05x05 - Fallen Idols

[bunniefuu]

- ♪ Today's a new day... ♪
- LIAM: Socks, soap,

toothpaste, toothbrush,
hairbrush goes in every box.

Socks, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush,

hairbrush. Looking good, everyone.

Here we go. Goods for Good.

Now's the time to give. Let's go.

Let's get it done.
Three days left, folks.

We've got a thousand boxes to pack.

All right, you've got this, guys.

Next truck will be here in minutes.

♪ I'll be honest with you... ♪

Hey, Rita, let's not be slipping

any of those socks into our pockets now.

Pastor Liam,
what in the world am I gonna do

with a bunch of men's socks?

Now, that's between you and the Lord.

- Not for me to judge.
- (RITA LAUGHS)

Hey, good to see you, Teddy.

Let's get these boxes loaded.
We're almost at the finish line.

Pastor Liam, this is my sister Erica

I was telling you about
and her son Zach.

They're visiting from Ann Arbor

and insisted on coming out to help.

I've seen every one of
your sermons on YouTube,

but Sunday will be
our first live service.

Liam, the people from
Morning in the City are here.

LIAM: Enjoy your visit.

Hey, you're gonna need this.

No point in doing an interview
about the new book

- without... (CHUCKLES)
- The book.

Our ninth book.

(PHONE BEEPS AND BUZZES)

False alarm. They need
more minutes. I'm sorry.

It's okay. Take a breath, Richard.

Everything's good.

We don't want you having
another heart att*ck.

Where's, uh, where's Olivia?

I think I heard she's all made up

and just waiting in the
sanctuary by herself.

(BELL TOLLING)

(DOOR OPENS)

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)

LIAM: Hey, Good.

How'd it go?

(SIGHS)

About as awful as you would expect.

Mm.

They told him the cancer
has spread to his bones.

- It's only a matter of time now.
- (DOOR OPENS)

RICHARD: Sorry to interrupt.

The Morning in the City
people are ready.

Can you give us a minute, Richard?

If you feel like you
don't want to do this,

we could always reschedule.
It's no big deal.

No, it's okay. They're already here.

Let's go sell some books.

♪ Today's a new day ♪

♪ But there is no sunshine ♪

♪ Nothing but clouds,
and it's dark in my heart ♪

♪ And it feels like a cold night ♪

♪ Today's a new day ♪

- Uh
- ♪ But where are my blue skies? ♪

♪ Where is the love and the joy
that you promised me? ♪

- ♪ Tell me it's all right ♪
- ♪ I'll be honest with you ♪

♪ I almost gave up ♪

♪ But a power that I can't explain. ♪

(DOOR OPENS)

(INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT OVER P.A.)

(DOOR CLOSES)

Thank you for coming.

Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.

Well, it's nice
to meet you, Pastor Wright.

This is Benjamin Colón.

He's the only actual lawyer among us.

My name's Dr. Jason Bull.

How can we be of help to you?

You can bring my wife
back to life. (CHUCKLES)

Failing that, you can help me
convince the police

and everyone else

that I had nothing to do with this.

So I can get out of here.

So I can go back to my ministry.

So I can give my wife Olivia

a proper funeral.

We've been together since high school.

I called her Good.

That was my-my nickname for her,

because she just was.

Good. She was the best person
I knew. The very best.

I don't understand why anyone
would want to do this to her,

and I don't understand
why anyone would think

it might be me.

Pastor Wright, the police
found drops of blood

on your shoelaces... Olivia's blood.

Yeah, but I explained that
to the police.

She had a nosebleed.

She gets them sometimes
when it's dry out.

I'm guessing a, a drop
must have fallen on my shoe.

Well, the police also tell us

that when they came by
your house yesterday

to inform you that your
wife had been m*rder*d,

you insisted you were at your
home when the m*rder occurred.

But the DVR connected to
your home security cameras

very plainly show you
arriving at your house

at : in the morning.

Well past the time

the police believe
Olivia's throat was slit.

BULL: Liam...

Pastor Wright, if we are
going to represent you,

you have to tell us the truth
about everything,

starting with where you really were.

