Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 13, Episode 21 - Learning Curve - full transcript

In the criminal justice system,

sexually based offenses are
considered especially heinous.

In New York City, the
dedicated detectives

who investigate
these vicious felonies

are members of an elite squad

known as
the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

Branzino, dourade,
and tilapia.

Are those fish,
or is that a law firm?

Try the steak.

Thanks for coming.



It's good to see you, kid.
How you been?

I'm getting married.

That's great.
Mazel tov.

But, uh, you haven't told
Fin yet?

I was hoping after you
meet Alejandro,

my fiance, you could help us
break the news.

Of course,
when should we...

Five minutes.
He's on his way.

Where you going?

Don't start.
I have to work.

Work-
when the baby comes,

you're gonna
have to be home more.

I know cuchura, that's why
I'm working so hard now.

Hey.



Cesar, vamonos.

Mi Amor.

Alejandro,
this is John Munch,

my father's partner.

I prefer
long-time companion.

So you're detective Tutola's
better half?

I hear he can be...
prickly.

When are you gonna
meet him?

We're working up to it.

I just want
to start the relationship off

on the right foot.

Okay, you came
to the right place.

Salud.

So I should just
be myself with him?

Yes.

He may seem imposing,
but there's a lot

of depth there
and heart.

Don't tell him I said that.

Thank you.
I have a night shift.

He gets to go home
and watch Top Chef.

You know, your dad's
very proud of you.

He says it
all the time.

- He does?
- Yeah.

Good night, kid.
Good luck.

Hola Alejandro.

You in the mood
for love?

Oye.

Time to teach
this pretty boy.

Get his pants.

Sync by Alex1969
www. addic7ed. com

What's the matter, Ken?

I need my dad.

When I came to,

I was
in this empty apartment.

They beat me.

Sodomized me.

They left me for dead
on the sidewalk.

Did you get a look
at 'em?

Just the two
who jumped me.

Teenagers, hispanic.

After that,
they put a hood on me.

And how many
were in the apartment?

Four, I think-
from the voices.

Were they speaking
English or Spanish?

Spanglish.

I'd say Dominican,
street.

They knew my name.

Alejandro, do you remember
anything about the van?

Dark.
That's all.

Okay.

Wait.

I listed Ken
as next of kin.

Don't tell my family
I'm here.

We understand.

Dad, he's more
than just a friend.

I understand, Ken.

He's your boyfriend.

Fiance.

They're getting married.

Okay.

Well,
he's in good hands here.

And we're gonna find
the guys who did this.

Ken, Alejandro's
asking for you.

- How bad?
- Oh, they brutalized him.

Shattered orbital bone,
torn rectum.

They're worried about
internal bleeding.

The Hate Crimes Unit
is on its way.

We're not giving this
to hate crimes.

I know we've seen
an increase overall

in gay bashing,
but there's this one incident

from two weeks ago.

It's the exact same MO.

Barry Flaco,
he's in the Bronx.

He was jumped
outside of a gay bar.

That's a long way
from Chelsea.

It is... but this victim,
he was Dominican.

He was pulled inside
of a van.

He was taken to an apartment.
He was beaten, sodomized.

Dominicans again, hmm?
The Bronx...

Could be some sort
of gang initiation rite.

Okay, you have any
sketches to go on, any ID?

No, they put a hood
on him, too.

Flaco told hate crimes
that he didn't remember a thing.

He's probably scared
to death.

Liv, you and Rollins
go re-interview Flaco.

Amaro, go talk to your
old buddies at the Gang Unit.

I could check
the local precincts.

What's the problem?

Fin, the captain called
from his conference.

He doesn't want you
anywhere near this.

He's in DC.
How's he gonna know?

You can't.
You're personally involved.

Damn right,
that's my son.

Exactly,
so go be with him.

We got this.

Hey, how's Alejandro?

Doctor
upped his morphine.

He's still out.

Rollins says
you got something for me.

