Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999): Season 4, Episode 8 - Sniper: Part 1 - full transcript
- How you doing?
- What'll it be?
A soft drink, soda,
anything cold with ice in it.
- Coming right up.
- Great. Thanks.
Tim! Jay Leno's here.
- That's not him. Are you sure?
- Sure, I'm sure.
- That is not.
- It is.
- What would he be doing in Baltimore?
- Dunno, but that's him.
Maybe he's just some guy
who looks like Jay Leno, huh?
- It's Jay Leno. Be tactful.
- It's not Jay Leno! Right!
- Great.
- OK.
- Thanks.
- Hah...
- It's Jay Leno.
- No kidding.
He's right here in the
bar. What do we do?
Leave him alone. He's he
doesn't want to be bothered.
Probably came for peace and quiet.
Trust me. Ignore him, he'll be happier.
- Probably wants to remain anonymous.
- I won't even look him in the eye.
Guys, you got any peanuts,
or anything like that?
He wants peanuts.
Bring him peanuts, but
don't engage in conversation.
That's great. Thanks.
Beautiful day, huh?
I love comin' to Baltimore. I gotta
cousin, Mary, she thinks I visit her.
I come for the crab cakes and to go
out to Camden Yards, kinda hang out.
Don't say anything
to her, will you?
We do our show in California,
so don't get back to this part of the
country much. It's fun to come back.
Great town, don't you think?
You guys probably don't get a chance
to watch much... late-night TV, huh?
Oh, look at the
time! Well, gotta run.
Nice talking to you. Hard
to believe the bar is empty.
1996. Boy, that
board looks empty.
Clean slate... What
are you doing here?
- Testing my new lens.
- That's great.
Paralysis, neurological
damage, drop foot.
- Drop foot?
- Drop foot?
A possible side
effect of back surgery.
My doctor wants me
to have a laminectomy.
That's when they cut out the bad
disc... and fuse the vertebrae together.
Spinal fusion. My
ex-brother-in-law had that.
Yep. I've never
had surgery before.
Frank, look here. Look here.
On the consent form it says
it says one of the possible
outcomes, in small print, death!
- Ouch.
- There's a risk in every surgery.
Sure. There are side effects, but
death? You go in for a little operation,
you end up in the
morgue! I don't think so.
If you die in hospital with
a signed death certificate
from a physician, you don't
have to go to the morgue.
Thanks, Frank. That
makes me feel a lot better.
- What?
- You... got really nice hair.
You get paid for this?
Who's up?
Not me. Still working on
the Buchnowski cutting.
It's me. I'll get it.
- No, I got it.
- Somebody get it before they hang up?
Maybe this is how we
improve our clearance rate.
Don't answer the phone. If a
murder is committed in Baltimore
and no detective takes the
call, did that murder occur?
- The phone!
- Bayliss, Homicide.
Yeah, yeah. OK. Got it.
We got a triple shooting
on Collington Avenue.
Take Brodie with you... please!
- What you got?
- Two shot in the back, both 10-7.
A third, a teenage girl, shot
nicked her heart, punctured her lung.
- She's en route to Shock Trauma.
- OK. Get her name?
Keisha Farrell. We got a body
over here, and another on the right.
- Witnesses?
- A few.
They thought the shots
came from the brewery.
Each killed by a single bullet. No
powder residue. The entrance is clean.
- The shooter was a distance away.
- As far as that rooftop?
- Could be.
- OK.
- He's a great marksman.
- He missed the third victim.
Better shot than you, Frank.
- They got something on the roof.
- OK.
This may have been here before the
shooting, but you should take a look.
- Game of hangman.
- Chalk looks fresh.
Let's get lab techs
here to take scrapings.
Nine-letter word.
Something, something, O,
something, I, something,
something, A, something.
- What word is it?
- Maybe it's not a word.
- Maybe it's a name.
- Well, either way, it doesn't matter.
I got me a living
victim. Keisha Farrell.
Living victim, case always goes
down, right? Yes, sir, always.
- Keisha Farrell died 20 minutes ago.
- She died?
- In the operating room.
- During surgery?
We got a triple homicide here now.
Kellerman, Lewis, Munch, we need you.
We found three shell casings on
the rooftop at the brewery, 308s.
Also a game of
hangman. The kid's game?
We took scrapings of the
chalk, and sent them to the lab.
OK, Victim number one is a
Louise Wilcox, 45 years of age,
a nurse at St John's
Veteran's Hospital.
Number two, Vernon Capers,
20 years old, on disability.
We found a knife on him,
and two black-tops of cocaine.
Maybe it's drug-related.
Cos it was in that
sort of neighbourhood.
Touché.
Third victim, Keisha Farrell, 15
years old. High school student.
Maybe the shooter hit the others by
accident and was aiming for Capers?
- Accidentally shot them in the heart?
- Accidentally on purpose.
Three clean shots,
three people expunged.
- Expunged?
- Any connection between the victims?
All black, all lived in
the neighbourhood.
All right, let's
investigate each victim.
Bayliss, you're the primary. Work
with me on the Wilcox woman.
Kellerman, Lewis,
take Vernon Capers.
Look at a drug motive. Pembleton,
you and John talk to Keisha's family.
I want everything - family
grudges, wives, husbands.
I wanna know what
toothpaste they used!
If there's a connection, it
may lead us to our shooter.
F-A-R-R-E-L-L.
Died during surgery.
Louise Wilcox was a nurse on my shift.
I don't know about her personal life.
Did she mention a Vernon Capers?
- Not to me.
- Keisha Farrell?
- Nope.
- Maybe they were patients of hers?
I can give you her charts to look
at, but I have got to get back to work.
Without Louise, I've got twice as
much to do and half the time to do it.
- Terrific.
- Wait, there's more.
- OK.
- Those charts don't leave this desk.
OK. OK.
We found your brother with a
pocket full of ready rocks, Mr Capers.
Vernon have any
other bad habits?
Used to leave the toilet
seat up every now and then.
- It'd drive my girlfriend crazy.
- You got a warrant?
- We're pinnin' nothing on you.
- We're Homicide, not Narcotics.
We need to know if, because
of his problems with cocaine,
he might have got mixed up with a
lowlife who wanted him expunged?
- Expunged?
- Hey, look. He was a doper, OK?
Sure, but I'm talking a little
weed, a little cocaine, nothing more.
- Who was his dealer?
- Vernon never made a buy.
- So how'd he get the stuff?
- Anything he needed, he came to me.
- Hey, Pike took care of Vernon.
- You took care of your brother?
Yeah, but I guess
not good enough.
Mr Farrell, do you know why
Keisha wasn't in school this morning?
She didn't like going to school.
I tried to keep after her, but...
I work two jobs.
Never enough time.
Do you know what your daughter
was doing on Collington Avenue?
If I'd been after her more,
she'd have been in school.
She'd be coming
home tonight for supper.
I always made sure
we had supper together.
OK, Mr Farrell, we won't take
up any more of your time. Thanks.
Thank you, sir.
I hate hospitals.
A hospital like this, who blames
you? Thanks for your cooperation.
You ever have surgery, besides
being shot last year? Elective surgery?
- When I was 12 I had my appendix out.
- Oh, so they put you under, huh?
- I mean... what was that like?
- I don't remember.
You don't remember your
consciousness being obliterated?
I was a kid.
You know something? Your
heart, it could have stopped.
