Chicago Justice (2017): Season 1, Episode 11 - AQD - full transcript

[train horn blaring]

The new horns are driving people nuts.

They knew the tracks were there

when they moved in.

Next week, Jake's office.

- This corned beef sucks.
- [laughter]

Long as we're one step
ahead of the lunatics.

- You mean tax payers.
- Our job is to

move people and goods from here to there

as cheap as we can.

At least they're off the bombers.



Tell that to Sandy.
She just had "oil sucks"

scratched into her Beamer.

No, no. "Bought by oil."

- And they misspelled "bought."
- [knock at door]

Excuse me, guys. Is this the
Committee on Transportation?

- It is.
- I'm looking for

Alderman Christopher Jones.

- I tried to stop him, Chris.
- It's okay.

You need me to sign?

- Oil whores!
- [all exclaiming]

- What is this?!
- We need some help in here!

Hey, what are you doing? [grunting]

Oh, you bastards.

You're sending poison
into our neighborhoods.



- You're killing our kids.
- Call 911!

And have them take him out the back.

Hell if I give him any publicity.

You okay?

Just need some air.

[grunting]

[somber tone]

♪ ♪

[indistinct radio chatter]

- All right, what did you see?
- I mean, just, bam.

- She just blew by.
- What'd she look like?

Maybe it was a guy?

- You didn't see brake lights?
- Nope.

Did the driver swerve
to avoid the pedestrian?

- Not that I saw.
- Did the driver stop?

- Definitely not.
- All right.

We have a dark red SUV, Illinois plates,

last three digits 484.

Can you remember anything else?

The... the license plate
was one of the special ones

with the lettering on the side.

- Like government plates?
- No, uh, on the right side

there was, um, BP, BF,
something like that.

I... it was hard to see from my window.

Thanks. If you remember anything else.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Um, look, I'm sorry to have to tell you

your hit and run victim,
he didn't make it.

Maybe if somebody had called
us quicker, but anyway.

Here's the report.

Appreciate it.

- You get anything?
- Nah, not much. You?

I got nothing but
boom and a flying body.

The victim, he died. Christopher Jones.

- You're kidding.
- What?

He's a big deal? Is
that why we got the call?

He was Alderman Christopher Jones.

Mr. Bomb Train.

Was he for or against them?

Take a guess.

Two million.

A single train car full of crude oil

equals two million sticks of dynamite.

And these bomb trains, they
pass through our back yards,

next to our churches, our schools.

You wanna start a
petition, paint a sign,

- parade around, that's fine.
- A sign?

160 miles from here, a train
car derailed and exploded

and burned for three days.

So me... ooh... waving a
sign in front of City Hall

isn't gonna stop that from happening

in North Lawndale or Cicero
or anywhere else in Chicago.

All it takes is a
leak, a spark, and boom.

- Thus, bomb trains.
- Exactly.

How else is the oil supposed
to get where it's going?

- It's not.
- Let me guess,

- you drive a Prius.
- I ride a bicycle.

Everyone should. We
only have one planet.

And the city's Department of
Transportation is destroying it?

They're not saving it.

It's a matter of morality.

- So is murder.
- Please.

The oil that I spilled
was purely symbolic.

It was prune juice and soap.

It wouldn't have caught fire.

And Alderman Christopher Jones.

His face was the one on the TV.

Kill the snake by cutting off his head.

Something like that.

- Sounds like a confession.
- You want me to be clearer?

[clears throat] I, James T. Sprague,

hereby confess to wanting

to breathe clean air,
to drink clean water...

By murdering Alderman Jones.

- What?
- We know you weren't

the one driving, Jim.

Tell us who was and we
can work something out.

I... I wouldn't kill someone

and neither would
anyone at Eco Liberation.

Ask 'em.

Last month, they sabotaged the
toilets at Uniform Oil and Gas.

Last week, they chained
themselves to pumps

at a half dozen gas stations.

- Today, they killed an Alderman.
- Come on.

