01x15 - There Goes The Neighborhood

Episode transcripts for the TV show "East New York". Aired: October 2, 2022 - current.*
Watch/Buy Amazon


Follows police captain of East New York, Regina Haywood, who leads a diverse group of officers and detectives in serving and protecting the people.
Post Reply

01x15 - There Goes The Neighborhood

Post by bunniefuu »

- Previously on East New York...
- We've increased the number

of patrol cars.

Cars don't do us any good.

We're also putting more cops
on foot posts.

SHARKY: All due respect,

seeing five officers
reading their phones

on a street corner
don't make us feel safe.

If you want to know how
I'm doing, you should ask me.

I do ask you, all the time.

I don't want to be asked all the time.

- QUINLAN: What can I do?
- BENTLEY: Nothing.

You know, some of us work regular hours.

That means you have your nights fee.

Um, I got to go.

QUINLAN: My mother was arrested

for drug possession for the fourth time.

I guess you could say it left a mark.

Pastrami on rye from Gottlieb's.

- Bon appétit.
- CORINNE: This isn't about him.

It's about you.

The only reason you had
for dragging him out of here is

that you wanted to be right.
You're a bully, Tommy.

I don't want to be with you anymore.

Your brother's church is being sold.

Compel the sale of that church
to go forward,

and you're gonna have detectives

from Brooklyn North to Manhattan
watching your every move.

All right, Chief.

♪ We don't pretend no more ♪

♪ We don't got minutes to spend
no more... ♪

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

♪ Almost put a hold on rap ♪

♪ But they need that new Saint Holy ♪

♪ The little big homie... ♪

Okay, I get it, I know.
But keep it peaceful, all right?

Okay? All right?

(CLAMORING)

WOMAN: Leave our streets alone!

♪ 'Cause they don't trust the police ♪

♪ We don't pretend no more ♪

♪ We don't got minutes to spend
no more... ♪

Did you know him?

It's Marcus Powell.

He was one of the last two hold-outs.

He decided he wasn't selling

and he'd make himself as much
a pain in the ass as possible.

AYERS: You two cops?

Uh, yes, Councilwoman Ayers.

Detective Killian, Detective Morales.

This ought to be good.

Best make sure those storm troopers

don't make off with any evidence.

I'm not a storm trooper, Ms. Ayers.

I'm just trying to do my job.

You're part of a whole
engine of displacement

- forcing our people out of their homes.
- SANDEFORD: Ms. Ayers,

I'm gonna have to ask you
to step on this side

of the tape, please, thank you.

It is every day with these people
trying to stop construction.

Did you know Marcus Powell?

I most certainly did know him.

He was a righteous man
and a courageous man.

That's why they got rid of him.

Who got rid of him?

Who are the change agents
in East New York?

Who's doing the gentrifying?

Are you aware of any actual dispute
Mr. Powell was in?

All day and every day, young lady.
All day and every day.

We don't want you here! Get out!

Oh, look out!

SANDEFORD: Hey! You with the yellow cap!

(CLAMORING) WOMAN: Gentrification...

(SHOUTING)

No! No v*olence.

Stay calm, stay calm.

MAN: We live here.

(CLAMORING CONTINUES)

All right. Where is he?

Come with me.

Detectives.

This is Marcus's widow
and their neighbor Byron.

- Where is he?
- She wants to see her husband

- before they take him away.
- MORALES: I'm sorry,

now wouldn't be the time for that.

Oh, come on. Just give her a moment.

- Okay, I'm sorry...
- (GASPS)

Marcus!

No! Marcus!

- Marcus!
- Okay, come on, come on.

BYRON: Come on, come on. Be strong.

- (CRYING)
- Be strong. Be strong.

- JAKE: You in charge here?
- Yes.

Is there any chance we could
at least get started trenching?

As long as this is
a crime scene, you can't.

(EXHALES SHARPLY)

This is what they do to us.

They drive us wild with grief

while you and your officers stand guard.

