Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 8, Episode 13 - Loophole - full transcript

An investigation into a potential child pornography case actually uncovers a chemical company testing possibly toxic products on a group of building tenants.

(male announcer)
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.

[elevator bell dings]

(Cupid)
I want her now!

(Stabler)
You raped her.

(Cupid)
She's mine!



Ow!
I'm Eros.

I loved her.
Somebody help this kid.

(Munch)
Why don't we just shoot him?

Munch, help the kid!

(Cupid)
Let me go!
He's unconscious.

Somebody call EMS.

Get off of me!
I got him!

Watch out.
He's high on PCP.

I'm comin' for you, Barbie!

How dare you hit
the erotic god of love.

Get off me.

No mortal can keep us apart!

I came to get her back.

Barbie's gone.
Put the chair down.



Don't make me
hurt you, lady.

Last chance.

You're just jealous
of her beauty.

Ah!

[electricity zapping]

Ugh!

Barbie.

I love you!

You're my--

(man)
Secure the prisoner.

Get the cuffs on him.

How bad?

Deep cut in his arm.

Tell EMS we
got an officer down!

Where are you taking him?

They're all going
to Bellevue.

I'm gonna ride along.

Anybody belong to this?

The kid that Cupid knocked down
was carryin' that.

It's addressed
to the Special Victims Unit.

What is it?

Kiddie porn...

memory card
from a camera.

It's a little late
for Christmas.

Who's playing Santa Claus?

Well, it's a secret.

Note just says, "Please
put this sick bastard away."

(Singh)
You'll feel a slight pinch,

and then in a few seconds
your arm will be numb.

It's already numb--oh.

Hey, Captain.

How you feeling?

Like a million bucks.

(Benson)
That's what happens

when you get hit by a bus.

Speaking of which,

where's Lover Boy?

He's in the prison ward
in steel restraints.

Is he gonna be okay?

The glass came close
to severing his radial nerve.

He's lucky.

I'll be ready for work.

Not until you regain

full feeling
in your arm and hands.

Puts you on the D.L.

You're gonna put me on the D.L.
with our caseload?

Elliot, I'd rather lose you
for a few weeks

than go
to your retirement party.

How's that kid Taylor doin'?

Fin's talking to him now.

(Taylor)
What happened?

You picked the wrong time
to get off the elevator.

A guy on a PCP rage
took you out.

Where?

At my office,
Special Victims Unit.

Do you remember
why you were there?

The envelope...

Relax, I got it.

Was it yours?

No.

Some guy on the street
gave me 50 bucks to drop it off.

What'd he look like?

He had on some shades

and a big winter jacket
with the hood up.

He say why he didn't
drop it off himself?

No.

The guy said Ulysses

was the only explanation
I needed.

You still got Ulysses?

Oh, man...

I knew it was too good
to be true.

(Benson)
The bill was too beat up
for the lab to lift any prints.

What about the envelope?

Three sets of prints:

mine, Munch's,
and the delivery boy.

No DNA on the glue.

Then the informant
was smart enough

not to lick the flap.

The only other prints
we got

came from the photos themselves.

The prints are not
in the system,

but I have a feeling that
our anonymous tipster's are.

It would explain why
he went to so much trouble

to stay under the radar.

But why not
give us the perp's name?

(Fin)
Maybe somebody afraid
of the perv

doesn't want him
to come back on him,

like a previous victim.

Or the victim is being abused
by a family member,

somebody else in the family
finds the photos,

turns them in anonymously
to avoid retaliation.

(Cragen)
After editing out

the really nasty ones.

There's not one shot of that kid
naked or performing a sex act.

Maybe that's why
he included the memory card,

he thought
there'd be more pictures on it.

TARU called.

Nothing more hard-core
than these.

Well, when I was
in Computer Crimes,

we used digital image
recovery software

to restore deleted files.

Bet that would work
on the memory card.

(Morales)
Program found a couple of JPEG
files on your memory card

that had been erased.

Naked pictures
of the kid?

All I saw
were a bunch of doors.

Doors?

Actually one door,

taken from different angles.

Can you blow that up?

(Morales)
Sure.

[keying and beeping]

(Benson)
I don't see an address.

(Fin)
Or the faces of any
of the installers.

(Benson)
Hold on. Wait.

Go back to that last one.

[keying]

[beeping]

(Benson)
Look, the window caught
a glimpse

of a truck passing by.

Let me clear that up.

[beeping]

(Benson)
"Empoli Bakery."

(Fin)
No time or date stamp.

(Morales)
That's where the EXIF data
comes in.

EXIF?

Exchangeable image file--

records the date and time
an image is taken,

and the make
and model of camera.

