Original subtitles

In the criminal justice system,

sexually based offenses

are considered especially heinous.

In New York City, the dedicated detectives

who investigate these vicious felonies

are members of an elite squad

known as the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

I'm sorry. That's incorrect.

Winnie? - Perendinate.

P-E-R-E-N-D-E-N-A-T-E.

I'm sorry, Winnie. That is incorrect.

Pence, the word is perendinate.

P--p--perendinate.

P--p--perendinate.

Can I have a definition, please?

To put off until the day after tomorrow

that which can be done today.

P-E-R-E...

N-D...

I-N-A...

T-E.

P--perendinate.

Very good, and congratulations.

You are the new spelling bee champion.

Excuse me.

Why'd you let me win?

I don't know what you're talking about.

You knew how to spell that word.

I've never heard you speak in front of everybody before.

There's a reason for that.

You hear them laugh.

I wanted to help.

I've read your story,

the one on the wall, "The King of the Moon."

You read my story?

About the boy who lived on the moon

so he didn't have to talk to anyone.

Trust me, it's better that way.

Is it?

Winnie,

we have too many books.

Because of all your little gifts.

I suppose we could thin the herd,

including this.

Pence, don't you dare.

Read at your own risk.

What about the desks?

What about them?

Do we really need two?

You're the introvert. You tell me.

I prefer not to be too far from you.

Well, that is an easily-surmountable problem.

Oh, dear, look at the time.

I'd rather not.

Honey, you're gonna be late for your ceremony.

Ceremony?

You are being awarded

the Lewis Thomas Prize by Rockefeller University.

Yes, almost forgot.

Forgot?

You are a brilliant man,

but you have no sense of other people.

I'll let you work while I get dressed.

Thank you.

Where's Winnie?

Playing tennis with your neighbor.

- Naomi. - Ooh, that's very good.

You remember her name. Now, what's mine?

Trash gets picked up tomorrow.

Oh, that's a terribly long name.

That's it. Good boy.

Mm.

One more.

- Ah. - Drinky-drink-drink.

Madam, anyone who ever loved you was wrong.

Hello?

Hello?

Winnie?

It's nothing. Listen, go back to sleep.

I heard something.

Are you cheating on me?

Is that it?

Oh, sweetheart, no.

With whom?

Look at me. Look, look, look.

Look.

You are and always shall be my king of the moon.

Go--go--go back to sleep, my love.

P-E-R-E-N-D...

Her eyes.

Hey, sir, I asked you a question.

What do you remember?

I did it.

I made love to her...

And then I...

I killed her. I did it all.

I grew up just like you.

Saw a lot of people get murdered.

And the second my nuts dropped,

my boss puts a gun in my hand and has me blow this guy away.

What do you think?

He's trying to flip Oscar Papa's only living recruiter.

We were desperate, so lying's fair game.

So a bit of theater?

Well, that's what I thought at first,

but this double homicide

that he mentions later in this recording, Fin,

is a real case.

Unsolved?

Two people, execution style, 2003,

right outside Fort Worth.

All this says to me is Velasco

did research on his lie.

That amount of homework for some mid-level banger?

You have another explanation?

Fin, what exactly do we know about Velasco?

He drives a motorcycle.

He grew up in Juarez.

He alluded to some misspent youth.

Exactly how misspent?

We could ask Muncy. They're tight.

Yeah, I already had her listen to it,

and I'm keeping her away from this for that exact reason.

Muncy is loyal to Velasco.

I don't want secrets in my squad.

That who I think it is?

- Yeah, it's Tonie Churlish. - From the Bronx?

Yeah, she volunteered to help us

drill down on the Velasco story.

You talked to McGrath about this?

No, I haven't.

OK, I think it's time I remind you,

you're the captain.

And the greatest gift I can give you

as your number two is plausible deniability.

So what do you suggest?

You let me and the White Shield take the lead

and untangle this mess.

And how the hell are you going to do that?

You leave that to me.

- And if McGrath asks? - We never talked about it.

Carisi's waiting for me.

Look who it is, Captain America.

Velasco, go take a seat in interrogation.

You, too, Churlish.

Who are we interrogating?

You.

- Is everything OK? - Well, trust me,

if I answer that honestly, you'd regret asking.

