Original subtitles

Pay me $10,000 up front,

another ten grand when the job's done.

On the day I finish our contract,

a dozen white roses will be sent to your office.

Don't attempt to contact me.

If you need to communicate, go to the steps

at the main entrance of the Central Post Office.

3:00 in the afternoon, I'll find you.

This meeting will be the last time you'll see me.

Once you pay me, changing your mind is

a complication that's going to cost you.

So I got to ask you one more time.

Are you sure you want him dead?

All right, let's go.

Come on, keep it moving.

Buy you a cup of coffee, Mr. Neville?

Do I know you?

Detective Mac Taylor.

I was called to the scene of the accident.

I don't remember.

I've tried to contact you several times since then.

You refused my calls, wouldn't allow me to visit,

so you left me no choice but to be here today.

And now you're here?

I was wondering if we could talk.

Why?

Because you just spent 18 months in prison

for a crime you didn't commit.

♪ Out here in the fields ♪

♪ I fight for my meals ♪

♪ I get my back into my living ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. ♪

Adam,

have you seen Danny? He left about 20 minutes ago

with Doc to a crime scene

on the Upper West Side. What about, uh, Stella or Mac?

Stella's in court and the boss took a day off.

Yeah, can you believe it?

Mac never takes a day off.

I don't think there's been one day

since I've worked here that he hasn't showed up.

He's like, "Hey, I'm not coming in,"

you know, although he did go

to London that one time, but I don't...

Adam, okay, enough. What?

I just got back from Montana.

I-I'm not ready to deal with you.

This is not how I imagined it.

What?

I need you to focus, Adam. Okay.

Go get a set of keys to a car, any car.

Meet me in the garage in five minutes.

My water just broke.

I'm about to go into labor

and you are taking me to the hospital.

Go! Okay.

Adam... Oh...

Yeah, wrong way, sorry, j-just relax.

Everything's going to be okay.

Here you go. Thanks very much.

So it was your fault?

What do you mean?

I just spent 18 months in Rikers.

You show up on the day I get out

and tell me I shouldn't have been there in the first place?

Two years ago your vehicle struck

and killed Maris Donovan.

You claimed that you were behind the wheel,

but I believe someone else was driving.

So, I'm just curious,

why would you take responsibility

for something you didn't do?

You think that's what happened?

Yes, I do.

Unfortunately, all I've got is

circumstantial forensic evidence and a gut feeling.

None of which the DA will pay

any attention to without the truth from you.

Why would I lie about something like that?

Why would I sentence myself

to prison?

Because you didn't think you'd go to prison, Talmadge.

Or if you did go to prison, you'd get three months, tops.

Or maybe you'd just get slapped with a fine.

But instead, a very unsympathetic judge

made an example of you,

and there was no way

you could have predicted that would happen.

And there was no way you could get out of it

once you took the blame.

A detective chasing theories,

huh?

What I'm chasing is the truth.

Someone committed a crime and got away with it.

There was no one else in that car.

Well, that's what we believed that night

because that's what you told us,

but I have evidence that suggests otherwise.

Circumstantial evidence?

Thanks for the coffee.

♪ ♪

Oh, no! No! No! Oh, no!

No, I-I can't... I can't tell if she's breathing!

I don't know if she's alive! Somebody help!

I'm a doctor. I might be able to help.

Somebody call 911.

Please be okay. Call an ambulance!

It's a terrible accident.

It's just awful, Mac. She's so young.

Her name is Maris Donovan.

The deli owner says she comes in occasionally.

Thinks she lives around the block.

Was he the one driving the car?

Talmadge Neville.

Said he didn't see her until it was too late

and did everything he could

to avoid the collision.

He swerved, and his car slammed into the lamppost.

Is he okay?

Paramedics checked him out.

Despite the damage to the car,

he appears to be physically fine.

Emotionally, he's struggling to hold it together.

Intoxicated? No. Passed the sobriety.

This is a bad one.

Any witnesses?

No one that can help.

Most of these folks just heard the noise.

A passerby tried to revive her before ESU got here, but...

Was there anyone else in the car?

No, he was alone.

What'd you find?

Looks like he was texting while driving.

Maris! Where's my daughter?

Maris!

Ma'am, I'm sorry, you can't touch the body.

Oh, no!