All these images,
including the porn,

were shot with a PhotoPro 600
digital camera.

And that Empoli Bakery truck

passed your mystery address
last Tuesday afternoon at 1:46.

(Mikey)
So my next stop
was over by Columbia Pres,

and I went down here.

It's a dangerous block.

You usually go this way?

No, sir.

I got held up last year,
and the bastards broke my arm.

But there
was a water main break

on Fort Washington
last Tuesday...

Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Pull over.

Where?

Over there.

(Mikey)
Feel free to grab a snack.

(Fin)
Thank you.

(Mikey)
No problem.

Wait up.

Hey.

Got you a donut.

Thanks,
but I'm good.

Hey, can I have one?

Sure.

What's your name?

Kevin.
All right, Kevin.

(man)
Yo, what are you doing?

(Fin)
Giving the little boy
a donut.

Why you wanna
give the kid a donut?

Why do you have a problem
with us giving him a donut?

Oh, all right.
Cop's best friend.

Come on.

It's rainin' out here.
Let's go inside.

About time you people
showed up.

Somebody call the police?

You're here
about the break-ins, right?

That's why you're here,
right?

Yeah, our precinct
sent us over.

They sent you over
to this dump?

This place is ridiculous, man.

Third time this month
somebody broke in.

Ridiculous.

When was the most
recent burglary?

I don't know, like,
the night before last.

How come you guys
don't know that?

We're too busy eating.
Your super around here?

My super?

He's in his hole
in the basement.

His name's Seth Millstead.

Is he on top
of what's going on?

I don't know if he's
on top of it, man,

but he was yelling about it

'cause the crib they
busted into last time was his.

Ridiculous.

(Millstead)
Don't you people communicate?

All the time.

Yeah, well, then you
should already know

that nobody broke in here.

Well, those marks
on your door say otherwise.

So do some
of your tenants.

Which tenants?

That guy out front,
for starters.

What? The Wax Man?

He can barely
put two words together,

he's so strung out.

You mind if I
take a look around?

Make it quick.

Mr. Millstead, there
was a call to 911 two nights ago

reporting a burglary
to this apartment.

Patrol sent two cars.

Yeah, and like
I told those cops,

I was taking out the garbage,
I forgot my key ring,

and the only way
I could get back in here

was with a crowbar.

(Benson)
Well, most people
would use a locksmith.

[scoffs]
What those
bloodsuckers charge?

It costs less
to replace the door.

I understand exactly
how you feel, Mr. Millstead.

If you have
any more problems,

make sure to call us.

Why'd you pull me out?

Millstead's lying
and we got no search warrant.

For what?

For his digital camera.

Same make and model
took the pictures we got sent.

Whoever's been doing
those break-ins

got more than they bargained for
in Millstead's place.

Yeah, his kiddie porn.

We've got ourselves a burglar
with a conscience.

(Cragen)
I don't buy some burglar
risking prison time

to be a Good Samaritan.

It explains why he made sure
we wouldn't find any prints

or DNA on the envelope
or pictures.

Who reported the break-in?

Anonymous caller--
pay phone four blocks away.

Perp probably stopped
to eyeball the take

he got
from Millstead's apartment

and saw the pictures.

Right, and instead
of dumping them

into the nearest garbage can,

he called the cops.

Well, just because a guy
makes a living

breaking
into people's apartments

doesn't mean
he likes kiddie porn.

Okay, so he pays a kid
to deliver the evidence.

Why report the crime
he committed?

Because he wanted
to make sure

we'd track those pictures
back to Millstead.

Well, maybe he should've

given us a little bit more
to work with, right?

Like the address?

'Cause it was just dumb luck
we found it.

There's no way

he could've known those doors
were on the memory card.

Why take these pictures
to begin with?

To prove to the city
that the work was done.

They were installed
to save the landlord

from a whopping fine.

For what?

(Benson)
Safety violations.

Before last week,
there were no doors

on the front
of the building.

There were ten burglaries
in the last year.

So other than letting
the building fall apart,

does Millstead have a record?

No. No nothing,
no priors.

Just means nobody caught him
taking his naughty pictures.

John, does this kid
live in the building?

(Munch)
Apartment A-6.

His name is Diego Benitez.

Oh, you're late 'cause you
were doing something useful?

Yeah, I was showing his picture

to the local
elementary school principal.

Emergency contact is his mother,

who's probably serving lunch
as we speak.

(Jennifer)
The school didn't call me.

Is Diego hurt?

(Benson)
He's okay.

Why don't you step down
for a second?

Look, the reason
that we're here

is we believe that your son
may have been sexually abused.

By who?

We're not sure.

Are there any adults
close to him?

