25x08 - Third Man Syndrome

[bunniefuu]

In the criminal justice system,

sexually based offenses

are considered especially heinous.

In New York City, the
dedicated detectives

who investigate these vicious felonies

are members of an elite squad

known as the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

[MACHINERY WHIRRING, BEEPING]

Did you get the job?

I told you, man.

I told you.

You know, your cousin's
one of my best guys.

Let's hope his work ethic
runs in the family.

See?

Thank you for the work.

See you bright and early.

I'm gonna own a company
like this one day.

OK. Are we going back to your
crappy little apartment now?

Nah, man, it's your
first night in the city.

- So?
- We're going to Manhattan.

To do what?

It's New York City, cuz.

Whatever we want.

We gotta call Grandma

and tell her
about your new job.

She'll be happy you'll
finally put some calluses

on those soft hands of yours.

You bring enough clothes?

Hey, don't get too used to me.

I thought you were
staying until you made

enough money for art school.

I don't even know
if I'm gonna like it here.

I mean, New York is freezing.

And I'm not just talking
about the temperature.

I'm gonna introduce you
to the city.

Only if you wear this.

[LAUGHS]
I'm an artist.

And you think I'm scared
of a few sparkles?

[LAUGHS]

Thank you.

You gotta at least stay
until the weather gets warmer.

Yeah?

And what happens then?

Well, for a start,
Sundress Day.

What's Sundress Day?

First day of spring,

every woman in New
York wears a sundress.

You gotta be
kidding me, right?

Yo, yo, yo, check this out.

What?

Broadway,

the soundtrack of New York.

ALL:
♪ Three little maids who, all unwary ♪

♪ Come from a ladies' seminary ♪

♪ Freed from its genius tutelary ♪

♪ Three little maids from school ♪

He likes your shirt.

ALL:
♪ Three little maids from school ♪

- You want to go in?
- No, no, no, thanks.

Come on, man.
He's just being friendly.

I'm not...

I'm not friends
with guys like that.

That's the beauty of New York.

You don't have to be
friends with everybody.

To get along,
you gotta show some respect.

There's gotta be
another bar around here.

Throw a rock
in any direction.

BOTH: ♪ Dat, da-da-da, dat-da, da-da ♪

[LAUGHTER]

- Oh, you still cold?
- A little.

Subway's right around the corner.

[FOREBODING MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[LAUGHTER]

[TIRES SCREECHING]

[ENGINE REVVING]

[LAUGHTER]

You two h*m* going home
to pound some meat?

- What did you just say?
- Javi, come on.

- Let's just go.
- Oh, you must be

- the power top.
- Watch who you're pushing.

Hey, hey, hey, come on.
Come on. He's just drunk.

- Javi, calm down.
- You don't know me.

I grew up in Medellín,
white boy.

Javi.
Javi, calm down.

Drop the bat!

Fight like a real man.

[GRUNTS]

Zach, are you stupid?

Javi, get up.
Get up.

- Come on. Let's go!
- No.

I'm gonna teach the little
h*m* here a lesson.

Get up. Come on. Come on.

- Hey. Come on. Do it.
- [LAUGHS]

Your bitch
just abandoned you!

- [BOTH GRUNTING]
- [LAUGHTER]

Mo, you just gonna stand there?

Help!

Stop!

You're gonna k*ll him!

We gotta go now!

Zach, come on!

♪ ♪

- No, no, no.
- [SCREAMS]

[BAT CLANGS]

[HIGH-PITCHED RINGING]

Pl...

Please.

Please, please, stay with me.

[SOFT MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[SIREN WAILING]

So what are we looking at?

Hispanic vic in his 20s,
half conscious when we arrived.

- Any ID?
- Didn't take time to look.

He was pretty b*at up.
My partner's with him.

He'll look for a wallet.

All right. Sexual as*ault?

Pants around the ankles,
bit of blood.

My sergeant said to call you.

Yeah.

These people see anything?

Arrived after the fact.

The guy over there with the dog

said a homeless man heard
the perps yell "h*m*."

Homeless guy?
Where's the homeless guy now?

- Long gone.
- Ah.

Well, tell your guys
to find him.

