Law & Order (1990) s25e08 Episode Script
Parasite
1
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.
Yeah! [APPLAUSE]
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
They doubted us.
Said we wouldn't work.
Tried to shame us.
But here we are, six months later.
- To my true love.
- [WHISPERING] I love you.
I can't wait to marry you tomorrow.
[APPLAUSE]
[TENSE MUSIC]
- We got a name for the vic?
- Bob Gladstone.
Toy company guy?
I got kids, man.
Gladstone Toys were a mainstay
under our Christmas tree.
He was staying
in the presidential suite.
Ooh, nice.
This place is bigger than my house.
We got a time of death?
Based on temp and rigidity,
I'd say between 10:00 p.m. and midnight.
So, what, someone whacked him
from behind?
Managed to crack his skull.
According to his key card log,
he entered the room at 9:46 p.m.
Any sign of forced entry?
Not even a scratch on the door.
All right, so he let the killer in,
or they had a key card.
Anybody find a murder weapon?
Nothing.
We're looking for a heavy object,
at least 10 inches in length
with 2 sharp points.
Manager said there was
a bronze sculpture missing
from that pedestal.
Death by fine art. Hmm.
Any witnesses?
Someone down the hall heard
an argument around 10:30 p.m.,
looked out, saw a waiter leave the room.
- Who found him?
- Fiancée.
EMTs are with her now.
She's shaken.
They were supposed to get married today.
I hate weddings.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
You have no idea who
this waiter might have been?
No.
Mr. Gladstone didn't order
anything from in-room dining,
and no one was sent to his room.
But you have surveillance
in that hallway?
Yes, of course.
But at Mr. Gladstone's request,
we turned off all cameras
inside the hotel for privacy.
But we doubled our security detail.
- Anyone acting strange?
- Everyone.
I've never seen so many people
at a wedding
want to stop a wedding,
except the bride.
We were supposed to be flying
to Bora Bora tomorrow
for our honeymoon.
Now, I know this is
a very difficult time for you,
but we do need to ask you
some questions.
Can you think of anyone
who'd want to hurt Bob?
Everyone was pissed at Bob
for marrying down.
It was nothing new.
But there was this one guy
at the end of the rehearsal dinner
that I'd never seen before.
He seemed worked up.
Last night?
Yeah, he got in Bob's face
as we were leaving,
and then he handed him this folder.
A folder?
- Any idea what was in it?
- Beats me.
Bob got us away from him fast,
but he glanced at the folder
as we rode up in the elevator,
and he seemed upset.
I asked what it was,
but he told me not to worry.
That was the last time
that I saw him alive.
We wanted separate rooms
before the big day.
He was a romantic.
Did you leave this room
between 10:00 and midnight?
No.
The man who handed him the folder,
can you tell us what he looked like?
Uh, about your height,
white shirt, black vest.
Like a waiter's uniform?
Yeah, that's right.
Thank you.
Hey, file was in Gladstone's room.
The waiter handed him a pile of X-rays?
Medical bills.
The patient's name is Lydia Zellicheni?
- Zellicheni?
- Yeah.
Yeah, here, last night's
waitstaff Emile Zellicheni.
And here's a civil suit
filed three years ago
by Lydia Zellicheni
against Gladstone Toys.
Judge tossed it last month.
I had nothing to do with it.
Yeah? 'Cause your boss says
you only started working here
three weeks ago
and that you specifically asked
to work last night's rehearsal dinner.
So it kind of seems like
you were trying to get close
to Bob Gladstone.
We know you confronted
Gladstone at the end of dinner.
I gave him some documents.
I just wanted to talk.
It was my only chance,
but he blew me off.
And a witness saw a waiter
coming from his room
around the time he was murdered.
[SIGHS]
We can put you in a lineup.
After my shift, I went up to his room.
- To kill him?
- No, to plead with him.
My wife she went
to one of his stores,
and she fell down a flight of stairs.
And now she's
she's paralyzed.
You know what the cost
of those medical bills are?
We were supposed to be compensated,
but his goddamn company outlawyered us.
- Is this revenge?
- No, I
Emile, that witness heard you arguing.
I was overheated
when I went, yes, but
Gladstone surprised me.
How's that?
He listened.
He said that he could tell
how much I loved my wife
and that he knows
what it's like to care deeply
for a woman.
- You got any proof of this?
- He gave me his card.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Gladstone wrote his personal number,
said that he'd make things right.
Told me he'd call his CFO right
away to make arrangements.
And now he's
he's dead.
Oh, God.
- What time was this?
- Around 10:30 p.m.
- 10:30?
- Yeah.
All right, we're gonna look into this.
For now, you stay put.
We got Gladstone's phone records.
Looks like he made an 18-minute call
to the company CFO at 10:40 p.m.
That's a lot of business talk
the night before your wedding.
Old friends, apparently.
CFO says he thought Gladstone
was making a huge mistake
with the wedding no prenup.
They got into it.
"No prenup"? Idiot.
Twice divorced.
So who gets Gladstone's money
now that he's dead?
Yeah, a lawyer sent us his will.
Dates back to his first marriage.
Apparently, Gladstone was a widower.
Anyway, the will leaves everything
to his current spouse,
unless he's unmarried,
in which case, it gets split
between his children.
Also, video from outside
the hotel just landed.
Zellicheni left the hotel at 10:44 p.m.
while Gladstone was on that call.
Not a speck of blood.
Doesn't seem to return to the hotel.
Who's that guy leaving
the hotel carrying that bag?
That bag's a pretty good size.
Does he come back?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Yep, ten minutes later and no bag.
Maybe he goes outside,
ditches the murder weapon,
and goes back in?
- Run facial rec.
- Mm-hmm.
♪
Paul Gladstone, the vic's son.
Looks like he was arrested years ago
at an Occupy Wall Street protest.
And since the dad was unmarried,
he's set to inherit 100 million.
Maybe he changed his mind about money.
♪
I guess I'm not surprised.
That your father was murdered?
Is it because maybe you had
something to do with it?
What? No.
Just money makes people crazy.
So wanting to inherit $100 million
- didn't make you crazy?
- I gotta say, man,
that timing works out
pretty sweet for you.
I want nothing to do
with the Gladstone fortune.
I never have.
I gave it up ages ago, refused
to take any money from my dad.
I joined the Peace Corps.
You joined the Peace Corps?
Gave up a townhouse in Tribeca
for a hut with no plumbing?
Best decision ever.
Now I work for the World Kitchen.
I spent the last six months in Gaza.
Came back for the wedding
because my dad wanted me here.
It didn't bother you
that your dad was marrying
a woman younger than you?
Of all the horrific problems
going on in the world,
that didn't make my list.
I've never seen my dad happier.
I'm surprised, you know, as his kid,
that you didn't have
any, uh, suspicions.
Yeah, my sister had that covered.
Not down with the wedding, huh?
Amanda was freaking out
because our dad hadn't updated his will.
Wanted me to meet
with her and our dad's lawyer
- as soon as I got into town.
- Did you?
Like I said, family money
isn't my endgame.
Did you see your dad
last night after dinner?
- No.
- No?
No, I went to my room
to catch up on emails.
Yeah?
Then why were you leaving
the hotel last night
around 11:00?
What were you dumping, Paul?
I asked catering
for the rehearsal dinner food
that they were gonna throw out
so I could bring some
to a local food pantry, okay?
That's a bag full of leftovers.
Ask them.
All Souls Food Pantry
confirms Paul Gladstone's story.
So please tell me you have something
on the other Gladstone kid.
Amanda Gladstone Nestor
married to a guy named Derek Nestor,
who works at Gladstone Toys.
They got three kids.
She's a textbook socialite
lots of social media posts
of her decked out at fundraisers,
stuff like that.
