Law & Order/Recap/S05/E05 White Rabbit
A security guard, Antonio, talks with a safe-deposit manager, Mr. Wick, as they open the safe. They can't find Henry Maybrook, the night shift man, and looking for him made Antonio late. Wick guesses that Henry left when the shift was supposed to change, and since Antonio wasn't there, he wouldn't have seen Henry. Antonio says that he looked for Henry outside and in the bathroom but didn't see him. Wick eventually says that he'll call the security company if Henry just left early. When they get in the safe, they find that the place has been ransacked and Henry is lying bleeding on the ground.
Later, Logan asks a medic how Henry is, and learns that he's stabilized but still in bad shape. Briscoe wonders how Henry could be doing so badly from being hit on the head, and the medic says that it was a large hit. A policeman comes by with Mr. Wick. When asked what the company does, he says that people store their things in the deposit boxes.
 |
"Everyone needs a safe place for their valuables." —Mr. Wick and Michael Logan
|
 |
Wick complains that the door is two feet thick and no one has the key -- it unlocks on a timer. Briscoe finds a hole in the floor; someone tunneled into the room. Logan asks why the floor was not reinforced, and Wick says they don't own it -- they just rent the space. There were still six inches of reinforced concrete, though. Briscoe asks who can access the basement, and a cop says that the basement door was broken open with a crowbar. Briscoe notes that it wasn't alarmed.
|
"It's a basement. There's nothin' down there." —Mr. Wick and Michael Logan
|
|
A doctor tells the detectives that Henry is responding to medication but is still in bad shape. Logan wonders if he could have gotten that injury from being hit on the head. The doctor says that it's possible, but that Henry was in bad health anyway -- he drinks a lot, and would probably die within a year anyway.
Henry says that a man, claiming to be from the alarm company, called at about midnight to ask if things were okay -- he said they got an alarm. It was dead quiet, though. Henry adds that he got another call a few minutes later, saying they were getting another alarm, so the alarm man would have to come over and fix the system. Logan asks if Henry was suspicious, so Henry says that the man, when he arrived, was wearing a uniform. Henry tells the cops that the man made him go into the basement, then put a mask over him. Henry says he never saw anyone suspicious around the basement, and in fact never went in there. He says that the burglars put him in the safe once they were done. He finishes by saying the burglars had noisy tools.
At the burglary room in the precinct, an officer shows the detectives a special type of jackhammer. It can cut through roads, much less concrete. As for the rebar, it could be easily cut with a saw. Logan asks how the drill knows to aim through the ceiling and not the floor, and the man says that the burglar will put a metal plate on the bottom to dissipate the force at that end. He asks if a plate was found.
|
"Yeah, but no jack. We didn't know it was a matched set."
—Lennie Briscoe
|
|
In the basement, the cops look at the hole. Logan wonders how the burglars knew to drill there so that they'd get into the safe, and Briscoe says that the burglar could have paced it off. Logan says that, in that case, the burglar would have been seen on the videocamera (he'd have had to pace upstairs to know how far to go downstairs). Briscoe says that either the burglars had the plans or were there before. Logan raises the possibility of an inside job. Briscoe says they need to look at the maintenance personelle, and Logan notes that the basement wasn't cleaned often. Briscoe finds some broken glass. It's from some very cheep bourbon that is very high in alcohol; only those with a lot of drinking experience could drink it.
Logan and Briscoe interrogate Henry in the hospital. They found his fingerprints on the glass, meaning he lied about never being in the basement. Henry says that he might have snuck down to have some bourbon now and then, and didn't say anything because he was technically on the job. He asks if Briscoe's a drinker, and Logan backs off. Briscoe asks if Henry needed a drink, and Henry says yes. They commiserate, and Henry acknowledges Briscoe's claim that Henry would occasionally 'unwind' in the basement. Briscoe then wonders if Henry ever thought about all the wealth up in the safe. Henry denies it, but Briscoe keeps going, until Henry raises his voice.
|
"I just took a drink!"
