[Jessica] Tonight on Murder She Wrote.
I say, make first time graffiti-writing a felony.
Lock up the perpetrators and throw away the key.
You mean I'm going to be published?
That's exactly what I mean! Congratulations!
Go ahead and quit the band!
You ain't that hot anyways.
There'll be over 100 birds
entered in this year's classic.
Should be some spectacle.
Solid on the wallet, home-slice.
I figure I'm $10,000 richer.
If I see a gun in that hand,
you're a dead man.
They're lying. I saw him.
I've committed a mortal sin,
and Chris is going to suffer for it.
I hope you're clever enough to stay away from Alida.
Can we include a crime?
I'd be very disappointed if you didn't.
When are you gonna get off my case?
When you start acting like a man
about something!
I want to talk to you
about being in two places at the same time.
[cheerful orchestral music]
[police siren blaring]
See anything?
Uh-uh.
[birds cooing]
Hey, boys.
Hey, how you doin'?
Hey, baby.
Hey. How you doin', huh?
How you doin'? Let me see.
How you doin', huh?
Nothing but the best for my baby.
Nice night.
Is that your new chick?
Hey, careful.
Hey, Chris.
He's not much.
You're wrong about this one.
Not likely.
You'll never get a decent bird
out of this tired old breeding stock your father left you.
When are you gonna get yourself a job?
I've been thinking about going back to school.
[cell phone rings]
Garcia. [chattering]
Again? Which building?
Get a clean-up crew down there.
What the hell does this damn Choe have against me?
[bell tolling]
Alida says you're a great teacher.
I don't think this is very good,
but then I haven't taken your class yet.
Thank you, Chris. This will give us a jumpstart.
And welcome to the class.
Thanks.
Alida, by the way,
it's been such a long time since the Butler did it
that I never guessed.
[laughter]
She's gonna like The Racers.
-After your stuff? Sure. -Wrong.
All right, everybody. This afternoon,
we're going to discuss character.
It's the characters that can make or break
any work of fiction.
The more alive they are,
the more they express their feelings,
the better your writing is going to be.
And one of the best ways I know
to start getting feeling into your characters
is to get in touch with your own feelings.
So your next assignment
will be to create a family of five individual characters
and then write how each reacts
to learning that a sixth member of the family
has cheated them all out of a ten million dollar inheritance.
Are there any questions?
Can we include a crime?
Well, I'd be very disappointed if you didn't.
[laughter]
I'll look forward to seeing you all next week.
[overlapping chatter]
Well, what'd you think?
-She's cool. -Yeah, she is cool.
Listen, you want to get a cup of coffee?
Hey, we've got rehearsal.
Oh, that's right. I'll meet you there.
Chris and I have some catching up to do.
Why are you doing this to me?
Why don't you chill out?
We've got two new songs to add,
and Tammy's waiting for us. Come on.
I'm sorry, Chris.
How about coming to the cafe while we rehearse?
Ah, forget it.
Well, I'll see you later, then.
Much later.
[girls singing]
[music playing]
♪ When the palm leaves start to sway ♪
♪ and the band begins to play ♪
♪ there is nothing we can do ♪
♪ let the rhythm take you ♪
♪ full moon rhythm ♪
♪ it soothes my soul, I'm losing control ♪
♪ full moon rhythm ♪
♪ it's spinning me round when the sun goes down ♪
♪ full moon rhythm ♪
♪ Under the moon, beneath the stars ♪
♪ we'll keep dancing ♪
♪ 'cause the night is ours ♪
[cheering]
Alida looks adorable.
Why don't you invite her to the house for dinner anymore?
Ma, I told you, she works, she writes.
She doesn't have time.
I'm sure she can make time for you.
Ma.
Maria...let it go.
[song ends]
[cheering]
One, two, three, four.
[new song begins]
Mrs. Fletcher, will you do me the honor?
I'd be delighted, Sergeant.
The graffiti squad's going bananas.
I just hope this thing does some good.
