Law & Order Special Victims Unit s26e02 Episode Script
Excavation
1
In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses
are considered especially heinous.
In New York City,
the dedicated detectives
who investigate these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
[LAID-BACK ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]
♪
Long time.
I thought I'd never see you again.
How about a shot?
Tequila, right?
You remembered.
Yeah. I also remembered this.
- [CHUCKLES UNCOMFORTABLY]
- Last time I saw you,
you said if you ever came back,
I should give it to you.
Just one.
Okay.
[CLEARS THROAT] So
why'd you come in today?
[CHUCKLES] My stepfather,
has talked my mother
into buying a condo.
I have to help them
move. [CLEARS THROAT]
Maggie.
I was on my way, I swear.
Me and Charles have
done enough to cover for you.
Fine.
It's on me.
[MOUTHS WORDS]
[SIGHS] How are we
gonna fit everything?
It's three bedrooms, dear.
All done with the hall closet.
Finally.
I'm so sorry. I lost track of time.
That's because you never
wear that watch we gave you.
Charles.
You gonna take the sunglasses off,
or has it been one of
your rough mornings?
Charles!
Give your big sister
the benefit of the doubt.
How long has it been? Four months?
- I'm so proud of you.
- [MAGGIE CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
Mwah.
Uh, Mom, where do you want us?
How about the furnace room downstairs?
It's all your crap anyway.
I asked Mother.
Ugh, are you sure you girls
don't want silverware?
We have so many sets.
both: No.
Mom, where do you want us?
[SIGHS] Movers are
gonna be here in an hour.
I haven't set foot in the basement.
It's your childhood stuff.
You figure out what you want to keep.
See? The basement.
Told you.
Oh, my God.
I just found your monkey.
Oh, my gosh.
Banana for a thumb.
I always thought this
thing was so creepy.
You used to take
that thing in the bath.
Did I?
- Yes.
- I don't remember that.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Oh, Mom kept baby clothes.
Yeah, she can't wait until
one of us gets pregnant.
Oh, you should go through this.
I just found your
favorite yellow nightgown.
Okay, how the hell
do you remember more
about my childhood than I do?
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
Here's your first grade report card.
Thank you. I'm so smart.
Yeah, well, show-off.
What are we gonna do
with all of these games?
I don't know.
[LOUD RATTLING]
Oh, my gosh.
[RATTING CONTINUES]
We're fine.
- [LAUGHS]
- We're fine.
These Pokémon cards
are probably worth a ton.
Oh, you're such a nerd.
This Charizard is, like, 2 grand!
[LAUGHS]
Maybe I should keep it for my kid.
[SOFT SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Oh, and all these records?
I don't know.
What about
Oh.
I have to go.
Maggie?
What's wrong?
Last week's DD-5s
for you to sign off on.
I guess you forgot?
I guess I'll stick around
and get some of that sweet overtime.
Check in with the desk sergeant.
Yeah, so guy got caught
licking the foot of some kid
at a West Side play area,
but, security's got him.
All right, bring him in.
Okay.
Hi.
I'm Captain Benson. Can I help you?
I'm not sure. I, uh
I just I wanted to talk to somebody.
Okay.
Okay.
Did did something happen?
I think I think I was abused
when I was eight years old.
Uh-huh.
Is this is this the first time
you're telling anyone?
Yes.
And, is that because
you're just remembering it now?
No, um, he wrote about it.
I
I found it in his diary.
He?
My stepfather.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
"I sat at the bed beside her,"
"laid a hand under
her yellow nightgown."
"There was no reaction,"
"so I let my hand explore further up."
"Her thigh, her hip, her stomach."
Why do you think this is about you?
Um, Maggie Maggie,
what makes you think, um,
that your stepfather wrote this?
I know his handwriting.
What's his name?
Um [CLEARS THROAT]
Judge Leonard Andrews.
The federal judge?
He's retired.
And what is it, um, about this diary
that makes you think it's about you?
It's the the yellow nightgown,
the-the eight-year-old stepdaughter.
But your name is never mentioned.
It's dated in 2001.
I mean, take a guess
how old I was then.
Okay.
And you don't remember
any of the abuse?
No, I
not exactly.
- You don't believe me.
- No, no.
It's not that we don't believe you.
It's just that if you
don't remember, this
this is a very hard case to make.
Even with the diary.
Who else lived with you
when you were eight?
My mother, my half-brother, Charles,
my half-sister, Peyton.
Do you think they would remember
any of your stepfather's
behavior towards you?
My siblings are younger than me.
Are they aware that
you found this diary?
No.
Uh, not yet.
Can I ask,
what's your relationship
with your stepfather like now?
We're close,
but, he's hard on me.
[SIGHS] I'm not living up
to my full potential.
Meaning what?
I have a drinking problem.
I can't hold down a job or
or a relationship.
Okay, we understand.
So we can investigate.
But, this is a very complicated case.
Yeah, there's a statute of limitations.
Oh, I don't want this going to court.
Well, um,
if what you're saying is true,
we may not have a choice.
Forget it, then.
No, no, I just
I wanted to know if it really happened.
Okay, so,
we can definitely
send the journal to the lab
and have it tested for prints and DNA.
But in addition, I will need
to speak with our ADA.
Will my stepfather find out?
We're on your side.
And if we investigate this,
we will keep it very quiet.
But
There may come a point when we're
gonna need to speak with your family.
Look, it's been over 20 years, so,
if you wanna take another day
to
think about it, it won't hurt our case.
You know, why don't I give you my card?
Okay?
You call me if you remember anything.
- Okay?
- [SNIFFLES]
[SOFTLY] Okay.
We're talking about the Judge Andrews?
So you know him?
By reputation.
That guy goes quail hunting
with the former attorney general.
He was shortlisted to be
a Supreme Court appointment.
Oh, great. So he's connected.
Revered might be a better word.
Well, let's see what
adjective folks use
if they find out what
Maggie's saying is true.
This guy is a former Rhodes Scholar.
Why the hell would he write down
the details of what he did?
Well, that's for us to figure out.
But I'm telling you, that
Maggie has all the hallmarks
of a victim of sexual assault.
Issues with alcohol,
she has a history of
failed relationships.
Okay, all of which
hurt her as a witness.
Can she even recall this abuse?
Not really.
So, according to the diary,
um, she was asleep
during the encounters.
So [SCOFFS]
How am I supposed to get a court order
for his handwriting,
let alone charge the judge?
Memory can come back.
Well, I hope it does.
For all our sakes.
[SIGHS] In the meantime
vet Maggie.
Really, Carisi?
[SOFT TENSE MUSIC]
Really? You think that
she's making this up?
Listen, when people flame out in life,
they almost never blame themselves.
The pages of this diary,
tell a different story.
Well, then we'll need to find
someone in her family
who can corroborate,
because you do not try to whack
a guy like Judge Andrews
until you have enough
to do it in broad daylight.
♪
Are there any more red flags
with Maggie Andrews?
Six months in rehab as a teen
at one of those Outward
Bound-type schools.
Well, she was forthcoming
with her substance abuse.
Any record?
Two DUIs, both dismissed.
All right, what about
her employment history?
She bounced from job to job.
Dog walking, house sitting, barista.
Okay. You follow up with her employers?
Yeah. She was late a lot.
Her half-brother, Charles,
just graduated the Naval Academy.
Her half-sister, Peyton, is in biotech.
- And what about the mother?
- She's a working pediatrician.
Is there any history
of Maggie making false allegations?
