Law & Order (1990) s10e22 Episode Script
High & Low
NARRATOR: 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.
So much for Latin lovers.
Well, at least he looked like Andy Garcia.
I mean, the guy falls asleep on them.
We should've gone to Cabo with Lilly.
Well you wanted to see South Beach.
(RECEIVER OFF-HOOK TONE) Didn't that girl, Leslie, go home? Leslie? Leslie? Oh my God! (GASPING) DUFF: Room's assigned to Leslie Cavanaugh.
First year grad student.
She from around here? Terre Haute, Indiana.
We've notified her parents.
Seems awful quiet here.
Well, it's spring break.
A lot of the kids are still away.
The two that found her just got back to campus.
They know the victim? They didn't socialize with her.
They said she pretty much kept to herself.
We've got them at the security office if you want to talk to them.
Anybody else spend their vacation here in the dorm? Uh, a couple of grad students from Taiwan on the third floor.
We found them in the computer center.
They'd been there all day.
Any security downstairs? Not during the break.
Hey, Lennie.
Leslie Cavanaugh made the dean's list last semester.
Yeah.
RODGERS: Cause of death was manual strangulation.
Killers thumbs crushed her windpipe.
Sexual assault? Anal and vaginal.
There's plenty of semen.
DNA shouldn't be a problem.
(SIGHING) The girl had facial abrasions, a couple broken ribs, dislocated shoulder.
She went through hell.
Well, one more thing, she had breast implants.
Pretty sizable ones.
She hadn't healed yet from the surgery.
They were brand spanking new.
Didn't take her long to catch somebody's eye.
BARRY: We wanted her to go to grad school, at Indiana State.
They have a good business program there.
She could have lived at home.
When was the last time you talked to your daughter, Mr.
Cavanaugh? Uh About three weeks ago.
She called to say that she couldn't come home for spring break.
She wouldn't have had to work if she had gone to a state college.
Did she ever mention having any problems with anybody at school? No.
What about boyfriends? She had one back home, but as far as we know, she concentrated on her studies here.
She didn't have much time for a social life and she was very shy.
Did she tell you she had just gotten breast implants? Lmplants? Are you sure? Was there anybody at school that she was close too? She did mention someone in her program Penny Rollins.
And you said she was working.
At an investment bank, part time Foster and Wallace? Is that it? Yeah.
She wanted to work on Wall Street.
(CRYING) How's a young woman working her way through grad school, afford breast implants? She didn't get the money from her parents.
Was she seeing anyone? Boyfriend in Terre Haute, he hasn't taken any trips lately.
Her parents say she didn't have time for a social life at school.
Well I get the feeling this girl didn't keep her parents up to date.
They mentioned a friend, a girl named Penny Rollins.
She's been on a camping trip in Utah the past two weeks.
She's flying back tonight.
While we're waiting, we'll go down to Wall Street, talk to the people where Leslie Cavanaugh worked.
You read my mind.
Leslie Cavanaugh.
Uh, young girl, early 20s, a student.
Uh, bright, charming.
We uh, spoke a week or so ago.
What'd you speak about? She was applying for a summer internship.
We had the idea she already had a job here.
Detective, Miss Cavanaugh is a full-time student.
Our firm doesn't offer part-time employment.
Even our full-time positions are more than full time.
Do you mind if we get a look at her application? No, uh would you dig that up for the detectives, Paula? Um, did something happen to her? She was murdered, two nights ago.
That's awful.
ED: Thank you.
Application's dated Tuesday of last week.
Maybe her mother misunderstood.
Fake boobs, fake job.
Our victim had another side to her.
Leslie studied at least plus classes.
Sixteen hours on the weekend.
Does everybody in your program work that hard? Well, Leslie was pretty ambitious.
She wanted to end up at a good firm when she got out of school.
Her parents told us she paid her own way.
How'd she make ends meet? Did you ever see those ads? "Dancers Wanted"? She started stripping? She made $200 on the first night.
Cash.
No taxes.
That's more than she made in a week busing tables.
She said she would've made more if she had bigger breasts.
When did she have the surgery? A couple of weeks ago.
I think she started to like it.
The attention, you know? Where did she dance? She never told me.
ED: Whatcha got, Lou? Hey, the uh, M.
E.
Sent over Leslie Cavanaugh's toxicology report.
Percodan.
Painkiller from the implant surgery.
And MDMA.
Ecstasy.
All you're missing on this girl is the rock and roll.
I got the records from her cell phone company.
Aside from being behind on her account, she made a dozen or so calls to and from a couple of strip clubs in Long Beach.
Bare Necessities, and a place called Headlights.
Subtle.
Yeah and the last call she made was to headlights the weekend before she was killed.
Uh-huh, keep your mind on the job.
(CLUB MUSIC PLAYING) Sure.
Called herself Sybil.
Girl with the split personality.
She dances here a couple'a times a month, weekends.
I hear she works some of the other clubs in town.
Uh, last time I saw her was three, four weeks ago.
ED: She have any regulars, you know, guys who liked to tip big, maybe expect a little extra in return? Not that I noticed.
What about friends? Any of these girls hang out with her? Ask them.
We will.
ED: So, Sybil, how'd she do on tips? Couple'a 100 a night.
Considering what she had to work with, that is not bad.
And three, or four weeks ago, that was the last time you talked to her? She called Sunday.
Said she had made some improvements.
She wanted to work this weekend.
She never showed.
She happen to mention how she paid for these improvements? I run a clean operation here.
If I find a girl dating the clientele, she don't work again.
Your dancers wouldn't happen to have a favorite body shop? Cavanaugh, Leslie.
Surgery performed on the ninth, follow up visit the 13th Everything fine.
There was no fever, mild pain, as expected.
How did she pay? Cash up front.
How much? Ten thousand dollars.
So, she gives you cash, but what about the hospital expenses? It's outpatient surgery performed here in my office.
The patient goes home the same day.
Is that safe? Well, we insist that they be accompanied by a family member or a friend.
Who accompanied Leslie Cavanaugh? I really shouldn't be telling you this.
Oh, sure you should, Doc, there's no third party privilege.
Uh, no, Leslie Cavanaugh's friend was a patient of mine.
Actually, she referred Ms.
Cavanaugh.
If it'll make you feel better, we'll get a subpoena.
Elizabeth Torrino.
Got an address? Leslie's dead? (SOBBING) Oh, God.
I didn't tell them.
I swear.
Take it easy.
Take it easy.
Tell who? Two guys with shaved heads.
They came here looking for Leslie.
What did they want with her? They said she was dealing drugs for them, and she owed them money.
I told them all I had was her cell phone number.
You didn't know where she lived? No.
They wouldn't believe me.
They said if I didn't tell them They kept hitting me.
They burned my fingers.
I would've told them if I had known.
I would've told them anything.
Lovely.
I would congratulate your witness on her memory, but this pair'd be pretty hard to forget.
Ms.
Torrino give you anything else? They told her Leslie Cavanaugh ripped them off in a drug deal.
The M.
E.
Found ecstasy in the dead girl's stomach.
Recreational use.
It doesn't mean she was dealing.
Well, that explains how she paid for her implants.
Torrino couldn't tell these guys where Leslie Cavanaugh lived, but they found her anyway.
Get these to our colleagues out in Nassau County.
You want them hand-delivered? Look for them where they must've looked for her.
A lot of customers want to know where the girls live.
They want to send flowers and candy.
They think they're in love.
What do you tell them? (CAR ENGINE STARTING) The girls have it rough enough, without having to worry about some loser sniffing around their house at night.
Did a dancer named Sybil ever cry on your shoulder? That girl? She was pretty sharp.
I always thought she could figure out a better way to make ends meet.
BRISCOE: You think she might have been dealing drugs on the side? Not out of the club.
But I guess if you two are asking, she must be in some kind of trouble, huh? Not anymore.
She's dead.
Damn, man.
BRISCOE: Uh, did either one of these guys ever come around asking about her? This creep I know.
But he wasn't here asking about the girls.
BRISCOE: What was he doing? About a month or so ago, the local Hitler Youth was out here trying to hose some Japanese guy in the parking lot.
I had to break it up.
Local police get involved? The Japanese guy just wanted to get the hell away from here.
