Original subtitles

Previously on NYPD blue...

Did the NYPD do something to anger you, Mr. Lipe?

Driving while impaired.

That�s what I was charged with

on April 4, 1991, when it was

prescription cold medicine I had taken.

I�m telling you that your father is sick,

and he�s in the hospital. It could be weeks,

it could be a few days. Did he ask to see me?

I�m not going to see him.

My guys interviewed ray Morrison before he went to surgery.

He�s saying you beat him for nothing.

He assaulted detective mcdowell

before anyone made a move.

Did you really need five detectives

and a fire extinguisher to bring him down?

If you�re gonna push your lifestyle in my face again,

then you should turn around and leave.

You�re in my prayers, dad,

and I hope you make a full recovery.

You can�t talk about anything else other than being gay?

Tommy said at the haunted house

the ghost is on the ride with you,

and some of them sing.

Well, they sound very talented. Comb your hair out.

I don�t want you late for school.

They also got a pirate ride.

Theo, you don�t have to keep reminding me about Disney world.

I remember promising that to you, and i�ll stand by it.

But when?

Well, making plans to travel so far takes time.

How much?

Another week or so.

Why don�t you go grab your lunch out of the fridge?

There�s a space roller coaster, too.

Tommy said i�m not big enough for it,

but you and Connie can go.

Listen, Theo,

I know Connie goes to a lot of places with US,

but she won�t be coming to Florida. Why not?

�cause she�s got to work.

I can do it because i�m taking some special time off.

I want Connie to come. Well, she can�t.

She�s busy. It�ll just be you and me.

She came to the zoo.

Yeah, but that was three hours.

This is four days. It�s different.

If she doesn�t come, I won�t go.

Then we won�t go.

Fine.

Fine.

Theo, come on.

Let�s just go to school.

Hey.

D.o.a.�s a David bullhack.

Lives two blocks down on 4th street.

Three in the chest.

Who called it in?

Witness on the second floor heard shots at 5:00 a. M.,

looked out his window, and saw a cab taking off.

Witness got the license number. Rita�s running it.

Gypsy cab.

Yeah.

�cause there�s no way you�re going to get

a yellow cab with a black passenger

at 5:00 in the morning.

Theo says hi.

Yeah?

Yeah. He�s lobbying to go to Disney world.

Kid�s relentless.

Are you taking him?

Yeah, I guess.

Anyways...

Wallet and cash still on him.

Cab comes back to a Ryan lipe.

Lipe. How do I know that name?

It�s that gypsy cab guy,

the witness on that park shooting,

had the beef with the department for the d.U.I.

Total creep.

Yeah. Him?

You build a rapport?

Well, as much as we could with a 40-year-old guy

who still lives with his mom.

We�ll take it.

Yeah. We�ll canvass.

You guys do me a favor, cover him back up?

Hey, Clark.

Ortiz. Her husband who just died --

I heard that he was actually her ex-husband.

Am I right on that?

They were getting divorced.

Were they close?

I mean, I guess. Why?

Well, if she was looking to rebound,

I wouldn�t mind helping her out with that, right?

Look, maybe you could give me a heads up

as far as that�s concerned,

unless one of you guys is already hitting her.

You going to slide your wedding ring off

before you ask what her sign is?

What are you, the department chaplain now?

Does she need you hitting on her right now?

Probably not.

I�m just asking her story.

You don�t got to be an asshole about it.

She buried her ex a week ago.

Go nuts.

Have a seat, Mr. Lipe.

Yeah, i�m just gonna stand here with my finger up my butt?

Any idea why we�d bring you in today?

How about we just get to it

instead of playing guessing games?

Where you been this morning?

Working.

Driving your cab? Correct.

You drive by St. mark�s in the bowery?

Yes.

When were you there?

5:03 a. M.

What were you doing there?

Dropping off a fare. What did he look like?

He was a rabbi.

Who do you think I was dropping off at St. mark�s

at 5:00 in the morning?

What did he look like?

He was a black man.

You two have a disagreement?

We did. Over?

Him wanting my money

and me preferring to hold on to it.

You pull a gun? I did.

You shoot it? Absolutely.

Because he was robbing you, you�re saying?

That�s right.

Did he have a weapon?

A gun.

We didn�t find one at the crime scene.

See, this is why I didn�t come forward.

I have been screwed in my dealings

with the NYPD, and here I am getting railroaded again.

