Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) s03e11 Episode Script
Mad Hops
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.
I need to speak to him.
- He's got a busted arm - Sorry, Officer.
- We don't know him.
- Let's go.
! Ball up.
! Maybe you can take a closer look.
He's a schoolkid.
That's all I know.
Sorry, man.
Don't know him.
Guys.
! You got midterms next week.
Get on home.
- Okay, Coach.
- Get outta here.
You a recruiter? I'm lookin' for this young man.
Recruiters know they can't work on school grounds.
You need to leave.
No.
They moved out, I think.
You have any idea where? Maybe they have family in the neighborhood.
Oh, they got family, all right.
It's all good, Elvin.
You get a taste too.
You know, a finder's fee.
With or without you, I'll find him.
Somebody at a school or Rucker Park.
- They'll tell me.
- You don't wanna do that.
You wanna be standing away from him.
If this doesn't get nailed down, I could lose my job.
Don't worry.
I'm gonna find him.
Maybe you don't understand, Diego.
I'm in a bad situation.
Oh! I get a free throw for that.
- Yo, Mr.
Electrician.
- Aw, come on.
Law & Order CI Bullet cut through the flex conduit, shorted the lights.
- No one heard the shot? - Nope.
He had no I.
D.
, no cell phone, no watch.
Punks used the whole buffalo.
Well, there's no burn marks on his hands.
No track marks.
Doesn't look like a user.
If he was selling, there'd be a backup somewhere nearby.
He didn't come back here for the view.
He was havin' a smoke.
He was shot while putting his cigarette out.
The butt's still stuck to the bottom of his boot.
The punks left the buffalo's knife.
We got a match on his prints.
He's a P.
I.
Out of Bensonhurst Diego Bracho.
If Bracho was worried about his safety, he would have kept the knife closer at hand.
But instead, he felt safe enough to take his eyes off the shooter long enough to put his cigarette out.
Well, he might have been meeting a client.
Office of Diego Bracho, P.
I.
Brooklyn New York, Wednesday, january 8 He taught Social Sciences at I.
S.
44, 15 years ago.
In the Bronx.
Should have been enough excitement for two lifetimes.
Here we go.
Uh, receipts for Harlem.
Looks like he's getting paid in gum Power Chew sports gum.
These receipts are from two days ago.
Mm.
City parking lot.
A gas station in Queens and two from the diner down the street here.
One for breakfast, one for lunch, with the gas receipt in between.
He had breakfast, went up to Queens, came back.
Wrote down the mileage.
Twenty-five miles.
Okay, So Uh, office is, uh, here.
Uh, gas station is on the 2100 block of Hazen Street.
Uh, 11 miles one way, Still three miles short.
Uh, that's one and a half mile one way to someplace with a city parking lot.
Rikers Island? It was mistaken identity.
That P.
I.
Had the wrong black man.
"Elvin Fergin"? That's not a common name.
- How'd he make a mistake? - I didn't get all up in his head.
You do a life-skills workshop.
Mm, you're studying for your G.
E.
D.
A man can turn a page, be a better example.
I believe that.
What did Bracho want? We'll pick up every dope dealer in that park till we find the one who says you put him up to killing Bracho.
Lady, that park's 15 streets from where my crew works.
It's sacred ground.
Nobody does business in that park.
Guard.
Uh, what park are you talking about, Elvin? Elvin's crew works out of the Carter projects up on 172nd.
That's 40 blocks from where Bracho was killed.
Elvin assumed we meant another park.
Maybe one Bracho mentioned.
Fifteen blocks from the Carter projects.
Well, Elvin's right.
That is sacred ground.
Rucker Park Wes 156th & 8th Avenue Monday, january 13 Hey, y'all.
Hold up.
Listen, I don't know anything about this man right here.
All we do is play ball here in the Rucker, Officer.
Uh, my partner says he has stories about this place.
Marv, come here.
Check out her dibs.
What do you got on, P.
Diddy drapes? What you all, fashion police? Obviously, they don't know we're the hoops police, 'cause we ought to lock you up for wearin' those kicks.
Where'd you find those, on a telephone line? Whoo! Hey, uh, my-my partner told me he saw someone named Earl the Goat play.
Earl the Goat? You saw that guy play? This one Saturday, when I was a kid, I saw the Goat.
He dunked it, caught it, and he dunked it again before he landed.
I ain't seen him.
You? What's that, Power Chew? - Is this stuff any good? - Aw, man, that stuff is awful, dog.
That fool just chew it 'cause it's free.
So, why is it free? They had a giveaway a few weeks ago when the pros played here.
Neo-Culture Advertising Agency 370 West We had pros show up unannounced.
The kids went crazy.
We caught it all on hidden cameras.
And this was all for a Power Chew commercial? Can we see the footage? We need to see if this man was there that day.
He's not on anything we shot.
We'd like to see it for ourselves.
I'm sorry.
It belongs to the client.
They paid for it.
But you're not saying that you, uh, don't know him, are you? It's just, um That award, can I? Yeah.
"Best Documentary, Brooklyn Film Festival,1994, Repo 101.
" That would be about a teacher.
Maybe one who became a repo man.
Yes.
Maybe Diego Bracho.
The late Diego Bracho.
He was working for you? Look, the Power Chew people fell in love with this one kid on on his cell phone.
He was perfect.
They wanted him for the national campaign.
I thought I had all the signed releases.
Except for this kid, so you hired Bracho to find him.
We didn't know his name.
There was nothing to go on.
Is that him with the bum wing? No, there's nothing wrong with his his right arm.
Look.
It's an old basketball exercise.
Put your dominant arm in a sling builds the dexterity in your off hand.
This kid's in a basketball program.
You know, Elvin said something about turning the page, setting a better example.
Elvin's visitors, the last six months his lawyer, his parents and his brother, Corey, 18.
Look him up.
See what kind of example Elvin's talking about.
You played ball in school? J.
V.
Power forward.
Gave it up.
You find this kid? Well, yes and no.
His parents reported him missing two weeks ago.
Corey had a game at his school that Friday night.
He didn't come home after or on Saturday.
And his bike's gone.
Game on Friday how'd he play? He didn't play all but two minutes, but he was fine.
He's a good player.
How was his mood? Any problems? Except for wantin' more playin' time, his attitude was great.
He never talked about runnin'away or hurtin'himself.
I told the police all this two weeks ago.
And what you didn't tell them is Corey has an older brother at Rikers.
Corey has a shot at the pros, and nobody, including Elvin, wants to mess it up for him.
That's Corey's away bag when his team plays outside the city.
That's a birthday gift.
Anyone contact you about Corey? Maybe a private investigator.
No.
No one.
