Reckless (2014) s01e02 Episode Script

Parting Shots

Previously on Reckless I see a yankee lawyer in expensive shoes who doesn't know how to work a Southern jury or a Southern D.
A.
Assistant D.
A.
He wants to appoint you city attorney.
There's a few dirtbags on the force.
Generally, it's a good department, but Hey, you don't have a warrant! Well, at least you don't have to call a lawyer.
I should've ended it a long time ago.
It's over when I say it's over.
They have a tape.
It's footage of you and three other men having sex on a police car.
They must've slipped something into my beer.
- You got a boyfriend? - I do.
He's a homicide detective, Preston Cruz.
The missing footage.
Preston.
Mmm.
So Are we doing this? Yeah, we're We're definitely doing something.
You want to be my boyfriend? Just so you know, if If you're joking, I'm not.
Does this look like I'm joking? Does this mean that I have to give you one, too? - Give it back.
- No.
- Give it.
Give it.
- No.
Give it back.
Where'd you get this? It was anonymously delivered.
Did you have any idea that Jamie's boyfriend was part - of the sex ring in the department? - There's no sex ring.
This was an affair between two officers that got way out of hand.
Preston Cruz is one of my best officers.
We found the sex tape footage on Terry McCandless's computer, and Preston wasn't in it.
Lee Anne is saying that these guys drugged her.
She wasn't drugged.
Okay, look, as city attorney, I represent this department and these officers.
I got to know who sent me that drive.
I'll have our IT guy run it.
- I'll make you a copy.
- I already did.
I hope you settle this thing, Roy.
Just.
.
give Lee Anne some money, make it go away.
We'll see.
All right, I have to be in court.
Day three of the Benjamin custody hearing.
You're kidding.
That mess? Yeah.
Well, I'm representing the father.
He has shared custody now, but he's asking for sole.
You ever think about getting full custody of your girls? Oh, no.
I wouldn't put 'em through the courts.
So I just make it work.
- You do better than that.
- All right.
I've resigned from the preservation board, I've given up chairing the Children's Hospital gala because I really want to focus on raising my son right now.
My sister is the finest mother I know.
This case is shameful.
He's tearing his family apart.
Here comes Mr.
Benjamin! Mr.
Benjamin, do you think a son is better off living with his father? Is your ex-wife an unfit mother? When are you gonna get divorced? Are you gonna keep the children? What a circus, huh? All these reporters.
I'm sure you called 'em, told 'em where to stand, had Cathy's makeup done to look just the right amount of natural.
And your client arrived in a town car.
That doesn't look very good on the 5:00 news.
Cole, you recently changed jobs, correct? I opened my own investment firm.
I wanted to make my own hours, so I can spend more time with Marshall.
And what do you and Marshall do together? Fishing, biking, movies.
Um, I coach his soccer team.
He phones me every night for help with his homework.
Can't Cathy help him? Uh She usually has a few drinks.
Um, she also takes sleeping pills.
Sometimes he calls me to take him to school because he can't wake mommy up.
Uh, once, we had to call the paramedics, and that's when I knew Marshall would be better off living with me.
I haven't had a drink in eight months.
Or pills.
I go to AA meetings twice a week.
But, Mrs.
Benjamin, who takes care of Marshall on those evenings? Uh, his babysitter.
And my sister.
Who babysits on Sundays when the girls have the day off, correct? I-I'm frightened in the house alone.
I started having trouble sleeping because Cole worked late so much.
I needed help babysitting because he could never be there to stay with Marshall.
It's just been me looking after Marshall since he was born.
It's like divorcing me and being away from Marshall finally got Cole to pay attention to his son.
Tell me, did your wife have a drinking problem when you first met? No.
Isn't it true, Mr.
Benjamin, that Cathy started drinking about the same time that you began an illicit affair with your secretary? No, I didn't have an affair.
Cathy imagined that.
Is this young woman in the front row your secretary, Erica Tanner? Yes.
