06x17 - Deceit

[bunniefuu]

NARRATOR:
In the criminal justice system

the people are represented by two
separate yet equally important groups,

the police
who investigate crime

and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

Third time I've asked you
to fix it, Mr. Ramos.

If I fall and break my hip, I
swear I'll get my son after you.

He knows people.

Oye, mami,
you're late today.

Your watch
is always fast, George.

That's right.
Like that, my days go quicker.

Maybe when you're done
cleaning, we could party.

I don't party with married men.

Oh, didn't I tell you?

My wife, pobrecita, she
had a heart attack this weekend.

(CHUCKLING)

Mr. Wells,
it's me, Rosetta.

Mr. Wells?

(EXCLAIMING IN SPANISH)

(SOBBING)

OFFICER: Elliot Wells, 35.
Hat trick in the chest.

Front door was still locked
and the windows were closed.

The lucky person who found him?

Cleaning lady, Rosetta Salva.

She comes every Monday.
She's got her own key.

You got the time of death?

36 to 48 hours.

Say some time Saturday
afternoon or evening.

Mrs. Small next door said she
was home till 6:00 on Saturday.

Didn't hear anything.

And then she went
to her son's for dinner.

So between 6:00 and 9:00.
Hey, did you call CSU?

Yeah, they're hung up
on a bodega heist downtown,

will be a couple of hours.

Listen, I found a couple of
dresses in the bedroom closet.

Ms. Salva,
I'm Detective Curtis.

Did Mr. Wells
have a girlfriend?

I don't know.

Her name's Liza, Detectives.

I live next door.

I told the officer that I was having
dinner with my son Saturday night.

We have never had a m*rder
in this building before.

Did you happen to catch
Liza's last name?

No. She was a brunette,
somewhat attractive.

He was a lawyer.
I think he could have done better.

Maybe he thought so, too.
How were they getting along?

Good, I suppose.
He must be some lover.

I mean, he was always
getting flowers delivered.

Did you see her around
here this weekend?

No.

Did he have any other guests?

Not that I was counting.

I'll tell you one thing about Mr.
Wells. He was being watched.

Watched? By who?

There was a man in a car across the street.
I could see him from my window.

He was following Mr.
Wells when he took a taxi in the morning.

I'm not making this up.
It went on for a month.

I called the police and
then the car disappeared.

Yeah, well, maybe if we had
the license plate number...

I got the license plate.
I wrote it down. I'll get it for you.

Wow. If she hadn't
been away at dinner,

she'd probably come back
with the guy who did it.

Ballistics has three.
22 slugs fired at close range.

The burn patterns on the
wounds were very tight.

No forced entry, no struggle.
Could be friendly fire. He had a girlfriend?

Liza, no last name, and she's
not in his little black book.

You ask his next of kin?

They're in Minneapolis.

And there's nothing
on his answering machine.

Latent's working
on a dozen prints,

all belonging to people
who've never been printed.

What about
the neighborhood watch?

Could've been sh*ts,
could've been the TV.

License plate belongs
to Wraytec Security.

They said they were hired by
Wells' law firm to watch over him.

I hope they didn't put
him down as a reference.

HANNA: Elliot was a lateral
hire from a firm in Chicago.

He'd been with us
less than a year.

I can't believe he's dead.

Well, it's not like it's
a bolt out of the blue.

You hired bodyguards
for him, right?

Oh, yes. Well, that was during the
Shuster Consolidated paper case.

Some environmentalists
sued to keep Shuster

from harvesting
some old-growth forests.

A bunch of bird-watchers file a
lawsuit and you call out the Marines?

A case like this attracts
the fringe element.

People who spike trees
to injure woodcutters.

Elliot was the lead counsel
for Shuster.

He got the limelight and the
threats that go with it.

Death threats?

Not in so many words, but yes.

They even picketed our offices.
They threw fake blood at Elliot.

We had to call the police.
Some arrests were made.

The security company told us you pulled
the plug on them a few weeks ago.

Well, yes, but that was after the
judge threw out the lawsuit.

It was Elliot's idea.
He was hoping things would cool down.

CURTIS: Did they?

Not for Elliot.

We started getting complaints
from some of his clients.

He was making mistakes,
not returning phone calls.

What was going on with him?

HANNA: Battle fatigue.
Who knows?

He said he wanted time away from the law.
Friday was his last day.

We're all going to miss him
terribly around here. Excuse me.

I read where sharks have feelings.
Now I know better.

I got clicked for calling a
lawyer a seven-letter word.

If I would've used 10, I'd
probably still be in jail.

Hey, you also threw blood
on his Armani.

Oh, no. Oh, not me, no.
I was just there making a bunch of noise.

Now, the rough stuff, that's Larry Philbert,
long as there's a TV crew around.

How rough does Larry
get off camera?

I don't know.
He only calls me for the protest.

He pays me for my car fare.
See, it's because of the chair.

