All language subtitles for Law.and.Order.S25E17.1080p.10bit.WEBRip.6CH.x265.HEVC-PSA

In the criminal justice
system,

the people are represented

by two separate,
yet equally important groups:

the police,
who investigate crime,

and the district attorneys,
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

Must have had
a thousand coffees

while we were waiting
to testify.

Maybe we can actually
levitate after this one.

My mom used to drag me to
this stuff when I was a kid.

Oh, yeah?

Ash Wednesday?
- Mm-hmm.

I'm a proud lapsed Catholic
at this point.

All I really remember
is grumpy nuns

and old men wearing
pointy little elf shoes.

And they all smelled like soup.

I'm pretty sure that ash
symbolizes God's mercy,

the promise of a new life.

Is that all?

Look, I get it.
It's not for me.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hey.

What's going on?
What's going on?

Somebody's shooting!

2-7 Squad,
we've got reports of a 10-10

in the Atlas Museum of Art.

Plainclothes detectives
responding.

NYPD.
Where's the shooter?

- Up at the crown display.
- Where?

Where?
- The crown!

The crown!
Upstairs, second floor!

Second floor, second floor.

Oh, my God.

Hey.

Central, 2-7.
10-10 confirmed, second floor.

Hey, hey, hey, come here.

I got you.

Let me see.

Central, 2-7.
We have two GSWs.

This man needs help.

Get us an ambulance,
all available units.

Listen to me.
Help is on the way.

Can you tell me who
did this to you?

Yes, two--two guys.

They took the crown.

Okay, we got two casings,
9 millimeters.

They went that way.

Okay.

All right, that's great.
Hey, hey, hey.

No, no, no, no, no.
Listen to me.

Stay with me. Stay with me.

Hey! We're NYPD!

Come here!
- Oh, my God.

Hey, Cecil.
- Listen to me.

EMS is on its way.
It's gonna be here any second.

I need you to keep him up,
keep him alert,

and keep pressure
on that wound.

You got it?
Okay. Come on, let's go.

Hold on, Cecil.

Hey, we're NYPD.
Did you see anything?

Two guys with guns,
they went that way.

All right. Go to the left.

Get downstairs!

NYPD! Don't move!

10-13, shots fired
at the police.

Go, go, go!

Go!

Hey! Police! Stop!

Cover me.

Hey! NYPD!

Stop!

Back entrance. Back entrance.

Get out of here!

- Go left!
- 2-7 Squad to Central.

I'm on foot pursuit
with the other perp,

headed to the back parking lot!

Central, 2-7.
I'm pursuing on foot!

Perp is on a bike!

He's heading eastbound,
exiting the parking lot.

Damn it.

NYPD! Stop!

Hold it!

Stop right there!

Drop your weapon right now!

Drop your weapon
and get on the ground.

Drop your weapon now!

- Drop that weapon!
- Put it down!

Drop it!

Everybody, take a breath!

Hey!

Come on, man,
it's not worth it.

Don't do this.

Suspect down.

2-7 Squad to Central,
get us a bus now.

Multiple gunshots,
but the police are not injured.

How's the wounded
security guard?

Didn't make it.

What happened here?

Guy drew down
a patrol officer.

It was a good shoot.

...40-cal Smith & Wesson,

but the cases up in the
Crown Room were 9-millimeter.

So that's not
the murder weapon.

That's kind of a funky tattoo.

Let's see if it's
in the database.

Anything on the body?

No cell and no wallet.

But he was wearing an
official-looking art museum ID,

and he had
a legit security guard uniform.

You think these guys
really worked here,

or was it an inside job?

We'll see.

We got units looking
for your guy--

BOLO, grid search,
choke points, all of it.

So far, nothing.

The victim's name is
Cecil Carbo.

Apparently he's a bit of
an institution around here.

Been here forever.
Everybody loved him.

Eyewitnesses who fled the scene
said that the thieves

gained access to this room
by clearing it out,

saying that there was some sort
of event that was gonna happen

in this part of the museum.

So basically,
the thieves didn't have

to lift a finger
to clear this place out

until Mr. Carbo stepped in
and stopped them?

Looks that way.

At least there's a lot
of cameras here, though.

Should be helpful.
- And what is this?

What was this?

Crown of Popayán?

I don't know.

