Law & Order (1990–2010): Season 7, Episode 10 - Legacy - full transcript

NARRATOR:
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.

Billy fell asleep about
an hour ago, on my bed.

Did you...
I stacked pillows all around him.

He can't fall off
unless he levitates.

And how was the big
girl's birthday dinner?

She had lobster tails,
and chocolate mousse,

and Jim even gave her
a sip of his wine.



Grandma got mad.
I didn't like it anyway.

Jim's parking the car.
When he gets back, we'll carry Billy upstairs.

I was having some tea.

Do you have any coffee?
I like coffee.

WOMAN: Police! Police!
Over here! What's going on?

(SIRENS WAILING) I don't see anything.
There's a police car.

Darlene, wait here.
I'll be right back.

WOMAN: I just looked over,
and he was on the ground.

I knew something was wrong.

I was across the street.
I think I saw somebody running.

OFFICER: Man down, possible gunshot wound
to the head. Put a rush on the bus.

Oh, God... Watch out, ma'am.
Do you know him?

(STAMMERING) He's my husband.

(POLICE RADIO CHATTERING)



OFFICER: We were just around the corner.
Miss Flores flagged us down.

I was coming back from the gym.
I live over there.

I heard something like a pop.
I thought somebody threw a bottle.

Then I saw him
lying on the sidewalk.

His wallet was
still in his pocket.

Did you see anybody near him?

No. I was pretty far away, and
I wasn't wearing my glasses.

How about a car driving by?
You see that?

I don't know.
Okay, thanks.

How about you?
CURTIS: Just give your number

to the officer over
there, all right?

I was walking my dog on the
other side of the street,

and I looked up
when she shouted,

and I think I saw someone
running around the corner.

What's your name?
Dr. Paul Sackett.

Did you try any first aid, Doc?

(SIGHS) I'm a podiatrist.

About this person
you saw running away...

It was really
just an impression.

Well, tall?
Short? Black? White?

I'm sorry. He might have
been wearing a dark jacket.

He?
I'm presuming.

Well, which way
did he or she go?

Right down here...
I'm sorry. Dog poop.

Don't mention it.

They said there's
a bullet in his head.

Did you catch anyone?

We really don't know much
about what happened yet.

Anything you can
tell us might help.

He was just walking back from the
garage where we park our car.

Like he does every time we go out.

And you'd been out where?

Oh, um...

A birthday dinner
for my 8-year-old.

Her grandmother treated
her to the Coach House.

(STAMMERING) I have
to call the babysitter.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING)

(SOBBING)

I don't know how long
I'm going to be here.

You know, maybe your mother should be here with you.
Or is she your husband's?

(SOBBING) Who?

You said you were with your
daughter's grandmother?

Oh, it's my first
husband's mother.

I could call her and have
her pick up Darlene.

Yeah, that'd be good.

I can't believe this
is happening again.

When my first husband died, they
brought him to this hospital.

DOCTOR: Mrs.
Shepard... Yes?

Your husband will be all right.
He's still unconscious.

(SOBBING) Thank God.
Thank God.

Doc, you know where
to send the bullet.

Your head's tilted this way, your
brains are all over the sidewalk.

Your head's tilted that way,
you just have a bad headache.

Mr. Shepard had a good tilt?
Yes.

The bullet went in behind
his ear at a shallow angle,

hit the inside of his skull, and
skidded around to the other ear.

Boy, that'll clear out
the wax real good.

If you don't mind loud noises.

The striations on the
damaged side of the bullet

don't match anything
in our files.

Yeah, except the inside of his skull.

Which I can't mount
on my microscope.

The good side matches
this bullet dead on.

Where's this one from?

The right brain of
the late Jeffrey Zabner,

shot dead on East 96th
Street two years ago.

Zabner was broke, but he owed $37,000
to a loan shark named Morelli,

who'd just about given up
any hope of collecting.

So he figured if he couldn't
get his money back,

he'd at least turn Zabner
into a constructive example.

(CHUCKLES) Yeah, so it
wasn't a total loss.

Unfortunately, Mr. Morelli made a point
of being in Miami when the guy got hit.

He hired it done.

Sure.

But Morelli wasn't going
to tell me about it.

My best chance was
with the victim's wife.

She was there when it happened,

but she swore she
didn't see a thing.

She was afraid she'd be next.

What I figured.
I offered her protection.

I kept going back,

but she was still playing
dumb when I got this job.

So what kind of a job rates a
private office in the NYPD?

