State Of Play (2009)

Oh, the night
that Paddy Murphy died
Is a night I'll never forget
Some of the boys
got loaded drunk
And they ain't got sober yet
As long as
a bottle was passed around
Every man was feeling gay
O'Leary came
with the bagpipes
Some music for to play
That's how they showed their
respect for Paddy Murphy
That's how they showed
their honor and their pride
They said it was
a sin and shame
And they winked
at one another
And every drink in
the place was full
The night Pat Murphy died
As Mrs. Murphy sat
in the corner
Pouring out her grief
Kelly and his gang came
tearing down the street
They went into an empty room
And a bottle of whiskey stole
They put the bottle
with the corpse
To keep that whiskey cold
That's how they showed
their respect for...
They took the white
kid to the hospital.
He's in a coma.
Officer, you should
check in with the family.
Whatever you're selling,
I ain't buying.
Okay, guys, take off.
Yes, sir.
Coffee's free for
friends of the press.
I heard Metro ballistics
was just here.
Who told you that?
You just did.
You got the names of
the victims for me?
You gotta be kidding me.
You know I'm gonna
find out anyway.
Not from me.
Okay. You want to play
a little confirm or deny?
I'm not playing this
game with you, Cal.
Look, Don, I got a living to make, all right?
I got mouths to feed,
goldfish.
No names, no quotes, all right?
Okay.
Two victims,
one shooter?
Confirm.
One dead,
one in the hospital?
Confirm.
Drug related?
Confirm, but deny later if I have to.
- Good morning.
- Good morning, sir.
Okay, I'm late. I know.
I don't need to
be reminded of it.
I've been over the briefing notes 1,000 times.
Stephen.
Yes?
Metro Police just called.
What?
Sonia Baker was killed in an
accident on the Metro this morning.
They identified her
by her staff badge.
Horrible news
for all of us.
But, Stephen, we're scheduled to start now.
What do you want to do?
Morning, Pittsburgh.
Yinzer.
Cal.
Morning.
Talk to me
about this shooting.
You know,
one guy's still alive.
Deshaun Stagg?
No, he's dead.
The other guy on the bike,
Vernon Sando.
Hey, Gene, did you read
the guinea pig piece I filed?
Yeah, I'll get
to it, Ferris.
Because it's a great human interest
story. Yeah, human interest.
So what's the deal?
Stagg's drug deal goes wrong,
and this guy just rides by?
Yeah, something like that,
I think.
That's a remarkable
feat of survival.
Well, at least it's got a
little bit of a zip code to it.
Georgetown's the angle,
right?
No, no, the angle is
that this guy Vernon Sando
has got an MBA from Duke.
What's he doing on a bike?
He's buying
a pizza franchise.
You know,
they make you ride the bike
for the first six months,
learn the ropes.
He's got a wife, two kids,
mortgage, total citizen.
What's his condition?
Critical, non-reactive.
Paragraph three. He's in a coma.
Okay, let me know.
I will.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Welcome to our hearings with private
security contractor PointCorp,
part of the inquiry
into the Defense Department's
privatization and
outsourcing practices.
Before we begin, I've just
received some terrible news.
Sonia Baker,
who was the lead researcher
for this committee
and a valued member of my
staff, died this morning.
The circumstances of her
death are not yet clear.
Well, I'd like to send my
condolences to her family.
Oh, my God,
are those tears?
he's balling her.
Wait, you owe me 50 bucks.
Bad Congressman! Bad.
What a scumball!
Somebody get me
a picture of the girl.
Let's hope she's not
Gene, Gene, what is your
obsession with fat girls?
If you want to have sex with
Pete, you should just say it.
Not tonight,
I got a headache.
Say it. Say it, Gene. Say it.
Picture! Picture!
Reaction to the tragic death was initially,
and understandably,
one of shock,
yet questions immediately
began to surface
as soon as Ms. Baker's death
was announced.
Hey, Joe, Cal McAffrey over at the Globe.
Just calling about that shooting
in Georgetown last night.
I heard the dead kid had a couple
of priors as a purse snatcher.
Got any more details for me?
Call me back?
Yeah, yeah. You, too.
Hey, I got
a question for you.
Stephen Collins.
He's an old friend of yours,
is that right?
Yeah.
I'm Della. Della Frye.
I write
the Capitol Hill blog.
All right.
Online side.
I'm a big fan of your work.
So, I'm writing this piece
on personal relationships
in the political sphere,
"single girl in the corridors
of power" kind of thing,
and as you probably know,
there was this incident
this morning on the Hill,
at your friend's hearing.
Is there a question
on the horizon?
Yeah. Have you spoken
to him today?
Are you trying to make me
part of your story?
No. I'm trying to get
a little context.
Context, re: dirt?
Well, do you think he was
having an affair with that girl?
Gee, Della.
Yeah.
I don't know. I'd have
to read a couple of blogs
before I could
form an opinion.
Okay. Thanks for your help.
Anytime!
Capitol Hill may be rocked
with another bombshell.
Speculation is rife
that Stephen Collins
may have been
romantically linked
with the young aide found dead this morning.
His spokesmen call this
another political cloud...
The timing couldn't
be worse for Collins.
He needs all the political
leverage he can get
as he begins looking
into the Defense Department's
outsourcing practices.
Called mercenaries by
some and saviors by others,
PointCorp, the controversial
private military contractor,
is said to be
the biggest beneficiary
in the Defense Department's
outsourcing in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Collins, who'd been married for
is thought to have refused to
leave his wife for Miss Baker.
Brass tacks.
Were you having a relationship with this girl?
Yes,
and I can't tell you how
sorry I am about all of this.
Okay.
I've asked Andrew
here to help us
handle things from
a media point of view.
If anyone can steer us
through this, he can.
Well, the next 72 hours
are gonna be brutal.
You ought to brace
yourself for that.
For a while, you're gonna be
everything that's wrong with politics.
You're still a star, Steve.
The party takes
care of its stars.
You just have to
lay low for a while.
How low?
Low.
Nothing that would bring any
undue attention to yourself.
At the hearings,
for instance.
We're not finished
with PointCorp.
No, but you are.
If you open up fire on
those guys right now,
that's not gonna look
like good governance,
just a calculated
distraction.
Is your wife
speaking to you?
No, not right now.
Then that's job one,
isn't it?
Yinzer! She knows you
got the message,
and she knows
you're in the building.
Yes.
Morning.
So, where are we?
Was he knobbing her or not?
Morning, Cam.
It's funny about you. Every time
your friend runs for reelection
or conducts a hearing,
you drop his name to me until
we give him some coverage.
But he finally
does something
that actually might
sell some newspapers,
you're rendered mute.
It's incongruous.
No, it is not.
It's inconsistent.
Don't be an ass.
What do you think?
Those are the ideas
for our facelift.
I know. I know.
It's crap.
Our new owners
have this odd idea
that we ought to
be turning a profit.
Yeah, well, I hear our
online side is doing great.
I mean,
not like I'm the kind of guy
who would notice
that sort of thing,
but I've been here,
what, 15 years?
I use a 16-year-old computer.
She's been here 15 minutes,
and she could launch a Russian
satellite with the gear she's got.
Yeah, she told me
you behaved like a pig.
That's too strong.
Well, piggish.
I showed her
a little snout.
Well, I happen to like
Ms. Della Frye.
And, yes,
I did send her down there
to winkle
something out of you.
She's hungry, she's cheap, and
she churns out copy every hour.
Yeah, I know. I'm overfed, I'm too
expensive, and I take way too long.
Yes, you do.
I was Stephen Collins'
roommate in college.
I don't live with him now.
Well, that's a shame,
isn't it?
Yeah, 'cause that could sell
some newspapers.
Miss Baker died this morning
in an apparent accident
on the D.C. Metro.
Suicide has not
been ruled out.
It appears to be a suicide.
People close to the case say
that Congressman Collins,
quote, "took advantage" of this young
girl, resulting in today's suicide.
- Suicide.
- Suicide.
So, I know you're thinking,
"This guy's gotta be pretty
desperate to show up here."
No, I was thinking I can
finally give you back
that Roxy Music CD
you left in my car.
