Law & Order (1990) s07e04 Episode Script
Survivor
In the criminal justice system the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups, the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
If Missy Lempkin's neckline fell any lower, it would hit Philadelphia.
I didn't notice.
She practically assaulted you.
Do we have to do this every time? They're not even real, you know.
Why do you think she spent last spring in Geneva? For the skiing? Geneva is flat.
What is that? Oh, my God.
Thomas! Call 911.
Oh, my lord! No sign of forced entry.
The door has a buzzer.
Place sells old coins, antiques, statues.
How about a'56 Willie Mays? Nothing that good.
Stephen Campbell, Smashed in the back of the head, hard, about 10:00 p.
m.
, judging by the body temperature.
With this? A nice green glass Tiffany lamp? More likely this.
Blood and tissue, unless these tired eyes deceive me.
It's part of a matched set.
Well, he picked it up when he came here.
Spur of the moment? Well, he didn't forget to take souvenirs of his visit.
But look what he left behind.
Why not take this stuff? Solid gold.
Anno Domini 1742.
So, he wasn't a master thief.
Some junkie stuffs his pockets and runs.
What, Campbell buzzed in some crazed junkie? Well, it could have been a close personal friend.
You want to ask his wife? "To my husband.
Ten wonderful years.
" thrilled to see us.
I was always so worried about the gallery.
He had so many valuable things.
He promised me he'd never work there alone.
Are you going to take me to see him? When you're ready.
Mrs.
Campbell, we have to ask, can you think of anybody who might have wanted to hurt your husband? No.
Stephen was a businessman.
He loved old coins.
He dealt with coin people, not murderers.
Did you talk with him last night? Yes.
He called me at his mother's apartment.
She and I were planning a surprise party for his birthday.
He said he was meeting a client, late.
He mention a name? His assistant would know.
Nancy Farber.
He didn't tell me about any appointment.
Did he usually tell you about his appointments? After hours? Not necessarily.
I just can't believe this.
Can you tell what's missing? That might help us.
Oh, Mr.
Campbell kept an inventory.
These are the most valuable things out here.
Some rare Dutch ducatoons.
It's not even locked.
In here, it really doesn't make much sense.
Some Weimar commemoratives are gone, worth maybe $2,000 total, but right here, look, three Maximilians.
Valuable? $10,000 each.
Brother, can you spare a Maximilian? Oh, my What now? There should be 40 coins on consignment from Richard Petersen here.
Richard Petersen? The guy who rented out Giants Stadium? Yes, he and Mr.
Campbell did a lot of business together.
They talked at least once a day.
Where was he going? To get something to eat.
And after that? I'm not really sure.
Well, are you partly sure? Was this one of those after-hours appointments that he didn't necessarily tell you about? There was a woman.
Some kind of aristocrat.
You're the Contessa of Alto-Perugia? That's right.
Alto means upper.
I take it you're from the southern part of the upper? South Carolina, actually.
My late husband, the Count, was from Italy.
We met at a golf tournament in Florida.
He was a golfer? No.
He sold cookware.
The Italian government took his family's property years ago.
I'm still negotiating with the consulate trying to get his fair share.
Meanwhile, you'd become friendly with Mr.
Campbell? Oh.
Yes.
Why, I've always been a fool for a man who could make me laugh.
I went in there to sell some gold, and the rest is history.
Did you and he make any history last night? We were supposed to, but he canceled.
Something came up at the gallery.
How were things going between you two? Fine.
And where were you last night? Here.
Alone? Goodness, do I need an alibi? Richard Petersen called about Richard Petersen, the businessman? Yes.
We talked for a while.
He's a friend of mine, too.
Does he make you laugh? Detective, I believe you're trying to make me laugh.
I spoke to the Contessa.
She was home.
You recognized her voice? I'd recognize a lot more than that.
What, you and Campbell shared her? Oh, she has a lot of friends.
She's fun.
Yeah, and I'm sure she loved all of you for yourselves.
Plus a fur coat or something once in a while.
You know, I'm a lot more popular now that I'm rich.
Now, look, by the way, that reminds me, I want to post a reward.
Who do I talk to? I know the Commissioner.
You mean, to get your coins back? No.
To catch Stephen's murderer.
He was a friend of mine.
We had fun together.
You and him and the Contessa? Golly, no.
Collecting coins.
Here, touch this.
Feel that.
Plato might have bought lettuce with that coin.
Pericles may have had his sandals fixed, hired a prostitute, bought a slave Bribed a cop.
My whole business started with coins.
Lincoln pennies in the third grade.
High school.
I was the fat kid at the coin show at the Hilton.
I bought my first building using Alexandrian tetradrachms as collateral.
This like the ones Campbell was holding for you? No, he had my prize Greeks and Romans.
Constantines, Cleopatras, Alexander the Greats.
Superb conditions.
Audrey, bring these officers the list we gave the insurers.
Well, at least you're insured.
Yeah, for the money.
These coins, they're like my children.
So, how many people knew you'd adopted them? Well, for that you'd have to look at the latest issue of Homage Magazine.
Yeah, they did a profile.
"With an unquenchable appetite, Petersen scours the world, "looking for new jewels to add to his already estimable crown.
" Turn the page, he's wearing a Superman costume.
"When he launched New Jersey Air, "banks in four states vied to offer him financing.
" How come rich guys always owe a billion dollars? High finance, Lennie.
Latent came up empty on the murder weapon.
The surface was bumpy.
From now on, we'll have to issue smooth lead pipes to all the murderers.
Campbell let somebody in who was mad enough to bust his head open.
Or who knew how to read.
I mean, the coins are described in this article.
And Campbell is mentioned several times.
Well, he's a coin dealer.
He'd open the door to a potential customer.
After hours? Somebody he already knew.
Well, they could have met recently.
A thief who owns a nice suit reads about the coins, goes to the gallery a couple of times.
We can call Campbell's assistant and get a list of who's been browsing.
My father has been in China for the last month.
He'll be back next week, but I can go e-mail him if you want.
Oh, no, that's okay.
We must be looking for a different Chad Markham.
I'm Chad Markham III.
Were you at the Campbell Gallery last week? Yeah.
Is this about that murder? Do you know who did it? Well, we're working on it.
If you're talking to me, you must be nowhere.
Anyway, what were you doing there? I collect coins.
Mainly silver Athenians, but a few Corinthian staters.
I wanted to see the Petersen collection.
They're supposed to be the best Athenians anywhere.
Yeah, well, I hope they measured up to your expectations.
I never got to see them.
Mr.
Campbell said they were out being appraised.
Do you mind? My light Oh, I'm sorry.
This won't take very long, Miss Sandler.
Good.
If I stop now, this cherub will have three wings.
I'm almost down to original pigment.
You didn't paint this, did you? No.
And my name is not Correggio, and I didn't die in 1534.
Any other questions? Yeah.
About the Campbell Gallery.
Awful.
I read about that.
We understand you visited there a couple of times recently.
Campbell advertised some 17th century Ferdinand and Isabellas.
Did you buy them? No.
He wanted high retail.
I'll wait for an auction.
You didn't also see some rare Greek and Roman coins there, did you? The Petersen collection? I asked.
Mr.
Campbell said they were out with a potential buyer.
Mark Lehmann.
It's news to me.
You didn't have the coins? Not for lack of trying.
I get horny just thinking about those babies.
Yeah, little cold pieces of metal turn me on, too.
It's money in a different shape.
I like money.
Looks like you got a floating office over there.
I thought people took up sailing to relax.
If I know what's going on, then I can relax.
Okay, so you're out in Long Island Sound, making money so you can buy money? And bragging rights.
Ten years ago it was lmpressionist paintings.
Then those yahoos in Soho.
Right, next year you'll spend a million bucks on some antique hula hoops, huh? Look, those coins are classics.
They're works of art and antiques and rare and intrinsically valuable.
I told Campbell to name his price.
So, why didn't you have them? Timing.
Petersen sold them two weeks ago to a Korean who wanted to rub them in the faces of the Japanese.
The coins were in Seoul.
Excuse me.
Okay, fill me in, Rey.
