Original subtitles

The story you are about to see

was inspired by actual events.

The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

*

It was Sunday.

It was a perfect day in the West Valley,

the farthest reaches of Los Angeles.

Spotless streets, glistening lawns.

You could almost think it was the 1950s.

The call came into Robbery-Homicide at 11:30.

Female, Caucasian.

Dead from trauma to the head.

I drove out to meet my partner

in the West Valley.

Out here, it used to be cattle ranches,

walnut groves.

Now, you blink, a new subdivision appears.

Clean, welcoming.

They take us back to when we believe

the world was a simple place.

One thing, of course, had changed since then.

The crime rate.

My name's Friday.

I'm a cop.

Detective Friday, I'm Denise Beltran.

Uh, West Valley, right?

You look familiar.

I just got transferred to RHD.

Captain tried to call your partner,

Detective Smith, but apparently he's out of town.

He must've left in a hurry.

Our victim's Lisa Paris, 26.

Front door was open.

Her fiancé found her.

- He's out back. - Neighbors?

They did a perimeter search.

All the houses are empty.

Any sign of forced entry?

It's clean.

Apparently, she just moved in.

Too bad she didn't get a chance to enjoy it.

She fell down, hit her head on the edge of the table.

Struggle, rape?

No obvious signs of rape.

Fight, maybe.

Facial contusions could be from the fall.

In other words, either she fell by herself

or someone knocked her down?

All I can give you is what I know.

The foam on the lips, that's purged from an overdose.

- Probably barbiturates. - I see that, thanks.

This ring might rule out robbery.

If it's real, it's worth five grand.

Time of death, five hours, six at most.

4:00 a.m., check for sexual activity.

Female victims, I usually start with the clothes.

Frank, this is Joe, where are ya?

Call me back when you get this, will ya?

What's up with the new partner?

Not new, temporary.

Three file boxes.

The victim had one file out,

money market account worth a quarter million bucks.

240 grand, what's she doing looking at bank accounts?

Now get muds on her phone, get these boxes downtown.

No obvious signs of body fluid.

She had 240 grand in the bank.

Good for her.

Probably was alone not expecting anyone,

definitely not male company.

Why do you think that?

Owned some fine lingerie, but she was wearing flannel.

I'd say she planned a night on her own.

Someone wakes her up, she opens the door,

she knew him.

The fiancé?

Yeah, Michael Byrne.

Hey, we got a pill box.

Champagne in the fridge,

Dom Pérignon, quarter empty and still bubbly.

Alcohol and barbiturates.

Accidental overdose, suicide.

Diamond engagement ring, quarter million in the bank.

Under those circumstances,

most people want to stick around.

Money doesn't buy happiness.

I got here around 9:00,

I was picking her up for a friend's wedding.

Lisa and I were getting married next month.

You and Lisa weren't living together?

No, no, she bought the house last year

from pictures before they even broke ground,

before I even proposed.

This morning, you found the door open.

Yeah, and that's not Lisa, she was careful.

When was the last time you saw her or talked to her?

Last night around 8:00.

I called from the car on my way to the bachelor party.

Lisa said that she was going to bed and, um...

...she'd see me in the morning.

Can I call her dad now?

Ted Paris stared at his daughter's body.

Like most men, he tried not to cry.

He kept his pain inside.

I thought I could take anything.

Can you think of anyone who might have visited

Lisa last night?

No, no one.

What can you tell us about her friends?

She, uh, she didn't have a lot of friends.

When she was consulting, she said it was hard

to socialize with clients.

Michael?

Some friends from college, sir, but no one here.

You know Lisa, she worked hard, kept to herself.

There seems to be some evidence

that she took a prescription drug

along with a substantial amount of alcohol.

I don't understand, Lisa never used drugs ever.

Are you saying she did this on purpose,

that she killed herself?

We're saying right now, we don't know.

Excuse me.

You asked about sexual activity.

Her fiancé said he didn't sleep with her last night.

- Did you find semen? - Something else,

and something odd in the spectro.

Residue from two different types

of latex and polyurethane.

Well, latex would be the condoms,

what's the polyurethane?

