Law & Order (1990–2010): Season 4, Episode 12 - Snatched - 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.

Two weeks.

Separate vacations
and no questions asked.

My marriage would be perfect.

Whatever your wife
does, you don't care?

My wife would spend the whole time
with her family. I know her every move.

Yeah. Like I knew
my ex's every move.



Up ahead.

Buying or selling?

They made us.

Wait, what do we got here?

We got a 27-David,
signal 10-10...

Christopher and Hudson.
Suspicious black Mercedes...

Sam, Zebra, Union,
766. Will investigate.

Hey!

Don't shoot. The
money's in the back.

All right, crawl out.

Don't turn around.

Keep your arms raised.

Spread them.
What? What are you...

Who are you?



Please!

Don't turn around, I
said. I'm not a criminal.

He's clean.

Hey.

He's got the Lotto back here.

I'm in the real estate business.

I deal routinely in
very large sums.

Yeah, right.

At 2:00 in the morning, out
of the back seat of your car?

I can prove that the money is
mine. I've done nothing illegal.

This is Mr. Kattleman,
Mr. Bregman's attorney.

Oh, Marvin. Thank
God you're here.

They gonna let us talk?

Gentlemen, may I have
a moment with my client?

It tops $4 mil, and
they're still counting.

Yeah, but this is Sol
Bregman, not Pablo Escobar.

Hey, so what? Let's toss it
to Narcotics and go home.

I've advised Mr. Bregman to fully
explain why he was carrying that money.

My son, Jason,
has been kidnapped.

I was trying to pay the ransom.

Did you actually talk to Jason?

Last time they called, they
played a tape of Jason's voice.

I could tell he was terrified.

I haven't heard fear in his
voice since he was a child.

Where does Jason work?

He has his own real estate
business. His office is in my building.

We'll need the names
of all his employees.

There's just a secretary.

Look, I didn't ask for your
help. I can handle this myself.

We can't let you do that.

He's my only son. I'm
not gonna sit on my hands.

We understand that, but if you want to
help him, you're gonna have to help us.

We'll also need a list
of your employees...

especially anybody
who quit or got fired.

What about his friends,
the people he hung out with?

I don't know many
of his current friends.

My son has his own life.

Let it ring. You got it?

Don't answer that
phone, Mr. Bregman.

I was there with the money.
I was going to pay you.

I couldn't help it. I
did not call them in.

I did exactly as you told me.

Jason?

Jason, are you all right?

Listen to me.

I'll pay you anything you want.

Only, don't hurt him.

Hello? Hello?

It's the damn tape again.

They know you're involved.

They said if they don't get the money
in two days, they're going to kill Jason.

And you betrayed us.

I did not call them in.

I did exactly as you told me.

Dad, it's Jason.

I'm okay.

These people are serious.

Please follow their
instructions, or it's over.

They're going to kill me, okay?

I'll pay you anything you want.

So, a street-side pay phone,
42nd and Broadway, lots of traffic...

prints are a long shot.

They won't set up another
ransom exchange by phone.

A note on Bregman's car, a
FedEx, maybe a pizza man.

And don't count on
Bregman telling us about it.

What about the gray
van our men spotted?

Well, from the year, make, and
model, and a two-letter partial...

it narrows down to
about 3,000 vehicles.

Well, Jason Bregman didn't get
carried down a ladder from his nursery.

Whoever did it knew when
and where to grab him.

This guy wasn't a hermit.

Checking out his lifestyle's
gonna be a lot of manpower.

Johnson and Samuels
will cover tenant grievances.

You start with the
home front. And careful.

Nothing can get him killed
quicker than a headline.

I never had trouble with
him. What's going on?

Oh, the old man doesn't hear from his
kid for a few days, they call out the army.

Yeah. We're here, and little Jason's
probably snapping towels at beach bunnies.

Well, he's a lady's
man, that's for sure.

Goes mostly for the bohemian
type. Bags of bones with long hair.

Looks like he was a
budding David Merrick.

"Jason Bregman presents
Blue." Never heard of it.

Picked the wrong color,
I guess. Is this him?

