Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 16, Episode 16 - December Solstice - full transcript

NARRATOR: 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.

Sorry, watch those blocks.

So, what, that toy box is
just, uh, what, decorative?

Oh, you brought the jokes.

Will you hold him for a second?

There we, thanks. Uh, um...



So, um, you said

you didn't want to talk
about this in the office.

Um, Johnny D, uh, the pimp.

He's still in custody
on federal charges?

Yeah, his lawyers tried for bail,
but they were shut down. Why?

What if our investigation

turned up information that
Johnny D fathered a child?

With Ellie Porter.

This conversation is
hypothetical as of now, okay?

If Johnny D was, in fact...

Noah's biological father...

Is that something that
NYPD would have to disclose?

Double-checked?

Ran the DNA three times.



Johnny D was a major trafficker.

Probably bought
and sold every girl

who's been put to
work in New York.

And then he raped
them to break them in.

Look, I haven't slept since...

Just tell me that he
doesn't have to know.

He doesn't.

It's not exculpatory in any way,

he never needs to find out.

I've already started
the adoption paperwork.

Given Noah's early history...

How can you be expected
to know who his father was?

Sold possibly only
20 copies, but I...

Walter! Excuse me.

They dig you out of the Old
Novelists' Home for this, too?

It's Fred Worth, Walter.

Fred Worth! Well,
great to see you.

Are you sure? Last time we spoke

was in the green room
at the Cavett show.

I had finished reviewing
your Vietnam book.

You said you were
gonna slice off my ears

and mail them to the Viet Cong.

I didn't do it, did I?
Of course not, darling.

Guess you're
going strong, Walter,

if you got what it takes to hold

on to a beauty like this.

My prettiest wife yet.

Oh, look. There's Roland Evans.

Ah. Fred, great
to see you, really.

Good to see you, too.

Dad!

Dad! We weren't on the list
for the party. Because of her.

Charmaine? Yeah, Dad,
she won't let us see you.

Delilah, please, not
now. Your father's cold.

We've been to the house.
She hasn't let us in to see you.

Dad, We just want to
know. Are you all right?

We miss you. Yeah. I'm
great. I'm just fine, yes.

Dad, are you sure?

I'm fine. Watch your head.

Dad!

It was great to see you.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Hey, Sarge, there's two women here
who will only speak to someone in charge.

Sure.

Hi. How can I help you?

We want to report
a sex crime. A rape.

Oh, I'm so sorry. Why
don't you have a seat?

Which one of you?
It wasn't one of us.

Uh, it was our
father, Walter Briggs.

The novelist?

I'm a huge admirer. I've, I've
read every one of his books,

ever since... So,
what happened to him?

His wife, Charmaine,
she pumps him full of

erectile dysfunction pills and
makes him have sex every day.

Which is dangerous, considering
he's got a heart condition.

He's divorced from both our mothers.
Charmaine won't let us see him.

So how do you know this?

His housekeeper told us.

She feels terrible, but she
doesn't know what to do.

Um, that may not
technically be rape.

Penal Law Section 130.25.

Sexual intercourse with a person who is
incapable of consent because of mental

disability or incapacitation.

Our father is almost
80 and has dementia.

He does not consent.
He cannot consent.

Did you look that
up? I'm in law school.

Where? I'm, I'm
at Fordham, night...

Carisi.

Why would she be doing this?

Our father's will divides his estate in
equal shares between his current wife

and his children.

Your stepmother wants a child
so she can have an extra share?

So she's raping him.

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

Yes, I've worked for
Mr. Walter for 30 years.

His daughters told us that
you had some concerns.

I do. Will Mrs. Briggs find out?
She'd fire me in a skip second.

No. We'll do our best
to keep you out of it.

What she's doing to
Mr. Walter is wrong.

Giving him them pills.

He doesn't know but I see her.

A man his age,
he needs his ease.

Does he know what's
going on? In general?

He was brilliant.
Now he's got gaps.

Big empty spaces.

Oh, she don't
like me to be late.

Okay, thank you for coming in.

Well, housekeeper confirms. Okay, so
Mr. Walter, as in Walter Briggs, the writer?

