03x14 - Trial By Fire

[bunniefuu]

[Siren wails] [Police radio chatter]

[Car alarm blaring]

Buzz: Lieutenant?

Lieutenant.

Oh, Buzz.

Uh, there's more blood over there.

Tao: The edging on this puddle suggests something was dragged through it.

Check out the blood on the victim's knees.

He was crawling for his life.

Six casings total from a 9mm, sir.

Sykes: The rest probably stayed in the sh**t's vehicle.

I count 18 impact points from there... to the other end of the bus stop over there.

[Police radio chatter]

Wide-array pattern.

Hobbs: And what does that mean, lieutenant, wide array?

That when the k*ller fired his w*apon, he was possibly too preoccupied to aim perfectly.

Preoccupied by what?

Operating his vehicle...

A common problem with drive-bys.

Gangsters aren't really cr*ck sh*ts.

And how many b*ll*ts in that wide array hit Curtis Wyatt?

Three.

Two flesh wounds to the victim's upper left leg and right stomach and one deeper wound in his neck.

Dr. Morales, are you saying that Curtis Wyatt bled to death?

Not in the usual way.

The last b*llet opened his right internal jugular vein and pulsed into his lungs.

In Layman's terms, the victim drowned in his own blood.

Mr. Wyatt, was your son ever interested in gangs?

Only in how to avoid them.

With the exception of Tuesdays, my son Curtis was a "streetlight kid."

I am sorry, Mr. Wyatt.

What do you mean by a streetlight kid?

He was in the house by dark.

But on Tuesdays... and it was a Tuesday, so it was the longest day at school for him.

So, on Tuesdays...

He usually got in the house around 9:00 P.M.

Mr. Wyatt, did your son associate with gangs?

No. He wasn't like your client.

He didn't want to hurt people.

Objection, Your Honor.

Judge Richwood: Mr. Wyatt, you must stick to "yes" and "no" answers, and the jury will disregard the characterization of the defendant as someone who wanted to hurt people.

Ms. Alvarado.

That's all, Mr. Wyatt. Thank you.

Yeah, I saw Luis driving around my hood...

Him and some chick.

Is this the car you identified to police as Luis Navarro's?

Yeah.

Dude's the only vato lame enough to put dollar rims on his sorry-ass Honda.

[Laughter, indistinct shouting]

Man: Shut up!

You don't know what you're talking about!

Knock it off, or I'll start citing people for contempt.

Ms. Alvarado, your witness.

Mr. Johnson, did you see Luis Navarro sh**t Curtis Wyatt?

No.

I just saw that punk driving in our neighborhood and some girl riding shotgun.

I told you.

Can you name this girl?

No.

No more questions, Your Honor.

Prosecution, redirect?

Uh, uh, no, Your Honor.

Great. The witness may step down.

The court will recess an hour and a half for lunch.

[Indistinct conversations]

So, Sykes and Sanchez went to pick up Claudia Gomez at her sister's house, and...

Claudia's baby was there, but no Claudia.

Oh, my God.

Well, hold on, Andrea.

Claudia's sister didn't say where she was going?

No, Claudia said she was sick and went off to be alone or something.

Luis' g*ng got to her, ma'am.

Well, without Claudia here testifying that she was in the car with Luis when he sh*t Curtis, our whole case falls apart.

Can you get us a continuance?

[Sighs] Maybe until tomorrow.

Okay.

I'll let you know.

Good job, Hobbs.

But these gangsters are getting restless.

You need a few more sheriff's deputies in here to hold the fort.

Ed, you've been a court watcher for five years now.

Have you ever once seen a fight in the gallery?

You might have the rest of the day off, anyway.

Excuse me.

You're asking for a continuance?

Why? Where's your witness?

Hobbs?

Where's your witness?!

Gomez: You forced my sister to lie to me and say my baby was going to the hospital just because I didn't show up in court?

What kind of people do that, yo? At Christmas?

The kind of people who want to see Luis Navarro go to jail for what he did.

And you're one of those people, Claudia.

At least you used to be.

[Button clicks] Remember?

Gomez: Luis told me we were gonna drive around, have some fun.

Then out of nowhere he just sh**t out my window, sh**t this black kid.

