Homicide: Life on the Street s04e12 Episode Script

For God and Country

Do not move.
Place your hands on the steering wheel.
Do not move.
- Step out of the car.
- I am SO sorry.
- It was an accident.
- Hands up, please.
Keep your hands up! She's drivin' like a crazy woman! Come out of the car! Unhook your seatbelt.
You will have to assist me.
Going down, Detective? Yes.
Thank you.
- What's in the box? - My dowry.
Had to clear your things out of the office, make way for your replacement? What floor, Detective? Were you given a choice? Arson? Vice? Back to Narcotics.
Sex crimes are always fun.
I can see about placing you in Missing Persons.
- We never filled my old position.
- Second floor, Gaffney.
Homicide.
I was in Homicide once.
I remember.
- Want me to carry that? - Nope.
- It's not too much for you to handle? - I'm sure.
Sometimes people take on more than they can carry - authority, responsibility.
They get by for a while, but sooner or later they drop the box.
Or the ball.
Like lettin' the sniper kill nine people before he gets caught.
Or lettin' him shoot himself while he's being arrested.
- Excuse me.
- Where were you then? - Get off my floor, Gaffney! - I'm a Lieutenant now.
We're equals.
- You cannot order me anywhere.
- Off! So long, Detective.
Welcome to the rank and file, Megan.
You OK? First day of school, bound to be a bully.
Where should I put my stuff? Just leave it in my office for now.
When I get back we'll find you a desk.
- Goin' somewhere? - Barnfather, upstairs.
Lucky me - Lewis, Kellerman, up for a road trip? - It depends where to.
- Hazelton, Pennsylvania.
- What's in Hazelton? - Who.
Rose Halligan.
- My Rose Halligan? How many Rose Halligans have husbands just bludgeoned to death? We searched the bowels of Baltimore for her.
In Hazelton she drove herself into a fire hydrant.
Go and get Mrs Halligan, escort her back for questioning.
- Can you handle that? - Pick up a woman and bring her home? That's an average date for "The Kellermeister".
I'd go myself, but I gotta back Gee.
Are you the primary? - Yeah, I'm the primary.
- Good.
- Howard has no sense of humour.
- She takes herself seriously.
- That's the worst type of person.
- What road are we on? In this job, you gotta be able to howl at yourself, or you die inside.
- L-83 goes right through Harrisburg.
- Yeah, so what? - The Enchanted Forest.
- Excuse me? I went there every year with my dad when I was a kid.
They got Jack's Beanstalk, the Three Little Bears.
- Three Little Bears? - You have to see this place.
It's Wednesday afternoon.
We're on a work-related mission for the careful retrieval of a violent criminal, and you want to see the Three Bears.
- The coolest thing is Neptune's Castle.
- How old are you? They have this 1,000-lb swordfish.
It was caught by King Neptune himself.
Right, take Exit 12.
Please! - No! - Why not? You may be the primary, OK, but I guarantee if anythin' screws up, if we're even five minutes late, it's my ass Howard will reel in, hook, line and sinker.
I never should have let you drive.
- Gee still upstairs? - Oh, yeah.
Looks that way.
Been gone for over an hour.
Is that a good sign or a bad sign? - I think that's good.
- Me, too.
- So, Gee's got the job? - Gee's got what job? Oh, the, er You know.
Oh.
He went on the interview and he's been upstairs awhile.
I just hope he gets down here soon to assign me a desk.
Megan, we all know you've been shafted.
Tim, don't worry about it, OK? Seriously.
Getting demoted is the best thing for me.
I have a life now and I don't have to take any more crap from you guys.
OK, here's a frightening thought.
OK, Gee goes upstairs - Yes? - That leaves his current position open.
- Yes.
- Right.
So, it is up for grabs.
- Kay's a sergeant.
She's next in line.
- No thanks.
- I vote for anarchy.
- Maybe I'll fill the position.
Lieutenant Tim Bayliss.
Kinda has a ring to it.
What makes you think it'll be one of us? They'll bring somebody in from outside.
You know the bosses.
How's that ring your bell, Tim? I was just kiddin'.
Brodie, where is the damn - Hey! What's the ruckus? - You seen Brodie? - No.
Hey! - Look.
More videos than Blockbuster! - Which one do you want? - The Krieg trial.
