Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) s08e01 Episode Script
Playing Dead
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.
Know what my father said about him? Greatest mayor ever.
Could charm a bird out of a tree.
You'll have your own plaque some day.
You mean, as soon as I get over this bump in the road.
Be calm, respectful.
Ma.
Like you always say, today's headlines wrap tomorrow's fish.
Chris Palarno.
Who invited him? I did.
Let them see we're friendly.
We have nothing to hide.
I'm your campaign manager.
You should have told me.
Mr.
Palarno, did you remodel the councilman's house in exchange for city projects? Councilman Hayes-Fitzgerald, was Mr.
Palarno's work on your home a form of a bribe? Okay, okay.
No one is hiding from a full explanation why a tabloid made headlines from some of our accounting errors.
The bribery scandal was just the sizzle.
Next comes the steak.
Unless I'm made happy.
No way he lies his way out of the next headline.
I want my money now.
I thought we said no more.
We gotta bluff him, baby.
Shh-shh.
Abre LA Puerta! You saw.
I turned the heat down with one press conference.
A couple of more, and it's gone.
I still get my big muni projects, though.
We can't nurture allegations of a quid pro quo.
Whoever hacked into our emails is stealing money out of my pocket.
I don't like it.
Chris, things will come up in the private sector.
Tonight at the museum board's dinner, we'll put your name in front of all the right people.
Main thing is nothing rash.
Yeah.
Mrs.
Hayes-Fitzgerald, can the kids have some ice cream? Oh, it makes them too hyper.
Come on, Josie.
Okay, I'm outnumbered.
But only one scoop.
If Stacy calls, tell her I'm on my cell.
Oh, goody, we're gonna get ice cream.
She hasn't called in days, Neil.
I still can't believe it.
Oh, you heard the call.
Someone's bringing cash.
I'm so glad we didn't have to, you know, do the other thing.
Now, Aruba's got topless beaches.
Oh, you wanna get high? Get high on this.
Here we go.
Payday.
Uhh! Uhn! Stacy? Stacy, it's mom.
Stacy? When I heard who she was, I figured major case should be on this.
It's a tough week for councilman Hayes-Fitzgerald.
A bribery scandal and his daughter's the victim of a shootout.
Yeah, I'm told she's actually his stepdaughter.
And he is? Richard Siebert.
Live-in boyfriend.
Not the nice guy you bring home to meet the folks.
Is this her place? His? Her parents pay the rent.
Did she talk to anybody before they took her to Bellevue? Uh, when I got here, she was already in the ambulance.
You should take that computer in for a complete download.
Looks like there's interest in her stepdad's problems.
From the notes on these margins, it looks like she enjoyed them.
I just spoke with the E.
R.
A bullet was removed from the girl's left shoulder.
It's the same bullet that went through him, so it's pretty deformed.
She'll be okay.
So the deadbolt is not broken, but the jam is splintered.
Detective, you're him.
So he comes to the door, he unlocks the bolt, the killer hears that, and he kicks the door in.
You jump back.
Grabs the lamp.
Throws it.
And Stacy's on the couch.
She jumps up.
He turns to protect her.
The killer fires again.
The bullet passes through him, hits her.
He hits the ground, bleeds out.
Why was he moved? The mother found Stacy pinned under him.
Under his dead body? For how long? From the lividity, three or four hours.
Maybe she saved herself by playing dead.
Or the killer only wanted him.
We'll do a vehicle canvas in the area.
You want me to be in pain.
You heard what she said.
No more pain medication.
You want me to be punished.
Stacy, this is withdrawal that you're experiencing, I don't mean to be so blunt, but we need you to remember what happened when it's fresh in your mind, okay? I don't remember anything.
I left.
You mean you tried to escape? No.
We need to know what happened.
After I was shot, I could feel him in the room with me, so I had to go.
I went away.
Like I was watching, but I wasn't.
But I am in pain now.
Real pain.
So councilman Hayes-Fitzgerald's daughter was shot in what appears to be a drug crime.
It's actually his stepdaughter.
Her mother was widowed.
Whatever.
My hope is a quick resolution that doesn't antagonize a powerful politician over an errant family member.
Chief of DS is coming by.
So far, it has the look of a drug deal gone bad.
They were packed for a flight to Aruba, new clothes, new luggage.
Rick Siebert might have stiffed the wrong dealer.
I'll tell them a full canvass is checking into who that might be.
Start a canvass, and suddenly every douche bag's got a story.
The story on you from the landlord is that you were banging on Rick Siebert's door, screaming threats.
Was that for drugs or money or both? I got nothing to say.
Really, you're not worried about threatening a murder victim? Guys, I'm on the job.
Check with OCCD.
Gonzo ruiz.
All right, you just give me a shove then.
I'm outta here.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, sit down.
All right.
Let's talk about Rick Siebert.
I bought Siebert's debt.
They put me into play in his neighborhood.
You wouldn't buy a debt knowing it was bad.
That'd make you look stupid.
He's a dumb kid from Jersey hooked on drugs.
Always scheming his way on the street, and people fronted him 'cause he said big family money was coming.
From her family.
Everybody knew who she was.
And Siebert said her family owed them.
Whatever that means.
Turns out Rick Siebert had a marketable skill.
These files from his laptop have Hayes-Fitzgerald's personal emails.
He hacked in.
What did he get? Well, for one thing correspondence between the councilman and his contractor that fed the tabloids.
Could be the family money he was talking about.
But the killing was after he sold to the tabloids.
Revenge? Or maybe he threatened something bigger to come? Rick Siebert wasn't welcome in our home.
Unfortunately, that meant we didn't see much of Stacy.
But you paid her rent.
Well, we knew he was gonna sponge off of her.
But it kept her from sleeping in the street.
Even with Rick Siebert's failings, he was a computer whiz.
I mean, he hacked into your emails.
Siebert sold that stuff to the tabloids? He never made demands on you? For a bigger payday than what he got at the ledger? Those stories are fabricated from accounting errors.
