Law & Order (1990) s14e03 Episode Script

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 you'll never guess who was trying on a Chanel suit Sandy Rowan.
Chanel.
Who's she kidding with those hips? The point is she's getting back with Bruce.
No way.
After that whole thing? Well, forget that.
LfJohn forgot my 10th anniversary, I would be out of there before you could say "Raoul Felder.
" I mean, where is her sense of pride? She said, "Love is stronger than pride.
" Bruce's bank account? Stronger than both.
Yeah.
Hey.
! Oh, my God.
! Come on.
Get some help.
Get the plate number.
! Call the police.
Someone call the police.
! Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Took one to the chest.
M.
E.
Says it was up close and personal.
Drove up the block like a bat out of H-E- double hockey sticks.
What precinct are you from, Sesame Street? She's still got her watch and her wedding ring.
We got a couple of witnesses over there say it looked like a carjacking.
You got enough for an A.
P.
B.
? Eh, partial plate.
Blue Escalade, S.
U.
V.
, newer model.
These are Detectives Briscoe and Green.
You can tell them what happened.
I have to get back to the deli.
We're expecting a meat delivery.
Meat? A woman's just been shot.
Hey, I got the license number, and I called 911.
What'd you do? Take it easy, pal.
This is only gonna take a minute.
Okay.
I was outside having a smoke, and I see a black guy pull this lady out of her S.
U.
V.
- She was stopped at the light.
- What did he look like? Early 20s, sideburns.
He was tallish.
Around six feet, medium build.
Um, he had a tattoo on his arm.
This lady, she was putting up a fight.
The guy pulls a gun and just pops her bang.
Because she wouldn't get out of the car? Looked like.
This city's a cesspool.
Two years ago, a guy comes into my shop, points a gun.
Give him whatever he wants.
Nothing's worth your life.
Those are words to live by.
Or die by.
The M.
E.
Said the victim was in her late 20s.
A.
38 slug severed her aorta.
Did you notify the family? She must have left all her I.
D.
In the car.
It's too soon for Missing Persons.
None of the local store-owners recognized her.
Could be a tourist.
S.
U.
V.
Didn't have rental plates.
Motor Vehicle ran the partial, came up with When are people gonna learn a car just isn't worth it.
It was a Cadillac.
Hey, that model is the number one stolen vehicle in America today.
The Escalade we're looking for is a dark Ming Blue.
Now, according to the manufacturer, that makes it a 2002.
Detective Pachuco up in the Bronx is working a chop shop on Jerome Avenue that specializes in S.
U.
V.
s.
You know Ed Pachuco? It's amazing what you can learn when you read the precinct weeklies.
Go talk to him.
Jerome Avenue.
Took that baby down a few weeks back.
We're looking for a young black runner who jacked a 2002 blue Escalade this morning.
That wouldn't be my guys.
Why, your guys don't steal American? You said he's a black runner? Jerome Avenue is strictly Italian.
All this time I thought the Fourteenth Amendment outlawed separate but equal car theft rings.
Not in the Bronx, it don't.
Hey, did any rats pop out of that bust? Now you're talking Bronx.
Those boys couldn't wait to roll on each other.
Joe Borelli, the perfect informant.
Not as dumb as he looks.
He's afraid of everyone's shadow, especially mine.
He's a minor player, but he knows the field.
I'll give him a heads-up.
- All right.
Thanks.
- Good luck with that S.
U.
V.
Probably in a million pieces by now.
Yeah, or in a container on its way to Dusseldorf.
You sure nobody seen you come in here? You mean I shouldn't have given my card to those guys with the broken noses in the corner booth? Cute.
But I got a reputation to uphold.
Yeah, you might want to flip them sausages over there.
Hey, Tina, I'm gonna have to call you back, okay? All right.
Later.
Tomorrow's her birthday.
Two Manhattan dicks.
Guess that S.
U.
V.
Belongs to somebody pretty special.
Yeah, she was left lying in a pool ofher own blood on West 23rd Street.