[TENSE MUSIC]

So, two different kinds of
as*ault, plus a hate crime.

Yeah, that's some pretty
grim math right there.

It's gonna be a long night.

Remind me when
the last short one was.

♪ ♪

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Hey.

- Hey.
- Any word on the vic?

Just got done with surgery.

Broken ribs, internal injuries.

Someone took a blunt
object to his genitals.

Oh, God.
Were we able to ID him?

I had a Colombian driver's
license, Javier Lopez, 22.

Did we find a phone,
or an address?

Just some cash in his pockets.

Yeah, we're combing
through 911 calls.

A witness said that
she was almost hit

by a black 4x4
with a rack of lights

a block from the scene.

OK, we get a plate?

Just said it was headed uptown.

Checking traffic cams.

We're also running
license plate readers

at the bridge and the tunnel.

OK, so a homeless guy
from the neighborhood

said that he heard
h*m* slurs.

I'll canvas the block,
see if anybody had a Ring cam.

I don't need to tell you
this, but with a hate crime,

we're gonna have a lot of eyes on us.

Speaking of which,

big dog's here.

Oh...
I've seen that look.

- Hang in there.
- Want me to stick around?

You know,
you're probably better off

covering the crime scene.

And everybody is on forced OT

until we pick up the suspects.

Captain Benson, Detective,
tell me we have leads.

We're tracking them down now.

What do we know
about the vic?

He's a Colombian national.

So this is anti-immigrant?
Anti-gay?

We're still sorting that out.

Well, 1PP is being flooded with calls

from gay rights groups.

Do you want us to loop in Hate Crimes?

You caught the case.

I assume there's some
kind of sex component.

Yes, unfortunately.

Then you're the lead,
Captain.

Oh.

A word of warning.

The city is on edge as it is.

A hate crime like this...

I'm aware, Commissioner.

- [PHONE BUZZING]
- OK.

Yeah?

The world is losing its mind.

Just wait.
It's an election year.

Captain, Detective,
Mr. Lopez is out of surgery.

Well, that's great news.

Is he able to talk to us?

He might be out of it
from anesthesia,

but he should be able
to answer questions.

How is he physically?

Broken ribs, punctured lung.

He's lucky to be alive.

Our detective told us
that he had a groin injury.

A severe one.

How severe?

Surgeon had to remove
one of his testicles.

The doctors, they...

They said they had
to operate down there.

We're so sorry, Javier.

Why would they do that?
I did nothing.

Well, can you tell us
what happened last night?

What do you remember?

It was dark.

I had a lot to drink.

You said they.

How many?

Three.

Can you describe them?

Young, looking for a fight.

They say anything?

They, um...

They thought we were gay.

Why...
Why would they say that?

Who was with you?

My cousin Mateo.

- What's his last name?
- Garcia.

And where is Mateo now?

He's not here?

Well, if he is,
he hasn't reached out.

Well, he probably doesn't
want to get in trouble.

Well, he's not gonna get
into any trouble,

but he is a witness.

So we do need to speak with him.

You have his number, his address?

I don't know his number offhand.

He lives in a small
apartment in Brooklyn.

OK.
Which neighborhood?

Somewhere in Gowanus.

He got me a job yesterday.
Construction.

We walked to the train from there.

You have a MetroCard?

There was another man there.

After I got hurt, he...

He held my hand.

Can you describe him?

He was from a bar we passed earlier.

They were singing Broadway songs.

He...

He stayed with me.

He was...

He was like an angel.

Well, we will do our best to find him.

And your cousin Mateo.

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

Any lead on his cousin?

Well, there's no number.
There's no address.

We're running the names, but,

there's dozens
of Mateo Garcias in New York.

Javier says he's lived
in New York for years,

- works construction.
- He's probably paid under the table.

- What about the attackers?
- Well, uh,

you know, like I said,
they used anti-gay slurs.

Is it possible that
there was a racial component?

It seems like a
straight-up gay bashing.

Well, Javier swears that neither he,

nor his cousin are gay.

Well, it doesn't matter
if they are or they aren't.

If the perps thought they were,
that's a hate crime.

So Javier also mentioned
another witness

who stayed with him,
and held his hand.

