Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999): Season 5, Episode 8 - The True Test - full transcript

♪ And did those
feet in ancient time

♪ Walk upon England's
mountains green?

♪ And was the holy... ♪

- The sign says this way.
- Yeah, I know a short cut.

♪ ... on England's
pleasant pastures seen? ♪

- You go to school here?
- No.

They wouldn't accept
you and me here, Meldrick.

Larchfield Prep is for
aristocrats, bluebloods,

the finest young gentlemen
the South has to offer.

♪ And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark satanic mills? ♪

- Dr Cox, what have we got here?
- Amateur night.



Punctures all over the
place, lungs, heart, legs.

There seems to have
been a brief struggle.

No weapons have been
found, no eyewitnesses.

What's your best guess
on the time of death?

Rigor's only set in the
small muscle groups,

and being outside all night, I'd
say between 1:30 and 4:00am.

- OK.
- Did this young man have a name?

Marshall Buchanan,
15, a first-term student.

- And you are?
- Hord Highsmith.

I'm the headmaster.
I found Marshall.

- What time might that have been?
- 5:45. I was on my morning run.

- When did you last see him alive?
- Last evening, dinner.

Headmaster, how many black
students have you got at Larchfield?

Three, including Marshall.



Well, congratulations.
Now you're down to two.

I resent the implication that this
incident was racially motivated.

How many white students have
you had murdered here lately?

Hey, hey.

♪ Lord, I stretch
my hands to you

- ♪ No other help I
know - ♪ No other I know

♪ If you should
leave me all alone

♪ Where, then, shall I go?

♪ O Lord, O Lord

♪ I stretch my arms to you

♪ Amen ♪

- Good morning.
- Hello, Mary.

- Is Frank ready?
- He was up at 5:30, dressed by 6:00.

- How's his mood?
- Excited, you know, anxious.

Cootchie-cootchie-coo.

- Coffee?
- Oh, no thanks.

This er... new
medication that Frank's on,

has there been any
er... side effects?

Well, the blurriness is gone,
but he gets nauseous a lot.

Frank, Al's here to take
you to the gun range.

- Frank?
- Be right down.

Are you sure you don't want
some juice or something?

Don't be nervous. I
mean, he's gonna be fine.

Al, he's gotta pass
the exam this time.

He's gotta get back on
the streets, closing cases.

He can't live in this
limbo, and neither can I.

Well, he's been practising for
hours. He'll score through the roof.

- And if he doesn't?
- He'll take the test again.

Mm-hm. In another month,
another long 30 days.

Detective Lewis, we will assist
you in whatever fashion you require.

Marshall was wearing a medallion,
and we found this one in his hand,

which he may have grabbed
from the person who stabbed him.

Can you tell us about
these medallions?

We give one to each
student at matriculation.

They don't engrave their names
on it until graduation. It's a tradition.

We're gonna need a traditional
little something ourselves.

We need a list of every
student, past and present.

- We go back over two centuries.
- Current students.

Let's start with current
ones, Headmaster.

- You'll have your list.
- Thank you.

So, tell us about
Marshall Buchanan.

- He come from money?
- No.

How was he able
to afford the tuition?

Marshall won a state-wide competitive
scholarship, all expenses paid.

He was something of a
computer science prodigy.

He had a straight A-grade
average, second highest in his class.

- He was a star?
- Scholastically.

Socially?

He was a dreadfully
shy young man,

though determined
and fiery when provoked.

You mean he got
in a fight? With who?

I don't remember the
names, but it was harmless.

The upperclassmen haze the new
boys. We try to stop it, but you know...

- Marshall stood his ground, though.
- And he ended up under it.

Did your son have trouble
with students at Larchfield?

He never talked much about
them. He never brought one home.

There was trouble, you bet.

A scuffle in the last week, at
the school lake, punches, shoves.

I got it out of Marshall. They threw
him in the water and he can't swim.

He was such a trusting child.

It broke his heart when they
wouldn't take him in their choir.

- At Larchfield Prep?
- He loved church singing.

Cheeks helped get him in next term,
and that made Marshall real happy.

