Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) s06e07 Episode Script
Country Crossover
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.
¢Ü Prowling past your door last night ¢Ü ¢Ü it made me wonder ¢Ü ¢Ü What would it feel like to be over and under? ¢Ü ¢Ü Give me time, I'll make you mine ¢Ü ¢Ü Give me time, I'll make you mine ¢Ü ¢Ü Give me time, I'll make you mine ¢Ü ¢Ü I ¢Ü ¢Ü I'm, I'm gonna get you ¢Ü ¢Ü yeah, I'm gonna get you ¢Ü Sorry, Curtis.
I get self-conscious.
Don't.
Just do what you did in the video.
My club makes hits for you, Curtis.
You mean our club, right? I listened to what you said, Curtis.
Goro, what I said was I don't do rap.
Goro, who's on the door? - I am.
- Get back to the club.
As soon as Curtis plays my CD.
Who wants a line? Okay, Seamus, party's over.
Seamus, get that crap and your posse out of here.
We're done.
All right, Brooke, he's a busy man.
Let's go.
Goro, Goro, come on! Chop-chop! Let's, let's call it a night, May.
But you said we could show my husband the video.
When it's finished.
Not tonight.
Hello? Somebody out there? Hello.
You and you.
Not you.
Look, let's just get a taxi.
You're not my daddy, peaches.
Carrie, you're in no shape to drive.
Law & Order CI What's the body count? Five to st.
Vincent's.
Four to Bellevue.
All near the door trying to get in.
Plus the DOA.
Car's not that banged up.
Is he the only one that got thrown this far? It seems so.
His name's Curtis Gold.
That's his studio.
Brad and five friends swear she didn't hit him.
Claims she backed up to avoid him.
They say the guy came out the door and collapsed.
Oh, yeah, right.
His hands are cut and bloodied, but there's no glass on the ground here.
Other than that, he looks untouched.
Well, looks like all the action took place here.
No sign of forced entry.
But lots of glass for Gold to cut himself on when he crawled out of here.
It's a recording studio.
Good burglary target.
It looks like they took stuff off the wall just to smash it.
"Give me your money or I'll bust up your Grammy.
" You'd think they'd take the $4,000 microphone.
I dated a recording engineer.
At least he wasn't a drummer.
Oh, look.
Cocaine in a recording studio.
I'm shocked.
Shocked.
Here's another shock.
They left his stash.
So it's not a hit and run and not a robbery.
And not our problem.
The rich girl stays off the hook, this gets kicked back to the one-five.
Hey, detective, it's all yours.
We should check with captain Ross.
Wheeler, you don't wake your captain up for this.
Trust me.
All I want to know is, what were you thinking? Okay, look.
I've got guys here that can't wait to see me fall on my face.
I need help.
I need you to keep me in the loop, clear? Bye.
- Your rabbi looks pissed.
- Please, save it.
Take it easy, Wheeler.
He can't want this case.
Don't worry, I didn't tell him it was your idea to kick it.
The ME's waiting for us.
I don't get it.
Who was this guy? It's not the guy.
It's the neighborhood.
The one-five's overwhelmed.
There's too many clubs.
Too much crime.
The mayor's worried Chelsea's reached a tipping point.
Tipping point? The last moment before an outbreak turns into an epidemic.
Tipping point.
You were right.
He wasn't hit by that twit's SUV.
Two blows, one to the face, one to his left side.
You're telling me somebody killed him with two punches? Exsanguination.
I love it when you talk latin, Rogers.
He bled to death.
One blow ruptured his spleen.
Died maybe an hour later.
That's one hell of a punch.
He had Gaucher's disease.
That means you bleed easily, bruise easily, fracture easily, and it makes the spleen swell.
I talked to Curtis' doctor.
He was scheduled to have his spleen removed next Tuesday.
Was he partying? 'Cause we found cocaine and pills in his studio.
No, tested clean, unless you count pain meds and epogen.
The guy was beyond fragile.
He was brittle.
Maybe that's why the crime scene was so poorly staged.
Whoever he was with didn't know about his condition.
Curtis went down fast.
The killer panicked.
Maybe.
Or maybe the killer knew.
Aimed right for his soft spot.
You're a half-glass-empty kinda guy, aren't you? Depends what's in it, Wheeler.
Curtis was working late the night he died.
Studios keep logs.
Let's track who his last session was with.
Let's do that.
We just started working together two months ago.
Curtis was a genius.
You know, he had two MTV awards.
Are you new in town? Everybody asks me that.
Um, my husband and I moved here from mount Carmel, Pennsylvania.
You're a long way from home.
Have a seat, May.
My husband Zack, his dad died, left a VA policy.
Zach's dream, our dream is for me to make it as a singer.
Zack said, "now's our chance.
" And I met Curtis here, and he said he wanted to help.
Curtis was single.
Did he have a girlfriend? No.
Curtis was in that studio from morning to midnight.
So your relationship was strictly professional, right? You mean God, no.
I'm married.
You're married.
He's single.
How'd your husband feel about you working late nights together? My husband, Zack, he he thought Curtis was a gay.
So I kind of let him think that just so he wouldn't worry for me.
You remember the last time you worked with Curtis? Sure.
Thursday night, the night he We were supposed to work together till 9, but friends of his kept stopping by, so we ended early.
Do these friends have names? Seamus something.
He owns Spire, the club across the street.
Seamus Flaherty? You know him? Short guy, lot of mileage? And his girlfriend, Brooke.
And, um, one of the club's bouncers.
I don't know his name, but he's a big black guy.
Any arguments with these friends? The bouncer was pretty angry.
He kind of made me nervous.
He had a CD that he wanted Curtis to play, and Curtis told him he was through with rap.
And drugs.
That's why Curtis made everyone leave.
He said "party's over.
Get that crap out of here," to Seamus.
Thank you.
Logan.
How come I never see you with the same partner twice? Flaherty and I go way back.
To one of the first murders in one of as many bars.
Been so many, he probably can't keep track.
- We're unlucky.
- Kennedys are unlucky.
He tell you about the cop he shot? We were talking about Curtis Gold's murder and the coke vial you left.
Me? No.
My date was young.
It was inappropriate of her to have brought out the coke.
Curtis had a problem, which I did not have a problem with.
She's gone.
We understand one of your bouncers was also at Curtis' studio Thursday night.
I don't recall.
So much chaos with the accident.
Tragic night.
Come on, Flaherty, after all these years you think it's in your interest to lie to the NYPD? One of your bouncers.
A big, threatening black guy.
Whoa! Your partner's a dinosaur here.
Curtis was helping this guy with a rap CD.
- That could be Goro.
- How about a real name? As far as I know, that is his real name.
I haven't seen him since Thursday night.
No idea where he is.
If I hear from Goro, though, you'll be the first I call.
If you'll excuse me.
Goro? Hey, I know you.
You worked the door last night.
Tough one.
We're looking for one of your coworkers.
- Goro? - Goro? Don't know him.
