NARRATOR: 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.
She hasn't been to work all week.
I wondered why she hadn't picked up her mail.
Hello?
Anybody home?
Miss Edwards? It's the super.
Lisa? It's Scott. Are you there?
I'll give you two minutes, my soaps are on.
I didn't know she was moving.
She was thinking about it.
Lisa?
All right if I store her stuff in the basement?
I got awaiting list a mile long for these apartments.
No, no, no. Put that down. And don't touch anything.
I'm calling her folks.
BRISCOE: This is what happens when the murder rate goes down.
I don't know, I think it's kind of nice
not lookin' at a dead body for a change.
Still they could've sent Missing Persons.
I don't know if you've noticed,
but Missing Persons is kind of busy right now.
Well, looks like she said to hell with her stuff and just took off.
I don't blame her.
Isn't moving one of the seven major traumas?
Death, divorce, colonoscopy.
What do we know about this girl?
Lisa Edwards, 24, 5'7", blonde, green eyes, slim.
Went missing about a week ago.
Her wallet's still here.
And make-up's on the dresser.
Toothbrush.
So we're looking for a girl with no make-up and fuzzy teeth.
Overnight bag's still in the bathroom.
She's travelin' awful light.
Well, it looks like somebody's trying to get a hold of her.
(BEEPS)
EDWARDS: Lisa, it's Dad. Are you there?
Hello ?
Honey, if you're home, please pick up.
Still no answer.
(PHONE DISCONNECTS)
We called you people every day for a week
before we got anyone to pay attention.
We finally had to contact a friend of ours who knows the Commissioner.
And we're very sorry about that.
But now we have these two experienced detectives working the case.
And what have you found out?
There's no evidence that anything happened to your daughter in her apartment.
Oh, thank God.
But do you have any idea who might have taken her?
Right now, we don't know that she was taken.
She may have gone off with someone, or gone off on her own.
You don't understand She's our only child.
We talk on the phone at least twice a week.
Lisa would've called us if everything is all right.
Something must've happened to her.
It looked like she was packing up her apartment.
EDWARDS: Well, she's moving back home, temporarily.
Is there a problem?
Her job's ending. She's going to stay with us
while she looks for another one.
VAN BUREN: What type of work does she do?
She's an aide in Elliot Judson's office.
State Senator Elliot Judson.
Was she upset about losing this job?
Maybe a little anxious.
What are you suggesting?
Has your daughter ever had any trouble with drugs?
No, not at all, never.
What about depression?
Lisa's a very cheerful, positive person,
who works out, takes good care of herself.
How about boyfriends?
No one special.
There's one young man at work she seems fond of, though. Scott Purdy.
EDWARDS: Yeah. He's the one who called us
when she didn't show up at the office.
So we asked him to check on her.
Okay, we'll interview him, keep you up to date.
Where can you be reached?
We're staying with friends in town,
but we're not leaving without our daughter.
SCOTT: So you think she might still be okay?
Is there any reason to think that she isn't?
Well, I know how these things go.
The more time passes, the longer the odds.
So, uh, how long have you two known each other?
Oh, we're friends. Huh.
Her parents thought it might've been more than that.
Uh...
Well, we hang out after work sometimes,
but that's about as far as it goes.
So who does she go out with?
(STUTTERS) I don't know.
Come on, Scott. A girl that pretty has got to be going out with somebody.
I'm telling you. I don't know.
And Lisa, she doesn't really like to talk about her private life.
Anyway, it's not like I really wanted to hear about other guys,
you know what I mean?
BRISCOE: You like her.
I'm not her type.
So what about losing her job? She upset about it?
Well, she's been temping on something she thought would pan out.
BRISCOE: What's that?
Something for one of the state agencies.
But you should really talk to Senator Judson.
He'd probably know more about that than I do.
I hope nothing happened to her.
Lisa was, uh... I mean, is very
bright, ambitious, career-oriented.
And I'd love to keep her, but I can't.
ED: Why is that?
Well, the grant for her position was only for a year.
Scott Purdy said she was working on something
that might get her a new job.
She was doing some research on the state gaming legislation.
ED: Upstate gambling?
Lisa was putting some numbers together
on the impact casinos would have on resorts in that area.
