Law & Order (1990–2010): Season 7, Episode 13 - Matrimony - full transcript
Evidence suggests that the murder of an elderly philanthropist was part of a conspiracy involving his lawyer and his much-younger trophy wife.
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.
Okay.
Jason.
You ought to see
what they're doing.
I didn't come here to watch
you watch somebody else.
I'm picking up pointers here.
Maybe I should go over
to that guy's apartment.
Hey.
All I see is a brick wall.
You moved it.
Left and down.
Wow.
Nice mahogany sideboard.
Where are you looking?
That's a great oriental rug.
(CHUCKLES)
You've got the wrong place.
Hold on. God, Jason.
Look at that.
SZYZMANSKI: Peeping Tom from
that high-rise called it in.
ESU had to break through
the front door.
Cognac by the fire.
This guy knew how to live.
Yeah, till somebody thought he looked
better as a Christmas ornament.
Oh.
This is him.
What do you make her for?
Daughter?
No, too young.
Granddaughter, maybe, or wife.
(SCOFFS) Her with him?
No chance.
Hey, look around, Rey.
The guy had a few bucks.
Yeah, so he threw his
granddaughter a fancy wedding.
For how much? One hot pastrami
from the Carnegie Deli?
You're on.
So what do you got?
Double ligature on the neck,
minor abrasions on his fingers.
He fought, plus some
cuts from the lights.
Time of death?
He's warm.
Maybe 11:00 or 12:00.
Detectives, this lady pulled up in a limo.
She says she lives here.
What is going on?
They won't tell me what's happened.
What's your name, miss?
Kim, Kim Triandos.
Where's Peter?
About 75 years old, grey hair?
Silver. Is he here?
What's happening?
You've got to tell me,
I'm his wife!
Mrs. Triandos, I'm sorry to tell
you that your husband is dead.
Oh.
No! No, Peter!
Extra mustard,
and don't trim the fat.
I took Mrs. Triandos out at about
8:00, to the Metropolitan Museum.
One of those charity balls.
These charity people
party till 3:00 a.m.
She does. At about 1:00 a.m.
, I took her and a girlfriend from the museum
to a club downtown, the Bubble Room,
and then Danceland, and then home.
So you're telling me Mrs.
Triandos was out from 8:00 p.m. Until now?
That's right.
Thanks.
The all-American couple.
She's out carousing, he's home drinking
with the ghost
of Christmas past.
Well, the key words are,
she was out.
Just a few more questions,
Mrs. Triandos.
You ask me all the questions
you need to, Detective.
This thing you went to
at the museum...
The Snowflake Ball.
Why wasn't Mr. Triandos
with you?
Well, Peter was having
a party of his own here,
for some deprived
children he helped.
You weren't invited?
KIM: Of course I was,
but Peter was a sponsor of the ball.
He asked me to stand in for him.
These deprived children.
Who were they?
Some students.
I'm sure Robert could tell
you who all was here.
Where is he?
Who's Robert?
Peter's personal assistant.
He lives in on the fourth floor.
Szyzmanski, when you came in,
did you check all the rooms?
One locked door.
We banged on it.
I'm afraid our Robert has a
teensy drinking problem.
Robert. Rise and shine, it's the police.
Open the door.
Something's moving.
Robert, you open up this
door right this minute!
(DOOR UNLOCKING)
What the hell happened to you?
Look at you, you're a mess.
I'm not on duty.
Well, you should have been.
Mr. Triandos is dead.
Mrs. Triandos,
you mind waiting downstairs?
He's worthless.
Szyzmanski!
Worthless!
He's dead?
I'm afraid so.
Now, you mind if we come in?
No, no.
How long you been up here?
I don't know.
What happened to him?
He was strangled.
We're gonna need something a little
more specific than, "I don't know."
I came up the back stairs.
I'd been out drinking.
Well, good. Then you won't mind
blowing up a balloon for us, huh?
I fell asleep. I heard the students.
The students were still here.
We'll need to talk
to them, too.
Well, there's a man
from the school.
I have his name.
Peter Triandos attended
this school, 1929 to 1934.
Then he made it to a
better neighborhood, huh?
Yeah. He made a fortune
in home heating oil,
but he remembered
where he came from.
Back then this school
was Greek, Italian, Slovak.
Now it's black and Dominican.
And Triandos stayed in touch?
Better than that.
You know, 13 years ago, he made a
promise to a first-grade class.
If they stayed in school,
he'd put them through college.
How many made it?
Seventeen started
college last fall.
The party last night was for
them and their families.
And how'd that go?
Fine.
These are great kids.
What about their parents?
Are they great, too?
Well, the ones in jail
weren't at the party.
We'll need a list.
Who else was there?
The caterers, his wife,
Mr. Triandos' lawyer.
What?
His wife was there?
Must be a new one.
Southern accent. Young.
NADINE: Do you have
to talk to her now?
This is a murder investigation.
That's why she's so upset.
I'm presenting her with an aroma
that will stimulate her thalamus
to secrete enkephalins.
Grass?
(CHUCKLES) Good nose.
Kentucky bluegrass.
For those of us not raised in the
city, it's a reassuring stimulus.
Well, when we're done talking to her, you
can stick her nose in the great lawn.
Hey, Leonard, Rey.
I'm feeling so much better.
That's great,
Mrs. Triandos.
Look, we just talked to a man who
was at your husband's party.
Did he help you?
Did he see anything?
Yeah.
You.
Me?
CURTIS: A young blonde,
hovering around Mr. Triandos.
This happens all the time.
What's that? You being
in two places at once?
That wasn't me.
That was Momma.
Well, a woman's daughter only gets
married for the first time once.
I wasn't about to miss it.
Yeah, we understand the
wedding was a year ago?
Well, I thought she could
use some help settling in,
and it's not like anybody was
needing me back in Wichita Falls.
Y'all come in,
sit down, please.
So, you've been in this
hotel suite for a year?
Peter was very generous.
This is a real blow.
Mrs. Darcy, you were at Mr.
Triandos' party, right?
Yes, I was.
I kept him company.
I thought it was
the least I could do,
since Kim had stepped out.
Kim do that a lot?
(SIGHS)
I know.
Young wife, older man.
What you should be thinking
about is those people
who were
at the house last night.
Those people being
Mr. Triandos' guests?
And I'm sure that many of
them were very deserving,
but I know I was
a little uncomfortable.
With college students?
With some of the parents.
One of the fathers got into a row
with Peter in the upstairs den.
Maybe he stayed late,
hid out in a closet.
Would you happen
to know his name?
No, Oliver would know.
Now that's Peter's lawyer.
He was standing right there.
We handled Mr. Triandos' business,
his estate, his charities.
That included
attending his party.
Speaking of estate,
who just got rich?
I should refer you to the executor, Mr.
Triandos' personal assistant.
Robert, the deep sleeper?
He's in for a nice fee.
3% of $50 million.
The bulk of the rest goes to charity.
How about the widow?
As surviving spouse, she's entitled by
statute to one-third of the estate.
Lucky her.
We understand there was a problem
with one of the guests at the party?
Ronnie Polanco's father.
Some of the parents...
It wasn't enough that Mr.
Triandos was paying for their kids' college,
he had to pay for everything.
One mother insisted Mr.
Triandos had to rent her a bigger apartment
so that her boy would have
his own room to study in.
We had to draw
the line somewhere.
We?
I handled the finances.
You see, we bought every
student a laptop computer.
Ronnie Polanco's was stolen
from his father's apartment.
And he wanted a new one?
His father did.
We weren't even sure the
first one had been stolen.
Mr. Polanco has no known
source of income,
and he drinks,
including last night.
Did you see him leave?
No, I had to leave early, to
meet my wife and her parents.
When I left,
he was still there.
Is this about
Mr. Triandos?
Oh.
You don't think my father
had anything to do with that?
We heard they had
a little argument.
It wasn't an argument.
It was no big deal.
Fine.
Then we can clear it up
when we talk to your dad.
You hurt your hand?
I was helping my father change
a tire, the jack slipped.
So, you were going
to tell us where he is?
He has some friends
he hangs out with.
Why don't you show us?
Hey, what are you doing with my boy?
He goes to college. He gets all A's.
Well, you must be
very proud of him.
Damn right.
He's gonna be a doctor,
maybe a dentista.
We're talking to him
about Peter Triandos.
He didn't do anything to that man.
I was with him.
Good. So you can help us
clear things up. Come on.
You know, this guy comes on
like the king of New York.
You know, he makes promises to
kids and then nada. Nada.
Well, who paid your son's tuition?
You or him?
You know, those kids at the university,
they got cars, nice clothes.
How is my son supposed to
compete with that, huh?
Triandos bought him
a computer, right?
Yeah, and then
he wouldn't replace it.
He practically accused me
of stealing.
CURTIS:
In front of your son?
That's gotta cut.
Yeah, so we left.
Nobody saw you
walk out the door.
