He was shackled, nailed into a packing crate,
the crate is wrapped in chains,
and then the crate is dropped
into the bottom of the East River,
and still he manages to escape.
This is a day in the life of a federal public defender.
Okay, have you ever made an elephant disappear?
I got you to dismiss the case against
Victor "The Walrus" Torrazzo last year.
"Houdini's Escapes." Where did you get this?
The Strand.
Is there anything you don't read?
I generally avoid fantasy, books about beads,
and used automobile manuals.
Other than that, I'll probably read it.
And when Houdini performed the underwater box trick
off of Battery Park in 1914,
15,000 people showed up.
Should we go take a look?
Are they all still there?
We can pretend,
and we don't have to go into the office.
Ohh, I have to go into the office.
- No. Really? - It's your fault.
That's not a nice thing to say.
Drop the charges and I can hang out all day.
Otherwise, I got to go figure out how to escape from this.
I can't do that.
I don't even know what that is, and I know I can't do that.
You know exactly what it is.
Murder?
Don't be afraid of murder.
I am afraid of murder.
D-Did someone say murder?
I think you heard "duty."
It's a joke because murder doesn't sound anything like duty.
Steve Caldwell, 22,
arrested for strangling Ellie Mason to death
near a music festival on Governor's Island.
I heard someone talking about this on the train.
I heard everybody talking about this on the train.
I was on my bike,
and it's hard to hear because of the wind.
Go ahead.
Why do we have this?
The body was found on federal property
near Castle Williams.
NYPD turned it over to the feds.
There are two eyewitnesses
who saw them leave the music festival together,
his keycard was used
to open a nearby miniature golf course...
where they apparently fooled around
before walking to Castle Williams...
and a medical examiner's report
indicating that she was strangled.
- That's it? - No.
He also made a statement.
- He confessed? - According to the complaint.
We need the statement
and any recordings they might have made.
We also need Steve's criminal history
and anything you can find
about the relationship between Ellie and Steve.
And we need to dig into Ellie. And folks?
Stay sharp because people
aren't gonna stop talking about this anytime soon.
Ms. Bell, I haven't seen you on duty in a while.
Well, I'm happy to be back. Sharpen the skills.
- Good breakfast? - Ready to go.
You need to have a good breakfast.
- Mm-hmm. - U.S. v. John Toe.
- You mean Doe. - Toe.
Right. Doe. You said Toe.
- Right, Toe. - Doe.
- Toe? - That is correct, Your Honor.
He was found with a toe?
Yes, at the airport.
Ms. Bell, are you okay?
Yes, I'm fine.
My... breakfast.
I'm okay. Thank you.
Your Honor, the defendant, Douglas Bradshaw,
was apprehended by TSA with a toe in his cooler...
Which is not illegal.
Well, doesn't that depend on how the toe got there, Ms. Bell?
Mr. Bradshaw is a human tissue broker with UNY.
The transport of organs and limbs is perfectly legal.
We don't dispute that, but Mr. Bradshaw was arrested
because he became combative with the TSA officers
when they reasonably questioned him about the toe...
Because Mr. Bradshaw was rushing to catch a flight
to visit his sick mother and was reasonably agitated
at the suggestion he had done anything wrong.
He knocked over the cooler,
and the toe rolled through the screening area,
approximately 25...
feet.
Why exactly would someone buy a toe?
Well, uh, you could use the bone for periodontal cement.
There's surgical practice...
toe augmentation, toe shortening...
People get their toes shortened?
Oh, yes. Toe jobs?
Oh, yes, uh, definitely a growing market.
If you think about it, you have a hammer toe,
but you wanna wear a strappy sandal...
Okay, I think I get it.
I will release Mr. Bradshaw on a $10,000 bond.
Hey, um, that toe...
it's only worth, like, 500 bucks,
but I got a bunch of ankles at home
that should cover the rest.
Cool?
You were working a merchandise table
at the music festival?
Yes. I was.
And that's where you met Ellie Mason.
According to your statement,
you went to the miniature golf course
on the island together.
- Yes? - I work there.
Did anybody see you there together?
I don't know.
You told the police
you and Ellie went to Castle Williams
after you left the golf course.
Did you and Ellie walk to Castle Williams after you left...
Why do I have to keep saying it?
The same things, over and over.
Yes, we walked to Castle Williams.
And as far as you're aware,
nobody saw you together at Castle Williams, right?
