Law & Order Special Victims Unit s02e17 Episode Script
Folly
In the criminal justice system sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
Lisa, Ira, look a little bit towards me.
Okay? You know what Lisa, turn a little bit more towards Ira.
How much longer is this going to take, Leo? Just a sec.
I order pink headpieces for the flower girls, they deliver white.
How could they screw that up? Try to relax.
They would have looked better if I'd made them myself.
Okay.
Everybody look towards me and smile.
Good.
What the hell? Help me.
How is he? Unconscious.
Ten people saw the victim and no one else come out that door.
Any I.
D.
? Not yet.
Who was here first? Me.
On foot, post around the corner when I heard the call.
He say anything? Something about getting it on upstairs, before he conked out.
They had one just like it last week, a couple having sex, she whacks him Yeah, we're gonna need the 61 on that.
Name's Thomas Dowd, 21, address in Queens.
I.
D.
, credit cards still there, no cash.
Where'd you find it? Upstairs, the real party was in his room.
Coat, shirt, shoes, pants, underwear, bed.
Didn't waste any time with small talk.
So, they are going at it.
She grabs the ashtray, whacks him over the head.
He falls out of the bed.
Probably got hit again, crawls out for his life.
I'd say Mr.
Dowd picked himself up a pro, got rolled.
Find any fluids? We were just about to look.
Ready, Charlie? Yeah.
Show time.
Man, it's everywhere.
Don't people have sex in bed anymore? Apparently our victim did.
Check the sheets.
The earth moved.
Then he saw stars.
We canvassed the floor.
These folks may have heard something.
Hi, I'm Detective Benson.
This is my partner, Detective Stabler.
Joe and Amanda Woodward from Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Our friends warned us to be careful here.
We came out of the elevator on our way to our room, when we heard someone screaming.
Yeah, it sounded like a woman.
What time? We went to the matinee and then had dinner, so it had to be 8:30.
You have any idea where the screams came from? We couldn't tell from where we were.
We called security.
Yeah, they came right away, but it stopped.
They said there was It was someone's TV set.
You see anybody coming or going? No.
Nobody.
The hallway was empty.
This kind of thing happen a lot around here? City's never been safer.
Enjoy the rest of your stay.
Okay.
Thank you.
The room was in Mr.
Dowd's name.
Were you here when Mr.
Dowd checked in? He registered just before 8:00.
Yes, I would have been here.
Was he alone? I don't personally check guests in.
You are welcome to ask the clerk who registered him.
We'll need to talk to all the clerks who were on duty and get copies of your security tapes.
We'll also need the names of your guests.
On that floor? All the guests.
Who's adjacent to Mr.
Dowd? Both rooms were vacant.
It's the off-season.
What's all this? Asbestos testing.
It's in every building constructed before 1970.
I am not staying in here with all those tiny cancer-causing particles flying around.
Stop worrying.
As an African-American you're statistically far more likely to die of diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease.
Or a bullet.
All right, where are we? Checking the guest list and waiting on the DNA.
Turns out that Thomas Dowd was victim number two.
Victim number one was a businessman from St.
Louis.
Picked up a woman named Samantha last week at the Midtown Arms.
They go up to his room, they have sex after which she buries a telephone receiver into his head.
Cash was stolen, wallet and I.
D.
left behind.
We talk to this guy? Yeah.
He hung up on me.
He said that his wife was in the next room.
So, we got a pro who likes to get violent.
Maybe.
One thing stood out on the 61.
Here it is.
"Victim says assailant wanted him to get rough with her "he got nervous.
"He tried to leave.
" That's when she crowned him.
So, she's leaving a trail of bloody men at high-end hotels.
This case has vice written all over it.
Rule out a bona fide sex crime, I will hand the file to them myself.
Great.
Thank you.
Let's see what Thomas Dowd says.
He woke up an hour ago.
On his way home, gets mugged and beaten in the streets.
Ma, please.
Right on 5th avenue.
Nobody's safe.
Mrs.
Dowd, we just need a few minutes alone with Tommy.
I'll go get a cup of tea.
Thank you.
You told your Mom you were mugged.
You think I want her to know I was in a hotel room with some woman? Where did you pick up your date? In the bar at the Decameron.
My buddy Frank was supposed to meet me there for a few beers and the Knick game.
Why the Decameron? Frank suggested it.
Doesn't like the smoke in the sports bars.
Didn't matter.
He never showed.
But you stayed? I didn't want to miss tip-off.
I am sitting there, she comes over to me.
Real nice-looking.
Name? Jill.
Jill.
And how much did Jill want? It wasn't like that.
We start talking.
We hit it off.
She suggests we go upstairs.
So I go to the front desk and register.
And? Then what? She says she's a little shy.
I should give her the key, wait five minutes and follow her up.
I get up there, open the door, she's waiting in bed for me.
Yeah, we saw your trail of clothes.
You two didn't waste much time.
I get in there and she grabs me.
Pulls me on top of her and we go at it like there's no tomorrow.
Next thing I know, some guy in a tuxedo is standing over me in the lobby.
Can you describe Jill? Blonde buff looked like she was in her thirties.
We will have a computer sketch artist come on down.
Did she say anything to you? She wanted me to fight her for it.
Said she liked it rough.
So I went along.
Did she at any time tell you to stop it? She told me to slap her harder, make it hurt.
I said that's not my scene, but she wouldn't take no for an answer.
Maybe Jill has second thoughts when guys fight too hard.
She picked both men up at hotel bars.
Let's see if the bartenders remember her.
Yeah, he was here.
Nursed the same drink for an hour and forgot to leave a tip.
Anyone here with him? Some blonde.
Didn't hang out long, though.
How long? Five minutes, tops.
He hands her a room key.
She leaves.
He heads out a few minutes later.
That's not a lot of get-to-know-you time.
He ever step away from the bar before that? If he did, I missed it.
What time did they hook up? End of the first quarter of the Knicks game.
You must know some of the local businesswomen who hang out here.
She wasn't one of them.
But I've seen him here before.
Alone? Always with a different woman.
Good looking young guy like him, I don't get it.
Get what? Some of his dates are old enough to be his mother.
Yeah.
What's up, Doc? I am not taking any chances.
They haven't done anything yet.
This is out of control.
Where's my desk? I'm having the desks moved out into the hallway.
All right, everybody upstairs.
Grab your case files.
Olivia, what've you got? Tommy Dowd lied to us.
He already had the hotel room when he met our Jill.
Bartender says Tommy was hanging with women who had 20 years on him.
So, either he's got an Oedipus complex or he's the pro.
You should run him through the computer before you go back to see him.
One arrest, prostitution.
What really happened last night? Cut out the games, Tommy and start separating out fact from fiction for us, okay? Client offered me $1,000 to sleep with her.
How'd she find you? I work for an escort service.
It's legitimate.
I needed the money.
What for? For my mother.
Come on.
You're gonna have to do better than that.
It's the truth.
My father died last year.
I go to City University.
I had to drop out to help Mom run our dry-cleaning store out in Elmhurst.
Dad liked to play the ponies.
We didn't know how much until after he was gone.
So he left you in debt? We lost the store, almost lost the house.
And you moonlight as a pro.
Escort.
Walker.
Rent-a-date for the over-50 set.
Take them out and make sure they don't fall asleep.
Lot's of guys do it in college.
They need the money, too? $600 an hour, minimum three-and-a-half-hour date we take home 40%.
You are almost guaranteed $1,000 a night.
Any of them get arrested for prostitution? Client offers me an extra $500 cash to spend the night, how do I know she's a cop? Didn't stop you from doing it again.
Last night? Yeah.
Jill offered me an extra $1,000.
Look, none of this changes what happened to me.
It does if you forced Jill to have sex.
I did what she wanted.
I didn't rape her.
