All language subtitles for law.and.order.s05e02.1080p.bluray.x264-segment

NARRATOR:
In the criminal justice system

the people are represented by two separate
yet equally important groups,

the police
who investigate crime

and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

If you would come home
when you said you would...

Oh, it's my fault
the train broke down?

Well, you know | don't like to walk her
by myself.

I'll tell Amtrak. Look, next time
you get to clean the rug.

Will. Look at him
check those cars.

He's not doing anything.

How many times are we gonna let these punks
steal our radios?

Well, what're you gonna do,
sic lamb chop on him?

Come on, honey,

(GLASS SHATTERING)

That's it.
Call 911. Hey!

(DIALING PHONE)

| mean, look at this.

Oh, my God!

(WOMAN GASPING)

(SIRENS WAILING)

So no ID?
Blonde, maybe 35.

We ran the plates. Car's registered to Dobson
Enterprises, whatever that is.

How bad was she?
Alive. Barely.

Paramedics said a bullet went into her head
and didn't come out.

That's him! That's the man!

Spotted him
running across Broadway.

Three Blaupunkts
and a Delco in his bag.

You know what car radio thieves
call this street?

Audio Warehouse.

MONTERO: No gun, though.

Well, we'll organize a search
from here to Broadway.

Yo, | didn't shoot nobody.
There was no shot.

Well, maybe
you just didn't hear it.

No, it was quiet.
| would've heard it.

JEROME: Man, the lady
was bagged when | got here.

Yeah? She break the window, too?
Maybe the guy that done her.

One of those carjackers.
Take him in.

JEROME: What's up?
For the radios.

First the shooter,
then this guy.

People were lining up
to get to this lady.

If she was shot
in a safer neighborhood,

we wouldn't have found her
till tomorrow.

DAVID: The bullet entered two inches from the eye, tore
through the left frontal lobe,

ricocheted off the back of the skull down through
the occipital lobe.

Ended up in the cerebellum.

Is there any chance
we'll be able to talk to her?

She's breathing, but cortical function
is limited.

On the Glasgow Coma Scale
she scores a four.

And that's not good? That lamp
would score a three.

There's a call
for Detective Briscoe.

There are also abrasions
on her neck.

Is that consistent with having a necklace
ripped off?

I'd say so.

What about those bruises there?
OOld ones.

How old? I'm not sure.
They were healing.

They tracked the owner of the car.
Mr. Michael Dobson.

Let's go tell him
how she saved his radio.

Thanks, Doc.

SUSANNAH: Well, how do | know
you're the police?

(SIREN WAILING)

(HORNS HONKING)

Higher.

{(GATE BUZZING)

I'm sorry, but I'm taking care
of two kids here.

You the babysitter?
Yeah. Part-time.

Did... Did something happen? Well, I'm afraid
there's been an accident.

Who's she?
Mrs. Dobson.

Yeah, and that's Mr. Dobson
and Jessica and Jeremy.

Did... Did something
happen to her?

We're gonna need to speak
to Mr. Dobson, honey.

Do you know where he is?

He... He's at Ha-Ha.
Ha-Ha?

It's the comedy club. He owns it.
He works nights.

So the guy's 102 and the wife is 98
and the attorney says,

"If you both, you know, hated each other
this much for so long,

"you know, why'd you wait till now
to get a divorce?"

And the wife says, "We were waiting for the kids
to die. You see."

Two, three, four.

Oh! Look it here. It's always nice to see
the bridge-and-tunnel crowd.

Tell me guys,
does Ward Cleaver know

that you've borrowed
his sports jackets?

Lucky for this guy
the audience isn't armed.

| told you 20 times, these jerks get one drink
before they go on.

One free drink.
One drink, period.

Now,
if you can't remember that,

I'm gonna have to get someone
who speaks English.

Mr. Dobson?
What?

I'm Detective Logan.
This is Detective Briscoe.

{(EXCLAIMING)

Well, if you've got an act, you're too late.
It's about your wife, sir.

I'm afraid she's been shot.
What?

We think it happened
during a robbery.

How... How is she? She's alive,
but it's very serious.

Oh, God. | told her it was too dangerous
to be working at night.

She was working?
Some half-assed newspaper.

Where is she?
Manhattan General.

I've gotta call the babysitter.
Give me the phone!

| hope Sandra makes it back.

She's the only adult on my staff
who can do the job.

Present company excepted, of course.
| own the paper.

Everybody else is kids
on their way up,

who want to turn every human interest story
into Watergate,

or old-timers who couldn't make it
in the big leagues.