Oh, he's game for anything.
Bobsledding, scuba diving. Me?

Give me a beer and a waterbed.
That's all the excitement I need.

He sure keeps a lot
of art around here.

Yeah, he deals in it.

Takes after his father.

You know, I hear the old man has his
name written in stone at the Guggenheim.

Looks like Jason might've been
headed toward Times Square.

"Planet Fantasy, produced
and directed by Jason Bregman."

"Promotional reel for
the Lisa Cole Gallery."

Sounds more like
Soho than 42nd Street.

Lisa's one of his
girlfriends. A real piece of art.

Jason and I go out, but
we're not mutually exclusive.

So what's Jason done,
besides not return my calls?

Well, when was the last
time you heard from him?

Friday.

On Saturday we were going to
his rave party, but he stood me up.

His party?

He was throwing it?
Jason's latest enterprise.

A warehouse, a
band, 500 crazy kids...

and a couple of lowlifes
to keep a lid on things.

I thought he was into
the real estate business.

His old man gave him an office, but it
didn't excite him like his other hobbies.

These lowlifes for the parties, did
he hire them out of the want-ads?

Jason had a need for sleaze, but
he let his partner handle that end.

He's the one who sent you,
right? Why would he do that?

They had a beef
about fire permits...

so now this creep thinks
Jason owes him money.

This creep got a name?

I don't know. How about Guido?

He had a lease on one of the warehouses.
I think Jason's father owned the place.

Until now, this
kid had no worries.

Show up for work, don't
show up. He had it all.

Yeah, if you're willing
to overlook the fact...

that his old man's
money got him kidnapped.

Here you go.

Oh, no, I want those over here.

Give me the money.
I'll take my chances.

How about what goes with it?

This kid couldn't pick up
a paper without seeing...

Bregman Senior getting
some kind of an award.

It's a tough act to follow.

Try following a drunk.

Sol Bregman's got two personal accounts.
Everything's current to this morning.

Would you believe a
seven-figure balance?

Hey, here's a withdrawal
for $250,000 cash...

the day after his
kid was grabbed.

What do you think?

Down payment for the kidnappers?

$250,000's a lot of
walking-around money, even for you.

You work for the IRS now?

Where'd the money
go, Mr. Bregman?

I had to do something.

Tell us about it. We've
been known to empathize.

After I received the
ransom demand...

I thought if I could
contact the right people...

Who, the Mott Street crowd?

In my business, you meet
people. I thought they could help.

And they hit you
up for $250,000?

That's what he
said it would cost.

Who said?

Jimmy Ameche.

He leases some of my buildings.

He's in business with my
son. These dance parties.

I would have given him anything.

Have a seat. You have a cushion?

I just had the laser
thing done on my 'rhoids.

We'll get you some extra
marshmallows for your hot cocoa.

Nice.

I hope this doesn't take
all morning. So do we.

So, you and Jason
Bregman were partners?

Yeah. I had a building sitting empty,
and Jason had a way of generating income.

We heard you two
had a falling out.

So what?

Partners don't have
disagreements?

Jason's a good kid,
but he has his bad days.

Yeah. Like the past four.

I wouldn't know.

"I wouldn't know"?

Is that all Sol Bregman got for
his $250,000? "I wouldn't know"?

Okay.

So this is where I show you
mine, and you show me yours.

We all know Jason's
been missing since Friday.

We know.

The question is, what do you
know that rates a six-figure fee?

Sol Bregman called me.

He figured I could be
helpful with this situation.

And what are you, an expert?

I've got connections, and
I was willing to use them.

Sure, for a price.

I had to put some money out on
the street. You know how this works.

Sure. We're familiar with
the mechanics of extortion.

I wouldn't do that to a friend.

Figure, what would that get me?

Fellas, can I see you a minute?

Sit tight.

Surveillance on
Bregman's house called.

He took off in his car around 5:00 a.m.
They followed him to his lawyer's building.

He went in the
underground garage.

They still watching him?

They thought they were.

He switched cars with his
attorney, and he slipped them.

Logan.

Yeah.

Uh-huh.

All right, hold him there.

