Original subtitles

Previously on L .A. Law.

Abigail Perkins, meet George Handelman.

Oh, boy.

Well, I started to tell George that you have a wedding to go to. I don't think

he'd be interested. Sure, that'd be fine.

Got a minute?

I need to ask you a big favor.

Yeah, what's up? I think I'm going to need some help with my taxes.

Ann, I'm honored.

Wait a minute.

I had to spend two hours putting that stuff in little piles. My tax return,

file it. Fine, go get indicted. Fine.

Arnie, we need to have a talk. What about?

A raise.

I couldn't budge him. When I brought it, I'd be freaked out, Rox. I went to the

mat for you.

I'm worth what I'm worth. And if I can't get it here, then I'll get it somewhere

else. Roxanne, I thought that we loved each other. But to find out that you,

you, you've reduced our relationship into nothing more than a couple of lousy

dollars and all I am to you is a paycheck?

Arnie, please.

No!

This court is now in session. The Honorable Richard Armand presiding.

Please come to order.

Quiet, please.

Mr. Foreman.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

Yes, we have, Your Honor.

Will the defendant please rise?

In the matter of People v.

Walt Buckner, criminal complaint number 4258, we, the jury, find the defendant

guilty of murder in the first degree. We further find the special circumstances

to exist.

namely that the victim was a corrections officer acting in the line of duty and

that the defendant had knowledge of the same at the time the murder was

committed.

Does the district attorney seek to modify its request with respect to

sentencing? No, Your Honor. The people reaffirm its request for the penalty

phase hearing and that the defendant be sentenced to death.

Members of the jury, I thank you for your verdict.

Insofar as this is a capital case, however, your job is not finished. This

together with parties, will reconvene tomorrow morning at 10 a .m.

for a new and separate trial, the sole issue of which will be whether to

sentence this defendant to life imprisonment without the possibility of

or to death by an infliction of lethal gas.

This court is adjourned.

Gracie? Yeah?

Don't you think you're being a little cavalier about this?

This was a death threat. I knew I shouldn't have told you about it. You're

overreacting. The guy's a killer, Grace. He's a punk, and he's in custody.

If I hear he's escaped out a window, then I'll rethink my position.

What harm could it do to ask for a little protection? Uh -uh, no.

No, because if I let a threat like this intimidate me, then I've given him the

kind of credibility these animals thrive on.

Michael, I love you for being so concerned.

But I know what I'm doing, okay?

Okay.

Gotta go.

Thanks for breakfast.

Right.

Miss me.

Rox, it's not here.

It couldn't have just walked away.

This is great.

I'll just go into the meeting and tell them that my temp secretary threw out

visitation schedule.

Snapping at me isn't going to help us find it, you know.

Where did the agency find this girl? Hospital for the Criminally Insane?

I thought she was going to cut my throat every time I asked her to do anything.

The agency assured me the one they're sending over this morning is highly

qualified. Rox, it's not here. I've looked.

Here it is.

Thank God. Now, if you'll excuse me, please, I've got a lot to do if I'm

to go to the courthouse by 9 o 'clock.

Rox, how long is this jury duty thing going to last anyway?

The judge said we'd be there at least till Thursday. Well, maybe you could

by in the afternoons. I mean, things are really starting to pile up here. I'll

try. Please, try hard, Rock.

I can't function like this.

If I'm so invaluable to you, then compensate me for it.

Not this again.

Arnie, nothing's changed.

Either I get my raise or I'm gone. I said I'd give you till Friday to decide,

and I'll live up to that. If you find you can get along with a replacement,

fine. But otherwise, you'll have to pay me what I'm worth.

Sorry, excuse me. Excuse me, I'm looking for Mr. Beckett's office.

You're... Meredith Wiggins. I'm from the agency.

Hi, I'm Arnie Beckett.

Uh, Roxanne Melman.

Sorry I'm late. Let me take you through the basic job requirements. Don't be

silly. You're going to be late for jury duty.

Are you sure?

Go. Go. I'll take it from here.

Okay, then.

Nice to meet you, Roxanne. Don't worry about a thing. We'll manage just fine.

Bye.

So,

your car was stopped at the red light.

Then what happened?

The guy leaps out of his car and starts charging me, making this weird sound.

