Law & Order (1990) s18e04 Episode Script
Bottomless
NARRATOR: In the criminal justice system the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups, the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
You don't think your claim is a little excessive? We have laws in this country for a reason, to protect consumers.
Those your pants! I told you at your store, those are not my pants.
What if my clients bought you a new pair of pants? They were part of a suit.
A $2,000 suit.
Okay, a $2,000 suit.
And free dry-cleaning.
It's too late for that.
We don't have to take your word that these aren't your pants.
We can have them examined.
Knock yourself out.
Arthur? I guess we'll see you people in court.
(DOOR CLOSES) (CAMERA CLICKING) ED: Lily Yee.
She graduated from NYU Law six months ago.
This must be her first office.
ANSKEL: That's a nasty laceration in the back of her head.
There was blood and hair on the corner of this chest.
She got shoved? Officially, I don't know yet.
Unofficially, good guess.
It would have been sometime last night.
ED: This is Mr.
Metzler.
He owns the office suite.
He was renting a space to Ms.
Yee.
Lovely girl.
She needed a place to start out.
LUPO: When was the last time you saw her? Last night, about 8:00.
I was leaving.
She was going out for dinner, but said she was coming back after.
Coming back to meet somebody? No, to work.
She liked to work when no one else was around.
Is there anything expensive in her office? No, a laptop computer.
Where are the pants? ED: What pants? METZLER: They were evidence in a lawsuit.
Pants? Yeah.
Some imbecile was suing her parents.
They own a drycleaners.
Lily was representing them.
And the pants were on the chair? They were hanging right there.
What was he suing for? He wanted a spot removed or something? No.
He wanted $20 million.
Lily is our only child.
She is top five in her class.
She never do anything wrong before.
What did she do wrong now, Mr.
Yee? To be murdered.
We're so sorry.
It wasn't her fault, Mr.
Yee.
We're sorry, too.
Do you have to be here today? Yes.
For customers.
We heard that there was a dispute about a pair of pants.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN) A customer say we lose his pants.
But we find them.
He sue us anyway.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN) Two men come into the store last week.
They say they want those pants.
Was one of them the man who was suing? No.
Different men.
One white, one black.
They are smiling, but they want those pants, very strong.
That's why Lily take them to her office.
Piece of cake.
We just look for a black guy and a white guy together in New York City.
Well, there's us.
Maybe it was the guy with the lawsuit who sent them.
If those really were his pants, he loses his case.
Better for him if they disappear.
Come on, ajury's really going to give this guy $20 million? Has this country gone nuts? Well, yeah.
Kind of.
And Mr.
and Mrs.
Yee are supposed to pay him $20 dollars how? Maybe he's expecting them to take in a little extra dry-cleaning.
I want to meet this joker.
WIGGINS: It's statutory.
Consumer fraud carries punitive damages to deter future wrongdoing.
Like what? Losing a pair of socks next? You don't like the law, write to your assemblyman.
I needed that suit for my niece's wedding.
Those cleaners had a sign that said "one-day service," which turned out to be a lie and legally, a fraud.
But they did find your pants eventually.
(SCOFFING) They weren't my pants.
But if they were, your lawsuit gets thrown out and everybody thinks you're an idiot.
You think I'm an idiot anyway.
I know that.
lam not an Idiot? Someone's dead, Mr.
Wiggins, and the only thing missing from her office is your pants.
Those pants were Chilean wool, not Italian.
They had cuffs, which I'm too short to wear, and pleats, which I'm too thin to wear.
They weren't my pants.
VAN BUREN: So, these are them? ED: We pulled these from Lily Yee's file.
These pants have a pleat and a cuff.
Wrong pants.
Well, that's worth Detective Green? These are the old DD5s you needed for the Dennison parole.
I had to dig them out of the basement.
Watch out for spiders.
Thanks.
Hey, um, I was thinking maybe I would come over on Friday night, see the kids.
Oh, great! I need a babysitter.
Oh, can you be there by 7:00? Sure.
Perfect.
Bye.
How's she doing since your brother's death? Fine, thanks.
You know, if these pants really didn't belong to the guy who's suing, someone's missing them.
So let's find out who the pants actually belong to.
Here, 0-4-9-7.
Four years overseas chasing terrorists, and now I'm the pants police.
All right.
These are the last ones from over there.
And here are the last of the tickets.
Match them if you can read them.
Anybody else complain about missing clothes lately, besides Mr.
Wiggins? One man come in with a ticket.
We don't find his clothes.
But he say sorry, his mistake, he must already have got them.
And he just leave.
Okay.
96 pairs of men's pants, 97 tickets.
Pants-less.
Rachel Monroe? Do you know her? No.
I got her number.
RACHEL: You want to know about my dry-cleaning? Yeah.
Uh, about a pair of pants you brought in, about six weeks ago.
You never picked them up.
I've been traveling.
I work for Savingsmart.
ED: Ah, the big chain? I'm a purchasing executive.
What's this about? Someone stealing clothes from my dry-cleaner? ED: Uh, no.
It's about a murder investigation.
Murder? Who was murdered? A woman named Lily Yee.
Do you know her? I don't think so.
I really don't see how I can help you.
I'm sorry.
LUPO: Uh, you're back in town now.
You could have picked them up.
I didn't need them.
They were an old pair.
So they were your pants? Of course.
Are you married, Ms.
Monroe? No.
LUPO: You have a male roommate? A boyfriend? No.
It's our mistake, then.
We're looking for the owner of a pair of men's pants.
Wool, light gray.
You think he had something to do with the murder? Uh Tell you what.
If you think of anything else, you'll let us know, okay? Yeah.
She's going to tell him we were here, right? Oh, yeah.
Some guy who doesn't want anybody to know he was out of his pants in her apartment.
It would be nice if she went to tell him in person, so we don't have to wait around and subpoena her phone records.
I got an idea.
What's her number? It's on the ticket.
Here.
(IMITATES STATIC) What the hell was that, the call of the wild muskrat? It's a phone tap, so she'll be afraid to call him.
Why? Phone taps don't sound like that, man.
They don't sound like anything.
They do in the movies.
Think it will work? I'll give you 15 minutes.
All right.
So, you and my sister-in-law, you guys are getting pretty friendly.
Friendly enough for her to tell me that she was with you before she married your brother.
That's pretty friendly.
You guys, like, getting together or anything? No, man, she's just widowed.
She ain't getting together with nobody.
Friday night she's going to a show with her mother.
There she goes.
Look, look, look, look, look.
One white guy, one black guy.
And it's not us.
Come on.
Taxi! Hey! Hands up! Hands up! Hands up, where we can see them.
Why were you following Rachel Monroe? The other guy's stashed in Interview One.
They came in voluntarily, made one call, then not aword.
And you lost the girl? Yeah.
We lost the girl.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) Lieutenant? Inspector! Not anymore, Lieutenant.
(CHUCKLES) I'm just a civilian retiree.
I'm working for Savingsmart now.
I understand you pulled in a couple of guys that work for me.
Work for you, following a woman named Rachel Monroe? That'd be them.
Do you mind telling me why they were doing that? Internal corporate stuff.
Nothing very interesting.
Let's go to my office.
Sure.
Who's that? One of the best officers lever worked for.
Everything he does is interesting.
(VAN BUREN LAUGHS) They're good guys, but obviously not as good as yours.
Well, they beat the hell out of mine at keeping their mouths shut.
FULLER: Savingsmart is a little bit on the bureaucratic side.
No one speaks without being authorized by a superior.
Sounds more like the White House than a discount department store.