They got Bregman over near
the 10th Avenue freight trestle.

So we figured the car was
maybe jacked or abandoned.

But this guy's just
sitting in the front seat.

Not a very smart
move, Mr. Bregman.

I did what I had to do.

Doesn't this thing have a car
phone? You could've called us, right?

They took the phone
and the keys. I was stuck.

How'd they get
in touch with you?

Through my lawyer. He
received a call from them.

If you had told us where the pick-up
was, we could've been ready for them.

I didn't know!

They instructed me over the car
phone. They had me drive around...

then they made me come here. Same
as before, lie down on the front seat.

After a few minutes, I heard
someone take the keys.

They opened the
trunk, took the money.

How many were they?

I didn't see. I didn't look up.

I did what they told me.
Look, it's over. It's done.

Over for who?

I'm looking around,
I don't see Jason.

It's not over for him.

This guy. What, he
thinks it's a business deal?

You give them the money, you
get the kid, like buying a building?

Hey, if somebody grabbed my kid, I
wouldn't care what anybody told me.

I'd hock everything I owned, do
whatever it took to get her back.

And I know better.

Well, they were feeding him
instructions over the car phone.

And they had to be someplace
where they could watch him...

make sure he
wasn't being followed.

Now, he said it was only a couple of
minutes before they got the key, right?

What do you say
we try that bodega?

Before him...

the last white guy I seen
around here was Clinton.

And he had the Secret Service.

How many calls did he make?
Not Clinton, the other guy.

I wasn't counting.

He'd make a call,
and go sit in his van.

Then make another call.

What color was the van?

That was white, too.

You're watching him make calls,
and you don't know what he looks like?

- I was listening to Howard.
- You listen with your eyes?

Come on. Tall, short, thin, fat?

Average guy, about your height.

Sharp dresser.

Had on a yellow jacket.

Hey.

LUDs give us three calls from
the deli to Bregman's car phone.

Unfortunately, Latents says no
usable prints off the pay phone.

Can't catch a break here.
Well, maybe we just did.

Take a close look at that.

Two other calls,
same time frame...

another number.

Updating the
people holding Jason.

Pay phone in the South Bronx.

Bastards couldn't
live in Gramercy Park?

That thing still in service?

Dial tone.

Lot of places around
here to hide somebody.

Yeah.

Or bury him.

Jason outlived his usefulness
the minute they got that ransom.

I'm gonna call the troops.
We'll start a canvass.

Hi.

A little late in the year to be
working the garden, isn't it?

It ain't too late for squash.

I'm Detective Mike Logan.

This morning, around
6:00, were you out here?

I told you that was drug business.
My wife don't trust anyone.

Yeah? We're interested in
anybody who was using that phone.

A white man, I think.

Had a brand new car. He
was there for almost two hours.

What kind of car? I
don't know about cars.

It was new and big. I can only
give you the license number.

You took down the license?
I'm on Neighborhood Watch.

I learned all the correct procedures
in the Citizen Patrol course.

Now, this last number here
is either a three or an eight.

You mind if I give her a hug?

Looks like a shirt my
ex-sister-in-law once sent me.

Yeah, smells like
any one of your shirts.

Yes? We're looking
for a Shepherd Watson.

I'm Shep Watson. What is it?

Mr. Watson, I'm Det. Logan
and this is Det. Briscoe.

You mind if we have
a word with you inside?

Sure. Come in.

Excuse the mess. I'm
getting ready for a show.

What is it? Is there another
robbery in this building?

Do you own a '92 Chrysler
with the license plate 2PR-508?

Yeah. It's in the garage.

Where was it yesterday
morning around 6:00?

We were in the South Bronx.

Scary. We could
have used you guys.

What was the attraction?

I'm looking to do something big.

You know, terrestrial.

Like Christo.

The artist who covered the
hills of California with umbrellas.

Yeah, didn't one of them
fall and kill somebody?

Well, I'm planning to do something
a lot less lethal in the South Bronx.

So you're an artist.

Do you know a Jason Bregman?

I've heard of him.

Of course, his father's very
important in the art world.

Officers, I don't understand.