It's a very complex problem, Sergeant.
Yeah, so they tell me.
When I first made detective,
Alida's father was my rabbi,
he was my friend, my counselor.
When he died, I thought I'd pay him back
by looking after Alida...
like a big brother, you know?
That's interesting.
You know, she's written about some of that.
The girl in her story-- she feels pressured
by this new found big brother
who wants her to go to college.
[song ends]
[cheering]
All right. The tunes you're hearing tonight
are being brought to you bye...Full Moon!
Now, tell me, everybody, are we having fun in the house?
[cheering]
Good, good!
Now let's give a great big hand
to the lady who threw this slammin' jam--
the principal of Columbus High
and the mother of our beautiful bass guitarist Tammy Fisher--
Mrs. Barbara Fisher! Come on, give it up!
Hi, mom.
I want to thank all of you
for your generous donations in time and money
to our local anti-graffiti campaign,
with a special thanks to Mr. Frank Garcia
who personally purchased and turned over to the police
four infrared cameras that can see
and record graffiti writing in the dark.
Amazing. Thank you.
Do you know Mr. Garcia?
Oh, yeah.
I know Mr. Garcia.
[principal] And now our host-- Mario Fernandez.
[applause]
Thank you, Mrs. Fisher.
Ladies and gentlemen...
[repeating in Spanish]
...in gratitude to this very hot young group,
and because I like having my place back, I--
[microphone feeds back]
Ay, ay, ay.
I am offering Full Moon a two-week gig
here at Koffee Kafe starting tomorrow night!
Let's hear it, huh?
Thank you very much, Mr. Fernandez.
And, on behalf of Full Moon, we accept!
But you're gonna have to do something
about this wack sound system you have
if you want us to rock the house.
[music playing]
Great party.
Yes, I'm having fun.
Well, there's fun and...
fun. Ha ha!
You look sensational.
Thank you. How about later?
Coffee? A drink?
Don't you ever give up?
Not when I really want something.
Why are you putting up with this guy?
Because he's my husband...
-and your stepfather. -Like hell.
Chris!
Here you go.
Mmm, mmm!
That's good cake.
My wife baked it.
You know, I gotta hand it to you, man.
You are a very clever businessman.
Heh. Well...
in the spirit of the evening,
you're really not a bad a cop.
I just hope you're clever enough
to stay away from Alida.
Alida can take care of herself.
You keep hitting on her,
she won't have to.
That pie is good, too.
Ha ha! Tammy is a first-class musician.
Thank you. All the kids are excellent.
You really must come to dinner one evening.
Tammy would love it.
The band is off on Sundays. That good for you?
Sounds great to me. Thanks.
Jessica, all those years ago at college,
did you ever think we would spend an evening in Manhattan
for a cause like anti-graffiti?
No way, Barbara.
[laughs]
Good night, Jessica.
Good night, Barbara.
[car horn honks]
[gasps]
[tires screech]
-[Jessica] Call an ambulance right away! -Get help!
[witness] Don't move her!
Tammy's up at the hospital.
Barbara is about to go into emergency surgery,
but they're optimistic.
Good, good. Because so am I.
This statement's gonna nail Frank Garcia.
With what you saw of the license plates
and your description of the car
matched up to prove it was his.
When he finds out how much time he's gonna do,
I'm gonna get him to start doing some talking
about his other dirty ventures... like loan sharking.
Excuse me, Sergeant, but we've run into some problems.
The cabbie's not gonna help at all.
Said he was blinded by the headlights.
Also, Garcia claims his car was stolen around eleven o'clock.
That's a half hour before the accident.
-It gets worse. -Spit it out.
Two witnesses... his foreman Tom Gregory and his wife,
say he was with them.
They're lying. I saw him.
Sure they are. But there are two of them.
They claim he was with them for an hour.
We gotta find Garcia's passenger...
or a corroborative witness to back you up...
or there's no way we can book him.
[woman speaking Spanish]
[Frank] Come on, baby, where are you?
