Law & Order (1990–2010): Season 16, Episode 1 - Red Ball - full transcript

In the criminal justice system

the people are represented by two
separate yet equally important groups,

the police who investigate crime

and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

Come on, Jenny Bean.
The meter's almost out.

You understand
there's a time element?

You just broke my concentration.
Right.

What else you got?
Let me help you out. Uh...

You got a check, you got a mate.

Yeah? Check that.



Stop it! Jenny! Help me! Jenny!

Jenny! Oh, my God! Jenny!

Help me.

Yo, man, where's the sergeant?

Over there. Thought you
were riding a desk.

I'm done with that.

The kid was in the backseat?
Jennifer Clark, five years old.

Guy probably didn't see her
when he jacked the car.

Well, he could've been
fleeing another crime.

Nothing reported in the area.

Well, did the mom get a
good look at him? Barely.

Male, white, short brown
hair, blue jacket.

Okay, and we put
the word out on the car?

Make, model, and color only. The
mother's having trouble talking,



can't remember the plate number.
We're tracking it down.

All right, keep working the crowd,
maybe somebody knew this dude.

Get a street name, anything, all right?
Thanks, man.

He wasn't one of the regulars
you see hanging around.

So, maybe he was trying to score.
Maybe.

He looked kinda strung out, you know.
But, I didn't see him buy any drugs.

Okay, thanks.

So, it sounds like some
dude snatched a hoopdee.

Yeah, right, because
he lost his bus token.

Let's just hope he dumps that car
when he sees what's in the back seat.

Mrs. Clark? I'm Detective Green. This
is my partner, Detective Fontana.

Where's Jenny? Where is she?

Ma'am, we're gonna do
everything we can

to make sure
we get your daughter back.

Is there a Mr. Clark? Maybe
we should get him down here?

He's... He's out of town.
I already called him.

Ma'am, we're gonna have to ask you some
questions about what happened, okay?

Now, walking to your car,
you were coming from where?

We came through the park,
like we always do.

Jenny likes the playground.

Did you notice anyone following you?
Uh-uh.

So, what happened when
you got back to the car?

I strapped Jenny in her
seat, I started the car,

and then the man opened the
door, and he pulled me out.

He pulled me out by my
hair and he hit me.

I didn't... I didn't even see
him, I mean, it happened so fast.

Then he...
He drove off with her.

Please, please, get my
little girl back, please.

Detectives.

Patrol found the car.

Rivera! Call Crime Scene.
Get a canvass going.

See if anybody saw that little girl
getting pulled out of that car.

And get an area search going for
anything he tossed or dropped.

Keys are still in the ignition.

Joe, look at this.

He cut the straps to get
the kid out of the seat?

So, this dude wasn't
just stealing a car.

We get a current
photo of the girl yet?

We sent a unit over to the
mother's house to find one.

What do we have so far?

It's kind of hard to sort out.

I mean, at first it
looked like a carjacking.

But then, he dropped the car
here and took off with the kid.

I doubt he hailed a cab.
He just walked out of here?

Maybe. Or he had it all planned out
and had a car here waiting for him.

You think he
targeted this child?

The mother did follow a routine.

I mean, she went through the
park at the same time every day.

That being said, I think ransom's unlikely.
She obviously has no money.

I'm gonna set up a nest kit
in her apartment anyway,

just in case we get a call.

Follow up on the domestic angle.

Make sure we're not looking
at a custody issue here.

Where's Fontana?

He's checking the surveillance
cameras on the block,

seeing if we can catch
an image of the dude.

Lieutenant? Captain Cragen
called, he's looking for you.

I'm keeping Special
Victims in the loop,

depending on where
this thing goes.

How accurate are the
time and date on this thing?

More or less.

Well, is it more or is it less?

All right, look, stop.
Back it up ten minutes.

Joe. How's it going?

So far, a lot of nothing.

A lady next door
in the burrito stand

said she might've seen
our suspect pass by.

But, my Spanglish
isn't what it used to be.

Whoa, stop. Play it slowly.

Come on. We're gonna
need a copy of that.

