All language subtitles for Law and order S13E24 - Smoke

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.

FEMALE WITNESS: Is he dead?
DUNNE: What do you care?

He's gotta be dead.
You want to join him?

Someone said that he fell
out of Monty's window.

Go home and watch the news.

What've we got?

Trash can fire.
Hit the curtains.

How bad?

Oh, they're coughing and talking.
They're fine.

A little shocked.

Is it really Monty?

Sucking oxygen as we speak.

What am I gonna do? They
all say they're okay.

Except for the one
that can't talk.

He ain't my department.

Lennie, how are you?

A beautiful end to
a beautiful day.

Can't imagine.

Looks like we missed all the action.
What?

We got a call
there was a jumper.

Whoever said that
took some liberties.

Why don't you fill us in?

DOA. Fell out of Monty
Bender's hotel window.

Hit the mezzanine level.

Monty Bender the comic?

My kid's gonna be pissed off
I don't get an autograph.

Well, what happened? Somebody got
tired of his routine and jumped?

I don't think he had a choice.

There was some kind
of fire in his room.

I saw Monty's last flick.
Cracked me up.

Yeah, very funny.

The flames traveled this way.

So he was trapped inside?

That's why he moved over here.

Whoa. I don't think my high
school auditorium was this big.

Probably had less people
spending time there.

Monty held the kid out here to
keep him from breathing in smoke.

He was passed out right here
when Ladder 88 arrived.

Why wouldn't they
just go in there?

(EXCLAIMS) Never mind.

This is where the fire started.

Somebody dumped an ashtray in
here, and that's all she wrote.

Whose room is this?

Monty's nutritionist.

Fred something or other.

I guess he forgot to read the
warning on the side of the box.

SKINNER: He was in the suite with
Monty and Birgit, his stylist.

What the hell is that?

What do I know?

They first saw the smoke
come underneath the door.

Flames hit the curtain, then the carpet.
AC helped it spread.

What about the smoke alarms?

Turns out they were
all disconnected.

Monty didn't like the beeping
when he burned his toast.

So you're thinking
this is arson?

A lit butt in a
basket full of paper.

Too early to tell.

Where's Monty now?

Down at Mercy General
being sedated.

And Fred and...
Birgit?

They're with the Fire Marshal.

We should bring them in.

I want to get cleaned up first.

Is he okay? They dragged
him off to the hospital.

From what I hear, pharmaceuticals
are helping him through it.

I can't believe Robbie's gone.

I don't know if Monty's
heart can take this.

He wasn't well?

He had a stress test. They told
him his heart was a time bomb.

So that's why he needed his
very own nutritionist?

You should've seen how he ate.

Pizza, cheeseburger,
leftover Chinese.

Something wrong with that?

You're not funny.

You know what strikes me funny?

Somebody like you, who's all
into health and whatnot

would still be smoking.

I have maybe one a month.

When I'm tense.

And believe me,

that one

will be my last.

This is all my fault.

I don't know how he's going to
live with himself after this.

You can't imagine how
much he loved Robbie.

You were really close to him?

I worked for him
for the past five years.

Are all stylists on call 24 l7?

Monty needs to project
the right image.

What has this
got to do with anything?

No, I'm just wondering why
everybody was in his room.

All three of us were
playing with the baby.

And Fred smelled something
coming from his room,

and he opened the door,

and you couldn't believe it.

It was like a fog of smoke.

We couldn't get out the
door because of the flames.

Monty grabbed Robbie

and tried to cover his face.

Birgit called down to security.

And what about the window?

My eyes were tearing.

Birgit called out
to Monty to open it.

Maybe that was the wrong thing.

Why do you say that?

Because the smoke got thicker.

It was so thick.

Like fog.

We were all coughing,
and it was hard to see.

So, you didn't
actually see the baby

fall out of the window?

The baby was crying and gagging,

and Monty was saying to him,

"Be still. It's going
to be okay, Robbie."

But

Monty started coughing,

and the baby just slipped.

What are we doing here?

This is obviously
a terrible accident.

I hate celebrity cases.

Oh, there's a TV movie in this.
I can smell it.

God help us.
I saw Monty's last movie.

Hey, some people said
it cracked them up.

Barfjokes?
You're kidding.