Well, I must have, because I'm
here, I ain't there, right?
(SIGHS) Luis, how'd your son
hurt his hand?
That happened before the party.
Yeah, yeah,
but how did it happen?
I don't know.
Why doesn't he know, Ronnie?
Maybe he was around the corner.
You said you were helping him.
He was changing a tire by remote control?
Triandos insulted your father
in front of you.
Even college boys
don't put up with that.
It's not what you think.
Hey, I can understand you got mad.
That's what a man would do.
Triandos insulted your father,
didn't he?
Yes.
He called him a thief.
He told him to leave.
So you got mad?
Not at Mr. Triandos. At my father.
Mr. Triandos, he was right,
I stayed behind to apologize.
When I finally get outside and catch up
with my father, he's carrying a fur jacket.
He took it from the house.
He said Mr. Triandos, he owed us.
I told him, "Take it back."
He wouldn't.
I grabbed it.
That's how you hurt your hand?
Fighting with my father.
Hey, I got the jacket
away from him.
I brought it back to the house
and I threw it in the door.
What kind of jacket was it?
Mink or something.
Black, with leopard skin
around the neck.
Lieutenant?
What's up?
The grieving widow was wearing that
jacket when she pulled in at 3:00 a.m.
And she said she hadn't
been home all night.
So when did she pick up
the jacket?
If that kid didn't already have
one, I'd give him a scholarship.
Yeah. Be a hero,
diss your dad.
You think he's happy about it?
I think it's time we had another
talk with Mrs. Triandos,
if we can pry her away
from her aromatherapist.
You want to tie up your loose ends first?
Like that guy who was sleeping upstairs
during the murder.
He blew a 2.8
on the drunk-o-meter.
His friends from the bar
had to carry him into the cab.
What are we
waltzing around for?
We dragged Ronnie Polanco in here
because he had a Band-Aid on his hand.
We know the wife lied about
being back at the house.
Well, maybe she had two mink
jackets with leopard-skin collars.
See if her alibi holds up.
I took her from the house to the museum
at 8:00 and I took her from the museum
to the nightclub
at 1:00 a.m.
Could she have sneaked out of
the museum and taken a cab?
You think that
she killed Mr. Triandos?
Do you?
She inherits?
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah,
she could have sneaked out.
I was parked down the block.
She paged me when she wanted to go.
Was she wearing a fur coat when
you took her to the museum?
Not when she went in,
but when she came out.
She took a bag of nightclub
clothes with her to change.
When she and her girlfriend came out,
they were both ready to party down.
What's her girlfriend's name?
You know where we can find her?
Cassie.
I took her to work once when she and Mrs.
T went shopping.
A gift store on 2nd.
She's about 25,
streaky blonde hair, pretty.
Well, we have Miss Hosner.
Any other female employees?
No.
What about
employee's girlfriends?
My girlfriend's 57.
What's this girl's name?
Cassie.
Cassie. That's a nice name.
Isn't it?
Yeah.
Thanks.
Why would
Mrs. Triandos' girlfriend
lie to the chauffeur
about where she worked?
Maybe she worked in someplace Mr.
Triandos wouldn't approve of.
The chauffeur reports
back to the old man?
Hey, if I had a 22-year-old
wife running around town,
I'd be doing aerial surveillance.
Hey, hey, hey, hey!
How do you think the
heating-oil king would feel
about his wife's girlfriend
working there?
Foxes.
A gentleman's club.
(DANCE MUSIC PLAYING)
These guys want a table dance.
It's worth 20 bucks.
Why don't you have a seat?
Drinks are on the house,
and we'll talk
after my next set?
Whoa, hold on a minute now...
Rey, Rey, she's got
pressing business.
So, she can sit with us.
We'll talk fast.
Please.
So, about that night?
I met Kim at the museum.
We went to a couple of clubs.
I'm sorry about her husband.
She said he was a nice guy.
BRISCOE: What,
you never met him?
I wish.
How do you know Kim?
She didn't tell you?
Yeah, we're just
checking her spelling.
Look, this can be a short
conversation or a long one.
Here. She used to work here.
Really?
How'd she meet
a guy like Triandos?
This isn't some dive.
We get doctors,
businessmen, cops.
But not Triandos.
You said you never met him.
No, but Kim always hung
around with upscale guys.
Before she was married, there was this
big-time lawyer, Fritz something,
who used to come in
all the time and see her.
When you say he used to
come in and see her...
They were friends.
Are we done?
CURTIS: Almost.
So what time did you
meet Kim that night?
About 1:00.
So you don't know
where she was before 1:00?
She was coming out
of that society party,
so I assume before then
she was in that party.
You assume?
Yeah. I assume.
I don't understand.
Am I some kind of suspect?
You moved up from $20 a dance
to $17 million pretty fast.
There's nothing shameful
about what I used to do.
It's not a secret.
We didn't know.
Well, shame on you,
being detectives.
You'd be amazed at all the things
we don't know, Mrs. Triandos.
For instance, there were 600
people at that Snowflake Ball.
Now, can you tell us which one of them you
were with between 10:00 and 1:00 a.m.
I was circulating.
That's nice.
How about getting us the mink
coat you were wearing that night?
Why?
We're gonna show it to a kid
named Ronnie Polanco.
He said he saw it here in
this house at 10:00 p.m.
He's got to be mistaken.
We don't think so.
See, his father tried to steal it.
Now, you want to explain
to us how you managed
to pick that coat up
without being here?
(SIGHS)
So embarrassing.
I was worried about Momma.
Really?
She looked
pretty healthy to me.
About Momma and Peter.
Your mother and your husband?
You might have noticed, my
mother is a little friendly.
I just wanted to see
what was going on.
I took a cab so my driver
couldn't tell them I was coming.
What was going on?
They were having a drink.
I told Momma maybe it was
time for her to leave.
And did she go?
Yes. And so did I.
I picked up that coat
on my way out.
It has always been a little hard on Kim.
Half the people we meet think we're sisters.
You'd think
a girl would like that.
But she blames you
for being so friendly?
I have just always tried
to be nice to her friends.
Could I get y'all
something to drink?
No, thanks.
Including her boyfriends?
Well, a lot of her boyfriends
are nearer my age.
Including her husband.
Your daughter asked you to leave that night?
(SIGHS) We both left.
Now, this is just silly.
CURTIS:
In one cab or two?
Two. I live south,
she was going north.
So you don't know
if she went back or not?
No.
And she doesn't know
if you did.
Me?
Peter was giving me
an allowance.
I just found out I'm gonna
have to check out of here.
Ouch.
Well, maybe your daughter
will pick up the slack.
I don't believe she's too kindly
disposed to me right now.
It might have been her
who cut me off.
So, she's already taken
charge of the money?
She and Peter's lawyer, Oliver Shain.
They're friends.
When Kim was stripping, she
was friends with a lawyer.
Named Fritz.
Rey, if you were a married lawyer
hanging out with strippers,
would you use your real name?
Well, maybe you would.
How are things going
with you and Deborah?
I'm still living
on my sister's couch.
So what if this Fritz
is really Triandos' lawyer?
Well, it just makes me wonder
how his client wound up
married to the stripper.
She fired me.
I thought
you were the executor.
You control the purse strings.
She controls the house.
I've lived here for 27 years.
I had the honor of serving
the first Mrs. Triandos.
But Ms. Kim, well, she thought
I was some kind of a schemer.
What did you think of her?
It didn't matter
what I thought.
She wasn't my wife.
Speaking of that,
how'd that courtship go?
Fast. She and Mr. Triandos were
married six weeks after they met.
He just swept her
off her feet, huh?
It wasn't hard.
How did she meet him?
Oliver Shain brought her
to the house.
To dance?
To redecorate. Mr.
Triandos wanted to buy some furniture
and Mr. Shain said she was the finest
interior designer on the East Side.
Didn't Momma tell you
what you needed to know?
Well, we have a few more questions,
and we'd like you to sign this.
It's a formality.
This is what you read me?
Right to remain silent,
right to a lawyer.
BRISCOE: If you don't mind talking
to us, just initial the boxes
and then sign it at the bottom.
I didn't kill Peter.
I just want to make you see.
Maybe we do see, Mrs. Triandos.
You lied about being at the house,
you were mad about your mother,
you were worried your
marriage was slipping away.
My marriage was just fine!
Sure.
Because it was based
on so much trust.
And just when did you become
an interior decorator?
I've always had a fashion sense.
Yeah.
And you think a Chippendale
piece is a male stripper, huh?
I didn't think Peter would even talk
to me if he knew what I really did.
So you wanted him
to talk to you?
Oliver said he was lonely.
And you were tired of drunks sticking
dollar bills into your G-string.
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
You have my client in there.
I want to go in.
I believe
you know Mr. Shain?
Yeah, I do.
We've got a few questions
for you, too, Counselor.
I didn't come here to be interrogated.
I want to see my client.
