The Closer S4E4 - English Transcript

Air-Two, copy your request on a Code 4-Adam. Directing our sweep right now from topside. Coming over location right now. Disregard asked information. 10-25, the Code 8 incident... Thank you, officer. We were across the street at the court when Communications called. - How'd you get here so fast? - Someone else called me. - Who? - Chief Johnson. Ah. Y'all remember Ricardo Ramos, our friendly reporter from the Times. How you doing, Ricky? I was on my way to work when ***, ***, ***. - Did you see the shooter? - No. I came from around that corner and found this guy laying here. When I rolled him over he... You rolled him over? Ricardo, that press badge does not give you the right to tamper with a crime scene. - You have compromised the evidence... - Hey, hey. Chief Johnson, you ever hear of CPR? I was trying to help. Oh. Look, I called 911. When the paramedics cut open the shirt, I called you directly because, given the circumstances, this case has priority written all over it. - What circumstances? - Well, may I? Go ahead. - Whoa, whoa, whoa. - Easy. Easy! Hold on, hold on. Let go. Let go. He's wearing a wire. No ID. You don't recognize this guy? Ricardo, I want to thank you so much for your help, but now you must let us do our job, and then, you'll get your story. Oh, no. I have a story. What are you gonna write, "Unidentified Man Found Dead"? "Unidentified man found dead wearing a wire. "Police not only failed to protect an undercover operative, "they can't even identify him." For one thing, we're not even sure this is an undercover operation. And in this case, Ricardo, you're not just a reporter, you're also our only witness. We could tie up your whole day asking you questions, checking facts, testing your hands - for gunshot residue. - You're not gonna do that. Detective Sanchez, Mr. Ramos here would love to give you his statement. - Thank you. Thank you so much. - Vamos, Ramos. Okay, what do we have here? Our victim took three rounds from a 9mm. One of the rounds went right through his cell phone in his breast pocket. Okay, no wallet, but we do have a set of keys. So either the person who robbed him didn't know he was wearing a wire, or... Or the shooter wanted to make it look like a robbery. Well, yeah. Look, no way this is an undercover cop. His backup would be on top of this inside of 30 seconds. Yeah, but it could be a confidential informant. - I say no. His backup would still be here. - Okay, Lieutenant Flynn, would you please check with the watch commander at Narcotics? See if anyone was working a wire today. And better call Internal Affairs, too. - Lieutenant Provenza, what are you doing? - Shoes. These are custom-made. I got a pair just like them. Very comfortable, too. And see? That is the customer number printed right there inside. - Might tell us who this guy is. - You wear homemade shoes? Custom-made. And yes, ma'am, I do. I have a little bit of a orthopedic issue. Does Medicare pay for them? Okay, Lieutenant Tao, please run the victim's prints through AFIS, see if we can get a more traditional ID on him. And Sergeant Gabriel, get some uniforms, canvass all the buildings with a view down onto the street. - Somebody saw something. - Here's the thing, Chief. This camera was transmitting audio and video to a remote receiver up until the paramedics disconnected it. Whoever's on the other end could have witnessed the whole shooting and probably recorded the whole thing onto a computer. So where are they? Buzz, what can you tell me about that wire? Well, this camera is pretty powerful for its size. CCD sensor, high gain antenna, 2.4 GHz transmitter, and the receiver's portable. You can hook it up to any laptop. - Is it one of ours? - Well, that's hard to tell. I mean, you can buy this at any electronics store, - though this one looks brand new. - Well, there's your answer. If it's new, it can't be LAPD. I don't think there's even a remote chance this guy was working for us. Well, for what it's worth, Narcotics says they haven't run a wire in over a week. Central, Hollenbeck, they're both quiet, too. I gotta tell you, Chief, these divisions, they keep their Cls under a pretty tight lid. Ladies and gentlemen, once again, I must ask you to hold your applause. Drum roll, please. The name of our vic is Benjamin Masters. The company that made his shoes gave me his name, his credit card number and his ship-to address. La Brea Realty, Thousand Oaks. I'm calling now. Thank you. Now, why was a real estate agent wearing a wire? Oh. Could be a Fed sting on mortgage lenders. Are we sure that the victim didn't just steal Mr. Masters' shoes? I hate to notify his next of kin based on his footwear. Chief, looks like him. He lives in Woodland Hills. Excuse me, Chief. I have checked with the FBI, DEA, ATF, DOJ, and ICE. - Nobody