Whoa! My guys are strictly parking lots.
Yeah, what about the competition? You know what, Lennie? Why don't you go wait out in front of the restaurant? Maybe put the cherry on top of the car.
All right.
All right.
I know this guy, likes S.
U.
V.
s.
Doesn't ask questions.
Hey, yo.
You seen a blue Escalade? Who's asking? Ralph Nader.
Yeah? I didn't vote for you.
We're looking for a runner who boosted a blue Escalade today.
Like to help you, pal, but as you can see, I run a legitimate business here.
Well, since you're strictly legit, you won't mind us taking a little look around.
I'm in the market for a new fender.
You guys got a warrant? Ed, you hear that? Yeah, I think I do.
Hear what? The sound of a woman calling for help.
Aw, this sucks.
Female in distress.
That's exigent circumstances.
Ha, this looks like a legitimate business to me.
Oh, that matches the partial we got.
Well, pal, this is your chance to tell us something that'll keep you out of jail.
Look.
You caught me in an embarrassing moment here.
So, uh, I'm gonna be straight with you.
Oh, that's big of you.
My guy was gonna start working on the car when he found this.
Nobody around here will touch it.
Biohazardous waste.
You got a pair, my friend.
Yeah, this is Detective Green.
I need Auto to confiscate a car, and I need a HazMat crew.
Look.
I I.
D.
The guy you're looking for, you'll walk away? That's open to discussion.
Name's Lamont Tyler.
Lives over in the projects on Jefferson and 23rd.
Hey, I thought we had a deal! Well, the deal hasn't started yet.
If your info pans out, you walk.
Yo, Trice.
Lamont Tyler! Yo, what's the deal, my man? Oh, you gotta be kidding.
You going somewhere, bro? Got a job down South.
Well, call your boss and tell him you're gonna be late.
Oh, I thought I was the only guy that still carried a.
38.
Dude, that ain't mine.
You planted that, man.
Yeah, you stick with that story.
See how far it gets you.
Do you recognize anybody, Mr.
Theodoulou? He can't see me through this window, right? I don't want any trouble.
No, it's a one-way mirror.
Nobody can see you.
L- I think it's number two.
You think? Number two, approach the window.
That's him.
Are you sure? He's the one.
He shot that lady.
Thanks for your time.
Keep number two.
Three witnesses.
Three positive I.
D.
s.
Three strikes.
I can count, Detective.
We're out of options here, Lamont.
But I didn't do nothing.
I think Anna Hopkins would disagree.
Who's that? The woman who owns the S.
U.
V.
You jacked.
Oh, that's libel, man.
I hate that.
Then this is really gonna piss you off.
She's dead, and we're thinking you killed her.
Oh, hell, no.
Not me.
I was at a bar.
A bar? Just for chuckles, which one? How am I supposed to remember that? Even if he could remember, Lennie, he'd have to explain away his fingerprints on the victim's vehicle.
It must be a mistake.
Oh, this is good, the way you're working with us.
Now what about that.
38 we found at your crib? Was that a mistake too? Now you got it.
Three witnesses I.
D.
'd you, Lamont.
Ballistics matched the piece we found in your room.
The way I see it, you got about an eight high, and you're looking down the barrel of aces full.
You better start thinking about folding.
That's on you, B.
I gotta tell you, Lamont.
I don't see a way out of this.
Talk now, man.
We can work out something with the D.
A.
Decision's on you, B.
Where do I sign, man? Hey, Lieu.
Tyler signed a confession, nice and neat.
Yep, he'll be making license plates now instead of stealing them.
I wish all our cases went down that easy.
They don't.
HazMat crew sent the vial over to an independent lab.
The report just came in coronavirus.
Coronavirus? As in SARS? That's the one.
Now the question is what the hell was it doing in the vic's car.
Last thing I thought I'd do today was identify my wife at the morgue.
We're really sorry for your loss.
What happens to the bastard who killed her? He confessed, Mr.
Hopkins.
You mean he'll plea out? See, that's a sure thing.
