"Oh, yeah." "Yeah, nice, sort of." " Breathe." " Amber, this is me breathing." "Watch, listen:" " Focus." "Find your center." " I'd rather find yours." " Are you gonna take this seriously?" " Honestly?" "Trying to get me to do yoga is like trying to get Satan to meditate." " Ready for downward facing dog?" " I thought you'd never ask." "Sixteen-year-old girl was leaving a party in this Brentwood neighborhood when she was struck from behind by a car." " Did he say Brentwood?" " My God, that's so horrible." "Oh, my..." "Answer the phone." " Answer the phone." " Hi, this is Julie." "Leave a message..." "Stay here." " You didn't need..." " See the body?" " No." " My daughter was at this party." "I'm with the DA's office." "Lift up that sheet." " Jesus." "Oh, my God." "Jules." "Jules." " That's my dad." "That's my dad." "I saw it on the news." "Wait, I tried your cell." "Why wasn't your cell on?" "My battery was dead, Dad." "I'm sorry, I'm okay." "Look, the girl, her name is Erica Hartford." "She goes to Southlake Prep." " Did you see what happened?" " No, I was inside and some kids started screaming about somebody had been hit by a car." " We called 911." " Sit in the car." "Don't move, I'll be just a few minutes, okay?" "Okay." " I'm glad she's okay." " Thank you." "What about this poor kid?" "Cops tracked down her parents, they live in Compton." " That's a long way from Southlake Prep." " Yeah, Erica was on scholarship." "She invited some friends here for the party according to witnesses, that didn't go over too well." "Black victim, rich white kid party, exclusive neighborhood." "The press is gonna have a field day." "Oh, yeah, 90 percent of the kids at Southlake have parents who are either rich, famous, or both." "I need answers." "Racially charged case like this can get ugly really fast." "I wanna see her." " Ma'am!" "Ma'am!" "You can't..." " Sir, stay back." "Stay back, please." "Erica." "I want to see if it's her." "No!" "No!" "No." "No, please, God." "Oh, God." "Oh, God." "The dead girl is Erica Hartford." "Attended Southlake, under the Prep for Prep Program." "My dad co-authored that bill." "Minorities from low-incomes get state subsidies to high-end prep schools." "Okay, so, what happened?" "Students said there was tension between victim's Compton friends and kids from Southlake." "Girls hitting on black guys." "Next thing, somebody runs down Erica Hartford." "Cops ran them for priors, two of Erica's friends have records." "Follow up." "The key is finding that car." "I'm checking body shops for vehicles with damage matching this incident." " Good." "Martin, crime scene." " Yup." "Casey, Madeleine, I want you to re-interview every kid." "Is it okay if we talk to your daughter?" "She is a witness." "Just go easy." "Raina, you're gonna head down to Compton with our investigator." " When did you hire an investigator?" " In about half an hour." "When you're done, you wouldn't mind helping me out on mine, would you?" "What are you doing here, Stark?" "I got a personal shopper in every boutique on the street." "The question is, what are you doing here?" " Working." " What are you, a chauffeur?" "Private security, but you already knew that, right?" "I might've made a few calls." "Isaac, my job offer's still open." "I'm doing just fine." "Money's good, I'm my own boss, what?" "Yo, Isaac, get over here, man, now." "Yo, love the bling." " Oh, you like?" "One love." " I am." "Are you kidding?" "This is the guy you'd take a bullet for?" " I just caught the Brentwood case." " Vehicular homicide on black teenager?" "Yeah and there's a Compton connection." "That's your turf, right?" "Thanks anyway, but I'm done with the street." "Yo, let's roll." "You guys got dental?" "You knew the victim?" "My friend Cat introduced us a couple months ago." " Catherine Crosby?" " She and Erica were pretty close." "Were you aware of any tension at the party?" "There's always drama." "I mean, kids get drunk, fight, fool around." "But nothing unusual." "So how is it working for my dad?" " Interesting." " What's it like being his daughter?" ""Interesting" would definitely be the adjective." "You guys about done?" " Well..." " Good." "We do have a lot of other people to talk to." " Thank you, Julie." " No problem." "See you." " Are you okay?" " Yeah, I'm fine, Dad." "Some kids at school are saying that the police are