Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) s01e21 Episode Script
Faith
In New York City's war on crime, the worst criminal offenders are pursued by the detectives of the Major Case Squad.
These are their stories.
Make a left up here at this light.
We're driving in circles.
You think that's going to fool me? You know how Erica feels about her privacy.
Why? You ever ask yourself that? I don't need to.
Now pull up to this driveway on the left.
Erica is just real upset about this, Doug.
I mean, think about it.
It's as big an insult as you can give another person.
If that's the way she feels, she can tell me to my face.
I deserve at least that much.
It's making her sick, on top of everything she has to deal with.
I just want to talk to her.
She agreed! You're going to talk to her.
She said she'd talk to you, didn't she? Then what's the problem? She wants you to sign something.
What kind of a game is this? You come here, you make all your demands.
You want to talk to her, you just sign that.
This is ridiculous! I'm out of here.
Are you threatening me? Please, we're only making things worse for Erica.
He's the one making the problems.
I came all the way out here to see her and now you're laying this crap on me? You bet I'm going to make problems! I'll talk to her.
Toby, you too.
Why are you being so difficult? Don't be a fool, Christine.
This whole house of cards is coming down.
I gave all of you your opportunity.
Douglas Get yourself a lawyer.
Erica is extremely disappointed in you, Doug.
Do I get to talk to her or not? Go home.
She just wants you to go home.
Maybe if I talk to her? Erica says we have to let him do whatever he needs to do.
You can't stop someone from walking into their own hell.
Hey, it's 5:00 something.
Let's go.
This guy, you should have heard him.
More rules than the NFL playbook.
I'm like, "Why do you have to make it so complicated, you fat moron?" Last time I checked, all the parts fit together.
You don't have to be so damn complicated.
" Oh, my God! Fire! Help! Help! There's somebody on fire here! Call 911! Law & Order CI The fire set off this can of butane in Mr.
Lafferty's coat pocket.
That accounted for the fireball.
The fire died down pretty quickly.
"Lucy Hotpants" there, thinks the guy died of spontaneous combustion.
Right after he's "spontaneously" hit in the head.
I count three impact wounds on the right side of his skull.
What started the fire? They put a match to his coat.
Fire marshal said it smelled like it was soaked with acetone.
- Nail polish remover.
- His wallet's missing.
We had ID'd him off his press badge in the glove box.
There's blood and scalp tissue on the tip.
The perp was seated here and rammed it into his head.
He wasn't murdered in this location.
This blood stain didn't spatter here when he was killed.
It most likely came when his head was resting against the door.
His body was moved into the passenger seat after he was killed.
The killer then drove him here, put him back behind the wheel set him on fire to destroy evidence he was killed elsewhere.
"Elsewhere," where? We start where he started.
There's a garagedoor opener on the end of his keychain.
Home Of Douglas Lafferty Friday, May 8 Looks like part of the umbrella.
Probably fell out of the car when the killer got out.
Makeup products.
I need a bag.
Nail polish, emery boards, manicure clippers everything but nail polish remover.
Looks like he was killed in the garage.
Somebody defragged his computer to wipe out files.
The family silver's all accounted for, including Mr.
Lafferty's gold watches and diamond cufflinks.
And Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Tet Offensive in 1968.
This guy was a war correspondent before he owned a magazine.
Tough old bird.
News magazines.
News magazines.
No hobbies, no special interests.
I spoke too soon.
It's a catalog for medical equipment.
Probably for his late wife.
She died last year.
He still keeps her things in the garage.
Tough, sentimental old bird.
Maybe not that sentimental his bank statements for the last three months.
He was withdrawing cash on a regular basis big chunks seven grand, 10 grand he found himself a high maintenance hobby.
six months to who? A bookie, a girlfriend? The guy was a lonely widower.
If he had a girlfriend, we couldn't find any trace of her.
His address book and appointment book are missing, his computer disc was wiped clean.
We're still waiting on his phone records.
You don't like the girlfriend angle? I'm open to anything.
Let's say the perpetrator was a woman.
She had excellent improvisational skills.
She created an incendiary device, she relocated the body to a high crime area.
For all the good it did her, she might as well have left him in the garage.
That's the point.
She overthought the event.
She was careful but almost neurotically anxious about hiding her tracks.
Lafferty might have been the target of her anger, but he wasn't the object of her passion.
She wasn't emotionally involved with him.
She was emotionally involved with his bank account.
Lafferty had two kids, right? A son and daughter.
They're coming in for the ID.
I invited him to join my wife and some friends for dinner, but he wanted to stay in.
Did you suspect he had other plans? Since Mom died, Dad's been a little difficult.
He's been grieving.
Ms.
Lafferty, any time you want to jump in.
It's obvious, isn't it? Look at where you found my father on 11th Avenue.
He turned into a sex addict.
She's right.
A couple of weeks ago, I was in Bulgari's, with my kids, shopping for Mother's Day.
Dad was at the jewelry counter.
Did you talk to him? Yes.
He wasn't too happy to see me.
As soon as the salesperson came back with his receipt, he left.
I thought he was buying jewelry for some girlfriend.
Did you see what he bought? No.
The salesperson told him to come back and pick it up in a week.
He was having it inscribed.
Bvlgari Monday, May 11 Mr.
Lafferty bought a lady's watch in gold.
Lucky lady.
He had some engraving done? It's on the next page.
"To Erica for giving me a reason to go on.
Douglas.
" So romantic, don't you think? You don't want to know what I think.
- Which model is it? - This one.
This watch has a clasp on the band.
It says on the receipt that Mr.
Lafferty switched it with an expansion band.
It's easier to take on and off.
He said that the lady might find a band with a clasp too difficult to use.
I think she had a little handicap with her right hand.
Thank you very much.
We're going to Queens.
The medical equipment catalog in Lafferty's den that's where they have their store.
Erica needs more.
We have to move.
Rethink this, Barb, please, for Erica's sake? We know what's best.
I don't know how we're going to make do with this.
Tell me where you're going.
I'll see what I can do.
I'll tell Erica.
I know you're trying to help.
She'll call you, okay? Medi-Equip Queens, New York Tuesday, May 12 We supplied Mr.
Lafferty with a wheelchair when his wife was sick.
Then three months ago he ordered another one.
