Original subtitles

I'll say this about the Fatman: he's a sweet guy.

Listen, creep, I'm going to take you apart like a clock.

He can be tough when he has to be.

Jake Styles?

Don't ask me

how he can live the way he does on a cop's salary.

Some people do seem to like him, however.

But he's a damn good investigator, and he's mine.

He's a good guy.

Don't you forget it.

File those motions in the Barnes case

and meet me with a conformed copy so that I can take them

into the settlement meeting, please.

Yes, sir, and good luck.

Once more unto the breach.

Counselor, what about the verdict?

Were you disappointed they found your client guilty?

Well, the police had a signed confession

and two eyewitnesses.

The 12 apostles couldn't have gotten any other verdict,

and that is not meant in any way

to denigrate the magnificent case

the district attorney put on.

The big question all along

has been the death penalty.

How will they vote?

Yeah, the death penalty.

Well, that... is the awesome question.

The awesome question,

ladies and gentlemen...

one of biblical proportions,

because you

must decide

whether to take a human life.

Thomas Clancy...

is before you.

It's his life you hold,

his eyes you must look into

when you say live or die.

Let me tell you as honestly as I can

what will happen to Tom

if you say die.

Tom will be on death row.

His cell... eight feet by 12.

A minister will spend the entire night with Tom.

They take him to a tiny room with a glass wall.

They strap him into the chair.

Pellets of cyanide fall into a pan of water.

You are asleep, at home, with your families.

You can't see the mouth...

open...

and take the final...

breath that will kill him.

Spare Tom's life.

Imprison him

for all of the rest of his days...

but do not take his life.

The defendant shall be imprisoned for life

without the possibility of parole.

He did it.

Yeah, the son of a gun pulled it off.

Thank you. I'll be in touch tomorrow.

Keep the faith.

Excuse me, sir.

Would you give me your reaction?

I'm not going to say I was totally surprised.

On the other hand, I can't claim

that the whole thing was my idea and I thought it up.

Give me a second, please, I'll be right back.

J.L.

I have to congratulate you, Harrison.

Anyone who can make a jury cry over a three-time loser

who has just dismembered his wife, I take my hat off to him.

Well, your people had me on the facts and then on the law.

I thought maybe an emotional appeal might turn the trick.

You were right.

Thank you.

Bonnie, my darling, I'm awful sorry to keep you this late,

but we've got to get this out first thing in the morning.

No problem, I'm glad to do it.

I'm going to be talking to a prospective client,

so, please, no matter who it is, no interruptions.

Yes, sir.

Would you like me to place the call?

Um... no, it's confidential.

I'd better do it myself.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Yeah, Tommy, hi, there.

It's me.

How you doing, boy?

Yeah, you remember me, don't you?

Hi, there.

Yes, that's my boy.

Well, it's good to see you, son.

Yeah.

Okay... okay.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Scott?

Oh, God!

Oh!

Scott!

Scott...

Oh, God...

Oh, my God.

Mrs. Gregg?!

Mrs. Gregg! I heard some shots!

Is everything all right?

Scott.

Scott's dead.

Oh, my God.

Whose gun is that

on the bathroom floor, Mrs. Gregg?

Uh, mine, I guess.

And who else was in the house?

Nobody.

I... I came home.

I went upstairs.

Scott was...

Then I heard gunshots.

Uh, and then the McCormics came over.

Mrs. Gregg, I'm going to read you your rights now.

What?

You have the right to remain silent.

If you give up the right

to remain silent... What are you doing?

Anything you say can and will be used

against you in a court of law.

Oh...

I'm sorry.

Harrison Gregg's office.

Bonnie, it's Ellen Gregg.

Is Harrison there, please?

Uh, he is, but he's on the phone.

It's an emergency.

I'm sorry, but Mr. Gregg was specific.

The police are here.

Scott's dead.

They think I killed him.

Hold on.

Mr. Gregg?

Bonnie?

What is it?

Mrs. Gregg, I'm J.L. McCabe.

I remember.

We met a few years ago at the Bar Convention in La Jolla.

Oh, yes, yes.

I came down to tell you that Harrison's on his way.

I just wanted to make sure that you're taken care of.

They've explained your rights?

I don't understand why all this is going on.

I told the police...

I went upstairs.

Scott was dead.

I heard shots.