I would never have given him anything anyway.
He told people he had more money coming.
Maybe for material of even greater value.
He was a delusional crack head.
Why would you listen to him? And Stacy? Let's leave Stacy out of this.
I don't think she had anything to do with it.
You honestly believe that? Can you prove otherwise? I didn't think so.
Ahem.
I have a meeting.
Very forgiving toward his stepdaughter who nearly got him knocked out of a mayoral race.
Let's talk to the contractor who stands to lose millions in city projects.
I was at a bar, Harley's, having a beer, watching the game with some of my guys.
Who will back you up to keep their jobs.
Who will tell the truth.
Why would I want to kill that punk? I didn't even know him.
Rick Siebert, he smeared you with some very inside dirt.
Sticks and stones, detective.
On the news, you said you'd find the creep who spread those lies and deal with him.
I was mad.
Maybe I meant it a few days ago.
But Providence stepped in.
Providence could have been someone you hired.
Oh, please, I'm losing trade from tabloid headlines.
I'm gonna compound my problems? I'm gonna risk the whole operation by hiring a hit? Okay, Harley's till what time? Last call.
I got business.
Mom, you don't need to wait.
I'll get a cab.
You're not going back to your place.
It's too dangerous.
Like I'm going with you.
I'm over 18.
I can go where I please.
Which is why you're here.
Thank God you're alive.
I can get by on my own.
Based on recent events, I think you need us more than we need you.
Josie, did you tell her about Sophie's little hunger strike? What? She misses you, Stacy.
Both kids want you home.
And they found crack in that apartment.
So you could face drug possession charges.
You're gonna need us.
Just like you did before.
Did you know Rick Siebert was an addict? Why didn't Stacy live with you? Excuse me, addict or not, the death of a young man and the wounding of our child is a tragedy.
He is slick.
Hayes-Fitzgerald just tap-danced very effectively to the tune of Siebert's death.
Must be in his genes.
His great-grandfather was a tammany ward heeler.
And then he was made building commissioner when his predecessor was found floating under the 59th street bridge.
Hayes-Fitzgerald.
What's with the fancy hyphenate? Hayes is his mom's side of the family.
Now they've run city hall on three occasions.
Which might have given her some useful connections.
These are the files that Rick Siebert hacked into.
This all from the councilman's emails? He has correspondence on rare wines.
A chat room for oenophiles.
Not worth a headline in the ledger.
Yeah, but the effort that Rick made to put all this stuff together, put it all into files You know, it's like he had the scent of something he thought was real value.
So, attacking your stepfather's career, was that Rick's idea or yours? He knows? We've spoken about it.
But he doesn't believe you were involved.
He's certain it was all Rick's idea.
Well, it was.
Just for money.
Stacy, you wrote, um, "screw the bastard" on the margin of one of the articles about your stepdad, and To me, that seems like anger.
I'm home now.
I won't talk about that.
She shouldn't have to.
Stacy, like many young girls, went through a Rebellious phase, but we're all back together now.
Let's talk about the shooter.
Any facial hair? Scars? Piercings? He had a hat on.
His sleeves were pushed up.
On his wrists and arms, he had tattoos.
Snakes or barbed wire.
Do you think he thought you were dead? I don't know.
He just shot, looked us over, and left.
If the killers were after drug debt, would have killed 'em, you know, see that they were packed for Aruba And tear the place open looking for drugs, money.
Leaving the girl, it's not a pro's move unless they had specific instructions.
I mean, that brings it closer to home.
We should file a court order for Camille's laptop.
Yeah, and the wine correspondence thing, it sounds like, you know, like old mob code.
You know, like, "Tony needs a shirt and a half by mother's day," blah, blah, blah.
We'll check on the councilman's true passion for the grape.
The councilman leaves most selections to me.
Last month, I sent him this Saint julienne.
Full-bodied.
Long, beautiful finish.
Yeah, the councilman, he keeps going on and on about a Chateau Jeunesse '94 cab, right? But it's a boire dans sa Jeunesse.
He wouldn't order that now.
Why not? Well, you're supposed to enjoy it in its youth.
You know, seven to ten years after its bottled.
The councilman has a fine palate.
You know, we'd like to review his purchases in the last six months.
We can't disclose this information.
Unless we shut you down for a forensic audit.
A print-out would do, huh? Couple of emails here where the wine buddies are talking about a '97 Rioja.
The councilman never ordered any Rioja.
Well, same thing as the Jeunesse cab.
He never purchased it.
It's a code.
Looks like our vehicle canvass paid off.
An '06 black van was ticketed for blocking a driveway half a block from Stacy's place at 3:28 A.
M.
Security cameras picked up an illegal port entry eight blocks away from Stacy's place.
Same late model black van at 3:46 A.
M.
So the killer shoots Siebert.
he parks his van by the river and dumps the weapon.
Yeah.
We'll get the divers on it.
Any registration? The van is registered to a Toscano trucking company in Brooklyn.
We're looking for Toscano trucking.
Who wants to know? Is this the correct address for the trucking company? He's got the whole third floor.
And his name is? Di Rogga.
If he got problems with the cops, I have other people who want that lease.
I'll tell you all about Thursday's game in Philly.
Forget about it.
You should know me by now.
I never bet college baskets.
That's a degenerate's game.
Mr.
Di Rogga.
We're here 'cause we need something moved.
What? This is a trucking company.
Everyone's out on long hauls right now.
Well, we're here on a short haul.
You from here to our headquarters.
Well, that would involve my lawyer.
You're quite a dedicated fisherman, Mr.
Di Rogga, buying a boat midwinter.
It's the right economy to buy anything.
And paying to dry-dock it the rest of the winter? So where did you get that 19,000 in cash from? It wasn't half that much.
The guy was dying to get rid of it.
Hmm, your New York registration number.
The seller, Mr.
Owens, listed the purchase price as $19,500.
We'd really like to know where that money came from.
It was a token of appreciation.
I have a small trucking business that hauls antiques for wealthy clients.