So who's this?

This big-time neurologist, Pence Humphreys.

Oh, the guy who writes about rare brain disorders?

Yeah, yeah, so you know him?

I read one of his books a while back

about this conductor who could only

communicate through his piano after he had a car crash.

I mean, it's quirky, but he's brilliant.

Yeah, well, his latest book is about dementia.

It's a subject that he--

he knows something about.

The prefrontal cortex manages

all of our higher-level executive functions.

I'm afraid that... mine is slowly dying.

This has resulted in some rather dramatic changes

in my personality over the last few years.

I've become socially disruptive, impulsive.

In a few months' time, I may no longer be able to speak,

which is why I need to record this today.

I raped and smothered...

My dear wife.

The guy confessed to it?

Yeah, two days ago.

There's something about this that's bugging me.

You don't think that he did it?

Something smells off.

OK, is this you speaking as an ADA or an ex-cop?

Maybe it's me speaking as a hopeless romantic.

Now, there's no signs of forced entry.

No valuables were taken.

Signs of sexual assault, but there's no DNA.

And Homicide's ready to sign off?

Yeah, his lawyer is probably going to go with

some kind of dementia defense.

So where is the hopeless romanticism in this?

Him and his wife were married for 40 years.

It was this fairy-tale love affair.

He wrote about it in one of his books,

"The Neurobiology of Love."

So now you're pulling on the one

good heartstring I have left?

Liv, I know you're busy,

but I could use another set of eyes on this.

Yeah, OK.

I'll talk to him.

I grew up just like you.

Saw a lot of people get murdered.

And the second my nuts dropped,

my boss puts a gun in my hand,

and he made me blow this guy away.

And then what?

I did it.

You recorded me?

Relax, cowboy.

No, we should place this mallrat under arrest.

For what?

It's a felony to record a third party in New York

without permission.

Well, lucky for both of you, you're not in the courtroom.

Then what the hell is this about?

Just trying to establish credibility.

So Benson heard everything I said in this recording?

And she wants to know the truth.

The truth?

I was messing with the guy. I made the whole thing up.

- You sure about that? - Yeah.

Are we done here?

Recognize this?

It's a dime bag.

BX9 branding on the side.

Where did you get this?

I had a prison guard snag it off

that banger you gave it to.

Sit down.

Evidently, it tested positive for heroin residue.

Do you know anything about that?

Residue from the dope I emptied before I filled

the bag with powdered sugar.

Yeah?

What kind of sugar can stop withdrawals?

You've never heard of a placebo effect?

Placebo this.

20 minutes outside of Fort Worth, 2003,

me and my friend blow this guy away.

We're about to leave,

and the guy's son comes out of the other room.

Pow-pow.

We didn't have a choice.

You expect me to believe that, you, a cop,

did a gang hit?

Trust me, this was no gang hit.

So much for credibility.

Happy?

If it comes back clean, I will be.

If you have any doubts, now would be the time to say so.

Mr. Humphreys, this is Captain Olivia Benson.

Nice to meet you.

You look familiar.

Well, I've actually read some of your work.

You wanted a half hour to exculpate my client,

so you have it.

He's prepared to recant his confession if we do?

Well, he has dementia.

So recant or not, he's not likely to do time.

What's with the chipmunk?

That belonged to a friend.

Belonged? My condolences.

What would you like to know?

Well, how about we start with what happened?

Isn't it obvious? I smothered my wife.

This was our plan.

- Your plan? - Self-checkout.

We loved each other. We wanted to be together.

We wanted to leave together

with dignity at a time of our choosing.

My crime is worse than murder.

What Mr. Humphreys means

is that he killed her and then didn't follow through

with taking his own life. - Back pedaled.

Abnegated. Reneged.

And how were you planning on killing yourself?

An expeditious taste of shotgun-flavored mouthwash,

I'm afraid.

Do you own a shotgun?

If he does, homicide detectives didn't find it.

What's with the chipmunk?

It belonged to a friend.

Well, he is the textbook definition

of an unreliable witness.

Well, he seems to believe this murder-suicide story.

Did you?

For a minute, yeah.

I mean, the guy is sharp until he's not.