claims our John Doe. - We have a name. It's Benjamin Masters. I hate to make you run through the same gauntlet again, Detective, but I think that we should give the Feds another go. Thank you. Um. Buzz, what kind of a range does that transmitter have? About a mile line of sight. A little less in the city with all the high-rises. So the receiver could be pretty much anywhere in the downtown area. Yeah, including this very building. There's still the issue of his cell phone. It's a prepaid model. The SIM card was destroyed by the bullet. The technology is available to dump it. We just don't have it here. Okay, according to La Brea Realty, Benjamin Masters was a sales agent up until about six months ago when... He was downsized. So, if he's not working there, where is he working? I do not want to talk about this right now, Sergeant! Excuse me. Chief, you know, if you want to go on out to this Woodland Hills address and, you know, visit with the family, I'll take care of things here. Well, good luck with that. Gentlemen. Lieutenant Tao, please. How does someone who lives here end up dead on the streets downtown? I give up. I thought I could reverse-engineer this cell phone, but I can't. Sorry, Chief. Maybe you could have one of your friends at the FBI give it a shot. Um... Lieutenant, maybe you can tell me. Are Sergeant Gabriel and Detective Daniels still together? Well, you know how relationships are. Once you realize that love is more than just *** attraction, when you go beyond the purely carnal and the *** wears off... Okay, okay, never mind, never mind! I don't want to hear another word about that! Not one word! This is exactly why I don't like people dating at work. Sorry, Lieutenant. It's not your fault. Oh, no, Chief, it's just been a while since I've been on a death notification. Oh, well, best not to get out of practice. - Mrs. Masters? - Trisha. I'm so sorry. Are we showing the house today? Um. Ma'am, I'm Deputy Chief Johnson, and this is Lieutenant Tao. We're from the Los Angeles police. Do you mind if we come in for a talk? Please. I'm just getting organized for our next open house. My husband's in real estate, so we're always, like, just moving in or just moving out. I understand. Mrs. Masters, is there anyone else at home? My kids are in school, and Ben is at work. Ma'am, is there a computer in the house, something with wireless access or a webcam receiver? Wireless... Well, we do have a family computer in the den, and Ben takes his laptop to work, so... Um... Are we... Are we in some sort of trouble? Did Ben take his car to work today? - Mrs. Masters? - Oh, God. - There's been an accident? - Ma'am, are these his keys? Why do you have these? What is going on? - Ma'am, we have some very bad news. - Oh, God. - Unfortunately... - No, no, no... Mrs. Masters, your husband was murdered this morning. - We are very, very sorry. - No. I promise you that we are doing everything we can - to find out what happened to him. - No, you know what? This is a mistake. Wait, wait, you know, I just talked to him. This morning, I talked to him. He's at work. According to his employers, Ben was laid off six months ago. No, no, I just told you, okay? Ben is at work. He just got back from a business trip, and this key here, see this key on the ring? It's for a lockbox for this property that he shows, - so how could he not be at work? - I'm so sorry, ma'am. We have the... No, no, if Ben was laid off, okay, then just tell me, where did he get the $100,000 bonus? - Hey, Chief? - Yes. I just wanted to apologize for the outburst earlier. It was totally inappropriate, and it won't happen again. I hope not, Sergeant. You see, the thing is... And I don't want to go into too many details... Oh. Please don't. Uh... Daniels and I broke up a couple weeks ago, and things have been awkward since then. Anyway, I'm afraid that it, the stuff between us, might be affecting the cohesiveness of our division, and I'm not sure that we both can stay. And I've been thinking that it might be best if Daniels transferred out. I mean, I'm not... - I'm not angry. - Oh. I can see that. I'm just thinking about what's best for her and what's best for the entire... Excuse me, Chief, is this a good time? Yes, it is. It's a perfect time, Detective. Come on in. Okay, I have spoken with every federal and state agency you can think of, and none of them has any knowledge of Benjamin Masters as either an agent, a CI or a suspect. What about the $100,000 bonus he told his wife about? Masters hasn't received a paycheck since he lost his job. In fact, in the past five months, he's borrowed nearly $200,000 against his home. - So, she was lying to us? - Or he was lying to her. Six weeks ago, he paid off over half of his entire debt, $113,000 in cash, which suggests he found a new way to earn a living under the table. Well, thank you, Detective. That was thorough. Tell me, Sergeant, can you do that, what she just did? The forensic accounting? What do you mean, the stuff with the banks? 