Reckless (2014): Season 1, Episode 12 - Civil Wars: Part 1 - full transcript

Previously on Reckless...

Ms. Marcus is suing the city of Charleston

- for wrongful termination...
- Okay, Jamie.

- And defamation of character.
- Game on.

They have a tape.

It's footage of you

and three other men

having sex on a police car.

They must've slipped something into my beer.

We had something.

Yeah, we did.



Until you decided to share
me with your buddies.

They offered me a half a million

to settle the case.

Screw the settlement.

Let's fight.

Was there ever a problem with documents

disappearing from this office?

- All the time.
- You think that's what

happened with Lee Anne Marcus's
statement of complaint?

Terry: I do know something about arliss.

Search team found something
not far from where

his truck ended up.

Mayor Fortnum.

I like the sound of that.



The deal was for $13 million.

There's a million dollars missing.

I don't have your money.

I'm replacing juror number eight

with first alternate Nicolette Graham.

It worked. I'm on the jury.

I'll make sure you get the
outcome you're looking for.

Roy: When this is over,

I'm gonna make you fall in love with me.

("The Law of Love" by Kill It Kid playing)

♪ Broken curfew at the pearly gate ♪

♪ The road is silence ♪

♪ At the edge of shame ♪

♪ So I tasted the breath of God ♪

♪ And the empty charges ♪

♪ Of the firing squad ♪

♪ They say ♪

♪ The law of love ♪

♪ Will keep you safe ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh... ♪

Oh, my God.

Where did you get this?

Oh, don't tell me it's from that gun deal,

where you got shot.

All you gotta know is it's mine.

Or ours,

- if you run away with me.
- Will you stop?

We already discussed this.

That was just talk. This is real.

A million dollars of real.

All right...

Why take a gamble with the lawsuit

when all the money you need is right here?

I've gone through a lot, Terry.

Lost too much. I can't just give up.

I mean, it's not just about

the money anymore.

I want to win.

I just want you to be happy.

I will be.

When this is all over.

And then what about... us?

I gotta go.

I gotta be in court soon.

Hey.

Good luck.

♪ If I had a heart, I would love you ♪

♪ If I had a heart, I could change ♪

♪ Between all up there and nothing ♪

♪ So he'll be too vain ♪

♪ ♪

Oh, here's that brief you requested.

Roy: Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Morning, ladies.

Roy.

May I have a word, Ms. Sawyer?

I'll see you upstairs.

Okay.

Have you thought about
what I said last night?

I think "obsessed over" is a better term.

I meant every word.

I don't doubt it.

And...?

Maybe I'll tell Judge Moss
that we've decided to settle.

There.

- Trial over.
- Well, when it is over,

I'm going on a long vacation.

You been to Paris?

I've never even been out of the country.

Then it'll be

the first time for both of us.

If you're trying to throw me off my game...

It's working.

So it's a game we're playing?

And I am tired of following the rules.

Me, too.

All rise.

The circuit court of common
pleas is now in session.

The honorable judge gertrude moss presiding.

Please be seated.

We are gathered to hear the case

of Lee Anne Marcus v.
The City of Charleston,

on the charges of wrongful termination

and defamation of character.

The jury has been sworn in
and given their instructions.

Ms. Sawyer...

You may begin your opening statement.

Thank you, Your Honor.

And thank you, members of the jury.

My name is Jamie Sawyer,

and I am representing the plaintiff

who you see before you...

Lee Anne Marcus.

Good morning, y'all.

My name is Roy Rayder.

I am the city attorney of Charleston.

I will be defending both the city

and the police department
against this claim.

Your responsibility here today
and throughout the trial:

To determine whether my client

was indeed defamed by her coworkers...

And whether the police department

was well within their rights

to release the plaintiff from employment.

(Sneezes)

God bless you, ma'am.

It isn't about my client's personal life

or her sexual proclivities.

It's about a person

just like me and you.

A person wronged by the system.

Everyone can get fired.

But not everyone goes on talk shows.

She's the one who decided to
make her personal life public.

But now...

Now she doesn't want you
to know the whole story.

That doesn't seem fair to me.