For who?
A senior staffer in the Lieutenant Governor's office.
Don Hamilton.
We desperately need a controlled expansion
of legal gambling in this state.
We've been hemorrhaging jobs and money to Atlantic City and Connecticut.
My partner's done a little bleeding in both places.
Her boss said she was crunching numbers for you.
We've been working overtime on drafting the legislation.
Lisa's been a big help. She's intelligent, hard working.
Easy on the eyes, too. I don't follow you.
You having a personal relationship with her, Mr. Hamilton?
Sadly enough, strictly professional, Detective.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend.
We may have some more questions.
Call my office.
We checked the hospitals and the morgue again and came up empty.
Where the hell is this girl?
She was either snatched off the street by some psychopath,
wrong place, wrong time...
Yeah. And she was just all packed up and ready to go?
Yeah. Well, I'll tell you, I'm not buying that scenario, either.
Or she has a boyfriend that we don't know about.
Well, what about this kid, Purdy?
Claims their relationship was platonic.
Lieutenant? I got the results back on Lisa Edwards' credit cards.
Only activity was from one that wasn't in her wallet.
Well, maybe she was going away.
Looks like she got her hair done.
Yeah. Saturday before last. 11:15. Trim and a blow-out.
Do you remember what you talked about?
Not really.
I think she said she might be leaving town for awhile.
Like, a vacation?
No. More like moving. Relocating.
How did she seem to you?
Fine.
ED: Did she talk about any of the men in her life?
I got the feeling there was a guy,
but she never spoke about him, which was kind of weird, I thought.
Why is that?
Most of my clients can't shut up about their sex lives.
You know, now that you mention it,
I think she may have been meeting him later for brunch.
Why do you say that?
She'd asked me if I'd ever heard of this fusion cafe down on Spring Street.
BRISCOE: Fusion? ED: Mmm-hmm.
It's like a blend of different cooking styles.
You know, Pacific Rim meets nouvelle cuisine...
My idea of fusion is hamburger meets French fries.
Can I help you two gentlemen?
Yeah.
Do you recognize this woman?
She would have been in here two weeks ago.
Saturday brunch.
Yes. I remember her. I crave highlights just like hers.
I asked her where she got them done. 'Course hers were natural.
Why? What's this about?
Was she with anybody?
She came in alone, but she met someone.
As a matter of fact, I remember thinking
a hottie like her, she could've done a lot better.
ED: Why'd you think that?
Well, this guy was quite a bit older.
Chubby-hubby type.
Was he wearing black glasses?
Yeah.
Thank you. You're welcome.
Hamilton. Mr. Strictly Professional.
Sol had brunch with her. That's not a crime, is it?
You're having an affair with her? No.
Why don't I believe you?
Look, I admit I was attracted to her.
Who wouldn't be? But Lisa was all business.
Why didn't you tell us that you saw her the day that she disappeared?
You know how the tabloids are.
I get involved in some investigation of a missing girl,
my career is in the crapper.
You're already involved, pal.
Look, I asked her to brunch I thought, maybe outside the office...
She'd be more receptive to you hitting on her?
She told me she was seeing somebody.
She say who? I'd just gotten shot down.
It was a bit of an awkward moment, Detective.
Look, I picked up the check, we went our separate ways.
So how'd she get this gig with you in the first place?
The Lieutenant Governor called.
Said he was doing a favor for the Chairman of the State Gaming Board.
Chairman of the State Gaming Board. You talking about Ted Weldon?
Friend of the Governor.
The Edwards are from Chatham. I grew up near there.
My wife and kids and I still have a house in the area.
So you know the Edwards?
I'm a real estate developer by training
and I did some business with her father a while back and we remained friendly.
How'd you find out she was missing?
Mr. Edwards called me.
Why'd he call you?
Look, no disrespect,
but her father felt the police weren't taking him seriously enough.
And I'm sort of a big fish in a small pond up there,
so I told him I'd do whatever I could to help.
I made a call to the Police Commissioner
and I asked him if he could get someone to look into it.
We understand you also made some calls on her behalf job wise?