Yeah. Pulitzer Prize,
National Book Award.

Well, he's nearly
80 and his wife...

His sixth wife.

Who's 45... Is making
him have sex constantly.

Is that a crime? Or
an old man's dream?

The daughters say that she wants
another child, so, if he is incapable

of giving consent, then
they're right. It's, it's rape.

Yeah. And the fact that the alleged
rapist is his wife is legally irrelevant.

But, I mean, of all the people, I
mean, have you guys read Briggs'

book The Fifth Assailant?
The guy is a literary genius.

Isn't he the literary genius

who threw one of his wives
through a plate glass window?

Yeah. There's actually a
scene based on that in the book.

Okay. So the complaints are
coming from his daughters, right?

What's in it for them? A
bigger slice of the estate?

No. Love, devotion,
maybe concern?

Right. We've got an allegation.
We have corroboration.

So you two, go speak
with the happy couple.

And Carisi, as a
detective, not a fan.

I should say I'm still not
quite sure why you're here.

It's called a welfare check. We do it
from time to time, mostly with seniors.

I'm guessing that
would be me, huh?

Oh, dear. Did my husband's
daughters call you?

Uh, they did express
some concern.

They said they weren't
allowed to see Mr. Briggs?

This is one of those difficult family
situations. Stepmother, stepdaughters.

I'm sure it happens
all the time.

I'm sure it does. But,
actually, Mrs. Briggs,

would you mind if we,
uh, if we spoke separately?

It's just standard procedure.

As a matter of fact, I do mind.

Walter and I don't keep
secrets from each other.

Do we, Walter?

Not me. No. I humor her.

So, what exactly did
you want to talk about?

It's pretty personal.

Pertaining to your sex life.

And that's a police matter?

Seventy-nine and
stiff as a varnished eel.

A varnished eel?

My third wife took
up with a bartender

because I got distracted
by my book on the pope.

Now, you spend six
months in the Vatican

and you see what
happens to your testicles.

(LAUGHING)

Roman Follies was a wonderful
book, sir. I read it in college.

Thank you. All of his
books are wonderful.

Okay. So, Mr. Briggs, you're
happy to keep your wife satisfied?

Well, of course I am. I
mean, just look at her.

Moreover, I'm obliged.
It's a man's duty.

It's nature.

A million years of
evolution, you know.

Oh, these feminists, they can
preach and screech all they want,

but until the day a man suckles an
infant and a woman goes out and hunts...

And, uh...

A woman goes out and hunts and?

What? I'm so... What?

My husband's very tired. But
as you can see, we are fine.

You're kidding me? His daughters
are complaining, but he isn't?

Yeah, he says he's doing his manly
duty by keeping his woman satisfied.

So he's consenting
to the sexual activity?

Him and his varnished eel.

Okay, but is he
capable of consent?

I mean, what's he like?

I don't know. Rollins.

He winked at Rollins
a whole bunch.

He quoted from an
essay about manly men

that he wrote in
Playboy in 1972,

and then, just like that,
he goes off into gaga-land.

It was sad. The guy was a titan.

Uh, listen, that was the housekeeper.
Mr. Briggs just went to the hospital.

Apparent heart attack.

The daughter said that
he had a heart condition.

If the wife knew

and was secretly
feeding him those pills...

Yeah, that's assault three. Recklessly
causing physical injury to another person

maybe even attempted
murder. Am I right, Counselor?

Seldom. Unless the
daughters can give you proof

that the wife knew
about his heart condition

and was exacerbating
it, you've got nothing.

She's contesting it? Of
course she is. What a bitch.

Okay. Call me back.

That was my sister.

She's been at the courthouse all
day trying to get visitation rights.

Charmaine still
won't let us visit him,

not even in the hospital.

Any word on his condition?

Stable. That's all we know.

Uh, has he had
heart attacks before?

Several. Going back to the '80s.

But can you prove
Charmaine knew that?

The world knew it. He wrote a piece
about his first heart attack for Esquire.

(CELL PHONE VIBRATES)

Huh. Of course, I have 12
crises here today. I'm a playwright.

I started this theater
to put up my own work.

