NYPD Blue s03e11 Episode Script

It's too close for comfort.
I'm living right next door.
It's, like, the fourth time we've had fires in this block.
But never this close.
This is ridiculous.
You know, when I woke up, I thought I was choking to death.
- Excuse me.
- You been inside yet? - Just got here.
- Got a body in the basement, burned.
You know who lives here? It's supposed to be vacant.
At least that's what the guy next door says.
- That's him there.
Name's, um, Paul Dunbar.
- This guy? Mr.
Dunbar, can we talk to you a second here? What went on here? I woke up smelling smoke, so I came outside.
It was coming out of the basement.
They keep a window open a few inches and smoke was coming out.
- You know the owner? - Yeah.
She's been living in Queens with her son about a year.
Nobody lives here now.
If there's a body in there, I don't know whose it can be.
Listen, did you notice any activity, see anybody go in or out? Not a thing.
Just Mrs.
Krause's son comes over every couple of months.
- Can you give us his address? - Yeah.
I'll go get it.
We're gonna go inside.
Get the address.
Oh, man.
It stinks of gasoline.
- Gentlemen, gentlemen.
- How's it going, Vince? Holding my own.
This woman got torched.
Is that duct tape? Yeah.
The eyes and the mouth.
Not tied up though.
Not now anyway.
There's no jewelry.
We gotta get the Crime Scene unit to bag her hands.
I don't think her back is burned.
Look at this.
- What? - Tattoo.
- Where? - Right here.
A blue unicorn.
Yeah, a unicorn means something.
- What? - Damned if I know.
Vince, it means that we stand half a chance of getting her identified.
A decent arsonist would turn his nose up at this one.
He lights a fire and runs, the fire sputters out on the concrete floor.
You get amateurs in every occupation, I guess.
Hey, Greg? Yeah, uh, Narcotics is running a wiretap.
Picked up there's a contract on Floyd Gates.
- Good News Gates? - Oh, the numbers guy.
Yeah.
Apparently there's a drug dealer named Woodrow has a hit out on him.
- Narcotics know what it's about? - Not a clue.
But you know the drill.
Proceeds of a tap- gotta warn Gates, offer him protection.
Yeah.
They got a detail going on him? - There's a double shift in it, if you want.
- Sure, I'll do a double shift.
But the cot in the upstairs dorm is not exactly the Waldorf.
No improvements on that front, huh? Eh.
I go back for a few days.
Tolerable intervals get shorter and shorter.
Sorry to hear about that.
Okay, here's where Gates lives.
- I'll get up there right away.
Thanks for the overtime, Lieu.
- Yeah.
All right.
Thanks very much.
Thanks.
So, where are you on your D.
O.
A? I just talked to the woman who owns the house.
The place got burglarized a few months ago.
That could explain no forced entry.
Maybe the burglar found a key when he was in there before.
And I also reached out to the owner's son.
He's on his way to work now, but he'll call back.
Excuse me, Andy.
Missing Persons put me with McNeil over at the 19th.
He's working a 20-year-old white girl.
She's been missing for three days.
I called over there andjust missed the father.
He's on the way to the apartment.
He's got some handbills printed up with her picture.
He's canvassing the neighborhood.
- Got an address on the daughter? - We can catch him over there.
Gentlemen, I spoke to my wife.
A unicorn's a mythological creature with the body parts of a bunch of different animals 'a lion's tail, so forth and a big horn in the middle of its head.
" - Good, Vince.
Thanks.
- Yeah.
That's all right, Bobby.
Take care.
So should we go see this guy or follow up that mythological angle? - Hey.
Greg Medavoy, 15 Squad.
- Yeah.
Detective Elkins, 25 Squad.
Taking a break.
They've been playing cards all night.
That's Detective Grimes.
He started the detail with me.
He's gonna do a double.
Okay? - Yeah, okay.
- Here's Detective Greg Medavoy.
He's gonna replace me.
Medavoy, this is Mr.
Floyd Gates.
- Good morning.
- Hey.
Do you have any security devices that I should familiarize myself with? Just a burglar alarm.
It's off.
- If you want to, you can just call me Good News.
- Okay, Good News.
- Shouldn't the alarm be on? - We don't need no burglar alarm.
We got you.
Uh-oh.
Who is it? - Louis! - And Delmar! Let them in.
Whoa! You're a white dude.
All right.
- My brother, my brother! - You still in one piece! - Hey, alive and kickin'.
- All right.
- This is Greg.
He's protection from the police department.