We got 20 guys working security, give or take.
Why do you guys always gotta be so difficult, huh? I'm gonna ask you one more time.
Who was the black guy working the door holding back the crowd last night? I keep to myself on the job.
Sorry.
Logan, he's afraid of him.
Big mountain of a guy like you? That can't be true.
Last week, Goro had the kitchen make an omelet.
Egg whites he wanted.
He got yolks instead.
Goro went all kung fu on him, broke both his arms.
We think Goro's involved in a murder.
We make the case against him, he's off your door, out of your life.
I'm not showing you this, okay? You gonna talk to him, you might want to bring backup.
Kids.
Great.
Mr.
Goro.
Police.
Please don't move.
Welcome.
I'm ready to join your investigation.
Goro is the name I gave myself.
The symbol for "crisis" is two symbols.
Danger and opportunity.
Goro means "crisis"? It means I see opportunity in danger.
I study Chinese philosophy.
Martial arts.
I am ready to defend my street.
My city.
So you're like the Batman of bouncers, huh? Anyway, uh, Thursday night, you pay a visit to Curtis Gold? I wanted him to listen to my CD.
But I interrupted his work, which I regret.
I did not stay.
He said he was through with rap music and didn't like your music.
That had to piss you off.
Curtis just needed to listen to it.
Because of this killer, he won't get that chance.
And I won't get mine.
So you're basically saying you had no motive to kill him, correct? Of course not.
But my guilt is not at issue.
Mr.
Goro, we think whoever killed Curtis, it wasn't a purposeful act.
It might be that someone, maybe upset about a rejection, threw a punch that caused more damage than anyone could've known.
Does that makes sense? I'm working on the same theory.
The sooner I get back to my investigation, the sooner Curtis' death shall be avenged.
I must go now.
I must protect my block.
Okay.
Uh, hold that thought, okay? Unless he threatens someone else, we can't hold him.
Well, he's crazy as a loon.
We send him back out on the street, he's going to hunt for Curtis' killer.
Boy, that's a mess I don't want to clean up.
I thought you said he is Curtis' killer.
Well, we're not sure.
He may be, or he may know who it is.
Motive? Mo, motive? Look at him! I mean he's at his tipping point.
The guy's gonna do a black Rambo on the streets.
Wheeler, is he dangerous? I'd say yes.
But he didn't make an explicit threat we can hold him on.
You heard him, Wheeler.
"Curtis' death shall be avenged.
" You don't call that a threat? Could be, or could be the plot of one of the mortal combat video games he got his name from.
Under his real name, he has no rap sheet.
No medical history.
And I bet he has an alibi.
Four of his fellow bouncers confirmed that he was on the door from 9 P.
M.
on.
And if you worked for him, you'd confirm his alibi too.
Detective, what do you want me to do? Ask the DA to hold him on suspicion on being a large, scary black man? Oh, come on, man.
Fine.
You still have to street him.
You come up with something else, you can take another shot at him.
No point in going back to Flaherty? He's covering for him.
Whatever Goro did, Flaherty's in on it.
Got a hit on the coke vial.
Flaherty's girlfriend, miss Brooke st.
Claire.
She's on parole.
Maybe wants to talk.
Brooke st.
Claire? I told you I didn't see anything that night.
Seamus, Goro, and me all left Curtis' club at the same time.
I went to my shift here, I swear.
You left out the part about why Curtis kicked you out.
The party favors.
Who told you that? Seamus? It's your prints on the vial, Brooke.
You're the one on parole.
So about that argument between Goro and Curtis? Look, I don't want to bad-mouth the guy.
And we don't want to bring you in.
You just don't know what'll set him off.
This one time this big cafone spilled a drink on my pants, and Goro threw him out on the street.
From the second story.
I don't remember there being windows at Spire.
Not Spire.
The last club I worked.
Leather and Lace.
It's where I met Seamus.
Leather and Lace.
Who ran that? Little paddy Egan.
And Goro was the bouncer there? - When? - Last year.
Before he went to Spire.
It was too bad, too.
Because when Goro worked the floor, nobody bothered us twice.
Who's little paddy Egan? Flaherty's brother-in-law.
Leather and Lace.
It's another Flaherty family jewel.
Sounds familiar.
Double homicide in the basement next-door last Christmas eve.
Two club patrons.
Drug dealers.
Shot execution style.
Case is still open.
And shortly thereafter, Goro transfers to Spire where Curtis Gold is found dead.
It's a nice coincidence, but there M.
O.
s are different and we still don't have a motive for Goro.
Maybe 'cause they're not Goro's motives.
Maybe Flaherty's running a one-man execution staff on his payroll.
Set him off, watch him go.
Should we keep captain in the loop? He's your rabbi, not mine.
Well, he's not dressing to blend.
Jeff.
Tell Seamus Goro is here.
He didn't come in today.
I will tell him myself.
Come on, Goro, let's you and I That's not good.
Don't take a bullet that is not meant for you.
Gun! Goro, hands in the air.
Hands in the air! Bouncers aren't allowed to carry weapons, Goro.
You know that.
You're kidding.
Criminal possession of a weapon.
That's the only charge that'll stick.
Mr.
Goro didn't have his gun out.
He wasn't brandishing it.
Oh, gee.
Well, next time wait till he shoots and then you can charge him with murder.
Logan.
Do me a favor, would you? Don't let him post bail.
Detective Logan believes Goro was involved in the Curtis Gold murder.
Maybe the Leather and Lace homicides too.
He worked there last year.
Why am I just now finding out about this? We wanted to wait for ballistics.
Turns out Goro's gun is a match for the Christmas eve executions.
I'm not saying anything.
I don't deny this.
I made them kneel and I shot them in their heads.
They sold drugs and defiled women in my club.
It was a just thing to do.
Goro, how did you know they sold drugs? Did someone tell you? Mr.
Flaherty.
He also told me they were disrespecting our dancers.
Okay, that's good.
That's good, Goro.
You could really help yourself out here.
So tell us.
Did Flaherty ask you to shoot them? He didn't need to.
I knew what had to be done for the sake of justice.
Okay.
And the next man you killed, Curtis Gold.
No.
I did not kill Curtis.
He gave me notes on my songs.
But he turned you down that night.
He said he wasn't into rap music.
He did not disrespect me.
Maybe Seamus Flaherty put you up to it.
Did he ask you to punch Curtis 'cause Curtis refused to help his girlfriend? I would never hurt Curtis.
He came into the club.
I took care of him.
I made sure he got his table.
Mr.
Flaherty always said, "always take care of our investors.
" I did not kill Curtis Gold.
Goro was right.
Curtis Gold was a silent partner in Spire.
Flaherty burned him.
That gives Curtis the motive, not Flaherty.
What about Leather and Lace? Anything there implicate Seamus? Goro's toting that whole load.
He's completely loyal to Flaherty.
Well, loyalty is a one-way street with Flaherty.
Squeeze him a bit on the money.
Something may come out.
Really? Goro a stone killer.