focusing on Erica's friends from Compton." "I can't speak for the police, but my team is talking to everyone, even you." "I need you to be careful, Jules." "This is a very emotional case." " And people know you're my daughter..." " I can handle myself." "The press is all over this, when they find out that you were there..." "I got it." "Why would someone kill Erica?" "That's what I'm trying to find out." "I checked this kid's sheet." "He's half a banger." "No offense." "I can handle this myself." "I'm sure." "Stark just asked me to watch your back." "I was a legal-aid lawyer for two years." "I'm used to bad neighborhoods." "There he is." "Black shirt." "RAINA:" "Anthony Rand?" " Pick up, pick up, pick up." " I'm ADA Troy." "I have questions for you." "Like I told the cops, I got nothing to say." "You were at the party where Erica Hartford was killed." "Can I help it if they like to hang?" "Several witnesses saw you arguing with a boy." "You're not putting this on me." "I had nothing to do with what happened." "We out, man." "Let's go." "GUY 1:" "Yeah, let's be out." "They messing with us." "Fools." "Any way you can get them back here?" "I'm sorry, you asking for my help?" "Please." "Yo, Anthony." "Lady's got more questions." "She can ask them here or downtown." "What, you gonna arrest me?" "Well, you're a minor with a sheet." "If I take a weapon off you right now, you're done with juvie, so be smart and don't make me chase you down." "And tell your boys to take off." "I'll check you out later, man." " That's cool." " All right, homey." "Now, tell me about this party." "It was just a normal party." "People were drinking, but nobody was out of control." "Was there tension between the white kids and the black kids?" "Not that I saw." "They've partied with us before." "It's no big deal." "Look, Erica asked us to come." " It was cool." " When was the last time you saw her?" "Upstairs." "She was with some white dude." "Ben Channing." "Plays lacrosse." "I saw Erica and Ben go into a room upstairs." " Don't know if she was getting busy." " Were they dating?" "No." "Ben's been going out with Cat Crosby for almost two years." "Erica was Cat's best friend." "That was Erica's trip." "Trying to fit in up there." "Good luck with that." "It was hard for her." "Erica wanted to fit in." "She hung out with Cat and Ben all the time." "I think Erica had it bad for him." " She had a crush on Ben?" " And apparently, it was mutual." "Cat showed up and found Erica and Ben in the bedroom." "Really awkward." "The sad reality is that if Erica Hartford were white and she'd been killed outside a party in South Central the driver of that car would either be in jail or dead at the hands of the L.A.P.D." " It's like he wants a damn riot." " You know what?" "It cuts both ways." "I've got e-mails urging me to nail the "black bastards."" "Think we would've learned from Rodney King." "This is looking less like a race thing than romance gone wrong." "Victim gets caught fooling with her best friend's boy." " We need more." " Try this police got a report of a BMW stolen outside the party house registered to none other than Cat Crosby." "That's coincidental." "Any luck finding her?" "No, but we're on the boyfriend." "Second you prove this wasn't about race, I want a news conference." "I want this case cleared before things get out of control." "Yeah, yeah." "Ben, several people saw you arguing with Erica the night of the party." "She was upset." "I was trying to calm her down." "Why was she upset?" "She'd invited her friends from Compton." "I guess word got around and 20 people showed up." "Was that a problem?" "No, no, not at all Erica thought people would be pissed at her." "She was always worried about that." "Couldn't be easy trying to balance different worlds." "I guess." "But everybody liked her." "She and my girlfriend, Cat, they were good friends." "You had an argument with Cat that night too?" "She's my girlfriend." "We fight all the time." "She wanted to take off, I wanted to stay." "She was my ride." "She wasn't mad because she caught you with Erica?" "No way, we were all friends." "I would never do that to Cat." " All right." "Where's Cat now?" " I'm not sure." "Ben, we need to talk to Cat." "Thank you for coming in, Mrs. Crosby." "We're talking to some of the parents of the kids." "It's fine." "I don't know what