01x12 - Squeeze Play

[bunniefuu]

Witch.

Don't be naughty.

No, dj.

Stop, dj.

No.

You can't.

What if my husband finds out?

Nobody's gonna come.

Oh, your legs.

Oh, man.

Come on out, you bastard!

What the hell are you doing?

This is my car!

Put the bat down!

Right, I'll put it down,
right between your eyes.

Royce, don't!

Your heart.

Get in the house.

All right, you...

Get off.

No way, man.

I can't... breathe.

You had enough, old man?

Huh, huh?

I can't breathe.

Claire!

In america,
baseball is a game played

by men who yearn to be boys.

From toddlers to teens to
pot-bellied blowhards who can't

see their shoes, they all
want to step up to the plate

and knock it into
the cheap seats.

But when it comes to
American tradition,

nothing competes with m*rder.

Passions run higher,
put-outs are for real.

And no matter who you
talk to, everybody wants

to take a cut at the ball.

Sometimes, they
go down swinging.

Thanks, Amy.

Sergeant Lorenzo,
Mrs. Hollinger.

Look, I know this
must be difficult,

but I got a couple
questions I'd like to ask.

It's ok.

I need to talk about it.

I'll be all right.

I can't believe he's dead.

Why don't you tell me about
what happened last night?

We were at a fundraiser.

We danced till dawn for the new
pediatric wing at the hospital.

So you and your husband
were at a fundraiser...

No.

Royce hated public functions.

They were my responsibility.

That's how we met.

I did PR for
hollinger enterprises.

So you said "we."

I'm sorry.

I meant dj Martin.

He was there too.

Dj, the outfielder who used
to play for the sox dj Martin?

Damn.

Royce had been trying
to get him to sign

his contract for months.

When he offered
to drive me home,

I thought if I could
talk to him alone,

I might be able to
change his mind.

But once we got in the car,
he started acting strange.

Then when we pulled up in front
of the house, he grabbed me.

I tried to push him away,
but he got very angry.

He said... he said he wanted to
do to me what my husband had

been doing to him.

He att*cked you?

He wouldn't let me go.

And then all of a sudden,
the window started exploding.

Your husband, huh?

He had this baseball bat.

They were fighting.

I didn't know what to do, so
I ran inside and dialed .

By the time I got back,
dj was gone, and, uh...

Royce...

I want you to
dust it for prints.

Run a service check for blood,
hair, tissue, and glass.

Hey, Chris.

Hey, Rita, how was court?

Meh, all the drama
of watching bread rise.

Do you ever wonder what it
would do for the legal system

if they paid attorneys by the
case instead of by the hour?

Hmm, we'd clear the
dockets overnight.

So who's the leading man?

It's a guy named
Royce hollinger.

He's a real estate
speculator extraordinaire

and owner of baseball's newest
franchise, the tampa triumph.

Or at least he was.

Any idea who the perp was?

According to his
wife, it's dj Martin.

The baseball player?

Sammy, I'm impressed.

I didn't know you
followed baseball.

I thought golf was
your only sport.

Everything ok?

Yeah, yeah.

So, uh... so what else?

There's an estranged son
from a previous marriage

named buddy, lives
over in the Marina.

But I think the main
man is dj Martin.

After we wrap it up here,
let's go over to his place,

check him out.

Ok.

Hop, skip, and a jump, Sam.

Hey, any luck?

No.

Got a look in the kitchen
window, but nobody's home.

You know, according
to the dmv, this

is definitely dj Martin's car.

Did you call impound?

They're gonna have
forensics have look at this.

Yeah, yeah,
they're on their way.

So what do you think?

He drives back
here, and then what?

Taxi to the airport, a flight
to Havana, and batting practice

with fidel.

I thought we had
the airport covered.

Well, we do.

But this guy's fast.

Have you ever seen this
guy steal home, Sam?

Yeah, too many times to count.

Listen, I tell you what.

Why don't you stay here
and wait for the tow truck?

Who knows?
Maybe dj will show back up.

And I'll go see if I can
find hollinger's son bud.

No, I don't think so.

