Market Value (2017) - full transcript

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- 54 with some showers

and thunderstorms likely.

Then for the weekend a high of only 56



as we head in for stormy weather.

I'm Alan Stoff, for
Wake Up Chicago weather.

- [TV Traffic Reporter] And now let's have

one last check of traffic with--

(liquid pouring drowns out speaker)

- Thanks--
(carafe drowns out speaker)

Right now we're seeing an accident

on the southbound Tristate

just south of 68th and 70 Road.

We have one lane blocked at the corner

so we're seeing some
slight delays in that area.

- Good morning.
- Morning.

What?

- You were watching Wake
Up Chicago, weren't you?

- Oh, I didn't notice.

I just turned the TV on.

- [Carrie] Mmhmm.

- What's the matter?

- Well it appears my wife
is a morning news adulterer.

- I'm not, it's just the forecast

is more accurate on Channel 14.

- So I guess a little
solidarity is too much to ask?

- It's just the weather.
- Yeah.

Well keep in mind, my ratings
determine my marketability.

And if I can't draw the locals,

how am I supposed to lure the nation?

- The same way you have
for the last 15 years,

with that beautiful smile of yours.

- Well, beautiful smiles are

a dime a dozen in this industry.

A month ago, I had three
national networks scouting me,

and not one of them's expressed interest.

- Not yet, I'm sure you'll
hear something soon.

- Thank you.

- [TV Announcer] Do you suffer
from excessive heartburn,

acid reflux, indigestion--

- You okay?

- Yeah, I'm just a little tired.

- Well why don't you take a few days off?

It'll be good for you.

- I'm all right, it's just some nights

are longer than others.

- Well yeah, you're pulling
10 hour shifts at the hospital

and then you're racing home
to take care of me and Brian

like we're not capable
of fending for ourselves.

- I'm fine, really.

- Look Audrey, I know
how stubborn you can be,

but if the job is
becoming too much for you,

I need you to be rational
enough to let it go, okay?

I made a vow to take care
of you and Brian, remember?

- Of course.

- So let me.

We're in a good place financially.

You don't have to work so hard.

- I love what I do.

It's my profession.

- Of course it is.

I gotta get goin'.

- No wait, let me make you lunch first.

- It's okay, I'll just have
Rosie grab me something, okay?

Hey.

Just take it easy today, okay?

- [Audrey] I will.

- Love you.

- [Audrey] Love you too.

- [Carrie] See you later
this afternoon, sweetheart.

- I hope you're nearly done up there.

(phone ringing)

Hello?

No, I'm just gonna catch up on some sleep.

(gentle music)

What are you doing?

- [TV Reporter] According
to Mount Sinai Hospital--

- Hey, let me call you back.
- Missing child advocate,

Valerie Whitaker has passed away.

Doctors say she died late last night

from heart complications.

You may recall a little over a decade ago

when our network first
brought you coverage

of the young, recovering drug addict.

- I understand that what I
did was selfish, and immoral.

And that nothing in this world can justify

me selling my child to people

in conditions unknown.

My only hope is

that my little boy,

wherever he is,

can find it in his heart
to forgive me. (sobbing)

- [TV Reporter] Following that interview,

Valerie Whitaker set out on
a national media campaign

to find her son.

- Mom?

- Hi.

(sorrowful music)

- You okay?

- Your breakfast is on the table.

Do you want milk or O.J?

- O.J.'s good.

(bookbag thumps)

You sure you're okay?

- [Audrey] Yeah, I'm fine.

I was just watching the news.

- What happened?

(liquid pouring)

- Nothing.

When's your next match?

- The semifinals are Thursday night.

- As in tomorrow night?

- Yeah.

- I thought I told you
to tell me these things

at least a week in advance?

- I thought you knew.

- How would I know if you hadn't told me?

- Mom knew about it.

- Oh, and that's how you
keep me informed these days,

through your mom?

- I just thought maybe you
guys had talked about it.

- Well we haven't.

- So do you have work
tomorrow night or something?

- Yeah, I'm scheduled to.

You need to start telling
me these things sooner.

- Okay.

- I mean it, Brian.

I don't wanna miss another match

because you don't care
enough to tell me in advance.

- All right Mom, geez.

- Sorry.

(door closing)

(crow cawing)

Bye.

(crow cawing)

(door closing)

(sinister music)

(computer keys clicking)

- So your parents put
you out of their home

at the age of 17, with no
other means of support.

Which you've stated, led
to a life of drug abuse,

alcoholism, even prostitution.

But how did you get to the point

of actually selling your newborn child?

- There's no legitimate reason for it.

I was an addict.

(sighs) I lived so recklessly at the time.

My only concern

was my next hit.

I would do anything to get it.

- So several years pass, and
you pay your debt to society.

And now you're referred to

as a crusader for missing children.

What do you make of that?

- [Valerie] I never anticipated

that outpouring of national
support to begin with,

so it all sort of came
as a surprise to me.

- [Reporter] So this isn't
just some sort of ploy

to win the affections of the public?

- Not at all.

The only reason I launched my campaign

was to find my son.

Nothing more.

- So tell me, does it
ever bother you at all?

I can't even imagine
how difficult it must be

to play such a huge role in reuniting

a family with a missing child,

and still have no success
in finding your own.

- (sniffles) Yes.

It is very difficult.

(sniffles)

But I do believe that I will find him.

I have to.

(rock music playing)

(car door slamming)

(woman speaking over loudspeaker)

- (knocks on door) Morning.

- [School Secretary]
Morning, can I help you?

- I'm a private investigator here

to pick up some court ordered documents.

- Do you know who you spoke with?

- Sure.

It's Gloria Patterson.

- Okay, give me a moment please.

Ms. Patterson?

Yeah, there is an investigator here.

All right.

Sure, thanks.

She'll be right with you.

- Eric Reese, I presume?

- [Eric] Yes.

- Can I see some identification please.

Thank you.

He's a brilliant young man,

it's nothing serious, I hope?

(sinister music)

- Thank you.

(woman speaking over loudspeaker)

(phone ringing)

(car horn honking)

(phone ringing)

- Okay, and Tyler's still with you.

Okay, I'll be there in
like 15, 20 minutes.

Okay.

Yeah, okay, okay, I'm on my way now.

- Is everything okay?

- I'm so sorry, my sitter has an emergency

and there was no one else I could call.

- It's okay, I got some shut eye.

- I appreciate it.
- No problem.

Hey, I was gonna ask you, tomorrow night,

Brian has a match--

- No worries, I got it.

- You sure?

- I'll see you on Friday.

- Thank you.

(woman speaking over loudspeaker)

- Do you mind if I sit here?

- Go ahead.

- Thanks.

You know, normally I
don't like hospital food,

but these salads are,

they're okay.

Didn't expect to see you here so early.

- I'm sorry, do I know you?

- Mmm mmm.

We haven't met, I'm Eric.

How are you?

- Audrey.

- I know.

I've learned quite a bit about you.

- Have you?

- Yeah.

And from what I gather,

you're a good person.

But I'm really more concerned
with what people don't know.

- Really, why is that?

- It's just part of the job.

- I see, well I better get back to work.

- I know about Brian.

- Who are you?

- Private investigator.

I was hired by the Whitaker estate to--

- Whitaker, who?

- Valerie Whitaker.

Her family.

- How long have you been following me?

- Just a few days.

Got a call to check out a lead

that another detective
came across in Boston.

- What does this have to do with Brian?

- Brian is Valerie's son.

It's got everything to do with him.

- I've gotta go.

- You know, my job is to provide a client

with information so they can move forward.

Normally, I would never even
be talking to a suspect.

But I'm willing to make a conveyance.

- A conveyance?

- To avoid a hearing.

Otherwise the estate
is gonna press charges.

- I better get back.

- You know, I don't know
whether you heard or not,

but she died, two nights ago.

Reports are sayin' it
was heart complications.

No signs of a relapse.

They're sayin' it was stress
that caused it. (laughs)

Stress.

