Original subtitles

Two -way, run on anything.

Okay, come on, Big Ted.

You're due, buddy, you're due.

Keep your eye on the ball.

Wait for yours, Dad.

Look, I know what you hear out there, but drugs aren't cool.

Cigarettes aren't cool.

And alcohol isn't cool.

One hit of crack and you can be hooked for life.

Nicotine will give you lung cancer.

Alcohol will wrap that car you worked so hard to earn around a telephone pole.

Now, thanks.

Let's hit some of the myths that you're hearing out in the parking lot.

Officer?

Yeah?

I never hit on any myths before. Am I gonna get hooked?

No.

Myths are safe, Stu.

It's a reality you gotta watch out for.

Dear God, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.

Keep Mom and Dad and Teddy and Rex safe.

And lead the Seahawks safely out of the Second Division.

Amen.

The blue item on the top of your head?

Thank you.

Stop by the car place again?

Yeah.

I said body shop. The guys were all wearing Rolex.

Great. I'll make a few more phone calls.

You know, I stopped by the teacher's lounge today.

I'm winding after another grueling day behind the slide projector.

Hey, watch yourself, young man.

Brandon Cassidy said you were fighting over cigarettes.

Yeah, I left with my jaw again.

Forget it.

May I be excused?

Kendra, I'm the chairperson for the Tiny Tots fundraiser this year. I know, we

got the invitation.

It should be a fun evening.

Helen, we'd love to do something for the school, but I decided temping again.

And Roger isn't much of a dancer.

Maybe I can hit you up for the garage sale this spring.

Great. Good deal. All right.

You know who turned me down flat?

Who? Miriam Slossberg.

Josh's mom?

Sunday night.

She gets Alex up out of bed at 2 a .m. He meets them at the E .R. You know what

it was?

Huh?

Gonorrhea.

It was Josh.

I think I'm in love.

Who's she?

Miriam Schlossberg.

About Tiny Todd?

She wanted to file a complaint.

Talk her out of it.

What kind of complaint?

Would you believe sodomy?

She had nothing but the kid's word on it.

Don't you think it ought to be investigated?

It's our kid's school.

The chief has known the Richardsons for 25 years.

Believe me, they're solid.

Want another real story?

Flossburg just broke up with her boyfriend.

He runs some sort of art gallery in Portland.

Mrs. Richardson thinks he raped Josh.

Did you talk to this guy?

I called a buddy of mine in Vice.

They're checking him out.

What happens at Tiny Town while they're checking?

Innocent until proven guilty.

Come on.

What about this new teacher?

George Olin took a voluntary blood test.

No trace of any form of ED.

How are we doing?

About five minutes. Perfect.

Dr. Wells, we did all the tests.

There was no screw -up.

Well, can you get gonorrhea any other way?

That I know of.

The only place Josh goes is Tiny Tot.

It's a preschool, for crying out loud.

There's got to be a reasonable explanation.

two. Dinner's almost ready.

Linda, you want to go wash your hair?

Yes.

There you go.

Bear, is there anything you want to tell me about?

Nope.

Like, about school?

No. What are we having for dinner?

Hamburgers. Pickles?

Baby dills, the kind you like.

Yummy.

I heard Josh is sick.

Has he been at school?

No.

Don't you think the teachers make you uncomfortable?

No, they're nice.

How about Mr. George?

He plays baseball with us.

Does anyone at school touch you in a bad way?

Like we talked about?

You guys want to eat these on the swings?

Yeah. All right.

That's good to me.

Thank you.

Melinda? She loves cool.

Everything's great.

Did you talk to Teddy?

Yeah, he's fine.

Well, I could tell if there was something.

Mrs. Flossberg, officially, I'm not here.

But unofficially.

You want to see if you buy it. Well, I've been doing some research.

Sexual abuse in preschools is very, very rare.

Really? Then why do the police want to cover it up when it actually happens?

Nobody wants to cover anything up.

The chief has been playing golf with the Richardsons for years now.

A lot of questions.

The other detective asked more than... I'm not a detective.

As a parent.

What about you?

What do you believe?

Well, I guess I have a lot of trouble stomaching the idea that any

grown -up wants to have sex with a child.

What they're saying about me isn't true, okay?

I don't have any boyfriends.

I wish that I did.

Well, it couldn't have been George Olin. He doesn't have the disease.

It happened during nap time. They gave Josh something funny tasting. They put

in his fruit juice.

He woke up in the back of the van. Now, he was groggy, but he still remembers

them taking him. Who?

The Richardson's. The chief's golfing buddies drove my son to a motel room.

There was a man there that Josh didn't know.

He was very fat.

Is that all?

That man raped him.

So you're not saying that the Richardsons had sex with Josh?

The Richardsons watched.

All right, look, our investigation didn't locate a van.

Josh is the only kid who's told a story like this.

Could your son make up something like this?

Bye -bye.

It hurts, huh?

Well, you just relax now.

I'm going to make it all better, okay?

There you go.

Now, how's that?

Hi. Can I help you? Oh, yes.

I was just wondering if I could visit my son's class.

Oh, sure. What's his name?

Teddy Dollison. I think he's in Mavis' class.

Yeah, they're still out in the yard. Oh, great.

We haven't met yet. I'm Kendra Dollison.

George Olin. I'll show you.