Anyway, until the arson
people tell us different,

this ain't nothing
but a bad accident.

Well, how the hell did this
baby end up out of a window?

Monty was trying to keep him
away from the fog of smoke.

Say what? That's what the
nutritionist said to me.

That's the way these
creative types talk.

Maybe. But those are the same exact
words that the stylist used with me.

And you don't think
that's a coincidence.

Well, sure, it could be. But it could
also be that Monty told them what to say.

Why don't we get it straight
from the horse's mouth?

I promised him I would never
let anybody hurt him.

And now...

You here to arrest me?

ED: No, we're just trying
to find out what happened.

He was crying.

There was smoke.

I sang to him.

He liked that.

(SINGING LULLABY)

Maybe we ought to
come back, Mr. Bender.

I guess they have those smoke
alarm things for a reason.

I'm going to hell, aren't I?

Hey, you didn't know.

And I'm supposed
to make people laugh.

Some joke, isn't it?

Was there anybody else in
the room with you when...

Fred and Birgit.

Just them?

Yeah. Why?

You ever have any problems
with either one of them?

No. They've been
with me for years.

We're family.

Speaking of which,
where's Robbie's mother?

I don't know.

I adopted him

a year ago.

Not what I expected.

Oh, give the guy a break.
He's in shock.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,"

while your place is burning down?
I don't know.

Yeah, you're right, he
should've done a few jokes.

The guy didn't know
which way was up.

All I'm saying is, he was
pretty quick on the trigger

when we asked him who was
in the room with him.

I'm just thinking maybe there's
somebody in his entourage

who didn't want to go along
with that "fog of smoke" story.

Remind me again,
what are we investigating?

Potential arson.
Dead kid.

Monty moved in about a year
ago, when the hotel business

was down the toilet.

But his money
spends pretty good.

In up times, we have a policy
against rock stars, movie stars,

almost anyone
who attracts a crowd.

I gotta tell you though, Monty's
been the perfect guest.

Polite, quiet.
Never a complaint.

He got a lot of people
coming and going?

Not as many as Eminem. Business
still isn't what it should be.

Anyway, Fred and Birgit
have the adjoining rooms.

Harvey's never a problem.

Wait, who's Harvey?

Masseur.

What, is there something
wrong with him?

I don't care what a guy
does in his private life,

but Harvey's never gonna be
a starting linebacker for

the Giants, if you know
what I mean.

Yeah, I think I figured it out.

You're saying Monty's gay?

Don't ask, don't tell.

But if I had his money,

a guy named Harvey wouldn't be
touching any part of my body.

And you tell me, if you were
single and had Monty's money,

would you adopt a kid?

Would you happen to know if Harvey
was around before the fire?

Sorry. Hold on.

The SOS from Monty's room
came in at 10:17:02.

Harvey showed up looks like
40 minutes before that.

How can you tell?

Big Brother is always watching.

Monty had me issue Harvey
his very own key to the room.

Okay, okay, I was there,
I was in the room.

But I showed up to
give Monty his massage,

but he was too busy
playing with Robbie.

So you left?
That's right.

That's the story
you're sticking with?

That's what happened.

Well, what was going on in the
room before the baby fell?

How would I know?
I wasn't there.

You know what I think
is odd, Harvey?

One guy giving another guy
the key to his hotel room.

And I told you,
I work for Monty.

Yeah, I know,
that's what you told us.

What are you implying?

What do you think?

Okay, I'm gay.
You happy?

I'm thrilled.

But my relationship with Monty
is purely professional.

Sure it is. Which is
why I'd be outta line

to think that you and Monty
were otherwise engaged

when Robbie fell.
Monty isn't gay.

Harvey, help yourself out.
Talk to us.

This isn't about the fire, is it?
This isn't about Robbie.

My contract has
a non-disclosure clause.

I have to return everything
he's paid me over the years.

Bad news. That won't hold
up in a criminal trial.

The good news is there's not
that much to buy in Attica.

(EXCLAIMS)

All right, man, we tried. You
want us to call your lawyer?

Wait.

I haven't done it in years.

We know that.

But you'll be a lot better
off if you tell us about it.

I was just the talent scout.

You expect us to believe that?

I never touched those kids.

Okay, Harvey,
start from the beginning.

