Law & Order (1990) s13e09 Episode Script
The Wheel
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.
I am telling you it was a sign.
Someone you knew 15 years ago calling from Have a good night, Rudy.
You too.
The fact that she calls right when I'm deciding whether to take the job in Chicago, what do you call that? A coincidence.
Yeah, sure.
Why not? Uproot your whole life because a virtual stranger calls from out of the blue.
Sue me! I don't believe in chance.
She was trying to raise money.
She called everyone in the alumni directory.
It's only a 2-hour flight.
(SIGHS) I could be back every weekend.
Besides, you know what they say about absence.
I'm more concerned with what they say about abstinence.
Come here.
Mmm.
Who knows? We may find ourselves joining the mile-high club.
Where are you going? What are you doing? It's a beautiful night.
(CHUCKLING) It's cold on the roof.
Not when we get up there.
(SIGHS) (CHUCKLES) Mmm.
What in the hell is (GASPS) WOMAN: Oh no! MAN: God! (BOTH COUGHING) They usually pass out from the pain before they die of inhalation.
Thank God for small favors.
The victim's an Asian female.
I'd say late teens, early twenties.
Why does it smell like happy hour up here? The nose knows.
The accelerant.
Eight-year-old.
Why not use the good stuff? Which one of you actually lives here? That would be me.
It looked to me like you missed your floor.
We were going to the roof.
Stargazing.
Right.
The only way to get to the roof is the stairwell on that floor.
I don't know.
Carrying signs and shouting seems a better way to make a political statement.
Excuse me? That apartment, penthouse 1, the Deputy Consul-General from China lives there.
You still don't notice anything weird? Other than lighting herself on fire? One shoe! The girl's only got one shoe.
Any ID? It could be Cinderella.
Lost a slipper on the way back from the ball.
Or a cane.
That looks like ACE bandage.
We may have just gone international on this one.
Chinese bigwig lives in penthouse 1.
BRISCOE: So who lives in penthouse 2? That one's for sale.
I guess the price just dropped.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS) On both apartments.
I'm sorry.
I have a weak stomach for this sort of thing.
Most people do.
They're crazy, you know? Who exactly are we talking about? These Falun Gong people.
I'm sorry? Falun Gong.
They are a heretical cult.
My government has banned them, saving a lot of innocent victims from being unwittingly brainwashed.
Into committing suicide? They hook their followers first by convincing them it's a good way to stay physically fit.
Breathing exercises, things like that.
And then they graduate to self-immolation? Sometimes.
A group did this in Tiananmen Square last year.
And their leader thinks he can fly.
I don't know how many of his followers have jumped off buildings.
Are these those guys on 12th Avenue? CHEN: That's where our consulate is.
They just stare.
They never say a word.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN) In English, Yuen.
My driver.
Doorman says trouble.
Maybe you want to go to hotel.
No, I'll be fine here.
Unless BRISCOE: No, you're okay.
Thank you.
Does he live here? No.
He's more like a personal assistant.
Do you have any idea who that girl is? Actually, we were hoping that you knew.
Well, obviously her aim was to embarrass my government.
How terrible for a family, to lose a child to a cult.
Nobody gets by me.
That's why I get 7:00 to midnight.
That's the busy time? Well, people coming home from the office, people going out for their evening's entertainment.
And you see everybody? That's right.
Okay, so did anybody visit Mr.
Chen tonight? That would have been tough.
He left before I came on and you saw when he got back.
You know, I, uh, thought about joining the force, but the old lady She worries.
That's too bad, man.
So, any of the residents have guests tonight? The Carlsons in 301 had the piano tuner, he left at 8:15.
That's about it.
And this is the only entrance into the building? Yeah.
There's a garage entrance around the corner, but you gotta get by Hank.
Oh.
Hank's pretty good, too, huh? You'll see.
I heard it was suicide.
It's a homicide until our Medical Examiner tells us otherwise.
I didn't see no Oriental broads come in this way.
I believe they're called Asian women, bro.
Whatever.
Like we don't have enough Hebrews in the building, now they gotta sell to the Red Army? If anybody tried to get in here that I didn't know, I'd know.
What if they were in the back seat of something like that? That's Mrs.
Schumacher's.
She hasn't had a guest in two years.
ED: Now, she don't drive that thing herself, does she? She couldn't reach the pedals.
She's got Wong.
HANK: Nice guy for a Chauffeur? Exactly.
What time did he drop the car off? I'd say about 8:00.
Do you happen to know where Mr.
Wong lives? Yeah.
The Chinatown OTB.
He bets every race at every track in the world.
Oh, you mean those weirdos over on the West Side.
Mmm-hmm, that's them.
They're against something.
I'm just not sure what it is.
Well, at least they don't ask for money or bang on your door at 6 a.
m.
Passing out pamphlets.
Any hot picks? We're all interested.
Hey, for your information, our key witness plays the ponies.
I'm just looking for OTB's first Simulcast race.
Uh-huh.
The 3rd at Belmont? Okay, so I took a little detour.
Our Jane Doe is not rushing off anyplace.
Anyway, we're hoping that Mr.
Wong snuck her in through the garage.
Or maybe she landed on the roof.
Should I even ask? Well, besides self-immolations, the Deputy Consul-General says that some of these people think they can fly.
Hey, who am I to doubt them? It's post time in Ireland.
All right.
It's the greatest gig in the world.
Once a day, Mrs.
Schumacher goes out to meet her sister.
Once a week, I take the car out for a wash and wax.
A little manicure here, a lunch there.
Have you been by to see Mrs.
Schumacher yet today? No.
Has something happened to her? No, but somebody committed suicide in her building last night.
It's that O'Grady kid, right? That one's not from this planet.
No.
Actually it was a stranger.
Nobody knows how she got into the building.
We were thinking maybe you drove her there.
Hey! I've got a better chance of winning the Pick 6 at Santa Anita.
Mrs.
S.
Even smells another person in that car, I'm canned.
Sorry, I can't help you.
Can I BRISCOE: Yeah.
Go ahead.
You buy that? Not to profile, but no.
Aw, come on.
This kid eats apple pie for breakfast.
Let's go talk to Mrs.
Schumacher anyway.
I've got nothing better to do till lunch.
Oh, it's horrible, horrible.
The poor girl.
Did you see any strangers around the building, in the halls, the elevator? No, I don't go out much anymore, now that Freddy has passed on.
ED: Freddy, is that your husband? My bichon frise.
Oh He loved the park.
We'd sit on a bench and he'd bark at the bicycles.
Actually, Mrs.
Schumacher, we were wondering about your driver.
It's funny you should bring him up.
Freddy actually introduced me to Mr.
Wong.
Your dog introduced you to your driver? Mmm-hmm! You know those people that do that strange routine in the park every day? Um, it's like karate, but nobody gets hit.
Mr.
Wong was one of them? Freddy got such a kick out of him.
MORAN: I guess I've been doing the exercises for about a year now.
My wife read some article about the health benefits.
She got bored, but I'm still here.
BRISCOE: My ex-wife talked me into seeing a counselor and the counselor talked me into getting a divorce.
Well, you ought to try this.
I mean, all these people wasting thousands of dollars on shrinks when a little (INHALES) free breathing cures all that ails.
Well, we hear that there's a lot more to it than just breathing.
That's right.
It fills a spiritual void.
Falun Gong, it means "law of the wheel.
" That all things come full circle.
Hey, does Tommy Wong come here often? Oh, sure.
Yeah, mostly mornings now.
I'm a two-a-day-er.
Tommy didn't do anything wrong, did he? No, no.
We're looking for a friend of his, a young lady? Falun Gong is not a singles party, Detectives.
Let me ask you this.
Are any of your regulars missing today? Uh Glen Haff.
He's on jury duty, and, uh, Huang Quan.
She goes by Helen.
Hardly speaks any English.
Poor thing, she sprained her ankle.
I sprained my ankle once.
My foot blew up so bad I couldn't wear a shoe for a week.
Well, you see, with our exercises, I bet Helen is back in a day or two.
