Homicide: Life on the Street s07e01 Episode Script

Mr Faltisco? Mr Faltisco? Mr Faltisco? Life's an illusion.
Reality is an illusion.
Take this squad room, for instance, right after the big shoot-out.
Last May the bosses wanted to renovate it.
They reconfigured the whole place, so that those of us who watched three uniforms die put aside the horror of that moment and go about our jobs.
That was actually quite enlightened of the bosses, really, but it was futile, because this is the same squad room and our memories of that moment are as vivid as they ever were.
All of this is just It's an illusion.
Bayliss, this is your first day back on the job.
Do me a favour? Shut up.
What he means is, you got shot, you almost died.
- Pembleton's gone.
You're in flux.
- Flux? Even so, if Gee hears you babbling on about how his new squad room is a figment of our imaginations, he's going to send you for a psych exam.
Which you will not pass.
For now, Timmy, the best thing is say nothing.
Nothing is more real than nothing.
Homicide.
I needed a partner, that's all, John.
You don't want to partner with me, Tim.
I'm bad luck, I'm a curse.
Bolander, Russert, Kellerman I'm like a black hole.
You partner with me before you hand your badge in.
It's not permanent.
I'm not asking for long-term commitment.
I understand.
You were steady with Pembleton for six years.
He broke your heart and now you want a one-nighter.
- Yeah, something like that.
- Yeah.
You and me both know what it's like.
You develop a working relationship, you get into sync and then bam! They abandon you and you think you can't do without 'em.
- I can do the job without Frank.
- I'm not saying you can't.
After his stroke, I was on my own and I did fine, OK? End of story.
Gentlemen, meet various body parts of one Angelo Faltisco.
Oh.
I guess we can rule out household accident.
Are you sure that this is Faltisco? A downstairs neighbour ID'd that head.
Mm-hm.
So where's that neighbour now? Er, squad car.
Her name is Diane Panepento.
Er, what does she say about this guy? Fifties, divorced, owns a grocery store.
"If any man thinks that he slays, "or another man thinks that he is slain, "neither knows the ways of the truth.
" What's the matter with Bayliss? - He's talking a lot of mumbo jumbo.
- He almost died.
I almost died and I'm not quoting Hindu.
He's just trying to make sense of it.
Three cops were shot dead right there.
There's no sense in that.
Tell me something, the bosses spend umpteen thousand dollars rehabbing this old squad room, and we have the same board! How much could a new board have cost? $30? Ooh, 40 maybe? - It's almost dawn.
- You want a slice of pie, Rene? How can you eat piaaa this early? When the guys are hungry they eat anytime, any place, anything.
The ways of Homicide are strange indeed.
You'll get used to it.
- I'm going to Evidence Control.
- Okey-doke, partner.
You know she was Miss Anne Arundel County? Rene Sheppard was? She didn't win the big tiara and go to Atlanta City or nothing like that.
- She was voted Miss Congeniality.
- Well, sure.
She's very congenial.
- Angelo Faltisco? - Mm-hm.
Angelo Faltisco? We went to the same grade school.
Any idea why someone might have wanted to do this? I was never really friends with him, but my cousin Mario, they were close.
I'll give Mario a call.
I just saw him two days ago.
I bought some veal from him.
Nice guy, nice guy.
Hello, Mario, it's Al.
Give me a call when you come in.
It's important.
This is what I'm talking about.
See this memo from the bosses? Which one? We get three a day.
"In an effort to maintain the pristine condition of the renovated squad room, "all Homicide personnel are asked not to hang personal items on the wall, "family photos, sports paraphernalia and bumper stickers.
"Staff are also asked not to use thumb tacks or Scotch tape to affix" And I love that word "affix".
"any papers, schedules or menus on said walls.
" Let me see that.
How long do you think we're going to be able to maintain this pristine condition? - Not long.
- This place'll be a dump by Christmas.
It's pretty great cos my foot is pretty much healed.
The doctor says that I'm almost finished with physical therapy and I can start going out on cases and, you know, dancing.
That's great, Ballard.
Homicide.
Yeah.
Erm Hey, er Anybody want more piaaa? If not, I'm tossing it.
- Stivers, let's vamoose.
- What have we got? High-street high jinks.
- You should have asked him.
- Oh, shut up.
Ask who what? Police lodge party.
Ballard here wants to take Falsone.
- And? - She's afraid that he'll say no.
Er, it's a little bit more complicated than that, you know.
He's divorced, he has a kid.
Still has issues with his ex.