- How you doing, man? - Hi.
- Hey, I'm taking off.
- It's all yours, Medavoy.
- Okay.
- Thanks, Will.
Come back and see me.
- Yeah.
Take care of yourself.
Let's get this game going before you get your big ass shot full ofholes.
Hey, man! Wake up! Come on! Wake up, wake up! Get up! - Give him something to drink.
- Hey, Verdis, you want something, bro? - Yeah.
Give me a shot of that.
- All right.
Come on, Greg.
Get in the game.
Get in the game.
I think I better stick to business, Mr.
Gates.
What do you think of that sucker putting a contract out on Good News? Yeah.
Wasn't that a hell of a thing? Do you know what it was about? I don't know what it's about.
Good News, you know what it's about? That dope-dealing fool, Woodrow.
He got something against me.
But the police are gonna protect my ass.
Right, Greg? - That borough gave you his name? - Well, they had to tell me who to look out for.
Come on, Greg.
Sit down and play a hand.
- Well- - Deal him in.
Would you take one of these for me? Thank you.
Ma'am, would you take one of these? Thank you very much.
- Uh, do you know this girl? - No.
Would you take that with you? - Mr.
Garabedian? - Yeah? Detective Sipowicz, 15th Squad.
This is Detective Simone.
What squad is that? I've been talking with a Detective McNeil.
Yeah.
He gave us your name, sir.
We wanted to ask you a few questions.
My daughter's missing.
Does your daughter have any distinguishing marks on her? Well, it says a scar on the back ofher right calf.
- A dog bit her when she was eight.
- How about a tattoo? - That kind of thing.
- No.
No tattoo.
- Why? Did you find a girl with a tattoo? - Yeah.
- Uh-huh.
- What was her condition? We found a body in a fire.
She was in her early 20s.
She had a small tattoo of a unicorn on the back ofher right shoulder.
- No.
That wouldn't be Angie.
- Who's that kid? - Thank you.
- Uh, he's helping me.
Him and his wife were staying with my daughter the last week.
- They students? Working people? - His wife, Lisa, has a job.
Johnny, he stays home with the baby.
Lisa grew up with Angie.
They were getting some repairs done on their apartment.
Angie let them stay with her.
Excuse me.
- Can I see one of those? - Yeah.
Here's one in color.
Mr.
Garabedian, you'd know if your daughter had a tattoo, right? Absolutely.
Yes.
Your nameJohnny? Yes.
Johnny Arcotti.
My name's Simone.
So you're helping out Mr.
Garabedian here, huh? Yeah.
Angie's been missing for three days now.
We're getting kind of worried about her.
My wife and her, they grew up together.
I'm wondering, do you know if Angie had any sort of markings on her? Her dad said she didn't, but sometimes a father might not know.
- Like a tattoo or something like that? - Yeah, exactly.
Yeah, she had a tattoo.
It was of a unicorn.
She did, huh? Andy.
Yeah.
You see Legend? You know, the movie with Tom Cruise? - No.
Where's this tattoo? - It was on her shoulder.
We need to talk to Mr.
Garabedian some more.
But I want to talk to you some more too.
It's his daughter.
He's just pegged the tattoo.
Son of a bitch.
Thank you very much.
Mr.
Garabedian, uh there's a chance your daughter's involved in this case we're working on.
What makes you say that? Is there any way that we can possibly access your daughter's dental records? Why would you need them? To see if there's discrepancies with regards to the case that we're working on now.
- You know, just to stay on the safe side.
- L- I don't understand.
- What's the point if she didn't have that tattoo? - Johnny seems to think she did.
No.
No.
I was close with my daughter.
No, Mr.
Garabedian.
She did have a tattoo.
It was of a unicorn.
It was on her shoulder.
Oh, my God.
All right, well, we'll take it one step at a time.
We'll look for dental records.
Uh, our lawyer's Gerald Fleishmann.
Sir, her dentist? Right, dentist.
Columbus Avenue.
He would have her records.
- There still could be some discrepancy.
- Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Just, let's take it one step at a time.
Right.
- Lieu? - Yeah? That girl missing in the 19th? That's gonna be our D.
O.
A.
- Can we make an I.
D? - Her father just got us her dental records.
- Andy's running them over to the morgue.
- The father got any ideas? This guy wasn't ready for that kind of conversation.
He had been up for two days.
Just about hysterical fighting off that it could be her.
He's waiting to hear at home.
Who's that? A friend of the family.
Him and his wife were staying at the D.
O.
A.
's apartment.