Councilwoman, I need you to stand
on the other side of the tape, okay?

Please.

Hey.

Wrap some fence up around
where the body is and get to work.

- The cops said not to.
- Who?

- Which cop?
- Me.

(CHUCKLES): Oh, Inspector Haywood.

Forgive me, I didn't see you.

Another Lustig building,
another dead body.

That is four I know of.

You have a rooting interest in me
being guilty of something, don't you?

I have a rooting interest
in people being held accountable

for their actions.

This is what
I'm accountable for, Inspector.

What I create.

Places for people to live,
raising families.

I create jobs.

I don't want your workers on-site
until we wrap up our investigation.

What, you're gonna push me out?

Like your boss Chief Suarez did?

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

Well, he decided that
a project of mine was, um,

not to his liking,
so he assumed the power of a despot

and convinced me...
For the sake of expediency

and my own personal safety...
That I abandon that project.

Well... I won't be abandoning this one.

♪ ♪

♪ Who's gonna be the GOAT? Not me ♪

♪ Ain't gonna train for the UFC ♪

♪ You're protein shaking
the money tree ♪

♪ On a -step plan to meet Jay-Z ♪

♪ You're busy, busy bees, I'm free ♪

♪ Resisting, whistling "J'aime la vie" ♪

♪ You have a dream, I get sleep ♪

What, are you stalking me now?

Mm. It seems that way, doesn't it?

I know I haven't returned
your calls or texts...

Mm. What's going on?

I like you, Sean, I do, really.

- Um...
- But?

I don't know
if I'm ready to get serious.

I'm not just serious.

- I can also be funny.
- Stop.

Hey, these things don't always keep.

I didn't have a timetable when we met,
I don't have a timetable now.

I just don't want us
to miss our moment, you know?

I don't want to look back
and feel like it's passed.

I don't want that, either.

I'm sorry for disappearing on you.

But I do, I...

I have to get back inside right now.

Yeah, I got you.

Here you are.

- Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.

- Have a good day.
- You, too.

♪ Who's gonna be the GOAT? ♪

♪ Who's gonna be the GOAT? ♪
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Keep it moving, come on.

Hey, can I just, like,
talk to you for a sec?

Yeah.

So, I-I meant to call you last night,

but it was kind of late
when I got back from track practice.

Yeah, it-it's okay.

Are you mad at me?

I'm just... Honestly, I'm mad at myself.

Why?

'Cause I waited for you to call.

Uh... I'm sorry.

No, I don't,
I don't want you to be sorry.

Okay? And I don't want
to be angry, but most of all,

I just, I don't want to keep waiting.

Look, I...

I think that we got hot and heavy
a little too quick,

and I need us to take a step back.

Uh, I hate that.

I'm not saying that we're not
gonna start back up again,

but, Andre, you've got a lot going on,
and I don't think

it's good for either one of us
to be involved right now.

Okay.

Okay.

♪ ♪

Front page of the New York Post.

- I know.
- Stabbing on the subway.

"Crime on Public Transportation,"

leads every time,
which is why this election

will be won or lost
on people's perception...

- Thanks.
- ...on who will be

the most likely to keep them safe.

Which will allow me to speak
to why it is

some locations are v*olence-prone

and how a high-visibility
police presence

- can best address that.
- SUAREZ: All right.

So, Brooklyn North is

composed of ten different precincts.

And I'd be happy to have someone

give you a breakdown
of all the statistics.

Uh, that would be immensely helpful.

Not as helpful as being
in the car with you.

SUAREZ: Well, I don't think

you're gonna find riding
in the car all that interesting.

If I get bored, you can drop me off.

♪ ♪

My father-in-law bought
this place in .

He worked at the Navy Yard,

saved up, and when no bank
would give him a mortgage,

he managed to buy it for cash.

Understandable that your husband
didn't want to sell.

And were there any threats
made against your husband

if he wouldn't sell?

No one who knew him would've bothered.

Ah, he didn't scare easily?

