"You wrong-headed, crazy-talking, lying, mixed-up bastard." "Stupid-ass, baby-faced, confused little meatball." " I'm confused?" " That's what I said." "I'll show you confused." " Yeah?" " Yeah." " Yeah?" " Yeah." "Yeah?" "Yeah." " Yeah." "See?" " Uh-huh." " Oh, look what I got here!" " Watch out, will ya?" " Look at this!" "Look what I got!" " That's childish." "You know that?" "Be right back." "Jeez." "What's that all about?" "The Hawkins' stabbing." "Paul likes one for the killing, and Meldrick, obviously, likes another." " They are wrestling it out." " They're passionate about their work." "Hardly." "I heard it start up in the coffee room." "Lewis said something putting down New Jersey." "Falsone took it personal." "New Jersey?" "Personal?" "Then it's, "Your mama this." Then the fists start flying." "Mm-hm." "Nice and quiet in here now, though." "Mmm." "Yeah." "Yeah, cloud of testosterone has risen, and, for one brief moment, we are machismo-free." "Homicide." "Sheppard." "Uh-huh." "Right." "OK." "Got a shooting behind Hinton High." " Victim is a teenage girl." " Need a partner?" " You and me?" " Yeah, you and me." "Lewis is not exactly jumping to work with any of us." "You two just go, OK?" "I'm tired of hearing about Meldrick and his attitude." "All right." "Why not, right?" " Where are you two headed?" " Northwest Baltimore." " Body behind Hinton High." " Without Lewis?" "Lewis and Falsone are on a case, so we're gonna find out whodunit." " Together?" " Together." "According to her student ID, your victim's name is Jackie Keib." "Born 9/5/83." "A sophomore in this fine institution." "So she's 15." " Looks older." " A little." "Cuts and bruises all over her, too." "Some partly healed." "Plenty of 'em fresh." "Well, whoever shot her, beat her up beforehand." "Possible sexual assault." " Where's the ME?" " Should be here any minute." "Good thing it's a weekend, so her classmates didn't have to find her." " Who did?" " A Mrs Angela Willerford." "She's in the house with the white fence." "Why don't you call the morgue and find out what the delay is?" "Yes, ma'ams." " Destiny?" "Nickname maybe?" " Yeah, could be." "You believe in it?" "Destiny?" "No." "Not this kind, anyway." "It's been three weeks." "Be strong, John." "You can make it." "Seven more days." "What difference does it make if we have sex before the wedding?" " It's not like we've never done it before." " Exactly." "I want things to seem different after we're married." "Call it quits for a month or so, things are bound to seem fresh." " How many husbands have you had?" " Three." " How many wives have I had?" " Three." "That makes six exes between us." "We may be a lot of things, my dear, but fresh ain't among them." "Now come over here and kiss me." "John?" "I want you to talk to my neighbour." " The waif with the biker boyfriend?" " The biker ex-boyfriend." "They broke up six weeks ago." " He won't leave her alone." " Stalking her?" "I confronted him once." "Told him to bug off." " He told me to mind my own business." " Well, he's right." "You should." "But you're a cop." "She might take you more seriously." "Mmm..." "She works at After Midnight on Broadway." " I could go there now." " Mm-hm." "But first, one thing." "A quickie." "I could put the closed sign on the door." "We could sneak back to the office." "Come on, baby." " Hey." " You'll thank me on our wedding night." "My boss is gonna fire me." "He don't care what's the reason." "We'll try to get through this as quickly as possible, Mrs Willerford." " What time did you hear the gunshots?" " 6:45." "I look out this window." "I see her lying on the ground and him running away." " Him?" " The boy who shot her." "He sticks the gun in his pants, jumps over the fence, heads down Babcock." "Can you describe this kid for us?" "Baggy pants, black." "Baggy shirt, black, and an orange ball cap." " Well, did you see his face?" " Big guy?" "Little?" " On the small side." " Black?" "White?" "Black." "Can I go to work now, please?" "I just thought for sure it would be Tonya." "I mean, Jackie, I thought she had a chance of turning out OK." "It was always Tonya who was chin-deep in trouble." "Tonya's your other daughter?" "How old is she?" "16, and Jackie, she always looked up to her big sister, from the time they're in diapers." "But then they started gettin' older." "And, Jackie, she tries to keep up." "But she just was never as strong inside as her sister." "So that's why when Tonya met Reggie Nash and started hangin' with them Terrace boys, I begged Jackie to stay away." "The Terrace boys?" "That's all