In a trial So my wife is in the ground, and he's out walking around in two years? I think it's gonna be a lot more than two, sir.
Last week, Anna and I celebrated our third anniversary.
I took her to La Goulue.
Over dinner, we talked talked about having a baby.
We'd like to ask you some questions about your wife, if it's okay.
My wife was killed for 6,000 pounds of metal.
What the hell is there to ask? For starters, what was she doing with a toxic virus in her trunk? For God's sake, she works at Hudson University Research Lab as a lab technician.
Back when I was at Stanford, Harvard offered me twice the salary for half the workload.
I'd have been on the first plane east.
I was, only not to Cambridge.
Hudson doubled Harvard's offer.
And why do you suppose that is? I don't know.
You're good.
It was good business.
Labs need money to survive.
The real money comes from research applications.
You can't imagine the millions my work can generate.
Can we get back to Anna Hopkins, Dr.
Blanchard? She was good at what she did.
Which was? Doing what I told her.
And did you tell her to drive around town with a vial of SARS in her trunk? What? Not a chance.
We have people for that.
We have medical couriers who transport viral cultures.
But you do have the SARS virus on the premises? We had it.
We acquired a small culture a few months ago for antiviral research.
- What'd you do, go around the corner to Woolworths? - China, actually.
You know what it must be? We often share viral cultures with other labs.
Anna must have been servicing a request.
And you'd have paperwork for that? Yes.
Well, of course.
The health department requires meticulous reports in triplicate.
I'll check with the folks in administration.
We already did.
But nice try anyway, Doc.
What are you implying? That like all good businesses, you're covering your ass.
We do a detailed background check of every employee before we hire them.
I interviewed Anna personally.
I don't usually make mistakes like this.
Like what? Anna's maiden name was Ozeri.
She was born in Saudi Arabia.
Oh, I get it.
By, uh, suspicious, you mean Arab.
Her father is Saudi so she must be a terrorist? Your wife was driving around the city with an unauthorized vial of SARS, Mr.
Hopkins.
Times being what they are, we have to wonder why.
She's dead.
Does it make any difference now? If she had friends, it does.
Oh, because those people never work alone.
Her father passed away last August.
We went to Riyadh for the funeral.
She spent some time with her brothers.
Was there anything different about her when you returned to the States? Of course she was different.
Her father hadjust died.
And her mother had passed away six months earlier.
You know, you would have liked her mother.
She was British.
Look, Mr.
Hopkins, if you know anything about this, you need to tell us now.
Let me check her Palm Pilot, 'cause I think she's got Usay's home phone number.
Hey, stop it! We have an outbreak of SARS.
St.
Mark's Hospital.
You know what, Mr.
Hopkins? Maybe we will check your wife's Palm Pilot.
Right now there are only 12 sick people.
But that could be just the tip of the iceberg, right? What happens now? The health department has directed all symptomatic patients be isolated here while we try to locate Patient Zero.
And what if it's not one of the 12? Patient Zero goes to the market, coughs on the produce.
Then he heads on the Number One train downtown to the office.
I get the point.
C.
D.
C.
Is conducting an epidemiological investigation.
Until that's completed, we won't know how potent this particular strand of virus is.
Is coughing the only way it can be spread? Typically, the virus is transmitted through the respiratory system.
But the C.
D.
C.
Recently banned blood donors who traveled to SARS-infected regions.
We're gonna need a list of all the isolated patients.
Lab report on Anna Hopkins came back from the M.
E.
Her blood tested negative for the virus, so she wasn't a carrier.
As far as we can tell, none of the SARS patients is connected to Hopkins or to anyone Hopkins even knew.
That's hardly a shock.
If this is bioterrorism, there's probably no obvious connection.
Well, hold on.
Anna Hopkins isn't on any F.
B.
I.
Or Homeland Security lists.
Oh, I'm gonna sleep easy now.
Detective Briscoe.
A friend of Anna Hopkins on line two.
Says it's important.
Thanks.
Detective Briscoe.