If we wanted to, where would we find Miss Quan? You know what? Her older sister cuts my hair at Chambliss on 72nd.
Helen does shampooing there part-time.
Just let it sit for a while.
Helen's not here today.
She's new to this country so whatever she did, it's Wendy, this may be kind of rough.
I'm so sorry.
Stupid little It would have been easier if she were hooked on heroin.
BRISCOE: You're talking about Falun Gong? She called it a search for spirituality.
But it's a cult.
She was the sweetest little kid.
You wouldn't believe.
Now look at her.
How did she get involved with it? My mom.
When Dad and I left Put it this way.
She was a perfect candidate for their brainwashing.
But Helen We talked to somebody who thinks Falun Gong is just a way to stay fit.
I'm not the biggest fan of the Chinese government, but maybe they're right.
ED: Right about what? They're trying to deprogram these people.
They've created camps for it.
Helen told me Mom's in one.
So that's what Helen was protesting? It's just stupid.
I mean, what made her think that this would change what's going on thousands of miles away? Did Helen leave a note or anything? ED: If she did leave a suicide note, it's not like I'm going to be able to read it.
Uh, David Ong in Vice can translate.
Hey, look at this.
Picking the Ponies by Chip Burton.
Now that's pretty strange reading for somebody who isn't exactly up to speed on their English.
Yeah, but not for somebody (CELL PHONE RINGS) Who practically lives at the OTB.
Yeah? Oh, hey, what's up? Okay.
Okay, we'll be right there.
That was the M.
E.
's office.
Good.
We can finally put this to bed.
Third degree burns over 60% of her body.
Well, we kind of knew that, Doc.
Ah, but what you didn't know was that there was no carbon monoxide in her lungs, which means She was dead before she got torched.
The petechial hemorrhaging in her eyes tells me that she was strangled.
Well, I guess we can stop looking for the suicide note.
The fact is you lied, Tommy.
No, I didn't.
Hey, maybe this Falun Gong affects your memory, but we asked you if you knew the woman who cooked herself outside the Deputy Consul's apartment.
I didn't know it was Helen.
But you knew Helen.
You didn't ask me that.
I don't like chasing my tail here.
I don't know what you're saying.
Man, if you don't give me a straight answer, I swear before God I will Okay! Okay! I knew Helen.
Thank you.
I was just trying to help her become American.
Help her with the language, stuff like that.
Our people were from the same part of China.
So you helped her with the language by giving her a book on betting the ponies.
I don't have that much reading material.
(LAUGHING) That's all I know.
We gave you your chance, man.
What time's the next bus to Rikers? Wait! Just, just, just hold on! I met her in the park.
And she told me that her mom was locked up back in China.
BRISCOE: What for? For believing.
Falun Gong is illegal over there.
Helen wanted to help her mom get out, so when she heard that Chen lives in Mrs.
Schumacher's building, she thought maybe he could do something.
Would have been a whole lot easier just to ask nicely.
WONG: Yeah.
She tried.
He wouldn't take her calls.
She said something about suing him.
She was more American than we thought.
So you just snuck her into the building? Yeah.
But she didn't tell me that she was going to light herself on fire.
She just wanted to talk, went in through the garage, and then I went home.
Look, I'm not perfect, but I'm not gonna help someone commit suicide.
I need a cup of coffee.
Wait! What about me? Make yourself at home, bro.
You think he doesn't know she was strangled? I think he has trouble with the truth in general.
We can't keep him forever with what we got.
You talk to the Deputy Consul-General, I'll keep Mr.
Wong dancing as long as I can.
Mr.
Wong, do you have a lawyer? She may have come to talk to me, but I was at the consulate with a group of Chinese businessmen, until I arrived home to find you in my corridor.
So you never talked to her? Didn't I just say that? I'm sorry.
I realize Americans always root for the underdog, but I didn't see any of you coming to the defense of Jim Jones or David Koresh.
We didn't come here to have a political argument with you.
Of course not.
I'm sorry.
These people just infuriate me.
Protesting outside my door like this.
It's like the thief who screams, "Stop, thief!" Well, we think this thief was murdered.
You see? They will even sacrifice their own if it suits their sick purposes.
Wait a minute.
You're telling me one believer would kill another one just to prove a point? But this wouldn't be the first time.
They're sick.
Some of them cut their own stomachs open to find the wheel inside.
The interesting thing here is that one of Helen's friends told us that she brought some sort of legal action against you.
For what? I told you, I never saw her before.
Something to do with her mother back in the old country.
First of all, if I had been sued it would be dismissed on jurisdictional grounds alone.
Second, if I were actually found liable for something, I could simply leave the country and have a default judgment entered against me.
You're right.
You could.
Thank you for your time, Mr.
Chen.
I realize you're just doing your jobs.
A local artist back in Tianjin.
Hey, Tianjin.
Isn't that where Helen's sister said their family was from? Probably a coincidence.
Yeah, so I figured.
You know, and I'm not pointing any fingers, but didn't that sound like that Deputy Consul knew an awful lot about lawsuits for somebody who wasn't getting sued? Helen Quan was new to this country.
Now where's she gonna go to find a lawyer? My client's already told your boss everything he knows.
And the bottom line is you don't have any possible cause to hold him any longer.
(CHUCKLING) Don't you mean "probable cause"? No, I mean you don't have anything that even possibly resembles evidence.
Well, his lies are getting us pretty close.
WONG: I told the truth.
Mr.
Chen said he doesn't know anything about a lawsuit.
He's lying.
Actually, we checked.
There are no lawsuits against him in New York.
Of course there aren't.
It's a Federal case.
You need to speak to Sally Xiao.
She's on Mott Street.
The Alien Tort Claims Act, and the Torture Victim Prevention Act.
Each gave us jurisdiction over Mr.
Chen.
You're saying the Deputy Consul-General tortured people? He was mayor of a town where the torture took place.
And they can sue him here for something he allegedly did over there? That's why America is the greatest country in the world.
I don't know.
Maybe we're sticking our noses where we don't belong.
Why? Because China's not sitting on top of millions of gallons of oil? To date there are of Falun Gong practitioners being beaten to death while in detention.
Only from what we heard, they broke Chinese law first.
It's not a just law.
It's religious repression.
Well, you say religion, they say cult.
Government propaganda.
Remember, Detective, Christianity was once a cult.
Helen Quan's mother has been needlessly imprisoned for two years, being fed psychotropic drugs and beaten until she was barely conscious.
And you know this because We know.
No offense, but who's spewing propaganda now? You can go.
Look, this lawsuit you filed.
Mr.
Chen says he never heard about it.
(PHONE RINGS) Would an affidavit of service convince you he's lying? Hello? Hmm.
It says here Mr.
Chen was served with a Federal complaint two weeks before Helen Quan was murdered.
Maybe losing a case like this is a little more serious than hopping on a plane with a default judgment in your briefcase.
Thank you.
Let's go see if he really was at the consulate that night.
YUEN: In China, I work as driver.
Then I come here with Mr.
Chen.
I gotta tell you, Mr.
Yuen.
Your boss says you're doing a hell of a job.
Uh, Mr.
Chen says, uh, you're the best.
Best.
I know.
The night that that girl killed herself? It is terrible.
What was the restaurant that you took Mr.
Chen to? Mr.
Chen and friends.
Steak eat.
44th Street.
Okay.
We have a problem with that, Mr.
Yuen.
Your boss said that he didn't go to a restaurant, that he was at the consulate all night long.
So you're lying to protect him, aren't you? Protect, yes.
I not dishonor Mr.
Chen.
ED: Dishonor? YUEN: Yes.
Mr.
Chen at girls for money.
Ah, the international language.
I wait for him to be done and then take him home.
These girls, where can we find them? Excuse me.
Escort.
Oh, yeah.
I always forget.
Uh, Tuesday night you escorted a Chinese gentleman? Sure.
Mr.
Chen.
He's some kind of big shot over at the embassy.
And you're sure that it was on Tuesday night? Would you like to see my Palm Pilot? Actually Well, then why don't you guys come back with a warrant? I'm in my second year.
Manhattan Law.
