02x07 - It's raining men

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Cold Case". Aired: September 2003 to May 2010.*
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02x07 - It's raining men

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The Weather Girls 'It's Raining Men'

Joan Collins is not a man in drag.

- How do you know?
- You believe everything you hear.

I do not.

What don't you believe?

I don't believe pop rocks and
coke makes your stomach explode.

I don't believe Rock Hudson
has liver cancer.

Face it, honey.

You're gullible.

And a conspiracy nut.

Sticks and stones.

Who k*lled Kennedy?

Lyndon Johnson and Fidel Castro.

Oh, and Jimmy Collins.

He was the ringleader.

What?

- No, no, don't come here.
- Artie, I'm coming there.

What is it, honey?

I got it.

Detective Rush?

I'm Artie Russo, I called.

Have a seat.

Scotty,

Artie Russo.

I'm an AIDS survivor.

I was supposed to be dead
twenty years ago.

Lucky, huh?

I got into an early drug trial.

I was diagnosed in ,
given six months.

Instead my partner Jeff
was dead in six months.

From AIDS?

m*rder*d in Rittenhouse Square.
Strangled.

Was there any suspects?

Yeah. Me.

What was the theory?

That I k*lled the love of my life
in a rage because he gave me AIDS.

Did he?

No one knows.
In ' , there was no test for it.

You found out you had it
by getting sick.

And Jeff never did?

No.

The strange thing is,

I accepted my death coming.

It was Jeff who was in a rage.

Over what?

The dying of the light,

as he put it.

He rage against anything
besides the light?

The government, doctors,
the gay community,

the newspapers, the president.

- It's a long list.
- And twenty years is a long time.

What brings you in now?

I'm getting married
to my partner of ten years.

But before I do,

I wanna put an end to
any doubt that I loved Jeff.

You want us to reopen a cold job
for your wedding?

It'd be a nice gift.

This ain't Pottery Barn.

The gift I want is justice.

We'll read the job again. Maybe

we'll b*at the odds.

Like you did.

Thank you.

When'd you first hear?

About AIDS?

I guess high school.

I got the talk from
a nun at Saint Francis.

That's something
you don't forget.

Here it is.

Kern, Jeffrey.

When Brother Donely d*ed of it,

it really hit home.

Jeff was in .

Unlucky timing for gay men.

No warning what was out there.

Take it upstairs.

They put the rock, strangled.

From the front, bare hands.

Sounds personal.

No robbery, either.

Lab didn't get
much blood to test.

Maybe they were
scared to collect it.

The guys on the scene
knew he was gay?

Earring in his right ear.

Not a lot of unknowns
about AIDS in ' .

Nick is probably right.

All we have are a few
blood stains on Jeff's shirt.

Never analyzed.

Lab would have to deal with it now
if your victim fought back.

Might be the k*ller's blood.

Anything else to go on?

You ever hear the
Benjamin Kern Foundation?

I heard the current building.

Cool, big fountain up front.

This is Jeffrey Kern.

The victim's rich.

Might be significant.

Who stood to gain from Jeff dying?

He got any sibling, Scotty?

Yeah, a brother.

Well, you got that,

and you got the blood.

So where's that cool building?

Is your dad able to join us?

He's able but unwilling.

Lotta art.

Beats our wanted posters.

I'd like a wante poster.

With my brother's k*ller on it.

Never bought Artie is the doer?

No.

And I don't think the cops knocked
themselves out trying to find the k*ller

of this low status gay kid.

His family was high status.

Fear of AIDS trumped
everything in ' .

The paramedics left Jeff's body
in the rain for hours,

cuz they didn't wanna touch him.

Jeff being from this flush family
kinda makes us look at money as motive.

He didn't have any money.

My dad disinherited him
a year before he d*ed.

Because he was gay?

Dad couldn't accept it.

So, Jeff being cut off, then dying

left you sole heir of the family fortune.

I didn't profit from his death.

His half of all that money...

Goes to three charities.

I convinced my dad to do that much.