But you're the superior, right? So you're authorized to speak.
That's right.
We have been investigating an allegation that Ms.
Monroe has been fraternizing with another Savingsmart employee, which is strictly against company rules.
Fraternizing? Being friendly without her clothes on.
And you put a team on this? Our founder was a very moral man.
It's the company culture.
He would've fit in great where you and I met.
Inspector Fuller was my captain when I got to Vice.
Back when it was called Public Morals, before we officially gave up on worrying about morality.
Well, I guess only the private sector can afford to keep an eye on morals nowadays.
Well, it can also afford to pay me a If you're ever tempted, Anita.
I'll keep it in mind.
Did you ever find out who Ms.
Monroe was messing with? We saw her drop off a pair of men's pants at a dry-cleaner's.
My guys tried to pick them up, but the cleaners blew them off.
So you got a good look at the pants, but not the guy that goes with them? Ms.
Monroe and her friend were obviously being very careful.
And your investigation had nothing to do with the murder of Lily Yee? I don't know who that is.
Anyway, we don't do homicide.
The allegation against Ms.
Monroe, where did it come from? WOMAN ON TAPE: Her name is Rachel Monroe, and she's screwing around.
I don't know who with, but he's in the company.
And I don't think it's right.
FULLER: That call came in to our Integrity Hotline two months ago.
Integrity Hotline? Reports on employee theft, company buyers getting favors from vendors The guy that's screwing around with Ms.
Monroe, what happens if you find him? Unless he has a damn good reason for her having his pants, they both get fired.
End ofjob, end of benefits, end of career.
I guess that's motive to get the pants before you did.
What if you had gotten them? How would you know whose they were? DNA.
We have employees' DNA on file.
In case of medical emergency.
Like what? A kidney transplant during office hours? It's happened.
Can you play the tape back? (CLICKS) WOMAN ON TAPE: Her name is Rachel Monroe, and she's screwing around.
I don't know who with, but he's in the company.
And I don't think it's right.
WOMAN ON PA: Attention, Savingsmart shoppers (STOPS TAPE) What was that in the background? "Attention" "Savingsmart shoppers.
" That's our pink-light special.
So the call was made from a store.
Does Ms.
Monroe work out of a store? No.
She's in our midtown office.
But the caller knows her.
Can we get a list of women who recently transferred from Ms.
Monroe's office to a store? Do they know you're talking to me? ED: "They"? The company.
Let's move over there.
Ma'am, this is a police investigation.
The company doesn't matter.
Right.
Look, Rachel's a friend of mine.
I would never do anything to hurt her.
The call was recorded, Ms.
Good.
We can do avoiceprint match in about 30 seconds.
It just wasn't fair.
There was one opening in Procurement.
Big raise, foreign travel.
I'd been with the company longer than her.
And you think she got the job the old-fashioned way? Only because she told me she was, quote, "Sleeping her way to the top," after we had three cosmos one night.
The next day she said she'd only been joking.
Did she say who she was onlyjoking about sleeping her way to the top with? DEREK".
Who is it, hon? Uh, the police.
They want to talk to you.
Do you mind if we come in? Sure, I guess not.
(KIDS CHATTERING) Don't trip on Thomas the Tank Engine.
You want both of us, or just me? Just you is fine.
Okay.
And what's this about? Yeah.
We're investigating the murder of an attorney named Lily Yee.
Whoever killed her stole a pair of pants that was taken to a dry-cleaner's by Rachel Monroe.
Rachel? We're looking for the man who owns the pants that were taken to the cleaners by Ms.
Monroe.
Do you recognize these? Size 34.
What's your waist? Do you always wear cuffs and pleats? No.
I think you've made some kind of mistake.
We know that you and Ms.
Monroe recently spent three weeks together in China.
Yeah.
Doing company business.
I didn't have an affair with her.
I didn't kill anyone.
And I take in my own dry-cleaning.
They were in Dongying and Weifang.
Buying health and beauty products for Savingsmart.
They spend, like, a billion dollars ayear there.
These are Cahill's phone records since they got back.
There's calls to Rachel Monroe both day and night.
But they could've been talking about shampoo from Weifang.
Credit card statement doesn't show any romantic weekend trips, but Mrs.
Cahill definitely enjoys the finer things.
Bergdorf's, day spas Lieutenant, Detectives.
So, is our front door wide open, or does the desk sergeant remember you, too? I heard you might be interested in a guy named Derek Cahill.
You heard? I thought I might be able to help you out.
Photos of Cahill from the company newsletter, presenting a check to the Boys' Club, shaking hands with a Chinese factory manager.
ED: In a gray suit while doing it.
We can't make a positive match from an old photo to a pair of pants we don't have.
What do you have? Could you excuse us a minute? Inspector Not anymore.
Just a Civilian retiree.
I know.
Which is why I can't tell you what else we have.
You know that.
Aren't I allowed to help out if I can? Up to a point.
Look, why don't we have dinner, and we can catch up.
Sure.
Check this out.
These calls Cahill made to Rachel.
There's like a dozen calls on here to her home phone, which is 212-555-0188.
Then one day last week, he suddenly calls 917-555-0188, and 646-555-0188.
Same number, different area code.
So, what, did he all of a sudden forget her area code? The dry-cleaner filed clothes by phone number.
Mr.
Yee said that some guy came in with aticket and they couldn't find his clothes.
So, if that was Cahill trying to get his pants back after Rachel told him Savingsmart was sniffing around Right.
He didn't want to make a scene, so he just went away.
But maybe he guessed that the cleaners had given his pants to the wrong customer.
I mean, the place is kind of a mess.
Someone with the same number but a different area code.
So he just started dialing.
Let's see.
917-555-0188.
(TAPPING ON KEYBOARD) It's Wiggins' cell phone.
He didn't give his name.
Just said he wanted to make sure I had the right pants.
I thought he was an investigator the cleaners had hired to trick me.
I told him he knew damn well I didn't.
Did you tell him where the pants were? I told him, "Pal, you know damn well where those pants are.
"They're with the Chinese lawyer.
" Wiggins told you where they were.
The office was easy to break into.
ED: Maybe you didn't mean to hurt anybody.
You didn't know she was going to show up.
You're right.
All you wanted were these.
No, you're wrong.
This is so wrong.
There's no way Derek murdered anyone.
We don't think he meant to.
I know him.
Look, I really don't care who you screw.
But this isn't about an affair anymore.
You need to tell me everything, and you need to tell me now.
(sums) He told his wife he was going to a meeting in Kansas, but he spent the weekend with me.
(sums) We were so careful, because of the company.
We borrowed an apartment.
We wore disguises.
I never thought I had to be that careful with his dry-cleaning.
Why did you even have his pants? They got my lipstick on them, on the fly.
So I took them to the cleaners so his wife wouldn't see.
And then Savingsmart security came around.
They would've fired us both.
I told them the pants were mine.
And you warned him.
He took the ticket.
He just wanted to get them back.
He wouldn't kill anyone.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) What? Mr.
Fuller brought us a little present.
Wool.
Light gray.
And you know what? I think that's a spot of blood.
You think it might be a match for Lily Yee? Where'd you get these? Cahill's apartment.
Back of his closet.
ED: You searched it without a warrant? I don't need a warrant.
I'm not a cop anymore.
Besides, that apartment is Savingsmart property.
The company makes it available to executives on assignment in New York.
Right, right.
It's still his home.
You don't want 'em, I'll take 'em back.
Looks like there's still some lipstick on the fly.
You want them or not? My lawyer's going to be here any minute.