He didn't scare period.

He had principles and beliefs,
and that's what he lived by.

The preliminary report
from the medical examiner

puts your husband's time of death
at between : and midnight.

Were you home at that time?

I had gone out to dinner
with my neighbor Byron.

Probably...

got home around :.

And did you see your husband
after you got home?

Uh-huh.

He was sitting
in this big corduroy chair

he liked to sit in.

Uh, he was reading The Guardian.

And was that the last time you saw him?

I went to sleep around :.

The next thing I knew,
it was early morning

and, uh, cops were knocking at my door.

MORALES: Do you have
any idea why your husband

would go out at that hour?

The developer was trying
to drive us out.

He would bring junkies

and mentally ill people to camp out
on our doorstep.

Marcus might've gone out
to try to reason with them.

I mean, he'd never blame them
for being there.

Instead he'd...

bring them food

and talk to them about Karl Marx.

YENKO: Victim's name was Marcus Powell.

- HAYWOOD: And this was his house?
- Yeah.

One of the founders of
the East New York Food Co-op.

One of the founders of
the People's Free Clinic.

Arrested in , following
the social justice demonstrations.

Uh, I think you might want to

take a look at my husband's journal.

Yes, we would. Thank you.

(YAWNS)

How much sleep are you getting,
staying up all night, doing two jobs?

I'm getting enough.

- Really?
- Yeah, you know,

Martha Stewart gets by
on three hours a night.

That's a good role model for you.

Maybe in your spare time
you can learn cake decorating.

HAYWOOD: Hey.

What are we thinking?

Well, this guy was something of
an activist, you know,

so I'm wondering if that
didn't have something to do

- with him k*lled.
- Mm-mm.

There's a fair amount of theft
in this construction site.

That might be a more likely connection.

YENKO: You'd like Lustig

to have something to do
with this, wouldn't you?

Nothing will convince me
he didn't have something to do

with a homicide related to
one of his projects in the past.

Someone stands in his way
of him getting what he wants,

he has them taken out.

Um...

He wrote in this journal every day.

Uh, here's the date and time
that Lustig visited the site

and Marcus confronted him.

MORALES: "Lustig said"

"he could have me k*lled for less than

what he's paying for Sheetrock."

♪ ♪

So, getting your sector cars out,
that's your first priority.

Then you-you have to take care
of your-your hospitals posts,

your emotionally disturbed persons.

Your DOA's.

And if the personnel were available,

you'd deploy those cops on foot posts.

Where do we stand on solo foot posts?

Solo? We put them on hold.

- For the time being.
- I think that's wise.

When it comes to police unions,
we have to pick our battles.

Hmm.

(BRAKES SQUEAL LIGHTLY)

Pull over, please.

ALLISON: Everything okay?

Will you give me a minute?

(PHONE CHIMES)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

What's going on, guys?

- Coffee klatch?
- OFFICERS: Chief.

Put that phone away. So, what?

Your patrol sergeant's already
been by, and you figured

you got the rest of the day off?

- 'Cause you don't.
- No, sir.

Chief.

We're handing out
crime prevention flyers

to various merchants
in the neighborhood.

- All of you?
- Yes, sir.

Had that not been approved
by the Borough?

No, no. It has.

Carry on. Yeah.

- How you feeling? Good.
- I'm feeling all right.

(PHONE CHIMES)

Hey.

Hey.

Hey.

I wanted to drop off my apartment key
and my share of the rent.

That's... that's really
not necessary, Corinne.

- Yeah, it is.
- Hey, hey, hey.

Look...

Hey, how's-how's the bar doing?

Not great. Also, not your problem.

(LAUGHS): What do you mean? It's...

How is it not my problem?

I mean, I'm still your business partner.

Your name's not on the lease.

It's not on the state
liquor authority license.

You don't have any obligations at all.

Like we never even knew each other.

I'll see ya.

♪ ♪

I'll see ya.

QUINLAN: Aziz, it's not gonna happen.

