Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) s05e21 Episode Script
On Fire
The following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event.
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.
No, I didn't.
You made a mistake.
Margaret, can you pull the budget of last year you've programmed? Justin Reid is coming at 3 and - Why does he need it? - As our new youth leader, he should see how we make nothing go a long way.
Yes, reverend.
He's just the kind of new blood st.
Gerald's needs.
Oh, is that a new purse? Oh, my daughter bought it.
It's not real.
It's okay, Margaret.
Live a little.
Captain Bardin testified you recommended officer Martinez for the task force.
Captain Bardin's mistaken.
You followed up with this email.
I never sent him an email about Martinez.
- I don't even know Martinez.
- Come on, Jimmy.
The first officer on the scene of the Logan shooting? I know who he is, chief, but I don't have any reason to recommend him to Bardin's task force.
Maybe to reward him for his silence? Hello, reverend.
I've been locked out.
Justin, I'm sorry.
I told Margaret you'd be here at 3.
Margaret, was there a misunderstanding? I got delayed at the bank.
Okay.
Martinez followed the script to the letter.
Kid like that, fresh out of the academy.
You probably bought his loyalty with an ice cream cone.
Captain Deakins had nothing to do with his transfer.
And nothing to gain.
Logan was cleared in that shooting.
No small thanks to Martinez.
You know, Jimmy.
Everybody warned you Logan was a mutt.
So don't be surprised that you got fleas.
Margaret? Margaret? Sorry, reverend.
I was downstairs looking for some files.
I'm going home.
Can I give you a lift? No, my husband's picking me up after his shift.
All right.
Make sure you lock up.
Engine, Lab, Battalion, everybody go.
First two full and run.
Fire in a church, Brooklyn to Battalion.
Multiple reports of church fires at avenue J, eighth and ninth.
Glenwood, 34th and 35th.
Troy, Kings and Flatlands.
Churches.
Must be a full moon.
What the hell? Law & Order CI The fire had four points of origin.
In the back, at either end of the aisle, and at the front here.
It looks like the fire burned hotter here.
They used more gas? Probably the first spot they lit.
The victim, the church secretary.
How did she get caught in the fire? The reverend said she was in the back, waiting for her husband to pick her up.
- Any victims at the other churches? - None that we found.
And no one's been reported missing.
A gold embroidered, it's a church vestment? You know, it's about 50 feet from here to the last point of origin.
If it was one person setting this fire, would've got caught in it.
I'm saying, like, two arsonists.
Five churches up in flames in under an hour? Talk about being motivated.
No one's called to take credit.
And none of the churches reported any threats.
Church burnings, that's something you'd expect south of the Mason-Dixon.
Yeah, I don't see a racial angle here.
These churches are black, white, Lutheran, Catholic, Methodist.
One arsonist might be revenge, but two is usually for thrills.
- Same M.
O.
at each church? - For the first four.
The arsonist broke in and they used rags soaked in gasoline, but the last one they just threw a Molotov cocktail through the window.
All right.
Thank you, gentlemen.
Keep in touch.
Brooklyn, borough of churches.
They drove by a lot of churches to get to their targets.
There must be a reason they picked these.
Find out, and quick.
Tomorrow I'm gonna be tied up over at IAB.
- Whose turn in the barrel? - Mine.
It's the Logan shooting.
First patrolman on the scene got bumped up to the street drug task force.
IAB thinks it's a reward for keeping his mouth shut.
A reward from you? Head of the task force claims I called him.
They have an email they say came from me.
Somebody's idea of a joke.
Just get that off my desk.
Fast, huh? We were in the newspapers when we dedicated our new auditorium last month.
Other than that, nothing.
Maybe there's a political or social issue that made you all targets, gay rights, abortion I doubt we're all on the same side of either of those issues.
St.
Gerald's chartered a bus to the pro-choice march in D.
C.
last Spring.
My congregants were probably facing you on the other side of the barricade.
You mentioned a new auditorium.
Any of the other churches have renovations? We re-did our kitchen.
We had a new roof put in, and plumbing.
All right, we're gonna need to see receipts from that work.
Thank you, reverends.
Construction.
There's a common thread.
Maybe our firebugs wear hard hats.
The council hasn't given me a timeline to decide our church's future.
In the meantime, bishop Foster had directed us to worship at saint Luke's in Flushing.
It's a temporary situation, just until the church council decides With all due respect, reverend.
We can't be like kids waiting for our allowance.
We're talking about our church.
We should take the initiative to fix it ourselves.
By all means, if people are willing? I'm willing to write a check right now for $100,000.
And I pledge another 400,000 over the next three years.
I'm asking everyone here to make a commitment.
Whatever you've got.
I practically grew up in this church.
And I think it's worth saving.
My turn.
I've got Ferguson plumbing.
Yeah, Ferguson plumbing.
I got it.
They did the kitchen at Kensington methodist.
Anything? We can't find a contractor who worked on more than two of the churches.
- How is it going? - Not now.
Do you know anyone on the street drug task force? I'd have to see who they have.
Here's one.
Risa Panotti.
She trained under my dad.
Line three? This is Eames.
Say again.
We're on our way.
They hit three more churches.
Clermont Church of The Gospels Brooklyn, New York Wednesday, April 26 We found pieces of glass and rags and the burn pattern is shallow and even.
Typical of a Molotov cocktail.
Same M.
O.
as the fifth church the other night.
And the same as the other two churches tonight.
Molotov cocktails and minimal damage.
Our dynamic duo's getting sloppy.
The first four fires, they were well-planned, effective.
But, the fifth fire and these three? - They're an afterthought.
- Maybe a cover? Maybe the partners have different agendas.
So this is the last fire that they set the other night.
With the Molotov cocktail.
Now, say the Molotov cocktail is the signature of one partner.
So then the other four fires were planned by the other one.
There was a crime scene photo of the sanctuary at st.
Gerald's.
This? Here.
Yeah.
He lit a fire at four places inside the church.
Then the first four churches Same pattern.
But first he drew it with fire at saint Gerald's.
'Cause that's the church that matters to him.
Maybe it's a pattern.
Maybe a lot of nothing.
Something else set the st.
Gerald's fire apart.
It was started using a church vestment.
The other fires, it was rags and old hand towels.
The Lutheran Sunday service begins with a procession from the back of the church up to the chancel.
Along the same line the fire was set.
The ones in the procession who carry the cross, the incense, candles, the acolytes are usually young people, teenagers.
And they wear vestments.
Kid with a beef against the church or a minister? Office of Reverend Pool, Saint Gerald's Church Brooklyn, New York Thursday, April 27 I haven't heard any accusations of molestation.
And since I took over five years ago, it's been strict policy that no minister can meet with a young person alone or in a closed office.
Oh, that was Margaret's.
She had a simple faith.
So this was her desk, I guess.
She use a computer? No, no.
Margaret was old school.
She used an old Remington typewriter.
I don't see it.
I, I'm sure it was there the day of the fire.
Any reason she might have moved it? No, but the last time I saw her, she was coming up from the basement.
Here it is.
Type bars look bent.
Maybe on purpose.
How was Margaret that day? Distracted.
