Third Watch (1999–2005): Season 5, Episode 16 - Family Ties: Part 1 - full transcript

Report of follow-up interviews
regards case number 04-237

to Captain Rogers, Fire
Department of New York.

I have completed the first round
of interviews with employees

Carlos Nieto, Holly
Levine and Kim Zambrano.

Paramedic Parker's breakdown
left an immeasurable hole

in the fabric of life in that firehouse.

Mr. Parker seems to have become

a sort of surrogate
father for these employees

and apparently helped
them through difficulties

encountered during and after 9/11.

This role as father
almost certainly contributed



to his feeling that it was left to him

to rectify what he saw
as the closing of the 5-5

and therefore the
destruction of his family.

- Hey, mom. - You're here.

- Hey. - How you doing?

Good.

- Sorry I'm late. - You're not late at all.

Give me your jacket. Go inside.

How have you been? You alright?

- Good. Yeah. - Yeah?

- Yeah. - You look good.

I'm good.

Sweetheart, go inside, alright.
I got something in the oven.

What's with the fancy plates?



What?

Can't have a dinner party?

I-I thought it was just gonna be..

Hey.

It's just family.

How's work?

I'm just asking.

Work is fine.

She start riding with her
old friend Bosco tomorrow.

Fred.

The kids should know you might not

be coming back tomorrow night.

Fred!

What?

Charlie, daddy didn't mean that.

- I didn't? - No.

Because you couldn't be that stupid.

'Maurice, stop.'

Sorry, mom.

No. He's clean.

- I've heard that before.
- He's got a job now.

- Heard that too. - Maurice, please.

He just wanted to have a family dinner.

- You wanted this? - Yeah, it's, uh..

It's part of the program I'm in.

- I'm sorry, mom. - No, Maurice, please.

Look. Alright, that's it.

We're gonna sit like normal people

and eat lasagna. Is that too much to ask?

You are brothers for God's sake. Let's go.

'Fred!'

You know why I need to do this.

You're doing it because you want to.

Okay, uh, come on, Charlie.

- I'm not done. - Now.

No, sit.

I'm finished.

Come on, bro.

Oh, no way, man.

Are we finished sitting here
staring at each other yet?

I would think a man who
acted the way you did

would find it easy to talk about it.

Yeah, I have nothing to add
to what you already know.

What do I already know?

You interviewed everybody,
we all saw the same thing.

You know how this works, Carlos.

You spent a lot of time in counseling

while you were in the foster system.

Exactly.

You know everything.

You dropped out of pre-med not long ago.

So?

Why?

Um.

Because I wanted to.

'Are you angry that
Mr. Parker tried to kill you.'

Doc didn't try to kill me.

'But you are angry.'

I never said that, you did.

'You were close, you and Doc.'

I'm not sure what that means.

'You spent time together.
You became friends.'

None of which have... has
anything to do with what he did.

- 'You weren't working on 9/11.' - What?

'You were off when the attacks occurred.'

So? I went down there. We all did.

'I'm just establishing fact.'

What the hell does this have to with 9/11?

'Doc's statements..'

'...made to the police
officer that brought him out'

'suggests it may be the root..'

'...of his breakdown.'

No.

Doc's the one that we all talked to.

He was the only real strong one.

Doc Parker's the reason why I
dropped out of med school, okay?

Figured if being a
paramedic was good enough

for someone like him..

Faith. So you're riding
with Bosco again, huh?

I'm working 5-5 David.

Right, you're riding with Bosco again.

'Just heard Monroe
got 30 days without pay.'

Yeah, for having her gun stolen.

Man, they cannot wait to get
our money out of our pockets.

The union can't get that knocked down?

Hill? Hard to get him motivated
unless he knows you personally.

Yeah, I do know him personally.

He couldn't do anything for me.

Here. Already got the radios.

Oh, okay.

Careful out there, you two.

- 'You called?' - 'Yeah, I did.'

'He's right over here.'

Pretty sure he's dead.

Pretty sure, huh?

'Is he dead?'

Uh, definitely.

5-5 Crime Sergeant to Central

'we got a confirmed DOA at this location.'