Woo!

And, um, what did you do?

Well, I was scared. I locked my door, rolled up the window. Next thing I know,

he's got this tire iron, and he starts smashing my car with it. I mean, he's

swinging and slamming and bashing. All the time, he's going, whoo, whoo, whoo.

He was a madman.

Objection. Witness lacks foundation.

They're under psychiatric opinions.

Move it. The answer be stricken.

Sustained. Disregard that last remark.

What happened next, sir? I got out of my BMW to protect it. I mean, he was

bashing it to bits.

And? and that's when you engaged in the fistfight? Right, and then the police

came. Then what happened?

They arrested him.

Thank you, Mr. Harkavy.

Your witness.

You say, sir, you first became aware of the defendant's vehicle upon the sound

of his horn?

That's right.

And do you know what occasion it is to blow his horn, sir?

Well, I pulled into the lane that he was in, and I guess he just didn't like it,

but I was completely in the right. Did you signal with your directional, sir,

before the sudden and reckless veer into the lane?

Objection. No sudden or reckless veer has been established here.

Sustained. Sorry.

Did you indicate with your blinker, sir, before changing lanes with your

vehicle? I certainly did. I have excellent driving habits. And at the

my client's horn, sir, did you respond with obscene gesticulation?

Well, it's part of everyday driving.

But that doesn't mean he should jump out of his car and come at me with a

crowbar. Objection to the term crowbar.

Inflammatory. Move for immediate mistrial.

Come on, Mr. Sylvia.

Sorry. Would it be a fair representation, sir, to say that my

exception to your driving maneuver, expressed his indignation, after which

demonstrated reciprocal displeasure to the point where the disagreement

escalated into a violent confrontation?

A confrontation he started.

Move that the answer be stricken, non -responsive. Ask that the witness be

sanctioned. No further questions.

Sorry.

And then what happened?

And then he forced me into the cell.

where I see they already got two other guards tied up. Your Honor, it has

already been established at trial that this man saw the stabbing, but this has

nothing to do with sentencing.

I'm leading up to the threats made by the defendant against this witness,

threats which were inadmissible at trial but are relevant for this proceeding.

Well, then just get to them, Miss Van Owen. There's no need for him to recount

the murder.

Can you tell us, Mr. Mosher, what happened after the prison officials

the cell and retook custody of Mr. Buckner?

It was right after the stabbing.

Nicky was still lying on the floor.

I think he was already dead.

And Buckner, as they were taking him out, he looks at me and smiles.

He's got this big smile on his face.

And he says, killing guards is extra fun.

Are you still a correctional officer at San Quentin, Mr. Mosher? I quit.

You got guys with life sentences in there with nothing to lose by killing

Courts say we can't keep him in isolation.

They all managed to get weapons.

Objection! Now he's philosophizing on prison reform?

Sustained. Please limit your remarks to Mr. Buckner only, sir. I'm talking about

guys like Buckner. He already had a life sentence when he killed Nicky. If you

just give him another one, you're giving him carte blanche to do it again.

Objection! Sustained. The jury will disregard that statement.

Disregard it? That man is going to kill again when he gets back in the prison.

How the hell do you tell them to disregard that?

Objection! Sustained. Now don't make me cite you for contempt, Mr. Mosher.

Benora versus Cromwell aircraft.

Unchanged. Richardson to States.

Status quo.

Stuart, how far along are we with the partnership return?

It's a block and a stiff breeze. I should be through the bulk of it by

That's excellent.

And then it's just a question of sitting down with everybody, making sure the

arithmetic's right.

Excuse me. Could you gentlemen table your little sidebar until we've

the morning's business?

Sorry, Douglas.

Anything further?

Yes. Can I just ask something?

Does anybody have any aspirin? I think I have one in my purse.

You all right?

And I've had this toothache all week.

I can do better than aspirin, Victor.

I can give you a dentist, Dr.

Rothberg. Mike's right.

You should get it taken care of.

I hate dentists.

Oh, he's great.

One shot of Novocaine, you won't feel a thing.

What is it, kind of a steady throbbing pain?

Yeah, yeah, that's it. Yeah, boy.

I just hope he's not a root canal. Oh, I had that once. They had to cut into the

jawbone to kill the nerve. Oh, please.