We don't know that, Bobby.

Did the driver stop or call for help?

That's what I thought.

No chance this was an accident.

What about the guy who
poured oil on the table?

Apparently, it was some
kind of organic goop.

He's been charged with criminal damage.

They call themselves environmentalists.

They don't give a damn
about the environment.

They're anarchists, is what they are.

First it's Chris, then it's me, you.

We need to make an example
of these a-holes, Mark.

I promise you, we're
gonna do everything we can.

- Hey, man, you know, thank you.
- Thank you.

Okay. And you give my best to your wife.

I will. Thanks.

[both sigh]

- What do we have?
- Dawson and Nagel

are at Eco Liberation,

Jim Sprague's environmental group.

What about the car?

We have partial specialty plates.

We're also looking at
footage from traffic cameras,

but there's quite a few
dark red SUVs in Chicago.

Our tech guys are
doing the best they can.

Have 'em do it quickly.

Come on, you're gonna arrest us

for conspiracy to spill prune juice.

To be precise, it's criminal damage

to state-supported property.

Oh, I see. So the conference
table's filing a complaint.

Hey, I'd watch the attitude, pal.

Your friend's already sitting in a cell.

Only until our attorney arranges bail.

You're gonna need a lot of that.

For making a political statement?

A statement's tossing a
hacky sack at Alderman Jones.

Ooh, look, we had
nothing to do with that.

But you are opposed to oil trains.

Yeah. Just like we're
opposed to killing people.

But this is how we show our opposition.

We encourage people to write,
and/or call their Alderman.

- And when that doesn't work?
- [chuckles]

We spill prune juice.

We wanna win hearts and minds,
not splatter them on the street.

You wanna talk to my
people, be my guest.

Thank you, we will.

- Just one more question.
- Sure.

Shouldn't you shut your lights off?

[chuckles] Right after I hug a tree.

Why do these people give me a headache?

It's all that CO2 in the air.

Yeah, it's more like the methane

- coming from their mouths.
- Grow up.

- They're trying to save us.
- Not you?

Hey, I like my steak
as rare as the next guy.

I like air conditioning in the
summer and heat in the winter.

But I think there's a middle ground.

Did you know there are 63 different

- specialty plates in Illinois?
- Mmhmm.

My witness said it was
something like BP or BF.

Oh, your witness was wrong.

There's no BP or BF.

Flip it, maybe?

Nothing. There's a
BD, that's a Bears fan.

And a BH, that's the Blackhawks.

Hold on. There's a PF.

- Pissed-off feminist?
- Close.

Pet friendly. That was my next guess.

The money raised from
selling those plates

goes to reducing animal overpopulation.

It's not a leap someone like
that would be Eco-friendly.

- Yeah.
- Look for a plate

with the last three digits 484.

- Ten across the state.
- Well, I doubt

someone in Peoria would be interested

in oil trains in Chicago.

Uh, there's three in town.

Ms. Edna St. James drives an SUV.

Those look very nice, ma'am.

Are you sure you don't want some?

It's Botan candy from Japan.

- No thank you, listen, we...
- I got it from the web.

Oh, it is amazing what
you can get from the web.

Mrs. St. James, we're
here about your car.

Oh, well, you're too
late. Somebody's got it.

- It was stolen?
- I hope not.

I rented it out.

- You rented your car.
- Hm, yeah.

It's called Car-A-La-Carte. [laughs]

My Betsy told me about it.

It's an app that lets me
rent my car to strangers.

- Hm.
- It's like Uber meets Hertz.

[laughs]

Who was the last person
who rented your car?

Jane Reynolds at 8:00 this morning.

She was very polite.

In a hurry, but polite.

- Is she okay?
- [camera shutter clicks]

- We don't know.
- I'll call the number.

Okay. Is there a way
you can track your car?

I like to spy on them too. [laughs]

It's a landline. I
got an answer machine.

There she is now.

We're gonna borrow this.