But Mrs. Dobson could?

Masters in Journalism from Columbia, two years
on the Fairfield Ledger.

Very strong clips.

No offense meant,
but what's she doing here?

Because | have the good fortune of being
a stop on the mommy track.

When Sandra had kids, she didn't try
and have it all.

She stayed home
for seven years.

| guess
she missed her career, huh?

Enough to come back as one of my neighborhood
columnists.

A few hours a week,
her choice of which hours.

The Times isn't so flexible.

Which part of the neighborhood
was she in last night?

Tribeca. Citizens
advisory board meeting.

She took a thermos
of strong coffee.

How late was she there?
Not very.

She told me she was going to see somebody
on Riverside Drive.

So Mrs. Dobson worked part-time
for the Westside Sentinel.

She was covering a community board meeting
that ended at 9:00,

we found her at midnight. Anything exciting
happen at the meeting?

They voted to spend 400 bucks
on guard rails.

Yeah, to keep the dogs
from pooping on the trees.

We're working on carjackers.

You know, who likes BMWs, who likes to work
Riverside Drive...

Who uses a gun.

Yeah, well, | think we ought to look
a little wider.

BRISCOE: At what, angry dogs?
No.

Mr. Dobson. Mrs. Dobson
had a few old bruises.

It looks like a carjacking.

If it's a carjacking, how come the shooter
didn't take the car?

He forgot or he just
can't drive a stick?

Go see what Forensics got
from the vehicle.

Gunpowder residue on the headrest. A half-circle.
The other half's on her head.

So she was shot
at close range.

Where were the keys?
On the floor. There.

Like she dropped them when someone stuck
agun in her face.

So she's sitting in the car
with the door open...

Or she opens the door, she gets in, she starts
to close the door...

Somebody comes along, bang.

Why?
| don't know.

She resisted, his finger slipped,
maybe he's a psycho.

Not so psycho he didn't grab the purse,
grab her jewelry.

Isn't anybody gonna ask me
about fingerprints?

Lean in, pull off my jewelry.
Come on.

See? Where your hand is.

We got a backward-facing, left-hand palm print
and partial thumb.

Michael Dobson, the husband.

What, you just happen to have his fingerprints
on hand for comparison?

No.

| had them pulled off his liquor license
application

and sent over
just for fun.

Look, he owns the car. He could've been in it
every day.

Then his prints would be on the dashboard,
the steering wheel.

They're not.

Just this.

Now either the guy did a handstand
on the armrest,

or he leaned in
to pull something out.

So what? Maybe he reached in for groceries,
for a joke book.

What, and there'd be
no other prints?

Well, maybe she got the car washed
and they missed the seats.

Kiss me. Mrs. Dobson's purse. Fresh out of a garbage can
on 96th Street.

No money, no credit cards.

Eye drops, lipstick,
notebook, comb...

Well, it's her notes
on the dog poop debate.

Page headed "Boxes?" with a question mark and then
a list of bank branches.

So she was looking
to rent a safe deposit box?

The branches are all on the East Side.
Nowhere near her apartment.

Yeah, but they are
near her husband's club.

Well, maybe she was gonna rent a box
for her husband.

More likely looking for a box
rented by her husband.

You own a cash business
like a comedy club,

maybe you skim off some cash,
hide it from the IRS.

BRISCOE: Or from his wife.

And if she suspected and was thinking
about divorce,

she'd want to track down
where that box is

before she serves him
with the papers.

Otherwise she can kiss
that cash goodbye.

Speaking of divorce...

Yeah, how were the Dobsons
getting along?

I'd be waiting outside
their front door sometimes,

and | would hear him
screaming like a lunatic.

And... And then he would come to the door and he
would be, like, all smiles.

Just a little tension
in the air, huh?

It was like Masterpiece Theater. You know,
everyone was So polite.

So they were putting on a good face
for the hired help?

Well, for the children. Both of them love the kids
a lot.

Anything special
happen last night?

Jessica was upset
when | got there.

She wouldn't eat
any of her Jell-O,

and | always give her
Jell-O before bed.

What was she upset about? Well, she said
she had a tummy ache.

How about Mom and Dad?
How were they feeling?

He wasn't there, actually. And she just said
she was going to a meeting.

And then at about 9:00,
she called

and she said she'd be at her sister's
if | needed anything.

This sister, she lives on Riverside Drive,
doesn't she?

|... | think so.

And...
And then at about 10:00,

Mr. Dobson called

and he wanted to know if his wife was home yet,
and | said,

"No, she's at her sister's,"
and he just hung up.

