Original subtitles

Mr. Faltisco?

Mr. Faltisco?

Mr. Faltisco?

Life's an illusion.

Reality is an illusion.

You take this squad room, for instance.

Right after the big shootout last May,

the, uh--

...the bosses wanted to renovate,

they reconfigured the whole place

so that those of us that watched three uniforms die...

...put aside the horror of that moment,

and go about our jobs.

It was actually quite enlightened of the bosses,

huh, really, but...

it was futile, because...

this squad room is the same squad room,

and our-- our memories of that moment

are as vivid as they ever were.

All of this is just--

it's an illusion.

Bayless, this is your first day back on the job.

- Right. - Do me a favor, shut up.

What he means is, you got shot, you almost died,

Pembleton's gone, you're in flux.

- Flux. - But even so,

if Gee hears you babbling on about

how his new squad room is just a figment

of our collective imaginations,

he's gonna send you down for a psych exam.

Which you will not pass.

For now, Timmy, the best thing is, say nothing.

Nothing's more real than nothing.

Homicide.

I needed a partner, that's all, John.

I'm telling you, Tim, you don't want to partner with me.

I'm bad luck, I'm a curse.

Bolander, Russert,

Kellerman, I'm like a black hole.

You partner with me before you hand your badge in.

Look, look, look, it's not a permanent thing.

I'm not asking for a long-term commitment.

I understand.

You went steady with Pembleton for six years,

he broke your heart, and now you're just looking for a one-nighter, huh?

- Yeah, something like that. - Yeah.

You and me, we both know what it's like.

You develop a working relationship with someone,

you get into sync, and then bam, they abandon you.

And you think you can't do the job without them.

- I can do the job without Frank. - Hey, I'm not saying you can't.

Look, look, look, look, after his stroke,

I was on my own, and I did fine, okay?

End of story.

Gentlemen, meet various body parts

of one Angelo Faltisco.

Well...

I guess we can rule out a household accident.

Are you sure that this is Faltisco?

Uh, downstairs neighbor ID'd the head.

Mm-hmm. So where's that neighbor now?

Uh, squad car.

Her name is Diane Panepento.

Oh.

What's she, uh, say about this guy?

50s, divorced,

owns a grocery store.

"If any man thinks that he slays,

or another man thinks that he is slain,

neither knows the ways of the truth."

So what's the matter with Bayliss?

Eh, he's talking a lot of mumbo-jumbo.

- Well, he almost died. - I almost died.

And you don't hear me quoting Hindu.

Well, he's just trying to make some sense of it all.

Three cops were shot dead right where you're standing.

- There's no sense in that. - Tell me something.

The bosses spend umpteen thousand dollars

rehabbing this old squad room, right?

We have the same board.

How much could a new board have cost?

$30? Ooh, $40, maybe?

- It's almost dawn. - Want a slice of pie, there, Rene?

How can you eat pizza this early in the morning?

When the guys are hungry, they eat.

Anytime, anyplace, anything.

The ways of Homicide are strange indeed.

Ah, you'll get used to it.

I'm going down to evidence control.

Okey-dokey, partner.

You know, she was Miss Anne Arundel County.

Rene Sheppard was Miss Anne Arundel County?

Oh, she didn't win the big tiara or go to Atlanta City

or nothing like that, but, uh--

Yeah, she was voted Miss Congeniality.

Well, sure, she's very congenial.

- Angelo Faltisco? - Mm-hmm.

Angelo Faltisco.

I knew Angelo, we went to the same grade school.

You got any idea why someone might have wanted to do this?

I was never really friends with him.

But my cousin, Mario, they were close.

I'll give Mario a call.

I just saw him two days ago.

I bought some veal from him. Nice guy. Nice guy.

Oh, Mario, it's Al. This is urgent.

Give me a call when you come in. It's important.

You see, this-- this is what I'm talking about.

You see this memo from the bosses?

Which one? We get three a day.

"In an effort to maintain the pristine condition

of the newly renovated squad room,

all Homicide personnel are asked

not to hang personal items on the wall.

This includes family photos,

sports paraphernalia, and bumper stickers.

Staff members are also asked not to use thumbtacks

or Scotch tape to affix--" and I love that word, affix,

"any papers, schedules, or menus on said walls."

