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Killer Within, A (2004)
I have an appointment
with Mr. Terrill at 2:00. Oh. Good afternoon, Mrs. Lovell. Mr. Terrill has cleared his schedule for you. How nice. Right this way. It's a pleasure to see you again, Miss Lovell. Step into my office. Go ahead and sit down. Would you like something to drink? What are you having? Dr Pepper. Dr Pepper? Well, I'm a Texan, so I grew up drinking Dr Pepper. Would you like one? No, thanks. I brought my own. So what can I do for you besides... pour your champagne? Actually, I need some professional advice. I'm considering a divorce. A divorce? Has your husband provided you with grounds? He spends too much time at the office... and not enough time on me. Well, perhaps that's his way of showing you... that he loves you by providing for you. I think he thinks that. Mrs. Lovell, I'm a corporate defense litigator. I'm not a family law specialist. Did you know that your tie complements your eyes? Thank you. My wife got me this tie. She has good taste. I think so. I wasrt referring to the tie. I'm sorry. What were we discussing? My husband. I don't like being ignored. He ignores me. I find it hard to believe that anybody could ignore you. Oh. Thank you. Cheers. Don't you think you've had enough of that, Mrs. Lovell? Why don't you join me? You know... I don't drink alcohol. Why not? It's a great anesthetic. Perhaps that's why. I'm afraid... I might like it too much. Really? What else are you afraid of, Mr. Terrill? I'm a married man, Mrs. Lovell. - Happily, I presume. - Very. Children? I have a four-year-old son. So something must turn you on. Perfume. I like a woman that wears perfume. Does your wife wear perfume? Sometimes. Very expensive, $600-an-ounce perfume? I don't know. Does she wear it between her legs? I'm afraid it's time for you to go, Mrs. Lovell. Mrs. Lovell? Back to work, ladies. That was awesome. I've decided to forget... about filing those divorce papers, Mr. Terrill. Really? I was so looking forward to our next appointment, Mrs. Lovell. I'm gonna get your stuff, OK? Addison, we have dinner reservations... at the French Room at 8:00. You have to be home by 7:00. OK. Can I call you about that, though... because I may have to work late tonight. Oh. You know what? I think since I'm here... I'll just stop by and say hello to Margaret. No, you won't, OK? Dinner at 8:00. OK. OK. I'll be there by 7:00. Good-bye, Mr. Terrill. Send me a bill for your time. Hey. Any messages for me? - They're all for you. - They're all for me? I'll tell you what. I'll take the ones that have called twice... and you handle the rest. Could you do me a favor? Send my wife... a dozen red roses, please, and make sure they're red. Come get me at 4:30. Whoa! No, no, no, not Olan Beauregard III... the plaintiff counsel from hell. What? He loves you. - He hates me, Addison. - I love you. Fuck you. Every time I talk to him... he files another motion. You talk to him. Your Mommy's home. Mommy, look what I drew. It's a picture of Sarah. Careful, sweetie. Mommy's wearing Prada. He wasrt too difficult, was he? Christopher has been an angel as usual. Do you like it? Oh, I love it, darling. I'm not finished drawing it. I really appreciate you taking care of Christopher all day. Werert your bored talking to a four-year-old? I enjoy taking care of Christopher. You know that. Only he is growing up so fast. Yeah. I wish he'd grow up a little faster. I want to send him to boarding school in France. You wouldn't. Come see what I bought you. Oh, it's beautiful. Becky, you shouldn't have. Well, you know how I like to buy things for people. This must have cost you a fortune. Well, we have a fortune. Oh, it's beautiful. Thank you. Now, OK, how did you do that? Just like that. That's it. Great. Oh. Christopher's birthday's next week... and he wants a pool party with the neighborhood children. Yuck. I could have the party at my house. I really wouldn't mind. I'd give anything to have a houseful of children... even if only for an afternoon. Are you still having trouble getting pregnant? Yeah. You know, you and Sam should go on a cruise. We've gone to the Caribbean and the Aegean. I've tried everything. I just wish I could convince Sam to adopt. There's nothing wrong with adoption. The male ego. They all want sons, and then when they get them... we do all the work. Sam says that you and Addison are trying to have another one. Men think they know everything, don't they? They don't know what it's like to be pregnant. It's like being a petri dish. You can't even lose weight for nine months. Third notice. Approaching dark orange status. Do you know what this is? Yeah. Six hundred billable hours. You know, sometimes, I wish people would hire us... before they signed their contracts. If people read their contracts and drove safely... we'd be out of a job. You ever miss the D.A.'s office? Oh, let me think. Murder, rape, child abuse, petty politics, death threats. That's right, baby, the simple life. If you start to miss that, lie down... on your eight thousand dollar leather couch... till the feeling goes away. Sam, I'm serious right now. No, Addison. That was your dream, not mine. God. You know, I'm just gonna have to come back here later... and finish this mess. Call the other lawyer and ask for an extension. You call him. It's Olan Beauregard III. Oh. Well, now I feel the love. What can I do to help? Someone sent you flowers. Do you want me to open the card? If those are one dozen long-stemmed red roses... they're from Addison. They're from Addison. Do you want to baby-sit tonight? Addison and I are going out to dinner. - I'd love to. - Are you sure? Because we can always call the service. What time