All language subtitles for LA Law s01e09 The Venus Butterfly

Previously on L .A. Law.

Leon's my name and photography's my
game. How about a snapshot of the bride

groom, huh?

Definitely.

Ms. Van Owen.

Yes. Isn't it true that you walked out
on your own wedding two weeks ago with

someone in a gorilla suit?

Who's the ape, Ms. Van Owen?

Well, that story has been grossly
exaggerated.

Proving once again a picture's worth a
thousand words.

If we get passed over for partner one
more time, that's it?

Pretty serious bluff.

You are both hereby tendered offers of
partnership in the firm, and I hope

you'll accept.

You started this brawl, lady, not me!

I'll take her out of the state!

Do either one of you know what it feels
like to not be able to see your child?

Or even know where he is?

Well, I do!

Abby, the reality is, you may get Eric
back tomorrow.

You may not find him for six months.

Or you may never see him again.

So, my client, Mrs. Troutman, decides
that she needs to get away for a few

She packs her car, she drives down to
the condo in Palm Springs, and puts the

key in the door.

Walks down the hallway to her bedroom
only to find the surprise of her life.

Her loving husband in the arms of
another woman. Excuse me, Arnold, but

we squandering valuable staff meeting
time with this boring recitation of a

mundane little domestic drama? You have
interrupted me right at the punchline,

Douglas.

You see, that was no woman.

That was his wife.

I'm afraid I'm not tracking.

Bigamy.

Bigamy, do you know how rare it is? I
mean, this is the divorce lawyer

equivalent of a hole -in -one.

Poor Mrs. Troutman is totally
distraught.

Her husband skipped town. The IRS is
auditing.

And Angela Cipriano just uncovered a
deed where he's given our client's condo

the other wife.

Well, this is indeed titillating, and I
trust you will keep us apprised of the

continuing saga.

Now, for one last item, I would like to
discuss hiring an interior design team

to convert the Cheney office into a
second conference room. Oh, wait, no,

no, no way. No way. That office has my
name on it. Since when?

You already have a nice one.

Whereas I, a partner in this firm, just
like you, am officed in a rabbit warren.

As the partner with most seniority, I
should get it.

She can have my old office. I don't like
differentiating on the basis of

seniority. All partners are equal,
Arnold.

Do you have any interest in the corner,
Michael? Not enough to make it worth

packing and moving.

Stuart. Yeah.

Actually, yes, I do.

Actually, it would seem more equitable
to me to award it on the basis of fees

generated in the last fiscal year. Or on
the basis of most billable hours.

Whatever you three decide.

I'm going to leave it to you to work it
out amongst yourselves and on your own

time. We're adjourned.

Do you

realize your bickering can be heard all

through the complex?

Just be assured that if you cannot find
some mature, intelligent manner in which

to settle this in the next three
minutes, this office will be turned into

conference room.

All right.

Under the circumstances, there's only
one way to settle this thing.

What?

Arnie.

Come on, we haven't got a lot of time.
Get him out there.

Get them out.

One potato, two potato, three potato,
four, five potato, six potato, seven

potato, more.

Out. One potato, two potato, three
potato, four, five potato, six potato,

potato, more.

Out.

One potato, two potato, three potato,
four.

It isn't fair. What do you need it for?
I want it.

You're the one that said all you need is
a desk, a chair, and a place to store

your files. And you're the one who told
me I undervalue my worth to this firm,

right? Well, it's a great office. I
think I deserve it.

I'll give you $5 ,000 paid off in
installments. I don't want money, Arnie.

want the office, okay?

Excuse me, Arnie.

Angela Cipriano is waiting in your
office for you and the steward.

It was going to be a tight squeeze.

The three of us.

It's okay. I can rough it.

You're going to find this interesting.

Your original client was Mrs. Foster F.
Troutman.

He told her his middle name was Farrell.
The one in Palm Springs was Mrs. Foster

J. He told her James.

The new ones I found are Mrs. Foster C
for Charles, E for Errol, and K for

Kenneth. Alphabetical order?

Exactly. Which means there's most likely
11 of them.

A, B, D, G, H, and I still unaccounted
for. And what about L through Z?

How the hell does he do it?

Bee pollen?