You could have been
allergic to anaesthesia
and just died right
there on the table.
You know, Tim, sometimes these
back troubles are psychosomatic.
Vernon Capers?
None of Louise Wilcox's
patients had a criminal record,
and none of her
co-workers held a grudge.
No reason anyone
would've shot Keisha.
- How about Caper's drug connection?
- Zip. It's turning into a stone whodunit.
- Play that for me
again. The hangman?
Yeah.
It does take two
to play hangman.
But the bullets we recovered
all came from the same gun,
so that implies one gunman.
Yeah, one gunman and a
friend with a good vocabulary.
What? It's from my doctor.
Muscle relaxants for
back spasms, see?
But you don't pop
'em like aspirin!
I don't need medical advice
from you, all right? I'm fine.
Yeah, OK.
Another game of hangman.
Same letters as at the first scene?
It's a nine-letter word, but
he added another letter, "T".
There's fewer wrong guesses.
The stick guy, he's just got
the head, the body and one arm.
- He's hanging himself.
- Maybe trying to work something out.
Could be modifying the rules and with
each wrong guess he shoots somebody.
Shell casings are 308s
like Collington Square.
That and this hangman game,
we're looking for the same shooter.
- Giardello and Russert have showed up.
- You know what that means, hey?
Congratulations, Timmy! It's a
bouncing baby Red Ball. Any cigars?
Great!
Our shooter from Collington Square
has moved on to Highlandtown.
The pattern is the same. All shots
were fired from an adjacent rooftop,
all victims were
shot in the heart.
We might be dealing with a sniper
who chooses targets at random,
we might be dealing with an
assassin personality, or a serial killer.
Right now, we've got a lot of
unknowns. Detective Bayliss.
Our two latest victims are Irma
Watts, 34, white, a secretary,
and Armando Layzek, 26,
also white, a city worker.
We got three bullets, each with a
four-right twist, from Collington Square.
We are looking for an H-K rifle.
A second hangman game was
found at the Highlandtown scene.
That information shouldn't
leave this squad room.
I don't want any
leaks to the press.
Our handwriting expert, Andy Orloff,
is comparing the letters in both games.
Traditionally it takes two to play this,
but ballistics points to only one gun.
We still don't know whether there
are one or two assailants involved.
- Location?
- Warehouse rooftops.
The first one was four storeys
high. The Collington Square location
was seven storeys.
He likes heights.
Lewis, call Quantico. Put together a
psychological profile on the sniper, OK?
Kellerman, run down all the
shooting ranges, all the gun clubs.
Shabazz, Higby, get a list
of registered H-K rifles. OK?
Munch and Frank, and
Stapopolous and Tambelli,
take the Highlandtown victims,
see if they had anything in common
with each other or with
Collington Square victims.
Howard's going to stay on top of
the chalk and handwriting analysis.
Hangman is our shooter's
signature. Maybe that'll lead us to him.
I'll be holding a press conference.
Any requests for information,
for interviews, refer
them to my office, OK?
Let's be thorough,
but let's be fast.
We don't know when or where, or
even if, our sniper will strike again,
and I don't want to wait to find
out. The next move is ours, OK?
OK! Go!
- Looking for a "sniper". Interesting.
- What do you mean?
Two black people get
killed, it's drug related.
Two white folks, it's a Red Ball.
It's got a nice ring to it, "Red Ball".
It's urgent. You give
press conferences.
Got a problem with
the investigation?
I ain't got a problem, Sarge,
I just think it's interesting.
- Tell me when you hear from Quantico.
- You got it.
You and Howard, it's love. Start
pickin' out your china pattern.
We're confident we'll
apprehend the shooter.
We have back-up
from every district.
You're recommending
people stay home?
There's no need for panic.
There is need for caution.
My daughter was shot!
What are the police doing?
A double shift of homicide
detectives are on this case,
we will catch who
shot these five people.
- You don't know anything!
- Get him out.
Do you have any idea where or
when the sniper will strike next?
I want to speak to somebody in
charge! I want to see the Mayor!
Where is the Mayor and the
Commissioner? Shouldn't they be here?
I want answers from the police.
I want justice for my daughter!
I want justice!
Captain Russert has the support
of the Commissioner and Mayor.
We're close to making an arrest.
I can't tell you any more without
compromising the investigation.
Thank you all for
your cooperation.
What's this fellow's
name? Farrell.
- Mr Farrell!
- Who the hell let him in?
Why did you announce that
we were close to an arrest?
- We're no closer.
- The media doesn't need to know that.
It doesn't help,
making false promises.
You wanted a press conference.
You can't hold a press conference
and tell them we don't know anything.
We have a sniper on the loose! I won't
be responsible for people being misled!
I'm not suggesting
you mislead them.
I'm suggesting by your
next press conference,
you're able to announce
we have the killer in custody.
Put more uniforms out front. I don't
want reporters in the squad room.
I don't want civilians
roaming the hallways.
What have we got to connect
these victims? Anything?
We've checked with
their families, friends,
co-workers, psychic
advisors and dry cleaners.
Farrell, Capers, Wilcox, Watts and
Layzek couldn't have less in common.
- Except they're all dead.
- You're a literal guy, Frank.
- What are you readin'?
- A book of word games.
"Hangman - the
game gets its name
"from the method of counting incorrect
guesses. A gibbet or gallows is drawn.
"On the first incorrect guess,
the head of the man is added.
"The next gives him a neck,
the third a body, and so forth.
"If the man is completed before the
player has guessed the correct word,
"he is hung and
loses the round."
Ouch.
There's no completed man
in either of these two photos.
- He hasn't lost the round yet.
- So he's still playing the game.
We might have a break. The lab
identified the chalk from the letters.
The type of chalk is Da Vinci.
It's manufactured by Majestic, Inc.
- It's usually sold in art-supply stores.
- The stores may not be open long.
We need to talk to managers, clerks,
all art-supply businesses in the area.
Track down whoever
bought this Da Vinci chalk.
We also want any credit-card receipts
to check against the hangman letters.
Handwriting analysis
can compare a signature
with the writing from
the hangman games?
- Well, that's what we're looking for.
- Modern science.
- You comin', Tim?
- Yeah, I'm on my way.
Detective Bayliss! Andy
Orloff, our handwriting expert.
Great!
We've narrowed down the credit card
receipts for Da Vinci in the past year.
You've got the photographs of
the hangman games at both scenes.
- We're looking for a match.
- We're counting on you.
- Oh, boy. Oh!
- Lewis, line three.
Lewis, Homicide.
Hold on. I've got Quantico.
They can't give us a complete
psych profile for 24 hours.
Tell them to fax whatever
they've got right now,
and if they've got a problem with that,
tell them to call me. I'll be in my office.
All right.
I didn't mean to scare you,
Andy, but you're our only hope.
That scares me.
No, honey. Caroline, I can't
come home yet. I know. I know.
I didn't forget about your
piano recital tomorrow night.
I hope I can
make it too. I know.
OK. I love you
too. Now go to bed.
Bayliss, Homicide.
- Yeah, yeah. OK. I'm on my way.
- Sniper struck again?
No, but a uniform found a game of
hangman at an elementary school.
- I'm checking it out.
- Me, too.
- I want you wearing vests.
- Don't worry!
And don't tell me not to worry!
You think he's settin' us up?
- The sniper?
