In the criminal justice system
the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups,
the police who investigate crime
and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
Audio check, audio check.
Is that the guy?
Yeah. That's a first.
A drug dealer who shows up early.
Let's do it.
You Morales?
You got everything we need?
I didn't hear nothing about two people.
You want the money? I got the money.
Gun!
Piece of crap was trying to rip us off.
He made a move for his gun.
Lennie!
All right. Where is his piece?
There it is. That's what he was going for.
Two to the chest.
You make them when you have to, right, Lennie?
Dead-on.
I was just telling the fellows, a situation like this,
what we strive for is uniform recollection of events.
Rat squad wants to hear the same words
come out of everybody's mouth, right, Lennie?
No. We don't want to confuse them.
You know, Lennie and me, we got 45 years on the job between us.
We know.
Well, Morales went for his gun and you took him out.
Self-defense.
All I saw was on the monitor,
you can't really make it out.
I mean, they'll see the tape.
Okay. Sullivan will say that.
Who had the glasses? Me.
You saw him reach.
Well, where you were, under the trestle there, it was pretty dark.
I'm Lieutenant Van Buren. Who's the shooter?
Detective John Flynn, Lieutenant.
Your precinct is minus one drug dealer.
IAB wants your gun at Ballistics right away.
Statements will be taken at our house.
Whoever's writing up the five ought to get it in as soon as possible.
Kenny's got the five.
Yeah, I'll get on it.
He'll have it on your desk by 8:00.
Excuse me, Lieutenant.
So, about seeing him reach,
was that a yes or a no?
I saw movement. I can't tell what it was.
Lennie, do us all a favor.
Tell your partner here how things are done.
Help me with the sequencing here, Detective.
You go to the trunk of the car,
and while your back is turned, Morales makes his move?
That would be my guess.
As soon as I popped the trunk,
I heard Flynn yell, "Gun!"
And he fired immediately?
Yes. Two shots.
Had Morales made any threatening statements?
Demanded the money? Anything like that?
I didn't hear any, but like I said, I was several yards away.
Are you aware that Detective Flynn
requested your presence on the anti-drug task force?
It was my understanding that my partner and I were assigned
because our precinct was next up in the rotation.
That could be.
But Flynn requested you by name.
Well, Flynn and I had worked together in the 116 a few years back.
I'm a very likable guy.
How did Ruben Morales end up
being the target of your investigation?
I don't know.
Should I know?
The way it goes is we ask the questions.
It was my first night on the task force.
When I showed up, the target had already been determined.
So, you had no prior knowledge of
or contact with Mr. Morales?
That's right.
Did you know he worked for Hector Garcia?
No. Who's Hector Garcia?
So, you were observing
with the binoculars, correct?
Yes. Did you see Ruben Morales
reach for his gun?
Hey, Lennie.
Oh! I thought you forgot the way over here.
Whatever you got on tap.
Yeah. And give me another club soda
and put it in a dirty glass.
You see that fat guy down there in the red shirt?
That's Mike Rotelli, Fat Mike.
He was the desk sergeant... I didn't...
I didn't tell them I saw Morales reach.
I wasn't about to lie on tape
to some IAB hatchet men.
Hey, nobody told you to lie.
"Lennie, tell your partner how things are done."
That's Flynn and he was just joking.
Yeah. Well, you know him better than I do.
Yeah. I worked with him for three years in Queens.
IAB asked me if I had any prior contact with Morales.
They asked me, too, Rey.
Listen, the Hellman Commission's only holding these hearings
because the IA missed 34 dirty cops in one precinct.
I mean, they had to prove they could
still find their ass with both hands.
Well, I pulled Morales' sheet.
He got popped in his car a little over a week ago with a half kilo of coke.
Am I supposed to be surprised?
Criminal possession, first-degree.
Two priors, same deal.
He's looking at the rest of his life in prison,
so what's he doing out on the street last night?
Duh. The word "bail" comes to mind.
No. I checked with the court part specialist. He got remanded.
Well, so what? He's dead.
IAB gave us thumbs up.
That's one for the good guys.
All right!
Thanks for watching my back.
Another round for these two.
Feel better now?
