Original subtitles

[reporter] Who killed Charles Courtland Cox?

Baltimore homicide detectives

have asked that question hundreds of times

since Cox, 22, was shot in the back

while being pursued on foot by police.

- Many in the Fayette Street area say... - Officer Jerry Ryan.

...the police themselves shot the young man in cold blood.

According to an informed source,

investigators have asked the 15 officers

who were at the scene of the shooting

to hand over their weapons for inspection.

Investigators anticipate

matching the bullet found in Cox's clothing

to one of the officers' guns.

Several of the officers who were at the scene

are also being interrogated again,

though a police spokeswoman says

none of them are currently under suspicion.

The mayor has called the incident

senseless and tragic.

Local community leaders

have demanded a free and open investigation--

The law says you kill someone,

anyone, in cold blood, it's murder.

We became cops to uphold the law, to uphold the truth,

no matter how painful that truth may be.

- The truth? You want the truth? - [Pembleton] Yeah.

When I got there, he was already dead.

And I didn't touch him. Ask Hellriegel.

[Pembleton] You stated that your gun went off once,

accidentally, when you fell.

This report indicates that the bullet which killed Cox

did not come from your service revolver.

My union lawyer tells me that I'm off the hook.

Just tell me what you know, Jerry, that's all.

- Whatever you know! - All right.

- All right, maybe I heard one shot. - Yeah?

Or maybe it was a car backfiring.

Lies, lies, lies!

So, am I still a suspect?

Why would I be carrying a second gun?

I don't own a second gun.

The bottom line, you're going to have to tell the truth to a grand jury,

or when the truth does come out, face perjury charges.

You understand what I mean?

I was chasing the other kid.

I was going the other way.

But there were two shots, two bullets,

one from Hellriegel's gun and one in Cox's body.

Now, maybe you don't hear one shot,

but you don't not hear two shots.

[sighs] You're out of your mind.

Hellriegel says that he didn't even get to the alley

until you called him over.

How the hell would Hellriegel know?

- Okay. - I don't know.

- It was a car backfiring. - I don't know.

- It was a shot. - I don't know.

Well, you can go, Lieutenant Tyron.

Thank you.

Look, between me and you,

I don't think you killed the Cox kid,

but I think you know who did.

And in a panic, you two concocted your story.

But it wasn't planned, what happened.

It all happened so fast,

that you really didn't have time to think.

- Is that what happened? - I'm not saying one word.

Officer Hellriegel, you may go. Thank you very much.

[door bangs closed]

Most of them are having trouble keeping their stories straight.

It's one thing having civilians lie to you.

It's another thing when cops do it.

Being cops, I'd kind of hope they'd be better liars.

Frank, you know my feelings about this.

You're hurting the whole department

by making every cop a suspect.

These are not just street punks you can roll over.

They have dignity.

They're family.

Our famiglia.

Capisce?

[Pembleton scoffs]

[theme song playing]

[music fades]

- [Munch] Congratulate me. - [Bolander] What for?

Felicia and I have decided we're in love.

So, you decided it's love, huh?

What were the choices? Could it have been insanity?

Congratulate me.

I'm not going to touch that hand.

I don't know where that hand has been.

I don't know where that hand has touched you.

Hey, I've got enough of problems already.

[medical examiner] It's another drug dealer.

Collect all 13 in the series, win a set of dishes.

Live stupid, die young.

What do we got here?

What's this?

- Tropical fish? - Is it alive?

Is it lying on the top?

You're such a bitter person.

I'm in love, and it drives you crazy.

Can't you be happy for me?

I'm head over heels. I'm ecstatic.

I'm beside myself.

Jealous.

You're riddled with jealousy, big man.

Face it, you're cranky, you're bitter.

You don't have any juice left. You've run out of oil.

Anybody could read your dipstick.

You're jealous, and you have no redemptive qualities whatsoever.

So you have to strike out.

You have to belittle and ridicule.

You know what's going to happen to you?

You're going to wind up like one of those old guys,

all by himself on a park bench, feeding pigeons.