Was this one of the 911 callers?

No, he said it was
a guy from a bar

that has a show tune
sing-along.

Show tunes, huh?

Shouldn't be too hard to find.

Well, canvassing,
but nothing so far.

Captain, transit got a hit
off Javier's MetroCard data.

- And?
- Our vics took the 7 train

from Flushing station
last night at 6:45.

I can check construction
sites on that line.

Great idea.

Take Sykes with you
and find out

who hired Javier yesterday.

I'm driving, moneybags.

All right,
so other than Mateo,

do we have any other witnesses?

I mean, what about this...
this homeless guy?

Neighbors say
he has a regular corner.

We have unis staked out.

But he hasn't shown up?

So he could be
anywhere in the city.

- We're canvassing shelters.
- Nobody else?

Well, it was a deserted
street, it was 2:00 a.m.

So much for the city
that never sleeps, huh?

Hey, folks,
Pettis is on the news.

Pull him up.

[TENSE MUSIC]

I want to reassure every
vulnerable community in the city,

that the NYPD
is working around the clock

to apprehend these criminals.

I have the utmost confidence,

in Captain Olivia Benson of SVU,

who is heading up the investigation,

that the men responsible,

will be brought to justice.

♪ ♪

OK, well, the city might
be able to sleep.

But you won't.

You heard the man.

♪ ♪

Yeah, that's Javier.

I saw on TV.
It's just, it's horrible.

- Is he gonna be all right?
- We hope so.

Listen, the kid said he was
only in town for a few months

trying to make money
for art school.

I was just trying to help out.

We're not here to check
for work visas.

Yeah, we're just looking
for Mateo Garcia.

He might be a witness.

Explains why he showed up late today.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Mateo Garcia, NYPD.

♪ ♪

- [GRUNTS]
- Whoa!

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

♪ ♪

- Don't make me cuff you.
- I didn't do anything.

Here's some advice.

Next time you didn't do anything,

stop when a cop calls your name.

Pretty fast for a Fed.

We just want to talk to you, man.

My cousin, is he OK?

No.

But I think you know that.

♪ ♪

Let's go.

♪ ♪

I'm telling you the truth.

I didn't know the guys
who att*cked Javier.

So why'd you run?

Because I was scared, man.

I'm not documented, all right?
You read the news.

Javi's your cousin, right?

Well, he's like my brother.
We're super close.

I know I should have stayed.

Weren't you worried about him?

Yeah.

I went home, I-I-I prayed,

and then I saw on the
news he was in the hospital.

He almost d*ed.

What do they want with us?

I mean, we aren't gay.

Anything that could have
made him think you were?

No.

I mean, we were walking together,

and I had my arm
around Javier's shoulder.

Can you describe them?

Three of them.

White.

20s, maybe.

One of them might
have been Latino.

I don't know, it was dark, and, um,

I was pretty drunk.

That's not illegal.

We just want to catch the guys

who put your cousin in the hospital.

Some things in life
you can't run from, man.

OK, so what do we know
about this Mateo Garcia?

Homeland confirms
he traveled to the U.S.

three years ago from Colombia.

He had a work visa that he overstayed.

Is there anything else
that's gonna impact

his credibility with the jury...

Gangs, dr*gs?

I mean, his boss said
he's a hard worker,

never missed a day,
no problems.

OK, the car, Mateo.

Think.
What color?

Think.

- Black.
- Make? Model?

I'm not sure.

There were LED lights, um, on the roof.

OK, OK, that's better.

I think...

I think there were
Jersey plates.

Jersey plates.
That narrows it down.

Yeah, over two dozen black 4x4s

went back over the GW
Bridge in that time frame.

- We're still running them.
- All right, Jersey plates.

Let's focus on that.

I'll have the Feds call the

- Port Authority to expedite the search.
- OK.

So these three idiots from New Jersey,

come to the city looking for trouble.

They see two guys walking
arm in arm in that neighborhood.

Just make an assumption
about their sexuality.

It's a believable narrative,
but I need a prosecutorial one

and the perps.

Local coffee shop called the tip line.

Our homeless guy showed up.