I don't know how he got...

I know.

But try to relax

until Harrison gets here.

All right.

What have you got?

The deceased was shot apparently

while he was taking a shower.

Once through the shower curtain,

twice at very close range,

probably while he was still alive.

There were no signs of a struggle.

She had no apparent marks or bruises

that would indicate a fight.

She admits that the gun was hers that killed him

and she was alone in the house.

Witnesses?

Next-door neighbor heard the shots.

Mrs. Gregg opened the front door

and said, "Scott's dead."

Not "I shot him," anything like that.

No, sir.

And there was one interesting thing.

Mrs. Gregg said that she heard shots

but after she found the body.

I don't get it.

Well, the neighbor, one Mr. McCormic,

said that he only heard three shots.

J.L., can I see you for a minute?

Go on back, will you?

It's hard to believe this is happening.

What's her story?

Same as she told the officers.

No self-defense? No heat of passion?

J.L.,

Ellen didn't shoot anybody.

Who's representing her?

You surely don't intend to press charges.

What the hell do you expect me to do?

I've got a murder weapon that's hers

and there's no way anyone else could've done it.

Who's her lawyer?

I am.

You think that's a good idea?

The best idea I can think of.

All right then, counselor.

I'm sorry to say,

but I'm booking your client for a Murder One.

Here on the first day of the trial

of Mrs. Ellen Gregg.

Follow me.

Come on. WOMAN: Let's go.

Mrs. Gregg, can you comment

on having your ex-husband defend you

for shooting your new lover?

Mrs. Gregg and I are still the best of friends

and we always will be.

I'm defending her because she is not guilty.

Is this a lover" quarrel, Mrs. Gregg?

Did Scott Hunter beat you?

My client did not shoot anyone.

She is innocent of all of the charges.

She's a killer!

She murdered my boy!

Who are you? Scott was my son.

He's dead now, and nobody cares about him!

But she killed him! That's not...

That's not true! She seduced him

with her big house, her fancy cars, and all that money.

Once she got tired of him, she shot him!

Because she's rich, she thinks she can walk away.

She killed my son!

She killed him!

She killed him!

Here you go, Max.

You'd better have that,

because we're skipping lunch today, huh?

Here, have one more.

Are you going on a diet?

Of course I'm not going on a diet.

Max is.

Look at all that extra weight

he's carrying around.

Here you are, boy.

Here's the last one.

If you keep feeding him all those treats,

he won't need lunch.

What am I supposed to do,

let the poor, dumb animal starve?

I didn't mean that personally, Max.

And I don't need

an undernourished deputy telling me

how to take care of my dog.

What about him?

That's not gonna help Gregg's case very much.

It's going to be all over the news.

Yeah.

Gregg let him get away with it.

That's not like him.

See what you can find out about that grief-stricken parent, huh?

Anything else?

Yeah. Get me Jake Styles.

Okay, kid, feel better?

Hey! Yeah.

You're right on time.

Are you kidding me? A deal like this,

I'm not gonna be late.

This car is gorgeous.

Yeah.

I hate to give her up, but, uh,

I want to sell it before I file for divorce.

It's a good thing I ran into you at the tennis club.

This kind of stuff only happens to other people,

you know what I mean?

I can't believe you're selling this car for $10,000. Hey, hey, hey.

Don't remind me how much I'm losing here, huh?

Take her for a spin.

Okay.

You, uh, you used to stick shift?

I'll work on it.

Well, it handles pretty nice.

Yeah.

That's okay.

Have at it, guys.

It'll just take 'em a second to check the serial number

on the engine. Jake?

Yeah. McCabe wants you to call him.

Okay.

Oh, can I borrow the phone?

Oh...

Okay.

Yeah, J.L. It's me.

What's up?

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, no, I...

I know where it is.

Okay, I'll see you there.

Yeah. Bye.

The serial number is a match.

You're under arrest

for attempting to sell stolen property.

Read him his rights and book him.

Thanks for the use of the phone.

Oh.

All right, sir, get out of the car, please.

What about your son's friends?

If you could give us a list, we could contact them...

I never met his friends.

The boy was ashamed of his father,

especially after that car wreck put me in this chair.

Did he talk much about Mrs. Gregg?

No.

Well, could you think about it?

Maybe he mentioned the fights he might've had.

No.