Yeah the other victim
saw an "X" tattoo

under the eye
of one of his attackers.

We're looking
at a Dominican gang, BX9.

BX9?

The gang named themselves
after a bus route?

Well, that's the thing,
you know?

All the good
gang names-already taken.

Here.

Mug shots.

Thank you, man.

He ID's someone,
you call me.

What's going on, dad?

Alejandro said
the attackers knew his name.

He ever hang out
with any gang members?

He's a stylist,
not exactly gang material.

What about his family?

Thanks for coming.

Come on,
I owe ya.

What'd you tell Munch?

I didn't.

- Alejandro's cousin?
- Marisol.

Ken said her boyfriend, Cesar,
rolls with the BX9.

Marisol Pavel?

I didn't call
the police.

Hey, hey,
where's Cesar?

- You have a search warrant?
- You stay right there.

All clear.

He's not here,

but look what I found
on the dresser.

Got a permit for this?

No.
You put that there.

Somebody's going to jail.
Is this his or yours?

I've seen TV.
I know my rights.

Call your boyfriend now.

- He's at work.
- Tell him you're in labor.

You're not
in the gang yet.

Right, Cesar?

I mean,
you'd have their tat,

so for the initiation,
they make you give up

a queer boy
in your family.

He's not my family.

You know what I think?

That you didn't
want to do this.

They probably made you
use the baseball bat.

I didn't do nothing
with the bat.

Well, but you were there,
right?

Tell me
who else was there.

So last night,
who did Cesar go out with?

I don't have to
tell you.

You keep acting tough,

'cause that gun we found
in your apartment,

you can't plea that down.

That's mandatory
prison time.

So you picked her up
by yourself?

- Mm-hmm.
- And the gun?

In plain sight
when I entered the apartment.

Work your story
before we call the DA,

okay?

I swear I don't know
about that gun.

You know what?

I believe you.

I'll tell my sergeant
it's Marisol's.

What? No!

Possession's a felony,
minimum one year.

Marisol's what,
seven, eight months pregnant?

She'll have your baby
in prison, alone.

She'll blame you.

All right, so you either
be a man now

and protect your family,

or I go tell her
you sold her out.

- Her and your baby.
- No, listen.

Okay, I lied about the gun.
It's mine.

No.

Till you tell me
what happened to Alejandro,

the gun's hers.

To your right.
Over here.

Let's go.

Have a seat.
Let's go.

Get in there.

Alejandro IDed 'em all.

So did Barry Flaco,
the Bronx victim.

And CSU is working
both the van and the apartment?

And Cesar will testify.

I'll tell my son.

SVU?

Is this about
those attacks in the news?

I'm not gay.

No, we just need to ask
what happened.

I told the other cops.

Um, I was walking
down the street

and boom, I got dragged
into a van by three guys.

Did they
sexually assault you?

Oh, my God, no.

I mean, they hit me
in the balls with a bat,

but nothing else.

They call you
any names?

Yeah, um, fag, homo-
look, I don't know why.

I'm-I'm telling you,
I'm not gay, all right?

All right.

Did you get a look
at these guys?

Yeah, um, dark hair,
Puerto Ricans maybe.

What about the van?

- What color was it?
- I don't know.

I didn't see it.

It smelled like dirt.

Okay, Mr. Simms,
can you think of any reason

that somebody would have
to attack you?

No. Mm-mm.

Look, I don't want to-
I don't want to press charges.

All right, please?

I just want to go home.

All right?

Ken, did Alejandro
have any family here?

Yes and no.

His father stopped speaking
with him when he came out.

We might not have
got 'em all.

There was another
attack last night.

Our latest victim,
Rick Simms-

is BX9
trying to taunt us?

Well, there's
some similarities,

but he was picked up
on the Upper East Side,

not exactly boys town.

So he wasn't
sexually assaulted?

And wasn't
taken anywhere?

You know,
could be unrelated.

Maybe it's somebody trying
to make a beating

look like a gay bash.

What do we know
about Mr. Simms?