No priors of any kind.
Nothing to indicate she's got a temper.
Maybe lady of leisure blows a gasket
when she's no longer
apple of Daddy's eye.
Hold up. I got something.
The vic's lawyer confirmed
Amanda contacted him several times
about her father's will.
Was concerned some kind of elder abuse
might have been at play
and asked about legal steps
to assume power of attorney.
Maxine, take Leni and Rowan
in the next room.
Come on, honey.
- Thank you, guys.
- Thank you. Okay.
Please have a seat.
Sorry. [GROANS]
So
you weren't a big fan of the fiancée?
The gold digger who conned my dad
into thinking she loved him?
I guess that's a no.
I was very transparent
about my disapproval and my concern.
Did you and your dad fight
about the wedding?
When he first told me, yes.
I pretty much asked him
to get a cognitive test.
What about last night?
You guys get into it?
No.
I played the dutiful daughter,
and I smiled gracefully through
the entire rehearsal dinner.
[SNIFFLES] And then I came up here
and was in the room all night
with the kids and my husband.
My oldest ended up
with an ear infection.
I had to play phone tag
with the pediatrician.
Okay, well, we will need to speak
with your husband as well.
- Of course.
[SNIFFLES] He took Eloise
to the doctor an hour ago.
He should be back soon.
Do you have any idea who
might wanna kill your father?
I never trusted Chloe.
She's been angling
for his money since day one.
But she doesn't inherit anything
unless they're married,
so there's no real motive there.
I'm just telling you, I don't trust her.
Okay.
Anything else strange?
[SCOFFS] The entire dinner was bizarre.
But the weirdest thing
was this mystery woman.
"Mystery woman"?
In the middle of dinner,
my dad was talking intensely
to this woman.
I've never seen her before in my life.
And my dad wasn't exactly an extrovert.
They got really quiet when I passed
on my way to the ladies' room.
He didn't even make an introduction.
At a wedding rehearsal dinner
it was unusual.
Okay.
We will check that out. Thank you.
[SIGHS]
Get the photos of the dinner
from the wedding photographer.
Lobster and oysters?
Shoot, I get invited
to the wrong weddings.
What about her? She fits the bill.
Looks a little close for comfort.
Yeah, look at these photos from earlier.
There, look, you see how she's staring
at Gladstone and his fiancée
with that obsessive look
- in her eye?
- Mm-hmm.
If she's a jealous old flame,
she's not playing it cool.
Yeah, our mystery woman,
she definitely came alone.
She's not seen here with anybody
for more than a couple minutes.
You got that guest list over there?
Yeah, right here.
Looks like one woman came solo
Serena Levy, hotel room 415.
You look pretty focused
on Bob Gladstone
and his fiancée right there.
There some sort of history
between you guys?
You think I'm a jilted ex-lover?
My only history with Bob
is as his therapist.
You're a shrink?
A relationship therapist,
specializing in sex and intimacy.
Bob enlisted me
to become more open to love,
to overcome his inhibitions, insecurities.
He worried that his fiancée
might be more into his money
than into him?
That ever cause any issues?
No, despite the public's
relentless obsession
with their age difference,
they were very much in love.
We should all be so lucky.
Well, there's a whole lot
of decades and dollars
between those two.
Bob and Chloe were deeply happy,
despite their differences.
Bob's biggest issue was his son-in-law.
Amanda's husband?
Derek Nestor.
Any issues between them last night?
Derek got a bit drunk,
and after Amanda took the kids upstairs,
he hung around,
started arguing with Bob.
You know what about?
No.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
12 o'clock.
Derek Nestor.
NYPD, I'm Detective Riley.
This is Detective Walker.
Like to ask you a few questions
about your relationship
with Bob Gladstone.
Yeah, of course.
More than happy to help.
Just, um
uh, why don't you head up to Mom?
I-I'll be up in a minute, sweetie.
So someone saw the two of you
get into an argument
at dinner last night?
Oh, right, that.
Look, I
I love my wife.
I just wanted to spare her
getting into an ugly
screaming match with her dad.
You mean a fight about the wedding?
[SIGHS] Amanda was
understandably apoplectic
about the idea of this hussy
who's barely old enough
to drink seducing her father.
And Bob wasn't listening
to any advice, so I
I decided to hire a PI.
And what did he find?
The PI dug up a mound of dirt
on Chloe Thompson.
- What was in it?
- More like what wasn't in it
an OnlyFans page,
a profile on an escort website,
two separate accounts on
two separate sugar baby sites,
a bankruptcy filing.
That girl is a parasite.
She targeted Bob.
So you spoke to your father-in-law
- about what the PI found?
- It was a Hail Mary.
And I cornered him
at the end of the dinner.
But I just felt like it was
my obligation to my wife
and to this family.
How did Bob take it?
He didn't wanna hear a word
against Chloe, but
I showed him some of the images
from the PI on my phone,
and they well, they spoke
for themselves.
He get upset?
Yeah.
He went
totally pale.
He said he was gonna confront Chloe
before any vows were exchanged.
Where were you after dinner,
between 10:00 and midnight?
I was back in my hotel room
with my wife and kids,
praying that Bob
would get himself out of this
before anything was made legal.
So you think the bride-to-be flipped out
when the victim confronted her
with these sexy little secrets?
Yeah, I'm thinking he tells her
he's gonna call off the wedding, right?
She goes ballistic,
figures she put in the time
with the old man,
you know, really earned it.
Yeah, but this doesn't jive
with the rest of the stuff
we know about her.
Derek Nestor was right
about her bankruptcy filing.
Plus, we found
a domestic disturbance call
from an ex-boyfriend.
Yeah, there's some sort
of sealed teen arrest
still in the system.
But you accessed
prints from that, right?
Yeah, it's still in the juvie system,
and it matches the prints
found in Gladstone's room
near the body.
Well, she found the body,
so that might explain that.
Hold on.
I just found the mother lode of motive.
Here's a marriage license
from Las Vegas.
Where the two lovebirds were caught
on that jumbotron, right?
Yeah, looks like they had
a secret quickie wedding there
months ago.
So this whole thing is all for show.
So Chloe Thompson was already set
to inherit his whole fortune
as his legal wife.
So, if Gladstone finds out
about her past,
he's not threatening
to call off the wedding.
He's threatening divorce.
She'd lose everything.
So murdering him
was the only way
for her to lock in his fortune.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
What's happening?
What's what's going on?
Why are you all here?
Ms. Thompson, I told you before
we have a right to search this room.
You need to stay out of the way.
- Where's Bob?
- Keep her out of the way.
Took the body to the morgue an hour ago.
"The morgue"? Oh, my God.
What did I do?
Detective.
This was in the closet.
Murder weapon.
Chloe Thompson, turn around
and place your hands
- behind your back.
- What? Why?
You're under arrest for
the murder of Bob Gladstone.
What?
You have the right to remain silent.
- Do you understand?
- But I didn't do it.
Enough with the charade.
You know what you did.
This is a mistake. You don't understand.
- I loved him.
- There she is!
[ALL SHOUTING]
♪
- Hey, relax. Move back.
- [CRYING] Please.
"Black Widow's Web of Lies."
Well, they branched out
from the gold digger angle.
He was 74. She's 22.
Of course the media can't get enough.
If the press is any proxy for the jury,
we shouldn't have any trouble
getting a conviction.
How'd the arraignment go?
Well, defense said she's innocent.
About 100 hotel guests and workers
had the opportunity to kill Gladstone.
And then they said
that she is the victim
of a sexist prosecution
and an overzealous DA's office
that just needed an easy target.
Sign of a weak case
whenever opposing counsel
tries to argue bias instead of facts.