So, as I go by this car, I notice it's got no plates,
and Ruben Morales and his brother are toking up.
I ask for license and registration.
That's when you found the blow?
Right then. The brother in the driver's seat, Richie,
while he's saying he forgot his wallet,
I see Ruben shove a D'A gostino bag under the seat.
18 ounces. You think I wasn't excited?
So, you put them in the system then.
Yeah.
A few days later, the D.A. Tells me
Ruben's grand jury hearing is postponed indefinitely,
and his brother got a walk.
The D.A. Tell you why?
No.
You looking at Ruben for something else?
He was shot dead a couple of nights ago.
What, in jail?
On the street.
So, I guess he got a walk, too.
Looks that way. So, you get an address on his brother?
I'm Detective Rey Curtis from the New York City Police.
My mom don't know no one in this building.
You Puerto Rican?
No. I'm Peruvian on my mother's side. What's your name?
Leo. You ever use that?
Well, I try not to.
You don't use your gun, how do you arrest the criminals?
With this, right here.
Why? You want to be a policeman?
Maybe. Or a cartoonist.
So, what about Richie Morales?
You seen him around here today?
Uh-uh. But two guys came looking for him yesterday.
What kind of guys? White guys.
They said they were cops,
but they didn't look slick like you.
They dressed down, you know,
wearing jeans and cowboy boots.
Mmm-hmm.
You know where Richie works?
I think he's a dancer or singer or something. I saw him in his costume.
Wait.
Here's where he works.
Club Bahia.
He had a whole box.
We don't open till 8:00.
You like salsa?
I'm more of a cumbia man.
I'd like to see that.
Well, I'll bring my wife next time.
We'll give you a demonstration.
You're married. That's too bad.
And I'm a cop.
That's really too bad.
I'm looking for a Richie Morales.
I know a lot of Richie Moraleses.
Yeah. Well, this Richie Morales
had a carton of matchbooks like these.
That makes him either a regular or an employee.
Or he steals matches.
Look, if you're watching out for Richie,
you should know his brother, Ruben, was killed.
That makes him next.
He quit three days ago.
Well, if you had to get him a message, what would you do?
He gave me an address to send his last check.
No, no! No, no, no! Please don't kill me, man!
I don't know anything! I didn't do anything!
Richie, I'm the police. Get up.
Oh, no.
How do I know you're really the police, man?
Take it easy. I'm gonna show you my badge, okay?
There it is. So, where's Ruben?
How come he didn't come by last night?
Richie, your brother's dead.
Oh, man! Oh, man! He got him? He got Ruben?
Now he's gonna kill me, man! Slow down. Hold on a minute.
Who got him?
Hector Garcia, man, the guy Ruben worked for.
What're you talking about?
It's payback, man, because of the deal
that Ruben made with the D.A.
What deal are you talking about?
The D.A. Said that if Ruben gave him Garcia,
there would be some warm-weather relocation.
And Ruben had some hard time, so he had no choice.
It looks like your brother went back to the life.
He got shot doing a dope deal.
No, no, man. No!
He had to keep working so Garcia wouldn't think nothing.
Ruben was getting out, I swear.
He said that if Garcia ever found out, he was gonna kill him.
Okay. So, Hector Garcia hires Detective John Flynn
to clip Ruben Morales.
That's one hell of a story, Rey.
What about five of us are watching
and Flynn's the only one to see
Morales reach for his gun?
Sonny Liston got knocked on his ass by a punch nobody saw.
If Morales was working for the D.A.,
does it make any sense at all
for him to try to pull a rip-off?
If these guys had any sense,
they wouldn't be in the dope business in the first place.
All right, look. Maybe Flynn got on your bad side...
It's not personal, Lennie.
You know, you're turning into one of these conspiracy nuts.
You ought to meet my cousin. He still thinks NASA faked the moon landing.
That's good. Act like it's nothing.
Rey, I haven't seen any evidence!
What're you talking about "no evidence?"
We've made cases with less!
This is a cop!
So, you're gonna change the rules? That's right!
And you should know that!
Tell you what.
Pretend like I never told you.
Pretend like it never happened.
And what're you gonna do? You gonna go to the IAB?
If Flynn's a wrong cop, you bet.