I think he's over there. Thank you.

Hi, Bear.

Hi, Mom.

Is it okay if I come to visit?

Want to see me hang from the bar? Sure.

I know.

Kinder, what a nice performance. Hi, Mavis.

I just thought I'd stop by and see how Teddy's doing.

If that's okay with you. Of course it is. There you go, Teddy.

Getting lots of good feedback at home? Oh, well, Teddy seems a little bored

school. I hear that all the time. Why aren't they reading? What about their

timetables?

You just don't push your timetables.

Oh, I'm not complaining.

See, you have to realize the important thing right now is socialization.

And you don't have anything to worry about as far as Teddy is concerned.

He's making lots of friends.

That's good.

Everybody seems to be having a good time.

Now, it's a little surprise to find the front door locked.

You never know who's going to walk in off the street.

Come on, let me show you some of Teddy's artwork. Great.

So, any news on the collision shop front?

Yeah, Otto's Golden Hammer will do it for $1 ,800.

For body work or work with Don? Sure.

So, how was school?

Boring.

Honey, did anybody unusual ever pick Josh up after school?

No. Well, like maybe somebody Josh's mom would say. Mom, he said no.

I want to eat all these carrots.

Well, you want to hit home run?

Wait, would that mean by me catching you?

Uh -uh.

You can't admit you got to eat parsnip.

Teddy?

Are there any new men teachers at school?

Mom, what is it with you?

You don't believe anything that he says.

Of course I do. I'm just interested in school.

Parents.

Got to watch him, Ted.

Jeff Whitbeck's mom took him into the drugstore to discuss condoms.

He didn't.

Yes, he did.

Then she cut off his allowance when he knew what aisle they were in.

Turn it off, Sandy.

What have you got against the National Geographic Society?

Since when did Bob Hope start doing National Geographic specials?

Brooke Shields is an educated woman.

She's cuter than you are, honey. From you, Princeton's going to expect

Okay, mister, time for bed.

Robbie, what happened to you?

Are

you

sure there isn't anything you want to tell Mommy?

Okay, it's supposed that a catcher's mitt only cost $30.

He did.

Night -night, little bear.

What about a first -base management?

You would tell Mommy if... I like school. I like boring stuff.

Night -night.

Good night, Mom.

Okay.

I'm going to go to the cash machine so you guys get to supply them. Now

remember, no fast... food he gets to pick the place he likes okay see

ya

You remember the other parents and mommies and daddies?

Can you tell us more about the blood?

Where did it come from?

Sweetheart, what do you mean you're covered in blood?

Hey.

Happy birthday.

Oh, thanks, guy. What are you guys doing here?

Why is Melinda here?

Dad, what's going on?

Why are Teddy's teachers here?

Is Melinda going to jail?

No, we don't put kids in jail.

Dad, what's she saying?

Why don't you guys go wait in the interrogation room, okay?

Sandy, the door's shut.

Hi, Teddy.

Is Melinda going to have to wear handcuffs?

Dad told you they don't arrest little kids.

And why is she still here?

Paula's taking her home.

Honey, wake up.

Daddy, wake up, honey.

I need to talk to you.

You've got to tell me the truth there.

What Melinda said happened at school.

Did you see it?

Honey, look at me.

Daddy, look at me.

Did you see anyone do anything bad to Melinda?

The teachers are nice, Mom.

Did you see anyone hurt? Any of the kids? Any of the kids at all?

No.

Good

night,

little bear.

Good night.

What happens if Melinda wakes up tomorrow and changes her story? What

then? Melinda isn't making up a story.

Tiny Tot has been open for years.

Why would the Richardson's suddenly start something like this? Okay, okay.

what's it going to take to get you to believe the kids?

I'm the one who believes.

Teddy says that Josh and Melinda are making up a story. I believe my son.

not being rational. Rational?

Don't talk to me about rational. People don't do things like this. Okay, so it's

a coincidence that Josh and Melinda just make up stories that the exact same

four people molested them. Then Teddy didn't know.

Melinda said it's been happening for a long time in a small house. How could he

not have known? Then why won't he tell me about it?

Get dressed, Teddy, and Beth will show you the toy drawer.

Come on, Teddy.

His blood tests are all normal.

So he's all right?

There are laceration scars on his rectum.

The scars could come from a lot of things.

Kendra, Teddy's been raped.

Well, if you've been through what Teddy's been through, would you want to

people about it?

Dr. Billington, we're his parents.

It's been six weeks.

He's making real progress in his therapy.

You mean he's talking to you?

There are nonverbal ways for a child to tell a therapist what's wrong.

I have to warn you, the healing process can take a long time.

Years, even.

You can put the family under stress.

And no one's ever done a longitudinal study. Oh, come on, Martha. What's he

you?

I want you to see one of Teddy's drawings.

What does it mean?

We're not sure.

They aren't here anymore, Bear.

They're gonna be in jail for a long time.

They're gone.

Lots of kids have told.

There's nothing to be afraid of. Nobody is going to hurt you.

Honey, nobody is going to know you told.

Remember what Daddy said? They're all in jail.

They'll find out.

Nobody will know but us.

It's our secret.

Mavis gave it to him.

She brought it to the house just as he started school.

There's nothing to be afraid of. There are no more secrets.

They said you'd die if I ever told.

