All language subtitles for Law and order S15E08 - Cry Wolf

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.

Just think what a disaster it would
be if the Cubs ever won the Series.

You mean for the fans?

What would they talk about? The whole
Cub culture's based on failure.

Like the Red Sox.

But look at the success they've had last
couple of years winning the wild card.

They're flirting
with disaster.

Well, now that Boston's actually
won the whole enchilada?

Catastrophe.
Huge.

Beantown implodes...
Watch it.

(CRASHING)

ED: Looks like everybody
came out for this one.

FONTANA: Keep this area clean and try
and remember it's a crime scene, okay?

Shot once in the
left love handle.

Was he a likely?

He was still running
his mouth pretty good

when they took him
away in the bus.

While he was shooting
his mouth off,

did he happen to
mention who shot him?

On that point,
he was not forthcoming.

Witnesses?

Those two over there.

Said he fell or was dumped out of the
back of a black Lincoln Town Car.

A car service?

Maybe, but we got
no plate number.

FONTANA: Well, do we at least
have a name on the victim?

You're gonna love this.
Cristof.

Is that a first name
or a last name?

And only.

Cristof? The shock jock?

Cristof from the
Ministers of Justice?

You ever listen to his show?
No,you?

You couldn't pay me. Too bad he's not
likely, you know what I'm saying?

I'd love to see Homicide
catch this case.

I guess he don't
like Cristof.

Ministers of Justice. The subway
vigilantes? The ones with the hats?

Yeah, you remember them?

Yeah, they had
a branch in Chicago.

Pains in the asses. Always getting
in the way of the real police.

Some people thought
they were angels.

Yeah, angels
with dirty records.

Guy has his
own talk show?

Yeah. Now he gets paid
to shoot his mouth off.

Well, looks like somebody
finally shot back.

So, we called the hospital.
They already patched him up

and they're gonna
send him home tomorrow.

Go talk to him. See if he's got
any idea who might've done this.

Excuse me, Lieutenant,
but why?

Unless this guy dies, and it
doesn't look like he's gonna,

don't we send this one
back to the squad?

Not yet. He's got
a history of this.

Okay, history of what? Am
I missing something here?

That's right.
Back in the day,

he staged an attack on himself
as a publicity stunt.

He had himself shot
as a publicity stunt?

Jumped. Happened
a couple of times.

This was, like,
before I was on.

Like 15, 20 years ago,

in the height of the
Ministers of Justice craze.

They were on the news
every single day.

Cristof was on the news
every single day.

Yeah, fighting crime
in the subways.

Protecting the public
because the police couldn't.

Made us look bad.

And of course there was always
a cameraman on the scene

and it always ended up
on the 10:00 news.

So Cristof had himself mugged
and the muggings were staged?

We all thought so.

Well, a mugging
is one thing.

But even for a publicity
whore, you'd have to be

pretty desperate to have somebody
shoot a hole through you.

Agreed. That's why
I want you guys

to investigate this like it's
a genuine attempted murder,

and if it's not...
Put a stop to it.

All right.
All right.

Detective Green,
Detective Fontana.

We're here to
talk to Cristof.

Oh, he's in the day room
having a press conference.

Press conference?

Thank you.

Nothing like a speedy
recovery, right?

I guess.

(REPORTERS CLAMORING)

All right,
listen. Listen!

I've been walking the walk and talking
the talk in this town for two decades.

If they think they're
gonna back me down now,

they don't
know Cristof.

REPORTER 1: Who's the "they"
you're talking about, Cristof?

REPORTER 2: Who shot you? Back down
from who? REPORTER 3: The mob?

You listen to my show.

You know who I been
ragging on recently.

Michael Ruffino.

The Zircon Don himself.

REPORTER 4: Police
have any suspects?

Not yet.
But we're working on it.

So if you will excuse us,
ladies and gentlemen,

we have a shooting
to investigate.

Thank you very much.
Have a nice day.

Excuse me.

Please excuse us, ma'am.

That's my wife, Liz.

We'd like to talk to Cristof
alone, if you don't mind.

It's okay, honey.

I'm right outside
if you need me.

Is it something we said?

She doesn't like cops.

Really?

We heard it runs
in the family.

I get the feeling
the feeling is mutual.

But while you're here...

Yeah, since we're here, why don't
you tell us what went down?

Why don't you buy me
a cup of coffee?

Sure.

I finish my show.

I jump in the car
to go home,

everything's like
normal, right?

Then the guy riding
shotgun turns around,

pulls out a piece, points
it right at me. (LAUGHS)

I nearly browned out
in my Bermudas.