Petersen is looking for some coins that were stolen from him two nights ago, except he sold them to some Korean two weeks ago.
What? He forgot? Or Campbell sold them on his own and forgot to tell the guy who owned them.
Stephen said my coins were where? He told Lehmann that they were in Seoul.
That's impossible.
I don't know anybody in Seoul.
He told somebody else that they were out being appraised.
Yeah, well, he might have said that.
Those coins are worth millions of dollars.
You don't just pull them out of the vault for every sightseer.
Well, Lehmann is hardly a sightseer.
He was offering cash money.
Oh, have you checked his balance sheet? I haven't.
Maybe Stephen didn't consider him a serious buyer.
Or maybe he didn't have the coins anymore.
Could Mr.
Campbell have sold them and been planning to surprise you with the check? He wouldn't have to tell just me.
He'd have to tell the bank.
Those coins were collateral on my Jersey Air loan.
Oh, your new airline? Yeah.
I'm taking flying lessons in my own 747.
You see, it just doesn't make any sense.
Unless Mr.
Campbell was having financial problems.
What, and stole my coins? He was one of my best friends and he was doing fine.
The gallery records say the coins were in the safe.
Nothing about a sale.
Any paperwork from international shippers? Campbell sent a lot of stuff to Europe, nothing to Asia.
But he made up three different excuses to avoid showing those coins to interested customers.
They weren't in that safe.
But he was Petersen's best friend.
But he needed money more than he needed a pal.
You know, those aren't the kind of goods you just sell to Vinnie the Fence.
I'm gonna put this stuff on the wire to Interpol.
There was a case at OCCB.
The mob hijacked a truck, thought it had VCRs in it.
It had three early Picassos.
They took it to a specialist.
Look, I'll tell you everything I know about the Petersen coins.
Because you don't know anything? I'm knowledgeable, not omniscient.
I haven't heard a thing about them since the robbery.
How about before the robbery? Oh.
You think Campbell was diddling the fat boy? What do you think? Nothing.
But if Campbell sold the coins, they went to someone discreet with a very private vault.
What's the fun in that? No bragging rights.
Some people just like to hold them.
Yeah, and think about how Socrates used them to buy a kielbasa.
I take it your friend is not a collector.
What was the word on Campbell? Respectable.
But I wouldn't be surprised if he was a little short of money.
A few months ago he had an auction for gold Napoleons.
Big estimated values.
He didn't even get the reserves.
Had to take them all back home.
Stephen found those coins in Brussels.
Nothing like them had been seen on the market in years.
He was certain interest would be high.
But he was wrong? A month before the auction, a French frigate was salvaged off Martinique, loaded with gold Napoleons.
He didn't have a crystal ball.
That must have pinched financially.
What does any of this have to do with Stephen's murder? Well, sometimes financial circumstance plays a role.
Well, things were fine.
That's what your husband told you? Ask our accountant.
He'll tell you.
Well, Campbell must have been trying to shield her from the bad news.
We understand he was a real gentleman that way.
Yeah, but he'd never gone out on a limb this far before.
And using two million dollars of other people's money.
Whose money? Well, he put together a syndicate, mostly doctors and dentists, and promised them One of the doctors had already retained a lawyer.
Did Richard Petersen know about this? Well, he was a member of the syndicate.
The lawyer was contacting all the investors.
How do you think Petersen reacted to hearing that the guy holding his prize coins was about to have his assets seized? I guess his first reaction was losing his memory.
He told us Campbell didn't have any financial problems.
I'd get my prize coins the hell off the premises, and if my buddy didn't give them to me because he didn't have them anymore Yeah, and if it meant having to give up my 747? I think I'd be a little upset.
So, where did Petersen say he ate the night of the murder? Hey, excuse me! He sat at table seven, by the door.
You know, see and be seen.
Uh-huh.
What kind of a mood was he in? Good.
He likes our lobster ravioli.
He told us he was with a reporter.
Yeah, but he was paying more attention to his cell phone.
Well, who likes reporters? You should have seen this reporter.
You didn't happen to overhear what he was talking about on his phone, did you? Sure.
I became the most popular restaurant in Soho by listening to my customers' conversations and telling to the police.
Is that a yes or a no? No.
What time did Petersen leave? Well, that I don't remember, but it was before dessert.
And he ordered the chocolate soufflé.
Did he leave with the reporter? No.
Separate cabs.
Sure, what's in it for me? The satisfaction of fulfilling your responsibilities as a citizen? Is Richard Petersen a murder suspect? 'Cause I'll tell you, that could really pep up my story.
Why? You didn't exactly find him scintillating? Coins, coins, coins.
I don't write for Insomniacs' Monthly.
Well, sounds like you put him to sleep, Sally.
We hear he started making phone calls during the middle of dinner.
Rich people have a lot of urgent business.
He checked his messages and he returned one call.
What did he say? I couldn't hear, but after he finished, he said he had to leave.
What time was that? Now, what did you guys say I'd be getting out of this? Well, how about a daily briefing on the ongoing murder investigation? I'll tell you what, here's my unlisted cell phone number.
It was early, wasn't even 10:00.
Anyway, I invited him back to my place for coffee.
You invite all your interview subjects home or just the rich ones? What do you think? Anyway, he passed.
Unbelievable.
No kidding.
'Cause I make great coffee.
Petersen's service.
then the gallery from the restaurant.
Ten minutes later he's out the door.
Leaving the lovely lady journalist to sail home alone.
Do you know where Petersen went from the restaurant? Not home.
The doorman said he didn't get home till almost midnight.
So, he goes to see Campbell to discuss his coins, which aren't there.
And loses his temper.
It plays.
There was a robbery.
Some coins were taken.
Yeah, cheap Weimar commemoratives.
Petersen might have grabbed them on the way out.
Well, get a search warrant.
See how the other half lives.
Nice suits, nice carpet.
You could put a swimming pool in that closet.
Yeah, Lennie, but is he happy? I'd be ecstatic.
You can leave now.
You can leave, too.
You know, Mr.
Petersen, even though you are a taxpayer, technically we don't actually work for you personally.
Search warrant.
Searching for what? I'm the victim, remember? My coins were stolen.
My friend was killed.
Speaking of coins Deutschland, 1928.
You're the expert.
Are these Weimar commemoratives? Golly gee, guys, this just doesn't make any sense.
I left that restaurant and went back to my office.
And nobody talked to you, nobody saw you? If I'd known I was gonna be accused of murder, I'd have struck up a conversation.
What did you and Campbell talk about when you called him from the restaurant? We were going to Italy next month to look at some coins dug up from a site near Cortona.
So you rushed out of the restaurant so you could start packing early? No, you got me.
I went and I killed my friend Stephen.
Why? Why would he steal them? You said he didn't have financial problems.
He wouldn't and he didn't.
Yeah, but you said even if he did.
Why would I kill a friend over three percent of my net worth? Leverage, Petersen.
It was collateral for part of one loan for the airline that was part of your transportation holding company, which was financed up to your eyebrows.
So, you pull out one brick from that wall, it comes crashing down, you gotta go back to collecting Lincoln pennies.
Rey.
Rey, Rey, Rey, do me a favor.
Go to business school for a couple of years before you explain my financing to me.
Okay? I can't talk right now.
I have to go to business school.
Do it later.
Campbell's assistant identified the German coins as the cheap ones stolen from the gallery.
And Latent got Petersen's prints from a securities dealer license.
They match the prints on the safe, inside and out.
Miss Ross.
Just in time.
Richard Petersen? You know this guy? I've met him.
He's rich.
Well, with the evidence we have, if he's Ricky Petersen of East So do it.
Oh, Rey, did you know the ancient Greeks sometimes made coins of silver mixed with gold? Golly gee, Richard, you're under arrest for the murder of Stephen Campbell.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to an attorney Kudos to your associate, Jack.
Two million dollars bail.
Gotta be a record.
He can afford it.
Didn't he charter the Concorde and invite his hundred best friends for a birthday party? A hundred and ten, including the mayor and three congressmen.
Are you mad you weren't invited or are you trying to impress them with this absurd prosecution? Just doing my job.