They appreciate the care I take.
And they give you wads of cash? Oh, don't worry.
Come tax time, I'll report it.
Can I see your hand? Sure.
See something you like, I'll set you up with my manicurist.
Well, you know, our divers recovered this Walther PPK .
380 from the river.
Specifically from the port where your van was spotted making an illegal entry.
You know, the funny thing is about a Walther PPK is that it has a short grip.
You know, see, when you load the clip, you can pinch your little finger very similar to the pinch that you have.
You have nothing tying that gun to my client.
We've been very cooperative.
But I think we're finished here.
One more thing.
Can you pull up your sleeves? Looking for something special? We're done, Johnny.
He's very smart.
Used a temporary tattoo.
Deliberately kept his sleeves up to draw attention away from his face.
The girl is key to keeping a lid on things.
Stacy's here.
What's your concern? She's fragile.
She needs an anchor to windward.
There's only one person who knows how to do that.
Who can do that? Are you coming up now, honey? Did you take your pill? Mm-hmm.
I'll be up in a minute.
Don't even say it.
I can't help it.
Why you picked her.
Why not the girl from the upstate family? Money, serious clout in Albany.
Enough, ma.
Josie has been very Accepting.
Stacy, honey? Just a minute.
You shouldn't be in here all alone.
You're on medication.
Then I'll get out.
I need that towel.
Remember how you liked that? Please don't.
You'll always be my girl.
You'll always be my girl.
Type and cross.
Prepare for intubation.
Breathe her.
I got a BP.
70 palp.
Please, you got to save her.
Please! Okay, okay, okay.
Okay, shh, shh, shh.
Dr.
Lansing, our attending psychiatrist, wants to stop by when you feel you're ready.
He needn't bother.
You're on suicide watch until he approves your release.
I'm in no hurry to leave.
The information you gave us about Rick, it was very helpful.
I'm glad someone was helped.
I was wondering if you're feeling well enough to look at some photos.
Just, if you see the man that you described, just tell me, okay? Do we know why he shot Rick? No, we don't know that yet.
We just need a few more minutes.
She needs her rest.
Maybe you could just go back over there.
I'm fine.
Actually, I don't think I'm ready to do something like this.
It's okay.
You've been through a lot.
I understand.
It must have been tough being in that situation back at home.
You don't know anything about that.
That's not true.
I came from a bad home.
You said When bad things are happening, you need to Take yourself away to another place.
That's what I used to do.
I used to just want to lift myself up and take myself to another place.
You know, so I could see things from somewhere else.
Maybe it was just the crack.
I think we both know that that's not true.
I know what you're thinking.
You're wrong.
My life has been about saving Stacy from herself.
I homeschooled her in the ninth grade.
Well, that can't have been easy with your new baby.
We had good help.
We were all in Europe that year.
Come here, Sophie.
Let mommy tie your shoe.
And they had me.
I have friends who stayed in their villa.
It was magnificent.
Is that detective still in there with her? Yes.
You can't hold Stacy to anything she says after what she's been through.
But she'll be home, part of our family again.
Like our time in Siena.
That was real happiness.
They moved to Europe.
Odd choice for a politician with a hot career.
You know, we subpoenaed Stacy's records from Dalecrest High.
And she'd been acting out.
They recommended therapy.
But instead her parents pulled her out for homeschooling.
Well, some people view therapy as an indictment of their parenting skills.
There's a bigger reason to duck out of therapy: Sexual abuse by her stepfather.
That's a headline to die for if Siebert knew about it.
Yeah, we don't have direct evidence, but, you know, I think he might have been onto it.
Hayes-Fitzgerald's wife could have known.
Well, we've seen this before.
After the initial outrage, fear of the shame overcomes everything.
The wife joins with the husband to keep it in-house.
Even more of an imperative in a political family.
And Camille? Anything on the laptop? Uh, some cryptic emails.
She refers to a potentially volatile situation.
Use it.
Find the raw nerve that breaks through the family wall.
So has the inconvenience caused me by taking my laptop been of some value? We're curious about this volatile situation you've mentioned in your emails to Neil.
Volatile situations are a daily occurrence in politics.
Well, I'll bring you closer to home.
You raised money for the Hayes-Fitzgerald library, the beautification of Van-Cortlandt Park, and St.
Lioba's, a shelter for runaway teens.
The strange thing about that, this shelter got three times what the others got.
Why should my personal charities be of any concern to you? Well, these other fundraisers, they're longstanding projects.
But your interest in St.
Lioba's surfaced just a few years ago.
Shortly after Stacy left Dalecrest High.
Investigating an addict's death does not give you the right to question my personal generosity.
I've had enough.
I'm calling the commissioner.
It's a raw nerve, huh? They have nothing.
But they're fishing.
I'm worried.
We don't want them in Stacy's records.
I'm gonna call the shelter director.
If I had taken one of these lucrative positions I was offered in the private sector, I'd be immune to this grief.
That's not who you are.
That is not who we are.
The powerful in city governments are a dying breed.
The Daleys in Chicago, a handful of others.
This is our time, son.
In an age of weakness, you have a chance at real power.
Stacy is coming home, everybody.
That's great.
The kids really miss you.
Sophie, tell your sister how you feel when she's not around.
Sad.
You wanna come home, don't you? It's not that.
You know I love you, cutie.
Oh, back again? This is becoming harassment.
We're looking for the man who shot Stacy.
Why would that be a problem? I just don't want her pressured.
Come on, kids.
Let's go.
We'll be in the hall.
Bye, Stacy.
Excuse me.
I just saw him You don't want him touching you? Stacy, it's hard for victims of this sort of thing to have a normal relationship.
Rick Siebert Might have caught on to what was Yeah.
He knew what happened.
Not at first.
He asked me a lot of stuff.
Like Why I ran away and What the shelter was like.
St.
Lioba's.
Rick might have threatened blackmail far beyond any kind of political scandal.
Which could have meant jail time for your stepdad.