Liaison between the community
relations officers

and the deputy
chief of administration.

Yeah, well, since you're obviously too
busy to pursue this old murder case,

maybe you could at least tell
us where we could find Morelli?

Try Hell. He's dead.

But I got an address
for the victim's widow.

I was petrified, but I
didn't see what happened.

(STAMMERS) I went into this
store to get some aspirin.

My husband, he was
waiting for me outside.

Right here?

No, he walked down
the street a little ways.

I heard the shot.
I came out, I saw him on the ground.

He was already dead.

CURTIS: Mrs. Zabner,
whoever shot your husband

is still walking around,
shooting people.

Anything you can
remember might help us.

Don't you think I would have
helped then if I could?

I didn't see.

BRISCOE: Well,
what did you see?

It was hot. There was a couple on
some steps over there, drinking beer.

Some kids went by with a
huge speaker blasting.

There was a man.
He was middle-aged, kind of pudgy.

He was walking a little dog.

Would he be about 5' 8",
thinning brown hair, round face?

I didn't see his face. I love animals.
I was looking at the dog.

That's it.
That's the dog.

BRISCOE: (SIGHS)
Thank you.

You better get some other dogs in
for a line-up, when you find it.

Speaking of which,
how's that going?

Well, the dog-walker said his name was Dr.
Paul Sackett.

There's no such person.
Surprise, surprise.

Well, the dog we have nailed.
The guy, she has no idea.

(CLICKS TONGUE)

He's pretty damn cool.

Professional killer.
It's part of the job description.

Yeah, if he's a hit man.

Well, did you find anything to link
him personally to the victims?

We're gonna go
talk to the new one.

The son of a bitch.
The gun was in the dog poop bag.

I don't know him.
Who is he?

CURTIS: Mr. Shepard,
you know him?

No. Why?

We think he may be
the man who shot you.

We're gonna place a uniformed
officer at your door.

What for?

We think this man
is a hired killer.

He shot somebody
else two years ago.

Who would hire
somebody to kill Jimmy?

BRISCOE: Do you
have any ideas?

No. It doesn't
make sense.

Mrs. Shepard, you mind if we talk
to your husband alone for a minute?

Why?

It's okay.

Do you have any ideas?
No.

What do you do for a living, Mr.
Shepard?

I have a company
that prints T-shirts.

Rock group emblems
and comic strip characters.

Licensed designs.

You ever do any business
with loan sharks?

(SIGHS)

I have a line of
credit at Citibank.

We can't protect you
if you don't tell us.

There must be some mistake.

So, you think it was a mistake?

Oh, sure.
The hit man's a moron.

So we tear Shepard's life apart.
Tall order.

Let's canvass his
neighborhood first.

For someone who
knows his secret vice?

No, for somebody who saw a
chubby white guy walking a dog.

He shot the guy
down the street?

Well, if he was in on Monday,
I'd remember. Slow night.

Uh...

He had this dog with him.

Yeah. He tied the mutt
to a parking meter.

I kept an eye on it.
Came in around 9:00.

So, you talked to him?

Yeah, he saw I sell cigars.

He asked for an Avo Pyramid.
A little high end for me,

but I had
a couple of Macanudos.

He bought one, and I put him
in the smoking section.

What else you talk about?

Nothing. He had the Times.
He was doing a crossword.

And he didn't
say anything else?

He gave me his order.
Bourbon and lemon meringue pie.

So I talked to some of
James Shepard's associates

about his T-shirt company.

No bad debts, no bad habits.

Our shooter, on the other hand,

drinks bourbon,
smokes Avo Pyramids,

and eats lemon meringue pie.

Well, you can buy
bourbon anywhere,

and lemon meringue
pie is hard to trace.

Yeah, but it's getting
hard to find good cigars

ever since Demi Moore and the beautiful
people started smoking them.

How many stores keep these
Avo Pyramids in stock?

Two, three dozen.

Don't inhale.

Two or three dozen.
Like that's nothing.

You want to try bars
and bakeries instead?

I want to try a place
that gives foot massages.

(SIGHS) Police.

This guy. Avo Pyramids.
He has a dog.

Yeah.
Howard something.

Comes by every day or two.

Great.

BRISCOE: You know, before I quit,
I used to smoke the real thing.

Montecristos, Ramon Allones.
Of course, they're illegal.

There's some pre-embargo
Havanas still around.

Been in this country
since before 1962.

Yeah. Course now they're
45 bucks a pop.