You got a name? Nope.
Did you ever see him again? Uh-uh.
But the car those skinheads took off in, had roof racks, for a surfboard.
Had a dinosaur logo on it.
I think the name was, uh, T-rax.
Looked brand new.
Surf Nazis on ecstasy.
They oughta put that in the local drive-in.
Thanks.
triple red wood stringer with a concave nose.
His board.
Nose rider.
Great glass job.
Yeah, uh, actually, I was hoping you might know his name.
The rack on his car, T-rax.
The manufacturer says this is the only surf shop on the island that carries them.
I don't remember him buying any racks from us.
Why don't you check your receipts? Okay.
Nothing here, Dude.
That rack didn't come from Santa Monica, Dude.
Your boss don't know you sold that rack, does he? What was it, a private transaction? I traded them for some stuff.
That stuff come in little pills? Hey, we just need to find this guy.
The pills are your business.
Jay and his brother live in some shack.
Where? On the beach.
Don't tell them I told you, okay? (THUNDER RUMBLING) Police! Open the door! (LOUD CHATTERING) Nice chemistry set.
You boys cooking up something for the science fair? Don't even look like me.
You don't think so? Must be one of the other three skinheads on the island.
Maybe it's your mother, Sambo.
(CHUCKLING) Keep talking man.
The brothers at Rikers Island are gonna eat that up.
Last time I checked a map, Rikers was in Jew York City.
We got witnesses say you took a trip there recently.
To Hudson University.
(SCOFFS) What? I'm looking at colleges? You were dealing "X.
" Leslie Cavanaugh owed you money.
Whatever.
She couldn't pay you so you gave her the night of her life.
Like I'd be sitting here if you could prove anything.
We have the lab you were setting up in your beach shack.
A bunch of bottles and a few hot plates.
Bias assault in the strip club parking lot.
No way that Jap's gonna testify.
File the misdemeanor drug charge if you want.
My client's not answering any more questions.
Too bad.
I was just warming up to him.
BRISCOE: We have the witness you tortured to find out where Leslie Cavanaugh lived.
Her word against ours, man.
Who do you think the jury's going to believe? A professional lap dancer? I can't wait to see her rap sheet.
I'll put it head to head with your dirt-bag client any day.
Except his sheet doesn't get admitted into evidence.
Time he goes to trial, I'll have him in a suit and an $80 haircut.
BARNES: Let's see how he does in a line up.
MAN: Move down to the end.
Face forward.
Put your numbers over your chest.
MOSS: Take your time.
I don't know.
They all look the same.
I'm sorry.
I don't see him.
Look again.
The lady doesn't see him, Detective.
She couldn't ID either of them.
We're done here.
MALE 1: Take 'em out.
MALE 2: All right let's go.
Keep movin.
Out the door.
(DOOR CLOSING) You can still hold them on the drug lab.
Their equipment's never been used.
Our lab couldn't even find residue on their set up.
Makes that a misdemeanor.
The brotherhood will have these two bailed out within an hour of arraignment.
How about the assault at the strip club? No complaining witness.
I can buy you 48 hours.
After that, if you can't make a case, I gotta process 'em.
Can we go through the evidence seized at the shack? Back in the 20s, my grandfather brewed gin in the bathtub.
Sold it door to door in milk bottles.
Well, times change.
Inventory tracking software, financial projections, sophisticated set up.
Too sophisticated for this bunch of lowlifes to make on their own.
Somebody else was supplying the brainpower.
ED: Lennie, those clubs in Long Beach, uh, Headlight's, Star Shots, Bare Necessities, the database software on this laptop is registered to Bare Enterprises, Atlantic Avenue, Long beach, New York.
Where your boys reenacted, lwo Jima.
You got an A.
D.
A.
, who can get us a search warrant? (CLUB MUSIC PLAYING) What the hell is this? I tried to keep them out, Mr.
Polone, but, uh, they had a warrant.
I don't believe this.
Do you know a Jay Hurley, or his brother, Brad? Never heard of them.
What about Leslie Cavanaugh? Don't know her.
You sure about that? I said so, didn't I? Well, you want to explain why your signatures on her l-9 form? Not without my lawyer.
Tell him to meet you in New York.
(PHONE BUTTONS BEEPING) Mr.
Polone has nothing to say, he'd like to get back to his business.
Yeah, his drug business.
I don't sell drugs.
No, you let your skinhead buddies do it for you.
What evidence do you have, he was involved with any of this? Software registered in his name was found on a computer used by an ecstasy lab.
You can't even connect him to the drugs, how are you going to connect him to the murder? The victim was enjoying one of his products when she was murdered.
And the skinheads who killed her were seen at his club.
We pulled your sheet, Andy.
A dozen arrests for extortion, usury.
Forget about the five years you caught for aggravated assault.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
His friends raped this woman.
They tortured her.
They strangled her with their bare hands.
Once the pieces fall into place, it's capital murder.
So now's the time to cut a deal.
Lady, you can put your deal between your knees and squeeze.
Well, that's that.
Your boss is next door.
He's got quite a story to tell.
What kinda story? Don't say anything, Jay.
We're not talking to you.
What? You geniuses want your lawyers? We don't need lawyers.
This is crap.
Fine! This is just a courtesy call anyway.
Andy Polone rolled.
ED: Gave us all we need to put you both on death row.
He said killing her was our idea? Shut the hell up, bitch.
Lennie, I think you should take him to the bathroom.
And wash his mouth out with soap.
Just keep your mouth shut, little brother.
(DOOR CLOSING) It was nice work, muscling Polone into financing your drug deals.
He was a little unclear on why you killed Leslie Cavanaugh.
Polone said that was our idea? It doesn't matter much.
Your DNA matches the semen in the dead girl, you're history.
Polone will probably be out by the time they get around to executing you.
Polone told Brad to do the dancer.
We didn't even know who she was.
You just tagged along for the ride? You think I'd do something like that on my own? So I guess you're in the clear on the rape? Yeah.
We found ecstasy in the victim's blood.
Brad gave her that.
To spice up the party? I guess.
I don't even know why Polone wanted her dead.
All he said was "Do her.
" He was paying the bills.
What do you mean? Polone gave us 20 grand to set up the "X" lab.
So you threw in the murder for free.
Oh, the gang's all here.
This is a statement signed by Jay Hurley implicating you in the murder.
Squeeze that between your knees.
Andrew Polone you're under arrest for the murder of Leslie Cavanaugh.
(SIGHS) You have the right to remain silent.
(CHUCKLES) Anything you do or say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
A strip club manager.
Two neo-Nazi thugs.
And the victim is a dean's list MBA candidate.
The drug business makes strange bed fellows.
And we got something to corroborate these skinheads? A computer program registered to Polone was found on the killer's laptop.
And he lied to the police.
He said he didn't know the victim.
I can't say I'm overwhelmed.
What about a motive? I'm working on it.
Polone's been living high off a couple of hogs.
Besides the 20,000 he used to jump start his drug business, he spent 50,000 on a boat, all in the last month.
All that from managing a strip club.
Business, must be booming.
There might be another explanation.
A month ago, Polone sold 1000 shares of Millennial Technology.
He made $100,000 profit.
Luck? I don't think so.
Polone made three trades in the last four months.
Millennial Technology, Fleer Pharmaceuticals, and Fibercom Optics.
After tax profits of over $200,000.
Somebody knew what they were doing.
Leslie Cavanaugh, our MBA wiz? I'm gonna find out.
Each of the companies Mr.
Polone traded in were acquired a few weeks after he bought in.
Now this didn't raise a red flag? It did.
In due time, we would've picked it up.
According to volume history, those acquisitions weren't anticipated by the market.
Well, they were by Polone.
He seems to have had information no one else had.
Did an investor named Leslie Cavanaugh buy any of those stocks? No Leslie Cavanaugh, but this Polone wasn't the only small investor to hit the same three home runs.
Just because I made a bit of money on those companies means I did something wrong? Millennial Technology, Fleer Pharmaceuticals, Fibercom, why those stocks in particular? CNBC, the financial news network.
Stay home, tune in and trade online.
Nobody tipped you? It's all about doing your homework.