You got a problem with that?
You'll be buying yourself a lot of grief.
I hope that's not a threat.
That's all, pal. I've heard enough.
Lennie's got a point.
Hey, a little grief doesn't scare me.
I'd hate to see you make a fool of yourself.
Most of what you told me is verbatim
from a cokehead salsa dancer. The rest is smoke.
I pulled Garcia's file.
Five years ago, Flynn arrested him for possession.
Well, that wouldn't make them best friends.
The charges were thrown out for lack of evidence.
That's twice it looks like Garcia's going down and doesn't.
Twice Flynn is involved.
Policy is, you have suspicions, you go to IAB.
First, I want to verify Morales had a deal.
Then I want to talk to whoever handled
Garcia's possession case five years ago.
I'll make an informal inquiry with the D. A.'s office.
If there's nothing to this, I'm the one in a jackpot.
Yeah, I remember the case.
Hector Garcia, felony possession.
Three kilos of cocaine.
Why, who's so interested in a five-year-old case?
It could be related to a current investigation.
Why were the charges against Garcia dropped?
What, has someone got an argument with that?
Hey, that's what I like about private practice.
There's no one looking over your shoulder.
I'm asking you because I don't know.
The charges were dropped because the evidence disappeared.
No evidence, no case.
Disappeared how?
Stolen.
Right out of the property room in the 116.
One day it's there, next day it's not.
Did a Detective John Flynn get looked at?
We looked at everyone on duty that night.
Twenty-eight cops. Blind, deaf and dumb cops.
And a lot of those cops I dealt with were slimier than the perps.
That's why I got out of the D.A.'s office.
And became a personal injury lawyer?
Hey, hey, Lennie!
What's up, John?
Hey. You remember the 116, Lennie?
Yeah, I remember.
Mostly what I remember is you getting tanked and me driving you home.
Well, I'm off the sauce now.
Good for you.
Lennie, this kid that you partner with, I got to meet with him.
Well, I'm not his appointment secretary.
I got people telling me that he's pulling sheets, asking questions,
general topic of things relating to John Flynn.
It's nothing you should worry about.
If he's got any questions, he should come to me, don't you think?
I'll talk to him.
I got to be there, Lennie.
I'm hoping we can talk some sense with this kid.
Glad you could make it.
John's a little confused about a couple of things.
I thought the best way to clear everything up
was for us to sit down together.
Oh, yeah? What's John confused about?
About this nosing around that you're doing. Pulling files on my collars.
I pulled Hector Garcia's file.
You just happened to be in it.
Is this for some case you're working?
Because if it is, you should've come to me first.
I'm here now.
Did you know that Ruben Morales worked for Garcia?
You haven't answered my question.
The same Garcia that walked five years ago.
You know, I know he's talking
because his lips are moving.
Let's try this again.
This nosing around is for what purpose?
I don't report to you.
The point being, it stops now.
Or should I make you regret your career choice?
Hey! Hey, John. You going gorilla on us?
He told you what he's been up to.
So, now it's the two of you, huh?
Hey, if somebody wants to look up my old collars,
I could care less.
If I hear anything more about either one of you
poking your nose in my business,
I will make both your lives miserable.
You still think he's joking?
I remember that Garcia case.
Flynn and I were in the same precinct.
Yeah, the evidence walked out of the property room.
Hey, just don't do anything rash
until I get back to you, all right?
Sullivan. Lennie Briscoe, from the other night?
Oh, yeah. Sure.
What, are you qualifying?
Practicing. I got my indoors next week.
Oh, me, too. Yeah.
Twenty-five years with a revolver,
now I got to move to the automatic.
You like the Glock? I do. But, you know,
the Smith & Wesson's pretty good, too. Yeah.
Boy, that was something the other night, huh?
I'm still sending Flynn thank-you notes.
Yeah, you were out there.
I sure was. With my back turned.
Hey, tell me about it. I signed for the flash-money.
That rip-off goes down, I got about eight bosses looking at me funny.
I guess somebody underestimated
the size of Morales' cojones.
Yeah, and he wasn't even the initial target.
No kidding? Who was?
Some dealer named Collins.