Underneath his illness, he is a man of science.

So if we're going to try to convince him

of his own innocence, then it wouldn't hurt

to confront him with some evidence.

We'd better find something before the arraignment.

I can't imagine these homicide cops

spending that much time gathering clues.

Not when they have a confession already.

Can you get a search warrant for his apartment?

I've never had to convince a perp

of his own innocence before.

Well, first time for everything.

Well, you already got a piece of my hair.

What's next, a polygraph?

If it comes to that.

What the hell is going on in there?

I'll tell you on the drive up.

Please state your name and badge number.

No, I'm not going to answer her.

She's just a White Shield.

Who just spent a year in the Bronx

seeing what happens when guys like you

distort the values of this job.

You know, it's cops like you

that are the reason why people are protesting

outside of city hall.

But since I have been on the job,

I have yet to see Black folks marching against firemen.

Lying to one banger does not warrant a drug test,

let alone a protest.

Explain how you know about a double murder in Fort Worth,

and we're done.

That's if your drug test comes back clean.

How do you know so much about a dead father and son

in Fort Worth?

Velasco.

Because.

I was there.

They slept in separate bedrooms.

I can't say that I blame her.

I found this on Humphreys' night table.

- What is that? - It's an apnea machine.

He must have been quite an intense snorer.

What are you doing? - I'm looking for a shotgun.

Keep this between us?

- Snitches get stitches. - That's right.

What is that?

It's not a shotgun.

I thought they didn't have kids.

They don't.

Pence Humphreys, signed 1973.

Oh, that's the only thing in the locked drawer?

Yeah, her desk. My guess?

She was keeping it safe for him.

I mean, look at this place.

It's like a--it's like a shrine to their love story.

I can barely find somebody who's emotionally available.

Suicide never looked so romantic.

Except he didn't do it.

CPAP has a digital log.

Homicide said that the murder was at 11:00 PM.

This says he woke up around 10:00

and was up for one minute, 23 seconds.

That's not even enough time to smother the vic,

let alone rape her.

How's that for facts?

I just need you to look at these times.

Do you understand these numbers?

That doesn't prove anything.

It proves that he didn't murder his wife.

You need to be clear with me.

I need to under-- Winnie is dead?

And I--I didn't do it?

No, you didn't, Mr. Humphreys.

I'm--I'm sorry.

Is it possible he kept the machine on

while he committed the act?

How long do you think the hose of a CPAP machine is?

It should-- it should have been me.

We--we--we had a pact.

We made a commitment. - No.

Do you understand?

The last face she saw wasn't mine?

She must have been terrif--

I need--I need to know

who did--who did this!

She did not see my face!

She--she must have been terr--who did this?

- We're doing everything-- - Who--who did this?

We're doing everything we can.

Who would want to hurt her?

I--I--I don't understand.

Guys, guys, give-- give us a moment.

Thanks. - Take all the time you need.

I don't--I don't--

I don't understand where--where--

Hey, I understand.

I don't understand!

Poor guy.

We took his only comfort away.

He wishes he was brave enough to do it himself.

- Jeez. - Oh, my God.

Ah!

Jesus, call a bus.

Get away from me. Leave me alone.

Hey, go get some help right now!

Mr. Humphreys, what did you do?

Go--go get me some help.

Oh, my God. - Please let me go.

Here, come here. Shh.

I don't want to be here anymore.

I don't want to live without her.

I know. I know you don't.

Please let me go.

Please. - It's OK.

It's OK.

Doctor, how's he doing?

Cuts on his wrist were superficial.

Emotionally is another story.

We have him on anti-anxiety meds,

waiting for a psych eval.

He shouldn't be alone right now.

Don't worry. He's not. He's with his caregiver.

Virginia Wise.

Homicide cops mentioned her name.

Is he lucid enough to speak with us?

An hour after sundown?

Usually when patients like him are at their worst.

Right, thank you.

No, rest.

Mm.

My heart breaks.

He keeps trying to call Winnie.

So I already told the homicide detectives everything I know.

Pence confessed to them. I thought he did it.

No, actually, he just thinks that he did it.

So the killer's still out there then?

That's a frightening thought.

Which is why we need to talk to you.

Can we do it later?