- [Howard] Hey, Frank. - Hey, how you doing?

[Howard] Gee says we're working the Cox case.

Yeah, I need you to canvass the Fayette Street area with Bayliss.

- Okay. - Hello, Frank.

[dramatic music playing]

Hiya, Lieutenant Tyron.

You know the lieutenant?

Jimmy was my boss over at Southwest.

Taught me everything I know.

Taught a lot of rookies. Only a few got the message.

Sit down, Frank. Let me buy you lunch.

- Huh? - How you doin', Detective.

Hey, Pembleton. How you doing?

Come on, Frank. Sit down.

No, no. I don't think so.

Oh. What's with him?

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

- Cheers. - Prost.

[glasses clinking]

Hey, what is Frank's problem, huh?

- What do you mean? - I don't know.

Today at lunch, he was acting all weird.

You know, Frank, on a case like this,

he tends to shut himself off.

Does he really think one of the uniforms shot Cox?

I don't know.

Hey, did you ever fire your gun?

[laughs] No. You?

Yeah, once, when I was in uniform.

My partner, he had let one go, so I did, too.

You know, just out of solidarity.

Even knew the guy that we shot at.

He said, "Timmy, you tried to kill me, man."

- You hit him? - No, no, I aimed over his head.

I apologized, but the kid,

he never looked me in the eye again.

Aimed in the air.

You might have hit somebody else.

That bullet had to come down somewhere.

- [knocking] - [Bayliss] If it's a man, I'll do it.

- [Bayliss and Howard] Hi. - Yeah?

Hi. Detective Howard.

I'm with the Homicide Department.

I'd like to ask a few questions.

You been talking about that Cox boy that got shot?

You have not come to find out about that boy.

You have come to cover up your dirt.

There's always drugs. There's always shooting.

But if we could just have a couple of minutes.

I see stuff all the time.

Where are you guys when we need you, huh?

Y'all trying to cover up for that guy that you work with. See, we know what happened.

- No. - Ma'am--

I have no information.

Now, what am I gonna tell you, boy, that you don't already know?

- Facts. - We'd be happy to hear from you.

- Thank you so much. - Yeah.

You want us to catch this guy or what? [laughs]

Afternoon. We're police.

This is Detective Howard, and I'm Detective Bayliss.

Yeah? Hm. Could've fooled me.

Harris, don't be rude.

I'm Dale, and this is Harris.

- Hi. - How are we today?

I'm regular. How about you?

I could use a cup of coffee. You have any?

Well, we've got basil, parsley, and radishes, but no coffee.

We're going to put in two rows of green beans.

- We got plans. - Great.

You shoot that boy the other night?

Huh? No.

That child was from this neighborhood.

And he's a good kid, I know.

They all are, and so, God knows

why we're paid to do this job, huh?

He was no Boy Scout,

but compared to most, he was okay.

Everything's compared to most these days.

There aren't any saints, and that's the real picture.

Sure.

We don't like cops coming in our neighborhood,

killing our kids.

- Either of you see anything? - Nope.

And we wouldn't tell you if we had.

Just trying to get the facts, figure out what happened, huh?

[Harris] Look over there, Detective.

You'll see what happened.

[somber music playing]

[Howard sighs heavily]

Hey, listen,

if you hear anything, you give me a call, all right?

- And good luck with the garden. - [Howard] Thanks for your time.

[*]

[siren wailing]

We examined the service revolvers

of each of the responding officers.

None matched the. 38 that killed Cox.

Another dead end.

So, either one of the uniforms was carrying a second gun,

or took Cox's.

In either case, the gun itself

is most likely at the bottom of the Patapsco River by now.

Why do you say "one of the uniforms," Frank?

- Gee, a cop shot Cox. - How can you say that?

You've done nothing to locate a civilian suspect.

You've been following the one narrow path of attack

since the beginning.

You've canvassed the neighborhood.

Yeah, three times, no witnesses.

You've checked the run sheets of each officer.