It's used in condoms for men with a latex allergy.

Any other explanation?

Not that I can think of, unless the same man

was wearing three different condoms,

and that's not likely.

So she slept with three different men

on the same night.

*

*

*

They haven't given any prognosis.

Well, that's how it is with doctors, you know,

professional caution.

Just stay and deal with it, that's all.

I'll worry about things around here.

All right, Frank, just take it day-by-day, all right?

Now take it easy.

Okay, bye.

My partner's father, stroke.

I'm sorry to hear that.

What'd they find in the boxes at her house?

What do you think the house cost?

Around $400,000.

$365,000, how much do you think she put down?

The way you say it, I'm guessing a lot.

No down payment, all cash.

Tax returns tell us where she got it?

Well, there are no tax returns,

it's the one thing that's missing.

26 years old with 600 grand.

Not many women her age

make that kind of money on their feet.

The thought occurred to me--

Go ahead, use Frank's desk.

So, a prostitute?

Working high-end John's?

Maybe, I buy the father doesn't know.

He lives down in El Segundo,

she could hide it, but the fiancé--

A man can get married

and not know his fiancée's a hooker.

If you say so.

Tough questions to ask that young man.

I'm leaving that to you.

I'll take the tougher ones to the father.

We've got hundreds of these.

This is my favorite.

When her mother was alive, she looked just like her.

She was a lovely girl, Ted.

Dad, I put a sign on the back door too.

Yeah, uh, we have to go down to the funeral home,

what else can I tell ya?

Lisa seemed to be doing well financially.

She was consulting.

Office management, she--

She also did a lot of lousy temp jobs.

She took what she learned and made something good of it.

Why were they so restless?

What was their hurry?

I thought maybe Ted Paris

was being strong for his daughter.

That's what fathers did, protect their children.

Especially when they only have one left.

Army brats.

You know, like mine, they move around a lot,

they learn a lot of survival skills.

Did you ever discuss her income?

Well, she wanted to have a down payment on a house.

I offered to help, she said she had it covered.

I was real proud of her.

Look, we really got to go.

I locked the gate, I'll open it for you.

Is, um, something wrong?

How do you mean?

Why are you asking about Lisa's money?

Just trying to get a picture of her life.

She was a really good person.

You should know that, she really was.

College in Portland.

I wanted to get married the day we graduated, but Lisa,

she said she wanted...

I don't know what she wanted.

She said she had to find herself.

She wanted her freedom.

You know, when girls talk about freedom,

it can mean an interest in someone else.

Not with Lisa, no.

It was all about her career.

About a year and a half ago,

she called out of the blue.

We started talking, emailing.

And I got a job transfer here.

Tell me what you know about her work.

Consulting.

She built the business herself.

There was something about Lisa.

People trusted her.

This may sound strange.

Just to confirm our toxicology,

what did you and Lisa use for birth control?

She was on the pill, why would that matter?

It's just for the record.

But what kind of record?

Is there something you know about her

you're not telling me?

Clean, the place was spotless.

Someone had to walk on the carpet.

They didn't leave anything behind.

Pill box, champagne bottle,

they found the cork in the garbage.

All of them, her prints only.

Well, that would mean she opened it herself

and took the pills.

You think she had company who wore gloves?

Well, what about fibers?

The flannel pajamas.

Four red wool fibers,

they found a flannel shirt in her drawer.

Anyone who cleans up that good can come by my place.

Unless no one else was there.

There's something I'm not getting here.

Ted Paris said his daughter had a down payment covered.

Think he knew she paid cash?

There's a lot he didn't know about his daughter.

Or he knew and didn't want us to know.

8:00 p.m., telephone call to Lisa Paris' house

from a cell phone.

The fiancé on the way to his bachelor party.

3:00 a.m., an hour before she died,

she calls the fiancé's cell phone,

five second call.

She wants to know if the stripper

comes out of a cake.

I don't know but it went straight to voicemail.

Shouldn't that have said "missed call"?

Did he return it?

Never.

She calls her fiancé at 3:00 a.m.,

he never returns the call.