These are about size 48.
These would be your pants, Mr.
Fergin.
My wife and I had problems.
I moved into a place up in Harlem to be near Corey's school so he could be with me during the week.
I moved back here when he went missing.
Mrs.
Fergin? We're fine now.
Apartment of Demario & Corey Fergin 170 West Mr.
Fergin moved in with his son in August.
No loud noises.
No complaints.
The-The furniture, it comes with this apartment? Yes.
The big TV, the video game and the sound system it's all standard? - Uh-huh.
- Wow.
A place like this, how much does it run? Three grand.
More than I can afford.
More than you'd think Corey's dad could afford.
Excuse me.
Before Corey's parents split up, Corey went to high school back in Brooklyn where his parents live.
But his father made it sound like that he moved here to Harlem because Corey was already going to high school here.
So Corey changed schools after his father moved.
It matters? Well, it does if Mr.
Fergin lied about it.
Corey dunks, shoots from the outside, plays defense.
He's as gifted a point guard as I've coached in 30 years.
The whole team is good, especially these two getting all those three-pointers.
Jace Gleesing and Kyle Davis.
You played? Yeah.
High school.
In the city? Maybe I saw you play.
No.
I didn't stick with it.
Ah, maybe with the right encouragement.
Mr.
Rutherford, you're the assistant coach.
You're close to the players.
What do you hear? That he might have been selling dope.
You know he's got a brother in prison for dealin'? Yes, we know.
All the same, we're gonna need to talk to the players.
We'll need their names.
I didn't actually see him sellin' weed, but everybody knows he was doin' it.
Well, then it must be true.
You know what? We're gonna need your addresses.
Here.
Just'Cause we might need to talk to you later.
That's Corey's building.
You live there with your parents? Uh, with my dad.
- Your dad? - Yeah.
My parents, they weren't getting along, so, uh, he moved in there.
What about you, Kyle? Is that why you live there? Well, yeah.
Yeah.
My pops needed his own space.
- Geez! Sorry.
- Oh.
! Sorry.
It's nice.
It's just like Corey's.
You pay for that out of your paper route? Uh, no.
My parents gave it to me when they split up.
Oh, what about this this fancy watch? Where'd that come from? No, I see.
You guys Your parents split up and you get this stuff, right? End up at the same school, playing on the same team, livin' under the same roof.
We gotta get home, 'cause we got a midterm tomorrow.
You ever read the public school's rules on athletics? No.
It's what I said.
Me and my wife were having marital difficulties.
That's why I moved out.
No.
Corey needed to be on a championship team.
But a student can't change schools on the basis of athletics.
That's what the New York Public School Athletic League Rules and Regulations says.
That's not what happened here.
Mr.
Fergin, five exceptional players, including Corey, were transferred to Moses Caro High this year because their parents split up.
They all got the same fancy apartments, - same gifts.
- No.
I paid Can you show us the canceled rent checks? Someone's paying a lot of money to build this team.
Who is it? But it doesn't have anything to do with what happened to Corey.
Mr.
Fergin, they're sayin' that Corey was sellin' drugs.
That's why he's missing.
Only you can set the record straight.
Come on.
You're his father.
His name's Curtis Romney.
He came to me about Corey transferring schools.
My son Elvin told me to be careful because Romney was involved in sports betting.
I just wanted to give Corey a better opportunity.
Coach says you're startin'tonight.
So listen up.
Here's the rules.
You get the rock, you dish to Kyle and me.
We clear? Hey! He asked you a question! Hey! What's the problem here? Ben.
Come on.
All right, get out there, all of ya.
This is what you've done to my team.
It's called grass roots boosterism giving the community a team they can be proud of.
Well, I call it "long-term investment.
" You recruit the players, you, uh, touch their young lives with your generosity, and then you leave a stain that they carry through their college or their professional career a taint that you can threaten them with anytime you need to shave some points.
And this one he wanted more playing time, more money.
Whatever it was, he was more trouble than he was worth.
My client denies any involvement.
This conversation is over.
Harbor Patrol just pulled a body out of the Harlem River.
Male black, 16-20.
Any I.
D.
? He's 6'5" I'll take a flyer it's our missing kid.
Now maybe we can add "known killer" to Romney's credentials.
The wound's premortem.
Trachea's collapsed.
And these three marks and the bruise they look like they could be from knuckles.
Could be.
And then I'll help.
We have these.
Looks like it's from a club or a pipe metal or wood.
This looks like it's from a hex nut.
His watch stopped at 11:16 the night of his Friday game.
Uh Let me do that.
Oh, this is, uh, red brick dust.
The water in his lungs we need a chemical analysis.
Anything you want.
He was punched in the windpipe and thrown into the water alive.
If it was a pro, he would have made sure he was dead.
This was more out of control.
What a damn waste.
So, it was true, the rumors.
We don't think it has anything to do with drugs.
I see that you-you've won six, uh No.
Seven championships and teaching awards.
I teach Social Sciences.
Front office says that you're gonna retire at the end of the year.
Be nice to go out with a bang.
I play to win every year, or else there's no point in suiting up.
Does he always beat around the bush? I can be direct.
You're divorced.
You got no kids.
And basketball is pretty much it for you, Coach.
You haven't won a championship in the last seven years.
You might be hungry for a big win to cap your career.
Hungry enough to get into business with Curtis Romney? I can be direct too.
I see a problem with authority figures.
You defy them.
You disrespect them.
But the truth is, you're intimidated by them.
It's the mark of a boy with an indifferent father.
His absence took the joy out of playing basketball.
By the time I was aware of what Romney had done, it was too late.
If I'd blown the whistle, the whole team would have been suspended.
You can't convince me Romney did this without your help.
No.
I believe him.
You didn't use Romney's five ringers for all your starting lineups.
You mixed in lesser players.
To make them into better players.
Yeah.
I don't have anything to prove on the court.
Not anymore.
Right.
That torch had been passed.
This whole thing was Romney's play.
I had nothing to do with it.
Maybe he paid the bills, but you recruited the players.
Nah There's nothing like kicking off a brilliant coaching career like a championship team, right, Mr.
Rutherford? Even if it means getting in bed with Curtis Romney.
Oh, man.
This thing went so wrong.
I don't know what happened to Corey.
Tell us what you do know.
Corey wanted more playing time.
He worried he wouldn't be scouted for college.
Romney know he was unhappy? No.
I didn't need him knowing I couldn't manage the problem.
And where did Corey direct his anger to you or to the other players? We looked good on the court.
But in the locker room, it was ugly.
Bringin' in all those hotshots just broke the team.
What did you do after Corey's last game? I turned the stat sheet into Powell, and I met my wife for dinner.