You're never going to have to worry about anything like that again, I

Which one of them hurt you?

They all did.

Miss Susan took pictures.

While they did what?

Mr. George liked to play games.

Tell us about the games.

going to jail.

They're never going to hurt you, and they're never going to hurt us.

Look at the car.

It's tonight to find out how many victims there really are.

You ready?

Yep. Go.

Because we didn't want you to read about these indictments for the first time in

the papers.

So, here it is.

Tomorrow, the district attorney will announce indictments against two

defendants, Mavis and Arthur Richardson, on 37 separate counts of child

molestation and sexual abuse.

What about the other two?

We've elected not to indict either Miss Larimer or George Owen.

Miss Larimer raped my daughter.

What do you have to do around here to get indicted?

Your daughter is only two.

A two -year -old is not a good witness.

You have to realize that we want to make cases we can win.

There just wasn't enough evidence against the other two teachers.

Are you telling us you let them walk?

They've left the community, yes.

In the absence of an indictment, they're entirely within their rights. That's

crap, Bernstein.

I ran NCIC on all four of these freaks.

Susan Larimer has a record.

She was tried in Kentucky for molesting a retarded kid. And she was acquitted.

It isn't a crime to be accused of a felony.

Yeah, but you've got to admit, somebody screwed up. How did she get a job at

Tiny Tom's? Didn't anybody from the licensing board check this woman?

Look, you entrusted your children to these people.

The defense is going to harp on that.

Nobody, including you, knows what a child molester looks like. So don't go

all the people who should have known. You should have known.

Listen, listen.

We need your children as witnesses.

The defense is going to try to destroy their credibility on this stand. If you

don't support your children, if you don't help them testify, you have no

of getting a conviction. None.

And I promise you, every person in this room is going to want to give

up before this trial is over.

Mr. Bernstein, our son is ready to testify against George and Susan.

Which one is your son? Teddy Dollison. Right. He's almost five.

He's very bright. Make a good witness. Look, I don't know how much you know

about courtroom strategy. No, I know that you're missing evidence. Teddy

about photographs.

No, I'm not talking about evidence.

I'm talking about pedophilia.

The average person doesn't want to believe that adults have sex with

Now, jurors are average people, which means that a prosecutor has got to stay

below their threshold of credibility.

Mr. Bernstein, Susan and George raped my son. What are you saying? Are you

saying that Teddy doesn't have the right to accuse them? No, I'm saying that

Teddy, unfortunately, is one of only four kids who have made specific

allegations against George and Susan.

Wait, you have four witnesses, and that's not enough?

Three of them are two -year -olds who won't do me any good on the stand.

That leaves me with one.

And the simple truth is most of the witnesses we have today will drop out

the trial is over. Teddy will not drop out. Look, I know you want to get these

people. I feel the same way.

But the bottom line is convictions. I have got to make a case I can win. All

right, so what if we find Susan and George, right? What if there are

or videotapes? These people are not dumb.

If there ever were photos, there aren't now.

All right, what if there were?

and we'd re -examine the situation pretty fast, okay?

Ken?

What?

Nothing.

Can you see it?

What? What's going on?

It happened at nap time.

They kept the doors locked. There were lookouts. There was nothing to see. Did

you see it in his eyes?

You saw him at breakfast.

You saw him every night at dinner. Couldn't you see anything? Well, I'm not

mother. Mothers are supposed to know when things are going on.

So this is all my fault.

It's their fault. They did it.

Ah, you heard Bernstein. We should have known.

God, I keep going through this over and over in my mind.

You know, what did I miss?

I mean, how could Teddy keep something like this inside him?

How did it happen that one day, and I'm off doing something for myself, you

know, I don't know, I'm eating a Danish.

And these people are raping our baby.

You know, I never consciously wanted to hurt anybody before.

I want to find these people.

I want to beat their faces into a pulp.

And I'm going to tell Teddy that I did it.

I can't let them get away.

Susan and George?

The case is too weak. Yeah, but not if we find some hard evidence. Now, why'd

they take pictures?

Huh? There's got to be some kind of pornography connection, right? So we go

to Portland and start there. Now, hold on, hold on. Look, I'm the detective.

Trust me, it's just not worth wasting time on. Hey, I got nothing but time.

You're very good at what you do, Rog. But I'm not a detective, right? Well,

that's not the real problem. It's not real to you because Susan and George

didn't hurt your kid.

No.

The real problem is they're gone.

What are you willing to do?

You and Kendra don't believe that nonsense.

No, we think that Josh Lossberg got gonorrhea from the tooth fairy.

Josh was raped by his mother's boyfriend.

Yeah, see, that's your story. Teddy said he saw it happen at school. Said he saw

Susan taking pictures of George raping Josh.

That ludicrous.

Susan is a master teacher.

She supervised George while he was doing his practice teaching.

I've known them both for years.

What's it like, Arthur?

Watching.

Did Teddy tell you all this before or after his treatment with Dr. Billington?

What's Dr. Billington got to do with anything?

She debriefed all 37 victims, didn't she?

Doesn't prove anything?

She cooked it all up, Roger.

Every sword did lie.

Who's the fat man? I told you.

No conversation.

It's all right, Teddy.

It was just a bad dream. You're all right.

You got any idea who we called? Me, Tyler, or even younger?

Take it from a guy who's worked a lot of vice doors.