Of all things.

'Cause from what I heard,

she was one of the
biggest junkies in Boston.

But then (sniffles) I got to thinkin',

after spendin' several
years searching for a kid

who may or may not even be alive,

(gentle music)

it gives you an idea of why her family

might think you were
the cause of her death.

(phone ringing)

(woman speaking over loudspeaker)

- Audrey.

Audrey!

- Yeah.
- You've been here

since this afternoon.

Why don't you go home?

- I'm fine, I'm just--

- Audrey, Audrey.
- a little, little--

- Go home and get some sleep.

We'll be fine.

(woman speaking over loudspeaker)

(sinister music)

(phone beeping)

- Hey sweetheart.

No, not yet.

I know babe, I haven't forgotten.

I just, things got really busy here, and,

babe.

I'm gonna make it up
to the girls tomorrow.

Look, I'm gonna be outta
here in about an hour,

and then I'm gonna come,

hello, Deb?

(sighs)

Shit.

(engine starting)

- Hey.

- Hey.

You're home early.

- Yeah, I covered a
coworker this afternoon,

so my supervisor let me go early.

I got tomorrow night off.

- Cool.

- What are you still doing up?

- I'm just finishing this
paper for History class.

- Anything interesting?

- Not so much interesting
as it is monotonous.

History's always repeating itself.

You okay?

- Yeah.

I'm just proud of you is all.

- Thanks.

(gentle music)

- Well, guess I'm gonna turn in.

I love you so much.

- [Brian] Love you too Mom.

- Don't stay up too late.

- [Brian] I won't.

- 'Night.
- Goodnight.

(sniffling)

(sobbing)

(birds chirping)

- Good morning.
- Morning.

- Did I wake you?

- [Audrey] No, I wish you had though.

- Why, are you scheduled to be
at the hospital this morning?

- [Audrey] No, I got the day off.

- Okay, so what's the rush?

- You know I hate to sleep past seven.

- Yeah, well I figured
you needed some rest.

You seem frazzled, you okay?

- [Audrey] I'm fine.

- What are you doing?

- Getting started on breakfast.

- It's your morning off.

- Tell ya what, sit down, relax.

I'll take care of breakfast.

- Audrey.

- [Brian] Good morning.

- Good morning.
- Morning sweetheart,

breakfast'll be ready in a minute.

- Audrey.

Audrey!
- What, he's gotta eat,

doesn't he?

- Grab your things, I'm
taking you to breakfast.

Come on, let's go.

School's in an hour.

- Bye Mom.

- [Audrey] Bye.

- I don't know what the
hell is bothering you,

but if you decide you wanna talk later,

then give me a call.

(gentle piano music)

(car alarm beeping)

(car door closing)

(car door closing)

(frantic piano music)

(phone beeping)

(sniffles)

- (clears throat) This is Eric.

(sniffles)

Yeah, yeah, sure.

But I'm gonna need a little bit more time.

Well, just a day or two,

'cause I wanna make sure I
got all the info that I ...

Right.

Okay, yeah.

Yeah, I will bring in
everything I have tomorrow.

Sure.

You wanna talk?

- Where were they when she
nearly overdosed that night?

- I don't know.

It doesn't matter at this point.

They're not gonna stop until he turns up.

And the stakes are even higher now

that they have reason to
believe he's still alive.

- So what are my choices?

- Well you can either give up custody

or risk goin' to trial.

- I'm not giving them custody.

I devoted my whole life to raising him.

- And you've done a hell of a job,

but her family couldn't care less.

To them, you're as
guilty for buyin' the kid

as she was for sellin' him,

and any court in the
country's gonna agree.

- Well I'm not interested
in making any arrangements,

and I don't care who these people are.

I'm not handing over my son.

- I hope you realize
how ugly this will get

for you and your family.

(sighs)

(students and teachers chattering quietly)

- Well it's good to see you.

- Okay, see you soon.

Good evening Audrey, how are you?

- Hi, thanks how are you?

- Wonderful, looking
forward to Brian's match.

We're all very proud of him.

- Oh, so are we.

- I'm sure.

Also, I've been meaning to call you.

There's something I'd
like to talk to you about.

Maybe sometime next week?

- Sure, I can give you a call
first thing Monday morning.

- That's perfect.

Best of luck.

- Thank you.

- Hi.

- Good.
- Good.

- Hey.
- Good evening everyone,

and welcome to the CHSC semifinal
regional chess tournament.

The winner of tonight's
match is going to advance

to the championship next month.

(gentle piano music)

Good luck everyone.

- He's quite a tactician.

- What are you doing here?

- I thought you mighta changed your mind.

- Well I haven't, so
please stop following me.

- I'm tryin' to help you, Audrey.

- By tearing my family apart?

- That's the last thing I wanna do,

and you may not believe me,

but I commend you for what you've done.

You took Brian out of a bad situation,

you made a good life for him.

As far as I'm concerned,
you're his mother.

I'm not arguing that.

But you are goin' about
this the wrong way.

He could lose you, forever

if you drag this out any longer.

Look, he's 15 years old.

In three years, he'll be able
to make his own decisions,

the two of you can pick up
right where you left off.

Well look, I gotta submit
my evidence by tomorrow,

so please don't make
this hard on yourself.

- Do you have any kids?

- Two daughters.

- So you know what I'm
willing to sacrifice

to protect my child.

So please leave my family alone.

- Who's that?

- [Audrey] Nobody.

♪ Spring this year ♪

- Were you really that nervous Mom?

- No.

- Your mom was squeezing
my hand like a vise.

- No I wasn't.

Maybe towards the end of the match.

- Mm hmm.

So when did you know you had it?

- The minute we sat down.

- Oh, come on.

- No really.

He was distracted.

I could tell there was
something else on his mind

other than the match.

- So you smelled blood from the beginning?

- Blood, really Carrie?

It's a chess match, not the Crusades.

- No, he said he sensed a
weakness in his opponent

right from the beginning, right?

So that's how you felt, right?

- Honestly, yeah.

- Oh, you are a piece of work.

- That's my boy.

Is Brian still awake?

- No, he just turned in.

- It's kinda early for him, isn't it?

- Well it might have been all that vanity

you served him with
dinner that put him over.

- What can I say, I'm proud of him.

- I am too, but I'd love to leave

a little room for his
ego to grow on its own.

- Well, let him gloat a little bit.

He was amazing tonight.

I tried calling you earlier today.

- I was out most of the day
doing errands and my phone died.

Is everything okay?

- Yeah.

Everything's okay.

You all right?

- Yeah.

I'm sorry about this morning.

- Yeah.

There was something I wanted
to talk to you about though.

- What's that?

- I gotta call from KBC
Network this morning.

They're interested in
bringing me on board.

- [Audrey] Are you serious?

- Yeah, I mean, nothing's definite yet,

and even if something happened,

I'd wanna discuss it as a family first.

- [Audrey] Of course.

When will you find out for certain?

- I'm supposed to fly out to New York

Monday for the interview.

- [Audrey] Oh, that's amazing honey.

I'm so happy for you!

- So I was thinking, it would
great if you came with me.

Just for the day.

You know, we fly out in the morning,

come back the same night.

- Sure.

- [Carrie] Yeah?

- Of course.

- It'd be great.

(lamp switch clicks)

- Morning.

- Good morning.

Oh, I'm sorry I didn't get up

in time to make your breakfast.

- Oh, it's cool.

- Good morning, you.

- [Audrey] Good morning.

- Hey, good morning boy genius.

- [Brian] Morning Mom.

- So listen, I've got a
little extra time before work,

would you like to be
chauffeured to school?

- No thanks, I'm gonna catch up

with some friends on the way.

- As all great men should stay
in touch with the commoners.

- Turn it down some, Mom.

I'm not even the champ yet.

- You are to me, so.

Have a good day.

I love you.

- Love you.

- I love you.
- Love you.

(gentle music)

- What?

