True Believer - English Transcript

Mohamed_sayed1993@yahoo.com *Araby4all* Tier Four. First bed. Come on, move it. Fear will kill you. I'm not afraid. Good. Right after chapel. It's goin' down in the yard. Not in here, ***! Get on the ground! Facedown! Don't move! You, get down! Facedown! Put that head down! Put that head down! Give me your arm! Don't move, buddy! Don't move! Come on, move it. Move it! Just stay down! Keep the change. Hi. I'm looking for the courtroom where Mr Edward J. Dodd... is defending a Mr Nevins. That's the Edward J. Dodd. Part 73, room 1113. The room 1113. ...negotiated both to purchase and to sell this dangerous drug. In a moment, you will hear from counsel for the defence. As the People rest this case, I leave you with this word of warning. Edward Dodd is an inventive lawyer. I'm sure he'd like you to believe... that the pound of pure *** found in his client's apartment... was intended for personal, recreational use. But just bear in mind, only you can insure... that the defendant, who is... let's be honest... a vermin, a vulture... that he will pay a penalty. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Jessum. Mr Sweeny, may I have a word with you? Roger Baron. Hi. Sorry I'm late. It's such an honour and a thrill to meet you. Really? So, what are you accused of? All sorts of things. How about you? No, I'm a lawyer. I just... I got into town today. I'm working with Mr Dodd. Mr Dodd, would you care to make your closing argument? - You're in good hands with this guy. - I would, Your Honour. ***... is evil. Selling *** is evil. Dislike this wicked merchant, if you will. Loathe him, if you must. I do! But despise the tactics the police employed to snare Brian Nevins... because we mustn't lose sight... of what this trial is really about: our most basic personal freedoms. For when we condone the bugging of our citizens' bedrooms... when we allow the police to enter our homes without warrants... or with specious warrants, at best... when we invade our citizens' privacy in a frenzied quest... for a wicked white powder, aren't we, in fact... capitulating to the evil? Aren't we surrendering to the drug? Aren't we saying that *** is more powerful... than the Constitution of the United States of America? Wow! What a speech. It was beautiful. - Amazing horse ***. - Amazing client. Eddie Dodd. Everybody should own one. Sorry about the mix-up back there. I never actually saw your photo. - I read every civil liberties brief... - It was nice meeting you. - I gotta get back to the office. - you ever filed in the '60s. Roger Baron. Overland undergrad, Michigan Law. None of this rings a bell? You hired me to clerk for you. Remember my letter? "Top 5%, Harvard Law Review, salary is no object"? Oh, that's right. Yeah. - Let me help you with some of that. - Thanks. Here, I got it. - You comin'? - Yeah. I was a sixth-year law student when I read... your "Chase Manhattan Bombing" case summation... in a '71 leftist law anthology. I know this sounds dorky, but it kind of changed my life. - So, this is Greenwich Village, huh? - Yes, Roger, you've arrived. Anyway, I got a hold of a trial transcript. Your cross-examination of the cops was like an indictment of the system. You were my age when you defended that case. I was never your age. Billy, this is Reggie. He's our new social conscience on Sheridan Square. What about my court date? What if we plead insanity? Both of us? Okay, princess, you're next. - Billy, what is this thing? - It's a sculpture. Now, what kind of pills were you busted with? Mr Dodd needs to know. Is that an upper or a downer? Gabe! I'll take care of it. Just park it on the bench. Park your *** on the bench and wait! Gabe, you got a minute? I had a minute before the hearing, but couldn't get you on the phone. I had reason to believe the judge had heard of a concept called "entrapment." Gruner was busted with three pounds of methedrine. Judge refused to exclude the evidence. No deal. I'm deeply disturbed about Detective Cedar's conduct. I may demand an investigation. Can you imagine the headlines? I imagine the headlines, I drool. "Undercover Cop Busts East Village Speed Factory." Eddie, you're out of step. Detective Cedar's a hero. He's a scumbag. Detective Cedar went undercover, huh? So did Judas. Detective Cedar used his wiles to insinuate himself... into the *** of Clyde Gruner's life, his home, his loved ones. Can't I take a simple ***... Detective Cedar broke bread with Clyde Gruner. He was a guest at Clyde Gruner's wedding. And, yes, Gabe, Detective Cedar used drugs with my client. Not once, but many times. - You're gonna drag out that crap? - Only if I have to. Be a mensch. Brian Nevins stopped by. It's on your desk. Good. We pleaded out Clyde Gruner to five years' probation. Score another point for truth and justice. The last struggle for constitutional rights is being waged over drugs. And we... are in the ring, Roger, doing battle with Big Brother. Where are you goin'? Edward Dodd, please. I'm Roger Baron, Mr Dodd's assistant. May I help you? Mrs Kim needs a lawyer. Her son killed a man in self-defence in prison. He didn't belong there in the first place. Eight years in jail for the *** he didn't commit. I'm her neighbour's daughter. - Please, come in. - Hi, I'm Eddie Dodd. What's up? Her son didn't shoot anybody. He's the wrong guy. You meet him. You see he wouldn't go around stabbing guys just for fun. This guy really shot a guy and stabbed a guy? He didn't shoot anyone. Eight years in jail for the *** he didn't commit. He's a good boy. And he comes from a fine home in Seoul, Korea. - Shu Kai Kim. - Shu Kai Kim? That's his name, Shu Kai Kim. I bet he is a wonderful boy. I mean, l... I can't take this case. I have a specialty. Lawyers specialize. These days, I mostly do, like, drug... narc... Anyway, I couldn't even go see your son... without having a look at the files from his case. So it's really out of the question... Those are the files. Great. How did you hear about me, anyway? She went to all the court-houses. They all speak of you, and they all say the same thing. Oh, wow. What do they say? You do cases cheap. My associate and I will review this material... as soon as possible, and we will get back to you. In the meantime, I wanna thank you ladies very much for stopping by. Thank you. Thank you for helping my son. Talk about a hard sell. "Thank you for helping my son." Attila the Hun had a mother, okay? Hit? That was close, huh? Almost defended somebody who wasn't a dealer. Who knows? He might even have been innocent. We have a full caseload. Don't start. You're right. I forgot. We're pledged to protect... every mid-level drug dealer in the tristate area. It's an awesome responsibility. I don't