You will see how a pattern
of corruption exists

within the Charleston police department.

You will see how the plaintiff

has taken advantage of the legal system,

wasting tax dollars

on this unwarranted, frivolous lawsuit...

Objection!

- Jamie, you can't...
- Jamie: Yes.

I can.

(Gavel bangs) Overruled!

Counselors, I need

to see you in my chambers.

Now.

(Door slams)

Are those heels so high

you're getting deprived
of oxygen, Ms. Sawyer?

I've warned you time and time again

about pulling your tricks in my courtroom.

80% of jurors make up their minds

during opening statements, Your Honor.

They need to know that this
is not a frivolous case.

Object all you want.

Your likability factor just plummeted

for interrupting me.

Don't get oh so high and mighty, Roy Rayder.

Calling opposing counsel
"Jamie" in open court?

Look, I know the two of you
have eyes for one another.

Have to be blind as a
mole rat not to see it.

And my courtroom will not be

a place for you to engage in foreplay.

If I even see the slightest
hint of impropriety,

I will declare a mistrial

and get you disbarred so fast

you'll be serving warm beer to frat boys

down at shem creek before
you even know what hit you.

How clear do I make myself, counselors?

Very.

Crystal.

Jamie: I call as my first witness

the deputy chief of police, Holland Knox.

How long have you been in your
current position, Officer Knox?

About a year and a half now.

So not for very long.

And are you the person

who fired my client, Lee Anne Marcus?

Yes.

May I ask on what grounds?

Non-exemplary performance.

I see.

I'd like to show, for the record,

plaintiff's exhibit one.

This is my client's most
recent performance review.

It covers everything from marksmanship

to knowledge of the law to dependability.

Is that your signature?

Yes, it is.

Jamie: So you are fully aware

that my client scored 95 out of

a possible 112 points,

placing her in the "very good" category.

Now, as you stated, the plaintiff was let go

due to "non-exemplary performance."

Now, are there areas outside a typical

performance review that are measured

in order to judge an employee's

overall value within your department?

Yes, there are.

And so what other factors
influenced your decision?

Well, from the moment she got the job,

Ms. Marcus flaunted her sexuality,

driving other officers to distraction.

Exactly how did she do that?

She sent suggestive photos

of herself around on department
E-mail, for starters.

Roy: To that end...

I'd like to present
defense exhibit number one,

Your Honor.

Roy: Hmm.

Yeah.

Jamie: It's true.

My client did send that photo

to one particular officer, Terry McCandless.

But isn't it also true that her e-mail

was forwarded to other officers, as well?

Yes.

Jamie: So, by passing around

this private photo without her consent,

wasn't your department,
in effect, defaming my client,

by treating her like a sexual object

and diminishing her as a professional?

I'm sure she was aware of
the risks when she sent it.

But isn't it difficult enough

for a woman to feel

confident in her position as it is

in a department that is made up of 76% men?

Uh, objection.

It calls for a conclusion.

Moss: Sustained.

Get to your point, Ms. Sawyer.

Well, with a gender gap that pronounced,

could this be the reason that my client

was sexually propositioned so frequently

that she was compelled to
file a statement of complaint?

I'm not aware of any statement of complaint.

You're not?

So did she or did she not

file a complaint?

To my knowledge, she did not.

Thank you, Officer Knox.

No further questions.

I'd like to call as my
next witness Betsy Lewis.

Mrs. Lewis, in what capacity do you work

at the Charleston police department?

I'm the secretary to the
deputy chief of police.

Have been

for 27 years.

So you work for Holland Knox?

Yes.

I used to work for his
predecessor Wes Tarkington.

Jamie: And when you worked

for deputy chief Tarkington,
did you ever see a copy

of a statement of complaint submitted

by my client Lee Anne Marcus?

Yes, I did.

Jamie: Well, that's strange.

Officer Knox said both in his deposition

and right here under oath

that no SOC ever existed.

But is that true?

No, it's not true.

I told him when it'd been filed.

And that it may have been destroyed.

That's all he wanted to hear.

Plaintiff's exhibit two.

A copy of the actual statement of complaint

filed by my client.