Did I run a stop sign yesterday?
Were you wearing that?

I hate winter colors.

Dumb. Froze my butt off.

Well, how about we thaw
it out down at the precinct?

So I was in the South
Bronx. I used some phones.

I mean, I might've used
that phone. I don't know.

Is there some crime
connected with this?

Let's talk about 10th Avenue.

I told you, I wasn't
anywhere near there.

You said yourself, I
was in the South Bronx.

I mean, make some
sense or give it up.

Yes, you're being ridiculous. Shep was
going to put on a show in the South Bronx.

You know, I dated
an artist once.

The thing I remember is, before
she did anything, she made sketches.

We were working with a
concept. Nothing on paper.

You mean, like,
just spitballing?

That's right.

Mike, why don't you take Ms.
Navarro over to the other room...

and see if you can find out what
they were spitballing about yesterday.

That's enough.

Yeah, we want a
lawyer. No more talk.

I mean, we've tried to cooperate,
but this has just gone too far.

They used the "L" word.

And he's gonna walk them right out
the door. They came up clean on priors.

They're not in the system,
and no link to a rental van.

This is crazy. We got Watson's
car in the South Bronx...

and we got Watson's
jacket in Chelsea.

Yeah, well, who was
driving the car? Navarro?

The old lady ID'd a white male.

Anything come up
with the canvass?

Apparently, you found the
only cooperative witness.

They're still working
their car at the impound.

These people gotta be involved.

Now, can you keep them
happy until we can check the loft?

Get a warrant.

This is art? Maybe
I missed my calling.

A little much here
for a weekender.

Well, well.

Aruba!

Guess who's gonna
miss the dinner flight.

What's that, the squash garden?

That building, we saw
it from the pay phone.

More buildings.

Same block.

Maybe Jason's current address.

Maybe we should
get the dogs back.

Hey, Detective.

I think maybe we got
something. I heard tapping.

I listened. I didn't
hear nothing.

What tapping?

In the toilet, up there on the first
floor. It tapped and then it stopped.

You want to check the plumbing?

Plumbing starts in the basement.

So when does the guy with
the metal fingernails jump out?

Yeah, right.

Hey, guys...

want to work off
some doughnuts here?

"Docket number 935193.

"People versus Shepherd
Watson and Helena Navarro.

"Charge is kidnapping
in the first degree...

"grand larceny in the first degree and
attempted murder in the second degree."

A hat trick. What's the plea?

Your Honor, I am informed...

these defendants are to be represented
by a Mr. Hastings of Dade County, Florida.

I request a postponement
until Mr. Hastings arrives.

He should have taken the
redeye. Now, give me a plea.

We're not guilty of anything.
The accusation is ridiculous.

Sí. Not guilty.

Your Honor, People requests
these defendants be held without bail.

I don't see the flight risk.

They received a ransom
of over $4 million...

and when they were arrested, they
had plane tickets out of the country.

Our intention is not to leave.

It's to stay and clear
up this absurd mistake.

Fine. Let me give you
permanent residence.

The defendants will be held
without bail at Rikers, pending trial.

I admire your
pace, Miss Kincaid.

Fast arraignment,
held without bail...

and all before my jet
left Miami airspace.

The fact that your clients kidnapped a
man, shot him, and left him for dead...

it inspired a quick reaction.

The fact that you're not rushing
off to the grand jury tells me...

that while you may have
inspiration, you don't have proof.

Their car was seen in the area Jason
was found in. They knew the building.

And you have alibis for everyone who's
ever relieved themselves in that ruin?

When Jason Bregman
is off the critical list,

I'm confident he'll
identify your clients.

Meantime, they sit in jail.
"What's the rush," is that the idea?

If you're unfamiliar with our procedures,
we can supply you with a manual.

Manual's the same
in Dade County.

It's nearly 12:00.

Why don't we dispose of this
over a plate of sweet and sour?

You know, you can't get
good Chinese in Miami.

We can dispose of it right now, if
your clients are willing to plead guilty.

What a shame.

I hate to eat alone.

The police have a tape
of the ransom demand.

Can't they turn some dials and come
up with a voice match on Watson?

