"'In the criminal justice system, 'sexually based offences are considered especially heinous," "'In New York City, the detectives who investigate these vicious felonies 'are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit." "'These are their stories,'" "Sex Crimes?" "Take a look at this." "Girl hanged herself from the bed." "Name's Layla Briggs." "Neighbours said she was a good tenant." " Looks like she killed herself." " Anything she didn't pierce?" " She must set off metal detectors." " And burn marks." "We got reasons to believe this is anything other than a suicide?" "Yeah." "The robe was tied over her folded arms." "That's not impossible." "I'm no Houdini, but how hard is that?" "The robe was open." "Did you open it?" "I was told it was a suicide." "I examined the body." " Did your men disturb the body?" " My first instinct was suicide." "The second I thought different." "I called you guys." "I don't get SM, 'Hurt me, that turns me on,' What's up with that?" "It starts with the tattoos." "It's a matter of time before you beg to be spanked." "Tattoos are a gateway to sexual dark side." "You've finally figured me out." "Did you get off on the pin pricks of pain?" " I get that working with you." " Please." "Benson, your prelim on Briggs, you omitted a cause of incident." "The first COD was death by hanging, but there were irregularities." "We want to talk to the ME." " Homicide or suicide?" " We need more information." "The baby ME at the scene disrobed the body." "Where do they get these people?" "The vic had self-inflicted wounds or willingly endured wounds." "Which raises the possibility this is neither suicide nor homicide." "Rough sex gone awry?" "You get that explanation from defence attorneys." "This girl was into paraphilia." "She was pierced from head to toe." " And she works on Wall Street?" " Investment analyst." "Those two worlds overlap." "What worlds?" "SM and high finance?" "Yeah." "The all-consuming obsession to destroy political competitors is no different than the compulsion to harm one's fellow man." "Or woman." "Talk to the family." "Munch, Cassidy, find out where she worked." "What does Special Victims Unit mean?" "We investigate sexually based offences." "What happened to Layla?" "We're hoping that you can help us." "I have no idea." "Mrs Briggs, you probably knew her better than anyone." " If you tell us about that aspect..." " What aspect?" "The piercings, scars on her body." "They threw up a red flag for us." "She kept me at arm's length about those things." "Her father died when she was 15 and after that, she and I drifted apart." "When was the last time you two spoke?" "A week ago." "She was chipper and upbeat." " Any signs of depression?" " No." "Certainly not suicidal." "She was happy with her job." "Was there anything that you noticed?" "Any changes in her behaviour?" "We didn't talk about anything personal." " Maybe that was wrong." " You do what you can." "You can't stop a child from doing what she's gonna do." "When she was in 10th grade, she was in the shower once." "I was bringing her fresh towels and I saw it." "Saw what?" "Metal rings through her nipples." " That's when it began." " What did you say?" "I thought if I pitched a fit, it would only encourage her, give her something to rebel against." "Maybe make it worse." "I guess nothing worse can happen now." "Layla was the analyst for our derivative financial instruments." "Let's pretend this is economics." "We're not majors, OK?" "Insurance companies collect premiums." "Some money pays claims, other money is held in a cash reserve." "Layla invests the rest." " How much is that?" " Billions." " Did that create enemies for Layla?" " No, why would it?" "We're talking about the concentration of power." "My insurer's renters' cheque joins another and another until that trickle becomes a flood." "That wealth is a threat to the people that want you to stay in line." "That can create enemies." "First, that's not how it works and second, Layla was well liked." "We're more interested in Layla's state of mind." " Was there a crisis in her life?" " Not that I saw." "What do you do here?" "Manage the office." "My boyfriend, Mr Martin, owns the company." "Did he have contact with Layla?" " Very little." " Who did?" "Our head of finance, Sho-Ling Fu." "But she's not in today." " We'll need her number." " We frown on incoming calls." "They distract from the task at hand." "We frown on obstruction of justice." "COD is asphyxiation from a ligature around the neck." " Just as it