There were two guys
in the front seat?

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, the second one
said he was, like, a limo trainee.

So what'd you do?

I dropped my cell phone
and grabbed the gun.

ED: Damn.
That was pretty gutsy.

Let me tell ya,
if I hadn't,

we'd be down
at the morgue

and you'd be doing all the
talking, I guarantee.

Can you describe
these guys?

White. You know, heavyset.
You know, mugs.

The driver guy had a scar
behind his right ear.

Ajag, kind of
like a blade makes.

You mentioned
Michael Ruffino.

Now, what would the last big mob
boss in New York wanna hit you for?

'Cause I tell it
like it is on my show,

and frankly, he can't
handle the truth.

Which is what?

That he's a heavyweight drug dealer.
Scum of the earth.

Not fit to breathe
other people's air.

Well, did Ruffino ever
threaten you directly?

He tried to have his punk
kid come around the studio

to brace me one time
while I was doing the show.

Michael Jr.?
Mmm.

What'd he say?

He said, "You better watch your
mouth, you know what's good for you."

I said, "Hey, Mikey, you're on the air.
You wanna take some calls?"

Sent him home to daddy with
his tail between his legs.

Well, is there anybody else beside
Ruffino that we should be looking at?

I rubbed a lot of important people
the wrong way over the years.

Okay. So let's start with the
name of that limo company.

We usually pick him up every
afternoon, drive him home.

Varies. Anytime
between 2:00 and 6:00.

Someone from the studio gives
us a call when he's good to go.

What time were you supposed to
pick him up the day he got shot?

Uh, 3:15.

So what happened that day?
Why didn't you pick him up?

Somebody called back at 3:20.
Canceled the ride.

Who?

Doesn't say. "Something came up.
Client to make other arrangements."

Thanks a lot.

Yeah, I called the limo
service that day.

Told them Cristof
was ready to roll.

But I didn't cancel it.
Any idea who did?

You mean who set
him up to get shot?

No. Sorry.

Do you think the
shooting was legit?

I think Cristof would do just about
anything to get his name in the papers.

Promote his show.

Cristof said that there were two big
white dudes in a black Lincoln Town Car.

Whitestone
might've seen them.

He and Cristof walked up
outta here together.

Wait, Whitestone?

Yep.

Jarret Whitestone.

Jarret Whitestone,
the martial arts dude?

The Lethal Muscle
man himself.

Lethal Muscle? I saw that movie.
It was a stinker.

The man done lost it.

He was Cristof's guest
on the show that day.

The two of them
were on a roll,

ripping and riffing
the whole hour.

Who were they
ripping and riffing on?

Michael Ruffino, mostly.
They tore him a new one.

We sent out a Finest message
on the driver, the shooter

and a banged up
Lincoln Town Car.

We wanna talk to Whitestone so he can give
us a better description of the two guys,

but his PR person keeps
giving us the run around.

Well, what's
your gut so far?

Well, he could
have set it up.

It was minimal tissue damage,
through and through wound.

So it was probably
a full jacket.

Well, a hollow-point
would've stayed in the body.

On the other hand, he's not the most
popular guy in New York City, either.

Loudmouth, obnoxious shockjock.
What's not to like?

Well, he's definitely
back in the news.

He was in the tabloids
again this morning.

Yeah, I saw it.

Look, before you talk
to Ruffino or Whitestone,

see if you can find any of
Cristof's old running buddies.

Maybe they have a line on
what went down the other day.

Us and C, we ran together,
what, eight, nine years?

Yeah. First it felt good,

like we were
doing some good.

Giving people without
some hope.

Getting kids protecting the community
instead of ripping it off.

So what changed?

Cristof changed.

He started getting
a big head.

Yeah, all he wanted to see was his name
in the papers and his face on the news.

You're talking about
the muggings?

Those were a setup, man.

We were trying to get some
publicity for the Ministers.

His idea. Cristof's.

But y'all were in on it?

PEDRO: Oh, yeah.
Start to finish.

I broke his nose the first time.
(LAUG HS)

Man, was he pissed!

"Why'd you have to hit me so
hard?" I thought he was gonna cry.

So when we heard
he got shot...

We figured he did it to get
back in the limelight.

See, Cristof. .. Yeah, he wants
to take his show national,

like that Rush Limbaugh.

All he talks about.

Well, a mugging is one
thing, but a shooting?

I could see it.
Flesh wound?

Only somebody who's
never been shot

can talk about a flesh wound
like it's no big deal,

which it definitely is
when it's your flesh.

