"One of life's small gratifications." "What's that, Gee?" "Watching the numerals light up one after another." "Ground, two, three." "A man watches the numbers light up, and he knows he's progressing." "You're not really talking about elevators, are you?" "It's been two days since Malia Brierre's body was found, and we're not in a different place, we're not in the right place." "We're still looking at this Kadja, an obsessive ex-boyfriend with a violent past." "I like it." "Then bring me Kadja." "If we get a last name, we can work with the Haitian authorities." "What does Customs say?" "They checked on visas using the surname Kadja, but without more information, they can't do anything." " We need that last name." " Which brings us back to the Wilsons." " Malia might've told them about Kadja." " Fine." "Talk to them about Kadja." "But don't make yourself a nuisance." "For all we know, this Kadja never left the Caribbean." " We have two suspects in Baltimore." " Who?" " Felix and Hal Wilson." " Suspects?" "Quite a leap." "Look to the nearest and dearest." "Isn't that one of our rules?" "The victim lived in their house, she was sexually active, and they were the only two men she knew at the hotel." "That's not evidence, it's circumstance." "I have no reason to regard any member of the Wilson's as a criminal suspect." " But..." " Am I being heard?" "Now, let's just get on with it." "'Let's start the show with a voice to soothe the soul of any Oriole fan." "'Ladies and gentlemen, please do not interfere with balls in play." "'Fans who violate this rule will be ejected... '" "Who's on the hill today?" "Jimmy Key." "It's in the bag, gentlemen." "Jimmy Key knows we like to win." "He'll do it for us." "What's the deal with this morning's newspaper?" "How does the press know we've a possible suspect?" " Somebody leaked." " Yeah, all over us." "It's much harder hunting' a guy who knows he's being hunted." " Was that leak to the press necessary?" " I've no idea what you're talking about." "You're distancing the Wilsons from this murder." "I understand." "I don't believe they had anything to do with it, but finding Kadja's the priority." "But what's wrong with Hal and Felix submitting blood and hair samples, if only to eliminate them and get Ballard and Gharty off my back?" "Frank, I want you to take a ride this morning, Patterson Park, the rec centre." " Why?" " Patterson Park." "Go, Frank." " I'm workin' a case here." " Do me this favour." "Take the ride." "Uh-huh, don't panic." "South side, the service area." "Got it." "A Red Ball with seams." "A Spalding, in fact." "What now?" "One down on the ground, dead at the scene, Camden and Utah." " Ballpark." " Take Kellerman." "Hey, Munch." "Scoop one of the Oakland players for questioning." "One of their starters, Canseco, maybe Giambi." "Keep 'em in the Box till the eighth inning?" "Why not?" "It's a pennant race." "We need the win." "Hey, Gee." "Whadya say?" "Take one for the team?" " Hey, Terri." " Hey, you shaved, huh?" "I was lookin' too much like Lewis." "It gave me the creeps." "I got Georgia Rae Mahoney's bail review hearing today." " What a piece of work she is." " She's definitely got some Luther in her." "About the shooting, I talked to Kellerman and Lewis, and I looked through the file." "Yeah?" "I got some spaces in my head the file doesn't cover." "I'm partnering with Lewis now, I wanna know for my own sake." " You're partnering with Lewis?" " Yeah, just started." "Two days." "So you sleep together a few times, and when he goes to the john you're in his wallet, checkin' the receipts, seein' where he's been, what he's done?" "Either you trust a man or you don't." " All right if I drive?" " Yeah." " I'll bring it around." " OK." " Hey." " Hey." "Where you headed?" "Me, I'm just a tag-along on this job." "That's funny." "I thought you had ideas of your own." "It's always refreshing to meet a man with no opinions, and I'm him." "I gotta say, I think that we're narrowing the field too quickly." "If we can confirm that the ex-boyfriend is no longer in Haiti and he's reached Baltimore, then fine." " I call that motive and opportunity." " This is the direction Frank's going." "OK, but there's still work to be done in Baltimore, other ground to cover." "Well, what do you suggest?" "Well, you and Pembleton are gonna go talk to Regina, right?" "So, maybe Stu