- Let's bring him in.
- Wait, wait.

Let's meet him on his turf.

♪ ♪

We're so grateful that you're
meeting with us, Mr. Thomas.

Call me Venable.

That's how they know me
around here.

OK.

What can you tell us
about last night?

I was sleeping in a doorway
near where it happened.

It's a quiet block.

But I woke up,
heard boys yelling.

Kids up to no good.

I was moving slow.

But by the time
I went around the corner,

it was almost over.

But you...
You told someone.

Guy walking his dog called 911.

You tell anybody else?

No, but I'm not the only one who saw.

OK.
Who else saw?

A woman looking out
her apartment window.

You know which building?

Not good with numbers.

How about you show us?

No offense, I'm not good
with police either.

So, Venable, the young man
that was att*cked last night,

he was almost k*lled.

What they did ain't right.

So you'll help us?

[SOFT MUSIC]

♪ ♪

I saw her looking out her window.

All right, so the att*ck
happened on this street.

You saw her,
but you didn't see the boys?

Like I said,
I turned the corner,

kept my head down,
just saw the car driving away.

How can you be sure
the woman in the window did?

I saw her face.

She was crying.

Second story, pink curtains.

Hey, man, thank you.

Use this to get yourself
a room for the night.

- Thank you.
- God bless.

♪ ♪

[DOOR BUZZING]

Anne Holmes, 2D.

Uh, Anne Holmes?

How do you know?

You have packages out here.

We just, we just need
a moment of your time.

Can we do it like this?

Well, um...

I don't see how these packages

are gonna fit through
the cr*ck of the door.

I'll get them later.

How long is this gonna take?

This is about the young man
who was att*cked last night.

I don't know anything.

But we know that
you wanted to help him.

His name is Javier.

- Is he all right?
- No, he's not.

He was very badly hurt,

and we're trying to find
the men that did this to him.

I sit at my window at night.

It's all I need to know
about the world.

How about you come
to the station with us

- and tell us?
- No.

I never leave here.
I'm not going anywhere.

Well, Anne...

Neither are we.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

OK.
But just you.

OK, I'd appreciate that.

- Liv.
- It's OK.

I think Anne and I
will be just fine.

Won't we, Anne?

I'd never hurt anyone.

I can see that.

- I'll wait here.
- OK.

[LOCK CLICKING]

♪ ♪

- Is it OK here?
- Mm-hmm.

♪ ♪

Wow.
You have a lovely, lovely home.

♪ ♪

You got butterflies,

hummingbirds, flowers.

They calm me.

Hmm.
I know that it wasn't easy,

for you to let me in here.

What do I have to tell you,

- so you'll leave me alone?
- Oh...

What you saw last night.

It was horrible.

That poor young man...

Javier.

It's like he was
surrounded by predators.

Can you describe them?

Young, angry.

And how many of them were there?

Three.

One had a bat.

And they got out of the car
and surrounded Javier.

And then what?

The guy with the bat...

Raised it.

And?

And brought it down on him
while he was lying there.

Mm.

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

Javier said that when he was
lying there on the street,

that another man came up
and held his hand.

- Another man?
- Mm-hmm.

No.

Javier was alone.

Are you sure?

Yeah.

I watched until the police showed up.

OK.

OK, so the attackers...

What do you remember about them?

What do they look like?

The one with the bat was white,

longer hair.

The other one was white too.

And the third, darker skin.

♪ ♪

They all knew each other.

♪ ♪

OK, did they say anything?

I don't say hateful words like that.

The world's hateful enough as it is.

That's why I don't leave here.

Mm.
All right.

You said that they knew each other.

Yes.
They called each other by name.

♪ ♪

I'm gonna need those names.

So the homeless guy confirmed
that he heard anti-gay slurs.

Yeah, he was reluctant,
but cooperative.

But he didn't see the perps?

No, but he saw
somebody who did.

Well, don't keep me
in suspense, Detective.

So there's a third witness,

a woman who lives on the block.

Saw the entire att*ck from her window,

and she described the perps in detail.

Then why isn't she here
making a statement?

Well, because from what
I gathered, she's agoraphobic,

and she hasn't left
her apartment in years.

OK.