Yeah, well, see, you're a cop.
You know about these things.

But Cristof?
What does he know?

All he knows is what he got off
TV and the movies and stuff.

The whole Ministers
of Justice thing,

that was straight
outta the comic books.

Hey, those muggings were on
the square, man. I got beat.

I got the scars to
prove it, all right?

The Gonzalez brothers, they say that you
staged those muggings for publicity.

Sour grapes. Cristof
made it, they didn't.

Oh, come on. You take a bullet at
close range and all you lose is

some fat on one of
your love handles?

What is that
all about, anyway?

I think it's a little
homemade liposuction myself.

He got shot,
for God's sake.

You've always
had it in for him.

Since the day he started
the Ministers of Justice.

It's all right,
it's all right, honey.

Next time they try
and I'm dead,

then they'll believe me.

The day you got shot,

you left the studio and
went straight to your car?

That's right.

Now, your assistant said that you
were walking with Jarret Whitestone?

He was a guest
on my show that day.

Yeah, we're gonna
wanna talk to him.

Good. Talk to him.

Who do you want me
to make it out to?

How about to all the boys
down at the Homicide Unit?

I never killed anyone.

Except on film,
of course.

Hey, you were at Cristof's
studio the day he got shot?

I do his show
now and then.

A local talk show? Big-shot
movie star such as yourself?

It may be local,
but believe me,

people talk about it
the next day.

Did you see the two dudes
that picked him up?

Couple of palookas
in suits.

They didn't ask you
for your autograph?

Trust me, these guys,
not star-struck.

All they do is drive
celebrities all day long.

It's unbelievable.

We heard that you and Cristof were
raking Michael Ruffino over the coals.

Ah, Ruffino was
Cristof's hobbyhorse.

I didn't go there.

We have to make sure we ask Ruffino
if he caught the show that day.

No need to
mention my name.

You're not worried,
are you?

I mean, you could always
pull one of those, um,

really groovy kung fu moves
that you use in the pictures.

Yeah, that's gonna go over
real well with Ruffino's

soldiers with them
semiautomatics.

I love your work, man.

ED". Mr. Ruffino?

Don't bother, gentlemen.
No need.

I can spot New York's
finest a mile away.

Take a shower.

What can I do for you?

Yeah, we need to talk
to you about Cristof.

Yeah, I heard he was
spreading it around

that I had something
to do with that mess.

Well, did you?

(SCOFFS) Please.
What do I care about him?

We heard he was
busting your onions

pretty good on that
radio show of his.

You know, I listen
to Howard Stern.

What about your son?

Cristof told us he came
by the studio one day.

You know, Mikey Jr. took offense to
something the jerk said about me.

I told him
forget about it.

Yeah? We still need
to talk to him.

You knock yourself out.
He lives in Miami.

I'll give you
his number, huh?

Look, if I wanted that fat
little mozzarella off the air,

you really think I would
arrange something

as half-assed as what
went down the other day?

Did you?

(CHUCKLES)

Man, I hate to admit it,
but the old man's right.

That ain't
really his style.

No. Michael Ruffino's
enemies have a history

of just disappearing
off the face of the earth.

Although, if you could get
DNA from skyscrapers,

I'm sure you could find a few of
them in Midtown, (CELL PHONE RINGS)

mixed in with
a little concrete.

Hello?

Yeah?

Okay. We'll check it out.

Speaking of the mob, we got a
shooting at a mob pizzeria.

Why call us?

The detective on the scene
heard our Finest message.

The victim's got ajagged
scar behind his right ear.

Could it be this little bastard
is telling us the truth?

Frank Tourno.

He's the owner?
Yeah.

Not that he ever
twirled any dough.

He's a made guy, member
of the Ruffino family.

What happened here?

Witnesses say a couple of
white guys walked in,

ordered a calzone, then
told everybody to freeze,

double-tapped Frankie twice
in the back of the head.

(CELL PHONE RINGS)
Excuse me.

See that scar?

Mmm, that could definitely
be Cristof's driver.

That doesn't necessarily mean that
this is connected to that, does it?

But if it is, and this
is payback for Tourno

and his friend messing
up the Cristofjob...

Then we're waiting for the
other shoe to drop? Exactly.

Looks like one of those days.
Now what?

Same MO downtown,
by the university.

That noise you hear, by the
way, is the other shoe.

I'll meet you down there.
All right, man.

Witness said two guys walked
up to him on the sidewalk,

popped him twice,
jumped in awaiting car.

You got a make and
a model on the car?