Lisa introduced herself to me as Mr. Edwards' daughter at one of those fund-raisers
and when I found out that the Lieutenant Governor's office
was looking for some extra help,
I thought she'd be a perfect fit.
So when was the last time you saw her?
A couple of weeks ago. I'd have to check my schedule.
You two see each other regularly?
I think on occasion would be more accurate.
(PHONE RINGS)
Well, if you can get back to us about that last occasion, we'd appreciate it.
Yes.
Look, it's the Governor's office. I need to take this.
But if there's anything else I can do to help,
don't hesitate to call.
You know, as a parent myself,
I just can't imagine what I'd do if one of my kids turned up missing.
ED: Well, if we hear anything, we'll let you know.
Listen, who can blame them for being cagey.
What public figure wants to be linked to a missing girl these days.
Which leaves us with no body, no weapons, no suspect.
Kind of tough to whip up a profile of a killer with no forensics.
Well, then let's work it backwards.
If we can't profile the killer...
Profile the victim.
Yeah. If there's a boyfriend that we can't find,
maybe there's a type of man we should be looking for.
Lisa's a year older. I don't graduate till June.
But you guys saw each other last year?
What exactly did her parents tell you?
That you two were involved.
And that you were pretty bummed out over the breakup.
Wasn't like that at all.
BRISCOE: Okay. So who dumped who?
Lisa and I were never involved.
Why would her parents think that?
Because that's what Lisa wanted them to think.
Why would she do that?
So she didn't have to tell them who she really was seeing.
Who was she really seeing?
I don't even know if I should be telling you guys this.
Hey, this girl has been missing for almost three weeks.
He was older, married.
He runs the Athletic Center where she worked part time.
I'm real sorry to hear about Lisa, but that's ancient history.
How ancient?
Hey, we can appreciate you're in a tough spot here.
But if you try to stonewall us...
Look, I had an affair.
It's over. A long time ago.
When's the last time you saw her?
Before she left for New York.
Never went down for a visit?
I haven't had anything to do with her for over a year.
You're twice her age.
I'm not proud of it, Detective.
But I wasn't the first married guy that she was involved with, either.
Her boss at the Athletic Center,
her English professor sophomore year.
Yeah. This girl had her wires crossed.
But she sure kept her parents in the dark.
Yeah. And used a kid her own age to pull the wool over their eyes.
Maybe she did the same thing at work.
You already asked me this stuff.
ED: What are you scared of, Scott?
She made me promise that I wouldn't tell anyone.
Well, I doubt she'd care about that anymore.
She really is dead, isn't she?
It's beginning to look that way.
She's been going out with an older guy.
ED: Who?
She wouldn't say.
I got the impression he was some sort of big shot.
What about your boss?
I don't know. I mean, he's definitely got eyes for her.
What else did she say?
That this guy was gonna leave his wife and he was gonna marry her.
And she believed him?
Yeah, I guess she did.
BRISCOE: She never mentioned a name?
A nickname. She called him E.
E? That's all?
Yeah. Apparently, it was a rule he had.
A rule?
She was never supposed to use his real name.
He had a lot of rules.
Like, they could never go or leave anywhere together, stuff like that.
Let's check out her computer. Maybe they had some kind of e-mail thing going.
This girl a gambler?
Spends a lot of time in online casinos.
Job research. Oh, I gotta remember that one.
So what else?
Well, she's able to access secure files
of the Senate subcommittee on Economic Development.
ED: How'd she get in? Private password.
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
Excuse me. Yeah? Green.
So who else would have the password?
Just the people on the Senate subcommittee.
Hold on a minute. Lennie, we got to go.
Thanks.
Kid's dog dug her up. She wasn't buried deep.
Somebody was in a hurry.
We're checking for tires and footprints, but it's rained recently.
Is it her? You tell us.
Lennie, look at the hair.
Yeah. Beautiful highlights.
State of decomposition, ground temperature, insect activity.
SERENA: Insect activity?
She's been dead three weeks, give or take.
BRISCOE: Probably killed the day she disappeared.
First time?
I came over from Civil Investigations.
You get used to the smell. No, you don't.
What was the cause of death?
Single shot to the head, close range.
BRISCOE: You recover a slug?
Yeah. CSU pulled it out of a tree.
