Original subtitles

Previously on "Mr. Mercedes"...

- I would've thought she'd be back by now.

She didn't even pack up her shit.

Not even a note.

- You really loved her.

- I just don't get it.

- My focus is whether you'll be able

to contribute meaningfully to your own defense.

- Uh, yeah.

- Ms. Linklatter, you have been found competent.

It is therefore your legal right

to have your day in court.

- "With public sentimenton one's side,

nothing can fail."

- Brady say that, did he?

- The public is gonna set me free.

- I got a high school buddy, Andy Halliday,

runs an old bookstore.

Well, some kid came into the bookstore

asking about Rothstein-- that kid!

- That's the Saubers family.

- Pete, we got another envelope this morning.

$9,000. Where'd you get the money?

- It's not coming from me.

- May I ask a question?

Are we on a date?

- Would you like it to be?

- Everybody I touch suffers.

- You're really worried about her, Lou.

- She's fucked. My doing.

- Not everything is your doing.

- But this one is.

- I wanna call Holly as a witness.

She could be a de facto surrogate.

"If you like Holly, wait till you see Lou."

[dramatic music]

[crickets chirping]

[record hisses]

- ♪ What is this that I can't see ♪

♪ With icy hands taking hold on me ♪

[Dock Boggs' "Oh Death" playing]

♪ I am death and none can excel ♪

♪ I'll open the doors to heaven or hell ♪

♪

♪ Oh, death

♪ Oh, death

♪ Can't you spare me over till another year? ♪

♪ Oh, death - Give it up, Billy boy.

- ♪ Oh, death

- Throw in the towel.

Okay?

You don't have what it takes.

You never did.

- ♪ Someone would pray, couldn't you call ♪

- You're not here.

- No. I'm dead.

But clearly, not gone.

And that's your fear, isn't it?

Once you're dead, gone, gone, gone, gone.

But the fear that's under that one--

let's call it, uh, totem pole fear--

is that you were never there in the first place.

You got no legacy.

You think finding my killer is gonna give you one?

Well, let me tell you something, bud.

Legacy is shit.

And shit don't mean shit.

[Bob Dylan's "Series of Dreams"]

♪

- ♪ I was thinking

♪ Of a series of dreams

♪

♪ Where nothing

♪ Comes up to the top

♪

♪ Everything

♪ Stays down where it's wounded ♪

♪

♪ And comes

♪ To a permanent stop

♪

♪ Wasn't thinking

♪ Of anything specific

♪

♪ Just thinking

♪ Of a series of dreams

♪

♪ Just thinking

♪ Of a series of dreams

♪

[low chatter] - Thank you.

- So, like, Scrooge and shit?

- What?

- Like, Charles Dickens,

the ghost of Scrooge, Christmas past, and shit?

- Along the lines.

- Fuck.

- Banging on aboutlegacy and all this.

Maybe he's right.

- You ever think about getting

psychological help or something?

- My insurancedoesn't cover it,

so I gotta slum itand talk to you.

- [chuckles]

- Are we anywhere at all?

[utensil clanks]

- We're waiting on the DNA on the hospital guy.

I sent you the composite sketch.

We're gonna release it to the public tonight.

- So you're basicallystill nowhere.

- It's a process.

You got your process and we got ours,

except ours doesn't involve ghosts.

- I take you into confidenceand you mock me.

- I'm not mocking you. - Yes, you are.

- I'm not mocking you. Look.

I'm just--I'm just saying that if we're gonna solve this,

we're gonna have to do it right here on Earth.

[door bell dings]

[line ringing]

- Hi, this is Danielle.

Leave a message after the beep.

[beep]

- Can you at least let me know you're okay?

Regardless of whether you forgive me

or wanna get back, or...

Fuck, Danielle. This is not fair.

Just let me know.

[grunts]

[sighs]

[door shuts]

What are you doing, Mom? - Hey.

You've been going on about these for over a year.

I had to see what all the fuss was about--

- You went into my room?

- What do you mean, did I go into your room?

Who do you think changes your sheets and does your laundry?

- These are my books.

- Hey.

I thought you'd be pleased.