I don't know what set her off.
Tommy's one of my most requested escorts.
Witty, charming, down-to-earth.
The ladies love him because he's not just arm candy.
You ever have complaints about him? He wouldn't be working here if there were.
Do you employ a lot of college kids like Tommy? It's a win-win.
I get the handsome, nice young men my clients want And they get 40%? My clients are among the wealthiest and most influential women in New York.
Widows or women whose husbands travel for business who don't want to be seen out alone.
My escorts accompany them to the theater, opera, museums, parties.
Good deal for a college student.
They are exposed to culture and class while providing companionship.
What about sexual favors? Do your escorts provide that? I find out about it, I fire the escort and drop the client.
Reputation is everything in my business.
You are not saying Tommy We are not implying anything, it's just part of our investigation.
Here it is.
Hotel Decameron, And the client's name? Jill Lessard.
A first-timer.
Okay, thank you.
Yeah, thanks.
That was the hotel.
No one named Lessard on the wedding invitation list.
Perp could've got that off the list of events at the lobby.
Yeah, I am still here.
What about security tapes? Midtown Arms recycles after one week.
The camera on the fifth floor of the Decameron wasn't working.
Yeah.
All right.
Jill Lessard was 1,000 miles away from here two nights ago.
Where? Kewanee, Illinois.
Hog capital of the world.
Somebody stole her credit card number then used it to book the escort at Man About Town.
So our perp's racked up one identity theft and two assaults.
Make that three.
What have we got? Unidentified male, looks mid-twenties was wearing a condom when hotel security found him.
The perp picked the whole wallet this time.
Deja vu.
Right down to the victim.
Another pretty boy.
You find anything else? Tonight's weapon of choice.
Just had to reach over to the night stand.
She do as much damage to the victim? He's in dreamland.
EMS rushed him out of here.
They said it's likely he'll die.
I will bet my vacation we've got another escort.
We ran his prints.
Name is Victor Coe, 26, address on Riverside Drive.
Three arrests for prostitution.
We showed a sketch of Jill to the bartender at the Beaumont.
He I.
D.
'd her as Coe's companion.
Bartender also saw the foreplay.
He passes her the key, then waits five minutes before he follows her up.
Coe still likely to die? He's been upgraded to critical, but he can go either way.
The businessman she picked up from St.
Louis wouldn't play into her fantasies.
So, she buys herself some escorts thinking the customer is always right.
They will do whatever she wants.
Perp got Dowd from Man About Town.
Bet she got Coe from there, too.
Pay Leslie Desantis another visit.
We got a pattern here.
Check with NCIC, VICAP.
Maybe Jill played her fantasy out in some other city before she took her act on the road.
Coe have any family here? A brother, a high-powered art dealer.
He owns the apartment on Riverside Drive where Victor lives.
Persuade him to let you take a look around.
When did you last see Victor? It's been months.
We were both too busy.
Now he's in some hospital bed on a bubble.
Nice place.
What does your brother do? He's a starving actor.
How's he afford this? I enable him.
Victor pays a little rent when he can.
It's hard to do on his income off those off-off Broadway plays.
Wish I had a brother like you.
These chairs are Alvar Aalto, I didn't buy any of this.
Victor had all hand-me-down furniture the last time I was here.
Mr.
Coe, were you told how your brother was attacked? No.
Does it matter? It might.
Victor was arrested several times for prostitution.
My God.
We think whoever did this to him was a client.
And there is a way you can help us.
How? Let us take a look around.
There could be something that lets us know who Victor met up with last night.
Where do you want to start? I fired Victor three months ago.
Why are you asking about him? Because he was beaten the same way Tommy Dowd was only Victor may not make it.
I screen my clients.
Apparently Victor didn't.
Your concern is overwhelming.
I treated him well.
He thanked me by taking money out of my pocket.
Is that why you fired him? Client complained when Victor offered her his services the whole night for $1,000 dollars.
I boot him, he steals my clients.
So, I guess you wouldn't be too sorry if Victor went out of business.
I would delight in it.
But I wouldn't hurt him.
Any of your rivals out to hurt you? This is a competitive business, Detective.
Not cutthroat.
The list from Victor Coe's Palm Pilot is a who's who of the city's finest ladies.
Anybody stand out? One whose husband's office number is also tucked inside.
Claudia Baines Marshall.
Wife of Merchants Commerce Bank chairman, Darien Marshall.
Isn't he up for some ambassadorship? If Coe was servicing the most prominent women in town then Mrs.
Marshall's number makes sense, but Mr.
Marshall's doesn't.
Unless Coe attached a price to Mrs.
Marshall's indiscretion.
Blackmail.
Coe's bank statement from the apartment.
Someone wired $75,000 into his checking account six months ago.
One day later, Coe cuts Dowd a check for $5,000.
So Dowd could be in on this, too.
You two, talk to Mrs.
Marshall.
You two, go talk to Mr.
Marshall.
And I am sure I don't have to tell you to tread lightly.
These people probably have their own dresser drawer in the Lincoln bedroom.
Can I have Inez bring you something? No, thank you.
Then how can I help you, detectives? Victor Coe.
Do you know him? And if I told you I didn't? Mister Coe was found nearly beaten to death.
Your number in his Palm top.
Is Victor okay? He's hanging on.
Why come to me? We need to know the extent of your relationship with Victor.
Is this necessary? If word gets out It doesn't have to leave the room.
I've spent 30 years of my life reassuring my husband he was capable of becoming the man he is.
I gave him children, reared them stood by his side through things you can't imagine.
All I asked in return was his loyalty.
It was the one thing he wouldn't give me.
Is that why you went to Victor? When I found out my husband was reassuring himself with 20-somethings who stroke him like a rabbit's foot I decided I was entitled to my own diversions.
Wouldn't your husband have been angry if he'd found out? No.
Darien knows about Victor.
Our marriage has long since disintegrated from one of love into one of convenience.
He needs me, and I need him.
How did you meet Victor? Through the escort service after they sent several men who were not up to par.
Tommy Dowd one of them? Tommy was a child.
A nice young man, but not terribly adventurous.
Your husband's office number is also in Victor's computer.
It is? Any idea why? You'll have to ask him.
I have no idea how my number got into his computer.
Did you meet Mr.
Coe? I haven't had the pleasure.
Talk to my wife.
So, you're aware of their relationship? It must upset you.
Recessions upset me.
The collapse of the dot-com economy upsets me.
My wife's dalliances do not.
You're not concerned that public knowledge of your wife's trysts could derail your diplomatic ambitions? Claudia wants this ambassadorship as much as I do.
I have always been able to count on her to be discreet.
Did you pay Victor Coe so you could count on his discretion? Excuse me? Someone transferred $75,000 into his account.
After we get the subpoena it will only be a few hours before we know where it came from.
Mr.
Coe made me an offer I couldn't refuse.
What's your guarantee he sticks to it? A notarized confidentiality agreement.
He reveals anything in our transaction or the details therein he has to return the money.
But if that happens, the damage to your reputation's already done.
Maybe you wanted a more permanent agreement.
Gentlemen, if I wanted Victor Coe dead he'd be in his grave by now.
Everything's a transaction to that guy, including his marriage.
$75,000 is pocket change.
Marshall spends at least that on lobbyists greasing the congressional wheels for his confirmation hearings.
Is there anything you're not suspicious about? No.
Including what's in this hot dog.
Tutuola.
I'm on it, Captain.
We got to pick up Tommy Dowd.
What'd he do now? Paid off a $43,000 dollar debt six months ago.
Maybe I should become an escort.
Don't quit your day job.
$26,000 dollars for your mother's mortgage and another $17,000 for your two credit cards.
We have the $5,000 check Victor Coe wrote you.
What are you talking about? Wow.
That whack on the head must have given you amnesia.