Whatever I tell you
stays with you, right?

I mean... I'll tell you everything,

but we can have a discussion about it

before you decide to do
anything with it, right?

Well, of course.

Everything you say to us is protected

under attorney/client privilege.

When my wife...

When my Olivia was being att*cked,

I was...

I was with someone else.

A lover?

Okay.

But at least now we have an alibi.

Your lover, this woman you were with,

we're gonna need her to agree
to testify on your behalf.

It wasn't a woman.

And did your wife... Did she know?

Yes, uh, Olivia knew all about it.

She'd known about it for years.
Look, I...

I know how this sounds.

But neither one of us wanted to abandon

what we were doing at Riverstone.

We-we couldn't just quit
what God helped us build.

Liam,

you have to know this is not
helping you with a jury.

You are handing them a motive for m*rder

far stronger than divorce.

You have a secret,

and you wanted to keep it hidden.

Well, the prosecution is going
to imply that Olivia was

threatening to share
your secret with the world,

so you silenced her.

Conversely, we at least have a witness

who can corroborate
where Pastor Liam was

when Olivia was k*lled.

No. No, I-I wouldn't want him
to testify.

I don't want him dragged into this.

W-We need to find another way.

Liam... Gentlemen, please,

I've-I've... I've kept this
to myself all these years

because I knew it would tear
my church apart.

Sure, a small minority would understand,

but the rest...

Please. Please.

I-I've already lost my Olivia.

I can't lose Riverstone, too.

BULL: Liam,
I understand this is very difficult,

but the reality is,
you are on trial for your life.

And in my experience...
(EXHALES SHARPLY)

Even though you don't
want this to come out, it will.

Now, there have been
other men, I assume.

Texts, e-mails, phone calls.

I promise you, as sure
as we are sitting here,

someone's gonna sell their story.

Dr. Bull is right.

The best thing we can do
is control the narrative.

Control how this is shared
with the world.

BULL: I'm telling you,

I don't know how to do this
if we hold this back.

This is your alibi, Liam.

Now, if you want to keep
your sexuality a secret...

if you want to cross your
fingers that the prosecution

is not gonna discover this, then...

I think you need to find
another legal team.

But if you want to trust us,

I think we can help you.

It's your choice.

As a young man, I spent years
praying to God,

pleading with him or her
to change me... fix me.

Olivia would pray with me.

I can't pretend to know God's thinking,

but I can tell you
the Lord never did answer

those particular prayers.

I can only assume he or she didn't think

I was actually broken.

Nice. Clever way to get
our narrative out there

before we step foot in court.

Well, let's just hope our
potential jurors are watching.

We were committed to our partnership,

to our mission to the church.

No one's claiming it was
a traditional marriage.

But I truly loved her with all my heart.

Pastor Wright,

did you k*ll your wife?

As God is my witness, I did not.

_

BENNY: How are we ever
gonna convince a jury

that Liam's telling the truth

when his entire life has been a lie?

(ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES)

And it doesn't help that
they've made millions

off his books either,

which are obviously complete fiction.

I share your concern,
but let's not forget

all the good that's been done.

That church of theirs
has opened up food pantries

for the poor and the homeless,
clinics, shelters.

Liam and Olivia have never taken
a salary, not a single penny.

Every dollar that was
donated to the church

stayed with the church.

The only money they made
came from their books.

Which were about a marriage
that didn't exist.

So, do you want to call Liam
and tell him

that we made a mistake,
we don't want to represent him?

No, I don't want to do that.

I just think that lying,
particularly on the part

of a spiritual leader,
is going to be a tough thing

for a jury to overlook.

I agree. That's why we need jurors

who understand that to err is human.

And sometimes it's not possible
to practice what you preach.

_

DETECTIVE DANIELS:
The throat had been slit.

One clean cut, straight across.

A.D.A. SUTHERLAND: Anything
else you can tell us about that night?

Yeah. She fought back.

Really? How can you be so sure?

Well, you can't slit someone's throat

in a clean cut like that
unless you're certain

you have both their arms
under your control.