I spent my day trying to understand my self-centered

and pretentiously intellectual son with a C average at school.

God, honey, these books are not that good.

The only one that shows any promise is this last one,

but he doesn't even-- - The last one?

Where he goes into advertising?

Where Rothstein sold him out?

- A writer is more of a secretary than God,

so Rothstein didn't do anything to Jimmy Gold.

What Rothstein saw and allowed Jimmy to show us

is that most of us just become everyman.

Ordinary--we just morph into the guy next door.

- No. - Yeah, honey.

Jimmy Gold evolved into bland nothingness.

[gasps, chokes]

[ominous music] I just snapped.

One second, she was talking shit about Jimmy Gold.

- [choking]

The next, I had her by the throat.

- What stopped you?

- [screams, panting]

- I don't know.

I just let go of her.

- Anything more from your friend, the book dealer?

Has the kid come back?

- Not to my knowledge.

He said he'd call me if he returned.

- Well, we can't just wait.

Maybe the kid did come back, with the books,

which your high school buddy bookstore friend now has

and is maybe trying to sell.

- That didn't happen.

- Why, 'cause your buddy didn't call you

to give you the big heads-up?

We're talking about millions of dollars here.

You need to go see your friend.

Meanwhile, I'm gonna pay a visit

to Peter Saubers' mother.

- What's the pretext?

- My cat.

- You don't have a cat. You hate cats.

- She doesn't.

- I agree. Lou is shaky.

- This is a total crapshoot.

- One we have to take.

- She's talking about Brady, you know.

Not listening to him. Him is Brady.

- I know that.I'm not stupid.

- Then there's Holly, like,

and the wheels on her bike

aren't exactly fastened tight.

- I'll handle Holly.

[bell dings]

- And how do we go about managing that?

- I'm sorry?

- I know what's going on--

or what's on the precipice of going on with you two.

She's a fragile person.

- Meaning what?

- Meaning you need to tread careful.

She's precious cargo.

- Right now, we should just be focusing on the case.

- Yeah, well, Holly's the star witness.

I am talking about the case still, technically.

- Were you just talking about me?

I have kind of a sixth sense

for when people are talking about me.

- Well, maybe you need to focus on the other senses,

some of which could use some tweaking.

- He projects his anxietywhen he's nervous.

- Hey.

Uh, so I've got something

on the father, Carl Fenten.

Evidently, the mother is dead,but apparently,

he has a auto repair shophere in Bridgton.

That's the address. - Goody.

- Yeah.

How's Lou? She ready?

[bell dings] - Mm.

- That's a great job. Well done.

- Thank you. - Let's go.

- Good luck.

- Thanks.

- Not a peep? - Not yet.

- Hmm.

Wow, and he's nevercalled you again?

- Why you so interested in this kid, Morris?

- I'm not interested in the kid.

I'm interested in Rothstein.

Now that he's dead, his stuff is worth

who knows how much.

- I never knew you to be a collector.

I mean, I know how much you love

Jimmy Gold and all that,

but to take it to the level of collector

takes money, Morris.

You come into some money?

- If I had money, I'd be going to legitimate bookstores.

Instead, I've come to you.

- I'm offended by that.

- Give me a break, Andrew.

You buy and sell stolen books.

Everybody knows it.

Are you telling me that the police

haven't come calling, asking you

whether anybody's tried to unload a Rothstein?

- Yeah, the police came once.

You've now come twice and called twice.

You seem especially interested.

- My one chance in life

to get my hands on an original--

why wouldn't I be?

- Kay.

- If the kid comes back... - Yeah.

- Or anybody else, for that matter--

- I'll call.

[bell dings]

So, Morris.

What're you-- what're you up to these days?

What're you into?

- Excuse me?

- Well, we're old buddies.

We should catch up more.

Word is that you and Alma Lane

have been spending some quality time.

[laughs softly]

Are you fucking that old battleaxe again?

- If I were, it'd be none of your fucking business.

- Sure would be a curious thing, though.

Rothstein fucked her. You fucked her.

Forgive me.

I'm just a sucker for coincidence.

Good.

- [sighs]

- Be seated.