Is that where that one went?
I was looking for that.
I got three dozen reporters
camped in front of my place.
I'd go somewhere else,
but I don't have
anywhere else to go.
Come in.
Thanks.
I see you redecorated.
Yeah. I moved that
couch a couple of feet.
Looks good.
Aren't you gonna ask me
how I could be so stupid?
In a minute.
Okay.
You know, I co-sponsored two
bills in the last three years.
I'm in the middle of
co-authoring another one,
and this is what I'm gonna be remembered for.
I'm gonna get
more coverage on this
than anything else I do
for the rest of my life.
The nature of the beast,
public office.
Okay.
Look, Cal,
I know the last time I saw
you, I said a few things.
Hey.
I deserved it, all of it.
Annie and I were having problems
in the marriage, obviously.
You're the only
real friend I got.
I'm in trouble, man.
You know?
This whole thing with Sonia, what
happened, it just snuck up on me.
She was an amazing woman,
beautiful and
really funny, smart,
and she, you know,
she adored me.
That was nice,
you know, for a change.
Have you called the parents?
No, I haven't
called the parents.
You should.
Tomorrow, you're gonna make a condolence call.
The first thing the attack
dogs will pick up on, you know,
"He never so much as called
after our daughter's suicide."
She didn't kill herself.
How do you know that?
Hey, baby, I just want to wish you
good luck. I want you to give them hell,
and I can't wait
for this weekend.
I love you. Bye.
That's this morning.
Look like someone who's about
to go out and commit suicide?
No.
You show this to anybody?
Well, I thought about firing it up on YouTube.
Hey, you know what?
This is the moment where I ask
you how stupid could you be.
This changes everything.
It'll bring it
all back your way.
How are you gonna do that?
Because we're gonna fight
back with our own facts.
All we have to do is,
we have to build
a plausible alternative story, all right?
Now, look.
"Unfortunately,
it appears that Sonia Baker
"has met with a tragic
accident on a subway platform.
"So questions have to be
asked about transit safety."
Okay?
Cal.
Now, Stephen,
you gotta be
proactive, okay?
If you're not, then you're
just letting the bloodsuckers
and the bloggers have
another free shot at you.
The bloodsuckers
and the bloggers.
Have you seen the Globe's website tonight?
No.
Hello?
Miss Capitol Hill Blog?
It's Cal McAffrey.
Do you have a pen?
What?
Sonia Baker, right?
I have a source,
and you need to talk to him.
Well, why?
Do you have a pen?
Yeah.
Lieutenant Leon Comey.
Pen, pen, pen.
Write that down. C-O-M-E-Y.
C-O-M-E-Y.
He's gonna show you
an off-the-record preview
of the security camera tapes
from the Metro station.
What, you mean...
Do you mean, like, now?
Yeah, like now.
Sorry. Who am I calling?
I was trying to get
Della Frye the reporter.
Gee, I'm sorry. I thought
that I was talking to the guy
who wouldn't give me
the time of day this morning.
Look, I am just trying to help
you get a few facts in the mix
next time you decide
to upchuck online.
What?
I'm not doing it. I'm not.
Wake up.
Does anybody know
where Room 514 is?
It doesn't say. Is there a big difference?
Big enough. You looking for
Uniform Squad or Investigation?
I don't know.
Cal McAffrey sent me.
Why didn't you say so?
You Cal's new assistant?
No, I'm not.
Hey, can I see that?
Yeah, it's right
down the hallway here.
Thank you.
Like a police escort?
No, I'm okay.
Thank you.
Hey, no trouble. I'm just grabbing
some dinner here real quick.
So, how long have
you known Cal?
Too long.
What's your title?
Okay, Sergeant,
I can file
a public records request
and get
the information anyway.
You got nothing?
No.
They've got 56 cameras
covering the track platforms.
There are three blind spots
in the entire system,
and Sonia Baker went
down in one of them.
You got copy for me, Cal?
The shooting delivery guy,
what are we doing?
I'm on it.
Well, I got Marty lined up to
take some pictures of the family.
If you'd like, I can send
somebody out there with him.
He can do the crying, you
can do the nuts and bolts.
No. No need. I'm on it.
You'll have it tonight.
You're on it.
Okay.
You know what you gotta do?
Call Leon, all right?
Just sort of push
him for the details.
Ask him a few more questions.
You know...
Nine suicides in 20 years. There
were five accidental deaths,
three from people
trying to get their stuff
off the tracks
before the train came
and two of the psycho-on-stranger
pushing attacks.
Did Collins sleep at
your place last night?
What?
Hmm?
I was just trying to
get my facts straight.
Excuse me. Della here.
Yeah, just a sec.
He's right here.
Hang on, hang on, hang on.
It's Anne Collins.
Hey, I'm not at my desk at the
moment. Can I call you back?
Yeah.
You know, look into the two
psycho-on-stranger cases,
see if anything correlates
or anything connects.
- Hello?
- Hey.
You okay?
No.
There are
paparazzi on my lawn,
so I guess that entitles me
to half off on Us Weekly.
I've been trying
to call you.
I had my phone off.
You talk to Stephen yet?
No.
They want me to come down
for a press conference.
Well, you know if you don't, they're
gonna toss him on the bonfire.
You know,
I'm not that hurt.
I'm not even that surprised.
It's just so humiliating,
you know.
Tell me you
didn't know about her.
I didn't.
I did not know
about her, okay?
I'll take the train down.
Will you buy me
a drink after?
Of course. Hey, just call him, all right?
Just call Stephen.
Thanks.
Deshaun Stagg.
Be nice if they could
spell his name right.
No one's even come
to get his stuff yet.
It's appalling.
Never happen
to a white man.
Skip it.
I'm not in the mood.
What, no love,
no politics?
What are we gonna talk about?
We're not.
You gotta get out of here
before we both
get into trouble.
They're saying it was only
one shooter. What do you think?
No idea.
What about drugs?
It's a good bet.
Come on, Cal,
leave that shit alone.
Close your eyes. I'm just
checking out his cell phone.
Watch, this will be
the moment they decide
to come and pick
all this shit up.
Then what are you gonna do?
Write some articles,
get me my job back?
You know I will.
Cal?
Cal, for Christ's sakes, what
do I tell Jack if he walks in?
Nothing, 'cause I'm done.
I'll give you a hug
next time, all right?
Bye.
Buy me a soda?
Not diet.
Thanks.
Yo, yo, if you want to leave
a message for Kippy,
make sure you leave
your number, all right?
That way I can call you back.
Later for you.
We're sorry. Your call cannot be...
Yo, who this?
It's me, man. Who that?
Me who? Bitch, you the one
got your number blocked!
Don't be fronting me, man.
It's Deshaun. Come on.
No.
Where you at?
Who the hell gave
you my number, fool?
I was just talking to Kippy.
Skippy?
Kippy, man.
This shit ain't funny, trick.
Hi. You've reached
Sonia Baker.
I can't take
your call right now,
but if you leave
your name, number,
and the time you called, I'll be
sure to get back to you. Thanks.
Hi. You've reached
Sonia Baker.
I can't take
your call right now,
but if you leave
your name, number,
and the time you called, I'll be
sure to get back to you. Thanks.
Excuse me.
Sonia Baker.
We got any kind of
drug angle on her?
She ever arrested or rehabbed
or anything like that?
Who's asking?
Me.
You're not on the story.
I gave you
the Metro tapes idea, right?
Yeah.
So are you trying to ruin
what's left of her reputation?
Are you doing
this for Collins?
A little context on Sonia?
You gotta be kidding.
Hey, Maurice.
Hey, Cal,
you getting your regular?
Yeah.
Sure. Hey, Jay!
I need a chili cheeseburger, a chili
cheese fry, and a chili half-smoke.
I got the burger on!
Anybody get you yet?
All right.
You're a hungry man, eh?
Yeah.
How's it going, Happy?
That's a long way to
go for another soda.
You want to buy something from
the last bag Deshaun ever stole?
I need 500 bucks.
Did you get the train okay?
What?
Did you get on
the train all right?
Get through.
Everything okay?
You're gonna
make small talk?
I will go
check on the arrangements.
