Original subtitles

[door clicks open]

[whistling] Hey, how you doing?

[Munch] What'll it be?

Uh, I don't know, a soft drink, soda,

anything cold with ice in it.

- Coming right up. - Great. Thanks.

[whispering] Tim! Jay Leno's here.

- [Bayliss] That's not him. - [Munch] It's Jay Leno.

- [Bayliss] Are you sure? - Sure, I'm sure.

- That is not. - It is.

What would Jay Leno be doing in Baltimore?

I don't know, but that's him.

Maybe he's just-- It's some guy who looks like Jay Leno, huh?

- It's Jay Leno. - Be tactful.

It's not Jay Leno! Right!

- All right, great. - Okay.

Thanks.

- [whispering] It's Jay Leno. - No kidding.

Yeah, and he's right here in our bar, sitting here.

- What are we gonna do? - Leave the man alone.

He's a celebrity, he doesn't want to be bothered.

He probably came here for some peace and quiet.

Trust me, ignore him, and he'll be happier.

He probably wants to remain anonymous.

Right, right, you know what?

I won't even look him in the eye.

Excuse me, guys, you got any peanuts,

or anything like that from the bar?

[whispering] He wants peanuts.

Bring him peanuts, but don't engage in any conversation.

[Bayliss] Right.

Ah, that's great. Thanks.

Hey, beautiful day, huh?

I love coming down here to Baltimore.

I got a cousin, Mary, she thinks I visit her, I really come for the crab cakes

and to go out to Camden Yards, and, you know, just kinda hang out.

Well, don't say [indistinct] [laughs]

So, we do our show in California,

so don't get back to this part of the country much,

so it's fun to come back.

It's a great town, don't you think?

I guess, you guys probably don't get a chance to watch much--

Watch much late-night TV, huh?

Oh, look at the time! Well, gotta run.

Nice talking to you.

Hard to believe the bar is empty.

[exhales]

Ha.

[theme song playing]

[*]

1996, boy, that [indistinct] looks empty.

You're a clean slate--

- What are you doing here? - I'm testing my new lens.

- A got a new lens for the camera. - Wonderful, that's great.

"Paralysis, neurological damage, drop foot."

- Drop foot? - Drop foot?

Yeah, the possible side effects of back surgery.

My doctor wants me to have a laminectomy, you know what that is?

That's when they cut out the bad disc,

and fuse the vertebrae together.

Spinal fusion. My ex-brother-in-law had that.

[Bayliss] Yep, I've never had surgery before.

Frank, Frank, look it here. Look here.

On the consent form it says it says

that one of the possible outcomes, in small print, death!

- Ouch. - There's a certain amount of risk in every surgery.

Oh, yeah, sure there is, sure there are, side effects, right? But death?

You go in for a little operation, you end up in the morgue!

I mean, I don't think so.

Technically, if you die in hospital

with a signed death certificate from the physician,

you don't have to go to the morgue.

[all laughing]

Thanks, Frank, that makes me feel a whole lot better.

What?

You-- got really nice hair.

You get paid for this?

- [phone ringing] - Who's up?

Not me, I'm still working on the Buchnowski cutting from December.

- [Bayliss] I think that's me. - [Brodie] I'll get it, you hurt your back.

- No, no, no, no, I got it. - Will somebody please get it before they hang up?

[Brodie] Hey, maybe this is how we improve our clearance rate.

Don't answer the phone.

If a murder is committed in Baltimore

and no homicide detective takes the call,

did that murder actually occur?

- The phone! - Bayliss, Homicide.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Got it.

We got a triple shooting on Collington Avenue.

Take Brodie with you, please!

- [Bayliss] What you got? - Two victims shot in the back.

Both 10-7.

A third, a teenage girl, gunshot nicked her heart, punctured her lung.

- She's en route to shock trauma. - Okay. Get her name?

Keisha Farrell, we got a body over here, and another on the right.

[Bayliss] Okay, what about witnesses?

A few, they thought the shots came from the top of the brewery.

They were each killed by a single bullet.

No powder residue. The entrances clean.

The shooter was quite a distance away.

As far away as that rooftop there?

- Could be. - Okay.

Whoever he is, he's a great marksman. Two bullseyes in the heart.