'Cause I need someone with expertise with "that stuff with the banks" on our team, and since you think the cohesiveness of our division is being hurt and one of you absolutely must go, fill out that transfer request and start thinking about where you might want me to send you. Heads up, everybody! Benjamin Masters kept a key to one of his company's lockboxes for a reason. If we find that lockbox, we just might find where he's been going for the past six months when he told his wife he was at work. And we could find the computer on the receiving end of the wire. Let's start our search within the radius of the camera's transmitter. Detective Daniels, please call Traffic and have them check the impound lots and surface streets for Mr. Masters' car. Lieutenant Provenza, please search all the La Brea Realty properties listed inside that circle. Wait a minute, Chief. There's three pages of them here! Detective Sanchez and Lieutenant Flynn will help you. Lieutenant Tao, let's you and I go to the FBI and see about this phone. Thank you. Benjamin Masters was definitely not working for the FBI. But we were able to crack his prepaid cell. It was easier than we thought, actually. Well, sure, it's easy when you have a state of the art convolutional decoder. So, who was he calling? Well, that's where things get more complicated. You're looking at one of the largest drug-trafficking organizations in the US. Came up from South America in the '90s. Run by Raul Mejia, a.k.a. "El Jefe." Got an entire black book dedicated to his operation. - And what's Masters' connection? - His phone. It was part of a batch of prepaid cell phones El Jefe bought in bulk and handed out to his crew. Now, there are literally dozens of calls between Ben Masters and another number in the batch. So much for narrowing down our suspects. You said this was a South American gang. Masters wasn't Latino. Recently, they've been hiring Anglos to carry their cargo across the border. White faces attract less attention at customs. That explains the business trips his wife said he was taking. And the sudden inflow of cash. Log says the last call Masters received came in 9:18 a.m., 20 minutes before he was shot. - Find out who he was talking to... - Maybe find the shooter. I really need to see that video from Ben Masters' wire. I'm telling you, this is the dumbest snipe hunt she has ever sent us on. I'm out here pounding the pavement like some damn rookie. What's the matter? Your Medicare shoes don't like to walk uphill? One of them's about to walk up your ***! Now, don't you worry about my shoes, Flynn. You just worry about the fact that we are never going to find this car. Oh, yeah? We're gonna find the car... Lieutenants! There's only one more building inside the mile radius. If it is not here, then it's gotta be at the last building. Flynn, what in the hell are you doing? I'm using my head as an antenna. - You want to try? - Uh. No, thank you. Okay, I read about it on the Internet. It says it increases the range by 100 feet. I don't care. All right, looks like he was living in the car. A bunch of clothes and garbage. There's no computer. Okay. We got the building. All we have to do now is find the lockbox that this key opens. So this is where he's been going to work for the last six months. - And the wife never knew. - They never do. Hey, Lieutenants. In here. You gentlemen up for a movie? Testing. Testing. And now, back from the dead via the video camera from his shirt, Chief Johnson, meet Benjamin Masters. You can do this. - You can do this. - Doesn't look like a drug dealer to me. - I think that's the point, Sergeant. - Okay. Yeah? What? Why not? No, we're doing this now. No. No way, man. We can't meet here. Because. Listen, they're showing other units in the building today. I don't want anyone to see us together. Just meet me where I said. If you screw me on this, I'm telling you, I am not going down alone. I want what you stole from me! No. I'm leaving now. Okay. Let's go. All right, let's fast-forward. Let's go. All right. There! Okay. And here comes Masters around the corner and into the alley. And then... I don't know what y'all are so excited about. We don't even get to see the killer's face. Chief, hold on. It's not a total loss. Now, Buzz, I want you to... I want you to go back. All right. Come on. All right, now... Right there, stop. Go forward slowly. Come on. Come on. There. There it is. You know, I never liked big rings on a guy. - It's gaudy. - Thank you, Buzz. Wait, Chief. I think you... I think you need to see this. Okay, Buzz, if you would be so kind. We may not have the murderer on tape, but just look who we