You and Victor blackmailed Darien Marshall, didn't you? Blackmail? You both slept with Marshall's wife.
I never slept with her.
I escorted her twice.
She asked Leslie to replace me.
So you figured you could make a quick buck at Marshall's expense? You thought it up, Victor carried it out.
Is that how it went? That $5,000? Victor owed it to me for bailing him out a few times when he couldn't take an assignment.
Fine.
Where'd you get the rest? My boss loaned it to me.
Leslie Desantis? Yeah.
With interest? I perform personal services for her.
Sex? I was desperate.
My mother was about to lose the house.
I told Leslie and she offered me the money.
Swore I'd pay back every cent.
She didn't tell me I had to sleep with her until afterwards.
I did for a while, until Leslie wanted me all the time.
So, what did you do? We had a huge fight.
I say I am going to quit she says she's going to call in my loan.
I had to stay.
So, how long ago was this? The night before she sent me out with Miss Fantasy.
Tommy dumps Leslie, Victor steals from her.
They both end up in the hospital.
She teaching them a lesson? Could be.
Both were hit on the back of the head.
Faces weren't touched.
Don't damage that merchandise, baby.
That still doesn't explain our businessman from St.
Louis.
So, maybe it's not the same perp.
Maybe I can help you.
How? Vice just busted a pro matching the sketch.
Clubbed her john with a baseball bat.
Bring her in for a lineup.
Do you recognize any of these women? Number three.
From where? She's a regular.
I've seen her with a couple of guys.
Did you see her with Victor Coe? Come on, counselor.
Thanks for coming in.
Mr.
Dowd, do you recognize any of these women? She's not there.
You barely looked.
He said she's not there, Captain.
We heard him.
Are you sure? Yeah.
I'm sure.
Tommy, wait for us outside.
Are we through here? Here, yes.
But Vice has her for assault one.
That was a bust.
Which leaves us right back where we started.
Maybe not.
Lab just called.
Says they got something to show us.
The semen on the sheets from the Hotel Decameron came back as two distinct types.
She had sex with two men.
Because it's a hotel, we can't be certain.
But check this out.
Look at the fingerprint pattern on the ashtray.
The perp's a lefty.
All the wounds were on the left side of the victim's head.
Now, I reach with my left hand for the ashtray, I am holding it like this.
Pattern of the wounds only fit the edge of the ashtray next to the heel of my hand.
That's impossible.
Exactly.
It's even more pronounced with the telephone.
The attacker grabbed it with the thumb on top of the receiver, fingers underneath the cradle, like this.
There's no way that she could do that from her position underneath and cause that wound pattern on the left side of Victor's head.
Meaning somebody else was in both rooms.
Prints on the phone and the ashtray are identical.
So she had a partner in her little game.
Judging from the second semen stain, yes.
So, he saves his damsel in distress from her would-be rapist and then they have sex? While the victim lays bleeding on the floor.
What kind of fantasy is that? CSU found prints in the closets of both hotel rooms, and the prints match up with the ashtray and the phone.
They also found semen in both of the closets.
The DNA is identical to one of the two stains found on each of the hotel beds.
Whoever Jack and Jill are, they're not in the system.
So Jack warms up for the big event as he watches Jill and the victim get it on.
Everybody has fantasies.
Most of them don't run amok.
You know, guy wants to sleep with Miss October his wife wants to spend 45 minutes with the buff construction worker she sees outside her office window.
Remember that case we worked last year? The guy had a baby fetish he wore diapers underneath his clothes.
We go to his place.
Second bedroom is set up as a nursery.
Custom-built crib for four.
That's twisted.
If we're done with our trip down memory lane, can you tell me what else we have? We canvassed the bellmen and the doormen.
Nobody remembers a woman matching the sketch.
We don't know what her partner looks like.
Tommy Dowd and Victor Coe got pretty bloodied.
There's no way the perps didn't get some on themselves.
But the bathrooms weren't used.
Meaning they had their own room to clean up and lay low.
Anything on the guest lists? Still cross-checking.
I'll call Skoda.
If he can tell us about this couple's pathology maybe we can figure out who they are.
Ever heard the phrase 'Folie a deux'? Deux is two.
Folie is madness.
Shared madness.
I tell you I see little green men everywhere you love me so much, you start seeing them, too.
That's what this is? It's like that, except with the sexual perversion thrown in we'd call it a shared psychotic disorder.
So, I bring you into my sexual fantasy, and you make it your own.
She gets him to enter her delusion.
She pretends to be assaulted, he gets to play the knight in shining armor.
How does something like this get started? Probably by accident.
Couple's making love, she fights him a little bit.
It excites her.
He fights her back, it excites her even more.
Turns out to be the best sex they ever had.
Until the fantasy wears thin.
And then they get somebody else to play the part.
And the husband gets to be the hero.
Maybe they start with a friend.
Or they pick up a businessman from St.
Louis only he doesn't want to play along.
So, then they turn to male escorts.
And when the fantasy evolves? It becomes such a part of their sexual ritual, it's the only way they can get aroused.
Their last victim is in a coma.
So, it progresses to violence.
As they sink deeper into the delusion, the madness escalates.
They become addicts, they need a stronger fix more often.
Listen, we are going to have to cut this short.
What's up? Maid at the Broadway Hotel found a body in another room.
Same M.
O except this one's dead.
This is getting old.
Gregory Moore, 21, address in Peekskill.
M.
E.
's on the way.
Murder weapon? Crystal vase.
Hit him so hard, there's brain matter on it.
Somebody must have heard that.
See the pointy edges? Perp came down hard enough on the victim with that, one blow would shut him up.
I guess they wanted to make sure that they got it right this time.
Lab confirms the DNA and prints match the other two scenes.
We know what escort service Moore worked for? He didn't.
Moore had no record with us, either.
But his parents say he was a student at City University.
That's where Tommy Dowd went before he dropped out.
Half the city goes there.
I don't believe in coincidences.
Pick Tommy up.
It's too bad Tommy got himself involved in all this.
He had a choice.
He knew what he was doing was wrong.
I don't know if he wanted to.
It seems like he was just trying to help his mom save their house.
There are other ways to make money than prostitution.
What's he going to do, flip burgers in a fast food joint for minimum wage? Come on, Elliot, if peddling your body is okay, what about selling coke? It's not the same thing.
What do you mean? All I am saying is that we shouldn't be worrying about who's jumping into the sack with who, for how much.
The truth is, no matter how we feel about it, if it's illegal, it is our business.
Leslie called yesterday afternoon.
Said she needed me right away.
Last minute booking.
I had to meet with lawyers about the back taxes we owe on the store.
So I called Greg asked him if he wanted some easy money.
What was the job? Accompany some woman to a Broadway premiere.
I don't know how they wound up at that hotel.
Did Leslie know that you were finding a substitute? No.
Leslie doesn't know Greg.
He's a buddy from college.
He'd been bugging me for a chance to try to be an escort.
Now, Tommy, you were the one who was supposed to be out on that job.
You think that's a coincidence? Leslie's all about business.
I still owe her $28,000.
Killing me makes no sense.
It does if she thought that you can hurt her.
Can you? Leslie says she runs a legitimate escort service.
But she's really a pimp.
How often was sex part of the package? Client pays an extra $200 an hour, she gets whatever she wants as long as the escort's willing.
Victor Coe in on that? Until he got greedy.
Decided if he was performing the service, he should keep the money himself.
Did Leslie call Victor Coe the night he was attacked? She told me she couldn't find anyone else.
She hired him back for the night.
I can't believe she did this on purpose.
Anything? Victor's LUDs confirmed the call from Leslie Desantis the night of the attack.
We checked all three hotels' registration lists.
No matching names.
You think Desantis knows who these people are? Maybe she helps them fulfill their fantasies.