Well, what did he tell you about her?

Not much.

Scott never told me much about anything.

Did he tell you anything about their relationship?

Mr. Hunter, you seem to have strong opinions about her.

I think I've said enough.

Aw, no prize.

Thank you.

Sorry, Susan, no prize.

Thank you very much.

8:00, you're sure about that?

I know it was 8:00. Three shots?

Look, that's all I know. Okay.

All right, okay. Listen,

thank you for your time.

I appreciate it, okay? You're welcome.

Okay. If you need me, I'm next door.

Okay, thank you.

Styles. Counselor.

You're not done yet?

We'll put a rush on it.

Jake, I want to tell you something... No.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Jake?

Wait a minute.

What the hell are you doing in the breezeway?

I'm looking for something.

For what?

Jake!

What are you yelling about?

I'm right here.

I don't know what the hell I was looking for,

but I found this.

That's wadding.

Yeah.

Like the kind you find in a blank.

Let's go outside.

Okay, guys, that's it. Let's wrap it up.

Well!

Well, J.L., uh,

I'm surprised to see you here.

Well, you know me.

I like to see things for myself.

How are you, Ellen?

I'm all right, I suppose. Good.

Well, if you'll excuse us.

Of course.

It's all yours.

Thank you.

All right, let's have it.

You're not going to like it.

Go on. The wife said

that she heard shots when she found the body.

That's a strange thing to say.

Mm-hmm.

She said that she heard them

at the other end of the house, so...

I go to the other end of the house,

and I find wadding from blanks.

I asked the next-door neighbor

if he saw anybody go into their house.

He says if they would have entered through the front,

he would have seen them.

If they would have entered through the back,

his dog would've barked.

His dog didn't bark.

You ought to get this car washed.

It is filthy...

Oh, those car wash places are a rip-off.

So, what's your point?

Well, the point is,

what if Ellen Gregg is telling the truth?

That's what I'm saying.

What if...

What if someone...

entered through the back of the house...

shot Scott Hunter,

shot him with a silencer...

waited for her to get home,

fired three blanks in the breezeway.

You're saying somebody like Gregg?

He's got a key to the front door.

I just saw him open it.

Mr. McCormic says that Gregg is on good terms with his dog.

You're doing a hell of a job for the defense, young man.

No, there's a big problem with your theory.

Well, hey, it's a theory.

I mean, I don't take it personally.

The neighbor says he heard the shots at exactly 8:00.

He was watching TV, and noted the time.

And the officer on the scene

said Ellen called Gregg at exactly 8:15.

His office is a good six miles from here.

Go!

Time.

14 minutes.

Let's nail him.

Do you want to go out to dinner?

Uh-uh.

I'm not exactly in the mood.

Sorry.

You surely don't want to stay here in the house.

Come on, we'll go over to my place.

You can stay there if you want to.

I think I'd just like to be alone.

I really am sorry.

I don't mean to pressure you.

Harrison, please.

Don't think I'm not grateful for what you're doing.

Yes, well...

we really do need to talk about that

as soon as you feel up to it.

All right, let's do it now.

Oh, my dear.

I have to stay dead level straight with you every minute.

It's not as simple as it seems.

The district attorney...

thinks that he can get a conviction...

First-degree murder.

But I didn't do it.

There are no signs

that you were attacked.

That, uh, rules out self-defense.

The man was killed

while taking a shower.

Anybody doing that is not

in the middle of a violent argument.

It's very hard to build a case

for an uncontrollable act of passion.

What are you saying?

Well, I just want you to know where we stand, kid.

Harrison, don't do this!

Don't treat me like a child.

Just tell me what it means.

I think...

rather than risk a conviction,

I'd like...

to try to make a deal.

But I didn't do it.

Don't you believe me?

Of course I do.

But I have to advise you, as your attorney...

I think we can get this thing reduced to manslaughter.

A reasonably...

short sentence.

Harrison...

I had no reason to kill Scott.

I loved him.

Yes, I know.

I'm sorry.

But you know what I mean.

I had no reason to shoot him.

I have to tell you

that I've done some investigating.

What?

It seems that there was a woman.

No, there wasn't.

He was seeing her two or three...

That isn't true.

Darling, he saw her two or three times a week.

I'm sorry.

You don't believe me.

I want to.

Kid, do you trust me?

