All language subtitles for Law and order S13E09 - The Wheel

NARRATOR:
In the criminal justice system

the people are represented by two
separate yet equally important groups,

the police who investigate crime

and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

I am telling you it was a sign.

Someone you knew 15 years
ago calling from...

Have a good night, Rudy.
You too.

The fact that she calls right when I'm
deciding whether to take the job in Chicago,

what do you call that?

A coincidence.

Yeah, sure. Why not?

Uproot your whole life because a virtual
stranger calls from out of the blue.

Sue me!

I don't believe in chance.

She was trying to raise money.

She called everyone
in the alumni directory.

It's only a 2-hour flight.
(SIGHS)

I could be back every weekend.

Besides, you know what
they say about absence.

I'm more concerned with what
they say about abstinence.

Come here.

Mmm.

Who knows?

We may find ourselves
joining the mile-high club.

Where are you going?

What are you doing?

It's a beautiful night.

(CHUCKLING)
It's cold on the roof.

Not when we get up there.

(SIGHS)

(CHUCKLES)

Mmm.

What in the hell is...

(GASPS)

WOMAN: Oh no!

MAN: God!

(BOTH COUGHING)

They usually pass out from the pain
before they die of inhalation.

Thank God for small favors.

The victim's an Asian female. I'd
say late teens, early twenties.

Why does it smell like
happy hour up here?

The nose knows.

The accelerant.
Eight-year-old.

Why not use the good stuff?

Which one of you
actually lives here?

That would be me.

1403.

It looked to me like
you missed your floor.

We were going to the roof.

Stargazing.

Right.

The only way to get to the roof
is the stairwell on that floor.

I don't know.

Carrying signs and shouting seems a
better way to make a political statement.

Excuse me?

That apartment, penthouse 1,

the Deputy Consul-General
from China lives there.

You still don't notice
anything weird?

Other than lighting
herself on fire?

One shoe!

The girl's only got one shoe.

Any ID?

It could be Cinderella. Lost a slipper
on the way back from the ball.

Or a cane. That looks
like ACE bandage.

We may have just gone
international on this one.

Chinese bigwig
lives in penthouse 1.

BRISCOE: So who lives
in penthouse 2?

That one's for sale.

I guess the price just dropped.

(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)

On both apartments.

I'm sorry.

I have a weak stomach
for this sort of thing.

Most people do.

They're crazy, you know?

Who exactly are
we talking about?

These Falun Gong people.
I'm sorry?

Falun Gong.

They are a heretical cult.

My government has banned them,

saving a lot of innocent victims
from being unwittingly brainwashed.

Into committing suicide?

They hook their followers
first by convincing them

it's a good way to stay
physically fit.

Breathing exercises,
things like that.

And then they graduate
to self-immolation?

Sometimes. A group did this in
Tiananmen Square last year.

And their leader
thinks he can fly.

I don't know how many of his
followers have jumped off buildings.

Are these those guys
on 12th Avenue?

CHEN: That's where
our consulate is.

They just stare.
They never say a word.

(SPEAKING MANDARIN)

In English, Yuen.

My driver.

Doorman says trouble.

Maybe you want to go to hotel.

No, I'll be fine here.

Unless...

BRISCOE: No, you're okay.

Thank you.

Does he live here?

No. He's more like
a personal assistant.

Do you have any idea
who that girl is?

Actually, we were
hoping that you knew.

Well, obviously her aim was
to embarrass my government.

How terrible for a family,

to lose a child to a cult.

Nobody gets by me. That's
why I get 7:00 to midnight.

That's the busy time?

Well, people coming
home from the office,

people going out for their
evening's entertainment.

And you see everybody?

That's right.

Okay, so did anybody
visit Mr. Chen tonight?

That would have been tough. He left before
I came on and you saw when he got back.

You know, I, uh,

thought about joining
the force, but the old lady...

She worries.

That's too bad, man.

So, any of the residents
have guests tonight?

The Carlsons in 301
had the piano tuner,

he left at 8:15.
That's about it.

And this is the only
entrance into the building?

Yeah. There's a garage entrance around
the corner, but you gotta get by Hank.

Oh. Hank's pretty
good, too, huh?

You'll see.

I heard it was suicide.

It's a homicide until our Medical
Examiner tells us otherwise.

I didn't see no Oriental
broads come in this way.