Now, we believe the k*ller
struggled with Olivia

until he was able
to hold down both her arms

at the wrist with his left hand

and then he was able
to make the cut with his right.

Now, you see evidence of this struggle

in the smashed glass
on the victim's wristwatch.

We suspect

that as he smashed
her wrist to the floor,

the watch crystal shattered.

Now, this is also how we were
able to establish a time of death.

: p.m.

Now, Detective Daniels,
as the lead investigator on this case,

it was your job to inform
Olivia Wright's husband...

The defendant... of her death the
morning her body was discovered.

- Is that correct?
- That's correct.

And did you notice at that time
anything unusual about his appearance?

When I made the initial contact, no.

I went to his home,
he was dressed in pajamas

and a robe and slippers.

But, uh, when I asked him
to accompany me

to identify the body and he got dressed,

I noticed some dark spots on his shoes.

Specifically on the laces
of his right shoe.

Uh, I asked if these were
the same shoes he was wearing

the day before and he freely
admitted that they were.

And then what happened?

Well, once we took
the defendant into custody,

we collected the shoe and sent
it to the lab for testing.

And what did they find?

That the spots were in fact blood

and that the blood matched that
of the victim Olivia Wright.

SUTHERLAND: And did the
defendant offer any explanation

for the presence of his
wife's blood on his shoes?

He claimed the victim had had
a nosebleed the morning before.

SUTHERLAND: And did
he indicate whether or not

there were any other witnesses
to this alleged nosebleed?

DANIELS: No. He claimed
it happened in the residence,

that just the two of them were there.

SUTHERLAND: I have no further
questions at this time, Your Honor.

_

Now, Detective Daniels,
when you found Mrs. Wright,

it was in the hall
of the church, was it not?

Yes.

A-And the hall was in the midst
of being used

as a place to assemble
hundreds of gift boxes

filled with personal items
for the less fortunate.

Uh, things like new socks,
mm, bathroom products.

That sort of thing.

Yes. Mrs. Wright's body
was actually found under one

of the tables being used
to put those boxes together.

I see.

And were you able to determine

if any of the boxes were missing?

- Excuse me?
- Well, the,

uh... the-the boxes.

The gift boxes.

Certainly it crossed your mind

that this might have been
an attempted robbery.

You wouldn't just leap to the idea

that my client did this
without exploring

every other possibility, now, would you?

The witness will answer the question.

That's all right, Your Honor.

I'll ask another.

Detective, how would you describe

the neighborhood
where Riverstone is located?

How do you mean?

Well, would you regard it
as a safe neighborhood,

a somewhat unsafe neighborhood,
a dangerous neighborhood?

Somewhere between unsafe
and dangerous, I suppose.

Hmm. Detective, were you aware
that statistically,

the neighborhood
where Riverstone is located

sits at the bottom ten percent
of New York City neighborhoods

for crime and safety?

Objection. Relevance?

Seems completely relevant to me.

Overruled.

Witness will answer the question.

Yes. I'm aware of that.

And yet you never investigated
this as an attempted robbery?

Once I noticed the blood
on the shoes, I-I knew that...

Isn't it possible

that this m*rder was committed
by a random assailant?

And not somebody
that Mrs. Wright even knew?

O-Objection. Calls for speculation.

Counselor's badgering the witness.

Uh, that's all right, Your Honor.

I withdraw the question.

Nothing further.

We're close to lunch.
Let's take a one-hour recess.

RICHARD: Dr. Bull.

You look exactly like
your picture on the Internet.

Richard Newhouse. I'm the
church's operations manager.

Close friend of Liam's.

Ah, Mr. Newhouse.

This is Pastor Liam's attorney

- Benjamin Colón.
- Nice to meet you.

Didn't realize they don't let
the public inside anymore.

COVID thing, I guess.

So, how's it going in there?

Well, we're not really
at liberty to discuss it

without Liam's permission, but frankly,

we're still very early on in the trial.

Okay. I understand.

Just tell him
I've been praying for him...

A lot of us have...

And that God's gonna
get him through this.