AZIZ: Why wouldn't it?

Because they don't make cops

with three years on the job detectives.

Not unless you have a rabbi
and that rabbi has pull.

You have Haywood, right?

I don't know who I have.

DISPATCHER (OVER RADIO): -, Post .

Need an -, no emergency,
at Atlantic and Shepherd.

(PHONE RINGING)

AZIZ: -, sector B, we got it.

Hello?

ANN-MARIE (OVER PHONE): Hey, baby.

Hey, Ma.

How are you?

I'm-I'm good. I'm at work.

You're still happy living in that place?

You know, Ma, I'm...

I'm not all that happy right now.

Hmm. What's that about?

I don't know, I-I can't really
get into it right now.

Uh, how are, how are things
going with you?

I-I don't, I don't like
the way you sound, Brandy.

QUINLAN: Hey, hey, Ma, I got to go.

Okay? I-I'll talk to you soon.

(DOORS OPEN)

We just got -'d to the
house. (DOORS CLOSE)

How's it going?

Good.

NEWSWOMAN (ON VIDEO):
Police officers in the -

were interrupted
by Chief John Suarez today

while drinking coffee and
playing on their cell phones.

(VIDEO CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)
Doesn't look too good, does it?

Marvin, this, never supposed to happen.

Why did it?

A consultant to Raymond Sharpe
was in the car.

Without my knowledge,
she, uh, made a recording

of cops being derelict
and me stopping it.

Apparently, they put it up
on, uh, Sharpe's website,

which they've taken it down
at my insistence.

Hey, if I had seen it was you,

I would've figured whatever
you were doing was legit.

Listen, it's no big thing, Chief.

Really.

SUAREZ: Eh.

Well, that won't be happening again.

I'm sure you didn't intend it
to happen this time, Chief.

No, I definitely didn't.

Seems as though it was
out of your control.

Doesn't excuse it.

(KNOCKS)

One of the workers
at the construction site

said he recognized a guy
named Ochoa casing the place.

Said he told Lustig, and Lustig
didn't want to do anything about it.

Lustig might've been using
Ochoa to do his dirty work.

Let all the sector cars know,
I want this Ochoa brought in.

Mm-hmm.

♪ ♪

SANDEFORD: Ochoa works the black market.

Sometimes they sell stolen goods here.

Hey, s-stop right over here.

I'm gonna go and talk to my guy
in the office for a minute.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

That's Ochoa!

(TIRES SCREECH)

(TIRES SCREECHING)

(BEEPING) Whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

(ENGINE REVVING)

(GROANS)

Keep your hands on
the steering wheel, don't move.

Got him.

Get out of the car!

Get out of the car! Step out.

Hey, what did I do?

Gonna let you chat with
the detectives about that.

Right. (CUFFS CLICKING)

Nice driving, young man.

I like cars.

♪ ♪

So, what was your arrangement
with Adam Lustig?

I don't have an arrangement.

MORALES (OVER COMM):
We have you on felony possession

of stolen property,

which we don't much care about
one way or the other.

What we do care about is
the m*rder of Marcus Powell.

Whoa, I don't know anything about that.

(SIGHS HEAVILY)

Is it possible you're
being set up, Louis?

By who?

Whoever b*at Marcus Powell
to death maybe.

Unless that was you.
All right, look, man.

I'm a thief.

Copper pipe, plywood,

windows and doors, whatever
I can haul off and sell.

What'd he have with him in his truck

when Sandeford and Bentley
brought him in?

" pieces of straight

"three-inch copper pipe,
eight copper elbows,

ten five-gallon buckets..."
"...of joint compound, dozen sheets

"of half-inch plywood, one bundle of

collapsed cardboard cartons."

Where did you get
the cardboard cartons from?

That's not something you usually
find at a construction site.

They were outside the front door
of one of the houses.

You usually buy bundles of
cardboard cartons

when you're moving.

So, then maybe one of the hold-outs was
actually planning on moving.