Just what he told us.

You know, he's
a high school math teacher.

Recently separated
from his lawyer wife.

Separated?

Well, if there's mud,
she'll throw it.

Go bond with Mrs. Simms.

I'm sick about this.

Rick's not gay.
We have gay friends.

Maybe these guys saw Rick
with one of them.

Okay.
Did Rick mention

that he had
any problems with anybody?

Enemies, money troubles?

- Rick doesn't make enemies.
- We met him.

He seems like
the kind of guy

who lets people
walk all over him.

Is that why
you two separated?

That,
I could live with.

Rick couldn't commit
to a career.

When we got married,
he was on Wall Street.

Then three years ago,
he said he no joy in his life,

wanted to become a teacher.

That's quite a step down
in income.

So now he tells us
he teaches math

at Millicent Fawcett.

Not anymore.

Three weeks ago,
out of the blue,

he comes home,
tells me he quit.

He say why?

Just needed
to do something else.

Thank you.

You get the feeling
that Rick's leaving

had nothing to do
with finding his joy?

Rick Simms, well,
he was a very good teacher.

Can you tell us
why he suddenly quit

in the middle
of the semester?

Is that
what he told you?

Oh, I'm-I'm sorry.

No, no, it's all right,
Joanne.

The detectives are asking
about Rick Simms.

Ms. Joanne Parsons,
the head of our Upper School.

So you were
Rick's supervisor?

Well, yes.

Can you tell us
why he left the school?

May I ask
what this is about?

Rick Simms was the victim
of a vicious assault last night.

Oh, dear!

And we're investigating
what motivated the attack,

if he having any trouble
here at work.

I'm sorry,
but the circumstances

of Mr. Simms leaving
are confidential.

Not if they involve, say,
an allegation of child abuse.

I'm afraid
I have to cut this short.

I'll need to talk
to our counsel.

Well,
that was a stone wall.

And she wanted to talk.
You see that look in her eye?

Oh, yeah.

We have to get
a Grand Jury subpoena.

Now who's Millicent Fawcett
anyway?

Uh, she's
a British suffragette.

I looked it up.

Is Rick
in any of these?

Here we go.

There he is with Joanne.

Faculty benefit committee.

Third wheel
looks friendly.

Well,
school's almost out.

She'll be hard to miss.

Rick didn't tell anyone
why he left.

Wait,
what is this about?

Uh,
it's a police investigation.

Oh, so you know
what happened?

We have
a pretty good idea.

Rick is lucky
that they let him leave quietly.

Come on, I can't say anymore.
I could lose my job.

Well, you do know
failure to report

an allegation of abuse
is a crime?

You could lose
your teaching license.

The second I thought
something was going on,

I went
to the administration,

and they told me
they would handle it.

I love
being a teacher.

I would never do anything
to any of my students.

We know one of your
fellow teachers reported you,

so... what didn't you do,
Rick?

Nothing. Nothing.

All right,
three weeks ago,

Joanne,
the head of Upper School,

called me
into the headmaster's office.

And they said
that a student

had made an accusation
against me.

And you have no idea
who it was

or what they were
accusing you of?

None.
They wouldn't tell me.

And in this system,
to be accused is to be guilty.

Wait, so you just
decided to resign?

Yeah,
and I shouldn't have.

I left a job
that I loved,

my wife left me,
and I got beat up.

If I had to guess,
a parent found out

that he molested their kid,
beat the crap out of him,

make it look like
a gay bash.

We don't even know
if Rick did anything.

He's accused anonymously.

I- I don't make him
as a predator.

The best predators
blend in.

I mean, even
two of his fellow teachers,

Natalie relais
and Joanna Parsons,

think he's guilty.

Cabot is working on
a Grand Jury subpoena.

But in the meantime,
I accessed

the school's online
parent directory.

They're lawyers,
hedge fund guys.

Come on,
if Simms did abuse someone,

he's not gonna pick
a rich kid.