No, not that we found.
[PHONE BUZZING]
Benson.
Captain Benson, it's
it's Peyton Andrews.
- [GLASS SHATTERS]
- I'm Maggie's sister.
Peyton. Is everything okay?
[MAGGIE SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]
She's wasted here at my parents' house.
I I found your card in her bag.
I want you to text me your address.
I will be there as soon as I can.
All right, in the meantime,
call 911, okay?
We have a problem.
[TENSE MUSIC]
How's Maggie?
She won't come out of her room.
Your card says Sex Crimes.
Why has she been talking to you?
Maggie didn't tell her.
She just keeps yelling about my dad.
He's lying.
Officer, we got it from here.
I hate him, I hate him.
Call a bus.
- Maggie.
- [SOBBING] He's lying.
Maggie.
[SOBBING]
I remember.
- I remember.
- BENSON: Okay.
[SOBBING]
Okay, sweetheart.
Let's let's get you up, okay?
Let's get you up here.
He was here in my room.
He was right there.
Okay.
We're gonna get you the help
that you need, okay?
Okay, come on.
[SOBBING]
- Hey.
- How's Maggie?
Well, she needs stitches
and her blood alcohol was
three times the legal limit.
What the hell happened?
According to her,
she recovered a memory of her abuse,
as a child.
Maggie came to Sex
Crimes about my father?
Were you with her when
she was cleaning out
your parents' basement?
Yes, but as far as I knew,
I thought that she was just
going through some old papers.
Well, one of those papers was a diary.
And what was in it?
The description of the sexual abuse
of an eight-year-old girl.
Did it say that it was Maggie?
No, not specifically,
but the girl was referred to
as a stepdaughter.
Peyton, do you remember anything at all
being off between your dad and Maggie?
Maggie was eight. I
I was only five.
Okay. It's okay.
- 'Cause my parents
- Peyton.
What is this? What's going on?
Captain Renee Curry, NYPD.
NYPD?
How's my daughter's
relapse a police matter?
Judge Andrews?
Captain Benson, SVU.
Why is SVU involved in a family matter?
Captain Benson?
Um, I'm actually going to see
Maggie right now,
so, uh, my detectives,
uh, will fill you in.
Tread lightly.
Please, can someone
tell us what's going on?
Let's find a private place to talk.
Yeah, that'll be better.
Let's go in there.
Come on.
Let's just finish talking, okay?
It's okay. Right here.
Maggie says she was
sexually abused as a child?
You know anything about that?
Of course not.
By whom?
Look, if I could just
talk to my daughter,
I can sort this all out.
I don't think that's
such a good idea right now.
Who is she accusing?
We're trying to figure it out.
Maybe you wanna
help us fill in the story.
I'm a pediatrician.
If she had been molested as a child,
don't you think that I would know?
Maggie was your patient?
No, but I bathed her.
I tucked her into bed every night.
Are you aware that
your husband kept a journal?
Can I talk to Maggie?
She's with Captain Benson.
So what happens now?
Right now, your parents
are being questioned.
Okay, Peyton.
Has your father ever touched
you or your brother?
No.
So how do you explain the diary?
- I can't. I don't know.
- Peyton!
We're leaving.
Maggie's still being treated, Mom.
We're not talking to
the police anymore,
and neither are you.
If you have any other questions,
you can call my attorneys!
Attorneys, plural.
- You heard that?
- Mm-hmm.
Guy's an ex-judge.
He's not going down without a fight.
Then let's give him one.
Wait. Why were my parents here?
Um, well, your sister,
Peyton, called them,
so, they know what kind of crime
we're investigating.
So it's
It's too late to turn back.
Something deeply upset you.
You wanna tell me what that is?
[SIGHS]
I I was a bedwetter growing up.
And, um
I remember waking up one night.
He was there,
leaning over me.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Okay
Do you remember anything that he did?
Anything specifically?
Only that I didn't want him there.
He was pulling off my nightgown.
I yelled for my mom.
What else do you remember?
He said that she'd
be mad if we woke her.
After he left, I got up and,
I found my nightgown in my hamper.
But, um
it wasn't wet.
Neither was my bed.
That's very helpful.
- [SHAKILY] Mm-hmm.
- That's very helpful.
Um
What-what happens now?
I know this is a bit
of a long shot, but
Did you find anything
from your childhood
from that time that
That maybe had his DNA on it
or maybe, you know,
clothing or bedding?
The yellow nightgown.
It was in a box near
where I found the diary.
You still have that?
It's in the trunk of my car.
Okay.
That's good.
So now Maggie remembers
Judge Andrews in her room?
Yes, and she said that
he tried to play it off like
Like she wet the bed.
That's a good cover
story in case she woke up.
And Judge Andrews was at the hospital?
- So he knows everything that we know?
- Yes.
Do we have enough to move forward?
[SIGHS]
- This is all still circumstantial.
- Hold on.
We recovered the exact nightgown
that was referenced in the journal,
and I sent it to the lab.
Well, let's pray that
they find something.
Because getting DNA after 20 years,
even with the new technology,
that is a long shot.
- [KNOCK AT DOOR]
- Yeah, come in.
Counselor Carisi, there's
someone here to see you.
I hope I'm not disturbing you.
Judge Andrews, w-w
what can I do for you?
Have we crossed paths, Counselor?
They don't usually let
lowly state ADs like me
- in federal courts.
- [CHUCKLES]
What can we do for you?
Well, I abhor triangulation.
Well then, let's cut to the chase.
I assume that's why you're here
with your team of attorneys.
Absolutely.
Okay.
"I finished my gin and tonic
and found myself in her room."
"She was asleep."
"I sat down on the bed,"
"lifted her yellow nightgown."
So you're not denying
that you wrote that?
[SIGHS] I'm embarrassed
to admit that I did.
Given the quality
of the prose, at least.
Just to be clear,
my client is admitting
that he wrote the words.
Good, saves us the hassle
of a handwriting analysis.
I'm just horrified Maggie found it.
I can't imagine how she felt.
Can you blame her?
I assure you I never,
ever abused Maggie.
But she remembers you in her room.
She remembers you
taking off her nightgown.
Remembers it or read it in these pages?
I'm not denying I was in her
bedroom helping her change.
I
I hate to ask, but how much
had she been drinking
when she recovered this memory?
We can subpoena her medical records
for blood alcohol levels.
You described your
eight-year-old stepdaughter
wearing a yellow nightgown.
I take it you're not familiar
with the writer's process.
Yeah, you subconsciously extrapolate
from your own environment.
You're familiar with the book "Lolita"?
Wait, that's your defense?
That you're writing a novel?
I was attempting to, anyway,
back when I had literary pretension.
But as it turns out,
I'm a better judge than writer.
These passages are nothing more than
rough notes for a book.
[SIGHS]
Well, I believe Maggie.
Well, that's your
job, isn't it, Captain?
But the ADA's job is
to prosecute based on evidence.
Now, I've asked around about
your reputation, Mr. Carisi.
It's a little rough around
the edges, but meticulous.
I assume if you had enough
to arrest me, I'd be in cuffs.
You're free to go, Judge.
Thank you.
But I wouldn't buy any plane tickets.
[LAUGHS] I heard you
had a sense of humor.
Oh, please, give Nick Baxter my best.
[TENSE MUSIC]
So Judge Andrews lawyered up.
What about the wife?
Lillian?
We tried her.
She said to call her lawyer.
- Following her husband's lead.
- Yeah.