appeared." " Straightforward cause of death." "A cause isn't always an explanation." "Homicide, suicide or accident?" "I'm not gonna declare until I have more information from you." " Was she sexually assaulted?" " Assault is hard to determine." "She was penetrated but we've recovered no bodily fluids." "Also, the scarring and sexual injury she endured for years would send someone to prison except for one thing." " It was self-inflicted." " Perhaps." "Maybe the terminal injury was self-inflicted." "An auto-erotic fatality?" "Well, I could see that, but look at this." " It's the robe she was wearing." " Yeah." "Perfectly clean." "No sweat, no soiling." "Someone redressed her?" "Remorseful killer?" "Sometimes family members clean up the scene." "Layla may have been experimenting sexually." "We'll spare you the details, but if that's the case, it means that it wasn't a suicide." "It was an accident." "Layla was a good girl." "This doesn't mean she wasn't a good girl." "But if you know something more, you gotta help us out." "Help us find out what really did happen to Layla." "I was bringing her a cake." "I didn't wanna be nosy." "She didn't like that." "I was just gonna let myself out." "And then..." "And then you walked into her room." "You think it can't be true when you see it." "I felt dizzy, I laid down on the floor." "I didn't know what to do." "I wanted to call someone, l-l..." "I thought I should call my minister, but I didn't want him to see her like that." "Then everyone would know." "You were embarrassed for her." "We understand that." "She was wearing this weird leather thing and other things." "I don't even know what they are." "I got rid of all that, I put a robe over her shoulders and called the police." "Where did you put the things you found in her bedroom?" "In a blue plastic bag." "I threw all that filth in a dumpster." "The best I can tell, this is the outfit she wore when she died." "Bodily fluids in all the right places - hers and a man's." " I sent semen traces out for DNA." " She had a partner." "She's got a whipping boy for some rough sex and he gets carried away?" "Or it's a homicide meant to look like that." "So, the whipper boiled over." "Except no one got whipped." "I tested this for epidermal traces." "It came back negative." "It's in as-new condition and it rattles." "That's odd." "Let's open it up, see what's making that sound." "They're pinning this on auto-erotic asphyxiation." "Terminal sex." "Yeah, except auto-erotic implies one person." " And?" " She wasn't alone." "We recovered the outfit she was wearing." "Seminal fluid was found on it." "And we found a whip filled with $500,000 worth of diamonds." "You'll be able to find out where they came from." "Show her photo around the diamond district." "We have her credit card records." "She frequented sex and fetish shops." "See if you can get the names of any of her sex partners." "I know her but we try to protect the privacy of our customers" "The world can be judgmental of human behaviour." "We leave that to the prosecutors." " What was your sense of Layla?" " My sense?" "First timer, she's a little shy." "A yuppie with a wild streak." "Why?" "We found her dead, trussed up like a latex turkey." "My God!" "We talked about code words, safe-play techniques and so on." "That lesson didn't stick so well, did it?" "Did you know any of her partners?" "She came in one time with her boss's girlfriend." " A big redhead?" " No, brunette." "Why?" "We met a different girlfriend," "Pretty girl, but I've never seen her." "She purchased about $500,000 worth of diamonds." "The only people dealing with those quantities are crooks or professional diamond dealers." "I'd never sell that much to someone I didn't know." " Reputation is everything." " Would that hurt your reputation?" "Diamonds are the traveller's cheques of the underworld." "They're valuable, impossible to trace." "Once you sell to one creep, all the rest come to your door." "Do you know anyone who's less scrupulous?" "There's one man, he will sell to anyone." "Large, small quantities, he doesn't care, David McKuin." "He's in the same building." "Suite 505." "Layla Briggs." "Sure, big buyer." "Came in two weeks ago." " She's dead." " What happened?" "We're trying to find out." "Did she buy diamonds from you?" " A big order." " How big?" "$9,416,000." "She wanted 10 million." "I couldn't come up with it," "$9,500,000 worth of diamonds." "Wow." "What were they for?" "She said it was for her work." "High finance, I don't understand