My husband's waiting for me in the car.

I've had little time for a personal life.

Of course. We understand.

No, don't go.

I do--I don't want to be alone.

I know it seems cruel now, but in five minutes,

he won't remember I was even here.

Mr. Humphreys, how you doing?

I'm Captain Benson.

I never forget a gorgeous face.

Oh.

Or an hourglass figure.

Well, uh, the cafeteria downstairs may have just added

a few extra minutes to it.

I'm sorry.

For what?

I am a terrible flirt.

Please don't tell Winnie.

Your secret's safe with me.

Who's this?

Just a lawyer.

You know why God created them?

So that toilet plungers would have

something to look down on.

That's--that's good. I haven't heard that one.

Well, we--we just wanted to make sure

that you were all right, you know?

We were worried about you.

Winnie--Winnie is worried, too.

I know she's expecting my call.

I would invite you to dinner,

but I don't want to surprise her.

We actually just ate downstairs in the cafeteria.

Why don't we, uh-- we'll leave you in peace.

Yeah. All right, we'll see you later.

An ass like the devil and a face like Jayne Mansfield.

You're a lucky son of a bitch, whoever you are.

So in the last two hours, the guy recants his confession,

he tries to kill himself,

and forgets that his wife is even dead.

The jury is going to need instant replay.

Yeah, well, it's their cross to bear.

But if he didn't kill her, who did?

Well, there's no sign of forced entry.

Did Homicide mention who has the key

to the Humphreys' apartment?

Well, far as the caregiver tells it,

Humphreys liked to wander.

Her and Winnie had the only keys.

Well, the caregiver is married.

Any chance that the husband did it?

They were at a family gathering

the night of the murder. Homicide checked her out.

Well, at least they checked something.

Maybe she lost the key, or it got stolen.

Is it possible that Winnie opened

the door to her own killer?

I'd like to think that Homicide

checked the lobby cams in the Humphreys' building.

Like you said, Liv, they had a confession.

I mean, how hard did they really look?

I'll call TARU, get the footage.

- So you were there? - I already told you that!

Velasco, what were you doing at a murder scene in 2003?

Do I got to get my union lawyer?

Because I feel like I might need a lawyer.

No need for that.

All we want is the truth, all right?

Not half, not a trickle of it.

I was just a kid, and I didn't have

the benefit of growing up middle class in Ann Arbor.

How do you know where I'm from?

And my parents were not intellectuals.

Wait, you looked into my background?

Duarte and I were talking about

how you got a stick up your ass.

- Don't talk about Duarte! - OK, both you guys, shut up!

All right? It's getting late.

Velasco, I'm not going to ask you again.

How'd you wind up at a murder scene?

My first job was delivering bread in Juarez, OK?

And one day, I met a guy on my route that

offered me and my boy Chilly a job.

He said that if we go through the training,

we'd be security guards.

It was $180 a week. I was 15 years old.

You weren't even old enough to drive.

Like I said, we grew up different.

Let him finish, Churlish.

So they sent us to a camp.

Turned out to be a school for sicarios.

For hitmen.

The guy that recruited me said that the only way

to leave was in a body bag.

So me and my boy Chilly, we was there for three months

training how to use weapons.

And then as a final test, they made us go to Fort Worth.

So I go, gun in hand.

And I was ready to do the hit.

And as soon as his son comes out,

I, uh...

I lost my nerve. I couldn't do it.

Chilly could.

He covered for me with the cartel.

I didn't really belong.

So you ran?

Yeah, even here in New York,

I'm still checking my surroundings.

Is this the first time you told that story

to someone other than that banger?

Yeah, it feels good to get it off my chest.

Still, you're loyal to a killer.

Corey and Yvonne Barksdale, apartment 8C,

coming home from visiting her parents.

Kay, keep going.

Larry Trimble, 11F, with his dogs.

Yeah, we can see that.

- Want the dogs' names, too? - OK.

Thank you.

Last entry into the building, food delivery guy.

To which apartment?

You mean you didn't interview him?

We had a confession.

30 minutes to deliver takeout?

Did you check with DoorJet

to see if they had a delivery scheduled

to that building that night?

Mr. Humphreys, will you just take another look?

Don't you think it's time that you called me Pence?