(CHUCKLES)

You know, the CIA once tried to
kill Castro with a poisoned cigar.

No, I know. In fact, they also
found out he liked to scuba dive.

They were gonna try
an exploding seashell.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

How'd you like to
catch that case?

Hey, a guy goes boom, you gotta
look at who his enemies are.

And those Kennedys
seem like so much fun.

Hey... Wait, wait.
Let's see where he goes.

This is quiet.

BRISCOE: Except for them.

Well, when he gets past
them, we can take him.

Take him on what?

His dog was spotted at two
different crime scenes?

(DOG BARKING)

Well, he's your
kind of guy, Rey.

Well, at least we know
where to find him.

He goes by the name
of Howard Philips.

We pulled his prints
off a garbage bag.

He did a term for
assault 10 years ago

under the name Howard Jackson.

Anything on his phone tap?

His wife making arrangements for
their daughter's ballet lessons.

So Mom takes care of the kids,

and Dad goes off to
work and kills people.

He keeps an office in
the Graybar Building.

Listed on the lease as
a business consultant.

Well, work it the other way.

Who had a motive to hire
him to kill Shepard?

Well, Shepard keeps
coming up clean.

If you want to sell
T-shirts at a rock concert,

he's the guy you want
to have print them up.

So his business is fine.
How's his marriage?

I told your people that night.

I didn't see
anybody suspicious,

but I wasn't looking out the window.

You were taking care of
the Shepards' baby?

I do it once in a while.
Billy's a sweet little boy.

You know, when my kids were babies,
I used to walk around with them

to put them to sleep.
Maybe you walked by the window with Billy?

Oh, I was too tired
for walking.

They told me they'd be back at 9:00,

but the restaurant was crowded.

It was after 10:00.
I'm not a night person.

Did Mrs. Shepard say anything
to you when she came in?

(CLEARS THROAT) I mean, she was
pretty upset when we spoke to her.

She was only worried that I'd stacked
enough pillows around the baby.

And you two get along?

She and Jim moved
in five years ago.

I was a widow.
She'd been a widow.

We've always talked.

What happened to
her first husband?

He had an accident.
Rock climbing in Central Park.

You believe it?
That poor girl, left alone with Darlene.

Robin and her current husband,
how do they get along?

Fine.

And you're close enough
so you'd know otherwise?

Yes, I would.

He's planning to adopt
Darlene, for goodness' sake.

They are very happy.

Well, zero minus one leaves us,

I believe, with less than zero.

Is that possible?
I don't know, Lennie.

She said the Shepards came home
from the restaurant an hour late.

Yeah? So the hit man
had time on his hands.

That's why he went
looking for cigars

and a place to
do his crossword.

My kind of hit man.

Right. The bartender
had to watch his dog.

He was in the smoking section.
He couldn't see the street.

So how did he know
exactly when Jim Shepard

was gonna be walking
home from the garage?

(CAR ENGINE STARTING)

There's a pay phone at the restaurant
where the family had dinner.

We pulled the LUDs
and found two calls

to a cell phone number
owned by a dummy company.

Untraceable. Mmm.
The kind of thing a hit man would use.

One call was at 9:15, when
they were getting dessert.

The other was at 9:45, right
when they were leaving.

"Hello, Mr. Hit Man. Finish your pie.
Jim Shepard's on the way."

Who was at this dinner?

Darlene, who's eight, the wife,

and her former mother-in-law,
Estelle Muller.

Split up and talk to
the ladies separately,

so they can't get
their stories straight.

We left the restaurant
together. I took a cab.

Darlene and Robin
and Jim got in his car.

And what did you
talk about at dinner?

(SIGHS)

I believe there was some
discussion of Donkey Kong.

Must be hard seeing your granddaughter
without your son being around.

(SIGHS)

Everything's hard without
my son being there.

Until my husband died, I was an
assistant in his law office.

Rick worked there while
he went to law school.

He was fascinated by criminal law.
He had a very quick mind.

This has to be a mistake.
Nobody has any reason to hurt Jim.

BRISCOE: Not even you?

I love Jimmy, and he loves me.

Well, somebody
doesn't love him.

And we have evidence that says that
somebody was with him that night

in the restaurant
before he was shot.

That'd be you, your daughter,
and your former mother-in-law.

What?

(STAMMERS) It can't
be anything.

Tell me anyway.

After Rick died, Estelle
said some crazy things.

What kind of crazy things?

She blamed Jim
for Rick's death.

BRISCOE: Why?