So where did you escort Mr.
Chen? We didn't go out.
At least, I didn't.
But Mr.
Chen did? It was really a party for these rich guys over from China.
Tina and I, we showed them a hell of a time.
Mr.
Chen didn't wanna hang around for the fun? Nope.
He just gave me some cash.
He said take care of his pals.
And then he left and he came back around midnight to pick them up.
Tommy Wong sneaks Helen into the building.
To do what? To talk to Chen.
To beg for her mother's release.
To sit on the floor cross-legged in silent protest.
It don't really matter.
In court it might.
Well, Chen's been lying from the get-go, Serena.
The Chinese government sees these people as some sort of threat.
We figure Chen dropped his buddies off to get their jollies, went home and found Helen Quan sitting there.
One thing leads to another, and he makes it look like she's one of those fanatics into self-immolation for a cause.
A guy like this, you put the chains on his wrists, he'll crack like a year-old fortune cookie.
A Deputy Consul-General? This is way over my head.
There are rules for consulate notification.
International issues.
Well, if he gets nervous, he may split for China.
If he gets anywhere near an airplane, use the chains.
Whoa! Excuse me! I'm looking for Detective Green.
Well, he's not here.
Maybe I can help you.
Are you working on the Helen Quan case? Actually, I'm in charge here.
Well, let me tell you, you're doing one hell of a job.
Maybe you should take a deep breath.
I just came from the morgue, Detective.
Lieutenant.
She was murdered.
They told me Helen was Look, why don't we go in here, have a seat Don't touch me! My baby sister was strangled and set on fire, and the man who did it is eating dinner at Lutèce! You're referring to Deputy Consul-General Chen.
He's under surveillance.
Oh! That's great.
You know, Dad always said America was a great country.
He said there was justice here.
Laws.
He could recite the Declaration of Independence by heart.
You know what, I'm glad he's dead.
That way he didn't have to see it was all a big, fat lie.
Look, there's a lot more involved before we can arrest.
She was killed at his door.
Who else could've done it? It's because he's a big shot, isn't it? What's the use? Governments, they're all the same.
(DOOR OPENS) I know I said I liked a good fight, but taking on an entire government is not quite what I meant.
Chen is a lower level diplomat.
If he did commit this murder, I don't think China would go to the mat for him.
I was talking about our government.
Another enemy is the last thing this country needs right now.
What the hell, Helen Quan's just one person.
There's a billion more where she came from.
I'll ignore that.
Since when do we turn the other cheek just because a couple of international feathers might get ruffled? I don't think that we would hesitate to prosecute Mr.
Chen if he was a visiting official from New Jersey.
Are you two quite done? First off, we don't have to worry about our visiting officials in New Jersey being whisked off in retaliation in the middle of the night to dungeons never to be heard from again.
Secondly, our commercial interests in Newark might not suddenly find themselves taxed out of business or closed down permanently with no recourse.
So the law is the law unless enforcing it causes some collateral damage? That lady outside in the blindfold, she's got a scale in her left hand, Serena.
Yeah, and it's the scale ofjustice, not pragmatism.
Well, sometimes you can't have one without the other.
Especially when Pennington Cleese is across the aisle.
Your old firm.
Representing my old client.
The whole country of China was your client? Up to 10 million a year in billings.
So, will there be some kind of conflict here? Chen wasn't even in this country when I represented them.
But JACK: Don't even think about it, Arthur.
SERENA: What? Arthur was about to suggest that we transfer this case to another jurisdiction.
Well, it would prevent a hell of a migraine.
Take an Aspirin.
I was referring to your head.
You think I can't win this.
Nothing personal, but Pennington Cleese has a lot more money and manpower.
Where you going? To convene a grand jury.
You don't understand.
We were better off than most families and we would be considered living in poverty over here.
Is that what drew people to the Falun Gong? It makes them search for something.
Some kind of happiness and life.
You don't sound like you approve.
I hate them.
None of this would've happened if JACK: Please continue, Miss Quan.
Helen told me two or three years ago the police beat up members of Falun Gong.
Our mom then joined a group of others to protest in Beijing.
What did Helen tell you happened after that? The Chinese government doesn't exactly approve of civil disobedience.
Cops raided the houses of anyone in connection with Falun Gong and threw them into detention camps.
Helen called them prisons.
And was your mother one of those taken prisoner? Helen said she hid in the closet when they dragged Mom out by her hair.
JACK: When was the last time you saw Helen? The day she died.
She didn't really understand.
She thought that if she could just talk to Mr.
Chen I knew that would be a waste of time, but that doesn't mean she had to die.
The government started a full-out campaign to suppress and destroy Falun Gong permanently.
Thousands were rounded up like cattle and shipped off to detention centers for reeducation.
Meaning? As I understand it, they were beaten, tortured, committed to insane asylums.
JACK: But they weren't insane? They had faith.
The government only wants the rest of the population to think they're insane.
Why did Miss Quan come to you? She wanted me to help get her mother released.
Of course, I had no power to do that, but I did find two Federal statutes that allow civil action to be brought against those who commit certain human rights violations abroad.
As former mayor of Tianjin, Mr.
Chen was a potential defendant in one of these actions.
So on behalf of Miss Quan, you sued him? That is correct.
And if you were successful in this action, what would happen to Mr.
Chen? There probably would have been money damages awarded to Miss Quan.
Mr.
Chen would have been recalled to China.
But what my client really wanted, what all practitioners of Falun Gong want, is for the general public to be made aware of their plight.
Then maybe world opinion would help sway the Chinese government.
I drive car for Mr.
Chen.
JACK: And you've been doing this for how long? Two years in this country.
Before that, in China.
Do you remember the night Miss Quan was murdered? I didn't know.
I thought she set fire on herself.
Sacrifice.
Can you tell us where Mr.
Chen was that evening? YUEN: At consulate.
What time did he leave the consulate? Mr.
Chen not go out.
He stay at consulate.
For the whole evening? Yes.
Didn't you tell the police officers that you drove Mr.
Chen someplace else? I take Mr.
Chen to consulate, then take him home.
Nothing else.
Do you know what perjury is, Mr.
Yuen? I tell truth.
I could put you in jail right now, Mr.
Yuen.
I not lie.
Then you committed obstruction when you lied to the police.
Police? Crime, Mr.
Yuen.
You can't lie to the police or the grand jury in this country.
America? Forget it, Jack.
No, I will not.
Can't you see that he's scared? SERENA: Who knows what will happen to him if he turns on a ranking official.
That's his problem, not mine.
I'm sure the grand jury knew exactly what he was doing.
For his sake, they better.
Okay, go? So? They just started deliberating.
Are they just there for the free lunch or is there actually something to argue about? Chen's driver lied.
Enter one alibi.
Which was contradicted by the call girl, but who knows? Did I ever tell you about Howard Pincham? He was my right-hand man at Pennington.
My guess, he's going to be opposing counsel in this affair.
We can't afford even the appearance of conflict here, Arthur.
Where do the canons say a couple of pals can't shoot the breeze? So, back in the days when I got paid for working, the Chinese government invited me, as their counsel, to visit their beautiful country.
The only problem is I'm what the kids today call a homeboy.
I like to stay home.
So you sent Howard Pincham? Best perk he ever got.
He spent the last six months of '99 touring the country in style.
(DOOR OPENING) Yup, except for a wicked case of Mao's Revenge, old Howie had a wonderful time.
How'd we do? It may have been the quickest indictment in history.
Ah.
Now the fun begins.
Ichiro, on Seattle, led the league in batting.
Ichiro, and he's Japanese.
Uh, Chan Ho No, he's Korean.
All right, what about the 7'6" center Texas just imported? Okay, but we'll see what he does against Shaq in the post.
All I'm saying is Hold that thought.
Excuse me, I have a very important meeting to go to.
Hey, you just read my mind.
You got the next Li Chen, you're under arrest for the murder of Helen Quan.
Call the lawyer, Yuen.
I guess you don't have to read him the rest of the speech, Ed.
"Docket number 3-2-4-4-4 People v.
Li Chen.