Is she your lover? Now She's my girlfriend, yes.
Then I would say that Cathy didn't imagine anything.
Daddy! Hey, buddy! What you doing here? What a nice surprise.
Come here.
- How was school? - Remember my spelling test? - Yeah.
- I aced it.
What about "autumn"? F-a-l-l.
- Nice.
- Hey, honey.
We have to go, okay? All right, Marsh, I'll see you soon, okay? - Be good.
- Hey, Marsh, you hungry? Want to get a bite to eat? Maybe some pizza? We don't stand a chance, do we? Look, Cole, I understand.
I could barely get through the day after my divorce.
Not seeing my kids.
This is not over, and we are gonna fight.
Someone sent this to the city attorney.
We need to find out who.
Wh-what is it? New footage from that tape we found on McCandless's computer.
I want to know where it came from.
Someone out there is distributing this without my knowledge, and I want it shut down.
- You got it? - Yep.
Yeah.
Yes, sir.
All right.
Ma'am, this is an active crime scene.
Cathy asked me to come.
I'm her lawyer.
Let her through.
My favor yankee lawyer.
My least favorite police officer.
I could change your mind if you just give me 20 minutes.
I heard it was about five minutes.
So what's the motive here? Robbery? This wasn't a robbery.
It was an assassination attempt.
There's two surveillance cameras over the front door facing the street.
Let's get all the footage from the last couple weeks.
- Let's go.
- Yes, sir.
Where's Cathy? Just keep this wrapped up and it should be fine.
Jamie.
Thank you so much for coming.
Of course.
I just keep thanking God that Marshall wasn't here.
He wanted to stay at Olivia's.
Have a sleepover with his cousins.
I almost said no.
Cathy, I came as soon as I heard.
What are you doing here? What do you mean? How could I not? Cathy, my God, are you all right? I'm fine, Cole.
Where's Marshall? He was sleeping at Olivia's, if you were worried.
I am worried, for him and for you, too.
I called Dr.
Morris.
He's headed over, and I've also looked into hiring some private security.
Mr.
Benjamin, Detective McCandless.
I'd like to ask you a few questions.
Uh, of course, officer.
I think it might be best if you came with me down to the station.
Husband's the first suspect, Roy, you know that.
- Where's my client? - He's being questioned.
Get up, Cole, we're leaving.
- He's not leaving.
- Is he under arrest? Do you even have one shred of evidence against him? Then he's leaving.
Come on.
- Darling, I was so worried.
- I'm okay.
Do they really think you had something to do with this? I would never, ever harm Cathy.
She's Marshall's mother.
He loves her.
Cathy's into something I don't know about.
We have to get Marshall out of there.
All right, just take a beat.
Tomorrow we will ask the judge for a continuance, and then we'll go from there.
All right? Baby, can you come out here for a second? Is that what they make you wear? It's old-school.
I don't want you working there.
Arliss, I can look after myself.
Oh, yeah? Like you did at the police department? I got it.
If I ever see that cop boss of yours, I swear to God, I'll choke him with my bare hands.
Why you leaving so early? Got to go see my lawyer.
Baby? What did they do to you? I told you.
They sent pictures of me around the station.
They said things about me.
When I complained, they fired me.
They ask you for sex? That deputy chief did he touch you? No.
Lee Anne! I don't believe you! We have three things we're suing for.
Sexual harassment, wrongful termination and defamation of character.
Several people were in that sex tape, but you were the only officer who lost your job.
Wrongful termination.
And the way they sent around this tape, forwarded e-mails saying lewd things about you, that's classic defamation.
But if they drugged me Isn't that a criminal offense? I showed the tape to a friend at the solicitor's office.
He says they can't press criminal charges just based on the tape.
So, what does that mean? Honestly, without evidence that you were drugged, I think the tape hurts our case.
I can see us making a motion to have it dismissed.
That it's compromised because there's missing footage.
So no one would ever see it? No one like your husband? You haven't told him about it? With his injury, he's so insecure about sexual things.
