Homicide: Life on the Street s03e07 Episode Script

One for the road, Lieutenant? I don't know why at the end of a shift, I have to have one last cup of coffee.
Working nights, my systems always out of whack.
My life's out of whack.
- Did you ever have your face read? - I'm sorry.
What? My face read? There's this old woman down on Spring Street.
She reads faces.
Go like this.
- Thumb and your forefinger like that.
- Uh-huh.
- OK, then go like this.
- Uh-huh.
If the distance is the same, that means your soul is in harmony with the universe.
Thanks.
I feel much better.
My face is off by this much.
My face is not gonna change.
Will I never be in harmony with the universe? Your only option is plastic surgery.
Hey, I got another one.
I have a secret that girls know.
Did you know, that on a man, the distance from here to here, is the same size as the end of his penis? Have a great day.
- I'll check later.
- Yeah.
Me too.
Cream? Oh I can't move.
I have to go to work and I can't move.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Are you cramped? No, no, no.
It's not that I can't move.
I just don't wanna move.
Your coffin is surprisingly comfortable.
I designed it for two.
It's like God and the solar system are right in here with us.
I'm breathing without breathing.
I have got to get to that morgue soon.
Maybe not that soon.
You're out of your mind.
If it was a mosquito bite there'd be a red dot.
There's nothing to see.
What about poison ivy? Allergies? Scabies? Must everything have an explanation? It's an itch of unknown origin.
- It could be fleas.
- It's a nervous reaction.
Buying this bar has been a morass of complications.
Lewis and Bayliss hate each other.
- How you doing, Doc Scheiner? - OK.
My life's in turmoil and you don't care.
Later, Munch.
Much later.
What have we got here? One bullet wound to the right temple.
One back of the neck and two through the back.
Looks like your basic shoot-em-up.
Your textbook drug deal gone south.
Stan, he looks like a taxpaying citizen to me.
Let's roll him.
Damn, I know this kid.
His name is Raymond Lydell.
I've been doing a series of articles about the Cali Cocaine Cartel, and how it's been creeping into Baltimore.
He's a bag runner for these guys.
He was helping me get names.
He got the names you wanted.
They didn't want you to get those names.
You quit as a partner in the bar? I can't be in business with people I can't trust.
Bayliss knew how I felt about Emma and he went behind my back.
- You told her, didn't you? - Morning, Beau.
- What's the matter? - Could you leave us alone? Colour me gone.
You told Beth about Megan.
That we're sleeping together.
What? What's going on? She left me, Kay.
Took everything I owned.
Cleaned out the house.
She took my kids.
Got no idea where she is, where my kids are.
You told her, didn't you? Tell me the truth.
I didn't tell Beth a damned thing.
She must have found out about Megan.
You're the only other person who knew.
I wish I could help you out, Al.
Lewis has been alone since Crosetti died.
I can't maintain the same clearance rate with a man short.
It's a budget thing.
The line item is frozen.
- When will it thaw? - I can do what I can.
How can I do what I gotta do? - God, it smells in here.
- What have we stumbled upon? She's been dead for almost two weeks.
Two weeks? Well, she doesn't look so bad, considering.
Considering what? That she looks like Tutankhamun? Her name is Sadie Ballantyne.
We got a call from a neighbour about the smell.
- Let's talk to that neighbour.
- So, doc.
Unless something's odd on the autopsy, I'd say natural causes.
- Oh, look here.
Roses.
- So what? They're fresh.
Frank, let's take this outside.
- What's the matter? - I can't breath, Frank.
- Doesn't this stench bother you? - I won't allow it to bother me.
Yeah, right, Frank.
You, G Gordon Liddy and Henry Rollins.
We got the neighbour, Edna Washbourne.
She's out front.
OK.
Did you know Sadie Ballantyne? I lived next door for 22 years.
Is there a Mr Ballantyne? Arthur's her husband.
He used to work for Baltimore Asphalt and Paving.
He's retired.
Just takes care of Sadie now.
Was she sick? In the last month, I never saw her leave the house, Arthur was right there taking care of her.
Brought her roses just yesterday.
He brought her roses yesterday? Miss Washbourne, Sadie has been dead for two weeks.
Oh, poor Arthur.
It's gonna break his heart.