And that's why Rick was killed.
Down here, Jessica.
So how should I make you feel at home? This is like your own private club.
Yeah, where I relax, enjoy the pleasures of fine wine.
I have a Calvados that once belonged to Napoleon.
So it's from like 100 years ago? More like 200.
Can you still drink it? Absolutely.
Ah, you're cold.
I have to keep it chilly in here to protect the wine.
Here.
Let me do you up.
Thanks for the tour.
I really appreciate your time.
I know how busy you are.
How about I talk to some people at city hall about a summer internship program? That'd be awesome.
Daddy, daddy.
Ah, who's my girl? Me.
My girl and no one else's.
Forever and ever.
Ever and ever.
She's taken off from the house? We don't need that right now.
Ma, it'll be fine.
Neil, that girl is unstable.
So she's prowling the streets looking to get high.
Or talking to the cops.
So much for keeping her grounded.
Hey, I was supportive.
Even loving.
And you went too far.
You're always being led around by your why do you always assume that I because I know you.
When I saw she'd gone, I had to call you.
I guess we'll just play games.
There's a reason why she doesn't want to share a roof with your husband.
I think we all know what that is.
Stacy says things, but she's not always telling the truth.
At what point do you stop lying? How did he do it? Diminish you? Make you feel unworthy of a man of his stature? How does someone justify what he did? Oh, God.
How did you justify it? When the two of you met, she was around 12.
I've seen photos of her.
She was a beautiful girl.
Did you consciously use that? No, my God, no.
It it just happened.
And it happened again and again and again.
He loved me.
And you paid for that with access to your daughter.
It's not just me.
Stacy's unstable.
The drugs and Rick.
Rick was a shelter for her.
She talked about him like he was a hero.
Well, you weren't there for her.
She had to have someone to go to.
Oh.
It's true.
I was afraid of losing everything.
She ran away before.
Where did she go? To Rick.
Always to Rick.
You knew I'd be here? Wasn't hard to figure out.
Don't have anyone else to go to.
Doesn't say much about me.
Everyone calls him a lowlife.
Well, you did deserve better.
I had to get away.
Look, you shouldn't go away this time.
You have a responsibility, you know, for somebody that you love, somebody that you care about, Sophie.
She's only a baby.
Neil wouldn't actually Maybe not.
But, you know, people with his sickness, you know, their patterns they don't change.
And he's gonna molest other girls.
He will hurt her.
She's his blood.
You want to take that chance? Abandon her like your mother abandoned you? Is that what you want to do? You know? Mm-hmm.
I thought it would be nice for the two of you to be together, you know, since you're so close.
Drop it.
My father hired and fired police commissioners.
I know how you work.
Of course you do.
So Rick Siebert was very interested in your correspondence with your wine pals.
What's he talking about? I don't know.
Something he never shared with you? In these emails to your pals, you say that there's a special Chateau Jeunesse '94 that you're longing to savor.
That was a joke.
I know better than to hang on to a Jeunesse.
Yeah, right.
But these are not about wine.
It's code.
'94 is the year that your babysitter was born, Jessica.
And in these emails you brag to your your pedophile buddies that you would have sex with her.
Are you insane? We have a witness.
Stacy saw you and Jessica come up from the wine cellar.
That's where this all happens, isn't it? Stacy's brain is damaged by drugs.
I mean, you can't make a case with her testimony about anything.
How dare you.
So you lied to them.
I've given a statement.
How you took me to the wine cellar.
What you did.
You came from nothing.
Fatherless.
And you turn on us with these disgusting fantasies? The teen shelter didn't think they were fantasies.
Especially after they found out she was pregnant.
And you took her to Europe? To some secluded villa? Where was it, Siena? Right? Sophie's my proof.
She's my daughter.
My sister and my daughter.
Feel good to tell someone, Stacy? How you danced around in your underwear, getting me excited? Did you leave that part out? I was a child.
A child! You better get the whole story down.
Because that's exactly how it's gonna go in court.
Not just what I did, but what you did.
I can't! I can't do it.
I'm too ashamed.
No, no, the shame will be his.
Okay? Not yours.
You can trust us.
So I guess this interview is over.
Oh, you can go.
But you'll be back.
In handcuffs.
On a perp walk.
Oh, face it, detectives.
I mean, without her, what have you got? The effort that you put into him, it's all been cursed because of this weakness of his.
Shut the hell up.
Mom, we're out of this.
You're not out of this.
All the dreams that your mother had for your future, that's all gone.
You just threw all that away.
You're not out of this.
Mom, they have no case.
I mean, we can beat it.
Look at him.
I'm sure you've seen this before.
"Mama, please, mama.
Save me, mama.
" Shut up, I said! All the time that you've put into him Your sacrifice was wasted.
What sacrifice? Camille, your phone records The phone calls back and forth to Rick Siebert On his disposable cell.
You did everything you could to meet the demands of his blackmail.
I only made phone calls to determine Stacy's well-being.
Doubling back charity contributions to get the payoff money for Mr.
Di Rogga.
That you did for your son.
You're better than I thought.
Better at what? Meaningless allegations? Mom! I'll go to the right people, get this turned around.
I've always been able to turn things around.
You? You didn't deal with Rick Siebert.
What? Your mother hired Di Rogga to kill Rick Siebert.
And you expect me to believe that.
Okay, see, I don't believe that.
Of course not.
You think you just got lucky.
One more time everything just worked out for you.
I honestly didn't know anything about this.
I mean, if there was a plan to kill Siebert, I had no part of it.
How quickly he scrambles to distance himself.
Oh, that can't surprise you.
I'm sure he's done it before.
And denied it.
Your life is blessed because of me.
Because I dared to hope to I dared to dream that you would have the stones to go the distance, but I was wrong.
Ma! Please don't say these things.
Not in front of them! I covered for you a thousand times in a thousand different ways.
And here we are! There's nothing more that I can do for you.
Stop crying! It doesn't mean that I don't That I don't still love you.
Because I love you.