(radio playing softly)

♪ You are clearly ♪

♪ You are clearly ♪

♪ You are clearly better ♪

(woman speaking over loudspeaker)

(man breathing heavily)

- [Audrey] Your blood
pressure's pretty high.

Have you taken any medication recently?

- No.

Just my insulin.

- Okay, have you had any
problems breathing at all?

- (exhales loudly) No.

- Okay, the doctor'll be with you shortly.

(phone rings)

Patient's blood pressure
is extremely high.

- I'll go check on him.

In the meantime, there's a young girl

with her foster mother down the hall.

She has a cut on her right
arm that requires stitching.

What concerns me most is that

the cut may not have come

from a bike accident like she says it did.

(woman speaking over loudspeaker)

- Nichelle?

- Yes?

- That's a beautiful name.

- [Nichelle] Thank you.

- So I hear you hurt yourself pretty bad

on your way to school today.

- I fell off my bike.

- I tell her time and
time again to slow down

but she's always in such a hurry.

- Well let me take a look at it sweetie.

Whoops.

(man speaking over loudspeaker)

This is pretty deep.

Was there glass on the sidewalk?

- I don't think so.

- Do you remember scraping your arm

on something sharp before falling?

- She fell off her bike

and scratched her arm on the pavement.

I already told the doctor that.

- I'm sorry Mrs. Brooks,
but this isn't a scratch,

it's a laceration.

- The doctor said he could stitch it up.

- Well we can.

- So why don't you go do that

so that we can get going and
she can get back in school.

- Sure.

Have you ever had stitches before?

- Once.

- Really?

When was that?

- Long before she came to stay with me.

If that's what you're getting at.

- I was just tryin' to
make her feel comfortable.

- I get it.

You think this is just
another abused child

and I'm just another unfit foster mother

who's taking advantage of the system.

Well you're wrong.

I've given my best to this child,

which is a stark difference
from what she's used to.

But you wouldn't know anything
about that, would you?

This is ridiculous, I'm gonna,

where's a doctor?

- Nichelle, I want you
to tell me the truth,

and I promise you won't get into trouble.

What happened to your arm?

This didn't come from a fall, did it?

Did she hurt you?

Believe me, I know you don't
wanna go back to a home,

but you don't deserve this kind of abuse.

- She's trying to accuse
me of hurting my child.

- I only asked because we have reason

to believe that her
laceration came from a blade.

- A blade, you think I
cut my child with a blade?

- I don't know.

- You're just eager to put

another black child in the system.

- I assure you Miss Brooks,
that's not the case.

Like she said, the laceration on her arm

does not look like it was caused
by her falling from a bike.

- Well if you don't
believe me, then ask her.

Now go on, ask her!

- Nichelle, is there
anything you wanna tell us?

- Don't be scared, honey.

- No.

- Okay, well let's get you all stitched up

so you can be on your way.

(woman speaking over loudspeaker)

- Blood pressure was a little
high, prone to medications.

- Yes, I need to speak to someone

from Child Protective Services.

- [Dr. Trotter] I just need
to stitch her up first!

- We don't have time to sit around here.

- [Dr. Trotter] But if
we don't close the wound,

it's likely to get infected.
- Doctor Barnell,

Doctor Barnell to Radiology.

- And coming up a little bit later,

we'll have a full weekend
wrap up on the Cubs games

as well as what's gonna happen

with the Blackhawks this season.

- It's been exciting.

I love October baseball,

and you know they're my favorite team.

- Well hopefully this is the
year for the World Series.

- And here's a brief
look at today's forecast.

Robert?

- Good morning!

Today is gonna be a nice one.

Sunny, with a high of 76 degrees.

And I'll have your weekend temperatures

later on in the forecast.

- Thank you Robert.

As the Occupy Wall
Street protests continue

to expand throughout the country,

city officials are looking for ways

to disperse the massive crowds

without violating civil rights.

Good job, thanks.

- [Camera Man] Good work.

- Guys, thank you.

- [Camera Man] Great job Carrie.

- Hey.
- Hey.

- Any calls?

- Your agent called twice.

She said it's important
you get back to her.

- I'll call her.

- Okay, no problem.
- Excuse me,

Carrie Stewart?

- Yeah.

- Hi, I'm Eric Reese, I'm an investigator.

I was hoping there was
someplace we could sit and talk.

- You're the man who was at my
son's chess match last night.

- Yeah, yeah, I was there.

- What's this about?

- It's about your spouse.

(woman speaking over loudspeaker)

- I know you're not still mopin'

over what happened this morning.

We've seen a lot worse.

- I just don't understand
why they never speak up.

- You've been around long enough

to know how flawed the system is.

And for children who've been shipped

from place to place like she has,

it means a lot to be spoken for.

No matter how much she
has to suffer for it.

- [Woman Speaking Over
Loudspeaker] Doctor Barnell

to Radiology, Doctor Barnell to Radiology.

(somber music)

(sorrowful piano music)

(zipper zipping)

- Hey.

What's goin' on?

- That PI who you spoke to last night

came to see me at the station today.

Do you know what he told me?

He told me that my wife
illegally purchased

our son from his drug-addicted mother.

- It's more complicated than that, Carrie.

- I wanna know the truth!

- I didn't intend for
things to turn out this way.

I just wanted to protect him,

and that's the only way I knew how.

- What the hell were you thinking?

That woman spent the past nine years

of her life searching for a child

that you've been secretly
harboring in our home.

- Harboring?

Harboring, is that what
you think I've been doing

for the last 15 years, harboring him?

She was a junkie, Carrie.

She would've sold him to
anyone for her next fix.

- She sold him to you.

Now her family's mad as shit
that you never came forward.

- I swear I didn't know she was looking

for him til the other day.

(zipper zipping)

- That's not good enough.

Why didn't you tell me about
this from the beginning?

You never gave me a choice.

Did you even think about how
this was gonna affect me?

My career?

It's gonna destroy us.

- I'm sorry.
- Don't fucking touch me.

- [Brian] Morning.

- Morning.

- Is Mom still asleep?

- No.

She left.

- Left where?

Mom?

- I haven't been honest with your mother,

or with you.

- Everything looks good.

This will certainly make the
Whitaker family very happy.

- As for the kid, I'd recommend

that he stay in the Stewart home

while this gets sorted out.

This is gonna be hard enough
for him when this goes public.

- That all?

- Yeah.

- Before you go, is there anything else?

Maybe some undocumented information

that could help us with our client's case?

- No.

It's all there.

- Yeah.

As always, great work.

We'll be in touch.

(somber music)

- Fuck!

- (sobbing) I'm so sorry, Brian.

(sobbing) I'm so sorry.

- I just got a call from Chicago.

They found him.

And he's alive and well.

- Oh!

(sobbing)

(dog barking)

- You okay?

- I'm fine.

- Do you wanna talk about it?

Her?

- She was only 34 years old.

- I know.

She was just a kid when she had you.

- And no idea who my father was.

Coulda been any one of those
creeps she was screwing.

- Brian.

- What?

I always knew I was adopted.

Just never cared to know
the details behind it.

- And I was hoping you never would.

- I know she was an addict.

But I wonder if she ever felt

like she was making the
best decision for me.

You think?
(dog barking)

- I can't say.

- So what happens now?

- I don't know.

(sorrowful music)

(car horn honking)

- Hello.
- Hi.

- Where to?

- O'Hare please.

- Okay, thank you.

- Thank you.

(engine revving)

(car beeping)

- Brian, are you home?

- [Brian] In my bedroom.

- How was school?

- It was all right.

- I'm gonna get started on dinner.

- I talked to Mom earlier.

- How is she?

- She said the interview went real well.

You should give her a call.

(doorbell rings)

- I'll get it.

Can I help you?

- [Detective] Good afternoon ma'am,

is your name Audrey Stewart?

- Yes.

- I need you to step outside.

You're under arrest for illegal adoption.

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can
(handcuffs clicking)

and will be used against
you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney.