- Why's that? - They were getting their place fixed up.
- James? - Yeah.
Could you do me a favor? Run this guy, Johnny, through B.
C.
I.
For me.
- Okay, no problem.
- Thanks.
- I'm not gonna swear by that.
- That's all right.
Just as long as it's got caffeine in it.
Couple hours into the shift, you know, it starts getting a little ripe.
Yeah- I'm just trying to think.
I mean, who could've done this to her? You figure this girl we found could be Angie, huh? Well, yeah, definitely, by what you said- the, uh, tattoo.
Yeah.
I think you're probably right.
There was this Russian guy-Angie went to Virginia with him a couple weeks ago.
He was giving her a pretty hard time.
I remember Angie called up Lisa and said the guy was pushing on her.
- She say what it was about? - I think sex.
'Cause she wasn't sleeping with him on the trip.
- Well, do you know if he put hands on her at all? - No, I don't I mean, I don't know.
I mean, I do know that they did come back a day early, though.
Huh.
Then, like, a week ago this guy, uh, Dimitri, he came over.
He was really drunk, and Angie started to freak out.
He took his shirt off- the guy got her name and a unicorn tattooed on his arm.
So what happened when Angie freaked out? Yeah, well, you know, we drank a few beers, and - And she did finally tell him to leave.
- Anyone doing drugs? Nah.
Come on, John.
I'm working a homicide here.
No one's gonna get hassled for their party habits.
I'm just looking to get a clear picture of this, uh- Dimitri, right? No, I understand.
I'm just- Okay, I wouldn't be surprised if the guy smoked some pot.
But he just didn't do it in front of me.
So- So you're thinking then that this guy, he could've harmed Angie, huh? Oh, yeah.
No, definitely.
I mean, this guy- I mean, he was definitely a strange guy.
You know where we could find this guy? You could check her address book.
Dimitri.
- Dimitri, uh- - Any idea of the last name? Yeah.
Golf.
Golf.
Something like that.
I think it's G-0-L-0 F- F.
Two F's.
Thanks.
Yeah, Johnny, I was holding off talking to Mr.
Garabedian until we were sure about Angie.
But I really appreciate your help.
Yeah.
So, did you guys find anything out that could help you at the scene? - I'm not supposed to say, John.
- Yeah.
But, you know, between me and you, you've been real helpful here.
There were some fingerprints that we lifted from the crime scene.
- That's good, right? - Yeah.
- That's in confidence.
- Yeah.
No, I understand.
Okay.
Thanks for the information.
You ever been in trouble yourself? - No.
- I wouldn't think so.
- And when she gets a chance, we can talk to your wife? - Is it Lisa? Yeah, Lisa.
She's working now.
Uh, Johnny, who's taking care of your baby? She took it to work.
I was handing out the leaflets.
Uh-huh.
All right.
Take care.
All right.
OurJohnny took collars for grand larceny auto and soliciting for a minor.
Pimped a 15-year-old girl.
How's it going? Those records match? It was her.
These assholes.
She had carbon in her lungs.
I gotta call the girl's father.
- She was alive when they set her on fire.
- Mm-hmm.
Oh, we gotta look at a Dimitri Goloff.
Uh, Mr.
Garabedian? This is Detective Sipowicz.
Deal a brother a hand, man.
Come on, Gregory.
Give us some cards here.
Do not fool around.
- We are card players here.
- Right.
Hey, Greg, how long you figure the department will be willing to protect me like this? Ah, as long as it takes, I guess.
This could be a very long card game.
Pretty soon we gonna need some women up in here.
- Yeah! I can dig that.
- Get one for Greg too.
- Right! - What kind you like, Greg? You like 'em with a little meat on the bones? A little thunder in the thighs? - How about- - Wandell! - Wandell! - Yeah! Yeah! - Ooh! - How about it, Greg? Want me to give her a call? - No, let's leave that alone.
You don't want no woman, man? Hey, guys, I'm on duty.
- Oooh! He on duty.
- Yeah.
What's wrong with you, Louis? The man's on duty.
He's protecting my ass.
He ain't got time for no women.
- Ain't that right, Greg? - Yeah.
- Or do you want to get you a little? - I'm working! - Well, have a drink with us.
- Nah, I can't drink either.
- But I am having a good time.
- All right! Have a seat right there, Dimitri.
- Lieu? - Yeah? That's the Russian.
He was warming a bar stool across the street from his building.
D.
O.
A.
's father's on his way in.
And that kid you told we had prints? I figured if he was wrong, it would give him something to think about.