Let me see that.

How long do you think we're going to be able

to maintain this pristine condition?

Not long.

This place is going to be a dump by Christmas.

It's pretty great because my foot

is pretty much healed, you know, and the doctor says

that I'm almost finished with physical therapy

and I can start, you know, going out on cases

and, uh, you know, dancing.

Hey, that's great, Ballard.

Homicide. Yeah.

- Yeah. - Um, hey, uh--

Anybody want any more pizza? If not, I'm tossing it.

Stivers? Let's vamoose.

- What do we got? - High Street hijinks.

- You should have asked him. - Oh, shut up.

You had the chance. You should have asked.

Ask who what?

Police lodge party.

Ballard here wants to take Falsone.

- And? - She's afraid that he'll say no.

Uh, it's a little bit more complicated than that.

You know, he's divorced, he has a kid,

he still has issues with his ex.

Even so, if you want something,

you should just step up and declare.

Would you care to go to the soiree...

with me?

I thought you were married.

Separated.

Issue-free.

Chugging into the divorce station.

So what do you say? Huh?

You want to trip the light fantastic?

Okay. Sure.

See how easy it is?

- No, it's not that easy. - You should just ask her.

You don't think height's a problem?

Height? Ballard is 5'3".

Ballard? I'm talking about Rene Sheppard.

Oh.

- Man, she's what, 5'8", 5'9"? - Yeah.

And me on my best day, I'm 5'8".

- Right. - What's the matter?

Nothing, we're here.

What's with the water?

You'll see.

Vic's name is Leo Grimaldi, 50s, widowed.

Leo's son, who lives with him, says he was out all night.

Came home to find the old guy. The bathtub overflowing.

Sweet Jesus.

After my mom died in June...

my dad came here to live with me.

It was a little cramped, but we get by.

You were out 'til dawn.

I-- I got a girl, sometimes I stay over there.

Can we have her name and address?

Olivia Burgess, 662 Calvert.

- Road? - Street.

- North? - South.

- Why you gotta bother her? - To confirm your story.

You don't think I did this, do you?

Killed my dad?

We just need to check everything out.

Did he have any enemies?

Look, my father's never gonna be canonized,

but enemies?

Jeez, I don't know.

Falsone. Come here.

What's up?

Well, a few hours ago, a few blocks away,

we had another male, uh, same age.

Same slice and dice.

So what are you telling me?

Well, I think that these murders are connected somehow.

Why don't you ask your guy if the victim knew Angelo Faltisco?

He did. Now, what's the story?

Uh, Grimaldi's son came home

and found his old man lying in the tub,

looking like chop suey.

- Joey's inside? - Yeah.

I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry. Oh.

I don't know.

The world today has gone crazy.

I'm gonna go around the corner...

and talk to my cousin.

I'll see you both back at headquarters.

So, what,

Gee's father was Italian and his mother was Black?

- Yeah. - Huh.

- It must have been tough. - What?

Uh, growing up half-breed, being accepted,

figuring out what your loyalties are.

Gee's loyalties are to the Balto PD.

No, I mean before that, John. He wasn't always a cop.

You sure about that?

Mario?

It's Al.

Oh, my God.

Faltisco, Grimaldi, Giardello.

All three murders happened last night.

According to the ME, the victims were stabbed, then dismembered.

Any sign of a murder weapon?

We're looking for a regular kitchen knife and a hacksaw.

Do any of the victims have a record for drug dealing?

Not that we know of.

Do you think this is mob-connected?

There is no Mafia in Baltimore.

Spoken like a true Sicilian.

All right, Ballard, Gharty, Lewis, Sheppard,

why don't you canvass the neighborhoods?

Munch, Stivers, uh, Falsone, and myself,

we're gonna question the victims' families.

- You don't come visit enough. - I know, Nonna.

- Who? Who did this? - We don't know yet.

We don't know.

Al, listen to me.

Find those bastards.

So, who do you think might have killed your brother?

Mario was the sweetest man on Earth.

He was kind, generous.

Do you know that when Al's wife was dying,

my brother was over at that house every single day,

rain or snow, caring for her.

And he made sure that all her medical bills

were covered by the insurance.

