05x10 - The Boy Who Cried m*rder

[bunniefuu]

♪ ♪

(CRIES SOFTLY)

JAI: Izzy.

I don't care if I get sick.

(CRYING): Oh, God.

I miss her so much.

I'm so sorry.

Jason's sorry, too.
He wanted to be here.

How can it be that she's-she's gone?

When you called yesterday, uh...

We were gonna have lunch next week.

You know she was always
wearing that shirt

you lent her in college.

Don't tell the imam,
but we buried her in it.

(CRIES)

ARIN: Hey, Aunt Izzy.

Hi, honey.

I am so sorry.

(CRYING): I miss your mom so much.

Aunt Izzy? (CRIES)

(BOTH CRYING)

She loved you both so much.

♪ ♪

Aunt Izzy?

Taj, honey, are you all right?

Are you going back into the city?

Are you okay?

You mean... am I clean?
Am I on anything?

I wish I was.

Seven months sober. Still.

Did they tell you how she d*ed?

Your dad did when he called.

It was... an accident. Just...

She was changing a light bulb,

fell off the ladder,

cracked her head on the marble floor.

Look...

you've known my mom longer
than anybody else.

Longer than my dad.

Have you ever
seen her change a light bulb?

Have you ever seen her
even climb a ladder?

- What are you trying to tell me?
- Look,

the night before last,

my mom came upstate
to visit me at school.

She was supposed to stay until Sunday,

but then suddenly, she-she had
to go back a day earlier.

Anyway, the way Dad tells it,

he didn't know she was coming home.

He went to bed early, and
to the best of his knowledge,

she never even made it upstairs.

He says he found her in the
morning on the living room floor,

beneath the ladder, coat on the chair,

bag on the dining room table, already...

I'm sorry, Taj. I...

I just... I'm not clear on
what you're trying to tell me.

This morning before the funeral,

I went into my mom and dad's room.

I just wanted to be near her again.

I was looking
at a photo of my mom and me

when I accidentally dropped it.

And-and when I got on the floor
to clean up the glass,

I found this wedged

in the heating grate on the floor.

My mom was wearing these earrings

when she left my place the other night.

Look, if my mom never
went upstairs that night,

then how did the earring
that she was wearing that day,

that I saw her wear that day,
end up in the bedroom

that she shares with my father?

And why is my dad lying about it?

IZZY: Apparently,

his parents had a Persian rug
in the bedroom,

and all of a sudden, it's gone.

Yeah, and so that means
that he k*lled Maryam?

That he k*lled the boy's mother?

I'm not saying that. Taj is saying that.

(SCOFFS) Right, the younger one.

The, uh... the drug addict.

Maryam told me about a month ago,

she thought Jai was having an affair.

And then there's the money.

(SIGHS)

What money are we talking about?

Maryam's.

Their money... Maryam's and Jai's...

Is really Maryam's money.

Her parents d*ed
when she was a teenager,

and she inherited a fortune.

- I-I told you about this.
- Right, right.

I mean, there were all sorts
of lawyers involved

when she married Jai,
and long story short,

if Maryam had divorced Jai,
he wouldn't have gotten a penny.

Right.

She was my best friend, Jason.

(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)

So we spoke with the
officers who were called

to the house upon the discovery
of Maryam Malani's body.

We spoke with the coroner,
we spoke with everyone we could.

- And?
- And they all said the same thing.

It was clearly an accident.

Have Benny meet me in my office.

Hey, how long would you say

a typical autopsy takes
in a case like this?

Typical? I don't know.
A couple of hours.

Because it says here
that Maryam's began at :

and concluded at : .

That's minutes.

That's surprising...

but it's not shocking.

I mean, the sad truth is,

the New York Medical Examiner's Office

is chronically understaffed
and overworked,

so, I'm sure it's probably just that.

You think it would be crazy
if we filed a petition

to exhume the body,
dig it up, take another look?

A petition of exhumation?

Uh, I mean, that can get pretty ugly

if the entire family's not on board.

You really want to open
up that Pandora's box?

I just want to be able to go back

and give the kid some options.

Okay, I hear you.

Well, you should warn him,

if he does decide to go down that road,

he only has two possible outcomes,

and neither of them is terribly pretty.

He's either gonna

find out his father is a m*rder*r,

or he's gonna have to spend
the rest of his life knowing

that he falsely accused
his only surviving parent

of a heinous crime.