I can tell you." "We wanted to speak to Cat." "Any idea where she is?" "No, I saw her running out this morning." "I've been giving her space." "This has been very difficult for her." "You spoke to the police?" "They came to the house." "I thought they were there about the stolen car." "Did your daughter tell you what happened that night?" "Only that Erica left early." "When Cat heard what happened, she ran home." "We live only a few blocks away." "She said she was too upset to drive and she admitted she'd been drinking." "When she returned home the next morning, her car was gone?" "Yeah." "Mrs. Crosby, have you considered the possibility that Cat didn't come straight home that night?" "I don't understand." "Something happened between Cat and Erica that night involving Ben Channing." " Cat and Erica argued..." " Wait." "Are you suggesting that Cat was somehow involved in Erica's death?" "We're saying that we need to talk to your daughter." "If you wanna speak to either me or my daughter I suggest you contact my attorney." "HPCU, Allende." "Hey, Isaac." " How'd that go?" " Not well." "MARTIN:" "All right, hang on." "Isaac." " Make me happy." " Hey, I'm in Compton." "I got a call from a buddy in the sheriff's department." "They found Cat Crosby's car off Alameda." "There's blood and fabric on the bumper." "Full forensic rundown." "You are a rock star." "Hold on." "Service provider shows Cat's phone registering on a cell tower in Laguna." "Wanna bet Mom and Dad have a cozy little place down the coast?" "You're heading to Laguna." "Several suspects have been questioned in the Erica Hartford hit-and-run case." "But as yet, no arrests have been made." "I'll check the windows around back." " You can't just spy in someone's house." " He's doing his job." "This guy planted evidence in a cop killing." "As a result, we took a major drug dealer off the street." "Give him a chance." "This guy knows where to draw the line." "She's barely breathing." "Call an ambulance." "Cat, wake up." "Wake up." " She's resting comfortably." " Good." "I still want an officer at her door." " She's in no shape to run away." " What'd she take?" " Prescription sleeping pills and alcohol." " Did she try to kill herself or not?" "Too many pills for an accident, not enough to kill her." "Upset, yes." "Suicidal, tough to tell." "I don't want you talking to these people." "No choice." "Your daughter's a suspect in a murder case." "You can't harass her caregiver." "Dan, when I start harassing people, you'll be the first to know." " We'd like to speak with Cat." " She is in no condition." " I'll call in a few days." " Nice try." "Your client already fled once." "You wanna speak to Cat, have her arrested." " See how that plays in the paper." " Well, when you put it that way." "You arrested the girl in her hospital bed." "Suppose I could've waited till she got up." "It makes us look like bullies." "Makes us look like prosecutors going after a killer." "All I'm saying is that arresting the girl the day after she OD's..." "Jess, for all we know, Cat Crosby did this to avoid a murder prosecution." "DEVLIN:" "Well, she just might succeed." "Your Honor, it's been five days since my client attempted suicide." "It's unreasonable to determine her competency to stand trial." "Ms. Crosby was examined by a court-appointed psychiatrist found to be of sound mind." "Our psychiatrist, a recognized expert in childhood trauma found Catherine is in no condition..." " I'd like to hear from Ms. Crosby." "How do you feel, Catherine?" "I'm okay." "Are you sure you're ready for trial?" "Yes." "My client's opinion is not reliable..." "I've read the evaluations of both experts." "And taking into account the age of this defendant..." " What about the age of the victim?" " Mr. Stark." "Need I remind the court of the brutal nature of this crime?" " No." " I'll remark on the high-profile nature of this case and its potentially explosive impact on the community." " How is that relevant?" " Glad you asked." "The answer is we have a black victim of decidedly modest means and a wealthy white defendant." "It's your call, but personally, I'd rather not drive through a war zone tonight." "How'd you know Pearlman would grant a trial on fear of a riot?" "Competency hearing, judge is jury." " Her opinion's the one that matters." " Meaning?" "She had a rock thrown at