Law & Order (1990–2010): Season 7, Episode 9 - Entrapment - 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.

Hey, look, you want a donation
to your favorite charity, fine.

Just tell me what
it's gonna cost.

You'd rather pay a kickback than to
put a black man on your payroll.

Let me tell you,
my white brother,

you do business
in this community,

you hire people
from this community.



The hell with that.

Bobby, we're here
to make this happen.

It ain't happening.

Just think what you're doing, Books,
and who you're doing it to.

You don't like
sweet potato pie?

(CHUCKLING)

It's like a damn
sauna in there.

What happened is not good, Leo.

Books is gonna tank
the whole project.

Hey, how about calling us
a car service, huh?

(GUN SHOTS)

(PEOPLE SCREAMING)

(CAR TIRES SCREECHING)

Call 911. It's Mr. Books.



EMS took Roland Books
to Columbia Pres.

The bodyguard
Otis Cooke was laying

on top of him when we got here.

Doing what he was
getting paid to do.

We got four shells on the ground.
.25 Caliber.

This Books' car?

Belongs to his organization.

See the decal? AAC,
African American Congress.

All their cars have them.

Where was Books coming from?

Around the corner. Viena's.

The hostess, Corrine Samuels,
she said Books had an argument.

Thanks.

Miss Samuels, I'm
Detective Lennie Briscoe.

You witnessed an argument
involving Mr. Books?

With three white men.

He was having dinner with them,

and one of them got
mad and left early.

Any idea who they were?
No.

The short one offered
me his business card.

He said he could
fix our ventilation.

You have the card?
(CHUCKLES) No.

I told him we only use people
from the neighborhood.

Well, we'd like you
to try and describe

these three men to a sketch
artist, if you would.

This officer will take you down
to the precinct house, okay?

CURTIS: See anyone on
the street? Maybe a car?

ELDRIDGE: Well, when
I came around the corner,

I heard a car hauling
ass toward Amsterdam.

What about the two white
guys who called 911?

They were over there.
I don't know where they are.

Okay, thanks.
Look, just give your number

to the officer over
there, all right?

All right.
This is cold, man.

Mr. Books was down for his people.
Yeah.

Right now, his people
look a little down.

The second time in four years a
leader of the AAC has been shot.

What do they say, "It's
lonely at the top"?

Yeah. Now we know why.

Books is in ICU
under heavy sedation.

Do we have any good news
for the Commissioner?

Does no news still count?

We got no witnesses,
no prints on the shells...

Let's go with
the obvious suspects.

Books' people forward his
hate mail to our bias unit.

Volume one of four.

The man loves controversy.

A lot of his pen pals blame him

for his predecessor's
murder four years ago.

Yeah. Marcus Tate.

Mike Logan worked on that case.
It's still open.

Not according to these people.

They claim Books
staged a palace coup.

Yeah, with Elvis and Bigfoot.
Pass these off to Profaci and Gia.

In the meantime, find out who
knew Books would be at Viena's.

Oh, right. That means talking to
the friendly folks at the AAC.

Is that a problem?

I've read their literature.
They just love white, middle-aged cops.

Mr. Books lectured at the
Historical Society at 7:30.

I don't know what his
plans were after that.

You're his executive assistant.
Isn't it your job to know?

It's not my job to take
attitude from public servants.

We're all a little
jumpy, Miss Watkins.

We don't like this shooting
any more than you do.

Mr. Books keeps
his schedule loose

precisely to avoid
what happened last night.

Well, last night he went to
dinner with these three men.

Any idea who they are?
I don't know.

You'll have to wait
and ask Mr. Books.

Maybe if we take a look at his
desk, see what he was working on.

If you think I'm going to let
two cops search his desk...

If we think you're hiding evidence,

you're gonna have
50 cops up here.

WATKINS: These are
his current projects.

Sickle cell research.
Robeson choir.

Harlem retail mall.

Building contracts.
AAC going into the construction business?

Mr. Books is pushing
for minority hiring.

Yeah, that always makes
contractors happy.

"Hudson Airworks,
Incorporated."

The guy who wanted to fix the
restaurant's ventilation.

I've heard of affirmative action before.
50% quota. Come on.

We understand one of your dinner
companions was pretty upset about it.

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

You were the only one who
didn't hear him yelling?

Who is it,
Mr. Robertson?

Robert Falco.
Falco Structural Steel.

Books was putting him
in a jam with the unions.

How big a jam?

Last year, Falco borrowed
three-quarters of a million dollars

from the pension
fund at Local 838.

Falco's having a hard
time paying them back.

He's been underbid on
a couple of projects.

And the union is leaning on him
hard to make good on the loan.

And the Harlem contract would
solve all his problems.

Yeah, sure, as long as everyone
in Local 838 is on his payroll.