See, Larry says that it looks good
on TV to have a guy in a wheelchair.

It isn't about hugging trees, Detectives,
it's about enlightened self-interest.

You know how many species
become extinct every hour?

After they're all gone,
we're next.

What about dead lawyers?
How do they affect the biosphere?

You mean Elliot Wells?

Thanks to him, Shuster's turning
thousand-year-old trees into popsicle sticks.

That's what got him k*lled?

I wouldn't know.

But, whatever the reason, it was
mother nature balancing the scales.

Maybe that's what you
thought you were doing.

So now I k*lled Wells?

Hey, you got arrested last year on the
way to a protest at Sterling Forest,

they found
a.22 in your car.

Yeah, and now the Rockland
County Police have it.

And as for Saturday,

I was chained to a fence outside
a toxic waste dump in Patterson.

That was before I got
arrested for trespassing.

First thing we did
when the law firm hired us,

was get photos
of these demonstrators,

but we never saw any of them
near the residence.

How about anybody who didn't
get their picture taken?

If anyone was
staking out the place,

they'd have to be very good
to escape detection.

What, you were
sitting on Wells 24l7?

Round the clock.

And as far as you noticed, he never
had any trouble with anyone?

Well, the girlfriend
was a handful.

CURTIS: Brunette?
Yeah.

Couple of days before we got
pulled off surveillance,

they had a big blow-out
in front of the building.

CURTIS: Do you have any idea
where we can find her?

Yeah, he picked her up
one night

from a building in Clinton,
we noted the address.

(CLATTERING)

Watch your step there, Lennie,
that tile's coming loose.

You'd think a girl smart
enough to go with a lawyer

would live in a building
with a working elevator.

Which one first?

Well, last floor we started with the left side.
Let's try the right side.

I'm Detective Curtis,
this is Detective Briscoe.

We're looking for a young woman named Liza.
She's a brunette.

Liza? Why?
What's it about?

We'd rather discuss that with her.
What's your name, sir?

Tony. Tony Conneca.

It's Elliot Wells, isn't it?

You mind if we come in,
Mr. Conneca?

I read about it
in The Post.

I want you to know I had
absolutely nothing to do with it.

Well, that's good to know.
So, what's your relationship with Liza?

I'm Liza. As in Minnelli.
See the resemblance?

You're a drag queen.

A female impersonator.

I dress up for work just
like you do, Detective.

Yeah, only I don't have to tuck in so much.
So, you and Elliot Wells?

He was my boyfriend, up until
a couple of weeks ago.

What happened?

I didn't enjoy life
in Elliot's closet.

He was too low-key
for you?

I'm gay.
I don't set off sprinklers.

Elliot would never go out with me in public.
He never came here.

When I went to his place, I had to
dress female to fool the neighbors.

Even in bed, he would...

Yeah, we get the idea.

He was so uptight.

He wouldn't let me
answer his phone,

he wouldn't give me his number
at work, it was a charade.

When was the last time
you saw him?

We haven't talked since
I broke up with him.

Where were you Saturday night?

I was working at Max's Cabaret.

Tony was here Saturday night.
He went on around 9:30.

What? Belting out
New York, New York?

(CHUCKLES) No,
we already got two Lizas.

Tony is working on a new act.
Audrey Hepburn's greatest hits.

A little Sabrina, a little
Breakfast at Tiffany's.

It's a cute idea, if he
keeps the weight off.

I can hardly wait to see it.
So what time did he get here?

Just after 8:00,
to do his makeup.

I talked to him
in his dressing room.

How was his mood?

Nervous.

Tony is always nervous before his set.
He's a real heave queen.

He ever talk about his
boyfriend, the lawyer?

Talk about him?
He bragged about him every chance he got.

His uptown sugar daddy.

We heard things
were going sour.

Because of Tony's
active imagination.

He was sure the guy
was two-timing him.

Once he gets jealous, Tony
could be a real bitch.

How real?

Last year, he found out his squeeze
du jour was cheating on him.

The guy wasn't out yet.

So Tony puts on his Liza gear, you
know, bowler hat, garter belt

and shows up at the guy's
house in Scarsdale,

just as the family's
sitting down to dinner.

Sounds like a million laughs.

That's our Tony.

It's a classic case
of "he said, he said."

Tony cooks on a hot plate,
Wells has an expense account.

Who's going to dump who?

Everybody's got his pride.

Yeah, especially a guy
who shaves his chest.

Here we go. Three calls from Tony's place
to Wells' the week before the m*rder.

He told us he hadn't talked
to Wells since the break-up.

To Wells,
not the answering machine.

Each call's less than
a minute long.

Lieutenant, Latent pulled
Tony's cabaret license.

They matched his prints to what
they found in Wells' apartment.

Thanks.
Well, they were lovers.

Tony said he hadn't been in
the apartment in two weeks.

The cleaning lady
comes in once a week.