I think you should stay
here, and I will go track

down hollinger's son, bud.

What?

You don't think I can
take care of myself?

No, Sam, I know that you
can take care of yourself.

I just... you know, this
dj Martin's pretty hot.

I thought maybe
you'd want his, um...

His what?

His autograph.

No thanks.
My book is full.

My... my father's dead?

How?

When?

Sometime early this morning.

Cause of death is still
under investigation.

We understand that
you and your father

hadn't been getting along.

Who told you that?

My stepmother?

Is it true?

No, not entirely.

We hated each other.

When was the last time
you saw your father alive?

I don't know.

Five or six months ago,
something like that.

It's personal.

Do you know dj Martin?

Only from what I
read in the newspapers.

Baseball was my father's
passion, not mine.

Where were you at
approximately :

this morning?

In bed, asleep, alone.

I'm sorry I couldn't do better.

I assume you wanted the truth.

Do you know anyone who might
have wanted your father dead?

My father made his
fortune in real estate.

That's a business
right down there

sandwich between morticians
and ambulance chasers.

The only thing he made faster
than money was enemies.

Anyone hate him bad enough
to want to commit m*rder?

He was m*rder*d?

Well, as I said, it's
still under investigation.

Could you just answer
the question, please?

I don't know.

Yeah.

Sure.

What do you want me to say?

He was a miserable bastard
who could drive you crazy.

Maybe he pushed
the wrong buttons.

It just wasn't me.

All right.

Thank you for your
time, Mr. Hollinger.

Don't leave town without
checking with us first, ok?

Hey!
Hey!

What the hell are you doing?

That's my car!

What the... you!

Hey, I paid those
parking tickets, man.

You can't take that car.

What the hell are you doing?

Dj Martin, i'm sergeant Lorenzo.

Can you account for
your whereabouts

since midnight last night?

I don't have to answer to you.

I know my rights.

Then I won't have to tell
you to call your lawyer

and have him meet us downtown.

Downtown?

Wait a minute,
what's the charge?

Suspicion of m*rder.

George.

Got some info on dj Martin.

Right, this kid graduated
high school, no college,

won the first round of
the pro draft, one year

in triple-a, straight
to the majors.

Baseball's not my sport.

Dj what's-his-name
means nothing to me.

Martin, Donovan, dj Martin.

You should know him.

He's a prime talent.

Fast, good with a
glove, clutch hitter,

absolutely no discipline.

Sounds like my wife, ha.

Chris, are you any
good at wrapping?

No, man.

I'm all thumbs.
Who's that for?

Yesterday was my
kid's th birthday.

Yesterday?

We're right in the middle
of the becnel prosecution,

I forgot.
- That's bad.

No, you know what?
I take it back.

That's terrible.
What kind of father are you?

The kind that
works hours a week

to keep his kids in
braces and summer camp.

And can't make it to
their birthday parties.

What'd you do when
you went home?

Said I bought him a present,
but I left it at work.

You lied.

No, it's not.

I bought him a present,
it just wasn't yesterday.

What'd you get him?

What are you from?

Family counseling?

Look, interrogation's
downstairs.

Why don't you go talk
to this ballplayer,

maybe you can get him to
confess, get me home early,

huh?

We're waiting on his lawyer.

Yeah, story of my life.

Look, you talked to the widow.

You think he did it?
- I don't know, man.

It's hard to say.

Got any priors?

Busted for possession.

Spent the first half of
last season in rehab.

History of v*olence?

He's a pro athlete, you know?

v*olence comes
with the territory.

That wasn't a question.

Got three prior arrests, all
in five years, no convictions.

Oh, so he can afford
high-priced attorneys, huh?

Look, Chris, I want you to get
into it with this kid, huh?

Press him to the
wall if you have to,

just get me a confession that's
gonna hold up in court, ok?

All right.

If he did it, you got it.

Good.

What do you think?

Keep the day job.

It's not that bad.

So you fought?

Yeah, we fought.

If a guy came at your car
windows with a baseball bat,

you'd fight too.

Damn right I would.

Now, dj, did you knock him
down, or did he knock you down?