Who killed Raymond Lydell? - I don't know.
- You don't know? You have suspects.
You have leads.
Tell me what you're doing, Al? We're looking.
That's all we can do.
- Have you been to narcotics? - Yeah.
They said come to you.
I love this game you guys play.
You act nice and say "Bug the other guy.
" - Am I bugging you, Al? Is that it? - You are.
I'm about to break the story on the Columbian infiltration on the drug trade.
When I publish thee articles, maybe something'll happen.
Maybe something'll change.
Nothing ever happens.
Nothing ever changes.
You try to be cynical.
I've known you too long.
You still believe in equality and justice and all our boyhood enthusiasms.
- You even read my newspaper.
- I never go to the john empty-handed.
Well, maybe I should deliver it to all the johns in Baltimore.
The guys could relax with it.
I'll make the paper biodegradable.
Then, everybody wins.
Boy, I had a great time last night.
- I told Andy about you.
- Who? Andy, the man I've been seeing, the Baltimore county cop.
- I told you about him.
- Yeah.
Yeah, but why did you tell him about me? Because Andy and I are absolutely honest in our feelings.
- And so? - And so he reacted honestly.
He got angry.
He knocked me down.
He knocked you down? This guy hit you? He shoved me a little.
It was a shock for him, you and me.
- I'm gonna kill the son of a bitch.
- No, he's hurt.
He loves me.
I can't believe you're defending him.
Why? - You said you'd break up with him.
- I didn't say that.
I told Andy about us because of how I feel about you.
And how do you feel about me? Like this.
What have we got? An execution style shot in the back of the head.
The casing was a.
45.
No one saw much of anything.
A restaurant full of people and nobody looks up from their plate? The food that good here? Detectives, she saw what happened.
- Can I have your name, please, miss? - Roberta Garsetti.
What did you see? Evangeline just came over when a young man walked in.
How young? And I turned back and Sam's dead, and the kid's standing with a gun in his hand.
Then what happened? The kid went to the register.
He picked up a mint.
He left a dime on the counter, and then he was gone.
Excuse me.
He blows Sam Thorne away, and he stops and pays a dime for a mint? Miss, we need you to look at some pictures.
Can you do that? - I'm still on my shift.
- I'd say the lunch rush is over.
- Want to take her down? - Come with me.
Andy, what a stupid name.
Andy Hardy, right? Andy Panda.
- Why are we here? - Andy Griffiths.
He made a living saying, "Goldie and me.
" We're should be looking for Arthur Ballantyne, who, even if he didn't murder his wife, left her rot in the living room.
The man has some explaining to do.
Andy Gibb.
Andy Rooney.
Andy Warhol.
Not Andrew, but Andy.
He hit her, Frank.
That bastard hit her.
I'm gonna say something to him.
- Andy Williams.
- What? Andy Williams.
Had all those hits during the 70s.
His wife left him for a ski instructor named Spider.
Don't help me, Frank.
Andy? Andy Moranis? - Yeah? - Hey, Tim Bayliss.
- So, you're the guy? - That's right.
- It's about Emma.
- I got nothing to say to you.
Oh, no? Listen.
I know that you hit her, OK, Andy? That will never happen again.
You got that? - Oh, is that right? - Yeah.
You stay away from her.
Do you feel better about yourself? Hitting a woman, big man? Make you forget you'll be stuck in the suburbs giving out traffic tickets for the rest of your miserable life? Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I need a sandwich.
If I don't get something to eat every four hours, my blood sugar falls through the floor.
- OK? - Yeah, OK.
I just did you a favour.
- Monica.
- Hello, Al.
I'm sorry about your father.
We'll find who killed him.
Good luck.
There was a list of people who wanted Sam Thorne dead.
He managed to annoy or enrage just about everyone he ever met.
What are you doing? I'm looking for your dad's notes on some articles he was writing.
What will I do with this place? Sell it? Who will buy it? There's typewriters there.
And that printing press.
Makes Gutenberg seem hi-tech.
How long you gonna be in town? I was thinking of asking Cherise to come.
- We could all go out to dinner.
- Er I'm here to see him laid to rest.
Then, I'm out of here.
- Back to med school? - Yes, but When you see your daughter, tell her I said hello.
Yeah.
This is Detective Felton, Baltimore city police.