You heard anything about your car?
It's probably in the East river.
Let the insurance company worry about it.
There she is.
[cooing]
You did good.
Real good.
Seven minutes, 35 seconds from Battery Park.
Damn good time.
The race with Mario Fernandez still on?
A hundred miles for 5,000 bucks.
Where'd you disappear to last night?
Took a walk. Got tired of the crowd.
I think what you got tired of
was watching Manny come on to Alida. They left together.
When are you gonna get off my case?
When you start acting like a man about something!
Good morning, you two.
Morning, ma.
I brought some cheese Danish
and jelly donuts.
That's all right. I gotta get going.
If you could only just try to get along with him!
Why is it always my fault?
I try. He doesn't.
[cell phone rings]
Garcia. [chattering]
I'll be there.
They found my car in Washington Heights.
Stripped.
What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?
Your story, Plain,
I submitted it to my publisher's editorial board.
They're making selections
for a young writers anthology
coming out this summer.
They accepted it. [gasps]
You mean I'm going to be published?
That's exactly what I mean! Congratulations!
That is awesome! Oh, I cannot believe it.
Of course, you're going to have to make some revisions,
correct the galleys...
-Just like you do. -Mm-hmm.
I don't know what to say. I am so happy.
Thank you. Thank you so much, Mrs. Fletcher.
Have you read Chris' story?
Yesterday afternoon.
I think I'm going to enjoy having him in my class.
That's great. [telephone rings]
Yes?
[chattering]
Will you tell the officer that I will be right down?
Thank you.
What was that all about?
I've decided to amend my statement about the hit-and-run.
Can I give you a lift uptown?
No. No, thanks.
I, um, have some things that I have to do.
Alida, are you all right?
Oh, I'm more than all right, Mrs. Fletcher.
I'm just so excited about this story.
Comb, street map,
auto registration, keys to your apartment, glasses.
Sign. Keep a copy.
You know, I had a talk with your foreman,
Tom Gregory, and his wife.
You know what I think?
I think he's losing his nerve.
I think he's gonna crack...
and blow away your alibi.
Sorry, Sergeant.
Tom and his wife aren't gonna crack
because they're telling the truth.
-Good morning, Mrs. Fletcher. -Mr. Garcia.
I want you to know I understand.
As a businessman, I've seen it so often--
people under stress saying something they regret later.
You must've been in a state of shock.
Your good friend suddenly struck down that way.
Mr. Garcia, I know what I saw.
Ohh. Nice guy, huh?
Here's the statement with the changes you requested.
Mrs. Fletcher, we're gonna make this count.
[Sergeant] That's a list of what we found inside his car.
I suggest you call Maria Garcia.
We're on the same channel. I already did that.
Claire de Lune's not her brand.
[telephone rings]
Lofton. [chattering]
Uh-huh.
Okay, thanks.
The graffiti detail's got something.
I'd appreciate it if you'd come along.
Oh, of course.
I've got one of the few red racing pigeons in Manhattan.
All set with the Montauk Racing Club?
Oh, yeah. I'll drive both the birds there this afternoon.
What about you, Garcia?
Are you still planning on entering this race?
Easy, Joe.
I hear you have a pair of Austrian breeders.
Yes, I do.
How much do you want?
They're not for sale.
And I'm giving the first chick to your stepson
for helping me out.
It's about time somebody else around here
got a shot at the best breeders.
Age has its privileges, Joe.
But you do keep pushing it.
All right. I set your clocks identical,
and I'm locking them up.
What do you say we up the bet to 10,000?
Come on. You've been doing a lot of talking
about your big red, Mario.
You're on, Frankie.
Five hundred for the breeders, Joe. Take it or leave it.
No way.
I hope you nail him to the wall.
Took me five years and a broken arm to pay back Garcia
for what I had to borrow from that pig to set this place up.
All the while, his enforcers were leaning on me.
It killed my wife.
[overlapping chatter]
What you got?