Look, I told you
I don't remember.

The guy was taking swings
at me with a baseball bat.

I grabbed him in self-defense.

You said you grabbed
him, you grabbed him how?

You grabbed him around the neck?

Did you choke him?

Look, pal, I don't remember.

When you landed on top of
him, who had the baseball bat?

I don't know.
We both did.

No, one of you had the bat.

Who had the bat?

Ok, he had the bat.

Look, I was trying to
get it away from him.

He started breathing funny like
he couldn't get enough air.

I got scared, and I backed off.

Wanna know what I think?

I think you k*lled
him, and then you ran.

No, man.

Look, he was still
alive when I left.

What about Mrs. Hollinger?

What was she doing?

I don't know.

I don't remember.

But you do
remember picking her up.

No, that was her, man.

She picked up on me.

I want you to
submit to a drug test.

I'm sorry.

I can't do that on
advice of counsel.

On advice of counsel, or
because you were stoned?

No.

You don't remember k*lling him.

You don't remember
picking up his wife.

You don't remember
anything because you can't.

Isn't that right?
- No!

Look, I never meant
to k*ll the guy.

You lived with
dj Martin, and you

never even mentioned it.

Should've told me, Sam.

There are a few chapters
of my private life

I would like to keep private.

Why?
Look, we're partners.

No, no.
You know what?

Forget about the fact
that we're partners.

We're best friends.

You should've told me.

It was a fling, ok?

It was short.

It was intense.

And then it was over.

End of story.

Now I know the end.

I just need the
beginning and the middle.

You are really
annoying, you know that?

That's what friends are for.

Now spill it, and don't
leave anything out.

You ever have someone
come into your life like

a five-alarm fire,
where everything burns

up before you can stop it?

As somewhat of an expert
on emotional pyromania,

I can relate to that.

You really liked
this guy, huh, Sam?

I don't know.

I mean, it all
happened really fast.

He was like this sh**ting star.

It was a hell of a ride.

But you drive in the fast Lane,
you eventually crash and burn.

dr*gs?

Yeah.

He didn't see a problem with
it, but I certainly did.

Case closed.

You're not over this guy yet.

Oh, would you stop?

Come on, Chris.

I am not some
schoolgirl with a crush.

I mean, some things
went down between us

that I would like
to forgive, but I

don't know if I can forget.

Something tells me these are
the parts of the story that you

are never gonna tell me about.

And something tells me
you are absolutely right.

Digitalis, arteriosclerosis.

Are they sure hollinger didn't
just die of a heart attack?

Keep reading.

You're almost to the good part.

Primary cause of death...

Crushed windpipe.

Blunt force trauma.

Probably from the bat
found at the scene.

Any fingerprints?

I got a real nice set of
Royce hollinger's and a match

to his wife.

But she claims that
she didn't touch

the bat until after he was
down, kind of a reflex thing.

And we got partials
from dj Martin.

I guess we can
rule out su1c1de, hm?

Maybe you two could get
dj Martin to confess.

Claims he didn't do it.

Don't they all?

Claire hollinger
says he att*cked her.

Let's say it went
down just that way.

Her husband tries to bash
dj Martin's brains out

with a baseball
bat, they scramble,

and Martin clocks hollinger out.

Straight up crime of passion.

It's manslaughter at best.

You know that, and I know that.

But I got a hot
wind blowing down

my shorts from upstairs to press
for a m*rder one indictment.

According to Mrs. Hollinger,
contract talks had broken down.

Martin used her to
draw her husband out,

and then he whacked him.

Mm-hmm.

You might be able to sell
that as premeditation.

Yeah, and I might be able
to sell portraits of gorby

in red square.

We have this problematic concept
called, uh, reasonable doubt.

He'll bail out on m*rder two.

Look, the press is all
over me on this one.

Turn me something with a nice
shade of prison denim quick,

or dj Martin's a free
man as of noon today.

And look, Rita, the word is
this dj is a real ladies' man.

Maybe you should
talk to him alone.

I hate to admit it, but this
time, I agree with Donovan.

No, it's a bad idea.

