Original subtitles

They say that jazz life takes its toll

but this isn't what they had in mind.

The dark side of jazz

America's greatest indigenous art form

has been its capacity for self-destruction.

Drugs, alcohol, and the road

are the perils of the life lived after midnight

but not 20,000 volts of state-supplied electricity.

After a year's worth of appeals

the governor remains adamant.

Refusing to grant clemency

to jazz colossus Wayne Cotrell

condemned to death at midnight tonight

for the passion-slaying of his wife

songstress Linda Lake.

One of the finest modern jazz stylists in decades

Linda's only first and only recording, "Smoke Dreams"

went triple platinum after her death a year ago.

The prosecution convinced a jury of his peers

that Linda's success drove Wayne into a jealous rage.

So, with the streets of Central City

an armed camp of hoodlums

the state enacts the death penalty for the first time

in 15 years for Wayne Cotrell

at midnight tonight.

Damn! Ow!

Makes you think, huh?

I needed that analysis yesterday.

Get off my back. We've got a heavy caseload.

Like the Cotrell case? Is that what you've been spending--

- Somebody's gotta look into it. - And somebody did!

He was indicted, tried, convicted.

All on circumstantial evidence.

Your guys never even found the babe

he was with that night.

You think we didn't try?

Wayne is innocent.

You face the facts, Mendez.

Cotrell strangled her, and then he tried

to make it look like an automobile accident.

Wayne is like a brother to me, okay?

Alright, fine, he had his problems

but he couldn't kill anyone, let alone Linda.

You don't think I know how you feel?

But you didn't see her.

You didn't see what was left of her after that explosion.

Linda's murderer is walking free

when Wayne dies in less than an hour.

This department did a first-rate job.

We opened the case and the jury shut it.

Now you get back to work.

And I don't wanna hear anything more about it.

Julio, I'm a little worried about you.

You know, I've never seen you like this.

It's like you've been ready to erupt all week.

My oldest friend dies in less than an hour

and I can't do squat to stop it.

I know.

But you're not gonna get anywhere with Garfield.

Ah, to hell with Garfield.

I got to get some air.

I'll cover you here.

Yeah, crime lab. Allen.

I gotta talk to Julio Mendez.

[Barry on phone] He's not available... right now.

- Can I help you? - No, man.

Julio's the only cop I trust.

Tell him Dave BUELL called.

[Barry on phone] "Decibel" Dave BUELL?

- Yeah. Do I know you, man? - I know you.

I've been a big fan of yours

ever since "The Black Heat Sighs"

and, you know, I loved the new chart

on singing the blues you premiered

at Take Five last week.

Well, the song's been recorded

but now it's got a vocal track.

That's why I'm calling.

Listen, man, tell Julio I've got a tape for him.

Proof Wayne didn't kill anybody.

Why did you...

The man dies in less than an hour.

Why did you wait until now?

Because I just now stole it

and if it's missed, man, I'm gone.

You just tell Julio to meet me

at the Take Five within the next 15 minutes.

No, man! No! Let go!

No!

No-o-o!

BUELL?

BUELL!

Hey, who was that?

- Hey! Hey! - Hey!

Hello?

Hello?

Julio?

Barry? I thought you were here.

Wait a minute. Why's the phone off the hook?

Uh, it w... It wasn't working.

So I went to another line to check it out.

Um, hello? Uh. Can you hear me okay?

- Yeah. - Great.

Listen, you had a message from Dave BUELL

alright, about the Cotrell case.

[Julio on phone] What? What did he say?

Something about new evidence.

What new evidence?

How fast can you get down to the Take Five?

I'm out of here, man.

This is Joe Kline, voice of the city

with Wayne Cotrell's brother Elliot

asking, "Why are you here tonight?"

[Elliot] I'm keeping the club open tonight in memory of Linda

to bear witness of Wayne's innocence.

So you're still convinced your brother was railroaded?

Nothing in life is certain, Mr. Kline

but there's one thing I have no doubt about.

My brother never killed anybody.

[Joe] Do you plan to be at your brother's side

tonight, Mr. Cotrell?

I'll be there. Mom...

Mom would want me to be there.

[Joe] Thank you very much, I know how difficult this can be

and I really appreciate it.