That attorney that killed his partner? After a year of pilfering funds to support his junk habit, yes.
- She found out, he killed her.
- I'll help you look.
It's in one of these blue boxes! Danvers is coming to help me rehearse.
- I go on the stand this afternoon! - All right, calm down.
Brodie, he doesn't like me.
You ask for somethin', you get it.
Pembleton speaks, he quakes.
But not for Munch, no.
Probably hid it.
Ever wonder what JH stands for? I'll tell you what JH stands for.
- Is that it? - You're a goddess.
Thank you, Kay.
Whoa! Munch, turn that off.
That's disgusting.
Munch, please, huh? Munch! OK, I'm leaving.
Kay, if you see Brodie, tell him I need that tape, please.
Thanks.
Here we are, beautiful downtown Hazelton.
Police HQ the size of a Gulf station.
It's proportional to the crime rate.
Nothing happens here.
Our runaway widow is probably the biggest thing to hit town this century.
- Hello.
- You the guys for Rose Halligan? - That's correct.
Detective Lewis - You can't have her.
- What? - Regulations stipulate a policewoman.
- Meet Detective Michelle Kellerman.
- Hi.
- You're not a woman.
- I used to be.
You ain't got but four real sports.
Like four basic food groups.
You got football, basketball, baseball and hockey.
That's it.
One, two, three, four.
Fishin' don't count, badminton don't count, volleyball.
Ice fishing, skiing, golf.
That's what you call hobbies, recreational activities.
- Fishing isn't a hobby! - It ain't a sport, either.
You OK back there? - Is the breeze too strong? - She's lucky it ain't a paddy wagon.
I can close the window.
She's happy as a clam.
Ain't you? - Is it OK if I talk? - Sure.
The more the merrier.
- In Hazelton they told me to zip it.
- They don't appreciate language.
Talk all you want.
Arthur wouldn't agree with either of you.
- Arthur? - My husband.
The dearly departed.
No point in me asking whether or not you killed him? - No.
- No, I didn't think so.
Arthur says there's only one sport worth watching - golf.
Golf! I agree with Lewis.
Golf is definitely not a sport.
It is to Arthur.
Was to Arthur.
That's one of the things we started fighting about.
Weekends - if there was golf, he watched.
Didn't matter what player.
That was fine with me, except on Sundays.
I like to listen to operas.
Sing along with my records.
Arthur always said I sang too loud.
I listened when his golf was on.
Arthur told me to keep it down.
That one Sunday, I said no.
"No, no, I won't.
" Arthur raised the volume, so I turned the phonograph up and sang louder! He upped the volume again and I sang Higher! Higher! On and on we went until the neighbours came knocking.
Mrs Kateb next door called the police, said we were causing a disturbance.
I got so mad.
I broke my "La Sonnambula".
I picked up the pieces and buried them in the backyard.
I loved that record so much.
I am in no mood to get lost that next day, but I did, which is not like me at all.
Night, actually.
Monday nights I teach the Purdy sisters.
They live in Eldersburg.
They had a beautiful piano and beautiful voices to match, just like little angels.
Takes me Worth it just to hear them sing.
My own car's in the shop, so I had to borrow Arthur's Buick.
He doesn't like to loan me his car.
He always said you couldn't drive? - How did you know that? - Your little mishap in Hazelton.
- Really? - Nothing to be embarrassed about.
- You'll be better than Detective Lewis.
- Is there a Wiley's coming up? Their tuna melt is out of this world.
If there's one thing I will miss while I'm away, it's that Wiley's tuna melt.
- There's one in Timonium.
- Could we stop? No.
We gotta rendezvous with Sergeant Howard.
Sergeant Howard.
Anyway, I borrow Arthur's Buick, I'm on my way and I get lost.
And I never get lost.
I have a good sense of direction.
Can't steer too well, but I know where I'm going.
This time, though, it's raining.
It's dark.
I lose my bearings, turn off the beltway too soon, I suspect.
Now it's 730.
I'm lost and late and I promise you I am never late.
I have been late maybe twice in my life.
It's my policy.
I think you can tell a lot about a person by how prompt they are.
Early is best.
Late is downright rude.
- Especially if you get paid by the hour.
- Ma'am? Ma'am! Yes? I don't mean to be rude, but could you give it a rest? Excuse me.