She left my apartment about 11:00. | should have
walked her to the car.

| watched her from the window, but there
was a tree in the way.

Did you see anyone else on the street
besides your sister?

There was a man in a white jacket
on the other sidewalk.

Did you get a look at his face?
No.

Race? Age? Height? Anything?
I'm sorry.

And you didn't
hear a gunshot?

| went into the bedroom
and turned on the television.

The doctor said she might not ever wake up.
The bullet's still inside her.

Ma'am...

I'm gonna ask you to be as honest
as you can be.

How were things going
in your sister's marriage?

What does that matter?

Well, in a case like this,
we have to be very thorough.

But if it was a mugger...

It wasn't a mugger, was it?

He hit her.

She wanted a divorce, but she was afraid.
Afraid of him?

He told he'd fight her for the children. He had
some money hidden somewhere.

He said he'd spend
all of it on the lawyers.

He said she was a bad mother because she worked
a few hours a week.

Nobody loved their children
more than Sandy.

You ever see him hit her? She never told me,
but | knew it.

How many times can you accidentally
walk into a door?

| got a couple of new questions
for Mr. Dobson.

Yeah,
| guess it's about time.

What, are you afraid
of hurting his feelings?

Hey, maybe he shot his wife,
but it's just possible

he's just a grieving husband whose wife was shot
by somebody else.

If he's grieving so much, how come he ain't
at the hospital?

He doesn't like doctors?
Let's see how he likes cops.

Watch he doesn't
eat the crayons, huh?

Did you find out
who shot my wife?

No, but we did find that you've been a little less
than honest with us

about last night.

Excuse me?

Well, you told us
your wife was working,

but you didn't say that she was visiting
her sister.

What does it matter
who she was visiting

before she got shot
by some scum on the street?

Yeah, but you also didn't tell us that your wife
wanted a divorce.

{LAUGHING)

Did her sister tell you that? She's not exactly
my biggest fan.

Oh, so everything's been perfect between you
and Mrs. Dobson, huh?

No, everything's normal.

This is a marriage, not a Barney
the Dinosaur song.

We've had our differences.

Like about her working? Yes. The children
need her at home.

Oh, so you thought you'd convince her
to stay home by slugging her?

You guys got the full party line, didn't you?
LOGAN: Yeah.

We saw the bruises
on your wife's body.

You know something?

| don't need you to tell me
I'm a son of a bitch.

Been one for a long time.

| like it, the hours are good

and there's no heavy lifting.

But | happen to be
a son of a bitch

whose wife was shot
by some other son of a bitch.

Mr. Dobson, where were you
at 11:00 last night?

At my club,
listening to bad jokes.

He's here every night.

Has to make sure | don't pour a drink with an extra
millionth of an ounce.

Last night,
was he wearing a white jacket?

Tweed.
His Prince Charles look.

And he was here all night?
Most of the time out here.

Part of the time
in his office, thank God.

You happen to know
when he went into his office?

Off and on. Once right after he called home from the bar.
Asked for his wife.

| don't think she was there.
He got upset.

And where is this office?

Through that curtain, then the first door
on the left.

Well, | guess
this is his office.

And | guess that's an exit.

Well, well, well.

Mr. Dobson could've slipped out anytime he wanted
without saying goodbye.

Yeah, except to his alibi.

Mr. Dobson's the owner of a registered
.32 caliber Seecamp.

Nice gun.

Yeah, and nobody can place him in his club
at the time of the shooting.

No one places him
on Riverside Drive, either.

The sister Saw a man
in a white jacket.

You said Dobson
was wearing tweed.

No, the bartender said.

When we saw him
he wasn't wearing a jacket.

Now, why do you think he took it off?
It was hot?

Or splattered with brains.

Tell me the motive again.

How about, she was gonna divorce him, grab the money,
and take his kids?

But did he know that?

She was looking
for a safe deposit box

so she could slap
a court order on it

when she served
the divorce papers.

The whole point of that exercise,
to take it by surprise.

(SIREN WAILING)

Hey, | open an account over there, | get free
checking and a toaster.

A two-slice or a four-slice?
Four-slice.

And if | deposit 50 grand,
| geta VCR.

Hey, if you deposit 50 grand,
I'm calling Internal Affairs.

You get anything?
No, nobody remembers her.

Yeah. | found two places she went into
with a cock-and-bull story

about her husband's safe deposit box,
only he didn't have one.

| had a safe deposit box once. | gave it up.
Why?