Yes.

Then let me handle this.

My way.

♪ ♪

Well, what do you know?

It's a miracle cure.

Performed by Andrew Jackson, no less.

Now, what about another extraordinary event?

You tell me the truth.

Yes?

Mr. McCabe is here to see you.

Send him in, please.

Okay. Will you file these, too, please?

Yes. This afternoon.

Right.

That is one hell of a door you've got there.

They said you wanted to see me, huh?

Eh, sounded like a good excuse for me to get out of the office.

May I sit down? Please, J.L. Sit...

So, what did you want?

I'm a little concerned about Ellen.

I'm not at all sure

that I want to go to trial on this.

Harrison Gregg is looking for a deal?

J.L., what have we got here?

Um, lovers' quarrel.

He's going to leave.

She loses control.

Uh, manslaughter, huh?

Why not?

No, no.

I-I don't think so, Harrison.

In all good conscience, I don't think I can do that.

Uh... what's the problem?

I don't know.

It's just that there's so much about this case

that just doesn't hang together.

Remember the old man who showed up

at the courthouse, denounced Ellen?

Yes, vividly.

Well, it turns out not only could he walk,

but somebody paid him to do that.

Now, can you imagine that?

Who would do that?

He swears he doesn't know.

Just that some young man gave him the payoff.

Really.

Well, he doesn't know the young man's name,

just that he was a fancy dresser.

You know, like your, uh...

uh, your assistant... Dan.

Just like Dan.

Even wears a carnation just like he does.

Wait a minute.

Uh, are you suggesting you think...?

Oh, no, of course not.

Of course not. Why should he do something like that?

But I got to tell you,

strictly off the record,

this case is beginning to get to me.

In what way?

Oh, Jake Styles is driving me up the wall

with all those ridiculous theories of his.

What theories?

I don't want to bore you with it.

None of it adds up to anything, anyway.

J.L., I'm very, very interested.

Some...

Something about the killer using a silencer

on Ellen's gun...

and then firing blanks.

Of course I didn't pay any attention to it.

Oh, dear, I better get back to the office.

Gertrude will raise hell with me

if I'm late for the staff meeting.

You know, I've been trying to fire that old bag

for almost 25 years now, and, so help me,

someday, I'm gonna find a way.

Hmm.

Nice gun collection.

Almost as nice as mine.

Ah, you know, it's too bad

you had to give your house to Ellen in the divorce.

Must've been so convenient to the office, huh?

How long did it take you to get here?

Oh, I don't know.

20-25 minutes.

Oh, come on.

I'll bet you can do it in less than that.

Well, I'll show myself out.

Oh.

See you in court.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Now? Now.

Mr. Gregg!

Hello, Jake. I have probable

cause to believe that you're carrying evidence in your

briefcase that connects you with the murder of Scott Hunter.

Would you open it, please?

Are you arresting me?

I'm prepared to do that, yes, sir.

Oh... well, in that case...

Derek, would you hold that for me?

I always like to cooperate with the police.

What have you got? They're not in his office.

All right, they've got to be here somewhere. Checked all the planters.

All right, look, let's make this simple.

Somewhere between that door and right up here,

he got rid of a gun and a silencer, okay?

We're not leaving here until we find them, understand?

Where do you want me to look? Everywhere, go look everywhere.

Check the stairs again.

Check the stairs, check the basement,

check everywhere.

They gotta be here somewhere. I know, I know.

Jake, what do you want me to do?

Let me in. I'm a cop. I'm a cop.

Let me in. Let me in.

Ooh.

I could kiss you.

How long are you going to be?

I'm done, Jake.

Have you got any prints? None on the gun.

Check it again. Will you check it again?

Why? It won't change anything.

All right, what about the silencer?

I told you there's nothing.

I know what you told me.

I'm just asking you... Are you sure?

I can't invent them.

There's nothing there. All right, okay, all right.

But take a look at this.

What is this?

Just take a look.

The striation pattern on a bullet

from Scott Hunter's body matches a bullet

we fired through the silencer.

Look, just give me the bottom line on this thing, okay?

Well, there's no question about it.

The bullets that killed Scott Hunter

were fired through this silencer.

That's great.

That's perfect.

That's real good.

Only it doesn't do it, because I can't

tie it in with Gregg, you understand?

Wait a minute.