and I should have a quiet talk with the son." " A quiet talk?" " Yeah." "OK." "Well, you go have your talk with Hal." " All right." "Then we'll go to the morgue..." " Yeah, yeah, yeah." "...see if the Coroner has something new to talk about." " What's going' on?" " Nothin'." "Here you go." "Where we headed?" "Rec centre, Patterson Park." " Rec centre?" " Yeah." "Don't even ask." " Where you goin', fellas?" " We're goin' to the ball game." "Camden Yards." "There's a body at the stadium." "This is a day game." "Munch, do me a favour." "If you see anyone from the O's, ask 'em about Armando Benitez, whether he's gonna get any more save opportunities." " Gharty, you are a real wrong individual." " I'm part of this Rotisserie league." "What's a Rotisserie league?" "You don't know?" " What's up?" " Hey." "Hello." "Ah, the national pastime." "The victim is Tony Elefante of Woodmere, Long Island, New York." "Wallet and valuables all intact." "Head trauma, no blood." " Who found the body?" " A vendor discovered him at 1:50." " That's bottom of the first inning." " Alas, a poor Yankee fan." "We should check the Maryland Code." "I'm not sure this is a crime in Bawlmer." " Section 381, row H-H, seat two." " Cheap seats." " Oh, God." " And you are?" " Bob Jesburger, Orioles, security chief." " Let me guess." "You're here to emphasise how important it is that we solve this crime." "You got 48,000 people comin' to every game and so forth." " Pretty much." "You needing' any help?" " We've got everything under control." " So an arrest is imminent?" " No." " You've identified a suspect?" " No." " Are there any other detectives here?" " No." " Get the Governor." " Get the Governor on the line, pronto." "Come on, get him!" " Well, that's a fool's errand." " Detectives." "Puttin' up rope nets on an inner city ball court?" " They'll be torn down in a day or two." " A chain net would last longer." "True, but there's nothing like the sound of a ball going through hemp." " Swish!" " Yeah, full net." "Sound of a 20-foot jump shot snappin' the ropes is one of the joys of childhood." " Ball up, son!" " Check it out, y'all." "Mr Felix thinks he got game..." "Stick to them cupcakes, homes." "So we got new nets, new rims, new asphalt, new ball court." "You did all this?" "Back in the day, blacks couldn't play full court here, but I like the idea that the kids are still at it, and the game goes on." "What can I do for you?" "My Lieutenant ordered me to come down here." "I'd say your Lieutenant wanted you to catch Felix Wilson doin' good works, spending snack cake dollars on neighbourhood improvements." "I'd say he wanted to remind you of who I am and what I do..." "Felix the good." "Well, gentlemen, are you sufficiently co-opted?" "Will you keep my family from whatever unpleasantness that comes with a murder investigation, or are you gonna simply do your job?" "The two might be mutually exclusive." "We're not interested in bothering you family about this, Mr Wilson." " We suspect Malia's ex-boyfriend." " Yeah, I read the papers." "Did Malia happen to mention what Kadja's last name was?" "Not to me." "Ask my wife." "She might know." "That's exactly what we figured." "Thank you." "Is that all?" "One simple question?" "I thought you were bringing your best game with you." " Excuse me?" " Half court, no blood, no foul?" " Gotta go." "Frank?" " Come on." "Hold this." "Ball in, son." "Oh, no." "It's the old school." "Weapon." " Where you from?" " New York." "Uh-oh!" "We got a ringer here!" "No, sir." "You're the man." "On this court, you are definitely the man." "Oh!" "Toxicology on Malia Brierre came back clean, huh?" "Yup." "No coke, no dope and no alcohol." "OK, what about stomach contents?" "We found a partially digested meal of red beans and brown rice with a few chunks of Andouille sausage." "That confirms she didn't eat at the charity dinner, because their menu was salmon." "Anything else?" "Anything else like what?" "I don't know." "Somethin' that might actually help us solve this murder." "I know what you mean." "Unfortunately, I can't manufacture forensic evidence." "Yeah, I know, but maybe there's somethin' more, somethin' you missed." "I'm sorry, something I might have missed?" "Not missed." "Obviously, you want me to go through this again, so I will." "Malia Brierre was attacked by someone who attempted to strangle