I believe they're called
Asian women, bro.

Whatever. Like we don't have
enough Hebrews in the building,

now they gotta sell
to the Red Army?

If anybody tried to get in here
that I didn't know, I'd know.

What if they were in the back
seat of something like that?

That's Mrs. Schumacher's. She
hasn't had a guest in two years.

ED: Now, she don't drive that
thing herself, does she?

She couldn't reach
the pedals. She's got Wong.

HANK: Nice guy for a...
Chauffeur?

Exactly.

What time did
he drop the car off?

I'd say
about 8:00.

Do you happen to know
where Mr. Wong lives?

Yeah. The Chinatown OTB.

He bets every race
at every track in the world.

Oh, you mean those weirdos
over on the West Side.

Mmm-hmm, that's them. They're against
something. I'm just not sure what it is.

Well, at least they don't ask
for money or bang on your door

at 6 a.m. Passing
out pamphlets.

Any hot picks?
We're all interested.

Hey, for your information, our
key witness plays the ponies.

I'm just looking for OTB's
first Simulcast race.

Uh-huh.
The 3rd at Belmont?

Okay, so I took a little detour.

Our Jane Doe is not
rushing off anyplace.

Anyway, we're hoping that Mr. Wong
snuck her in through the garage.

Or maybe she landed on the roof.

Should I even ask?

Well, besides
self-immolations,

the Deputy Consul-General says that some
of these people think they can fly.

Hey, who am I to doubt them?

It's post time in Ireland.
All right.

It's the greatest
gig in the world.

Once a day, Mrs. Schumacher
goes out to meet her sister.

Once a week, I take the car
out for a wash and wax.

A little manicure
here, a lunch there.

Have you been by to see
Mrs. Schumacher yet today?

No. Has something
happened to her?

No, but somebody committed suicide
in her building last night.

It's that O'Grady kid, right?

That one's not from this planet.

No. Actually it was a stranger. Nobody
knows how she got into the building.

We were thinking maybe
you drove her there.

Hey! I've got a better chance of
winning the Pick 6 at Santa Anita.

Mrs. S. Even smells another
person in that car, I'm canned.

Sorry, I can't help you.
Can I...

BRISCOE:
Yeah. Go ahead.

You buy that?

Not to profile, but no.

Aw, come on. This kid eats
apple pie for breakfast.

Let's go talk to
Mrs. Schumacher anyway.

I've got nothing better
to do till lunch.

Oh, it's horrible, horrible.

The poor girl.

Did you see any strangers around the
building, in the halls, the elevator?

No, I don't go out much anymore,

now that Freddy has passed on.

ED: Freddy, is that
your husband?

My bichon frise.

Oh...

He loved the park.

We'd sit on a bench and
he'd bark at the bicycles.

Actually, Mrs. Schumacher, we
were wondering about your driver.

It's funny you should
bring him up.

Freddy actually introduced me to Mr.
Wong.

Your dog introduced you
to your driver?

Mmm-hmm!

You know those people that do that
strange routine in the park every day?

Um, it's like karate,
but nobody gets hit.

Mr. Wong was one of them?

Freddy got such
a kick out of him.

MORAN: I guess I've been doing the
exercises for about a year now.

My wife read some article
about the health benefits.

She got bored,
but I'm still here.

BRISCOE: My ex-wife talked
me into seeing a counselor

and the counselor talked
me into getting a divorce.

Well, you ought to try this.

I mean, all these people wasting thousands
of dollars on shrinks when a little

(INHALES) free breathing
cures all that ails.

Well, we hear that there's a lot
more to it than just breathing.

That's right. It fills
a spiritual void.

Falun Gong, it means
"law of the wheel."

That all things
come full circle.

Hey, does Tommy Wong
come here often?

Oh, sure.
Yeah, mostly mornings now.

I'm a two-a-day-er. Tommy didn't
do anything wrong, did he?

No, no. We're looking for a
friend of his, a young lady?

Falun Gong is not a singles
party, Detectives.

Let me ask you this. Are any of
your regulars missing today?

Uh... Glen Haff.
He's on jury duty,

and, uh, Huang Quan.
She goes by Helen.

Hardly speaks any English.

Poor thing, she
sprained her ankle.

I sprained my ankle once.

My foot blew up so bad I
couldn't wear a shoe for a week.

Well, you see,
with our exercises,

I bet Helen is back
in a day or two.