Actually, what he'd do is take their
stuff, jewelry, furs, cars, report it

stolen, live on the settlement from the
insurance company, and give the stolen

item to another wife as a gift.

You know, I'm not a violent man by
nature.

But boy, what I would really like, what
I would really enjoy is five minutes

alone in a stuck elevator with this guy.
Me too.

I'd like to find out what the big
attraction is.

In the meantime, why don't you see if
you can get all the wives in here so we

can try and sort out this mess.

Anything?

I left a message on your machine this
morning. A string of gas card purchases

make it seem like you've headed back
towards L .A.

State and local authorities are alerted.
If they are headed back, they'll smack

them.

That's what you said about Disney World.

I know what you're going through.

And I know it seems we're right back
where we started. But I got a pretty

instinct. A real strong feeling
something is going to break.

So just hang in there, okay?

He's got to be crazy. I just don't
believe the guy switched to a dismissal

straight probation for a premeditated
murder.

Well, you know he's going to argue mercy
killing is a crime of passion, love.

He bought a gun, it took him months to
think about it, and then he put two

bullets into his lover's skull.

He'll get a hell of a lot more
premeditated than that.

I don't know, Gracie.

Watching someone you love terminally
ill, pain.

You know, if I was still a DA, I don't
know if I'd be able to stomach this one.

What's your other choice?

You're shining on.

It's a message.

A parent with a brain -damaged kid? Go
ahead and smother him. Or maybe your

mother's become a real drag. Give her
some pills. Put her out of her misery.

Next stop, eugenics. Human
experimentation.

Nazi Germany. Believe me, I know all of
the arguments, but I'm still saying I'd

have a hard time pulling this guy away.

Remember the Hector Figueroa case?

You said, and you were right.

The law has to come first, no matter
what your personal feelings about the

equities of each individual case.

Well, maybe this law should be changed.

Oh, that'd be nice.

And who do you suggest should decide who
lives and who dies?

All I know, Gracie, is that if I was
dying, and I'd lost all human dignity

quality of life, I sure would hope
someone would love me enough to do it

Well, then I hope you can find someone
else, Kovac.

Because this loved one sure couldn't do
it.

Mr. Walters, if the defendant is
convicted, he could be facing life in

Do you think that this would influence
your ability to make a fair

of the facts?

No, not at all.

All right.

But what if the defendant were able to
show that the man that he killed...

was in great pain and had only a few
weeks to live, would you have any

difficulty finding Mr. Appleton guilty
under those circumstances?

Well, no. Not if you proved that he
pulled the trigger, I wouldn't.

Thank you.

The people would accept Mr. Walters as a
juror.

Mr. Gilliam?

Mr. Walters.

You're a construction worker, is that
correct? Construction foreman. Uh -huh.

Do you have any prejudice against
homosexuals? No, I don't think so.

Are you a homosexual?

No, are you?

As a matter of fact, I am.

Well, for your information, I'm a
married man.

With all due respect, so are a lot of
homosexuals.

Are you trying to tick me off or what?
Yes, if that's what it takes to discover

if you have any latent prejudice.

I like women. That doesn't make me
prejudiced.

Ah, I see.

Well, do you think you could judge my
client knowing that he has AIDS -related

complex?

The truth is, I would rather not be in a
room every day.

With the guy that's got it.

I'd ask that Mr. Walters be excused for
cause.

Thank you, Mr. Walters.

You're excused.

We'll take our noon recess and reconvene
at 2 o 'clock.

Must

have

hurt to lose Walters.

I don't want to prejudice Jorah any more
than you do. Really?

You mean your office didn't tell you to
stack it with fag bashers? Oh, come on,

Mark. If you can get the chip off your
shoulder, you know I'm trying to be as

fair as I can.

Good. Then you'll dismiss the case.

Mark, your client took the life of
another human being. My client performed

merciful act. His only motivation was
love. I am not unsympathetic to your

client's situation.

Which is why I am still willing to fight
with my office to get you involuntary

manslaughter. You know that an AIDS
carrier in prison is going to be

from all human contact. Talk about your
cruel and unusual punishment.

It is not unreasonable for the prison
authorities to need to isolate a deadly

disease. And besides, we're probably
only talking about 18 months.