Man, you just never know.
You knew Goro had his own moral code, his own sense of justice.
What did you think he would do when you told him your two clients from Leather and Lace insulted the dancers? That's hardly a solicitation of murder.
It got results.
For Goro, too.
Just a week after the shooting, he was working for you at Spire.
Goro told the girls he was, uh, what do you call it? That they were debasing themselves.
Who needs a monk in a strip club? We transferred him.
End of story.
Detectives, unless you have something substantive, that's the end of interrogation.
By the way, Curtis Gold.
You were with him the night he was murdered, right? Yeah, I told you that.
And I told you he was alive when I left him.
What you didn't tell us was Curtis was about to file a million-dollar lawsuit against you for fraud.
You think this is about Curtis getting his money back? From a nightclub? If I was gonna kill everyone who was upset about losing their money in the bar business, I wouldn't have enough time to run my club.
Yeah, but the thing is, your clubs are losing money, but you're not.
You got a condo on Perry street and a house in Westhampton? You a detective or a CPA? The mayor wants the Chelsea club scene cleaned up.
If the state liquor authority won't do its job, maybe a city audit will.
Worked for Al Capone.
All right.
Look, my client had absolutely nothing to do with the death of Curtis Gold.
But in a spirit of cooperation, he's willing to give you some information.
About Goro? I told you, he was with me when I left.
The one who wasn't was, uh, May from Pennsylvania.
She, uh, she and Curtis were having, you know, an affair.
May Daltrie? She said Curtis was all about work.
Yeah, Curtis? Come on.
Maybe she told you that, but those little runts? Those are the ones you gotta watch for.
The two of them used to come into Spire.
So did you see them touch, kiss? No, but, uh, I'm behind the bar my whole life.
Think I don't know when something's going on that shouldn't be going on? Is that it? A bartender's intuition? No, check out Curtis' studio.
She bought him a trophy.
A little plastic thing that says, "world's best producer.
" I saw it in the booth when I was there that night.
Gee, that's hot.
Well, then you turn it over, and it says, "'cause you're mine.
Love, May.
" May, you want to offer these people something? Oh, sure, uh Oh, coffee, black.
- Can I help you? - She's fine.
Have a seat.
I'm sure you've been working all day like me.
Yeah.
Construction? Yeah, had my own business back home, but you go somewhere new, you gotta prove yourself all over again.
Tell me about it.
But we're in for the long haul.
When May makes it, it'll all be worth it.
So I heard you guys arrested the bouncer.
We did, but it turns out he didn't kill Curtis.
That's why we're here.
Really? Everyone on the block was scared of him.
I just assumed.
So did we, but he didn't do it.
So, we're hoping you or Zach can shed some light onto Curtis' personal life.
His personal life? Well, gee, I only met him once.
And Curtis and I mostly just talked about music.
Curtis called my songs cow punk, country-rock mix.
Whatever you call it, May is gonna be a star.
She has got the voice of an angel.
So Curtis was gay, huh? Yeah, seemed gay to me.
You met him once.
You could tell? Well, the way he dressed.
Never had a wife.
We put it together.
May, did Curtis ever hit on you? Gosh, no.
Truth be told, we didn't know Curtis well at all.
Is there anything else? Yeah, where were you the night of the murder? Just for the record.
Zach picked me up and we went home.
We watched a DVD.
Anything good? Oh, Walk the line.
Oh, yeah, that's the Johnny Cash bio.
Did you like it? I didn't like it much, no.
I don't think he'd suspect a scrawny guy like Curtis was gonna seduce his wife.
Unless a friend on the block tipped him off.
Jeff, the bouncer? You think all white guys who chew tobacco are buddies? In Chelsea? Yeah.
Zach's good people.
He always picked up May outside the studio.
She usually worked late, so he'd wait for her at the bar.
Talk about her singing career, how talented she was.
He didn't just love her.
It was like he worshipped her.
Yeah, well, if you ask me, he loved her a little too much.
I mean, he was blind to what was going on.
That's what I thought.
He gave up everything for her, and she gives herself up to that runt.
Yeah, and I bet everybody at the club was laughing about it.
It was getting bad.
Seamus and Brooke was joking about it when they came back from Curtis' that night.
How come nobody warned him? I tried.
I said, "just 'cause Curtis is puny" "doesn't mean you should trust him with your wife.
" I'll tell you what.
If it was me, I'd have kicked his ass.
No.
He was real calm.
He goes, "if he tries anything," "I'll scare Curtis so bad he won't try twice.
" But by scare, he meant talk to him.
Yeah.
Should you people have a warrant? You got nothing to hide, right? No, of course not.
So? Are they gonna go through May's personals? She'll skin me alive.
I'll give them a hand.
So, uh, what's May gonna do next? Guess we're gonna have to find another producer.
I mean, May can't just give up her singing just 'cause the guy Curtis ends up dead.
Yeah, tough business, huh? Pretty tough.
We're learning.
/ Yeah.
But May's too good to quit.
She's gonna be a star.
We'll find another way.
Zach, what's going on? I told them we've got nothing to hide.
What's that? Stolen from Curtis' studio the night he was killed.
"Because you're mine.
Love, May.
" "You're mine"? What the hell does that mean? A joke.
Just "you're my producer.
" I was trying to show him that I was grateful, that's all.
I think it was a little more than grateful.
According to the gang at the club.
Don't listen to him, Zach.
He knows all about it, May.
We got a witness who quote Zach as saying, "I'll scare Curtis so bad he won't try twice.
" It's on the night of the murder.
No.
Zach Sit in the chair and wait for my call.
- I can't.
- May, you sit down and shut up.
I can't let you do this when it was me! I did it.
God help me.
I killed him.
I had to sleep with Curtis.
I was afraid to say no.
Afraid? He physically threatened you? No.
I was afraid that he'd drop me as a client.
But Thursday night I told Curtis that I loved my husband.
That I was gonna tell him the truth.
And how did Curtis react? He told me not to.
He wanted me to stay.
But I left.
I told Zach everything.
That I was gonna end it with Curtis.
And then I went back upstairs.
Your husband let you go alone? To confront a man who had coerced you? Zach wanted to show Curtis a lesson, but I said no.
I had to be the one.
So I could walk away with my dignity.
And when you told Curtis it was over? He tried to kiss me.
He wouldn't listen.
So I hit him.
Can you show me where? Once in the face like that.
And that's it? You hit him once and he went down? I think I hit him twice.
Is that in the face again? No.
The second one was lower.
Here.
He went down after two punches.
I might have kicked him too.
I don't remember.
But you didn't mean to kill him.
Of course not.
You wouldn't have kicked him very hard knowing how sick he was.
Sick? Curtis wasn't sick.
Wheeler, a word.
You buy May's story? Could be protecting her husband.
He could be protecting her.
Zach just came in.
He says he needs to get something off his chest.
It was my fault.
I thought May would be safe.
It's your fault that Curtis slept with May? He forced himself on her.
She told you that? He practically raped her.