Peyton, the half-sister,
is sympathetic,
but she has no recall
of any of the abuse.
Okay, what about the brother,
- Charles?
- Same story?
He says he doesn't remember anything.
Well, the kid was four years
old when the abuse took place,
so right now, he's
siding with his old man.
Okay. Where have you been?
The lab.
They found DNA on Maggie's nightgown.
From traces of pre-ejaculate.
Call Carisi.
♪
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
[DOOR OPENS]
He's here.
Judge Andrews.
Mr. Carisi.
Thank you for the courtesy.
It was the DA's call.
Nick Baxter sends his regards.
Well, good luck, then.
'Cause you're gonna need it.
♪
[HANDCUFFS CLICKING]
[SIGHS]
Judge Andrews, I have to admit
it's a bit of a shock to see you here.
I expect to be treated
like any other defendant.
Presumed innocent.
Let's get to it, then.
Mr. Carisi?
Let's do it, Your Honor.
You've been indicted on the charges
of criminal sexual
act in the first degree
and course of sexual conduct
against a child, first degree.
How do you plead?
Not guilty.
- People on bail?
- These are B felonies.
The defendant has the means to flee.
The People ask for 200,000.
I know the DA's office
needs to show impartiality,
but this is beyond punitive.
Your client did ask
to be treated like any other defendant.
So before you ask for ROR,
I'm splitting the baby.
Bail is set at 50,000.
Next case.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Making you earn your paycheck
on this one, Carisi.
What do you need from us?
Well, a family member to
back up Maggie wouldn't hurt.
Guy's wife and son are sticking by him.
Publicly, at least.
Mm. Privately, who knows?
There could be some
cracks in that wall.
You can forget it.
There's no way in hell I'm
testifying against my father.
Not against your father.
For your sister.
As a character witness.
Never heard him
utter an unkind word about her.
You really think Maggie would lie?
She's an alcoholic.
Isn't that what addicts do?
Childhood trauma leaves lasting scars.
If my father's guilty of anything,
it's high expectations.
All right? But he
had those for all of us.
We all have our scars.
Charles
Maggie said she used
to look out for you as a kid.
She says your dad wasn't just
physically abusive,
but verbally too.
This is beyond lying.
She's trying to tear our family apart.
I-I'm not gonna help her do that.
So how many more of these do you have?
I went to Napa last year.
Well, that's not a bad trip
for an unemployed dog walker.
[CHUCKLES]
My, um, stepfather used
to help me out financially.
And then he stopped?
After my second DUI.
Did that, uh
That make you angry?
No.
I understood why he did that.
Well, the defense is
going to say otherwise.
What, that I'm just after money?
Trying to win some civil suit?
That's exactly what
they'll say, Maggie.
That you're making the whole thing up.
What about the diary?
Well, they will paint that
as a work of fiction.
[SCOFFS]
I'm beginning to think
my whole childhood was.
I'm sorry, Maggie.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
You know, I
I have never been able
to stay in a relationship
longer than a couple of weeks,
let alone have a healthy sex life.
I I have never even been able
to have sex in a bed.
Certainly understandable,
based on where he abused you.
Can I, um, tell you something else?
Of course.
Um
Anything.
Sometimes, I
I used to
fantasize about
Him.
Sexually.
So Maggie, that can happen, all right?
It's not uncommon.
Sometimes it's a victim's way
of putting the abuse back
back, you know, in their own control.
I probably shouldn't say it in court.
♪
You go in there, and
you tell them who you are.
So Maggie Andrews came in to
SVU to report a sexual assault.
She found a journal
that we've since verified
as written by her stepfather.
People's exhibit one, Your Honor.
Captain Benson, can you read
this entry from 2001, please?
"I slid off her yellow nightgown.
I kissed her down there."
How old would Maggie have
been when this was written?
Eight years old.
At first, Maggie had
no memory of being assaulted.
No, children often suppress
traumatic events like these
as a survival mechanism.
They have fractured
or incomplete memories,
and sometimes they
have no memory of it at all.
Now, the journal mentions
a yellow nightgown.
- Were you able to recover this?
- Yes.
The lab found traces of pre-ejaculate,
which contained enough semen
to get a DNA match for Judge Andrews.
Thank you. Nothing further.
Captain Benson, you're aware that
DNA from bodily secretions
can transfer in the laundry?
Yes, but never in my career
have I seen so much physical evidence
so congruent with the
perpetrator's own written word.
Do you have any evidence
that would indicate that
Judge Andrews' writing wasn't
simply a work of fiction?
I believe Maggie.
Isn't that for the jury to decide?
Objection. Argumentative.
Withdrawn.
Nothing further.
I was with Maggie when
she found the journal.
She ran out upset.
And when was the next time you saw her?
The following afternoon.
She was tearing her
childhood bedroom apart.
Did she say anything?
That our father was a liar.
Objection. Hearsay.
It's an excited utterance, Your Honor.
I'll allow.
She said that he lied to her.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
You never saw your father
in Maggie's bedroom, did you?
No. I was only five.
Did you ever see him abusing Maggie?
[TENSE MUSIC]
No.
But she says he did.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
♪
Hey.
How is Peyton?
Mr. Carisi is building a solid case.
- Why does that not sound promising?
- Maggie.
Maggie, you need to focus
on what you're saying to your
stepfather on the stand.
Okay?
I know that you can do this.
And if you can't look at the jury,
then you look at me.
The rest is just it's just noise.
You got this.
[BREATHES DEEPLY]
I remember my stepfather in my room
standing over me telling
me I had wet my bed.
But after he left,
I found my nightgown in the hamper.
He was lying.
When did you recall this?
Um, a day after reading the journal.
The details started coming back to me.
Going back to the night in question,
when you saw your stepfather
in the room,
did you call out?
Did you say, stop, no?
I called out for my mother.
My stepfather told me not to wake her.
And when you first read this journal,
did you believe it to be an account
of what happened to you?
[SNIFFLES] I don't
remember every detail,
but yes, I absolutely
believe that journal
to be a true account of
my own sexual abuse.
Thank you, Maggie.
How are you, Maggie?
I know none of this can be easy.
But I just wanna be clear
you have no direct recollection
of your father
penetrating you digitally or otherwise?
Just what I said.
That he was standing over you?
Pulling off my nightgown.
I felt strange.
And this alleged incident
would have happened when?
Uh, 23 years ago.
Sorry to have to ask this,
but the day you finally
remembered this alleged abuse,
had you been drinking?
Objection.
Relevance.
I'll allow.
Yes.
In fact, your blood alcohol
was several times
the legal limit, wasn't it?
I I don't know.
I do.
Defense exhibit C
Maggie's blood alcohol level
the day in question.
No, I'm not denying
that I had been drinking.
You were blackout drunk.
So out of control, in fact,
that the police were called
when this memory
suddenly occurred to you.
No, I read the journal
and it triggered me.
How can you be so sure
this memory wasn't just
triggered by a work of fiction?
My body remembers!
You're asking the jury
to convict your stepfather
of sexually abusing you
based on a bodily memory?
Objection.
Withdrawn.
Nothing further.
Mr. Carisi.
The prosecution rests, Your Honor.
You may step down, Ms. Andrews.
♪
We'd like to call our first witness,
Judge Leonard Andrews.
Maggie.
Hey!
Your Honor.
Counsel!
Please restrain your client
from addressing the witness.
Apologies, Your Honor.
♪
I was in Maggie's room multiple times
when she was eight,
helping her change
when she wet the bed.