It had to be motorized with a joystick control.
- A lefthanded joystick? - Yes.
The young lady had lost the use of her right hand.
He said she might eventually need a mouthcontrol stick.
Where were you supposed to deliver the wheelchair? To an Erica Windemere.
I don't have the address.
Mr.
Lafferty was going to tell me when he came in to make the last payment.
It's been ready now for three weeks.
This chair's for a child.
Mr.
Lafferty said she's The new love of his life a little girl in a wheelchair.
Wheelchair, respirator, heart monitor.
Over 30,000 total, just in medical supplies.
Who is this girl, a relative? His kids have never heard of her.
She's somebody he met in the last six months.
Maybe he's involved with her mother.
Goren: It's about what was inscribed on the watch.
His wife is dead, his kids don't like him.
Helping this girl filled a void in his life.
His phone records came in this morning.
No calls to anyone named Windemere, but a lot of calls to numbers that never showed up before six months ago.
Check them out.
I was blown away when I heard what happened to Doug.
He's just such a decent guy.
Where did you know him from? We had, you know, common interests.
You mean Erica? - You know Erica? - We're trying to get in touch with her.
Just leave a message for her on the web site"Erica W.
" There's a chat room and everything.
- That's how I met Doug.
- We need to actually talk to her.
I can't help you with that.
You're worried about Erica? So are we.
She's already been through a lot.
I mean, you read the book.
Yeah, sure the book.
My partner hasn't.
You should.
It's so right on.
He's been after me to get into it.
What's it called again? "Through The Darkness.
" What did you like most about it? She never gives up.
My sister died of breast cancer three years ago.
She left behind two kids.
Erica's book helps me to talk to them.
You've got to read it, okay? Green & Green Publishing House Thursday, May 14 Since it came out last fall, it's been one of our biggest sellers, which surprised me.
It was pretty raw when we got it.
Thank God for editors.
Christine? These detectives need some information about Erica Windemere.
Oh, one of my favorite authors.
How can I help you? We're investigating the murder of Douglas Lafferty.
Oh, yes.
In fact, Erica emailed me yesterday, telling me how upset she was about his death.
- They were good friends? - Yeah, she was very fond of him.
I just got the book.
- Oh, so she has ALS? - Yes.
"Lou Gehrig's Disease.
" That's degenerative.
"Your body is destroyed while your soul stays intact.
" That's what it says here on the cover.
That's the least of which she's had to face in her short life.
She could teach us a lot.
And we have a lot to learn.
We need her address and phone number.
You know she's just a bedridden little girl? Well, she might know something she doesn't even know she knows.
She sounds like the kind of person who'd want to help.
Yeah.
I don't have a phone number for her, but I can give you her email.
Is that how you worked on the book with her through her emails? Yes, and she calls me.
She can't give out her address or her phone.
The book explains why.
How about her book royalties? How do you get the checks to her? Her foster mother, Barb, comes to the office.
She doesn't live with her parents? No.
Child Welfare took her from them.
Is there a foster father? There's Toby, he's the physical therapist.
And she has you.
I'm sorry for all the secrecy.
It's just that's it's the only way to protect Erica's safety.
You really do need to read the book.
Okay, thanks.
Two days for the subpoena, a couple of more days for the email account information.
Probably another dead end.
This kid doesn't want to be found.
She writes she's been dodging death threats.
Her parents were members of a violent drug gang that sexually abused her.
Sexually abusing a kid with ALS.
Lovely.
No, before the ALS kicked in at age 11.
Her father is serving Her mother vowed to kill her if she ever finds her.
What are you writing? I'm sending her an email.
That's how everybody else gets her attention.
"Dear Erica, I've just finished reading your book.
I've met a lot of people in my line of work, but I've never met anyone with your courage and power to forgive.
" You get the idea? And then I tell her I want to talk to her about Lafferty and I include my phone number.
While you're waiting for an answer, let's see if Child Welfare knows where she is.
Child Welfare has no record of a girl with ALS going through their system in the last five years, no record of a girl being used as a sex toy by a dope gang, no record of foster parents named "Barb" and "Toby.
" But people have talked to this girl, right? The editor of the book? We found a few people through her web site who said they got calls from her.
They all described the same thing a sweet girl with a bad disease and a positive attitude.
Captain Deakins.
Erica Windemere for you.
You want to take it here? Hello, Erica? This is Detective Alexandra Eames.
- Hello, Detective.
- Call me Alex.
Am I on speakerphone, Alex? Yes.
I'm here with my boss, Captain Deakins and my partner, Detective Goren.
We're all anxious to speak with you.
Okay.
I was so glad you wrote me.
If there's any way I can help, of course I want to do that.
When was the last time you spoke with Mr.
Lafferty? We spoke all the time about his children.
He wanted to have a better relationship with them.
And he was such a big support to me.
Erica, is there any way that we could meet and talk to you in person? It depends on my health.
I've had so many bad days lately.
Alex, do you have any kids? No.
Your voice reminds me of my kindergarten teacher.
It's a very warm voice, like you spend a lot of time talking to kids.
I hope you have some someday.
Erica your book says you contracted ALS when you were just 11.
That's pretty rare, isn't it? Yes.
You still have the use of your right hand? - No, I don't.
- But you have the use of your left hand? Yes.
That kind of asymmetric disability is unusual for ALS sufferers, isn't it? I don't know what "usual" is.
What's happening to me is what's usual for me.
One more thing.
How has ALS affected your menstruation? You mean I don't want to embarrass you.
In your book, you're very frank about your development as a young woman.
If it makes you uncomfortable It's not that.
How has your condition affected you? Is this something that you have to think about? I can't believe I'm being attacked like this.
Alex, people can't destroy you unless you let them.
What did you people say to Erica? - Who's this? - This is her foster mother.
Erica's crying right now.
How could you people take five minutes of whatever precious time she has left on this planet to do this to her? Shame on you! If I hadn't heard it with my own ears Well, it was a legitimate question.
She was just trying to come up with the right answer.
The right answer is whatever's happening to her body.
She shouldn't have to think about it.
That's why Doug Lafferty never took delivery of the wheelchair she's a fake and he found out.
I remember my wife telling me about this book.
It made some talk show book club selection.
They called her "the next Anne Frank.