—Henry Maybrook
|
|
Logan gets close to Henry and demands that Henry listen to him. He asks if Henry knows anyone with a hydraulic jack. He claims not to know. The cops threaten to have him transferred to a Rikers infirmary if he doesn't answer. Logan yells some more, and Henry breaks down. He says that his cousin Eddie came up with the idea.
Briscoe and Logan find Eddie Maybrook working as a mechanic. They haul him out from under a car and arrest him. In interrogation, Eddie initially plays tough, asking if the cops fed his cat, and predicting that they won't find the goods. Kincaid notes that they have Henry's testimony, and can match the tool marks to Eddie's tools. Eddie's lawyer says that the owners would like their goods back, and that Eddie will give up their location in exchange for leniency. The lawyer and Kincaid work out an agreement that will let Eddie plead and get two years in jail, in exchange for the merchandise. Logan and Briscoe are upset, and Logan vocalizes this.
|
"Why don't you toss in a free subscription to Playboy magazine while you're at it?"
—Michael Logan
|
|
Kincaid says that this is what the vault company wants.
|
"It's always a pleasure to cooperate with the authorities."
—Eddie Maybrook
|
|
Logan and Briscoe open up a storage shed. Logan grumbles that they'd have found it anyway, and Briscoe jokes that they get to go home early. They sort through jewelry, certificates, collections, rare baseball cards, and money, and eventually Logan finds a duffel full of money and a gun with the serial numbers filed off. Briscoe gripes that the case is supposed to be closed, but he's smiling.
Wick tells the detectives that he's written a letter of thanks to the police commissioner due to his customers getting their property back. Wick adds that everything except for the gym bag was claimed, and Logan asks who didn't claim. Wick says that some people were traveling, had empty boxes, or couldn't be reached. Because the goods were all tossed together in the storage shed, they can't just look up who brought it in. Logan asks how many unclaimed boxes were big enough to hold the gym bag. Wick finds just one, rented to Michael Cavanaugh. He rented the box in 1971, but thirteen years ago he stopped coming in and never returned. He still sends a money order every year to pay for the box.
A woman tells the cops that she bought her house from Cavanaugh in 1969. She says that Cavanaugh died a few moths later.
|
"That's my kind of guy. Dies in 1969, then rents a safe deposit box two years later." —Michael Logan and Lennie Briscoe
|
|
They conclude that someone saw Cavanaugh's name in the obituaries and decided to use it. Briscoe says that their suspect pool now includes everyone who read the paper in 1969. He adds that the gun is untraceable. Logan says they should check the money.
An FBI analyst, Agent Hayden says that the bills were printed in the sixties, according to the Secretary name on them. Hayden inputs the serial numbers to the computer checks it, then leaves. The cops look at each other, then look at the screen of the computer, which has been blanked.
|
"Maybe he thinks we're communist spies."
—Lennie Briscoe
|
|
A new man comes in, identifying himself as Agent Tilly. He says that they can't help the cops, even when Briscoe says that it looked like Hayden saw something on his computer screen.
Outside, the cops gripe.
|
"Great example of federal and local cooperation."
—Michael Logan
|
|
Briscoe wonders what the FBI was doing in 1971. He says they should check the library. After finding a microfilm machine, they mock the bizarre investigations of the day, including investigating Catholic priests for using their own blood over draft files. Logan finds an article about a robbery. Three days before the box was rented, $200,000 was stolen from Newcon Technologies, a military contractor. Briscoe recalls that a police officer died in that robbery, Vincent Perella. Briscoe notes that Perella walked in unexpectedly and got shot in the back. The caliber was the same as the gun in the duffel bag. The killers later issued a press release apologizing for killing Perella and stating that they took the money to slow down the war in Vietnam. Logan guesses that the FBI wanted this case for themselves, hence them not talking to the local authorities like them. Briscoe says they want it too.