those kids from Calhoun Terrace." "Tonya swears up and down they're not a real gang." "They're just a group of friends hangin' out together." " You think that they're a gang?" " I know that's what they are." "They're wearin' all the same clothes." "Calling each other by them crazy nicknames." "Tonya calls herself Crystal, and Jackie was Destiny." "She wouldn't be dead right now, if she wasn't mixed up with them." "Ms Keib, we have a witness who saw a young man with a gun running out of the school yard." "Was Jackie mixed up with any one kid in particular?" " Did she have a boyfriend?" " Not that I know of." "Can you give us a list of gang members?" "No." "I don't let 'em up in my house." "You should ask Tonya." " Where's she now?" " I'm right here." "I'm Ballard." "This is Detective Sheppard." "Where's Destiny at?" "Jackie got killed, baby." "Tonya, the detectives have questions." "You need to answer their questions." " Was she shot?" " When did you see your sister?" "Where did you find her at?" " You two went out last night?" " Yeah, we went out." " Where is my boot?" " Slow down." " When did you last see Jackie?" " 3:30." "Whenever she left the party." "Whose party?" "Tonya, please answer the question." "Ma, back off, all right?" "Back off." "Back off." "Tonya, please!" " It was TJ's party." " What did you say?" "We went to TJ's house." "Jackie left without us." "Tonya took you out last night?" "To a party?" "Talk with her." "I'll go catch Crystal." "So who did Jackie leave with last night?" "I don't know." " Was it a boy or a girl?" " Boy." "You don't remember his name?" "What about TJ's last name?" " I don't know." " I'll tell you what she does know." "She knows that she wasn't supposed to be outside of this house after dark." "She knows that she was supposed to be in bed asleep." "Do you want to end up like Jackie?" "Is that it?" "Is that what you want?" "Get back here, Rochelle!" "Excuse us." "Crystal's gone." "Well, let's find her." "How far could she go?" "That's nice of Billie Lou to worry, but, really, I'm fine." " Old boyfriend's not harassing you?" " Well, I don't know if I'd call it that." "Jay didn't want to break up." "I did." "Makes sense he'd be angry and, eventually, he'll stop." "Billie Lou says he bangs on your door." "So he's a little obsessive right now." "Look, I swear, I'm OK." "Has Jay ever hit you?" "I should get back to work." "Tell me Jay hasn't been violent with you, that you're not scared of him, I'm gone." "Want me to talk to him?" "One conversation, he's out of your hair." "I can be very persuasive." "Yeah, I can see that." "So it's OK?" "I have your permission?" "Good." "Just don't tell him that I sent you." " A gang member?" " That's the mother's description." "She says her oldest daughter, Tonya AKA Crystal, started seeing a boy named Reggie Nash who is part of a crew of bad boys from Calhoun Terrace." "Big sister pulls kid sister into scene." "Kid sister's dead." "What about the Terrace boys?" "You have a list of names?" "So far just Reggie Nash and a kid called TJ who threw a party last night." "Victim's sister says Jackie left with a boy but can't give a name." " Is this another gang member?" " He's at the party." "Odds are he is." "Our witness, Mrs Willerford, says she saw a teenage boy dressed in black and orange running from the crime scene." "Terrace colours are orange and black, so the kid Jackie left the party with could be the same one who shot her." "Was she sexually assaulted?" "Fully clothed, no evidence of trauma, but we're waiting on the autopsy." "After that, your next task is to find the older sister, and get her to ID this mystery gang member." "We've got scars." "We've got burns." "Fractures, punctures, lacerations, contusions." "This body has seen more than its share of abuse." "How much was inflicted last night?" "The gunshots, of course." "The blows to the head and the torso, the elbow abrasions." "And the rest of the injuries, the majority look at least four to five days old." " Like these slashes here?" " Uh-huh." "Made either with a razor blade or an extremely small knife." "And she has identical gashes inside her mouth." " Oh..." "Any guess how they got there?" " First for me." "What about the vaginal exam?" "Find anything?" "Swabs indicated that your victim had sex shortly before she was killed." " Forced or consensual?" " I couldn't say." "Just because there was no trauma, doesn't mean it wasn't rape." "Hmm..." "Who did you leave that party with, Jackie?" "So which TJ you want?" "Whichever one had a party on Saturday night." "You're on the wrong