Mrs. Donovan.

No, no!

Listen, listen, listen, I'm...

Did you do this? I am so sorry. It was an accident.

Look what you've done to my daughter!

Look what you did to her!

Give her back... Mrs. Donovan, please! Mrs. Donovan!

Oh, no!

Oh, no!

Why isn't she answering her phone?

Doc, take 57th right there. It'll be faster.

Danny, I got this, I got this. All right.

Voicemail. Again.

Baby, it's me.

We're close, okay? Hold on till I get there, okay?

I don't want to miss this. I love you. I love you, okay?

Hey! Watch out, man!

Okay, right here, Doc, Doc, Doc, okay, right there.

Make a right, go around the corner and pull into Emergency.

Hey, Danny, congrats, brother.

Thanks, Doc.

Hi.

Okay, here's what you're looking for.

Talmadge Neville's parole officer is Jerome Addison.

Condition of his parole is that he check in

within four hours of his release.

I've got an address up on East 59th Street.

Hey, I thought you were taking the day off.

Just looking into some unfinished business.

Neville. It's the, uh, car accident, right?

He was texting?

I thought that case was pretty cut and dry.

He did 18 months. Got out this morning.

Hey, Mac, most people on their days off take in a museum,

a matinee, catch up on some sleep.

Here you are digging up a closed case.

Our lab didn't analyze the evidence collected at the scene

because at the time Neville took full responsibility.

Well, makes sense. He was driving the car.

Maybe not.

Okay.

So you've processed that evidence.

And now you have a different theory?

Nothing definitive, but certainly enough

to have reasonable doubt. You were that kid in school

who did all the extra credit

projects, weren't you? You made all the rest

of us look bad.

Three months ago,

I slammed on the brakes in my car

to avoid a collision with the vehicle in front of me.

My shoulder restraint jolted back.

And I was, I was sore within an hour

and for a few days afterwards.

My left shoulder was bruised

from where the restraint tightened.

That moment triggered a memory.

The night of Talmadge Neville's accident,

I remember quite clearly he was rubbing his right shoulder.

Which would put him in the passenger seat.

And suggests someone else was driving.

I suppose I could just let this go.

But Don, I can't forget the look

on Katherine Donovan's face

when she saw her daughter lying lifeless in that street.

I remember thinking,

"I'm so glad this isn't a hit and run."

That this man took

full responsibility for what he'd done.

He didn't claim the brakes didn't work,

he didn't point the finger at the victim.

There was something so tragic

yet decent about it all.

And now I believe

someone else is involved.

And that someone thinks they got away with it?

No.

That's not how this is going to end.

Thanks for this.

Mr. Neville, get in.

What the hell do you want, Detective?

The truth, a name.

I have nothing to say.

All right, then I'll do the talking. Come on.

I heard it already.

Look, Talmadge, I'm not going away.

I could call your parole officer.

He might wonder

why a detective from the crime lab

is asking so many questions.

That would definitely complicate things for you.

Come on, get in.

Start telling your story.

My lab recovered your vehicle from the impound yard.

♪ ♪

I recreated the reported speed of the car

and simulated the object of impact

and placement of the phone and not once did the cell land

on the front passenger side floor where you recovered it.

And in Neville's vehicle,

the power adjustment gears under the seat

are too bulky for an object just to slide forward.

But that doesn't definitively eliminate the possibility

that the driver was holding the phone.

But it makes it more plausible

that someone in the passenger seat was.

Which brings us to the prints.

Now, Neville's left thumb print

was on both the driver

and passenger seat belt release button.

Well, he certainly could've been a passenger in his own car

at another time other than the accident.

Yes, he could and I thought about that but...

This is Talmadge Neville's thumb print

lifted from the driver's side release button.

Now, based on the position of the apex

and the delta points, it appears that Neville

released the belt from the passenger seat.

But there is another possibility.

He could have used his left hand from the driver's seat.

Doc, I thought about that, too. But why would he reach

all the way across his body and turn his thumb

180 degrees to release the button?

I mean, it's an unnatural action.

But easily accomplished from the passenger seat.

Leads me to conclude that Neville released

that belt to let someone else out.

There was no one else in that car.

I struggled with my seat belt.

I panicked, couldn't get out.

The evidence doesn't suggest that.