- You okay?

- Fine.

- You seem a bit fidgety.

- I'm fine. I'm a fidgety person.

- It's not gonna be today,you know.

Like, the prosecutionhas to make its case first.

So you got time. - Okay.

I'm fine. I'm a fidgety person.

I'm allowed to be a fidgety person.

- Good morning, everyone.

all: Good morning.

- Good morning, Ms. Pace.

Mr. Finkelstein. Ms. Linklatter.

- Morning.

- And I-I just want to remind you all again

that this might look and walk

and quack like a circus,

but it's a courtroom.

It's my courtroom.

Wheels of justice...

- Get on with it,for fuck's sake.

- The whole ten yards. - Fucking blowhard.

- Ms. Pace? You have the honor.

- Thank you, Your Honor.

The People call William Hodges.

[courtroom murmuring]

- Excuse me.

Mr. Hodges is noton their witness list.

- He's on yours. - What's going on?

- I'm calling my first witness.

- Objection.

- [sighs] All right, approach the bench.

This is not a nice fucking start.

Are you kidding me?

- He's on the list.

There's no unfairsurprise here.

- This is bullshit. - Bullshit is in play here.

He plans to backdoorjury nullification,

and we all know it.

- You need to rethink this, young lady.

- It's all rethought.

Detective Hodgeswas in the room.

He was there.He's a material eyewitness.

And now he's here.

- I want time to prep him. - You mean coach him?

- Fuck you. - Fuck you.

- Fuck both of you.

This is not a goddamn good start.

You got five minutes.

- Your Honor-- - That's it.

He can take a breath.

He can have a moment.

He can take a dump.

But he's in that chair in five minutes.

You got that?

- You wanted to see me?

- Oh, Peter. Yes, come in.

Is there something wrong?

- Not at all.

This is one of the very beststudent papers

I've read in quite a long time.

- [laughs softly] Really?

- Because it was so... confident.

- Thank you.

- Hang on a sec.Would you sit?

Did you write it?

- Of course I did.

- It's just that... [sighs]

You have never written anything like this.

- Well, to be honest,

I've never really loved the books in your class

till this one.

- Well, I'm not sureI agree with your conclusions.

You say that Jimmyis a noble American hero,

but is that really supported

by the concluding bookin the trilogy?

- Jimmy's still a rebel in the end.

- Why?

Because he throws an ashtraythrough a TV screen?

- That's a symbol.

- Tell me.

- The CBS logo is an eye,

and Jimmy's act is a ritual blinding of his inner eye,

the one that sees the truth.

- [laughing]Well...

you really are a Rothstein man.

I'm impressed.

But in your paper, you--

you don't talk abouthow he died.

- No. - Well, I have to wonder why.

I mean, this just happened.

- It wouldn't have fit the theme,

and just to die like that...

- At least Rothstein's major work

was done.

Unless you're one of those people

who believe he was still writing,

and that he left this trove of treasures.

- Well, I'd really love to read those if that's true.

[bell ringing] - Mm-hmm.

- I gotta go to class, um... [clears throat]

- You swear to tell the truth,the whole truth,

and nothing but the truth,so help you God?

- I do. - Be seated.

- Mr. Hodges.

- Ms. Pace.

- You're a retired detective

with the Bridgton Police Department?

- I am.

- You were the lead detective

tasked with investigating the jobs fair massacre,

perpetrated by Brady Hartsfield.

- I was.

- You retired from the force,

having made no arrest on the case,

but you had occasion

to pursue the matter as a private detective.

- I did.

- Would it be fair to say that you were consumed

with bringing Mr. Hartsfield down?

- It would.

- Fair to say you wantedBrady Hartsfield dead?

- I wanted justice, which he got.

- When a criminal defendant is executed

before he's brought to trial,

that coincideswith your notion of justice?

- There were extenuating circumstances here.

- Which were?

- Brady Hartsfield nearly killed her.

The man was evil incarnate.

- So if a criminal suspect is evil enough,

you support a pre-trial execution?

- I'm sorry.

Has this witness been calledto give testimony or opinion?

- Mr. Hodges has a bias in favor of the defendant.