According to the shipping labels,

the cardboard cartons
were ordered from Uline

by Marcus Powell's neighbor, Byron Rice.

KILLIAN: And when we
questioned him at the crime scene,

he made it sound like
he and Marcus Powell

were dead set against moving.

You know, they were both
born in East New York.

East New York was where they'd die.

Powell made good on that.

If Rice was planning on moving,

I'd like to know whether Adam Lustig

had anything to do with it.

♪ ♪

(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)

Did it ever occur to you
to simply ask for any relevant material?

- KILLIAN: Not really.
- LUSTIG: No, of course not.

It's so much more satisfying

to strong-arm someone,
even though I would've happily

given you what you were
entitled to, voluntarily.

Sometimes there's a discrepancy

between what you think we're entitled to

and what we think we're entitled to.

- Uh-huh.
- The warrant spells it out.

Well, I'm gonna spell
something else out.

Anything privileged or covered by
nondisclosure agreements leaks,

I will hold you two responsible,
personally.

Straight down to the loading dock, guys.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Oh, getting famous, Marvin.

Oh, yeah? How's that?

Logged on to Facebook,
and there you were.

- Hey, hey, come on.
- I wasn't expecting

to see you holding hands
with a bunch of rookies

- on the corner.
- You don't know a damn thing

about what was happening
on that corner, do you?

Do you?

It's not worth it, Marvin.
It's not worth it.

You're an idiot.

(KNOCKING)

Do I need an appointment?

Since you don't have one,
why don't you just come in.

I understand you have
a person of interest

in the k*lling of Marcus Powell.

I'm not at liberty to discuss that,
Councilwoman.

A community organizer is m*rder*d.

You don't go after

the people of prestige and power

who have every reason to m*rder him.

Instead,
you go after the property thief.

That way you can wrap up
your investigation,

and nobody will be mad at you.

Are you suggesting
I'd have someone charged

with a crime I knew he didn't commit?

I'm not saying you'd do it knowingly.

I'm saying it happens.

And I do everything within my power

to prevent it from happening.

There are forces arrayed
against us, Inspector.

The man who was k*lled stood in the way,

and nothing will convince me

it's not what got him k*lled.

I don't say this with any disrespect,
Councilwoman.

You're a politician, I'm a cop.

I go where the evidence leads me.

I hope so.

(KNOCKING) Come in.

SHARPE: Thank you.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

You're not returning my calls, John?

After what your consultant did,

I'd say we're both better off
if I don't.

She made a mistake.

She held a cop with years on the job

up to public ridicule,

not to mention significantly
corrupting my authority.

You know
we've been running focus groups.

I don't care!

(SIGHS)

One of the things that
has been consistently viewed

as negative
has been cops just hanging out

in groups, cops on their phones.

I don't need a focus group
to tell me that, Raymond,

any more than I need a consultant
to tell me how to do my job.

Sorry.

Do you know that Regina Haywood

is going after Adam Lustig again?

You tell him to take it up with the
Civilian Complaint Review Board.

(SIGHS) Okay, look.

I get it.

Now's not a good time
to be asking for anything,

whether it's legit or not.

And since you seem to feel
that a grievous error has been made,

whether or not I agree with it,

I'll make it right.

♪ ♪

(DOOR CLOSES)

DR. SORENSON: What's going on
with your friend Sean?

Oh, I, um, I talked to him yesterday.

You still thinking about
taking the next step?

I am still thinking, which is part
of the problem, Dr. Sorenson.

The more I think, the more I worry.

What are you worried about?

I worry that he is not
who he seems to be. I...

Do you worry that
you'll be hurt by that?

I don't know about hurt, I don't...

I don't hurt all that easily.

Your father managed to do
a pretty good job of it.

I was a little younger then.

So what's stopping you?

Uh, stopping me from... what?

Enjoying this guy's company.

- Oh.
- Enjoying the sex.

Allowing yourself to do
what gives you pleasure,

without worrying.