'Have patrol sergeant and squad respond.'

Sir, excuse me, would
you mind going down there

and standing by your car?

- Of course. Sure.
- Just waiting down there?

- You can just go on down there. - Alright.

Okay.

Hey, look.

- Two shots? - No.

One through the hand
and phone, into the head.

Through the phone?

'Yeah.'

Hey, looks like we've
got some Ecstasy here.

'Yeah, it's a good area for a rave.'

You ever seen that dolphin symbol before?

Uh, we usually get the little monkey heads.

- Hey, sarge. - 'Yeah.'

What do we have here?

Looks like the Dolphin's got
some beef with the Monkey's.

How's the family?

- Fine. - Good.

Emily good?

Can we not talk about anything personal?

We just sort of..

Focus on the job?

Hello? Boscorelli.

Yeah, Mikey.

'Why? Can't-can't it wait?'

Alright, alright.

I'll see ya.

That's my brother.

He say's he's got something
I might be interested in

professionally.

Wants us to meet him somewhere.

Professionally?

That's what he said.

Jelly Grimaldi.

Somebody selling tickets here?

What's up, Jelly.

Could you get more
people into my crime scene?

Nobody touched anything
they weren't supposed to.

Is that right?

And who decided what could be touched?

Hey, play nice there, Jelly.

We secured this area off tightly for you.

Drive by?

Yeah, looks like it.

Dade found a spent casing over there.

Not too far away from some tire marks.

Any witnesses?

No.

Do we know who he is yet?

Haven't touched him.

I was waiting for the... pros to get here.

Who did this to you, sir?

'An uncooperative victim.'

.45 from ten feet away.

Yeah, that's about
where I found the casing.

Looked like a .45.

- I just said that. - Sorry.

Some, uh, Ecstasy tabs there on the ground

underneath the car.

I'm thinking maybe it's
a low-level drug dealer.

Dog walker found the body.

He's with uniforms now.

Right.

Hey, look, uh... I'm gonna
be getting out of here.

So if you need anything,
you just call us, okay?

There's something you're not telling me.

Hey, bro.

That yours?

You're not the only one
who likes muscle cars.

That's a '73 Charger.

- '3-83 V8.' - I know what it is.

- 'Hey, Faith.' - How you doing, Mikey?

- One day at a time.
- 'That's what they say, right?'

How'd you pay for that?

I'm a laborer a few days a week.

A few days a week buys this?

Yeah, well, I got no expenses.

I'm living with the old man right now.

And hey, he's doing pretty good.

'He's got a loft in Soho.'

He's doing that good?

Yeah. It's flush. It's a sublet.

Flush this week.

'Hey, people change, Mo.'

Oh. Not really, Mikey.

I gonna get my six months
coin tonight at the NA.

It's gonna be in the
basement of Sacred Heart.

On Arthur and third.

Mom's gonna come by.

And I held it till the midnight meetings

so, uh, if you wanna come by..

What'd you wanna talk to us about?

Finkelstein Silver and Diamonds.

Silver and diamonds
aren't what they're about.

- What are they about? - Ecstasy.

'Those beards are carrying
a lot more that diamonds'

'in their fancy false-bottom cases.'

'They're supplying two raves tonight.'

'One in Brooklyn, one in Queens.'

Hasidic Jews are doing this?

Yeah.

Any minute now couriers are
gonna start coming and going.

They're gonna leave in cars

They're gonna leave on bicycles.

Now, the bicycles are for the city clubs.

Any you know this because?

Because drugs used to be my business.

What's this about, Mikey?

I'm helping you guys get a drug bust.

Why?

'Cause I'm clean, Mo.

'And I know I've done a
lot of bad things in the past'

but I figured, hey, look,
maybe I can help you

get some nice bust and you
start to this of me differently.

But alright, whatever.

You know maybe I just missed you, is all.

'So you're saying that you
saved Captain Steeper.'

Oh, those are your words not mine..

Oh, maybe I did.

Uh, but that's not the point.

I'm saying that it wasn't an accident

that I was slower than
Carlos going up the stairs.

I mean usually, I
practically knock him down.