If we wanted to, where
would we find Miss Quan?

You know what? Her older sister
cuts my hair at Chambliss on 72nd.

Helen does shampooing
there part-time.

Just let it sit for a while.

Helen's not here today.

She's new to this country so
whatever she did, it's...

Wendy, this may be
kind of rough.

I'm so sorry.

Stupid little...

It would have been easier if
she were hooked on heroin.

BRISCOE: You're talking
about Falun Gong?

She called it

a search for spirituality.

But it's a cult.

She was the sweetest little kid.

You wouldn't believe.

Now look at her.

How did she get
involved with it?

My mom.

When Dad and I left
18 years ago...

Put it this way. She was a perfect
candidate for their brainwashing.

But Helen...

We talked to somebody who thinks Falun
Gong is just a way to stay fit.

I'm not the biggest fan of the Chinese
government, but maybe they're right.

ED: Right about what?

They're trying to
deprogram these people.

They've created camps for it.

Helen told me Mom's in one.

So that's what Helen
was protesting?

It's just stupid.

I mean, what made her think
that this would change

what's going on
thousands of miles away?

Did Helen leave a note
or anything?

ED: If she did leave
a suicide note,

it's not like I'm going
to be able to read it.

Uh, David Ong
in Vice can translate.

Hey, look at this.

Picking the Ponies
by Chip Burton.

Now that's pretty strange
reading for somebody

who isn't exactly up to
speed on their English.

Yeah, but not for somebody
(CELL PHONE RINGS)

Who practically
lives at the OTB.

Yeah? Oh, hey, what's up?

Okay. Okay,
we'll be right there.

That was
the M.E.'s office.

Good. We can finally
put this to bed.

Third degree burns
over 60% of her body.

Well, we kind of knew that, Doc.

Ah, but what you didn't know was that there
was no carbon monoxide in her lungs,

which means... She was dead
before she got torched.

The petechial hemorrhaging in her
eyes tells me that she was strangled.

Well, I guess we can stop
looking for the suicide note.

The fact is you lied, Tommy.

No, I didn't.

Hey, maybe this Falun
Gong affects your memory,

but we asked you
if you knew the woman

who cooked herself outside the
Deputy Consul's apartment.

I didn't know it was Helen.

But you knew Helen.

You didn't ask me that.

I don't like
chasing my tail here.

I don't know what you're saying.

Man, if you don't give me a straight
answer, I swear before God I will...

Okay! Okay!
I knew Helen.

Thank you.

I was just trying to help
her become American.

Help her with the language,
stuff like that.

Our people were from
the same part of China.

So you helped her
with the language

by giving her a book
on betting the ponies.

I don't have that much
reading material.

(LAUGHING)

That's all I know.

We gave you your chance, man.

What time's the next
bus to Rikers?

Wait! Just, just,
just hold on!

I met her in the park.

And she told me that her mom
was locked up back in China.

BRISCOE:
What for?

For believing. Falun Gong
is illegal over there.

Helen wanted to help
her mom get out,

so when she heard that Chen lives in Mrs.
Schumacher's building,

she thought maybe
he could do something.

Would have been a whole lot
easier just to ask nicely.

WONG: Yeah. She tried. He
wouldn't take her calls.

She said something
about suing him.

She was more American
than we thought.

So you just snuck her
into the building?

Yeah. But she didn't tell me that she
was going to light herself on fire.

She just wanted to talk,

went in through the garage,
and then I went home.

Look, I'm not perfect, but I'm not
gonna help someone commit suicide.

I need a cup of coffee.

Wait! What about me?

Make yourself at home, bro.

You think he doesn't
know she was strangled?

I think he has trouble
with the truth in general.

We can't keep him forever
with what we got.

You talk to the
Deputy Consul-General,

I'll keep Mr. Wong
dancing as long as I can.

Mr. Wong, do you
have a lawyer?

She may have come to talk to me,

but I was at the consulate with
a group of Chinese businessmen,

until I arrived home
to find you in my corridor.

So you never talked to her?

Didn't I just say that?

I'm sorry.

I realize Americans
always root for the underdog,

but I didn't see any of you coming to the
defense of Jim Jones or David Koresh.

We didn't come here to have a
political argument with you.

Of course not.
I'm sorry.

These people just infuriate me.

Protesting outside
my door like this.