This is a waste of time. The thing you told me about the pedophile rings, we've

got to get inside one. The right one.

How do we know the Richardsons didn't sell their stuff in San Francisco or L

.A.? I don't want to copy down some phone numbers anyway.

Can I help you guys?

Yeah, we're staying in a hotel around the corner.

Room service doesn't have what we're looking for.

Which is?

Uh, young boys.

Four or five.

Everything in my store is legal.

Come on, man. We'll pay the freight. Just tell us who to call.

You sleazy creep.

What are you going to do next? Show me your damn snapshots?

I don't want your money. Sex with kids makes me puke. What snapshots?

What snapshots?

Sick weirdos. Get out of my face.

Uncle Arthur took off the baby's clothes.

And you're sure you saw this movie with your own eyes?

Because it's very important you don't tell me things you've heard, just what

really happened to you.

It was my day to be the baby.

Okay.

Show me what Uncle Arthur did to the baby.

They called our insurance company.

Group therapy, they pay less than half.

I'm going to have to go back to work full time.

You know anybody who's looking for a secretary? A receptionist?

Paula?

Are you all right?

I looked at her last night while she was sleeping.

Nightmares.

I watched her all night.

Since the minute I found out, she hasn't been out of my sight.

Yes, George and I were in the same class.

I was supposed to call him about the alumni magazine.

Uh -huh. No, but that's the address that I have. Do you have anything more

recent?

Well, I thought I might try the preschool where he did his practice

Now, is that in your record?

That's good.

Okay.

Thank you.

I feel like I live in a phone company commercial.

I have to call every preschool in Connecticut.

Why? What makes you think he went back east?

Well, as Arthur said, George and Susan met, practiced teaching while he was in

college. Went to the Connecticut Institute for Early Childhood

Well, before you do that, then, will you call these people for me and tell them

I'm on the way?

Sure. What is this?

That's a meatpacking plant.

Nine bucks an hour. They said if they like me, they might make it permanent.

Hey,

it's not going to be permanent.

What'd he call you?

What's the fad?

A guy who's got to be tough to survive.

Let me get to on base.

It's a bike.

What kind of school's open in the middle of the night?

Go to bed.

I'm getting closer.

You think I like playing dead mother to my father?

What kind of responsibility could warp an adolescent's basic Oedipal drive?

I read the guy I know is George. He thinks he's teaching at a school near

Haven.

Hey. How?

Teaching at a preschool in Bridgeport.

You didn't go to work today?

I called in sick.

I wish I'd known. Teddy could have stayed here with you.

Hey, I like this place.

You eat too much salami, buddy.

Are you going?

I got a ticket on the red -eye.

Will you be back before I tell when I come home?

I wouldn't miss that.

We've got to make sure Mr. George doesn't hurt any more kids, Teddy.

Daddy, don't go near him.

We don't let people hurt us in this family.

Teddy.

Oh, how'd you pay for the ticket?

Okay, say you get lucky. Say George does keep photos of the kid.

Say Bernstein decides to re -indict. What happens then?

Let me get them all.

You heard Teddy, they can't spit in our faces.

And how long is that going to take, Roger?

Don't give it to me in years. Give it to me in nightmares.

Or better yet, maybe insults. How many kids one person can abuse in a lifetime?

What about our kid, Roger?

People avoid me in the market.

Can't afford to fix our car.

Even if these friends would start calling you mean. Okay, fine.

You don't want me to go? I won't go.

Roger?

Hey. Ernie and Renee. Yeah, Ernie, how are you? It's fine, and you? Is he still

in town? Yeah.

He doesn't suspect a thing. All right, good. I'll start watching the place this

afternoon. We've done better than that. We put a policewoman in there

undercover. What do you mean, is that?

I had a talk with the owner.

What did you mention, George?

No way. I just said that he had a tip about somebody abusing kids. You said

child abuse?

He doesn't want abuse at a school. Ernie.

Did you ever handle a case like this before?

I've never even heard of anything like this around here.

Let's get going.

Mr. George is sick today.

Well, it still hasn't been at his desk.

Maybe it really isn't.

He'd Snapchat to be in his apartment.

Is that the address?

Yeah. All right, let's get over there.

It'll take a couple hours to get another warrant.

It's ours.

Take a look at this.

This is a dress book.

With phony names.

Want it?

I want everything.

Mr. Olin, police.

Open up, sir.

Open it.

Now, Melinda, how often did you play baby nursery?

Every Thursday during nap time.

Mm -hmm.

And did Aunt Mavis play, too?

She changed the baby's diapers.

And you were the baby?

So then Aunt Mavis took your clothes off.

And what did Uncle Arthur do?

He powdered the baby's bottom.

With baby powder? From a can?

On his fingers.

Then what did he do?

The bad thing.

Then, Melinda, can you tell us where Uncle Arthur put his fingers?

I don't want to.

Okay.

Can you tell us, then, if the game hurt the baby?

It hurt the baby's vagina.

Melinda?

How does a five -year -old know a word like vagina?

Women have them.

But how do you know, Melinda?

It's one of Dr.

Billington's words.

My mommy told me what it means.

Ah.

One of Dr.

Billington's words.

Objection, Your Honor. Argumentative.

Sustained.

Melinda, does your family own a VCR?

You know, a machine?

To play movies?