her after the King verdict." " That's brilliant." " It's a curse." "It's not all good news." "She denied change of venue." " Trial stays on the west side." " Forget venue." "Theory." " Which is?" " The ever popular love triangle." "Erica and Cat love Ben, Ben loves both, tragedy ensues." "Gonna have to prove Erica and Ben hooked up." "And that Cat's car wasn't stolen." "She killed Erica, drove to Compton, dumped it to cover her tracks." "After we prove that, we make a white-bread, west-side jury stand for black girl from a part of the city they wouldn't go to." " And how do we do that?" " I have no idea." "This is a murder trial, Ben." "Which means if you're withholding relevant information you can be charged as an accessory." "You guys don't understand." "I love Cat." "No one's questioning that." "But sometimes, even if you love someone you can have feelings for someone else." "Ben were you seeing Erica Hartford?" "We tried to keep it a secret." "We didn't wanna hurt Cat." "But she found out anyway?" "I'd written a letter to Erica telling her how I felt." "And it was in my locker at school." "Cat keeps stuff in there and she found the letter." " Was this the day of the party?" " Yeah." "She brought the letter with her that night." "She was really pissed off." "I don't blame her." " Where's the letter now?" " I don't know." "She was screaming." "She crumpled it up and threw it at me." "I don't know what happened to it after that." "Do you think Cat killed Erica?" "I've been with Cat for two years now." "She's a good person." "Good people make mistakes." "She was angry, yeah." "But there is no way no way that Cat would hurt Erica." "No one saw a girl matching Cat's description near the alley where the car was?" "Not yet." "I've got cops canvassing." "How many lily-white prep-school girls are strolling around Compton that time?" " How about cab companies?" " I sent Cat's photo to taxi dispatchers." "Hopefully, a driver will come." " Bus drivers?" " Same deal." " So we're nowhere." " Maybe not." "I just got Andrea Crosby's credit-card report." "Hit from a gas station in Compton the night Erica died." " Witnesses?" " Clerk can ID the mother's Mercedes." "Didn't see who was driving." " Security cameras?" " Haven't worked in three years." "Okay, the Crosbys must use a security company at their house." "Get me the logs." "I wanna know when the mom came and went that night." "You just may work out." "Is there anything I can do?" "I got it covered." "You were good." "You know, with that kid on the street." "Thanks." "Now, that is a beautiful man." "He's okay." "He's kind of tall." "I don't know." "I'm not sure I'd work without a net." "You plan to sleep with everyone in the office?" "Is that an invitation?" " I think he likes you." " I don't do office romance." "Who said anything about romance?" "Jealousy killed Erica Hartford." "Catherine Crosby found out that her best friend was having a secret affair with her boyfriend." "Well, she was hurt." "She was angry." "You'll hear evidence that Catherine went to a party that night to confront them." "And she found them in the bedroom together." "There was a heated argument and then Erica left the party alone." "Intoxicated and furious, Catherine got into her car and took off." "Then she spotted Erica walking down the side of the road and in a jealous rage, she ran Erica down later dumping her BMW in Compton hoping that it would quickly disappear." "And then enlisting the help of her mother to hide her crime." "Fooling around with your best friend's boyfriend isn't very nice." "But Erica didn't deserve to die for it." "Catherine Crosby ended a life full of potential and promise." "She needs to pay for that." "It doesn't add up." "Prosecution asserts that Andrea Crosby drove to Compton to pick up her daughter after she dumped the damaged BMW." "We will present a time-coded record of online purchases made by Andrea Crosby at the precise time she is alleged to have come to Catherine's aid." "In addition, an expert in automobile fatalities will show that Erica Hartford's death could not possibly have been intentional." "Now, Erica's death is a tragedy." "But there's no sinister conspiracy here." "Someone stole a car and hit a pedestrian as they sped away." "Find that person." "Punish them." "But don't blame Catherine Crosby for a crime she didn't commit." " We