The tape's mostly Jason Bregman.

The other voice was
deliberately distorted.

They don't think
a match'll hold up.

It wouldn't be the first time
that you give the grand jury...

a dog-and-pony
show without the pony.

Adam, I know Sol
Bregman is a friend of yours.

It has nothing to do with friendship.
Then don't push me on this.

I won't present until
I get a positive ID.

The longer you wait, the better
Hastings looks at a bail hearing.

Before you know it, his clients
will be peddling artwork in Panama.

Hastings would be
right at home there.

According to the
Dade County DA...

he was the first lawyer
called in to defend Noriega.

Drug lawyer with a private jet.

We could all live
for a whole year...

on what he must be
charging Watson and Navarro.

They kidnap your son and use
your ransom to pay their lawyer.

I was at Sol Bregman's wedding.

Thirty years later, I was
with him when his wife died.

I don't care if you have to juggle bowling
balls, I want you to get an indictment.

Yes?

Okay, thanks.

Jason Bregman's
conscious. He's able to talk.

Good.

I was handcuffed and
blindfolded for six days.

I didn't really get a good look.

I'm not sure that I
could identify them.

They grabbed you off the street?

At night, outside my building.

Before I knew it, I was
in the trunk of a car.

Could you recognize
their voices?

Maybe. I only heard one voice.
There was little conversation.

I never knew if they were going to shoot
me, or leave me there to starve to death.

I think my son has
had enough for one day.

His doctor was opposed to this.

Doctor...

I'll wait with the interviews
until you think he's well enough.

I want to postpone the
lineup as long as possible.

Then you're not sure
you have the right people?

My main concern is
with the grand jury.

Without corroborating evidence,
your son's testimony may be worthless.

You expect Polaroids to
be dropped into your lap?

I want these people prosecuted.

Or the next time we'll meet
will be in Adam Schiff's office.

Where we meet, sir, won't affect
this case one way or the other.

Hastings is sharp. It won't take
him long to figure out we're stalling.

Yeah, well, those
clients of his...

they couldn't have possibly
spent $4 million in one weekend...

so if we find the money,
we'll find the evidence.

Give me a half hour with a pick and
shovel, and no one would find that money.

Right. Until the neighborhood
mutt digs up the yard.

What would Watson want with
this? Six bolts of calico cloth?

How about calico umbrellas for
crackheads in the South Bronx?

This warrant cover
unopened mail? It does now.

You know, for a couple
of starving artists...

these two weren't
counting their calories.

Watson's credit card bill:
Raoul's, Provence, Greenstreet's.

Well, the drinks
were on the house.

Invitations to gallery openings,
fashion shows, cocktail parties.

Tough life. Even tougher
when you're careless.

A past-due notice.
Sutphin Lock 'N' Store.

This guy with a blow-dry comes in two
days ago, half hour before I knock off.

He look anything like this?

Sure. With a shave and
reconstructive surgery.

My guy was young. $1,000
suit and a tan to match.

Had to show him
where the locker was.

And, of course, you
asked him for some ID?

Of course I didn't,
long as he had a key.

There you go, A-43.

They say space is a
precious commodity.

This guy with the Gucci
tan, did you see him leave?

Yeah.

Lugging three duffle bags.

Thanks.

Hey.

Here I was, worried sick
about young Mr. Bregman.

Turns out he's been playing grab-ass
with the nurses for nearly a week.

We're under no obligation
to make him available to you.

Well, when the prosecutor
refuses the victim the opportunity...

to point a finger
at the accused...

I have to ask myself why.

Mr. Hastings...

is your fee hourly, or do you
get a percentage of the ransom?

So that's what's got your
Sunday-school nose all bent out of shape.

It never occurred to me to ask my
clients where the money came from.

We're more interested
in where it went.

According to a LaGuardia
flight plan, your jet left for Miami...

one hour after an unidentified
man removed three duffle bags...

from a locker rented
by your clients.

And now it's buried in my
back yard at Coral Gables?

Or in some off-shore bank.

You could save yourself
the price of sun block...

by referring to Penal
Law Section 48.05, Sub-3.