"One count of Murder in the First Degree.
" How does your client plead? He doesn't.
JUDGE: Excuse me? Mr.
Chen has consular immunity.
It was improper for these charges to have been brought against him at all.
I demand that you release him immediately.
You know, I'd love to, Mr.
Pincham, but your client's charged with murder, not a parking ticket.
Your sarcasm offends me, Your Honor.
Then go back to the white-collar world where people say "please" before they screw you to the wall.
Now, you've got until "three" to give me a plea.
One Not Guilty, Your Honor.
With the stipulation on the record that this is not an implicit submission to this court's jurisdiction.
You know, Mr.
Chen, your attorney's worth every penny he's picking from your pocket.
Your Honor, under the circumstances, the risk of flight is high Save your breath, Counselor.
Defendant is remanded without bail.
(GAVEL BANGS) You should have seen them, Jack.
Talk about weird.
They were just frozen there, like statues.
In this country, weird's allowed.
Howard Pincham.
Pleasure.
Do you really think he's necessary? Your client committed a serious crime.
Well, even in China they require a little evidence of guilt.
He lied to the police about Miss Quan's lawsuit and his alibi.
And Moses lied to his people when he said, "We're almost there.
" You can do better than that, Mr.
Pincham.
I'm just saying that sometimes there's a very good reason to stretch the truth.
I lied about the lawsuit because I knew it would make me look like I had motive to kill Miss Quan.
Guess what, Mr.
Chen.
It does.
SERENA: And the alibi? I was at the consulate.
You know, in China these people would be in prison because they are criminals.
Because they happen to believe in something you don't.
Because they sabotaged an entire communications system, taking over a satellite in China.
Because they brainwash innocents into cutting their bellies open, looking for Falun, the wheel of law.
The bottom line, Mr.
McCoy, the girl's lawsuit was, at best, frivolous and at worst, unconstitutional.
It's like suing you in Sicily for convicting John Gotti here.
Either way, I don't think Mr.
Chen or his friends back home would want the world looking their way.
I'm sure you're aware that I could go into court tomorrow and argue that this whole thing should be dismissed because Mr.
Chen's diplomatic status renders him immune to prosecution.
Only for acts that fall within the scope of his official duties.
I don't think murder counts.
I said I could go into court and argue the motion.
I didn't say I would win.
But you'd keep us busy drafting a brief.
And after that you could respond to my motion to change venue to Federal court.
Of course, we'd be willing to save the cost and hassle of going to trial by discussing a plea.
For what? Mr.
Chen didn't kill that girl.
You know, Mr.
Chen, I've been thinking of traveling to China.
I'm very happy for you Of course, I'd go to Beijing, but I'd wanna see more.
Would your hometown be of any interest? Well, Tianjin is a beautiful city.
But would an American appreciate its beauty? Well, Mr.
Pincham thought so.
Stop.
You visited Tianjin, did you? That has no bearing on this case.
On the contrary.
If we go to trial, I could call you as a witness to testify about the detention camps, or lack thereof, whatever the case may be.
That puts you No, that puts your entire firm in a precarious legal position.
Serena, why don't you start drafting a brief to have Mr.
Pincham's law firm disqualified? This is ridiculous.
Perhaps.
But look at all those fees your firm will lose if a judge agrees with me.
"The fee comes first.
" It's the motto of every Wall Street litigator.
What are the odds that Pincham will recuse the firm from this case? What are the odds that an elf will pop out of my desk and spit cider in my ear? At Pennington, the only thing worse than losing a case is losing a client, especially one with seven zeros in the year-end bill.
So I wasted my breath.
No.
Right about now, I figure that Pincham and twelve of his partners are squeezed into a visiting room at Rikers trying to convince Mr.
Chen to cut a deal.
Let's hope he listens.
You know, Arthur, some people might interpret what you told me as And they would be wrong.
(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING) PINCHAM: Get you a refill? Howard! I didn't think they let Harvard men in here unescorted.
I'm meeting O'Keefe for dinner.
Did you see this? Second Circuit reversed Barsky.
I could have you disbarred for this, Arthur.
For having a drink? You told McCoy I visited Tianjin.
Just because you left the firm doesn't mean you can disclose confidential information about my dealings with clients.
If you recall, I skipped your home movies of that trip.
Splitting hairs doesn't become you, Arthur.
We'll just have to see what the ethics committee thinks.
Unless, of course Are you trying to extort a deal out of me, Howard? A proposal, that's all.
Suppose I turn my back on this Bar Association thing and you agree to send Mr.
Chen back to China.
So he can be tried for murder by his own people.
Exactly by a culture that understands him.
Sounds good.
Ah.
I knew you'd be reasonable.
Reasonable but not stupid.
Back home, Chen might receive a medal of honor for murdering Helen Quan.
You love this, don't you? Squeezing me into a corner.
Just doing my job.
Only Chen didn't kill that girl and you don't have any evidence to prove he did.
And he doesn't have an alibi.
We know he wasn't feeling particularly frisky that night.
If you're talking about the call girls, that's not Chen's thing.
What is? A dry vodka martini from the Beekman Hotel around the corner.
The bartender at the Beekman showed me Chen's credit card receipts for three drinks.
That would be a pretty good alibi.
Then why didn't he just tell us that in the first place? Who knows? Maybe he thought somehow that it would lead back to the call girls, which might embarrass his important business friends.
Yeah, but we already knew about the call girls, Jack.
Why would he risk going to jail for that? Maybe he believes the American justice system actually works.
Chen knows he didn't kill Helen Quan, so what's one little lie to protect friends? Yeah.
There's a lot of that going around in this case.
The driver.
That's who I'm referring to.
He told Briscoe and Green that he waited for Chen outside the call girls' apartment.
But if that were true, he would have seen Chen leave.
As I was saying.
Then he wouldn't have told us about the call girls in the first place.
He would have said Chen had a drink at the hotel.
He didn't know Chen wasn't where he was supposed to be.
Do you think he's covering for himself? I'm gonna talk to him.
Not yet.
I knew it.
As soon as they sold to them people.
You mean Mr.
Chen? Damn communists.
Next thing, Osama will set up shop.
What's happening to this country? Put a fence around the island is what I say.
Yeah, I hear ya.
Um, I gotta ask you a question or two about the night that girl was killed.
I already told the cops I didn't see no strangers enter the building.
I know, but what I'd really like to know is if you saw his assistant here that night.
You mean Schwarzenegger? Excuse me? It's always, "I'll be back.
" Like Arnold wouldn't crush him like a bug.
And that night? Yeah, he was here, maybe an hour, maybe a little more.
Then he went out to get the boss with another "I'll be back.
" We want to talk to you about your boss.
Mr.
Chen is great man.
For a murderer.
He no kill lady.
Maybe not with his own hands, but in this country, if he told you to do it, it's just the same as if he did it himself.
He not tell me.
No, I not kill.
But you were the only one in Mr.
Chen's apartment that night.
No.
I wait outside girls.
It's time to stop lying, Mr.
Yuen.
Mr.
Chen busy for hours.
SERENA: So you went to his apartment? Mr.
Chen have satellite TV.
Why she want to send Mr.
Chen home? Why she want judge to send him home? I tell her, "Be nice to Mr.
Chen.
" I beg her not to have judge send him home.
But she refused.
She say she want to talk to him.
"Right now!" I say, "No.
Chen not home.
" Lady bang on door and scream at me and say, "Where is Chen? Where is Chen?" That must have made you angry.
Chen good man.
He not kill people.
SERENA: So you killed her so that she would leave Mr.
Chen alone.
She not believe Chen good man.
She say judge send him home.
And I don't want to go home.
JACK: And if Chen were sued successfully, he'd be forced to return to China and you'd have to go back with him.
And you'd do anything not to have to be sent back.
America have free.
I stay in America.
Sally Xiao's gonna represent him pro bono.
My guess is she'll take man one.
Mr.
Yuen wanted freedom badly enough to kill for it.
Now he's gonna spend the next eight-and-a-third-to-25 in Attica.
Makes you realize why people in China are finding religion.
