Original subtitles

The following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event.

In New York City's war on crime,

the worst criminal offenders are pursued by the detectives

of the Major Case Squad.

These are their stories.

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You give great mic.

Came by messenger, Elliot.

It's marked "Urgent" and "Personal."

Okay.

Elliot, Elliot. Calm down.

There is nothing that says that these pictures have to run in my column.

Not now, Evie, we're about to go live.

Opened it by mistake.

TK, it's somebody named Elliot.

He sounds upset.

Thanks, sis. You're late for school.

Bye.

Elliot. You got my package.

It's not a bribe. It's an opportunity.

This is gonna be the hot new place.

This is the final payment?

The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river.

Come on, push. Get him to say it.

In English.

The pictures go away, right?

Right.

Look, I'm not out to ruin your life.

You're an eagle scout compared to some.

It's not like you tried to take advantage of some nun

or some naive little high school girl.

Some bum does that, there is not enough money in the world.

I do have a little integrity.

What the hell was that?

Help me.

I can't hear anything.

I can't hear anything!

(kylee322@nate.com)

(seedyun@nate.com)

(azy0070@lycos.co.kr)

Law & Order CI 7x12. Contract

(winniedo@nate.com)

ORIGINAL AIR DATE ON USA: 2008/06/15

Hey, Wheeler.

So you were overseas for six months. The city's quiet.

You come back, all hell breaks loose.

I missed you too, Logan.

Whoa, we got some crispy critters here.

Catch me up.

Victim's name was TK Richmond. He worked for the Ledger.

The DA's office had him under surveillance.

A gossip columnist? What are you looking at him for?

He was blackmailing Elliot Falls, the local newscaster.

- Gay sex? - Nope. Call girls.

Think Spitzer, not McGreevey.

Elliot was wearing a wire when the car blew.

The bomb squad's trying to piece together what happened.

- And he survived this? - Bellevue ER.

Rattled, singed. He'll be okay.

Might need to speak up a little.

I said, "who else knew where you were meeting TK Richmond?"

Just the guys from the DA's office.

Look, I was trying to keep this quiet.

For my family's sake.

Good luck with that.

How much did TK hit you up for?

He'd already got me for 100 grand.

Then he came back for another bite.

Only this time, he got cagey. He said it was for an investment.

Some new restaurant.

Place have a name?

No. But I'd heard of the chef.

He's been on our morning show.

TK was always trying to get to the biz.

He wanted to be a big player in a corner booth.

How big a player was he?

The other day he told me he reeled in a news guy for 50k.

Was that his first fish?

Three others. $50,000 a pop.

We're gonna need those names.

Yeah, so am I. I got architect bills, you know.

You don't know your investors' names?

Um, one of them is, I think, into real estate.

TK thought if he gave me the names,

I'd go around 'em, which I would have.

TK didn't have three other investors.

He had three other marks he was blackmailing.

Elliot's dumb, but not dumb enough to car-bomb himself.

Maybe one of TK's other marks blew up the deal.

TK's been my legal guardian since mom and dad died.

He rented us this place last year.

He knew that I wanted to stay in the city and go to the performing arts high school.

Your big brother, he took care of you.

Who would do this to him?

Jeannie, you knew he was a gossip columnist, right?

Of course I did.

He called me gal Friday.

He'd write his columns, and people would get mad, like that Elliot guy.

And the next week, they'd go out and laugh about it.

Who else was angry besides Elliot?

Once people got to know TK, they really liked him.

We'll need to see what stories he was working on.

Do you know where he kept his laptop?

Only he didn't have one.

He typed all of his stories on that old Remington.

And then I'd retype them on my desktop and email them to the paper.

Is this where he kept his fi...

Whoa.

We got valley of the dolls in here.

Darvon. Secobarbital.

Even his drugs were old school.

He only used those to try to sleep.

Well, maybe he didn't have a laptop, but he must've kept notebooks.

He didn't really take any notes.

He didn't want to get them subpoenaed.

Sure. That makes sense.

But the stories you typed for him. Are they on your computer?

Yeah. But if it's easier,

I clipped every column he ever wrote.

I'll go get you the scrapbook.

Explosive itself isn't unusual. Just a standard little pack of C4.

How was it set off?

Now that's interesting.

TK pushed in the cigarette lighter,

which sent the frequency that ignited the charge in the headrest.

It's been used a few times in the Middle East, but not here.