I guess it wasn't destroyed after all.

All that time, you swore to me

that you weren't lying.

I told you, Roy!

I wasn't lying!

I never saw that complaint.

Uh, maybe you didn't lie,

but you didn't exactly
tell the whole truth, either.

And on the stand, Holly,

there is no distinction.

How the hell did Jamie get a copy?

Because she is a damn good lawyer!

That's how.

Her entire theme

is that Lee Anne is some

wronged, powerless female going up

against a corrupt male-dominated system.

And you played right into it.

You just discredited

your entire testimony.

If you would've given me full disclosure,

as your lawyer and as your best friend,

I would've gone to the ends of the earth

to get out ahead of it.

But no, you left me out there all alone.

And because of that...

I couldn't protect you.

What the hell were you thinking?!

Of all the idiotic ways

to just flush your political
career down the toilet.

You're lucky they're not throwing you

in jail for perjury.

All I tried to do was help you
navigate the waters, Holland.

I filled your coffers with donations.

Introduced you to all the right players.

You shot a hole in your own boat.

Peel: We can't spin this.

Johnson: We thought you were
the future of the party.

I guess that was our mistake.

Well?

Do what you need to do.

All our work up in smoke!

Only two weeks to the election,

and Knox just hands it to Joyce Reed.

We could put forth a replacement candidate.

Do as much damage to
her campaign as possible.

At least we wouldn't be
going down without a fight.

You.

Me? What?

You should be the replacement candidate.

You just said it yourself.

You've brought in most of
the campaign contributions.

You know everyone worth
knowing in Charleston.

- I don't see why that...
- And if anybody's gonna

go down swinging, it's you, Dec.

(Laughs) Well, you're certainly giving me

something to think about, gentlemen.

I-I don't want to take

any focus away from my firm.

And, of course, I need

to discuss it with Barbara.

But I do believe you've made
me an offer I can't refuse.

(Laughs)

Johnson: Ho! (Laughs)

Ms. Graham?

You're late.

I was beginning to worry.

Sorry, chief.

How is everything progressing?

Not well.

The deputy chief didn't do you any favors.

That was a blow to your department's case.

Which I anticipated.

That's why I helped get you
into that jury box, my dear.

I've done everything you said.

I've made friends with other jurors.

Tried to take on a leadership role.

Good.

You play this right,

you'll become the foreperson.

And then you'll have even more power

to sway their opinions.

All we need

is the majority.

I don't like this.

Lee Anne Marcus cannot win this case.

You get me that outcome,

and I'll fulfill my end of the bargain.

You have my promise.

(Chickens clucking)

(Car door shuts)

Hey, there he is!

Really sucks about your badge, man.

Work's not the same without you.

Ah, they can't hold me down for long.

So, what's up?

Why'd you want to see me?

Well, Toby, I got a proposition for you.

For me?

Well, here's the thing.

If you, uh, take this proposition,

it might kind of make you

persona non grata down at the station.

Why would I be interested in that?

I'll tell you why.

'Cause I know you.

You started on the force with high hopes,

but your bad back didn't
put you on the front lines.

And you weren't savvy enough to snuggle up

to the powers that be.

So you clock in and clock
out knowing you're never

gonna make a big bust,
never gonna rise the ranks.

And by the time you punch
that final time card

and eat your dried up
piece of good-bye cake,

you'll be lucky if you
even got a pension worth

all the stomach ulcers eating you up.

(Laughs)

But I got a way out for you, my friend.

I can get you some money.

Some sweet tax-free money and lots of it.

Are you still listening?

Hey.

I heard about what happened in court.

I'm sorry.

Yeah.

My days here as deputy chief
are most likely numbered,

and I got some open cases
I want off my queue.

Arliss Fulton?

That's Lee Anne's husband.

What happened to him?

Yeah, that's the last one
you should be worried about.

This one first.

Request comes straight from the chief.

CSU never processed this vehicle?

Nope.

We never got the work order from homicide.

Oh, I bet that's because the
wife of the missing person

is Lee Anne Marcus.

We got blood on the steering wheel

and the door handle here.

Look at this print.

Arliss Fulton's a paraplegic.