I'm calling to see if your movers moved a household at 1720 Lynch Road in Dundalk.
Want some coffee, Beau? No, this would've been yesterday.
Beau? - Somebody just got flowers.
- Oh, thanks, Julie.
- There's no card.
- I know who they're from.
- What's the matter with you? - A little down.
Is that OK? Do I have to get the squad room's permission to be depressed? You wanna be depressed, knock yourself out.
There's an epidemic of depression around here.
Aren't you interested in the cause of my depression? To be honest, no.
Meldrick backed out as a partner in the bar.
Yeah, I heard.
I have to find another backer.
- Say, Kay - No.
- But - Munch! All right.
All right.
Who bought you the lovely bouquet? Ed Danvers.
Why do men send flowers? Well, they're expensive and they smell good.
Just like women.
Flowers die.
I hate flowers.
You should tell him that.
Tell Danvers that.
Save him some money.
He makes a pretty penny over there as assistant state's attorney.
$38,500 a year.
That's a fortune, Kay.
He's a good catch.
You think? Sure.
Does Danvers have any money saved? - I don't know.
I guess.
- Sit down.
Do you think Danvers would be interested in investing in the bar? Why am I talking to you? Is this a suspect in the Thorne murder? Matt Cameron, 19.
Lives with his mother in Reservoir Hill.
Waitress eyeballed him in the line-up.
Made a positive ID.
Priors? Couple of drug arrests.
Nothing big time.
- Any ties to the Columbian cartel? - No.
- There has to be a connection.
- He's scared.
He says he didn't do it.
The boy's none too bright.
He'll break.
- Get the gun? - Not yet.
Get the gun.
Get the bullets.
I want a confession backed up by evidence.
You got it, Gee.
We're back, Matt.
We know you shot the man.
There's no use lying.
It's not gonna do you no good.
- I don't lie.
- Have a seat, son.
If you weren't in that restaurant, where were you? Er somewhere else.
Can I have a Coke? I'm thirsty.
Sure.
You can have a Coke.
Soon as you tell us the truth.
- Who put you up to this? - Nobody.
I didn't do it.
I remember my momma used to always tell me "Tell the truth.
" She'd get a whiff of a lie and she'd get my daddy's belt, and beat the black off me! - You got a momma, don't you? - Yeah.
Sure you do.
And didn't your momma tell you always tell the truth? - I do tell the truth.
- No man.
No, you don't.
I'm gonna have to go tell your momma that you're lying.
No, don't do that.
Don't do that.
Where's Dwight? Who's Dwight? I wanna see Dwight.
- Is he a friend? - I wanna see Dwight.
OK.
We'll get Dwight.
We'll get Dwight for you.
First, answer me a question.
You went into the restaurant, you shot Sam Thorne, and paid ten cents for a mint.
Why did you pay for the mint? I ain't a thief.
He ain't a thief.
He ain't a thief? - Uncle Beau.
- Hey, Sandy.
- Are your mom or dad at home? - Dad is.
Wanna come in? Go on inside.
- What are you doing here? - Where did Beth take my kids? I told you on the phone, I don't know.
You're her brother.
- You have no idea where she is? - I have no idea.
I've called every moving company in town, every place that rents trucks, every shipping company.
I've called every hotel and motel.
Seen all her friends.
Friends of friends.
Nothing.
I know Beth may have told you not to, but, please, if you know where they are, you gotta tell me.
- Sorry.
I can't help you.
- What? You hate me that much? I don't hate you, man.
I just never liked you.
But I don't hate you.
Where did she take my kids, you son of a bitch? I am not surprised she left.
I'm surprised it took her this long.
Now get off my property before I call the cops.
- Hey, Al.
- You're early.
Your shift doesn't start for another two hours.
Yeah, I know, but I'm about two weeks behind on my paperwork.
Granger and Barnfather have been giving me long disapproving stares.
Don't talk to me about them.
Maybe I should take Crosetti's name down.
Dole out his cases to the others, but everyone's already overworked, and I just can't seem to do it.
Well, you will when the time is right.
Where have you two been? - Keeping the county cops in line.
- What? - I had business to take care of.
- Business? - Have you found Arthur Ballantyne? - Not exactly.
Mrs Ballantyne died of a heart attack.