- Mm.
- What'd the judge say?
- Denied bail.
- Good.
Families in this city grew up
on Gladstone Toys.
- How's our evidence?
- It's strong.
We have the murder weapon.
ME also found lipstick traces
on the vic's hotel robe.
It seems like she worked her charms
and then bashed his skull in
when his back was turned.
Motive's clear too.
Chloe gets Gladstone's entire
fortune now that he's dead.
Unless we convict her.
We will.
The decedent sustained
multiple blunt force injuries
consistent with repeated strikes
by a heavy object
to the back of the head.
It's what we often see
in crimes of passion.
Detective Riley, I am showing you
what's been marked
as People's Exhibit 8.
Could you identify this item
for the jury?
This is a photo of a sculpture
that was found
in the defendant's hotel suite
during our search.
Its weight and dimensions are consistent
with the injuries to the victim's skull.
And how was the defendant
behaving at the time of arrest?
She was behaving erratically.
Kept on saying, "What did I do?
What did I do?"
We could smell alcohol on her breath.
Thank you. No further questions.
Detective, uh,
did Ms. Thompson actually say
that she murdered Mr. Gladstone?
No.
And you have no direct evidence
that she was intoxicated no BAC test?
Correct.
And even if she were drinking
is it possible her behavior
could indicate devastation
over her husband's unexpected death?
It's possible.
Last question
as for the attack you described,
are you aware that
Ms. Thompson was diagnosed
with a rotator cuff tear
just days before the wedding?
- Objection.
- Meaning it would be
near impossible for her to
swing an object of that size
and weight with the force
required to kill the victim.
Your Honor, she is testifying.
Sustained.
Nothing further.
Chloe was telling him what to eat,
who to socialize with.
Bob even let her sit in
on business meetings.
The family was very concerned.
Did you do anything
to address these concerns?
I hired a private investigator
to look into her.
He confirmed everything
that I had feared.
Gave me a sizable file
on her troubling past.
Did you share this
information with Mr. Gladstone?
Yes, I showed him what was
in the file on my phone
at the rehearsal dinner.
Your Honor, we move to admit
the investigative file
into evidence.
Objection.
We would have moved to admit
this evidence sooner,
but we've only just been able
to authenticate
the contents of this entire file.
It is quite extensive.
Our objection still stands.
The contents of this file are irrelevant
and reinforce sexist stereotypes.
We're not doing this
in front of the jury.
My chambers, now.
The jury is entitled to know
the circumstances leading
to Mr. Gladstone's death.
Andrews versus White
the Supreme Court just
overturned a murder conviction
because the prosecutor
mentioned the defendant's sex life.
The the photos in this file
go far beyond that.
These images are quite suggestive.
The evidence in Andrews was offered
solely for the purpose
of character assassination.
That is not what's happening here.
Mr. Nestor showed these images
to Mr. Gladstone,
who intended to confront the defendant,
and hours later, he was murdered.
- It goes directly to motive.
- No, this is not about motive.
This is a veiled attempt
to humiliate my client
in front of the jury.
This is prejudicial beyond reason.
We are using it to show
what Mr. Gladstone knew,
how it influenced
his actions before his death.
It's central to our case.
No doubt these images are prejudicial,
but I find them relevant
to establishing
the prosecution's theory.
You may show them to the jury,
Mr. Price.
What did Mr. Gladstone say
after you showed him this file?
He told me he was going to confront her
and end the relationship.
And how would that affect
the defendant financially?
Well, if he left her, she'd get nothing.
Didn't matter they had already
married in Vegas months ago.
Even without a prenup,
they weren't married long enough
for her to claim anything
was marital property.
Thank you, Mr. Nestor.
Are you aware that my client
told Bob all about her past,
everything that was
in those files and more
a few months after they met
and that he forgave her?
Well, if that's what she
told you, she must be lying.
Objection, Your Honor.
This line of questioning
lacks foundation.
We'll have several witnesses testify
to learning about these conversations
between my client and the victim
when we present our case, Judge.
Overruled, but move it along.
Let's talk about lying.
Do you recall
your last performance review
at Gladstone Toys,
the one that Bob wrote?
Let me refresh your memory.
The defense presents Exhibit 12.
If you would please read aloud,
just the lines that summarize
your performance.
"Derek is untrustworthy and inept.
"He cannot be relied upon
to manage his team effectively."
That must have been humiliating.
Bob had exacting standards.
I expected it.
And as his son-in-law,
he held me to a higher bar,
always reminded me
that hard work pays off.
But Chloe didn't have to work hard,
did she?
Bob used to invite her
into the boardroom
and ask her business advice
in front of your longtime colleagues
on matters that fell under your purview.
They were really minor things.
Yes or no he asked her advice
on decisions you should have made?
Yes, a few times.
Did that bother you?
Turn you against her?
It seemed inappropriate,
but it was Bob's company.
Did it bother you when you realized
that Chloe was to inherit his estate?
Excuse me?
The only way that you and your wife
would inherit Bob Gladstone's estate
- is if Chloe were convicted.
- Objection.
So you have every reason
to lie here today,
because my client
is the only thing standing
between you and hundreds
of millions of dollars.
Ms. Kimura, the objection is sustained.
[TENSE MUSIC]
No further questions for this witness.
♪
Defense made Derek out
to be a money-hungry liar
with a vendetta against Chloe.
Well, I think we're okay.
You're underestimating the power
of that private investigator's file.
What do you mean?
You see the jury's
reaction to those photos?
I mean, idea of a working class girl
using her sexuality to get to the top
it's a familiar narrative.
The jury fully bought it.
Are you saying it's a false narrative?
- Sometimes.
- [SCOFFS]
Ah, when I was in law school
I went on a few dates
with a visiting professor.
I really liked him.
He wasn't even a decade older than me,
but suddenly the word around school
was that I was sleeping my way to an A.
- What did you do?
- I ended it.
Never spoke to him again.
Trust me, those, uh, stains
they don't come out easily.
I'm not ashamed of my past.
I took my mom on her first real vacation
with the money I made
from those escort websites.
So you did it for the money.
I was looking for love too.
Aren't we all?
Did you find it love?
When I met Bob.
You met him on one of these sites?
No, I met him in one of his stores.
I was looking for a birthday gift
for my niece, so
I went to Gladstone Toys
late in the day,
but they were closing early
for some big company event.
Bob saw me panicking, begging to get in,
and he made them open the doors for me.
And he helped me pick out
a wooden puzzle for her.
We started talking.
He ditched his event, and
suddenly, an hour had passed.
I was as surprised as anyone.
"Surprised"? How?
That we could really connect,
that he got me.
And, yeah, he was older, but so what?
I mean, we were both adults.
I'd been with so many jerks.
And with Bob, it was
the first time I felt like somebody
saw the real me
loved me and and accepted me,
even when I told him
about the escort work.
Bob was a really gentle man.
[VOICE BREAKING] I would never hurt him.
Chloe, I'm going to ask you
about your arrest
for Mr. Gladstone's murder.
What did you mean when you said,
oh, God, what did I do?
I blamed myself.
See
I had begged Bobby for a fancy ceremony,
and he was just happy
that we had eloped in Vegas.
But I'd always dreamed
of this big fairy-tale wedding, and
maybe if I hadn't have drawn
so much attention to our relationship,
people wouldn't have turned against him.
How did the murder weapon
end up in your room?
No idea.
I-I had never seen that thing before.
Do you know how many people
entered and exited your room
- that morning?
- I don't know.
A lot medics, housekeeping,
wedding guests.
I also stepped out a few times.
Did you and Bob argue
about anything the night of the murder?
No.
Definitely not.
Chloe
I'm going to show you
what we refer to as Defense Exhibit 14.