venerate drug dealers. To the contrary. - Of course. - What we're attempting to do here... is check the government's attempt to abridge our civil liberties... I know that. through informants, eavesdropping, unreasonable searches and seizures... Right. You're right. Damn right I'm right. Okay? It's just that I left behind family and friends... and a couple good job offers in Chicago. And in three dizzying weeks, I've helped to acquit a coke dealer... - a speed dealer... - I specialize, Roger. - an angel dust dealer... - I'm not a kid any more. a speed manufacturer! So get a job on Wall Street. I'm sure your rich daddy can arrange it. Look, don't tell me where to work. I came here to work for Edward Dodd. But I just can't believe that Edward Dodd has nothing better to do... than invoke exalted legal issues to get off guilty little pricks. You wanna be a criminal defence attorney? Then know this going in. Everybody's guilty. Everybody. You wouldn't have said that ten years ago. Ten years is a long time. I'm tired, man. I'll see you in the morning. A long time. - We're late. Let's get going. - Where? Ossining Correctional Facility. Sing Sing. Everybody's innocent there, man. Just ask 'em. What was Kim in for? Killing a young Chinese gang leader named Jimmy Chin. Prosecution said he did it to get into a rival gang... the Pell Street Dragons. Kim admitted the gun was his. He got 25 to life. Thank you, Officer. Mr Kim, my name's Eddie Dodd. I'm a lawyer. This is Roger Baron, my associate. He's also a lawyer. - My mother find you? - That's right. Figures. You wanna tell me exactly what went down here? Racist pig came at me. Exactly what happened then? I killed the ***. Let's talk about what got you here in the first place. Let's talk about Chinatown. The night Jimmy Chin was shot to death, you were where? At the trial, you said you were at your apartment that night, alone. Remember? It was eight years ago. Long time. A real long time. God, I feel like I've been mugged. - That guy was so cold. - He's a killer. What do we claim? He stabbed the Nazi in self-defence? With knives taped to his hands? We're taking the other case. - What other case? - Chinatown, eight years ago. A gang leader gets wasted in front of the tourists. The cops pressure the rival gang, the Pell Street Dragons. They give up Shu Kai Kim, the kid who's been trying to get in their gang. - You really think that's what happened? - No. But it'll make one hell of an opening statement. - Easy as that, huh? - No, it's not easy. We gotta find some evidence that's been buried to open this sucker up again. Christ, Eddie, if the guy's really guilty... Only God and Shu know if he's guilty, and neither one of them is talking. Besides, the guiltier he is, the more he needs us. He's a victim. He deserves to see the sun again, breathe the air. He's been in prison too goddam long. Okay, come on. Come on, man. So this was Shu back in '79. Jesus. - It's the *** weapon. - Alleged *** weapon. They found four of Shu's fingerprints on it. When did you start moonlighting for the D A? Put it down. God. I don't know about this. Neither do I. Wait, listen. Thanks. "November 5, 1979. Cecil Skell walked in the 5th Precinct. Said he witnessed Chin's shooting. Saw suspect's picture in Post. Said Shu Kai Kim is wrong man." Cecil Skell? I didn't see his name on any of the affidavits or the police reports. He wasn't on any witness lists. How could they miss this guy? Also says he knows who killed Kennedy. Keep lookin'. Something will turn up. Boys, it's cleanup time. Jesus. Ten minutes, Tom, okay? Um, that DD-5. The one about the maniac who... Cecil Skell. Find it. Hi, Kitty. Roger Baron, Kitty Greer. Private investigator. Roger's my new associate. Top of his class at Michigan Law. Eddie's "Chase Manhattan Bombing" summation kind of change your life? - You told her about that? - Yeah. So, what have you got? My skip-trace turned up two Cecil Skells. One's in Butte, Montana. The other's at Riverhead Veterans Psychiatric. - I take odds on Cecil two. - What'd he do? Snitch off a dealer? - *** witness. - You're doing a *** case? It hasn't been that long. Cecil Skell's one of three eyewitnesses who came forward. You gotta start looking for the other two right away. - I'm not working on this case. - Yes, you are. You boys have fun. I have business back on Planet Earth. Let me guess. Some corporate VP is banging his secretary over lunch... and you gotta focus your camera and plug in your tape recorder. Beats getting paid in 20s by slime dogs selling angel dust to high school kids. Where do you put your microphone to get the most incriminating moans and sighs? You know, a law degree's a terrible thing to waste. - Do your parents know you're here? - You can't pick on him. You've just blown your chance to participate in this case. - I'm sorry. - I'm kicking myself right out of here. We got her. The head nurse said that... you guys needed to talk to me. Cecil? I'm Eddie Dodd. I'm a lawyer. This is Roger Baron, also a lawyer. Why don't you sit down? Mr Skell, a young man named Jimmy Chin... was shot and killed eight years ago in Chinatown. Do you remember talking to the police? That guy that they arrested, he was the wrong guy. Cecil, we wanna reopen this case. But we can't do it without your testimony. I wanna use what you have to say so badly. But I must add that I think you're *** full of ***, all right? I think what Eddie means to say is... No, no, no. They got the wrong guy. I saw it. The killer wasn't Chinese. Oh, come on. Not Chinese. The Chinese have an energy field... that vibrates at a particular frequency. Oh, right. Right. Cecil, what is all this about the Kennedy assassination? You guys... you're from the company. I should've known. What, CIA? - No, man, the telephone. - What? I suppose you don't know that the phone company killed Kennedy... because he was trying to break it up, and they'll never let that happen. They control everything. What you say in the mouthpiece... is never exactly what comes out the other end. The phone company was broken up. And you believe that? The phone company broke up in 1981. I can get a back issue of Business Week. Excuse me, fellas. What, are you kidding? Are you what heroes are made of? I did two tours in 'Nam. Are you willing to testify that the man you saw shoot Jimmy Chin... was not the man the police arrested? They got the wrong guy. That's right. When the D A gets wind of this, he's gonna send somebody out here... claiming to be a journalist or maybe a phone company representative. He's gonna ask you a lot of questions. You just be truthful. Okay? To all of us. I always tell the truth. That's why I'm here. Very good, Mr Skell. And you told the desk sergeant... you were certain