And the union don't have a minority
hiring program, you know what I mean?

After you left the restaurant,
where did you go?

Eddie and me drove to
Cardi's for a nightcap.

I needed a glass of Barolo to
wash down the collard greens.

Who's Eddie?
Eddie Page.

He's married to a cousin.
He drives me around.

What time did
you get to Cardi's?

20 minutes after we
left the restaurant.

Hey, guys, am I a
suspect here or what?

Well, we couldn't
help but notice

how getting Books
out of the way

helps you square
things with Local 838.

Oh, sure. I chew out Books in front
of a restaurant full of people,

then I clip him an hour later.
That's subtle.

In your line of work,
subtlety isn't required.

You want subtle?
Get out of here.

Next time you want to talk
to me, call my lawyer.

Last night?

Yeah, he was here.
What time did he come in?

You see a clock on the wall?

Maybe one of your patrons
looked at his watch.

You know, we can post
a couple of uniforms outside

and ask everyone who comes in.

Falco came in around 10:30.
He sat at the bar.

CURTIS: How long
did he stay?

He was waiting for his driver.

Eddie showed up
45 minutes later.

What? Eddie was
running an errand?

Falco didn't say.

Do you happen to know
what they talked about?

(SCOFFS) Yeah, right.
Eavesdropping on your customers.

They teach you that
at bartender's school.

We went to Eddie's place in Bay Ridge.
He wasn't home.

His super said
he might've taken

a couple days off
to go gambling.

Yeah. We faxed his
photo and particulars

to Foxwoods and Atlantic City.

So, he's got 45 minutes unaccounted for.
What else?

Well, he's been
upstate a few times.

Truck hijack, trafficking in
stolen goods, weapons possession.

BRISCOE: And state troopers found him in
possession of a.25 caliber in his belt,

and a.38 in
the glove compartment.

Sounds promising.
Dig a little more,

you get enough for
an arrest warrant.

(PHONE RINGING)

Briscoe. Yeah?

Until what time?

Okay. Thank you.

Books is awake
and ready to talk.

BOOKS: Otis opened the door.

I heard a shot.

Then Otis pushed me down.

CURTIS: Did you see who
did the shooting? No.

Otis was on top of me.

He saved my life.

Do you have any suspects?

We're looking at a few people.

We understand you had words
with a Robert Falco?

Yes.

Is he one of those people?

Should he be?

(SIGHS SOFTLY)

Mr. Falco's beholden
to powerful interests.

I was a fly in his ointment.

Detectives, it's time for Mr.
Books to rest. Sure.

Mr. Books, if you think of
anything else, let us know.

The doctors say I can go
home in a couple of days.

I'll be watching you.
We'll all be watching you.

This time we want results.

He's the reason
I switched to homicide.

The victims don't
usually mouth off to you.

Hey, he wants to look over
my shoulder, be my guest.

Yeah, this is Curtis.
You beeped me?

Uh-huh.

All right. Tell them to stay with him.
Thanks.

Eddie Page showed up at the
Paradise in Atlantic City.

Local cops are sitting on him.

He's rolling sevens
at the craps table.

(KNOCKING AT DOOR)

Mr. Page?
It's hotel security.

EDDIE: What's the problem?

We need to come in, sir.

We have a smoke alarm signal
coming from your room.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING)

All right ladies, you can get dressed now.
What is this?

This is between Eddie and us.

Who the hell is "us"?
What is this?

Detective Curtis, Detective
Briscoe, New York City Police.

New York City. Come on, guys.
I came down here to relax.

Well, relax by answering
a few questions.

Tuesday night.

Your boss was drinking alone at Cardi's.
Where were you?

I don't remember.
What's so special about Tuesday night?

Roland Books and his bodyguard were
shot outside Viena's that night.

Why, and I'm the guy?
You gotta be kidding me.

There's an ADA drafting
a search warrant

for your apartment in
Bay Ridge as we speak.

Okay, stop right there.

I ain't got nothing in there as
it relates to this Books thing.

So tell us a story we like, and maybe
we'll hold off on the warrant.

When Bobby was having
dinner with Books,

I caught this black
kid staring into our car.

He was looking to
boost the stereo.

He already had a backpack full
of Alpines and Blaupunkts.

Yeah, so?

So, he said he had another
20 units to unload,

so I told him to meet me outside
the Guggenheim at 11:00.

I dropped Bobby off at Cardi's,

but then the kid never showed.

This kid give you his name?

KO. Something like that.

Hey, guys, none of this
gets back to Bobby, okay?

Go put your pants on.

(SIGHS) I couldn't
commit the crime because

I was busy committing
another crime.

That plays.

Well, we can check with the
28, the smash-and-grab unit,

see if they heard of this kid KO.
Yeah.