Right, right. Which, in the likelihood
that Christopher's AIDS does become full

-blown, is the equivalent of a life
sentence in solitary confinement.

So what you're saying here is that there
is no way to settle this? If I lose,

I'll appeal.

And in the end, chances are, there's
nothing the court can do to him that

hideous plague isn't going to do first.

Make yourself comfortable, Mrs.
Troutman. Thank you.

Good morning.

Tissue, Mrs. Troutman?

Hold on.

I'll get that coffee for you, Mrs.
Troutman. That's my coat. My initials

inside this coat. My initials are...
Judith Troutman.

Jeanette Troutman.

Mrs. Troutman's coffee? I want my coat,
damn it. Ladies.

Mrs. Troutman's.

Ladies.

Please. I can't believe that.

Please, ladies.

Please.

Thank you. Hi.

I'm Arnold Becker, and this is Stuart
Markowitz.

First of all, I'd like to state that I
understand what a shock this must be to

all of you, and I sincerely empathize
with your anger and pain. That coat's

worth 40 grand.

I understand there's been a great deal
of commingling on your property, and

other sticky legal issues are involved
as well.

Polygamy, insurance fraud, IRS
complications.

Now, you ladies are free to seek
separate counsel, of course.

Or assuming you're willing to waive any
conflict of interest, we could all work

together and try to unravel this muddle.
May I say something?

Of course.

I know we're angry and hurt by what's
happened.

That's an understatement.

But this isn't some monster we're
talking about.

This is...

Foster, the only man who ever brought me
any real happiness in my life.

I'm sorry.

I suppose I shouldn't say this.

But I love him anyway.

He's the only man who ever really
listened to me.

And I can't bear the thought of not
feeling his body close to mine.

Excuse me.

Could any of you others tell me if you
found him to be unnaturally gifted in

that area?

I used to faint. I mean, actually lose
consciousness.

Your investigator said that Foster could
go to jail? Jail would kill him.

He's so claustrophobic, you know how he
has to sleep with the windows open. If

Foster goes to jail, I may as well
become a nun.

If Foster goes to jail, I might as well
die.

Oh, please.

This man that you all loved so much
stole everything you had. And I'm not

talking about your property.

He stole your love and your trust and
your dreams.

Please, don't delude yourselves like
this.

Foster Troutman didn't love you.

No, he used you.

Yeah, he's probably laughing at all of
you right now. Yeah, laughing at how he

scammed you and how he used you for his
meal ticket.

And the saddest thing of all is that
it's only because you are such kind,

women that he was able to abuse you this
way.

Well, now's the time to harden those
tender hearts of yours and avenge the

terrible wrong that's been done to you
and prevent him from doing it to anybody

else. That low -rent gigolo. Gave my
great -grandmother's ring to another

Had my Mercedes painted and gave it to
her for her birthday.

I just want my coat.

Look, trust me.

I think we can all work this thing out
together.

Yes, but you have to sign complaints so
the D .A. can prosecute. I hope he

hangs. Too good for him.

Crushes jellies in a garlic press.

Yeah, well, do any of you have any idea
of where the authorities might look for

him? What's the big mystery?

Stake out the marriage license bureau.

It was kind of fun.

We went to this little Hunan restaurant
in Chinatown, and then we walked around

a little, and he dropped me back at my
car.

You gonna go out with him again?

We're not really going out. Oh.

I mean, Peter's very sweet.

But I'm not really ready for, you know,
dating.

You mean sex.

Yeah, I think that's what I mean.

Well, you're entitled to take it slow.

Abby, I need to talk to you.

Okay, I'll step out.

No, no, no, don't be, don't be shy.

There's a child matching Eric's general
description in St. Anthony's Hospital.

I think.

The child is dead.

I got the page a few minutes ago.
Where's Mrs. Perkins?

She's over there.

Mrs. Perkins, I'm sorry to keep you
waiting.

Could we please just do this?

I'm sorry. I just found out the body was
already sent to County Morgue.

What? We had no choice. It being a
criminal matter.

Criminal?

Child abuse and abandonment.

Abuse?

Someone left the boy in our emergency
room. The place was a zoo on Saturday

night, so no one even noticed him until
he fell unconscious on the floor.