"Property attained for attorney's fee
in good faith is exempt from forfeiture."

Well, with a court order, sir,
we can force open your books.

The old co-conspirator threat.

Well, go ahead. God
knows it's been tried.

But if you're looking
for busywork...

try this one on.

Order to show cause.

I want that lineup, Ben.

According to his nurses...

Jason Bregman eats in
the cafeteria with his father.

If he can stand in line for a hamburger,
he can certainly show up for a lineup.

Your Honor, Mr. Bregman was
unconscious for two whole days.

His recollections
are still vague.

Which means they're
not what you'd hoped for.

Your Honor, the defense has no statutory
right to demand eyewitness identification.

They have the right
of confrontation.

But only at trial, and no court has ever
extended that right to include lineups.

Your Honor, my clients are already
serving a sentence with no indictment...

no trial, and just the faintest
shadow of evidence against them.

Mr. Stone's doing an end-run
around the Fifth Amendment.

Ben, I don't like
defendants sitting in a cell...

while you hold back something that may
get this dismissed. Let's get on with it.

Motion granted.

Okay, I'm ready.

I'll do my best.

Bring them in.

No. Sorry.

I told you, I never
actually saw them.

Thank you. Bring in
the other five, please.

Mr. Bregman...

please take your
time with this one.

Number Four, step forward
and read from the card, please.

"The Criminal Court of the City of
New York is hereby established...

"as a single citywide court,
as provided by sections..."

Thank you.

Number Five, step forward
and read from the card, please.

"The Criminal Court of the City of
New York is hereby established...

"as a single citywide court,
as provided by sections..."

I don't know.

They all sound alike.

Motion for a new bail hearing.

Numbers One and Five.
Better luck at the track, son.

God, $200,000 bail? Might
as well drive them to the airport.

What do you expect?

At any rate, I filed a motion
for discovering. Right.

And that should keep them in town
at least a week, answering questions.

Unless they decide that a
beach house in the Caribbean...

would be more comfortable.

What the hell was
Judge Caffey thinking?

I sent the photos of Watson
and Navarro to the Miami Police.

Someone in their fraud
division identified them...

as Robert Martin Sennett
and Marlene Manzo.

Wanted for larceny in Florida.

And Sennett is wanted in Nevada
on a two-year-old drug warrant.

They were never fingerprinted. That's
why they didn't show up on the system.

Pick them up on the warrants.
Feed the aliases into the hopper...

and we just might get
something more out of this.

The gray van was rented
by Marlene Manzo...

with a Florida driver's license.

The white van was rented by
Robert Sennett with a Nevada license.

Different names, same faces.

They say everyone
has a twin somewhere.

Still adds up to a molehill
of circumstantial evidence.

I have buried people with
less, and I'll bury them.

Suppose my clients told
you there was a third party?

Someone who planned this scheme?
What kind of a deal would you make?

Suppose they recited the Iliad?

What are we talking about?

You people never took
a real look at Jason.

Was that a dictate
from Adam Schiff?

Jason Bregman planned
his own kidnapping?

The old man expected
him to work for a living.

Jason felt it was unreasonable.

He came to us.
We didn't go to him.

He begged you to shoot him?

The boy wanted realism.

A dramatic escape with
a bullet in his shoulder.

He said he was fine
when we left him.

We're ready to deal, Ben.

You expect me to believe this?

Only if you listen to this.

These people are serious.

Please follow their
instructions, or it's over.

They're going to kill me, okay?

Wait. Let's do it once more.

Dad, it's Jason.

I'm okay.

These people are serious.

Please follow their
instructions, or it's over.

They're going to kill me, okay?

Whatever lies in their stories
about Jason, this can't be ignored.

Jason claims he was bound
and gagged for six days.

He should have bruises, but the
doctors who examined him found nothing.

Yeah, bleeding to death in a
rathole was also part of his plan.

That might have been
Navarro and Watson's plan.

Better a two-way
split than three.

It's likely Jason
was an accomplice...

up to the time the
money was paid.

Now, it's almost impossible
to prove attempted murder...

without Jason's cooperation.

