Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999): Season 5, Episode 20 - Narcissus - full transcript

- 721. Where did he go?
- He's ducked into one of the alleys.

I'm in the rear of the
900 block. I got nothing.

- I'm on the north side of you. Nothing.
- He's playing possum.

Jimmy, this is Burundi.
I need a favour.

No more favours?

No, we're not done.

You and me, Jimmy, we
been through too much.

We ain't ever gonna be done.

'He's running north out of
the alley behind Arlington.

'He's making for Mulberry.'

All units, he's on Mulberry, heading
for Carrollton. Heading for Carrollton.



- Five-oh is after me.
- I see that.

Police! Open the door!

Open the damn door!

- You have a warrant?
- Open it! I'm not gonna ask you again!

We'll honour a search warrant. You
have one? If not, then you're trespassing!

I know your business!
I used to be a cop!

I'm not taking responsibility for
this nonsense. Radio for Homicide.

The Amalgamated
Food-Processing Company

is recalling all models of its
patented salad-shredding machine

following the deaths of restaurant
workers in Chattanooga and Charlotte.

In an unrelated
incident last week,

two men were caught in
Amalgamated machines and eviscerated.

Slawed to death. I love it.

- You're doing Munch's job now?
- What?



Finding bizarre news
on page D12 of the paper,

reading it out to the
room, that's Munch's job.

Frank's apprenticing. Good content,
nice delivery, set-up was slow.

I'm working on it.

Yeah... Homicide! Pembleton!

With somebody else to deliver our
daily weirdness, what do we need you for?

- Police work.
- I heard you say police work, Munch?

I am a little red, but
I'm working through it.

We got one down at
Saratoga and Carey.

They've already
identified a suspect.

- A dunker. Give me mine.
- Pembleton's up. He's primary.

- Where's Bayliss?
- He left on an errand over an hour ago.

An errand? On midnight shift?

I'm telling you, give the
call to Detective Munch.

Hand you a murder with
the suspect identified?

A little charity. I need some black under
my name. You won't miss the clearance.

OK, you're the primary. My contribution
to the Save A Munch foundation.

You're a gentleman,
I've always said that.

- I'm serious.
- No way.

Hey. Hello.

- Haven't lost any appetite, huh?
- What's that supposed to mean?

I haven't slept in a week. I can't
keep anything down in my stomach.

Here, sit down.

Look, Terri...

Terri, it's over. The State's Attorney's
Office called it a good shooting.

I'm having second thoughts.

Well, then, have third thoughts.

We all turned in
the same report.

We all wrote it up that Luther
Mahoney raised his gun, my gun.

Do you want me to
tell you what you saw?

Mike, if there was a shadow of doubt
in my mind, you know I would carry this,

but I didn't see...

- I didn't see him raise that gun.
- You weren't looking in the right place.

- The gun was down.
- He was pointing a gun at my partner.

- You could've got shot. I protected you.
- You didn't have to shoot.

- He was garbage.
- That makes it right?

It was clean.

She'll be fine.

I feel somebody killed
after 2:00am has no right

to a quality death
investigation.

In Homicide, we say our
day begins when yours ends.

Our victim here
is Kenya Merchant.

- Where's the suspect?
- In a row house eight blocks from here.

- He's not in custody?
- We haven't gone in.

Why not?

It's the African Revival Movement
headquarters on Carrollton.

- Where's your sergeant?
- At the house waiting for you guys.

In the back of the
squad car is the witness.

- A witness?
- Saw the murder, waited to talk to us.

A witness in West Baltimore!

OK, I'll head
over to Carrollton.

- What's going on?
- They've barricaded themselves inside.

We've set up a perimeter.

- You saw the suspect run inside?
- Yes. The occupant wanted our warrant.

You're in hot pursuit.
Take the door.

No, no, no. Pull
your people back.

- What?
- I don't want this getting out of hand.

The African Revival Movement
has a lot of support in this community.

- A warrant would be prudent.
- Take the door.

- Chain of command, Detective.
- Exactly, Colonel.

Regulations explicitly state

at a crime scene the investigating
detective has supremacy of rank.

Given that the suspect ran in here, in
possession of evidence from a murder,

this is de facto an
extension of the crime scene.