It's the hotel key card records
from the night of the murder.
You swiped your key card at 9:42 p.m.
You did not exit your room
again that night, correct?
Correct.
After I said good night to Bob,
I went straight to bed,
thinking that the next morning
was gonna be
the happiest day of my life.
Thank you.
No further questions.
Ms. Thompson, you say [CLEARS THROAT]
You didn't see Bob Gladstone
after you said good night?
That's correct.
How do you account
for the lipstick traces
that were found on his robe,
on his neck,
on his mouth?
When I found him, I just
I started screaming for help.
I-I-I tried to give him CPR.
He had been dead
almost ten hours by this point?
I'm not a doctor. I-I was all alone.
I-I had no idea how long he'd been dead.
I just I wanted to do something.
I wanted to save the person
that I loved most in the world.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Why is it so hard for you
to believe that I loved him?
What is wrong with you all?
[CRYING]
Your Honor, we would like to
request a brief recess, please.
[SIGHS] Let's adjourn for the day.
[CRYING]
Mr. Price, Mr. Price.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Chloe lied on the stand.
She left her hotel room that night.
I saw her in the hallway
right after the murder.
She must have left her door latch out
so she didn't need her key card.
I mean, hearing her lie on the stand,
this performance
about how much she loved him
I cannot let her get away
with my father's murder.
Okay, what exactly did you see?
[SNIFFLES]
I heard a woman sobbing
in the hallway hysterically,
so I looked through the peephole,
and I saw Chloe
hurrying back into her room.
What time was this?
Uh
around 11:00 p.m.
I was on the phone with
my daughter's pediatrician
when it happened.
♪
Coming forward at the 11th hour
to change her story
is pretty damn convenient,
but it doesn't mean she's lying.
Oh, but it's definitely suspicious.
I mean, she keeps
her mouth shut this whole time,
then she hears Chloe testify,
hears how persuasive she is.
Chloe is very charming.
Hell, she duped a ruthless businessman
into marrying her with no prenup.
But did she?
Dupe him?
Maybe Chloe really loved Bob Gladstone.
Maybe she didn't marry him
for his money.
- Sounds unlikely, but
- But why?
- Seriously?
- Yes.
Why can't this be real love
or at least what they consider love?
Maybe it's not even love.
Maybe it's just two adults having fun.
I mean, what's so wrong with that?
Nothing.
But in my experience,
attractive young women
don't just happen to fall in love
or have fun with any old 70-year-old.
The men tend to be quite wealthy.
That's just the way it is.
So let's focus on Gladstone's
daughter for the moment,
dig into her statement
that she saw Chloe in the hall,
and if it holds up,
put Amanda on the stand
as a rebuttal witness.
Hey.
Just got back from the medical clinic.
Apparently they record
all incoming phone calls.
So she was telling the truth?
Her fever hasn't gone down,
and I don't know what
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
What happened? Derek.
Close the door to the kids' room.
What's on your shirt?
Are you okay?
I'm fine. Just go in
the other room with the kids.
♪
The phone call undercuts
Derek's credibility,
and it would allow the defense to
present him as an alternate suspect.
How so?
He lied about his alibi.
He definitely left his room
near the time of the murder,
which means we have to share
the recording with the defense.
Agreed.
But we still have a defendant
with a murder weapon in her hotel room,
plus a multimillion-dollar motive.
R-right, but we also have
a material witness
that we can no longer trust
and another witness
who can't wait to put
the final nail in Chloe's coffin.
So let's dig deeper.
Figure out what's really going on here.
There's no camera footage
from the hotel,
so we have no idea
what Derek was doing
outside his room that night.
And if his shirt had any blood on it,
it's probably in some
Staten Island landfill by now.
It's all a he-said, she-said.
You find anything?
Maybe. [SIGHS]
It looks like Derek
is in pretty serious debt
three houses, a slew of bad investments.
But none of this proves
that he killed Bob.
- Just that he had motive.
- [SIGHS]
And that he was counting
on inheriting a lot of money from Bob.
I found this text sent to his brother.
"Years spent kissing up
to my father-in-law,
"and some tramp waltzes in
and steals the family fortune.
"Amanda is useless at convincing him.
It's up to me now."
- Talk about parasites.
- [SCOFFS]
Doesn't seem like Amanda
found Prince Charming.
What are you thinking?
Let's find out how bad
this marriage really is,
see what kind of leverage we might have.
If you would like to discuss
my client's rebuttal testimony
Uh, no, that's not
why we asked you here.
Please.
Amanda
We know you lied to us.
We have a recording
that proves you misled us
about Derek's whereabouts
on the night of the murder
and about seeing Chloe in the hall.
I don't know what you're talking about.
He left the room
and returned around the time
of your father's murder.
He went to get ice down the hall.
It was a couple of minutes.
I told you, our daughter was sick.
What was on his shirt?
Why did you worry that he wasn't okay?
I
Amanda, you don't have to say anything.
This is a fishing expedition.
Unless there are charges on the
table, this meeting is over.
Trying to help someone cover up a murder
is a serious, serious matter.
But if you cooperate
and tell us everything
you know, there's a chance
Amanda, Amanda, there's a
chance you can walk away from this.
Why are you covering for him?
[CRYING] You mean the father
of my children?
Who killed your father.
You think Derek stays
if he can't get his hands on that money?
He dug himself
into some deep financial holes,
and he is counting on that inheritance,
on your inheritance.
Derek and I love each other very much,
and I have nothing to hide.
Amanda
this is your one chance.
We're done talking.
Can we even build enough of a case
- against Derek without Amanda?
- No.
But our case against Chloe
is still strong,
even with this new information.
What? Are you serious?
We know Derek and Amanda lied,
that he left his room
around the time of the murder.
Sure, but that doesn't prove
that Derek is a killer
or that Chloe is innocent.
For all we know, Derek was
in the hallway getting ice.
At a minimum, we need to give
this recording
over to the defense.
They're gonna use it
to attack Derek's credibility,
pretty much gut his testimony.
Okay, true, but he did not
say a whole hell of a lot.
Your point?
Like it or not, we can still win this,
if we still believe that Chloe
committed the crime, of course.
So either we admit
we arrested the wrong person
and just hope somehow
we can build a case
against the son-in-law
Or roll the dice on convicting
a young, innocent woman
for being a whore.
Excuse me?
Isn't that what this whole
thing is really all about
our inability to believe
that Chloe can actually
really like or even love
someone like Bob Gladstone, that
maybe it wasn't some big con?
I hear what you're saying, Sam, but
Do you really believe
the jury can possibly
be objective about all this,
given the amount
of slut-shaming evidence
we've jammed down their throat?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
I agree with Sam here.
If there's even a chance
that she's innocent,
we have to drop the charges,
r-regardless of the blowback.
♪
Okay.
Let's start investigating the son-in-law
and the wife, today.
So I'm free?
Yes, you are. You can go home.
That's it?
So who killed Bob?
Um, we're doing everything
in our power to get an answer.
You don't know?
Was it Derek?
I never trusted him.
We can't discuss
the investigation at this time.
Right.
You have to take your time and
make sure you arrest the right person.
Well, either way,
I'm gonna get Bob justice.
He's a good man.
He deserves better than this.
♪
It really never occurred to you
that I might be telling the truth?
That I wasn't a money-chasing killer?
[SIGHS]
Chloe, it's it's just that
Sounds like a no to me.
No, it's just more
complicated than that.
No, it's not.
Showing your body on the Internet
doesn't make you a bad person.
And it sure as hell
doesn't make you a murderer.
Get me out of here.
I never wanna see these people again.
♪
I can't believe that we almost
Yeah.
The whole relationship just seemed so
unlikely.
And tragic.