I was a doctor on shift, and believe me,
I did all I could, but the boy had been

beaten very badly.

It couldn't be.

Jim couldn't possibly have...

Truthfully, I had

too much else to do to pay attention to
his face.

I'm sorry.

Dr.

Hensel, in your opinion...

If Glenn Gates had not died as the
result of the bullet wounds in March,

much longer would he have lived?

Objection. Speculation.

I'll allow it.

I'd say two, possibly three weeks.

And could you predict the manner of
death he had to look forward to?

Objection. Speculation.

Once again, I'll allow it.

Well, it's possible he would have
succumbed to pneumonia, but more likely

have toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis. It's a parasitic
infection that attacks the brain.

It causes fever, chills, headaches, and
a descending fugue state referred to as

AIDS dementia.

In layman's terms, it causes you to lose
your mind?

Yes. And is this an easy, painless
death?

No, the pain would have been quite
severe as his brain swelled and became

large for his skull.

He would have lost control of his bodily
functions.

His mind would be gone.

Eventually, his kidneys and lungs would
have failed, and I would have had to

decide whether to keep him alive by a
respirator.

Would you have done that?

Not unless his friends or family
insisted.

In my opinion, it just prolongs the
patient's suffering.

So, in other words, what you're saying
is you practice a form of passive

euthanasia all the time.

Objection. Withdraw the question. Dr.
Hensel, is it possible that Glenn Gates

could have recovered?

Age is 100 % fatal.

There's no effective cure at this time.

Thank you, Doctor.

Nothing further.

Redirect? Doctor, you've testified that
at least three times prior to Glenn

Gates' death, you were able to bring him
out of a medical crisis.

Yes. Then isn't there some likelihood
that if the defendant had brought Glenn

for medical treatment, rather than
putting a bullet through his head, that

might have been able to bring him into
remission once again?

For a very short time, maybe, but the
man was terminally ill. Still, it's not

inconceivable that he could have had a
remission and enjoyed some quality of

life during that time.

It's not inconceivable, no.

There's a lot of encouraging research
being done into the AIDS treatments,

there?

It's early, but the drug AZT has shown
some promising results, yes.

And you do have hope for a cure someday?

Yes.

So isn't it possible that if Glencaith's
life had not been cut short by a

bullet, a cure may have been found
during the time that he had left?

Given the advanced state of his
condition, it's highly unlikely, Miss

But I guess nothing is impossible.

But the hospital said they sent the body
here.

I'm not saying they didn't. I'm just
saying it hasn't been tagged and

yet, so I don't know where it is.

Then I'll go in and look until I find
it. I'm afraid I can't let you do that.

You'll have to come back tomorrow when
things are properly sorted out.

This could be her child.

I just have to know one way or the
other.

Please. Mrs. Perkins, I sympathize with
your pain, and I'm sorry.

But take a look at my inbox.

I wouldn't even know where to begin to
look for this particular John Doe.

How many four -year -old John Does could
you possibly have?

You don't really want to know.

Come back tomorrow.

Believe me, if he's here, he's not going
anywhere.

Dr. Dolphy, please call the coroner's
office.

Dr. Dolphy, please call the coroner's
office.

Harney, Foster Trotman's attorney is
here.

All right, get him in here and, uh...

Tell Markowitz.

I already have, and the attorney isn't
to him.

Mr. Becker.

Lynette Pierce.

Arnie.

Arnie. Almost from the moment that Mr.
Troutman was taken into custody of the

License Bureau, his various spouses have
been... Thank you.

...calling the DA's office, demanding
prosecution to the full extent.

Hell hath no fury like a dozen wives
scorned. The D .A. will not even talk to

about a deal. He says this one is going
to be totally by the numbers.

One of his wives, Mrs. Foster E.

Troutman, had threatened to go to the
Times. They're all livid.

What did you say to these women?

Not much.

Only that as a man who betrayed their
loyalty, love, and trust, stole their

property, and made them unwitting
accomplices to massive tax fraud, he

put away for 2 ,000 years.

Well, it worked.

They're like a lynch mob.

He deserves what he gets.

Look, gentlemen.

You have a problem, and so do I.

