Law & Order Criminal Intent S1E10 - English Transcript

'In New York City's war on crime, 'the worst criminal offenders are pursued 'by the detectives of the Major Case Squad. 'These are their stories. ' Harry, I think you're wrong. If we release the credits to Delhi, Islamabad won't sit on its hands. I don't think we should take on new obligations, Father. We're a bank, Edward. That's what we do. Take on obligations. Don't be such a nervous nelly. Me? Nervous? You're the one who sees assassins behind every plant. I see traitors. There's a difference. Tell Delhi they have the loan. If Islamabad squawks, screw 'em. - Time for your shots, Mr Sternman. - We'll leave you, Harry. Shame, Edward. Shame, shame, shame. Son of a ***. I'm surrounded by sons of ***, Zainer. So, where is she? - She just came back from shopping. - What about him? Before your meeting, Edward took a call from Mr Zuckerman. - I see what's happening. - I'll get it. Throw all that out, it's junk. George, is it done yet? - What do you do for $800 an hour? - What about this? I need it signed end of week. Yeah, that too. No excuses, just get it done! That's a so-called reinforced door. How reinforced is it? - A bazooka would blow it down. - They've got bazookas. - And what about the air filters? - Once they're installed, they could pump cyanide into this place. Be like an offshore breeze. Once they're installed? Why aren't they installed now? I'm waiting for your son to OK them. I say they're OK. What exactly did he tell Knowles? Something about it had to be signed by the end of the week. Thatstupid old man. What did he mean by, whatever happens? - What's supposed to happen? - I don't know. Edward just said, "Get him out by the elevator. " - What should I do? - Just what he told you. Where you going with your *** hanging out? Cocktail party at the Met. I'll be back by nine. Make sure he takes one of his little blue pills. He might just get lucky tonight. She thinks I'd go near that swamp. Like she doesn't think I know where it's been. That I don't know what's going on in this house? Now the Russians, they get all weepy on you. But they are ruthless SOBs. Ow! God! Watch it, you idiot! - Yes, sir. I'm sorry. - Don't stop. My back is still tight. - What is it? - Do you smell smoke? Smoke? What is it, Zainer? There's a fire down the hall. I hear noises. This is it. It's them. They're coming for me. Zainer, help! - 911. What's your emergency? - 'They're coming to kill me!' - They're breaking in. - 'What is your location, sir?' - 'Damn, they're trying to get in. ' - Sir, I need your location. 'Sternman Towers. For God's sake, hurry. They're shooting at the door. - 'Oh, God. The smoke is coming in. ' - Emergency services are on the way. '***. They're killing me. ' Sir? Sir, can you hear me? Sir? The building won't officially open for two months. Mr and Mrs Sternman were the only residents. We were working out bugs in the security system. How elaborate is the security system? Alarms on every window. Motion sensors on the roof. We're on the 90th floor. Mr Sternman had whole countries after him. So he said. This was his building. No one was gonna drive him out of it. Pack this up. What do you know about his nurse, Rick Zainer? Verydependable. Do you have any idea why Sternman would lock himself in the bathroom? It's the safe room. Any emergency, he'd lock himself in here. Four-way locks, bulletproof door, firewalls. Yeah, 911 mentioned shots fired. - Check for slugs. - OK. - Were you working on ventilation? - Yes. Why would he run in here if there was a problem? I don't know. He was avery unusual guy. It seems so. This is the security-system control panel. It's where the fire started. - In the security system? - If the gremlin's gonna get you Anyone else help this thing along? I won't know until I get this panel back to the lab. - Why didn't the sprinklers go off? - We're looking into that, too. We have another smoke fatality. In the laundry room. A maid. I told him it was a fire but he was convinced it was terrorists. - He told 911 people broke in. - Thank you. It could've been me pounding on the door to tell him to come out. - But he wouldn't listen. - Did you see anyone come in or out? - No. There was too much smoke. - How long had you been his nurse? - Six years. - What kind of nursing did he need? He was practically a recluse. He had high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, bad hip, gout. - He took 14 pills a day. - Any