Just in time.
Derek Cahill, you're under arrest for the murder of Lily Yee.
Not guilty.
People seek remand.
The defendant has extensive foreign connections.
In China.
Not the first place I'd flee to.
And the evidence against him is compelling.
An item of clothing stolen from the victim, with the victim's blood on it, was found in Mr.
Cahill's possession.
BURT: That evidence that is about to be suppressed, YourHonoL Wonderful.
Then your client won't have to worry about raising bail, which is set at $1 million.
(BANGS GAVEL) Next! Connie, why are you even bothering? If the pants fit, they can't acquit.
What pants? She filed the motion to suppress before I even got out of the courthouse.
The pants were seized illegally in a warrantless search.
Not by the police or any other government agency.
No.
Just by agents of a multinational corporation that behaves like a government, and is bigger than most governments, and bends or breaks every rule in the book to stock its shelves with products at prices that are unbelievably low.
You shop at Savingsmart? A child's bicycle is $150 on Columbus Avenue.
$35.
99 at Savingsmart.
You ride a child's bicycle? My nephew's daughter does.
How important are these pants to your case? Without them, we have motive, opportunity JACK: Nothing.
Yeah.
Make sure those cops had nothing to do with that search.
The law says if a private citizen obtains evidence in any way, legally or illegally, and comes in and hands it to the police, we can use it.
As long as the police had nothing to do with them finding it.
Well, Fullerjust walked in carrying a brown paper bag.
We didn't know he was going to do it, and I certainly didn't ask him.
How about you guys? No, we were about to apply for a search warrant.
Fuller just showed up.
And he didn't even give you a hint he'd be bringing it in? I understand he's your former boss, your mentor? That's right.
But he taught me to do police work, not outsource it to rent-a-cops.
BURT: Mr.
Fuller, do you recall the circumstances that led to your bringing this pair of pants to the police? Yes, I do.
The pants were obtained at the request of Lieutenant Van Buren.
The lieutenant knew you were bringing them in? I was already cooperating with the police investigation.
I had brought them a photograph of Mr.
Cahill wearing what they thought were the pants in question.
And what, if anything, did the lieutenant say when you brought that photograph? That they couldn't make a positive match without having the actual pants.
Are you aware that three New York City police officers, including Lieutenant Van Buren, have sworn they had no idea you were going to look for these pants? What do you expect them to say? I expect them to tell the truth.
Are you telling the truth, sir? Yes.
But when you were a police officer in their situation, you would have lied? I would have been motivated to catch a murderer, just like they were.
I knew what they wanted.
Lieutenant Van Buren took me aside for a private conversation.
She said we should get together later and talk.
She knew that I could do stuff that they couldn't.
Mr.
Cutter, I'm afraid I've heard enough.
Your Honor, even if you believe this witness, which I do not, the police would inevitably have discovered those pants on their own.
They were within minutes of applying for a search warrant.
JUDGE BREWER: But they didn't.
They took the easy way out.
And I, for one, am getting tired of government officials taking shortcuts through our Constitution.
CUTTER: There was no bad faith here.
Are you going to tell these people that their daughter's murderer is going to go free because somebody was overenthusiastic? No, Mr.
Cutter, you are.
The evidence is suppressed.
Fuller was lying.
I didn't see it coming.
Why was he lying? Savingsmart believes all murderers should be freed so they can shop? I don't know.
There had to be some collusion.
Somebody got to somebody.
Looks like one of those somebodies was Cahill.
Three days ago, he made a call from Rikers Island to Savingsmarfs New York headquarters, and the next day, two executives from Savingsmart and Fuller visited Cahill in jail.
How courteous.
Let's repay the visit.
CUTTER: You're an attorney, Mr.
Reynolds? I am.
Do you represent Mr.
Cahill in any capacity? No.
I work for Savingsmart.
Are you an attorney, too, Mr.
Beckett? No.
Senior vice president, public affairs.
CUTTER: Public relations.
How do you spin something like Savingsmart helping a killer get away with murder? The company does not condone the alleged crime of Mr.
Cahill, and all of us here, including Mr.
Fuller, have done our public duty as asked and spoken truthfully at all times.
Truthfully, Mr.
Fuller? You haven't let them in on the joke? REYNOLDS: We're meeting with you as a courtesy, Mr.
Cutter.
Mr.
Fuller has nothing to say beyond what he's already said in court.
If you're not representing Mr.
Cahill, why did you go running to see him at Rikers when he called? He was a senior Savingsmart executive who left his post rather suddenly.
There were some unfinished business matters to discuss.
Business matters? With the company cop, flack, and lawyer? I don't see a businessman in this room.
I think we're done here.
CUTTER: Oh, I think we're just beginning, if you're engaged in a criminal conspiracy to protect a murderer.
Thank you for coming uptown.
Not a real chatty group, are they? I think they super-glued Fuller's mouth shut.
No, they're all top brass, Mike, rallying to protect a mid-level purchasing executive.
Would you and Jack do the same for me? What did Cahill do at Savingsmart, exactly? Health and beauty.
Health and beauty what? (DOOR OPENING) You didn't return my calls.
They told me I don't have to talk to you.
Did they threaten you? Say you'd be fired? Because that's illegal.
It's obstruction of justice.
No.
Nothing like that.
Are you moving? I've been transferred to Singapore.
It's a promotion.
Singapore? They'rejust trying to keep you quiet.
About what? I don't know anything about this murder.
But you do know about Derek Cahill.
I had an affair with him, all right? We were in China.
It was like being on another planet.
So what was he doing in China, when you and he weren't on another planet? Nothing.
Buying mouthwash and shampoo.
Leave me alone.
Please.
They spent most of their time in Dongying, which is mostly oil and petrochemicals.
Here is a Dongying prefecture business promotion page.
And there is one company who makes mouthwash and shampoo.
Bright Day Manufacturing.
"Our mouthwash has antiseptic formula for world-class oral cleansing.
" Well, that's nice.
Do you think maybe we're spinning our wheels here, Connie? Derek Cahill is about to get away soot-free after murdering Lily Yee, and we're busy tracing his travels among mouthwash manufacturers.
Mike, a month ago, the plant manager at Bright Day Manufacturing committed suicide right after the company was shut down by the Chinese government.
I've checked Mr.
Cahill's visa records.
He was a frequent visitor to China on behalf of Savingsmart.
And he bought products at Bright Day Manufacturing? Yes.
He and his colleague, Ms.
Monroe, were registered buyers at that facility.
Of mouthwash and shampoo? And various other items.
What happened there? Why was the company shut down? There were some quality control issues, which are universal, as I'm sure you know.
I presume the Bright Day manager was shamed, even though my government's action was purely cautionary.
As you say, better safe than sorry, right? Better safe than sorry about what? Toothpaste.
There may have been some impurities.
We've seen unconfirmed press reports from Belize.
Of impurities? Of deaths.
Unconfirmed.
Also in Dominican Republic.
But nothing definitive.
But your government thought it was better to be safe than sorry.
Yes.
And one of those other items Mr.
Cahill bought for Savingsmart was toothpaste? Poison toothpaste.
That has not been established.
How much did he buy? Three million tubes.
Exported to the United States.
Two deaths in the Dominican Republic, half a dozen in Belize.
The thickening agent in the toothpaste was antifreeze.
Which saved Bright Day Manufacturing a penny a tube.
So the stuff was cheap.
The perfect Savingsmart product.
These articles were published after Cahill's trip to China.
He couldn't have known at the time he bought the stuff.