She knew it was wrong, but she didn't know what to do.
Driving around with SARS? He made her do it, that bastard.
What bastard are we talking about? Dr.
Ego, that's who.
Her boss.
Blanchard.
He told us they had special couriers for that.
Look.
I'm just telling you what Anna told me.
Did she tell you why she took the chance? Because he told her to, that's why.
I said he was crossing the line by making her pick up his lunch, but this I mean, she could have really gotten sick.
What was she supposed to do with it? Get rid of it.
Where? I don't know.
Did those people get sick from the stuff in Anna's car? We're not sure yet.
Could have all just been a coincidence.
Yeah? All right.
We're on our way.
Well, maybe Patient Zero can shed some light.
Thank you.
I would have bet my degree that the origin of this particular outbreak wasn't Canada.
Why is that? Short course? There are two strains of SARS virus.
The Singapore type, which caused all the problems for our friends up north.
Let me guess, the other one is from China.
Oh, I see you're current with the medical journals.
No, we have a friend who imported a whole batch for antiviral research.
Patient Zero, Doctor.
Patient Zero? Ajournalist named Jeannine Wilson, who recently returned from a medical symposium in Toronto.
By the time she presented with respiratory symptoms, she transmitted the virus to everyone you see here including her four-year-old son, Tanner, who isn't progressing as well as we'd like.
Poor kid.
He's got rheumatoid arthritis as it is.
- Can we talk to her? - Follow me.
Are there any new cases reported? None in the last 48 hours.
Fortunately, it looks like we caught this in time.
Still, shouldn't we be wearing masks or something? Breathe easy, Detective.
That's what isolation units are for.
I write for Science Today.
If I didn't know Charles Blanchard, I wouldn't have a job.
What is this about? Anna Hopkins? I haven't seen her in almost a year.
I couldn't have infected her.
She was killed in a carjacking.
Oh, my God.
Charles had something to do with it? No, no, but the thing is, Mrs.
Hopkins had a vial of the coronavirus in the back of her car.
That bastard.
What in the world was he thinking? What are you referring to? He put my baby at risk? Millions of innocent people? Why don't we start at the beginning, Ms.
Wilson? Charles and I had a thing.
It was good, except he has a wife.
I should have known he'd never leave her.
And you told him to pack his things? Four years too late.
The B12 shot.
That had to be it.
Blanchard gave you a B12 injection? Every week, while we were seeing each other.
I have chronic fatigue.
The last shot was right after I came back from Toronto.
He came over to beg.
I can't believe I felt guilty about infecting my child in the name of my so-called career, and all along it was that son of a bitch.
May we come in, ma'am? See, Doc, some people still make house calls.
What's this about, Charles? Sir, you're gonna have to come with us.
What are you doing? Just call a lawyer, Elaine.
Charles Blanchard, you're under arrest for the attempted murder ofJeannine Wilson.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you do say, can and will be used against you in a court of law.
Docket number 475434, People v.
Blanchard, Charles W.
Charges: Attempted murder in the first degree.
How do you plead? My client pleads not guilty.
Bail? Your Honor, the people seek remand.
Dr.
Blanchard intentionally infected his former lover - with the SARS virus.
- Allegedly.
She went on to infect Charles Blanchard runs one of the nation's most prestigious medical research labs.
Oversees a staff of 100 people.
He also lectured in six different countries in the past year.
Looks like he's got some frequent-flier miles to cash in.
Bail is set at $300,000.
Defendant to surrender his passport.
Attempted murder.
Remind me not to sneeze on you.
Your client intentionally injected Jeannine Wilson with a deadly virus.
Do I have to listen to this? If you prefer, we can send you right off to Attica now, Doctor.
Let's, just for a moment, assume there's some truth to this crazy theory of yours and that Dr.
Blanchard did actually inject this Wilson woman with the coronavirus.
To rise to attempted murder, the defendant's act would have to be potentially fatal.
- Your point? - SARS is not fatal.