Well, that's not gonna
happen right now.
Then stop questioning her.
As soon as she tells us to,
that's just what we'll do.
Mr. Shain.
What was that?
It sounded like Oliver.
You mean Fritz?
He's having a little chat
with our lieutenant.
Seems he's worried
about getting disbarred.
What's he saying?
Nothing you don't know about, Mrs.
Triandos.
Can we stop fooling around?
It's all coming out now.
Well, then he'll tell you.
It was his idea.
What was?
Killing your husband?
No, to meet him.
To marry him.
We both needed money,
and I promised Oliver
I'd give him half
of whatever I inherited.
And which one of you
got tired of waiting?
No, there was no rush.
Peter was old.
He had medical problems.
Yeah.
A cord wrapped around his neck.
I was fond of Peter.
Mrs. Triandos, we're not as
gullible as your husband.
You're not anything like my husband.
He was a gentleman.
I'm leaving.
Maybe later.
Kim Triandos, you're under arrest
for the murder of Peter Triandos.
He was 74, she was 22?
Why, Adam? You want to
know if she has a sister?
Old fools.
Triandos was set up.
His attorney brought a stripper into his house
and told him
she was a decorator.
In exchange for
half her inheritance.
We have her statement.
When am I gonna have the pleasure of
seeing this attorney on the other end
of a bail application?
He didn't kill Triandos.
He has a solid alibi.
Okay, scheme to defraud.
Only applies if they bilked
more than one person.
They didn't run the girl
through an old-age home.
Larceny by false promise.
Only if he and Mrs. Triandos promised
she'd do some things for Mr. Triandos...
Or to him.
Or to him, that she didn't do.
Wonderful.
Let's get back to murder.
Do you think that this girl
decided to kill on her own?
The only way we can make the case against
the lawyer is if she implicates him.
Talk to her.
Make it worth her while.
Arthur,
I thought you're retired.
You can't keep
an old dog down, Jack.
Especially when summoned
by an innocent client.
Just the way a rape defendant
summons a woman lawyer.
Well, you think I'm being used
for my mature appearance?
You wouldn't do that,
would you, dear?
I just wanted the best attorney possible
to defeat this false accusation.
You see?
We're here with an offer.
Man one for a full description of
Oliver Shain's role in the murder.
Oliver didn't kill Peter.
No, you did.
But we think it was a conspiracy.
I did not kill my husband.
You don't have to do
this the hard way.
How do you think a jury's going to
react when they hear about your scheme
to marry Triandos and split
the money with Shain?
Well, that's one of those things
we'll just never know, Jack.
My motion to suppress Mrs.
Triandos' statement to the police.
The right to counsel.
(SCOFFS) The counselor
was a murder suspect.
GOLD: The law is clear.
Mr. Shain showed up
at the police station
but was prevented
from seeing his client.
The defendant waived her right to counsel.
She signed a Miranda Card.
GOLD: Doesn't matter if she signed
the Declaration of Independence.
People v. Arthur.
Once her lawyer appears,
the interrogation must cease until
the suspect has an opportunity
to consult with him.
This was a clear exception.
The police have a well-established practice
of keeping criminal
co-suspects separate
so they can't concoct
supporting stories.
Has Mr. Shain been charged
in this crime? No.
Not yet.
Whatever.
Even if the police wanted to keep Mr.
Shain apart from Mrs. Triandos,
they still should have honored his
request to stop questioning her.
That's reasonable, if he was
functioning as an attorney.
Criminals shouldn't be allowed to
obstruct inquiries into their crimes.
Do you have any precedents
for this, Mr. McCoy?
There aren't any.
Attorneys don't generally
conspire with their clients
to commit fraud and murder.
At last, some good news
for the profession.
I'm not going to use an extraordinary
case to narrow constitutional rights.
Statement is suppressed.
JACK: We could file
a 4-50-50 and appeal.
And a year from now the appellate
division will rule the same way.
Have you checked
the lineup lately?
Our motive just took
a major hit.
So what do you want to do?
Let her go and keep on investigating?
And wait for new evidence
to descend from heaven?
She strangled an old man with
his Christmas tree lights.
We'll go with what we have.
No alibi, her lies, and she
still inherits $17 million!
Plus, we've still got her.
Gold will never
let her take the stand.
He knows we could use her suppressed
statement to impeach her.
She'd impeach herself. The jury will take
one look at her and get the picture.
Arthur Gold will dress her
like a spinster librarian.
Yeah. One who likes
really old books.
It was about 11:00.
Peter and I were talking.
JACK:
And having a drink?
And having a drink.
And your daughter, Mr.
Triandos' wife, arrived without warning?
Well, I'm sure I don't know what kind
of warning she was supposed to give.
I see.
Do you know what her tone was
when she ordered you to leave?
She was just a little upset.
Because she was suspicious
of you and her husband.
Well, there was
no reason for that.
So she was irrational?
She loved her husband.
Isn't that a good thing?
She sneaked back to spy on him
because she loved him,
or because she was afraid that he
was vulnerable to other women...
Objection.
And that meant that
he might divorce her
before he died
and left her millions?
Mr. McCoy, stop.
The objection is sustained.
I'm done with this witness.
Mrs. Darcy, after your daughter
visited the townhouse,
did you see her go out again?
Yes. We left together.
And who was left inside the house
after the two of you departed?
Mr. Triandos and Robert,
his assistant.
Thank you.
I met Kim in the lobby of the museum.
It was about 1:00.
So you don't know where she'd
been between 11:00 and 1:00.
She said she'd been
at that charity ball.
She said.
Miss Jordan, how did you first
become acquainted with Kim Triandos?
Approach, Your Honor?
Mr. McCoy is attempting to elicit
that the defendant was a stripper.
If Mr. Gold prefers,
I'll say exotic dancer.
GOLD: It's prejudicial.
The jury is entitled to know the defendant's
background and financial condition.
They go to motive.
Half right, Mr. McCoy.
The witness may testify as
to the defendant's finances,
but not her occupation.
Miss Jordan, before the defendant
met her husband, was she rich?
No.
Did she ever date
poor men in their 70s?
Not that I remember.
When you met Mrs. Triandos at the
museum, what kind of a mood was she in?
Happy, joking around.
She was excited about going to this new club.
In other words, she
didn't look like a woman
who had just wrung the life out of
an old man with her bare hands.
Objection.
Overruled.
No, she didn't.
ROBERT: Mr. Triandos told me
to hire her as a decorator,
to pay her whatever
her fee was.
Did you?
Of course.
Only it turned out she didn't
even know what color sienna is.
Mr. Triandos didn't care.
He had started seeing her socially.
After their marriage, what did you
observe of their relationship?
Ms. Kim went out alone most nights.
They were sleeping in separate bedrooms.
Mr. Triandos began to
complain about being lonely.
Did he give you any indication that he
was thinking about getting a divorce?
He didn't say anything.
I mean, he wouldn't, to me.
He would have been embarrassed.
Thank you.
You don't like Mrs. Triandos,
do you?
No.
The day after her husband died,
she fired you, didn't she?
Yes.
Do you think she tried to have you
fired while he was still alive?
Yes, I believe so.
Mr. Mallors, you are the executor of Mr.
Triandos' estate, are you not?
He trusted that to me.
Which means you'll be earning
a fee of $1.5 million.
Something like that. The executor's
position requires a great deal of work.
(CHUCKLES)
Yeah, well-paid work.
You'd been counting on that money
for many years, hadn't you?
I believe I earned it.
I'm sure you do.
So how did you react a few days before Mr.
Triandos died
when you found out that you were
about to be removed as executor?
That isn't true!
Is that so?
You've testified
that Mrs. Triandos
was trying to get you
out of her husband's life.
Mr. Triandos
wouldn't do it.
He wouldn't accede to the wishes
of his beautiful, young wife?
He trusted me.
He married her.
At the time of the murder,
where were you?
In my room, asleep.
Just you and Mr. Triandos,
alone in the house?
I wouldn't kill him.
Unless he betrayed you.
Objection.
Withdrawn.
The police looked at him.
He was dead drunk and he didn't have a motive.
How's about
a million-and-a-half bucks?
He's been his executor for 15 years.
Why kill Triandos now?
You heard Mr. Gold. He was about
to be tossed off the gravy train.
Says the defense attorney.
The witness says otherwise.
You'll hear it again, I promise.
The butler did it.
I'd been trying to convince Mr.
Triandos for some time to name a new executor.
It seemed inappropriate to entrust an
estate the size of his to a house servant.
Mr. Shain,
can you identify this document?
Yes. It's a draft of a codicil to Mr.
Triandos' will.
I prepared it at his request
the week before he died.
It names the New York Trust
Company as executor.
Was Robert Mallors
told about this change?
Not by me. Mr. Triandos indicated
he was going to break the news.
I see. But at the time of his murder, Mr.
Mallors was still the executor?
Yes. Mr. Triandos was going to come
in and sign the codicil the next day.