And the players after the game, you and Coach Powell steer clear of them? Yeah.
Especially after a close game.
It's their time.
The restaurant confirmed Rutherford and his wife were there until just after 11:00.
Another solid alibi.
I'd like to see us pin a suspect down long enough to make a case.
Maybe we can pin down where Corey went into the water.
The lab found high concentrations of chromite, lead and asbestos in the water in his lungs.
The red brick dust in his sinuses building materials.
Uh, the city's been tearing down a housing project on 142nd and Fifth on Harlem River Drive.
Contractor's been cited for dumping materials into the river.
School's on 124th.
He lived on 116th.
What's he doing all the way up on 142nd Street? One of the players lived on 143rd and Lennox two blocks away.
"Benjamin Watkins.
" Well, he's been playin' with the team for three years.
And he was alternating with Corey on point guard.
"Alternating.
" Nice way to say "cutthroat competition.
" You should see him.
He's so excited.
Yes, I will.
I'll call when the plane lands.
Mom, we're ready.
I have to go.
We can't thank you enough.
Congratulations, Ben.
You're now a Mid-Iowa Tiger.
If he went in more downriver on the opposite side of the dump site, the concentration would have been more diluted.
Or if he went in more upriver, the water in his lungs would have been filled with cleaner water.
He was shoved against the rail.
He was punched in the throat with enough force to send him over.
Yeah, right here.
This is where he went in.
The last time I saw Corey was in the locker room after the game.
Then I went home.
- And you were at the game, Ms.
Watkins? - Just the second half.
I was working at a plant store down at Chelsea Market.
I'm assistant manager.
And, uh, you and Ben came home together? No.
I stayed to talk with friends.
And-And I was beat.
I just wanted to get home.
But you won that night, didn't you? Didn't you wanna celebrate with the other guys? Is it because they felt that you took Corey's spot? No.
That was my spot for three years before he came along.
Uh, isn't Corey the better point guard? No.
Ben is a very good player.
He has a scholarship from a college in Iowa.
Congratulations.
Paul died five years ago of a heart attack.
Well, I'm sure he would have been proud ofthe two of you.
Ben? We think that Corey was in this neighborhood after the game.
Do you have any idea why he'd be here? No.
Maybe he was following you wanted to provoke you, get you into a fight.
Detectives, that's not what he said.
He wouldn't mess with me.
He knew better.
What's that supposed to mean? Nothin'.
I told you.
I just came home and went in my room.
Yeah, but you won an important game.
You played well.
- Why hide in your room? - Because I didn't play well.
I missed half my free throws.
I just wanted to be with myself.
Fifty percent from the line.
That's a rough night.
I don't want you talking to my son anymore, and I don't want you in my house.
Attempted field goal 19.
Rebound 22.
Uh, blocked shot 26.
Uh, field goal 22.
Steal 18.
You have something for me? Ben Watkins said he missed half of his free throws during Corey's last game.
The box score in the Ledger has him making 10 out of 12.
What kind of an athlete lies to make himself look bad? Well, we tallied up the stats from the last five games and checked them against the stats the team gave the city league.
They all match except for Ben's.
His stats were pumped up across the board rebounds, free throws, field goals.
Somebody's makin' him look good.
Good enough for a college scholarship.
Maybe this is what Corey found out was going on.
College education, ticket out of the neighborhood.
Two lives must be the going price.
Ben's stats have been inflated over the last three months.
It has to be either Rutherford or Powell.
Rutherford's the one with the motive to pump up Ben's stats to hide the fact that there were ringers on the team.
So Corey Fergin discovered this fraud.
He confronted Ben Watkins, who then killed him.
Well, we know Bracho talked to some of the players.
Ben might have been afraid Bracho would find out the truth.
He lured him to the park and shot him.
Mm-hmm.
With what gun? Ben's father died of a heart attack behind the counter of his convenience store.
It's on 125th Street.
Convenience store.
A gun's practically standard equipment.
I told you.
Paul and I never owned a gun.
There's nothing in there but personal items.
It's broken.
Empty.
No gun.
You should be relieved, Mrs.
Watkins, but you're not.
Why aren't you? I don't know what you're talking about.
- Well - Mom.
! Why are the police here? What are you doin' here? Where's my mother? She's okay.
She's okay.
Where is it, Ben? Tell me where the gun that your mom kept in the desk is, Ben.
Come on.
I don't have it anymore.
Not anymore.
That means you took the gun.
Yeah, but I had to give it up.
Is that why you said Corey didn't wanna mess with you - because you showed him a gun? - You can't talk to him.
He's 17.
Is that why Corey never called you out when he knew that your stats were phonied up? My stats? What's wrong with my stats? What, are you gonna tell us that you don't know about that? No more.
Come on.
He doesn't know? No.
He doesn't have a clue about anything.
The gun, he brought it to school to scare Corey.
Maybe somebody caught him with it.
By someone who didn't report it one of the coaches.
Home of Coach Powell 440 West Picket-fence play.
Four players in a row, fifth dribbles behind.
It's old-school.
Everything about Powell is old-school.
I think he stopped buying jackets when Wilt Chamberlain retired.
These must be his former players and their kids.
It's beginning to look a little like Goodbye, Mr.
Chips in here.
At least Mr.
Chips had a wife.
Cranberry seedling.
With my dad, it was avocado pits in a glass of water.
TV.
He stood over the sink, and he ate while he watched TV.
Something you do? No.
No.
I found the same arrangement when I cleaned out my dad's apartment.
Huh.
Looks like Mr.
Chips is buying a home.
An ad from a home insurance company.
"Call for free quotes.
" And he wrote in the margins "Fire, theft, sump pump.
" - Hmm.
- Sump pump insurance? Sump pumps keep water out of basements.
You'd only need to add that to your policy if you lived in a a flood plain.
Iowa has flood plains.
We checked Powell's credit report.
He applied for a mortgage on a two-bedroom house a half an hour's drive from Mid-Iowa College.
- A house? - Right.
For Mr.
Powell, Ben Watkins and his mother.
Mr.
Powell and Ms.
Watkins are having an affair? We haven't found any actual evidence of one in either of their homes.
But Powell probably inflated Ben's stats to help him get into college.
And he put a down payment on a house.
It's hard to imagine that he'd do either unless he had some hope for a relationship.
And Ms.
Watkins gave him that hope? She might have said it with flowers.
Powell has a, uh, cranberry seedling in his kitchen.
Now, according to this, a gift of a cranberry plant "is a cure for the lonely heart.
" That's something a florist would think of.
I know this guy.
He's a lonely man with a shot at happiness.
He's gonna fight for it.
Well, lucky for him Karen Watkins is covering his back.