After my second divorce | didn't have anything worth
putting in it.

Let's see how her story
plays over here.

She came in, she said she wanted
to rent a box,

and she wanted to know if | could give her
a discount

since her husband had already had a box here.
Or she thought he did.

She seemed to be fishing
for that information?

| just told her she was right
and she was wrong.

Her husband did have a box here, but | couldn't
give her a discount.

| bet she walked out of here whistling.
| wouldn't think so.

But later,
when | talked to the manager,

he said that since Mr. Dobson
was such a good customer

Mrs. Dobson could have
15% off, so | phoned her.

And what did she say? She wasn't home.
| talked to Mr. Dobson.

What did he say?
Nothing really.

Either then
or when | saw him later.

He was in that afternoon,
and he asked to see his box.

He had a small suitcase with him. | don't think
I've seen him since.

CLAIRE: So he knew?

Hey, he hears his old lady's sniffing around
his safe deposit box,

he breaks the four-minute mile getting to the bank
to clear it out.

Okay, right.

But once he's buried the money where
she'll never find it,

his motive to kill her
goes away.

Well, how about the children?
He can't bury them.

He told her he'd fight
for custody and win.

Now, she believed it,
maybe he did, too.

Well, he's gotta know that family court judges
favor mothers.

Besides, this guy's
been lying to us all along.

It's not enough for an arrest. Well, how about
a search warrant?

I'll go see Judge Walther.

Problems with their marriage,
Miss Kincaid?

You're arguing that's probable cause
for a warrant?

In conjunction with the other evidence uncovered
by the officers, yes.

If | allowed the police to search the home
of every man

who owns a gun, hides money from his wife,
and doesn't love her anymore,

there'd be a line
around this courthouse.

Not all those men
hit their wives.

Mrs. Dobson told her sister
she was afraid.

So says the sister.

Your Honor may rely on hearsay
in support of the warrant.

This is double hearsay.
People v. Simon.

Probable cause can be based
on double hearsay.

Ifitis
sufficiently reliable.

With all due respect, Your Honor, should he receive
the benefit of the doubt

because she can't tell you herself
how afraid she was?

Touché, Miss Kincaid.
Just what | would have argued.

(POLICE RADIO CHATTERING)

MICHAEL: What's going on here?
Stay there.

What the hell
do you think you're doing?

The search warrant's
on the coffee table.

You have no right to be doing this.
BRISCOE: Actually, we do.

With no notice,
in front of my children?

Mr. Dobson,

Oh, really? Why?
Are you gonna use this on me?

That gun is registered.

I'd have brought it down if you'd just asked me
for it.

Do you own a white jacket,
Mr. Dobson?

What about this? Were you wearing this
the other night?

That's why you got
the search warrant?

Looks like you're taking it to the cleaners.
Can you tell me why?

Because it's dirty?
This is unbelievable.

Very practical. Tweed, it conceals
a multitude of sins.

Like attempted murder? Like spilled gravy.
Fresh. Smell.

Whole thing smells like chemicals to me.
It's phenolphthalein.

I'm sorry, | forgot.
I'm so used to it.

| used it
to raise the blood stains.

Type O.
It matches Mrs. Dobson's.

Yeah, and about 45%
of the general population.

Well, it is also EAP Type-B, which matches 40%
of the population,

and PGM Type-2, which match 5%
of the population.

So you multiply
0.45 x 0.40 x 0.05.

Now the blood in these stains match less than 1%
of the population.

So would that 1% include Mrs. Dobson?
Yes.

BRISCOE: We pulled
your phone records, Dobson.

We know you called
two divorce lawyers

the day you cleaned out
your safe deposit box.

It's a crime
to call a lawyer?

Well, you told us
you weren't thinking divorce.

You already had
the wrong idea.

| didn't want to
confuse you further.

Michael, | think we should listen here,
not talk.

I'll handle this, Max.

Both divorce lawyers told me | could get out
of the marriage on my terms.

Well, was one of the terms

your wife bleeding on the jacket you were wearing
the night she was shot?

Again with the jacket. | haven't cleaned
that jacket in months.

My wife fell off a bicycle last spring
at our country house.

| helped her up. She fell
or you knocked her down?

Okay, let's say | Knocked her down.
What if | punched her?

Does that account for your bloodstain?
Can | go now?

You want to tell us again why nobody
saw you in your club

around the time your wife was shot?
Come on, Dobson, the place...

If he gave her a bloody nose
six months ago,

we can't tie the bloodstain
to the shooting.

So he gets away with attempted murder
because he's a wife beater?