VAN BUREN: And scrubs every
surface with a toothbrush?

You got a fist full of straw,
not much else here.

Well, maybe.
But I still like Tony for it.

Would you like him as much
if he wore three-piece suits

and crunched numbers
for a living?

Hey, what do you make of this?

Saturday morning, Wells
made a 30-minute phone call

to the law firm
of Markham and Kessler.

So, he was applying for a job.

But his old firm said that he quit
to take a break from the bar.

Markham and Kessler specialize
in sexual harassment suits.

You got them on retainer?

No, PBA gave me their name last
year when I was being hassled.

You got a beef with your boss,
these are the people to call.

You had a beef with your boss?

His lady boss.

She was coming on to me.
What?

That's why I transferred here.

So, can I transfer there?

Actually, Elliot Wells called
me late Friday afternoon.

I was on my way to a deposition, so I
told him I'd be in the office Saturday.

We need to know
what you discussed.

Mr. Wells was very guarded.

He said he wanted to wait
until we met on Monday.

But the gist of it was, he had a gay
client who was fired and wanted to sue.

"Oh, Doctor, I have this
friend who's got an itch."

Excuse me?

Did Wells tell you that he
left his firm on Friday?

No. I had no idea.

CURTIS: They told us he resigned.
Job-related stress.

You think they're lying?
How long was he there?

A year.

And all of a sudden
they fired him?

And all of a sudden
they found out he was gay.

Gee, I wonder who told them.

Of course I didn't out Elliot.
I didn't even know where he worked.

He was on CNN, he was in all the papers.
Where were you? In a cave?

I would never do anything like that to Elliot, never.
It's not in my nature.

Showing up in a push-up bra
at one of his staff meetings,

that's more your style, right?

Yeah, we heard about that stunt
you pulled in Scarsdale.

Okay, that was stupid. But I was pissed.
The guy used me for sex.

And you used Wells
for a meal ticket.

And you weren't too happy about it
when he started chasing a new scent.

Elliot loved me.
I'm the one who broke it off.

That's not the way they tell it
down at the cabaret, my friend.

Hey, come on, Tony, the guy hurt you.
We've all been there.

You just didn't want to tell us because
of the way it would look, right?

He'd get calls at home.
Late.

Take his phone into his room
and close the door.

He'd whisper,
so I couldn't hear.

And then he'd come out,
all red-faced.

He said it was his parents or
some other BS, but I knew better.

So you never actually saw him
with this other guy?

I didn't dream this up.

There was somebody else.
That's the guy you should be looking for.

All right, Tony, we're going to
go get some sodas, you want one?

Just what he'd like, us
off on a wild goose chase

after this mystery man.

Maybe you're on a wild
goose chase right now.

He outed Wells, Wells found out,
they got into it on Saturday night,

Wells ended up dead.

Plays for me.

Well, you prove he outed
Wells, it'll play for me.

Talk to the law firm.

Hey, we already know
the party line.

The clients complained,
Wells resigned.

Then start with the clients.

The environmental suit
was a can of worms.

If we emerged from it unscathed,
it's because of Elliot Wells.

According to his firm,
he burned out.

I didn't see
any evidence of that.

Well, they said they had complaints from
his clients, including your company.

No, not from us.

What we got was a call last week from
the managing partner, Chuck Hanna.

He said they found some
irregularities in Elliot's billing.

You sound skeptical.

Elliot was one of the most
honest lawyers I've met.

He once brought a billing error in
his firm's favor to our attention.

I wanted him to continue
as our outside counsel.

So what did you do?

I called the senior partner,
Jerry Dixon, to inquire,

and he told me there
were some improprieties.

BRISCOE: What kind?

Of a personal nature.

Mr. Nelson,
we're not mind readers.

Let's just say Jerry explained
that in the present climate,

our legal representation
should be above all reproach.

He had a point.

DIXON: It's a tragedy.

We were just talking about
him the night it happened,

at a charity dinner
at the University Club.

Elliot was the head of the
firm's charities committee,

until he resigned.

Don't you mean
until he was fired?

Where'd you get that idea?

From Shuster's general counsel.

And he got it from you.

I mean, he pretty much told us that
Wells was kicked because he was gay.

That would be actionable.

Yeah, if he was still
around to sue you.

We pulled his phone records.

On Saturday morning, he called the top
sexual harassment firm in the city.

His next call
was to you, at home.

And we're guessing that he threatened
to sue unless he got his job back.

Are we in the ballpark?

Our biggest client distributes
baby food in the Midwest.

If for any reason they become
uncomfortable with us,

there are plenty of law firms
in the phone book.

We understand he was
pretty deep in the closet.

DIXON: Which made him
a security risk.

He was privy to our clients'
most privileged information.

So in or out of the closet,
you didn't want him.

Whatever happened to"
don't ask, don't tell"?

We found out, so could anybody.