We'll get prints
made up for the canvass.

Yeah. I want to get the mother
a second look at this dude.

Never seen him before.

You sure? Maybe
hanging in the park?

Mmm-mmm.

I should've fought him and never
let him get me out of the car.

Mrs. Clark, this
is not your fault.

Maybe Jimmy put
the guy up to it.

Who's Jimmy?

Jenny's father. We're divorced.

You said he
was out of town. Ls he?

I didn't want him to know.

He'd just blame me.

Things haven't
been good lately, okay?

Are you two having
a custody fight?

We had an arrangement.

But he's two months
behind in child support.

And, you told him he
couldn't see Jenny anymore?

I can't pay my rent.
What am I supposed to do?

Damn.

Hey, what's up? We're
looking for Jimmy Clark.

Don't think he's working today.

Come on. You wanna
try that one again?

Get up, get up, get up, get up.
Come on, come on.

I didn't do nothing!

You run pretty fast for someone
who didn't do nothing.

Two o'clock
today, where were you?

Right here. Been
working since noon.

Your boss will vouch for that?
Check my timecard.

Do you know why we're here?

The drunk driving warrant. I
skipped my court date, right?

Oh, man, you're not even close.

We're here about your daughter.

Oh, come on, I'm gonna
pay her the money.

Denise is pissed she
missed a sale at Filene's.

You know this guy? Should I?

Look again!

Wait, is that...

ls that Jenny?

She was abducted four hours ago.

Somebody snatched your kid. Now, you make
us believe you had nothing to do with it.

What? No way.

Denise says you two
have been having issues.

I would never do
something like this.

She's been hassling
you for money!

Look man, I'm just short on cash.
Where's my kid? What happened?

Look, I'm gonna ask you one more time.
Do you recognize this guy? Now think!

No, man. I never seen
him, I swear.

What's your gut? A deadbeat, but we
don't think he snatched the kid.

Okay. What else?
We're pulling mug shots

of every white male in the
sex offender registry,

and we're checking them against
the surveillance photo.

We sent the photo out citywide,

to every precinct,
to get more eyes on it.

Well, I got an okay from
the Deputy Commissioner.

It's gonna be
released to the press.

Oh, come on.

What are you talking about?
We're not there yet.

We're not? What else do we have?

If we go public with the photo,

we're gonna waste a lot
of time on bogus leads.

Or we might get something good.

Or, this guy could panic
and kill the girl.

Come on, let's wait
and see what jumps up

on the registry check
before we do anything.

For all we know,
this was a stranger abduction.

The girl's been
missing over six hours.

Lieutenant, I've worked
on cases like this before.

All you're gonna do
is provoke him.

No, I'm throwing everything we've got
against the wall to find this kid.

And with all due respect,
making a big mistake.

Then it's on me, ain't it?

She's right, Joe. We don't
know what's gonna happen here.

Nobody should give up on
trying to get this girl back.

Don't lie to yourself,
Detective Green.

These things never end well.

A patrolman from the 21 just called in.
He saw the posting,

he thinks he collared our perp
last year for shoplifting.

Go.

What did Dwight do now?

Well, he might have some
information on an ongoing investigation.

It's very important
that we talk to him.

Obviously, you gotta
wake me up at 1:00 a.m.

Ms. Jacobs, you know
where can we find your son?

I haven't
seen him in a couple months.

He shows up when he wants.

Well, do you have an
address for him? Nope.

What about a phone number if
you've got to get a hold of him?

Not one that works.

I was three weeks
in the hospital

on account of my diabetes,
before he figured it out.

He only came 'cause his girlfriend
kicked him out of the apartment again.

Do you know
his girlfriend's name?

Charleen something or other.

Dwight's a criminal
and has a foul mouth.

Only nice thing he ever did
was bring me those eggs.

And now I'm running out.
Think he cares?

Tastes like garbage anyhow.

P.S. 107, your son work
at that school?

We only hired him
after two of our cooks quit.

Said his name was Dan Jacobson.

He passed the background check.

His real name is Dwight Jacobs.