I guess that's what makes
a great love story.
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.
Yeah! [APPLAUSE]
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
They doubted us.
Said we wouldn't work.
Tried to shame us.
But here we are, six months later.
- To my true love.
- [WHISPERING] I love you.
I can't wait to marry you tomorrow.
[APPLAUSE]
[TENSE MUSIC]
- We got a name for the vic?
- Bob Gladstone.
Toy company guy?
I got kids, man.
Gladstone Toys were a mainstay
under our Christmas tree.
He was staying
in the presidential suite.
Ooh, nice.
This place is bigger than my house.
We got a time of death?
Based on temp and rigidity,
I'd say between 10:00 p.m. and midnight.
So, what, someone whacked him
from behind?
Managed to crack his skull.
According to his key card log,
he entered the room at 9:46 p.m.
Any sign of forced entry?
Not even a scratch on the door.
All right, so he let the killer in,
or they had a key card.
Anybody find a murder weapon?
Nothing.
We're looking for a heavy object,
at least 10 inches in length
with 2 sharp points.
Manager said there was
a bronze sculpture missing
from that pedestal.
Death by fine art. Hmm.
Any witnesses?
Someone down the hall heard
an argument around 10:30 p.m.,
looked out, saw a waiter leave the room.
- Who found him?
- Fiancée.
EMTs are with her now.
She's shaken.
They were supposed to get married today.
I hate weddings.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
You have no idea who
this waiter might have been?
No.
Mr. Gladstone didn't order
anything from in-room dining,
and no one was sent to his room.
But you have surveillance
in that hallway?
Yes, of course.
But at Mr. Gladstone's request,
we turned off all cameras
inside the hotel for privacy.
But we doubled our security detail.
- Anyone acting strange?
- Everyone.
I've never seen so many people
at a wedding
want to stop a wedding,
except the bride.
We were supposed to be flying
to Bora Bora tomorrow
for our honeymoon.
Now, I know this is
a very difficult time for you,
but we do need to ask you
some questions.
Can you think of anyone
who'd want to hurt Bob?
Everyone was pissed at Bob
for marrying down.
It was nothing new.
But there was this one guy
at the end of the rehearsal dinner
that I'd never seen before.
He seemed worked up.
Last night?
Yeah, he got in Bob's face
as we were leaving,
and then he handed him this folder.
A folder?
- Any idea what was in it?
- Beats me.
Bob got us away from him fast,
but he glanced at the folder
as we rode up in the elevator,
and he seemed upset.
I asked what it was,
but he told me not to worry.
That was the last time
that I saw him alive.
We wanted separate rooms
before the big day.
He was a romantic.
Did you leave this room
between 10:00 and midnight?
No.
The man who handed him the folder,
can you tell us what he looked like?
Uh, about your height,
white shirt, black vest.
Like a waiter's uniform?
Yeah, that's right.
Thank you.
Hey, file was in Gladstone's room.
The waiter handed him a pile of X-rays?
Medical bills.
The patient's name is Lydia Zellicheni?
- Zellicheni?
- Yeah.
Yeah, here, last night's
waitstaff Emile Zellicheni.
And here's a civil suit
filed three years ago
by Lydia Zellicheni
against Gladstone Toys.
Judge tossed it last month.
I had nothing to do with it.
Yeah? 'Cause your boss says
you only started working here
three weeks ago
and that you specifically asked
to work last night's rehearsal dinner.
So it kind of seems like
you were trying to get close
to Bob Gladstone.
We know you confronted
Gladstone at the end of dinner.
I gave him some documents.
I just wanted to talk.
It was my only chance,
but he blew me off.
And a witness saw a waiter
coming from his room
around the time he was murdered.
[SIGHS]
We can put you in a lineup.
After my shift, I went up to his room.
- To kill him?
- No, to plead with him.
My wife she went
to one of his stores,
and she fell down a flight of stairs.
And now she's
she's paralyzed.
You know what the cost
of those medical bills are?
We were supposed to be compensated,
but his goddamn company outlawyered us.
- Is this revenge?
- No, I
Emile, that witness heard you arguing.
I was overheated
when I went, yes, but
Gladstone surprised me.
How's that?
He listened.
He said that he could tell
how much I loved my wife
and that he knows
what it's like to care deeply
for a woman.
- You got any proof of this?
- He gave me his card.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Gladstone wrote his personal number,
said that he'd make things right.
Told me he'd call his CFO right
away to make arrangements.
And now he's
he's dead.
Oh, God.
- What time was this?
- Around 10:30 p.m.
- 10:30?
- Yeah.
All right, we're gonna look into this.
For now, you stay put.
We got Gladstone's phone records.
Looks like he made an 18-minute call
to the company CFO at 10:40 p.m.
That's a lot of business talk
the night before your wedding.
Old friends, apparently.
CFO says he thought Gladstone
was making a huge mistake
with the wedding no prenup.
They got into it.
"No prenup"? Idiot.
Twice divorced.
So who gets Gladstone's money
now that he's dead?
Yeah, a lawyer sent us his will.
Dates back to his first marriage.
Apparently, Gladstone was a widower.
Anyway, the will leaves everything
to his current spouse,
unless he's unmarried,
in which case, it gets split
between his children.
Also, video from outside
the hotel just landed.
Zellicheni left the hotel at 10:44 p.m.
while Gladstone was on that call.
Not a speck of blood.
Doesn't seem to return to the hotel.
Who's that guy leaving
the hotel carrying that bag?
That bag's a pretty good size.
Does he come back?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Yep, ten minutes later and no bag.
Maybe he goes outside,
ditches the murder weapon,
and goes back in?
- Run facial rec.
- Mm-hmm.
♪
Paul Gladstone, the vic's son.
Looks like he was arrested years ago
at an Occupy Wall Street protest.
And since the dad was unmarried,
he's set to inherit 100 million.
Maybe he changed his mind about money.
♪
I guess I'm not surprised.
That your father was murdered?
Is it because maybe you had
something to do with it?
What? No.
Just money makes people crazy.
So wanting to inherit $100 million
- didn't make you crazy?
- I gotta say, man,
that timing works out
pretty sweet for you.
I want nothing to do
with the Gladstone fortune.
I never have.
I gave it up ages ago, refused
to take any money from my dad.
I joined the Peace Corps.
You joined the Peace Corps?
Gave up a townhouse in Tribeca
for a hut with no plumbing?
Best decision ever.
Now I work for the World Kitchen.
I spent the last six months in Gaza.
Came back for the wedding
because my dad wanted me here.
It didn't bother you
that your dad was marrying
a woman younger than you?
Of all the horrific problems
going on in the world,
that didn't make my list.
I've never seen my dad happier.
I'm surprised, you know, as his kid,
that you didn't have
any, uh, suspicions.
Yeah, my sister had that covered.
Not down with the wedding, huh?
Amanda was freaking out
because our dad hadn't updated his will.
Wanted me to meet
with her and our dad's lawyer
- as soon as I got into town.
- Did you?
Like I said, family money
isn't my endgame.
Did you see your dad
last night after dinner?
- No.
- No?
No, I went to my room
to catch up on emails.
Yeah?
Then why were you leaving
the hotel last night
around 11:00?
What were you dumping, Paul?
I asked catering
for the rehearsal dinner food
that they were gonna throw out
so I could bring some
to a local food pantry, okay?
That's a bag full of leftovers.
Ask them.
All Souls Food Pantry
confirms Paul Gladstone's story.
So please tell me you have something
on the other Gladstone kid.
Amanda Gladstone Nestor
married to a guy named Derek Nestor,
who works at Gladstone Toys.
They got three kids.
She's a textbook socialite
lots of social media posts
of her decked out at fundraisers,
stuff like that.