corner." "But I thought he was a part of your crew." "The boy's EAB." "That's all I'm sayin'." "EAB?" "Edmondson Avenue Boys." "EAG for the girls." "Were you at TJ's on Saturday?" "We don't show up at their parties, they don't at ours." "What were Crystal and Destiny doing there then?" "Good question." "You oughta ask Crystal." "Crystal?" "Um..." "She went shoppin'." "Shopping." "Well, do you know where at?" " At Goldie's." "On Northern Parkway." " Northern Parkway and what?" "Oh, no, no, no." "She didn't even go to Goldie's." "She probably at The Studio." "What's The Studio?" "Is that a clothing store or something?" "Maybe she didn't even go shoppin'." "Did she say she was goin' to Pittsburgh?" "Pittsburgh?" "Or was it Vegas?" "¶ I cannot name this" "¶ I cannot explain this" "¶ And I really don't want to Just call me shameless" "¶ I can't even slow this down" "¶ And I won't stop this" "¶ And I keep lookin' around But I cannot top this" "¶ If I had any sense" "¶ I guess I'd fear this" "¶ I guess I'd keep it down So no one would hear this" "¶ I guess I'd shut my mouth And rethink a minute" "¶ But I can't shut it now Cos there's something in it ¶" "Let's think." "Where did go when you were 16 and you'd skipped school?" "I was a real rebel." "I'd sneak into R movies." "Grab a bite to eat." "There's a whole string of fast-food joints on Eastern." " We could check those out." " These Terrace girls aren't talking." "Yeah." "Maybe if we sported a couple of orange bandanas..." "Hmm..." "My fiancée lives downstairs from Lizzie Solek." "Thought you looked familiar." "You marrying that wacko?" "Lizzie says she plays a violin with her boobs hanging' out." "You're hanging out where you're no longer wanted." "She's seen you around." "What are you doing there, Faires?" "Who are you to be talkin' to me, anyway?" " Baltimore Homicide." " That's great." "When I murder someone, you can cuff me." "I want you out of this yard." "What if I stay?" "What are you gonna do?" "Hit me?" "Come on, hit me." "Or do you only hit women?" "Stay away from the girl." " Hello, Crystal." " You ran before we could talk." " Maybe now's a better time." " You're not eating your food." " I'm not hungry." "That's all." " She won't give me her French fries." " Buy your own French fries, little ho." " I ain't got no money!" "Hey, I got a better idea." "How about you go order some more food, and let us sit here with Crystal?" " That cool with you, Crystal?" " Go on." "She looks awful young." " How old is she?" "11?" "12?" " Shy K's 13." "But she's part of your crew, right?" "A Terrace girl?" "Your sister Rochelle's gonna be one too, right?" "Rochelle told us you took her to the party." "You're a good big sister." "Bring her in early." "Showing her the ropes." "You did the same thing for Destiny, right?" "She said that Destiny left the party before you did." " Left with some guy." " Who did she leave with?" "What was the guy's name?" "Whoever he is, I'm sure he's EAB." "You watched your sister go off with a rival." "You must have known she wasn't safe." "Yet you're the one that took her there in the first place." "To an EAB party." " Know what?" "I don't have to be here." " You know what?" "Yes, you do." "Oh, that right?" "You two crack me up." "Ain't nothin' but a couple o' college girls." "Think they so tough cos they Balto PD." " We're tough?" "Is that what she said?" " Yeah, that's what she said." "It's someone else who's trying to be tough." "My sister's dead, I don't give a damn." "I don't give a damn about anything." "Too cold to care, too bad to be sad." "I'm a mean, angry, cold-hearted bitch." "Get in my face, you're gonna be sorry." " You got that right." " Do we?" "Because you didn't seem so cold-hearted this morning." "I saw your face when we told you about Destiny." "You were close to your sister." "Your mother told us Jackie worshipped you." "You brought her into that gang." "You never thought it would cost her her life." "Jackie would be alive right now if it weren't for you." " You can't feel too good about that." " She doesn't." "That's why she took off." "She didn't want us to watch her cry or see her weak." " Weak?" " Weak." "Please!" "Take a look at these, right?" "And this..." "And this." "Fat Trick pulls a knife on me." "Misses my heart by one inch." "I'm in the hospital ten days." "Tubes out of my arms." "Mama praying' over my bed." "Some EAG fool stabs me with her umbrella." "I knee her in the gut." "Homegirl loses her baby." "Oh, and these... these right here." "These my daddy gave me when I was still in the crib." "Put his cigarettes