Law & Order (1990) s14e12 Episode Script
Payback
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.
Cold, cold, cold.
Gonna be slower than yesterday, if that's possible.
Might be a good idea to toss a extra wrap on old Henry.
His age, he shouldn't be out.
Our age, neither should we.
Heh! Oh, my God.
What Phil! What? Phil! It's Jer! What? What's the matter? Jerry Tortino.
Oh, Lord.
What a mess.
Call 911.
Two in the back of the head, small cal, no exit.
Point blank.
Set his stocking cap on fire.
Rigor's two over five.
I figure he's been dead three maybe four hours.
Yeah, that was a smart move, Russell, gettin' the Discovery Channel.
Hey, you can learn a lot.
Everybody's a crime scene expert these days.
He have anything on him? The works wallet, watch, money, a ring.
Jerry Tortino.
Lived in the neighborhood.
Who called it in? Either of you know the victim? Jer? Sure.
Part-timer.
Filled in for some of the regular drivers.
Gracie don't like most folks.
Looks like she's taken a shine to you.
So much for horse sense.
You two always here this early? Come in about 5:00 every day.
Prep the buggies.
Day shift don't start till 7:00.
- What was Tortino doing here? - No reason in the world for him to be in this early.
Did you notice anything unusual this morning? No.
Quiet as an empty church.
Just the horses, waiting to be fed.
I don't suppose any of'em are named Mister Ed.
He'd sub when he needed the cash.
Truth be told, Jerry wasn't all that crazy about drivin'a buggy.
He'd rather be watchin' 'em run than, uh, steerin' 'em around a park.
Oh, he played the horses? No, not him.
His clients.
He was a bookie? Back in the day, he was the go-to guy to go to in these parts.
Biggest book on the West Side.
So how'd he end up driving a carriage? Ah, well, how do I put this? Uh, Jer and the State of New York He did time.
And while he was gone, uh Well, nature abhors a vacuum and like that.
Somebody took his book? Yeah.
When was this? Ten years ago now, maybe more.
So how did he react to that, losing his turf? He had a good run.
He knew when to bow out gracefully.
Uh, he still had some die-hard clients who wouldn't give him up.
What about the other drivers? How'd he get along with them? Well, there's always disputes.
He was goin' at it with Albie Sullivan yesterday.
Eh, like an old married couple, those two.
Where do we find this Albie? He's working, Central Park South, across from Essex House.
You're here aboutJerry, right? You two had a beef yesterday.
Say we did.
So what? He was my best friend.
We were like brothers.
Brothers beef.
Don't mean nothin'.
Well, why don't you tell us about it anyway? He poached some customers.
I was sweet-talkin' these Canucks.
He butts in, offers to let the kid ride up top.
After I'd been workin' on 'em for 20 minutes.
I told him where he could get off.
That was it.
- Okay.
How about you? Where were you last night? - I had a few beers after quittin' time.
Went home, went to bed.
Got to work this mornin'.
Th-That's when I heard.
Anybody who can vouch for you? I live alone.
How about you? Your cop at the scene wasn't that far off.
Based on core temperature and rigor, I estimate time of death to be around midnight.
I don't suppose you got a couple of small-caliber slugs floatin' around in there.
Pair of.
380s.
Hallmark execution.
First shot was close contact.
Second, inches away.
Both seared his scalp.
Damn.
He was right about that too.
Now we'll never hear the end of it.
Double tap, point blank to the back of the head.
.
380, nothing at the scene.
Shooter must've picked up his brass.
This victim's a mobbed-up ex-con.
This was a hit.
Has all the earmarks.
Yeah.
Speaking of marks see that one? On his neck, behind the right ear? Crescent moon.
Looks like a burn.
It's a brand.
Somebody branded him? Like with a hot piece of metal? Mm-hmm.
Postmortem.
If he is a pro, maybe that's how he signs his work like a calling card or something.
Have gun, will travel.
A change of address in the works? My dad's idea.
Me, I'm not eager to move.
Lived here all my life, but we already signed a lease.
What're you gonna do? Why'd your dad wanna move? Opportunity of a lifetime.
He met a broker who put a bug in his ear.
Bigger place, better neighborhood, blah, blah, blah.
Uh, there were some cards in your dad's wallet, real estate agents Evans, Gramercy, Stillman Stillman, that's the guy.
A real miracle worker, gotta say.
Found us this big three-bedroom in the East 20s.
Just a little more on the rent for twice the space.
And that's the only reason that your father wanted to move? What do you mean? Oh, maybe he, uh, wanted to get out of Dodge.
You know, leave the old neighborhood? I know what you're getting at.
Everybody in the neighborhood loved my pop.
He was a fixture here.
Still, in your father's line of work, he had to have a few disgruntled customers.
More than a few.
But that was the never-come-again, good-old days.
Most of my dad's clients are dead or gone to Florida.
Why do you think he was driving a buggy in Central Park? We're checking open homicides to see if this crescent moon thing crops up.
His daughter's got a point.
Who'd hire a hit for a part-time carriage driver? Hm.
Hey, Ident section faxed over Tortino's rap sheet.
Yeah, his boss said he'd been away.
He didn't tell us he did two of a possible 10 at Ossining.
For bookmaking? Huh! Burglary, grand larceny one, possession of stolen goods, assault It's important to diversify.
Two years.
That's hard time for a bookie.
On the other hand, two instead of - Makes you wonder, doesn't it? - Gets better.
He spent most of his stretch in protective custody.
It'd be interesting to find out why.
Jerry was part of a crew knocked over a showroom in the fur district.
Beat up a security guard.
We collared him with a Cadillac full of mink.
He cut a deal? He was gonna be a stand-up guy do the whole dime, tough it out.
Then he found himself in gen pop at Sing Sing.
Changed his mind in a hurry.
Well, wouldn't you? No more showering with the fellas, and you shave eight years off your sentence.
- So who did he rat out? - Federico Righetti.
He's a crew boss for the Masucci family.
Jerry was Righetti's biggest book.
Twenty grand a day on the street.
Double during football season.
He got pinched, put a real crimp in the Masucci family's income stream.
Do the Masuccis know he ratted 'em out? If they had known, I don't think he would've lived nearly as long as he did.
Righetti pulled a psycho act at the trial, right? Yeah.
He was auditioning to go where they make you butter your toast with your finger instead of a knife.
Jury didn't buy it.
Why? You like him for Tortino? It looks like a professional hit.
Righetti's got the motive.
Would he still have thejuice to order a hit from the inside? Doesn't need to.
He's on the street.
Feds cut him loose three weeks ago.
He gets out; a week later, the guy that gave him up gets shot dead.
You know where we can find Righetti? I'd check his nephew Peter's social club on 10th Avenue.
That's where the old man used to rule the roost.
Ahh, another tough day at the office, huh? We're on an espresso break.
And who are you? O.
C.
Task Force? Homicide.
Homicide.
You're in the wrong place, Homicide.
Stiffs are around the corner at Razzoni's Funeral Home.
Ah, this is why they call them "wise guys.
" So, Peter, where's your uncle? I don't see him.
My uncle's not a well man.
Maybe you've heard.
Yeah, what I heard is, he might be goin' around town settling old scores.
And who would he wanna settle a score with? Jerry Tortino.
Oh.
That homicide.
Why didn't you say so? What I hear, Jerry got caught a little short Sunday when theJets, against all Against all expectations.
Covered the spread.
It's a miracle.
Our Lady o' the Meadowlands.
Freakin'Jets.
We all took a hosin' on that one.
No wonderJerry couldn't cover his action.
There you go.
One ofJerry's clients clipped him.
I were you, I'd be lookin' for a disgruntled Jets fan.
We hear thatJerry was more or less retired, like your uncle.
Yeah, and since your uncle's got so much time on his hands, we'd like to talk to him.
You wanna search the joint, you got a warrant, knock yourselves out.
Otherwise, take it on the arches.
Find another place to haunt.
Where do they get the lingo? According to the feds, his nephew's been bossing the crew since the old man went away.
Well, after about 10 years, you might start thinking the job is yours.
So are you saying he might not be all that overjoyed to see his Uncle Fred? There's something else you should know.
The feds also told me they're running a task force.
They've got someone deep inside with the Masuccis.
That takes stones.
It'd be nice if he could get us to the old man.
I don't know how easy it'll be to bring him up, but let me see what I can do.
Briscoe? Green? Vinny.
Sorry I'm late.
Had to make sure I was clean when I left the club.
So I took the scenic route down the West Side, via Weehawken.
That'll add an hour to your commute.