You want a stock tip? PIE ratio's ancient history, you gotta go with the glitz.
Well, I'll keep that in mind.
Do you know a man named Andrew Polone? No.
How about Leslie Cavanaugh? Are these the people you're investigating? You and Mr.
Polone made nearly identical investments only days apart.
We must watch the same market reports.
I think I've told you everything I know.
Without an authorization from Miss Alston, I can't show you her books.
You have the federal and state governments here, breathing down your neck.
How long do you think it'll take to get a seizure order for every piece of paper and hardware in this office? So, you're threatening me? The S.
E.
C.
Doesn't make threats, Mr.
Berry.
There are those who cooperate, and those who don't.
And we have very long memories.
You people have no shame.
Wendy Alston.
Okay, let's see what we have here.
Here's an entry for the Fibercom Optics trade.
She netted $42,000.
Tax on that isn't due 'til next April.
What are these credits marked "gifts"? There're about 20 of them.
I have no idea.
Wendy gives me her deposit slips, I don't ask a lot of questions.
There are a number of items from Derma Enterprises.
Some bio tech outfit? Not exactly.
Titania is our number one box cover girl.
Forest Hump sold How did Wendy Alston's movies sell? Who? Oh, that's Eva Moreau.
She used to be pretty big.
Uh, I never knew her real name.
Used to be big? Six months ago she quit the business.
We offered to double Eva's fee, but unfortunately she said she's retired.
I share your loss.
You think it's easy cultivating a porn star? It takes years.
Do you mind if I take a look at some of her videos? American Booty, her swan song.
My personal favorite.
A couple of these were produced by Andrew Polone.
Yeah, he runs a strip club in Long Beach.
I know.
When were these movies shot? '95 and '96.
Other than the videos you turned up, nothing in Polone's office ties him to Wendy Alston.
As far as we can see, she's a retired porn star living off her investments.
God bless America.
You know, I don't underestimate the porn industry, but there's no way she made it all on blue movies.
Beside her investments, she got over $60,000 in unidentified gifts in the past year.
A movie she made four years ago with Polone doesn't explain their stock trading scheme.
And we can't put Leslie Cavanaugh anywhere near it.
If these people constructed a Chinese wall, it's a damn good one.
Here's something in Polone's pocket calendar, the initials E.
M.
Eva Moreau.
(KEYBOARD KEYS CLACKING) The number's assigned to someone named Albert Tully.
Tully.
Tully, Tully.
(DOOR BUZZER BUZZING) If Wendy Alston answers, catch me.
Yes? Miss Tully? I'm Patricia Harris.
Tully was my maiden name.
And you are? We're Detectives Green and Briscoe.
Yes? Do you know a woman named Wendy Alston? Doesn't sound familiar.
How about Eva Moreau? No.
Why? Ms.
Alston gave the phone number to this apartment to a business acquaintance.
Perhaps someone from my husband's firm.
James, do you know someone named Wendy Alston? JAMES: Who wants to know? James Harris, you talked to Leslie Cavanaugh about an internship a few days before she was murdered.
Murder? Jim, what's going on? Mr.
Harris, why don't we take a ride downtown.
There's a few things we need to clear up.
I'm not going downtown.
Don't make a scene, sir.
Don't you need some kind of warrant? That's not exactly true, Mr.
Harris.
Why are they doing this to you? JAMES: Would you leave now please? James Harris, you are under arrest.
Jim? Call the lawyers, Patricia.
"Indictment number, "People v.
Polone, Alston, Harris, Hurley and Hurley.
" That's no law firm I've ever seen before.
Murder in the first degree.
Polone and the Hurley brothers have already been arraigned, Your Honor.
They're here for consolidation.
Consolidation is granted.
Let's have pleas from the other defendants.
Not guilty.
Not guilty.
Judge, I protest my client's inclusion with these, riffraff.
Mr.
Harris is an established member of the community and a successful businessman Who masterminded a murder to conceal an insider stock trading scam.
WEAVER: That's pure speculation, Judge.
Mr.
Harris's firm underwrote every acquisition and merger the defendants reaped windfalls on.
And the night doorman at his in-law's apartment, said Ms.
Alston paid several night visits there.
Seems to me that your client is already quite intimate with this riffraff, Mr.
Weaver.
If you have sound legal reason, make a motion to sever your client's trial.
Bail is set for $1,000,000 for Alston and Harris.
Next case.
(GAVEL POUNDS) MAN: "Docket number See if I'm caught up.
We got the business student, the bigots, the bar owner.
The banker and the bimbo.
This a John le Carre novel? Harris gave the insider tip to Wendy Alston the porno star.
She passed it on to Polone, who used his profits to bankroll his drug operation.
And Leslie Cavanaugh? She might've stumbled across the whole mess.
More likely fell into it.
We'll find out.
We have a meeting with Harris and his lawyer this afternoon.
Give 'em holy heck.
What do we have to do to get out from under this, Mr.
McCoy? Convince me Mr.
Harris had nothing to do with Leslie Cavanaugh's murder.
(SIGHS) Wendy Alston and I had an affair.
(SIGHING) This is so embarrassing, I can barely get the words out.
We used my late mother-in-law's apartment.
It was stupid of me, but the rest, Mr.
McCoy, you've got to believe me, I had nothing to do with what happened to that poor girl.
Then what was she doing in your office? She came to tell me she'd found out about the stock information, Wendy had passed along to Polone.
Did she say how she knew? Ms.
Cavanaugh told me there was insider information leaking from my firm.
She said she wanted a job, or she'd go to the S.
E.
C.
So you offered her a summer position to shut her up? Please, you have to understand my position, any kind of investigation tarnishes the firm's reputation.
I wanted to keep it under wraps 'til I had a chance to ask Wendy about it.
And a few days later Leslie Cavanaugh was dead.
If I was going to kill her, why would I file her job application and leave a paper trail a mile wide? It was all Polone.
Wendy had nothing to do with it.
That's a nice story, Mr.
Harris.
I'll have to give it some thought.
Please, Mr.
McCoy.
I've already humiliated my wife, and my partners with this.
If there's anything you can do (PHONE RINGING) McCoy.
We'll be right there.
Guess who else dropped by to play Queen for a day? WENDY: Jimmy Harris and I had been seeing each other for about a year.
When men find out what I do for a living, they're usually pretty judgmental, you know? But Jimmy, he He never looked down on me.
How enlightened.
You plied him with sex for inside information on the stock market.
It wasn't like that.
Jimmy just told me what stocks to buy.
She passed on what she learned to her friend Polone, all in perfect innocence.
And she knew it was illegal to trade on that information.
How did Leslie Cavanaugh find out? Polone told me she must've seen the trade confirmations on his desk.
She figured out that Jimmy Harris's firm handled all the deals.
So when Polone found out, he had her killed? Polone's an animal.
When I told him that Leslie had gone to Jimmy about the stocks, he hit the roof.
He said that he would take care of that bitch before she ruined everything.
And Harris knew nothing about it? No.
Okay.
Matching stories.
Let's find out if we believe them.
The first time I found out Jim was seeing another woman, it almost destroyed me.
I told him, children have impulses, when you grow up, (SIGHS) you learn to control them.
He swore he'd clean up his act.
Like an idiot, I believed him.
How many other women has he been with? Let's see, three, that I know of.
What can I say? He's not the man I thought he was.
Why did you stay with him all this time? This is hard for me to say, Ms.
Carmichael, I couldn't satisfy Jim's needs.
Are you sure his relationship with Wendy Alston was just about sex? Why do you say that? The gifts he gave her, the stock tips.
She was a high-priced whore.
Did he ever behave violently with you? It's not his style.
He's all about rules and order in this world.
Jim sits in our living room in his jacket and tie.
He ever let his guard down? Maybe with Vincent Steinberg, his partner.
Jim's got problems, but he had nothing to do with that woman's death.
Partner's intuition? Try to understand.
The guy manages head of his fraternity at Dartmouth, honor society It's a long way to a porn star.
(SIGHING) Tell me about it.
Just before Labor Day, I get a call from Jim.
He ran out of gas on the L.
I.
E.
He can't call a cab, he doesn't have any money.
Now how can you not have any money? He'd been with Wendy Alston? I think so.