[Pembleton] He missed the third victim.

Better shot than you, Frank.

- They got something on the roof. - [Bayliss] Okay.

This may have been here before the shooting, but you should take a look.

[Bayliss] Game of hangman.

This chalk looks fresh, let's get lab techs here to take some scrapings.

Nine-letter word. Something, something, O,

something, I, something, something, A, something.

What word is it?

I don't know, maybe it's not a word, maybe it's a name.

Well, either way, it doesn't matter.

I got me a living victim. Keisha Farrell.

Living victim, case always goes down, right?

Yes, sir, always.

Keisha Farrell died 20 minutes ago.

- She died? - [Giardello] In the operating room.

Wait, she died during surgery?

We got a triple homicide here now, huh?

Kellerman, Lewis, Munch, we need you guys.

We found three shell casings on the rooftop at the brewery building,

- 308s. - We also a game of hangman.

[Kellerman] The kid's game?

Yeah, we took scrapings of the chalk,

and sent them out to the lab to be analyzed.

Okay, victim number one

is Louise Wilcox, 45 years of age,

she's a nurse at St. John's Veteran's Hospital.

Number two, Vernon Capers, 20 years old,

he was on disability.

We found a pocket knife on him, and two black-tops of cocaine.

Maybe it's drug-related.

Yeah, cos it was in that sort of neighborhood, huh?

- Touché. - [Bayliss] Third victim, Keisha Farrell.

Fifteen years old. High school student.

Maybe the shooter hit the others two by accident, and was aiming for Capers.

He accidentally shot them in the heart?

More like accidentally on purpose.

Three nice, clean shots, three people expunged.

- It makes your point. -"Expunged"?

Is there any connection between the victims?

Well, all three were Black, all three lived in the neighborhood.

All right, let's do-si-do partners, investigate each victim.

Bayliss, you're the primary.

Work with me on the Wilcox woman.

Kellerman, Lewis, take Vernon Capers, look at a drug motive, huh?

Pembleton, you and John talk to Keisha Farrell's family.

I want everything, family, grudges, wives, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends.

I wanna know what they did with their free time.

I wanna know what toothpaste they used!

If there's a connection between these three victims, it may lead us to our shooter.

F-A-R-R-E-L-L.

Died during surgery. Ugh.

Louise Wilcox was a nurse on my shift.

But I don't know anything about her personal life.

Well, did she ever mention a Vernon Capers?

- Not to me. - How about Keisha Farrell?

Nope.

Well, maybe they were patients of hers.

Look, I can give you her charts to look at,

but I have got to get back to work.

Without Louise, I've got twice as much to do, and half the time to do it.

- [Bayliss] Terrific. - Wait, there's more.

- Okay. - [administrator] Those charts don't leave this desk.

Okay. Okay.

We found your brother with a pocket full of ready rocks, Mr. Capers.

Does Vernon have any other bad habits?

Yeah, he used to leave the toilet seat up every now and then.

Drive my girlfriend crazy.

You got a warrant or something?

We're not loving to pin nothing on you or your friend.

We're Homicide, not Narcotics.

We just need to know if maybe your brother,

because of his problems with cocaine,

might have got himself mixed up with some lowlife

- who maybe wanted him expunged? -"Expunged"?

Hey, look, he was a doper, okay, yeah, sure.

But I'm talking a little weed, a little cocaine, nothing more.

[Lewis] Who was his dealer?

Vernon never made a buy.

So how'd he get the stuff?

Anything Vernon needed, he came to me.

Hey, Pike took care of Vernon.

You took care of your brother?

Yeah, but I guess not good enough.

Mr. Farrell, do you know why Keisha wasn't in school this morning?

She didn't like going to school.

I tried to keep after her, but I work two jobs.

Never enough time.

Do you know what your daughter was doing on Collington Avenue?

If I'd been after her more, she'd have been in school.

She'd be coming home tonight for supper.

I always made sure we had supper together.

Okay, Mr. Farrell, we won't take up any more of your time, thanks.

Thank you, sir.

You know something, I hate hospitals.

A hospital like this, who blames you?

Thanks for your cooperation.

You ever have surgery, I mean, besides being shot last year?

- Elective surgery? - When I was 12 I had my appendix out.