His teacher

and the guy who watches him
when I work my other job,

but they
would never touch him.

Has your son
said anything to you,

been acting strange lately?

I'll talk to him.
He'll tell me.

Actually it's best
if we talked to him.

No. No, no, no.

I swear,
I can get my boy help.

And when he tells me
who's hurting him,

I'll make sure
he's far away from them.

I can handle it...

Your son's attacker
took these photos.

They may already be
on the Internet.

The only way to handle it
is for us to arrest him.

I gotta go.

Somethin's got her spooked.

Well, maybe she knows
that it's Millstead,

and she's afraid of him.

Maybe she's doing him
and trying to protect him.

I didn't get that vibe
from her.

What we didn't get

was permission
to talk to her son.

Now what?

Well, we try to find
our 911 mystery caller.

Munch should have the tape
by now.

(woman)
911 operator,
what's the emergency?

(The Wax Man)
Okay, listen to me.

This is ridiculous,

but somebody
broke into an apartment--

1A 957
Fort Washington, okay?

You hear me? Hello?

Is anyone still
in the apartment?

Sir?

Sir?

Unfortunately, that's it.

That voice sounds familiar.

Yeah, like a guy who likes
little boys and cotton swabs.

(Fin)
You gotta do that
in front of us?

I have a cerumen problem.

You're gonna
have a face problem

if you don't stop.

What the hell is cerumen?
(Munch)
Ear wax.

See? He knows.

I make too much
of the stuff.

It blocks up
my auditory canal.

Then what you need
is a hearing test.

Hey, back off!

Somebody
broke into an apartment--

1A 957
Fort Washington, okay?

I'm not deaf!

That's you talking to the cops.

I was just being
a good citizen.

How did you know about
the burglary in the basement?

Aw, this is ridiculous.
I-I was home.

(Fin)
On the fifth floor,
you heard somebody

bust into an apartment
through five slabs of concrete

with a cerumen problem?

I must've been
having a good ear day.

[turns off intercom]

Where did you
find this Looney Tune?

Hanging out in the front
of Millstead's building.

His real name is Raymond Nesbit.

He's got a long sheet of arrests
for heroin possession.

Currently on parole
after doing 2 1/2 up at Fulton.

Hard time
on a possession collar?
No.

Burglary two.

I guess old habits die hard.

[turns on intercom]
(Munch)
You know Diego Benitez?

(The Wax Man)
I watch him after school

while his mother works.

You into little kids?

"Into"?
No, no, no, no.

Do not try to pin
no kiddie diddling on me.

So Diego told you
he was abused?

You got voices in your head?

'Cause I didn't
say that out loud.

This is ridiculous,
gentlemen.

Look, we don't speak
your dialect of crazy, okay?

So talk to me straight.

Did Diego ever tell you
he was with Seth Millstead?

Yeah.
But not that he diddled him.

Then what?

This perverted freak
took pictures

of this little boy
in his underwear.

(The Wax Man)
His skivvies.

These pictures?

Where did you get those?

(Fin)
Messengered over
by some good citizen.

Probably by the same guy

who broke
into Millstead's apartment.

Do you have any idea
who that might be?

If I was him--

and I'm not him,
I'm not sayin' that--

I'm sayin' if I was him

and I decided to stick around,

I'd keep my mouth shut.

You know, unless...

I was assured I'd skate
on certain crimes I did.

(Novak)
What crimes?

(Cragen)
Ten burglaries
in that building

in the year
since The Wax Man came home.

All with the same M.O.
as the Millstead job:

crowbar entry,
place torn apart.

And he only takes cash,

probably
to feed his heroin habit.

Well, I guess
that makes it okay then.

You got a Plan B, Counselor?

Yeah, bust him
for the parole violation

and send him back upstate
where he belongs.

And get the victim to talk.

We're not gonna
get the victim

to talk, Casey.

We can't get parental consent.

He's the only one
who can swear

that kiddie porn
was in Millstead's apartment,

which he's not gonna do
unless we make him a deal.

What if he commits

an assault or a murder
and the media finds out

that we had him
and we let him go?

You want to take that chance?

That's what I thought.

(Fin)
So what do we
tell Mr. Hygiene in there?

He confesses
to the Millstead burglary

and taking the kiddie porn,
he walks on that crime only.

He's not gonna go for it.

And we need a warrant to get
into Millstead's apartment.

Well, then give me something.

Besides the camera.
(Benson)
Hold on.

The memory card.

It has the images of Diego
and the front doors.

Now, is that enough?

It's iffy,
but I could try Judge Ahearn.

She has a kid
around Diego's age.

(man)
Police! Search warrant!

What the hell?

Seth Millstead,
you're under arrest

for possession
of child pornography.