I'm sorry.
It doesn't have to be
a detailed statement.
Short and dignified,
and we'll be out of here.
Dignified. Got it.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank
you for joining us here today.
Mr. and Mrs. Collins would like
to give you a brief statement.
Deshaun boosted
this metal briefcase
from some guy
outside of Starbucks.
That's what we did,
you know?
Grab a guy's bag and
sell it back to him.
Usually we just got, like,
people's business papers and shit.
This one?
This one was different.
There was a gun in there, too,
and a little bag of these
weird-looking bullets.
Did you see the guy
that owned the bag?
No.
I told Deshaun we shouldn't
sell this bag back.
I mean, you know,
what about the girl?
But he needed
a fix real bad,
and he and this guy figured
out a time and place.
And that was it.
My boy never came back.
You took these out of
the briefcase first,
and then you called her
from Deshaun's phone.
Her number was there, too.
I figured someone
had to warn her
that this psycho was
following her around.
She just didn't pick up.
Mr. Collins moved to
staunch a growing tide
of hostility towards him
this afternoon
when he appeared
together with his...
...the long line of
politicians' wives.
We've had triumphs
and disappointments,
and we've both made mistakes
that have caused...
apologize for his affair and offer
an apology to his constituents.
Can you believe this?
We're on six channels
simultaneously.
Who might have
wanted Sonia dead?
What? Is there something in her history,
you know, something you
haven't told me about?
Some connections that might
have got her in trouble?
No. No, no. Wait, who...
Am I talking to
my friend now,
or am I talking
to a reporter?
I gotta be both.
You ever heard of a guy
called Deshaun Stagg?
No.
Was a kid. Minor criminal.
Drug addict. Got shot and killed
the night before Sonia died.
Cal, Sonia didn't have
anything to do with drugs.
Look, Stephen,
I'm telling you things
that I haven't even
discussed with the paper.
Okay, you gotta
think about this.
Who might have
wanted Sonia dead?
Who is this man here in all the
photographs where she's crying?
We don't know that yet.
And what was her background before
she started working with Collins?
Well, she has some very
random moments in her rsum.
She was... She waitressed a couple times.
She had
a string of bad debts.
Shoplifting conviction
two years ago.
Don't they do background checks on the Hill?
She wrote position
papers for Collins
about bank regulations
and the SEC.
I mean, a lot of people
thought she was a star.
She was also the lead researcher
on the PointCorp hearings.
So?
Stephen represents the loss of
a lot of money for those guys.
Look, what if all of
this is just an attempt
to marginalize
Stephen Collins?
You've gotta love him
for it, haven't you?
I mean, you give him 24
hours, body in the alley,
and this geezer
will turn it into
a full-blown
corporate conspiracy.
You don't see
any connection?
No.
All right. Let's go
through what we know, okay?
The guy that was
stalking Sonia Baker,
he shot Deshaun Stagg
and Vernon Sando.
Deshaun Stagg, of no fixed
abode, he boosts a briefcase.
Now, in that briefcase
are these photographs,
and according to our source, a
little baggie of weird bullets.
Metro PD ballistics tell me
the casings at the crime scene
were reloads, untraceable.
The slugs were hand cast at twice
the weight of store-bought bullets,
X'ed for expansion.
So that means that the
shooter intended to kill.
Stagg and Sando were
both double-tapped,
one bullet in the spine, one in
the head. That is the mark of a pro,
or at the very least, somebody
with a military background,
perhaps even Special Forces.
PointCorp founded by,
staffed by 100% ex-military.
I think that's a connection we can't ignore.
Chris, how long before
we have to hand these over?
Time to verify,
consult relevant case files,
outside counsel,
But if this is evidence,
don't they need to see it now?
How's he doing?
Hey, you gonna let me know if
I gotta call the ID team, right?
I'll let you know.
Walter Schroyer, Army buddy
of your libidinous friend,
gives his moving tribute
to Stephen Collins
in that asswipe excuse of
a paper and not to us. Why?
Platitudes,
padding and fluff.
I'm a journalist.
I'm not a publicist.
I want to bring
some more people in
to work with
you on this, Cal,
on the political side,
people with real experience.
I'm thinking Ted Moody.
I mean,
Ted's perfect for this.
Are you taking me
off the story?
No, no.
Not off, just off point.
If this is as big as he
says it is, a big "if,"
then it's gonna
be good for you.
How? How is that good?
Well, watching
seasoned reporters
that work on
a big story, you know,
being a part of it all,
you'll learn a lot.
So, Ted Moody,
what do you think?
Don't let her do it.
And, Cal, if you're on this, I want
this to be clean through and through.
Tell her to forget it.
It's your gig.
You got it. Get loud now.
Excuse me.
You're defending her now?
She's fine.
I can work with her.
But, Cal,
she's inexperienced.
Inexperience isn't fatal.
I'm not giving up the story!
I just... Sorry. I just...
If I could just have
a few more days with it,
I promise you I'm not
gonna let you down.
For Christ's sake.
Don't throw those dewy
cub reporter eyes at me.
It's nauseating.
And fuck you very much.
Pleasure.
This is Nurse Leif and
myself... The lab work's back.
It's the panel 13 you ordered?
Yeah, well, we called for
a neurologist a half hour ago.
You can't use
that phone here, sir.
Hey. What's up, Carnes?
How you doing?
Yeah. Yeah.
Looks like that
Sando guy's waking up.
You sending anyone over?
You ever been to D.C. Hospital?
No.
Don't worry about it.
It's easy.
All right, there's a uniformed
officer on the third floor ICU.
Okay.
Write it down. Got a pen?
Yes.
Here.
I have a pen.
Okay.
The uniformed officer's
name is Brown.
Okay.
Brown.
Third floor ICU. Tell
him that Detective Bynes,
B-Y-N-E-S,
Joe Bynes...
Okay.
All right,
he cleared you for access.
Access for what?
Vernon Sando, the pizza guy,
looks like he's coming around.
That's your side
of the story.
Excuse me?
You heard me.
You want me to go and sit
around in some hospital,
waiting for a guy who looks like
he might be coming out of a coma,
while you clean up
the rest of the story?
I mean, is that what
that was all about in there?
Look, this is a real story.
It's not open
for interpretation.
It does not require opinion.
We got two dead bodies,
and we got a guy in a coma,
and we got us with a lead
that nobody else has got.
So you gotta make
a decision,
because I have to follow
another lead tonight,
and I cannot be in
two places at one time.
So, are you gonna
be okay slumming it
to find out if Vernon Sando's
coming around or not?
Good.
If we're gonna work together,
we gotta work together.
Yeah? Deal?
All right, see you later.
Excuse me.
Don't tell me
you're still lost.
Hey, what are you
doing here?
Working.
You're Officer Brown?
You're who I'm looking for.
I knew
you'd come around.
How about Sando?
Is he coming around?
Yeah, yeah,
it looks that way.
They're sending a detective over right now.
Maybe get an ID.
Really?
I gotta take this.
Yeah, go ahead.
Yeah, Officer Brown.
No, sir.
You okay?
My dad did warn me
about politicians.
The only people he hated more was journalists.
Smart man.
I'm making you nervous.
You always did.
Well, they say sex is the
best way to ruin a friendship.
They do, do they?
And who's they?
What, Cosmopolitan magazine?
Teen Beat?
Come on.
Tell me, please,
it didn't ruin ours.
It hasn't ruined anything.
Pulse is 82.
BP is 105 over 79,
O2 sats 94.
He seems stable.
Okay, let's do another
blood work-up, CBCs...
Miss, you cannot be in here.
I'd just like to
- ask him a couple of questions.
- Miss, please!
No, I'm sorry.
Come on. Look.
You know you're not
supposed to be in here.
I know. I just...
Get on the ground!
Stand back! Stay down.
That's a colleague of mine.
I'm gonna have to go.
I'm really sorry.
I'll see you soon.
Okay.
Let him through.
Blockade, let him through.
Hey, Ricky!
Let him through.
Della!
You okay? You all right?
Della, tell me that's not
yours, right? What is it?
It's just
a little bit of blood.
It's all right.
I got it, I got it, I got it.