couldn't get a search warrant." " So I gathered." " The Internet provider?" " Good impulse, not timely." "Maybe we can prove those purchases were made by someone else." "Lauter won't make claims he can't back up." "We need to find a witness who saw Andrea Crosby getting gas in Compton that night." "You, find out who Lauter's using as an accident expert." "And you, find that witness, fast." "The trial of Catherine Crosby in the hit-and-run murder of Erica Hartford." "As yet, no clear motive has been established on the brutal slaying of this 16-year-old Southlake Prep senior." "Make sure Isaac signs this report." "Keep all the I's dotted and T's crossed." "Oh, and by the way, on..." " Hey." " Hey, what are you doing down here?" "There was a photography exhibit at MOCA." "I need to talk to you." "I have to finish up one thing on this case." "That's what I wanted to talk to you about." "Look, I know Cat Crosby and there's no way she could've done this." "Honey, I know this is tough on you." "Cat is a really sweet girl, okay?" "She's always gone out to help people." "She's smart, she's funny." "And she made a big mistake." "Just because you say so?" "No, she had motive and opportunity." "And all credible evidence points to her." " There's nothing I can do." " Hey, Julie." " Sorry to interrupt." "It's important." " Go." "Cops tracked down everyone who charged gas at that station between midnight and 3 a.m." "A woman saw two people by Andrea's Mercedes." "She ID'd Cat Crosby off her photograph." " I'm sorry, Jules." " Thing is she wasn't with her mother." "She was with a teenage boy." " Why did you lie to us, Ben?" " I didn't lie to you." "You didn't tell us that you helped Cat dump the BMW." "I didn't want to get her in trouble." "I hate to tell you, but she's already in trouble." "And if you don't give a full statement about what happened I'm coming after you." "And trust me, that is something you do not want." " Do I need a lawyer?" " Not if you tell us the truth." "All right." "Cat saw Erica and me at the party that night." "We were making out upstairs in a bedroom." "Cat went ballistic." "She started screaming at us." "Erica couldn't deal." "She took off." "I followed Cat out to her car." "She was drunk and freaking out." "She wouldn't let me drive her home, so I got in the passenger seat." "I was just trying to calm her down." "Go on." "Cat saw Erica walking in the street." "I thought she was just gonna pull over so we could all talk things out but instead of slowing down, Cat drove right into her." "Did you try and help Erica?" "Of course I tried to help her." "I got out, I checked her pulse." "It was too late." "Why didn't you call the police?" "Because I couldn't do that to Cat." "This whole thing was all my fault." "It's over, Cat." "Ben told us exactly what happened that night." "Cat came straight home after the party." "Ben was in the car when Cat hit Erica." "He's an eyewitness." " What are you offering?" " Reduce to vehicular manslaughter." "Plead as a minor, she'll be out in seven, max." " Seven, for something she didn't do?" " Mom." " This boy already lied." " To protect his girlfriend." " Jury won't blame him for that." " It makes him more credible." "Take the deal." "My daughter's not going to jail." "Come on, honey." "I'm trying to throw you a bone here, Dan." " The mother won't budge." " Cat could get 30 years." "Offer's declined." " Is Lauter drunk?" "Great offer." " He wanted to take it, the girl too." "But the mother refuses to believe her daughter did this." " I can understand that." " I'm a big fan of denial, God knows but she's gonna lose her kid over this thing." "Parents aren't in touch with children." " Your daughter know Cat?" " Went to summer camp together." " Julie's taking it hard." " Yeah, apparently." "She made comments about the case to her school paper." " She thinks Cat's innocent." " Mistake." "Julie would never do that." "Who cares?" "Either way, it's a circulation of, what, 200?" "Try 20 million." "The editor's mom runs the local office of the Associated Press." " The Associated Press picked that up?" " And ran with it." " What?" "You want me to apologize?" " No." "I want you to explain to me why you directly contradicted my instructions not to talk to the press." " I am entitled to my opinion." " Yes, you are." "Not when those opinions become fodder