No priors of any kind.
Nothing to indicate she's got a temper.
Maybe lady of leisure blows a gasket
when she's no longer
apple of Daddy's eye.
Hold up. I got something.
The vic's lawyer confirmed
Amanda contacted him several times
about her father's will.
Was concerned some kind of elder abuse
might have been at play
and asked about legal steps
to assume power of attorney.
Maxine, take Leni and Rowan
in the next room.
Come on, honey.
- Thank you, guys.
- Thank you. Okay.
Please have a seat.
Sorry. [GROANS]
So
you weren't a big fan of the fiancée?
The gold digger who conned my dad
into thinking she loved him?
I guess that's a no.
I was very transparent
about my disapproval and my concern.
Did you and your dad fight
about the wedding?
When he first told me, yes.
I pretty much asked him
to get a cognitive test.
What about last night?
You guys get into it?
No.
I played the dutiful daughter,
and I smiled gracefully through
the entire rehearsal dinner.
[SNIFFLES] And then I came up here
and was in the room all night
with the kids and my husband.
My oldest ended up
with an ear infection.
I had to play phone tag
with the pediatrician.
Okay, well, we will need to speak
with your husband as well.
- Of course.
[SNIFFLES] He took Eloise
to the doctor an hour ago.
He should be back soon.
Do you have any idea who
might wanna kill your father?
I never trusted Chloe.
She's been angling
for his money since day one.
But she doesn't inherit anything
unless they're married,
so there's no real motive there.
I'm just telling you, I don't trust her.
Okay.
Anything else strange?
[SCOFFS] The entire dinner was bizarre.
But the weirdest thing
was this mystery woman.
"Mystery woman"?
In the middle of dinner,
my dad was talking intensely
to this woman.
I've never seen her before in my life.
And my dad wasn't exactly an extrovert.
They got really quiet when I passed
on my way to the ladies' room.
He didn't even make an introduction.
At a wedding rehearsal dinner
it was unusual.
Okay.
We will check that out. Thank you.
[SIGHS]
Get the photos of the dinner
from the wedding photographer.
Lobster and oysters?
Shoot, I get invited
to the wrong weddings.
What about her? She fits the bill.
Looks a little close for comfort.
Yeah, look at these photos from earlier.
There, look, you see how she's staring
at Gladstone and his fiancée
with that obsessive look
- in her eye?
- Mm-hmm.
If she's a jealous old flame,
she's not playing it cool.
Yeah, our mystery woman,
she definitely came alone.
She's not seen here with anybody
for more than a couple minutes.
You got that guest list over there?
Yeah, right here.
Looks like one woman came solo
Serena Levy, hotel room 415.
You look pretty focused
on Bob Gladstone
and his fiancée right there.
There some sort of history
between you guys?
You think I'm a jilted ex-lover?
My only history with Bob
is as his therapist.
You're a shrink?
A relationship therapist,
specializing in sex and intimacy.
Bob enlisted me
to become more open to love,
to overcome his inhibitions, insecurities.
He worried that his fiancée
might be more into his money
than into him?
That ever cause any issues?
No, despite the public's
relentless obsession
with their age difference,
they were very much in love.
We should all be so lucky.
Well, there's a whole lot
of decades and dollars
between those two.
Bob and Chloe were deeply happy,
despite their differences.
Bob's biggest issue was his son-in-law.
Amanda's husband?
Derek Nestor.
Any issues between them last night?
Derek got a bit drunk,
and after Amanda took the kids upstairs,
he hung around,
started arguing with Bob.
You know what about?
No.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
12 o'clock.
Derek Nestor.
NYPD, I'm Detective Riley.
This is Detective Walker.
Like to ask you a few questions
about your relationship
with Bob Gladstone.
Yeah, of course.
More than happy to help.
Just, um
uh, why don't you head up to Mom?
I-I'll be up in a minute, sweetie.
So someone saw the two of you
get into an argument
at dinner last night?
Oh, right, that.
Look, I
I love my wife.
I just wanted to spare her
getting into an ugly
screaming match with her dad.
You mean a fight about the wedding?
[SIGHS] Amanda was
understandably apoplectic
about the idea of this hussy
who's barely old enough
to drink seducing her father.
And Bob wasn't listening
to any advice, so I
I decided to hire a PI.
And what did he find?
The PI dug up a mound of dirt
on Chloe Thompson.
- What was in it?
- More like what wasn't in it
an OnlyFans page,
a profile on an escort website,
two separate accounts on
two separate sugar baby sites,
a bankruptcy filing.
That girl is a parasite.
She targeted Bob.
So you spoke to your father-in-law
- about what the PI found?
- It was a Hail Mary.
And I cornered him
at the end of the dinner.
But I just felt like it was
my obligation to my wife
and to this family.
How did Bob take it?
He didn't wanna hear a word
against Chloe, but
I showed him some of the images
from the PI on my phone,
and they well, they spoke
for themselves.
He get upset?
Yeah.
He went
totally pale.
He said he was gonna confront Chloe
before any vows were exchanged.
Where were you after dinner,
between 10:00 and midnight?
I was back in my hotel room
with my wife and kids,
praying that Bob
would get himself out of this
before anything was made legal.
So you think the bride-to-be flipped out
when the victim confronted her
with these sexy little secrets?
Yeah, I'm thinking he tells her
he's gonna call off the wedding, right?
She goes ballistic,
figures she put in the time
with the old man,
you know, really earned it.
Yeah, but this doesn't jive
with the rest of the stuff
we know about her.
Derek Nestor was right
about her bankruptcy filing.
Plus, we found
a domestic disturbance call
from an ex-boyfriend.
Yeah, there's some sort
of sealed teen arrest
still in the system.
But you accessed
prints from that, right?
Yeah, it's still in the juvie system,
and it matches the prints
found in Gladstone's room
near the body.
Well, she found the body,
so that might explain that.
Hold on.
I just found the mother lode of motive.
Here's a marriage license
from Las Vegas.
Where the two lovebirds were caught
on that jumbotron, right?
Yeah, looks like they had
a secret quickie wedding there
months ago.
So this whole thing is all for show.
So Chloe Thompson was already set
to inherit his whole fortune
as his legal wife.
So, if Gladstone finds out
about her past,
he's not threatening
to call off the wedding.
He's threatening divorce.
She'd lose everything.
So murdering him
was the only way
for her to lock in his fortune.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
What's happening?
What's what's going on?
Why are you all here?
Ms. Thompson, I told you before
we have a right to search this room.
You need to stay out of the way.
- Where's Bob?
- Keep her out of the way.
Took the body to the morgue an hour ago.
"The morgue"? Oh, my God.
What did I do?
Detective.
This was in the closet.
Murder weapon.
Chloe Thompson, turn around
and place your hands
- behind your back.
- What? Why?
You're under arrest for
the murder of Bob Gladstone.
What?
You have the right to remain silent.
- Do you understand?
- But I didn't do it.
Enough with the charade.
You know what you did.
This is a mistake. You don't understand.
- I loved him.
- There she is!
[ALL SHOUTING]
♪
- Hey, relax. Move back.
- [CRYING] Please.
"Black Widow's Web of Lies."
Well, they branched out
from the gold digger angle.
He was 74. She's 22.
Of course the media can't get enough.
If the press is any proxy for the jury,
we shouldn't have any trouble
getting a conviction.
How'd the arraignment go?
Well, defense said she's innocent.
About 100 hotel guests and workers
had the opportunity to kill Gladstone.
And then they said
that she is the victim
of a sexist prosecution
and an overzealous DA's office
that just needed an easy target.
Sign of a weak case
whenever opposing counsel
tries to argue bias instead of facts.
- Mm.
- What'd the judge say?