found later. Oh, for heaven's sakes! Freeze that. Doesn't look like he's doing CPR to me. I wasn't lying, Chief Johnson. I didn't know if he was still alive. And you thought the best way to get his heart pumping again would be to rifle through his pockets? Ricardo, I feel like you don't understand... - Chief Pope, I... - Still talking. That your access to the LAPD depends on your not interfering with criminal inquiries. Things like moving bodies and calling suspects' attorneys. Uh-uh-uh. And now you've crossed the line into criminal behavior. When the District Attorney sees this tape, he will happily charge you with attempting to steal from a *** victim. Okay. Okay. I see where this is going. What do you want from me? Oh, no, Ricardo, it's what you want from us. An exclusive. Pencils up. Pencils up. Sources inside the LAPD say the unidentified man found dead in a downtown alley early yesterday morning was wearing a concealed video camera, which means that the killer was caught on tape. The department is mustering all available resources so they can locate the base receiver and bring the killer to justice. And you'll run that on the front page of tomorrow's paper. And if my editor doesn't go along with it? Then it will suck to be you. Hurry up, now. You're on a deadline. Do you really want the killer to know that you've got him on tape? - No comment. - No comment. So, let's say the killer actually reads this article. Do you really think he's gonna risk breaking into the loft Masters was using to steal this tape of himself committing ***? I sure hope so, Will, 'cause that's exactly where I'll be waiting for him. Hey, paper got it wrong. I thought you guys found the video of Ben Masters' ***. We did. It's on his hard drive, but we want the killer to think it's still out there. We're hoping that this article will get him to come looking for Masters' computer. Hmm. - Where does Masters live? - Some place in Woodland Hills. - Hey! Wait a minute! - What? You're not thinking about taking over my case, are you? Brenda, this could be the break we've been looking for. If we get this guy and he cooperates, then... Then what? I lose my case and the killer gets a short stint in a powder-puff prison and a nice house in Idaho, courtesy of the Federal Government. That's not my idea of justice. Hey. If whoever murdered Masters comes looking for the tape and we can get him to flip on El Jefe, - we can take down that entire wall. - What do you want? I want to take over the sting on Ben Masters' house. If I give you that, then I need something in return. - Like what? - The FBI folder on the gang, the entire black book, so I know who it is I'm giving away. Okay. Now, I give you the black book, your team backs off Ben Masters' house completely. - Completely. I mean it. - Done. Don't move! - Now, step forward slowly. - Whoa, whoa, whoa. Step forward slowly! Put the computer down slowly. - Don't drop it or I'll blow your head off! - Okay, okay, all right. Down on your knees. Hands behind your head. I'm Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson. And you are? None of your business. Ow! What the hell, man? Well, I'll be sure to let the Times know that they have another loyal reader. You are under arrest for the *** of Benjamin Masters. Detective Sanchez. - Take it easy, man! - Thank you. You have the right to shut up! Any stupid thing you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If your broke *** can't afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you... - What the hell is this? - Mrs. Masters. The paper says that you have a video of my husband's ***. I want to see it. I'm sorry, ma'am. I can't let you do that. Last night, I was up with two crying kids because you told me that Ben was murdered. And then this morning, I read this horrible article about... - Mrs. Masters... - No! How the victim has yet to be identified! I'm so sorry. I could have kept you better informed. - I really am. I... - Wait. Is this Dean Murphy? You know this man? He went to high school with my husband. He got into drugs. What is all this? Had Ben seen Dean recently? I don't know. Okay, I don't know anything more. - Okay, let's go back to my office. - No, no, no! If you have video of my husband's ***, I want to see it! - I want the tape! - I just don't think that's a good idea. I can handle it. I know no one thinks that I can handle anything, but I can. I can handle it. No, I can handle... I can handle it. It's okay. It's okay. How about if we get some coffee? Okay? Come on. Okay. - Lieutenant Tao, where's Dean Murphy? - Interview 1. Would you please meet me there in five minutes and bring your blowback and blood spatter tester kit? My what? I believe it's right in there. Thank you. Oh. My B.B.S.T. You don't know what you're talking about! - Tell me you are not lying. - I'm