So we're looking for an old-time pro who likes to stay on top of trends?

Think Tony Bennett, not Steve and Eydie.

Okay, Captain Petrosino. Keep us posted.

Not much, except whoever planted it must've known TK was a smoker.

Well, there's no great deduction there.

He smoked everywhere. The guy was a walking violation.

Welcome back, Wheeler. You were missed.

Tan line on your ring finger.

I got engaged.

What? Since when?

You'll meet him.

TK's clips and phone records. There may be a pattern.

He would trash certain players relentlessly.

Then there'd be a flurry of back and forth phone calls.

And suddenly he'd start writing puff pieces about them.

Hm. So he beat them till they beg for mercy, and then he charged them.

Who are we looking at?

So far, a real estate developer, a concert promoter, and a casino owner.

Even odds on any of those worlds breeding a killer.

Track 'em down.

Hey, remember the chef told us that one of the investors was in real estate?

It could be this blowhard.

Ted Regan.

He's got that big waterfront development going up over in the West Side.

By the way, Logan, was this a, uh...

welcome home gift?

It's Falacci's. She must have left it here by mistake.

Yeah, I think she was marking my desk.

She wanted to stay your partner.

Well, hey, we got along okay.

Believe it or not, she felt hamstrung it made your case.

She's training at Quantico.

This should go over big with the feds.

What? You gotta be kidding me. $30 million. 30!

This is Ted Regan you're dealing with here. Not some pisser from Queens.

Call me back when you grow a set.

Sorry. Uh, what were we talking about?

TK Richmond. He used to hit you pretty hard in his column.

He said your projects were bloated, behind schedule, and over budget.

My most recent projects, he was a convert.

Says I'm gonna be bigger than Donald Trump.

So TK just saw the light?

I do play to win.

So did TK.

- It turns out his column was for sale. - Yeah.

So is everything else in this town.

Except TK used blackmail.

You want me to research what he had on you, Ted?

TK was in a jam. His sister moved in with him.

They lived in a walk-up.

So you gave them one of your apartments.

Yeah, it was a rental. Legitimate lease.

Stabilized. $1,100 a month. Con Ed included.

Wow. 2 bedrooms. That's a steal.

Yeah, I considered it a long-term investment.

Any other investments? Maybe a restaurant?

I might've put 100 into that.

Why, he wasn't grateful for how you helped him out?

He pushed you?

No, I pushed him, all right?

I'm in the middle of a fight with the City Planning Commission.

I wanted him to bury anybody

that was going to try and stop Regan towers, all right?

He dies now, not good.

Not good at all.

Listen, somebody in my business would've killed him,

you'd have never found the body.

So my casino owner, your music exec, and a real estate developer

all claim to have good relationships with TK.

Interesting.

We underestimated the power of the press.

He started out their extortionist, ended up their publicist.

Don't forget, he took in half a million along the way.

But the chef said he hasn't seen a penny.

Old car. Cheap rent. What the hell did TK do with that money?

He didn't need much.

He said a gossip columnist never had to pick up a check.

I don't see any stocks or bonds. Did he have property?

No. He thought it would all crash.

Um, excuse me. I need to get ready. / Sure.

How's his checking account?

Up and down like a roller-coaster.

Well, Rodgers said she didn't see any drug habits except for pharmaceuticals.

Big debits on Mondays in winter.

How about spring?

March, way down, and then some deposits.

Sunday football, March Madness, April baseball.

We may have a gambler here.

Who was on a hot streak the last month.

Whoa. Not enough to make up for what he lost.

I bet there's some angry bookies out there.

I'm sorry, I don't want to keep people waiting at the funeral.

How about we give you a lift?

New York is such a busy city.

A lot of people just sent cards and bouquets.

The arrangements are beautiful.

Hey, three of his blackmail victims sent flowers.

- You know who I am? - No.

Does that look right to you?

I'm not playing.

Hey!

Hey, hey, hey! You!

You forget something?

'K, Joey Snails. You got a permit for that Browning?

Look, guys, I got the diabetes. I can't do anymore time.

Can you give me a little rhythm on this one?

What were you doing at that service?

Straight up?

TK was a heavy duty gambler. He owed my boss 50 large.

Yeah, and now he's dead.

Look, I had nothing to do with that.

He's gone, makes it harder for me to collect.

I don't like bothering family at funerals.

Besides, he was starting to dig out.