The way he dotes on her--

We put a fast-track subpoena into the IRS

for the tax returns.

I'll have them by the end of the day.

And there's this, she had a safe deposit box.

I got a court order to open it.

Short-form last will and testament.

The kind you buy at a stationery store.

- Good? - Sole beneficiary,

the fiancé, Michael Byrne.

Are you aware you were the beneficiary of her will?

I didn't know that, no.

What does this have to do with what happened to Lisa?

You said you last spoke to her around 8:00 p.m.

Yeah, that's right.

She called your cell phone at 3:00 a.m.

You didn't call her back.

*

Michael, you seem like a bright guy,

and it seems you really loved her.

Aren't you wondering what these questions are about?

Look, I've been really messed up with this.

Your fiancée calls at 3:00 a.m.,

she's dead an hour later.

Why didn't you tell us?

She didn't leave a message.

The bachelor party, when did you leave?

Between 12:30 and 1:00, I went straight home.

I can--I can't believe this.

I can't believe you think--

The groom's name?

Michael Byrne had left out way too much.

Whatever people say, you listen for something else.

What they leave out.

We called ahead to the man who had thrown

his own bachelor party.

His new bride was expecting us.

It was horrifying.

I mean, when we found out

why he never showed up at the church.

How well did you know Lisa?

We'd only met her once.

I liked her right away.

She was so... stylish.

Funny, I sort of envied her.

Now this.

So you weren't around for this bachelor party thing?

I put the food out and then left.

Why are you asking about that?

We have to establish where everyone was.

I have to tell you, Michael loved Lisa.

He, like, worshiped her.

When do you expect your husband back?

Late tonight.

We'd appreciate it if you'd have your husband

give us a call.

Thank you.

She was protecting her friend, but from what?

Michael Byrne was evasive but that was all.

I didn't believe he'd kill for money.

Didn't make sense.

You know what does make sense,

if he killed her, he had to call it in

because if he doesn't show to pick her up that morning,

he looks guilty.

But it still doesn't give us motive.

Friday.

One client?

Where?

Thanks.

Lisa Paris' tax returns.

Her income from her consulting services

all came from one place,

Nash Ellis Holdings, Chatsworth.

*

- Can I help you? - LAPD, Detective Friday,

this is Detective Beltran.

We're looking for anyone who hired a Lisa Paris.

There's no Lisa Paris here.

I'll get Mr. Nash, you can wait outside.

We won't.

*

I'll get Mr. Nash.

So that's how she makes six figures consulting.

Nash Ellis Holdings.

A fancy name for a company making this.

Judging from the number of titles,

they were practically cornering the market.

Jayci Roberts, look familiar?

Without the wig and makeup, Lisa Paris.

A porn star.

*

We didn't hurt anyone.

Cigarettes and liquor kill people.

No one ever masturbated themselves to death.

Joey Nash, porn king.

With a wall full of awards

from the adult film industry.

Just an ordinary guy from Encino

making garbage for a living.

We run a legitimate business,

we service a legitimate need.

You wouldn't be surprised

to run into him at the country club.

Didn't bother him what he did.

Probably didn't bother his friends either.

It was profitable, it was legal.

What we thought didn't matter either.

Unless, of course,

it had something to do with Lisa Paris' death.

Lisa started as an office temp,

she wanted to make more money.

So you bump her up to Jayci Roberts, porn star?

Oh, no one ever forced her into anything.

She was a typical army brat, you know?

Lost, never felt like she belonged.

She saw the money that our top players got

and she wanted it.

Made a name, got a piece of her films,

everybody won.

- And that was worth? - Last year?

Around $300,000.

How much did you make?

More, with a lot more risk.

And in what business is that any different?

Where were you both Saturday night?

I was home with the wife and kids.

We played charades

and the dinner guests left at 2:00.

San Francisco, you want tickets?

Was Lisa here yesterday?

Her last day.

She was quitting.

We wished her well.

We'd all had a good run.

Last people who saw Lisa here.

I think she said her goodbyes on the set.

Satin sheets, they show better on camera.

These things are a fortune.

Unlike the whips and chains?