it." "You don't ask questions when you can make a quick buck." " I resent that." " Resent a stolen property enquiry?" "I didn't steal anything." "That doesn't mean they can't scare away dealers." "So tell us whether she bought any diamonds for personal use." "No." "It was for her business." "She even paid with a corporate cheque." " Can I get a copy of that cheque?" " Sure." "If I were ripping off my company, I'd want this jeweller as my guy." "Think that's what she was doing?" " Maybe." "And someone wanted a cut." " Still have to cash them out." "There." "Cheque's from Martin Global Fund." "Signed by her supervisor, Sho-Ling Fu." "OK." "Someone might wanna try and fence these same diamonds." "If they come in wanting to move a large amount, call us." " Yes, I'll call." " Thanks." "Yeah, I got it, I understand." "A redhead and a brunette." "Thanks for the razor-sharp description." "Munch says this Martin guy has two stunning girlfriends." "Keeping his options open, I guess." "We have many accounts in many currencies." "It's nearly $10m and you don't remember it?" "I sign a transaction that big several times a week." "What was it for?" "Layla used it to purchase diamonds." "She did some commodities hedging." "Once in a while, you take a delivery of actual goods." "Warren Buffet has four London vaults filled with silver." " So, where are they?" " How would I know?" "Cos you're in charge of finances." "And we're investigating a murder." "Mr Martin's office is where?" "Down the hall." "It's marked." "Thank you." " We're looking for Frank Martin." " Who are you?" "We're detectives, Benson and Stabler." "Sorry, I was just fixing one of the computers." "It crashed." "But better the machine than the market." "Computers will always break down, but the most important equipment" " is the nut behind the keyboard." " Mr Martin," "I started this company in my garage on this same computer." "Now it's a multi-billion dollar empire." "US capital markets are the greatest wealth-creation engines ever." "The power of the bull market is a force of nature and I have surfed it successfully." "I keep that computer to remind me of where I started." "How long did Layla Briggs work here?" "Two years." "Shame what happened." "Were you aware of her personal life?" " You mean the sex stuff?" " Yes, the sex stuff." "Her predilections were well-known but she kept it out of the office." "You ever have a problem with theft?" " I've had to fight off hackers." " No, I meant Layla." "She purchased thousands of dollars of sex gear on your credit cards." "Oh, that." "What's the difference between paying for a golf membership and paying for her habits?" "Jack Nicklaus never died from playing golf." "You're right and I wanna help you guys find out what happened to her." "Layla purchased nearly $10m worth of diamonds" " two weeks before her death." " That was a financial move." "We were betting on diamond futures going up." " Was that common knowledge?" " Diamond futures?" " That she took care of the goods." " It's in the financial report." "Anyone could tell that she had the jewels." "What's the distribution list?" "Everybody here and the board of directors of the charity" " get a weekly report." " Charity on Wall Street." "We're not all vultures." "We invest a large fund for the New Vision Endowment." "They give eye glasses to poor children." "When was the last time you saw Layla?" "Last week." "She brought by the quarterly reports." " They were stellar." " What did she do for you?" " She managed our endowment." " And what did that entail?" "Non-profit charities like ours, we don't spend all the money at once." "An endowment keeps us going from year to year." "Like an investment pool." "Yes." "The better the returns, the more money we can put to work." " Layla made our money work hard." " Did she ever mention diamonds?" "No, but she made some exotic financial returns." " They paid off." " Exotic puts your endowment at risk." "I didn't know what Layla was doing." "Hedge funds, futures, I didn't care as long as it brought in the funds." " You risked the endowment." " Her company got power of attorney." " Who?" " Frank Martin." "He guaranteed that if anything went south, he would bail us out." "It was a financial move based on the flow of the commodities market," "$500,000 worth of diamonds was found with Layla's body." "Layla had some strange habits but she was honest." "She had no need to steal." "Could she have afforded those jewels on her own?" "Sure." "Many times over." "She made millions here." "Sometimes