do you want me? 7:30. Our reservations are for 8:00. OK. Christopher, that is so good. Can I take this home with me? I'm not ready. Oh, OK. Well, I better get home and start Sam's dinner. This is hopeless. It's gonna be an all-nighter. I told you. Wait. Don't call Sarah. I got this. I got to let her know I'm gonna be late. I've got to come back after dinner anyway. Here we go again. Besides, I can go a hell of a lot faster... than with your slow ass. What time do you got? It's about 6:00. Listen. I'm gonna be late tomorrow. Sarah and I are seeing another fertility specialist. Oh, yeah? How's that going? Not as well as we hoped. She's ready to adopt a Korean kid. I'd kind of like to keep trying the old-fashioned approach. Well, hey, there's nothing wrong with adoption. I didn't say that... but what if the doctors are wrong? What if we can have a child of our own? Margaret. You're working late. So are you, Mr. Moss. I've been going over... the insurance bills, Mr. Terrill. Our PPO carrier denied coverage on your wife's tummy tuck. Well, that's OK. I mean, insurance companies... don't normally cover that kind of thing. She apparently had a tubal ligation... at the same time. If the doctor submits a statement... that it was for medical reasons, we could claim reimbursement. Thank you, Margaret. We'll handle it from here. Yes, sir. It's probably just a billing error. Billing error. Let's go hit some golf balls. I knew something was wrong, Sam. It's just heat lightning. Becky conceived Christopher... the second she stopped taking the pill. - Addison. - She never lied to me before. - Addison. - How could she do this to me? You have a son. You have a beautiful family. I realize that, Sam. It's just that I didn't want Christopher to grow up alone... like I did. Addison, how long have we known each other? I don't know. Since we were eight. Right. So you didn't grow up alone, did you? I guess I do have a brother. Tee it up. I smell meatloaf. Your mother's recipe. Pecan pie. My mother's recipe. I need a beer. Hey, that's me. You're not gonna frame that one, are you? Because, you know, that's a little creepy. How was your day? Oh, the usual, taking care of Christopher. How was your day? Oh, the usual... taking care of Addison. Daddy's home? Where's my Tiger? Hey, Buddy! What are you doing? I missed you today. Daddy, Daddy, look what I drew. What is that, a picture of Mommy? No. It's a picture of Sarah. Why, it sure is, isn't it? Let's put her name on there. Can you make an "S" for me? S-A-R... How do I look? Pretty damn good to me. Go easy. Somebody's been drinking. You have ten minutes to get ready. Who's gonna baby-sit Christopher... not that girl with the black fingernail polish? - Sarah. - OK. Sarah I can live with. Christopher, stop drawing on the table now. What's going on out here? He fell off the chair. Can't you pick the kid up? Addison, he needs to learn how to sit in a chair. You all right? Come here. Come on. Let's go color. All right? I don't think we need to be going out tonight. - Why not? - Because you've been... drinking too much... not to mention I've got to go back to the office... and do some work. Christopher, go to your room, please, sweetie. I'm sorry. Don't take it out on him. Oh. You're sorry? Well, then that makes it all right then, doesn't it? I better cancel our dinner reservations. Oh, you're so thoughtful. Gee. And while you're at it, why don't you call Sarah... and tell her not to come over? Yes. This is Mr. Terrill calling. We had an 8:00 reservation I'd like to cancel. You know, it took me six weeks to get those reservations. Becky! Oh, screw this. I don't need this. But you always do this. Oh, yeah. Please don't tell me the rest. This is my fault, right, right? And let me guess... you're needed at the office... to sort something out all night long... and only you can do it. No. Sam can't do it because, well, he's too busy... getting his wife pregnant, isn't he? Sam doesn't work well under pressure. Or under the covers evidently. Sam's a leech, if you hadrt noticed. You carried him through law school... you carried him as an assistant district attorney... and for some ungodly reason, which only you can divine... you carried him right into your private practice. Sam is important to my work. Sam manages your office. He buys the paper clips... and then hires the secretaries... and then he tells the secretaries... to use the paper clips. If he is such a hotshot, why can't he handle this? Because I don't like fooling around with time programs... and I need another attorney to bounce ideas off of, Becky. You don't have to give him half of everything you make. You don't. Why don't you... just give him an account at Office Depot? Look around you. How much better could you eat or fucking drink? Why can't Sam be the guy... who works late at the office at night? I planned a romantic evening for the two of us tonight. This is a big client, OK? This is my big client. I have to do this. Oh, shut up! I've heard all this before. What makes this worse, it's not like you're out... screwing some bimbo. At least that, I could compete with. I'm not out screwing some bimbo because I respect... my marriage vows. Oh, yeah. That's right. Don't I know it? You're like the morality police. Becky, you know I cannot tolerate... lies and prevarications in my life. What are you getting at? I'm talking about Christopher being an only child! Why would you do that without discussing it with me first? Because it's my body. I'm sorry. I should have told you. Hey, Tiger. What are you doing? Is Mommy still mad? Well, you know, that was Daddy's fault. Mommy says I'm a bad boy sometimes. No. You're not a bad boy. And your Mommy loves you, and I love you