Boston Legal (2004–2008): Season 1, Episode 10 - Hired Guns - full transcript

So, do I get my kiss or not?

Tara, the way mistletoe works is
the one standing under it...

is the one to receive.

Well, I prefer
to meet in the middle.

Well, I do enjoy
your middle tremendously...

but a kiss really is more traditional.

Ah, the anticipation
is pure... Sally.

Hi. The last thing I want to do
is come between all that collagen...

but, Alan,
we have a little problem...

and, like it or not, you're
probably the best man to fix it.

This is Carmen Flores.
She works in housekeeping here.



Her ex-husband kidnapped
her two children.

This is the third
Christmas he's done so.

He brings them to Peru, when it's Carmen
who has custody of them for the holidays.

- Can't you just go to the judge?
- She did that last year.

And it cost her a fortune. Thejudge
held him in contempt for a day.

He said it's worth it to spend
Christmas with his kids in Peru.

His flight leaves tomorrow night. I thought
maybe you could think of something.

Didn't you
used to be a lawyer, Sally?

Oh, I apologize. There go my lips again.
Must be all that collagen.

Ladies, perhaps you two should
kiss in the name of Christmas.

Oh, sorry, Sally.

Incredible dress,
by the way. Hate you.

Ah, Alan. Mistletoe.

Mwah.



Whatever.

She came home that evening at 9:30...

catching an early flight
to surprise her husband.

But it was the defendant
who was surprised.

Susan May discovered
her husband, Ralph...

making love to a business associate,
Marie Holcomb...

and it was more
than she could bear.

The evidence will show
that the defendant...

retrieved a handgun
from the kitchen...

returned to the bedroom
and fired six shots...

three into her husband,
three into Marie Holcomb.

This is the holiday season.

You people should be home
with your families right now.

I apologize for that.

Marie Holcomb's mother and father...

fly here every December
from the West Coast.

This time it's to attend the trial
of their daughter's killer.

Susan May destroyed
a lot ofhappy plans...

with that gun.

- Get in Christmas.
- Sorry?

Christmas is ours and Susan's.
Don't let him claim it.

I, too, would like to apologize...

for taking you away from your families
during this holiday season.

That's Susan's family
seated over there.

They would dearly love
to be home with her.

She would dearly love
to be home with them.

Imagine, if you can...

as you prepare for your Christmas...

having a loved one murdered.

Add to that the horror that
the police can't figure out who did it.

And then,
if you can possibly fathom...

imagine they decide to arrest you.

That's your defendant,
ladies and gentlemen.

A law-abiding, loving,
faithful advertising executive.

An innocent woman
whose whole life...

was just suddenly
and wrongly destroyed.

That's your defendant...

and that's what
the evidence will show.

L... I did call police twice.
They say domestic.

He returned the children
both times after Christmas?

Yes. This why police say
it is for court to decide.

No one involved.

Ah, Denny. This is Carmen Flores.
She works here in housekeeping.

- Excellent. Why do I care?
- Perhaps you don't.

First off, let me say how
incredible you were last night.

The whole office is still... stunned.

Thank you.

Now, on a topic
far removed from you...

and therefore much less entertaining...

though of some import to Carmen...

her children have been
snatched by her ex-husband.

Who do you know at the
Boston Police Department?

I know everybody.

You hear that, Carmen?
The man knows everybody.

Her story didn't check out.
It's as simple as that.

That story she gave you was?

She came home,
found them dead in bed.

Was there evidence of anyone
other than the victims...

or the defendant
being in the house that night?

- None.
- And, Detective, describe for the jury if you can...

the defendant's demeanor when
you arrived at the scene that night.

She seemed pretty shook up.
There was blood all over her.

She claimed she got
the blood on her...

when she went to her husband's side
to see if she could revive him.

- And you don't believe that?
- I'm sorry.

It seems the detective
is more than willing...

to give testimony against my client.

- You don't really need to lead him.
- Sustained.

Did you believe
the defendant's claim?

No. It was determined
that she was standing...

approximately five feet away
when she fired the gun.