He's in fact a defense witness.

I'm therefore allowed to treat him as hostile

and establish that bias.

- Well, just get on with it then, please.

- Brady Hartsfield,

in addition to killing so many,

killed someoneyou had personal feelings for.

Janey Patterson.

- Is there a point?

- My point is that of allthe people in this room

wanting Mr. Mercedes to get his just reward,

no one would take a backseat to you.

- Get on with it, Counsel.

[distant coughing]

- You were there, weren't you, Mr. Hodges?

When Brady Hartsfield was assassinated?

You were sitting right in the room.

- I was.

- Can you tell us what you observed?

- I saw Lou, after giving testimony,

leave the witness box.

She approached Mr. Hartsfield, whispered something in his ear,

and produced a weapon, and she shot him.

- In the head.

- Well, she aimed for his nuts, but she missed.

[laughter, chatter]

- Is this a joke to you?

- The joke is that Lou Linklatter is facing trial

for performing two seconds of community service.

That's the joke.

- After giving testimony,

did you observe the defendant rush up to the victim,

or did she walk calmly?

- The latter.

- She seemed in control of her mental faculties

from your vantage point?

- She did.

- And given your own hatred, your rage

towards Mr. Hartsfield, I'm guessing you'd understand

the defendant's fury toward her victim.

- You covered that.

- In fact, who among us,

given the carnage caused by Brady Hartsfield,

wouldn't want to blow that monster's head off?

- Trilogy now.

You've made that point three times.

- If you had the chance, would you have killed him?

Did you not hear my question, Detective?

- No, I heard the question.

It's hypothetical.

- It's actually not hypothetical,

because you had two such occasions

to kill Brady Hartsfield, where in fact,

you began to kill Brady Hartsfield,

once in a hospital room when you pinched his oxygen line,

the other in a cell when you grabbed him by the throat

and began to strangle him.

In both cases, you stopped yourself,

didn't you, Detective?

- I did.

- Why?

- Don't much remember, truth be told.

- That's not "truth be told."

That's a lie.

You stopped yourself on both occasions

because you did not want to sink

to Brady Hartsfield's level.

You did not want to be lawless like him.

- A mind-reader now. Jack of all jack-offs.

[laughter, chatter]

- I don't need to be a mind-reader,

because you gave that exact statement to the police.

You even said to be rendered lawless

means that Brady Hartsfield wins.

You did not want to give him that satisfaction--

the very satisfaction that Lou Linklatter gave him.

- Your Honor, what is the point of this?

Mr. Hodges is not on trial here.

- No, he's not,because he did not

commit a homicide.

But he is hereto give testimony

in support of someone who did.

You're a unique witnessin this case, Mr. Hodges.

You know and carefor the defendant.

You harbored a compulsionto get Mr. Hartsfield,

who, as you say, was evil.

You can appreciatethe anguish of his victims,

many of themwith us here today.

You're unequivocally onthe "hate Mr. Mercedes"

side of the fence.

But you are also

a man of law and order.

You're a man who believes

that this system needs to be one of integrity,

so I'm going to finish here by asking you

the toughest question of all,

reminding you that you are under oath.

- One hell of a windup.

- As much as you understand

why Lou Linklatter took the law into her own hands,

do you really mean to sit in that chair

and advocate on behalf of vigilantism?

- I'm here to advocate for Lou.

He stabbed her, for God's sake.

- So eye for an eye.

That's where you stand?

Is it your testimony that people,

for the purpose of exacting revenge,

should be allowed to take the law into their own hands?

Thank you, Your Honor.

[crowd chanting distantly]

[door rattles]

[crowd grows louder]

- We love you!

[overlapping chatter, cheers]

Let Lou go!

- Over here! Detective Hodges!

- Why did Brady...

- Why did Lou kill Brady? - Detective Hodges!

[chanting, overlapping chatter]

[police siren wailing distantly]

- Thanks for all the help.

Sitting there like a fucking zombie.

Why didn't you say something?

You could've established Brady was able to keep killing,

even in custody-- - The judge shut that down.

- Slip it in sideways, for fuck's sake.