(handcuffs clicking)
If you cannot afford one, one

will be appointed for you.
(handcuffs clicking)

Do you understand?

(dramatic music)

- [Brian] Mom!

- It's okay.

- Against the wall.

(camera clicking)

Turn your head to the right.

(camera clicking)

Turn your head to the left.

(camera clicking)

I need both of your thumbs,

place it on top of the screen.

(machine beeping)

Now your four fingers on both hands.

Place 'em there on the screen.

(machine beeping)

Okay, now just your right hand.

(machine beeping)

(door buzzing and clicking)

(handcuffs clicking)

(door slamming)

(people chattering quietly)

- [Courtroom Secretary]
Mm hmm, here you go now.

- Case number 75314 U.S. District Court

of Massachusetts versus Stewart.

(handcuffs clanging)

(people chattering quietly)

Case number 75314 U.S. District Court

of Massachusetts versus Stewart.

Ms. Stewart, is your attorney present?

- I am, Your Honor.

- And does your client understand

that she's being charged with
one count of illegal adoption,

and one count of child abduction?

- Yes, she does, Your Honor.

- [Judge] And how do you plea?

- Not guilty, Your Honor.

- Very well.

Your hearing will take place

in the Federal District
Court of Massachusetts,

two months from tomorrow.

Bond is set in the amount of $500,000.

If in fact, you do decide to post bail,

you are prohibited by
law to travel outside

the state of Illinois.

This interdiction will be lifted

one week prior to your trial

to allow you enough time to transition

to the state of Massachusetts.

In which your attorney must notify

the court before making any arrangements.

Do you understand?

- Yes, Your Honor.

- [Judge] Next case, State
of Illinois versus Hernandez.

(somber music)
(people chattering quietly)

(keys jangling)

(silverware clanging)

♪ Rescued from that image
by a passing ambulance ♪

♪ The skyline starts to hedge
a neckline of decadence ♪

♪ She's at home now ♪
(silverware clanging)

♪ With the stars, sirens
and their drivers ♪

♪ The fog now ♪

- What are you doin'?

- Studying.

- Can I come in?

- [Audrey] We have the
court-ordered DNA testing tomorrow.

- I know, Mom told me.

- I'm sorry.

- No big deal, it's just a swab.

So what was it like spending
the night in the slammer?

- (snickers) Awful.

But to tell you the truth,

it's not the first time
I've been in holding.

- What'd you do?

- (laughs) Well some
friends and I got in trouble

for vandalizing school property.

This feminist speaker came to campus,

and one of the sororities didn't approve,

so they had her banned.

- So you guys trashed their nest?

- It was more like we
tried to burn it down.

- You burned down their house?

- (laughs) No, just the shrubbery.

The fire department got to
it before it could spread.

It was a huge mistake,
nothing I'm proud of.

- So are you worried about the hearing?

- No.

I don't want you to worry about it either.

You have a lot of other
things to focus on.

And we wouldn't want your opponent

to think that you're distracted.

- Mom's pretty pissed at you.

- She has every right to be.

So do you.

I love you.

See ya in the morning.

- Good night.
- Night.

(gentle music)

I'm just getting some
linen for the guest room.

Hey.

- Hey.

I don't know what'll happen between us

when this is all settled, but ...

There's too much at stake to
let you go through this alone,

so you've got my support
for the time being.

I'll do what I can to help,

but that's all I can give you.

- [Audrey] Morning.

- You ready to go?

- I'm not scheduled to
meet Aaron until noon.

- I think it's best if we went in

a different direction for this one.

- [Audrey] But he's our attorney.

- Just trust me.

- [Blythe] You know we love you,

but Neal, I can't keep covering

your end of the timeshare.

That shit's gettin' too expensive.

- [Neal] I know, it's just that

alimony's kicking my ass right now.

- [Blythe] Yeah, well alimony
is a huge bitch to feed.

I'm no stranger to it.

My first husband was a struggling
artist, if you remember.

- I do.
- Now keep in mind,

I led the litter too, so.

- [Neal] I hear ya loud and clear, Blythe.

I'll give you a call next week.

- You do that.

And take care.

Carrie, it's been years!
(phone rings)

How ya been?

- Good.

- [Blythe] (laughs) You look it!

- Thanks.

- So what are you doing here?

Aren't you usually on
the air about this time?

- Yeah, I took the morning off.

- Everything okay?

- Yeah, Blythe, this is my wife, Audrey.

- It's nice to meet you Audrey.

- [Audrey] Nice to meet you.

- Why don't you two come
on back to my office.

That's, (sighs) it's quite a story.

Extremely complicated, it is.

And you're not speaking
theoretically, I assume.

You literally purchased
another woman's child.

- She rescued him.

- Right.

See, here's the thing.

Even with the mother's consent,

it would be difficult to convince

a jury that you rescued him,

considering you didn't turn him over

to Child Services to begin with.

Every bit of evidence points
in favor of the prosecution.

I don't even know what the purpose

of a hearing would be in a case like this.

Wouldn't last more than
two or three hours,

deliberations and all.

- So you're saying we
don't stand a chance?

- In hell.

I mean, any reputable law firm

would be leery of a case like this.

You need a damn good one to represent you.

I think you're better off
settling for a plea bargain.

That is, if the prosecution
is charitable enough

to extend you one.

- A plea bargain?

That's the advice you have for me?

- It's complicated, Audrey.

- I understand that, but it's
a lot more complicated for me.

My family is at stake.

I could lose my son.

- Well technically, he isn't your son.

See, that's what makes your attempt

to hold onto him legally impossible.

Do you even know who
or where the father is?

He'd be next of kin,

so by law, he'd be
Brian's rightful guardian.

- I mean, it could be any number of men.

- Yeah, possibly.

But I don't think you can fight this one.

So my advice is to go home,

explain everything to the kid,

and send him to his
grandparents in Boston.

And hope for leniency when the
judge decides your sentence.

Please tell me you didn't know anything

about this before you married her?

All things considered,
your legal guardianship

is null and void as well.

- So what am I supposed to do now?

I mean, I spent the last
10 years raising him.

I can't afford for her
to lose the case either.

- I'm sorry, I really am.

But there's nothing I can do.

I know I've developed a
rather incautious reputation

throughout my career, but even I like

to win from time to time.

Nothing personal.

- Right.

(door slamming)

(somber music)

(Audrey sniffling)

I thought she'd be able to help us.

I'm sorry.

We'll find good
representation though, okay?

I promise.

Mm hmm.

Yeah well with Blythe's
appeal, they don't have time.

Yeah sure, honesty?

Okay, thanks Rosie.

This one might be worth a try.

He was a former supervisor
at the U.S. Attorneys Office

and specializes in cases like this.

- We're hard to call.

- Food come yet?

- No, but it should be here soon.

(refrigerator door slamming)

- Another voicemail.

Hi, this is Carrie Stewart.

I'd like to schedule a consultation

some time this week if possible.

Please call me at 312-

(doorbell rings)
555-7328.

Thanks.

(doorbell rings)

I thought you were starving.

- Hey, so if I take on your case,

I'll have to petition the court

to represent you pro hac vice,

since the hearing takes
place out of state.

However, the court has complete discretion

to grant permission or deny it,

but I'm confident they'll permit it.

You being the client, of
course will be responsible

for all additional costs in the case.

That'd be my travel expenses,
lodging expenses, et cetera.

Can I come in?

- Yeah.
(gentle music)

Hey, listen, I'm really sorry

about being so harsh earlier.

It was extremely rude of me,

but if you're still
interested in my services,

I would be more than
happy to represent you.

- Absolutely.

- [Blythe] But let me warn you,

this is gonna be a tough one.

- [Audrey] I know.

- So get started tomorrow morning,

in my office, 10:00 a.m?

- I'll be there.

- Is this the food?

Oh, hi.

- Hello.

And you are?

- Brian.

- So you're what all
the fuss is about, huh?

- No, I'm just hungry.

(Blythe laughs)

- See you tomorrow.

- Bye.
- Bye.