I'm sorry.
I hate to be a nuisance.

- But did I miss the point where you said she fired the gun?
- Sustained.

Detective, what, if anything...

led you to believe that
the defendant fired the gun?

We did a trace metal test,
which revealed she held the gun...

and her fingerprints were on the gun.

Anything else?

We know her driver dropped
her off at 9:30 p.m.

She called the police at 11:07.

She told us she discovered the bodies
soon after she entered the house.

If so, why did she wait an hour and a half
to call the police?

As I said, her story
just didn't add up.

Seems from your tone, Detective,
you consider this kind of a no-brainer.

We applied our mental faculties just the same
and concluded your client committed the crime.

You concluded pretty quickly, I might add.
You placed her under arrest the next day.

By the way, was the spatter
analysis done in a day?

No. That came in later.

I see. So when you placed Susan May
under arrest, you were going on...

Her fingerprints were
on the gun, for starters.

- It was her gun, was it not?
- The fingerprints were fresh.

Got there, perhaps, when
she picked the gun up after?

We also had motive...
her evasive demeanor.

- She called the police, did she not?
- Yes, but she wasn't truthful.

Wasn't truthful when she said
she didn't shoot them?

That, and she obviously
wasn't truthful...

about calling the police immediately
after finding the bodies.

- You had her examined by a psychiatrist that night?
- Yes.

- The psychiatrist said she was in shock?
- Yes.

Possible the shock of discovering her murdered
husband caused the delay in calling?

- I doubt that's what happened.
- This doubt is based on your psychiatric training?

It's based on 30 years of experience
as a homicide detective.

Thirty years as a homicide detective...

told you that the delay in calling the police
could not have been caused by shock?

Let's turn back
to the blood spatter evidence.

This is the blouse my client
was wearing that evening, is it not?

- Yes.
- Lot of blood. That's all spattering?

Most of that blood
came from handling the bodies.

So where's the spatter
you spoke of, Detective?

There are two elongated markings
on the left shoulder.

- Right here? These tiny marks here?
- Yes.

She supposedly fired six shots.
There's only two tiny marks?

The other marks are likely covered up with
the blood from when she handled the bodies.

- Did you analyze these marks yourself, Detective?
- I did.

Are you the person in the Boston
Police Department who does this?

There are others, obviously, but I started
in the lab, so I'm trained as well.

Was there anyone else in the lab
who analyzed this shirt?

- Yes. We have a junior member...
- Junior member? It's a high-profile case.

It went to a junior member?

As I said, I analyzed the clothes
with my 30 years...

- Thirty years in the lab?
- No.

- How many years in the lab?
- Five.

How about the junior member?
How many years did he have?

- I'm not sure.
- More than five?

- I believe so.
- Just out of curiosity, what was his finding?

Inconclusive.

- He could not determine that my client fired a gun?
- Nor could he rule it out.

He could not determine
that my client fired a gun.

Correct.
But I determined she did.

You trace-metaled my client. Did you test
for powder residue on her hand?

- Yes. She tested negative.
- Gee, how could that be?

We determined that she likely
wore gloves when she fired the gun.

So she was careful to wear
gloves when she shot them...

then afterwards she took
the gloves off and handled the gun?

If she went into shock, she probably
made a mistake. Murderers often do.

So for the purpose of explaining the delay
in calling the police, you don't buy shock.

But to explain why she picked up
the murder weapon barehanded...

after firing with gloves,
you do buy shock.

- In fact, you seem to be selling it.
- Objection.

Withdrawn.
Did you find the gloves?

No.

You searched the entire house?
I don't want to presume.

We searched the house.
We did not find the gloves.

Any evidence of her leaving the house
after she came home that night?

No.

Any unsolved burglaries in this
neighborhood in the last year?

A couple.

That went well, right?

Mm-hmm.
It went extremely well.

The problem, Susan,
as we've explained...

the burden of proof
is really on us.

I still don't understand that,
as much as you keep saying it.

When you have the scorned wife being the only
one there, her fresh fingerprints on the gun...

Trust me. We'll argue burglar.
But with no sign of a break-in...