Stuff he can't do anymore.
I keep telling him I love him, it's all I care about, but I'm afraid if he knew about Terry or the tape I don't know what he'd do.
Maybe you should watch it.
You may recognize something in it that could at least give us a hint about when it happened.
Does anything look familiar? - Lee Anne - I remember that dress.
I wore it the night we went out for Terry's birthday about three months ago.
If only we could find that missing footage.
Maybe there's something in it that they're hiding.
Maybe evidence that she was drugged.
The PD must have a computer forensics guy who pulled all this stuff.
Those IT guys They know where all the bodies are buried.
You think you could find him? Cozy up to him? Cozy up to a computer geek? That's like whispering sweet nothings to a hermit crab.
Looks like you had one hell of a morning.
You want to talk about it, son? Oh, not really.
I seem to remember advising you to keep this out of the courts.
Get the parents together, work out an amicable solution.
Well, they're not amicable.
And you knew it.
Otherwise, you'd have taken the case yourself.
No Carolina judge is going to give sole custody to the father.
Dec, I believe Cole.
I believe that that boy would be better off living with his dad.
Roy, the shooting changes everything.
You have to settle.
Your 12:00 is here.
Uh, send him in.
Settle.
We'll talk about it.
What's there to talk about? You're a junior partner.
You need to trust me on this.
Okay? - Afternoon.
- Detective Cruz, thank you for coming in.
What am I doing here, Roy? Please, take a seat.
As you know, there's been a lawsuit filed against the police department by one of your former coworkers, Lee Anne Marcus.
Yeah, I'm aware of it.
Well, the internal affairs investigation yielded a file of recorded footage, and it's a party of several officers taking turns having sex with Lee Anne on the hood of a squad car, and I'm interviewing all the men in that footage.
I'm not in it.
You may want to rethink that answer.
Does Jamie know about this? No.
But you're gonna tell her, huh? She is my opponent.
I don't know what I'll tell her.
Yet.
I don't think I'm gonna answer any more questions until I talk to my union rep.
Detective Cruz? If Jamie finds out about this, she will depose you.
I want to see the security footage from Cathy Benjamin's house.
I prefer e-mail to in-person communication.
I prefer not to work with egghead freaks, but sometimes we got to compromise.
Sorry.
Freeze that one right there.
Don't touch.
Now, there, freeze that nighttime shot.
There's a car parked here, just out of frame, see? This is the back end, some kind of old caddie or something.
But in this one, it's only just the front end, you see? It's like It's like this guy knows exactly where to park so the cameras won't catch it.
Maybe it's a neighbor.
Zoom in.
With Kentucky plates? I'm gonna get somebody to run the car.
Seriously? Don't move! Don't move! Bathroom.
Hands up! - Let me see 'em! - Come on, man.
You ain't got nothing on me, man.
Let me go! Get down! Hey, easy, brother.
Now, show me your hands! I didn't do nothing.
Might want to get dressed, sweetheart.
You all right in there? We're good.
I swear to God, man.
Swear to God, you don't got nothing on me.
Come on.
- Come on, man! Easy.
- Come on, on your feet.
Hey, easy.
All right, come on, come on.
Van Larson, you're under arrest for the attempted murder of Cathy Benjamin.
Can I get me a cup of that coffee? It looks like you had a little trouble at Kentucky State Prison, Van, with the skinheads.
And let me tell you, the skins over here at Broad River They're gonna know all about it.
Attempted murder.
You'll go down hard for that.
Unless you want to tell me who hired you.
Well, I don't want to serve in a level three.
You get me a level two I'll talk.
Level two.
It was all anonymous.
They didn't want me to know nothing.
I don't even know how they got my number.
When did he first make contact? About two weeks ago.
- By phone? - It was two phone calls.
One to ask me, one to set up a drop location just outside of town.
This idiot used some kind of electronic deal to disguise his voice.
I said no.
Then I started thinking about the money.
One little job, I could start all over again.