Cheeks?

Cheeks pulled him out of the water
after those bullies pushed him in.

What was Cheeks' full name?

- Who pushed him in?
- Cheeks was all he said.

- Is he a student? A member of staff?
- I don't know.

Look inside that computer of
Marshall's. He kept a journal.

Marshall never wanted
to go to Larchfield.

I forced him.

I thought, "We'll send him
to the finest private school,

"you know, with the
nicest kids, thoughtful kids,

"and then he won't have to suffer
the guns the drugs and the killings."

'It's so beautiful there.'

The first time I saw
Larchfield, I cried.

"This is safe.

"My child is safe."

- Hello.
- Hey.

- You Dr Cox?
- Yeah.

- Kellerman, Homicide.
- Huh? That's funny.

I've been chief ME for over a
month. I haven't seen you down here.

- What, you don't do murders?
- I'm on restricted duty temporarily.

What did you do wrong?

- You don't know?
- Er... no.

You must be the only one who
doesn't. It's all over the headlines.

- I don't read papers.
- I used to be in Arson.

I've been targeted by the
feds with some other detectives.

We're suspected
of taking bribes.

- Did you?
- No.

- I believe you.
- Why?

You got that kind of face.

You wouldn't to serve on
the Grand Jury, would you?

What brings you here, Detective?

I need the results of the
Madera exhumation for Munch.

Munch? Now Munch,
he'd have his hand out.

Madera. Here you go.

- Kellerman, right?
- Mike.

Julianna. Buck up, Mike.
The worst is yet to come.

To quote one of the great thinkers
of our time, "What, me worry?"

These are Marshall's roommates,
Mr Derek Delmond, Mr Kemp Fowler.

Detective Lewis,
Detective Bayliss.

Thank you very much, Headmaster.
That'll be enough for now?

- But they're underage.
- This is a preliminary discussion.

Nobody's rights are
gonna be violated here.

- I'll be just outside the door.
- OK.

- So you knew Marshall for how long?
- Since the start of the term.

- Three months.
- Mm-hm. You get along?

- Sure.
- Mm-hm.

When was the last time
you saw Marshall alive?

Yesterday evening, in
the dining hall, around six.

- We came here to study.
- And went to bed.

- Never left the room.
- Never left. Where did Marshall go?

Maybe to the cybercafé.
He hung out there.

Yeah? Who at Larchfield
didn't like Marshall?

- He was cool.
- Everybody liked him.

Uh-huh. Right. Come here.

OK, guys, we're gonna
cut the crap, all right?

Now, just between us...

Well, you know what
I mean, you know?

Who around here
doesn't like blacks?

It's not that way
at Larchfield, sir.

I'll ask an easier question.
Where do I find Cheeks?

- Cheeks?
- Who's that?

I guess we got an
unsolved mystery here.

Somebody pushed Marshall into
the lake and Cheeks pulled him out,

but if Cheeks doesn't exist,
who did pull Marshall out?

He wasn't pushed.

Marshall wanted to swim,
but he was afraid of the water.

He jumped in. It was a test.

- A test? What kind of a test?
- He almost drowned.

- Kemp saved him.
- Was anyone else there?

- Just the three of us.
- When was this?

- Last week, Thursday.
- OK.

- Take the computer.
- Let me see your medallions.

You can't do that!

- Why not?
- It's Marshall's.

What else is Marshall's?

That bureau and everything
else, those shelves, that closet.

I'll tell you what. Whatever
was Marshall's is ours.

- Do I need a consent-to-search form?
- That won't be necessary.

So, who's this Cheeks?

Cheeks? I don't know the name.

We can either believe what
Marshall's roommates told us,

or write them off as the
lying little bastards they are.

Well, we know Marshall
went into the drink.

Yeah, but was he pushed
like his father remembers,

or did he jump like
Derek and Kemp said?

The headmaster
talked about hazing.

But they're upperclassmen.
Derek and Kemp are in his class.

What about Cheeks?

Soon as you mentioned him,
those two kids got nervous.

Hey, what are
you doing in there?

- Never saw the inside of a cop car.
- Yeah? Take a hike.