Thank you.
Before they were married, did
the defendant and her husband
sign a prenuptial agreement?
Yes.
If they divorced, what financial
settlement was Mrs. Triandos to receive?
$5,000 a month for eight years.
That's all?
That was the agreement.
But if he died while they were still
married, she would inherit $17 million.
It's statutory the spouse
gets a third of the estate.
And how much of it
do you get, sir?
Well, I hope she'll continue
to employ me as her attorney.
I get my hourly fee.
That's all?
You're the one who introduced her
to her husband, is that correct?
Yes.
You told him that she was
an interior decorator.
At the time she was employed in another
occupation, but she'd studied design.
One night course
at the learning annex.
Why did you do her
this enormous favor?
I thought
they'd like each other.
Mr. Shain, didn't you have an
agreement with the defendant
that if she married
your client,
she would give you half her
inheritance when he died?
(SCOFFS) No.
If she is convicted of murder,
she doesn't get any
inheritance, does she?
No, she doesn't.
That's why you're sitting here
lying about Robert Mallors, because
you hope that the defendant
will be acquitted
and you can get your money!
Objection.
Sustained.
No one can corroborate your statement
about changing executors, can they?
Mr. Triandos could.
And he's conveniently dead.
Are you aware of a statement that Mrs.
Triandos made to the police
shortly before her arrest?
Your Honor, approach?
He can't mention
that statement.
It was suppressed
against the defendant.
I can use it to challenge the
credibility of this witness.
Any mention of it will inevitably
weigh against the defendant.
He's right, Mr. McCoy.
He's sitting there lying.
He may be, but that
statement is off-limits.
Do you have
any other questions?
JUDGE QUINN: Ladies and gentlemen of
the jury, have you reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
The defendant will rise.
On the sole count of the indictment,
murder in the second degree,
how do you find?
We find the defendant,
Kim Triandos, not guilty.
The defendant is released.
The jury is excused.
The court is adjourned.
I want to go after Shain for perjury.
Now that she's acquitted,
we can use
her statement against him.
Useless.
He'll say she was lying,
then she'll say she was lying.
So we sit and watch while they
kill a man and split $17 million?
If we can find any surviving
relatives of Mr. Triandos,
they can sue to have
the marriage annulled
posthumously
on the basis of fraud.
We prosecute criminal cases here.
This one's over.
Except for the murderer
and her accomplice,
who are about to become rich.
Don't be so sure.
Triandos' estate is filing a
$17-million lawsuit. Wrongful death.
Robert Mallors, the executor,
hired me to pursue it.
He feels very strongly that Mrs.
Triandos should not be allowed to inherit.
We second that emotion.
I brought you a copy of her
statement to the police.
If there's anything else we have
that might help, just call.
It may be a while. I've already got
these financials to sort through.
May I?
Please.
A house in East Hampton?
Four cars. Mr.
Triandos owned a 1939 Bugatti?
(CHUCKLES) Apparently he
hadn't driven it in a while.
I'm helping Mr. Mallors compile
all the accounting records,
and I'll be advising him on how to
divide the proceeds of the suit
among Mr. Triandos' charities.
This is the college
scholarship fund?
One of many.
He was quite a decent man.
Twenty-five
college scholarships?
Yes. It's one of the few actual
obligations of the estate.
Betty Valdez.
Got pregnant four years ago
and dropped out of school.
Dennis Perry.
He's dead.
Where'd you get that list?
From Peter Triandos' file.
You told the police he was
sending 17 kids to college.
Well, 18 now, Ben McFall started in January.
We're very proud of him.
Mr. Triandos was sending out
checks for 25 scholarships.
That's why he sent me
25 invitations to the party.
He did?
Yes.
Well, for the names you just read and
some others that left the program.
Did you tell him that?
I called him two days
before the party.
He said he'd straighten things out
as soon as the holidays were over.
I wasn't worried.
I knew everything was kosher at our end.
Who actually wrote the checks
for the scholarships?
Mr. Triandos' attorney,
Oliver Shain.
He was embezzling
from the scholarship fund.
Eight phantom kids
times $25,000 dollars.
A little advance payment while
he waited for Triandos to die.
But Triandos found out two
days before he was murdered.
He must have said
something to Shain.
And Shain sent Kim into action.
Were they in touch
during those two days?
The police copied
his office log.
He called the Triandos
house three times.
Could have been
to talk with Triandos.
And the day of the murder, he took a
long lunch at a romantic little bistro
on the Upper East Side.
"Have another glass of wine.
By the way, we have to kill him now."
Go see if the waiter
remembers her.
Monsieur Shain, he's a regular.
He likes table six.
I need to know about
a long lunch he had,
possibly with
a pretty young woman.
It was several months ago.
If she was pretty enough,
I'll remember.
Her name is Kim Triandos.
Very pretty.
But I don't know.
It was just before Christmas.
Yes! He gave his regular
servers holiday tips,
and his companion,
she resembled this.
Resembled?
Well, yes, but older.
How did we miss her?
The mother seemed to have no motive.
Triandos' death cut off her allowance.
Besides, she and her daughter
were barely speaking.
Maybe she knew she could convince
her daughter to forgive her.
Is Kim Triandos
the forgiving type?
Well, we're about to find out.
I don't want to talk to you.
Actually, Mrs. Triandos,
we're here to apologize.
Well, that's a day late
and a dollar short.
Oliver Shain was stealing from your husband.
Did you know that?
No.
That's why he convinced
your mother to kill him.
You couldn't get me for killing
Peter, which I didn't do,
so now you want to get back at
me by going after my mother?
(SCOFFS) Can't you people
just admit you were wrong?
Somebody killed your husband,
Mrs. Triandos,
and we know your mother had a long
conversation with Oliver Shain
on the day of the murder, when he knew
his stealing was about to be discovered.
So what? What would Momma
care about it, anyway?
We don't know
what Shain said to her.
What does
your mother care about?
She likes sunsets on the river.
JACK: She likes money,
doesn't she?
Isn't that why she spent a year
here, helping you get settled in?
Maybe she does, but that just
proves she wouldn't kill Peter.
He was supporting her.
Are you supporting her now?
Is she gonna share in
your inheritance?
I'm not gonna put my
mother out on the street.
But so what?
Momma is a good person.
JACK: Really, Mrs. Triandos?
You're the one who sneaked
back to spy on her.
She's...
Not a murderer.
Fine.
Show us.
Well, isn't this nice?
Just us girls.
Not like home, though.
Honey, this is home now.
Momma, everybody
thinks I killed Peter.
You were acquitted.
They can kiss your ass.
I got this civil trial coming up.
I don't think I can stand it.
You're gonna win that one, too.
All you have got to do is think strategically.
I have this deposition,
and then I have to testify.
And everybody thinks
I'm a murderer!
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
I'm telling my lawyer
to settle.
What?
I'm giving up the money.
I don't need it. I'm 22. I can work.
Well, you're talking crazy.
Having the money makes me feel guilty,
even though I didn't do anything.
You, you, you.
What about me?
KIM ON RADIO:
What about you, Momma?
VELMA ON RADIO: I am not 22.
You were gonna take care of me.
Let's just go home.
We can both get jobs.
You gonna dance naked
in Wichita Falls?
Momma...
You want me to dance naked, too?
The dancing naked idiot family.
These family talks
are so heartwarming.
I just hope nobody throws the
vase with the microphone in it.
The great Peter.
You're so loyal to him.
Well, I should be.
Girl, he was getting ready
to chuck you out.
That is not true.
I saw the divorce papers
myself.
Oliver Shain showed them to me.
I don't believe it.
He was gonna dump you
like a Laredo whore.
After you earned that money
on your back.
That's it.
I'm giving back the money.
No, you're not!
Not after I killed that man.
We've got it, Rey.
Momma!
That money was yours and mine.
Momma, how could you?
You know what I gave up
when I got pregnant with you?
I was gonna come to New York myself.
Twenty-three years ago.
Momma, no!
Not that again.
I would have been married
to some fine rich man...
CURTIS: Mrs. Darcy...
I wasn't gonna lose out twice.
Mrs. Darcy.
What?
You're under arrest for the
murder of Peter Triandos.
You have the right
to remain silent.
(WEEPING) He was really nice.
Oh. Girl, you are as
dumb as a sack of hair.
Stand up, please.
Murder, Mr. McCoy? Because my
client allegedly lied to Mrs. Darcy
about her son-in-law
seeking a divorce?
Read the accomplice
liability statute.
If he requested, solicited, commanded
or importuned her to kill Triandos,
he's as guilty as she is.
You know the woman.
She's crazy.
We've got you nailed
on the embezzlement, sir.
On the murder,
it'll be a pleasure to try.
(SIGHS)
How's Kim Triandos doing?
Civil suit's dropped.
That should cheer her up.
She's still the daughter
of a murderer.
She did seem
to take it pretty hard.
I think, deep down,
she always knew.