Look, Rita, you gotta
leave your personal history

with this guy on the hat
rack outside the door.

Go in there and talk
to him like a cop.

No, I do not want
to talk to him at all.

What are you afraid of?

Who says I'm afraid?

Great, then you'll do it.

Give me time to go over
and talk to the lawyer

for the hollinger estate.

I'll see you later.

Don't forget your umbrella.

They say it's gonna rain.

It's not gonna rain.

It's gonna rain.

Stephanie roble?

Hi, I'm sergeant Lorenzo,
palm beach police.

I understand that
you're the attorney

for the Royce Hollister estate.

That's right.

Oh, yeah, you're the guy
who called about the terms

of the Hollister will.

It's nice to see
an attorney who knows

her way around the courts.

Thanks.

Typical palm beach weather.

One minute, it's sunny, and
the next minute, it's pouring.

You play?

Yeah, I've been known
to play on occasion.

Like a game sometime?

Absolutely.

Although I have to warn
you, I've been told

that I eat men for breakfast.

I'll bet you do.

I'd like to ask you a couple
of questions about the Royce

Hollister estate.

Well, there's really
not much to say.

He left everything to his wife.

His wife, huh?

What about Royce, Jr?

Product of a previous marriage.

First wife died.

I believe he's called bud.

He and his father
had a falling out,

and he gets nothing
from the will.

Mr. Hollister was very
specific about that.

You have any idea what
the falling out was about?

No, but it was very sudden.

So there's no chance that
bud Hollister or anyone other

than Mrs. Hollister
would stand to gain

anything from his death?

That's correct.

Although no chance might
be a little strong.

What do you mean?

Well, nothing, really.

It's just that we live
in very uncertain times,

and there's always a
chance that somebody

might contest the will.

On what grounds
might they contest?

It's hard to say.

Usually, something
like that does not

occur unless the
sole beneficiary

dies or is ruled incompetent.

Anyway, I've gotta run.

If you wanna knock some
balls around sometime,

give me a call.

I will.

I will.

You look really great.

This is completely
off the record.

Ok, completely off the
record, you look really great.

Dj, would you just stop it?

Now we both know I
have a conflict here.

I probably should've
taken myself off the case.

But you didn't.

Thanks.

So it's almost noon.

They're supposed
to release me, no?

Your paperwork's been delayed.

What?

Can't you do
anything about that?

No, I can't.

It's probably gonna be
a couple more hours.

A couple more hours?

Look, I never meant
to k*ll anybody.

Would you just stop making
it any tougher on yourself

than it already is?

Look, Rita, you know me.

Do I?

Well, you used to think you did.

Yeah.

That was a long time ago.

We both have changed a lot.

I didn't k*ll him, Rita.

Yeah, well, somebody did.

His wife says it was you.

God, have you talked to her?
She's crazy.

And you're not?

No, not anymore.

Look, I'm straight.

I went through the treatment.

I'm clean, man.

What do you want from me?

I want the truth.

The truth?

Ok, I swear, I told
him everything I know.

Yeah, we fought.

Yeah, maybe I even
hated the guy.

But I didn't mean to k*ll him.

Come on, Rita, if you don't
believe me, nobody will.

This is -X-ray-, over.

-X-ray-,
patrol units are at the scene

of a single vehicle accident.

block of palm
drive at sea breeze.

It's an apparent kidnapping.

The driver fled on
foot, and the victim

is asking for you by name.

-, dispatch.

You have the victim's name?

Dispatch: Affirmative.

Victim's name is
Claire hollinger.

-X-ray-, responding code .

Mrs. Hollinger?

He... he was inside the house.
He grabbed me.

I... I tried to fight him off.
I tried to...

It's ok, it's ok.

You're safe now.

I called for an ambulance.

It should be here in a bit.

I was so frightened.

He was gonna k*ll me.

Thanks.

So what happened?

I was in the kitchen,
unloading groceries, when

I heard something in the house.

And then before I knew it,
he grabbed me by the neck,

and he said he'd k*ll me if I
didn't do exactly as he said.

Did you recognize him?