Passing him, I have like
boundless energy sometimes.

I think it's the herbs, uh..

Antioxidants, you know.

Um, but this particular morning

I was meant to hear the shot, and get help.

It's what I do, I help people.

That's why I'm here.

That's why you're here
in the fire department?

On Earth, what the fire department does

is increase the number
of people I can help.

Did you help Doc?

Well, he's not a murderer, right?

I mean, the captain will recover

and maybe I'm being optimistic.

But I think that Doc is gonna
come through this and be better.

He has a beautiful soul.

I know I'm quirky.

'That's not necessarily a problem.'

Do you believe in past lives?

'Reincarnation?'

'I wouldn't say I do.'

'I wouldn't say I don't.'

Okay, uh..

Souls travel in groups.
Doc and I have a history.

I felt it the first time I met him.

'Did you ever share this with him?'

No.

'Did you know him very well?'

Mm-hmm. Oh, not in this life.

'So you think..'

'...this was destiny?'

Destiny.

Faith, kismet, uh..

Maybe even deja vu.

Doc is a teacher.

He did this for us so
we could learn lessons.

I'm grateful.

'What lessons have you learned?'

Um.

I'm still working on that.

'I can't believe we're sitting here.'

Why don't we just leave?

Mikey all of a sudden goes narc?

Well, he's had a long
time to think about it.

We should just write this up

'as an intelligence report
and hand it up the chain.'

Since when did you start
writing intelligence reports?

It's what we're supposed to do.

What are you gonna do?
Hand this over to Cruz?

Cruz?

'You know who reads those reports.'

What are you talking about?

Why don't you just call her over?

- Come on. - I'm not giving Cruz any heads.

Okay? We got a tip.

We're gonna follow it.

Sargent Maritza Cruz.

Laura. What are you
doing slumming down here?

Every once in a while, it's
good to get out of the tower.

When your call came
in, I thought I'd come by

personally and take a look at this new X.

- So it is new.
- Never seen dolphins before.

I ran it by the Feds.

They got nothing.

Sarge.

Oh, Officer Dade.

Meet Sergeant Wynn.

She's from narcotics, at One PP.

- Dade. I hear you're good. - Thank you.

Our uniforms definitely broke
up a party in that area last night.

Block away from the drive by.

Where this X came from?

Uh, yeah, we also... found this.

Painted a dolphin right over the monkey.

That's a big diss.

They're not gonna like this.
This crew can be bad news.

Yeah? Bad enough to shoot the competition?

For starters.

'How long was he inside? Like two minutes?'

'Not even.'

Long enough to pick up a package.

'Maybe we should call the
desk and get a warrant on this.'

'I don't think we have enough.'

We got a CI, we got suspicious activity.

'Suspicious to you and me.'

To a judge, this guy's just
looking at engagement rings.

Look.

'They sell bicycles?'

He doesn't look like
the diamond buying type.

- Hey, Jelly. - What do you want, Cruz?

My stiff's not even at the morgue yet.

You see the symbol on the pills?

Dolphins.

I showed a photo to Laura Wynn in narcotics

and she says that it's a new brand.

Photo?

I took a couple of pictures
when I was waiting on you.

I asked you if there was
anything you weren't telling me.

- Well, I'm telling you now.
- Next time, tell me first.

I didn't mean anything by it.

What else does Laura Wynn say?

She said the area would
normally be serviced

by a crew that would be selling
tabs with monkey faces on it.

Monkey faces and dolphins. I gotta retire.

So we're probably looking at a turf thing?

Exacto.

Why you including me?

It's your case.

Don't yank me. What do you want?

The guy was shot through his phone.

You saw the same thing I saw.

So we got a guy

standing outside between two trucks

down the street from a rave

vial of Ecstasy in one hand

on the phone with the other.

- Who was he talking to? - Thank you.

- I'm already running that down.
- You let me know?

This is my investigation.

I ain't stepping on it, Jelly.

Okay? You're interested
in clearing your murder.

I'm interested in the dope.

I'll let you know as soon as I do.

You do that. Nice tie.

You ran two stop signs.

What?