And a wealthy family
is not gonna let the school

sweep it under the rug,
so we're looking at

someone
less sophisticated.

Uh, blue collar,
bridge and tunnel, scholarship?

There's only a handful
of families

that aren't
Upper East Side.

Start with them.

So someone from that school
lives in the Bronx?

Uh, New Jersey.
The kid's father

runs a produce distributorship
out of hunts point.

Okay.

And how's Alejandro
and your son doing?

Alejandro's
still not out of the woods yet.

My son-
he's holding it together.

And you?

I'm just happy
to be working.

- A lot of vans.
- Mm-hmm.

Rick Simms said
his smelled like dirt.

These definitely would.
Hey,

you know
where Ray Gabardelli is?

Mr. Gabardelli?

You got a son
at Millicent Fawcett?

Yeah, why?
What, did Luca do something?

I'll take that
as a yes.

Can you tell us
where you were two nights ago?

League bowling.
Listen, I'm very busy here.

- I'm sorry.
- Look, we could get

a search warrant and just
shut down your whole business,

or you could tell us
which van it was.

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

Just tell us.
After what he did to Luca,

Rick Simms
ain't gonna press charges.

I don't care.
I'd do it again.

Sick bastard molested my kid.

The school tell you
not to come to the police?

No. That was me.

Bad enough
my son has to tell me.

I don't want him
humiliated in public.

Does my mom
have to be here?

Well, that's up to her.

Mrs. Gabardelli?

I'll be
right in the living room.

Look, I-I'm over it.
He's out of my school.

Well, we think your father
was trying to protect you,

but he's looking at assault
and attempted murder.

He's gonna go to go to jail?

- But that's not right-
- Well, then help him.

Now, if you can tell us
why he went after Mr. Simms,

that might make a difference
with the DA.

A month ago, Mr. Simms
asked me to stay after class,

about my grades.

So what did he say?

That I wasn't
cutting it.

He said he knew it had to be
hard for me at school,

coming from Jersey,

with all those
Upper East Side brats.

It's okay, Luca.

Go on.

He said
he'd look out for me...

if I looked out
for him.

What did he mean
"look out for him"?

Hey, Rick.

Hey, detectives.
Can I help you?

Yeah, good news, we found
the guy who beat you up.

But the bad news is,

you're under arrest
for sexual assault of a minor.

Come on.

Luca Gabardelli says that
I molested him?

Absolutely not. No.

Rick, what can you tell us
about Luca?

He's in my geometry class.
He's an average student.

He's-he's a bit
of an outsider.

Did you ever
talk to him about that?

Yeah, a few t-
wait, wait,

what exactly did he say
that I did?

That you asked him
to perform a sexual act.

Oh, my God, when was I
supposed to have done that?

Did you ever have Luca
stay after class?

Once. Yeah,
after holiday break.

Okay, so you have been
alone with him.

Easy, I was trying
to help the kid out here.

You mean trying
to take advantage

of a vulnerable student.

You just said so yourself
that he's an outsider.

That would make him
easy prey, right?

This is insane.

He was falling asleep
in my class.

I asked him
if he was having problems,

and he just shut down.
That's all that happened.

Was that before or after
you exposed yourself to him?

You see, in my experience,
boys this age,

the stigma
of homosexuality...

don't usually
make things like this up.

Look, Rick,
is it possible

he misinterpreted
something you said or did?

Mmm. No. No, no, no, it's not.
No, and I'll tell you why,

'cause I'm not gay,
and I'm not a pedophile.

Okay.
Can you think of any reason

Luca would have
to get back at you?

Bad grades,
calling his parents-

Yeah, I-I told him
I was worried about his grades,

that's it.
And that-that doesn't mean-

- doesn't make sense?
- No.

- It doesn't.
- None of it does.

None of it.

Mr. Simms,
your wife sent an attorney.

- Oh, my God.
- Said you can work out

the legal fees
during the divorce settlement.

Oh, my God.

No record,
no prior complaints?