Makes me glad I turned down that trip.
These are their stories.
I am telling you it was a sign.
Someone you knew 15 years ago calling from Have a good night, Rudy.
You too.
The fact that she calls right when I'm deciding whether to take the job in Chicago, what do you call that? A coincidence.
Yeah, sure.
Why not? Uproot your whole life because a virtual stranger calls from out of the blue.
Sue me! I don't believe in chance.
She was trying to raise money.
She called everyone in the alumni directory.
It's only a 2-hour flight.
(SIGHS) I could be back every weekend.
Besides, you know what they say about absence.
I'm more concerned with what they say about abstinence.
Come here.
Mmm.
Who knows? We may find ourselves joining the mile-high club.
Where are you going? What are you doing? It's a beautiful night.
(CHUCKLING) It's cold on the roof.
Not when we get up there.
(SIGHS) (CHUCKLES) Mmm.
What in the hell is (GASPS) WOMAN: Oh no! MAN: God! (BOTH COUGHING) They usually pass out from the pain before they die of inhalation.
Thank God for small favors.
The victim's an Asian female.
I'd say late teens, early twenties.
Why does it smell like happy hour up here? The nose knows.
The accelerant.
Eight-year-old.
Why not use the good stuff? Which one of you actually lives here? That would be me.
It looked to me like you missed your floor.
We were going to the roof.
Stargazing.
Right.
The only way to get to the roof is the stairwell on that floor.
I don't know.
Carrying signs and shouting seems a better way to make a political statement.
Excuse me? That apartment, penthouse 1, the Deputy Consul-General from China lives there.
You still don't notice anything weird? Other than lighting herself on fire? One shoe! The girl's only got one shoe.
Any ID? It could be Cinderella.
Lost a slipper on the way back from the ball.
Or a cane.
That looks like ACE bandage.
We may have just gone international on this one.
Chinese bigwig lives in penthouse 1.
BRISCOE: So who lives in penthouse 2? That one's for sale.
I guess the price just dropped.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS) On both apartments.
I'm sorry.
I have a weak stomach for this sort of thing.
Most people do.
They're crazy, you know? Who exactly are we talking about? These Falun Gong people.
I'm sorry? Falun Gong.
They are a heretical cult.
My government has banned them, saving a lot of innocent victims from being unwittingly brainwashed.
Into committing suicide? They hook their followers first by convincing them it's a good way to stay physically fit.
Breathing exercises, things like that.
And then they graduate to self-immolation? Sometimes.
A group did this in Tiananmen Square last year.
And their leader thinks he can fly.
I don't know how many of his followers have jumped off buildings.
Are these those guys on 12th Avenue? CHEN: That's where our consulate is.
They just stare.
They never say a word.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN) In English, Yuen.
My driver.
Doorman says trouble.
Maybe you want to go to hotel.
No, I'll be fine here.
Unless BRISCOE: No, you're okay.
Thank you.
Does he live here? No.
He's more like a personal assistant.
Do you have any idea who that girl is? Actually, we were hoping that you knew.
Well, obviously her aim was to embarrass my government.
How terrible for a family, to lose a child to a cult.
Nobody gets by me.
That's why I get 7:00 to midnight.
That's the busy time? Well, people coming home from the office, people going out for their evening's entertainment.
And you see everybody? That's right.
Okay, so did anybody visit Mr.
Chen tonight? That would have been tough.
He left before I came on and you saw when he got back.
You know, I, uh, thought about joining the force, but the old lady She worries.
That's too bad, man.
So, any of the residents have guests tonight? The Carlsons in 301 had the piano tuner, he left at 8:15.
That's about it.
And this is the only entrance into the building? Yeah.
There's a garage entrance around the corner, but you gotta get by Hank.
Oh.
Hank's pretty good, too, huh? You'll see.
I heard it was suicide.
It's a homicide until our Medical Examiner tells us otherwise.
I didn't see no Oriental broads come in this way.
I believe they're called Asian women, bro.
Whatever.
Like we don't have enough Hebrews in the building, now they gotta sell to the Red Army? If anybody tried to get in here that I didn't know, I'd know.
What if they were in the back seat of something like that? That's Mrs.
Schumacher's.
She hasn't had a guest in two years.
ED: Now, she don't drive that thing herself, does she? She couldn't reach the pedals.
She's got Wong.
HANK: Nice guy for a Chauffeur? Exactly.
What time did he drop the car off? I'd say about 8:00.
Do you happen to know where Mr.
Wong lives? Yeah.
The Chinatown OTB.
He bets every race at every track in the world.
Oh, you mean those weirdos over on the West Side.
Mmm-hmm, that's them.
They're against something.
I'm just not sure what it is.
Well, at least they don't ask for money or bang on your door at 6 a.
m.
Passing out pamphlets.
Any hot picks? We're all interested.
Hey, for your information, our key witness plays the ponies.
I'm just looking for OTB's first Simulcast race.
Uh-huh.
The 3rd at Belmont? Okay, so I took a little detour.
Our Jane Doe is not rushing off anyplace.
Anyway, we're hoping that Mr.
Wong snuck her in through the garage.
Or maybe she landed on the roof.
Should I even ask? Well, besides self-immolations, the Deputy Consul-General says that some of these people think they can fly.
Hey, who am I to doubt them? It's post time in Ireland.
All right.
It's the greatest gig in the world.
Once a day, Mrs.
Schumacher goes out to meet her sister.
Once a week, I take the car out for a wash and wax.
A little manicure here, a lunch there.
Have you been by to see Mrs.
Schumacher yet today? No.
Has something happened to her? No, but somebody committed suicide in her building last night.
It's that O'Grady kid, right? That one's not from this planet.
No.
Actually it was a stranger.
Nobody knows how she got into the building.
We were thinking maybe you drove her there.
Hey! I've got a better chance of winning the Pick 6 at Santa Anita.
Mrs.
S.
Even smells another person in that car, I'm canned.
Sorry, I can't help you.
Can I BRISCOE: Yeah.
Go ahead.
You buy that? Not to profile, but no.
Aw, come on.
This kid eats apple pie for breakfast.
Let's go talk to Mrs.
Schumacher anyway.
I've got nothing better to do till lunch.
Oh, it's horrible, horrible.
The poor girl.
Did you see any strangers around the building, in the halls, the elevator? No, I don't go out much anymore, now that Freddy has passed on.
ED: Freddy, is that your husband? My bichon frise.
Oh He loved the park.
We'd sit on a bench and he'd bark at the bicycles.
Actually, Mrs.
Schumacher, we were wondering about your driver.
It's funny you should bring him up.
Freddy actually introduced me to Mr.
Wong.
Your dog introduced you to your driver? Mmm-hmm! You know those people that do that strange routine in the park every day? Um, it's like karate, but nobody gets hit.
Mr.
Wong was one of them? Freddy got such a kick out of him.
MORAN: I guess I've been doing the exercises for about a year now.
My wife read some article about the health benefits.
She got bored, but I'm still here.
BRISCOE: My ex-wife talked me into seeing a counselor and the counselor talked me into getting a divorce.
Well, you ought to try this.
I mean, all these people wasting thousands of dollars on shrinks when a little (INHALES) free breathing cures all that ails.
Well, we hear that there's a lot more to it than just breathing.
That's right.
It fills a spiritual void.
Falun Gong, it means "law of the wheel.
" That all things come full circle.
Hey, does Tommy Wong come here often? Oh, sure.
Yeah, mostly mornings now.
I'm a two-a-day-er.
Tommy didn't do anything wrong, did he? No, no.
We're looking for a friend of his, a young lady? Falun Gong is not a singles party, Detectives.
Let me ask you this.
Are any of your regulars missing today? Uh Glen Haff.
He's on jury duty, and, uh, Huang Quan.
She goes by Helen.
Hardly speaks any English.
Poor thing, she sprained her ankle.
I sprained my ankle once.
My foot blew up so bad I couldn't wear a shoe for a week.
Well, you see, with our exercises, I bet Helen is back in a day or two.
If we wanted to, where would we find Miss Quan? You know what? Her older sister cuts my hair at Chambliss on 72nd.