- No, because if I evengo near self-defense,

I would be putin contempt of court.

Do you understand that? - All the Cerebellin,

medical wonder boy bullshit, the whole thing--

- None of that negatesthat Lou executed him,

and for us to tryto deny that--

we will look likewe're okay with murder!

- What's your plan?

- I've told you our plan.Involuntary manslaughter.

It's a fine line--one that I can walk.

- I don't fucking think so. - Okay, stop it, both of you.

- I have to be off to see Carl Fenten's dad.

Maybe you can go and get yourself

a law degree or something.

I'll see you back at the office--

- Fuck off. - Fuck off yourself.

- See you back in the office.

- [sighs]

- Did it go that badly?

- Not at all.

[sighs]

No new information came in.

He came off sympathetic to Lou, which the jury saw.

He's just not the cleanup hitter that we hoped.

- Right.

- It's all going to come downto Lou's testimony anyway,

and yours.

- Right.

- [sighs] Holly.

If you don't feel up to it--

- No, I have to be up to it. [scoffs]

- I will just ask questions.

And you just give honest answers.

You just--just be yourself.

- Kay.

Yeah.

[Miranda Lambert's "I Can't Be Bothered" playing]

- ♪ I can't be bothered

♪ To miss you anymore

♪ It's month 12, day 31, and hour 24 ♪

♪

♪ I used to think

[music stops]

- Shit, shit, shit.

- Is he in trouble?

- Not at all. [dog barking distantly]

- Then I don't understand.

- The crash site was less than a mile from here.

Peter has been known to walk the area.

It's possible he came upon the wreckage.

- But he didn't. He would've told us.

- There was money, we think, in the car,

possibly connected to the John Rothstein murder.

It's possible some of Rothstein's merchandise,

manuscripts, even, were in the wreckage.

And it's possible somebody came upon the crash site,

found the money and merchandise,

and absconded with it.

- You think Peter did this?

- We're talking to everybody in the vicinity.

- How has Peter seemed recently?

- How has he seemed?

- Mrs. Saubers, we're really not trying to be antagonistic.

- Okay, you are in my home,

asking questions about my son

and whether or not he's in possession of stolen property.

What is that if not antagonistic?

- And what about your husband? Where is he?

- He's in court.

- Court?

- The trial for the woman who killed Mr. Mercedes.

My husband was crippled at the jobs massacre.

- We noticed, uh,

he recently leased some spaceon Center Street.

- Yes.

He used to be a real estate broker before the accident,

and he's decided to get back into it.

- It's not cheap leasing space right on Center Street.

Did he come into some money recently?

An inheritance, maybe?

[distant clanging, low chatter]

- Don Fenten?

- You a cop?

- May I have a word, please?

- My son was a dope.

He was good at driving cars, which is...

why I think he was chosen to do something

way, way over his head.

He didn't kill Rothstein.

- How can you know that?

- My son didn't own a gun.

You check his priors,

robbery, yes, but never armed robbery.

It just wasn't in Carl.

The other guy killed Rothstein. Had to be.

- Well, let's turn to the other guy.

You can't conceive who it might be?

- Somebody dominant. Somebody alpha.

I don't think he had any idea

what he was getting himself into.

- It might help if you couldvisit her before court.

- In lockup?

- Oh, it'd have to be lockup.

They're not gonna let her outto make a burger run.

If you'd rather not, though-- - No, I can do it.

- [sighs]

[key clicks] Holly...

I admit I'm a little torn. [rain spattering]

I'm duty-boundto protect Lou's constitution

any way I canif she becomes unhinged.

But I also worry

about your ownemotional footing.

- I don't know how to be.

- Well, as I said, you just be yourself,

and I'll just ask the questions--

- No, I don't mean in court.I mean, right now.

I don't know how to be...

sitting in a car with you.

- You're scared I might try to kiss you or something?

- No.Well, yeah.

N-no.

- Oh, so we're clear, then? - No, I'm--

I...[sighs]

I am afraidthat you'll kiss me.

I'm terrified of it, but...

I also want to kiss you.

But what I wantis way trumped by fear.

Terror.[laughs]

- You may be the most honest person I've ever met.