Nine mil. Pretty good shape, you ought to make a match.
Thanks.
One more thing.
She was pregnant.
We'll do the DNA, find out who the father was.
Why not? Well, the egg's too microscopic,
it's not enough material to test.
How do they even know she's pregnant?
Changes in the cells of the uterus.
So how do we find out who she was seeing?
Well, Briscoe and Green put together a profile
of the type of man she was attracted to.
And?
Well, according to the profile,
she gravitated to men she thought she could please
and who might be able to reward her for her efforts.
And he's probably married.
Someone who might not be overjoyed
at the prospect of impending fatherhood.
Do we have any suspects?
Her boss.
Senator Judson.
Well, the cops discovered she'd been using his private password
to access a State Senate website.
Question is, why?
You want me to interview him?
No way to avoid ruffling feathers now.
I never slept with Lisa Edwards.
So you weren't having an affair with her?
She works for me, okay?
I don't cheat on my wife and I don't dip my pen in the company ink.
Then how did she get your private password?
Senator, that fact alone is enough
to trigger a Grand Jury investigation.
Maybe even federal involvement.
Look,
I wasn't the one who gave Lisa Edwards my password.
But you have a pretty good idea who did.
I just can't believe he would have been so foolish.
We've been working together on this gambling legislation for two years.
You have no idea the money that's at stake, the jobs...
So you did give your password to someone?
I know I wasn't supposed to.
Senator, who are we talking about?
We needed this legislation. It was for the good of the people.
Her grant was up. Lisa Edwards needed a new job.
I mentioned it to Ted.
He set her up with the Lieutenant Governor's office.
Ted Weldon?
Chairman of the State Gaming Board.
Ted Weldon. That's pretty cozy.
A member of the subcommittee sharing state secrets
with the Chairman of the Gaming Board.
Favor bank's always open for business.
If you're in the club.
Weldon also fits the profile Briscoe and Green developed.
Plus her work with the subcommittee
would have brought them into close proximity.
Let's interview Weldon.
Assume that Judson's already given him the heads up.
Tread lightly.
I can't tell you how sorry I am about Lisa.
It's all so tragic.
And yes, it's true. I did give Lisa Elliot's password.
But I was just trying to help her put her best foot forward.
I mean, some of the information that she needed
would've been impossible for her to get any other way.
Or you.
According to the police, you spent some time with Lisa Edwards
the week before she disappeared.
Yeah. I checked my schedule. I saw her that Thursday.
JACK: Where did you meet?
My apartment. I maintain a residence here in the city.
Was that Thursday afternoon?
In the evening.
What time did she leave your apartment?
After 10:00. I really can't recall.
I'm sorry, but I don't see how any of this is relevant.
Lisa didn't go missing until Saturday.
It's our understanding Miss Edwards was involved with a married man.
Well, I wouldn't know anything about that.
Look, I understand how this must seem, her being in my apartment.
But I assure you that there was nothing illicit in our relationship.
How would you describe your relationship?
I took a special interest in her as a friend of the family.
Now the last time you spoke to her was that Thursday night?
Last time I saw her, last time I spoke to her.
Well, I appreciate your taking the time to see us.
Whatever I can do to help. Okay.
SERENA: You cut that off pretty quickly.
If we went any further, we would have had to have read him his rights.
We already have the story he'll be sticking to.
Then you don't believe him. I thought it was just me.
Let's pull his IUDs. Home and office.
And in the meantime, I want you to drop by his building.
See if you can find anyone to confirm the story he just told us.
You should see him on the weekends, jeans, sneakers, leather jacket.
Keeps a red Camaro in the garage.
A man of his age? Pretty ridiculous if you ask me.
What about women? On and off, over the years.
What about this woman?
Miss Edwards, sure, she's been a regular the last six months or so.
Not too much lately.
She was murdered.
Sorry to hear that. She was a nice girl.
Me, I don't follow the news much, it's all bad.
What about his wife?
Rarely. Couple times a year, maybe. Lives upstate with the kids.
When was the last time you saw her?
Three weeks ago. She was here for the weekend.
Lisa Edwards was here three weeks ago? You're positive?
Not her. The wife. Mrs. Weldon.
I decided to go down to the city on a whim.