Meaning what?

Meaning someone in your department

who�s still trying to get back at me

for proving it was police error

when I was charged with my d.U.I. 10 years ago

somehow makes that guy�s gun disappear

to make me look like I killed him for no reason

so I get framed for murder.

No offense, lipe, but you�re really not worth the trouble.

That man had a gun in my face,

demanding my money.

It was him or me, and I defended myself,

which I have a right to do.

Where�s your gun now?

My nightstand.

All right, start from where you picked up this fare,

and run the whole thing through.

Why bother?

This police department�s just going to bend me over again.

All right, shut your mouth about everything else

except what happened this morning.

Homicide outside the cat and fiddle bar.

On hester?

Yeah. Mcdowell and Ortiz still on canvass?

Yeah. You want them to help out on this?

If they�re done.

What did you get from lipe?

Copped to it. Claiming self-defense.

Junior�s getting his statement.

But no gun on the d. O. A.?

In that neighborhood, there�s a good chance

it got glommed.

Where�s lipe�s gun?

His apartment. We�ll swing by, pick it up,

drop it at ballistics.

All right, lipe stays till Heywood weighs in.-

so, how�s it going, John?

Fine, detective.

Any progress with your dad?

No improvement. He�s still very ill.

But did you see him?

I did.

You talked?

He�s very sick, and justifiably depressed.

So no progress?

At least I got to see him.

Is Tony Rodriguez in?

Go ahead, you can go on in.

Hey!

Tony, qut pasa, mi brother?

Daniel. Must be five years.

How you been keeping?

Good, you know.

Retired several years back.

Just started up a dry cleaners with my wife.

Entrepreneur.

Hey, there you go.

So, you in the neighborhood?

Nah, I live out on the island, Tony.

You go over the work off the late tour yet?

What am I looking for?

My son Peter was in a bar fight,

got blown way out of proportion.

What�s the story?

This guy was loaded, he�s mouthing off,

he�s putting his hands on women,

so petey tells him to cool it.

The guy swings, nicks petey�s chin.

Petey swung back, connected -- once.

Hey, just to cool the guy off.

Then he split.

Next thing he knows, there�s uniform cops

knocking at his door.

Did he get locked up?

Nah, he didn�t answer the door, man.

He was terrified.

What�s the complainant say?

It was Peter who was drunk,

and, unprovoked, attacked him with a pool cue.

A little disparity there.

Tony, petey�s like me.

He�s got a little bit of a temper, but he�s not a bad kid.

And if he throws down, it�s never out of the blue,

and not with a pool cue.

Let me look into it.

Personally, or are you going to assign it out?

I�ll take a look at it first.

You looking to make it go away?

I�ll talk to the complainant.

Maybe sober he�s a different guy.

I can�t tell you how much I appreciate it.

I can�t tell you how much petey appreciates it.

What�s this?

A grand for you or your guys --

whoever handles it. My thanks ahead of time.

I don�t know what you�re thinking, Daniel,

you know that�s not how I work.

But this is between friends.

And as a friend, I said i�d look into it.

I didn�t mean no disrespect.

Forget it. I�ll be in touch.

Thanks, Tony.

Hey.

D. O. A.�s a Timothy richtman.

Radio car pulled around the corner

and saw this guy leaning over him.

They thought he was lifting the d. O. A.�s wallet,

but he says richtman got punched in the face

by a stranger who whacked his head.

He was trying to revive him.

Who is he?

Joe Brady. Says him and the d. O. A. Are sort of friends.

We haven�t talked to him past that.

All right, we�ll take him.

D. O. A.�s cell phone.

We�ll start a canvass.

Detectives medavoy and Jones.

How you doing, Joe?

I�m flippin� out. I mean, look at him.

He looks like he could just get up and walk away.

What happened?

I came for a drink,

but this place isn�t open for some reason,

and then Tim shows, and we figure

we�ll find another place.

And then this giant black dude,

he walks up and nails Tim in the face.

For nothing?

Guy was trying to go in the bar,

so Tim tells him it�s closed,

the guy tried the door anyway,

and then Tim says,

"can�t you hear, you stupid ape?"

And the guy drilled him and took off.

You do anything about it?

The guy was massive. I mean, no way.

Anyone else see it?

No, it was pretty empty here earlier.

You ever see the big guy before? Never.