Lucky me.

Thank you for hearing
our petition, Your Honor.

I just need to emphasize to the court

that Maryam Malani's autopsy
was completed

in less than minutes.

Far shorter,

by a factor of three,
than the typical examination

of a body following an unattended death.

Now, this brief examination

could have easily have missed the...

DNA of a perpetrator,

some defense wounds
on the victim's body,

or even some other evidence

that could very well point to foul play.

You all right?

BENNY: Now, in light of all
of these questions and concerns,

we respectfully ask the court
to grant our motion to exhume.

Thank you, Mr. Colón.

I understand that other members

of the Malani family object
to this petition.

Yes, Your Honor.

Jai Malani, husband of the deceased,

and Arin Malani, son of the deceased,

both strongly oppose this exhumation.

I would like to reiterate

how important Jai and Arin's
Muslim faith is to them.

How important it was to Maryam herself.

It's the reason why she was
buried so quickly after her death,

as is the custom for followers of Islam.

And there's simply no
valid justification here.

The death has already been investigated

by both the NYPD and the Office
of the Chief Medical Examiner,

both highly professional
and capable organizations

who determined
that it was a tragic accident.

Your Honor, it is our position

that Maryam Malani deserves
to rest in peace.

Thank you, Ms. Peterson.

Thank you, Your Honor.

And if Your Honor wouldn't mind,

Jai Malani would like
to address the court.

Proceed.

(CLEARS THROAT)

I love my children more
than anything in the world,

so it goes without saying
that it pains me deeply

to see my youngest son's grief
has misled him to believe

that I could have had a part
in my cherished wife's death.

We may never understand why she was

taken from us so abruptly.

But I strongly believe

that her disinterment
would only add suffering

for everyone who had the privilege

to know and love Maryam.

Including Taj himself.

Anything further from either party?

- Not at this time, Your Honor.
- No, Your Honor.

Both parties have compelling
and reasonable arguments,

but I find myself
agreeing with Mr. Colón.

And in light of what

was clearly an unusually fast autopsy,

I feel that it's in the best
interest of justice to exhume.

Permission to exhume
Maryam Malani's body

is granted.

How do you feel?

Like I've either done
a really important thing,

or a really stupid thing.

Taj?

You need to go back in there
and make them stop this, Taj.

No. I'm-I'm sorry.

That story about Mom falling
off a ladder... you believe that?

Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do.

Just because you're a world-class liar,

doesn't mean everyone else
in this family is.

Your mother is dead.

Now you're determined
to k*ll your father?

Oh, my God. Arin, stop it!

Just, the two of you, just stop it.

Come on, Aunt Izzy.

Mom never told you about all the times

Taj lied to her about being high,

about where he was going,

who he was hanging around with?

She'd be ashamed of both of you.

This line is what we call
a linear fracture.

This is what I would have
expected Maryam's skull

to look like, had she simply
fallen backwards from a ladder

and onto a marble floor, as
stated in the police report.

But that's not what I found.

What did you find?

This is the actual X-ray
of Maryam's skull

that I took during
my examination. This...

is what we call a depressed fracture.

We typically see these
when the head is struck

by a dense object that
caves in a part of the skull.

The injury indicates that the object

that made contact with her head
had a rounded shape.

Very different from a flat stone floor.

Wow.

So the forensic evidence
strongly suggests

that Maryam did die
at the hands of an attacker.

Okay. So maybe this isn't
all for naught.

And, by his own admission,
Jai was the only one at home

- when she arrived that night.
- TAYLOR: Actually,

I don't think Jai was the only
one home when Maryam got there.

This is Linda Campbell.

She's a professor of linguistic theory

at Columbia, where Jai teaches,

and I suspect she's also his mistress.

Great.

And how did you
arrive at that suspicion?

I live with someone who will be
highly invested in the answer.

I read hundreds of text messages.

And when I said I suspect,
I was being generous.

These two have been intimate
going back at least a year.

MARISSA: And you have proof

that she was at the house
the night Maryam was m*rder*d?

- Danny?
- Well,

someone other than Jai was
definitely at the house that night.

Taylor was able to hack into
the home's security system brain

and determine that

the Malanis' front door
was accessed with a passcode

roughly an hour before Maryam's death.

MARISSA: Yeah, but couldn't that

have been Jai or Maryam
herself, for that matter?

