Law & Order (1990–2010): Season 16, Episode 7 - House of Cards - 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.

Chelsea?

Auntie Chelsea?

Chelsea, it's me!

I've got those clothes for you.

Oh, my God.

Stay here.



Um, don't move,
Mommy's gotta do something.

I have to go potty.

Okay. Good. Come on, come on.

Go inside there, don't
come out till I tell you.

Chelsea?

Chelsea.

Oh, my God.

Nicky?

Nicky?

Nicky?

Victim's Chelsea Hagerty.
20 years old.

Her sister found her
when she dropped by.

The door was unlocked.
Says the DOA

had a newborn son here with her.



Well, where is he? We
searched the whole building.

Nothing.

Excuse us, ma'am.

My name is Detective Fontana,
this is Detective Green.

Can you tell us what happened?

I came by around 1:30
to drop off some baby clothes.

But Chelsea didn't answer.
I knocked on the door,

and that's when I found her.

Tell us about the baby.

His name's Nicky.
He's only five days old.

Was there a babysitter or friend
that would have taken him out?

Nothing like that.
Where's the baby's father?

Steve. Uh, he's
at Phoenix House.

Uh, he's a drug counselor there.

Officer, send someone

over to the Phoenix House
to make a notification

to the baby's father, and
then bring him back here.

Thank you.

Is everything okay
between Steve and Chelsea?

Yeah, they're...

They were great together. They
were so happy about Nicky.

Was Chelsea having
any problems with anyone,

anyone that would want to
hurt her or take the baby?

No. No one.

I can't believe
this is happening.

Ma'am, if you don't mind, I'm
gonna hold onto this photo.

And we're gonna need to ask
you some follow-up questions,

so if you would keep in contact.

Blunt force trauma?

She took a beating, but it
wasn't what killed her.

There's petechial
hemorrhaging, cyanosis.

She was suffocated.

Can you ballpark
the time of death?

Somewhere between noon
and 2:00 p.m.

I found something else though.

You see this
scarring on her arm?

Track marks.

Yeah, but they look old.

We'll know more when we
get her on the table.

Well, keep looking.

My guess is
you'll find fresh ones.

It was around
11:15 this morning.

I was leaving for practice,

and I heard her arguing
with somebody.

Do you have any idea who it was?

I heard a man's voice,
but I figured it was

her husband, but I'm not sure.

They fight a lot? No,
no, they really seemed

like they were into each other.

Did you happen to hear
what they were fighting about?

I was in a rush,
I just took off.

What apartment do you live in?

3C, right across the hall.

Detectives, the baby's
father's downstairs.

Okay. Hey man, if you remember

anything else,
give us a call, all right?

Yeah, sure. Thanks.

Come with me.

All right, so what about my son?

Do you have any leads yet?

Do you have anything at all?

Mr. Monroe, we're not
gonna give up until

we find your boy.
You can count on that.

Now, when was the last time
you saw Chelsea?

This morning, around 9:00,
before I left for work.

Did you notice anything unusual?

No, she seemed
totally fine, they both did.

Did you talk to her after that?

No.

I didn't notice any rings.

Are the two of you married?

We were planning on it. Uh, we were
trying to pull some cash together.

Any problems
between the two of you?

No, things were great.
We were really solid.

We understand that Chelsea
had a drug history.

No, she's been
clean for over a year.

I... I was her counselor
at Phoenix House.

That's... That's where we met.

Any chance
she could have slipped?

Well, I think I would know.

Was she in contact with any
of the people she used with?

No. After she got sober,
she put that life behind her.

She didn't hang out
with those people anymore.

Well, who did she hang out with?

Nobody really. I mean, after
work, she'd just usually

come home and rest.
Where did she work?

Uh, over at
the Flair Dry Cleaners

on 72nd and 1st.

Mr. Monroe, where
were you between noon

and 2:00 this afternoon?

What?

Wait, wait, wait, listen.
The sooner we rule you out,

the sooner we can focus
on other suspects.

Rule me out?
I didn't kill Chelsea.

Look, nobody's saying you did.

But right now,
everybody's a suspect.

I was at work. I was... I was
filing patient intake forms.

The Amber Alert
should say male, white,

five days old, black hair,
blue eyes, seven pounds.

That's all we've got right now.

We'll follow up
with the photo ASAP.

All right.