Helen does shampooing there part-time.
Just let it sit for a while.
Helen's not here today.
She's new to this country so whatever she did, it's Wendy, this may be kind of rough.
I'm so sorry.
Stupid little It would have been easier if she were hooked on heroin.
BRISCOE: You're talking about Falun Gong? She called it a search for spirituality.
But it's a cult.
She was the sweetest little kid.
You wouldn't believe.
Now look at her.
How did she get involved with it? My mom.
When Dad and I left Put it this way.
She was a perfect candidate for their brainwashing.
But Helen We talked to somebody who thinks Falun Gong is just a way to stay fit.
I'm not the biggest fan of the Chinese government, but maybe they're right.
ED: Right about what? They're trying to deprogram these people.
They've created camps for it.
Helen told me Mom's in one.
So that's what Helen was protesting? It's just stupid.
I mean, what made her think that this would change what's going on thousands of miles away? Did Helen leave a note or anything? ED: If she did leave a suicide note, it's not like I'm going to be able to read it.
Uh, David Ong in Vice can translate.
Hey, look at this.
Picking the Ponies by Chip Burton.
Now that's pretty strange reading for somebody who isn't exactly up to speed on their English.
Yeah, but not for somebody (CELL PHONE RINGS) Who practically lives at the OTB.
Yeah? Oh, hey, what's up? Okay.
Okay, we'll be right there.
That was the M.
E.
's office.
Good.
We can finally put this to bed.
Third degree burns over 60% of her body.
Well, we kind of knew that, Doc.
Ah, but what you didn't know was that there was no carbon monoxide in her lungs, which means She was dead before she got torched.
The petechial hemorrhaging in her eyes tells me that she was strangled.
Well, I guess we can stop looking for the suicide note.
The fact is you lied, Tommy.
No, I didn't.
Hey, maybe this Falun Gong affects your memory, but we asked you if you knew the woman who cooked herself outside the Deputy Consul's apartment.
I didn't know it was Helen.
But you knew Helen.
You didn't ask me that.
I don't like chasing my tail here.
I don't know what you're saying.
Man, if you don't give me a straight answer, I swear before God I will Okay! Okay! I knew Helen.
Thank you.
I was just trying to help her become American.
Help her with the language, stuff like that.
Our people were from the same part of China.
So you helped her with the language by giving her a book on betting the ponies.
I don't have that much reading material.
(LAUGHING) That's all I know.
We gave you your chance, man.
What time's the next bus to Rikers? Wait! Just, just, just hold on! I met her in the park.
And she told me that her mom was locked up back in China.
BRISCOE: What for? For believing.
Falun Gong is illegal over there.
Helen wanted to help her mom get out, so when she heard that Chen lives in Mrs.
Schumacher's building, she thought maybe he could do something.
Would have been a whole lot easier just to ask nicely.
WONG: Yeah.
She tried.
He wouldn't take her calls.
She said something about suing him.
She was more American than we thought.
So you just snuck her into the building? Yeah.
But she didn't tell me that she was going to light herself on fire.
She just wanted to talk, went in through the garage, and then I went home.
Look, I'm not perfect, but I'm not gonna help someone commit suicide.
I need a cup of coffee.
Wait! What about me? Make yourself at home, bro.
You think he doesn't know she was strangled? I think he has trouble with the truth in general.
We can't keep him forever with what we got.
You talk to the Deputy Consul-General, I'll keep Mr.
Wong dancing as long as I can.
Mr.
Wong, do you have a lawyer? She may have come to talk to me, but I was at the consulate with a group of Chinese businessmen, until I arrived home to find you in my corridor.
So you never talked to her? Didn't I just say that? I'm sorry.
I realize Americans always root for the underdog, but I didn't see any of you coming to the defense of Jim Jones or David Koresh.
We didn't come here to have a political argument with you.
Of course not.
I'm sorry.
These people just infuriate me.
Protesting outside my door like this.
It's like the thief who screams, "Stop, thief!" Well, we think this thief was murdered.
You see? They will even sacrifice their own if it suits their sick purposes.
Wait a minute.
You're telling me one believer would kill another one just to prove a point? But this wouldn't be the first time.
They're sick.
Some of them cut their own stomachs open to find the wheel inside.
The interesting thing here is that one of Helen's friends told us that she brought some sort of legal action against you.
For what? I told you, I never saw her before.
Something to do with her mother back in the old country.
First of all, if I had been sued it would be dismissed on jurisdictional grounds alone.
Second, if I were actually found liable for something, I could simply leave the country and have a default judgment entered against me.
You're right.
You could.
Thank you for your time, Mr.
Chen.
I realize you're just doing your jobs.
A local artist back in Tianjin.
Hey, Tianjin.
Isn't that where Helen's sister said their family was from? Probably a coincidence.
Yeah, so I figured.
You know, and I'm not pointing any fingers, but didn't that sound like that Deputy Consul knew an awful lot about lawsuits for somebody who wasn't getting sued? Helen Quan was new to this country.
Now where's she gonna go to find a lawyer? My client's already told your boss everything he knows.
And the bottom line is you don't have any possible cause to hold him any longer.
(CHUCKLING) Don't you mean "probable cause"? No, I mean you don't have anything that even possibly resembles evidence.
Well, his lies are getting us pretty close.
WONG: I told the truth.
Mr.
Chen said he doesn't know anything about a lawsuit.
He's lying.
Actually, we checked.
There are no lawsuits against him in New York.
Of course there aren't.
It's a Federal case.
You need to speak to Sally Xiao.
She's on Mott Street.
The Alien Tort Claims Act, and the Torture Victim Prevention Act.
Each gave us jurisdiction over Mr.
Chen.
You're saying the Deputy Consul-General tortured people? He was mayor of a town where the torture took place.
And they can sue him here for something he allegedly did over there? That's why America is the greatest country in the world.
I don't know.
Maybe we're sticking our noses where we don't belong.
Why? Because China's not sitting on top of millions of gallons of oil? To date there are of Falun Gong practitioners being beaten to death while in detention.
Only from what we heard, they broke Chinese law first.
It's not a just law.
It's religious repression.
Well, you say religion, they say cult.
Government propaganda.
Remember, Detective, Christianity was once a cult.
Helen Quan's mother has been needlessly imprisoned for two years, being fed psychotropic drugs and beaten until she was barely conscious.
And you know this because We know.
No offense, but who's spewing propaganda now? You can go.
Look, this lawsuit you filed.
Mr.
Chen says he never heard about it.
(PHONE RINGS) Would an affidavit of service convince you he's lying? Hello? Hmm.
It says here Mr.
Chen was served with a Federal complaint two weeks before Helen Quan was murdered.
Maybe losing a case like this is a little more serious than hopping on a plane with a default judgment in your briefcase.
Thank you.
Let's go see if he really was at the consulate that night.
YUEN: In China, I work as driver.
Then I come here with Mr.
Chen.
I gotta tell you, Mr.
Yuen.
Your boss says you're doing a hell of a job.
Uh, Mr.
Chen says, uh, you're the best.
Best.
I know.
The night that that girl killed herself? It is terrible.
What was the restaurant that you took Mr.
Chen to? Mr.
Chen and friends.
Steak eat.
44th Street.
Okay.
We have a problem with that, Mr.
Yuen.
Your boss said that he didn't go to a restaurant, that he was at the consulate all night long.
So you're lying to protect him, aren't you? Protect, yes.
I not dishonor Mr.
Chen.
ED: Dishonor? YUEN: Yes.
Mr.
Chen at girls for money.
Ah, the international language.
I wait for him to be done and then take him home.
These girls, where can we find them? Excuse me.
Escort.
Oh, yeah.
I always forget.
Uh, Tuesday night you escorted a Chinese gentleman? Sure.
Mr.
Chen.
He's some kind of big shot over at the embassy.
And you're sure that it was on Tuesday night? Would you like to see my Palm Pilot? Actually Well, then why don't you guys come back with a warrant? I'm in my second year.
Manhattan Law.
So where did you escort Mr.