- He draws a hangman and we respond.
Bang! He picks us off like
a couple of sitting ducks.
- Is that what you think?
- It hasn't crossed your mind?
- Well, yeah, it's crossed my mind.
- That's all I'm sayin'.
- So, where's the hangman?
- Right here.
- What do you think? A warning?
- Possibly.
A warning? My kids
go to this school.
It's almost
midnight. In 8 hours,
150 children between the ages
of 6 and 12 will go to school.
We need to order this block
cordoned off, this building closed!
- And set off a city-wide panic?
- We don't have an alternative.
Megan's right. It's possible the
sniper is sending us a warning
as to where he'll hit next.
We can't risk these children.
We sent chalk scrapings
from the wall to the lab
and photos to Andy Orloff
to compare handwriting.
We're waitin' to see if there's
a match with the other scenes.
- How long is that gonna take?
- They're working as fast as they can.
You still think these
games are connected?
The first two games used nine-letter
words. This one, it's four letters.
- So they may be unrelated?
- Or he went on to another word.
- I heard from Munch and Pembleton!
- What'd they find out?
They have two
suspects a block away.
- Two suspects?
- In custody. They're on their way.
Come on out.
Two children.
Open your hand.
I want you to tell me the truth,
man to man. You draw this game?
You guys are just playin' a
game? Just a game, right?
- Bayliss, it's a kid.
- Get the kids outta of here.
Make sure they get home safe.
- I want that analysed for confirmation.
- All right.
And a uniform detail posted
here... as a precaution.
What you got there? Good
stuff? Percodan, Percoset, Tylenol.
- They're muscle relaxants.
- Even better.
And you don't get any.
No one's willing to share
their drugs anymore.
So, this doctor, does he still
think back surgery is a good idea?
He said that I could either
have months of physical therapy
with no guarantee of success,
or I could get an operation.
- So, he recommended the operation.
- With no guarantee of success?
What's that supposed to mean?
You go to a chiropractor,
to a physical therapist...
The doctor doesn't see that dough.
He's gotta cut you open to collect.
Dr Erlich is very dedicated. He
didn't get into this for the money.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
What kinda car does
he drive? Lexus? BMW?
- Jaguar.
- The economy model, huh?
So he drives a Jaguar. It doesn't
mean that he's not dedicated.
Argh! Get outta there.
Homicide, Detective
Munch. Where? Yeah.
- Bayliss!
- What?
Another shooting. Four dead
outside the Walters Art Gallery.
Sir, I want to thank you
for giving me this job, sir.
It means a lot that you've given
me this chance to prove myself.
- You haven't proven yourself yet.
- Yes, sir.
- Quit talking and keep videotaping.
- Yes, sir.
Did you see where the shots
came from, Judge Hazelton?
There was an echo, but I believe
they came from one of those rooftops.
Maybe the Washington
Monument. You should look up there.
We've got detectives
up there, sir.
A nine-letter word,
like the first two.
He's filled in more letters, but
made fewer wrong guesses.
That means?
He's closer to the right word but
hasn't found the answer he's looking for.
Maybe we ought to
buy him a dictionary.
Yeah.
- Thanks.
- We got positive ID's on these bodies.
We got a doorman, Ernie
Zaratta, a physician, Joel Pollack.
Evan Reginald, he's a retired
judge... And Mary Caswell.
The wife of Henry Caswell,
the City Councilman?
- Right.
- It's Red Ball on top of a Red Ball.
Let's go over what we know, OK?
Firstly, how do we know
this is even the same sniper?
Shots fired, the same pattern.
Victims all shot in the heart.
The hangman game at every scene.
Each time more letters are added.
Chalk scrapings indicate that Da
Vinci chalk was used in all three games.
No correspondence
between the number of victims
and the number of completed letters,
or between the number of victims
and the number of
incorrect guesses.
The victims are all races, all
ages, all economic backgrounds,
both genders, and
no connections.
- Let's go over every crime scene.
- Maybe it's in the locations?
Collington Square is a "C".
Highlandtown's an "H".
Mount Vernon's an "M".
It's got nothing to do
with anything, does it?
What about the
names of the victims?
Names, places, letters, numbers,
times of day, names...
God, no pattern is emerging!
What about time?
Times on record?
We have... We got eight AM,
we got four PM, and midnight.
No minutes, no
seconds, on the hour?
That's what the witnesses recollected,
on the hour, every eight hours.
Three shooting incidents,
each exactly eight hours apart.
- It's 3:35 AM now.
- Mount Vernon was midnight. We got...
- So we have got less than five hours.
- Where?
Where?
You've less than five hours to find
him and you're meeting victims' families?
They're demanding answers,
and have a right to be heard.
Concentrate on
catching the shooter.
There's nothing more
we can do, except wait.
- It's not our job to placate the families.
- I think it is our job.
These are concerned citizens. They
need to know we're listening to them.
We're responsible for
giving out information.
They can turn on the news.
- I'm also setting up an 800 number.
- What?
Any family member who wants to
know the status of our investigation
can call, keep current on our
progress, updates over the phone.
They won't have to come
to Police Headquarters.
An 800 number?
People will feel they have
access to the Police Department.
- They'll get the answers they need.
- No!
It's a perfect solution to our
public-information problem.
- I think it's a good idea.
- Maybe.
But we're already short
on money and manpower.
- I'm not authorising the funds for it.
- What?
You should have
checked with me first.
Let me know when you
have a break in this case.
Oh!
Tim, what the
hell are you doing?
- Whoa!
- Hey, whoa!
Wow!
- Are you OK?
- I'm fine.
I'm fine. I just took some
muscle relaxants for my back.
I'm fine.
I got names in red
piling up under my name.
Under my name. Why are
they piling up under my name?
Because I answered
the phone call.
Yeah, it's my
responsibility, it's... my case.
You know, with every case
there are those moments
when you feel
you've lost your way.
You don't know if it's worth it,
the hours...
not being able to go to
your daughter's piano recital.
Right. See, but then
something happens.
A piece of evidence,
a witness comes in.
You get that moment of clarity, a
moment when you love your job.
But what amount of stress
would make someone want
to go out and
shoot at strangers?
See, that's the
reason why he shoots.
- There's no stress at all.
- What do you mean, no stress?
With a marksman
it is about precision.
You see, it's about
total concentration.
And... you look
through the scope,
see, and you exhale...
You steady your mind, your body.
You focus brain to
eye, the hand... the gun.
And then the fog
just lifts and you're...
at one with your target.
And then you... shoot.
Bang.
No stress at all.
Our handwriting expert,
he's got something.
Take a look at these. "M"
from the third hangman game,
and "M" from a credit-card
purchase of Da Vinci chalk.
We've got a match.
Our suspect is William Mariner,
age 43. Insurance executive.
No prior arrests,
medical or mental history.
Wife, Linda. Three
children, two girls and a boy.
Lieutenant Jasper from QRT
will fill us in on procedures.
We know a lot about
this guy. He's a crack shot,
a former military sharpshooter.
I wanna keep it simple.
Get the wife and kids out of
the way, then we go for Mariner.
We are gonna try to
talk to this guy first, right?
I wanna be prepared in the
event of a hostage situation.
I don't want to go in too
quickly, cos we might create
the exact situation
we're trying to avoid.
Bayliss, let the man finish.
Sharpshooters are
trained like QRT.
The greater the pressure,
the cooler the response.