it's not about money." "Was she angry at you?" " No, we had a good relationship." " Was it ever sexual?" "No." "There's a fine line between tolerating sexual behaviour and encouraging it," "The Hang Seng opened up 49 points." "Yes!" "Er, if you'll excuse me." "The Hang Seng can hang." "Who was Layla dating?" " I don't know." " You must have some idea." "If you ask those questions in the workplace, you set yourself up for a big fat lawsuit nowadays, so I don't ask," " Where are you on the Briggs case?" " Looks like high finance and low urges." "She bought the kinky stuff with corporate credit cards and everyone she works with seems to know about it." "She was a financial whizz." "She managed a charity fund." "Charity begins at home." "90 cents of every dollar in the can," " ends up in someone's pocket." " Well, that's cynical." "That's life." "The records of a non-profit are public information." "Let's find out what they were really doing." "What's that?" "The financial records for your foundation." "It seems out of the $18 million you took in, less than one million" " went for charitable works." " No, no, you're reading it wrong." "Here, look." "Fourteen million for glasses." "Anyone can print up a report." "We talked to the bank." "There is no account." "They've never heard of you." " What are you saying?" " You and Layla had a scam going." "She embezzles money, you sign off on the reports, but she gets greedy." "Are you suggesting that I killed Layla?" "That's not what happened." "I knew about the financial irregularities but I never benefited." " Oh, come on, please." " It's true." "At least not financially." "Layla would make certain donations." "I would then invest the proceeds with her company." "Martin laundered money." "Layla was his bag man." "I presume." "All I had to do was look the other way." "Why did you allow her to use your charity?" "What was in it for you?" "We shared certain compulsions." "I tried but I was never able to relieve myself of them." "Layla knew me as the human ashtray." "We met on the circuit." "The non-profit world is very concerned with appearances." "And she threatened to expose you." "Unless I helped her." "I did once." "That was the thin edge of the wedge." " What's the circuit?" " Various people." " The regular gig is Anna Faust." " Did she know Layla?" "Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, she knew Layla very well." "I haven't seen Layla for four months." " But she was part of the circuit?" " The circuit?" " The underground bondage scene," " She came to my parties." " Until she was banished." " What did she do?" "It wasn't what she did." "She was a submissive." "Her master violated my rules, so both were informed they were no longer welcome." "And this master was...?" "A Wall Street financier with a mean streak." "His name is Frank Martin." "We know him." "How did he cross you?" "He hurt one of my girls." " What's her name?" " If I tell you, do you promise to give him the punishment he deserves?" "Sure, that's what we hope to do." "Good boy." "Are you with Immigration?" "No, no." "I don't care about that." "I just want you to tell me about Frank Martin." "I met him at a party where I was a... a paid submissive." "He asked if I enjoyed air games." "You mean, er, high-risk sex?" "That's what he wanted." "I told him, 'No, I don't do that,'" "But two days later, I get a call." "He says he knows I'm here illegally." "He says if I like living in New York." "I should meet him for some games." "And if I don't, I'll get a free trip back to Vietnam." "Meaning he would turn you over to Immigration." "I said I would do anything, anything, if he would not send me back." "What did he do?" "He wants to try choking me." "I didn't understand at first." "I was scared." "But he promised it would be OK, so he took me and put a belt around my neck." "I blacked out." "When I woke up, he was gone." "I see," "A shredding party, a page out of the Oliver North playbook." "Feds don't give a damn about the dead girl." "The financial fraud got 'em going." "The powers-that-be protect themselves." "The FBI are hired guns." "Fronting for the trilateral council and the Mansons." "Masons." "It's still homicide." "Martin is our top guy." " So how do we go about finding him?" " Follow the money." " What little is left." " Little." "Nine million is little." "Nine million in diamonds is an albatross if you can't cash 'em." " Canvass the diamond dealers." " I pulled some strings." "A woman whose case I worked is at the state insurance