- Denied bail.
- Good.
Families in this city grew up
on Gladstone Toys.
- How's our evidence?
- It's strong.
We have the murder weapon.
ME also found lipstick traces
on the vic's hotel robe.
It seems like she worked her charms
and then bashed his skull in
when his back was turned.
Motive's clear too.
Chloe gets Gladstone's entire
fortune now that he's dead.
Unless we convict her.
We will.
The decedent sustained
multiple blunt force injuries
consistent with repeated strikes
by a heavy object
to the back of the head.
It's what we often see
in crimes of passion.
Detective Riley, I am showing you
what's been marked
as People's Exhibit 8.
Could you identify this item
for the jury?
This is a photo of a sculpture
that was found
in the defendant's hotel suite
during our search.
Its weight and dimensions are consistent
with the injuries to the victim's skull.
And how was the defendant
behaving at the time of arrest?
She was behaving erratically.
Kept on saying, "What did I do?
What did I do?"
We could smell alcohol on her breath.
Thank you. No further questions.
Detective, uh,
did Ms. Thompson actually say
that she murdered Mr. Gladstone?
No.
And you have no direct evidence
that she was intoxicated no BAC test?
Correct.
And even if she were drinking
is it possible her behavior
could indicate devastation
over her husband's unexpected death?
It's possible.
Last question
as for the attack you described,
are you aware that
Ms. Thompson was diagnosed
with a rotator cuff tear
just days before the wedding?
- Objection.
- Meaning it would be
near impossible for her to
swing an object of that size
and weight with the force
required to kill the victim.
Your Honor, she is testifying.
Sustained.
Nothing further.
Chloe was telling him what to eat,
who to socialize with.
Bob even let her sit in
on business meetings.
The family was very concerned.
Did you do anything
to address these concerns?
I hired a private investigator
to look into her.
He confirmed everything
that I had feared.
Gave me a sizable file
on her troubling past.
Did you share this
information with Mr. Gladstone?
Yes, I showed him what was
in the file on my phone
at the rehearsal dinner.
Your Honor, we move to admit
the investigative file
into evidence.
Objection.
We would have moved to admit
this evidence sooner,
but we've only just been able
to authenticate
the contents of this entire file.
It is quite extensive.
Our objection still stands.
The contents of this file are irrelevant
and reinforce sexist stereotypes.
We're not doing this
in front of the jury.
My chambers, now.
The jury is entitled to know
the circumstances leading
to Mr. Gladstone's death.
Andrews versus White
the Supreme Court just
overturned a murder conviction
because the prosecutor
mentioned the defendant's sex life.
The the photos in this file
go far beyond that.
These images are quite suggestive.
The evidence in Andrews was offered
solely for the purpose
of character assassination.
That is not what's happening here.
Mr. Nestor showed these images
to Mr. Gladstone,
who intended to confront the defendant,
and hours later, he was murdered.
- It goes directly to motive.
- No, this is not about motive.
This is a veiled attempt
to humiliate my client
in front of the jury.
This is prejudicial beyond reason.
We are using it to show
what Mr. Gladstone knew,
how it influenced
his actions before his death.
It's central to our case.
No doubt these images are prejudicial,
but I find them relevant
to establishing
the prosecution's theory.
You may show them to the jury,
Mr. Price.
What did Mr. Gladstone say
after you showed him this file?
He told me he was going to confront her
and end the relationship.
And how would that affect
the defendant financially?
Well, if he left her, she'd get nothing.
Didn't matter they had already
married in Vegas months ago.
Even without a prenup,
they weren't married long enough
for her to claim anything
was marital property.
Thank you, Mr. Nestor.
Are you aware that my client
told Bob all about her past,
everything that was
in those files and more
a few months after they met
and that he forgave her?
Well, if that's what she
told you, she must be lying.
Objection, Your Honor.
This line of questioning
lacks foundation.
We'll have several witnesses testify
to learning about these conversations
between my client and the victim
when we present our case, Judge.
Overruled, but move it along.
Let's talk about lying.
Do you recall
your last performance review
at Gladstone Toys,
the one that Bob wrote?
Let me refresh your memory.
The defense presents Exhibit 12.
If you would please read aloud,
just the lines that summarize
your performance.
"Derek is untrustworthy and inept.
"He cannot be relied upon
to manage his team effectively."
That must have been humiliating.
Bob had exacting standards.
I expected it.
And as his son-in-law,
he held me to a higher bar,
always reminded me
that hard work pays off.
But Chloe didn't have to work hard,
did she?
Bob used to invite her
into the boardroom
and ask her business advice
in front of your longtime colleagues
on matters that fell under your purview.
They were really minor things.
Yes or no he asked her advice
on decisions you should have made?
Yes, a few times.
Did that bother you?
Turn you against her?
It seemed inappropriate,
but it was Bob's company.
Did it bother you when you realized
that Chloe was to inherit his estate?
Excuse me?
The only way that you and your wife
would inherit Bob Gladstone's estate
- is if Chloe were convicted.
- Objection.
So you have every reason
to lie here today,
because my client
is the only thing standing
between you and hundreds
of millions of dollars.
Ms. Kimura, the objection is sustained.
[TENSE MUSIC]
No further questions for this witness.
♪
Defense made Derek out
to be a money-hungry liar
with a vendetta against Chloe.
Well, I think we're okay.
You're underestimating the power
of that private investigator's file.
What do you mean?
You see the jury's
reaction to those photos?
I mean, idea of a working class girl
using her sexuality to get to the top
it's a familiar narrative.
The jury fully bought it.
Are you saying it's a false narrative?
- Sometimes.
- [SCOFFS]
Ah, when I was in law school
I went on a few dates
with a visiting professor.
I really liked him.
He wasn't even a decade older than me,
but suddenly the word around school
was that I was sleeping my way to an A.
- What did you do?
- I ended it.
Never spoke to him again.
Trust me, those, uh, stains
they don't come out easily.
I'm not ashamed of my past.
I took my mom on her first real vacation
with the money I made
from those escort websites.
So you did it for the money.
I was looking for love too.
Aren't we all?
Did you find it love?
When I met Bob.
You met him on one of these sites?
No, I met him in one of his stores.
I was looking for a birthday gift
for my niece, so
I went to Gladstone Toys
late in the day,
but they were closing early
for some big company event.
Bob saw me panicking, begging to get in,
and he made them open the doors for me.
And he helped me pick out
a wooden puzzle for her.
We started talking.
He ditched his event, and
suddenly, an hour had passed.
I was as surprised as anyone.
"Surprised"? How?
That we could really connect,
that he got me.
And, yeah, he was older, but so what?
I mean, we were both adults.
I'd been with so many jerks.
And with Bob, it was
the first time I felt like somebody
saw the real me
loved me and and accepted me,
even when I told him
about the escort work.
Bob was a really gentle man.
[VOICE BREAKING] I would never hurt him.
Chloe, I'm going to ask you
about your arrest
for Mr. Gladstone's murder.
What did you mean when you said,
oh, God, what did I do?
I blamed myself.
See
I had begged Bobby for a fancy ceremony,
and he was just happy
that we had eloped in Vegas.
But I'd always dreamed
of this big fairy-tale wedding, and
maybe if I hadn't have drawn
so much attention to our relationship,
people wouldn't have turned against him.
How did the murder weapon
end up in your room?
No idea.
I-I had never seen that thing before.
Do you know how many people
entered and exited your room
- that morning?
- I don't know.
A lot medics, housekeeping,
wedding guests.
I also stepped out a few times.
Did you and Bob argue
about anything the night of the murder?
No.
Definitely not.
Chloe
I'm going to show you
what we refer to as Defense Exhibit 14.
It's the hotel key card records
from the night of the murder.