Prosecuting a murderer.
I didn't kill Stephen.
No, you just left your fingerprints all over the safe.
What, what, what, don't you people listen? We did business together.
I was at the gallery all the time.
And the German coins the police found in your apartment? Payment on a bet.
Stephen thought Claudius invaded England in 46 AD.
I picked up the coins the day before.
And hid them in your sock drawer? So, he'll plead to unusual storage in the first degree.
On the murder charge, not guilty.
Man has got an explanation for everything, and he's a well-liked public figure.
Don't tell me.
You went to his birthday party? Nope.
I get airsick.
Just because he flies around with congressmen doesn't mean a jury is going to believe him.
Juries love rich defendants.
They throw fancy victory parties.
Juries love sympathetic defendants.
Not greedy ones who kill over a batch of old coins.
Can you prove that Campbell stole Richard Petersen's coins? The wolves were at Campbell's door.
All of a sudden, he stopped showing those coins to customers.
The only reasonable explanation is that he sold them.
Okay, I'm convinced.
But did Petersen know it? And that's your motive, isn't it? Here's the phone log.
Mr.
Petersen's lawyer already made a copy.
This covers the month before the murder? Yes, and there's no call from any lawyer about any problem with Mr.
Campbell.
Maybe the call went directly to Mr.
Petersen.
All his calls go through me.
Otherwise he writes messages on the backs of envelopes and loses them.
Maybe the call wasn't logged.
All his calls are logged.
I'm gonna testify to it.
What's this? "Call regarding Homage coins?" Just somebody who read that article.
Somebody who called three times in one day.
Hmm.
She never gave her name.
Said she thought some of the coins belonged to her family.
Six Roman Cleopatras.
Said she needed to see them.
And what happened? We get all kinds of cranks.
I just told her Mr.
Campbell had them.
She called again on the day of the murder.
What did she say then? I don't know.
Why not? What does this check mark next to it mean? Well, Mr.
Petersen took the call.
This mystery caller was hot to see the coins.
She got sent off to Campbell.
Who was previously unable to show them to anyone else.
Does his assistant remember her? No, but we know she was determined.
After Campbell brushed her off, she called Petersen, talked to him again.
If she told him Campbell didn't have his coins She's our new star witness.
All we have to do is take an ad in the Times.
Unknown woman desperately seeking Roman Cleopatras, please contact Manhattan D.
A.
She said they belonged to her family.
Maybe there's a record.
That's the coin? That's Cleopatra.
Lovely physique, don't you think? Lovely.
Do you have any idea who owned Petersen's Cleopatras before he did? Well, only three sets of that quality are described in the literature.
One in the Dutch Landesmuseum.
Another belonged to the Rothschilds.
And a third in a private collection.
Isidor Schoenberg of Munich.
As of when? The Landesmuseum still has their Cleopatras, and a Rothschild nephew just displayed theirs at a show in Lille.
Which leaves Isidor Schoenberg.
A Jew in Germany in 1935? What are the odds he survived the Nazis? Isidor Schoenberg, displaced person, landed in Ellis Island in 1948.
Six years later he joined the New York Numismatics Club.
He's here? He was.
He's dead.
But I checked the White Pages.
Mrs.
Isidor Schoenberg still lives in Washington Heights.
After all these years, someone is finally taking an interest in Isidor's coins.
Maybe he should have called the District Attorney.
He tried everyone else.
The War Reparations Board, United Nations, President Truman, President Eisenhower, President Kennedy.
He lost the coins? Lost.
Before the Nazis, Isidor's family was prosperous.
They owned knitting mills.
Isidor bought the Cleopatras at an auction in London in 1931.
This is the catalog.
You can keep it.
Isidor's father thought that Hitler was a buffoon, that it couldn't possibly last, but Isidor wasn't so sure.
So, he took the coins to Switzerland and put them in a bank vault there.
He should have kept on going, but his father and mother and sisters were all in Munich.
The Nazis killed them all.
Isidor survived Auschwitz.
What happened to his coins? He went back to the bank, but he had no documents, so he was turned away.
That's when he started writing letters? For 40 years.
It was an obsession.
You say these coins were stolen in a murder? Mmm-hmm.
I told him, " Isidor, stop.
They tried to defeat us, but we beat them.
" We lived.
We had a child.
Mrs.
Schoenberg, did you ever call a man named Richard Petersen about the coins? No.
If they were at my feet, I wouldn't bend down to pick them up.
You said you had a child.
Hmm.
Judith.
A very talented artist.
Her name is Judith Schoenberg? No.
She keeps her former husband's name.
Sandler.
She works as an art restorer.
I don't have time to take phone calls from every lunatic who has nothing better to do with theirs.
You took this one.
I don't remember.
What's this all about, Jack? A woman who thought some of your client's coins belonged to her.
Really? And she was at Campbell's? Yes.
And she called Mr.
Petersen? Yes.
Think, Richard.
Yeah, now I remember.
Audrey put her through.
Nervous woman.
Ranting on about the Cleopatras.
No wonder Stephen didn't show her my coins.
She told you he wouldn't show them to her? Yeah, and she was very insistent.
I mean, she was bitter, like she had some right Golly, she's the one, isn't she? We have no evidence of that.
You do now.
This the kind of place you gave up to be a D.
A.
Mine had nicer leather.
What now? Search warrant on Judith Sandler? On the testimony of the accused killer? Not unless you get the judge drunk.
So, I'll talk to her.
Ask what she was doing that night.
We can go together.
You think I need my hand held? This could be the crucial interview.
I'll take notes.
Judith didn't come in today.
She was upset.
She said someone from the District Attorney's office was harassing her mother.
That was me, but I wasn't harassing her.
She served me tea.
Well, Judith does overreact to things sometimes.
You know about her family? Yes.
So it's understandable.
She once came into work in tears after reading an article about Rwanda on the bus.
Is that all she overreacts to? No.
She doesn't like bad weather or tight spaces.
At our Christmas party she got hysterical when she found herself sandwiched between three skinny curators and a wall.
She sounds like she might be a difficult employee.
She's also my best restorer, and she doesn't mind working late.
I put her on the ground floor so she doesn't have to ride the elevator.
Did she happen to work late on Monday night, two weeks ago? Why? A man was murdered.
By Judith? I don't think so.
Hmm.
She was supposed to work that night, but she never came back after dinner.
It must have started to rain.
I don't want to talk to you.
We don't need to talk, Miss Sandler.
We'd just like to look around your apartment.
Do you have a warrant? No, we'd like your consent.
Oh, sure.
And while you're at it, why don't you try on a few of my dresses? I have some jewelry you might like.
We're trying to be nice about this.
You're harassing me.
You harassed my mother.
I'm filing a complaint.
I can go ask a judge for a warrant.
Of course, these officers will have to stay here until I get back to make sure you don't remove anything.
Why are you doing this to me? We know why you went to the Campbell Gallery.
You lied to the police.
Would you mind stepping back a little? I don't feel well.
We could all just go inside.
No.
We don't like it when you lie to us.
It makes us suspicious.
I don't want to talk about this.
But you told us you felt just awful about poor Mr.
Campbell.
I want you to go away.
Just a quick look.
You're not going to find anything.
Look, please I have to go inside.
A few minutes.
All right, all right.
All right.
Do you have any coins in here, miss? No.
Just coin magazines? Yes.
Are you almost done? The article on Petersen.
You a fan of his? I want you to leave now.
Look at this.
Ground-in green glass.
Same as the broken lamp at the crime scene.
Is that where this came from, Miss Sandler? No more questions.
Turn around, please.
Judith Sandler, you're under arrest for the murder of Stephen Campbell.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to Another day, another defendant.
The glass in Judith Sandler's shoe is from Campbell's broken lamp.
She was in the gallery that night.
Yeah, she was there, Petersen was there.
How about the cast of Phantom of the Opera? They drop by? We're just going where the evidence takes us.
It's going to take you straight to an acquittal.
You got two mutually inconsistent suspects with two mutually inconsistent theories of the crime.
We're not going to trial against both of them.