I drove the truck.

What truck?

Monty bought an ice-cream truck.
I drove it.

What did Monty do?

He looked through the
peepholes at the kids.

When he saw one he liked,

I'd invite the parents up to
his estate in the Berkshires.

And the parents
would bring their kids?

But I never laid
a hand on one of them.

You trying to tell me the
parents know what's going down?

People get around fame
and they get stupid.

Standing on line to see
Madonna is stupid.

This is a felony.

So what exactly did
the massage guy say

that Monty was
doing with the kids?

They played. Only he
wasn't invited to see

what game they were playing.

Any complaints
about Monty before?

Like I said, people get around
fame and they get stupid.

They probably thought
of it as an honor

that the great Monty Bender
chose their kid.

Or maybe they just didn't know.

Always the cockeyed
optimist, huh?

Listen, when it comes to parents
offering up their kids for sex, yes.

Is this guy reliable? He
looked too scared to lie.

How we doing on the dead baby?

We haven't heard
from the arson guys yet.

Well, if we can't
get him on murder,

pederasty is
a pretty good second.

You just don't wake up one day
and decide you like little boys.

Look, they say the only one who
knows a comic is another comic.

LARRY: Guy walks
into a bar with a thing.

BRISCOE: What thing?

You don't get it. It's one
of Monty's old routines.

And that's funny?

How much do you get a picture?

Do I hear a little envy, Larry?

Mr. Miller.

I'm kidding, Ed. God.

You got me.

Yeah, but you
still don't get it.

Comics, we don't do
what we do for the money.

What do you do it for?

I can't speak for Monty. But then
again, I don't drive a stick.

Now that's funny.

It wasn't supposed to be. Look,
if Monty double parked again,

I wasn't there.

I'm afraid it's a little bit more
serious than that. Littering?

Little boys.

America's a wonderful
place, isn't it?

We love the underdog. We cheer him
on all the way up the mountain.

Then as soon as
he gets to the top,

we enjoy nothing more than
kicking the son of a bitch off

and stomping him
into the ground.

The ones who are
pedophiles, yeah.

Monty and I had a couple of drinks after a
couple of shows a couple of decades ago.

And you became a couple?

What, you went out
and chased women?

You know, good comics look at the
world and see a funny place.

Great comics look
at the world and don't.

I heard rumors.

What kind of rumors?

I heard some kid accused him
of inappropriate behavior.

Like using the wrong fork?

I don't think Monty would pay
seven figures to cover that up.

Then again, it's still a rumor.

Is there anybody
who can verify that?

Well, his old business manager
used to be Marvin Fowler.

Now there's a guy you
could chase women with.

Damn, I wonder what a
$200 haircut looks like.

Kind of like a $400 carwash.

I believe they
call that detailing.

I just got off the phone
with the arson investigator.

He still hasn't determined
if the fire was accidental.

I wonder if Monty accidentally
wrote a million dollar check

to Mr. John Mireles
on August 27th, 1997.

Mireles... Mireles.
Wait a minute.

Yeah, Monty paid him a half a
million dollars every August 6th.

All from his personal account,
all for entertainment.

And I thought a Knicks
game was expensive.

Allan Houston doesn't threaten
to drag your ass to jail.

Talk to him.

I haven't thought about Monty in years.
Excuse me.

Any particular reason?

Well, you know how this business is.
We're all like Gypsies.

You're like family for six weeks, and
then you don't speak for six years.

You're an actor?
A writer.

Monty's second picture.

Wait, you wrote
The Wicked Stepson?

Wow, I thought Monty wrote
all his stuff himself.

Yeah, well, that's
his image. The auteur.

Sit down.

I wrote a script as a hobby and he
bought it, lock, stock, and barrel.

What, as long as
you didn't tell anybody?

Anyway, the last time I saw him, he
handed me a million dollar check.

I'm sorry, my son is ill.

You didn't offer them anything?

ED: No, no, no.
We're fine.

How old is your son?

Davey's almost six.

He's your only child?

No, Sammy's 17.
He's a freshman at Hudson.

He must've gotten quite a kick out of
his old man working with Monty Bender.

I don't think he even remembers.

If you don't mind me prying,

why the 500,000
every year since?

Royalties.

I'm sure we could
have made more,

but a bird in the hand.