- His wife's coming in at 5:30.
- We got a subpoena to dump the girl's phone? Yeah.
Russell's at Telephone Security.
- Okay, cool.
Thanks, Lieu.
- Okay.
You wanna sit down? How many drinks you had today, Dimitri? Two vodkas.
- So you're more or less sober, right? - Yeah.
All right, I want you to remember when you saw Angie Garabedian last.
- What about Angie? - Did you hear what he said? When did you see her last? What I am here for about Angie? She put a complaint? That's not how it goes- we ask a question, you ask a question.
When did you see this girl? Maybe three or four nights ago.
I see her at this club, Snakes.
- Did you talk to her? - Just hello.
" She don't want to talk to me.
- Who was she with? - A girlfriend.
- Where did you go after you left the club? - Home.
Went to bed.
We heard about this trip you took to Virginia with Angie.
You two sleeping together? What do you want? Who is making this complaint? - You see? That's you asking us again.
- Were you sleeping with Angie? Couple times.
We heard that she wouldn't sleep with you.
Who is complaining on me? - Take off your shirt.
- What? Take it off.
Come on.
The shirt.
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
- See, I think that you were very serious about her.
- I got drunk.
Angie's in the morgue, Dimitri.
We found her body this morning.
She was murdered.
Are you telling the truth? If you killed her, you'll feel better, you let it go.
What? No, I I couldn't hurt Angie.
Maybe she did something to hurt your feelings.
- Then something happened that you didn't mean to happen.
- No! You didn't get mad because you couldn't have her? No.
I wasn't good enough to have her.
I don't have no class.
- Bobby, you got a second? - Yeah.
- What's up? - Alex Sandoval just got shot on Fourth.
He could be connected with this John Arcotti.
On Johnny's pop for that G.
L.
A Sandoval took the collar with him.
Put your shirt back on.
Excuse me.
- You got any witnesses? - Over there.
- She see it? - She was with him.
- Keep this area clear for emergency vehicles.
- Shot from behind.
- Yep.
So either this is a coincidence, orJohnny and Alex are back in business.
John gets worried about those fingerprints we didn't find- He goes out and whacks Alex.
Let's go talk to her.
- Baby get hurt? - Baby's okay.
That's the father's blood on the kid.
What's your name? It's Donna Mendoza.
Did you see who shot him, Donna? No.
No.
Alex was holding the baby.
Then he fell down on the baby, and I had to get him off the baby.
- You didn't get any kind of look at this guy? - I don't- I don't know.
Look, I'm sorry, Donna.
I do have to ask you some questions.
- Is the baby all right? - Yeah, yeah.
- Do you know a John Arcotti? - No.
- Maybe one of Alex's friends? - He don't- He don't bring his friends around.
If this wasn't an accident, can you think of any reason why somebody would want to do this? He came right up behind us and shot Alex in the head.
I had to get him off the baby.
All right, don't look over there.
Just go inside.
Baby's cold.
So, what is it? Romance? Maybe he was bangin' her.
Plus these others.
Look at this phone list.
Now Angie gets a conscience pang or they beef, her and Johnny and she's gonna blow the whistle toJohnny's wife.
ExceptJohnny decides to kill her instead.
- Alex carries the kerosene for old time's sake.
- Or maybe 20 bucks.
And Johnny decides to whack Alex 'cause he could be a witness.
- How's it going? - Hey, John.
Lisa brought the baby to me before she came to talk to you, so I figured I'd come in.
Yeah, sure.
- Andy, you want to talk to Mrs.
Arcotti? - Yeah.
- Come on.
We can talk down here.
- All right.
John, stay with me.
I'll fill you in on what's going on.
That's okay.
Go ahead, honey.
Want something to drink? - Uh, yeah.
You got Coke? - Both kinds.
What's the baby's name? It's Oliver.
It's named after Lisa's grandfather.
Yeah.
So how's it going with the case? - Hey, just pluggin' away, man.
- Pluggin'away, huh? No, uh- No big developments? You know, now that you're in, John, there is one discrepancy that I wanted to ask you on where we learned you do have a record.
Yeah, I thought about that afterwards.
But I wasn't sure what you meant by that.
Well, you were collared for a G.
L.
A.
, and you pimped a child prostitute.
I misunderstood, when the area of the crime that you were looking at Mm-hmm.
Which would be an abduction-murder.
Yeah.
Okay, jackpot on the car.
That was a registration mix-up.
And the girl, I mean, there was no way I was pimpin' her.
