All language subtitles for Law.and.Order.S06E11.Corpus.Delicti.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

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.

That's beautiful, Lennie.
A real antique.

Oh, yeah?

When that semi-auto of yours
jams up, this antique will
still be firing.

Sure, until it runs
out of bullets. All six.

It's not how many, Rey,
it's where they go.
Come on, reel it in.

Check it out.

These goggles,
the lenses are
all distorted.

Curtis. Yeah,
okay, we got it.

Where the hell is CSU?
You want to secure
that door?

What are you
doing here?

Investigating a homicide.
You called it in.

She called it in.
We responded.

Yeah, and you
confirmed it.

Victim, Mr. Wickets.
You got a first name?

His first name
is Mister.

He's a horse,
Detective.

What is this,
April Fools'?

No, we just thought
it was funny.

We thought that dispatch
would get the joke.

What joke?
We said, "Mr. Wickets,

"four legs,
1,100 pounds."

What did you think it was,
fat Siamese twins?

Come on, Lennie,
let's get out of here.

Aren't you going
to do anything?

Look, miss, we're not
the horse police,
all right? Come on.

I saw a man in a green
oilskin jacket walking out.

He turned his head,
so I couldn't see his face.

Maybe he was
the one who did it.
Did what?

How do you know this
horse didn't expire
from horse disease?

You see that manure?
Lennie, can we go now?

Well, wait a minute.
Yeah, all right, I see it.
So what?

Solid fecal balls,
and it's warm.

I'll take
your word for it.

The only natural cause
that kills a healthy young
horse in its stall is colic.

That's a blocked bowel.
Mr. Wickets wasn't blocked.

I only left him
alone for an hour.

He was fine when I left.
He was a wonderful horse.

Miss, look, I'm sorry
for your loss, but this is
really a case for the ASPCA.

You two, call somebody?
Okay.

And he was worth
half a million dollars.

Does that make him
important enough?

Look, miss, I thought these
horses were for giving kids
rides in the park.

He was a show horse.

Our truck from the farm
in Pennsylvania broke down
on the way to Massachusetts.

He was only here
for the night.

New York really is
a rough town for tourists.

The girl who
called 911, Susan Bauer,

she's an assistant trainer.
Works for the owner,
Richard Brandson.

I didn't become a detective
to investigate dead animals.

Oh, come on, Wilbur.
Somebody killed a horse.

You're not gonna let them
get away with it, are you?

What am I, in some kind
of trainee program?

You've got
your assignment, Detective.
Fine.

You want me to question
the horse's friends
and neighbors?

Find out if maybe he
was having some problems
in his love life?

It's a nothing case.

Say something
one more time.

Rey, one beautiful
afternoon at Belmont Park

I wheeled an exacta,
and a long shot named
Nooch's Dream came in.

Paid $1,211.
So?

So, after that,
I took an interest
in his career.

He retired to stud,
and he died in a barn fire.

Killed for the insurance
money. It happens.

Do a background check
before you see the owner.

Members of our association
tend to be well-to-do.

Horse showing isn't
a hobby for postal clerks.

How about a postal clerk
with a great horse?

How's he going to feed it?
Train it? Transport it?

Richard Brandson had
the resources, and he thought
Mr. Wickets had the talent.

You mean a horse
isn't a horse?

Hardly.

This one had excellent
confirmation. Beautiful
hip and shoulder angles.

Brandson bragged that he
spotted him across a field
on a farm in Putnam County.

He bought him on the spot
for his daughter to ride.

Brandson is her coach.

Fine. So they lived
happily ever after.

Well, actually, no.
It turned out that Mr. Wickets
had a habit of dropping a leg.

Took down rails
at the jumps.

Wasn't this maybe
a little embarrassing
for Mr. Brandson?

He predicted that Mr. Wickets
would take his daughter to
the Junior Nationals.

He has other horses,
but, still, he had
to be disappointed.

I apologize
for Ms. Bauer calling you.
She must have been hysterical.

Actually, she seemed
pretty calm.
Really?

Well, how guilt-ridden
did she seem?

She was supposed to stay
with Mr. Wickets all night.
Instead, she went to dinner.

She felt guilty,
so she made up this whole
thing about the colic?

Well, she's a junior trainer,
not a veterinarian.

My horse died
of natural causes.

Seem pretty calm
about it yourself.

Well, I don't cry in public,
but my daughter is devastated.

Losing Mr. Wickets
was like losing
a member of the family.

Mr. Brandson, Mr. Bennett said
he needs to talk to you before
your board meeting tomorrow.

Yeah, later, Jennifer.
Anything else?

We heard Mr. Wickets
had some problems.

He was young, he was
inexperienced. He was
getting better every week.

Could you tell us, sir,
was the horse insured?

Hudson Casualty.
Now, if you'll excuse me.