But my Betsy bought that for me.

I promise, we'll be careful with it.

- But what... when will I...
- Thank you so much.

[sighs]

Train tracks. Definite message.

Is that smoke?

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

Open it.

- [both laughing]
- Whoa, whoa!

- Oops.
- Get out! Both of you.

- Hands up!
- Okay.

- [hip-hop music on stereo]
- Against the car.

♪ ♪

- This is the car.
- Hey, it wasn't us, man.

- Wasn't you, what?
- Whatever.

[both laugh]

I'm not surprised they hit someone.

Oh, my partner's being generous.

I'd say killed.

Killed? No way. You got the wrong dudes.

All right. Move away from the vehicle.

We found the car over on Clark.

Keys were inside. It
was just like a joy ride.

We were gonna bring it back, I swear.

[music stutters, stops]

Hey, what happened to the music?

I synced my phone to the Bluetooth.

Probably out of range now, duh. [laughs]

Maybe Jane synced her phone.

[laughs]

[sighs] Okay.

[console beeps]

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

Ronnie, I have a cell
phone I need you to locate.

- Jane Reynolds?
- Where is she?

Oh, no, no, no, no. No,
please, you don't understand.

Leave that alone.

Oh. You're gonna have to come with us.

No, I can't! They have my daughter!

The Alderman... It was an accident.

He came out of nowhere. I'm so sorry.

- But the man said if I stopped...
- Who?

Don't you think I'd tell you if I knew?

When did you last see your daughter?

This morning. She was excited to go

to the museum with her class.

And now...

Oh.

He told me to rent a car

and go to different
banks and money machines.

He said his partner
was watching me,

that my phone was hacked.

If I sent a text or hung up

or said anything to anyone

that I would never see Emma again.

I was... I was waiting to
pay him when you arrested me.

Okay.

All this for eight grand?

That's all he wanted.

Please. Don't let them kill her.

Anyone buying any of this?

What difference would
it make to the kidnapper

where she got the money?

And why would he insist
that she rent a car?

DMV says she has a new Mercedes.

- Did you trace the call?
- It was from a burner phone.

I got the report. All we
could find on Jane Reynolds.

Thanks, Billy.

Okay, let's see.

She's divorced. Her ex,
Ted, was a commercial pilot

and for the last few years,
her only source of income

was alimony and child support.

She didn't hide her identity
when she rented the SUV.

Her cell phone was synced
with that car's system.

Could this have been an accident?

- Then why not stop?
- She panicked.

Wouldn't be the first.

Someone should tell the father.

You know, most child abductions

- involve the other parent.
- Who grab the kid and run.

- They don't ask for ransom.
- You'd think a pilot

- would live in a better place.
- Yeah.

All right.

[sighs] Captain Reynolds?

[scoffs] Not anymore.

We're from the State's
Attorney's office.

We're here about your daughter.

Emma? Is she okay?

When's the last time you saw her?

What the hell's going
on here? Where's Emma?

We're attempting to locate her, sir.

Locate her? Oh, my God. What happened?

- She was on a field trip.
- Well, you should be

- looking for her.
- The FBI's on it.

They've got agents looking
for any leads they can find.

Where were you this morning?

Mopping floors at Western Aviation.

Wait, hold on a second,
do you think that

I had something to do with this?

Why don't you come back to our office?

We'll talk there.

Why didn't she call the cops?

She was ordered not to.

[chuckles]

Well, that's the first time
she did what someone told her.

I hate to ask this,

but has anyone shown a
special interest in Emma?

- A neighbor? A friend?
- I-no... I don't know

who her friends are.

Because he's never there for Emma.

- Why's that?
- This isn't about him.

This is about her. Why aren't
you out there looking for her?

Jane, I'm asking you.

[sighs]

Because it's always about him.

Ask him where he was for
Emma's last two birthdays.

A pipe broke in the hangar.

And if I don't fix it, I get fired.

Which means I miss a
child support payment.