And at the last minute, Detective Flynn said that Collins wasn't gonna show.
Wow. So, who brought Morales in off the bench?
Flynn's partner, Kenny Edwards.
He said Flynn arranged it with their CI.
Was that the same snitch Flynn was using last year?
I don't know. They call this guy Two-Tone.
Two-Tone, the fence?
I think I heard them say something
about this guy running a dice game uptown.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
No winner. No winner...
Good afternoon, gentlemen!
Nothing to get excited about, fellows.
You can take your money and leave.
Except Two-Tone! You stick around.
Do I know you?
Oh, yeah. We got the same hairdresser.
You got the wrong brother.
Hey, hey, hey! Ruben Morales got shot the other night.
I already talked to Detective Flynn.
Now who the hell is Ruben Toemales?
Ruben Morales!
Detective Flynn didn't want to be here, Two-Tone,
because he's very upset.
Because Morales tried to rip him off!
And you're the one who sent him!
This is for real, man.
I didn't tell Flynn nothing about no Morales!
Well, somebody did!
Look, I set him up with Lynrick Collins. You got that? Collins.
Then Flynn calls and says that the deal is off with Collins.
Why?
I look like the psychic hotline? How should I know?
I just do my job, which I'm supposed to get cash money for.
Sorry I broke up your game.
The entire security detail is moonlighting cops.
Now, you guys probably heard about the bar discount.
We didn't come to socialize.
What is it?
The shooting the other night is starting to stink, Kenny.
Well, I don't know what you're talking about.
The IAB cleared that shooting.
Well, maybe they'll have to unclear it.
Well, I got to get back to work.
Yeah. You go on ahead, Edwards.
Walk away. We'll do what we have to do.
Kenny, I talked to your informant.
We know you and John switched targets.
You set Morales up?
I'm telling you now, like I'd tell a perp, Kenny,
if you know something, now's the time.
It was all John.
Before we got out there, he told me that he had to take care of something.
And whatever happened, to back his play.
And it never occurred to you to call somebody before it went down?
I didn't know he was gonna whack Morales.
And even if I did, I took money, too.
So, I rat him out, he rats me out, that's it.
You both were working for Garcia?
I didn't know where the money came from.
A few weeks after we partnered up, John gave me $200.
Told me I'd get it every week. And he promised
that it would never keep us from making a collar.
And that we'd never look the other way.
And I keep it all in a coffee can in the basement.
Makes me sick just to look at it.
We're giving you an opportunity to reconcile this.
If you don't want it...
I want to do my job,
which is impossible when you drag me in here every three days.
Now you bring in the D.A.
Hey, why don't you just pound the nails in right now?
Spare us the theatrics, Detective.
If you don't want me to amuse you,
what the hell am I doing here?
You take your head out from between your legs for one minute,
you'll see we're trying to give you a chance to come clean.
I've got nothing to say to any of you.
We know you're dirty.
We know you murdered Ruben Morales and we know why.
You got that from Detective Reynaldo Curtis.
Maybe if the dope-dealing scum I shot was named O'Grady,
he wouldn't have minded so much.
We spoke to your partner. He made a full statement.
You're boring me, honey.
Hey, am I under arrest?
No?
Then I'm leaving.
Put him under arrest.
Come on.
What, is this your career-maker, sweetheart?
Railroading a cop. You'd do better banging your boss.
I want to see my P.B.A. Lawyer.
Fine! Bring him in.
He'll tell you to shut up and then we go to the grand jury.
I want my lawyer.
Hey! Watch out for these guys.
They don't want cops doing their jobs.
John Flynn, you're under arrest
for the murder of Ruben Morales.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you...
Just what this city needs. More corrupt cops.
How far does it go?
As of now, it's just the two detectives, Flynn and Edwards.
I got a call from Judge Hellman.
His commission wants to talk to your Detective Flynn.
They've had a month of hearings
and they're still looking for something
to put them on the front page.
They can have Flynn as soon as we're done with him.
Well, that shouldn't take long.
He's looking at the death penalty. He'll deal.
I'm not playing ball unless he gives us Hector Garcia.
So far, we don't even have enough for an arrest warrant.
And where is Mr. Garcia?