See Ted, have dinner, catch a show.
You don't go into the city very often?
I prefer the country.
When Ted was appointed to the Gaming Board,
he had to maintain a presence in the city.
I decided to stay here with the kids.
It must be hard. Being away from each other.
Is there a reason you're here?
Did you know Lisa Edwards?
The girl who was killed? Not really.
Ted knows her family, but I don't.
What time did you get to the city that Friday?
About noon, I think.
And you were at the apartment all day?
Waiting for my husband.
A call was placed from his apartment to hers that afternoon, Mrs. Weldon.
Only your husband wasn't home.
I don't know anything about that.
You said you were there all afternoon.
I may have gone out for a minute or two. I don't remember.
Maybe the housekeeper...
She doesn't work on Fridays. I checked.
My husband asked me to cooperate with you, but I really...
Did you call Lisa Edwards that afternoon, Mrs. Weldon?
I just told you I didn't.
You know what? I think maybe I should call Ted now.
She must have made the call from the apartment that day.
Lisa Edwards had no idea his wife was in town.
She leaves a message for her lover,
only Mrs. Weldon's there to hear it.
And then she calls the girl back.
I'd love to have heard that conversation.
Tell me about Mrs. Weldon.
Small-town girl. Prominent family.
Hates the big city.
From all accounts, the marriage is a sham.
So if her husband is who we think he is,
this isn't the first time she's come across one of his girlfriends.
Let's see if we can find out how she handled this before.
Well, I'll talk to the doorman again.
See if he can give me another name.
Look, we dated for five or six months.
How did you meet?
I sold him a Sub-Zero.
Was his wife with him?
You're kidding, right?
So she never found out about you two?
Ted never seemed to worry about it.
She never threatened you then?
God, no.
Whole time we were together,
I don't think the woman ever came into the city.
Why did it end?
He was never gonna leave his wife.
It just took me a while to get the message.
Right. Which was delivered how?
Ted doesn't do his own dirty work.
He had a friend do it for him.
A friend?
Some guy he grew up with. Mickey... Somebody.
Kind of a biker tough guy.
We hung out a few times.
Anyway, I guess somewhere I must have crossed the line with Ted,
because one day, Mickey shows up and tells me it's over.
What did you do?
I told him I wanted to hear it from Ted.
So I went down to his office.
Big mistake.
Why?
He totally flipped.
Ted's a real secret freak.
Even gave himself a code name.
A code name?
I was never supposed to use his real name.
I had to call him E.
What did you do after you went down to Ted's office?
I got another visit from Mickey.
Mickey came to her home.
Told her to never call or try to see Weldon again.
If she did, she would regret it.
She call the police? She was scared to death.
I got a hold of Weldon's high school yearbook.
His name is Mickey Bastone. And he has a sheet.
She had a good reason to be scared.
Assault one. Gun possession.
That's the one that interested me.
Probation.
How does a felon get that?
Bastone was buying handguns in the Carolinas, driving 'em up to New York.
This particular trip, he was stopped by State Troopers for speeding.
Search incident revealed a cache of weapons in his trunk.
Sig Sauers, Glocks, couple dozen .38s.
So why didn't you guys take the case?
How's the saying go? Bastone had friends in high places.
Ted Weldon? Never knew who.
Just some big bureaucrat pal of the Governor's
was standing up for the guy.
Gave him a walk. Local D.A. went along with it.
Quid pro quo.
Bastone fed us information on his seller.
Which led to a federal indictment. Everybody went home happy.
Including Mickey Bastone.
Canvass with Bastone's photograph yielded two witnesses.
Both saw a young blonde woman walking with a man that looked like Bastone
not far from where her body was found.
Can we connect him to the gun?
The gun that killed Lisa Edwards was a Sig Sauer.
The same model as the ones sold to Bastone.
Seven of which were never recovered.
Get a warrant. Have Briscoe and Green pick him up.
(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)
Mickey Bastone? That's right.
NYPD.
We have a warrant to search your bar,
your home and any of your vehicles.
We also have a warrant for your arrest.
Hey, I'm tryin' to run a business here.
Well, why don't you think about takin' a few days off?
All right, everybody! Last call!
He means leave!