Little creep!

Why you got such a bug
up your butt about that place?

I used to live
around the corner.

My cousin and me,
we used to sneak in

and play on the athletic
field until we got chased off.

My cousin Jim wanted to get
into Larchfield more than life,

and he was smart,

and his dad owned the
state's third-largest used car lot.

So they had money
and they were WASPs,

but not the right kind
of WASPs for Larchfield.

When he got rejected, he er...

he changed.

I mean, he became
a lawyer and all that,

but he seemed to be
willing to settle for less.

But seeing him sitting there with
that rejection letter in his hand, crying,

that's something
you don't forget.

Or in your case, forgive, huh?

Well... whatever.

Monica? Look, we gotta talk.

You're my lawyer, do something.
Get the feds to move faster.

That's why they drag it out, so by
the time they indict, you're Jell-O.

- Try not to crack.
- That's easy to say.

Believe me, I know. Your
pals couldn't take the pressure.

- What do you mean?
- Connelly, Goodman and Pires.

They made agreements
with the Attorney's Office.

What, they pleaded out? To what?

Reduced jail time plus
probation and community service.

Mitch Roland testifies against
Goodman, Connelly, Pires and me.

Now they've agreed to a deal?
Who are they gonna testify against?

- You.
- I'm the only one who's innocent!

- That's what they said at first.
- I don't care! I'm innocent!

Detective, I don't make judgments
about guilt and innocence.

- I'm here to give advice and counsel.
- OK, then advise me, counsel me.

I think you should take a plea.

I have here crimes
for the last six months

in the neighbourhoods
surrounding Larchfield.

The fire department responded
to a fire bombing at the school.

A brand new red Mercedes
E420 was torched and gutted,

belonging to Hord
Highsmith, Headmaster.

Funny he didn't mention
that, him being so cooperative.

- What did the fire boys say?
- Nothing. They couldn't investigate.

A vehicle arson comes down,
the department has to turn its back.

- Somebody there has a lot of clout.
- Exactly what I'm saying, bunk.

The report came
back from the lab.

No fingerprints on the
medallion in Marshall's hand,

so the murderer
was wearin' gloves.

- What did the ME say?
- He had some welts on his behind.

She says he got hit with a
leather belt the last few days.

We need the murder weapon.

Kay, we need a complete
sweep of the soccer area.

- Detective Lewis?
- Detective Bayliss?

- Sergeant Howard?
- I'll see what I can put together.

Thanks.

- What are you doing?
- It's a still life.

My version of Warhol's "Empire".

You see how the
water's all calm and still?

Someone gets a drink,
the water becomes troubled.

It's my metaphor
for the Homicide Unit.

- Did you get that Madera file?
- I gave you the ME report.

The case folder, I asked
for it two hours ago.

- Look, John, I can't find it.
- Forget it. I'll ask Judy.

- How'd the firearms exam go?
- Very good.

Hey, Gee.

- When do you get your results?
- A few days.

- They couldn't tell you there?
- The system is designed to torture me.

♪ Hallelujah

♪ Hallelujah

♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah

♪ Hallelujah

♪ Hallelujah

♪ Hallelujah

♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah

♪ Hallelujah

♪ For the Lord God... ♪

Over here!

Your men found something?

A pair of plastic gloves
covered with blood.

They're on the way to the lab,

but we're pretty sure the
blood will match Marshall's.

Headmaster, you promised
us a student, faculty list.

I have them right here.

With the student list, the name's on
the left and the address on the right.

- The faculty names...
- Highsmith, your car was firebombed.

- Yes, last month.
- Why weren't the police called?

- The fire department was here.
- They were sent away.

Our lawyers and the insurance
people handled all the details.

Oh. And was the bomber caught?

Not to my knowledge, no.

- What else are you hiding from us?
- No one is hiding anything.

My Mercedes has nothing
to do with this tragic accident.

Why don't you
let us decide that?

What other tragic "accidents"

have happened around
here in the past few months?

- Nothing major.
- Give me crumbs.

Give me just the smallest thing.