I'm sure that will be a comfort to the 800 people worldwide who've already been buried.
If treated properly, it's a bad flu.
Period.
Entirely curable.
Was that your plan, Doctor? You make her sick, you cure her.
- She comes running back to you? - I've had enough.
Let's go, Charlotte.
Let me just put a couple of bees in your bonnet before I go.
First, Mrs.
Blanchard will testify that Charles was home with her the night Mrs.
Wilson claims he gave her the B12 shot.
Second, the virus was found in Anna Hopkins's car.
Third, Mrs.
Hopkins had no authorization to transport such materials.
Have a nice day.
Oh, I almost forgot the biggest bee of all.
Anna Hopkins is of Middle Eastern descent.
Don't go there, Charlotte.
Why not? Your cops did.
When all else fails, blame the Arabs.
Draft a motion to exclude any mention of Anna Hopkins's background.
It's well settled that the defense is entitled to offer any evidence that might tend to exculpate the defendant.
Not if it's totally irrelevant.
Really? Tell that to Tom Ridge.
Tell it to Tom Brokaw.
And if your set's been on the fritz for the last two years, he's been opening every newscast with an item on the war against terrorism.
Your Honor, this case has nothing to do with terrorism.
How can you be so sure? Every day, we're told to be wary ofbiochemical attacks by Arab terrorists.
Twelve people were infected with a virus.
The source of which was a vial found in the trunk of a car owned by a woman born in Saudi Arabia.
Mrs.
Hopkins had no connection with any terrorist group.
She didn't socialize with Arabs or even worship in a mosque.
Point is, there is no evidence whatsoever indicating this was politically motivated.
Allowing the defense to even suggest as much will do nothing but inflame and mislead the jury.
It's called reasonable doubt.
No, Ms.
Swan, it's called a racial crock.
Now if you can't come up with anything other than name-calling, you can't offer it as evidence in my courtroom.
I gotta tell you.
If I were in Swan's shoes, I would have played the same card.
Anything to win a case? It's not like terrorists wear an I.
D.
Card around their necks.
Who knows what this woman was up to? I do.
She was dumping the weapon her boss used to try to killJeannine Wilson.
And if that boss was a Dr.
Charles Blanchard, I don't know as I'd believe you.
You know him? Saw him on Larry King.
The pompous son of a gun said he's prepared to rid the world of all that ails it.
He also managed to trigger the first SARS epidemic in New York.
Be warned.
A lot of very important people think an awful lot of this guy.
Including his wife.
Swan says that she's prepared to testify that Blanchard was at home with her on the nightJeannine Wilson claims that he injected her.
Talk to the missus.
See just how prepared she is.
Better you sit this one out, Jack.
I'm thinking this might be better handled woman-to-woman.
Life with a man of genius isn't always easy.
I'm the first to admit that.
But over the years, we've built a good life together.
A happy life.
I know this is difficult, Mrs.
Blanchard, but where does someone likeJeannine Wilson fit into the picture? Oh, believe me I know from experience.
A high I.
Q.
Is an aphrodisiac.
I know the mere presence his effect has on women.
I've certainly learned not to be jealous.
But he always came home to you.
I should be insulted by that.
I'm sorry.
The fact is he never goes home with anyone but me.
This whole story about some sordid affair is nonsense.
So you think Jeannine Wilson is lying.
Of course she is.
No offense, Mrs.
Blanchard, but how can you be so sure? Because Charles told me.
I would certainly take his word over that of some hussy who's deluded herself into thinking that Charles has even noticed her.
On the night in question, we had dinner at home and went to bed early.
She's either a great liar or the queen of denial.
A masochist or a saint.
Or telling the truth.
Whatever it is, I think a jury might find her credible.
And you? I hate to admit it, but I might even believe her.
Which means Jeannine Wilson is lying.
Or that Anna Hopkins was more culpable than we thought.
Elaine Blanchard told me that women fall all over themselves for her husband.
I can understand the RICO statute, but a woman fall That's what makes life interesting.