Take the door, please.

Colonel...

what are you doing down
here at 4:00 in the morning?

Let's go!

Name's Joseph Malawi?

Other way. Malawi Joseph.

OK, Mr Joseph, what
did you see tonight?

I saw Kenya shot down
like a dog in the street.

I saw the boy who did
it. I know why he did it.

I'll tell you everything. I'll do
anything I have to do to make this right.

Tell me, are there any
more like you at home?

You recognise the suspect?

I know how hard it can be,
seeing as we all look alike.

Him.

Now, Sergeant, are you absolutely
sure? I do not want to be wrong on this.

I'm sure. He was wearing grey Fila
sweats when we chased him, though.

- He had the gun, a semi-auto.
- OK, he goes downtown.

We're gonna conduct a plain-view
search for the sweatsuit and the gun.

Stay out of the
drawers and the closets.

For that we'll need a search warrant,
which will be here within the hour.

OK, let's do it.

Wake up, ace
detective John Munch.

This is no doubt
the murder weapon.

- I'm gonna take this down to the lab.
- Good.

Hey, Gee. What do you know
about this African Revival Movement?

Only what I read in the papers.

According to the eyewitness, the murder
stems from some rift within the group.

- Ordered by the leader, Robinson.
- Burundi Robinson.

He says Robinson wanted the kid
dead because he broke from the group.

What did the shooter say?

Where is Benin Crown?

Come on. Benin Crown, the suspect
in the murder of Kenya Merchant.

- Where is he?
- Maybe he's in the Box.

- Why?
- I need to speak with him in private.

Wait a minute. Just a second.

- Whoa!
- Let go of the door, Al.

Gaffney, this is inappropriate.

I'm in command of the Homicide Unit.
That kid in there is a homicide suspect.

If you think you can
keep me out of that room,

you are a bigger jackass
than I think you are.

You looking for a transfer
to Motor Pool, huh?

What's going on?

I had Barnfather trying to squelch
the arrest, and now we got Gaffney...

Yeah, when's the last time we had
them both show up at a midnight shift?

I'm not saying anything! I
don't waive my right to counsel!

My lawyer's on his way
down here right now!

- What was Gaffney doing?
- This case is lousy with bosses.

Maybe it's because of Robinson.
What do we know about him?

He's West Baltimore's
reigning community activist.

He's a bit messianic, but then
again... he's doing good for the people.

- Used to be a cop?
- Narcotics, Tactical Operations.

Before my time. I came in as a
rookie in '68. He left a few years later.

- Resigned?
- Yeah.

He still have drag in the department?
Could he push Gaffney around?

He left without rank a quarter
century ago. Where's the drag in that?

Something's making
the bosses jumpy, Gee.

Something got you out
of bed early this morning.

Something did.

- What the hell's going on?
- I can't talk about it, Al.

- You and Gaffney both.
- Gaffney's in this?

He came into our unit this morning
demanding to speak to our suspect.

Now the kid's
asking for a lawyer.

He must be out of his mind.

Who? Who's behind this?

Look, I've done a lot of things I don't
agree with. That comes with the rank.

But this...

You were supposed to come
down there and pull us off that arrest.

I was on the spot, Al.

I was relieved when he started quoting
the general orders at a crime scene.

- You let him win that argument.
- I'm not going to jail for anyone.

George...

Who wants this case thrown?

In this area of the Belgian
Congo we can see the effects...

It's about credibility,
not ideology.

People are tired of
demagogues who don't deliver,

who make speeches
and then walk away.

I know West Baltimore. I
was born here. I'll die here.

We started this movement four
years ago with a few families.

- Now we number 120.
- And you all live within this commune?

Some families choose
to live here. Some do not.

But all of our members
acknowledge each other as family.

We exchange our given names
for the names of African nations.

- You were Marvin Lee Robinson.
- Now I am Burundi Robinson.

But that isn't important. What's
important is that we are here every day

and we'll be here with our soup kitchen,
our shelter, our training programmes.

We are trying to do the right
things for people in West Baltimore.

- Thank you. I'm grateful for the chance.
- You did what we talked about?

- Three days clean.
- Good luck, then. Give it your best shot.