To this day, I think she's the one who took his wallet.
Was he angry about it? Did he ever confront her? Are you kidding? He was obsessed with her.
Sometimes we'd be sitting in a meeting and you could see he was preoccupied.
I don't know how he held it together for so long.
Well did you ever try to get him some help? Sure.
I told him he was risking everything for this girl.
He had to let go.
He'd stop seeing her for a month or two.
But he couldn't stay away.
He'd park across the street from her building, and stare at her apartment.
He couldn't control himself.
Mr.
Harris might have passed inside information to Ms.
Alston.
I should have seen that coming.
It was only a matter of time before this thing embarrassed the firm.
Did he ever express any concern about the S.
E.
C.
? Ever do anything that might be construed as covering his tracks? You'd have to ask his secretary about that.
Ms.
Cavanaugh was a very presentable young woman.
When I read in the papers that she had worked in one of those places, you never know, do you? Were you present when she spoke to Mr.
Harris? Um, I was at my desk, outside his office.
After she came in, did he do anything different in the office, paperwork to the S.
E.
C.
, anything like that? Well, he had me file the girl's application for an internship the next morning.
Did you know about Mr.
Harris's relationship with Wendy Alston? Not exactly.
I overheard him on the phone sometimes.
He wasn't talking to his wife.
Did he ever discuss Leslie Cavanaugh? Well, about a week after Leslie Cavanaugh came in, Mr.
Harris got a call as he was leaving the office.
From Wendy Alston? I don't know, she would always call on his private line.
Mr.
Harris had me bring him Ms.
Cavanaugh's application.
I heard him read off her address and phone number.
Do you remember the day, it's very important? It was a few days before I heard about the murder.
The next morning, Mr.
Harris told me to go down to personnel and fast track her application.
Polone's skinheads couldn't find her, so Wendy Alston did.
Harris signed Leslie Cavanaugh's death warrant.
So why'd he fast track her application? To give himself deniability.
Everything points to Harris being a first class pig, not someone who resorts to violence.
My money's on Polone.
He's got the pedigree.
Any way to connect them? Well, as far as I can tell, Harris never even knew about Polone.
Wendy was passing him stock tips on her own.
Funny how he never mentioned giving Cavanaugh's address to her.
Well, if we have to cut a deal with somebody, Harris is the best of the bunch.
Without him, we can't establish a motive for Polone or Alston.
Get him in here.
It's my fault Jim didn't mention Wendy's phone call.
We're listening, Mr.
Weaver.
But even though there was an innocent explanation, I thought it better to leave it unsaid.
You play games with us, you make it hard to trust you, or your client.
Well, then take it out on me, not him.
After Leslie Cavanaugh came to see me, I was furious.
I called Wendy to find out how this grad student knew all about the tips I gave her.
Wendy called back, said she'd talk to Leslie about it, so I gave her the address.
I didn't know she was connected to a mobster.
Maybe you should have entertained the possibility.
Please, Mr.
McCoy I'm trying Alston and Polone for first degree murder.
You testify against them, we give you immunity for it.
Jim? All right.
As for the securities violations, you're on your own with the Feds.
JAMES: I met Wendy at the firm outing, one of those booze cruises around Manhattan.
She gave me her phone number.
She made it clear she didn't care if I was married.
When did you find out what Wendy did for a living? The first time I went to her apartment.
She put in one of her tapes.
How did that make you feel, Mr.
Harris? To be honest Excited.
I mean, here I was sitting next to someone who looked like that.
It's hard to explain.
And she was attracted to someone like me.
It sounds ridiculous now, but I felt like a lucky man.
How did your relationship with Ms.
Alston progress from that point? We started seeing more of each other.
Wendy was An incredible lover.
Not like anyone I'd ever met.
But, pretty soon, she wanted money.
At first it was no problem, but when I tried to pull the reins in, she threatened to find somebody else.
Then she started asking for stock tips.
You gave her insider information? Yes.
I couldn't say no to her.
Did there come a time, when Ms.
Alston called you for Leslie Cavanaugh's address? I remember I was late for a business dinner.
Wendy called a little after 7:00 on my private line.
Did she say why she wanted it? Now, Ms.
Cavanaugh had been to my office to warn me about the stock tips leaking out.
I was shocked.
I couldn't believe Wendy had breached our confidence.
What did she say about the address, Mr.
Harris? Now you have to understand, this jeopardized my firm, everything I had worked for.
Wendy said she wanted to go see this girl, find out how much she knew.
So you gave it to her? I'm so sorry.
I was such an idiot.
I didn't realize what would happen.
When Ms.
Alston asked for Ms.
Cavanaugh's address, you believed it was just to talk to the girl? Yes.
Did you have any firsthand knowledge that would change your belief? No.
So it was your understanding, Ms.
Alston had no idea what Mr.
Polone planned to do? Correct.
Nor did you, certainly? No.
You gave Ms.
Alston several cash gifts over the years, $60,000 in all.
Why? Because I I was in love with her.
How do you feel about her now? The same way.
But you're testifying against her? Yes.
You realize, if she's convicted, she'll go to jail for life? Come on, Mr.
Harris.
I realize that.
Four weeks ago, you withdrew $75,000 from an offshore account.
Another gift for Ms.
Alston? Will Your Honor please direct the witness to answer the question.
Mr.
Harris, we're waiting.
May I have a moment with my lawyer? Your Honor Come up, Mr.
Weaver.
(BOTH WHISPERING) I refuse to answer.
On what basis? On the grounds I may incriminate myself.
Defense moves for mistrial.
People request a brief recess, Judge.
You have five minutes to straighten your witness out Mr.
McCoy.
And then I want to see counsel in chambers.
This isn't about the Fifth Amendment, is it? I'm sorry.
You're using the money as a ploy to protect your girlfriend.
You sanbagged us.
Let's not jump to any conclusions, Mr.
McCoy.
Then he's going to march back in there and answer the question.
No, I'm not.
The People are prepared to continue.
Strike Mr.
Harris' testimony, we'll put on the rest of our case.
Without Harris' direct testimony, there is no case.
We need a few days.
I'm not delaying the trial, Mr.
McCoy.
I'm granting a mistrial.
The witness engineered this, Judge.
Your witness, Mr.
McCoy.
Jeopardy has attached.
We move to dismiss.
She's right.
You picked a jury, you opened your case.
I'm dismissing the indictment with prejudice.
Double crossed by your own witness.
He's still in love with Wendy Alston.
Well, let's just forget about Harris for the time being and concentrate on her case.
JACK: I'm going to re-file against Alston and Polone.
Judge McNeil ruled we can't.
Murder charges are out, not conspiracy.
You're going to indict Alston and Polone For conspiracy to commit a crime we can't prosecute? Alston and Polone And James Harris.
Because he didn't have the guts to go through with it? No.
But, Harris didn't know they were going to kill her.
Harris committed the overt act.
I can only get to the other two through him.
Is this about Harris, or the other two? It's about all of them.
Harris is getting what he deserves.
You're wasting your time here, Mr.
Weaver.
The conspiracy indictment stands.
Your client's going to jail.
I wasn't involved in any conspiracy.
You had your chance to walk away from this.
You choked on it.
Now, what are you offering now, Mr.
McCoy? A trial.
Please, don't do this, Mr.
McCoy.
I've had it with you, Mr.
Harris.
You're going to prison with your girlfriend and Andrew Polone.
But I didn't know! I can make the case that you did.
We'll let a jury sort it out.
I am begging you.
I've ruined my life.
I'm a fool, all right But I couldn't stop myself.
I couldn't send Wendy to jail.
Don't punish me for that, please.
You get the same deal I'm offering Alston and Polone.
Plus whatever securities violations the Feds can pile on.
JUDGE: In accordance with the plea agreement reached by the parties, I'm sentencing each of the defendants to a term of 10-to-20 years of imprisonment.
Mr.
Harris, your bail is exonerated and you are remanded to the Department of Corrections.
And Mr.
Harris, you of all people You should be ashamed of yourself.
(GAVEL POUNDS) (CLICKING TONGUE) Well, the skinheads finally copped out, Takes care of the whole bunch.
A lot of lives down the tubes.