But he knew about it afterward.
When he got in trouble, he called the company and offered a deal.
He'd keep his mouth shut if it helped him out with the murder charge.
So Savingsmart sent Fuller into court to lie to get the evidence against Cahill tossed.
Did it ever make it onto the shelves? The toothpaste at Savingsmart? Not as far as we can tell.
There's nothing in the news.
I checked with the FDA and the CDC.
So what was the company afraid Cahill would say? That America's favorite store almost poisoned its customers.
But it didn't.
You say Cahill bought three million tubes? At least.
Uh-huh.
Where are they? Tell him it's urgent.
All right? Mr.
Reynolds is out of the office.
They don't know where to reach him.
Not our problem, Mr.
Sawchuck.
This warrant requires you to produce the records.
They'll fire me.
They'll have to bail you out of jail first.
We get deliveries from Bright Day all the time.
Or did.
Uh Mouthwash, shampoo, sometimes soap.
Where does it go from here? Regional centers.
Then the stores.
We're interested in toothpaste.
We got one shipment.
Twenty containers.
But it was pulled off the distro list before it went anywhere.
So it's still here? No.
CUTTER: In a landfill? M and M Novelties, Kansas City.
Savingsmart bought the stuff for 20 cents a tube.
They sold it to M and M Novelties for a dime.
But M and M never took delivery.
They resold it to a specialty toiletries distributor in Alabama.
What's their specialty? Toiletries made of industrial chemicals? Institutions.
Hospitals, prisons, old-age homes.
Places where people die all the time, so who's going to notice a few with antifreeze on their breath? I've alerted the state health departments.
This doesn't even make sense.
Savingsmart is a multi-billion dollar operation.
Why are they dumping poison on little old ladies to save a few bucks? Why didn't they just shove the stuff in a landfill? Maybe the company didn't know.
The fax that instructed the warehouse to take the toothpaste out of distribution and sell it, it didn't come from Corporate, it came from Procurement.
Cahill? No.
RACHEL: I don't understand.
CONNIE: Is that your signature? No.
I never saw this before.
You've got to believe me.
We do.
We've got some other copies of your signature and that's not a match.
Then what am I doing here? Deb, send them in, please.
Cutter, if you're really ready to deal.
Rachel.
BURT: You didn't tell me it was a surprise party.
I thought these two lovebirds might have some catching up to do.
Derek, do you know anything about this? I don't know what that is.
You told me the company destroyed that toothpaste.
What toothpaste? It did.
Wrong.
It dumped it on prisons and nursing homes, per this order signed by Ms.
Monroe.
But I never saw that before.
CUTTER: Then who do you think signed your name? Who bought that toothpaste? Who wanted to make it go away before the company found out he'd wasted its money? What were you afraid of, Mr.
Cahill? Getting a bad quarterly performance review? Rachel, you can't believe that.
Who wouldn't want his name on that document in case anyone ever caught on? He's trying to trick you.
You said you loved me.
They're twisting things.
Maybe you did kill that girl.
Rachel! Did he say anything to you about the murder, Rachel? No.
But now I understand.
The company asked me about the toothpaste.
I didn't know why.
So the company knew? You tried to hide it, but they found out anyway.
You son of a bitch.
This is all very entertaining, but it seems your witness has no evidence to offer on the murder.
And as for whatever toothpaste it is you're all blabbing about, somehow that doesn't seem very relevant, either.
Call me when you're ready to drop the charge.
Mr.
Cahill.
(SNIFFLING) She's kind of right.
We're nowhere.
Wrong.
Now we can prove Savingsmart knew about the toothpaste.
So? JACK: We're not alleging that you knew about the toothpaste at the time.
Cahill acted alone.
But you found out, and covered it up.
Retrieved from the Sunny Hill Retirement Home in Gadsden, Alabama.
Does anyone want to freshen their breath? You planning another one of your grandstanding prosecutions, Mr.
McCoy? Bring down the big, bad corporation? By your own admission, we didn't knowingly buy or sell the stuff.
If any wrongdoing was committed, it apparently took place in Gadsden, Alabama, which is out of your jurisdiction.
Fine.
Then I'll just prosecute you two personally for conspiring to obstructjustice in the trial of Derek Cahill.
To buy his silence, you sent Mr.
Fuller into a courtroom to commit perjury.
You can't prove that either.
I'll take my chances.
How long do you think Savingsmart will keep you on the payroll after you're indicted? What do you want? Your full cooperation with health authorities, tracking down every tube of Chinese toothpaste in North America.
Plus, Mr.
Fuller clarifies his testimony so we can get those pants back in evidence against Cahill.
And what will you do for us? Nothing.
No statements.
No accusations.
No press release.
No charges.
I don't suppose we could get that in writing? Shut up, Larry.
We'll get that toothpaste.
And Mr.
Fuller will be in court at your disposal.
(DOOR CLOSES) You're giving them a pass on a national public health threat to convict one murderer? I'm getting them to put the toothpaste back into the tube.
And I'm convicting a murderer.
I thought you might care about that since it's your case.
When you were in my job, you took on bigger targets than Savingsmart.
So what? Don't shoot at what you can't hit.
Call Judge Brewer.
Reopen the suppression hearing.
You're settling.
Call the judge.
What are you going to say, Inspector? "Inspector"? Is that a taunt? A reminder.
You know, you once told me we had to be twice as good as anyone else.
They want me to say I misspoke.
So you'll fix the first lie by telling another one.
I don't suppose you'd be interested in hearing any kind of explanation.
Oh, no.
I get it.
You spend 30 years picking up the trash, half the time fighting the brass worse than the criminals.
They give you a pension and forget your name before you're even out of the door.
And along comes Savingsmart, putting a lot of dollars in your pocket and asking you to shade the truth just a little.
You almost make it sound okay.
Almost.
Not quite.
I want to make sure I'm understanding this.
You're amending your previous testimony? Yes, ma'am.
I regret to say that I misplaced my emphasis.
My people had been working with Lieutenant Van Buren and her detectives, but they had no idea that I was going to search Mr.
Cahill's apartment.
When I walked in with those pants, they were completely surprised.
JUDGE BREWER: If that's the case, why did you misplace your emphasis the last time you were here? I was protecting the reputation of Savingsmart.
I thought it would be embarrassing to the company if one of its executives was convicted of murder.
(WHISPERING) JUDGE BREWER: Well, that was very diligent of you.
And I suggest you engage an attorney to defend you against possible perjury charges.
Meanwhile, I'm reversing my previousjudgment suppressing the pants.
They are back in evidence.
Mr.
Cahill, your bail is revoked.
Your Honor, I have a few more questions for the witness.
The game's over, Mr.
Cutter.
You won.
Very well.
Mr.
Fuller, have you told the whole truth here today? Yes.
The police had nothing to do with me getting those pants.
I'm not talking about the pants, sir.
I'm talking about why you lied the first time you were here.
Did you just tell the truth about that? No.
It wasn't just about keeping him from being convicted.
It was part of a deal to keep him quiet.
He, Cahill, was blackmailing the company.
If it, I, we didn't get him off, he would tell what he knew about some poison toothpaste that we imported from China that ended up being dumped in hospitals and old-age homes.
And by the way.
I quit.
Fuller had it all documented, the toothpaste, the cover-up, the perjury.
He had e-mails, tapes, a dossier.
He turned it over to the US Attorney.
Cop instincts.
They never go away.
I did make a deal with Savingsmart, however, on behalf of the District Attorney's office.
You didn't want to.
Now you're reading my mind? You broke the deal.