People who kill horses
for insurance money
used to use barbiturates.

Then we developed
a test for that.

They switched to insulin,
we got a test for that.

What now,
letter bombs?

Ping-pong balls.

They shove them up
a horse's nostrils
so he can't breathe.

He kicks, thrashes,
gasping for air. It can go
on for 10 or 15 minutes.

Or there's electrocution.

You wire them up with
one end up his rectum

and the other down his throat,
and throw the switch.

It's less painful,
and it looks like colic.

Do you think somebody threw
the switch on Mr. Wickets?

With the lawsuits today?

We're not allowed to operate
on the basis of what we think,
only what we know.

The horse's remains
are going to the Cornell
Veterinary College in Ithaca

for a necropsy.

My father called
me with the news.

Took me an hour
to stop crying.

Where'd he
call you from?

Our farm in Pennsylvania.

We were both going
to fly to Boston today.
The show starts tomorrow.

He was going with you?

Yes. I never compete
without him there.

Why?

Well, we just need
to make sure of the facts.
Mr. Wickets was very valuable.

Well, they told me
it was colic.

Were there any
signs that he was sick?

No.

I should have noticed.

Mr. Wickets and I,
we communicated
through our bones.

When was the last time
you rode him?

The day before he died.

He seemed fine.

I'm sorry. I guess...

It's just kind of hard for me
to realize that he's gone.

Well, I have to get
to class, so...

So you think Brandson
really killed her horse?

He figured he was
doing her a favor.

She was in love
with Mr. Wickets.
Mr. Wickets was a loser.

So kill the horse and
put her on a winner.

Well, if he did it,
he ought to be shot.

Not for what he did
to the horse, but for
what he did to her.

He did it.

She just told us he
was gonna be with her at
the horse show tomorrow.

His secretary said
his big board meeting
is tomorrow.

So what were you gonna do,
conduct your meeting on a cell
phone from the horse arena?

Or are you so rich
you can be in two
places at once?

You knew the horse
would be dead,

that's why you didn't worry
about the schedule conflict,
right?

Thanks for coming by,
gentlemen.

I really am very busy.

Well, you're gonna be
a lot busier.

You and your
defense attorney.

Now why would that be,
Detective? There's no
possible crime here.

I believe insurance fraud
is against the law.

So what?
I'll withdraw my claim.

As soon as we
started snooping around,

Brandson calls the insurance
company and says he doesn't
want the money.

Necropsies are expensive,
so they called it off.

No necropsy, no proof
Mr. Wickets didn't die
of natural causes.

You think the department
would go a couple of grand

to find singe marks
on a horse's ass?

To investigate no crime?
I can't even get pencils
with erasers.

So the guy has a zillion
dollars. He just buys his
way out of a beef?

Unbelievable in
the United States.

You know, conspiracy
to commit insurance fraud
is still a crime,

even if Brandson backed out.

That's a tough case, Lennie.

Not if we find his accomplice,
and the accomplice rolls over.

We got the records from five
different insurance companies

that have dead horses
on the books.

Now, the farm where Brandson
discovered his horse

has had two colic deaths
in the last 18 months.

Plus, two more found in
horses that came from there.

It's owned by a guy
named Lyle Christopher.

Excellent work, Detective,
for a nothing case.

Of course I know
Richard Brandson. He's bought
several horses from me.

I was hoping to see him
again when I go up
to my farm this weekend.

I'm surprised anybody in
the horsey set gets anyplace
near you, Christopher.

You're a regular
Typhoid Mary.

I beg your pardon?

Mattawin Dancer,
died May 1994. Lord Dan,
died August of '94.

Nathan's Folly,
died July 1995.
Mr. Wickets...

Mattawin Dancer and Lord Dan
had serious health problems,

and Nathan's Folly, well,
his owners were sloppy.

Fed him moldy hay.

And Mr. Wickets?
What, Brandson couldn't
afford the fresh stuff?

That was a tragedy.
Horses die.

Yeah, eventually.

Just seems like the
well-insured ones

seem to go a little sooner
when they're around you.

I think we're done now.
Yeah, almost.

You want to tell us
where you were on
Sunday night?

In the bar
at the Hampton Hotel,

killing dry martinis,
not horses.

You know how many bars
won't let you smoke
cigars anymore?

Yeah. Not enough.

Well, Mr. Christopher,
he enjoys his Havanas.

Was he enjoying them
here on Sunday night?

Yeah. Yeah,
he closed me up.

Was he alone?

No, he's not
the solitary type.

There was a lady
with him for a while,
then she went home.

Then some friend
of his shows up.

Maitre d' had to lend
him a sport jacket.

Why? What was he wearing?

I don't know,
something Field and Stream.

Green?

Yeah. It was totally
inappropriate.