To look at her, you'd think she was 20.
She had tits out to here.
- That must've been a shock.
- Yeah.
I thought she was my girlfriend.
Turns out she's balling anything with a pair of pants and I'm the last to find out.
And that vice cop in court, he stands up and says I was soliciting him.
- I'd never seen him in my life.
- Wow.
- What about Dimitri? - Oh, we talked to him, John.
- I don't think that's going anywhere.
- No, huh? I'd forget about Dimitri.
It wasn't him.
There are three calls here from your phone toJohnny's beeper that night.
You're telling meJohnny's sitting there next to you, so you dialed him on his beeper? Look, Johnny was home all night.
That's gotta be a mistake.
So, how about these mistakes, Lisa? Here.
You got dozens of calls to a Carla Leon and a Helen Slauson all from Angie's apartment, all while you and Angie were working.
Now, do you know these women, huh? Were these mutual friends with you and Johnny? Carla's someoneJohnny had a thing with after we first got together, but he broke it off.
Oh.
So he was just calling to remind her it was over.
How about Helen Slauson? Who's she? I don't know who that is.
The truth is, Johnny's running from one bed to another while you're out working, supporting him, Lisa.
He was home all that night! - You know he's got a record? - No.
Johnny was a pimp and a car thief.
As a matter of fact, one of the guys he used to steal cars with got murdered today.
You know an Alex Sandoval? Look, I don't know any Alex.
And Johnny didn't go out that night.
All right, so it was a coincidence you and Johnny being houseguests just when Angie got kidnapped and murdered, huh? I gotta get back to my baby.
- Who is it? - It's Bob.
- Bob.
- Let him in.
- Boxing.
- Boxing? Man, you will lose your ass messing around with boxing.
Not on this deal.
It's the fight of the century.
And ain't nobody thought of it but me.
- Yeah, right.
- Who's the fighters? - I tell you, we split 50/50.
- Okay.
We partners.
Okay.
It's Mike Tyson and O.
J.
Simpson.
Get outta here! Hey, what are you laughing at? We getJudge Ito to referee.
You getJudge Ito, I'll put it on.
How is it out there, Bob? Anybody take a potshot at you? - No.
- Everything quiet out there? It's quiet now.
- All right.
Whose bet is it? - It's yours, man.
- I wish you'd bet.
- Shut up! Man, hold it! I call, and I raise.
I am not gonna hear talk like this.
My daughter is not a tramp.
No one is saying anything like that, Mr.
Garabedian.
We just want your impression of the relationship between your daughter and John Arcotti.
Lisa was my daughter's best friend.
She's not gonna sleep with her best friend's husband! With Johnny's background and his access to your daughter, we gotta treat him as a suspect.
Your daughter never mentioned he made her feel uncomfortable? Maybe he'd made some advances? No.
She liked him! I was happy when they moved in.
Look, I'd worried about my daughter living alone.
When she came to me about Lisa and John, it was a relief.
I'd hoped that after they'd left, she'd want a full-time roommate.
- She asked for your permission for them to move in? - I pay the rent.
I will not- not have these people called murderers! I gave them permission to be there! Bobby.
Thanks very much, Mr.
Garabedian.
Uh, John said you thought a Russian might be a suspect.
Well, we're still fitting things together.
Listen, thank you very much for your cooperation.
Detective, I know I didn't know about the tattoo.
But I know my daughter was a good girl.
She would never hurt Lisa that way.
Okay, Mr.
Garabedian.
- Hey.
- This is Carla Leon.
Looks like she took a beating.
How'd you do on the other one? Helen Slauson? We got one other place to look.
Who hit you, Carla? You don't know who hit you? - What you call me in here for? - You know a John Arcotti? Come on, Carla.
Sit down.
Come on.
Now, this John, made a whole lot of phone calls to you from this girl's apartment who was found tied and burned in a vacant house.
- I don't know about it.
- You don't know about him making phone calls to you? You must be in deep, Carla.
That lie just made you an accessory to murder.
- So you must've done something worse than that.
- That's right.
- Were you at the scene? 'Cause, see, that surprises me.
- I don't know anything! I tell you that, you say it makes me a convict? Johnny must have you pretty afraid, doesn't he? You could say that.
Let's just start with you seeing him.
I've been dating Johnny somewhat.
He seeing anybody else? I know he got other girlfriend.
- Do you know her name? - Lisa.
Yeah.
Well, Carla, that's his wife.
You ever hear of a girl named Angie? Yeah.