Stressed.
She forgot I told her to expect our new youth leader at 3.
She went out and didn't come back until 3:30.
Have you noticed if all these these letters are printing properly? I know lately the capital R is looking like a P.
The right descender probably wore off.
Anything that Margaret wrote on this typewriter, because of that defect, it would be traced back to her.
Like an anonymous letter.
Couldn't be why she mangled her machine.
If she really was old school, she made carbons of everything.
Oh, Margaret had been here almost 35 years.
She even outlived my predecessor.
So she'd know all the church's secrets and the congregation's? Yes, I suppose, but she was no gossip.
You said that she had a simple faith.
She took scripture at face value.
She saw things in black and white.
- Good or evil? - Yes.
No middle ground.
Excuse me.
She typed all the checks she wrote for church business.
Looks like the leg started dropping off the R about three months ago.
It's like a a puzzle.
Ooh, can I play too? This goes here.
Youth group retreat? This is not in her handwriting.
The youth leader was here the afternoon of the fire.
Maybe he gave her notes to type up? And instead she tore them up and hid them? No, it's from the same guy she forgot to let in.
Home of Justin & Noreen Reid Brooklyn, New York Monday, May 1 She ripped them up? I doubt she meant anything by it.
Old Margaret always was an odd duck.
You've known her a long time, Mr.
Reid.
I grew up going to st.
Gerald's.
But your car has Illinois plates.
I just moved back into the area with my family.
I left when I was 20.
I got a job as a trader on the Chicago exchange.
I was making six figures before I was old enough to drink.
And look at you now.
I could've gotten a loft ten minutes from Wall street.
For the same money, I can live in a nine-bedroom house in the old neighborhood.
Where all the old neighbors can see how well you've done.
I grew up without role models.
I figured I'd give the kids here something to aspire to.
Oh, is that why you became a youth leader at the church? Yes, but now it's all about rebuilding.
My wife and I were just coming back from a play when we saw the fire trucks.
Mr.
Reid, I was wondering, since you said that Margaret was always the odd duck, did you have problems with her when you were a kid? I was an acolyte.
She used to get on my case for being late and not holding the crucifix straight.
You held the crucifix in the procession.
Yes, I was the crucifer.
At the front of the line.
Made me look good to my girlfriend's parents.
Like my stepmom used to say, I looked like an angel.
In your white vestment and Is this better, Justin? Now we're talking.
Looks like you two have a big night out on the town.
No, just dinner at my dad and stepmom's.
Good luck catching those guys.
Justin was the crucifer.
He walked that path.
He wore the vestments.
The fire might be about him.
He's no angel with the way he came on to me with his wife and baby upstairs? Yeah, and did you see how she was dressed? It was his idea.
He made her change.
If we find him creepy, imagine what Margaret thought.
Oh, he's so lovely.
Here.
I see you're still nursing.
Oh, just for another couple weeks.
Then I'm giving him formula.
Nothing but chemical and sugars.
And you know, they do go down when you finish nursing.
You still read comic books? What are you, ten years old? Lay off.
Dinner's ready.
Everyone to the table.
Honey, you wanna wash your hands? Oh, sure.
Glynn, do you mind? It's okay.
Justin, your parents are waiting.
So what? Guys, dinner's on the table.
Of course I'd noticed Justin's roving eye, but Margaret never complained about him.
We heard he wrote a big check for the building fund.
Yes, he galvanized the congregation.
He enjoys being the center of attention.
But believe me, detectives, I wouldn't lie to protect Justin.
Thank you for coming in, reverend.
Oh, from our friend at the task force.
A copy of the email they say the captain sent.
She included the full header, so maybe we can figure out who really sent it.
You know, the fires referred symbolically to Justin's role as a crucifer when he was a teenager.
Maybe that's when Margaret had a problem with him.
Home of Terry & Regina Reid Brooklyn, New York Tuesday, May 2 Justin was never in any trouble.
He was always someone the other kids looked up to.
He was an excellent athlete.
Had a part-time job at a brokerage house.
And you're, uh, Justin's stepmother? I hope I don't look old enough to be his real mother.
Do I? Well, obviously no.
Justin's mother died of cancer.
Terry and I got married when Justin was 14.
Well, he's done well for himself.
He moved back, bought the biggest house in the neighborhood.
Beautiful wife and child.
That might rub some people the wrong way.
I wouldn't be surprised if it did, the way he's always trying to impress people.
If they only knew.
If they only knew what, Ms.
Reid? How thoughtless he can be.
You know, like any child.
That's what I meant.
Uh, Ms.
Reid, if it's no trouble, I could really use a glass of water.
- Do you mind? - Sure.
This way.
She took you by surprise, didn't she? You know, one minute Justin's her hero, the next minute I think I know what that's about.
You do? What is it? Well, the other night, Justin and his wife, Noreen, came over.
Dinner was on the table and him and Noreen were You know, busy in the powder room.
They have some lip-smacking good water.
Well, I guess that's everything we need.
Thank you.
Any time, detective.
This is quite a gas mask.
Oh, we got a mold problem in the basement.
Our youngest boy, Glynn, brought that for me to wear.
He works for a commercial cleaning company.
They do offices, stores.
- New construction? - Yes.
Once the contractors are done, he cleans up.
Metro reformed, sure.
We cleaned up after they built the new auditorium.
And Kensington methodist.
We did them after they had some work done.
Your boss also said you cleaned carpets at st.
Gerald's.
So, do you remember that? Glynn Reid? Are you related to Justin Reid? 'Cause we heard a lot about him over at st.
Gerald's.
Yeah, he's my half-brother.
So, you grew up going to st.
Gerald's too.
It must've been a shock to hear it went up in flames.
Oh, I stopped going a long time ago.
But you must have known Margaret.
Did she remember you when you showed up to clean the carpets? Oh, I don't think so.
No, she'd remember Justin.
He was the crucifer, the star athlete.
You ever do anything like that? Oh, no, no, I, I can't.
Um, see, I get winded easy.
So what have you been doing? 'Cause it looks like you burned the rubber on the bottom of your shoes.
Oh, I spilled some cleaning chemicals.
- Hey, you guys done? - Yeah.
Look, I made out the check to Red Hook Clean-up.
Is that okay? Sure, thanks.
Is that how Margaret paid you, by check? Oh, yeah, yeah.
If Margaret sent him an anonymous letter, he would have matched the broken R to the check she gave him.
Maybe the letter was about his brother, Justin.
Something so disturbing that it provoked Glynn to, to burn the church down.
Well, maybe Carver can turn melted rubber into probable cause.
Home of Glynn Reid & Charlie Taylor Brooklyn, New York Thursday, May 4 Cops in the house.
So, what do you think Glynn's done? We're not sure.
So are you usually home during the day, making yourself deaf? Deaf? Yeah, lately I've been working nights.
Then you're here when the mail comes.
Do you know if Glynn got a letter, maybe with his name misspelled? Glynn Peid.
Oh, man.
I put that thing on the fridge, but Glynn must have thrown it away.
I know 'cause I looked for it.
Glynn Peid.
