight.
So what happened between him and Williams? Williams lost his hundred g's to him in an hour.
He should've walked, even before he Kept playing, huh? Got stuck.
The kid baited him, loaning him chips and winning them back.
He didn't just beat Williams.
He humiliated him.
Williams couldn't stop himself.
By the end, he was out 500 g's.
He told Joey he'd get him half by next week.
Joey went nuts.
We got him out of the cabin.
How did Williams take the loss? Well, he tried to laugh it off, but a half million? People kill themselves for less.
- That's what I know.
- Okay, thanks.
So Williams was chasing his luck.
You know, when people like that, when they get to the edge, they don't jump.
That's when they, they feel most alive.
And when they get stiffed half a million bucks, people like Joey Frost.
That's when they go nuts and push other people off boats.
Williams ran Ponzi scheme.
He gutted his kids' college fund to pay taxes on the money he took from his IRA.
Then he went in the hole another half-million with no way to cover it.
- He have life insurance? - $2 million, paid in full.
And yes, it covers death by suicide.
So that's that.
He left behind just enough money to get his family out of hock.
Well, we're not sure he killed himself.
Friday night, he lost to that guy.
Joey Frost.
What's this, his first communion photo? He's a very aggressive player.
When Williams told him that he couldn't pay, the kid went ballistic.
Looks like my daughters could take him.
See what he has to say for himself.
Lefrak city, not exactly hip for a 20-year-old.
His mother's place.
I called, no answer.
If Joey's a player, he'll be hitting those private poker clubs soon.
Whoa, bupkes showing.
Joey Frost? We need to speak to you about a casino cruise last Friday.
I'm in the middle of something here.
You guys want to talk, talk.
Well, it's about one of the players in your game.
Ben Williams.
/ Hey, I've played a lot of games since then.
The faces, they fade away.
You in or out, Wall street? Are you sure? Because we heard you were in a bad mood when you lost to him.
Lost? Me, at cards? No.
I was in a bad mood because I just watched this flyweight, Alvarez, who had this guy puking in a pail in the third round, flop in the tenth.
And then this whale, Williams Hang on.
My aces say 30.
He offers me a no-good marker on 500 g's.
Well, at least you got something for your effort.
His watch.
In or out? Wall street, come on.
Think.
You're going to raise me? With what, a ten high and a five of hearts? All in.
Do you mind? You feel bad, Wall street? Here, feel worse.
Eight high.
You had me.
- Here you go.
- Thank you, sir.
I don't know about your manners, but you've got a good memory for cards.
So maybe you can remember what you did after Williams lost to you.
I went to the bar, and I put my money on hoops, horses, hockey, and Australian football.
And you lost everything.
Just like you're losing now.
Look, cards is easy.
Sports is hard.
FYI, I am the last guy who'd want Williams killed.
Who said anything about murder? How many clubs did you hit before you found me? All for a suicide? No way.
That fat-ass died owing me 500 g's.
That's the real tragedy here.
See you later.
There goes one of nature's mistakes.
Well, seeing into another player's hands? That's not a mistake, it's a gift.
He's not gifted betting sports.
Well, sports is out of his control.
That's probably the attraction.
Well, he can't seem to hold on to his money.
Say somebody staked him the 100 grand for the game on Friday.
They'd be entitled to half his winnings.
Including what Williams owed him.
If they knew about Williams' insurance, they might try to collect from his widow.
The college money's gone? How can that be? My brother's gone through Ben's papers.
Everything's fine.
Phil, they're saying Ben owes money from gambling.
Well, it's, it's a mistake.
I'll handle it, it's okay.
My sister's had enough bad news.
I'm covering his debts.
Family, you know? What are you gonna do? My catering business does well.
I'm lucky I can help out.
So you know the people he owes money to, mister? Lambier.
Um, no.
No, I don't.
But, uh I'm sure I'll hear from them.
Well, we'd be interested if you do.
He lost half a million on a casino cruise last Friday night.
Geez.
- Superior events, that's you? - Yeah.
Ben's online checking program showed he wrote you a blank check Thursday.
He gave it to you as security on a loan? You know, Mr.
Lambier, I know about this, this gambling disease.
No, he he took money from his kids' college fund.
I didn't want my sister embarrassed.
How much, 100,000? That was the stake for the poker game.
God, this is stupid.
This guy on the fishing boat, that's Ben? Yeah, yeah, he he worked on a tuna boat every summer in high school.
I, I better check on Pam.
Excuse me.
You'd think a guy who worked on a tuna boat wouldn't need a seasickness patch.
Scopolamine, it makes you drowsy.
Enough of it will knock you out.
The ME found three bare spots on Williams' skin.
Possibly where other patches were stripped off.
They doped a guy they were throwing overboard.
Seems like overkill.
If they threw him overboard while they were at sea.
But if they wanted insurance to pay, they'd have to make sure the body was found.
So maybe they doped him to keep him on ice until they were close to docking.
This last backbreaking loss, maybe it was planned to make it look like Williams took his own life.
Whoever set this up had to be sure Williams would lose big.
So they brought in Joey.
Might be the same people who bankroll him.
Joey Frost, the invisible man.
No social, no bank accounts, credit cards, tax returns.
Cash in, cash out.
It's all about the action.
And somehow, he showed up on that boat with 100 grand in his pocket.
He was watching the fight before the game.
He said that the fighter threw up after the third round.
Would they show that on TV? - Flyweight division, right? - Yeah.
Alvarez Here, Atlantic city.
It started at 7.
It was an undercard.
It wasn't televised.
He had to have been there.
So the cruise ship left at 8:30.
There's a heliport near the docks.
If someone wanted him here in a hurry, they'd pay.
Look, you're over your limit by 40 g's.
Who you kidding here, sonny? My limit? Are you new, or just dumb? Both.
You don't leave till you make good.
Here, talk.
Tell him what a moron you are.
Hello? Who am I speaking to? Sorry to bother you.
Yeah, this is Dom at the Bambino.
I got a Joey Frost here, he's a Look, I'll take care of everything, I'm I'm sorry for the screw-up, Mr.
Frost.
Joey Frost, sole passenger on a chartered helicopter from A.
C.
at 7:40 Friday night.
Uh the flight? Paid for by Superior events.
Phil Lambier.
Williams' brother-in-law.
He's Joey's bank.
He flew Joey in to play poker with Williams after lending Williams And Lambier put his brother-in-law in the ring with a killer.
Talk about tough love.
Some people have race horses.
Phil Lambier has Joey Frost.
And Joey doesn't just play to win.
He destroys his opponent.
Phil knew that Williams was this hopeless gambling addict.
Phil wanted to protect his sister, and knew that Ben was worth more dead than alive.
So he flies Joey in to destroy Williams, to push him to the edge so that his death is ruled a suicide.