The chemo and everything.

He went to his supervisor and he said...

"We gotta do this.

This is sangue del mio sangue,"

blood of my blood.

Hey, you been out canvassing the neighborhood?

- Oh, yeah. - Anything?

Well, we talked to everybody from Pratt Street

to Eastern Avenue.

Angelo, Leo and Mario were just your ordinary Joes.

You know, the occasional shouting match or bad bet aside,

they should have lived long enough

to collect Social Security.

Hmm.

Say, Paul, are you gonna go to that lodge party?

Yeah.

I was thinking maybe we could go together.

You know, truth is, Ballard, I'm hoping to have a date.

- A date? - Yeah.

You know, if it doesn't work out,

sure, I'll drive you over.

"I'll drive you over."

My father and Angelo...

they never had much time for us kids.

They'd say, "Go, play in traffic."

But Mario, he'd horse around with us.

He'd give us, uh, dimes, a sip of his beer.

Maybe it's because he never had any boys of his own, I don't know.

- Do you know Al's son, Michael? - No.

Mario loved Mike.

I mean, he loved Al's daughters, too.

Don't get me wrong. But...

he and Mike, they had a special kind of bond.

They were more like father and son than Al and Mike.

Really?

Poor guy must be broken-hearted.

I wonder if he's coming in from Arizona for the funeral.

I died, you know, after I got shot.

You mean, you had a near-death experience?

Oh, no. Not near-death.

I, uh, actually died.

You mean, you were going towards a bright light

and all your ancestors were waving howdy?

No.

It was more like I, uh-- more like I could feel all the--

I don't know, the different parts of me,

the elements that make up my physical presence,

water, air, earth.

I could feel them...

breaking apart, dissipating.

Yeah, becoming one with, uh...

...the greatest force of energy in the universe.

Tim, this Zen detective thing

is starting to really rub my rectum in the wrong way.

Oh, I don't expect you to understand

unless you understand, John.

That's exactly what I'm talking about.

- What? - It's like being partnered with a fortune cookie.

You know, interviewing Gee's relatives,

you get to find out a lot more than you knew before.

For instance, did you know that Gee,

when he was seven years old, could speak two languages?

- No. Did you know he was prom king? - No.

Did you know that his son and he haven't talked

since Gee's wife died?

- Yes. - Oh.

Which should make the next few moments incredibly interesting.

Why's that?

Here comes his son, Mike Giardello.

So what the hell happened?

We don't know.

You don't know?

Yet.

How's Arizona?

Hot, dry.

How's the FBI?

Cold, wet.

Still seeing that girl?

- Jodell? - Yes.

- No. - Huh.

Mm.

- You don't have any leads? - We'll get the sons of bitches.

- Do you have any leads? - No.

- Nice car. - I rented it at the airport.

- I'd have picked you up. - I figured you'd be busy.

I could have sent somebody.

You know, it's too bad neither of your sisters

could have made it back here for the funeral.

Charisse is pregnant. She can't fly.

- And Teresa didn't seem to care. - No.

- Why didn't you call me? - Huh?

To tell me about Mario.

Why didn't you pick up the damn phone

and dial my number?

Well...

Charisse said she wanted to.

Charisse says you asked her to.

- We better get back inside. - Yeah.

There she is. Miss Anne Arundle County.

That was a long time ago, Falsone.

- What, are you ashamed? - Ashamed?

Last year, I got assigned to the Fugitive Squad.

The boys down there had a field day

with my being a former beauty queen.

They assumed because I'd been in some pageant

I couldn't also be a detective.

I spent every single day trying to live that stigma down.

Thought when I got transferred to Homicide, you guys would be different.

- We are. - Prove it.

Treat me like a regular cop.

Treat you like a regular cop, huh?

- You know what I mean. - Yeah, it's only--

Well, I never wanted to ask Munch or Gharty for a date.

- Lodge party. - Sorry. I'm with someone else.

- Who? - Meldrick.

Meldrick? Meldrick's married.

He's separated. Almost divorced.

- Is that what he told you? - Yes.

- Okay. Then, that's the story. - What?

Well, if Meldrick told you that he and Barbara are split, then, fine.

I would never contradict Meldrick.