He told me... he'd k*ll me if I ever told anybody.

And I was pregnant.

Sanchez: In order not to arrest you as an accessory, Claudia, you need to testify to all of this in court.

Can you do that?

Yes.

Okay, yeah.

That kid...

He was just waiting for the bus.

You know?

sh*t to death waiting for a bus.

Is that the kind of world you want to raise your little girl in?

[Crying] No.

[Breathes shakily]

But that's the world we live in.

We don't got no other world.

You back out now, young lady, you're going to jail.

And who will take care of your baby then?

Hobbs: State and spell your name for the court, please.

Claudia. Claudia Gomez.

C-l-a-u...

[Shakily] d-i-a.

[Echoing] G-o...

[Normal voice] m-e-z.

Ms. Gomez, were you with the defendant Luis Navarro on March 13th of this year?

Claudia.

[Echoing] Were you with Luis Navarro on March 13th?

[Normal voice] Ms. Gomez. Ms. Gomez.

Your Honor.

The witness will answer the question.

Were you with Mr. Navarro on March 13th?

Ms. Gomez, do you remember being with Mr. Navarro on March the 13th?

I tried compelling her to answer.

Beyond citing her for contempt, there's nothing else I can do.

Captain. Your Honor, we have Claudia's taped statement identifying Luis Navarro as the k*ller in this instan...

Excuse me, Your Honor, there are only two reasons Claudia's taped statement would be admissible...

"A," to impeach her testimony, which she hasn't given, or "B," to refresh her recollection, which she has not shared.

Your Honor, Claudia's noncompliance is obviously part of a deliberate strategy by the defense to sabo...

Does the state have any direct evidence of witness tampering?

Luis Navarro sh*t and k*lled an unarmed young man in cold blood, judge.

Then you better hope the jury returns a verdict of guilty without this girl's testimony, because we don't have it.

Oh, and Ms. Alvarado, if I should find out that you had anything to do with creating this situation, God help you.

Let's finish up.

In the above and titled action, we, the jury, find the defendant, Luis Navarro, in the charge of first-degree m*rder...

Not guilty.

Whoo! Whoo!

[Indistinct shouting]

[Gavel banging]

Luis Navarro, you are free to go.

Yeah! What up, man?!

[Shouting continues]

[Imitates g*nsh*t]

[Blows]

[Shouting continues]

Are you celebrating? You celebrating now?

Joe.

Just you wait! You k*lled my boy!

Joe, that's it.

Come on.

[Indistinct shouting]

Woman: That was the scene at the courthouse today as sheriff's deputies quickly restored order and made several arrests for as*ault after Luis Navarro was found not guilty of murdering Curtis Wyatt, seen here in his high-school graduation picture.

Curtis was brutally gunned down at a bus stop last March in a gangland-style drive-by.

The scene at the courthouse was chaotic after that verdict was read...

[TV turns off] Enough of that.

You remember tomorrow's my last day working on "Badge of Justice," right?

Oh, right. And your friend...

Jeff. Yeah.

He's coming in to take pictures of the m*rder room for their set dec department before they shut down for the holidays.

That's still okay, right? You'll be around?

Unless we have a g*ng w*r, sure.

God. It's no wonder you like to make deals.

But I-I thought witnesses had to testify.

Or pay the price. We arrested Claudia today.

And she will go to prison as an accessory to m*rder.

And unfortunately, the k*ller... walks away free.

How is that right?

The law is not about right or wrong.

It's about resolving conflicts in a civilized manner.

If we want the justice system to work...

We have to stand beside it when it doesn't go our way.

[Horn honks]

Provenza: [Humming]

Um, this was on the printer. Is it yours?

Uh, an application for retirement.

Now, why would you think this would be mine?

Wait a minute.

He's taking what happened to the Wyatts harder than I thought.

Quiet about this.

Quiet.

Well, yes.

[Chuckling] Yes, I'm still here, but... oh.

Well... well, thank you. Appreciate it.

Captain, it would appear that our crime-suppression units from S.O.B. are having the desired effect in our g*ng neighborhoods.

Yeah. Still just a band-aid.

The Wyatt family deserved better than this.

Yes, they did. Julio?