Tim seem to know him? It happened too quick.

Well, how do you know Tim?

I seen him in some bars, but just to say hello.

The guy�s a fruit, but I just say hello.

So this is a gay joint?

No, no, no, that�s not me.

I�m just saying about him

because maybe it would be helpful.

I don�t know.

I�m freaking out here a little.

I never seen anyone killed before.

Sure, we understand.

Can I split?

I really need to go home now.

We�re going to need you to come down to the station house

while we look into this a little more, Joe.

I told you what happened.

Yeah, but when we get this big guy in,

we�re gonna need you to identify him

while it�s still fresh in your mind.

Yeah? I guess.

I mean, you sure he�s dead?

He looks perfectly fine to me.

Come on, Joe.

No eyewitnesses.

Just the guy who saw the cab drive off

a couple of seconds after the shots were fired.

This witness see anybody take the gun

off the d. O. A.?

No, but he went back into the building

to dial 911, so it could have got swiped in the interim.

Wouldn�t be the first time a gun got swiped

at a shooting scene.

But whoever may have stolen the gun off the d. O. A.

Didn�t steal his wallet.

It�s easier to grab a gun off the pavement

than go through somebody�s pockets.

Cab driver got a sheet?

D.w.i. 10 years ago, which he�ll be happy

to spend five hours describing

how it was police department error. Nothing violent, though.

He might be good for it. We�re just saying we don�t have enough to hold him.

Tony: D. O. A. Wasn�t shot in the back, so it wasn�t like

he was running away and lipe was out of danger.

Why didn�t the cabby come forward, though? Why�d we have to track him down?

His gun is not licensed. He panicked.

You getting the drift that we don�t want to lock this guy up?

Are you getting the drift that i�m gonna have to

respond to my bosses why we haven�t made

a summary arrest in this case?

This cabby stepped up and did the right thing

on a case we had a while ago

involving a 3-year-old girl who was killed.

It�s your call.

We kick him, is he going anywhere?

We don�t see that happening.

All right, let�s kick him for now and keep investigating.

All right, we�ll head back out and re-canvass the crime scene.

Rita?

Ed laughlin.

Sure.

We never officially met.

How�s it going?

I just wanted to say

how sorry I am about what happened.

Thank you. Thanks a lot.

I recently lost an uncle

who I was really close with, so --

I mean, I know it�s not the same thing, but --

well, I appreciate the thought.

So, if you ever need someone to talk to

who�s been there, i�m around.

Thanks.

Clark: This vulture over here,

trying to move in on Ortiz.

What, I can�t express my condolences?

Clark: Whatever you�re doing, laughlin,

it�s working. Seriously.

She didn�t make you for a douche bag at all.

Come on.

If you got a little puppy love crush on her,

just say so, Clark.

What?

Why don�t you go give out some parking summons,

laughlin, all right?

Something you can handle. Come on.

Did you find the guy that hit Tim?

I�m kind of ready to hit the road.

We�re working on it.

In the meantime, it would be a big help

if you could clarify what your relationship was with Tim.

Why? We�ve been calling numbers from tim�s cell phone,

talkin� to his friends, and they say you�ve been hanging out together.

Like I said, i�d see him in bars.

He�d be drinking at that end, i�m down here.

We�d say hello.

His friends say you�ve been together

all the time for a week. Why lie about it?

I didn�t want you thinking i�m a hustler.

That�s not me.

We don�t care about that, Joe. We just want the truth.

He was buying drinks, dinner, and stuff,

but I never touched him.

Never.

I would never, ever do that.

Then what was he paying for?

I used to be a fighter.

Diamond Joe Brady.

He heard of me, he liked having me around.

To hear the old war stories?

I got a few.

I sparred ray Leonard.

Sugar ray?

What are you doing for a living now, Joe?

Between gigs.

Baldwin: What about Tim?

He used to be some big ballet dancer.

Did you two ever argue

about him having money and you being broke?

He just bought me some drinks.

And that never grated on you, relying on some little fruit?

What are you trying to get me to say?

Did you kill him, Joe?

Me? No.

No, I told you what happened.

You told US a lot of things,

and most turned out to be lies.

We want to help, but we can�t until you�re honest.

This giant black guy punched him and killed him,

and wasting time with me

is only letting that giant get further away.

Now that�s the truth, so help me.

Hope so.

Inside.

I didn�t do anything.