Hey, man, did you really lose a bundle on theJets? Man, I got killed.
Don't tell the bureau I bet the game.
Oh, don't worry.
Your secret's safe with him.
How long you been under? Nearly a year.
You seen the old man since he got out? He's come around a few times.
He still doing the "Mad Hatter"act? He may not be crazy, but he's definitely one strange duck.
How are he and his nephew doing? Circlin' each other like a couple of cats.
Really? How do you think that's gonna pan out? I wouldn't bet against the old man.
He comes across as a sweet, old geezer, but make no mistake, he's a stone killer dozens of bodies on his head.
You think he had Tortino hit? About six months ago, the Masuccis found out it was Tortino who ratted him out.
Peter wanted to deal with it himself, immediately.
His uncle said wait.
So he's trying to make a comeback.
Settling unfinished business.
It certainly helps his street cred, Tortino getting whacked.
We're gonna need a sit-down with the sweet, old geezer.
Mott Street, across from Old St.
Pat's.
Above the deli, third floor, front.
Boy, livin'down here in this dump, he must think he's been exiled to Siberia.
Which stands to reason why he'd want his old job back.
Hi, we're here to see Federico Righetti.
He's in the bathroom getting ready for his walk.
You mind if we come in? Mr.
Righetti doesn't like to be disturbed.
Heh! Any more than he is already? Excuse me! Sorry.
Thanks.
Maybe we should wait for him to get out of the shower.
Maybe we should check to make sure he's still there and didn't go down the fire escape.
Hmm! We needed this.
The reservoirs are down 40%.
He looks right as rain to me.
Ahh! You rememberJerry Tortino? Uh, I prefer rigatoni 'cause of the name.
Tortino.
He was your bookie back when you ran the crew.
He gave you up to the feds.
He put you in the penitentiary for the last 10 years.
I remember you.
Huh? Dewar's straight, beer chaser.
That was your drink.
Stayed with it, too, till your face hit the bar.
Yeah, I'm strictly club soda now.
- Straight up with a twist.
- Jerry Tortino! Somebody shot him twice in the back of the head.
She had red hair, didn't she, your wife? Huh? That's right! Tall girl.
Looked great in a tight skirt, huh, doin' the hula? Hm! How's she been? You'd have to ask her new husband.
I'd make Tortino my first stop if I were in your shoes.
Shoes? Nah! Sandals.
Sandals.
Easy on the feet.
It's aromatic, don't you think? Yeah, and they go so nice with an orange jumpsuit.
Threatening a sick, old man with jail time? Have you no shame? Well, well.
If it isn't that rarest of birds, the mob lawyer with a heart.
Would that the same could be said of you, Detectives.
Mr.
Righetti undergoes dialysis three times a week.
He finds these sessions extremely arduous.
Afterwards, he has trouble holding a spoon, much less a gun.
He didn't have to.
He could hire somebody to do it for him.
On the eve of Mr.
Tortino's murder, Mr.
Righetti's dialysis left him not only enervated, but gave him a low-grade infection, which he had treated that night at the clinic.
Like he said, we never claimed he did his own wet work.
Nevertheless, his whereabouts that evening have been accounted for.
You had no reason to roust him in the first place, and you've got no reason to question him further.
- Let's go, Federico.
- I suppose you have witnesses.
As many as I need.
He was running a temp.
I gave him aspirin and some antibiotics.
How did he seem? Aside from the fever? Same as always.
He's quite a character, Mr.
Righetti.
Which is a polite way of saying he's nuttier than a fruitcake, huh? Oh, no.
Mr.
Righetti's old, and sometimes his mind wanders, but he's not crazy.
Not at all.
Lucid as you or I.
Funny too.
You two talk? I consider him a friend.
He even helped me find a bigger apartment.
How-How did he manage that? Hooked me up with this genius real estate broker.
Found me a two-bedroom way below market rate, rent stabilized, Lexington and East 26th Street, across from Curry in a Hurry.
You got a name for this real estate genius? Stillman, I think.
I have his card here somewhere.
Yeah, you got a number? Okay.
Okay, thanks.
Ah, it's the same guy that got Tortino and his daughter their new apartment.
So this broker Cary Stillman.
Just happens to know Tortino and the guy who had him whacked? Small world.
Hey, man, that may mean nothin'.
Or it does, and we just don't know what yet.
I have 20 minutes left of my lunch break.
They're yours if you need them.
Uh, yeah, Mr.
Stillman, your name came up in the course of our investigation.
Oh, dear.
What kind of investigation? - Homicide.
- Homicide? Well, how on earth? You got an apartment forJerry Tortino and his daughter? Yes, I did.
Oh, of course.
That's the murder you're investigating.
I was so upset when I read about it in the paper.
A lovely man.
How can I help? How do you know Federico Righetti? I don't.
Oh, wait.
Um, a Peter Righetti looked at some co-ops that I had listed last month.
- Would he be related? - Federico's his uncle.
I don't think I met him.
Peter Righetti was accompanied by a very striking young woman I got the feeling, not his wife.
- How did you meetJerry Tortino? - He was a walk-in off the street.
I found him a very good deal in the East 20s.
Little India? Curry Hill? It's an up-and-coming neighborhood.
So much for that lead.
Peter Righetti gave Stillman's card to his uncle.
And he gave it to his nurse.
Least she got an apartment out of it.
Hey, man, if Righetti was dropping the crazy act with the nurse, maybe he was doing it other places too.
You mean like on the phone? What we need is a friendly judge.
I thought he was still in stir.
No, he's out, Judge, almost a month now.
Oh, they must've kept it under wraps.
I didn't hear about it.
You read about the West Side stables murder? The victim helped the feds put together their racketeering case against Righetti.
And you think this is payback.
You know, the first time I had Righetti in my courtroom, he was just startin' to road test that "Crazy Eddie" routine.
Showed up, dead of winter, in flip-flops and a Speedo.
Huh! Thanks for sharing.
I held him in contempt, and he says, "Kiss my ass, Judge.
" Well, I told him, "Motion denied.
" Bang! And sent him to the Tombs to spend the night in that outfit.
- Last time he tried that stunt, at least with me.
- So, you're gonna help us? I don't like being played by that old crook any more than you do.
Just make sure there's something on that tape worth a listen.
East 79th Street, off the park, there's a lovely building Is it all like that? - Those are the highlights.
- It's like watching cement harden.
He wants to be an uptown don, the whole package, doorman and all.
Who can blame him for wanting an elevator? I mean, a third-floor walk-up at his age? Upper East Side? That's a whole different kind of social club up there.
Wait a minute.
East 79th Street? Someone from East 79th Street was killed last night, right around midnight, in the park.
Here an attorney named Alec Ravello.
Let me hear that again.
Any particular neighborhood in mind? East 79th Street, off the park, there's a lovely building 71, I think it was.
- Caught my eye.
- Let me look into it.
Something on a higher floor would be nice, say, the, uh, ninth floor? A nice one-bedroom.
That would be the 'A"Line.
That sounds about right.
I would like to move as soon as possible, you know.
I don't want to wait.
I'll have an answer for you in a day or two.
He tells Stillman he likes the ninth floor, one-bedroom, "A" Line.
The victim lived in apartment 9-A in this particular building.
Righetti wasn't talking to Stillman about an apartment.
He was ordering a hit.
Anything else about it strike you? Same M.
O.
As yours two to the head,.
380, no witnesses, takes time to pick up his brass.
There was one other thing.
We kept it out of the papers.
What was that? Weird.
On the vic's neck, right here? Let me guess a crescent moon branded into the skin? Yeah.
Come in.
A.
D.
A.
Southerlyn, Lieutenant Van Buren, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, Jean Piccone, Assistant United States Attorney.
How do you do? Alec Ravello was my husband.
I'm so sorry.
Thank you.
I'm also the prosecutor who sent Federico Righetti to prison.
- That's why - You don't kill an Assistant U.
S.
Attorney without the full weight of the federal government falling on you.
So they killed my husband instead.
Both my husband's murder and the Tortino murder were committed by the same individual? We think Righetti's settling old scores in a bid to reclaim his crew.
Is this Stillman character the hit man or just the go-between? We don't know that yet.
Doesn't matter.
At the very least, he was involved in a conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
- We'll pick him up.
- What about Righetti? Make the case against Stillman, he'll give us Righetti.
He's the one I want, Jack.
Mr.
Stillman.
Oh, I'd love to talk to you gentlemen further, but we have tickets for the Met this evening.
We're running a little late.
Well, you're in luck.