All in the name of love, Adam.
These are their stories.
So much for Latin lovers.
Well, at least he looked like Andy Garcia.
I mean, the guy falls asleep on them.
We should've gone to Cabo with Lilly.
Well you wanted to see South Beach.
(RECEIVER OFF-HOOK TONE) Didn't that girl, Leslie, go home? Leslie? Leslie? Oh my God! (GASPING) DUFF: Room's assigned to Leslie Cavanaugh.
First year grad student.
She from around here? Terre Haute, Indiana.
We've notified her parents.
Seems awful quiet here.
Well, it's spring break.
A lot of the kids are still away.
The two that found her just got back to campus.
They know the victim? They didn't socialize with her.
They said she pretty much kept to herself.
We've got them at the security office if you want to talk to them.
Anybody else spend their vacation here in the dorm? Uh, a couple of grad students from Taiwan on the third floor.
We found them in the computer center.
They'd been there all day.
Any security downstairs? Not during the break.
Hey, Lennie.
Leslie Cavanaugh made the dean's list last semester.
Yeah.
RODGERS: Cause of death was manual strangulation.
Killers thumbs crushed her windpipe.
Sexual assault? Anal and vaginal.
There's plenty of semen.
DNA shouldn't be a problem.
(SIGHING) The girl had facial abrasions, a couple broken ribs, dislocated shoulder.
She went through hell.
Well, one more thing, she had breast implants.
Pretty sizable ones.
She hadn't healed yet from the surgery.
They were brand spanking new.
Didn't take her long to catch somebody's eye.
BARRY: We wanted her to go to grad school, at Indiana State.
They have a good business program there.
She could have lived at home.
When was the last time you talked to your daughter, Mr.
Cavanaugh? Uh About three weeks ago.
She called to say that she couldn't come home for spring break.
She wouldn't have had to work if she had gone to a state college.
Did she ever mention having any problems with anybody at school? No.
What about boyfriends? She had one back home, but as far as we know, she concentrated on her studies here.
She didn't have much time for a social life and she was very shy.
Did she tell you she had just gotten breast implants? Lmplants? Are you sure? Was there anybody at school that she was close too? She did mention someone in her program Penny Rollins.
And you said she was working.
At an investment bank, part time Foster and Wallace? Is that it? Yeah.
She wanted to work on Wall Street.
(CRYING) How's a young woman working her way through grad school, afford breast implants? She didn't get the money from her parents.
Was she seeing anyone? Boyfriend in Terre Haute, he hasn't taken any trips lately.
Her parents say she didn't have time for a social life at school.
Well I get the feeling this girl didn't keep her parents up to date.
They mentioned a friend, a girl named Penny Rollins.
She's been on a camping trip in Utah the past two weeks.
She's flying back tonight.
While we're waiting, we'll go down to Wall Street, talk to the people where Leslie Cavanaugh worked.
You read my mind.
Leslie Cavanaugh.
Uh, young girl, early 20s, a student.
Uh, bright, charming.
We uh, spoke a week or so ago.
What'd you speak about? She was applying for a summer internship.
We had the idea she already had a job here.
Detective, Miss Cavanaugh is a full-time student.
Our firm doesn't offer part-time employment.
Even our full-time positions are more than full time.
Do you mind if we get a look at her application? No, uh would you dig that up for the detectives, Paula? Um, did something happen to her? She was murdered, two nights ago.
That's awful.
ED: Thank you.
Application's dated Tuesday of last week.
Maybe her mother misunderstood.
Fake boobs, fake job.
Our victim had another side to her.
Leslie studied at least plus classes.
Sixteen hours on the weekend.
Does everybody in your program work that hard? Well, Leslie was pretty ambitious.
She wanted to end up at a good firm when she got out of school.
Her parents told us she paid her own way.
How'd she make ends meet? Did you ever see those ads? "Dancers Wanted"? She started stripping? She made $200 on the first night.
Cash.
No taxes.
That's more than she made in a week busing tables.
She said she would've made more if she had bigger breasts.
When did she have the surgery? A couple of weeks ago.
I think she started to like it.
The attention, you know? Where did she dance? She never told me.
ED: Whatcha got, Lou? Hey, the uh, M.
E.
Sent over Leslie Cavanaugh's toxicology report.
Percodan.
Painkiller from the implant surgery.
And MDMA.
Ecstasy.
All you're missing on this girl is the rock and roll.
I got the records from her cell phone company.
Aside from being behind on her account, she made a dozen or so calls to and from a couple of strip clubs in Long Beach.
Bare Necessities, and a place called Headlights.
Subtle.
Yeah and the last call she made was to headlights the weekend before she was killed.
Uh-huh, keep your mind on the job.
(CLUB MUSIC PLAYING) Sure.
Called herself Sybil.
Girl with the split personality.
She dances here a couple'a times a month, weekends.
I hear she works some of the other clubs in town.
Uh, last time I saw her was three, four weeks ago.
ED: She have any regulars, you know, guys who liked to tip big, maybe expect a little extra in return? Not that I noticed.
What about friends? Any of these girls hang out with her? Ask them.
We will.
ED: So, Sybil, how'd she do on tips? Couple'a 100 a night.
Considering what she had to work with, that is not bad.
And three, or four weeks ago, that was the last time you talked to her? She called Sunday.
Said she had made some improvements.
She wanted to work this weekend.
She never showed.
She happen to mention how she paid for these improvements? I run a clean operation here.
If I find a girl dating the clientele, she don't work again.
Your dancers wouldn't happen to have a favorite body shop? Cavanaugh, Leslie.
Surgery performed on the ninth, follow up visit the 13th Everything fine.
There was no fever, mild pain, as expected.
How did she pay? Cash up front.
How much? Ten thousand dollars.
So, she gives you cash, but what about the hospital expenses? It's outpatient surgery performed here in my office.
The patient goes home the same day.
Is that safe? Well, we insist that they be accompanied by a family member or a friend.
Who accompanied Leslie Cavanaugh? I really shouldn't be telling you this.
Oh, sure you should, Doc, there's no third party privilege.
Uh, no, Leslie Cavanaugh's friend was a patient of mine.
Actually, she referred Ms.
Cavanaugh.
If it'll make you feel better, we'll get a subpoena.
Elizabeth Torrino.
Got an address? Leslie's dead? (SOBBING) Oh, God.
I didn't tell them.
I swear.
Take it easy.
Take it easy.
Tell who? Two guys with shaved heads.
They came here looking for Leslie.
What did they want with her? They said she was dealing drugs for them, and she owed them money.
I told them all I had was her cell phone number.
You didn't know where she lived? No.
They wouldn't believe me.
They said if I didn't tell them They kept hitting me.
They burned my fingers.
I would've told them if I had known.
I would've told them anything.
Lovely.
I would congratulate your witness on her memory, but this pair'd be pretty hard to forget.
Ms.
Torrino give you anything else? They told her Leslie Cavanaugh ripped them off in a drug deal.
The M.
E.
Found ecstasy in the dead girl's stomach.
Recreational use.
It doesn't mean she was dealing.
Well, that explains how she paid for her implants.
Torrino couldn't tell these guys where Leslie Cavanaugh lived, but they found her anyway.
Get these to our colleagues out in Nassau County.
You want them hand-delivered? Look for them where they must've looked for her.
A lot of customers want to know where the girls live.
They want to send flowers and candy.
They think they're in love.
What do you tell them? (CAR ENGINE STARTING) The girls have it rough enough, without having to worry about some loser sniffing around their house at night.
Did a dancer named Sybil ever cry on your shoulder? That girl? She was pretty sharp.
I always thought she could figure out a better way to make ends meet.
BRISCOE: You think she might have been dealing drugs on the side? Not out of the club.
But I guess if you two are asking, she must be in some kind of trouble, huh? Not anymore.
She's dead.
Damn, man.
BRISCOE: Uh, did either one of these guys ever come around asking about her? This creep I know.
But he wasn't here asking about the girls.
BRISCOE: What was he doing? About a month or so ago, the local Hitler Youth was out here trying to hose some Japanese guy in the parking lot.
I had to break it up.
Local police get involved? The Japanese guy just wanted to get the hell away from here.