He knows we're looking for him.
He might've left the country.
Terrific.
See if Detective Flynn has his forwarding address.
This man is a decorated police officer, a 22-year veteran.
Now his arrest is an affront to the 30,000 men and women...
Who aren't hit men for drug dealers.
Let me explain something to you, Detective Flynn.
When you are arraigned this afternoon,
you'll be charged with murder one.
Whether you end up strapped to a gurney or serving life without parole
is entirely within my discretion.
You're long on character assassination
and short on case, Counselor.
Don't overestimate the public's tolerance for dirty cops.
There's enough here to convince a jury.
I'm prepared to take the death penalty off the table
in exchange for his testimony against Hector Garcia.
I'm not pleading to anything.
If you change your mind,
I might even reduce the charge to murder two.
Well, what's your case?
A load of hearsay from a dope dealer's brother
and a paid informant.
His partner's saddled up and ready to go.
Ready to lie.
Look, if what Detective Edwards says were true,
then it would make him an accomplice.
Meaning his testimony's worthless without corroboration.
The corroboration was in a coffee can
in Detective Edwards' basement.
He saved every dollar you gave him.
Sounds like you have a solid case
against Edwards, not my client.
Flynn's fingerprints weren't on the money.
It won't be easy to trace it back to him.
How are we doing with the searches?
Curtis and Briscoe were supposed to page me if they find anything.
What about Flynn's locker?
Booze, skin magazines, box of rubbers.
Every day's a party for Detective Flynn.
This catalog was sent to him at a PO box.
That's understandable.
This code number on the address label
means he's ordered from them before.
Maybe he wanted to surprise his wife.
You know a lot about their ordering procedures.
I'm wearing this right now.
I think his wife's more the flannel robe and house slippers type.
Maybe their ordering department knows who it was for.
Do you know a Detective John Flynn?
The John Flynn who sends you lingerie?
We dated a few times.
I spoke to your super. He said Detective Flynn bought this condo for you.
Do all the men you date a few times buy you condos?
Johnny's married, okay? It's very delicate.
Well, I hate to tell you this, but Johnny's under arrest.
Whatever he got arrested for,
I don't know anything about it.
Really?
Don't you wonder how he could afford this place
on a detective's salary?
No. It's really not my problem.
Could you leave now? I have to go out soon and I have to do my hair.
We're not done yet.
Did Flynn ever mention a man named Hector Garcia?
I don't know. I don't pay attention to names.
Somebody calls your boyfriend,
you don't give him the message?
Yes. Doesn't mean I have to memorize it.
And it doesn't make me a criminal.
It makes you a material witness.
Have you ever been to jail, Marilyn?
And I don't mean overnight till the escort service bails you out.
I mean years. I told you!
Because that's where you're going,
unless I start feeling the spirit of cooperation very quickly.
I know Garcia's sister.
She gave a party on one of those big boats on the river.
That's where I met John.
You've seen him and Garcia together?
I've seen them together in this apartment.
Johnny keeps money in the bedroom closet.
There's a safe in the floor.
You believe that bitch, huh?
Miss Manning is a convicted check-forger and a prostitute.
I don't care if she's Ma Barker.
She can back up her story.
His fingerprints were on a lock-box full of cash.
We have all the corroboration we need.
The offer is murder two if he testifies against Garcia.
The offer is kiss my ass.
We're done.
Mr. McCoy.
Detective Flynn wanted me to apologize for his outburst.
He's very concerned about his family's safety.
What do you propose?
John Gotti's hit man pleaded guilty to 19 murders.
He served four years and was relocated with a new identity.
Detective Flynn's entitled to no less consideration.
See you in court.
Hector Garcia just came up on the radar.
He's in Guadalajara on an extended vacation.
You talked to the Mexican authorities?
They'd be thrilled to honor a request for extradition
as soon as we show them an arrest warrant,
which we can't get without Detective Flynn's testimony.
You think we should give Flynn what he wants?
How badly do we want Garcia?
Not that bad.
Making an example of Flynn isn't worth losing Garcia.
You call it making an example.
I call it putting a corrupt cop
who committed murder behind bars.
Let me tell you something, Jamie.
When people stop trusting the police, we're back in the trees.