What are you
talking about? Ah!

About you
re-writing history,

lying about somebody
breaking in here.

Look, I got nothin' to hide!

Yeah, you do:
those pictures you took

of a little boy
in his underwear.

Underwear?

It doesn't sound
like any kiddie porn

I've ever heard of.

Anyone can see
that's kiddie porn.

You must have X-ray vision.

There is not one image
of genitals

or a sex act.

You're right.
They must be family photos.

Here: my 4-year-old daughter
in her two-piece.

Based on your definition,
this is child pornography.

It is if you try
and sell it to a pedophile.

Your Honor, if it looks like
a duck and quacks like a duck--

It's pornography.

Look, Justice Stewart
said he couldn't define it,

but he knew it
when he saw it.

And U.S. v. Dost
requires the law determine

what the child is wearing,
how he/she is dressed,

the intent of the image--

And whether the child is naked
or engaged in a sex act.

And the boy
in those pictures is not.

Mr. Zeirko,

I'm not giving some pervert
a free ride

without further researching
Ms. Novak's points.

I'll give you
my ruling tomorrow.

If you don't
want this arrest voided

on a bad search warrant,
Ms. Novak,

I'd get a statement
from the victim.

What do you want?

We arrested Seth Millstead
last night.

Does he think I talked to you?

You don't have to be afraid

that he's gonna
report your illegal status.

I know. Your green card
expired last year.

Please. Please don't
send us back to Honduras.

Did he threaten to turn you in,
is that what happened?

Yes.

But Diego was born here.

Jennifer, I'm not here
to report you.

I want to protect your son.

Okay. Come on.

Hey, Diego.

I'm Olivia.

Hi, Olivia.

I'm a police officer,

and I'd like to ask you
a couple of questions

if that's okay.

You have a big day?

No. I'm just tired.

Yeah.

I need to ask you if, uh,
if you've ever seen this?

No.

Can you tell me who took it?

I don't know.

Okay, Diego,
this is really important.

I need to know

if somebody asked you
to pose for this picture?

I don't remember.

Are you okay?

Yeah, I'm feeling a--
I'm just feeling a little hot.

I'll get you some water.

Now, Diego...

Diego?

[thud]
[glass breaking]

Jennifer?

Jennifer?

Jennifer?

Jennifer, come on.

[hoarsely]
Help.

[loudly]
Help!
What is it?

I need help!

Get out of the building.
What?

I'm a cop.

Call an ambulance.

And get out.

Get everyone out!

(Cragen)
Last radio call I heard
said 12 people:

Jennifer, Diego, Olivia--

And the other two apartments:
family of four in one,

three mentally disabled kids

and their foster parents
in the other.

Patrol has evacuated
the building.

Emergency Services are lookin'
for any other victims.

Hazmat's ready to go in.

How bad are the victims?

We don't know yet.

Everybody but Olivia

is at the E.R.
or on their way there.

(Benson)
I'm not going anywhere.
I'm telling you, I'm okay.

We don't know
what made you pass out.

Just give me
the release paper to sign.

Is there a problem here?

She's refusing medical care.

Well, you must
have heard wrong

because Detective Benson
wouldn't violate procedure.

I don't need to go
to the hospital, Captain.

Hazmat's ready to go,
Captain.

Take her.

Restrain her
if you have to.

These people can't stay
out here all night.

Is somebody making arrangements
for them?

Red Cross is setting up
a temporary shelter

at the school
around the corner.

We know anything yet?

Only that we're lucky.

We could've had a lot more
sick people on our hands.

Why don't we?
'Cause Olivia
had the presence of mind

to vent the Benitez's apartment
and tell everyone to get out.

Is she gonna be okay?

[Dr. Larom]
You're awake.

You have strong vital signs.

(Suzy)
I want to go home.
Home, home--

(male nurse)
It's okay, Suzy.
You'll go home soon.

No, now!
Home, home,

home now!

Were they
in the building too?

They, and a third
mentally handicapped kid

with their foster parents,

and another family
with two children.

Are they gonna be okay?

Well, they were exposed
for a lot longer,

so they took a bigger hit.

A bigger hit of what?

Poisonous vapors
in the apartment.

We were poisoned?

(O'Halloran)
Don't know yet.

But this'll tell us.

(Fin)
That looks
like a radar gun.

It's a photo
ionization detector,

also known as a gas sniffer.

Standard equipment
in the war on terror.

We stumble
on a terrorist lab?

We'll know in a few minutes.

First stop's the basement.

TARU's rigged me
with a camera and audio.

They're setting up a monitor
by the hazmat truck

if you want to watch.

I'll call the hospital
and check on Liv

while you finish
suiting up.