If your theory is correct, it still leaves one glaring hole.
Who drugged Williams and threw him overboard? Well, I don't think anything on that boat, you know, happened by accident.
Maybe including Williams' drinking buddies.
Cops got nothing on me.
Hey, hey, hey.
Wait.
What happened to the watch? What do you think? I hocked it.
I told you I wanted it.
You want it back, I'll buy it back.
Just give me five g's.
Phil, I got a sure thing in the fourth.
/ No, no, no.
No, no.
Joey, you got to lay low.
All right? No cards, no A.
C.
No OTB, all right? You are grounded, kid.
Benny-boy partied too much.
So we took him back to his room for a time-out, and then me and Jack went straight back to the bar.
You see, Jack was nervous about his wife, Dory.
You know, you leave her alone, she, uh explores.
Well, I can see how that could be a problem.
Now, Mr.
Costello, we have a problem ourselves.
We can't figure out why Benny-boy jumped, since well, as you said, he was in a good mood.
Well do you ever really know what goes on inside your fellow human being? You mean like one minute you're talking to a good Samaritan, the next minute you're charging him with murder? - Come again? - You and Jack.
Last two people to see Benny-boy alive.
Only people seen leaving his cabin.
So if you have an idea of what happened to him Yeah, I, I have an idea.
I want my lawyer.
The door to the balcony? I don't, I don't know.
What was my answer the last time? You should have worked with me.
Now we're done.
Done? Well, that's good.
No, see, it's not good, not for you.
Your buddy, Gil Costello, gave you up.
Gil gave me up? No.
No way.
He said he was taking orders from you.
Hey, you know what? Why don't you call your wife.
Tell her that you're not coming home.
Maybe she could pack up some of your personal stuff.
- My wife? - Or not.
Maybe you could call Gil.
He could pack up some of your stuff.
He said that your wife has been calling him.
He said what? Okay.
Uh, okay, no.
Wait, wait, wait.
I'm prepared to, to give a statement.
Gil is the one who told me what to do.
Better you wait for your lawyer.
A murder beef is a serious thing.
Murder? All, all, all we did was scare the guy.
Gil tells me Benny-boy owes someone, and they want to make him pee his pants.
How would they do that? Gil had these, uh, patches to knock him out and then these other people, I don't know who.
They were going to work him over.
Just to scare him, that's all.
Well, the thing is, Jack, we found his blood on a ledge.
Uh, uh, I, I don't know anything about that.
When Gil and I left the cabin, he was alive.
Gil said he had strict instructions.
Instructions from who? This guy? I don't know who Gil talked to.
And you and Gil were together the whole rest of the trip? Except when we were coming up the river to the dock.
Gil went to the can.
Like, took him forever.
- Gil get any other instructions? - Oh, yeah, the kid at the bar? We were supposed to make sure that Benny-boy didn't lay a finger on him.
Tell me again why they're called wise guys? You know, the instructions to protect Joey, that could have only come from Phil.
Reel Joey in.
Give him the facts of life.
Apartment of Shari Frost Queens, New York Tuesday, March 21 My son? If he ain't at the poker clubs, I don't know where he is.
Um, I can fix that TV for you.
It's okay.
He does it for his mom.
Cable bastards, they never come.
- That's better.
- Yeah.
Usually, Joey fixes things, but he hasn't been here.
He still lives here, though? - Do you mind if I - Yeah.
But this is still his home, though.
Always.
I tell Joey, "no one loves you like your mother.
" You don't know of anywhere else where we could be looking for Joey, do you, Mrs.
Frost? I can't think of any place.
But don't call me missus.
Makes me think of my husband.
- Call me Shari.
- Okay.
Shari.
Your husband died when Joey was young.
That must have been hard on him.
Harder on me.
He was missing a week.
They found him in a garage with three bullets in him.
I fell to pieces.
Do you know why he was murdered? He was a bookie.
Ran it out of his bar.
He taught Joey to play cards? Nah, he didn't want Joey gambling.
He wanted him to be a bookie.
Not a bettor.
You know, I'm gonna get you, uh, a clean glass.
So, the card playing? Hey, that was me.
I used to play gin with the girls at the club.
Joey would sit on my lap, couldn't stand to see me lose.
I'd reach for a card, he'd pinch me until I played the right one.
How much trouble is he in? Not him, his friend Phil.
Phil Lambier? He made a man out of Joey.
Him and his wife practically adopted Joey after Pete died.
He even lived with them.
Phil okay? He may have a problem.
We think Joey might be able to help him with it.
That's why we're looking for him.
Well, he'll come back.
I'm the only one knows how to take care of him.
Somebody else tried, though.
He has a, a girlfriend? Gold digger.
Older than him.
With a kid, no less.
I don't know where he is.
He was gone when I got home.
He was supposed to be watching my boy.
Mommy, it's my turn.
Go ahead, honey.
Joey's been trying really hard the past week.
Staying home at night, picking Bono up at school.
Who taught you that? Uncle Joey.
Did he leave a note or anything, Daphne? No, he just told Bono he was going to church.
Joey's not even Catholic.
Is there a church nearby? Saint Ann's, next to Bono's school.
Nine months we've been together.
Never once he lied to me.
N-40.
N-40 N-40.
Give it up, grandma.
You got nothing.
B-6.
B-6 Come on, B-6! I'm feeling it.
B-6.
Bingo! Bingo! That's it, baby.
- Attaboy, Joey.
- Way to play.
Bingo, Joey.
I heard this big whale was going to be on the boat, so I called Phil.
He takes care of me.
He staked you the hundred grand to play, didn't he? Did he? You're not sure.
I can tell.
I got a lot of investors.
All right, well, there's one thing we are sure of.
Because Phil told us.
He staked Williams the hundred grand.
He's Williams' brother-in-law.
You didn't know.
I saw your jawline flutter.
Well, Phil flew you in knowing you'd beat Williams.
Now, why do you suppose he did that? I heard Williams was a loser.
Maybe Phil wanted me to break him so bad he'd never gamble again.
He won't now.
Phil is not taking care of you.
Look where we found you.
You were hustling old ladies for bingo money.
Don't bad-mouth Phil.
I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for him.
You wouldn't be here, facing a murder charge.
Am not! You shut your eyes when you said "facing.
" You're bluffing.
If you don't cooperate, Joey, the next time I say it, I won't be bluffing.
Williams was set up to look like he suicided.
Phil used you - No, he wouldn't do that! - Or you were in on it.
I was just there for a game.
Come on, didn't you get the least bit suspicious when you saw Williams being carried out of the bar by these two? - Gil Costello and Jack Rosencrantz? - Who? Look, if I knew that Williams was suicidal, I would've glued myself to him.
He owed me half a mil.
I am the victim here.