16th century or something?
- Oh, my God!

Cecil! Cecil!
- Ma'am. Ma'am!

How'd they get in here?

He's my husband!

That's how they got in here.

He's my husband!

Cardinal Keane.

This is Mr. Carbo's wife,
Valentina,

and their daughter, Luna.

I'm Lieutenant Brady.

This is Detective Riley.

Very sorry for your loss.

I saw them downstairs,
and I thought they should have

an opportunity to say goodbye.

Respectfully, this is
an active crime scene.

Mr. Carbo was a man
of deep faith,

a son of the church.

He requested
to guard the crown.

He said it was a privilege.

It is Ash Wednesday,
and I'd like to administer

the prayer for the deceased.

Your Eminence,
this is a crime scene--

my crime scene.

Which means we need to
preserve it exactly as it is.

That's the only way we're
gonna catch these guys.

This man just died
in service of the church.

And to deny him the prayer
for the deceased

would be a crime unto itself.

Well, I'm afraid that's
beyond our jurisdiction.

It seems this room is
sacred ground to all of us,

just for different reasons.

I'm not asking you
to do this for me.

Do it for them.

Don't touch anything.

You have loved
the church here on Earth.

Now, rejoice
in her glory in heaven.

Into your hands,
merciful Father,

we commend your servant.

Acknowledge him
as one of your own.

May the angels lead you
to paradise.

In the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

So we found this
on one of the thieves.

Is that real?

Did he work here?

I don't recognize the face.

And there's no employee here
named James Sullivan.

But yes, that's a real ID.

It was swiped to enter the
facility at 10:43 this morning.

Six minutes
before the shooting.

Okay, obviously we gotta
go through

all of your CCTV footage.

There isn't any.

How is that possible?

Our system was
rebooting during the robbery.

The feeds went offline
for 12 minutes.

Well, that's convenient.

We'll look into it
right away, obviously.

Okay.

what can you tell us
about the crown?

Why would someone
wanna steal that

and not take anything else?

Well, that's nearly 5 pounds
of the purest gold I know,

450 emeralds.

This one, the Illapu, is worth
$15 million, give or take.

Yowza.

That's not the only reason.

Indigenous Colombians believe

that the crown belongs to them,
not the Catholic Church.

So they think the Catholics
stole the crown from them.

Yeah.

In the 16th century,

2 million people in
South America died of smallpox.

But the little village
of Popayán was spared.

So the Colombians
think there was some sort

of divine intervention?

Precisely.

They've been trying to
reclaim it for years in court,

but the lawsuits
never went anywhere.

And how did it end up here?

We got the crown
a couple of months ago

on loan from the Vatican.

It's been a wildly
popular exhibit for us.

There was this Colombian,
this rabble rouser

named Amaru Yupanqui.

He filed a new lawsuit
against the museum.

When that was dismissed,

he went so far
as to threaten me.

When?

Last week.

He sent me an email saying
that if I didn't cooperate,

he would take the crown
by any means necessary.

I was blowing off steam.

Some people go for a run.

You write death threats?

I believe that
Indigenous Colombians are

the rightful owners
of the Crown of Popayán.

I am passionate about that,

and I will never stop
fighting for it,

but I didn't kill anyone.

Well, that doesn't mean
this whole thing wasn't

your idea in the first place.

I mean, maybe you hired those
two guys to steal the crown.

Please.

Where were you this
morning around 10:30?

- At mass.
- What church?

St. Augustine's
on Benton Avenue.

What were you praying for?

Their success?

Remember that you are dust,

and to dust you shall return.

I was praying that
I might live wisely

with whatever time I have,

which would not include hiring
two imbeciles to steal

something from a museum.

Let me ask you something.

You've been pissed
at the church for years,

but you still go to mass?

You're still a believer?

You're confusing
the church with faith,

which is exactly
what the church wants.

That's how we got
into this mess.

How's that?

Indigenous artisans spent
six years making the crown.

For 400 years, we worshipped it
as an emblem of faith itself.

And then the church,
as you call it,

suddenly decided that
poor Colombians are not

sophisticated enough
to be guardians of the crown.

They snatched it, took it away.

People like me,
people of faith,

I am seeking a union with God--

truth, moral order.

The church is only
interested in market share,

protecting their brand.

We don't get many people
in here as cynical as me.