So now I'm artistic director, fundraiser,
ticket taker, occasional janitor...

Uh, let me be clear, did you or
your sister ever specifically discuss

your father's heart
condition with Charmaine?

Absolutely.

BENSON: Doctor Tedroe.

Are you here because
of the incident?

Yes. Uh, we're wondering if Mr. Briggs'
heart attack could have been caused

by his E.D. medication.

I don't know. I never got the chance
to take a complete medical history.

Why not?

I thought that's
why you're here.

His wife arrived 20 minutes
ago with a private ambulance

and removed him from the
hospital against medical advice.

She pulled him
off the EKG monitor

and was in such a hurry
she took our IV pump with her.

The nurses didn't try to stop her
because Mr. Briggs needed it to maintain.

Can he maintain
outside the hospital?

Maybe, maybe not. His wife
has put his life in jeopardy.

And you just let her take him?

His wife said she was
transferring him to another hospital.

We got the court
order. Where's our dad?

He's not here. You
mean he's gone?

No, no, no, no. No. He
was, more like taken.

We've checked every hospital in
Manhattan. There is no sign of Briggs.

It's not kidnapping.
She's his wife.

She has the right to take
him out of the hospital.

Even against medical advice? Ripping
hospital equipment out of the wall?

Want me to file a larceny
charge on the IV pump?

His daughters got a
court order to visit him.

Charmaine's in violation.

Has she denied them access?

They don't know
where he is. So, no.

So, she's endangering her husband's life.
The, the, the doctors made that clear.

Yeah, plus, the rape and assault
charges are still under investigation.

Barely. One of them's a
stretch. The other's a chasm.

There's a sick old man
getting dragged across the city.

We're not social
workers. But we are cops.

And we can keep investigating.

Knock yourselves out. We will.

Mami. Yeah, it's me.
How's Abuelita doing?

Uh-huh. I can stop
by the hospital tonight.

They sent her home?
Who's gonna take care of her?

ROLLINS: The dispatcher
said you handled a call today

concerning a
patient named Briggs.

The sick old dude with
the crazy wife? You tell me.

Guy had tubes hanging out of his
arms. I could barely get him in the chair.

I figured we were going to
another hospital. Maybe rehab.

But the wife said, "No."

Where did she want to go?

Private airport in Westchester.

I said, "Lady, I don't think
your husband's up for a flight."

She said she was paying me to
drive, not give medical opinions.

Okay, so you took 'em? No
way. I told her we were going back

to the hospital or to another
hospital. End of options.

That guy kicks on a plane somewhere,
they're gonna ask about the brilliant

ambulance driver
who launched him.

So where did you
end up taking them?

The lady made
me stop right there.

She dragged her husband
out in the middle of 57th Street,

hailed a cab. Wow. Okay.

Did she mention where they were
gonna go on that private plane?

Canada. That sound like a healthy
choice for a sick old man in the winter?

Hmm.

(SIREN WAILS)

Mr. Briggs. Mrs.
Briggs? Hello, Detectives.

Oh, great to see you. It's
great to see you, too, sir.

Mrs. Briggs, you wanna
tell us what's going on?

We are taking a vacation.

Is that right, Mr. Briggs?

I humor her.

Mr. Briggs, your daughters
got a court order to see you.

They're concerned
about your welfare.

I'm his wife. No one is more
concerned about his welfare than me.

Well, that may be
true, Mrs. Briggs,

but now you're gonna
have to tell that to a judge.

My lawyer already spent
half the day in front of a judge.

Well, now you're gonna
have to spend all night.

Please.

So, you say you're pursuing a criminal
investigation against Mrs. Briggs?

Which is ridiculous, Your
Honor. This is police intimidation.

What are they even doing here?

And you are Mrs.
Briggs' attorney?

Arlene Heller. Always a pleasure
to come to bucolic Westchester.

How nice. Mrs. Briggs is not
under arrest, is that correct?

Yes, ma'am. Then why am
I being held against my will?

Because you were trying to
sneak our father out of the country.

What "sneak"? Mr. and Mrs.
Briggs can take a trip if they want to.