Mr. Riley, lieutenant Tony Rodriguez.

I need to ask some questions about the incident last night

at duffy�s tavern.

Um, yeah, okay, come in.

Just visiting town?

Yeah, business meeting. I�m supposed to leave tomorrow.

Is that going to hurt my case?

It shouldn�t. Regarding your case,

I need you to clear up some discrepancies

between what you say happened and Mr. Vega�s side of it.

Discrepancies? The guy was wasted.

He bumped into me, and I told him to say, "excuse me."

And then he went after me with a pool cue.

Where did he hit you?

In the gut, mostly.

How many times did he strike you?

I don�t remember.

Did you get looked at by a doctor?

No, I felt all right after a while.

So you weren�t hurt too badly?

Should I have seen a doctor?

I mean, is this pointless without that?

I�m asking because what you�re alleging is a felony assault.

If Mr. Vega is convicted, he�s looking at jail time.

What, so I shouldn�t do it? You think jail time is warranted?

Are you asking me to drop the case?

I�m asking you to weigh the crime

versus a potential punishment.

Being completely honest, Mr. Riley,

I know this kid�s father, and they�re a decent family.

Okay.

If this is a case more about a bruised ego

than real physical pain,

i�d appreciate you taking that into consideration.

Well, I tell you,

a little financial consideration might make this go away.

That�s not on the table.

Well, if you�re friends with the guy,

maybe you could see that it gets on the table.

You can make it worth your while, too.

Mr. Riley, my detectives will be in touch.

Hey.

Hey. What�s up with lipe?

He�s saying it�s self-defense.

We�re looking into it.

Boy, this whole Disney world thing -- what a headache.

You don�t want to go?

It�s just every other damn thing.

You�ll have fun.

What a headache.

Andy, is there something you want to tell me

about Disney world and/or Theo?

No, it�s just Theo wants you to go, so...

Do you want me to go?

To Disney world?

I haven�t even thought about it.

What are you getting at? You want to go?

If I was asked.

Well, we�d definitely have separate rooms.

I don�t want you thinking -- I mean,

it�s not like we�d be going away together.

I�d love to go. When?

We�re still working that out. I�ll let you know.

Sounds great.

Connie, we finally got a hold of the owner

of the cat and fiddle. Turns out he actually does

have a regular who�s a 300-pound black guy.

Owner said the guy�s name is Chester dodd.

We�re going to grab him up. Keep the boxer in the pokey?

Yeah, till we talk to this guy.

Where�s the lieutenant?

Lost time. He didn�t say.

-And you�re 100% on all this?

Okay. Thanks.

What�s going on?

Ballistics ran the gun Ryan lipe used this morning.

It comes back, there�s two other bodies on it.

From when? Both from last month.

Who were the d. O. A. S?

Black males -- one at 2:00 A.M. the other at 4:00 a. M.

Both in Harlem, both mysteries.

Were they armed? The first one was, not the second.

You kicked lipe already, right?

Yeah, that twitchy little troll.

Well, i�ll send for the folders on these two homicides,

while you guys grab him up. All right.

Hey.

Hi.

Do you have time for a coffee?

I-I don�t. I�m swamped. Um, let me call you later.

That�s what you said yesterday.

I�m really busy, Delia. I�m sorry.

Dad wanted me to tell you he�d like to see you again.

This time to talk.

He said plenty last week.

I got the feeling he regretted what happened.

I can�t do this now. There�s too much going on.

I�ll call you later. Okay.

I�m sorry.

I am, too.

Sit down.

Let me guess.

The gun was never found, so i�m getting charged

with a murder I didn�t commit. Close?

Is this the first time you use your gun

to work out a problem with a fare?

Yes. Where�s this going?

Your gun was used in two other shootings, lipe.

This is --

I --

I can�t believe it. Well, actually, I do believe it.

Two shootings with your gun the last two months.

Were they trying to Rob you like the guy this morning?

This is beyond my wildest imaginings,

that the NYPD would stoop to put three murders on me!

May you all go to hell!

Quit tap-dancing and tell US what happened, lipe.

I know nothing about other shootings,

and you will stop calling me lipe,

like we�re buddies on the same softball team

and you�re trying to snap my ass with your towel

in the showers or something.

You want to frame me? Frame me.

But you will not take my dignity.

You keep dicking around with US,

your dignity is the first of about 10 things

i�ll knock out of you!