- See, and that terrifies mebecause it was sweet, you know,

it was nice in apath-to-intimacy kind of way.

That makes me need to pee.

- [laughs] - Sorry.

- Okay.

Look. - Mm-hmm?

- I'm not going to kiss you tonight.

But...

I don't want you to fear the future.

I'm just gonna show you what it would be like

so you'll be less terrified of it.

How was it?[laughs softly]

- It was really, really good.

I mean, albeit in a short and uneventful way.

Wait, can you put me on the stand still

now that you kissed me, though?

- I can.

- Kay.

I don't know why I asked.

- Suspected something how?

- I don't know. He just seemed suspicious.

Curious as to my interest in Rothstein,

even though he's known forever--

- And the Saubers kid hasn't been back to the bookstore?

Not once? - So he says.

- [softly] I wonder.

Police being at the Saubers house--

obviously, we're not the only ones sniffing this kid.

- I'm almost rooting for the cops at this point.

- Excuse me?

- If they find those books, you know, I won't get rich,

but... at least I'll get to read them, maybe.

- My God.

That's really what it's about with you, isn't it?

Getting to read those books.

- I have to see what he became.

I have to know.

[keypad beeps]

- I'm gonna try again tomorrow with the mother.

Hopefully, the cops won't be there.

[keys clacking] Who are you texting?

- Danielle.

I still don't get it. Gone.

Whoosh. Fucking nothing.

- Morris, I'm gonna ask you an honest question,

and I want an honest answer.

- What?

- I think it's sweet that you miss

your twitty little Danielle.

- That's your question?

- No, my question is,

when you fuck me,

do you think of that twitty little thing?

'Cause that would not be good.

- You're... [scoffs]

Being disgusting.

- I don't give a shit.

When a man's in me, he better be all in.

You're going to court tomorrow, by the way.

- Court? Why?

- Because I have an idea.

- Don't fucking lie to me, Peter!

- I'm not fucking lying. - Bullshit!

- Tom! - He's lying to me. Bullshit.

Peter, there was money in the car, right? Huh?

There were probably Rothstein books as well.

I've got anonymous cash donations

showing up at this house in the mail.

You are all into fucking John Rothstein.

The cops are knocking at the door.

- Dad, Dad, Dad, they'reteaching Rothstein in school.

Who the fuck isn'treading Rothstein--

- Bullshit. He's lying to me. - Tom.

- [sighs]

Peter.

We are honest people, okay?

We may not have much, but we have that.

We are honest people.

- Peter, just tell us.

Are you in trouble?

- I'm not in trouble.

- I wanna see those booksyou got from the library.

- I returned them. - See?

He's fucking lying, Marjorie.

- Fuck off! - What did you say to me?

You say that to meone more time.

- No! Don't you dare!

- Fuck you!

[door slams]

- The defense essentially planned to use Hodges as

kind of a secret weapon,

but the district attorney let the air out of their tires.

You could practically see

that big man deflate with a big hiss.

[TV turns off]

- [laughing] Hey!

You're on the TV.

Nobody cancall you ordinary now.

You fucked your friend Lou,

haven't found my killer,

talked about on television--

you are a spectacular failure.

- Nothing spectacular about it.

They only put ordinary failures on TV nowadays.

It makes the ads look better.

- Well, there's no such thing as bad publicity, bud.

[laughing] I mean, "I never miss a chance

"to have sex

or be interviewed on the TV."

- When did you say that?

- Gore Vidal said that.

Jesus Christ, bud, you never read anybody but me?

- Not Gore fucking Vidal, I'll tell you that much.

You spoke to me like you knew who I am,

who I was... [scoffs]

- Can I tell you a secret?

I never spoke to you.

- You're speaking to me now.

- You are speaking to you now.

- Okay.

If you're so smart, tell me this.

Is Brady Satan?

- Satan?

Brady, Satan? There is no Satan.

[laughing] Oh, my God. Satan's a human creation.

He's like God or Cheez Whiz, or, you know--

Billy, I think you're missing the point.

There's only one way out,

and that's in.

- Hello?

Hello?

Hi. - [chuckling] Hi.