out right into my skin." "Look at them!" "You still think I ever cry?" "You still thinkin' I'm weak?" "Damn!" "New Jersey's population is 8,052,849." "Maryland weighs in just over five." "Garden State's got you beat by three million." "That would explain why your turnpike is always jammed to a standstill." "Lewis, aren't you workin' the Keib case with Sheppard?" "I'm not working the Keib case." "Lewis doesn't partner with women, Sheppard took Ballard instead." "That ain't true." "I do partner with women." "I'm closin' the Hawkins' deal with you." "There." "So Sheppard and Ballard are workin' the case together, huh?" "Well, they're trying to, anyway." "They may in a bit over their head." "This dead Keib person was a gangbanger?" "Well, girl gangbanger, granted, but gangbanger all the same." "Well, you gotta laugh anyway, though." "The first time two lady detectives get together on a case, they wind up between the Crips and the Bloods." "Are you sure it's the first time?" " Gee's put two women on cases before." " Name one." "Hmm..." "I don't know." "I guess I can't." "Personally, I'm not laughing." "I'm even a little concerned." "There's no need for concern." "Sheppard got her ass kicked." "First sign of any real trouble, they're gonna be radioing one of us to come to the rescue." "I think you're being too hard on our female colleagues." "There's no limit to what women can do." "Take Christine Todd Whitman." "That's it." "I'm out of here." "First female governor of New Jersey." "Lowered income tax by a full 30%." "Crime rate's the lowest it's been in 25 years." "Destiny had scars and bruises." "Wanna tell us how they got there?" "She had cuts inside her mouth." "You don't know anything about that?" "Oh, Crystal, come on." "Help us out here." "We're trying to solve your sister's murder." "Doin' a damn good job of it, too." "Those cuts don't have nothin' to do with anything." "They don't?" "She ain't know how to carry a razor." "She sliced up the inside o' her cheek." " You keep blades in your mouth?" " Gotta hide your weapon someplace." " What about the cuts, the bruises?" " What about them?" "They don't have nothin' to do with anything?" "They don't." "She got jumped in on Monday." " Initiated." " The gang gangs up on a new girl." "Ten minutes of rib bangin', nose breaking', free for all." "Girl lives through that, she's true Terrace." " She's ready to take on anyone." " Like the EABs, for example." "Is that why you took Destiny to TJ's party?" "To take on the EAB?" "I didn't bring Destiny anywhere." "She got sent." " By who?" " Forget it." "How are we supposed to believe anyone else was involved?" "You took her to the party, Crystal." "You set her up." " I didn't." " You got your own sister killed." "It wasn't me." "It was Reggie." "He sends Destiny to TJ's crib." "Tells her to go flirt with their crew." "Reggie knows Destiny go rubbing' up against an EAB, they ain't gonna be able to hold back." "She's supposed to get him hot and bothered." "Then find out where they scored their last shipment." " And did she?" " Nah." "I find out Reggie's pimpin' my sister, I book over to TJ's." "We walk in." "Destiny's with some guy." "She's wiggling' and giggling'." "Kissin' him." "All wide-eyed." "I could tell she ain't fakin'." " She's had a thing for this kid." " They knew each other?" "Boy grew up on our block up through the fourth grade." "His mom's moved cross-town." "He turns out EAB." "Destiny, she tends to forget this fact." "I grab her arm." "I tell her we gotta go." " He tells me to mind my own business." " What's this guy's name?" "Damon Kelley." "EABs call him Casper." "How do you get to be so stupid?" "Out front." "Move." "Do you mind?" " Casper killed your sister?" " I'll find out." "When you do, you're gonna let us know, right?" "The beeper number's on this card." "You can call us anytime." " I gotta go." " Day, night, whenever." "Look, I'll call, all right?" "Would you move your skinny behind?" "Catch you later." ""Catch you later." I won't hold my breath." "Not as tough as they're pretending to be." "I find it very hard to believe that they're really serious gangbangers." "You can't or don't wanna believe it?" "It's always me who's telling you what to do." "Streets of Baltimore, it's an equal-opportunity world these days." "Yeah." "Let's go find Casper." "Saturday's the big day, huh?" "You ready?" " You getting excited?" " More than you can imagine." "There'll be no chance you'll be changing your mind." "I'll get you that ketchup." "Howdy, neighbour." "Your cop fiancé stopped by to see me yesterday." " He