Van Buren asks if Briscoe knew the cop, and Briscoe says no, but he did go to Perella's funeral. Logan notes that four people were involved in the crime. He names them as two Columbia University students, Susan Forrest and Margaret Pauley, and two leaders, Tom Rudicell and Sam Burdette. The latter two were convicted armed robbers on a 'study release' program.
|
"You know, that sounds like a wonderfully progressive idea." —Michael Logan and Lennie Briscoe
|
|
Logan jokes that he went to anti-war rallies to find dates.
|
"I heard hippie girls believed in free love."
—Michael Logan
|
|
Briscoe says that Rudicell and Burdette were into the 'sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll' movement as well as the anti-war movement. Van Buren says that Rudicell was killed two weeks later in a shootout with police, Burdette was arrested for the robbery in 1971 and is still in jail, Pauley vanished for twelve years before being caught in a New Jersey mall parking lot in 1983 (and was released in 1992 on parole), and Susan Forest was never found. She was brought in for the robbery, but the witness couldn't identify her and she didn't confess, so the police had to let her go.
|
"Twenty-three years." —Lennie Briscoe and Michael Logan
|
|
A tech says that the gun and money had no prints. Logan says they've confirmed that the gun was used to kill Perella. The tech then says that they got prints from a visitor's card that whoever actually used the safe deposit box would have to sign whenever he went to see his possessions. Briscoe asks if the prints could belong to Forest, but the tech says no -- excluding vault employees, there is only one other set of fingerprints, and it doesn't match Forest's, or anyone else that they have on file.
The cops find Pauley at a women's community garden. She says she doesn't want to talk to any police officers except for her parole officer. Logan asks if she shoots cops, and she says that Rudicell shot Perella. She says that she wasn't armed, and that her mistake was in getting involved with bad people like Rudicell and Burdette. Briscoe points out that no one forced her. She says that they were trying to save lives, and gives a short statement about the senseless loss of life in the Vietnam War.
|
"Who are you saving now? I mean, do I need a bulletproof vest?"
—Michael Logan
|
|
Briscoe says they found the money, and Pauley says she hasn't seen it, or Susan, in thirty years. They ask if she had any boyfriends, and she says that Rudicell was Susan's boyfriend.
In prison, the detectives talk to Burdette. He smiles and reminisces; Pauley and Forest wanted to donate the robbery proceeds to the Black Panthers. He had other ideas, but hadn't actually gotten to spend the money. He asks how much money was recovered, and Briscoe says that more than $100,000 was found. Logan asks who Burdette thinks was taking care of the money.
|
"Well, it wasn't me, cause I was here. And it wasn't Tom, cause he was dead."
—Sam Burdette
|
|
Briscoe asks if any of the other anti-war protesters could have done it, but Burdette says they were all cowards who wouldn't do more than have a sit-in at a faculty lounge. When Tom brought up the idea of the robbery, everyone but Sam, Pauley, and Forest bailed. He calls Pauley 'Meg,' and Logan realizes that Burdette and Pauley were close.
Outside, Logan calls Pauley and Burdette an odd-couple. Briscoe said that it was the sixties and everything was weird. Logan asks what Briscoe was doing then, and Briscoe says he was already a cop. He gripes about having to break up sit-ins and get yelled at and insulted by rich liberal students. Logan asks if the sit-in students were arrested, and when Briscoe says yes, Logan suggests they look up the records. The files were expunged, but not shredded.
An archivist shows Briscoe and Logan to a room with old files, but he can't do more than tell them where the records for each decade generally are -- beyond that, the files are a mess. Still, they eventually find what they want, and go see a professor of comparative literature, William Goodwin. He's defensive, but the detectives press at him. Briscoe says that they found his fingerprints, from the old arrest record, and matched them to the unknown set on the sign-in card at the safe deposit company. He knows about the Newcon robbery, but insists that he never went near the safe-deposit place. He's brought into interrogation.
Logan flips through Goodwin's business cards and passes, and jokes that he'll lose tenure if he's convicted of murder. Goodwin maintains his innocence. Briscoe says that Goodwin and Forest were co-chairs of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Columbia, but Goodwin just says that he wasn't the only one who knew Susan; she was popular. Logan points out that the fingerprints are solid evidence that Goodwin had access to the money and gun.
|
"Help us, Professor. Or I promise you're gonna have a real bad midlife crisis."