Your Honor, we have a court
order allowing us to see him.

And we are moving now to be
his guardians, pursuant to Article 81

of the Mental Hygiene Law.

Guardians? He doesn't need
guardians. He's married to me.

NICK: Mr. Briggs was
removed from a hospital today

by Mrs. Briggs
against medical advice.

And evidence suggests
the heart attack to put him

in the hospital was
caused by Mrs. Briggs

overdosing him on erectile
dysfunction medication.

ARLENE: What evidence?
Who's testifying here?

When did NYPD
become medical doctors?

I'll take it from
here, Ms. Heller.

So the contention is Mrs. Briggs

is abusing her
husband? Absolutely.

Mr. Briggs, is your
wife abusing you?

No. Of course not.

There is a question, Your
Honor, of mental competence.

Mr. Briggs, can you tell me
what this hearing is about?

Well, I'm pretty
sure it's about me.

Dad, you're here because you
should be back in the hospital.

No, I'm fine. You're not fine.
Charmaine's not taking care of you.

I don't have to stand for this.

Everyone, stop. One at a time.

Your Honor, may I
have a minute, please?

You know who I am, right, Dad?

Yes, I know who you are.
You're, you're my daughter.

And you know who she is, right?

Yes, another daughter. Don't
you think I know my children?

What are our names, Dad?

This is ridiculous.
He is exhausted.

Just a moment. Do you
know their names, sir?

Well, I ought to. I
named them myself.

Dad, who am I?

Well, you're the one that wants to
be a writer. No. Whoa, no, she is.

Right?

JUDITH: That's right, Dad.

What's my name? Come on, Dad.

You named us after
women in the Bible,

strong women.

Judith, that's enough.

There've been so many people.

All right, this proves
nothing, Your Honor.

It's late. Mr. Briggs is
recovering from a heart attack.

Oh, that didn't stop her from
pulling him out of his hospital bed.

That's enough. I'm gonna reserve
judgment on the motion for guardianship

pending a psychological and
physical examination of Mr. Briggs.

I remember. The names
were from the Bible.

Delilah cut somebody's hair. And
Judith cut off somebody's head.

Thank you, sir. In the meantime, he'll
be admitted to Westchester General.

And his daughters may
visit whenever they like.

(BANGS GAVEL)

You are the one
tormenting him. Not me.

Walter, I'm gonna get you
the best room in that hospital.

I had six wives, you know.

I know, sir.

And hundreds of lovers.

I penetrated their bodies
and I penetrated their minds.

Because I was a man, that's
what I was supposed to be.

And now, women are batting me
around like a feathered shuttlecock.

My wife, my daughters...

And a judge in a skirt.

And tonight I'm gonna
have a nurse wipe my ass.

How does this happen?
Hmm? You tell me.

Mami, I just don't understand
why she doesn't go to rehab.

'Cause she doesn't
want to go to rehab.

The doctors have all argued with her.
They are done. Do you wanna argue with her?

Yeah, I do. Let me
carry one of those bags.

Wait, wait, wait,
there's eggs in that one.

I think I can handle it.
So, is this the plan, huh?

You gonna work for
12 hours every day,

and then come here, do
her pills, bring her groceries?

I'm her daughter and
the stairs are hard for her.

Yeah, that's why she should
live in an elevator building.

I don't mind. And
she loves it here.

You could have the
groceries delivered.

(CHUCKLES MOCKINGLY)

This is the Bronx, darling, this
is not Park Avenue. Remember?

How could I forget?

Mama? It's me.

Ah! I see you brought El Juez.

Abuelita, I'm not a judge.

Oh. You will be.

To what do I owe the honor?

Hey. How'd it go last night?

Heartbreaking.

I mean, Briggs is aware just
enough to know that he's lost it.

Not anymore he isn't.
That was the hospital.

He died earlier this morning up in
Westchester. Another heart attack.

Maybe it was for the best.

You know, wife like that, end
game was gonna be pretty brutal.

Well, it already was.
Look, we need Warner

or any other New York City
M.E. to perform the autopsy,

make sure his wife's
actions didn't contribute.

The judge put off
ruling on guardianship.