Go with him. Have-- have a blast.

Are you saying that he's lying to me?

- No, he's not lying. - Are you lying?

- No. - Falsone.

- Hello, Naomi. - Hey there, stranger.

- Sorry about Mario. - Oh, thanks.

Hey, have you seen Detective Falsone around?

- Uh, right here. - Yeah, it's me.

Falsone, Michael Giardello.

- Hello. - Mike.

Sorry about your cousin.

That's what I came to see you about.

- Any new leads in the case? - I wish.

- Anything I can do to help? - Help?

Uh, I'm a special agent with the FBI in Phoenix.

Oh, I appreciate the offer,

but we're working the case pretty hard.

Of course. It's just, uh--

Well, I mean, if I could look at the file,

it might spark something that, well,

something that because you didn't know Mario

may have slipped by?

Oh, yeah. I got the case file right here.

Hey, Michael. Sorry. Forgive me.

Look, it-- I've been on Homicide a year now,

and I'm getting so that I don't trust anybody.

Why don't you ask your father for the file?

You're right to be suspicious, Detective.

The truth is I won't ask my father for the file.

Why not?

Because I don't ask my father for anything.

- And I doubt if I did, he'd say yes. - I can't give this to you.

I can't afford to piss the Lieutenant off.

Do you get along with your dad, Detective?

Yeah, of course he's dead,

so that cuts the arguments down to a minimum.

Did you get along with him when he was alive?

Not all the time.

You got a kid, right?

Yeah. How'd you know that?

Do you want the same relationship with him

that you had with your father?

No.

My cousin was as dear to me as my own mother.

I want justice for him.

Now, I can either work with you or on my own.

Thanks, Falsone.

Yeah.

- Nonna. - Hm?

- I went over the case file today. - Hmm.

The Homicide Unit. They've got no answers.

I was wondering if there's anything

that you can think of, anything at all,

that might help us tie these three deaths together.

I cannot remember even yesterday.

No, no, no. Not from yesterday, Nonna.

From-- it doesn't matter how many years ago.

No.

What? What? There is something. I can see it in your face.

I swore I'd never tell a soul.

Nonna, this is me, Michele.

In 60 years of marriage,

I never once broke a promise to Salvatore.

I'm not going to start now.

Even if it helps us catch Mario's killers?

- Ask your father. - My father?

He knows the whole story.

Ask him to tell you about Carlo Roletta.

Ask him.

- Meldrick. - Yeah.

I've changed my mind about the lodge party.

Ah, well, you know,

we could always, uh, go to a movie.

I got the movie listings right here.

No, I want to go to the party, but not with you.

- Ouch. - I don't mean it like that.

Look, I just got out of a bad relationship,

and you're in the middle of a divorce.

We're partners, so I don't want to muddy up the waters

any more than they already are, okay?

Yeah, absolutely. Makes sense.

Let's keep our relationship professional.

Strictly professional.

You hear that?

Huh? Did you hear that?

Have you ever considered dating a prostitute?

- No, why? - Well,

a prostitute is a professional, right?

That way, you can keep the relationship professional,

and still get laid.

- My father gone? - Oh, hey.

Uh, yeah, he went home to get some sleep,

he's been going nonstop for days.

Yeah, the funeral's tomorrow. Did you find anything?

Huh, just came in.

Roletta, Carlo, convicted July 10th, 1973,

racketeering and extortion.

Sentenced to 40 years.

Released after 25. Guess when he came out?

- This week? - Tuesday.

- Thanks a lot. Hmm? - Hey, Bayliss, Stivers. It's Mike Giardello.

- Oh, hey, nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you, as well.

Mike got a tip that our three murders

were somehow tied to a man named Carlo Roletta.

Old Carlo just sprung from Jessup.

What did Faltisco, Grimaldi,

and your cousin have to do with Roletta?

Evidently, that's a deep, dark family secret.

So before you talk to Roletta, you better find out.

And how do we do that?

Interrogate your boss.

Gee.

Can we, uh, talk to you for a minute?

Carlo Roletta.

Of course.

Roletta was a small-time from Chicago.

Came down to Charm City in '72

to try to take over the dock workers' union.

Go pick him up.

Gee, we haven't been able to figure out

why he'd even want to kill them.