So suppose Anna Hopkins had an unrequited thing for Blanchard.
And suppose she thoughtJeannine was the reason it was unrequited.
Hell hath no fury like an unrequited lab tech.
See what the gossip is around the watercooler.
Are you kidding? The only one around here in love with Charles Blanchard is Charles Blanchard.
So there was nothing personal between he and Anna Hopkins? Oh, sure there was.
He made her nauseous.
That's odd, because his wife seems to think women are crazy for him.
Oh, well, he's okay until you spend some time with him.
The man may not always be right, but he is never wrong, if you know what I mean.
He's the feudal lord, and we're all his serfs, plowing his fields.
Let me ask you this Did Anna ever mention a reporter named Jeannine Wilson? Sure.
Said she was a nice lady.
Foolish, but nice.
She thoughtJeannine was wasting her life waiting around for Blanchard.
She knew that Jeannine and Blanchard were having an affair? Who didn't? I mean, you don't interview someone for an article for four years.
SoJeannine actually came by the lab? Sure.
Two, three times a week.
She left her kid with Anna when she and Blanchard went off to lunch.
When was the last time she was here? Last time I saw her was a couple weeks ago.
He was doing better yesterday.
And then this morning he woke up with a fever of 103.
They've released everyone else.
I pray to God that bastard rots in jail.
I don't know if he will, Jeannine.
I thought my virus was the same as that in the vial.
It was.
It got into me somehow, damn it! It had to be the injection.
You're probably right.
So what's the problem? You.
What? You told the police you hadn't seen Anna Hopkins in months.
I know that you saw her at the lab just a few weeks ago.
Why did you lie? She says she had a paternity test four years ago at Blanchard's insistence.
He certainly thinks highly of her.
Jeannine said she wanted to keep the whole thing from her son as long as Blanchard stuck it out with his wife.
Mrs.
Blanchard know about the child? Jeannine says absolutely not.
Well, we'll see how long Dr.
Blanchard has an alibi after you tell her.
After I tell her? Arthur was right.
This sort of thing's better handled woman-to-woman.
If you expect me to start throwing dishes, you're mistaken.
To be honest, I expected some kind of reaction.
Why? Your husband not only cheated on you, but he fathered a child with another woman.
I never wanted children.
That's not the point.
No, your point is that I should feel betrayed, minimized, used.
Well, I hate to ruin your day, but I don't.
Mrs.
Blanchard, most women wo Are fools.
Their husband cheats, and their first call is to the divorce attorney.
I have to admit that would be my reaction.
These are the same fools who stand by their husbands, charged with embezzlement or even murder.
I'm sorry, but to me, those crimes are a bit more morally reprehensible.
Excuse me.
Yeah.
Sure.
Speaking of murder, your husband's son, Tanner, just died.
I wish my dog was as loyal as Elaine Blanchard.
You told her about the kid? She didn't even bat an eye.
It doesn't matter.
I doubt Swan will put her on the stand anyway.
She has to.
She's the alibi witness.
In the grand scheme of things, a wife's testimony doesn't amount to a hill of grits.
But it is better than nothing, Arthur.
On the other hand, when a wife takes the stand, privilege goes down the toilet.
Now, I've been around for six decades, I've never committed a felony.
Still, I wouldn't want my wife cross-examined on the record.
Well, my money's on Elaine.
Besides, by the time she takes the stand, she's gonna be better prepped than Meryl Streep.
On the other hand, we could be putting the cart before the mule.
Blanchard's staring at a murder charge now.
See if he isn't more amenable to a plea.
This is a tragedy.
We're both very sorry, but my client still didn't do it.
- It doesn't change a thing.
- Except the indictment.
- We're upping the charge to murder two.
- That's absurd! Whoever did this couldn't possibly have foreseen the child's death.
But as any first-year law student knows, intent follows the bullet.
The target of your rage was Jeannine Wilson.
The boy was collateral damage.
Think about how that's gonna sound to thejury.
Guilty pleas are only for the guilty, Ms.
Southerlyn.