Nothing we can follow up on where Luis is concerned, but right now he's feeling like he can get away with anything.

Rusty: Mom.

He'll do something else stupid, ma'am.

Mom.

That's what I'm afraid of.

Hey, mom?

Mom, uh, this is my friend Jeff I was telling you about from "Badge of Justice."

Oh, yes. Jeff, hi.

Hi.

Nice to meet you.

Oh, it's nice to meet you, too, captain.

Uh, can I just say you have done such a good job with this kid.

I, uh... I bet he knows more about police work than our writers.

Hey! Lieutenant Mike!

Tao: Hey, Jeff.

Welcome to the real LAPD.

Ah. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Yeah, "Beckin's" described this place to me so well I could probably move around it with my eyes closed.

Uh, oh, I got my camera here. Is it okay if I just take a few photographs?

Yeah, if you let me review them before you leave.

Right, Beckin?

Oh!

Oh, that's my nickname at work.

Well, it's... It's "Beck and call" because he's always there when we need him.

He's got a great a work ethic.

He, uh... he... He never complains.

He's always upbeat... just positive, positive, positive.

We love it.

Why don't we start off in the, uh, electronics room?

Uh, wait a second. I need to shut down the monitors.

Sure.

All right.

Well, it was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you.

So, you're "Beckin," and I'm "mom."

I don't want to, like, bother him with every little detail of my personal life.

[Inhales deeply]

Captain, flag on the play.

Fire department says we may have a g*ng-related arson/homicide on our hands.

[Sighs]

Provenza: Okay.

Uh, after fire put out the car, patrol ran the plates.

It's registered to Luis, the rims look right, and he drove it home yesterday.

But is this Luis in the trunk?

Uh, it's tough to say, ma'am, but if it is, watch out.

God almighty. We're gonna need some dental records.

Well, there was definitely an accelerant used inside and out.

Gasoline?

Yeah, I'm thinking it's something less expl*sive, like lighter fluid.

How much for a fire like this?

About a gallon or more.

But in the back, the burn is not total, and the only fuel in the trunk is the body.

There's some dents on this metal.

Do you think Luis was alive before this fire was lit?

Mm-hmm, and trying to get out, yeah.

Oh, my God.

Well, he turned down his deal.

We may have our igniting device.

Patrol found this lighter on the ground about 15 feet from the car.

Sanchez: Well, let me call g*ng intelligence and see if any of the Normandie 1-9s like to play with fire, ma'am.

Shouldn't we discuss alternative suspects?

Yes, you're right, Amy. This is ugly.

And Curtis' father, Joe Wyatt, he was very angry.

No, no, no.

Yeah.

I-I spoke to Estelle Wyatt this morning just to see how they were holding up, and she and Joe took the kids to Disneyland for a few days.

Well, but he's still a potential suspect.

I know.

Look, I've gotten to know the guy pretty well now, and I convinced him to go to AA before the trial, so he's been sober a few months, and he's out of town.

So before we start in on Joe Wyatt, let's canvass the neighborhood and see if anybody saw Luis.

Talk to whoever you want.

Just keep Luis Navarro's name out of it.

Deputy Chief Howard, what can we do for you?

If word gets out that Luis is dead before we find the k*ller, S.O.B. will have a g*ng w*r on our hands.

I've got almost half my uniformed officers on the street at risk.

We need to keep this very quiet.

[Siren chirps]

I've got a flatbed on its way in to tow this car out of here right now.

But, chief, we are still processing this crime scene.

I'm sure Buzz has already fully documented the evidence.

I've got about... I don't know... 70% of what I need.

Well, then you have five minutes to get the rest, so hurry up.

Chief, these guys are far more experienced with arson than you are.

If you move this car now...

Captain, I am pulling this crime scene.

S.O.B. Can't afford to let the situation get out of control.

Stay calm, chief. Stay calm.

Flynn: Oh, my God.

Just when you thought this job couldn't get any worse.

Captain, there is a fire guy in the Normandie 1-9s...

Signs his work with a red metal lighter.

What's his name?

Maurice Washington, A.K.A. "Zippo."

According to the case file, Zippo and a couple of 1-9s b*at a rival g*ng member to death, then tossed him in a car trunk and set it on fire, ma'am.