Well, that stuff's reusable.

Satins, use 'em a day, throw 'em away.

Saturday... we shot, like, 30 sex acts

between 3:00 and 9:00.

Okay, if I remember right, Jayci--

Her name was Lisa.

Not around here.

Jayci.

She was pretty firm on that.

Uh, let's see.

She did Neils and Benji in a three way in Studio One.

They left for the day.

Then we shot her with Jill,

about an hour later in here.

Jill, Jill's a woman.

It's a weird business, but, yeah, we don't have

any men named Jill.

Yeah, we use a strap-on, you know, plastic.

Polyurethane.

Yeah, it's a John Holmes model,

actually, it's in the prop room if you need it.

We might.

I never got that whole thing.

But I guess there are just some guys out there

who like to watch women pretend to be men.

Hey, it's a living.

So you were Lisa's final scene?

Yeah.

God, it's hard to believe.

Word I hear is suicide.

That make sense to you?

No.

I mean, she left in great spirits.

She retired her wig, gave it to me.

I gave her this bottle of Dom Pérignon

I got from some fan.

Hell, we had a good laugh about it.

She seemed happy when she left?

Yeah, thrilled.

I mean, glad to be getting out.

I mean, this guy, Michael, the house--

So she was alone at the end of the night?

She said she was gonna go put the Dom on ice,

maybe make mimosas for breakfast.

She and Michael were going to a wedding.

Look, if you want to see the scene we did,

they're cutting it now, but if you don't have

any more questions,

the kids are with the sitter

and I gotta get home.

I'm telling you, it's suicide.

I don't know what else to call it.

Is it possible someone hit her?

There are no hand or finger marks.

Maybe someone forced her to take the Phenobarbital.

There's powder residue from the pills on the right hand,

which would say she took them herself.

You're saying she took the pills and passed out.

People are upset, they're not thinking.

We know she wasn't upset, Dr. Shaw.

I see this every day.

Alcohol, drugs, head wound,

they're all contributing factors,

Now I'll keep the record open undetermined,

but I'd say a suicide, accidental or otherwise.

I'll buy suicide.

Accidental, intentional, I'll accept it.

Then what's the problem?

The fiancé.

She called him at 3:00 in the morning,

why didn't he call her back?

You're gonna press a homicide based on that?

Her life was okay.

She had champagne, ready to celebrate.

Why down it with barbiturates?

When you figure out why people kill themselves,

I'll get you a job on the hotline.

What do we tell the father?

Everything.

Including how she made her money?

We don't keep secrets from the family.

And give him the coroner's opinion.

Case closed.

You ever wonder how many?

How many like her come here with these dreams?

Yeah.

So, end of case?

- File it? - No.

I'll hang on to it awhile,

I'll break it to Ted Paris tomorrow.

You know, families never get over it.

My cousin didn't make med school.

Depression, left a note and everything.

Family still calls it an accident.

Years ago, a friend of mine drove out to a garage

in the middle of nowhere.

Closed the door.

Turned on the ignition.

Why'd he do it?

She.

I don't know why.

*

Hey, you guys interview a Joseph Nash?

*

Porn king.

Devonshire Division just called.

They found your card on his desk.

Why would they be investigating?

Shot in the back of the head.

Medium caliber.

...9 millimeter, maybe a .38.

TOD, two to three hours ago.

Hmm, a cigar in the wrapper.

I've never done an O.C. case, is this a mob signature?

Like no mob I've ever seen,

so to get the hands that way,

someone had to lean him on the car,

and come inside.

Close the sunroof.

No blood in the car.

Steering wheel's been wiped.

Every inch of this car, cover it.

Gotta be something.

Here comes organized crime--hey, Gomez!

This has to be connected to Lisa Paris.

And that comes from?

It's a feeling, don't you feel it?

Joe?

Where's Frank?

Sacramento, his dad's sick.

This is Detective Denise Beltran.

Sure, I've seen you around.

Can you tell us anything about Joseph Nash?

Joey Nash, all I know, last two years,

Japanese mobs have been after him,

wanted a cut of his business.

I thought the Japanese had a cut of every porno business.