There's no way he could've
reached this area.

Someone else was here.

(Door opens)

May I help you?

You're repping Lee Anne Marcus, right?

I'm Detective Fowler.

Toby Fowler.

What can we do for you, sir?

I knew her... Lee Anne.

Look, I've... seen things,

but I didn't want to say.

The thin blue line

can be like a rope that'll strangle you.

So, why are you coming forward now?

This has all gone

way too far.

What those guys did to her,

I should've come forward sooner.

I want to know everything.

Would you be willing to
testify on her behalf?

Yes, I will.

Detective Fowler, how long have you been

a police officer with the
Charleston police department?

Going on 20 years.

And did you ever socialize
with my client Lee Anne Marcus

outside of work?

Yes, often.

CPD is a tight-knit group.

Did you ever witness any
male police officers make

sexual advances toward her?

Yes.

Can you point to a specific incident?

One night, we were out celebrating

an officer's birthday... Terry McCandless.

Some of us went out for drinks.

It was the same night that sex tape was made

that was all over the news.

And what did you see that night?

Terry and his buddies,

they were all three sheets to the wind.

I left before things got
out of control, but...

But what?

One of the guys told me they were gonna

"get a taste of Lee Anne"
before the night was done.

And then he slipped something into her beer.

Would you identify that
person for the court?

You say it was Frank Jablonski.

Now, are you aware, detective,

that Mr. Jablonski was
killed a few weeks ago

in an officer-involved shooting?

I am.

Unfortunately, Mr.
Jablonski is not available

to confirm or deny your story.

Jamie: And to your point, Detective Fowler,

I'd like to submit plaintiff's
exhibits five and six.

On the monitor, you will see
results of a drug test performed

by two different independent labs,

which confirm that my
client was dosed with GHB,

commonly referred to as a "date rape drug."

As for plaintiff's exhibit seven,

this drug test, performed
to the same criteria,

came back negative. And why?

Because it was performed by
a man named Patrick Brandeis,

who happens to be the
brother of Miles Brandeis,

another one of Terry McCandless's buddies

at the Charleston PD.

Once again confirming

that the police not only knew
that my client was drugged,

but they were united in
an effort to cover it up.

Objection! Counsel is testifying.

She certainly is.

Would you like to be sworn in, Ms. Sawyer?

My apologies. Thank you, detective.

No further questions.

Hey.

You on a lunch break?

Toby Fowler.

You got him to testify for me, didn't you?

Terry McCandless, if you
did something illegal

and they find out...

Calm down. Toby decided

to come forward. That's his prerogative.

You were drugged, right?

The test results proved it.

You just needed someone to back your story.

I just wanted to help you.

You got a funny way of showing it.

♪ See that light is traveling... ♪

- Wait.
- I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I know. Look, I didn't mean...

- It's okay.
- With Arliss and all that...

(Sighs)

I've been through all the
stages of grief, Terry.

All of them.

Something hit me when
I woke up this morning.

And that feeling that I've held so close...

That feeling that he's out there

somewhere...

It's gone.

Arliss is dead.

I know that now.

But...

What?

But I need to keep on living.

♪ No complications ♪

♪ Just inspiration. ♪

Bailiff: Do you swear to tell the truth,

the whole truth and nothing
but the truth, so help you God?

I will.

How long have you lived
in Charleston, Lee Anne?

I'm a Chucktown girl, born and raised.

You come from a broken home, correct?

My daddy ran off when I was seven.

We didn't have much, but
my mama, she was strong.

Taught me how to be
self-reliant, to dream big.

And did you?

To me, being a police
officer was dreaming big.

So, when I became one,

it was one of the best moments of my life.

Roy: You held other jobs before

becoming a police officer, didn't you?

Yes.

Bartender, bank teller,

fast food cashier, to name a few.

Were you fired from any of those jobs?

Objection. Relevance.

Your Honor, I'm just establishing

a pattern of work ethic.

Overruled.

Roy: I've entered defense exhibits

two through five, Your Honor.

All paperwork showing that
the plaintiff was indeed fired

from four previous positions.

Were you also "wrongfully terminated"

from all of those places as well?