It's okay.
You don't have to thank me.
These are their stories.
You don't think your claim is a little excessive? We have laws in this country for a reason, to protect consumers.
Those your pants! I told you at your store, those are not my pants.
What if my clients bought you a new pair of pants? They were part of a suit.
A $2,000 suit.
Okay, a $2,000 suit.
And free dry-cleaning.
It's too late for that.
We don't have to take your word that these aren't your pants.
We can have them examined.
Knock yourself out.
Arthur? I guess we'll see you people in court.
(DOOR CLOSES) (CAMERA CLICKING) ED: Lily Yee.
She graduated from NYU Law six months ago.
This must be her first office.
ANSKEL: That's a nasty laceration in the back of her head.
There was blood and hair on the corner of this chest.
She got shoved? Officially, I don't know yet.
Unofficially, good guess.
It would have been sometime last night.
ED: This is Mr.
Metzler.
He owns the office suite.
He was renting a space to Ms.
Yee.
Lovely girl.
She needed a place to start out.
LUPO: When was the last time you saw her? Last night, about 8:00.
I was leaving.
She was going out for dinner, but said she was coming back after.
Coming back to meet somebody? No, to work.
She liked to work when no one else was around.
Is there anything expensive in her office? No, a laptop computer.
Where are the pants? ED: What pants? METZLER: They were evidence in a lawsuit.
Pants? Yeah.
Some imbecile was suing her parents.
They own a drycleaners.
Lily was representing them.
And the pants were on the chair? They were hanging right there.
What was he suing for? He wanted a spot removed or something? No.
He wanted $20 million.
Lily is our only child.
She is top five in her class.
She never do anything wrong before.
What did she do wrong now, Mr.
Yee? To be murdered.
We're so sorry.
It wasn't her fault, Mr.
Yee.
We're sorry, too.
Do you have to be here today? Yes.
For customers.
We heard that there was a dispute about a pair of pants.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN) A customer say we lose his pants.
But we find them.
He sue us anyway.
(SPEAKING MANDARIN) Two men come into the store last week.
They say they want those pants.
Was one of them the man who was suing? No.
Different men.
One white, one black.
They are smiling, but they want those pants, very strong.
That's why Lily take them to her office.
Piece of cake.
We just look for a black guy and a white guy together in New York City.
Well, there's us.
Maybe it was the guy with the lawsuit who sent them.
If those really were his pants, he loses his case.
Better for him if they disappear.
Come on, ajury's really going to give this guy $20 million? Has this country gone nuts? Well, yeah.
Kind of.
And Mr.
and Mrs.
Yee are supposed to pay him $20 dollars how? Maybe he's expecting them to take in a little extra dry-cleaning.
I want to meet this joker.
WIGGINS: It's statutory.
Consumer fraud carries punitive damages to deter future wrongdoing.
Like what? Losing a pair of socks next? You don't like the law, write to your assemblyman.
I needed that suit for my niece's wedding.
Those cleaners had a sign that said "one-day service," which turned out to be a lie and legally, a fraud.
But they did find your pants eventually.
(SCOFFING) They weren't my pants.
But if they were, your lawsuit gets thrown out and everybody thinks you're an idiot.
You think I'm an idiot anyway.
I know that.
lam not an Idiot? Someone's dead, Mr.
Wiggins, and the only thing missing from her office is your pants.
Those pants were Chilean wool, not Italian.
They had cuffs, which I'm too short to wear, and pleats, which I'm too thin to wear.
They weren't my pants.
VAN BUREN: So, these are them? ED: We pulled these from Lily Yee's file.
These pants have a pleat and a cuff.
Wrong pants.
Well, that's worth Detective Green? These are the old DD5s you needed for the Dennison parole.
I had to dig them out of the basement.
Watch out for spiders.
Thanks.
Hey, um, I was thinking maybe I would come over on Friday night, see the kids.
Oh, great! I need a babysitter.
Oh, can you be there by 7:00? Sure.
Perfect.
Bye.
How's she doing since your brother's death? Fine, thanks.
You know, if these pants really didn't belong to the guy who's suing, someone's missing them.
So let's find out who the pants actually belong to.
Here, 0-4-9-7.
Four years overseas chasing terrorists, and now I'm the pants police.
All right.
These are the last ones from over there.
And here are the last of the tickets.
Match them if you can read them.
Anybody else complain about missing clothes lately, besides Mr.
Wiggins? One man come in with a ticket.
We don't find his clothes.
But he say sorry, his mistake, he must already have got them.
And he just leave.
Okay.
96 pairs of men's pants, 97 tickets.
Pants-less.
Rachel Monroe? Do you know her? No.
I got her number.
RACHEL: You want to know about my dry-cleaning? Yeah.
Uh, about a pair of pants you brought in, about six weeks ago.
You never picked them up.
I've been traveling.
I work for Savingsmart.
ED: Ah, the big chain? I'm a purchasing executive.
What's this about? Someone stealing clothes from my dry-cleaner? ED: Uh, no.
It's about a murder investigation.
Murder? Who was murdered? A woman named Lily Yee.
Do you know her? I don't think so.
I really don't see how I can help you.
I'm sorry.
LUPO: Uh, you're back in town now.
You could have picked them up.
I didn't need them.
They were an old pair.
So they were your pants? Of course.
Are you married, Ms.
Monroe? No.
LUPO: You have a male roommate? A boyfriend? No.
It's our mistake, then.
We're looking for the owner of a pair of men's pants.
Wool, light gray.
You think he had something to do with the murder? Uh Tell you what.
If you think of anything else, you'll let us know, okay? Yeah.
She's going to tell him we were here, right? Oh, yeah.
Some guy who doesn't want anybody to know he was out of his pants in her apartment.
It would be nice if she went to tell him in person, so we don't have to wait around and subpoena her phone records.
I got an idea.
What's her number? It's on the ticket.
Here.
(IMITATES STATIC) What the hell was that, the call of the wild muskrat? It's a phone tap, so she'll be afraid to call him.
Why? Phone taps don't sound like that, man.
They don't sound like anything.
They do in the movies.
Think it will work? I'll give you 15 minutes.
All right.
So, you and my sister-in-law, you guys are getting pretty friendly.
Friendly enough for her to tell me that she was with you before she married your brother.
That's pretty friendly.
You guys, like, getting together or anything? No, man, she's just widowed.
She ain't getting together with nobody.
Friday night she's going to a show with her mother.
There she goes.
Look, look, look, look, look.
One white guy, one black guy.
And it's not us.
Come on.
Taxi! Hey! Hands up! Hands up! Hands up, where we can see them.
Why were you following Rachel Monroe? The other guy's stashed in Interview One.
They came in voluntarily, made one call, then not aword.
And you lost the girl? Yeah.
We lost the girl.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) Lieutenant? Inspector! Not anymore, Lieutenant.
(CHUCKLES) I'm just a civilian retiree.
I'm working for Savingsmart now.
I understand you pulled in a couple of guys that work for me.
Work for you, following a woman named Rachel Monroe? That'd be them.
Do you mind telling me why they were doing that? Internal corporate stuff.
Nothing very interesting.
Let's go to my office.
Sure.
Who's that? One of the best officers lever worked for.
Everything he does is interesting.
(VAN BUREN LAUGHS) They're good guys, but obviously not as good as yours.
Well, they beat the hell out of mine at keeping their mouths shut.
FULLER: Savingsmart is a little bit on the bureaucratic side.
No one speaks without being authorized by a superior.
Sounds more like the White House than a discount department store.