—Lennie Briscoe
|
|
Goodwin admits that Susan brought him the duffel after the robbery. He maintains that she never said where she got it or that she was involved in the robbery. Briscoe demands to know why he went in to see the safe deposit box until 1981, if he didn't know the contents. Goodwin says that Susan contacted him a couple weeks after the robbery and asked him to send money to Perella's widow, Mary. Logan interjects with a sarcastic remark about how thoughtful that was. Goodwin continues that Forest and Pauley went underground and called him when they needed money, and he would get them some; he parked next to them at a parking lot in New Jersey. Logan asks where Forest is, but Goodwin says he doesn't know. He claims that Forest stopped calling him after a couple years, though Pauley stayed in touch until 1981. At that point, the vault installed video cameras, and Goodwin refused to go there anymore.
At their desks, Briscoe and Logan joke about Goodwin.
|
"Some radical hero." —Lennie Briscoe and Michael Logan
|
|
Van Buren, who is also there, asks if they think Goodwin knows Forest's location, and they say no. Van Buren notes that Goodwin got Pauley money at the New Jersey mall until 1981; she was caught there in 1983. Logan says that she changed who she was getting money from but kept everything else the same. Van Buren says that Pauley was caught when a drunk plowed into a row of parked cars, including Pauley's. When Pauley woke up in the hospital, the police had already found out her identity. Logan asks if they know the license plates of the cars next to Pauley's. They do; one car belonged to a Swedish tourist, the other to a Stuart Levitan. They figure that Levitan became Pauley's new donor.
Levitan insists that he never heard of Pauley. He ignores questions about his car, and says that he went to Cornell (and not Columbia) and never was in anti-war groups.
|
"SDS? I'm a CPA."
—Stuart Levitan
|
|
His wife, Rita, comes in through a back door and says that the family will be having pasta for dinner. She asks who the guests are, and Stuart says they're detectives. He says he can't help the detectives, but Briscoe looks at Rita and realizes that she's Susan Forest. She clutches her son closely. Stuart protests that the woman is her wife, Rita, but the cops don't believe him. Rita is cuffed, and she says nothing. Stuart demands that Rita just tell the cops who she is, and Rita, as she's forced to leave, admits to being Susan.
|
"My name... is Susan. Forest."
—Susan Forest.
|
|
Stuart can only gape as they leave.
Susan talks to Kincaid. She says that she lived in fear for the past twenty-three years. Kincaid says that Susan can have an attorney, but Susan just wants it to be over.
|
"Every day... every day I thought about turning myself in."
—Susan Forest
|
|
She admits to helping Margaret once Goodwin stopped. Susan had already become married, and she'd never told Stuart who she really was. She confesses to being the lookout during the Newcon robbery, and to being there when Perella was killed. She says that she was outside throwing up when Perella actually showed up and was murdered. Kincaid asks if Forest knew that Burdette and Rudicell were armed; she says that no one was supposed to get shot. She asks to call her family, and when Kincaid says that Stuart is outside, clarifies that she means her parents. She hasn't spoken to them since the robbery; they don't even know about their grandson.
Later, McCoy says to find Forest's lawyer and take a plea. He thinks they won't have a problem getting one, since Forest confessed. Kincaid wants to drive a hard bargain, since Forest was involved in killing Perella, but McCoy says that Forest was just an angry college kid who was duped by con-men. Kincaid says that she's never heard McCoy make excuses for a criminal before.
|
"It's not an excuse. It's the way things were."
—Jack McCoy
|
|
As they enter the courthouse, they run into an old woman. It's Mary Perella.
|
"I understand you've got one of the people who murdered my husband."