And I think we could help each other.

I'd like very much to try.

Talk to this man.

He's prepared to provide full disclosure
on all of his wives, plus whatever

information you need in relocating their
assets.

He's also prepared to sign affidavits
absolving these women of criminal

responsibility. In return for which?

Reason with his wives.

Diffuse their emotions.

I'm confident that I can negotiate him
out of this tax mess and probably the

insurance stuff.

And if you can feel the wives out as to
the possibility of dropping the grand

theft charges, then I can possibly get
Foster a deal that will spare him the

terrible indignity of incarceration.

No, I don't think so. I'm not asking for
any promises.

Just that you hear him out. I know that
you will come to believe that there is

no justice to be served in sending a
decent, fine man to jail.

Stuart, the man deserves to be heard.

I have the names here of 11 wives.

That's all of them, right?

So far.

First,

I have a complete list of assets as well
as what you gave to whom.

Check. And then I have signed statements
absolving all your wives of tax fraud,

insurance fraud, theft.

I know I'm in big trouble and I'll...

Probably do some time. Yeah. Well, I can
live with that.

What I can't live with is that none of
them have come to visit me.

What did you expect, flowers?

I know you find this hard to believe,
Mr. Markowitz, but I love all my wives.

wanted to make them happy, that's all.

And nothing makes a woman happier than
marriage.

But with all due respect, Mr. Trout,
you're no Cary Grant, you know what I

What I mean is, you're an average guy,
you know.

And you got 11 quite attractive, very
wealthy women to marry you.

I'm just curious how... Are you married,
Mr. Markowitz?

No, no, no.

And long?

Oh, yes.

When was the last time you took her for
a moonlit boat ride to Catalina?

Or spent the night in the Bel Air Hotel?

Never.

You've got to make a woman feel special,
loved.

You've got to listen to her. You've got
to take her places where no one exists

but you and her.

Let me ask you something truthfully.

This woman of yours, you really love
her?

Completely. I'm going to give you a
gift.

You and your lady love.

This gift that I'm going to give you,
I've never shared with anyone other than

the women that I've loved.

Because I always felt that if it fell
into the wrong hands, it could sexually

enslave a woman.

What is it?

The Venus butterfly.

Venus butterfly?

That's right.

The Venus butterfly.

What is the Venus butterfly?

I can't say this out loud.

I've got more important things to do
than spend my morning eyeballing every

stiff back there, Miss Beachy, which is
exactly what I am going to do if you do

not stop giving these women the
runaround here. Now, what is the story?

The story, detective, after some
exhaustive checking, is that the

never got practiced and the body is
still back at St. Anthony's Hospital.

And it took you the whole day to find
this out?

Sometimes.

They move them for weeks.

Mr. Appleton, how long had you known
Glenn Gates?

We met at a party July 4th, 1982.

And what was the nature of your
relationship?

We were lovers.

Would you categorize your relationship
as a casual one?

No. We loved each other very much. We
were very committed to one another.

You lived together?

Yes. Almost from the start.

When did you first find out that Glenn
had AIDS?

He was diagnosed in August of 1985.

Would you describe for the court, if you
will, the course of Mr. Gates' disease?

In the beginning, we thought it was just
a bad cold.

Weeks went by.

Glenn got so weak he could hardly stand
up.

And, you know, you're living in a
community that lives in terror, like

plague.

You become used to seeing your friends
die.

Somehow you think it won't happen to
you.

But when Glenn got sick, I think we both
knew.

Once he was diagnosed as having AIDS,
what happened then?

Basically, he just deteriorated.

He was in and out of the hospital.

Toward the end, he was going blind.

He had periods when he wasn't lucid.

He was in horrible pain.

Mr. Appleton, could you describe for the
court, if you would, what your life was

like as Glenn got sicker?

We couldn't go out in public.

People were physically repulsed at the
sight of him.

He'd lost so much weight, and his face,
his arms, his whole body were covered

with sores.

We became like lepers.

When did you decide to take his life?

We had talked about it almost from the
start.

We had so many friends who died from
AIDS. We had heard so many horror

Glenn was not afraid of death.

He couldn't stand the thought of the
inevitable suffering, loss of his

He talked a lot about suicide.