No, that's not true.
Someone saw us.
The police have a witness.
He says the police told him there was a witness
who saw him with Ellie at Castle Williams
- right before she was killed. - Jill.
But that's not mentioned anywhere in the complaint.
I want to find out what happened to this witness.
Jill!
I think we know what happened.
The last time I saw her was at the golf course.
- I'm telling you... - Steve.
She said that she had to find her friends, go home.
She left and I stayed and put some things away.
You need to talk to us.
- She left. - Steve.
I didn't see her again.
Listen to me, we know what happened.
We know, okay?
We just need you to be honest with us.
Did you leave the golf course with her?
- I... - We know.
There's a witness.
There's a witness, Steve, who saw you with her at Castle Williams.
You need to be honest with us now.
What happened when you left Golf 'n Fun?
We took...
a walk?
Okay. Good.
Where'd you go?
The only way we can help you
is if you talk to us.
Where'd you go?
To Castle Williams.
You and Ellie took a walk to Castle Williams?
Yes.
This goes on for 14 hours until you get to...
...this.
Ellie and I left the golf course.
We walked to Castle Williams.
She wanted to leave.
I got angry. I hit her.
I started... choking her.
I choked her.
I killed her.
There was no witness. They made it up.
This was a false confession.
Synced & corrected by -robtor- www.addic7ed.com
Mason's body was found early Sunday morning
on Governor's Island by a member...
Knox, Oliver. Come with me.
Clear your schedules...
postponements, continuances, whatever you have to do.
Whatever you need me to do.
Us, 'cause I'm here, too.
- This is important. - Understood.
- Work together on this. - Of course.
This is everything you need.
This is... a map?
You're off to a good start.
We're on the Caldwell case, right,
the murder on Governor's Island?
What? God, no, that's capital murder.
That's upstairs.
You're speaking to a conference of future lawyers...
something that I agreed to with the bar
a few months ago.
I would go myself, but I don't want to.
Do not embarrass this office or me,
if you can help it,
which you probably can't.
And after the appeal was denied,
the case was remanded back to the district court
for further proceedings,
which was a bench trial.
Which I won.
Won what?
- Trial. - What's trial?
Do you remember how I was...
My sister has a bird!
Any other questions?
Why don't you go after the banks?
My dad says you don't go after the banks.
- We do. - No, you don't.
Why don't you like birds?!
Who wants to see a magic trick?
Me!
Thank you, guys. That was great.
Tough crowd.
Well, it's a good thing
you can make a quarter disappear.
- I need to learn that trick. - I can teach you.
We should really be getting back, but thank you.
We appreciate the opportunity to come in
and talk about the work that we do...
Which is nothing compared to the work you do.
That's so nice of you to say.
And so totally true.
Uh, hey, if you ever need help with anything...
legal or whatever... we'd be happy to help.
If you wanna take our information or my information...
Yeah. Okay. Great.
Assuming I get in some legal trouble.
Let's hope not.
Or let's. Who's to say?
Serena Nazari.
I better go before one of them makes a break for it.
What?
I can show you the quarter trick, too.
Welcome to the War Room.
We have a War Room?
- I thought this was storage. - That, too.
But there's a working table
under here somewhere and some chairs.
And the Ark of the Covenant.
Why do we need a War Room?
The single most difficult piece of evidence
to overcome in any criminal proceeding
is a confession.
It is why we have the Fifth Amendment.
It is why we have Miranda rights.
It is the vast, immovable object
in the middle of our case,
and there's no easy way over it
or around it or underneath it.
Our only real chance is removing it altogether.
A Motion to Suppress.
Exactly.
If we can get the confession thrown out,
we can get Steve's case thrown out.
The case is the confession.
So we attack the confession.
Steve was read his Miranda rights.
He waived his right to an attorney.
But that doesn't mean the confession was voluntary.
Our job now is to show that it wasn't.
We treat the interrogation itself
- like a crime. - Yes.
Which means we start with the victim.
I... I was so tired.
- I know. - I felt like I was losing my mind.
You were. That was the point.
Why? Why did they do this?
Because somewhere in the beginning,
they attached themselves to the idea you were it.
From that point forward,
either they were gonna break or you were.
I broke.
Yeah, they got in my head, and I broke.
A lot of people do, Steve,
more than you can possibly imagine.
I don't want you to feel...
I confessed to a crime I did not commit.