You swiped your key card at 9:42 p.m.
You did not exit your room
again that night, correct?
Correct.
After I said good night to Bob,
I went straight to bed,
thinking that the next morning
was gonna be
the happiest day of my life.
Thank you.
No further questions.
Ms. Thompson, you say [CLEARS THROAT]
You didn't see Bob Gladstone
after you said good night?
That's correct.
How do you account
for the lipstick traces
that were found on his robe,
on his neck,
on his mouth?
When I found him, I just
I started screaming for help.
I-I-I tried to give him CPR.
He had been dead
almost ten hours by this point?
I'm not a doctor. I-I was all alone.
I-I had no idea how long he'd been dead.
I just I wanted to do something.
I wanted to save the person
that I loved most in the world.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Why is it so hard for you
to believe that I loved him?
What is wrong with you all?
[CRYING]
Your Honor, we would like to
request a brief recess, please.
[SIGHS] Let's adjourn for the day.
[CRYING]
Mr. Price, Mr. Price.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Chloe lied on the stand.
She left her hotel room that night.
I saw her in the hallway
right after the murder.
She must have left her door latch out
so she didn't need her key card.
I mean, hearing her lie on the stand,
this performance
about how much she loved him
I cannot let her get away
with my father's murder.
Okay, what exactly did you see?
[SNIFFLES]
I heard a woman sobbing
in the hallway hysterically,
so I looked through the peephole,
and I saw Chloe
hurrying back into her room.
What time was this?
Uh
around 11:00 p.m.
I was on the phone with
my daughter's pediatrician
when it happened.
♪
Coming forward at the 11th hour
to change her story
is pretty damn convenient,
but it doesn't mean she's lying.
Oh, but it's definitely suspicious.
I mean, she keeps
her mouth shut this whole time,
then she hears Chloe testify,
hears how persuasive she is.
Chloe is very charming.
Hell, she duped a ruthless businessman
into marrying her with no prenup.
But did she?
Dupe him?
Maybe Chloe really loved Bob Gladstone.
Maybe she didn't marry him
for his money.
- Sounds unlikely, but
- But why?
- Seriously?
- Yes.
Why can't this be real love
or at least what they consider love?
Maybe it's not even love.
Maybe it's just two adults having fun.
I mean, what's so wrong with that?
Nothing.
But in my experience,
attractive young women
don't just happen to fall in love
or have fun with any old 70-year-old.
The men tend to be quite wealthy.
That's just the way it is.
So let's focus on Gladstone's
daughter for the moment,
dig into her statement
that she saw Chloe in the hall,
and if it holds up,
put Amanda on the stand
as a rebuttal witness.
Hey.
Just got back from the medical clinic.
Apparently they record
all incoming phone calls.
So she was telling the truth?
Her fever hasn't gone down,
and I don't know what
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
What happened? Derek.
Close the door to the kids' room.
What's on your shirt?
Are you okay?
I'm fine. Just go in
the other room with the kids.
♪
The phone call undercuts
Derek's credibility,
and it would allow the defense to
present him as an alternate suspect.
How so?
He lied about his alibi.
He definitely left his room
near the time of the murder,
which means we have to share
the recording with the defense.
Agreed.
But we still have a defendant
with a murder weapon in her hotel room,
plus a multimillion-dollar motive.
R-right, but we also have
a material witness
that we can no longer trust
and another witness
who can't wait to put
the final nail in Chloe's coffin.
So let's dig deeper.
Figure out what's really going on here.
There's no camera footage
from the hotel,
so we have no idea
what Derek was doing
outside his room that night.
And if his shirt had any blood on it,
it's probably in some
Staten Island landfill by now.
It's all a he-said, she-said.
You find anything?
Maybe. [SIGHS]
It looks like Derek
is in pretty serious debt
three houses, a slew of bad investments.
But none of this proves
that he killed Bob.
- Just that he had motive.
- [SIGHS]
And that he was counting
on inheriting a lot of money from Bob.
I found this text sent to his brother.
"Years spent kissing up
to my father-in-law,
"and some tramp waltzes in
and steals the family fortune.
"Amanda is useless at convincing him.
It's up to me now."
- Talk about parasites.
- [SCOFFS]
Doesn't seem like Amanda
found Prince Charming.
What are you thinking?
Let's find out how bad
this marriage really is,
see what kind of leverage we might have.
If you would like to discuss
my client's rebuttal testimony
Uh, no, that's not
why we asked you here.
Please.
Amanda
We know you lied to us.
We have a recording
that proves you misled us
about Derek's whereabouts
on the night of the murder
and about seeing Chloe in the hall.
I don't know what you're talking about.
He left the room
and returned around the time
of your father's murder.
He went to get ice down the hall.
It was a couple of minutes.
I told you, our daughter was sick.
What was on his shirt?
Why did you worry that he wasn't okay?
I
Amanda, you don't have to say anything.
This is a fishing expedition.
Unless there are charges on the
table, this meeting is over.
Trying to help someone cover up a murder
is a serious, serious matter.
But if you cooperate
and tell us everything
you know, there's a chance
Amanda, Amanda, there's a
chance you can walk away from this.
Why are you covering for him?
[CRYING] You mean the father
of my children?
Who killed your father.
You think Derek stays
if he can't get his hands on that money?
He dug himself
into some deep financial holes,
and he is counting on that inheritance,
on your inheritance.
Derek and I love each other very much,
and I have nothing to hide.
Amanda
this is your one chance.
We're done talking.
Can we even build enough of a case
- against Derek without Amanda?
- No.
But our case against Chloe
is still strong,
even with this new information.
What? Are you serious?
We know Derek and Amanda lied,
that he left his room
around the time of the murder.
Sure, but that doesn't prove
that Derek is a killer
or that Chloe is innocent.
For all we know, Derek was
in the hallway getting ice.
At a minimum, we need to give
this recording
over to the defense.
They're gonna use it
to attack Derek's credibility,
pretty much gut his testimony.
Okay, true, but he did not
say a whole hell of a lot.
Your point?
Like it or not, we can still win this,
if we still believe that Chloe
committed the crime, of course.
So either we admit
we arrested the wrong person
and just hope somehow
we can build a case
against the son-in-law
Or roll the dice on convicting
a young, innocent woman
for being a whore.
Excuse me?
Isn't that what this whole
thing is really all about
our inability to believe
that Chloe can actually
really like or even love
someone like Bob Gladstone, that
maybe it wasn't some big con?
I hear what you're saying, Sam, but
Do you really believe
the jury can possibly
be objective about all this,
given the amount
of slut-shaming evidence
we've jammed down their throat?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
I agree with Sam here.
If there's even a chance
that she's innocent,
we have to drop the charges,
r-regardless of the blowback.
♪
Okay.
Let's start investigating the son-in-law
and the wife, today.
So I'm free?
Yes, you are. You can go home.
That's it?
So who killed Bob?
Um, we're doing everything
in our power to get an answer.
You don't know?
Was it Derek?
I never trusted him.
We can't discuss
the investigation at this time.
Right.
You have to take your time and
make sure you arrest the right person.
Well, either way,
I'm gonna get Bob justice.
He's a good man.
He deserves better than this.
♪
It really never occurred to you
that I might be telling the truth?
That I wasn't a money-chasing killer?
[SIGHS]
Chloe, it's it's just that
Sounds like a no to me.
No, it's just more
complicated than that.
No, it's not.
Showing your body on the Internet
doesn't make you a bad person.
And it sure as hell
doesn't make you a murderer.
Get me out of here.
I never wanna see these people again.
♪
I can't believe that we almost
Yeah.
The whole relationship just seemed so
unlikely.
And tragic.
I guess that's what makes
a great love story.