- So my chances are the same?
- No. We did very well with the witness today.

Our chances just got a little bit better.

But if we just...
We stick to the plan.

We'd like you to meet with
Dr. Waylon one more time.

Why?

In case we need to call him,
we want to be ready.

I'm not really comfortable
being treated like some patient.

Susan, you put your life
in our hands, did you not?

You need to let us do
what we do.

Can I ask you something?

I'm not sure why
I want to ask this now...

but... do you believe me?

I don't know.
I certainly want to believe you...

but when I look at the evidence...

I at least appreciate your candor.

The question the jury's
going to be asking:

If not you, then who?

And we've got no answer for that.

The fatal wounds for both
victims were to the head.

Death was instantaneous.

And, Doctor, were you able
to determine the time of death?

Between 9:30 and 9:45 p.m.

Doctor, did you examine
the stomach contents of the victims?

- Yes.
- What did you find?

- They were both relatively full.
- After eating...

- They were both relatively full.
- After eating...

how long does food stay in the stomach
before emptying into the small intestine?

Generally one to two hours.

So if the victims finished
dining by 7:30 as reported...

those stomachs
should have been empty.

Unless they were killed
before 9:30, correct?

Or unless they ate again
after leaving the restaurant.

Were there any signs, to your knowledge,
that they had eaten at home?

- Dirty dishes? Recent garbage?
- To my knowledge, there was no evidence of that.

Thank you.

But they could have stopped
on their way home from the restaurant...

had dessert or something?

Well, not a medical
question, but yes, possible.

You may step down, sir.

Mr. Shubert?

The prosecution rests,
Your Honor.

Miss Colson.

Let's let them see
some serious thinking going on.

- What's your take on free agency?
- It's killing baseball.

- Hockey?
- No salary cap, no hockey.

- Soccer?
- Nobody cares.

Your Honor, the defense
calls Susan May.

It's just that we regard it more
as a domestic custody dispute.

Her recourse
would be with probate.

Well, there's where
we're wrong, Denny.

I thought if you physically grab somebody
and haul them off to a foreign country...

it would be a crime.

- Well, I'll be damned.
- So we're wrong then. By the way...

does one need to be related
to the victim to escape charges?

There's this Junior Mint
I've had my eye on.

I thought I might borrow her
for a long weekend. Perhaps the Bahamas.

As we understand it, the father
always brings the kids back.

That's what I'd do.
Be a joyride.

We're wasting time here, and you two look
like good men. Department's full of good men.

That's why Denny Crane and this firm
invest so much money in your annual ball.

You'll arrest the husband because "A,"
Denny Crane wants you to and "B"...

I play poker with some reporters,
one in particular who'd be curious...

as to why ethnic child snatchings
don't get your attention.

- And "C"...
- The children were kidnapped.

- And "D"...
- You're officially on notice.

You're good
when you get testy.

Came easy today.
My balls hurt.

Let's have that be the one
and only time you tell me that.

I was hurrying home
because, well...

I had been away
for about a week...

and I was excited
to see him.

And when you got home?

I pulled into the garage, went
into the kitchen, called out his name.

His car was there,
so I was sure he was home.

It was only about 9:30.
I couldn't imagine him being in bed.

But... he was.

- And not alone?
- No.

What happened, Susan?

I started upstairs.
I called out his name again.

Still no response.

Then I went to the bedroom...

Iooked in...

a-and I saw it.

Saw what?

At first, just blood.

And then I saw one body,
and then another.

What did you do?

I first screamed.

I looked at my husband.

His eyes were open,
and there was a hole in his temple.

And I went to him to see
ifhe was still breathing.

Was he?

No.

What happened next?

- I don't know.
- You don't know?

I remember talking
to the police at some point.

I remember I...
them taking Ralph away.

- But...
- Do you remember calling the police?

- No.
- Do you remember touching the gun?

- No.
- Seeing the gun?

No.

That's a really convenient
memory loss, don't you think?

You recall not doing it,
finding the bodies dead.

But as for your fingerprints
on the murder weapon...

why you gave the police
false information after...

delaying in calling
the police, gee...