And a plate number.

Oh, rock on.
Good work, bro.

Great work. Car's stolen,
plates are stolen

and it's being stripped for parts in a
chop shop in the Bronx as we speak.

No doubt.

What'd you find out, bro?

Victim's name is
Angelo Simonetti.

I called my ex-partner,
works Organized Crime,

said Simonetti
is not a made guy,

but he is a known
Ruffino associate.

He doesn't look like
an outfit guy to me.

Guess Cristof was telling the truth.
They were trying to whack him,

they blew it, now
Ruffino's cleaning house.

I've known plenty of mobsters,
and I haven't met one yet

who carried around a copy oi A
History of Western Civilization.

In a backpack, no less.

The phone call
to the car service

that canceled
Cristof's pick-up

was made from a payphone
on Elizabeth Street.

Hey, that's not so far from
the Ruffino Social Club.

We also got the
number of the woman

who called Cristof's cell
just before he was shot.

You're thinking she was
part of the setup?

Well, she may have been
a distraction or a signal.

Anyway,
her name's Tina Reese.

She owns a gallery.

Okay.

TINA: I don't
know Cristof.

You called him
on his cell.

You were talking to him
when he got shot.

Look, Miss Reese, if you were
having an affair with Cristof,

that's your business.

All we're looking for is any help
that we can get on who shot him.

I'm not having
an affair.

I must've dialed
awrong number.

Now, if you'll excuse me.
ED: Okay, Tina, stop!

Come here.

Over the last month, you dialed
the same wrong number 36 times,

so you have been talking
to Cristof at length.

And he's called you
numerous times also.

Now, I can understand you wanting to be
discreet. He's a married man and all.

(slsl-ls) It's...

It's not his wife
I'm worried about.

It's my boyfriend.

Well, who's
your boyfriend?

Man, of all the women in New York City you
could've stepped out on your wife with,

you chose a mob
boss's mistress?

I met her first.

About eight years ago
at her gallery.

I fell for her hard.

We've been seeing each other
off and on ever since.

Must've thrilled
your wife to no end.

She thinks it ended
a few years ago.

You know Tina was seeing
Ruffino, too, right?

I didn't like it.

But I was in no position
to tell her what to do.

Does he know about you?

I don't think so.
Wait a minute.

You don't think that's why he might've
tried to bump me off, do you?

Hmm, let me take a guess.

Yeah, it's a thought.

Well, no way.
She would never do that.

This is about what I said about
him on my radio show, all right?

All right. Anyway,

take a look at this.

That's the driver.

ED: You sure?

You kidding me? Where you
gonna see a scar like that?

Who is he?

That's Frank Tourno. He's
one of Ruffino's soldiers.

Ruffino's soldier?

They put two in his cod.

Why?

I'm just spitballing here,

but I'm thinking maybe it's because
they botched the job on you.

ED: Look at this one.

Nah, sorry.

ED: He's not the shooter?

The guy who shot me
was bigger, older, fatter.

This guy, I never
laid eyes on before.

Then who the hell is this?

Angelo was a good boy.

Everybody liked him.

He was kind,

thoughtful.

(SOBBING)

My Angelo had
a head for books.

He was gonna make
something of himself.

FONTANA: Mrs. Simonetti,
we're very sorry.

And I don't mean any
disrespect by this, but...

Say what you have to say.

We have some information

that your son, Angelo,
was somehow

involved with the
Ruffino crime family.

So that's what
this is about.

I was afraid of this.

Soon as I heard.

So you know something
about this, ma'am?

They shot the wrong Angelo!

His older second cousin
is the one they were after!

His name is
Angelo Simonetti also.

He runs with the Ruffinos.
He's the gangster!

Not my Angelo.

(SOBBING)

Mrs. Simonetti?

Do you know where this other
Angelo Simonetti lives?

Oh, no.

Sorry, no.

Excuse me, ma'am, if you
don't mind me asking,

where'd you get
this photo?

Oh. His Uncle Carlo
gave it to him.

Angelo loved
that man's movies.

Uncle Carlo?

Carlo Tresca.

He's a producer.

He and Mr. Whitestone
did a movie together.

The mob produced
Whitestone's last picture?

Uh-huh. Pinochle Pictures,
owned by Carlo Tresca.

One of Michael
Ruffino's capos.

So, was Whitestone aware of
who he was in business with?

Well, he had to be. His telephone
records indicate hundreds of calls

to Tresca and other Ruffino
associates during the last year.

There was one more call to
that Elizabeth Street payphone

the day that
Cristof got shot.