I didn't kill that girl.
I did not kill that girl.
Steve...
I know how difficult this is,
but I need you to tell me everything you can about the interrogation.
Everything.
Okay, um...
The room was small.
I felt like I-I couldn't move,
and there were all these people in there...
the... the two detectives the whole time,
but other cops coming in and out.
It was hot.
I was hungry, thirsty.
I was hungover.
E-Every time I asked for water,
they gave me a little cup.
Um... I mean, h-how many times
are you gonna ask a cop for water?
They... They told me that they had evidence,
not just witnesses.
They had my prints.
They brought in a forensics expert.
He said all the marks on Ellie's neck
fit my hands...
a perfect match.
He showed me the lab report.
That "expert" was just a file clerk
in the police station.
The lab report was fake, too.
And they... they... they kept saying
that they were going to help me,
and they... they said that I was in, uh, real trouble,
but if I was honest, they could help.
And I-I didn't know who to talk to.
I haven't seen my folks for years.
I was scared.
He was kicked out of his house when he was 14,
abusive stepfather, never finished high school.
He lives with his grandmother, who is sick,
but seems to be the only one who's ever cared about this kid.
What ha... What happens now?
We pull all this together, we write a motion,
we file it, we argue it,
and then we wait.
Ugh.
Yeah, I see that.
It does look sawed and not chopped.
Anyway, Kate, I watched the TSA footage.
Yes, he's a little agitated,
but I think the toe rolling on the ground
got everybody worked up.
We're adding more charges.
What?! What... W-What are you talking about?
Turns out all bodies donated to the UNY Medical School
are done so with the explicit condition
that they will be used only by the university,
not sold to third parties,
which means that in order to take and sell body parts
from the university,
Doug must first have stolen them,
- ergo... - Ergo?
Ergo, we will be adding
transportation of stolen goods over state lines.
What was that?
Nothing, I'm fine.
Can you just hang on a few hours, will you?
Just let me talk to Doug.
Stealing? No.
This is my job.
Did they talk to Pete Dolan?
W-Who's Pete Dolan?
He's in charge of the Willed Bodies Department at UNY.
Yeah, he'd tell me what to cut, where to bring it,
then he'd pay me every week, right after I bring him
the cashier's checks from Jerome.
- Jerome? - Jerome Kaplan.
He works at Cryogive Tissue Bank...
provides human remains for medical and commercial research purposes.
He's our primary buyer.
Pete and Jerome go way back.
Ha, they do, huh?
So you carried body parts from Dolan to Kaplan,
and cashier's checks back from Kaplan to Dolan?
And you got your cut in cash?
20%.
10% if the parts were just leased.
Oh, there's leasing?
Oh, sure. Plenty of things can be reused a bunch of times...
torsos, necks.
They just do their thing, close 'em up,
send 'em back, next guy opens 'em back up...
Mm-hmm.
Wait...
You think this was all illegal, don't you?
But Pete and Jerome... they're such nice guys.
Even nice guys do illegal things.
But don't worry, Doug.
That could be good for us.
We lost?
Okay.
So, now we have to do what the prosecution didn't...
build an alternative theory of who killed Ellie Mason.
We need to cast as much doubt
on the government's version of events
as we can,
and we need a suspect.
You said confessions are almost impossible to overcome.
They are.
So now we try to do the impossible.
That is what we do.
We lost a battle.
We regroup, we bind our wounds,
we get back out there.
Why do we have a War Room?
Because this is war.
And now we fight.
I'm sorry about the mess.
I wasn't expecting anybody.
Mm-hmm, yeah, no worries.
Mine gets like this sometimes, too.
Okay, so,
this is security camera footage
from the entrance to the medical-school body freezer.
Does this look like a person sneaking in
to steal something?
- Hey, Larry. - Hey, Doug.
He knows the security guard.
He's walking in with a hack saw and a cooler
at 11:00 A.M.
What's your point?
Doug didn't know he was doing anything wrong.
But I'll tell you who did...
Pete Dolan,
head of the Willed Bodies Department at UNY,
and Jerome Kaplan, owner of Cryogive Tissue Bank.
They were business partners six years ago,
prior to taking their current positions.
I believe they hatched a plan
where Dolan sells illegally obtained body parts
to Kaplan at below-market rates,
and Dolan pockets almost all of the cash.
They are the masterminds of this, not Doug.