So, what kind of night work do you do, Charlie? I clean exhaust fans.
Is that how you got that stuff on your hands? Grease.
Restaurant fans are the worst.
Justin's wedding.
Pictures of Glynn and Noreen.
Hmm, but no Regina.
Look at that! - You like car races? - Oh, yeah.
I got a need for speed.
Not that I break the law anymore, officer.
I got plenty enough tickets to last me a lifetime.
But no DUIs.
I don't drink.
I got an allergy.
Your job, you're always climbing around in those vents That's dangerous, huh? It's fun.
Dangerous and fun.
Woo-hoo.
Of all the idiotic things that little runt has done.
They've already searched his place.
If he gets arrested I have worked too damn hard for everything I have.
I will not let my loser half-brother It is that roommate of his, Charlie.
He is weak.
They can get him to say anything.
On top of eight speeding tickets, Charlie Taylor has one conviction for public nudity.
He streaked a golf tournament.
And one for criminal mischief.
He set a rowboat on fire in Sheepshead bay.
He's a thrill-seeker.
Glynn's partner in arson.
The Molotov cocktails were probably his idea.
If we could tie them to Charlie, I bet we could shake a confession out of him.
The grease on his hands, if he handled the rags used to make the fire bombs, there might be residue on him that we could trace back to him.
We'll get the lab on it.
The email to the task force? All that staring, you find anything? Yeah, I've been comparing the header to emails I've gotten from the captain.
It doesn't match any of them, except for one.
Captain sent me that one six weeks ago.
Six weeks ago, our server was down for three days because of a virus.
We had to use a different one.
Whoever forged the task force email, copied the header off an email that the captain sent during those three days.
And we just have to find out who he sent emails to.
He's gone for the day.
But his computer might be lonely.
Office of The Patrol Borough Commander Brooklyn, New York Friday, May 5 Yes, I remember getting this email from captain Deakins last month.
The first sentence, do you mind reading it? "As regarding the patrols in quadrant 14," "please send me the daily reports.
" Most people would use the term, "in regard to," or "with regard to.
" But the turn of phrase, "as regarding," is one the captain only uses.
If you say so.
We found it in another email to the street drug task force.
"As regarding officer Martinez.
" Captain Deakins wrote this one, too.
No, see, Sharon, you wrote it.
And you copied the header from this other email.
- Who put you up to it? - What? No one.
I'm very busy.
Sharon, you're helping bring down a good cop.
Did they tell you that? I I don't know anything.
I'm sorry.
Sharon Wingert.
Sure, I remember sending her this email.
- How'd you find it? - Don't ask.
The point is she used it to forge the task force email.
Why would she do that? Because her sister is married to Denny Moran.
Moran was Frank Adair's driver when Adair was chief of detectives.
And you know, captain Bardin from the task force was at the academy with Adair.
So Adair must have reached out from prison and set this up against you.
Okay.
Let's get back to the church fires, huh? Uh, the lab ran tests on the rags used to make the Molotov cocktails.
They found traces of olive oil and animal fat, consistent with residue from restaurant exhaust fans.
And Glynn's roommate, Charlie Taylor, he cleans them for a living.
Then what are you waiting for? Step into him.
What happened here? Somebody was playing with fire.
It looks like the victim, Mr.
Charlie Taylor was loading Molotov cocktail into this car when he dropped the box.
After that almost anything could've sparked the fire.
There's no burns on his body.
He died from smoke inhalation.
He could've panicked, ran into the shelf, it fell on top of him, pinning him.
Hmm, I couldn't have staged it better myself.
Somebody wants us to think Charlie was on his way to burn more churches.
- Burn them all by himself.
- Let me through.
Please, I live here.
Oh, god, Charlie.
What the hell was he doing? What was Molotov cocktails? I didn't know he was into that, but it makes perfect sense, though.
Oh, yeah? What makes sense? Well, the night the churches went up, I was home watching TV.
He came in and changed the channel to the news.
He was totally into those fires.
Sounds like our arsonist.
He ever talk to you about st.
Gerald's? Oh, no.
Maybe he heard about it from you.
He told us you got a letter.
Your name was misspelled? Oh yeah, right.
Glynn Peid.
Didn't Margaret at st.
Gerald's send you that letter? Oh, yeah, yeah, um, she was thanking me for a good job I did cleaning her carpets and trying to get me to go to church.
I got nothing against church.
I just like sleeping in on Sundays.
All right, look.
Just one more thing.
We smelled alcohol on Charlie.
We thought if he was drunk.
It might explain how he started the fire by accident.
Alcohol? Charlie never drank.
He was allergic.
If Glynn had anything to do with killing Charlie, he would have jumped at the chance to blame his death on a drinking accident.
Whoever killed him, Charlie's gonna end up taking the rap for those fires.
- It's as if Glynn has a guardian angel.
- Maybe he does.
Maybe it's somebody who doesn't want whatever secrets in Margaret's letter to come out.
Which is what would happen if Glynn was charged with the fires.
Maybe Justin's his guardian angel.
If Glynn knows a secret about Justin, why not just come out with it? Maybe it's something that he's ashamed of.
You know, Regina, his mother.
She never attended Justin's wedding, and the way that he flaunts his young wife in front of her.
I see a very tawdry light at the end of this tunnel.
Maybe he had trouble accepting her as his new mother.
Maybe Regina seduced him, to win him over.
She couldn't just get him a new baseball mitt? Incest as a motive for arson.
Of all the far-out theories I've heard in this office.
Theories are made to be tested.
I'll be out for the rest of the day.
Sing Sing Prison Ossining, New York Monday, May 8 It's always good to see old friends, Jimmy.
I know what you've done, Frank.
What have I done, my friend? You got Gabe Bardin to say I called him.
You got Denny Moran to ask his sister-in-law to cook up an email.
It's your word against theirs, Jimmy.
And my friends, my true friends, they can't forget what you did to me, putting me in here with the animals.
You did it to yourself.
They don't see it that way, Jimmy.
When you took me down, you made them feel a little worse about being cops.
So here you are, accused of using your influence to protect your boy, Mike Logan.
How do you defend yourself against these charges? By taking down good people like Gabe Bardin and a little ten-dollar-an-hour secretary.
You think throwing more mud at the uniform is gonna make a beat cop stick his neck out a little farther to catch some skell, hmm? You really think you're worth that, Jimmy? My brother's roommate was a handful.
Glynn barely tolerated him.
Glynn wanted to move out, but he was afraid to hurt Charlie's feelings.
Glynn can be wishy-washy.
Not like Justin.
For example, he's very decisive.
It's very masculine.
Noreen, what are you doing here? There was a message on the phone.
I told the PAA to call Ms.
Reid.
I meant Justin's stepmother.
He must have misunderstood.
That's very embarrassing.
Uh, sorry.
Noreen, here.
Have a seat.
Ooh, sorry.
Very sorry.
Why don't you sit down? Scoot in here.
There you go.
We were talking about Glynn.
We have a profile of arsonists, especially early childhood indicators.
We wanted We wanted to talk to you about a photo we found in Glynn's room.
It's in here somewhere.
Look at all these pictures of Justin's wedding.