The ME wants to release the body.
- It wasn't a homicide? - This can hardly be called police work.
I want the husband brought in for psychiatric evaluation.
- Close the case.
Capisce? - Got it.
Your job is to keep me from being aggravated and I'm aggravated.
- Yes, sir.
- Where the hell were you? - It was a personal matter.
- Personal matter? You're pathetic, Bayliss.
You can't come with a better excuse than that? - I'm in love, sir.
- You're in love? Fall in love in your own time.
Hey, Dwight, Detective Lewis, Detective Bolander, homicide.
How did you find me? Well, Matt says he's got a friend named Dwight.
We ask around, and everybody points to you.
- How's Matt, man? He all right? - He's in a lot of trouble.
Man, he didn't do it.
- He didn't, huh? - Nah.
Matt ain't all there, man.
I been watching out for him.
It's like I'm his big brother, only we ain't related.
An eye witness saw him shoot a man.
You say he didn't? He didn't know what he was doing.
He does what people tell him.
He lives in his own little dream world, man.
He goes off on his beat-up old bicycle, hours at a time, just exploring.
Dwight, if you are like his brother, then you need to talk to us.
That is the only way to help your friend.
Excuse me? What's this? A ham sandwich? Oh, officer's model 45 calibre.
Where did you get the gun? Who gave Matt the gun? - Same guy who told him to kill that man.
- Who told him? Look, son, your boy is gonna do state time for this.
There's no reason for him to take the rap alone.
Wipe that look off your face! - Mr Ballantyne? - Yeah.
I'm Detective Bayliss, and this is Detective Pembleton.
Why did those two policemen stop me? I was just looking at the seals.
Sadie loved the seals.
We'd like to talk to you about your wife.
Where is she? I went home and she was gone.
Mr Ballantyne, your wife is in the morgue.
Oh, I knew I shouldn't have left her alone.
Would you like a particular funeral home? - If not, we can give you some names.
- I'd like to take her home.
Well, taking her home is not an option.
Burial or cremation, those are your options.
Why didn't you notify anyone when your wife passed away? - It was too soon.
- Too soon? To let her go.
We'd been married 51 years.
Till death do you part.
Those are the vows.
You die, you part.
I worked for Baltimore Asphalt Paving my whole life.
I never had much going for me, but what I had was my Sadie.
I knew at the end of every day, there she'd be, waiting for me to come home.
So, when she died, you left her in the living room? If I had to go out, I'd turn on the set for company.
Well, I have one question.
What's that? How could you stand the smell? You get used to it.
Did I do something to you? Is that why you're trying to ruin my life? I am innocent.
You broke Meldrick's heart.
I'd like you to apologise.
I tried, he called me a disloyal son of a bitch.
So you're willing to sink our entire enterprise? Forfeit our hopes and dreams? Lose our down payment? I just followed my own heart.
Emma made herself clear to him.
She feels nothing, zip, zero! That's not my fault.
But I tell you something.
You go to Meldrick and tell him he doesn't have to worry about being partners with me in the bar.
I'm out, OK? O-U-T.
That's not how I wanted this to go.
Hey, Bayliss! Jerome Sinclair? Yes.
Detective Lewis, Detective Bolander, homicide.
We'd like to talk to you about Matt Cameron.
Matt Cameron? - The name rings no bells.
- He knows you.
Gentlemen, the next time you need a haircut, you owe it to yourselves to get a trim from Benedict.
He's one of Baltimore's finest barbers.
Old school.
Last of a dying breed.
Mr Cameron has been arrested for the murder of Sam Thorne.
You may know him.
He ran a small community newspaper.
Did you show Matt how to pull the trigger? I did nothing illegal.
You set this murder in motion, Mr Sinclair.
In Maryland, that's like pulling the trigger.
- We can work something out.
- I don't think so.
I had nothing against this journalist.
I'm just a businessman, a facilitator.
Who were you facilitating for? Some acquaintances of mine from Columbia.
Who exactly in Columbia? Let me call my lawyer.
I'll get back to you.
You can call you lawyer from downtown.
Benedict's not finished.
I'm uneven.
I can't go downtown uneven.
I'll loan you a hat.
I thought everything was gonna be OK.
- Do you know where she went? - I have no idea.
I talked to her brother, her mother.