I take it you have a proposal?
These two don't know Doug's been arrested.
There's a training seminar later this week for medical researchers
at the beautiful Secaucus Suites Inn.
Let Doug do one more delivery,
and he'll get Kaplan to implicate himself and Dolan.
You can get them on wire fraud and conspiracy,
and I'm sure you'll come up with a bunch of other stuff, too.
He gets us enough on tape,
we drop transportation of stolen goods,
and I'll take probation on the TSA charge.
I'm too in my head.
You're too in my office.
What should I text Serena out of the gate?
Nothing.
That will make it hard to ask her out, though.
Initial contact is always a phone call,
never a text.
Everyone texts.
Not Seth Oliver.
Seth Oliver is old school.
Seth Oliver takes the time to have a real conversation.
Seth Oliver wants to get to know you.
Brilliant.
You are the master. Thank you.
What do I say?
- Nothing. - That's confusing.
Let her do the talking, ask her questions,
respond to what she's saying. Listen.
How long do we talk before I ask her out?
Never ask a girl out on the phone.
- I thought that was the whole point. - Leave it open-ended.
Say you want to hang out sometime,
then you text her,
continuing the conversation, making plans,
winning her over with your wit and charm.
Or your dad jokes and magic tricks... whatever.
Let her talk, leave it open-ended,
dad jokes.
I got this.
Have you sorted through all the discovery yet?
- Yes, but... - What about Ellie's friends?
- Has anyone talked to them? - Yes. In fact, that's what...
And forensics? If any are still outstanding...
Jill!
Ted found something.
Who am I looking at?
This is Hank... Hank Porter.
Hank is large. Hank is strong.
According to Ellie's friend Kayla,
Ellie and Hank met on a dating app two months ago.
They went on one date.
And Hank's vibe? Super creepy.
So Ellie ghosted him, but Hank didn't give up,
kept texting, and a couple weeks later,
he sent her flowers at work.
She still didn't respond,
but apparently he didn't get the message
because her friends saw Hank at Vinyl Island
looking for Ellie.
He was on the island the night Ellie was killed?
Yes.
And the cops didn't follow up with this guy?
They never even talked to him.
We have our suspect.
How did you identify Steve Caldwell
as a suspect in this case?
We saw a male with Ms. Mason
on the golf course video-surveillance system,
and we later determined Mr. Caldwell used
his key access card that night.
When you first went to interview Mr. Caldwell at his home,
did he say or do anything you considered suspicious?
- I found his whole demeanor unusual. - How so?
When I talked to him about Ellie's death,
he just didn't really react.
You thought he'd be more emotional?
I thought he'd react in some way.
He just shrugged. It was very odd.
In the course of your investigation, did you identify any witnesses
who saw Mr. Caldwell and Ms. Mason together
- at Castle Williams? - No.
Did you collect any video surveillance
that showed them together at Castle Williams?
- No. - Did you collect any forensic evidence
linking Mr. Caldwell to the death of Ms. Mason?
No.
- Hair? - No.
- Blood? - No.
- Fingerprints? - No.
- Shoeprints? - No.
- DNA? - No.
Other than Mr. Caldwell,
did you question or even investigate
any other potential suspects in this case?
No.
You didn't ask him about Hank.
I'm gonna ask other people about Hank.
I just needed Detective Blake
to establish that Hank wasn't important to him,
and he wasn't, but he will be.
- I need help. - What's the case?
The case? What?
No, the teacher. Serena.
We've been texting for hours. I'm stuck.
Have you asked her out yet?
There hasn't been a natural opening.
You need to make an opening.
What have you been talking about?
She's from North Carolina, she went to Rutgers,
studied abroad in Spain, she's a runner,
she paints sometimes, we both hate horror movies...
Although, I do like "The Sixth Sense."
I don't know if you'd call that horror. Pretty scary, though.
Nebraska at Rutgers, Thursday night,
ask her to go with you.
You're a genius. Calm down.
It's a football game.
"It's come to my attention
that our alma maters are headed..."
Keep it simple.
"Nebraska's playing at Rutgers Thursday.
Wanna go with me?"
- Smiley face. - No smiley faces.
Too late. Sent.
She's typing.
The dots are moving.
Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...
How about I just assume the dots are moving unless you say otherwise.
She's in.
I have a date.
That's great, man.
? If I were a rich man ?