But Charmaine still has
control. Of everything.

Including the body.
That's not good.

All right. Get up
there. I'll call Barba.

Hey, hold up. Is
that Mr. Briggs?

Yes, I'm taking him
to a beautiful place.

Actually, you're not. It's a court
order. No more hide and seek.

Trip's off, boys. The world
isn't done with Walter Briggs.

His arteries were
clogged, his heart enlarged.

Since when does SVU
investigate death by heart attack?

Well, his wife took him
on a road trip after he

had a smaller attack yesterday.

We just wanna
know if it contributed.

Well, it certainly didn't help.

The gentleman was in no
condition to go sightseeing.

So you would draw a connection
between that and his death?

I mean, Doc, she took him out of
the hospital, against medical advice

with an IV hanging from his arm.

Well, then, ipso facto.

By the way, it looks like she
pulled something else out of him, too.

What?

There's semen in his urethra.

He had sex? A final ejaculation
shortly before, or after, he died.

His wife climbed into
the hospital bed with him?

I don't believe he was in
any shape to be that fortunate.

If you'd care to observe, I could
show you the intra-rectal trauma.

No, no thanks. I'm good.

Really? Rectal probe
electro-ejaculation?

Wow. Guys, I'm, I'm lost here.

It's a technique for grieving wives
to procreate with their loved ones.

Even posthumously.

"Rectal probe
electro-ejaculation."

That sounds like a sex
crime in and of itself.

We talked to the nurse
on the ward in Westchester.

In the middle of the night, after
he died, his daughters had just left...

His wife called in a specialized
company to extract his sperm.

They're used to emergency calls.

The same outfit
cuts heads off bodies

for people who
want to freeze them.

The hospital allowed this? The
wife had the right, as you pointed out.

Come on, Counselor, you
know what we're looking at here.

She tormented
this guy, all right?

The blue pills, the
flight from the hospital.

It pains me to say this,
but you're right, Carisi.

She killed him.

Manslaughter in the second degree.
Does the defendant have a plea?

A plea for sanity, Your Honor.

Mrs. Briggs is a widow
whose husband died tragically

of natural causes.

Natural causes brought on by the
reckless behavior of the defendant.

Her counsel might
want to read the statute.

The ADA might want to ditch
the condescending attitude

before it drips onto his suit.

JUDGE: You two, hash
this out on your own time.

Assuming no objection,
I'll enter a plea of not guilty.

Bail is set at 100,000,
cash or bond. Next.

Mami? We have to talk.

Okay, I'm a little busy right
now. You're always busy.

You don't think
this is important?

(SPEAKS SPANISH) Of course I do.

Barba, 100,000 dollars for a
homicide? Are you kidding me?

We're lucky we didn't get R.O.R. Uh,
Sergeant Benson, this is my mother,

Lucia Barba. Oh.

Benson. He talks about you.
You drive him a little crazy.

Just doing my job.

Mami, take another look
at that place for Abuelita.

You know that it's
the right thing to do.

No, you know it's
the right thing to do.

Please. Just think about it.

I'm thinking. Call me.

Bye, Mom.

Charmaine. Charmaine.
(CLAMORING)

Did you just kill your husband?

Charmaine, why did you
hide Walter from the kids?

You people are jackals.
You just want raw meat.

The prosecution is
hounding a loyal, loving wife

who was dealing with her
husband's illness as best she could.

I just want my husband
to rest in peace.

REPORTER: How much did
you pay for the rectal probe?

REPORTER 2: What did you
do with your husband's sperm?

Do we have to listen to this?

They're not bad questions.

You see the headline?

Yeah. Everything
the guy accomplished,

his whole life, reduced to this.

He wasn't exactly a
great human being.

He was a great writer, Nick.
The work deserves respect.

Ms. Thwaites, in your capacity
as the Briggs' housekeeper,

did you have occasion

to see Mrs. Briggs administering
medication to her husband?

Yes. I've seen those
pills on the TV ads,

the ones where, so men
can, you know, perform.

But I knew what she was
giving Mr. Walter. But he didn't.

Strike that, Your Honor. She's
a housekeeper, not a psychic.