But Zippo was never convicted?

No, his mama alibied for him, said he was with her the night of the m*rder.

I've asked for the court records, but it looks like Zippo got himself a separate attorney and the other two guys went down for it.

I mean, check out this rap sheet.

He has walked away from three other arson arrests.

[Knock on door]

Dispatch just sent me a 911 audio file from last night.

You guys may have an eyewitness to your m*rder.

Operator: 911, what's your emergency?

Man: I-I-I just watched these three black gangsters pull a g*n on this... this... this Mexican guy a-and b*at him up until he couldn't move anymore.

Then they threw him in the trunk of a car and took off.

Sir, can you describe the vehicle?

Oh, the car has those, uh, uh... what do you call it?

Uh, dollar hubcaps.

Uh, you guys got to do something about this.

I mean, seriously.

Sir, can you give me your name? Sir? Sir?

And that's it.

So, Mr. "I mean, seriously" didn't leave a name?

You do have a number, though?

I do.

Here, I'll try to trace it. [Door opens]

We dropped Zippo in Interview 1, but he asked for his attorney while we werep reading him his rights.

I mean, let's just arrest this freak.

He's good for it.

And frankly, you don't need to deal with his lawyer.

Why? Who is it?

[Elevator bell dings]

Hmm.

Ah, Rusty Beck. [Sighs]

The LAPD's very own Oliver Twist.

And a merry Christmas to you, too, Mr. Scrooge.

Jeff: Who was that?

Oh. Uh, that's my mom's ex-husband.

Oh. She was married to someone else before she met your father?

The short answer to that is yes.

Oh.

Flynn: Should have known a k*ller like Zippo would have a lawyer like you.

Why, thank you for the compliment, Andy.

And now you might want to explain why you barged into my client's house and dragged him downtown during the holidays.

And you might want to speak quickly because my firm represents Maurice in a false-arrest civil suit against the LAPD, asking for $3 million.

But we'll settle for $2 million.

Maurice, remember, no talking.

[Chuckles]

Always tough first time you run into an ex after a divorce.

I can summarize for you later.

No, it's just gonna happen again.

I can't leave every time.

And with this continued police harassment...

Why don't you check with Dr. Morales and see if we have an ID on our victim yet?

An ID that we're not gonna release.

1-9s' retaliation ends here.

Stay in touch, captain.

Yes, sir.

So, what's up?

Member of a rival g*ng was found b*rned up in the trunk of a car.

Sound familiar?

How did he burn?

Jack: Maurice, no talking.

My client left the g*ng life years ago.

You can't drag Maurice down here every time a car catches on fire, so either arrest him or let him go.

Uh, where was he last night?

I was at my mom's watching TV.

She'll tell you the same thing.

Spending quality time with his mother during the holidays.

It's, uh...

It's what life's all about.

Well, do you want to confer with your client about this red lighter that we found at a m*rder scene this morning?

Mm. Sharon.

Need to talk to you.

Ah. [Chuckles]

You and I both know that finding the red cigarette lighter is merely circumstantial.

So, I-I thought, out of respect for our late marriage, that you could release my client and I wouldn't have to add this abuse of power to the civil suit.

Okay, Jack. I'll release Zippo.

Mm. But you may want to take him someplace where he can lie low.

Perhaps your apartment?

What?

[Laughing] Why?

Well, the burnt-up corpse that we discovered may start a g*ng w*r, and I have a witness who saw it all go down, so remind me...

If Zippo sh*t and k*lled in retaliation for this m*rder, that affects your civil suit... how?

Yeah. Okay.

You hold him, check out his alibi, and do whatever you have to do just short of charging him with m*rder.

Well, thank you for your cooperation.

Oh, thank you. Uh, Sharon. Um...

Since I am cooperating...

Mm.

And the kids are coming home for the holidays next week, I thought it might be nice if you asked Emily to bunk with me.

If you would like to speak with Emily, call her yourself.

Provenza: Though there are many things about him we may never understand, dental records confirm that the body in the trunk is Luis.

So we won't have to worry about him anymore.

Cause of death?

Well, don't know.

Morales is still scraping the body out of the car.

So far, it's just a broken arm.

Flynn: Well, it makes sense.