You go in like
paratroopers, this guy'll snap!
- Detective, he already has snapped!
- OK, all right.
Can Bayliss go in and talk
to him before moving in?
When we secure the home
and isolate Mariner, OK.
- Fair enough?
- Yeah, yeah.
Let's do it.
Bill? Honey?
Bill? Honey, you
want some breakfast?
I made your favourite,
blueberry pancakes.
I'll keep your plate warm.
Daddy will be out in a minute.
Who wants maple syrup?
Me!
Hello.
'Mrs Mariner, I'm
Detective Tim Bayliss
'with the Baltimore City Police.
Is your husband with you? '
He's in his study. What's
this about? What's going on?
'We're very concerned
for your safety.
- 'Are your kids with you too? '
- Yeah.
'OK, good. Please step outside,
Mrs Mariner, you and your children.'
My God!
All right, kids,
come on. Let's go!
- No!
- Go! Go!
Mrs Mariner, I'm
Captain Russert.
I'm Lieutenant Giardello.
You spoke to Detective Bayliss.
Why are you doing this?
I'm sorry, but we've a warrant to
arrest your husband for murder.
No. No. That is not true!
- If we could talk for a moment...
- I'm going in. You can't do this!
Come on!
Listen, listen!
We won't hurt you, and we
don't want to hurt your husband.
Please don't hurt Bill. He
locks himself in his study.
He doesn't eat,
he doesn't sleep.
He doesn't even drink. If he
drank, I could handle that, but this...
- Does your husband own a gun?
- A rifle.
He keeps it with
him in his study.
I try talking to him,
but he keeps babbling.
- About what?
- I don't know.
He keeps saying he's
gotta finish the game,
and if he can finish the
game, then he can stop.
- So he's still in his study?
- What are you gonna do?
- I'm gonna go talk to him.
- Oh!
You're up. The study's
in front, off the living room.
QRT is ready for you to go in.
- Did Jasper OK a sharpshooter?
- They're in position.
They're not gonna shoot
unless I give the signal?
If the situation deteriorates,
you give it up to them, OK?
You understand?
William Mariner, this is
Detective Tim Bayliss.
Can you hear me in there?
Your wife Linda and
I were just talking,
and she's real
worried about you.
Whatever's going on, we can work
it out. I want that. Your wife does.
I'm sure your
kids want that too.
I'm very close now.
You're very close to what?
The last letter.
When I get the last
letter, I can stop.
I... just have to figure it out.
Yeah, I... understand
about figuring things out.
- My job, I figure things out every day.
- This isn't my job.
What is it that you're trying to...
to figure out? Maybe I can help.
Mr Mariner?
Do you wanna play
a game of hangman?
It's a nine-letter word.
Go ahead, guess a letter.
- Why don't you come on out here?
- Guess a letter, then I'll come out.
- All right. Er..."M".
- I already have an "M".
I chose a letter. You
promised you'd come on out.
But you didn't choose the
right letter. Guess again.
Please, Mr Mariner...
- I'm waiting.
- Yeah, OK.
Er..."B".
- That's it.
- Mr Mariner?
I finished the game.
I can stop now.
- It's over.
- Come on out here and we'll talk.
Go, go, go!
All right, we're in the
room. 10-32. It's all clear.
- Bayliss? You all right?
- Yeah.
All right, keep the
wife outta here.
Let's call the crime lab.
"Eromitlab". What
the hell's that?
He finally finished the game.
- He got the right word.
- What does it mean?
We've got Mariner's prints on shell
casings from all three crime scenes.
We've recovered an H-K rifle
from his home. He's our sniper.
He was our sniper!
It was unfortunate, yes, but Detective
Bayliss did everything he could...
I have to tell the press our
prime suspect blew his brains out
while surrounded by
detectives and QRT personnel!
It's not the optimum outcome, but we
did everything according to procedure.
Were you in negotiation
with the suspect?
I left that to
Detective Bayliss.
You turned over a delicate
negotiation to a subordinate?
- You didn't take responsibility?
- That's not what I'm saying.
I take full responsibility.
Your handling of the
situation indicates to me
you're not up to the
position of Captain.
- Excuse me?
- You heard me.
- You're demoting me?
- You're still a Lieutenant.
You're within the 12-month
probation period for Captain.
- You're incapable of doing the job.
- On what grounds?
My report will read
you were in violation
of General Order C-2,
Rule Number 1, Section 19.
- Section 19!
- Incompetence.
- Section 19?
- Yes, that's right.
Section 19 is a completely
arbitrary regulation. It's a...
You can cite non-performance
of duty for an unspecified reason.
It's a loophole for firing someone
without having to show cause.
And that's what you
are doing right now.
- It's nothing personal.
- Oh, yeah? I think it is personal.
But I just don't think you
have the balls to admit it.
Now I'll recommend
you be demoted.
Section 13, showing
disrespect to a superior officer.
So in five minutes I've been
demoted from Captain to Detective?
Take a few days off, decide
where you'd be comfortable,
Arson, Vice or Homicide.
That's assuming you decide
to remain with the Department.
Go home, Tim. You caught
the sniper. Case closed.
Yeah. I'm on my way. I'm just...
I'm gonna sleep for 12 hours straight.
I'm too wired to sleep, unless you want
to lend me a magic muscle-relaxing pill?
You know? I don't need these anymore.
I don't need them at all. Here, take 'em.
All of them?
- Is there a refill on this?
- I dunno.
That's it. I'm not taking the pills
anymore, I'm not gonna have surgery.
- You made a decision?
- Yep. If I'm in agony, so be it.
I'll suffer in silence. I'll
bear my pain like a martyr.
You know it's not your fault
Mariner blew his brains out?
Do I know that,
Frank? Do I really?
Ordinary guy, wife, three kids,
beautiful house in the suburbs,
and he gets all twisted up
over this game of hangman.
I try to talk to him, and
he blows his head off.
He finished the game and I don't
really even know what that means.
I don't get it.
- Come on.
- What?
- Time to go home.
- Oh, yeah.
- Can you give me a ride home?
- What about your car?
It's my back.
It's hard to drive.
What happened to
suffering in silence?
- You're gonna me a ride home?
- I'm goin' home.
Is that a yes or a no? Frank?
♪ If God had a name
What would it be? ♪
- Mum, you're finally home!
- Yes! Come here.
- You're gonna be late for school.
- You're comin' to my piano recital?
- I wouldn't miss it for the world.
- Yeah!
You'd better hurry cos
you'll miss your bus.
Bye.
♪ And, yeah,
yeah, God, it is great
♪ Yeah, yeah, God, it is good
♪ Yeah, yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah
♪ What if God was one of us?
♪ Just a slob like one of us?
♪ Just a stranger on the bus
♪ Tryin' to make his way home?
♪ If God had a face
What would it look like?
♪ And would you wanna see
♪ If seeing meant that
You would have to believe
♪ In things like Heaven
And in Jesus and the saints
♪ And all the prophets?
♪ And, yeah,
yeah, God, it is great
♪ Yeah, yeah,
God, it is good... ♪
'We interrupt this
programme for a news bulletin.
'Three people were shot and killed
by a sniper in downtown Baltimore.
'The shots may have
been fired from a rooftop,
'but police have no
further details at this time.
'This shooting will be
the fourth sniper attack
'the city has seen
in the past 24 hours,
'bringing the total number
of victims to 12 dead.'