TK didn't have any money.

Did he say how he was working his way back?

We wouldn't take his book anymore. But he had another runner in Chinatown.

Last month or so, he got on a streak.

- That's what he told you. - Bragged about it.

Said he had the inside line on which players were doping to cover up injury.

An inside line on just one team?

No. Two sports. Basketball and baseball.

So is that enough?

Sorry, Joey, but a gun's a gun.

Can... can we get a bite? I skipped breakfast.

My sugars are crashing.

We got a real nice brunch down at One Police Plaza.

TK never wrote about sports.

Who's his inside line?

I wonder if his "Dr. feelgood" treated any athletes.

The newer drugs never worked for TK.

So I prescribed secobarbital.

He liked that old Hollywood mystique.

Dr. Jacoby, did TK ever ask you about your other patients? Any athletes?

Not that I can recall.

But even if he did, I can never talk about it.

You know, doctor-patient confidentiality. It's the law.

Hey, listen. TK bragged that he had inside information on players' injuries.

So don't give us that doctor-patient confidentiality crap. Okay?

I'm a medical professional.

Oh, then you wouldn't mind us telling the state board

that you're involved in a homicide investigation.

Detectives, call my lawyer if you have any other questions.

A doctor who keeps a criminal defense lawyer's card in his pocket.

Do you think that's a bad sign?

I'd say so.

Off the record, we got the records...

Dr. Jacoby's name came up in a sports steroids investigation a year and a half ago.

The DEA's been tracking his prescriptions ever since.

And what a practice he has.

Athletes juicing, musicians on painkillers.

Actors on everything.

Is that Spencer London?

It was. Spencer London died on a movie set in Louisiana last month.

In one of his columns, TK ran a blind item

about a movie star in trouble down south.

Here it is. Bayou Binge.

"What film crew is worried their male star is popping so many pills,

he'll never make it to wrap."

The press called Spencer's death heart failure.

What was Jacoby feeding him?

Well...

Um, here we go.

Anti-anxiety. Antidepressants. Sleeping pills. Painkillers.

Anything for his heart?

None of the above.

Spencer dropped dead before the movie finished shooting.

Find out if TK visited the set.

The movie is called Contract Man.

We're hoping for a Christmas release.

You were able to finish the shoot after Spencer died?

Well, we did need to use a double for the last couple days of shooting.

Look at Spencer. Look at how great he looks.

Given his history, hiring him was risky.

But I knew that he had this role in him.

Ms. Tyson. If he looked so great,

why did you have to fly Dr. Jacoby down to the set to see him?

Well, Spencer started to feel sick towards the end of the shoot.

but he was a real trooper. He wanted us to stay on schedule.

So the doctor gave him a few B-12 shots.

Some antibiotics.

No. The doctor gave him half a dozen schedule II drugs.

We have the DEA records. None of them were for his heart condition.

Of course they weren't.

His heart condition was congenital. He never even knew about it.

Did you see that blind item about Spencer in TK's column?

Those blind items can be about anyone.

Was TK around during the shoot?

No. He came down for the memorial service.

He flirted with a few extras. He ate some alligator sausage.

And then he went to New Orleans.

He's a gossip columnist.

And he never asked about your "Dr. Feelgood" or Spencer's drug use?

Honestly, this is the first time I'm hearing about any of it.

Spencer was giving the performance of his life.

And before you two showed up, the only scandal surrounding his death

was that he had a heart condition that nobody knew about until it was too late.

Spencer London did have a fatal heart attack,

and he did have a congenital defect.

He died of an aortic aneurysm.

It's like a bomb going off in your chest.

The artery ruptured, and he was probably dead in about 30 seconds.

- It ruptured on its own. - Well, it might have eventually.

And it was a reasonable call

until the tox screen came back a few weeks later.

And Spencer had so many drugs in his system.

It's a wonder his heart didn't burst sooner.

Why do all cops think if they just stayed in school, they could've been doctors?

So the coroner missed it.

Well, not if you read the report.

But by then, he'd already held a press conference

and announced the cause of death.

And insurance claims had been filed, body was in the ground,

why not just bury the tox report with it.

Wouldn't be the first time a Hollywood death got hushed up.

Detectives, I'm not a full-time coroner, I'm just a country doctor.

We're not high-tech.

Tox screens don't come back in an hour.

We get all that, Dr. Benway.