They were together
when it happened.

How do you get along
with Jim Shepard?

All right.

And Robin?

They don't fight
in front of me.

In front of Darlene?

She's never said anything,
and we're close.

For the last five years, I've tried
to fill some of the role in her life

that Rick would've played.

Your son died five years ago?

That's right.

The Shepards' neighbor said
they moved in five years ago?

They married seven months
after my son died.

They were playing softball, and
on the way out of the park,

they were fooling around on some
steep rocks, and Rick fell.

So, why was that Jim's fault?

It never made any sense, but
Estelle kept harping on it,

until I finally said I didn't
want to hear it anymore.

Or else you would've cut her off
from her only grandchild, huh?

(CLEARS THROAT) Did you make a phone
call when you left the restaurant?

No.

Did Estelle?

I didn't see her.

Well, who left
the restaurant first?

We walked out together.

But then Estelle went back in.

She said she forgot something.

The file on Rick Muller's
death five years ago.

It was investigated?

Yeah, up to a point.

Jim Shepard came running out of
some woods, screaming for help.

A scooter officer found
Muller lying on a rock

at the bottom of a steep drop.

Shepard was drunk.
He said Muller was, too.

Estelle Muller came into the precinct
and said it wasn't possible.

Her son was afraid of heights.

There's no way
he'd climb a big rock.

Well, unless he'd
had eight or 10 beers.

Which was the attitude the
investigating officer took.

Accidental death.

Even after the widow
married Jim Shepard?

Body was already in the ground.
Case was closed.

And Estelle Muller's
been walking around,

nursing the mother
of all grudges.

But where does
she find a hit man?

Her husband was
a criminal lawyer.

She used to work in his office.

Criminal lawyers know
a lot of criminals.

He was a pretty good criminal lawyer.
I remember him.

And too bad he's dead.
His widow might need him.

I asked around. Here's a list of
all his clients anybody remembers.

Vincent Blocker, Steven
Sandler, Diane Juliar...

Plus I ran his name through Westlaw,
looking for criminal appeals.

His name came up
on a dozen briefs.

People v. Sloan, People v.
O'Rourke... People v. Morelli.

Morelli? The loan shark who used the
same hit man we're looking at here?

None other.

(CLEARS THROAT) He and an associate named
Bronson were convicted of extortion.

Mrs. Muller's husband
won their appeal.

They must've been grateful.
Hmm.

Yeah, the guy got me and Morelli off.
That means we were acquitted.

As in innocent.
As in take a hike.

You think we give a crap about
some old extortion beef, Bronson?

You just came by to play
oldies on the jukebox?

No, we're looking at
an attempted murder.

Guy named Jim Shepard,
gunned down on the street.

Never heard of him,
and I don't own a gun.

You want to search me?
Don't tickle.

We know you didn't pull
the trigger, Bronson,

but we also know who did.

Therefore you're
hassling me. Why?

The shooter's a pro, but you set up
the job for the interested party.

You're dreaming.
CURTIS: Your late pal Morelli

used this hit man to take
out an overdue customer.

You would've known about that.
Uh-huh.

Meanwhile, you'd become
acquainted with a lawyer

named Muller and
his wife, Estelle.

Her, I remember.
She worked in the office.

Well, see?

Now we're starting
to get someplace.

So when she wanted to hire
a hit man, she called you.

You set her up with
a guy you knew about.

Now there you lost me again.

Hey, you don't think we're
gonna find a trace of this

when we rip through your phone
records, your money records,

and every little piece
of your miserable life?

Then you're in for
attempted murder.

(SIGHS) Unless?

Did you set the lady
up with the shooter?

(SIGHS)

Yeah. And she won't pay the back
half 'cause the job wasn't done,

and the shooter is getting very
unpleasant on the subject.

BRISCOE: Well, then we're
gonna make everybody happy.

You just call the lady back, and
tell her you found a new man

who's gonna finish the job.

He's sitting in that hospital
room, drinking milkshakes.

I can take care of that.
No more frozen treats.

But there's a policeman
outside the door.

That's why the other man
wouldn't try again.

Hey, you know how bored
that cop's gotta be by now?

Won't be that hard
to distract him.

You're not afraid of policemen?

They're underpaid.

And, as a group,
they're stupid.

(EXCLAIMS) What are you going to do?

BRISCOE: (ON RADIO) I don't
ask you your secrets, do I?

He has a way with mature women.

(CHUCKLES)

It's a gift, Detective.