What do you have? CSU found

a bloody fingerprint
on the crib,

but so far no matches.

Canvass turn up anything?

Well, there's a neighbor
in 3C said

he heard Chelsea arguing
with a man around lunchtime,

but we haven't been able
to come up with a face.

You run the baby's father?

He's clean, and so far
there's no record of

any domestic disturbances
at that location.

He seems like
a pretty stand-up guy.

Yeah, well so did
Scott Peterson.

Maybe he's overwhelmed by the
responsibility of a new baby.

Money was tight.

Or maybe she was spending
her money on drugs.

The tox screen? Chelsea had
crack in her lung tissue.

We ran Chelsea's name.

She took a pinch for possession
about a year and a half ago.

If she was using, this baby
could need medical attention.

We'll check the local hospitals,

see if anybody
came in with a newborn.

Lou, Chief of Ds
on your office line.

All right, great. Listen.

See if Chelsea had any
co-defendants on her last collar.

With any luck, you should be
able to find her dealers.

I haven't seen Chelsea
in over a year.

I had nothing to do with this.

Man, we'd love to
believe you, love to.

But the thing is, she had crack in
her system when she was killed.

And since you were her dealer,
we figure she owed you

some money and things
got outta hand.

I'm telling you, I'm not
in that game no more.

I been clean six months.

My kid brother got
shot in January.

Bullet was meant for me.

Maybe it takes something like
that to, like, I don't know,

refocus you or something.

Yeah, it's all very touching.

Just tell us where you were
yesterday around lunchtime.

Harrison High, up in Harlem.

My NA group sponsored a scared
straight with some high school kids.

You can check
with the principal.

Oh, we will.

Thanks for the tip, man.

I can go now, right?
No, you can't go now.

There's one more thing.

If Chelsea didn't get her drugs from
you, who did she score them from?

Talk to Frank, he used to buy

- for the both of them.
- Fran k who?

Never caught his last name.

He and Chelsea
were pretty tight though.

Frank Stoll.

Chelsea was with him a few years
back, before she met Steve.

What can you tell us
about this dude?

He's bad news.

Always involved in these scams.

He got Chelsea hooked on drugs.

How did that end?

Chelsea OD'd.

She was in the
hospital for four days

followed by
three months in rehab.

Why didn't you tell us
about this guy before?

'Cause he's out of the picture.

Chelsea hasn't seen him
in over a year.

You sure about that?
That's what she told me.

Why would she lie about it?

All right, listen,
let me ask you this,

where do you think we
could find this guy now?

Oh, he used to be a dishwasher

at a restaurant called Picnic.

Hey. Hey, you, come here.

Can I help you?

Yeah, we're looking
for Frank Stoll.

He called in sick today, why?

Huh. We need to ask him a couple questions.
You got an address for him?

Should be in my office
somewhere.

You'd need a forklift
to find it though.

Let's go.

There something on your mind?

No, not really, I just heard
you asking about Frank.

We are. Do you know
where we can find him?

I... I don't wanna
get him jammed up.

Maybe this'll ease the pain.

He sees this chick sometimes,
works over at Shooters.

Pool bar on 49th Street?

Yeah. She's a waitress.

There's gotta be
a few of those there.

Not with 38DDs.

Frankie would never hurt a kid.

We're not saying he would,
we just wanna talk to him.

He lives up in Queens, Maspeth.

He's not there.

Well, I haven't seen him
in, like, a week.

Gina, do you wanna help
us find this baby or not?

Of course I do. Then
you get on the phone,

you call Frankie,

tell him you have
the afternoon off,

invite him to your place, and make
him an offer he can't refuse.

I'm not some hooker, you know.

Well, maybe you don't get this,

but time is running out
for this little boy.

Now, are you gonna
help us or not?

Gina?

Is that him?

Let's go.

Frank Stoll? What?

New York City Police Department,
you're coming with us.

For what? Bench warrant for
unpaid parking tickets.

Oh, come on, that's ridiculous.

Where's the baby, Frank?

What baby? You know
what I'm talking about.

I don't know
anything about no baby.

Yeah, that'll hold up in court.

Narcotics.

Four arrests, two convictions,
a bench warrant...

Yeah, a parking ticket.

And now you've moved
onto murder and kidnapping.

Talk about failing upwards.

L told you, I had nothing
to do with that,

and that's the God's truth.