That's what we'd like to know, Mr.
Dixon. Exactly how did you find out?

Excuse me.

Jerry, the sitter's here,
we're going to be late.

In a minute, hon.

I called Elliot at home last week about
a case, it was early in the morning.

A man answered, he had a British accent.
He told me Elliot was in the shower.

And then what?
He just let it slip?

He didn't have to.

You have male company at 6:00 a.m.
, it's probably not your jogging partner.

I was concerned. I confronted
Elliot on Friday, he admitted it.

Now, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me,
Le Cirque at 8:00 is hard to come by.

A British accent?

Unless he was practicing his Audrey
Hepburn, that can't be Tony.

So maybe Tony is not crazy after all.
There was another guy.

Yeah, a secret lover
of a secret h*m*?

Ought to be as easy as finding
a needle in a haystack.

The neighbor said Wells was getting
flowers delivered to his apartment.

Right, read the card.

I guess some people really
do buy it for the articles.

Yeah, or to keep up
appearances.

You know, I had some friends
in college who were gay,

most of them hadn't
even told their parents.

I mean, I couldn't deal with the
lifestyle, but I got to say

I have an appreciation for what
it must be like to be gay,

having to hide it all the time.

Yeah, from people who can't
deal with the lifestyle. Bingo!

Florist's card from the Village, unsigned,
addressed to "mon amour."

"Mon amour."

Our delivery guy thought
it meant "Monday morning."

We're looking for
the person who sent them.

As long as I'm not violating any
florist-client confidentiality.

Monsieur has been ordering
from us for a few months now,

spreading joy
all over the city.

Among other things.

Here he is.
Always pays cash.

Any name?

Stuart.

You got a phone number there?

Just a return address.

Hey!
What's going on here?

We're looking
for Mr. Stuart.

Who are you? The super.
Is Mr. Stuart in trouble?

We're investigating a homicide.
We thought maybe he could help us out.

Well, I haven't seen him
in nearly a couple of weeks.

But I could let you in.

We can't.
We don't have a warrant.

Well, if you wanted to look in
and make sure Mr. Stuart's okay,

that would be fine with us.

You think maybe something
happened to him?

He could be lying in there, dead
of a heart attack, right, Rey?

Whatever you say, Lennie.

Just what I need.

I did him a favor in the first
place, subletting to him.

(SHOUTING) Mr. Stuart?

Maybe you ought to go in and
check, just to be sure, huh?

Remember, just what's
in plain view.

It's what you don't see, Lennie.
Cupboards look empty,

there's a couple of glasses
in the sink, that's it.

Guy's not much of a cook.

Oh, he cooks, all right.

There's a family size box of
condoms on the nightstand.

Plenty of booze,
music, mood lighting.

Hey, which one
of these is Mr. Stuart?

That's him in
the leather jacket.

Jerold Dixon and friend.

If Wells was in the closet, Dixon's
in a box on the top shelf.

He was having
an affair with Wells.

Or trying to.

If you count all the flowers and
the late-night phone calls,

he was dogging Wells
pretty hard,

and I don't think he was
getting with the program.

Maybe Dixon got mad
and canned him.

Wells threatens to sue
and blow Dixon's cover.

It's a pretty strong motive
to shut him up.

Now try it not knowing
that Dixon sent the flowers

or even that he was gay.

You had no business being in his
apartment without a warrant.

Hey, the super was checking up on
a tenant, we just tagged along.

Great, now we can all pile
into the little clown car

and go tell it to the judge.

It doesn't pass
the laugh test, guys.

Bring me probable cause,
then we'll talk.

How about a confession?

That would be nice, too.

TONY: Elliot told me
all about you, Mr. Dixon.

I saw the flowers you sent him.

Tell me, you speak
French to your wife, too?

Hey, don't get
pissy with me, Mr. Dixon.

I saw you leave his building
the night he was k*lled.

I know what you look like.

Elliot showed me a picture
from the Christmas party.

What I want is for you to meet
me tomorrow at Bryant Park,

and we'll talk. Noonish.

Show up, or I'll go
to the police. Bye, lover.

I don't think he bought it.

You had him breathing pretty hard.
He bought it.

I have a bad feeling.
What if he tries something tomorrow?

We'll be there, eyes and ears,
nothing to worry about.

Are you sure
this is even legal?

Yes, Tony, it is.

Look, we have two suspects
here, Dixon and you.

If we don't get him,
we'll take you.

Testing, one, two, three.
Hope you can hear me.

Didn't I tell him to keep
his hands off the jacket?

(STATIC BUZZING)
TONY: Testing, one, two...

Hey, Lennie, here comes Dixon.

Jerry Dixon? I'm Tony.

I don't have all day.

Always in a hurry, just
like the other night.

You're imagining things.

I'm not imagining you
right now.

You are here
because you k*lled Elliot.

That's absolute crap.

Suit yourself, lover.

How come there's never a cop
around when you need one?