It's opera week at Rikers.
They're doing an all-male version of Carmen.
Rikers? What are you talking about? We're talking about the murders of Alec Ravello and Jerry Tortino.
You're under arrest for conspiracy to commit them.
Commit murder? L- I'm a real estate broker.
Well, think of it as a career builder.
Everybody in prison will be lookin' for a new place to live when they get out.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to an attorney Docket number 27565, People v.
Cary Stillman.
Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, two counts of enterprise corruption.
You're first up in the batter's box, Mr.
Stillman.
One swing.
Make it count.
Not guilty, Your Honor.
People on bail, Ms.
Southerlyn? No bail, Your Honor.
We're charging the defendant pursuant to the Organized Crime Control Act.
These are mob charges, Your Honor.
My client sells real estate.
He rents people apartments.
- He also arranges to have them killed.
- There is not one scintilla of evidence to support that allegation.
Obviously, the police felt otherwise, Mr.
Margolis.
Defendant is held without bail.
You're pulling at straws with this, Jack.
I'm looking at two cold-blooded, for-hire murders, both linked to a ranking member of an organized crime family.
Give me a straw that strong any day.
- We have Federico Righetti and your client on a wire.
- Talking about an apartment.
Talking about killing a man.
That's a matter of interpretation.
I agree.
Let a jury decide.
Why take the chance you'll lead them down the garden path? Motion to exclude the wire.
One less straw to pull on, Jack.
He can't challenge the tap.
He lacks standing.
Let a judge decide.
I would like to move as soon as possible.
I don't want to wait.
I'll have an answer for you in a day or two.
Mr.
Stillman wasn't a target of the wiretap.
He therefore lacks standing To challenge the wire.
I know, know.
The point is, my client's done nothing wrong.
He wasn't hatching a murder plot with a Mafia chieftain.
He was helping an old man find a bigger place to live.
What you heard on that tape, Your Honor, was a conspiracy to murder Alec Ravello.
Look, maybe Mr.
McCoy's ears are sharper than mine.
What I heard was a conspiracy to buy an apartment.
Did the police have prior knowledge Righetti and Stillman were going to meet? No, Your Honor, but shortly after they spoke, Alec Ravello, the man who lived in the apartment they were discussing, was shot to death.
That's not a crime.
That's a coincidence.
Some coincidence.
Is it also a coincidence that the murdered man was the husband of the prosecutor who sent Mr.
Righetti to prison? She's sent hundreds of people to prison.
Any one of them could have done it.
This is all moot, Your Honor.
He can't challenge the tape The tape should never have been authorized in the first place.
As we are all well aware, Judge Stamos has a well-documented history of mutual antagonism with Mr.
Righetti, and he should have recused himself.
Sorry, Mr.
McCoy.
Judge Stamos should have bowed out.
You're gonna have to prove your case the old-fashioned way.
Wire's gone.
Without the wire, how can we prove Stillman's involvement? We need to tie him directly to the murders or to the person he hired to commit them on Righetti's behalf.
You know, Briscoe and Green met with an undercover who's working on the inside with the Righetti crew.
He might know something about Stillman.
Contact our liaison at the U.
S.
Attorney's office.
See if you can set up a meet.
Could be a weekend warrior.
Fits the profile.
Weekend warrior? Used to be, you wanted somebody clipped, there were 15, 20 guys you'd reach out to hard cases.
You wanted it done right at a good price and not find your ass in the slammer at the end of the day.
Stillman strikes me more as Caspar Milquetoast than a cold-blooded killer.
There's a new breed of hitter out there.
Doesn't need to make a killing to make a living, if you know what I mean.
Are you saying that Stillman is moonlighting as a murderer? Exactly.
Earn extra cash in your spare time.
A week in Maui, a ring for the wife out ofTiffany's window Kid needs a sports car for her Sweet 16, whatever.
And then he goes back to his day job? Who would ever suspect? Which makes him perfect for a guy like Righetti, who's all the time under the microscope.
So you think Stillman killed them? Why farm it out and take the commission when you could do it yourself and pocket the whole enchilada? I hear some of these guys like to leave a mark of some kind signature.
Shows who did the job.
You know who to hire next time.
Both victims, crescent moon, side of the neck, behind the ear.
Beats droppin' a resume on top of the body.
We still have to connect Stillman to the marks.
Okay.
If he is the hitter, how's he make that mark? He brands them somehow.
Well, with what? Where's he keep it? Well, we searched his house.
Safe-deposit box? We haven't found one yet.
I were you, I'd try Stuyvesant Savings on Grand.
Masuccis are always braggin' how they got their hooks in some vice president over there.
Maybe they gave Stillman a place to stash his stuff.
I'm kind of excited.
My first search warrant.
I've always wondered what people really keep in their safe-deposit boxes.
Well, you're about to find out.
This one keeps cash, plenty of it, and ammunition for a.
380 semiautomatic pistol.
Ammunition, my goodness.
Eh, no gun to go with it.
I should hope not.
Yeah, that would've been too good to be true.
Uh-oh, what have we here? You know what this is? Uh, a money clip and a cigarette lighter? Heh! Branding iron.
We now know you're the shooter, Mr.
Stillman, not a mere go-between.
Really.
How do you know that? We found your safe-deposit box the lighter, the money clip which matches the crescent moon marks on both victims perfectly.
Crescent moon, a common art deco design.
I don't suppose you found D.
N.
A.
From the victims on Mr.
Stillman's money clip, or you would have mentioned it.
I thought not.
He cleans his tools after he uses them.
Commendable.
What matters more is the cash, which far exceeds Mr.
Stillman's legitimate income.
Mr.
Stillman has a gambling problem, which accounts for both the cash and how he met Mr.
Tortino and Peter and Federico Righetti in the first place.
I'm not proud of it, but there it is.
I've explained to Mr.
Stillman that evading taxes on illegitimate income is a serious offense, and we're prepared to negotiate in good faith with the I.
R.
S.
As soon as these ridiculous charges are dropped.
And how do you explain the box of.
380 ammunition, the same caliber bullets used in both killings? I like to shoot for recreation.
It-It relaxes me.
Yeah, you can't tie that ammunition to a murder weapon.
You don't have one.
Don't let your lawyer mislead you, Mr.
Stillman.
We're going to convict you.
I don't see how.
I'm innocent.
Keep on thinking that, and while you're scratching the days off of a jailhouse calendar, waiting for your appeals process to be exhausted, the man who paid for these murders will be on the street, enjoying what's left of the rest of his life.
If you are referring to Mr.
Righetti, I - I wish him many more years of health and happiness.
He's a nice man.
Off the record and for my memoirs, what'd you have in mind? Two counts of man one to be served concurrently, if he gives us Mr.
Righetti.
It's your decision, Cary.
Sorry, Mr.
McCoy.
I didn't do it.
No sale.
See you at trial.
Mr.
Ravello was murdered shortly after midnight, passersby heard gunshots, called 911.
- Did you recover the bullets? - Ballistics determined they were fired from a.
380 semiautomatic handgun.
The same kind of ammunition found in Mr.
Stillman's safe-deposit box.
The same weapon used to kill Jerry Tortino.
Both victims were shot twice in the back of the head at close range, and both had crescent moons branded on their necks, just behind the right ear.
- And the size and shape of those marks? - Identical.
The same type of gun was used in both murders? Yes, sir.
Was the same gun used in both murders? The same individual weapon? No.
Ballistics determined the slugs came from two different weapons.
So, two different.
380 caliber semiautomatic pistols used in the commission of two different crimes.
Have the police recovered either of those weapons? No, they haven't.
And the identical marks Can you say for an absolute certainty that both marks were inflicted by the same person, using the same money clip? - They're identical.
Stands to reason.
- But you don't know that.
You can't.
No, I-I guess not.
Two different murders, two different guns, why not two different money clips? Could've been.
Or something else entirely that might've left the same marks and none of them necessarily Mr.
Stillman's.
Objection.
Nothing further.
The police found ammunition in your safe-deposit box.
I like to target shoot.
It relaxes me.
Selling real estate in Manhattan can be very stressful.
And we have a young child.
Just seemed safer to store the bullets there.
They found ammunition but no gun.
Oh, I don't own a gun.
I borrow one at the firing range.
They're not supposed to, but I know the owner.
He loans me his.
What about the stacks and stacks of cash? I won it betting on sporting events.
And I'm ashamed to say, I was trying to avoid paying taxes on it.
A serious lapse in judgment on my part, I know.
And the money clip and the cigarette lighter? My dad's.