that Shu Kai Kim wasn't the killer. Is that right? It's important to give a vocal response. - Yes, sir. - You left your telephone number. Did the police attempt to phone you or to follow up in any way? No, sir. - Thank you, Mr Skell. - Mr Rabin, you may cross-examine. How long have you been a patient at... Objection. The fact the witness is a patient at any hospital is immaterial. Sustained. All right. How long have you resided at the Riverhead... This is the same question in sheep's clothing. Mr Rabin, you're out of line. Next question. Thank you. Mr Skell. You're under oath to tell the truth, Mr Skell... and nothing but the truth. Who killed President John F. Kennedy? Objection. This witness is not an expert in political assassinations. - The question relates to... - He wasn't on the Warren Commission! Do you think he was on the grassy knoll with a pair of binoculars? - I'd like to answer the question. - We're talking about competency... Mr Rabin has no right to ask this question! Don't answer it! Lee... Harvey... Oswald. Never mind, Your Honour. Objection withdrawn, Your Honour. Shu, the judge has ordered a retrial in the Chinatown *** case. If we can prove reasonable doubt on your imprisonment eight years ago... we feel sure that the D A will drop the charge in the prison knifing. - Do I have to be in the courtroom? - There's probably not gonna be a trial. The State's not gonna wanna retry an eight-year-old *** case. Neither are we. At the pretrial conference, an offer will be made. Odds are we'll cut some kind of deal. Maybe, just maybe... we'll get you out of here much sooner. You've done enough time. Mr Dodd would like to help you in such a case, but... - Kitty. - Hi, Billy. - What are you doing here? - I'm not entirely sure. Oh, excuse me. The cops tell their experts, "Don't sweat it. We got three people who saw this guy fire the gun." Meanwhile, they're telling their eyewitnesses... "Don't doubt your I.D. Our experts can tie the suspect to the gun." - It's a game, Roger. - Thanks a lot. What do you got? One of the prosecution's three eyewitnesses passed away. - Another one moved to Canada. - Same thing. They still have Laura Gayley, the computer programmer. She was the closest one. Like, 21 feet from the killer. Do you have to do that? - Do you? - Have to? No. - Start lookin' into Shu's gang. - The Pell Street Dragons? Yeah. Billy! Yo, babe! See what rank did the hits back in '79. Your extensive law enforcement contacts should be of some help. I was never politically correct enough for Comrade Dodd. Yeah, law offices of Edward J. Dodd. Who? Sure. Yeah, put him through. Yes, I can. Okay. Thank you. That was Robert Reynard. Robert Reynard? The Manhattan D A? - Excuse me. May I help you, sir? - Robert Reynard, please. Would you like to check the coat, sir? - No, it's fine. - Right this way. - What do we make? Lawyers. - Do you think that's the root of it? It all boils down to goods versus services. Excuse me, Mr Reynard. Edward J. Dodd. Robert Reynard. Thank you, George. Of course, you know Dean Rabin, one of my assistant D As. Dean generally handles the nuisance cases, like the, uh... What's the man's name? - Sh... - Shu Kai Kim. His name is Shu Kai Kim. You won't remember this, but in '72... I was one of several prosecutors assigned... to the police-Black Panther shoot-out. You walked into court by yourself and kicked our collective butt. - What have you been up to since then? - This and that. My staff tells me it's mostly been drug pushers. I said, "That can't be the same Edward Dodd." It's in narcotics that the government tramples on the 4th Amendment. Well, let's not drag the Constitution into this. You used the testimony of a paranoid schizophrenic... to overturn a *** conviction... that's withstood challenge for over eight years. And until we get the death penalty reinstated... we depend on our ability to make long sentences stick. And the hell with my client's civil rights? Your client... is guilty. I know a little something about street gangs, Ed. Back in the '70s, I spent years putting away kingpins... in a Colombian crime syndicate. If we can't protect this city from incorrigible street assassins... then my office isn't worth a damn. What's on your wish list, Ed? Pleading Kim out to "man one" in both homicides? - What are you looking for here? - Sentences to run concurrent? - Fifteen to life, both counts. - Fifteen is insulting. Friday's the drop-dead date on the offer. Don't *** me, okay, Mr Reynard? You got witness problems, you got proof problems. You're my only problem. What's it gonna take to make you go away? Eight-and-a-third, both counts to run concurrent, credit for time served. Yeah. And your man walks out next month. What are you doing? You joking here? Joking? I never joke about waving a client's Sixth Amendment right to trial. You're starting to *** me off. I'm sorry if I've ruined your day. My client's had a tough eight years behind bars. Why don't you sleep on that? Then make me an offer. After Friday, no deal. The Japanese shellac us month after month... Excuse me. Len Davis, Daily News. Looks like you've wriggled up Reynard's ***. Sorry, no comment. I'm not saying it was a conspiracy exactly. Law enforcement is too disorganized for that. I suspect sloth is the culprit. Lassitude. "Edward J. Dodd, retained to defend Mr Kim... has disclosed that a witness will corroborate Mr Kim's alibi." - I embellished. - "Dodd also reports that... - his team of private investigators... - I embroidered. are actually close to naming the man they believe... - actually killed Jimmy Chin." - I lied. You should've used the one about Shu being the *** son of Mother Teresa. I actually like that. I'm tired. I'm gonna go home and go to bed. - Thanks for the drinks, kids. - Good night. Good night, Danny. Thank you. Hey, bro. - Can you spare a quarter, man? - Yeah. I'm real hungry, man. *** lover! Race traitor! Enemy of the *** people! *** ***! ***! Jew! Only half. *** Army say: *** go to trial, you die. Dodd, you take on a client who wasted a Nazi in prison... you gotta expect the Nazis are gonna come back at ya. Oh, Eddie deserved this? I guess *** victims wanna be laid at gunpoint? Well, it's a fact of life. These folks just don't spray swastikas on synagogues. They take care of their own. Those teardrop tattoos, they're like notches on a gun. One for every enemy they kill. Listen, I'm... I think I'm gonna look some more tomorrow. I'm seeing double here. - Ow! God! - Sorry. His name's Chuckie Loeder. Something's very weird. - You saw his mug shot? - Those tears, they weren't real. I can't believe we're going to see a bunch of Nazis at night. There's no one else to talk to. The tattoos are phoney. - So? - So no upstanding member... of