Pence.

You have warm eyes.

Eyes are the window to the soul.

You know what?

Clichés are clichés for a reason.

It's because our brains gravitate to what is familiar.

We want patterns, things that fit together.

And I'm trapped in a wilderness of ambiguities.

I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemies,

not even the man on the security video,

whoever he is.

You expect my client to remember

if his wife ordered food the night she was killed?

Well, nobody else in that building did.

You know how we know that? Because we checked.

Then why didn't police find any evidence

of takeout in the apartment?

I do know that man.

I do. I do. It's...

He delivered food to your apartment?

No, he--he--he came to the apartment about a month ago

to pick up Virginia.

I remember it was snowing, and his--

his--his galoshes tracked puddles into the library.

Winnie bellowed like a bull-roarer.

That's Virginia's nephew. That's Kevin.

You have warm eyes.

His are--they're cold.

What's your boy Chilly's real name?

Why, so you can call Dallas PD and have them pick him up?

Maybe.

I'd rather not say.

So you're gonna keep protecting a murderer?

Chilly is the only reason I'm alive.

Look, man, you're not half a hitman from Juarez anymore.

You're a NYPD officer.

And why do you think I became a cop in the first place?

Penance. I get it.

I didn't kill anyone, Sarge.

We all make mistakes, OK?

And even in the NYPD, there's room for redemption.

But you don't think Benson sees it like that?

You're not asking for my advice,

but I'ma give it to you anyway.

Show your loyalty to her,

not me, not the NYPD,

and definitely not someone guilty

of an unsolved double murder in Fort Worth.

So that's the nephew. What do we know about him?

Kevin Wise, 20 years old. He's unemployed.

And he has an alibi for the night of?

Yeah, he says he was home alone on SugarFap.

He even thought ahead.

He left his computer open to some cam girl

who vouched for him, but then the unis found a checkbook

from the Humphreys' joint account in a garbage bag

under his bed. - OK, so enough to arrest.

Do we have enough to convict?

His DNA is not on the rape kit.

So what do you need?

Pence Humphreys to ID him.

I--I--I don't know.

Hold on. Let's just slow down, Pence.

- I don't know. - Can we take another look?

It's been five minutes, counselor.

He'll take as long as he takes.

Hey, Pence, look at me.

Look at me.

Just take a breath.

Now, look back.

Look back.

Do you see the man who tracked puddles

into your apartment a month ago,

the man who made Winnie bellow?

Yeah, it's number one.

Number one. I'm positive.

That's--that's Virginia's nephew, Kevin.

He was in our apartment.

Winnie gave him a towel to wipe off his galoshes.

It's--it's number one.

OK, I need a minute with my client,

and we will be making a motion to dismiss all charges.

- That's not happening. - Good luck, counselor.

What does that mean? It wasn't him?

No, it wasn't,

but you know that.

- I do? - Let me drive you home, Pence.

You know what? I--I need a second.

Go ahead. I'll be right there.

- Can we still make this case? - I have to call the 8th floor.

We still have a few cards we can play.

Let's start with Kevin's Aunt Virginia.

You don't think she'll protect him?

Not if I charge her with obstruction.

Why did you lie?

This disease is like the teeth of God

biting into a liqueur chocolate and sucking all the memories

out of your head like a maraschino cherry,

and there is no cure.

I'm afraid all days will suffer the agony of breaking,

so I would rather go down like this,

in prison.

The moment those cell doors close,

I won't remember where I am or why.

That stupid kid in there...

He's going to remember everything.

Some memories are worse than prison.

Is that fair to Winnie?

Is that what she would want?

Winnie is still with me.

We have been more in love in the last few years than ever.

Before, I--I was-- I was logical.

I was objective, "King of the Moon."

But since the diagnosis, everything changed.

In different sliver of moon,

it's full...

And maybe-- maybe even a little forgiving.

And Winnie knows that.

No one knows that more than Winnie.

We already explained those items.

Yeah, that they were given to your client by his aunt?

- Mm-hmm. - Yeah, that's right.

No, not according to her statement to the DA.

She wants nothing to do with you.

Oh, and there's more.

She IDed these rings and these bracelets

as belonging to Mrs. Humphreys.