I'll definitely pass it on.

You know, it's actually great
to see some people

from his church here.

Any chance you'd consider

being a character witness
for Pastor Wright?

Are you kidding? I owe the man my life.

Literally. He and Olivia
paid for my pacemaker.

They've been with me through everything.

Just tell me when.

Well, we appreciate it.

(SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE)

Incoming.

Gentlemen, so glad I caught you.
Updated witness list.

- Enjoy.
- Wait a minute.

You're calling a new
witness right after lunch?

How are we supposed to prepare?

Sorry. She just came forward.
I don't know what to tell you.

So, who's Britney Lang?

The woman Olivia Wright
was leaving your client for.

Have a good lunch.

It would have been
really helpful to know

Olivia was seeing someone, Liam.

I know.

I'm sorry. It's just...

I felt it wasn't my story to tell.

Olivia kept it private
while she was alive.

I didn't think it was my place to...

BENNY: We respect your integrity, Liam.

We really do.

But how do we explain this?
How do you explain this?

You have to understand,

Olivia and I, we-we grew up
together in a tiny town

outside of Albany.

Everything revolved around the church.

My-my father was pastor,

the values were very traditional.

Being gay, it just didn't exist.

And then, one night, when I was ,

I found Olivia, my best friend,

sitting in a... used car her dad
bought her for her birthday,

crying her eyes out
in the church parking lot.

She told me she didn't understand why,

but boys just left her cold.

Girls on the other hand,

just as she was falling asleep,

that's what she'd be thinking about.

I will never forget that moment.

'Cause all I felt was relief.

I wasn't alone.

My father d*ed a few years later.

I became pastor.

I was good at it.

And Olivia had

such an amazing gift
for connecting with people.

I... No one ever actually said it,

but there was an expectation
in our church

that the pastor should be married,

and so, that's what Olivia and I did.

Okay, but that was years ago.

You've had time to reconsider.

People do get divorced.

I wasn't lying when I said
we spent years praying.

We did. For each other.

And-and when we finally
accepted who we were, it just...

...it felt too late.

I mean, the church had gotten so big.

People relied on us,
they looked up to us.

We-we thought if we cou...
If we could just sacrifice

a little bit of our own
happiness for Riverstone,

then maybe we could...

We understand.

You should make your way
back to the courtroom.

- (GAVEL BANGS)
- SUTHERLAND: Ms. Lang.

You contacted my office,

suggested you might be
able to shed some light

as to why Pastor Wright
would have committed this crime.

Is that correct?

Y... That's correct.

(WHISPERS): Any idea
where this is going?

(WHISPERS): None.

SUTHERLAND: Now, before we get into
all of that, could you tell the court

the nature of your relationship
with the victim?

We were romantically involved.

And just to be clear, uh,
were you and Olivia Wright,

wife of Pastor Liam Wright,
physically involved?

We were involved in every way

one person can be involved with another.

We loved each other.

SUTHERLAND: And to
the best of your knowledge,

was Pastor Wright aware of this?

Oh, he was absolutely aware of it.

The three of us spent
a good deal of time together.

Not physically.

But Pastor Wright and Olivia
had a -year-old connection.

So if you were important to Olivia,

you were important to Pastor Wright.

It was just understood.

SUTHERLAND: Which brings us

to you reaching out to my office.

You believe Pastor Wright
k*lled Olivia, don't you?

Objection! Calls for speculation.

Objection sustained.

Let's be sure and color
within the lines, Counselor.

My apologies, Your Honor.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Ms. Lang, were you surprised
when you heard

that Olivia had been k*lled?

I was startled, but not surprised.

And I wasn't surprised
when I heard that Liam, was...

Uh, Pastor Wright,
had been taken into custody.

And why is that?

Because I knew that Olivia
was planning to tell Liam

that she was going to leave him.

That she wanted to spend
her life with me.

That she was filing for divorce.

SUTHERLAND: You attend Riverstone.

You're a congregant.
That was true before

you even became involved
with Mrs. Wright, correct?

- Yes.
- And did you ever hear

the Wrights speak about their marriage?