very much. I'm not finished drawing my picture of Sarah yet. Well, I'll tell you what. You finish this snack... and then you can go and work on that picture of Sarah, OK? OK. I'm gonna check in on you when I get home. OK. I hate you. You know that, don't you? I love you. Someday, you're gonna be sorry you didn't stop and smell... the roses your secretary ordered for me. Come on. I'm gonna take you outside. Hey, hey! This is my house! Becky! Christopher! Where is he? I tried to call you on your cell phone. Where is she? No. Addison, don't go in there! - Get him out of here! - Where's Christopher? Where's my son? Christopher? - Addison. - Christopher? Addison! Chris? Christopher? He's on his way to the hospital. Sarah's with him. I waited for you... Addison! Christopher Terrill. He was just brought in. Room 256, but the desk nurse... There's no evidence of cerebral swelling. The x-rays are negative, the CAT scan is negative... although he did take quite a blow. What kind of blow? Hey, Doc, he was found facedown on the kitchen floor. What do you think? Well, his injuries suggest... he may have been picked up, shaken. He was thrown to the floor? That's the most likely scenario for his head trauma. But he's gonna be OK, right? Yeah. He should recover. I want to keep him a few days, though... just to make sure there are no complications from his injuries. We need to talk. Outside. I went back to my office. I had some work to finish. Anybody see you? No. I used my key. The police report indicates that Detective Washington... tried to contact your firm about 9:14 P. M... and got no answer. - I'd left already. - So you don't have an alibi? No. I didn't think I was gonna need one. Were you and your wife having any problems? What is this? You know the routine. When a wife is killed... the primary suspect is always the husband. Hold on. I need a moment to confer with my client. We'll waive the Miranda warning. - OK, Counselor. - Oh, no, no. Wait a second. Continue, please. Thank you. Your neighbor Sarah Moss went over to your house... to baby-sit around 7:30 and noticed the broken window. Jesus. I forgot to call her. I heard my wife calling my name. I rushed over. Did you see anyone? No. I got Christopher, took him back to my house... dialed 911, went back to check on Becky... We live just a few houses down. The rest you know. "We're even now" written on the wall. What do you think that means? I don't know. Do you remember Sonny Bruton? The DNA evidence in this case is irrefutable. The defense is arguing that there are... extenuating circumstances because Sonny Bruton... was abused as a child. My heart goes out to that boy of long ago. When you two were with the D.A.'s office... you prosecuted Sonny Bruton for the rape and murder... of three college girls. He tied them to their beds with their own underwear... the same way your wife was found. Sonny Bruton is serving three consecutive life sentences... without parole. He was released five days ago. - What? - Cut a deal with the State. - Austin politicians. - You didn't know about that? No, I didn't know about that. Seeing as how you were the prosecuting attorney... the Parole Board contacted you the day after he was paroled. You're gonna find him, right? You know, Bruton spent six years in the slammer... ratting on everybody he can to get out. The first thing he does when he's free is kill your wife? He must really hate you. Well, lucky for us, your son survived... and when he recovers, he'll probably be able... to identify the killer. He's four. He's a witness, my only witness. Thank you, gentlemen. One more thing, Terrill. Bruton likes to take souvenirs. Your wife was strangled with one of her own stockings. We'd really like to find it. Jesus. Sonny Bruton. I'm worried when he finds out he didn't kill Christopher... he's gonna try again. - Well, just forget about it. - No. I got to find him. Addison, you're not going anywhere. Addison, stop! Your son needs you. I need him, too. This is a community gripped with fear. Last night, Rebecca Terrill, the socialite wife... of former district attorney Addison Terrill... was found brutally murdered, and their son was left for dead. Police say they are continuing to gather evidence... but that this case may be related... to one of the cases that Addison Terrill prosecuted... as district attorney. We have company. This is not an appropriate time, Lieutenant. We can go downtown if you'd be more comfortable. We understand that your son is awake. We need to talk to him. He's recovering from an assault, and his mother has been murdered. And he might identify the man who killed her. He's four years old, you asshole. Take it easy, Larry. What about Sonny Bruton? We'll find him... but first, we have some more questions for Mr. Terrill. - No. - It's OK. The autopsy report indicates... that the cause of death was strangulation. Your wife wasrt raped. There were no bruises... in the usual places. In other words, Bruton raped three women... but he didn't rape your wife. This is not necessary. The report also says the victim had a.15 blood alcohol level. That's a lot of alcohol for a happily married woman... or maybe she wasrt so happily married. What are you getting at? What I'm getting at is that you have a girlfriend... and we know that she visited you at your office... the day of the murder. That was my wife, Lieutenant. Come again. We were trying to have another baby. She came to my office dressed as a client. It was a game we played. A footnote to the medical examiner's report... said that her tubes were tied... so you were trying to have a baby... with a woman who couldn't? She didn't tell me about that. When did you find out? Fuck this! You said Sonny Bruton