Oh, that's interesting.
But I don't know how much good it's gonna do.
I can't arrest anyone for a hit-and-run
on the basis of graffiti art.
Could I borrow one of your photographs, Sergeant?
Sure. You got something?
I'm not sure.
Now. Nice.
[telephone rings]
-Hello? -Joe, it's Mario.
Hello, Mario. Time of release.
Three thirty-eight fifty.
The westerleys are blowing pretty hard.
I doubt the birds will do better than 35 miles an hour
flying into that headwind.
Even if the Long Island Expressway's jammed,
I ought to be home before they are.
All right.
♪ Should've thought twice ♪
♪ should've thought twice ♪
♪ about your lying eyes ♪
♪ should've thought twice ♪
♪ ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
[cheers and applause]
What'll you have, Mrs. Fletcher?
-How about a double espresso? -Coming up.
-This new sound system is awesome. -Great.
How'd the race come out?
Solid on the wallet, home-slice.
I figure I'm $10,000 richer.
Red got home at 6:08.
But I haven't heard from Garcia yet.
Figures, huh?
Ha ha! Come on.
Hi, Mrs. Fletcher.
Hi, Jessica. The hospital called.
Mom's out of surgery. Everything's cool.
All right!
I'm heading up there.
You be sure to give her my very best.
-I will, thank you. -By the way...
did either one of you see Chris?
-Mm-mm. -He hasn't been around.
I'll see you.
Bye.
That was such a great set.
They wouldn't even let us off the stand.
You should've seen Manny,
just getting off on that synthesizer.
It was great.
Is there a special reason why you wanted to see Chris?
Alida, when they found Frank Garcia's car,
there was a lipstick in it.
It was this brand, Claire de Lune.
Oh, really?
It doesn't belong to Maria.
I just started using that.
Mrs. Fletcher--
Alida...
did Frank Garcia threaten you?
Yes. Yes, he did.
He threatened me. Mrs. Fletcher, I've been so scared.
He swore that if I told anyone,
he'd have me killed, and I believed him.
So, just what was going on between you and Garcia?
Listen, he'd hit on me before...
and I always told him to get lost.
But just not last night.
-Can I finish? -Mm-hmm.
I was coming out of Koffee Kafe, and he was there.
I guess I didn't want to go home yet.
He said that he had a few good friends
that could help Full Moon get signed to a label.
Anyways, there was this party on Park Avenue.
And...I did not know he was drunk,
not until I got in the car.
Then he hit Mrs. Fisher. I tried to get out of the car.
He pulled me back inside.
Looks like we've got our corroborative witness
against Garcia.
Two witnesses. I believe I know who Choe is.
Chris Garcia.
[Jessica] I have a handwriting sample
that might be acceptable evidence in court.
But more importantly, it's the way
the hit-and-run graffiti was painted...
Telling us that Frank Garcia was the driver,
but protecting Alida by not depicting her at all.
Why didn't you just come straight out
and tell us what you saw in the first place?
Afraid you couldn't be Choe anymore? Is that the big deal?
No. I wanted to nail my stepfather.
But I didn't want to get Alida into trouble.
I would've had to tell you she was in the car.
Are you quite sure that your stepfather came up here?
Yeah. He was clocking his bird,
the one that was racing in from Montauk.
[gasps]
Oh, my God!
[police siren blaring]
A lot of people knew Frank came up here.
Any one of them could've been interested in his money.
But there's only one thing, Mrs. Garcia--
Frank had over $400 in his wallet.
Right in line with the exit wound,
a .380.
This is the bird that came in from Montauk.
You see his ID band's been removed.
The first thing my stepfather would've done
after the pigeon landed
is to take off the band and put it into the clock
to record the official time.
Do you mind, Chris?
My father used to raise pigeons.
This will tell us what time the bird got in.
Let's see here.
Six-oh-seven and 25 seconds.
Could the time on the clock have been altered, forward or backwards?
No way. If the clock's opened or tampered with,
it automatically punches a hole in the recording tape
and quits working.