Then why didn't you show up

at work that day,
you so damn innocent?

Woman gets murdered, first stop

is the husband
or the ex-boyfriend.

That's because
they're usually the ones

that did it, you genius.

Hey, me and Chelsea,
we had no problems, okay?

So you still saw her.

Yeah, once in awhile
we'd get together to party.

When was the last time?

I don't know, a few months ago.

We have a witness that heard
Chelsea arguing with a male

right before she was murdered.

Wasn't me.

You ever hear
of a voice line-up,

where we put you in a room
next to the witness,

we make you scream and holler?

It's true. We've convicted
dudes with less.

You better have a damn
good alibi, my friend.

I just went by to see
if Chelsea was okay

with the baby and all.

What were you arguing about?

It was nothing. Her
sister was coming over,

she wanted me to leave,
I wanted to hang.

And then what?

Then I said I'd
see her later, and I left.

What time was this?

I don't know, 11:00,11:30.

Anybody see you come or go?

I don't remember anyone.

What's up?

The victim's neighbor responded
to an information wanted poster.

I want you to go talk to her.

Well, Stoll just admitted
that he was with Chelsea

the day she was murdered, so we
should just keep hitting him.

Well, this neighbor claims
she saw a woman

running outside of Chelsea's
apartment yesterday

with a newborn.

Yeah, sure I saw her.

She came running out
of there with a little baby.

Could you tell
how old the baby was?

Oh, no bigger than a shoebox.

Little black hairs.

And what time did you see this?

Uh, yesterday,
around 11:00 a.m.,

I was going to the Wash & Dry.

Can you describe the woman?

She looked pregnant,
uh, late 30s, early 40s.

And you're sure
she was pregnant?

She was wearing
maternity clothes.

Expensive, not the schmattes
you see around here.

Do you remember
anything else about her?

Brown hair, medium height.

Would you recognize her
if you saw her again?

Oh, it all happened so fast, I
didn't get a good look at her face.

I can only say
she looked pregnant.

Ah, Chelsea didn't know
any pregnant women.

How about Lamaze classes?

Oh, we couldn't afford
anything like that.

We think this woman was older,
maybe late 30s, early 40s.

There was one older
pregnant woman,

uh, but she wasn't a friend.

Who was she? She was a customer

at the dry cleaners
where she worked.

She was always giving
her pregnancy advice.

Did she ever mention a name?

No, uh, just that she was
sick of the advice.

We have over 1,000 customers.

The woman we're
looking for is pregnant.

She's about 40 years old
and has brown hair.

Yeah, she might have
talked to Chelsea,

maybe paid
special attention to her.

What about that woman who
gave her that little bear

with a heartbeat
and the pregnancy book?

Right.

She said dry cleaning chemicals
were dangerous to the fetus.

I think her name's Arlene.

She have a last name?

She was a new customer, she was
only in here three or four times.

She have any clothes here?

No way to tell
without a receipt.

Can't you look the receipt up?

They're filed
by phone number, not name.

You mentioned something about
a pregnancy book and a bear.

Did Chelsea come in,
take that stuff home?

L think the book's still here.

Chelsea wasn't much of a reader.

Here it is. Don't touch it, please.
Thank you.

Latent matched a print on the book
to the bloody print on the crib.

Any headway on the l.D.?

No, and neither Monroe nor the victim's
sister know anyone named Arlene.

Hey, we got a tip
from Crime Stoppers.

The caller said that
a woman tried to steal

her daughter's baby last month.

From the apartment?

No, from a park
in the upper 60s.

Meet her there. See if she
can recreate the crime.

Any similarity's a plus.

Can you describe the woman?

Late 30s, early 40s.
Brown shoulder-length hair.

She was pregnant.
How about her name?

I'm pretty sure
she said it was Arlene.

That's it, no last name?

No. Just Arlene.

Okay, tell us
exactly what happened.

My mom works in a diner on 73rd.

We were gonna meet up
here after work

and have a picnic with Connor.

When did the woman approach you?

While I was waiting for my mom.

She walked up and gave Connor
this little stuffed dolphin,

and we started talking about...

She told Lindsay she volunteered
at some children's organization,

and could get her
some free baby supplies.

That was the carrot
she dangled, right, hon?

- Then what?
- My cell phone rang,

and I was trying
to get it out of

the diaper bag, and she
offered to hold Connor.