Why you, not her mother?
My wife had a
demanding job as a doctor.
I wanted her to get her sleep.
There were details in your journal
that seemed to describe
an eight-year-old stepdaughter,
a yellow nightgown.
It sounds an awful lot like Maggie.
How do you explain that?
Well, it's an old aphorism, isn't it?
Write what you know.
Writers draw from real life.
But those notes that I
jotted down so long ago
were a complete work of fiction.
Why explore such a disturbing topic?
I was a defense attorney at the time
dealing with some
disturbing cases and
Like I said, you write what you know.
Why do you think your stepdaughter
is accusing you here today?
I'm sure it was quite shocking
reading those passages,
and I deeply regret
that she found my writing
without the proper context.
Maggie has had a troubled life.
It must be very tempting to try
and blame it on someone else.
I tried to help her.
[VOICE BREAKING] I blame myself
for failing that.
But I never, ever
abused my stepdaughter.
Thank you, Judge Andrews.
Nothing further.
Judge Andrews, you claim this journal
to be a work of fiction, correct?
Yes, that's right.
Did you ever write about
any other victims of childhood abuse?
- No.
- No?
None of the other children
from the many cases that
you found so disturbing?
- No.
- Ah.
So just an unnamed
eight-year-old stepdaughter
with a yellow nightgown?
Well, like I said, I drew from my life.
Yeah, but those other cases,
they were from your real life,
too, weren't they?
There, there wasn't one
protagonist I was writing about.
- It's an amalgam.
- Oh, an amalgam.
Did you ever finish this novel?
No.
Did you ever write a chapter?
What about a single page?
I never got past the outline stage.
Well, did you ever tell anyone
that you were working on a novel?
A friend, a colleague,
a manager, an agent?
The bounds of my talent fell
well short of that, Mr. Carisi.
So we're supposed
to just take your word for it?
That this was all made up?
[TENSE MUSIC]
There was one person I confided in.
My wife.
I'm sorry, dear.
I didn't wanna drag you into this.
Sidebar, Your Honor?
Approach.
♪
The defense would like
to call Lillian Andrews.
No, no, no, she was
not on your witness list.
You're the one who
opened the door, Counselor.
I'm going to allow.
I didn't know him at the time,
but Leonard double-majored
in law and English lit.
We met well after that.
He regretted never following through
on his literary aspirations.
So you knew about his novel?
Yes.
We tell each other everything.
Did you encourage it?
Of course.
Did you ever read the notes?
A few pages.
It wasn't very good.
Was it upsetting that the character
so closely resembled Maggie?
Well, I knew it wasn't Maggie.
And how could you be so sure?
Maggie wasn't my patient.
But I did try and help
her with her bedwetting.
At eight years old?
It started after
her birth father abandoned us
and it kept on going until
she was in mid-adolescence.
I considered medication, even diapers,
but, I didn't want to
put her through that.
I trusted she'd outgrow it.
When you examined her, did you
ever find any signs of sexual abuse?
No, none.
I would have reported
it right away if I had.
Did any of your
children make complaints
or have questions about your
husband's behavior toward them?
No, absolutely not.
Nothing further.
♪
Your witness, Mr. Carisi.
Charles.
Everything all right?
I just couldn't sit in there anymore.
I'm getting a QuikRide.
Is there something
you wanna talk about?
You can tell us, Charles.
Come on.
♪
My mother just lied up there.
About what?
I saw him coming out of
Maggie's room a few times.
I asked my mom.
What did she say?
She told me I must have dreamt it.
Even at four, I knew something was off.
I was too young to do anything. I
Do something now.
♪
[DOOR OPENS]
We executed the subpoena
- on Dr. Andrews' office.
- And? Anything?
She did have a file
on Maggie from 2001.
When she was eight years old.
There was a notation about
chafing on her outer labia.
- From the abuse.
- Uh-huh.
The next entry the following day,
"Probable cause of
irritation: bedwetting."
"Will continue to follow up."
What does that mean?
That she talked to her husband.
Counselor, what's our next step?
I have to disclose this
to the judge's attorneys,
but in the meantime, tell
Lillian she's got a choice.
She can either answer my
questions in the DA's office
or on the witness stand.
Go.
Dr. Andrews, you knew about the abuse.
Charles did ask you questions.
And you lied to him, just
like you lied on the stand.
Lillian was just trying
to keep her family together.
By sacrificing her firstborn?
It wasn't his fault.
Oh, whose fault was it?
Maggie has always had a history
of excessive attention-seeking
and and and
inappropriate seduction.
Hold on. Are you saying
are you saying that
this is Maggie's fault?
That she seduced him?
Is that is that really
what you're saying?
I told you she has
a histrionic personality disorder.
Shh, shh.
Stop.
Did you ever confront him?
Of course.
After the medical exam.
And what did he say?
At first, he denied it,
- but then
- He admitted it.
And you just stayed married to him.
No, I made sure that it
would not happen again.
By having him write it down?
Every detail.
As as what? Some
sort of sick collateral?
Yeah, I said if he ever did it again,
I would go straight to the police.
Why didn't you go to
the police the first time?
And be left alone?
With three children this time?
- I did what was best for my children.
- No, you didn't.
- All of them!
- No. No, no, no, no, no.
You did what was best for you.
I made sure that he never,
ever touched Maggie again.
Not enough, Mrs.
Andrews. Not nearly enough.
Whatever my client did or didn't do,
her actions are beyond
the statute of limitations.
What I did?
I allowed my children
to grow up with a father!
Leonard was never unfaithful again.
Unfaithful?
You're talking about
your eight-year-old daughter.
Your daughter!
I'm calling Leonard.
Tell the judge I want
him down here right now.
Does your husband know where you are?
Does he know that
you're here talking to us?
Of course he does!
We tell each other everything.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Judge Andrews.
Mr. Carisi.
Where are your lawyers?
I'm done with them.
So what are we doing here, Judge?
I walked into this building every day.
Under the inscription
outside on the door,
do you know what it says?
"The true administration of justice"
"is the firmest pillar
of good government."
Mm.
I was a good man, good judge.
A good father.
Glad you think so.
[VOICE BREAKING] I made one mistake.
One.
[SIGHS] And now?
Come on.
You're due back in court.
Let's go, Judge.
You know, she's blind.
I was her eyes for 40 years.
She held the scale.
It was my eyes alone
that adjudicated the balance.
And I saw such degradation.
And yet you preyed
on your own daughter.
Her eyes were closed.
She was asleep.
She was at her most vulnerable.
I love her.
Then why did you do this?
[TENSE SOMBER MUSIC]
I guess I just wanted
to know what it
How it felt.
How it felt?
How what felt?
Innocence.
Well, I guess you'll never know.
♪
So Judge Andrews
changed his plea to guilty
in exchange for seven
years on each count,
to run concurrently.
And Dr. Andrews?
I had a hard enough time
getting past the statute of limitations
on her husband's case.
Nothing I can really charge her with.
Well, after this,
she'll never be able
to practice medicine again.
She's lost her children
and the only thing that
ever mattered, her husband.
[SCOFFS]
How's Maggie doing?
You know, I saw her today, and
It's gonna be tough,
but
Maggie's gonna be okay.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
I guess that's the
The power of truth?
It's getting harder and harder
to find in this world.
Well, look who's getting
philosophical in their old age.
[CHUCKLES]
But I think that
Finding it is easy compared
to the other half of the job,
which is speaking it.
Now look who's feeling philosophical.
Good night, Captain.