She can't know what
the deceased knew.

Sustained. Jury will disregard.

How did the defendant
give Mr. Briggs those pills?

Mashed up the pills and put them in
orange juice when he wasn't in the room.

RAFAEL: Thank you.

And that's exactly what
you told Mrs. Briggs'

stepdaughter
Delilah, isn't that right?

I did. And you've known
Delilah a long time?

I helped raise her. I was with
Mr. Walter through four marriages.

So you feel motherly
towards Delilah?

I don't know about
motherly. I am fond of her.

Are you fond of
Charmaine Briggs?

No.

Were you upset that she
wouldn't let Delilah see Mr. Briggs?

It broke my heart.

So you were looking for a way

to get her in to see her father

by feeding Delilah ammunition
against her stepmother?

I didn't think of it like that.

Well, maybe you didn't.

No further questions.

Mr. Briggs had a reasonable chance
of surviving his initial heart attack,

but he was in
very fragile health.

And what would the effect on such
a patient be if yanking him out of

the hospital, putting him in an
ambulance, then a taxi, then leaving him

shivering for hours
in an airport hangar?

Potentially catastrophic.

Every one of those acts puts stress
on a patient who was already very weak.

That's why we urged Mrs. Briggs
to leave her husband with us,

but she refused.

Thank you.

Doctor Tedroe, you said that
moving around town was dangerous

for Mr. Briggs because his
health was so bad. That's right.

So bad that everyday, ordinary
activity, like getting into a taxi

could lead to his death?

Yes.

So wasn't he in danger
of dying soon anyway?

Couldn't he have died while,

while going to the bathroom,
while lifting a spoon?

He might have.

I see. Thank you.

Redirect?

Doctor Tedroe, what was
more dangerous for Mr. Briggs,

lifting a spoon or being
dragged around two counties?

Mr. Briggs should not
have left the hospital.

LUCIA: Look, I know
what you're thinking. No.

I should take her
in to live with me.

Other people put their
families in places like this.

We do not put our
family in places like this.

You are single-handedly
keeping a charter school alive.

You only go home to sleep. How
are you supposed to take care of her?

I could retire.

No. You couldn't. I
mean, it's, uh, not so bad.

I mean, maybe she'll like it.

It smells.

They're cooking lunch, Abuelita.

What are they cooking skunk?

Mama, Rafi has gone to a lot
of trouble to arrange this for you.

(SIGHS) I didn't ask him to.

Why should I move?

After 40 years.

Because here nobody has to carry groceries
up six flights of stairs, Abuelita.

They have activities, I mean, uh,
uh, movies. If you fall down again...

(SPEAKS IN SPANISH)
Anything, you just push a button.

If I fall down at home, I bang
on the floor, Mrs. Rivera hears.

Mami. We'll think about it.

I'm just trying to
help. Both of you. Bye.

I have to go.

I'm needed in court.

Good. Go help somebody else.

Yeah, it was around the time my
father's health started to deteriorate.

Charmaine stopped
letting us visit him.

She made excuses at first,
like, he was having a bad day.

And then she stopped
making excuses.

It hurt us deeply.

Your Honor, the charge is manslaughter,
not being mean to stepdaughters.

Move it along, Mr. Barba.

Ms. Briggs, tell us about
the day your stepmother

removed your father
from the hospital.

My sister went to court to get
an order allowing us to visit him.

Was the defendant aware of this?

Yes. That's why she
ripped him out of there.

Anything to keep
us from seeing him.

Move to strike. Sustained.

Okay. Did you ever find out why
the defendant did not want you

to see your father?

I assume it was about his will.

I don't know if she was
trying to get him to change it

or if she was afraid we would.

Move to strike. She
says she doesn't know.

Or maybe she just
hated us. Your Honor...

Sustained. The
jury will disregard.

(CELL PHONE DINGS)

Mrs. Briggs.

(CELL PHONE VIBRATES)

(PHONES DINGING)

Oh, my God!

Is there a problem?

Could be, Your Honor.
It's a video message.

From Walter Briggs.

Now if anyone is still
reading Fred Worth's books

by the time you see this, that
could only be because it's part of their

punishment at a
state penitentiary.