All the radio cars in the eastern,

southern, and northwest districts

appear to be accounted for at the time of the shooting.

Colonel, I interviewed the uniforms

who were at the scene, again,

and I'm still getting stonewalled.

I'd like to have these four officers

undergo lie detector tests.

Look, Gee, if this were any other ordinary murder,

wouldn't you give faulty witnesses a polygraph?

This is not an ordinary murder!

There are fellow police officers involved here.

They deserve the benefit of the doubt.

I'll allow the tests,

but only if the uniforms agree to it voluntarily.

Swell.

Thank you.

[Pembleton] Thank you, Colonel.

- Okay, you can both go. - Gee--

Get the hell out of my office, Frank.

Please, Gee. So many times I've tried to--

I said to you before, show me proof

that a police officer's guilty,

and I'll bring him down myself.

But I want proof! I want the truth!

- Because if you're wrong. You know what that means? - Yes.

And from now on, you come into my office, you talk to me with respect.

Talk to me with the same respect you show those white boys.

I do, Gee! You know that I do!

- [Pembleton] Every time I do! - Get out of my office,

and don't let the door your hind parts as you leave.

[Munch] What do you mean this fish isn't evidence?

- How do you know? - A sixth sense.

Somehow I don't get the feeling that it's vital.

Well, you know, this was recovered at a crime scene.

All items recovered at crime scenes

fall within your purview, don't they?

What are you, Rules and Regulations?

I thought we took up a collection last week

to get you a new partner.

He is new. Doesn't he look new?

[laughs] That's very funny, Stanley.

What are we supposed to do with this thing?

Why don't you find a porcelain receptacle in the men's room

and give it one last whirlwind ride?

You are heartless. You know that?

You're a moral mutant. This is a living thing!

Don't you have a conscience? You got any kids?

How do you sleep at night?

You want me to do the honors?

This was at the scene of a crime.

- It's a witness. - Come on. I'll flush it for you.

- No, no, no. I'm keeping this. - What are you going to do?

Put it in the Witness Protection Program?

It's not a piranha, that's for sure.

Oh, no. Jack Cousteau.

Jacques Cousteau.

Felicia has fish just like this. I'll ask Felicia.

She's an expert. She knows everything about fish.

She has this 50-gallon tank, all these tropical fish in it.

She knows everything. I'm going to show this to her.

And she'll tell me exactly how-- God, look at that.

- Isn't that beautiful? - Compared to what? You?

Come on. Let's go get something to eat.

Hey, I'm going to go see Felicia.

Felicia loves fish.

Maybe if I give this to her, she'll get spontaneous with me.

Detective Howard, how are you?

- I'm fine. How are you? - Oh, same. Fine.

- You sure you're all right? - Yeah, sure, sure. Never better.

Listen, what are you doing for dinner?

- I got a date with Ed. - [phone ringing]

Howard, Homicide.

Oh, yeah. Hi, Jimmy.

Yes. Yes, I will be on time.

Felton, had your soup today?

What do you say we catch the clam chowder special at the Wharf?

I don't get a dinner break anymore.

Instead, I go to marriage counseling.

That is a waste of time. Come on, have some dinner with me.

Hell, if you need counseling, I'll give you counseling.

I want to stay in my marriage, Stan.

Besides, if I don't show up for counseling,

she'll kill me.

[phone ringing]

[sighs]

[sighs]

- Frank? - Hey, Kay, how you doing?

All right.

You like it up here, huh?

Yeah, it helps clean out my brain.

You know, it's like that song, uh...

♪ Song lyrics ♪

- Up on the roof, right. Yeah. - Yeah.

Yeah. But it works.

Listen, Jimmy Tyron just called.

He says he's coming over to take a lie detector test.

Look, Kay, if you're here to beat me up,

you can go stand over there.

No, Frank, I know you. I know the way you work.

If you want Jimmy to come in and take a polygraph,

you've got a damn good reason.

Between you and me, is he a suspect?

Kay, at this point, my grandmother's a suspect.