(Larom)
I want a tox screen,

blood gas.

Let's get some more O-2
on her.

What do I still need oxygen?

Bring up
your oxygen saturation.

I'll be right back.

Left arm, okay, Detective?
Yeah.

You have good veins.

Where are they
taking Diego Benitez?

Up to pediatrics.

[O'Halloran through monitor]
I'm getting a positive reading
for V.O.C.s.

(Cragen)
Translation?

Volatile organic compounds.

This building
is full of surprises.

So's your garage.

There's V.O.C.s
in paint thinner,

gasoline, benzene,
old floor wax--

[hazmat cop]
O'Halloran, over here.

(O'Halloran)
What'd you find?

You're not gonna believe this.
Check this out.

(O'Halloran)
Wow.

Wow what?

(O'Halloran)
This is a 95-gallon
overpack container.

They're designed
to transport nuclear waste

and to contain 55-gallon drums

that are leaking
hazardous chemicals.

Can you tell what's inside it?

(O'Halloran)
Uh...

No markings.

But the PID's reading positive
for organophosphates.

(Larom)
Your blood work shows

that you have half the normal
amount of cholinesterase.

What is that?

It's an enzyme that helps
regulate the nervous system.

The levels drop when you've been
exposed to organophosphates.

So will it get better?

I'm going to give you
a shot of atropine.

It's an antidote.

Unless you've
been exposed long term,

you should be okay
in about 24 hours.

So I can go now?

No. I'm gonna have
to keep you here overnight.

Maybe we'll find out
which type made you sick.

We got a problem.

The sniffer's reading this
organophosphate as unknown.

We've got to notify the EPA,
Terrorism Task Force,

and Homeland Security.

Homeland Security?

We got a sleeper cell
in this place?

Remember the Tokyo
subway attacks

back in '95?

Terrorists
used Sarin gas.

Sarin is one
of the deadliest O.P.s around.

You're talking
about nerve gas?

Right, so we're
gonna leave this alone

and check levels
in the three apartments

where the tenants got sick.

Jennifer.

They say you saved us.

Is Diego all right?

No. They did tests.

They found cancer in his blood.

Cancer?

Did they say
what caused it?

No.

No.

(O'Halloran)
We found traces
of the same O.P.

on the heaters
in all three apartments.

(Cragen)
How'd it get there?

Must have
been sprayed on 'em.

When the heat came up,
the stuff volatilized

and went into the air.

Why those three apartments

and not the rest
of the building?
No idea.

We'll know more
when we figure out

what this stuff is
and where it came from.

I know just who to ask.

(Officer Bates)
You sure?

(Fin)
Do I look sure?

Eh.

Yeah, Mitch.

I got an NYPD out here,

needs to see Millstead...
10-4.

Supervisor says
you're gonna have to wait.

Until what,
he pretties himself up?

Oh, now that's funny.

What are you doing here?

I'm here to see your client.

Figures they'd notify you
before his own attorney.

About what?

(Zeirko)
I got the call
an hour ago.

Said he was in the yard
for his daily exercise,

and there was a pileup.

When they finally
got everybody off him,

there was
a sharpened toothbrush

sticking out
of his rib cage.

You have a suspect?

(Zeirko)
About a dozen of them.

(Fin)
Couldn't have happened
to a nicer guy.

(Fin)
Doc Warner said whoever
shivved Millstead had good aim.

Got him in the ascending aorta.

Took him less than a minute
to bleed out.

Then our only lead
on the toxin died with him.

We got any word
from the scene?

Homeland Security
and the Fibbies took over.

They also want everything
we got

on Millstead's kiddie porn.

(Fin)
Can't think of a reason
not to give it to them.

So that's it?
We're done?

Hazmat confiscated my clothes.

You could have gone home.

Not till I find out
what happened to me.

We may not know
for a couple of days.

And it's over for us anyway.

(Munch)
You may want to wait

and see what else we found
in Millstead's apartment.

(Millstead)
Okay,

the three words today:
ball, clock, elephant.

(Millstead)
Got it?

That's Seth Millstead's voice.

(Diego)
Ball...

clock...

elephant.

What is this?

(Munch)
One of two dozen
or so mini-DV tapes

Crime Scene found
underneath a loose floorboard

in Millstead's apartment.

If that boy's about
to be abused on camera,

I don't need
to see it right now.

Relax, Counselor.
These tapes are G-rated.

(Millstead)
How're you feeling today,
kid?

Better than last week.

Well, that's good.

What's up with school?

The teacher says
I'm not doing good.

Did you do okay
on that math test?

I don't remember.

(Diego)
Can I go now?

(Millstead)
First hit me
with those three words.