He was wearing a mask, but
when he asked me for the keys

to my car, there was
something about his voice.

If you heard his
voice again, do you

think you could recognize it?

It sounded strange,
like he was intentionally

trying to disguise himself, but
I'm sure I've heard him before.

Describe him for me, ma'am...

How tall he was,
what he was wearing.

Maybe feet tall,
dark jacket, jeans.

He was very strong.

I'm sorry I can't be more help.

No, this... this is great.

Who would want to kidnap
you, Mrs. Hollinger?

I don't know.

Unless...

Unless what?

The radio said dj Martin
was being released at noon.

That voice, it
reminds me of the way

he sounded right before
he k*lled my husband.

Allegedly.

I beg your pardon?

Before he allegedly
k*lled your husband.

Ye... yes, of course.

It's just that... it
sounded the same,

and if dj Martin was released
at noon, then it could be him.

No, he wasn't released at noon.

His paperwork
never went through.

Dj Martin's still in jail.

Really?

It was somebody
familiar with your house,

familiar with your routine.

I suppose so.

What about your husband's son?

Bud?

Why would he break in?

He still has a key.

Yeah.

Well, we'll check
him out anyway.

In the meantime, I suggest
you change your locks,

and I'll keep a
couple extra black

and whites in the
neighborhood just in case.

Thank you.

I know how it looks, Rita,
but I didn't mean to k*ll him.

I believe you.

Well, you're a minority of one.

So why are you doing this?

Because we used to be friends.

Friends talk.

Yeah, I remember.

Well, I guess we both
made some assumptions

we shouldn't have.

Maybe, but I never
made any promises.

- Don't start, dj.
- Don't start?

What?

You don't want to talk about it?

You gonna run from
me again, Rita?

Look, I did not run from you.

You pushed me away.

I pushed you away?

What'd you want me to do?

Did you want me
to quit baseball?

Baseball saved my life.

Look, this is
not about baseball.

Yes, it is.

It's about baseball.

It's about a young
kid who got a chance

to do what it takes some guys
three, four years to pull off.

It's about going from nowhere
to triple-a to the major

leagues, bam bam bam.

Suddenly making more money
than guys who go to college.

It's about being a celebrity,
having my face on the cover

of "si," having endorsements.

It's about having everything
I ever dreamed of.

And you're willing to
throw it all away, for what?

A couple of lines?

No, coke meant more to you
than anything, including me.

That is not true.

Look, that stuff
is history anyway.

You know that I am clean.

How do I know that?

Why didn't you take a drug
test when my partner asked you?

Because my lawyer
wouldn't let me.

Come on, Rita, you
know about those tests.

Sometimes, they show
positive, give a false read.

And what am I supposed to do?

What if I test hot by mistake?

The tabloids get a hold
of that, that's my career.

I can't take that chance.

Oh, great, what?

You think I'm lying?

No.

I... I hope you're not.

You know, I trusted you
once a long time ago.

You brought coke into my
house, and you compromised me.

And I paid the price...

I lost you.

You don't think that hurts?

Look, Rita, I made
a mistake, ok?

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Well, you should be.

God.

Oh, man.

Whatever happened to life gets
easier the more money you make.

This isn't about money.

Oh, no kidding.

Man, Rita, you know,
I thought that success

was gonna be a fast ball
right down the pipe.

You threw me a hanging curve,
and, man, I wasn't ready.

You know what the problem with
the hanging curve is, Rita?

What's that?

Don't matter how hard you
swing, timing is everything.

Your timing never was that good.

You can say that again.

Look, Rita.

I want my life to change.

I want a second chance.

Then it's up to
you to change it.

See ya.

Yes.

Oh, baby, come to daddy.

You're not really
gonna eat that, are you?

Yeah, you want
some of this, Sam?

Oh, yeah, I'd love to, but
I forgot my stomach pump.

So what's happening with
the attempted kidnapping?

Mrs. Hollinger thought
it was dj Martin.

That's impossible.

He was still in jail.
- I know.

That's what I told her.

Well, you know the old saying...

Even paranoids have enemies.
- Yeah.

I went by the estate earlier.