(gentle music)

- So that pretty much sums up

the questions I'll be asking you, okay?

But then the prosecution is
gonna get a little uglier, okay?

So we're gonna go through some of

the questions they might ask you.

First of all, state
your name for the court.

- [Brian] Brian Stewart.

- And how old are you, Brian?

- 15.

- Nice.

What are your parent's names?

- Audrey and Carrie.

- Audrey and Carrie, Audrey
and Carrie, Audrey and Carrie.

Now those are both female
names, aren't they?

- Yes.
- Ahh.

So you don't have a father?

- No I do not.

- [Blythe] No, no father.

Have you ever wondered why
you don't have a father?

- No.

- [Blythe] What has your mother told you

about your father and your mother?

- Not much, I didn't want to know.

- [Blythe] You didn't want to know.

Well has your mother
ever told you anything

about your birth mother?

(gentle music)

- So how's the family?

- Good.

My husband just retired,

my son's finally settling down.

He and Joyce Pollock are

gonna be tying the knot next summer.

- Ah, congratulations mother-in-law to-be.

- Congratulations.

- [Blythe] Thank you.

- Wow, Joyce Pollock, I don't think

I've seen her since she was teenager.

- Well she grew up to
be a fine young woman.

A lot less frumpy than
her mother. (laughs)

I mean, she's no fashion mogul,

but at least she knows how
to dress herself. (laughs)

♪ The grass looks greener ♪

- You know, I never thought to ask,

but how do you two know each other?

♪ See and believe in
love's just undeceivin' ♪

♪ Don't be takin ♪

- Well come on, I'm a big girl.

- You honestly wanna know?

- I do.

- Please don't.

- I wanna know.

- Carrie, your wife would like to know

the dynamics of our relationship.

- Fine, Blythe was my
mentor throughout college.

- That's it?

- It's true.

However, it's a long story
as to how that came to be,

considering that I was
her father's mistress

for several years before that. (laughs)

- Get outta here! (laughs)

- I'm serious, as God as my witness,

I fucked that old man
through my entire undergrad.

Shamelessly, I might add.

Professor Stewart was a
very handsome man back then.

- Wow.

- Wow.

- You never know. (laughs)

- Thank you so much for coming by.

- Oh, it was absolutely my pleasure.

And you sir, are a class act.

- Thanks.

Carrie, you still upset with me?

- [Carrie] Yeah, go to hell, Blythe.

- Well. (laughs)

I'll see ya later in the morning.

- Okay.

Get home safe.

- [Blythe] Thank you,
thanks for everything.

- Yep.

Good night.
- Bye bye.

(people chattering)

(reporters yelling)
(cameras clicking)

- First and foremost, my family would like

to thank all those who supported Valerie

in her pursuit to find her son.

And although she did not
live to see that day,

our family remained hopeful

and vowed to see to it that
her work was not in vain.

And now I'm happy to say that

that day of redemption has finally come.

As we were recently
informed by our attorneys

that after 12 years of searching,

Valerie's son, our
grandson, has been found.

(reporters yelling)

I am not at liberty
(cameras clicking)

to discuss his whereabouts,

but can assure you we are
doing everything we can

to bring him home where he belongs.

Thank you.
- Mr Whitaker--

(reporters yelling)
- I have no more questions.

Thank you very much.

(gentle music)

(water running)

- [Brian] Mom!

- My family would like to thank

all those who supported Valerie

in her pursuit to find her son.

And although she did not
live to see that day,

our family remained hopeful
and vowed to see to it

that her work was not in vain.

And now I'm happy to say that

that day of redemption has finally come.

As we were recently informed--
- Shit

- [John] By our attorneys that
after 12 years of searching--

- [Carrie] The Press is outside.

- [John] Valerie's son,

our grandson, has been found.

(reporters yelling)

(phone ringing)

- Well what did you expect
would happen Audrey?

Her father's a former Chief Justice,

she's a national headliner.

This isn't the crackwhore
you treated 15 years ago.

She's the fucking Mother
Teresa of missing children.

And quite frankly, she's more dangerous

to us dead than alive.

Well the prosecution
is clearly responsible

for the media frenzy
in front of your home.

The fact that you're
married to a local celebrity

only heightens the tension.

- So what are we supposed to do?

- There's nothing you can do.

Go home.

Get some rest.

Then prepare for the ugliest battle

you'll ever face in your life.

(somber music)

And make no mistake Audrey,

they intend to make an example out of you.

- Shit.

Carrie?

Hey.

- The station put me on mandatory leave.

(sobbing)

(phone dings)

(knocking)

- Cynthia!

Excuse me!

(phone ringing)

- Hello?

- [Blythe] Hey Carrie, I
can't get ahold of Audrey.

She around?

- No, she's out.

- Well listen, I need
to leave immediately.

- [Carrie] Leave where?

- For Boston, tonight if possible.

- Tonight, well the hearing's
not for another month.

- [Blythe] Look, I came
across some information

that I think is going to
be very helpful to us.

But I need to leave right away.

- What do you need?

Uh huh.

Mm hmm.

Are you sure?

Okay.

I'll make the travel
arrangements and send 'em over.

- All right, good, good.

Oh, and I'm gonna need a swab from Brian.

I'll send details on where to
go as soon as I get to Boston.

Bye.

- Is everything okay?

(waves gently lapping)

(sniffles)

(sniffles)

(inhaling and exhaling deeply)

(people talking quietly)

- All rise.

The U.S. District Court is now in session.

Judge Pilsen presiding.

Please be seated.

- 16 years ago a child,

my client's newborn grandson,

was illegally purchased by the defendant.

And even though the child's
mother willingly sold him,

this transaction was completely unlawful.

So you ask, how is it even possible

that the defendant could function

as this child's caretaker
for so many years?

And the answer is forgery.

And we will provide
irrefutable evidence proving

that legal adoption forms

were indeed forged by the defendant,

which allowed her to function

as the child's legal guardian
for the past 15 years.

Now throughout this hearing,

you'll probably hear stories

of Valerie Whitaker's drug abuse

and other habits which
may have discredited

her ability to be a good parent.

But keep in mind this woman,

who we all know now as
a national spokesperson

for missing children
rehabilitated her life,

paid her debt to society,

and set out to find her son.

It was the defendant who withheld,

not the privilege, but the legal right

to reunite Valerie with her son.

And this hearing has
absolutely nothing to do

with the defendants inability
to care for this young man.

No.

No, we are here today to bring restoration

to the Whitaker family.

- Ladies and gentlemen of the jury.

As the prosecution just stated

in his rather lengthy soliloquy,

my client did indeed
purchase the newborn child

belonging to Valerie Whitaker.

But ironically, it turned
out to be for his own good.

Sounds ridiculous, I know.

But my client, Audrey Stewart,

wanted to provide this
child with a better life

than his drug-addicted mother could.

And she did.

A very good life, in fact.

And no one could have predicted this,

not even the great
Valerie Whitaker herself,

considering that the
transaction was anonymous.

That's right,

Valerie Whitaker had no idea

who she was selling her baby to.

Coulda been a pedophile for all she knew.

Luckily, it was my client

who took that child in
and loved him as her own.

- After you were hired for this case,

where did your investigation begin?

- At St. Gregory Hospital.

It was the last place
Valerie had been seen

before she returned home a year later.

- And what sort of information
did you come across there?

- Nothing really.

The staff had changed significantly,

so at that point, I had to rely heavily

on the hospital's records for
the information that I needed.

- Was that helpful to you?

- Not at the beginning.

A lot of the records were rearranged

and some of them appeared to be missing.

- [Richard] Missing, you say.

- That's correct.

- So what did you do then?

- I investigated the
hospital for another week,

and then Valerie requested that I help her

with a couple of other
investigators on another case.

- Why was that?

- Her campaign started
receiving the attention

of a lot of others with
similar situations.

Nothing quite like hers,

but similar in that they were
missing children as well.

- And within those nine
years through her campaign,

how many families were reunited
with their missing children?