We've already established
your performance record

at the Charleston PD, Lee Anne.

Were you ever given any
indication that your work

there was anything but exemplary?

No. One afternoon, I was called
into deputy chief Knox's office,

and without warning, he fired me.

Roy: You admitted in your deposition

that you were having an extramarital affair

with a fellow officer,
Terry McCandless. Correct?

Yes.

Not only while your husband was fighting

for his country in Iraq,

but even after he returned
home as a paraplegic.

(Murmuring)

If this case is about me being perfect,

well, y'all can rule against me right now.

Jamie: Why did you have an affair

with Officer McCandless?

When my husband went off to fight,

I was alone for the first time
in my life... and so scared.

Being with Terry, I was accepted,

taken in by the other officers.

It was like I had a family again.

And did that change?

After that night, at... at Terry's party,

when I was drugged and...

passed around like a toy...

everything changed.

They all turned against me.

And I lost my job.

I might have been crazy

taking on the entire police department.

This case has taken

a huge toll in ways I
never could've imagined.

My house was firebombed,

and that tape was leaked to the press.

And your husband drove off the
road and disappeared, right?

Yes.

Perhaps he didn't disappear.

Perhaps, Ms. Marcus, he left you

after discovering you
have continued your affair

with Officer McCandless.

Objection. Argumentative.

Sustained.

You best have a point, Mr. City Attorney.

I do, Your Honor.

In Ms. Marcus's deposition,

she stated that she had not had

any sexual relations with Officer McCandless

since before the lawsuit was filed.

If it pleases the court,

I'd like to present
defense exhibit number six.

(Woman gasps, gallery murmurs)

Object, Your Honor. Immaterial.

Overruled.

(Murmuring)

This was taken the night
of the mayor's ball.

(Murmuring) Woman: She was lying.

I don't know if I can believe her.

(Murmuring continues)

She's lying.

Shame, shame.

Roy really did a number on us today,

that's for sure.

I need to do damage control, strike back.

I think I found something.

I was looking over copies
of Roy's witness lists.

Here's one from two months ago and one

from just last week.

And there's one change

that's particularly interesting.

Ronnie Porter.

Roy was gonna call him as a witness,

but then struck him from the list.

Who's Ronnie Porter?

A former Charleston PD cop.

Left the force before the suit was filed.

How's that helpful?

If Roy changed his mind about using him,

it's gotta be for a good reason.

A reason that could help our case.

I'm gonna ask Lee Anne if she knows him.

Meanwhile, find Ronnie, okay?

I'd love to have a little chat with him.

Yeah, I knew Ronnie.

He was my training officer.

Oh, that must be why Roy
called him to the stand.

To testify about your job performance.

Probably dropped him

when he only had good
things to say about you.

I should call Ronnie to the stand.

Make Roy tap-dance a little.

You wouldn't want to do that, believe me.

Why not?

Ronnie got put on an
extended leave of absence.

He had some kind of breakdown.

Over what?

Well, he shot an innocent
bystander at a scene,

and the guy almost died.

I think the guilt just tore Ronnie up.

They found him on the
railing of the Ravenel Bridge

about ready to jump.

I'd love for him to testify for me, but...

Unfortunately, he wouldn't exactly

be the most reliable witness.

What do you need, Roy?

Looking for Knox.

Not answering his phone.

He hasn't been around all day.

Is it true he dropped
out of the mayor's race?

Yeah. I just heard

and wanted to see how he was holding up.

What's that?

Cold case. Three years ago,

an intruder broke into a home,
attacked a married couple.

Killed the husband,

seriously injured the wife.

Went unsolved.

Why is it here?

I guess Chief Ellsworth wanted it reopened

for some reason.

Why are you so interested?

Because I know that woman.

(Knocking)

There he is.

Chief Ellsworth.

Thank you for coming in.

My pleasure.

I heard you pulled off

some pretty fancy footwork today, Roy.

We got a real shot at
winning this thing now.

Exactly how far are you
willing to go to ensure that?

What are you talking about, son?

Please tell me that it is a coincidence

that Nicolette Graham just
happens to be on my jury.