Wrap up back here, we gotta get back to the studio

for the late report.

How you doing?

What are you doing? Get off me, man!

It's a private affair. invitations only!

Excuse me for just a second, please.

Thank you.

Mendez... I didn't recognize you

with the spaghetti on your head.

- Get off of me, man! - Whisper!

This is Julio Mendez, one of Central City's finest.

Hey, come on, cool it, cool it. He's with me.

I... apologize.

Things have been very, very tense around here lately.

Never mind Whisper. He's harmless.

Whisper was never harmless.

Thanks for coming, huh?

Oh, Elliot, uh, this is my friend Barry Allen.

Barry. Barry, I've seen.

Been a regular here for years.

Since Linda's debut.

Linda was very special for all of us.

Hey, any truth to the rumors?

The unreleased tracks?

All I have in the vaults are a bunch of old jazz standards.

Real chestnuts.

You could make a fortune with--

I'm not in it for the money.

Right now it'd be real painful

to go through all those tapes

to hear her voice, so very much alive.

But when the time comes that I can

I will release the tracks for all her fans.

Wayne saved my butt too often.

If there's anything I can do...

Any miracles handy?

You know, I'm surprised Dave BUELL isn't here.

Dave...

Dave's still in Chicago.

He couldn't make it tonight.

Um, Decibel in Dutch with the cops?

- No. - Nothing like that. Um...

Look, we got to blow. We gotta try and find a miracle.

Okay. Fall by a little later for the wake.

He'll have those tapes on discs

before Wayne's corpse is even cold.

Elliot's all business, man.

This place is his entire life.

He even has an apartment upstairs.

He lied about BUELL.

I found his horn case on the bandstand.

We can find him later.

But he said this would prove Wayne's innocence.

What the hell good is that, man, it looks like

it got run over by a truck.

Where's Dave?

Beats the hell out of me, but we got

40 minutes. Alright?

Call me at the Star Labs

after you pulled everything you can on the Lake case.

- Alright? - Yeah. Whatever you say, man.

You paged me in the middle of "Swan Lake."

I got very dirty looks climbing over knees to get out.

I'm sorry, okay?

But it's a matter of life and death, literally.

We may just save Wayne Cotrell from the chair.

But that's tonight!

Yeah. At midnight.

It's 20 past 11 already.

It's 17 past, and I need your help desperately.

You know I'll do anything I can.

Alright. This is all we have to work from.

Can you rebuild it?

I'll try the digitizer.

It's a long shot, especially with the time we have.

Long shots are all we've got.

Just do it fast, alright?

I'm off to see Cotrell.

I can't understand why you keep refusing absolution, Wayne.

Nothing personal, padre.

I got nothing to confess.

I didn't kill Linda. That's the truth.

So help me God.

I'll pray for you anyway, brother.

Thanks, but you better pray in double time.

Nice.

I know you.

You're the guy they call the Flash.

What are you doing here? What do you want with me?

Some people I know think you're innocent.

I'm here to help you.

Well, thanks, but it's a little late for that.

I don't think so

but I need to hear your side.

Oh, man, I've been over this, like, forever.

Nobody believes me. Heh.

Man, I love...

...loved Linda.

She was the best thing ever happened to me

on or off the stage.

Man, that night

[Wayne] we fought like cats and dogs

but that was just us.

No way I could've killed her.

I worshiped Linda.

I mean, I was angry that night, man, not homicidal.

Later on, I left the club

with this girl named Suzy Storm.

I know it was a stupid thing to do

but I was feeling bad.

Feeling sorry for myself.

We went back to her place

but all we did was talk.

We talked about how much I loved Linda.

And the next day

Linda's dead

and Suzy, my alibi

is nowhere to be found.

But Linda was leaving you.

She booked a one-way flight to LA.

She wasn't leaving me, man.

You see, Linda cut her first record for my brother

but she didn't want to do her second album with Elliot.

She wanted to get out from under his shadow, you dig?

So there was this big-time producer

out on the West Coast

that said she could do whatever she wanted.

The songs, hire the session musicians

everything.

But she was coming back.

She was coming back to me.

Prosecution insists she walked out on you...

...because you were seeing Suzy Storm.