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's all right. It's
all right. It's all right.
Oh, my God, Cal,
we could have stopped this!
What, by being psychic?
No. We should have given
the police that file.
What if there were
fingerprints on the photographs?
God, Cal, we can't just let
people get hurt like that.
Look, it's over. It's all right. It's okay.
We can't just keep
letting people get killed.
No, it's not okay.
It's okay.
It's over. It's over.
It's over.
All right? It's okay.
You're sitting on evidence
in an execution homicide.
How do you think that's gonna
play with the family of the guy
that just got
shot last night?
Chris, let's be productive.
Hold on,
I'm actually not done.
Our reporter made
a full statement last night.
What, you had these when?
Cam, don't answer that!
When did you have these?
You want subpoenas?
I'll get on
the phone right now.
We called you! We called you
before we called outside counsel.
A little late.
It's a little late.
Give me a break.
How you doing, Don?
I'm hanging in, Cal. You?
Good. Good.
This source have anything else
I might need to do my job?
Wait a minute.
Nothing, all right?
This was it,
and we've kept it
for less than a day.
Detective, until last night, we
didn't actually know what we had here.
Bullshit.
Who do you think I am,
Bambi's baby brother?
No, sir.
You knew exactly
what you had.
You just decided that your
need was greater than ours,
and now you have
blood on your hands.
Hold on.
Detective, look.
The thesis that
we are pursuing
involves a certain company that
Congressman Collins is investigating.
What, this is
corporate conspiracies
that threaten
the highest levels?
All my years on the job, I've
only ever seen that on TV.
All the years I've known you, you've
only ever watched sports on TV.
So, Detective, in exchange
for our cooperation,
can we be assured that you
will open your books to us?
Quid pro quo?
If we decide to go public with
this, we'll give you six hours,
but that's the end of it.
This is an open
homicide investigation.
You slow us down,
endanger the public
any more than
you already have,
it won't be pretty.
For the record,
I'm still not happy
the way you presented
the evidence.
I'm just gonna
put that out there.
Police gossip being what it is,
I'm guessing that even
Entertainment Tonight
will know as much as we do
within 48 hours.
So we've gotta have
something solid today.
That means no assumptions,
no unnamed sources.
Not fast and loose.
I want this thing wrung out.
Damned if we can't do a better
job of it than those cops.
Della, how are you?
I'm good.
Good, okay.
Well, you take
Sonia Baker, okay?
I want to know everything
that we can about her,
who she knew, who she blew,
the color of her knickers.
Got it.
PointCorp?
Okay. Hank and Pete,
you work with Cal.
Cool.
The rule on this
one is discretion.
This is not a good subject for
gossip over drinks at the Monocle,
or spliffs in the stationery cupboard, you.
I'm offended, truly.
Well, be offended.
Go downstairs, get your
stuff, bring it in here,
because this is
your new home.
Go on!
Okay! Yes, yes, yes.
Speed of light.
Cal? Any conflict
of interest here?
No.
Perhaps this is
a good opportunity
to address another issue
that's been discussed
during these hearings,
your price structure.
Surely, and I thank you for giving me
an opportunity to
touch on that today.
Our price structure follows
the Defense Department model
as established in
the first Gulf War,
adjusted, of course,
for inflation.
Happily, what's costing
us so much this time around
are some incredible advances
in on-field medical care.
But, simply,
we're now keeping more...
Sir, I'm sorry. Just...
When you were in the military,
did you see any combat duty?
No, sir, I did not.
No.
Do you think if you had, you
might see things differently?
We're all aware of your
war record, Congressman.
I'm not talking
about my record.
I'm talking about the numerous
allegations of atrocities
committed by PointCorp and
its subsidiary contractors
against the civilian population
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Those are
unsubstantiated allegations.
Okay.
This is straightforward.
Since a war on
terror was declared,
has your personal net worth gone
up by more than $250 million?
Straightforward question.
Excuse me, I was told that
personal financial data
would not be addressed
in open session.
Adapt.
Isn't that your slogan?
"Adapt and Achieve?"
It's on the brochure here.
"Commoda et Confice."
You have it in Latin.
Your point being?
Putting war in
the hands of mercenaries
and those who
consider it a business
is a contradiction in
terms in any language.
May I remind you,
sir, that the wars
this country fought,
that defined it,
were fought despite what
they cost, not because of it.
I didn't come here for a
lesson in morality, Congressman.
No, I expect you didn't.
Well, especially from you.
The men who work
for PointCorp,
the men you dishonor by
calling them mercenaries
are, by and large, retired
American military personnel.
It's a great system,
isn't it?
We pay to train these men, and
you get rich by killing them.
PointCorp, well, they're on a roll.
They just bought 60,000 acres
to expand their facility.
Yeah.
Where?
In Conway, North Carolina.
The locals call
it Little Baghdad.
Not so little.
They've also got some
interesting real estate locally.
Offices at
the Watergate building.
Check that out.
"Medal of Freedom Initiative."
What's that?
It's a lobbying interest.
Yeah, according to the website,
MOFI,
Medal of Freedom Initiative,
is an umbrella
group for a bunch
of these private
defense contractors.
You know, they lobby a little,
party a little, kill things.
MOFI!
Hello?
We went down there.
The place is totally empty...
Like they're just waiting
for all their new recruits.
Did they outsource to Mumbai
or something?
Or are they just getting
ready for an expansion?
Hello?
This is Della Frye. I'm a
reporter over at the Globe.
You were Sonia
Baker's attorney
on her shoplifting case, correct?
Did Dominic give you my number?
Yes, how do you
know Dominic?
Well, I'm sorry. This
really isn't appropriate.
I...
Hey, Michael, I need someone to help me dig
a little deeper
into PointCorp.
I need somebody
on the inside,
somebody who knows
the way they operate.
She owed everybody money.
Oh, God, that's how she always walked around,
in her underwear.
Yeah! You moved. You can't move.
Hi! Hi, yes, yes.
Who is this?
He looks familiar.
Dominic Foy. He's a friend of Sonia's.
Dominic.
Hey, Michael, it's Cal.
So what did you find out?
- Hi. Mr. Statler?
- Yes?
Yes, I'm from the Globe.
I'm writing an article on
the death of Sonia Baker,
and I just wanted to...
And he was, like,
high up in PointCorp?
Hi. Della Frye from
the Washington Globe.
I... Could I speak to you?
Please don't...
Yes, I'm still holding 'cause that's
what I do. That's what I like to do.
Sonia Baker's ex-roommate,
Rhonda Silver.
Nobody's got her yet.
She changed her name a
couple times in the past year.
How'd you get it?
I had to agree
to go on not one,
but two dates with
a sweaty guy named Vic.
Don't even ask me.
Hey, Bob, it's Cal.
Want to run a Social
Security number for me?
Rhonda Silver's number.
Did we just break the law?
Nope, that's what you call
damn fine reporting.
Your pen.
Keep it.
You're welcome!
Thank you!
Hi. Is Rhonda there, please?
I'm actually an old friend
of Rhonda's from school.
I'm in town for the day, and I
thought maybe I'd stop by and see her.
Do you think I could
show up at her work?
Would that be all right?
Actually, sir,
can I call you back?
That page and the next page.
This guy, Jerry Symes,
local politician,
he campaigns
against the expansion,
and then he dies in
a freak car accident.
All right, what does
"freak car accident" mean?
Middle of the day... He's
driving on the open road...
No witnesses.
... 30 miles an hour...
Perfect weather, no skid
marks... car turns over.
And the police think
it might be sleep apnea.
Cal. Sorry,
I really need to talk to you.
What do you got?
So, I was looking
for images of Sonia
in the Metro security
footage, right?
And 20 seconds after she went into
the blind spot, this guy appears.
Okay?
I think that I saw him
last night at the hospital.
Are you sure?
Michael, it's Cal.
Your PointCorp insider,
I need to meet him, now.
I want you to know something.
I love my country.
I love the military.
My aim here is to save them.
You understand my terms?
I will not give you my name.
I will not give you my rank in
the PointCorp military structure,
or the in and out
dates of my service.
Understand.
I'm looking for
a guy that PointCorp
are using on
a covert operation.