It was another lifetime ago.

My cousin, Angelo, and Leo were longshoremen.

When Roletta tried to move in,

Mario blew the whistle, and put Roletta away.

I want you to go and bring the bastard in.

- Okay. - Bring him in.

Now, wait a minute. Where'd you two get this tip?

Where'd you get it?

Hey, Lieutenant, you know, you reveal the source

- and it'll dry up on you. - Yeah, listen. Listen.

You get another tip like that, come and talk to me about it.

I don't want you to discuss this case with anybody.

Capisce?

- Capisce. - All right, go ahead.

Baltimore Police.

Baltimore Police, please open the door.

Just a minute.

Yes? Can I help you?

We need to speak to Carlo Roletta.

- About what? - Is he here?

- Yes. - Can we talk to him?

Sure, come on in.

You can talk all you want. He won't answer.

- Maybe he's faking. - No, I spoke to his doctor.

Carlo suffered a cerebral hemorrhage.

His doctor says he's brain dead.

Maybe the doctor's lying.

Should we get a second opinion?

How about we stand at the foot of his bed and go "boo"?

Listen, uh, Gee, I'm really sorry.

It doesn't seem that, uh, Carlo Roletta is the guy.

He's the guy, all right. Pure and simple.

This is a vendetta.

If he didn't do it, somebody in his family did.

Get a warrant, and search Roletta's house.

We need probable cause.

Tell the judge that on the day of sentencing,

Roletta swore that when he got out, he'd get even.

Okay. Well, we'd better rock and roll.

If the murderer knows we're on to him,

he's probably gotten rid of the murder weapon.

Detective Falsone.

Mike Giardello here.

Before you guys went to the Roletta house

with the search warrant,

his son, Charlie, left the place with a gym bag.

I followed him to, uh, Poppleton Street,

where I watched him throw the bag down a sewer grate.

Now, do you think that you can get city services over here?

We'd have to notify the Lieutenant.

- Well, then, notify him. - He's going to ask how I know where to look.

So tell him.

Since when do you give case files to outsiders?

- He's your son. - I don't give a damn.

He's not a Baltimore police officer.

He's not involved in this investigation.

Look, Gee, I-- I know you've got a lot of crap

you've got to work out with Mike.

All I want to do is catch the killer.

Maybe if you two stopped spitting at each other, that'd be what you want, too.

You watch your mouth, Falsone,

or you'll find yourself back in Auto Theft chasing hub caps.

- Yes, sir. - Now get the hell out of my office.

Give me Public Works.

What do you got here, Wayne?

Oh, look at that.

- Oh, look at that. - That's what you were looking for.

- Where's your brother, Charlie? - Why do you want to know?

I got a warrant for his arrest.

Come on.

We got the gym bag, Charlie. We got the knife.

We got the hacksaw you used to chop up the bodies.

How much more do I need to fry your sorry ass, huh?

Bayliss.

Huh? What more do we need? What's up?

- We just got the report back from the crime lab. - Oh, yeah, and?

The fingerprints on the murder weapon aren't Charlie's.

What? Whose are they?

His sister's, Mary Lynn.

We got your hair, we got your fingerprints,

we got murder weapon with your fingerprints on it.

You helped.

- Speak up. Save yourself. - You seeing this, come on.

Why are you lying?

Why are you lying to me? I'm going to find the killer.

Tell the truth about it, huh? Tell the truth about the bag.

We know, 'cause we have a witness who saw where you put the bag.

How do you think we got that bag?

This came out of it.

Charlie's just a stupid punk with attitude, and no brains.

Yeah, the sister's a real piece of work.

She tells me how her family moved here from Chicago

when she was four. And after Carlo got busted,

Mommy went a little loony.

So they stayed here in Baltimore to be near Daddy.

Touching family sagas aside, gentlemen...

we have no confessions.

If you ask me, we're not going to get them.

Yeah, when it comes to silences, we Italians, we have the patent.

So our best guess is what?

Roletta was waiting until he got out of prison

to go after the three men who betrayed him.

He wanted to take care of them himself.

Right, right, only his brain fizzled,

so his daughter, she finished the job

and she was aided by the brother.

We have the murder weapons.