Well, whatever he called himself,
I fired his ass three weeks ago.

Caught him stealing boxes
of food out of the freezer.

Did you have any problems
between him and the students?

What do you mean,
like pedophile stuff?

Yeah.

Nothing I heard about.

But, we keep the kitchen staff back here.
Very little interaction with the kids.

That why you're looking for him?

Oh, we can't really go into it.

Hmm. Must be something real bad, you
gotta get me down here this early.

I really should call
the superintendent about this.

Well, you
don't have to wake him up.

Besides that, we're authorized.

Thank you.

5912 Broadway,
Greenpoint, New York.

Same as on the police report.
It's bogus.

You know, he called me last week

with where to send his paycheck.
Wasn't that address.

You still have it?

The super says that the apartment's
rented to Charleen Dowd.

He's not sure if they're home.

Any sign of the kid?
He couldn't say.

Oh, we're good for the arrest
and the search. Let's do it.

Police! Get down!
Get down on the ground!

Where do you think
you're going? Get back in here.

Pull him up on his feet.

Detective, apartment's clear.

Where is she? What'd
you do with the girl?

I don't know what
you're talking about.

Hey, Ed? I got something here.

That looks like blood.

And there's fresh mud
on those boots.

I'm calling Crime Scene.

Let's get Jacobs downtown.

Never ends well.

Where's the girl, Dwight?

What girl?

This girl. Jennifer
Clark, five years old.

You grabbed her
mother out of her car,

and you snatched her
from the backseat.

We have eyewitnesses
put you at the scene.

That ain't me.

That is your hand
over that girl's mouth.

That's her dress
we found in your place.

You planted it.

Did we plant the mud on your boots, too?
What's that all about anyway?

I took a walk by the river.

Oh, really? Where? What river?

We're gonna take those boots, and we're
gonna send them to the crime lab.

You wanna help yourself out, now's the
time. If that girl is still alive.

Forget about it. You're done.
We both know it.

The blood on that girl's dress
nails you for the murder.

I want a lawyer.

You'll get a lawyer
when you talk.

Where's the girl, Dwight?

Detectives.

- We're not done.
- It's over.

Let's go.

If you want us to find that
kid, it's not a good idea

to have the A.D.A.
watch our interrogation.

All right, you can
start booking him.

He can get a lawyer
assigned at arraignment.

We're charging
kidnapping and murder?

Kidnapping for now and we
can up the charge later.

We're releasing Jenny's
photo to the press.

Maybe we could get
some help finding her.

How'd it go?
Jacobs was remanded.

Who'd they assign
for his defense?

Charles Graham.
Never had him before.

I know Charlie. We should
be able to work with him.

Well, between the bloody dress
and the surveillance video,

we can go right now
with felony murder.

Fontana and Green are still
looking for her, but...

But, no one is optimistic. Well,
let's hope everyone is wrong.

Jacobs is the best chance we have
at finding her alive or dead.

Talk to Charlie Graham. If he can
convince Jacobs to cooperate,

we'll put a deal
on the table right now.

Look, I'm open to negotiation. I
just can't guarantee it'll happen.

He's not cooperative?

Look, if this
girl's still alive...

I get it, I get it.

Believe me, it's about
making him get it.

It's a very sensitive situation.

If she is still alive,
your guy has a chance

to squeak by
with just kidnapping.

And for the sake of argument,
what if she isn't?

Let the mother
bury her daughter.

For recovery of the body,

we'd still make Jacobs
a better offer

than he'd get with a
murder one conviction.

He's been in and out of the system his
whole life. He knows how it works.

I'm telling you, he's in
no rush to wrap this up.

The longer that he waits, the more public
scrutiny, the worse he looks at trial.

Let's be frank.
We'd all look bad.

So, you'll keep talking to him?
I'll do what I can.

Yes, ma'am,
she is a beautiful girl.

Yes. Yes, it's sad.
It's very sad.

Oh. Well, thank you.
Thank you for all your help.

Jenny Clark was just seen leaving
a McDonald's on 114th street.

In Harlem?