You were close to your brother?

He made me crazy,

but he was the kind of
guy you just love anyway.

My dad adored him too.

But their relationship ended
at my engagement party.

- You came.
- I wouldn't miss it.

You're brave.

Look who's here.

I'm so glad.

Congratulations, Ann.

- Where is he?
- Walking over here.

- Do you have to do this, Jeffrey?
- There is the perfect Kern manners.

Are you making
some kind of a point?

I'm attending a family event
with Artie who's part of my family.

Nice to see you again.

If you wanna flaunt your life style,
there's a time, a place.

- When, where?
- Not at Paul's party.

We don't mind.

I don't want this for you.

If Artie can't stay, I can't either.

Congratulations.

I know you'll have a happy life.

After that, my dad acted like
he only had one son.

So what'd Jeff do for money?

Worked as a towel boy
at a bath house.

To really stick it to dad.

- Didn't last too long though.
- What happened?

There was some trouble there.

- I never knew the whole story.
- Would Artie know the details?

Yeah, probably.

Jeff was supposed to be passing out
towels in that place.

Instead he was
posting warning signs.

About AIDS?

That must've gotten over big
with the owner.

Artie, they need an answer.

The white chair covers
or the light blue?

Uh, this is Russ.

What do you think?

White goes with a wedding.

I like white too.

So was Jeff trying to shut
this bath house down?

Basically.

Did he have any success?

The fire was pretty effective.

He b*rned the place?

He never admitted it, but...

Loverboy
'Working for the Weekend'

- You could've k*lled people.
- You're k*lling people.

This place is
a hot bed of disease.

- No one knows how it's spread.
- Whoever set this fire did a public service.

Whoever.
I like that, whoever.

- Jeff, what's going on?
- This is my boss, Barney

who has no conscience.

Let's go home, calm down.

Hey, hey, Jeff.

- How we gonna take care of this, huh?
- I didn't do anything.

- I'll have you locked up.
- Let's be reasonable.

Reasonable is you reaching into your
dad's deep pockets and compensating me.

I don't have a dad anymore.

- You seem rational.
- I am.

Why don't you talk to your lunatic
boyfriend and stop him or I will.

You ever see Barney again after that?

I only hoped he was content
with just f*ring Jeff,

cuz there wasn't
any money to give him.

You float the Barney theory
with detectives in ' ?

Gave'em his name,

never heard back.

It was a terrible time,

terrible.

Okay, but through
all the terribleness,

- you were raking it in.
- Bath houses were hot in the ' 's.

No one knew what was
coming down the pike.

And you made a couple mil a year.

So, you did your research.

And here comes this towel boy, Jeff,

decides to save the world by shutting
down your booming business.

It was the turning point, anyway.

Virus is making the papers.

AIDS shut down my bath house.

But Jeff lit the match.

- Kid was a hothead.
- You a hothead, too?

I can be.

But insurance paid for all my losses,

then Jeff got out of my sight for good.

This Jeff sounds like he pissed off
every other person he met.

Roughly.

Anyone else on that
place get into it with Jeff?

There was someone
Jeff targeted in particular.

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
'You Got Lucky'

Carlo, we gotta talk.

Talk? No thanks.

Five minutes.

I thought you said
you just wanted to talk.

All that time you spend in front of
the mirror, I know you've noticed this.

It's nothing.

- You're sick.
- I'm fine.

Did you tell that guy you just
had sex with that you have it?

It's cancer

and cancer's not contagious.

You're purposely giving it to people?

- You're such a drama queen.
- What are you, a sociopath?

I think you're still upset
that we stopped.

You and me.

Carlo,

it kills people.

Stay out of my way

and I'll stay out of yours.

Carlo was the prettiest of them all.

Literally got by on his good looks.

I thought I'd save this.

Jeff made these,

handed them out
around Queens Village.

I'm seeing motive.

This man is sick
He won't tell you

Carlo is spreading the gay cancer
to men a night at Barney's.

a night?