What a smug bastard. Don't you want to lock him up
just on general principles?

Yeah.

The blood, the prints,
no alibi, past abuse, the gun,

the divorce, the safe deposit box,
and his personality.

That's enough
for a grand jury,

and it might shake
Mr. Dobson up

if we put someone
in control of him for awhile.

Yes, ma'am.

MICHAEL: Let's go.
This is getting monotonous.

Michael Dobson,
you're under arrest

for the attempted murder
of Sandra Dobson.

You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be used against you
in a court of law.

"Docket number 64029.
People v. Michael Dobson.

"Attempted murder
in the Second Degree."

JUDGE BERMAN: How does he plead?
Not guilty.

The People request bail in the amount of one
million dollars, Your Honor.

That is clearly punitive. Mr. Dobson owns a business
in New York.

He has children.

And the woman he intended to kill is here.
Alive.

The People believe Mr. Dobson remains
a threat to her.

Have | been convicted
of something?

No, sir, but we'd like to see you
for your trial.

500,000 cash or bond.

I've seen stronger cases.

Hey, if the guy had shot her
in Times Square at rush hour,

we'd have brought you
a stronger case.

No withesses?

We canvassed that neighborhood three times.
No one saw Dobson.

And we're working
on the taxi records now,

in case he took a cab
there from his club.

JACK: No shell casings?

Dobson's gun is an automatic,
isn't it?

Well, he's no dummy.
Maybe he picked it up.

He could've picked it up. That'll go over well
in cross-examination.

You didn't talk to Dobson's daughter?
The seven-year-old?

The babysitter said that she was upset
the night of the shooting.

Before the shooting.

The babysitter said she had a stomachache,
and we had other things to do.

Like establish Dobson's motive
and destroy his alibi.

You couldn't go back later and find out why
she had a stomachache?

LOGAN: You think you know
so much about being a cop?

Why don't you do the investigating?
Are you giving me attitude?

My father was a cop
for 31 years,

and he would never leave a DA twisting
with a half-made case

and ask him
to get an indictment.

Give me a break. You could get
a ham sandwich indicted.

That might be easier. There's meat
on a ham sandwich.

We'll go see the kid.

JACK: Just the taxi records,
please.

| think Claire will be fine
with the kid.

I've given the children the bedroom.
The couch pulls out.

I'd really like to speak with Jessica.
Well, can't it wait?

All she knows is that her mother is sick.
She should be asleep by now.

Aunt Kathleen?
Oh, what is it, honey?

Jeremy's having
a nightmare again.

Well, I'll look in on him
in a minute.

This is Miss Kincaid, honey.
Claire.

She's a friend of your Mommy's. She wants
to ask you a question.

CLAIRE: It's about the night
your mom got sick.

Your babysitter, Susannah, said you were unhappy
about something.

What was it, Jessica?

It's okay, honey. Mommy said it was okay
to say.

Mommy and Daddy had a fight.

Do you remember
what they said?

Why can't | see Mommy?
Oh.

Do you remember what the fight was about,
honey?

Daddy didn't want her
to go out.

What did he say?

He was angry, like when we do
something wrong.

Does he get angry at you,
honey?

Does he ever hurt you?

{KNOCKING ON DOOR)

KATHLEEN: Michael...
MICHAEL: Get out of my way.

Hey...
Daddy!

Okay, honey,
get your brother.

KATHLEEN: What are you doing here?
It's called bail.

I'm sure Miss Kincaid
can explain it to you.

You're not taking these children.
Oh, yes, | am. Jessica, now!

Okay. Hey, come here,
big guy. All righty.

Stop him. I'm their father.
You just try it.

How can you let him get away with this?
There's nothing | can do.

Is this how you win a custody battle? Just shoot
the children's mother?

God.

He shot my sister. God only knows what he might
do to the children.

CLAIRE: | checked with their doctor
and local hospitals.

There have been no reports
suggestive of child abuse.

Did you ever see him
abusing the children?

Did your sister ever tell you
that he abused them?

He shot their mother.
Isn't that abuse?

Legally? No.

There was a case called
O'Guin v. Pikul.

In it, the judge ruled that a father has a right
to keep his own children.

That he strangled his wife
was irrelevant.

If we had evidence your brother-in-law
| left Jessica and Jeremy

alone for ten minutes while he went out to buy
a newspaper,

that would demonstrate
unfitness as a parent.

And trying
to kill their mother?

Not unless he did it
in front of the children.

Miss O'Brien
is unhappy with the law.