Apparently not his.

IRS, FBI, Sheriff's Department,

we've all looked at Nash, man, he's clean.

Him and his partner.

Kevin Ellis.

Come here, let me show you something.

*

Cigar jammed in the mouth, now is that a mob signature?

Not one I've heard of, Joe.

All right, thanks.

Can we get copies of your files on Joey Nash?

Tomorrow.

Do you buy the mob here?

I'm curious about what his partner says.

Mr. Ellis, if you have any idea who killed Mr. Nash,

if I were you, I would not hold back.

He had a partner before me.

They split, it wasn't friendly.

Actually, Lisa started here with them.

Who was the partner?

Andy Furnell, uh, Andrea.

I mean, I like her,

but Joey screwed her out of some money.

Joey screwed me, I screwed him,

and he deserved it.

You sound like you're still angry.

Oh, no.

Me, kill him?

Do I look mobbed up?

I'm retired, doing just fine.

Do I need an alibi?

- Last night. - Oh brother.

The Valley Women's Clinic getting my T-cells checked.

Then counseling a girl who just found out

she'd spend her life doing the same thing.

I'm sorry.

So Joey screwed me.

That's how.

He was HIV positive?

Not him, please.

But Lisa Paris wasn't the only life

he left in his wake.

There've been dozens.

When I started, he said,

audiences didn't want to watch condoms.

When you're 24, doing coke, making 200 plus a year,

you think you're invincible.

Do you think Lisa and Joey's death are connected?

Lisa doesn't just commit suicide.

What was Lisa and Joey's relationship?

For her, it was only about the money.

She wanted this, then out.

The whole time she worried about people finding out.

When Michael came back into her life,

the girl was terrified.

All she could say was,

"What the hell would he do if he knew?

What in God's name would Michael do?"

*

You should've told me the truth.

What truth would that be, Ted?

A reporter from The Times came to the house,

said there was a murder out in the valley,

a man who made porn films.

That's correct.

She said you were investigating

a connection to this man and Lisa?

Don't spare my feelings, what was the connection?

Ted, your daughter was making movies for Joey Nash.

That's where her money came from.

She went out of her way to hide it from ya.

From everyone.

Ted, this isn't your fault.

Does Michael know?

If he does, he hasn't told us.

Oh, he's just a kid from the sticks.

We have the autopsy report,

the coroner's ruling Lisa's death undetermined.

Thinks it might be an accidental overdose.

I'd like to see the report.

We'll get you a copy.

You just want your kids to be happy.

If not happy, at least safe.

Lisa, she didn't even like me having Playboy

in the house, said it made a bad impression.

She did not kill herself.

Not Lisa, this--

This pornographer, he must have killed her.

There's no evidence of that.

I swear.

I'd kill him myself he wasn't already dead.

Gotta say, Ted's feelings aren't far from my own.

Did you ever get a case where you like the suspect

better than the victim?

Joey Nash's car, no prints

Had to open the door.

He had to turn the ignition,

someone had to operate the sunroof.

We combed it bumper-to-bumper.

Dirt, fiber, nothing?

Parking lot, too.

The guy knew what he was doing.

Thanks, Mark.

Doesn't this have hired professional all over it?

Even a high-end hitman isn't this good a pro.

It just doesn't feel like mob.

Yeah, but not some amateur like Ted Paris.

Come on, you saw him,

he didn't know what his daughter was doing.

And the fiancé, Michael,

he didn't even know who Joey Nash was.

What about the friend,

the one that had the bachelor party?

What could he tell us?

We gave his wife a card,

asked if he'd give us a call,

thirty-six hours, he never did.

If Michael Byrne pulled off this hit,

I may be in the wrong business.

Come on.

- Where are we going? - One more stop

might reaffirm your career choice.

I forgot to tell him to call you.

The night of the bachelor party,

how late was Michael here?

You're wrong, you know?

Whatever you're thinking about Michael,

he didn't do anything.

We're trying to make sense of your behavior.

Most people we pay a visit, they want to help us.

- The night of the party... - The night Lisa died.

It was the usual.