That's funny, Jersey State Police
has her spotted on the turnpike.

Which only goes to prove we're
spinning our wheels here.

Look, man, as far as we know,
that girl is still alive.

You want some coffee? Because
I can use an espresso.

Hey, look, why don't we go
back to Jacobs' building

and knock on a few doors again?

I mean, maybe we missed somebody

who might've seen him with the
girl or heard something at least?

You mean do some
real police work?

I wouldn't mind finding out where
his girlfriend went off to.

Harbor wants you guys
down on the East River.

Someone's found a body.

Some kids collecting bottles found
the bag, saw a body inside.

Any footprints? Nothing.

The tide must've dumped it here.

No one has touched it. The M.E.'s
on her way. Watch your step.

Jacobs did say he took
a walk by the river.

Oh, you gotta be kidding me!
Some sick son of a bitch!

There's no way I could know, Detective.
It looked like a body.

We're not supposed to touch anything.
Forget it.

You think that's funny?

All right, come on.
Beat it, you two. Beat it!

Hey, look. As far as we know,

that kid is still
out there, am I right?

Jenny just
started school this fall.

All she'd do was talk about
going to kindergarten.

She could already read.

Her father never thought
she'd learn this early,

but, every night, I read to her.

Denise, we're doing everything
that we can to bring her home.

What about this man in custody?

He knows where she is.
Make him tell you.

We're required to communicate
through his attorney.

Why? Because he has rights?
Is that what you're saying?

I don't care about his rights.

Jenny is out there,
and I am not with her.

The police are working
around the clock.

Whatever he wants,
just give it to him.

Please, you have to, please.

Denise, any developments,
anything at all,

as soon as we know it,
you will know it.

Is this man...

ls he one of those people?

The ones that hurt children?

We don't know why he
took your daughter.

It's too early
to draw any conclusions.

End of the week, we'll be adding first
degree murder to the indictment list.

It's a little early to be declaring
this girl dead, isn't it?

I think we're all
expecting bad news here.

So, this is Mr. Jacobs'
chance to help recover.

- Jennifer Clark's body.
- What's the offer?

Concurrent
sentences, 25-to-life.

It means the
possibility of parole.

That ain't much of a deal.

It's far more generous
than we need to be.

It's a good offer, Dwight.

What if she's not dead?

If she's not, then help yourself by
making sure she comes home that way.

I'm not gonna waste time playing
games with you, Mr. Jacobs.

We have more than enough evidence
to prove murder to a jury,

with or without her body.

Blood on a dress ain't a body.
That's reasonable doubt right there.

If a jury's asleep, maybe.

Yeah, well, I'll tell
them what happened.

I didn't see her in the back of
the car, and when I dumped it,

I couldn't leave her
in that bad neighborhood.

You know, somebody
might hurt her.

And what's
your excuse for the dress?

She had a bloody nose,
she bled all over the place.

I helped her change her clothes.
Dwight.

You walk, you'll never know.

Our offer's on the table.

Twenty-five years ain't
gonna get little Jenny.

You'll be back.
I ain't finished.

Jack.

No more games, Charlie.

What can I say? The guy knows the system.
He wants to drag this out

and hope that the case falls apart.

Borgia.

So, you think the girl is dead.
That was a surprise.

If I wasn't sure before
this meeting, lam now.

What?

That was Fontana.
They're with Denise Clark.

Mommy?

Want to come home, Mommy.

Don't like it here. Please,
please can I come home?

All right, you said enough.

The call came in
less than two hours ago.

We had a trap on the line?

Traced it
to a stolen cell phone.

Did you call the number? Of course.
There was no answer.

And there hasn't been any activity
on the phone since that call.

We can count on it
being tossed by now.

And the woman in the background?

Could be Jacobs'
girlfriend, Charleen Dowd.

Jacobs lived in her apartment.

She was already gone
when we got there.

Maybe with Jenny.

I was coming back from your office.
I just missed her.

Denise, we know she's alive now.
This is good news.

I should've been here for her.

I'm sorry.

Jacobs said he wasn't finished.

You think he's behind this?