Well, he did just become
a teacher this year.

Well, to me,
he seems genuinely blindsided.

And I've seen that affect
on pedophiles a hundred times.

How credible
is Luca's story?

Well, he was awkward,
uncomfortable,

his grades
have been slipping.

I mean, something's
going on with this kid.

Well, then we should
go back to the family,

see when they noticed
changes in his behavior.

Before you do that,
go back to the school.

Who did Luca outcry to,
when, why?

Vet the details.

I can assure you,
I was just trying to protect

- the privacy of a student.
- Really?

Because it looks like you tried
to bury a possible assault

to protect your reputation.

Luca Gabardelli's family
was adamant

- about not making this public.
- Know what?

That's not
their choice now, or yours.

So who did Luca
disclose to first?

Yes,
Luca told me about Rick Simms.

Mr. Overby said I couldn't
say anything, for Luca's sake.

Well, now you can,
and this time

it really is
for Luca's sake.

Three weeks ago,
I was giving a lecture

on human sexuality,
and Luca's face was red.

And I-I could see tears
in his eyes.

Go on.

The next day
I asked him about it,

and at first,
he didn't want to tell me.

But then he confessed
that after winter break

Mr. Simms
had unzipped his pants

and propositioned him.

Now, what exactly
did he describe?

That Mr. Simms asked Luca
to put his hand...

on his penis.

When Luca said no,
he started touching himself.

I was shocked, obviously.

- And you believed Luca?
- Yes, of course.

So once you heard
the accusation,

what did you do?

The first
I heard of this was,

uh, in Mr. Overby's office
with Natalie and Luca.

What exactly
did Luca say?

He... he said that
Mr. Simms had exposed himself,

put his hand
on his genitals.

His own hand,
or Luca's hand?

Luca's hand.

I'm s- I'm sorry,
this is all-

it's all so disturbing.

Uh, did you talk
to Rick Simms?

Uh, no. That would have been
against school protocol.

Did you ever think
there was a chance

that Luca
was making it up?

No. I-I had been concerned
about Luca all semester.

He was clearly struggling.

I'd had several conferences
with him.

Did you ever have
any suspicions about Mr. Simms,

about his behavior?

No. In hindsight,
it did make me wonder why

he suddenly decided
to become a teacher.

Give the pedophile
a severance,

send him on his way,

and the school's record
remains spotless.

But Liv,
the story Luca told us

is different from
the one he told the teachers,

and they don't even agree
on who touched what when.

We both know that something
happened to Luca.

Maybe. But before
they prosecute Simms,

we need to be
absolutely sure what.

Mr. Simms made me stay
after class,

and then he...
pulled it out,

and he said
he wanted me to touch it, and-

how many times do I have to
keep saying the same thing?

Okay, listen, I understand
this is difficult,

but we need to be sure
of exactly what happened.

Stop calling my son a liar.
He is traumatized by this.

Mrs. Gabardelli,
there are some inconsistencies

we need to clear up.

Just ask your questions.

Okay. Luca...

So Mr. Simms
pulled out his penis?

Yes.

Did he drop his pants
or just through the zipper?

He dropped his pants.

Okay,
so then what happened?

He-uh, I-he-

a- he asked me to touch it,
but then I didn't,

so then
he touched himself.

Okay.

Now, was he erect?

- Um, I guess.
- You guess?

Okay. Can you describe
his penis?

- I don't... know-
- Is he circumcised,

- uncircumcised?
- W-

Can you answer that question,
Luca?

- No, I don't remember.
- Did you see his penis at all?

No, I mean, yes.
M- mom, I-

You're confusing him.

- Nick.
- Son, you're going to have to

go in front of
the Grand Jury, right?

You need
to get your details straight.

I have to testify?

Look, maybe we should
take a little break, okay?

- I don't need a break, okay?
I'm done. Mom, hey, please-

- Detectives, you need to leave.
- Luca, if you're

not sure about what happened,
we can't be sure about it.