Can I go home now?

Yes.

We're gonna confirm
you were at mass this morning.

Please do.

Uh, you guys remember
Lieutenant Brady?

Your Eminence?

The Archbishop was looking
for an update on the case.

Mrs. Carbo's husband gave
his life protecting the crown,

which means he gave his life
protecting the church itself.

Nothing's more important
to our community

than getting justice
for him, for his family--

nothing.

We understand.

I appreciate your concern,
but I assure you,

we're using all of
our resources on this.

But so far, the only
suspect they have is me.

You know who I am?

Should I?

I'm glad the crown is gone.

And I hope you never
get it back.

I couldn't care less
about the crown.

Right.

You know, a good man
was just murdered.

I'm very sorry
for your loss, ma'am.

Hey, Amaru Yupanqui was
at St. Augustine's Church

at the time of the shooting,
just like he said.

Yeah.
He didn't feel right for it,

but the guy was
definitely intense.

Yeah, we'll keep
an eye on him.

Where are we
with everything else?

I ran our dead thief's tattoo
through the gang database.

No hits.

So I did
a reverse image search.

Turns out it's a military thing
used by this unit.

SORD?

Special Operations
Reconnaissance Detachment.

Yeah, elite troops--
behind enemy lines,

high-value targets,
that kind of thing.

Pentagon keeps a DNA database
of personnel to use

in case they got to
identify remains.

We sent them a sample
from our deceased thief,

and we got a hit.

Frank Henry Stephens.
Three tours in Afghanistan.

Did you get an address?

Astoria.

Landlord said that
Frank Stephens lived

there with his girlfriend.

Well, great. Go.

- Yeah.
- Okay.

This can't be happening.

I know this is a lot
to process right now,

Ms. Campbell, but you need
to tell us everything you know,

and you need to tell us
right now!

There's nothing to tell!

Frank would never
do something like this.

He's not a thief.

He's sure as hell
ain't a murderer.

- Going somewhere?
- It's Frank's.

He had a business trip.

What business
is that exactly?

Well, I'm not sure.

- You're not sure?
- No.

She's not sure what her
boyfriend did for a living.

That's cute.

Because we happen to know
that your boyfriend reported

no income and filed
no taxes since he was

dishonorably discharged
back in 2021.

Look, you're not
gonna wanna hear this,

but Frank was never coming
back after that trip

because he chose the crown,
money over you.

He's dead.

So there's no need for you
to cover for him anymore.

I'm not covering for him.

I don't know anything, I swear.

Look. Look at this.

That's who Frank did this with.

Who is that?

I don't know.

Was Frank having
any money trouble?

Anybody threaten him lately?
- No.

Anyone unusual come
to the apartment recently?

No.

I mean, Frank's buddy
came by last night,

but that's not weird.
He's over here all the time.

Tell me about this buddy.

He's just some guy.

He lives here in Astoria.

He--

He what, Amy?

I think he works
at the museum.

What is going on?

Why'd you bring me down here?

- Really, Joe? Come on.
- Yes, really.

I--I didn't do anything wrong.
- Oh.

Well, then you should
just sit back and relax,

and I'll just lay out
all the ways you're screwed.

This is the museum
security system log.

A security guard named
Danny Gardner logged

into the system at 10:24 a.m.
to order a reboot of the CCTV.

This is what allowed
the thieves

12 minutes to get in and out.

So you should
go talk to Danny.

We did.

Turns out Danny
called in sick this morning.

He wasn't at the museum.

You were.

And Danny told us
that a few days ago,

you asked him
for his login credentials

because yours weren't working.

Danny didn't order the reboot.

You did.

Oh, wait, there is more.

You reported your ID missing
twice in the past three weeks.

And the funny thing is,
the IDs that the thieves used

to gain access to the museum
just so happened

to be your lost ones,

with an assist
from Photoshop, of course.

I wasn't the one
who stole that thing,

and I didn't hurt anybody.

Unfortunately for you,
that doesn't matter,

because unless you talk,
chances are

you're the only sucker going
down for this whole thing.

And that means we are
gonna come at you

with everything we got.

You will never eat
Mommy's meatloaf again.

She's dead.

She was a lousy cook.

So was mine.

Okay.

Okay, but I want a deal.

I'm not saying a damn thing
until that's done.