I mean,
she seemed really nice...

Lindsay turned away
to get better reception...

And when I turned back, she
was all the way over there,

halfway across the park,
and she had Connor.

I started screaming. Luckily,
my mom had just gotten here...

I pulled Connor away from
her right at that corner.

Then she ran off.

When I heard the Amber Alert, I
thought there might be a connection.

Everything's within
a five block radius.

That park where Arlene met
Lindsay Doyle, that's on 68th.

The dry cleaner's
two blocks east of that.

And we found the place where
she got the pregnancy book,

four blocks west on 71st Street.

So chances are she lives
in the neighborhood.

Yup. We put out a finest
message to all the precincts

with her description, so...

All right. Call the 22, make
sure they read it at roll call.

We'll have someone pass out
leaflets to the local merchants.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

You said Arlene purchased stuffed
animals for both victims,

and that this bear
had a heartbeat?

You know, you put those bears
in a crib with a newborn,

and they only sell them
at baby stores.

Baby Village.

There's one at 74th and 3rd.

We've got two. Arlene Ferrelli.

What's her address?
Greenport, Long Island.

What's the other one?

Arlene Tarrington, 68th and 2nd.

Bought a car seat
here last week.

I'll print out the receipt.

You read my mind.

I'm calling the DMV, I'm gonna
get them to pull a photo

so we can show it to the
ladies at the cleaners.

Thank you.

Police! Open up!

Can I help you? We're looking
for Arlene Tarrington.

We have a warrant
for her arrest.

You've made some
kind of mistake here.

Step aside, sir.
Hey, wait a minute.

Wait a minute! You mind telling
me what's going on here?

We're looking for this
baby, he's been abducted.

The only baby here is the one
my wife just gave birth to.

Where did you deliver the baby?

Saint Mary's on 79th.

Well, we need to see him.

Were you present at the birth?

No, I was in Tokyo
when she went into labor.

I caught the first plane home.

I got in at 3:00 this morning.

There he is, our son Steffan.

Where's the birth certificate?

Arlene?

What's going on, Stuart?

It's the same baby.

No. Ma'am, I'm gonna
take the baby now.

No! No! Ma'am, please.

No. No. No. No, you're not.
I won't let you take him.

Ma'am. Ma'am. I'm going
to take your baby now.

You can't take him away, no.
Ma'am, remain calm.

Please, wait a minute. I'm sure
we can get this straightened out.

Arlene?
No, you're not taking him.

Wait a minute, please.
Stop. No, he's my son.

Stop, please! Please!
That is my son!

He's supposed to be
here with us!

I won't let you take him...

Arlene Tarrington, you're under
arrest for the kidnapping

of Nicholas Hagerty.

A month ago, Arlene tried to
abduct a baby from a park.

When that failed, she set her
sights on Chelsea Hagerty.

So she murdered
this poor young woman

just so she could
steal her child?

That's what the police think.

Several witnesses described
Arlene as being pregnant.

Whatever happened to her baby?

Saint Mary's has
no record of the birth.

And in fact, there's no evidence

that Arlene was ever pregnant.

So she faked it for nine months

and her husband never found out?

Stuart Tarrington does mergers and
acquisitions for a British investment bank.

He spends extended
periods of time overseas.

Anybody saying this
marriage was on the rocks?

Her neighbor says they were near
divorce until Arlene got pregnant.

It's kind of sad,
don't you think?

This woman did
a murder-kidnapping.

Breaks my heart.

Arlene's lawyer.
She wants to sit down.

This ought to be interesting.

No one is denying my client was
at Chelsea Hagerty's apartment

on the day of the murder.

No, I just went there
to drop off a gift.

When she got there,
Hagerty was already dead.

We've got evidence
that says otherwise.

The so-called
bloody fingerprint?

When Ms. Tarrington saw
the victim lying on the floor,

she felt for a pulse.

If she was so concerned, why
didn't she just call the police?

You can answer that.

They would've taken the baby.

And, uh, when I got him home,

and I put him in the nursery,

he just looked so
peaceful and so content,

and I just thought
about the wonderful life

that we could give him,
and all of the opportunities

that he wasn't gonna
have otherwise.

What about the baby's father?

Didn't you think
he had any rights?

I wasn't thinking clearly.

The baby was screaming.