- Oh, so, they put you under, huh? - Yeah.

- I mean, what was that like? - I don't remember.

You don't remember your consciousness being suddenly obliterated?

I was a kid.

You know something?

Your heart, it could have stopped.

You could have found out you were allergic to anesthesia

and just died right there on the table.

You know, Tim, sometimes these back troubles

are psychosomatic.

[Pembleton] Vernon Capers?

And none of Louise Wilcox's patients had a criminal record.

And none of her co-workers held a grudge.

Well, there's no reason anyone would've shot Keisha Farrell.

How are we doing on this Vernon Caper's drug connection?

Zip, this case is turning into a stone whodunit.

- Brodie, play that for me again. - What, the hangman?

[Bayliss] Yeah.

You know, it does take two to play hangman.

Yeah, but the bullets we recovered from the three victims all came from the same gun,

so that would imply that it was just one gunman.

Yeah, one gunman and a friend with a good vocabulary.

Mm-hmm.

- [Pembleton chuckles] - What? It's from my doctor.

These are muscle relaxants. They're for back spasms, see?

Yeah, but you're not supposed to pop 'em like aspirin.

Frank, I don't need medical advice from you, all right?

I'm fine.

[Pembleton] Yeah, okay.

[ominous instrumental playing]

[gunshot pops]

[gunshot pops]

[tires screeching]

[police radio chatter]

[Munch] Another game of hangman, huh?

Are these the same letters you found at the first scene?

Well, it's a nine-letter word,

but he added another letter, T.

This is a whole new game. There's fewer wrong guesses.

You see the stick guy, he's just got the head,

the body and one arm.

Well, he's hanging himself, literally.

Maybe he's trying to work something out.

Could be modifying the rules, and with each wrong guess he shoots somebody.

Shell casings are 308s like Collington Square.

That and this hangman game, we're definitely looking for the same shooter.

Giardello and Russert just showed up.

[chuckles] We all know what that means, eh, buddy?

- Mm-hmm. - Congratulations, Timmy!

It's a bouncing baby red ball.

- Any cigars? - Great!

[ominous instrumental playing]

Our shooter from Collington Square area

has moved on to Highlandtown.

Now, the pattern of both locations is the same.

All shots were fired from an adjacent rooftop,

all victims were shot in the heart.

Now we might be dealing with a sniper who chooses his targets at random,

we might be dealing with an assassin personality, or a serial killer.

Right now, we've got a lot of unknowns.

Detective Bayliss.

Our two latest victims are

Irma Watts, 34, white, secretary,

and Armando Layzek, 26, also white, a city worker.

Now we recovered three bullets, each with a four-right twist,

from the Collington Square scene.

And that means we are looking for an HK rifle.

Also, a second hangman game was found at the Highlandtown scene.

That information should not leave this squad room.

I don't want any leaks to the press.

I've got our handwriting expert, Andy Orloff, comparing the letters in both games,

see what he can come up with.

Traditionally, it takes two to play this game,

but ballistics points to only one gun.

At this point, we don't know whether there are one or two assailants involved.

Location of the shooter?

Warehouse rooftops, the first one was four stories high.

The Collington Square location was seven stories high.

Our guy likes heights.

Okay, Lewis, call Quantico,

put together a psychological profile on the sniper, okay?

Kellerman, run down all the shooting ranges, all the gun clubs.

Shabazz, Higby, get a list of registered HK rifles, okay?

Now, Munch and Frank and Stapopolous and Tambelli,

take each of the Highlandtown victims,

see if they had anything in common with each other

or with the Collington Square victims, all right?

Howard's going to stay on top of the chalk and handwriting analysis.

The game of hangman is our shooter's signature.

Maybe that'll lead us to him.

I'll be holding a press conference.

Any requests for information, for interviews,

refer them to my office, okay?

Now let's be thorough, but let's be fast.

We don't know when or where, or even if,

our sniper is going to strike again,

and I don't want to wait to find out.

The next move is ours, okay?

Okay! Let's go!

Now we're suddenly looking for a sniper, that's interesting.

What do you mean?

Well, two Black people get killed in Collington Square, it's drug related.

Two white folks go down, it's a red ball.

It's got a nice ring to it, "red ball."

It's urgent, you know? You get press conferences.