Even so, if you want something, you should step up and declare.
Would you care to go to the soiree with me? I thought you were married.
Separated.
Issue-free.
Chugging into the divorce station.
So what do you say, huh? You want to trip the light fantastic? OK.
Sure.
See how easy it is? - It's not that easy.
- You should just ask her.
- You don't think height's a problem? - Height? Ballard is 5'3.
Ballard? I'm talking about Rene.
Oh.
- She's, what, 5'8, 5'9? - Yeah.
And me on my best day, I'm 5'8.
Right! - What's the matter? - Nothing.
We're here.
What's with the water? You'll see.
Vic's name is Leo Grimaldi, Leo's son lives with him.
He was out all night.
Came home to find the old guy, bathtub overflowing.
Sweet Jesus! After my mom died in June, my dad came here to live with me.
It's a little cramped but we get by.
You were out till dawn? I got a girl.
Sometimes I stay over there.
Can we have her name and address? Olivia Burgess, 662 Calvert.
- Road? - Street.
- North? - South.
Why you got to bother her? To confirm your story.
You don't think I did this, do you? Killed my dad? - We need to check everything out.
- Did he have any enemies? Look, my father's never going to be canonised, but Enemies? Jeea, I don't know.
Falsone.
What's up? A few hours ago a few blocks away we had another male the same age.
Same slice 'n dice.
So what are you telling me? I think that these murders are connected.
Ask your guy if the victim knew Angelo Faltisco.
He did.
Now what's the story? Er, Grimaldi's son came home and found his old man lying in the tub, looking like chop suey.
- Joey's inside? - Yeah.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Oh.
I don't know.
The world today has gone craay.
I'm gonna go around the corner, talk to my cousin.
I'll see you both back at headquarters.
So Gee's father was Italian and his mother was black? Yeah.
- Must have been tough.
- What? Growing up half-breed, figuring out what your loyalties are.
- Gee's loyalties are to the Balto PD.
- I mean before that, John.
He wasn't always a cop.
Are you sure about that? Mario? It's Al.
Oh.
Oh, my God.
Faltisco, Grimaldi, Giardello.
All three murders happened last night.
The ME says the victims were stabbed and dismembered.
Murder weapon? We're looking for a kitchen knife and a hacksaw.
Any records for drug dealing? - Not that we know of.
- Do you think this is mob-connected? - There is no Mafia in Baltimore.
- Spoken like a trusty saint.
Ballard, Gharty, Lewis, Sheppard, canvas the neighbourhoods.
Munch, Stivers, Falsone and myself will question the victims' families.
You don't come and visit enough.
I know, Nonna.
Who? Who did this? We don't know yet.
We don't know.
Al, listen to me.
Find those bastards.
Who do you think might've killed your brother? Mario was the sweetest man on earth.
He was kind, generous.
Do you know that when Al's wife was dying, my brother was at that house every day, rain or snow, caring for her? He made sure her medical bills were covered by the insurance.
He went to his supervisor and he said, "We got to do this.
This is sangue di mio sangue.
" Blood of my blood.
You been canvassing the neighbourhood? - Oh, yeah.
- Anything? We talked to everybody from Pratt Street to Eastern Avenue.
Angelo, Leo and Mario were just your ordinary Joes.
You know, the occasional shouting match or bad bet aside, they should have lived long enough to collect social security.
Hm.
Say, Paul, are you gonna go to that lodge party? - Yeah.
- Maybe we could go together.
You know, truth is, Ballard, I'm hoping to have a date.
- A date? - Yeah.
If it doesn't work out, sure, I'll drive you over.
"I'll drive you over.
" Phew! My father and Angelo, they never had much time for us kids.
They'd say, "Go play in traffic.
" But Mario, he'd horse around with us.
He'd give us dimes, a sip of his beer.
Maybe it's cos he never had any boys of his own.
- Do you know Al's son Michael? - No.
Mario loved Mike.
He loved Al's daughters, too, don't get me wrong.
But he and Mike, they had a special kind of bond.
They were more like father and son than Al and Mike.
Really? Poor guy must be broken-hearted.
I wonder if he's coming from Ariaona for the funeral? I died, you know, after I got shot.
It's just You had a near-death experience? Oh, no, not near-death.
I er actually died.
You mean, going towards a bright light with your ancestors waving howdy? No.
It was more like more like I could feel all the I don't know, the different parts of me, the elements that make up my physical presence, water, air, earth.
I could feel them breaking apart, dissipating.
Yeah, becoming one with the greatest force of energy in the universe.