Then she gave him a trophy? Whatever May did, she felt she had to.
When I heard what Curtis had done, I went nuts.
So you decided to teach him a lesson.
Went upstairs and I clocked the guy in the face.
Guess he must've hit his head, right? I hit him once and he went down.
I thought he'd get up, but he just stayed down.
I've had couples point the fingers at each other lots of time, but fighting to take the blame? That's new.
Don't you believe in true love? You mean true confusion.
He says it's him.
She says it's her.
They each have reasonable doubt.
- It's a good strategy.
- Strategy? One of them punched Curtis, panicked when he went down, then they staged a fake robbery.
And then blamed the big scary black man on the corner.
Okay, we have to keep it simple.
We know that Zach would attack Curtis to defend her honor, but what's May's motive? Well maybe Curtis went cold on her.
Cut her off.
Ended her dream.
Well, what did the ME say? Any blow to the spleen would do it.
He was that sick? - And she didn't know about it? - She knew it.
Curtis told her.
Guys use whatever they have to get over.
If they have a tragic story, a sickness.
Even if they have a dead cat, they'll work it into their rap.
Heartwarming.
But May did point to my left side to show where she had hit him.
'cause she knew it would make her confession more believable.
Zach didn't have a clue.
He thought he died from a head wound.
As long as he's standing by her, I still have two conflicting confessions.
Let her go and book him for assault.
Maybe a little taste of prison life will weaken his bond to her.
You need to get new evidence or break up their marriage for good.
Otherwise, we have no case.
Counselor Wait, this is my sitter.
I'll be right back.
Hello? Okay, well, Zach stood by May through infidelity and murder.
A few nights in jail won't shake him.
No, it's May whose loyalty is shaking.
She betrayed Zach once.
She'd do it again in a Nashville minute.
So let's give her the chance.
Seamus Flaherty wants to meet with me? Why? It turns out he co-owned Curtis' studio.
He says he wants to give you back your tapes.
- You don't believe him.
- No, I don't.
Seamus only looks out for Seamus.
My guess is, he smells money.
Money? But I don't have any money at all.
This case is gonna get a lot of exposure, May.
You know, good kids from out of town corrupted by the big bad city.
Your story is gonna be worth a lot of money.
Seamus wants a piece of it.
What about Zach? Should I tell him? I'm sure Zach will want a piece too.
But, May, you need to start looking out for yourself.
This will always be Curtis Gold studios.
May, I'm right outside if you need anything.
What is she, your den mother? Where was I? - The studio.
- Right.
Yeah, I'm never gonna change the name.
I'm gonna keep this place in honor of Curtis.
He was a good man.
He loved you.
Just ignore the camera.
The tape's only gonna be seen by my investors.
Investors? May, I mean, you know, you got your 15 minutes of fame, but we're gonna need a little help to turn that into, you know, fifteen years of rock and roll stardom.
I'm sorry if this question is rude.
Shoot.
Do you know anything about music? I mean, you own a bar.
I knew that babe in the woods routine was just an act.
You want to talk business? Okay, May I got the money and the connections to make all your dreams come true.
Look at that.
I told you everything that happened that night.
I don't know how much more I could show you.
Humor me.
I'm a visual learner.
Uncuff him.
My partner's in the booth downloading tape files, evidence.
You shouldn't be watching that.
Can you leave it on? What is this? It's a ticket to stardom.
"I was the devil's darling"? That's the name of my show? Limited engagement.
My club.
Industry professionals only.
I'm even gonna get you a career architect to create the show.
You know what that is? No.
It's this guy, he writes the songs.
He constructs your image.
Best in the business, a real star maker.
I showed him your video.
He liked the video, but he loves your story.
But that video isn't anything like me, and my story "I was the devil's darling.
" "I was the devil's darling.
" That's your story.
That's your image.
That's your ticket, okay.
You, you shared a bed with the devil, and you lived to tell the tale.
You want me to say that my husband is the devil? Well, he did kill a guy, right? That's not what happened.
Okay, you know, you got a little of that "victim who falls for the abuser" thing, which I personally find very sexy.
I'm gonna push that.
Zach didn't abuse me.
Well, he didn't really treat you very well, now, did he? "Death is an aphrodisiac"? - I don't even know what that means.
- It's Greek.
It means, you know, sexual turn-on.
I need to think about this.
No, no, thinking is not an option, okay? We gotta get this in place so we can open the show just when you take the stand.
Take the stand? Your husband killed Curtis Gold.
He admitted it.
It's a tragedy, but you gotta put yourself in front of it.
Hey, don't torture yourself.
All you gotta do is verify his account.
It wasn't his fault.
Whatever.
I am prepared to offer you this this amount of money.
Today.
To cement our partnership.
That's a lot of money.
May, you cannot tour with an open murder investigation hanging over your head.
Your husband beat Curtis to a pulp.
That's not what happened.
He only hit him twice.
Twice, yes, yeah.
He's an animal, and he doesn't deserve to be on the streets.
That's not what happened.
He Curtis was sick.
May, let it go.
He had a bad spleen.
I was gonna take him to the hospital.
My husband didn't know.
I did.
He can't be here.
His wife's inside.
You said it was tape.
You set me up.
Zach, no.
Fellas, we're in a meeting here.
Meeting's over, Flaherty.
Let's go.
He was sick.
I heard the whole thing, May.
You told me to kick him in the side.
You made me kill him.
No, Zach, you don't understand.
I saw you, May.
You wanted to be a star so bad, you were you were gonna take his money.
I wanted the money for the lawyer, Zach.
Everything I did, I did for you.
You broke our marriage vows for me? What do you think? Curtis Gold was gonna work with me just based on my talent? Curtis said you were gonna be a star.
Everybody says so.
Who? My father? Our friends back home? Curtis was interested in me and my voice at first, but later on I had to sleep with him.
We spent all our money moving here chasing your stupid dream.
Our dream.
Your dream.
And I was too much of a coward to tell you.
Your eyes shining with pride, loving me so much.
Bragging to all our friends back home.
I slept with Curtis, the only other man I've ever slept with other than you.
And I did it 'cause I love you.
You loved him so much, you set him up for murder? It wasn't like that.
You had him kill Curtis, and then you were gonna blame Goro.
Goro was a killer.
He was gonna end up in jail someday anyway.
Why, May? Why'd you make me kill him? I just wanted to throw a punch.
Get it out of my system is all I needed.
If Curtis was still alive, my sin would hang over us.
But if he was dead, it would be like nothing ever happened.
We would be pure again.
I was trying to save us.
Don't you see that? Okay, Zach.
Let's go.
I love you, Zach.
Please say you love me, please.
Zach, Zach, we'll go home.
We'll forget we ever came to New York city.
Please.
We're not like Goro.
We're good people.
We just want to go home.
Please.
We just want to go home.
We misjudged her.
She put love for Zach first every step of the way.
"I love my husband so much I had to kill my lover.
" Make a good country song.
It's a shame Curtis is too dead to record it.