- That is enough.
- Nick.

You need to leave now.

Okay.

You went at him
pretty hard.

Yeah, you went pretty easy.
You do know he's lying?

I do.
I'm just not sure why.

How's things at the hospital?

Alejandro
has internal bleeding.

They may have to operate.

Good Lord, Fin, I am...
I'm sorry.

My son's had it so rough,

I mean, being black,
being gay...

You ever have a problem
with Ken being gay?

- Nah.
- Never?

Okay, I had to address it.

But you know what
keeps me up at night?

Come on, you know
the stuff we see on the job.

I've always been worried

about something like this
happening to Ken.

So Luca's dad
had Rick Simms beat up

for a crime
he didn't commit?

Well, was hesitant
on basic questions.

Hesitant?

We've had victims brutalized
who remember more than he does.

And now that
his father's gone vigilante,

he's afraid to recant.

Maybe he's afraid
of telling the truth.

Look, Luca said that
the incident with Simms

happened a month ago,

but his grades started to fall
right after Christmas.

So if something
did happen to Luca,

it's been going on
a lot longer than he said.

I'm really sorry
I lied before.

I couldn't tell the truth,

because I didn't want to get
kicked out of school.

Okay, Luca. Well, who would
kick you out of school?

Ms. Parsons.

Joanne Parsons?
Head of the Upper School.

Yeah.

I couldn't say
it was her before.

I mean, she'd expel me.

So you blamed
Mr. Simms?

Look, I-I don't know why.
I just-

I- I blurted his name out,
and then everyone kept asking me

to repeat my story.

Okay.

Okay, Luca.

What really happened?

Ms. Parsons,
she, um...

she made me
have sex with her.

Ms. Parsons?
You're sure?

And where was this?

In her office,

and then,
once we went to her house.

So you've been
to her house?

In Brooklyn.

But you-you can't tell her
I said anything.

She made me swear
not to say any-

Luca, don't worry about that,
okay?

Can you describe
her home?

Yeah, uh, it's old.

She said it was
her great aunt's house,

and she has a four-poster bed,
embroidered pillows,

and she read me poems
from a book on her nightstand

called, uh, The Pearl
or something.

You saw her naked?

Uh, it would help
if you could remember

any details
about her body.

She has a birthmark
on her inner thigh

shaped like
a question mark.

Can I take my son
home now?

Yeah, wait, just...
give me a minute.

First the kid
falsely accuses one teacher,

now he accuses another?

Yeah, but this time
he has a lot of detail.

And Joanne said
that Luca had been in her office

several times
this semester.

It's easy to verify,
counselor,

if you'll get us
a search warrant.

Please,
I- I don't understand.

Ma'am,
you need to let us inside.

- Excuse me.
- Please, tell me

- what's going on.
- Hey, where's your bedroom?

It's upstairs,
but why...

Why do you need to see
my... bedroom?

Four-poster bed.
Embroidered pillows.

Uh, excuse me.
Uh-

The Pearl: A Victorian Journal
Of Erotica, just like he said.

No, please, I-I'm sorry,
that's private.

Guys, I'm gonna need you
to bag all the sheets.

Oh, my God.

Can you move your thigh
outward, please?

And raise your skirt
a bit?

Have a seat.

So talk to us
about Luca.

I- I told you,
he's a student

in my 19th Century
English Literature class.

Has he ever
been to your home?

No, never.

Why are you
asking me that?

Did-did Luca
tell you that?

He's-he's lying.

Well,
he described your bed,

and your pillow,
and your book of poetry.

Can you tell me
how he would know those details?

Well, I-I don't know.
I- I-I c-

Well, Joanne, he also
knew about the birthmark

on your inner thigh.
How would he know that?

I don't know, I-

Well,
I- I-I don't feel well.

All right, Joanne,
just take a breath.

All right? Put your head
between your knees,

- I-oh!
- Just relax.

Whoa!

Hey.

Hey,
call an ambulance!