For a lot of people, we're already there, Jack.
And for you?
Do you think bringing Flynn down
is gonna sanitize the police department?
I defended clients who were actually innocent.
I have a healthy respect of what some cops are capable of.
So, we should throw in the towel?
We've been after Garcia for years!
McCoy.
Yes, I know.
Sure. 2:00.
That was Judge Hellman of the Hellman Commission.
He wants to meet with me.
Good to see you again, Judge.
I tried a couple of cases in front of you in part 46.
You'll forgive me if I don't remember.
Have a seat.
I'm sure you're aware of the objectives of our commission.
I read the papers.
This Detective Flynn that you're prosecuting
has agreed to appear before our commission.
An altruistic impulse.
His attorney contacted us
and we worked out an agreement.
You don't have the authority
to make deals with my defendants.
I was appointed to this position
by the governor and the mayor.
The deal was worked out under their authority.
What exactly did Detective Flynn agree to?
Two-to-six at Lyon Mountain.
Lifetime probation. And he forfeits his pension.
You're joking!
A couple of years of minimum-security lawn mowing!
All sarcasm aside, Mr. McCoy,
I agree he is getting off lightly.
But he is providing us an invaluable service.
With all due respect, I don't see how
slapping the wrists of a corrupt cop
who committed murder serves any legitimate purpose.
If he gives us five dirty cops
and each of them gives us five more,
that's how we excise this problem.
I'm sorry, Judge. My office won't approve this deal.
I called you here as a courtesy.
Frankly, I don't need your approval.
Yeah. The mayor and the governor
send their greetings and their two cents.
Have you seen the terms of Flynn's deal?
He isn't compelled to offer any testimony against Hector Garcia.
He doesn't even have to give the guy's name.
It's a travesty. It's a fact of life.
Hellman's reputation is on the line.
He needs a star witness and Flynn is it.
I hope they understand that they're immunizing not one but two murderers.
Right.
They get rid of 20 bad cops it's a house-cleaning.
Get rid of one, for shooting a drug dealer, we're the bad guys.
That's a quote.
Some of the people I've named took money.
Others received payment in the form of cocaine,
which they would resell or use themselves.
Tell us about the circumstances
leading to the shooting of Ruben Morales.
Well, as I've mentioned,
the unnamed individual was paying Detective Edwards and myself.
When he heard that Ruben Morales had turned state's evidence,
he wanted him eliminated.
Killed.
Yes, sir.
And he came to you.
He came to me
and said that unless I took care of it
he would expose my illegal activity.
What did you say?
I said, "Go ahead."
I told him I'd rather lose my career or even go to jail
than be a party to something like that.
Then what happened?
The individual threatened to harm my family.
I informed Detective Edwards as to the situation.
We decided, out of concern for our families,
that we had no other option but to participate.
You mean, to kill Ruben Morales?
Yes, sir.
There were three other detectives assigned to this operation.
Were any of them aware of what was going to happen?
No. Two of them were half a block away in a van.
I made sure that the other man on the scene
with Edwards and myself was Detective Lennie Briscoe.
Why him?
I knew that whatever happened, he'd go along with it.
Why did you believe that?
I first started working for the unnamed individual five years ago
after I had arrested him on a drug possession charge.
While he was awaiting trial, we made an arrangement.
For the individual to pay you a bribe?
Yes.
I then enlisted Detective Briscoe to remove the evidence
against that individual from the property room.
And Detective Briscoe did as you instructed?
Yes.
Detective Briscoe took the drugs.
I know because he gave me half.
No, I did not steal drugs from the property room.
So, Detective Flynn is lying?
That's right.
When the evidence was reported missing at 2:42,
you were still on duty.
Do you recall what you were doing?
Detective, you're here under subpoena.
If you don't answer, you'll be held in contempt.
I was at home.
You didn't sign out until 5:18.
Are you saying that you made a false entry in the log book?
I signed in and then I left.
Detective, is there any particular reason
why you were in dereliction of duty on that day?
At that time...
I'm a recovering alcoholic.
So, your defense is that you were drunk, on the job.
I was asleep.
And I was drunk the night before.
Is there anyone who can corroborate your account?