broke his parole. You don't know where he is? We'll find him. But you don't think he did it. We'll ask him when we find him. Call us when you do... because right now this bullshit is over. Counselor. Counselor, don't let your client leave town. So what do you think, Lieutenant? Let's find the girlfriend. They're sportfishing. Garrett has a hard-on for you. He was Jesus Vargas' partner, remember? Yeah. They're not looking for Bruton. No rape, no DNA. No DNA, anyone is the killer. - I got to go after him. - That's insane. Look. I don't have a choice, Sam. Addison, you can't find your keys in the morning. How do you expect to find Sonny Bruton? I'll go back to the notes on the trial. I'll speak to the arresting officer. - Jesus Vargas? - Yeah. Shit. Who is it? Addison Terrill. I've been waiting five years to do that. What do you want? I just wanted to talk. Talk about what, religion, politics... or this certain case I've been listening to... on the police radio? You're quite the talk of the barrio, shyster. Lieutenant Garrett thinks I killed my wife. Did you ever know a wife who didn't' give her husband... a reason to kill her? Come on. You go home. Wait. Wait. Come on. I need your help. What, you need my help? Why don't you go get the real cops? Look. Your son already lost his mama. You want him to lose his daddy, too? Don't do this to me, Vargas. Oh, fuck you, Terrill! It's because of you I ain't a cop no more. I don't owe you shit, and shit is all I've got. I'm looking for Sonny Bruton. You have a contact from when you made that arrest. I want a name. You want a name? Angel Zamora. She hangs out at Los Tiburones on Fairpark. Sorry. Hi. I need some help. Are you lost, mericon? Actually, I'm looking for somebody. Angel Zamora. Never heard of her. What do you want? I'll take a Dr Pepper. Carlos. Do you want chips with that? That's OK. Hey. Are you looking for Angel Zamora? Yes. Yes, I am. Well, she don't work here no more... but I know where she is. Great. Great. Do you have a number or an address? Let's go outside. He's looking for Angel Zamora. How's it going? Let me see cash. Hey, hey, come on. What about... OK. I'm not looking for any trouble, all right? Soon you won't be looking for nothing, pendejo. Come on, papa. Come on. Give me the fucking money. That's it. Man, you ain't a cop no more. And you ain't no altar boy. Thanks. This ain't right, man. He comes to our place, he pays gringo fee. - Pay him. - Pay him? For what? Pay him for not killing you. - This is extortion. - It's street law, shyster. You want to dance the Macarena, you got to pay the band. Let's go. I still need to get that address. Wait a second. Come on, man. Just give me the address. This meeting never happened. Running a string of bitches out of the Oasis Motel... 1313 Ortiz Street. Put that shit away before I take it away from you. Where's my car? You got to be kidding me. Come on, man. Come on. I'm parked down here. Where to, 1313 Ortiz Street? The hospital. You hurt that bad? I got to go check on my son. What are you doing following me anyway? You keep flashing your business cards... around like that, you're gonna get yourself... fucking killed. Thanks. I'm not doing it for you, shyster. I'm doing it to get Sonny Bruton. I'm sorry about your wife, man... and you were right about John Garrett. He's not busting his balls looking for Sonny Bruton. He's got you figured for it. What makes you so sure about that? I still have my sources downtown. I used to be a cop, remember, till you had me kicked out. You broke the law, Vargas. Oh, yeah. Whose law, some dead white guy law? No. Why let justice stand in the way of the legal system? - You want some? - No, thanks. - Oh. You still don't drink? - Obviously, you do. Every chance I get, but I quit smoking. What are you doing with cigarettes in the car then? I keep them around to test my willpower. So you think Bruton killed your wife? I don't know. Judicial vendettas are so rare... but the guy threatened me at the trial... and this all happened when he was on parole. All I know is that if my sors a witness... he could be in serious danger. One thing's for sure... Sonny Bruton doesn't want to be found. So it's my day off tomorrow... so I'll pick you up around 11:00. All right. See you at 11:00. - Hey. - Hey. How's he doing? The doctor says there's no permanent damage. He's gonna let him go sometime today. You want Sarah and I to look after him... until you can make other arrangements? You guys have done so much already. I can't ask you to do that. Then don't ask. God. I got to go see Vargas. Jesus Vargas? I thought he hated you. Oh, he does, but he hates Sonny Bruton more. Hey, what are you doing? You can't do that. You're not a cop. They fired me. I didn't quit. OK. We're gonna take this step by step. Are you OK with this... or are you going to lose it on me? No. I just... I mean, my wife used to keep this place so spotless. I'm good. OK. Kitchen window's broken. Forced entry. You set the alarm when you left? What time was that? About 7:00. We don't know what time Bruton showed up. Maybe he watched the house all day... planned on getting you with your wife... wasrt expecting you to leave. He broke the window. You set it on delay, right? Fifteen seconds from when I returned. Didrt want to wake up anybody. So the alarm was beeping, and he grabs your son... but where was he, here by the door? OK. Bruton sits outside, looking for a way to get in. He sees your son come to the kitchen... to get a drink of water. Or to get the cat. I mean, he likes to sleep with the cat. OK. So he came down to get the cat. Or maybe his crayons. Bruton decides to break through the window. He grabs your kid, your wife comes running in... Wait. My wife