We've got plenty of time to sort things out.
Yeah, well, this should help.
Sandler's lawyer has moved to suppress the evidence from her apartment.
The Fourth Amendment requires voluntary and specific consent, Your Honor.
Which was given.
I didn't want them to come in.
She says now, after incriminating evidence was discovered.
I said then.
Miss Sandler, this isn't the time.
She heard me.
She changed her mind voluntarily.
It's in the affidavits.
They'll all just lie.
Enough, Miss Sandler.
Your Honor, even if she did say yes, she was coerced.
She was confronted by Miss Ross and two armed detectives.
Who was she supposed to bring, Campfire Girls? Miss Ross deliberately preyed on Miss Sandler's mental vulnerabilities, of which she was well aware, Your Honor.
What mental vulnerabilities? Judith Sandler is the child of Holocaust survivors.
With all respect, what does what happened to someone else Survivors' children exhibit a well-defined galaxy of psychiatric symptoms, Your Honor.
Including claustrophobia.
Miss Ross and the two policemen might as well have been stepping on Ms.
Sandler's broken leg to make her say what they wanted.
All we did was ask.
She said, "Yes.
" Please.
If only that were still the issue, Miss Ross.
I'll hear testimony to determine the validity of Miss Sandler's consent.
I want a psychological exam by our expert.
Granted.
Did you ever see a psychiatrist before? Why? To cheer me up? Do you need cheering up? Have you noticed what goes on in the world? Bosnia, Burundi, Chechnya.
I have an idea.
Why don't I just put on a happy face? Have you always been concerned about other people? Ever since I can remember.
Even when what's happening is so far away? How far away is the television? The families of the people who died in that plane crash.
People standing in front of smashed trailers after a hurricane.
A shoe floating on a mud puddle.
I watch.
I cry.
Did your parents react to things that way? I'm not sure how my parents felt.
You knew about their experiences in Germany.
They didn't talk about it.
They wanted me to be an American girl.
Nancy Drew stories, Radio City Music Hall.
Well, your father must have talked about his coins.
Pieces of metal.
They mattered to him.
Why do you think that was? After all he'd been through, why were they so important? They weren't.
A few pieces of metal.
His family, his business, the house he grew up in, his dogs He wanted to get one thing back.
Her anger at what was done to her parents has been displaced externally into empathy.
Internally into depression.
How about into violence? If she felt it would avenge what was done to her parents by the Nazis.
Campbell wasn't a Nazi.
He was a coin dealer.
Dealing in what she thought were coins her father lost to the Nazis.
What about the search? She's capable of voluntary consent.
There's no indication of breaks with reality.
Her alleged claustrophobia? I didn't back her into a corner, but that would be consistent with her other problem.
Thank you, Elizabeth.
I know the rules, Jack.
I know you know them.
I told them over and over.
I didn't want them in my apartment.
But they insisted? They ignored me.
They kept moving closer.
And how did that make you feel? Like I was losing control.
I was having trouble breathing.
I asked them to step back.
Did they? No.
She kept saying they wanted to come inside.
I see.
So did you feel that you had a choice? I felt panicky.
I kept thinking how the police came for my parents.
So, Miss Sandler, when you said, "All right," did that mean that you wanted them to search your apartment? No.
I wanted them to leave me alone.
I see.
Thank you.
Miss Sandler, did you think Detectives Briscoe and Curtis were members of the Gestapo? No.
Did Miss Ross tell you they needed your consent to search your apartment? That's what she said.
I didn't know what they would do.
We have laws here, Miss Sandler.
We have rules.
They had laws in Nazi Germany, too.
Can someone explain this decision to me, please? Sandler trotted out the Holocaust and shed a few crocodile tears.
Yeah.
Nice.
And Miss Ross' conduct played no part? I believed I was acting correctly.
I would have done exactly the same thing, Adam.
Mr.
Schiff, it's downstairs.
Thank you.
Yes? Petersen and his lawyer.
To see me? Me.
I believe you all know each other.
Actually, we've been waiting to hear from Mr.
McCoy.
To drop the murder charge against Mr.
Petersen.
The case is under review.
Oh, come on, Jack.
You've lost your evidence against Judith Sandler, but we all know she did it.
Yeah, for a killer to go free because of some technicality, I mean It's her fault, right? Look, I want justice for Stephen.
I want a new investigation.
We appreciate that, Mr.
Petersen.
How about a special prosecutor, huh? There ought to be a special prosecutor.
Frank, we're dropping the charge.
Have a nice day.
You could have given me a hint.
You're all over the papers pursuing somebody else for this murder.
You can't leave a man like that twisting in the wind.
Because he owns half of Chelsea? Because he's not the murderer.
You think he is? He's something.
He hasn't been straight with us since this began.
Funny he didn't ask us about his coins.
You'd think he'd be interested to know if we found them.
Did you find them? What happened to them? We searched Judith Sandler's apartment, her mother's apartment, her studio Her treasure chest.
Has anybody ever seen these famous coins? Okay, that was the Jersey Air loan.
The coins The first time we went to see them, they were out being appraised.
Did you get the appraisal? I don't I don't see it in the file.
What happened the next time you went to see them? Mr.
Petersen took them to Europe to show to a potential buyer.
What happened the next time? Look, Mr.
Petersen is a major customer.
If we didn't make the loan, there were plenty of other banks that would've been happy to.
So, you're telling me nobody ever saw the collateral for a $20 million loan? It didn't matter.
He never missed a payment.
I've got a savings account in that bank.
Remind me to cancel it in the morning.
Petersen just dreams up these coins he supposedly owns? Or uses a crib sheet.
This is the catalog from the '31 auction where Sandler's father bought his gold Cleopatras.
It's on page three.
This is the list of Petersen's coins that were supposedly in Campbell's safe.
I thought we were finished, Jack.
The charge was dropped.
Dropped by us.
Yeah.
We can bring it again.
Why? I still have evidence placing Mr.
Petersen at the scene.
Maybe he and Miss Sandler committed the murder together.
Well, that's ridiculous.
I never saw the woman until today.
Then why did you cover for her? What? The day Stephen Campbell was killed, she called you to complain about him.
You never mentioned it to the police.
I thought she was a nut.
Why do you think he didn't tell the police, Miss Sandler? Who cares what I didn't do? She killed Stephen and took my coins.
Then why doesn't she have them? Well, just because you can't find them doesn't mean she doesn't have them.
Is that right, Miss Sandler? Do you have your father's coins? No.
No, I don't.
Where did you buy those coins, Mr.
Petersen? Uh From a collector.
In Austria.
He must have gotten them from that Swiss bank.
And the rest of your special collection? Various sales.
Jack, what's this all about? A miracle, Danielle.
Have you seen this auction catalog? No.
Where did you get that? From your mother.
In 1931, 20 auction lots were sold to 20 different buyers, scattered all over Europe.
What do you think the odds are of reassembling all those lots 65 years later in a single collection? May I see that? Yes, of course.
A million to one, Mr.
Petersen? A billion to one? He said he had all of these coins? This is his insurance inventory.
Thank you.
It was all a lie.
You never had my father's coins.
That would make you guilty of fraud, wouldn't it, Mr.
Petersen? That's why Campbell wouldn't show them to me.
He was lying for you.
Oh, God! It was just an old auction catalog.
I found it at the library.
I never meant for anyone to get hurt.
You bastard! Misdemeanor fraud, Jack? I'll talk to the U.
S.
Attorney if he tells the truth.
She was calling me, calling Stephen.
We were afraid she'd raise a public stink and I'd be exposed.
We were going to meet her that night and try to buy her off.
When I got there, Stephen was dead.
I didn't want you to find her.
I didn't want to lose everything.
For nothing.
For nothing.
Judith! What does it matter? I killed a man for nothing.
Well, the U.
S.
Attorney closed her deal with Petersen.
He does five years at Club Fed.
Softies.
Well, we let Sandler off with eight-and-a-third-to-25.
The going rate for manslaughter.
Hard time.
And our Swiss banker friends Who stole the coins in the first place.
Yeah.