ED: All right, you're
Joe Citizen, right?

A couple of detectives show up
at your door asking questions.

What do you do? You mean
after I flush my stash?

Dude didn't even ask us
why we were there.

This Monty thing's been
all over the front page.

If it was me, I'd at
least pretend to care

about how he was holding up.

I think it's time to talk
to Mireles son number one.

My parents? I don't really
talk to them that much.

BRISCOE: My kid calls me all the time to
tell me how much I screwed up her life.

I'm cool. ED: You get wireless
Internet on that, Sammy?

Yeah, sure.
You mind?

Free country.

Been wanting to get me
one of these.

Oh, this is nice.

My parents do something wrong?

No, we're just looking into Monty
Bender, and their names came up.

Monty? What'd he do,
make another crappy movie?

BRISCOE: I think you know
what he did, Sammy. Huh?

A little birdie told us that he's
into some pretty weird stuff.

How would I know?

I never even met
the dude. Look.

I gotta go,
okay? Peace.

(PAGER BEEPING) The boy's
a little off-center.

Show me a teenager who isn't.

Yep? All right,
you got it.

It's the M.E.
She wants to talk to us.

Every bone in his body
was broken.

BRISCOE: Well, a 12-storey
fall will do that.

The story is that Monty
held him out the window

because the room was
filled with smoke?

Uh-huh. Something
wrong with that?

There's no smoke in his lungs.

Well, they said they
had a towel over his head.

Young, pink lungs like his,

really shouldn't
make a difference.

There should be some indication.
Wait, hold on.

We saw the room.

Look, all I can tell you
is this little guy

may not have been in the
room while it was burning.

BRISCOE: Because the baby
was murdered, that's why.

That's crazy. Why would
Monty kill Robbie?

That's what I want
you to tell me.

But there's nothing to tell.

Damn it, a kid is dead!

Did you miss the day in stylist
school when they taught you that

covering up a murder is just as
bad as doing the murder yourself?

What makes you think
I'm covering?

There was no smoke
in the baby's lungs,

which means he was
dead before the fire.

Birgit, I can work with you now.

But later...

Okay.

Monty panicked. He held
Robbie out the window

before the room was
totally filled with smoke.

I hope that son of a bitch
is paying you a lot.

All three of them have
the same story.

That's what a large
bank account gets you.

Van Buren.

You're sure?

Thanks.

Well, that makes us 0-4.
Arson investigator says

he can't conclude either way.

So this bastard's gonna walk?
Maybe not.

I checked the web. For what,
millionaire perverts?

No, I googled Sammy Mireles.
Don't ask.

Now, his name was
all over this one website,

upyourbutt. Net.

Now, in a deposition from a civil
suit against Monty Bender, he said...

Do I want to hear this?

"Monty touched my penis
with his mouth."

The answer's no.

Pick him up.

Hey, funny man.

Can't this wait?
No, it can't.

You should know better than
anybody, timing is everything.

Monty Bender, you're under
arrest for sexual abuse.

Hey, stylist, what should
he wear to a felony trial?

You have the right
to remain silent.

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

You have the right to an attorney.
If you cannot afford one,

one will be provided...

"Docket number 675834,

"People v. Montgomery Bender

"Charge is Sexual Abuse
in the First Degree."

Shame on you.

The charges aren't just
speculative, Your Honor,

they're outlandish.
Mr. Bender happens...

I know exactly who he is.

Then you'll know he's
a target for any nut job

who wants to put a couple
of bucks in his pocket.

Can I take that as a not guilty?

That's correct, Judge.

The People request
remand, Your Honor.

That's a little harsh,
don't you think?

Considering you don't
have a complaining witness.

The nut job in this case
was 11 years old

at the time of the illegal act.

It's understandable
that he's a little hesitant.

Because nothing happened.

Bail is set at $1 million.

And you'll be happy to know, Mr. Bender,
that ten of those dollars are mine.

More, if you get a piece
of the popcorn. Next.

(BANGS GAVEL)

What is it, Jack? "Go After
the Rich and Famous Week"?

The baby died. It was an
unfortunate accident.

But this sex thing looks an awful
lot like a prosecutorial vendetta.

I'm just cleaning up a
mistake made five years ago.