Knock it off. No one's going to
believe a sleazy little drag queen.

At least I don't lie
next to my wife at night

and dream of doing
the doorman.

Enough with the jacket.

DIXON: What do you
want from me?

TONY: A dozen of those roses
you're so fond of sending.

And a lot of money.

You're crazy...

Flowers...

(STATIC BUZZING)

I'm going to k*ll him.

Fix it first.

DIXON: Gonna cost me?

TONY: Ten grand's
a nice round number.

Have it tomorrow.

Same time,
at Framburg, for lunch.

No. I'll meet you here.

No. Lunch at Framburg.

In front of your lawyer pals.
That way I'll be safe.

Besides, I always wanted
to try their steak tartare.

Way to go, Tony.

DIXON ON RECORDER:
... gonna cost me?

TONY ON RECORDER: Ten
grand's a nice round number.

Have it tomorrow.

What was said
during the static?

According to Tony, they
talked about a payoff.

Dixon's a lawyer. He's not dumb
enough to fess up to a k*lling.

He agreed to pay hush money.
It sounds like an admission of guilt to me.

If he comes through
with the money.

And if he does?

Read him his rights.

It's flannel, do you like it?
I borrowed it for the occasion.

What are we drinking?

We aren't drinking
anything. Here.

Not even a farewell toast?

What the hell is this?

Well, looks like
a payoff to me.

Jerold Dixon, you're under arrest
for the m*rder of Elliot Wells.

I just got here.

And now you're leaving.

He was nowhere near
Wells' place that night.

He was at the University Club
with his wife.

They have their photo
in The Post, for God sakes.

CLAIRE: We saw it.

Cocktails were at 7:30, half
an hour after Wells was shot.

Innocent people don't
pay off witnesses, Peter.

A bogus witness who was
extorting my client.

CLAIRE: He should have
reported it to the police.

It was the police
who set him up.

Well, he didn't know that,
did he?

Peter, I'm sorry,
I have to go home.

Sela needs me around.

Please, just wait
for me outside.

(SIGHING)

He's been on anti-depressants
since his arrest.

His doctor thinks
he's suicidal.

If it's all the same, I'd rather
he stuck around for the trial.

(SIGHING) Jack, his wife
is going to alibi him.

You have no witnesses,
no m*rder w*apon.

What did he do,
throw the b*ll*ts at Wells?

We found the victim's blood on the carpet
of Dixon's apartment in the Village.

So you matched the blood type.
Jerry couldn't keep it in his pants.

He brought home a lot of dates.

One of them cuts himself
shaving.

Give us his name,
we'll check him out.

In due course.

In the meantime, you can keep
yourself busy with this.

Omnibus motion to suppress my client's
so-called admission of guilt.

He was coerced.

You're in the fudge up to
your chin, Jack. Counselor.

Standard defense hype?

Get Detectives Briscoe
and Curtis on the phone.

You know what I said.
You've got it on tape.

What we got was
12 seconds of static.

I'm not a technical person.

JACK:
You can read, can't you?

I don't like his tone.

Just look at
the transcript, Tony.

Before the glitch, Dixon was
getting ready to leave.

After the glitch,
he's talking price.

I want to know
what changed his mind.

The thought of sharing his cell
with Bubba the serial k*ller?

Mr. Conneca, I have an
affidavit from the defendant,

spelling out what you told him.

He claims that you threatened to tell his
family and his co-workers that he's gay,

and that's why he paid you off.

Well?

Suppose I did mention something like that?
I just asked him, " What's worse?

"That people will know
he's a f*g or a m*rder*r?"

Look, I had to
tell him something.

He wasn't going for it, these
guys were all over me.

It's the core of
the Miranda decision,

any admission of guilt
must be voluntary.

It cannot be elicited through
coercion, whether overt or implicit.

JACK: There was no rubber hose,
or even the shadow of one.

If he wasn't at
the victim's home,

he had to know the informant
couldn't have seen him there.

My client wasn't
worried about that,

he was worried about his friends
and family finding out he was gay.

Mr. McCoy, do you contest
the defendant's affidavit?

The informant made
ambiguous statements,

how the defendant interpreted
them is for a jury to decide.

The threat of outing him
was implicit.

It's no different than
holding a g*n to his head.

Mr. McCoy, your officers should have
kept a tighter leash on their informant.

The defendant clearly was
reacting to an improper threat,

and there was no
admission of guilt.

Evidence seized is suppressed.
Charges are dismissed.

Who the hell is running the
police department? Anita Bryant?

Their informant ad-libbed.

If they hadn't threatened him, then
he would have stuck to the script.

They sent the wrong man
to catch the right one.

The preliminary DNA results on
the blood in Dixon's apartment,

it belongs to Wells.

Dixon probably got it on his shoe
and tracked it back to his place.

Wonderful, you can use it
to train puppies.

Unless we can get it readmitted.
We go after his alibi?