The only things ofhis I have, so I-I like to keep them in the bank.
Mr.
McCoy has suggested you used these items to brand your victims.
Oh, that's just so I don't know what that is.
Outlandish? You didn't brand Mr.
Tortino and Mr.
Ravello? No, of course not.
- After you shot them? - I didn't do either of those things.
It-It's absurd.
You just happen to know Mr.
Tortino and Mr.
Righetti? Yes, from playing the ponies and selling real estate.
You just happen to have $300,000 in cash and a box of.
380 ammunition squirreled away under lock and key? I've explained that.
Along with a money clip that matches exactly the marks on the two murder victims? I now know it's not the rare antique I always thought it was.
Still, it's awfully precious to me.
That is a remarkable string of coincidences.
Life, huh? I know I should have stayed for the whole thing, but I can't bear it.
It's one thing to listen to them lie under oath as a prosecutor, quite another as someone's widow.
So, Jack.
How do you think we're doing? I can tie all the inferences and coincidences together and make them add up.
But at the end of the day, we still don't have any eyewitnesses.
No weapon.
No hard evidence that ties Stillman directly to the murders.
You saw him.
He doesn't fit anyone's idea of what a hit man should be.
He's quite convincing as the clueless real estate broker.
I won't lie to you, Jean.
I'm afraid that the jury's buying his act.
And if you can't don't convict Stillman? Then he and Righetti both walk.
Alec was always worried about my safety all the time the kind of people I convicted and sent to prison, the death threats.
He had nothing to do with any of that.
He lived and worked in the civilized world.
I can't stand it that they killed him to get to me.
How's Ms.
Piccone holding up? She's afraid we're gonna lose both of them.
Are you? I think she has reason to be concerned.
Vinny called me.
Vinny who? An undercover agent.
He wants to see me.
What about? Well, he wouldn't say on the phone.
He wants to meet this morning.
So, go.
I was beginning to think you'd stood me up.
Sorry.
Always late these days.
Occupational hazard.
Pond near Central Park South.
Southeast corner, there's a little inlet.
Drag it, you'll find the gun killed Jerry Tortino.
Are you serious? Whether you can tie it to Stillman or not, that's a horse of a different color.
We have to.
Where did you get this? Uh, off a wire.
Who? Think about it.
Peter Righetti? He talked about this on a wiretap? Hmm, that would be careless of him.
These guys know they're wired for sound.
Social club, cell phones They don't talk about nothin'.
They whisper in the streets.
Why would he talk about this if he knew he was being bugged? He wants us to nail Stillman.
Say he does.
Say the cops find the gun.
Stillman cuts a deal, gives you the old man.
Who either cuts a deal of his own and cooperates Which means Witness Protection Or goes back to prison.
- Either way - Peter stays boss.
Smart.
Thanks.
For what? I didn't give you anything.
We found the gun used to killJerry Tortino in a pond in Central Park.
Congratulations.
Now you can start searching for the real killer.
I'm looking at him.
Ballistics matches the ammunition found in your safe-deposit with the murder weapon.
How is that even possible? Don't say anything.
It's a bluff.
You can't tie this gun or any other to that particular box of bullets.
Apparently, Mr.
Stillman is a frugal fellow.
The police found a couple of unused rounds that had been chambered in the gun he shot Tortino with and then put back in the box for use at another time.
You see, Mr.
Stillman, when you do that, when you chamber a bullet and then extract it again, you leave specific marks on the shell casing, just as if you'd fired it.
Your mistake, Mr.
Stillman.
You threw away the gun, but you saved the bullets.
I just can't waste anything, you know? Plastic utensils.
Paper cups.
Tinfoil.
Those crummy wooden chopsticks you get with take-out Chinese.
I wash them.
Reuse them.
- Drives my wife crazy.
- Cary Hey.
I still get man one.
Ah.
One of youse plays winner.
That'll be me, but you gotta be patient.
This guy's a foxy little featherweight.
He's light on his feet.
Federico Righetti, you're under arrest for the murders ofJerry Tortino and Alec Ravello.
What the hell is this? And after we're done, those guys from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy are gonna wanna have a serious sit-down with you.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can be used against you Any news? Righetti's in custody.
Briscoe and Green picked him up a couple of hours ago.
Great.
Stillman allocutes tomorrow as part of his plea.
Congratulations.
It's fantastic, Jack.
Southerlyn.
He's here.
All right.
Right away.
Arthur would like to see us in his office.
Victory toast.
First of all, I want to say congratulations on closing the Ravello murder.
Great work.
Everyone in the U.
S.
Attorney's office is very proud of you.
That pleases me enormously.
We still have one more step to take.
I understand Mr.
Stillman will testify Righetti hired him to commit both murders.
Stillman allocutes tomorrow.
He can corroborate his story? There's no question he absolutely acted at the behest of Mr.
Righetti.
Mm-hmm.
Is there a problem? - Not a problem.
- You can have him when we're done.
I'm sorry? Isn't that why you're here, Ms.
Myers? Righetti's the centerpiece of some RICO indictment you're crafting against the Masucci family? - This is not about a turf war, Jack.
- No? We're not trying to poach your defendant, Mr.
McCoy.
Fine.
After the State of New York tries him on two counts of capital murder, he's all yours.
But we do need you to withdraw your offer to Mr.
Stillman.
- He can't allocute in open court.
- Why the hell not? He's our whole case against Righetti.
- We're not ready to move on Mr.
Righetti just yet.
- We are.
If we leave him on the street, we can use Righetti to make half a dozen other cases, roll up the whole crew.
- Have you told Jean Piccone what you're planning? - She'll understand.
Oh, will she? If she'd been killed instead ofher husband, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
- You wouldn't dream of letting him go.
- The greater good, Mr.
McCoy.
And if he orders someone else killed? How many more murders are you willing to countenance in the name of the greater good? You've got your undercover.
You don't need Righetti.
Righetti'll be brought to justice, Jack, when the time's right.
The time is right now.
We're committed.
He's already been arrested.
- We'll charge him tomorrow as soon as Stillman allocutes.
- No, we won't.
I want you to withdraw the offer to Stillman and release Righetti today.
Would you ladies excuse me for a moment? I'd advise you not to forget whose name's on the door.
How could you do that to me, Arthur? Sandbag me like that in front of the U.
S.
Attorney's office? How am I supposed to deal with them now? I apologize for springin' that on you, but this is not about you saving face or looking bad in front of an Assistant United States Attorney.
This is nonsense, Arthur.
They don't need Righetti! What the hell's going on here? Exactly what you were told in there nothing more, nothing less.
I don't believe that! Push comes to shove, the feds corner Righetti, they'll cut a deal with him! He'll give up his nephew and his crew, and they'll send the old man to Tucson to play shuffleboard in the sun, and you won't be able to do a damn thing about it.
Sometimes we make deals that leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
You've done it yourself a million times, Jack! You spit it out and move on! Now, you're letting your friendship with Jean Piccone cloud your judgment.
And what I want you to do what I need you to do is withdraw that plea agreement and let Righetti go.
You're withdrawing your offer? What the hell? I'm not at liberty to discuss it.
You're just gonna shine us on without an explanation? I don't owe you an explanation, Mr.
Stillman.
I think you do.
What, you made some sort of arrangement involving Righetti, didn't you? Traded up for a bigger fish? - You should have made your deal when you had the chance.
- Come on, McCoy.
That's not right.
What can you do for us? With the weapon, we've got you dead to rights on the Tortino murder.
The money-clip marks tie you to Ravello too.
Plead guilty to both now, and we'll drop the criminal enterprise charges and take the death penalty off the table.
Life in prison.
Take it or leave it.
Mr.
McCoy, it's your office.
McCoy.
When? Detectives.
Counselors.
Sorry to drag you out so late.
Where did it happen? Over here.
Seems he was out taking his usual evening constitutional.
Passersby heard gunshots.
Any witnesses? All these people around? Of course not.
I could care less about these mob guys.
It's the collateral damage that gets to me.
I heard.
The nurse too.
Collateral damage, the cops called it.
We romanticize these people, make movies about 'em, and they're nothing but heartless scum.
You think they knew the feds that Peter Righetti was gonna have his uncle killed? They might've predicted.
That's a long way from knowing.
What if they used us to put Righetti back on the street? Once we arrested the old man and let him go again, - Peter must've figured that his uncle had cut a deal and gave him up.
- Hm! I think you're giving the feds way too much credit.
They ain't that clever.
Still, lucky break for them.
Now they roll up the whole crew starting with Peter Righetti for the murder of his uncle.