I already cleaned up
that mistake.

And how much did it cost you?

(SCOFFS)

Being wealthy is a curse.

Look, to these people
I was easy money.

Make up some
fantastic allegation.

Sure, Monty'll pay
rather than be ruined.

Your masseur told me about your
adventures in an ice-cream truck.

Do you have any idea what
kind of crowd would form

if I sat in the front seat?

I think you're
missing the point.

Look, I'm gonna save you
a little time here.

I like children. They make me happy.
I like to make them happy.

But I don't do anything without
their parents' approval.

I wouldn't hurt a child.

Before we get too excited,
there is the little matter

of the five years that have passed
since the Mireles kid's allegations.

Turns out the bell on the statute of
limitations rang three months ago.

That would be true if your
client hadn't continued to pay

the Mireleses for their silence.

That makes it an ongoing
conspiracy to commit a felony.

It was an out-of-court
settlement of a civil lawsuit.

There is no crime in that.

There is if the payment was
to not file criminal charges.

And if you don't think
a jury will buy that,

you better take a refresher
course in trial practice.

You're good.
But not good enough.

Before you start arguing
jurisdiction, the annual payments

were sent to the Mireleses
right here in New York County.

My motion to dismiss.

Sammy Mireles' deposition was
part of a sealed record.

It was on the Internet.

And how it got there,
nobody knows.

The fact is, it wasn't legally.

Bottom line,
it's not admissible.

Upyourbutt. Net?

I don't think that's what
Bill Gates had in mind.

You gotta love
the First Amendment.

It's not what you think.
That's comforting.

It's a website
like The Smoking Gun.

People post facts, figures,
theories about everything

from the Kennedy assassination
to vote counting in Florida.

In other words,
not-for-attribution nonsense.

Only the facts we're
talking about were uttered

by Sammy Mireles under oath,
in front of a court reporter.

Perhaps.

Upyourbutt. Net
is owned by RTQ Corp,

which is owned
by Parkman Technology,

which is owned by F-Tel,
a Fortune 500 company.

If it weren't true,

don't you think Monty would've
already filed suit for libel?

The material in question was on
a free-access Internet site.

It was available to the
public, it was in plain view.

For any police officer who happened
to be on a fishing expedition.

The detectives had
reason to believe...

They were investigating the
unfortunate and accidental death

of my client's baby.

Can I talk?

One of Mr. Bender's
employees told the police

that he was in the habit
of bringing young boys

to his country home
for illicit purposes.

Richard Gere, Tom Cruise,
John Travolta. All famous.

All subject to rumors.

Now, it's bad enough that a
lascivious public feels compelled

to involve themselves
in such slander.

The state shouldn't be
permitted to hop on board.

This is hardly a rumor, Your Honor.
It's a court document.

Which was sealed for a reason.

Then how did it get
onto the Internet?

That is the crux of my argument.

What is the purpose
of sealing a document

if any court employee
with a perverse grudge

can offer it up for all to see?

The fact is, it's
available to the public.

It should be available
to the state.

To read, sure. But not to use
as evidence in my courtroom.

The document's out.

Which leaves the state with no
evidence whatsoever against my client.

Mr. McCoy?

Given time...
That's what I thought.

Case dismissed.

I'm not surprised.
Excuse me?

Oh, come on, Jack.
How can we trust anything

on something
called upyourbutt. Net.

It was a legitimate
court document.

Well, if it's legitimate,
it was sealed for a reason.

An 11-year-old
certainly has the right

to keep the facts surrounding
his molestation private.

He also has the right
to go public if he wants.

You think Sammy
posted the document?

Somebody had to.

Man, why don't you people
get off my back?

I just have a few questions.

All of a sudden, Monty's
a part of my life.

After what he did to you...

Man, he didn't do anything.

My father wrote his flick.

Somehow I doubt that.

Look, I know that you sued Monty
for molesting you, Sammy.

What are you talking about?

I read it on the Internet.

How did it...

I was wondering
if you put it there.

Why would I do something
stupid like that?

Because it's tough keeping
something like that inside.

Because now that you're
older, you realize that

Monty should be punished.

I don't need a shrink, lady.

He should be punished
for he what he did to you.

I got over that a long time ago.

You were 11 when it happened.