- Just can't remember.
- Objection.

What a perfect way to tell your story without
really being subject to cross-examination.

Was this amnesia your idea,
or was it your attorney's?

- Objection.
- Sustained.

Nothing further.

The witness may step down.

The defense calls
Dr. Herbert Waylon.

Approach?

This witness is not on their list.

- He's on the rebuttal list.
- What's he being called to rebut?

You just accused my client
of faking her memory loss.

Short leash, counsel.

Step back.

Dr. Herbert Waylon.

Come here.
Just get up and down.

- Sorry? - You don't need to
ask the 64,000-dollar question.

- Because?
- He will.

And then he can't object to it.

It's basically a form
of post-traumatic amnesia.

She saw her husband murdered,
and it triggered a blackout.

- She blacked out for an hour.
- In terms of memory.

She wasn't unconscious. She could've
been sitting in a catatonic state.

She possibly
even watched television.

The prosecution thinks that her
memory loss was... convenient.

Well, I personally examined this woman
the day after the murders.

She was suffering from dissociative
amnesia then, as I believe she is now.

Thank you, Doctor.

He's your witness.

I hope you're right.

You can't state
to a medical certainty...

that the defendant suffered
from post-traumatic amnesia, can you?

To a medical certainty, no.

And you can't medically
rule out the possibility...

that the defendant pulled the trigger
that night, can you, Doctor?

- Bingo.
- No, I cannot rule it out.

In fact, while I happen to believe
her version of the events...

I make room for a completely
different scenario.

Which is?

Well, it's possible she
looked into this bedroom...

saw her husband making love
to another woman...

and that threw her
into a dissociative state.

And in that state,
she shot them.

I'm sorry. Are...

You're now saying
maybe she killed them?

Well, I believe she found
them dead as she says.

But it's possible that she saw them making
love, went into a dissociative state...

something we refer to
medically as automatism...

and in that state,
she may have killed them.

Then her brain
creates a false memory...

of something
less horrifying to her.

I have nothing further.

Her brain created a false memory?

Yes. Sometimes if a person's
actions are repugnant to them...

they can actually create a false version
that is more psychologically acceptable.

- And they believe this as the truth?
- Absolutely.

So it's possible that
she committed the murders?

No. Murder suggests an intent
she would've been incapable of.

If she did this...
and I'm not saying that she did...

she would've likely
lost all conscious control.

She would've acted outside herself.

And as a defense, her brain would have
manufactured this other memory...

that she walked in
and found them already dead.

Your Honor, chambers.

Theyjust backdoored insanity.
That's an affirmative defense.

- They did not plead it.
- We're not arguing it.

The witness just testified
she lost all conscious control.

That witness was simply
called to rehabilitate.

You're the one who impeached my client's
truthfulness. You said she was feigning memory loss.

You went beyond my cross.
Your Honor, this is a ploy.

They're trying to sneak in alternative
defenses. "A," she didn't do it.

And "B," if she did do it,
she was insane.

Did you coach the witness
to get in insanity?

I called a witness to rehabilitate,
to support her claim of memory loss.

I called a witness to rehabilitate,
to support her claim of memory loss.

Knowing full well
he believed the possibility...

that she committed the murders
while in a dissociative state.

I did not elicit
that testimony; he did.

Your Honor, if we wanted to argue
insanity, we simply could have pled it.

Except you don't want
to argue it, counsel.

You want to argue not guilty
and have insanity as a fallback.

Two defenses for the price of one.

I'm sure you'll properly
instruct against insanity.

- Yes. And I'm sure the jury will listen.
- I move for immediate mistrial.

Mr. Shubert, you opened the door
on all this with your cross.

- Which was their plan.
- Maybe so.

But you did the damage.

I'll give you time to call your own
experts, but the case goes on.

Mr. Chase, Miss Colson...

I keep scorecards of all the lawyers
who appear before me.

Now you're being desperate.

- Too much?
- Just a bit.

I never figured you to place
quite such a premium on a kiss.

A kiss is the promise
of what's to come, Tara.