(CHUCKLES)

I don't know.

(SCOFFS) I don't know.

(SIRENS WAILING)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

QUINLAN: Ma?

What are you doing here?

I didn't like the way you
sounded on the phone yesterday.

Okay, well, you could've just called.
You didn't have to come here.

I wanted to, okay?

I mean, I just got on the bus and came.

The same way people show up
for me, I showed up for you.

♪ ♪

Thank you.

So, you still living in Boston?

I guess I never told you,

I got this really cute place
in Fall River.

You got to come up and see it.

- BENTLEY: Hey, hi.
- Hey.

Uh, this is Ann-Marie, my mom.

This is Andre.

Hey, Andre.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

(CLEARS THROAT)

He's handsome.

So, what do you plan on doing
while you're here?

Uh, I just wanted to spend
some time with you.

I work, Mom. I work all day.

I know. I know.

So, what are you gonna do?

(SCOFFS) I used to live
in New York, you know?

Yeah.

I know, that's what worries me.

♪ ♪

Phew. Wow. Lustig spent $,
at Bergdorf Goodman

on one suit. (SCOFFS)

Ah, Lustig Pointe Capital, the
LLC developing this property,

this is a list of their relocation fees.

I can't imagine what it's like
to spend eight grand on a suit.

Lustig acquired the deeds to
brownstones, which they demolished,

and bought the leases for apartments,
which they also demolished.

Hey. What do we know?

According to these records,

Lustig's LLC spent a million-six

to get the tenants and homeowners

out of the buildings
he wanted to demolish

to build Lustig Towers.

Even if it meant building around

Marcus Powell's house and
building around Byron Rice's house.

Also, there was a $,

wire transfer from Lustig's LLC account

to Byron Rice's account.

- When was that?
- Last week.

Maybe Rice changed his mind
about selling.

Guys, this may or may not
be of interest,

Bettina Powell applied
for a real estate license

in North Carolina last month.

How would you know that?

Well, something popped out at me
when we were at the house.

Their bookshelves reflected
two distinct areas of interest.

One, political books,
Autobiography of Malcolm X,

Rules for Radicals, that kind of thing.

The other were workbooks
for real estate license exams.

How did you know
it was in North Carolina?

Well, you start close,
you expand outward.

I was still on the East Coast
when I hit pay dirt.

Byron Rice ordered cartons,
likely for moving.

Bettina planned on moving
to North Carolina, so...

- We're on it.
- HAYWOOD: Okay.

Thanks, guys. Thanks.

KILLIAN: Sorry to bother you, Mr. Rice,

we just have a couple of things
we need to go over.

Do we have to do it now?

- We kind of do.
- Oh, no.

Now, the place is a mess.

Mm, we promise
not to hold it against you.

Byron, I was

- think...
- Ms. Powell.

Uh, I was just giving Byron a hand.

Uh, would you mind
stepping into the other room?

Why?

Uh, lets us keep straight who says what

when we're filling out our reports.

Standard detective stuff.

Oh...

KILLIAN: So, you decided
to move after Marcus


- was k*lled, I guess.
- BYRON: Yeah.

I didn't want to be here anymore.

That's understandable.

(FOOTSTEPS)

When was it that you
and Byron fell in love?

What are you talking about?

I see two side-by-side pillows,
both of which

have been slept on, I smell your perfume

on one of them,
and it gets me to thinking

the two of you are more
than just neighbors.

It's none of your business.

MORALES: I'm not judging you for it.

The heart wants what it wants.

You don't know the first thing
about my heart.

So, what was the $,

you got from Adam Lustig for, Mr. Rice?

I told you, after Marcus passed,

I decided to sell.

MORALES: How much did you stand to make

from the sale of the house?

The longer Marcus held out,

the more they increased the offer.

Well, your house is worth
a lot more than $,.

You're right,
but I signed a nondisclosure agreement.

So, either you can tell me
or I can get a subpoena

and go through your bank accounts.