It's like the thief
who screams, "Stop, thief!"

Well, we think
this thief was murdered.

You see? They will even sacrifice their
own if it suits their sick purposes.

Wait a minute. You're
telling me one believer

would kill another one
just to prove a point?

But this wouldn't be the first time.
They're sick.

Some of them cut their own stomachs
open to find the wheel inside.

The interesting thing here is that
one of Helen's friends told us

that she brought some sort
of legal action against you.

For what? I told you,
I never saw her before.

Something to do with her mother
back in the old country.

First of all, if I had been sued it would be
dismissed on jurisdictional grounds alone.

Second,

if I were actually found
liable for something,

I could simply leave the country and have
a default judgment entered against me.

You're right. You could.

Thank you for
your time, Mr. Chen.

I realize you're
just doing your jobs.

A local artist back in Tianjin.

Hey, Tianjin. Isn't that where Helen's
sister said their family was from?

Probably a coincidence.

Yeah, so I figured.

You know, and I'm not
pointing any fingers,

but didn't that sound like that Deputy
Consul knew an awful lot about lawsuits

for somebody
who wasn't getting sued?

Helen Quan was new to this country. Now
where's she gonna go to find a lawyer?

My client's already told your
boss everything he knows.

And the bottom line is you don't have any
possible cause to hold him any longer.

(CHUCKLING) Don't you
mean "probable cause"?

No, I mean you don't have anything
that even possibly resembles evidence.

Well, his lies
are getting us pretty close.

WONG: I told the truth.

Mr. Chen said he doesn't
know anything about a lawsuit.

He's lying.

Actually, we checked. There are no
lawsuits against him in New York.

Of course there aren't.

It's a Federal case.

You need to speak to Sally Xiao.

She's on Mott Street.

The Alien Tort Claims Act, and the
Torture Victim Prevention Act.

Each gave us jurisdiction over Mr.
Chen.

You're saying the Deputy
Consul-General tortured people?

He was mayor of a town
where the torture took place.

And they can sue him here for something
he allegedly did over there?

That's why America is the
greatest country in the world.

I don't know. Maybe we're sticking
our noses where we don't belong.

Why? Because China's not sitting on
top of millions of gallons of oil?

To date there are
481 documented cases

of Falun Gong practitioners being
beaten to death while in detention.

Only from what we heard, they
broke Chinese law first.

It's not a just law.
It's religious repression.

Well, you say religion,
they say cult.

Government propaganda. Remember,
Detective, Christianity was once a cult.

Helen Quan's mother has been
needlessly imprisoned for two years,

being fed psychotropic drugs and
beaten until she was barely conscious.

And you know this because...

We know.

No offense, but who's
spewing propaganda now?

You can go.

Look, this lawsuit you filed.

Mr. Chen says he never heard about it.
(PHONE RINGS)

Would an affidavit of service
convince you he's lying?

Hello?

Hmm. It says here Mr. Chen was
served with a Federal complaint

two weeks before
Helen Quan was murdered.

Maybe losing a case like this is a little
more serious than hopping on a plane

with a default judgment
in your briefcase.

Thank you.

Let's go see if he really was
at the consulate that night.

YUEN: In China,
I work as driver.

Then I come here
with Mr. Chen.

I gotta tell you, Mr. Yuen. Your boss
says you're doing a hell of a job.

Uh, Mr. Chen says,
uh, you're the best.

Best. I know.

The night that that
girl killed herself?

It is terrible.

What was the restaurant
that you took Mr. Chen to?

Mr. Chen and friends.
Steak eat. 44th Street.

Okay. We have a problem
with that, Mr. Yuen.

Your boss said that he
didn't go to a restaurant,

that he was at the
consulate all night long.

So you're lying to
protect him, aren't you?

Protect, yes.

I not dishonor
Mr. Chen.

ED: Dishonor?
YUEN: Yes.

Mr. Chen at girls
for money.

Ah, the international language.

I wait for him to be done
and then take him home.

These girls, where
can we find them?

Excuse me. Escort.

Oh, yeah.
I always forget.

Uh, Tuesday night you
escorted a Chinese gentleman?

Sure. Mr. Chen.

He's some kind of big shot
over at the embassy.

And you're sure that it
was on Tuesday night?

Would you like
to see my Palm Pilot?

Actually...

Well, then why don't
you guys come back

with a warrant?