mood-altering drugs? Zoloft, Xanax. He suffered from depression, anxiety. - He kept you busy. - He was an interesting man. OK, Mr Zainer, thank you. - Did she work for you, Mrs Sternman? - Yes, it's her. It's Aricelli. - Oh, Rick, what's her last name? - DiMarco. What happened to her? We found her dead of smoke inhalation in the laundry room. Was she involved in starting the fire? Not that we know. Do you have her number? We need to call her family. I'll write it down. I can't believe this. It's a nightmare. - Edward, you got my message. - I heard on the radio. Is Dad OK? He locked himself in the bathroom. He died from the smoke. I'm sorry. - Dead? Oh, my God. What started it? - We don't know yet. My father's dead. I can't That not possible. The fire was designed to be slow-burning with a maximum of smoke. The sprinklers had been disabled in the penthouse - but were working everywhere else. - How was the fire set? Security system has a dedicated phone line to the security company. The torch hooked up one end of an answering machine's circuit board to the phone line and the other end to an electronic match. - It dials the number - Phone answers. Sparks the match, which sets off half a pound of loosely-packed black powder. - Can you trace any of the parts? - Just the electronic match. They usually melt, but we pulled a partial serial number off this one. I traced it and got it narrowed down to two electronic supply houses. They can tell you who they sold it to. Eames. I found the guy's workshop back here. Firebug, firebug, fly away home. Electronic matches. Buy in bulk and save. - Bag this paper shredder. - Look at this. I make it it's the warehouse next to DiSanto's Beef on 11. His next gig. I can be the best driver ever, a guy steps in front of my car It wasn't some guy. This was my father, Harry Sternman. - Not to mention this poor woman. - You said the help would be out. I know what I told you. I dunno how this could've gone so wrong. I'm not happy about it either. I never killed anyone. - You're the expert. You should know. - Screw that line of thought! Legally, we're both on the hook for homicide. Joined at the hip, as it were. Remember, you and me, Eduardo. Siamese twins. We're staking out the warehouse and Flynn's. - We know who hired him? - We're looking at shredded papers. - What else we got on Flynn? - A long sheet. No known associates. - House was rented for cash. - Most of his work was insurance. No homicides until now. A slow-burning fire. Trying to give Sternman a chance to get out? Unless the people who hired him knew he'd lock himself in the safe room. It's bulletproof, fireproof. Could only get him with smoke. Who knows what the intent was? Crime scene has mixed messages. Maybe someone on the inside knows. Goren. The patrolman found him trying to set the fire. He reached for something, they shot. - What did he reach for? - Set of car keys. - We needed this mutt alive. - What can I tell you? He primed the sprinkler system with gasoline instead of water. Whole block would've gone up. Hell of a barbecue on a Saturday. - Seabees. Navy Corps of Engineers. - Colin Flynn, two tours of Vietnam. - He won't set any more fires now. - The cop who shot him will be glad. I can't say anything. I signed a confidentiality agreement with him. - He's dead. - I need to find another job. - Being indiscreet won't help. - Did it cover only personal issues? And business. Anything I saw or heard. - St Stephan's Prep. - My son's. - Pretty exclusive. - I was humouring my wife. The school turned him down anyway. We're all working stiffs here. Anything you say stays between us. Please. You're putting me in a lousy position. Let's try this. What do you feel comfortable telling us? Nothing. But that's not an option, is it? It's good you have a sense of humour about it. All right. There was some sort of crisis with the bank. Mr Sternman, his son Edward, Mr Lewis, they'd been arguing constantly the last two weeks. What kind of crisis? I'm not sure. I overheard something about calling in loans, insolvency. Sounds like a cash crunch. Whatever it was, it was affecting his health. That's all I can say. That's a lot. That's my wife. She calls on her breaks at the hospital. Excuse me. I did a news search of the Sternman bank. No financial crisis. If they were trying to raise money, you'd figure someone would notice. If you're looking on Wall Street, sure, but there's other places. Sternman Holdings, their real-estate company, they