And she's been dead for 12 years.

I have heard so many variations on the truth.

I figured just maybe, maybe a lie detector test

will help sort it all out.

I can't get past the fact

that my instincts tell me a cop shot Cox.

I don't know why I feel it, and I don't want to feel it.

But, I mean...

- You know Tyron. - [Howard sighs]

Is he capable of this?

Anyone's capable of anything.

[Howard scoffs]

Oh, Frank, I should have told you earlier, I...

Jimmy and I had an affair.

Short, but, oh, so sweet!

Why short?

He's got a wife and kids.

Is he capable of killing Cox? Sure.

Did he? I sure hope to hell not.

You really loved Tyron, didn't you?

Oh, you've got keen detective instincts, Frank.

Thank you.

Sure.

[sighs]

Oh, God.

[sighs]

Ma'am, excuse me. Hello?

I'm sorry to interrupt your reading,

but could you bring me a cup of coffee?

I'm not your waitress.

Of course not. How stupid of me.

I should have known that.

Linda's your waitress.

Well, you know, I've been sitting here about five minutes, and I haven't seen Linda.

So, could you ask her to bring me a cup of coffee?

- Linda! - Hot stuff coming through.

Okay, here we go.

I've got your vegetarian dish right here.

- Excuse me. - Thank you.

Okay, chicken here.

- Lasagna and steak. - Thank you.

I'll be right there. Okay, coming through.

- Coffee? - Linda.

Yeah, I was going to order coffee.

- Okay. - That's-- Thanks. How'd you know?

Wait, don't go away. Don't go away.

- I could eat a small pony. - We're out.

[laughs] Okay. All right.

How about-- I feel like a cheeseburger.

You don't look like a cheeseburger.

[both laughing]

- Excuse me, detective. - Mm-hmm?

- Yes? - I'm Dale.

Oh, yeah, Dale. Right, right.

I remember. Would you like to sit down?

No, no, no. I can't stay.

I don't like what's going on

in my neighborhood.

Everybody's so angry.

It's only going to get worse.

[sighs] We've got to do something.

Do you have some information on the death of CC Cox?

Well, yes.

[sighs]

- I guess I do. - Okay.

Okay, come on.

I don't know nothing about no shooting, man.

[Bayliss] Well, your grandmother, now, she was just in here,

she tells me that you were an eyewitness.

Yeah, she says that she saw you and Cox

running out of that crack house together.

Hold, hold, hold. Wait.

My--

- My dear said that? - [Bayliss] Yeah.

[chuckles] First of all, she's old.

- Mm-hmm. - And she's wrong.

I wasn't even on the street when the gun went off.

Then you heard the gunshot.

Why is he so resistant?

Maybe he's afraid of testifying against the cops.

Or maybe he saw Cox fighting someone else,

a neighbor or a friend.

And Staley's trying to protect him.

Maybe Staley killed Cox.

His grandmother saw him in the alley

a few moments after the shooting.

Kay, I want you to dig up all that you can on Staley.

Not just his criminal record,

but his personal life, habits.

- You know the routine. - Okay.

He's not the guy who shot Cox, Gee.

[door latch clicks]

Frank.

You've always prided yourself on working alone,

going your own way, using your own methods.

And I've given you a fairly free hand, haven't I, Frank?

Yes.

The Italians have a saying, which roughly is,

"Let fate take you by the hand, and guide you.

If not, she'll drag you by the heels."

Meaning?

A few weeks after I got my first uniform,

Dr. King, rest in peace, was assassinated.

The city exploded. The people went on a rampage.

I had to make up my mind that night

which side I was on.

Now it's your turn, Frank. It's your turn.

- Which side am I on? - You heard me.

Okay. Okay. You want him, Gee?

You got him.

[door clicks closed]

Mr. Staley. Hello, how are you?

Or would you prefer Lane?

Hey, we're bringing in the heavy artillery now.

- No, Lane is cool, man. - Well, hi, I'm Frank.