company." "When I told her what this jerk did, she unloaded." "We're not alone in investigating him." "The Tennessee Department of Commerce was all over him like a cheap suit." " Did you get a number?" " Better." "I got an address." "They were so sceptical of this guy Martin" " they sent an auditor 4 months ago." " Yeah." "Martin Global Fund had a controlling interest in the Tennessee Valley Teachers' Retirement Fund." "Third quarter financial showed irregularities so I went to perform an audit." " What d'you find?" " It's what they didn't find that made 'em send me to New York." "Irregular investments in oil fields, which might or might not have been outside the charter." " Which is it?" " Aggressive but not illegal." "I checked into the assets." "They were right on the line." "You see, if they default..." " Then Tennessee is on the hook." " Yes, ma'am." "The obligation is such that I'm after some legal reason" " to have the state take it over." " Frank Martin is missing." "We thought you may have found something to help us find him." "Man's a weasel." "I've been in this city five months." "I know he's dirty." "I still can't find the smoking gun," "Benson." "Any associates you met through your audits who might be sheltering him?" "Everything he does is barely legitimate." "I gave you one address." "I'd have to give you 50." "I tell you what." "Why not give us 50?" "You got it." "I've been trying to nail Martin down for five months." "When you catch him, you give me a few minutes with him." " Ready for this?" " Go." "That was Munch." "McKuin got a call from a woman wanting to sell a large quantity of diamonds." "One thing Martin has going for him is women that do his bidding," " Where's McKuin?" " Who are you?" "Sho-Ling Fu." "Now answer my question." "Where's McKuin?" "I sent him on an errand." " McKuin runs errands?" " He does what I tell him." "Most people in the industry do." " What industry?" " You never heard of John DeMunch?" " You're John DeMunch?" " Let me put it this way." "I could call Johannesburg, release so many diamonds that whatever you're carrying wouldn't be worth a pack of gum." " How do I know I can trust you?" " I'm a businessman." "I don't think anyone has ever trusted me." "Your move." "Hell of a job you've got." "What is it exactly that you do?" "I manage Martin Global." "A multi-billion dollar investment powerhouse." "And before that you did what exactly?" "None of your business." "You work there a year, now you're a wizard of Wall Street." " I'm a fast study." " We're not financial guys." "We don't care about your scams." "I can't balance my cheque book." " Just tell us where Frank Martin is." " I told you I don't know." "There were diamonds with Layla's body." "This looks bad." "They were a gift from a friend." "Care to mention a name?" "James Bond." "There's a name." " You're treading on thin ice here." " We're gonna visit your friends." "When we find the one who was so generous, we'll pass on a thank you." " 'Lunch, David,'" " Give that back!" "'Dinner, David, David, David, David, David Kelp,'" "That charity, the New Vision Endowment, nominal purchasers of $9m worth of diamonds?" "He's not a good friend of yours, is he?" " Last chance to talk." " OK." "Your coffee sucks." "Bye, Sho-Ling." "Sho-Ling didn't have much to say but her daybook did some talking for her." "David Kelp, the charity guy." "The diamond-hedge charity guy's her boyfriend." "You gonna pick him up?" "Can I beg off?" "I gotta meet my phrenologist." " Your phrenologist?" " Yeah." "Like feng shui for the head." " Takes seven months to get in." " Wouldn't want you to miss that." " Me neither." " Thanks, guys." "Martin's employers are pawns in this con." "Kelp gives the shady diamond purchase legitimacy by helping the poor and downtrodden." "Who did Layla cross?" "Everybody?" " Kelp!" " Kelp, we've got some questions." "Keep me here any longer, I'll strap a lawsuit on the city" " to bring you down with it." " Oh, we're stalling." "We're frustrated cos we wanted David Kelp to be a witness at your trial." "The bullet through his forehead put a damper on that." " What?" " He's dead," "He did it." "Frank Martin?" "Frank Martin never followed through on one thing in his entire life until now." "You're saying Frank Martin killed David Kelp?" "He told me if I ran or if I went to the cops, he would kill my boyfriend." "What else did Frank Martin tell you?" "Frank came to me four hours ago carrying a bag." "Only this clear plastic bag was full of diamonds." "He told me