We'll take our chances with the jury.
No.
In my opinion, there is absolutely no possibility thatJeannine Wilson could have been infected accidentally with the SARS virus while she was in Toronto.
How can you be so sure? In layman's terms, the SARS virus originates in two parts of the world.
The type that has infected the people in Toronto comes from Singapore.
And that was not the type that infected Jeannine Wilson and her son Tanner? No.
That was the type originating in Hong Kong, which infected all those people in China.
And the vial found in Anna Hopkins's car? That was the Hong Kong strain.
In addition, we compared cells found in the vial with those found in the infected patients.
The results were remarkably similar.
Specifically? A 92% genetic match.
Thank you.
Did you test the cells found in the needle used to injectJeannine Wilson? No.
Why not? I don't believe the police ever located it.
I see.
So fingerprints would be out of the question too? Obviously.
Thank you, Doctor.
It started with a backache, muscle soreness and a headache.
At first, I thought it was the flu.
And later? The doctors diagnosed SARS.
That must have been quite a shock.
Yes, it was.
Sure, I'd been to Toronto, but all the literature said the epidemic there had been contained.
Were you scared? I'd written several articles about SARS.
I knew that if treated properly, I would recover.
Besides, in prior discussions with Dr.
Blanchard, he assured me that treatment was simple and painless.
And he would know.
He wrote the book on virology, didn't he? You don't sound convinced.
He wanted to hurt me.
He did.
But why hurt my baby? The steroids he was taking for juvenile arthritis weakened his immune system.
You knew Tanner was on medication.
Just answer the questions asked, Ms.
Wilson.
My baby is dead.
He was only four.
How could you? How can you be so sure it was Dr.
Blanchard who infected you? He's the one who stuck a needle in my arm.
He said it was B12.
But he'd been doing that for years, if I'm not mistaken.
Sure.
While we were seeing each other romantically.
After four years, I finally realized he was never going to leave his wife.
That's when I told him I couldn't go on any longer.
What did he say? He had a tantrum, the great Dr.
Charles Blanchard.
Then he said I'd be sorry.
A week later, he called and apologized.
Said we were both adults.
We should continue our friendship.
I believed him.
And that's why I let him give me another shot, instead of going to another doctor.
Did you know Anna Hopkins? The woman in whose car the virus was found? Of course.
She worked for Charles.
Pretty girl.
I suppose.
Dr.
Blanchard likes pretty girls, doesn't he? I wouldn't know.
Oh, come on, Ms.
Wilson.
Don't be so modest.
He said Anna was a good worker.
Yes, I just imagine she was.
- Objection.
- Withdrawn.
Was Anna a jealous woman? Objection.
That's enough, counselor.
I strayed.
I admit it.
I felt terrible about it.
That's why I called it off.
How did Ms.
Wilson take that? She became hysterical.
She threatened me.
She said she'd do whatever it took to pay me back.
Wait a minute.
Are you suggesting that she infected herself to implicate you? Of course not.
It's easier to lie about some imaginary B 12 injection.
So, you didn't give her injections? I did, when we were seeing each other.
When I ended our affair, I suggested several other doctors who'd be more than willing to continue her treatment.
So you didn't give her an injection on the night of September 12, the night after she came back from Toronto? Certainly not.
I hadn't been to her apartment in several weeks.
For the record, where were you that night? At home, with my wife.
It took you four years to realize that cheating on your wife was a mistake.
No.
I'm a 50-year-old man, who had a young, beautiful, intelligent woman interested in him.
What can I say? I was flattered.
I was weak.
So when it came to a choice between your ego and your marriage, you chose the former.
I hated myself for lying to my wife about the affair.
It was the first and only time.
I keep no other secrets from her.
I see.
You told her about your son, did you? Hi.
I guess Swan feels you scored some points in your cross, 'cause she's calling Elaine Blanchard first thing tomorrow.
And the jury will see it for what it is, a woman lying to protect her husband.
Yeah, why she'd want to is another question.
Different people expect different things from marriage.