That pace,
Carlo must be long dead.

We need a last name to find out.

Barney didn't know it?

This Carlo said something
about when 'we' stopped.

It sounded like him
and Jeff were together.

Did Artie know that?

Did Artie get the bug from Jeff
who got it from Carlo?

Sounds like the cops in '
were on to something.

Better go back to the bride-to-be.

Y'know, I think technically
they're both grooms.

I knew about Jeff and Carlo.

- And you didn't mind?
- I didn't like it.

- But?
- You're not gonna find this palatable.

Consider me warned.

Most gay men were living out
what a lot of straight men fantasize.

Which is?

Spouse in home
and affairs on the side.

That was our arrangement too.

Until I got sick.

Cyndi Lauper 'Time After Time'

How is he?

He's the same.

He's very brave.

He's sleeping.

If you keep your voices down.

Sure.

Hey, Artie.

Is it my birthday?

It's a metaphor.

Everyday is a celebration.

Everyday is going to be
my birthday from now on?

Yes.

We'll be in a never-ending
production of our town.

Treasuring every single
moment as we live it.

That's right.

Don't do that.

Now stay back.
Don't get this.

I saw Carlo today.

How is he,
don of Queens Village?

He can't believe
I only wanna be with you.

Neither can I.

Well, it's true.

Jeff left Carlo for me.

Who would've thought?

Carlo getting dumped,
that must've been new to him.

Brand new.

You think he was dangerous?

I think he purposely infected
hundreds of men in the city.

That's m*rder, isn't it?

You know his last name?

Fishman.

First name is Melvin.

Carlo is Melvin Fishman?

He's an Ohio boy,

reinvented himself when
he moved to the big city.

He alive?

Try South Philly.

Now, how's a guy like him
make it when so many others don't?

If God was punishing
people for their sins,

he had a badly researched list.

I was Melvin for miserable years
in Shaker Heights.

Here, I'm Carlo.

Here, hold Louise.

Let's talk about homicide.

You wanna know
if I m*rder*d Jeff Kern?

No.

You had a reputation for playing
roulette with people's health.

This just put me more in demand.

I'm ugly now.

I make money cleaning bird cages.

But look at me there.

I was gorgeous.

Nobody cared about
the 'he'll k*ll you' part?

Jeff was seen as hysteric.

Like a lady who smashed up liquor
bottles with an axe.

People laughed.

So guys still wanted you?

Jeff was the one
who ended up ostracized.

Even though he was right in the end.

People don't know how
to act in an emergency.

When AIDS hit the world,

most of us froze in disbelief.

Not Jeff.

No, he fought.

In the ways a lot
more stupid than this.

Like?

Jeff usually hid his background.

Now he decided to use it.

How?

A fundraising party for rich, closeted
gay men who wanted to stay that way.

Billy Idol 'Eyes Without a Face'

Be sure not to set off the alarm.

Thanks for helping me do this.

- Don't tell dad.
- Are you kidding.

- You should call him.
- He should call me.

We'll be in the guest house.

men have d*ed in Philadelphia.

in New York and the
government is ignoring it.

Ronald Reagan,
interfere with God's work.

Everyone in this room
has money and clout.

So we're the ones
who have to do something.

We could hire a lobbyist,

a doctor maybe.

Giving money isn't enough.
We have to put ourselves on the line.

How do you mean?

Come out.

Make a joint statement.
We're gay, we're powerful,

and attention must be paid.

Your father would love that.

My father would have to handle it.

If we came out, we'd lose
whatever credibility we might've had.

People are dying.

- This is a crisis.
- Don't be alarmist.

There's no cure.

No one's even looking for a cure.

This is a press release
from everyone in this room.

Are you crazy?

I'm sending it out in a week.

I'd like your signatures,

but I don't need them.

Jeff was gonna break the biggest
taboo in the gay world.

Outing. / He had more guts
than brains threatening those men.

So who were these guys
who had everything to lose?

You want me to out them?

For a homicide investigation?
You bet.