the *** Army would paint them on. They take those tear-drops very seriously. They're badges of honour, of courage. Only their most vicious, sadistic, cruel, killer elite get to wear them. I feel much better now. Clyde Gruner sold these guys a pound of crystal *** at cost. I mean, we're Clyde's buddies. Hi. Is your daddy home? We're friends of Clyde Gruner. We know who you are. You're the race traitor... who's defending the *** that murdered Duane. - You got a lot of balls coming here. - What the hell you want? I'm real sorry about Duane. I got jumped by a man earlier tonight. He said he was *** Army. - His name's Chuckie Loeder. - "Chuck" rhymes with "suck." Right. Chuckie Loeder's no longer a brother in the resurrection of our nation. We expelled that *** junkie a year ago. - Do you know where he might be found? - Hanging with his tongue out... and a sign around his neck that says, "I betrayed my race..." along with the rest of society's *** on the Great Day of the Rope." Prior to the Great Day of the Rope, where can he be found? Mixing with mongrel races. Anything along the lines of an address or a job? Art supplies, right? Now, get the *** out of here. I wanna hear it real clear. Chuckie Loeder is not *** Army... and you guys aren't behind this, is that right? If we were, you wouldn't be standing here. We can go in now. Who did that to you? A soldier in the *** Army with black tear-drops painted on his face. Painted? That wasn't an *** soldier. Why would a guy do that? Paint black teardrops on his face? I guess he wanted you to think he was somebody he wasn't. - Why? - Maybe because someone's afraid. - Afraid of what? - I don't know. - The truth, maybe. - The truth about what? About Chinatown. What went down. What went down? What happened in Chinatown? - You tell me. - No, you tell me. Tell me. How could I tell you what I don't know? You can't, so tell me what you do know. Come on, say it. I don't know ***, man. Quit lying! I know that you're innocent, even if you've forgotten. The D A's talking a deal. A little negotiating, I can get you out of here in five years. - Five years? - Maybe. With a little luck. We take the deal, that's it. I don't find the guy who did this to me. I don't go after the *** who put him up to it... the *** who did the crime and let you do the time. We take this deal, we walk away... never find out what happened in Chinatown. Never get a shot at nailing some guilty ***'s balls to the wall. No. "No" what? I gotta hear you say it. *** the D A's deal. Jimmy Chin crossed north on Pell. At the last instant, he must have sensed something... because he turned and he was shot dead, right here. Laura Gayley stood where you're standing right now. There was no telephone booth, bus stop or stop sign in the way. Christ, she had a perfect view of the killer's face. But she couldn't have, could she? Because she thinks she saw Shu. We know now she didn't see Shu. I'm stalking you. I'm right behind you. There's a rage in the air. You can feel the rage, like an electrical charge. You turn. Time contracts... space explodes, perceptions can't be trusted. As I pull out a loaded gun and... The guys in the field will try to *** you... that comparison microscopy is an exact science. Powder residue, grease stains, skin fragments. It's all subject to interpretation. You know what I'm saying? - Not exactly. - I'm saying... we need to finesse a little, we'll finesse. I told you, we don't need to finesse this one. That's Shu's gun. Shu didn't commit the crime. No finessing. Jesus! Jump back. You wanna hang out? I'll have something preliminary in about an hour. My associate will wait. I got some good news of my own to deliver. Excuse me. Edward J. Dodd to see Mr Reynard. Could you wait just a moment, please? Uh, yes, I'm sorry, but it's a matter of policy... that Mr Reynard not attend any political fund-raisers. Yes. Well, thank you. - Is he expecting you? - This'll only take a minute. Well, I'm sorry. He's running about an hour behind schedule. Just tell him Mr Dodd and Mr Kim plan to proceed with trial. Did my girl hear your message correctly? I guess so, or you wouldn't be standing there. Am I right? Why did I think I could deal reasonably... with a man who defends coke pushers for free? Coke pushers pay cash. That subsidizes the pot possession cases. They're free. But now you've strayed from your area of expertise... dope... into street assassins. A subject of which you are dangerously ignorant. Yeah, but I'm a quick study. I'll see your assistant D A, Rabin, in court. No, Mr Dodd. You'll see me in court. I'm prosecuting this case. Why am I surprised? Colombians, Koreans. What's the difference? You've built your career on putting non-Whites behind bars, haven't you? I'll prosecute anyone who *** up. And if that makes me look racist... it's a trade-off that I'll live with, Ed. That's big of you, Bob. See you in court. You should've taken the deal. You're probably right. Thanks. That was the ballistics guy, Howard. His tests showed that Shu's gun fired the bullet that killed Jimmy Chin. Well, Howard's a ***' burn-out case. I wouldn't put him on the stand anyway. Get more names from Billy. There's a sociology professor at Columbia University. - He's an expert on street gangs. - I talked to him. Apparently, doing a hit was the way to get into the Pell Street Dragons. - ***. - There goes your theory... about them fingering Shu instead of the trigger man. I like that theory. And since I'm not putting Professor Twerp on the stand... and since I don't have another theory, I'm gonna stick with it. I wouldn't need a goddam theory if you could find that son of a *** Loeder. I have phoned every art supply wholesale and retailer in a 100-mile radius. - No one has heard of Chuckie Loeder. - Here's a news flash. Maybe he's not calling himself Chuckie Loeder these days. Maybe he's got an alias. Biff Loeder. Can you guys just stop being the prophets of doom? Every time I ask a question I get an answer, but it's the wrong answer. You're on the bus or you're off the bus. I can do this *** myself. That's not fair. We're all committed to the case. We all believe it's a good fight. A good fight? You think I'm going into court to make a *** statement? You think Shu gives a *** if we go down, but go down nobly? This is a man looking at 40 years of hard time! He could've had a deal and been out in five, but he bet it all on me! Don't give me that liberal, yuppie *** about a good fight. This isn't *** Yale. A good fight is one you win! So you wanna bail out now, Eddie? The door's over there. Kitty and I have work to do. We're gonna be in court tomorrow. In the matter of the People versus Shu Kai Kim... the Honourable Justice Marcus Quealy presiding. All rise. Where's