to her." "They finished the job by battering her head with or into a blunt object." "Now, my examination revealed bruising about the neck and on both arms." "There was one torn fingernail, but no defence wounds on either hand." "We also found semen from a type-A secreter on the vaginal swabs." "Now, if you'd like to go and do your job and find a suspect, bring me the blood sample, and I'll give you your case." " Thank you." "Thanks." " Yeah." "We got a Yankee fan killed by a serious blow the head, right?" "He wasn't robbed, nobody witnessed it and we haven't recovered a weapon." "You really think that idiot's getting the Governor?" "A murder at the Yards with the playoffs around the corner?" "You're talkin' millions of tourist dollars in tickets." "He could get the Governor to do the Macarena at 2nd base." "Great." "The Governor's screaming at the Mayor, who's berating the Commissioner, who's abusing Barnfather, who's torturing Gaffney, who's kicking Gee." "If we don't put this case down by the 7th inning, you're back in Auto, and I'm walkin' a Curtis Bay footpost." "Well, there's only about 48,000 people here with a possible motive." " Whadya mean, lucky?" " Making ten shots in a row?" " I got a game." " Yeah, right." " You gonna interview Mrs Wilson?" " Yeah, you talk to the daughter." "Ten shots in a row!" " Without breaking' a sweat." "What do you know about Kadja?" "Not much." "Thank you." "Thea told us how he treated her, horrible stories." " Malia ever talk about him?" " I asked her once." "She said he was... evil." "She ever mention a last name?" "No, I'm sorry." "Malia hardly ever spoke about the past, and I..." "I didn't push it." "Are you sure?" "She wasn't seeing anyone?" "She didn't even go on dates." "If she had a boyfriend, we'd have known." "Thea, according to the Medical Examiner's autopsy report," "Malia had sex before she was murdered." "So, what's it like having Felix Wilson as a father?" "Like it says on every box of snack cakes, he's Fabulous Felix." ""It's fun, fresh and full of good taste."" "It's all the snack cakes you can eat." "Nice secure job, personal trainers, private chefs..." "Haitian maids." "Malia wasn't a maid, she was a domestic." "There's a difference?" " You and Malia were the same age?" " Actually, no." "She was 21." "I'll be 28 next month." " And you were close?" " We hung out." "What does that mean?" "Er... we sat around, talked." "I taught her to play chess." "Chess?" "That's it?" "We weren't sleeping together, if that's what you're asking." "Are you sure she wasn't raped?" "There's no indication of that." "It's been confirmed that Malia Brierre had sex before she was murdered." " She did?" " Hm-mm." "Any idea who it might have been with?" "No." "It just occurred to me." "You should go and see Samuel." " Samuel?" " Samuel Bissainthe." "He's another refugee Malia knew from back home." " We gave him a job at the plant." " They see a lot of each other?" "Malia had Sundays off." "Sometimes she would go and see him." " Were they involved?" " I wouldn't think so." "Samuel's in his sixties." "But he might be able to help you with Kadja." "At the benefit, did you drink anything, any alcohol?" " Er... two vodka tonics and champagne." " Did you go to the bathroom?" " Sorry?" " We're talkin' about a 3-hour party." "You must've gone once to the men's room." "Yeah." " Do you remember what time you went?" " What time?" "No." " And you didn't see Malia?" " The bathroom was empty." " Did you see her on your way there?" " No." "What about on the way back?" "Anywhere in the hotel?" "No, l-l-I didn't see her." "You see the guy sitting in front of you?" "With the Yankees cap on?" "Yeah, he was murder." "Remember him?" " What about him?" " Did he argue with anyone?" "For half an inning, he couldn't keep his mouth shut, talked trash." " What was he saying?" " "The Orioles were a choke team."" ""Davey Johnson couldn't manage a popsicle stand."" "He said somethin' about Ripken." "What'd he call Rip?" "The Iron Mitt." "He said Rip played 3rd base like he had a steel glove." "I wanted to kill the guy." "Could we talk later?" "The O's got a man on 2nd." "We got a tie game." "Take your problems elsewhere." "Who they got warming' up?" " Matthews and Orosco." " They oughta give Key one more." " He's dead." " Jimmy Key?" " No, the New York fan, murdered." " No kiddin'?" "Check it