put out a prospectus. Goren, sorry, you gotta excuse me. We just moved, only one toilet works and there's rats in the ceiling. - You're making money. - Yeah. That's nothing to sneeze at. You should bring some of it to the poker game. I'm banking it. Carlos and me are saving up for a house. Carlos? Irene, you're breaking my heart. You blew your chance. Ah. Here we go. Yep. OK, bond issues. Two billion dollars. - This says Azimuth Realty. - Read the fine print. The properties backing the bonds are all owned by Sternman Holdings. So they can raise money without looking like they are. - These are sold by outfits like this? - And private placements. The bonds are backed by rental income from the Sternman buildings. - How they selling? - Not setting records. Omit the flagship building, that sends a message. Flagship building means Sternman Towers? - Yeah. The one Sternman died in. - Why isn't it part of the package? That's a good question. Why don't you ask the people who put the bond offering together? Thanks. - Here's Zainer's severance cheque. - It's too bad we had to let him go. - He was devoted to your father. - If that's so, why's my dad dead? - You tell me. - What's that mean? I didn't start that fire. This is generous. Didn't his contract state four weeks' severance? - He has kids. - Oh? This looks like hush money. - You sound like my father. - Let's not fight, Edward. What's done is done. Harry left enough for us both. We don't have to get in each other's way. - I don't have to talk about this. - You do. - With us or the DA's office. - We have to keep reminding people. - This lady here was first. - Thank you. Here's the other way it could go. We get a subpoena, get every cop who isn't nailed down, a dozen flashing patrol cars, some command vehicles the size of buses, and park them here for a day. Nothing inspires confidence like cops visiting a broker's office. We were good to go on the bond offering. At the last minute, Ed pulled Sternman Tower off the table. - Why? - My guess is he wants to sell. It's their most valuable property. Worth 600 million. - This was the way to cash out. - Was the old man on board? No. They fought. It was his legacy. He poured everything into it. He wanted to live out his days in that penthouse. He got his wish. Maybe you should wait until Mr Sternman's back. Don't make us explain about the search warrant again. AA meeting book. There are meetings marked off. If I were in this family, I'd probably drink, too. This is good. Er, this is very good. Edward could only sell that building if the old man cleared out. So he burned him out. I'll remember this when my mother-in-law visits. The ME found Sulfiram in Flynn's system. He had some in his basement. - Sulfiram? - An antabuse to treat alcoholism. Flynn and Edward are alcoholics. Maybe that's how they met. Where's Edward's meeting book? If you're gonna hit the meetings to see if they were seen, forget it. They call it Alcoholics Anonymous for a reason. They won't talk. We're hitting coffee shops near the meetings. This one is Colin Flynn. Sweet guy. Comes once a week from the church. Haven't seen him in a while. - Something wrong with him? - Job burnout. How about him? Oh, yeah, he's every other week. Not much of a talker. - Do they know each other? - Erm, I've seen them sit together. - Are you sure it was these two? - Yeah, I remember faces. - Some I'd like to forget. - Thank you. Let's go pick up Edward. Let's see what he has marked down for tonight. Edward. What are you people doing here? They're about to start the meeting. They have meetings where you're going. You're under arrest for ***. If the waitress remembers every mole on his face, you have a big problem. You showed her one picture of my client. You tainted her for any future line-up. I'll rip her to shreds. Speaking of shreds, we also have this. A fax from Flynn's shredder. - This is impressive. - We think so. It confirms the wire transfer of $100,000 into his account from a bank in Dubai. Dubai A lot of terrorists park money there. The money's from an account in the name of the Sternman Corporation. There's a half dozen people who can authorise transfers from it. Fiveone of whom is your client. If you wanna talk deal, we can have the DA here in five minutes. This is excellent evidence against Colin Flynn. Like you, we have no doubt he set the fire in Mr Sternman's penthouse. The incompetent nurse left him barricaded in the bathroom, or he'd have survived. Was