Original subtitles

What are you so happy about?

Roland Park. Homicide.

Combination kinda revs my engine.

You like when rich people get murdered?

No, not exactly, you see, it's just--

it's a nice change of pace every once in a while

when a guy with some dough gets his number punched.

- It appeals to my sense of cosmic justice. - Ah, the big get even.

Well, why's it always gotta be some Westside mope shooting an Eastside mope

over a $10 drug debt?

You know, I got nothing against fat cats in general,

but they tend to forget that the simple fact is nobody gets out of here alive.

You know, a rich guy gets whacked,

it kind of makes the world a little less lopsided.

Burke, Loren. 43.

Divorced. Lived alone.

What'd he do for money? Any idea?

According to the neighbors, high-priced corporate exec.

- Who found the body? - Cleaning lady.

- Any signs of robbery? - No forced entry.

Salerno, what's with the sentence fragments? What, are you bored?

What, are you nuts? You don't catch a case like this every day.

The furniture's nicer. The paperwork's still the same.

I'm counting five holes minimum in the blanket.

Well, at least one round went through the mattress.

So he's definitely flat on his back, with the covers over him

when he got plugged.

Think he's asleep?

Well, if he was, he got a hell of a wake-up call.

Hey, take a picture of me.

Homicide.

I've got an investigator from an independent agency in my shop,

and I have no real authority over him.

This hasn't exactly been a walk in the park for me either.

Between the Lieutenant here, and my superiors at the Bureau.

What about the father-son factor? How's that working out?

That has nothing to do with it.

The point is, Mike's in his unit.

He has all kinds of access to case information,

and we have no control over what he does with it.

And ultimately, neither does he.

- You're talking about the McBride case? - I made a mistake.

He ended up being the lead that got a suspect killed in New York.

No, I told the Bureau what I knew.

How was I to know they'd take what I told them, and screw it up?

- You could have guessed. - Al.

Now look, these are tough times.

The department's strapped for resources.

Are you seriously asking me to call the Bureau

and tell them we want to close down the Liaison Office,

refuse the help they are offering?

Either that or fix it so Mike has to report directly to us.

To you, you mean?

Like all my other detectives.

The Bureau will never agree to that.

Look, the McBride case proves what I already knew.

Something has got to change.

What was it, a robbery?

There's no sign of break-in,

and we don't know yet if anything's missing.

You could help us out with that, take a look around.

Yeah, sure.

Now, you told the officer that Mr. Burke lived alone.

Divorced. A year and a half ago.

- Mrs. Burke? - Eleanor, moved to Guilford.

- How was the break-up? - Bad.

It was bitter, really bitter.

You seen Mrs. Burke since then?

Has she ever come by to visit?

Yeah. Just the other day.

They were out in the driveway going at it, hammer and tong.

She, um, drove up just as he was leaving for work and started screaming at him,

pitching a fit about one thing and another.

About what, could you tell?

Well, money'd be my guess. He owed her.

He owed her, and if he thought he was getting away without paying,

he didn't know who he was dealing with.

Well, words to that effect.

Homicide, Lewis.

Yeah, I know that particular bucket of blood.

Oh, literally, huh?

- Okey dokey. - What you got?

Bar stabbing. One dead, one wounded.

Bar fight at this hour, huh?

It's not even nine o'clock.

Yeah, well, you know how it is in East Baltimore.

They like to get going bright and early.

And it wasn't an argument. It was a hold-up.

A little early in the day for a bar hold-up.

Like I said, they got some real go-getters in that neighborhood.

So, that's interesting, a stabbing. I mean, for a hold-up.

- Yeah, a little unusual, huh? - Yeah. Want me to tag along?

Nah, got this one surrounded.

Oh, 'cause I'm a free agent today.

Yeah? Where's Gharty?

- He has the flu. - The flu?

He spent all night on his knees worshipping the porcelain goddess.

- Are you sure he's got the flu? - What do you mean?

Because Gharty likes to tie one on when he's in the mood,

and I hear he is a lot lately.

He has the flu. Okay, Munch?

Yeah, live in a dream world. See if I care.

So...

Nah, nah, finish your book. I got this. No problem.

Hmm. So it's true. You really do have a problem partnering with women.

- What? - Since Sheppard's beatdown.

That's horse pucky. I got no problem partnering with women.

Let's ride, me and you.

- All right. - Yeah.