- [Matt] Seven.

- Seven, that's remarkable.

- Yes it is.

I'm damn proud to be a part of it.

- You should be.

So what caused you to
reevaluate Valerie's case?

- I started to feel guilty.

All of us did, because
we were helpin' others

find their missin' loved ones,

and Valerie's son was
still out there somewhere.

- Was she ever bitter about that?

- No, she was always callin' the shots.

She often talked about how it was

a rewarding experience for her.

I think she felt indebted
to her supporters.

I made it a priority though

to see to it that it
was just as fulfilling

for her as it was for everyone else.

- So that's when you decided
to return to the hospital

and continue your investigation?

- Yeah.

I was givin' the records
another look-through,

and I realized that of all
the staff that had moved on,

the defendant was the
only one that relocated.

So I discovered her whereabouts,

and that's when we reached
out to our contact in Chicago.

- Thank you Mr. Collins.

No further questions Your Honor.

- Mr. Collins,

for a minute there I thought
your statement was reputable.

In fact, you nearly
escaped cross-examination.

But then, you mentioned

that in your first investigation
at St. Gregory's Hospital,

there were documents that had been

rearranged or misplaced, correct?

- Correct.

- But I'm pretty sure that I possess

the same hospital records
that you investigated.

Am I right?

- I'm sure you do.

- So do you think the prosecution

would send me faulty documents?

- Of course not.

- Well the hospital records that I possess

are pretty consistent
for the last 20 years.

- So? (chuckles)

what's the problem?

- The problem is that the jury

is hanging on your every word.

And you're making cryptic statements

that incriminate my
client when you suggest

that files have been
rearranged or misplaced.

You made the impression that my client

may have been responsible.

- I never said that.

It coulda been a hospital
error for all I know.

- Then let the record show that my client

had nothing to do with the rearrangement

or misplacement of hospital documents.

But as Mr. Collins just implied,

it was due to the negligence
of St. Gregory Hospital,

and see if that doesn't get
ya a defamation lawsuit.

- Objection, Your Honor.

She's embellishing my witness's statement.

- Sustained.

Cut it out, Counselor.

And let the record show

that nothing in the witness's statement

is denigrating to St. Gregory Hospital.

- No further questions, Your Honor.

- Any further questions for
this witness, Counselor?

- No further questions, Your Honor.

- Then we'll break for recess.

This hearing will proceed in one hour.

(gavel banging)

- Mom!

- [Audrey] Hey sweetie.

- Hi.
- Hi.

- How you holdin' up in there?

- Fine.

- Hey guys.
(phone rings)

- Hi.

- Oh, I need to take this.

I'll see you in an hour.

- [Audrey] Okay.

- Do you wanna grab lunch?

- [Audrey] I don't have
much of an appetite.

Why don't you guys grab lunch without me.

- You sure?
- Yeah, I'll grab

something later.

I'm fine.

- [Carrie] See you soon.

- [Audrey] Okay.

- Bye.

- [Audrey] Bye.

- And how long was it before you realized

that the signatures on the
adoption forms were inauthentic?

- Right away.

The signature that Valerie used
to sign all of her documents

was different from the
signature on the adoption forms.

- How different?

- Significantly.

The defendant signed Valerie's full name

on the adoption forms,

but Valerie normally just
signed her name as V Whit.

- How did you confirm this?

- Several signatures from Valerie,

including the signature on
the adoption forms were sent

to a local forensic document
examiner for analysis.

- Which proved that the
signatures on those adoption forms

were indeed fraudulent, is that correct?

- That's correct.

- Thank you Mr. Reese.

No further questions, Your Honor.

- I've always heard that
private investigators

have the keenest sense
of guilt and innocence

when they do the bidding of
their employers, regardless.

But they always seem to know the truth.

- Most of the time.

- And in the seven years

that you've worked with
the U.S. Attorneys Office,

have you ever disagreed
with an assignment?

- None that I can recall.

- And how many assignments would you say

they've given you since working with them?

- I don't know,

12 or 10 I guess.

- And with what I've
read from your records,

you've always recorded the conversations

you have with the suspect, correct?

- The ones that I've talked to, yeah.

- And how many conversations did you have

with my client, Mr. Reese?

- Three.

- [Blythe] And why didn't you
record those conversations?

- [Eric] It was at my
discretion, and I chose not to.

- Fair enough.

But you also had a conversation
with my client's wife.

What was said in that conversation,

which you also failed to record?

- I tried to convince Carrie Stewart

to surrender Brian to the Whitaker estate.

- To which she told you
to go to hell, I assume.

- Something like that.

- Did you not tell my client

that if she were willing to
surrender her parental rights,

she could avoid a setting like this one?

- I did.

- But you're not in a position
to promise such a thing,

are you Mr. Reese?

- No.

- But in your undocumented
conversations with my client,

you certainly seemed to favor

my client over your assignment.

On the evening of September 23rd,

you told my client, and I quote,

"You took a child out of a bad situation

"and provided a better life for him.

"You're his mother, as
far as I'm concerned."

Did you not say those words, Mr. Reese?

Keep in mind, you're
under oath, Mr. Reese.

- I did.

- And isn't that contrary to
what your employer believes?

- Yes.

- So then it would probably be safe to say

you don't always agree
with the assignments

given you by the U.S. Attorneys Office.

- Correct.

- Thank you.

No further questions, Your Honor.

- And Valerie felt like she was

finally making a positive
contribution to the world.

- And you were very proud of her.

After all she had accomplished
for the past 12 years.

- Absolutely.

My only wish is that she were here

to witness the discovery of her son.

- Thank you Mr. Whitaker.

No further questions, Your Honor.

- Mr. Whitaker.

Please forgive me, but
my feet are killing me.

- Whatever makes you
comfortable, Counselor.

- Thank you.

So after nine years,
you finally found him.

What took so long?

- Your client remained anonymous.

So we had no trail, no names,

nothing to even begin on.

He could've been
anywhere, for all we knew.

And after a few years of
running around in circles,

Valerie started to lose hope.

That's when she turned her
attention to helping others.

- That's admirable.

- My daughter desperately tried

to make up for what she'd done.

- Sure.

So when Valerie came home
after serving time in prison,

what was it that caused
you to take her back in?

- She expressed how sorry she was,

and her willingness to
change for the better.

So my wife and I decided
to support her endeavors

to campaign, in particular.

- Were there any
conditions to your support?

Like there were when you threw her

out of your home years earlier?

- Nothing inordinate.

But she had to abstain from drug use

and adhere to the rules of our home.

- But now I'm a little
confused on that, Mr. Whitaker.

Forgive me, but can you tell me

what it was that Valerie actually did

at the age of 17 that caused you

to put her out of your home?

- That was nearly 20 years ago.

I don't remember.

- You make your only child leave

the comfort of her own home,

and you don't remember
what she did to deserve it?

- Let's just say that Valerie had issues

long before they became public.

- God forbid any 17 year
old girl have issues.

- Objection.

Your Honor, I don't see what any of this

has to do with the case?

- Overruled.

State your point, Counselor.

- I guess my concern is

is you intend to seek custody
of my client's son, correct?

- We intend to seek
custody of our grandson.

That is correct.

- And if by some random act of God,

you were given custody of Brian Stewart,

how do I know you wouldn't
throw him outta your home

onto the street like you
did your own daughter?

- My family's disciplinary methods

are not on the stand, Counselor,

and neither, for that matter, is Valerie.

Now my wife and I are here for one reason

and one reason alone and that is to repair

a broken relationship that
we had no hand in destroying.

Now my daughter started this campaign

in the hope that one day, she
would reunite with her son

and by God, even in her
absence, we intend to finish it.

(melancholy music)

- Just watch your step.

Whatever you do, just keep moving.

Don't talk to anyone.

- Brace yourselves.

- Back away from here.
- There's Brian!

Hi Brian!
(reporters yelling)

- How long was I out?

- About three hours, ya hungry?