Your thumb pressed that button once and lifted.

You had no problem releasing the belt.

And the direction of the print

implies that you weren't in the driver's seat.

Why would I lie?

What would I gain?

I am now and forever an ex-con.

Unemployable, unreliable, unworthy.

It doesn't sound like something a man

chooses if he's got an ounce of common sense.

You see that vendor there?

That was my life before all this happened.

I was a single father,

working 10, 12 hours a day, seven days a week,

peddling dogs and pretzels,

earning an honest living for my kids.

My son, Joe, is now a professor.

And my daughter, Karita, she's a surgeon.

And wouldn't you like them to know the truth?

Were you in the car

with someone you shouldn't have been?

Were you or your family threatened

if you didn't keep this secret, Talmadge?

When you were in Rikers,

you refused to have any other visitors except one.

Nick Donley.

He's head of the Local 515,

the City Sidewalk Cart Union.

I wanted to know what would happen to my business.

He's also a pretty tough guy

who shakes down vendors for a cut.

Haven't seen you in a while, Talmadge.

I been busy.

What do you say we take a ride?

Hey, look, Nick,

I'm really tired, now.

You know, I've had a long day.

I'll tell you what.

I'll drive.

You listen.

Nick was not in the car.

Then who was?

You weren't behind the wheel of the car that hit

Maris Donovan.

The right person should be punished for the crime.

The debt has been paid.

Unfortunately, Talmadge,

that's not a decision you get to make.

Yeah, I need to order a dozen roses.

Delivered tonight after 5:00.

White.

Do they really think that I'm just going to

walk this baby right out of me?

Why can't I be one of those women

who just sneezes and before you can say,

"God bless you," she's had the baby?

Think of what you'd miss out on.

Reminding your child of all those

long, painful hours of labor that you endured

to bring them into this world.

I guess I could get some mileage out of that.

Uh-huh.

I'm kinda scared, Stella.

That's normal, Lindsay.

Just remember, you're healthy and strong.

You and Danny went through all the courses.

Yeah, no, I don't mean about having the baby.

About being a mom.

I mean, what if I stink at it?

And the worse part is I won't know until it's too late.

She'll come home, she'll scream that she hates me,

then in rebellion she'll get some part

of her body pierced that's inappropriate.

And she'll get an infection,

and she'll wind up on antibiotics

which we find out 12 years later they cause an eating disorder

and pretty soon I'm in therapy

trying to save my whole family.

I mean, what if some people just aren't cut out to be parents?

Well, the fact that you already thought about all this,

tells me that you're gonna do just fine, Linds.

I'm losing it, huh?

Yeah.

Oh, contraction.

What if she has twins, Adam?

I mean, you hear stories about people

being completely surprised.

And you've seen Lindsay, right?

I mean, she's huge.

Whoa...

She knows it.

Relax, you got the ultrasound. It's not twins, all right?

You gonna be okay?

No, no, I'm not.

Feel like I might go into cardiac arrest

while she's giving birth.

Mac, you're here.

No, no, she hasn't yet.

Oh, we're on the fourth floor.

All right, I'll be right there.

Dr. Karita Neville, please report

to the second floor nurses station, Tower Two.

My daughter, Karita, she's a surgeon.

Dr. Karita Neville, please report

to the second floor nurses' station, Tower Two.

Is that a picture for your grandma?

Beautiful, I like that.

Okay, well, I'll see you later.

She was driving the car.

You're sure it was Dr. Neville?

Positive, I remember her face.

She was at the accident scene.

That's who Talmadge Neville was protecting, his daughter.

She had to be the one driving the car, not him.

And then she just blended into the crowd

and watched as he took the fall?

Why would she do that?

It's possible that they traded places

because she had more to lose

if she was behind the wheel of the car.

I remember Flack saying

that someone tried to revive the victim

before the paramedics arrived.

Is it possible that it was Karita Neville?

I mean, she is a doctor.

Maybe there's something in Sid's autopsy report

of Maris Donovan that can confirm that.

Well, we know she was there. You can I.D. her.

Yeah, but we need something that puts her at the scene

very close to the time of the accident.

Something that says there was no other place

she could have been except in that car.

We should go, Mrs. Donovan.

How much time will he get?

Talmadge Neville.

Most likely he'll be charged with second-degree manslaughter.