Yup.
Just kill someone's mother, and you're on your way.
We request a continuance while my client recovers, and we request a temporary suspension of all the father's visiting rights until such time as the police determine who is behind this shooting.
That is outrageous.
Judge Kress, there are people shooting up Cathy Benjamin's home.
Okay, the boy should be removed immediately and placed with his father.
That's prejudicial.
She's hired round-the-clock security.
You're being prejudicial.
Taking away his visiting rights with no evidence whatsoever.
You are assuming guilt, Jamie.
I am inclined to agree with Ms.
Sawyer here, counselor.
Of course you are.
I beg your pardon.
You're a woman, and you all think you got the market cornered on parenthood.
Are you suggesting that my gender makes me incapable of the impartiality that is my duty, my responsibility as a jurist? Mr.
Rayder, you are verging on contempt.
I apologize, Your Honor.
In light of the security measures taken by the mother, I believe, at this time, the child should stay with her.
I will grant one visit per week to the father until this matter is resolved.
Yeah.
Roy I don't want to hear from you, Jamie.
I am sick of your tricks.
This is not a trick.
My client was almost killed.
And who stands to benefit the most from her death? Your client.
Can I tell you something? Can I stop you? I think your personal feelings about being away from your own children are clouding your judgment.
You have too much empathy for your client.
Ah, yankees.
Your all-purpose insult.
You know, you are too blunt, Jamie.
What am I supposed to say? Nothing.
Or "bless your heart".
that's what we say when we don't like something.
That's ridiculous.
You were perfectly blunt with the judge.
You know, it's the south.
You don't just say whatever pops into your mind.
And you do not know me well enough to say something like that to me.
How you doing? What's this all about? Open it.
Can you explain that? This could jeopardize our whole operation.
I told you what happened here.
I needed to do this to earn their trust.
He told me you'd make sure I got cut out of any footage that got sent out.
No, we did.
We cut you out.
Someone sent the missing footage to Roy.
Jamie might find out about this.
She might see this.
Well, you can't tell her about your undercover status.
You can't tell anyone.
What about the lawsuit? The lawsuit's just a distraction.
Terry McCandless and his boys are into so much worse than that, and we are this close to catching them.
You have to stay the course on this.
That's why I'm here.
I know.
Be safe out there.
You want some? You shouldn't eat without washing your hands.
I've noticed you before.
You're very punctual.
Eat your lunch every day at 11:30.
You work around here? I work at the police department.
You're a policeman? I just work with the computers.
Kind of a forensic investigator person.
Do you think you could help me with my computer? Just for a minute? Um I disinfect the keyboard every day.
Sorry.
It keeps giving me this warning message.
You smell nice.
I got something about our shooter.
Van's phone bills indicate there were two calls from a Charleston area code cell phone.
Belongs to a local woman.
Turns out she's from the same town Van came from in Kentucky.
Let's bring her in.
I'll file a petition with the judge.
What are we looking at? She should get back to us within a few days at most and Erica Tanner? Yes? You're under arrest for soliciting the murder of Cathy Benjamin.
What? What are you talking about? These officers will escort you, in handcuffs or not.
This is insane.
- Come with us, ma'am.
- Cole? - No, wait a second.
Let's talk about this.
- Step back.
- Step back, sir! - Let her go.
- Let her go.
- Cole! The press will have a field day with this.
She needs my help.
No, you cannot be connected to this.
You have to keep your distance.
For Marshall's sake.
Do you think she could have done this? That's what I was going to ask you.
Same, on the rocks.
This is a cop bar.
I'm the cops' lawyer, so maybe you can give me a flyer.
If you came here looking for info on Erica Tanner, you ain't gonna get it.
Actually, I came to talk about Lee Anne Marcus.
So why do you think she got fired and you didn't? Hmm? It's not against department policy for two cops to date.
Not if one them's married to someone else.
That Jamie is gonna come at you, Terry.
You personally, all guns blazing.