This Zen detective thing is starting to rub my rectum the wrong way.
Oh, I don't expect you to understand unless you understand.
That's exactly what I'm talking about.
It's like partnering a fortune cookie.
You know, interviewing Gee's relatives, you get to find out a lot more than you knew before.
Did you know that Gee, when he was seven years old, spoke two languages? - No.
Did you know he was prom king? - No.
That his son and he haven't talked since Gee's wife died? Yes, which should make the next few moments incredibly interesting.
- Why's that? - Here comes the son, Mike Giardello.
So what the hell happened? We don't know.
You don't know? Yet.
- How's Ariaona? - Hot, dry.
How's the FBI? Cold, wet.
Are you still seeing that girl? - Jodelle? - Yes.
- No.
- Oh.
- You don't have any leads? - We'll get the sons of bitches.
- Do you have any leads? - No.
- Nice car.
- I rented it at the airport.
I'd have picked you up.
- I figured you'd be busy.
- I could have sent somebody.
It's too bad neither of your sisters made it back here for the funeral.
Charisse is pregnant.
She can't fly.
- And Teresa didn't seem to care.
- No.
- Why didn't you call me? - Huh? To tell me about Mario? Why didn't you pick up the damned phone and dial my number? Well, Charisse said she wanted to.
Charisse said you asked her to.
- We'd better get back inside.
- Yeah.
- There is Miss Anne Arundel County.
- That was a long time ago.
What, are you ashamed? Ashamed? Last year I got assigned to the Fugitive squad.
The boys down there had a field day with my being a former beauty queen.
They assumed because I'd been in a pageant, I couldn't also be a detective.
I spent every single day trying to live that stigma down.
I thought you guys would be different.
- We are.
- Prove it.
Treat me like a regular cop.
- Treat you like a regular cop? - You know what I mean.
Yeah, only I never wanted to ask Munch or Gharty for a date.
- Lodge party? - Sorry, I'm with someone else.
- Who? - Meldrick.
Meldrick? Meldrick's married.
He's separated, almost divorced.
- Is that what he told you? - Yes.
OK, then that's the story.
What? If Meldrick told you he and Barbara have split, fine.
I would never contradict Meldrick.
Go with him.
Have a blast.
Are you saying that he's lying to me? - No, he's not lying.
- Are you lying? - No.
- Falsone? - Hello, Naomi.
- Hey, there, stranger.
- Sorry about Mario.
- Oh, thanks.
Have you seen Detective Falsone around? - Yeah, that's me.
- Falsone, Michael Giardello.
- How are you doing? - Mike.
Sorry about your cousin.
That's what I came to see you about.
Any new leads? I wish.
- Anything I could do to help? - Help? Er, I'm a special agent with the FBI in Phoenix.
Oh.
I appreciate the offer but we're working the case pretty hard.
Of course.
It's just If I could look at the file, it might spark something that something that, because you didn't know Mario, may have slipped by.
Oh, yeah.
I got the case file right here.
Hey, Michael, sorry.
Forgive me.
I've been on Homicide a year now and I don't trust anybody.
- Why don't you ask your father? - You're right to be suspicious.
The truth is, I won't ask my father for the file.
Why not? I don't ask my father for anything, and I doubt if I did he'd say yes.
I can't give it to you.
I can't afford to piss the Lieutenant off.
Do you get along with your dad, Detective? Yeah.
He's dead so that cuts the arguments down to a minimum.
Did you get along with him when he was alive? Not all the time.
You got a kid, right? Yeah.
How did you know that? Do you want the same relationship with him that you had with your father? No.
Famiglia.
My cousin was as dear to me as my own mother.
I want justice to him.
Now, I can either work with you or on my own.
Thanks, Falsone.
Yeah.
Nonna, I went over the case file today.
The Homicide unit, they've got no answers.
I was wondering if there was anything that you can think of that might help us link these three deaths.
I cannot remember even yesterday.
Oh, no, not from yesterday.
It doesn't matter how many years ago.
- No.
- What? What? There is something.
I can see it in your face.
I swore I'd never tell a soul.
Nonna, this is me, Michele.
In 60 years of marriage, I never once broke a promise to Salvatore.
I'm not going to start now.
Even if it helps us catch Mario's killers? Ask your father.
- My father? - He knows the whole story.
Ask him to tell you about Carlo Roletta.
Ask him.
- Meldrick? - Yeah? I've changed my mind about the lodge party.
Ah, well, we could always go to a movie.
I've got the listings right here.