We pulled some LUDs.

Now, as soon as he heard
his horse truck broke down,

Richard Brandson
called Lyle Christopher.

Christopher hangs up and calls
a hotel in Massachusetts near
the horse show.

He talks to a guest
named Mr. Brown.

Now, five hours later,

just enough time for
somebody to drive down from
Massachusetts to New York,

Mr. Christopher calls
a hotel here and talks
to a Mr. White.

The same man?Mmm.

Their descriptions match.

Two hours later,
Susan Bauer sees
a green jacket

walking away from
the dead horse.

Thirty minutes after that,
a man in a green jacket
joins Christopher for a drink.

To Mr. Wickets,
rest in peace.

So Christopher's
the middle man,

and the guy in the jacket
is the hit man.

And Brandson's the one
who set the whole thing
in motion.

It's going to be fun
nailing his ass.

I hate to spoil your party,
Lennie, but the big fish here
is Christopher.

He's linked to four dead
horses, plus, his out-of-state
records just came in.

Indictments for fraud
in New Jersey and Virginia,

dropped when he made
restitution to the victims.

So they won't talk.

Well, if he ran two cons,
he ran 100.

Check the lawsuit indexes.
See who Christopher hasn't
settled with.

My late husband was
so careful to be sure
I'd be provided for.

My money was in bonds,
but interest rates were
dropping, and...

And Mr. Christopher
had a suggestion?

Yes.

He sold me a retired
thoroughbred he said
was a promising jumper.

It had a fraudulent
identification tattoo
on its lip.

So when you checked it out,
the record of another horse
came up?

A much better one.

Before I figured that out,
I was on Lyle's farm one day,

it really is a lovely spot,
he was showing me a maiden
mare.

He said she had a sister
who had produced extremely
valuable foals.

Just then, a man showed up,
demanding $50,000 Lyle
owed on her.

Lyle told me he had
a cash flow problem.

He was desperate
to keep that horse.

He said he'd make
me a full partner.

I wrote the check.

It's an old game,
Mrs. Fairchild,
because it works.

The District Attorney
in Putnam County told me
it was a civil matter.

Probably going
to lose my house.

I was such a fool.

Well, we talked to three
other people, ma'am,
they were fooled, too.

Women?

You see, Lyle and I were
going to be married until
he took all my money.

Then he said he'd fallen
in love with somebody else,

that they were engaged.
God help her.

Do you know who she is?

Ruth Thomas.

I understand her late husband
provided for her very nicely.

Mrs. Thomas?
She's not home.

Do you know when
she'll be in?

Three weeks.

She's on a cruise
around the world.
She left two months ago.

Would you ask her to call
us when she gets back?

I'll give it to her.
Thanks.

Just got engaged, and she
goes on a three-month cruise
without her fiance?

With this fiance,
she's better off in a
long-distance relationship.

You know, if she figured
that out for herself,

maybe she knows something
about him we can use.

And maybe she'd
want to tell us.

Time to haul out the
signal flags, matey.

Yeah, the New York City
Police Department.
We're looking for Ruth Thomas.

I'll hold.

It's amazing. You're talking
to some guy cruising off
of Bora Bora.

We used to get dressed up
just to talk to my uncle
in Buffalo.

Are you sure?

Well, this is very important.
Will you check again, please?

They can't find her.

Maybe she's on the poop deck.
They looking for her?

Yeah. Okay.
All right. Thank you.

She never got on the boat.

A man called their office
the day it left New York
and said he was her nephew,

said that she was sick
and she wasn't going
to make it.

They put someone in her
cabin at the next stop.

Who you calling?

Hello, is this
Mrs. Thomas'
housekeeper?

Yeah, this is
Detective Briscoe again.

Yeah, can you tell me
how to get in touch
with Mrs. Thomas' nephew?

Well, thank you. Thank you.

Mrs. Thomas doesn't
have a nephew.

I don't understand.

If Mrs. Thomas isn't on
that boat, where is she?

We don't know.
Now, did she call you after
she left here that day?

No.

Has she been in touch at all?
She send you a postcard?

Mrs. Thomas wouldn't
write to me.

How do you get your pay
while she's gone? Your money
for household expenses?

Mrs. Thomas's lawyer.
He takes care of everything.

Exactly when did
you see her last?

The day the ship sailed.

The limousine driver
came to get her,
and she walked out that door.

I had this lady in my
car two months ago?

That's what your
dispatcher says.

Do you know how many
people I've carried
in the last two months?

You picked her
up on East 56th.

You might've taken her
to the passenger ship
terminal.

Oh, yeah. Yeah,
the cruise-ship lady.

Yeah, she talked my ear off
about the Panama Canal.

She said the boat was going
through the Panama Canal.

But did you see her
actually get on the ship?

I don't wait around.
I'm not driving a school bus.