Well, the lab came back and said

that the, uh, bloodstains on the knife and the hacksaw,

they matched Faltisco and Grimaldi.

- Not Mario's? - No, sir.

We also have a witness that says

he saw Charlie toss the gym bag in the sewer.

My son, Michael.

Well, as the relative of one of the deceased,

his credibility might be doubted by a jury.

He's an FBI agent.

In today's world that won't help his credibility, either.

Since we only have Faltisco and Grimaldi's blood on the weapon,

I say we try to convict on those murders alone.

That way Michael's testimony won't seem so biased.

All right.

You understand what I'm saying, Al.

Technically, Mario's murder will never be closed.

His name will-- will be in red forever.

I understand.

Do you wanna dance?

No.

Do you want a drink?

No.

I do. Be right back.

Hey, Billie Lou.

What are you doing here?

- I'm John's date. - Oh, really?

Yeah, the more Billie Lou works for me at The Waterfront,

the more beguiling she becomes.

- Oh, really? - Are you here with Flora?

- Who? - Your wife, Flora.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Have you seen the Lieutenant?

Uh, no, no, no, he's not gonna be here tonight.

Why not?

Well, he usually hates these events in general,

but, you know, with his cousin's death,

he's gonna be with his family.

Hey, Bayliss, how's it feel being back on the job?

Huh? Good, good, good.

You know, it's-- it's good.

Everything's different, but everything's the same.

People come, people go.

You live your life, and you die. You know?

But I think-- I think that the-- the trick is--

is that you accept it all, you know?

You just try to accept the whole package,

good or bad, as a gift.

- A gift. - As a gift.

You know, I mean, I'm still here, right?

Hey, hey, hey, Terri. Shall we dance?

- You wanna? - Let's boogie, baby.

Okay, guys. See ya.

- He's in a flux. - Flux you.

Holy-moly.

They're doing this to torture us, you know?

I know that.

I say we ignore them.

I say we frisk 'em.

I was on my way home. I saw your light on.

- Just cleaning up. - You need any help?

No.

You know, Mario left you this place in his will.

- He did? - Mm-hmm.

He already paid off the mortgage.

It's all free and clear.

He and I built this wall.

What was it, uh, some 30 years ago?

I remember.

Hey, Michael.

How could you? You were a little baby.

You know...

you did excellent police work in this case, Michael.

Wasn't police work so much knowing about la famiglia.

It's all about the family.

You know, I know you and your sisters

have some resentment, uh, towards me because you--

You think I wasn't there for you, and...

You were there, even though you weren't.

Mom always talked about you.

Said you were out doing important things.

I was.

What's more important than raising your children?

What's more important than taking care of your dying wife?

Catching bad guys?

Becoming the first Black lieutenant

in an all-white department?

Look,

I got to finish cleaning up.

I want to tell you something about Mario.

I know all about Mario.

Mario, Angelo, and Leo helped Roletta

get into dock workers' union.

Yeah, they knew he was dirty.

But he offered them money, power,

and they jumped at the chance.

Things got hairy, and...

Mario wanted out.

So he came to you, and confessed his involvement.

And you made arrangements with the feds

so the three of them could testify against Roletta, and stay free.

- How long have you known that? - Only since yesterday.

By trying to help Mario, I thought I was doing a good thing.

Funny how after 25 years, I can see a good thing turn bad.

If it wasn't for me,

he and the others wouldn't be dead.

I always thought Mario was such an innocent.

I guess no matter what you think about a person,

no matter how you feel about them,

there's always another side, another story.

For whatever pain...

that I caused you and your sisters, I am sorry.

But I want you to know I thank God every day

for your life.

I hate Arizona.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's too hot. Too dry.

Too Anglo-Saxon.

Really?

I've been thinking about asking the Bureau

for a little time off.

Maybe a transfer.

Oh, hmm.

Yeah, so...

Mario left his place to me, huh?

I always felt at home here.

It could use a little work, though.

Well, I could help-- you know,

help you fix it up, and--

Yeah?

Well, first thing I want to do is take down this wall.

Yeah, all right, Michael. Good night.

Good night.

Hey, Gee.

I need a little help on the Abbott case.

All right, well, let me find it in my office.