The girl they moved in with until their apartment's fixed.
Sometimes Johnny starts saying he's gonna make a lot of money.
It's involved with her.
Her father got a lot of money, and so forth.
Me, I just figured he's gonna putJohnny in business or somethin'.
Angie's father's gonna putJohnny in business? Was he gonna put Alex Sandoval in business? 'Cause you know Alex too.
Right, Carla? He used to come up.
They talked.
- Johnny and Alex'd come to your place? - Yeah.
I never paid attention to what they were saying.
I couldn't follow it anyway.
It was like some kind of code or something.
Man, I just liked Johnny.
And today I get a call from Don Brunelli, another guy that come up.
He said Alex is dead.
Alex got shot, like, he got his head blown off in the street.
I already seen on the TV that that girl died.
And Johnny comes over half crazy.
I asked what happened, and he says Shut your mouth, bitch! Shut the hell up!" Then he hits me.
Smashes me in the face.
I locked myself in the bathroom.
He kicks the door open.
I'm, like, What are you gettin' mad at me for?" He says he'd better be able to trust me.
What's he gotta trust you about? Look, all I heard him say was the phone didn't work.
The call must not have worked.
- Who were they calling? - The girl's father, I guess, to get the money.
They kidnapped that girl for ransom? I guess so.
He said when they made the call, it must not have gone through.
Look, man, I don't know what he did, but I'm scared of him.
- You know where this Don Brunelli lives? - No.
This guy's number's on the phone dump from Angie's apartment.
Listen, don't go home, Carla.
- You got someplace else to go? - Yeah.
My parents live in Jersey.
- Does Johnny know where? - No.
All right.
Go stay with them.
Give us the number.
Man, I'm so scared.
Yeah, I can understand your impatience, but, uh Hey, fellas.
Wait right there.
You'll have to bear with me a moment, Mr.
Garabedian.
All hell's breaking loose today.
I've got an urgent phone call for one of my detectives and I've gotta go through the 61's with his partner.
If you'll give me just two minutes, I'll be right back.
Please have a seat.
That's the lieutenant.
Hey, Andy.
This call just came in for you.
You gotta get back to him.
I've gotta go through your 61 's.
Sarge, can I get those 61's, please? There's no number here.
- Um, yeah.
Call the weather.
- What's all this about, Lieu? The victim's father came back with a lawyer to look out for his daughter's interests.
Meanwhile, John Arcotti's waiting upstairs to talk to you.
- Now? - Yeah, yeah.
He's pretty wired.
I don't want that father taking this guy up there.
- They may lawyer the kid up, and then we're dead.
- That's right.
- Any good on the third guy? - Brunelli? It's in the wind.
He cleaned out the apartment.
Uh, yeah, Sylvia, it's me.
Listen, don't say anything.
I might talk.
I might not.
Check this out, Lieu.
The landlord says that this guy, Brunelli, he's 6 foot 3.
The average height description we got from the witnesses on the Sandoval homicide I mean, that's gotta beJohn Arcotti and not this guy Brunelli.
- Hold on.
I'm still here.
- Yeah, and B," Brunelli bags his trash.
He's got a $17 receipt in there from a Payless station.
Five bucks' worth of gas, $12 for the can.
You figure he set the fire? I'm saying good-bye now.
I'll call back when I understand.
Station attendant I.
D.
's all three of the guys off the tape from the video camera- Johnny, Sandoval and Brunelli.
All three of them bought the gas.
You tell me, what kind of crooks are these? They snatch up a girl for ransom and never get through on the ransom call.
Buying the gas isn't gonna give us a conviction and doesn't put them at the house.
- Let me work on this guyJohn.
- All right.
I got the father.
- How are you, Mr.
Garabedian? - Detective.
Yeah, Detective Sipowicz is gonna bring you up to speed on your daughter's case.
The most recent developments.
- Andy Sipowicz.
- John Sawyer, representing Mr.
Garabedian.
I'm upset with where it looks like you're taking this.
- What way is that? - I mean, what happened to the Russian as a suspect? - This Dimitri? - You're trying to makeJohn Arcotti the killer.
I thinkJohn Arcotti is the one who needs representation to protect his rights.
I'm gonna give you some background on what we've been finding out.
Then you'll make your judgment.
All right? Have a seat here.
Please, sit down.
What am I doing in this room? Well, the lieutenant must have sensed that you were a little upset.
He put you in here so you wouldn't be so distracted.