We just don't understand why you announced Spencer London's cause of death

before his tests were done.

Ma'am, you should've seen his heart.

You'd a made the same call.

Then why not correct that call when his tox report came back?

The man was gone. Why hurt his family?

Yeah, and besides, you'd already held your press conference.

Did a reporter named TK Richmond question you after that conference?

As a matter of fact, yes.

He was one of those obnoxious New Yorkers.

No offense.

Oh, no offense taken. How'd you handle him?

I didn't. The movie people took care of it.

The movie people?

Beverly Tyson?

No. Her husband, Barry Freeburg. He's head of the studio.

And you called him?

No, he came up to me after the memorial.

He was very interested in my experience in helping the local victims of hurricane Katrina.

He saw the cinematic possibilities.

And what? He thought it might make a movie?

As a matter of fact, I'm writing what Barry called a film treatment.

It's like a blueprint.

Yeah.

Barry Freeburg's company, BFP films,

is a silent partner on his wife's movie. They're doing distribution.

Now wait a minute. Let's try to put this together here.

All right, so this producer broad, Beverly Tyson,

her star OD's on company-supplied drugs.

Her husband Barry blows into town, tries to do damage control.

Bribes the country doctor to give a clean bill of death.

And then tries to make the deal with TK.

But TK's a shark and he's in the hole.

So he gets greedy.

And then he gets the back of his head blown off.

That was fantastic.

Just great. Just great.

Mr. Freeburg, do you still want me to pass by your office?

Sure, sure. End of the day on Friday.

Talk to my assistant. She'll set the whole thing up.

Mr. Freeburg, we talked to your office.

Yeah, right, right, right. The detectives about TK.

Yeah, terrible, terrible tragedy.

You must've known him a long time.

Sure, yeah, yeah. I'd see him at all the openings and all the parties.

He was on everybody's list.

Is that how he ended up as Spencer London's memorial in Louisiana?

Another tragedy. So young.

Who knew the guy was a walking time bomb?

Heart's a mysterious organ.

It may've been more than his heart.

We spoke to the doctor who performed the autopsy.

Really?

I'm surprised Benway would give up Spencer's privacy like that.

Didn't you get him a screenplay deal?

Katrina Nights.

Sure, sure, sure. That doc's got amazing stories.

I mean, imagine you have to decide which patient you save

before the waters come in.

Imagine having to choose whether or not to go public with a tox screen

when you have a movie deal.

Just trying to save Spencer's family from the vultures.

- Like TK Richmond? - Yeah, TK.

He planted those blind items just to get me going, you know?

We talked about it, came to an agreement.

He moved on to other stories.

And you're saying he didn't come back at you?

Come on, from what we hear about TK, he liked to, you know,

squeeze the lemon till it exploded.

What are you saying, that I planted the bomb?

Come on. I can't even program my own DVR.

But you do know how to make screenplay deals.

Very good, Detective. Very good. Okay.

Maybe I should give you a deal.

You gotta look at the second act of your life. Can't be a cop forever.

And I know you've got stories.

I got a few stories all right.

But let's get back to TK's deal, okay?

Okay, TK...

It was, uh, before the memorial I gave him 50 grand. Totally legit.

He turn in a script?

Naw, just a pitch.

Writers, you know? They got a lot of problems with deadlines.

All right, um, listen, I gotta get back to the girls.

I hope I helped you. Nice meeting you. Take care.

The sweet smell of success. "I love this dirty town."

Burt Lancaster. Played a corrupt gossip columnist.

If he didn't have the goods on someone, he's make them up.

Anybody want to murder the gossip columnist?

Everybody.

Makes you wonder what TK's version was about.

Screenplay? My brother wasn't writing a screenplay.

He might've been doing some research for it down south.

- His trip to New Orleans? - Yeah.

You said he didn't take notes, but did he bring anything back?

Uh, he brought me some Mardi Gras beads.

That's it?

No, um, one more thing.

Alligator sausage. Does that help?

I never got to try it. TK said it tasted like chicken.

Yeah.

Only gamier.

"Select dailies from Contract Man." The Spencer London movie.

Action.

Whoa.

- Cut. - Damn it.

Guy can't even walk straight. What is this, a blooper reel?

Keep rolling. I can do this.

More like a blackmail reel.

Here's Spencer trying to hide a bomb in a tape deck.

It's the opening, it's too small.

I mean who the hell built this piece of...