had.15 blood alcohol level. Point 1-5? Oh, shit, man. She was drunk. That's right. So she didn't come rushing into the kitchen... but the alarm has to be turned off in fifteen seconds. Otherwise, it lights up the neighborhood. They were both in the kitchen. He takes your son, and he uses him... to force her to turn off the alarm... and then he hurts Christopher anyway. Maybe he couldn't quite kill him because Becky's there. Maybe he got nervous trying to kill a kid. That's new ground for him. Was Becky forced to watch? Please. I'm sorry, man. We'll come back to it later, all right? So he picks her up, he carries her to the bedroom. He gets her on the bed, and he ties her to the bed... with her bath robe sash. He strangles her with the stocking... he ties the other one around her ankle... then takes the one he used as a trophy... and kills her, but he doesn't rape her... takes the crayon and writes that. Jesus Christ. But he doesn't go back for the kid. Why not? How are we gonna find Sonny Bruton... if the cops can't do it? Don't worry. We'll find him. Freeze! Oh, shit. Sam, put that gun down before you shoot somebody. Addison. Where the hell is your car? You don't want to know. I've been trying to get you on your cell phone. Shit. I turned it off at the hospital. Garrett is over at the house. He's got a social worker, and they're talking to Christopher. The hell he is. Can we talk? Yeah. Sure. Don't you worry, honeylamb. We won't let anyone hurt you. Just draw us a picture of the person who made your Mommy go away. Excuse me. What's going on in here? Would you leave my son alone, please? Your son was a witness to a murder. This is standard investigative procedure. You know what? I think he's seen enough. Thank you. Mr. Terrill, I don't think you understand. No. I don't think you understand, OK? I'm trying to restore some semblance of normalcy... to my sors life, OK? And if I have to threaten you with legal action... I don't think court is where you want to go with this. Really? Doctor, can you guarantee me in writing... this will not affect my son in any way, now or in the future? That's what I thought. This meeting is over. You suppose there's anything to drink in this place? Dr Pepper, Diet Dr Pepper. Milk, juice, water. I'll pass. How's the kid doing? He's OK. Bruised, but OK. Has he said anything? Not about the murder, if that's what you're asking. Your wife found him? Yeah. About 7:30. And you called the cops? Right after. Did Mrs. Terrill have any friends... that he didn't know about? You mean, was she seeing someone else? Well, possibly. You know the husband is the last... No. She adored Addison. Did she drink a lot? Becky was easily bored. When she was bored, she drank. Did the Parole Board contact your firm... about Bruton being released? They contacted me. We get about 200 calls a day. If we were contacted, I don't remember. What kind of law do you guys practice, criminal? Civil defense. Ah. You were always smart, Moss. Too smart to stay an assistant DA. Always second chair... from high school to Harvard law. I guess your firm is successful. If a big corporation has to win a case. They called Terrill and Moss LLP... so, yes, you can say we're successful. Does your firm carry insurance? Sure. What kind? The usual. Workers' comp, full medical, dental, key man. What kind are you looking for? Life insurance. On dependents. How much for Addisors wife? Three million. Aha. That's a hell of a motive. No wonder Garrett's up his ass. Terrill, the best way to protect your son... is to find his mother's killer. Why don't you find yourself out of here? Terrill, I've got to have that picture. Now! Just get out. Well, howdy, John. Long time, no see. Jesus, what are you doing here? I guess I got lost on my way to the barrio. If you know what's good for you, you'll get lost permanently. The last thing I need is a hothead like you... going after Bruton. It's going to be a beautiful night. Now that you're leaving, it is. Can I talk you out of this? No. Here. Take this. What the hell are you doing with that gun? I got it the day Sonny Bruton tried to kill you in court. Just keep it. I don't need it, OK? Why don't you take the gun, man? Guns kill people. That's why I like them. Well, you're sick. We all know that. It's not the gun that's bad. It's the hand that holds it. I just want to talk to Bruton, OK? I don't even know for sure... if he's the one that killed Becky. Oh, he killed her all right. What makes you so sure about that? It's not my first rodeo. I'm a cop. Instinct tells me Bruton did it. How are we gonna find Ortiz Street? You got a GPS in this thing? Yeah, right. It's called a Mapsco. Mapsco. - Hey, baby. - Whoo! Que linda. Ha ha, you're looking good tonight. Hey, the one in the fuckme pumps... She's got the hots for you. Well, ask her if she'll take a credit card. I'm out of cash. Let me handle this, amigo. Hey, hey. Oh, my God! - Get in the car. - She's been shot. - You can't help her, man. Get in the fucking car! Snitches snitch both ways. I can't believe I forgot that. Oh, God. It happened so fast. We're not going to catch this guy. There are no plates on his car. Look, let's go back to help that girl. Forget about that bitch, man. Start worrying about yourself. Aha. There they go now. Batman and Robin. That girl couldn't have been more than 16 years old. Hey, look. The old ones do it to feed their kids. The young ones do it to feed their habits. Just forget about it. No. You just don't want to go back... because you don't want Garrett to know... we're after Angel Zamora. Look, drop it, all right? It's my fucking case now. Not his. Come on, man, I want to check something out... while the site's still hot. County morgue. I'm gonna