I get vasovagal response.

What? Even the thought of it.

The drilling, the huge needle, makes me faint. There's nothing worse than lying

there helpless, your mouth wide open, and that little drill starts grinding

away. Little bits of...

Teeth start flying out. Oh, smoke. You start to see smoke. And that terrible

burning smell.

Stop. Guys, please, give me a break, okay?

Oh, that's nothing. When I was in high school, I went to the dentist, and he

drilling my cavity, right? And I flinched. And the drill took this big

right out of my tongue. Oh, yuck. Yeah, blood was pouring out all over the

place. I couldn't eat for days. It was a tragedy.

Did you?

No,

no. The tongue is the fastest healing part of the body. You can practically

the whole thing right off.

Excuse me.

Seriously, Victor, I think you ought to let Dr. Rothberg check you out. Yeah, I

guess I should. Elizabeth has the numbers.

Douglas?

You all right? Douglas?

Hi.

Hi.

The dentist will be with you in a minute.

Thank you.

Mrs. Fuentes?

Hi, I'm Dr.

Pennybaker. I'm sorry we couldn't fit you in yesterday.

It's okay.

What seems to be the trouble?

My tooth hurts.

Which one?

The lower one in the back on the right, I think.

Okay.

Thank you.

Can I just take a look?

How did you get to me?

My Cusack recommended Dr. Rothberg.

Did he call in sick? Dr. Rothberg called in dead.

Passed away six months ago. I'm taking over for him. Open.

Ooh, you have great teeth.

Do you floss them regularly?

You should, you know, if you want them to stay that way.

You may feel just a little bit of pain.

Sorry. What you have is a deteriorated filling. The good news is I think we got

it in time. It's just a matter of re -drilling and putting in a new silver

filling. That should take care of it, unless you start picking up radio

stations.

What? It's just a joke. I'm being sued.

Malpractice. Open.

You're a lawyer, aren't you, Mr. Svante?

You know, this case is completely groundless. This crazy woman claims that

drugged her, and while she was knocked out, I planted a radio receiver in her

bridge work. Can you believe that?

At first I thought, if I just ignored her, maybe she'd drop the suit and it'd

away, but now I have to go to court tomorrow. Do you think that if I just

explain that to the judge that he'd... everything will be okay?

Open?

You're gonna feel just a little pinch and then a burning sensation.

You know, it's upsetting to be accused of something even as silly as this.

I don't know what I'm going to do.

Hey, maybe you could help me.

Great.

I'm so relieved.

I had been working in the prison laundry room for about six months when they

transferred him in. I want you to tell the jury exactly what you saw on October

12th, 1980.

Well, like I said, I was in the laundry room.

It was towards the end of the shift.

And I see Buckner wrestle this young kid into the alcove, push him onto the

floor with a knife against his throat.

And he raped him right there on the floor.

I could see the whole thing from where I was standing.

Then he takes the knife after he's done, and he sticks it right above the kid's

knee, and he starts ripping up the leg with it, all the way up to his thigh.

And then he told the kid he'd cut his leg right off if he ever said a word to

anybody. And did he?

No.

Neither did I.

Why is that, Mr. Bridges?

Because inmates that say things about other prisoners end up with knives in

their backs.

The guards can't protect you?

Lady, the guards don't run that joint.

The Buckners do.

I'm there for five years.

Waiting that long, that ain't the problem.

The trick is living that long.

No further questions.

Before appearing as the witness here, you made a deal with the prosecutor,

didn't you? Yes.

They agreed to expedite your parole if you provide a testimony against Mr.

Buckner. Doesn't change what I saw.

You'd do anything to get out of prison. Isn't that right, Mr. Bridges? Yeah, I

cut a deal.

But I'm telling the truth.

You don't know who that guy is, man.

He's killed people you don't even know about.

There ain't nobody safe. Objection, Your Honor.

Sustained. The jury will disregard the witness's last remarks.

You've had five years to tell your story. Now, why is it you never said

until now?

Because I would have been killed.

It was an argument.

An argument that turned violent, that's all. It was a vicious attack.

Quiet. I'll give you your chance in a minute. Excuse me, but since we've

appointed Mr. Gelber as foreman, I think he should moderate.