According to our missing 911 caller, Luis was being beaten.

So if he can identify Zippo, then we can finally have something worth celebrating.

Yes.

A missing witness would prove very useful right about now.

[Cellphone chimes]

Mike. How are we doing with that 911 caller?

Tao: Sorry. It's a burner phone.

Not impossible to find out where it was sold, but I'll have to get lucky.

Sykes: Better hurry.

I just got an e-mail from the Los Angeles Times asking us to comment on the arson-related death of Luis Navarro.

Damn it. How do they find that out?

Doesn't matter. It's a g*ng w*r now.

God. Sometimes I wonder why we even try.

Shh, shh, shh.

Oh, I'm sorry.

What? What's going on?

The Chicago airport closed, and Jeff already sublet his apartment, and he and his boyfriend totally broke up, so I told him he could crash here instead of a hotel.

[Stammers] Is that okay?

You don't... You don't mind, right?

Uh... no. Not really.

But why... Why did you...

Why did you give him your bedroom?

Are you kidding?

What if you had walked in and found him on the sofa?

Oh.

Why are you so late?

I was hunting down an anonymous 911 caller that reported our m*rder.

Oh. That's how we met.

Yes, it is. [Chuckles]

So, um...

Jeff's a little bit older than you, isn't he?

Eight years. That's nothing.

Oh.

And I'm... I'm very mature for my age.

So, are you gonna ask him out?

Well, now would be my chance, but... what if he said no?

Mm.

Then he might stop wanting to get to know me.

Not that it matters, anyway.

After tomorrow, he's gone so...

After tomorrow, you have the holidays.

Then you start college.

There will be life after "Badge of Justice,"

I promise you.

Yeah, but there's not gonna be another Jeff.

He's... He's one of a kind.

Well, then that is all the more reason to ask him out and see what happens.

[Singsong voice] Good night, Beckin.

[Mockingly] Good night, mom.

[Chuckles] Hey.

Hmm.

Are you sure Jeff staying here is not a problem?

Oh, it's fine. Really.

Sykes: Last night, we ran into a bit of a dilemma and a brand-new suspect.

Does the suspect have a name?

I'm talking about Joe Wyatt, Curtis Wyatt's father.

He was arrested last night on a D.U.I., and he had an unregistered .38 under the driver's seat of his car.

Joe took his family to Disneyland.

His wife lied. She and the kids are there.

Joe stayed behind, went on a bender, and then [Sighs] who knows what he did.

Ye gods.

This is the last thing Flynn needs to hear about right now.

I-I'm telling you, if this case goes on much longer, he's gonna jump ship and retire.

Maybe y-you should talk to him about...

Absolutely not.

Do you think we've remained friends all these years by sharing our feelings?

No, no. I-I'll just go over to the jail.

I'll talk to Joe.

No, uh, Lieutenant Flynn brought Joe over already.

He's in an interview room.

Julio's mirandizing him right now.

This all happened hours ago.

The captain came in early, so...

Do you understand that it's days like this that make detectives want to just give up, right?

Eventually it becomes clear you're just pushing the rock up the hill so it can roll back down over your heart and crush your life's work.

After you, Sykes.

After you.

[Door closes]

Well, I'm surprised to see you here, Joe.

I thought you were at Disneyland.

My son [Sniffles] was m*rder*d, Andy.

And the k*ller that did it got away with it.

So I didn't feel like going on any stupid rides.

Well, driving drunk is a pretty stupid ride.

That make anything better?

It didn't make it any worse.

Flynn: I don't know about that.

Wait till you get your next car-insurance bill.

Any closer to finding our 911 caller?

No, but considering that we're only investigating Luis' m*rder because we have an eyewitness we couldn't count on, I-I'm not so sure finding that caller is gonna help.

I been catching up with some of my bartending buddies.

Oh, great.

Tell us which bartender you were with the night before last.

[Chuckles]

That was about 30 beers ago, man.

I don't remember.

Well, do you remember why you had an unregistered .38 in your car?

That wasn't my g*n. I didn't even know it was there.

I'd never seen it before.

You, uh, look a little b*at up there, Joe.

Were you in a fight?

No.

I fell down when your LAPD buddies asked me to step out of my car.