I'm in my second year.
Manhattan Law.

So where did you
escort Mr. Chen?

We didn't go out.
At least, I didn't.

But Mr. Chen did?

It was really a party for these
rich guys over from China.

Tina and I,

we showed them a hell of a time.

Mr. Chen didn't wanna
hang around for the fun?

Nope. He just
gave me some cash.

He said take care of his pals.

And then he left and he came back
around midnight to pick them up.

Tommy Wong sneaks Helen into the building.
To do what?

To talk to Chen. To beg
for her mother's release.

To sit on the floor
cross-legged in silent protest.

It don't really matter.

In court it might.

Well, Chen's been lying
from the get-go, Serena.

The Chinese government sees these
people as some sort of threat.

We figure Chen dropped his buddies
off to get their jollies,

went home and found
Helen Quan sitting there.

One thing leads to another, and he makes
it look like she's one of those fanatics

into self-immolation
for a cause.

A guy like this, you put
the chains on his wrists,

he'll crack like
a year-old fortune cookie.

A Deputy Consul-General?
This is way over my head.

There are rules for
consulate notification.

International issues.

Well, if he gets nervous,
he may split for China.

If he gets anywhere near an
airplane, use the chains.

Whoa! Excuse me!

I'm looking for Detective Green.

Well, he's not here.

Maybe I can help you.

Are you working on
the Helen Quan case?

Actually, I'm in charge here.

Well, let me tell you, you're
doing one hell of a job.

Maybe you should
take a deep breath.

I just came from
the morgue, Detective.

Lieutenant.
She was murdered.

They told me Helen was...

Look,

why don't we go in here,
have a seat...

Don't touch me!

My baby sister was
strangled and set on fire,

and the man who did it is
eating dinner at Lutèce!

You're referring to
Deputy Consul-General Chen.

He's under surveillance.
Oh!

That's great.

You know, Dad always said
America was a great country.

He said there was
justice here. Laws.

He could recite the Declaration
of Independence by heart.

You know what,
I'm glad he's dead.

That way he didn't have to see
it was all a big, fat lie.

Look, there's a lot more
involved before we can arrest.

She was killed at his door.
Who else could've done it?

It's because he's
a big shot, isn't it?

What's the use? Governments,
they're all the same.

(DOOR OPENS)

I know I said I liked a good fight,
but taking on an entire government

is not quite what I meant.

Chen is a lower level diplomat.

If he did commit this murder, I don't
think China would go to the mat for him.

I was talking about
our government.

Another enemy is the last thing
this country needs right now.

What the hell, Helen
Quan's just one person.

There's a billion more
where she came from.

I'll ignore that.

Since when do we turn the
other cheek just because

a couple of international
feathers might get ruffled?

I don't think that we would
hesitate to prosecute Mr. Chen

if he was a visiting
official from New Jersey.

Are you two quite done?

First off, we don't have to worry about
our visiting officials in New Jersey

being whisked off in retaliation
in the middle of the night

to dungeons never to be
heard from again.

Secondly, our commercial
interests in Newark

might not suddenly find themselves
taxed out of business or

closed down permanently
with no recourse.

So the law is the law unless enforcing
it causes some collateral damage?

That lady outside in the blindfold, she's
got a scale in her left hand, Serena.

Yeah, and it's the scale
ofjustice, not pragmatism.

Well, sometimes you can't
have one without the other.

Especially when Pennington
Cleese is across the aisle.

Your old firm.

Representing my old client.

The whole country
of China was your client?

Up to 10 million
a year in billings.

So, will there be
some kind of conflict here?

Chen wasn't even in this country
when I represented them.

But... JACK: Don't even
think about it, Arthur.

SERENA: What?

Arthur was about
to suggest that we transfer

this case to
another jurisdiction.

Well, it would prevent
a hell of a migraine.

Take an Aspirin.

I was referring to your head.

You think I can't win this.

Nothing personal,
but Pennington Cleese

has a lot more
money and manpower.

Where you going?

To convene a grand jury.

You don't understand. We were
better off than most families

and we would be considered
living in poverty over here.

Is that what drew people
to the Falun Gong?

It makes them search
for something.

Some kind of happiness and life.

You don't sound
like you approve.

I hate them.

None of this
would've happened if...

JACK: Please continue,
Miss Quan.

Helen told me two
or three years ago

the police beat up
members of Falun Gong.