Another satisfied customer. She's petitioning
for custody anyway.

She'll lose.

Well, what if we intervene on her side?
In civil court?

We have a witness to protect
from undue influence.

Some witness. A seven-year-old
who loves her father,

and overheard an adult conversation that she may
or may not have understood.

She heard her father arguing with her mother a few hours
before she was shot.

And I'm sure her father has already persuaded her
to remember it differently.

Want to try to turn the law around?
Be my guest.

Just don't complain to me
you're overworked.

Miss Kincaid, I'm sure that Miss O'Brien's counsel
is fully capable of arguing

her claim of custody
to these children.

He is, Your Honor.

But the People have a separate interest here relating
to a criminal prosecution.

A prosecution that has
no bearing on this preceding.

The People intend to call
Jessica Dobson as a witness.

Her testimony may be contaminated if she continues
to reside with the defendant.

A suitable home with Miss O'Brien
is available until the trial.

Your Honor, may | speak, please?
Briefly.

Jessica and Jeremy have been with me
every day of their lives.

We are a very close family.

To take them away from me now, after they've lost
their mother...

CLAIRE: Your Honor,
this is outrageous.

The People contend they only lost their mother
because he shot her.

Miss Kincaid.

To take them from me now would be
emotionally devastating.

| appeal to you as a father, please let my children
stay where they belong.

Your Honor.

Miss Kincaid, | have interviewed the girl.
Alone.

She seems genuinely fond
of her father.

That's not the immediate issue here,
begging the court's pardon.

You're forgiven.

| asked Jessica about the night
her mother was shot.

She says
she remembers nothing.

She told me her parents argued.
That's not what she says now.

Because her father's manipulated her.
Or she's telling the truth.

Either way, Miss Kincaid,
it makes your motion moot.

You don't have
much of a witness there.

We'll proceed on Miss O'Brien’s petition
for custody.

God. Her father got to her.

So let's get to him.

How? Did the police miss something else?
The bullet.

We haven't tried to match it
to Dobson's gun.

The bullet is inside
Mrs. Dobson's brain.

So let's get it out.

CLAIRE: The bullet's intact?
GEORGE: It seems to be.

And it's .32 caliber?
It seems to be.

You can't seriously expect us to dig around
next to a patient's brainstem

SO you can run some tests?

What are you planning to do?

She's entered a vegetative state,
probably irreversible.

The bullet is blocking the flow of spinal fluid,
causing acute hydrocephalus.

So it might make sense
to remove the bullet.

It makes better sense to install a shunt
between the fourth ventricle

and the peritoneum, which would allow
the fluid to drain.

Well,
if you're operating anyway.

Removing the bullet
might help her.

But putting in a shunt is a lot less likely
to kill her.

Dobson had his lawyer
call the hospital.

He's given permission
for the shunt operation,

but refused it
for the removal of the bullet.

He said he's concerned
about his wife's well-being.

Like he was
when he shot her.

Well, he might be right
this time.

Removing the bullet
is dangerous.

You said there was no hope
of recovery.

The doctor said
it was probably irreversible.

Removing the bullet increases the chances
of recovery.

It also increases
the chance of death.

Okay,
three things can happen.

She gets better, she stays the same,
or she dies.

One out of three, she dies?
| don't like the odds.

Two out of three, she's no worse off
than she was before,

and we get crucial evidence.

| don't know.

We let her husband walk so she can spend the rest
of her life as a vegetable?

You think
that's the right thing to do?

I'll draft the motion.

WESTON: The law is explicit.

The state may not compel the removal of alleged
evidence from a person's body

if doing so creates a risk
of serious physical injury.

That law applies
to criminal suspects

who decline to give their consent
to the procedure.

Nothing prevents a victim
from consenting voluntarily.

As | understand it,
this particular victim

is incapable
of making a decision.

Exactly. Therefore, the only issue here
is who shall make it for her.

That's well established.
The next of kin, her husband.

Mr. Dobson has an insurmountable conflict
of interest here.

Miss O'Brien,
the victim's sister, does not.

Your Honor, Miss O'Brien has demonstrated a clear
animus toward Mr. Dobson.

JACK: But not toward
Mrs. Dobson.

She's a loving
and devoted sister,

who intends to be guided
by the victim's own wishes

as expressed in a living will
she prepared two years ago.

I've examined the document.

It asks that Mrs. Dobson not be kept alive
by mechanical means.

Now, is that the case here?

She's being fed through a tube.
She's breathing on her own.

All we ask is that someone
not accused of shooting her

be empowered
to make the decision.