Did she stop or talk
to anybody when she
got out of your car?

I have no idea.

I have access to one
of Mrs. Thomas' accounts

to cover her mortgage
and maintenance and so on,

but I wasn't expecting to hear
from her again until she got
back from her trip.

Which, as far as you knew,
she was on?

Yes. This is
very disturbing.

Were you handling any
unusual legal matters
for Mrs. Thomas

before she left,
besides paying her bills?

Well, she had talked to me
about a civil matter,

but I'm afraid that's
all I can tell you.

Even though she's missing?

Well, especially since
she's missing.

If she were here,
she could waive the
attorney-client privilege.

So, you and us,
we're going to go around
in some circles, aren't we?

There's nothing
I can do.

All right,
how about this?

If what she saw you about
involved a man named
Lyle Christopher,

you scratch your ear.

You're interested
in Mr. Christopher?

Should we be?

Well, I don't think
it would be violating
privilege to tell you

that Mrs. Thomas has
a very close friend

with whom she spoke about
the events of her life.

Her name is Judith Grayson.

Oh, God, he killed her.

Mrs. Grayson, all we know
so far is she's not on
the boat.

Do you know why
she booked that cruise?

To get away from
Lyle Christopher.

He threatened her?

No. She threatened him.

Oh, God, it's my fault.

What is?

After Ruth's husband died,
she didn't go out for years.
She'd been so devoted to him.

I told her that she
had to have a life.

She was still a young woman.

And she took your advice?

And met Lyle
at some horse show.

Boy, did he see her coming.

Bogus investments?

And candlelit dinners,
romance,

and expensive horses
that belonged in
the glue factory.

When did
Mrs. Thomas catch on?

About three months ago.
She wasn't a stupid woman.

She told Lyle she wanted
every penny back, or she'd
go to the police and sue.

She gave him until she
got back from the cruise.

And how did Lyle
take the news?

He had an explanation
for everything.

This horse had a rare
glandular condition.
That one...

Ate moldy hay?

Whatever.

She was his one great love.

He was still trying
to convince her the
night before she sailed.

He took her to dinner.

He took her to Gaucheron.
Fixed price dinner,
$100 a head.

Yeah, and they argued through
at least 98 bucks of it,
according to their waiter.

But Christopher took
her home afterwards?

Hey, why not?
He knew where she'd
be the next morning.

The limo driver drops her off,
she still has a hundred yards
to go to get on the boat.

And Christopher's there
in the crowd for
a surprise farewell.

Probably brought
her flowers.

"My darling, please forgive
me. Let's go sit in my car
for a minute and talk."

It's beautiful. No one's
expecting to see her
for the next three months.

Yeah, then he calls
the cruise line with
some cock-and-bull story.

And by the time Ruth Thomas
doesn't come home,
the trail is cold.

And that's where we are.

We'll heat it up.

Now you're taking interest
in my personal life?

Are you engaged
to Ruth Thomas?

Yes. Why?

Have you heard
from her lately?

Is that your business?

Yes, it is.
She's missing.

Well, just because she's
not at home doesn't mean
she's missing.

She's taking a cruise
on the Royal Star.

Without you?

Do you mind telling me
what this is all about?

What it's about, Christopher,
is that she's not on the ship.

Don't be ridiculous.

Have you heard from her?

No.

Your fiancee goes away
for three months,
and she doesn't write?

We were having a separation.
We had some problems.

What do you mean,
she's not on the ship?

We called.
She's not there.

There must be some mistake.

There's a Venezuelan couple
living in her cabin.

Now, do you mind
telling us what you
did the day she left?

I went sailing myself.
I have a small sloop.

I was very upset
that she had gone,

and being on the water,
that's my place to get away,
to think.

And where do you think
Mrs. Thomas is?

I told you, we had some
problems. She must have
changed her plans.

Ruth's a wealthy woman.
She could be anywhere.

Mr. C. only used his boat
a few times last season.
I remember that day.

It was blowing up
a storm.

He went out
in a storm?

Small craft warnings.

He go out alone?

Yeah, I think so.

Remember anything else?

Yeah, he asked me
if I could open
the security gate

so he can drive his
car onto the dock,

so he could get it
right up next to his slip.

Is that unusual?

Usually he parks in
that lot across there
and just walks inside.

Why did he want to be next
to his boat that day?

He said he had some
heavy gear to load.

Did you see
what it was?

No. I asked if he
wanted some help,

you know, to build up
a little goodwill toward
the season-end tip.

Yeah, and?

He told me not to bother.

You wouldn't, by any chance,
have any evidence?

He goes sailing in a storm
with a heavy load

he doesn't want anybody
to see. The same day
the lady disappears.

That doesn't
prove anything.

Christopher had damn
good reason to want
Mrs. Thomas dead.