I appreciate you taking time out of your day

to come down here and help us out.

Can I get you anything?

Has anyone offered you anything to drink?

This guy offered me some coffee, man,

but I don't drink no coffee, man.

You weren't given another choice?

- [scoffs] - Okay.

I apologize for that. I'm sorry. What would you like?

- Cranberry juice, man. - [Bayliss] Yeah, that's nice.

Cranberry juice.

Can we have a cranberry juice?

Make that two cranberry juices in here, please.

I say "please" because, you know, around here,

I can't afford to be too casual about my manners.

You know what I mean?

[Lane] Somebody has to be.

What I mean is,

you've been working here a long time, right?

Oh, not long. Ten years.

[laughs] Ten years?

What did you do? Start when you were six?

16. So?

But you're a very good waitress.

I just may have caught you on a good day or something.

Well, I don't know. I mean, but I don't think I'm wrong about this.

You enjoy your work a lot.

Are you kidding?

No, you do. Come on.

That's very rare.

I mean, I've been on the job 20-odd years,

and I get zero from it.

No pleasure whatsoever.

- Yeah? What do you do? - I'm a cop.

Ah.

Long shifts, just like you.

No respect.

But it's not just a job. It's an obsession.

It's like drinking coffee.

You know it's killing you,

but you can't function without it.

Well, look, my job drives me crazy, too.

But why are you so happy?

Well, you've got to do something in between every day, you know?

Like, when I'm playing my violin, it's my diversion.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. - You know, it feels--

- Did you say violin? - I did.

How could you play the violin?

How? I learned.

- It's not that-- - What? What, am I lying?

What, waitresses can't play the violin?

No, see, um...

I play cello.

- You play? - What?

I mean, a cop can't play the cello?

No, no, cello is great.

- Cello is great. - [Bolander chuckles]

I mean, it seems like it's from another life, almost.

You know, I just love the way it feels, you know?

I mean, with the cello, it's different,

I mean, you have this great big thing clamped between your legs,

but I love the vibration of the wood

on my throat, and on my neck.

Hmm.

I used to take it out every weekend,

and play a little Handel.

It seemed if I didn't play it once a week,

my head would blow off.

I just played one song of his.

"Passacaglia." You know it?

Oh, yeah, it's one of my favorites.

I like it because it's slow.

It's just one phrase.

I never could get it right.

[sighs]

Hey, you still have it?

I don't think I ever did have it.

Your cello. Do you still have your cello?

Oh, yeah, I put it under the bed.

I thought maybe that would give me the urge...

to play...

the cello.

You know, I study over at the Peabody.

The Peabody? That's first-rate.

You should come by and practice with me.

On Thursdays from six to eight, I get into the rehearsal hall.

- Oh, no. - The guard's a friend.

I couldn't-- I couldn't do that. I mean--

Well, whatever.

I never was that good, you know.

It's not about being a good cellist.

It's about having a good time playing the cello.

Right?

[horn honking]

Hey, I'm glad I caught you.

We found a witness in the Cox shooting.

Lane Staley. You know anything about him?

Yeah, Staley's a small-time like Cox.

Kinda brought Cox into the business.

You could have mentioned that before.

I tried talking to Pembleton, but he didn't want to hear any part--

- He's a good detective, Jimmy. - I know, Kay.

Look, and I realize that Pembleton needs all the help he can get.

We are all spooked.

What can I say?

Just give me Staley's records,

and anything else you got on him.

Maybe he's the one we're looking for.

He'll take the pressure off of you guys, huh?

Yeah.

[chuckles] What?

I was just thinking about Annapolis.

I was driving down to Annapolis for dinner.

- Jimmy. - What?

We can't reminisce about the good times?

[Howard sighs]

There's nothing wrong with that, Kay.

Listen, I could have called to ask you about Staley.

I know.

Something else.

Something I probably shouldn't tell you.

You didn't do too well on your polygraph.

You think I lied.

I just don't understand

why you'd be nervous taking the test.

I didn't think I was.