Our mom then joined a group of
others to protest in Beijing.

What did Helen tell you
happened after that?

The Chinese government doesn't exactly
approve of civil disobedience.

Cops raided the houses of anyone
in connection with Falun Gong

and threw them into
detention camps.

Helen called them prisons.

And was your mother one
of those taken prisoner?

Helen said she hid in the closet when
they dragged Mom out by her hair.

JACK: When was the last
time you saw Helen?

The day she died.

She didn't really understand. She thought
that if she could just talk to Mr. Chen...

I knew that would be
a waste of time,

but that doesn't mean
she had to die.

The government started a full-out
campaign to suppress and destroy

Falun Gong permanently.

Thousands were rounded up like cattle
and shipped off to detention centers

for reeducation.

Meaning?

As I understand it, they were beaten,
tortured, committed to insane asylums.

JACK: But they
weren't insane?

They had faith.

The government only wants the rest of
the population to think they're insane.

Why did Miss Quan come to you?

She wanted me to help
get her mother released.

Of course, I had
no power to do that,

but I did find two Federal
statutes that allow civil action

to be brought against those who commit
certain human rights violations abroad.

As former mayor of Tianjin,

Mr. Chen was a potential defendant
in one of these actions.

So on behalf of Miss
Quan, you sued him?

That is correct.

And if you were successful in this
action, what would happen to Mr. Chen?

There probably would have been money
damages awarded to Miss Quan.

Mr. Chen would have been
recalled to China.

But what my client
really wanted,

what all practitioners
of Falun Gong want,

is for the general public to
be made aware of their plight.

Then maybe world opinion would
help sway the Chinese government.

I drive car
for Mr. Chen.

JACK: And you've been
doing this for how long?

Two years in this country.
Before that, in China.

Do you remember the night
Miss Quan was murdered?

I didn't know.

I thought she set
fire on herself.

Sacrifice.

Can you tell us where
Mr. Chen was that evening?

YUEN: At consulate.

What time did he
leave the consulate?

Mr. Chen not go out.
He stay at consulate.

For the whole evening?

Yes.

Didn't you tell the police officers
that you drove Mr. Chen someplace else?

I take Mr. Chen to consulate,
then take him home.

Nothing else.

Do you know what
perjury is, Mr. Yuen?

I tell truth.

I could put you in jail
right now, Mr. Yuen.

I not lie.

Then you committed obstruction
when you lied to the police.

Police?
Crime, Mr. Yuen.

You can't lie to the police or
the grand jury in this country.

America?
Forget it, Jack.

No, I will not.

Can't you see that he's scared?

SERENA: Who knows what will happen to
him if he turns on a ranking official.

That's his problem, not mine.

I'm sure the grand jury knew
exactly what he was doing.

For his sake, they better.

Okay, go?

So? They just started
deliberating.

Are they just there
for the free lunch

or is there actually
something to argue about?

Chen's driver lied.

Enter one alibi.

Which was contradicted by
the call girl, but who knows?

Did I ever tell you about
Howard Pincham?

He was my right-hand man
at Pennington.

My guess, he's going to be
opposing counsel in this affair.

We can't afford even the appearance
of conflict here, Arthur.

Where do the canons say a couple
of pals can't shoot the breeze?

So, back in the days when
I got paid for working,

the Chinese government
invited me,

as their counsel, to visit
their beautiful country.

The only problem is I'm what
the kids today call a homeboy.

I like to stay home.

So you sent Howard Pincham?

Best perk he ever got.
He spent the last six months

of '99 touring
the country in style.

(DOOR OPENING)

Yup, except for a wicked
case of Mao's Revenge,

old Howie had a wonderful time.

How'd we do?

It may have been the quickest
indictment in history.

Ah. Now the fun begins.

Ichiro, on Seattle, led
the league in batting.

Ichiro, and he's Japanese.

Uh, Chan Ho...

No, he's Korean.

All right, what about the 7'6"
center Texas just imported?

Okay, but we'll see what he
does against Shaq in the post.

All I'm saying is...
Hold that thought.

Excuse me, I have a very
important meeting to go to.

Hey, you just read my mind.

You got the next
25-to-life off, pal.

Li Chen, you're under arrest
for the murder of Helen Quan.

Call the lawyer, Yuen.

I guess you don't have to read
him the rest of the speech, Ed.