? Daidle deedle daidle deedle deedle deedle daidle dumb ?
You ruined it. Get out of my office.
Yeah, sorry.
Ms. Lee, what was your relationship with Ms. Mason?
I'm her roommate.
I was her roommate, excuse me.
Are you familiar with someone
- by the name of Hank Porter? - Yes.
What was the relationship between Ellie and Hank?
Relationship? They went on one date.
She told me he was a creeper.
Objection. Hearsay.
I'm sorry. He was a total creeper.
Uh, Ms. Lee.
At some point, did Ms. Mason ask you
to help her deal with Hank?
Yes. She had me change
all of her social media settings to private
so he couldn't find out anything about her.
And she asked me to talk to the doorman of our building about him.
She was scared of him.
Did you provide this information
to Detective Blake of the NYPD?
Yes, all of it.
Did he ever follow up with you about it?
No, he did not.
Agent Cho, you recovered the text messages
- off Ms. Mason's phone, correct? - Yes.
And you've had the opportunity to review those messages,
including messages between Ms. Mason and Hank Porter,
- correct? - Yes, I have.
How many times did Hank Porter text Ellie Mason?
227 times.
And how many times did Ellie Mason
respond to those texts?
She never responded.
- Not once? - No.
You were a close friend of Ms. Mason, correct?
She was my best friend.
And you were with Ms. Mason the night of the concert
- on Governor's Island? - Yes.
Prior to Ms. Mason leaving the festival,
did she say anything unusual to you?
She told me that there was a guy
who she had gone on a date with
who she saw staring at her during the festival.
- Did she indicate who that was? - Yes.
She said his name was Hank Porter.
Did you see Mr. Porter yourself?
Yes, I did.
How would you describe his physical appearance?
Huge.
He was, like, a really big guy...
6'4" maybe, 240 pounds.
Ms. Womack, how did Ellie Mason die?
Manual strangulation.
Was there anything unusual about the strangulation?
Her hyoid bone was shattered,
and her laryngeal cartilage was completely crushed.
You don't see that often.
Is it difficult to crush laryngeal cartilage?
Extremely because you need sustained, strong contact
between the hands and the victim's neck.
In your expert opinion,
could a man approximately 5'8", 140 pounds,
inflict the injuries that caused Ms. Mason's death?
No.
It would require extraordinary size and strength.
Thank you, Ms. Womack.
Okay, Doug, Agent Cheng will walk you through
everything you'll do at the conference.
This is a very simple, safe operation.
You'll just meet with your buyer...
Jerome. Super-nice guy.
He has a boat.
Uh, you'll meet with Jerome,
like you always do, and make the sale.
Okay.
What if he makes me take off my shirt?
Why would he do that, Doug?
In the mob movies,
guys always make you take off your shirt,
show you're not wearing a wire.
I don't think he's going to be suspicious, Doug.
He knows you. Don't worry.
You'll be there, right? At the hotel?
Uh, defense lawyers don't come on stings.
But... But she's the one I know.
- I trust her. - I'll be there.
Yeah, but you scare me.
- I can't... I can't... - It will all be okay, Doug.
I promise. Just breathe. Listen to my voice.
Say something real casual like,
"Hey, so Pete Dolan tells me you and him go way back!"
Hey...
So Pete Dolan tells me you and him go way back.
She can come.
What?! To a... To a body parts convention?
- No, no, no, no, no, no way. - This is not a good idea.
Mr. Bradshaw obviously needs her there,
or this is never gonna work.
Okay! We're all going to Secaucus.
You pick up the rooms, right?
Your guy's killing me.
- He'll be here. - He's 45 minutes late.
He's coming.
At an hour, we're getting a warrant.
Uh, uh...
There's a pool.
How is it?
Pretty good. Nice.
When I was in elementary school,
my dad and I used to sneak into the Sandman Inn
during the summer.
Summer in Sacramento, you know?
I can tell you this, right?
Out of my jurisdiction.
We had a little routine.
We'd get a floatie at Safeway,
one large box of Junior Mints,
two plastic water guns.
I'd go first, stand by the gate,
someone would let me in...
I'd look around, scout it out,
then come back and grab my dad.
We had a room number we would use
in case anyone ever asked.
1342.
We were the Carlyles
'cause my dad thought that sounded rich...
the Carlyles from Chicago.
I thought that was the most beautiful pool in the world.
Until this one.
You really need a vacation.