Chen? We didn't go out.
At least, I didn't.
But Mr.
Chen did? It was really a party for these rich guys over from China.
Tina and I, we showed them a hell of a time.
Mr.
Chen didn't wanna hang around for the fun? Nope.
He just gave me some cash.
He said take care of his pals.
And then he left and he came back around midnight to pick them up.
Tommy Wong sneaks Helen into the building.
To do what? To talk to Chen.
To beg for her mother's release.
To sit on the floor cross-legged in silent protest.
It don't really matter.
In court it might.
Well, Chen's been lying from the get-go, Serena.
The Chinese government sees these people as some sort of threat.
We figure Chen dropped his buddies off to get their jollies, went home and found Helen Quan sitting there.
One thing leads to another, and he makes it look like she's one of those fanatics into self-immolation for a cause.
A guy like this, you put the chains on his wrists, he'll crack like a year-old fortune cookie.
A Deputy Consul-General? This is way over my head.
There are rules for consulate notification.
International issues.
Well, if he gets nervous, he may split for China.
If he gets anywhere near an airplane, use the chains.
Whoa! Excuse me! I'm looking for Detective Green.
Well, he's not here.
Maybe I can help you.
Are you working on the Helen Quan case? Actually, I'm in charge here.
Well, let me tell you, you're doing one hell of a job.
Maybe you should take a deep breath.
I just came from the morgue, Detective.
Lieutenant.
She was murdered.
They told me Helen was Look, why don't we go in here, have a seat Don't touch me! My baby sister was strangled and set on fire, and the man who did it is eating dinner at Lutèce! You're referring to Deputy Consul-General Chen.
He's under surveillance.
Oh! That's great.
You know, Dad always said America was a great country.
He said there was justice here.
Laws.
He could recite the Declaration of Independence by heart.
You know what, I'm glad he's dead.
That way he didn't have to see it was all a big, fat lie.
Look, there's a lot more involved before we can arrest.
She was killed at his door.
Who else could've done it? It's because he's a big shot, isn't it? What's the use? Governments, they're all the same.
(DOOR OPENS) I know I said I liked a good fight, but taking on an entire government is not quite what I meant.
Chen is a lower level diplomat.
If he did commit this murder, I don't think China would go to the mat for him.
I was talking about our government.
Another enemy is the last thing this country needs right now.
What the hell, Helen Quan's just one person.
There's a billion more where she came from.
I'll ignore that.
Since when do we turn the other cheek just because a couple of international feathers might get ruffled? I don't think that we would hesitate to prosecute Mr.
Chen if he was a visiting official from New Jersey.
Are you two quite done? First off, we don't have to worry about our visiting officials in New Jersey being whisked off in retaliation in the middle of the night to dungeons never to be heard from again.
Secondly, our commercial interests in Newark might not suddenly find themselves taxed out of business or closed down permanently with no recourse.
So the law is the law unless enforcing it causes some collateral damage? That lady outside in the blindfold, she's got a scale in her left hand, Serena.
Yeah, and it's the scale ofjustice, not pragmatism.
Well, sometimes you can't have one without the other.
Especially when Pennington Cleese is across the aisle.
Your old firm.
Representing my old client.
The whole country of China was your client? Up to 10 million a year in billings.
So, will there be some kind of conflict here? Chen wasn't even in this country when I represented them.
But JACK: Don't even think about it, Arthur.
SERENA: What? Arthur was about to suggest that we transfer this case to another jurisdiction.
Well, it would prevent a hell of a migraine.
Take an Aspirin.
I was referring to your head.
You think I can't win this.
Nothing personal, but Pennington Cleese has a lot more money and manpower.
Where you going? To convene a grand jury.
You don't understand.
We were better off than most families and we would be considered living in poverty over here.
Is that what drew people to the Falun Gong? It makes them search for something.
Some kind of happiness and life.
You don't sound like you approve.
I hate them.
None of this would've happened if JACK: Please continue, Miss Quan.
Helen told me two or three years ago the police beat up members of Falun Gong.
Our mom then joined a group of others to protest in Beijing.
What did Helen tell you happened after that? The Chinese government doesn't exactly approve of civil disobedience.
Cops raided the houses of anyone in connection with Falun Gong and threw them into detention camps.
Helen called them prisons.
And was your mother one of those taken prisoner? Helen said she hid in the closet when they dragged Mom out by her hair.
JACK: When was the last time you saw Helen? The day she died.
She didn't really understand.
She thought that if she could just talk to Mr.
Chen I knew that would be a waste of time, but that doesn't mean she had to die.
The government started a full-out campaign to suppress and destroy Falun Gong permanently.
Thousands were rounded up like cattle and shipped off to detention centers for reeducation.
Meaning? As I understand it, they were beaten, tortured, committed to insane asylums.
JACK: But they weren't insane? They had faith.
The government only wants the rest of the population to think they're insane.
Why did Miss Quan come to you? She wanted me to help get her mother released.
Of course, I had no power to do that, but I did find two Federal statutes that allow civil action to be brought against those who commit certain human rights violations abroad.
As former mayor of Tianjin, Mr.
Chen was a potential defendant in one of these actions.
So on behalf of Miss Quan, you sued him? That is correct.
And if you were successful in this action, what would happen to Mr.
Chen? There probably would have been money damages awarded to Miss Quan.
Mr.
Chen would have been recalled to China.
But what my client really wanted, what all practitioners of Falun Gong want, is for the general public to be made aware of their plight.
Then maybe world opinion would help sway the Chinese government.
I drive car for Mr.
Chen.
JACK: And you've been doing this for how long? Two years in this country.
Before that, in China.
Do you remember the night Miss Quan was murdered? I didn't know.
I thought she set fire on herself.
Sacrifice.
Can you tell us where Mr.
Chen was that evening? YUEN: At consulate.
What time did he leave the consulate? Mr.
Chen not go out.
He stay at consulate.
For the whole evening? Yes.
Didn't you tell the police officers that you drove Mr.
Chen someplace else? I take Mr.
Chen to consulate, then take him home.
Nothing else.
Do you know what perjury is, Mr.
Yuen? I tell truth.
I could put you in jail right now, Mr.
Yuen.
I not lie.
Then you committed obstruction when you lied to the police.
Police? Crime, Mr.
Yuen.
You can't lie to the police or the grand jury in this country.
America? Forget it, Jack.
No, I will not.
Can't you see that he's scared? SERENA: Who knows what will happen to him if he turns on a ranking official.
That's his problem, not mine.
I'm sure the grand jury knew exactly what he was doing.
For his sake, they better.
Okay, go? So? They just started deliberating.
Are they just there for the free lunch or is there actually something to argue about? Chen's driver lied.
Enter one alibi.
Which was contradicted by the call girl, but who knows? Did I ever tell you about Howard Pincham? He was my right-hand man at Pennington.
My guess, he's going to be opposing counsel in this affair.
We can't afford even the appearance of conflict here, Arthur.
Where do the canons say a couple of pals can't shoot the breeze? So, back in the days when I got paid for working, the Chinese government invited me, as their counsel, to visit their beautiful country.
The only problem is I'm what the kids today call a homeboy.
I like to stay home.
So you sent Howard Pincham? Best perk he ever got.
He spent the last six months of '99 touring the country in style.
(DOOR OPENING) Yup, except for a wicked case of Mao's Revenge, old Howie had a wonderful time.
How'd we do? It may have been the quickest indictment in history.
Ah.
Now the fun begins.
Ichiro, on Seattle, led the league in batting.
Ichiro, and he's Japanese.
Uh, Chan Ho No, he's Korean.
All right, what about the 7'6" center Texas just imported? Okay, but we'll see what he does against Shaq in the post.
All I'm saying is Hold that thought.
Excuse me, I have a very important meeting to go to.
Hey, you just read my mind.
You got the next Li Chen, you're under arrest for the murder of Helen Quan.
Call the lawyer, Yuen.
I guess you don't have to read him the rest of the speech, Ed.
"Docket number 3-2-4-4-4 People v.
Li Chen.
"One count of Murder in the First Degree.