[somber music playing]

You know what I remember about those dinners in Annapolis?

- What? - You picked me up.

And I'd sit in the car

while you called your wife on the payphone.

You said it helped to look at me while you called.

I never understood that.

Why would you make me watch you tell Sara

how much you loved her?

What?

We talked about your marriage all the time.

I thought it was because you felt so torn up, guilty.

But maybe you just liked the excitement

of lying to your wife, and getting away with it.

[Howard sighs deeply]

CC was your friend.

[Lane] No, he wasn't my friend.

I knew him from around the way, that's all.

[Pembleton] From around where?

Around the alley over on Fayette?

[Staley chuckles]

Look, man, I said he wasn't my friend.

Okay, tell that to him. Tell it to him.

You, uh, want a cigarette?

Yeah, thank you, boss.

You, uh...

have a very busy,

busy record of theft and drugs.

Drugs, drugs, drugs.

That was just some small stuff, man.

Just some goofs to knock off the boredom.

I mean, we never spent a day in jail, man.

- You know that. - Yeah.

Well, for six months you guys shared an apartment together.

You were godfather to his son.

You were friends, right?

Nothing wrong with being friends.

Yeah, all right.

Yeah. Yeah, all right. Okay, we were--

- We were friends. - [Pembleton] No, wait, wait.

You told me that you just kinda knew him from around.

- Look, we were friends, all right? - All right, all right.

After he asked you, but don't tell me, all right?

Tell it to this white detective.

Smoke his cigarettes, and thank him.

Man, what you beefing about a cancer stick for, man?

Ain't nobody dissing you, man.

It's about respect, Mr. Staley, for you, for me.

You thank this white detective, but you lie to me.

You deny CC Cox, says he's not your friend.

Black, Black. That is so damn typical.

[sighs]

[Lane] You're reading too much, man.

You know, you're making a whole lot of stuff out of nothing.

Did you say, "I'm nothing?"

You said I'm nothing?

I'm nothing?

I'm nothing! I'm nothing! I'm nothing!

Nothing. Get out of here. Go ahead. Get out of here.

- Did you mean Frank? - Get out of here. Come on.

Go, go, go!

[door bangs loudly]

Thank you.

Yeah.

Well, I'll tell you something. He's off the damn page.

I don't know where he is with this one, Gee.

You just made a bitch out of me in front of my partner.

You made a bitch out of me.

I gotta get back in there, Gee.

- [Giardello] Leave him be. - He's off track!

I said, leave him be.

- [Pembleton shouting wordlessly] - Man, you--

[Pembleton] Shut up, boy. I'm talking now.

And I don't like to repeat myself.

I'm the one here who was treating you with respect.

Do you know how much goes into that?

Do you have any sense of what it's taken me

to be here with you, for you?

To make sure that you have the respect that you deserve.

When I first started, when I first started on the--

As a policeman, I had to walk a beat

over in the industrial park.

And what were my duties?

To make sure all the trucks

had the correct city stickers and licenses.

I was a glorified meter maid. I was a meter maid, Mr. Staley.

But I kept at it because in my heart of hearts,

I knew that I would become a good cop for the community.

- For our community. - And don't no cops live on my--

Shut up, boy. I'm talking now.

I didn't want there to be that same old, same old,

when the white cops took the brothers

in the back of a paddy wagon,

and beat a confession out of 'em.

Huh?

We know those days, don't we?

We know those stories, don't we?

There's a real history of that, isn't there?

Huh?

Just get a confession out of one of us.

By any means necessary.

Now, here I am. And here you are.

And you're not in the back of a paddy wagon.

And yet you still make fun of me in front of one of them.

You make me look like I don't exist.

And that white boy make you look like--

Shut up, boy. Don't tell me that.

Please, son.

Don't lie to me again.

This is what you did.

Just like what you did to CC.

You denied him. Your friendship?

It never existed.

CC never existed.

What's going through his mind

when he's laying there in that alley?

I don't know, man.

He was alone. He was scared.