Eddie? He'll be here. You will hear the classic tale of the immigrant in New York. It's the tale of a young Sicilian in Little Italy... who slits a merchant's throat as an entree into the Mafia. Or the Russian Jew who reaches Brooklyn... and bludgeons a witness on behalf of ***, Incorporated. Shu Kai Kim is a part of that ugly tradition. A stranger... Iooking for his place in a new world... would turn the American dream... into an American nightmare. Why did Mr Kim... fire a bullet through the brain of Jimmy Chin... a boy he never even knew? To get into a gang. Eight years ago, gang war raged in Chinatown. No one felt safe. Tourism was down. Local businessmen pleaded with the mayor. The mayor pressured the police commissioner. And the police commissioner told his men... "This time, arrest somebody." But whom? Well... the outsider, of course. The stranger. The immigrant. So what that he's not in a gang? So what that he's not even Chinese? I mean, who can tell one Asian face from the next? So what that he didn't even commit the crime? "This time, arrest somebody. Anybody." And so, Detective Montell, having brought in Mr Kim for booking... you arranged for a line-up with six other Asian males. That's right. We brought in six other Asian males... of the same approximate age... and had the eyewitnesses view them from every angle. And the results of that lineup? All the eyewitnesses picked Kim. But isn't it true the six other Asian males... were of the classic Mongoloid type... whereas Shu Kai Kim has the distinctive facial bone structure of a Korean? Objection. The witness is not an expert in racial classification. Sustained. This banner headline appeared in the Daily News... October 25, 1979, one week before Jimmy Chin's ***. "Mayor Rips Police Commish. Fed Up With Chinatown Violence." You were aware of the pressure, weren't you, Detective Montell? I'm sorry, Mr Dodd, but I read the Post. Detective Sklaroff... exactly what information led you to arrest my client... just two and a half hours after the shooting took place? We had a description of the suspect. A description. Asian, male, 18 to 30, black hair, brown eyes. - That kind of thing? - Argumentative. Overruled. We had intelligence. You had... intelligence. We had information bearing on Mr Kim's desire... to gain admission into the Pell Street Dragons... by assassinating a member of a rival gang. Didn't that information come from the Dragons themselves? Didn't they, the Pell Street Dragons, a Chinese gang... all but hand you Shu Kai Kim, a Korean, a foreigner... Objection, Your Honour. This isn't a cross-examination. It's Mr Dodd's opening statement again, and again it's pure fabrication. - Didn't they? - Sustained. Please continue, Detective Sklaroff. We proceeded to the suspect's address and discovered him there. While my partner restrained and arrested Mr Kim... I made a thorough search of the premises... and recovered a.38-calibre handgun. Isn't it unusual for a man who committed a *** to bring the weapon home? - Calls for speculation. - Sustained. - Are you implying I planted a gun? - We'll let the jury decide that. Kim's prints were all over it. He admitted it was his gun! The witness' answer is non-responsive. I ask you to strike it from the record. You opened this line of questioning. The testimony will remain in the record. - No more questions. - You may step down, Detective Sklaroff. - I am dying out there. - It's okay, Eddie. The People call retired detective Vincent Dennehy. A *** wheelchair? Detective Dennehy, you were the first officer to arrive at the *** scene? Yes, sir, I was the first one there. And what did you do then? I secured the scene, rerouted traffic... and searched the area for physical evidence. There was a lot of confusion down there that night. After that, I questioned all the eyewitnesses... who remained at the *** site. At 10:30 p.m., I proceeded, with the decedent's body... to the office of the county coroner. I left the crime scene about 10:30. Thank you. No further questions. Detective, you reached the morgue and delivered Jimmy Chin's body when? 11:30. You expect us to believe that from ten... from 10:10 to 11:30 that you had the time... - You okay? - I get this pain. No more questions. That's all right. Mr Dodd has yet to successfully challenge any testimony given so far. - A *** wheelchair? - I didn't put him in it; Reynard did. He had a spinal injury. All he needs is a cane. It was in Kitty's report. I don't have the time to read every single line in every report. I'm too busy getting my *** pulverized in the courtroom. Meanwhile, my crackerjack investigator cannot find the art supply store... where Chuckie Loeder works. I'd love to chat, but I'm meeting a cop for drinks. He's bringing the Dragons' 1979 mug book. I need an expert witness on the Dragons. Eddie, stick this up your ***. Tall order. - "Art's Supplies" - "Everything for the plumber." - Is Art around? - Is he expecting you? Yes, he is. I'm Maraquilla Esparza, Art's wife. - Maraquilla. That's a lovely name. - Thank you. - He's probably back in the factory? - You're not supposed to go in there. Yeah, I know, but we called and said we wanted to talk about that PVC tubing. - He just said to come back. - We'll just be a minute. Excuse me. - Art Esparza. What can I do for you? - Eddie Dodd. This is Roger Baron. - You can't come back here. - We're lawyers, and we're renovating. - There's metal grinding, open flames. - Roger, is this toilet me? - Something high-tech. The Lowboy. - Do you have a demo of one of those? We're not a showroom. Isn't it healthier to sit lower on a toilet so you can get your knees up? Makes a smooth move. Where's your friend? Loeder! I just wanna talk to you! Move, man, move! - Damn it! - Get him off of me! - You all right? - Damn it. It's all right, fellas. I got it. It's cool. I'm sorry. Didn't I tell you not to come back here? Come with me. Talk to me. Nice meetin' ya. I'm a lawyer. That gives you the right to run wild in my place of business? Every man here has done hard prison time. These people need to know I can protect them. What gives you a perfect understanding of "these people"? Five years in Attica. In the joint I met a lot of cons I trusted... but I never met a lawyer I trusted. Art's Supplies is founded on trust. It's for ex-cons, not lawyers. Chuckie Loeder is a material witness in a *** trial. I need to get him on the stand. If you'd been straight with me, I could have helped you... but now you probably scared him off for good. You're leaving now, aren't you? - You okay? - Fine. I lost Chuckie and got a lecture from the jailhouse saint of Long Island City. - Where the hell were you? - 1050 Amsterdam Avenue. - What? - Chuckie's address. I sneaked a peek