Hippo...

pen...

light?

That's great, kid.

We'll do it again
next week.

That's it?

(Munch)
Not exactly.

We got over 200 sessions

with Diego
and the other three kids

who went
to the hospital last night.

Any idea what it's about?

(Munch)
I didn't get it either

until I started
digging into payments.

He's been getting
quarterly checks

for almost two years
from this company.

(Fin)
"E-H-D Associates,
Incorporated."

What do they do?

Research for chemical companies.

Their offices and bank accounts

mysteriously disappeared
from the planet two days ago.

That has something
to do with these tapes?

(Munch)
Don't you see
what's happening?

That stuff
in Millstead's basement,

it's not some weapon
of mass destruction.

It's an experimental pesticide.

Some big chemical company
is paying Millstead

to test it on Diego

and the other kids
in the building.

They're using them
as guinea pigs.

And those tapes
are evidence

of what the long-term affects
are on them.

(Fin)
Leave it
to the Prince of Paranoia

to take it up a notch.

This is way out there
even for you.

Really? Then why
does it show Millstead

as a consultant
on the check?

No, this time Munch
isn't crazy.

You think some chemical company
poisoned these people?

Wouldn't be the first time.

Chemical companies have been

testing pesticides on people
for years.

And the government
just allows this?

The government
tried to do it too.

They were going
to pay poor families

down in Jacksonville,
Florida,

to videotape the effects
of pesticides on their children.

They only canceled the study

because of protests
from the public

and their own scientists.

After that, the EPA
prohibited all direct testing

on pregnant women and children.

So how did this company

get around the regulations
to poison us?

Through a loophole
called "observational testing."

What's that?

You're having your place
sprayed for bugs,

they're allowed
to test your kids

to see how it affected them.

So Millstead sprayed
the building with poison

and then videoed what it did
to Diego and the others.

And took these still photos.

(Fin)
So this isn't kiddie porn.

It's part
of his sick experiment.

Look at how they're shot.

I think Millstead took them
for evidence of toxicity

to show whether the children
developed skin rashes

from this pesticide.

What poison
are we talking about?

The pesticide manufacturer

has to submit
all research data

to the EPA
for final approval.

(Palmer)
We've checked.

We have no idea

what the chemical is.

Well, then who does?

The company that made it.

We only deal with them when they
give us their final results.

And it looks like this study
wasn't completed.

Yeah, because a bunch
of kids almost died.

Look, Detectives,
I don't have to answer to you.

I assure you, the EPA's hands
are clean on this.

Yeah, clean like they
were with CHEERS?

We didn't spray people.

No, you waved a thousand bucks
around some poor folks

in return for exposing
their kids to poison.

We only took people who
were already using the stuff.

Now, get your hands
off of me.

Yeah, I bet you
volunteered your kids.

It's not about my kids.

No, it's about exploiting
the poor and the desperate

because they don't matter.

The poor and desperate
are the ones most affected

by rodents and parasites.

Parasites
like the chemical companies

that do this while you
look the other way.

We don't condone
what happened here.

(Benson)
But you're responsible,

because your regulations
allow those chemical makers

to do what they want.

According
to ethical guidelines

and established rules
and regulations.

(Benson)
Which everybody
seems to ignore,

because I bet the research
company didn't even bother

to get permission
to test those people.

You underestimate them.

There's no way
they'd open themselves up

to a multi-million
dollar lawsuit.

I guarantee you,
they cover themselves.

(Benson)
Did you give them permission,
Jennifer?

Mr. Millstead said
if I signed the form,

we could get money.

How much?

A hundred dollars
every few months.

And what did you
have to do?

Let Mr. Millstead
spray the drug

in the apartment.

Hold on.

They told you
that it was a drug?

Yes, one that could
keep the roaches away from us.

They never said
that it was a poison?

They never said
it was a pesticide?

No! He said it was safe.

But it wasn't.

Jennifer...

It wasn't your fault.

You didn't know.

He probably knew that it
was poison for roaches.

The doctor says
he's going to need chemo.

What am I gonna do?

I have no medical insurance,
no money.

How am I gonna pay for this?

Jennifer, the form
that you signed,

did Mr. Millstead
give you a copy?

Yes.

In my apartment.

(Fin)
Somebody should get the EPA
to clean this up

for when Jennifer and Diego
come home.

Got it.
Here it is.

That's a lot of pages.

They expect some poor,
undocumented immigrant

who barely speaks English
to get through that?

There's no way.

It's written
in such legalese,

I can't even understand it.

Listen to this: "Forever
indemnifies E-H-D Associates,

"its worldwide subsidiaries,
and satellite corporations

in the U.S. from any
and all liability."