- What'll it be?
A soft drink, soda,
anything cold with ice in it.
- Coming right up.
- Great. Thanks.
Tim! Jay Leno's here.
- That's not him. Are you sure?
- Sure, I'm sure.
- That is not.
- It is.
- What would he be doing in Baltimore?
- Dunno, but that's him.
Maybe he's just some guy
who looks like Jay Leno, huh?
- It's Jay Leno. Be tactful.
- It's not Jay Leno! Right!
- Great.
- OK.
- Thanks.
- Hah...
- It's Jay Leno.
- No kidding.
He's right here in the
bar. What do we do?
Leave him alone. He's he
doesn't want to be bothered.
Probably came for peace and quiet.
Trust me. Ignore him, he'll be happier.
- Probably wants to remain anonymous.
- I won't even look him in the eye.
Guys, you got any peanuts,
or anything like that?
He wants peanuts.
Bring him peanuts, but
don't engage in conversation.
That's great. Thanks.
Beautiful day, huh?
I love comin' to Baltimore. I gotta
cousin, Mary, she thinks I visit her.
I come for the crab cakes and to go
out to Camden Yards, kinda hang out.
Don't say anything
to her, will you?
We do our show in California,
so don't get back to this part of the
country much. It's fun to come back.
Great town, don't you think?
You guys probably don't get a chance
to watch much... late-night TV, huh?
Oh, look at the
time! Well, gotta run.
Nice talking to you. Hard
to believe the bar is empty.
1996. Boy, that
board looks empty.
Clean slate... What
are you doing here?
- Testing my new lens.
- That's great.
Paralysis, neurological
damage, drop foot.
- Drop foot?
- Drop foot?
A possible side
effect of back surgery.
My doctor wants me
to have a laminectomy.
That's when they cut out the bad
disc... and fuse the vertebrae together.
Spinal fusion. My
ex-brother-in-law had that.
Yep. I've never
had surgery before.
Frank, look here. Look here.
On the consent form it says
it says one of the possible
outcomes, in small print, death!
- Ouch.
- There's a risk in every surgery.
Sure. There are side effects, but
death? You go in for a little operation,
you end up in the
morgue! I don't think so.
If you die in hospital with
a signed death certificate
from a physician, you don't
have to go to the morgue.
Thanks, Frank. That
makes me feel a lot better.
- What?
- You... got really nice hair.
You get paid for this?
Who's up?
Not me. Still working on
the Buchnowski cutting.
It's me. I'll get it.
- No, I got it.
- Somebody get it before they hang up?
Maybe this is how we
improve our clearance rate.
Don't answer the phone. If a
murder is committed in Baltimore
and no detective takes the
call, did that murder occur?
- The phone!
- Bayliss, Homicide.
Yeah, yeah. OK. Got it.
We got a triple shooting
on Collington Avenue.
Take Brodie with you... please!
- What you got?
- Two shot in the back, both 10-7.
A third, a teenage girl, shot
nicked her heart, punctured her lung.
- She's en route to Shock Trauma.
- OK. Get her name?
Keisha Farrell. We got a body
over here, and another on the right.
- Witnesses?
- A few.
They thought the shots
came from the brewery.
Each killed by a single bullet. No
powder residue. The entrance is clean.
- The shooter was a distance away.
- As far as that rooftop?
- Could be.
- OK.
- He's a great marksman.
- He missed the third victim.
Better shot than you, Frank.
- They got something on the roof.
- OK.
This may have been here before the
shooting, but you should take a look.
- Game of hangman.
- Chalk looks fresh.
Let's get lab techs
here to take scrapings.
Nine-letter word.
Something, something, O,
something, I, something,
something, A, something.
- What word is it?
- Maybe it's not a word.
- Maybe it's a name.
- Well, either way, it doesn't matter.
I got me a living
victim. Keisha Farrell.
Living victim, case always goes
down, right? Yes, sir, always.
- Keisha Farrell died 20 minutes ago.
- She died?
- In the operating room.
- During surgery?
We got a triple homicide here now.
Kellerman, Lewis, Munch, we need you.
We found three shell casings on
the rooftop at the brewery, 308s.
Also a game of
hangman. The kid's game?
We took scrapings of the
chalk, and sent them to the lab.
OK, Victim number one is a
Louise Wilcox, 45 years of age,
a nurse at St John's
Veteran's Hospital.
Number two, Vernon Capers,
20 years old, on disability.
We found a knife on him,
and two black-tops of cocaine.
Maybe it's drug-related.
Cos it was in that
sort of neighbourhood.
Touché.
Third victim, Keisha Farrell, 15
years old. High school student.
Maybe the shooter hit the others by
accident and was aiming for Capers?
- Accidentally shot them in the heart?
- Accidentally on purpose.
Three clean shots,
three people expunged.
- Expunged?
- Any connection between the victims?
All black, all lived in
the neighbourhood.
All right, let's
investigate each victim.
Bayliss, you're the primary. Work
with me on the Wilcox woman.
Kellerman, Lewis,
take Vernon Capers.
Look at a drug motive. Pembleton,
you and John talk to Keisha's family.
I want everything - family
grudges, wives, husbands.
I wanna know what
toothpaste they used!
If there's a connection, it
may lead us to our shooter.
F-A-R-R-E-L-L.
Died during surgery.
Louise Wilcox was a nurse on my shift.
I don't know about her personal life.
Did she mention a Vernon Capers?
- Not to me.
- Keisha Farrell?
- Nope.
- Maybe they were patients of hers?
I can give you her charts to look
at, but I have got to get back to work.
Without Louise, I've got twice as
much to do and half the time to do it.
- Terrific.
- Wait, there's more.
- OK.
- Those charts don't leave this desk.
OK. OK.
We found your brother with a
pocket full of ready rocks, Mr Capers.
Vernon have any
other bad habits?
Used to leave the toilet
seat up every now and then.
- It'd drive my girlfriend crazy.
- You got a warrant?
- We're pinnin' nothing on you.
- We're Homicide, not Narcotics.
We need to know if, because
of his problems with cocaine,
he might have got mixed up with a
lowlife who wanted him expunged?
- Expunged?
- Hey, look. He was a doper, OK?
Sure, but I'm talking a little
weed, a little cocaine, nothing more.
- Who was his dealer?
- Vernon never made a buy.
- So how'd he get the stuff?
- Anything he needed, he came to me.
- Hey, Pike took care of Vernon.
- You took care of your brother?
Yeah, but I guess
not good enough.
Mr Farrell, do you know why
Keisha wasn't in school this morning?
She didn't like going to school.
I tried to keep after her, but...
I work two jobs.
Never enough time.
Do you know what your daughter
was doing on Collington Avenue?
If I'd been after her more,
she'd have been in school.
She'd be coming
home tonight for supper.
I always made sure
we had supper together.
OK, Mr Farrell, we won't take
up any more of your time. Thanks.
Thank you, sir.
I hate hospitals.
A hospital like this, who blames
you? Thanks for your cooperation.
You ever have surgery, besides
being shot last year? Elective surgery?
- When I was 12 I had my appendix out.
- Oh, so they put you under, huh?
- I mean... what was that like?
- I don't remember.
You don't remember your
consciousness being obliterated?
I was a kid.
You know something? Your
heart, it could have stopped.