What's going on, Johnny? What's going on is, you're trying to break up my marriage and involve me in crimes! What I attempted was exactly the opposite! What we're trying to do is figure out what happened to Angie Garabedian.
Oh, let me tell you something.
Let me tell you some I have been under such strain- such strain you couldn't even believe it.
- Now to have my wife told that I'm a criminal.
- Well, let's straighten it out.
Let's straighten this out right now.
You asked my wife You asked my wife about Alex Sandoval.
Okay, Alex Sandoval he came to see me in the neighborhood of seven to 10 days ago.
Now, I made a mistake in my life three and a half years ago involving Alex Sandoval and that was- that was that car theft you asked me about.
- The registration mix-up.
" - That involved Alex Sandoval.
Okay, here he comes now.
He wants us to work together.
Get out and earn.
Carry on like we did in the good old days.
I said, 'No, Alex.
I'm married.
I'm a parent, and we're staying with this lovely person, Angie, until our own place is ready.
Wonderful father who's financially comfortable.
" Bottom line is, I sent Alex on his way.
Okay? And when this transpired, I thought I was gonna vomit at what I had realized.
I had given him this information.
You told him about Angie.
You asked Lisa my connection with Alex Sandoval.
It was the same that was on those phone records, which is the exact way I was able to trace Alex Sandoval- by making those phone calls.
- You were trying to find Angie.
- I was trying to find her.
I was trying to save her life.
So Alex's intention was to get ransom.
Is that what was going on? He was holding her ransom.
Now get this.
He had made a tape with instructions on where to drop the money.
- How much was he asking for? - 75,000, I think he said.
And he had made a tape to play into the phone when the old man answers.
Except when the old man answers, he hears Hello, this is George Garabedian.
" - It was the old man's answering machine.
- And Alex don't realize this.
No.
He holds up the tape recorder, plays the message into the phone and then hangs up.
But he must've hung up before the machine beeped on- the message don't even get on it.
- He screwed up.
- Alex totally screwed up.
How long after this had Angie disappeared? What? Till I tracked him down? It was several days.
He admitted he was involved, and he said the guy didn't pay him the money.
I told him I know for a fact- Alex, the father never got a ransom call.
" Because I was out there spending days with him handing out flyers.
Now, all I'm thinking- I mean, I know I should've probably contacted the police.
- You should've, Johnny.
- But my only thought is, I just want to get the girl back safe.
'Cause of my knowing him, I got a better chance of getting him to tell.
So I'm asking him, Alex, where have you got the girl? Where have you got Angie hidden?" - And that's what those phone calls were all about.
- Hmm.
Now, I mean what he must have done is he must've gone back and set her on fire to destroy the evidence.
You know Alex Sandoval's dead.
No, I know.
You told my wife.
You asked her my connection.
So, do you know a Don Brunelli? I know a Don Brunelli.
I believe that Don Brunelli may have been involved with Alex in grabbing Angie.
And subsequently, Don may have even- He may have even murdered Alex.
Why? What's Don Brunelli telling you? Don Brunelli's not telling us anything, John.
Don Brunelli took off.
But you and Don and Alex were picked out by a station attendant who sold you five dollars' worth of gasoline.
And all of you were up there on this little video monitor.
- You want to know how that happened? - Absolutely.
See, now, this is exactly how you get further and further in.
I mean, I was only trying to help.
But- Okay I had finally remembered Alex had mentioned this vacant house near where his mother lived that he'd broken into several months ago, and he obtained a key.
- I'm finally thinking maybe this is where they have her.
- This is a couple days later? Yeah.
I go, identify the place, obtain entry, and there she is.
- She's in the basement.
- Angie? Angie's in the basement.
And she's tied up.
And when I go over to release her, I realize that she's dead.
And it's just that moment when both Don and Alex, they return.
- Where had they been? - How do I know where they've been? They went out to find her a blanket, 'cause this girl was frozen to death.
She was suffocated or something.
Have a seat, John.
- Why? - Have a seat.
So you were sure she was dead.
I know.
She She wasn't moving at all.
It wasn't like she was just unconscious.
She was dead.
They were kicking her and so forth.
I was afraid for my own life.
I mean, I thought- I thought they were gonna kill me because she was already dead.
In order to save my own life, I said, Let's get some gasoline and let's burn her up.
" - That way I would show that I was not gonna rat on them.
- You said that? I have a wife and a small child.
She was already dead.
Angie had carbon in her lungs, John.
She was alive when you set her on fire.
She breathed in those flames.
- No way.