You got a name? Nope.
Did you ever see him again? Uh-uh.
But the car those skinheads took off in, had roof racks, for a surfboard.
Had a dinosaur logo on it.
I think the name was, uh, T-rax.
Looked brand new.
Surf Nazis on ecstasy.
They oughta put that in the local drive-in.
Thanks.
triple red wood stringer with a concave nose.
His board.
Nose rider.
Great glass job.
Yeah, uh, actually, I was hoping you might know his name.
The rack on his car, T-rax.
The manufacturer says this is the only surf shop on the island that carries them.
I don't remember him buying any racks from us.
Why don't you check your receipts? Okay.
Nothing here, Dude.
That rack didn't come from Santa Monica, Dude.
Your boss don't know you sold that rack, does he? What was it, a private transaction? I traded them for some stuff.
That stuff come in little pills? Hey, we just need to find this guy.
The pills are your business.
Jay and his brother live in some shack.
Where? On the beach.
Don't tell them I told you, okay? (THUNDER RUMBLING) Police! Open the door! (LOUD CHATTERING) Nice chemistry set.
You boys cooking up something for the science fair? Don't even look like me.
You don't think so? Must be one of the other three skinheads on the island.
Maybe it's your mother, Sambo.
(CHUCKLING) Keep talking man.
The brothers at Rikers Island are gonna eat that up.
Last time I checked a map, Rikers was in Jew York City.
We got witnesses say you took a trip there recently.
To Hudson University.
(SCOFFS) What? I'm looking at colleges? You were dealing "X.
" Leslie Cavanaugh owed you money.
Whatever.
She couldn't pay you so you gave her the night of her life.
Like I'd be sitting here if you could prove anything.
We have the lab you were setting up in your beach shack.
A bunch of bottles and a few hot plates.
Bias assault in the strip club parking lot.
No way that Jap's gonna testify.
File the misdemeanor drug charge if you want.
My client's not answering any more questions.
Too bad.
I was just warming up to him.
BRISCOE: We have the witness you tortured to find out where Leslie Cavanaugh lived.
Her word against ours, man.
Who do you think the jury's going to believe? A professional lap dancer? I can't wait to see her rap sheet.
I'll put it head to head with your dirt-bag client any day.
Except his sheet doesn't get admitted into evidence.
Time he goes to trial, I'll have him in a suit and an $80 haircut.
BARNES: Let's see how he does in a line up.
MAN: Move down to the end.
Face forward.
Put your numbers over your chest.
MOSS: Take your time.
I don't know.
They all look the same.
I'm sorry.
I don't see him.
Look again.
The lady doesn't see him, Detective.
She couldn't ID either of them.
We're done here.
MALE 1: Take 'em out.
MALE 2: All right let's go.
Keep movin.
Out the door.
(DOOR CLOSING) You can still hold them on the drug lab.
Their equipment's never been used.
Our lab couldn't even find residue on their set up.
Makes that a misdemeanor.
The brotherhood will have these two bailed out within an hour of arraignment.
How about the assault at the strip club? No complaining witness.
I can buy you 48 hours.
After that, if you can't make a case, I gotta process 'em.
Can we go through the evidence seized at the shack? Back in the 20s, my grandfather brewed gin in the bathtub.
Sold it door to door in milk bottles.
Well, times change.
Inventory tracking software, financial projections, sophisticated set up.
Too sophisticated for this bunch of lowlifes to make on their own.
Somebody else was supplying the brainpower.
ED: Lennie, those clubs in Long Beach, uh, Headlight's, Star Shots, Bare Necessities, the database software on this laptop is registered to Bare Enterprises, Atlantic Avenue, Long beach, New York.
Where your boys reenacted, lwo Jima.
You got an A.
D.
A.
, who can get us a search warrant? (CLUB MUSIC PLAYING) What the hell is this? I tried to keep them out, Mr.
Polone, but, uh, they had a warrant.
I don't believe this.
Do you know a Jay Hurley, or his brother, Brad? Never heard of them.
What about Leslie Cavanaugh? Don't know her.
You sure about that? I said so, didn't I? Well, you want to explain why your signatures on her l-9 form? Not without my lawyer.
Tell him to meet you in New York.
(PHONE BUTTONS BEEPING) Mr.
Polone has nothing to say, he'd like to get back to his business.
Yeah, his drug business.
I don't sell drugs.
No, you let your skinhead buddies do it for you.
What evidence do you have, he was involved with any of this? Software registered in his name was found on a computer used by an ecstasy lab.
You can't even connect him to the drugs, how are you going to connect him to the murder? The victim was enjoying one of his products when she was murdered.
And the skinheads who killed her were seen at his club.
We pulled your sheet, Andy.
A dozen arrests for extortion, usury.
Forget about the five years you caught for aggravated assault.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
His friends raped this woman.
They tortured her.
They strangled her with their bare hands.
Once the pieces fall into place, it's capital murder.
So now's the time to cut a deal.
Lady, you can put your deal between your knees and squeeze.
Well, that's that.
Your boss is next door.
He's got quite a story to tell.
What kinda story? Don't say anything, Jay.
We're not talking to you.
What? You geniuses want your lawyers? We don't need lawyers.
This is crap.
Fine! This is just a courtesy call anyway.
Andy Polone rolled.
ED: Gave us all we need to put you both on death row.
He said killing her was our idea? Shut the hell up, bitch.
Lennie, I think you should take him to the bathroom.
And wash his mouth out with soap.
Just keep your mouth shut, little brother.
(DOOR CLOSING) It was nice work, muscling Polone into financing your drug deals.
He was a little unclear on why you killed Leslie Cavanaugh.
Polone said that was our idea? It doesn't matter much.
Your DNA matches the semen in the dead girl, you're history.
Polone will probably be out by the time they get around to executing you.
Polone told Brad to do the dancer.
We didn't even know who she was.
You just tagged along for the ride? You think I'd do something like that on my own? So I guess you're in the clear on the rape? Yeah.
We found ecstasy in the victim's blood.
Brad gave her that.
To spice up the party? I guess.
I don't even know why Polone wanted her dead.
All he said was "Do her.
" He was paying the bills.
What do you mean? Polone gave us 20 grand to set up the "X" lab.
So you threw in the murder for free.
Oh, the gang's all here.
This is a statement signed by Jay Hurley implicating you in the murder.
Squeeze that between your knees.
Andrew Polone you're under arrest for the murder of Leslie Cavanaugh.
(SIGHS) You have the right to remain silent.
(CHUCKLES) Anything you do or say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
A strip club manager.
Two neo-Nazi thugs.
And the victim is a dean's list MBA candidate.
The drug business makes strange bed fellows.
And we got something to corroborate these skinheads? A computer program registered to Polone was found on the killer's laptop.
And he lied to the police.
He said he didn't know the victim.
I can't say I'm overwhelmed.
What about a motive? I'm working on it.
Polone's been living high off a couple of hogs.
Besides the 20,000 he used to jump start his drug business, he spent 50,000 on a boat, all in the last month.
All that from managing a strip club.
Business, must be booming.
There might be another explanation.
A month ago, Polone sold 1000 shares of Millennial Technology.
He made $100,000 profit.
Luck? I don't think so.
Polone made three trades in the last four months.
Millennial Technology, Fleer Pharmaceuticals, and Fibercom Optics.
After tax profits of over $200,000.
Somebody knew what they were doing.
Leslie Cavanaugh, our MBA wiz? I'm gonna find out.
Each of the companies Mr.
Polone traded in were acquired a few weeks after he bought in.
Now this didn't raise a red flag? It did.
In due time, we would've picked it up.
According to volume history, those acquisitions weren't anticipated by the market.
Well, they were by Polone.
He seems to have had information no one else had.
Did an investor named Leslie Cavanaugh buy any of those stocks? No Leslie Cavanaugh, but this Polone wasn't the only small investor to hit the same three home runs.
Just because I made a bit of money on those companies means I did something wrong? Millennial Technology, Fleer Pharmaceuticals, Fibercom, why those stocks in particular? CNBC, the financial news network.
Stay home, tune in and trade online.
Nobody tipped you? It's all about doing your homework.
You want a stock tip? PIE ratio's ancient history, you gotta go with the glitz.