I still I love you.
I love you.
These are their stories.
Know what my father said about him? Greatest mayor ever.
Could charm a bird out of a tree.
You'll have your own plaque some day.
You mean, as soon as I get over this bump in the road.
Be calm, respectful.
Ma.
Like you always say, today's headlines wrap tomorrow's fish.
Chris Palarno.
Who invited him? I did.
Let them see we're friendly.
We have nothing to hide.
I'm your campaign manager.
You should have told me.
Mr.
Palarno, did you remodel the councilman's house in exchange for city projects? Councilman Hayes-Fitzgerald, was Mr.
Palarno's work on your home a form of a bribe? Okay, okay.
No one is hiding from a full explanation why a tabloid made headlines from some of our accounting errors.
The bribery scandal was just the sizzle.
Next comes the steak.
Unless I'm made happy.
No way he lies his way out of the next headline.
I want my money now.
I thought we said no more.
We gotta bluff him, baby.
Shh-shh.
Abre LA Puerta! You saw.
I turned the heat down with one press conference.
A couple of more, and it's gone.
I still get my big muni projects, though.
We can't nurture allegations of a quid pro quo.
Whoever hacked into our emails is stealing money out of my pocket.
I don't like it.
Chris, things will come up in the private sector.
Tonight at the museum board's dinner, we'll put your name in front of all the right people.
Main thing is nothing rash.
Yeah.
Mrs.
Hayes-Fitzgerald, can the kids have some ice cream? Oh, it makes them too hyper.
Come on, Josie.
Okay, I'm outnumbered.
But only one scoop.
If Stacy calls, tell her I'm on my cell.
Oh, goody, we're gonna get ice cream.
She hasn't called in days, Neil.
I still can't believe it.
Oh, you heard the call.
Someone's bringing cash.
I'm so glad we didn't have to, you know, do the other thing.
Now, Aruba's got topless beaches.
Oh, you wanna get high? Get high on this.
Here we go.
Payday.
Uhh! Uhn! Stacy? Stacy, it's mom.
Stacy? When I heard who she was, I figured major case should be on this.
It's a tough week for councilman Hayes-Fitzgerald.
A bribery scandal and his daughter's the victim of a shootout.
Yeah, I'm told she's actually his stepdaughter.
And he is? Richard Siebert.
Live-in boyfriend.
Not the nice guy you bring home to meet the folks.
Is this her place? His? Her parents pay the rent.
Did she talk to anybody before they took her to Bellevue? Uh, when I got here, she was already in the ambulance.
You should take that computer in for a complete download.
Looks like there's interest in her stepdad's problems.
From the notes on these margins, it looks like she enjoyed them.
I just spoke with the E.
R.
A bullet was removed from the girl's left shoulder.
It's the same bullet that went through him, so it's pretty deformed.
She'll be okay.
So the deadbolt is not broken, but the jam is splintered.
Detective, you're him.
So he comes to the door, he unlocks the bolt, the killer hears that, and he kicks the door in.
You jump back.
Grabs the lamp.
Throws it.
And Stacy's on the couch.
She jumps up.
He turns to protect her.
The killer fires again.
The bullet passes through him, hits her.
He hits the ground, bleeds out.
Why was he moved? The mother found Stacy pinned under him.
Under his dead body? For how long? From the lividity, three or four hours.
Maybe she saved herself by playing dead.
Or the killer only wanted him.
We'll do a vehicle canvas in the area.
You want me to be in pain.
You heard what she said.
No more pain medication.
You want me to be punished.
Stacy, this is withdrawal that you're experiencing, I don't mean to be so blunt, but we need you to remember what happened when it's fresh in your mind, okay? I don't remember anything.
I left.
You mean you tried to escape? No.
We need to know what happened.
After I was shot, I could feel him in the room with me, so I had to go.
I went away.
Like I was watching, but I wasn't.
But I am in pain now.
Real pain.
So councilman Hayes-Fitzgerald's daughter was shot in what appears to be a drug crime.
It's actually his stepdaughter.
Her mother was widowed.
Whatever.
My hope is a quick resolution that doesn't antagonize a powerful politician over an errant family member.
Chief of DS is coming by.
So far, it has the look of a drug deal gone bad.
They were packed for a flight to Aruba, new clothes, new luggage.
Rick Siebert might have stiffed the wrong dealer.
I'll tell them a full canvass is checking into who that might be.
Start a canvass, and suddenly every douche bag's got a story.
The story on you from the landlord is that you were banging on Rick Siebert's door, screaming threats.
Was that for drugs or money or both? I got nothing to say.
Really, you're not worried about threatening a murder victim? Guys, I'm on the job.
Check with OCCD.
Gonzo ruiz.
All right, you just give me a shove then.
I'm outta here.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, sit down.
All right.
Let's talk about Rick Siebert.
I bought Siebert's debt.
They put me into play in his neighborhood.
You wouldn't buy a debt knowing it was bad.
That'd make you look stupid.
He's a dumb kid from Jersey hooked on drugs.
Always scheming his way on the street, and people fronted him 'cause he said big family money was coming.
From her family.
Everybody knew who she was.
And Siebert said her family owed them.
Whatever that means.
Turns out Rick Siebert had a marketable skill.
These files from his laptop have Hayes-Fitzgerald's personal emails.
He hacked in.
What did he get? Well, for one thing correspondence between the councilman and his contractor that fed the tabloids.
Could be the family money he was talking about.
But the killing was after he sold to the tabloids.
Revenge? Or maybe he threatened something bigger to come? Rick Siebert wasn't welcome in our home.
Unfortunately, that meant we didn't see much of Stacy.
But you paid her rent.
Well, we knew he was gonna sponge off of her.
But it kept her from sleeping in the street.
Even with Rick Siebert's failings, he was a computer whiz.
I mean, he hacked into your emails.
Siebert sold that stuff to the tabloids? He never made demands on you? For a bigger payday than what he got at the ledger? Those stories are fabricated from accounting errors.