not lying. I saw the paperwork on your desk, David. Well, did you read it, Irene? Because if you had, you would have seen it said "Sergeant Gabriel" and not "Detective Daniels." Oh, no, you are not leaving Priority Homicide and blaming it on me. One of us has to go. Well, that's because you are acting like such a baby! The minute you turn in that paperwork, every guy in this building will say that you left PHD because I broke up with you. Whoa, Whoa! Is that what you're telling people? That you broke up with me? I'm not talking about... I'm not talking about it at all! That is enough! I've had it with both of you! Now, wait for me in my office. - You happy? You did this. - No. I'm not. - Please tell me you weren't recording that. - Unfortunately, no. I'd tell you how ashamed I am of both of you, but I have to get this done before we have visitors. Please let me know when they arrive. Yes, ma'am. Hi, again, Mr. Murphy. That is your name, Dean Emmet Murphy? Shoot! - What are you doing? - Hang on, hang on. Let me get my ducks in a row here. You're a pretty big arrest for me. Now. I have read your file, Mr. Murphy, and according to the FBI, you are a rising star in a very large drug-trafficking organization. They even have video of you with a major kingpin, I believe y'all call him El Jefe, on his yacht near Catalina. I don't know what you're talking about. Well, that's okay, because we have some pretty important videotape of our own. It shows you shooting Ben Masters at point-blank range. And since the *** was so up-close and personal, I'm sure we'll find loads of physical evidence as well. You recognize this ring, Mr. Murphy? You're wearing it right now, and you were wearing it on the day the videotape was taken. Would you please remove that ring and set it on the table? Sir, I can compel you to do so. Thank you. What are you gonna do with it? When you shoot someone at close range, tiny bits of their blood and tissue blow back at you. You're literally walking around with pieces of your victim. You can wash your hands, but it doesn't come off that easily. This is the latest in LAPD technology. Lieutenant Provenza, what is that bag Lieutenant Tao has? I believe that holds his personal grooming items. - You don't want this to turn red. - Okay, what is he doing now? Well, it looks like he is about to spray the suspect's ring with a little squirt of breath freshener. Ooh. - It's positive. - Oh, man. Lieutenant, now, if you will please take that ring back to our crime lab, I'm sure you'll get a match to Ben Masters' DNA. Agent Howard, what are you doing here? I just came from a 12-person stakeout at Ben Masters' house in Woodland Hills. Oh. Uh... What were you doing there? We were at the loft downtown. Do you have the guy? He's under arrest. Whoa, whoa! Wait! Come on! - Where are you going? - Did you not notice? I just proved you committed ***, so we're sort of done here. Unless, I mean... Are there extenuating circumstances you might like me to know about? I mean, did Ben Masters do something to you? Like, were you being threatened or something? Yes! Yeah, he was threatening me. Weren't you even gonna ask me about that? Okay. Tell me what he did, and I'll take it into consideration. One day last year, I went by his house just to say hey. You could tell he didn't even want the neighbors to see us talking, like I'm some scumbag off the street. Okay, whatever, you know. "Nice to see you, too, Benji. Enjoy your big house, huh?" Then, like, three months ago, out of nowhere, he calls me up. He's all, "Hey, buddy, how's it going?" Said he needed to make some extra cash, and since I'm a criminal, maybe I could help. So I hooked him up. So you had him carry drugs for you across the border. It's okay. You can talk about that. I will not be arresting you for drugs, ever. It's not my job. He muled for me, and then he kept the coke in one of those vacant lofts he couldn't sell and made me a key so I could pick it up and pay him, you know? I paid him to do it. Ben was wearing the video recorder when you spoke to him on the phone. He said he wanted what you stole from him. I didn't steal anything. I borrowed some coke for another deal I had going. He said he was gonna tell Raul if I didn't pay him back by yesterday, but I didn't have the money yet. I told him Raul would kill me. You know what he said? "Better you than me." After I got him 100 grand and hooked him up with my crew, he pulls that crap with me. Thank you. FYI, Agent Howard in the house. Hmm. Ben betrayed you. He tried to get you on camera saying you stole El Jefe's drugs. - But instead, he videotaped you shooting... - Fritz? ...him at point blank range. - Hey, Will. How you doing? Good, good. You? Good. Yeah. No complaints. Good, good. You here to see Brenda? I'll just wait here with you. - Great. - Great. I