Were you sick? We noticed you aren't in any of the pictures.
She wasn't sick.
The wedding was in Chicago.
I don't like planes.
This one's nice.
Of the bride and the groom.
From what we hear, the honeymoon is still going on.
- What is that supposed to mean? - Your husband told us.
The other night before dinner.
Come on, you guys.
That.
That was just rude.
- Could you just find the damn picture? - Yeah, sure, sorry.
Nice one here of Justin and his baby brother.
That's very sweet.
Must have been quite an adjustment, being 14 years old, suddenly there's a baby boy in the house.
I wasn't really around.
I had a new girlfriend.
I was at her place mostly.
That's not exactly true, Justin.
Glynn was born in July, July 24th.
You met Emily on labor day.
You remember when he met his girlfriend? That's a little surprising.
You know, stepmom and the stepkid.
Come on, you guys.
It's a, you know, stepmom, stepkids are usually like oil and water, right? We work things out, like grownups.
Yeah, what you do? Did you, um talk? No, I told you I wasn't around.
I was really into my girlfriend.
Look at this.
Did you ever notice Noreen looks just like you when you were younger.
- You're right.
- Don't be ridiculous.
I had a much better figure at her age.
I dressed better.
Justin has no idea what a beautiful woman looks like.
And he'll never be satisfied because he'll never get what he wants.
Oh, Noreen.
Sorry.
Well, it's not your fault.
He brings it on.
He provokes you.
Makes you jealous.
No, it doesn't.
You know, bringing up that he met his girlfriend when Glynn was born.
Glynn was born in July, late July.
Justin was hurt.
You gave all your attention to the baby.
Jealous of you, so he decided to make you jealous of him.
What? What are you people thinking? You're sick.
You're sick! So we're sick.
She's still pushing his buttons She made a point, twice, to say that Glynn was born in July.
Glynn Reid was born full-term on July 24th at five pounds, five ounces.
He had respiratory distress syndrome.
Five pounds, five ounces.
That's pretty small for a full-term baby.
Not to mention respiratory distress syndrome is common among babies born before they're 34 weeks old.
So Glynn was full-term according to whom? His mother.
Regina Reid told the midwife she conceived in mid-October.
There's no record she ever saw a doctor.
Sounds like she was trying to fudge the date of conception.
If Glynn was born around 34 weeks, that means he would have been conceived in early December.
Regina's husband.
I wonder where he was.
From mid-November to late December, Regina's husband was in st.
Louis for job training.
Regina stayed home with 14-year-old Justin.
She probably got pregnant by him then.
It's why she'd lie about when Glynn was conceived.
She might have even induced the birth to time it right.
To keep the paternity secret from her husband.
And Justin.
And the way she kept emphasizing Glynn's date of birth to Justin He might not know either.
Poor Glynn.
He's traumatized now.
Imagine when he finds out who his father is.
The photo from 20 years ago, the procession is turning right at the front of the church.
Nowadays, they take a left turn.
Maybe that's why Glynn set the fires where he did.
Yeah, but if he was symbolically targeting Justin, then he would have set the fires according to the path that Justin walked 20 years ago.
This spot here.
This is where he put most of the gas.
It burned right through the floor.
There's something here.
There are three pipes, water pipes.
A baptismal pool.
I'd guess for immersion baptisms.
That's what Glynn was targeting.
Baptisms.
His own birth.
The arson squad, they said that the fire was started in four places.
There's this one spot here, where the arsonist, he used more gas.
And we just don't know why.
Anyway, they capped off the pipes.
The reverend told us there was a baptismal pool here.
You don't remember seeing people getting dunked when you were a kid, do you? Anyway, it leaked.
So they got rid of it.
Charlie never mentioned a beef against baptisms? Oh, no.
Sounds kinda crazy.
Think so? Even if he got some disturbing news about his family or his his birth? It's not that crazy to to act out? Why are they here? Maybe they were worried about you.
Glynn.
Are you all right, honey? What did you say? He's just asking about Charlie.
I asked him if he knew why Charlie focused his anger, a fire, on this spot, where there was a baptismal pool.
You know, it occurs to me Glynn might have been baptized in that pool.
- Was he? - Yes.
That must have been a happy moment.
Were you there, Justin? Oh, yes, of course.
He's my half-brother.
Well, it's not just that.
What I meant was that you were the crucifer.
Do you remember your brother leading the procession every Sunday? His gold-embroidered vestments, carrying the crucifix.
Must've seemed special to you, your big brother.
I wasn't special.
I was just some teenage kid.
I didn't know anything.
Do you know what he's talking about, Glynn? Glynn, you don't need to say anything now.
We'll talk about old times later.
Just you and me.
That's right, Glynn.
Just the family, come on.
What, what would you talk about? About Glynn's anger over his mother seducing Justin? You shut up.
That is not true.
Just stop it.
Stop lying.
He deserves to know.
She made a mistake.
I was a dumb kid.
I missed my mother.
I was messed up.
But it was over a long time ago.
It doesn't have anything to do with this.
Everybody knows Charlie set the fires.
Now let's go.
Let's get out of here.
He really doesn't know everything.
You say that.
What is it I don't know? You don't remember how small Glynn was when he was born.
He was a runt.
So what? He was five pounds, five ounces.
He was born premature.
No, he wasn't.
He was born full-term, nine months.
He had respiratory distress syndrome.
It's why he gets winded.
Lots of babies get that full-term.
Don't listen to them.
Glynn already knows.
That's what was in the letter from Margaret, right? What are you people talking about? No, please, don't listen.
- Glynn was conceived in December.
- It's not true.
It's not true.
Your husband went away.
He left you with your resentful stepson.
You needed to win him over, so you seduced him.
Got pregnant by him.
Oh, god.
Oh, god.
No.
You witch.
What did you do? Your husband assumed that it was his child.
I, I I didn't mean to hurt anybody.
You hurt me.
I I went to the church and I confessed to the minister.
I don't care.
What does that make me? What am I? - I'm a freak.
- No.
When I opened that letter, I wanted you to burn.
Both of you to burn.
Burn in hell.
I didn't know.
I'm sorry.
All my life, you treated me like I'm nothing.
You know, he's tried to protect you.
Tell him.
Justin, tell your son what you did for him.
I'll tell him.
Shut up! Glynn, I tried.
It was the only way I knew.
I, I, I killed Charlie to protect you.
Protect me? Why? I'm nothing.
I'm nothing.
Justin, you're under arrest for murder.
She goes, too.
The two sons are going to jail, but Carver doesn't think he can make a case against Regina for Charlie's murder.
So she skates? Well, she can't skate from herself.
You're the first in the squad to know.
I turned in my resignation today.
The email proves what it proves.
I appreciate you looking into it.
Then why quit? Why give Frank Adair what he wants? It's what I want.
I worked it out so officer Martinez will be okay.
I could fight it, demand a public exoneration, but I'd just be letting Frank Adair use me to give the department a black eye.
But you don't deserve this.
Frank needs people to worship at his feet.
I just need to know I'm right by the people who know me, my detectives.
My good detectives.
Uh, so go on.
Go back to work.