Does it say who
hired the research company?

Here we go.

"Waiver of liability
shall also extend

"to Danforth Chemical, Inc.,

"which corporation
has contracted E-H-D Associates

to carry out the study
described herein."

Danforth Chemical.

Sons of bitches
pay some subcontractor

who takes the lowest bid
to do their dirty work.

I don't care if they're
in the Fortune 500.

They're not getting a waiver
of liability on this one.

(Moss)
Can I help you?

(Benson)
Mr. Hanley?

No, I'm Charley Moss.
I represent Danforth Chemical.

I'm here to speak
with the company C.E.O.

Roger Hanley.

With regard to what?

The chemical
that your company sprayed

at 957 Fort Washington Avenue.

Well, I'm sure Mr. Hanley

doesn't know anything
about that.

And he's not
available anyway.

I'm sure he is available.

He just doesn't have the guts
to deal with me himself.

And your interest
in this, Miss...?

Detective, Mr. Moss.
Detective Benson.

And my interest in this

is that the poison
that your client sprayed

almost killed me.

You showed your badge to the
security people downstairs.

Is that how you got in?

I did. What does that
have to do with this?

Well, you're here
on personal business,

which means that you
entered the building

under false pretenses.

Eleven other people
were also poisoned

by your company's product.

Which product exactly?

That's what I'm here
to find out.

Well, unless you
have a subpoena,

I'm afraid
I can't help you.

Now, I suggest you
leave the building.

Let's go.

You touch me again,

and I will collar you
for assaulting a cop.

You should listen
to him

unless you want me
to call the police

and have you arrested
for trespassing, Miss Benson.

(Novak)
I'm sorry, Liv,

but there's nothing
I can do.

It's over.

Well, I'm not gonna stop.

Okay, then hire
a civil attorney.

This isn't about money.

I am talking about your career
in a flaming, downward spiral.

Look, Charley Moss

called his friend the District
Attorney about your visit

and started
throwing out phrases

like "conflict of interest,"
and "abuse of power."

Danforth Chemical is the one
abusing their power.

They committed 12 counts
of Assault Two.

Which is not a sex crime.

Assault two:
intentionally causing stupor

by administering
without consent--

"Intentionally" means you're
gonna have to prove intent.

That company treated
those people like lab rats.

And I'd like to stick it
to the EPA too.

Okay, even if you had a case,

the Federal Government
and its agencies

have blanket immunity.

And Diego Benitez
has follicular lymphoma.

Who do we hold accountable
for that?

You are thinking
like a victim, Liv.

If you were thinking
like a cop,

you'd realize
it's not that simple.

And neither was Tuskegee.

Or Willowbrook.

This is no different.

Those people sprayed poison.

Those people didn't spray it.

Seth Millstead sprayed it,
and he's dead.

Now, if you want
to charge Danforth Chemical,

you're gonna have to prove

that their chemical
caused Diego's cancer.

I can't testify that pesticide
caused Diego's cancer.

(Benson)
Why not?

Because it's almost impossible
to prove.

For starters, Diego Benitez
is the only person

in the building
with follicular lymphoma.

But he and the other kids

were exposed to that stuff
every day for two years.

And to asbestos,
lead paint,

cockroach
and rodent droppings:

all the amenities

of substandard living
conditions.

So any of those things
could have made him sick?

Or any combination.
Or none of the above.

We just don't know.

Cancer is a complex
multi-step process

involving environment
and genetics.

Even if I found ten people
in that same building

with the same disease,

I'd be telling you
the same thing.

(Stabler)
Thought the joint
would be empty.

I thought the doctor said

you had to be on house arrest
for two weeks.

I can't stay away.

It's almost midnight.

I didn't want Cragen
to see me.

Yeah, I know the feeling.

He rip you for your visit
to Danforth?

Ah, I see
word travels fast.

Well, you know me.
I got spies everywhere.

Are you sure

you want to do this
to yourself?

So you think
that I should give up too?

No, I think
what you're doing is great.

And it's wonderful
to be passionate about--

Well, it's easy
to be passionate

when you're
one of the victims.

Well, at least you've
got the guts to admit it.

But what do you tell victims?

Get help.

The problem is

you're not following
your own advice right now.

What do you mean, "get help"?
You want me to hire a lawyer?

If I sue this chemical company,

they will bury me in paperwork
for the next ten years.

The kid could be dead
by then.

Elliot, I don't even know
what made us sick.

It's proprietary information.

Ways to find out.

What does that mean?

It means sometimes the only way
to beat someone

in a dirty fight

is to get right down
into the gutter with 'em.

(Morales)
You want me to what?

Please don't make me
ask you again.