Good riddance.
These are their stories.
Cold, cold, cold.
Gonna be slower than yesterday, if that's possible.
Might be a good idea to toss a extra wrap on old Henry.
His age, he shouldn't be out.
Our age, neither should we.
Heh! Oh, my God.
What Phil! What? Phil! It's Jer! What? What's the matter? Jerry Tortino.
Oh, Lord.
What a mess.
Call 911.
Two in the back of the head, small cal, no exit.
Point blank.
Set his stocking cap on fire.
Rigor's two over five.
I figure he's been dead three maybe four hours.
Yeah, that was a smart move, Russell, gettin' the Discovery Channel.
Hey, you can learn a lot.
Everybody's a crime scene expert these days.
He have anything on him? The works wallet, watch, money, a ring.
Jerry Tortino.
Lived in the neighborhood.
Who called it in? Either of you know the victim? Jer? Sure.
Part-timer.
Filled in for some of the regular drivers.
Gracie don't like most folks.
Looks like she's taken a shine to you.
So much for horse sense.
You two always here this early? Come in about 5:00 every day.
Prep the buggies.
Day shift don't start till 7:00.
- What was Tortino doing here? - No reason in the world for him to be in this early.
Did you notice anything unusual this morning? No.
Quiet as an empty church.
Just the horses, waiting to be fed.
I don't suppose any of'em are named Mister Ed.
He'd sub when he needed the cash.
Truth be told, Jerry wasn't all that crazy about drivin'a buggy.
He'd rather be watchin' 'em run than, uh, steerin' 'em around a park.
Oh, he played the horses? No, not him.
His clients.
He was a bookie? Back in the day, he was the go-to guy to go to in these parts.
Biggest book on the West Side.
So how'd he end up driving a carriage? Ah, well, how do I put this? Uh, Jer and the State of New York He did time.
And while he was gone, uh Well, nature abhors a vacuum and like that.
Somebody took his book? Yeah.
When was this? Ten years ago now, maybe more.
So how did he react to that, losing his turf? He had a good run.
He knew when to bow out gracefully.
Uh, he still had some die-hard clients who wouldn't give him up.
What about the other drivers? How'd he get along with them? Well, there's always disputes.
He was goin' at it with Albie Sullivan yesterday.
Eh, like an old married couple, those two.
Where do we find this Albie? He's working, Central Park South, across from Essex House.
You're here aboutJerry, right? You two had a beef yesterday.
Say we did.
So what? He was my best friend.
We were like brothers.
Brothers beef.
Don't mean nothin'.
Well, why don't you tell us about it anyway? He poached some customers.
I was sweet-talkin' these Canucks.
He butts in, offers to let the kid ride up top.
After I'd been workin' on 'em for 20 minutes.
I told him where he could get off.
That was it.
- Okay.
How about you? Where were you last night? - I had a few beers after quittin' time.
Went home, went to bed.
Got to work this mornin'.
Th-That's when I heard.
Anybody who can vouch for you? I live alone.
How about you? Your cop at the scene wasn't that far off.
Based on core temperature and rigor, I estimate time of death to be around midnight.
I don't suppose you got a couple of small-caliber slugs floatin' around in there.
Pair of.
380s.
Hallmark execution.
First shot was close contact.
Second, inches away.
Both seared his scalp.
Damn.
He was right about that too.
Now we'll never hear the end of it.
Double tap, point blank to the back of the head.
.
380, nothing at the scene.
Shooter must've picked up his brass.
This victim's a mobbed-up ex-con.
This was a hit.
Has all the earmarks.
Yeah.
Speaking of marks see that one? On his neck, behind the right ear? Crescent moon.
Looks like a burn.
It's a brand.
Somebody branded him? Like with a hot piece of metal? Mm-hmm.
Postmortem.
If he is a pro, maybe that's how he signs his work like a calling card or something.
Have gun, will travel.
A change of address in the works? My dad's idea.
Me, I'm not eager to move.
Lived here all my life, but we already signed a lease.
What're you gonna do? Why'd your dad wanna move? Opportunity of a lifetime.
He met a broker who put a bug in his ear.
Bigger place, better neighborhood, blah, blah, blah.
Uh, there were some cards in your dad's wallet, real estate agents Evans, Gramercy, Stillman Stillman, that's the guy.
A real miracle worker, gotta say.
Found us this big three-bedroom in the East 20s.
Just a little more on the rent for twice the space.
And that's the only reason that your father wanted to move? What do you mean? Oh, maybe he, uh, wanted to get out of Dodge.
You know, leave the old neighborhood? I know what you're getting at.
Everybody in the neighborhood loved my pop.
He was a fixture here.
Still, in your father's line of work, he had to have a few disgruntled customers.
More than a few.
But that was the never-come-again, good-old days.
Most of my dad's clients are dead or gone to Florida.
Why do you think he was driving a buggy in Central Park? We're checking open homicides to see if this crescent moon thing crops up.
His daughter's got a point.
Who'd hire a hit for a part-time carriage driver? Hm.
Hey, Ident section faxed over Tortino's rap sheet.
Yeah, his boss said he'd been away.
He didn't tell us he did two of a possible 10 at Ossining.
For bookmaking? Huh! Burglary, grand larceny one, possession of stolen goods, assault It's important to diversify.
Two years.
That's hard time for a bookie.
On the other hand, two instead of - Makes you wonder, doesn't it? - Gets better.
He spent most of his stretch in protective custody.
It'd be interesting to find out why.
Jerry was part of a crew knocked over a showroom in the fur district.
Beat up a security guard.
We collared him with a Cadillac full of mink.
He cut a deal? He was gonna be a stand-up guy do the whole dime, tough it out.
Then he found himself in gen pop at Sing Sing.
Changed his mind in a hurry.
Well, wouldn't you? No more showering with the fellas, and you shave eight years off your sentence.
- So who did he rat out? - Federico Righetti.
He's a crew boss for the Masucci family.
Jerry was Righetti's biggest book.
Twenty grand a day on the street.
Double during football season.
He got pinched, put a real crimp in the Masucci family's income stream.
Do the Masuccis know he ratted 'em out? If they had known, I don't think he would've lived nearly as long as he did.
Righetti pulled a psycho act at the trial, right? Yeah.
He was auditioning to go where they make you butter your toast with your finger instead of a knife.
Jury didn't buy it.
Why? You like him for Tortino? It looks like a professional hit.
Righetti's got the motive.
Would he still have thejuice to order a hit from the inside? Doesn't need to.
He's on the street.
Feds cut him loose three weeks ago.
He gets out; a week later, the guy that gave him up gets shot dead.
You know where we can find Righetti? I'd check his nephew Peter's social club on 10th Avenue.
That's where the old man used to rule the roost.
Ahh, another tough day at the office, huh? We're on an espresso break.
And who are you? O.
C.
Task Force? Homicide.
Homicide.
You're in the wrong place, Homicide.
Stiffs are around the corner at Razzoni's Funeral Home.
Ah, this is why they call them "wise guys.
" So, Peter, where's your uncle? I don't see him.
My uncle's not a well man.
Maybe you've heard.
Yeah, what I heard is, he might be goin' around town settling old scores.
And who would he wanna settle a score with? Jerry Tortino.
Oh.
That homicide.
Why didn't you say so? What I hear, Jerry got caught a little short Sunday when theJets, against all Against all expectations.
Covered the spread.
It's a miracle.
Our Lady o' the Meadowlands.
Freakin'Jets.
We all took a hosin' on that one.
No wonderJerry couldn't cover his action.
There you go.
One ofJerry's clients clipped him.
I were you, I'd be lookin' for a disgruntled Jets fan.
We hear thatJerry was more or less retired, like your uncle.
Yeah, and since your uncle's got so much time on his hands, we'd like to talk to him.
You wanna search the joint, you got a warrant, knock yourselves out.
Otherwise, take it on the arches.
Find another place to haunt.
Where do they get the lingo? According to the feds, his nephew's been bossing the crew since the old man went away.
Well, after about 10 years, you might start thinking the job is yours.
So are you saying he might not be all that overjoyed to see his Uncle Fred? There's something else you should know.
The feds also told me they're running a task force.
They've got someone deep inside with the Masuccis.
That takes stones.
It'd be nice if he could get us to the old man.
I don't know how easy it'll be to bring him up, but let me see what I can do.
Briscoe? Green? Vinny.
Sorry I'm late.
Had to make sure I was clean when I left the club.
So I took the scenic route down the West Side, via Weehawken.
That'll add an hour to your commute.