Booze, strippers.

But there was this porn tape.

My brother brought it.

When it came on, Michael--

I thought he was gonna have a heart attack,

he ran out of the room, threw up.

And, you know, I thought then

maybe he had too much booze,

but the guys said he hadn't had much.

He just left.

Do you remember what this porn video was?

My brother, he actually buys the stuff.

It was some... girl he really likes.

Jayci Roberts?

Does that mean something?

So last night, what time did he leave?

8:30?

He was going to meet Ted Paris for a drink.

You lied about the phone call,

you lied about Joey Nash.

You knew what Lisa was doing, you saw her on that video.

If you killed Mr. Nash,

a jury could be made to understand.

They understand crimes of passion.

I didn't kill anyone.

I--I did it to protect her.

You did what, Michael?

Look, I wanted to help you guys,

I really did, all right,

but helping you meant hurting her--

Explain that for us.

I left the party, I went straight to Lisa's house.

I confronted her, I broke it off,

the engagement.

I said some things to hurt her, and I left.

Go any place people saw you?

The Coronet on La Cienega.

I sat at the bar till they closed,

then over to Norm's 24-Hour.

That's where I didn't answer her call.

Went home at dawn and changed for the wedding.

To go alone?

Hell yeah, to go without her,

I never wanted to see her again.

On the way over, I thought about the engagement ring,

how I wanted it back.

It was my mother's, I didn't want it on Lisa's hand.

The door was open.

I guess she wanted to be found, and when I went in...

She, uh, she was already cold.

I knew it would kill her father,

it would kill him.

If he knew.

What exactly did you do?

I searched for anything that could expose her.

I found her tax returns, threw 'em in the car

and called 911.

Three years.

Hundreds of men.

Women, too.

And for what?

*

Why would she think she had to do that?

Last night, after you left Danny and Kim's,

where did you go?

I met Lisa's dad for a drink.

The Pinnacle on Ventura.

What time?

9:00.

9:30.

I didn't kill Joey Nash.

I swear.

*

It was starting to unravel.

I was convinced now of what I'd suspected all along.

Lisa Paris could not have kept

her secret from everyone.

Who else had stumbled on to the truth?

Who else was aware of the unexpected turn in her life?

I thought you'd ask eventually.

You always knew?

Not always.

Last Christmas, I--

I was at her apartment.

We were doing her tree.

This pile of junk in the closet,

I saw a tape.

I recognized her.

I didn't tell her,

I pretended I never saw it.

You told your father?

Are you crazy?

No.

I just wondered why.

Back in high school, she was fat.

Couldn't get a date.

She lost the weight and they were all after her.

She told me they didn't want her, just sex.

She told me she didn't even like sex.

Jennifer, where's your dad?

He hasn't been in today.

Yesterday, what time did he leave?

He had a drink with Michael.

Jennifer, I said, "when," not where.

He told me he was going to meet Michael.

He left around 7:00.

Yeah, he's a regular.

He was here when this man came in?

No, I don't know what time Ted came in.

The kid sat over there for a while by himself,

I remember that.

How long?

Uh, could've been ten minutes,

could've been an hour, I was busy pouring drinks.

When did you notice Ted?

I went over to offer my condolences,

it was after my break, so, had to be after 11:00.

Is there another way in?

Yeah, the back, but everybody uses the front,

they're afraid of the alley.

So if he used the back door, you wouldn't have seen him.

No, I was busy, I mean, if he doesn't stop at the bar,

I wouldn't see anybody

if they drove a Harley through the window.

Only one piece doesn't fit, the rest is perfect.

Joey Nash was killed around 10:00 p.m.

Or as early as 9:30.

Ted leaves his house, takes care of Joey.

And he sneaks in the back of a crowded bar

so no one knows when he gets there.

Motive makes an opportunity.

But the motive's a day too late.

He didn't know about the porn,

he never heard of Joey Nash.

Friday.

Who?

Where is he?

Uh huh.

*

I knew this would happen.

There it is.

"You're next."

Where'd you find this?

My car, they must have slipped it through my window.

And no one touched it beside you?

Nobody.