Well, I'll keep that in mind.
Do you know a man named Andrew Polone? No.
How about Leslie Cavanaugh? Are these the people you're investigating? You and Mr.
Polone made nearly identical investments only days apart.
We must watch the same market reports.
I think I've told you everything I know.
Without an authorization from Miss Alston, I can't show you her books.
You have the federal and state governments here, breathing down your neck.
How long do you think it'll take to get a seizure order for every piece of paper and hardware in this office? So, you're threatening me? The S.
E.
C.
Doesn't make threats, Mr.
Berry.
There are those who cooperate, and those who don't.
And we have very long memories.
You people have no shame.
Wendy Alston.
Okay, let's see what we have here.
Here's an entry for the Fibercom Optics trade.
She netted $42,000.
Tax on that isn't due 'til next April.
What are these credits marked "gifts"? There're about 20 of them.
I have no idea.
Wendy gives me her deposit slips, I don't ask a lot of questions.
There are a number of items from Derma Enterprises.
Some bio tech outfit? Not exactly.
Titania is our number one box cover girl.
Forest Hump sold How did Wendy Alston's movies sell? Who? Oh, that's Eva Moreau.
She used to be pretty big.
Uh, I never knew her real name.
Used to be big? Six months ago she quit the business.
We offered to double Eva's fee, but unfortunately she said she's retired.
I share your loss.
You think it's easy cultivating a porn star? It takes years.
Do you mind if I take a look at some of her videos? American Booty, her swan song.
My personal favorite.
A couple of these were produced by Andrew Polone.
Yeah, he runs a strip club in Long Beach.
I know.
When were these movies shot? '95 and '96.
Other than the videos you turned up, nothing in Polone's office ties him to Wendy Alston.
As far as we can see, she's a retired porn star living off her investments.
God bless America.
You know, I don't underestimate the porn industry, but there's no way she made it all on blue movies.
Beside her investments, she got over $60,000 in unidentified gifts in the past year.
A movie she made four years ago with Polone doesn't explain their stock trading scheme.
And we can't put Leslie Cavanaugh anywhere near it.
If these people constructed a Chinese wall, it's a damn good one.
Here's something in Polone's pocket calendar, the initials E.
M.
Eva Moreau.
(KEYBOARD KEYS CLACKING) The number's assigned to someone named Albert Tully.
Tully.
Tully, Tully.
(DOOR BUZZER BUZZING) If Wendy Alston answers, catch me.
Yes? Miss Tully? I'm Patricia Harris.
Tully was my maiden name.
And you are? We're Detectives Green and Briscoe.
Yes? Do you know a woman named Wendy Alston? Doesn't sound familiar.
How about Eva Moreau? No.
Why? Ms.
Alston gave the phone number to this apartment to a business acquaintance.
Perhaps someone from my husband's firm.
James, do you know someone named Wendy Alston? JAMES: Who wants to know? James Harris, you talked to Leslie Cavanaugh about an internship a few days before she was murdered.
Murder? Jim, what's going on? Mr.
Harris, why don't we take a ride downtown.
There's a few things we need to clear up.
I'm not going downtown.
Don't make a scene, sir.
Don't you need some kind of warrant? That's not exactly true, Mr.
Harris.
Why are they doing this to you? JAMES: Would you leave now please? James Harris, you are under arrest.
Jim? Call the lawyers, Patricia.
"Indictment number, "People v.
Polone, Alston, Harris, Hurley and Hurley.
" That's no law firm I've ever seen before.
Murder in the first degree.
Polone and the Hurley brothers have already been arraigned, Your Honor.
They're here for consolidation.
Consolidation is granted.
Let's have pleas from the other defendants.
Not guilty.
Not guilty.
Judge, I protest my client's inclusion with these, riffraff.
Mr.
Harris is an established member of the community and a successful businessman Who masterminded a murder to conceal an insider stock trading scam.
WEAVER: That's pure speculation, Judge.
Mr.
Harris's firm underwrote every acquisition and merger the defendants reaped windfalls on.
And the night doorman at his in-law's apartment, said Ms.
Alston paid several night visits there.
Seems to me that your client is already quite intimate with this riffraff, Mr.
Weaver.
If you have sound legal reason, make a motion to sever your client's trial.
Bail is set for $1,000,000 for Alston and Harris.
Next case.
(GAVEL POUNDS) MAN: "Docket number See if I'm caught up.
We got the business student, the bigots, the bar owner.
The banker and the bimbo.
This a John le Carre novel? Harris gave the insider tip to Wendy Alston the porno star.
She passed it on to Polone, who used his profits to bankroll his drug operation.
And Leslie Cavanaugh? She might've stumbled across the whole mess.
More likely fell into it.
We'll find out.
We have a meeting with Harris and his lawyer this afternoon.
Give 'em holy heck.
What do we have to do to get out from under this, Mr.
McCoy? Convince me Mr.
Harris had nothing to do with Leslie Cavanaugh's murder.
(SIGHS) Wendy Alston and I had an affair.
(SIGHING) This is so embarrassing, I can barely get the words out.
We used my late mother-in-law's apartment.
It was stupid of me, but the rest, Mr.
McCoy, you've got to believe me, I had nothing to do with what happened to that poor girl.
Then what was she doing in your office? She came to tell me she'd found out about the stock information, Wendy had passed along to Polone.
Did she say how she knew? Ms.
Cavanaugh told me there was insider information leaking from my firm.
She said she wanted a job, or she'd go to the S.
E.
C.
So you offered her a summer position to shut her up? Please, you have to understand my position, any kind of investigation tarnishes the firm's reputation.
I wanted to keep it under wraps 'til I had a chance to ask Wendy about it.
And a few days later Leslie Cavanaugh was dead.
If I was going to kill her, why would I file her job application and leave a paper trail a mile wide? It was all Polone.
Wendy had nothing to do with it.
That's a nice story, Mr.
Harris.
I'll have to give it some thought.
Please, Mr.
McCoy.
I've already humiliated my wife, and my partners with this.
If there's anything you can do (PHONE RINGING) McCoy.
We'll be right there.
Guess who else dropped by to play Queen for a day? WENDY: Jimmy Harris and I had been seeing each other for about a year.
When men find out what I do for a living, they're usually pretty judgmental, you know? But Jimmy, he He never looked down on me.
How enlightened.
You plied him with sex for inside information on the stock market.
It wasn't like that.
Jimmy just told me what stocks to buy.
She passed on what she learned to her friend Polone, all in perfect innocence.
And she knew it was illegal to trade on that information.
How did Leslie Cavanaugh find out? Polone told me she must've seen the trade confirmations on his desk.
She figured out that Jimmy Harris's firm handled all the deals.
So when Polone found out, he had her killed? Polone's an animal.
When I told him that Leslie had gone to Jimmy about the stocks, he hit the roof.
He said that he would take care of that bitch before she ruined everything.
And Harris knew nothing about it? No.
Okay.
Matching stories.
Let's find out if we believe them.
The first time I found out Jim was seeing another woman, it almost destroyed me.
I told him, children have impulses, when you grow up, (SIGHS) you learn to control them.
He swore he'd clean up his act.
Like an idiot, I believed him.
How many other women has he been with? Let's see, three, that I know of.
What can I say? He's not the man I thought he was.
Why did you stay with him all this time? This is hard for me to say, Ms.
Carmichael, I couldn't satisfy Jim's needs.
Are you sure his relationship with Wendy Alston was just about sex? Why do you say that? The gifts he gave her, the stock tips.
She was a high-priced whore.
Did he ever behave violently with you? It's not his style.
He's all about rules and order in this world.
Jim sits in our living room in his jacket and tie.
He ever let his guard down? Maybe with Vincent Steinberg, his partner.
Jim's got problems, but he had nothing to do with that woman's death.
Partner's intuition? Try to understand.
The guy manages head of his fraternity at Dartmouth, honor society It's a long way to a porn star.
(SIGHING) Tell me about it.
Just before Labor Day, I get a call from Jim.
He ran out of gas on the L.
I.
E.
He can't call a cab, he doesn't have any money.
Now how can you not have any money? He'd been with Wendy Alston? I think so.