'Oh, see, bicycles are
subject to the same traffic laws'

'that cars are subject to.'

- Seriously? - You got a driver's license?

- Driver's license? - You're annoying me.

'You're answering every
question with another question.'

I got a license.

- Hi. - Hi.

Good looking bike there.

Yeah. It's.. It's alright.

'What'd it cost you?'

- It was... a lot.
- Give me a neighborhood.

Actually my folks got
it for me for Christmas.

Right under the tree,
Christmas morning, huh?

- Yeah. - Awesome.

I have some unfortunate news, Steven.

Apparently... there's some warrants for you

for the delivery of a controlled substance.

I already took care of those.

But thank you for asking.

- But it's... - Yeah. See
that's a damn shame.

Because the computer...
is saying that you didn't.

'It's... it's probably wrong.'

Probably is.

Well, why don't we go to the stations

and sort it all out?

- The station... you want..
- Shouldn't take too long.

I mean, you took care
of the warrants, right?

Yeah, let's go to the station.

I think we should all..

Go to the station.

Throw this in the trunk.

Yeah.

I took care of those warrants
like seven months ago.

What can I tell you?

What are you doing with my bike?

I'm admiring it.

Can't you leave it alone?

It's not that hard.

Yeah.

Can I call my folks?

They probably still have
the paperwork from the judge.

Oh, well, you have to bring that to court

when you answer on this.

I gotta go to court again?

Yeah, well, a judge issues a warrant

and only a judge can rescind it.

What are you doing?

- Really nice. - Yeah, great.

I'm glad you like it, um, but..

I don't like people messing with it, so..

So even if my folks bring the receipts

I still gotta go to court?

Even if.

Well, I've never seen these before.

Well... leave it alone.

- Well, it's loose. - They come loose.

- It's how it's made. - No, no.

- It's loose. - Don't..

Oh, Steven.

You got a receipt for that, Steven?

That's loose too.

No.

- Hmm. - That's, uh, that's, uh.

That's not my bike actually.

They switched it.

'Did you think Mr. Parker
would let Captain Steeper die?'

You should know, I
really don't wanna be here.

No one's happy with the circumstances.

It's not the circumstances.

It's the requirement
that I talk to you about it.

The department feels that
simply making counseling available

after a traumatic incident
may not be enough.

Oh, so they force us to take it?

Did you think Mr. Parker
would let Captain Steeper die?

I didn't have to.

I was watching it happen.

- How did you feel? - Numb.

Mr. Steeper had asked that the paramedics

not use the firehouse during downtime.

Yes.

Did that upset you as
much as it did Mr. Parker?

It's the way the other houses work.

But did it upset you?

I don't think it upset Mr. Parker

as much as it made him feel

that they were gonna close the house.

Well, what about you?

I didn't pay too much attention.

To Steeper?

To Doc.

What do you mean?

This is a nightmare.

You've been through a lot.

I've been through a lot?

I understand you were
attacked a few weeks ago.

I thought this was about Doc.

I'm interested in you too.

Where is he?

At Bellevue, under suicide watch.

Have you spoken with him?

He won't talk to anyone.

'Did you feel he respected you?'

What difference does that make?

'I need to get a sense of
what you were thinking, Kim.'

He had this look in his eyes, and..

I kept thinking, "Please..

Please don't kill yourself, not here."

I can't be witness to
this man killing himself.

He had nobody except us.

And we let him down.

'Seven hundred, Steven.'

'That's about $15,000, street value.'

That's no misdemeanor.

Is, uh, my lawyer here yet?

No, but ours is.

We got the warrant.

- We're up to 700. - Oh.

- You want to help yourself?
- He's all lawyered up.

Hmm, wonder if the
people he's throwin' this for

will be that loyal?

When can we move on this?

Narcotics' getting ready now.

Nice work guys.

- Can I see you a moment, boss? - Yeah.

- Are we in on this raid?
- 'It's a narcotics operation.'

Yeah, but this is our collar.

What about Yokas? Does she
want to be in on the raid too?

Yes she does.

- I was gonna say yes. - I know you were.

And don't think you're gonna
tell me that it's too dangerous.