I bet it was your parents...

Look, I don't know about your
parents, but mine love me.

If someone laid a hand on me, my
father would kill him himself.

So just leave me alone.

He's confused and angry.

I don't think he posted
the deposition.

So testifying against Bender
is out of the question.

I think he'd like it
if it all went quietly away.

And the wheel goes round.

He's a kid. He's
allowed to be selfish.

But the parents aren't.

Monty was paying them,
not Sammy.

They're part of the conspiracy.

You want to charge his
parents for molesting him?

I want someone to testify
against Monty Bender.

Call Van Buren.

Oh, let me get my husband.
BRISCOE: That's a good idea.

What...

Lucy Mireles, you're under
arrest for sexual abuse.

What? You have the right
to remain silent.

Stop! You're hurting me!
Anything you say

can be used against
you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney. If
you can't afford one, one will be...

What's going on?

You like prison movies?
I love them.

Write about what you know.

What are you talking about?

You're under arrest
for sexual abuse.

This is all a mistake.
Stay with Davey.

You have the right
to remain silent.

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

They pled not guilty and are threatening
to sue us for malicious prosecution.

Who's representing them?

You're gonna love this.

Something tells me
this isn't a coincidence.

Something tells me this is
your attempt at leverage.

There was a civil suit

between Sammy Mireles
and Monty Bender.

You cannot turn this
into a criminal case.

I guess we'll let a jury
decide that.

They accepted money to keep
this case away from the police.

That's not what happened.

Lucy, please. Okay.

You get a gold star
for creativity.

But you've still got
a problem of evidence.

Sammy's not gonna testify.
Monty's not gonna testify.

The deposition was
already tossed...

In the case against Monty.

He was a party
to the civil suit.

Sammy's parents weren't.

Why do you want to
ruin my son's life?

If you agree to testify

I guarantee that Monty Bender
will accept a deal.

Sammy will never see
the inside of a courtroom.

Well, that's a hell
of an assumption.

JACK: I see where
your loyalties lie, James.

I hope he's paying you more
than he paid his masseur.

No case,
start name calling, huh?

Mrs. Mireles, a horrible
thing happened to your son.

From where I sit,
this is not a tough choice.

Do you want justice
for your son,

or do you want to keep Monty
Bender in the pedophilia business,

with a nice hunk of his
earnings coming your way?

Then again, perhaps this
is a tough choice for you.

But trust me,

the D.A.'s office is not
going to let this go away.

Don't say a word, Lucy.
What?

He offered to pay you
more money?

Bastard.
No, John.

Do you want to know
why we took his money?

Lucy.

Our youngest son, he's sick.

He was born with
a deformed heart.

We didn't have insurance. We
couldn't pay the doctor's bills.

We had to take his money. Davey
would have died if we didn't.

What would any parent have done?

(CRYING)

So, Mrs. McGillicutty
had two boys.

One sat on
the front porch all day,

and the other one
went out and did the hunting

for food, for dinner.

The war between the states broke out,
and one day the sarge showed up,

knocked on the door and says,
"I'm sorry, ma'am,

"but I'm going to have to take one
of your sons into battle with me.

"It's your choice."
What did she do?

It's hardly the same thing.

Well, she looked the old
sarge straight in the eye,

and without hesitating
for a second, said,

"You know, my husband's down by
the fishing pond. Take him."

Now, that's natural.
That's human.

These people sacrificed
one boy for the other.

At least they're both alive.

We're prosecutors, Serena,
not social workers.

This is great. I'm the only one in
this room who doesn't have a kid.

Why am I the only one
who understands

the impossible position
these people were in?

The reason someone commits a
criminal act is irrelevant.

You can't honestly say
you wouldn't have done

the exact same thing if these
were your grandchildren.

I wouldn't have let
my grandchildren play

with a 35-year-old stranger.

Please. They couldn't have
known what would happen.

This wasn't parenting,

it was monstrous indifference.

There's one kid dead.

Which, as far as we can
tell, was an accident.

Besides, it had nothing
to do with the Mireleses.

"Monstrous indifference."
I like that.

We'd drive by schoolyards, playgrounds,
places we knew kids would be.

In the ice-cream truck?

That's right.
I'd sell the ice cream.

And what did Mr. Bender do while
you were serving the kids?