I couldn't help seeing Suzy Storm.

She followed me everywhere.

She was after me for sure.

She even had these earrings custom-made.

Little gold saxes.

But we weren't having an affair.

Why didn't she come forward to testify?

She was a band chick, man.

In and out of town, all the time.

No permanent address.

Suzy Storm was probably

one of a half a dozen names she had.

Who knows what happened to her?

If I have anything to say about it...

...this won't be your last meal.

No big deal.

I don't much want to live without Linda anyway.

The tape wasn't on Buell's body

or at his crib either.

Now we got Mendez nosing around on us.

If that tape gets out

we got nailed tight.

Relax, Elliot.

That tape's not getting out till we say so.

Uh-uh. That's not enough.

I want a guarantee.

A personal guarantee.

Make that call on Mendez.

Yeah.

He and I got a lot of catching up to do.

- Yeah? - Mendez!

Men who?

Forensics. Let me in.

Did Julio call in?

Not yet. But listen.

I've transferred the magnetic pattern

to the tape fragment on the digitizer.

I let the computer run millions of possibilities

organizing it according to algorithms.

That's Linda.

- Are you sure? - Yeah, no question.

But that's not from her album.

What is this?

Coming through.

[Julio] Wait. Wait. Wait. That's Dave BUELL.

Where'd you find him?

Vacant alley near Feather and Grants.

He was strangled.

[Julio] Like Linda.

Wait up, guys. I want to go with you.

Wait... that's Dave Buell's new chart

from the Take Five gig he did last month.

But if the arrangement on the tape is new

how can it be Linda?

I guess it can't.

Last time she did the five, I caught her act.

Last night...

...last show.

Three days later, I was handling forensics in her murder.

It's Julio.

Dave Buell's dead.

I just saw his body at the morgue

strangled. I can't believe this.

Dave had evidence that Wayne didn't kill Linda

and now he's dead.

Julio, I'm sorry.

I got to get it out of my mind

if we're gonna save Wayne, right?

Any luck on that tape?

Well, it sounds like Linda's voice

but the music is new. I can't figure it out.

It's probably some kind of phony.

It's a bootleg, so what?

No need to speculate.

Linda's "Smoke Dream" disc.

Voice prints are as individual as fingerprints.

Now the new tape.

♪ All alone ♪

♪ Left here on my own ♪

The sine waves are identical.

How could Linda be singing an arrangement

that's only a month old?

There's more on the tape.

[Elliot on tape] I'd like to help you to remember

by having you sing a little.

- That's-that's Elliot Cotrell. - Are you sure?

Yeah, I'm sure that's him.

Suppose that wasn't Linda in the car wreck.

All we had to identify her with were dental X-rays.

- Which could've been switched. - Exactly.

Now, Wayne told me that Suzy had earrings custom-made...

...to look like saxophones.

We just assumed they were Linda's.

But what does this all mean?

It means that Suzy Storm was murdered

and put in the car.

It means that Linda Lake is not dead

and somebody framed Wayne.

Elliot. I knew those were crocodile tears. It's Elliot.

Good Lord, Wayne Cotrell is gonna die

for a murder that never happened.

I'm headed to Take Five to have a little talk with Elliot.

- I'm with you. - Uh, uh, Julio, uh, listen.

You call the governor, alright?

Wayne dies in 30 minutes.

Tina, you call the governor. Alright. Look.

This is my deal. I'm coming with you.

Come on.

- Hello? - Statehouse, please.

- Clearance? - Security 1 -5-0.

- Can I help you? - I gotta talk to the governor.

- He's asleep. - No, this is an emergency.

I'll see what I can do.

Great, why don't you take it to the statehouse

and I'll go to the Take Five?

'Cause I want a piece of Elliot, man

and his body guard.

This isn't about revenge, Julio.

Maybe not for you.

Dr. Christina McGee, Star Labs.

- I can help you. - I gotta talk to the governor.

- The governor's out, miss. - A man's life is at stake.

- Well, whose life is that? - Wayne Cotrell.

As I said, the governor's out.

Look, I don't give a damn if he's out for the evening.

Look, missy, don't use foul language with me.

Give me your name, you idiot, or give me that number now!

Hello? Hello?