[gasps] Ooh, it's a little poochy.

[speaks gibberish] Poochy! What a beautiful dog.

Oh, you--whoo!

He likes me. [laughs]

My name is Alma Lane and I am so sorry to disturb you,

but my cat, Carleton, he's gone missing,

and I'm passing out some flyers.

This is my little Carleton-- a bit of a wanderer.

Usually, I'm not concerned, but it's been over a week now.

[sniffs] Have you seen him?

- I'm sorry, no.

- [clicks tongue] It's just not like him

to stay away this long.

Are you all right, dear?

- I'm fine.

Why are you staring at me?

- Oh, I don't mean to. - [laughs]

- I'm sorry. [grunts]

[both laugh]

Truth be told, I'm a little psychic.

I walked up here worried about my cat.

Now I'm a little worried about you.

- You need to be pretty.

- [mouths words]

- And not too twitchy.

I don't find you twitchy in a bad way,

but I need you to be comfortable in your own skin

in a way that...

[laughs] In a way that I can't.

What?

Why are you looking at me like that?

- I'm worried about you.

You seem... erratic.

- Yeah, well, I'm on trial for my life,

and your... [chuckles]

Boss?

He didn't exactly carry the day on my behalf.

- Well, I mean,

he was a little boxed in by the truth.

- Oh, yeah? What about you?

- I'll need to tell the truth as well.

- [scoffs]

You and I,

we're Brady bashers.

I shot him. [clicks tongue]

And you--oh, girl.

You just.. [grunts softly]

[grunting softly]

Your job is to show the jury

that Brady-bashing--oh.

It's such a good thing.

Brady-bashing is sympathetic

and so... pretty.

- You have a veryodd tone, Lou.

- I'm a little uneasy.

I'm gonna be sounding real good when I'm out, though.

- She's getting worse.

And the way she talks is how Brady would talk.

I mean, not that I ever spoke with Brady, you know.

- I did.You're not wrong.

He's in her head somehow.

- What do we do?

- First of all,whatever we can to get her out.

After that...

- Mr. Hodges.

- Yeah? - Sorry to intrude.

I just wanted to say a quick thank you.

My name's Morris Bellamy.

I was at the jobs fair that night--

one of the lucky ones.

Hello.

- Hi.

- So many of us are so grateful to both of you.

And I'm not sure it gets said quite enough,

so I thought I'd say it.

- Thank you. - Thank you, both of you.

Again, sorry to intrude.

[bell dings]

- Wait just a second.

You were one ofBrady Hartsfield's victims?

- Well, emotionally.

I escaped physical harm.

[chuckling] Thank God.

- Where's your head at on this?

- I'm sorry? - This trial.

Do you want to see Lou Linklatter convicted

or set free?

- Lou Linklatter's a hero in my book.

[bell dings]

- Did you have an opportunity to speak with her after?

- I did.

- And did she tell you where she procured the 3-D revolver?

- She told me she made it herself.

- Is that easy to do? - No.

There's a fair amount of engineering expertise involved.

- Premeditation.

Coherent thinking.Malice aforethought.

That was all part of the mix of what you observed,

was it not, Mr. Montez?

- Objection, foundation. - Lay opinion.

- Move it along.

- As you observed the defendantshoot Brady Hartsfield,

she appearedto be acting calmly,

willfully, and with purpose?

- Appeared to be the case.

- And was Brady Hartsfield posing a threat to anybody

when Lou Linklatter acted to end his life?

- No.

- She executed him.

- Appeared to be the case.

- Thank you, Mr. Montez.

[distant coughing]

- You swore to tell the truth.

- I did.

- But you have an even higher obligation

to tell it, don't you?

You're a prosecutor,an officer of the court.

- My obligation is the same as any other witness.

- As an Ohio prosecutor,

do you know and understandOhio criminal law?

- Well, that would be the goal.

- Before the shooting, would you say

Brady Hartsfield seriously provoked my client?

- Not in court, not on that day.

- In the months leading up to the event,

when he attacked her, when he almost killed her,

almost killed thousands of people,

would you say he provoked her?

- That's fair.