I do.
Don't you?
I am so sorry I'm late, guys.
- Uh, what's in the cooler? - The merchandise.
Well, I mean, the torsos are still in the truck.
They get bulky.
This isn't a real sale, Doug.
You didn't need to bring actual body parts.
Nope, nope, no, you did not.
Oh, shoot, that makes sense.
Whole thing's a bust anyway.
His dealer already left.
Oh, no. I'm sorry.
Ah, I had some nervous tummy stuff.
And then when I got here,
I ran into Frank and Rich then Jeff...
Like, everyone I ever worked for is here.
And they're such nice guys, I had to catch up.
Worked for? In what capacity?
Well, like Frank, I...
he has this national chain of funeral homes
I used to sell parts for,
and Rich runs a donor network
that gives people free cremation services
in exchange for the bodies.
You did the same thing for these other people?
Took body parts and sold them across state lines
for cashier's checks?
Yeah, I mean, that's how I've always done it.
20 years in this business, so many places.
Doug. Stop talking. Now.
Full dismissal of charges against him
and we can help you get whoever you want here.
Full dismissal.
Wire him up.
Whoo-hoo!
Poor Rich and Frank, though.
Just... They're super-nice guys.
Ready for your date tonight?
It's off.
What? What happened? What did you do?
Why do you immediately assume I did something?
- Did you sing? - Sing?
You sent her something. What did you send her?
I sent her a puppy.
No! I didn't sing!
I didn't send her anything. I'm telling you.
She just texted, "Something came up."
I asked her about rescheduling. She hasn't responded.
- Sorry, man. - It's cool.
I'll be alone forever.
I like being alone.
I can set the thermostat at whatever temperature I like.
Dude, it's one girl, one date. On to the next.
I'll take a pass. I get enough rejection here.
Last thing I need is more failure.
This isn't a failure. I was there. She was into you.
It doesn't matter it makes no sense to me, it's true.
Take what she said at face value.
Maybe she'll reschedule, maybe she won't.
You put yourself out there.
That's a success.
I appreciate that, I do,
but I'm trying to feel sorry for myself, so...
All right, that's enough. You, me.
5:00. Cornhuskers...
or whatever the hell they're called.
I mean, three arrests,
you got leads on four other suppliers.
It was a good day. I'm happy.
Well, I don't usually enjoy that in a prosecutor,
but those aren't my clients.
I don't think.
Yet.
You heading back in? We could share a car.
You probably have a car,
like, a police car or something.
It's not really like that, but...
I forgot something upstairs.
You should go ahead.
Oh. Okay. Well...
Until our next fight to the death.
Phew.
One hour.
We deserve it. Someday we'll be dead.
And people will turn us into dental paste.
We should enjoy ourselves a little
while we're still barely alive.
Get a little sun on our fibulas while they're young.
It's okay to pretend, Mrs. Carlyle.
One hour.
Here is the evidence
that Steve Caldwell murdered Ellie Mason.
A confession.
That is it.
There is nothing else.
There are no witnesses, there is no DNA,
no fingerprints, no hair, no blood.
There is no motive.
There is nothing.
There is evidence in this case.
Let's be clear. There is a lot of evidence.
But that evidence points to Hank Porter.
He was on the island that night.
He had a disturbing history
of aggressively harassing Ms. Mason.
He had the strength to kill Ms. Mason.
Why didn't Detective Blake pursue Mr. Porter?
Because he got to Steve Caldwell first.
Because Steve Caldwell seemed "suspicious."
Because Steve Caldwell's reaction was "odd."
That's it.
And once Detective Blake brought Mr. Caldwell in,
his mind was made up,
and he was going to get his confession.
And he did.
And this is where we are now... with a confession.
That is all there is.
How could someone confess to a crime he did not commit?
I know that is hard for you. I know.
I could tell you about the conditions
of that interrogation, and that is important.
That is critical.
I could tell you about Steve, and that, too, is critical.
But none of this will matter
unless you believe this is possible...
that someone, anyone,
could confess to something he did not do.
And I think you can believe this.
I think you should,
because a false confession
is just a more extraordinary version
of what so many of us do all the time.
It's simply a lie.
It is self-deception.
If you've ever thought to yourself, "Why did I say that,
why did I agree to that,
how could I be so gullible,"
then you can believe this.
If you've ever wondered why
you stayed in a job you didn't like,
a marriage that wasn't working,
a relationship that was abusive,
then you can understand this.