- Don't laugh at me. - This guy's a disaster.

What did he... blow up the boat by accident?

No, it's part of the plot.

He's supposed to be a contract killer.

He blew up this jogger on that boat.

Jogger on a boat. Wait a minute.

The bomb's in that cassette player, if he could ever get it in.

Oh, the explosion was triggered by a tape deck.

I wonder when they figured that out.

- Logan, it's a movie. - No, no, no, no.

This movie is based on a real case.

When I was a white shield, a guy comes back from a jog,

gets blown up on his house boat.

I didn't know they solved it.

It's pretty clever.

Yep, this is it.

Tony Fabre, heir to a supermarket chain.

Some mob ties. Killed by a boat bomb.

When did you guys break this?

We didn't. It's still an open case. Bomb squad found traces of C4,

but we could never figure out how the trigger worked.

Could it have been set off by a tape deck?

There was one on-board, a Marantz, just like in your movie.

And in everybody's den in those days. My dad had one too.

In the movie, the victim presses play to trigger the bomb.

TK pushes in a cigarette lighter. Are we talking about the same bomber?

Same explosive, similar behind-the-panel trigger.

It's a possible signature.

Hello, one of these bombers is fictional.

The writer probably read some articles and made the rest up.

No, I don't think so. Fabre went out for a jog.

He was wearing a Walkman. That's information we never released.

You track down your screenwriter, the bomb squad would like a word with him.

Contract Man was in development for five years.

I... I'm the seventh writer working with the third director.

It's not your original story.

I'm miles from what they started with.

I'm taking it to arbitration for sole credit.

The bomb on the boat, you know, in the tape deck.

Was that your idea?

Uh, that was from the first draft.

Well, how about the victim that was out jogging?

You know, with the walkman. You?

Um, I... I think that was from the first draft, too.

But I did a lot to set it up.

The original structure sucked.

Who wrote that first draft?

Uh...

Francesco X. Cesare is the name on the title page.

I never heard of the guy. Bev might know how to reach him.

Beverly Tyson, the producer? She brought you this story?

And twisted my arm.

Kept saying this was her big passion project.

First writer of Contract Man.

Uh, could you...

What does that have to do with TK's murder?

We're not sure, but we're trying to get in touch with him.

That can't happen.

Frank is dead.

He died right after we optioned the script.

Oh, that's too bad.

You remember how he died?

Uh, I think it was a car accident about five years ago out in Long Island.

It was a very sad story.

Contract Man was his first screenplay.

I never even got a chance to meet him.

Then how did you find it?

It was in the slush pile.

It's, uh, scripts that are submitted without an agent.

I like to slog through them looking for a pearl,

and something about this one just grabbed me.

You ever ask him who it was based on?

I never got the chance. It's too bad.

He would've had a brilliant career.

- Boy, can she spin a story. - Yeah.

Only one thing doesn't track.

If she never met Francesco Cesare, how come she called him Frank?

We can't find a Francesco X. Cesare in the writers' guild.

And there's no record of anyone by that name

dying in a car accident in Long Island ever.

Why would she lie about that?

That's what we were wondering.

So we took another look at Bev Tyson.

Turns out her birth name was Beverly Banducci of Todt Hill, Staten Island.

Nice family, Catholic schools,

father owns a dry cleaner, nothing hinky.

Not until she's 18

when she gets collared for shoplifting at the local mall.

Wouldn't be the first time a Catholic school girl goes bad for a while.

Yeah, but look who she was arrested with.

Frank Chess.

AKA Francesco Cesare.

We think it's the name he wrote under to make himself sound more authentic.

Do we have anything more on Frank Chess?

Oh, yeah, you bet.

He's a capo in the Severini crime family.

Pushed the button on seven guys, never got convicted.

Any bombings?

Suspect in two, and one car bombing.

Five years ago, Chess got jammed up, testified against his associates.

A month later, he dies in a car crash.

Here's a copy of the death certificate.

Only problem is, local precinct has no record of the crash.

Because there was none.

Feds faked this as a cover.

In Contract Man, Spencer London's character

goes into witness protection after his last hit.

Spencer played it, but Frank Chess lived it.

And then his high school girlfriend made a movie about him.

It's a real passion project.

Logan, Wheeler, meet US Marshal Mary Shannon.

She's with the federal witness protection program.

Detectives.

We caught a break. Mary's in town transporting a witness,

and she was Frank Chess' WITSEC inspector.