Total deniability.
Our mutual friend
at DOD thought
you might be able
to help us find him.
I don't know.
I'll check it out.
So, what's your understanding
of the PointCorp MO?
Their MO?
They do whatever
the hell they want.
These soldiers are
answerable to no one.
They're loyal to nothing
but a paycheck.
It's the Muslim
terror gold rush.
You've been watching these hearings? Yeah.
So, the head of the committee
there, Stephen Collins...
He's finished.
They'll just keep knocking
him down until he goes away.
Do you have any idea
what he's threatening here?
This is $30 or $40
billion annually.
That's wrath of God money.
The hearings
are saying 3 or 4.
Overseas. The real
money is what PointCorp
stands to make in its
domestic operations.
I wasn't aware
that they had any.
Who was sent in for crowd control
after Hurricane Katrina? Us.
Private security
contractors deputized
to shoot at
American citizens.
Who's training Chicago police
on new interrogation techniques?
Soon, PointCorp will
take over from the NSA
on phone taps, terrorist databases, all of it.
It's a fundamental
restructuring
of domestic
intelligence policy.
It is the privatization
of Homeland Security.
Billions and
billions of dollars.
Now you really think they're
gonna forfeit all that
because some hero
from the seventh district
of Pennsylvania thinks
that they should?
Hey.
I just got told by a former PointCorp employee
that they have a plan to
monopolize domestic security
that's worth about
$40 billion a year.
Is that true?
- Yes.
- How?
You cannot connect anything
that I tell you back to me.
You understand?
Of course.
Okay.
Last year, 47 companies bid on
major Homeland Security contracts.
Of those, 16 companies were granted the bids.
Of those, I could make
connections between 14 companies,
and I'm not just talking about
someone leaving one company
and go work for another.
I'm talking about
shared banking practices.
I'm talking about
collusive behavior.
Now, my belief is,
when all's said and done
and when
the veil is pulled away,
you will not see 14
individual companies.
You will see one company.
You understand?
And you've been
digging around
trying to make
those connections clear.
Yeah. That's right.
And Sonia was
working on that?
She was my lead researcher.
She was involved in
everything we did.
They're gonna get you,
Stephen, one way or another.
They got 40 billion good reasons
to want you out of the way.
You gotta go on the record.
Swing the spotlight
back on them.
You gotta
protect yourself, man.
You go out there
and find me evidence
linking Sonia's
death to PointCorp.
I will go on the record.
I will shout this thing
from the rooftops.
I can do that.
All right. I gotta get back. I'll be in touch.
Stephen.
Yeah?
Just watch your back.
You, too.
Hi. Is Rhonda here?
Yeah, she's just
right over there.
Whoa
I'm walking on sunshine
Whoa
I'm walking on sunshine
Whoa
And don't it feel good
Yeah!
Cal, you're not gonna believe what
Sonia's old roommate just told me.
You're right. I don't believe a word of it.
You got no corroboration,
no independent witness,
and she obviously has
a financial motivation.
We've got Sonia
Baker's roommate claiming
she had a threesome
with Stephen Collins,
and you want to ignore that?
I am not saying ignore it.
I am saying consider it.
Consider how it impacts
everything else we have,
and consider that
she is full of shit!
Yeah, but, Cal,
she's also saying
that Stephen paid off Sonia's
$40,000 credit card debt.
That is a story.
Somebody's gonna put that
on the front page.
Okay, is that
the right thing to do?
Look, it's your half of
the story. It's your scoop.
Your decision.
Do whatever you want.
But I do know
that Stephen and I
have been through
far too much together
to make this one moment the
thing that defines us forever.
The political future...
I tried to call.
I mean, I actually did call about
Well, you know,
I'm glad you dropped by,
'cause I've been
wanting to talk to you.
Remember you brought that girl from Humboldt?
Soleil,
or whatever her name was.
Luna.
Luna. That's right.
And you two were
stoned the whole time.
Yep.
You managed to flip the boat,
and we lost everything.
We had to walk
the rest of the way...
We flipped the boat?
You did.
It was an adventure.
That's what you kept saying.
Irish wine.
Whiskey?
Cheers.
Slinte.
So...
So...
I've been...
I wanted to ask...
Sorry.
You first.
I was wondering,
do you think Stephen could have pulled
together $40,000 without you knowing?
What?
Well, it's a story
that might break
that basically accuses
Stephen of doing something
that would require his having
access to a large amount of cash.
I was just wondering,
could he do that?
A story that might break?
You mean something that
you're involved in?
Indirectly.
What are you doing?
I'm trying to help Stephen.
I'm trying to protect you.
Bullshit!
You always do this.
Sometimes I feel like
we all made this deal,
and it works out great for you
and Stephen, and not for me.
And instead of us
just figuring it out,
you guys are just fine walking
around as if nothing ever happened.
Okay.
Okay, let's start over.
I come here to tell you
that I'm thinking
about walking away
from my marriage,
and you say what?
I say it's too late.
We're way past this.
You made your choice.
Because you
wouldn't step up.
What do you mean?
Not then, not now,
not in college.
I'm saying that
you're asking me
for something
that's not real.
That's what I'm saying.
Annie...
We have two mortgages.
We have the place
in Virginia.
We've got
the apartment here.
Basically, we spend
everything we make,
so there's no way Stephen
could have given anyone $40,000
without me
knowing about it.
Annie...
It's okay.
Now I'm just a source,
so the pressure's off.
- Hello?
- Who's the great-looking blonde, Cal?
Who's this?
Across the street.
I like your style, man.
I got something for you.
And you couldn't
just ring the doorbell?
Precautions.
The guy in the photo, I asked
around. He's definitely a grunt.
Buddy of mine used to see him
at security trade shows.
Never knew his name,
but he worked for an
old-timer called Fred Summers.
Does alarm installations,
shit like that.
Here's Fred's address.
Crystal City.
Thanks.
Mr. Summers?
Hey.
Who you looking for?
Fred. Fred Summers.
Do you know him?
Fred's not here.
Oh, yeah?
You live here.
You're his roommate.
Sorry. Okay.
Do you know
where he might be?
He's overseas.
He shipped out last week.
Overseas like...
Look, I don't really know
what Fred's into, okay?
He ships out,
and he comes back.
Okay.
Could you pass a message?
Take it easy.
All right. Okay.
Hey, Joey? Cal McAffrey.
Yeah, yeah, shut up.
Listen! Listen!
Tell Bill he's gotta
send some cops to 566...
- So?
- No sign of the guy.
Did you get a name?
How about the apartment?
You find something?
Nothing?
Place belongs to a guy
named Fred Summers,
except Fred passed away
last March.
Neighbors say that his nephew
stays there from time to time
while the probate
is being worked out.
Except he doesn't
have a nephew.
You're catching on fast.
Cal, I thought we had
an understanding.
You were supposed to share
your information with us.
Do you remember that?
Don, I went there to talk to a
guy named Fred Summers, right,
who I now find
out is deceased.
Do you think
I would've gone there
if I knew what I was
gonna be walking into?
Just happened to
be there, huh?
Yeah.
Now, do you mind if I
get back on with my story?
It's not a story.
It's a case!
And... And just so you know, a
girl by the name of Mandi Brokaw,
turned up dead tonight.
Probable homicide.
She look familiar?
We got her fingerprints
off of those
surveillance photos
you so kindly gave us.
Hello, I'm Rhonda Silver.
Like I said, that's what he
called "being in committee."
I know you got shot
at last night,
and I know I should be making
you a nice cup of cocoa,
but I'm just so bloody angry!
I mean, the decision, I'm assuming,
was that this was not news.
We... Look, we didn't...
We were worried that...
It was my call, Cam.
All right?
I didn't, and I don't
believe her.
She's not credible.
She was just trying
to sell us her sexy
scrapbook photos of
her friend, Sonia Baker.
Her dead friend.
Yeah, well, why the hell
couldn't we have printed that?
A waitress comes forward with
a claim about a sex scandal.
Great, that's an A-1 story.
Then he denies it.
There's another story.
And then... And then one of them
cracks, and there's another story.
Meantime, people are
reading about it,
and they're reading us about
it, because we had it first!