TAYLOR: Both Jai and Maryam

have fingerprint access,
so neither of them

would have needed to enter a passcode.

Okay, so what are we saying...
Are we assuming that

it was this Linda who
let herself in with the passcode

and then Maryam returned home and...

caught her with her husband?

Seems like the most obvious narrative.

Who knows... maybe Maryam
threatened to divorce Jai,

take all her money with her.

Uh, that's a pretty good theory.

After years of living
in the lap of luxury,

Jai would have to live in New York City

on a professor's salary.

Now it's starting to
sound like a motive.

So he grabbed the closest heavy object

and smashed his wife
over the head with it?

I just don't buy it.
These are sophisticated people.

They don't clock each other
with statuary

- to settle their differences.
- MARISSA: Okay,

so maybe it wasn't Jai.
If the mistress was there,

it might have been her
who struck and k*lled Maryam.

I actually floated that
trial balloon with Dr. Rainey.

- And?
- And, she said,

given Linda's height...
She's maybe five feet tall...

It would be unlikely
that she would have generated

the force needed to create
the impact necessary

to do the damage
we're seeing on the X-rays.

Not to mention, Maryam
was a good six inches taller

than Linda, so the angle
doesn't really work either.

Unless Maryam was sitting
down when she hit her.

Unless Maryam was
sitting down when she hit her.

MARISSA: Okay, so, Jai or this Linda

struck Maryam,
then realized what they'd done,

panicked and moved the body
downstairs to stage the accident.

I think that about sums it up.

Bull, you seem upset.

No, I'm fine.

I'm just imagining
the pillow talk tonight.

What is wrong with men?

So, are they gonna
charge Jai with m*rder?

(SIGHS)

Are they gonna
charge somebody with m*rder?

I have no idea.

This all just came together tonight.

I'm thinking we file

a wrongful death suit against Jai.

We can petition the court
to get into his home,

and that way we can hire detectives

and forensic specialists to go
in there and look for evidence.

And then maybe, just maybe,

we'll find something that will prove

he's guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

You know, my boss is gonna be
here any minute. I'd really love

to give him a sense
of how all of this is going.

So far, the only thing we've
found is a few drops of blood.

May not even be hers. Drops.

Nothing like you would expect to see

from her kind of head wound.
Could be from a cut,

from shaving... anything, really.

Can we also test the statue for blood?

Something about the round base...

Seems like the right shape
to do the necessary damage

to Mrs. Malani's skull?

Already did. No blood detected,

but we did see traces
of sodium hypochlorite

on that one.

Bleach?

Why in the world would anyone

clean a piece of art with bleach?

Well, unless you're trying to be sure

there's no trace of blood
or bones or brain on it.

CHUNK: If I was representing
the other side, I'd just argue

that the maid made a mistake,
she messed up. She didn't know

she shouldn't clean
the statue with bleach.

Oh, come on. That's a
ridiculous defense.

To which I'd argue: How
likely is it that the maid

only cleaned one statue
incorrectly and not the other?

Well, Benny's right... the statue
fits as the m*rder w*apon,

but that means nothing if we
can't put it in Jai's hands.

CHUNK: Look,

husband kills the wife so he can
stay with the mistress,

keep the wife's money.
The jury's gonna eat that up.

Hmm. Maybe the right jury.

How do you mean?

A jury of people
who like to hear a good story.

A jury of narrative thinkers.

Folks who have an inclination,
when they're presented

with bits of information,
to tie them all together

into a nice little story.

A story that then builds
to the irrefutable conclusion

that Jai did it,

even if we don't...

actually have any proof that Jai did it.

Okay, is anyone here a sports fan?

You, sir. What is your favorite sport?

Uh... uh, baseball, I guess.

Okay. And is there

any player or team in particular
that you follow?

Truthfully, I-I usually
just follow whoever's

performing best for my fantasy
baseball league. (CHUCKLES)

Carter Finch... he's an actuary
for an insurance company.

Stats guy, through and through.

BULL: Ah. Not for us.

He's way too invested in hard data.

Your Honor, we'd like to thank
and excuse juror number five.

And you, sir...

What's your sport?

Me? I'm a football guy.
College, pro, whatever.

If they're tossing a football
and wearing pads, I'll watch it.

All right.
And what's your favorite team?

The Saints, I guess.