He spends the first 10 minutes
trashing his literary rivals.

I mean, God forbid a feud
should end just because he died.

Where did this come from? It's an
internet service that sends messages

to your loved ones post-mortem.

They recorded it
three years ago.

His obituary
triggered its release.

For an extra fee,
they set it to music.

Now I want to talk
to the people I love.

My beautiful wife,
Charmaine, who saved my life

and my daughters, whom I love

despite the way they treated me.

The way they treated him?

He certainly had a different
view on it than we do.

Well, he had dementia. I
mean, he was confused.

He doesn't look confused here.

Look.

Their mothers turned
them against Charmaine.

They were rude to her.

Rude to my wife in my own home.

You know, I talked
to his daughters.

They knew nothing about this.

Can the other side
use this in court?

They'll find a way.

WALTER: Delilah, I love you but
you wanted to have it both ways.

For years you wouldn't
speak to me because of that

incident with your mother.

Now that would be the occasion

where he threw your mother
through a closed window?

Yes.

But when your career in
the theater went to nothing

and you wrote that
dreadful adaptation of

The Fifth Assailant
without my permission,

you began coming around,
pestering me for the rights.

It just became too
tedious to see you.

You testified yesterday
that Mrs. Briggs

barred you from seeing your father
because of his will or she hated you.

Is that still your contention?
Yes. I still believe it.

So you don't
believe your father?

I believe he was under
her influence, her spell.

ARLENE: I see.

Charmaine was sentimental.

She thought a father
should see his children

whenever, no matter what.

But I had to insist.
It was best for us all.

When Walter went into the
hospital, I knew he didn't have long.

I wanted him to die in peace, without
being pestered and in a beautiful place.

There was a lake in Quebec...

Where we had happy times.

And what about medical care? There
couldn't have been much at the lake.

He was dying. He knew it.

And he had the
courage to face it.

He was the bravest
man I've ever known.

Did you tell him why you were
taking him out of the hospital?

I didn't have to. He'd
made it very clear

that he didn't want
to die surrounded by

tubes and machines.

Now, we've heard testimony
that, before the heart attack,

you gave your husband erectile
dysfunction pills without his knowledge.

He was very...

Proud.

He wanted to feel like a man.

And he didn't need to know
that a drug was helping him.

I wanted to have his child.

To get another
share of the estate?

No.

Because I love my husband.

I've never met anyone
in my (VOICE BREAKS)

life like Walter Briggs.

And I wanted to have a
piece of him with me forever.

And I wanted the world to
have another piece of him.

Thank you, Mrs. Briggs.
I'm sorry for your loss,

and I am very sorry that
you have to be here today.

Your husband's doctor
testified that he might

have recovered but
you knew he was dying.

Which medical
school did you attend?

Objection. Mr. Barba!

I knew he didn't want
to be in that hospital.

But you didn't remove him

until after you'd learned that his
daughters had won visitation rights.

Seeing them distressed him.

Right. And you knew he
wanted to die in peace?

Yes.

So you peacefully yanked
him out of his hospital bed

with a hep-lock in his arm.

He didn't want to be there.

You lied about where you were
taking him, put him in an ambulance,

pulled him out of that
ambulance in midtown Manhattan,

shoved him in taxi...

He didn't need an ambulance.

And then you took him to Westchester
to wait in an airplane hangar

without oxygen, medication
or professional supervision?

He was happy.

He wasn't suffering.
He was with me.

Not until the fatal heart attack
that occurred shortly thereafter.

Which could have
happened at any time.

And that gave you the right
to make it happen sooner?

Your Honor.

Withdrawn.

No further questions.

The witness may step down.

Ms. Heller, your next witness?

The defense calls Judith Briggs.

Your Honor.

She wasn't on the list. She's been
sitting here listening to other witnesses.

She didn't hear anything
she didn't already know.

And she only just
offered to testify.

I will allow it. I'll give
you an hour to prepare.

Judith, I can't believe you're
gonna testify for that bitch.

After I saw Dad's video, I finally
understood what was going on.

I stopped seeing him because you
told me Charmaine wouldn't let us visit.