Oh, so what can you tell us about Chess?

Total pain in the ass. Typical little dick tough guy.

And you relocated him to Albuquerque?

Five years ago.

Mope stepped off the plane bitching about the dry heat

and demanding we import him real sopressata.

How long did he last?

Maybe three years, then he went off the reservation.

We wrote him out of the program for noncompliance.

That must've hurt his feelings.

- You have any idea where he is now? - No, not a clue.

If you find him, don't let the smile fool you.

Guy's a psychopath.

Sound like you miss him. You want in on the hunt?

Oh, I wish I could.

I'm due back in Albuquerque by 10:00 tonight.

- Thanks. - See ya.

She's a slice.

I wonder what you do in Albuquerque on a Sunday night at 10:00.

Not your problem. Just track down Frank Chess.

Already started with Bev. I've just got her phone records.

So who's in her top five?

Most calls are in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Vail.

And here we go.

A number of long calls to Wet Works Auto Detailing and Custom Sound.

Margate, New Jersey.

Right next door to Atlantic City.

Take the boy out of the mob, but...

Hold it, Frank.

Hey, hey, hey, what's going on?

Frank Chess, we're offering you a free ride back to the city.

Hey, where's your warrant? What's your probable cause?

Here's our warrant, and there's my probable cause.

You guys are making a mistake. I'm in the program.

Not anymore. Let's go.

We'll stop by little Italy on the way back,

pick you up some sopressata.

Who's that?

Frank Chess.

Francesco Cesare, your screenwriter.

I've never seen him before.

You wanna try another take?

Does my husband know about this?

Your husband? Oh, lady, that is the least of your problems.

You've been doing nothing but lying to us.

You know you're up for a murder charge here?

- Murder? - Yeah.

What are you talking about?

I... I just didn't want my husband to find out about me and Frank.

You're having an affair with him?

Take it slow. When did it start?

Should I call a lawyer?

Uh... You know any won't call your husband?

I hadn't seen Frank since high school.

He got in touch with me when he went into the program.

He was out west and he was bored.

He sent me a script.

I visited him on my way to Sundance.

We would meet sometimes at a little spa in Taos.

And then twice a year wasn't enough for us.

He left witness protection for you?

He's crazy about me.

And I'd forgotten what it was like, to feel wanted like that.

I can't even get Barry to turn off his BlackBerry.

Barry doesn't know about you and Frank.

He knew that Frank had sent me a script that I was excited about.

It wasn't just about the sex.

It was the whole life that Frank had led,

the aura of danger.

The aura of danger?

This help you to get off?

Oh, my God.

No, you have to understand. Frank... he left that life behind him.

You can't believe that he would do something like this to TK.

Listen, you got a stone-cold killer to leave witness protection for you.

You never wondered what else he might do for you?

No, not my Frankie. No.

You think that's the story of my life?

You got some imagination.

Come on, Frank. We found 20 ounces of C4 in your garage

and a trigger mechanism in a BlackBerry.

Barry Freeburg next on your hit parade?

I don't know about any of this.

It's not like we haven't done the math, Frank. Come on.

We know you're crazy about Bev,

and we know that Bev didn't want TK writing about Spencer London's overdose.

Bevie had nothing to do with it.

TK got sparked because he figured out that the movie was based on me.

He was gonna out me.

There's a lot of people wanna know where I am.

How'd you know he was gonna out you?

I overheard Bev talking to her husband on the phone.

She thought I was still in the shower.

So you decided completely on your own to kill TK.

Gimme a pen and paper. I'll start writing right now.

Well, the DA should be happy.

- But you're not? - They're both lying.

TK didn't take notes. Didn't do research.

How likely is it he found out Frank Chess was the Contract Man?

So what are we saying here?

That Bev and Barry tricked Frank into killing TK?

Unless TK had something else on him.

Something money couldn't fix.

What have you got?

TK on tape the night he died.

It's not like you tried to take advantage of some nun

or some naive little high school girl.

Some bum does that, there's not enough money in the world...

- TK have a soft spot for nuns? - No.

But his sister Jeannie, a naive high school girl,

who wants to be an actress.

Wheeler, give her a shoulder.

Now that TK's gone. I have to go live with my aunt in Maine.

What about the performing arts high school?

I don't really want to be an actress anymore.

I'll just study something else, like veterinary science.

Jeannie, you're the one thing in the world your brother cared about.