BRISCOE: I am a little
bit curious, though.

I mean, what's your
beef with this guy?

I shouldn't think a man in your
position would want to be too curious.

Hey, it's your nickel, lady.
I'm as curious as you want.

Here's $4,000.

So when do I get the rest?

When Jim Shepard is dead.

That's it!

Just one more
thing, Mrs. Muller.

How did you know my name?

You're under arrest for the
attempted murder of James Shepard.

You have the right
to remain silent.

(CAR DOORS CLOSING)

Excuse me,
Dr. Sackett.

Howard Philips, you're under arrest for
the attempted murder of James Shepard.

You have the right
to remain silent.

What are you going
to do with my dog?

Take her inside.
My wife's there.

Anything you say can and will be
used against you in a court of law.

SACKETT: Come on.
My kid'll go nuts.

CURTIS: You have
the right to an attorney.

If you cannot afford one,
one will appointed to you.

"Case numbers 96147 and 96148,

"People v. Howard Philips
and People v. Estelle Muller.

"Charges are Conspiracy to Commit
Murder in the First Degree,

"Attempted Murder, and Assault
in the First Degree."

Pleas?

Not guilty.
Not guilty.

This is a case of attempted
murder for hire, Your Honor.

Defendant Muller hired defendant
Philips, a professional hit man.

Professional, eh? Well, Mrs.
Muller can use her refund to post bond.

ROSS: Which would give her an
opportunity to finish the job.

The People request both
defendants held without bail.

My client's roots are in New York.
There's no flight risk.

I think that's what the People are afraid of.
Any argument, Mr. Kaye?

My client doesn't
oppose remand.

Well, neither do I.

(GAVEL BANGS)
So ordered. Next.

Your client likes Rikers?

Short-term only. Clear your
schedule for 9:00 a.m. Tomorrow.

You're getting an invitation from the U.
S. Attorney.

You get the hit man, we get
to keep Granny Muller?

She bought the hit.
That's the one you want to get, isn't it?

You're just thinking
of our well-being.

Mr. Philips has done jobs
for two major crime families.

He can do us a lot of good.

And himself.

Where are you off to, Mr.
Philips? Hawaii? Florida?

RODMAN: He serves an indeterminate
term at a federal penitentiary

under a new name.

And before he goes, he
testifies against Mrs. Muller.

You are getting your little
old lady off the street,

and I'm getting a witness
against some real bad guys.

I don't see the problem.

James Shepard.

What can I say?

I guess the guy's
number wasn't up.

It was your intention
to kill him?

That's what I do.

You and your dog.

Pumpkin takes care of her
business, I take care of mine.

And Estelle Muller hired you?

PHILIPS: Yep.

Takes all kinds, doesn't it?

Considering your client's age
and the cost of a trial,

we'll drop the conspiracy and assault
if she pleads to attempted murder.

Well, that's the A felony.
Where's the break?

We've got the conversation
with Detective Briscoe

and the testimony of
the original hit man.

We don't have to
give you a break.

I'll plead to whatever they want.
Estelle...

What does it matter?
On one condition.

That you prosecute Jim Shepard
for the murder of my son.

Your son's death
was ruled an accident.

My son wouldn't
climb that rock.

He was drunk.

He couldn't get that drunk.
It was a lie.

ROSS: The police
believed it.

(CHUCKLING)
Sure. Who was I?

Just the mother,
deranged with grief.

Maybe you were.

There was something going
on between Robin and Jim.

I saw the looks between them, the
way they touched each other.

They killed my son.

If you're so sure, why did you
wait until now to do something?

(SIGHS)

Jim Shepard was about to
adopt my son's child.

I couldn't bear it.

JACK: Blood is thicker.
Yeah.

Maybe Estelle Muller's
blood is a little too thick

for the arteries
going to her brain.

She's willing to plead.
Go figure that one out.

If we follow her orders
about whom to prosecute.

Good luck to her.
I have trouble making you follow mine.

I'm tempted, Adam.
She's hiring hit men.

Offering to plead
to whatever I want.

She's very sure about this.

Didn't the police look
into it five years ago?

Sort of. I called the M.E.
For Rick Muller's autopsy report.

This is what they sent.

No autopsy.

It was a busy weekend.

They did a physical
exam, ran some labs,

confirmed alcohol in the blood.

They didn't know the widow
had plans to remarry.

You're taking her seriously?

She's crazy. She's out
hiring murderers.

You did remarry pretty quickly.

Do you know what
I was going through?