These are their stories.
¢Ü Prowling past your door last night ¢Ü ¢Ü it made me wonder ¢Ü ¢Ü What would it feel like to be over and under? ¢Ü ¢Ü Give me time, I'll make you mine ¢Ü ¢Ü Give me time, I'll make you mine ¢Ü ¢Ü Give me time, I'll make you mine ¢Ü ¢Ü I ¢Ü ¢Ü I'm, I'm gonna get you ¢Ü ¢Ü yeah, I'm gonna get you ¢Ü Sorry, Curtis.
I get self-conscious.
Don't.
Just do what you did in the video.
My club makes hits for you, Curtis.
You mean our club, right? I listened to what you said, Curtis.
Goro, what I said was I don't do rap.
Goro, who's on the door? - I am.
- Get back to the club.
As soon as Curtis plays my CD.
Who wants a line? Okay, Seamus, party's over.
Seamus, get that crap and your posse out of here.
We're done.
All right, Brooke, he's a busy man.
Let's go.
Goro, Goro, come on! Chop-chop! Let's, let's call it a night, May.
But you said we could show my husband the video.
When it's finished.
Not tonight.
Hello? Somebody out there? Hello.
You and you.
Not you.
Look, let's just get a taxi.
You're not my daddy, peaches.
Carrie, you're in no shape to drive.
Law & Order CI What's the body count? Five to st.
Vincent's.
Four to Bellevue.
All near the door trying to get in.
Plus the DOA.
Car's not that banged up.
Is he the only one that got thrown this far? It seems so.
His name's Curtis Gold.
That's his studio.
Brad and five friends swear she didn't hit him.
Claims she backed up to avoid him.
They say the guy came out the door and collapsed.
Oh, yeah, right.
His hands are cut and bloodied, but there's no glass on the ground here.
Other than that, he looks untouched.
Well, looks like all the action took place here.
No sign of forced entry.
But lots of glass for Gold to cut himself on when he crawled out of here.
It's a recording studio.
Good burglary target.
It looks like they took stuff off the wall just to smash it.
"Give me your money or I'll bust up your Grammy.
" You'd think they'd take the $4,000 microphone.
I dated a recording engineer.
At least he wasn't a drummer.
Oh, look.
Cocaine in a recording studio.
I'm shocked.
Shocked.
Here's another shock.
They left his stash.
So it's not a hit and run and not a robbery.
And not our problem.
The rich girl stays off the hook, this gets kicked back to the one-five.
Hey, detective, it's all yours.
We should check with captain Ross.
Wheeler, you don't wake your captain up for this.
Trust me.
All I want to know is, what were you thinking? Okay, look.
I've got guys here that can't wait to see me fall on my face.
I need help.
I need you to keep me in the loop, clear? Bye.
- Your rabbi looks pissed.
- Please, save it.
Take it easy, Wheeler.
He can't want this case.
Don't worry, I didn't tell him it was your idea to kick it.
The ME's waiting for us.
I don't get it.
Who was this guy? It's not the guy.
It's the neighborhood.
The one-five's overwhelmed.
There's too many clubs.
Too much crime.
The mayor's worried Chelsea's reached a tipping point.
Tipping point? The last moment before an outbreak turns into an epidemic.
Tipping point.
You were right.
He wasn't hit by that twit's SUV.
Two blows, one to the face, one to his left side.
You're telling me somebody killed him with two punches? Exsanguination.
I love it when you talk latin, Rogers.
He bled to death.
One blow ruptured his spleen.
Died maybe an hour later.
That's one hell of a punch.
He had Gaucher's disease.
That means you bleed easily, bruise easily, fracture easily, and it makes the spleen swell.
I talked to Curtis' doctor.
He was scheduled to have his spleen removed next Tuesday.
Was he partying? 'Cause we found cocaine and pills in his studio.
No, tested clean, unless you count pain meds and epogen.
The guy was beyond fragile.
He was brittle.
Maybe that's why the crime scene was so poorly staged.
Whoever he was with didn't know about his condition.
Curtis went down fast.
The killer panicked.
Maybe.
Or maybe the killer knew.
Aimed right for his soft spot.
You're a half-glass-empty kinda guy, aren't you? Depends what's in it, Wheeler.
Curtis was working late the night he died.
Studios keep logs.
Let's track who his last session was with.
Let's do that.
We just started working together two months ago.
Curtis was a genius.
You know, he had two MTV awards.
Are you new in town? Everybody asks me that.
Um, my husband and I moved here from mount Carmel, Pennsylvania.
You're a long way from home.
Have a seat, May.
My husband Zack, his dad died, left a VA policy.
Zach's dream, our dream is for me to make it as a singer.
Zack said, "now's our chance.
" And I met Curtis here, and he said he wanted to help.
Curtis was single.
Did he have a girlfriend? No.
Curtis was in that studio from morning to midnight.
So your relationship was strictly professional, right? You mean God, no.
I'm married.
You're married.
He's single.
How'd your husband feel about you working late nights together? My husband, Zack, he he thought Curtis was a gay.
So I kind of let him think that just so he wouldn't worry for me.
You remember the last time you worked with Curtis? Sure.
Thursday night, the night he We were supposed to work together till 9, but friends of his kept stopping by, so we ended early.
Do these friends have names? Seamus something.
He owns Spire, the club across the street.
Seamus Flaherty? You know him? Short guy, lot of mileage? And his girlfriend, Brooke.
And, um, one of the club's bouncers.
I don't know his name, but he's a big black guy.
Any arguments with these friends? The bouncer was pretty angry.
He kind of made me nervous.
He had a CD that he wanted Curtis to play, and Curtis told him he was through with rap.
And drugs.
That's why Curtis made everyone leave.
He said "party's over.
Get that crap out of here," to Seamus.
Thank you.
Logan.
How come I never see you with the same partner twice? Flaherty and I go way back.
To one of the first murders in one of as many bars.
Been so many, he probably can't keep track.
- We're unlucky.
- Kennedys are unlucky.
He tell you about the cop he shot? We were talking about Curtis Gold's murder and the coke vial you left.
Me? No.
My date was young.
It was inappropriate of her to have brought out the coke.
Curtis had a problem, which I did not have a problem with.
She's gone.
We understand one of your bouncers was also at Curtis' studio Thursday night.
I don't recall.
So much chaos with the accident.
Tragic night.
Come on, Flaherty, after all these years you think it's in your interest to lie to the NYPD? One of your bouncers.
A big, threatening black guy.
Whoa! Your partner's a dinosaur here.
Curtis was helping this guy with a rap CD.
- That could be Goro.
- How about a real name? As far as I know, that is his real name.
I haven't seen him since Thursday night.
No idea where he is.
If I hear from Goro, though, you'll be the first I call.
If you'll excuse me.
Goro? Hey, I know you.
You worked the door last night.
Tough one.
We're looking for one of your coworkers.
- Goro? - Goro? Don't know him.
We got 20 guys working security, give or take.