We're monitoring
his calls from Rikers.

We'd know if he put
Charleen up to it.

So he didn't use the phone. He got
a message out some other way.

He's using it
to leverage a plea?

He just improved his position.

Well, this looks a situation where
I can do something to help you.

I'm not discussing any terms until the
girl is safely returned, Mr. Jacobs.

I need a moment with my client.

You know what? I'm getting
three meals a day in here,

a warm place to sleep.

And I can score dope

or get anything else
that I need.

I got all the creature comforts,
you know what I'm saying?

I can't say the same
for that little girl.

If anything happens to her,
you'll be locked up forever.

I'll make you a deal.

I'll plead to whatever you want,

but, I get nothing. No time.

Absolutely not.

I don't do no time,
neither does Charleen.

You can't use extortion to walk
out of prison, Mr. Jacobs.

Then send me back to my cell, because
I can wait for you to come around.

Now, how long do you think
that little kid's gonna wait?

- Gentlemen, excuse me just a moment.
- Sure.

So, Jacobs is saying
he'll give up the girl

if we let him walk out of court?

We think she's being held by
a woman named Charleen Dowd.

We're certain
the girl's still alive?

As of five hours ago.

Situation like this. Not much
upside if the press gets this.

Jacobs could even leak it
that we refused his offer.

If Jenny died...

I know my fundraisers over there
might not be too pleased.

What do you think?

I'm not sure we can legally
do it even if we wanted to.

And "Whitehurst v. Kavanagh" says
that a deal for immunity like this

is unenforceable. Which means
Jacobs' attorney won't sign on.

- "Whitehurst?"
- Case on point.

Whitehurst negotiated a plea in
exchange for his victim's life.

The D.A. refused to honor the
plea after she was found dead.

But, he knew she was
dead the whole time.

Unfortunately,
that's irrelevant.

It shouldn't be. Arthur, a
girl's life is at stake here.

Stall Jacobs.

Tell his attorney we're
preparing a counter offer.

If he's somehow in touch with whoever's
got the girl, maybe it'll keep her alive.

A neighbor reported
her '94 Chevy Malibu

stolen yesterday morning, not too
long before Jenny was abducted.

And she says that Charleen
has borrowed the car before.

And made a spare set of keys.

It would explain how Jacobs got away
with the kid after dumping Denise's car.

Charleen picked him up.

Put the Malibu on an AMBER Alert.
Maybe we'll get lucky.

What else do we know
about this woman?

She's been with
Jacobs at least two years,

going back to an
arrest for larceny.

She has a history
of petty crime, possession,

did seven months
at Rikers for an assault.

On that last one, she had a psych
evaluation before sentencing.

That's quite a couple.

I got in contact
with her sister.

She says that Charleen is bipolar
and she's usually off her meds.

Between that and a crystal
meth addiction...

So, they haven't
seen her either.

Boy, would I like to do this
the old-fashioned way.

Fifteen minutes with Jacobs, I
guarantee you we'd have that kid.

Well, if it comes to that, you're
gonna have to get in line behind me.

Keep working the car.

Hey, what do you got?

The driver of the truck heard the AMBER
Alert on the radio and spotted the vehicle.

I like his initiative. Did he happen
to see Charleen Dowd as well?

Already made the ID
off her mug shot.

Says she jumped out of the car
and disappeared down the subway.

Did she have
the little girl with her?

Looks like it was cheeseburgers
for dinner. Still warm.

We got catalogs, bills.

These all belong to the lady
she stole the car from.

Hey, how about this? Charles
Graham, attorney-at-law.

Graham. That's Jacobs' lawyer.

Well, I wonder what
Charleen's doing with it?

You had contact with one of the
prime suspects in the kidnapping.

Come on, Jack. I had no
idea she was involved.

- You must've suspected.
- I didn't know till you told me.

Jacobs told you she wasn't an
accomplice and you believed him?

I'm his lawyer, remember?

Between you and me, I figured the girl was
probably dead. So did you, as I recall.

When did you meet
with Charleen Dowd?

Right after
my client's arraignment.