- What was that about?
- He was homeless last week.

Today he has a job interview.

We provided him with
shelter, food and a new suit.

- 'And if he gets that job? '
- 'Lf he gets the job, he'll keep the job.

'We'll pay for his detox, drug
counselling and aftercare.'

- 'But that's expensive.'
- 'We are not about making speeches.

'We're not walking
away from problems.'

This Robinson used
to be a cop, huh?

He doesn't sound like a cop.

You meant that as a compliment?

I don't trust anybody who walks through
this world claiming to be an answer.

There are no answers except for
disorder, unless you work for Disney.

OK, I got Malawi Joseph primed.

'... it's an idea as old
as Marcus Garvey.'

Why would one Revival member
shoot another one down in the street?

I told them before. This thing,
it's bigger than Benin Crown.

This is about Burundi Robinson.

Why would he have his
people shooting each other?

Kenya found out some things going on
in the movement. Wanted to go public.

Robinson couldn't have that,
especially since he'd gone high profile,

getting all that airtime on
"The Today Show" and "Montel".

What exactly did he find out?

Robinson had been whoring
sisters in the movement.

Some of the little kids you see running
around Carrollton Avenue, they're his.

And you heard Robinson give the
order to have Kenya Merchant killed?

No.

How do you know Benin
Crown wasn't acting on his own?

That's not how way
it happens there.

- If we can't prove he gave the order...
- You need more? I'll get you more.

A wire? We're going to send
a wire into Burundi Robinson?

How do we know
the witness isn't lying?

We put him on the
polygraph. He passed.

We're gonna wire Malawi Joseph
and send him to a black leader

to catch the man discussing
his sexual improprieties on tape?

Am I the only person
here that sees a problem?

It's not the sexual improprieties
or because he's a black leader.

Thirty years ago, Hoover and the feds
had the Civil Rights Movement bugged,

claiming that he was
serving the national interest,

when J Edgar Hoover was nothing
more than a low-bottom blackmailer.

This is not the same.

We're rushing to tear down Robinson's
group on the basis of a single allegation.

I agree with you. We can drop this now
and still have the case against Crown.

If our witness is
telling the truth,

then race and altruism
gives Robinson a free pass.

Robinson brought hope to West
Baltimore. Let's give him that much.

When this all shakes out,
Gee... it's still a murder.

Hook him up.

But we keep the name of the
witness secret, we keep this thing quiet,

right here in this office.

Burundi, may I speak with you?

This is my day to
serve the noon meal.

They came to my mother's house.

Once again,

you saved lunch.

- They heard me and Kenya were close.
- I don't worry about them.

But you... I thought you'd
given up on the movement.

- I needed time.
- Welcome back.

Thank you.

The police wanted to know
what about you and Kenya?

I don't know.

But are Kenya's
arrangements taken care of?

- His people are on public assistance.
- Kenya left the movement.

That won't play out in the
community, not burying one of our own.

You've got to stop thinking on Kenya
Merchant. Sacrifices have to be made.

Oh, and... Kenya
was a sacrifice?

Kenya made a choice. He chose.

What's important now is
the future of this movement.

'We have to go on.
You understand that? '

'Yes.'

It's not enough.

That business about Kenya making
himself a sacrifice, it's way too cryptic.

Send a wire in again?

I need Robinson talking
about the murder in direct terms.

What's that?

A tape recorder.

- What's on it?
- My legal notes.

Oh, yeah? Interesting listening?

It's property of the
State's Attorney's Office.

You have a problem
with that, Captain?

I see we've got a co-operating
witness on the Merchant shooting.

There was a witness
at the crime scene,

but the name's been
omitted from the case folder.

I need the name.

This is a direct order.
Give me the name.

When you look in the
mirror, what do you see?

I see a cop who knows how to
follow orders. Would you like a lesson?

This is the second time
you've pulled rank on me.

There won't be a third.

Give him the name.

- Give me a sound level.
- Testing. One, two.

You need to get Robinson to talk
in detail about having Kenya killed.

We want to get him to acknowledge
planning and ordering the murder.

- You all right?
- I'm scared.

- I feel like a walking microphone.
- If you weren't scared, you'd be stupid.