didn't want it to happen. I never killed anybody. I swear on my mother. But what am I gonna do? Buzz, better tell the Chief the FBI's here. Chief, Lieutenant Tao says the FBI is waiting outside your door right now. Dean, I need you to listen to me. We don't have much time. The FBI will be here any minute. Now, all I have to offer you is life in prison without parole. But the FBI wants El Jefe, and they're gonna offer you a deal in exchange for your cooperation. - What do I have to do? - All you have to do is wear a little video camera inside your shirt and get El Jefe to tell you everything the Feds want to hear. This is one case Chief Johnson won't be closing. Say goodbye, Dean Murphy. In about five minutes, he's going to become the property of the FBI. Mmm. I wouldn't be so sure. Okay, I... I can do that. Now, when you go in, the FBI will try and stay within a hoot and a holler in case you need their help 'cause it's their job to protect you, but they won't be able to. - What did she say? - Wait, what did you say? By now, El Jefe already knows that you've been picked up by the police. He probably also knows that Ben, the man you brought into the organization, - was wearing a wire when he was killed. - Stop. Wait... - Why are you telling me that? - What do you think is gonna happen when you're out on his boat in the middle of the ocean and El Jefe suddenly decides he doesn't trust you anymore? He's gonna tie your feet to an anchor and feed you - to the sharks... - You don't even know... ...and there won't be a thing your FBI handlers can do about it. - Why are you telling me this? - Because I want you to live and do your time. But the FBI, they don't care about you. They've got this big investigation. So, who are you gonna trust? Hmm? I'm telling you, Dean, you may not realize it, but you are way, way out of your league. If you want to live, go to jail. You're offering me life in prison without parole. The FBI's gonna offer me a deal. I'll get protected. So protected that in a month or so, I'll be watching your *** on tape. I'll take my chances. Fritzy. Okay, the suspect's all yours. - Anything else I should know? - No. - I've prepared him for you as well as I can. - Great. You did your best, Brenda. We can't win them all. I should not have lost this one, Will. Um... Chief? Chief? I'm sorry. This is not what I thought would happen, and I will... I will do better. I will. And you won't have any problems from me. I swear. Then neither one of you will mind complying with this direct order. Work it out! I don't want to hear about this affair again. Ever. Is that understood? - Yes, ma'am. - Absolutely. The transfer, give it to me. Transfer, transfer. I don't come to work every day to watch soap operas, and I mean it. Dismissed. - Hello. - Hi. - I got some good news for you. - What's that? Your friend Dean Murphy is headed back to LAPD. Didn't the FBI offer him a deal? Oh, yeah. We offered him a deal. But, you know, somehow, even after an all-night discussion, he decided he'd be better off staying in prison. Is that what you told him? - I told him the truth. - Well, great, great, great. You closed your case. That's great. Dean Murphy committed premeditated ***. He confessed to it. He should go to jail for the rest of his life. The end. Well, that's one way of looking at it. Here's another. You came to me for help. I gave it to you. You took everything I had, and then you stole my case, and you made me extremely vulnerable at work. That's a somewhat milder version of what your killer did to his friend, and I gotta tell you, Brenda, I am so sick - of this double standard. - What double standard? You sent me on a needless and very expensive stakeout. You undermined three years of hard work, and if I had done anything remotely similar to that, if I had screwed with your case, my God, you would have changed the locks on the doors. I would have been so far out of line, but here is the difference, I would know it. - And I would try to correct it, somehow. - Now, wait a minute. Just hold on. I never lied to you. I gave you exactly what you asked for. Exactly. Now, I'm sorry. I... I should have called you when we took Dean into custody, so I apologize for that. That? That's what you're sorry for? - Yes. - Really? That's it? Apology not accepted. All I did... Now, wait a minute, Fritz. All I did was try to get the justice system to work for my victim. - That is all I did. - That's ***! You didn't do it for the justice system! You didn't do it for the victim! You did it to close your case! That's it! It's obviously the most important thing to you. It's clearly not me! And, you know, maybe that's fine, but, Brenda, for once in your life, be honest with yourself. I am tired. I am hungry. I am angry. I'm gonna find my sponsor. I'm gonna go to a meeting, maybe two. English-SDH