Of course.

Pastor Wright mentioned it
in his sermons,

Olivia talked about it on
her blog, uh, at church events.

How it's important to have
someone you're accountable to.

The power of partnership.

They talked about it all the time.

Hmm. So as a foundational
piece of their ministry,

it would make sense that if
their marriage failed...

For instance, if they got a divorce...

Then the church would fail as well?

BENNY: Objection! Your Honor,
the prosecutor, again,

is asking the witness to speculate.

Sustained. Don't test me, Counselor.

Apologies, Your Honor.
I have no further questions.

Nice to meet you, Ms. Lang.

So...

you believe Olivia Wright
was contemplating

leaving her husband Liam
to start a new life with you.

Yes.

I see. And you believe this because...?

We talked about it. All the time.

Okay. When you say you talked about it,

was it you who talked about
starting a new life

or was it Mrs. Wright?

I see where you're going with this...

and I resent the inference.

Uh... (CLEARS THROAT)

I'm sorry. Was that your answer?

The witness needs
to answer the question.

I'm sorry. Can you ask again?

Yes. Yes. Uh, when you talked
about starting a new life...

It was both of us.
We were talking to each other.

Hmm. And how long ago would you say

these conversations started?

How many months would you say
this had been the topic of conversation?

Five or six.

Five or six. All right.

And, uh, in all this time,

to the best of your knowledge,

did Mrs. Wright ever speak
to a divorce attorney?

Mm. Well, I don't actually know.

Really?

Hmm.

Don't you think, if that had happened,

she would have mentioned it to you?

T-That's all right.

Uh, let me ask another question.

In all that time, did Mrs. Wright

purchase you an engagement ring?

Did you purchase her one?

No.

What if I told you
this is the first time

her husband's hearing about this?

Objection! Counsel is testifying.
No foundation.

BENNY: I withdraw
the question, Your Honor.

You know, sometimes

when people are in love,

they say things they think
the other person wants to hear.

They say things they think will
make the other person happy.

They seem to agree with things

they don't really agree with.

You know what I'm talking about,
don't you?

The witness will answer.

I suppose I do.

Thank you.

Nothing further, Your Honor.

BULL: Well, here's a first.

I have no idea what
that jury is thinking.

I know what just happened
on that stand made a difference,

but I'll be damned if
I can see it or feel it.

MARISSA: I don't have
mirror juror data to offer,

but I can give you an opinion
just from listening.

I think they just don't care.

I think they find
the whole thing so sordid,

the details no longer matter to them.

Everyone involved is a liar of sorts.

The victim. The accused.

I think the jury's just numb.

(SIGHS)

Is the defense prepared
to call its first witness?

Yes, Your Honor.

The defense would like to
call Cole Adkins to the stand.

Good morning, Mr. Adkins.

I appreciate you being here.

So, how long have you known the accused?

months.

BENNY: And it is your
testimony that on the night

of Mrs. Wright's m*rder,
Pastor Wright was with you.

Yes, sir.

Liam arrived at my apartment
at about : p.m.

And when did he leave?

Somewhere between : and
: a.m. the following morning.

BENNY: And as it's been established
by the prosecution, we know now

that Liam's wife Olivia was
att*cked at approximately : .

So, just to be clear,

you are saying, under oath,

that during the time of Olivia's m*rder,

Pastor Wright was with you,

in your apartment?

And at no point were you apart?

That's correct.

This is our alibi witness. Do they care?

MARISSA: I told you before, Bull,

I know they're hearing it,
I just don't think

they're allowing it
to change their minds.

BENNY: Let me ask you a
personal question, Mr. Adkins.

Prior to the death
of Liam's wife Olivia,

prior to the media reporting

that you would be a witness
in his defense,

did your parents know that
you and he were involved?

Objection. Relevance.

Your Honor,

I think it's important
for the jury to understand

that this witness coming forward

comes at some personal
and emotional cost to him.

And I believe, in order to
give this witness's testimony

its proper due,

it's important
for the jury to understand

the sacrifices he is making to offer it.

Objection overruled.