JUDGE: Your client had a slap
hammer and three car stereos

in his backpack
when he was arrested.

It's his first offense,
Your Honor.

Of course it is.
I'm giving him ROR.

Mr. Orgell,
AP7, January 9th.

Stay away from cars until then.
All right.

Yo, yo, KO.
Let's take a walk.

ORGELL: Looks like
a lot of white mos.

This one said you were supposed to
meet him in front of the Guggenheim.

Yeah. But I got clicked
before I got down there.

BRISCOE: And you were
outside of Viena's

just before Roland
Books got shot, right?

Yeah.
You see anybody hanging around?

Not on the street.

I saw somebody in a car, about a
half a block from the corner.

What were they doing?
Just sitting.

I mean, I only saw
them from behind.

I didn't get any kind of look,
you know what I'm saying?

Can you describe the car?

Blue Ford.

It was one of
Mr. Books' people.

How do you know that?

I saw their sticker
in the window. AAC.

You see that on a car,
you stay away.

You don't want
one of those people

catching you boosting their
stereo, you know what I'm saying?

(CLEARS THROAT) So, am I done?

Yeah. Just remember what the judge
told you, know what I'm saying?

(LAUGHING SARCASTICALLY)

You know, I don't remember seeing a blue
Ford on that street after the shooting.

A blue Ford
belonging to the AAC.

Another palace coup?

Unless it was Elvis in the car.

We lease 26 cars.

Five Town Cars, the rest
are Tauruses and Tempos.

14 of them are blue.

We'll need the names and addresses
of the people with those cars.

But you're talking about
the entire executive board.

Are we all suspects?

You know, Roland Books
is your leader, not ours.

So why does it seem we care more
about who shot him than you do?

For your information,
I was home with my family

in Saddle Brook
Tuesday all night.

Satima Tate? She related
to Mr. Books' predecessor?

Yes. She's
Marcus Tate's widow.

She serves as the honorary
chairperson of our women's group.

And she drives a blue Taurus.

SATIMA: I'm not sure
I can help you.

I'm no longer as involved as I'd like
to be in my husband's organization.

Well, where were you
Tuesday night?

I played bridge at
the Third Baptist Church.

Same as every Tuesday night.
Why do you ask?

A blue car similar to
yours with an AAC decal

was seen in the area just before Mr.
Books was shot.

And you see me driving around
Harlem with a smoking gun?

A lot of people hold Books responsible
for your husband's death.

So did I at one time.
But I was wrong.

We've buried the hatchet.

Did you drive your car to the
bridge game Tuesday night?

Yes, I did.

BRISCOE: If you don't mind, we'd
like to have a look at the car.

Well, my son Huey keeps it.

So, he had the car
Tuesday night?

Yes, but he was home.

He called right after 11:00.
He heard on the news about Roland.

I went to a movie across the
street from Lincoln Center.

It was with that Chinese
actress, Gong Li.

You go by yourself?

I don't need company
to sit in the dark.

Did you take your mother's car?

I took the subway.
I don't like to drive in the city.

So, the car stays where?

In a parking garage down
the block from my house.

I haven't used it since I went
up to Litchfield last month.

You know, your mother lied to us at
first about your having the car.

Maybe she suspects you had
something to do with the shooting.

I bet there's a lot more your
mother hasn't told us, right, Huey?

Leave my mother alone.
That's up to you.

I have to go back to work.

Is there any other way in?

There's a pedestrian
entrance on the other side.

The mud in the tire treads isn't dry.

This car's been out in
the last couple of days.

Mr. Dobbs, does Mr. Tate
always park like this?

No, he's usually
plumb in the middle.

Except when he's in a hurry.
Hmm.

All right. Thanks.

The Chinese movie was
playing at a multiplex.

Six screens. 1,600 tickets.
Nobody remembers seeing him.

Well, how about
the other 13 blue cars?

All those alibis checked out.

Well, if Books' secretary didn't even
know he was gonna be at Viena's,

how would Huey Tate?

Books' lecture at
the Historical Society

was announced in
all the papers.

Huey could've followed
him from there.

So could everyone
else at the lecture.

CURTIS: LT, he lied
about his car.

Damp mud?
Did you check his aura too?

Hey, we checked the computer.
For what it's worth, he has a jacket.

Criminal mischief, disorderly
conduct, trespass.

In 1991, he broke into the South
African consulate with a friend,

chained himself to a desk
to protest apartheid.

Hey, at 18, I'd do the same.

Even his mother
acts like he did it.

Talk to people who know him.

He didn't give us
any references.

Well, what about the girl he was
arrested with. Angela Roney?

That was like five years ago.
I mean, we were in high school.

What makes you think
we stayed in touch?

Oh, getting arrested together
can be a bonding experience.