Pimps don't just supply client lists.
They are supposed to provide protection and screen out the freaks.
So you think she intentionally sent her escorts to the slaughter? She sent Tommy Dowd to these people twice.
I think she knew what she was doing.
That's not enough to arrest her.
It's enough for a search warrant.
But you serve it and she's tipped off.
You're left with pimping and one uncorroborated statement from a co-conspirator.
Any suggestions, counselor? We're open to them.
Maybe Tommy Dowd will agree to wear a wire.
We have nothing to offer him.
Except the chance to do the right thing especially if he feels he's responsible for his friend's death.
I'm not wearing a wire.
Leslie killed your friend, Tommy.
She tried to kill you twice.
You have no proof.
You argued with her, you got beaten up.
Your friend Victor stole from her, and now he's in a coma.
That doesn't mean she knows who this couple is.
Leslie expected you to be in that hotel room, not your friend Gregory.
If we don't stop her, she's going to kill someone else.
Water's almost ready.
I'll get the linguine.
What's wrong with you tonight? You seem so quiet.
Say something, Tommy.
Greg's dead.
Thank God it wasn't you.
He was supposed to escort a woman to the theatre.
Not to the Broadway Hotel.
Client wants you to spend the night it's part of the job.
You get well paid for it.
Getting bludgeoned isn't part of the job.
Greg's dead, Victor's still in a coma.
I am sorry about your friend.
As for Victor, he got what he deserved.
Got her.
What about me? I never meant for you to get hurt.
You think I wouldn't protect my investment? Come over here.
I'm not in the mood.
What is this? It's my walkman.
She found it.
Let's move.
You ungrateful little bastard! Go! Open it! Go! Police.
Show me your hands! SVU, detail, 10-54.
We've got severe burns.
Rush a bus and notify the burn unit.
You know, murdering a witness is a death penalty crime.
He dies, so do you.
Screw you.
Hang in there, Tommy.
You hang in there.
How bad is he? Second degree burns on head, neck, face, arms and hands.
Why did she do it? She discovered the wire.
Couldn't get to him fast enough.
What do we tell her? I'm working on it.
Mrs.
Dowd, this is our boss, Captain Cragen and the Assistant District Attorney, Cabot.
We cannot tell you how sorry we are about this.
How did it happen? Your son was helping us in the investigation into who attacked him.
He volunteered to You allowed Tommy to do this? We felt it was the only way You should have found another way.
We have the person who hurt him.
And she's being charged with attempted murder.
If my son survives, I am sure he will be glad to hear that.
Who approved this? I did.
Mrs.
Dowd, I am Look what you did to him.
What do you want us to do? I need your fives typed and ready before the inquisition begins.
I am sorry about your friend.
As for Victor, he got what he deserved.
They're just words.
Which establish a motive for the attack on Victor Coe.
You can't prove intent.
Can't I? No.
Tommy Dowd was beaten.
He would've been murdered if Gregory Moore hadn't filled in for him.
I had nothing do with that.
Ask your attorney to explain it to you.
You set Dowd up, Moore was killed in his place.
That makes you responsible.
Tommy Dowd with his disfigured face should be a very compelling witness.
He won't testify against me.
Why do you think he agreed to wear a wire? He knew you were trying to kill him.
I didn't try to kill anyone.
It was just business.
Leslie These women don't know if someone loves them or their money.
I provide companionship.
You are nothing but a high-priced pimp.
And like a pimp, you use violence to keep your stable in line.
I still haven't heard the word "Deal.
" Man one on Gregory Moore and she gives me the couple who killed him.
She didn't kill him.
Assault two on Dowd.
No deal on Dowd.
It's man one or nothing.
Take it or leave it.
Listen to me.
I have no idea who those people are.
Why should I believe you? Check my records.
All three times, they called in a different credit card number.
Sometimes a man, sometimes a woman.
I didn't know it was the same couple.
Leslie's not lying.
Second and third escort reservations were also made with stolen credit card numbers.
We checked the names against the guest lists in both hotels.
No matches.
The perps had to get the numbers somewhere.
Common denominators? All of the cards were used within the last month for purchases from different mail order companies.
That doesn't sound promising.
Except that the companies operate out of the same warehouse.
Scott Distributing, Dutchess County.
So, whoever's billing the credit card companies is stealing the numbers.
Their accountants handle the billing.
A powerhouse firm on 3rd Avenue.
I'll help you any way I can, detectives, but I'm sure nobody here is responsible.
Who can we talk to about the Scott account? Gary Sutton's the senior who runs it, but I think he left early today.
In the middle of tax season? Even accountants have a life.
It's his anniversary.
I think they were going to a show and dinner.
Is there any way that we could reach him? I doubt his cell phone is on if he's in the theatre.
Is this Mrs.
Sutton? Darlene.
Olivia, she look familiar? The couple from the hotel.
From Altoona.
You got it.
Is something wrong? We are going to need Mr.
Sutton's home address.
Sure.
Let me get that for you.
Playbills.
Like the theatre.
Look at this, on the night table.
Didn't even bother to hide them.
Check out the one on top.
Joseph Woodward.
Our friend from Altoona, Pennsylvania.
An accountant, he has rich clients, pays their bills.
He can order himself a credit card in their names.
The ones he doesn't have cards for he uses over the phones.
We got to run these numbers.
Have Munch and Fin meet us there.
Find anything? One of the numbers was used to book an escort.
7:00, Madison Terrace Hotel.
That's 15 minutes from now.
Excuse me.
Be with you in a second.
Police.
Now.
What is it? She in here tonight? She was with that guy over there.
Just walked out.
He still here? Fortunately for him.
Meeting someone? Who are you? Police.
What room is she in? What are you talking about? Come on.
You are an escort, right? You just gave this woman the key to your room? She told you to wait five minutes and follow her.
You were about to go up? And if I was? Then this is the luckiest day of your life.
We need your room number and your room key.
Is someone there? What do you want with me? Police! Show me your hands! Don't shoot! Help me, Gary! Hands behind your back now! Fantasy's over, Darlene.
Get up.
Let's see the hands.
Up now.
You didn't save me, you bastard! Here, put the robe on.
Let's go.
I get home one night I hear noises.
Go into the bedroom.
Some guy's on top of Darlene.
They're struggling.
I thought he was raping her.
What did you do? Yanked him off.
Roughed him up.
Did you call the police? Darlene told me he was a delivery guy.
She invited him in.
She knew I was coming home.
I was her hero.
I saved her.
It turned me on.
We let the guy go.
Were the escorts your idea or hers? Hers.
She picked up some guy from out of town, but he didn't want to play the game.
Darlene figured we'd get what we want if we paid for it.
You went along with this? Don't you understand? I love her.
She's got a problem.
She kept picking up these men.
You could've stopped playing her game.
No.
She needed me to do this.
I didn't mean to kill anybody.
I got drawn into it.
It just happened.
I don't believe this.
Maybe murder two and two counts of assault one will bring him back to reality.
It's not him I'm worried about.
She will get a lawyer who will come up with some designer psych defense.
She's just as guilty as he is.
But he's the killer.
She'll sell him out.
So she walks, and he does 25 to life.
I wonder what he's fantasizing about now.
Gary said he would kill for me.
It was the most powerful aphrodisiac I've ever felt.
He saved my life.
Who did he rescue you from? The men.
In the store, on the subway, in the street.
They would look at me.
I knew if they had the chance, they would ravage me.
I told Gary.
It made him wild.
An animal.
That businessman, he wouldn't play, but the escorts they would do anything that I wanted.
All the time I'd be thinking about Gary.
The brave strong man how he would save me.
Take care of him for me.
Can I go home now? You're not going home, Darlene.
You're going to jail.
I can't go to jail.