The witness may answer the question.

No. My parents did not know

I was involved with Pastor Wright.

Did they know you were
involved with other men?

No. They did not.

How about the people you work with?

The folks you do business with?

You are a copy editor
at a major advertising agency?

Yeah, that's correct. And no.

No one at work knew anything
about my private life

beyond the fact that I was single.

- Your neighbors?
- No.

And I have to imagine
that this is not the way

you would have chosen
for this information to get out.

Absolutely not.

BENNY: Thank you.

No further questions, Your Honor.

SUTHERLAND: Mr. Adkins.

Is the defendant paying
for your testimony today?

(LAUGHS SOFTLY)

No, of course not.

Okay, but isn't it true
that while he might not

be paying you directly
for your testimony,

if he went to prison,

your lifestyle would
certainly be impacted?

Uh, no, not really.

We don't go anywhere.

COVID.

Besides, Pastor Wright
is a public figure.

Mm. That watch you're wearing.

It's very expensive, isn't it?

Yeah, I believe so.

You bought that on your own?

No. Uh, it was a gift
from Liam for Christmas.

And I love it.

But it's not something that I asked for,

it's not something that I needed.

I make my own money.

I'm sure you do.

I have here certified copies

of your past year's
checking account statements.

Last December you made
a rather large deposit: $ , .

Do you mind telling the court
where that money came from?

Objection. Your Honor, relevance.

Mr. Cole is not on trial here.

SUTHERLAND: Defense counsel
offered personal information about

the witness's life in the hopes
of persuading the jury

that his claims about
the defendant's whereabouts

on the night of the m*rder
would be given greater weight.

All I'm doing is trying
to fill out that picture,

trying to give the jury all the
facts as they weigh this testimony.

Objection overruled.

The witness will answer the question.

The $ , was from Pastor Wright.

A loan. I wanted to move.

I found an apartment that I loved

and he was just trying to help.

I didn't have the money
for the security deposit, so...

(EXHALES) Uh...

I've repaid most of it.

SUTHERLAND: And what about this $ ,

two months later?

Was that from the defendant as well?

(COLE LAUGHS SOFTLY)

He encouraged me to try to get an MBA,

and it was the tuition
for an online program.

And always in cash.

No checks, no electronic transfers.

Why do you think that is, Mr. Adkins?

Well, he's a private person.

He values his privacy, obviously.

And obviously, he didn't want
anyone knowing about me.

About us.

Uh, I would assume he didn't
want to leave a trail.

SUTHERLAND: I suspect you're right.

Any idea where all this money came from?

- I already told you. Liam.
- N-No, no.

I-I mean, his personal checking account?

His personal savings account?

- Uh, I have no idea.
- Right.

Hard to know when it's all cash.

No checks, no transfers, just cash.

Okay.

Makes sense though, right?

If you didn't want anybody to
be able to follow a money trail,

and you had access to Sunday
morning collection plates full of cash,

isn't that where you'd get
the money for your secret lover?

Objection, Your Honor.

The prosecutor is offering
speculation as fact

and then questioning the witness

as if these insinuations
deserve answers.

SUTHERLAND: I'll withdraw the question,
Your Honor.

I have nothing further.

BULL: I've been doing this a long time,
Pastor Wright,

and that jury is just not with us.

They just can't seem to get past...

LIAM: The deceit.

They just can't seem
to get past the deceit.

All the lies.

I'm sorry.

BENNY: We'd put you on the stand

if we thought it would
make a difference.

But we can't imagine what you'd say

that hasn't already been said.

I understand.

Tomorrow we will rest our case,

and we will make as passionate
a closing argument as we can

- and then...
- And then the jury

and God will have their say.

And whatever it is, it will be just.

Not a day went by when
I didn't think about the fact

that I wasn't fooling God.

That as well-intentioned
as it might have seemed,

my path was cowardly.

My lack of honesty

made a mockery
of those I was trying to help.

- (KNOCKING)
- MAN (DISTANT): Prison van is here.

LIAM: I'll be right out.

Gentlemen,

I'm grateful for all
you've attempted on my behalf.