The one where the car
service was canceled?

Mmm-hmm. The timeline works, too.
The studio called the car service,

and then Whitestone
called the payphone.

After they hung up, somebody from
the payphone calls the car service,

cancels Cristof's ride.

And then they tried
to cancel Cristof.

So they were smart enough
to use the payphone,

but Whitestone
uses his own cell?

He's an actor.

Well, Mr. Whitestone's
got some explaining to do.

The Ruffinos financed
the picture.

The movie tanked.
lowed them money,

a lot more than
I could ever pay back.

ED: So what did Tresca ask
you to do to repay the debt?

Get close to Cristof.

Fill him in on his
comings and goings.

So, then on that day?

I called Tourno
at the payphone.

Tourno canceled his car and
picked Cristof up himself.

You knew what
he was gonna do?

(SIGHS) I had an idea.

Did Tourno tell you why
he wanted him hurt?

He was sleeping with
Michael Ruffino's mistress.

Oh, so you knew that, too?

Everybody knew.

Worst kept secret
in New York. Page 6.

"What New York radio personality is
seeing which goodfella's girlfriend?"

Who ordered the hit?

Had to be Ruffino.

Come on, things like that don't happen
without the boss signing off on them.

Mr. Whitestone, I hope you got a
whole lot of scripts to read because

you're looking at some
serious jail time.

You think so, huh?

Think of it as research
for your next part.

Only, if I were you,

lwouldn't write
any roles for women.

What now?

Michael Ruffino, you're under
arrest for attempted murder.

For whom?
Whom?

Cristof, that's whom.

I had nothing
to do with that.

I'll make bail before
youse get home tonight.

Don't sleep too easy, 'cause we're still
looking at you for the murders of

Angelo Simonetti
and Frank Tourno.

You know those knuckleheads you hired
killed the wrong Angelo Simonetti?

What?
Yeah.

Now you're gonna have to hire
some more to fix that one.

Just can't find good help these
days, can ya, Mikey boy?

Charge?

Conspiracy to commit murder,
Your Honor.

JUDGE: Plea?

Mr. Ruffino enters a plea of not
guilty and requests bail, YourHonoL

The People seek remand,
Your Honor.

Mr. Ruffino has dual
citizenship with Italy

and the resources
not only to flee,

but to finish off what he
started with Mr. Cristof.

Mr. Ruffino had absolutely nothing to
do whatsoever with shooting Cristof.

He's a mob boss...
Alleged.

...who's currently under investigation
for two murders related to this case.

Charge him with an actual
murder or two, Miss Southerlyn,

and I'll be
happy to remand.

You got your bail, Counselor, but
it's gonna cost ya. Million bucks.

Your Honor, that's no
deterrent to flight.

What about house arrest
or an electronic bracelet?

Now that's a little extreme,
Miss Southerlyn.

How about Mr. Ruffino
surrenders his passports?

Both of them.

(GAVEL BANGS)

You weren't gonna get remand
on a conspiracy charge.

Well, I had to try. At least
I got his passports pulled.

You have time for lunch?

No, I'm actually on my way to
prep Jarret Whitestone for trial.

Remind him that part of his
plea agreement is that

he be forthcoming about all his
dealings with the Ruffinos.

You don't trust him?

Gone? What do
you mean gone?

Left this morning.

Said he had a movie
to shoot overseas,

gone for a few months,
would I hold the mail.

Where overseas?

Asia, somewhere.
Thailand.

Or maybe it was Taiwan.

I googled him. According to the
trade papers, he's making a movie

about Tibetan Buddhism
in Mongolia.

Correct me if I'm wrong,
but Whitestone is the link

that connects
the victim to Ruffino?

Yes. He's the one who placed the
call to Tourno to set Cristof up.

Tourno being the dead driver
who botched the Cristofjob?

And a known
Ruffino associate.

And the whereabouts of this other
mobster, the one who shot Cristof?

Angelo Simonetti?

He's disappeared. We don't know if
he's in hiding or if he's dead.

Will Miss Reese testify?

Against Ruffino?
(PHONE RINGS)

Branch.

I don't need her to
testify against Ruffino.

If she talks about
how wonderful he is

and how long they've been
seeing each other...

She makes
our case for us.

Michael Ruffino
found out that Cristof

was having an affair with her
and tried to eliminate him.

But what if she
won't cooperate?

Well, you don't need to worry about
Tina Reese's testimony anymore.

ED". Who found her?

Her assistant, about 9:00
this morning.