Hey Meldrick, you got a problem with the way the investigation's being run?

I ain't got a problem, Sarge, I just think it's interesting, is all.

Tell me when you get that profile back from Quantico, huh?

You got it.

I'm telling you, you and Howard, it's love.

[indistinct]

We're extremely confident we'll apprehend the shooter.

We have back-up from every district in the city.

Are you recommending that people stay inside their homes?

There's no need for panic. There is need for caution.

My daughter was shot this morning.

What are the police doing about it?

We have a double shift of homicide detectives working on this case,

and we will catch whoever shot these five people.

- You don't know anything, that's what you mean! - Get this guy.

Captain, do you have any indication where or when the sniper will strike next?

I want to speak to somebody in charge!

I want to see the mayor!

Where is the mayor and the commissioner?

Shouldn't they be involved?

I want some answers from the police!

I want some justice for my daughter!

I want justice for my daughter!

Captain Russert is in charge of the case.

She's got the support of the commissioner and mayor.

We're very close to making an arrest.

- [reporters shouting] - I can't tell you any more

without compromising the investigation.

Thank you all for your cooperation.

- What's this fellow's name? - Farrell.

[reporters] Mr. Farrell! Mr. Farrell!

Who the hell let that lunatic in the building?

Why did you announce that we were close to making an arrest?

We're no closer now than we were this morning.

The media doesn't need to know that.

Yeah? Well, it doesn't help our credibility making false promises.

Look, you were the one who wanted to hold a press conference.

You can't hold a press conference,

and then tell them we don't know anything.

We have a sniper on the loose in Baltimore.

I will not be responsible for people being misled about the danger.

I'm not suggesting you mislead them.

I'm suggesting that by the time you hold your next press conference,

you're able to announce we have the killer in custody.

Hey, put more uniforms at the front entrance.

I don't want reporters in the squad room.

I don't want civilians roaming the hallways.

What have we got to connect these five victims, huh?

Anything? Anything at all?

We've checked and re-checked with their families, friends,

co-workers, psychic advisors and dry cleaners.

Farrell, Capers, Wilcox, Watts and Layzek

couldn't possibly have less in common with each other.

Except they're all dead.

You're a literal guy, Frank.

- What are you reading? - A book of word games.

"Hangman, the game gets its name from the method

of counting incorrect guesses.

A gibbet or gallows is drawn.

On the first incorrect guess, the head of the man is added.

The next gives him a neck, the third a body, and so forth.

If the man is completed before the player has guessed the correct word,

he is hung, and loses the round."

- Ouch. - Now, there's no completed man on either of these two photos.

He hasn't lost the round yet.

Which means he's still playing the game.

We might have a break!

The lab identified the chalk from the hangman letters.

The type of chalk is Da Vinci.

It's manufactured by Majestic, Inc.

It's usually sold in art supply stores.

Yeah, and you know something, the stores may not be open much longer.

We need to talk to managers, clerks, owners

of every art supply businesses in the area.

Track down whoever bought this brand of Da Vinci chalk.

All right, we also want to get any and all credit card receipts

to cross-check against the hangman letters.

Mm-hmm, you mean handwriting analysis can compare a signature

with the writing from the hangman games?

Well, that's what we're looking for.

Modern science.

- You coming, Tim? - Yeah, I'm on my way.

[suspenseful instrumental playing]

- Detective Bayliss! - Yeah.

- Meet Andy Orloff, our handwriting expert. - Great!

Listen, we've narrowed down the receipts

of credit card purchases of Da Vinci chalk in the past year.

Yes, and you've got the photographs of the hangman games

at both crime scenes, yeah?

What we're looking for is a match.

Fine, we're counting on you, all right?

- Oh, boy. Oh! - [Russert] Lewis, line three.

Lewis, Homicide.

Wait, hold on.

I've got Quantico, they say they can't give us

a complete psych profile for 24 hours.

Ugh, well, then tell them to fax us whatever they've got right now,

and if they've got a problem with that, tell them to call me.

I'm going to be in my office.

[Lewis] All right.

I don't mean to scare you, Andy, but you're our only hope.

That scares me.

[Bayliss sighs]

No, honey, Caroline, I can't come home yet.

I know. I know.