" Except Anne Frank actually existed.
No one's ever met this girl? Maybe someone has.
This is from the introduction by Professor David Cantler.
"Erica's easy smile hides a will of iron which refuses to succumb to the ravages of life.
" Her "easy smile" wouldn't be easy to see over the telephone.
Cantler the geneticist with the bestseller? Two bestsellers and four wives.
Apparently the professor likes the ladies and vicea versa.
You know us we like men who play with the building blocks of life.
Hudson University Wednesday, May 20 - Professor Cantler? - Hello.
I'm a graduate sorry.
Alex Eames in social work.
I'm a graduate student.
What can I do for you, Alex Eames? My thesis is on survivors of child sex abuse and I know you wrote the introduction to "Through the Darkness"? Yes.
You see, I want to interview Erica for my thesis and if you could help me Well, I have a confession to make.
It wasn't possible to actually meet with her.
But your introduction? Yes, I know.
A little poetic license.
I went to meet her, but her health was so fragile she just wasn't strong enough.
- But you got to see where she lived? - Yes, I did that, but My thesis partner.
Hi.
I'm Detective Robert Goren.
How you doing? Did Alex mention she's a detective, too? And her "thesis"? That's actually a subpoena that we need to serve on Erica and her foster parents.
Look, I actually don't know where she lives.
They had me drive out to a gas station on Long Island and this man, Toby, picked me up and drove me around in his van for about half an hour.
You know what the house looks like, right? We'll just drive around until we find it.
There's still food in the fridge.
Whoever lived here must have just moved out.
Gravel from the driveway.
I waited to meet with Erica right here in this living room.
She was in the bedroom.
She was too sick to come out.
"Hook, line and sinker," Professor.
I can't believe you fell for this.
Erica exists.
She's a gentle loving soul who's been through great trials in her very fragile life.
I've spoken to her many times.
On the phone.
You're a scientist.
I don't have to stick my fingers in the wounds to believe, Detective.
There's a theorem Godel's Great Incompleteness Theorem.
"Every axiomatic system will contain truths" "That cannot be proven.
" "But the absence of proof can be proof.
" This was Erica's bedroom? The bed was in here? I don't see any marks or indentations on the carpet, or the wall.
Do you? That's not conclusive.
I don't see a 220volt hookup for the respirator Doug Lafferty bought for Erica.
Doug Lafferty bought her a respirator? And you bought her one too, didn't you? I'm sure they made a nice profit selling the equipment.
I've been a fool.
Wanting to help someone is not foolish.
But now you have to help us find these people.
There's a pharmacy sometimes they ask me to pay for her prescriptions.
Health-Aid Drug Store Long Island City, New York Wednesday, May 20 I'm a friend of David Cantler's.
He was supposed to drop off some money for a kid's prescription Erica Windemere? He asked me to take care of it.
Is that okay? - Sure, I guess so.
- How much is it? Let's see.
She's on the Rilutek, in addition to the Zanaflex and the Roxanol.
That's $800 for all three.
$800? This girl never heard of medical insurance? Doesn't have any.
That's all I know.
I don't mean to be rude, but how do I know you're going to actually send her the drugs? We do this all the time.
Somebody pays for the drugs and I call Erica's foster mother to come get them.
Can you show me Erica's prescriptions for the drugs? Why would I want to do that? Because I'm a cop.
And you're five seconds away from being arrested for selling prescription drugs without a prescription.
I just pass it on to Barb for Erica.
It's a donation.
After you take a handling fee? Okay, Murray, this is what you're going to do.
You're going to call Barb and tell her a big donation just came in and that you need her to come by before you close.
Have you ever seen her? Have you, Christine? I've never seen JD Salinger either, but that doesn't make me doubt his existence.
Go ahead and be flip.
I'm telling you if you publish any further editions of the book, I want my introduction excised.
This is happening because of Barb.
She's too overprotective.
Erica would be happy to meet with people if Barb would let her.
Christine, you got taken, and I got taken.
Now, let's just hope when this hits the papers we don't look like total idiots.
I'll tell you what I hope.
I hope that I never lose faith in one of the kindest, most spiritual human beings I have ever met.
I feel sorry for you.
Feel sorry for yourself! You're not just betraying Erica, you're betraying all children! Erica is safe where we left her with friends.
We found your motel room.
There were none of Erica's personal belongings there.
Not even a picture of her.
We know what she looks like.
We don't need a picture of her.
And all of her things are with her.
Toby's in the next room.
You sure he's telling the same story? Yes, I'm sure, because it's the truth.
What's wrong with you that makes you want to destroy someone good like Erica? I'm just a natural born skeptic.
Maybe I haven't had enough tragedy in my life like Doug.
His wife is gone, his kids hate him, death staring him in the face.
Doug was full of love.
Erica opened his heart.
Not to mention his wallet.
I'm not even going to speak to that.
Doug had doubts.
Isn't that why he was at the house the night that he died? He wasn't there.
This is gravel from your driveway.
Gravel it gets around, all the way to Manhattan.
This is the same kind of gravel.
We found it in the tires of Doug's car.
He did come out that night.
He and Erica needed to talk, and they did.
Well, now we know one thing you're not above lying to us.
I'll do whatever I need to protect Erica.
Including killing an old man who threatens to destroy you? People can't destroy you unless you let them.
I've heard that before from Erica.
- Did she teach you that? - Yes, she did.
Strength of character, strength of will.
These are the tools you've been given to make yourself what you would be.
And you made Erica into what you'd like yourself to be? Erica made herself.
I was just lucky enough to meet her in her time of need.
You're quick.
Just like Erica.
Do you ever get jealous about all the attention that she gets? No.
Because some of it falls on you, right? I'm just there to help Erica.
And you take care of Erica, and you control access to Erica.
That makes you a very important person.
Isn't that what this is really about? Mr.
Jacobs here has been hired to represent the Windemeres.
Now some people pretend to be sick for the, attention, the love.
Some women, they make their children sick for the same reason.
Some women kill their babies.
But this woman, she invented a sick child for the attention, for the love.
But if somebody like Doug Lafferty gets in the way No, she's not violent.
No, she believes that she can talk her way out of anything.
And these people are con artists but I don't think they killed Lafferty.