My husband was dead,
and I had a baby.

Jim would come over after Darlene
was asleep and bring tea

and cookies, and we
would sit and talk.

We helped each
other through it.

Jim needed help?

He blamed himself
for Rick's death.

Not the way Estelle did.

But he was the one that
brought the beer to the game,

and he's the one that
wanted to climb the rock.

And there'd been no romance
between the two of you before?

(GASPS)

(STUTTERS)

I never cheated on Rick,
and I never wanted to.

And Jim had plenty
of other fish to fry.

How do you know?

We used the same Laundromat.

He would fold sheets and
tell me some amazing things

women would do to get straight, single
guys like him and his roommate.

Believe me, he didn't need me.

Jimmy had the best possible quality
in a roommate. He traveled a lot.

He was a T-shirt
sales rep then.

You had the place to yourself?

Yeah, a couple of days a week.

It was great for
entertaining the ladies.

I understand you and Shepard
were pretty big in that area.

We haven't met, have we?

No.

Nothing worse than running
into someone you used to bonk

and saying, "Nice to meet you.
" They really get mad.

Was Jim Shepard's social
life as active as yours?

Jimmy didn't have
a social life.

Which is kind of weird.

That's not what
he told Robin Muller.

Oh, her, he spent time with.
Yeah, he talked about her a lot, too.

She was so much fun, he could really
be himself when he was with her.

Do you think he might have done
more than just admire her?

Jimmy? I guess.
He spent a lot of time at her place.

She said they just did
their laundry together.

That, too.
We had machines in the basement.

Jimmy would schlep two bags
of clothes around the block.

(CHUCKLES) You think he just liked
the soap better over there?

I break a sweat trying
to put on a shirt.

Hope you're planning
to throw away the key.

She's going to prison.
That's good.

We know why you don't like her.

Can you tell us
why she hates you?

'Cause she's crazy.
JACK: That's it?

Well, does the sane person
hire a professional killer

to shoot somebody
for no reason?

She says she had one.

Right. I killed Rick.
I forgot you're actually investigating that.

We understand you were close
with Robin before Rick died.

Yeah, close friends.

I only ever saw her 'cause she
was my best friend's wife.

And when you went out of your way
to do your laundry with her?

My laundry?
You took it to her Laundromat.

Your roommate says your
building had a laundry room.

Yeah, that's right.
And it was full of rats.

And my roommate
wouldn't know that

because he'd wear the same
shirt eight days in a row.

I'm rolling away now.
Don't follow me.

He denies it.
She denies it.

So now you believe
they're innocent.

Or you don't think you
can prove they're not.

We can find out if there really
were rats in that laundry room.

ADAM: You volunteering
for the assignment?

Estelle Muller
smelled an affair,

the roommate smelled an affair,

the husband conveniently died,

and the two people who swear they
weren't having an affair got married.

Hung jury.
ROSS: I can talk to other people.

Old friends, neighbors.
ADAM: Sure.

Maybe somebody saw him leaning
a ladder against her window.

Is Estelle Muller crazy?

She seems sane to me.

You know where
Rick Muller's buried.

Dig him up, and have the Medical
Examiner do it right this time.

He's very well
preserved, Jamie.

Just a little skin sluffing
off the hands and feet.

You want to take a look?

Maybe later.

I'm holding off cutting open the
skull to take out the brain

because I think the skull is what
you're going to be interested in.

The death certificate said,
"Presumed cranial fracture."

I took some pictures.

Used mammography film for finer detail.
There are two fractures.

They missed one last time.

He fell on his head, then he
got up and fell on it again?

No, only one of the
fractures is consistent

with landing from a height
of 20 feet onto a flat rock.

And the other?
Deeper.

Acute angles.
More forceful.

I keep a bunch of things that
people use to crack each other.

Tire irons, pipe
wrenches, candlesticks,

baseball bat.

Perfect fit.

Hey, what's this?
Hey, we're done talking to you people.

That is your legal right.

You're under arrest for the
murder of Richard Muller.

You have the right to
remain silent. No!

Sorry, ma'am.
Get him dressed.

Anything you do say can and will be
used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney.
If you cannot afford one,

one will be provided for you.

ESTELLE: I'd bought some
Christmas presents for the baby.

I thought I'd drop them off at their
apartment instead of taking them home.

JACK: What time
of day was it?

After dinner.

I expected that Darlene
would be down for the night

and Rick would be
home from school.

Was he?

No. He was
at the library.