Answer my question, Melinda.

Do Mommy and Daddy watch movies on a VCR?

We all do.

Then isn't it possible that you got these ideas from some of the

Mommy and Daddy watch?

That's a lie!

We've never watched an X -rated movie in our lives. You're not on trial here,

Mr. Stockman.

Melinda isn't either. Mr. Stockman! How can you let him badger her while they're

glaring at her?

You're just as bad as the people you're supposed to be judging.

Mr. Stockman, please.

Melinda, did you first hear about grown -ups abusing children from Dr.

Billington or from your mother?

My mommy didn't do anything.

Then why is she trying to coach you, Melinda?

What are you two trying to hide?

Ten -minute recess.

Mom, you didn't finish.

What happened to Melinda today in court?

Fugliatti confused her.

She couldn't remember a thing she said on her deposition.

Sandy, can you help me with that?

Look at the door. She was going to be one of the best witnesses.

You know, she cried a lot.

She wasn't sure of things.

It was a mess.

Can I ride my bike before dinner, Mom?

Did you clean your room? Remember what we said. You don't ride your bike till

you clean your room.

Patty, Sandy, go around the side of the house.

I'll do it later. I'm going to go over Mikey. Around the side of the house

now, both of you.

You don't have to worry, honey, because you... Daddy!

Dad, they killed Rex. They're going to kill you. No, no, no. What happened to

Rex was an accident.

He was poisoned.

No, no. Now, come on, Teddy.

Mama thinks that you must have got any of that stuff we use on snails in the

garden. No, Dad, it's because you went to find Mr. George.

I never saw him, Teddy.

He was gone before I got there. Hey.

He doesn't know you're told.

Are you sure?

I'm sure.

Okay? Come on, Pat. I'll buy you some duck.

I don't get it.

He's convinced the Richardsons are the ones who killed Rex.

What'd the guys in the lab say?

Well, the autopsy showed it was rat poison.

Here we go. Judge is coming in.

Had to go back easy.

We took off before we could get anything.

Too bad.

Okay, big guy.

Remember

what

we talked about there.

Just get up there and tell the truth.

Nobody can hurt you now.

I remember Mr. Bernstein's our friend now. You just answer his questions in a

nice, loud voice.

Okay?

Don't look at your teddy.

It's just us. That's why we're here.

The Honorable Clinton Z. Allen presiding. All rise.

You have to stand up, honey, to show respect for the judge.

Nobody is going to hurt you. I wouldn't ever let anybody hurt you, sweetie.

What is it? What is it?

They were right.

Who was right?

Aunt Mavis and Uncle Arthur.

They said if I told, a man would be here to punish me. A man? Who?

A man in a black robe.

No, Bear, no. See, they knew that there'd be a man in a black robe, but

judge.

He's your friend.

No, Dad.

People who are black are servants of...

Rex. Now you know, don't you?

Why, you're scared?

You sure do.

No, because they have magic powers.

Listen, Bill, they're not devils or whatever they told you they are, okay?

They don't have any magic powers.

Then why are we going home?

Because they're sick.

They're bad.

Are you scared of them?

They did what's bad. It wasn't the kids.

It was them.

Right, Mom?

You still want to tell them that in court?

It wasn't the kids.

Now, Teddy, you said that baby nursery was a bad game.

Did anyone tell you baby nursery was a bad game?

Dr. Billington.

Ah, Dr.

Billington again.

Dr. Billington told you that you were bad to play the game.

No, she said it was a bad game, but she didn't say we were bad to play it. So

you told Dr.

Billington about the game, and she told you what to say here today.

Objection, Your Honor. He's twisting the fact.

Goes to state of mind, Your Honor.

Repraise the question, Mr. Pugliati.

Teddy, can you tell the difference between what's true and what's false?

Yes.

In baby nursery, were Mr.

and Mrs. Richardson really doctors?

No. What about Dr.

Billington?

Yes.

What would you say if I told you Dr. Billington isn't really a doctor?

She isn't?

She's not a medical doctor, no.

Now, what about the Easter Bunny, Teddy?

Is the Easter Bunny real?

Objection, Your Honor. The Easter Bunny is irrelevant.

Goes to the witness of credibility, Judge.

I'll allow it.

Is the Easter Bunny real?

Yes.

Did Uncle Arthur ever dress up in a rabbit costume?

Yeah. The Easter.

Was he really the Easter Bunny?

Well, if Dr. Billington wasn't really a doctor, how can you be sure Uncle Arthur

wasn't really the Easter Bunny?

Who are you looking at, Teddy?

Is someone coaching you now the way Dr.

Billington coached every alleged victim in this case?

Objection, Your Honor. The boy is looking at his parents.

Sustained. Mr. Pugliati, you are treading on thin ice here.

I believe the relevance will be apparent, Your Honor. What it boils down

this. A lot of the time, you don't know if a grown -up is telling you the truth

or not.

And you get confused, don't you?

Yeah.

Now, wasn't it really other kids that you played doctor with and not your

teachers?

I don't know!

Leave him alone!

Mr. Dollison, let Mr.

Bernstein do the objective.

What kind of a man are you? He's a child.

A child you put on the stand. No, a child they put on the stand.

Why won't you let me tell what really happened?

It's late.

Recess.

Reconvene in my chambers in ten minutes.