"Docket number 3-2-4-4-4
People v. Li Chen.

"One count of Murder
in the First Degree."

How does your client plead?

He doesn't.

JUDGE: Excuse me?

Mr. Chen has
consular immunity.

It was improper for these charges to
have been brought against him at all.

I demand that you
release him immediately.

You know, I'd love to,
Mr. Pincham,

but your client's charged with
murder, not a parking ticket.

Your sarcasm offends
me, Your Honor.

Then go back to the white-collar
world where people say "please"

before they screw you
to the wall.

Now, you've got until "three"
to give me a plea. One...

Not Guilty, Your Honor.

With the stipulation on the record
that this is not an implicit

submission to
this court's jurisdiction.

You know, Mr. Chen, your
attorney's worth every penny

he's picking from your pocket.

Your Honor, under the circumstances,
the risk of flight is high...

Save your breath, Counselor.

Defendant is remanded
without bail.

(GAVEL BANGS)

You should have seen them, Jack.

Talk about weird. They were just
frozen there, like statues.

In this country,
weird's allowed.

Howard Pincham.
Pleasure.

Do you really think
he's necessary?

Your client committed
a serious crime.

Well, even in China they require
a little evidence of guilt.

He lied to the police about Miss
Quan's lawsuit and his alibi.

And Moses lied to his people when
he said, "We're almost there."

You can do better
than that, Mr. Pincham.

I'm just saying that sometimes there's a
very good reason to stretch the truth.

I lied about the lawsuit because

I knew it would make me look like
I had motive to kill Miss Quan.

Guess what, Mr. Chen. It does.

SERENA:
And the alibi?

I was at the consulate.

You know, in China these people would be
in prison because they are criminals.

Because they happen to believe
in something you don't.

Because they sabotaged an
entire communications system,

taking over
a satellite in China.

Because they brainwash innocents
into cutting their bellies open,

looking for Falun,
the wheel of law.

The bottom line, Mr. McCoy, the girl's
lawsuit was, at best, frivolous

and at worst, unconstitutional.

It's like suing you in Sicily
for convicting John Gotti here.

Either way, I don't think Mr.
Chen or his friends back home

would want the world
looking their way.

I'm sure you're aware that I could
go into court tomorrow and argue

that this whole thing should
be dismissed because

Mr. Chen's diplomatic status
renders him immune to prosecution.

Only for acts that fall within the
scope of his official duties.

I don't think murder counts.

I said I could go into court and argue
the motion. I didn't say I would win.

But you'd keep us busy
drafting a brief.

And after that you could respond
to my motion to change venue

to Federal court.

Of course, we'd be willing
to save the cost and hassle

of going to trial
by discussing a plea.

For what? Mr. Chen
didn't kill that girl.

You know, Mr. Chen, I've been
thinking of traveling to China.

I'm very happy for you...

Of course, I'd go to Beijing,
but I'd wanna see more.

Would your hometown
be of any interest?

Well, Tianjin
is a beautiful city.

But would an American
appreciate its beauty?

Well, Mr. Pincham thought so.
Stop.

You visited Tianjin, did you?

That has no bearing
on this case.

On the contrary.

If we go to trial, I could
call you as a witness

to testify about
the detention camps,

or lack thereof, whatever
the case may be.

That puts you... No, that puts your entire
firm in a precarious legal position.

Serena, why don't you
start drafting a brief

to have Mr. Pincham's
law firm disqualified?

This is ridiculous.

Perhaps. But look
at all those fees

your firm will lose
if a judge agrees with me.

"The fee comes first." It's the motto
of every Wall Street litigator.

What are the odds that Pincham will
recuse the firm from this case?

What are the odds that an elf will pop
out of my desk and spit cider in my ear?

At Pennington, the only thing
worse than losing a case

is losing a client, especially one
with seven zeros in the year-end bill.

So I wasted my breath.
No.

Right about now,
I figure that Pincham

and twelve of his partners
are squeezed into

a visiting room at Rikers trying to
convince Mr. Chen to cut a deal.

Let's hope he listens.

You know, Arthur, some people might
interpret what you told me as...

And they would be wrong.

(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)

PINCHAM: Get you a refill?

Howard!

I didn't think they let Harvard
men in here unescorted.

I'm meeting O'Keefe for dinner.

Did you see this? Second
Circuit reversed Barsky.