Except we didn't, did we?
No, no, no, 'cause some wanker
decided it was beneath us.
Look at her, come on!
Look at her!
She's a sideshow!
It's a smear campaign.
It's exactly what
these companies do
to destroy people
who get in their way.
The true story here, the
real story here, is PointCorp.
The real story is the sinking
of this bloody newspaper!
Christ!
We have new management
to answer to now, Cal,
and they are interested
in sales, not discretion.
And how am... How am I gonna tell
them that we are now behind a story
we were once in front of?
Well, we're running with
what we've got today.
No! No.
You can't do that.
Why not?
We've got more than
enough to go with.
You run with it, and you're
gonna frighten off the wildlife.
And we haven't got
the rest of the story.
I do not give a shit
about the rest of the story!
We are going to
press tonight.
You've got eight hours.
You look tired.
Want some coffee?
Yeah, that's nice.
Can you hold on
for one second?
George, a word with you
for a minute?
Sure, Steve.
Thanks.
Listen, I just wanted
you to know
my speaking up in the hearings the other day
was not meant in any way as
a gesture of disrespect to you
or a lack of gratitude for the
support that you've shown me.
No, no. Not at all.
It was a very
impressive performance.
You have your passions,
I understand that.
All right, good. Well,
that's a relief to know.
You have your show horses,
and you have your work horses.
I'm sure we can all
find a way to get along.
There's no way.
There is no way we
can meet that deadline.
Yes, we can. All right, guys,
we're getting our balls busted.
What do you got? All right,
the guy you had us check out,
Dominic Foy,
turns out he's a gold mine.
- Dominic?
- Foy.
He's a guy I keep hearing about.
A friend of Sonia's in all the
surveillance photos where she's crying.
And he's in Rhonda's cell
phone shots.
Okay, so,
is this Halloween,
- or is he some kind of freak?
- Freak.
He runs a legitimate
PR business.
Handful of corporate clients.
Just likes to party
on the weekends.
Special parties.
Tell him the good part.
Yeah,
mostly works out
of the Daily Grill,
but guess where his
registered office is?
- Where?
- Guess.
Where?
The Watergate.
Not only that, Suite 413.
Same suite as the Medal of
Freedom Initiative, which is...
The lobbying
subsidiary of PointCorp.
Let's get him on tape.
You want me to
call Rodney and get the gear?
Yeah, same place.
What... I'm sorry.
You want to
put him on tape?
Yeah.
What are we, cops now?
That's totally illegal.
If Dominic Foy can connect
Sonia Baker to PointCorp,
he's gonna be
under a lot of pressure
to recant anything he
might tell us, all right?
So we put him on tape.
That's our insurance.
And why do you think
he's even gonna talk to you?
Because he's scared.
How do you know?
Because I'm gonna scare him.
Hey, is that your
Cadillac out there?
Yeah.
V-8 XLR, 320 horsepower, adaptive
cruise control, heads-up display?
That's the one. That's a
hell of an impressive car.
Yes, I know.
What do you got
in your gay-rage?
Excuse me? Your gay-rage. Your garage.
Right. You drive the same thing?
No, I don't. I have a 1990 Saab.
Yeah. I got velour seats. The
passenger side one's ripped,
but it gets me
from A to B, you know.
Sorry to hear that.
If only I could get
a job in PR, right?
Who the hell are you?
Do you read the newspapers, Dominic?
Sometimes.
Okay.
I got something I want
to run by you, all right?
It ain't finished.
I'm still working it up.
Let's see how
you feel about this.
"Dominic Foy, a D.C.
public relations figure
"with known ties to
defense contractor PointCorp
"was yesterday
linked to the death
"of Capitol Hill
staffer Sonia Baker."
Come on.
Are you a reporter?
This is not cool.
This is definitely not cool.
Very unprofessional.
I'm just sitting here...
Cal McAffrey from the Globe.
Congratulations. Keep it.
That's gonna run
tomorrow unless
you can tell me what
I need to know today.
I don't think so.
I got a car out the back.
I got a nice, safe place
where you and I can talk.
Hey, hey, Saab. I don't know
anything about anything, all right?
I'm a PR guy. Got it?
Be that as it may,
there's two ways
this article
can run, Dominic.
Without your name
or with your name,
and maybe even
a photo from your website.
Now, who knows who that's
gonna piss off and how badly?
I'm trying to be your
friend, Dominic, all right?
I'd hate to see you end up
under a train like Sonia Baker.
And you promised never
to use my name, right?
Yes, I did.
This place is nice?
It's classy?
I'm gonna be comfortable?
What kind of dump is this?
Where have you brought me?
No booze in the mini-bar.
There's no
On Demand on the TV.
What kind of hotel is this?
Little bit more of a motel,
I'd say, isn't it?
Nobody's gonna find
you here, Dominic.
How are your
beer-getting skills, sweet pea?
You want to go get
Uncle Foy a nice frosty?
I'll time you.
Christ.
So, let's start
from the beginning.
Where did you
meet Sonia Baker?
Why don't we start
with a little compensation?
This guy's stoned off his
face, and now he wants a beer.
Can I have one?
Yeah.
What's he
taking exactly?
Dude, downers.
This guy's losing his shit.
For what? For what?
Me helping you out.
Me losing my business. Me...
This bed's disgusting.
Compensate me, okay?
Okay, so you want to be paid
to help solve Sonia's murder?
Save it, all right?
I'm in PR.
I know a little bit
about phrasing questions.
Why don't you try
phrasing it like this?
Would I like to be paid for
helping you get a book deal?
Nobody's here
for a book deal.
Really?
Everybody wants a book deal.
And I'd like my cut, okay?
That's just fair.
When did you meet Sonia?
Compensation,
compensation.
You came here
to talk, Dominic.
You know, mouse, I'm the talent
and I don't like the vibe.
So why don't you
change that up, okay?
It's a non-smoking room.
It's under your name.
He's a douche.
I love this guy.
I want to call my lawyer.
I think you should
think that through.
Can we get a signal
in this rat hole?
Why don't you
think it through? Hmm?
Dominic, let me just lay this
out for you one more time,
because I don't
think you're getting it!
So I'll lay it out for you! Okay? Relax.
I'll lay it out for
you nice and clear!
The newspaper can slant this
any which way they want to,
and they can make you the
one and only principal source.
How do you think
that's gonna go down
with your friends at PointCorp? Not great.
And anybody else
you're connected to?
Don't do that.
Please don't do that.
The more you talk,
the more you give us,
the more protected you are.
That's the way we work.
And your compensation
is your anonymity,
and that is all you're
gonna get from us.
Okay?
Yeah.
Great.
Okay, how's
it going in here?
Sounds frigging great.
We're just about ready.
- Let's do it.
- Great. Good.
Come on.
I'm not gonna do it.
I'm gonna open the door,
and I'm gonna
let you say it.
You have to talk to her.
Cal is asking us to
push the deadline.
We really can't
afford to keep doing
this type of thing.
Where the hell are they?
You saying that
as if I should know?
Yeah, well, you just
spoke to him.
Yeah, well, they didn't
tell me where they were.
$20,000 an hour.
Yeah... All right!
Bugger off!
Shit.
It was just this guy, okay, that
I knew from the clubs, all right?
And he worked for a PR firm, a very big one.
Name? And... No, I'm not
gonna give you his name.
He's a friend, okay?
He had this, uh...
He had this...
Well, the company that he
worked for had a client,
a very special client.
Name?
I'll give you that one.
PointCorp.
And they wanted
a special employee.
They needed a girl.
I thought of Sonia.
You got that?
I'm sorry, are you saying that
Sonia was working for PointCorp?
Like a steel trap,
this one.
Don't lose her
to another paper.
Yeah, that's
what I'm saying.
Turn it up, turn it up.
She was a perfect fit. She had balls.
She was smart.
She was in debt.
And she was
in debt, exactly. Yeah.
They paid her
$26,000 a month.
Whole hell of a lot
more than they gave me.
They paid me a flat 20. It's big.
Did they tell you
what the job was?
No, they did not. She told
me what it was, though.
She told me about Collins.
She told me
about spying on him.