You see,

her husband was killed three years ago.

Killer was never found
and the case went cold.

And suddenly, out of the blue,
the case is reopened by you.

You made a deal with Ms. Graham, didn't you?

Don't jump to conclusions here.

You are tampering

with my jury, and I will not stand for it.

Even if Ms. Graham and I devised

a mutually beneficial arrangement...

(Sighs)

Why should you care to
have a friend on your side?

She will tell the court that she is sick

or had a death in the family.

Whatever it takes to recuse herself.

I don't care.

Must I remind you you're working for me?

For my department.

This case, it's a sham.

An embarrassment.

The juror is out.

And unless you want me to tell the judge

and everyone who will listen
that the chief of police

is guilty of collusion,

I want two things from you.

One: You will still look into

the murder of Ms. Graham's husband...

I'm gonna remember this, Rayder.

Believe me when I say that.

And two:

You will stick by Holland Knox

and let him keep his job.

Do we have a deal?

Do we have a deal, chief?

Detective Cruz.

I ran those fingerprints you found

on Arliss Fulton's truck,

and I got a hit in AFIS.

Oh, that's great.

"Jasper Taggett."

Assault, armed robbery... Oh, that's great.

Attempted murder.

He's a three-time loser.

I gotta figure out

what he was doing at the crash.

Jasper Taggett?

Charleston PD.

Mr. Taggett?

Yeah. What do you want?

Open the door, sir.

What if I don't want to?

Hey, man!

You know a man named Arliss Fulton?

No.

I never even heard that name.

Jasper: Hey, don't you need
a warrant or something?

Shut up!

Just shut up.

Two wallets?

Where is he?

Where's Arliss?

What did you do?

- Watch him.
- Got it.

♪ ♪

Mr. Porter?

I hope I'm not bothering you.

I've seen you on TV.

You're that lawyer that's
fighting the police department.

From what I hear, you're
a pretty darn good cop.

(Scoffs)

Was, you mean.

Did your job make you...

sick?

That's a nice way to put it.

Yeah.

That and some other things.

I guess you're wondering how

I let her get to me like that, huh?

Let who get to you?

Lee Anne Marcus.

Right, yes.

I was curious.

Do you mind talking about it?

(Chuckles)

Um...

I was top of my class at the academy.

I brought that momentum
in with me to the job.

Pretty solid future.

And then she joined the force.

Lee Anne.

Yeah. She was like

a heat-seeking missile.

Day one, she locked eyes on me, and...

I was gone.

Gone how?

She has this way of
getting inside your blood.

And you're so afraid of losing that high...

You'll do just about anything.

You know, suddenly I-I'm playing

all these messed-up games.

You know...

Sexual stuff.

Ruined my marriage.

I lost my kids.

I couldn't concentrate at work.

But that just made her
bury the claws in deeper.

Pretty soon, she got me, uh...

doing things, um...

Bad things.

Bad things...?

Lifting stuff from the, uh, evidence room.

Like what?

You can tell me, Ronnie.

Was it drugs?

Look, it was nothing hardcore.

Just some E and some roofies.

And finally, I-I said, "hey, that...

That's enough. Okay?"

But she... she just went cold.

You see? And-and five minutes later,

she found some other dupe to manipulate

into doing whatever it is she wanted.

And who was that?

This hothead detective, Terry McCandless.

And all of a sudden, I'm
on the outside looking in.

Everything I had...

was gone.

And it's because of your client,

Lee Anne Marcus.

Lee Anne Marcus!

- No, Ronnie...
- Get off me!

Get off me!

It's your client!

Lee Anne Marcus!

It's your client!

♪ ♪

♪ Steady now ♪

♪ Steady now ♪

♪ Don't fear what you can't see ♪

♪ Ready now ♪

♪ Ready now ♪

♪ I'll hold onto you ♪

♪ You hold onto me ♪

♪ Ooh... ♪

♪ I found the heart of a lion ♪

♪ In the belly of the beast... ♪

Too late for that, darling.

Decatur.

You're looking good as ever.

Everything's going just as

we planned, my dear.

Getting everything I wanted.

And now... it's your turn.