She wore a wire to prove to us
her mother wasn't a killer.
No. To try
to prove it to herself.
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.
Okay.
Jason.
You ought to see
what they're doing.
I didn't come here to watch
you watch somebody else.
I'm picking up pointers here.
Maybe I should go over
to that guy's apartment.
Hey.
All I see is a brick wall.
You moved it.
Left and down.
Wow.
Nice mahogany sideboard.
Where are you looking?
That's a great oriental rug.
(CHUCKLES)
You've got the wrong place.
Hold on. God, Jason.
Look at that.
SZYZMANSKI: Peeping Tom from
that high-rise called it in.
ESU had to break through
the front door.
Cognac by the fire.
This guy knew how to live.
Yeah, till somebody thought he looked
better as a Christmas ornament.
Oh.
This is him.
What do you make her for?
Daughter?
No, too young.
Granddaughter, maybe, or wife.
(SCOFFS) Her with him?
No chance.
Hey, look around, Rey.
The guy had a few bucks.
Yeah, so he threw his
granddaughter a fancy wedding.
For how much? One hot pastrami
from the Carnegie Deli?
You're on.
So what do you got?
Double ligature on the neck,
minor abrasions on his fingers.
He fought, plus some
cuts from the lights.
Time of death?
He's warm.
Maybe 11:00 or 12:00.
Detectives, this lady pulled up in a limo.
She says she lives here.
What is going on?
They won't tell me what's happened.
What's your name, miss?
Kim, Kim Triandos.
Where's Peter?
About 75 years old, grey hair?
Silver. Is he here?
What's happening?
You've got to tell me,
I'm his wife!
Mrs. Triandos, I'm sorry to tell
you that your husband is dead.
Oh.
No! No, Peter!
Extra mustard,
and don't trim the fat.
I took Mrs. Triandos out at about
8:00, to the Metropolitan Museum.
One of those charity balls.
These charity people
party till 3:00 a.m.
She does. At about 1:00 a.m.
, I took her and a girlfriend from the museum
to a club downtown, the Bubble Room,
and then Danceland, and then home.
So you're telling me Mrs.
Triandos was out from 8:00 p.m. Until now?
That's right.
Thanks.
The all-American couple.
She's out carousing, he's home drinking
with the ghost
of Christmas past.
Well, the key words are,
she was out.
Just a few more questions,
Mrs. Triandos.
You ask me all the questions
you need to, Detective.
This thing you went to
at the museum...
The Snowflake Ball.
Why wasn't Mr. Triandos
with you?
Well, Peter was having
a party of his own here,
for some deprived
children he helped.
You weren't invited?
KIM: Of course I was,
but Peter was a sponsor of the ball.
He asked me to stand in for him.
These deprived children.
Who were they?
Some students.
I'm sure Robert could tell
you who all was here.
Where is he?
Who's Robert?
Peter's personal assistant.
He lives in on the fourth floor.
Szyzmanski, when you came in,
did you check all the rooms?
One locked door.
We banged on it.
I'm afraid our Robert has a
teensy drinking problem.
Robert. Rise and shine, it's the police.
Open the door.
Something's moving.
Robert, you open up this
door right this minute!
(DOOR UNLOCKING)
What the hell happened to you?
Look at you, you're a mess.
I'm not on duty.
Well, you should have been.
Mr. Triandos is dead.
Mrs. Triandos,
you mind waiting downstairs?
He's worthless.
Szyzmanski!
Worthless!
He's dead?
I'm afraid so.
Now, you mind if we come in?
No, no.
How long you been up here?
I don't know.
What happened to him?
He was strangled.
We're gonna need something a little
more specific than, "I don't know."
I came up the back stairs.
I'd been out drinking.
Well, good. Then you won't mind
blowing up a balloon for us, huh?
I fell asleep. I heard the students.
The students were still here.
We'll need to talk
to them, too.
Well, there's a man
from the school.
I have his name.
Peter Triandos attended
this school, 1929 to 1934.
Then he made it to a
better neighborhood, huh?
Yeah. He made a fortune
in home heating oil,
but he remembered
where he came from.
Back then this school
was Greek, Italian, Slovak.
Now it's black and Dominican.
And Triandos stayed in touch?
Better than that.
You know, 13 years ago, he made a
promise to a first-grade class.
If they stayed in school,
he'd put them through college.
How many made it?
Seventeen started
college last fall.
The party last night was for
them and their families.
And how'd that go?
Fine.
These are great kids.
What about their parents?
Are they great, too?
Well, the ones in jail
weren't at the party.
We'll need a list.
Who else was there?
The caterers, his wife,
Mr. Triandos' lawyer.
What?
His wife was there?
Must be a new one.
Southern accent. Young.
NADINE: Do you have
to talk to her now?
This is a murder investigation.
That's why she's so upset.
I'm presenting her with an aroma
that will stimulate her thalamus
to secrete enkephalins.
Grass?
(CHUCKLES) Good nose.
Kentucky bluegrass.
For those of us not raised in the
city, it's a reassuring stimulus.
Well, when we're done talking to her, you
can stick her nose in the great lawn.
Hey, Leonard, Rey.
I'm feeling so much better.
That's great,
Mrs. Triandos.
Look, we just talked to a man who
was at your husband's party.
Did he help you?
Did he see anything?
Yeah.
You.
Me?
CURTIS: A young blonde,
hovering around Mr. Triandos.
This happens all the time.
What's that? You being
in two places at once?
That wasn't me.
That was Momma.
Well, a woman's daughter only gets
married for the first time once.
I wasn't about to miss it.
Yeah, we understand the
wedding was a year ago?
Well, I thought she could
use some help settling in,
and it's not like anybody was
needing me back in Wichita Falls.
Y'all come in,
sit down, please.
So, you've been in this
hotel suite for a year?
Peter was very generous.
This is a real blow.
Mrs. Darcy, you were at Mr.
Triandos' party, right?
Yes, I was.
I kept him company.
I thought it was
the least I could do,
since Kim had stepped out.
Kim do that a lot?
(SIGHS)
I know.
Young wife, older man.
What you should be thinking
about is those people
who were
at the house last night.
Those people being
Mr. Triandos' guests?
And I'm sure that many of
them were very deserving,
but I know I was
a little uncomfortable.
With college students?
With some of the parents.
One of the fathers got into a row
with Peter in the upstairs den.
Maybe he stayed late,
hid out in a closet.
Would you happen
to know his name?
No, Oliver would know.
Now that's Peter's lawyer.
He was standing right there.
We handled Mr. Triandos' business,
his estate, his charities.
That included
attending his party.
Speaking of estate,
who just got rich?
I should refer you to the executor, Mr.
Triandos' personal assistant.
Robert, the deep sleeper?
He's in for a nice fee.
3% of $50 million.
The bulk of the rest goes to charity.
How about the widow?
As surviving spouse, she's entitled by
statute to one-third of the estate.
Lucky her.
We understand there was a problem
with one of the guests at the party?
Ronnie Polanco's father.
Some of the parents...
It wasn't enough that Mr.
Triandos was paying for their kids' college,
he had to pay for everything.
One mother insisted Mr.
Triandos had to rent her a bigger apartment
so that her boy would have
his own room to study in.
We had to draw
the line somewhere.
We?
I handled the finances.
You see, we bought every
student a laptop computer.
Ronnie Polanco's was stolen
from his father's apartment.
And he wanted a new one?
His father did.
We weren't even sure the
first one had been stolen.
Mr. Polanco has no known
source of income,
and he drinks,
including last night.
Did you see him leave?
No, I had to leave early, to
meet my wife and her parents.
When I left,
he was still there.
Is this about
Mr. Triandos?
Oh.
You don't think my father
had anything to do with that?
We heard they had
a little argument.
It wasn't an argument.
It was no big deal.
Fine.
Then we can clear it up
when we talk to your dad.
You hurt your hand?
I was helping my father change
a tire, the jack slipped.
So, you were going
to tell us where he is?
He has some friends
he hangs out with.
Why don't you show us?
Hey, what are you doing with my boy?
He goes to college. He gets all A's.
Well, you must be
very proud of him.
Damn right.
He's gonna be a doctor,
maybe a dentista.
We're talking to him
about Peter Triandos.
He didn't do anything to that man.
I was with him.
Good. So you can help us
clear things up. Come on.
You know, this guy comes on
like the king of New York.
You know, he makes promises to
kids and then nada. Nada.
Well, who paid your son's tuition?
You or him?
You know, those kids at the university,
they got cars, nice clothes.
How is my son supposed to
compete with that, huh?
Triandos bought him
a computer, right?
Yeah, and then
he wouldn't replace it.
He practically accused me
of stealing.
CURTIS:
In front of your son?
That's gotta cut.
Yeah, so we left.
Nobody saw you
walk out the door.
Well, I must have, because I'm
here, I ain't there, right?
(SIGHS) Luis, how'd your son
hurt his hand?