He can moderate all he wants after I have my say.

Now, look.

Look, this Harkavy guy, he forces the defendant's car off the road.

Then he flips him the bird.

Now... I don't condone what the defendant did, but I don't think we

criminally convict the guy for a situation where a lot of normal people

lose their tempers. I disagree.

Normal people don't bash cars and hoot like whooping cranes.

But what would you do if some nut almost makes you crash, huh? And then tells

you where to go? You'd be pretty upset.

I wouldn't resort to violence.

Well, maybe there's something wrong with you then. I mean, I'm not calling you a

coward or nothing.

But I'd hate to see a guy go into jail just because of a little yellow streak

the jury.

This has nothing to do with bravery, Mr. Novicki.

I just think it's important that we all know where each of us is coming from.

And I just want to make it clear that you're a man who always remains

no matter how much he's pushed.

Hey, Novicki. Keep your hands off me. What?

Who's to stop me?

I'll stop you. You?

A meek little mole like you?

Stop it!

Cut it out.

Stop it, both of you!

Stop it! What's the matter with you?

Okay, okay, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I was just trying to show that there's the potential for violence

every man if he's sufficiently provoked.

And in those moments, we can all behave out of character.

Now, again, I'm not trying to suggest that the defendant should be...

congratulated for losing his cool.

I just hate to see a man's life ruined because he blew a fuse after a little

traffic beef.

Come on, folks.

Hasn't everybody been punished enough for this already?

So what you're saying, Doctor, is Walt Buckner, in many ways, is a victim

himself. Oh, in almost every way. He was orphaned at age six.

sexually abused at age eight. He was shuttled from foster home to foster

Now, these aren't great springboards for emotional stability.

Now, doctor, did you have occasion to do a psychiatric workup on Walt Buckner? I

did. And can you state for the court your conclusion from this examination?

Well, I found Mr. Buckner to be a man abused emotionally and physically since

childhood. His life has been consumed with violence and...

Despair. And in many ways, he's done nothing but perpetuate the environment

was born into. His behavior, given his upbringing, is totally predictable.

Do you think, Doctor, that if exposed to positive influences, this man could

change? If possible, yes.

Thank you, Dr. Bassett. That's all.

You think this man is capable of changing?

Well, I believe every man is capable of reformation, and Mr. Buckner's no

exception. A man who has killed four times?

Believe it or not, yes.

You see, the propensity for redemption is in every one of us, however latent.

When you examined Mr. Buckner, you refused to be alone with him, didn't

Well, there's usually a guard present for those things.

But you specifically demanded that a guard be present, didn't you?

Yes. Because you were afraid of him, right, Doctor? You were afraid for your

life. It was just a precaution.

Just a precaution.

Nothing further.

Basically, Larry, we're not even going to enter into the question of religious

training until we're amended on the joint custody provision.

Insofar as the sheik does not have U .S. citizenship, and insofar as there's a

perceived, if not very real threat, that he may be tempted to take the kids out

of the country.

Larry, she's adamant on this point.

No, I've got to tell you, right now it's not going to fly.

Larry, could you hold on for a minute?

I'll call you back, Sam.

Can we get the other line, please? I'm on a very important call. Sure.

Mr.

Becker's office.

Hello. Hi, Larry.

They hung up.

Meredith, I lost my call. Did I cut you off?

Could you get Larry Radnitz back on the line, please?

Boy,

this just hasn't been my day, has it?

That's not your fault.

These phones are kind of tricky.

Well, I appreciate you being so patient with me.

It's a new situation. Ease up on yourself.

You'll get the hang of it.

I hope so.

I'll tell you what. Let me finish with this call.

The two of us ought to sit down and get to know each other.

Hey, we'll grab a little lunch. Sound like fun?

I know a great little Japanese place right across the street.

Well, thanks anyway, but I brought a bag lunch.

Sure?

Do you want me to try that call again for you?

Hey, how's it going?

Rothbard's a great guy, isn't he?

Sorry to bring up sad news to you, but Rothbard croaked six months ago.

Seriously? Seriously.

Well, how? What happened?

I didn't ask.

Anyway, you should see this woman who's taken over for him.

Unbelievable.

You asked her out?