You worked
in Computer Crimes.

Why don't you
do it yourself?

I would if I could.

I wasn't there long enough
to learn.

I never figured you for someone
who'd break the law.

I'm desperate.

This is the only way
that I can get what I need.

Why not just get
a subpoena?

I've tried playing fair,
and I got nowhere.

I need this information
to get the subpoena.

And it's worth losing our jobs
and going to prison?

I know what
I'm asking you to do.

And there will be
no hard feelings if you say no.

But it will help me prove
that a very big company

is intentionally poisoning
little kids.

So, yeah,
I think that's worth it.

I'm in.

It had to be
in the men's room.

Well, I have a signal
and nobody can see us.

What are you looking for?

The names of any experimental
pesticides in the testing stage.

[computer beeping]
Uh-oh.

What is that?
Wireless intrusion
detection.

Companies use it to prevent
industrial espionage.

They know we've hacked in.

Hold on.
They know where we are?
Not yet.

Well, please hurry.

No pesticides
in the testing phase.

But there's one awaiting
EPA approval.

What now?

They're tracking
my wireless signal.

Closer they get,
the faster the beeping.

How soon till you get a name?
Please.

Got it.

Zilithion.

Shut it down. Okay.

Let's get out of here.
You go first.

Tell Munch I'm ready.

Oh, I'm sorry. I thought this
was the ladies room.

(Munch)
Mr. Hanley.

(receptionist)
You can't--uh,
he's in a meeting.

You can't go in there.

(Hanley)
Then maybe the price
of the stock will go up.

Personally, I'd bet
on a bear market.

(Hanley)
What is this?

Who are you?

Police, Mr. Hanley.

You're under arrest.

Excuse me?
On what charge?

12 counts of assault.

Assault?

With your company's
experimental pesticide

Zilithion.

I'm not a criminal!

But what your company
does to kids is criminal.

(Munch)
Fit for the cover of GQ.

We're done.

No. You're done.

You're all done
when my attorney gets here.

(Munch)
And until he does get here,

you can enjoy the hospitality
of our prisoner lounge.

With them?

Isn't there someplace else?

Preferential treatment
for a plutocrat?

We'd all lose our jobs.

(Moss)
You're gonna lose it anyway.

Roger, are you okay?

Get me out of here, Charley.

(Moss)
First we're gonna get rid
of the media circus

waiting outside.

Media circus?

The one these detectives
put there to harass you.

Oh, we don't do perp walks
for the press any more.

It's against department policy.

Then who called them?
It could've been anyone.

This place has more leaks

than a 100-year-old
water main.

I want to see your A.D.A.

Now.

You rang?

Enjoy your little
practical joke

because it's about
to explode in your faces.

Oh, I'm sorry, Charley,

but the only thing bursting
in here is your bubble.

Well, when I talk
to the District Attorney--

(Novak)
He'll tell you
that he approved everything,

right down to the warrant
for your client's arrest.

I didn't assault anyone.

(Benson)
Sure you did.

Me and 11 other people
in that Washington Heights slum

where you
tested your Zilithion.

If Danforth Chemical
ran any tests,

I can assure you
they had signed releases.

Oh, you mean
this pile of crap,

where your pesticide
is referred to as a "drug"?

My company's
done nothing wrong.

(Benson)
No, you don't think

there's anything wrong
with poisoning little children?

How do you people
sleep at night?

(Novak)
You didn't
even get permission

from the foster family

with the three mentally
handicapped kids.

That's not against the law.

Because you slithered
through the loophole

in the EPA regulations.

You used those kids as lab rats.

(Moss)
You can't prove Mr. Hanley

had direct knowledge
of any of this.

(Novak)
Really?

Well, then the subpoena that we
served on your I.T. department

this morning shouldn't turn up
any incriminating emails.

Yeah, that's right,
Mr. Hanley,

you're going to jail.

Unless you agree to our terms.

Are you trying to blackmail me?

What terms?

This little boy breathed
your poison for two years,

and now he has cancer.

(Novak)
Now, you are going to pay
lifetime medical expenses

for him, his mother,

and the rest of the tenants
in that building

where you
tested your nerve gas.

And in return?

We drop all the charges,

we blame everything
on your research company,

and we say publicly

that you're cooperating
with our investigation.

And the media circus outside
goes away.

Don't marinate on it too long,
gentlemen.

This offer has a half-life
of ten seconds.

(Benson)
You will have
to sign an agreement

that you won't ever
tell anyone what happened.

But I can take care
of my son now.

He looks like his father.

I hope he can be strong
like him.

He will be.

He has a strong mother.

Wait.
He should say good-bye.

No. That's okay.

Let him play.

( wolf howling )