It's actually less about the team

and more about their
former quarterback, Drew Brees.

And what is it about Brees?

JUROR: I don't know. It's hard to say.

The guy's just a fighter, you know?

I thought he was done
when he tore up his shoulder

playing for the Chargers.
But he just put his head down,

got back to work with the Saints.

And he made it all the way back.
Super Bowl MVP, baby.

And, of course, he retired now.

But it's just a great story.

This kid... Juror number nine...

He's drawn to the personal story
of this one player.

The very definition
of a narrative thinker.

Andrew Valentin. Loves biographies.

Streams three or four movies a week.

Big country music fan, because he says

the songs are always about people

in situations he can relate to.

Mm.

Your Honor, this juror
is acceptable to the plaintiff.

_ And after you performed

this extensive eight-hour
re-examination of the body,

what conclusion did you come to?

That Mrs. Malani's death
was definitely a homicide.

BENNY: A-And could
you please tell the court

how you believe she was k*lled, exactly?

Blunt force trauma. She was
struck on the head from behind

with a hard, heavy object.

BENNY: Anything else you can tell us

about what this object might have been?

RAINEY: It's clear from
the nature of the injury

that whatever it was had a curved

or spherical aspect to it,
because the injury to the skull

took the form of a curved indentation.

(CLICKS TONGUE) Ah.

Like the...

Like the...

base of this statue that we recovered

from the defendant,
Jai Malani's, bedroom?

RAINEY: Well, I certainly
don't know if that is the actual

m*rder w*apon, but it is definitely

consistent with the injuries
the victim sustained.

Thank you, Doctor.

I have no further questions
for this witness, Your Honor.

(SIGHS) Damn.

I told the nanny I would
be home minutes ago.

Okay. You take the car.

I'm gonna go confer with Benny.
I'll take a cab.

Aunt Izzy,
can I talk to you for a second?

I'm running really late, Arin. I'm s...

You need to put a stop to this.

(SIGHS)

Arin.

No, I'm trying to help you.
I'm trying to help everyone.

You need to talk to your boyfriend

and you need to get him
to put a stop to this.

Or, failing that,
talk some sense into my brother.

Did you not hear
the pathologist just now?

Your mom did not fall off a ladder.

Okay. She didn't fall off a ladder.

But whatever happened to her,
I promise you,

my dad had nothing to do with it.

Well, then you have
nothing to fear from this trial,

and neither does your dad.

No, it's not my dad I'm worried about.

It's Taj.

Taj?

He's testifying tomorrow.

And I've been in the meetings

and I know what our side
is planning to do to him,

and it's not pretty.

We need to stop this thing, Aunt Izzy.

You know what,
Taj is stronger than you think.

Taj is gonna be fine.

Everybody is gonna be fine.

We just have to get through this.

We just have to get to the truth.

Your mom deserves that.

Mr. Malani, I'm so sorry for your loss.

I'd-I'd like to change
the subject for a moment.

I'd like to talk about money.

You okay with that, young man?

You can ask me anything.

Now, is it true that
when your mother Maryam passed,

your father inherited all of her money?

That's my understanding.

Now, would that include
control of your trust fund,

which you'll not inherit
until your th birthday?

Yes, I believe that's true.

Now, on the other hand, if this
jury finds your father liable

for your mother's death, don't
you stand to come into millions?

You wouldn't have to wait
until you're .

Everything you have coming to you

would come to you now?

Yeah, I-I mean, I guess so.

I haven't really thought about that.

This isn't about the money for me.

This is about my mother and my...

and my brother and-and her friends.

We all deserve to know the truth.

Not about the money, huh?

No.

So was it about the money when
you stole your father's Rolex?

Sold it to score some heroin?

Yes... I did steal from my father.

And my mother. And my brother. But...

it wasn't about the money, per se.

It-it was about dr*gs.

I was an addict. So I stole.

I-I... I lied.
I did a lot of bad things.

But I've been clean seven months now.

I go to my meetings,
I have a supportive sponsor.

I don't do dr*gs.

And I would never
implicate my father for money.

Never.

PETERSON: So when you say
you've been clean for seven months,

are you testifying that you
haven't taken any substances

during that entire time?

Yes. Like I said, I've been
clean for seven months.

Your Honor, I'd like
to enter a video into evidence.

Objection, Your Honor.

The first time we've
heard of this video.

We haven't seen this video.