That happened before the party.
Yeah, yeah,
but how did it happen?
I don't know.
Why doesn't he know, Ronnie?
Maybe he was around the corner.
You said you were helping him.
He was changing a tire by remote control?
Triandos insulted your father
in front of you.
Even college boys
don't put up with that.
It's not what you think.
Hey, I can understand you got mad.
That's what a man would do.
Triandos insulted your father,
didn't he?
Yes.
He called him a thief.
He told him to leave.
So you got mad?
Not at Mr. Triandos. At my father.
Mr. Triandos, he was right,
I stayed behind to apologize.
When I finally get outside and catch up
with my father, he's carrying a fur jacket.
He took it from the house.
He said Mr. Triandos, he owed us.
I told him, "Take it back."
He wouldn't.
I grabbed it.
That's how you hurt your hand?
Fighting with my father.
Hey, I got the jacket
away from him.
I brought it back to the house
and I threw it in the door.
What kind of jacket was it?
Mink or something.
Black, with leopard skin
around the neck.
Lieutenant?
What's up?
The grieving widow was wearing that
jacket when she pulled in at 3:00 a.m.
And she said she hadn't
been home all night.
So when did she pick up
the jacket?
If that kid didn't already have
one, I'd give him a scholarship.
Yeah. Be a hero,
diss your dad.
You think he's happy about it?
I think it's time we had another
talk with Mrs. Triandos,
if we can pry her away
from her aromatherapist.
You want to tie up your loose ends first?
Like that guy who was sleeping upstairs
during the murder.
He blew a 2.8
on the drunk-o-meter.
His friends from the bar
had to carry him into the cab.
What are we
waltzing around for?
We dragged Ronnie Polanco in here
because he had a Band-Aid on his hand.
We know the wife lied about
being back at the house.
Well, maybe she had two mink
jackets with leopard-skin collars.
See if her alibi holds up.
I took her from the house to the museum
at 8:00 and I took her from the museum
to the nightclub
at 1:00 a.m.
Could she have sneaked out of
the museum and taken a cab?
You think that
she killed Mr. Triandos?
Do you?
She inherits?
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah,
she could have sneaked out.
I was parked down the block.
She paged me when she wanted to go.
Was she wearing a fur coat when
you took her to the museum?
Not when she went in,
but when she came out.
She took a bag of nightclub
clothes with her to change.
When she and her girlfriend came out,
they were both ready to party down.
What's her girlfriend's name?
You know where we can find her?
Cassie.
I took her to work once when she and Mrs.
T went shopping.
A gift store on 2nd.
She's about 25,
streaky blonde hair, pretty.
Well, we have Miss Hosner.
Any other female employees?
No.
What about
employee's girlfriends?
My girlfriend's 57.
What's this girl's name?
Cassie.
Cassie. That's a nice name.
Isn't it?
Yeah.
Thanks.
Why would
Mrs. Triandos' girlfriend
lie to the chauffeur
about where she worked?
Maybe she worked in someplace Mr.
Triandos wouldn't approve of.
The chauffeur reports
back to the old man?
Hey, if I had a 22-year-old
wife running around town,
I'd be doing aerial surveillance.
Hey, hey, hey, hey!
How do you think the
heating-oil king would feel
about his wife's girlfriend
working there?
Foxes.
A gentleman's club.
(DANCE MUSIC PLAYING)
These guys want a table dance.
It's worth 20 bucks.
Why don't you have a seat?
Drinks are on the house,
and we'll talk
after my next set?
Whoa, hold on a minute now...
Rey, Rey, she's got
pressing business.
So, she can sit with us.
We'll talk fast.
Please.
So, about that night?
I met Kim at the museum.
We went to a couple of clubs.
I'm sorry about her husband.
She said he was a nice guy.
BRISCOE: What,
you never met him?
I wish.
How do you know Kim?
She didn't tell you?
Yeah, we're just
checking her spelling.
Look, this can be a short
conversation or a long one.
Here. She used to work here.
Really?
How'd she meet
a guy like Triandos?
This isn't some dive.
We get doctors,
businessmen, cops.
But not Triandos.
You said you never met him.
No, but Kim always hung
around with upscale guys.
Before she was married, there was this
big-time lawyer, Fritz something,
who used to come in
all the time and see her.
When you say he used to
come in and see her...
They were friends.
Are we done?
CURTIS: Almost.
So what time did you
meet Kim that night?
About 1:00.
So you don't know
where she was before 1:00?
She was coming out
of that society party,
so I assume before then
she was in that party.
You assume?
Yeah. I assume.
I don't understand.
Am I some kind of suspect?
You moved up from $20 a dance
to $17 million pretty fast.
There's nothing shameful
about what I used to do.
It's not a secret.
We didn't know.
Well, shame on you,
being detectives.
You'd be amazed at all the things
we don't know, Mrs. Triandos.
For instance, there were 600
people at that Snowflake Ball.
Now, can you tell us which one of them you
were with between 10:00 and 1:00 a.m.
I was circulating.
That's nice.
How about getting us the mink
coat you were wearing that night?
Why?
We're gonna show it to a kid
named Ronnie Polanco.
He said he saw it here in
this house at 10:00 p.m.
He's got to be mistaken.
We don't think so.
See, his father tried to steal it.
Now, you want to explain
to us how you managed
to pick that coat up
without being here?
(SIGHS)
So embarrassing.
I was worried about Momma.
Really?
She looked
pretty healthy to me.
About Momma and Peter.
Your mother and your husband?
You might have noticed, my
mother is a little friendly.
I just wanted to see
what was going on.
I took a cab so my driver
couldn't tell them I was coming.
What was going on?
They were having a drink.
I told Momma maybe it was
time for her to leave.
And did she go?
Yes. And so did I.
I picked up that coat
on my way out.
It has always been a little hard on Kim.
Half the people we meet think we're sisters.
You'd think
a girl would like that.
But she blames you
for being so friendly?
I have just always tried
to be nice to her friends.
Could I get y'all
something to drink?
No, thanks.
Including her boyfriends?
Well, a lot of her boyfriends
are nearer my age.
Including her husband.
Your daughter asked you to leave that night?
(SIGHS) We both left.
Now, this is just silly.
CURTIS:
In one cab or two?
Two. I live south,
she was going north.
So you don't know
if she went back or not?
No.
And she doesn't know
if you did.
Me?
Peter was giving me
an allowance.
I just found out I'm gonna
have to check out of here.
Ouch.
Well, maybe your daughter
will pick up the slack.
I don't believe she's too kindly
disposed to me right now.
It might have been her
who cut me off.
So, she's already taken
charge of the money?
She and Peter's lawyer, Oliver Shain.
They're friends.
When Kim was stripping, she
was friends with a lawyer.
Named Fritz.
Rey, if you were a married lawyer
hanging out with strippers,
would you use your real name?
Well, maybe you would.
How are things going
with you and Deborah?
I'm still living
on my sister's couch.
So what if this Fritz
is really Triandos' lawyer?
Well, it just makes me wonder
how his client wound up
married to the stripper.
She fired me.
I thought
you were the executor.
You control the purse strings.
She controls the house.
I've lived here for 27 years.
I had the honor of serving
the first Mrs. Triandos.
But Ms. Kim, well, she thought
I was some kind of a schemer.
What did you think of her?
It didn't matter
what I thought.
She wasn't my wife.
Speaking of that,
how'd that courtship go?
Fast. She and Mr. Triandos were
married six weeks after they met.
He just swept her
off her feet, huh?
It wasn't hard.
How did she meet him?
Oliver Shain brought her
to the house.
To dance?
To redecorate. Mr.
Triandos wanted to buy some furniture
and Mr. Shain said she was the finest
interior designer on the East Side.
Didn't Momma tell you
what you needed to know?
Well, we have a few more questions,
and we'd like you to sign this.
It's a formality.
This is what you read me?
Right to remain silent,
right to a lawyer.
BRISCOE: If you don't mind talking
to us, just initial the boxes
and then sign it at the bottom.
I didn't kill Peter.
I just want to make you see.
Maybe we do see, Mrs. Triandos.
You lied about being at the house,
you were mad about your mother,
you were worried your
marriage was slipping away.
My marriage was just fine!
Sure.
Because it was based
on so much trust.
And just when did you become
an interior decorator?
I've always had a fashion sense.
Yeah.
And you think a Chippendale
piece is a male stripper, huh?
I didn't think Peter would even talk
to me if he knew what I really did.
So you wanted him
to talk to you?
Oliver said he was lonely.
And you were tired of drunks sticking
dollar bills into your G-string.
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
You have my client in there.
I want to go in.
I believe
you know Mr. Shain?
Yeah, I do.
We've got a few questions
for you, too, Counselor.
I didn't come here to be interrogated.
I want to see my client.
Well, that's not gonna
happen right now.
Then stop questioning her.
As soon as she tells us to,
that's just what we'll do.