What refugees are they taking deposits from now as they yodel their way to the bank?
These are their stories.
If Missy Lempkin's neckline fell any lower, it would hit Philadelphia.
I didn't notice.
She practically assaulted you.
Do we have to do this every time? They're not even real, you know.
Why do you think she spent last spring in Geneva? For the skiing? Geneva is flat.
What is that? Oh, my God.
Thomas! Call 911.
Oh, my lord! No sign of forced entry.
The door has a buzzer.
Place sells old coins, antiques, statues.
How about a'56 Willie Mays? Nothing that good.
Stephen Campbell, Smashed in the back of the head, hard, about 10:00 p.
m.
, judging by the body temperature.
With this? A nice green glass Tiffany lamp? More likely this.
Blood and tissue, unless these tired eyes deceive me.
It's part of a matched set.
Well, he picked it up when he came here.
Spur of the moment? Well, he didn't forget to take souvenirs of his visit.
But look what he left behind.
Why not take this stuff? Solid gold.
Anno Domini 1742.
So, he wasn't a master thief.
Some junkie stuffs his pockets and runs.
What, Campbell buzzed in some crazed junkie? Well, it could have been a close personal friend.
You want to ask his wife? "To my husband.
Ten wonderful years.
" thrilled to see us.
I was always so worried about the gallery.
He had so many valuable things.
He promised me he'd never work there alone.
Are you going to take me to see him? When you're ready.
Mrs.
Campbell, we have to ask, can you think of anybody who might have wanted to hurt your husband? No.
Stephen was a businessman.
He loved old coins.
He dealt with coin people, not murderers.
Did you talk with him last night? Yes.
He called me at his mother's apartment.
She and I were planning a surprise party for his birthday.
He said he was meeting a client, late.
He mention a name? His assistant would know.
Nancy Farber.
He didn't tell me about any appointment.
Did he usually tell you about his appointments? After hours? Not necessarily.
I just can't believe this.
Can you tell what's missing? That might help us.
Oh, Mr.
Campbell kept an inventory.
These are the most valuable things out here.
Some rare Dutch ducatoons.
It's not even locked.
In here, it really doesn't make much sense.
Some Weimar commemoratives are gone, worth maybe $2,000 total, but right here, look, three Maximilians.
Valuable? $10,000 each.
Brother, can you spare a Maximilian? Oh, my What now? There should be 40 coins on consignment from Richard Petersen here.
Richard Petersen? The guy who rented out Giants Stadium? Yes, he and Mr.
Campbell did a lot of business together.
They talked at least once a day.
Where was he going? To get something to eat.
And after that? I'm not really sure.
Well, are you partly sure? Was this one of those after-hours appointments that he didn't necessarily tell you about? There was a woman.
Some kind of aristocrat.
You're the Contessa of Alto-Perugia? That's right.
Alto means upper.
I take it you're from the southern part of the upper? South Carolina, actually.
My late husband, the Count, was from Italy.
We met at a golf tournament in Florida.
He was a golfer? No.
He sold cookware.
The Italian government took his family's property years ago.
I'm still negotiating with the consulate trying to get his fair share.
Meanwhile, you'd become friendly with Mr.
Campbell? Oh.
Yes.
Why, I've always been a fool for a man who could make me laugh.
I went in there to sell some gold, and the rest is history.
Did you and he make any history last night? We were supposed to, but he canceled.
Something came up at the gallery.
How were things going between you two? Fine.
And where were you last night? Here.
Alone? Goodness, do I need an alibi? Richard Petersen called about Richard Petersen, the businessman? Yes.
We talked for a while.
He's a friend of mine, too.
Does he make you laugh? Detective, I believe you're trying to make me laugh.
I spoke to the Contessa.
She was home.
You recognized her voice? I'd recognize a lot more than that.
What, you and Campbell shared her? Oh, she has a lot of friends.
She's fun.
Yeah, and I'm sure she loved all of you for yourselves.
Plus a fur coat or something once in a while.
You know, I'm a lot more popular now that I'm rich.
Now, look, by the way, that reminds me, I want to post a reward.
Who do I talk to? I know the Commissioner.
You mean, to get your coins back? No.
To catch Stephen's murderer.
He was a friend of mine.
We had fun together.
You and him and the Contessa? Golly, no.
Collecting coins.
Here, touch this.
Feel that.
Plato might have bought lettuce with that coin.
Pericles may have had his sandals fixed, hired a prostitute, bought a slave Bribed a cop.
My whole business started with coins.
Lincoln pennies in the third grade.
High school.
I was the fat kid at the coin show at the Hilton.
I bought my first building using Alexandrian tetradrachms as collateral.
This like the ones Campbell was holding for you? No, he had my prize Greeks and Romans.
Constantines, Cleopatras, Alexander the Greats.
Superb conditions.
Audrey, bring these officers the list we gave the insurers.
Well, at least you're insured.
Yeah, for the money.
These coins, they're like my children.
So, how many people knew you'd adopted them? Well, for that you'd have to look at the latest issue of Homage Magazine.
Yeah, they did a profile.
"With an unquenchable appetite, Petersen scours the world, "looking for new jewels to add to his already estimable crown.
" Turn the page, he's wearing a Superman costume.
"When he launched New Jersey Air, "banks in four states vied to offer him financing.
" How come rich guys always owe a billion dollars? High finance, Lennie.
Latent came up empty on the murder weapon.
The surface was bumpy.
From now on, we'll have to issue smooth lead pipes to all the murderers.
Campbell let somebody in who was mad enough to bust his head open.
Or who knew how to read.
I mean, the coins are described in this article.
And Campbell is mentioned several times.
Well, he's a coin dealer.
He'd open the door to a potential customer.
After hours? Somebody he already knew.
Well, they could have met recently.
A thief who owns a nice suit reads about the coins, goes to the gallery a couple of times.
We can call Campbell's assistant and get a list of who's been browsing.
My father has been in China for the last month.
He'll be back next week, but I can go e-mail him if you want.
Oh, no, that's okay.
We must be looking for a different Chad Markham.
I'm Chad Markham III.
Were you at the Campbell Gallery last week? Yeah.
Is this about that murder? Do you know who did it? Well, we're working on it.
If you're talking to me, you must be nowhere.
Anyway, what were you doing there? I collect coins.
Mainly silver Athenians, but a few Corinthian staters.
I wanted to see the Petersen collection.
They're supposed to be the best Athenians anywhere.
Yeah, well, I hope they measured up to your expectations.
I never got to see them.
Mr.
Campbell said they were out being appraised.
Do you mind? My light Oh, I'm sorry.
This won't take very long, Miss Sandler.
Good.
If I stop now, this cherub will have three wings.
I'm almost down to original pigment.
You didn't paint this, did you? No.
And my name is not Correggio, and I didn't die in 1534.
Any other questions? Yeah.
About the Campbell Gallery.
Awful.
I read about that.
We understand you visited there a couple of times recently.
Campbell advertised some 17th century Ferdinand and Isabellas.
Did you buy them? No.
He wanted high retail.
I'll wait for an auction.
You didn't also see some rare Greek and Roman coins there, did you? The Petersen collection? I asked.
Mr.
Campbell said they were out with a potential buyer.
Mark Lehmann.
It's news to me.
You didn't have the coins? Not for lack of trying.
I get horny just thinking about those babies.
Yeah, little cold pieces of metal turn me on, too.
It's money in a different shape.
I like money.
Looks like you got a floating office over there.
I thought people took up sailing to relax.
If I know what's going on, then I can relax.
Okay, so you're out in Long Island Sound, making money so you can buy money? And bragging rights.
Ten years ago it was lmpressionist paintings.
Then those yahoos in Soho.
Right, next year you'll spend a million bucks on some antique hula hoops, huh? Look, those coins are classics.
They're works of art and antiques and rare and intrinsically valuable.
I told Campbell to name his price.
So, why didn't you have them? Timing.
Petersen sold them two weeks ago to a Korean who wanted to rub them in the faces of the Japanese.
The coins were in Seoul.
Excuse me.
Okay, fill me in, Rey.