It hasn't even been authenticated.

The plaintiff can authenticate it.

He's the subject, after all.

Is that you, Mr. Malani?

- Yes.
- The time stamp

on this video indicates that it
was recorded three nights ago.

Is that your recollection, as well?

It is.

How do they have this?

They must have hired someone
to follow him.

PETERSON: Mr. Malani,
can you please tell us

what it is you purchased from
that man and put in your pocket?

It's heroin.

(TAKES DEEP BREATH)

But I... I didn't use it.

Look, I was just in a bad place.

Losing my mom...

By the time I got back to my apartment,

I thought about her.

I thought about what
she would think of me,

and I flushed it all
down the toilet, I swear.

Well, I guess we'll just have
to take your word for that.

But the fact is,

you could buy a lot more heroin
if your father wasn't standing

between you and all that money.

Isn't that right?

BENNY: Objection!

Counsel is badgering the witness.

Sustained.

The jury will disregard
counsel's last statement.

We picked a jury
that loves a good story.

Unfortunately,

the defense just told
a better one than we did.

Your Honor, the defense would like

to call Linda Campbell to the stand.

Ms. Campbell, what is your relationship

with the defendant, Jai Malani?

Jai and I are colleagues
at Columbia University.

And is that the full extent
of your relationship?

No.

We also had...

have... a romantic relationship.

(MURMURING)

PETERSON: So, on the night in question,

were you at the home
of Mr. and Mrs. Malani

as the plaintiff has alleged?

No. I was not.

I was in Connecticut that night.

I drove up to see my sister
in the hospital.

PETERSON: Your Honor, I'd like

to enter into the court record
a certified copy

of the Connecticut Presbyterian

Hospital visitor's log

for the night of Maryam Malani's death.

Is this highlighted signature yours?

Yes, it is.

And how far would you say
this hospital is

from the Malani home?

It's about a two-hour drive.

And this log indicates

you arrived there shortly before :

and didn't leave
until after about : .

- That's right.
- And I assume

you went to your home after
your visit, not to the Malanis'?

Yes. My home.

And I got there
around : in the morning.

PETERSON: And at any point

during your drive or after you got home

that night, did you communicate
with Mr. Malani?

Did he communicate with you?

Not that night. No.

He called me the next day.

Told me how he'd found his wife.

He sounded very upset.

Said his sons were both very upset.

I know he was frantic, trying
to put together a funeral.

They're Muslim.

It's important to get the body in
the ground as soon as possible.

No further questions, Your Honor.

Mr. Colón, your witness.

Hello, Ms. Campbell.

I-I appreciate you being here.

Now, according to your testimony,

you got home at : in the morning.

Right?

Any way you can prove that?

That you went to your apartment
and not Jai's townhouse?

I live in a security building.

There are cameras
in the lobby, a doorman.

I'm sure there's a
record of it somewhere.

Oh. Right. And likewise,

the building would have
record of the fact

that you didn't leave again
until the next day?

- I would assume so.
- Okay.

Are you aware that the vast majority

of your boyfriend's wealth came
from an inheritance

his wife received
when she was a teenager?

Money he would have

no access to if his marriage
ended in divorce?

I was aware of that. Yes.

But I'm curious.

How did you come to know that?

Jai told me.

BENNY: No, of course, but...

in what context?

What prompted the question?

Conversations about
one's personal finances?

Conversations about a spouse's
personal finances?

What prompted such a thing?

We're both college professors.

I had a fair idea
of what he was being paid.

And yet...
we lived very different lives.

It was sort of the elephant
in the room for a while.

And then one day, he was telling me

about a family vacation
they were about to take.

And I think he saw the look on my face.

Private jet, a villa on the beach.

I did my best to look nonchalant,

but I guess my best wasn't good enough.

Now, you've never had the kind of money

that Jai has now, have you?

No.

So then, I mean, isn't it fair to say

that you stand to benefit
if he wins this lawsuit?

I mean, come on.

You'd be with a very, very wealthy man,

perhaps even live in a beautiful home,

maybe even live a lavish lifestyle

you've never had the taste of.

You're making assumptions
I'm not prepared to make.

Jai is in mourning.

He loved his wife.

I'm not denying that we had
feelings for each other,

but I doubt he's contemplating
a future with me

or anyone else at the moment.

I believe he just wants
to be there for his boys.

That's a great answer.