I'm telling you, you know, you ain't gonna find nothin'.
People say that to us all the time.
Next thing you know, they're watchin' the seasons change in Attica.
Put your hands behind your back.
You probably know this next part by heart.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have a lot of supposition,
but so far I haven't heard any real evidence tying my client to the crime.
We have two witnesses who can place Mr. Bastone
with the victim near the crime scene
the afternoon that she disappeared.
We can also link him to the make and model of the murder weapon.
A forensics team found blonde hair fibers in his car.
We think they belong to Lisa Edwards.
What's on the table?
Twenty-five-to-life. Provided he tells us who put him up to it.
Twenty-five-to-life? We could get that after trial.
Not likely after a murder one conviction.
Murder one? You can't prove a murder for hire here.
You don't have any direct evidence linking anyone else to the crime.
SERENA: We don't need to.
The killing occurred during the course of a kidnapping.
Anybody see this alleged kidnapping?
We'll argue he either tricked her or forced her to accompany him.
A jury won't find that so hard to believe.
If I have to go it alone with you, Mr. Bastone, I will.
Why would I kill this girl? I barely knew her.
The minute Forensics matches those hair fibers to Miss Edwards
is the minute this conversation ends.
If he'd only let me do it my way.
You mean, Ted Weldon?
The girl was pregnant.
She was threatening to go public,
ruin his career, blow up his marriage.
Ted said she wasn't gonna go away easy.
Weldon's marriage was an arrangement.
What difference would one more affair make?
Ted was in line for big things once this casino legislation passed.
That girl would've ruined all that.
I guess Teddy just couldn't help himself.
Any money change hands?
Bastone said he was paid $10,000. In cash.
So far I haven't found anything in
Weldon's financial records to corroborate that.
So we have the confession of a convicted felon
against the word of a trusted, distinguished public servant.
We also have testimony that Weldon used Bastone to do his dirty work for him
on at least one other occasion.
He had Bastone threaten another girlfriend
when she started to get too serious.
He told her to back off or else...
That girl was smart enough to take the warning.
Lisa Edwards wasn't.
Well, Lisa Edwards was young, pregnant, in love.
She'd been dumped by a married man before.
My guess is this time she couldn't take no for answer.
Pick up the son of a bitch.
Your Honor, this is a capital murder case, a killing for hire.
The People feel bail is inappropriate under these circumstances,
and ask that the defendant be held without bond.
Mr. Cromwell?
Your Honor, Mr. Weldon is a well-respected public servant,
he's a man of limited financial resources
but high public profile. He's not any sort of flight risk.
We ask that he be released on his own recognizance.
Bail is set in the amount of one million dollars.
Your Honor, I would like to point out
that Chairman Weldon has taken and passed a polygraph
relating to the tragic events surrounding the death of Lisa Edwards.
That has absolutely no relevance, Your Honor.
Approach.
The People know nothing about any polygraph test.
It was administered privately by a reputable firm.
It is totally inadmissible.
At trial. I thought it relevant for the purpose of bail.
Then you thought wrong. Step back. Same bail.
His lawyer wants to sit down and talk.
You don't.
We have a strong case. Bastone's confession, plenty of motive...
But nothing to prove he made the payment to Bastone.
And he passed a poly.
Publicity stunt. He wanted to get it in the papers,
taint the jury pool.
Well, then he accomplished what he set out to do.
I'll have the court instruct the panel to disregard it.
Weldon's a charmer, Jack. He's good looking, he's well-spoken.
Let's see how good he looks after a couple of months in Rikers.
(PHONE RINGS)
Hello?
Thank you.
Weldon just posted bail.
I thought he was a man of limited resources.
He is. His wife isn't.
Have the conversation, Jack. It can't hurt.
Be nice if you'd all come to your senses before you drag my client into court.
We didn't ask for this meeting, Counselor. You did.
Come on, Jack. Admit it.
This is nothing more than a vendetta by the politically correct police.
Excuse me?
You're out to get my client because he won't admit
that he had sex with the woman.
He misled the investigation. He lied.
That's what married people do who have affairs, Miss Southerlyn.
They lie.
Your client is an older man, a powerful man
who took advantage of an impressionable young woman.