I would never have given him anything anyway.
He told people he had more money coming.
Maybe for material of even greater value.
He was a delusional crack head.
Why would you listen to him? And Stacy? Let's leave Stacy out of this.
I don't think she had anything to do with it.
You honestly believe that? Can you prove otherwise? I didn't think so.
Ahem.
I have a meeting.
Very forgiving toward his stepdaughter who nearly got him knocked out of a mayoral race.
Let's talk to the contractor who stands to lose millions in city projects.
I was at a bar, Harley's, having a beer, watching the game with some of my guys.
Who will back you up to keep their jobs.
Who will tell the truth.
Why would I want to kill that punk? I didn't even know him.
Rick Siebert, he smeared you with some very inside dirt.
Sticks and stones, detective.
On the news, you said you'd find the creep who spread those lies and deal with him.
I was mad.
Maybe I meant it a few days ago.
But Providence stepped in.
Providence could have been someone you hired.
Oh, please, I'm losing trade from tabloid headlines.
I'm gonna compound my problems? I'm gonna risk the whole operation by hiring a hit? Okay, Harley's till what time? Last call.
I got business.
Mom, you don't need to wait.
I'll get a cab.
You're not going back to your place.
It's too dangerous.
Like I'm going with you.
I'm over 18.
I can go where I please.
Which is why you're here.
Thank God you're alive.
I can get by on my own.
Based on recent events, I think you need us more than we need you.
Josie, did you tell her about Sophie's little hunger strike? What? She misses you, Stacy.
Both kids want you home.
And they found crack in that apartment.
So you could face drug possession charges.
You're gonna need us.
Just like you did before.
Did you know Rick Siebert was an addict? Why didn't Stacy live with you? Excuse me, addict or not, the death of a young man and the wounding of our child is a tragedy.
He is slick.
Hayes-Fitzgerald just tap-danced very effectively to the tune of Siebert's death.
Must be in his genes.
His great-grandfather was a tammany ward heeler.
And then he was made building commissioner when his predecessor was found floating under the 59th street bridge.
Hayes-Fitzgerald.
What's with the fancy hyphenate? Hayes is his mom's side of the family.
Now they've run city hall on three occasions.
Which might have given her some useful connections.
These are the files that Rick Siebert hacked into.
This all from the councilman's emails? He has correspondence on rare wines.
A chat room for oenophiles.
Not worth a headline in the ledger.
Yeah, but the effort that Rick made to put all this stuff together, put it all into files You know, it's like he had the scent of something he thought was real value.
So, attacking your stepfather's career, was that Rick's idea or yours? He knows? We've spoken about it.
But he doesn't believe you were involved.
He's certain it was all Rick's idea.
Well, it was.
Just for money.
Stacy, you wrote, um, "screw the bastard" on the margin of one of the articles about your stepdad, and To me, that seems like anger.
I'm home now.
I won't talk about that.
She shouldn't have to.
Stacy, like many young girls, went through a Rebellious phase, but we're all back together now.
Let's talk about the shooter.
Any facial hair? Scars? Piercings? He had a hat on.
His sleeves were pushed up.
On his wrists and arms, he had tattoos.
Snakes or barbed wire.
Do you think he thought you were dead? I don't know.
He just shot, looked us over, and left.
If the killers were after drug debt, would have killed 'em, you know, see that they were packed for Aruba And tear the place open looking for drugs, money.
Leaving the girl, it's not a pro's move unless they had specific instructions.
I mean, that brings it closer to home.
We should file a court order for Camille's laptop.
Yeah, and the wine correspondence thing, it sounds like, you know, like old mob code.
You know, like, "Tony needs a shirt and a half by mother's day," blah, blah, blah.
We'll check on the councilman's true passion for the grape.
The councilman leaves most selections to me.
Last month, I sent him this Saint julienne.
Full-bodied.
Long, beautiful finish.
Yeah, the councilman, he keeps going on and on about a Chateau Jeunesse '94 cab, right? But it's a boire dans sa Jeunesse.
He wouldn't order that now.
Why not? Well, you're supposed to enjoy it in its youth.
You know, seven to ten years after its bottled.
The councilman has a fine palate.
You know, we'd like to review his purchases in the last six months.
We can't disclose this information.
Unless we shut you down for a forensic audit.
A print-out would do, huh? Couple of emails here where the wine buddies are talking about a '97 Rioja.
The councilman never ordered any Rioja.
Well, same thing as the Jeunesse cab.
He never purchased it.
It's a code.
Looks like our vehicle canvass paid off.
An '06 black van was ticketed for blocking a driveway half a block from Stacy's place at 3:28 A.
M.
Security cameras picked up an illegal port entry eight blocks away from Stacy's place.
Same late model black van at 3:46 A.
M.
So the killer shoots Siebert.
he parks his van by the river and dumps the weapon.
Yeah.
We'll get the divers on it.
Any registration? The van is registered to a Toscano trucking company in Brooklyn.
We're looking for Toscano trucking.
Who wants to know? Is this the correct address for the trucking company? He's got the whole third floor.
And his name is? Di Rogga.
If he got problems with the cops, I have other people who want that lease.
I'll tell you all about Thursday's game in Philly.
Forget about it.
You should know me by now.
I never bet college baskets.
That's a degenerate's game.
Mr.
Di Rogga.
We're here 'cause we need something moved.
What? This is a trucking company.
Everyone's out on long hauls right now.
Well, we're here on a short haul.
You from here to our headquarters.
Well, that would involve my lawyer.
You're quite a dedicated fisherman, Mr.
Di Rogga, buying a boat midwinter.
It's the right economy to buy anything.
And paying to dry-dock it the rest of the winter? So where did you get that 19,000 in cash from? It wasn't half that much.
The guy was dying to get rid of it.
Hmm, your New York registration number.
The seller, Mr.
Owens, listed the purchase price as $19,500.
We'd really like to know where that money came from.
It was a token of appreciation.
I have a small trucking business that hauls antiques for wealthy clients.