And then I had a little trouble getting up, Andy, when they freaked out about the g*n that was in the car.

That's all I remember.

Well, instead of putting yourself through all that crap, why didn't you call me?

Oh, uh, uh, sorry.

Captain, Deputy Chief Howard is going to be observing us today in the hopes that we can make an arrest and S.O.B. can stand down.

What, you want to take me to some meetings?

No one wants that more than we do, chief.

Who's that?

You have a new suspect?

What good did it do me, man?!

Have you arrested him?

Not for m*rder.

Why don't you have a seat, chief?

Oh, where you are right now is better, sitting with the LAPD and being questioned for m*rder?

Oh, k*lling Luis, that's m*rder to you?

Who told you Luis was dead?

Everyone. My phone was blowing up.

Yeah, but the moment you first heard about it.

I was in a bar, Andy.

Sometime last night. Some 1-9s were there.

One of them came and talked to me about it. He told me.

Well, why were you hanging with 1-9s?

I thought you were unaffiliated?

I was drinking!

Well, what were you guys doing about Luis, anyway?

Nothing! That's what you were doing!

Then the Normandies took care of it.

Well, who told you that the Normandie 1-9s took care of it?

Did they tell you that?

It was obvious.

Zippo is a 1-9. Joe was hanging with them.

We almost have a connection.

It wouldn't hurt to get a warrant for Joe's cellphone and e-mail accounts.

If that's what this is about, I'm out of here!

Look, I don't want to tell you what to do, but if you arrested one of these two guys for m*rder, I could spend the next 48 hours searching for our missing witness on safer streets.

I got what I wanted.

[Crying] The person who k*lled...

Who... Who k*lled m-my son went to hell.

So I'm done with you guys, man, and I just want to go home.

Joe, we may be done, but, uh, we can't let you leave.

You're under arrest for D.U.I.

You had an unregistered w*apon in your car.

You bought tickets for your family to go to Disneyland and asked your wife to lie and say you were with her so that you could establish an alibi.

I didn't buy tickets to Disneyland for no alibi.

They were donated to us through our church.

Donated tickets? Who donated the tickets?

Somebody. I don't know.

Well, did they donate them to the whole family or just your wife and kids?

All of us, Andy. Why?

Well, if you didn't buy tickets to establish an alibi, there should still be one left over since you did not go.

Yeah.

Uh, well, they gave me my stuff back.

[Sniffles]

Here. Here it is. Okay?

It's good through the end of the year, Andy.

It's yours. Take it. Have fun.

Okay, Joe.

I'm gonna follow through on your story about these tickets.

And I hope you're not lying to me.

Let me get you a cup of coffee.

So, Joe's either a better criminal than we thought, or he's working with someone who cares enough about an alibi to have one at the ready, and that could be Zippo.

Who is always with his mom.

And has a civil suit pending.

Oh, well, that's this afternoon's headache.

Okay, Zippo let his other accomplices go to jail for him.

He might try and do that to Joe.

I will arrest Maurice, chief, but help us find that 911 caller.

I'll do what I can.

Thank you, captain.

Mm.

Take it easy.

You know that this is going to make your ex-husband mad as hell.

I hope so, lieutenant.

That's when he makes his worst mistakes.

[Chuckles]

Sykes: I'm not finding any connection between Joe and Zippo...

No e-mails, no phone calls, no Internet searches that would show he was familiar with Zippo's M.O.

Mike?

Sadly, our burner phone was purchased at a discount-electronics store several years ago.

[Sighs] Well...

Sometimes, when you drive into a bunch of dead ends, you quit!

And sometimes, you start over.

So, what about the accelerant?

Did fire ever confirm that it was lighter fluid?

Let's call them, Mike.

Winslow: I don't know how a retired schoolteacher can help the LAPD, but I'll fully cooperate.

I'd just like to confirm some of your recent credit-card purchases, Mr. Winslow.

Oh?

Specifically, did you buy four tickets to Disneyland and donate a three-day reservation at an Anaheim Hotel for the use of Estelle and Joe Wyatt?

Oh, that. Yes.

But I didn't want them to feel obligated to thank me, so I gave to the Wyatts anonymously through the minister of their church.