She won't let her son tell us about the gun.
She doesn't wanna jeopardize his scholarship.
- Or Coach Powell.
- Right.
I wonder about her feelings for Coach Powell.
Romney.
So it was Romney after all.
That's what we told the D.
A.
And those searches Ben Watkins's home, my home, my office.
Those were mistakes.
I'm sorry, Coach, for embarrassing you.
That's not the only reason I came here.
You know, when the D.
A.
Prosecutes Romney, other facts are gonna come out facts that have nothing to do with Corey's murder.
Spit it out, Goren.
Ben's stats.
The D.
A.
Will be obliged to notify the school board and the college that they were altered.
There'll be criminal charges.
A civil suit.
Even if you don't go to jail, they'll take your pension.
But if the college were to get a letter now correcting the stats, there'd be no harm, no foul.
Look, you shouldn't lose everything because you helped this kid.
You know, when my father died, he had just enough money to, uh, cover his funeral.
That shouldn't happen to you.
Thanks for the heads-up.
Karen, I'm just sayin', even though Ben has the scholarship, he should keep his options open.
He's made up his mind, Perry.
It's all he can talk about.
As long as nothing upsets what we've worked for.
I've done everything I can for him, Karen.
I know.
You won't be disappointed.
Ben will be home from the movie soon.
I'll wrap up some cake for you.
Sorry.
Bad time, Coach? There's a game tonight.
I have to prepare.
What do you want? Well, we just hit a snag in the Romney case.
"Snag"? I've already told you everything I know.
I'll explain more when my partner gets back.
You know, when we were searching your place, you were working on the picket-fence play.
I want the team to know it.
They all play the one-on-one game now.
That picket-fence play, that's That's a classic of teamwork.
That's right.
Well, maybe with a little teamwork, we can all get over this snag.
Ah, Mrs.
Watkins.
Why are you here? This involves her too.
Please have a seat.
So, the snag.
It's the gun.
I told you there was never a gun.
Ben just misunderstood.
Now, look, we all want to make sure that Ben gets to that college in Iowa.
So, Ms.
Watkins, you kept the gun in the desk.
Yes.
Yes, I did.
And Ben took it to school.
Yes, I believe he did.
Well, good.
Good.
Now all we need to do is explain what happened to that gun.
Ben said that he gave it up, and I'm thinkin; that a benevolent authority figure took it away from him.
You know, a basketball coach for example.
All right.
I took it from him before he did something foolish with it.
And that would be how long ago? Three months.
And what did you do with it? I returned it to Mrs.
Watkins.
I told her she shouldn't keep a gun in the house, to get rid of the thing.
I threw it in the river.
Three months ago? That's when Ben's stats started improving, isn't it? I guess.
L-I'm not sure.
Coach started paying more attention to Ben.
- I'm sure you noticed that.
- Yes.
You started paying more attention to to Coach.
And you paid attention to him, Coach paid attention to Ben, Ben's stats kept improving.
It's nice how that worked out, isn't it? Don't take that tone with her.
You're not gonna keep denying this, are ya? Are ya? The cranberry seedling from your store.
After all, a guy can only spend so many nights eatin' over the kitchen sink.
He can only look at so many pictures of his former players with their wives and their kids before he's gotta grab that brass ring for himself.
Now you stop this right now.
He told you that that he wanted to help Ben qualify for a scholarship, how with a little sweat and a few encouraging words He left out the part about pumping up Ben's stats, didn't he? It's not true.
Ben earned those stats.
I've seen my son play.
I trust Coach Powell.
You You know how to pick 'em, Coach.
Now, you go ahead, Goren.
You get it all out, all that defiance.
You see that? His understanding of what makes a young man tick it's like a gift.
You're lucky, you know, he'll be sharing that with you and your son out there on the flood plains of Iowa.
- What are you talk - Okay, that's it! Oh, was that supposed to be a surprise? The coach put a down payment on a two-bedroom house near your son's college.
Yeah.
That's one bedroom for Ben and one bedroom for you and-and well, the coach.
Karen, now's not the time.
I think he means now's not the time to jeopardize your son's scholarship.
Shut up.
This is none of your business! Perry and I wanted to keep things low-key, so Ben wouldn't find out until we were ready to tell him.
You mean, like the occasional date or ride home after the games.
Yes.
Perry's been very proper.
I appreciate that.
I'm sure you do.
The game a few weeks ago, Corey Fergin's last game.
Coach drive you home? No.
No, I took the bus.
Now, uh, you were thinkin' about your son's scholarship when you answered that question, weren't you? Wanted to make sure you did the right thing didn't put the coach outside your home, a block from where Corey was murdered.
But don't worry.
You know, you-you did fine.
There's one more thing.
You said that you threw the gun in the river.
- Yes.
- Then why were you surprised, when we opened the compartment, it was empty? I'm not sure.
See? There you go, thinkin' about your son's scholarship again.
You know what? If I was you, I wouldn't think about it so hard.
Coach Powell faxed the college a correction of Ben's stats.
He was afraid he'd be charged with fraud if they discovered what he'd done.
You what? What does that mean? It means the college revoked Ben's scholarship.
It doesn't matter, Karen.
I have savings.
I'll pay for his college.
Won't that be paradise, huh? Livin'off the coach's savings.
Nice little house, middle of nowhere just the three of you.
No, never.
I don't love you.
This is about Ben.
Couldn't you see that? Ms.
Watkins, did he drive you home that night after the game? He used your son to get to you.
He killed another boy.
He told your son that he was a great player.
He made your son believe it.
What's he gonna say to your son now? I can still help Ben.
I can make him into something.
Oh, listen to the coach.
He's just molding that clay, just moldin'it until he gets what he wants out of it.
I can.
I mean it.
Did he drive you home that night? Give me a chance, Karen.
Yes, he did.
He drove me.
He tried to kiss me.
I saw someone watching us.
Karen, please, don't don't do this.
Someone on a bike.
I got out of the car and went upstairs.
And then, later, he called me.
He said never to tell anyone he'd been there that night.
It's because Corey confronted him after seeing him with you.
So he took Corey for a walk down by the river, this kid who was just fightin' for his own future.
And the gun? He came over for coffee the next week.
I left him in the apartment while I ran down to the laundry room.
He knew where I kept the gun.
Didn't you see how Ben looked up to you? Coach, you're under arrest.
Heads-up, huh? You really got the old man good, didn't you? Well, that's how I beat all my men on the court, Coach head fake.
The way you talk about the game, it's just as well you stopped playing.
You got no love for it.
Well, he is hardly one to talk.
No, he's right.
I stopped lovin' the game when I saw it it wasn't getting me what I wanted.