Excuse me, but I was under the impression that they were both adults.
It's still an inherently unequal relationship.
Which might make it sexual harassment, not murder.
The guy is not gonna say that he slept with her.
That makes him a creep. Maybe even worse than a creep.
But not a killer. Do yourself a favor.
Drop the charges before you embarrass yourself.
I thought you asked for this meeting because you were ready to make a deal.
And I thought you were ready to see the light.
You're so up in arms about the subject,
you ought to talk to your boss here.
He's famous for sleeping with his assistants.
He wasn't interested in discussing a plea.
He thinks we're just punishing Weldon for refusing to admit to the affair.
The last thing I care about is who this man slept with.
I mean, if his wife can stomach him, that's their business.
That being said, I'll take extra pleasure when you hand him his head.
By the way, I heard your own history with your assistants came up.
I married her, Nora.
Yeah.
Wasn't just the one though, was it, Jack?
BASTONE: Ted gave me her number.
I paged Lisa, arranged to meet her on the steps of the Met.
Ted told me they usually got together there on the weekends.
What happened when she realized it was you instead of Mr. Weldon?
She wasn't pleased.
Until I told her I was gonna take her to him.
So she went with you?
She'd been calling him all week.
Ted wasn't taking her calls and she was gettin' upset.
I guess she thought if she could see him face-to-face,
she could make things right.
JACK: Make things right, how?
She was pregnant. She wanted him to leave his wife.
Objection.
Jury will disregard.
JACK: Where did you take her?
Inwood. Kind of a secluded area.
I told her she'd be meeting Ted there.
We went down the trail. We stopped. End of story.
Ted Weldon asked you to kill Lisa Edwards.
Not in so many words, but I knew what he wanted.
He said to take care of it, once and for all.
So I did.
JACK: He paid you.
$10,000. Cash.
Is there any record of this transaction?
No.
Your word against his. Why should we believe you?
'Cause I didn't need her killed. He did.
Ted Weldon was your friend?
Since we were kids.
And he's helped you out a great deal over the years.
We've helped each other.
You have a strange way of paying back your friends, Mr. Bastone.
Objection.
JUDGE: Sustained.
When did Mr. Weldon tell you about his problems with Miss Edwards?
We took a ride to Harrison State Park one Sunday.
Teddy pulled me aside, said she was putting the pressure on him.
In what way?
Said she wanted him to leave his wife.
He didn't know what to do about it.
And that's when he asked you to take care of things, is that right?
That's right, that's Teddy's way.
So he never actually told you to kill her, did he?
Like I said, not in so many words.
You know, that 10 grand wasn't a gift.
And what did you do with that payment that you allegedly received?
Put most of it in my bike. Chromed my pipes.
Now, you own a tavern and a home upstate.
So you've done pretty well through your association with Mr. Weldon.
He didn't hand me nothin'.
I've worked hard for everything I've got.
He was the one that kept you out of jail.
Even now, his friendship is keeping you from a lethal injection.
In fact, if Lisa Edwards exposed him, you stood to lose everything!
The protection, the connections,
maybe even your liquor license, your livelihood.
It'd be the end of the gravy train.
I wouldn't have killed her if he didn't ask me to!
Only as you just said, he didn't ask you to. Did he?
I think we're headed for reasonable doubt.
Weldon takes the stand tomorrow.
I'd feel a lot better if we could tie him
a little closer to the murder before he takes the stand.
We still haven't found anything in his financial records.
Or his wife's.
I think it's time we show Mrs. Weldon exactly who she's married to.
You don't think she already knows?
Well, it's one thing for a woman to know.
It's another to be publicly humiliated.
JACK: Did Mr. Weldon ever offer to leave his wife?
In the beginning all the time.
Did he give you a reason?
He said his wife was cold, that he didn't love her anymore.
JACK: Anything else?
(SIGHS)
He complained about the sex.
He said that he only married her for the money.
He told me he couldn't wait to leave her and be with me.
But he never did leave her, did he?
I don't think he really intended to.
He was just using me.
Same way he was using her.
You had no right to do that to me and my children.
Your husband has been living a lie, Mrs. Weldon. We just showed you the truth.