I didn't forget about your piano recital tomorrow night.

I hope I can make it too, I know.

Okay, I love you too. Now go to bed.

[receiver clicks]

[sighs]

Bayliss, Homicide.

Yeah, yeah. Okay, I'm on my way.

Sniper struck again?

No, but a uniform found a game of hangman at an elementary school.

- So I'm going to go check it out. - I'm going with you.

I want the two of you wearing vests.

- [Bayliss] Don't worry, Chief! - And don't tell me not to worry!

You think he's setting us up?

The sniper?

He draws a hangman, and we respond.

Bang, he picks us off like a couple of sitting ducks.

Is that what you think?

You're telling me it hasn't crossed your mind?

Well, yeah, yeah, it's crossed my mind.

That's all I'm saying.

[ominous instrumental playing]

So, where's the hangman?

[officer] Right here.

Huh, what do you think? A warning?

- Possibly. - A warning?

My kids go to this school.

It's almost midnight, in about eight hours,

150 children between the ages of 6 and 12

will be going to school, now, we need to order this block

cordoned off, this building close!

And set off a city-wide panic?

We don't have an alternative.

Megan's right, there's a possibility

that the sniper is sending us a warning as to where he'll hit next.

We can't risk these children.

We sent chalk scrapings from the wall to the lab

and some photos to Andy Orloff to compare handwriting.

Now we're just waiting to see if there's a match with the first two scenes.

How long is that gonna take, Tim?

Well, they're working as fast as they can.

Bayliss, you still think these games are connected?

The first two games used nine-letter words,

this one here, it's a four-letter word.

So they may be unrelated.

Or the sniper went on to another word.

Gee, I just heard from Munch and Pembleton!

[Giardello] What'd they find out?

They have two suspects from a block away.

- They got two suspects? - They got them in custody, they're on their way.

[officer] Come on out.

[Howard] Two children.

Open your hand.

I want you to tell me the truth, man to man.

You draw this game?

You guys are just playing a game, right?

- Well, just a game, right? - Bayliss, it's a kid.

All right, fellas, get the kids out of here, make sure they get home safe.

I still want that chalk and handwriting analysis for confirmation.

- All right. - And I want a uniform detail posted here.

As a precaution.

[ominous instrumental playing]

[gun clicks]

What you got there, Timmy? Some good stuff, huh?

Percodan, Percocet, Tylenol 3s.

- They're muscle relaxants. - Even better.

And you don't get any.

No one's willing to share their drugs anymore.

So, this doctor, does he still think

back surgery is a good idea?

He said that I could either have months of physical therapy

with no guarantee of success, or I could get an operation.

So, he recommended the operation.

- With no guarantee of success. - What's that supposed to mean?

Well, when you go to a chiropractor,

you go to a physical therapist,

the doctor doesn't see any of that dough.

He's gotta cut you open to collect.

Dr. Erlich is very dedicated.

He didn't get into this business because of the money.

- Oh, yeah? - Yeah.

What kinda car does he drive? Lexus? BMW?

- Jaguar. - Probably the economy model, huh?

So, he drives a Jaguar, it doesn't mean that he's not dedicated.

Argh! Get out of there.

- [phone ringing] - Homicide, Detective Munch.

Where? Yeah.

- Bayliss! - What?

Another shooting, four people dead outside The Walters Art Gallery.

[sirens wailing]

Sir, I want to thank you

for giving me this job, sir.

It really means a lot that you've given me this chance to prove myself.

You haven't proven yourself to me yet.

- Yes, sir. - Quit talking, and keep videotaping.

Yes, sir.

[camera shutter clicking]

Did you see where the shots came from, Judge Hazelton?

Well, there was an echo,

but I believe they came from one of those rooftops.

Maybe the Washington Monument. You should look up there.

We've got a couple of detectives up there now, sir.

[Russert] A nine-letter word, just like the first two games.

He's filled in more letters, but made fewer wrong guesses.

What does that mean?

Well, it means he's closer to the right word,

but he still hasn't found the answer he's looking for.

Maybe we ought to buy him a dictionary.

Yeah.

- Thanks. - Okay, we got positive ID's on these bodies.

We got a doorman, Ernie Zaratta, a physician, Joel Pollack,

Evan Reginald, he's a retired judge.