Mr. Shain.
What was that?
It sounded like Oliver.
You mean Fritz?
He's having a little chat
with our lieutenant.
Seems he's worried
about getting disbarred.
What's he saying?
Nothing you don't know about, Mrs.
Triandos.
Can we stop fooling around?
It's all coming out now.
Well, then he'll tell you.
It was his idea.
What was?
Killing your husband?
No, to meet him.
To marry him.
We both needed money,
and I promised Oliver
I'd give him half
of whatever I inherited.
And which one of you
got tired of waiting?
No, there was no rush.
Peter was old.
He had medical problems.
Yeah.
A cord wrapped around his neck.
I was fond of Peter.
Mrs. Triandos, we're not as
gullible as your husband.
You're not anything like my husband.
He was a gentleman.
I'm leaving.
Maybe later.
Kim Triandos, you're under arrest
for the murder of Peter Triandos.
He was 74, she was 22?
Why, Adam? You want to
know if she has a sister?
Old fools.
Triandos was set up.
His attorney brought a stripper into his house
and told him
she was a decorator.
In exchange for
half her inheritance.
We have her statement.
When am I gonna have the pleasure of
seeing this attorney on the other end
of a bail application?
He didn't kill Triandos.
He has a solid alibi.
Okay, scheme to defraud.
Only applies if they bilked
more than one person.
They didn't run the girl
through an old-age home.
Larceny by false promise.
Only if he and Mrs. Triandos promised
she'd do some things for Mr. Triandos...
Or to him.
Or to him, that she didn't do.
Wonderful.
Let's get back to murder.
Do you think that this girl
decided to kill on her own?
The only way we can make the case against
the lawyer is if she implicates him.
Talk to her.
Make it worth her while.
Arthur,
I thought you're retired.
You can't keep
an old dog down, Jack.
Especially when summoned
by an innocent client.
Just the way a rape defendant
summons a woman lawyer.
Well, you think I'm being used
for my mature appearance?
You wouldn't do that,
would you, dear?
I just wanted the best attorney possible
to defeat this false accusation.
You see?
We're here with an offer.
Man one for a full description of
Oliver Shain's role in the murder.
Oliver didn't kill Peter.
No, you did.
But we think it was a conspiracy.
I did not kill my husband.
You don't have to do
this the hard way.
How do you think a jury's going to
react when they hear about your scheme
to marry Triandos and split
the money with Shain?
Well, that's one of those things
we'll just never know, Jack.
My motion to suppress Mrs.
Triandos' statement to the police.
The right to counsel.
(SCOFFS) The counselor
was a murder suspect.
GOLD: The law is clear.
Mr. Shain showed up
at the police station
but was prevented
from seeing his client.
The defendant waived her right to counsel.
She signed a Miranda Card.
GOLD: Doesn't matter if she signed
the Declaration of Independence.
People v. Arthur.
Once her lawyer appears,
the interrogation must cease until
the suspect has an opportunity
to consult with him.
This was a clear exception.
The police have a well-established practice
of keeping criminal
co-suspects separate
so they can't concoct
supporting stories.
Has Mr. Shain been charged
in this crime? No.
Not yet.
Whatever.
Even if the police wanted to keep Mr.
Shain apart from Mrs. Triandos,
they still should have honored his
request to stop questioning her.
That's reasonable, if he was
functioning as an attorney.
Criminals shouldn't be allowed to
obstruct inquiries into their crimes.
Do you have any precedents
for this, Mr. McCoy?
There aren't any.
Attorneys don't generally
conspire with their clients
to commit fraud and murder.
At last, some good news
for the profession.
I'm not going to use an extraordinary
case to narrow constitutional rights.
Statement is suppressed.
JACK: We could file
a 4-50-50 and appeal.
And a year from now the appellate
division will rule the same way.
Have you checked
the lineup lately?
Our motive just took
a major hit.
So what do you want to do?
Let her go and keep on investigating?
And wait for new evidence
to descend from heaven?
She strangled an old man with
his Christmas tree lights.
We'll go with what we have.
No alibi, her lies, and she
still inherits $17 million!
Plus, we've still got her.
Gold will never
let her take the stand.
He knows we could use her suppressed
statement to impeach her.
She'd impeach herself. The jury will take
one look at her and get the picture.
Arthur Gold will dress her
like a spinster librarian.
Yeah. One who likes
really old books.
It was about 11:00.
Peter and I were talking.
JACK:
And having a drink?
And having a drink.
And your daughter, Mr.
Triandos' wife, arrived without warning?
Well, I'm sure I don't know what kind
of warning she was supposed to give.
I see.
Do you know what her tone was
when she ordered you to leave?
She was just a little upset.
Because she was suspicious
of you and her husband.
Well, there was
no reason for that.
So she was irrational?
She loved her husband.
Isn't that a good thing?
She sneaked back to spy on him
because she loved him,
or because she was afraid that he
was vulnerable to other women...
Objection.
And that meant that
he might divorce her
before he died
and left her millions?
Mr. McCoy, stop.
The objection is sustained.
I'm done with this witness.
Mrs. Darcy, after your daughter
visited the townhouse,
did you see her go out again?
Yes. We left together.
And who was left inside the house
after the two of you departed?
Mr. Triandos and Robert,
his assistant.
Thank you.
I met Kim in the lobby of the museum.
It was about 1:00.
So you don't know where she'd
been between 11:00 and 1:00.
She said she'd been
at that charity ball.
She said.
Miss Jordan, how did you first
become acquainted with Kim Triandos?
Approach, Your Honor?
Mr. McCoy is attempting to elicit
that the defendant was a stripper.
If Mr. Gold prefers,
I'll say exotic dancer.
GOLD: It's prejudicial.
The jury is entitled to know the defendant's
background and financial condition.
They go to motive.
Half right, Mr. McCoy.
The witness may testify as
to the defendant's finances,
but not her occupation.
Miss Jordan, before the defendant
met her husband, was she rich?
No.
Did she ever date
poor men in their 70s?
Not that I remember.
When you met Mrs. Triandos at the
museum, what kind of a mood was she in?
Happy, joking around.
She was excited about going to this new club.
In other words, she
didn't look like a woman
who had just wrung the life out of
an old man with her bare hands.
Objection.
Overruled.
No, she didn't.
ROBERT: Mr. Triandos told me
to hire her as a decorator,
to pay her whatever
her fee was.
Did you?
Of course.
Only it turned out she didn't
even know what color sienna is.
Mr. Triandos didn't care.
He had started seeing her socially.
After their marriage, what did you
observe of their relationship?
Ms. Kim went out alone most nights.
They were sleeping in separate bedrooms.
Mr. Triandos began to
complain about being lonely.
Did he give you any indication that he
was thinking about getting a divorce?
He didn't say anything.
I mean, he wouldn't, to me.
He would have been embarrassed.
Thank you.
You don't like Mrs. Triandos,
do you?
No.
The day after her husband died,
she fired you, didn't she?
Yes.
Do you think she tried to have you
fired while he was still alive?
Yes, I believe so.
Mr. Mallors, you are the executor of Mr.
Triandos' estate, are you not?
He trusted that to me.
Which means you'll be earning
a fee of $1.5 million.
Something like that. The executor's
position requires a great deal of work.
(CHUCKLES)
Yeah, well-paid work.
You'd been counting on that money
for many years, hadn't you?
I believe I earned it.
I'm sure you do.
So how did you react a few days before Mr.
Triandos died
when you found out that you were
about to be removed as executor?
That isn't true!
Is that so?
You've testified
that Mrs. Triandos
was trying to get you
out of her husband's life.
Mr. Triandos
wouldn't do it.
He wouldn't accede to the wishes
of his beautiful, young wife?
He trusted me.
He married her.
At the time of the murder,
where were you?
In my room, asleep.
Just you and Mr. Triandos,
alone in the house?
I wouldn't kill him.
Unless he betrayed you.
Objection.
Withdrawn.
The police looked at him.
He was dead drunk and he didn't have a motive.
How's about
a million-and-a-half bucks?
He's been his executor for 15 years.
Why kill Triandos now?
You heard Mr. Gold. He was about
to be tossed off the gravy train.
Says the defense attorney.
The witness says otherwise.
You'll hear it again, I promise.
The butler did it.
I'd been trying to convince Mr.
Triandos for some time to name a new executor.
It seemed inappropriate to entrust an
estate the size of his to a house servant.
Mr. Shain,
can you identify this document?
Yes. It's a draft of a codicil to Mr.
Triandos' will.
I prepared it at his request
the week before he died.
It names the New York Trust
Company as executor.
Was Robert Mallors
told about this change?
Not by me. Mr. Triandos indicated
he was going to break the news.
I see. But at the time of his murder, Mr.
Mallors was still the executor?
Yes. Mr. Triandos was going to come
in and sign the codicil the next day.
Thank you.
Before they were married, did
the defendant and her husband
sign a prenuptial agreement?