Maybe that's what Phil wants.
He put you on the boat with Williams.
He left you with the only motive to kill him.
Phil wouldn't put me in that position.
You threw Williams overboard.
Shut up! / That's what Phil wants us to believe.
No, I'm not, I'm not listening.
Wow.
I can't see his style of bluffing going over big in A.
C.
Well, he might be lying about everything else, but this tantrum is real.
I would say ten years old is where his emotional growth stopped.
With my kids, they either tell the truth or they go to their room.
A very small room, in Joey's case.
Yeah, but his father was shot to death, his drunk mother fell to pieces.
I mean, I that had to be horrible.
He was terrified.
That's when Phil stepped in.
Joey trusted him to survive.
Maybe he'll stop once I charge him as a co-conspirator.
That might push him closer to Phil.
If we release him, he'll skip.
So we keep him as a material witness.
Right here, in his holding cell.
I mean, he's not lawyering up.
So there's an opportunity.
- Hungry? - Yeah.
Eggplant parmesan.
I don't, I don't like it.
You think I could get a sandwich or something? How do you know you don't like it if you haven't tasted it? Go ahead.
Here.
Tuck this in.
Go ahead.
Use these.
I guess you don't get a lot of hot meals.
You know, pizza, hot dogs Hand food, huh? Like at your dad's bar.
So how long do I got to stay in here? Until you testify.
It's for your own protection.
I got my own protection.
What, are you getting some action there? It's my mother.
Not everybody gambles, Joey.
Now you sound like my dad.
Yeah, and he was a bookie.
You know, with a memory like yours, I'm surprised that he didn't teach you his business.
He did.
When I was ten.
He had me memorize everybody's bets and debts.
We used to do it under, like, uh code names.
So that, you know, I wouldn't rat anybody out if we got busted.
But he didn't see your real talent for the cards.
Yeah.
You know, my mom, she used to take me out to play gin with her friends.
One time, I won 142 games in a row.
So who was it that helped you move from gin to poker, Phil? Yeah, he saw what I could do.
He would come into my dad's bar, and I place some bets, and then he'd sneak me out the back, go play poker clubs.
He helped you reach your real potential, huh? And what happened after your father was killed? Phil took me in.
He looks out for me.
Keeps you out of trouble.
No, I don't get in trouble.
You know why? I don't cheat.
That's a rule.
Don't cheat.
Pete Frost? Joey's dad? While he was missing, his regulars kept calling to make bets.
All except one.
Oh, let me guess, Phil Lambier.
He didn't call because he knew Pete was dead.
They tried to make a case, but Phil had an alibi and no motive.
Pete disappeared the night of the Super bowl? That should have been a clue.
Phil probably bet big and lost.
All the bets were in Joey's head.
In code.
Even he didn't know who bet what.
Phil's a prince.
Kills Pete, then turns his son into a poker machine.
He's been making money off Joey ever since.
If we could prove that Phil's behind this, it would open Joey's eyes.
The only person the detectives didn't interview was Joey's mother.
She was, uh, "indisposed.
" No time like the present.
Shari, please? How serious? Thanks.
That was her super.
EMS took Shari to the hospital this morning.
St.
James Hospital Queens, New York Sunday, April 2 I wouldn't have tripped if the landlord had fixed the floor, the cheap bastard.
Hey, Joey.
Why are you standing back there? Joey wanted to make sure that you were okay.
I'm ready to go home now.
Don't, don't, ma.
They're gonna run tests.
Hey, I'm hungry, Joey.
Yeah, okay.
I'll get you something.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Come on, you're not ten years old.
You can do better by your mom than that.
Come on, there's a deli across the street.
We're gonna He was really worried about you.
Oh, he has a good heart.
He has a good role model, Phil.
Like you said, he made a man out of Joey.
Thank you.
Let him develop his natural gifts.
Phil wanted to sponsor Joey.
Pete wouldn't hear it.
He warned Phil to stay away from Joey.
It's funny how it worked out after Pete died.
What I don't get, Shari, is, seeing as Joey takes such good care of you, how could you let him go live with Phil? A stand-up guy like Phil, did he make it worth your while? He did.
He paid me $20,000, plus a cleaning lady every other week.
Why don't you get her one? It's a shock, isn't it? What? Seeing your mother in the hospital.
This the first time? I bet you never thought you'd see her like that, huh? Weak, scared.
What about you? You ever think where you'll be in 20 years? Yeah, I'll be fine.
You know, I met Daphne.
She seems like a good person.
And her kid.
He calls you "uncle.
" Is that how you see yourself? Having a regular life? Hey, what's taking so long here? What's all that? You could feed an army with what's in here.
I got this for you, too.
for 20 grand and a housekeeper.
I wanted to smack that woman.
Eames.
Really? Okay, meet you there.
Costello's ready to talk.
Joey.
You know, you should know that the DA is working on those guys from the boat, Costello and Rosencrantz.
If you know something, you know, now's the time to make your move.
I told you, I don't know those guys.
I was on that boat because Joey Frost told me he needed muscle for a high-stakes game.
So you're saying that he brought you on the boat.
/ That's right.
Joey's used me before, ask anyone in A.
C.
I collect for him, keep an eye on people until they pay.
Did you keep an eye on Mr.
Ben Williams? Yeah, the guy tried to welsh.
So Joey decides to play hardball.
He told me to knock him out and put him in his room.
Which we did.
Did he tell you what he intended to do to Mr.
Williams? No, whatever he did to the guy after that, we had nothing to do with it.
All right, so Phil got to Costello, told him to pin it on Joey.
I hope you're not saying Joey has clean hands.
Either he'll roll on Mr.
Lambier, or he'll go down for this on his own.
We're starting to get through to him.
You, you charge him, and we'll lose him.
You tried to pull him out of his mess, detective.
Instead, he's pulled you into it.
He uses people.
By playing on their sympathy.
No more.
I mean, all right, so Joey played me.
You know, he thinks that I'm another whale.
So I'll just let him think that.
I need your help.
You know, you read people.
You know when someone's bluffing, you read me.
I need to know if a hunch I have is, uh, wrong.
Cool.
And don't bite your nails.
What's Phil doing in here? Gil Costello fingered you for Williams' murder.
I told you, I don't even know Costello.
I'm being set up.
Let's see if Phil goes along with it.
My hunch is that Phil Phil's gonna burn you.
I don't think so.
He's not gonna do that.
Well, prove me wrong.
You've known the guy nine years.
Been watching him.
You know all his moves.
Well, that Friday night, I was dining with friends in A.
C.
Have you ever met this man? Do you know him? No.
Never met him.
Does Joey know him? Joey? I, I don't think so.
Joey knows one thing, cards.
See, that's straight.
He's not setting me up.
He doesn't have to.
He's got nothing to do with any murder.