Time he serves will be up to the judge.

Meaning he could simply get

probation and his license revoked?

Mr. Neville's been very cooperative.

He's remorseful.

This whole thing...

Yes, I know, it was an accident.

Everybody keeps saying it was an accident.

Just doesn't feel like that on this side of the glass.

Oh, that man was stupid and reckless.

In one split second, he took my daughter's life.

And he has to live with that.

Unfortunately, so do I.

Mac.

Did you need something?

Uh, I was wondering

if you could pull an old autopsy file.

Maris Donovan.

Came in here

about two years ago.

You working on your day off?

Why is it that everyone

is so concerned with what

I do on my day off?

Are you kidding?

I mean, come on, you never take a day off.

Yes, all right.

The file?

It's taking a minute

to come up.

You looking for something specific?

Maris Donovan.

Car accident victim, 16 years old.

Two years ago.

Was there anything to suggest

that she was alive for even a few minutes

at the scene of the car accident?

I don't recall.

However...

different monitor, different equipment.

I have a database

of CT scans...

and I'm quite sure I have one

for Maris Donovan.

Yeah, it's coming back to me now.

I believe I noted

that the bruises here were inconsistent

with the accident injuries.

But...

because they are red in color, I can conclude

that they occurred

very close to death.

Placement on the body and the size

are consistent with compression marks?

Yes, someone could have attempted CPR,

but they must have been there

right after impact,

because, based on these other injuries,

Maris Donovan didn't live very long

after the accident. Karita Neville is a doctor.

She may be the one who assisted the victim

at the crime scene, and your time line

just might put her in the car.

All right, autopsy report.

Strange.

Yours is the second request

for this particular case this week.

That rarely happens for one this old.

Who made the first request?

Usually, it includes a name,

but this says "Confidential."

My father was in that accident.

And so were you, Dr. Neville.

You switched places.

There was much more risk for you

to be behind the wheel than your father,

because eight years ago,

you were charged with a DWI.

With one more conviction, you could face 15 years.

Detective, I'm going to say this one last time.

I wasn't in that car.

Now, I have patients.

I'm in awe of your unwavering commitment to the lie.

Can't imagine what it was like

to watch your father cuffed and later locked up,

knowing the whole time that it should have been you.

15 months were added to his sentence

for being accused of texting while driving,

only he was texting from the passenger seat.

I'm just curious.

Was there a moment that you ever felt guilty?

The debt has been paid.

No, Dr. Neville.

No debt is paid when the wrong person is convicted.

I don't want you to forget my name.

You're going to be seeing me again.

Mrs. Donovan, we believe it was Karita Neville

who was behind the wheel of the car that killed your daughter

and not her father Talmadge Neville.

I'm sorry, I don't understand.

How do you explain this?

And why didn't you know this then?

Well, I'd like to

discuss the details

of our investigation, but I'm...

You're starting a new investigation?

Yes, yes.

That's why I'm here. I wanted to

tell you personally. It's been two years.

That man spent 18 months in prison.

I know that none of this is easy to hear,

and revisiting what happened all over again...

I won't do it.

I can't do it, Detective.

I'm still waiting for the morning when

I no longer believe I hear Maris

singing in the shower down the hall.

Well, thanks for the information.

I would prefer that you involve me

as little as possible.

I'm sorry to rush you out, but I have a meeting.

Of course.

Flack, see if you can track down Neville.

I think he'd be interested in what we know.

Talmadge Neville, NYPD! Go ahead.

We're clear.

We're clear over here.

Hey.

Hey, how's Lindsay?

Seven hours and counting.

She dilated past one centimeter yet?

That's kind of a personal question, Adam.

Oh, sorry.

I-I just have 18 hours

and 15 minutes in the hours of labor office pool.

600 bucks on the line, yo.

What's up with the bike pedal?

Flack found it at Neville's apartment.

What was strange, though, is that

it was wrapped in copies of Maris Donovan's autopsy report,

and it was painted completely white.

Analysis of the paint

says it's pretty heavy duty. Yeah, it's

something you would use to paint the exterior of a house.

There's a void on the spindle threads.

Suggests that it was still attached when it was painted.

But if that's the case,

there should be some kind of wear pattern from a shoe.

But there's barely a scratch.

Means nobody rode it.