These are their stories.
I need to speak to him.
- He's got a busted arm - Sorry, Officer.
- We don't know him.
- Let's go.
! Ball up.
! Maybe you can take a closer look.
He's a schoolkid.
That's all I know.
Sorry, man.
Don't know him.
Guys.
! You got midterms next week.
Get on home.
- Okay, Coach.
- Get outta here.
You a recruiter? I'm lookin' for this young man.
Recruiters know they can't work on school grounds.
You need to leave.
No.
They moved out, I think.
You have any idea where? Maybe they have family in the neighborhood.
Oh, they got family, all right.
It's all good, Elvin.
You get a taste too.
You know, a finder's fee.
With or without you, I'll find him.
Somebody at a school or Rucker Park.
- They'll tell me.
- You don't wanna do that.
You wanna be standing away from him.
If this doesn't get nailed down, I could lose my job.
Don't worry.
I'm gonna find him.
Maybe you don't understand, Diego.
I'm in a bad situation.
Oh! I get a free throw for that.
- Yo, Mr.
Electrician.
- Aw, come on.
Law & Order CI Bullet cut through the flex conduit, shorted the lights.
- No one heard the shot? - Nope.
He had no I.
D.
, no cell phone, no watch.
Punks used the whole buffalo.
Well, there's no burn marks on his hands.
No track marks.
Doesn't look like a user.
If he was selling, there'd be a backup somewhere nearby.
He didn't come back here for the view.
He was havin' a smoke.
He was shot while putting his cigarette out.
The butt's still stuck to the bottom of his boot.
The punks left the buffalo's knife.
We got a match on his prints.
He's a P.
I.
Out of Bensonhurst Diego Bracho.
If Bracho was worried about his safety, he would have kept the knife closer at hand.
But instead, he felt safe enough to take his eyes off the shooter long enough to put his cigarette out.
Well, he might have been meeting a client.
Office of Diego Bracho, P.
I.
Brooklyn New York, Wednesday, january 8 He taught Social Sciences at I.
S.
44, 15 years ago.
In the Bronx.
Should have been enough excitement for two lifetimes.
Here we go.
Uh, receipts for Harlem.
Looks like he's getting paid in gum Power Chew sports gum.
These receipts are from two days ago.
Mm.
City parking lot.
A gas station in Queens and two from the diner down the street here.
One for breakfast, one for lunch, with the gas receipt in between.
He had breakfast, went up to Queens, came back.
Wrote down the mileage.
Twenty-five miles.
Okay, So Uh, office is, uh, here.
Uh, gas station is on the 2100 block of Hazen Street.
Uh, 11 miles one way, Still three miles short.
Uh, that's one and a half mile one way to someplace with a city parking lot.
Rikers Island? It was mistaken identity.
That P.
I.
Had the wrong black man.
"Elvin Fergin"? That's not a common name.
- How'd he make a mistake? - I didn't get all up in his head.
You do a life-skills workshop.
Mm, you're studying for your G.
E.
D.
A man can turn a page, be a better example.
I believe that.
What did Bracho want? We'll pick up every dope dealer in that park till we find the one who says you put him up to killing Bracho.
Lady, that park's 15 streets from where my crew works.
It's sacred ground.
Nobody does business in that park.
Guard.
Uh, what park are you talking about, Elvin? Elvin's crew works out of the Carter projects up on 172nd.
That's 40 blocks from where Bracho was killed.
Elvin assumed we meant another park.
Maybe one Bracho mentioned.
Fifteen blocks from the Carter projects.
Well, Elvin's right.
That is sacred ground.
Rucker Park Wes 156th & 8th Avenue Monday, january 13 Hey, y'all.
Hold up.
Listen, I don't know anything about this man right here.
All we do is play ball here in the Rucker, Officer.
Uh, my partner says he has stories about this place.
Marv, come here.
Check out her dibs.
What do you got on, P.
Diddy drapes? What you all, fashion police? Obviously, they don't know we're the hoops police, 'cause we ought to lock you up for wearin' those kicks.
Where'd you find those, on a telephone line? Whoo! Hey, uh, my-my partner told me he saw someone named Earl the Goat play.
Earl the Goat? You saw that guy play? This one Saturday, when I was a kid, I saw the Goat.
He dunked it, caught it, and he dunked it again before he landed.
I ain't seen him.
You? What's that, Power Chew? - Is this stuff any good? - Aw, man, that stuff is awful, dog.
That fool just chew it 'cause it's free.
So, why is it free? They had a giveaway a few weeks ago when the pros played here.
Neo-Culture Advertising Agency 370 West We had pros show up unannounced.
The kids went crazy.
We caught it all on hidden cameras.
And this was all for a Power Chew commercial? Can we see the footage? We need to see if this man was there that day.
He's not on anything we shot.
We'd like to see it for ourselves.
I'm sorry.
It belongs to the client.
They paid for it.
But you're not saying that you, uh, don't know him, are you? It's just, um That award, can I? Yeah.
"Best Documentary, Brooklyn Film Festival,1994, Repo 101.
" That would be about a teacher.
Maybe one who became a repo man.
Yes.
Maybe Diego Bracho.
The late Diego Bracho.
He was working for you? Look, the Power Chew people fell in love with this one kid on on his cell phone.
He was perfect.
They wanted him for the national campaign.
I thought I had all the signed releases.
Except for this kid, so you hired Bracho to find him.
We didn't know his name.
There was nothing to go on.
Is that him with the bum wing? No, there's nothing wrong with his his right arm.
Look.
It's an old basketball exercise.
Put your dominant arm in a sling builds the dexterity in your off hand.
This kid's in a basketball program.
You know, Elvin said something about turning the page, setting a better example.
Elvin's visitors, the last six months his lawyer, his parents and his brother, Corey, 18.
Look him up.
See what kind of example Elvin's talking about.
You played ball in school? J.
V.
Power forward.
Gave it up.
You find this kid? Well, yes and no.
His parents reported him missing two weeks ago.
Corey had a game at his school that Friday night.
He didn't come home after or on Saturday.
And his bike's gone.
Game on Friday how'd he play? He didn't play all but two minutes, but he was fine.
He's a good player.
How was his mood? Any problems? Except for wantin' more playin' time, his attitude was great.
He never talked about runnin'away or hurtin'himself.
I told the police all this two weeks ago.
And what you didn't tell them is Corey has an older brother at Rikers.
Corey has a shot at the pros, and nobody, including Elvin, wants to mess it up for him.
That's Corey's away bag when his team plays outside the city.
That's a birthday gift.
Anyone contact you about Corey? Maybe a private investigator.
No.
No one.
These are about size 48.