Someone showed Doug Lafferty the way to the house and then drove back to the city with him.
Someone Barb and Toby trusted.
They've got thousands of emails to Erica catalogued here from every state and all the replies.
This was a fulltime job.
A fulltime salary too.
These are drafts of the book with handwritten revisions.
Looks like most of the book was rewritten.
Not just rewritten, transformed.
This paragraph here about Erica being told she had ALS, in the originals I think the word you're looking for is "awful.
" Yeah, but the new material, it breaks your heart.
Whoever made these changes, it was a labor of love.
What you've done is cruel and heartless.
Arresting Barb and Toby? That puts Erica in terrible danger.
Have you talked to her since their arrest? No.
She's probably too afraid to call me.
Well, maybe you're hoping she doesn't.
After all, she might ask you to take care of her.
I would do that without a moment's hesitation.
That doesn't intimidate me.
It should.
You're single, no one to help you.
- You have a fulltime job.
- Erica would be my fulltime job.
You have no doubt that she's a fleshandblood little girl? No, I don't.
You had a scare last summer.
One of your coworkers told us you had a bad pap smear.
I had a precancerou scervical condition which I was treated for, not that it's any of your business.
Did it raise the question on whether you'd ever have your own children? Is that the void that Erica filled? Erica restored your faith in the human spirit.
She gave you courage in the face of evil.
No one was going to tell you that she doesn't exist.
To deny her was to deny you.
Okay, this is ridiculous.
Is it? I don't know where Erica ends and you begin.
You are insane! This is all her! This is her! This is her life! These are her thoughts! Douglas Lafferty's faith wasn't as strong as yours.
He wanted proof, didn't he? Is that why you took him to the house? Or maybe Doug Lafferty's suspicions weren't appeased and he was going to make trouble.
No.
Maybe driving back to the city you tried to reason with him.
You told him how much Erica meant to you.
The closer you got to his home, the more frantic that you became.
I stayed home all night.
I never left the house.
We checked the logs of the messenger service your company uses.
That night they tried to make deliveries to you at 9:00 and midnight.
There was no answer either time.
We don't doubt the sincerity of your beliefs, Ms.
Wilkes.
You were taken advantage of.
And I'm willing to take that into consideration if you'll tell us the truth.
I stayed home all night.
I went to bed early and that is why I didn't hear the buzzing.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to leave.
The power of faith.
No.
She really believes Erica is real.
Maybe a little faith in Erica isn't such a bad thing.
Rikers Island Correctional Facility Monday, May 25 They freely admit Douglas Lafferty was at their house that night.
They wouldn't admit that unless they had nothing to hide.
Or they wanted to create an impression they had nothing to hide.
I might have been more pliable a few days ago, but now that the insurance policy has come to light What insurance policy? Ask your clients.
Four months ago, Douglas Lafferty changed the beneficiary on his insurance policy, naming Erica Windemere to receive a payout of $2 million.
We didn't know anything about that.
Oh, really? The money was to be held in trust with your client as trustee.
$2 million to spend any way she wanted.
The best part of it is, you would have been able to keep all of it without ever having to prove that Erica exists.
A murder conviction will, of course, void the policy.
Crime isn't supposed to pay.
We didn't kill Doug, we swear.
Well, if not you, than who? I just found out the District Attorney is seizing Erica's book royalties.
That is inhumane.
What is she supposed to live on? What's the DA supposed to do? We did find new evidence implicating Barb in Doug Lafferty's murder.
Okay, I am not defending what Barb did.
I am just here to protect Erica's interests.
She sent you here to talk to us? No.
No, I emailed her, I told her it was urgent I speak with her.
I don't even think she has a computer anymore.
You see, this is the precarious situation she's in.
Without those book royalties, she has nothing.
I thought she had hundreds of people sending her money? What? She's in hiding.
How do you expect them to get the money to her? - Barb said she was safe.
- Barb is a liar! Barb needs to be kept away from Erica! You know what's best for her.
Yes, I do! There's a call for Ms.
Wilkes.
It's her office.
Tell them she's busy.
They said it was important.
They're holding a call from an Erica Windemere.
Put it through in here.
- Christine? - Erica! Yes, it's me.
I'm here.
Hi.
I'm so happy to hear your voice.
I am too, Erica.
I'm here with the police right now.
So tell me how you're doing.
All right.
But I'm very scared.
I'm taking care of everything.
You don't have to worry about anything.
I'm not going to let you Did they tell you about Doug? Barb told me on the phone that he had insurance, but I don't understand these things.
He had a life policy that left Erica $2 million.
That's incredible! That's a miracle! Only now I won't get it because of Barb and what she did to Doug.
Since Barb's the trustee and she killed Doug, the policy's void and Erica gets nothing.
What's going to happen to me, Christine? The people I'm with can't afford to take care of me.
We don't have any money.
Barb had it all.
Erica? Listen to me, sweetheart.
Nothing bad is going to happen to you.
She needs more health insurance.
I'm going to end up in a home.
No.
No, you're not.
I'm going to make sure of that.
How? With what money? I mean Erica's at the end of her rope.
Isn't that right, Erica? I'm so sorry, Christine.
I tried to be brave, but losing Barb and Toby - Erica - it's just too much.
You taught me so much about accepting loss and uncertainty and hardship and appreciating what is beautiful and hopeful in life.
Beauty won't help.
Her disease is going to get worse.
That's what she has to look forward to more hardship, loss and uncertainty.
Erica, you know that I would sacrifice everything for you.
You better mean it because she's got no one else.
You're the only one I have left, Christine.
I know what Erica? - Erica? - Erica? Erica? Erica! Erica?! Erica? What are you going to do, Christine? That money could change everything for her.
It could save her life.
Whatever you did you did to defend your faith in her.
Your heart was pure.
Now it's time to take the final step to give Erica the greatest gift.
You need to do this or your faith in Erica will have been a lie.
I did it.
Not Barb.
I killed Doug.
Tell me what you did.
I killed him in his garage.
I used nail polish remover and I set him on fire.
He was going to hurt Erica.
He kept saying she wasn't real and I couldn't let him say that.
You know, I just couldn't let him say that.
So, now I get the insurance money, right? When do I get it? - Sorry.
- What? Erica isn't the only thing that doesn't exist.