$, was ten percent down.

By the time Marcus d*ed,
the offer was up to half a million.

Okay, so what he was offering
was $,?

Mr. Lustig does not want that
getting out.

Now, getting half a million
dollars is something

of a life-changing event, I'd think.

MORALES: That must've been tempting.

Marcus wasn't tempted by money.

What about you?

(GRUNTS)

Whoa.

You already got a place
in North Carolina?

See what it's like down there.

Uh, see,

Oberlin Drive. That wouldn't

belong to Lustig's company,
by any chance, would it?

It's a condo.

I'm just subletting it.
I don't know who it belongs to.

I just...

figured maybe Lustig wanted to sweeten
the deal by throwing in

a rent-free place to live.

MORALES: Did your husband
know you were having an affair?

Yeah, he knew.

Is it possible your husband
refused to take that

half a million dollars because he knew

his friend next door, who his
wife was cheating on him with,

also stood to make
a half a million dollars?

He didn't turn down
their offer for spite.

He turned it down because
taking their offer meant abandoning

his principles.

(SIGHS)

KILLIAN: So where were
you two nights ago, Byron?

(SCOFFS)
I met Byron for dinner that night.

I stopped off for dinner
with Marcus and Bettina

on my way home from work.

- Where'd you go?
- Where'd you go?

We went to Junior's.

Gage & Tollner.

Here's what I think you might've done,

you told your husband
that you heard someone

prowling around outside,

maybe one of the drug addicts
Lustig enlisted.

Your husband goes outside
where Byron is waiting for him,

hits him over the head with a shovel,

and kills him.

The plan was Bettina's idea.

The plan was Byron's idea.

MORALES: But you knew,
when you sent your husband outside,

that Byron was waiting out there
to k*ll him,

and that's why you sent him.

Yeah.

I went along with it.

I didn't mean to k*ll him.

Well, that definitely counts
for something, Byron.

When you write your statement,

put down what you did mean to do.

Well,

the good news is they solved
a homicide today.

And the bad news is that Lustig

had nothing to do with it.

Wow.

So, you managed to

talk your way past the station
house security downstairs

and my assistant just outside. (SCOFFS)

What-what is it you want to tell me

that was worth doing all that for?

I wanted to let you know
that Raymond fired me.

What, am I supposed to feel
guilty about that?

You've made too many difficult
decisions in your career

- to let guilt be a factor.
- So why are you here?

Because Raymond Sharpe
could be the next mayor,

and you could be
his police commissioner.

You're both well-suited for the job,

and I don't want
one dumbass move on my part

to derail the whole thing.

So why did you do it?

What did you think
you were gonna get out of it?

I wanted people to see you in command

and feel reassured, feel like you would

keep them safe.

You-you have the authority. God knows

you have the looks. (SIGHS)
I wanted to make you a hero.

Whoa. I-I probably, uh...

No, I-I made a mistake

getting involved in
a political campaign.

No. John, I am sorry.

I'm sorry I embarrassed
you and your officers.

I tend to justify my behavior by
whether or not it helps me win.

It makes me a very good
political consultant,

but not a very good person sometimes.

Well, for what it's worth,
I'm sorry that, uh, you got fired.

Well, it's not without its upsides.

Which is what?

If we were still working together,

that would be completely unprofessional.

It still might not be a good idea.

When we were at dinner that night...

...you wanted to kiss me, didn't you?

Yes, I did.

And why didn't you?

Because, uh, our association

was supposed to be, uh, work-related.

Now it's not.

And now you can.

- (MEOWS)
- (SCOFFS)

- How late you working tonight?
- Probably till midnight.

I don't know how long
you can keep on doing this.

I was actually thinking
you might want to pick up

a quick yourself some night.

- Mm, no thanks.
- Ah.

Anyways, tonight's a private
party, should be pretty quiet.

Come on. Oh...

- Yeah, yeah.
- I'm gonna straighten him out.