on CNN in the middle of a murder trial." "I didn't know it was gonna be a big deal." "Tell Dr. Phil on the father-daughter feud special." " All I said was I think Cat is innocent." " The jury is not sequestered." "They can read this in the newspaper, see it on TV and on the stupid Internet." " So?" " So have I not taught you that jury trials are just popularity contests?" "My own 16-year-old daughter doesn't believe me, why should they?" "I asked you to be careful." "No." "You asked me to keep my mouth shut." "I couldn't." "Cat's my friend." "And I'm your father." "Mr. Archer, did you create this computer simulation of the crash that killed Erica Hartford?" " Yes." "And will you share your conclusions with the court?" "By programming the precise road and weather conditions on the night taking into account injuries sustained by the victim and a full forensic crime-scene analysis it is my opinion that this collision was accidental." "Thank you." "Cross-examination?" " You're a pioneer in your field, correct?" " Yes." "Would you say that computer simulation is a reliable tool?" "Given sufficient data, the technique is 99.37 percent accurate." "Ninety-nine-point-thirty-seven percent." "Impressive." "I would like to direct the court's attention to the monitor." "Ms. Troy?" " Do you recognize this simulation?" " Yes." "I imagine you would, since you created it for the firm of Stark Bell in 2003." "What was it intended to show?" "That a plane crashed due to pilot error." "In other words, you asserted that this crash was accidental." "Much as you've testified here today about this case." " Is that right?" " Yes." "I imagine it was a bit of a shock when the pilot's suicide note was discovered at the crash site?" "No program is perfect." "Right, but 99.37 percent." "That is the accuracy that you claimed, right?" " Well, yes, but..." " So your plane crash re-creation must have snuck into that pesky.63 percent error zone." "I guess that's the problem with computer simulations." "Sometimes, you just crash and burn." "No more questions, Your Honor." "Your tribute would embarrass me if it weren't deserved." "Leave it to you to eviscerate an expert witness." "I almost feel sorry for the guy." "You wouldn't if you knew what he charged for the videos." " We've got a problem with our witness." " You're a tiny angel of death." "Lauter found Ben Channing's juvenile court record." " Those records are sealed." " Not anymore." "Judge motioned to include them." " Convictions for shoplifting, vandalism." " There goes his credibility." "Corroborate his relationship." "You talked to Erica's parents." "They didn't know Erica's social life." "You talk to both parents at the same time?" " Yeah." " See the mother alone." " Why?" " Girls don't talk about sex with fathers." "And their mothers keep those secrets." "Thank you for seeing me, Mrs. Hartford." "Is the case going well?" "Yes, but we still need to understand the relationship between your daughter and Ben." "Maybe I'm naive, but I was shocked to hear Erica and Ben were..." "Erica loved Cat." "It wasn't in her to hurt a friend that way." "Did you ever see your daughter and Ben together?" "No." "She was very private about her social life." "Truth is, I think she was afraid to tell her dad she was seeing a white boy." "You must've known that something was going on." "When Erica first went to Southlake she felt like she was from another planet." "It was so lonely for her." "About six months ago, something changed." "Suddenly, Erica was laughing and singing going out on weekends." "She met someone." "I didn't ask questions." "I was happy for her." "She'd be in her room late at night playing that CD over and over." "And what CD was that?" "The ones you make on the computer." "Erica would listen to it every night." "Love songs." "Cat's lawyer's gonna throw you off your story." "Just stay calm and take your time." " Okay." " He'll grill you on your juvenile record." "Tell the truth." "Don't look ashamed." "And there's gonna be a lot of questions about sex." "Your relationship with Cat and Erica." "I understand." "They want the jury to see you as a sex-crazed jerk so Cat looks like the victim." " Look, I'm not..." " Exactly." "You loved Cat, you were attracted to Erica." "You made a mistake." "You're very sorry." " Got it?" " Yeah." "Get anything from Erica's mom?" "Maybe." "I