Eddie? Oops.

I'd like to try something different.

Sit down.

Melinda, why don't you sit in my chair?

And, Teddy, you stand right here like Mr.

Bernstein and Mr. Pugliotti did.

Now, what we're about to do is off the record.

That means it's not part of the trial.

just for me, because I'm confused about something.

Linda, you said that Uncle Arthur and Aunt Mavis stood over you and killed a

rabbit. And then, Teddy, later, you said the rabbit was still alive.

Well, which is it? Dead or alive?

Both.

Judge, this is what I'm talking about. They have no con... You be quiet, okay?

How can something be both dead and alive?

Satan.

Who's Satan?

The devil.

Satan makes the rabbit die and then brings him back to life?

Aunt Mabel told us.

There was always a new rabbit the next morning.

Why did Satan do this?

Because we're bad.

The rabbit's good.

And if we're good, and we tell... What will happen?

Robbie will tell Satan, and Satan will punish us.

Satan? Robbie Rabbit? Let's get serious here.

Mrs. Richardson gave each of the kids a stuffed rabbit.

A toy? So?

The toy was actually a totem.

An evil eye watching them. An evil eye? Come on, Marv. Who's your next witness

gonna be, a bat?

You watch your tone of voice with me, okay? This whole case is a gross

fabrication. Be quiet, both of you.

I have what I need.

I want you to come back to court on Monday and tell the jury exactly what

told me, okay?

Melinda is not going back on that stand. We're not going to stop now.

What, you want to take on St. Louis?

Not people like the Manson gang? Uh -uh, no thank you. He needs Melinda. I'm

sorry. What about what they did to Melinda?

What about what you're doing to these kids by putting them on the stand?

you want Arthur Mavis to go free?

I want to keep my daughter alive.

We're down to just three witnesses.

Teddy, Jennifer, and Josh.

It was clear to me from our sidebar yesterday that the judge is as ticked

Pugliati as we are.

I can see the same thing in the jury's eyes.

Your three kids are our only hope.

We can't afford to lose any of them now.

So when are you going to tell the jury about Satanism?

Satanism wasn't the way to go a year ago. It's not the way to go now.

Wait a minute.

You mean you knew about this all along?

Black robes, killing bunnies, your dog.

I had a pretty good idea.

And you didn't think that was relevant?

I talked to a lot of other prosecutors.

Everybody says the same thing.

Juries cannot deal with Satanism. Oh, yeah, juries can't deal with it. Well,

know what? Kids don't deal with it so well either.

Miriam. You know what? I can't believe that you decided this on your own. You

know, that stinks.

You can't run a criminal prosecution by committee.

Okay, you can't run it without witnesses either.

All right. Wait, wait, wait, wait.

What if we can get one of them to cut a deal with us?

They take oaths.

They ID their relatives for the group.

And that way, if somebody rats, they know there'll be reprisals.

So you admit this is real?

It's not a question of what I believe.

I mean, look at the Presidio case, El Paso, West Point.

The same stories keep cropping up all over the country.

There's many satanic ritual abuse cases.

There's got to be something out there.

All right, then tell the jury that.

Look, we're doing the best we can.

I just can't make any promises.

You're telling us that we're going to live.

After you put Josh on the stand so that Pugliotti could rape him all over again,

my son is starting to stutter. He's in a five -a -week therapy.

You know, he could be in that for several years.

And all this time, you knew those... Miriam!

Josh probably won't have to testify again.

You're right, Bernstein.

You're damn right he won't. Look, I'm sorry.

He can't do this alone.

You want some mint tea?

If you're with Mom, you're just getting up.

Bernstein hasn't got any more witnesses.

It's over.

Just like that.

We don't let people hurt us in this family, you said, but what the hell? You

what it's doing to him.

You have to understand, these people killed our dog, remember that? You make

everybody up.

I didn't think you were such a damn wimp.

You're always backing out. And you want Teddy to grow up just like you. Hey,

it's enough.

No, it's not.

You can't back out.

You're letting him down, you're letting everybody down.

You can't let this happen again.

You got him through the trial.

He's done everything a brother possibly could do. No!

Don't touch me, all right?

You don't understand anything.

Don't you get it?

Get what?

It's all my fault. Me, mine.

I screwed it all up.

And Teddy, he... Sandy, it's not your fault. Please don't touch me, all right?

Just leave me alone. All right, Sandy, you're right. I don't understand.

I can't.

I can't.

I knew.

I knew.

And the reason I knew is because the same thing happened to me.

If I told you what they did to me at Tiny Top, Teddy would still be fine.

What do you mean what they did to you?

George and Susan weren't even there.

The Richardsons were.

Oh, my God.

Once I was out of there and nobody else knew and nobody was hurt, I just wanted

to forget.

To pretend it never happened.

I'm sorry, but I just couldn't tell you.

Why? I was so ashamed, Mom.

Honey, it wasn't your fault.

I was different from the other kids.

Mavis told me that I was special.

A special kid.

You mean she threatened you?

She made me lie on the table.

Then she... She raped you, honey. That's okay, because she did that to the other

kids. Mom, you don't understand.

She did it with me more than with the other kid. Because I was special.

No, you weren't, honey. Mom, you still don't understand what made me special.

It wasn't just that I'd done it with her.

Mavis told me that I liked it.