it because you were humiliated? - Is that why you did it? - Detective! I'm sure when you were young your dad held you up high above his head. He was proud of you. - Made you a part of the company. - Yes. So what? So what? Company was in trouble, your dad wasn't so proud of you any more. He made you feel like you'd let him down. - I let him down? - No, he made you feel what you suspected about yourself - you couldn't measure up to dad. - No. - Is that why you drink? I don't drink. I've been sober for three years. What is it they say at AA? "Keep doing what you've done, you'll get what you've always gotten. " I didn't kill my father. They tell you to admit your mistakes. To make amends to the people you've wronged. I didn't want him dead. I'm not responsible. That's enough! He's invoking his right to silence. Stubborn? He doesn't think he was responsible. - I'll convince a jury otherwise. - Forget legal culpability. Psychologically, he doesn't believe he killed his dad. Physically, materially, Mr Sternman and Miss DiMarco are dead. Send him over for arraignment. If he doesn't think he killed his dad, who does he think did? They said I was incompetent. These people are unbelievable. Anyway, I got another job, a better job. Daniel! Let Matt take a shot! Fair play's like a foreign concept these days. Like Edward calling you incompetent. He says anything he wants. But you're bound to this agreement. My wife says my loyalty was to Harry Sternman. - Not to the people who killed him. - She's got a good point. Mr Sternman was having his will redrawn. He phoned his lawyer every day about it. Edward thought they were trying for a child. Did the new will cut Edward out? - I got that impression. - Go get the ball! What? What are you waiting for? Matthew! Get over here! Just get your ball. It's yours. Don't be scared of them, come on! They're just kids in uniforms. Edward's lawyer accused you of abandoning Sternman in his bathroom. What could I do? He wouldn't come out and I didn't have the key. - It wouldn't have made a difference. - Why? The main elevator was cut off by the fire. I put the code in the service elevator but it didn't work. - Sure it was the right code? - Yes. The stairs were the only other way out. I doubt he would've made it. You can't let people like that intimidate you. OK? - Sorry, Dad. - What happened? Nothing. How was your day? Long. Look, I picked up the blazers. I have to sew on the St Stephan's crest. - They look good. - Have you heard from them? - School starts in two months. - I told you. Everything's all right. This is the third year we've applied. Did they get Mr Sternman's letter of recommendation? - I'm sure they did. - What if they didn't? - You should call them. - I don't wanna sound desperate. My kids belong in their damn school and they know it. Let me handle it. Nothing was wrong with the elevator circuit. With the right code, it should've worked. - Can someone change the code? - Sure. You need a password. Day of the fire, elevator was in use all day, tapering off at 5:30. - That's when the workmen went home. - Here. 6:15. Somebody reprogrammed the use code. - Computer know who? - Key in SES77. Password used was 54522. Mrs Sternman's password. Anybody who refers to his wife as "that ***" and asks to make sure his prenup is bulletproof - is not looking to start a family. - How is the prenup? Very generous to Mrs Sternman. Lifetime alimony, townhouse in New York, home in the Hamptons. $4-million payment to her for any instance of infidelity by him. No offence, but who's her lawyer? The better question is, what did Mr Sternman get in return? "In the event it is proven that Kit Sternman committed adultery, "and that Harold Sternman elects to divorce, "Mrs Sternman will not be entitled to any share in the marital estate. " She fools around, she gets nothing. - Was she cheating? - I don't know. Harry didn't say. He probably kept any evidence of her infidelity in a safe place. Er, a deposit box. His driver would know which banks Mr Sternman's been to. Sorry to keep you waiting. Mrs Liston was being fussy about her nap. - How's it working out? - Good. Thank you for the reference. Here. Your severance cheque. - You could've mailed it. - I wanted to see you. - I'm only owed four weeks. - I told Edward not to be stingy. - Have the police talked to you? - Don't worry about anything. They're totally focused on Edward. I have to get back to work. Goodbye, Kit. - Will we see each other again? - I