out!" "Davey's gonna pinch hit Reboulet." "Hey, Stu?" "Next time, go for the jugular." "Don't hold back." "I was outta line?" "I questioned him like I would anybody else." " Yeah, but he's not anybody else." " Right." "He's Hal Wilson, Fabulous Felix's heir apparent." "When I told people back home where I was headed, everyone said the same thing, "Ooh, Baltimore, tough town." ""Baltimore's hardcore." "It's the big time."" "But I knew what they meant." " Which is what?" " Baltimore is black, you know." "But I thought, "Sure, the cities will be different," ""but if it's Puget Sound or Chesapeake Bay, my job doesn't change."" " I still work cases and close cases." " Welcome to the big time." "If I was heading this case, I would turn around, go back and get hair and blood samples from the father and son, and we'd know in hours whether they were involved." "But it's not up to you." "The way Pembleton sees it, any move against the Wilsons makes us racist." " I don't need that." " Even if Pembleton wasn't the primary..." "Say you caught the case." "You think you could work this murder the way you want?" "Not a chance in hell." "Giardello would still be in our faces, still manoeuvring to protect Wilson and his family." "All I'm saying is, you and I, we're just workin' the case, just takin' in the facts, tryin' to identify suspects through common sense." "Giardello and Pembleton, they are covering Wilson's ass because Wilson's ass is the same colour." " OK, hold up a second." " It is what it is." "I'm not saying that Giardello's a bad lieutenant," "I'm not saying that I think that Pembleton is a lousy cop." "But the racial stuff on this case is right there on the table." "Nobody's talkin' about it..." "but it's there." " So you see my point then?" " Uh, yeah, sure." " You see it?" " I do." " What's my point?" " Er..." "I don't know, Frank." "OK, I'm not saying she's racist." "Gharty, who knows?" " But I got nothin' against Ballard." " She's aggressive." "Aggressive, right." "I've never leaned on race to explain anything." "Definitely not." "Since my first day, I've worked hard, I ask no quarter, I give no quarter." "When people think of Frank Pembleton, they don't think of black or white, on the street, in the Box, on the witness stand." " I come to people as a cop, a detective." " You're a hell of a detective, Frank." "You hear what I'm sayin' about the Wilsons?" "This is not about them being black." "You'll have to wear these on the factory floor, State law." "You and I have spent our careers policing in a majority black town, so every day we're in the ghetto, sorting' out bar cuttings, drug shootings, blah-blah-blah." "But, out in Woodlawn, there's a whole black community playin' by the rules." "Or in Randalstown, there's quite a few black people with some real money." "So when we come across a family like the Wilsons, we know the difference." "We can see them for who they are." " How long have you worked here?" " Eight months now." "I got the position when Malia came to work at Mr Wilson's." "Mr Wilson is a very great man." "Yes, he is." "How long have you known Malia?" "Since the day she was born." "Her father Leon and I, were soldiers together, fighting Papa Doc." "Leon Brierre has passed away, right?" "Everyone in the family is deceased, mother, father, brother." "Malia had no one until Mr Wilson brought her here." "Mr Wilson is a very great man." "That, he is." "Did you happen to know Malia's boyfriend, Kadja?" "A-ha-ha!" "He is NOT a great man." "Would you be able to tell us Kadja's last name?" "Lizaire." "His family lived near to mine." "Can you tell us where we might find him?" "The town is Jacmel." "The street, Rue d'Orleans." "Mr Bissainthe, we've been told that Malia would visit you on her days off." " Two or three times each month." " You and Malia never..." "You have a bad mind, Detective." "She was the daughter of my comrade." "Samuel Bissainthe may not be a great man, but he is good." "Look at the stems on that tomato, huh?" "Hm-mm!" "Oh, bless you!" "I..." "Thanks a lot for lettin' me look at your magazine there, Mac." "Appreciate it." "But, frankly, I'm not really comfortable with objectifyin' women." "Right." "Frankly, I prefer to curl up with a good issue of "New Yorker" magazine." " Stimulate the intellect." " You and the "New Yorker", right." "I like the cartoons." "I tracked you