How is she gonna get
to court to testify?

Well, one step at a time,
Counselor.

She heard the perps' names.

First and last?

Zach and Mo.

OK, that's better
than nothing, I suppose.

We can run the names through ViCAP.

Got a hit on a black 4x4
with Jersey plates.

- Tell me this is good news.
- As good as it gets.

The car was reported
stolen two days ago

from a garage in Roselle Park.

Where's the car now?

Recovered an hour ago.

It was abandoned eight blocks
from where it was stolen.

What about the condition of the car?
Any evidence?

- Fast food containers, beer bottles.
- Great.

We can pull prints and DNA.

Roselle Park precinct
is gonna expedite.

They're aware that
this could be related

to our hate crimes case.

We have an even better
shortcut, first names.

Zach and Mo.

And Roselle Park is a small suburb.

These idiots, it
can't be the first time

they got in local trouble.

So, head to Jersey and run
their names and descriptions

by the precinct cops.
And oh.

Dd you find the witness,

from the bar where they
were singing show tunes?

Not yet.

Well, he may not exist,
because the woman

who saw the whole att*ck
said that Javier was alone.

Could be a case
of the third man syndrome.

Third man syndrome?

It's a weird hiccup in
the human brain when it's

trying to comfort itself
in survival situations.

So you're saying that he saw
someone that wasn't there?

It's not too different
than an imaginary friend

or a guardian angel.

♪ ♪

Well, pick up the three guys
from Roselle Park,

because we know that
they're not angels.

♪ ♪

They got SVU on this?
Not Hate Crimes?

Guy had to have
a testicle removed.

Oh, jeez.
He gonna be OK?

Eh, it's touch and go.

Well, anything
we can do to help.

Any prints or DNA
on that black 4x4?

The lab knows it's a rush.
But you know the lab.

Yeah, well, we're
getting the Feds to goose.

It's a long sh*t, but we've
got descriptions, first name.

Officer Quarles works
Community Crimes...

disorderlies, assaults, possessions.

So he knows his 20-somethings?

- Nick.
- Yeah?

NYPD is here about that
hate crime in the village.

How can I help?

I'm Sergeant Tutuola.

This is Detective Bruno.

We only got the first names
on our perps.

Two white kids, 20s,
called each other Zach and Mo.

Well, if I had to guess, I'd
say Zach Swann and Mo Franks.

Bunch of bottom feeders
from Bayles Avenue.

They got a record?

Bar fights, possession,
public urination.

All pled down.

Well, they may have added

another page to their rap sheet.

A hate crime?

Doesn't sound like them.

But after a few years on this job...

Nothing surprises you.

There was another kid with them.

He may have been Latino.

- They got a crew?
- Yeah.

Jordan Ramirez,
he hangs with them.

Where can we pick him up?

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

What's this about?

NYPD is looking for Jordan.

You know where he
was at two nights ago?

With friends in the city,
getting pizza.

Must have been some good pizza.

We'd love to talk to him about it.

♪ ♪

Is he in trouble again?

He'll be in a little
less if he cooperates.

♪ ♪

Jordan!

♪ ♪

I wasn't part of it, Ma.
I swear.

So you know why we're here?

Where are Zach and Mo?

♪ ♪

Those guys are inside.

What'd they do now?

Nothing good, but it sound
like you already knew that.

♪ ♪

All right, Zach,
on your feet.

What's this about?

Zach Swann,
you're under arrest.

For what?
I didn't do anything.

- Where's Mo?
- He ain't here.

Mo Franks.

What'd you tell them, Zach?

- What do you think he said?
- Hands behind your back.

Look, we didn't steal that car.

Yeah, well, the owner
reported it stolen.

- You lied to me?
- The guy's an ass.

Shut up, Mo.
Just wait for a lawyer.

- I'll call my uncle.
- He can't help you.

Not unless he has a license
to practice in New York.

Hey, you can't take us
across state lines.

That's trafficking.

Once a judge signs off...

and the judge will...

We can.

[PROTESTERS SHOUTING]

[SIREN CHIRPING]

ALL: Hey-hey, ho-ho,

h*m* has got to go!

Hey-hey, ho-ho...