Do you have any idea what it is like to be cheated on like that?
Over and over?
We've been through your husband's accounts.
We didn't find any record of his payment to Mickey Bastone.
SERENA: We think you might know where he got the money.
Do you really think that I would give my husband
money to have his mistress killed?
Then where did he get it?
You were right.
I did hear her voice on the machine.
She was crying,
begging him to see her.
You don't know how many times
I have left that very same message myself,
asking him to please call me, please come home.
But you did call her back?
I asked her to leave us alone.
I told her that she didn't know my husband as well as she thought she did.
What did she say?
She said she was pregnant,
that Ted was the father.
She said he was going to leave me and marry her.
What did you tell her?
I just hung up.
Then I went a little bit crazy.
I started going through all his drawers,
looking for love letters, traces of her.
I found this.
That bastard used his own child to do this.
I am not a perfect man.
I admit I have made mistakes.
But I love my wife and children.
CROMWELL: Did you have an affair with Miss Edwards?
I will not talk about that.
Even if it means you're convicted?
I am entitled to my privacy.
My family's entitled to their privacy.
And the Edwards are entitled to their privacy, too.
The Medical Examiner has testified
that Miss Edwards was pregnant at the time of her death.
I am not the father.
But that didn't stop Miss Edwards from accusing you?
Lisa began calling me more and more frequently.
She began threatening me, threatening my marriage.
Why didn't you go to the police?
I was trying to help.
She was a young woman. Unstable.
I didn't want to ruin her career or mine.
And I thought I might be able to take care of it myself.
By going to an old friend.
Absolutely not.
It's just that I had no one else that I could talk to about it.
And Mickey's someone I've been friends with my whole life.
Did you ever ask him to kill her?
Never. I was very fond of Lisa.
I would never have harmed her.
Nothing further.
You asked Mickey Bastone to talk to her,
even though you weren't having an affair with her?
I've already said I won't comment on that.
Because everyone deserves their privacy?
That's right.
But didn't the Edwards deserve something more than that from you?
When they called you to tell you that their daughter was missing,
didn't they deserve your honesty?
Objection.
Overruled.
As I said, I am not a perfect man. I've made mistakes.
Lisa Edwards often spent the night in your apartment.
I think occasionally would be more appropriate.
And there was a spare bedroom.
You also said that you were fond of her.
I was.
That fondness would explain
the many phone calls, restaurant receipts, expensive gifts...
In retrospect, I can see how
my relationship with Lisa might be misconstrued.
But as I said, I've made mistakes.
None of which apparently you're willing to own up to.
I don't know what you're talking about.
People would ask that this receipt be marked Exhibit 23.
Show it to the witness.
Recognize it, Mr. Weldon?
It's a bank withdrawal receipt for $10,000.
JACK: Drawn on your son's account.
Only that's not your son's signature, is it, Mr. Weldon?
I have no idea. I would assume that it is.
You forged your son's signature, didn't you, Mr. Weldon?
That is not true!
Forged it so that you could get the money
to pay Mickey Bastone to kill Lisa Edwards.
I didn't. I didn't do it.
You already put this young woman's parents
through an unspeakable nightmare,
exposed your wife to ridicule.
Would you really force your own son to testify against you?
They were out for less than an hour.
Life without parole.
There's some stories even a jury won't buy.
I just finished walking Mrs. Weldon through the clerk's office
to get her bail money back.
Is she all right? She was almost giddy.
Then I took a look at the bail release form. Take a look at her signature.
So?
Now take a look at the writing on the son's withdrawal receipt.
I mean, you gotta admit, they are pretty close.
Maybe she got him?
You can see how the similarities between your own signature
and the one on that receipt might concern us.
My husband's already been found guilty.
I don't see how your concern really matters much anymore.
SERENA: It might to a judge.
We can still get a court to order you to provide a writing sample.
On what basis?
That now you think Ted isn't guilty?
You do that, you can throw Ted's conviction right out the window.
Now, we both know you won't do that.
Not unless you're sure.
And how can you be?
He'll appeal.
Appeals take time.
And most of them are denied anyway.
If there's nothing else?
Your husband underestimated you.
Well, like he said,
he's not a perfect man.
He's made some mistakes.