I met with her yesterday
briefly around noon.

And what was said
at this meeting?

You know I'm not
gonna answer that.

Did you pass along any
correspondence from Jacobs?

You want me to compromise
my obligation to my client?

This coming from a
guy like you, Jack?

Don't talk to me about ethics
when your client is trying

to extort his freedom
with a girl's life!

Look, I don't want anything
to happen to that kid.

But, I still have
to defend the guy.

Okay? I will swear under oath.
I don't have any information

that will help locate Charleen
Dowd or Jennifer Clark.

Our detectives can make
that assessment, not you!

I'm not telling you
anything, however innocuous

that's gonna come back to
bite me down the road. Sorry.

Did you have any further
contact with Charleen Dowd

in the last 24 hours?

That's none of your
business, either.

Who's the next
judge on rotation?

Last I checked, Judge Hellstrom.

You're not serious.

Jack, Hellstrom's no
friend of this office.

She acts like she's still
on Legal Aid's payroll.

We'll take who we can get.

Request an emergency
hearing for the morning.

I'll draw up the motion
for Graham's disqualification.

Who does Mr. McCoy think he
is, policing my conduct?

Lam simply upholding
my ethical obligations

as required
by the New York State Bar.

Mr. Graham has an ethical obligation
to reveal ongoing criminal activity.

I don't know
where Jennifer Clark is.

Lam, however, protecting
my client's interests.

And in doing so, acting in
furtherance of his crime.

In furtherance of his basic
right to a fair trial.

Which is looking
less and less likely

given the courting of the
media through this crisis.

If Your Honor is referring
to recent press conferences

by the police, those are an
attempt to mobilize the public

to help find a missing child.

What's the greater priority for the
District Attorney here, Mr. McCoy?

The girl's recovery

or Mr. Branch's
re-election campaign?

This motion concerns Mr. Graham's
conduct, not the District Attorney's.

And it seems
to me your motion is baseless.

You're attempting
a thinly disguised end run

around privileged communication.

We believe Charleen Dowd
is holding Jennifer Clark.

Mr. Graham's conversations with her do not
fall under the umbrella of privilege.

Is there any proof
this woman is a co-conspirator

in the crime,
beyond your speculation?

It's an ongoing investigation.

Then bring me some evidence.

This girl doesn't have time.

I assure you, we are all
hoping for her safe return.

You have to stay within
your investigative powers.

If you can't meet your
burden, I can't help you.

Motion denied.

Okay, now what?

Call Fontana and Green.

I want Graham arrested as an
accomplice to kidnapping.

Where do I start? False arrest.

Interfering with
my client's defense.

We had probable cause.
Because you lost a motion?

Give me a break. This
is extreme misconduct.

It's an extreme situation.

And you think that justifies
strong-arm tactics?

What, I'm supposed to help you
send my client to prison,

lose my reputation,
not to mention my license?

You're about to lose
a lot more than that.

You help us find Charleen Dowd,
or we will prosecute you

for your role in Jennifer
Clark's kidnapping.

You couldn't make
a case for that if you tried.

You go to hell.

And tell McCoy to do the same.

What do you want to do?

What can I do?

Just keep him sweating for a couple
of hours and then cut him loose.

Hey. Bingo on this
guy's cell phone.

Charleen Dowd called him?

Two incoming calls
last night at 11:00.

We traced them
to a motel in Queens.

That would've been right after her
close call with the delivery truck.

She must've reached out
to Graham for help.

Go.

539, this is it.

Okay, open it up.

Jenny?

Jenny?

Joe.

I think we found Charleen.

Three cutting wounds to the anterior chest.
Defensive wounds on the hands.

So, she put up a fight. Mmm-hmm.

You got a time of death?

Rigor's about four over five.

Body temp and lividity,
I'd put it about 12 hours ago.

All right.

We searched the entire motel.
No sign of the kid.

Well, nobody leaves this fleabag
until we talk to them. You got it?

The M.E. puts the time of death
around midnight last night.

She came here right after
the guy with the truck

tried to stop her,
and got herself murdered.

So, who was she meeting?