- Ain't no problem. After you, ladies first. - Hmm. That's very gallant.

Ain't no problem riding with a skirt.

So where does this leave us?

Well, we'll monitor the situation,

review it again in a few months.

In the meantime, I'll call the special agent in charge,

see if we can reach an understanding about who Mike reports to.

Send me a memo.

Wait, Al. A word.

Listen, McAllister's taking his retirement,

and the Commissioner has his vacancy going to you.

- What? - You take the exam.

This time next month, you'll be Captain Giardello,

Commander of the Property Section.

- What's the catch? - There's no catch, Al.

No politics, no backroom deals, no quid pro quo?

No. This is straight up, Al.

He had everybody in the bar empty out their pockets.

Watches, wallets, purses. And he just went off.

Juked Tiny there, jabbed me,

grabbed up his score, and jumped in his get-gone.

Did you see the car?

Man, I never made it out the door. I heard the car.

Some sorry-ass rust bucket. Needs a new muffler.

- Guy who poked you, Black or white? - White.

Don't ask me what he looked like. He was wearing a ski mask.

Black with a red band across the eyes.

Well, uh, then how did you know he was white?

Explain it to her, will you?

Tell me about the knife.

Big old pig sticker with a taped handle.

- About a foot long. - Tape.

Yeah. Black tape. Electrician's tape.

Yeah, we're going to need something on that car.

Look at them all.

They're signifying a day away.

- What does that mean exactly? - Signify?

Man, it's complicated.

Oh, because it's another Black thing, and I wouldn't understand?

Why don't you try me?

Another time, Ballard. Observe.

All right, now, here's the dealio.

The low-bottom dog that tore this bar up

and robbed everybody in it, he killed one man,

and he cut another one, all right?

Now, before y'all start thinking maybe you got to protect this young brother

from the criminal injustice system, let me point something out.

The mook that perpetrated this crime

is a white man.

Now, I know in my heart that somebody is going to come forward

that maybe saw that getaway car.

My man.

What's up with that country-ass hat?

Can you hold this?

You running down my stingy brim, huh?

- You running down my brim? - Get off me, man!

I ain't playing with you. Now, what you know about this robbery?

Look, man, I wasn't even here, and I didn't see nothing,

and you ain't gonna get me to see nothing past nothing.

Black folks.

It's a little early for it, don't you think?

- Not at all. - You're not working again today?

Well, I called in some vacation.

Taking another mental health day.

What does that mean?

It means I am drinking myself into oblivion.

- For what reason? - Wedding anniversary.

- 30th. - Oh.

Your first without Flora.

You must feel awful.

On the contrary, I never felt better.

Hey.

You want to get married and settle down and have a couple of kids

and maybe grow old and wrinkled together?

Stuart, we've been through this.

I'm engaged.

- I'll be the fourth Mrs.-- - Fourth, yeah.

Fourth Mrs. Munch, right.

Here's to oblivion.

How long did the cleaning lady say they were divorced?

A year and a half.

You think she still has keys to the Roland Park address?

Well, she might. But don't you think he would have changed the locks?

- Yes. - Baltimore Police. We're looking for Eleanor Burke.

I'm her attorney, Ezra Greenfeld. Please come in.

I've instructed my client not to make an oral statement to the police.

We acknowledge, however, that she shot and killed her former husband

as an act of self-defense,

and we've prepared a brief written statement to that effect.

We are also relinquishing the weapon voluntarily,

so you have no need to obtain a search and seizure warrant.

Do you wish to Mirandize me at this time, or...

My client's on the team.

Assistant U.S. Attorney, Baltimore Office.

Six years with the Criminal Division,

two years with Narcotics Task Force.

You worked on the Alonzo Barnes investigation, didn't you, Detective?

- I was in Narcotics then, yeah. - It was very good police work.

We were so glad to get Alonzo some serious federal time in that case.

I remember you now.

Eleanor Burke.

- Terry Stivers. - Right, of course.

I'm Detective Falsone.

Well, Detective, do you wish to do the honors?

Ms. Burke, you have the right to remain silent.

Uh, if you give up that right,

anything you say can be used against you.

Um...

I'll stipulate to the rest.

Thanks.

Stivers, Falsone.

Hey, Mike. What's going on?

- Well, since Eleanor is... - Eleanor?

...Ms. Burke is an Assistant U.S. Attorney,

the Justice Department wants me involved.