Screw 'em.

What have they done for me lately?

Right, Bobo?

Got a pen?

Terrence Overton,

President of Eastline Bank.

Christopher Duncan,
Chief of Staff to Councilman Bias.

Bias, he's right of the two of the hum.

Don't ask, don't tell.

Just hide it in the log cabin.

Chief of Emergency Medicine
at Penn General.

Russell Bennett.

Who's that?

Russ.

It's Artie's fiance.

You were at Jeff's party the week
before he was m*rder*d.

Yes.

This is unbelievable.

Lotta people in that room
had motive to k*ll Jeff.

Not me.

I've been out since I was .

How could you not tell me this?

It's a time of my life
I'm embarrassed about.

I was a drunk and an addict
who dated older men.

I was there with one.

He have a lot to lose by being outed?

Only everything.

Who are we talking about, Russ?

You better tell them.

You better tell them every detail.

I will.

So?

Carson Finch.

This just gets worse and worse.

- Who's that?
- A conservative columnist for the Times.

It'd be like finding out
Pat Buchanan was gay.

If I'd been sober for five minutes
while I was with him,

I might have realized
he was the devil.

You think Finch could've hurt Jeff?

I know he read him
the riot act after the party.

Things don't get done when
you rant, rave, and thr*aten.

Things get done quietly.

We'll be dead.
That's quiet.

Russell, I need five minutes.

Lovely family.

They're ok.

Powerful, too.

I've never met your father,
but I see his name everywhere

on hospitals, libraries.

He's a major donor in Philadelphia.

I know all that.

You had some people here tonight who
could bring his empire crashing down.

Now you're the one threatening.

I'm just saying.

Even a picture of
Kern's family has dirty secrets.

I grew up here.

I know hard ball.

You don't

want to play it

with me.

Satan himself.

How far would Finch go?

I thought he was content eviscerating
people in print, but who knows.

So is the wedding off?

It's between them.

Mine was on and off three times.

New police resource.

Yeah? What?

Half the guys on the party list
are now on the AIDS quilt.

Gone, huh?

Yeah.

Ain't all Mary's.

Women, kids.

IV drug users and

my niece being one of them.

Two panels for Jeff Kern.

One from Artie,
one from his brother.

Guess where Finch lives.

Rittenhouse Square.

Yeah, where Jeff ended up.

Jeff Kern was lucky he lived
through the night of that party.

Highball

We heard about the threats
especially from you.

I just warned him.

You hurt me, I'll hurt you.

Like maybe with a rock to the face?

That wasn't necessary.

Why is that?

Between my friend
at the Eastline Bank and I,

we had plenty of dirt on
the magnificent Kern family.

And that made Jeff back off?

Cuz he doesn't seem to be
the backing off type.

Who knows what
he would have done?

Maybe he d*ed before
he knew himself.

Or mayb he d*ed so he couldn't
put out that press release.

Maybe.

But I fight with words,

not rocks.

For what it's worth,

I never believed that Jeff d*ed
at the hands of a gay man.

b*ating him with rock,

I'd look for a heterosexual.

Got one in particular?

Jeff found out I was gay
because we both had friends

on the AIDS floor at Penn General.

I saw him there.

Yeah, so?

Artie shared a room
wih a boy who had AIDS

and the boy's father was ...

rageful.

Carson Finch.

Jeff. Hello.

Hi.

Sick friend?

The Scorpions 'Still Loving You'

Can I get you anything?

Food?

You can give me a cure.

I know.

He's dying.

I'm sorry.

Take your hand off me.

Kenny got sick
because of people like you.

Excuse me?

He's innocent.

He should be helped
before your friend.

I'd like to help everyone.


He's eight.

Please.

I don't know if I can help Artie.

Damn you.

What happened?

Jeff walked away.

Now, how did this guy think
that Jeff could help his son?

I don't know.

But he knew where to find Jeff.

And I know hate when I see it.

We gotta talk to you about Jeff Kern,
the guy you fought with at the hospital.