You lied? You lied to me? I helped you and You ruined everything.
Erica will be so disappointed in them.
These are their stories.
Make a left up here at this light.
We're driving in circles.
You think that's going to fool me? You know how Erica feels about her privacy.
Why? You ever ask yourself that? I don't need to.
Now pull up to this driveway on the left.
Erica is just real upset about this, Doug.
I mean, think about it.
It's as big an insult as you can give another person.
If that's the way she feels, she can tell me to my face.
I deserve at least that much.
It's making her sick, on top of everything she has to deal with.
I just want to talk to her.
She agreed! You're going to talk to her.
She said she'd talk to you, didn't she? Then what's the problem? She wants you to sign something.
What kind of a game is this? You come here, you make all your demands.
You want to talk to her, you just sign that.
This is ridiculous! I'm out of here.
Are you threatening me? Please, we're only making things worse for Erica.
He's the one making the problems.
I came all the way out here to see her and now you're laying this crap on me? You bet I'm going to make problems! I'll talk to her.
Toby, you too.
Why are you being so difficult? Don't be a fool, Christine.
This whole house of cards is coming down.
I gave all of you your opportunity.
Douglas Get yourself a lawyer.
Erica is extremely disappointed in you, Doug.
Do I get to talk to her or not? Go home.
She just wants you to go home.
Maybe if I talk to her? Erica says we have to let him do whatever he needs to do.
You can't stop someone from walking into their own hell.
Hey, it's 5:00 something.
Let's go.
This guy, you should have heard him.
More rules than the NFL playbook.
I'm like, "Why do you have to make it so complicated, you fat moron?" Last time I checked, all the parts fit together.
You don't have to be so damn complicated.
" Oh, my God! Fire! Help! Help! There's somebody on fire here! Call 911! Law & Order CI The fire set off this can of butane in Mr.
Lafferty's coat pocket.
That accounted for the fireball.
The fire died down pretty quickly.
"Lucy Hotpants" there, thinks the guy died of spontaneous combustion.
Right after he's "spontaneously" hit in the head.
I count three impact wounds on the right side of his skull.
What started the fire? They put a match to his coat.
Fire marshal said it smelled like it was soaked with acetone.
- Nail polish remover.
- His wallet's missing.
We had ID'd him off his press badge in the glove box.
There's blood and scalp tissue on the tip.
The perp was seated here and rammed it into his head.
He wasn't murdered in this location.
This blood stain didn't spatter here when he was killed.
It most likely came when his head was resting against the door.
His body was moved into the passenger seat after he was killed.
The killer then drove him here, put him back behind the wheel set him on fire to destroy evidence he was killed elsewhere.
"Elsewhere," where? We start where he started.
There's a garagedoor opener on the end of his keychain.
Home Of Douglas Lafferty Friday, May 8 Looks like part of the umbrella.
Probably fell out of the car when the killer got out.
Makeup products.
I need a bag.
Nail polish, emery boards, manicure clippers everything but nail polish remover.
Looks like he was killed in the garage.
Somebody defragged his computer to wipe out files.
The family silver's all accounted for, including Mr.
Lafferty's gold watches and diamond cufflinks.
And Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Tet Offensive in 1968.
This guy was a war correspondent before he owned a magazine.
Tough old bird.
News magazines.
News magazines.
No hobbies, no special interests.
I spoke too soon.
It's a catalog for medical equipment.
Probably for his late wife.
She died last year.
He still keeps her things in the garage.
Tough, sentimental old bird.
Maybe not that sentimental his bank statements for the last three months.
He was withdrawing cash on a regular basis big chunks seven grand, 10 grand he found himself a high maintenance hobby.
six months to who? A bookie, a girlfriend? The guy was a lonely widower.
If he had a girlfriend, we couldn't find any trace of her.
His address book and appointment book are missing, his computer disc was wiped clean.
We're still waiting on his phone records.
You don't like the girlfriend angle? I'm open to anything.
Let's say the perpetrator was a woman.
She had excellent improvisational skills.
She created an incendiary device, she relocated the body to a high crime area.
For all the good it did her, she might as well have left him in the garage.
That's the point.
She overthought the event.
She was careful but almost neurotically anxious about hiding her tracks.
Lafferty might have been the target of her anger, but he wasn't the object of her passion.
She wasn't emotionally involved with him.
She was emotionally involved with his bank account.
Lafferty had two kids, right? A son and daughter.
They're coming in for the ID.
I invited him to join my wife and some friends for dinner, but he wanted to stay in.
Did you suspect he had other plans? Since Mom died, Dad's been a little difficult.
He's been grieving.
Ms.
Lafferty, any time you want to jump in.
It's obvious, isn't it? Look at where you found my father on 11th Avenue.
He turned into a sex addict.
She's right.
A couple of weeks ago, I was in Bulgari's, with my kids, shopping for Mother's Day.
Dad was at the jewelry counter.
Did you talk to him? Yes.
He wasn't too happy to see me.
As soon as the salesperson came back with his receipt, he left.
I thought he was buying jewelry for some girlfriend.
Did you see what he bought? No.
The salesperson told him to come back and pick it up in a week.
He was having it inscribed.
Bvlgari Monday, May 11 Mr.
Lafferty bought a lady's watch in gold.
Lucky lady.
He had some engraving done? It's on the next page.
"To Erica for giving me a reason to go on.
Douglas.
" So romantic, don't you think? You don't want to know what I think.
- Which model is it? - This one.
This watch has a clasp on the band.
It says on the receipt that Mr.
Lafferty switched it with an expansion band.
It's easier to take on and off.
He said that the lady might find a band with a clasp too difficult to use.
I think she had a little handicap with her right hand.
Thank you very much.
We're going to Queens.
The medical equipment catalog in Lafferty's den that's where they have their store.
Erica needs more.
We have to move.
Rethink this, Barb, please, for Erica's sake? We know what's best.
I don't know how we're going to make do with this.
Tell me where you're going.
I'll see what I can do.
I'll tell Erica.
I know you're trying to help.
She'll call you, okay? Medi-Equip Queens, New York Tuesday, May 12 We supplied Mr.
Lafferty with a wheelchair when his wife was sick.
Then three months ago he ordered another one.
It had to be motorized with a joystick control.
- A lefthanded joystick? - Yes.