Mom, I hated it.

I always hated it.

I was afraid.

That's why I let Teddy down.

I had to lie nude on the altar.

The altar was inside a pentagram inscribed in a circle.

The other kids would hold the torches.

Mavis would stand in the center of the circle holding the knife.

First she would slit a rabbit's throat.

Then I had to whisper these chants and call her by her satanic name.

Then she would raise her robe.

And underneath she was naked.

And then I had to do it with her.

He's your witness.

He can stand up to Pugliotti.

Sandy, you want to wait out in the hall for a minute?

It'll never fly.

So what do you think, that we, you know, tell our son to go in the sand and lie?

No, uh, I think that you know these people are guilty.

So polygraph them.

Come on, Roger.

You know the polygraph results are unreliable.

Well, cut through it, Marv.

Do you believe Sandy, yes or no?

Why did he wait ten years?

The woman bent his mind.

She convinced him that he liked what she was doing to him. She laid guilt on a

four -year -old child. Now, wouldn't you have kept quiet about that?

Pugliati will scream purge. So what?

Sandy wants to testify against this woman.

Stand up and help your children tell the truth, you said.

Are you the one in the end who's going to end up burying the truth?

All I'm saying, Kendra, is... Is it going to help?

Is it going to help?

No, not a hell of a lot.

It may kill him to get on that stand and tell what she did to him.

But it's better than keeping it bottled up inside of him for the rest of his

life.

Okay, I'll put him on the stand.

Daddy, wake up.

It's so dark.

I know, but now listen.

Sandy said that in the ritual, they made you use satanic names. You know,

they're special names.

Let me sleep.

Come here, listen.

Susan's name.

What was it?

It's Susan's name.

Mavis was Miss Virgo.

Miss Susan was... I don't remember.

Bear.

All right, Bear. What name did Virgo call her friend?

She was standing above the altar.

Now, what name did she make you whisper?

Isis.

What are you doing?

I filed a police man in George Roland's office.

Who's Isis?

You wanted to see me?

I've got a staff meeting in five minutes.

Don't wait till it's over.

Why wouldn't you tell my secretary what this is about?

I've got the address of a woman who I think is sexually abusing kids in your

jurisdiction. We've got procedures in place for taking child abuse. I've been

through this in Connecticut.

I want to extradite this woman. I can only do it if I catch her in the act.

I know how.

It's going to work.

What, you go around the country doing this?

Yeah, I know, they're all cute.

This one's my son.

Sandy, these crimes happened to you ten years ago.

Are you sure you're not just telling us about things you heard?

Until last weekend, I never talked to anyone about this stuff.

Why?

I was ashamed.

That you were forced to have sex with the Richardsons?

That I never told anyone what went on at that school.

But you left the Tiny Todd Preschool to start kindergarten.

Why didn't you tell your parents then?

The Richardsons knew my dad was a police officer.

Mrs. Richardson said if the police ever came to the school...

She would have known it had been me.

And I'd have to watch my parents have their hearts cut out.

Have their hearts cut out?

And you believed them?

I'd seen them kill cats and rabbits that way.

I knew they'd do it.

Did the Richardsons ever tell you why they killed animals?

It gave them power to kill things that were innocent and good.

Sandy, you haven't told us one single detail that your brother hadn't already

mentioned.

How many sessions with Dr. Billington did you have?

I've never met Dr. Billington.

Oh, come on.

Sandy.

Altars.

Pentagrams.

Murdered bunnies.

Curved daggers.

Athemase.

What?

They're called athemase. Call Dr.

Billington back and ask her if she knows what they're called.

These are exactly the same stories Dr.

Billington fed the children.

The rituals didn't change. They happened to me and my friends.

They happened to other kids ten years later.

The rituals?

Rituals?

Are you saying that my clients were involved in something other than what

prosecution has characterized as game and psychological manipulation?

Your clients are fainting.

They told us. Oh, they're proud of it.

Let me get this straight.

You're saying that my clients are pedophiles and pimps and

pornographers.

And devil worshippers?

I saw them kill rabbits and pour the blood over little kids. You can call

anything you want to call them. They call themselves Satanists. Do you think

this jury will buy that cheap horror film story?

Is Geraldo going to rush in here now and interview people with hoods over their

heads? Do you seriously expect this jury to believe that these two gentle

people, three college degrees between them, Residents of this community for a

quarter of a century have committed crimes that we wouldn't believe at a

-in movie.

Sandy.

Sandy.

Who put you up to this?

Your father?

Nobody put me up to anything.

No.

No.

It didn't matter that the prosecution's case was falling apart.

No, you expect us to believe that last weekend you just decided to talk

about things that you haven't mentioned for the last ten years.

They killed my dog.

They threatened my brother.

They told me I enjoyed being raped.

Well, that's not what the lie detector said.

Your Honor, I move that last remark be stricken.

Polygraph results are inadmissible.

What about the truth?

Anybody home?

Anything?

Not a thing.

How about you?

I sure like music.

Hey.

How come she's got a record that doesn't have a turntable?

Are you a pedophile, Mrs. Richardson?

No, sir.

Did you or your husband or any member of your staff ever have any sort of sexual

relations with any student at the Tiny Tot preschool?

No, sir.

Then we have a mystery here, don't we?

Why are all these people saying all these incredible things about you?