- Yeah, and? - He's laying there.

His blood is pouring out of him.

He's on his back. That's how I found your friend.

Laying on his back. Looking straight up.

What is he looking at, your friend here?

- I don't know. - He needs somebody to help him.

His friend, Lane.

He needs his friend, Lane, to be there.

His friend, Lane, who would never give him up.

- I wanted to help him. - Sure, now.

Now, you want to help him. Now. Now.

But when you first pulled CC into one of your deals,

you put the bullet out there that killed him.

- You set it in motion. - No, I didn't.

You knew what you were doing

the first time you involved CC in one of your schemes.

You put him on the line.

You laid back in the cut,

and you set him up to end up in the middle of that alley

- with a bullet in his back. - No.

He was your friend, your homie, your amigo, your blood.

And all the while you were setting him up.

He trusted you.

I would have never set CC up, man!

It was going to happen. It had to.

Once you got him involved, it had to happen.

Don't you think I had much love for CC, man,

more than his damn mother, man.

He knew that.

CC is dead.

Look, I didn't kill him, man.

- He died because of you. He died for you. - No, not me, man.

I'm clean, all right? I'm clean.

"Why do I have to die here in this alley?

Why do I have to die here?

Huh?

Why am I alone?

I don't want to be dying here."

- Don't you-- -"Not by myself."

- Stop it, man. -"Lane.

Please help me.

Lane, please help me. Lane, Lane."

You put the bullet out there.

You put the bullet in his path.

You left him to die alone.

- I would never hurt CC. I would never. - You put the bullet out there.

You watched him die alone.

You put the bullet out there.

You might as well have pulled the trigger.

You put the bullet out there.

You killed him.

You killed your friend.

You killed him. You shot him, didn't you?

- [Lane sobbing] - You pulled the trigger.

You shot him, didn't you? Didn't you?

You pulled the trigger.

Oh God, yes. [sobbing]

Now, son,

go ahead, and say it for me.

"I put the bullet out there."

Yes.

[sobbing] I put the bullet out there.

- [Staley whimpers] -"I shot him.

- I killed him." - I shot him.

I killed him.

Okay.

- I killed him. - Okay. Okay. Okay.

I killed CC. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. [sobs]

I'm sorry.

- I'm sorry. - You are responsible...

for the murder of CC Cox.

Yes.

You killed CC Cox.

Yes.

Ask CC for forgiveness.

Tell him you're sorry for killing him.

Put pen to paper, son, and you'll feel better.

[dramatic music playing]

[whimpers]

[pen rasps]

[Lane] I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

I'm sorry.

[sobs] I'm sorry.

[door clicks closed]

[Lane whimpers]

[Lane sobs] No!

Please, no!

How was that?

Good enough? Hmm?

- Frank-- - No, he says that he did it.

He says that he did it, so he did it.

Oh, Gee, I'm so damn proud of myself.

Hmm?

Frank, you gotta slow down, man.

I did this for you, Gee.

All right?

I got him to sign on the dotted line for you.

He didn't shoot the Cox kid, but go ahead, look at him.

Look at him. He's proud to have signed.

He would have stood a better chance

in the back of the paddy wagon

with jackboots and clubs.

He would have gotten a fair shake.

[dramatic music playing]

So, how are you today?

What, is this some kind of court of law? Are you some kind of Jesuit?

You know, we're not in Spain now. This isn't the Inquisition.

Whoa, easy. Steady, guy.

Don't patronize me.

You think your sarcasm can disguise your patronizing pity?

You're not fooling me. You're not fooling anybody.

I just asked how you are.

Do I look like I need pleasantries from you?

All women are nuts. You know that?

The ones I should be interested in, I can't stand.

The insane ones, the ones that are nuclear,

those are the ones I fall for.

- All right. - Killer. She's a killer.

- Killer. - Felicia?

That fish, that tropical fish, it turns out to be a Jack Dempsey.

Jack Dempsey?

You mean, like the heavyweight fighter?

I don't know how she got her name.

All I know is she's an assassin.