And I guess you're an expert on that? Before you go any further, she left me because I spent too many nights like this.
Of course I remember.
Charles and I had dinner in, and then finished working the Sunday crossword puzzle.
I think we went to bed around 11:00.
And you're sure you're thinking of the night of the 12th? Not the 11 th, perhaps, or the 13th? Yes, because it was a Monday.
That's when we typically work the crossword.
Good.
Did your husband leave the apartment? Let's say to walk the dog.
We don't have a dog.
To go to the corner store to get some ice cream.
He was home all night.
No further questions.
Did you know your husband was having an affair? No.
How did it make you feel when you found out? I'm human.
It hurt.
He certainly isn't the first husband to cheat.
This wasn't a one-night stand, Mrs.
Blanchard.
This was a four-year affair.
Is there really any difference? He had a baby with her, Mrs.
Blanchard.
What did you have for dinner the night of the 12th? Prime rib.
Did you and your husband have wine for dinner that night? Mrs.
Blanchard? Yes.
Cabernet.
I'm sorry.
I can't do this.
My husband is You killed your own son.
- Objection.
- He was not home with me that evening.
- I lied about everything.
- Chambers, Your Honor.
She was your witness, Ms.
Swan.
I know that.
What I didn't know was that she'd commit perjury.
With which story? She's obviously an emotionally disturbed woman, hell-bent on vengeance.
I want a mistrial.
On what grounds? The witness's credibility is an issue for the jury.
She obviously offered contradictory testimony.
From which a jury can infer whatever it pleases.
Her testimony was in and of itself a criminal act.
I move that you order the jury to disregard it in its entirety.
Nice try, Ms.
Swan.
Sorry.
Then I want to redirect her.
It's your funeral.
That was some performance, Mrs.
Blanchard.
It was the truth.
Of course it was.
You wouldn't lie under oath.
I tried.
Your conscience.
I know.
Tell me, Mrs.
Blanchard do you know a Martha Harlow? If you didn't hear the question She was one of Charles's students.
And? He had an affair with her.
I see.
How about Denise Lowell? Do you know her? She's a member of our club.
And? Charles had an affair with her too.
You caught the two of them in your bed, isn't that right? - I'm sorry.
I didn't - Yes.
And Cheryl Bennet, Lynn Siegel, Lauren Phelps, Madeleine Broome? He had affairs with all of them, too, didn't he? Yes.
And those are just the ones you know about.
God only knows how many others there are.
Let me ask you something.
Mrs.
Blanchard, doesn't that make you angry? Mrs.
Blanchard.
Yes.
Angry enough to want to get back at him? Yes.
Angry enough to do anything? Yes.
Even lie? To have him sent to prison? Objection! Overruled.
Answer the question.
Yes.
Now, truthfully, Mrs.
Blanchard, was your husband home with you on the night in question? Yes.
Chambers! Sorry, counselor.
Choose a story, Mrs.
Blanchard, any story.
Just try to stick with it, okay? It's obvious what happened, Jack.
She tried to lie, she couldn't.
Look.
Thanks to your wife, the jury could go either way on this.
I'm willing to offer you a A deal? Do I look that stupid? Shut up, Charles.
For once in your life, I wish you'd learn to keep that damn mouth of yours shut.
Luckily, it doesn't matter.
- It was all an act, your entire testimony.
- I'd like to thank Ms.
Southerlyn for reminding me that the bourgeois fantasies about fidelity and marriage are still running rampant in this country.
Excuse me? No, you made me realize it's easier for a jury to believe that a wife would lie to hurt a scoundrel than lie to protect him.
That's perjury.
- Prove it.
- We don't have to.
You already admitted it on the stand.
Right.
Of course I did.
But then I corrected myself and told the truth.
Whatever that is.
Have you reached a verdict? - We have.
- On the first count attempt to commit murder in the second degree how do you find? We find the defendant, Charles Blanchard, not guilty.
On the second count, murder in the second degree.
How do you find? We find the defendant not guilty.