And did they want Sonia
to sleep with Collins?
No. She got on her
back all by herself
and screwed everything up, didn't she?
How did they get her
onto Collins' staff?
That I'm not gonna tell you.
You can forget it.
You can kidnap and torture
someone else for that toughie.
We have a deal.
Yeah.
I've done my work. Nobody's here to screw you,
but we need to know who was
working this on the Hill.
From the Hill, huh? Well, from the
Hill, they found a guy to fix it.
Name?
No.
Who?
Leave it.
Who?
Come on.
What, are you
not hearing me?
Forget it. I'd be
afraid to start that
sweet ass Caddy
every morning.
I mean, keep in mind
if I was driving
that wheelbarrow
Saab of yours,
I'd probably blow it up
myself with me in it.
You seen that thing?
It's like a lawnmower.
I'm gonna get you
another beer.
Hey.
Oi.
Are you sleeping
with that guy?
I mean, what are
you doing here?
Are you sleeping
with him? Hmm?
Or you got a guy.
You got a guy, right?
Donna?
- Della.
- Della.
I got a guy.
Got a girl, too.
Right? I don't want
to leave anybody out.
Hey, Stephen.
How did you find Sonia?
What?
How did she come to
work in your office?
Was somebody...
Did somebody recommend her?
What are you talking about?
I think you've been played.
Really?
Who gave you her name?
What is this about?
Don't dick around about this,
Stephen, all right?
Two questions.
How the hell did she come
to work in your office,
and the name of the
individual who recommended her?
Fergus. George Fergus.
Said she was the daughter
of an old family friend.
Doug Sponder's
bachelor party.
You remember that hotel,
the Americana?
Yes.
Get here now, alone.
I'm in Room 408.
I'll meet you
at the office.
Stephen, we're
late already.
I'll call in.
Stephen, we are
late already.
I'll call in.
Okay.
Don't check
your voicemail.
Cameron's going on a
rampage about this deadline.
So, did you cue it
where I asked?
Close enough.
Okay. So, guys, I'm gonna
need you to clear the room.
That means you, too.
What?
I got Stephen Collins
coming in here.
It's gonna be a lot
more comfortable for him
if you're not here,
all right?
Tell me you're kidding.
Since when does the
subject of an investigation
get his own private preview
of another subject's interview?
That's crazy!
You're polluting the story!
Special circumstance.
What? What?
Is it that he's a congressman,
or that he's your friend,
or that you have
a crush on his wife?
Could you
fill me in here?
All of the above.
Oh, my God,
you're such a hypocrite!
This is my story, too, and you
are about to kill it forever
by letting him
come in here.
I'm gonna
bring him in.
I'm gonna sit him down,
show him this.
I'm gonna get him
on the record,
then we've got both
sides of the story.
Hey.
Stephen Collins, Della Frye.
Congressman.
You know this guy?
No.
You don't
recognize him at all?
I don't know. Maybe.
Is this in here?
No, no, it's next door.
He's sleeping it off.
Sit down.
Okay.
PointCorp wanted to plant
someone on your staff.
This guy, Dominic Foy,
he finds Sonia.
He takes a fee.
George Fergus does the rest.
No. That's not possible.
They paid off her debt, and they
paid her monthly to report back
every single thing
that you were doing.
And when she went dry,
they killed her for it.
How do you know this?
And so I get a call, I gotta
go down to a street corner.
I gotta buy a magazine.
I gotta meet some new guy.
This guy, you know,
he's some hardcore,
thick-neck, corn-fed,
Navy-SEAL-looking guy,
you know?
And he's all up in my face,
scaring the hell out of me
because he's
pissed off and...
- When was this?
- This is like a month ago.
You know,
he's pissed off because
Sonia's not giving
him anything anymore.
And what did he want
you to do about it?
He wants me to fix it. He wants me
to fix it, like one of my hair dryers.
And did you?
I tried.
I tried. I called.
She wouldn't take my call.
I go over there.
I try to talk to her.
She's crying.
Why is she crying? She's
scared somebody's after her?
No, she's crying because of
Collins. She was in love with him,
and she was pregnant,
and she didn't tell him.
She didn't tell him,
and, you know,
she was petrified that he's
gonna find out what she did,
and then he's
not gonna want her,
and he's not
gonna want the baby...
She got so wrecked
about it that she burned
thousands of dollars
worth of paychecks.
Who does that?
And I tried
to get her to just relax
and to think
about the publicity,
or think about an abortion, or
think about, you know, her word.
"Just keep your word.
And what about how
"your decisions
are gonna affect me?"
And then she's dead, you
know? I hear it's a murder,
and so I don't
want anything more
to do with this thing,
you know?
I'm just terrified, and I
want to go someplace warm,
and I want to come
back to a clean slate.
And you guys write your article
and just get them off me.
I'm nothing.
I'm nothing to those guys.
So you were right, man. Okay?
And now we can prove it.
I get you on the record. We can
nail these mothers to the wall!
Sliberty? We can nail them to
the wall, all right? We win!
Yeah. Just...
All right?
Just... Will you just
give me a minute?
Okay.
He just needs
a minute.
Shit!
Get off... Get off of me!
You fucking...
Help!
Stephen!
Get up!
What are you doing?
Hey, stop!
No!
Come on, man!
Get off!
What the hell are
you doing to him?
Stephen!
Stephen! Stephen! Stephen!
Hey, I'm trying to help you,
man. Yeah. She was pregnant, Cal.
Did I need
to hear that?
Yeah. Huh? You couldn't tell me yourself?
You had to do it like that?
Was that important to you...
I thought you'd want
to hear the truth.
That's right.
You were just seeking
the truth, that's all.
You're just...
You're a truth seeker.
That's all.
You can't help it.
It's who you are.
You're such a hypocrite.
You're not
interested in me.
Me coming here was all about
you and getting your story.
I trusted you.
You're my friend!
You were supposed
to be my friend
when you were
screwing my wife!
You're my friend, Cal.
I never would've
done this to you!
I'm sorry, Stephen, okay?
I'm sorry
about all of it.
Please, look,
I've been an asshole,
and I can understand
why you hate me for it.
You've just gotta put aside
how you feel about me
and stay with this.
We're so close.
Every single part of this,
I have put myself on the line.
Stephen.
Stephen!
I need a minute with
Congressman Fergus.
Tell him it's Cal McAffrey from
the Globe, and I'm on a deadline.
Fuck him.
Asshole.
It's all right. I saw that.
Just give him this card
and tell him it's an issue
that directly concerns him.
Sir? He asked me
to give you this.
Excuse me.
Congressman.
That Cal McAffrey.
What's up?
How'd you find me?
I followed the trail
of crumbs, Congressman.
I need
a confirmation from you
for an article that
we're running tomorrow.
I have been told
that you recommended
to Greer Thornton
to hire Sonia Baker,
is that correct?
So?
So if it turns out
that Sonia Baker was,
in fact,
gathering information
on Stephen Collins'
committee findings
and passing that
information back
to the very company
that was being investigated
and that company is
complicit in her murder,
well, Jesus Christ, it's not
gonna look too good for you,
is it, Congressman?
One, never use the Lord's
name in vain with me.
Two, how could you
even assume
that a bright, naive,
was what, a double agent?
Mr. McAffrey, I went
to bat for a young girl
whose family I met
and respected,
a family that
seemed like
the wholesome ideal upon
which this country was founded.
And Sonia Baker's
mother's first name is?
Pardon me? You heard me, family friend.
Do you really think
that your new owners,
these responsible
corporate citizens,
are going to allow
you to publish this
speculative drivel?
You are gonna be
out of a job before
the devil can even
say your name, son.
Janine.
Sonia's mother's
first name is Janine.
You're missing the point.
You didn't see his face.
I saw his face. Fergus is
at the heart of this story.
This story is dead, Cal.
One way or another,
PointCorp pushed
Sonia Baker in
front of that train.
Really? The trouble is,
our new corporate owners
won't let me print any of this
unless I have one of the
major players on the record.
On the record, Cal!
And the only person
who could do that won't.
Would you like
to tell me why?
Or is it just that
you shagged his wife?