We'll hold the wake later, huh?
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.
No, I didn't.
You made a mistake.
Margaret, can you pull the budget of last year you've programmed? Justin Reid is coming at 3 and - Why does he need it? - As our new youth leader, he should see how we make nothing go a long way.
Yes, reverend.
He's just the kind of new blood st.
Gerald's needs.
Oh, is that a new purse? Oh, my daughter bought it.
It's not real.
It's okay, Margaret.
Live a little.
Captain Bardin testified you recommended officer Martinez for the task force.
Captain Bardin's mistaken.
You followed up with this email.
I never sent him an email about Martinez.
- I don't even know Martinez.
- Come on, Jimmy.
The first officer on the scene of the Logan shooting? I know who he is, chief, but I don't have any reason to recommend him to Bardin's task force.
Maybe to reward him for his silence? Hello, reverend.
I've been locked out.
Justin, I'm sorry.
I told Margaret you'd be here at 3.
Margaret, was there a misunderstanding? I got delayed at the bank.
Okay.
Martinez followed the script to the letter.
Kid like that, fresh out of the academy.
You probably bought his loyalty with an ice cream cone.
Captain Deakins had nothing to do with his transfer.
And nothing to gain.
Logan was cleared in that shooting.
No small thanks to Martinez.
You know, Jimmy.
Everybody warned you Logan was a mutt.
So don't be surprised that you got fleas.
Margaret? Margaret? Sorry, reverend.
I was downstairs looking for some files.
I'm going home.
Can I give you a lift? No, my husband's picking me up after his shift.
All right.
Make sure you lock up.
Engine, Lab, Battalion, everybody go.
First two full and run.
Fire in a church, Brooklyn to Battalion.
Multiple reports of church fires at avenue J, eighth and ninth.
Glenwood, 34th and 35th.
Troy, Kings and Flatlands.
Churches.
Must be a full moon.
What the hell? Law & Order CI The fire had four points of origin.
In the back, at either end of the aisle, and at the front here.
It looks like the fire burned hotter here.
They used more gas? Probably the first spot they lit.
The victim, the church secretary.
How did she get caught in the fire? The reverend said she was in the back, waiting for her husband to pick her up.
- Any victims at the other churches? - None that we found.
And no one's been reported missing.
A gold embroidered, it's a church vestment? You know, it's about 50 feet from here to the last point of origin.
If it was one person setting this fire, would've got caught in it.
I'm saying, like, two arsonists.
Five churches up in flames in under an hour? Talk about being motivated.
No one's called to take credit.
And none of the churches reported any threats.
Church burnings, that's something you'd expect south of the Mason-Dixon.
Yeah, I don't see a racial angle here.
These churches are black, white, Lutheran, Catholic, Methodist.
One arsonist might be revenge, but two is usually for thrills.
- Same M.
O.
at each church? - For the first four.
The arsonist broke in and they used rags soaked in gasoline, but the last one they just threw a Molotov cocktail through the window.
All right.
Thank you, gentlemen.
Keep in touch.
Brooklyn, borough of churches.
They drove by a lot of churches to get to their targets.
There must be a reason they picked these.
Find out, and quick.
Tomorrow I'm gonna be tied up over at IAB.
- Whose turn in the barrel? - Mine.
It's the Logan shooting.
First patrolman on the scene got bumped up to the street drug task force.
IAB thinks it's a reward for keeping his mouth shut.
A reward from you? Head of the task force claims I called him.
They have an email they say came from me.
Somebody's idea of a joke.
Just get that off my desk.
Fast, huh? We were in the newspapers when we dedicated our new auditorium last month.
Other than that, nothing.
Maybe there's a political or social issue that made you all targets, gay rights, abortion I doubt we're all on the same side of either of those issues.
St.
Gerald's chartered a bus to the pro-choice march in D.
C.
last Spring.
My congregants were probably facing you on the other side of the barricade.
You mentioned a new auditorium.
Any of the other churches have renovations? We re-did our kitchen.
We had a new roof put in, and plumbing.
All right, we're gonna need to see receipts from that work.
Thank you, reverends.
Construction.
There's a common thread.
Maybe our firebugs wear hard hats.
The council hasn't given me a timeline to decide our church's future.
In the meantime, bishop Foster had directed us to worship at saint Luke's in Flushing.
It's a temporary situation, just until the church council decides With all due respect, reverend.
We can't be like kids waiting for our allowance.
We're talking about our church.
We should take the initiative to fix it ourselves.
By all means, if people are willing? I'm willing to write a check right now for $100,000.
And I pledge another 400,000 over the next three years.
I'm asking everyone here to make a commitment.
Whatever you've got.
I practically grew up in this church.
And I think it's worth saving.
My turn.
I've got Ferguson plumbing.
Yeah, Ferguson plumbing.
I got it.
They did the kitchen at Kensington methodist.
Anything? We can't find a contractor who worked on more than two of the churches.
- How is it going? - Not now.
Do you know anyone on the street drug task force? I'd have to see who they have.
Here's one.
Risa Panotti.
She trained under my dad.
Line three? This is Eames.
Say again.
We're on our way.
They hit three more churches.
Clermont Church of The Gospels Brooklyn, New York Wednesday, April 26 We found pieces of glass and rags and the burn pattern is shallow and even.
Typical of a Molotov cocktail.
Same M.
O.
as the fifth church the other night.
And the same as the other two churches tonight.
Molotov cocktails and minimal damage.
Our dynamic duo's getting sloppy.
The first four fires, they were well-planned, effective.
But, the fifth fire and these three? - They're an afterthought.
- Maybe a cover? Maybe the partners have different agendas.
So this is the last fire that they set the other night.
With the Molotov cocktail.
Now, say the Molotov cocktail is the signature of one partner.
So then the other four fires were planned by the other one.
There was a crime scene photo of the sanctuary at st.
Gerald's.
This? Here.
Yeah.
He lit a fire at four places inside the church.
Then the first four churches Same pattern.
But first he drew it with fire at saint Gerald's.
'Cause that's the church that matters to him.
Maybe it's a pattern.
Maybe a lot of nothing.
Something else set the st.
Gerald's fire apart.
It was started using a church vestment.
The other fires, it was rags and old hand towels.
The Lutheran Sunday service begins with a procession from the back of the church up to the chancel.
Along the same line the fire was set.
The ones in the procession who carry the cross, the incense, candles, the acolytes are usually young people, teenagers.
And they wear vestments.
Kid with a beef against the church or a minister? Office of Reverend Pool, Saint Gerald's Church Brooklyn, New York Thursday, April 27 I haven't heard any accusations of molestation.
And since I took over five years ago, it's been strict policy that no minister can meet with a young person alone or in a closed office.
Oh, that was Margaret's.
She had a simple faith.
So this was her desk, I guess.
She use a computer? No, no.
Margaret was old school.
She used an old Remington typewriter.
I don't see it.
I, I'm sure it was there the day of the fire.
Any reason she might have moved it? No, but the last time I saw her, she was coming up from the basement.
Here it is.
Type bars look bent.
Maybe on purpose.
How was Margaret that day? Distracted.
Stressed.