No.
Ross.
You think Briscoe could've done it?
Not the Briscoe I know, but five years ago, when he was drinking.
Yeah, they put that mark next to your name,
good luck getting rid of it.
Jack.
I tracked down 22 of the 28 cops on duty
when the drugs disappeared.
Four didn't return my calls.
The other 18 couldn't remember
whether Briscoe was there or not.
When did we get appointed to the Briscoe defense team?
I don't like to see good cops get their careers ruined
while bad cops walk away with wrist slaps.
Flynn's under lifetime probation.
If we prove he perjured himself
before the Hellman Commission,
he goes to prison for life.
Which could motivate him to testify against Garcia.
Yeah. That's a neat trick.
Except no cop will come within 100 yards of the commission.
I did find one oddity.
A patrolman in the 116 named Dave Spence
quit the department a month after the drug theft.
His sergeant said he resigned
right before he testified in another drug case.
Find out why.
I might've met the guy. The name sounds familiar.
But even if this Spence did steal the evidence,
what makes you think he's gonna talk?
It's been five years. The statute of limitations has run out.
It's worth a shot.
I'm gonna wear a wire, get Flynn on tape.
Why would he talk to you?
Let me worry about that.
Will you present whatever I get to the commission?
I'm not authorizing this. Besides,
Flynn is holed-up in his house with round-the-clock guards.
Listen, I'm off rotation.
I'm on indefinite ass-duty.
I'm not just gonna sit around and watch Flynn destroy me.
We're not sitting around either, Detective.
Give us a couple of days to find Spence.
Spence testified for the prosecution in a trafficking case.
On cross he was asked if he'd ever witnessed any police officers
tampering with evidence. He took the Fifth.
That doesn't mean anything.
He came back from an in-camera conference with a grant of immunity,
and still refused to testify.
The judge threw him in jail for contempt.
Did you talk to the riding D.A.
Yes. He said Spence and his lawyer alluded to a prior act,
but wouldn't say anything more.
How about an address for Spence?
Mount Olivet Cemetery. But his lawyer's still alive.
Whatever Dave Spence said to me is privileged.
A good cop has been accused of a crime
your dead client may have admitted committing.
Only the executor of his estate can waive that privilege.
He died intestate and has no heirs.
This look like Park Avenue?
I gotta hustle once in a while.
I start broadcasting clients' secrets,
I got the Bar Association looking at me up close and personal,
which I don't need.
What if all I needed was an off-the-record confirmation
to let us know if we're barking up the wrong tree.
I'd definitely owe you one.
As a D.A. Or the best-looking woman
to ever set foot in this office?
As a D.A.
What's the question again?
Did Spence admit stealing evidence against Hector Garcia
from the property room at the 116?
I'm gonna get up and open the door for you.
If I don't fall and break my arm on the way over there,
then you can assume my deceased client
confessed to the crime in question.
Lennie. Hey.
Betty.
It's been a long time.
You want to come up?
Let's go across the street.
Everybody in the precinct's
been watching those hearings.
I heard what that jerk Flynn said!
Yeah. The guy who's gonna save the department from itself.
Lennie, one of those mornings after we were together,
I remember going into the station house
and hearing about that robbery from the property room.
I wanna tell the commission that you weren't there,
that you couldn't have done it.
Hey, it won't work, Betty, but thanks anyway.
I'm a big girl, Lennie, I know what I'm doing.
No, really, it's gonna be all right.
The D.A.'s got a lead, some uniform named Spence.
Dave Spence is dead.
Lennie, they're gonna ruin you!
You remember why you ended it?
Because you had a husband and a family,
and that was the life you wanted, right?
The boys must be getting big, huh?
Lennie,
this has nothing to do with us.
This is about me being a cop who can't look the other way.
No matter what the reason, the answer is no.
This is just terrific.
We know Spence did it, we know Flynn's lying,
and there's nothing we can do about it.
We can get an administrator appointed to Spence's estate.
He could waive client privilege.
But it'd still be hearsay.
Did you get a phone call from a Betty Abrams?
No. She's a cop.
She says she has information about Detective Briscoe.
Please have a seat.
State your name and occupation.