at the Rolodex. Sneaked a peek at the Rolodex, Counsellor? Nice. Kitty, Chuckie Loeder's most recent address... just happens to be a hole in the ground. When they demolish a residential hotel, the city has to relocate the tenants. The Housing Authority will have records of... You taught me that? So why am I wasting my breath? Get on it. I guess you found him after all, didn't you? He had no family. I have to ID him. I'm his family. So, you won't be able to use him now, will you? Eddie, let's go. It's goddam tragic, ain't it? Get out of here, Dodd! Chuckie Loeder was murdered. It's simple. Chuckie Loeder OD'd. He was a junkie. The coroner found 120 track marks on him. Isn't it possible Loeder beat you up on his own... to get back in good with the Aryans? Wrong! The last of the ballistics experts says Shu's gun killed Jimmy Chin. That's why I hate experts. We have to go to Reynard and cut a deal. I'm gonna fall on my knees and whimper before that stooge of the ruling class? - Right. - This isn't about you, it's about Shu. - If we can plead him out... - We plead out guilty people! - Shu is innocent. - Only Shu and God know that. I know that! How? Because Reynard says he's guilty, and Reynard's full of ***! Look. That's not the face of a killer. You're carrying that around like it's a picture of your girlfriend. - Your heart'll break if this case folds. - It's not gonna happen. Ballistics says it's Shu's gun. All the facts... "All the facts." I'm gonna put the facts on trial. Without Loeder, we don't have a single witness. Then go find me one. There's Chinatown. That's weird. I always pictured the morgue being way uptown. And that is the fatal bullet that was fired that night in Chinatown. Yes, sir. According to your analysis... can this bullet be linked to Mr Kim's weapon? Given that every gun barrel leaves a distinct mark on the bullet it fires... we must conclude that this bullet was fired by Mr Kim's.38-calibre handgun. Thank you, sir. No more questions. Forensic ballistics... is not really an exact science, is it? It most certainly is, Mr Dodd. Like tarot cards or astrology or something? Tarot cards and astrology are not sciences. Ballistics is a science. - But it has a 10-15% margin of error. - Absolutely not. - No more than seven percent. - Seven percent. Out of every hundred cases, based on your testimony... seven innocent men go to prison. Is that the idea? - Objection. - Sustained. Withdrawn. Miss Gayley, please tell us exactly what you remember seeing that evening. I don't think I'll ever forget it. I was walking east on Pell Street. I had come from dinner with friends... and I noticed a man walk past me. He was walking very fast, and his hand was shoved inside his jacket. Something told me to turn. The man whom you saw *** Jimmy Chin... is he in this courtroom? That's him sitting over there. Let the record show that Miss Gayley indicated Shu Kai Kim. Your witness, Mr Dodd. I looked at these photo and diagrams. I visited the *** scene, heard your testimony. I look at the distance between us now and keep coming to the same conclusion. I hate to say this... I don't understand how you could've seen the killer's gun. - Does Mr Dodd have a question? - Yes. Did you see the gun? - Yes. I can describe it. - Really? It was silver, with a stubby barrel. Snub-nosed, I believe they call it. It was not an automatic. It had one of those cylinders. After eight years, how can you remember that? - I could see the hammer. It was cocked. - How could you possibly remember this? - Because I never took my eyes off it. - She never took her eyes off the gun. - Thank you. - Not the entire time. No further questions. - Look, I would like to... - No further questions. Thank you. You may step down, Miss Gayley. Your Honour, we wish to call a witness whose name is not on the witness list. - Objection. This is trial by ambush. - We just discovered him. He occupies the cell adjacent to the defendant at Sing Sing Prison. This case has nothing to do with events at Sing Sing Prison. Your Honour, I assure you the witness has information specific to this case. Mr Dodd, you will be granted time to prepare your cross-examination. In the absence of substantial prejudice to your client... I will permit the witness to testify. With objection, Your Honour. - So noted. - Thank you. As their final witness, the People wish to call Richard Ortega. Who is Richard Ortega? Mr Ortega, what is La Fraternidad? A Cubano prison gang, basically. And its purpose? Fighting the *** Army and the Black Avengers, basically. Fighting. For what? To live. We protect our own. I understand. In the course of protecting your own, is it often necessary to commit ***? Objection. The witness is being asked to incriminate himself. The witness has been granted immunity from prosecution for criminal acts... he may disclose on the stand today. You must answer the question, Mr Ortega. Are members of La Fraternidad ever called upon to commit ***? Yeah, sometimes. All right. Now... isn't Shu Kai Kim, who is Asian... a member of La Fraternidad? - Objection. Irrelevant. - Overruled. Answer the question. Yeah, Shu's a member. Why? Why was Shu Kai Kim recruited by La Fraternidad? - I can't answer that. - Your Honour... It's a secret matter within the organization. I ain't no snitch. Mr Ortega, you must answer under threat of contempt. Why was Mr Kim, an Asian, recruited by a Cubano prison gang? - *** you. - Mr Ortega. I can sentence you to more years than you've already served. I repeat: Why was Mr Kim recruited by La Fraternidad? - Chinatown. - Chinatown? How do you know what Mr Kim did in Chinatown? Did Shu Kai Kim tell members of La Fraternidad... that he murdered Jimmy Chin? Man, they got me all *** up here! Did Mr Kim confess to you that he killed Jimmy Chin? - He mentioned it! - He mentioned it! Or did he, in fact, boast about it... to any inmate who would listen? - Objection. - Sustained. Withdrawn. The People rest. Mr Dodd, how much time will you require to prepare your cross? Your Honour, we move that the witness' testimony be stricken. He's obviously been manipulated by the prosecution. Mr Baron, you are not the attorney of record here. Mr Dodd, do you wish to cross-examine? Ask for 72 hours, Eddie. Court is hereby adjourned until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. Listen to me. Eddie. Eddie, where are you going? Look, I heard Ortega say that Shu confessed. I didn't see any evidence. We're gonna ask the judge for a continuance of 48 hours... and we'll find an inmate who will testify that Shu said he didn't do it! The guiltier he is, the more he needs us. - You said that. - Get lost. There was quite a bit you didn't tell me. When I joined, I took a oath of secrecy. I told you what you