down cos I wanted to give you a heads-up." "Your new partner, Falsone, he's askin' a lot of questions about the Mahoney shooting." "Questions?" "He's checkin' paperwork, and he's sweatin' details." "Damn." "I thought me and him were square." "Well, I'd say his interest is more than just casual." "What do you know about him?" "Falsone?" "I dunno, he came from Auto." "You told me if we carried Kellerman on this, we would come through." "You said write it up clean and this thing will take care of itself." " And it will." " Why's there some cop on my ass?" " What do you want me to do?" " Dummy him up, he's your partner." "We need to be cool, cos if we react, he'll know there's somethin' there." " He knows now..." " No, he don't know squat!" "Look, if this thing blows up on us, it's not gonna be just Mikey." "It'll be you and me with him." "I hear you." "Enjoy." "Hey, this ain't even mine, you know." "And even if it was, I only bought it for the interview with... er Garth Brooks." "My career's flashing before my eyes, you're watching the game." "What do you want?" "No one knows our guy or gives a crap he's dead." "I don't want an open murder at Oriole Park and face Gee with that news." " Where you goin' with that beer?" " What beer?" " We're cops." " You got somethin' with a photo?" "So you're gonna jack me up, right?" "I can take a charge." "I can jail." "Chill out." "It's a Yankee fan we're interested in." " A Yankee fan?" " Yeah, a loudmouth guy." "Sittin' down there, left during the first inning." " He was drunk, wearing a Yankee hat?" " Yeah." " Well, I'd talk to the guy he left with." " You saw who he left with?" "Yeah, he's still here." "Can you point him out?" "That's him." "Hey, Bronx-breath!" "Show me that Big Apple!" " Hey, big guy." " What's up, boys?" " Hey, pal." "Where you from?" " Baltimore." " Oh, yeah?" " Abso-freakin'-lutely." "I love Baltimore." "Eat crabs, go Orioles." " That's not how we say it." " It's "Bawlmer", we lose the "T '. '" "Oh, yeah?" "Well lose this, pal." "Were you sitting with a Mr Elefante earlier in the game?" "I don't know any Elefante." "You guys are messin' with my good mood here." " Where do you live in Baltimore?" " Jones Street." " There is no Jones Street." " Smith Street?" " Strike three." "Come on." " Ow!" "Kadja Lizaire." "Oui..." "Nobody in the department could parlez-vous?" "No, Russert's over the water." "Apart from her, the pickin's get pretty slim." "Who is this?" "It's Mme Bouchard, my high school French teacher." "We used to call her Rusty cos she died her hair red." "Hell on wheels." "Au revoir." "This Kadja Lizaire you are looking for, he has been in jail in Port-au-Prince for four months." " Four months?" " Mais oui." "Are you sure?" "You're sure it's the same Kadja Lizaire?" "They're sending his paperwork and photograph to the US Consulate this afternoon, so you can confirm the information." "Well, thank you very much for comin'." "It's good to see you again, Madame..." "If you had practised just five or ten minutes a day, you might have retained some of what you were taught." "Yes, ma'am." "Er, I mean..." "I mean, oui, Madame." " A bientôt." " OK." "Boy, she still makes me real nervous." "This may not even be our man, they're so screwed up down there." "Or Samuel could have gave us the wrong name, you know..." "Yeah, maybe." "Or maybe not." " What's the specials today?" " It's on the board." "Hey, Falsone." " Hey, whadya up to?" " Just a little late lunch." "You like crabs?" "Only if carrying' the ointment with me." "I got a million of 'em." "Well, there's a half-eaten crabcake here goin' to waste, if you want it." "Hey, give me a straight shot of bourbon, neat." " So what's wrong with it?" " What?" "There's nothin' wrong with it." " There's no ketchup." " Ketchup?" "Yeah." "It was invented to kill anything bad in food, an Italian thing." "Something to do with the vinegar in the ketchup." "Fussy little guy, aren't you?" "Well, it's got me this far." "Hey, let me run a tab, huh?" "You worked the Mahoney shooting, right?" "Autopsy?" "Yeah, what about it?" " I can't get straight with that case." " Why not?" "The story's lumpy." "I mean, Mahoney, he was all beat to hell." "Lewis and Kellerman can't look me in the eye." " You're pretty quick." "Want another one?" " Yeah, let me get you one." "No, I got it." "Can you get him another of whatever