Why do you guys always gotta be so difficult, huh? I'm gonna ask you one more time.
Who was the black guy working the door holding back the crowd last night? I keep to myself on the job.
Sorry.
Logan, he's afraid of him.
Big mountain of a guy like you? That can't be true.
Last week, Goro had the kitchen make an omelet.
Egg whites he wanted.
He got yolks instead.
Goro went all kung fu on him, broke both his arms.
We think Goro's involved in a murder.
We make the case against him, he's off your door, out of your life.
I'm not showing you this, okay? You gonna talk to him, you might want to bring backup.
Kids.
Great.
Mr.
Goro.
Police.
Please don't move.
Welcome.
I'm ready to join your investigation.
Goro is the name I gave myself.
The symbol for "crisis" is two symbols.
Danger and opportunity.
Goro means "crisis"? It means I see opportunity in danger.
I study Chinese philosophy.
Martial arts.
I am ready to defend my street.
My city.
So you're like the Batman of bouncers, huh? Anyway, uh, Thursday night, you pay a visit to Curtis Gold? I wanted him to listen to my CD.
But I interrupted his work, which I regret.
I did not stay.
He said he was through with rap music and didn't like your music.
That had to piss you off.
Curtis just needed to listen to it.
Because of this killer, he won't get that chance.
And I won't get mine.
So you're basically saying you had no motive to kill him, correct? Of course not.
But my guilt is not at issue.
Mr.
Goro, we think whoever killed Curtis, it wasn't a purposeful act.
It might be that someone, maybe upset about a rejection, threw a punch that caused more damage than anyone could've known.
Does that makes sense? I'm working on the same theory.
The sooner I get back to my investigation, the sooner Curtis' death shall be avenged.
I must go now.
I must protect my block.
Okay.
Uh, hold that thought, okay? Unless he threatens someone else, we can't hold him.
Well, he's crazy as a loon.
We send him back out on the street, he's going to hunt for Curtis' killer.
Boy, that's a mess I don't want to clean up.
I thought you said he is Curtis' killer.
Well, we're not sure.
He may be, or he may know who it is.
Motive? Mo, motive? Look at him! I mean he's at his tipping point.
The guy's gonna do a black Rambo on the streets.
Wheeler, is he dangerous? I'd say yes.
But he didn't make an explicit threat we can hold him on.
You heard him, Wheeler.
"Curtis' death shall be avenged.
" You don't call that a threat? Could be, or could be the plot of one of the mortal combat video games he got his name from.
Under his real name, he has no rap sheet.
No medical history.
And I bet he has an alibi.
Four of his fellow bouncers confirmed that he was on the door from 9 P.
M.
on.
And if you worked for him, you'd confirm his alibi too.
Detective, what do you want me to do? Ask the DA to hold him on suspicion on being a large, scary black man? Oh, come on, man.
Fine.
You still have to street him.
You come up with something else, you can take another shot at him.
No point in going back to Flaherty? He's covering for him.
Whatever Goro did, Flaherty's in on it.
Got a hit on the coke vial.
Flaherty's girlfriend, miss Brooke st.
Claire.
She's on parole.
Maybe wants to talk.
Brooke st.
Claire? I told you I didn't see anything that night.
Seamus, Goro, and me all left Curtis' club at the same time.
I went to my shift here, I swear.
You left out the part about why Curtis kicked you out.
The party favors.
Who told you that? Seamus? It's your prints on the vial, Brooke.
You're the one on parole.
So about that argument between Goro and Curtis? Look, I don't want to bad-mouth the guy.
And we don't want to bring you in.
You just don't know what'll set him off.
This one time this big cafone spilled a drink on my pants, and Goro threw him out on the street.
From the second story.
I don't remember there being windows at Spire.
Not Spire.
The last club I worked.
Leather and Lace.
It's where I met Seamus.
Leather and Lace.
Who ran that? Little paddy Egan.
And Goro was the bouncer there? - When? - Last year.
Before he went to Spire.
It was too bad, too.
Because when Goro worked the floor, nobody bothered us twice.
Who's little paddy Egan? Flaherty's brother-in-law.
Leather and Lace.
It's another Flaherty family jewel.
Sounds familiar.
Double homicide in the basement next-door last Christmas eve.
Two club patrons.
Drug dealers.
Shot execution style.
Case is still open.
And shortly thereafter, Goro transfers to Spire where Curtis Gold is found dead.
It's a nice coincidence, but there M.
O.
s are different and we still don't have a motive for Goro.
Maybe 'cause they're not Goro's motives.
Maybe Flaherty's running a one-man execution staff on his payroll.
Set him off, watch him go.
Should we keep captain in the loop? He's your rabbi, not mine.
Well, he's not dressing to blend.
Jeff.
Tell Seamus Goro is here.
He didn't come in today.
I will tell him myself.
Come on, Goro, let's you and I That's not good.
Don't take a bullet that is not meant for you.
Gun! Goro, hands in the air.
Hands in the air! Bouncers aren't allowed to carry weapons, Goro.
You know that.
You're kidding.
Criminal possession of a weapon.
That's the only charge that'll stick.
Mr.
Goro didn't have his gun out.
He wasn't brandishing it.
Oh, gee.
Well, next time wait till he shoots and then you can charge him with murder.
Logan.
Do me a favor, would you? Don't let him post bail.
Detective Logan believes Goro was involved in the Curtis Gold murder.
Maybe the Leather and Lace homicides too.
He worked there last year.
Why am I just now finding out about this? We wanted to wait for ballistics.
Turns out Goro's gun is a match for the Christmas eve executions.
I'm not saying anything.
I don't deny this.
I made them kneel and I shot them in their heads.
They sold drugs and defiled women in my club.
It was a just thing to do.
Goro, how did you know they sold drugs? Did someone tell you? Mr.
Flaherty.
He also told me they were disrespecting our dancers.
Okay, that's good.
That's good, Goro.
You could really help yourself out here.
So tell us.
Did Flaherty ask you to shoot them? He didn't need to.
I knew what had to be done for the sake of justice.
Okay.
And the next man you killed, Curtis Gold.
No.
I did not kill Curtis.
He gave me notes on my songs.
But he turned you down that night.
He said he wasn't into rap music.
He did not disrespect me.
Maybe Seamus Flaherty put you up to it.
Did he ask you to punch Curtis 'cause Curtis refused to help his girlfriend? I would never hurt Curtis.
He came into the club.
I took care of him.
I made sure he got his table.
Mr.
Flaherty always said, "always take care of our investors.
" I did not kill Curtis Gold.
Goro was right.
Curtis Gold was a silent partner in Spire.
Flaherty burned him.
That gives Curtis the motive, not Flaherty.
What about Leather and Lace? Anything there implicate Seamus? Goro's toting that whole load.
He's completely loyal to Flaherty.
Well, loyalty is a one-way street with Flaherty.
Squeeze him a bit on the money.
Something may come out.
Really? Goro a stone killer.
Man, you just never know.