Which means I can't see my daughter.

Been there.

My daughter...

You know, one day, when
we were still a family,

we went to Navy Pier.

When we first got there,
Emma was begging us

for this rainbow kite.

So while they finished
lunch, I told them

I forgot something in the car
and I went back and I bought it.

And when I came back, they
were looking out at the lake.

Their backs were to me.
And I realized that...

That a little girl in a pink jacket

and a beautiful woman in a red one

were the only things that mattered.

And Emma came up to me. She
put her arms around my neck

and she said, "Daddy, this is
the best day I've ever had."

You... why else would
a man work four jobs?

[sighs]

Is your ex a good mother?

[sighs]

She's an excellent mother.

And she can afford to be.

- I pay for it.
- We have a divorce agreement.

It's fair.

He wasn't always like this.

You know, crazy, I mean. Vindictive.

We met in college. In history class.

I asked him to coffee and
we'd been together until...

I was sucker punched by the whole thing.

I'm telling you, it
came out of the blue.

I thought I was happily married...

But he always chose work over us.

Remind me, why do people get married?

Hey, guys. Meet Emma Reynolds.

She was at the museum with
her class the entire time.

So no one was kidnapped?

It's called virtual kidnapping.

Unfortunately for Chris Jones,
the funeral will be real.

It's the newest Internet scam.

No Nigerian prince, no IRS audit.

People are open books on the net.

Everything from their credit
card numbers to their weight.

Their kids names, their school.

Whatever happened to
working for a living?

- There are two victims here.
- Anna, I don't want to hear

a dissertation on moral
equivalency, all right?

There is no equivalence.

Someone wanted to hurt Mrs. Reynolds.

She wanted to save her daughter.

[sighs]

What if someone told you they
had one of your grandchildren?

I'd call the FBI.

And if I ran someone
down on the way there,

I'd call the cops.

So charge this woman
with reckless homicide

and leaving the scene
and let's be done with it.

- A quiet donut.
- What?

AQD. Ad quod damnum.

Each person should only be punished

for the harm they cause.

A Quiet Donut was my
professor's trick to remember it.

First, I went to law school too.

And second, this woman
ran down an Alderman,

and that's pretty damned harmful.

But she was trying to save
her ten-year-old daughter.

[scoffs] Who was probably
out of her skull with boredom

as her class was going to the museum.

Charge her.

The more, the better.

Okay.

You think I'm heartless.

I think we have different
ideas about justice.

Fine. You catch and convict
the bastard who called her,

and if you're successful,

I'll consider offering her probations.

- Emma's with her father.
- Ohh. Can I see her?

- You'll be our guest until...
- Oh, you don't believe me.

Unfortunately, it's not our call.

You have to see it from
the State's Attorney's

point of view, Mrs. Reynolds.

Look, it's hard to
understand someone making you

jump through all those hoops.

The rental car, the four ATMs.

I'm not even sure I understand it.

Who knew Emma was on
that field trip today?

Ted and me. Her
classmates, their parents.

You think it was someone I know?

Think hard. Try to place the
voice on the phone with a name.

It was distorted.

Wait.

He called my house first.

I answered after the machine picked up.

There might be a message.

[sighs]

Divorce sure suits her.

Her ex, not so much.

Let me ask, you still have
photos of your ex in your house?

- With the kids, yeah.
- Me too.

Looks like Jane erased
Ted from her life.

The one he pays for.

Get over it, will
you? We all got issues.

If Jane did get this call,
why didn't she do anything?

I mean, call the cops,
hand someone a note.

- I don't know, send a text.
- Are you kidding?

Because the guy who
had her kid said not to.

When that dirt bag took Diego,
I couldn't think straight.

All that mattered was getting him back.

You don't ask why. You
don't ask questions.

You just do what they tell you to.

It's over here.

[machine beeps]

You have one old message.

[distorted voice] Mrs.
Reynolds, get in your car

and start driving.