Lipe!

I bought the gun off a fare!

A fare.

Yes! A white guy.

A complete stranger,

yet he took the time to talk to me

and express concern and interest and compassion

instead of all the self-absorbed high-and-mightys

who treat me like a robot.

When was this? Two days ago.

And when the conversation turned to how I had been robbed

and beaten recently, he offered a solution

in the form of a handgun which I bought.

And i�m thankful I did.

You spin a pretty good yarn there, lipe.

It�s the truth! Remember the truth,

or have you been on the NYPD too long?

Go ahead and finish your tale about this, mystery man.

A mystery man who cared, who turned out to be my savior.

Where did you drop this guy off?

I�ll tell you, but I want it on record

that it doesn�t sit well giving this man up.

Noted. Where�d you drop him off?

At 312 east 84th street.

I assume he lived in the building.

He had a Boston accent. May I go now?

You�re not going anywhere until we verify your story.

Describe this guy.

So, Tony, i�m assuming you got good news.

Where�d you get the idea to throw money my way?

Well, i�m making a few bucks, man.

I just wanted to be thankful.

�cause the complainant in your son�s case

was looking for a payout and offered to cut me in.

And? And what, Daniel?

And i�m fine with it if you are.

What are you doing?

I�m sorry, Tony.

You son of a bitch!

You think I would�ve done it if I had a choice!

Who put you up to this?

You�re going to tell me now!

Tony, Tony, i�m working something off, man.

I can�t go to jail!

Son of a bitch!

But I knew they couldn�t nail you, man.

I knew you wouldn�t take money!

You think that�s going to matter, Daniel? I�m sorry.

Back away, lieutenant. Let�s go, vega.

I�m sorry, Tony.

You�re under suspension. Shield and gun.

It�s okay.

Your delegate will be here in a minute.

Can�t say that i�m not a little disappointed, Tony.

I�d would have thought the opposite, captain.

Why do you say that?

If someone didn�t know better,

they might think this was a no-win setup.

Haven�t you ever heard of an integrity test?

This played out more like a personal vendetta.

So you fail to report a bribe, and it�s my fault.

I�ve known Daniel vega 15 years.

He was my friend. He came to me to help his son.

Lieutenant, did Daniel vega try to bribe you,

and did you fail to report it?

I did 14 years undercover, captain.

I�ve worked money laundering cases

involving tens of millions of dollars --

drug cases where I personally handled

trash bags full of cash --

and never once was my integrity called into question.

Lieutenant, did you or did you not fail to report

the bribe attempt?

Is this what you waste your time on?

You actually call this corruption?

I do. The department does, the patrol guy does.

So i�ll ask you again -- you have the tape. You know the answer.

In my report, i�ll just put down that you failed to respond.

Can we get this done with? We got two homicides.

I need to get back.

But you got nothing to get back to, lieutenant.

You�ve been relieved of your command.

You�re free to go, captain.

So what�s up? This is cutting into my sleep time.

You a night owl?

Bouncer at the limelight.

Where were you around 9:00 this morning?

Home.

You happen by hester street on your way home,

maybe pass by the cat and fiddle bar?

Why? Why do you think, Chester?

You got to be kidding.

Tell US what happened.

That little bitch called me an ape,

which is stone racist, and I wouldn�t take it.

What would you do?

It would depend on my mood.

Yeah, well, I worked all night. I got in two fights

with a couple of goombahs, and I wasn�t in the mood

to be called an ape -- a stupid ape.

Yeah, so what�d you do?

I gave him a smack -- a little smack --

just to shut him up. There was no assault.

How hard did he hit the ground?

He didn�t hit the ground.

What happened next?

I walked away. I went home.

End of a bad night.

You notice anyone else around when you hit him, Chester?

His boyfriend was there.

Yeah, well, that boyfriend says that you hit him harder

than a little smack. It�s a lie.

Well, we�re inclined to believe him

seeing how the guy you hit is in the morgue right now.

Like he�s dead?

The key to this, Chester,

is to present yourself in a sympathetic state of mind.

To who? A judge.

A judge?

With guys in your face all night,

this one was more than you could take, and you snapped.

It was an open hand, like a shove.

It won�t matter how sympathetic your story is

if you keep lying.

When I walked away from that bitch, he was alive --

screaming at his boyfriend.

I could hear it a block away.