—Mary Perella
|
|
Perella says that Vincent had called her the morning of the day he would die, saying he got his vacation approved. McCoy says he's sorry, and Perella says that the other prosecutor (who went after Pauley) said he was sorry too, but still let her off with manslaughter. McCoy says that it was probably the best the other prosecutor could do, but Perella says that Pauley's eight-year sentence was a joke.
|
"I think there should be a death penalty."
—Mary Perella
|
|
McCoy looks away. Perella shows McCoy a police academy photo of Perella.
|
"This is Officer Vincent J. Perella. I wanted you to see him before you make any deals."
—Mary Perella
|
|
Later, Schiff says that they should have made the deal earlier; now Forest hired William Kunstler. McCoy knows him as a lawyer for civil liberties cases.
|
"From the Chicago Seven to the Westchester one."
—Jack McCoy
|
|
(Note: William Kunstler is a lawyer in Real Life, and did in fact represent the Chicago Seven. He played himself in this episode.)
Kincaid remarks that Kunstler will move on to other causes quickly and won't have time for Forest. Schiff warns them that Kunstler is very good, and says he worked with Kunstler on some cases defending Vietnam War protestors. Kincaid is adamant that Forest should be sent to prison for a long time thanks to what she did to Perella. Schiff points out that Forest reinvented herself as a gentle and loving mother. He tells them to cut a deal, since they already have her confession. McCoy agrees and says that they have very little evidence; the confession is basically it and they don't have enough for a trial. Kincaid demand to know why the confession isn't enough, and says that the fact that the crime occurred in the sixties doesn't excuse Forest.
|
"I'm sure you've listened to all the Doors albums, Claire, but you just don't have any idea what it was like back then." —Jack McCoy and Claire Kincaid
|
|
McCoy says that the whole nation went to war, and that the President himself broke the law. He says that young people felt powerful. Kincaid points out that most young people, such as McCoy, didn't kill police officers. McCoy has no answer.
In Rikers, Kunstler says that they'll pass on the manslaughter offer. McCoy says that it was good enough for some bombers that Kunstler represented, but Kunstler says that there was a case against the bombers, but there's none against Forest. Kincaid says that they have a confession, but Kunstler says he's moving to have it excluded. He's arguing that Forest had a right to counsel, but didn't have one there. Kincaid protests that she asked Forest multiple times if she wanted an attorney and she declined. Kunstler agrees, but says that Kincaid couldn't ask that question in the first place without him there.
|
"Why? No one can have a party without you?"
—Jack McCoy
|
|
Kunstler says that he represented Forest back in 1971 when she was questioned and then released. He says that he was still her lawyer when Kincaid interrogated her, so he was supposed to have been there.
|
"She can't be asked to wave her right to an attorney, except in my presence."
—William Kunstler
|
|
He cites a precedent. Forest says that she has a new life. Kincaid tells her that she claimed to want to make amends in order to feel healed. Kunstler cuts off Forest's response, and leads her out of the room. On his way out, he says that he thinks she is healed. Kincaid looks upset. Then McCoy points out that Kincaid should have checked the old police records.
|
"I'm sorry." —Claire Kincaid and Jack McCoy
|
|
Kincaid wonders if they'll just drop the charges now, but McCoy says they'll prosecute. If Kunstler won't plead to manslaughter, they'll go for 1st degree murder. Kincaid says that the driver is still alive but never saw Forest. McCoy says that Burdette can testify that Forest was there. Kincaid says that, legally, testimony from a convicted accomplice requires corroboration. McCoy says that Goodwin will link Susan to the gun and the money. He adds that they can get Mary Perella to tug on the jury's heartstrings.
The driver, Albert Giggins, testifies in court. He uses a diagram to show where he drove. He explains that, after he'd parked the armored car and opened the doors to unload, a Chevy pulled in front of him and cut him off. He identifies the driver as Pauley. In the gallery, Pauley has no expression. Giggins testifies that Rudicell and Burdette got out with guns and ordered Giggins to surrender the money. Then Pauley got impatient and honked. A moment later, Perella walked by and Rudicell shot him. On cross-examination, Kunstler has Giggins state that he never saw Forest that day, and that she didn't kill Perella.