Will you tell us why you think this has happened?

Objection, Your Honor. The counselor is asking the witness to speculate.

I'll allow the witness to try if she chooses to put the charges against her

some kind of rational perspective.

Thank you, sir.

Your Honor, my husband and I don't deny touching those children.

You know, when you're running a nursery school, you spend a lot of time wiping

running noses or drying tears or putting on Band -Aids.

Not once has a parent ever accused us of anything improper.

Until Joss Flossberg developed venereal disease.

And then what did we do?

Did we behave suspiciously? No.

Did we run?

No.

We voluntarily took medical tests.

And as you know, we all tested negative.

If we're going to do it, let's do it.

No. Yesterday, while you were waiting for the warrant, I was over here washing

the place.

And what are we waiting for?

The janitor.

While it's going on, he's never more than 30 feet from that alarm bell.

I don't like the quiet.

Why isn't anybody having recess?

How do we know they're not doing it now?

On April 15, 1987,

Miriam Schlossberg met with Dr. Martha Billington of the

Children's Therapeutic Institute Incorporated, a for -profit corporation.

Mrs. Schlossberg told Dr. Billington that we had molested her son.

to cover up the fact that Mrs. Stockbridge's lover had actually

And then Dr. Billington convinced those children, in this

atmosphere of hysteria, whipped up by the press in a small town,

that we had abused them.

This is a witch hunt.

Unfortunately, the witches only exist in Dr.

Billington's mind.

What time is it?

12 .30 exactly.

Right on schedule.

Why bother lock the gates? You got it.

Hey, pal.

You got a bathroom I can use?

It's nap time.

We don't disturb the children during nap time. I'm a police officer. Step back.

Step back!

Police. You're under arrest. Have the right to remain silent. Drop it.

We're rehearsing a

play.

Miss Larimer, you have testified in stomach -turning detail about several

instances of child molestation in which you say my clients were involved.

Now I ask you, did the district attorney promise you anything in return for this

testimony?

Unconditional immunity from prosecution.

So, you would smear my client, say anything at all,

in order to get the deal Mr. Bernstein promised.

Objection, Your Honor.

Argumentative.

Sustained.

I'm telling the truth.

A person like you.

Sure you are.

Objection!

Granted, Mr.

Pugliati, please.

Well, since you're telling the truth, Miss Larimer, one last question.

The prosecution's last witness testified about certain occult practices.

Are my clients Satanists?

No, sir.

Nothing further, Your Honor.

I apologize to you for some of the grisly, unthinkable things that I have

you listen to in this courtroom.

Little children should not be asked how it feels to be raped or sodomized.

It could have been your children.

Or yours.

It could have been yours.

They could have been mine.

If just listening was painful for us, think how much more painful it was to

live through the acts that these children described.

Ladies and gentlemen, I suggest to you that these 37 children do belong to you.

Those children had the courage to stand up and tell you the fact.

Now you must have the courage to show these defendants that decent men and

will not tolerate the kind of behavior that they have shown.

By your verdict, you can show the children that they're not alone.

For all of us, believe the children.

Mr. Bernstein, the man who has just put Susan Larimer, the one self -confessed

child abuser in this case, back on the street, has just asked you

to believe the children.

Believe the children.

When you've heard them describe day trips in a van to visit a fat man on the

moon,

Believe the children who talked about sinister rabbits marching by torchlight

through a Gothic cathedral.

Believe the children who use such obviously adult words as penis,

vagina, anus.

Believe that these children have vivid imaginations.

Yes.

Believe they are the unwitting dupes of a paranoid therapist? Yes.

Believe that they were abused by my clients? No way.

The law demands that you deliver a not guilty verdict if you

have even a reasonable doubt as to the suspect's guilt.

Ladies and gentlemen, no reasonable person could avoid doubts about some of

things these children have told you.

Accordingly, you have no choice.

You must acquit my clients.

And finally, ladies and gentlemen, bear in mind as you deliberate that the

defendants are guilty only if you find them so absolutely, conclusively,

beyond a reasonable doubt.

Take all the time you need.

You may retire.

I don't know, Rog.

Well, come on. What is it? Something on their faces?

I just think it's going to be hard to find 12 people who have no reasonable

doubts in a case like this.

I don't know. I'll see you later. Okay. Thanks.

Maybe they said they'd never go to jail.

Yeah?

Well, even if they do go to jail, Bear, it won't be for enough years to pay for

what they did.

Then why'd we do it? Because we knew what they did was wrong.

And we had to say so.

That's right.

You all set?

Yep. Got your lunch?

Yep. You got your pencils?

Is that everything?

You got your baseball club?

Baseball and kindergarten?

Yeah, you think you do arithmetic all the time?

I'm going to bring it. Oh, well, I guess you'll have to use this one.

Dad! Thanks!

Okay, partner.

Here,

have fun.

Thanks, Mom.

Bye -bye, honey.

Bye,

honey. Sandy?

Make sure he finds his classroom.

No, Mom, I was going to put him in my locker.

You

weren't

sure they were going to jail, what did you tell them?

Dad says they may be out in four years.

Even if I didn't testify, I said someday they'd come for me.

He said they'd tell me the evil I had to do.

And did they come for you?

In a way, when they found you.

See, the evil would have been to let them destroy our family.

Keeping quiet would have meant they owned us.