What was he screaming about?

I don�t know. Bitch talk.

All I know is, I didn�t kill him.

Are we done?

No, not quite.

You�re sticking around.

And we got no idea who that guy was

the boss was talking to?

The lieutenant knew him and waved him in,

so he didn�t give his name.

You know what? From now on,

when people come in this place,

get their names, have them sign in or something.

People waltzing in and out of here like a hotel lobby.

That was a woman who lives across from the cat and fiddle.

Found our card under her door, says she has information.

Let�s tell Greg and Baldwin what we got, then head out.

That building where lipe says

he dropped off the guy who sold him the gun --

the owner�s faxing over a tenants� list.

No word on the boss?

Nope.

We still don�t know

who the guy was he was talking to?

No one knows anything.

Okay. Well, one of those homicides tied to lipe�s gun --

the one from two weeks ago --

there�s a witness. At her work up in Harlem,

she typed a statement that wasn�t in the folder

we got from the catching detective.

Go ahead and take it.

I got to find out what the hell is going on here. All right.

Well, the cat and fiddle is right there,

and this is my seat, so I got a pretty good view.

Tell US what you saw this morning.

Well, these two fellas are standing at the fiddle door,

which is usually open. Today, I guess not.

And this third guy -- a large black man --

he comes up on them. They talk a little,

and then the black guy --

he cracks one of the other guys in the face.

Did the guy just take it? Did he strike back?

Did he fall down?

No, he just stood there, stunned.

Can you pass that, kid?

Hold off a second, Mrs. Sewall.

Tell US what happened next.

The black fellow walked away,

and the one that got hit

started screaming at his friend.

Screaming about what?

I couldn�t hear. One just screamed

until his friend hit him in the face and dropped him.

And you were here all morning?

Yeah, I don�t go out. I got a bad hip.

Can I have it, please?

We can�t have you drinking now.

We need you to come to the station house

and give a statement telling what you saw.

No. Nuh-unh. I don�t leave the house.

You�re gonna have to. This is a murder case.

Forget it then. Forget I said anything.

We can�t do that.

You take me out of there, i�ll start screaming.

I haven�t been outside in four years.

I�m not going! Can I have it, please?

We�ll let ourselves out.

Honey, I wrote everything down.

Very thorough.

Soon as I got to work the next day.

You did a great job.

So they still haven�t found who shot that man?

It�s an ongoing investigation.

Can I ask you a question?

How much does a cop start off making, roughly?

28,000.

�cause I was thinking about maybe taking the test,

they have good health benefits, too, right?

�cause I don�t get health benefits here.

No? Mnh-mnh.

The, what do you call it -- academy.

Is that like boot camp or something?

You saw a gypsy cab driving off after you heard the shots?

Yeah, that�s right. I remember �cause you don�t see

a lot of white people up on 145th street at 2:00 a. M.

Can I take this with me?

Sure.

Okay.

Is that you on the beach?

Ooh, yeah, me and my sister in Jamaica.

Did you get the trip comped through your work here? Yeah.

Stay a travel agent. Trust me.

Thanks for the help.

What�s going on, lieu?

Iab�s brought a beef against me.

Who�s behind it? The new guy -- that fraker?

That�s not important.

What�s important is there�s no merit to it.

What are they saying?

I can�t go into details. I just want you to trust

that I didn�t do anything wrong.

You working it out at your desk?

I�ve been reassigned to the borough.

I�m sure they�ll be sending a replacement.

They didn�t say when.

But just temporary.

I was told to clear out. That�s all I can say for now.

What was his story --

that friend of yours?

It�s a meritless beef. It doesn�t matter.

Why you?

I don�t know, Andy.

Just work your case.

So either this fraker is a lunatic

or he�s got something personal against you.

For what? I never met fraker before two weeks ago.

It�s got to be something.

Andy, I need you to keep your head.

If i�m going, you�re going to have to hold down the office.

Hey, don�t start digging your grave, all right?

If it�s meritless, it�ll go away.

If iab wants my hide, they�ll get it.

Work your case, Andy.

I�ll be checking in.

It�s gonna be all right.

Yeah.

So?

So we hit a snag, Joe.

We talked to the big black guy

that you said killed Tim.

He says he only gave him a little slap.

What do you expect?

Baldwin: There�s a witness who supports it.

A woman who sits by a window all day saw what happened.