She's gonna paint you as a sexual predator, lured Lee Anne into unsavory sex games, filmed them and showed 'em to his buddies.
Now, is that who you are? Yeah, sure.
Lee Anne was the hottest piece of ass in the department, and she knew it.
From day one, she flirts.
She gets that primo spot in the evidence room.
No riding around in smelly cars for her, putting her sweet ass in danger, nuh-uh.
She's so nice, so understanding.
She's all "let me help you out.
Let me hear about your problems" and before you know it, you get to wantin' her.
That's when she backs off.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, my poor, poor husband, he was, he was wounded in Iraq.
" I was in Iraq.
I did three tours.
I wasn't unlucky enough to get myself blown up.
And I sure as hell wasn't stupid enough to let myself go all crazy for Lee Anne Marcus.
Guys were sick over her.
One guy had to take a leave of absence, he was so in love.
She tortured these guys.
That's why she got fired.
All right.
So give me something, one thing you have on Erica Tanner.
Do me a favor, Terry.
Then you're gonna owe me one.
The calls to the shooter were made from Erica's cell phone.
Guy's from her same town.
A little place called Burgin, Kentucky.
Pretty circumstantial.
She's claiming she lost her phone for a few days.
Of course, the exact same days the calls were made.
Were you gonna check her phone's GPS records? I mean, maybe her cell wasn't in her possession.
Hey, I already requested 'em.
Let me know what you find out.
The Benjamin custody case takes a turn today with Cole Benjamin's girlfriend and executive assistant Erica Tanner arrested Does this surprise you? Nothing surprises me in this case.
Poor Roy.
I bet he's spitting nails.
What's the deal with you and Roy? What do you mean? I just you talk about him a lot.
I have all these cases against him.
You sure you don't have a thing for him? I want you, Preston.
I'm happy.
Me, too.
Mm Thanks for meeting me here.
I guess cops really do like donuts.
I told you, I'm not a cop.
Sure, you are.
You fix their computers.
I bet you know all their secrets, right? What kind of secrets you interested in, Vi? Maybe it's your boss, Jamie Sawyer, that's interested.
I'm a paranoid germophobe with high-functioning Asperger's.
If someone's following me, I'm gonna notice.
The sanitizer was a nice touch.
Here.
Now you'll never run out.
Why me? What do you want to know? The sex tape in the Lee Anne Marcus case.
There's footage missing.
We think maybe the cops cut it out.
We want to know, do you have it or have you seen it? I-I might know something, but I signed a confidentiality agreement.
But wait.
There is someone who's seen it, the missing footage.
Maybe you could ask him.
Who? You got time for one more table? I just seated a guy.
Okay.
You sure can rock a uniform.
Can I take your order, sir? Don't be like that.
Kitchen closes in two minutes.
Coffee and scrambled eggs.
You know how I like 'em.
I put the order in.
Can you do the rest? Please? My husband's picking me up.
He hates when I'm late.
I'm not sharing the tip.
You running out on me, or was I supposed to come back here for a little quickie? I swear to God, if you show your face here again, I'll report you, and that won't look too good for the lawsuit.
Hey, I know you don't hate me.
You're blushing just looking at me.
I mean, you're ready.
All I got to do is look at you.
We had something.
Yeah, we did.
Till you decided to share me with your buddies.
I was drunk.
Come on.
We all were, Lee Anne.
I need you.
I miss you.
I have to go.
Hey, you gotta put a stop to this thing.
This lawsuit will kill me, and you, too.
Oh, good, you're here.
I need help picking out shoes.
I got something on the Lee Anne case.
Do you want to do shoes first or information? Info.
Always.
IT guy made me like a hooker in Sunday school, but he did throw me a bone.
The cops don't know anything.
They never seen any missing footage, but there is someone who did.
Who? Roy.
Someone sent it to him anonymously on a finger drive.
He's had it all this time.
I think you need the kick-ass heels.
Yeah.
I got those GPS records on the Benjamin case.