Good night, Carisi.
♪
In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses
are considered especially heinous.
In New York City,
the dedicated detectives
who investigate these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
[LAID-BACK ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]
♪
Long time.
I thought I'd never see you again.
How about a shot?
Tequila, right?
You remembered.
Yeah. I also remembered this.
- [CHUCKLES UNCOMFORTABLY]
- Last time I saw you,
you said if you ever came back,
I should give it to you.
Just one.
Okay.
[CLEARS THROAT] So
why'd you come in today?
[CHUCKLES] My stepfather,
has talked my mother
into buying a condo.
I have to help them
move. [CLEARS THROAT]
Maggie.
I was on my way, I swear.
Me and Charles have
done enough to cover for you.
Fine.
It's on me.
[MOUTHS WORDS]
[SIGHS] How are we
gonna fit everything?
It's three bedrooms, dear.
All done with the hall closet.
Finally.
I'm so sorry. I lost track of time.
That's because you never
wear that watch we gave you.
Charles.
You gonna take the sunglasses off,
or has it been one of
your rough mornings?
Charles!
Give your big sister
the benefit of the doubt.
How long has it been? Four months?
- I'm so proud of you.
- [MAGGIE CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
Mwah.
Uh, Mom, where do you want us?
How about the furnace room downstairs?
It's all your crap anyway.
I asked Mother.
Ugh, are you sure you girls
don't want silverware?
We have so many sets.
both: No.
Mom, where do you want us?
[SIGHS] Movers are
gonna be here in an hour.
I haven't set foot in the basement.
It's your childhood stuff.
You figure out what you want to keep.
See? The basement.
Told you.
Oh, my God.
I just found your monkey.
Oh, my gosh.
Banana for a thumb.
I always thought this
thing was so creepy.
You used to take
that thing in the bath.
Did I?
- Yes.
- I don't remember that.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Oh, Mom kept baby clothes.
Yeah, she can't wait until
one of us gets pregnant.
Oh, you should go through this.
I just found your
favorite yellow nightgown.
Okay, how the hell
do you remember more
about my childhood than I do?
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
Here's your first grade report card.
Thank you. I'm so smart.
Yeah, well, show-off.
What are we gonna do
with all of these games?
I don't know.
[LOUD RATTLING]
Oh, my gosh.
[RATTING CONTINUES]
We're fine.
- [LAUGHS]
- We're fine.
These Pokémon cards
are probably worth a ton.
Oh, you're such a nerd.
This Charizard is, like, 2 grand!
[LAUGHS]
Maybe I should keep it for my kid.
[SOFT SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Oh, and all these records?
I don't know.
What about
Oh.
I have to go.
Maggie?
What's wrong?
Last week's DD-5s
for you to sign off on.
I guess you forgot?
I guess I'll stick around
and get some of that sweet overtime.
Check in with the desk sergeant.
Yeah, so guy got caught
licking the foot of some kid
at a West Side play area,
but, security's got him.
All right, bring him in.
Okay.
Hi.
I'm Captain Benson. Can I help you?
I'm not sure. I, uh
I just I wanted to talk to somebody.
Okay.
Okay.
Did did something happen?
I think I think I was abused
when I was eight years old.
Uh-huh.
Is this is this the first time
you're telling anyone?
Yes.
And, is that because
you're just remembering it now?
No, um, he wrote about it.
I
I found it in his diary.
He?
My stepfather.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
"I sat at the bed beside her,"
"laid a hand under
her yellow nightgown."
"There was no reaction,"
"so I let my hand explore further up."
"Her thigh, her hip, her stomach."
Why do you think this is about you?
Um, Maggie Maggie,
what makes you think, um,
that your stepfather wrote this?
I know his handwriting.
What's his name?
Um [CLEARS THROAT]
Judge Leonard Andrews.
The federal judge?
He's retired.
And what is it, um, about this diary
that makes you think it's about you?
It's the the yellow nightgown,
the-the eight-year-old stepdaughter.
But your name is never mentioned.
It's dated in 2001.
I mean, take a guess
how old I was then.
Okay.
And you don't remember
any of the abuse?
No, I
not exactly.
- You don't believe me.
- No, no.
It's not that we don't believe you.
It's just that if you
don't remember, this
this is a very hard case to make.
Even with the diary.
Who else lived with you
when you were eight?
My mother, my half-brother, Charles,
my half-sister, Peyton.
Do you think they would remember
any of your stepfather's
behavior towards you?
My siblings are younger than me.
Are they aware that
you found this diary?
No.
Uh, not yet.
Can I ask,
what's your relationship
with your stepfather like now?
We're close,
but, he's hard on me.
[SIGHS] I'm not living up
to my full potential.
Meaning what?
I have a drinking problem.
I can't hold down a job or
or a relationship.
Okay, we understand.
So we can investigate.
But, this is a very complicated case.
Yeah, there's a statute of limitations.
Oh, I don't want this going to court.
Well, um,
if what you're saying is true,
we may not have a choice.
Forget it, then.
No, no, I just
I wanted to know if it really happened.
Okay, so,
we can definitely
send the journal to the lab
and have it tested for prints and DNA.
But in addition, I will need
to speak with our ADA.
Will my stepfather find out?
We're on your side.
And if we investigate this,
we will keep it very quiet.
But
There may come a point when we're
gonna need to speak with your family.
Look, it's been over 20 years, so,
if you wanna take another day
to
think about it, it won't hurt our case.
You know, why don't I give you my card?
Okay?
You call me if you remember anything.
- Okay?
- [SNIFFLES]
[SOFTLY] Okay.
We're talking about the Judge Andrews?
So you know him?
By reputation.
That guy goes quail hunting
with the former attorney general.
He was shortlisted to be
a Supreme Court appointment.
Oh, great. So he's connected.
Revered might be a better word.
Well, let's see what
adjective folks use
if they find out what
Maggie's saying is true.
This guy is a former Rhodes Scholar.
Why the hell would he write down
the details of what he did?
Well, that's for us to figure out.
But I'm telling you, that
Maggie has all the hallmarks
of a victim of sexual assault.
Issues with alcohol,
she has a history of
failed relationships.
Okay, all of which
hurt her as a witness.
Can she even recall this abuse?
Not really.
So, according to the diary,
um, she was asleep
during the encounters.
So [SCOFFS]
How am I supposed to get a court order
for his handwriting,
let alone charge the judge?
Memory can come back.
Well, I hope it does.
For all our sakes.
[SIGHS] In the meantime
vet Maggie.
Really, Carisi?
[SOFT TENSE MUSIC]
Really? You think that
she's making this up?
Listen, when people flame out in life,
they almost never blame themselves.
The pages of this diary,
tell a different story.
Well, then we'll need to find
someone in her family
who can corroborate,
because you do not try to whack
a guy like Judge Andrews
until you have enough
to do it in broad daylight.
♪
Are there any more red flags
with Maggie Andrews?
Six months in rehab as a teen
at one of those Outward
Bound-type schools.
Well, she was forthcoming
with her substance abuse.
Any record?
Two DUIs, both dismissed.
All right, what about
her employment history?
She bounced from job to job.
Dog walking, house sitting, barista.
Okay. You follow up with her employers?
Yeah. She was late a lot.
Her half-brother, Charles,
just graduated the Naval Academy.
Her half-sister, Peyton, is in biotech.
- And what about the mother?
- She's a working pediatrician.
Is there any history
of Maggie making false allegations?
No, not that we found.