You said that Flack found this at Talmadge Neville's apartment?

Yep.

Just the pedal, no bike.

Ghost riders.

Huh?

Ghost riders.

Follow me.

Those bikes are all over the city.

They're in memory of people

who lost their lives in bike accidents.

They're called ghost riders.

Somebody died in a bike accident down there?

Yeah.

And I'd be willing to bet

that the pedal in our lab is from a bike

in memory of Maris Donovan.

Somebody didn't want

Talmadge Neville to forget

why he spent the last 18 months in prison.

You asked to see us, and we're here, so...?

You know this guy?

What about him?

He should be lying in an alley right now

with a bullet between his eyes.

Excuse me?

And how do you know that?

You were gonna do him, weren't you?

So what's your beef with Talmadge Neville?

Let's just say I'm a guy

with a specific skill set.

And I got the constitution to commit acts

that other people don't have the courage to.

You're a hit man.

I'm not familiar with that term.

Sorry, contract killer. Is that what you prefer to put on your

business cards? I'm not interested

in playing games, Mr. Desoto.

What are you doing here?

My client had a change of heart. Who's your client?

An hour ago, I received word that the new beneficiary

of my services

is supposed to be

this girl right here.

Something tells me your client wasn't

the only one that had a change of heart.

No women, no children.

A hit man with a code of ethics.

How noble.

Who hired you, Mr. Desoto?

Don't know her name.

How about a description?

Female, late 40s.

I had a meeting with her once.

She was wearing sunglasses and a wig.

If you find her,

don't go asking me to come pick her out of a lineup,

'cause I pretty much got "I don't recall" down pat.

Thank you.

You've done the right thing here.

Hey, look, I didn't come in here

for a pat on the back, Detective.

This woman's desperate.

I get the feeling, with or without me,

she's gonna get this done.

Just checked with the hospital.

Karita Neville finished her shift two hours ago.

I left a message with the answering service.

We've tried her cell and home phone,

haven't gotten an answer. Just keep calling.

Flack has uniforms at Neville's apartment.

We checked in with his parole officer,

and Neville never indicated what he had planned for the day,

except to say he would look for a job.

He used to be a street vendor.

See if he's tried to contact

any of those companies or Nick Donley about work.

Let's also try to contact his cell mate at Rikers.

See if Neville mentioned any special plans.

Mac,

female prints I lifted

on the photo of Karita Neville

didn't get any hits in AFIS, so no I.D.

But they were a match to the prints

I found on the autopsy report

recovered in Neville's apartment.

Easy to put two and two together.

Only this time, it adds up to one.

Are Talmadge and Karita Neville alive, Mrs. Donovan?

That's an odd question to ask me.

Are they safe?

Those flowers are from a friend.

He was supposed to do me a favor.

But he couldn't.

Turns out, I didn't

need it done anyway.

I know about grief,

Katherine.

About losing someone you care about.

I lost everything when I lost her.

Make sure to get brown and white rice in the bag.

And don't stop for any junk food, Maris.

I got it, Mom.

Be careful. I love you.

Mom, I'm just going around the corner.

It's been two years.

It still hurts so badly!

I lost my wife on 9/11.

Some days...

it seems like it was so long ago.

Others... like it was just yesterday.

I wish I could promise that you'd stop missing Maris,

hearing her voice or imagining she'll be there

when you get home, but...

I can't.

I'm so ashamed that I let this consume me,

but I'm so afraid that if I stop thinking about it,

it'll be like I forgot her.

But you came here for another reason.

So what now,

Detective?

Compassion.

Grief is an emotion that can force

a good and decent person to make a very, very bad decision.

And knowing that, I have a choice to make.

I can do everything I can to prove that you were involved

in a conspiracy to commit murder.

Right now,

I have no witness, no paper trail, no confession.

Or...

I can show a little compassion.

Are you sure I deserve that courtesy, Detective?

I believe Maris' mother

deserves it.

However, I want to be clear.

If you violate the law in any way,

I will, without hesitation, gather all the proof I need

to prosecute you for this offense

to the full letter of the law, you understand?

That, Katherine, I can promise.

Thank you.

Still no Talmadge Neville.

I was about to report

the same thing about his daughter, but...

I'll tell you everything you want to know.

I'll tell you the truth.