Or dead.

I need the man.

- Burundi?
- Malawi! Come in, have a seat.

Something to drink?
Tea, water, coffee?

No. No, thank you. Are you busy?

Not at all. I always
have time for family.

I'm having trouble with
what happened to Kenya.

'It's terrible. I agree.'

'Did we have to
carry it so far? '

'What do you
mean? ' 'Killing him.'

'You think I had anything
to do with Kenya's death?

'God, no! I had no idea what was
in Benin's mind when he did that.

'How can you
think such a thing? '

- He knew the kid was wired.
- Damn right.

At every point, we have
been betrayed by our own.

Barnfather at the arrest. Gaffney
at the interrogation. Now this.

Gaffney is the Commander
of Crimes Against Persons.

If he wants the details of a homicide
case, he has an absolute right.

We're working in a fishbowl. Our
every move is being telegraphed.

Which ends this
proactive investigation.

We've got all the evidence
we're ever gonna get.

We take Benin Crown to trial
and get him some serious time.

Down the road, he might
agree to testify against Robinson.

He'll agree now.

He lawyered up. We can't even
conduct a legal interview with Crown.

We're not gonna talk to Benin Crown.
We wouldn't dream of talking to him.

What we're gonna do...

we're gonna talk to each other.

Why am I here? My lawyer
says you can't talk to me.

- I can't say a thing to you.
- That's right.

- How long have you been in this room?
- Five minutes.

- Did I say anything to you?
- No.

Ask any questions?
Acknowledge your existence?

This is not an interview.

We are not talking.

There is absolutely nothing that
you are going to say in this room

that we will
remember you saying.

- You understand?
- Not really.

OK. I'm gonna talk to my
good friend John Munch here.

Hi. John Munch here.

- Good work on the Merchant case.
- Thanks.

- Your investigation wrapped up nicely?
- The lab matched the murder weapon.

An eyewitness has
identified our suspect.

And our suspect seen
fleeing the crime scene

has offered nothing to
me in the way of alibi.

I, being the primary detective assigned
to the case, am decidedly content.

Damn shame.

- What's that, Gee?
- About the suspect.

Good kid, good mother.

Good grades at City College.

Graduates, joins
the African Revival,

and finds himself a
suspect to murder.

End of story.

There's no way around this
one. Murder, life, no parole.

Can you imagine being
incarcerated for life?

I mean, no woman to keep you warm,
no chance of... of fathering children?

Children are the
secret to eternal life.

Yeah, it's a marvellous
feeling, to be a man.

To have the opportunity to hand your
name down to your child. Marvellous.

- Benin Crown is the last of his line, huh?
- No, he has a sister.

Oh, yeah, his sister. She's pregnant,
right? What did I hear about that?

- Come on, man.
- What?

- You know, don't you?
- Know what?

They say it's Robinson's kid.

- Benin's pimping his own sister?
- You got no right talking about her!

Whoa! You want to speak with us,

your attorney must be present and
agree you waive your Miranda rights.

- That won't happen.
- Look!

It's Ed Danvers, Assistant State's
Attorney for the City of Baltimore.

Can I ask you a question?

- You can't talk to him.
- We're not talking to him.

- We're talking to you.
- Yeah?

What are we looking
at? Life, no parole?

Probably. Could be straight life, which
means parole in 15, if Crown's lucky.

Does Crown seem lucky to you?

If he was, he'd have a Public Defender
working for him, trying to get him a deal.

Instead he's got an attorney hired
by the African Revival Movement.

- What's wrong with that?
- Did you hear something?

Not a word.

As I was saying, he's got an
attorney courtesy of Burundi Robinson.

So Robinson is paying some
legal eagle to keep Crown silent,

and this same legal
eagle will keep Crown silent

even if it means sending
the kid to Jessup for life.

- Wait.
- Sounds like a conflict of interest.

Not to Robinson's interests.

He gets to play prophet
and, ow... have his fun.

If Crown were to give up any
co-conspirators in the murder,

he'd be looking at 15 to
20, possible parole in seven.

Seven years? For
what, co-operation?

He'd still be young enough
to have a life of his own.

- I'll give you what you want.
- We can't talk to you.