My partner gets headaches, migraines.
They make him a little snappy.
- I'm talking too much.
- Yes.
That's what the police said.
Arthur, too.
- Entering Harrisburg.
Hmm.
- Don't even think about it.
Arthur always said I talked too much.
Why not? We're way ahead of schedule.
Arthur said I was a chatterbox.
What about Mrs Halligan? We got a wanted felon in our midst.
- Where's she gonna go? Right, Rose? - I would like to use the toilet.
All those in favour of stopping.
That settles it.
How would you describe security at the parking garage? Tight.
Only employees of the law firm had access.
And how do they get into the garage? Can you describe the system? Employees have computerised parking passes, small white cards.
They hold them in front of a monitor.
- Is this one of those passes? - It is.
Do you recognise this pass, the keychain attached? I do.
It was at the crime scene.
Lying behind the left rear wheel of Marech's Mercedes.
We believe the assailant dropped it.
And does this card correspond to a particular parking spot? - Space number 103.
- Who parks in 103? - The defendant, Samuel Krieg.
- Where exactly is this parking space? One floor down from the crime scene.
- Nowhere near where you found it? - No.
Technicians at the lab found one set of fingerprints on this card.
Correct? - Yes.
- And whose prints were they? The defendant, Mr Krieg.
- How'd I do? - Excellent.
You might want to take your glasses off.
Jurors like to see eyes.
Other than that, don't change a thing.
We'll show Brodie's videotape of the crime scene to back up your testimony.
- Fun putting other lawyers in jail, huh? - See you at the trial, Munch.
- Detective Munch? - What's the matter? - Something's amiss? - No, it's about the tape you need.
- You lost it? - No.
- I told you to keep it safe.
- The tape is right here.
All I'm saying is we need to discuss it.
OK, discuss.
Alone.
Alone.
You got me so jacked, I wanted to make sure everything was there.
- And? - What's wrong with this picture? - Shaky camera work? - I wish.
- It looks fine to me.
- Look behind the back wheel.
Closer.
- Where's the parking pass? - It's not there.
Of course it is.
I saw it! Rewind.
This is all I've got.
It's not there.
It was right here! Right here! The first thing I noticed at the scene! Did it disappear? I got there after you by about ten minutes.
Remember Officer Thorn? - The rookie with the big ears? - I saw this and went to talk to him.
Turns out he took the pass.
- Took it? - Put it in a baggie for safekeeping.
- That was before I even got there.
- All right, all right.
Lose the tape.
- What? - Lose it.
Erase it.
Melt it down.
It never existed, OK? We show that, the defence will say it was never there.
But what about all the other evidence? The paper trail, fingerprints They'll claim we planted the pass, tampered with evidence.
They'll claim improper procedure.
You know what that means? Juries don't trust cops.
Krieg will walk.
- I gotta tell Danvers.
- We gotta show it.
- Show what? - My tape! - We don't have any tape.
- Munch I can't believe it.
What happened? - The swordfish is gone, Mr King? - Stolen.
About seven years back.
- Somebody stole the swordfish? - Yeah.
How do you walk off with a 1000 lb fish? You got me.
I'll never be able to replace her, either.
They don't grow that size any more.
- This is so awkward.
Don't listen now.
- I won't.
- I know you're listening, Detective.
- I'll turn the tap on, all right? - Is that better? - What? I said I can't hear a thing! Aah! Weren't you in that movie "Splash"? - That's a nice tail.
How do you pee? - Aah! - What? - This is the woman's bathroom! - No, no, I'm a - Aah! - What's the matter?! - I'm a cop! I'm a cop! A Baltimore detective.
- Hey, I'm a police officer! - Hey, what's goin' on? - He attacked me! - Attack?! That's crazy talk.
- Who are you to flash my mermaid? - It's OK, Your Highness.
He's with me.
- What did you do to her? - Nothing.
I'm waiting for Rose.
- Where is she? Rose? - Oh, my God Where is she? - She was right in here.
- Well, she's not here now! - This is all your fault! - You were to watch her! I had a bad feelin' about this.
Now Howard's gonna have my ass.
- You check the gingerbread house! - Meldrick! - This is ridiculous! - Meldrick! - What? - Come here! - Ready? - Yeah.
Ssh! Ssh! Surprise! Gee! Gee! Gee! They haven't said anything.