That's motive.

Christopher's right.
She's a rich woman.
She could be anywhere.

The limo driver dropped
her at the pier.

Where she could
have grabbed a cab.

To where, Xanadu?

Christopher must have
grabbed her between the
sidewalk and the ramp.

Must have?
Are you going to
testify as a psychic?

How about we at least
get a search warrant?

To search what? Earth?

You're telling us
there's no way we
can get this bastard?

Those lawsuits against him,
the bogus horses,
the swindles.

Yeah, but some D.A.
told one of his victims
those are all civil matters.

Individually, yes,
but put them together,

you've got a scheme
to defraud.

He probably jaywalked
a couple of times, too.

Pick him up.
For a low-grade felony?

Either we play it this way,
gentlemen, or we don't
play it at all.

"Docket 85694,
People v. Lyle Christopher.

"The charge is scheme
to defraud in the
first degree."

Do we have a plea?

We move to stay this
proceeding, Your Honor,

pending resolution
of litigation that is the
basis of the indictment.

And what litigation would
that be, Mr. Linde?

Several civil matters that
the People, for some reason,
are trying to criminalize.

The defendant beat us to that,
Your Honor. His crimes are
specified in our complaint.

They're good-faith business
disputes. We're in the wrong
courthouse.

Sorry, Counselor,
but it's the People's ball.

They get to decide
where to play.

Then we plead not guilty.

At last. I was beginning
to think you get paid
by the word.

Bail's $25,000,
cash or bond. Next.

Is this prosecution an
appropriate use of your
time and my budget?

It gives us
some leverage.

What, to cut a deal
on a minor felony,

he's going to plead
to the murder of a woman
you don't even know is dead?

You're reading your
law journal upside down.

Simultaneous with his arrest,

we got search warrants
for Christopher's car,
apartment,

boat and farm,
and seized all his records.

Wonderful.

"Dear, diary, killed
Ruth Thomas today and threw
her body into a cesspool."

You think he's
that stupid?

No. But I'm sure
Claire will dig up
something.

There's blood.

In Lyle Christopher's
Mercedes and on his boat.

Mrs. Thomas'?

Her type.

We're getting hair from
one of her brushes to run
a DNA match.

And in the meantime?

Christopher's horse-training
records are insanely
complicated.

He covered his tracks.

He wasn't so cautious
about his mating rituals.

Should I be taking notes?

If you want to go broke.

Roses, lingerie,
three-star restaurants.

All for Mrs. Thomas?

Most of the goodies
went to a Susan Merriman,

starting three months
before Mrs. Thomas
disappeared.

But Mrs. Thomas
was his one great love.

One out of two.

I don't understand.
Why are you persecuting Lyle?

Mrs. Merriman, a lot of people
have made charges against
Mr. Christopher.

Some people want life
guaranteed. They buy a horse,
it doesn't work out,

they think they have
a right to blame somebody.

Did Mr. Christopher
tell you that?

Yes, but it's true.

He's a very smart man.
I was lucky to meet him.

Did he ever mention
a Ruth Thomas to you?

Yes, of course.
He was involved with
her before he met me.

He told me all about it.

Well, Mrs. Thomas seems
to have been under
the impression

that she and Mr. Christopher
were still engaged.

Well, that's impossible.
Lyle is very honest
with people.

Since he's so honest,
have you invested with him?

He never asked me
to buy anything.

Never asked?

I happened to be
on his farm one day.

He was showing me
a promising mare that
he was planning to breed,

and a man showed up and...

And demanded payment on her,
and Mr. Christopher was
having a cash-flow problem.

I resent your implications.

Lyle is only in this business
because he loves horses.

I was with him on his farm
the day that Lord Dan died.

Lord Dan? That was a horse
that died of colic?

Lyle cried like a baby.

Was there anyone else
on the farm that day?

Just us and friend
of his from Chicago.

Do you remember his name?

No. What could that
possibly matter?

The weekend Lord Dan
mysteriously died of colic,

there were five calls
from Christopher's farm to
a Mr. Black at a local motel.

He must have been
the friend from Chicago.

You think he's the same as
Mr. White and Mr. Brown and
the guy in the green jacket?

Makes sense. The motel took
his license plate when he
registered.

The car was rented by
a Tibor Nichols of
Sarasota, Florida.

It looks like
it's his real name.

If Christopher didn't
want to get his own hands
dirty killing horses,

so he hired this guy,

what do you think he'd do
when he wanted to get rid
of Ruth Thomas?

There were two calls between
Christopher and Nichols
the week she disappeared.

Want to take a trip
to Sarasota?

I'd love to,

but Nichols isn't home
and the local police don't
know where to find him,

and all I've got is
his pager number off
Christopher's phone records.

Do you think he'll return
a call from the office of
the District Attorney?