No, I want to go to the party, but not with you.
- Ouch.
- I don't mean it like that.
I just got out of a bad relationship, you're in the middle of a divorce.
We're partners.
I don't want to muddy up the waters any more.
OK? Yeah, absolutely.
Makes sense.
Let's keep our relationship professional.
Strictly professional.
You hear that? Huh? Did you hear that? - Have you considered prostitutes? - Why? Well, prostitutes are professional, right? That way you can keep the relationship professional and still get laid.
Has my father gone? Oh, hey.
Er, yeah, he went home to get some sleep.
- He's been going non-stop for days.
- Funeral's tomorrow.
Find anything? Just came in.
Roletta, Carlo, convicted 10 July 1973, racketeering and extortion, sentenced to 40 years.
Released after 25.
Guess when.
- This week? - Tuesday.
Bayliss, Stivers, this is Mike Giardello.
Nice to meet you.
Mike got a tip that our three murders were somehow tied to Carlo Roletta.
Carlo just sprung from Jessup.
What did the three victims have to do with Roletta? Evidently that's a dark family secret.
So you'd better find out.
- How do we do that? - Interrogate your boss.
Gee, can we talk to you for a minute? - Carlo Roletta.
- Of course.
Roletta was small-time from Chicago.
Came down here in '72 to try to take over the dock workers' union.
Go pick him up.
We can't figure out why he'd want to kill them.
It was a lifetime ago.
My cousin, Angelo and Leo were longshoremen.
When Roletta tried to move in, Mario blew the whistle.
I want you to go and bring the bastard in! - OK.
- Bring him in.
Wait a minute.
Where did you get this tip? Where did you get it? If you reveal the source, it'll dry up on you.
Listen, listen.
You get another tip, come and talk to me about it.
I don't want you to discuss this case with anybody.
Capisce? - Capisce.
- Go ahead.
Baltimore Police.
- Police.
Please open the door.
- Just a minute.
Yes? Can I help you? - We need to speak to Carlo Roletta.
- About what? - Is he here? - Yes.
Can we talk to him? Sure.
Come on in.
You can talk all you want.
He won't answer.
- Maybe he's faking.
- No, I spoke to his doctor.
Carlo suffered a cerebral haemorrhage.
He's brain dead.
- Maybe the doctor's lying.
- Shall we get a second opinion? How about we stand at the foot of his bed and go boo? Gee, I'm really sorry.
It doesn't seem that Roletta's the guy.
He's the guy all right, pure and simple.
This is a vendetta.
If he didn't do it, somebody in his family did.
- Get a warrant to search his house.
- We need probable cause.
Tell the judge, on the day of sentencing, Roletta swore that when he got out, he'd get even.
OK.
We'd better rock 'n' roll.
If he knows we're on to him, he's probably gotten rid of the weapon.
No use in hiding Come now, come now Can you not see? There's no place here What were you expecting? No room for both Just room for me So will you lay your arms down? Yes, I will call this home Detective Falsone.
Mike Giardello here.
Before you guys went to the Roletta house, his son Charlie left the place with a gym bag.
'I followed him to Poppleton Street 'where I watched him throw the bag down a sewer grate.
'Do you think you can get City Services over here? ' - If we notify the Lieutenant.
- Then notify him.
- He's gonna ask how I know.
- So tell him.
Since when do you give case files to outsiders? - He's your son.
- I don't give a damn! He's not a Baltimore police officer.
He's not involved in this investigation.
Look, Gee, I know you got a lot of crap you got to work out with Mike.
I just want to catch the killer.
Maybe if you two start spitting You watch your mouth or you'll wind up back in Auto Theft chasing hub caps.
- Yes, sir.
- Now get the hell out of my office.
Get me Public Works.
What you got here? - Where's your brother? - Why? Got a warrant for his arrest.
OK, go ahead.
We got the gym bag.
We got the hacksaw you used to chop up the bodies.
How much more do I need to fry your sorry ass, huh? Bayliss.
Huh? What more do we need? We just got the report back from the crime lab.
The fingerprints aren't Charlie's.
What? Whose are they? His sister's, Mary Lynn.
'We got the murder weapon with your fingerprints on it.
' 'You helped.
'Speak up.
Save yourself.
' 'Why are you lying to me? 'Why don't you tell the truth? Tell the truth about the bag.
'We have a witness who saw where you put the bag.
'How do you think we got that bag? 'This came out of it.
' Charlie's just a stupid punk with attitude and no brains.
His sister's a piece of work.