The wife, she sticking by him?

Well, she gave a statement to the
police, but nobody's leaned on her.

How's your afternoon?

I saw the Dixons around 8:30, just
as the entree was being served.

What time did they arrive?

I don't know.

I was on the phone to the Musicians' Union.
Our cellist went into labor a month early.

Did you talk to
Mr. Dixon?

Yes. He was
the after-dinner speaker.

I had to finalize the
arrangements with him.

Okay. How was he?

Relaxed.

You couldn't tell he'd just come
from k*lling his gay lover.

You're not waiting
for a verdict?

A man like that
who leads a double life?

I feel sorry for his wife.
Is there anything else?

Well, I'll just need the names of the
people that were seated with them.

Jerry Dixon, a switch hitter.

"Caught between duty and desire," as
my hairdresser would say. Amazing.

Olivia,
dos cafe, por favor.

Cream, sugar?

Black is fine.

You remember what time
you saw the Dixons?

Sela showed up just as
we were getting seated,

so that'd be
about 8:00.

What about Mr. Dixon?

She said he was
in the washroom.

He turned up about 15 minutes later with
a drink, a double. It had a short life.

He was drinking
heavily that night?

Well, wouldn't you
if you'd k*lled someone?

Which everyone I've
talked to agrees he did.

Well, you'd have to know Jerry.
I feel terrible for Sela.

I mean, after everything she's
put up with over the years,

I'm sure she never expected Jerry
to get in trouble over a man.

So how was it
supposed to play out?

The usual scandal.
Jerry Dixon was a philanderer.

Two years ago, he was appointed
receiver of Dominion Charities,

they had some
financial trouble.

His appointment was for a year.
Jerry lasted three months.

He stuck his hand
up the wrong skirt.

He's there a month,
and he starts in on me.

I'm supposed to be helping
him sort out the books,

he's breathing down my blouse.

What did you do?

This guy was appointed
by a judge.

I just made sure I was
never alone with him.

Then he started
with the flowers.

Two dozen long stems
every other day.

I would have been furious.

Yeah, so was my fiancé
when he saw the flowers.

You know, I didn't
want to make a stink.

I just told Dixon
to back off, but nicely.

Did he get the message?

No. He started leaving
gifts on my desk.

He even followed me home one night and
rang my doorbell. I was terrified.

The next day,
I talked to my superior.

He told me
I wasn't the only one.

There were other women?
Yes.

The man's sick.

You know, you could
have sued him.

I know, I thought about that, but
his wife talked me out of it.

Mrs. Dixon?
What did she say?

Well, how it would be terrible for
his family, you know, his kids.

That convinced you?

That and a check.

She told me to consider it
a wedding present.

I told the police.

Jerry and I spent the day together,
then we went to the dinner.

Mrs. Dixon,
a man was m*rder*d,

you can't make it go away
by writing a check.

I know that.

I also know you have no
evidence against my husband.

The DNA tests positively identified
the blood in his hideaway

as belonging to Elliot Wells.

And a half a dozen expert witnesses later,
who knows what a jury will make of it?

If it ever comes to that.

When it comes to that,

your husband will be facing
25-to-life unless he cooperates now.

We're not interested.

Perhaps the two of you should
discuss it with his attorney.

(LAUGHING)
There's nothing to discuss.

How can you protect him?

He was having affairs with
other women, with men.

That is a damn lie.
My husband is not a h*m*.

Mrs. Dixon... MRS.
DIXON: You know where Jerry is now?

He's with a psychiatrist.

He's been abandoned by his colleagues,
abandoned by his friends.

He doesn't seem interested in
participating in his own defense,

but I will not stand by and
allow you to destroy my family.

JACK: I understand
your reasons.

But if you take the stand and
lie, I will prosecute you

for perjury, for obstruction,
as an accessory after the fact.

(LAUGHING) Oh, please.
There are so many lawyers in my family,

when I was a little girl I thought
Esquire was our last name.

Your threats don't scare me,
Mr. McCoy.

Aren't you double parked?

Well, behind every
successful felon...

Is someone picking up
the pieces.

Yeah, and her husband chases every
skirt and three-piece suit in sight.

He commits m*rder, and she
mans the barricades for him.

The love of my life must
have skipped that vow.

I'm sure Sela Dixon
can rationalize it.

Her husband kills Wells
to protect a family secret.

The weekend doorman,

he's on holiday in Gainesville,
I just talked to him.

The Dixons left separately just
before 7:00, Saturday night.

First, Mrs. Dixon,
then Mr. Dixon.

So much for the alibi.

Round two, bring him in.

"Case number 484193,
People v. Jerold Dixon.

"m*rder in
the Second Degree."

What's the plea?

Not guilty.

Your Honor, at a previous
arraignment on the same charge,

the bail was set at $1 million.

The People see no reason
to ask for any less now.