So we can assume Garcia was murdered
sometime after 6:07?
Is there any way off this roof
except the stairwell?
There's a fire escape over there.
Chris, where were you at 6:07 or thereafter?
Chris came home about six o'clock.
And then he stayed with me in the apartment after that.
Book him... on graffiti violation.
-Calvin? -Oh, Chris.
Come on, let's go.
And hold him overnight for questioning in Garcia's murder.
You got it.
And find out who owed Garcia money and how much.
Look, I don't want it to be the kid any more than you do.
Last night, you said that Garcia was a loan shark.
That should give you a long list of suspects all by itself--
what, with the outrageous interest they charge
and the brutality that comes with this kind of business.
But now there's Chris.
And he hated his stepfather.
And he knew he would be up here by himself.
Sergeant, Chris acted out his feelings
when he did that graffiti painting.
I find it hard to believe he killed Garcia afterward.
Unless he figured we wouldn't get the message.
Looks like you'll get out of this with no harm done.
You are very lucky.
But you can't keep going around asking for trouble,
which is exactly what you were doing
when you got in that car with Garcia.
Vic, you have to stop doing this.
Stop doing what?
Just stop treating me like I'm your little sister!
Listen, I know the way you felt about my dad and all,
but I am not your responsibility, okay?
Yeah, okay. Okay, fine.
The big brother thing is over.
But I want you to understand something.
If you ever need me, for anything,
anything at all...
I'll be here.
-You got it? -Got it.
You can be a real pain, Lofton.
Don't think I don't appreciate it.
I'll see you later, okay?
-Hey, guys. -Hey, Alida.
How are you doing?
How's your mother?
They let me talk to her for a few minutes.
She's gonna be okay.
-Good. -She's been through so much.
I'm glad Garcia's dead.
He deserved to die.
Uh, I'm late. I gotta go.
-Later. -Bye.
A messenger brought this over to the cafe for you.
It's from Mrs. Fletcher's publisher, isn't it?
Yes!
A certificate of authorship.
I have to sign this
before they can go ahead with my story.
A certificate of authorship.
My first one!
So I guess this means you're gonna quit the band, right?
No, I'm not gonna quit the band.
Go ahead and quit the band!
You ain't that hot anyways! I'll find someone else.
Hey, wait a minute! Don't cop an attitude with me, Manny.
I don't want to make this either/or.
And I don't want to leave you and Tammy.
You guys are my friends.
So don't make me do it.
[overlapping chatter]
Yeah, the DA wants us to hold him.
He thinks we got a case.
[Jessica] What about the people that owed Garcia money?
He didn't keep a written record.
A lot of members of the racing club
had to know that he'd be on that roof.
I know, but nobody saw him coming or going.
Mrs. Fletcher, Chris is still all we have.
Well, thank you, Sergeant.
You've been very helpful, father.
And now if you'll excuse me.
[bell tolling]
[knocking] Come in.
I don't want to disturb you.
Oh, Maria, please come inside.
I came to make arrangements with father Albert
for Frank's funeral.
I didn't sleep all night.
Have you talked to Chris?
They wouldn't let me. They said they were still questioning him.
He didn't kill his stepfather, I know he didn't.
Of course you do.
You told Sergeant Lofton that he was with you.
He was.
Are you sure about the time?
Yes.
Maria, I called your apartment last night
sometime after 6:00.
I wanted to locate Chris.
Nobody answered.
Maybe we just didn't hear the phone.
We were there.
Maria, if you're being honest,
you have nothing to worry about.
Oh, God.
Jessica...
I've committed a mortal sin,
and Chris is going to suffer for it. I didn't mean--
Excuse me, Mrs. Fletcher.
Father Albert said Mrs. Garcia was here.
I can't speak with you now.
-Mr. Fernandez-- -Only take a second.
I want to convey my deepest sympathies.
I know what a difficult time this must be for you.
This is for you. It's your money.