[PHONE BUZZING]
Benson.
Captain Benson, it's
it's Peyton Andrews.
- [GLASS SHATTERS]
- I'm Maggie's sister.
Peyton. Is everything okay?
[MAGGIE SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]
She's wasted here at my parents' house.
I I found your card in her bag.
I want you to text me your address.
I will be there as soon as I can.
All right, in the meantime,
call 911, okay?
We have a problem.
[TENSE MUSIC]
How's Maggie?
She won't come out of her room.
Your card says Sex Crimes.
Why has she been talking to you?
Maggie didn't tell her.
She just keeps yelling about my dad.
He's lying.
Officer, we got it from here.
I hate him, I hate him.
Call a bus.
- Maggie.
- [SOBBING] He's lying.
Maggie.
[SOBBING]
I remember.
- I remember.
- BENSON: Okay.
[SOBBING]
Okay, sweetheart.
Let's let's get you up, okay?
Let's get you up here.
He was here in my room.
He was right there.
Okay.
We're gonna get you the help
that you need, okay?
Okay, come on.
[SOBBING]
- Hey.
- How's Maggie?
Well, she needs stitches
and her blood alcohol was
three times the legal limit.
What the hell happened?
According to her,
she recovered a memory of her abuse,
as a child.
Maggie came to Sex
Crimes about my father?
Were you with her when
she was cleaning out
your parents' basement?
Yes, but as far as I knew,
I thought that she was just
going through some old papers.
Well, one of those papers was a diary.
And what was in it?
The description of the sexual abuse
of an eight-year-old girl.
Did it say that it was Maggie?
No, not specifically,
but the girl was referred to
as a stepdaughter.
Peyton, do you remember anything at all
being off between your dad and Maggie?
Maggie was eight. I
I was only five.
Okay. It's okay.
- 'Cause my parents
- Peyton.
What is this? What's going on?
Captain Renee Curry, NYPD.
NYPD?
How's my daughter's
relapse a police matter?
Judge Andrews?
Captain Benson, SVU.
Why is SVU involved in a family matter?
Captain Benson?
Um, I'm actually going to see
Maggie right now,
so, uh, my detectives,
uh, will fill you in.
Tread lightly.
Please, can someone
tell us what's going on?
Let's find a private place to talk.
Yeah, that'll be better.
Let's go in there.
Come on.
Let's just finish talking, okay?
It's okay. Right here.
Maggie says she was
sexually abused as a child?
You know anything about that?
Of course not.
By whom?
Look, if I could just
talk to my daughter,
I can sort this all out.
I don't think that's
such a good idea right now.
Who is she accusing?
We're trying to figure it out.
Maybe you wanna
help us fill in the story.
I'm a pediatrician.
If she had been molested as a child,
don't you think that I would know?
Maggie was your patient?
No, but I bathed her.
I tucked her into bed every night.
Are you aware that
your husband kept a journal?
Can I talk to Maggie?
She's with Captain Benson.
So what happens now?
Right now, your parents
are being questioned.
Okay, Peyton.
Has your father ever touched
you or your brother?
No.
So how do you explain the diary?
- I can't. I don't know.
- Peyton!
We're leaving.
Maggie's still being treated, Mom.
We're not talking to
the police anymore,
and neither are you.
If you have any other questions,
you can call my attorneys!
Attorneys, plural.
- You heard that?
- Mm-hmm.
Guy's an ex-judge.
He's not going down without a fight.
Then let's give him one.
Wait. Why were my parents here?
Um, well, your sister,
Peyton, called them,
so, they know what kind of crime
we're investigating.
So it's
It's too late to turn back.
Something deeply upset you.
You wanna tell me what that is?
[SIGHS]
I I was a bedwetter growing up.
And, um
I remember waking up one night.
He was there,
leaning over me.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Okay
Do you remember anything that he did?
Anything specifically?
Only that I didn't want him there.
He was pulling off my nightgown.
I yelled for my mom.
What else do you remember?
He said that she'd
be mad if we woke her.
After he left, I got up and,
I found my nightgown in my hamper.
But, um
it wasn't wet.
Neither was my bed.
That's very helpful.
- [SHAKILY] Mm-hmm.
- That's very helpful.
Um
What-what happens now?
I know this is a bit
of a long shot, but
Did you find anything
from your childhood
from that time that
That maybe had his DNA on it
or maybe, you know,
clothing or bedding?
The yellow nightgown.
It was in a box near
where I found the diary.
You still have that?
It's in the trunk of my car.
Okay.
That's good.
So now Maggie remembers
Judge Andrews in her room?
Yes, and she said that
he tried to play it off like
Like she wet the bed.
That's a good cover
story in case she woke up.
And Judge Andrews was at the hospital?
- So he knows everything that we know?
- Yes.
Do we have enough to move forward?
[SIGHS]
- This is all still circumstantial.
- Hold on.
We recovered the exact nightgown
that was referenced in the journal,
and I sent it to the lab.
Well, let's pray that
they find something.
Because getting DNA after 20 years,
even with the new technology,
that is a long shot.
- [KNOCK AT DOOR]
- Yeah, come in.
Counselor Carisi, there's
someone here to see you.
I hope I'm not disturbing you.
Judge Andrews, w-w
what can I do for you?
Have we crossed paths, Counselor?
They don't usually let
lowly state ADs like me
- in federal courts.
- [CHUCKLES]
What can we do for you?
Well, I abhor triangulation.
Well then, let's cut to the chase.
I assume that's why you're here
with your team of attorneys.
Absolutely.
Okay.
"I finished my gin and tonic
and found myself in her room."
"She was asleep."
"I sat down on the bed,"
"lifted her yellow nightgown."
So you're not denying
that you wrote that?
[SIGHS] I'm embarrassed
to admit that I did.
Given the quality
of the prose, at least.
Just to be clear,
my client is admitting
that he wrote the words.
Good, saves us the hassle
of a handwriting analysis.
I'm just horrified Maggie found it.
I can't imagine how she felt.
Can you blame her?
I assure you I never,
ever abused Maggie.
But she remembers you in her room.
She remembers you
taking off her nightgown.
Remembers it or read it in these pages?
I'm not denying I was in her
bedroom helping her change.
I
I hate to ask, but how much
had she been drinking
when she recovered this memory?
We can subpoena her medical records
for blood alcohol levels.
You described your
eight-year-old stepdaughter
wearing a yellow nightgown.
I take it you're not familiar
with the writer's process.
Yeah, you subconsciously extrapolate
from your own environment.
You're familiar with the book "Lolita"?
Wait, that's your defense?
That you're writing a novel?
I was attempting to, anyway,
back when I had literary pretension.
But as it turns out,
I'm a better judge than writer.
These passages are nothing more than
rough notes for a book.
[SIGHS]
Well, I believe Maggie.
Well, that's your
job, isn't it, Captain?
But the ADA's job is
to prosecute based on evidence.
Now, I've asked around about
your reputation, Mr. Carisi.
It's a little rough around
the edges, but meticulous.
I assume if you had enough
to arrest me, I'd be in cuffs.
You're free to go, Judge.
Thank you.
But I wouldn't buy any plane tickets.
[LAUGHS] I heard you
had a sense of humor.
Oh, please, give Nick Baxter my best.
[TENSE MUSIC]
So Judge Andrews lawyered up.
What about the wife?
Lillian?
We tried her.
She said to call her lawyer.
- Following her husband's lead.
- Yeah.
Peyton, the half-sister,
is sympathetic,
but she has no recall
of any of the abuse.