Mike's assigned to this case for the duration.

Thanks, but we don't need any help.

I'm sorry about the circumstances.

Me too. We'll get through this.

Why don't you two have a seat,

and I'll get Detective Stivers and Falsone up to speed

- on the background. - Absolutely. Come right this way.

Look, I know she's supposed to be on our side, but come on, Danvers.

She laid five hot ones into her ex, and never looked back.

- It's complicated. - No, it's simple.

She shot him, she confessed.

She explained. She shot him in self-defense.

Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions,

huh, we don't know that, and from what we've seen--

Look, we're gonna be thorough. We're gonna hear everyone out on this.

Oh, tell me the fix isn't in.

All of the facts will be considered.

- I promise you. - Yeah.

What do you expect, huh? She's one of them.

He's gonna make sure everything comes out right.

- Hey, Shep, you seen Lewis? - Got a call.

- Tore out of here about ten minutes ago. - Did he say what it was?

Not to me, but I think he might have left you a message on your desk.

Thank you.

Oh.

- Bad news? - Lewis.

We are working this case together, this stick-up artist, right?

And I go to the john, I get a cup of coffee,

he gets a call that says that the stabber has struck again.

Takes off without me.

Went to the crime scene alone

and told me to go to the M.E.'s office to go do the paperwork.

- That is blatant. - Yeah.

I don't get it.

- He doesn't want to work with me. - Well, why not?

Because she's a woman. He doesn't want to work with any of us.

Come on, look, that's not it.

Lewis may have a problem with,

you know, certain individuals due to certain circumstances,

but you ain't one.

Where you going?

To the M.E.'s office. What do you think?

Good God.

Eleanor Burke called police on six separate occasions

during four years of marriage.

When she moved out, she got an order of protection and he violated that, too.

Charged once for striking her in a restaurant,

and once more for harassing her verbally at her home.

Well, she wasn't in her home when she shot him.

She was in his house, in his bedroom.

Why was she in his bedroom if she's the one with the protective order?

I admit, that troubles me, too.

Yeah, well, think about this.

Looks to us like all five shots hit Loren Burke

when he was prone on that bed, covered by a blanket.

Now, that doesn't exactly spell self-defense.

- Battered spouse syndrome. - Which is a legitimate defense.

Recognized by the Maryland court

- since 1991. - Don't give me that.

I have been in Narcotics, I've worked Sex Crimes,

I have seen plenty of abused women.

This is not battered spouse syndrome.

How do you know? Are you a psychologist?

Okay, okay, look, look. This Loren Burke, he's garbage, all right?

He's a wife-beater and a half.

But he's in his own house, in his own bed,

when his ex-wife, who's been divorced from him for more than a year,

shows up to empty a .38 in his midsection.

The battered spouse defense allows that the victim of prolonged domestic abuse

may, in fact, choose to strike back at the abuser

at the point when the abuser is most vulnerable.

If Eleanor chose to strike back when he was vulnerable,

she could still, in her mind, be engaged in an act of self-defense.

Wait a minute, I thought you were supposed to be prosecuting her, Danvers.

She already has a lawyer.

- I'm just anticipating her courtroom defense. - Bull.

You're trying to justify giving Eleanor Burke a free pass.

I resent that, Detective.

The field office has an open file on Loren Burke.

He harassed his ex-wife on and off the job so often

that the U.S. Attorney asked the Bureau

to look into the possibility of charging him

with threatening a federal officer.

That's why the U.S. Attorney's Office wants an FBI presence

- in the investigation. - Why, to make sure she gets off?

To make sure she gets a fair hearing.

- Her career is in jeopardy. - Please.

Even if she pleads for a reduced charge,

- Eleanor Burke can be disbarred. - Disbarred, huh?

I guess that's nearly as bad as getting shot to death in your own bed.

Can you get her to make a statement?

Once I let her attorney know that we're sympathetic

to the possibility of a battered spouse defense,

I think they'll be happy for the chance to keep this from a grand jury.

All right. Conduct a thorough interview.

Begin a background check into both the victim and the suspect.

I want to know everything I can about the war between the Burkes.

From the looks of these, I would say the bastard got what he deserved.

Comin' through here, coming through.

All right, let me guess.

White male, 5'10", maybe 160,

black ski mask with a red stripe,

big-ass pig sticking with black electrical tape on the handle,

come in here, robbed everybody in the joint,

poked you in the leg just for fun.