Her family moved here from Chicago when she was four.
After Carlo got busted, Mommy went loony, so they stayed here to be near Daddy.
Touching family sagas aside, gentlemen, we have no confessions.
If you ask me, we're not going to get 'em.
When it comes to silences, we Italians have the patent.
So our best guess is what? Roletta was waiting to get out of jail to go after the men who betrayed him.
He wanted to take care of them himself.
Only his brain fiaaled, so his daughter finished the job aided by the brother.
We have the murder weapons.
The lab said the blood on the knife and saw matched Faltisco and Grimaldi.
- Not Mario's? - No, sir.
We have a witness who saw Charlie toss the gym bag in the sewer.
My son Michael.
A relative of one of the deceased.
His credibility may be doubted by a jury.
He's an FBI agent.
In today's world that won't help his credibility either.
Since we only have Faltisco and Grimaldi's blood on the weapon, I say we try to convict on those murders alone.
That way, Michael's testimony won't seem so biased.
All right.
You understand, Al? Technically, Mario's murder will never be closed.
His name will be in red forever.
I understand.
Do you want to dance? No.
Do you want a drink? No.
I do.
I'll be right back.
Hey, Billie Lou.
- What are you doing here? - I'm John's date.
Oh, really? Yeah.
The more Billie Lou works for me, the more beguiling she becomes.
- Oh, really? - Are you with Flora? Who? - Your wife Flora? - Oh, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Have you seen the Lieutenant? - He's not gonna be here tonight.
Why not? Well, he usually hates these events in general, but with his cousin's death, he's gonna be with his family.
Hey, Bayliss, how does it feel being back on the job? Huh? Good, good, good.
You know, it's good.
Everything's different but the same.
People come, people go.
You live your life, then you die.
But I think that the trick is that you accept it all.
You just try to accept the whole package, good or bad, as a gift.
- A gift? - As a gift.
I'm still here, right? Hey! Hey, Terri.
Shall we dance? You want to? - Let's boogie, Bayliss.
- OK, guys.
See you.
He's in a flux.
Flux you.
Holy moley! They're doing this to torture us.
I know that.
I say we ignore them.
I say we frisk 'em.
I was no my way home.
I saw your light on.
- I was cleaning up.
- Need any help? No.
You know, Mario left you this place in his will.
- He did? - Mm.
He already paid off the mortgage.
It's all free and clear.
He and I built this wall.
What was it? Some 30 years ago.
I remember.
Hey, Michael, how could you? You were a little baby.
You know You did excellent police work in this case, Michael.
It wasn't police work so much as knowing about la famiglia.
It's all about family.
You know, I know you and your sisters have some resentment towards me.
You think I wasn't there for you and You were there, even though you weren't.
Mom always talked about you, said you were out doing important things.
I was.
What's more important than raising your children? What's more important than taking care of your dying wife? Catching bad guys? Becoming the first black lieutenant in an all-white department? Look.
I got to finish cleaning up.
I want to tell you something about Mario.
I know all about Mario.
Mario, Angelo and Leo helped Roletta get into the dock workers' union.
They knew he was dirty.
When he offered them money, power, they jumped at the chance.
Things got hairy and Mario wanted out.
So he came to you and confessed his involvement.
You made arrangements so they could testify against Roletta and stay free.
- How long have you known that? - Only since yesterday.
By trying to help Mario, I thought I was doing a good thing.
Funny how after 25 years I can see a good thing turn bad.
If it wasn't for me, he and the others wouldn't be dead.
I always thought Mario was such an innocent.
I guess no matter what you think about a person, no matter how you feel about them, there's always another side, another story.
For whatever pain that I caused you and your sisters, I am sorry.
But I want you to know I thank God every day for your life.
I hate Ariaona.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's too hot, too dry.
Too Anglo-Saxon.
Really? I'm thinking about asking the Bureau for a little time off, maybe a transfer.
Oh.
Yeah, so Mario left this place to me, huh? You know, I always felt at home here.
It could use a little work, though.
Well, I could help, you know help you fix it up and Yeah? Well, the first thing I want to do is take down this wall.
You're right, Michael.
Good night.
Good night.
The god of wine comes crashing through the headlights of a car That took you farther than you thought you'd ever want to go We can't get back again We can't get back again - Hey, Gee.
Need a little help on a case.
- We'll talk about it in my office.
A star sign out of whack A fraudulent aodiac And the god of wine is crouched down in my room You let me down, I said it Now I'm going down And you're not even around And I said no, no, no, no, no