Petersen is looking for some coins that were stolen from him two nights ago, except he sold them to some Korean two weeks ago.
What? He forgot? Or Campbell sold them on his own and forgot to tell the guy who owned them.
Stephen said my coins were where? He told Lehmann that they were in Seoul.
That's impossible.
I don't know anybody in Seoul.
He told somebody else that they were out being appraised.
Yeah, well, he might have said that.
Those coins are worth millions of dollars.
You don't just pull them out of the vault for every sightseer.
Well, Lehmann is hardly a sightseer.
He was offering cash money.
Oh, have you checked his balance sheet? I haven't.
Maybe Stephen didn't consider him a serious buyer.
Or maybe he didn't have the coins anymore.
Could Mr.
Campbell have sold them and been planning to surprise you with the check? He wouldn't have to tell just me.
He'd have to tell the bank.
Those coins were collateral on my Jersey Air loan.
Oh, your new airline? Yeah.
I'm taking flying lessons in my own 747.
You see, it just doesn't make any sense.
Unless Mr.
Campbell was having financial problems.
What, and stole my coins? He was one of my best friends and he was doing fine.
The gallery records say the coins were in the safe.
Nothing about a sale.
Any paperwork from international shippers? Campbell sent a lot of stuff to Europe, nothing to Asia.
But he made up three different excuses to avoid showing those coins to interested customers.
They weren't in that safe.
But he was Petersen's best friend.
But he needed money more than he needed a pal.
You know, those aren't the kind of goods you just sell to Vinnie the Fence.
I'm gonna put this stuff on the wire to Interpol.
There was a case at OCCB.
The mob hijacked a truck, thought it had VCRs in it.
It had three early Picassos.
They took it to a specialist.
Look, I'll tell you everything I know about the Petersen coins.
Because you don't know anything? I'm knowledgeable, not omniscient.
I haven't heard a thing about them since the robbery.
How about before the robbery? Oh.
You think Campbell was diddling the fat boy? What do you think? Nothing.
But if Campbell sold the coins, they went to someone discreet with a very private vault.
What's the fun in that? No bragging rights.
Some people just like to hold them.
Yeah, and think about how Socrates used them to buy a kielbasa.
I take it your friend is not a collector.
What was the word on Campbell? Respectable.
But I wouldn't be surprised if he was a little short of money.
A few months ago he had an auction for gold Napoleons.
Big estimated values.
He didn't even get the reserves.
Had to take them all back home.
Stephen found those coins in Brussels.
Nothing like them had been seen on the market in years.
He was certain interest would be high.
But he was wrong? A month before the auction, a French frigate was salvaged off Martinique, loaded with gold Napoleons.
He didn't have a crystal ball.
That must have pinched financially.
What does any of this have to do with Stephen's murder? Well, sometimes financial circumstance plays a role.
Well, things were fine.
That's what your husband told you? Ask our accountant.
He'll tell you.
Well, Campbell must have been trying to shield her from the bad news.
We understand he was a real gentleman that way.
Yeah, but he'd never gone out on a limb this far before.
And using two million dollars of other people's money.
Whose money? Well, he put together a syndicate, mostly doctors and dentists, and promised them One of the doctors had already retained a lawyer.
Did Richard Petersen know about this? Well, he was a member of the syndicate.
The lawyer was contacting all the investors.
How do you think Petersen reacted to hearing that the guy holding his prize coins was about to have his assets seized? I guess his first reaction was losing his memory.
He told us Campbell didn't have any financial problems.
I'd get my prize coins the hell off the premises, and if my buddy didn't give them to me because he didn't have them anymore Yeah, and if it meant having to give up my 747? I think I'd be a little upset.
So, where did Petersen say he ate the night of the murder? Hey, excuse me! He sat at table seven, by the door.
You know, see and be seen.
Uh-huh.
What kind of a mood was he in? Good.
He likes our lobster ravioli.
He told us he was with a reporter.
Yeah, but he was paying more attention to his cell phone.
Well, who likes reporters? You should have seen this reporter.
You didn't happen to overhear what he was talking about on his phone, did you? Sure.
I became the most popular restaurant in Soho by listening to my customers' conversations and telling to the police.
Is that a yes or a no? No.
What time did Petersen leave? Well, that I don't remember, but it was before dessert.
And he ordered the chocolate soufflé.
Did he leave with the reporter? No.
Separate cabs.
Sure, what's in it for me? The satisfaction of fulfilling your responsibilities as a citizen? Is Richard Petersen a murder suspect? 'Cause I'll tell you, that could really pep up my story.
Why? You didn't exactly find him scintillating? Coins, coins, coins.
I don't write for Insomniacs' Monthly.
Well, sounds like you put him to sleep, Sally.
We hear he started making phone calls during the middle of dinner.
Rich people have a lot of urgent business.
He checked his messages and he returned one call.
What did he say? I couldn't hear, but after he finished, he said he had to leave.
What time was that? Now, what did you guys say I'd be getting out of this? Well, how about a daily briefing on the ongoing murder investigation? I'll tell you what, here's my unlisted cell phone number.
It was early, wasn't even 10:00.
Anyway, I invited him back to my place for coffee.
You invite all your interview subjects home or just the rich ones? What do you think? Anyway, he passed.
Unbelievable.
No kidding.
'Cause I make great coffee.
Petersen's service.
then the gallery from the restaurant.
Ten minutes later he's out the door.
Leaving the lovely lady journalist to sail home alone.
Do you know where Petersen went from the restaurant? Not home.
The doorman said he didn't get home till almost midnight.
So, he goes to see Campbell to discuss his coins, which aren't there.
And loses his temper.
It plays.
There was a robbery.
Some coins were taken.
Yeah, cheap Weimar commemoratives.
Petersen might have grabbed them on the way out.
Well, get a search warrant.
See how the other half lives.
Nice suits, nice carpet.
You could put a swimming pool in that closet.
Yeah, Lennie, but is he happy? I'd be ecstatic.
You can leave now.
You can leave, too.
You know, Mr.
Petersen, even though you are a taxpayer, technically we don't actually work for you personally.
Search warrant.
Searching for what? I'm the victim, remember? My coins were stolen.
My friend was killed.
Speaking of coins Deutschland, 1928.
You're the expert.
Are these Weimar commemoratives? Golly gee, guys, this just doesn't make any sense.
I left that restaurant and went back to my office.
And nobody talked to you, nobody saw you? If I'd known I was gonna be accused of murder, I'd have struck up a conversation.
What did you and Campbell talk about when you called him from the restaurant? We were going to Italy next month to look at some coins dug up from a site near Cortona.
So you rushed out of the restaurant so you could start packing early? No, you got me.
I went and I killed my friend Stephen.
Why? Why would he steal them? You said he didn't have financial problems.
He wouldn't and he didn't.
Yeah, but you said even if he did.
Why would I kill a friend over three percent of my net worth? Leverage, Petersen.
It was collateral for part of one loan for the airline that was part of your transportation holding company, which was financed up to your eyebrows.
So, you pull out one brick from that wall, it comes crashing down, you gotta go back to collecting Lincoln pennies.
Rey.
Rey, Rey, Rey, do me a favor.
Go to business school for a couple of years before you explain my financing to me.
Okay? I can't talk right now.
I have to go to business school.
Do it later.
Campbell's assistant identified the German coins as the cheap ones stolen from the gallery.
And Latent got Petersen's prints from a securities dealer license.
They match the prints on the safe, inside and out.
Miss Ross.
Just in time.
Richard Petersen? You know this guy? I've met him.
He's rich.
Well, with the evidence we have, if he's Ricky Petersen of East So do it.
Oh, Rey, did you know the ancient Greeks sometimes made coins of silver mixed with gold? Golly gee, Richard, you're under arrest for the murder of Stephen Campbell.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to an attorney Kudos to your associate, Jack.
Two million dollars bail.
Gotta be a record.
He can afford it.
Didn't he charter the Concorde and invite his hundred best friends for a birthday party? A hundred and ten, including the mayor and three congressmen.
Are you mad you weren't invited or are you trying to impress them with this absurd prosecution? Just doing my job.