We convince ourselves all the time
that things are true that we know are not true
because it eases some pain,
because we're confused,
because we are tired or frustrated,
because we think, in the long run, it's better,
because insisting on the truth
sometimes becomes too difficult to bear.
If you can understand that, you can believe this. You can.
And if you can believe this,
you can stop this because it's happening again right now.
His false confession will be your burden.
Don't let it be.
Tell the truth.
You're still here?
I guess I am.
I mean, I am.
Yes. I am here.
Feels weird to go home while the jury is still out.
What should we do?
We could clean Sandra's office.
Jury will definitely be back before you finish that.
You're still here, too?
I guess I am.
I also had trouble with that question.
What are you doing?
I am going to drink.
That seems like something to do.
What are you doing?
D-Drinking.
Here? In the office?
We were anxious. It was Ted's idea.
This is not a place to drink.
This...
This is a place to drink.
We have a rooftop?
A War Room, rooftop...
what else are we going to learn on this case?
When I worked for Cordyn & Walsh,
we used to have these rooftop parties
for new summer associates right over there.
Probably why I avoid the roof.
- You worked for Cordyn & Walsh? - Yes.
- A firm? - Yes.
- A private firm? - Yes.
For four years, right out of law school.
I was on the fast track to partner
and a lot of money.
I was married, took fancy trips...
Did we drink another bottle inside
and I don't remember?
What happened?
I was in a conference room with four other associates
on this big airline antitrust case.
We'd been up for 56 hours, preparing a deposition outline
for our client's Chief Financial Officer,
and I walked into the bathroom,
looked at myself in the mirror, and I thought,
"Where did you go?"
That was it.
It was all a lie.
I was lying to myself about who I was,
what I wanted my life to be.
And I left the bathroom, and I stopped lying.
Go... Huskers?
That works. Sure.
You just tell me if I'm supposed to throw something
or look upset or whatever.
I got you.
So, what about you?
What about me?
You seeing anyone?
We're here for you.
You used to go on a date every night.
Who told you that?
Kate.
Kate doesn't know what she's talking about.
Do you ever think about that?
All the time.
Do you ever think about... Kate?
You're drunk.
I'm just finishing my first beer.
So, yes, I am. Very.
I chose Texas.
What are you doing?
- Pick it up! - Ah!
Hey.
Yeah, no problem. I understand.
Saturday?
Sure. I-I'm around.
Great.
Of course I can bring a deck of cards.
Thanks for calling.
You, too. Bye.
Do not bring the deck of cards.
The jury's back.
Right now?
Whatever happens, I'm gonna stay with you.
Okay, Steve?
When I was in junior high,
my stepdad used to beat me every day after school.
Every day.
A belt, an iron,
a flashlight, one of my sister's dolls,
whatever he could get his hands on.
And s-sometimes he would mumble something about disrespect,
but usually he would just start swinging.
And then, when it was finished,
he always said the same thing...
"You understand?
You understand why you needed that?"
And I would say, "Yes, sir.
I understand, sir."
And I never did.
I did not kill that girl.
Madam Foreperson,
I understand you've reached a unanimous verdict.
Yes, Your Honor.
In the matter of United States v. Steve Caldwell,
how do you find the defendant on count one of the indictment,
murder in the first degree, guilty or not guilty?
Guilty.
You fought for him.
You went to war for him. You fought for the truth.
Be proud.
- You okay? - Yes.
- You want to talk about it? - No.
- I don't mean talk about it. - I know what you mean,
and I don't want to talk about it
because talking about my work reminds me about your work,
and I don't like that part of you.
I like the Roger Gunn
that watches bad foreign films,
tells me funny stories about your daughters,
that knows that the only Yankee
to get four home runs in a single game is
- Lou Gehrig. - Lou Gehrig.
I like the part of you that reads weird, little books
about random, obscure topics I've never even heard of
and then is so excited to share it all with me.
Roger Gunn the prosecutor?
I like to pretend he doesn't exist.
That's my magic trick.
Well, I'm offended by that.
They're not weird, little books.
Perfectly sized. See?
101 Cunning Stratagems to Reduce Dramatically
the Egregious Misappropriation of Seed
From Your Bird Feeder by Squirrels."
Over 1 million squirrels outwitted.
Squirrels are really a problem in your life?
Well, not anymore.