They appreciate the care I take.
And they give you wads of cash? Oh, don't worry.
Come tax time, I'll report it.
Can I see your hand? Sure.
See something you like, I'll set you up with my manicurist.
Well, you know, our divers recovered this Walther PPK .
380 from the river.
Specifically from the port where your van was spotted making an illegal entry.
You know, the funny thing is about a Walther PPK is that it has a short grip.
You know, see, when you load the clip, you can pinch your little finger very similar to the pinch that you have.
You have nothing tying that gun to my client.
We've been very cooperative.
But I think we're finished here.
One more thing.
Can you pull up your sleeves? Looking for something special? We're done, Johnny.
He's very smart.
Used a temporary tattoo.
Deliberately kept his sleeves up to draw attention away from his face.
The girl is key to keeping a lid on things.
Stacy's here.
What's your concern? She's fragile.
She needs an anchor to windward.
There's only one person who knows how to do that.
Who can do that? Are you coming up now, honey? Did you take your pill? Mm-hmm.
I'll be up in a minute.
Don't even say it.
I can't help it.
Why you picked her.
Why not the girl from the upstate family? Money, serious clout in Albany.
Enough, ma.
Josie has been very Accepting.
Stacy, honey? Just a minute.
You shouldn't be in here all alone.
You're on medication.
Then I'll get out.
I need that towel.
Remember how you liked that? Please don't.
You'll always be my girl.
You'll always be my girl.
Type and cross.
Prepare for intubation.
Breathe her.
I got a BP.
70 palp.
Please, you got to save her.
Please! Okay, okay, okay.
Okay, shh, shh, shh.
Dr.
Lansing, our attending psychiatrist, wants to stop by when you feel you're ready.
He needn't bother.
You're on suicide watch until he approves your release.
I'm in no hurry to leave.
The information you gave us about Rick, it was very helpful.
I'm glad someone was helped.
I was wondering if you're feeling well enough to look at some photos.
Just, if you see the man that you described, just tell me, okay? Do we know why he shot Rick? No, we don't know that yet.
We just need a few more minutes.
She needs her rest.
Maybe you could just go back over there.
I'm fine.
Actually, I don't think I'm ready to do something like this.
It's okay.
You've been through a lot.
I understand.
It must have been tough being in that situation back at home.
You don't know anything about that.
That's not true.
I came from a bad home.
You said When bad things are happening, you need to Take yourself away to another place.
That's what I used to do.
I used to just want to lift myself up and take myself to another place.
You know, so I could see things from somewhere else.
Maybe it was just the crack.
I think we both know that that's not true.
I know what you're thinking.
You're wrong.
My life has been about saving Stacy from herself.
I homeschooled her in the ninth grade.
Well, that can't have been easy with your new baby.
We had good help.
We were all in Europe that year.
Come here, Sophie.
Let mommy tie your shoe.
And they had me.
I have friends who stayed in their villa.
It was magnificent.
Is that detective still in there with her? Yes.
You can't hold Stacy to anything she says after what she's been through.
But she'll be home, part of our family again.
Like our time in Siena.
That was real happiness.
They moved to Europe.
Odd choice for a politician with a hot career.
You know, we subpoenaed Stacy's records from Dalecrest High.
And she'd been acting out.
They recommended therapy.
But instead her parents pulled her out for homeschooling.
Well, some people view therapy as an indictment of their parenting skills.
There's a bigger reason to duck out of therapy: Sexual abuse by her stepfather.
That's a headline to die for if Siebert knew about it.
Yeah, we don't have direct evidence, but, you know, I think he might have been onto it.
Hayes-Fitzgerald's wife could have known.
Well, we've seen this before.
After the initial outrage, fear of the shame overcomes everything.
The wife joins with the husband to keep it in-house.
Even more of an imperative in a political family.
And Camille? Anything on the laptop? Uh, some cryptic emails.
She refers to a potentially volatile situation.
Use it.
Find the raw nerve that breaks through the family wall.
So has the inconvenience caused me by taking my laptop been of some value? We're curious about this volatile situation you've mentioned in your emails to Neil.
Volatile situations are a daily occurrence in politics.
Well, I'll bring you closer to home.
You raised money for the Hayes-Fitzgerald library, the beautification of Van-Cortlandt Park, and St.
Lioba's, a shelter for runaway teens.
The strange thing about that, this shelter got three times what the others got.
Why should my personal charities be of any concern to you? Well, these other fundraisers, they're longstanding projects.
But your interest in St.
Lioba's surfaced just a few years ago.
Shortly after Stacy left Dalecrest High.
Investigating an addict's death does not give you the right to question my personal generosity.
I've had enough.
I'm calling the commissioner.
It's a raw nerve, huh? They have nothing.
But they're fishing.
I'm worried.
We don't want them in Stacy's records.
I'm gonna call the shelter director.
If I had taken one of these lucrative positions I was offered in the private sector, I'd be immune to this grief.
That's not who you are.
That is not who we are.
The powerful in city governments are a dying breed.
The Daleys in Chicago, a handful of others.
This is our time, son.
In an age of weakness, you have a chance at real power.
Stacy is coming home, everybody.
That's great.
The kids really miss you.
Sophie, tell your sister how you feel when she's not around.
Sad.
You wanna come home, don't you? It's not that.
You know I love you, cutie.
Oh, back again? This is becoming harassment.
We're looking for the man who shot Stacy.
Why would that be a problem? I just don't want her pressured.
Come on, kids.
Let's go.
We'll be in the hall.
Bye, Stacy.
Excuse me.
I just saw him You don't want him touching you? Stacy, it's hard for victims of this sort of thing to have a normal relationship.
Rick Siebert Might have caught on to what was Yeah.
He knew what happened.
Not at first.
He asked me a lot of stuff.
Like Why I ran away and What the shelter was like.
St.
Lioba's.
Rick might have threatened blackmail far beyond any kind of political scandal.
Which could have meant jail time for your stepdad.
And that's why Rick was killed.