That's not... Was that illegal?

No, no, it's a very nice gesture, but, Mr. Winslow, I... You look familiar.

Have we met before? [Chuckles]

Not officially, but I didn't miss a day of Luis Navarro's trial.

Broke my glasses in the fight.

Uh, these are my old ones. Here.

Look more like myself?

Oh, yeah. I remember you now.

You're, uh, a family friend of the Wyatts, then?

No, no. I just watch trials.

Sounds like an L.A. cliché, I know.

But since I left teaching, I've been trying my hand at screenplays.

Always wanted to write a courtroom drama.

Didn't actually expect to get knocked around in one.

Guess every hobby has its drawbacks, huh?

Well, I'm sorry that we weren't able to arrange a happier ending for your story, Mr. Winslow.

Andy, could you take a short statement, please?

Thank you for coming in.

We appreciate your time.

Oh. I-it's the least I could do.

I mean, seriously.

Mr. Winslow, did you just say, "I mean, seriously"?

Winslow: Then they threw him in the trunk of a car and took off.

Operator: Sir, can you describe the vehicle?

Oh, the car has those, uh, uh... what do you call it?

Uh, dollar hubcaps.

Uh, you guys got to do something about this.

I mean, seriously.

Sir, can you give me your name? Sir? Sir?

You're offering Maurice second-degree m*rder based on an anonymous phone tip?

It's not anonymous anymore, Jack. We found the 911 caller.

And he identified Zippo as our k*ller.

And your 911 caller just happened to be in front of Luis Navarro's house at the exact moment that Luis was att*cked by Maurice and company?

How does your, uh, so-called witness explain that?

Because he's interested in screenwriting, and he sat through all of Luis' trial.

And after the verdict...

Your guy decides to take a-a few trips by Luis' house for research?!

Hey, you want to check your tone, buddy, okay?

Hobbs: We want Zippo, and this time, our witness won't be intimidated.

What? Who is he? A fellow police officer?

An ex-law-enforcement professional perhaps?

He's a retired teacher, sir, a man who devoted his entire adult life to educating children in our inner-city schools.

Ah.

Okay, a retired teacher who sits around watching trials ID's Maurice Washington as Luis' k*ller.

Now, since you haven't volunteered this man's name, I'm going to have to do a demonstration of my psychic powers.

Is this do-gooder, this 911 caller, by any chance Ed Winslow?

Understand, I don't have my crystal ball here.

It makes it a little harder.

But Ed Winslow was a teacher at Chester A. Arthur High School for 30 years, which you all know was a feeder school for both gangs.

Sadly, Ed was terminated for cause and considered ineligible to rehire.

And his civil case against the school district was dismissed because of a video that showed him physically attacking a student!

Ho! What a witness!

And why, Jack, do you know all this about Ed Winslow?

Because that nutjob, court-watching stalker was at Zippo's trial every single day, too.

That's how I know.

So he ID's Maurice Washington?

Whoa, what a surprise.

And Ed had it out for him.

Oh, God.

Because when my client was found not guilty, Winslow threatened me on the street as an accessory to m*rder.

So I looked him up.

And don't take my word for it. Check it out.

Meanwhile, perhaps one of you would be so kind as to contact the city attorney's office?

I would like to claim my jackpot for proving the police and the D.A.'s office conspired to frame my client by soliciting false testimony.

I don't know.

Maybe I ought to make a deal with Ed Winslow to testify against all of you.

Or maybe we will make a deal with Winslow, because if he wasn't a witness...

The son of a bitch called 911 himself and described Zippo's M.O.

And he knew it really well because he was at Zippo's trial.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

You're not gonna get out of this mess by arresting Winslow for this m*rder.

Yeah, that is exactly what I am going to do, Jack, and thank you for your help.

But if you'll excuse me, I have to verify the story that you just gave us.

Tao: I already have it right here...

The court case, Winslow vs. LAUSD.

It was in the news, and there's a link to a video.

Let's see.

[Keyboard clacking]

Want to hit somebody, huh?

I'll show you what it feels like to get hit.

Aah!

Think about that video for a minute while we point out a couple of other things that bother us.

Sharon: For instance, your 911 call, which just happened to include Zippo's M.O.