- Who is this?
- I'll call your cell.

Do everything I tell you.
We're watching you.

- [call disconnects]
- [machine beeps]

Why would Darth Vader need eight grand?

Her computer, her kid's,
both their cells...

All completely clean,

aside from your basic Spam and cookies.

Can you at least unscramble
the voice on the tape?

This guy isn't Thomas Edison.

He used a $10 app called...
Appropriately enough...

Scramble Me, to lower
the pitch of his voice.

Can you raise it to normal?

Already done. I've
eliminated Mrs. Reynolds

for your listening pleasure.

[distorted voice] Mrs.
Reynolds, get in your car

and start driving.

I'll call your cell.

Do everything I tell you.

We're watching you.

[non-distorted voice] Mrs.
Reynolds, get in your car

and start driving.

I'll call your cell.

Do everything I tell you.

We're watching you.

You kidding me?

- Her husband?
- He knew Emma

was on a class field trip.

- He has motive.
- Which is?

She lives in Lincoln Park.

He works four jobs to pay for it.

And resents every penny.

Unfortunately, after researching it,

what he did only adds
up to intimidation.

Yeah. A class 3 felony.

Even then, we have to prove

he threatened their daughter's safety

to money from his ex-wife.

I can't imagine he'd
do more than a year.

That's a joke.

Wondering if you're ever
gonna see your kid again,

nothing's more painful.

This guy should be drawn and quartered.

Chris's mother doesn't have to wonder.

She knows she'll never see Chris again.

- Arrest him.
- For what? Intimidation?

No. For the murder of
Alderman Christopher Jones.

He was killed during the
commission of a felony.

That triggers the felony murder rule.

Only if the defendant committed

one of the predicate felonies.

- One of which is kidnapping.
- Kidnapping.

Not virtual kidnapping.

The statute doesn't
make that distinction.

[dramatic tone]

♪ ♪

Emma and I were just having dinner.

Good. 'Cause the food
at Cook County sucks.

In other words, you're under arrest

for the murder of
Alderman Christopher Jones.

Jane, right? What did she tell you?

Daddy, can we have ice cream?

Yeah, sweetie. Just a second.

Look, I'm not leaving Emma, okay?

There are two ways this
can go down, Mr. Reynolds.

The first is you come
with us without a fuss

and you let this nice social worker

sit with Emma while
she finishes her dinner.

The second, your ten-year-old
watches us drag Daddy out,

kicking and screaming.

Uh, Emma, I have to go out for a second.

- But Daddy's friend...
- Helen.

Helen is gonna sit with
you for a minute, okay?

I'll be right back, sweetie.

It's a good choice.

In case you're interested,
anything you say or do

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

[sighs]

[rock music playing in bar]

My dad used to say, "Marriage
isn't a word, young lady,

it's a sentence."

He had a way with words.

Sometimes I think he stayed
with my mom just because

it would've been too expensive to leave.

I expect that's an excuse
used by a lot of people.

- It's just rationalization.
- For what?

Fear, inertia, love.

What about you? Do
you wanna get married?

I'd like to finish my dinner first.

- Peter Stone?
- That's right.

[laughs] Holly Washington,
public defender's office.

I'll be representing Ted Reynolds.

Do you mind if I sit? These shoes.

- You don't wanna know.
- I don't cut deals

- during dinner.
- I heard that about you.

Nope, no deal wanted here.

- I'd ask you to join us, but...
- Oh, I appreciate that.

- But I'm on the caveman.
- Excuse me?

It's a diet.

Listen, I don't wanna disturb you.

I just wanna drop this off,
go home, and burn my shoes.

Hm, a motion to dismiss.

Felony murder? I have to admit,

it made me chuckle.

Gotta scoot.

See you in court.

You had to expect this.

Not this quickly, I didn't.

The statute is clear, Your Honor.

For the Felony Murder rule to kick in,

someone has to have
died while the defendant

is committing an enumerated felony

- such as rape, armed robbery...
- Kidnapping.