But it was just you.

No. She forced him to make
that video. She hates us both.

Delilah, please, just one minute. Judith,
what do you intend to say on the stand?

That my sister lied to me.

Charmaine hates us both. She
didn't want either of us there.

I was just the scapegoat. I've always
been the scapegoat in this family.

Delilah, stop.

This is all about
your play, isn't it?

That play was supposed
to be her big break.

She told me it fell through
because she couldn't get funding.

I couldn't get funding 'cause
Dad wouldn't give me the rights.

He was so arrogant.
You know that.

It couldn't be good
unless he wrote it himself.

Besides, I was a girl. How
could a girl be a good writer?

How could a girl
compare herself to him?

I called him on his stupid prejudices.
That's what he couldn't take.

Are we interrupting? Blessedly.

With my witness?
We're in a conference.

Let's cut to the chase.

The good little sister's

gonna take the stand
and demolish your case

by proving that my client
was right to keep Delilah away.

Scintillating family drama, but that
does not give Mrs. Briggs license

to recklessly cause
her husband's death.

If I could have kept him alive,
I would have done anything.

But we both knew it
was only a matter of days.

His mind was gone.
He didn't know anything.

No, he had moments of clarity.

And when they came, he was
adamant about what he wanted.

He didn't want to be raped.

Delilah, for once
in your life, just stop.

One thing I know, my father
wouldn't want any of this.

We don't, either. Counselor?

Your client pleads to criminally
negligent homicide, does one year.

No, not good enough.

I might consider
reckless endangerment.

First or second? First.

Still a felony. I could
accept probation.

Uh, you know what, we'll take
it to court and get an acquittal.

You know what, we can. We're
due in court right now, let's go.

No. Let's end this.

I'll take it. On one condition.

That she is not allowed to ruin
Walter's work with her bad play.

He didn't want that,
so I don't want it.

Judith?

Delilah, you know I love you.

But I have to
respect Dad's wishes.

Then the vote will be
tied. I'll take you to court.

No, it won't be tied.

I may be cut out

but there's a third
vote that I will control.

Your new brother or sister.

A fertility clinic implanted
a surrogate with an embryo.

My egg and Walter's sperm,

all doing fine.

Okay, then. We have a deal,
and you have a child. Mazel tov.

One year's probation?
She killed her husband.

Well, one might argue
that she kept him alive.

And I do believe
that she loved him.

So what? People can't love
somebody and still hasten their demise?

Carisi, I know you admire the
guy, but there was no way a jury

was gonna put Charmaine in jail.

And the daughters
are okay with this?

One of them is.

Judith?

Talk to her yourself.

That's a good idea.

(SIGHS) Families.

How's your grandmother?

Still giving me grief
about moving out of that

walk-up death trap she's
somehow confused with Shangri-La.

She didn't like the facility?

No, she didn't. But it can't
be her choice anymore,

so we're starting to pack
up her things, under protest.

Mmm. That's hard.

You are a good grandson.

No, I'm not. I'm
overcompensating.

What are you going to
be doing when you're 85?

Squabbling with you?

Wouldn't that be nice?

(CHUCKLES)

I thought you might
like to have this.

The Fifth Assailant?

First edition.

And autographed?

I know you admired my father.

I did. Thank you.

So, now you'll have to
clean up your father's...

Affairs?

You can say it.

He was a charmer. Charmaine
asked me to go through his papers.

His publisher is bringing out his
collected works in a new edition.

He deserves that.

I wish you could have known
him when he was all there.

I do.

Mami.

Rafi!

I came over to help her go
through her things, you know,

just to help her go
through her stuff.

And I buzzed the buzzer,
and, and there was no answer,

so, you know, I, I got a key.

So, I came in,
went up the stairs,

got into the apartment,
walked down the hallway

and she was lying on her bed.

Uh, Mami, Mami, I'm so sorry.

I never should've
agreed to this.

She told us she
didn't wanna move.

I should have moved in with her.

I should've, I
should've quit the job.

Mami, Mami, no,
it was me, all right?

She said she wanted
to die in her own home.

And she did.

Oh, God!

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)