went through the stuff the cops took from Erica's room." "You made Erica a CD?" "Yeah, Erica really loved music." "Is that important?" "Defense has access to it, which means they can question on the content." "We don't want any surprises." "What's on the CD?" "Just some stuff I knew Erica would like." "I made it months ago." "I can 't really remember what's on it." " You ever make Eddie a CD?" " What?" "Burn songs off iTunes, "You're The Love of My Life," "Never Forget Me. " All that." "No, I just e-mail him nude pictures of myself." "It takes less time." "Yeah, but if you were to make him a CD would you remember the songs you chose, say, six months later?" "Yeah, of course." "I'd remember them forever." "Hm." "Thought we're heading to your office." "We just have to pick up something from Erica's house." "You guys spent time down there, right?" "So Cat wouldn't catch on?" "Sometimes." "You know this neighborhood pretty well." "Where do we turn, 23rd or 26th?" "I think you can turn on either one." "Must've been pretty rough juggling two girls at once." "Yeah, especially best friends." "All right, here we are." "They look like they got a pretty nice place." "Yeah." "I'll be right back." "Hey, it's me." "We're 20 blocks from Erica's house." "Ben's never been here in his life." "Don't let on you know." "Get back here as fast as you can." "Our entire case just blew up." "Ben Channing's been yanking our chain." "He wasn't having a relationship with Erica." " We know." "Someone else was." " What is this?" "Found it in a security-protected folder on Erica's computer." " Tech guys just broke in." " Yeah?" "Come here." "Hey, it's us." " They like the beach, big deal." " Just wait for it." "I like my new phone." "Oh!" "Oh, so..." "Looks like they were more than just friends." "High school's changed, huh?" "Your client was romantically involved with the deceased?" " Yes, Your Honor." " Did you plan to share that with us?" "I didn't know till Mr. Stark provided me the video evidence." " You lied to your attorney, Ms. Crosby?" " Yes, ma'am." "The people request time to reframe their case." "Won't be necessary." "My client will plead second-degree murder." "Catherine will sign on the condition her relationship with Erica is not part of the record." "I assume these terms are acceptable, Mr. Stark?" " Mr. Stark?" " Actually, they're not, Your Honor." "The people won't accept a plea until Ms. Crosby provides a clear factual basis." "A full account of that night." "Okay, would you like to reconsider your plea, Mr. Lauter?" "Your Honor, this plea was offered against my counsel." "I think you should ask my client." "Very well." "Miss Crosby?" "Are you sure about this plea?" "Yes." "I just wanna pay for what I did and move on with my life." "You heard her, Mr. Stark." "If you think there's a more suitable plea, work it out with Mr. Lauter." "If not, go to trial, or drop the charges." "You've got 24 hours to decide." "We're done." " You turned down murder two?" " It doesn't smell right." "So hold your nose." "I'm not sure she did it, Jess." " Since when do you care about that?" " Since when do you not?" " This is about your daughter." " Please." "They're friends, it's influencing you." "Is our session up?" "I'm telling you, something is wrong." " Take the plea." " Not till I figure out what's going on." "The judge gave you 24 hours." "If you can't nail somebody else for killing Erica I'll take Cat Crosby's plea myself." "Just make sure there's a notation that says "not to scale."" " Dad?" " Yes?" "Oh, hey, everything okay?" "I just need a second." "I'll go pull the crime-scene photos." "I know you're swamped." "I just came to apologize." "I shouldn't have talked to the school paper." "But I was mad at you." "You weren't listening to me." " Your mom always said that." " She was right." "But still, what I did was incredibly selfish and stupid." "And I'm really sorry." "And you promise never to disobey me again for the balance of recorded time?" "Or at least till college." "Deal." "So can you help Cat?" "I'm trying, sweetie, but she's not making it easy on us." "Her life was really complicated." "Well, love is weird." "Makes you do crazy things." " Tell me about it." " The first time I fell in love..." " Do I really wanna hear about this?" " Paul Dinardo, seventh grade." "We went out for a month, spoke