- You're sure? - Yeah.
When he's bluffing, he leans in.
Here, he's sitting back, his eyes are blinking slow.
This, this is all straight.
Don't they teach you guys anything? Friday night, didn't you hire a helicopter to fly Joey up from A.
C.
? Fly him in? No, no.
- Why, why would I? - Now, that's a lie, see? He leaned in, his eyes are blinking faster.
That's his tell.
He thinks he's protecting me.
That's why he lied.
You knew your sister was married to a gambling addict.
- Well, I, I wouldn't say addict.
- Right hand to the hair.
That's a classic Phil evasion.
- He's an easy read.
- The worst.
That's why he stopped playing poker himself.
But look, the point is, he's looking out for me.
Like I'm his family.
Let's talk about another case.
He's a good guy.
He's no murderer.
All right.
Okay.
I got to I'll bring you back to your cell in a minute.
I gotta fill this form.
What were those tells? Leaning forward.
Running his hand through his hair.
He must be lying a blue streak now.
Yeah, but he's talking about something else, right? - Some other thing.
- Let's find out.
It's common knowledge that the mob killed Pete Frost.
Guaranteed.
I had nothing to do with it.
He's, he's talking about my dad.
Why, why is he, why is he talking about him? Investigators were wondering why you were the only one of Pete's regulars who didn't call him the week he was missing.
Football was over.
Okay? There was no action.
But there's always action.
How much did you owe Pete on the Super bowl? Nothing, I I didn't bet the Super bowl.
Is, is this on the level? Why would he lie, Joey? Think about it.
Maybe you had a better reason for wanting Pete out of the way.
You thought Joey could be a gold mine for you - if only he was allowed to play poker.
- Where'd you hear that crap, huh? Did Joey tell you that? You can't trust what that little punk says.
You must have thought he was a sure thing.
You paid his mother 20 grand to take him off her hands.
So what? So what? I, I don't get it.
- Joey, look, look.
- This, this makes no sense.
You have a gift to see right through people.
Come on, what, what did you just now see? - I don't know! - All the tells, he hit every one.
Phil.
It's Phil! What's, what's going on here? What are you doing here? - He raised me.
- He raised you? He's kept you a child all your life.
He's been watching you blow all your winnings.
He's never told you to put some away, save it so you can quit and have a regular life.
He doesn't want you to quit.
He wants you to stay broke.
So you have to spend all your time looking for another game.
I'm like a son to him.
Your dad wanted to protect you from losers like Phil.
He killed his sister's husband! Killing your dad to get to you would be nothing for him.
- I'll kill him! - No, no, no! I'll kill him! I'm gonna rip his neck off! - That's not what you do! - Let me go! - Get off of me! - You got to tell us about Williams! Forget that.
- Come on, you know what Phil did.
- Forget that! You knew it before it happened.
You knew when you saw Costello and Williams.
And that's when you knew you were part of it.
And now you're afraid to go to jail if you rat on Phil.
Is that, is that what's gonna happen? You want a regular life? The one that Phil took away from you? It's going to take a lot of steps to get back there.
This is the hardest step.
There's no easy way out of this for you.
You're gonna have to tell us what Phil did.
I he told me to demolish Williams.
Push him to the limit.
And then when I saw Williams with Costello, I called Phil.
He told me that, "don't worry about the money.
" He'd take care of it.
He said, whatever I heard happened to Williams, keep my mouth shut.
He said that the mob was taking care of Williams.
I, I knew he was lying when he said it.
Hey, kid.
Thank you.
That's good.
Get up, Mr.
Lambier.
You're under arrest.
It's gonna be all right.
You're gonna be all right.
These are their stories.
- Why don't you - Oops! See, sorry.
Oh, please.
Go.
Go on.
If you're in a rush.
Casino cruises.
- The more I lose, the more I eat.
- Uh, Dory? We're starving over here, huh? My husband.
Class act.
Mr.
Williams? It's on.
Cabin C.
Here you go.
Forty dimes.
/ I was told this was a half-million dollar game.
Ten rounds! He's got him on the ropes.
And he walks into a hook my mother could duck.
Here.
What are you looking at? Isn't it past your bedtime? Keep smiling, pal.
Who do you think you're playing with? I got friends, pal.
Mr.
Frost, have a drink at the bar.
Dumb luck.
That's all.
Now that is the way to eat a strawberry.
Hey, you got that right.
Waiter.
More, more champagne for the ladies.
Use the whip! The whip! You had him, you lazy P.
R.
Mari.
Excuse me.
Would you tone it down? - There, there are ladies here.
- You tone it down, lardass.
This is my space, that's yours.
Excuse me? Hey, Benny-boy.
Come on.
- Yo, yo, yo.
Come on.
- Excuse me? Don't waste your time.
We're gonna get him some air, baby.
Come on, babe.
Let's go.
I think you've got enough.
Make this foul, you genetic freak.
Ah, you dumb Fugazi bastard! Everything okay, gentlemen? Oh, yeah, yeah.
Our buddy's done for the night.
He's a real lightweight.
Bull's-eye! What are you boys doing? Stop bothering the ducks.
It's not a duck, Gigi.
Lord of mercy! No! Get away now.
Law & Order CI Well, if you're here, he must be a VIDP.
Benton Williams, as in the former school chancellor.
We're on our way to see his wife.
What can we tell her? He was drunk, and he drowned.
Smells like a Kentucky bourbon keg.
Any idea how long he was in the river? He went in some time this weekend.
This gash.
There's something with an edge.
Something he hit on his way into the water.
Or something somebody slugged him with.
Hey, look, what's this here? It's a transdermal patch.
Might be a painkiller, or nicotine patch.
Too bad it wasn't a swimming-lesson patch.
Home of Ben and Pam Williams Riverdale, New York Tuesday, March 13 I can't understand it.
Ben went to San Diego Friday for the Children First symposium.
He didn't check in over the weekend? No, he's so busy at those things.
Do you have his watch? A Rolex.
The mayor gave it to him.
Sorry, he wasn't wearing a watch.
What, what did, uh, your husband do for a living? Since he left the board of education.
He lectures.
He has a column on values and education.
Seems like he was doing very well.
Who handled the finances? Ben.
He thought I had my hands full making a home.
This looks like the Kentucky Derby.
Ben, he gambled on horse racing? No.
Not even when we went to Las Vegas for a conference.
He didn't understand why people think it's fun.
Stop it.
Leave me alone! - My kids.
- Mom! He didn't want her prying.
This computer's locked up tight.
Well, his DVR isn't.
Look what he's got programmed.
We got racing, hoops, hockey, pros, college.
Not a home team in the bunch.
A sports gambler's buffet.
I guess he decided gambling was fun after all.
Two homes, two cars, two kids with college trust funds.