Okay, what about the brother,
- Charles?
- Same story?
He says he doesn't remember anything.
Well, the kid was four years
old when the abuse took place,
so right now, he's
siding with his old man.
Okay. Where have you been?
The lab.
They found DNA on Maggie's nightgown.
From traces of pre-ejaculate.
Call Carisi.
♪
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
[DOOR OPENS]
He's here.
Judge Andrews.
Mr. Carisi.
Thank you for the courtesy.
It was the DA's call.
Nick Baxter sends his regards.
Well, good luck, then.
'Cause you're gonna need it.
♪
[HANDCUFFS CLICKING]
[SIGHS]
Judge Andrews, I have to admit
it's a bit of a shock to see you here.
I expect to be treated
like any other defendant.
Presumed innocent.
Let's get to it, then.
Mr. Carisi?
Let's do it, Your Honor.
You've been indicted on the charges
of criminal sexual
act in the first degree
and course of sexual conduct
against a child, first degree.
How do you plead?
Not guilty.
- People on bail?
- These are B felonies.
The defendant has the means to flee.
The People ask for 200,000.
I know the DA's office
needs to show impartiality,
but this is beyond punitive.
Your client did ask
to be treated like any other defendant.
So before you ask for ROR,
I'm splitting the baby.
Bail is set at 50,000.
Next case.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Making you earn your paycheck
on this one, Carisi.
What do you need from us?
Well, a family member to
back up Maggie wouldn't hurt.
Guy's wife and son are sticking by him.
Publicly, at least.
Mm. Privately, who knows?
There could be some
cracks in that wall.
You can forget it.
There's no way in hell I'm
testifying against my father.
Not against your father.
For your sister.
As a character witness.
Never heard him
utter an unkind word about her.
You really think Maggie would lie?
She's an alcoholic.
Isn't that what addicts do?
Childhood trauma leaves lasting scars.
If my father's guilty of anything,
it's high expectations.
All right? But he
had those for all of us.
We all have our scars.
Charles
Maggie said she used
to look out for you as a kid.
She says your dad wasn't just
physically abusive,
but verbally too.
This is beyond lying.
She's trying to tear our family apart.
I-I'm not gonna help her do that.
So how many more of these do you have?
I went to Napa last year.
Well, that's not a bad trip
for an unemployed dog walker.
[CHUCKLES]
My, um, stepfather used
to help me out financially.
And then he stopped?
After my second DUI.
Did that, uh
That make you angry?
No.
I understood why he did that.
Well, the defense is
going to say otherwise.
What, that I'm just after money?
Trying to win some civil suit?
That's exactly what
they'll say, Maggie.
That you're making the whole thing up.
What about the diary?
Well, they will paint that
as a work of fiction.
[SCOFFS]
I'm beginning to think
my whole childhood was.
I'm sorry, Maggie.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
You know, I
I have never been able
to stay in a relationship
longer than a couple of weeks,
let alone have a healthy sex life.
I I have never even been able
to have sex in a bed.
Certainly understandable,
based on where he abused you.
Can I, um, tell you something else?
Of course.
Um
Anything.
Sometimes, I
I used to
fantasize about
Him.
Sexually.
So Maggie, that can happen, all right?
It's not uncommon.
Sometimes it's a victim's way
of putting the abuse back
back, you know, in their own control.
I probably shouldn't say it in court.
♪
You go in there, and
you tell them who you are.
So Maggie Andrews came in to
SVU to report a sexual assault.
She found a journal
that we've since verified
as written by her stepfather.
People's exhibit one, Your Honor.
Captain Benson, can you read
this entry from 2001, please?
"I slid off her yellow nightgown.
I kissed her down there."
How old would Maggie have
been when this was written?
Eight years old.
At first, Maggie had
no memory of being assaulted.
No, children often suppress
traumatic events like these
as a survival mechanism.
They have fractured
or incomplete memories,
and sometimes they
have no memory of it at all.
Now, the journal mentions
a yellow nightgown.
- Were you able to recover this?
- Yes.
The lab found traces of pre-ejaculate,
which contained enough semen
to get a DNA match for Judge Andrews.
Thank you. Nothing further.
Captain Benson, you're aware that
DNA from bodily secretions
can transfer in the laundry?
Yes, but never in my career
have I seen so much physical evidence
so congruent with the
perpetrator's own written word.
Do you have any evidence
that would indicate that
Judge Andrews' writing wasn't
simply a work of fiction?
I believe Maggie.
Isn't that for the jury to decide?
Objection. Argumentative.
Withdrawn.
Nothing further.
I was with Maggie when
she found the journal.
She ran out upset.
And when was the next time you saw her?
The following afternoon.
She was tearing her
childhood bedroom apart.
Did she say anything?
That our father was a liar.
Objection. Hearsay.
It's an excited utterance, Your Honor.
I'll allow.
She said that he lied to her.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
You never saw your father
in Maggie's bedroom, did you?
No. I was only five.
Did you ever see him abusing Maggie?
[TENSE MUSIC]
No.
But she says he did.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
♪
Hey.
How is Peyton?
Mr. Carisi is building a solid case.
- Why does that not sound promising?
- Maggie.
Maggie, you need to focus
on what you're saying to your
stepfather on the stand.
Okay?
I know that you can do this.
And if you can't look at the jury,
then you look at me.
The rest is just it's just noise.
You got this.
[BREATHES DEEPLY]
I remember my stepfather in my room
standing over me telling
me I had wet my bed.
But after he left,
I found my nightgown in the hamper.
He was lying.
When did you recall this?
Um, a day after reading the journal.
The details started coming back to me.
Going back to the night in question,
when you saw your stepfather
in the room,
did you call out?
Did you say, stop, no?
I called out for my mother.
My stepfather told me not to wake her.
And when you first read this journal,
did you believe it to be an account
of what happened to you?
[SNIFFLES] I don't
remember every detail,
but yes, I absolutely
believe that journal
to be a true account of
my own sexual abuse.
Thank you, Maggie.
How are you, Maggie?
I know none of this can be easy.
But I just wanna be clear
you have no direct recollection
of your father
penetrating you digitally or otherwise?
Just what I said.
That he was standing over you?
Pulling off my nightgown.
I felt strange.
And this alleged incident
would have happened when?
Uh, 23 years ago.
Sorry to have to ask this,
but the day you finally
remembered this alleged abuse,
had you been drinking?
Objection.
Relevance.
I'll allow.
Yes.
In fact, your blood alcohol
was several times
the legal limit, wasn't it?
I I don't know.
I do.
Defense exhibit C
Maggie's blood alcohol level
the day in question.
No, I'm not denying
that I had been drinking.
You were blackout drunk.
So out of control, in fact,
that the police were called
when this memory
suddenly occurred to you.
No, I read the journal
and it triggered me.
How can you be so sure
this memory wasn't just
triggered by a work of fiction?
My body remembers!
You're asking the jury
to convict your stepfather
of sexually abusing you
based on a bodily memory?
Objection.
Withdrawn.
Nothing further.
Mr. Carisi.
The prosecution rests, Your Honor.
You may step down, Ms. Andrews.
♪
We'd like to call our first witness,
Judge Leonard Andrews.
Maggie.
Hey!
Your Honor.
Counsel!
Please restrain your client
from addressing the witness.
Apologies, Your Honor.
♪
I was in Maggie's room multiple times
when she was eight,
helping her change
when she wet the bed.
Why you, not her mother?