Sit! Sit, sit, sit.
- Kay.
- Thank you.
- I'd like to make a toast.
- Hey-hey! Tim, would you mind if I, er? - Yes, Megan? - I'm sorry.
Al Well, I I wish we had champagne, but coffee, as usual, has got to do.
To our beloved Lieutenant Al Giardello.
Who, as of tomorrow, will be Lieutenant no longer.
- Megan - Come on now, Al.
I have had the unique privilege of working above Al, below Al, and alongside Al! So I think I'm qualified to say anything I damn well please about Al.
But I will say only this, that from the moment we met he has been an inspiration.
With his grace, his insight, his certitude and presence, he is, in the true sense of the word, a leader.
- So true! Very, very true! - Very true.
In a dangerous job in a dangerous city, and a sometimes dangerous department, you have made us all feel a little safer.
We will be honoured to have you as our captain.
- Hear, hear! - Excellent! And Al, I hope you're as miserable up there as I was.
Hear, hear! Speech, speech, speech, speech! They haven't made a decision.
- Speech, speech, speech! - The votes are not in yet.
- Phooey! - Let's hold the congratulations.
But it don't mean we can't cut the cake.
Either of you boys married? I thought we had an agreement.
No talking.
I'm asking a question.
There's a difference.
So, are you married, Detective Lewis? No, ma'am.
As my faithful sidekick, Tonto here, will confirm, I'm not the marrying type.
Maybe you haven't met the right young lady.
Detective? Me? No, I'm not married.
- Not even engaged? Are you engaged? - He's divorced.
- At your young age, that's a shame.
- Yes, it is.
May I ask why you separated? - Ask away.
- So now she can talk? She's askin' a question.
That's different.
A lot of us wanna know the answer.
His ex-wife is a terrific woman.
A terrific woman.
- Yes, I know.
- She was somethin' else.
- You weren't unfaithful, were you? - No, ma'am.
- Not once? - No.
Never.
Was she unfaithful to you? Look, you know, it's complicated.
I'd rather not go into it.
Rain's coming down solid on the windshield.
I can't see a thing.
I pull over to the side and the traffic is speeding by.
Now I can't find the road map.
I look in the glove compartment.
All I see is the registration, Wrigley's gum, a ballpoint pen, Arthur's sunglasses.
I'm wishin' he was with me.
He could say what he did with the map, or tell me how to get there.
Rose, that is not a question.
That is the Gettysburg Address.
I look in the side pockets, under the seat.
I turn myself around, and reach under the back of the seat.
And that's when I find it.
- What, the map? - The hat.
Gertie's hat.
She'd just bought it that September at Hippodrome Hatters.
And there it is in the back of Arthur's Buick.
I'd been ignoring the signs for weeks, months.
Arthur putting on his best polo shirt whenever we went over to Gertie's.
Gertie bringing over Hausener's cream pie night after night.
They wouldn't.
I thought they, they couldn't.
My husband and my best friend? But they did.
That hat proved it.
So suddenly I'm not lost any more.
I know exactly where I'm going.
I turn the car around and head back into Baltimore.
And my blood is boiling hot.
I can't think logical any longer.
That's how angry I am.
And when I get there, to Gertie's, I find them.
Together.
Of course.
Now I'm I'm sadder than I am angry.
The only person I'm mad at is myself.
I forgave Arthur.
I even forgave Gertie.
I pray to the Lord above to forgive me.
I killed the one person I love most in this world.
Rose, are you confessing? - You're not gonna sit there? - As soon as I get rid of this junk, yeah.
Did Gee say you could sit there? - He did.
Is that a problem? - Don't get comfy.
Stanley's comin' back.
Fine.
OK.
But the next time you talk to your former partner, tell him I said he's a big slob.
OK? Look at some of the junk in here.
- OK, so he's no Martha Stewart - Ladies and gentlemen, listen up.
I won't keep you long, but I thought you might like to know the name of your new captain.
Now the Commissioner and I feel confident about our choice and trust that you'll feel the same.
This is a person all of you know.
Many of you have worked with him closely, one-on-one.
I'm speaking, of course, of Roger Gaffney.
Gaffney? - Roger Gaffney.
- Ugh! - Roger Gaffney? - Luck of the Irish.