Damn it all, not now!

Oh! Jeez!

Put... Use both hands, alright?

You know, I... never knew how much Wayne meant to you...

...until this week.

Well, I tried to put it behind me

after the appeals failed, but it hurt too much.

Wayne and I go back, man.

He was like a brother to me.

You had Jay, I had Wayne.

See, I grew up real middle class

but my dad, he had this ghetto head, man.

Refused to leave the neighborhood

even when he could afford it.

Said he owed something to where he came from.

[Julio] Wayne was the only guy in the neighborhood

who didn't bust on me for having

a couple of extra bucks.

Not like the local homeboy gangsters

the Ratters.

Their warlord told me I was in, like it or not.

I told him to forget it, man.

He threatened my family.

I just freaked out.

I attacked a whole bunch of Ratters by myself, man.

Until Wayne saw what was happening

and helped me out.

Got the hell kicked out of us, man.

But the Ratters never bothered us again, man.

The warlord, what happened to him?

Believe it or not, he became a singer, man.

- What? - Yeah.

He was owned by a couple mob guys.

He rolled over on them to the feds

and they just cut his throat from ear to ear.

Severed his vocal cords.

Never sang again.

You don't wanna know what he did to the guys

who sliced his throat.

They call him Whisper now.

Fair warning, I'm armed.

Give me the tape.

I think you need fresh batteries.

Ah!

Hey, bro, don't forget!

I get your sax!

Oh, yeah, well, says who, little man?

Says you!

You said I was your most promising student!

Yeah, with the time you got left

you shouldn't be making no promises you can't keep.

Man, you know you can't take it with you!

Man, with all the great cats there already

I'm going to put together a band.

- Julio. - What?

That's Elliot's apartment, right?

- Yeah. - What's it doing boarded up?

I don't know. Beats me.

Maybe he had something to hide.

You see if Elliot's in the club.

I'm going to check out the living quarters.

- Alright. - And, Julio.

Be careful, man. Alright?

If they did kill Suzy and frame Wayne

they're gonna be real unhappy we know it.

Okay. Alright.

♪ Tell him please ♪

♪ To put on some speed ♪

♪ Follow my lead ♪

♪ Oh how I need ♪

♪ Someone ♪

♪ To watch ♪

♪ Over me ♪

♪ Someone ♪

♪ To watch ♪

♪ Over me ♪♪

Ah! Alright. That was wonderful.

Wonderful.

Tomorrow we'll fill in the earlier track.

When will I be better?

I still can't remember a thing.

Linda, you had an accident.

It was a terrible shock to your mind. You understand?

Sometimes when I sing, I can almost remember

lights, people.

But then it just fades.

You see?

Singing is just what the doctor ordered.

Singing's gonna help get back your memory.

Yes. I love the songs.

But how could I forget everything about my life?

L-I have something to do.

But I'll be right back in a while to tuck you in

and give you... your medicine. Hmm?

Elliot.

Mendez and the other cop had this.

It's a reconstruction of Dave Buell's tape.

Shh. She might hear.

Let's talk about this outside. Come on.

Damn it!

Fifteen minutes away from being home free.

We don't know what else Mendez and his partner have on us.

Far as I'm concerned, those guys are dead.

My pleasure.

Elliot...

...we're gonna have to lose Linda too.

No. No, she is a gold mine.

I'm not throwing that away.

Hey, we've taken this as far as we can.

The heat is up, my man, and if you fry

I'm on the burner beside you.

I don't know.

[Elliot] Linda's voice built this club.

Yeah, and the minute the record came out

she was gonna leave you and sign with a big label.

You made that tramp!

[Elliot] She was more mine than she ever was Wayne's.

Yeah, that night she tried to split

you would have beat the life out of her

if I hadn't stopped you.

Now don't you play sentimental on me.

I lived up to my end.

I did Suzy.

Put her in Linda's car.

And you sent Wayne to take the fall.

Now it's time to do Linda for good.

We gotta do her for real.

Elliot, we got enough new song tapes.

We're going to be in business for a long, long time.

Do it away from here.

Make sure that the body is unrecognizable.

I, uh...

...I don't want any reopened investigations.

Hey, got to go play

the grieving brother.

Elliot.