See you in the morning.

(PHONE RINGING)

Marissa, what's up?

Of course. I can definitely
head back to the office.

Let me check with Benny.

After the A.D.A. cross-examined Cole,

Taylor went through the church's
financial records again.

TAYLOR: And at least
as far as we can tell,

Liam wasn't stealing,

but it looks like someone else
might have been.

(EXHALES)

So,
Taylor found these on Olivia's computer.

They're the weekly collection
plate totals, for the entire year.

Wow.

Looks like Riverstone
was quite the enterprise,

averaging about $ , a week.

Give or take. Every week
hovers around there.

Every week but two.

On these two Sundays,
there was a big spike.

They actually took in almost $ , .

Well, that doesn't sound
like someone was skimming,

it sounds like a big donor dropped in.

That's exactly what we thought.

But then I took a closer
look at what Olivia wrote

in the notes column
for those two entries.

"R.N. Snowstorm and R.N. Baptism."

The first time I went
through it, I thought Olivia

was just trying to figure out
who the big donor was.

But then I realized there
was no snowstorm in New York

the first week and no baptism
at the church on the other.

So who's R.N.?

MARISSA: We think it's Richard Newhouse.

BENNY: Oh,
he's the church's operations manager.

We met him at the courthouse.

We had him lined up as one of
Liam's character witnesses.

He's also someone
that Liam personally mentored

for the last six years.

Apparently, Richard was
struggling with alcohol

and having difficultly
holding down a job,

that is, until Liam gave him one.

Another interesting fact,

as operations manager, one of his duties

was to count and deposit
the weekly collection.

MARISSA: We think he was consistently

skimming money and that's why
in the weeks he wasn't there,

like when he went to
his nephew's baptism in Florida

and when he got caught
in a snowstorm in Chicago,

the collections were over % higher.

Unfortunately, I haven't been
able to locate the money

in any of his accounts yet.

Here's the thing, though:
Olivia created this spreadsheet

at : p.m. on the night of her m*rder.

It's one of the last things
she did before she was k*lled.

Aha.

So the theory is that Olivia
discovered what he was up to,

she went searching for him,
found him in the church corridor

- and confronted him.
- And in a moment of panic,

Richard k*lled her to
keep it all silent.

Something like that.

MARISSA: The thing
we can't figure out is,

why wouldn't Olivia
have told Liam about it?

If they were as close as Liam says,

this seems like something you'd share.

Redemption.

Olivia and Liam understood
the power of a second chance.

Olivia wanted to give Richard
a second chance,

an opportunity to come clean
with Liam before she told him.

And instead he kills her.

The wife of the man
that bought him a pacemaker.

Please tell me Richard
does not have an alibi.

He claims he was in his office
working late,

catching up on paperwork.

You're not saying anything.

Well, we don't know.

We don't know that Olivia
confronted Richard,

we don't know that he k*lled her.

We don't know that Richard
was embezzling any money.

And this jury is so clearly
not with us...

(EXHALES)

...I don't see how we're gonna
convince any of them

that Liam's innocent

unless we can tie Richard
to the crime scene.

I may have an idea.

What kind of idea?

You ever read "The Tell-Tale Heart"?

BENNY: Now, Mr. Newhouse,
could you please

tell the court your relationship
to the accused?

We work together. We're friends.

I guess I'm also his employee.

I'm operations manager
at the Riverstone Church.

Hmm. And as operations manager,
isn't it one of your duties to, uh,

collect, count and deposit
the weekly offerings?

The, uh, collection plates
that are passed around

during church services?

Yes, it is.

Very good, very good.

Let me ask you another question.

Do you have any reason
to believe that Pastor Wright

was, uh, somehow stealing money
from these offerings?

No, I do not. Not at all.

If you knew Pastor Wright,
you would know

what an absurd assumption that is.

Uh, objection. Calls for speculation.

I withdraw the question, Your Honor.

The jury will ignore the question,
and the witness's response.

Next question.