check the autopsy results. Make sure there's no mistake. You don't have to come in if you don't want to. Doc. Come on, Vargas. We're closed. Dr. Schultz, you know the morgue never closes. After this, I don't owe you anymore, you got it? Who is this? Dr. Schultz, Addison Terrill. Husband of the deceased. The husband, huh? You sure you want to do this? I'm sure. Then come with me. She had.15 blood alcohol level. Someone came up from behind her... and killed her with a garrote. It was probably cloth... and it may have been impulsive. Impulsive? Right. In my opinion... someone would be acting on an impulse... would bring both hands up... and then bring them down with the cloth and around... and then he would have to cross his arms... behind the victim's head. Now, with the arms being so close... the lines don't touch at the back of the neck. And... we found skin tissue under her fingernails... from her own throat. If you'll notice the grooves on her neck... she fought back... and she made those marks herself... when she was trying to breathe. And, uh, her fingernails drew blood. So we're still looking for a missing stocking. Yeah. One with blood on it. So if she fought back, then whoever killed her... must have been very strong. Yeah. Lots of upper-body strength. Real macho. Someone with very strong hands. You see, it takes some time to strangle someone. You have to hold them steady... while the life drains from them... and someone came up behind her and grabbed her... Stop. Oh, excuse me... I mean, excuse me, please. I have no bedside manners. I am a pathologist. That's what I... I'm a doctor for the dead. But I can swear to three things in this case, Vargas. She was drunk, she was killed from behind... and she was dead before she was tied to that bed. If you're gonna puke, do it now. I'm all right. No, shyster. You need a little pick-me-up. I know just the vice. I don't drink. You need something stronger than alcohol. Hey. What's up, Phil? Good to see you, man. Hey, Officer Vargas. Long time, no see. Yeah, I'm back now. Good to see you. Hey, Vargas. Where's that money you owe me? Still in the bank collecting interest. All right. How are things down at the museum? I'm still trying to learn how to use a paintbrush. - Museum? - Yeah. My day job. I'm a security guard at the Museum of Modern Art. - Really? - Yeah. Personally, I would get rid of all that crap... and bring in some real art. You know, paintings of matadors on black velvet. You know, stuff like that. Hey, Vargas. The usual? Yeah. One little wheel from heaven, baby. And what'll you have? Uh, just an espresso. We have coffee. You have two choices, take it or leave it. Uh, do you have Dr Pepper? How about a doughnut? It's what we sell here. OK. What kind of doughnuts do you have? Chocolate, vanilla, maple, strawberry, cream... glazed, powdered sugar, with nuts, without nuts... with sprinkles, without sprinkles. What was the third one? Just give him a plain doughnut, all right? Thanks. You know your problem, Terrill? You're compulsive about not being compulsive. Really? What's your problem? That I ain't a cop no more. You know, suppose we do find Bruton... and suppose you know it was Bruton who killed your wife... and you can't prove it. What are you gonna do? I'm not gonna manufacture evidence against him... if that's what you're getting at. Even if it means getting a murderer off the street? A man who might kill your son? No. You know, I've been meaning to ask you something... for a long time... but until tonight, we werert on speaking terms. Who told you I planted the blanket fibers on Stroud? Who told me? You really want to know? Your old buddy... your ex-partner Lieutenant Garrett. I thought so. Maybe he thought I wouldn't use it against you. Yeah, I don't blame Garrett. Straight-laced cop who plays by the book. No imagination. Imagination? Is that what it takes to plant evidence? It's not like I didn't have any evidence on Stroud. Just not enough to convince a jury. I only planted enough to prove the elements. A lot of cops plant evidence. We don't plant evidence on innocent people... only on the scum we can't quite get. Really? And who decides who's scum? You guys gather around the police locker room, you take a little vote? You know, l... You don't know what it's like... to track a criminal for two years... and watch him go free... and you don't know what it's like... to tell a mother that her kid is never coming home... from school again. Now, when you let Stroud go... and he killed another little girl... that's when I hated your guts. You know something? You're lucky I didn't prosecute you... for fabricating physical evidence. You would have spent two to ten years in prison for that... not to mention a fat little fine of about $10,000. Would you have preferred that? You know, Terrill? For being such a nice guy... you're a real son of a bitch. I've heard that before. Hey, Vargas, I thought you had quit smoking. Yeah, I did, but I promised myself when I'm 65... I was gonna start again. I may not live that long. Let yourself in. The key's under the mat. I got to go shoot my next-door neighbor... for a parking space. Come here. I want to show you something. I've got to wrap my head around this case again. I'm missing something. How many files do you have? Every case I ever worked on, and then some. Sonny Lorenzo Bruton. Hispanic mother, German father. Both deceased. Amateur boxer, golden gloves... which means he was strong enough. Liked to keep trophies. Used to take pieces of the victim's clothing. Here. Save that. We may need it later. Reports? What are you looking for? You know, I'm not sure. I know he had a regular girl. She wasrt very helpful in the trial... but she refused