The inmates, the guards what would they do to me? You will protect me.
Won't you?
In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
Lisa, Ira, look a little bit towards me.
Okay? You know what Lisa, turn a little bit more towards Ira.
How much longer is this going to take, Leo? Just a sec.
I order pink headpieces for the flower girls, they deliver white.
How could they screw that up? Try to relax.
They would have looked better if I'd made them myself.
Okay.
Everybody look towards me and smile.
Good.
What the hell? Help me.
How is he? Unconscious.
Ten people saw the victim and no one else come out that door.
Any I.
D.
? Not yet.
Who was here first? Me.
On foot, post around the corner when I heard the call.
He say anything? Something about getting it on upstairs, before he conked out.
They had one just like it last week, a couple having sex, she whacks him Yeah, we're gonna need the 61 on that.
Name's Thomas Dowd, 21, address in Queens.
I.
D.
, credit cards still there, no cash.
Where'd you find it? Upstairs, the real party was in his room.
Coat, shirt, shoes, pants, underwear, bed.
Didn't waste any time with small talk.
So, they are going at it.
She grabs the ashtray, whacks him over the head.
He falls out of the bed.
Probably got hit again, crawls out for his life.
I'd say Mr.
Dowd picked himself up a pro, got rolled.
Find any fluids? We were just about to look.
Ready, Charlie? Yeah.
Show time.
Man, it's everywhere.
Don't people have sex in bed anymore? Apparently our victim did.
Check the sheets.
The earth moved.
Then he saw stars.
We canvassed the floor.
These folks may have heard something.
Hi, I'm Detective Benson.
This is my partner, Detective Stabler.
Joe and Amanda Woodward from Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Our friends warned us to be careful here.
We came out of the elevator on our way to our room, when we heard someone screaming.
Yeah, it sounded like a woman.
What time? We went to the matinee and then had dinner, so it had to be 8:30.
You have any idea where the screams came from? We couldn't tell from where we were.
We called security.
Yeah, they came right away, but it stopped.
They said there was It was someone's TV set.
You see anybody coming or going? No.
Nobody.
The hallway was empty.
This kind of thing happen a lot around here? City's never been safer.
Enjoy the rest of your stay.
Okay.
Thank you.
The room was in Mr.
Dowd's name.
Were you here when Mr.
Dowd checked in? He registered just before 8:00.
Yes, I would have been here.
Was he alone? I don't personally check guests in.
You are welcome to ask the clerk who registered him.
We'll need to talk to all the clerks who were on duty and get copies of your security tapes.
We'll also need the names of your guests.
On that floor? All the guests.
Who's adjacent to Mr.
Dowd? Both rooms were vacant.
It's the off-season.
What's all this? Asbestos testing.
It's in every building constructed before 1970.
I am not staying in here with all those tiny cancer-causing particles flying around.
Stop worrying.
As an African-American you're statistically far more likely to die of diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease.
Or a bullet.
All right, where are we? Checking the guest list and waiting on the DNA.
Turns out that Thomas Dowd was victim number two.
Victim number one was a businessman from St.
Louis.
Picked up a woman named Samantha last week at the Midtown Arms.
They go up to his room, they have sex after which she buries a telephone receiver into his head.
Cash was stolen, wallet and I.
D.
left behind.
We talk to this guy? Yeah.
He hung up on me.
He said that his wife was in the next room.
So, we got a pro who likes to get violent.
Maybe.
One thing stood out on the 61.
Here it is.
"Victim says assailant wanted him to get rough with her "he got nervous.
"He tried to leave.
" That's when she crowned him.
So, she's leaving a trail of bloody men at high-end hotels.
This case has vice written all over it.
Rule out a bona fide sex crime, I will hand the file to them myself.
Great.
Thank you.
Let's see what Thomas Dowd says.
He woke up an hour ago.
On his way home, gets mugged and beaten in the streets.
Ma, please.
Right on 5th avenue.
Nobody's safe.
Mrs.
Dowd, we just need a few minutes alone with Tommy.
I'll go get a cup of tea.
Thank you.
You told your Mom you were mugged.
You think I want her to know I was in a hotel room with some woman? Where did you pick up your date? In the bar at the Decameron.
My buddy Frank was supposed to meet me there for a few beers and the Knick game.
Why the Decameron? Frank suggested it.
Doesn't like the smoke in the sports bars.
Didn't matter.
He never showed.
But you stayed? I didn't want to miss tip-off.
I am sitting there, she comes over to me.
Real nice-looking.
Name? Jill.
Jill.
And how much did Jill want? It wasn't like that.
We start talking.
We hit it off.
She suggests we go upstairs.
So I go to the front desk and register.
And? Then what? She says she's a little shy.
I should give her the key, wait five minutes and follow her up.
I get up there, open the door, she's waiting in bed for me.
Yeah, we saw your trail of clothes.
You two didn't waste much time.
I get in there and she grabs me.
Pulls me on top of her and we go at it like there's no tomorrow.
Next thing I know, some guy in a tuxedo is standing over me in the lobby.
Can you describe Jill? Blonde buff looked like she was in her thirties.
We will have a computer sketch artist come on down.
Did she say anything to you? She wanted me to fight her for it.
Said she liked it rough.
So I went along.
Did she at any time tell you to stop it? She told me to slap her harder, make it hurt.
I said that's not my scene, but she wouldn't take no for an answer.
Maybe Jill has second thoughts when guys fight too hard.
She picked both men up at hotel bars.
Let's see if the bartenders remember her.
Yeah, he was here.
Nursed the same drink for an hour and forgot to leave a tip.
Anyone here with him? Some blonde.
Didn't hang out long, though.
How long? Five minutes, tops.
He hands her a room key.
She leaves.
He heads out a few minutes later.
That's not a lot of get-to-know-you time.
He ever step away from the bar before that? If he did, I missed it.
What time did they hook up? End of the first quarter of the Knicks game.
You must know some of the local businesswomen who hang out here.
She wasn't one of them.
But I've seen him here before.
Alone? Always with a different woman.
Good looking young guy like him, I don't get it.
Get what? Some of his dates are old enough to be his mother.
Yeah.
What's up, Doc? I am not taking any chances.
They haven't done anything yet.
This is out of control.
Where's my desk? I'm having the desks moved out into the hallway.
All right, everybody upstairs.
Grab your case files.
Olivia, what've you got? Tommy Dowd lied to us.
He already had the hotel room when he met our Jill.
Bartender says Tommy was hanging with women who had 20 years on him.
So, either he's got an Oedipus complex or he's the pro.
You should run him through the computer before you go back to see him.
One arrest, prostitution.
What really happened last night? Cut out the games, Tommy and start separating out fact from fiction for us, okay? Client offered me $1,000 to sleep with her.
How'd she find you? I work for an escort service.
It's legitimate.
I needed the money.
What for? For my mother.
Come on.
You're gonna have to do better than that.
It's the truth.
My father died last year.
I go to City University.
I had to drop out to help Mom run our dry-cleaning store out in Elmhurst.
Dad liked to play the ponies.
We didn't know how much until after he was gone.
So he left you in debt? We lost the store, almost lost the house.
And you moonlight as a pro.
Escort.
Walker.
Rent-a-date for the over-50 set.
Take them out and make sure they don't fall asleep.
Lot's of guys do it in college.
They need the money, too? $600 an hour, minimum three-and-a-half-hour date we take home 40%.
You are almost guaranteed $1,000 a night.
Any of them get arrested for prostitution? Client offers me an extra $500 cash to spend the night, how do I know she's a cop? Didn't stop you from doing it again.
Last night? Yeah.
Jill offered me an extra $1,000.
Look, none of this changes what happened to me.
It does if you forced Jill to have sex.
I did what she wanted.
I didn't rape her.
I don't know what set her off.