don't think so. You started it. So? I'm ending it. Now that Harry's out of the way, you don't have to sneak around with the help any more. One bed sheet. B and C Group, Maryland. A lab report from five weeks ago. Testing of one queen-size bed sheet. Examination revealed DNA materials from two individuals. First sample matched Kit Sternman. Second sample was contained in *** and was determined to belong to a blood relative of Harold Sternman. Eddie is gonna have a lot to talk about at his AA meeting. The son and the wife were having an affair. Sternman was cutting them loose. - He never thought they'd kill him? - He wasn't paranoid enough. You have reservations about the son? It adds up even less. Bedding your father's wife underneath his nose? It's an act of rage, contempt. It's bold. Would someone like that kill with a slow-burning fire? Maybe it was her idea. If one of them thought it, it's a conspiracy. - If they're in it together. - They were on that bedsheet. You're disputing DNA? The night of fire they sat by each other. No look, no touch. No complicity passed between them. Detective, the facts here speak for themselves. Facts are up for grabs, Counsellor. They support a charge of conspiracy against Kit and Edward. That's what I'm going with. Back to my yes-or-no question. Did you change the code? Yes or no? Then, no. Explain how your password was used. People have it. The security person, and Edward. - Why would they use your password? - To get me in trouble. How would Edward have your password? Ask him. This conversation is ridiculous. We don't have to continue. We're leaving. Mrs Sternman. Were you and your husband still intimate? - What? - Kit. Harry and I had a very healthy sex life. Mm. Arthritic, diabetic, And a big bottle of wonderful little blue pills. - Oh, come on. - Every day, Detective. Sometimes twice a day. He must have gone through those pills like candy. We found his stash. In his bathroom. Let's see how busy you were. This is the most outrageous conduct I've ever seen. Kit, let's go. There's 10, 20 - Count all you want. - 30, there's still plenty here. Don't think you can intimidate me. - 44, 46, 48 - It doesn't prove anything. My husband and I were happy. Then, why did he ask his lawyer to review the prenup - two weeks before he was killed? - How would I know? He's crazy. Crazy like a fox. We read clause 17, the one where you get nothing if he proves you committed adultery. - I was never unfaithful so there's no proof. - Actually, there is. A stained bed sheet we found in a safe-deposit box with your DNA and the DNA of a man not your husband. You're free to leave, but we'll get the truth from you or your stepson. - What does he have to do with me? - The DNA on the sheet was his. What, you think Edward and I? You're crazier than Harry. Edward's gay. I never told Harry. He had no clue. And neither, evidently, do you. Edward's the only living male relative Sternman had. - And the lab that did the tests? - Very reputable. I'll get a court order for Edward's blood. Make sure our facts are straight. Edward could be playing for both teams. Sternman's prescription for Zoloft and Xanax were renewed a month early. - I counted them. He was doubling up. - That can't be too healthy. He'd have been booming and zooming. Manic. Paranoid. No wonder he thought everybody was after him. Right. The perfect prescription for paranoia. There you go, dear. Let me bring you near the window so you can get some sun. Her colour's better. I appreciate everything you've done for her. Thank you. Can I ask you a favour? I'm applying to get my sons into St Stephan's. - St Stephan's? - Yes, on a scholarship. - I know your husband went there. - Yes. Could I speak to him about it? I can ask him. He leaves for London tonight. - I'll mention it when he gets back. - Whatever's convenient. Thank you. I wasn't aware my father was changing his will. We're off on the wrong foot, Mr Sternman. I came alone. I'm not wearing a wire. The only witness is your lawyer. Whatever you tell me, you can deny later. Solet's not blow smoke. OK, let's say he knew his father was changing the will. And why do you think he was changing it? He wanted to favour the child that he and Kit were trying to conceive. Would you like to know the real reason? He thought you were having an affair with Kit. He had proof. A sheet with Kit's DNA and your ***. That's the lab test. That That's not possible. Because you're gay. Yes. Among other reasons. Even