I could have you disbarred
for this, Arthur.

For having a drink?

You told McCoy
I visited Tianjin.

Just because you left the firm doesn't mean
you can disclose confidential information

about my dealings with clients.

If you recall, I skipped
your home movies of that trip.

Splitting hairs doesn't
become you, Arthur.

We'll just have to see what
the ethics committee thinks.

Unless, of course...

Are you trying to extort
a deal out of me, Howard?

A proposal, that's all.

Suppose I turn my back
on this Bar Association thing

and you agree to send
Mr. Chen back to China.

So he can be tried for
murder by his own people.

Exactly by a culture
that understands him.

Sounds good.

Ah. I knew you'd
be reasonable.

Reasonable but not stupid. Back home,
Chen might receive a medal of honor

for murdering Helen Quan.

You love this, don't you?
Squeezing me into a corner.

Just doing my job.

Only Chen didn't kill that girl and you
don't have any evidence to prove he did.

And he doesn't have an alibi.

We know he wasn't feeling
particularly frisky that night.

If you're talking about the call
girls, that's not Chen's thing.

What is?

A dry vodka martini from the
Beekman Hotel around the corner.

The bartender at the Beekman showed me Chen's
credit card receipts for three drinks.

That would be a
pretty good alibi.

Then why didn't he just tell
us that in the first place?

Who knows? Maybe he thought somehow that
it would lead back to the call girls,

which might embarrass his
important business friends.

Yeah, but we already knew
about the call girls, Jack.

Why would he risk
going to jail for that?

Maybe he believes the American
justice system actually works.

Chen knows he didn't kill Helen Quan, so
what's one little lie to protect friends?

Yeah. There's a lot of that
going around in this case.

The driver.

That's who I'm referring to.

He told Briscoe and Green that he waited for
Chen outside the call girls' apartment.

But if that were true,
he would have seen Chen leave.

As I was saying.

Then he wouldn't have told us about
the call girls in the first place.

He would have said Chen
had a drink at the hotel.

He didn't know Chen wasn't
where he was supposed to be.

Do you think he's
covering for himself?

I'm gonna talk to him.
Not yet.

I knew it. As soon as
they sold to them people.

You mean Mr. Chen?
Damn communists.

Next thing, Osama
will set up shop.

What's happening
to this country?

Put a fence around
the island is what I say.

Yeah, I hear ya.

Um, I gotta ask you a question
or two about the night

that girl was killed.

I already told the cops I didn't see
no strangers enter the building.

I know, but what
I'd really like to know

is if you saw his
assistant here that night.

You mean Schwarzenegger?

Excuse me?

It's always, "I'll be back."

Like Arnold wouldn't
crush him like a bug.

And that night?

Yeah, he was here, maybe an
hour, maybe a little more.

Then he went out to get the boss
with another "I'll be back."

We want to talk to you
about your boss.

Mr. Chen is great man.

For a murderer.

He no kill lady.

Maybe not with his own hands,
but in this country,

if he told you to do it,

it's just the same
as if he did it himself.

He not tell me.

No, I not kill.

But you were the only one in Mr.
Chen's apartment that night.

No. I wait outside girls.

It's time to stop
lying, Mr. Yuen.

Mr. Chen busy for hours.

SERENA: So you went
to his apartment?

Mr. Chen have satellite TV.

Why she want to send
Mr. Chen home?

Why she want judge
to send him home?

I tell her, "Be nice to Mr. Chen." I beg
her not to have judge send him home.

But she refused.

She say she want to talk
to him. "Right now!"

I say, "No. Chen not home."

Lady bang on door and scream at me and
say, "Where is Chen? Where is Chen?"

That must have made you angry.

Chen good man.
He not kill people.

SERENA: So you killed her so that
she would leave Mr. Chen alone.

She not believe Chen good man.

She say judge send him home.
And I don't want to go home.

JACK: And if Chen
were sued successfully,

he'd be forced to return to China
and you'd have to go back with him.

And you'd do anything
not to have to be sent back.

America have free.

I stay in America.

Sally Xiao's gonna
represent him pro bono.

My guess is she'll take man one.

Mr. Yuen wanted freedom badly
enough to kill for it.

Now he's gonna spend the next
eight-and-a-third-to-25

in Attica.

Makes you realize why people
in China are finding religion.

Makes me glad
I turned down that trip.