There was a kitchen
break-in, a bike tyre slashing.

The school emblem
was stolen and returned,

insignificant boyish pranks.

You have a fourth-year student
by the name of McPhee Broadman?

Yes.

Any idea where he lives?

Somewhere in the
southwest, I believe.

Arizona, a town called Cheeks.

What?

McPhee Broadman, Detective
Lewis. This is Detective Bayliss.

We'd like to ask you some
questions about Marshall Buchanan.

I've a feeling I should
phone my attorney.

Why do you need a lawyer?
We just want information.

Someone killed Marshall.
It's your job to figure out who.

Anyone you talk to
is a potential suspect,

including me, who happened
to know him better than most.

If my attorney says it's
cool, we'll set up a meeting.

Were you that smooth at 16?

Nah. I had trouble
matching my socks.

Do you know who McPhee
Broadman's mother is?

- Uh, no.
- Judge Susan Aandahl.

Aandahl? Ooh, she's tough!
Her gavel's got a hair trigger.

Brought me up on
contempt of court charges.

She's so mad she's
belching solar systems.

She's wants us away from her baby
boy, and the bosses are in hiding.

I don't care who the parents
are. I'm going back there...

Hey, Bayliss, I'm
the primary here.

I don't care. I'm
not gonna back off.

McPhee Broadman
killed Marshall Buchanan.

And what makes you so sure?

A tiny voice in my head.

Then go and see Broadman, and make
sure the voice tells you when to duck.

OK.

- You want me to go with you?
- You're the primary, aren't you?

- Oh, you're back.
- Yes, sir.

Leave us alone.

Thanks, fellas.

So, you talk to your lawyer yet?

I talked to my
mother, who is the law.

She'll punish you
for coming to see me.

We know.

- And you came anyway?
- Yeah.

I'm impressed.

You're a punk.

I mean, for the record.

Where were you when
Marshall was stabbed?

My mother's farm in Potomac.
She and the staff will confirm.

You say that you knew
him better than anybody?

We were friendlier last month.

He asked me to get him
into the choir, which I did,

but I couldn't convince
him to take my karate class.

- You're a... a teacher?
- I run a voluntary workshop.

It's like any other extracurricular
at Larchfield, sailing, photography...

- Computers.
- Computer science is a requirement.

- Which you've taken.
- And flunked.

I'm hopeless with machines.

So, do you know
Marshall's roommates?

Very well.

- Are they good with computers also?
- Excellent. Marshall was better.

- Did you throw him into the lake?
- No.

But Kemp did... and
saved him from drowning.

- You were there?
- I heard.

- Don't you want to see my medallion?
- I didn't ask to see that.

- Detective Lewis, did you ask?
- No, I did not.

Don't screw with me, boys.

Boys!

Is that what you
said, you pipsqueak?

We're not boys.

- The only boy here is you. That's it.
- I'm nearly 17.

- You're the eldest of your crew.
- Marshall was what, 15 years old?

And Derek and Kemp
haven't even cracked puberty.

Yeah. Yeah, well, what is it
with you and young boys, huh?

- Any word on the firearms exam?
- No.

- Any word on that exam yet?
- No.

- You hear about the firearms exam?
- No, damn it! No!

Hey, Gee.

Interviewing the judge's son,
doesn't mean bouncing him off a wall.

- There was no contact.
- Right.

I got in his face. That's it.
I've done it before, it's worked.

Not this time. Judge Aandahl
wants to see you tomorrow 9:00am.

- Aw, Gee.
- 9:00am sharp, Bayliss!

Lewis, you got a call from
Lindberg at Evidence Control.

The hard drive on the Buchanan kid's
computer's been erased completely.

- There's not a thing left on it.
- Can you tell when this happened?

Yup. Whoever did it missed
several internal clocks.

Erasing began... around 4:00am.

Derek and Kemp said
they were in their room.

If this happened at 4:00,
it means we got witnesses.

Or participants. McPhee said
they were both good with computers.

That's hearsay. We ain't got
squat. We need that journal.

Buchanan may have made back-ups.

- They're ordinary discs, like this.
- Yeah. Where would he keep 'em?