She�s lying.

Have you been having some hard luck recently?

You looking at me again now?

Has hard luck forced you into doing things

you never would have considered doing?

I don�t know what you�re talking about.

After the black guy hit Tim and walked away, what was Tim yelling at you about?

Tim was on the ground.

Was he angry �cause you didn�t hit the guy back?

He was dying on the ground.

What got you mad enough to kill him?

He call you a fag?

Why would something like that bother me?

�cause you�re ashamed you�ve been doing him

to keep yourself fed.

I never touched him.

But you let him touch you. Is that right?

You were doing what you had to do

to survive,

and he insulted you, so you hit him.

Explain it that way,

and it�s most likely manslaughter,

or we�ll go with what the witness saw

and what cops saw when they drove up --

that you were going through tim�s pockets

looking to steal his wallet.

I-I was trying to help him.

You got to explain that,

or you killed him for his wallet and it�s murder.

What happened outside the bar?

The black guy slapped him,

and I didn�t do anything about it.

You saw him. The guy�s huge.

What did Tim call you?

Faggot, queen.

Said he bet that I never was a boxer,

that I was a bigger fairy than he ever was.

So you hit him.

Just once.

But his head hit the sidewalk like a coconut.

I swear, I promise, I wasn�t stealing his wallet.

I was trying to help him.

Ed: I don�t know anything about computers...

I mean nothing...

One sec.

Hey, Clark.

Smoker�s coming up in a month.

Great.

Kind of hoping someone from the detective squad

would finally lace them up.

I�m starting to think you guys are all soft up there.

Is that what you spend your time

hoping for, laughlin?

Aah, you�re probably worried

about getting your cute little nose broke.

Look, all�s I was trying to get across to you

was Ortiz has been through a lot lately,

and she don�t need anybody bringing more static

into her life.

If you don�t want to take my word for it,

go ahead, and find out for yourself, okay?

How is she? Caliente?

Come on. Don�t lie to me.

�cause I really need to know.

Give it up.

I�m going to kick your ass.

Ha ha.

Someone�s in for a big, big surprise.

Thank you. You made my week.

Lipe: And the next summer, guess who�s there --

Johnny football hero,

and he proceeded to torture me again.

Camp tomahawk -- what a joke.

He�s all yours.

How long you been driving a gypsy cab?

Three years. Why?

You drove a yellow before?

Yes.

Why�d you switch?

You get your license revoked?

I told the limousine commission to shove it.

Why?

They told US we had to pick up thugs.

They even went so far as to have cops, decoys,

dressed like bushwhackers trying to call a cab.

I got two summons in a row

for failure to take a fare, and I said enough.

Went to work for a car service.

You�re a car, you pick up who you want.

Shouldn�t you be looking for that man from Boston

who sold me that gun?

You were robbed a month and a half ago in Harlem.

Is that the first time you�ve been robbed?

Yes.

How�d you go all that time before

without getting robbed?

By being careful.

Not driving above central park.

That�s one way, yes.

Not picking up certain types of people.

Is this news to you?

So then how does a cabby who knows better

end up getting robbed in Harlem?

Maybe that cabby, when he stopped at 61st and park

to let off a fare and a black kid jumps in at the same time

wanting to go to Harlem, and the cabby tells him he�s off duty,

that kid pulls a gun and puts it to the cabby�s head.

Maybe that would get him up to 134th street.

Maybe that cabby gets a gun.

Maybe.

Maybe the next time he gets robbed,

he defends himself, which feels pretty good.

Next time after that,

maybe the guy doesn�t even have a gun,

maybe the cabby�s not gonna take any chances.

Maybe.

First guy had a gun, that�s one thing.

But why would a cabby kill two more black kids

who weren�t armed?

People have paths,

and they cross constantly.

Most crossings are benign and meaningless,

but sometimes two paths can conflict.

Take, for example, a cab driver

who has been insulted, cheated,

disregarded, ignored, now robbed and beaten,

so that cab driver�s forced to carry a gun.

And now over here is a black kid

who doesn�t want to pay for a ride,

essentially robbing the cabby.

So what we have are two paths crossing

and conflicting. Do you understand?

So the cabby is justified killing somebody who doesn�t pay.

My sense is that it would be out of the cabby�s hands at this point.

We have a witness who saw you on 145th street

two weeks ago

when you shot that man in the chest.