Your brother even whines in his text messages.

He says, "It was not fair."

Is he crazy?

You tell him I don't care

how much more money I make. He owes me.

He lost that Super Bowl bet.

K, you good? Yeah, I think so.

We gotta get out of the car.

Dad, there's a girl in the street. I think she's hurt.

Come on. Get out. Get out. Come on. Get out of here.

Get out of here. You gotta leave.

Oh, but Dad, she's hurt.

This is an accident that can ruin everything you worked for!

Get out of here! Get out of here now!

Go, go, go, now, now!

No, no! I-I can't, I can't tell if she's breathing!

I don't know if she's alive!

It was so stupid, I know.

But I was just doing what my father asked.

I was scared. We both were.

But you were at the scene when we arrived.

I just couldn't leave her there.

Your instincts as a doctor took over.

Yeah.

Somebody help!

So I returned as if I hadn't been there at all.

And I offered my help before the paramedics arrived.

Somebody call 911.

And my father and I just pretended

we didn't know each other.

Why? Why lie? Why trade places, Karita?

We had spent the evening at this restaurant celebrating

the end of my residency.

You'd had a couple of drinks?

One glass of wine.

I swear to you, I wasn't drunk.

My father would never have let me drive.

Despite that, he just

couldn't take the chance.

He was afraid your prior DWI

would influence the judge

and ultimately your conviction.

So he claimed to be driving the car.

He didn't have much faith in the truth.

I begged him for days after just let me take responsibility

for what I'd done.

But he said we were in too deep.

He still believes to this day

that it was the right thing to do.

"Greater good, Karita," he says.

Greater good!

Dano, Dano, how's Lindsay doing?

You gotta be kidding me.

Is that her I hear screaming in the background?

Yeah, yeah, all right. All right, daddy.

I'll talk to you later. Take care, bud, bye.

Detective Flack?

Mr. Neville.

I understand you have something that belongs to me,

and I was wondering if I could get it back.

Need some help?

I thought I was rid of you.

I wanted to say I'm sorry.

For what?

That I can't give you back those 18 months you spent in jail.

I would have done it again all the same if I had to.

Your daughter means the world to you.

Oh, yeah.

And I'm sure Ms. Donovan felt that way about Maris.

Karita told us everything.

What was it about the truth that scared you?

The odds.

My daughter made a mistake.

DWI. One mistake.

No question she was wrong,

but sometimes we're not too forgiving.

You can't tell me

that taking responsibility for that accident

wouldn't have changed things for her.

I wanted to preserve what I had worked for all those years.

I wanted her to succeed.

And she's doing it.

Only one regret...

That this little girl lost her life that night.

So what happens to Karita now?

It was an accident, Neville.

Now that we know what really happened,

no DA with an ounce of common sense will prosecute that case.

Greater good.

That's okay.

That's okay. You're doing great.

You can do it, baby. Good! Breathe, breathe.

Good! There we go!

There we go! Come on. Come on. You're doing great.

You're doing great! Good job, Lindsay.

Good job. Keep it up.

Keep it up! Hey, that's it, baby!

That's it, sweetheart! Go ahead! Come on!

Breathe. Come on! Push one more. Push!

Here we go! Come on!

Good job, good job. There she is! There she is!

Way to push, Lindsay. There she is!

Keep it going. Come on. She's beautiful.

Here we go... She's beautiful.

Oh, babe...

All right, you did it. You did it.

Oh, hello.

Oh, hello, sweetheart.

Ah... Hi. Hello.

Oh, Danny, I hate to admit it,

but she looks just like you.

Yes, that's right, she's a knockout.

How you holding up?

I'm great.

But she's gonna be an only child

'cause I am never doing that again.

Do you guys have a name?

Lydia. Lucy.

Guess that's a no.

Mac, we did agree

on one thing.

We were hoping that you would consider being the godfather.

Absolutely, yes.

Made him an offer he can't refuse.

You know, "Godfather," that's code word for diaper change,

you know that?

Whoa, whoa. Do I get to spoil her?

Mm-hmm. I think Danny's got that covered.

Oh, we forgot about the oohs and ahs.

Okay, yes, yes, ready, everybody?

Ooh...

And...

Ah...

That's nice. So cute.

Thank you, guys.

What do you think, baby girl?