Turns out Erica didn't have her phone.
And you're gonna be very interested to hear where it was located.
Can you send me what you have? You didn't get it from me.
Mrs.
Benjamin, have you ever been to Burgin, Kentucky? I've-I've never heard of it.
I am showing you plaintiff's exhibit number eight.
It's a photograph taken by surveillance cameras at a gas station in Burgin, Kentucky three weeks ago.
Now, is this you? Is this your car? That is your license plate, correct? Yes.
Now, did you know that Cole's girlfriend Erica Tanner is from Burgin? No.
Does she ever come to your home? Sometimes she picks up Marshall.
Has she ever left her cell phone there? Not that I know of.
Your Honor, I would like to introduce into evidence Erica Tanner's cell phone GPS tracking records.
It shows that two phone calls were made from Ms.
Tanner's phone to Van Larson, the man who has been arrested for the shooting at the Benjamin home.
A man from Burgin, Kentucky.
The GPS records prove that Ms.
Tanner's cell phone was actually in Cathy Benjamin's home on the days those phone calls were made.
So I must ask.
Mrs.
Benjamin, have you ever spoken to Van Larson? Of course not.
Well, in his confession, Mr.
Larson stated that his instructions were to open fire the moment the lamp in the parlor window went out.
Now, didn't you turn out that light? Didn't you send the signal - to shoot while you hid in the dark? - Objection! Didn't you orchestrate the murder-for-hire plot yourself Objection! to make it look like Cole's girlfriend did it? To get revenge against her? Did you not? Order! Order! You don't understand.
You don't know what it's like in a town like this, with all these people always looking at you, and thinking that you're perfect.
And then it all disappears, and you're all by yourself, and you've just got this little boy looking at you, wondering why his daddy isn't living at home anymore.
I just wanted my family back.
I just wanted my life back.
No further questions, Your Honor.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Benjamin, counselors, I am not here to rule on matters of crime and deceit.
I am here to decide what is best for a little boy.
In light of what I've heard today, I will be ruling in favor of the father, Cole Benjamin.
Mr.
Benjamin will have sole custody of his son Marshall, beginning immediately until such time as the court can discern the real cause for the shooting at the home of Mrs.
Benjamin.
This case is concluded.
The witness is dismissed.
Nice win, Roy.
Well, thank you.
Look, I need to talk to you about Lee Anne's case.
Can I come by your house tonight? Well, it'll have to be after 9:00.
I have a drinks date.
I guess I still need a lawyer.
Bless your heart.
You'll have to find someone else.
Right this way, Mrs.
Benjamin.
Remind me never to get divorced.
Remind me never to get married.
Almost there.
Are you ready? You ready for your toast? Hold on.
Ready.
To daddy.
For his big win today.
Cheers.
We're proud of you, daddy.
Well, thank you, sweetheart.
We'll see you on Saturday.
I will be there to get you guys.
I love you.
Love you, too! Mm-wah! Right back at you.
All right, you girls need to go to bed.
- All right? - No, we won't.
Oh, yes.
Right now.
No! Listen to your dad, and go to bed.
- Good night.
- Good night.
Let's make this short.
Short and sweet.
I want to see the missing footage.
How long have you had it? About two weeks.
I didn't show it to you because Well, my judgment was clouded by my personal feelings.
The footage is upsetting, and I was trying to find the right way to tell you.
What the? What did you do? The last time I looked at it, it was clear.
What was clear? Preston was there.
I mean, he was on camera in the missing footage.
He's one of the men touching Lee Anne.
Might even be the cameraman.
That's good, Roy.
That's almost as good as me.
I'm telling you the truth.
Without proof.
Ask him.
Ask Preston yourself.
Ask Knox.
He's seen it.
Jamie You want to play dirty? That's fine.
But I warn you: You're playing with the best.
Next time you touch my wife, I'll kill you.
What's wrong? Are you all right? Take your clothes off.
Take them off.
I want to be with you.
Baby, baby.

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