But you're the superior, right? So you're authorized to speak.
That's right.
We have been investigating an allegation that Ms.
Monroe has been fraternizing with another Savingsmart employee, which is strictly against company rules.
Fraternizing? Being friendly without her clothes on.
And you put a team on this? Our founder was a very moral man.
It's the company culture.
He would've fit in great where you and I met.
Inspector Fuller was my captain when I got to Vice.
Back when it was called Public Morals, before we officially gave up on worrying about morality.
Well, I guess only the private sector can afford to keep an eye on morals nowadays.
Well, it can also afford to pay me a If you're ever tempted, Anita.
I'll keep it in mind.
Did you ever find out who Ms.
Monroe was messing with? We saw her drop off a pair of men's pants at a dry-cleaner's.
My guys tried to pick them up, but the cleaners blew them off.
So you got a good look at the pants, but not the guy that goes with them? Ms.
Monroe and her friend were obviously being very careful.
And your investigation had nothing to do with the murder of Lily Yee? I don't know who that is.
Anyway, we don't do homicide.
The allegation against Ms.
Monroe, where did it come from? WOMAN ON TAPE: Her name is Rachel Monroe, and she's screwing around.
I don't know who with, but he's in the company.
And I don't think it's right.
FULLER: That call came in to our Integrity Hotline two months ago.
Integrity Hotline? Reports on employee theft, company buyers getting favors from vendors The guy that's screwing around with Ms.
Monroe, what happens if you find him? Unless he has a damn good reason for her having his pants, they both get fired.
End ofjob, end of benefits, end of career.
I guess that's motive to get the pants before you did.
What if you had gotten them? How would you know whose they were? DNA.
We have employees' DNA on file.
In case of medical emergency.
Like what? A kidney transplant during office hours? It's happened.
Can you play the tape back? (CLICKS) WOMAN ON TAPE: Her name is Rachel Monroe, and she's screwing around.
I don't know who with, but he's in the company.
And I don't think it's right.
WOMAN ON PA: Attention, Savingsmart shoppers (STOPS TAPE) What was that in the background? "Attention" "Savingsmart shoppers.
" That's our pink-light special.
So the call was made from a store.
Does Ms.
Monroe work out of a store? No.
She's in our midtown office.
But the caller knows her.
Can we get a list of women who recently transferred from Ms.
Monroe's office to a store? Do they know you're talking to me? ED: "They"? The company.
Let's move over there.
Ma'am, this is a police investigation.
The company doesn't matter.
Right.
Look, Rachel's a friend of mine.
I would never do anything to hurt her.
The call was recorded, Ms.
Good.
We can do avoiceprint match in about 30 seconds.
It just wasn't fair.
There was one opening in Procurement.
Big raise, foreign travel.
I'd been with the company longer than her.
And you think she got the job the old-fashioned way? Only because she told me she was, quote, "Sleeping her way to the top," after we had three cosmos one night.
The next day she said she'd only been joking.
Did she say who she was onlyjoking about sleeping her way to the top with? DEREK".
Who is it, hon? Uh, the police.
They want to talk to you.
Do you mind if we come in? Sure, I guess not.
(KIDS CHATTERING) Don't trip on Thomas the Tank Engine.
You want both of us, or just me? Just you is fine.
Okay.
And what's this about? Yeah.
We're investigating the murder of an attorney named Lily Yee.
Whoever killed her stole a pair of pants that was taken to a dry-cleaner's by Rachel Monroe.
Rachel? We're looking for the man who owns the pants that were taken to the cleaners by Ms.
Monroe.
Do you recognize these? Size 34.
What's your waist? Do you always wear cuffs and pleats? No.
I think you've made some kind of mistake.
We know that you and Ms.
Monroe recently spent three weeks together in China.
Yeah.
Doing company business.
I didn't have an affair with her.
I didn't kill anyone.
And I take in my own dry-cleaning.
They were in Dongying and Weifang.
Buying health and beauty products for Savingsmart.
They spend, like, a billion dollars ayear there.
These are Cahill's phone records since they got back.
There's calls to Rachel Monroe both day and night.
But they could've been talking about shampoo from Weifang.
Credit card statement doesn't show any romantic weekend trips, but Mrs.
Cahill definitely enjoys the finer things.
Bergdorf's, day spas Lieutenant, Detectives.
So, is our front door wide open, or does the desk sergeant remember you, too? I heard you might be interested in a guy named Derek Cahill.
You heard? I thought I might be able to help you out.
Photos of Cahill from the company newsletter, presenting a check to the Boys' Club, shaking hands with a Chinese factory manager.
ED: In a gray suit while doing it.
We can't make a positive match from an old photo to a pair of pants we don't have.
What do you have? Could you excuse us a minute? Inspector Not anymore.
Just a Civilian retiree.
I know.
Which is why I can't tell you what else we have.
You know that.
Aren't I allowed to help out if I can? Up to a point.
Look, why don't we have dinner, and we can catch up.
Sure.
Check this out.
These calls Cahill made to Rachel.
There's like a dozen calls on here to her home phone, which is 212-555-0188.
Then one day last week, he suddenly calls 917-555-0188, and 646-555-0188.
Same number, different area code.
So, what, did he all of a sudden forget her area code? The dry-cleaner filed clothes by phone number.
Mr.
Yee said that some guy came in with aticket and they couldn't find his clothes.
So, if that was Cahill trying to get his pants back after Rachel told him Savingsmart was sniffing around Right.
He didn't want to make a scene, so he just went away.
But maybe he guessed that the cleaners had given his pants to the wrong customer.
I mean, the place is kind of a mess.
Someone with the same number but a different area code.
So he just started dialing.
Let's see.
917-555-0188.
(TAPPING ON KEYBOARD) It's Wiggins' cell phone.
He didn't give his name.
Just said he wanted to make sure I had the right pants.
I thought he was an investigator the cleaners had hired to trick me.
I told him he knew damn well I didn't.
Did you tell him where the pants were? I told him, "Pal, you know damn well where those pants are.
"They're with the Chinese lawyer.
" Wiggins told you where they were.
The office was easy to break into.
ED: Maybe you didn't mean to hurt anybody.
You didn't know she was going to show up.
You're right.
All you wanted were these.
No, you're wrong.
This is so wrong.
There's no way Derek murdered anyone.
We don't think he meant to.
I know him.
Look, I really don't care who you screw.
But this isn't about an affair anymore.
You need to tell me everything, and you need to tell me now.
(sums) He told his wife he was going to a meeting in Kansas, but he spent the weekend with me.
(sums) We were so careful, because of the company.
We borrowed an apartment.
We wore disguises.
I never thought I had to be that careful with his dry-cleaning.
Why did you even have his pants? They got my lipstick on them, on the fly.
So I took them to the cleaners so his wife wouldn't see.
And then Savingsmart security came around.
They would've fired us both.
I told them the pants were mine.
And you warned him.
He took the ticket.
He just wanted to get them back.
He wouldn't kill anyone.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) What? Mr.
Fuller brought us a little present.
Wool.
Light gray.
And you know what? I think that's a spot of blood.
You think it might be a match for Lily Yee? Where'd you get these? Cahill's apartment.
Back of his closet.
ED: You searched it without a warrant? I don't need a warrant.
I'm not a cop anymore.
Besides, that apartment is Savingsmart property.
The company makes it available to executives on assignment in New York.
Right, right.
It's still his home.
You don't want 'em, I'll take 'em back.
Looks like there's still some lipstick on the fly.
You want them or not? My lawyer's going to be here any minute.
Just in time.