to rat him out. Here. Nikki Spider. Bleached hair, nose ring. Spider tattoo on the back of her butt. - Colorful girl. - Yeah. I got some friends down at vice and narcotics. I'm gonna give them a call. See if I can find her. Yeah. I know I owe you, Holister. Yeah, yeah. Hey, listen. What's the last address you had on Nikki Spider? Yeah. Yeah. Stars tickets, Cowboys, Rangers, whatever you want. Gracias, man. These files are private. I noticed the parole office called you... about Sonny Brutors release. Yeah. They should have welded the prison doors shut... on that psycho. Did you get an address on his girl? Yeah. 1313 Ortiz Street. Huh. What a coincidence, huh? Same address as Angel Zamora. Like mama said, always cross your "t's"... and roll your "r's." Let's rock and roll. Come on, shyster. Any of you ladies know where we can find Angel Zamora? Uh, yeah. Over there. I'll give you double the fun at half the price. - I know you would, mama. - Come on, papi. You want me. That's Angel. Let me handle this, all right? All right. Angel. What's going on, baby? We're looking for one of your girls... Nikki Spider. My girls don't have names; just room numbers. Tattoo on her ass. They all have tattoos on their ass. Bleached hair, grunge look. Room 125. It's a surprise. Don't call her. Hello, boys. It's cold out here. It's hot in here. How much to get us inside? Both of you? We're both cold. What about pretty boy? Are you cold, too? Sure he is. No. He scares me. He only wants to watch, and we heard you're sweet. 200. Apiece. You get one penetration. Anymore than that, you got to pay extra. You got to use protection. Latex, not lambskin. No batteries or glue guns. Got that? You screw as good as you talk? - Better. - Ha ha. On the bed, sweetheart. What the fuck is this? Oh, come on, baby. Don't tell me you've never been tied up before. Yeah, but I charge extra. - I'll give you some extra. - Ouch! Just stay calm. If you're real nice to me... I'm gonna give you something you're never gonna forget. That hurts. You shut up, you lie there, and you listen up. Wise-ass bitch. Where's Sonny? You're a cop. I should have known. Cops get off tying girls up. Yeah, baby. You told me you like it hot. If I tell you, he'll kill me. - Yeah, huh? - Aah! Shut up! Shut up! Look. Sonny is wanted for murder... and if you point me in the right direction... and I'm gonna forget your name. I'll even forget about that tattoo on your ass. Where the fuck is he? I'm gonna ask you one more fucking time. Where is Sonny? I don't know where he is. You feel this heat? You feel that, mommie? Now tell me where you want it, baby. Where you want it, baby? All right. Maybe I should return the favor, huh? I should return the favor... and I should blow some smoke up your ass. Where you want it, mommie? Huh? Where you... Wait. Look, we got to make her talk, man. Don't you want answers? Not like this. Not like this. Damn. I wish I wasrt on the clock. I'm taking a refund, baby. No penetration. That was bullshit. She's calling Sonny Bruton. It's me. You got to get out of there. Two. Definitely cops. How the fuck do I know? He's here, man. She only dialed three fucking numbers. He's in the fucking motel. Bruton, stop! You're under arrest! Go! Go for the steps! No! No! No! - Is he dead? - I don't know, man. He may have broken his neck on the way in. You're a dead man, Vargas! No! Stop! Stop it! No! He told me some rogue cop was after him... after he spilled his guts in prison... and I didn't believe him. - Get her out of here, man. - You bastard! Oh, he promised to marry me! I'm your lawyer, keep your mouth shut. I'll handle this. Well, hello, John. Did you do this, Jesus? Yeah. Motherfucker soup. He ain't gonna be talking to nobody. You live by the sword, you die by the sword. I'd say this case is closed. Is that what you'd say, Counselor? Or is that what you hope? Now you got a dead man to take the fall for murder. This is all very convenient. Very neat. This isn't over. I'll get a court order... and force your kid to finish that picture. Hey, Lieutenant. Look what I found. Vargas does nice work, huh? Go home. Come on. Let's get drunk. Take me home. I could use some company tonight. You want chips with that? And more hot sauce. And a plate of nachos, double jalapenos, por favor. - Queso? - Si. Gracias, amiga. Oh, man. My back is killing me. And I can't make a fist. I still got your teeth marks on my hand. What is it with you? Every time I see you... I get in a fight. Because you're nothing but trouble. You know... I've been in the game a long time... and there's not much that surprises me. Tonight... you surprised me. You killed a man... without a judge, a jury, or due process of the law. How does it feel? Yeah. It's not so black and white, huh? I forgot how bad the coffee at the station house was. Thanks for watching my back. I'm gonna make some calls tomorrow. See if I can Garrett taken off the case. Go get some sleep. It's over. It doesn't feel like it's over. Brutors dead. Your son is safe. It's over. Sarah made a bed for you in Christopher's room. Wanna go see Christopher? Come on. Good morning. - Good morning, Daddy. - Hey, Tiger. Look, uh, I got to go to the office. I got to figure something out. It's gonna be hard for him to let go, Sam. I know. I'll talk to him. Bruton was surprised to see me. He recognized me. But he was damn sure surprised to see me. Come on. Bruton was running from Vargas, Sam. Not from me. I'm telling you. Bruton had nothing to do with this. Addison, for once, let me handle something. Just drop it. Garrett was right about this, Sam. It's just a little too neat. Let me make some phone calls. I'll get someone less prejudiced on the case. I don't want Garrett off this