No sign of forced
entry, but she claims

she had all the doors locked.

So who does that leave us with?

Bud?
- Yeah.

I mean, he had a
key to the place.

He vaguely fits the description.

But why kidnap his stepmother?

I mean, it doesn't make sense.
What does he think?

He can talk her out of a half
million dollars with panty hose

stretched over his face?

Or maybe he takes
the direct approach.

Opportunity knocks
when Royce dies.

He offs Claire, contests
the will, and gets it all.

But why the bungled kidnapping?

I mean, why doesn't
he just k*ll her?

That is a three-point
question for bud.

Good job.

Dj Martin claims
that your stepmother

came onto him that night,
that she was the aggressor?

Claire is a woman who
goes after what she wants,

and she usually gets it,
no matter what it costs

or who she hurts.

Had she had any
other flirtations

that you know about?

I could sling mud
at Claire all night.

Get rather one-note,
don't you think?

Regardless of who or what
she is, my father loved her,

and in the long run,
that's all that mattered.

Game over.

She takes it all.

You account for your
whereabouts today?

All day?

All day.

I needed to think.

I own a small sabot.

A sabot is a...

One-man sailboat.

If you were on it,
you had to be alone.

So did anyone see you
put out or come back in?

I wouldn't know.

Somebody tried to kidnap
Claire hollinger today.

Don't look at me.

Is there anybody who can
verify your whereabouts?

No.

Don't tell me I'm gonna have

to get someone to live with
me just to give me an alibi.

You got a set of keys
to your father's estate?

You mean my stepmother's estate?

Yeah, right here.

Only if I were gonna
do something to her,

it wouldn't be kidnapping.

What would it be?

m*rder?

I didn't say that.

But that's what
you meant, wasn't it?

You k*ll her, then
contest the will.

Interesting theory.

Only I would have k*lled her.

Why?

I don't wanna talk about it.

Why not?

What did she do?

How did she get between
you and your father?

I'm through answering
questions, sergeant.

Should I call my lawyer,
or are you gonna leave now?

Bud, listen to me.

Kidnapping and m*rder
are serious charges,

and if didn't do anything
wrong, then you've

got nothing to worry about.

But unless you can give
us something to go on,

then, I gotta warn you,
things don't look good.

What do you want from me?

The truth.

The truth.

What happened between
you and your father?

She did.

What are you doing?

Playing out a fantasy.

Is it yours too?

Let your imagination wander.

It's ok if you
fantasize about me.

You're meant to
experience it too.

That's the real rush.

This is wrong.

Your father will never know.

And what he doesn't
know can't hurt him.

I wasn't thinking about him.

I'll protect you.

This will be our little secret.

No.

No.

He'll find out.

How can he?

He's not here.

Just this once, baby.

And if you don't like it,
we'll never do it again.

But he's my father.

I mean...

Shh.

Let me do all the work.

We gotta stop this.

Just go with it.

Stop it.

- I like to play rough.
- You bastard!

You get your hands off of her!

You stay away from me!

Royce, you're back.

He att*cked me.
- That's a lie.

Dad, that's a lie.
You don't understand.

That's a lie.
Dad!

Dad!
Stop!

Get outta my house.

No, you don't understand...

The hell I don't.

I want you out, now.

Don't you ever come back.

You hear me?

I'm sorry.

You?

Why should you be sorry?

He's the one who
should be sorry.

He's the one who should've
seen her for what she was.

Sometimes, the
hardest things to see

are those things that
are closest to us.

My father had an ego.

He was never wrong,
always right.

Once he made his mind up,
you can never change it.

But she knew how
to manipulate him.

And she got your share.

Every last cent.

She kept feeding him lies
and distortions about me.

I wrote him letters.

He returned them unopened.

I wanted him to know the truth.

The truth about
her, truth about me.

And now he's dead.

He's dead, and he'll never know.

Are you willing to
give a detailed statement

of everything you just told me?

I smell smoke.

I hope you're not
burning up my kitchen.

This is beautiful.

You really knocked yourself out.

You haven't seen anything yet.

Blackened redfish.

Thing that's great about
it, it's already burned.