needed to know. I didn't need to know you bragged about killing Chin? What was that knifing? - Aryans cutting in on your crack trade? - That was self-defence. Jimmy Chin. Was that self-defence too? Huh? I'm sorry, it's just that for a while I thought there was this, like... You'll laugh, but I thought we were two sorry *** who needed each other... who could help each other. - How could I help you? - By trusting me. I got my face kicked in because I trusted you. No expert would say it wasn't your gun that killed Chin, but it didn't matter. I went up against the D A himself, but I didn't care... because I trusted you, because I believed in you... because I thought there was a bond between us. You're out there and I'm in here. My bond, my trust... is with the guys in here that cover my back. When you leave this place, you go out to dinner... see a movie, get laid. I'm going back to my cell and wait to die. So you tell me... where is our bond? For a while we had this dream we were innocent. That was our bond. Then we woke up. - I want to hear everything. - What do you mean, "everything"? The truth. Tell me about Chinatown, Shu. Tell me the truth. Just tell me the truth! Are you sleeping? You know, I haven't gotten *** once since this trial started. Come on in. We'll talk in the morning. In the meantime, you can get some sleep. I don't need sleep. - Do you believe in luck, Kitty? - Luck. No. Why? 'Cause after ten years of defending nothing but scumbags... this kid, this Roger, came along out of nowhere. Suddenly I find myself fighting to free an innocent man. An innocent man, Kitty. You don't find too many of those in my line of work. For a minute, I thought... the kid brought me luck. And it felt good. Oh, it felt good. Yeah, well, my minute is up. Come on, Eddie. A guilty client's not the end of the world. Exactly. It's a new beginning. I'm going back to defending scumbags. Not just dope peddlers any more. *** merchants. Child-molesters. Repeat drunk drivers. I'll get 'em all off. Hit men. "Send Eddie Dodd your contract killers." None of'em ever does time again. Eddie, just go home. Get some sleep. - What do you want? - Roger Baron. I work with Eddie Dodd. Why were you at Shu's trial this afternoon? - What trial? - I followed you from the courthouse. Listen, I knew Jimmy Chin. - You were concerned Shu would go free? - That's right. Now, did you have Chuckie Loeder try to scare Eddie off the case? - Why don't you ask Chuckie? - He OD'd. He's dead. Art didn't tell you? - Look, mister... - Roger. You mustn't tell Art you saw me at the trial. You had a right to be there, especially if you and Jimmy Chin were friends. Friends? Oh, my God. You don't know anything. Roger, go home. Take a job on Wall Street. - It wasn't a Chinatown gang hit. - Yeah, right. Eddie, Art Esparza's wife and Jimmy Chin were lovers. She just about told me. Great. You phoned Art Esparza's wife? What, are you nuts? No, I followed her from the courthouse. Esparza's wife was at Shu's trial? Yeah, and she was scared I'd tell Art. Art Esparza. What do we know about that self-righteous son of a ***? - Dodd, you got 15 minutes. - Right. Check this out. The man's a prince. "Queens businessman honoured for his efforts to employ ex-convicts." Security clearance for Esparza to go into jails for parole board hearings. Wonderful work this man does. Skipping two years back... his real work. He's being watched by Narco. "Suspected of using his warehouse as drug drop. Surveillance terminated." Going back four years. "Arthur Esparza charged with assault. Dismissed." "Accessory to extortion. Dismissed." "Dismissed." You get the feeling this prick is protected? I'm outta here. You owe me one. "Dismissed." "Dismissed for lack of evidence." ***. Jesus Christ. What? I've seen this picture before. No wonder the eyewitnesses picked Shu. They could've been brothers. Esparza killed Jimmy Chin. The killer wasn't Chinese. Cecil Skell was right! Everybody else was wrong. The one *** lunatic was right. Come on. Does this mean the phone company killed Kennedy? Shu's gun is an absolute match. How could it be? Not here, Roger. Jesus! At least we'd already be at the morgue. Goddam. We'll make a citizen's arrest of Esparza. But we'll need some backup. Who's the meanest *** you ever got off? Just give me a name. Any client who owns a Magnum. The broken-down detective in the wheelchair. Dennehy. He said he left Chinatown with Jimmy Chin's body at 10:30. And didn't reach the morgue for an hour. That's why I thought it was way uptown. - Fill in for me in court today. - What? I need you in court. - Who the hell is it? - Come on, open up. Sorry to bother you at this hour. I'm Edward J. Dodd. Are you Mrs Dennehy? I'm Ms. Dennehy, Vin's sister. - I have to talk to your brother. - No! You gotta be crazy at this hour! Can you step back from the door, please? Thank you. - Where are you going? - Stay. Dennehy. Do I know you? I'm Eddie Dodd. I cross-examined you. But not very well. What did you do with Jimmy Chin's body? Please, I need to sleep. What did you do with Jimmy Chin's body? - I brought it to the coroner. - An hour after you picked it up. Yeah, an hour later. From Chinatown, which is right down the street from the morgue? What did you do with Jimmy Chin's body? You're fishing. You don't know ***. I know about Art Esparza. - It wasn't Vin's idea. - Connie. - Go to bed. This is official business. - You were pressured. Tell the man. - Go back to bed. - Come on, talk to me. Come on. We thought it would work if it was a through-and-through. What's a "through-and-through"? I got this chronic pain. What is a "through-and-through"? You know, eight years I been waitin' for some genius to notice... it took me an hour to drive seven blocks. I drove Chin's body to the Manhattan Bridge. Under the bridge. Montell and Sklaroff were already there with Shu Kai Kim's gun. We only had three hours. After that, with the body cooling and clotting... it wouldn't look right to the pathologist. Chin had been hit once in the forehead by Esparza's.32. The bullet exited clean. That's a through-and-through. So, all Sklaroff had to worry about was... aiming Kim's.38 at the same angle. We pulled the bullet out of the mattress... and that was it. An airtight case. Why? All this to protect Art Esparza? Why? That nasty little ***! He steps in ***, we gotta lick his boots clean. He was your snitch. The Colombian connection. Colombian? Three years of ball-busting detective work. We put a lot of bad guys in jail. And one good guy. Demerol? What is your problem, man? You wanna die? Huh? I am dead. We're both dead. Nobody dies until I hear the truth. Who put the frame on Shu? Stay awake, Dennehy. ***. Come on, talk to me, man. I didn't say snort. I said