Uh, not exactly.

I couldn't figure out what to say.

So she starts telling me about this minor malpractice accident.

So I'm representing her.

Sounds serious.

I could get real with this woman, Mike.

Very real.

Ann.

Cromwell Interrogatories.

That was fast. I have a date tonight.

George Handelman?

Mm -hmm.

Are we getting serious?

I don't know. I like him.

Have you, um... No, we haven't, um... Well, I trust you'll keep me abreast of

the situation?

You know, ladies and gentlemen, I've sat here and I've listened to the district

attorney do everything she can do to convince you that my client is nothing

a vile, deranged piece of filth.

She's tried so hard to depict him as something less than human in the hopes

it will make it easier for you to expunge his very existence.

But no matter what she says, she cannot escape one...

Simple fact and that is The human life is God's greatest

and most mystifying creation It has the capacity for good the capacity for bad,

but most of all it has the capacity for change Don't take this

life Unless you make no room for the possibility that there is or ever will

something of value in it

The last time you went to that jury room, you returned with a verdict that

in effect, we will not tolerate the taking of a human life.

I beg of you now, let your next verdict reflect that same sentiment.

Thank you.

He is asking you to believe that this van will change.

that there may be value in his life.

Ladies and gentlemen, Walter Buckner will never be anything but the hideous

murderer that he is at this very moment.

He is a cold -blooded, remorseless killer.

He was 14 years old when he murdered Rafael Barletta, for which he served

two and a half years in a juvenile facility.

17.

when he raped Meg Jones, 22 when he murdered Fred James and Ricardo Wallace,

now at the age of 28, the culmination of Mr. Buckner's career, the execution of

corrections officer Clemens Rudd.

If you do not sentence Walt Buckner to death, you will be telling him this last

one was for free.

You murdered Nicholas Clemens Rudd, ripped him from his young family in a

senseless explosion of hatred, but we as a society...

are not going to punish you. That is the message.

That you will be sending him and to every other lifer and to every other

guard and to every prison in the state.

Sentence this man to death.

Because, people, he is not finished yet.

And the question before you is not whether somebody will die.

Somebody will.

The question before you is whether it will be him or his next victim.

Thank you.

Ms. Van Owen, are you predicting execution?

No comment. Ms. Van Owen, how upset are you going to be if they let this guy

live? Please, not now.

This court

is

now in session.

Be seated and come to order.

Will the defendant please rise?

In a matter of people versus Walt Buckner, criminal complaint number 4258.

the jury, sentence the defendant to death.

The defense asks that the verdict be set aside.

So noted.

Members of the jury, this concludes your obligations before this court. And I

want to thank you for carrying out your responsibilities under these trying

circumstances. You're dismissed.

And this court is adjourned.

I'm

putting two

uniforms on you.

They'll walk you to and from your car and they'll park outside your place at

night.

That's not enough. The man's in custody, Michael. Well, his gang friends aren't.

You're going to have to cut off his visitors.

We're on top of it, Counselor. Grace, let me ask you something. You got a gun?

No. Do yourself a favor. I'll take care of the premise.

And that's your answer?

Arming the victims?

Maybe it's not the answer, but it won't hurt.

Well, it sends a hell of a message, doesn't it, Bruce?

A society of law and order, but just in case, pack a pistol.

There could be a nut out there looking to blow your head off, and you're

about what message you send?

All I know is that I am supposed to, supposed to represent the criminal

system. And the day that I validate the notion that the only way to effect order

is for district attorneys to strap sidearms to their hips, that is the day

quit. I'm not talking department policy here. I'm talking survival.

I have never even fired a gun.

And I'm not about to start carrying one. Not now.

Not ever.

8 -1.

9 -1.

Ten -one.

Ten -two.

Ten -two in favor of acquittal.

Okay. Who here besides Gelber voted guilty?

I did.

Oh, come on. If we wind up deadlocked here, we haven't done our job.

If you ask me, only two of us did our jobs.

The rest of you were intimidated.

Ma 'am.

We've been through this. The guy just snapped his cork. You want him to have a

criminal record? Not be able to get a job?

He broke the law.

And according to the judge's instructions, it's not mitigated by the

he did so in a snit.

Look, lady.

Suppose you were provoked like that.