Your Honor, before the jury comes back from recess,

I would like to call my next witness.

Any particular reason?

Yes, Your Honor, the People call Harrison Gregg.

I object, Your Honor.

I cannot contribute anything to this case

and the district attorney knows it.

Now, that's not entirely true, Your Honor.

Unless there is something concrete this testimony

can add to the case, I'm going to sustain the objection.

Your Honor, I am acting responsibly.

I believe testimony from Mr. Gregg

is key to the People's case.

However, I will be more than happy to hear

his testimony in the presence of the jury, if you wish.

Mr. Gregg, please take the stand.

Mr. Gregg, the defendant in this case

is your ex-wife, Ellen Gregg,

is that not so?

Yes, that is true.

And she's charged with the murder

of her lover, Scott Hunter.

Is that also not so?

Yes, it is.

And that murder took place

in the house that they shared,

where you used to live with the accused.

Is that not true? Yes.

Now, the police lieutenant in the charge

of the investigation has testified

that he found no evidence of forced entry

into your ex-wife's home.

Do you remember that?

I do.

So that would indicate that the murderer

was either let in the house

or let himself in.

Would you agree with that?

That would seem to be the case.

The victim was in the shower at the time of his death,

so it's safe to assume he didn't let his murderer in.

So the only logical conclusion is the murderer...

had a key.

Would you say that that makes sense?

That would call for speculation on my part.

Yes, but not to me.

I believe that either the accused,

who had a key, let herself in,

or you did.

Order.

Your Honor, I cannot see what importance

or relevance to this case my testimony can possibly have.

I think this is, frankly,

a smoke screen, because the district attorney

knows that he has no case against the accused.

If you can indulge me for a few more minutes, Your Honor.

Whatever you're working for, Mr. McCabe,

please get to it.

Thank you, Your Honor.

The defendant told the police

that she heard shots that sounded like

they came from the other end of the house.

If the killer had already shot Scott Hunter

before your ex-wife came home,

hid in the breezeway and fired three shots

after your ex-wife entered the house,

it would look like she had killed him.

Isn't that so, Mr. Gregg?

That would have produced six shots?

Ah, that's very perceptive of you, sir.

Very good. Very good, indeed.

Do you know what this is, Mr. Gregg?

No, I do not.

Well, let me tell you what it is.

It's wadding from a blank cartridge, Mr. Gregg,

and it was found by the police in the accused's breezeway.

The State submits this as Exhibit D, Your Honor.

Do you recall being stopped by the police yesterday, Mr. Gregg?

Oh, yes I do.

Yes... and they thought you were

carrying evidence that would clear the defendant.

And they found nothing.

Absolutely correct, sir.

And they later searched

every possible inch between your office

and the spot where they stopped you looking for evidence.

There was nothing to find.

Ah, that's what they thought,

until my investigator had a bright idea.

Mr. McCabe, no one wants my client

cleared of the charges more than I do.

If you have evidence that will help her,

for Heaven's sake, produce it.

I'm about to do exactly that, sir.

Jake Styles found these two items together.

Have you ever seen either of them, Mr. Gregg?

No, I have not.

The State submits these as Exhibits E and F, Your Honor.

And I would like to also submit

the reports from the police lab at this time.

They indicate that this silencer

was on the weapon that fired the three shots

that killed Scott Hunter.

As I've testified,

I have never seen either of these two objects before.

There are also three blanks

left in this gun, and they have the same type wadding

as we found in the defendant's breezeway.

Proving what?

Proving that you were in the house that night.

Proving that you killed Scott Hunter.

That is the most bizarre fabrication I have ever heard

in a lifetime spent in this profession.

What evidence do you have?

Are my fingerprints on the silencer?

No.

On the gun?

No.

Then you have nothing.

Nothing at all.

There were no prints on the gun

or on the silencer, that's true.

However, you did make

one mistake, Mr. Gregg.

When Mr. Styles retrieved the gun from the mailbox,

they found one thing that hadn't been wiped clean.

Three shells

with your fingerprints on them.

Order! Order!

You took a life, Harrison.

I wish I could feel pity for you.

But all I have is contempt.

Your Honor, the People move that

the case against Ellen Gregg

be dismissed so that we can file murder charges

against Harrison Gregg.

Harrison...

I think you'd better find yourself a good lawyer.