Cause of death?
Plastic bag over her head,

empty bottles of pills,
couple shots of bourbon.

Hmm, that'll do it.
She leave a note?

Still in the printer.

Hey, this morning, was the
door locked or unlocked?

According to the
assistant, locked.

How about
the victim's keys?

In her purse.

Hmm, sounds open
and shut to me.

Picture perfect.
See for yourselves.

Wow. What do we got here?

Well, I'll tell you
what it looks like.

Looks like she dissolved most of a bottle
of tranquilizers in a glass of bourbon,

chugged it, put a bag over her
head, suffocated herself to death.

Well, you're right.
That's what it looks like.

Well, we won't know for certain
until we get her on the table,

run a tox screen,
etcetera, etcetera.

Ah, here's the note.

Let's see.

"I don't deserve to live. I hurt the
only man who ever truly loved me.

"I'm sorry. Tina."

Anything here that says
this isn't a suicide?

Well, bruise
on her forehead.

But that's consistent with passing
out, hitting her head on the desk.

You got a time
of death?

Between rigor, lividity
and body temp,

I'd say about
9:00 last night.

Thank you.
FONTANA: All right, thanks.

We're not gonna find anyone
else's prints on that note.

Like the man said,
picture perfect.

You don't believe that,
do you?

Oh, hell no.

Neither do I.

I met her at the gallery
about five years ago.

When was the last
time you saw her?

Jesus, last weekend.
We had dinner.

What'd you talk about?

I don't know.

Stuff. This and that.

How can you remember?

You have a fight?

Nah, hardly. Uh, after
dinner, I took her home.

Her assistant said that you two
were having some problems.

No, no, never.
No, it's news to me.

Uh, on the other hand,
you know broads.

They get mad at you, half the
time, you're the last to know.

I mean, she was always
breaking up with me.

Mmm, why?

I knew I'd never
leave my wife.

Just for the record, where
were you last night?

I had dinner at Chanterelle with
Shirley and another couple.

All evening.

I thought this
was a suicide.

Well, it's an
apparent suicide.

There's nothing
official yet.

Not until we say
it's official.

You don't like me
for this, do you?

I don't like you, period.

But for this,
you tell me,

who else should we like?

I don't know.
I really don't.

Do you think she could've
done this to herself?

No. I never would've
thought so, no.

Hey, you know she was
seeing Cristof, too?

That's a lie!

Uh-huh. The same time
you were. Ciao.

I'm telling you, I thought the
guy was gonna have an aneurysm.

If he already knew about Cristof and
Tina, he's a pretty good actor.

Look, I'm notjumping
to any conclusions,

but I'm not buying his act
right off the rack, either.

Ladies.
Detectives.

ED: Hey, Miss Southerlyn,
Doctor.

What do we got?

Miss Reese had enough
Valium in her system,

combined with the
alcohol, to kill her.

Certainly would have
rendered her unconscious.

So what was the
cause of death?

Suffocation. Before the pills and
alcohol could take full effect.

You mean it was suicide?

The bruise
on her forehead?

As you might expect, she has a
corresponding injury to her frontal lobe.

So she passed out, fell
forward and hit her head.

No, her head was thrown
forward into the desk.

How do you know that?

The brain bounced
inside the skull,

and left a corresponding
injury to the occipital lobe.

It's what we call
a contrecoup injury.

So, somebody comes up from
behind, grabs her by the hair.

Yeah, bang,
the light goes out,

and then somebody pours a booze and
pill cocktail down her throat.

I'm calling it a homicide.

I think that's
a very good call.

Ruffino's the only one who
could benefit from her death.

I hate these mob cases.

Collateral damage, like Tina
Reese and the young Simonetti.

If we can put Ruffino away, he's
just about the last don standing.

Maybe we're worried about the wrong missing
witness. Forget Jarret Whitestone.

The man who shot Cristof, the right Angelo
Simonetti, is still out there someplace.

Assuming he's not in that mob
graveyard over in Queens.

You know, I think the only person we haven't
interviewed about Angelo Simonetti yet

is his grandmother
in Bay Ridge.

Have Fontana and Green
check it out.

(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

Do I need to translate
that for you?

No, I think I caught
the gist of that.

Tell her that it
would be better

if we found her grandson
first before Ruffino does.

(CURSING IN ITALIAN)
(SPITS)

Don Ruffi no, sf.

(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

And don't think
for one second

that I buy into this "I don't
speak English" routine.

(BOTH SPEAKING ITALIAN)

Excuse me, ma'am, but who do you
know in Washington Heights?