Down here, Jessica.
So how should I make you feel at home? This is like your own private club.
Yeah, where I relax, enjoy the pleasures of fine wine.
I have a Calvados that once belonged to Napoleon.
So it's from like 100 years ago? More like 200.
Can you still drink it? Absolutely.
Ah, you're cold.
I have to keep it chilly in here to protect the wine.
Here.
Let me do you up.
Thanks for the tour.
I really appreciate your time.
I know how busy you are.
How about I talk to some people at city hall about a summer internship program? That'd be awesome.
Daddy, daddy.
Ah, who's my girl? Me.
My girl and no one else's.
Forever and ever.
Ever and ever.
She's taken off from the house? We don't need that right now.
Ma, it'll be fine.
Neil, that girl is unstable.
So she's prowling the streets looking to get high.
Or talking to the cops.
So much for keeping her grounded.
Hey, I was supportive.
Even loving.
And you went too far.
You're always being led around by your why do you always assume that I because I know you.
When I saw she'd gone, I had to call you.
I guess we'll just play games.
There's a reason why she doesn't want to share a roof with your husband.
I think we all know what that is.
Stacy says things, but she's not always telling the truth.
At what point do you stop lying? How did he do it? Diminish you? Make you feel unworthy of a man of his stature? How does someone justify what he did? Oh, God.
How did you justify it? When the two of you met, she was around 12.
I've seen photos of her.
She was a beautiful girl.
Did you consciously use that? No, my God, no.
It it just happened.
And it happened again and again and again.
He loved me.
And you paid for that with access to your daughter.
It's not just me.
Stacy's unstable.
The drugs and Rick.
Rick was a shelter for her.
She talked about him like he was a hero.
Well, you weren't there for her.
She had to have someone to go to.
Oh.
It's true.
I was afraid of losing everything.
She ran away before.
Where did she go? To Rick.
Always to Rick.
You knew I'd be here? Wasn't hard to figure out.
Don't have anyone else to go to.
Doesn't say much about me.
Everyone calls him a lowlife.
Well, you did deserve better.
I had to get away.
Look, you shouldn't go away this time.
You have a responsibility, you know, for somebody that you love, somebody that you care about, Sophie.
She's only a baby.
Neil wouldn't actually Maybe not.
But, you know, people with his sickness, you know, their patterns they don't change.
And he's gonna molest other girls.
He will hurt her.
She's his blood.
You want to take that chance? Abandon her like your mother abandoned you? Is that what you want to do? You know? Mm-hmm.
I thought it would be nice for the two of you to be together, you know, since you're so close.
Drop it.
My father hired and fired police commissioners.
I know how you work.
Of course you do.
So Rick Siebert was very interested in your correspondence with your wine pals.
What's he talking about? I don't know.
Something he never shared with you? In these emails to your pals, you say that there's a special Chateau Jeunesse '94 that you're longing to savor.
That was a joke.
I know better than to hang on to a Jeunesse.
Yeah, right.
But these are not about wine.
It's code.
'94 is the year that your babysitter was born, Jessica.
And in these emails you brag to your your pedophile buddies that you would have sex with her.
Are you insane? We have a witness.
Stacy saw you and Jessica come up from the wine cellar.
That's where this all happens, isn't it? Stacy's brain is damaged by drugs.
I mean, you can't make a case with her testimony about anything.
How dare you.
So you lied to them.
I've given a statement.
How you took me to the wine cellar.
What you did.
You came from nothing.
Fatherless.
And you turn on us with these disgusting fantasies? The teen shelter didn't think they were fantasies.
Especially after they found out she was pregnant.
And you took her to Europe? To some secluded villa? Where was it, Siena? Right? Sophie's my proof.
She's my daughter.
My sister and my daughter.
Feel good to tell someone, Stacy? How you danced around in your underwear, getting me excited? Did you leave that part out? I was a child.
A child! You better get the whole story down.
Because that's exactly how it's gonna go in court.
Not just what I did, but what you did.
I can't! I can't do it.
I'm too ashamed.
No, no, the shame will be his.
Okay? Not yours.
You can trust us.
So I guess this interview is over.
Oh, you can go.
But you'll be back.
In handcuffs.
On a perp walk.
Oh, face it, detectives.
I mean, without her, what have you got? The effort that you put into him, it's all been cursed because of this weakness of his.
Shut the hell up.
Mom, we're out of this.
You're not out of this.
All the dreams that your mother had for your future, that's all gone.
You just threw all that away.
You're not out of this.
Mom, they have no case.
I mean, we can beat it.
Look at him.
I'm sure you've seen this before.
"Mama, please, mama.
Save me, mama.
" Shut up, I said! All the time that you've put into him Your sacrifice was wasted.
What sacrifice? Camille, your phone records The phone calls back and forth to Rick Siebert On his disposable cell.
You did everything you could to meet the demands of his blackmail.
I only made phone calls to determine Stacy's well-being.
Doubling back charity contributions to get the payoff money for Mr.
Di Rogga.
That you did for your son.
You're better than I thought.
Better at what? Meaningless allegations? Mom! I'll go to the right people, get this turned around.
I've always been able to turn things around.
You? You didn't deal with Rick Siebert.
What? Your mother hired Di Rogga to kill Rick Siebert.
And you expect me to believe that.
Okay, see, I don't believe that.
Of course not.
You think you just got lucky.
One more time everything just worked out for you.
I honestly didn't know anything about this.
I mean, if there was a plan to kill Siebert, I had no part of it.
How quickly he scrambles to distance himself.
Oh, that can't surprise you.
I'm sure he's done it before.
And denied it.
Your life is blessed because of me.
Because I dared to hope to I dared to dream that you would have the stones to go the distance, but I was wrong.
Ma! Please don't say these things.
Not in front of them! I covered for you a thousand times in a thousand different ways.
And here we are! There's nothing more that I can do for you.
Stop crying! It doesn't mean that I don't That I don't still love you.
Because I love you.
I still I love you.
I love you.