Mmm, smells good.

Don't sound so surprised.

Did you bring yourself
any wine or anything?

No.

Just because I'm not drinking
doesn't mean you can't.

Well, you've read
the bumper stickers.

It's ok not to drink.

This really looks wonderful.

Well, let's get to it.

Here you go, have a
little toast first.

What would you like to toast to?

Memories.

Mm.

You're still a great kisser.

So, shall we eat?

I'm starving.

So am I.

Look, we should, um...

Slow down.

But I want you.

I'm not sure if
I want to do this.

But if it feels good, and
nobody gets hurt, why not?

Well, it oughta mean more
than just feeling good.

It should mean something, and...

And it wouldn't.

Now I feel weird, you feel
weird, so what do we do now?

Go to dinner?

I don't know it'd measure
up to that appetizer,

but I think it's fit to eat.

Madame?

Thank you, sir.

Morning.

Morning.

Did you sleep all right?

Like a baby.

I'd wake up every
couple of hours,

think of me out here all alone,
then I cry, I go back to sleep.

Well, I'm gonna go jogging.

You're welcome to come with me
if you think you can keep up.

Keep up?

I will leave you in the dust.

Really?

Yes.

Well, you're on, pal.

Whoa.

Heya, morning, Sam.

Afternoon.
What's with these hours?

You working the
drive-thru, teller?

Since when did I
start reporting to you?

Since right now.

My Rita radar says
that this delinquency

has to do with one dj Martin.

Am I right?

How did you know that?

A little bird told me.

I called your apartment,
he answered the phone.

And while I was on
the phone with him,

I talked to him about getting
a few autographed dj Martin

baseball cards, which I got.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

So what's he doing
at your place?

He's cleaning my kitchen.

Oh, you... you had
him over for breakfast, huh?

Well, actually, it was more
of a substantial meal than that.

It was, uh... thank you.

It was more like dinner.

Dinner?

And he's just now
cleaning the kitchen?

Nothing gets past you, Sam.

And you have a dirty mind.

We talked, period.

Mm-hmm.

That's a conversation I
would've loved to have heard.

What's this I'm hearing
about somebody trying

to kidnap Mrs. Hollinger?

Yeah, that's her story.

We got a line on the perp?

He wore a mask.

She thought it
might be dj Martin.

Yeah, but he was still in jail.

What about the son?
What's his name?

Bud.
He fits the profile.

He even has a set of
keys of the estate.

Why do I sense a
little hesitation here?

Because we went to
go visit him yesterday,

and we learned that Claire
has a thing for stepsons.

Yeah, and the
old man has a thing

about walking in
just when things

are getting hot and sticky.

Sounds like the same timetable
they were under when hollinger

bought it in his driveway.

Yep, exactly.

Certain echoes
certainly do occur.

Huh, Mrs. Hollinger
seems to have a real talent

for getting nailed.

Maybe everything comes
back to Mrs. Hollinger.

I mean, she sets up dj to get
in a fight with hollinger,

but he runs away
before hollinger dies,

so she has to finish
the job herself.

And then when it looks like
we don't have enough to make

a case stick against
dj, she waits

till she thinks
he's been released,

and she fakes a kidnapping.

That's a lot of suppositions.

True.

It's dangerous, but
the good things in life

do require a little industry.

And the good
convictions require proof.

Everything's circumstantial.

So what do we do?

We beat her at her own game.

Bring her in, but make sure
she calls her attorney.

You've got no
reason to arrest her.

You've got bupkis.

This ballplayer kills her
husband, somebody else,

maybe some friend of this
dj what's-his-name attempts

to grab her and scare her.

The bottom line remains...
She didn't do it.

Wrong.

She lured dj Martin into
a compromising position,

knowing full well that her
husband would catch him.

She knew Royce hollinger
had a bum ticker,

and she was hoping that
the fight would k*ll him.

When it didn't, she decided
to finish the job herself.

How are you gonna prove this?

Her stepson's coming forward
to testify that Claire seduced

him the same way she got to dj.

Now patterns of behavior
can be very persuasive.