You haven't eaten all day, are you sure?

What's wrong?

- I've never seen Brian
that scared before.

- He was surprised, and I,

we all were at the size of the crowd

outside that courthouse, you know?

- But I'm responsible for it.

So I've been thinking,

it might be best if you
and Brian went back home.

- We're potential witnesses.

And you know Brian can't leave

the state until after the hearing.

- If we win, otherwise
he's not going anywhere.

I just, I just don't know anymore.

I just don't know, maybe
it was all a mistake.

I mean--
- Shh.

(Audrey sobbing)
Just calm down, okay?

You're overwhelmed.

It's gonna be all right.

- How could I know

that I did the right thing for Brian?

- Because he's loved,

so deeply by both of us.

- I don't wanna lose him, Carrie.

- Neither do I hun.

- That's all right?
- Yeah.

- Should we get pizza again?

(door clicking)
- Hey.

There's been a slight change in plans.

- How?

- Well the prosecution doesn't wanna drag

this thing out any
longer than they have to,

and they've presented enough evidence

to wrap things up today.

So Carrie doesn't have to testify.

However, they wanna cross-examine Brian.

- Why?

- I don't know, to find any
kinks in your parenting skills,

anything that proves you're unfit.

- Well I don't think he's ready.

- I don't think we have much of a choice.

Whether he goes up or not,

your future is being determined today.

- Mom,

we prepared for this.

I'm all right, really.

- I'll see you at the
table in half an hour.

You sir, come with me.

(door clicks)
- He'll be fine.

- You okay up there?

- [Brian] Yes.

- Good.

Obviously you know why you're here today.

- Yes.

- So why don't you start by telling us

a little bit about your mother.

Is she good at being a
mother, to start with?

- Yeah, she's great at it.

- How so?

- The fact that she takes
so much pride in it,

and I know that there isn't
anything she wouldn't do for me.

Plus she's a little more
intense that other moms I know,

so that makes things interesting.

- How do you mean?

- Well she is really
supportive, like extremely.

She has to be involved in everything I do,

which is all right I guess.

But sometimes I prefer she not be.

- Sounds like a typical
plea of a teenager.

So other than being a highly
involved, devoted parent,

she's pretty great at what she does.

- [Brian] Absolutely.

- When did she tell you
about Valerie Whitaker?

- It was about two months ago.

One morning I noticed she had been crying,

so I asked what was wrong.

That's when she explained everything.

- And how did that make you feel?

- I was kinda angry at first,

but then I started to
understand why she did it.

- And today, how do you
feel about what she did?

- I'm grateful for it.

- No further questions, Your Honor.

- Before the morning when you learned

you had been purchased by the defendant,

have you ever heard of Valerie Whitaker?

- No sir.

- In 15 years, did you
ever ask the defendant

about your biological parents?

- No sir.

- [Richard] Why not?

- I just never really thought about it.

- But surely, there must
have been a conversation

with the defendant about how
she became your guardian?

- Sure.

When she told me I was adopted.

- So you never desired to know more

about your biological parents.

- No sir.

- When you learned about
your biological mother,

did you do any research on your own?

- Some, over the internet.

- What did you come across?

- Mostly television interviews

and articles about her campaign.

- And you do realize, her campaign

was established to find you.

- I guess.

- In fact, your
grandparents spent a fortune

trying to hire people--
- Objection, Your Honor.

The Whitaker's campaign expenses

have no bearing on this case.

- [Judge] Sustained.

Keep it relevant, Counselor.

- Yes, Your Honor.

Now you talked about these
video interviews you looked at.

Did you notice the resemblance
between the two of you?

- No sir, I never really noticed.

- Well you do favor her a great deal.

And it's unfortunate you only learned

about her brief stint of drug abuse.

Aside from that, she was
a very intelligent woman.

In fact, she excelled
academically, just like yourself.

Did you know that?

- No sir.

- Yet you have the confidence to say

your life was better off without her.

- I didn't say that.

- Didn't you just tell
us you were grateful

to the defendant for abducting you?

- [Blythe] Objection, Your Honor.

- I'll rephrase the question.

Didn't you just tell us

that you were grateful to the defendant

for what she had done?

- Yes sir.

- You do realize that you
were a part of a transaction,

meaning that the defendant purchased you

like a product in a convenience store--

- Objection, Your Honor.

- [Judge] Overruled.

Answer the question please.

- I guess.

- So even though you never knew

your biological mother at all,

you still have the confidence to say

your life was better
off with the defendant?

- I'm not sure.

- No?

But you just led us to believe

that everything was perfect, right?

I mean, I find it a little strange

that the defendant didn't tell you

about all this until recently.

The way you've described
her, she sounds honest,

forthright, that is
your impression of her,

is it not?

- Yes sir.

- So why do you think she would wait

until the situation became inescapable

before ever revealing the truth?

Could it be she's been hiding
something from you all along?

- Objection, Your Honor.

The prosecution is leading the witness.

- [Judge] Sustained.

You need to rephrase, Counselor.

- Yes, Your Honor.

Doesn't it bother you at all

that the defendant forged
your mother's signature

on those adoption forms?

- Objection, Your Honor.

He's badgering the witness.

Fucking asshole.

- Counselor, approach the bench.

You are walking a very fine line.

One more outburst like that,

and I will hold you in contempt.

Do I make myself perfectly clear?

- Yes, Your Honor.

- You may proceed, Counselor.

- No further questions, Your Honor.

(somber music)

- You may step down.

- Follow me.

- [Judge] Counselor.

- I'd like to call Audrey
Stewart to the stand.

- And please remain standing.

Raise your right hand.

Do you solemnly swear the testimony

you're about to give in
this court now on trial

will be the truth, the whole truth,

and nothing but the
truth, so help you God?

- Yes.

- [Bailiff] You may be seated.

- Would you state your
name for the record please.

- Audrey Stewart.

- Mrs. Stewart, how long were you employed

as a registered nurse
at St. Gregory Hospital?

- Three years.

- And will you tell us what happened

on the evening of July 17, 1997?

- That's the night that Valerie Whitaker

was rushed to the emergency room.

- Was anyone with her?

- No.

According to the medic, the
911 call came from a passerby

who found her laying
facedown on the sidewalk.

And to the hospital's knowledge,

there was no family, no home,

and judging by her appearance,

she'd spent some time on the street.

- And according to hospital records,

the pregnancy was discovered as the doctor

was preparing her for detox.

- Yes.

If he hadn't examined her first,

there was a possibility
the baby would've died

due to complications from the procedure.

- What measures were taken at that time?

- The hospital contacted
Human Services right away.

- And what did Human Services do?

- What they normally do, I suppose.

Background checks, and
things of that nature.

- Obviously, the kid turned out okay.

But were there any problems
initially, after he was born?

- Other than him being highly sedated, no.

But it really was a miracle.

The entire hospital staff fell
in love with him immediately,

and everyone really wanted Valerie

to make a full recovery so she
could take care of her son.

And that appeared to be
what she wanted to do.

- So what was it that caused you

to believe she had other intentions?

- I went to go check on her one night,

and I overheard a phone call

between her and a pimp, I assume.

And they were planning on selling her baby

the day she was discharged
from the hospital.

- And Child Services?

- They looked into it.

But Valerie denied the whole thing,

and she had spent more than
enough time in the hospital

to have made a full recovery
without withdrawals,

so at that point, there was
nothing more Child Services

could do other than let her go

and set up a follow-up for a later date.

- So how did the whole
transaction take place?

- About a week passed,

and I started to worry about the baby.

So I looked at Valerie's private records

and I found her number,

and decided to make an
anonymous phone call.

- And did she pick up right away?

- Yes.

But at first, she was very skeptical,

so I had to assure her
I wasn't with any agency

and that I just wanted
to purchase the child.

- Did she ever insist on an amount?

- She wanted $5,000

but I didn't have that
kind of money at the time,

so I offered her half.

- And obviously, she accepted.

Were there any other conditions?