Joanne Parsons is
resting at home.

Her aunt posted bail.

Well,
so she's lawyered up.

We're not getting
anything more out of her.

Well, do we need to?

I mean, he knew her room,
her birthmark.

Luca's already
lied to us once,

so I want something
other than just his testimony.

What else
do we know about her?

No record,
no prior complaints.

She switched schools
three years ago,

from, uh,
Linden Forrest Academy.

We know schools like these
don't like scandals.

Let's find out
why she left.

We gave Joanne Parsons
a glowing recommendation.

Whose decision was it
for her to leave?

Well,
that's confidential,

as part of
her separation agreement.

So it was yours?

'Cause we can subpoena
that agreement,

and if we find out that you
covered up any improper behavior

on her part towards a student,
we will prosecute.

Oh, my God, no.
It's nothing like that.

Joanne is just
emotionally vulnerable.

And that's why
she left?

Well, basically yes.

She sort of had
a nervous breakdown.

She said she just could not
continue teaching here.

Do you have
any idea why?

She was very close to
another of our instructors here,

a Lisa Roncardi.
Actually, it's Lisa Wiens now.

She left teaching
to get married.

That's when Joanne
just fell apart.

When a fellow teacher
got married?

Well, I think she felt
she lost a friend.

Joanne really belongs
in another era.

This one is just
too harsh for her.

So Joanne Parsons
could be a lesbian?

Gracias.

I tracked down
a former colleague.

Her story is that
Joanne was in love with her.

- Unrequited, but-
- Either way,

Joanne doesn't seem
to be interested in men or boys.

So how did Luca know
about the birthmark?

Maybe somebody
told him,

somebody that she'd been
intimate with.

Then why didn't Joanne

just explain that?
I mean, even if she is closeted,

she's not going to
want to go to jail

- for a crime she didn't commit.
- Hold on one second.

I mean,
it's ridiculous.

Oh, my God.

Joanne just tried
to kill herself.

What?

"Two hours ago, she filled
her pockets with stones

and walked
into Prospect Park Lake. "

Who is she,
Virginia Woolf?

She's on suicide watch
at Brooklyn General.

Liv, bring her some flowers
or a sachet of lavender.

Hey.

Lil-lilies.
Lilies, they're so lovely.

You know, I know it can be
depressing here, so-

Thank you.

Joanne, I know this is
very difficult to talk about,

but help me understand
how we got here.

I never touched Luca.
I would never touch a student.

I believe you,
Joanne,

but can you help me
figure out

how he could describe
your bedroom, your body.

He's never seen me undressed.
He's never-

Okay,
so someone else has.

Is it possible
that maybe somebody else

that you were involved with
betrayed you?

No, it's not
what you think.

So explain it to me.

We're dear friends.

You and Natalie.

Uh-

Did you meet
and become friends at school?

We met last May.
She came to the school

to interview
with me and Mr. Overby.

She was just so lovely,
and-and kind.

And you appreciated
the same things.

Which is rare.
We-we-

we went to the botanical gardens
and-and to poetry readings.

Your home,
which is so beautiful,

she must have
loved that.

We were just
so content.

So what happened?
Why did the friendship end?

It was Luca,
wasn't it?

Yes.
You've met him.

He's-he's a manipulator,
and he's a liar.

Did Natalie tell you
that he seduced her?

No.
I saw them together

at the school
in the rare book archive.

She turned to me
with such a look of sadness.

She promised
she would stop.

But she didn't.

No, and then
the next week they took me

to Mr. Overby's office,
and Luca accused Rick Simms.

This is right after
you confronted her,

right after
she admitted to it.

What did you think
was going on?

Luca is very clever.
He was worried

that I would say something,
and so he accused Mr. Simms.

He came up
with a cover story.

Yes, and look
how well it worked.

I mean,
how could I say,

"No, it's not Mr. Simms,
it's Natalie?"

If I had told
the truth...

It-it would have
destroyed her.

Joanne's been repressed.
She's been living a lie.