You knew Goro had his own moral code, his own sense of justice.
What did you think he would do when you told him your two clients from Leather and Lace insulted the dancers? That's hardly a solicitation of murder.
It got results.
For Goro, too.
Just a week after the shooting, he was working for you at Spire.
Goro told the girls he was, uh, what do you call it? That they were debasing themselves.
Who needs a monk in a strip club? We transferred him.
End of story.
Detectives, unless you have something substantive, that's the end of interrogation.
By the way, Curtis Gold.
You were with him the night he was murdered, right? Yeah, I told you that.
And I told you he was alive when I left him.
What you didn't tell us was Curtis was about to file a million-dollar lawsuit against you for fraud.
You think this is about Curtis getting his money back? From a nightclub? If I was gonna kill everyone who was upset about losing their money in the bar business, I wouldn't have enough time to run my club.
Yeah, but the thing is, your clubs are losing money, but you're not.
You got a condo on Perry street and a house in Westhampton? You a detective or a CPA? The mayor wants the Chelsea club scene cleaned up.
If the state liquor authority won't do its job, maybe a city audit will.
Worked for Al Capone.
All right.
Look, my client had absolutely nothing to do with the death of Curtis Gold.
But in a spirit of cooperation, he's willing to give you some information.
About Goro? I told you, he was with me when I left.
The one who wasn't was, uh, May from Pennsylvania.
She, uh, she and Curtis were having, you know, an affair.
May Daltrie? She said Curtis was all about work.
Yeah, Curtis? Come on.
Maybe she told you that, but those little runts? Those are the ones you gotta watch for.
The two of them used to come into Spire.
So did you see them touch, kiss? No, but, uh, I'm behind the bar my whole life.
Think I don't know when something's going on that shouldn't be going on? Is that it? A bartender's intuition? No, check out Curtis' studio.
She bought him a trophy.
A little plastic thing that says, "world's best producer.
" I saw it in the booth when I was there that night.
Gee, that's hot.
Well, then you turn it over, and it says, "'cause you're mine.
Love, May.
" May, you want to offer these people something? Oh, sure, uh Oh, coffee, black.
- Can I help you? - She's fine.
Have a seat.
I'm sure you've been working all day like me.
Yeah.
Construction? Yeah, had my own business back home, but you go somewhere new, you gotta prove yourself all over again.
Tell me about it.
But we're in for the long haul.
When May makes it, it'll all be worth it.
So I heard you guys arrested the bouncer.
We did, but it turns out he didn't kill Curtis.
That's why we're here.
Really? Everyone on the block was scared of him.
I just assumed.
So did we, but he didn't do it.
So, we're hoping you or Zach can shed some light onto Curtis' personal life.
His personal life? Well, gee, I only met him once.
And Curtis and I mostly just talked about music.
Curtis called my songs cow punk, country-rock mix.
Whatever you call it, May is gonna be a star.
She has got the voice of an angel.
So Curtis was gay, huh? Yeah, seemed gay to me.
You met him once.
You could tell? Well, the way he dressed.
Never had a wife.
We put it together.
May, did Curtis ever hit on you? Gosh, no.
Truth be told, we didn't know Curtis well at all.
Is there anything else? Yeah, where were you the night of the murder? Just for the record.
Zach picked me up and we went home.
We watched a DVD.
Anything good? Oh, Walk the line.
Oh, yeah, that's the Johnny Cash bio.
Did you like it? I didn't like it much, no.
I don't think he'd suspect a scrawny guy like Curtis was gonna seduce his wife.
Unless a friend on the block tipped him off.
Jeff, the bouncer? You think all white guys who chew tobacco are buddies? In Chelsea? Yeah.
Zach's good people.
He always picked up May outside the studio.
She usually worked late, so he'd wait for her at the bar.
Talk about her singing career, how talented she was.
He didn't just love her.
It was like he worshipped her.
Yeah, well, if you ask me, he loved her a little too much.
I mean, he was blind to what was going on.
That's what I thought.
He gave up everything for her, and she gives herself up to that runt.
Yeah, and I bet everybody at the club was laughing about it.
It was getting bad.
Seamus and Brooke was joking about it when they came back from Curtis' that night.
How come nobody warned him? I tried.
I said, "just 'cause Curtis is puny" "doesn't mean you should trust him with your wife.
" I'll tell you what.
If it was me, I'd have kicked his ass.
No.
He was real calm.
He goes, "if he tries anything," "I'll scare Curtis so bad he won't try twice.
" But by scare, he meant talk to him.
Yeah.
Should you people have a warrant? You got nothing to hide, right? No, of course not.
So? Are they gonna go through May's personals? She'll skin me alive.
I'll give them a hand.
So, uh, what's May gonna do next? Guess we're gonna have to find another producer.
I mean, May can't just give up her singing just 'cause the guy Curtis ends up dead.
Yeah, tough business, huh? Pretty tough.
We're learning.
/ Yeah.
But May's too good to quit.
She's gonna be a star.
We'll find another way.
Zach, what's going on? I told them we've got nothing to hide.
What's that? Stolen from Curtis' studio the night he was killed.
"Because you're mine.
Love, May.
" "You're mine"? What the hell does that mean? A joke.
Just "you're my producer.
" I was trying to show him that I was grateful, that's all.
I think it was a little more than grateful.
According to the gang at the club.
Don't listen to him, Zach.
He knows all about it, May.
We got a witness who quote Zach as saying, "I'll scare Curtis so bad he won't try twice.
" It's on the night of the murder.
No.
Zach Sit in the chair and wait for my call.
- I can't.
- May, you sit down and shut up.
I can't let you do this when it was me! I did it.
God help me.
I killed him.
I had to sleep with Curtis.
I was afraid to say no.
Afraid? He physically threatened you? No.
I was afraid that he'd drop me as a client.
But Thursday night I told Curtis that I loved my husband.
That I was gonna tell him the truth.
And how did Curtis react? He told me not to.
He wanted me to stay.
But I left.
I told Zach everything.
That I was gonna end it with Curtis.
And then I went back upstairs.
Your husband let you go alone? To confront a man who had coerced you? Zach wanted to show Curtis a lesson, but I said no.
I had to be the one.
So I could walk away with my dignity.
And when you told Curtis it was over? He tried to kiss me.
He wouldn't listen.
So I hit him.
Can you show me where? Once in the face like that.
And that's it? You hit him once and he went down? I think I hit him twice.
Is that in the face again? No.
The second one was lower.
Here.
He went down after two punches.
I might have kicked him too.
I don't remember.
But you didn't mean to kill him.
Of course not.
You wouldn't have kicked him very hard knowing how sick he was.
Sick? Curtis wasn't sick.
Wheeler, a word.
You buy May's story? Could be protecting her husband.
He could be protecting her.
Zach just came in.
He says he needs to get something off his chest.
It was my fault.
I thought May would be safe.
It's your fault that Curtis slept with May? He forced himself on her.
She told you that? He practically raped her.