You could have been
allergic to anaesthesia
and just died right
there on the table.
You know, Tim, sometimes these
back troubles are psychosomatic.
Vernon Capers?
None of Louise Wilcox's
patients had a criminal record,
and none of her
co-workers held a grudge.
No reason anyone
would've shot Keisha.
- How about Caper's drug connection?
- Zip. It's turning into a stone whodunit.
- Play that for me
again. The hangman?
Yeah.
It does take two
to play hangman.
But the bullets we recovered
all came from the same gun,
so that implies one gunman.
Yeah, one gunman and a
friend with a good vocabulary.
What? It's from my doctor.
Muscle relaxants for
back spasms, see?
But you don't pop
'em like aspirin!
I don't need medical advice
from you, all right? I'm fine.
Yeah, OK.
Another game of hangman.
Same letters as at the first scene?
It's a nine-letter word, but
he added another letter, "T".
There's fewer wrong guesses.
The stick guy, he's just got
the head, the body and one arm.
- He's hanging himself.
- Maybe trying to work something out.
Could be modifying the rules and with
each wrong guess he shoots somebody.
Shell casings are 308s
like Collington Square.
That and this hangman game,
we're looking for the same shooter.
- Giardello and Russert have showed up.
- You know what that means, hey?
Congratulations, Timmy! It's a
bouncing baby Red Ball. Any cigars?
Great!
Our shooter from Collington Square
has moved on to Highlandtown.
The pattern is the same. All shots
were fired from an adjacent rooftop,
all victims were
shot in the heart.
We might be dealing with a sniper
who chooses targets at random,
we might be dealing with an
assassin personality, or a serial killer.
Right now, we've got a lot of
unknowns. Detective Bayliss.
Our two latest victims are Irma
Watts, 34, white, a secretary,
and Armando Layzek, 26,
also white, a city worker.
We got three bullets, each with a
four-right twist, from Collington Square.
We are looking for an H-K rifle.
A second hangman game was
found at the Highlandtown scene.
That information shouldn't
leave this squad room.
I don't want any
leaks to the press.
Our handwriting expert, Andy Orloff,
is comparing the letters in both games.
Traditionally it takes two to play this,
but ballistics points to only one gun.
We still don't know whether there
are one or two assailants involved.
- Location?
- Warehouse rooftops.
The first one was four storeys
high. The Collington Square location
was seven storeys.
He likes heights.
Lewis, call Quantico. Put together a
psychological profile on the sniper, OK?
Kellerman, run down all the
shooting ranges, all the gun clubs.
Shabazz, Higby, get a list
of registered H-K rifles. OK?
Munch and Frank, and
Stapopolous and Tambelli,
take the Highlandtown victims,
see if they had anything in common
with each other or with
Collington Square victims.
Howard's going to stay on top of
the chalk and handwriting analysis.
Hangman is our shooter's
signature. Maybe that'll lead us to him.
I'll be holding a press conference.
Any requests for information,
for interviews, refer
them to my office, OK?
Let's be thorough,
but let's be fast.
We don't know when or where, or
even if, our sniper will strike again,
and I don't want to wait to find
out. The next move is ours, OK?
OK! Go!
- Looking for a "sniper". Interesting.
- What do you mean?
Two black people get
killed, it's drug related.
Two white folks, it's a Red Ball.
It's got a nice ring to it, "Red Ball".
It's urgent. You give
press conferences.
Got a problem with
the investigation?
I ain't got a problem, Sarge,
I just think it's interesting.
- Tell me when you hear from Quantico.
- You got it.
You and Howard, it's love. Start
pickin' out your china pattern.
We're confident we'll
apprehend the shooter.
We have back-up
from every district.
You're recommending
people stay home?
There's no need for panic.
There is need for caution.
My daughter was shot!
What are the police doing?
A double shift of homicide
detectives are on this case,
we will catch who
shot these five people.
- You don't know anything!
- Get him out.
Do you have any idea where or
when the sniper will strike next?
I want to speak to somebody in
charge! I want to see the Mayor!
Where is the Mayor and the
Commissioner? Shouldn't they be here?
I want answers from the police.
I want justice for my daughter!
I want justice!
Captain Russert has the support
of the Commissioner and Mayor.
We're close to making an arrest.
I can't tell you any more without
compromising the investigation.
Thank you all for
your cooperation.
What's this fellow's
name? Farrell.
- Mr Farrell!
- Who the hell let him in?
Why did you announce that
we were close to an arrest?
- We're no closer.
- The media doesn't need to know that.
It doesn't help,
making false promises.
You wanted a press conference.
You can't hold a press conference
and tell them we don't know anything.
We have a sniper on the loose! I won't
be responsible for people being misled!
I'm not suggesting
you mislead them.
I'm suggesting by your
next press conference,
you're able to announce
we have the killer in custody.
Put more uniforms out front. I don't
want reporters in the squad room.
I don't want civilians
roaming the hallways.
What have we got to connect
these victims? Anything?
We've checked with
their families, friends,
co-workers, psychic
advisors and dry cleaners.
Farrell, Capers, Wilcox, Watts and
Layzek couldn't have less in common.
- Except they're all dead.
- You're a literal guy, Frank.
- What are you readin'?
- A book of word games.
"Hangman - the
game gets its name
"from the method of counting incorrect
guesses. A gibbet or gallows is drawn.
"On the first incorrect guess,
the head of the man is added.
"The next gives him a neck,
the third a body, and so forth.
"If the man is completed before the
player has guessed the correct word,
"he is hung and
loses the round."
Ouch.
There's no completed man
in either of these two photos.
- He hasn't lost the round yet.
- So he's still playing the game.
We might have a break. The lab
identified the chalk from the letters.
The type of chalk is Da Vinci.
It's manufactured by Majestic, Inc.
- It's usually sold in art-supply stores.
- The stores may not be open long.
We need to talk to managers, clerks,
all art-supply businesses in the area.
Track down whoever
bought this Da Vinci chalk.
We also want any credit-card receipts
to check against the hangman letters.
Handwriting analysis
can compare a signature
with the writing from
the hangman games?
- Well, that's what we're looking for.
- Modern science.
- You comin', Tim?
- Yeah, I'm on my way.
Detective Bayliss! Andy
Orloff, our handwriting expert.
Great!
We've narrowed down the credit card
receipts for Da Vinci in the past year.
You've got the photographs of
the hangman games at both scenes.
- We're looking for a match.
- We're counting on you.
- Oh, boy. Oh!
- Lewis, line three.
Lewis, Homicide.
Hold on. I've got Quantico.
They can't give us a complete
psych profile for 24 hours.
Tell them to fax whatever
they've got right now,
and if they've got a problem with that,
tell them to call me. I'll be in my office.
All right.
I didn't mean to scare you,
Andy, but you're our only hope.
That scares me.
No, honey. Caroline, I can't
come home yet. I know. I know.
I didn't forget about your
piano recital tomorrow night.
I hope I can
make it too. I know.
OK. I love you
too. Now go to bed.
Bayliss, Homicide.
- Yeah, yeah. OK. I'm on my way.
- Sniper struck again?
No, but a uniform found a game of
hangman at an elementary school.
- I'm checking it out.
- Me, too.
- I want you wearing vests.
- Don't worry!
And don't tell me not to worry!
You think he's settin' us up?
- The sniper?
- He draws a hangman and we respond.