I don't understand.
Ten thousand dollars.
I lost it to Frank yesterday on the race.
I thought I'd won, and then I heard from Joe Mancuso
that his bird beat mine by one minute.
I couldn't believe it.
I don't want it.
It'll come in handy at a time like this.
Give it to the parish.
Just give it to the parish, Mr. Fernandez.
I will.
Once again, my condolences.
Mrs. Fletcher.
Now, what was it that you started to tell me?
So, Mrs. Garcia...
what time did you actually get home last evening?
-Six forty-five. -Aha.
And you didn't see Chris until then?
No, I didn't.
Uh-huh. Well, Chris...
you've obviously lied, too.
Yes.
Where were you between 6:00 and 6:45?
In the apartment.
Well, Chris, we just got this in.
What you're about to see was taken
from the infrared cameras your stepfather donated
to the anti-graffiti drive.
They went into operation last night.
At 6:15,
seven minutes after Frank Garcia
logged his racing bird.
And that's you coming down the fire escape...
from the rooftop where he was shot.
Okay. I want to make a confession.
I killed my stepfather.
[Chris] It's simple, Mrs. Fletcher.
I hated him, so I killed him.
Why don't you believe me?
Because I think you're trying to protect your mother.
Look, Chris, there's absolutely nothing
to back up your confession.
Not the gun you used,
or the gloves you said you wore.
I told you, I threw them in a storm drain.
They'll find them.
It's important that you know something, Chris.
No matter what happens to you,
your mother isn't a suspect and never will be.
That isn't true. They'll arrest her.
She was downtown yesterday afternoon,
and arrived back in the neighborhood
on the Columbus Avenue bus just before 6:00.
She visited four local stores.
The police are satisfied.
There's no way she could've gone to the roof
to kill Frank Garcia in that time.
-So she's safe? -And very worried about you.
But nobody can help you
unless you play it straight.
I came home about ten minutes after 6:00,
and I went up to the roof.
I was curious about the race.
He was dead. I panicked.
I thought Ma had lost it and killed him.
I just wanted to get out of there
as fast as I could.
I went down the fire escape
instead of the stairs so I wouldn't meet anyone.
Down the fire escape to where?
To the Koffee Kafe.
But I never went in.
By the time I got there, I calmed down
and figured I'd better get back to the apartment
in case Ma needed me.
Did anyone see you near the Koffee Kafe?
I don't know. I don't think so.
The cops gonna believe me?
You weren't on the best of terms with your stepfather.
It showed, huh?
You defaced his buildings.
The police will want more than your word.
Mrs. Fletcher, can you please do me a favor?
The pigeons in the loft--
Ma can't deal with them.
Could you call Joe Mancuso for me?
Thanks.
The race will start at Wilmington, Delaware.
That's right. You'd better get your application in right away.
Yeah, there'll be over 100 birds
in this year's classic.
Should be some kind of spectacle.
Mrs. Fletcher, you tell Chris not to worry.
I'll take care of everything.
That'll be a load off his chest, Mr. Mancuso.
Garcia had it coming.
He hurt a lot of people.
Do you think the boy did it?
No. I don't.
Good. Mrs. Fletcher?
Could you also tell Chris
that the DNA from his little white pigeon came back from the lab?
The bird's a female.
I'll let him know.
Here are the pigeons I told you about, Joe.
Aren't they beautiful?
[cooing]
Mr. Mancuso, I'm going to need a favor...
if you're willing.
Mrs. Fletcher.
Ah, good evening, Mr. Fernandez.
Where's Mrs. Garcia? I was supposed to meet her here.
Yes, she phoned you. She wanted you
to have one of Frank's breeding pairs.
Right, she said she was pleased I gave that 10,000 to the parish.
She wanted to show her appreciation.
Maria got called away.
Ah, well, maybe I'd better come back later.
No, don't go, Mr. Fernandez.
I want to talk to you about being in two places
at the same time.
Two places, huh?
So what's the joke, Mrs. Fletcher?