Queen for a Day?

What the hell does that even--

Yeah, it's a funny name.

It's actually named
after an old game show.

It means you tell us
what you know,

we can't use that
information against you.

This is what you wanted, Joe.

You don't do this, you're
looking at felony murder.

You want reduced charges?

This is what that looks like.

You tell the truth today.

You testify at trial.

Yeah, okay.

Good.

Our primary concern
right now is identifying

and capturing the thief
that's still at large.

What is his name?

He goes by Flaco.

- No, what is his real name?
- I don't know.

That's what everybody
calls him.

I only met him once,
a few weeks ago.

Where?

Some bar in Queens.

I don't know.

Frank--Frank drove.

Frank would know.

Frank is dead, Joe.

Yeah, he's dead because
you people shot him, lady!

Lady. Do they call you Lady?

That guy was like
a brother to me!

Joe.

Flaco.

I don't know.

He's a Spanish dude.

From Spain or, like, Latin?

Puerto Rican? Dominican?

Yeah, that.

What else you know about him?

He's about my age, my height.

But Joe, if they find
this man, arrest him,

if you saw him in court,
you'd recognize him.

You could point him out
to the jury

and say, yeah, that's the guy.

Yeah, sure.

Sure.
So your friend,

Frank Stephens,
how did he know this Flaco guy?

How did they meet?

They served together
in Afghanistan.

And the robbery?

How'd they plan it
and coordinate it?

Used WhatsApp?

Signal maybe,
so the messages were encrypted?

They used pagers.

Pagers?

Like it's 1995
and Coolio's on the radio?

Where do you even get
a pager anymore?

Yeah. Here it is.

We issued two pagers
to Frank Stephens

a couple months back.

What's the second name
on the account?

There isn't one.

Why not?

Pagers, they ain't
like cell phones.

If this guy, Frank Stephens,
comes in here

and wants to rent two pagers,
we give him two pagers.

Once he walks out the door,
he can give them

to whoever the hell he wants.

The system does keep track

of the last 20 messages sent
by each pager.

So I know it's not a lot.

Well, that should be plenty.
Thank you.

Yeah.

Morse code?
Is that still a thing?

Yeah, special ops forces
are still trained in it.

- And you know it?
- Nope.

But there's an app for it.

Hey, check this out.

Flight 289.

What airline?

Looks like Pathways Airlines
has a Flight 289.

Flies JFK to Miami
every day at 3:00 p.m.

And the message says,
"We're leaving tomorrow,"

but that's actually today.

Okay, I'll pull up
the flight manifest,

cross-check it with the list
of soldiers who served

with Stephens in Afghanistan.

If we get a hit,
that's our killer.

Plane leaves in an hour.

Get going.

This is the final call
for Flight 289

with service to Miami.

All remaining passengers
proceed

immediately to Gate C22.

Where the hell is this guy?

Oh, the overhead bin is full.

We'll need
to gate-check your bag.

That's weird.

Last name?

Salazar.

Luis Salazar.

Flight's full, Flaco.

So where is it?

Where's the crown, huh?

No idea what you're
talking about, man.

Vince!

Pager.

Turn around.

Luis Salazar,
you're under arrest

for the murder of Cecil Carbo.

We have a suspect in custody
named Luis Salazar.

He's a former special ops guy.

We caught him as he was
attempting to flee.

As we speak,
he's being arraigned

for the murder of Cecil Carbo.

I expect he'll be remanded.

Very good.

And what about the crown?

It wasn't in
Mr. Salazar's possession

when we took him into custody.

So you have
no idea where it is?

Not yet.

Mr. Salazar isn't
cooperating with us.

But we did find
evidence in his apartment

that links him to the crime.

We've been retracing
his steps to see

if we can figure out where
he might have hidden it,

but so far, no luck.

I have to tell you,
the Catholic community has

been galvanized by this theft

like nothing I can remember.

It's essential that
the crown be found.

So what are you doing
to ensure its recovery?

Respectfully, we're trying
to bring a killer to justice.

So finding the relic is
not our focus.

It should be.

You were the one that told me
the most important thing was

getting justice
for Cecil Carbo.

And you think these things
are mutually exclusive?

That crown was created
by ordinary people

who then surrendered
their treasure,

their literal treasure,

gold and stones that
they pulled

from the ground
beneath their feet.