She's worse than a piranha.

She uses piranhas for toothpicks.

She ate every single fish in Felicia's tank.

There was nothing left but little bits of fin

floating on the top.

Felicia didn't know this fish.

Well, she knew, but after I put it in the tank.

It was going to be a surprise. How was I supposed to know?

It ate $4,000 worth of her fish.

- [Bolander sighs] - And I gotta pay for it.

Plus, I'm out. She threw me out.

That's right. She threw me out.

And she's going to keep the Jack Dempsey.

I wanted to flush it.

But she said, "No, no, I want to keep it

because it reminds me of--"

And this is her word, okay? Direct quote.

"It reminds me of how much I loathe you."

- I'm sorry to hear that. - I'll bet you are.

No, I'm sorry.

I mean, you know, affairs of the heart like this

can wreck a man worse than any cancer.

Yeah, they can and they do.

I don't want to be alone tonight.

Could you have dinner with me?

I'd love to.

I've got to be somewhere.

You? What? Where? Where do you got to be?

Well, no, it's no-- it's no big deal, it's just--

- It's personal business. - Personal business?

In order to have personal business, you've got to have a life.

And Stanley, you have no life.

What's that smile?

Why are you smiling like the Cheshire Cat?

You're smiling how Buddha smiles.

You're smiling like that Jack Dempsey.

You're smiling like you ate the whole damn tank.

You don't deserve to be this happy

if I'm this miserable.

[objects clattering]

[shocked murmurs]

[dramatic music plays]

Open up.

Mr. Staley...

do you mind if we talk for a moment?

I want to talk to you about what happened in the alley.

You know you saw who killed CC Cox.

- I can't. - Why?

Because he said he'll kill me, too.

- Hey, listen, I promise you-- - You can't promise me nothing.

He knows where I live,

where I hang out, just like he knew CC.

This is the confession that you signed last night.

[paper rustling]

That night was crazy.

Everybody's running,

and guns are shining off the streetlights.

I duck into the alley

and become part of the shadows, man.

CC had his hands up.

But he's still shoving him around.

They were both spitting adrenaline, man.

They were hot-wired.

- He's got his gun out. - Who?

- The cop. - Oh.

CC knocks the gun out of his hand, man,

and starts running.

I mean, the juice is really pumping now, man.

I can see it in his eyes from where I was.

Now, he-- The cop pulls out another gun.

And shoots CC in the back.

Now, he didn't yell, "Freeze!

Don't move! Stop! Get down!" Nothing.

Then he turns, and sees me.

The name.

I want the name.

[lightly knocking on door]

[Bayliss clears throat]

Good afternoon, Lieutenant Tyron.

We're here to execute a search warrant of your premises.

This is your copy.

May we please enter and do so?

[paper rustles]

Okay, sir.

We can spend eight hours

rustling through your most intimate possessions.

Or you can show us your lockbox.

I target shoot a lot.

[Pembleton] 158 Grain Lead.

Same load that killed CC Cox.

- [Tyron] Small world. - Where's your gun?

- What gun? - You got bullets, but no gun?

[Pembleton] If you target shoot so much,

why is this the only box missing shells?

- You tell me. - [Pembleton] Okay.

In the heat of the moment, you shot Cox in the back.

But he was unarmed.

And you couldn't figure out

how in the hell you're gonna write it up.

- So you lied. - Really?

Oh, yeah, really. I got an eyewitness.

Well, then I guess we'll have to wait and see

who the grand jury believes.

Me or your eyewitness.

If I match these shells...

to the one that killed CC Cox,

we'll get an indictment.

You're under arrest.

Uh-- uh--

Not in front of my kids, okay?

Yeah, okay.

Can I go say goodbye to them?

Yeah.

[sighs]

[drawer rattles]

[birds chirping]

[violin playing classical music]

[*]

[cello and violin playing classical music]

[*]

[*]

[bow scratches across strings]

[music continues]

[*]

[office din]

[*]

Homicide.

[theme song playing]