Hey, man, did you really lose a bundle on theJets? Man, I got killed.
Don't tell the bureau I bet the game.
Oh, don't worry.
Your secret's safe with him.
How long you been under? Nearly a year.
You seen the old man since he got out? He's come around a few times.
He still doing the "Mad Hatter"act? He may not be crazy, but he's definitely one strange duck.
How are he and his nephew doing? Circlin' each other like a couple of cats.
Really? How do you think that's gonna pan out? I wouldn't bet against the old man.
He comes across as a sweet, old geezer, but make no mistake, he's a stone killer dozens of bodies on his head.
You think he had Tortino hit? About six months ago, the Masuccis found out it was Tortino who ratted him out.
Peter wanted to deal with it himself, immediately.
His uncle said wait.
So he's trying to make a comeback.
Settling unfinished business.
It certainly helps his street cred, Tortino getting whacked.
We're gonna need a sit-down with the sweet, old geezer.
Mott Street, across from Old St.
Pat's.
Above the deli, third floor, front.
Boy, livin'down here in this dump, he must think he's been exiled to Siberia.
Which stands to reason why he'd want his old job back.
Hi, we're here to see Federico Righetti.
He's in the bathroom getting ready for his walk.
You mind if we come in? Mr.
Righetti doesn't like to be disturbed.
Heh! Any more than he is already? Excuse me! Sorry.
Thanks.
Maybe we should wait for him to get out of the shower.
Maybe we should check to make sure he's still there and didn't go down the fire escape.
Hmm! We needed this.
The reservoirs are down 40%.
He looks right as rain to me.
Ahh! You rememberJerry Tortino? Uh, I prefer rigatoni 'cause of the name.
Tortino.
He was your bookie back when you ran the crew.
He gave you up to the feds.
He put you in the penitentiary for the last 10 years.
I remember you.
Huh? Dewar's straight, beer chaser.
That was your drink.
Stayed with it, too, till your face hit the bar.
Yeah, I'm strictly club soda now.
- Straight up with a twist.
- Jerry Tortino! Somebody shot him twice in the back of the head.
She had red hair, didn't she, your wife? Huh? That's right! Tall girl.
Looked great in a tight skirt, huh, doin' the hula? Hm! How's she been? You'd have to ask her new husband.
I'd make Tortino my first stop if I were in your shoes.
Shoes? Nah! Sandals.
Sandals.
Easy on the feet.
It's aromatic, don't you think? Yeah, and they go so nice with an orange jumpsuit.
Threatening a sick, old man with jail time? Have you no shame? Well, well.
If it isn't that rarest of birds, the mob lawyer with a heart.
Would that the same could be said of you, Detectives.
Mr.
Righetti undergoes dialysis three times a week.
He finds these sessions extremely arduous.
Afterwards, he has trouble holding a spoon, much less a gun.
He didn't have to.
He could hire somebody to do it for him.
On the eve of Mr.
Tortino's murder, Mr.
Righetti's dialysis left him not only enervated, but gave him a low-grade infection, which he had treated that night at the clinic.
Like he said, we never claimed he did his own wet work.
Nevertheless, his whereabouts that evening have been accounted for.
You had no reason to roust him in the first place, and you've got no reason to question him further.
- Let's go, Federico.
- I suppose you have witnesses.
As many as I need.
He was running a temp.
I gave him aspirin and some antibiotics.
How did he seem? Aside from the fever? Same as always.
He's quite a character, Mr.
Righetti.
Which is a polite way of saying he's nuttier than a fruitcake, huh? Oh, no.
Mr.
Righetti's old, and sometimes his mind wanders, but he's not crazy.
Not at all.
Lucid as you or I.
Funny too.
You two talk? I consider him a friend.
He even helped me find a bigger apartment.
How-How did he manage that? Hooked me up with this genius real estate broker.
Found me a two-bedroom way below market rate, rent stabilized, Lexington and East 26th Street, across from Curry in a Hurry.
You got a name for this real estate genius? Stillman, I think.
I have his card here somewhere.
Yeah, you got a number? Okay.
Okay, thanks.
Ah, it's the same guy that got Tortino and his daughter their new apartment.
So this broker Cary Stillman.
Just happens to know Tortino and the guy who had him whacked? Small world.
Hey, man, that may mean nothin'.
Or it does, and we just don't know what yet.
I have 20 minutes left of my lunch break.
They're yours if you need them.
Uh, yeah, Mr.
Stillman, your name came up in the course of our investigation.
Oh, dear.
What kind of investigation? - Homicide.
- Homicide? Well, how on earth? You got an apartment forJerry Tortino and his daughter? Yes, I did.
Oh, of course.
That's the murder you're investigating.
I was so upset when I read about it in the paper.
A lovely man.
How can I help? How do you know Federico Righetti? I don't.
Oh, wait.
Um, a Peter Righetti looked at some co-ops that I had listed last month.
- Would he be related? - Federico's his uncle.
I don't think I met him.
Peter Righetti was accompanied by a very striking young woman I got the feeling, not his wife.
- How did you meetJerry Tortino? - He was a walk-in off the street.
I found him a very good deal in the East 20s.
Little India? Curry Hill? It's an up-and-coming neighborhood.
So much for that lead.
Peter Righetti gave Stillman's card to his uncle.
And he gave it to his nurse.
Least she got an apartment out of it.
Hey, man, if Righetti was dropping the crazy act with the nurse, maybe he was doing it other places too.
You mean like on the phone? What we need is a friendly judge.
I thought he was still in stir.
No, he's out, Judge, almost a month now.
Oh, they must've kept it under wraps.
I didn't hear about it.
You read about the West Side stables murder? The victim helped the feds put together their racketeering case against Righetti.
And you think this is payback.
You know, the first time I had Righetti in my courtroom, he was just startin' to road test that "Crazy Eddie" routine.
Showed up, dead of winter, in flip-flops and a Speedo.
Huh! Thanks for sharing.
I held him in contempt, and he says, "Kiss my ass, Judge.
" Well, I told him, "Motion denied.
" Bang! And sent him to the Tombs to spend the night in that outfit.
- Last time he tried that stunt, at least with me.
- So, you're gonna help us? I don't like being played by that old crook any more than you do.
Just make sure there's something on that tape worth a listen.
East 79th Street, off the park, there's a lovely building Is it all like that? - Those are the highlights.
- It's like watching cement harden.
He wants to be an uptown don, the whole package, doorman and all.
Who can blame him for wanting an elevator? I mean, a third-floor walk-up at his age? Upper East Side? That's a whole different kind of social club up there.
Wait a minute.
East 79th Street? Someone from East 79th Street was killed last night, right around midnight, in the park.
Here an attorney named Alec Ravello.
Let me hear that again.
Any particular neighborhood in mind? East 79th Street, off the park, there's a lovely building 71, I think it was.
- Caught my eye.
- Let me look into it.
Something on a higher floor would be nice, say, the, uh, ninth floor? A nice one-bedroom.
That would be the 'A"Line.
That sounds about right.
I would like to move as soon as possible, you know.
I don't want to wait.
I'll have an answer for you in a day or two.
He tells Stillman he likes the ninth floor, one-bedroom, "A" Line.
The victim lived in apartment 9-A in this particular building.
Righetti wasn't talking to Stillman about an apartment.
He was ordering a hit.
Anything else about it strike you? Same M.
O.
As yours two to the head,.
380, no witnesses, takes time to pick up his brass.
There was one other thing.
We kept it out of the papers.
What was that? Weird.
On the vic's neck, right here? Let me guess a crescent moon branded into the skin? Yeah.
Come in.
A.
D.
A.
Southerlyn, Lieutenant Van Buren, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, Jean Piccone, Assistant United States Attorney.
How do you do? Alec Ravello was my husband.
I'm so sorry.
Thank you.
I'm also the prosecutor who sent Federico Righetti to prison.
- That's why - You don't kill an Assistant U.
S.
Attorney without the full weight of the federal government falling on you.
So they killed my husband instead.
Both my husband's murder and the Tortino murder were committed by the same individual? We think Righetti's settling old scores in a bid to reclaim his crew.
Is this Stillman character the hit man or just the go-between? We don't know that yet.
Doesn't matter.
At the very least, he was involved in a conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
- We'll pick him up.
- What about Righetti? Make the case against Stillman, he'll give us Righetti.
He's the one I want, Jack.
Mr.
Stillman.
Oh, I'd love to talk to you gentlemen further, but we have tickets for the Met this evening.
We're running a little late.
Well, you're in luck.
It's opera week at Rikers.