Derek Cahill, you're under arrest for the murder of Lily Yee.
Not guilty.
People seek remand.
The defendant has extensive foreign connections.
In China.
Not the first place I'd flee to.
And the evidence against him is compelling.
An item of clothing stolen from the victim, with the victim's blood on it, was found in Mr.
Cahill's possession.
BURT: That evidence that is about to be suppressed, YourHonoL Wonderful.
Then your client won't have to worry about raising bail, which is set at $1 million.
(BANGS GAVEL) Next! Connie, why are you even bothering? If the pants fit, they can't acquit.
What pants? She filed the motion to suppress before I even got out of the courthouse.
The pants were seized illegally in a warrantless search.
Not by the police or any other government agency.
No.
Just by agents of a multinational corporation that behaves like a government, and is bigger than most governments, and bends or breaks every rule in the book to stock its shelves with products at prices that are unbelievably low.
You shop at Savingsmart? A child's bicycle is $150 on Columbus Avenue.
$35.
99 at Savingsmart.
You ride a child's bicycle? My nephew's daughter does.
How important are these pants to your case? Without them, we have motive, opportunity JACK: Nothing.
Yeah.
Make sure those cops had nothing to do with that search.
The law says if a private citizen obtains evidence in any way, legally or illegally, and comes in and hands it to the police, we can use it.
As long as the police had nothing to do with them finding it.
Well, Fullerjust walked in carrying a brown paper bag.
We didn't know he was going to do it, and I certainly didn't ask him.
How about you guys? No, we were about to apply for a search warrant.
Fuller just showed up.
And he didn't even give you a hint he'd be bringing it in? I understand he's your former boss, your mentor? That's right.
But he taught me to do police work, not outsource it to rent-a-cops.
BURT: Mr.
Fuller, do you recall the circumstances that led to your bringing this pair of pants to the police? Yes, I do.
The pants were obtained at the request of Lieutenant Van Buren.
The lieutenant knew you were bringing them in? I was already cooperating with the police investigation.
I had brought them a photograph of Mr.
Cahill wearing what they thought were the pants in question.
And what, if anything, did the lieutenant say when you brought that photograph? That they couldn't make a positive match without having the actual pants.
Are you aware that three New York City police officers, including Lieutenant Van Buren, have sworn they had no idea you were going to look for these pants? What do you expect them to say? I expect them to tell the truth.
Are you telling the truth, sir? Yes.
But when you were a police officer in their situation, you would have lied? I would have been motivated to catch a murderer, just like they were.
I knew what they wanted.
Lieutenant Van Buren took me aside for a private conversation.
She said we should get together later and talk.
She knew that I could do stuff that they couldn't.
Mr.
Cutter, I'm afraid I've heard enough.
Your Honor, even if you believe this witness, which I do not, the police would inevitably have discovered those pants on their own.
They were within minutes of applying for a search warrant.
JUDGE BREWER: But they didn't.
They took the easy way out.
And I, for one, am getting tired of government officials taking shortcuts through our Constitution.
CUTTER: There was no bad faith here.
Are you going to tell these people that their daughter's murderer is going to go free because somebody was overenthusiastic? No, Mr.
Cutter, you are.
The evidence is suppressed.
Fuller was lying.
I didn't see it coming.
Why was he lying? Savingsmart believes all murderers should be freed so they can shop? I don't know.
There had to be some collusion.
Somebody got to somebody.
Looks like one of those somebodies was Cahill.
Three days ago, he made a call from Rikers Island to Savingsmarfs New York headquarters, and the next day, two executives from Savingsmart and Fuller visited Cahill in jail.
How courteous.
Let's repay the visit.
CUTTER: You're an attorney, Mr.
Reynolds? I am.
Do you represent Mr.
Cahill in any capacity? No.
I work for Savingsmart.
Are you an attorney, too, Mr.
Beckett? No.
Senior vice president, public affairs.
CUTTER: Public relations.
How do you spin something like Savingsmart helping a killer get away with murder? The company does not condone the alleged crime of Mr.
Cahill, and all of us here, including Mr.
Fuller, have done our public duty as asked and spoken truthfully at all times.
Truthfully, Mr.
Fuller? You haven't let them in on the joke? REYNOLDS: We're meeting with you as a courtesy, Mr.
Cutter.
Mr.
Fuller has nothing to say beyond what he's already said in court.
If you're not representing Mr.
Cahill, why did you go running to see him at Rikers when he called? He was a senior Savingsmart executive who left his post rather suddenly.
There were some unfinished business matters to discuss.
Business matters? With the company cop, flack, and lawyer? I don't see a businessman in this room.
I think we're done here.
CUTTER: Oh, I think we're just beginning, if you're engaged in a criminal conspiracy to protect a murderer.
Thank you for coming uptown.
Not a real chatty group, are they? I think they super-glued Fuller's mouth shut.
No, they're all top brass, Mike, rallying to protect a mid-level purchasing executive.
Would you and Jack do the same for me? What did Cahill do at Savingsmart, exactly? Health and beauty.
Health and beauty what? (DOOR OPENING) You didn't return my calls.
They told me I don't have to talk to you.
Did they threaten you? Say you'd be fired? Because that's illegal.
It's obstruction of justice.
No.
Nothing like that.
Are you moving? I've been transferred to Singapore.
It's a promotion.
Singapore? They'rejust trying to keep you quiet.
About what? I don't know anything about this murder.
But you do know about Derek Cahill.
I had an affair with him, all right? We were in China.
It was like being on another planet.
So what was he doing in China, when you and he weren't on another planet? Nothing.
Buying mouthwash and shampoo.
Leave me alone.
Please.
They spent most of their time in Dongying, which is mostly oil and petrochemicals.
Here is a Dongying prefecture business promotion page.
And there is one company who makes mouthwash and shampoo.
Bright Day Manufacturing.
"Our mouthwash has antiseptic formula for world-class oral cleansing.
" Well, that's nice.
Do you think maybe we're spinning our wheels here, Connie? Derek Cahill is about to get away soot-free after murdering Lily Yee, and we're busy tracing his travels among mouthwash manufacturers.
Mike, a month ago, the plant manager at Bright Day Manufacturing committed suicide right after the company was shut down by the Chinese government.
I've checked Mr.
Cahill's visa records.
He was a frequent visitor to China on behalf of Savingsmart.
And he bought products at Bright Day Manufacturing? Yes.
He and his colleague, Ms.
Monroe, were registered buyers at that facility.
Of mouthwash and shampoo? And various other items.
What happened there? Why was the company shut down? There were some quality control issues, which are universal, as I'm sure you know.
I presume the Bright Day manager was shamed, even though my government's action was purely cautionary.
As you say, better safe than sorry, right? Better safe than sorry about what? Toothpaste.
There may have been some impurities.
We've seen unconfirmed press reports from Belize.
Of impurities? Of deaths.
Unconfirmed.
Also in Dominican Republic.
But nothing definitive.
But your government thought it was better to be safe than sorry.
Yes.
And one of those other items Mr.
Cahill bought for Savingsmart was toothpaste? Poison toothpaste.
That has not been established.
How much did he buy? Three million tubes.
Exported to the United States.
Two deaths in the Dominican Republic, half a dozen in Belize.
The thickening agent in the toothpaste was antifreeze.
Which saved Bright Day Manufacturing a penny a tube.
So the stuff was cheap.
The perfect Savingsmart product.
These articles were published after Cahill's trip to China.
He couldn't have known at the time he bought the stuff.
But he knew about it afterward.