talk. - I need you to live. - Where are we going? We're going to the hospital. Oh, ***. Why did you have to come here, you hippie-dippie ***? Vinnie's really sick. He needs a hospital. That makes two of you. Move it! - Stand up! - Goddam it, Art! - Get back in the car! - Just give me... Get back in the *** car! I'm warning you, man! What did you tell the lawyer? - Lou? - I'm right here, Vin. So's Dave. But we need to know what you told the lawyer. I came clean. Vinnie told him everything. - You shot a corpse. I don't give a ***. - Let's snuff this low-life. The fact you popped Jimmy Chin in public proves it wasn't premeditated. The jury will sympathize. - Dude was banging your wife, right? - Shut your... Get off me! Cool it! - You're dead. - Yeah, that makes sense. Kill me in the middle of a trial. Wouldn't be clean, though, like Chuckie. What, did you treat him to a match head of pure smack? - That's right. I'm a generous guy. - Who'd you waste now, Art? - Goddam you. - Do it, Lou, so we can go home. Still letting your snitch run you? Lou, we have to. Waste him. The man will take care of it. - He's right. - Come on. - Come on. - Do it, you ***! All right, I'll blow the scumbag away. I should've done that eight years ago. You see that? You wanna be like that? Huh? You gonna keep your mouth shut? - We can't trust him. - Are you gonna keep quiet? - I can't. - Shoot him, for Christ's sake! I can't do it, Lou. That's the *** that shot Jimmy Chin! It's justice! I got a client in prison eight years. Where's the justice in that? My guy's gotta walk. I can't keep my mouth shut. I can't. It's over. Your lies... my lies, all the ***. It's enough. You sorry ***. Yeah, I'm sorry. I gotta go now. I gotta be in court. Freeze! Freeze! Where is Mr Dodd? Your Honour, if I may. I don't know where Mr Dodd is, but if he does not appear in due time... I am ready to proceed on Mr Kim's behalf. - I don't find this amusing, Mr Baron. - Neither do I, Your Honour. Good morning, Mr Dodd. You think you might be up to presenting your case this morning? You looked pretty good up there. Your Honour... I suppose I could find some inmate at Sing Sing... who would say that Shu boasted... about killing Jimmy Chin to survive in prison... though he didn't really do it. But would we be any closer to understanding... what really happened in Chinatown eight years ago? You have no witnesses? If it please the court, the defence calls... Mr Robert Reynard. I would ask opposing counsel to make an offer of proof... that this is anything more than a desperate tactic. Will you both approach the bench, please? As a prominent assistant D A at the time... he had knowledge of external pressures that led to my client's arrest. More nonsense about pressure from the mayor's office. A man's freedom is at stake here. I urge you to give me the benefit of the doubt. Please. As the defence has no other witnesses... I'm inclined to permit this, Mr Reynard. It's a last-ditch ploy, Your Honour. The defence hopes my presence on the stand... will create the opportunity for a mistrial. The defence is mistaken. Thank you, Your Honour. Let's discuss your involvement in the original Shu Kai Kim case. My "involvement" was marginal, at best. I wasn't assigned the original Kim case. Right. Weren't you busy investigating a Colombian crime syndicate at that time? Yes, Mr Dodd. That case, with its attendant publicity, led you into the office you now hold. If I were sitting where I normally sit, I'd say, "Calls for speculation." But you aren't sitting where you normally sit. So, did you have a hands-on role, or did you just supervise from on high? I was personally involved... with all phases and principals of the investigation. - Your Honour, I see no connection... - And who... were the three detectives who assisted you in the Colombian case, please? Lou Sklaroff, Vin Dennehy and Dave Montell. The same three detectives in the Shu Kai Kim case. That's right, Mr Dodd. In those days they often worked as a team. Who was Arturo Esparza? I don't know that name. You just said you were involved with all principals of the investigation. But I can't be expected to remember the name of every informant 8 years later. I didn't say he was an informant, did I? But since you mentioned it, he was your key informant, your primary informant. Without him, you had no investigation in the Colombian case, did you? Showboating can cost lives. You're trespassing into witness protection. Witness protection. That's when the State grants favourable treatment in exchange for information. Like yesterday with Mr Ortega. A necessary compromise to serve a greater good. It's a trade-off. Trade-off? How far does it go, Mr Reynard? Protecting a key informant by covering up a *** he's committed? Or does it go even further? I think you're a dangerous man, Mr Dodd. I hope so, Mr Reynard. On the night of November 2, 1979... the night Jimmy Chin was murdered... didn't your key informant Art Esparza phone you in a panic and say... "I just shot a man in Chinatown. People saw me do it." - No. - Yes! And what did you say? - Objection! Badgering! - Sustained. Didn't you say, "Don't worry, we'll make it look like a Chinatown gang hit"? - That is a slanderous accusation. - Your team combed through mug books. Found a patsy. Framed him! The objection was sustained. We can't let Esparza's crime spoil everything. That wouldn't serve the greater good! Your Honour, Counsel is recklessly exposing privileged information... from a classified case. That case has been over for years. Art Esparza is dead. Can't my client go free now? Mr Dodd, this is an improper forum for these allegations. I understand. You had to protect your case. You made a lot of arrests. You maybe even saved some lives. You make that sound trivial. Trivial? No, not trivial. Your Honour, my apologies. I withdraw these questions for the record. But I must know one thing. How could you do it? It was a trade-off, Mr Dodd. I'd do it again. Your Honour... the defence rests. Looks like you've become a symbol for your community. - Think I could get a ride with you guys? - Go ahead, Shu. Be important. Thanks. Go on, get out of here. Your mother's waiting for you. So what about you? Still thinking about that job on Wall Street? What, now that things are going well? Hope this doesn't mean you're gonna ask for a raise. - Raise? I haven't even been paid yet. - You haven't? Good. I was worried. All the publicity from this oughta get us a decent bunch of clients. Decent? Roger. The most grievous injustices in history... have been perpetrated in the name of decency. Sorry I asked. This case shows we must support the indecent, the indefensible... the wretched, the disreputable. Mohamed_sayed1993@yahoo.com *Araby4all*