Prosecuting a murderer.
I didn't kill Stephen.
No, you just left your fingerprints all over the safe.
What, what, what, don't you people listen? We did business together.
I was at the gallery all the time.
And the German coins the police found in your apartment? Payment on a bet.
Stephen thought Claudius invaded England in 46 AD.
I picked up the coins the day before.
And hid them in your sock drawer? So, he'll plead to unusual storage in the first degree.
On the murder charge, not guilty.
Man has got an explanation for everything, and he's a well-liked public figure.
Don't tell me.
You went to his birthday party? Nope.
I get airsick.
Just because he flies around with congressmen doesn't mean a jury is going to believe him.
Juries love rich defendants.
They throw fancy victory parties.
Juries love sympathetic defendants.
Not greedy ones who kill over a batch of old coins.
Can you prove that Campbell stole Richard Petersen's coins? The wolves were at Campbell's door.
All of a sudden, he stopped showing those coins to customers.
The only reasonable explanation is that he sold them.
Okay, I'm convinced.
But did Petersen know it? And that's your motive, isn't it? Here's the phone log.
Mr.
Petersen's lawyer already made a copy.
This covers the month before the murder? Yes, and there's no call from any lawyer about any problem with Mr.
Campbell.
Maybe the call went directly to Mr.
Petersen.
All his calls go through me.
Otherwise he writes messages on the backs of envelopes and loses them.
Maybe the call wasn't logged.
All his calls are logged.
I'm gonna testify to it.
What's this? "Call regarding Homage coins?" Just somebody who read that article.
Somebody who called three times in one day.
Hmm.
She never gave her name.
Said she thought some of the coins belonged to her family.
Six Roman Cleopatras.
Said she needed to see them.
And what happened? We get all kinds of cranks.
I just told her Mr.
Campbell had them.
She called again on the day of the murder.
What did she say then? I don't know.
Why not? What does this check mark next to it mean? Well, Mr.
Petersen took the call.
This mystery caller was hot to see the coins.
She got sent off to Campbell.
Who was previously unable to show them to anyone else.
Does his assistant remember her? No, but we know she was determined.
After Campbell brushed her off, she called Petersen, talked to him again.
If she told him Campbell didn't have his coins She's our new star witness.
All we have to do is take an ad in the Times.
Unknown woman desperately seeking Roman Cleopatras, please contact Manhattan D.
A.
She said they belonged to her family.
Maybe there's a record.
That's the coin? That's Cleopatra.
Lovely physique, don't you think? Lovely.
Do you have any idea who owned Petersen's Cleopatras before he did? Well, only three sets of that quality are described in the literature.
One in the Dutch Landesmuseum.
Another belonged to the Rothschilds.
And a third in a private collection.
Isidor Schoenberg of Munich.
As of when? The Landesmuseum still has their Cleopatras, and a Rothschild nephew just displayed theirs at a show in Lille.
Which leaves Isidor Schoenberg.
A Jew in Germany in 1935? What are the odds he survived the Nazis? Isidor Schoenberg, displaced person, landed in Ellis Island in 1948.
Six years later he joined the New York Numismatics Club.
He's here? He was.
He's dead.
But I checked the White Pages.
Mrs.
Isidor Schoenberg still lives in Washington Heights.
After all these years, someone is finally taking an interest in Isidor's coins.
Maybe he should have called the District Attorney.
He tried everyone else.
The War Reparations Board, United Nations, President Truman, President Eisenhower, President Kennedy.
He lost the coins? Lost.
Before the Nazis, Isidor's family was prosperous.
They owned knitting mills.
Isidor bought the Cleopatras at an auction in London in 1931.
This is the catalog.
You can keep it.
Isidor's father thought that Hitler was a buffoon, that it couldn't possibly last, but Isidor wasn't so sure.
So, he took the coins to Switzerland and put them in a bank vault there.
He should have kept on going, but his father and mother and sisters were all in Munich.
The Nazis killed them all.
Isidor survived Auschwitz.
What happened to his coins? He went back to the bank, but he had no documents, so he was turned away.
That's when he started writing letters? For 40 years.
It was an obsession.
You say these coins were stolen in a murder? Mmm-hmm.
I told him, " Isidor, stop.
They tried to defeat us, but we beat them.
" We lived.
We had a child.
Mrs.
Schoenberg, did you ever call a man named Richard Petersen about the coins? No.
If they were at my feet, I wouldn't bend down to pick them up.
You said you had a child.
Hmm.
Judith.
A very talented artist.
Her name is Judith Schoenberg? No.
She keeps her former husband's name.
Sandler.
She works as an art restorer.
I don't have time to take phone calls from every lunatic who has nothing better to do with theirs.
You took this one.
I don't remember.
What's this all about, Jack? A woman who thought some of your client's coins belonged to her.
Really? And she was at Campbell's? Yes.
And she called Mr.
Petersen? Yes.
Think, Richard.
Yeah, now I remember.
Audrey put her through.
Nervous woman.
Ranting on about the Cleopatras.
No wonder Stephen didn't show her my coins.
She told you he wouldn't show them to her? Yeah, and she was very insistent.
I mean, she was bitter, like she had some right Golly, she's the one, isn't she? We have no evidence of that.
You do now.
This the kind of place you gave up to be a D.
A.
Mine had nicer leather.
What now? Search warrant on Judith Sandler? On the testimony of the accused killer? Not unless you get the judge drunk.
So, I'll talk to her.
Ask what she was doing that night.
We can go together.
You think I need my hand held? This could be the crucial interview.
I'll take notes.
Judith didn't come in today.
She was upset.
She said someone from the District Attorney's office was harassing her mother.
That was me, but I wasn't harassing her.
She served me tea.
Well, Judith does overreact to things sometimes.
You know about her family? Yes.
So it's understandable.
She once came into work in tears after reading an article about Rwanda on the bus.
Is that all she overreacts to? No.
She doesn't like bad weather or tight spaces.
At our Christmas party she got hysterical when she found herself sandwiched between three skinny curators and a wall.
She sounds like she might be a difficult employee.
She's also my best restorer, and she doesn't mind working late.
I put her on the ground floor so she doesn't have to ride the elevator.
Did she happen to work late on Monday night, two weeks ago? Why? A man was murdered.
By Judith? I don't think so.
Hmm.
She was supposed to work that night, but she never came back after dinner.
It must have started to rain.
I don't want to talk to you.
We don't need to talk, Miss Sandler.
We'd just like to look around your apartment.
Do you have a warrant? No, we'd like your consent.
Oh, sure.
And while you're at it, why don't you try on a few of my dresses? I have some jewelry you might like.
We're trying to be nice about this.
You're harassing me.
You harassed my mother.
I'm filing a complaint.
I can go ask a judge for a warrant.
Of course, these officers will have to stay here until I get back to make sure you don't remove anything.
Why are you doing this to me? We know why you went to the Campbell Gallery.
You lied to the police.
Would you mind stepping back a little? I don't feel well.
We could all just go inside.
No.
We don't like it when you lie to us.
It makes us suspicious.
I don't want to talk about this.
But you told us you felt just awful about poor Mr.
Campbell.
I want you to go away.
Just a quick look.
You're not going to find anything.
Look, please I have to go inside.
A few minutes.
All right, all right.
All right.
Do you have any coins in here, miss? No.
Just coin magazines? Yes.
Are you almost done? The article on Petersen.
You a fan of his? I want you to leave now.
Look at this.
Ground-in green glass.
Same as the broken lamp at the crime scene.
Is that where this came from, Miss Sandler? No more questions.
Turn around, please.
Judith Sandler, you're under arrest for the murder of Stephen Campbell.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to Another day, another defendant.
The glass in Judith Sandler's shoe is from Campbell's broken lamp.
She was in the gallery that night.
Yeah, she was there, Petersen was there.
How about the cast of Phantom of the Opera? They drop by? We're just going where the evidence takes us.
It's going to take you straight to an acquittal.
You got two mutually inconsistent suspects with two mutually inconsistent theories of the crime.
We're not going to trial against both of them.
We've got plenty of time to sort things out.