Maybe it was here this morning.

I think I would've noticed that.

They're gonna kill me, too, they're gonna wipe out

this whole company.

Put you in protective custody.

Anywhere, lock me up, I don't care.

These mob guys don't stop.

Kevin, this isn't the mob.

The mob doesn't send warnings.

Let's go.

*

The paper's clean.

Who cuts out letters like that?

Who sends a note, "You're next"?

Someone who's playing a game?

The game's called "Watch me scare you."

It's not about killing 'em.

It's making 'em miserable before you kill 'em.

How clean was the paper?

Sterile.

No prints.

The envelope's peel and seal.

No saliva, no DNA.

The glue, most common stick you can find.

I mean, this guy knows what he's doing.

One guess.

What did Ted Paris do in the Army?

I'm guessing he's not in food services.

CID Intelligence, he's DD-14.

He was a military cop.

He investigated crimes in the service.

That means we know he knows how to play games.

A cop, no wonder I kind of liked the guy.

We share the same problem.

Hubbel?

We got Kevin Ellis under guard at The Excelsior,

I want you to go get him, take him to his warehouse,

I want every tape that Lisa Paris ever made.

Now, whatever's missing, go to porn stores.

Rent 'em, buy 'em.

Every video she was ever in.

Done.

We're no longer assuming Ted Paris didn't know

what Lisa was doing.

No.

That's history.

Hundreds of them.

This was how Lisa Paris had spent her youth.

Sex in front of a camera.

Then she wanted to stop.

It was too late.

There was a bachelor party,

a porn tape,

and a knock at the door she'd feared the most.

She couldn't go back to who she'd been.

What are we looking to get from this?

Besides nausea.

Keep looking.

If my stomach can take it.

How did Ted Paris know?

How'd he know his daughter was making porn?

How'd he know who Joey Nash was?

It's gotta be here.

Bingo.

Guy had an ego, produced by Joey Nash.

Check the license plate.

Nash's car.

The same pose we found his body in,

right down to the cigar.

Ted Paris saw that.

That's how he knew.

*

Ted Paris has motive and no alibi.

He lied repeatedly and on the record.

In a sworn statement?

No, he lied to the police.

I've been in major crimes 19 months.

I can't take felonies to trial and lose.

Did you look at the video tape?

The dead daughter in the same pose

as the guy he killed?

Twelve jurors see that and say,

"Good riddance of bad rubbish."

Oh, I see.

So, she's in porn, so she doesn't matter.

Besides, this is not about her, it's about her father.

The tape box convinces, it doesn't convict.

You sound like Johnnie Cochran.

God forbid.

Ted Paris.

He have a registered gun?

A .45, not a ...9 millimeter,

but he could have others unregistered.

We shopped judges, Nielsen, Bernstein, Hamilton.

No search warrant, insufficient probable cause.

Probable cause, isn't that in the eye of the beholder?

Maybe you could find us a judge.

This was your idea, wasn't it?

What's the matter, Counselor,

you don't want your ass on the line?

My ass is always on the line.

I'll get your warrant.

He got us our warrant.

We went over to Ted Paris' auto parts business.

We sent a team to his house.

But Ted Paris was smart.

We wouldn't find the obvious.

We hoped maybe we'd find what he overlooked.

Have a look at this.

Purchase order sending metal to a scrap yard.

Well, that's what Ted Paris does for a living.

Check the dates.

He sends a load every two weeks

for seven months and then--

This week, twice in two days.

Be nice if they still have this stuff.

You sure that's all there was from Ted Paris?

That was Tuesday afternoon.

We picked it up from Ted Tuesday morning.

Okay, Mr. Harmon?

Open it.

Ted Paris had been in a hurry.

In a mound of crushed metal,

we found a crushed gun.

Totally clean.

No prints, blood, tissue, debris, nothing.

I want to hire this guy to do my floors.

And the barrel's been filed?

Inside's like glass.

It's convenient having a machine shop.

Slug will show us something.

Yeah, if I could fire that thing,

which I can't, the chamber's shot.

What if you took the barrel off that one,

put it on another ...9 millimeter,

could you fire through it then?