She's been very well prepped.

Ms. Campbell,

the fact is, you have no idea

whether Jai k*lled his wife
or not, do you?

I can tell you what I believe...

No, I know what you believe.

I asked you what you know.

So, can you swear under oath

that Mr. Malani did not k*ll his wife?

I cannot.

Thank you.

No further questions, Your Honor.

Nice work, Benny.

Oh, please.

I got her to admit she
couldn't swear he didn't do it.

If you're a juror,
that's next to nothing.

(PHONE RINGING)

Yeah. Marissa?

We found something.

What are you talking about?

Well, we know someone entered
the house that night

and punched in a code to do it.

So, we went back through Jai's call log

to see if he might have
invited someone over

or called an accomplice the next day.

And?

MARISSA: And it's who

he didn't call.

The morning that Jai
found Maryam's body,

he called a lot of people.

Taj, Izzy, his girlfriend Linda

and then Maryam's sisters in India.

But he never called Arin.

And the only reason
you wouldn't inform your son

that his mother was dead...

Is if he already knew.

Hey. Wow. What's all this?

These are the fruits of the all-nighter

Danny, Marissa and I pulled.

What are we looking at here?

That's a copy of a receipt.

Turns out Arin, the older brother,

parked his car at a charging station

a block from his parents' home,

minutes before the front
door's passcode was entered.

Good work.

And if you look at the
bottom of the receipt,

you'll see he left
shortly after midnight.

So, we've got him at his parents' house

at almost the exact same time
his mother was m*rder*d,

even though Jai keeps insisting
he was alone that night.

Well, man was trying to protect his son.

Now, would you happen
to have a motive in there?

I might.

Hello, Arin.

Now,

my colleagues and I have been
doing a little research on you,

and it turns out that
you are quite the entrepreneur.

First a cigar import business.

Then an automotive
customization company.

And now, we've got
your latest venture...

A luxury watch website. Ooh!

Very, very impressive.

Did I get it all right?

- Yes, you did.
- Okay.

Good, good.

Uh-oh.

But I also see that there have
been some money problems.

I mean, the first two businesses

ultimately had to close,
and this new one...

I believe, at one point, you
were on the brink of bankruptcy.

I don't think
I'd characterize it that way.

We had some troubles.

It's the nature
of being an entrepreneur.

Right.

Um, do you recognize

this e-mail?

Yes.

BENNY: And it's an e-mail

you sent to your business partner?

- Yes.
- Okay.

Can I trouble you
to read it out loud to the jury?

Objection. Your Honor,

this e-mail, whatever it is,
has yet to be authenticated,

and, uh, I'm at a loss to
understand what any of this has

to do with the case at hand.

BENNY: Arin can authenticate it.

In fact, he just did.

And for its relevance, Your Honor,

I think that will become obvious
very, very soon.

Overruled.

Mr. Malani, please read the e-mail.

ARIN: "John,

"please stop overreacting.

We're not going to lose the business."

Oh, please continue.

I think the most
relevant sentence is coming up.

From where you left off.

"You have to trust me.

"I've got this under control.

I'm going to have
the hundred K by Monday."

"Hundred K by Monday."

(SNIFFLES)

I believe this was sent

roughly hours before
your mother's death, wasn't it?

I believe so. Yes.

Okay. Arin,

by any chance, did you go by
your parents' house that night

to ask them for money?

ARIN: No. I did not.

As I told the police,
I wasn't there that night.

I was home by myself,
cleaning, cooking, watching TV.

Okay. So then,

where were you planning
on getting this $ ,

that you apparently needed?

A bank.

A bank loan.

Y-You were hoping to get a bank loan

for $ , approved on a Sunday?

ARIN: I have a friend. A classmate

from Harvard that works at a major bank.

I was gonna call in a favor.

Okay. So, did you do that?
Did you call your friend?

Because that would be
an easy thing for us to verify.

Well, no.

I decided to wait to call her on Monday.

But then my mom d*ed.

(WHISPERS): Oh, right.

Yeah.

But then your mom d*ed.

Of course.

You want to hear
a really weird coincidence?

You know that Indian statue?

The one we believe your mother
was hit on the head with?

What do you think that thing is worth?

I would have no idea.

Why would I know that?

Well, because it's my understanding

that it was actually left to you

by your maternal grandfather.

It becomes yours when you marry.
Isn't that true?