- Roger Gaffney's a moron! - Nothin' to do with luck.
- We all know it isn't merit.
- You booted him out of Homicide.
I bet he has pictures.
You know, photographs of an incriminating nature.
- Roger Gaffney? - Like what? Oh, Barnfather in bed with his mother.
- Roger Gaffney called me "boy"! - Hey, is Gee OK? Yeah, but he won't come out of his office.
Working for Roger Gaffney? I don't think I can take it.
- Gee deserved that job! - Anyone hear from Lewis or Kellerman? - No! - What's takin' 'em so long? - I thought they were in Pennsylvania.
- That's what I thought.
You were right about that, Rose.
That tuna melt was first-rate.
It's the last one I'll be havin' for a long while.
Thank you both.
- What about dessert? - I can't eat another thing.
Oh, come on, Rose.
A little rice pudding? We'll split it.
Anything else? Yeah, we'd like a rice pudding with extra cream, three spoons, and your phone number.
- Where is your ladies room? - Right there.
- Will you be accompanying me? - Not me.
It's his turn.
Look, Rose, just hurry back or we'll finish off all the pudding.
You're very kind.
She's a nice lady.
You know that? Nice lady.
In some Latin countries, she woulda got off.
- You gonna eat that? - No.
Not only would she get off, she would never even be charged.
What Rose did is considered a crime of passion.
It's entirely justified.
- Get outta here.
- No, it's true, man.
Say you fall in love.
If you're in love, you're allowed to cross the line.
Down there, an hombre comes home after a long day's trabajo, and he finds his chiquita, his amor, in another guy's gauchos, he has the right to take 'em both out.
Kill 'em both.
- Really? - Yeah.
Read the law, man.
Maybe I should move to Mexico.
- What? - Ann cheated on you, didn't she? Hey, rice pudding.
- Three spoons.
- Thank you very, very much.
- Too busy to say your name.
- Should we wait for Rose? - She's been in there a long time.
- They've more complicated equipment.
- I say we check on her.
- Fine.
I'm not goin'.
Why not? You're a girl, Michelle.
Excuse me.
Could you take a peek in the ladies room, and see what's keeping my Aunt Rose? Please? - OK.
- Thank you very much.
Just wait.
Nobody's in there.
It's empty.
'She escaped? ' - What do you mean? - We mean we are here and she ain't.
She jumped out of a moving vehicle, a middle-aged woman? - The car was parked.
- What? Where? - Wiley's Diner in Timonium.
- You stopped for dinner? Why? - Sarge, we were starving.
- And she had to go to the bathroom.
Then she went on out the back door.
You left her alone? What were we supposed to do? Watch? Did you look for her? How far could she have gotten? The cashier at the Shell station saw her jump into a southbound semi How the hell could you let this happen? You ain't got to holler at us.
We feel bad.
You want me to stop hollerin'? Show me Rose Halligan, I'll stop.
Hey, Gee, sorry about that promotion fiasco.
Gaffney is an ulcer.
- How did the Krieg trial go? - I made them laugh, made them cry.
Did you make them believe he killed her? Yeah, that, too.
Final arguments later today.
Danvers is convinced they'll rule for us.
The State's Attorney called.
The defence want the Brodie footage.
- They sent a subpoena.
- Brodie's machine ate the tape.
- Really? - It's unwatchable.
- That's not what Brodie said.
- Where is he? At the courthouse.
I had him run it over.
Oh, God! - Brodie! Brodie! Where's the tape? - I gave it to Krieg's defence lawyers.
- It's blank? - No.
- You didn't erase it? - No.
Realise what that means? - I'm doin' my job.
- No! This is not grad school.
- This has real consequences.
- I know.
- Samuel Krieg is guilty.
- I know.
- No question who did it.
- Then it can't hurt you.
It can and it will.
They'll throw the whole damn case out on a technicality! All I know is what's on the tape is what was there the moment I pressed "Record".
I didn't put anything down or pick anything up.
It's not my fault what Thorn did! He made a rookie mistake.
We could correct it.
- But that is against the law.
- So's murder! A guilty man will go free.
No one will pay for Marech's death.
And it'll all be on your head, Brodie.
How does that make you feel? You're askin' me to lie, and I won't.