Burdette testifies that Forest was the lookout and was there the whole time. She remained at her position until the van drove away. He also testifies that Forest helped plan the robbery.
|
"She was all hot to strike a blow against the war..."
—Sam Burdette
|
|
Kunstler points out that Burdette initially denied involvement in the robbery; Burdette acknowledges this. Kunstler then asks if Burdette ever agreed to testify against Rudicell in exchange for a deal; Burdette again says yes. He has to admit to testifying against her in exchange for another deal.
|
"You got me again."
—Sam Burdette
|
|
Kunstler asks what he was promised for his testimony. and Burdette says that he'll get three weeks a year at a mountain prison camp, for his health. Kunstler mocks Burdette.
|
"Mr. Burdette. If I were to give you this watch, would you testify the Judge was present at the robbery?"
—William Kunstler
|
|
McCoy objects, and Judge Robert Quinn sustains. Kunstler is dismissive as he sits down.
|
"Thank you, Your Honor. I would have hated to lose it."
—William Kunstler
|
|
Goodwin testifies to helping with student anti-war efforts. He says that Forest inspired him, but when asked about the Newcon robbery, says he doesn't remember seeing her after the robbery. Both McCoy and Kunstler appear surprised. McCoy shows Goodwin the duffel bag, but Goodwin denies seeing it. McCoy brings up Goodwin's discussion with the detectives, but Goodwin again denies any recollection. He's granted permission to treat Goodwin as hostile, meaning he can ask leading questions. He directly asks if Goodwin remembers telling Briscoe and Logan that Forest gave him the bag.
|
"What I remember is the United States government sending half a million troops to fight in a war it had already decided it couldn't win..."
—William Goodwin
|
|
Goodwin begins to rant about the Vietnam war, until Quinn has Goodwin removed from the witness stand. As he's taken out, he apologizes to Susan and says that he should have stayed with her. Susan and Stuart (who is in the gallery) appear stunned.
McCoy complains about Goodwin suddenly deciding to impress Forest. Schiff asks what else they have. Kincaid, who looked through the old files, says that there weren't any wiretaps and no physical evidence either. Schiff doubts this.
|
"Those days, the FBI wiretapped anybody who wore a paisley shirt."
—Adam Schiff
|
|
McCoy says that the Supreme Court squashed the rampant wiretapping. Schiff tells them to call the FBI in Washington -- they might not have listened to the Supreme Court.
Agent Tilly plays them a call between Rudicell and Forest. On it, Susan admits (in code) to buying guns for the robbery. She also references an 'Opie' as an accomplice, but no one knows who that is. Tilly cautions Kincaid that they can't actually use the tapes in court -- there was no warrant.
|
"The President of the United States said we didn't need one."
—Agent Tilly
|
|
Kincaid shakes her head. Tilly plays another tape, when Forest called Rudicell after having been questioned by the police. She says that she hid the bag and smashed her's and Pauley's walkie-talkies. Tilly sighs that they didn't transcribe the tapes until Forest had been released. They had too many tapes to go through, and didn't get to this one soon enough.
Kincaid complains to McCoy that Forest did more than just be a lookout, like she said. McCoy notes that Forest bought the guns, and that she and Pauley had walkie-talkies. He realizes that Giggins said that Pauley honked the horn right before Perella arrived. They also remember that Perella was shot in the back of the head; Rudicell would have had to duck around some obstacles to sneak up on him. They realize that Forest probably radioed Pauley when she saw Perella. Pauley honked her horn, and that's how Rudicell knew that Perella was coming and could get into position. They muse about how they had believed Forest, and Kincaid notes that Forest might believe her own story by this point. She asks what to do now. McCoy says that they need to push on Pauley. They can lean on her with her parole status.