Thank you, Mr. Stone.
That was next on my list.

Nowhere in the indictment,

was it alleged that anyone was taken.

The defendant led his
former wife to believe

that he was holding their daughter.

- She was on a class trip.
- It's what current literature

- calls a virtual kidnapping.
- Oh, great.

So let's strap my client
to a virtual whipping post

and call it a day. In any event,

the People aren't alleging

kidnapping is the predicate felony.

If I may be so bold, what
are the people alleging?

Intimidation. The defendant threatened

to inflict bodily injury to his daughter

if his former wife failed
to pay him a sum of money.

While racing to get the requested cash,

his ex-wife struck and
killed Alderman Jones.

- Ergo, felony murder.
- I hate to be repetitive,

but nowhere in the statute is
intimidation deemed sufficient

to trigger the felony murder rule.

The statute is
illustrative, not exhausted.

It specifies that any
felony involving a threat

of physical force will trigger the rule.

Ted Reynolds threatened
to harm his daughter

and but/for that threat,

Alderman Jones would still be alive.

He made a phony phone
call, for crying out loud.

It was inherently dangerous behavior.

It's a barbaric expansion of the law.

Let's not forget about intent.

If you accept the people's
interpretation of the law,

you are criminalizing
an ordinary accident.

No, the court would be
deterring would-be criminals

from committing crimes
that unwittingly might lead

to another's death.

You took the words out
of my mouth, Mr. Stone.

The defendant's motion
to dismiss is denied.

Next.

[bangs gavel]

I always thought Judge Stratton

was one of the smarter judges.

Peter made a hell of an argument.

[laughs] I'd call that bootstrapping.

And that's only because
we're in mixed company.

In order to win a felony murder charge,

you have to prove intimidation.

In order to prove intimidation,
you have to establish

a threat to cause physical injury.

I listened to the tape.

- The threat was implied.
- [laughs]

And that's more bootstrapping.

Silly me, I read the statute
and I actually believe

it means what it says.

Hit the lights when you leave.

[distorted voice] Mrs. Reynolds,
get in your car and start driving.

I'll call your cell.

Do everything I tell you.

We're watching you.

So what I did was I hacked the app

- the defendant used.
- Objection!

Sustained.

I hacked the app the caller
used to distort his voice

and reversed the process.

Who's voice is that?

In my opinion, it's the defendant's.

What makes you say that?

I ran both the tape from Mrs.
Reynolds' answering machine

and the recording from
the defendant's interview

with State's Attorney
Investigator Dawson

through software that
compares vocal patterns,

pitch, intonation, et cetera.

And what'd you find?

It's the same person's
voice in both tapes.

Did you know that Mr.
Reynolds met Mrs. Reynolds

- back in college, 15 years ago?
- No.

Do you think it's odd that someone who

knew the defendant that long
couldn't recognize his voice?

Well, he used an app to lower
his voice by two octaves.

I was able to raise it by
two octaves and restore it.

Restore it. How do you
know what you're restoring

if you don't know what
the original sounded like?

I mean, could you have
raised it three octaves?

Uh, technically, yes.

I would've sounded
like a different person?

- It would.
- Mm.

Can you play the part of that recording

where the caller threatened
to mail Mrs. Reynolds' daughter

back to her in pieces

if she didn't follow orders?

I'm sorry?

This case hinges on the question

of whether the caller threatened
Mrs. Reynolds or her daughter.

Please play the recorded threat.

- There isn't one.
- I see. Okay.

Play the part where the
caller spoke about Emma.

I played everything that there was.

So I see, tell me,
what are we doing here?

- Objection.
- Withdrawn.

I don't have anything else.

No, I had no idea it
was Ted on the phone.

All I knew was that I
had to do what he said.

Why is that?

He said he was going to
hurt Emma, my daughter.

We just listened to
the tape of the call,

Mrs. Reynolds, and I didn't
hear anything about Emma.