Marshall hung out a cybercafé.
I saw one near the school.

OK, I'll check his parents'
and see if we can find this disc

before my flogging
by Judge Aandahl.

Personally, I never
read the newspapers.

You've said that twice now.

- Need company?
- Please.

So, how come you
never read the paper?

Because, every time I've done
an interview, I've been misquoted.

If they're getting me wrong, they must
be getting everybody else wrong, too.

I've asked around about you.
Rumour has it you may take a plea.

Where'd you hear that?

- Scheiner.
- Oh. He's a highly reliable source.

He also said you're being
set up by the US Attorney

and Roland and the
other Arson detectives.

If I take a plea, then I'm saying
I'm dirty, and I stop being a cop.

- So do something else.
- Like what?

You're young, healthy. The
possibilities are endless, right?

I can't give up my badge.
Being a cop is who I am.

- Oh, you're one of those.
- One of those?

One of those people who tie
what they do to who they are.

If I did that, I'd probably
throw myself in Patapsco River.

I should put on my
swimming trunks.

- Want another? Somethin' stronger?
- Yeah, I'll take a shot.

- Jim Beam?
- How'd you know that?

Like I said, you got that
kind of face. Excuse me.

- You called my son a punk.
- Uh, yes, I did.

I took his chopsticks away,
and I yelled at him nose-to-nose.

- What are you after?
- The murderer of a 15-year-old boy.

My son did not kill him.
McPhee was with me that night.

Does that satisfy you?

If there's more
to this, tell me.

Your son might be implicated in
some questionable campus events.

- Based on what?
- A combination of factors.

Which means circumstantial.

Which doesn't
necessarily mean untrue.

You're a good
detective, Bayliss.

Whenever you're in my courtroom
testifying, you're clear, concise,

a little overdramatic
sometimes, but good.

Er... thanks.

McPhee is a clever
and cruel child.

I'm his mother, but I'm a
judge. I make impartial rulings.

You know him better than anyone.

- You raised him.
- Actually, I didn't.

I got married young, and
after a vicious divorce,

McPhee went to live
with his father in Arizona.

When my ex-husband
took McPhee, I was glad.

That's a terrible
thing to admit, isn't it?

But something was
always wrong between us.

These questionable
campus events,

is one of them the firebombing
of the headmaster's car?

Er... yes, Your Honour.

- We're following up on that.
- Don't. I'm one of Larchfield's regents.

- We settled with the insurers.
- It's a criminal act.

We have land grant exclusions,
therefore no law was violated.

But, Judge, you've dedicated
your life to... to justice, to the truth.

Aren't you curious
as to who's guilty?

When he was seven, McPhee
burned down a horse barn.

McPhee is adept with
thermite and other incendiaries.

He can't work a computer, yet recites
formulas for blowing up the world.

What would you do
with a child like that?

So are you admitting that
McPhee torched the car?

I'm a judge, but
I'm also a mother.

You won't find any criminal
complaints against him,

and I'll use whatever influence I
have to ensure that remains so.

You're a good detective. I look
forward to seeing you in court again.

This conversation
never took place.

Good day.

Marshall Buchanan was the
Michelangelo of computechnology.

He did the design
installation of this whole club,

computer cybernetics ten
years ahead of the pack.

He worked for a month on this.
A genius would have taken a year.

Did Marshall make copies
of stuff on his computer?

- His journal?
- Sure. He stored 'em here.

Here are his back-ups.

All right. Anybody else
come lookin' for these?

McPhee Broadman, the little Nazi.
I told him duplicates didn't exist.

- And he believed you?
- Only after he gave me this.

Relax, Frank. You passed.

You know when you
take a driving test,

you can tell by the er... examiner's
er... behaviour how you did?

- Yeah.
- The range sergeant was... indifferent.

So maybe you didn't pass. You
passed! You passed! I'm kidding!

This is Marshall's journal for the
three months he spent at Larchfield.

He uses four names, his
own, Cheeks, Derek and Kemp.

Sometimes, there's a word
like lake or bomb, but that's all.