- Her only condition was that

the transaction remain anonymous,

which I assured her it would.

But for my safety, I
insisted that she bring

the hospital records
and sign adoption forms,

which she agreed to.

- In order to keep the
transaction anonymous,

what measures did you take?

- Well I suggested that she leave the baby

at the top of the steps
of St. Mark Cathedral,

where she could pick up the money

and sign the adoption form.

- So she left the baby, took the money,

and drove away without signing the forms?

- Yes.

But she did leave the
original hospital records.

- So the only thing you were missing

was the signature of Valerie Whitaker.

- And I knew that in order to provide

a proper life for the baby,

I had to have those forms signed.

- No further questions, Your Honor.

- Mrs. Stewart.

I find it very hard to believe

that Valerie would leave the
child's original birth records

and not sign the adoption
forms you say you left.

Why do you think she would do that?

- I don't know.

She appeared to be in a rush.

- A rush, huh.

Or could it be never really left any forms

for her to sign at all.

- I never would have
agreed to the arrangement

if I thought she wasn't
gonna sign the forms.

- So in all sincerity, you feel
like you did the right thing

by forging Valerie's signature
to those adoption forms.

- I had her verbal consent,

and the original hospital birth records.

- Okay, so why did you flee Boston

and relocate to Chicago?

- I didn't flee Boston, I left.

I went back to Chicago, my original home

where I knew I could start over.

- So it had nothing to do with the fact

you had illegally purchased
a child in this city?

- It would have been
difficult to raise him here

considering everything that had happened.

- Naturally.

But the biggest question still remains.

Why didn't you come forward

after all these years?

Hmm?

Mrs. Stewart?

- I didn't know that
Valerie was looking for him.

- So you expect us to believe

that after 12 years of
televised interviews

with Valerie including the segment

produced by the network your wife

is currently employed with,

that you were completely oblivious

to the Whitaker's search
for Valerie's son?

- I didn't know that
Valerie was looking for him.

- All right.

So let's go back further than that.

After you picked up the
baby from the church,

why didn't ya just take
him to Child Services?

- 'Cause I didn't trust
that he'd be any better off

under their provision.

- But you do realize,
you were required by law

to inform Child Services in
a case like that, correct?

- As I just said, I didn't trust

that he would be any
better off in the system.

- So in other words,
you went above the law

and made that decision for him.

- Yes.

And I wouldn't do it
any differently today.

- That's a strong statement, Mrs. Stewart

given that every system is
imperfect in its own way.

I mean, it doesn't work for all children,

but it does work for many.

Wouldn't you agree?

- I don't believe that any child belongs

in a fallible system.

- So it appears you've
developed some contempt

for a system and services
that provide assistance

for neglected children?

Now why is that?

- I know that there are people

who really do care for neglected children,

but as a nurse, I've seen the
system fail too many of them.

- Including yourself, right?

You too were a product of that system,

weren't you, Mrs. Stewart?

- Yes.

- And according to your own legal records,

you were abused by your
foster parents, weren't you?

I have here a statement that you gave

to the Boston police on the evening

of March 12th, 1985.

There's photos too.

Apparently you had just run away from home

after being beat by your foster father.

It reads, "He hits me all the time.

"Every morning when he
gets home from work,

"but if I am up and
ready to go before seven,

"I can avoid him."

And when asked whether your mother permits

your father to hit you, you replied,

"Yes.

"She hits me too."

Was that not your statement, Mrs. Stewart?

- It was.

- [Richard] And how old
were you at that time?

- 14.

- So apparently, you've
allowed your own experiences

to tarnish your perception of the system.

- Anyone's perception
would've been tarnished

by my experience.

But that has no bearing on
my decision to adopt Brian.

If I hadn't laid aside my past,

I would have been no good to him.

Every newborn child deserves a chance,

and I knew that I could
provide that for that baby.

- Perhaps, but statistics show

that nearly a fourth
of all abused children

later grow up to abuse their own children.

Now I'm certain that's not the
case with you, Mrs. Stewart,

but is that a risk the
law should willingly take?

No.

Now I don't think so, Mrs. Stewart.

That's why you were required by law,

a certified nurse,

to inform Child Services.

No further questions, Your Honor.

- [Judge] Counselor, would
you like the opportunity

to redirect your witness?

- No further questions, Your Honor.

(melancholy music)

(people chattering quietly)

- [Bailiff] All rise.

The U.S. District Court is now in session,

Judge Pilsen presiding.

Please be seated.

- I understand the jury
has come to a verdict.

- [Head Juror] Yes we have, Your Honor.

- [Judge] Will the defendant please rise?

Step forward please.

- In the case of the U.S.
District of Massachusetts

versus Audrey Stewart,

the jury finds the defendant
not guilty of illegal adoption.

And for the second count
of child abduction,

we find the defendant guilty.

- I'm so sorry.
- Sentencing will be scheduled

for one week from today.

As for Brian Stewart,

he will remain in the
state of Massachusetts

under the supervision of
Child Protective Services

until the age of 18, or legal
guardianship is attained.

(gavel banging)
This court is adjourned.

(melancholy music)

- How long is this gonna take?

- I don't know.

It shouldn't take too long.

- Brian Stewart, come with me.

You're being placed in protective custody.

- Look, you talk to me, not my son.

- I'm sorry, come with me.

- No, get your hands off my son.

- Ma'am, ma'am, calm down.

- Get your hands off my son!

- Calm down--
- Why are they taking my son?

- [Officer] Calm down.

- Blythe, stop them they're
trying to take Brian.

(tearfully) No!

No! (sobbing)

No!

(people chattering quietly)

- Back away folks, back away.

(reporters chattering)

Move back that way.

Back away!

Step back--

- Blythe!

- Move back away, get out of the way.

Get out of the, back up.

Out of the way.

Back away folks.

Back away.

(elevator dinging)

(birds chirping)

(woman speaking over loudspeaker)

(door clangs and buzzes)

(keys clanging)

(man speaking over loudspeaker)

(buzzer buzzing)

- How?

(Carrie laughs)

(Audrey laughs)

(woman speaking over loudspeaker)

That's wonderful! (laughs)

- I thought you'd be happy.

(buzzer buzzing)

- He doesn't, he doesn't know how yet?

What about the Whitakers?

- It's been hard.

Working on setting up
a formal introduction

with Brian and them.

- Okay.

- Deal?

- He should know his grandparents.

- All right.

Same time next week?

- Please.

(both laugh)

- Of course.

I love you.

- I love you too.

- Sweetie.

(man speaking over loudspeaker)

- Hi Mom.

- Hi sweetie, how are you?

(buzzer buzzing)

- Good.

Are you okay?

- I'm fine.

How's everything now that
you're back in school?

- Not good.

Principal Patterson
recommends I see a counselor.

- That's completely up to you sweetheart.

(woman speaking over loudspeaker)

- I'm sorry I couldn't defend you better.

- No. (laughs)

This is not your fault, you hear me?

You did a great job.

- [Officer] One minute.

- There's so much that I wanna say,

but I don't know how.

- Okay, how about this,
how about you write

everything in a letter,
anything you wanna say,

it'll be okay.

And I'll write back, okay?

- Yeah.

- I love you.

- I love you too, Mom.

- Okay.

(gentle music)

- (taps on window) Mom!

(pounds on window)

- [Officer] Stewart, back in line.

- I'll see you soon sweetie.

- (pounds on window) Mom!

(buzzer buzzing)

(soft music)

♪ So you wised up ♪

♪ Saw you out the door ♪

♪ So many miles to go ♪

♪ You know I love the sound ♪

♪ Whoo ♪

♪ Whoo some ♪

♪ Whoo say ♪

♪ Changed my mind to you ♪

♪ Show you what I could do ♪

♪ Dream for that's your choice ♪

♪ Follow you ♪

♪ And I pray that you come ♪

♪ Whoo ♪

♪ You don't know where we are ♪

♪ Sorry ♪

♪ You said it all day long ♪

♪ Whoo ♪