It's possible.

Give me an hour.

We have the same caliber weapon,

the same manufacturer.

That's a technical question,

I can't answer that.

Yep, we'll let you know.

DA wants to know how it'll play out in court.

You were right.

About what?

You told Gomez to get everything

the other agencies had on Joey Nash.

The red one is FBI.

Ted Paris has a friend there who pulled that

over a month ago.

That's how he knew about Nash.

Profile of Joseph Nash.

Surveillance pictures.

Detective Friday.

Uh huh, well, tell your boss

I need three arrest warrants.

Yeah, we'll fax 'em.

Three warrants.

You wanna tell me what you have in mind.

Ted Paris plays a pretty good game.

I want to raise the stakes.

You got a warrant, get out your cuffs.

Ted, we don't have to do it that way,

just come down with us.

When I was an MP, I liked serving warrants.

The process of justice, I liked being a part of that.

No arrest, just come down and talk.

You feel sorry for me.

Don't.

*

Turn around.

You're under arrest for the murder of Joseph Nash.

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be used against you

in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney.

I've been in rough spots before.

I'm sure you have.

Same glue as in your shop.

32,000 sticks sold since January.

Slug from Joey Nash.

One from your gun.

Those slugs look pretty clean.

Could come from different guns.

It's all circumstantial and you know it.

Well, here's something that's not circumstantial.

You came in here and you told us

you didn't know Joey Nash.

You wanted that to go down on the record.

The problem is...

We can prove you had files on Nash.

FBI files.

You knew him.

That's not enough for a conviction.

When did you see this?

Months ago, weeks?

How long did you hold that inside?

Until Lisa died?

'Cause then I can imagine you'd need some reasons.

"Why?

Why did this happen to my daughter?"

And this was the answer.

She was young, sweet, and innocent.

They took advantage of her.

She was just a kid.

Kids do stupid things,

they don't think about the consequences.

Well, you thought about the consequences.

"Can I get away with it?"

They trained you well, didn't they?

Don't understand me, okay?

My Latin teacher used to quote Aquinas.

"To understand all is to forgive all."

And I don't need your forgiveness either.

We're not talking about me.

We're talking about you forgiving Lisa.

Now maybe you killed Nash because you blamed him

and you thought he deserved it.

But there must have been a part of you

that blamed yourself for failing her.

Don't fail the one that's left.

That's a one way.

So this is where you're going.

*

Accessories after the fact.

Michael lied.

He said you were in that bar, you weren't.

Jennifer signed that purchase order

to get rid of the gun.

Come on, they didn't know.

We're gonna charge them,

and we're gonna force them to roll over on you.

*

They're young, Ted,

they got their whole lives ahead of them.

*

You wanna bring them down?

*

You'd do that?

You know I'll do what I have to.

*

Now they'll testify against you or they'll both do time.

And even if you're right and we can't convict you,

do they deserve it?

*

Now this is what's gonna happen

if you don't give me another way.

*

You're fundamentally a decent guy.

I want you to do the right thing.

*

Yeah.

I sat on your side of the table.

You've already talked to the DA,

you know what they'll accept, so make the offer.

Second-degree murder, 15-to-life.

You can get out in eight, Michael and Jennifer walk.

Lisa doesn't get her life

dragged across the front pages.

*

You know, if it had been just me,

I would've walked up to that bastard

and put a clip in his head,

then phoned you then and there...

but Jennifer needed me.

I had to get away with it.

*

I understood what Ted Paris had done.

I understood why he did it.

And I thought there but for the grace of God.

But understanding doesn't get you very far.

And the truth is, when you do what I do,

neither does God.

It seems that in everyone's life,

there's one moment, the one that matters.

Afterwards, nothing is ever quite the same.

That moment in Lisa Paris' life

changed her and everyone around her.

You think back, you wonder,

where's that moment in your own life?

When did you become who you are?

*

And who else might you have been?

*

Ted Paris entered a plea of guilty

to second-degree murder.

He is currently serving eight to twelve years

in the minimum security prison

in Lompoc, California.

*

*

*

*