case. He's looking for the killer. No, you stupid son of a bitch. He's after you. Look, if Bruton isn't the killer, all the evidence points to you. You don't have an alibi. The police think you have a girlfriend. There is insurance money... and you have the knowledge to set up Bruton... as the killer. Add... you're a former D. A... who's not gonna last five minutes in a prison... with criminals you sent there... so just fucking drop it. I can't, Sam. I can't drop it. I got to know who killed my wife. You meticulous prick. Fine. Let's think it through. It has to be someone with a motive. That's when I hated your guts. It has to be someone who knew the police would suspect you. Did you ever know a wife who didn't give her husband... a reason to kill her? It has to be someone who knew Sonny Brutors signature. Sonny Lorenzo Bruton. It has to be someone willing and able to plant evidence. I only planted enough to prove the elements. Vargas. That piece of shit. Addison, man, you scared the shit out of me, man. I know who killed my wife... and it wasrt Sonny Bruton. Yeah. L... I know that, man. I know you know. No, no. I still have my sources downtown. The stocking they fished out of the pool... had no blood on it... it wasrt the murder weapon. You're keeping a file on me like the rest of your suspects. Why? Hey, I keep files on a lot of people, man. You, Stroud, Bruton, the channel 5 weather... You killed Becky. You had the motive. You knew my address. You knew the entry code to my house... and you're the one who planted that stocking on Bruton... so you could incriminate him. Hey, man, why would I want to kill your wife, man? Because you took away everything from me? Because you ruined my life? Hey, let me tell you something, shyster. I never wanted anything but to be a cop. But I don't need a badge to do the right thing. Look, I am out there looking for the person... who killed your wife just like you. But if you think I did it and you want to kill me... then you better release the safety off that gun. Come on. Put that thing down, man... and I'll make you some coffee. Becky never really wanted to have children. The only reason we had Christopher... is because I pressured her into it. Then she got herself fixed, she never told me about it. Did she ever keep any secrets, like this... from you before? She drank too much. We ignored it. Do you have a girlfriend? No. Becky's it for me. I'll love her till the day I die. So if you didn't do it and I didn't do it... and Bruton didn't do it... then who did? Your law firm... they carry key man insurance. Who is the insured key man? I am. And how much insurance? I don't know. Ten million, maybe more. Who is the beneficiary? The law firm. And Sam Moss is your partner. What, your only partner? Yeah. Who knew Bruton because he second-chaired you? Who was tipped off by the Parole Board... that Bruton was getting out of prison... who knew the cops would blame you for your wife's murder. Wait a second. The insurance only pays if I'm dead. Sam would never do anything like that. How long do you think you would last in the slammer... with the slime you put in there? You'd be dead before the case comes to trial. You're a former D. A... who's not gonna last five minutes in prison... with the criminals you sent there... so just fucking drop it! Oh, my God. Let's go. Sam was one smart fucker. He knew Bruton was being released from prison... and he knew you'd do anything to protect your family. So he lets you go off half-cocked after Bruton... hoping he would kill you. And when Bruton gets killed himself... he plants evidence in the pool to incriminate me. Hoping that I'd kill you or you'd kill me. And all the while, Garrett is trying to lock you up... with the same psychos you put in the joint. Moss gets the law firm and the money to run it. It's a perfect plan. Brilliantly executed. He's one smart son of a bitch. If he was number two in his class... it makes me wonder who was number one. I was. What? Did you leave the light on? No. Lose the weapon, Vargas! Don't do anything stupid. Sam? Sam. Sam. Sam, what the hell are you doing? It's funny. What a man will do... The decisions he has to make. Just put the gun down. We'll talk through this. - Just take it easy. - Shut the fuck up! Becky was a bitch. You could never see that. What are you talking about? I'm tired, Addison. I'm tired of always being second chair. Tired of being number two to your number one. Sam, did you kill my wife? See. See. You push and you push. I wrote it all down. I'm glad you brought a witness. Sam, don't do this. You know, Add... all we ever really had was each other. Please, Sam. No! Mr. Terrill, did you read this? Yeah. He signed it and everything. Just about wraps it up. Case closed. Of course, he didn't go into much detail about what happened. He said he killed her. That's enough. I suppose. I wish I had more to go on. You know... it's a funny thing about getting to the end of something. You have to wake up the next morning. Oh, Addison. Addison. I'm so, so sorry. I'm just so, so sorry. So am I. - Good morning. - Good morning. Where should I stick this wet towel? Oh, just put it in the laundry basket. Come on. Let's go outside and play. I never called her. I never called Sarah. All right. No. Sam! - Yes? - Hey. I don't think it was Sam. Let it go, man. Yeah, but what if it was someone else? Come on, Addison. Let it go. Sam confessed. Just listen to me for a second. What if... What if it was a woman? Strangling is not a womars crime. To strangle someone takes strong hands. - Very strong hands. - Daddy, daddy, look what I drew. It's a picture of the person who made Mommy go away. |
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