Tommy's one of my most requested escorts.
Witty, charming, down-to-earth.
The ladies love him because he's not just arm candy.
You ever have complaints about him? He wouldn't be working here if there were.
Do you employ a lot of college kids like Tommy? It's a win-win.
I get the handsome, nice young men my clients want And they get 40%? My clients are among the wealthiest and most influential women in New York.
Widows or women whose husbands travel for business who don't want to be seen out alone.
My escorts accompany them to the theater, opera, museums, parties.
Good deal for a college student.
They are exposed to culture and class while providing companionship.
What about sexual favors? Do your escorts provide that? I find out about it, I fire the escort and drop the client.
Reputation is everything in my business.
You are not saying Tommy We are not implying anything, it's just part of our investigation.
Here it is.
Hotel Decameron, And the client's name? Jill Lessard.
A first-timer.
Okay, thank you.
Yeah, thanks.
That was the hotel.
No one named Lessard on the wedding invitation list.
Perp could've got that off the list of events at the lobby.
Yeah, I am still here.
What about security tapes? Midtown Arms recycles after one week.
The camera on the fifth floor of the Decameron wasn't working.
Yeah.
All right.
Jill Lessard was 1,000 miles away from here two nights ago.
Where? Kewanee, Illinois.
Hog capital of the world.
Somebody stole her credit card number then used it to book the escort at Man About Town.
So our perp's racked up one identity theft and two assaults.
Make that three.
What have we got? Unidentified male, looks mid-twenties was wearing a condom when hotel security found him.
The perp picked the whole wallet this time.
Deja vu.
Right down to the victim.
Another pretty boy.
You find anything else? Tonight's weapon of choice.
Just had to reach over to the night stand.
She do as much damage to the victim? He's in dreamland.
EMS rushed him out of here.
They said it's likely he'll die.
I will bet my vacation we've got another escort.
We ran his prints.
Name is Victor Coe, 26, address on Riverside Drive.
Three arrests for prostitution.
We showed a sketch of Jill to the bartender at the Beaumont.
He I.
D.
'd her as Coe's companion.
Bartender also saw the foreplay.
He passes her the key, then waits five minutes before he follows her up.
Coe still likely to die? He's been upgraded to critical, but he can go either way.
The businessman she picked up from St.
Louis wouldn't play into her fantasies.
So, she buys herself some escorts thinking the customer is always right.
They will do whatever she wants.
Perp got Dowd from Man About Town.
Bet she got Coe from there, too.
Pay Leslie Desantis another visit.
We got a pattern here.
Check with NCIC, VICAP.
Maybe Jill played her fantasy out in some other city before she took her act on the road.
Coe have any family here? A brother, a high-powered art dealer.
He owns the apartment on Riverside Drive where Victor lives.
Persuade him to let you take a look around.
When did you last see Victor? It's been months.
We were both too busy.
Now he's in some hospital bed on a bubble.
Nice place.
What does your brother do? He's a starving actor.
How's he afford this? I enable him.
Victor pays a little rent when he can.
It's hard to do on his income off those off-off Broadway plays.
Wish I had a brother like you.
These chairs are Alvar Aalto, I didn't buy any of this.
Victor had all hand-me-down furniture the last time I was here.
Mr.
Coe, were you told how your brother was attacked? No.
Does it matter? It might.
Victor was arrested several times for prostitution.
My God.
We think whoever did this to him was a client.
And there is a way you can help us.
How? Let us take a look around.
There could be something that lets us know who Victor met up with last night.
Where do you want to start? I fired Victor three months ago.
Why are you asking about him? Because he was beaten the same way Tommy Dowd was only Victor may not make it.
I screen my clients.
Apparently Victor didn't.
Your concern is overwhelming.
I treated him well.
He thanked me by taking money out of my pocket.
Is that why you fired him? Client complained when Victor offered her his services the whole night for $1,000 dollars.
I boot him, he steals my clients.
So, I guess you wouldn't be too sorry if Victor went out of business.
I would delight in it.
But I wouldn't hurt him.
Any of your rivals out to hurt you? This is a competitive business, Detective.
Not cutthroat.
The list from Victor Coe's Palm Pilot is a who's who of the city's finest ladies.
Anybody stand out? One whose husband's office number is also tucked inside.
Claudia Baines Marshall.
Wife of Merchants Commerce Bank chairman, Darien Marshall.
Isn't he up for some ambassadorship? If Coe was servicing the most prominent women in town then Mrs.
Marshall's number makes sense, but Mr.
Marshall's doesn't.
Unless Coe attached a price to Mrs.
Marshall's indiscretion.
Blackmail.
Coe's bank statement from the apartment.
Someone wired $75,000 into his checking account six months ago.
One day later, Coe cuts Dowd a check for $5,000.
So Dowd could be in on this, too.
You two, talk to Mrs.
Marshall.
You two, go talk to Mr.
Marshall.
And I am sure I don't have to tell you to tread lightly.
These people probably have their own dresser drawer in the Lincoln bedroom.
Can I have Inez bring you something? No, thank you.
Then how can I help you, detectives? Victor Coe.
Do you know him? And if I told you I didn't? Mister Coe was found nearly beaten to death.
Your number in his Palm top.
Is Victor okay? He's hanging on.
Why come to me? We need to know the extent of your relationship with Victor.
Is this necessary? If word gets out It doesn't have to leave the room.
I've spent 30 years of my life reassuring my husband he was capable of becoming the man he is.
I gave him children, reared them stood by his side through things you can't imagine.
All I asked in return was his loyalty.
It was the one thing he wouldn't give me.
Is that why you went to Victor? When I found out my husband was reassuring himself with 20-somethings who stroke him like a rabbit's foot I decided I was entitled to my own diversions.
Wouldn't your husband have been angry if he'd found out? No.
Darien knows about Victor.
Our marriage has long since disintegrated from one of love into one of convenience.
He needs me, and I need him.
How did you meet Victor? Through the escort service after they sent several men who were not up to par.
Tommy Dowd one of them? Tommy was a child.
A nice young man, but not terribly adventurous.
Your husband's office number is also in Victor's computer.
It is? Any idea why? You'll have to ask him.
I have no idea how my number got into his computer.
Did you meet Mr.
Coe? I haven't had the pleasure.
Talk to my wife.
So, you're aware of their relationship? It must upset you.
Recessions upset me.
The collapse of the dot-com economy upsets me.
My wife's dalliances do not.
You're not concerned that public knowledge of your wife's trysts could derail your diplomatic ambitions? Claudia wants this ambassadorship as much as I do.
I have always been able to count on her to be discreet.
Did you pay Victor Coe so you could count on his discretion? Excuse me? Someone transferred $75,000 into his account.
After we get the subpoena it will only be a few hours before we know where it came from.
Mr.
Coe made me an offer I couldn't refuse.
What's your guarantee he sticks to it? A notarized confidentiality agreement.
He reveals anything in our transaction or the details therein he has to return the money.
But if that happens, the damage to your reputation's already done.
Maybe you wanted a more permanent agreement.
Gentlemen, if I wanted Victor Coe dead he'd be in his grave by now.
Everything's a transaction to that guy, including his marriage.
$75,000 is pocket change.
Marshall spends at least that on lobbyists greasing the congressional wheels for his confirmation hearings.
Is there anything you're not suspicious about? No.
Including what's in this hot dog.
Tutuola.
I'm on it, Captain.
We got to pick up Tommy Dowd.
What'd he do now? Paid off a $43,000 dollar debt six months ago.
Maybe I should become an escort.
Don't quit your day job.
$26,000 dollars for your mother's mortgage and another $17,000 for your two credit cards.
We have the $5,000 check Victor Coe wrote you.
What are you talking about? Wow.
That whack on the head must have given you amnesia.