He hoarded pills for months.

And then toward the end, he tried to
kill himself in the hospital.

He was too weak to get the pills down.

That's when he begged me to do it for
him.

And you agreed?

No.

Not at first.

But then toward the end, he couldn't
bear it.

He was in horrible pain.

Mr. Appleton, would you describe for the
court, if you would, Glenn Gates' last

few hours of life?

It was early morning.

I'd fallen asleep in the chair beside
his bed.

Suddenly I woke up and I felt like Glenn
was really there.

Not just physically, but like his mind
was there.

And it woke me. I looked at him.

His head was turned.

He was looking at me with such sweet
sadness.

It was as if all the fight was out of
him.

He was too weak to talk.

He kept falling asleep.

And then it was as if he was forcing
himself to wake up.

I felt like he was begging me to end it.

I carried him to the bathroom.

He was so light, like a dying bird.

And I bathed him, changed his clothes,
and then I got into bed with him.

I held him in my arms.

I rocked him.

I sang to him.

And then, when he finally fell asleep,
like a baby in my arms...

I knew for a certainty that it was time
for death to have him.

That to let him wake up to one more day
of pain and sadness and despair

would be a greater crime than that which
I'm accused of committing.

And that's when you ended Glenn Gates'
life?

Yes.

Thank you, Mr. Appleton.

Your witness, Miss Van Horn.

Mr.

Appleton, is this your gun?

Marked Exhibit A.

When did you purchase this weapon?

About three weeks before Glenn died.

Did you get it for personal protection?

No. Sports shooting?

No. Tell us why you did buy it, Mr.
Appleton.

Glenn was in horrible agony.

He didn't want to live any longer. Did
you buy this gun with the intent to kill

Mr. Gates?

I bought it in case it came to that. And
is this the weapon you, in fact, did

kill Mr. Gates with?

Yes. Thank you.

No more questions, Your Honor.

There's no disputing the facts of this
case, ladies and gentlemen. Christopher

Appleton bought a gun and used it to
take the life of Glenn Gates.

But what kind of a life was it?

A life of anguish and pain?

loss of dignity, and a certain cruel
death.

Is that a life worth living?

Obviously, Glenn Gates himself thought
not. He had already attempted suicide.

You know, when I was a small boy, my dog
got run over in the street, and her hip

was crushed, and her spine was all
twisted out of shape, and my mother and

father had to have her put to sleep.

It was the humane thing to do they
taught me.

They taught me that it's brutally cruel
and inhumane to keep some poor,

suffering creature alive just because
the technology exists to do so.

Why is euthanasia, mercy killing, why is
that more humane for some poor,

suffering animal than for a human being?

Now, some of you may disapprove of
Christopher Appleton's lifestyle.

Some of you may have strong feelings
that homosexuality is wrong. Some of you

may think, some people do, that AIDS is
a punishment of biblical proportions

that's visited upon the gay community.
Ladies and gentlemen, please, please, I

beg of you, don't judge Christopher
Appleton a criminal until you've walked

mile in his shoes.

Thank you.

Ms. Van Owen?

I feel sorry for Mr. Appleton, as I'm
sure you do.

His pain and suffering, and that of
Glenn Gates, was very real.

And perhaps Mr. Gilliam is right.

None of us could know what it was like,
month after torturous month, as Mr.

Appleton watched the man he loved
deteriorate so cruelly and painfully.

But many of us have suffered.

The loss of loved ones to cancer, heart
disease, and a host of

other lingering diseases that erode the
body and the will.

And the question is, should we be
allowed to arbitrarily terminate a human

life when the quality of that life is
judged to be not worth living?

And by whose standards do we measure the
quality of life?

Yours? Mine?

Perhaps Mr. Gilliam's.

Let us draw the distinction between a
criminal and a criminal act.

I don't believe Chris Appleton is a
criminal.

But damn it, I have to believe he
committed a criminal act.

And if you let this criminal act go
unpunished, you will be ignoring the

oath you made as jurors to uphold the
law.

you would, in effect, be saying that we
are a society not governed by law, but

by anarchy.

Thank you.

Dr. Hamrell to maternity nurse's
station.

Dr. Hamrell to maternity nurse's
station.