did?" " Don't play dumb with me, cleavage." " You told him I was beatin' on Lizzie." " I told him I was concerned." "Oh..." "That's for your concern!" "Hey!" "What the hell do you think you're doing?" " What do you think you're doing?" " Hands behind your back!" "Let's go, let's go." "Right there, right there." " Billie Lou, are you OK?" " Where's John?" "Hey!" "Do you think that we should call for backup?" "We're just going to question a suspect." "Yeah, but a suspect who's a gangbanger on his own corner with gangbanging buddies." " You saying you're nervous?" " No." "It doesn't hurt to be careful." "It's a situation the guys think we can't handle." "If anything goes wrong, they're right." "If we call in backup, that shows 'em we have doubts." "Which we don't." "Laura, it's broad daylight." "There are two of us." "We've done fine so far." "Everyone we've talked to has been a gangbanger." "Well, they also happen to be teenage girls." "I mean, Crystal is 16?" "How old was the kid in Munch's last case?" "He was 14." "Crystal's friends act tough but I'm having a hard time seeing them as killers." "Because they're just girls?" "Do you think that Crystal will go out and avenge her sister's death?" "Truth is, even if Crystal plans on shootin' Casper, it's not gonna happen." " Why is that?" " We're gonna get the bastard first." "We're looking for Casper." "Which one of you is Casper?" "That's me, sweetheart." "I'm Casper." "What's up?" "Detectives Sheppard and Ballard, Baltimore Homicide." "We want to talk to you about Jackie Keib." "Feel like stepping in the car?" "Check them out." "Yeah, I'll get in the car with ya." "Hell, yeah, I'll get in the car with ya." " You want to handcuff me?" " Get in the car." "Serious." "You don't want to handcuff me?" "I might try to reach out and grab you." "Answer the question, Casper." "Did you have sex with Jackie Keib?" "We found semen in Jackie's body." "We run the DNA, we'll know it's yours." "Damn straight, it's mine." "I mean, yeah, we had sex, but it wasn't rape." "She wanted it." "Jackie had abrasions on her elbows and knees." "I suppose she wanted those too." "Look, some girls like it rough, and I just give girls what they like." "Yeah, you're a real ladies' man, Casper." "OK, so Jackie shows up at this party, and she sees you sitting there, and she can't resist you." "Yeah, but I knew why she was at TJ's from the start." "Terrace boys sent that bitch in as bait." "I ain't stupid." "But you knew her, right?" "Her sister said you were neighbours as kids." "Yeah, and I liked her fine, you know." "We were 11." "I liked her a lot, actually, you know." "Like the girl next-door." "Not any more." "We all grown now, and it's all about business." " Where did you take her to?" " My boy Corey's crib on Edgemont." "Why not your place?" "Cos it was too far away." "Plus Neecee was there, so..." "Neecee?" "Is that your girlfriend?" "That's my baby's mother." "We've been together two years." "I was home at four." " OK." "And she'll testify to that?" " Yep." "What's Neecee's full name?" "Denise Raeburn." " You think I killed Jackie, don't you?" " We do." "But you know the kid at the scene was decked all in orange." "How do you know that?" "What are my colours, huh?" "You see any orange?" "You could have changed clothes." "How else would you know what the shooter was wearing?" "Because I know." "That's how." "OK?" "I heard it." "Who did you hear it from?" "You gotta get rolled in first." " Don't you mean jumped in?" " Nah, I mean rolled in." "Roll the dice, one through 12." "Whatever number comes up, that's the guy you gotta do." "Take a roll, maybe you get my number, babe." "You down?" "What about you, short and sexy?" " Ever been with a ghetto hero before?" " That's enough." "That's what I'm talkin' about." "I like the rough stuff." " Look at ya." "Oh, yes!" "Here we go!" " Oh, no." "You're not going anywhere." "We're gonna go pay Neecee a visit." "Hear her wipe out your alibi." "Damon Kelley is a lyin' son of a bitch." "Don't believe a thing out of that man's mouth." "He never came home Saturday?" "10:30pm, he tells me he's goin' over to TJ's house." "He asks me if I want to come along." "I say, "No." "I have to take care of the baby."" " So he left alone?" " I don't see him until noon the next day." "Then he comes in holding' his head, asking' me for pancakes." "As if I hadn't talked to my girls already." "Like I don't know what he's been up to." "What did they tell you exactly?" "They said that he left TJ's party with the Terrace girl ho." "Jackie Keib." "Don't mention that ho's name in my