You're not gonna straighten
him out. You're not gonna

- straighten anyone out.
- NELSON: I'm gonna go back

in there, and I'm
gonna straighten him out.

Yeah, uh, hey.
Sir, I have a situation here,

if you could just stay put
for a second, you'd be

really helping me out. Whoa,
whoa, where you going with that?

I told you, I'm gonna
straighten this guy out.

No, you go in there with that,
it's a felony.

I don't care.

And you're gonna have to
b*at me unconscious with it first.

I'm not going down without a fight, bro.

(SIGHS)

Thanks, man. I appreciate it.

Oh, thank you for waiting, sir.

- You can come on in.
- What do they

pay you to do what you do here?

That's highly classified information.

Well, figure out whatever lie it is

you want to tell me, and I'll triple it.

To do what?

thr*at assessment, personal protection,

pretty much what it is you do here,
only it would be just for me.

Yeah, who are you?

Bobby Azeroff.

(DANCE MUSIC PLAYING INSIDE)

Hi, honey.

Hey.

How long have you been waiting out here?

Oh, about an hour or so. How was work?

It was, um... it was good.

- Come on in.
- Nice.

You have dinner plans?

Uh, no. I was just gonna pull
something out of the freezer.

How about you?

I have a : meeting
at a Baptist church

on Sutter Avenue, which I have
no idea where that is, but

other than that, no plans.

So, you, um...

you still going to AA meetings?

(SOFT CHUCKLE)

If I wasn't, I don't think
I'd be here talking to you.

No, you see, Ma, but...

you would be.

And that's what worries me.

That you would be here
saying the same stuff

in the same sort of way,
and it would just all be a lie.

I have a year and nine days, Brandy.

I mean, my home meeting, they
gave me a cake and everything.

Yeah.

♪ I was wine drunk... ♪

So, were you figuring on staying here?

I don't have to. I have, uh...

a friend Cookie who's
got a place on Staten Island

where she said I could stay.

♪ It was beautiful... ♪

You don't have to go to Staten Island.

You can just stay here.

(SIGHS)

♪ Devoid of our emptiness... ♪

I'm sorry, baby.

For what?

For everything.

(CRYING)

I love you.

Love you, too, Ma.

Okay, thanks.

Yeah?

I heard arrests have been made
in the Marcus Powell

investigation, and I just wanted to
come by and say congratulations.

You must be breathing a sigh of relief.

Notwithstanding your best
efforts to make me culpable,

once again, I'm not culpable.

By the way,

you may not be aware that I have doubled

the number of low-income housing units

I'm providing at Arcachon Towers East,

my mixed-use development in Bushwick.

The one with the poor door?

Oh... I find that term offensive.

It used to say "For Coloreds."

So now we're gonna make this racial?

Is that what I'm doing?

From everything I hear,
those folks are grateful.

I mean, through no fault of their own,

they have to go through
a separate entrance,

in return for which, they get to live

in a building they
couldn't afford otherwise.

I mean, why... why
wouldn't they be grateful?

That you would even think that,

leaves no question in my mind
whether you're capable of m*rder.

One day, I'm going to be able to
prove you're also guilty of it.

Well, as long as that day isn't today.

I bid you good night and, seriously,

congratulations.

(FOOTSTEPS RETREATING)

Where are you right now?

♪ ♪

So...

It's freezing. Can we talk in the car?

Sure.

Get some heat going.

Regina, you got me
on the edge of my seat.

What is it you're about to tell me?

Sean Dryden.

I've been doing some thinking...

- Uh-oh.
- I know.

- That's not always a good thing.
- I mean,

- depends on the conclusion you reach.
- My conclusion

is the sight of you makes me happy.

But nervous.

- Uh-huh.
- Let me guess,

you think it might be a mistake

that we're getting more
involved than we already are.

You've got all kinds of insight
into what I'm thinking, don't you?

I have no idea what you're thinking.

I'm thinking

maybe we give thinking a rest.

♪ ♪
Post Reply