Yeah, well, this should help.
Sandler's lawyer has moved to suppress the evidence from her apartment.
The Fourth Amendment requires voluntary and specific consent, Your Honor.
Which was given.
I didn't want them to come in.
She says now, after incriminating evidence was discovered.
I said then.
Miss Sandler, this isn't the time.
She heard me.
She changed her mind voluntarily.
It's in the affidavits.
They'll all just lie.
Enough, Miss Sandler.
Your Honor, even if she did say yes, she was coerced.
She was confronted by Miss Ross and two armed detectives.
Who was she supposed to bring, Campfire Girls? Miss Ross deliberately preyed on Miss Sandler's mental vulnerabilities, of which she was well aware, Your Honor.
What mental vulnerabilities? Judith Sandler is the child of Holocaust survivors.
With all respect, what does what happened to someone else Survivors' children exhibit a well-defined galaxy of psychiatric symptoms, Your Honor.
Including claustrophobia.
Miss Ross and the two policemen might as well have been stepping on Ms.
Sandler's broken leg to make her say what they wanted.
All we did was ask.
She said, "Yes.
" Please.
If only that were still the issue, Miss Ross.
I'll hear testimony to determine the validity of Miss Sandler's consent.
I want a psychological exam by our expert.
Granted.
Did you ever see a psychiatrist before? Why? To cheer me up? Do you need cheering up? Have you noticed what goes on in the world? Bosnia, Burundi, Chechnya.
I have an idea.
Why don't I just put on a happy face? Have you always been concerned about other people? Ever since I can remember.
Even when what's happening is so far away? How far away is the television? The families of the people who died in that plane crash.
People standing in front of smashed trailers after a hurricane.
A shoe floating on a mud puddle.
I watch.
I cry.
Did your parents react to things that way? I'm not sure how my parents felt.
You knew about their experiences in Germany.
They didn't talk about it.
They wanted me to be an American girl.
Nancy Drew stories, Radio City Music Hall.
Well, your father must have talked about his coins.
Pieces of metal.
They mattered to him.
Why do you think that was? After all he'd been through, why were they so important? They weren't.
A few pieces of metal.
His family, his business, the house he grew up in, his dogs He wanted to get one thing back.
Her anger at what was done to her parents has been displaced externally into empathy.
Internally into depression.
How about into violence? If she felt it would avenge what was done to her parents by the Nazis.
Campbell wasn't a Nazi.
He was a coin dealer.
Dealing in what she thought were coins her father lost to the Nazis.
What about the search? She's capable of voluntary consent.
There's no indication of breaks with reality.
Her alleged claustrophobia? I didn't back her into a corner, but that would be consistent with her other problem.
Thank you, Elizabeth.
I know the rules, Jack.
I know you know them.
I told them over and over.
I didn't want them in my apartment.
But they insisted? They ignored me.
They kept moving closer.
And how did that make you feel? Like I was losing control.
I was having trouble breathing.
I asked them to step back.
Did they? No.
She kept saying they wanted to come inside.
I see.
So did you feel that you had a choice? I felt panicky.
I kept thinking how the police came for my parents.
So, Miss Sandler, when you said, "All right," did that mean that you wanted them to search your apartment? No.
I wanted them to leave me alone.
I see.
Thank you.
Miss Sandler, did you think Detectives Briscoe and Curtis were members of the Gestapo? No.
Did Miss Ross tell you they needed your consent to search your apartment? That's what she said.
I didn't know what they would do.
We have laws here, Miss Sandler.
We have rules.
They had laws in Nazi Germany, too.
Can someone explain this decision to me, please? Sandler trotted out the Holocaust and shed a few crocodile tears.
Yeah.
Nice.
And Miss Ross' conduct played no part? I believed I was acting correctly.
I would have done exactly the same thing, Adam.
Mr.
Schiff, it's downstairs.
Thank you.
Yes? Petersen and his lawyer.
To see me? Me.
I believe you all know each other.
Actually, we've been waiting to hear from Mr.
McCoy.
To drop the murder charge against Mr.
Petersen.
The case is under review.
Oh, come on, Jack.
You've lost your evidence against Judith Sandler, but we all know she did it.
Yeah, for a killer to go free because of some technicality, I mean It's her fault, right? Look, I want justice for Stephen.
I want a new investigation.
We appreciate that, Mr.
Petersen.
How about a special prosecutor, huh? There ought to be a special prosecutor.
Frank, we're dropping the charge.
Have a nice day.
You could have given me a hint.
You're all over the papers pursuing somebody else for this murder.
You can't leave a man like that twisting in the wind.
Because he owns half of Chelsea? Because he's not the murderer.
You think he is? He's something.
He hasn't been straight with us since this began.
Funny he didn't ask us about his coins.
You'd think he'd be interested to know if we found them.
Did you find them? What happened to them? We searched Judith Sandler's apartment, her mother's apartment, her studio Her treasure chest.
Has anybody ever seen these famous coins? Okay, that was the Jersey Air loan.
The coins The first time we went to see them, they were out being appraised.
Did you get the appraisal? I don't I don't see it in the file.
What happened the next time you went to see them? Mr.
Petersen took them to Europe to show to a potential buyer.
What happened the next time? Look, Mr.
Petersen is a major customer.
If we didn't make the loan, there were plenty of other banks that would've been happy to.
So, you're telling me nobody ever saw the collateral for a $20 million loan? It didn't matter.
He never missed a payment.
I've got a savings account in that bank.
Remind me to cancel it in the morning.
Petersen just dreams up these coins he supposedly owns? Or uses a crib sheet.
This is the catalog from the '31 auction where Sandler's father bought his gold Cleopatras.
It's on page three.
This is the list of Petersen's coins that were supposedly in Campbell's safe.
I thought we were finished, Jack.
The charge was dropped.
Dropped by us.
Yeah.
We can bring it again.
Why? I still have evidence placing Mr.
Petersen at the scene.
Maybe he and Miss Sandler committed the murder together.
Well, that's ridiculous.
I never saw the woman until today.
Then why did you cover for her? What? The day Stephen Campbell was killed, she called you to complain about him.
You never mentioned it to the police.
I thought she was a nut.
Why do you think he didn't tell the police, Miss Sandler? Who cares what I didn't do? She killed Stephen and took my coins.
Then why doesn't she have them? Well, just because you can't find them doesn't mean she doesn't have them.
Is that right, Miss Sandler? Do you have your father's coins? No.
No, I don't.
Where did you buy those coins, Mr.
Petersen? Uh From a collector.
In Austria.
He must have gotten them from that Swiss bank.
And the rest of your special collection? Various sales.
Jack, what's this all about? A miracle, Danielle.
Have you seen this auction catalog? No.
Where did you get that? From your mother.
In 1931, 20 auction lots were sold to 20 different buyers, scattered all over Europe.
What do you think the odds are of reassembling all those lots 65 years later in a single collection? May I see that? Yes, of course.
A million to one, Mr.
Petersen? A billion to one? He said he had all of these coins? This is his insurance inventory.
Thank you.
It was all a lie.
You never had my father's coins.
That would make you guilty of fraud, wouldn't it, Mr.
Petersen? That's why Campbell wouldn't show them to me.
He was lying for you.
Oh, God! It was just an old auction catalog.
I found it at the library.
I never meant for anyone to get hurt.
You bastard! Misdemeanor fraud, Jack? I'll talk to the U.
S.
Attorney if he tells the truth.
She was calling me, calling Stephen.
We were afraid she'd raise a public stink and I'd be exposed.
We were going to meet her that night and try to buy her off.
When I got there, Stephen was dead.
I didn't want you to find her.
I didn't want to lose everything.
For nothing.
For nothing.
Judith! What does it matter? I killed a man for nothing.
Well, the U.
S.
Attorney closed her deal with Petersen.
He does five years at Club Fed.
Softies.
Well, we let Sandler off with eight-and-a-third-to-25.
The going rate for manslaughter.
Hard time.
And our Swiss banker friends Who stole the coins in the first place.
Yeah.
What refugees are they taking deposits from now as they yodel their way to the bank?