I don't remember half of what
came out of my mouth that night.

You threatened him.

Two weeks later he was k*lled.

Not by me.

I was angry, yeah.

I thought Kenny got AIDS
from his second grade teacher.

Now I know it was the transfusions
he had, skateboard accident.

Why'd you target Jeff?

It just seemed unfair.

I mean, if there was some miracle,

my kid should get it,
not the gay guy.

What miracle do you mean?

That guy Jeff said he had a way
to get his boyfriend into a drug trial,

- maybe save him.
- How?

I don't know,

but they kept arguing about it.

The sick guy saying, 'it's not worth it,
I accept my death'.

I'm thinking,
you accept your death, great.

Give my kid the drug.

How do you get access
to these drug trials?

Connections, clout,
know a board member,

be a major donor to the hospital.

What hospital are you talking about?

Penn General.

They do a lot of research there.

Jeff's father's on the board of directors
for Pennsylvania General.

That qualifies as a major donor.

Has been for years.

So Jeff needs dad to
save Artie's life potentially.

Only Jeff and dad are estranged.

But Jeff will do anything.
He and Artie are in love.

Which is why dad will say no.

That writer Finch told Jeff
he had something that could ruin his dad.

Maybe Jeff asked him what the dirt was
so he could throw it at dad himself.

We gotta talk to the old man
whether he likes it or not.

You think a father would k*ll his
son to save his business empire?

Why not?

Jeff was dead to him already.

Did Jeff come to you for help
before he d*ed, Mr. Kern?

He called,

asked if we could meet.

Said it was important.

I made him beg.

I was a jerk.

Dad, don't say that.

Sorry, if it offends you.

What happened
when you two met?

We didn't.

He was m*rder*d the night before.

So you don't know
what he wanted to talk about?

No and I never will.

I think Jeff wanted you to help Artie
get into the drug trial at Penn General.

Yes, you've told me.

What would've you said?

I would've said no.

But Artie got into that trial.

Yes,

after Jeff d*ed,
I made sure his friend got a place.

How strange logic.

Maybe it was guilt,
something you did, Mr. Kern?

You have something
to say to me, say it.

Be a man.

Carson Finch had dirt on your family.

Finch is a dilettante.

Jeff knew what it was
and was gonna use it against you.

You've got fire, huh?

Just like Jeff did.

What did Finch tell him?

What did he hold over you?

What could be worse than
what Jeffrey flaunted everyday?

- Dad.
- It's unnatural.

Let's not go into that.

The only thing more unnatural is for
a father to bury his son.

Hearing of his death

was the worst day of my life.

You should go now.

Yes, go.

You getting Artie into that
trial may have saved his life.

Furthest thing from my mind.

I don't believe you, Mr. Kern.

I think you loved Jeff.

Well,

he was always my favorite.

They both are.

You really think Jeff would
blackmail his own father?

He wasn't shy about confrontation.

I suppose that's true.
He was a chip off the old block.

You told him you had
something on his family.

We need to know what it was.

That's water under the bridge.

Something on the foundation,
financial scandal?

Or personal.

I believe in discretion.

A man was m*rder*d.

Bludgeoned, strangled.

That ain't discreet.

Do right by this kid, Finch.

Summer of ' .

That's me in the swim trunks.

Lord have mercy.

These are our housemates,

Brian, Doug, Leonard.

And this man

is Leonard's hot summer romance.

Paul was thinner then.

When I went to the party that night,

I didn't know he was Jeff's brother.

How'd you find out?

I recognized him from family photos.

Same swim trunks.

I realized Jeff didn't know.

- So you told him?
- No.

Then when I sat for a smoke,

there was the man himself.

Bob Seger 'Shame On The Moon'

Paul.

Carson Finch.

Of course.

I had no idea you were Jeff's brother.

Listen, this is..

I'm married now and

- my family doesn't know.
- Say no more.

I understand.

I read your column.

You're crazy.

Miss Finch isn't
everyone's cup of tea.