You know, Bonnie and Clyde,
Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden.

(SCOFFS) Look,
I gotta get to work.

We'll give you
a note for your boss.

(SCOFFS)

You know, I don't
have to talk to you.

And even if I did
have something to say,

I wouldn't tell it
to two city cops.

(ANGELA GROANS) Hey, didn't you
learn anything from Mr. Rogers?

(SIGHS) A policeman's your best friend.
Now you can leave.

Besides the consulate
arrest, Roney's clean.

She's been on the road.
I checked the national system.

'93, shoplifting in Santa Cruz.

'94, vagrancy in
Colorado Springs.

'95, she bounced
a check in Tampa.

Never showed up for
court on that one.

I bet she's got
a friend named Thelma.

The bounced check, is
there a bench warrant?

Yeah. But it's like
a $50 fine, Lennie.

Hey, it's enough
to get her attention.

Angela left two hours ago.
Suddenly she's very popular.

So we're not the only
ones looking for her?

She found two cops
with nicer suits.

I doubt that.
They show you any ID?

I made them before
they flipped their wallets.

Federal Bureau of Intimidation.

One of their
names was Fletcher.

They put Angela under arrest?

I don't think so. She had a big
grin on her face when she left.

After you contacted Miss Roney,

she knew she could no longer avoid
being involved in this case.

She was extremely concerned
about her safety.

That's when she called us.

What's she afraid of?

She has evidence
against Huey Tate.

His father still has followers
in the black community.

Yeah, well. We know how to
protect witnesses, too.

Yes, well, I've heard about your
witness protection program.

It's called Woodlawn Cemetery.

Let's get one thing straight.

Books is our case, and
this girl is our witness.

We're not poaching, Detective.

For now, this is
a local matter.

But we are taking an interest
in Miss Roney's safety.

What evidence does
Miss Roney have?

You guys are gonna love this.

HUEY: (ON TAPE)
It's a lot of money.

What if we ask
the wrong person?

ANGELA: Hey, look, if you want
to back out, hey, that's okay.

No, no.

I think of him standing
over my father's casket,

that phony look
on his face.

I know, baby.

I want that bastard dead.
Blood for blood.

I have to do it.

(PHONE BEEPS)

That's mine. Let me
call you right back.

Okay.

BRISCOE: When was
this recorded?

About two weeks ago.
I used my answering machine.

Did you people know?
HARTLEY: No.

First thing we heard about
it was this morning

when she called us
out of the blue.

Why did you tape
the conversation?

Well, I ran into Huey
a couple of months ago.

And I hadn't seen him
for about four years.

And all of a sudden he starts
talking about killing people.

I don't know,
I just got scared.

I made the tape
to protect myself.

CURTIS: We have problems
with your story, Huey.

You said you hadn't used
your car since last month.

Well, we have physical evidence

that suggests you
used it last week.

That's not true.

BRISCOE:
And there's your alibi.

We showed your picture
to the ticket takers,

the ushers, the candy vendors.

Nobody saw you.

Somebody must have.
I was there.

You weren't there. You were outside
Viena's, waiting for Roland Books.

Waiting to avenge your father.

I don't think like that.

VAN BUREN: Didn't you
love your father?

Yes. If someone did that
to somebody I love,

I'd be out of my
mind with hate.

My father taught
me not to hate.

VAN BUREN:
It's natural, Huey.

A jury will understand that.

You were right next to your
father when he was shot.

I let it go.
I was angry, but I let it go.

(SIGHS)

HUEY: (ON TAPE) No.

I think of him standing
over my father's casket,

that phony look on his face.

ANGELA: I know, baby.

I want that bastard dead.
Blood for blood.

I have to do it.

(TAPE RECORDER SWITCHES OFF)

Tell me what happened
Tuesday night.

I want to call my mother.
I want to talk to a lawyer.

VAN BUREN: Huey Tate, you're under
arrest for the murder of Otis Cooke

and the attempted murder of Roland Books.
CURTIS: Stand up.

VAN BUREN: You have the
right to remain silent.

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

COURT CLERK: Case number
91608, People v. Huey Tate.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING) One count
murder in the Second Degree.

One count attempted murder
in the Second Degree.

What's your plea, Mr.
Tate? Not guilty.

Your Honor, this was a
premeditated assassination.

The people ask for
remand without bail.

Your Honor, the only evidence
they have is a recorded utterance

made in the heat of the moment.

I see that in the write-up.

Miss Ross, give me a
number you can live with.

In view of the seriousness of
this crime, two million dollars.

(EXCLAIMS) Come on.
My client doesn't have that kind of money.

Your Honor, may I speak
as a friend of the court?

Who are you?
Roland Books.

I'm one of the victims of this crime.