" How does your client plead? He doesn't.
JUDGE: Excuse me? Mr.
Chen has consular immunity.
It was improper for these charges to have been brought against him at all.
I demand that you release him immediately.
You know, I'd love to, Mr.
Pincham, but your client's charged with murder, not a parking ticket.
Your sarcasm offends me, Your Honor.
Then go back to the white-collar world where people say "please" before they screw you to the wall.
Now, you've got until "three" to give me a plea.
One Not Guilty, Your Honor.
With the stipulation on the record that this is not an implicit submission to this court's jurisdiction.
You know, Mr.
Chen, your attorney's worth every penny he's picking from your pocket.
Your Honor, under the circumstances, the risk of flight is high Save your breath, Counselor.
Defendant is remanded without bail.
(GAVEL BANGS) You should have seen them, Jack.
Talk about weird.
They were just frozen there, like statues.
In this country, weird's allowed.
Howard Pincham.
Pleasure.
Do you really think he's necessary? Your client committed a serious crime.
Well, even in China they require a little evidence of guilt.
He lied to the police about Miss Quan's lawsuit and his alibi.
And Moses lied to his people when he said, "We're almost there.
" You can do better than that, Mr.
Pincham.
I'm just saying that sometimes there's a very good reason to stretch the truth.
I lied about the lawsuit because I knew it would make me look like I had motive to kill Miss Quan.
Guess what, Mr.
Chen.
It does.
SERENA: And the alibi? I was at the consulate.
You know, in China these people would be in prison because they are criminals.
Because they happen to believe in something you don't.
Because they sabotaged an entire communications system, taking over a satellite in China.
Because they brainwash innocents into cutting their bellies open, looking for Falun, the wheel of law.
The bottom line, Mr.
McCoy, the girl's lawsuit was, at best, frivolous and at worst, unconstitutional.
It's like suing you in Sicily for convicting John Gotti here.
Either way, I don't think Mr.
Chen or his friends back home would want the world looking their way.
I'm sure you're aware that I could go into court tomorrow and argue that this whole thing should be dismissed because Mr.
Chen's diplomatic status renders him immune to prosecution.
Only for acts that fall within the scope of his official duties.
I don't think murder counts.
I said I could go into court and argue the motion.
I didn't say I would win.
But you'd keep us busy drafting a brief.
And after that you could respond to my motion to change venue to Federal court.
Of course, we'd be willing to save the cost and hassle of going to trial by discussing a plea.
For what? Mr.
Chen didn't kill that girl.
You know, Mr.
Chen, I've been thinking of traveling to China.
I'm very happy for you Of course, I'd go to Beijing, but I'd wanna see more.
Would your hometown be of any interest? Well, Tianjin is a beautiful city.
But would an American appreciate its beauty? Well, Mr.
Pincham thought so.
Stop.
You visited Tianjin, did you? That has no bearing on this case.
On the contrary.
If we go to trial, I could call you as a witness to testify about the detention camps, or lack thereof, whatever the case may be.
That puts you No, that puts your entire firm in a precarious legal position.
Serena, why don't you start drafting a brief to have Mr.
Pincham's law firm disqualified? This is ridiculous.
Perhaps.
But look at all those fees your firm will lose if a judge agrees with me.
"The fee comes first.
" It's the motto of every Wall Street litigator.
What are the odds that Pincham will recuse the firm from this case? What are the odds that an elf will pop out of my desk and spit cider in my ear? At Pennington, the only thing worse than losing a case is losing a client, especially one with seven zeros in the year-end bill.
So I wasted my breath.
No.
Right about now, I figure that Pincham and twelve of his partners are squeezed into a visiting room at Rikers trying to convince Mr.
Chen to cut a deal.
Let's hope he listens.
You know, Arthur, some people might interpret what you told me as And they would be wrong.
(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING) PINCHAM: Get you a refill? Howard! I didn't think they let Harvard men in here unescorted.
I'm meeting O'Keefe for dinner.
Did you see this? Second Circuit reversed Barsky.
I could have you disbarred for this, Arthur.
For having a drink? You told McCoy I visited Tianjin.
Just because you left the firm doesn't mean you can disclose confidential information about my dealings with clients.
If you recall, I skipped your home movies of that trip.
Splitting hairs doesn't become you, Arthur.
We'll just have to see what the ethics committee thinks.
Unless, of course Are you trying to extort a deal out of me, Howard? A proposal, that's all.
Suppose I turn my back on this Bar Association thing and you agree to send Mr.
Chen back to China.
So he can be tried for murder by his own people.
Exactly by a culture that understands him.
Sounds good.
Ah.
I knew you'd be reasonable.
Reasonable but not stupid.
Back home, Chen might receive a medal of honor for murdering Helen Quan.
You love this, don't you? Squeezing me into a corner.
Just doing my job.
Only Chen didn't kill that girl and you don't have any evidence to prove he did.
And he doesn't have an alibi.
We know he wasn't feeling particularly frisky that night.
If you're talking about the call girls, that's not Chen's thing.
What is? A dry vodka martini from the Beekman Hotel around the corner.
The bartender at the Beekman showed me Chen's credit card receipts for three drinks.
That would be a pretty good alibi.
Then why didn't he just tell us that in the first place? Who knows? Maybe he thought somehow that it would lead back to the call girls, which might embarrass his important business friends.
Yeah, but we already knew about the call girls, Jack.
Why would he risk going to jail for that? Maybe he believes the American justice system actually works.
Chen knows he didn't kill Helen Quan, so what's one little lie to protect friends? Yeah.
There's a lot of that going around in this case.
The driver.
That's who I'm referring to.
He told Briscoe and Green that he waited for Chen outside the call girls' apartment.
But if that were true, he would have seen Chen leave.
As I was saying.
Then he wouldn't have told us about the call girls in the first place.
He would have said Chen had a drink at the hotel.
He didn't know Chen wasn't where he was supposed to be.
Do you think he's covering for himself? I'm gonna talk to him.
Not yet.
I knew it.
As soon as they sold to them people.
You mean Mr.
Chen? Damn communists.
Next thing, Osama will set up shop.
What's happening to this country? Put a fence around the island is what I say.
Yeah, I hear ya.
Um, I gotta ask you a question or two about the night that girl was killed.
I already told the cops I didn't see no strangers enter the building.
I know, but what I'd really like to know is if you saw his assistant here that night.
You mean Schwarzenegger? Excuse me? It's always, "I'll be back.
" Like Arnold wouldn't crush him like a bug.
And that night? Yeah, he was here, maybe an hour, maybe a little more.
Then he went out to get the boss with another "I'll be back.
" We want to talk to you about your boss.
Mr.
Chen is great man.
For a murderer.
He no kill lady.
Maybe not with his own hands, but in this country, if he told you to do it, it's just the same as if he did it himself.
He not tell me.
No, I not kill.
But you were the only one in Mr.
Chen's apartment that night.
No.
I wait outside girls.
It's time to stop lying, Mr.
Yuen.
Mr.
Chen busy for hours.
SERENA: So you went to his apartment? Mr.
Chen have satellite TV.
Why she want to send Mr.
Chen home? Why she want judge to send him home? I tell her, "Be nice to Mr.
Chen.
" I beg her not to have judge send him home.
But she refused.
She say she want to talk to him.
"Right now!" I say, "No.
Chen not home.
" Lady bang on door and scream at me and say, "Where is Chen? Where is Chen?" That must have made you angry.
Chen good man.
He not kill people.
SERENA: So you killed her so that she would leave Mr.
Chen alone.
She not believe Chen good man.
She say judge send him home.
And I don't want to go home.
JACK: And if Chen were sued successfully, he'd be forced to return to China and you'd have to go back with him.
And you'd do anything not to have to be sent back.
America have free.
I stay in America.
Sally Xiao's gonna represent him pro bono.
My guess is she'll take man one.
Mr.
Yuen wanted freedom badly enough to kill for it.
Now he's gonna spend the next eight-and-a-third-to-25 in Attica.
Makes you realize why people in China are finding religion.
Makes me glad I turned down that trip.