- Friend of yours, huh? - You happen to get a look at the getaway car?

The street was empty by the time I dragged myself out here.

All right, boys and girls, looks like we got us a live one here.

The man who did this has now cut two, and killed one.

Citywide crime spree. He's on a rampage.

Anybody know anything? Anybody got anything they want to tell me?

Anybody see anything, know anything, hear anything?

I didn't think so.

White folks.

If you had the protective order from the courts,

why were you even at your ex-husband's house?

Six months of back alimony.

I'm dead broke, Detective.

Loren knew that. He was withholding the checks to be punitive.

But you make your own salary as a federal prosecutor, even if the alimony was late--

What I make is not enough to cover my bills.

How much do you make?

- The maximum for an Assistant U.S. Attorney. - Which is?

95.

$95,000 a year?

During her years of marriage, Ms. Burke became accustomed to a particular lifestyle.

And as a result, the court awarded her

a generous rehabilitative alimony.

Mr. Burke, however, has consistently defaulted on his obligation.

I presume you tried to remedy the problem.

He just blew us off.

We dragged him into court, he'd nod at the judge,

agree to pay, and then nothing.

So you went to his house this morning?

Reluctantly. I was at my wit's end.

I didn't want to default on the mortgage.

And you took a handgun with you?

I'm terrified of Loren.

You've seen the pictures.

What happened when you got to the house?

I rang the bell.

There was nothing. No answer.

So I used my key.

I called out his name to let him know I was there.

I didn't want any surprises.

He was still in bed.

I brought up the alimony.

He laughed.

Told me to take off my clothes and come join him under the covers,

maybe we could work something out.

A deal.

He was touching himself.

I told him maybe we would talk about it later.

And I turned to leave.

And then he said to me,

"Don't even think about leaving, bitch."

What did you do then?

I, uh,

I reached into my purse and I took out the gun.

And I backed up toward the door.

And then he started to get up, and I-- I was terrified.

I, um, I fired.

How many shots did you fire?

I-- I-- I don't remember.

You shot him five times. You emptied your weapon.

- Did I? - Mm.

- You were afraid of Loren. - Always.

You said that Loren was lying in bed during the conversation,

and then he started to get up

- when you went toward the door. - Yes.

So even the slightest move by your ex-husband in your direction

would be enough for you to want to do everything possible to defend yourself.

I knew if he came across that room he would beat me.

I didn't want to be beaten anymore.

Eleanor, did you go to your ex-husband's house this morning

with the intent of harming him?

No. Of course not.

God, I never should have gone. I just-- I thought I-- I don't know.

I just hoped that Loren might be reasonable, for once.

Unless our investigation turns up something more damning,

your client pleads to manslaughter

carrying a concealed deadly weapon, and discharging that weapon.

She agrees to court-monitored counseling,

and she receives probation before judgment.

So, no conviction, and she keeps her career on track.

Forgive me for being blunt, Detective,

but Loren Burke's done enough damage already.

I'm not going to let him continue to destroy this woman's life.

Come in.

Eleanor Burke gave her statement.

And?

Self-serving, to say the least.

- Most suspect statements are. - She knows what she's doing.

She's using the battered spouse syndrome to hide behind.

It's cynical, and it raises doubts about all the legitimate cases.

She's rich, she's a prosecutor,

She knows how to work the system.

If you think she's lying, prove it.

Don't let anyone make a mockery of the law.

The shape and size of the wounds indicate a weapon

that was pretty formidable.

I'd say one with a serrated edge.

Serrated, like a bread knife?

Oh, sharper. Much sharper than that.

And the depth and severity of the wounds suggest

that they were delivered with some considerable energy, and strength of purpose.

- Thank you. - You're welcome.

- Ballard. - Falsone, Stivers.

What's going on?

Knife-wielding armed robber.

- Is that one yours? - Yeah, pistol-packing ex-wife.

It's been a very busy morning.

I'll see you tomorrow night, Detective.

Yeah, I got big-time butterflies.

- You'll be fine. - Yeah.

You going out with Ballard?

- Bowling. - Bowling.

Duckpins.

- Really? - Yeah.

She's very talented.

I know, I taught her the game.

My compliments.

And before she met me, she didn't know a spare from a split.

Well, she's so good now, we asked her to join our team.

- Uni leagues? - Big match coming up with the EMS.