These would be your pants, Mr.
Fergin.
My wife and I had problems.
I moved into a place up in Harlem to be near Corey's school so he could be with me during the week.
I moved back here when he went missing.
Mrs.
Fergin? We're fine now.
Apartment of Demario & Corey Fergin 170 West Mr.
Fergin moved in with his son in August.
No loud noises.
No complaints.
The-The furniture, it comes with this apartment? Yes.
The big TV, the video game and the sound system it's all standard? - Uh-huh.
- Wow.
A place like this, how much does it run? Three grand.
More than I can afford.
More than you'd think Corey's dad could afford.
Excuse me.
Before Corey's parents split up, Corey went to high school back in Brooklyn where his parents live.
But his father made it sound like that he moved here to Harlem because Corey was already going to high school here.
So Corey changed schools after his father moved.
It matters? Well, it does if Mr.
Fergin lied about it.
Corey dunks, shoots from the outside, plays defense.
He's as gifted a point guard as I've coached in 30 years.
The whole team is good, especially these two getting all those three-pointers.
Jace Gleesing and Kyle Davis.
You played? Yeah.
High school.
In the city? Maybe I saw you play.
No.
I didn't stick with it.
Ah, maybe with the right encouragement.
Mr.
Rutherford, you're the assistant coach.
You're close to the players.
What do you hear? That he might have been selling dope.
You know he's got a brother in prison for dealin'? Yes, we know.
All the same, we're gonna need to talk to the players.
We'll need their names.
I didn't actually see him sellin' weed, but everybody knows he was doin' it.
Well, then it must be true.
You know what? We're gonna need your addresses.
Here.
Just'Cause we might need to talk to you later.
That's Corey's building.
You live there with your parents? Uh, with my dad.
- Your dad? - Yeah.
My parents, they weren't getting along, so, uh, he moved in there.
What about you, Kyle? Is that why you live there? Well, yeah.
Yeah.
My pops needed his own space.
- Geez! Sorry.
- Oh.
! Sorry.
It's nice.
It's just like Corey's.
You pay for that out of your paper route? Uh, no.
My parents gave it to me when they split up.
Oh, what about this this fancy watch? Where'd that come from? No, I see.
You guys Your parents split up and you get this stuff, right? End up at the same school, playing on the same team, livin' under the same roof.
We gotta get home, 'cause we got a midterm tomorrow.
You ever read the public school's rules on athletics? No.
It's what I said.
Me and my wife were having marital difficulties.
That's why I moved out.
No.
Corey needed to be on a championship team.
But a student can't change schools on the basis of athletics.
That's what the New York Public School Athletic League Rules and Regulations says.
That's not what happened here.
Mr.
Fergin, five exceptional players, including Corey, were transferred to Moses Caro High this year because their parents split up.
They all got the same fancy apartments, - same gifts.
- No.
I paid Can you show us the canceled rent checks? Someone's paying a lot of money to build this team.
Who is it? But it doesn't have anything to do with what happened to Corey.
Mr.
Fergin, they're sayin' that Corey was sellin' drugs.
That's why he's missing.
Only you can set the record straight.
Come on.
You're his father.
His name's Curtis Romney.
He came to me about Corey transferring schools.
My son Elvin told me to be careful because Romney was involved in sports betting.
I just wanted to give Corey a better opportunity.
Coach says you're startin'tonight.
So listen up.
Here's the rules.
You get the rock, you dish to Kyle and me.
We clear? Hey! He asked you a question! Hey! What's the problem here? Ben.
Come on.
All right, get out there, all of ya.
This is what you've done to my team.
It's called grass roots boosterism giving the community a team they can be proud of.
Well, I call it "long-term investment.
" You recruit the players, you, uh, touch their young lives with your generosity, and then you leave a stain that they carry through their college or their professional career a taint that you can threaten them with anytime you need to shave some points.
And this one he wanted more playing time, more money.
Whatever it was, he was more trouble than he was worth.
My client denies any involvement.
This conversation is over.
Harbor Patrol just pulled a body out of the Harlem River.
Male black, 16-20.
Any I.
D.
? He's 6'5" I'll take a flyer it's our missing kid.
Now maybe we can add "known killer" to Romney's credentials.
The wound's premortem.
Trachea's collapsed.
And these three marks and the bruise they look like they could be from knuckles.
Could be.
And then I'll help.
We have these.
Looks like it's from a club or a pipe metal or wood.
This looks like it's from a hex nut.
His watch stopped at 11:16 the night of his Friday game.
Uh Let me do that.
Oh, this is, uh, red brick dust.
The water in his lungs we need a chemical analysis.
Anything you want.
He was punched in the windpipe and thrown into the water alive.
If it was a pro, he would have made sure he was dead.
This was more out of control.
What a damn waste.
So, it was true, the rumors.
We don't think it has anything to do with drugs.
I see that you-you've won six, uh No.
Seven championships and teaching awards.
I teach Social Sciences.
Front office says that you're gonna retire at the end of the year.
Be nice to go out with a bang.
I play to win every year, or else there's no point in suiting up.
Does he always beat around the bush? I can be direct.
You're divorced.
You got no kids.
And basketball is pretty much it for you, Coach.
You haven't won a championship in the last seven years.
You might be hungry for a big win to cap your career.
Hungry enough to get into business with Curtis Romney? I can be direct too.
I see a problem with authority figures.
You defy them.
You disrespect them.
But the truth is, you're intimidated by them.
It's the mark of a boy with an indifferent father.
His absence took the joy out of playing basketball.
By the time I was aware of what Romney had done, it was too late.
If I'd blown the whistle, the whole team would have been suspended.
You can't convince me Romney did this without your help.
No.
I believe him.
You didn't use Romney's five ringers for all your starting lineups.
You mixed in lesser players.
To make them into better players.
Yeah.
I don't have anything to prove on the court.
Not anymore.
Right.
That torch had been passed.
This whole thing was Romney's play.
I had nothing to do with it.
Maybe he paid the bills, but you recruited the players.
Nah There's nothing like kicking off a brilliant coaching career like a championship team, right, Mr.
Rutherford? Even if it means getting in bed with Curtis Romney.
Oh, man.
This thing went so wrong.
I don't know what happened to Corey.
Tell us what you do know.
Corey wanted more playing time.
He worried he wouldn't be scouted for college.
Romney know he was unhappy? No.
I didn't need him knowing I couldn't manage the problem.
And where did Corey direct his anger to you or to the other players? We looked good on the court.
But in the locker room, it was ugly.
Bringin' in all those hotshots just broke the team.
What did you do after Corey's last game? I turned the stat sheet into Powell, and I met my wife for dinner.