Gotta be a catch, right? Forensic accountant's looking into it.
In the meantime, Williams called in sick to the San Diego symposium.
Playing hooky from his straight life.
And his even straighter wife.
When heroes fall, they take everyone down with them.
Yeah, along with their life's work.
You know, it's too bad.
Some of what Williams wrote, you know, it's good common sense.
The patch on the back of his neck? It was scopolamine for seasickness.
Sounds like he was on a boat.
Yeah, a gambling boat.
Casino cruises dock near where his body was found.
Cabin of Ben Williams Casino Cruise Ship Wednesday, March 14 Here's his cabin.
Well, it's been cleaned.
Saturday after the ship returned.
It hasn't been used since.
Someone's been out here.
This curtain's stuck in the door.
Look at the ledge there.
Blood? Maybe that's how Williams got that nice part in his hair.
You see anybody with Williams? Two gentlemen left the cabin around 3 A.
M.
Saturday.
They said they'd put Mr.
Williams to bed.
He was very drunk.
You know who these gentlemen were? Our bartender might.
Yeah, my wife met Benny-boy in a buffet line.
And, uh, five hours later, he was buying champagne.
- He got lucky at the tables? - Ah, on poker, I think.
Then he tried to get lucky with Jack's wife.
That had to bother you.
Aw, nah, nah.
Everyone's hot for her.
Yeah.
They get her going, it's less work for me, huh? Less work, that's good.
So how'd you end up putting him to bed? Benny-boy got into a thing with this kid at the bar.
We took him out for a breather, right? Oh, yeah, yeah.
He was done for the night.
So we just tucked him in like he was a baby.
This kid? Oh, some midget watching races on TV.
Starts mouthing off about this lazy PR Jockey.
- Now, my wife is Puerto Rican, right? - Yeah, and hot.
Shut up.
So Benny-boy stands up and tells the kid off.
He almost tipped over.
The kid, what happened to him after you put Benny-boy to bed? Don't know.
They had this O'Jays tribute band.
We were dancing till the boat landed.
Upstairs is hawking me for a break.
Those two any help? They said Williams was celebrating a big score at the poker table.
His behavior, he was flirting with another man's wife, it's like macho posturing.
Binge drinking.
It's more self-destructive than it is celebratory.
Well, maybe he didn't win.
Maybe he lost.
Lost hard and suicided? Find the dealer.
Get the straight story.
That's really nice of you, Joey.
Now we can get you that microscope.
Microscope? What do you do with that? Look at germs.
You going to be here for dinner? I can take something out of the freezer.
- I got a game.
- Joey, you haven't even been to bed.
Daphne, I got a game.
I need car fare.
What happens outside the three-mile limit stays outside the three-mile limit.
You want to flip for the collar? You want to arrest me? For what? For running a poker game for profit, what do you think? Outside the three-mile limit.
You took the job inside the limit, with the intent to break a state law.
- Now, that can't be right.
- Try us.
And try getting a job with a criminal record.
Cabin C.
A massacre.
Five players, 100 g's each, winner take all.
Three got cleaned out early, then there was just Williams and this kid, Joey Frost.
- A kid, with a big mouth? - A foul mouth.
All night he was bitching about losing a bet on a fight.
So what happened between him and Williams? Williams lost his hundred g's to him in an hour.
He should've walked, even before he Kept playing, huh? Got stuck.
The kid baited him, loaning him chips and winning them back.
He didn't just beat Williams.
He humiliated him.
Williams couldn't stop himself.
By the end, he was out 500 g's.
He told Joey he'd get him half by next week.
Joey went nuts.
We got him out of the cabin.
How did Williams take the loss? Well, he tried to laugh it off, but a half million? People kill themselves for less.
- That's what I know.
- Okay, thanks.
So Williams was chasing his luck.
You know, when people like that, when they get to the edge, they don't jump.
That's when they, they feel most alive.
And when they get stiffed half a million bucks, people like Joey Frost.
That's when they go nuts and push other people off boats.
Williams ran Ponzi scheme.
He gutted his kids' college fund to pay taxes on the money he took from his IRA.
Then he went in the hole another half-million with no way to cover it.
- He have life insurance? - $2 million, paid in full.
And yes, it covers death by suicide.
So that's that.
He left behind just enough money to get his family out of hock.
Well, we're not sure he killed himself.
Friday night, he lost to that guy.
Joey Frost.
What's this, his first communion photo? He's a very aggressive player.
When Williams told him that he couldn't pay, the kid went ballistic.
Looks like my daughters could take him.
See what he has to say for himself.
Lefrak city, not exactly hip for a 20-year-old.
His mother's place.
I called, no answer.
If Joey's a player, he'll be hitting those private poker clubs soon.
Whoa, bupkes showing.
Joey Frost? We need to speak to you about a casino cruise last Friday.
I'm in the middle of something here.
You guys want to talk, talk.
Well, it's about one of the players in your game.
Ben Williams.
/ Hey, I've played a lot of games since then.
The faces, they fade away.
You in or out, Wall street? Are you sure? Because we heard you were in a bad mood when you lost to him.
Lost? Me, at cards? No.
I was in a bad mood because I just watched this flyweight, Alvarez, who had this guy puking in a pail in the third round, flop in the tenth.
And then this whale, Williams Hang on.
My aces say 30.
He offers me a no-good marker on 500 g's.
Well, at least you got something for your effort.
His watch.
In or out? Wall street, come on.
Think.
You're going to raise me? With what, a ten high and a five of hearts? All in.
Do you mind? You feel bad, Wall street? Here, feel worse.
Eight high.
You had me.
- Here you go.
- Thank you, sir.
I don't know about your manners, but you've got a good memory for cards.
So maybe you can remember what you did after Williams lost to you.
I went to the bar, and I put my money on hoops, horses, hockey, and Australian football.
And you lost everything.
Just like you're losing now.
Look, cards is easy.
Sports is hard.
FYI, I am the last guy who'd want Williams killed.
Who said anything about murder? How many clubs did you hit before you found me? All for a suicide? No way.
That fat-ass died owing me 500 g's.
That's the real tragedy here.
See you later.
There goes one of nature's mistakes.
Well, seeing into another player's hands? That's not a mistake, it's a gift.
He's not gifted betting sports.
Well, sports is out of his control.
That's probably the attraction.
Well, he can't seem to hold on to his money.
Say somebody staked him the 100 grand for the game on Friday.
They'd be entitled to half his winnings.
Including what Williams owed him.
If they knew about Williams' insurance, they might try to collect from his widow.
The college money's gone? How can that be? My brother's gone through Ben's papers.
Everything's fine.
Phil, they're saying Ben owes money from gambling.
Well, it's, it's a mistake.
I'll handle it, it's okay.
My sister's had enough bad news.