Now is that a crime? Kiss my ass, you naive jerk! Go on! Get the hell outta here! Have you seen Rose in the last 12 hours? After her husband passed away, she left.
We have reason to believe she's back in Baltimore.
- You're someone she might contact.
- We reassigned her voice lessons.
I took over some of them myself, but I can't sing very well.
Do you know why we're looking for Rose? Her pupils have asked me where she went.
They really miss her.
If you see Rose or you hear from her, please call me.
Detective Rose called me about an hour ago.
She asked if she could stay at my place.
- Her own house reminded her of Arthur.
- She's stayin' with you? My husband and I read articles after Arthur's death.
- We know there's some speculation.
- So you said no? It's not that I believe she did it.
I don't.
We just didn't think it was the best idea.
- Do you know where she's stayin'? - If she'd nowhere to go, we'd agree - But? - She said it was OK.
- She would stay at Gertie Claymore's.
- Gertie Claymore's? Thanks.
Hi, Rose.
Good to see you again.
Gertie Claymore's house.
Is she home? Hello? Think I could bother her to use her phone? Call my sergeant, let her know we found you.
She was pretty upset.
Be right back.
- Why'd you run, Rose? - I had to bring Gertie back her hat.
Since you ran, we'll have to keep the cuffs on.
Hey, Kellerman Better take a look at this.
Psst.
- You just come from court? - Uh-huh.
- Did they reach a verdict? - Uh-huh.
- I brought you a little souvenir.
- You did? Yeah.
Add this to your collection.
- What is it? - See for yourself.
'Not guilty.
' Can I have your attention, please? Settle down! Quiet! Quiet.
Captain Gaffney has something to say.
OK.
I gotta busy first day ahead of me.
I worked six years in Homicide, so I know some of you individually.
We've collaborated, most recently on the White Glove murders.
More important, I know how all of you operate, the tricks, the shortcuts, the smokescreens, and from now on things will change.
For starters, paperwork.
There will be no more messy or incomplete paperwork, period.
No more filling out run sheets for your partners.
Case folders must be kept current, follow-up reports turned in on time, witness statements written down and put in for typing that same day.
When I ask to review your files, which you can be confident I will, I expect them to be neat, organised and up-to-date.
Next, there will be no more abuse of department funds.
Now by that I mean anything from decaf cappuccinos, to paying off unnecessary informants with exorbitant amounts.
No more two-hour lunches at Jimmy's, no more shopping for used cars on your way to or from a crime scene.
No more borrowing of department Cavaliers for personal excursions or over weekends.
Victim clothing and jewellery retrieved from the ME's must be brought directly to Evidence Control, not home to your wife.
Only person to do that was Gaffney.
I'm sorry.
Did you have something to add? - I do not.
- Good.
You bring me to my next point.
Some people in this room are proud of their theatrical antics in "The Box".
There will be no more coercion, manipulation or intimidation of suspects.
And last, but not least, no more misplacing of confessed murderers en route back to HQ.
I cannot tolerate that kind of sloppy police work, especially not in Homicide.
That's all.
Now, er, be careful out there.
- Quite a speech.
- Thank you.
Inspired, impassioned, hypnotic.
Even, dare I say it, zealous? Yeah, well, whatever.
It went straight to my stomach.
Excuse me.
Congratulations, Captain.
Ohh Hey! Hey! Go home, guys.
We blew the case, Howard.
Perfect opportunity for you to ream us.
Go home.
Two names up there instead of one.
One dead because we screwed up.
We all make mistakes, Meldrick.
It's the law of averages.
If I had been there, it never would have happened.
So go home, guys.
Sergeant's orders.
You see that? This is a trick.
It's a trick.
She's goin' in to the bosses.
We'll be walking the beat.
We're gonna be checking doorknobs.
- Annie's name could be up there.
- What you talkin' about? I came close.
She was screwin' around.
Screw? - Who with? The mailman? - No, some doctor she met.
She spent one too many late nights at the lab.
I guessed, she confessed.
If I had my gun on me right then, who knows? Damn.
Yeah.
That's the scary thing about being a cop.
You got this weapon on your hip.
If you think it, you can do it.
Like that.
If someone steals my parking space, I think about it.
But this time I felt it.
With my heart and my gut, and my arms and legs and hands.
You know, I felt this pressure, this urge.
- And then what? - It faded.
I need a drink.

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