You and Victor blackmailed Darien Marshall, didn't you? Blackmail? You both slept with Marshall's wife.
I never slept with her.
I escorted her twice.
She asked Leslie to replace me.
So you figured you could make a quick buck at Marshall's expense? You thought it up, Victor carried it out.
Is that how it went? That $5,000? Victor owed it to me for bailing him out a few times when he couldn't take an assignment.
Fine.
Where'd you get the rest? My boss loaned it to me.
Leslie Desantis? Yeah.
With interest? I perform personal services for her.
Sex? I was desperate.
My mother was about to lose the house.
I told Leslie and she offered me the money.
Swore I'd pay back every cent.
She didn't tell me I had to sleep with her until afterwards.
I did for a while, until Leslie wanted me all the time.
So, what did you do? We had a huge fight.
I say I am going to quit she says she's going to call in my loan.
I had to stay.
So, how long ago was this? The night before she sent me out with Miss Fantasy.
Tommy dumps Leslie, Victor steals from her.
They both end up in the hospital.
She teaching them a lesson? Could be.
Both were hit on the back of the head.
Faces weren't touched.
Don't damage that merchandise, baby.
That still doesn't explain our businessman from St.
Louis.
So, maybe it's not the same perp.
Maybe I can help you.
How? Vice just busted a pro matching the sketch.
Clubbed her john with a baseball bat.
Bring her in for a lineup.
Do you recognize any of these women? Number three.
From where? She's a regular.
I've seen her with a couple of guys.
Did you see her with Victor Coe? Come on, counselor.
Thanks for coming in.
Mr.
Dowd, do you recognize any of these women? She's not there.
You barely looked.
He said she's not there, Captain.
We heard him.
Are you sure? Yeah.
I'm sure.
Tommy, wait for us outside.
Are we through here? Here, yes.
But Vice has her for assault one.
That was a bust.
Which leaves us right back where we started.
Maybe not.
Lab just called.
Says they got something to show us.
The semen on the sheets from the Hotel Decameron came back as two distinct types.
She had sex with two men.
Because it's a hotel, we can't be certain.
But check this out.
Look at the fingerprint pattern on the ashtray.
The perp's a lefty.
All the wounds were on the left side of the victim's head.
Now, I reach with my left hand for the ashtray, I am holding it like this.
Pattern of the wounds only fit the edge of the ashtray next to the heel of my hand.
That's impossible.
Exactly.
It's even more pronounced with the telephone.
The attacker grabbed it with the thumb on top of the receiver, fingers underneath the cradle, like this.
There's no way that she could do that from her position underneath and cause that wound pattern on the left side of Victor's head.
Meaning somebody else was in both rooms.
Prints on the phone and the ashtray are identical.
So she had a partner in her little game.
Judging from the second semen stain, yes.
So, he saves his damsel in distress from her would-be rapist and then they have sex? While the victim lays bleeding on the floor.
What kind of fantasy is that? CSU found prints in the closets of both hotel rooms, and the prints match up with the ashtray and the phone.
They also found semen in both of the closets.
The DNA is identical to one of the two stains found on each of the hotel beds.
Whoever Jack and Jill are, they're not in the system.
So Jack warms up for the big event as he watches Jill and the victim get it on.
Everybody has fantasies.
Most of them don't run amok.
You know, guy wants to sleep with Miss October his wife wants to spend 45 minutes with the buff construction worker she sees outside her office window.
Remember that case we worked last year? The guy had a baby fetish he wore diapers underneath his clothes.
We go to his place.
Second bedroom is set up as a nursery.
Custom-built crib for four.
That's twisted.
If we're done with our trip down memory lane, can you tell me what else we have? We canvassed the bellmen and the doormen.
Nobody remembers a woman matching the sketch.
We don't know what her partner looks like.
Tommy Dowd and Victor Coe got pretty bloodied.
There's no way the perps didn't get some on themselves.
But the bathrooms weren't used.
Meaning they had their own room to clean up and lay low.
Anything on the guest lists? Still cross-checking.
I'll call Skoda.
If he can tell us about this couple's pathology maybe we can figure out who they are.
Ever heard the phrase 'Folie a deux'? Deux is two.
Folie is madness.
Shared madness.
I tell you I see little green men everywhere you love me so much, you start seeing them, too.
That's what this is? It's like that, except with the sexual perversion thrown in we'd call it a shared psychotic disorder.
So, I bring you into my sexual fantasy, and you make it your own.
She gets him to enter her delusion.
She pretends to be assaulted, he gets to play the knight in shining armor.
How does something like this get started? Probably by accident.
Couple's making love, she fights him a little bit.
It excites her.
He fights her back, it excites her even more.
Turns out to be the best sex they ever had.
Until the fantasy wears thin.
And then they get somebody else to play the part.
And the husband gets to be the hero.
Maybe they start with a friend.
Or they pick up a businessman from St.
Louis only he doesn't want to play along.
So, then they turn to male escorts.
And when the fantasy evolves? It becomes such a part of their sexual ritual, it's the only way they can get aroused.
Their last victim is in a coma.
So, it progresses to violence.
As they sink deeper into the delusion, the madness escalates.
They become addicts, they need a stronger fix more often.
Listen, we are going to have to cut this short.
What's up? Maid at the Broadway Hotel found a body in another room.
Same M.
O except this one's dead.
This is getting old.
Gregory Moore, 21, address in Peekskill.
M.
E.
's on the way.
Murder weapon? Crystal vase.
Hit him so hard, there's brain matter on it.
Somebody must have heard that.
See the pointy edges? Perp came down hard enough on the victim with that, one blow would shut him up.
I guess they wanted to make sure that they got it right this time.
Lab confirms the DNA and prints match the other two scenes.
We know what escort service Moore worked for? He didn't.
Moore had no record with us, either.
But his parents say he was a student at City University.
That's where Tommy Dowd went before he dropped out.
Half the city goes there.
I don't believe in coincidences.
Pick Tommy up.
It's too bad Tommy got himself involved in all this.
He had a choice.
He knew what he was doing was wrong.
I don't know if he wanted to.
It seems like he was just trying to help his mom save their house.
There are other ways to make money than prostitution.
What's he going to do, flip burgers in a fast food joint for minimum wage? Come on, Elliot, if peddling your body is okay, what about selling coke? It's not the same thing.
What do you mean? All I am saying is that we shouldn't be worrying about who's jumping into the sack with who, for how much.
The truth is, no matter how we feel about it, if it's illegal, it is our business.
Leslie called yesterday afternoon.
Said she needed me right away.
Last minute booking.
I had to meet with lawyers about the back taxes we owe on the store.
So I called Greg asked him if he wanted some easy money.
What was the job? Accompany some woman to a Broadway premiere.
I don't know how they wound up at that hotel.
Did Leslie know that you were finding a substitute? No.
Leslie doesn't know Greg.
He's a buddy from college.
He'd been bugging me for a chance to try to be an escort.
Now, Tommy, you were the one who was supposed to be out on that job.
You think that's a coincidence? Leslie's all about business.
I still owe her $28,000.
Killing me makes no sense.
It does if she thought that you can hurt her.
Can you? Leslie says she runs a legitimate escort service.
But she's really a pimp.
How often was sex part of the package? Client pays an extra $200 an hour, she gets whatever she wants as long as the escort's willing.
Victor Coe in on that? Until he got greedy.
Decided if he was performing the service, he should keep the money himself.
Did Leslie call Victor Coe the night he was attacked? She told me she couldn't find anyone else.
She hired him back for the night.
I can't believe she did this on purpose.
Anything? Victor's LUDs confirmed the call from Leslie Desantis the night of the attack.
We checked all three hotels' registration lists.
No matching names.
You think Desantis knows who these people are? Maybe she helps them fulfill their fantasies.
Pimps don't just supply client lists.