Robin was alone
with Jim Shepard.

Please tell the jury what you saw.

Robin opened the door.
The lights were low.

I smelled liquor on her breath.

Her hair was a mess.
Her skirt zipper was halfway down.

She didn't invite me to stay.

Thank you.

Mrs. Muller,

didn't you come to learn
that your daughter-in-law

was changing her
clothes because

she'd just returned
from playing racquetball,

during which time Mr.
Shepard had been babysitting?

That's what she said.

She did occasionally play
racquetball, didn't she?

I didn't believe her.
The Lord gave me a brain.

So, in your good judgment,
she was lying?

ESTELLE: That's right.

The same good judgment that led you
to hire a professional hit man

to assassinate my client?
Objection.

Withdrawn.
Nothing further.

Mrs. Muller, why were
you willing to risk

going to jail for the rest of
your life to hire that hit man?

(SIGHS)

Because I believe Jim
Shepard killed my son.

It was a small two-bedroom, one bath.
It was all we could afford.

I was in school, and Jimmy was basically
a traveling T-shirt salesman.

As roommates, did you ever
discuss the women in your lives?

Sure.

Do you remember what kind of
social life Mr. Shepard had?

About average.

Sometimes he had a girlfriend,
sometimes he didn't.

To your knowledge, did he spend
much time with Robin Muller?

To my knowledge, no.

What, if anything, did
he say to you about her?

(JACK SCOFFS) Nothing.

JACK: Are you
sure about that?

I don't remember anything.

Do you remember telling
my associate, Ms. Ross,

that the defendant spent a great
deal of time with Robin Muller,

and often spoke of her
affectionately? No.

Didn't you tell
her Mr. Shepard

talked about Mrs.
Muller a lot? Objection.

Asked and answered.
Sustained.

Do you have anything
different, Mr. McCoy?

Mr. Goldman, where did Mr.
Shepard do his laundry?

I have no idea.

Didn't you tell Ms.
Ross that he went out of his way

to do it with
Mrs. Muller?

Your Honor, he can't
cross-examine his own witness.

I can remind him of the truth.

Enough, Mr. McCoy.

If you have no additional
proper questions,

this examination is concluded.

Wonderful.
The witness recants,

and you almost get
held in contempt.

I had to let the jury
know he was lying. Sure.

They were roommates
for three years.

Obviously they're
still friends.

And now the only
witness who put

the lovebirds together
is Estelle Muller,

the woman who tried to
have the defendant killed.

We've talked to old friends,
neighbors, meter readers.

Robin and Jim Shepard
were very discreet.

On their home ground.
He did a lot of traveling.

Find out if the woman
ever packed a bag.

He's getting away with it, isn't he?
You're losing.

It's not over yet.

I'll be in jail.

Darlene will have his name,
as if my son never existed.

Mrs. Muller, when Robin
was married to your son,

did she ever go out
of town without him?

They didn't have much
money then, and the baby.

We're trying to find out if she
ever sneaked away with Jim Shepard.

You never babysat overnight?

Once. A few weeks
before Rick died,

Robin went to Pennsylvania, Harrisburg,
for her high school reunion.

Leave an empty seat next to you,
any riffraff could sit down.

Are you sitting down?

You check out Harrisburg?

Robin Shepard's reunion was held
in a ballroom at the Regent Hotel.

I got their guest register.
She didn't book a room.

(SIGHS)

James Shepard.
Room 406.

I'm going to call
you to the stand.

And you better
tell the truth, Robin.

Or I'm going to charge
you as conspirator

in the murder of
your first husband.

What? Why?

We know about your
rendezvous in Harrisburg.

Harrisburg?

The weekend of your
high school reunion.

I rendezvoused
with 200 classmates,

and we danced to golden oldies.

You're going to arrest me?

We know Jim Shepard was there.
Yes.

Yeah, I ran into him in the hotel lobby.
It was a coincidence.

He was there on
a business trip.

You ran into him?
What happened then?

I went to the Pep Club cocktail
party and sang school songs.

I didn't see Jim again until
I got back to New York.

Except across the bed
in his hotel room.

You didn't even bother to get a room
of your own for appearances' sake.

That's right, because I
stayed with Joni Marsh.

I was trying to save money.
She had a double.

(SCOFFS)

I talked to Joni Marsh.

Robin stayed with her?

His hotel registration
was our smoking gun.

Except it wasn't.

I'll still put it into evidence
that they were both in Harrisburg.

Let the jury draw
its own conclusion.