he's having?" " Are you sure?" "I can get it." " No, no, I got it." " All right, I'll get you next time." " OK." "I don't feel right about it." "Let me get it." "I said..." "Ah, no, no, no, no, no." "You do this all the time, don't you?" "What?" "If you ever found that wallet and opened it up, I bet a moth would fly out." "Welcome home." " You two hear about Kadja?" " He's a non-starter." "We were in the admin office when the fax came in from Port-au-Prince." ""Kadja Lizaire, in state custody since early July."" " I was playing a long-shot." " Kadja looked pretty good to me, too." "We should start lookin' for a suspect closer to home." "The ME says that Malia Brierre's tox screen came in clean as a whistle." "Her stomach contents don't jive with the charity dinner." "She wasn't party to the party." "Who asked you to go down to the morgue?" " You two just took it upon yourselves?" " Listen..." "What's the joke?" "Someone here decided it's time to call Peter Hermann." " The guy from "The Sun"?" " The cop-shop reporter." "He called me 5 minutes ago to confirm that we've cleared Kadja as a suspect." "There are TV satellite trucks on the front lawn of the Wilsons' home!" "You couldn't give some room to some people who had nothing, nothing to do with the murder?" "Gee, this didn't come down from us." "I find who leaked this to the press, I'm gonna jackpot his ass out of this unit." " What?" " What?" "That look you're giving me..." "You're saying I'm the leak." " Why'd you wanna think that?" " He's out of line." "You two been pushin' to jump on the Wilsons since day one." "And you're ready to grab your swimsuit and beach towels and hop to Haiti!" "No hard questions for some rich swanks, right, Pembleton?" "Whose house are you in?" "Frank has cleared more cases than you ever will." "This is his house?" "I'm a guest?" "The Wilsons have done nothing but good for this city." " But why should that matter to you?" " They're black and rich, all bets are off." " Anyone else'd be in the Box sweating'!" " So what's your evidence?" "You have none." "That Malia Brierre was beautiful, working for the Wilsons, and had sex on that night, that connects all the dots for you?" "It's enough until we can eliminate them as suspects." "Cos black men can't control themselves when it comes to..." "Hey!" "Frank, Frank, no one is sayin' that." " What I'm saying is these people..." " "These people"?" "Black, white or blue." "You can take the nigger outta the ghetto, but not the ghetto outta the nigger, right?" "Are you joking?" "All I want is some straight answers." "You called the reporter, right?" "Stick it, Pembleton!" "I don't know who leaked it." "And I don't care." "Whoever did was on the right track." "Why can't we see if this makes Mr Crumbcake sweat?" "A public inquisition of the Wilsons, you'd love that." "The Wilsons are gonna suffer?" "They got city hall and you and Giardello in their pocket!" " Excuse me?" "I'm in someone's pocket?" " Yeah, this is Baltimore." "They're black, successful." "That's the deal, end of story." "This is your city, your house, your department, your rules." "So it wasn't that way when the Italians or the Irish owned it?" "How many favours have the Knights of Columbus or St Michael Society had?" "So that makes this right." "I'm not about to let the Wilsons be victimised by you two." "Definitely not." "We need blood samples, you say why." "We need to go down to the ME's, you say no." "But you went anyway, like you went to the reporter!" "I don't go behind anybody's back." "You're the errand boy here, not me." " I'm a boy now?" " Don't bait me, you son of a bitch!" "I didn't use the word that way!" "Why don't you go to Hampden and buy a round for your Irish brothers on me, and cry the blues about how your time has passed?" "Hey!" "Your partner knew we were going to the ME's, so don't put that on us." "What?" " You knew?" " I told Bayliss." "You knew and you didn't tell me?" "Frank, I mean, I because I believe that the Wilsons are innocent, and whatever facts we gather, it'll help to eliminate them as suspects." "So that's what that was all about." "You knew." "Why don't you go to Hampden, too?" "First round's on you." " I was tryin' to help." " So I'm ignoring the facts." "Hard questions, straight answers." "OK, that's what it takes..." "I gotta prove myself to you?" "Now, these two, I