Either they don't know or they're not telling me.
Take some time off, Beau.
To do what? Sit by the phone and hope that she calls? She'll call.
She won't be able to go far.
Not with three kids.
You know why she jumped through fire to get me to come home? She wanted to get in the last word.
She probably left to save herself.
Her sanity.
Her dignity.
I don't know.
Megan, I only went back to her for the kids.
I missed you so much.
Beau, I I don't keep fires burning for anyone.
I don't have that kind of energy.
I've got nowhere else to turn, Megan.
I'm really sorry for what you're going through.
I really wish I could help.
I'm exactly the wrong person.
I gotta go.
- Why did you do that? - Do what? Go see Andy? Oh.
I just wanted to talk to him.
- You wanted to threaten him.
- Just trying to help out, Emma.
If I need your help, I'll ask.
Otherwise, don't get involved! Wait! I thought I was involved in your life.
We shouldn't see each other any more.
- Emma, come on.
You don't mean that.
- Yeah, I do.
OK, look.
I'm sorry.
If there was something that I did, I apologise.
If you wanna be with me, deal with me.
Don't fight with my friends.
If you wanna fight, fight with me! - I don't wanna fight! - That's what I mean! What? If you don't wanna fight, I can't be with you.
I can't be with you.
I don't want this relationship.
Hey, come on! Don't walk Emma! I'm Lieutenant Giardello.
Mind if I sit down? I don't mind.
You gonna ask me questions like they did? - Sam Thorne was a friend of mine.
- Oh.
Why did you do it? Why did you kill my friend? They paid me $500.
- So you did it for the money? - Yeah.
What were you going to do with it? - Were you going to buy something? - Yeah.
What? A man's life is worth $500 for what? A boom box? A gold chain? Savings bonds? What? - A bike.
- A bike? - Yes, sir.
- A motorcycle.
No.
A bike.
A regular bike with pedals? A bicycle? A stumpjumper.
All Shimano XT components.
Shift on the fly gears.
21 speeds.
Best mountain bike there is.
There are no mountains in Baltimore.
That's 10.
78.
$10.
78? $10.
78.
That's ten.
That's 25.
I think I got another quarter here.
OK, that's a quarter.
A couple of dimes.
A couple of pennies.
That's $10.
67.
You're 11 cents short.
I'm good for it.
I shop here all the time.
I do.
I shop here all the time.
That's 11 more cents.
Where's that other guy who works here? He knows me.
What's his name again? Look, he is gonna tell you, I'm good for this.
I'll bring in the 11 cents.
I'll bring it down personally.
It's $10.
78.
I already rang it up.
I'm asking you to reach into the recesses of your heart, and please, please, show a fellow human being, who is in need of a beer and some cookies, a little courtesy, compassion.
I got to void the sale.
You got to void the sale.
I'm appealing to your sense of decency, OK? I am begging you to show a little mercy, OK? That quality that enabled man to rise up out of the primordial ooze and walk erect! Humanity! I got to void the sale.
You got to void the sale? Is that right, huh? Yes, that's right.
OK! Do you still have to void the sale, huh? No! OK.
Now, I would like a bag, please.
Paper, not plastic, please.
And some of that gum.
The sugar-free, right.
That's good.
Step out of the car, sir.
Keep your hands visible at all times.
Listen, I'm a police officer.
Detective Bayliss, homicide.
- Got some ID, officer? - Yeah, I do.
I'm gonna get my shield, OK? Sorry, Detective, but we're responding to a call regarding an armed robbery.
Description of the gunman's car matches your vehicle.
- I know it does.
- That's him.
- I can explain.
- That's the guy.
He held a gun on me.
Are you gonna arrest him or what? You're free to go.
- Sorry to take so much of your time.
- It happens sometimes.
Officers in a hurry, clerk sees the gun, calls the cops.
- That's what he said he saw, the gun? - You're ready to go right? You don't trust me to drive my car? No, I don't.
You might get tailgated and wind up shooting at a school bus.
I'll get the beer.
What's wrong? - You heading out? - I gotta find a place to stay.
I don't wanna go to an empty house.
You're welcome to sleep on my couch.
I'm done living with women for a while.
Meldrick, what's this I hear? We're not going after the creep who hired Matt to shoot Sam? Sinclair's lawyer made whoopee with the DEA.