My apologies, Miss Perkins. Miss Kelsey.

Look, everybody's sorry. Now, what's the
story?

It took us a while to track down the
mistake, but... Did you find him?

In a manner of speaking, yes. What the
hell does that mean?

No excuses, but this is an understaffed
and overburdened bureaucracy.

Just tell me.

We had a black adult John Doe who was
tagged number A1497.

The Caucasian child John Doe was tagged
number A1447.

I guess the second four looked like a
nine.

Anyway, somehow the tags got switched.

Then you have him.

I'm afraid not.

You see, A1497, the black John Doe, was
scheduled for cremation.

In the mix -up, the baby John Doe was
mistakenly cremated.

Are you sure?

Yes.

Oh, God.

Do you know what this means?

I have a missing child.

And if that little boy was my son, then
how am I ever going to know?

I'm sorry.

You're sorry?

What for?

To you, they're just meat, aren't they?

Tag it?

Ship it?

What the hell? It's just another body,
right?

Well, wrong, lady.

Because that little boy...

Was somebody's child.

And him not mine.

And somebody else's.

But we're never going to know that, are
we?

And we're never going to know that
because you screwed up.

You bastards.

First you let him die.

All alone.

Then you cremated him.

And who is going to grieve for him?

Whoever he is.

Who is going to grieve for poor little
A1447?

Come on, let's go.

Be seated.

Has the jury reached a verdict, Mr.
Foreman?

We have, Your Honor.

We, the jury, find the defendant guilty
of murder in the first degree.

The jury is discharged.

The defendant will remain free on bail.

pending probation and sentencing
hearing.

This court is in recess.

Christopher, are you all right?

Mr.

Appleton, I wish to God there was a way
to uphold the principle without putting

you through any more.

And I will be at the sentencing hearing
to testify on your behalf.

I just don't want to talk about it right
now.

Okay?

Fine.

Well, we better hurry. We're late for
dinner.

Dinner?

Mickey, it's a quarter to five.

Yeah, well, by the time we catch the 5
.30 flight to Monterey, take a cab to

Ventana, get cleaned up and ready to go,
we'll barely have enough time to make

our 8 .30 reservation.

Hi. Hi, Stuart.

I heard about the screw -up at the
hospital. How's Abby?

She's spending the weekend with her
mother.

Poor kid.

You can't imagine the horror of it.

It's conceivable that she may never know
whether that cremated child was Eric or

not. It wasn't.

And I don't believe it was.

From your lips to God's ear.

There's nothing more you can do, you
know.

And there's no point in staying around
depressing yourself even more.

Make me an offer.

Well, actually, I, uh... And we can
always cancel it, but I, uh... I booked

room tonight at the Bel Air Hotel.

Men.

You always think sex will solve every
problem.

Oh, come on.

Not, uh... Not every problem.

Women are different.

I just don't feel like it tonight,
Stuart.

Do you mind terribly?

No, no.

I understand.

So, uh, were you planning on getting
somebody to eat tonight?

I guess.

And then, uh, were you planning on, you
know, going to sleep at some point?

Yes.

Well, you'll do both those things,
except at the Bel Air Hotel with me.

Sex is no big deal with me either.

Stuart?

Tell me the truth.

Okay.

Have you been seeing another woman?

No, of course not.

Then where the hell did you learn that?

You mean the Venus butterfly?

The Venus... Venus butterfly.

Stuart, I'm no prude.

I like sex.

I especially like it with you.

But I'm 36 years old.

And I have never... I mean, never in my
entire life...

ever experienced anything like the Venus
butterfly.

Well, I'm glad you liked it.

Liked it?

It was the closest thing I have ever
experienced to pure ecstasy.

I almost fainted.

Actually, I think there was a moment
when I really blacked out. I

mean, the blood just rushed right out of
my brain.

To my other place.

I'm going to tell you something.

I will never share the Venus butterfly
with any other woman as long as I live.

You better not.

Stuart?

Can I ask you a favor?

Anything.

Do you think... I mean, if you're not
too, um, you know, tired,

you could maybe do it again?

Yeah. Yeah, my friend.

I have to see if I can still get room
service.

Call. Quickly.

Right.