understand." "To you?" " OK." "I'll have a talk with Felix Wilson." " Great." "Alone!" "Not a bad seat." "Nice view of the field." "Scott Russell, 38 years, of Cedarhurst, New York." " Cedarhurst?" "Is that near Woodmere?" " Who the hell do I look like, Magellan?" "You don't know Elefante, who was sitting next to you and from New York?" "Here's a shocker for you, New York's a big town." "Hey, Slim?" "Can I get an update on the score?" "So the fans in Section 381 say Elefante was a big loudmouth." "They say you were, too, which comes as a complete surprise, and they say you two came in together drunk, threw a battery at the left fielder." "Where I come from, it's a custom, like rice at a wedding." " So you did know Elefante?" " All right, I know the clown." "What are those... bruises there?" "No, hold still." "Looks like finger impressions, typical of a defence wound." "We'll have to take some pictures of that." "So you left with Elefante in the first inning, right?" "Right?" "The two of you walked out of the stands, but you come back, he doesn't." "And you change your seat, so as to distance yourself from him." "That was particularly stupid, Mr Russell." "The truly moronic part is that you beat your friend to death, and then went back to the bleachers, Why not take the first train out?" "Let me try to make this perfectly clear to you backwater wonders." "There is a baseball game out there between the Orioles and the A's." "And when last I was enjoying myself, it was a tied game, bottom of the 7th." "You might've heard about a pennant race in the League East?" "If you cheese-eaters want to waste time talking about brain-dead Tony Elefante and why he needed to get beat, that's fine." "I'll talk all you want after the game, but right now, I wanna know the score!" "You're willing to make a statement if we tell you the score?" "Hell, no!" "I'll make a statement if you get me a beer and a hotdog, and open up them blinds and let me watch some baseball." "That's the deal, Buckwheat." "Take it or leave it." "Well, we could've met at your office, Mr Wilson." "'Er..." "I know you already have a pack of reporters staking' out your home." "'You didn't need to come here and attract more attention.'" "Oh, I don't mind." "Part of me is curious about the goings-on over here." "So... this is the hot seat?" "Sorry?" "Where you bring your suspects?" "Suspects, witnesses, relatives, whoever will talk to us." "Can I get you a cup of coffee?" "Something to drink?" "No." "No, thank you." "When I was a boy, I wanted to be a cop." "I wanted to be a millionaire." "Yeah, I know." "You didn't see many black officers back then." "I thought I could save the city, keep my mama out of harm's way." "What do I do instead?" "I buy her a home in Owings Mills." " It's funny how things end up." " Yes, it is." "Is Al Giardello a good lieutenant?" " No complaints here." " Well, my wife is very proud of Al." "He's done a lot for this city." " As have you." " I sell snack food, Detective." "You're just another CEO out to make a buck?" "No, I know how much you've accomplished." "The Literacy Foundation, the Heritage Museum, Drug Treatment Centre, the basketball court at Patterson Park..." "You still got a mean jump shot." "Tell me about the investigation." "What have you found?" "We know Malia Brierre's murder was a strangulation followed by a blow to the head." "We know that it was not the ex-boyfriend." "We also know that Malia had sex the night that she died, and it probably was not rape." "Really?" " Your wife didn't tell you this?" " Well, she mentioned something." "We'll need a blood test from you and your son." "A blood test?" "Sure." "The test results should be available maybe three days." "This is standard procedure, Mr Wilson." "This is how it goes." "I didn't wanna bring you down, but I had to." "I don't wanna give you a blood test, but I have to." "Because if I don't, it won't look right." "Understand what I'm sayin'?" "I got the public, press and three detectives standing' over me, so we're gonna finish this interview, wait for the lab, but as far as I'm concerned, these test results were not necessary." "So..." "You have to match my blood and my son's blood to..." "What was recovered from the victim's vaginal swab." "This is to make clear there's no sexual connection between the victim and any male member of your family." "I had