Bang! He picks us off like
a couple of sitting ducks.
- Is that what you think?
- It hasn't crossed your mind?
- Well, yeah, it's crossed my mind.
- That's all I'm sayin'.
- So, where's the hangman?
- Right here.
- What do you think? A warning?
- Possibly.
A warning? My kids
go to this school.
It's almost
midnight. In 8 hours,
150 children between the ages
of 6 and 12 will go to school.
We need to order this block
cordoned off, this building closed!
- And set off a city-wide panic?
- We don't have an alternative.
Megan's right. It's possible the
sniper is sending us a warning
as to where he'll hit next.
We can't risk these children.
We sent chalk scrapings
from the wall to the lab
and photos to Andy Orloff
to compare handwriting.
We're waitin' to see if there's
a match with the other scenes.
- How long is that gonna take?
- They're working as fast as they can.
You still think these
games are connected?
The first two games used nine-letter
words. This one, it's four letters.
- So they may be unrelated?
- Or he went on to another word.
- I heard from Munch and Pembleton!
- What'd they find out?
They have two
suspects a block away.
- Two suspects?
- In custody. They're on their way.
Come on out.
Two children.
Open your hand.
I want you to tell me the truth,
man to man. You draw this game?
You guys are just playin' a
game? Just a game, right?
- Bayliss, it's a kid.
- Get the kids outta of here.
Make sure they get home safe.
- I want that analysed for confirmation.
- All right.
And a uniform detail posted
here... as a precaution.
What you got there? Good
stuff? Percodan, Percoset, Tylenol.
- They're muscle relaxants.
- Even better.
And you don't get any.
No one's willing to share
their drugs anymore.
So, this doctor, does he still
think back surgery is a good idea?
He said that I could either
have months of physical therapy
with no guarantee of success,
or I could get an operation.
- So, he recommended the operation.
- With no guarantee of success?
What's that supposed to mean?
You go to a chiropractor,
to a physical therapist...
The doctor doesn't see that dough.
He's gotta cut you open to collect.
Dr Erlich is very dedicated. He
didn't get into this for the money.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
What kinda car does
he drive? Lexus? BMW?
- Jaguar.
- The economy model, huh?
So he drives a Jaguar. It doesn't
mean that he's not dedicated.
Argh! Get outta there.
Homicide, Detective
Munch. Where? Yeah.
- Bayliss!
- What?
Another shooting. Four dead
outside the Walters Art Gallery.
Sir, I want to thank you
for giving me this job, sir.
It means a lot that you've given
me this chance to prove myself.
- You haven't proven yourself yet.
- Yes, sir.
- Quit talking and keep videotaping.
- Yes, sir.
Did you see where the shots
came from, Judge Hazelton?
There was an echo, but I believe
they came from one of those rooftops.
Maybe the Washington
Monument. You should look up there.
We've got detectives
up there, sir.
A nine-letter word,
like the first two.
He's filled in more letters, but
made fewer wrong guesses.
That means?
He's closer to the right word but
hasn't found the answer he's looking for.
Maybe we ought to
buy him a dictionary.
Yeah.
- Thanks.
- We got positive ID's on these bodies.
We got a doorman, Ernie
Zaratta, a physician, Joel Pollack.
Evan Reginald, he's a retired
judge... And Mary Caswell.
The wife of Henry Caswell,
the City Councilman?
- Right.
- It's Red Ball on top of a Red Ball.
Let's go over what we know, OK?
Firstly, how do we know
this is even the same sniper?
Shots fired, the same pattern.
Victims all shot in the heart.
The hangman game at every scene.
Each time more letters are added.
Chalk scrapings indicate that Da
Vinci chalk was used in all three games.
No correspondence
between the number of victims
and the number of completed letters,
or between the number of victims
and the number of
incorrect guesses.
The victims are all races, all
ages, all economic backgrounds,
both genders, and
no connections.
- Let's go over every crime scene.
- Maybe it's in the locations?
Collington Square is a "C".
Highlandtown's an "H".
Mount Vernon's an "M".
It's got nothing to do
with anything, does it?
What about the
names of the victims?
Names, places, letters, numbers,
times of day, names...
God, no pattern is emerging!
What about time?
Times on record?
We have... We got eight AM,
we got four PM, and midnight.
No minutes, no
seconds, on the hour?
That's what the witnesses recollected,
on the hour, every eight hours.
Three shooting incidents,
each exactly eight hours apart.
- It's 3:35 AM now.
- Mount Vernon was midnight. We got...
- So we have got less than five hours.
- Where?
Where?
You've less than five hours to find
him and you're meeting victims' families?
They're demanding answers,
and have a right to be heard.
Concentrate on
catching the shooter.
There's nothing more
we can do, except wait.
- It's not our job to placate the families.
- I think it is our job.
These are concerned citizens. They
need to know we're listening to them.
We're responsible for
giving out information.
They can turn on the news.
- I'm also setting up an 800 number.
- What?
Any family member who wants to
know the status of our investigation
can call, keep current on our
progress, updates over the phone.
They won't have to come
to Police Headquarters.
An 800 number?
People will feel they have
access to the Police Department.
- They'll get the answers they need.
- No!
It's a perfect solution to our
public-information problem.
- I think it's a good idea.
- Maybe.
But we're already short
on money and manpower.
- I'm not authorising the funds for it.
- What?
You should have
checked with me first.
Let me know when you
have a break in this case.
Oh!
Tim, what the
hell are you doing?
- Whoa!
- Hey, whoa!
Wow!
- Are you OK?
- I'm fine.
I'm fine. I just took some
muscle relaxants for my back.
I'm fine.
I got names in red
piling up under my name.
Under my name. Why are
they piling up under my name?
Because I answered
the phone call.
Yeah, it's my
responsibility, it's... my case.
You know, with every case
there are those moments
when you feel
you've lost your way.
You don't know if it's worth it,
the hours...
not being able to go to
your daughter's piano recital.
Right. See, but then
something happens.
A piece of evidence,
a witness comes in.
You get that moment of clarity, a
moment when you love your job.
But what amount of stress
would make someone want
to go out and
shoot at strangers?
See, that's the
reason why he shoots.
- There's no stress at all.
- What do you mean, no stress?
With a marksman
it is about precision.
You see, it's about
total concentration.
And... you look
through the scope,
see, and you exhale...
You steady your mind, your body.
You focus brain to
eye, the hand... the gun.
And then the fog
just lifts and you're...
at one with your target.
And then you... shoot.
Bang.
No stress at all.
Our handwriting expert,
he's got something.
Take a look at these. "M"
from the third hangman game,
and "M" from a credit-card
purchase of Da Vinci chalk.
We've got a match.
Our suspect is William Mariner,
age 43. Insurance executive.
No prior arrests,
medical or mental history.
Wife, Linda. Three
children, two girls and a boy.
Lieutenant Jasper from QRT
will fill us in on procedures.
We know a lot about
this guy. He's a crack shot,
a former military sharpshooter.
I wanna keep it simple.
Get the wife and kids out of
the way, then we go for Mariner.
We are gonna try to
talk to this guy first, right?
I wanna be prepared in the
event of a hostage situation.
I don't want to go in too
quickly, cos we might create
the exact situation
we're trying to avoid.
Bayliss, let the man finish.
Sharpshooters are
trained like QRT.
The greater the pressure,
the cooler the response.
You go in like
paratroopers, this guy'll snap!