That does seem reasonable.

The hospital will be notified that
for purposes of decisions

regarding Sandra Dobson's
medical care,

her sister shall be regarded
as de jure next of kin.

{(GAVEL POUNDING)

Well, | understand
you've been promoted

from Assistant District Attorney
to supreme deity.

I'm not making the decision.
It's up to the sister.

Oh, you're just a casual bystander who just happened
to find himself arguing

against the husband's right
to manage his wife's life.

He does have a conflict of interest.
And you don't?

Isn't justice in Mrs. Dobson's interest, too?
| don't know the woman.

But she might be more interested
in staying alive.

{MACHINE BEEPING)

I'm ready. Where's the paper?
CLAIRE: Here.

| do not recommend
this surgery.

Can you tell me my sister will
come back to me without it?

It's up to you.

Sandra Dobson
died on the operating table.

And?

They got the bullet. It doesn't match
Dobson's gun.

Claire...

Amend the indictment.

Murder two.

Congratulations on killing
my client's wife, Mr. McCoy.

Are you sure the murder charge doesn't involve a little
projection on your part?

Come on, Max.
People v. Bonilla.

Even if the surgery was ill-advised,
which it wasn't,

the person who put her in the hospital
in the first place

is responsible for her death.

Yeah,
but that's not Mr. Dobson.

Haven't you read
your own ballistics report?

Yes.

It says he didn't shoot her with the gun the police found
in his apartment.

Does your client
own any other guns?

Please. Time to cut your losses, Jack.
See you in court.

A second gun?
They have a country house.

Yeah, the house was searched.
What about the country?

Excuse me? The house
is in Dutchess County.

Have them check every gun dealer
within a 100-mile radius,

including Connecticut
and Massachusetts.

JACK: Where do you work,
Mr. Harding?

Jack's Sporting Goods,
Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Bridgeport? That's not too far from the New York
state line, is it?

We get some customers
from there.

Why would they drive
the extra miles?

Well,
they could be sightseeing.

Or the gun laws. They're a little tougher
in New York than Connecticut.

Do you recognize
the defendant, Michael Dobson?

HARDING: He's been in.
JACK: Sightseeing?

Well, | don't know.
But he bought a gun.

Was it a .32 caliber Seecamp? It was a .32,
but not a Seecamp.

Are you sure about that?
It's my business.

He bought a Ruger revolver,
$298. Nice little gun.

JACK: No further questions.

Trying to find his safe deposit box,
that was my idea.

| read it in a magazine
and told Sandy.

After your sister had located her husband's box,
what did she do?

Nothing.

| told her it was time to move,
to file the papers,

but she was terrified
of Michael.

Move to strike,
Your Honor.

Miss O'Brien
is not a mind-reader,

and anything her sister
told her is hearsay.

Your Honor,
sisters are certainly capable

of interpreting
each other's moods.

I'll allow that. But keep Mrs. Dobson's
words out of it.

How did your sister act,
Miss O'Brien?

If | mentioned Michael's name,
| could see her get all tight.

Ever since
she was a little girl,

she used to twirl her hair
when she would get upset.

A few months ago | noticed she was
pulling hairs out.

| showed her. After that she wore
her hair up.

When was the last time
you talked to Mr. Dobson?

After the custody hearing. | wanted to visit
the children.

You called him?

He told me if | tried
to see the children again,

he would make me regret it.

That | ought to know by now he knew how to take care
of people

who tried to take
his children away from him.

And you took that as a threat?
Of course. He shot my sister.

Move to strike.
Non-responsive.

Sustained.
Jury will disregard.

No further questions.

So you're saying
that despite the fact

your sister never took any step
toward getting a divorce,

you could tell that she wanted to because
she changed her hairstyle?

She told me she wanted one.
| see. Really?

Miss O'Brien, aren't you desperate to see
Mr. Dobson convicted

because you feel guilty?
No.

Because, over his objection, you ordered an operation that
led to your sister's death?

The doctor said it might relieve the pressure
on her brain.

The doctors advised you
not to have the operation.

| couldn't let him get away with it.
| see.

Now as for this
alleged threat.

Didn't Mr. Dobson merely ask to be allowed to live in peace
with his own children?

In peace? What did he do to Jessica
to make her lie?

Miss O'Brien... In front of the baby
he threatened Sandy

the same way
he threatened me.

Miss O'Brien, that'll be enough.
They should know!

Impassioned relatives,
they do impress a jury.

The gun helps, too.