It finally
caught up to her.

Her life would have been
a whole lot easier

- if she'd come out.
- I don't know.

Ken and Alejandro are out,
and look where it got them.

Natalie relais
is here with a lawyer.

They're ready for us.

Sex in the book archive?

No. Joanne saw me
comforting Luca.

He was upset.
Oh...

Now I realize
it was about Joanne.

What she did to Luca
was awful,

but I can't help but
feel sorry for the poor woman.

What, you mean
your former lover?

Right? You told Luca
about her birthmark.

Joanne has fantasized
a relationship

where there was none.

The woman
is emotionally unstable.

But you have been
to her home?

No.

She invited me.

I said I would come,
but she lives in Brooklyn.

I mean, what were we
going to do?

Crochet?

And this book.
Did you give it to her?

She gave me a copy
for Christmas.

Hmm.

I started to think
she had a crush on me.

I didn't realize
she goes for boys.

I am so sorry.

I just didn't see
that side of her.

She's lying.
Every time her lips move.

Joanne walked in
on her and Luca,

and they framed Simms
as a cover story.

Why Simms?

Well, he's new to the school,
he's an outsider.

He's a perfect scapegoat,

and when that fell apart,
they turned on Joanne.

Smart.
Now it's Joanne's word

against Luca's and Natalie's,

and Joanne looks the least
stable of the three of them.

Wait,
so a sexual predator

who ruined two other teachers'
lives just walks?

- You want to try this case?
- Okay,

so we can't charge her
right now.

We could at least
tell the school

and Luca's parents
what's going on.

What's going on?

Alejandro
had emergency surgery.

He's in a coma.
I'm going to the hospital.

Let me drive you.

Came as soon as I heard.
Is he okay?

Still out.
He hasn't come to yet.

- What'd the doctor say?
- I don't know.

I can't go in.

What happened?

When Alejandro
went back into surgery,

I thought I should
call his father.

He showed up, he saw me
holding Alejandro's hand,

he flipped out, told the staff
he was the next of kin.

He had me
thrown out of the room.

- Where is he?
- Dad!

He's a father. I'm a father.
At least let me talk to him.

Ken...

for once,
let me do something for you.

I got this.

Just visited Luca's
father at rikers.

You know, when he thought
Simms molested his son,

he had the guy
gay bashed.

Let me guess.
And now that it's Natalie,

- he thinks the kid's lucky.
- Well, he seems proud of him.

Natalie abused Luca,

but because
she's a beautiful woman,

instead of getting help,

he's going to be getting
high fives.

- Oh, yeah.
- Maybe not.

Luca just
went off the deep end.

He locked himself
in the biology lab,

and he's taken Natalie
hostage.

Luca, she did this
to you.

She toyed with you.

You're just a kid.

You got the rest of your life
in front of you.

You understand me?

I know you didn't mean
to do this, all right?

There's a lot of really...

really angry guys outside.

And they don't care
if you walk out of here

or if they carry you out.
You understand?

I care.

So just...

just put down the knife
and tell me what happened, okay?

I bought us
bus tickets to Montreal.

I told Natalie
I could speak French.

We could
get a place there.

She said
that wasn't happening,

that we had to stop
seeing each other

and that we couldn't tell
anyone about us.

And I told her
I couldn't live without her.

She laughed.

Why would she do that?
Why would she laugh?

I don't know.

I'm sorry
she laughed at you.

She said
she had a fiance in LA.

She-she told me she was-
she was getting married in June.

I loved her.

I loved her.

I know you did.

It's okay, all right?
It's over now.

Just give me
that knife.

Luca.

Give me the knife.

It's all right.

It's all right. Okay?

Thought I'd let you know
the guys you IDed,

we got 'em.

They're going down
for federal hate crimes,

and they're never
gettin' out.

Since you're gonna be
my son-in-law,

I'm sorry we didn't get
a chance to meet before this.

Sync by Alex1969
www. addic7ed. com