Even if it's
the wrong conclusion?

Maybe it really
was a coincidence.

Come on. Harrisburg?

Joni Marsh gave me the names
of three women to call.

Between them,
they can account for

every minute of Robin
Shepard's time that weekend.

None of them ever laid
eyes on Jim Shepard.

But Robin saw him.
Maybe it was a coincidence, for her.

Rick Muller was my best friend.

I never stop thinking
about his death.

If only I hadn't
brought the beer.

If only we'd just taken the
sidewalk out of the park.

(SIGHS)

Did you kill Rick Muller,
Mr. Shepard?

No, I did not.

The People have
presented evidence

that you were in Harrisburg
at a time when Robin Muller

was there without her husband.
Yeah, I was.

But I didn't even
know she'd be there.

But you saw her?

For a few minutes, yeah.
By chance. I was working.

LEHMAN: Did you have an
affair with her that weekend?

No. Did you ever have
an affair with her?

JIM: No.

See, we'd always been
friends, the three of us.

And after Rick died, it
just became something more.

(CHUCKLES) I mean, we were both
surprised when we fell in love.

LEHMAN: Thank you.

JACK: So, Mr. Shepard,

when you ran into the woman who
is now your wife in Harrisburg,

it was only for a few minutes?

That's right.

What did you talk about?

Uh...

"What are you doing here?
What a coincidence." That kind of thing.

Did you invite her to
join you for a meal?

JIM: Yeah, I might have.

A drink?

Yeah, that would be natural.

But she said no.
She was busy with her reunion.

I see. You must have been
terribly disappointed.

What do you mean?
That she rejected your invitation,

after you had gone
to all the trouble

of arranging this
supposedly chance meeting.

Oh, I didn't arrange anything.
I didn't know she'd be there.

Right. You were
surprised to see her

in the midst of
your business trip.

That's right.

At that time, you were working
for Atlantic Novelties?

JIM: Yeah. I sold T-shirts to concert venues.
I traveled all the time.

Is this your travel
booking form for 1991?

I'm not sure.

JACK: Well, doesn't it say,

"Atlantic Novelties.
Travel booking form, 1991. James Shepard"?

Yeah.

Would you show me where it says

you took a trip to Harrisburg?

It's not on here.
It must be on another sheet.

Really?

These are your expense
reports for 1991.

You claimed reimbursement
for every trip on that list.

Would you show me your expense
report for Harrisburg?

Uh...

It's not here.

(CHUCKLES) It's not here
because it never existed?

No. Uh...

You didn't claim reimbursement

because it wasn't
a business trip.

Isn't it a fact that
you went to Harrisburg

because you wanted to run
into your best friend's wife?

Because you were
obsessed with her?

You asked her to join you
for a drink in your room

hoping that nature would take its
course, but she turned you down.

Is there a question there?

Isn't that right, Mr.
Shepard? No.

She turned you down, so you
had to find another way

to get her for yourself.

Objection. Argumentative.

Dial it back, Mr. McCoy.

Fine.

Tell us, Mr. Shepard,

what exactly were you
doing in Harrisburg?

Well, thanks, Jack.
You just conceded there was no affair.

I hope the jury was listening.

I hope your client's wife was listening.
Were you, Mrs. Shepard?

Hey, she doesn't
have to talk to you.

She can if she wants to.

Robin, we're going.

She's got to be looking at every minute
of her life with him in a new light.

Got to be interesting.

ROBIN: Rick threw me a birthday dinner
at this restaurant in Chinatown,

and Jim gave me a bracelet.
It was gold.

I thought it was too expensive, but
Jim said he had just gotten a raise.

I didn't think
it meant anything.

Were there any other occasions

when his behavior
seemed inappropriate?

Sometimes he sat a little close.
Sometimes he touched me.

We were friends.

Did he do anything

to indicate that he wanted
to be more than friends?

The last New Year's Eve that
Rick was alive, we had a party.

I was coming out of the
bathroom just at midnight,

and Jim was in the bedroom,

almost like he was waiting there for me.
He kissed me.

It wasn't a casual kiss.
I pulled away, and he said,

"Come on, Robin.
Let's get out of here, just you and me."

I thought he was drunk,

and we both just tried to
make a joke out of it.

What did you say?

"If only I weren't
a married woman."

Almost a record.
They convicted him in an hour and a half.

How's the wife doing?
Shaky.

But she served him
with divorce papers

on his way out
of the courtroom.

Got to be tough finding out
you married your stalker.