He was all alone.

So,

any opinion as to who was
responsible for the murder?

I had known that Chelsea
had drug problems,

so I just assumed that it was
all connected with that.

And Lindsay Doyle's baby?

What's your excuse
for trying to take him?

The so-called prior bad act?
I'm glad you brought that up.

Motion to exclude Lindsay Doyle.

No one can accuse you
of not being prepared.

I'll take that as a compliment.

Your Honor, Lindsay Doyle is
a 16-year-old unwed mother.

The only reason Mr. McCoy is calling
her is to portray my client

as some kind of predator.

Which she is.

Ms. Doyle's testimony demonstrates
enough of a pattern of conduct...

I see no pattern here.

The manner, the location
of the alleged abductions

was entirely different.

Minor distinctions.

The bedrock of jurisprudence.
But in this case, irrelevant.

The witness is in
on l.D. under Molineaux.

But, Judge...
Don't push it, counselor.

Jack, the case is
shaping up, Jack.

How about you throw something
low carb on the table?

She killed a young mother, destroyed
an entire family's future.

Save the morality speech
for the jury.

She didn't kill anyone.

Your notification of an affirmative
defense for the kidnapping?

She took the baby,
she'll admit to it.

But she wasn't
in her right mind.

Postpartum depression?

Postpartum psychosis.

Makes postpartum depression
look like a day at the beach.

The police found no evidence
your client was pregnant.

They didn't have access
to her medical records.

Arlene miscarried
at seven months.

She sunk into a deep depression,

which gave way
to a psychotic break.

This defense didn't work
with Andrea Yates in Texas,

and she drowned five children.

In case you haven't been keeping
up with your law journal,

Andrea Yates is
getting a new trial.

And Arlene Tarrington
didn't kill anyone.

Did she have
a history of infertility,

marital problems,
and depression?

Medical records say yes.

Was she in a psychotic state

when she entered Chelsea
Hagerty's apartment?

I doubt it.

But you're not sure?

She stopped seeing her therapist

after the miscarriage, so
there is no psych evaluation.

I'm gonna need something
more solid than that

if I'm gonna
put you on the stand.

When I met with her,
she described having

felt some of the classic
symptoms: Hostility, paranoia,

despair, mental
confusion, delusions.

Yet she still managed to
plan this murder-kidnapping

in great detail. Which
seems very calculating,

inconsistent with the syndrome.

Doesn't the fact that she had a
miscarriage instead of a live birth

also rule out psychosis?

If that had happened during
the first trimester, yes.

But at seven months?

The hormonal fluctuations
would have been

much more severe, combine that

with her marriage being
on the rocks,

and having just lost a child...

Are you saying
she could have snapped?

I'm saying she would have been
very depressed, at the very least.

Thanks for nothing, Liz.

It's a subjective science, Jack.

I understand you were overseas
during most of Arlene's pregnancy.

We spoke on the phone
several times a week.

If I knew she was troubled, I would
have done something about it.

So you didn't think
she was troubled?

You're asking if I thought
my wife was crazy?

How dare you.

I'm just trying to
understand what happened.

I thought maybe you could
give me some perspective.

Arlene is complicated.

She was never one for sharing
her innermost feelings.

Did she have a close friend
she might have confided in?

Lam her best and closest friend.

Mr. Tarrington,

you didn't even know
that she'd miscarried.

This thing has ruined my life.

So the last thing
I need is some DA

laying a guilt trip on me.
I'm done.

Arlene killed Chelsea Hagerty
and stole her baby.

She planned it
down to the last detail.

If she was psychotic, it didn't
hinder her thought process.

All we have to show the jury

is that she could
distinguish right from wrong.

Well, you'll also have to show
them how a sophisticated woman

from the Upper East Side could
turn into a cold-blooded murderer.

She was desperate.

She thought the baby was the only
thing holding her marriage together.

She couldn't adopt?

Once she decided
not to tell her husband

about the miscarriage, she only had
two months to come up with a baby.

When she couldn't get Lindsay Doyle's
baby, she had to find somebody else.

Do we know that she went

to Chelsea Hagerty's apartment
planning to kill her?

I doubt she thought Chelsea
would just hand over her child.

She had a fully
furnished nursery.

She bought a car seat
the week before the murder.

She had intent.

Sounds solid.

But not perfect.