- Wait!
- Sorry.

If you want to talk, you go
back to pre-trial detention

and use your first chance at the
phone to call the Public Defender's Office.

Get yourself a lawyer who
talks for you, not for Robinson.

Tell him you want to cut a deal.

OK... OK. Yeah, OK!

OK, you fellas go round
back, take the alley.

- An arrest warrant, I take it?
- Let's do this the easy way.

- Can I see the probable cause?
- You'll get a statement of charges.

No matter. I know
what it says already.

Benin Crown fired the
attorney I provided for him.

- Sir, if you'll just come with us.
- No!

- Take it easy, guys.
- Just relax.

Come on! Come on!

Signal-13! Officer needs assistance!
200 block of Carrollton, the alley!

- Back off!
- No, no, no! No, no!

No!

Get back!

- Get back! Stand back!
- Back!

Officer needs assistance. Signal-13.
We need an ambo. Don't move!

Everybody just stay
where you are. It's all right.

Signal-13. Signal-13.

OK, I'm calling for backup.
Holster your weapons.

- Look out!
- Holster your weapon.

- What happened?
- They beat him down!

- Who hit him?
- We gotta get him out of here now!

- Get him out of here.
- OK, we need tactical QRT. Let's go!

Let's make a move! Let's go!

Let's go, let's go, let's go,
let's go! Let's go! Let's go!

'There's a riot. We need
tactical help right away.'

'10-4, 731. All units, signal-13
at Carrollton and Mulberry.

'Officers in need of
assistance. QRT is on the way.'

This guy Robinson, he
wants to talk to Harris.

- Deputy Commissioner Harris?
- He's not on the scene.

- What do I tell Robinson?
- The Deputy Commissioner's en route.

- Is that true?
- How should I know?

Hey.

- Hey. Where you... where you been?
- Yeah.

- You disappeared last night.
- Right.

- I had something I had to do.
- All night?

Yeah, Frank, I took some
personal time. What did I miss?

Nothing much.

The Deputy Commissioner for you.

What's Harris saying?

He gave me the go to
storm the compound.

- He wants Robinson taken out.
- He's out of his mind.

No, he knows exactly what he wants
and I'm not gonna let that happen.

Somebody take these guys
around the truck and cover Giardello.

I'm not carrying.

I'm Al Giardello. I'm a shift
commander with Homicide.

I remember you.

A long time ago.
You were with Tac.

So, Lieutenant, what can I do for
you under these circumstances?

Talk to me.

How about them O's?

Big series with
Cleveland coming up.

I was hoping to get to a game.

We could go and sit in
a couple of good seats.

- Good seats, huh?
- I like third row.

Behind the dugout,
out on first base line.

No, it's got to be along third.

I like to look into the dugout and
watch the home team circulate.

You could've gotten yourself shot
coming in here. What do you want?

What you want.

For everything to be all right.

How do we do that?

- Give yourself up.
- I can't.

You and me,

we can just walk out that
door and all this will be ended.

What, I still have friends
in the department?

Uh-huh? They're all
outside to throw me a party?

Jimmy Harris, is
he out there yet?

- Harris owes you, doesn't he?
- My boy Jimmy.

He should be here today, not you.
He's where he is today because of me.

How does he owe you?

'72. My last year
with the department.

The O's that year: Buford,
Baylor, Palmer, McNally, Boog

and Brooks covering the corners.

Brooks Robinson, the supreme
glove man, the hands of a magician.

I resigned. Ten years
in, halfway to a pension.

- I still resigned.
- Harris told you about the wire.

You actually thought you'd get me
on tape saying I had Kenya murdered?

Harris told you.

In '72, me and Jimmy Harris, we
were working a two-man Tac car.

We'd been partnering
for five years.

We owned Lexington Terrace.
Remember those projects?

We kept the lid on. Anything got nuts,
we were the glove men, the magicians.

You were doing good
work and then you resigned.

Jimmy and me, one night
we catch a drug dealer.

He's coming up the stairwell
with 15 large and heroin on him.

Not big by today's numbers,
but then it was a heavy bust.

We're going to court, so Jimmy
checks the dope out of Evidence Control.