to cash them out." "Martin trusts you enough to have you cash out his diamonds?" "No, Frank doesn't trust anyone." "He knew David and I were close." " So he threatened David." " Yeah." "He asked for a favour and in the same breath he threatened someone's life." " Classic Martin." " Sounds like you know him well." "When I first met Frank, I was dancing in a cage with fluorescent green paint all over me." "He liked me, even though my name was Angela Torres then." "It was his idea to change it to Sho-Ling." "That's what he gave me - an exotic ideal." "Tell us where you were planning to meet up with Frank." " Police!" " Freeze!" "Tucker?" "Evenin'." " Where's Frank Martin?" " Don't know." " Who was in your bed?" " I was." " Who was sleeping in the other bed?" " I was." " What does that mean?" " I always get two beds." "Better chance of a decent mattress." "Layla's death is at your feet unless we get Frank." "It's not a pretty life." "It's dark all the time." "And the mattresses suck." " He left an hour before you knocked." " Where'd he go?" " I don't know." " What happened to Layla?" " I don't know." " You do know!" "Not... specifics." "He called me after." "When I got there, he had her strung up." " What did Martin say when he called?" " Told me to go to Layla's apartment." " Did he give you directions?" " No." "So you'd been there before." "Layla was one of the best." "That's what I was expecting." "Wait." "You expected to have sex with Layla with Frank there?" "Frank... helped her do things." "Do things right." "That's how he got me the first time." " When?" " Same time as the audit." "Coincidence, right?" "Look, he gave me a taste of life I never had before." "What, a chance to hang out with the popular kids?" "No." "Wasn't that." "It was the look on the face of the first woman he introduced me to." "She wanted me." "That's a powerful feeling." "And that was enough." "That and the money." "Look, I..." "I'm not very good around women." "See, I'm awkward." "My pits sweat." "I chew my lower lip." "The women Frank introduced me to were not beautiful..." "Well, y'know, they were beautiful..." "What about the money?" "Cash." "Cars." "Free time." "I'd go back home and life was D-U-L-L." "Layla was anything but." "And when you entered her apartment?" "When I saw she was dead, I hightailed it out of there." "You didn't try to help Martin cover it up?" " No." " Why didn't you leave town?" "There was some money." "Hush money." "The diamonds." "Yeah." "Guess what?" "We have them." "Where did Martin go?" "He didn't have a penny on him." "He hated being without money." "Reminded him of when he was growing up." "He's broke, he's a fugitive, who would he turn to?" "Someone he could trust, Amy." "Amy... whatshername." "He still trusted her." "Amy, the office manager?" "That's she." " Amy, who did this to you?" " Frank." " What happened?" " Frank came in all sweet, asked to borrow money." "I said, 'I don't have any, just the cards you gave me,'" "He exploded, said I owed him." "I was terrified." "He hit me and he tore the place up." "Then he finds some old unused airline ticket, he got real crazy." " Crazy how?" " He holds me down and calls the airline desk in some hotel." "Gets me to say I'm an invalid, that I'm sending my friend to change the ticket." " They say OK." " When was that?" "Not long ago." "Frankie went too far." "He finally went too far." "Still having trouble with your card." "You might try a cheaper class." " Business class is very nice." " Whatever." " Get me on the next plane." " Need a lift?" " Would you?" " Sure." "What time are you due at your brother's office?" "Whenever." "Once we wrap this up." "What line of work's your brother in?" "Stocks, bonds, this and that." "I'd be happy to give him a few pointers." "Great." "We just need to verify that you can use these credit cards." "Which we assume you are since it is Martin Global." "Well, was." "That was just an S-Corp." "But the ex is still running up charges on it." "These days, who knows who's getting into your personal finances?" "Do you want a sparkling water?" "Bubbles give me gas." "Maybe a cappuccino?" " You got a machine?" " No, but we could order out." "We're not beat cops, Mr Martin." "We're more like, erm, what?" "Erm, investigative bean counters." "It's like that thing with Layla, that's out of our wheel house." "We came in cos there was a financial twist there." "Because of the diamonds." "Y'know." "By the way, your friend Tucker has some crazy story about you." "Me?" "What?" "Nothing." "Southerners, great