Fake name on the room registry.
Place like this, big surprise.

Detectives?
You wanna take a look?

Blood on the sink.

More on the doorknob
and the shower door.

Yeah, the do-er tried
to wash up afterwards.

Take a look.

Left us a good print right here.

Gas company, open up!

Gas company, let's go! There's
a leak in the building

and we have to evacuate
the premises!

Police! Let me see your hands!
Up against the wall.

Where's the girl? What girl?

The one you tried to buy off of Charleen
Dowd last night, you son of a bitch!

You got the wrong guy.

How you think we found
you, Bernard Heinz?

You're a registered
sex offender.

And we've got your fingerprint
in Charleen's blood.

How'd you cut
yourself, huh, Bernie?

What happened? She tried
to sell you the kid,

you didn't like the price and
you stabbed her to death?

Where's the girl?

I don't know, man.
There was no kid there.

See, now you're
starting to piss me off.

She was alone, I swear. She came at
me with the knife, I defended myself.

I was supposed to meet Jacobs,

not some whack-job
trying to castrate me.

You were supposed to meet Jacobs.
Keep talking.

Iran into him down
at the probation office.

Told him my mother died,
left me some money.

No secret what I'd
been in for, you know?

Jacobs wanted
to sell me something.

Said I wouldn't say no.

When did this happen? Thursday.

And then, he called me again
the night before last.

We made arrangements.
But Jacobs was a no-show.

She wanted my money to
get him out of jail.

She was out of her mind,
man, she tried to kill me.

Did she say where she was
keeping the girl? Never did.

I tried to get out of there,
she pulled the knife.

I don't know where the
girl is, I swear.

Ah!

Charleen is dead, Mr. Jacobs.

She was murdered by your
friend, Bernard Heinz.

It is time to put a stop to this

before something
happens to Jenny.

Dumb bitch.

She couldn't do nothing right.

This changes nothing.
I talk when I walk.

Tell us the girl's location and we'll
discuss an appropriate sentence.

Uh-uh.

Think about what you're gonna tell that
mother when you find her kid dead in a box.

You know what I want.

We have to make this deal.
It's the only way.

As despicable as I think he is,

I can't let him make a
deal I know is worthless.

The court negated Whitehurst

because the D.A. challenged
the deal before sentencing.

What if we agreed
to stand by it?

Oh, you'd actually let him walk?
Come on.

If it means finding
Jennifer Clark alive.

Forgive me,
but, my client's right.

His leverage goes out the window
the minute that girl's recovered.

There'd be nothing stopping
Branch from changing his mind.

Well, his attorney's right. I'd
go back on the deal in a second.

How does that
help a missing kid?

There are broader
implications here.

Is it worth a dead child

to put Jacobs in prison
for the rest of his life?

The alternative is no better. We can't
let a criminal extort his own freedom.

Jack, you've done everything you can to
find this girl. That's all that you can do.

We're in a situation that the
law is inadequate to address.

How do I go back to
that woman and tell her

that it was the law that
wouldn't let me save her child?

Then make the deal.

And the next time someone has
a hostage to negotiate with,

make that deal too. And the next one
after that. And then where do we stand?

And if we don't do it, then we're
culpable in Jennifer Clark's death.

Because we had a choice.

There's your problem. You
think we have a choice.

We don't. And we don't negotiate
with men like Jacobs.

I heard you pulled my client off the
bus to Rikers. What's that about?

We'll make the deal with Jacobs.
Provided Jennifer Clark is found alive.

You're telling me
Branch signed off?

That's not your concern.

What does that mean?

I'll make the deal. You have
my word I'll stand by it.

That's kind of you, Jack. But,
it doesn't make it legit.

I'll move for immediate
sentencing after he allocutes.

There won't be any opportunity
for a challenge to the plea.

You're doing this
behind Branch's back.

This is gonna get back to him.

Do we have a deal or not?

Okay, we have a deal.

I assume after this, your career
in the D.A.'s office is over.

I appreciate the
difficulty of your job.

But, in the interest of justice,

there ought to be limits to
compromise, don't you think?