ALL: Trans rights are
human rights!

- Why'd you do it?
- You almost k*lled him.

- Those immigrants att*cked us.
- We're innocent.

Keep talking.
You're only hurting yourself.

You're just making my job easier.

[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]

- I mostly stayed in the car.
- Mostly?

I just jumped out to stop those guys.

My client didn't hurt anyone.

I was yelling,
"Let's go. Let's go."

You didn't call the cops.

You didn't get that kid help.

He's still in the hospital.

He may never be able to have children.

I didn't do that, I swear.

But you saw him lying in the street,

and you saw your buddy
hit him with a bat.

I'm sorry.

I wish that had never happened.

Sure, now you do.

You don't understand.

What don't we understand?

It wasn't my idea.

Whose idea was it?

I stayed in the car.

Nice try, we have an eyewitness
who puts you on the street.

My client never touched that bat.

A distinction without a difference.

He brutally kicked the victim

while he was lying there helpless.

- Whoa. Who gave me up?
- Mo.

- The weasel Jordan?
- Listen to me.

No, I wasn't even driving.

- I never would have stopped the car.
- OK. You know what?

I am not hearing
anything that mitigates

a charge of attempted m*rder.

- What?
- My client is here cooperating.

No, your client is here
because we brought him here.

And I am still waiting
on that cooperation.

OK.
OK.

This is all on Zach.

- Zach?
- Yeah.

All right, he was amped up.

OK.

You're willing to tell
us everything he did,

and you're willing to tell a jury,

and our ADA might be interested.

Is Zach gonna know?

Those Hispanic guys came after us,

- yelling, ready to fight.
- You were in a car.

I didn't know if
they had a g*n or what.

I was afraid for my life.

You're actually going
for self-defense here?

We got witnesses.

From what I understand,
you have a homeless man

who didn't actually
see my client.

Maybe I went a little
overboard, but I was scared.

A little?

You're lucky you didn't k*ll that kid

or we'd be talking about
a m*rder charge right now.

Let's dial down the rhetoric.

No, actually, I can't.

Because he was lying in the street,

he couldn't move.

You pulled his pants down,

you hit him with a bat,

and you were laughing!

What are you,
playing bad cop?

Oh, he's not playing.

You didn't treat this kid
like he was even human.

Why, because of the color
of his skin?

Or because you thought he was gay?

- Or both?
- Hold on.

It's my understanding
these victims

- were not gay.
- Doesn't matter.

Your client
thought they were.

No! You're scaring me.

You scared?
Good.

You should be, tough guy.

You better hope I don't run
into you on the street.

Aren't you gonna do something?

You need to tell your
client to take a plea.

You take this to trial,

good luck finding 12 jurors

that think different than my partner.

Well, that wasn't exactly helping.

Don't see these guys confessing.

Maybe turning on each other.

Sorry about that, Captain.

- Well, don't be.
- What now?

Well, the other two are weak links,

but I need more than just the
testimony of co-conspirators.

You need the victims.

Bring in Javier and Mateo,

and put these three in a lineup.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

♪ ♪

I don't know.

I'm sorry.

I think...

I need you to be sure.

I am.
It's number five.

I think we're done here.

♪ ♪

I was so sure.

I mean, is it over?

No, no, it's not over.

Javier still has a
chance to ID these guys.

♪ ♪

Hey.

Javier.

[SOMBER MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Oh, my God, look at you.

Oh, it's all right.

It's all right.
It's all right.

Hey.

I'm so sorry.

We're all good.

I'm so sorry.

I'm OK.

[CRYING]

♪ ♪

There you go.

♪ ♪

I don't know.

Well, maybe...

No, I need you
to be sure, Javier.

♪ ♪

I'm sorry.

It's OK, son.

Let's get you back to the hospital.

- Neither one of them could make the ID?
- No.

It was dark outside.
They were drinking...

- Cross-race IDs...
- Very difficult.

We sent Javier back to the hospital.

Mateo went with him.

What about the w*apon?
The bat?

They likely threw it in the river.

Carisi, tell me that you
have enough to make a case.

I would feel a lot better
if I had that corporeal ID.