My organization will post any
amount of bail necessary

to secure the release
of Mr. Tate.

We believe he is the target
of a government frame-up

(PEOPLE CHEERING) And is in no way
responsible for this cowardly...

Your Honor.
Sit down, Mr. Books,

and get out your checkbook.

Bail is set at
two million dollars.

(GAVEL BANGS)

That was just the warm-up.
You wait till trial.

Books will be in front of
the camera every night.

Can't do anything about that.

Maybe you can,
Mr. Schiff.

We'd like this case disposed
of through a plea bargain.

The reason being?

FLETCHER: Angela Roney can help
us with other investigations.

A trial could compromise her usefulness
as a confidential informant,

and expose her to reprisals.

ADAM: Well. We'll
see what we can do.

Always nice doing business
with the Bureau.

(DOOR OPENING)

Well, you think
the boy will deal?

We have the tape, but no direct
evidence he did the shooting.

Find some.

I must've been napping when they
made us a field office of the FBI.

It's not what they want.
It's what I want.

A conviction, not a
media free-for-all.

We detected trace amounts
of lead and barium

on the door latch here.

And on the steering wheel.

Gunshot residue?
Yeah.

Whatever was on his hands,
it rubbed off here.

CURTIS: All right.
Thanks.

I'd rather have
the murder weapon.

Yeah, I'd rather be in Hialeah.

Well, we tossed his apartment, his
building, his garage, his workplace.

Here's what we
found in the car.

Hiking the Adirondacks. Rock Climber's
Field Guide. A regular boy scout.

He believes in being prepared.

Here's a pamphlet on
self-defense classes.

I wonder if they include
small-arms training?

Huey teaches self-defense
twice a week.

He started as a student
four years ago.

When our instructor moved away
last year, he took over the class.

Are guns part of
the curriculum?

No. Just hands,
feet, knees.

We're not the Harlem militia.

Does he ever talk about his
father's death or Roland Books?

It's obvious
he misses his father.

Whatever he thinks about Mr.
Books he keeps to himself.

It's hard for me to
believe he shot him.

But not impossible?

You don't think we're
trying to frame him?

If you were, you wouldn't be
here looking for evidence.

Do you know if he owns a gun?

Ms. Scruggs, I need you
to tell me what you know.

(SIGHS)

Huey was always concerned
about his safety.

He told me he carried a gun.
I even saw it in his backpack once.

ROSS: Why can't we find the gun, Mr.
Tate? Was it stolen?

Did you leave it on the bus?

How about your witness
is imagining things?

We didn't imagine the
gunshot residue on the car.

We're prepared to
be lenient, Mr. Tate.

You plead to manslaughter
in the first degree,

you serve eight and
a third to 25 years.

DUBOIS: We're not interested.

The offer is final.

The offer is irrelevant.

My client was entrapped.

Your Miss Roney violated
his due process rights.

So now you're saying
he committed the crime?

We're not admitting
to anything.

But if you insist
on prosecuting him,

we are going to
plead entrapment.

First of all, whatever
Angela Roney did,

she was acting as
a private citizen,

not as an agent of the police.

Didn't your FBI
friends tell you?

Two years ago, she testified
as a confidential informant

in a Federal trial of four
cult members in Colorado.

So, once a government snitch,
always a government snitch.

I doubt a jury
sees it that way.

This case is never
gonna make it to a jury.

(CHUCKLING)

I'm moving for an Isaacson
hearing and a dismissal.

Come on, Huey.

I didn't do it, but if
I did, she made me.

People v. Butts.
It's a brilliant strategy.

I wonder what else we haven't
been told about Miss Roney?

We didn't tell
you about Colorado

because the Bureau has a
confidentiality agreement with Angela.

And the New York District
Attorney can't keep a secret?

It's ancient history, Mr. McCoy.
When she recorded Huey Tate,

she wasn't acting
under anyone's orders.

I'm hungry.
Anyone want anything?

JACK: We'll pass.

I'm gonna need three hours with
her before she takes the stand.

(EXCLAIMING) What do
you mean, take the stand?

Huey Tate claims
you entrapped him.

A hearing is set for
the day after tomorrow.

You told me all I would have to
do was to authenticate this tape.

Now I'm not testifying
about anything else.

JACK: You don't
have a choice.

Oh, I wasn't talking to you.

Look, these guys have me
living here in this hotel room

because there are people running
around Harlem gunning for me.

Now, nobody is putting
my face on the 6:00 news.

Angela, he's right, you don't...
No. No. No. It's about time

somebody started treating me
with respect around here.

Look, if it weren't for me, you
would have squat on Huey Tate.

Mr. McCoy, you need
to secure a gag order,

and an order to close the
courtroom during her testimony.

After I ran into her at the book
store, we hung out a few times.