Called me on my cell
when I was in the car

like he said he would.

That's when he said
that he would hurt her

if I didn't follow his
instructions exactly.

- Hurt her, how?
- He'd cut her throat.

And you believed him.

I couldn't afford not to.

What did he tell you to do?

First, he wanted me to rent a car

from something called Car-A-La-Carte

and then go to my
bank... My local branch...

And withdraw $2,000.

Then to the branch in
Kenwood and do the same.

Then the one in Old Irving Park.

Then an ATM at a 7-Eleven

downtown on Kinzie Street.

You were with him on the
phone the entire time.

Yes.

He said I was being followed

and that if I didn't
do exactly what he said,

that I'd be sorry.

After you took the money from the ATM,

- what did you do?
- I drove as fast as I could.

What, then, if anything, happened next?

Alderman Jones crossed
the street in front of me.

I hit him. I'm so sorry.

Did you stop after you hit him?

- No.
- Dial 911?

I couldn't. He...

He said if I hung up
that he'd kill Emma.

I feel terrible about what happened,

but I was trying to save my daughter.

There were other people there;
I knew someone would call.

No further questions.

[exhales]

Before you divorced, did you
ever argue with your husband?

- I guess.
- No need to be polite,

now, Mrs. Reynolds.

Yes, we argued.

Did he ever threaten to hurt you?

I don't remember.

Let me refresh your recollection.

I direct you to defense exhibit 5A.

This is a copy of the petition you filed

in your divorce proceeding.

Could you turn to page 23

and read the highlighted portion?

"Paragraph 14. On December 13th,

Respondent threatened to
break Petitioner's leg."

Now on page 31.

"Paragraph 22. On January
5th, Respondent threatened

to throw boiling water
on the Petitioner."

Do you remember making those statements?

- Yes.
- Do you remember swearing

under penalty of perjury

that they were true and accurate?

- Yes.
- Do you recognize this?

- It's a motion document.
- For what?

To withdraw paragraphs 14
and 22 of the complaint.

The two paragraphs you just read.

Yes.

So he never threatened you.

It was part of the settlement.

Or to get what you want, you
made unfounded allegations

- against my client.
- Objection.

Withdrawn. True or false, Mrs. Reynolds,

nobody in the world but
you heard your husband

make those alleged
threats while you were

driving like a maniac around the city.

He said he'd hurt Emma.

Did he really? Nothing further.

- The People rest.
- So does the defense.

You know what her closing argument was?

Essentially the opposite
of my closing argument.

She didn't even put on a case.

She didn't have to. You didn't have one.

Yeah, but four days deliberation?

How many divorced
fathers are on the jury?

- Two.
- [chuckles]

You're lucky I'm not an
"I told you so" kinda guy.

Your Honor, we are still deadlocked.

Would further deliberation
make a difference?

I don't believe so.

[sighs] Well then,
I'm left with no choice

- but to declare a mistrial.
- [bangs gavel]

The People of the State of Illinois

thank you for your service.

[clears throat]

Excuse me. Just so you
know, this isn't over.

I'll be filing for a retrial.

[dramatic tone]

♪ ♪

The jury in the Ted
Reynolds case was deadlocked

because he never actually
said he'd hurt Emma

on the answering machine tape.

And that's it.

That's the real felony.

- What about Jane?
- Jeffries wants us

to charge her with reckless
homicide and leaving the scene.

- Stone's good with that?
- He says he'll retry Ted.

But you don't think it's worth it.

Unless he confesses, I
doubt anything'll change.

You know, we never talked to Emma.

You think Ted would
actually threaten Jane

in front of their ten-year-old?

When it got going in my house,
I'd pretend to be asleep.

But I heard every word.

Would it help?

It might.

I have a little girl about your age.

Her name's Jen.

She lives with her daddy, like you.

Jen's daddy and I, we
decided it was best for her

if we didn't all live together.

- Did you fight?
- We did.