- Detective, he already has snapped!
- OK, all right.
Can Bayliss go in and talk
to him before moving in?
When we secure the home
and isolate Mariner, OK.
- Fair enough?
- Yeah, yeah.
Let's do it.
Bill? Honey?
Bill? Honey, you
want some breakfast?
I made your favourite,
blueberry pancakes.
I'll keep your plate warm.
Daddy will be out in a minute.
Who wants maple syrup?
Me!
Hello.
'Mrs Mariner, I'm
Detective Tim Bayliss
'with the Baltimore City Police.
Is your husband with you? '
He's in his study. What's
this about? What's going on?
'We're very concerned
for your safety.
- 'Are your kids with you too? '
- Yeah.
'OK, good. Please step outside,
Mrs Mariner, you and your children.'
My God!
All right, kids,
come on. Let's go!
- No!
- Go! Go!
Mrs Mariner, I'm
Captain Russert.
I'm Lieutenant Giardello.
You spoke to Detective Bayliss.
Why are you doing this?
I'm sorry, but we've a warrant to
arrest your husband for murder.
No. No. That is not true!
- If we could talk for a moment...
- I'm going in. You can't do this!
Come on!
Listen, listen!
We won't hurt you, and we
don't want to hurt your husband.
Please don't hurt Bill. He
locks himself in his study.
He doesn't eat,
he doesn't sleep.
He doesn't even drink. If he
drank, I could handle that, but this...
- Does your husband own a gun?
- A rifle.
He keeps it with
him in his study.
I try talking to him,
but he keeps babbling.
- About what?
- I don't know.
He keeps saying he's
gotta finish the game,
and if he can finish the
game, then he can stop.
- So he's still in his study?
- What are you gonna do?
- I'm gonna go talk to him.
- Oh!
You're up. The study's
in front, off the living room.
QRT is ready for you to go in.
- Did Jasper OK a sharpshooter?
- They're in position.
They're not gonna shoot
unless I give the signal?
If the situation deteriorates,
you give it up to them, OK?
You understand?
William Mariner, this is
Detective Tim Bayliss.
Can you hear me in there?
Your wife Linda and
I were just talking,
and she's real
worried about you.
Whatever's going on, we can work
it out. I want that. Your wife does.
I'm sure your
kids want that too.
I'm very close now.
You're very close to what?
The last letter.
When I get the last
letter, I can stop.
I... just have to figure it out.
Yeah, I... understand
about figuring things out.
- My job, I figure things out every day.
- This isn't my job.
What is it that you're trying to...
to figure out? Maybe I can help.
Mr Mariner?
Do you wanna play
a game of hangman?
It's a nine-letter word.
Go ahead, guess a letter.
- Why don't you come on out here?
- Guess a letter, then I'll come out.
- All right. Er..."M".
- I already have an "M".
I chose a letter. You
promised you'd come on out.
But you didn't choose the
right letter. Guess again.
Please, Mr Mariner...
- I'm waiting.
- Yeah, OK.
Er..."B".
- That's it.
- Mr Mariner?
I finished the game.
I can stop now.
- It's over.
- Come on out here and we'll talk.
Go, go, go!
All right, we're in the
room. 10-32. It's all clear.
- Bayliss? You all right?
- Yeah.
All right, keep the
wife outta here.
Let's call the crime lab.
"Eromitlab". What
the hell's that?
He finally finished the game.
- He got the right word.
- What does it mean?
We've got Mariner's prints on shell
casings from all three crime scenes.
We've recovered an H-K rifle
from his home. He's our sniper.
He was our sniper!
It was unfortunate, yes, but Detective
Bayliss did everything he could...
I have to tell the press our
prime suspect blew his brains out
while surrounded by
detectives and QRT personnel!
It's not the optimum outcome, but we
did everything according to procedure.
Were you in negotiation
with the suspect?
I left that to
Detective Bayliss.
You turned over a delicate
negotiation to a subordinate?
- You didn't take responsibility?
- That's not what I'm saying.
I take full responsibility.
Your handling of the
situation indicates to me
you're not up to the
position of Captain.
- Excuse me?
- You heard me.
- You're demoting me?
- You're still a Lieutenant.
You're within the 12-month
probation period for Captain.
- You're incapable of doing the job.
- On what grounds?
My report will read
you were in violation
of General Order C-2,
Rule Number 1, Section 19.
- Section 19!
- Incompetence.
- Section 19?
- Yes, that's right.
Section 19 is a completely
arbitrary regulation. It's a...
You can cite non-performance
of duty for an unspecified reason.
It's a loophole for firing someone
without having to show cause.
And that's what you
are doing right now.
- It's nothing personal.
- Oh, yeah? I think it is personal.
But I just don't think you
have the balls to admit it.
Now I'll recommend
you be demoted.
Section 13, showing
disrespect to a superior officer.
So in five minutes I've been
demoted from Captain to Detective?
Take a few days off, decide
where you'd be comfortable,
Arson, Vice or Homicide.
That's assuming you decide
to remain with the Department.
Go home, Tim. You caught
the sniper. Case closed.
Yeah. I'm on my way. I'm just...
I'm gonna sleep for 12 hours straight.
I'm too wired to sleep, unless you want
to lend me a magic muscle-relaxing pill?
You know? I don't need these anymore.
I don't need them at all. Here, take 'em.
All of them?
- Is there a refill on this?
- I dunno.
That's it. I'm not taking the pills
anymore, I'm not gonna have surgery.
- You made a decision?
- Yep. If I'm in agony, so be it.
I'll suffer in silence. I'll
bear my pain like a martyr.
You know it's not your fault
Mariner blew his brains out?
Do I know that,
Frank? Do I really?
Ordinary guy, wife, three kids,
beautiful house in the suburbs,
and he gets all twisted up
over this game of hangman.
I try to talk to him, and
he blows his head off.
He finished the game and I don't
really even know what that means.
I don't get it.
- Come on.
- What?
- Time to go home.
- Oh, yeah.
- Can you give me a ride home?
- What about your car?
It's my back.
It's hard to drive.
What happened to
suffering in silence?
- You're gonna me a ride home?
- I'm goin' home.
Is that a yes or a no? Frank?
♪ If God had a name
What would it be? ♪
- Mum, you're finally home!
- Yes! Come here.
- You're gonna be late for school.
- You're comin' to my piano recital?
- I wouldn't miss it for the world.
- Yeah!
You'd better hurry cos
you'll miss your bus.
Bye.
♪ And, yeah,
yeah, God, it is great
♪ Yeah, yeah, God, it is good
♪ Yeah, yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah
♪ What if God was one of us?
♪ Just a slob like one of us?
♪ Just a stranger on the bus
♪ Tryin' to make his way home?
♪ If God had a face
What would it look like?
♪ And would you wanna see
♪ If seeing meant that
You would have to believe
♪ In things like Heaven
And in Jesus and the saints
♪ And all the prophets?
♪ And, yeah,
yeah, God, it is great
♪ Yeah, yeah,
God, it is good... ♪
'We interrupt this
programme for a news bulletin.
'Three people were shot and killed
by a sniper in downtown Baltimore.
'The shots may have
been fired from a rooftop,
'but police have no
further details at this time.
'This shooting will be
the fourth sniper attack
'the city has seen
in the past 24 hours,
'bringing the total number
of victims to 12 dead.'