How's Leonard?

I've been thinking
of sending him a card.

Leonard d*ed last year.

Why didn't you tell anyone?

I didn't believe in outing.

And then death outed us all.

Paul was worried that his brother
will out him to their dad at this meeting.

Which his dad treats his kids equally
means Paul gets disinherited too.

So he kills Jeff the night before.

Ipso facto.

Except we don't got no factos.

Blood results were inconclusive.

How come?

percent match to Jeff's DNA.

The lab's assuming
the sample's degraded.

But there's another explanation
for an almost match.

A sibling.

You can't take that to court.

We need a confession.

He'll lawyer up
in record time, Scotty.

Maybe not.

I think Paul wants to
tell someone what he did.

He put it on the quilt panel
he made for Jeff.

- He was lost and is found.
- The prodigal son.

Someone wanna catch me up here?

I missed all of Sunday school.

It's a story about
two sons and a father.

The one son does everything that
pleases father, the other one...

- Bad.
- Goes off whoring and drinking,

shaming family.

While the good son is
home working the field.

Then one day the bad son
wants to come back home.

And the father instantly forgives him,

welcomes him and
gives his fatted calf.

All his stuff.

Which makes the good,
dutiful son very, very angry.

I have a meeting in minutes.

Not today, Paul.

What are you doing?

Telling you a story.

Then we want you to tell us a story.

Sorry, you're losing me.

He was lost and is found.

The prodigal son.

Wendy, get Ben Keltman on the phone.

I think you should talk to my attorney.

Look at that kingdom.

All yours,

the good son.

You sacrificed for it.

Gave up your own desires.

Did everything right.

- You earned this.
- While Jeff went out and played,

- defied your father.
- I loved my brother.

As long as he was
exiled from the family.

But what if Jeff went
to your dad for help,

and they made amends?

What if dad welcomed him home?

Would leave you on the outside.

You couldn't risk that.

So you made sure that
meeting never happened.

At least, that's the version
Paul likes to tell himself.

- He's cleaner,
- straighter.

But it was simpler than that.
Wasn't it, Paul?

You had a secret.

You were terrified

Jeff would tell dad.

Come on, Paul.

You wanna make it right.

You confessed years ago.

Ben Keltman on the line.

Tell him

I'll call him back.

Yes, sir.

I tried to talk to Jeff.

- Thanks for treating.
- Yeah.

I'm gonna walk that way and
pick up some mocha chip for Artie.

I'd like to be at dinner tomorrow night
with you and dad.

I have to do it alone.

Do what?

Get Artie in the drug trial.

- But how?
- Any way I can.

Beg, bribe, blackmail.

Would that include ruining my life?

What are you talking about?

You saw me with Finch.

You think I didn't know
you were a closet case?

It was one summer.

Dad can't know.

I would never out you.

You threatened to out
a room full of men.

They're not my brothers.

I know you. You can't control
yourself when you want something.

- Don't be crazy.
- He'll piss you off,

you'll do anything to help Artie.

- Paul, I won't hurt you.
- You don't want to, but you will.

- Cool off.
- Me?

- Cool off?
- Go home to your wife.

No. I won't let you.

- Paul.
- No,

I gave up too much.

Sheriff 'When I'm With You'

I never needed love like I need you

And I never lived for nobody

but I live for you

Oooh, babe

lost in love is what I feel

when I'm with you

Maybe it's the way you touch me

with the warmth of a sun

Maybe it's the way you smile

I come all undone

Oooh, babe

lost in love is what I feel

when I'm with you

Baby

oh I get chills when I'm with you

Baby

my world stands still when I'm with you

When I'm with you

I never cared for nobody

like I care for you

And I never wanted to share the things

I want to share with you

Oooh, babe

lost in love is what I feel

when I'm with you

Baby

oh I get chills when I'm with you

Baby

my world stands still when I'm with you

Baby

oh I get chills when I'm with you

Baby

my world stands still when I'm with you

When I'm with you

When I'm with you ...
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