And maybe we'll find that you called the Los Angeles Times, too, because you wanted to watch the g*ng kids that got you fired sh**t at each other!

Someone had to tell the media about what was going on!

We just saw why you hate them.

That video doesn't show what really happened.

That boy att*cked another student in my classroom!

You were angry, yelled, pulled him out of his seat!

Maybe I shouted or raised my voice, but I never, never called him a "w*tback." He made that up.

And yet not one of the students who witnessed this incident came forward in your defense.

Probably because they all know you're a r*cist.

No! They didn't talk because that little bastard was in a g*ng!

My students were scared silent.

I wonder if a jury would see it that way.

[Sighs] You want me to imagine a jury? Okay.

If I did it, that jury would know Luis k*lled an 18-year-old boy for no other reason than to get bullshit respect from his low-rent homies.

If I did it, the jury would hear how I tried to send the Wyatt family far enough away so that none of them would have to suffer the indignity of being suspects.

And my peers would hear how the justice system, from the lawyers, to the judge, to you, failed the Curtis Wyatt.

[Sighs] He's not wrong. We did screw up.

He's not just a vigilante, though.

Good luck proving any of this in court.

Because I just imagined the jury noticing all your evidence is circumstantial.

Not quite all circumstantial.

Sir, we could run this video for you again, but I think you already know what we'd see.

Don't you?

Because that boy that you pulled out of his chair and threw on the floor...

The boy that cost you your job and your pension...

That boy was Luis Navarro.

The jury will hear that, too, sir.

You're familiar with D.D.A. Hobbs.

You've watched her work for years. She's here.

To stop the g*ng v*olence that you started, we'll give you a deal...

Second-degree m*rder, 17 years to life.

Or we can arrest you and put you in county, see how many of your ex-students you run into there.

You... you... you... You can't do that.

You have a responsibility to protect me.

If you did it.

[Sighs]

How many lives were you prepared to let Luis Navarro ruin before you finally put him where he belonged?

[Scoffs] You'd rather go after me than Zippo?

No.

Let the jury decide if you're making the right decision.

I want my day in court.

Oh, I can give him that.

[Sighs]

Tao: Well, when he calms down, maybe a deal will look better than the death penalty.

I don't know.

This guy doesn't strike me as someone who knows how to give up when he's behind.

You know what I mean?

Oh.

Excuse me.

Flynn: Yeah, release Zippo to his dirtbag attorney and tell Joe that I'm coming down to drive him home.

What is this? Some kind of a joke?

You... you didn't print up a retirement application?

Oh, that's mine. Forgot all about it.

And it's not about retiring.

It's about the deferred pension program.

My business manager wants to check it out.

[Chuckling] What?

Deferred pension? What is that?

Well, ideally, you put away more money from your paycheck so you can save it tax-free until you retire.

Uh, what? You have a business manager?

Well, he deals mainly with my consulting fees from "Badge of Justice."

Flynn: Oh, my God.

How much do you make on this show, anyway?

Well, my business manager said [Sighs]

I shouldn't talk about it.

Provenza: Wait, wait, wait.

So you're not thinking about calling it quits?

Of course I think about it... every day.

But the truth is, I've given up so much of my life for this job, including a decent relationship with my children and most of my faith in the human race, that there's... no place else on earth that I fit in.

Now, that's the right attitude.

Oh.

How was your last day with Jeff?

Horrible.

Horrible? Why?

Because... before I dropped him off at the airport, I asked him out.

And?

I'm too young for him.

Or that's what he said. I don't know.

Maybe he just doesn't like me that much. [Sighs]

I see.

Anyway, uh, you were right.

Asking him out was the best thing I could do because now I know.

But, like, having someone tell you straight to your face that they're not interested really sucks.

The people we like don't always like us back, I know, but the sooner you deal with the truth, the sooner you can move on.

Yeah, but, like, moving on is the hardest part.

Not moving on can be harder.

Although, right now, you probably feel a little...

Wounded? Crushed?

Like I wasted whole weeks caring about someone who couldn't care less?

Would a hamburger help you with that, Beckin?

[Breathes deeply] Well, mom...

It couldn't hurt, you know?

It couldn't hurt.

[Sighs deeply]