storytellers." "Yeah." "Freddie's a born liar." "Can I make a phone call?" " I'll get you an outside line." " No, that's OK." "Look, can I go now?" "We're just waiting for the computer to pull up your platinum card." " What time did you call?" " Who?" "Your friend, Freddie the liar." "You called him to Layla's." " When?" " That night." "What night?" "Who?" "When?" "What?" "We should hire this guy," "I need to call my lawyer." "They said I wouldn't get trouble if I told the truth." "Amy was the go-to gal when the Martin interplanetary folk were short of mad money." "I'll see to it that you're given full immunity." "I met Frank at Maxwell's one happy hour." "Businessmen hung there till their trains left, so me and my friends would go there for free drinks, try to score a job from some sloshed executive." " Was Martin sloshed?" " No." "He was always in control." "Little did I know." "He got off on eroto-asphyxiation." "Strangling girls for kicks." " Did he ever try that with you?" " Hell, no." "See..." "I don't mind a little recreational spankies, tying up, playful stuff, so he quickly lost interest in me." "He liked the thrill of controlling women who struggled against him, the sick bastard." "He said that he and his homeboy, Tucker, used to tie farm girls to trees" "and then sit in the woods just laughing, getting off on watching them struggle." " Martin was from Tennessee too." " Yeah." "But they never got into trouble because they were minors." "And, as he says, 'They were only coloured girls,'" "The chivalry part comes in where they let them go rather than let them die of exposure and humiliation." "I know this is hard for you." "But it doesn't help with the murder of Layla Briggs." "This will." " No, Frank, you called Tucker." " He called me." "No, Frank, you called." "8:22." "You called him." "I told you, that was about a problem with the Tennessee regulators." "As soon as I got to the office," "I had my executive page Mr Tucker to set up a meeting." "Do you think we're from Pea Patch, Frank?" "Cos this isn't a farm but you are in some pretty deep horse manure." "The call that we're talking about is at 8:22pm, Frank, not am." "8:22 in the evening, New York City time." "Like I say, my assistant will verify..." "Frank, stop with the CEO routine." "We're all plain folks." " Hey, you don't have to get nasty." " Nasty?" "Nasty is putting out your cigarette on your assistant's thigh." "Nasty is cheating old ladies from Tennessee out of their savings." "And choking the air out of Layla Briggs' windpipe, then leaving her corpse for her mother to find, that's nasty." "I will not participate any further until I see my lawyer." "You called him three hours ago." "He hasn't returned your call." "You think he checked your credit?" "Sho-Ling has turned you in." "Amy has turned you in." "Looks like the rats have jumped ship, Frank." " You choked her, didn't you?" " No!" "I didn't choke her, Tucker did." " Because of the stolen diamonds?" " No, we didn't even know about that." "It was strictly for kicks." "For kicks?" "Yeah." "I was doing her and Tucker started squeezing her throat, just massaging it really." "She liked it but then her eyes said stop." " Stop?" "So why didn't he?" " Er." "I don..." "Oh, I don't know." "He'll claim it was for my benefit." "But the truth, the truth is, that was the biggest turn-on for him." "Not the sex part, the seeing how far you can go." "And he went all the way." " 'That's not what we heard,' - 'What did you hear?" "'" "'Stuff about you tying up the ladies down home,'" "' That was nothing,'" "Nothing?" "We were kids." "15, 16." " You and Frankie?" " Minors." "Besides, it's just the way it was then." "Down there." "It's just a cultural difference, torturing women?" "Torturing?" "Where d'you get that?" "With pleasure." "They must've liked being left out in the woods." "The solitude, the mosquitoes." "Broke the boredom." "The boredom of sitting on a porch eating watermelon and having babies?" "You're not a public defender." "No." "I'm Detective Jeffries." "I only came in to see the redneck under the facade of the New South." "Now I'm kinda sorry I did." "Oh, Martin rolled on him." " What did she mean?" " Sit down." " What the hell's that mean?" " You've been mirandised." "If you write a statement, it might help in mitigating your sentence, depending on whether the DA's office will even entertain the option of a plea bargain, which I doubt." "What the hell is he talking about, son?" "That means you and Frank are gonna hang,"