So first I tell Sol Bregman
that his son is a thief...

and then I ask him to
get the kid to cooperate.

How would you
work that, Counselor?

I've listened to that tape.

If those bastards had it...

it proves that they're
guilty. Am I right?

Yes.

But we're not sure of what.

Sol, my people think
that Jason was involved.

That there was no kidnapping.

No. Not Jason.
I won't hear that.

If I were you, I'd hire the best
criminal attorney I could find.

It's outrageous.

My son was half-dead
when they found him.

That's true.

And if Jason would cooperate...

How can you do this?

We've been friends
for over 30 years.

You believe that
scum over my son?

Believe those lies?

I don't know you, Adam.

I don't know you at all.

Wait. Let's do it once more.

Dad, it's Jason.

I'm okay.

If you had a gun
pointed at your head...

you'd recite Hamlet backwards.

They were ready to kill me.

I had to make absolutely
sure my father understood that.

Mr. Bregman, in all my years of
prosecution, you are possibly...

the stupidest
criminal I've ever met.

Let's go. I don't
have to listen to this.

Jason, sit down.

Ben...

I understand these
lowlifes would say anything.

But that you'd put any stock in
their rantings is incomprehensible.

Nick, you know
as well as I do...

that a jury won't find
that incomprehensible.

Young man...

with that tape, Watson and
Navarro have an excellent defense...

for kidnapping and
attempted murder.

This is absurd.

I never saw them until they
shoved a gun in my face.

If you want to play it
that way, go ahead.

But I can prosecute the
three of you for grand larceny.

Anytime you want to take this
further, Mr. Stone, just give us a call.

It's been a week since
we gave you Bregman.

I thought I made it clear, my
clients were ready to discuss a plea.

I put nothing on the
table, Mr. Hastings.

And maybe Sol Bregman did?

Sir, do you really want to get
into that kind of trouble with me?

My clients have gone out on
a limb to cooperate with you.

By making claims
no one can verify.

You have the tape.

That's a tape made under duress.

We need evidence of
complicity before the kidnapping.

Search his apartment. You'll find
one of Mr. Watson's paintings there.

He collects art. It doesn't
mean he knows the artists.

His interest wasn't
as a collector.

We convinced an appraiser
the piece was worth $100,000.

Jason hangs it in a storefront
gallery he rented, and...

Gone.

You report it stolen and
split the insurance check.

I hope you have the check stub.

Jason backed out.

He was afraid his old man would
find out. But he kept the painting.

A rider was added to Mr. Bregman's policy
last June for an oil painting on canvas.

36 " by 44", depicting
a female nude...

signed by Shepherd Watson.

Reported stolen, August 26.

A claim was filed?

Yes, but it
smelled a little ripe.

An instinctive reaction
for an insurance adjuster.

A loss less than two months
after purchase. Bells went off.

We were about to
turn it over to the police.

What stopped you?

We received a polite letter saying
that the painting had been recovered.

Filing a false claim
still rates as a crime.

We do a lot of business
with Sol Bregman.

If he tells us that no fraud was
intended, we take him at his word.

You talked to Sol Bregman?

He wrote the letter.

I assure you, Adam...

until you sent me the tape, I
had no idea what he was up to.

Spare me the crap. The
minute that you heard...

that Watson was involved with the
kidnapping, you should have called me.

And say what?

That my son's a failed criminal?

I know he has a contribution
to make if he would just...

connect with something.

Connect with what?

This might be the
last favor I ask, Adam.

Jason's the only
one who got hurt.

I want you to drop the case.

I can't do that.

I'll withdraw the complaint.

It's too late.

Please, Adam, I've
got to protect him.

You sat there. You've done
nothing, and you want me to fix it.

I'm afraid I might
lose him for good.

You don't get your
son to cooperate...

you can say goodbye
to him for 20 years.

Squeeze the rock as
hard as you want, Ben...

it won't make the
blood flow any faster.

My client emphatically
denies any involvement.

Please, Jason, stop the lying.
They're gonna put you in prison.

Young man, your own father doesn't believe
you. What do you think a jury will do?

A jury doesn't have any
personal stake in this.