My wife had a
demanding job as a doctor.
I wanted her to get her sleep.
There were details in your journal
that seemed to describe
an eight-year-old stepdaughter,
a yellow nightgown.
It sounds an awful lot like Maggie.
How do you explain that?
Well, it's an old aphorism, isn't it?
Write what you know.
Writers draw from real life.
But those notes that I
jotted down so long ago
were a complete work of fiction.
Why explore such a disturbing topic?
I was a defense attorney at the time
dealing with some
disturbing cases and
Like I said, you write what you know.
Why do you think your stepdaughter
is accusing you here today?
I'm sure it was quite shocking
reading those passages,
and I deeply regret
that she found my writing
without the proper context.
Maggie has had a troubled life.
It must be very tempting to try
and blame it on someone else.
I tried to help her.
[VOICE BREAKING] I blame myself
for failing that.
But I never, ever
abused my stepdaughter.
Thank you, Judge Andrews.
Nothing further.
Judge Andrews, you claim this journal
to be a work of fiction, correct?
Yes, that's right.
Did you ever write about
any other victims of childhood abuse?
- No.
- No?
None of the other children
from the many cases that
you found so disturbing?
- No.
- Ah.
So just an unnamed
eight-year-old stepdaughter
with a yellow nightgown?
Well, like I said, I drew from my life.
Yeah, but those other cases,
they were from your real life,
too, weren't they?
There, there wasn't one
protagonist I was writing about.
- It's an amalgam.
- Oh, an amalgam.
Did you ever finish this novel?
No.
Did you ever write a chapter?
What about a single page?
I never got past the outline stage.
Well, did you ever tell anyone
that you were working on a novel?
A friend, a colleague,
a manager, an agent?
The bounds of my talent fell
well short of that, Mr. Carisi.
So we're supposed
to just take your word for it?
That this was all made up?
[TENSE MUSIC]
There was one person I confided in.
My wife.
I'm sorry, dear.
I didn't wanna drag you into this.
Sidebar, Your Honor?
Approach.
♪
The defense would like
to call Lillian Andrews.
No, no, no, she was
not on your witness list.
You're the one who
opened the door, Counselor.
I'm going to allow.
I didn't know him at the time,
but Leonard double-majored
in law and English lit.
We met well after that.
He regretted never following through
on his literary aspirations.
So you knew about his novel?
Yes.
We tell each other everything.
Did you encourage it?
Of course.
Did you ever read the notes?
A few pages.
It wasn't very good.
Was it upsetting that the character
so closely resembled Maggie?
Well, I knew it wasn't Maggie.
And how could you be so sure?
Maggie wasn't my patient.
But I did try and help
her with her bedwetting.
At eight years old?
It started after
her birth father abandoned us
and it kept on going until
she was in mid-adolescence.
I considered medication, even diapers,
but, I didn't want to
put her through that.
I trusted she'd outgrow it.
When you examined her, did you
ever find any signs of sexual abuse?
No, none.
I would have reported
it right away if I had.
Did any of your
children make complaints
or have questions about your
husband's behavior toward them?
No, absolutely not.
Nothing further.
♪
Your witness, Mr. Carisi.
Charles.
Everything all right?
I just couldn't sit in there anymore.
I'm getting a QuikRide.
Is there something
you wanna talk about?
You can tell us, Charles.
Come on.
♪
My mother just lied up there.
About what?
I saw him coming out of
Maggie's room a few times.
I asked my mom.
What did she say?
She told me I must have dreamt it.
Even at four, I knew something was off.
I was too young to do anything. I
Do something now.
♪
[DOOR OPENS]
We executed the subpoena
- on Dr. Andrews' office.
- And? Anything?
She did have a file
on Maggie from 2001.
When she was eight years old.
There was a notation about
chafing on her outer labia.
- From the abuse.
- Uh-huh.
The next entry the following day,
"Probable cause of
irritation: bedwetting."
"Will continue to follow up."
What does that mean?
That she talked to her husband.
Counselor, what's our next step?
I have to disclose this
to the judge's attorneys,
but in the meantime, tell
Lillian she's got a choice.
She can either answer my
questions in the DA's office
or on the witness stand.
Go.
Dr. Andrews, you knew about the abuse.
Charles did ask you questions.
And you lied to him, just
like you lied on the stand.
Lillian was just trying
to keep her family together.
By sacrificing her firstborn?
It wasn't his fault.
Oh, whose fault was it?
Maggie has always had a history
of excessive attention-seeking
and and and
inappropriate seduction.
Hold on. Are you saying
are you saying that
this is Maggie's fault?
That she seduced him?
Is that is that really
what you're saying?
I told you she has
a histrionic personality disorder.
Shh, shh.
Stop.
Did you ever confront him?
Of course.
After the medical exam.
And what did he say?
At first, he denied it,
- but then
- He admitted it.
And you just stayed married to him.
No, I made sure that it
would not happen again.
By having him write it down?
Every detail.
As as what? Some
sort of sick collateral?
Yeah, I said if he ever did it again,
I would go straight to the police.
Why didn't you go to
the police the first time?
And be left alone?
With three children this time?
- I did what was best for my children.
- No, you didn't.
- All of them!
- No. No, no, no, no, no.
You did what was best for you.
I made sure that he never,
ever touched Maggie again.
Not enough, Mrs.
Andrews. Not nearly enough.
Whatever my client did or didn't do,
her actions are beyond
the statute of limitations.
What I did?
I allowed my children
to grow up with a father!
Leonard was never unfaithful again.
Unfaithful?
You're talking about
your eight-year-old daughter.
Your daughter!
I'm calling Leonard.
Tell the judge I want
him down here right now.
Does your husband know where you are?
Does he know that
you're here talking to us?
Of course he does!
We tell each other everything.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Judge Andrews.
Mr. Carisi.
Where are your lawyers?
I'm done with them.
So what are we doing here, Judge?
I walked into this building every day.
Under the inscription
outside on the door,
do you know what it says?
"The true administration of justice"
"is the firmest pillar
of good government."
Mm.
I was a good man, good judge.
A good father.
Glad you think so.
[VOICE BREAKING] I made one mistake.
One.
[SIGHS] And now?
Come on.
You're due back in court.
Let's go, Judge.
You know, she's blind.
I was her eyes for 40 years.
She held the scale.
It was my eyes alone
that adjudicated the balance.
And I saw such degradation.
And yet you preyed
on your own daughter.
Her eyes were closed.
She was asleep.
She was at her most vulnerable.
I love her.
Then why did you do this?
[TENSE SOMBER MUSIC]
I guess I just wanted
to know what it
How it felt.
How it felt?
How what felt?
Innocence.
Well, I guess you'll never know.
♪
So Judge Andrews
changed his plea to guilty
in exchange for seven
years on each count,
to run concurrently.
And Dr. Andrews?
I had a hard enough time
getting past the statute of limitations
on her husband's case.
Nothing I can really charge her with.
Well, after this,
she'll never be able
to practice medicine again.
She's lost her children
and the only thing that
ever mattered, her husband.
[SCOFFS]
How's Maggie doing?
You know, I saw her today, and
It's gonna be tough,
but
Maggie's gonna be okay.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
I guess that's the
The power of truth?
It's getting harder and harder
to find in this world.
Well, look who's getting
philosophical in their old age.
[CHUCKLES]
But I think that
Finding it is easy compared
to the other half of the job,
which is speaking it.
Now look who's feeling philosophical.
Good night, Captain.
Good night, Carisi.
♪