sex with her... '... that night.'" " What?" " I had sex with her." "No!" "So it appears that I'm the answer to at least one of your questions." "As far as the other one..." "I don't know who killed Malia." "We're gonna need that blood sample, sir." "Well, I'd like to talk to my family." "Am I free to go?" " Not my day." " Not by a long-shot." "A pinch hit home run by Tarrasco in the bottom of the 10th, and I have to cop to murder." " I hate your stinking town." " Up!" "Why'd you do it?" "We ride four hours to see this game, right?" "Why?" "I'm a Yankee fan, he's a Yankee fan." " Nothin' in this world like a Yankee fan." " Sad but true." "You're not gettin' it." "Why this game?" "Why do two Yankee fans come 200 miles to see the O's play the A's?" " To root against the O's?" " Coulda done that on Long Island." "No!" "I come all this way cos Tony Elefante, the idiot that he is, tells me today is a make-up game for a Yankee-Oriole rain-out." "He says, "Let's hop the Metroliner, see the Yanks tear into Baltimore."" " That make-up game's not till next week." " I know that now." "I know that when we scalped tickets." "I look down to see what I'm buyin'." "I said, "Tony!" "This ticket says the O's are playin' the A's."" " Know what this moron says?" " Tell me." "He says, "Oops." Just like that. "Oops!" This is the brilliant mind I'm dealin' with." " So what happened then?" " I got maybe six, seven beers workin'." "He says, "Alomar has the best glove of any 2nd baseman in the league."" " He does." " I don't need to hear that crap!" "I didn't come 200 miles to say nice things about the Baltimore Orioles." "So you killed him cos he likes Alomar's glove?" "What, you think I'm nuts?" "No, it's when we go to the bathroom in the first." "I'm standing next to Elefante." "He's at one urinal, I'm at the next." "He ruins the moment by saying to me, "The Orioles are the better team." ""They were the better team last year, too." ""The Yankees wouldn't have won, except for that kid grabbing' that fly ball."" " He's right." "We were robbed." " What?" "That was one game!" "You bums never came close!" "So Elefante's talkin' that crap, and I gotta beat some sense into him." "So I walked him into the stairwell and I throw a punch or two." "Guess what?" "The mutt does a header on the pavement and dies on me." " He was never any fun." " You're a charming individual." "Hey, I try." "You think maybe I can plead temporary insanity?" "Temporary?" " Hey, it's hot in here!" " Nice breath." "John?" "That's Scott Erickson." " Scott, oh..." "Mr Erickson!" " Yeah?" " John Munch, Baltimore Homicide." " How you doin'?" "I need to know for a friend, will Benitez have any save opportunities?" "I dunno." "Ask him." "Armando, you gonna have any saves?" "Give me a break." "So what?" "The man's acknowledged he had a sexual relationship with our victim." "OK, that doesn't mean he killed her." "We shouldn't think of Felix Wilson any differently after what he just told us?" "He is no longer a candidate for Husband Of The Year, simply that." " OK." "First, he had sex with the maid." " Domestic." "Second, he is questioned in a police investigation and he lies about it." "He's a man with a family." "And a dog, a cat, a four-car garage and a $20-million corporation." "So what?" "He's also a man with a considerable public profile in this town." "It's natural for him to hide an indiscretion." "For all he's done for Baltimore, I'm not about to have Felix Wilson crucified, because he strayed on his marriage?" "Continue working the case." "Write up his admission and submit it to me personally." "I don't want it floating around the office." "I don't want any more leaks to the press." "We still need blood and hair samples from him to confirm his accounts." "He's consented to a medical tech meeting him at his office later today." "Please, excuse me!" " What's goin' on?" " They're looking for the Lieutenant." " Can I help you?" " Lieutenant?" "I'm Fred Shuster, attorney to Felix Wilson." "I'm here to inform you that Mr Wilson invokes his right to legal counsel." "He asks that your detectives address no further inquiries to him or his family." "Furthermore, I understand your detectives had an interest in blood and hair samples as a matter of consent." "I'm afraid we will not be providing further assistance, absent any court orders." "Good day to you, sir."