We found them in your girlfriend's apartment.

It's over.

- I didn't mean to kill her. - Kevin, stop talking.

Counselor, if this goes to trial,

the jury's going to hear about the 40-year love story

of a woman who was smothered without mercy,

and he'll get no mercy.

How did you get the key, Kevin?

I stole it from my aunt's purse.

She told me these stories about how

this guy was mad rich, threw $40,000 in a trash chute

by accident.

And you figured that nobody was

going to notice what you took?

I needed money.

DoorJet don't pay as much as people think.

Tell me what happened. Don't lie to me.

I waited for somebody to leave, got into the lobby.

I went up to the Humphreys' apartment.

I was trying to be quiet, but she must have woke up.

She came out of the bedroom screaming.

I told her to be quiet, but she wouldn't.

So I--I pushed her down.

I put a pillow over her face.

She's old.

She just died.

The homicide detectives said that they--

they found her nightgown pulled up.

I didn't rape her. I swear to God.

But you thought about it.

Kevin,

we all build walls within ourselves around...

around the ugly things that we've done.

And sometimes those walls can be more confining than--

than prison.

I need you to be honest with us now, kay?

I have been.

Kevin, somebody put that blanket over her

to preserve her dignity,

or maybe they were preserving their own dignity.

From what?

From what you did.

It's OK.

OK, yeah, I did it with her.

But...

it was before she was dead.

And I used a condom.

- Close your case? - The kid confessed.

Carisi is going for rape and murder one.

- What about the husband? - Pence?

He is in an empty apartment,

alone for the rest of his life.

Where's Velasco?

Sent him home to take a shower.

- He tell you the truth? - Yeah, he told me the truth.

He's ready to tell you.

And I think everyone deserves a second chance.

I'll consider it.

I was impressed with Churlish.

Really, Fin? Another stray?

Have her come see me tomorrow.

So Sarge catch you up?

He did.

You should know that your drug test came back.

- And? - It was positive.

Positive for what?

Powdered sugar.

You know, Captain, if my loyalty was ever questioned,

I think that--

I feel bad for you, Velasco.

Bad?

Bad how?

Because you're 180 pounds of water in the shape of a man,

and you take on the shape of anything

that you're poured into.

Duarte asked you to flip a banger,

and you end up playing just as dirty as the guy

that we're hunting.

I mean, up until now, Velasco,

you've been living a performance,

not a life.

That changes now.

Understood?

What do you want me to do?

You owe a debt to the two people that were killed,

even though they were drug dealers.

It doesn't have to happen today,

and it doesn't have to happen tomorrow.

But you will find that friend,

and you will bring him to justice.

Captain, wait. People change, you know?

Velasco, being a cop isn't some sort of penance.

Putting your friend away for murder is.

So that's what it takes for me and you to be all right?

That's what it takes for me and you to be all right.

"King of the Moon.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy

"named Jack who lived on Earth.

"Jack loved looking up at the night sky

"and dreaming about all the wonderful things

"that might be out there.

"One night, while gazing up at the moon,

Jack had a magical dream."

"In his dream, he was transported to the moon..."

"Where he found himself all alone.

"At first, Jack was a little scared to be all by himself

"on the moon.

"But as he explored, he began to see

"the benefits of being alone.

"There was no one to laugh at him

"or to make fun of his stutter.

"So Jack decided to make the moon his home.

"He built a fort made out of moon rocks,

"and he spent his days exploring and having adventures.

"As the days went by, Jack began to love

"living on the moon, more love than he had found on Earth.

"And he was able to be himself

"without anyone seeing all his flaws.

"But no matter how much fun he had,

"Jack always knew that he would have to return to Earth

"someday, and he would need to find someone

"who loved him the way he loved the moon

"despite its many craters.

"Eventually, Jack's time on the moon came to an end,

"and he had to say goodbye to his fort

and to all the adventures that he had there."

Perendinate.

P-E-R-E-N...

D-E...

N-A-T-E.

"But even though he was back on Earth,

"Jack never forgot his time as king of the moon.

"And he knew that one day, he would return again

"and reign as its king once more.

"But this time, this time,

with his queen by his side."

Goodnight.

Goodnight, Winifred.