No offense, grandma, but
I'm sure you ain't got

a whole lot of
Dominican friends.

Look at that name
and that zip code.

Yeah.

And how about that?
No return address.

Warrant.

She know that word,
don't she?

Yeah, and here's two more.
No problem.

Because I'm staying right here while
my friend goes and gets a warrant,

just in case you get the urge
to talk to your grandson.

(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

ANGELO: Yeah?
Who is it?

Angelo Simonetti?

What do you want?

NYPD, open the door.

Show me a badge.

Okay. Coming out.

Nice and easy, Angelo,
with your hands up.

I'm gonna open the door now.
Don't shoot.

I ain't armed.

We been wanting to
talk to you, Angelo.

Pleasure would be mine.

Thank God you're cops.
(SIGHS IN RELIEF)

For a minute there,
thought I was a dead man.

All right, come on.
Let's go.

Son of a bitch
tries to kill me

and the morons he hires kill
my little cousin instead?

You want us to help you
put Ruffino away?

What are you
looking for?

Full immunity
and protection.

Your client shot Cristof. He's
got to plead to something.

Assault. Second Degree. He gets
probation, you get Michael Ruffino.

I'll talk to the US Attorney
about witness protection.

Frankie Tourno and I were
supposed to take out Cristof.

What went wrong?

ANGELO: What didn't?

Cristof was on his cell,
totally distracted.

I pulled my piece, I turned around
to plug him, just at that moment,

Frank hits a pothole, my first
shot goes into the roof.

So that's when Cristof
grabbed the gun.

Yeah. We wrestle around, I fire a
few more times, I hit him once.

Frankie slams into some parked
cars, the door flies open,

Cristof falls out.

Complete fiasco.

Who wanted him hit?

Don Ruffino.

He found out Tina was stepping
out on him with Cristof.

He told you that?

Nah.

He never tells nobody
nothing directly.

I got my marching orders from
Tourno, who got his from Mikey Jr.

Tourno's dead.
There's no way to tie

Michael Ruffino Jr.
to the conspiracy.

Mr. Ruffino didn't get to be such
a ripe old age by being stupid.

WOLCHESKY: So, Michael Ruffino Jr.
told Frank Tourno

to tell you
to kill Mr. Cristof.

Do I have that right?

Yeah.

Not my client,
Mr. Ruffino.

That's correct.

Mr. Tourno say he got the
orders from my client?

He didn't have to. We knew
where they came from.

But you never got the alleged
orders from Mr. Ruffino himself?

That's what I
been saying. No.

Did Mr. Ruffino ever express to
you personally, at any time,

that he wanted to see Mr. Cristof
shot or injured in any way?

No.

You shot Cristof
at close range.

Pretty close, yeah.
It was deafening.

You tried your best
to kill him.

Didn't work out.

Yet you weren't charged with
attempted murder, were you?

No.

What were you charged with,
Mr. Simonetti?

Assault.

In the Second Degree.

A Class D felony.
Isn't that right?

I guess.

So, Mr. Simonetti,

you were able to plead out
to a Class D felony

in exchange for your
testimony against my client?

Insinuate all you want.
But I ain't lying.

Of course you're not.

What reason would
you have to lie?

L---

I tried to fight the guy off, and the
next thing I know, I'm in the hospital.

JACK: Angelo Simonetti has
testified that he shot you.

Did you meet with detectives
after his arrest?

They did a lineup.

And did you identify him then
as the man who shot you?

I said he was the guy.

Well, I thought about it,
and now I'm not so sure.

Not sure?

Yeah. I thought about it,

(SIGHS) and I think I might
havejumped to a conclusion.

You also identified
the late Frank Tourno

as the driver
from a photo array.

Like I said,

I had some time to think about
it, and I thought about it,

and I think the driver
might've been a different guy.

In the past, you positively
identified Frank Tourno as the driver

and Angelo Simonetti
as the shooter.

Was your memory
better then,

or is it clearer now
that time has passed?

Like I said,

I think I made a mistake.

Did Mr. Ruffino or one
of his associates

threaten you to change
your testimony?

WOLCHESKY: Objection.

JUDGE: Sustained.

Make sure you have
a good faith basis

for your questions,
Mr. McCoy.

Would a pattern of witness intimidation
and elimination be enough of a basis?

Objection.

YourHonon this witness has
clearly been compromised.

Unless you have evidence
to support that allegation,

I suggest you
move on, Counselor.

So, where are we
on the Cristof case?

Did you see the news?

Satellite radio's picked up Cristof's show.
He's going national.