He killed a horse
for Richard Brandson.

He'll probably take
a call from him.

Can we cut the crap,
Mr. Brandson?

You know what you did,
we know what you did.

The police went
through all this.

There's no proof that
my client's horse didn't die
of natural causes.

Oh.

You're aware we've indicted
Lyle Christopher for fraud?

We saw it in the papers.

We've got a strong
case against him, too.
He's looking for a deal.

So?

Would I rather convict
a two-bit con man like
Christopher

or use his testimony
to convict half a dozen
society-page millionaires?

Are you saying that
Christopher's implicating me?

He's a liar, for God sake.
That's why you indicted him.

We can let
Mr. Brandson's friends

at the Horse Association
decide who's lying.

If you're suspended,
you'll never get near
another show horse again.

It won't look good
for your daughter, either.

What do you want from me?
Richard.

No, no. I worked 10 years
to establish her ranking.

Is there some kind
of deal here?

Immunity.

All we want you to do
is talk to Tibor Nichols.

Who?
The man who killed your horse.

Mr. Brandson?

You know, I saw your
daughter ride at Devon.

She has a wonderful seat.

Thank you,
Mr. Nichols.

Please,
call me Tibor.

I wish there were
another way to take care
of this.

He's been a very fine
horse for me, until now.

Trust me, sir,
the horses don't feel a thing.

I'd like to shoot 120 volts
through his rectum
and see what he says then.

He's at my
trainer's barn in Mendham.

I want it done off my
property, like last time.

Yeah, Mr. Wickets went
smooth as silk, sir,

until that crazy bitch
started yelling murder.

That's enough.
Take him, Rey.

Hey, let me get
another bourbon here.

He's had enough.

Tibor Nichols, you are
under arrest for conspiracy
to commit fraud.

You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you say can and
will be used against you...

Man, things must be
pretty slow around here

if you got the time
to put the sting on me.

Pretty good job,
don't you think?

Doesn't leave you
much room to wiggle.

You know what I think?
I'm not your boy.

And your gloomy friend there
is here to explain my options.

Lyle Christopher,
or you do four years.

Hey, you want him,
you got him.
I like fresh air.

Complete cooperation.

No problem.

Where do you want to start?
Princess Louise?

She's the first horse
I did for him. 1989.

We'd rather talk
about Ruth Thomas.

Oh.

I never met the lady.

You and Christopher
talked the week before
she disappeared.

Every other time
you two talked,

a few days later,
something died.

Yeah, he talked
to me about her.

See, she was going to scream
bloody murder about some
horses he sold her,

and he was into a new lady
with 10 times the dough.

He didn't want
his boat rocked.

And?

And he asked me
to take care of her.

I told him I draw the line
at animals with less than
four legs.

So how can we be sure you
didn't just make this one
exception, Tibor?

The weekend that
lady disappeared,

Sunnytown Farm in California,
Conundrum died of colic.

That was me.

Pretty good.
I got better.
Claire just called.

You have a preliminary
DNA match on the blood in
Christopher's car and boat.

I guess it's not a
low-grade felony anymore.

Go get the bastard.

Police. We're looking
for Lyle Christopher.

We're busy right now.

Lyle!

Now what?

Oh, please,
let me take that.

Lyle Christopher,
you're under arrest for
the murder of Ruth Thomas.

You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you do say
can and will be used
against you

in a court of law.
You have the right
to an attorney...

Well, I'm sure Mr. Wickets'
friends and relatives

will be very pleased to hear
you've built an airtight case
against his killer.

Keep reading, Adam.
We've got Christopher for
the murder of Ruth Thomas.

You've got the word
of a horse hit man.

And her blood
in his car and boat,

his solo sail the day
she disappeared,
a very strong motive.

And no body.

She vanished.
It's part of our case.

Well, today's juries, you
better be able to prove that
she wasn't abducted by aliens.

At the conclusion
of the RFLP typing procedure,

I prepared these
autoradiographs.

The DNA fragment
patterns are identical.

What are the odds that
the blood you found in
the defendant's car and boat

could have come from someone
other than Mrs. Thomas?

At best, one in 170 million.

Thank you, Doctor.

Dr. Sefansky, when did
those blood drops land

on Mr. Christopher's
car and boat?

I can't tell you that.

You mean all your scientific
tests and experiments

can't attach a date
to those specimens?

No.
No more questions.

What exactly did
Mr. Christopher
ask you to do?

Make the lady disappear.

He said I could grab her
before she got on the boat.

Disappear.
What did you understand
him to mean by that?

He wanted me to kill her.

Thank you.
No further questions.

Did Mr. Christopher tell you
Mrs. Thomas had broken their
engagement?

Yeah, because she
said that he...
Just yes or no, sir.

Yes.
Was he upset about that?