She came on to me, talking
sweet, that sort of thing.

It wasn't long
before we became lovers.

Who first brought up Roland
Books and your father's murder?

She did.

She said a friend of hers
that worked at the AAC

told her Roland Books
had my father killed.

DUBOIS: At that time did you harbor
any animosity toward Mr. Books?

No.

I told Angela I wasn't
interested in any rumors.

Did she do or say anything
to change your mind?

Yes.

She said she heard there was
a plot to kill my mother.

Mr. Books was worried she was
gonna take over the AAC.

(SIGHS) I didn't believe it.

But every day Angela would tell
me that my mother was in danger

and I started to
think it was true.

So she created a fear in your
mind, is that what you're saying?

Yes. What did Angela
suggest you do about it?

She said I should find a
way to kill Mr. Books.

She kept bringing it up.

At dinner, on the phone,
at night after we made love.

She kept after me to say yes.

She said killing Roland Books
is what a man would do.

It's what a son should do.

And after weeks of
persistent solicitation,

what did you
finally say to her?

I said I would do it.

But then I couldn't go through with it.
I told her that.

I did not shoot Mr. Books.

DUBOIS: Thank you.

Did you tell your mother about
this threat to kill her?

No, I didn't want to worry her.

Did you call the police?

They didn't do anything
to help my father.

Why should they lift
a finger to help my mother?

JACK: Did you tell anyone?

There was no one I could trust.

Or is it because this whole
story is a fabrication?

No. You always wanted
Roland Books dead,

didn't you? You blame him
for your father's death.

That's not true.

"Marcus Tate was murdered
by men he trusted,

"by men who stole
his mantle of leadership."

Your words, Mr. Tate?
Objection.

I'm reading from
a letter to the editor

of Barricade
magazine attributed

to Huey Tate in
their June 1994 issue.

DUBOIS: It's irrelevant,
Your Honor.

Under Isaacson, even if he was
pre-disposed to commit the crime,

he can still
have been entrapped.

It goes to credibility.
He just said that he didn't blame Mr. Books.

Objection overruled. Mr.
Tate, answer his question.

I wrote it.
I was very angry and...

Thank you.
No more questions.

He was obsessed with Books.

(STAMMERING) He talked about him all the time.
He really hated the man.

Who's idea was it to kill him?

Huey's.

He asked me if I thought I
knew how much it would cost.

And I made up
some crazy amount,

thinking that maybe
he'd forget about it.

Did he?
No.

He decided to do it himself.
I tried to talk him out of it,

but it was like, you know,
talking to a stone wall.

JACK: During that time, were
you acting under the direction

of any law enforcement agency?
No.

Thank you.

Angela, how did you become an FBI
informant two years ago in Colorado?

I was a member of the
Children of the Seventh Seal.

It's a bunch of
whacked-out people

stockpiling guns for doomsday.

I was arrested with an
automatic rifle in my car,

and I was facing
a 10-year sentence,

and Agent Fletcher said that
if I informed on the cult,

they'd drop the charges.

DUBOIS: Did you receive
other compensation?

Don't look at those gentlemen over there.
Just answer my question.

They paid me $40,000.

(DUBOIS EXCLAIMING)

That's 10,000 for each cult
member that you put in jail.

I believe the FBI calls
that pay-for-performance.

Now, how much were you earning from
the bookstore when you met my client?

$7 an hour.

$7.

And you never thought of
earning thousands of dollars

by badgering my
client into making

incriminating
statements on tape?

No. Then why did you
secretly record

your conversations with him?

Because I was afraid
that if he killed Books,

the police would think that I
had something to do with that.

Well, if you were so concerned,

why didn't you just go to the
police before the shooting?

Well, I couldn't do that.
Huey was my friend.

DUBOIS: (CHUCKLES) Weren't the people
in the cult also your friends?

You don't have to answer that.
Nothing further.

Angela hasn't served as a confidential
informant since Colorado.

She was never directed to gather
evidence against Huey Tate.

Thank you.

Are you saying
you had no contact

with Angela
since you transferred

to the New York field office?

That wasn't my testimony.

I'll take that to
mean you had contact.

Go on, Counselor.

This contact, was it
of a social nature?

I'm not at liberty
to discuss it.

Your Honor, could you please
direct the witness to answer?

Agent Fletcher, you will answer Mr.
Dubois's question.

I can't, Your Honor.
It would compromise Bureau operations.

DUBOIS: Move to strike the
witness's entire testimony.

He can't pick which
question he'll answer.

My client has the right to confront
the witnesses against him.

JACK: Your Honor.
The question is material, Mr. McCoy.

Your answer, sir.

The witness' testimony
is stricken.

You are excused,
Agent Fletcher.

JUDGE: Mr. McCoy,
any other witnesses?