And the players after the game, you and Coach Powell steer clear of them? Yeah.
Especially after a close game.
It's their time.
The restaurant confirmed Rutherford and his wife were there until just after 11:00.
Another solid alibi.
I'd like to see us pin a suspect down long enough to make a case.
Maybe we can pin down where Corey went into the water.
The lab found high concentrations of chromite, lead and asbestos in the water in his lungs.
The red brick dust in his sinuses building materials.
Uh, the city's been tearing down a housing project on 142nd and Fifth on Harlem River Drive.
Contractor's been cited for dumping materials into the river.
School's on 124th.
He lived on 116th.
What's he doing all the way up on 142nd Street? One of the players lived on 143rd and Lennox two blocks away.
"Benjamin Watkins.
" Well, he's been playin' with the team for three years.
And he was alternating with Corey on point guard.
"Alternating.
" Nice way to say "cutthroat competition.
" You should see him.
He's so excited.
Yes, I will.
I'll call when the plane lands.
Mom, we're ready.
I have to go.
We can't thank you enough.
Congratulations, Ben.
You're now a Mid-Iowa Tiger.
If he went in more downriver on the opposite side of the dump site, the concentration would have been more diluted.
Or if he went in more upriver, the water in his lungs would have been filled with cleaner water.
He was shoved against the rail.
He was punched in the throat with enough force to send him over.
Yeah, right here.
This is where he went in.
The last time I saw Corey was in the locker room after the game.
Then I went home.
- And you were at the game, Ms.
Watkins? - Just the second half.
I was working at a plant store down at Chelsea Market.
I'm assistant manager.
And, uh, you and Ben came home together? No.
I stayed to talk with friends.
And-And I was beat.
I just wanted to get home.
But you won that night, didn't you? Didn't you wanna celebrate with the other guys? Is it because they felt that you took Corey's spot? No.
That was my spot for three years before he came along.
Uh, isn't Corey the better point guard? No.
Ben is a very good player.
He has a scholarship from a college in Iowa.
Congratulations.
Paul died five years ago of a heart attack.
Well, I'm sure he would have been proud ofthe two of you.
Ben? We think that Corey was in this neighborhood after the game.
Do you have any idea why he'd be here? No.
Maybe he was following you wanted to provoke you, get you into a fight.
Detectives, that's not what he said.
He wouldn't mess with me.
He knew better.
What's that supposed to mean? Nothin'.
I told you.
I just came home and went in my room.
Yeah, but you won an important game.
You played well.
- Why hide in your room? - Because I didn't play well.
I missed half my free throws.
I just wanted to be with myself.
Fifty percent from the line.
That's a rough night.
I don't want you talking to my son anymore, and I don't want you in my house.
Attempted field goal 19.
Rebound 22.
Uh, blocked shot 26.
Uh, field goal 22.
Steal 18.
You have something for me? Ben Watkins said he missed half of his free throws during Corey's last game.
The box score in the Ledger has him making 10 out of 12.
What kind of an athlete lies to make himself look bad? Well, we tallied up the stats from the last five games and checked them against the stats the team gave the city league.
They all match except for Ben's.
His stats were pumped up across the board rebounds, free throws, field goals.
Somebody's makin' him look good.
Good enough for a college scholarship.
Maybe this is what Corey found out was going on.
College education, ticket out of the neighborhood.
Two lives must be the going price.
Ben's stats have been inflated over the last three months.
It has to be either Rutherford or Powell.
Rutherford's the one with the motive to pump up Ben's stats to hide the fact that there were ringers on the team.
So Corey Fergin discovered this fraud.
He confronted Ben Watkins, who then killed him.
Well, we know Bracho talked to some of the players.
Ben might have been afraid Bracho would find out the truth.
He lured him to the park and shot him.
Mm-hmm.
With what gun? Ben's father died of a heart attack behind the counter of his convenience store.
It's on 125th Street.
Convenience store.
A gun's practically standard equipment.
I told you.
Paul and I never owned a gun.
There's nothing in there but personal items.
It's broken.
Empty.
No gun.
You should be relieved, Mrs.
Watkins, but you're not.
Why aren't you? I don't know what you're talking about.
- Well - Mom.
! Why are the police here? What are you doin' here? Where's my mother? She's okay.
She's okay.
Where is it, Ben? Tell me where the gun that your mom kept in the desk is, Ben.
Come on.
I don't have it anymore.
Not anymore.
That means you took the gun.
Yeah, but I had to give it up.
Is that why you said Corey didn't wanna mess with you - because you showed him a gun? - You can't talk to him.
He's 17.
Is that why Corey never called you out when he knew that your stats were phonied up? My stats? What's wrong with my stats? What, are you gonna tell us that you don't know about that? No more.
Come on.
He doesn't know? No.
He doesn't have a clue about anything.
The gun, he brought it to school to scare Corey.
Maybe somebody caught him with it.
By someone who didn't report it one of the coaches.
Home of Coach Powell 440 West Picket-fence play.
Four players in a row, fifth dribbles behind.
It's old-school.
Everything about Powell is old-school.
I think he stopped buying jackets when Wilt Chamberlain retired.
These must be his former players and their kids.
It's beginning to look a little like Goodbye, Mr.
Chips in here.
At least Mr.
Chips had a wife.
Cranberry seedling.
With my dad, it was avocado pits in a glass of water.
TV.
He stood over the sink, and he ate while he watched TV.
Something you do? No.
No.
I found the same arrangement when I cleaned out my dad's apartment.
Huh.
Looks like Mr.
Chips is buying a home.
An ad from a home insurance company.
"Call for free quotes.
" And he wrote in the margins "Fire, theft, sump pump.
" - Hmm.
- Sump pump insurance? Sump pumps keep water out of basements.
You'd only need to add that to your policy if you lived in a a flood plain.
Iowa has flood plains.
We checked Powell's credit report.
He applied for a mortgage on a two-bedroom house a half an hour's drive from Mid-Iowa College.
- A house? - Right.
For Mr.
Powell, Ben Watkins and his mother.
Mr.
Powell and Ms.
Watkins are having an affair? We haven't found any actual evidence of one in either of their homes.
But Powell probably inflated Ben's stats to help him get into college.
And he put a down payment on a house.
It's hard to imagine that he'd do either unless he had some hope for a relationship.
And Ms.
Watkins gave him that hope? She might have said it with flowers.
Powell has a, uh, cranberry seedling in his kitchen.
Now, according to this, a gift of a cranberry plant "is a cure for the lonely heart.
" That's something a florist would think of.
I know this guy.
He's a lonely man with a shot at happiness.
He's gonna fight for it.
Well, lucky for him Karen Watkins is covering his back.