I'm covering his debts.
Family, you know? What are you gonna do? My catering business does well.
I'm lucky I can help out.
So you know the people he owes money to, mister? Lambier.
Um, no.
No, I don't.
But, uh I'm sure I'll hear from them.
Well, we'd be interested if you do.
He lost half a million on a casino cruise last Friday night.
Geez.
- Superior events, that's you? - Yeah.
Ben's online checking program showed he wrote you a blank check Thursday.
He gave it to you as security on a loan? You know, Mr.
Lambier, I know about this, this gambling disease.
No, he he took money from his kids' college fund.
I didn't want my sister embarrassed.
How much, 100,000? That was the stake for the poker game.
God, this is stupid.
This guy on the fishing boat, that's Ben? Yeah, yeah, he he worked on a tuna boat every summer in high school.
I, I better check on Pam.
Excuse me.
You'd think a guy who worked on a tuna boat wouldn't need a seasickness patch.
Scopolamine, it makes you drowsy.
Enough of it will knock you out.
The ME found three bare spots on Williams' skin.
Possibly where other patches were stripped off.
They doped a guy they were throwing overboard.
Seems like overkill.
If they threw him overboard while they were at sea.
But if they wanted insurance to pay, they'd have to make sure the body was found.
So maybe they doped him to keep him on ice until they were close to docking.
This last backbreaking loss, maybe it was planned to make it look like Williams took his own life.
Whoever set this up had to be sure Williams would lose big.
So they brought in Joey.
Might be the same people who bankroll him.
Joey Frost, the invisible man.
No social, no bank accounts, credit cards, tax returns.
Cash in, cash out.
It's all about the action.
And somehow, he showed up on that boat with 100 grand in his pocket.
He was watching the fight before the game.
He said that the fighter threw up after the third round.
Would they show that on TV? - Flyweight division, right? - Yeah.
Alvarez Here, Atlantic city.
It started at 7.
It was an undercard.
It wasn't televised.
He had to have been there.
So the cruise ship left at 8:30.
There's a heliport near the docks.
If someone wanted him here in a hurry, they'd pay.
Look, you're over your limit by 40 g's.
Who you kidding here, sonny? My limit? Are you new, or just dumb? Both.
You don't leave till you make good.
Here, talk.
Tell him what a moron you are.
Hello? Who am I speaking to? Sorry to bother you.
Yeah, this is Dom at the Bambino.
I got a Joey Frost here, he's a Look, I'll take care of everything, I'm I'm sorry for the screw-up, Mr.
Frost.
Joey Frost, sole passenger on a chartered helicopter from A.
C.
at 7:40 Friday night.
Uh the flight? Paid for by Superior events.
Phil Lambier.
Williams' brother-in-law.
He's Joey's bank.
He flew Joey in to play poker with Williams after lending Williams And Lambier put his brother-in-law in the ring with a killer.
Talk about tough love.
Some people have race horses.
Phil Lambier has Joey Frost.
And Joey doesn't just play to win.
He destroys his opponent.
Phil knew that Williams was this hopeless gambling addict.
Phil wanted to protect his sister, and knew that Ben was worth more dead than alive.
So he flies Joey in to destroy Williams, to push him to the edge so that his death is ruled a suicide.
If your theory is correct, it still leaves one glaring hole.
Who drugged Williams and threw him overboard? Well, I don't think anything on that boat, you know, happened by accident.
Maybe including Williams' drinking buddies.
Cops got nothing on me.
Hey, hey, hey.
Wait.
What happened to the watch? What do you think? I hocked it.
I told you I wanted it.
You want it back, I'll buy it back.
Just give me five g's.
Phil, I got a sure thing in the fourth.
/ No, no, no.
No, no.
Joey, you got to lay low.
All right? No cards, no A.
C.
No OTB, all right? You are grounded, kid.
Benny-boy partied too much.
So we took him back to his room for a time-out, and then me and Jack went straight back to the bar.
You see, Jack was nervous about his wife, Dory.
You know, you leave her alone, she, uh explores.
Well, I can see how that could be a problem.
Now, Mr.
Costello, we have a problem ourselves.
We can't figure out why Benny-boy jumped, since well, as you said, he was in a good mood.
Well do you ever really know what goes on inside your fellow human being? You mean like one minute you're talking to a good Samaritan, the next minute you're charging him with murder? - Come again? - You and Jack.
Last two people to see Benny-boy alive.
Only people seen leaving his cabin.
So if you have an idea of what happened to him Yeah, I, I have an idea.
I want my lawyer.
The door to the balcony? I don't, I don't know.
What was my answer the last time? You should have worked with me.
Now we're done.
Done? Well, that's good.
No, see, it's not good, not for you.
Your buddy, Gil Costello, gave you up.
Gil gave me up? No.
No way.
He said he was taking orders from you.
Hey, you know what? Why don't you call your wife.
Tell her that you're not coming home.
Maybe she could pack up some of your personal stuff.
- My wife? - Or not.
Maybe you could call Gil.
He could pack up some of your stuff.
He said that your wife has been calling him.
He said what? Okay.
Uh, okay, no.
Wait, wait, wait.
I'm prepared to, to give a statement.
Gil is the one who told me what to do.
Better you wait for your lawyer.
A murder beef is a serious thing.
Murder? All, all, all we did was scare the guy.
Gil tells me Benny-boy owes someone, and they want to make him pee his pants.
How would they do that? Gil had these, uh, patches to knock him out and then these other people, I don't know who.
They were going to work him over.
Just to scare him, that's all.
Well, the thing is, Jack, we found his blood on a ledge.
Uh, uh, I, I don't know anything about that.
When Gil and I left the cabin, he was alive.
Gil said he had strict instructions.
Instructions from who? This guy? I don't know who Gil talked to.
And you and Gil were together the whole rest of the trip? Except when we were coming up the river to the dock.
Gil went to the can.
Like, took him forever.
- Gil get any other instructions? - Oh, yeah, the kid at the bar? We were supposed to make sure that Benny-boy didn't lay a finger on him.
Tell me again why they're called wise guys? You know, the instructions to protect Joey, that could have only come from Phil.
Reel Joey in.
Give him the facts of life.
Apartment of Shari Frost Queens, New York Tuesday, March 21 My son? If he ain't at the poker clubs, I don't know where he is.
Um, I can fix that TV for you.
It's okay.
He does it for his mom.
Cable bastards, they never come.
- That's better.
- Yeah.
Usually, Joey fixes things, but he hasn't been here.
He still lives here, though? - Do you mind if I - Yeah.
But this is still his home, though.
Always.
I tell Joey, "no one loves you like your mother.
" You don't know of anywhere else where we could be looking for Joey, do you, Mrs.
Frost? I can't think of any place.
But don't call me missus.
Makes me think of my husband.