maybe three times." "Sounds like a recipe for a lasting relationship." "But we used to pour our hearts out into these long notes." "And we'd stick them in each other's lockers." "It was pretty queer, I guess but I kept every single one of them." " Dad?" " Madeleine, get me Judge Pearlman." " This is harassment." " Not according to the judge." " The police already searched my car." " Yeah?" "My guy's better." "Can't you see that whoever stole Cat's car killed Erica?" "And how do you know that?" "There were kids that didn't belong at that party." "Friends of Erica's." "She was a very sweet girl, but she brought a dangerous element with her." "And now she's dead, and my daughter's life may be ruined." "Well, not exactly a liberal, huh?" "She doesn't know about Cat and Erica." "Cat's terrified about her mom finding out about the relationship." "Got something." "Tucked up under the grill of the driver's seat." " Why didn't the cops come up with that?" " Narcotics detective." "Could find a grain of coke in a snowstorm." "Ooh." "I need to talk to your client." " You're kidding." " Trying to help." " Says the man who had her arrested." " When I thought she was guilty." "Now I know she's not, Dan." "She's been lying to you all along." "She obviously can't confide in the mother." " Let me try to get through to her." " Why should I trust you?" "Because Ben Channing read that letter." "Some mess, huh?" "Yeah." "Julie sends her love." "She must hate me." "She's worried about you." "Everybody is, even me." "It's my fault Erica's dead." "Well, I know you believe that but you and I both know you didn't kill Erica." "Yes, I did." "I believe this is yours." "I had to read it." "I'm sorry." "Yeah." "It sounds like Erica loved you very much." "We never meant for any of this to happen." "It just did." "You know, Cat, if Erica loved you half as much as that letter says I don't think she'd want you living a lie." "And I know she wouldn't want you to throw your life away." "This isn't just about Erica." "No, I mean, I cheated on Ben." " He trusted me and I lied to him." " Cat." " This isn't his fault." "This is my fault." " You're 16." "You think you're doing the right thing." "And you think if you tell the truth, the world will come to an end." "But trust me, it won't." "Look up." "Tell me what really happened that night." "Okay." "When Erica got to the party Ben called her upstairs." "He had the letter and he was really upset." "CAT:" "When I got there, they were still arguing." "I mean, we kept apologizing but he just kept getting angrier and angrier." "Go on, sweetie." "It's okay." "So Erica took off so I could talk to Ben alone." "He calmed down a little." "And then he said he wanted to go." "I'd had a few beers that night, so I gave him the keys to my car." "As we were heading towards my house we saw Erica walking on the side of the road." "He said that he just wanted to scare her." "So he started heading towards her." "And then..." "I'll never forget that sound as long as I live." "And Erica was just..." "She was just lying there." "And she wasn't breathing." "So you took your mom's car and you followed Ben to Compton." "You dumped the BMW and you came back together." "Yeah." "Sweetie, why didn't you just call the police?" "I didn't want Ben to be arrested for something that I made him do." "Ben had a right to be upset, but he didn't have a right to kill Erica." "Her death is his responsibility, not yours." "I really miss her." "I know." "It's okay." "I know." "In a startling development, Jack police have made another arrest in the Erica Hartford murder case." "Only moments after charges were dropped against Catherine Crosby..." " What was that for?" " Helping my friend." "I can't believe Ben was willing to let Cat go to jail for him." "Well, people do stupid things when they're scared." "Kind of figured you'd be saying, "I told you so," right about now." " You knew Cat was innocent." " You think I'm that childish?" " I told you so." " And I should've listened." "Eventually, you'll learn I'm always right." "Took Mom a while too." "Jules." "You know how there are certain subjects I'm not exactly comfortable discussing with you?" "You mean like sex and drugs and..." "Excellent examples." "And when they come up, how I always say I just don't wanna know?" " Mm-hm." "I wanna know." "Good night." "Good night."