She won't let her son tell us about the gun.
She doesn't wanna jeopardize his scholarship.
- Or Coach Powell.
- Right.
I wonder about her feelings for Coach Powell.
Romney.
So it was Romney after all.
That's what we told the D.
A.
And those searches Ben Watkins's home, my home, my office.
Those were mistakes.
I'm sorry, Coach, for embarrassing you.
That's not the only reason I came here.
You know, when the D.
A.
Prosecutes Romney, other facts are gonna come out facts that have nothing to do with Corey's murder.
Spit it out, Goren.
Ben's stats.
The D.
A.
Will be obliged to notify the school board and the college that they were altered.
There'll be criminal charges.
A civil suit.
Even if you don't go to jail, they'll take your pension.
But if the college were to get a letter now correcting the stats, there'd be no harm, no foul.
Look, you shouldn't lose everything because you helped this kid.
You know, when my father died, he had just enough money to, uh, cover his funeral.
That shouldn't happen to you.
Thanks for the heads-up.
Karen, I'm just sayin', even though Ben has the scholarship, he should keep his options open.
He's made up his mind, Perry.
It's all he can talk about.
As long as nothing upsets what we've worked for.
I've done everything I can for him, Karen.
I know.
You won't be disappointed.
Ben will be home from the movie soon.
I'll wrap up some cake for you.
Sorry.
Bad time, Coach? There's a game tonight.
I have to prepare.
What do you want? Well, we just hit a snag in the Romney case.
"Snag"? I've already told you everything I know.
I'll explain more when my partner gets back.
You know, when we were searching your place, you were working on the picket-fence play.
I want the team to know it.
They all play the one-on-one game now.
That picket-fence play, that's That's a classic of teamwork.
That's right.
Well, maybe with a little teamwork, we can all get over this snag.
Ah, Mrs.
Watkins.
Why are you here? This involves her too.
Please have a seat.
So, the snag.
It's the gun.
I told you there was never a gun.
Ben just misunderstood.
Now, look, we all want to make sure that Ben gets to that college in Iowa.
So, Ms.
Watkins, you kept the gun in the desk.
Yes.
Yes, I did.
And Ben took it to school.
Yes, I believe he did.
Well, good.
Good.
Now all we need to do is explain what happened to that gun.
Ben said that he gave it up, and I'm thinkin; that a benevolent authority figure took it away from him.
You know, a basketball coach for example.
All right.
I took it from him before he did something foolish with it.
And that would be how long ago? Three months.
And what did you do with it? I returned it to Mrs.
Watkins.
I told her she shouldn't keep a gun in the house, to get rid of the thing.
I threw it in the river.
Three months ago? That's when Ben's stats started improving, isn't it? I guess.
L-I'm not sure.
Coach started paying more attention to Ben.
- I'm sure you noticed that.
- Yes.
You started paying more attention to to Coach.
And you paid attention to him, Coach paid attention to Ben, Ben's stats kept improving.
It's nice how that worked out, isn't it? Don't take that tone with her.
You're not gonna keep denying this, are ya? Are ya? The cranberry seedling from your store.
After all, a guy can only spend so many nights eatin' over the kitchen sink.
He can only look at so many pictures of his former players with their wives and their kids before he's gotta grab that brass ring for himself.
Now you stop this right now.
He told you that that he wanted to help Ben qualify for a scholarship, how with a little sweat and a few encouraging words He left out the part about pumping up Ben's stats, didn't he? It's not true.
Ben earned those stats.
I've seen my son play.
I trust Coach Powell.
You You know how to pick 'em, Coach.
Now, you go ahead, Goren.
You get it all out, all that defiance.
You see that? His understanding of what makes a young man tick it's like a gift.
You're lucky, you know, he'll be sharing that with you and your son out there on the flood plains of Iowa.
- What are you talk - Okay, that's it! Oh, was that supposed to be a surprise? The coach put a down payment on a two-bedroom house near your son's college.
Yeah.
That's one bedroom for Ben and one bedroom for you and-and well, the coach.
Karen, now's not the time.
I think he means now's not the time to jeopardize your son's scholarship.
Shut up.
This is none of your business! Perry and I wanted to keep things low-key, so Ben wouldn't find out until we were ready to tell him.
You mean, like the occasional date or ride home after the games.
Yes.
Perry's been very proper.
I appreciate that.
I'm sure you do.
The game a few weeks ago, Corey Fergin's last game.
Coach drive you home? No.
No, I took the bus.
Now, uh, you were thinkin' about your son's scholarship when you answered that question, weren't you? Wanted to make sure you did the right thing didn't put the coach outside your home, a block from where Corey was murdered.
But don't worry.
You know, you-you did fine.
There's one more thing.
You said that you threw the gun in the river.
- Yes.
- Then why were you surprised, when we opened the compartment, it was empty? I'm not sure.
See? There you go, thinkin' about your son's scholarship again.
You know what? If I was you, I wouldn't think about it so hard.
Coach Powell faxed the college a correction of Ben's stats.
He was afraid he'd be charged with fraud if they discovered what he'd done.
You what? What does that mean? It means the college revoked Ben's scholarship.
It doesn't matter, Karen.
I have savings.
I'll pay for his college.
Won't that be paradise, huh? Livin'off the coach's savings.
Nice little house, middle of nowhere just the three of you.
No, never.
I don't love you.
This is about Ben.
Couldn't you see that? Ms.
Watkins, did he drive you home that night after the game? He used your son to get to you.
He killed another boy.
He told your son that he was a great player.
He made your son believe it.
What's he gonna say to your son now? I can still help Ben.
I can make him into something.
Oh, listen to the coach.
He's just molding that clay, just moldin'it until he gets what he wants out of it.
I can.
I mean it.
Did he drive you home that night? Give me a chance, Karen.
Yes, he did.
He drove me.
He tried to kiss me.
I saw someone watching us.
Karen, please, don't don't do this.
Someone on a bike.
I got out of the car and went upstairs.
And then, later, he called me.
He said never to tell anyone he'd been there that night.
It's because Corey confronted him after seeing him with you.
So he took Corey for a walk down by the river, this kid who was just fightin' for his own future.
And the gun? He came over for coffee the next week.
I left him in the apartment while I ran down to the laundry room.
He knew where I kept the gun.
Didn't you see how Ben looked up to you? Coach, you're under arrest.
Heads-up, huh? You really got the old man good, didn't you? Well, that's how I beat all my men on the court, Coach head fake.
The way you talk about the game, it's just as well you stopped playing.
You got no love for it.
Well, he is hardly one to talk.
No, he's right.
I stopped lovin' the game when I saw it it wasn't getting me what I wanted.