Suppose somebody came up to you. You try any demonstrations with me, Mr.

Novicki, and I'll go right to the police and swear I had a complaint.

You saw Mr.

Gelber explode.

Now, you don't think he's a criminal, do you?

I don't deny that we're all capable of violence.

But that's the reason we have laws.

Laws against smashing things with crowbars.

Laws against assaulting people on juries.

I don't care how much you sympathize with him, Mr. Novicky.

What that man did was illegal.

And every person in this room knows it.

Now I say we take another vote.

No way.

I say she's right.

Me too. Pass the papers.

Oh, come on. Wait a minute.

You wait a minute, little Vicki.

We're taking another vote.

Yeah, I think we should.

All right, Miss Reinhold.

Since you're representing yourself, I'm just going to let you tell your story in

narrative form. Go ahead, please.

Well, on September 9th, I consulted Dr. Pennybaker for what I thought was an

abscess.

Against my will, she put me under sedation, and while I was out, she

inserted some kind of microscopic receiver in my teeth.

Because ever since I left that office, my mouth picks up radio stations. Now, I

have asked her several times to stop this, but she won't do it.

Nobody will do it.

Excuse me, ma 'am. You're saying that your mouth is picking up radio signals?

Well, of course. That is what I am saying. I am telling you what happened

Ma 'am, has anybody else heard these sounds?

How could they not? I mean, it's so loud, sometimes I can't even myself

Mr. Cifuentes, do you have any questions you'd like to ask?

Yes, Judge.

Miss Reinhold, how often do you hear this radio?

Constantly.

I get no peace. I don't sleep nights.

Can you tell me if it's playing right now?

Can't you hear it?

I'm forced to live with.

I'm very sorry, ma 'am.

But I couldn't hear anything.

Couldn't... Well, you're on her side.

You heard it.

Oh, I'm afraid I didn't either, Miss Reinhold.

We're all in this together.

I should have known nobody's going to help me.

We would all like to help you, ma 'am. It plays so loud, it's ruining my life,

and none of you will help me. None of you.

Miss Reinhold, have you seen any other doctors about this?

Oh, you mean a shrink? You mean like I'm crazy? Well, there's nothing the matter

with me. It's this damn, damn radio!

I just want you people to help me before I kill myself.

Go to the bench.

Yeah.

If we can just have the judgment, Your Honor, we won't be seeking costs.

Miss Reinhold, I'm going to have to enter judgment for the defense.

Since I don't find your testimony to be credible, I am sorry, but there is

nothing else I can do.

You're all against me.

You're telling me that you don't hear this?

You're telling me... You're all against me. You're telling me that you can't

hear this.

You're telling me that you can't hear...

I'm sorry about this morning.

Oh, it's okay, John.

It wasn't your fault.

Will you be handling the appeal in this, or will it go to the appellate

committee? If I have any say, my involvement is over.

This wasn't my favorite case.

Or what it's worth, mine either.

13 -year -old kid. He just jumped and fired. Are you okay?

I don't know.

I guess.

She's going to be fine. We don't even need a sling.

Thank you.

Can you get me a carry permit?

Yeah. We'll take care of it.

I see you said it yourself.

Getting a gun is not the answer.

I said that before having the barrel of one point at my head.

Yeah, I know, I know.

And I'm not going to let that happen again.

The next time someone comes after me, I want to be able to shoot first.

I think the spelling's okay now. Thanks.

Listen, I feel like I owe you an apology.

What for?

Well, I've been so busy the past couple days, we haven't had a chance to sit

down and chat.

It's okay.

Can I make it up to you?

Maybe take you out for a drink?

I'd like to. Sam's taking me to Chinatown tonight.

What's with this Sam? Are you two serious?

Pretty serious.

You married?

No. Engaged?

No. So, in other words, I still have a shot.

No. Hi. Hi, Sam.

Sam, this is Aunty Becca, my boss.

How do you do? Hi.

We should get going, Mary. Okay.

I'll see you tomorrow, Aunty.

Bye. Bye.

Hi.

Hi. How'd it go?

Between you and me, how do you stand him? He's such a slime doggy.

Arnie.

How's she doing?

Too unpredictable.

Can't rely on somebody like that.