Now, I know you don�t trust the NYPD

and you don�t like cooperating with US,

but i�m gonna tell you, Mr. Lipe,

you�re gonna get charged with these shootings.

It�s all out of my hands now.

No, it isn�t.

No. You tell US what happened.

You help yourself by coming clean,

and we can work out a deal.

Once you go into the system,

then it�s out of your hands.

Right now, you still control your fate.

What�s at issue here

is how much can one person withstand?

That�s what needs to be addressed.

Let�s talk about it, then.

Good night.

Did lipe go? Yeah.

For all three homicides?

Yeah.

�cause he was being robbed? First one was half a shot,

it was justified. The next two...

This guy�s coming apart at the seams.

Any word from Rodriguez?

Nothing.

We know he wasn�t locked up,

so that�s a good sign.

Or they�re toying with him like a mouse

till they�re ready to move in.

Should we see what we can find out?

A bunch of calls could aggravate it.

So we sit here stewing.

No, we...

We go home, and if Rodriguez calls any of US

with a course of action, we pass it along to the others.

Yeah, I guess.

I�m going to stay and work on some of the fives tonight.

Anything comes up, i�ll call you.

Hey.

Hey.

I hear you�re fighting laughlin in the smoker.

Word�s out?

Is it about him being an idiot to me?

I-I guess it started there, yeah.

Well, it�s nice of you,

but i�ve handled jerks like him before.

Laughlin�s got an attitude that needs some readjustment.

You ever fought?

Sure.

It�s been a while.

They got headgear and mouth guards,

referees -- it�s no big deal.

Someone standing up for me -- that�s a big deal.

You deserve to be stood up for.

Thanks.

Um...

Hey, I better get going.

Okay. I�ll see you tomorrow.

Hey, John.

Hi.

Daddy, john�s here.

I�ll be outside.

You wanted to see me?

I want to call a truce. Can we do that?

Only if you can accept me for who I am.

I�m tired, John.

I don�t want to go through all of that again.

Then why did you ask me to come?

It shouldn�t be too much to expect

my only son to show up

and comfort me on my deathbed.

You said i�d shamed the family.

You disowned me.

Am I just supposed to forget all that?

Maybe not forget it, but forgive it.

It�s not that simple.

I�m dying, John.

I�m scared. It doesn�t get much simpler than that.

I was scared, too,

and when I came to you for comfort and understanding,

you abandoned me.

You can�t just wave a magic wand

and make that go away.

Being gay wasn�t a choice.

Why would I choose a life

that cost me my father�s love?

I do love you, Johnny. I�ve always loved you.

You�re my son.

I love you, too.

Can we leave it at that?

Okay.

I only got a minute.

What�s going on with Rodriguez and fraker?

I�m supposed to just spew out confidential information?

If you�re not, why�d you show up? I�d be happy to leave.

So now you�re on the same level with fraker --

an asshole who�s got no problem

hanging out a decent guy for nothing,

which I know you�re not.

The way I heard it,

Rodriguez didn�t report a bribe attempt.

Attempt, meaning he didn�t take it.

It�s still a jackpot.

No, it�s a load of crap.

Who�s the guy that set him up -- the friend?

Daniel vega, retired off the job.

Last year he got nailed using his old badge

to shake down dope dealers for cash.

He offered himself up.

So how�d fraker make the connection

between vega and Rodriguez?

He�s been looking into Rodriguez.

I guess they have a history.

Well, that�s fairly clear, martens,

but what�s the history?

The way I heard it, Rodriguez is the reason

that fraker�s in internal affairs.

Meaning what?

When Rodriguez was in undercover narcotics,

fraker was in uniform, apparently riding shotgun

for some guy he didn�t know was a dope dealer.

Your boy ratted him out.

Rodriguez gave him up by name?

I don�t know.

You don�t say a guy�s a rat

and let it sit there like a turd.

I told you what I know.

If it�s true, Rodriguez had to have a rep for it.

Maybe, maybe not.

So now fraker�s after him.

The way he sees it, Rodriguez dropped the dime,

put him into internal affairs, where he never wanted to be,

and even though fraker has made captain,

he�s still a bitter prick

�cause he knows with this stink on him,

he�ll never be able to leave iab.

Rodriguez gave up cops. You�re sure?

Good advice is start swimming

so Rodriguez doesn�t pull you down with him.

I got to go.