If we're talking about
Dwight Jacobs's allocution,

I don't need to remind you

of the obvious impropriety
of this discussion.

No impropriety intended, Judge.

Just speaking hypothetically.

Well then, hypothetically, let's just
say I'll do what's right per the law.

Well, you know the law gives
you discretion in sentencing

and I'm sure you'll hand down a
punishment that fits the crime.

I'm not in the habit of tossing
out a legally negotiated plea.

Even if it makes
everyone look bad?

You mean, makes you look bad?

If it lets a dangerous
criminal out of prison,

a presiding judge wouldn't be
above the political fallout.

Really?

I'm appointed to the bench.

I'm not beholden
to a reactionary public.

I'm not running for re-election.

The man who appointed you is.

Look,

if you don't want to make
Dwight Jacobs the deal,

don't let your chief prosecutor
bring it to my courtroom.

I stand corrected. Doing the right
thing, that'd obviously be improper.

Mr. Jacobs, I
understand you're pleading guilty

to kidnapping in the first degree, and a
single count of unlawful imprisonment?

Yeah, that's right.

In your own words, I want you to
tell the court what happened.

Uh, all right.

I took that girl,

so that me and my girlfriend,
Charleen could sell her.

I know this guy, Bernie Heinz,

he was gonna give us 2,000
dollars for her. That'll do.

Now where is she, Mr. Jacobs?

Mr. Jacobs?

She's at my mother's.
In the garage.

Let's go!

Let's see. Come on.

Bust the lock.

Go!

Jenny, you in here? Jenny?

Joe, Joe, Joe. You hear that?

Jenny? Jenny? Get me a crowbar.

Jenny? Sweetheart, are you okay?

Oh!

I wanna go home

I'm gonna take you home, sweetheart.
I'm gonna take you to your mom, okay?

Get a bus here, right away.

Fontana.

We got her.

Ms. Borgia?

Jennifer Clark has been
found alive, Your Honor.

She appears to be okay.

The People move for
immediate sentencing.

The defense does not object.

I understand you've both agreed

to a recommendation as a
part of the negotiated deal.

Time served on all counts, Mr.
McCoy?

That's right, Your Honor.

Mr. Jacobs, please rise.

Mr. Jacobs, this negotiated
arrangement with the People

is something I find contrary
to the interests of justice.

A child, taken by you,
against her will,

returned by you
to her lawful custodian

in exchange for your freedom

is an agreement
against public policy.

Therefore, I find that
mandating enforcement

of an agreement reached
under these circumstances

would be a perversion, not a
fulfillment, of jurisprudence.

I will not honor it.

Your sentence is my discretion, Mr.
Jacobs.

I'm imposing the maximum
time allowed by law.

Your Honor, my client
withdraws his guilty plea.

That's certainly his right.

He wants a trial, we'll conference
tomorrow afternoon to set a date.

What're you talking about? We had a deal.
You can't do this.

You had no deal
with me, Mr. Jacobs.

What? No. No, no,
no. We had a deal.

We had a deal,
you son of a bitch!

That's enough. We had
a deal, you son of a bitch!

Officers, remove the defendant
from the courtroom.

You made a deal,
you son of a bitch!

Let's go! Son of a bitch!
We had a deal.

We had a deal!

You didn't think I'd find out
about Jacobs' allocution?

It was a risk.

You could've simply stopped it.

Right. Just waltz into court

and pull the deal that's gonna
save a young girl's life?

That's what the public
would expect in their D.A.

Jennifer Clark is okay,
that's what counts.

Oh, of course that counts, but there's
more at stake here than just one kid.

If that were true, Arthur,

the law wouldn't mean much
to me or to anyone else.

Well, I admire your integrity.

But, I'm concerned about the
integrity of this office.

We don't negotiate with terrorists.
Period.

I think your concern was
politics, not office integrity.

If you want to fire
me, Arthur, go ahead.

I'm not going to apologize
for what I did.

Well, then you just
don't get it, Jack.

You know, you're
a great prosecutor.

But you'll never
be a District Attorney.