The young lady had lost the use of her right hand.
He said she might eventually need a mouthcontrol stick.
Where were you supposed to deliver the wheelchair? To an Erica Windemere.
I don't have the address.
Mr.
Lafferty was going to tell me when he came in to make the last payment.
It's been ready now for three weeks.
This chair's for a child.
Mr.
Lafferty said she's The new love of his life a little girl in a wheelchair.
Wheelchair, respirator, heart monitor.
Over 30,000 total, just in medical supplies.
Who is this girl, a relative? His kids have never heard of her.
She's somebody he met in the last six months.
Maybe he's involved with her mother.
Goren: It's about what was inscribed on the watch.
His wife is dead, his kids don't like him.
Helping this girl filled a void in his life.
His phone records came in this morning.
No calls to anyone named Windemere, but a lot of calls to numbers that never showed up before six months ago.
Check them out.
I was blown away when I heard what happened to Doug.
He's just such a decent guy.
Where did you know him from? We had, you know, common interests.
You mean Erica? - You know Erica? - We're trying to get in touch with her.
Just leave a message for her on the web site"Erica W.
" There's a chat room and everything.
- That's how I met Doug.
- We need to actually talk to her.
I can't help you with that.
You're worried about Erica? So are we.
She's already been through a lot.
I mean, you read the book.
Yeah, sure the book.
My partner hasn't.
You should.
It's so right on.
He's been after me to get into it.
What's it called again? "Through The Darkness.
" What did you like most about it? She never gives up.
My sister died of breast cancer three years ago.
She left behind two kids.
Erica's book helps me to talk to them.
You've got to read it, okay? Green & Green Publishing House Thursday, May 14 Since it came out last fall, it's been one of our biggest sellers, which surprised me.
It was pretty raw when we got it.
Thank God for editors.
Christine? These detectives need some information about Erica Windemere.
Oh, one of my favorite authors.
How can I help you? We're investigating the murder of Douglas Lafferty.
Oh, yes.
In fact, Erica emailed me yesterday, telling me how upset she was about his death.
- They were good friends? - Yeah, she was very fond of him.
I just got the book.
- Oh, so she has ALS? - Yes.
"Lou Gehrig's Disease.
" That's degenerative.
"Your body is destroyed while your soul stays intact.
" That's what it says here on the cover.
That's the least of which she's had to face in her short life.
She could teach us a lot.
And we have a lot to learn.
We need her address and phone number.
You know she's just a bedridden little girl? Well, she might know something she doesn't even know she knows.
She sounds like the kind of person who'd want to help.
Yeah.
I don't have a phone number for her, but I can give you her email.
Is that how you worked on the book with her through her emails? Yes, and she calls me.
She can't give out her address or her phone.
The book explains why.
How about her book royalties? How do you get the checks to her? Her foster mother, Barb, comes to the office.
She doesn't live with her parents? No.
Child Welfare took her from them.
Is there a foster father? There's Toby, he's the physical therapist.
And she has you.
I'm sorry for all the secrecy.
It's just that's it's the only way to protect Erica's safety.
You really do need to read the book.
Okay, thanks.
Two days for the subpoena, a couple of more days for the email account information.
Probably another dead end.
This kid doesn't want to be found.
She writes she's been dodging death threats.
Her parents were members of a violent drug gang that sexually abused her.
Sexually abusing a kid with ALS.
Lovely.
No, before the ALS kicked in at age 11.
Her father is serving Her mother vowed to kill her if she ever finds her.
What are you writing? I'm sending her an email.
That's how everybody else gets her attention.
"Dear Erica, I've just finished reading your book.
I've met a lot of people in my line of work, but I've never met anyone with your courage and power to forgive.
" You get the idea? And then I tell her I want to talk to her about Lafferty and I include my phone number.
While you're waiting for an answer, let's see if Child Welfare knows where she is.
Child Welfare has no record of a girl with ALS going through their system in the last five years, no record of a girl being used as a sex toy by a dope gang, no record of foster parents named "Barb" and "Toby.
" But people have talked to this girl, right? The editor of the book? We found a few people through her web site who said they got calls from her.
They all described the same thing a sweet girl with a bad disease and a positive attitude.
Captain Deakins.
Erica Windemere for you.
You want to take it here? Hello, Erica? This is Detective Alexandra Eames.
- Hello, Detective.
- Call me Alex.
Am I on speakerphone, Alex? Yes.
I'm here with my boss, Captain Deakins and my partner, Detective Goren.
We're all anxious to speak with you.
Okay.
I was so glad you wrote me.
If there's any way I can help, of course I want to do that.
When was the last time you spoke with Mr.
Lafferty? We spoke all the time about his children.
He wanted to have a better relationship with them.
And he was such a big support to me.
Erica, is there any way that we could meet and talk to you in person? It depends on my health.
I've had so many bad days lately.
Alex, do you have any kids? No.
Your voice reminds me of my kindergarten teacher.
It's a very warm voice, like you spend a lot of time talking to kids.
I hope you have some someday.
Erica your book says you contracted ALS when you were just 11.
That's pretty rare, isn't it? Yes.
You still have the use of your right hand? - No, I don't.
- But you have the use of your left hand? Yes.
That kind of asymmetric disability is unusual for ALS sufferers, isn't it? I don't know what "usual" is.
What's happening to me is what's usual for me.
One more thing.
How has ALS affected your menstruation? You mean I don't want to embarrass you.
In your book, you're very frank about your development as a young woman.
If it makes you uncomfortable It's not that.
How has your condition affected you? Is this something that you have to think about? I can't believe I'm being attacked like this.
Alex, people can't destroy you unless you let them.
What did you people say to Erica? - Who's this? - This is her foster mother.
Erica's crying right now.
How could you people take five minutes of whatever precious time she has left on this planet to do this to her? Shame on you! If I hadn't heard it with my own ears Well, it was a legitimate question.
She was just trying to come up with the right answer.
The right answer is whatever's happening to her body.
She shouldn't have to think about it.
That's why Doug Lafferty never took delivery of the wheelchair she's a fake and he found out.
I remember my wife telling me about this book.
It made some talk show book club selection.
They called her "the next Anne Frank.
" Except Anne Frank actually existed.
No one's ever met this girl? Maybe someone has.