So its creation,
its beautiful story,

it mirrors the gospel itself.

I get it.

And we're gonna do
everything we can to find it.

You have my word.

I don't want your word, Nick.

I want your guarantee.

Like I said,
we'll do everything we can.

Hey.

Luis Salazar has been remanded.

Good.

How's our case?

Solid.

We don't have
the murder weapon.

But forensics has confirmed
that the circular glass cutter

we found
in Salazar's apartment is

the same blade used
to slice open

the display case in the museum.

And Salazar didn't just
have a plane ticket to Miami.

He was connecting
in Miami to Yemen,

which doesn't have
an extradition treaty

with the United States.

But the core of the case
is based on the testimony

of the security guard,
Joe Whitaker...

And the Morse code chatter
between Salazar

and his other accomplice,
Frank Stephens.

Uh, about that.

The defense is challenging the
admissibility of the pager.

Your Honor,
the detectives performed

an illegal search of
my client's suitcase at JFK.

There were clearly
exigent circumstances.

The defendant was preparing

to abscond to Yemen,
carrying evidence

that was vital
to a murder investigation.

It doesn't matter.

Mr. Salazar's suitcase
was gate-checked prior

to the detectives' arrival,
which is a legal transfer

of custody to the airline.

Once that happens--

Then you're saying,
the suitcase was

no longer in the immediate
control of Mr. Salazar,

and therefore no longer subject
to a warrantless search.

Correct.

Your Honor, the
inevitable discovery doctrine

speaks directly to this point.

Federal authorities were
required by statute

to inspect that bag once
our arrest triggered an alert.

So the evidence--the pager--
would have been discovered

inevitably, within minutes.

Perhaps.

But the inevitability doctrine
does not grant you the ability

to retroactively justify
an improper search

by conjuring up lawful versions

of the events
that never happened.

Once that suitcase was
checked at the gate,

it entered
the exclusive custody

of a federally regulated
airline.

The bag's contents are out,
which means the pager is out.

Prior to February 18th,

the day
of Cecil Carbo's murder,

did a man named
Frank Stephens ask you

to help him rob the museum?

Yes.

Frank and I were old friends.

We grew up together.

I had mentioned
a few weeks before that

that the crown was on display

at the museum where I worked.

Then, out of the blue,
Frank asked

how easy it would be to steal.

I thought he was kidding,

you know,
joking around at first.

But he told his buddy, Flaco,

because they--
- Sorry.

By Flaco, you are referring to?

Luis Salazar.

He goes by Flaco.

And you met Luis Salazar?

Yes, two weeks
before the heist,

Frank and Salazar asked
me to help them,

said they would cut me in.

Do you see Luis Salazar
in this courtroom?

Right there.

He's sitting right there.

Your Honor,
let the record reflect

that the witness has identified
the defendant, Luis Salazar.

The record shall so reflect.

What help did you provide
in the robbery?

I rebooted the museum CCTV
to turn the cameras off,

smuggled out extra security
guard outfits and ID badges

that I reported as lost
so Frank and Salazar could

have access to the building.

And on the morning
of the murder,

did you see the defendant?

Yes.
After I rebooted the cameras,

I went upstairs to make sure

Frank and Salazar got
inside okay.

They were there,
so I went back downstairs.

Thank you. Nothing further.

Mr. Whitaker,
you testified earlier that

the police threatened to--

to charge you
with felony murder

if you didn't testify today.

Yes, I cut a deal
for reduced charges.

So you're a criminal,
a criminal who swore

to defend
the Atlas Museum of Art

and robbed it instead.

And now, to avoid
responsibility,

you've agreed to lie in court.

- Objection.
- Sustained.

Watch it, Mr. Wood.

How tall are you,
Mr. Whitaker?

I'm about 5'7".

Did you tell the police
that the defendant

was about your height?

Yeah, I--I--

I think so.
- I'm confused.

Mr. Salazar is 6'1".

Okay.

You didn't actually
witness the shooting

of Cecil Carbo, did you?

- No.
- And when you allegedly saw

Mr. Salazar inside the museum
on the day

of Mr. Carbo's death,
you're sure it was him?

Uh, yeah.

Because the prosecutors
seem to think

that the men who did this were
wearing masks.

He was.