Well, I don't think he would
have asked me to kill her if
everything was hunky-dory.

But he didn't ask
you to kill her, did he?

Not in those words.

He said he'd be happier
if she would disappear.

That's right.

The woman broke their
engagement, quite possibly
broke his heart.

Couldn't he have just been
expressing his pain at seeing
her again?

I don't think so.
Really?

Did you kill Mrs. Thomas?No.

Mr. Christopher ever
tell you he killed her?

No.
Thank you.

Mr. Nichols, why would
you think Mr. Christopher
was serious

when he asked you,
of all people,
to kill someone for him?

Your Honor,
may we approach?

No way, Jack.

The District Attorney
is seeking to smear
my client

by eliciting irrelevant
testimony about other
alleged criminal behavior.

This witness will testify
that the defendant
frequently asked him

to make horses disappear,
and he killed them.

It shows a pattern.
It's relevant to intent.

Horses and Mrs. Thomas?
It isn't even apples
and oranges.

Why don't we let
the jury decide?

Because it would be grossly
prejudicial to let the jury
hear anything about this.

He's right, Mr. McCoy.
Your Honor...

The objection is sustained.
Now, move on.

I have no more questions
for this witness.

What did Mr. Christopher
do after he parked on the
dock, sir?

He opened the trunk,
and he loaded something
onto his boat,

but I really couldn't
see what it was.

And he wouldn't
let you help him?

Nope.

Thank you.
No further questions.

When Mr. Christopher
finished unloading his car,
he spoke to you, didn't he?

For a few minutes, yes.

What did he talk about?

Well, some of the boat owners
were organizing a petition

to protest the rise in slip
fees, and Mr. Christopher
wanted to sign it.

He was worried
about slip fees.

Did he appear
otherwise agitated?

No.

Disheveled?
Bloodied?
Scratched?

No.

Do you recall a time
last July, sir,

when Mrs. Thomas went sailing
with Mr. Christopher.

Yeah, yeah. They set out about
9:00 a.m., and they came back
in less than an hour.

Do you know why they
came back so soon?

Seasick.
She was green.

The minute the boat hit
the dock, she jumped off

and put her head
between her knees.

Did she say anything?

She said this was
definitely the last time.

And she said she'd never
go on a boat again.

When Ruth figured out
that he'd made her fall
in love with him

just so he could cheat her,
she was furious.
She felt betrayed, humiliated.

Did she tell you what
she planned to do?

Objection.
Asks for hearsay.

Mrs. Thomas was furious,
what she said qualifies
as an excited utterance.

Overruled.
The witness may answer.

She said unless he took
his worthless nags back,

she'd take every penny he
had and send him to jail.

And since she supposedly
left on her cruise a few
weeks later,

have you heard from her?

Not a word.
And I would have,
if he hadn't killed her.

Move to strike!

Mrs. Grayson,
please control yourself.

No further questions.

Mrs. Grayson,
didn't Ruth Thomas disappear
for two weeks in 1986?

She didn't disappear.
She was in Bermuda.

Yes, but no one knew that,
including her husband.

He came back early
from a business trip.

The housekeeper
was on vacation.

He called the police.

It was a misunderstanding.
Ruth was fine.

Of course she was.

You said Mrs. Thomas
felt humiliated

by what Mr. Christopher
had done to her.
Is she a proud woman?

She was a dignified woman.

The kind of woman who would
be embarrassed to face people

after she'd been made a fool
of by a man who pretended
to love her.

Objection.
Calls for speculation.

Sustained.

The kind of woman who might
run and hide from her
devastating humiliation.

Objection.
Withdrawn.

By the way, Mrs. Grayson,
that time Ruth Thomas went to
Bermuda, did she take a boat?

No, she flew.

Seasick.

He's got the jury thinking

that she came face to face
with a cruise ship and backed
out.

Cruise ships have stabilizers.
I'll put on a witness.

Can you find one saying
that Mrs. Thomas didn't
disappear for two weeks?

Are you even sure
that the woman is dead?

It's tough to prove
a negative, Adam.

This book here,
prove to me you haven't
opened it in the last month.

The police ever find
a murder weapon?
A witness?

Anyone on the boat
who saw Christopher and
Mrs. Thomas at the dock?

They're trying.
These passengers are
scattered all over the world.

It'd take months.
If I had more time...

You should have thought
of that before you arrested

Christopher without
sufficient evidence.

He knew we were on to him.
He might have flown the coop.

And now, after he's acquitted,
he'll just stroll.

I've got the addendum
to the forensics report
on Christopher's car.

Did you give it to Linde?

I just got it, Jack.

Claire, help me here, please.

I'm sorry, my transporter
beam was down.

Great. I've got Adam
all over my back,

I've got a killer who's
about to bluff his way

into an acquittal with
a wink and a smile,

and you chose this moment
to go into your wiseass
routine?