This is from the introduction by Professor David Cantler.
"Erica's easy smile hides a will of iron which refuses to succumb to the ravages of life.
" Her "easy smile" wouldn't be easy to see over the telephone.
Cantler the geneticist with the bestseller? Two bestsellers and four wives.
Apparently the professor likes the ladies and vicea versa.
You know us we like men who play with the building blocks of life.
Hudson University Wednesday, May 20 - Professor Cantler? - Hello.
I'm a graduate sorry.
Alex Eames in social work.
I'm a graduate student.
What can I do for you, Alex Eames? My thesis is on survivors of child sex abuse and I know you wrote the introduction to "Through the Darkness"? Yes.
You see, I want to interview Erica for my thesis and if you could help me Well, I have a confession to make.
It wasn't possible to actually meet with her.
But your introduction? Yes, I know.
A little poetic license.
I went to meet her, but her health was so fragile she just wasn't strong enough.
- But you got to see where she lived? - Yes, I did that, but My thesis partner.
Hi.
I'm Detective Robert Goren.
How you doing? Did Alex mention she's a detective, too? And her "thesis"? That's actually a subpoena that we need to serve on Erica and her foster parents.
Look, I actually don't know where she lives.
They had me drive out to a gas station on Long Island and this man, Toby, picked me up and drove me around in his van for about half an hour.
You know what the house looks like, right? We'll just drive around until we find it.
There's still food in the fridge.
Whoever lived here must have just moved out.
Gravel from the driveway.
I waited to meet with Erica right here in this living room.
She was in the bedroom.
She was too sick to come out.
"Hook, line and sinker," Professor.
I can't believe you fell for this.
Erica exists.
She's a gentle loving soul who's been through great trials in her very fragile life.
I've spoken to her many times.
On the phone.
You're a scientist.
I don't have to stick my fingers in the wounds to believe, Detective.
There's a theorem Godel's Great Incompleteness Theorem.
"Every axiomatic system will contain truths" "That cannot be proven.
" "But the absence of proof can be proof.
" This was Erica's bedroom? The bed was in here? I don't see any marks or indentations on the carpet, or the wall.
Do you? That's not conclusive.
I don't see a 220volt hookup for the respirator Doug Lafferty bought for Erica.
Doug Lafferty bought her a respirator? And you bought her one too, didn't you? I'm sure they made a nice profit selling the equipment.
I've been a fool.
Wanting to help someone is not foolish.
But now you have to help us find these people.
There's a pharmacy sometimes they ask me to pay for her prescriptions.
Health-Aid Drug Store Long Island City, New York Wednesday, May 20 I'm a friend of David Cantler's.
He was supposed to drop off some money for a kid's prescription Erica Windemere? He asked me to take care of it.
Is that okay? - Sure, I guess so.
- How much is it? Let's see.
She's on the Rilutek, in addition to the Zanaflex and the Roxanol.
That's $800 for all three.
$800? This girl never heard of medical insurance? Doesn't have any.
That's all I know.
I don't mean to be rude, but how do I know you're going to actually send her the drugs? We do this all the time.
Somebody pays for the drugs and I call Erica's foster mother to come get them.
Can you show me Erica's prescriptions for the drugs? Why would I want to do that? Because I'm a cop.
And you're five seconds away from being arrested for selling prescription drugs without a prescription.
I just pass it on to Barb for Erica.
It's a donation.
After you take a handling fee? Okay, Murray, this is what you're going to do.
You're going to call Barb and tell her a big donation just came in and that you need her to come by before you close.
Have you ever seen her? Have you, Christine? I've never seen JD Salinger either, but that doesn't make me doubt his existence.
Go ahead and be flip.
I'm telling you if you publish any further editions of the book, I want my introduction excised.
This is happening because of Barb.
She's too overprotective.
Erica would be happy to meet with people if Barb would let her.
Christine, you got taken, and I got taken.
Now, let's just hope when this hits the papers we don't look like total idiots.
I'll tell you what I hope.
I hope that I never lose faith in one of the kindest, most spiritual human beings I have ever met.
I feel sorry for you.
Feel sorry for yourself! You're not just betraying Erica, you're betraying all children! Erica is safe where we left her with friends.
We found your motel room.
There were none of Erica's personal belongings there.
Not even a picture of her.
We know what she looks like.
We don't need a picture of her.
And all of her things are with her.
Toby's in the next room.
You sure he's telling the same story? Yes, I'm sure, because it's the truth.
What's wrong with you that makes you want to destroy someone good like Erica? I'm just a natural born skeptic.
Maybe I haven't had enough tragedy in my life like Doug.
His wife is gone, his kids hate him, death staring him in the face.
Doug was full of love.
Erica opened his heart.
Not to mention his wallet.
I'm not even going to speak to that.
Doug had doubts.
Isn't that why he was at the house the night that he died? He wasn't there.
This is gravel from your driveway.
Gravel it gets around, all the way to Manhattan.
This is the same kind of gravel.
We found it in the tires of Doug's car.
He did come out that night.
He and Erica needed to talk, and they did.
Well, now we know one thing you're not above lying to us.
I'll do whatever I need to protect Erica.
Including killing an old man who threatens to destroy you? People can't destroy you unless you let them.
I've heard that before from Erica.
- Did she teach you that? - Yes, she did.
Strength of character, strength of will.
These are the tools you've been given to make yourself what you would be.
And you made Erica into what you'd like yourself to be? Erica made herself.
I was just lucky enough to meet her in her time of need.
You're quick.
Just like Erica.
Do you ever get jealous about all the attention that she gets? No.
Because some of it falls on you, right? I'm just there to help Erica.
And you take care of Erica, and you control access to Erica.
That makes you a very important person.
Isn't that what this is really about? Mr.
Jacobs here has been hired to represent the Windemeres.
Now some people pretend to be sick for the, attention, the love.
Some women, they make their children sick for the same reason.
Some women kill their babies.
But this woman, she invented a sick child for the attention, for the love.
But if somebody like Doug Lafferty gets in the way No, she's not violent.
No, she believes that she can talk her way out of anything.
And these people are con artists but I don't think they killed Lafferty.
Someone showed Doug Lafferty the way to the house and then drove back to the city with him.
Someone Barb and Toby trusted.