Now, Mr. Newhouse,

are you aware that the late Olivia
Wright suspected that someone

was stealing from the church,

embezzling money from the church,
that she felt strongly

that there were inconsistencies
in the tabulation

and recordings
of the weekly collections?

No. She certainly never discussed

- anything like that with me.
- Hmm.

Mr. Newhouse, what was
your salary at Riverstone?

Objection. Mr. Newhouse's salary

is in no way relevant
to the case at hand.

Your Honor, I promise
the relevance will become

very clear very soon.

Get to it quick, Mr. Colón.

Overruled.

BENNY: Again, Mr. Newhouse,
what is your annual salary?

This past year,
approximately $ , dollars.

Hmm. $ , .

Now, in New York City,

$ , doesn't go that far, does it?

- It's a church.
- Ah.

I don't preach,
but I do think of the work

as something of a calling.

Uh, you don't get into it to get rich.

My wife and I make do.

Hmm. So we hear.

What I meant is, we've been
speaking with some of your friends

and fellow congregants at Riverstone,

and apparently, even though
your wife is a stay-at-home mother,

you've been able to afford a mortgage,

private school tuition
for both of your children,

and not one,
but two overseas vacations this year,

isn't that right?

We budget.

Uh, and... I-I'm not proud
to admit this,

but on occasion,
my wife's parents help out.

BULL: Jury's leaning forward.

I can hear the sounds of minds changing.

BENNY: On the night
of Olivia Wright's m*rder,

the night her throat was cut
in the church hall,

where were you?

I was two floors away.

I was in my office.

It was the end of the month.
I had a lot of data entry due.

Uh, deposit slip reconciliation.

Uh, things like that.

Things like that.

Got it.

Your Honor, we'd like
to offer into evidence...

...Mr. Newhouse's medical records.

Specifically, the data transmission

from his pacemaker to his cardiologist.

Mr. Newhouse,
are you aware that your pacemaker

not only records your heart rate,

but matches your heart rate
to a specific time?

I wasn't aware. No.

The miracles of modern medicine.

Now, did you know

your resting heart rate
is beats per minute?

Ah. That's a little on the high side.

Now, I mention that because...

at : p.m. on the night
of Olivia Wright's m*rder,

your heart rate elevated to
bpm for about seven minutes.

Now, that's quite high
for someone doing data entry.

Actually, probably more consistent

with someone being confronted
for possibly embezzling funds.

Is that what happened, Mr. Newhouse?

Did Olivia find you in the church hall

and ask you to make sense
of all the shortfalls

that occurred week after week

except when you were out of town?

I don't know what you're talking about.

Like I said, I was in my office.

As for my heart rate,

I care deeply about my work.

I-I get excited when I realize

there are problems I can't solve.

Whatever you say, sir.

But then we see an even bigger
jump in your heart rate

to bpm for the next three minutes.

The same heart rate one would expect

if someone was running
to the church kitchen.

To find a Kn*fe, perhaps.

I was in my office.

Heard you the first time, Mr. Newhouse.

But then, we see an even bigger jump

to bpm at : .

Right around the time
Olivia Wright's watch

indicates she was having her throat cut.

I have no further questions, Your Honor.

Although I'm reasonably sure
the police will.

I just don't understand.

He was a friend.

I brought him into the church.

If she had told me,
maybe I could have stopped it.

Stopped all of it.

Well, she wanted to give him a chance.

A chance to tell you, a
chance to make it right.

Unfortunately, those were not
things he was interested in.

So what now?

Will you go back to Riverstone?

I don't know if Riverstone
can survive this.

But if it doesn't,
maybe it's just God's way

of telling me that it's time to move on.

Who knows? Maybe I'll
start my own church.

One where I can be myself, my true self.

The worst part is,

Olivia would have been the
perfect partner to start it with.

Thank you, gentlemen.

Pastor Wright.

BENNY: Let us know where you land.

(EXHALES)

So, what are you thinking?

I don't know.

Just hoping he's wrong.

That his church does take him back.

That they'll realize that both Liams

are the real Pastor Wright.

That he truly did love his wife.

That he truly did love his church.

He just wasn't so crazy about himself.