My name is Betty Abrams. I'm a New York City police officer
in the 116th precinct.
And how long have you been a police officer?
Fourteen years.
If you don't take her out of there right now,
I'll kick your ass from here to Hoboken.
She came to me. I told her what she was in for.
This is a big mistake.
She said if I didn't call the committee, she would.
Face it, she's all you've got left.
I don't care!
Nothing good comes from this.
This really isn't up to you anymore.
I met up with Detective Briscoe
in the middle of the afternoon at his apartment.
We spent the night together.
When I left the next morning, he was still asleep.
You're absolutely sure
as to the date and times of this encounter?
Yes.
It was two days before my 10th wedding anniversary.
Thank you, Officer Abrams.
Judge Hellman, I submit we recall Detective John Flynn
for further questioning in this matter.
I'm not finished with this witness yet, Mr. De Maio.
I'm curious, Mrs. Abrams.
On the day in question,
when you were having illicit sexual relations with Detective Briscoe,
where did your husband think you were?
I told him I was working.
You lied?
Yes.
Mrs. Abrams, have you had other illicit affairs?
I remind you that you're under oath.
Two others.
And when you had sexual relations with those partners,
I assume that you lied to your husband on those occasions as well.
I'm sure I did.
My husband and I were going through a difficult period...
We're not interested in that, Mrs. Abrams. A simple question.
Given your predisposition to lying,
why should we believe you now?
I'd like to see if we can't get this wrapped up by 4:00.
You get off on that, Judge?
Humiliating innocent people?
Are you upset because your corroborating witness is a liar and a slut?
You sick son of a bitch!
Hey, hey!
What the hell do you think you're doing?
You and Flynn deserve each other.
I hope you both rot in hell.
Now we do it my way.
It's about time. I was getting ready to send out for sandwiches.
What're you doing here?
I wanted to talk to you, John.
But they got your house sealed up like Fort Knox.
Yeah. There's two state troopers outside, won't like your being here.
Just give me five minutes.
We go way back. You said so yourself.
Thirty seconds.
Why did you tell them I ripped off the property room?
You remember the academy, Lennie?
They taught us about loyalty.
Like you got a buddy on the sauce, you cover for him.
You protect him.
I saved your career.
And you sit on your ass while that snot-nosed partner of yours ruins me.
You let him do it.
You made your choice. That's you.
But you don't lie about another cop being dirty.
Hey, what do you want, Lennie? Huh?
You want us to time travel back six, seven years?
Start over?
You can't do that.
I just want you to tell me
that you know that I didn't steal those drugs.
I just wanna hear you say that!
Yeah.
Where should I direct the statement,
to your chest or inside your thigh?
You want to check me for a wire? Go ahead!
I know you didn't take those drugs, Lennie.
You know the worst part, John?
You used to be a good cop.
Yeah.
You'll be okay now, Lennie.
Hellman's issuing a mea culpa to the press.
We practically had to strap him into his chair
to get him to listen to the tape.
Jack ought to get hazardous duty pay
for all the abuse he suffered.
You kidding? I loved it!
Does Flynn know? No.
We'll pick him up as soon as we get an arrest warrant.
It might be a little easier on him if I was there.
Is your family home, John?
Nah, they're gone. We're done talking, Lennie.
What, are those troopers sleeping out there?
John Flynn, you're under arrest for perjury.
You're kidding. Perjury? What's that?
Eight weekends community service?
It means you violated the terms of your life probation.
You're going to prison for a long time, Detective.
They have to take you in, John.
Don't say anything until you get with your lawyer.
Come on in!
Get your things together, Flynn.
I thought you'd show some loyalty, Lennie.
You still wearing that wire?
You want to keep your mouth shut, John.
Hey, you wanna help me take a leak?
Leave the door open.
I was wrong about you, Lennie.
I thought you'd understand.
We've been there, John.
Hey, you wanna talk about something else?
Good. Talk to me, Lennie.
Hey, you want to talk about the ponies?
Hector Garcia's back in town.
I guess he heard Flynn's dead, and we can't touch him.
Lucky him.
Hey, Lennie, you want to go have some dinner?
I can't. I got to see an old friend.
She's got a little situation with her family.