They've got thousands of emails to Erica catalogued here from every state and all the replies.
This was a fulltime job.
A fulltime salary too.
These are drafts of the book with handwritten revisions.
Looks like most of the book was rewritten.
Not just rewritten, transformed.
This paragraph here about Erica being told she had ALS, in the originals I think the word you're looking for is "awful.
" Yeah, but the new material, it breaks your heart.
Whoever made these changes, it was a labor of love.
What you've done is cruel and heartless.
Arresting Barb and Toby? That puts Erica in terrible danger.
Have you talked to her since their arrest? No.
She's probably too afraid to call me.
Well, maybe you're hoping she doesn't.
After all, she might ask you to take care of her.
I would do that without a moment's hesitation.
That doesn't intimidate me.
It should.
You're single, no one to help you.
- You have a fulltime job.
- Erica would be my fulltime job.
You have no doubt that she's a fleshandblood little girl? No, I don't.
You had a scare last summer.
One of your coworkers told us you had a bad pap smear.
I had a precancerou scervical condition which I was treated for, not that it's any of your business.
Did it raise the question on whether you'd ever have your own children? Is that the void that Erica filled? Erica restored your faith in the human spirit.
She gave you courage in the face of evil.
No one was going to tell you that she doesn't exist.
To deny her was to deny you.
Okay, this is ridiculous.
Is it? I don't know where Erica ends and you begin.
You are insane! This is all her! This is her! This is her life! These are her thoughts! Douglas Lafferty's faith wasn't as strong as yours.
He wanted proof, didn't he? Is that why you took him to the house? Or maybe Doug Lafferty's suspicions weren't appeased and he was going to make trouble.
No.
Maybe driving back to the city you tried to reason with him.
You told him how much Erica meant to you.
The closer you got to his home, the more frantic that you became.
I stayed home all night.
I never left the house.
We checked the logs of the messenger service your company uses.
That night they tried to make deliveries to you at 9:00 and midnight.
There was no answer either time.
We don't doubt the sincerity of your beliefs, Ms.
Wilkes.
You were taken advantage of.
And I'm willing to take that into consideration if you'll tell us the truth.
I stayed home all night.
I went to bed early and that is why I didn't hear the buzzing.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to leave.
The power of faith.
No.
She really believes Erica is real.
Maybe a little faith in Erica isn't such a bad thing.
Rikers Island Correctional Facility Monday, May 25 They freely admit Douglas Lafferty was at their house that night.
They wouldn't admit that unless they had nothing to hide.
Or they wanted to create an impression they had nothing to hide.
I might have been more pliable a few days ago, but now that the insurance policy has come to light What insurance policy? Ask your clients.
Four months ago, Douglas Lafferty changed the beneficiary on his insurance policy, naming Erica Windemere to receive a payout of $2 million.
We didn't know anything about that.
Oh, really? The money was to be held in trust with your client as trustee.
$2 million to spend any way she wanted.
The best part of it is, you would have been able to keep all of it without ever having to prove that Erica exists.
A murder conviction will, of course, void the policy.
Crime isn't supposed to pay.
We didn't kill Doug, we swear.
Well, if not you, than who? I just found out the District Attorney is seizing Erica's book royalties.
That is inhumane.
What is she supposed to live on? What's the DA supposed to do? We did find new evidence implicating Barb in Doug Lafferty's murder.
Okay, I am not defending what Barb did.
I am just here to protect Erica's interests.
She sent you here to talk to us? No.
No, I emailed her, I told her it was urgent I speak with her.
I don't even think she has a computer anymore.
You see, this is the precarious situation she's in.
Without those book royalties, she has nothing.
I thought she had hundreds of people sending her money? What? She's in hiding.
How do you expect them to get the money to her? - Barb said she was safe.
- Barb is a liar! Barb needs to be kept away from Erica! You know what's best for her.
Yes, I do! There's a call for Ms.
Wilkes.
It's her office.
Tell them she's busy.
They said it was important.
They're holding a call from an Erica Windemere.
Put it through in here.
- Christine? - Erica! Yes, it's me.
I'm here.
Hi.
I'm so happy to hear your voice.
I am too, Erica.
I'm here with the police right now.
So tell me how you're doing.
All right.
But I'm very scared.
I'm taking care of everything.
You don't have to worry about anything.
I'm not going to let you Did they tell you about Doug? Barb told me on the phone that he had insurance, but I don't understand these things.
He had a life policy that left Erica $2 million.
That's incredible! That's a miracle! Only now I won't get it because of Barb and what she did to Doug.
Since Barb's the trustee and she killed Doug, the policy's void and Erica gets nothing.
What's going to happen to me, Christine? The people I'm with can't afford to take care of me.
We don't have any money.
Barb had it all.
Erica? Listen to me, sweetheart.
Nothing bad is going to happen to you.
She needs more health insurance.
I'm going to end up in a home.
No.
No, you're not.
I'm going to make sure of that.
How? With what money? I mean Erica's at the end of her rope.
Isn't that right, Erica? I'm so sorry, Christine.
I tried to be brave, but losing Barb and Toby - Erica - it's just too much.
You taught me so much about accepting loss and uncertainty and hardship and appreciating what is beautiful and hopeful in life.
Beauty won't help.
Her disease is going to get worse.
That's what she has to look forward to more hardship, loss and uncertainty.
Erica, you know that I would sacrifice everything for you.
You better mean it because she's got no one else.
You're the only one I have left, Christine.
I know what Erica? - Erica? - Erica? Erica? Erica! Erica?! Erica? What are you going to do, Christine? That money could change everything for her.
It could save her life.
Whatever you did you did to defend your faith in her.
Your heart was pure.
Now it's time to take the final step to give Erica the greatest gift.
You need to do this or your faith in Erica will have been a lie.
I did it.
Not Barb.
I killed Doug.
Tell me what you did.
I killed him in his garage.
I used nail polish remover and I set him on fire.
He was going to hurt Erica.
He kept saying she wasn't real and I couldn't let him say that.
You know, I just couldn't let him say that.
So, now I get the insurance money, right? When do I get it? - Sorry.
- What? Erica isn't the only thing that doesn't exist.
You lied? You lied to me? I helped you and You ruined everything.
Erica will be so disappointed in them.