The Resuscitators versus the Cutters.

I presume you're here because of Loren Burke.

Completely straightforward.

The manner of death is homicide.

The cause of death is massive internal trauma

as a result of gunshot wounds to the front torso.

Five, to be exact.

Is there any evidence to suggest self-defense?

Self-defense? I don't understand.

Well, you see, the victim's ex-wife claims

that she shot him in self-defense.

Well, the victim is lying in bed,

covers are drawn up, and he's shot five times.

Every hole in the blanket will match up to an entrance wound,

and the trajectory of the wounds are very sharply angled,

with the posterior exits much higher than the entrances.

Right, so she's standing a few feet away--

And he never even sits up in bed.

There are no defensive wounds,

no indication that he tried to escape or even knew what was happening.

I doubt he even had a chance to open his eyes, and see who was doing him.

In fact, my guess is that he was sleeping like a baby

when she aired him out.

Hey, Gharty, boycott finally over?

Cesar Chavez versus the grape growers,

students against apartheid, Stu Gharty, and The Waterfront.

Hey, I love this place, I've always loved this place.

This is my favorite bar.

Yeah, that's great. Glad to hear it.

- Hey, baby. - Hi.

Is it my imagination or is he half in the bag already?

Picking up where he left off yesterday.

How long has he been here?

Since I opened the doors.

Detective Munch.

Have a drink.

I'm working.

Across the street, remember?

Police headquarters, Homicide.

You should come over there sometime.

I'll show you where your desk is.

Maybe we'll refresh your memory.

Cash. No tab.

It's not that I'm pessimistic about where your next paycheck is coming from, but--

Who's the wheeler-dealer over there?

That's Marcus Reynolds, state delegate.

I guess, he's here to make sure everything goes smooth with his favorite niece.

- Burke? - You got it.

Oh, man.

Mr. Danvers.

State calls criminal information

199-093-853,

Burke versus Maryland.

One count manslaughter,

and one count of carrying and discharging a concealed deadly weapon,

- to wit, a handgun. - Proceed.

Your Honor, the state recognizes a history

of spousal abuse in this matter,

and will be recommending that the court consider

rendering a verdict of probation before judgment on both counts.

The defendant is a veteran prosecutor

over at the federal courthouse,

and well-respected by colleagues.

There's no risk of flight.

And we're comfortable with Miss Burke

being released on the lowest possible bail.

Mr. Greenfeld?

Nothing to add, Your Honor.

Mr. Danvers speaks for the defense.

That seems to be the problem here.

Your Honor?

Who in this room speaks for the victim?

One Loren Burke.

Who speaks for that man?

Your Honor, Maryland courts have, since 1991,

recognized battered spouse syndrome as a legitimate defense.

Mr. Danvers, I'm familiar with that legal defense.

I'm willing to let a jury consider it at trial,

but I'm setting bail at 250,000.

Your Honor, a quarter of a million dollars for bail?

My client is financially strapped.

We won't be able to schedule a hearing for bail reduction until Monday.

She'll spend a weekend in women's detention.

That sometimes happens when you shoot someone to death, Mr. Greenfeld.

Sheriff, take the defendant into custody.

So, he already knows?

I told your father after our meeting yesterday.

- When's it official? - Next month.

Your father will take over property section when McAllister retires.

He'll be leaving Homicide?

You get promoted, you go where the vacancy takes you.

Well, thanks for the good news.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Wait a minute, what do you mean? I thought this was a done deal.

Everybody thought that about the Burke case, too.

Then Judge Ramsey throws them the big curve,

sets the bail sky high.

So, what does that have to do with my father?

Nothing, except he's in charge of this investigation.

And he and Ramsey go way back.

You're telling me that if my father

doesn't come out on the right side of the Burke case,

he won't make captain?

I didn't say that.

But I'll tell you this, everybody loves Eleanor Burke.

Everybody thought that her ex-husband was a pointless piece of scum.

We just want to see justice done.

Ah.

Maybe Danvers is right,

maybe we should look at this from Burke's point of view.

She bought the handgun six weeks prior to the shooting. That's premeditation.

She's been beaten and threatened by the man.

She wants protection.

She goes to his house unannounced,

even though she has the protective order on him.

You know, all her records check out.

Loren Burke hadn't paid

court-ordered alimony in six months.

- And she is dead broke. - How about the crime scene?