Any juror who's miscarried,

or knows someone who has,
understands clinical depression.

Depression isn't
postpartum psychosis.

We need to make sure
they see the difference.

I had a friend who lost
twins in her seventh month.

She didn't leave her
apartment for weeks.

Now, I don't know if she was
crazy or depressed, or what,

but it's safe to say she wasn't
thinking straight for a long time.

But your friend didn't
kill anybody, did she?

Do you see the woman

who tried to take your child
in the courtroom today?

She's right over there.

Let the record show that the
witness identified the defendant.

Thank you, Miss Doyle.

When you first met
Mrs. Tarrington in the park,

how long did you talk with her
before your mother joined you?

About 20 minutes, I guess.

Twenty minutes?

What did you talk about?

Babies.

What it's like to have a
baby when you're only 16.

Didn't you tell
Arlene Tarrington

that you felt
your life was ruined,

and you didn't want the baby?

I don't remember saying that.

Do you remember
Ms. Tarrington telling you

she could find a good home for your
son if that's what you wanted?

No. Then you probably

don't remember asking how much
money you could get for the baby.

Objection. I'll allow it.

The witness may answer.

I wasn't serious about that.

You weren't serious?

Seems like an odd
subject to joke about.

I wasn't joking, I just...

My son was only two
weeks old at the time,

and I was feeling
totally out of it.

Are you sure you weren't
suffering from depression?

Objection.

Withdrawn. No further
questions, Your Honor.

What happened in there?

That lawyer just got me
all mixed up.

I'm sorry.

I don't want an apology,
I want the truth.

I can't.

Why not?

My mother.

If she finds out the truth,
she'll totally lose it on me.

Lindsay, this is a murder trial.

You tell me what happened,

and I will deal
with your mother.

I'm sure that I can
make her understand.

Arlene offered me
a lot of money.

She said she could find Connor
a home with rich people.

And you wanted him
to have a good life.

We're all crammed
into a studio apartment.

I don't even have enough money

to buy him a crib, so, yeah,
I thought about it

for, like, a minute.

Then I said no.

I just couldn't
go through with it.

Lindsay, how much money
did she offer you?

$50,000? Why didn't you
find this out during prep?

She's only 16, Jack.

She was terrified of
her mother's reaction.

If Arlene was throwing money
Lindsay Doyle's way,

who's to say she didn't
do the same with Hagerty?

You think they had
some kind of arrangement?

If they did, I'd prefer
to know about it

before Arlene takes the stand.

I'll take a look
at her financials.

Take more than a look.

L subpoenaed Arlene's credit
card and bank statements.

Anything? Nothing unusual,

but I found something
in her LUDs.

She called Chelsea Hagerty.

No. She called Frank Stoll.

Chelsea's ex-boyfriend.

He told the police
he visited Chelsea

the morning she was killed.

What was she doing
talking to him?

I don't know,
but check out the date.

Three days before the murder.

Plasma TV.

Oh, damn, Frankie.

Where'd you get the
money to pay for this?

Aw, I didn't, I won it in a bet.

Hey, Frankie boy, if you're in
the mood for telling stories,

why don't you tell us the one
about you and Arlene Tarrington?

What, the lady from the news?

The one who killed Chelsea?

The one who called you
on your cell phone

three days before the murder.

Well, that must've been a wrong
number, 'cause I don't know her.

Your boss says that Arlene comes

by the restaurant
that you work at

once a month
to pick up food donations.

Oh, come on, man,
you've been seen

talking to her in the kitchen
on at least two occasions.

And both of you were at Chelsea's
apartment the day she was murdered.

That constitutes knowing
in our neck of the woods.

You know what?
Get the hell outta here.

I don't have to
talk to you people.

If you were involved
in this murder

and this kidnapping, you're gonna
wanna come off that position.

Man, you're way off base.

Then set us straight.

That baby is mine.

Frank Stoll is the father?

That's what he's saying now.

He filed a paternity suit. We're
still waiting on the DNA.

That child was born into an existing
marriage, he has no grounds.

Steve Monroe and Chelsea
Hagerty were never married.

If Stoll was in on it, why didn't
Arlene point the finger at him?

And implicate herself
in a murder?

She's better off
with her insanity defense.

What about a money trail?

There were no unusual withdrawals
on Arlene's bank statements,

but her maid said she always kept
large amounts of cash at home.