A kiss is...
the Christmas Eve of sex.

I actually favor...

the Christmas Eve...

of Christmas Eve.

I'm sorry?

It's not the part
where the lips actually touch.

It's the part just before that...

when they're so close...

when you know
it's about to happen.

You can almost feel it...

taste it.

I like that bit to last forever.

Don't you just love...

to make it last... forever?

No.

Mr. Shore? I'm sorry.
There's a man here.

He says he's delivering gifts
for you and Mr. Crane.

And he says it's urgent.
Mr. Crane is out of the office.

- Gifts?
- Mm-hmm.

- May I help you?
- Are you Alan Shore?

- May I help you?
- Are you Alan Shore?

Not if you're a process server.

Shut up! You shut up!

Somebody shut down
the elevators!

If I hear them go ding,
I'm gonna shoot this man in the head!

Sir, I must tell you the last time
somebody pointed a gun at me...

they shot me,
and it hurt terribly.

You think this is a joke?
You got me arrested!

You got my kids taken away!
My kids are all I've got!

Well, it seems you have a gun.
Perhaps if you trade the gun...

All right.
This is between you and me.

You have a hostage.
Everybody else...

pick a door
and get behind it now.

Let's clear the floor.

Kill the elevators!
Kill the phones!

Everybody go into an office,
close the door, now.

Let's do as he says.

Hurry.

Come on. Come on!

Okay, Mr. Flores, let's talk.

Christmas is family.

I go to Peru to be with family.
My kids are part of that.

I understand, sir. It's not what
the "No Child Left Behind Act"had in mind...

I'm going to kill you.

I'd prefer you didn't.

His name is Julio.
We believe his last name is Flores.

Yes, he's already fired a round,
so the gun is clearly loaded.

- Fourteenth floor. That's right. Thank you.
- Yes, you can call me.

617-555-0197.

You're here
because of your children.

So I'll ask you to think
about your children.

If you go to prison,
they lose their father.

With an arrest,
I'm gonna lose all custody.

They already lost their father.

The first forensic specialist to analyze
the blood spatter pattern...

said they were inconclusive.

This is a police expert,
by the way.

He said the spatters could not
prove that she fired a gun.

He's asking you to believe...

that she wore gloves to commit the crime to
explain the lack of powder residue on her hands.

Then she took the gloves off
to handle the murder weapon.

Is it possible
there was a burglar?

The prosecution certainly
can't eliminate the idea.

And, yes, it's possible
that Susan May...

seeing her husband making love with another
woman, went into a dissociative state...

acted outside
of her conscious control.

But it doesn't really matter whether
she pulled that trigger or not...

because she formed no legal
mental intent to do so...

which is an element of the crime.

Reasonable doubt as to
whether or not she did it.

No evidence of intent,
even if she did.

All leads to the same verdict.

Not guilty.

It's been almost 30 minutes.

You have to know the building
is surrounded by now.

The police are probably
on every floor.

I don't care.
My life has ended anyway.

No evidence of anyone else
being there but the defendant.

Time of death: 9:45, 15 minutes
after she arrived home.

And as to why the defendant waited a full
hour and a halfbefore calling the police...

Oh, yes!
The dissociative state.

That's handy.

However upset you may be, sir, you must
realize that what you are doing is insane.

I wonder why they didn't
plead insanity.

Because there was no powder
residue on her hands?

How to explain insanity...

yet have presence of mind
to wear gloves?

That's a tough one.

These are very good lawyers.

You think you're
such a great lawyer?

You feel like a great lawyer now,
Mr. Shore? Huh?

I feel like a busy one.

So if you're gonna shoot me,
let's do it. I have plans.

- What happened?
- I don't know. I can't see.

Okay, I see Alan. He's all right.

Sir, the phone is going to ring.

I want you to pick it up,
and we want you to talk to us.

No!

Seen all the police outside?
We must have a jumper.

I hope it isn't Paul.

Denny, you know
what's going on?

Why are you women in my office?

You really don't realize
what's happening?

The building is
surrounded, sir. There's nowhere for you to go.