He had this little compartment
off to the side of the counter,

and he had holes drilled
into the side of the truck

so he could watch.

The kids?

Yes.

And what would typically
happen after that?

If there was a boy he liked,

he would signal to me.

Then I would leave the truck

and I'd get friendly
with the parents,

and I'd tell them that Monty
would like to invite them

and their son to his
estate in the Berkshires.

Was Sammy Mireles
one of these kids?

Yes.

So you spoke to his parents?

His mother.

And what did you tell her?

That Monty liked
to help out city kids.

That he wanted to give her son
a weekend in the country.

Did she accept?
Yes.

So the next weekend, I drove Mrs.
Mireles and Sammy

up to Monty's estate.

Monty had this big meal ready.

Stuff all kids would like.

Pizza, ice cream, candy.

And then after, he took
Sammy into his playroom,

and I took his mom on a tour.

Did she express
any concern whatsoever?

No. She seemed just happy
to be out of the city.

What was in the playroom?

Every game you could imagine.

Anything else?

A bed.

Did you ever accompany Mr. Bender
and Sammy into the playroom?

No.

So you never actually saw
what when on?

No.

So as far as you know,

Sammy and Mr. Bender may have
actually played video games.

I guess.

Did Mrs. Mireles ever set
foot in the playroom?

No.

Why wouldn't I go up there?

It was dirty and hot
and disgusting in the city.

So this was just a little
getaway for the weekend?

Yes. Mostly for Sammy. He
begged me to let him go.

Did he want to go without you?

That was out of the question.

My husband and I discussed it,

and he said I deserved a little
time away from our baby.

So you didn't see anything off-color in Mr.
Bender's invitation?

Of course not. He seemed
like a nice man. Famous.

I had no reason
not to trust him.

So when did you first learn that

Mr. Bender allegedly touched
your son inappropriately?

The next morning.

I slept in a big guest bedroom.

Sammy slept in the playroom.

And what happened?

I went looking for Sammy,
and I couldn't find him.

He was locked in a bathroom.

I thought I heard him crying.

Did he tell you why?

He said he didn't
like Monty anymore.

He said Monty touched him
in bad places.

And what did you do after that?

I found Monty,

and I asked him how
he could do such a thing.

And when we got home,
my husband said we should sue.

Now, you eventually dropped
the lawsuit, isn't that true?

Yes.

Sammy told us that things really didn't
happen the way he said in his deposition.

It wasn't really
that bad, he said.

He didn't want to follow
through with the lawsuit,

and that's when Mr. Bender
agreed to give us the money.

So you never went to the police.

I knew it was wrong,
but our son Davey,

the doctors said that he would
need at least three operations.

We had no way to pay for it.

They said he would die
if we didn't do something.

And Mr. Bender's money
paid for those operations?

That's right.
Eight of them.

You didn't think
it was strange that

a man in his thirties wanted to
play with your 11-year-old son?

No. Why would I?

Who thinks about those things
with someone like Mr. Bender?

I see.

Did you let Sammy walk
to school by himself?

Of course not.

Go to the movies?
No.

A ball game?
No.

Why not?

Because something could happen.

A stranger might hurt him.

This was different.

Why?
Because he's famous?

Yes.

Because he's rich?

We saw him on TV and movies.

We felt like we knew him.

I don't really see the
distinction, but that's okay.

Now, you say you took the money

to get medical treatment
for your younger son.

Is that right?
Yes.

And all you had to do
was drop the suit

and not notify the police.

What happened to Sammy happened.

There was nothing
I could do about it.

I needed the money.
You needed the money?

What about Sammy?
Wasn't he the victim here?

Tell me, where were you living
when you first met Mr. Bender?

119th and First.

Spanish Harlem.

Where do you live now?

Riverside Drive.

Certainly moving up
in the world.

Objection.
Withdrawn.

What did your husband
do for a living back then?

He washed dishes.

And now?

He goes to school.

So it appears that your sick son

isn't the only one who benefited from Mr.
Bender's generosity.

We never would have touched his
money if Davey didn't need it.

I see. You're just
collaterally venal.

Objection, Your Honor.

JACK: Withdrawn.

I was 11. It was the greatest
place I'd ever seen.

So you enjoyed yourself?