Yes.
If they divorced, what financial
settlement was Mrs. Triandos to receive?
$5,000 a month for eight years.
That's all?
That was the agreement.
But if he died while they were still
married, she would inherit $17 million.
It's statutory the spouse
gets a third of the estate.
And how much of it
do you get, sir?
Well, I hope she'll continue
to employ me as her attorney.
I get my hourly fee.
That's all?
You're the one who introduced her
to her husband, is that correct?
Yes.
You told him that she was
an interior decorator.
At the time she was employed in another
occupation, but she'd studied design.
One night course
at the learning annex.
Why did you do her
this enormous favor?
I thought
they'd like each other.
Mr. Shain, didn't you have an
agreement with the defendant
that if she married
your client,
she would give you half her
inheritance when he died?
(SCOFFS) No.
If she is convicted of murder,
she doesn't get any
inheritance, does she?
No, she doesn't.
That's why you're sitting here
lying about Robert Mallors, because
you hope that the defendant
will be acquitted
and you can get your money!
Objection.
Sustained.
No one can corroborate your statement
about changing executors, can they?
Mr. Triandos could.
And he's conveniently dead.
Are you aware of a statement that Mrs.
Triandos made to the police
shortly before her arrest?
Your Honor, approach?
He can't mention
that statement.
It was suppressed
against the defendant.
I can use it to challenge the
credibility of this witness.
Any mention of it will inevitably
weigh against the defendant.
He's right, Mr. McCoy.
He's sitting there lying.
He may be, but that
statement is off-limits.
Do you have
any other questions?
JUDGE QUINN: Ladies and gentlemen of
the jury, have you reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
The defendant will rise.
On the sole count of the indictment,
murder in the second degree,
how do you find?
We find the defendant,
Kim Triandos, not guilty.
The defendant is released.
The jury is excused.
The court is adjourned.
I want to go after Shain for perjury.
Now that she's acquitted,
we can use
her statement against him.
Useless.
He'll say she was lying,
then she'll say she was lying.
So we sit and watch while they
kill a man and split $17 million?
If we can find any surviving
relatives of Mr. Triandos,
they can sue to have
the marriage annulled
posthumously
on the basis of fraud.
We prosecute criminal cases here.
This one's over.
Except for the murderer
and her accomplice,
who are about to become rich.
Don't be so sure.
Triandos' estate is filing a
$17-million lawsuit. Wrongful death.
Robert Mallors, the executor,
hired me to pursue it.
He feels very strongly that Mrs.
Triandos should not be allowed to inherit.
We second that emotion.
I brought you a copy of her
statement to the police.
If there's anything else we have
that might help, just call.
It may be a while. I've already got
these financials to sort through.
May I?
Please.
A house in East Hampton?
Four cars. Mr.
Triandos owned a 1939 Bugatti?
(CHUCKLES) Apparently he
hadn't driven it in a while.
I'm helping Mr. Mallors compile
all the accounting records,
and I'll be advising him on how to
divide the proceeds of the suit
among Mr. Triandos' charities.
This is the college
scholarship fund?
One of many.
He was quite a decent man.
Twenty-five
college scholarships?
Yes. It's one of the few actual
obligations of the estate.
Betty Valdez.
Got pregnant four years ago
and dropped out of school.
Dennis Perry.
He's dead.
Where'd you get that list?
From Peter Triandos' file.
You told the police he was
sending 17 kids to college.
Well, 18 now, Ben McFall started in January.
We're very proud of him.
Mr. Triandos was sending out
checks for 25 scholarships.
That's why he sent me
25 invitations to the party.
He did?
Yes.
Well, for the names you just read and
some others that left the program.
Did you tell him that?
I called him two days
before the party.
He said he'd straighten things out
as soon as the holidays were over.
I wasn't worried.
I knew everything was kosher at our end.
Who actually wrote the checks
for the scholarships?
Mr. Triandos' attorney,
Oliver Shain.
He was embezzling
from the scholarship fund.
Eight phantom kids
times $25,000 dollars.
A little advance payment while
he waited for Triandos to die.
But Triandos found out two
days before he was murdered.
He must have said
something to Shain.
And Shain sent Kim into action.
Were they in touch
during those two days?
The police copied
his office log.
He called the Triandos
house three times.
Could have been
to talk with Triandos.
And the day of the murder, he took a
long lunch at a romantic little bistro
on the Upper East Side.
"Have another glass of wine.
By the way, we have to kill him now."
Go see if the waiter
remembers her.
Monsieur Shain, he's a regular.
He likes table six.
I need to know about
a long lunch he had,
possibly with
a pretty young woman.
It was several months ago.
If she was pretty enough,
I'll remember.
Her name is Kim Triandos.
Very pretty.
But I don't know.
It was just before Christmas.
Yes! He gave his regular
servers holiday tips,
and his companion,
she resembled this.
Resembled?
Well, yes, but older.
How did we miss her?
The mother seemed to have no motive.
Triandos' death cut off her allowance.
Besides, she and her daughter
were barely speaking.
Maybe she knew she could convince
her daughter to forgive her.
Is Kim Triandos
the forgiving type?
Well, we're about to find out.
I don't want to talk to you.
Actually, Mrs. Triandos,
we're here to apologize.
Well, that's a day late
and a dollar short.
Oliver Shain was stealing from your husband.
Did you know that?
No.
That's why he convinced
your mother to kill him.
You couldn't get me for killing
Peter, which I didn't do,
so now you want to get back at
me by going after my mother?
(SCOFFS) Can't you people
just admit you were wrong?
Somebody killed your husband,
Mrs. Triandos,
and we know your mother had a long
conversation with Oliver Shain
on the day of the murder, when he knew
his stealing was about to be discovered.
So what? What would Momma
care about it, anyway?
We don't know
what Shain said to her.
What does
your mother care about?
She likes sunsets on the river.
JACK: She likes money,
doesn't she?
Isn't that why she spent a year
here, helping you get settled in?
Maybe she does, but that just
proves she wouldn't kill Peter.
He was supporting her.
Are you supporting her now?
Is she gonna share in
your inheritance?
I'm not gonna put my
mother out on the street.
But so what?
Momma is a good person.
JACK: Really, Mrs. Triandos?
You're the one who sneaked
back to spy on her.
She's...
Not a murderer.
Fine.
Show us.
Well, isn't this nice?
Just us girls.
Not like home, though.
Honey, this is home now.
Momma, everybody
thinks I killed Peter.
You were acquitted.
They can kiss your ass.
I got this civil trial coming up.
I don't think I can stand it.
You're gonna win that one, too.
All you have got to do is think strategically.
I have this deposition,
and then I have to testify.
And everybody thinks
I'm a murderer!
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
I'm telling my lawyer
to settle.
What?
I'm giving up the money.
I don't need it. I'm 22. I can work.
Well, you're talking crazy.
Having the money makes me feel guilty,
even though I didn't do anything.
You, you, you.
What about me?
KIM ON RADIO:
What about you, Momma?
VELMA ON RADIO: I am not 22.
You were gonna take care of me.
Let's just go home.
We can both get jobs.
You gonna dance naked
in Wichita Falls?
Momma...
You want me to dance naked, too?
The dancing naked idiot family.
These family talks
are so heartwarming.
I just hope nobody throws the
vase with the microphone in it.
The great Peter.
You're so loyal to him.
Well, I should be.
Girl, he was getting ready
to chuck you out.
That is not true.
I saw the divorce papers
myself.
Oliver Shain showed them to me.
I don't believe it.
He was gonna dump you
like a Laredo whore.
After you earned that money
on your back.
That's it.
I'm giving back the money.
No, you're not!
Not after I killed that man.
We've got it, Rey.
Momma!
That money was yours and mine.
Momma, how could you?
You know what I gave up
when I got pregnant with you?
I was gonna come to New York myself.
Twenty-three years ago.
Momma, no!
Not that again.
I would have been married
to some fine rich man...
CURTIS: Mrs. Darcy...
I wasn't gonna lose out twice.
Mrs. Darcy.
What?
You're under arrest for the
murder of Peter Triandos.
You have the right
to remain silent.
(WEEPING) He was really nice.
Oh. Girl, you are as
dumb as a sack of hair.
Stand up, please.
Murder, Mr. McCoy? Because my
client allegedly lied to Mrs. Darcy
about her son-in-law
seeking a divorce?
Read the accomplice
liability statute.
If he requested, solicited, commanded
or importuned her to kill Triandos,
he's as guilty as she is.
You know the woman.
She's crazy.
We've got you nailed
on the embezzlement, sir.
On the murder,
it'll be a pleasure to try.
(SIGHS)
How's Kim Triandos doing?
Civil suit's dropped.
That should cheer her up.
She's still the daughter
of a murderer.
She did seem
to take it pretty hard.
I think, deep down,
she always knew.
She wore a wire to prove to us
her mother wasn't a killer.
No. To try
to prove it to herself.