The fact that they keep arresting my
client doesn't make him any more guilty.

We ask for ROR.

He made bail once, he can make it again.
$1 million.

Next case.

(WHISPERING) Jerry, Jerry.
You be strong, we'll get you out of this.

Ms. Kincaid, when my
husband is exonerated,

I'm coming after the
district attorney's office.

And when I'm through with you,

you and Mr. McCoy won't even
be prosecuting jaywalkers.

He k*lled Wells under extreme
emotional disturbance,

he pleads man one, he serves 15,
and that's as far as I can bend.

I can't sell it, Jack. He said he
didn't do it, I happen to believe him.

If I had a dollar
for every time

I've heard that...
You'd still be chasing the bad guys.

Peter, at the end of the day,
Jerold Dixon is going to prison.

For how long is up to him
and his advisors.

What if he took a polygraph?

Whose idea is that?

Well, I wouldn't be crazy
enough to suggest it.

He knows it's inadmissible?

Yes, I explained the risks.

He figures he's got nothing
to lose, neither do you.

Our technician, our questions,

you don't hear them till
the examiner asks them.

All right.

EXAMINER: Are you 46?

DIXON: Yes.

Do you live in Australia?

No.

Did you know Elliot Wells?

Yes.

Did you ask him
to be your lover?

Yes.

Did he thr*aten
to sue you?

Yes.

Did you sh**t him?

No.

Were you with your wife
when he was m*rder*d?

Yes.

You're checking his alibi?

Did you think
I'd pass up the chance?

DIXON: Yes.

I don't know what makes him think
this would change our minds.

His whole life's based on deceit,
he should be good at it.

Wasn't he taking happy pills?

The examiner took that
into account.

Even at his worst, Dixon's
responses were inconclusive.

He's not sure that he's 46, but
he definitely didn't k*ll Wells.

Or he convinced himself
that he didn't.

Look at his answer
to the alibi question.

He answered truthfully, at least
according to the machine.

ADAM: Science, Ouija boards.

Or he really was with his
wife, at Wells' place.

They both have a lost hour
before they got to the dinner.

She was with him
when he shot Wells?

Or she shot Wells.

She left their apartment first.
Dixon followed her.

I like it.

If I found out my man was
cheating on me with another man,

it might push me
over the deep end.

Well, before you turn this latest theory
into an arrest, convince a grand jury,

because this time nobody
moves without an indictment.

Who was at the Dixon's home
that weekend?

The children, the babysitter.

I'm going to be late for class.
I already talked to the police.

I don't know what else
I can tell you.

Ms. Kobata, we just have
to clarify your statement.

We'll make this
as painless as possible.

I told the police. I took the Dixon
kids to a movie Saturday afternoon.

We were home by 8:00, Mr. And Mrs.
Dixon had already left.

You watch the kids
every weekend?

Well, usually
it's just Sundays,

but Mr. Dixon called me
that Saturday afternoon,

practically begged me
to come over.

What was the emergency?

I'm not really sure.

Well, when I got there,
the kids were really upset.

CLAIRE: Where was
Mrs. Dixon?

I saw her go in her bedroom.

She looked like
she'd been crying.

Mr. Dixon told me to take
the kids to a movie.

So how were things
when you went back Sunday?

It was like stepping into
the Brady Bunch.

Mrs. Dixon was all smiles,
real chatty.

Mr. Dixon was in his den
all day, I hardly saw him.

Look, I really have to
get to class. I'm sorry.

What a difference a day makes.
Overnight, the Dixon's problems are solved.

That doesn't put the g*n
in Sela Dixon's hand.

It certainly implies she was upset
about Wells before the m*rder.

The only evidence
implicates Mr. Dixon.

If he keeps stonewalling us,
she might get away with it.

We know that, she doesn't.

I don't know what to say.

Did this come to you
in a dream, Mr. McCoy?

After the polygraph, we gave
the evidence another look.

We're no longer convinced your
husband k*lled Elliot Wells.

So you'll be
dropping the charges?

Not just yet. The polygraph also indicates
that he's protecting the real m*rder*r.

And who would that be?

We don't know,
but your husband does.

CLAIRE: It's the only
possible explanation

for the blood in his apartment
and the polygraph results.

Oh, I doubt that.
But even assuming that you're right,

don't you think after all
you've put him through,

he would've told you by now?

Then we're wrong, but there are still
a few inconsistencies to clear up.

CLAIRE: Yes,
your babysitter mentioned

that you and your husband
had an argument Saturday.

Yes, concerning our children.

And she said that
you were very upset.

I take my children's welfare
to heart. Anything else?

The police need to examine the black
dress you wore at the University Club.

What black dress?

The one you were
photographed in.

I think that,
that is at the cleaners.

Okay.

But let us know as soon as you find
it, and thank you for talking to us.

Dixon's lawyer just called back,
we're on for tomorrow morning.

Good. Dixon will be in the
mood to talk by then.