Maybe you'd like to
explain to me how, when
and why MediaCorp
chopped off your balls.
This is as big and as
connected as it gets.
You follow any fissure of
this, it's a massive story.
You got Fergus,
you got PointCorp,
and now you got MediaCorp,
all connected,
all in collusion, all playing
for the same country club.
I didn't realize you'd
taken up the game.
Oh, Cal, if there's any corruption
involved here, it's coming from you.
You have injected yourself in this
story right from the beginning,
and we all know why.
It's over, Cal,
as far as you're concerned.
I can't protect you anymore.
And right now, I'm not too sure I'd want to.
You want the story?
Yeah. Come on.
I was first introduced
to Sonia Baker
in April of 2007.
She was hired as a research
assistant on my staff.
She was recommended
by the Majority Whip,
Congressman from West Virginia, George Fergus.
Three months into her time
there, Sonia and I began
a romantic relationship.
I have e-mailed copies of
documents to you, which show beyond doubt
the corruption between
members of my own party.
I now know that she had been
placed in my office as a spy.
PointCorp's tentacles reach
into every corner
of the ever-growing
private security industry,
both at home and abroad.
Not only does
this pose a great...
But it is
a violation of our laws.
A monopolistic business...
...obstruct and
otherwise destroy
my investigation
into PointCorp.
Sonia was paid to make
regular reports to PointCorp...
Left unchecked, I believe
that within five years,
PointCorp will have its own
standing army on US soil.
...into their
fraudulent practices...
It will control our
intelligence-gathering apparatus...
What happened in committee... She
had access to everything we were doing
and effectively crippled
our investigation.
It is a frightening vision
and one which must be stopped.
However, when
my relationship with her grew,
she ceased her spying
on their behalf,
and I believe
they killed her for it.
For people like this,
who I've spent
the last year and a half
of my life investigating...
Innocent civilians are really
little more than disposable lives,
thought of as
collateral damage.
And I believe it was simply the
public nature of my position that
saved me
from a similar fate.
So, as political suicides go,
how was that?
Thank you, Congressman.
You okay?
Yeah.
He was set up.
She was sleeping with him
for $26,000 a month. I mean...
Sliberty.
Cal.
You all set? Okay
Let's go.
You still here?
Yeah.
I thought you would've been down
at your desk blasting it online.
Well, you know,
a piece this big,
people should
probably have newsprint
on their hands
when they read it,
don't you think?
I'll do Collins,
Fergus, PointCorp,
and corporate and
government malfeasance.
Okay.
You do Sonia Baker...
The murder, Mandi,
Rhonda Silver.
And the Dominic Foy
connection, all right? Yeah.
Retire to the neutral corner. Okay.
Gentle. Thank you.
Sir, it's Robert Bingham.
I'm sorry to
call you directly.
I want to assure you that I'm
ready to finish what we started.
Goodbye.
I won't be
more than an hour.
Hey, guys. Evening, sir. How you doing?
- Hello.
- Is it a night for it?
Yeah, yeah,
I think it is.
So, how old are you?
Actually, don't tell me.
It would just
make me sick.
You never ask
a girl her age.
Well, see, I look at you, and I don't
see a girl. I just see a reporter.
At last.
Anyway, back to the story.
Yes.
So I had this, uh, English
teacher in high school.
He was a kind of a longhaired
hippie kind of guy.
He had a pen problem. Yeah.
He solved it by
having a piece
of leather string
around his neck,
and that's where
he'd keep his pen.
Smart.
So I started thinking,
"My friend Della's
got a pen problem.
"How do I solve it?"
And I came up with this. What is it?
I call it the "Della
Frye Nubian Princess,
"'I'm never without a pen"'
celebratory necklace.
Oh, it's beautiful! I
always wanted one of these.
Cheers.
Cheers.
You know, I wanted to tell you
something about Anne Collins.
Okay.
I was just talking to her.
How does Anne
Collins know that
Sonia Baker was
earning $26,000 a month?
What?
How does she know how much
Sonia Baker was earning?
We know that.
Yeah.
How does Anne
Collins know that?
Well, I mean, Stephen must have
heard it in the Foy interview.
We played him a specific part of that tape,
and that figure
is never mentioned.
Cal. Wait,
what are you doing?
What are you doing? Cal?
You gonna fill me in?
Just tell Cameron, "Hold the story."
What? Cal? Cal!
Shit.
Who's Robert Bingham,
Stephen?
Who is Robert Bingham?
Are the police outside?
No.
I saved Robert Bingham's
life in Kuwait in '91.
He was a 17-year-old kid.
He was a good soldier.
He was proud
of what we did.
The Army was his life, and he had
problems when he got discharged.
So you had a guy that
you knew to be unstable
do what, exactly?
Scare her?
Maybe beat her up
a little?
No, Cal.
I had him follow her.
Why?
Because I knew she was
hiding something from me.
Because when I'd...
I'd be at her house
and a fax would come in,
she'd get nervous.
Because there were
phone calls late at night.
I was suspicious.
I asked Bingham to observe
her and report back to me.
That's all.
You're a liar, Stephen.
He was more upset about what
she was doing than I was.
You have to understand what
the military means to Bingham.
He hates PointCorp for what
they're trying to do to it.
In his mind,
she just had to stop.
But she did stop,
right?
She tore up her paychecks, and
she put her life at risk for you.
Yes, but I didn't
know that.
I didn't know that
he was gonna kill her.
I didn't know
he had killed her.
When I found out, my thought
was just the same as yours.
I thought PointCorp
had done it.
And when you did
find out?
What was
I supposed to do?
Tell someone.
I tried.
When? When I came to your house,
and I wanted to
talk to you about it,
and all you cared
about was the story.
No, Stephen,
I cared about helping you.
Bullshit. Bullshit.
All you cared about was clearing your
conscience over this little soap opera
you have with Annie.
So you used me.
No, Cal. The same way as you used Bingham.
I was suspicious of her.
I brought him in.
That's all it was!
It was a mistake!
It's my responsibility.
I should never
have done that.
But I never asked
him to kill her.
He owed you his life!
That's why
you called him.
You called him,
and you used him,
like you've been
trying to use me.
One to kill,
and one to cover it up.
If PointCorp and
Fergus hadn't hired her,
none of this would've happened!
No. This is not about Bingham
and PointCorp
and Fergus, man!
It's about you and the
decisions that you have made
that have led to four
people being killed.
One of them was delivering a pizza, Stephen.
Cal. What are
you gonna do?
You know
what I'm gonna do.
You know, it's laughable, your
sense of your own self-worth.
Why is that? 'Cause nobody
reads the papers anymore?
Is that it?
It's just another story,
a couple days of shitstorm,
and it's wrapping paper?
You know, in the middle of
all this gossip and speculation
that permeates
people's lives,
I still think
they know the difference
between real news
and bullshit.
And they're glad that
someone cares enough
to get things on the record
and print the truth.
Cal. Please, Cal, don't do this. Please.
I'm asking you
as your friend.
You got about three minutes
before the cops get here.
I thought you said
you didn't call them.
I lied.
A good soldier fights for
his country and his friends.
But these guys, they want to
make it all about the money.
You want to live
in a world like that?
Drop the weapon!
The story about Stephen comes
out, whether I write it or not.
Drop your weapon!
Drop it!
I'd rather be nothing.
I repeat, drop your weapon!
Well, aren't you gonna send it?
I've only been holding the front
page for four hours, after all.
You send it.
Good night, everybody.
See you tomorrow.
Yinzer.
Yinzer.
Put a candle in the window
'Cause I feel I've got to move
Though I'm going, going
I'll be coming home soon
Long as I can see the light
Pack my bag
and let's get movin'
'Cause I'm bound
to drift a while
When I'm gone, gone
You don't have to worry long
Long as I can see the light
Guess I've got
that old travlin' bone
'Cause this feelin'
won't leave me alone
But I won't, won't
Be losing my way, no, no
Long as I can see the light
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Oh, yeah
Put a candle in the window
'Cause I feel I've got to move
Though I'm going, going
I'll be coming home soon
Long as I can see the light
Long as I can see the light
Long as I can see the light
Long as I can see the light