Look at this. Look,
last week, five entries.

"Cheeks asked. I
said no. I said no.

"Cheeks asked again."
What is up with this Cheeks?

I don't know, but nothing here
links McPhee with Marshall's murder.

And look at this last entry,
"Gagged and whipped."

That explains the welts. Cheeks
can get anybody to do anything.

Gentlemen. Morgan Holbrook,
I represent Derek Delmond.

My client has a
statement to make.

I killed Marshall Buchanan.

I stabbed him and stabbed
him until he was dead.

Is this your medallion?

Yes.

Marshall pulled it off my
neck... as I attacked him.

- Where'd you get the one you got on?
- I called the company that makes 'em.

- I ordered one and had them rush it.
- When did you decide to murder him?

- On one of the marches.
- What kind of marches?

A forced march.

Like the Ancient Romans.

Two days and two nights,
no food and no water.

Who went on these
marches with you? Huh?

Kemp? McPhee?

Why did you kill
him, Derek, huh?

Why? Why?

Gentlemen, may I
suggest we take a break?

The little snot's gonna
have a nervous breakdown.

Our best bet is bring in Kemp.

Pretend there's more
in Marshall's journal.

Maybe we'll get one of
them to finger McPhee.

Kay? Has Kemp Fowler been
brought in by the uniforms?

- He's gone.
- Gone?

To Europe, holiday
with his parents.

- So we extradite him.
- Not till he's a viable suspect.

- We'll bring in McPhee.
- And do what? You got nothin' on him.

We got one thing...

a chink in his character.

- He thinks he's smarter than us.
- Who's to say he's not?

Where's Frank?

- Kay, have you seen Pembleton?
- Try the men's room.

Frank? Frank?

Gee... Gee, this really
isn't er... the... the right time.

No, this is the time. This
may... may be the only time.

Er, you see, I... I begged and I
yelled and pushed and pulled.

But I've got the results
of your firearms exam.

- And?
- Yes.

You passed.

- I passed?
- You passed.

Wa-hoo!

- Munch, where's Brodie?
- Look under any rock.

- I'm serious.
- Why do you want him?

He needs somewhere to stay.

- You want him with you on the boat?
- Sure. It's a big boat.

- The Queen Mary's not big enough.
- How bad a houseguest can he be?

I threw him out, then
Bayliss and Lewis.

We rarely agree. I'd
take that as a sign.

Brodie told me he moved out
of your apartment voluntarily.

If you believe that, I have a used
Yugo for sale, runs like a dream.

Look, the kid needs a place to stay.
I feel for him. I know what it's like.

Besides, my life's in the toilet.
How much worse can it get?

OK, I'm here. Now what?

I want to shake your
hand. You beat our butts.

I suspected you and I was
wrong. I beg your forgiveness.

Excellent.

Yeah, you whupped
us right out of Homicide.

I got reassigned
to the Robbery Unit.

- Less stress.
- Where are you goin'?

I'm going to Traffic,
corner of Charles and Pratt.

- You're too good a detective for that.
- Met someone better.

They can't kick you outta Homicide.
You solved the case. Derek confessed.

No, that fell into our laps. The
bosses know that and keep saying to us,

"How did you get your asses
handed to you by a 16-year-old?"

Embarrassing.

Well, that's life, guys.
See you on the traffic circle.

Don't go yet. Sit
down. Stay for a minute.

We got a little paperwork to clear
up. We have a couple of questions.

Like the firebombing of
the headmaster's Mercedes.

- A break-in.
- Theft of the school emblem.

- Reports of physical abuse.
- Sexual abuse?

That's a lie.

Well, you see, it's all right
here, on Marshall's disc.

He recorded every deed
that you did, McPhee,

or everything you had
Derek, Kemp and Marshall do.

Except the abuse, of course.
You took care of that yourself.

This is bull. Marshall's
discs were erased.

Really? Now, how on
earth do you know that?

Ah, tricky dicks.

Hey, if you have evidence
against me, let a court decide.

I have the mother
of all mothers.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, Mommy's
gonna protect you.

- That's right.
- Maybe not this time.