Yeah, I guess that might be the case.

It's not something I think about a lot.

There's been so much tragedy lately.

Mm-hmm.

You didn't answer my question.

I'm sorry?

How much do you think it's worth?

It turns out
your parents had it appraised

as part of their homeowners policy.

What number do you think

- the insurance company put on it?
- PETERSON: Objection.

Asked and answered.
He said he didn't know,

and now Mr. Colón
is asking him to speculate.

Objection sustained.

Move on, Mr. Colón.

Absolutely, Your Honor.

The plaintiff would like
to enter into evidence

the Malanis' homeowners policy

and would like to point out to the court

that the statue in question

was valued at actually $ , .

Oh, my God.

It's Arin?

Shh.

BENNY: So, explain this to me.

Did you already have
a buyer lined up for it,

or did you figure you'd
attend to that later?

- I don't know what you're talking about.
- BENNY: Oh,

I think you do.

PETERSON: Your Honor, the attorney

is badgering the witness.

- Mr. Colón.
- BENNY: I apologize, Your Honor.

Mr. Malani,

you do understand the penalty
for perjury, don't you?

Yes.

Okay. So, I will ask you again.

Is it still your testimony

that you were home alone that night?

Yes.

Your Honor,

the plaintiff would like
to enter into evidence

this parking receipt

from a parking lot

about a block away from
Mr. Malani's parents' home

and five and one-half miles
away from his.

The receipt indicates
that Mr. Malani's car

entered the parking lot
shortly before : p.m.

on the night of his mother's death

and exited shortly after midnight.

So, again, I will ask.

Where were you on the night
of your mother's m*rder?

Stop it! My son
isn't on trial here. I am!

The defendant will take his seat,

or I will find him in contempt

and have him held at the county jail.

Jai, take your seat.

BENNY: Mr. Malani,

what happened that night?

You were there. You know.

Your Honor, uh,
may I at least have a moment

to advise Mr. Malani of his rights?

That's not necessary.

I know my rights.

Arin! Please.

What's the point, Dad?

They know.

They obviously know.

I didn't ask my mother for money.

And I didn't steal that statue.

As you already pointed out, it was mine.

Or would be when I married.

I guess I thought of it
as a kind of advance.

But my mother wasn't having any of it.

She said I shouldn't squander
my inheritance

on another doomed business.

Doomed.

But the way she said it...

Like I was the failure in this family.

Like I hadn't dedicated myself
to making my parents proud.

I hadn't been in and out of rehab

six times since the ninth grade.

Another $ , out the window

every time you'd slip.

Anyway, I've got the damn thing
in my hand,

and I'm thinking...

I'll just walk out the door with it.

I mean, what's she gonna do?
Try and take it from me?

But then she did.

And we struggled.

And my father kept screaming,

"Stop it, the two of you."

And I swung it at her head,

thinking she'd step out of the way.

But she didn't.

(VOICE BREAKING): And it caught her

in the back of her head.

Dad, you tried to save me,
and I'm grateful.

Thank you.

And, Taj,

I'm so sorry.

I know you loved her the most.

And why not? She loved you the most.

And I took her away.

I didn't mean to.

I just did, and I'm sorry.

And, Aunt Izzy...

(SNIFFLES)

...I think she really thought
you two were sisters.

And maybe she was right.

I mean,

who else but a sister would try so hard

to find out what really happened?

♪ ♪

No further questions, Your Honor.

In fact, the plaintiffs rest their case.

(SIGHS)

Benny's giving everything
we have to the D.A.

They're gonna charge Arin
with second-degree m*rder.

Probably Jai, too,

for perjury, accessory after the fact,

whatever else they can get on him.

God.

I should have just left it alone.

Then they would still have each other.

Now Taj has no one.

(SNIFFLES)

You tried to tell me. And Benny, too.

Hey. I was wrong.

We were wrong.

Taj will build a new life for himself.

Seven months sober.

Sounds like he's already started.

They were such cute boys.

Maryam was so proud of them.

I thought she was
the best mother in the world.

Now I...

What kind of chance do I have?

Hey, don't do that.

You are the best mother in the world,

and I'm the best dad in the world.

At least, until we hear otherwise.

Let's make a pledge to ourselves.

To do everything we can

to make sure that our little girl

has a childhood she doesn't
have to recover from.

Hmm?

(SNIFFLES)