Then she gave him a trophy? Whatever May did, she felt she had to.
When I heard what Curtis had done, I went nuts.
So you decided to teach him a lesson.
Went upstairs and I clocked the guy in the face.
Guess he must've hit his head, right? I hit him once and he went down.
I thought he'd get up, but he just stayed down.
I've had couples point the fingers at each other lots of time, but fighting to take the blame? That's new.
Don't you believe in true love? You mean true confusion.
He says it's him.
She says it's her.
They each have reasonable doubt.
- It's a good strategy.
- Strategy? One of them punched Curtis, panicked when he went down, then they staged a fake robbery.
And then blamed the big scary black man on the corner.
Okay, we have to keep it simple.
We know that Zach would attack Curtis to defend her honor, but what's May's motive? Well maybe Curtis went cold on her.
Cut her off.
Ended her dream.
Well, what did the ME say? Any blow to the spleen would do it.
He was that sick? - And she didn't know about it? - She knew it.
Curtis told her.
Guys use whatever they have to get over.
If they have a tragic story, a sickness.
Even if they have a dead cat, they'll work it into their rap.
Heartwarming.
But May did point to my left side to show where she had hit him.
'cause she knew it would make her confession more believable.
Zach didn't have a clue.
He thought he died from a head wound.
As long as he's standing by her, I still have two conflicting confessions.
Let her go and book him for assault.
Maybe a little taste of prison life will weaken his bond to her.
You need to get new evidence or break up their marriage for good.
Otherwise, we have no case.
Counselor Wait, this is my sitter.
I'll be right back.
Hello? Okay, well, Zach stood by May through infidelity and murder.
A few nights in jail won't shake him.
No, it's May whose loyalty is shaking.
She betrayed Zach once.
She'd do it again in a Nashville minute.
So let's give her the chance.
Seamus Flaherty wants to meet with me? Why? It turns out he co-owned Curtis' studio.
He says he wants to give you back your tapes.
- You don't believe him.
- No, I don't.
Seamus only looks out for Seamus.
My guess is, he smells money.
Money? But I don't have any money at all.
This case is gonna get a lot of exposure, May.
You know, good kids from out of town corrupted by the big bad city.
Your story is gonna be worth a lot of money.
Seamus wants a piece of it.
What about Zach? Should I tell him? I'm sure Zach will want a piece too.
But, May, you need to start looking out for yourself.
This will always be Curtis Gold studios.
May, I'm right outside if you need anything.
What is she, your den mother? Where was I? - The studio.
- Right.
Yeah, I'm never gonna change the name.
I'm gonna keep this place in honor of Curtis.
He was a good man.
He loved you.
Just ignore the camera.
The tape's only gonna be seen by my investors.
Investors? May, I mean, you know, you got your 15 minutes of fame, but we're gonna need a little help to turn that into, you know, fifteen years of rock and roll stardom.
I'm sorry if this question is rude.
Shoot.
Do you know anything about music? I mean, you own a bar.
I knew that babe in the woods routine was just an act.
You want to talk business? Okay, May I got the money and the connections to make all your dreams come true.
Look at that.
I told you everything that happened that night.
I don't know how much more I could show you.
Humor me.
I'm a visual learner.
Uncuff him.
My partner's in the booth downloading tape files, evidence.
You shouldn't be watching that.
Can you leave it on? What is this? It's a ticket to stardom.
"I was the devil's darling"? That's the name of my show? Limited engagement.
My club.
Industry professionals only.
I'm even gonna get you a career architect to create the show.
You know what that is? No.
It's this guy, he writes the songs.
He constructs your image.
Best in the business, a real star maker.
I showed him your video.
He liked the video, but he loves your story.
But that video isn't anything like me, and my story "I was the devil's darling.
" "I was the devil's darling.
" That's your story.
That's your image.
That's your ticket, okay.
You, you shared a bed with the devil, and you lived to tell the tale.
You want me to say that my husband is the devil? Well, he did kill a guy, right? That's not what happened.
Okay, you know, you got a little of that "victim who falls for the abuser" thing, which I personally find very sexy.
I'm gonna push that.
Zach didn't abuse me.
Well, he didn't really treat you very well, now, did he? "Death is an aphrodisiac"? - I don't even know what that means.
- It's Greek.
It means, you know, sexual turn-on.
I need to think about this.
No, no, thinking is not an option, okay? We gotta get this in place so we can open the show just when you take the stand.
Take the stand? Your husband killed Curtis Gold.
He admitted it.
It's a tragedy, but you gotta put yourself in front of it.
Hey, don't torture yourself.
All you gotta do is verify his account.
It wasn't his fault.
Whatever.
I am prepared to offer you this this amount of money.
Today.
To cement our partnership.
That's a lot of money.
May, you cannot tour with an open murder investigation hanging over your head.
Your husband beat Curtis to a pulp.
That's not what happened.
He only hit him twice.
Twice, yes, yeah.
He's an animal, and he doesn't deserve to be on the streets.
That's not what happened.
He Curtis was sick.
May, let it go.
He had a bad spleen.
I was gonna take him to the hospital.
My husband didn't know.
I did.
He can't be here.
His wife's inside.
You said it was tape.
You set me up.
Zach, no.
Fellas, we're in a meeting here.
Meeting's over, Flaherty.
Let's go.
He was sick.
I heard the whole thing, May.
You told me to kick him in the side.
You made me kill him.
No, Zach, you don't understand.
I saw you, May.
You wanted to be a star so bad, you were you were gonna take his money.
I wanted the money for the lawyer, Zach.
Everything I did, I did for you.
You broke our marriage vows for me? What do you think? Curtis Gold was gonna work with me just based on my talent? Curtis said you were gonna be a star.
Everybody says so.
Who? My father? Our friends back home? Curtis was interested in me and my voice at first, but later on I had to sleep with him.
We spent all our money moving here chasing your stupid dream.
Our dream.
Your dream.
And I was too much of a coward to tell you.
Your eyes shining with pride, loving me so much.
Bragging to all our friends back home.
I slept with Curtis, the only other man I've ever slept with other than you.
And I did it 'cause I love you.
You loved him so much, you set him up for murder? It wasn't like that.
You had him kill Curtis, and then you were gonna blame Goro.
Goro was a killer.
He was gonna end up in jail someday anyway.
Why, May? Why'd you make me kill him? I just wanted to throw a punch.
Get it out of my system is all I needed.
If Curtis was still alive, my sin would hang over us.
But if he was dead, it would be like nothing ever happened.
We would be pure again.
I was trying to save us.
Don't you see that? Okay, Zach.
Let's go.
I love you, Zach.
Please say you love me, please.
Zach, Zach, we'll go home.
We'll forget we ever came to New York city.
Please.
We're not like Goro.
We're good people.
We just want to go home.
Please.
We just want to go home.
We misjudged her.
She put love for Zach first every step of the way.
"I love my husband so much I had to kill my lover.
" Make a good country song.
It's a shame Curtis is too dead to record it.