- Call me Shari.
- Okay.
Shari.
Your husband died when Joey was young.
That must have been hard on him.
Harder on me.
He was missing a week.
They found him in a garage with three bullets in him.
I fell to pieces.
Do you know why he was murdered? He was a bookie.
Ran it out of his bar.
He taught Joey to play cards? Nah, he didn't want Joey gambling.
He wanted him to be a bookie.
Not a bettor.
You know, I'm gonna get you, uh, a clean glass.
So, the card playing? Hey, that was me.
I used to play gin with the girls at the club.
Joey would sit on my lap, couldn't stand to see me lose.
I'd reach for a card, he'd pinch me until I played the right one.
How much trouble is he in? Not him, his friend Phil.
Phil Lambier? He made a man out of Joey.
Him and his wife practically adopted Joey after Pete died.
He even lived with them.
Phil okay? He may have a problem.
We think Joey might be able to help him with it.
That's why we're looking for him.
Well, he'll come back.
I'm the only one knows how to take care of him.
Somebody else tried, though.
He has a, a girlfriend? Gold digger.
Older than him.
With a kid, no less.
I don't know where he is.
He was gone when I got home.
He was supposed to be watching my boy.
Mommy, it's my turn.
Go ahead, honey.
Joey's been trying really hard the past week.
Staying home at night, picking Bono up at school.
Who taught you that? Uncle Joey.
Did he leave a note or anything, Daphne? No, he just told Bono he was going to church.
Joey's not even Catholic.
Is there a church nearby? Saint Ann's, next to Bono's school.
Nine months we've been together.
Never once he lied to me.
N-40.
N-40 N-40.
Give it up, grandma.
You got nothing.
B-6.
B-6 Come on, B-6! I'm feeling it.
B-6.
Bingo! Bingo! That's it, baby.
- Attaboy, Joey.
- Way to play.
Bingo, Joey.
I heard this big whale was going to be on the boat, so I called Phil.
He takes care of me.
He staked you the hundred grand to play, didn't he? Did he? You're not sure.
I can tell.
I got a lot of investors.
All right, well, there's one thing we are sure of.
Because Phil told us.
He staked Williams the hundred grand.
He's Williams' brother-in-law.
You didn't know.
I saw your jawline flutter.
Well, Phil flew you in knowing you'd beat Williams.
Now, why do you suppose he did that? I heard Williams was a loser.
Maybe Phil wanted me to break him so bad he'd never gamble again.
He won't now.
Phil is not taking care of you.
Look where we found you.
You were hustling old ladies for bingo money.
Don't bad-mouth Phil.
I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for him.
You wouldn't be here, facing a murder charge.
Am not! You shut your eyes when you said "facing.
" You're bluffing.
If you don't cooperate, Joey, the next time I say it, I won't be bluffing.
Williams was set up to look like he suicided.
Phil used you - No, he wouldn't do that! - Or you were in on it.
I was just there for a game.
Come on, didn't you get the least bit suspicious when you saw Williams being carried out of the bar by these two? - Gil Costello and Jack Rosencrantz? - Who? Look, if I knew that Williams was suicidal, I would've glued myself to him.
He owed me half a mil.
I am the victim here.
Maybe that's what Phil wants.
He put you on the boat with Williams.
He left you with the only motive to kill him.
Phil wouldn't put me in that position.
You threw Williams overboard.
Shut up! / That's what Phil wants us to believe.
No, I'm not, I'm not listening.
Wow.
I can't see his style of bluffing going over big in A.
C.
Well, he might be lying about everything else, but this tantrum is real.
I would say ten years old is where his emotional growth stopped.
With my kids, they either tell the truth or they go to their room.
A very small room, in Joey's case.
Yeah, but his father was shot to death, his drunk mother fell to pieces.
I mean, I that had to be horrible.
He was terrified.
That's when Phil stepped in.
Joey trusted him to survive.
Maybe he'll stop once I charge him as a co-conspirator.
That might push him closer to Phil.
If we release him, he'll skip.
So we keep him as a material witness.
Right here, in his holding cell.
I mean, he's not lawyering up.
So there's an opportunity.
- Hungry? - Yeah.
Eggplant parmesan.
I don't, I don't like it.
You think I could get a sandwich or something? How do you know you don't like it if you haven't tasted it? Go ahead.
Here.
Tuck this in.
Go ahead.
Use these.
I guess you don't get a lot of hot meals.
You know, pizza, hot dogs Hand food, huh? Like at your dad's bar.
So how long do I got to stay in here? Until you testify.
It's for your own protection.
I got my own protection.
What, are you getting some action there? It's my mother.
Not everybody gambles, Joey.
Now you sound like my dad.
Yeah, and he was a bookie.
You know, with a memory like yours, I'm surprised that he didn't teach you his business.
He did.
When I was ten.
He had me memorize everybody's bets and debts.
We used to do it under, like, uh code names.
So that, you know, I wouldn't rat anybody out if we got busted.
But he didn't see your real talent for the cards.
Yeah.
You know, my mom, she used to take me out to play gin with her friends.
One time, I won 142 games in a row.
So who was it that helped you move from gin to poker, Phil? Yeah, he saw what I could do.
He would come into my dad's bar, and I place some bets, and then he'd sneak me out the back, go play poker clubs.
He helped you reach your real potential, huh? And what happened after your father was killed? Phil took me in.
He looks out for me.
Keeps you out of trouble.
No, I don't get in trouble.
You know why? I don't cheat.
That's a rule.
Don't cheat.
Pete Frost? Joey's dad? While he was missing, his regulars kept calling to make bets.
All except one.
Oh, let me guess, Phil Lambier.
He didn't call because he knew Pete was dead.
They tried to make a case, but Phil had an alibi and no motive.
Pete disappeared the night of the Super bowl? That should have been a clue.
Phil probably bet big and lost.
All the bets were in Joey's head.
In code.
Even he didn't know who bet what.
Phil's a prince.
Kills Pete, then turns his son into a poker machine.
He's been making money off Joey ever since.
If we could prove that Phil's behind this, it would open Joey's eyes.
The only person the detectives didn't interview was Joey's mother.
She was, uh, "indisposed.
" No time like the present.
Shari, please? How serious? Thanks.
That was her super.
EMS took Shari to the hospital this morning.
St.
James Hospital Queens, New York Sunday, April 2 I wouldn't have tripped if the landlord had fixed the floor, the cheap bastard.
Hey, Joey.
Why are you standing back there? Joey wanted to make sure that you were okay.
I'm ready to go home now.
Don't, don't, ma.
They're gonna run tests.
Hey, I'm hungry, Joey.
Yeah, okay.
I'll get you something.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Come on, you're not ten years old.
You can do better by your mom than that.
Come on, there's a deli across the street.