To this day, I think she's the one who took his wallet.
Was he angry about it? Did he ever confront her? Are you kidding? He was obsessed with her.
Sometimes we'd be sitting in a meeting and you could see he was preoccupied.
I don't know how he held it together for so long.
Well did you ever try to get him some help? Sure.
I told him he was risking everything for this girl.
He had to let go.
He'd stop seeing her for a month or two.
But he couldn't stay away.
He'd park across the street from her building, and stare at her apartment.
He couldn't control himself.
Mr.
Harris might have passed inside information to Ms.
Alston.
I should have seen that coming.
It was only a matter of time before this thing embarrassed the firm.
Did he ever express any concern about the S.
E.
C.
? Ever do anything that might be construed as covering his tracks? You'd have to ask his secretary about that.
Ms.
Cavanaugh was a very presentable young woman.
When I read in the papers that she had worked in one of those places, you never know, do you? Were you present when she spoke to Mr.
Harris? Um, I was at my desk, outside his office.
After she came in, did he do anything different in the office, paperwork to the S.
E.
C.
, anything like that? Well, he had me file the girl's application for an internship the next morning.
Did you know about Mr.
Harris's relationship with Wendy Alston? Not exactly.
I overheard him on the phone sometimes.
He wasn't talking to his wife.
Did he ever discuss Leslie Cavanaugh? Well, about a week after Leslie Cavanaugh came in, Mr.
Harris got a call as he was leaving the office.
From Wendy Alston? I don't know, she would always call on his private line.
Mr.
Harris had me bring him Ms.
Cavanaugh's application.
I heard him read off her address and phone number.
Do you remember the day, it's very important? It was a few days before I heard about the murder.
The next morning, Mr.
Harris told me to go down to personnel and fast track her application.
Polone's skinheads couldn't find her, so Wendy Alston did.
Harris signed Leslie Cavanaugh's death warrant.
So why'd he fast track her application? To give himself deniability.
Everything points to Harris being a first class pig, not someone who resorts to violence.
My money's on Polone.
He's got the pedigree.
Any way to connect them? Well, as far as I can tell, Harris never even knew about Polone.
Wendy was passing him stock tips on her own.
Funny how he never mentioned giving Cavanaugh's address to her.
Well, if we have to cut a deal with somebody, Harris is the best of the bunch.
Without him, we can't establish a motive for Polone or Alston.
Get him in here.
It's my fault Jim didn't mention Wendy's phone call.
We're listening, Mr.
Weaver.
But even though there was an innocent explanation, I thought it better to leave it unsaid.
You play games with us, you make it hard to trust you, or your client.
Well, then take it out on me, not him.
After Leslie Cavanaugh came to see me, I was furious.
I called Wendy to find out how this grad student knew all about the tips I gave her.
Wendy called back, said she'd talk to Leslie about it, so I gave her the address.
I didn't know she was connected to a mobster.
Maybe you should have entertained the possibility.
Please, Mr.
McCoy I'm trying Alston and Polone for first degree murder.
You testify against them, we give you immunity for it.
Jim? All right.
As for the securities violations, you're on your own with the Feds.
JAMES: I met Wendy at the firm outing, one of those booze cruises around Manhattan.
She gave me her phone number.
She made it clear she didn't care if I was married.
When did you find out what Wendy did for a living? The first time I went to her apartment.
She put in one of her tapes.
How did that make you feel, Mr.
Harris? To be honest Excited.
I mean, here I was sitting next to someone who looked like that.
It's hard to explain.
And she was attracted to someone like me.
It sounds ridiculous now, but I felt like a lucky man.
How did your relationship with Ms.
Alston progress from that point? We started seeing more of each other.
Wendy was An incredible lover.
Not like anyone I'd ever met.
But, pretty soon, she wanted money.
At first it was no problem, but when I tried to pull the reins in, she threatened to find somebody else.
Then she started asking for stock tips.
You gave her insider information? Yes.
I couldn't say no to her.
Did there come a time, when Ms.
Alston called you for Leslie Cavanaugh's address? I remember I was late for a business dinner.
Wendy called a little after 7:00 on my private line.
Did she say why she wanted it? Now, Ms.
Cavanaugh had been to my office to warn me about the stock tips leaking out.
I was shocked.
I couldn't believe Wendy had breached our confidence.
What did she say about the address, Mr.
Harris? Now you have to understand, this jeopardized my firm, everything I had worked for.
Wendy said she wanted to go see this girl, find out how much she knew.
So you gave it to her? I'm so sorry.
I was such an idiot.
I didn't realize what would happen.
When Ms.
Alston asked for Ms.
Cavanaugh's address, you believed it was just to talk to the girl? Yes.
Did you have any firsthand knowledge that would change your belief? No.
So it was your understanding, Ms.
Alston had no idea what Mr.
Polone planned to do? Correct.
Nor did you, certainly? No.
You gave Ms.
Alston several cash gifts over the years, $60,000 in all.
Why? Because I I was in love with her.
How do you feel about her now? The same way.
But you're testifying against her? Yes.
You realize, if she's convicted, she'll go to jail for life? Come on, Mr.
Harris.
I realize that.
Four weeks ago, you withdrew $75,000 from an offshore account.
Another gift for Ms.
Alston? Will Your Honor please direct the witness to answer the question.
Mr.
Harris, we're waiting.
May I have a moment with my lawyer? Your Honor Come up, Mr.
Weaver.
(BOTH WHISPERING) I refuse to answer.
On what basis? On the grounds I may incriminate myself.
Defense moves for mistrial.
People request a brief recess, Judge.
You have five minutes to straighten your witness out Mr.
McCoy.
And then I want to see counsel in chambers.
This isn't about the Fifth Amendment, is it? I'm sorry.
You're using the money as a ploy to protect your girlfriend.
You sanbagged us.
Let's not jump to any conclusions, Mr.
McCoy.
Then he's going to march back in there and answer the question.
No, I'm not.
The People are prepared to continue.
Strike Mr.
Harris' testimony, we'll put on the rest of our case.
Without Harris' direct testimony, there is no case.
We need a few days.
I'm not delaying the trial, Mr.
McCoy.
I'm granting a mistrial.
The witness engineered this, Judge.
Your witness, Mr.
McCoy.
Jeopardy has attached.
We move to dismiss.
She's right.
You picked a jury, you opened your case.
I'm dismissing the indictment with prejudice.
Double crossed by your own witness.
He's still in love with Wendy Alston.
Well, let's just forget about Harris for the time being and concentrate on her case.
JACK: I'm going to re-file against Alston and Polone.
Judge McNeil ruled we can't.
Murder charges are out, not conspiracy.
You're going to indict Alston and Polone For conspiracy to commit a crime we can't prosecute? Alston and Polone And James Harris.
Because he didn't have the guts to go through with it? No.
But, Harris didn't know they were going to kill her.
Harris committed the overt act.
I can only get to the other two through him.
Is this about Harris, or the other two? It's about all of them.
Harris is getting what he deserves.
You're wasting your time here, Mr.
Weaver.
The conspiracy indictment stands.
Your client's going to jail.
I wasn't involved in any conspiracy.
You had your chance to walk away from this.
You choked on it.
Now, what are you offering now, Mr.
McCoy? A trial.
Please, don't do this, Mr.
McCoy.
I've had it with you, Mr.
Harris.
You're going to prison with your girlfriend and Andrew Polone.
But I didn't know! I can make the case that you did.
We'll let a jury sort it out.
I am begging you.
I've ruined my life.
I'm a fool, all right But I couldn't stop myself.
I couldn't send Wendy to jail.
Don't punish me for that, please.
You get the same deal I'm offering Alston and Polone.
Plus whatever securities violations the Feds can pile on.
JUDGE: In accordance with the plea agreement reached by the parties, I'm sentencing each of the defendants to a term of 10-to-20 years of imprisonment.
Mr.
Harris, your bail is exonerated and you are remanded to the Department of Corrections.
And Mr.
Harris, you of all people You should be ashamed of yourself.
(GAVEL POUNDS) (CLICKING TONGUE) Well, the skinheads finally copped out, Takes care of the whole bunch.
A lot of lives down the tubes.
All in the name of love, Adam.