And Mary Caswell.

Mary Caswell, you mean, the wife of Henry Caswell, the city councilman?

- Right. - We've got a red ball on top of a red ball.

[suspenseful instrumental playing]

Let's go over what we know, okay?

Firstly, how do we know this is even the same sniper?

Shots fired, the same pattern, victims all shot in the heart.

The hangman game's been at every scene.

Each time more letters are added to the word.

All right, also, chalk scrapings indicate that Da Vinci chalk

was used in all three games.

No correspondence between the total number of victims

and the number of completed letters.

No correspondence between the total number of victims

and the number of incorrect guesses.

The victims are all races, all ages,

all economic backgrounds,

both genders, and no connections between them.

Okay, let's start over with every crime scene, one by one.

Maybe there's a connection between the locations,

Collington Square is a C, Highlandtown's an H.

Mount Vernon's an M.

It's got nothing to do with anything, does it?

What about the names of the victims, Bayliss?

Names, places, letters, numbers,

times of day, names, God, no pattern is emerging!

Time! What about time? What are the times on record?

Okay, we got 8:00 a.m., we got 4:00 p.m. and midnight.

No minutes, no seconds? Exactly on the hour?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what the witnesses recollected, on the hour, every eight hours.

Okay, three shooting incidents, each exactly eight hours apart.

All right, it's 3:35 a.m. now.

Now, Vernon was 12 o'clock midnight.

So we have got less than five hours.

And where?

Where?

You have less than five hours to find the sniper,

and you're going to meet with the families of the victims?

These people are demanding answers,

and they have a right to be heard.

You should be concentrating on catching the shooter.

Well, there isn't anything more we can do right now, except wait.

Listen, it's not our job to placate the families.

Well, I think it is our job.

These are concerned citizens.

They need to know that we're listening to them.

We are responsible for giving out information.

They want information, they can turn on the news.

Well, I'm also setting up an 800 number.

What?

Any family member who wants to know

the status of our investigation can call in, keep current on our progress.

Now, people can get updates over the phone.

That way they won't have to come down to police headquarters.

An 800 number?

Yeah, people will feel that they have access

to the Police Department.

They'll get the answers that they need.

No.

It's a perfect solution to our public information problem.

I really think it's a good idea.

It may be a good idea, but we're already short

on money and manpower as it is.

I'm not authorizing the funds to set up an 800 number.

What?

You should have checked with me first, Captain.

Let me know when you have a break in this case.

[sighing] Oh.

[rain pattering]

[Russert] Hey, Tim?

Tim, what the hell are you doing?

- Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! - Hey, whoa!

Wow!

- Are you okay? - I'm fine.

I'm fine, I just--

I took some muscle relaxants for my back.

I'm fine.

I got names in red piling up under my name.

Under my name.

Why are they piling up under my name?

Because I answered the phone call, right?

Yeah, it's my responsibility, it's my case.

You know, with every case there are those moments

when you feel you've lost your way.

You don't know if it's worth it.

The hours.

Not being able to go to your daughter's piano recital.

Right, see, but then something happens, hmm?

A piece of evidence, a witness comes in.

You get that moment of clarity,

a moment when you love your job.

But what amount of stress

would make someone want to suddenly go out,

and shoot at strangers?

See, that's the reason why he shoots.

There's no stress at all.

Well, what do you mean, no stress?

You see, with a marksman,

it is about precision.

See, it's about total concentration.

And you just--

You look through the scope, see...

and you exhale.

And you steady

your mind, body.

You focus,

the brain, the eye, the hand.

The gun.

And then the fog just lifts and you're...

one with your target.

And then you shoot.

Bang.

No stress at all.

Our handwriting expert, he's got something.

[ominous instrumental playing]

Take a look at these.

M from the third hangman game,

and M from a credit-card purchase of Da Vinci chalk.

We've got a match.

Our suspect is William Mariner, age 43, insurance executive.

No prior arrests, no prior medical or mental history.

[Russert] Wife, Linda,

three children, two girls and a boy.

Lieutenant Jasper from QRT will fill us in on procedures.

We know a lot about this guy already.

He's a crack shot, a former military sharpshooter.

I wanna keep it simple.