Sure. At first.

What changed?

I mean, I had a great time.

Monty had every toy
and game in the world.

We played until late.

And then what happened?

I fell asleep.

That's not what you told
your mother, is it?

No.

GRANICK: Why were you locked
in the bathroom crying?

I had such a good time.

I thought about Davey,
and I got sad.

Well, why didn't you
tell that to your mother?

Because I heard her cry herself
to sleep every night about Davey.

I didn't want
to make her sadder.

GRANICK: So
you made up a story?

In school they taught us
to watch out for perverts.

It was the first thing
I could think of.

Did you tell this to
Detectives Briscoe and Green

when they interviewed you?

SAMMY: No.

A.D.A. Southerlyn?
No.

Why not?

I don't know.

But you're telling it now

because you don't want your
parents to go to jail?

That's what happened.

Did you ever tell
your parents the truth?

No. I didn't want them
to give back the money.

We needed it for Davey.

For Davey, I know.

If Monty actually
did this stuff to me,

why would I stay
two more nights?

We didn't leave
until Monday night.

Hell, why not stay
the whole week?

I had school.

So you were having enough fun

to miss one day, but not five?

It was Labor Day weekend. There
was no school on Monday.

Did you ever receive
any of Mr. Bender's money?

It was for Davey.

But you were going to college...

Your Honor, may I resume
my cross tomorrow?

JUDGE: Any objections,
Mr. Granick?

No, Judge.

Court is recessed
until tomorrow.

(BANGS GAVEL)

When was the first check
written to the Mireleses?

August 27th, 1997.

Round them all up.

JACK: Okay.

I think everyone in this room has
a right to know what's going on.

Jack, you're losing. I'm the one
who should be acting arrogant.

The weekend you spent
at Bender's estate,

you're sure
it was Labor Day weekend?

That's what I said.

You don't want to
check your calendar?

SAMMY: What's
he talking about?

While you're at it, you might
want to explain perjury to him.

I know what it is.
I'm telling the truth.

No, you're not.

But that's irrelevant right now.

Sammy,

your parents were
paid a million dollars

the week before you
went up to Monty's estate.

No way.

Let's go.

SERENA: The check was
dated August 27th.

Labor Day in '97
was September 1st.

That has nothing to do
with anything.

You sold me?

It wasn't like that.

What was it like?

It was only one time,
Sammy. We did it for Davey.

What about me!

I was 11 years old. You knew
what he was gonna do to me!

You weren't going to die.

What do you call this?

We'll talk about this later.

Like hell.

Can I testify again?

He wanted to have
a pillow fight.

JACK: Where were you?

He called it the playroom.

It was fun.

Until?

He kind of tackled me

onto the bed

and started rubbing me all over.

Did you tell him to stop?

I was 11.

I didn't know what to do.

I didn't want to
make him feel bad.

He kept telling me
how much he loved me.

He rubbed my hair over and over
and said that I was beautiful.

What else do you remember?

There was, like,
this tile ceiling.

I remember staring at it.

The way the light hit it,
I could see stuff,

like faces looking back at me.

So, I stared at the faces
the whole time.

The whole time what?

The whole time

he did oral sex to me.

And after that?

We had ice cream.

I saw my mother
look into the kitchen.

I called out to her,
but she wouldn't come in.

The next morning, when you
told your mom what happened,

what did she say?

She told me to keep
my mouth shut.

That this was our only chance.

She knew.

She set the whole thing up.

She knew exactly what
he was gonna do to me

before he did it.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
have you reached a verdict?

Yes, Your Honor, we have.

On the sole count of
the indictment,

Conspiracy to Commit Sexual
Abuse in the First Degree,

how do you find?

We find the defendants,
John and Lucy Mireles,

guilty as charged.

Monty was arrested, charged with
sexual abuse, and denied bail.

All in front of a phalanx
of paparazzi, I hope.

Phalanx and a half.

At last we have someone
to testify against him.

Looks like being rich and famous
doesn't get you as far as it used to.

The Mireleses knew
it might come to this

when they made their choice.

No, Jack, I don't think that they
thought they were going to go to jail.

The one thing I can't
get out of my head is

that they did this
to keep their kid alive,

and now he's going to have
to grow up without them.

He's better off.