It's about a pigeon race that wasn't a race at all,
about your killing Frank Garcia at 6:07,
and then making it look like you were on your own roof
a mile away at 6:08.
I don't know what you're trying to build, but it won't work.
I think it will, Mr. Fernandez.
I found this red feather
near Frank Garcia's racing clock.
And Frank Garcia didn't have a red bird.
A blood feather that proves
that your red bird was right here,
and there's no way it could've been here unless you brought it.
Come on, now. Red racing pigeons may be rare,
but I do not have the only one in Manhattan.
Oh, agreed. But the DNA lab
will be able to make a specific match with your red.
And once the police have that,
they can reconstruct, just as I have,
how you murdered Frank Garcia.
Then we mustn't let the police have it...
Or allow you to talk to them.
[Sgt.] Fernandez! If I see a gun in that hand,
you're a dead man.
Look at what we got.
You're under arrest
for the murder of Frank Garcia.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you
in a court of law.
[Fernandez] This is entrapment!
Now way you'll prove all this, Lofton!
Let me help things along here, Mr. Fernandez.
I notice that you seem to have an excellent cash business,
and yet you were chronically short of funds.
I remembered Manny Castillo riding you
about the Koffee Kafe's poor sound system.
And I have to wonder how, the very next day,
when you opened, you had state-of-the-art equipment.
I called the company that made the equipment.
You paid cash and a fat premium
to set the system up on the same day.
[Jessica] Then there was that 10,000
you tried to press on Maria Garcia.
It was as if you'd been relieved
of a crippling financial burden...
Like weekly payments to a loan shark.
But it was in the pigeon shop this afternoon
when it really occurred to me
what you tried to pull off.
One of Mr. Mancuso's customers
brought in two cages, one in each hand,
and it came home to me that that was your trick.
You took two cages out of Montauk, not one,
and four racing pigeons, not two.
And two of those birds would never race.
What was I gonna do?
You gotta understand, Garcia had been bleeding me for months.
When he challenged me to the match race,
that's when I hit on the idea to get rid of him.
The two that left Montauk were my racing birds,
but they had phony ID bands,
and they both flew back to my loft.
The two that were supposed to race, Garcia's and mine...
I never took them out of the cage.
I drove them back to Manhattan.
I used the fire escape to get up to Garcia's roof
and brought my own racing clock with me.
I had Garcia remove the racing ID band from his bird,
put his bird back in his cage, then clock it in.
The time punched by the clock
showed that the bird had arrived at 6:07.
Then I got rid of him.
Then I used my own racing clock
to prove that my bird had arrived at my loft at 6:08.
It made no difference
that it took me ten minutes to get back to my own loft.
It would always look like I was on that roof
to punch in Red at 6:08.
Finally, I put Garcia's bird in his loft
and got out of there.
I went down to the club, and that gave me an alibi
for the rest of the night. It was perfect...
except for me accidentally pulling out that damn feather
when I went to get his ID band.
Lock him up.
Come on.
Mrs. Fletcher, one other thing--
if Fernandez went down that fire escape,
how come he wasn't on the infrared videotape by Chris?
I wondered about that when Fernandez mentioned it.
Then I realized that the infrared cameras
were probably set to go on at the same time as the streetlights.
They were.
So it was still too light at 6:08,
and Fernandez got away clean.
Almost.
[music, chatter]
You look great, Mrs. Fisher.
-Doesn't she? -Thank you.
So how's it going, Chris?
Good. I started my sentence today.
Can't say I'm looking forward to two months
of cleaning up other people's graffiti.
It'll teach me not to do that again.
But the good news is,
I enrolled at City college.
That means we'll get to see more of each other.
Count on it. Oh, there's one other thing.
I volunteered to be a part of a city program.
-Doing what? -Working with kids who want to paint.
Coaching them. But at places that are okayed ahead of time.
I'll drink to that.
You know, Chris... you're all right, bro.
-Hey. -Cheers.