You people from Homicide get the wife and kids out of the way,

then we go for Mariner.

Hold up a minute, we are gonna try to talk to this guy first, right?

I wanna be prepared in the event of a hostage situation.

I don't want to go in too quickly,

because then we might create the exact situation we are trying to avoid.

[Giardello] Bayliss, let the man finish, please.

Sharpshooters are trained like QRT is trained.

The greater the pressure, the cooler the response.

Just saying, you go in like paratroopers, this guy is going to snap!

- [Giardello] Bayliss. - Detective, he already has snapped!

Okay, all right, can Bayliss go in and talk to him before moving in?

When we secure the home, and isolate Mariner, okay.

- Fair enough? - Yeah, yeah.

Let's do it.

[crowds chatting]

[knocking on door]

[Linda] Bill? Honey?

[knocking on door]

Bill? Honey, you want some breakfast?

I made your favorite, blueberry pancakes.

I'll keep your plate warm.

Your daddy will be out in a minute.

Who wants maple syrup?

- [kid] Me! - [phone ringing]

- Hello. - [Bayliss over phone] Mrs. Mariner.

I'm Detective Tim Bayliss from the Baltimore City Police.

Is your husband with you?

He's in his study.

What's this about? What's going on?

We're very concerned for your safety right now.

Are your kids with you too, Mrs. Mariner?

Yeah.

Okay, good, please step outside, Mrs. Mariner,

you and your children.

[Linda screaming]

- All right, kids. - Mommy!

[Howard] Come on, honey, let's go!

- Okay, let's go! - No! No!

Mrs. Mariner, I'm Captain Russert.

I'm Lieutenant Giardello. You spoke to Detective Bayliss.

Why are you doing this?

I'm sorry, Mrs. Mariner, but we've a warrant

to arrest your husband for the murder of nine people.

- No. No. That is not true! - [Bayliss] Mrs. Mariner.

If we could just speak to you for just a moment, please.

[Linda] I'm going in, you can't do this!

[Linda] Come on! Come on!

Shh! Listen, listen!

We won't hurt you, and we don't want to hurt your husband.

[panting] Please don't hurt Bill.

He locks himself in his study, he comes and goes all hours,

he doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep, he doesn't even drink.

If he was drinking, I could handle that, but this--

- Mrs. Mariner, does your husband own a gun?

A rifle.

He keeps it with him in his study.

I tried talking to him, but he keeps babbling.

- [Bayliss] Babbling about what? - I don't know.

He keeps saying he's gotta finish the game,

and if he can finish the game, then he can stop.

Is your husband still in his study?

What are you gonna do?

I'm gonna go talk to him.

Okay, you're up, the study's in front, off the living room.

QRT is ready for you to go in.

- Did Jasper greenlight a sharpshooter? - They're in position.

They're not gonna shoot unless I give the signal, right?

Listen, if the situation deteriorates, you give it up to them, okay?

You understand?

[suspenseful instrumental playing]

William Mariner, this is Detective Tim Bayliss.

Can you hear me in there?

Your wife Linda and I were just talking outside,

and she's real worried about you.

Whatever is going on, we can work it out.

I want that. Your wife wants that.

I'm sure your kids want that too.

[William] I'm very close now.

[Bayliss] You're very close to what?

The last letter.

When I get the last letter, I can stop.

I-- I just have to figure it out.

Yeah, I-- I understand about figuring things out.

Boy, my job, I figure things out every day.

This isn't my job.

Well, what is it that you're trying to-- to figure out?

Maybe I can help.

Mr. Mariner?

[William] Do you wanna play a game of hangman?

It's a nine-letter word.

Go ahead, guess a letter.

Why don't you come on out here, Mr. Mariner?

Guess a letter, then I'll come out.

All right. M.

I already have an M.

[Bayliss] Well, I chose a letter.

You promised you'd come on out.

But you didn't choose the right letter.

Guess again.

[sighs] Please, Mr. Mariner.

- [William] I'm waiting. - Yeah, okay.

B.

- That's it. - [Bayliss] Mr. Mariner?

[ominous instrumental playing]

I finished the game.

I can stop now.

It's over.

Mr. Mariner, why don't you come on out here, and we'll talk.

- [gunshot pops] - [chief] Go, go, go!