if I were attracted to Kit, I wouldn't do that to my father. This test, it's wrong. There's something else you should know. Kit changed the code on the service elevator the night of the fire. To trap your father in the penthouse. The DA thinks that this is further evidence she conspired with you to kill your father. In the hypothetical, you never told her about the fire. Edward, I'm advising you not to say another word. No, I didn't tell her. Told someone else, didn't you? To warn them to save your father. Ah. Thank you for coming in. Our investigation has run into a brick wall. We need some help. - Whatever I can do. - Here's the problem. We think Edward and Kit Sternman conspired to kill Mr Sternman. Mrs Sternman? Why do you think that? She changed the code on the service elevator so you couldn't work it. We suspect she and Edward had an affair. We don't have proof. So if you know anything There's a bed sheet they used. I told Mr Sternman about it. - What did he do with it? - Put it in his safe-deposit box. It's probably long gone by now. No, he saved it. There's a clause in their prenup. She gets nothing if he can prove she cheated. Well, that's very helpful. Why didn't you mention this to us before? Mr and Mrs Sternman had been good to me. - And you felt conflicted? - Yes. And you thought that maybe we'd find out on our own eventually. - Yes. - Guess what? It has Kit's DNA and Edward's. But you knew that, since you put it there. What are you talking about? You are truly the most What's the right word? . . driven person that I have ever come across. That you would have sex with Edward to get a sample of his ***. That shows incredible, erdetermination. - That's a damn lie. - Edward told us. Hey, Rick, it's no crime. Not even smearing his *** on the bed sheet. - Why would I do that? - To convince Mr Sternman his wife and son had turned against him. You were pumping him so full of drugs, he would believe anything. Absurd! You told Kit he knew about her affair. She believed you cos she was having an affairwith you. You told Edward his father was cutting him out of his will - because he was having another kid. - You set them against each other. It was only a matter of time before somebody ended up dead. They'd take the fall. It's brilliant. Between us, it's the perfect crime. Because you really You didn't do anything really criminal. Did ya? No. No, I didn't. Right. Not even when Edward warned you to get his dad out by the elevator. - How could I know he'd set a fire? - You couldn't. Maybe Kit had that idea. That's why she changed the code. You were just an employee. Wasn't your job to question them. No. If Sternman locks himself in the bathroom, it's his business. - Nothing I could do. - What do you care? This old man who couldn't wipe his own *** without you. Wouldn't help get your sons into St Stephen's. Stephan's. Ah. Told you he was gonna write a letter to the school. Use his influence. - Never did. - No. It was just a damn letter. Must have burned you. The thoughtlessness. While you, you made sure he took his pills every day, massaged his dry old skin, monitored his every little burp. That's right. Put up with all the indignities of servicing his personal hygiene. - You wanted better for your kids. - Yes. The old ***! Treated you like something he scraped off his shoe. Well, you showed him. Played him. Played the whole familylike a fine violin. They were easy. So wrapped up in themselves. The perfect crime. Well, you said so yourself. I really didn't do anything criminal, did I? You're a registered nurse, right? You had a contract with Sternman to provide care. Yes. What? Have you heard about the lifeguard who let a drowning man die cos he was busy talking? They convicted him. - Manslaughter. - He had a higher standard of duty. He couldn't just walk away. - Neither could you. - What are you talking about? Your contract. "Richard Zainer agrees to provide "the nursing services listed above "and to care for the health and welfare of Harold Sternman. " You watched the forces gather around Sternman to kill him. - But I didn't do anything. - That's right. You did nothing. You watched it happen. And that, my friend, is manslaughter. But he owed me. He owed you the salary he paid you. Zainer pleaded to manslaughter, Edward to arson and man-one, - Kit Sternman to attempted ***. - Quite the trifecta. Zainer can be proud of himself. Brought down a banking empire. Not to mention a family. Three families.