She forgot I told her to expect our new youth leader at 3.
She went out and didn't come back until 3:30.
Have you noticed if all these these letters are printing properly? I know lately the capital R is looking like a P.
The right descender probably wore off.
Anything that Margaret wrote on this typewriter, because of that defect, it would be traced back to her.
Like an anonymous letter.
Couldn't be why she mangled her machine.
If she really was old school, she made carbons of everything.
Oh, Margaret had been here almost 35 years.
She even outlived my predecessor.
So she'd know all the church's secrets and the congregation's? Yes, I suppose, but she was no gossip.
You said that she had a simple faith.
She took scripture at face value.
She saw things in black and white.
- Good or evil? - Yes.
No middle ground.
Excuse me.
She typed all the checks she wrote for church business.
Looks like the leg started dropping off the R about three months ago.
It's like a a puzzle.
Ooh, can I play too? This goes here.
Youth group retreat? This is not in her handwriting.
The youth leader was here the afternoon of the fire.
Maybe he gave her notes to type up? And instead she tore them up and hid them? No, it's from the same guy she forgot to let in.
Home of Justin & Noreen Reid Brooklyn, New York Monday, May 1 She ripped them up? I doubt she meant anything by it.
Old Margaret always was an odd duck.
You've known her a long time, Mr.
Reid.
I grew up going to st.
Gerald's.
But your car has Illinois plates.
I just moved back into the area with my family.
I left when I was 20.
I got a job as a trader on the Chicago exchange.
I was making six figures before I was old enough to drink.
And look at you now.
I could've gotten a loft ten minutes from Wall street.
For the same money, I can live in a nine-bedroom house in the old neighborhood.
Where all the old neighbors can see how well you've done.
I grew up without role models.
I figured I'd give the kids here something to aspire to.
Oh, is that why you became a youth leader at the church? Yes, but now it's all about rebuilding.
My wife and I were just coming back from a play when we saw the fire trucks.
Mr.
Reid, I was wondering, since you said that Margaret was always the odd duck, did you have problems with her when you were a kid? I was an acolyte.
She used to get on my case for being late and not holding the crucifix straight.
You held the crucifix in the procession.
Yes, I was the crucifer.
At the front of the line.
Made me look good to my girlfriend's parents.
Like my stepmom used to say, I looked like an angel.
In your white vestment and Is this better, Justin? Now we're talking.
Looks like you two have a big night out on the town.
No, just dinner at my dad and stepmom's.
Good luck catching those guys.
Justin was the crucifer.
He walked that path.
He wore the vestments.
The fire might be about him.
He's no angel with the way he came on to me with his wife and baby upstairs? Yeah, and did you see how she was dressed? It was his idea.
He made her change.
If we find him creepy, imagine what Margaret thought.
Oh, he's so lovely.
Here.
I see you're still nursing.
Oh, just for another couple weeks.
Then I'm giving him formula.
Nothing but chemical and sugars.
And you know, they do go down when you finish nursing.
You still read comic books? What are you, ten years old? Lay off.
Dinner's ready.
Everyone to the table.
Honey, you wanna wash your hands? Oh, sure.
Glynn, do you mind? It's okay.
Justin, your parents are waiting.
So what? Guys, dinner's on the table.
Of course I'd noticed Justin's roving eye, but Margaret never complained about him.
We heard he wrote a big check for the building fund.
Yes, he galvanized the congregation.
He enjoys being the center of attention.
But believe me, detectives, I wouldn't lie to protect Justin.
Thank you for coming in, reverend.
Oh, from our friend at the task force.
A copy of the email they say the captain sent.
She included the full header, so maybe we can figure out who really sent it.
You know, the fires referred symbolically to Justin's role as a crucifer when he was a teenager.
Maybe that's when Margaret had a problem with him.
Home of Terry & Regina Reid Brooklyn, New York Tuesday, May 2 Justin was never in any trouble.
He was always someone the other kids looked up to.
He was an excellent athlete.
Had a part-time job at a brokerage house.
And you're, uh, Justin's stepmother? I hope I don't look old enough to be his real mother.
Do I? Well, obviously no.
Justin's mother died of cancer.
Terry and I got married when Justin was 14.
Well, he's done well for himself.
He moved back, bought the biggest house in the neighborhood.
Beautiful wife and child.
That might rub some people the wrong way.
I wouldn't be surprised if it did, the way he's always trying to impress people.
If they only knew.
If they only knew what, Ms.
Reid? How thoughtless he can be.
You know, like any child.
That's what I meant.
Uh, Ms.
Reid, if it's no trouble, I could really use a glass of water.
- Do you mind? - Sure.
This way.
She took you by surprise, didn't she? You know, one minute Justin's her hero, the next minute I think I know what that's about.
You do? What is it? Well, the other night, Justin and his wife, Noreen, came over.
Dinner was on the table and him and Noreen were You know, busy in the powder room.
They have some lip-smacking good water.
Well, I guess that's everything we need.
Thank you.
Any time, detective.
This is quite a gas mask.
Oh, we got a mold problem in the basement.
Our youngest boy, Glynn, brought that for me to wear.
He works for a commercial cleaning company.
They do offices, stores.
- New construction? - Yes.
Once the contractors are done, he cleans up.
Metro reformed, sure.
We cleaned up after they built the new auditorium.
And Kensington methodist.
We did them after they had some work done.
Your boss also said you cleaned carpets at st.
Gerald's.
So, do you remember that? Glynn Reid? Are you related to Justin Reid? 'Cause we heard a lot about him over at st.
Gerald's.
Yeah, he's my half-brother.
So, you grew up going to st.
Gerald's too.
It must've been a shock to hear it went up in flames.
Oh, I stopped going a long time ago.
But you must have known Margaret.
Did she remember you when you showed up to clean the carpets? Oh, I don't think so.
No, she'd remember Justin.
He was the crucifer, the star athlete.
You ever do anything like that? Oh, no, no, I, I can't.
Um, see, I get winded easy.
So what have you been doing? 'Cause it looks like you burned the rubber on the bottom of your shoes.
Oh, I spilled some cleaning chemicals.
- Hey, you guys done? - Yeah.
Look, I made out the check to Red Hook Clean-up.
Is that okay? Sure, thanks.
Is that how Margaret paid you, by check? Oh, yeah, yeah.
If Margaret sent him an anonymous letter, he would have matched the broken R to the check she gave him.
Maybe the letter was about his brother, Justin.
Something so disturbing that it provoked Glynn to, to burn the church down.
Well, maybe Carver can turn melted rubber into probable cause.
Home of Glynn Reid & Charlie Taylor Brooklyn, New York Thursday, May 4 Cops in the house.
So, what do you think Glynn's done? We're not sure.
So are you usually home during the day, making yourself deaf? Deaf? Yeah, lately I've been working nights.
Then you're here when the mail comes.
Do you know if Glynn got a letter, maybe with his name misspelled? Glynn Peid.
Oh, man.
I put that thing on the fridge, but Glynn must have thrown it away.
I know 'cause I looked for it.
Glynn Peid.
So, what kind of night work do you do, Charlie? I clean exhaust fans.