All right, we're in the room.

10-32. It's all clear.

Bayliss, you all right? You all right?

All right, keep the wife out of here.

Let's call the crime lab.

[Bayliss] "Eromitlab."

What the hell's that?

He finally finished the game.

He got the right word.

What does it mean?

[mysterious instrumental playing]

We've got William Mariner's prints on shell casings from all three crime scenes.

We've recovered an HK rifle from his home.

- He's definitely our sniper. - He was our sniper.

It was unfortunate that we lost the suspect, yes,

but Detective Bayliss did everything he could--

I now have to tell the press telling them our prime suspect

blew his brains out while surrounded by 100 Baltimore City detectives

and QRT personnel?

It's not the optimum outcome, I admit,

but we did everything according to procedure.

Were you in negotiation with the suspect?

I left that up to Detective Bayliss.

You turned over a very delicate hostage negotiation to a subordinate detective?

- You didn't take responsibility? - That's not what I'm saying.

I take full responsibility for what happened.

In that case your handling of the situation indicates to me

you're not up to the position of Captain.

- Excuse me? - You heard me.

- You're demoting me? - The fact is, you're still a Lieutenant.

You're within the 12-month probation period for Captain,

and you failed to demonstrate you're capable of doing the job.

Really? On what grounds?

My report to the Deputy Commissioner

will read you were in violation of General Order C-2,

Rule Number 1, Section 19.

- Section 19? - Non-performance and incompetence.

- Section 19? - Yes, that's right.

Section 19 is a completely arbitrary regulation,

it's a-- You can cite non-performance of duty

for an unspecified reason.

It's a loophole for firing someone without having to show cause.

Yeah, and that's exactly what you are doing right now.

Believe me, it's nothing personal.

Oh, yeah? I think it is.

I think it is something personal.

But I just don't think you have the balls to admit it.

Now I'm gonna recommend you be demoted.

Section 13, showing disrespect to a superior officer.

Oh, so in the space of five minutes

I've been demoted from Captain to Detective?

Why don't you take a few days off,

decide where you'd be comfortable,

Arson, or maybe back to Vice or Homicide.

That's assuming you decide to remain with the Department.

[papers rustling]

Go home, Tim.

You caught the sniper. Case closed.

Yeah, I'm on my way, I'm just--

I'm gonna sleep for about 12 hours straight.

I'm too wired to sleep,

unless, of course, you want to lend me one of those magic muscle-relaxing pills?

You know something? I don't need these anymore.

I don't need them at all. Here, take them.

- All of them? - Yeah. All.

- Is there a refill on this? - I don't know.

You know something, that's it,

I'm not taking the pills anymore,

I'm not gonna have surgery.

[Pembleton] You made a decision?

Yep, if I'm in agony, so be it.

I'll suffer in silence. I'll bear my pain like a martyr.

You do know it's not your fault that Mariner blew his brains out?

Do I know that, Fran, hmm?

Do I really?

Ordinary guy, wife, three kids,

beautiful house in the suburbs,

and he gets all twisted up

over this game of hangman.

I try to talk to him, and he blows his head off.

He finished the game, and I don't really even know what that means.

[chuckles wryly] I don't get it.

Come on.

- What? - Time to go home.

Oh, yeah.

Hey, Frank, can you give me a ride home?

What's wrong with your car?

Nah, it's my back, it's just, you know, hard to drive.

Ah, your back, what happened to suffering in silence?

You're gonna give me a ride home or not?

- I'm goin' home. - Is that a yes or a no?

Frank?

[upbeat instrumental playing]

Mommy, you're finally home!

Yes, I am finally home!

Come here, and you are gonna be late for school.

You are coming to my piano recital tonight, right?

I wouldn't miss it for the world.

- Yay! - Yay!

[indistinct]

Okay, you'd better hurry up, 'cause you're gonna miss your bus.

Bye.

[*]

[*]

[reporter over TV] We interrupt this program for a special news bulletin.

Three people were shot and killed

by a sniper in downtown Baltimore.

The shots may have been fired from an adjacent rooftop,

but police have no further details at this time.

This latest shooting will be the fourth such sniper attack

the city has seen in the past 24 hours,

bringing the total number of victims to 12 dead.

[theme song playing]