Alright. You're gonna have a
TAC meeting in the roll call room

in 25 minutes.

Be careful, both of you.

Probably a bunch of locked up areas.

Now, Officer Hearn, here,
is going to get buzzed in.

And as soon as he gets the doors
open, we do this fast and dirty.

Let's overwhelm it,
hopefully avoid anything

but a quick surrender.

'Questions?'

Alright, saddle up. We move out at 17:15.

- Where do you want us, sarge?
- 'Right in front.'

We don't want anyone inside
mistaking this for a robbery.

- I'll bring around the RMP.
- Nice collar, officer.

Thanks.

- What the hell is goin' on?
- You don't know?

Well, nobody told me anything.

Oh, umm..

Well, this was our collar

and it turned into a raid.

Why would we be telling you anyway?

We're anti-crime, I'm workin'
on an Ecstasy case myself.

- Oh, okay. - Yeah.

Well, uh, your welcome

to look at the seizure as long
as you don't touch anything.

'The Platoon commander
wanted these two precinct officers'

on the raid.

I don't know why you weren't included

you just weren't. We gotta roll.

We gotta roll.

Right.

- You ready? - Very.

Listen...

If you tell me to be careful, I'll hurt ya.

Okay, then..

Seven hundred tabs of monkey face.

I asked for my attorney.

You ever seen that before?

Do you know anything about that?

Police hands up.

Nobody move. Let me see your hands.

- Let me see your hands.
- Hands up, fellas.

Get them outta here.

Where are these bags
at? The bags. Let's see..

Bingo!

There won't be Monkeys
on the street anymore

that's for sure.

Swim with the dolphins, baby.

Peace.

Thought you guys would
want to know the total.

Approximately 11,000 tabs.

That's a street value of just under

a quarter of a million dollars.

God.

- 'Good work.' - Thanks.

Mikey sure came through, huh?

Yeah.

I didn't believe he went straight.

Long history.

Goodnight.

It was nice of you to
come tonight, sweetheart.

Six months..

Isn't small.

No, it's not.

Hey, dad?

Long time.

'You could say that.'

- Congratulations. - Thanks, bro.

Pop here is gonna take me for a steak.

- Minetti's. - Yeah?

Good. Good for you.

You deserve a good steak.

Me, I'm just gonna head
home. Had a really big day today.

- Is that right? - Really big.

Alright, man, what'd I tell you?

What is this?

'It's, uh, it's nothin'.'

Me and Mo we just
had a little thing goin' on.

Thank, Mikey.

Not a problem.

So..

See you later.

- Maurice. - Yeah?

Why don't you come
and have a steak with us?

Ah..

- I don't know.. - Come on.

You know you like the steak at Minetti's.

Come on.

They do make a good steak.

- Alright. - Alright.

Come on, Rose.

'Did I ever tell you how I managed'

'to stay happy in my career?'

By staying out of the drama.

Good for you.

All I want is a simple clearance.

Just do my job and put a murder down.

But?

This one's gonna be full of drama.

It already makes my ulcer hurt.

I got my sheet back
from my DOA cell phone..

And?

It says he was taking to someone named

Michael Boscorelli.

Why can't I get a hot cup of coffee?

Michael Boscorelli, huh?

Kim Zambrano actually returned to work

from her own mental
collapse on September 11.

As she pushed aside her own pain

and answered the city's call for help.

This is a theme, which as you know

runs through most of the
city's emergency employees.

Carlos Nieto acted selflessly
during the hostage incident

at the firehouse and most certainly saved

Captain Steeper's life.

However, as do many
of the survivors of 9/11

he clearly does not feel heroic.

Despite their hesitance
to speak openly with me..

If they do not locate an avenue

for such a discussion
they may never adequately

recover from this trauma.

Comin'.

What are you? Out of your mind?

- What do you want? - Where's your brother?

What?

- Your brother? - My brother?

Yeah.

What do you want?

Where did you get that information

about the jewelry store?

You're out of your mind.

The jewelry store, Bosco?

The Hassids.

I had a confidential informant.

Oh, really?

Who's that?