For God's sake, Jason,
I'm not trying to hurt you.

I'm sure Watson
put you up to it.

Of course.

Because you don't
think I'm capable.

We believe in your
abilities, Jason.

You nearly took your
father for $5 million.

And I would have, if he
hadn't called the police.

Jason...

That's why Watson turned on me.

Thanks to you, I ended up flat on
my face with a bullet next to my heart.

I'm sorry, Mr. Stone.

I can't listen to
any more of this.

Jason...

Mr. Teller, is your client
willing to discuss a plea?

Larceny in the second degree
in exchange for your testimony?

He blames his own father for
ruining this harebrained scheme of his?

I bet he blames him
for all his failures.

What is all this rage against a father
who loves him and dotes on him?

It's a fairly common
behavioral trait...

among children of
highly successful parents.

They love the perks.
They hate the price.

Let's hope justice is blind.

Excuse me?

He's the only witness I have.

And God willing,
that jury won't see...

what a sniveling,
conniving little weasel he is.

Well, if telling the truth is a
way he can humiliate his father...

I think he'll be very motivated.

He should be quite persuasive.

Mr. Watson insisted
on counting the money.

That took almost half the night.

Of course, it was all there.

If there's one thing my
father is, is pathetically honest.

So please tell us what
happened after that.

We drove to Queens.

Mr. Watson and Miss Navarro
put the duffle bags in the locker...

and then we drove back to town
to execute the rest of our plan.

And what was the
rest of your plan?

It's a clever twist, if my
friends had just stuck to it.

We decided releasing
me would raise suspicion.

An escape would
be more convincing.

Shooting me was
purely Mr. Watson's idea.

Thank you.

Your witness.

Mr. Bregman...

didn't you shatter your knee in a
bobsledding accident four years ago?

That's right.

Are you fond of showing off
that scar and bragging about it?

Some people have
seen it. So what?

Your father sent you to
Saint Barts to recuperate.

I can see what you're getting at,
but I didn't plan to break my knee.

It was an accident.
It wasn't my fault.

I understand.

Get you to the real
estate business.

You managed the warehouse
at 631 Dwyer Street?

It's one of my father's.

Actually, now it belongs
to First Dominion Bank.

They foreclosed on it
last year, didn't they?

That's right, I remember.

A balloon payment went past due.

How was that payment missed?

Secretary failed to
inform me of the notice.

And where were you, Mr. Bregman?

I was in Palm Beach.

It wasn't my fault.

Is anything ever
your fault, Jason?

Your Honor.

Withdrawn.

In the first count of the indictment,
grand larceny in the first degree...

for the defendant Helena
Navarro, how does the jury find?

Guilty.

In the second count of the indictment,
attempted murder in the second degree...

for the defendant Helena
Navarro, how does the jury find?

Not guilty.

In the first count of the indictment,
grand larceny in the first degree...

for the defendant Shepherd
Watson, how does the jury find?

Guilty.

In the second count of the indictment,
attempted murder in the second degree...

for the defendant Shepherd
Watson, how does the jury find?

Not guilty.

The defendants are remanded into custody,
pending sentencing on February 9th.

Mr. Bregman, I'll deal with
your sentence at that time.

I still don't see your
client, Mr. Teller.

I spoke to him yesterday, Your
Honor. He assured me he'd be here.

Your Honor, we've
been here an hour...

and I request that you revoke Mr. Bregman's
bail and issue a warrant for his arrest.

I'm sure there's a
reasonable explanation.

It appears that Mr. Bregman
has fled jurisdiction.

So it does.

Bail is forfeited.
Bench warrant ordered.

I have no idea where he is.

But you knew he wouldn't
be there in court today.

Sol, have you lost your mind?

I couldn't let him down.

Well, now you're
gonna help us find him.

So you can put him in
prison for three years?

Please, Mr. Bregman,
don't do this.

You're hindering the
prosecution of a felon.

My son counts on me, Mr. Stone.

I'll always be there for him.

And when you're
arrested and put on trial...

will he be there for you?

Draw up a warrant on
Bregman, Solomon...

for hindering prosecution.