The dealer pleads out. We take
the dope back to Evidence Control.

- Two weeks later...
- The heroin is gone.

Missing. We swear we don't
know how it comes up baking soda,

but it's our names on
the inventory receipt.

The only two names they
got are Harris and Robinson.

I don't know what happened to
that dope. Jimmy doesn't either.

- Swears his word.
- Harris switched the dope.

He sold the heroin back
to the dealer for ten grand.

- Why didn't you go to the brass?
- My word against his?

Jimmy Harris came on in '56.
He has a veteran's credibility.

We can both take the charge.

We can go down together as
partners or we can save what we can.

- Damage control.
- Oh, yeah.

I let him drop $5,000 in my pocket, and
then you know what it comes down to?

Me and Jimmy flipping a coin.
Heads, he takes the weight. Tails, I do.

He flips a quarter, and
you see how it came up.

Offer to resign on the condition that you
will not admit to anything on the record.

I resign, all them
problems go away.

You flipped a coin, you covered
him. You covered yourself.

I don't know, I wasn't there. But
I am standing in front of you now.

Harris isn't.

Now I want you to do what's
best for you and for everyone.

You think Harris is gonna let me walk
into open court and speak my piece?

Jimmy isn't taking
prisoners today.

All that happened here
today can be made right.

Where do we go, Al?

Where's our place in
the world as black men?

We're either a Michael Jordan or
an OJ Simpson, godhead or pariah.

Otherwise we're Bojangles, standing
outside begging for spare change.

But if we don't go hat in hand for some
white benevolence, then we're a threat.

What's new about that? But
for someone who is one of us...

For us to be betrayed from
within the family, that's the true evil.

Then we have to
prove our self-reliance.

We have to take care of
our problems ourselves.

- You took care of Kenya Merchant.
- My family is gone.

No one needs to get hurt here
today, and we all win the day.

- I just flipped a coin.
- What?

- Call it.
- What?

- In my head. Heads or tails?
- Heads.

You lose.

What about the children?

Coming out! Coming out!

All right, come on, hurry.
Go right to the truck. Hurry.

As fast as you can.

Where's Harris? I want
to talk to the son of a bitch.

Quit while you're
ahead, Lieutenant.

I know everything. He gave
up the witness we had wired.

- He did what?
- Robinson told me everything.

I know about his and
Robinson's history.

That madman? You think
he has any sense of reality?

He is wanted on a
murder warrant, Lieutenant.

I'm gonna write this up. There'll be a
full report on the Mayor's desk tomorrow.

That's big of you. Don't get writer's
cramp and put in for a medical.

Gaffney, listen...

- Lieutenant Jasper.
- Yes, sir.

- Take Robinson out.
- What?

This is a command
decision from Harris.

- Lives are on the line here.
- I've got my orders.

This is a direct command?

If you have to ask,
you're out of the loop.

If you're out of the loop,
you're not long for the job.

Any clear line of sight on
Robinson, we have a go.

That was Munch. No
changes in the last hour.

- No demands.
- What's going on?

Anybody's guess. Mikes are picking
up conversations within the compound.

It's been hours. No lights have
come on inside the compound.

They don't want to present
themselves as a target.

Anything on the night-scopes?

Robinson let the women and children
go. He's trying to find a way out of this.

Yeah, Homicide.

Lieutenant Giardello's
at the scene now.

No. Bye.

What did Robinson
and you talk about?

We're not picking up any sounds.

- What do you mean?
- Not a sound for the last hour.

What? There are 16 men inside. How
can none of them be making a sound?

Go, go, go!

Lieutenant, Lieutenant!

Lieutenant, you were the
last man to speak to him.

Why? Why did he do it?

I'm not sure.

But I can tell you one thing.

There's gonna be hell to pay.

- Lieutenant!
- Just one more thing!

'The removal of the
victims' bodies is under way,

'even as police detectives
continue to search the compound.

'This is Dawn
Daniels for WBALTV.'

'... the 16 male members
of the West Baltimore cult.

'They have not yet
been identified... '

'From Kittering to
Kennebunk, the coast is home

'to a unique
variety of marine life

'that thrives in cooler waters
away from the Gulf Stream current.'