Is that how you got that stuff on your hands? Grease.
Restaurant fans are the worst.
Justin's wedding.
Pictures of Glynn and Noreen.
Hmm, but no Regina.
Look at that! - You like car races? - Oh, yeah.
I got a need for speed.
Not that I break the law anymore, officer.
I got plenty enough tickets to last me a lifetime.
But no DUIs.
I don't drink.
I got an allergy.
Your job, you're always climbing around in those vents That's dangerous, huh? It's fun.
Dangerous and fun.
Woo-hoo.
Of all the idiotic things that little runt has done.
They've already searched his place.
If he gets arrested I have worked too damn hard for everything I have.
I will not let my loser half-brother It is that roommate of his, Charlie.
He is weak.
They can get him to say anything.
On top of eight speeding tickets, Charlie Taylor has one conviction for public nudity.
He streaked a golf tournament.
And one for criminal mischief.
He set a rowboat on fire in Sheepshead bay.
He's a thrill-seeker.
Glynn's partner in arson.
The Molotov cocktails were probably his idea.
If we could tie them to Charlie, I bet we could shake a confession out of him.
The grease on his hands, if he handled the rags used to make the fire bombs, there might be residue on him that we could trace back to him.
We'll get the lab on it.
The email to the task force? All that staring, you find anything? Yeah, I've been comparing the header to emails I've gotten from the captain.
It doesn't match any of them, except for one.
Captain sent me that one six weeks ago.
Six weeks ago, our server was down for three days because of a virus.
We had to use a different one.
Whoever forged the task force email, copied the header off an email that the captain sent during those three days.
And we just have to find out who he sent emails to.
He's gone for the day.
But his computer might be lonely.
Office of The Patrol Borough Commander Brooklyn, New York Friday, May 5 Yes, I remember getting this email from captain Deakins last month.
The first sentence, do you mind reading it? "As regarding the patrols in quadrant 14," "please send me the daily reports.
" Most people would use the term, "in regard to," or "with regard to.
" But the turn of phrase, "as regarding," is one the captain only uses.
If you say so.
We found it in another email to the street drug task force.
"As regarding officer Martinez.
" Captain Deakins wrote this one, too.
No, see, Sharon, you wrote it.
And you copied the header from this other email.
- Who put you up to it? - What? No one.
I'm very busy.
Sharon, you're helping bring down a good cop.
Did they tell you that? I I don't know anything.
I'm sorry.
Sharon Wingert.
Sure, I remember sending her this email.
- How'd you find it? - Don't ask.
The point is she used it to forge the task force email.
Why would she do that? Because her sister is married to Denny Moran.
Moran was Frank Adair's driver when Adair was chief of detectives.
And you know, captain Bardin from the task force was at the academy with Adair.
So Adair must have reached out from prison and set this up against you.
Okay.
Let's get back to the church fires, huh? Uh, the lab ran tests on the rags used to make the Molotov cocktails.
They found traces of olive oil and animal fat, consistent with residue from restaurant exhaust fans.
And Glynn's roommate, Charlie Taylor, he cleans them for a living.
Then what are you waiting for? Step into him.
What happened here? Somebody was playing with fire.
It looks like the victim, Mr.
Charlie Taylor was loading Molotov cocktail into this car when he dropped the box.
After that almost anything could've sparked the fire.
There's no burns on his body.
He died from smoke inhalation.
He could've panicked, ran into the shelf, it fell on top of him, pinning him.
Hmm, I couldn't have staged it better myself.
Somebody wants us to think Charlie was on his way to burn more churches.
- Burn them all by himself.
- Let me through.
Please, I live here.
Oh, god, Charlie.
What the hell was he doing? What was Molotov cocktails? I didn't know he was into that, but it makes perfect sense, though.
Oh, yeah? What makes sense? Well, the night the churches went up, I was home watching TV.
He came in and changed the channel to the news.
He was totally into those fires.
Sounds like our arsonist.
He ever talk to you about st.
Gerald's? Oh, no.
Maybe he heard about it from you.
He told us you got a letter.
Your name was misspelled? Oh yeah, right.
Glynn Peid.
Didn't Margaret at st.
Gerald's send you that letter? Oh, yeah, yeah, um, she was thanking me for a good job I did cleaning her carpets and trying to get me to go to church.
I got nothing against church.
I just like sleeping in on Sundays.
All right, look.
Just one more thing.
We smelled alcohol on Charlie.
We thought if he was drunk.
It might explain how he started the fire by accident.
Alcohol? Charlie never drank.
He was allergic.
If Glynn had anything to do with killing Charlie, he would have jumped at the chance to blame his death on a drinking accident.
Whoever killed him, Charlie's gonna end up taking the rap for those fires.
- It's as if Glynn has a guardian angel.
- Maybe he does.
Maybe it's somebody who doesn't want whatever secrets in Margaret's letter to come out.
Which is what would happen if Glynn was charged with the fires.
Maybe Justin's his guardian angel.
If Glynn knows a secret about Justin, why not just come out with it? Maybe it's something that he's ashamed of.
You know, Regina, his mother.
She never attended Justin's wedding, and the way that he flaunts his young wife in front of her.
I see a very tawdry light at the end of this tunnel.
Maybe he had trouble accepting her as his new mother.
Maybe Regina seduced him, to win him over.
She couldn't just get him a new baseball mitt? Incest as a motive for arson.
Of all the far-out theories I've heard in this office.
Theories are made to be tested.
I'll be out for the rest of the day.
Sing Sing Prison Ossining, New York Monday, May 8 It's always good to see old friends, Jimmy.
I know what you've done, Frank.
What have I done, my friend? You got Gabe Bardin to say I called him.
You got Denny Moran to ask his sister-in-law to cook up an email.
It's your word against theirs, Jimmy.
And my friends, my true friends, they can't forget what you did to me, putting me in here with the animals.
You did it to yourself.
They don't see it that way, Jimmy.
When you took me down, you made them feel a little worse about being cops.
So here you are, accused of using your influence to protect your boy, Mike Logan.
How do you defend yourself against these charges? By taking down good people like Gabe Bardin and a little ten-dollar-an-hour secretary.
You think throwing more mud at the uniform is gonna make a beat cop stick his neck out a little farther to catch some skell, hmm? You really think you're worth that, Jimmy? My brother's roommate was a handful.
Glynn barely tolerated him.
Glynn wanted to move out, but he was afraid to hurt Charlie's feelings.
Glynn can be wishy-washy.
Not like Justin.
For example, he's very decisive.
It's very masculine.
Noreen, what are you doing here? There was a message on the phone.
I told the PAA to call Ms.
Reid.
I meant Justin's stepmother.
He must have misunderstood.
That's very embarrassing.
Uh, sorry.
Noreen, here.
Have a seat.
Ooh, sorry.
Very sorry.
Why don't you sit down? Scoot in here.
There you go.
We were talking about Glynn.
We have a profile of arsonists, especially early childhood indicators.
We wanted We wanted to talk to you about a photo we found in Glynn's room.
It's in here somewhere.
Look at all these pictures of Justin's wedding.