Then how did
you recognize him?

I don't know.
Because--

You don't know,
or this wasn't part

of the dress rehearsal
with the DA?

- Objection.
- Sustained.

Look, I went up there
and I looked him in the eyes,

and he nodded,
just like we planned.

It was him.

And I remember
everything about it, okay?

We were standing under an Exit
sign outside the room

where the crown was.

I remember there was a dude
on crutches next to us.

I remember I was
worried he was gonna

take forever to get out of
there once the heist started.

I--I--I saw the ID badge
Salazar had on,

my old badge that I
reported as lost, okay?

I remember it all!

Okay? I'm not lying.

That wasn't super fun.

Agreed.

Our star witness got
beat up pretty good.

Well, he did mention
something new, though--

a guy on crutches,

a museum patron that was
on the second floor

while the shooting
and robbery unfolded.

It's possible that if he was
having a hard time

leaving the building--
- He could be a witness?

Something.

We've taken
a few hits on this one.

It'd be great to claw
some of that back.

That's a good idea.

Cameras inside
the museum were down,

but ask the detectives
to review exterior footage.

See if they can find a man on
crutches leaving the museum.

Yeah, I fell off
a stupid ladder,

busted my calcaneus.

I never heard of it either--

heel bone.

Still can't put
any weight on it.

Such a drag.

How did you even find me?

You were the only one
who fled the art museum

that morning on crutches.

Our detectives found security
footage from across the street,

and you popped in
facial recognition.

You're not in any trouble.

To the contrary,
we need your help.

Is it true you were
there that morning?

Yeah, I went
to see the crown.

I drop by once a week or so.

That thing's a big deal.

Were you close enough
to the robbery

to see what transpired?
- No.

But I heard everything.

Walk us through it.

Well, the thieves walked
around first,

making some big announcements.

Said there was some
sort of private event.

Right, to clear out the area.

Exactly.

And I'm such
a slow-poke these days,

it was taking me forever
to get out of there.

I saw the guy that
died run in there.

And then I hear them
all start screaming

at each other,
and then bang, bang!

I was terrified.

I just got behind
the nearest thing I could find,

some sculpture,
to kind of ride it out

till the coast was clear.

What else could you hear?

The bad guys?

They were pissed.

Didn't sound like this was part
of the plan, killing anybody.

One guy goes, "Damn it."

The other guy goes,
"Leonard better deliver."

You know, to this day,
my mom yells at me

if I don't pray before I eat?

I never understood the point.

It's like talking on the phone,

and there's nobody
on the other end.

But do me a favor?

Pray that we figure out
who this Leonard is.

I think your prayers
have been answered.

Got a hit in the ATU database,

an import-export guy
in Canarsie,

Leonard Hawkins.

A lot of guys named
Leonard out there.

For sure, but this guy
is Salazar's uncle.

Mr. Hawkins,
do you own a business?

Yes, I am the president
and sole employee

of an LLC called
MTH Import-Export.

I sell items and buy items--

art, watches, jewelry,
you name it.

Sounds like a pawnshop?

I prefer import-export,
thank you.

So do my clients.

My business requires a
certain amount of discretion.

And the defendant,
Luis Salazar,

is it true that
he is your nephew?

Yeah, kind of.

Can you explain
that for the jury?

Well, he's my nephew
by marriage,

except I'm not married
to the family anymore.

For 12 years, I was married
to his mother's sister.

We don't talk much--
ever, really.

I always thought he was kind
of a screw-up, honestly.

And yet,
did Mr. Salazar have occasion

to call you just prior
to February 18th,

the day
of Cecil Carbo's murder?

Yes, he did.

That was four days before.

To say what?

He asked if I could move
an expensive piece of art.

Did he mention
what it might be?

Hell no.

I mean, if I'd had known,
I would have told him

he was insane,
which he clearly--

Objection, Your Honor.

Sustained.

All he told me was that
it wasn't a painting.

It was more like jewels,
gold and emeralds.

Did the defendant contact
you after the day of the theft?

Yes.

And what did he say?

He said that he--

that the thing that
he was going to do,

that he actually did it.

And what did you
interpret that to mean?

That he stole the thing
that he was going to steal.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

Mr. Baxter?

Mr. Wood is here to see you.

Luis Salazar's
defense lawyer to see me?