Why? Did your parents fight a lot?

No.

They didn't yell at one another?

Well, sometimes they
did. But my mom said

that they didn't mean it.

Mm. Did that scare you?

You can tell me, Emma.

Sometimes.

What was the worst part

about your parents being divorced?

Not having all my stuff in one place.

Some of it's at my dad's house.

I never know where anything is.

Yeah. That's what Jen says.

[sighs] When I heard my
parents yell at one another,

that was scary.

I hid in the attic.

It was filthy and there were spiders.

- I hate spiders.
- But the spiders and the dirt

were better than hearing them fight.

One time, I heard my dad
say he was gonna hit my mom.

My dad would never hit my mom

because he loves her.

And people who love each
other, they don't hit.

- Can I get one? Hey.
- Hey.

So, what'd you find out?

Kid paints a rosy picture of them.

Nagel was good. I
mean, she's always good

but there's something about moms.

Emma never heard them fight?

She thinks they love each other.

[chuckles]

Kids see what they want.

- Thanks.
- Yeah.

Yeah, I guess.

You know, a couple weeks ago,
I'm walking down Michigan.

I see Michael Jordan
getting into a limo.

First thing that pops into
my head is I gotta tell my ex.

'Cause she worshipped
Michael. It's weird, huh?

I don't know what it is.

We can't be in a room ten minutes,

but somewhere in the back of my head,

there's a small part of me that wonders

when she's gonna come back.

- You'd get back together.
- [laughs]

You'd have to try one of us for murder.

- [laughs]
- I don't know.

But I always think about it. It's weird.

Maybe it's what happens when
you have a kid with someone.

The family thing or all that.

He should be here any minute.

Good morning. Thank you for coming in.

What is she doing here?

I hope we're here for an apology.

From all of you.

That'll be the day.

[clears throat]

Mrs. Reynolds and her lawyer
have agreed to take a deal.

Smartest thing she's ever done.

She agreed to plead to manslaughter

in exchange for a
five-year prison sentence.

Good.

Bastard.

[laughs] See what I have to put up with?

You? What kind of father

pretends to kidnap his own daughter?

That's never been established.

[scoffs] I'm sorry, Mr. Stone.

I don't want the deal anymore.

- It's a good deal, Jane.
- No, he gets

full custody of Emma?

How often do you think he's gonna

bring her to prison to visit me?

If we lose at trial,
you could do ten years.

I have to at least try.

That's fine by me.

Please stand.

I'll arrange bail, Jane.

You know, raising a
child is about a lot more

than buying her some rainbow kite.

Well, most kids don't need to live

in a four bedroom in Lincoln Park.

You've already ruined my life.

And now you're gonna destroy Emma too.

[scoffs] To think I loved you once.

Ah, Jesus Christ. Do you know why

I made you go to Car-A-La-Carte?

Shut up, Ted.

Because that is what
I had to do every time

I wanted to take Emma anywhere.

And the four banks?

That's so you could see what
it's like chasing after a buck.

Four jobs I had to work to pay for you

to live like a damn princess.

You didn't listen to me.

I asked you to modify the alimony.

I begged you.

Ah, what the hell. It was me, I did it.

I threatened her and I'd do it again.

- That is not a confession.
- Yes. Yes, it is.

She's taken everything
already, I don't...

I don't have anything left.

Yeah, yeah, come on.

Ted Reynolds, you're under arrest

for the murder of Christopher Jones.

Again.

Under the circumstances...

One year probation.

[somber tone]

♪ ♪

Jail for him, probation for her.

Another kid growing up without her dad.

Chris's mom, staring
at photos in an album.

Five lives ruined.

Another quirky donut.

- Close enough.
- Bizarre.

He hates her, but he'll go to
prison for 20 years for her.

Hm. Justice isn't the
only thing that's blind.

- Mm.
- You wanna

- grab a drink with us?
- No, thanks.

I'm gonna go home and kiss my wife.

And take a long, hot shower.