Her husband made
over $3 million a year.

She could have squirreled
away a small fortune.

What a world.

Child loses his mother,

and now risks being taken away from
the only father he's ever known.

And handed over to a complete
stranger who tried to sell him.

Not if we put Frank Stoll
away for the murder.

Based a cell phone call
and a plasma TV?

He put himself in Chelsea Hagerty's
apartment on the day she was killed.

A neighbor
overheard an argument.

Nah, that's not gonna
get you a conviction.

He was a career criminal drug addict
who had a pregnant girlfriend.

If a desperate woman came
along needing a child,

you don't think he'd take
a chance to make a buck?

Well, I can think
whatever I like,

but how do you prove
he killed the girlfriend?

Talk to Arlene.

See if she has anything to say.

And if you like her story,
you offer her a plea?

She'd still be looking at hard
time, and we'd have a shot

to try Frank Stoll
for the murder.

You put her on the stand, she'll
be walking into a buzz saw.

Stoll's lawyer will carve
her up like some kind of

a self-confessed nutcase grabbing for
a way out of a murder conviction.

I understand, and I'm willing
to take that chance.

If we don't at least explore this,
Stoll gets away with murder.

Well, talk to her and see if
she'll give ya something.

But, it's riding on you, Jack.

We recently discovered
evidence that suggests

your client was involved
in a conspiracy.

With who? Frank Stoll.

We're listening.

We can put them together at the
restaurant where Stoll works.

We also have a cell phone
call between them.

A little elbow grease, I'm
sure we can come up with more.

So what are you offering?

Depends on what
she's got to say.

He told me that
he could get me a baby...

Not another word, Arlene.

If the rest of
her information's good,

we'll offer
kidnapping, 15 years.

And she testifies against Stoll.

Ten. I don't think

you're in much of a position
to bargain here, Miss Walters.

There's still a chance the jury
might go for the insanity defense.

If you were confident about
that, you wouldn't be here.

And if you didn't have concerns,
you wouldn't be here either.

We think Stoll was involved.

We want him held responsible.

Tell your client 15's the best
deal she's ever gonna get.

Frank told me

that he'd gotten
his ex-girlfriend pregnant.

Said that they'd sell me
the child for $50,000,

and when I said that I wanted
to see the baby's mother,

he told me where Chelsea worked.

You discussed
the adoption with her?

Frank told me not to.

He said she didn't want to
know who was getting the baby.

She... She didn't want
that connection.

She sells it pretty good.

But I don't know
that I'm convinced.

Her details seem to add up.

We gave her the broad strokes,

she could be just
filling in the blanks.

Look, we'll never know exactly
what happened in that apartment.

But if you compare Arlene's
background to Frank Stoll's,

my money's on
Stoll for the murder.

She's always admitted to the
kidnapping, but not the murder.

She's never wavered from that.

But do we believe her?

I just don't think
it was Arlene.

This just came in.

DNA results.

It's confirmed. Frank
Stoll's the baby's father.

What?

Nicky's not mine?

The courts ordered a DNA test when
Frank Stoll filed for paternity.

The results show
that the baby is his.

But, no, there
must be some mistake.

There's no mistake.

No. Chelsea would
have told me if he wasn't mine.

Oh, I can't believe this.

She never mentioned
anything about Frank?

No, nothing.

She even told me
that Nicky looked like me.

She said he had
my ears, my hands.

I spent nine months
listening to his heartbeat.

I get up with him at night.

I feed him, I read to him.

He knows my voice,

he knows my smell.

Now that Chelsea's gone, I'm the only
one in this world that's here for him.

If there is a custody case,
it won't be anytime soon.

Stoll's facing criminal
charges right now.

Where is he?

He's been arraigned
and remanded to Rikers.

Arlene's agreed to
testify against him.

If you lose the case,

he'll get custody
of Nicky, won't he?

I guess you should be ready
for that possibility.

How do you prepare to lose
your child, Mr. McCoy?

When Frank Stoll told
you he could get you a baby,

how did you respond?

I was thrilled.

He said he'd found homes
for two other babies,

and that everything
had gone off without a hitch.

Did he tell you how he'd
encountered these babies?

He just said that there
were a lot of young girls

on the streets
that wound up pregnant.

So he was a black market
baby broker of some sort.

Didn't you know
that was against the law?