JACK: No, Your Honor.

Then for the purposes
of this hearing,

I find the informant was
acting as a government agent.

Your Honor, the informant's
testimony still stands.

She denied acting
on orders of the FBI.

I don't believe her, Mr. McCoy.
I'm granting the motion.

The informant manufactured a crime by hounding Mr.
Tate into an agreement.

The charges are dismissed.
Yes.

(ALL CLAPPING)

Books is all over the news saying it's
a great day for American justice.

Thanks to the FBI hanging us out
to dry with a tainted witness.

You're not the first D.A.
To end up on the Federal clothesline.

I want to know
what they're hiding.

What do you think
they're hiding?

That Roney was really
working for the FBI.

ADAM: Why not?
Common sense.

I don't think the FBI put
a gun in Huey Tate's hand

and let him shoot Books.

I see. FBI never
makes mistakes.

Ever hear of Ruby Ridge?

So now it's a cover-up.

Jamie, there's no
question Fletcher was

in touch with Roney
before the shooting.

If we find out why,
we might find grounds

to re-argue
the entrapment decision.

Well, Angela didn't come to work wearing
a shirt that said "Property of the FBI."

Had you seen her with
Agent Fletcher before?

No.

How about other visitors?
Or strange phone calls?

Everything about
Angela was strange.

You work for six months in a bookstore,
and you never read a book?

What did she spend
her time doing?

Talking to customers,

getting herself invited
to political meetings.

Maybe she aspired to be the Perle
Mesta of the New York underground.

What about money? Did you see any
change in her spending habits?

No. She hit me up for an advance
a couple of months ago.

Said she was coming into some money,

but I'm still waiting
to get paid back.

That was about the time she
started seeing Huey Tate?

That seems right.
He came in about then.

I don't know much
about their relationship.

You should talk
to her old roommate.

I always thought Angela was lying when
she said she had friends in high places.

We're not Angela's friends.

Oh.

(STAMMERING) I'm not, either.

I just shared a place with
her for a few months.

I found her off the
bulletin board at NYU.

What did she say about these
friends in high places?

They were supposed to help
her with some major score.

JACK: Did you spend much
time with her and Huey Tate?

No, they usually
went to his place.

(CHUCKLES) She said I might get jealous
of all the good sex she was having.

How thoughtful.

Did you get the idea
she was using Huey?

Yeah, I mean, Marcus Tate's little boy.
That's a catch.

She was definitely taking
advantage of the situation.

What do you mean?

Like when I moved out,
she offered to help.

She borrowed Huey's
car without telling him.

She even had her own keys made.

I checked her bank records.

Roney's deposited the same
$300 paycheck every week

for the last six months.

Whatever money she was
expecting from the FBI,

she never got it.

She's not on the FBI payroll.
That's good, isn't it?

You can re-argue.
ROSS: There's a wrinkle.

Roney was in the habit of using
Tate's car without his knowledge.

And we think she took his
car to go shoot Books.

She shot Books?
Why would she do that?

If I knew where the FBI was
hiding her, I'd ask her.

Her landlady said she came by her
apartment a few days ago with the FBI.

They filled a few
suitcases and left.

(INTERCOM BUZZING)

Get me the US Attorney.
SECRETARY: Right away.

Convene a grand jury,
get a subpoena.

She's in witness protection I can't
tell you any more than that.

You have to comply.

We have 30 days,
Mr. McCoy.

Right now, we're inclined to
move to quash your subpoena.

The Federal interest
in protecting informants

overrides the needs
of local authorities.

Why do you want to talk to her?

To begin with, we'd like to know where
she was on the night of the shootings.

What? Now she's a suspect?
What the hell have you been smoking?

If you really think she's
involved, get an arrest warrant.

Then we'll hand her over.

If we had enough to arrest,
we wouldn't need a subpoena.

This kid stuck her neck
out to make cases for us.

I won't put her through this bull...
Ron.

We'll be in touch with your
office about the subpoena.

I'd like a word
with Agent Fletcher.

(DOOR CLOSING)

You misjudged Angela
Roney, didn't you?

What? She approached you
before the shooting.

She offered to serve up Huey
Tate in return for money.

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

She told everyone she was
expecting a windfall.

We're off the record
here, Agent Fletcher.

On or off, I don't
have anything to say.

Roney warned you Huey Tate
wanted to kill Books.

You didn't believe her.
You told her to get lost.

No. Never happened.

When Books was shot, you panicked.
You thought you screwed up.

That's why you're protecting her
now, to keep her mouth shut.

But Angela Roney shot Books,

to prove that you were wrong,

to make you look foolish.

That's a load of crap.

Her old roommate told us she has
duplicate keys to Tate's car.

She drove his car
to shoot Books.