No matter what anyone else says,

he always looked out for me.

Then you need to look out for him.

You said you don't want to act anymore.

What made you change your mind?

Just too hard to break in.

But your brother knew everyone.

Couldn't he help you get auditions?

Maybe with Barry Freeburg?

He did.

You met him at the soundstage?

I was supposed to.

But Mr. Freeburg asked me to come by his office instead.

5:30 on Friday.

He asked all of his assistants to go home.

Do I have to talk about this?

It's okay.

I was 16 once.

Just tell me what you told TK.

I didn't have to tell him anything.

He just looked at my face

and he knew that something really bad had happened.

So TK leverages Spencer's drug overdose,

not just for money, but also to get his sister an audition.

Then Barry gets back at TK. By bending his sister over the couch.

Nice people.

And when TK puts it together, he must've been out for Barry's blood.

TK's dead, Frank's in jail.

How come Barry's the last man standing?

I'll tell you what.

I'll ask him.

You said you wanted to talk in private, detective. No lawyers, no partners.

What's on your mind?

We just made an arrest on TK's murder.

Organized crime guy by the name of Frank Chess.

Good to know but why the special trip?

Well, the DA believes that the movie your wife was producing

was based on Frank Chess's life.

Chess killed TK to keep his whereabouts out of the gossip column.

My god, does Bev know any of this?

You should ask her about that. There's something else I found out.

Something that I haven't shared with the DA or even my partner yet.

What's that?

This is the signed statement from TK's younger sister Jeanie.

She says you raped her.

It's all lies.

She's a shakedown artist, just like her brother.

What really did happen?

Okay, uh... TK demanded I give her a part.

She comes over with a skirt up to here.

She starts working it. It's late at night.

We're alone.

What do I look like, Gandhi?

So the sex was consensual.

Absolutely.

Thing is...

Jeannie was 16. She just hit 17 last week.

I had no idea.

- Believe me, if you'd seen this girl... - Oh, I saw her all right.

Problem is we're talking statutory rape, Barry.

This isn't just a publicity nightmare.

You're looking at a serious criminal charge.

Do I have to be?

How about some breakfast, Detective?

Yeah, I'm feeling a little hungry.

You been at this a long time, huh?

Seems like my whole life.

When we were talking the other day about your second act,

I can't imagine the department is, uh, grooming you for management.

It's not my style anyway.

I'm just thinking out loud here.

You know those stories you told me about the other day?

Any of them make a good movie?

I'm not a writer, Barry.

Oh, I got writers.

I need your street smarts. Your soul.

Yeah, well, you can have that.

But, uh, there's someone else that could use some attention too, the girl.

Well, she's in a needy place.

I... I definitely want to help her out.

Just so there's no hard feelings.

So we have an understanding.

Yeah, we do.

But there's someone I want to be straight up with you about.

Go ahead. We're partners.

Okay. Frank Chess.

He was doing your wife.

Sorry I have to be the one to tell you that.

You think I didn't know that?

- What do I look like a chump? - What do you mean?

You don't get to be the head of a major studio

by being too dumb to realize when there's another clown in the tent.

So you just let it go on?

I filed it away.

I knew that eventually I'd get more out of Frank than she ever would.

Well, just how did you get Frank to take care of TK anyway?

It's like putting together a movie.

All you gotta do is know how to package the elements.

I told her that her lover was in trouble,

and she's very proactive.

Frank swore he acted on his own.

Yeah, for now. But he's a rat.

Once he finds out she put him up to it, he'll turn on her.

So you put out the contract,

and those two had no idea they were being played.

That's very good.

That's what I do.

No one gets over on Barry Freeburg.

Not my wife, not Frank, not that little bottom feeder TK.

That son of a bitch was gonna keep on grinding me down,

so I gave his sister an audition.

I gave her the part of a lifetime.

Detective, if you're thinking you're getting over on me,

you're not, cause I got your number.

How's that?

Oh, how's that? Let's see,

I've got you recorded accepting a bribe and agreeing to a cover-up.

Right back at you, pal.

Statutory rape and felony murder.

Barry Freeburg, you're under arrest.

Okay, this'll never hold up. This is entrapment, pure and simple.

You know, when I get out from underneath this,

you better watch out cause I got a lot of friends around town.

- Nice house. - Yeah, yeah.

Well, so much for my second act.

(andie69@nate.com)

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