They are supposed to provide protection and screen out the freaks.
So you think she intentionally sent her escorts to the slaughter? She sent Tommy Dowd to these people twice.
I think she knew what she was doing.
That's not enough to arrest her.
It's enough for a search warrant.
But you serve it and she's tipped off.
You're left with pimping and one uncorroborated statement from a co-conspirator.
Any suggestions, counselor? We're open to them.
Maybe Tommy Dowd will agree to wear a wire.
We have nothing to offer him.
Except the chance to do the right thing especially if he feels he's responsible for his friend's death.
I'm not wearing a wire.
Leslie killed your friend, Tommy.
She tried to kill you twice.
You have no proof.
You argued with her, you got beaten up.
Your friend Victor stole from her, and now he's in a coma.
That doesn't mean she knows who this couple is.
Leslie expected you to be in that hotel room, not your friend Gregory.
If we don't stop her, she's going to kill someone else.
Water's almost ready.
I'll get the linguine.
What's wrong with you tonight? You seem so quiet.
Say something, Tommy.
Greg's dead.
Thank God it wasn't you.
He was supposed to escort a woman to the theatre.
Not to the Broadway Hotel.
Client wants you to spend the night it's part of the job.
You get well paid for it.
Getting bludgeoned isn't part of the job.
Greg's dead, Victor's still in a coma.
I am sorry about your friend.
As for Victor, he got what he deserved.
Got her.
What about me? I never meant for you to get hurt.
You think I wouldn't protect my investment? Come over here.
I'm not in the mood.
What is this? It's my walkman.
She found it.
Let's move.
You ungrateful little bastard! Go! Open it! Go! Police.
Show me your hands! SVU, detail, 10-54.
We've got severe burns.
Rush a bus and notify the burn unit.
You know, murdering a witness is a death penalty crime.
He dies, so do you.
Screw you.
Hang in there, Tommy.
You hang in there.
How bad is he? Second degree burns on head, neck, face, arms and hands.
Why did she do it? She discovered the wire.
Couldn't get to him fast enough.
What do we tell her? I'm working on it.
Mrs.
Dowd, this is our boss, Captain Cragen and the Assistant District Attorney, Cabot.
We cannot tell you how sorry we are about this.
How did it happen? Your son was helping us in the investigation into who attacked him.
He volunteered to You allowed Tommy to do this? We felt it was the only way You should have found another way.
We have the person who hurt him.
And she's being charged with attempted murder.
If my son survives, I am sure he will be glad to hear that.
Who approved this? I did.
Mrs.
Dowd, I am Look what you did to him.
What do you want us to do? I need your fives typed and ready before the inquisition begins.
I am sorry about your friend.
As for Victor, he got what he deserved.
They're just words.
Which establish a motive for the attack on Victor Coe.
You can't prove intent.
Can't I? No.
Tommy Dowd was beaten.
He would've been murdered if Gregory Moore hadn't filled in for him.
I had nothing do with that.
Ask your attorney to explain it to you.
You set Dowd up, Moore was killed in his place.
That makes you responsible.
Tommy Dowd with his disfigured face should be a very compelling witness.
He won't testify against me.
Why do you think he agreed to wear a wire? He knew you were trying to kill him.
I didn't try to kill anyone.
It was just business.
Leslie These women don't know if someone loves them or their money.
I provide companionship.
You are nothing but a high-priced pimp.
And like a pimp, you use violence to keep your stable in line.
I still haven't heard the word "Deal.
" Man one on Gregory Moore and she gives me the couple who killed him.
She didn't kill him.
Assault two on Dowd.
No deal on Dowd.
It's man one or nothing.
Take it or leave it.
Listen to me.
I have no idea who those people are.
Why should I believe you? Check my records.
All three times, they called in a different credit card number.
Sometimes a man, sometimes a woman.
I didn't know it was the same couple.
Leslie's not lying.
Second and third escort reservations were also made with stolen credit card numbers.
We checked the names against the guest lists in both hotels.
No matches.
The perps had to get the numbers somewhere.
Common denominators? All of the cards were used within the last month for purchases from different mail order companies.
That doesn't sound promising.
Except that the companies operate out of the same warehouse.
Scott Distributing, Dutchess County.
So, whoever's billing the credit card companies is stealing the numbers.
Their accountants handle the billing.
A powerhouse firm on 3rd Avenue.
I'll help you any way I can, detectives, but I'm sure nobody here is responsible.
Who can we talk to about the Scott account? Gary Sutton's the senior who runs it, but I think he left early today.
In the middle of tax season? Even accountants have a life.
It's his anniversary.
I think they were going to a show and dinner.
Is there any way that we could reach him? I doubt his cell phone is on if he's in the theatre.
Is this Mrs.
Sutton? Darlene.
Olivia, she look familiar? The couple from the hotel.
From Altoona.
You got it.
Is something wrong? We are going to need Mr.
Sutton's home address.
Sure.
Let me get that for you.
Playbills.
Like the theatre.
Look at this, on the night table.
Didn't even bother to hide them.
Check out the one on top.
Joseph Woodward.
Our friend from Altoona, Pennsylvania.
An accountant, he has rich clients, pays their bills.
He can order himself a credit card in their names.
The ones he doesn't have cards for he uses over the phones.
We got to run these numbers.
Have Munch and Fin meet us there.
Find anything? One of the numbers was used to book an escort.
7:00, Madison Terrace Hotel.
That's 15 minutes from now.
Excuse me.
Be with you in a second.
Police.
Now.
What is it? She in here tonight? She was with that guy over there.
Just walked out.
He still here? Fortunately for him.
Meeting someone? Who are you? Police.
What room is she in? What are you talking about? Come on.
You are an escort, right? You just gave this woman the key to your room? She told you to wait five minutes and follow her.
You were about to go up? And if I was? Then this is the luckiest day of your life.
We need your room number and your room key.
Is someone there? What do you want with me? Police! Show me your hands! Don't shoot! Help me, Gary! Hands behind your back now! Fantasy's over, Darlene.
Get up.
Let's see the hands.
Up now.
You didn't save me, you bastard! Here, put the robe on.
Let's go.
I get home one night I hear noises.
Go into the bedroom.
Some guy's on top of Darlene.
They're struggling.
I thought he was raping her.
What did you do? Yanked him off.
Roughed him up.
Did you call the police? Darlene told me he was a delivery guy.
She invited him in.
She knew I was coming home.
I was her hero.
I saved her.
It turned me on.
We let the guy go.
Were the escorts your idea or hers? Hers.
She picked up some guy from out of town, but he didn't want to play the game.
Darlene figured we'd get what we want if we paid for it.
You went along with this? Don't you understand? I love her.
She's got a problem.
She kept picking up these men.
You could've stopped playing her game.
No.
She needed me to do this.
I didn't mean to kill anybody.
I got drawn into it.
It just happened.
I don't believe this.
Maybe murder two and two counts of assault one will bring him back to reality.
It's not him I'm worried about.
She will get a lawyer who will come up with some designer psych defense.
She's just as guilty as he is.
But he's the killer.
She'll sell him out.
So she walks, and he does 25 to life.
I wonder what he's fantasizing about now.
Gary said he would kill for me.
It was the most powerful aphrodisiac I've ever felt.
He saved my life.
Who did he rescue you from? The men.
In the store, on the subway, in the street.
They would look at me.
I knew if they had the chance, they would ravage me.
I told Gary.
It made him wild.
An animal.
That businessman, he wouldn't play, but the escorts they would do anything that I wanted.
All the time I'd be thinking about Gary.
The brave strong man how he would save me.
Take care of him for me.
Can I go home now? You're not going home, Darlene.
You're going to jail.
I can't go to jail.
The inmates, the guards what would they do to me? You will protect me.
Won't you?