My next subpoena's gonna be
for you, Agent Fletcher.

If you cooperate, you
might save your career.

If not, I'm having
you cited for contempt.

At best, you failed to
stop an assassination.

At worst, you protected a murderer.

Wait.

Angela was always calling me

about dope deals
and weapons sales,

but every time I gave her
a polygraph, she failed.

Then she came in with
this story about Tate.

She wanted $20,000.

I gave her another polygraph.
She failed again. I blew her off.

After Books was shot, I thought
I was finished in the Bureau.

You just said she
failed a polygraph.

An informant warned the Bureau

about Arab terrorists
and bombs.

They gave him a polygraph.
They told him to get lost.

Six months later, the World
Trade Center blew up.

What do you think happened to the
agent that screwed that pooch?

This just came from
Fletcher's office.

A set of car keys.

And an affidavit signed
by Agent Fletcher,

stating the keys were
found during a search

of Angela Roney's
belongings yesterday.

Send them to forensics.

There's also an address
of a motel in Long Island

where Angela Roney's
being kept.

The keys fit Huey Tate's car.
Your prints are on them.

We examined your clothing.

We found traces
of gunshot residue

on the right sleeve
of a leather jacket.

And finally, we can't
corroborate your alibi.

It's not an easy case, but
we've convicted with less.

What's the offer?

Murder two, 20-to-life.

Uh-uh.

You offered Huey man one.

You didn't kill to avenge
your father's death.

You killed to impress people.

I can give you Huey.

He lied at the hearing.

Now, he never backed
out of killing Books.

I mean, he didn't want to
know who or when or where,

but he wanted it done.

Nice story.

You can tell it to your
cellmate for the next 25 years.

Hey, smart guy,

why do you suppose he never
reported the gun missing?

He supplied the gun to kill Books?

Yeah, that's right, and for man
one I'll tell you where it is.

Murder two,
15-to-life.

Now where's the gun?

(LAUGHS)

Man.

I knew Huey'd go for it.

He wanted Books dead.

All I had to do was
suggest the means.

But then Fletcher and
his stupid polygraph...

(CHUCKLES)

(SIGHS)

For 20 grand,

I could've handed him a conspiracy
count on a silver platter.

I filed a motion to re-argue
the entrapment decision.

With Fletcher's new testimony,
the judge has to find

Roney wasn't acting under
orders from the FBI.

Well, whatever she did
can't be entrapment.

We can re-instate the
charges against Huey Tate.

Good.

Ballistics matched
the gun to the slugs.

But latent found no prints on it.
We can't link it to Tate.

Until you do, you can't
corroborate the girl's story.

You have no case against Tate.

At least we can return the
gun to its legal owner.

Five years ago, it was
licensed to Otis Cooke.

Books' bodyguard?

Good night.

Mr. Cooke was our
chief of security.

He had permits for
a number of weapons.

There's nothing
unusual about that.

Huey Tate gave one of those weapons
to the woman who shot you.

(LAUGHING)

You don't know when
to quit, Mr. McCoy.

Now why can't you leave
that poor brother alone?

ROSS: We talked to
your executive assistant.

She remembers after
Marcus Tate was killed,

Otis Cooke gave the Tate
family guns for protection.

Does she have any direct
knowledge of this?

No. She said you would.

That it could only have been
done under your authority.

I don't have any recollection of
any gun being given to Huey Tate.

So, you don't have
any idea how that gun

ended up in
Angela Roney's hands?

For all I know, she
found it on the street.

She claims she got
it from Huey Tate.

She claims he conspired
with her to kill you.

That would make
them accomplices.

Meaning her story doesn't mean
a thing without corroboration.

That's why we're
talking to you.

I have a better
story, Mr. McCoy.

To create a schism within
the black community,

the FBI used a misguided,
pathetic sister to shoot me

and frame the son of
a revered black leader.

It's ridiculous.

Ten years ago, if I told you

the CIA was selling crack
in my neighborhood

to finance a war
in Central America,

I would've called
you ridiculous.

Far as we're concerned, this
government is capable of anything.

I don't see how protecting a
murderer advances your cause.

Does the spectacle
of black fratricide?

My people need unity
far more than truth.

What they need is justice.

(LAUGHS)

What that is depends on which
end of the bullwhip you're on.

I'll take my chances with Huey Tate.

You still think we're
trying to frame him?

You might be right about him.

I don't know. And what's more, Mr.
McCoy, I don't care.

Roland Books arm-in-arm with
Huey Tate and his mother.

Nice to see everyone
getting along.

ADAM: Got to
hand it to Books.

He turned a first-class goof-up
into an FBI conspiracy.

He's preaching
to the converted.

A black community
primed to expect

the worst from its government.

Whose fault is that?

(CHUCKLES)