Suggesting the possibility
that Dobson shot her

without putting you to the trouble of running
another ballistics test,

unless you're unlucky enough
to find the gun.

If they find it,
it will match.

Dobson's claiming it was stolen a year ago.
Convenient.

| think the jury
will see it that way.

{(PHONE RINGING)

Yes?

Detective Logan. Urgent.

Yeah, he was picked up
with a knife in Alphabet City

after two drug tourists from Jersey
got stabbed last week.

So he spent the next day
at the One-Five,

he got shipped to Central Booking, then Rikers,
then he got lost for 48 hours

until somebody listened to his story
and mailed him here.

What's he looking at,
assault one?

He prefers
the climate downstate.

Who's out there, your boss?
Yeah. Hi, President Clinton.

Go ahead, tell it. You cut me a little slack,
| give you a killer.

Who we talking about, Joey? Robin. Like Robin Williams,
you know?

The guy is all the time jokey.
It's very annoying.

He one of your customers?

An acquaintance who likes to ride downtown.
Smack express.

When he's not doped up
he's a stick-up kid.

What, armed robberies?
Yeah.

Couple of months ago, he has this party
at his place.

Heroin for him, beer for anybody else
who can climb the stairs.

Told me he was celebrating.

Told me he took off some lady
in Riverside Drive in a BMW.

That ring any bells with you?

Did you see
any of this lady's stuff?

Yeah, he's waving around
a purple scarf.

Told me he was gonna save it for after his sex-change
operation.

He was talking, like,
“Hello, Joseph." Annoying.

| don't believe this.
It's your call, Counselors.

She had on a beige dress. What does it matter
what she was wearing?

When your sister left here, did she have
any kind of scarf?

Yes. Silk. Mauve.

Oh, it wasn't with her clothes at the hospital.
Do you have it?

Mauve.
That's like purple, right?

Does Michael have it?

Does someone else have it?

We don't know that.

Oh, my God.

| killed Sandy for nothing.

Police! Open up!

(BABY CRYING)

You're gonna have to
knock louder than that.

A junkie named Robin? Not anymore.
He died Tuesday. Hepatitis.

These people don't take care
of themselves.

Is all this his stuff?
Mmm-hmm.

What did he do, knock off a video store?
Well, he liked TV.

This is my Christmas tip.

The rest | don't even want to touch. I'm getting it
cleaned tomorrow.

Yeah, well,
we get first dibs.

LOGAN: Look at this.

BRISCOE:
What do you got there?

White jacket.

How exactly
do you get hepatitis?

He kept this nice and clean.
32.

That's not a Ruger.
No, Colt.

You don't think we're gonna owe Dobson
an apology, do you?

| hope Hallmark
makes the right card.

American Express and Visa.
Sandra Dobson.

"In the light of new information
developed by the police,

"the People withdraw the charge
against Michael Dobson."

The charge is dismissed.
Bail is exonerated.

You're free to go, sir. Thank you, Your Honor.
Thank you, Max.

I'm glad this is over. You're still not worth
the money.

No? Come on.
Come on, let's get a drink.

I've never been in this situation.
You'll get over it.

All's well that ends well, huh, McCoy?
| gotta pick up the kids now.

Oh, thanks to you,
no alimony.

McCoy! You gotta see this.

| found the tape
in Robin's apartment.

It's a local cable show.
That's Robin.

And there's these cotton balls
at the top of the bottles,

and, like, you know, they're really useful
when you're shooting,

so it drove us nuts.
A junkie comedian?

Ever hear of Lennie Bruce?
Nuts!

Should we save the cotton?

BRISCOE: Lennie Bruce never shot anybody
on Riverside Drive.

| mean, are we really quitting,
or should we save the cotton?

I've seen worse.
Wait. It gets better.

You've been great.

Thanks a lot. Yeah, beat it.
Don't worry about it.

Get out. Scram.
I'll see you all on Avenue C.

Right, yeah. Scram.
Dobson.

Robin Wenner. Give him a nice hand.
Robin Wenner.

LOGAN: They taped the show
at his club a year ago.

Next up
on Open Mike Live is...

The police checked
phone records,

Dobson's bank account,

the store where Robin
cashed his welfare checks.

They interviewed Dobson's friends, Robin's friends,
the people at the club.

They couldn't find
any other connection,

meeting, conversation between Dobson and Robin.
Nothing.

You think it's just a coincidence
the killer appeared at a club

owned by
the victim's husband?

No.

But even if | could retry him,
| couldn't convict.

He didn't leave a trail.

Smart.

Lucky.

Or innocent.