We're gonna He was really worried about you.
Oh, he has a good heart.
He has a good role model, Phil.
Like you said, he made a man out of Joey.
Thank you.
Let him develop his natural gifts.
Phil wanted to sponsor Joey.
Pete wouldn't hear it.
He warned Phil to stay away from Joey.
It's funny how it worked out after Pete died.
What I don't get, Shari, is, seeing as Joey takes such good care of you, how could you let him go live with Phil? A stand-up guy like Phil, did he make it worth your while? He did.
He paid me $20,000, plus a cleaning lady every other week.
Why don't you get her one? It's a shock, isn't it? What? Seeing your mother in the hospital.
This the first time? I bet you never thought you'd see her like that, huh? Weak, scared.
What about you? You ever think where you'll be in 20 years? Yeah, I'll be fine.
You know, I met Daphne.
She seems like a good person.
And her kid.
He calls you "uncle.
" Is that how you see yourself? Having a regular life? Hey, what's taking so long here? What's all that? You could feed an army with what's in here.
I got this for you, too.
for 20 grand and a housekeeper.
I wanted to smack that woman.
Eames.
Really? Okay, meet you there.
Costello's ready to talk.
Joey.
You know, you should know that the DA is working on those guys from the boat, Costello and Rosencrantz.
If you know something, you know, now's the time to make your move.
I told you, I don't know those guys.
I was on that boat because Joey Frost told me he needed muscle for a high-stakes game.
So you're saying that he brought you on the boat.
/ That's right.
Joey's used me before, ask anyone in A.
C.
I collect for him, keep an eye on people until they pay.
Did you keep an eye on Mr.
Ben Williams? Yeah, the guy tried to welsh.
So Joey decides to play hardball.
He told me to knock him out and put him in his room.
Which we did.
Did he tell you what he intended to do to Mr.
Williams? No, whatever he did to the guy after that, we had nothing to do with it.
All right, so Phil got to Costello, told him to pin it on Joey.
I hope you're not saying Joey has clean hands.
Either he'll roll on Mr.
Lambier, or he'll go down for this on his own.
We're starting to get through to him.
You, you charge him, and we'll lose him.
You tried to pull him out of his mess, detective.
Instead, he's pulled you into it.
He uses people.
By playing on their sympathy.
No more.
I mean, all right, so Joey played me.
You know, he thinks that I'm another whale.
So I'll just let him think that.
I need your help.
You know, you read people.
You know when someone's bluffing, you read me.
I need to know if a hunch I have is, uh, wrong.
Cool.
And don't bite your nails.
What's Phil doing in here? Gil Costello fingered you for Williams' murder.
I told you, I don't even know Costello.
I'm being set up.
Let's see if Phil goes along with it.
My hunch is that Phil Phil's gonna burn you.
I don't think so.
He's not gonna do that.
Well, prove me wrong.
You've known the guy nine years.
Been watching him.
You know all his moves.
Well, that Friday night, I was dining with friends in A.
C.
Have you ever met this man? Do you know him? No.
Never met him.
Does Joey know him? Joey? I, I don't think so.
Joey knows one thing, cards.
See, that's straight.
He's not setting me up.
He doesn't have to.
He's got nothing to do with any murder.
- You're sure? - Yeah.
When he's bluffing, he leans in.
Here, he's sitting back, his eyes are blinking slow.
This, this is all straight.
Don't they teach you guys anything? Friday night, didn't you hire a helicopter to fly Joey up from A.
C.
? Fly him in? No, no.
- Why, why would I? - Now, that's a lie, see? He leaned in, his eyes are blinking faster.
That's his tell.
He thinks he's protecting me.
That's why he lied.
You knew your sister was married to a gambling addict.
- Well, I, I wouldn't say addict.
- Right hand to the hair.
That's a classic Phil evasion.
- He's an easy read.
- The worst.
That's why he stopped playing poker himself.
But look, the point is, he's looking out for me.
Like I'm his family.
Let's talk about another case.
He's a good guy.
He's no murderer.
All right.
Okay.
I got to I'll bring you back to your cell in a minute.
I gotta fill this form.
What were those tells? Leaning forward.
Running his hand through his hair.
He must be lying a blue streak now.
Yeah, but he's talking about something else, right? - Some other thing.
- Let's find out.
It's common knowledge that the mob killed Pete Frost.
Guaranteed.
I had nothing to do with it.
He's, he's talking about my dad.
Why, why is he, why is he talking about him? Investigators were wondering why you were the only one of Pete's regulars who didn't call him the week he was missing.
Football was over.
Okay? There was no action.
But there's always action.
How much did you owe Pete on the Super bowl? Nothing, I I didn't bet the Super bowl.
Is, is this on the level? Why would he lie, Joey? Think about it.
Maybe you had a better reason for wanting Pete out of the way.
You thought Joey could be a gold mine for you - if only he was allowed to play poker.
- Where'd you hear that crap, huh? Did Joey tell you that? You can't trust what that little punk says.
You must have thought he was a sure thing.
You paid his mother 20 grand to take him off her hands.
So what? So what? I, I don't get it.
- Joey, look, look.
- This, this makes no sense.
You have a gift to see right through people.
Come on, what, what did you just now see? - I don't know! - All the tells, he hit every one.
Phil.
It's Phil! What's, what's going on here? What are you doing here? - He raised me.
- He raised you? He's kept you a child all your life.
He's been watching you blow all your winnings.
He's never told you to put some away, save it so you can quit and have a regular life.
He doesn't want you to quit.
He wants you to stay broke.
So you have to spend all your time looking for another game.
I'm like a son to him.
Your dad wanted to protect you from losers like Phil.
He killed his sister's husband! Killing your dad to get to you would be nothing for him.
- I'll kill him! - No, no, no! I'll kill him! I'm gonna rip his neck off! - That's not what you do! - Let me go! - Get off of me! - You got to tell us about Williams! Forget that.
- Come on, you know what Phil did.
- Forget that! You knew it before it happened.
You knew when you saw Costello and Williams.
And that's when you knew you were part of it.
And now you're afraid to go to jail if you rat on Phil.
Is that, is that what's gonna happen? You want a regular life? The one that Phil took away from you? It's going to take a lot of steps to get back there.
This is the hardest step.
There's no easy way out of this for you.
You're gonna have to tell us what Phil did.
I he told me to demolish Williams.
Push him to the limit.
And then when I saw Williams with Costello, I called Phil.
He told me that, "don't worry about the money.
" He'd take care of it.
He said, whatever I heard happened to Williams, keep my mouth shut.
He said that the mob was taking care of Williams.
I, I knew he was lying when he said it.
Hey, kid.
Thank you.
That's good.
Get up, Mr.
Lambier.
You're under arrest.
It's gonna be all right.
You're gonna be all right.