He's not alone.

He's with the Archbishop.

Okay.

Send him in.

Gentlemen.

Thank you for seeing us.

Please, have a seat.

I wasn't aware
the two of you knew each other.

Mr. Wood and I have
been in conversation

about our mutual interest.

Which is?

The Crown of Popayán.

Anything concerning
the Salazar case,

you should be talking
to Nolan Price, not me.

We felt that this should
involve the full weight

of your office--you.

We'd like to discuss a plea.

From what I understand,
the case is pretty much over.

Why would we possibly
consider a plea now?

We're prepared to have
the crown returned.

That doesn't sound like
it involves me at all.

There's a price tag.

Huh.

And I don't suppose you'd
consider doing the right thing,

just because it's
the right thing to do.

I know that's asking a lot.

Mr. Wood, could you give
us a moment alone, please?

Nick, I feel like
over the years, you and I,

we got a fair read
on each other, right?

I think so.

So then I can tell you this

without it feeling like
an attack.

It's not. It's an observation.

You're not
an overtly religious person,

devout, like your father.

I have my own beliefs,
but yeah, that's probably true.

But you are
a student of history

and someone who could
appreciate perspectives

that might not be your own.

Thank you, I think.

I'd like to think that's true.

Here's one.

I would encourage you not to
think of the Crown of Popayán

as an object.

Okay.

Tell me.

The Crown of Popayán
is proof

right here on Earth
of God's grace.

It draws us closer to God.

Millions of people
believe that.

That sounds lovely, comforting.

I mean that.

Many of them are right here
in New York, your constituents,

the people whose interest
you were elected to serve.

To refuse this offer would mean
sacrificing the spiritual good

of the faithful for
the emotional satisfaction

of punishment.

Mercy is not weakness, Nick.

Please.

We're doing what?

In exchange for reducing
charges and advocating

for a lenient sentence,
Luis Salazar will reveal

the location of the crown.

No, I understood the offer.

I don't understand why
we're even considering it.

This is nothing but an act of
desperation at the 11th hour.

We have Luis Salazar
dead to rights.

I'm confident the jury will
return a guilty verdict

tomorrow morning.

I'm not sure that's
the math on this one.

No, it's the only math
that matters.

We are holding a man
to account for murder.

And this thing?

It's just a thing.

It's immaterial, Nick.

This isn't a debate, Nolan.

Prosecutorial discretion exists
precisely for cases like this.

We're not here
to solely satisfy

a lust for maximum punishment.

We're here to protect
the public interest,

which, in this case, is more
complicated than a prison term.

It doesn't matter
that I don't believe

what you're saying, Nick.

I don't think you do, either.

Oh, right.

I keep forgetting how
you really feel about me.

Come on, Nick.

Let's at least be honest about
why this is really happening.

There are 2 1/2 million
Catholics in New York.

They vote.

That is why this is happening.

You're wrong.

If we drop this to murder two

and recommend the low-end
of the sentencing range

and bring
the crown home in one piece,

that is a win
for the many, many people

who believe in this thing.

That means it's a win
for the City of New York.

And that means
it's a win for us.

For God's sake,
there's an argument

to be made the crown doesn't
even belong to the church.

That is not our concern.

Right, right.

Not a lot of Indigenous
Colombians around here.

I'm done.

Make the deal.

Today is not
about what was lost.

Today is about what was found,

about the resilience of faith.

What happened here
caused so much pain,

confusion, even anger.

But I would argue that
we are better for it.

Gold will tarnish.

Emeralds will crumble to dust.

But what the Crown of Popayán
proclaims is eternal.

Gratitude is
stronger than greed,

and God does not
abandon his people.

And finally, I would like
to thank Nicholas Baxter,

our esteemed district attorney,
for making this happen.

Thank you, Your Eminence.

Not a mention of Cecil.

Not one word.

Mrs. Carbo, I know that--

You people promised us
that you'd do everything

to get justice for Cecil.

The man who did this
has pleaded guilty.

He's going to prison
for 15 years.

So he'll be out
before he turns 40.

Why does he get a life,
but my dad doesn't?

As prosecutors, we are
not here just to satisfy

a lust for punishment.

We also have to protect
the public interest,

which, in this case--

It got complicated.

Can you even believe

the words
coming out of your mouth?

Come on.