They're doing an all-male version of Carmen.
Rikers? What are you talking about? We're talking about the murders of Alec Ravello and Jerry Tortino.
You're under arrest for conspiracy to commit them.
Commit murder? L- I'm a real estate broker.
Well, think of it as a career builder.
Everybody in prison will be lookin' for a new place to live when they get out.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to an attorney Docket number 27565, People v.
Cary Stillman.
Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, two counts of enterprise corruption.
You're first up in the batter's box, Mr.
Stillman.
One swing.
Make it count.
Not guilty, Your Honor.
People on bail, Ms.
Southerlyn? No bail, Your Honor.
We're charging the defendant pursuant to the Organized Crime Control Act.
These are mob charges, Your Honor.
My client sells real estate.
He rents people apartments.
- He also arranges to have them killed.
- There is not one scintilla of evidence to support that allegation.
Obviously, the police felt otherwise, Mr.
Margolis.
Defendant is held without bail.
You're pulling at straws with this, Jack.
I'm looking at two cold-blooded, for-hire murders, both linked to a ranking member of an organized crime family.
Give me a straw that strong any day.
- We have Federico Righetti and your client on a wire.
- Talking about an apartment.
Talking about killing a man.
That's a matter of interpretation.
I agree.
Let a jury decide.
Why take the chance you'll lead them down the garden path? Motion to exclude the wire.
One less straw to pull on, Jack.
He can't challenge the tap.
He lacks standing.
Let a judge decide.
I would like to move as soon as possible.
I don't want to wait.
I'll have an answer for you in a day or two.
Mr.
Stillman wasn't a target of the wiretap.
He therefore lacks standing To challenge the wire.
I know, know.
The point is, my client's done nothing wrong.
He wasn't hatching a murder plot with a Mafia chieftain.
He was helping an old man find a bigger place to live.
What you heard on that tape, Your Honor, was a conspiracy to murder Alec Ravello.
Look, maybe Mr.
McCoy's ears are sharper than mine.
What I heard was a conspiracy to buy an apartment.
Did the police have prior knowledge Righetti and Stillman were going to meet? No, Your Honor, but shortly after they spoke, Alec Ravello, the man who lived in the apartment they were discussing, was shot to death.
That's not a crime.
That's a coincidence.
Some coincidence.
Is it also a coincidence that the murdered man was the husband of the prosecutor who sent Mr.
Righetti to prison? She's sent hundreds of people to prison.
Any one of them could have done it.
This is all moot, Your Honor.
He can't challenge the tape The tape should never have been authorized in the first place.
As we are all well aware, Judge Stamos has a well-documented history of mutual antagonism with Mr.
Righetti, and he should have recused himself.
Sorry, Mr.
McCoy.
Judge Stamos should have bowed out.
You're gonna have to prove your case the old-fashioned way.
Wire's gone.
Without the wire, how can we prove Stillman's involvement? We need to tie him directly to the murders or to the person he hired to commit them on Righetti's behalf.
You know, Briscoe and Green met with an undercover who's working on the inside with the Righetti crew.
He might know something about Stillman.
Contact our liaison at the U.
S.
Attorney's office.
See if you can set up a meet.
Could be a weekend warrior.
Fits the profile.
Weekend warrior? Used to be, you wanted somebody clipped, there were 15, 20 guys you'd reach out to hard cases.
You wanted it done right at a good price and not find your ass in the slammer at the end of the day.
Stillman strikes me more as Caspar Milquetoast than a cold-blooded killer.
There's a new breed of hitter out there.
Doesn't need to make a killing to make a living, if you know what I mean.
Are you saying that Stillman is moonlighting as a murderer? Exactly.
Earn extra cash in your spare time.
A week in Maui, a ring for the wife out ofTiffany's window Kid needs a sports car for her Sweet 16, whatever.
And then he goes back to his day job? Who would ever suspect? Which makes him perfect for a guy like Righetti, who's all the time under the microscope.
So you think Stillman killed them? Why farm it out and take the commission when you could do it yourself and pocket the whole enchilada? I hear some of these guys like to leave a mark of some kind signature.
Shows who did the job.
You know who to hire next time.
Both victims, crescent moon, side of the neck, behind the ear.
Beats droppin' a resume on top of the body.
We still have to connect Stillman to the marks.
Okay.
If he is the hitter, how's he make that mark? He brands them somehow.
Well, with what? Where's he keep it? Well, we searched his house.
Safe-deposit box? We haven't found one yet.
I were you, I'd try Stuyvesant Savings on Grand.
Masuccis are always braggin' how they got their hooks in some vice president over there.
Maybe they gave Stillman a place to stash his stuff.
I'm kind of excited.
My first search warrant.
I've always wondered what people really keep in their safe-deposit boxes.
Well, you're about to find out.
This one keeps cash, plenty of it, and ammunition for a.
380 semiautomatic pistol.
Ammunition, my goodness.
Eh, no gun to go with it.
I should hope not.
Yeah, that would've been too good to be true.
Uh-oh, what have we here? You know what this is? Uh, a money clip and a cigarette lighter? Heh! Branding iron.
We now know you're the shooter, Mr.
Stillman, not a mere go-between.
Really.
How do you know that? We found your safe-deposit box the lighter, the money clip which matches the crescent moon marks on both victims perfectly.
Crescent moon, a common art deco design.
I don't suppose you found D.
N.
A.
From the victims on Mr.
Stillman's money clip, or you would have mentioned it.
I thought not.
He cleans his tools after he uses them.
Commendable.
What matters more is the cash, which far exceeds Mr.
Stillman's legitimate income.
Mr.
Stillman has a gambling problem, which accounts for both the cash and how he met Mr.
Tortino and Peter and Federico Righetti in the first place.
I'm not proud of it, but there it is.
I've explained to Mr.
Stillman that evading taxes on illegitimate income is a serious offense, and we're prepared to negotiate in good faith with the I.
R.
S.
As soon as these ridiculous charges are dropped.
And how do you explain the box of.
380 ammunition, the same caliber bullets used in both killings? I like to shoot for recreation.
It-It relaxes me.
Yeah, you can't tie that ammunition to a murder weapon.
You don't have one.
Don't let your lawyer mislead you, Mr.
Stillman.
We're going to convict you.
I don't see how.
I'm innocent.
Keep on thinking that, and while you're scratching the days off of a jailhouse calendar, waiting for your appeals process to be exhausted, the man who paid for these murders will be on the street, enjoying what's left of the rest of his life.
If you are referring to Mr.
Righetti, I - I wish him many more years of health and happiness.
He's a nice man.
Off the record and for my memoirs, what'd you have in mind? Two counts of man one to be served concurrently, if he gives us Mr.
Righetti.
It's your decision, Cary.
Sorry, Mr.
McCoy.
I didn't do it.
No sale.
See you at trial.
Mr.
Ravello was murdered shortly after midnight, passersby heard gunshots, called 911.
- Did you recover the bullets? - Ballistics determined they were fired from a.
380 semiautomatic handgun.
The same kind of ammunition found in Mr.
Stillman's safe-deposit box.
The same weapon used to kill Jerry Tortino.
Both victims were shot twice in the back of the head at close range, and both had crescent moons branded on their necks, just behind the right ear.
- And the size and shape of those marks? - Identical.
The same type of gun was used in both murders? Yes, sir.
Was the same gun used in both murders? The same individual weapon? No.
Ballistics determined the slugs came from two different weapons.
So, two different.
380 caliber semiautomatic pistols used in the commission of two different crimes.
Have the police recovered either of those weapons? No, they haven't.
And the identical marks Can you say for an absolute certainty that both marks were inflicted by the same person, using the same money clip? - They're identical.
Stands to reason.
- But you don't know that.
You can't.
No, I-I guess not.
Two different murders, two different guns, why not two different money clips? Could've been.
Or something else entirely that might've left the same marks and none of them necessarily Mr.
Stillman's.
Objection.
Nothing further.
The police found ammunition in your safe-deposit box.
I like to target shoot.
It relaxes me.
Selling real estate in Manhattan can be very stressful.
And we have a young child.
Just seemed safer to store the bullets there.
They found ammunition but no gun.
Oh, I don't own a gun.
I borrow one at the firing range.
They're not supposed to, but I know the owner.
He loans me his.
What about the stacks and stacks of cash? I won it betting on sporting events.
And I'm ashamed to say, I was trying to avoid paying taxes on it.
A serious lapse in judgment on my part, I know.
And the money clip and the cigarette lighter? My dad's.
The only things ofhis I have, so I-I like to keep them in the bank.