Griscom has this guy prone on the bed, with the covers over him.

She has the guy sitting up, making a move toward her.

Well, she knows criminal law, so she's embellishing a bit,

making him seem like more of an immediate threat than he actually was.

So why are we trying to make a case here?

Everyone in town wants this woman to get off.

You know, what's bothering me is just how many people in this town

are riding to Eleanor Burke's rescue.

The U.S. Attorney's office wants her cleared.

So does Danvers, and the State's Attorney.

Not to mention Marcus Reynolds.

She's got all kinds of drag.

Yeah, that she does.

Reynolds is handing out all kinds of favors

to see that his favorite niece gets a walk.

What kinds of favors?

Just forget I said that.

What do you think?

Should we fold our cards, and give Danvers what he wants?

Yeah, maybe so. Make it easier for everyone.

What the hell?

We'll write it up clean tomorrow,

and you can sign off for the U.S. Attorney.

Close enough for government work.

- Adios. - See ya.

Yeah, Civil Filings? Mike Giardello, FBI.

Yeah, I need to request a file right away.

Yeah.

Where is he?

Behind the bar.

Him and his bayonet.

Is that legal?

Nope.

Well, that's the problem.

Not a big one, relatively.

Yeah, well, considering the alternative.

How you gonna plead this? Self-defense?

Well, damn straight.

He said, "Stick 'em up," I said, "Help yourself."

He started to, I pulled my piece out

from under the bar, and put him down.

- End of story. - End of story.

Well, I hate to say this, but--

- But what? - But you have to come with me.

I'm gonna need a statement from you.

- I figured. - How's that?

Way the world works. Guilty get away with murder,

you play by the rules, they hand you your oysters on the half shell.

Well, he didn't get away with murder.

No, but what do you bet, he's gonna cause me no end of trouble?

I can't take that bet, partner.

Let's go, sir.

You gotta talk to him now.

You want me to approach a member of the city court bench,

and question his judgment on a particular case.

You go back a long way with Ramsey, he trusts you.

He'll listen to what you have to say.

I've been worried ever since Ramsey picked up the case.

You know, he and Marcus Reynolds had tangled before.

When Ramsey was being considered for the bench,

Reynolds lined up against the appointment,

and Ramsey and Eleanor have never seen eye-to-eye.

And you think Ramsey's gonna get even?

I don't know how else to explain his behavior in court.

All right, I'll see what I can do.

You know, I asked Ballard to join an all-detective Uni league bowling team,

and she turned me down.

Well, maybe bowling for the ME's office is more prestigious.

You're kidding, right?

Look, I feel personally betrayed, like she's stepping out on me.

Come on, it's not like she's going out with--

Well, another man.

Besides, you broke up with her.

You don't understand.

You see, duckpins was our thing, the bond we shared.

I mean, before me, she never even heard of Toots Barger.

The holy trinity of Baltimore sports,

Johnny Unitas, Cal Ripken, Toots Barger, the queen of duckpins.

God, take a pill.

- Hey. - Hey.

Hey, how's it going with the stick-up artist?

Yeah, good news, bad news.

Bad news is, he killed one, cut two.

What's the good news?

Good news is, he got himself shot last night.

Tried to knock off another bar,

went to the well once too often.

Hey, how come you didn't take Ballard with you yesterday?

- What? - You left her in the lurch.

In the lurch? She went to the john.

She's your partner on that case. That ain't right.

No, she ain't my partner on that case.

She just came on with that one scene with me, what up?

Look, after what happened with Sheppard,

I know we're all feeling a little hinky on the subject.

Oh, man.

Not you, too. She put you up to this?

- No, this is on me. - It's on you?

Well, do me a favor.

Stay the hell out of my face, and out of my business.

I know she's your woman and all, but she want to find me, she know where I'm at.

Nice going.

My God. These are awful.

Awful enough to make any jury think twice about convicting her.

Then she'll be acquitted, but the should would still go to jury.

Why?

Look, why take that risk with a woman

who's never violated the law in any other respect?

A woman who's served the law her whole life.

She shot a man, Al. I can't just make that go away.

But battered spouse syndrome is recognized in this state.

I have no problem with battered spouse syndrome.

I do have a problem reconciling it with the idea

that a man who was divorced for over a year

was shot to death in his own house, in his own bed?

This has nothing to do with Delegate Reynolds

or the fact that Burke's his niece?

You know me, Al.