They're building a case against the Cali Cartel, so they offered him a deal to testify.
That dumb kid goes up for life.
The guy that put him up to it gets a few years.
The big honcho in Colombia buys a new helicopter.
Maybe Sinclair's testimony will help us get an indictment.
- We'll see.
- Drink? - Good night, Lieutenant.
- Good night, Naomi.
Good night.
Knock, knock.
You working late on a case? No, I was just heading home, but I said to myself, "Lieutenant Russert, now there's a woman.
"A person with a head on her shoulders.
" Thanks.
I said to myself, "There is a person who knows the subtleties of a good investment.
" - May I? - Oh, sure.
Thank you.
Because I figured you are the kind of person who has money saved.
Frank, do you want me to say thank you? Yeah, I do.
I showed that guy my gun.
- I put it in his face.
- I don't wanna know.
What did you say to him? I told him you were a cop and you didn't steal anything.
That you wouldn't do it again and you didn't mean it.
Is that it? I offered him protection against those who'd genuinely seek to rob him.
A security guard.
Three nights a week.
Free of charge.
- That would be me? - Yeah, that would be you.
- Have you ever been in love, Frank? - What? - Have you ever been in love? - Yeah, I've been in love.
I am in love.
Yeah, well, you're married.
You could say you're in love every day.
Most days I am.
You and your wife, do you think it was meant to be? What? You know, like Sadie and Arthur Ballantyne.
Do you think that there is one perfect person for each of us? I mean, what if your one true love was an Eskimo, and you lived in Des Moines and you had spent your whole life looking and looking and looking, and then you never met her? Or that you did meet her and she married another Eskimo? There are nice girls there.
I know that, but in your heart, Frank, you'd want the Eskimo.
Finding love is like solving the perfect crime.
You look at all the evidence, talk to every witness, follow up every lead, but more often than not what wins in the end is pure luck, and you, my friend, are just not lucky.
You owe me 11 cents.
All this could have been mine.
This beer tap, mine.
The speed ramp, mine.
This bar rag, mine.
Wanna know the cause of my downfall, my Waterloo, my Watergate, my white water? Lust.
Pure unadulterated lust.
Lust is usually the cause of your downfall, Munch.
- Only this time I didn't even get any.
- How about other investors? - Please! - Russert said no? Russert said a lot of things, but she's not the prim and proper lady she would have us believe.
No one else wants to invest? I called both my ex-wives.
I called Stan's ex.
- What? - She sends her best.
What if Bayliss went to Meldrick and apologised? I asked him to and Bayliss said N-O.
How are you ever gonna get those two guys to be friends again? By doing the only honourable thing.
Lying.
- What's up, fellas? - Hey.
Hi, Meldrick.
Thanks for coming, man, I appreciate it.
I wanna talk to you.
Sit down.
Good to have you home, Beau.
You gonna drink that or what? I'm pacing myself.
I'll be here for a while.
Then Tim said, "Meldrick Lewis is the finest human being "I've ever had the thrill of knowing.
" That's the word he used - thrill.
Then he told me about the time you and him were on an all-night stakeout and you told each other your life stories.
He cares about you.
He's upset about this whole thing.
Am I putting on weight? Anybody home? Hi, Al.
I'm having a hell of a time with this.
- Writing an ad to sell the place? - No.
My father's obituary.
Oh.
I brought you your dad's things.
Thank you.
- He loved this hat.
- It's a good hat.
It's a vivid hat.
This is where it belongs.
When I was a little, I'd come visit my father, and sometimes I couldn't see through the people working, but if I could see the hat hanging, I'd know he was nearby.
He did a lot of good.
Helped a lot of people.
A man who wants to save the world sometimes forgets about his own home.
You didn't do that, did you? You were there for Cherise and the other kids.
Hmm.
Not always.
I had this big booming voice echoing off the walls, even after I left.
It gave the illusion I was around.
My wife raised our children while I was off chasing bad guys, chasing dreams.
I only wish she'd lived long enough to see what a good job she did.
Sam had that.
He was very proud of you, even if he didn't say it every day.
Hello, Cherise.
Sweetheart, it's Dad.
Oh, no.
Nothing's wrong.
I thought I'd just call you and say hello.