Were you sick? We noticed you aren't in any of the pictures.
She wasn't sick.
The wedding was in Chicago.
I don't like planes.
This one's nice.
Of the bride and the groom.
From what we hear, the honeymoon is still going on.
- What is that supposed to mean? - Your husband told us.
The other night before dinner.
Come on, you guys.
That.
That was just rude.
- Could you just find the damn picture? - Yeah, sure, sorry.
Nice one here of Justin and his baby brother.
That's very sweet.
Must have been quite an adjustment, being 14 years old, suddenly there's a baby boy in the house.
I wasn't really around.
I had a new girlfriend.
I was at her place mostly.
That's not exactly true, Justin.
Glynn was born in July, July 24th.
You met Emily on labor day.
You remember when he met his girlfriend? That's a little surprising.
You know, stepmom and the stepkid.
Come on, you guys.
It's a, you know, stepmom, stepkids are usually like oil and water, right? We work things out, like grownups.
Yeah, what you do? Did you, um talk? No, I told you I wasn't around.
I was really into my girlfriend.
Look at this.
Did you ever notice Noreen looks just like you when you were younger.
- You're right.
- Don't be ridiculous.
I had a much better figure at her age.
I dressed better.
Justin has no idea what a beautiful woman looks like.
And he'll never be satisfied because he'll never get what he wants.
Oh, Noreen.
Sorry.
Well, it's not your fault.
He brings it on.
He provokes you.
Makes you jealous.
No, it doesn't.
You know, bringing up that he met his girlfriend when Glynn was born.
Glynn was born in July, late July.
Justin was hurt.
You gave all your attention to the baby.
Jealous of you, so he decided to make you jealous of him.
What? What are you people thinking? You're sick.
You're sick! So we're sick.
She's still pushing his buttons She made a point, twice, to say that Glynn was born in July.
Glynn Reid was born full-term on July 24th at five pounds, five ounces.
He had respiratory distress syndrome.
Five pounds, five ounces.
That's pretty small for a full-term baby.
Not to mention respiratory distress syndrome is common among babies born before they're 34 weeks old.
So Glynn was full-term according to whom? His mother.
Regina Reid told the midwife she conceived in mid-October.
There's no record she ever saw a doctor.
Sounds like she was trying to fudge the date of conception.
If Glynn was born around 34 weeks, that means he would have been conceived in early December.
Regina's husband.
I wonder where he was.
From mid-November to late December, Regina's husband was in st.
Louis for job training.
Regina stayed home with 14-year-old Justin.
She probably got pregnant by him then.
It's why she'd lie about when Glynn was conceived.
She might have even induced the birth to time it right.
To keep the paternity secret from her husband.
And Justin.
And the way she kept emphasizing Glynn's date of birth to Justin He might not know either.
Poor Glynn.
He's traumatized now.
Imagine when he finds out who his father is.
The photo from 20 years ago, the procession is turning right at the front of the church.
Nowadays, they take a left turn.
Maybe that's why Glynn set the fires where he did.
Yeah, but if he was symbolically targeting Justin, then he would have set the fires according to the path that Justin walked 20 years ago.
This spot here.
This is where he put most of the gas.
It burned right through the floor.
There's something here.
There are three pipes, water pipes.
A baptismal pool.
I'd guess for immersion baptisms.
That's what Glynn was targeting.
Baptisms.
His own birth.
The arson squad, they said that the fire was started in four places.
There's this one spot here, where the arsonist, he used more gas.
And we just don't know why.
Anyway, they capped off the pipes.
The reverend told us there was a baptismal pool here.
You don't remember seeing people getting dunked when you were a kid, do you? Anyway, it leaked.
So they got rid of it.
Charlie never mentioned a beef against baptisms? Oh, no.
Sounds kinda crazy.
Think so? Even if he got some disturbing news about his family or his his birth? It's not that crazy to to act out? Why are they here? Maybe they were worried about you.
Glynn.
Are you all right, honey? What did you say? He's just asking about Charlie.
I asked him if he knew why Charlie focused his anger, a fire, on this spot, where there was a baptismal pool.
You know, it occurs to me Glynn might have been baptized in that pool.
- Was he? - Yes.
That must have been a happy moment.
Were you there, Justin? Oh, yes, of course.
He's my half-brother.
Well, it's not just that.
What I meant was that you were the crucifer.
Do you remember your brother leading the procession every Sunday? His gold-embroidered vestments, carrying the crucifix.
Must've seemed special to you, your big brother.
I wasn't special.
I was just some teenage kid.
I didn't know anything.
Do you know what he's talking about, Glynn? Glynn, you don't need to say anything now.
We'll talk about old times later.
Just you and me.
That's right, Glynn.
Just the family, come on.
What, what would you talk about? About Glynn's anger over his mother seducing Justin? You shut up.
That is not true.
Just stop it.
Stop lying.
He deserves to know.
She made a mistake.
I was a dumb kid.
I missed my mother.
I was messed up.
But it was over a long time ago.
It doesn't have anything to do with this.
Everybody knows Charlie set the fires.
Now let's go.
Let's get out of here.
He really doesn't know everything.
You say that.
What is it I don't know? You don't remember how small Glynn was when he was born.
He was a runt.
So what? He was five pounds, five ounces.
He was born premature.
No, he wasn't.
He was born full-term, nine months.
He had respiratory distress syndrome.
It's why he gets winded.
Lots of babies get that full-term.
Don't listen to them.
Glynn already knows.
That's what was in the letter from Margaret, right? What are you people talking about? No, please, don't listen.
- Glynn was conceived in December.
- It's not true.
It's not true.
Your husband went away.
He left you with your resentful stepson.
You needed to win him over, so you seduced him.
Got pregnant by him.
Oh, god.
Oh, god.
No.
You witch.
What did you do? Your husband assumed that it was his child.
I, I I didn't mean to hurt anybody.
You hurt me.
I I went to the church and I confessed to the minister.
I don't care.
What does that make me? What am I? - I'm a freak.
- No.
When I opened that letter, I wanted you to burn.
Both of you to burn.
Burn in hell.
I didn't know.
I'm sorry.
All my life, you treated me like I'm nothing.
You know, he's tried to protect you.
Tell him.
Justin, tell your son what you did for him.
I'll tell him.
Shut up! Glynn, I tried.
It was the only way I knew.
I, I, I killed Charlie to protect you.
Protect me? Why? I'm nothing.
I'm nothing.
Justin, you're under arrest for murder.
She goes, too.
The two sons are going to jail, but Carver doesn't think he can make a case against Regina for Charlie's murder.
So she skates? Well, she can't skate from herself.
You're the first in the squad to know.
I turned in my resignation today.
The email proves what it proves.
I appreciate you looking into it.
Then why quit? Why give Frank Adair what he wants? It's what I want.
I worked it out so officer Martinez will be okay.
I could fight it, demand a public exoneration, but I'd just be letting Frank Adair use me to give the department a black eye.
But you don't deserve this.
Frank needs people to worship at his feet.
I just need to know I'm right by the people who know me, my detectives.
My good detectives.
Uh, so go on.
Go back to work.
We'll hold the wake later, huh?