I think I do.
Let's take off our clothes.

A man has a gun trained
on Alan Shore out there.

That's why the police are here.

- You won't get hurt, sir.
- Out there?

- He's threatening to kill him.
- Calm down, sir.

Why didn't anybody
come and get me?

All right then.

Are you mad?

Mr. Crane, I really don't
think that's a good idea.

- It's a fantastic idea.
- Denny, the police are already here.

Yes, I can see they got
everything under control.

Sir, wejust want to have
a conversation.

If that phone even rings,
I'll shoot! Do you hear me?

Tara, when I say open,
you open that door.

- I certainly will not!
- I'm an ex-marine!

I was a trained sniper.
Or was it a pilot?

- Mr. Flores?
- Don't use my name!

Put that gun down.
You'll get everybody killed.

Sir, you need to let your hostage go.

- No!
- We want to negotiate.

That's Alan out there!

If you'll just answer the phone.

I'm mainly a skeet shooter now.

So when I yell "pull," that'll be
your cue to yank open the door.

- You are mad.
- Don't be ridiculous.

- Pick up the phone.
- Don't make it ring!

I'm warning you.
I'll shoot. Do you hear me?

Pull!

- Got one down.
- Got him.

Get that weapon!

Sergeant, keep everybody away.

Is it clear?

Denny Crane.

Is he...
Is he gonna live?

Took a hit to the shoulder.
He'll be fine.

Tom DeLay is a friend of mine.

He advised me to keep
a rifle in the office.

My question is did it appear the suspect
was about to shoot Mr. Shore...

when you decided to take him out?

No. Why the hell
would I wait for that?

Can I get you some more water?

Please. It's vodka.

You're still freaking.

I thought that was it.

The way I've lived my life...

I've always believed homicide
is what God has planned for me.

It's nice to know
you believe in God.

Well, it's a law now
in this country, isn't it?

I love you.

I don't want to marry you.

I'm not even sure
I want to date you.

But I love you.

And for your information,
since you love me as well...

this is the point where the boy utters
something poetically romantic...

like, "Me too."

Or perhaps something a little less
on the nose like, "You smell good."

Are you trying to diffuse
my trauma, because if so...

No. I nearly died once...

and I remember thinking at the time
of those who would grieve.

And I wondered
whether or not I was loved.

You are.

More vodka?

Please.

You smell good.

The defendant will please rise.

Madam Foreperson, thejury has reached
a unanimous verdict?

- We have, Your Honor.
- What say you?

On the charges
of murder in the first degree...

we find the defendant,
Susan May, not guilty.

On the charges of murder in the second degree...

we find the defendant,
Susan May, not guilty.

- Oh, my God.
- Thejury is dismissed with the thanks of the court.

We're adjourned.

Thank you.

I don't know what to say to you.

You've given me my life back.

The doctors say you've still got
a lot of healing ahead of you, Susan.

Let your family take care of you.

Um, that theory Dr. Waylon had...

that my brain is tricking me...

making me believe that
I found them dead, when really...

Does he believe that?

He thinks it's possible.

The brain can do that?

So how do I know?

Remember when we went
skeet shooting together?

I do.

I barely remember you
hitting a single skeet.

I'm a game player.

This afternoon, did you consider
that you might hit me?

I did.

It's a good feeling, you know,
to shoot a bad guy.

Really?

Something you Democrats
would never understand.

Americans,
we're homesteaders.

We want a safe home...

keep the money we make...

and shoot bad guys.

And save the life
of someone you love.

Wow. Big day.
Even for Denny Crane.

I consider myself
many things, Denny...

but being loved
has never been one of them.

And now twice in the same day.

And... the Red Sox
won a World Series.

And the Red Sox
won a World Series.

You know, Tara told me
that once she almost died...

and she thought
of those who loved her.

But I found in that moment...

it wasn't who loved me
but rather who I loved.

- You know whose face I saw, Denny?
- Mine.

Liza Minelli's.

Crazy son of a bitch.

Merry Christmas, my friend.

Well, I'd say
Happy New Year, but...

Next year couldn't
possibly be this good.