- Did his provocationcause my client

to suffer great mental

or emotional distress,if you know?

Cause her to fear for her life?

Cause her to losesleep, weight,

hopes...

- I can't argue with any of that.

[eerie music]

- A person in Ohio can't be convicted

of both murder and manslaughter for the same killing.

- No. It's one or the other.

- Because not all killings are the same.

Murder is worse than manslaughter.

When you saw my client shoot Mr. Mercedes,

did you think to yourself, "That woman is a murderer"?

- I'm not sure I was thinking about it in those terms.

- Well, you're a trained prosecutor.

You must've had some opinion, some reaction.

- Objection.

- Sustained.

- Seeing a man killed is upsetting.

- It is. - So is testifying.

Upsetting, scary, nerve-racking--

for everybody, even you.

You-- you're not enjoying this.

- No.

- Did you know

how having to give testimony would affect her that day?

- I didn't realize the extent, no.

- Do you make room for the possibility, Mr. Montez,

that having been assaulted by Brady Hartsfield,

nearly killed by him in the most vicious way,

being stabbed in the stomach,

and then having to be in a room with him to face him down--

do you make room for the possibility that

it was just all too much for Lou Linklatter?

Is it possible?

- Of course it's possible.

- Thank you.

- Calm, coherent,

deliberate, reflective,

with malice aforethought.

You still stand by that testimony?

- I do. - Thank you, Your Honor.

- What do you think?

- I don't know.

It's close.

Could be bad.

It's hard to be objective.

- My testimonycould be very important.

- You like him, don't you?

- What?

- Finkelstein. You like him.

- I do.

What do you think of him?

- He seems good.

♪

[backpack zipping]

- I think it went as well as we can hope.

[distant buzzing]

- But you want me to plead.

- [sighs] Well, I'm not saying--

- We're gonna win.

- [sighs]

- I know it.

- Is that what he's telling you?

'Cause he's misled you before.

- He's a very complicated person.

He really is.

He hurts me, and then he helps me,

and then he hurts me.

All I gotta do is know which one is which.

- You made contact?

- Both with him and the woman, Holly Gibney.

Step one. Mission accomplished.

- Excellent.

- What about you and the Saubers mother?

- Contact also established.

Minimal, but progress.

I'll get inside that family. It's only a matter of time.

I can tell you this.

She's freaked about something, and it wasn't my lost cat.

- Where are you now?

- Doing a little spring cleaning

on the chance the police come sniffing my way.

Gotta make sure there's nothing for 'em to find.

- Why would they be coming your way?

- Hopefully, they won't.

But, Morris, we both entered into the mix.

And that composite they released--

didn't look a whole lot like you,

but I'm not taking any chances.

Your bookstore buddy could connect the dots.

- True.

- I'll call you when I'm done here.

[mellow big band music playing]

♪

[Barbra Streisand's "Don't Rain on My Parade" playing]

- [singing along] ♪ Don't tell me not to live

♪ Just sit and putter

♪ Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter ♪

♪ Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade ♪

[tool whirring]

♪ Don't tell me not to fly, I've simply got to ♪

♪ If someone takes a spill, it's me and not you! ♪

♪ Who told you you're allowed to rain on my parade? ♪

♪ I'll march my band out

♪ I'll beat my drum

♪ And if I'm fanned out

♪ Your turn at bat, sir

♪ At least I didn't fake it

♪ Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it ♪

- ♪ But whether I'm the rose of sheer perfection ♪

♪ A freckle on the nose of life's complexion ♪

♪ The cinder or...

♪

♪ I'll march

♪ My band out

♪ I'll beat

♪ My drum

♪ And if I'm fanned out

[wood chipper turns on]

♪ Your turn at bat, sir [wood chipper whirring]

♪ At least I didn't fake it, hat, sir ♪

♪ I guess I didn't make it

♪ Get ready for me, love, 'cause I'm a comer ♪

♪ I simply gotta march, my heart's a drummer ♪

♪ Nobody, no

♪ Nobody

♪ Is gonna

♪ Rain on my [flesh and bone spattering]

♪ Parade

[eerie music]

♪

[intense tones]

[whooshing]