- I'm bored.
- Sit down.

- Sit down. I said sit down!
- Bayliss!

How does that feel, huh, punk,

to have someone push you around,
someone who's bigger than you?

Maybe I should whip your
ass, like you did to Marshall.

You really want to
end up walking a beat.

Bayliss! Bayliss!

Hey! Bayliss, come
on! That's enough.

Come on, go outside
and cool off. Cool off.

Whoo! Sorry about that,
McPhee. Can I call you McPhee?

- Whatever.
- Yeah, Bayliss is a good cop.

He just gets excited, you know?

Me, I just want to get my
pension and get the hell out of here.

Good man, Lewis.
You know your place.

Thank you, thank you.

It's tough knowin' your place.
A lot of people don't. Hmm?

Marshall, did he know his?

- Marshall had a definite attitude.
- So he, what, he didn't take orders?

He did for a while, then...

He got uppity?

You had Kemp
toss him in the lake.

You knew he couldn't swim,
so you had Kemp dunk him

to put him back
on the right track?

That's smart. No, it
is. That's tough love.

That's good psychology.

He thought his morality
was higher than mine.

How so? He committed every crime
you asked, including the firebombing.

Was there one
assignment he wouldn't do,

one refusal that er...
you just couldn't overlook?

Hmm? I mean, it's all
right here in... in the journal.

It says you talked to him in
private five times the week he died.

That's five times you
couldn't convince him.

And for that little act of
defiance, for that insubordination,

you had Derek stab him.

But you know, I don't think
you wanted Marshall dead.

No, I think Derek got carried away,
and that is why I am in awe of you,

because you took
control of that situation.

That's great leadership.

That's like er... like a...
like a Roman general.

And then, when things got
tough, you had Derek confess.

That's amazing. I mean, you get
these kids to do anything, don't you, huh?

Anything. Except for Marshall.

He's the only one
you couldn't control.

Why's that?

Was what you asked him
to do so incredibly evil?

Now, what could I have asked
Marshall to do that is so incredibly evil?

Commit murder.

But we know that. That's all
right here on the back-up disc.

But what we don't know is who.

So who? Hmm?

The headmaster? Was it the
computer teacher who flunked you?

Or a student? Who?

You still don't have a clue
who you're dealing with, do you?

Even if I confess,
you can't touch me.

The one I wanted dead,

the person Marshall
refused to kill...

was my mother.

We need to suppress McPhee's
statement. It's inadmissible.

Being a minor, he
should've had me with him.

He wasn't properly Mirandised.
They took advantage of his naiveté.

I can't tell. Did we win, or did that
brat get exactly what he wanted?

Either way, Judge Aandahl lost.

Man, I find it extraordinary
that she's stickin' with him.

Really? Cos I
kind of admire her.

I think parents should
stand by their children.

Remind me to never
have a kid with you.

Here, somethin' for you.
Give it to your cousin Jim.

- All right, Frank?
- Hey-hey.

Hey, partner,
been lookin' for you.

- I heard you passed.
- Yeah.

- Congratulations.
- Thanks.

- When are you back on the streets?
- First death tomorrow.

- Well, that is the best news.
- Well, not for you.

- What do you mean?
- The fun days are over, the easy days.

I'm... I'm rested,
I'm back, I'm...

meaner than ever.

Well, that sounds good.

Frank?

Here's your weapon.

I always knew you
were gonna pass the test.

Thanks.

- The true test is in there.
- What?

- I said good night.
- Oh. OK.

What... what...
what are you doin'?

Messages, they come in and
they go out. Nothing changes.

- It's a metaphor for Homicide.
- Homicide needs no metaphor.

Homicide just is.

♪ Bring me my bow
of burning gold... ♪

- Good afternoon. I'm Hord Highsmith.
- What can you tell us?

- How long has he been here?
- The student's 15.

- What kind of student?
- Excellent student.

Is there any truth in that
this was racially motivated?

♪ I will not cease
from mental fight

♪ Nor shall my
sword sleep in my hand

♪ Till we have built Jerusalem

♪ In England's green
and pleasant land ♪