When he got in trouble, he called the company and offered a deal.
He'd keep his mouth shut if it helped him out with the murder charge.
So Savingsmart sent Fuller into court to lie to get the evidence against Cahill tossed.
Did it ever make it onto the shelves? The toothpaste at Savingsmart? Not as far as we can tell.
There's nothing in the news.
I checked with the FDA and the CDC.
So what was the company afraid Cahill would say? That America's favorite store almost poisoned its customers.
But it didn't.
You say Cahill bought three million tubes? At least.
Uh-huh.
Where are they? Tell him it's urgent.
All right? Mr.
Reynolds is out of the office.
They don't know where to reach him.
Not our problem, Mr.
Sawchuck.
This warrant requires you to produce the records.
They'll fire me.
They'll have to bail you out of jail first.
We get deliveries from Bright Day all the time.
Or did.
Uh Mouthwash, shampoo, sometimes soap.
Where does it go from here? Regional centers.
Then the stores.
We're interested in toothpaste.
We got one shipment.
Twenty containers.
But it was pulled off the distro list before it went anywhere.
So it's still here? No.
CUTTER: In a landfill? M and M Novelties, Kansas City.
Savingsmart bought the stuff for 20 cents a tube.
They sold it to M and M Novelties for a dime.
But M and M never took delivery.
They resold it to a specialty toiletries distributor in Alabama.
What's their specialty? Toiletries made of industrial chemicals? Institutions.
Hospitals, prisons, old-age homes.
Places where people die all the time, so who's going to notice a few with antifreeze on their breath? I've alerted the state health departments.
This doesn't even make sense.
Savingsmart is a multi-billion dollar operation.
Why are they dumping poison on little old ladies to save a few bucks? Why didn't they just shove the stuff in a landfill? Maybe the company didn't know.
The fax that instructed the warehouse to take the toothpaste out of distribution and sell it, it didn't come from Corporate, it came from Procurement.
Cahill? No.
RACHEL: I don't understand.
CONNIE: Is that your signature? No.
I never saw this before.
You've got to believe me.
We do.
We've got some other copies of your signature and that's not a match.
Then what am I doing here? Deb, send them in, please.
Cutter, if you're really ready to deal.
Rachel.
BURT: You didn't tell me it was a surprise party.
I thought these two lovebirds might have some catching up to do.
Derek, do you know anything about this? I don't know what that is.
You told me the company destroyed that toothpaste.
What toothpaste? It did.
Wrong.
It dumped it on prisons and nursing homes, per this order signed by Ms.
Monroe.
But I never saw that before.
CUTTER: Then who do you think signed your name? Who bought that toothpaste? Who wanted to make it go away before the company found out he'd wasted its money? What were you afraid of, Mr.
Cahill? Getting a bad quarterly performance review? Rachel, you can't believe that.
Who wouldn't want his name on that document in case anyone ever caught on? He's trying to trick you.
You said you loved me.
They're twisting things.
Maybe you did kill that girl.
Rachel! Did he say anything to you about the murder, Rachel? No.
But now I understand.
The company asked me about the toothpaste.
I didn't know why.
So the company knew? You tried to hide it, but they found out anyway.
You son of a bitch.
This is all very entertaining, but it seems your witness has no evidence to offer on the murder.
And as for whatever toothpaste it is you're all blabbing about, somehow that doesn't seem very relevant, either.
Call me when you're ready to drop the charge.
Mr.
Cahill.
(SNIFFLING) She's kind of right.
We're nowhere.
Wrong.
Now we can prove Savingsmart knew about the toothpaste.
So? JACK: We're not alleging that you knew about the toothpaste at the time.
Cahill acted alone.
But you found out, and covered it up.
Retrieved from the Sunny Hill Retirement Home in Gadsden, Alabama.
Does anyone want to freshen their breath? You planning another one of your grandstanding prosecutions, Mr.
McCoy? Bring down the big, bad corporation? By your own admission, we didn't knowingly buy or sell the stuff.
If any wrongdoing was committed, it apparently took place in Gadsden, Alabama, which is out of your jurisdiction.
Fine.
Then I'll just prosecute you two personally for conspiring to obstructjustice in the trial of Derek Cahill.
To buy his silence, you sent Mr.
Fuller into a courtroom to commit perjury.
You can't prove that either.
I'll take my chances.
How long do you think Savingsmart will keep you on the payroll after you're indicted? What do you want? Your full cooperation with health authorities, tracking down every tube of Chinese toothpaste in North America.
Plus, Mr.
Fuller clarifies his testimony so we can get those pants back in evidence against Cahill.
And what will you do for us? Nothing.
No statements.
No accusations.
No press release.
No charges.
I don't suppose we could get that in writing? Shut up, Larry.
We'll get that toothpaste.
And Mr.
Fuller will be in court at your disposal.
(DOOR CLOSES) You're giving them a pass on a national public health threat to convict one murderer? I'm getting them to put the toothpaste back into the tube.
And I'm convicting a murderer.
I thought you might care about that since it's your case.
When you were in my job, you took on bigger targets than Savingsmart.
So what? Don't shoot at what you can't hit.
Call Judge Brewer.
Reopen the suppression hearing.
You're settling.
Call the judge.
What are you going to say, Inspector? "Inspector"? Is that a taunt? A reminder.
You know, you once told me we had to be twice as good as anyone else.
They want me to say I misspoke.
So you'll fix the first lie by telling another one.
I don't suppose you'd be interested in hearing any kind of explanation.
Oh, no.
I get it.
You spend 30 years picking up the trash, half the time fighting the brass worse than the criminals.
They give you a pension and forget your name before you're even out of the door.
And along comes Savingsmart, putting a lot of dollars in your pocket and asking you to shade the truth just a little.
You almost make it sound okay.
Almost.
Not quite.
I want to make sure I'm understanding this.
You're amending your previous testimony? Yes, ma'am.
I regret to say that I misplaced my emphasis.
My people had been working with Lieutenant Van Buren and her detectives, but they had no idea that I was going to search Mr.
Cahill's apartment.
When I walked in with those pants, they were completely surprised.
JUDGE BREWER: If that's the case, why did you misplace your emphasis the last time you were here? I was protecting the reputation of Savingsmart.
I thought it would be embarrassing to the company if one of its executives was convicted of murder.
(WHISPERING) JUDGE BREWER: Well, that was very diligent of you.
And I suggest you engage an attorney to defend you against possible perjury charges.
Meanwhile, I'm reversing my previousjudgment suppressing the pants.
They are back in evidence.
Mr.
Cahill, your bail is revoked.
Your Honor, I have a few more questions for the witness.
The game's over, Mr.
Cutter.
You won.
Very well.
Mr.
Fuller, have you told the whole truth here today? Yes.
The police had nothing to do with me getting those pants.
I'm not talking about the pants, sir.
I'm talking about why you lied the first time you were here.
Did you just tell the truth about that? No.
It wasn't just about keeping him from being convicted.
It was part of a deal to keep him quiet.
He, Cahill, was blackmailing the company.
If it, I, we didn't get him off, he would tell what he knew about some poison toothpaste that we imported from China that ended up being dumped in hospitals and old-age homes.
And by the way.
I quit.
Fuller had it all documented, the toothpaste, the cover-up, the perjury.
He had e-mails, tapes, a dossier.
He turned it over to the US Attorney.
Cop instincts.
They never go away.
I did make a deal with Savingsmart, however, on behalf of the District Attorney's office.
You didn't want to.
Now you're reading my mind? You broke the deal.
It's okay.
You don't have to thank me.