Excuse me?
Forget it.

Ruth was opening
a bottle of Chardonnay,

corkscrew slipped,
she bled on the deck.
I thought I cleaned it all up.

And this emergency-room
admission form, is this the
one Mrs. Thomas filled out

when you drove her
from your boat to the
Westchester Hospital?

Yes, it's dated June 9th.

Months before
Mrs. Thomas disappeared.

That's right.

Before you saw him in
this court, were you
acquainted with Tibor Nichols?

I've done business with him
for years, I see now it was
a mistake.

What do you mean?

His reputation in the
horse world is unsavory.

I had always thought
people were against him

just because he
wasn't of their class.

But you did speak to him
about Mrs. Thomas?

I had to talk to him
about a horse auction.
I mentioned Ruth.

I had just learned that
she was leaving me.

I was very upset.
I was talking about Ruth
to waiters, to taxi drivers.

Did you in any way
suggest Mr. Nichols harm her?

Harm Ruth? Because of a
disagreement over a couple
of horses? Of course not.

Has anyone,
except Mrs. Thomas,

ever been dissatisfied after
buying a horse from you?

Yes, people seem to need
to blame somebody

when an investment
doesn't work out.

And those people
that blamed you,
did you kill them?

No, I gave them
their money back.

Thank you.
No more questions.

You couldn't afford
to pay Ruth Thomas back,
could you?

Over time, I could've, yes.

Over time.

But she gave you
a 90-day deadline.

She's very emotional.

Our business difficulties
were all mixed up with our
personal difficulties.

We were in love.

Then why were you sending
expensive presents to
Susan Merriman?

My relationship
with Mrs. Merriman

was strictly friendly
until it was clear
Ruth was leaving me.

Mrs. Merriman is
a rich woman, isn't she?

She's comfortable.

So how did you think
she would have reacted

to Ruth Thomas publicly
charging you with fraud
and deceit?

Objection.
Calls for speculation.

Your Honor,
may I answer the question?

If you wish.

Ruth's charges have
surfaced now, haven't they?

And worse, and Mrs. Merriman
and I are still very close.

But you couldn't have known
that she'd be that gullible.

Objection.
Sustained.

She still doesn't know
about all the other women
you swindled, does she?

Objection.

The witness testified on
direct that he had other
dissatisfied customers.

Dissatisfied,
not swindled.

The objection is sustained.

The jury will disregard
the District Attorney's
choice of language.

Mr. McCoy, watch yourself.

Mr. Christopher, your little
story about Ruth Thomas
bleeding on your boat,

how did her blood get
into the trunk of your car?

Did she take a nap there
while you drove her to
the hospital?

No. Her hand was
wrapped in a towel.

After we got to the hospital,
I threw it in the trunk.

But the blood wasn't
on the trunk floor,
it was on the top lining,

where a body
might have touched it.

So would a towel,

if it had landed on
top of my golf bag.

Your golf bag?

Your golf bag
just happened to be in
exactly the right place?

Isn't that convenient?
It's true.

Ruth Thomas still had some
money left after she was done
being swindled by you,

didn't she?
Objection.

Sustained.
No more, Mr. McCoy.

So her threat to ruin you
was something you had to
worry about, wasn't it?

Ruth never threatened me.

Sure she did.

And she had the resources
to back it up, unlike your
other victims.

Your Honor, approach?

I move for a mistrial in view
of the District Attorney's
persistent mentioning

of alleged
prior bad acts.

You were warned, Mr. McCoy.

They're obviously relevant.

I said they weren't.

Then you can instruct
the jury to ignore them.

The jury's heard too much.
You can't wipe it out with
an admonition.

If Your Honor would only...

Never mind, Mr. McCoy,
we're finished here.

A mistrial is granted.

I think Simmons will
take a plea, and I want to
postpone the Horowitz trial.

The fish market case
has to come first.

Okay.

What about Lyle Christopher?

I hope you've been putting
your extra time to good use.

The cruise ship's manifest.

The German police
talked to a man named

Burckhardt Klemstein
in Hamburg.

He says he thinks he
remembers seeing a man
looking like Christopher

holding the arm of a woman
looking like Ruth Thomas.

Yes?

Thank you,
I'll tell him.

Your lucky day.

A fisherman just dragged
Ruth Thomas' body out
of Long Island Sound.

Don't celebrate yet.

Christopher's lawyer
is gonna rake you over
the coals.

If he can show that you
provoked the mistrial

to get a second shot
at his client,

the case gets thrown out
no matter how many bodies
you dredge up.

Not unless I deliberately
provoked a mistrial, Adam.

If I just got carried away...

You did want more time, Jack.

It wasn't like that at all.
You know how emotional I get.