Well, there is someone,
who saw all three of them,

clearly.

- Anne Holmes.
- The agoraphobic woman?

The one that refuses
to leave her apartment?

Yes, but, let's just
hope that her conscience

is stronger than her fear.

What are you doing, Liv?
I'll go.

- You stayed up all night.
- You heard Pettis.

This is on me.

It's the cost of being a boss.

I told you I haven't
left here in five years.

Believe me, I wouldn't ask
you if there was another way.

They're gonna get away with it?

There's a chance.

This city,

the world, chaos,

disaster,

why even try?

Because it's our only choice.

[SOFT MUSIC]

Listen to me, Anne.

You know, we can look
away from the ugliness,

but it's still there.

And you didn't look away,
did you?

- No.
- No.

♪ ♪

I promise you,
I will make our squad room

as peaceful as I can for you.

It's my home.

And I will be with you,
every step of the way.

♪ ♪

OK.

♪ ♪

So we're here.

OK?
You ready to keep going?

I'm good.

OK.

[TENSE MUSIC]

It's quiet.

Not what I thought it was going to be.

♪ ♪

So you're OK?

♪ ♪

Let's just get this over with.

♪ ♪

Don't leave me.

I'm gonna be right next to you.

♪ ♪

This is really cool.
What is it?

That is called
a challenge coin.

Your office...

- You've made it really lovely.
- Oh, thank you.

Thank you.

So, what's going to happen next...

So in this room there,

six men are gonna come in,
each holding a number.

And that's gonna happen three times.

Take your time.

And if you recognize any of the men

from the street, you just let us know.

So you can see them,
but they can't see you.

So you're completely safe here.

But their lawyers will have
to be in the room with us.

- Is that OK?
- I understand.

OK, so we want to,

you know, do this quickly, obviously,

but you take as much time as you need,

because we need to be sure,
all right?

Now?

- Are you good?
- Let's do this.

OK.

[TENSE MUSIC]

[KNOCKING]

♪ ♪

Number three.

- You can take more time.
- I don't need to.

Number three, he was the

- third man there.
- OK.

- But he didn't do anything.
- All right, Anne, you don't have

to say anything else.

♪ ♪

Number four.

♪ ♪

It's OK.

Numbers up.

♪ ♪

- Number one.
- OK.

The one with the bat.

OK.

I'll need to talk to my client.

You sure he can't see me?

This is one-way glass.

I feel like he's looking right at me.

Anne, he cannot see you.

That's too bad.

I want him to see me.

♪ ♪

That was Carisi.

We get all these guys?

Jordan Ramirez took a plea

for
criminal possession of stolen property,

pled to a mis-d, no jail time.

He got off easy.

DA needed his testimony
against Mo and Zach.

And once their lawyers heard
that, the dominoes fell?

Mo Franks, attempted as*ault one

and furtherance of a hate crime.

He'll do 15 years.

- And Zach?
- Attempted m*rder two.

- As a hate crime.
- [CHUCKLES]

I guess Carisi's taking a victory lap.

- Mm-hmm.
- We all should.

Until the next time.

Captain.

Oh, come on in.

Hey, we just want to say
thank you for everything.

So you're both going
back to Colombia?

No, only him.

Where it's sunny and warm.

At least till next year,

when he's on his
break from art school.

I'm not gonna let
a couple meatheads from Jersey

- scare me away.
- Yeah.

I'll pull the car around.

[SIGHS]

So, how you feeling, huh?

I never dreamed four days in New York

- would cost me so much.
- Yeah.

You know, this might be

impossible to imagine
right now, Javi, but,

you know, maybe someday,

you'll be able to use all of this pain

that you're feeling and...

And turn it into something beautiful,

you know, as an artist.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Of course.

Oh, that guy that held my hand,

the one who stayed when I was hurt...

Mm-hmm.

Did you ever find him?

Uh, no.

No, we tried to, but...

I still want to thank him someday.

Well, maybe...

Maybe you thank him here...

In your heart.

[SOFT MUSIC]

He'll hear you.

How do you know?

♪ ♪

You know, when we look for people,

we usually find them.

And it's seeming more and more,

like he really was an angel.

♪ ♪