- No way? After all this that I've been hearing from you that's the best you're gonna come up with- No way,"John? They made me do this! They came at me! I was trying to save my life! Now look! I'm in the exact jam they wanted me to be in! You know, John, we got a general description on the Alex Sandoval killing.
Average height.
Now, Don Brunelli is, as you know, 6 foot 3.
Johnny, you're 5'10".
Now, one of you killed Alex, John.
And my money is on you.
It was because I was furious with grief.
I mean, I did to them exactly what I swore I'd do when they made me watch that fire.
I took vengeance for Mr.
Garabedian.
Mm-mmm-mmm.
Vengeance makes it premeditated, John.
Premeditated.
No, I think you'd be better off with, uh, temporary insanity.
I mean I felt insane- I- I was- I was exhausted.
I was- You know, I was crazy with grief that they would burn her alive.
I think you got a better shot with that.
It's three days.
I still haven't been asleep.
Yeah, man.
Come on.
It's on you, Greg.
It's on you.
Three threes.
- What? Damn! - How the hell you get a hand like that? Greg, you must have played poker all day down at the station house.
To tell you the truth, I don't play that much poker.
Lucky as you are, you oughta start.
- You something else, Greg.
- Yeah? - Maybe you're right.
- Hold on.
Greg.
Oh.
Thanks.
Hello? Yeah, that's me.
Oh, yeah? That right? So, uh, what happened? God.
Well, okay, uh, we'll wrap it up here.
Yeah.
Bye.
That was the borough.
The threat on your life, that's over.
It's over? You mean the son of a bitch that wanted to kill me changed his mind? - No.
Turns out somebody whacked him.
- He got whacked? Y'all hear that? - Woodrow got whacked.
- He must've had a whole lot of enemies.
What do you think of that? Somebody went over and canceled my contract on him.
- What you think of that? - What do you mean, what I think of it? Well, what do you think about it? I don't think nothin'.
Well, let's go out and get something to eat! - Yeah, I hear you.
- That sounds good.
I can handle that.
That sounds like a winner to me.
Put Greg's money together for him.
- Oh, okay.
- Hey, thanks a lot.
So, uh, point of information, Bob.
Where were you before you came up here? - I was shooting pool.
- That Bob shoots a mean stick.
- Where were you, Bob? Over atJane Street? - Yeah.
And I bet you weren't shooting by yourself, were you? I never shoot by myself.
My coat.
Grimes! Grimes, wake up! - We're through here, Grimes.
- What's goin'on? Game's over.
- Hey, Bobby.
- Hey, Greg.
I understand these things.
Sarge tells me you collared up on that torch guy.
- Yeah.
Doin' the fives.
- Yeah.
They, uh- They shut my detail down.
Yeah, huh? I was watching this policy guy, Good News Gates.
Yeah.
This guy, Woodrow, had a contract out on him.
- Winds up whacked himself.
- Gates had that done? Well, the thought occurred to me.
Woodrow was shot in the 27, so I told 'em to look at a guy that worked for Gates.
This huge, cross-eyed guy named Bob.
- Mm-hmm.
- Anyway, see, I'm playing poker with these guys.
Professional gamblers.
I win 312 bucks.
- You're kidding me.
- I haven't played poker since I was a kid.
I was running bluffs, every other damn thing.
- Hmm.
- Three hundred and twelve bucks! Greg, you sure these guys weren't just, you know, keeping you happy? Nah.
Hey, uh I wouldn't imagine so.
I mean, t-t-they're not even from our precinct.
Anyways, uh, I'm going upstairs.
Uh, tell Andy I said good night.
Yeah.
Night, Greg.
Look, that kind of talk doesn't do anybody any good, Mr.
Garabedian.
Um, I'm gonna be here for another 45 minutes.
And you got my home number, right? Okay.
Yeah.
Take care.
Father's bad, huh? They better be heads-up with the metal detectors when they arraign thatJohnny.
This guy is liable to go after him.
This kid's got no remorse.
Twenty years from now, he's still gonna be working on a new wrinkle, grounds for an appeal.
A master criminal.
Meanwhile he's working on his escape digging a tunnel at night with a fork.
- Probably break through into a septic tank.
- Hey, guys.
Hey, how's it going, Vince? - Hear you collared up on that torch job.
- Uh-huh.
- One of the guys you questioned was tattooed like the D.
O.
A? - Yeah.
- Had one of those unicorns? - Mm-hmm.
Russian guy.
I figured it was important, that tattoo.
I just didn't know where it fit.
He chose this job over a career in neurosurgery.