McCoy tells Pauley that, while she said that she hadn't spoken to Forest since 1971, Forest admitted to giving her money in 1981. Kincaid adds that Forest, as Rita Levitan, wrote a check to the garden Pauley works at. Pauley tries to pretend that she didn't know who Levitan was, but McCoy won't hear it. He says that, if they can show that Pauley talked to Forest at least once since going on parole, Pauley will have to serve six more years. Pauley says that Goodwin's going to jail for Forest, and that she spent time underground with Forest. They worked together in horrible conditions and developed a camaraderie. She says that she'd go to jail for Susan. Kincaid points out that Forest is going to fancy parties in Westchester; she abandoned the cause and made a good life for herself.
|
"The same day Susan gave you five hundred dollars, she gave two thousand to the Republican National Committee!"
—Claire Kincaid
|
|
Pauley says that it was just cover. McCoy asks why she thinks that; Forest donates to a lot of conservative causes. Pauley says that, since McCoy hasn't been a fugitive, he wouldn't understand.
|
"You do what you have to do."
—Margaret Pauley
|
|
McCoy tells Schiff that they can revoke Pauley's parole, but Pauley won't budge. Schiff agrees, and tells McCoy to interrogate Forest again. He says that Kunstler doesn't do very well when he's the one in the dark.
McCoy threatens Susan with twenty-five years in jail. He says they know what really happened. Kunstler says that he does too; the violence in Vietnam spilled over into America. McCoy accuses Forest of warning Rudicell. Forest starts to deny it, but Kunstler points out that McCoy obviously has no proof or he'd be saying this in court and not interrogation. Kincaid brings up the gun, and McCoy says they can trace it. Kunstler calmly tells Forest to say what happened, since the person she's about to turn in can't be charged, and Forest says that Goodwin bought the guns. She claims that he was Opie.
Outside, Kincaid says that Kunstler is right -- Goodwin can't be charged, because the statute of limitations on buying the guns ran out a long time ago. McCoy says that they'll just argue that Goodwin's refusal to testify now furthers that crime, resetting the statute. Kincaid says that this argument is flimsy, and McCoy agrees, but says that it'll help increase the pressure. Kincaid points out that Goodwin already went to jail to protect Susan, but McCoy says they want to pressure Pauley, not Goodwin. Kincaid says that Pauley wasn't helpful either. McCoy says that she'll have had time to think now, and wants her arrested too.
Pauley is brought into McCoy's office. She is adamant about not testifying, even when McCoy offers to drop all the charges. Kincaid shows her the next day's paper. It states that Forest said that Goodwin bought the guns. Pauley doesn't believe that Forest would do that, so McCoy says that she can go see Goodwin's cell. Pauley asks why they're being prosecuted when the American politicians and generals killed over a million Vietnamese people and over 50,000 Americans. She claims that they're the villains, not her and her friends. Kincaid says that Susan isn't a 'friend' anymore.
|
"Susan Forest isn't one of you anymore!"
—Claire Kincaid
|
|
Pauley cracks. She says that Goodwin never bought any guns.
In court, Pauley testifies that Forest was the lookout, and warned her via walkie-talkie about Perella.
|
"What were her exact words?" —Jack McCoy and Margaret Pauley
|
|
Later, McCoy tells Schiff and Kincaid that Kunstler wants to meet to discuss a deal. Schiff says that he'll want to accept a manslaughter plea. Kincaid jokes that it's off the table, but no one responds. She tries to get them to agree that it's off the table, but McCoy just wonders how much time she needs to be 'rehabilitated.' Kincaid says that she could have helped kill McCoy's father, who was a policeman. McCoy says that Forest didn't kill anyone herself, and that they already knew she was there at the time of the original offer.
|
"How much more guilty does her choice of language make?"
—Jack McCoy
|
|
Schiff says it's up to McCoy.
Later, Kunstler says that they'll take 2nd degree manslaughter. McCoy thinks for a moment, during which Forest apologizes and says she's ashamed of her actions. McCoy, after a moment more, says that he'll keep his offer at 1st degree manslaughter. Forest and Kunstler agree. After they leave, McCoy comments that Forest will be in jail until 2003.
|
"I think the sixties should be over by then."
—Jack McCoy
|
|