Hearsay, not admissible.

Her prints are on the bat.

So what?

She was confused.

She picked it up after the fact.

That's what she claims.

But without witnesses,
I say she's lying.

Claire hollinger
willfully, deliberately

m*rder*d her husband,
and that's what

we're going after in court.

What's the offer?

- m*rder two.
- Unacceptable.

You can't prove malice
of forethought, not

in a million years.

The story ends when
dj leaves the scene.

You wanna bet?

Just make sure your
client can afford to lose.

There's no difference between
two seconds and two years.

She planned this m*rder.

You know it, I know
it, and she knows it.

We'll settle for excusable.

Get outta here.

You're offending me.

Involuntary.

She signs off on it right now.

This ain't a car wreck.

A man had his windpipe
crushed with a baseball bat.

I have what I need
to make this case.

Don't push your luck.

Make it voluntary manslaughter.

Deal.

Why don't you go downstairs
and talk to your client?

We can meet in my
office, say, minutes.

Done.

What's with all the
wheeling and dealing, Donovan?

That's what I do.

You guys drag 'em in
here, I close the deal.

You take what you can get,
however you can get it,

and we got nothing
on this crazy broad.

Yeah, but everything
points to her.

Maybe in time,
something will break.

And maybe it won't.

We know she did it,
but without proof, it's

too big a risk to prosecute.

She'll sign off on
voluntary, I go to lunch.

I'm impressed.

Well, you hire a professional,
you get professional results.

Oh, he should've been
a used car salesman.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Mrs.
Hollinger's here to see you.

Send her in.

Mrs. Hollinger.

I take it you've spoken
with your attorney

regarding the plea bargain
we're willing to agree to.

I have.

Where is he?

I fired him.

You what?

When he attempted to persuade
me to accept your offer,

I realized I no longer
needed his services.

You don't have a case.

The hell we don't.

We know what happened.

We're prepared to
prove it if we have to.

You and dj were
caught by surprise.

Dj is forced to defend himself.

He puts up a fight
to save his life.

But dj gets a little
rough with Royce,

and Royce hits the ground.

They struggle for the bat while
you watch from the sidelines.

Dj's a little scared now,
maybe he's gone too far.

He looks around for you, but
you're nowhere to be found.

He's spooked and bails.

You come out of the house,
find Royce alive and breathing,

but unable to defend himself.

Dj is gone.
It's early morning.

Nobody's around.

Perfect opportunity.

So you pick up the bat and
crush your husband's windpipe.

Dj is the pinch hitter,
and you're home free.

Are you done?

I'll tell you when I'm done.

Your plan went sideways
when dj washed clean,

but instead of walking away
from it, you kidnap yourself

so we'll think the
k*ller's still out there.

Greed begets stupidity.

The offer is voluntary
manslaughter.

I suggest you take it.

And I suggest you
prosecute, but you better

make it stick, because when this
is all over, I intend to sue.

You have nothing on me.

Nothing.

I'll see you in court.

- We struck out.
- Wait.

What?

Hey, Mrs. Hollinger.

You may think you're getting
away with this, but you're not.

It'll take us a while, but
we will bring you down.

In your dreams.

Just ask bud, he'll tell you.

Won't you, bud?

Because he knows...

I'm the sole heir, and
there's nothing any of you

can do about it.

Somebody call an ambulance!

You took everything from me.

You k*lled my father.

Who is it?

It's dj.

Hello.

Hi.

I just wanted to drop by and say
goodbye on my way out of town.

Do you wanna come in?

No, no, it's fine.

I really gotta get on the road.

I just wanted to say,
you know, that, uh...

Well, the other night,
it was like old times.

Yeah, it was nice.

But...

But...

- Go ahead.
- No, no, no.

You go first.

I was just gonna say, as
great as it was, you know, we've

both changed a lot, and, uh...

We're not kids anymore.

Yeah.

I guess it's time to move on.

Yeah.

I would be lying if I
didn't tell you that it

made me a little bit sad.

Yeah, me too.

So, ah, next time I'm in
town, may I give you a call?

You better.

You count on it.

Bye.

Bye.