Yes. But I was desperate, and...

And it was his baby.

His baby with Chelsea Hagerty?

Yes. But Frank said
that she'd agreed

to sell the child if they
found the right person.

How much money did he want
for this transaction?

$50,000.

He said most of that
would go to Chelsea.

Several days
after the baby was born,

you called him
on his cell phone.

What did you discuss?

We set up the meeting.

I gave him the money, he told
me to wait on the street

outside of Chelsea's apartment.

He was gonna go up,
get the baby,

and bring him to me.

Could you describe
what happened next?

I waited for about
10 minutes outside,

and then Frank came running out
of the apartment in a panic.

He said something
had gone wrong,

and told me to get out of there.

What did you do?

I asked him
if the baby was okay.

And he said, yeah, the baby was
fine, but that we had to leave.

Did you?

No. I went up to the apartment.

The door was unlocked.

What did you see inside?

Chelsea was lying on the floor,

and there was blood
all around her head.

Did you call 911? No.

Why not? There was no pulse.

She... She was already dead.

What happened next?

The baby started crying.

And, uh,

I went...

I went over to the crib,
and he was just lying there.

Small and helpless, and at that
moment, I thought that he was mine,

and I...

I just remember feeling
very desperate to save him.

So you took him
and drove him home?

Yes.

Nothing further, Your Honor.

Let's put our cards on the
table, Miss Tarrington.

You were indicted in this case

on second degree murder.

You actually went to trial.

That's right.

You claimed you were suffering
from postpartum psychosis,

and admitted your involvement.

Only in the kidnapping.

In fact, didn't your
attorney put a psychiatrist

on the stand who confirmed
your diagnosis?

Yes.

It was only when you
thought you were gonna

get convicted of murder
that you cut a deal.

Objection. Sustained.

The sentence you're serving

is a reduced charge
on kidnapping, isn't it?

Yes.

Because you agreed to
testify against Mr. Stoll.

Yes. But, in fact,

if it hadn't been for you,

Chelsea Hagerty would
still be alive today.

No.

He said that she agreed
to give up the child,

and I had no idea that
he was going to hurt her.

But he didn't hurt her. You did.

When he told you
the deal had fallen through,

something inside of you snapped.

No.

Your husband was joyfully
awaiting the birth of his child.

Your friends had already
thrown you a shower.

You wanted that baby
at any cost.

- Objection.
- Sustained.

Is there a question
in there, Mr. Tracer?

Can you prove
that you were waiting

on that sidewalk,
Miss Tarrington?

Did anybody see you? No.

That's because you weren't
outside, were you?

You went into the apartment
to get your baby.

And when Chelsea
wouldn't give him to you,

you went into a psychotic rage.

That's not true.

You smashed her in the head,

and then smothered her.

Frank Stoll wasn't
even in the room.

He had your 50,000,
why should he stick around?

That's not what happened. No?

You set this whole tragedy in motion.
You and you alone.

The only thing
Frank Stoll is guilty of

is scamming money

from a desperate, rich woman.

Correct? No, he said that
I could have the baby.

He said that I could
have the baby.

I was supposed to have the baby.

It was supposed to be my baby.

Nothing further, Your Honor.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have.

The defense will please rise.

On the count of murder
in the second degree,

how do you find the
defendant, Frank Stoll?

We find the defendant
not guilty.

We took our shot.

Cold comfort.

Colder for Steven Monroe.

You don't have to remind me.

He's gonna have a hard fight trying
to keep custody of that baby.

I saw him running out
of the courtroom, too.

I don't think he's sticking
around for any fight.

The neighbors have been complaining
about the noise up here

the last couple of days.

Did you talk to Monroe about it?

I called him. Said he was
moving some furniture around,

he'd keep it low.

You ever bother to stop in?

Hey, this ain't
my only building.

Mr. Monroe, NYPD.

Now, this is why God
created security deposits.

There's nothing here, Detective.

Well, he's got a
couple hours head start on us.

He could be anywhere by now.

Mr. Monroe have any family
we could speak to?

Not that I know of. I could
check the rental application.

Yeah, do that.

Frank Stoll wants to know what
we're doing to find his son.

Why, so he can sell him
off to the highest bidder?

I spoke to the police. They already
have a few leads on Monroe.

Tell them to take
the weekend off,

get a fresh start on Monday.