Do you think I'd go out of my way to punish Eleanor Burke

because I had a political spat with her uncle four years ago?

Or because she and I have had our differences in court?

No.

I'm taking heat from everyone in the state on this case.

Everyone's lined up behind this woman,

because they know who she is, and what she's been through.

And now you.

You come into my chamber with these photographs.

What can these photographs possibly tell me

that are gonna change the way I view the law?

I'm sorry I came.

Funny.

Usually a judge, especially a Black judge,

takes heat for being too lenient.

- Remember "Cut 'Em Loose" Bruce Wright up in New York? - Of course.

Highly skeptical of the fairness

of the very judicial system he was sworn to uphold?

Me, I'm the darling of the conservatives.

A political establishment poster boy, because I believe in the law.

And as long as I'm dropping the hammer on corner boys and hillbilly drug dealers,

I'm everybody's favorite minority judge.

But in a case like Eleanor Burke,

now I'm in the jackpot for standing firm.

I'll see you around, Cliff.

Yeah.

Do you plan to issue this press statement?

I do.

Have you lost your mind?

Let the case go to trial, and let the jury decide.

The man is trying to follow the law, and he's being crucified for it.

Do you know how important Marcus Reynolds is

to this department, to this city?

He's the vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

I don't care about Delegate Reynolds or the Appropriations Committee.

See, that's your fatal flaw.

You have no political sense whatsoever.

Respectfully, Colonel, there are days when I think you have nothing else!

They're making you a captain.

How many years have you been waiting for that?

And all they're asking is for you to show a little less profile on this case.

Is that all they're asking?

How is it you even know what they want of me?

Mike, listen, I've been a lieutenant ten years, but I kept it clean.

I don't want it anymore if it can't be that way.

I didn't want to be the one to ruin this for you.

But what does it really matter?

He beat her.

- I know that. - He beat her for years.

Why don't you just shut up, and take the promotion?

What do you know about this case?

What is it, Mike? What is it you know?

Ah! I raised you better than that.

How can you even think of doing this?

How?

You're my father.

I love you.

Or do you need more of an explanation than that?

Hey.

Hey, what'd you do last night?

Had first night of leagues.

- Ah, how'd it go? - We won.

We kicked EMS ass.

You feeling any better?

Honestly, no, I feel like hell.

Well, you probably still have the flu.

- You should go home. - I don't think so.

I need more structure in my life.

I need to be here, I'm not here, I'm gonna get myself in trouble.

Did you have a tough night?

Ah, that's the impression I get this morning.

I don't remember it all that well.

Well, drink your coffee.

Take a lot of these.

And I'm around if you need me.

Yeah, thanks, Laura.

Motive and premeditation.

It's all there in the separation agreement.

Lauren Burke was required to obtain a $4 million insurance policy

so that money due as alimony would still be paid in the event of his death.

How do we know that Eleanor Burke was even

thinking about the insurance when she shot her husband?

I spoke to the agent who wrote that policy.

He took a call from a woman four days before the shooting.

She knew that no insurance company pays out

in the event a beneficiary murders an insured party.

But what she wanted to know was,

was a payout still possible if the death was ruled

a justifiable act of self-defense.

- And this woman? - She gave a fake name.

But I checked the LUDs from his office phone.

The call came from Eleanor Burke's extension at the federal courthouse.

For someone who thought she knew how to work the system

she was awfully careless.

She was arrogant.

Why'd you sit on this?

They had him tied up over my promotion.

I want you both to know that I was trying to save Eleanor Burke,

because I thought it was the right thing to do.

I had no idea that anyone was twisting arms.

Understood.

Time for court, then.

Your Honor, the state wishes to re-arraign Eleanor Burke

on charges of second-degree murder,

and the use of a handgun in the commission of a felony.

To that end, we ask for a continuation of bail

of $250,000.

So ordered.

- Delegate Reynolds. - Captain Giardello.

Are you mocking me, sir?

Let's wait and see.

What do you mean by that?

Well, he's going to leave me twisting in a wind

until he sees how the public and press reacts.

Then he's going to decide whether to punish or reward me.

So you still might get your promotion?

Anything's possible, the world might come to an end next year at midnight

with the coming of the new millennium.

But you doubt it.

At this rate, Jesus will come back on this earth before I make captain.

You can believe that.

Buy you lunch?

Hey, I have no objections.

Thanks.