How's your trial?

They convicted him.

Almost everyone in the jury voted at first to acquit him, even though he was

guilty of sin.

Then I changed their minds.

What? Did you threaten to quit the jury?

Very funny.

Wait, wait, wait. What are you doing?

Cleaning out my desk.

It's what you want, isn't it?

You're really going to bust me on this thing, aren't you?

No. Your choice, Arnie.

Oh, great, dumb choice. Would I rather cut off my arm or my leg?

Stop making it so personal.

It's only money.

You know, that's right.

It's only money.

We're not getting anything.

Okay, all right, all right.

All right what?

All right.

We win.

Really? Yeah.

Cost of living from the firm.

The rest can be out of my mind.

You sure it won't be too much of a hardship?

Roxanne.

Happy?

Mm -hmm.

Mm -hmm.

I probably shouldn't say this.

It just might go to your head.

It's been a long time since I felt this good about anybody.

When I saw the way you were in court, you were so gentle, so compassionate.

You know, I'd almost given up entirely on men.

Oh, come on, Jocelyn.

It is very hard for me to imagine you being on the shelf.

I scare away a lot of men.

I think I intimidate them.

A lot of guys don't have the ego strength to deal with a successful

woman. Is that true?

Mm -hmm.

A lot of guys are also jerks.

Mm -hmm.

Sometimes I think it's my fault, though.

I'm a... I'm a very passionate woman, Victor.

Sometimes I think too passionate.

When I give, I like to give. give all of myself.

Does that frighten you?

I don't scare easy.

You're an amazing man, Victor.

I don't know about that.

I want to do something very special for you tonight.

That's it.

Almost done.

Almost done.

You can just move your child's head.

Perfect.

Listen, I just love your mouth.

No ulcer, diarrhea.

Just... Beautiful gums and strong

white teeth.

How does that feel?

You should floss more. Your gums are bleeding. Spit.

Well, what are you doing? I think I missed a piece of gristle.

Open. Oh, no. No, no, no. Jacqueline, really, it's okay. It's okay. Oh,

Victor, you have such a beautiful mouth, and I want to take care of it for you.

Ta -da!

Exhibit A.

Great. Thanks.

Wow.

Where were we?

Damn, will you look at what time it is. 9 .30.

I didn't realize it was so late, Jocelyn.

I gotta go.

Don't you want to stay?

I wish I could, really, but I got this big case in my mind.

Victor, did I say something wrong?

No, no, no, no.

It's just great.

Believe me.

Well, I mean, I don't understand.

Why are you leaving?

I mean, I know you don't have to go home to work.

Why would I make up a thing like that?

Listen, I'll call you, all right?

You're not gonna call me, are you? Jocelyn, come on, let's not spoil a

evening. You let me give and give and give, and now you're through with me.

Oh, Victor, you're not capable of having real intimacy with a woman who's your

equal.

Jocelyn, I gotta go.

Get out.

Hey, thanks for the dinner, huh? It was great.

with thee, all right?

Yeah. Oh, just in time.

How are you this evening?

I need to buy a gun.

Sport or personal protection?

Protection. Have you had any experience with firearms?

I've never used one.

Uh -huh. In that case, I would recommend a shotgun.

Trouble with a handgun. Unless you're five feet from the target, chances are

you're not going to hit anything.

You're in bed, you hear a prowler, you come in the living room with this mama.

If the sound alone doesn't scare him off, your only problem's gonna be

the mess off the walls.

I need a gun I can carry.

I'm afraid that's against the law.

I'm with the district attorney's office, and I do have a carry permit.

In that case, you're gonna want a revolver, huh?

Now, these are your revolvers right here.

This is, uh...

This is what a lot of the ladies are buying.

Smith & Wesson .38 caliber special.

Five shot, two -inch barrel.

Easy to operate. Just close it, pull back the hammer, wham.

Anything lighter, you're down to a .22.

Now, obviously, it's going to depend on the circumstances, but a guy on drugs,

you hit him with a .22, he might not even know he's been shot.

A .38, you can be sure you can knock him off his feet.

You just walk over and stick it in his ear.

Pow.

And if you wrap your fingers around this baby, you're a stone killer.

Sexy, isn't it?

Yes.

It is.