Give Wayne my regards.

- Linda, I'm your friend. - Who are you?

You've got to come with me.

Get back. Back.

I won't go with you. I won't.

Wayne, your husband, will die if you don't come with me.

[Linda] Wayne? I can't!

- Stay away! - Please.

Why'd you do that? You killed that man.

I was only protecting you, honey.

It's time for your medicine, Linda.

Elliot was gonna give it to me.

Elliot's not here. Come on.

There.

Who am I?

Who are you?

I don't even know who I am.

Come on. Let's take a ride.

Showtime, huh, father?

Bless me, father.

Bless me.

Linda.

You're under arrest, Whisper.

Don't make me laugh.

It hurts my throat.

Look, I know all about what you did to Suzy and Dave.

And I know how you and Elliot set Wayne up.

You should've stayed at home.

Nobody's here to help you this time.

Not Wayne, not anybody.

Not then... not now.

Look, you killed Suzy Storm, and you framed Wayne.

Mendez, I'm gonna enjoy

tearing you apart.

You're not gonna get away with it!

Is that Linda?

No, that can't be.

Who is that?

♪ In a restless world ♪

♪ Like this is ♪

♪ Love is ended ♪

♪ Before it's begun ♪

♪ And too many ♪

♪ Moonlight ♪

♪ Kisses ♪

♪ Seem to cool ♪

♪ In the warmth ♪

♪ of the sun ♪

♪ When I ♪

♪ Give my heart... ♪

Old scores come due tonight.

I'm going to teach you about the quick and the dead.

Julio, are you okay?

Yeah. Did you take him out?

Me? No, man. You were all over him.

- That's Linda. - They were gonna kill her.

We've got to get her to the prison. We've got five minutes.

♪ Give back ♪

♪ Wait... ♪

I'm Wayne's brother.

Warden, may I speak to my brother, please?

I'm glad you could make it.

You quit that, little brother.

Listen, before they strap me in...

...I want to apologize.

Apologize? For what?

I didn't always treat you

right, Elliott.

Left you to do the chores

taking care of mama.

You got stuck being the responsible one.

Always playing the straight man to me.

Of course you also got stuck

with all the brains in the family.

Yeah, but you always had the genius.

No, but I was always putting you down

bird-dogging all your chicks.

I'm really sorry, Elliott.

No kidding.

Forgive me, okay?

I know you didn't do it.

Oh, God. That means a lot.

Whenever you gentlemen are ready.

♪ Love with you ♪♪

Excuse me.

Get away from the stage!

Come on, we have to go to the prison.

Prison, why?

- To save your husband's life. - Look, I'll take her in my car.

No, you'd never make it in time.

Then just call Garfield--

Listen, listen! I can make it because I'm--

Damn it, Barry! Just get to a phone!

You're not going anywhere!

Please, it's one to midnight.

You have to get her to the prison.

I can try.

I'm a friend.

Really.

I know that... now.

Don't shoot! Don't shoot!

I think you'll agree

there's been some mistake.

Wayne?

Wayne?

Linda.

Linda?

Li... Linda!

Time to face the music, Elliott.

No, I'm not going down for this!

I'm walking out of here!

No.

I think you're gonna be around for a long while.

♪ It will be completely ♪

♪ Or I'll never give ♪

♪ My heart ♪

♪ And the moment I can feel that ♪

♪ You feel that way too ♪

♪ It's when I fall in love ♪

♪ With you ♪

♪ Ooh ♪♪

Jazz has never been my cup of soup

but I got to tell you, this was very cool.

Hm! Not bad, Wayne. Not bad.

Not bad?

Yeah, considering your junior high school music teacher

wouldn't trust you with a wood block.

Look at this guy.

This place is absolutely packed.

If this keeps up, I won't be able to get in anymore.

- Oh, yes, you will, Barry. - Yeah?

There'll always be a table for you and Julio.

Thanks, Linda.

But you may notice a few changes

next time you're here though.

Yeah, after what I went through

all these clocks around here just got to go.

Except that one.

Of course that one I can live with.

What's this?

A new item to the menu

in honor of our mysterious friend.

Buffalo wings?

No, no, no. Flash wings.

Oh, I get it. Kind of like...

Whoosh!