That would be the confidential part.

Right.

I see why you never brought me here.

What do you want?

Well, I want to tell you a little story.

Your brother Michael..

He's got this new brand of Ecstasy tab

he wants out in the market.

'It's good stuff.'

'Pure.'

Problem is all the good
spots already taken by this

already established ring out of
Finkelstein Brothers on Grant.

So what to do?

What to do?

Why doesn't he enlist his brother

who's a New York City cop
to help him clear the way?

"Clear the way," that's good.

'Yeah, lock up the competition.'

You know what, go to hell. Go.

He never talked to you about
this? He never said anything?

Look, my brother gave up that place...

- Well he never... - Will
you shut up? Can I talk?

My brother gave up that place
because he went clean, alright?

- He went straight. - Really?

- Yeah. - You sure about that?

I was at his meeting
last night he got that..

Six month coin or whatever.

He did? Well, you see, that's interesting.

'Cause see, I got 17 of those..

From my sister over
the years before she died.

Seventeen, how much are those worth now?

I don't need to explain
myself to you, alright?

He's clean. I can see it in his eyes.

There was a homicide yesterday, Bosco.

So what?

Ecstasy dealer on the phone shot

while trying to make a deal.

Guess who he was on the phone with?

- I don't care.
- And it wasn't just that call.

This vic made 39 phone
calls to a cell phone

registered to your
brother, in the last week.

In fact, that number was the only one

that cell phone ever called.

Talk to you about that?

So where is he?

Okay, well, if you see
him why don't you tell him

that Sergeant Cruz wants to talk to him.

Bye.

You can go lay in the bed now.

No, I'm awake.

- I want to talk. - I don't.

Fred, please.

You won't listen to me anyway.

Hey, look who's here.

'What's wrong?'

Mike.

Where's his room?

'Tell me what the hell's goin' on.'

How do you two afford this place?

We don't, I do.

On what? Tips?

What, cab driving doin'
that good these days?

You know, I don't have to explain myself.

Right.

This his? Hmm?

I-I think you better leave.

Where's his room?

Where does he stay, dad? Come on.

Where you goin'?

- Come on, y-you gotta leave.
- This his room?

Don't.. Come on. What are you do?

I'm not goin' anywhere

until I go through the
son of a bitch's stuff.

For what?

He played me, dad.

This is a mistake.

Don't do that, come on.

Please, don't touch this.

I said leave it alone!

He had the whole family there.

To see him get that six month coin.

And the whole time, the whole time..

He's dealing Ecstasy.

Ecstasy..

He's a drug dealer, dad.

Th-that's past tense.

Are you kiddin' me?

You know what really pisses me off?

That I was stupid enough
to fall for the whole damn

"I changed" thing, nobody changes.

People don't change. Do they, dad?

Well, we can go out

we can go have all those
steak dinners we want..

But it don't make us a family.

I'm my own family.

I'd like to go to Central Booking now.

You have an absolute
right to an attorney, okay.

And I can no longer
ask you a single question

about anything that could incriminate you.

So, I'm gonna ask you some questions

about someone else's crime.

I don't know anything about anyone else.

You know this, don't you?

No.

No?

You know how you were caught?

A confidential informant
told one of our officers

about your business.

We didn't even know it was there.

The person that sells this brand of Ecstasy

your competition.

Why are you telling me this?

Thought you might like to return the favor.

I'm not interested in revenge.

Did you see the news
today, Mr. Finklestein?

These people brought
shame ...to your community.

Hey, Brian.

Ladies, ladies..

Kid's popular.

Yeah, dope will do that.

'Got the ladies, alright.'

'That's for sure'

Looks like he's doing alright for himself.

Okay, here he comes.

'And he's stopping.'

'Our lover boy's movin' over.'

A 1973 Charger.

Hmm. Finklestein loves his cars.

'You wanna stop him?'

'Yeah. These guys got balls.'

Let's go meet Mr. Michael Boscorelli.

- Would you say? - Yeah.

- Put your window down.
- Turn the car off, man.

Hey, Dade, why don't you back off?

You want to turn the car off for me, man?

'Dade, just back off.'