You think the mob
arranged that somehow?

I think it's possible
somebody called in a favor.

Or someone scared him
or bought him off.

I don't think we can win
with the witnesses we have.

Well, we can't get
to Michael Ruffino Jr.,

who wouldn't testify against
his father, anyway.

And if Cristof won't identify Simonetti and
Tourno as the guys who attacked him...

We may need Jarret
Whitestone after all.

And why would he
come back to testify?

I doubt that he wants to make movies
in Mongolia for the rest of his life.

We can offer him immunity and protection
from the mob if he cooperates.

That's all well and good, but
how do you intend to find him?

That's easy.
Call his agent.

Ask for a continuance.

Just for the record, lwasn't
making a movie in Mongolia.

I was meditating
in a monastery.

We'll alert the media.

He'll testify to
everything that he knows,

but he'll need immunity
and protection, God knows.

As long as he
allocutes to his role.

So, what more can you tell us about
the conspiracy on Mr. Cristof's life?

I've already told you
everything I know about that.

But I can tell you
who killed Tina Reese.

Ruffino knew that Tina
was cheating on him.

He said he could make
it look like a suicide.

He said that?

He had this book,
from the Hemlock Society?

Tells you how to off
yourself using pills

and booze
and a plastic bag.

The head of a crime
family confided in you?

He liked me.
He trusted me.

That's what he told me.

Hand to God.

That actor is
a lying rat bastard!

I never touched Tina.
I loved her, McCoy!

Come on, come on,
come on.

So, you couldn't nail my
client for one crime,

so you charged him
with another?

You knew Tina Reese was having
an affair with Cristof.

Not until after
she was dead.

You feared she'd be a damaging
witness in your conspiracy trial.

She would've never said a
word that would've hurt me.

If you didn't know they
were having an affair,

why'd you put the
contract out on Cristof?

Because I was sick of the
trash he was talking about me

on that crummy radio show.
He called me a drug dealer!

You are a drug dealer.

Hey! Hey!
WOLCH ES KY: Easy.

It was not his business to put
my business in the street!

I'm afraid I don't
believe you, Mr. Ruffino.

There was no sign of forced
entry at Tina Reese's gallery.

So she must have known her
assailant and let him in.

I loved that girl
with all my heart.

Unless, of course,
he had a key.

What's that
supposed to be?

JACK: The key to the front
door of Tina Reese's gallery,

found in a search of your
country house in the Catskills.

(sums)

You got it all
figured out, huh?

People can show through
witness testimony

that the defendant
was angry at the victim,

that he intended to make her
murder look like a suicide,

and that this is consistent
with his history of violence.

Isn't Mr. Ruffino currently being
tried on a conspiracy charge?

The People have
dismissed that case.

And now your client wants
to plead to the homicide?

An Alford plea,
yes, Your Honor.

He won't admit guilt?

WOLCHESKY: No, Your Honor.

JUDGE: Unusual.

What difference does an Alford
plea make to a mobster?

The People are willing to take an
Alford plea on a murder charge?

The People are best served
with Mr. Ruffino in prison.

Prosecution doesn't care
about his allocution.

If all parties are agreed,
I won't disrupt the plea.

Put it on the record,
Counselor.

My client has asked to make
the statement, YourHonoL

JUDGE: Go ahead,
Mr. Ruffino.

I'm aware the D.A.'s office
has certain evidence

they will use to try to prove
that I killed Tina Reese.

Now, I know this evidence is
strong enough to convict me

and will result in more
severe punishment

if I go to trial.

So,

I'll take this plea

without admitting guilt.

(RUFFINO SIGHING)

All I want to say...

I loved Tina Reese.
I loved Tina Reese.

That's it.

JUDGE: The plea
is accepted.

On the date
of sentence,

the defendant will be
transferred to Ossining Prison,

where he will serve
a sentence of 20 years

without possibility
of parole.

Congratulations, Counselor.

You got me for the one
I didn't commit.

(KNOCKING AT DOOR)

You're still here?

I just got off the phone
with the State Police.

Michael Ruffino Jr. was cited for
speeding on the Thruway near Newburgh

the night Tina Reese
was murdered.

I don't understand.

He was on his way to his
father's house in Greene County.

I also called
the airlines.

He flew up from
Florida that morning.

He killed Tina?

The old man knew it as
soon as he saw the key.

So he took the plea
to protect his son?

And that's why he insisted
on the Alford plea.

He was willing
to take the weight.

He couldn't bring himself
to say that he did it.

That's love.

Every which way
you look at it.