You counting on his wife
to soften him up for you?

We practically told her
she was our prime suspect.

She'll come down on him like a ton
of bricks to keep his mouth shut.

Unless you're wrong,

she was getting her nails done
when Wells was shot.

Then why hasn't she
handed over the dress?

'Cause the housekeeper stole it.
Who knows? Doesn't prove a thing.

I don't think we're wrong.

You accuse an innocent person of m*rder,
they'll raise holy hell, won't they?

Sela Dixon hardly
dropped a stitch.

Why would she?

You told her your whole case consists
of a babysitter's observations

and a dress you don't have.

And her husband's testimony.

If he breaks,
which is not likely.

Thanks for
the vote of confidence.

Don't mention it.

I heard a rumor, Jack.
I hope you've called us in to confirm it.

You're going to dismiss the
charges against my client?

We might.

We also might charge him as
an accessory after the fact.

An accessory to who?

His wife, she k*lled Wells.

He helped her dispose
of the evidence.

That's crazy.

What evidence
are you talking about?

We asked Mrs. Dixon for this dress,
the one she wore to the dinner.

So far, she hasn't
turned it over.

That dress is in some landfill,
isn't it, Mr. Dixon?

DIXON: No.
You got rid of it,

because it was stained
with Elliot Wells' blood.

No, of course not.
JACK: Then where is it?

Now, down, Jack.
My client's here as a courtesy.

I know.

I appreciate it, considering
the stress he must be under.

Sure.
Now what do you want?

His testimony
before the grand jury.

How he supposedly helped his
wife avoid prosecution?

He'd take the Fifth.

I'll give him
transactional immunity.

I don't care if you give
me a presidential pardon.

What went on between me and my wife
is protected by spousal privilege.

The privilege covers
confidential communication.

Seeing your wife sh**t Elliot
Wells doesn't qualify.

If the only reason he was in Wells'
apartment in the first place,

was because of privileged communication...
JACK: Come on, Peter.

The privilege isn't made
of taffy, it has limits.

Mr. Dixon, with or without you, I'm
going to trial against your wife.

As of now,
the charge is m*rder two.

You're bluffing.

Do you really want to wait
for a verdict to find out?

Now, if you can make
the grand jury understand

what your wife
was going through,

I might be able to convince them to
drop the charge to manslaughter.

You know the truth
is the only way out.

For both of you.

You don't want to live a lie
any more, isn't that right?

Why else did you offer
to take the polygraph?

Your choice, Mr. Dixon.

DIXON: She overheard me on the
phone one night talking to Elliot.

She was angry, hurt,
but she blamed Elliot.

JACK: Did she say why?

She accused him
of encouraging me.

She wanted to believe that
left to my own devices,

I could control
my interest in men.

She told me to fire Elliot.

Is that what you did?

DIXON: Yes.
I couldn't deal with Sela.

On Friday, I told Elliot
to clean out his desk.

The next day, he called me.

He said he was going to
sue me and the law firm.

I was stunned.

Did you try to
talk him out of it?

Yes, I offered him his job back,
I offered to give him money.

He said he didn't
want any of that.

He didn't care if everyone found out
he was gay, he was going to punish me.

JACK: You told your wife?
Yes.

She was hysterical, humiliated.

Our marriage, our family,
was everything to her.

She demanded I find
a way to stop Elliot.

There was nothing I could do.

Then I had this moment
of clarity.

About what?

(SIGHING) I thought
maybe it was time

to end the lie,
to come out of the closet.

If Elliot was prepared
to do it, why not me?

What did your wife say?

Sela went crazy.

She said I wasn't man enough
to take care of the problem.

What happened then?

(EXHALING)

I want some consideration for her,
for what I put her through.

Yes, I know, Mr. Dixon.

Now would you please
just answer the question?

I went to get a drink.
When I came back, she was gone.

What else did you notice?

Was the g*n you keep locked
in the dresser missing?

Yes.

What did you do?

(SIGHING)
I followed her to Elliot's.

When I got there,
he was already dead.

Where was your wife?

(SOBBING) Please, I can't...

Was your wife still
in Elliot Wells' apartment?

Yes.

Was she holding the g*n?

Yes.

What did you do?

I took it from her.

I told her I'd meet up
with her at the dinner.

Then I wiped down everything
that was in sight.

Where is the g*n now?

In the East River,
off the seaport.

And you never told
anyone about this?

No.

Even when you were charged with this
m*rder, you still protected her?

Yes, of course.
I'm her husband.

(EXHALING)

(BELL RINGING)

Rey.

(BANGING ON DOOR)

Open it.

(INDISTINCT CHATTERING
ON POLICE RADIO)

Mrs. Dixon, we have a
warrant for your arrest.

BRISCOE: Would you
please stand up?

Sela Dixon, you're under arrest
for the m*rder of Elliot Wells.

You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you do say can...

Lennie.