Mr.
McCoy has suggested you used these items to brand your victims.
Oh, that's just so I don't know what that is.
Outlandish? You didn't brand Mr.
Tortino and Mr.
Ravello? No, of course not.
- After you shot them? - I didn't do either of those things.
It-It's absurd.
You just happen to know Mr.
Tortino and Mr.
Righetti? Yes, from playing the ponies and selling real estate.
You just happen to have $300,000 in cash and a box of.
380 ammunition squirreled away under lock and key? I've explained that.
Along with a money clip that matches exactly the marks on the two murder victims? I now know it's not the rare antique I always thought it was.
Still, it's awfully precious to me.
That is a remarkable string of coincidences.
Life, huh? I know I should have stayed for the whole thing, but I can't bear it.
It's one thing to listen to them lie under oath as a prosecutor, quite another as someone's widow.
So, Jack.
How do you think we're doing? I can tie all the inferences and coincidences together and make them add up.
But at the end of the day, we still don't have any eyewitnesses.
No weapon.
No hard evidence that ties Stillman directly to the murders.
You saw him.
He doesn't fit anyone's idea of what a hit man should be.
He's quite convincing as the clueless real estate broker.
I won't lie to you, Jean.
I'm afraid that the jury's buying his act.
And if you can't don't convict Stillman? Then he and Righetti both walk.
Alec was always worried about my safety all the time the kind of people I convicted and sent to prison, the death threats.
He had nothing to do with any of that.
He lived and worked in the civilized world.
I can't stand it that they killed him to get to me.
How's Ms.
Piccone holding up? She's afraid we're gonna lose both of them.
Are you? I think she has reason to be concerned.
Vinny called me.
Vinny who? An undercover agent.
He wants to see me.
What about? Well, he wouldn't say on the phone.
He wants to meet this morning.
So, go.
I was beginning to think you'd stood me up.
Sorry.
Always late these days.
Occupational hazard.
Pond near Central Park South.
Southeast corner, there's a little inlet.
Drag it, you'll find the gun killed Jerry Tortino.
Are you serious? Whether you can tie it to Stillman or not, that's a horse of a different color.
We have to.
Where did you get this? Uh, off a wire.
Who? Think about it.
Peter Righetti? He talked about this on a wiretap? Hmm, that would be careless of him.
These guys know they're wired for sound.
Social club, cell phones They don't talk about nothin'.
They whisper in the streets.
Why would he talk about this if he knew he was being bugged? He wants us to nail Stillman.
Say he does.
Say the cops find the gun.
Stillman cuts a deal, gives you the old man.
Who either cuts a deal of his own and cooperates Which means Witness Protection Or goes back to prison.
- Either way - Peter stays boss.
Smart.
Thanks.
For what? I didn't give you anything.
We found the gun used to killJerry Tortino in a pond in Central Park.
Congratulations.
Now you can start searching for the real killer.
I'm looking at him.
Ballistics matches the ammunition found in your safe-deposit with the murder weapon.
How is that even possible? Don't say anything.
It's a bluff.
You can't tie this gun or any other to that particular box of bullets.
Apparently, Mr.
Stillman is a frugal fellow.
The police found a couple of unused rounds that had been chambered in the gun he shot Tortino with and then put back in the box for use at another time.
You see, Mr.
Stillman, when you do that, when you chamber a bullet and then extract it again, you leave specific marks on the shell casing, just as if you'd fired it.
Your mistake, Mr.
Stillman.
You threw away the gun, but you saved the bullets.
I just can't waste anything, you know? Plastic utensils.
Paper cups.
Tinfoil.
Those crummy wooden chopsticks you get with take-out Chinese.
I wash them.
Reuse them.
- Drives my wife crazy.
- Cary Hey.
I still get man one.
Ah.
One of youse plays winner.
That'll be me, but you gotta be patient.
This guy's a foxy little featherweight.
He's light on his feet.
Federico Righetti, you're under arrest for the murders ofJerry Tortino and Alec Ravello.
What the hell is this? And after we're done, those guys from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy are gonna wanna have a serious sit-down with you.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can be used against you Any news? Righetti's in custody.
Briscoe and Green picked him up a couple of hours ago.
Great.
Stillman allocutes tomorrow as part of his plea.
Congratulations.
It's fantastic, Jack.
Southerlyn.
He's here.
All right.
Right away.
Arthur would like to see us in his office.
Victory toast.
First of all, I want to say congratulations on closing the Ravello murder.
Great work.
Everyone in the U.
S.
Attorney's office is very proud of you.
That pleases me enormously.
We still have one more step to take.
I understand Mr.
Stillman will testify Righetti hired him to commit both murders.
Stillman allocutes tomorrow.
He can corroborate his story? There's no question he absolutely acted at the behest of Mr.
Righetti.
Mm-hmm.
Is there a problem? - Not a problem.
- You can have him when we're done.
I'm sorry? Isn't that why you're here, Ms.
Myers? Righetti's the centerpiece of some RICO indictment you're crafting against the Masucci family? - This is not about a turf war, Jack.
- No? We're not trying to poach your defendant, Mr.
McCoy.
Fine.
After the State of New York tries him on two counts of capital murder, he's all yours.
But we do need you to withdraw your offer to Mr.
Stillman.
- He can't allocute in open court.
- Why the hell not? He's our whole case against Righetti.
- We're not ready to move on Mr.
Righetti just yet.
- We are.
If we leave him on the street, we can use Righetti to make half a dozen other cases, roll up the whole crew.
- Have you told Jean Piccone what you're planning? - She'll understand.
Oh, will she? If she'd been killed instead ofher husband, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
- You wouldn't dream of letting him go.
- The greater good, Mr.
McCoy.
And if he orders someone else killed? How many more murders are you willing to countenance in the name of the greater good? You've got your undercover.
You don't need Righetti.
Righetti'll be brought to justice, Jack, when the time's right.
The time is right now.
We're committed.
He's already been arrested.
- We'll charge him tomorrow as soon as Stillman allocutes.
- No, we won't.
I want you to withdraw the offer to Stillman and release Righetti today.
Would you ladies excuse me for a moment? I'd advise you not to forget whose name's on the door.
How could you do that to me, Arthur? Sandbag me like that in front of the U.
S.
Attorney's office? How am I supposed to deal with them now? I apologize for springin' that on you, but this is not about you saving face or looking bad in front of an Assistant United States Attorney.
This is nonsense, Arthur.
They don't need Righetti! What the hell's going on here? Exactly what you were told in there nothing more, nothing less.
I don't believe that! Push comes to shove, the feds corner Righetti, they'll cut a deal with him! He'll give up his nephew and his crew, and they'll send the old man to Tucson to play shuffleboard in the sun, and you won't be able to do a damn thing about it.
Sometimes we make deals that leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
You've done it yourself a million times, Jack! You spit it out and move on! Now, you're letting your friendship with Jean Piccone cloud your judgment.
And what I want you to do what I need you to do is withdraw that plea agreement and let Righetti go.
You're withdrawing your offer? What the hell? I'm not at liberty to discuss it.
You're just gonna shine us on without an explanation? I don't owe you an explanation, Mr.
Stillman.
I think you do.
What, you made some sort of arrangement involving Righetti, didn't you? Traded up for a bigger fish? - You should have made your deal when you had the chance.
- Come on, McCoy.
That's not right.
What can you do for us? With the weapon, we've got you dead to rights on the Tortino murder.
The money-clip marks tie you to Ravello too.
Plead guilty to both now, and we'll drop the criminal enterprise charges and take the death penalty off the table.
Life in prison.
Take it or leave it.
Mr.
McCoy, it's your office.
McCoy.
When? Detectives.
Counselors.
Sorry to drag you out so late.
Where did it happen? Over here.
Seems he was out taking his usual evening constitutional.
Passersby heard gunshots.
Any witnesses? All these people around? Of course not.
I could care less about these mob guys.
It's the collateral damage that gets to me.
I heard.
The nurse too.
Collateral damage, the cops called it.
We romanticize these people, make movies about 'em, and they're nothing but heartless scum.
You think they knew the feds that Peter Righetti was gonna have his uncle killed? They might've predicted.
That's a long way from knowing.
What if they used us to put Righetti back on the street? Once we arrested the old man and let him go again, - Peter must've figured that his uncle had cut a deal and gave him up.
- Hm! I think you're giving the feds way too much credit.
They ain't that clever.
Still, lucky break for them.
Now they roll up the whole crew starting with Peter Righetti for the murder of his uncle.
Good riddance.