house." "You do know that she was shot?" "Yeah, I know she was shot." "She's still a ho." "All them Terrace girls ain't nothin' but some skanks and some sluts and easy-ass hussies." "I'm glad that she's dead, cos if somebody hadn't offed her, I'd have done it myself." "Have you killed someone before?" "Beat up many a ho till they begged for their lives." "Knocked out some teeth." "Broke a few noses." "Course, once I had him, I swore I'd take it easy." "That's why I'm glad I didn't have to jump that bitch." "Glad somebody else did that for me." "So do you have any idea who this somebody else is?" "One of her own crew." "A Terrace boy hears that she got down with my man, and puts an end to her hoin' around." "Think Damon could have done it?" "No, I don't think Damon could have done it." "To have sex with a ho ain't the same as shootin' her." "That bastard may mess around, he may treat us like meat, but he would never shoot a woman." "You sure about that?" "I wouldn't stay with him if he didn't show some respect." "Neecee had a lot to tell us." " Yeah, that bitch can talk." " Oh, the bitch sure can!" "She said you never showed up on Saturday night." "I told you I ain't stupid." "I knew if I didn't have an alibi, you wasn't gonna believe me." " Thought she'd back me up." " That's rich!" "You do another woman, you cheat on your girlfriend, and expect her to lie for you?" " It's my baby's mother." " Exactly." "So Neecee finds out about Destiny, which you must have known she would." "You thought she'd be happy about it?" "That's what took us so long." "We listened while she said her mind." "You're a liar and a cheat, and Jackie Keib, may she rest in peace, is a skank and a ho." "Neecee swears she'd have killed her if she weren't dead already." "That's one angry woman, Casper." "She's in no mood to cover your ass." " She'll get over it." " I'm sorry?" "I said she'll get over it." "She'll come around." "Neecee always comes around." "I mean, you do somethin' wrong, or it's that time of the month, she'll bite your head off, threatening' this, threatening' that." "Five minutes later, she cooking' a nice breakfast." "You could go back now, I bet you she'd change the story." "Casper, we already have our answer!" "She blew your alibi!" " I was home at four o'clock." " Not according to Neecee." " She wouldn't know." "She wasn't there." " Neecee wasn't home?" "Do you know where she was?" "She coulda went a lot of places." "Nice, nice." "How about outside the high school?" "Outside the school?" "What?" "Neecee wanted to kill Jackie." "Could she have done it?" "Nah." "One of the Terrace boys did it." "You got a witness." "Witnesses can be wrong." "We have a boy in an orange cap running away." "Now, Neecee, Neecee has it out for Jackie." "Neecee has a motive." "Look, Neecee don't have the juice." "I told you already, Neecee don't have what it takes." " None of them girls are like that." " Not as tough as you are, huh?" "They pretend to be fierce when they're feeble." " Feeble, huh?" " Look, it's not like it's their fault." "The Lord never meant women to be fightin' and killin'." "The Lord meant 'em for sex and poppin' out babies." "Does that feel feeble to you?" "Hmm?" " What are you doin'?" " Let go, huh?" "Do you think the girl's too weak, because if she is, that must mean you're guilty, huh?" " You're gonna break my damn arm." " OK, let's go." "Sheppard, come on." "You're a crazy bitch!" "Neecee should have shot you instead." "Since when did the girlfriend turn into a suspect?" "Neecee knows the victim was having sex with Casper." "Claims she would have killed Jackie Keib herself." "Then Casper tells us Neecee was gone when he got home that night." "Mm-nn." "If he got there that night." "He says she wasn't there." "She says he wasn't there." "One of them is lying, and I gotta pick him." " Why?" " There's more evidence." "He admits he was with Jackie Keib till 3:30." "He admits he slept with her." " And?" " Neecee was blowing off steam." "She was posturing saying she'd kill Keib." "Now you're sounding like Casper." "Don't dismiss your witness." "She put a boy at the crime scene." "Yeah, a boy wearing orange and black." "Not Casper's gang colour." "Like you said, he could have changed clothes for some disguise." " She could have too." " What?" "How do we know Neecee wasn't dressed as a Terrace boy?" "And Jackie wasn't killed by a Terrace boy?" "I'm listening to you talk about lies and disguises, but have you considered the simplest option?" "I've got a hunch on this." "Let me go to Neecee." "We'll tell her Casper said she's gone." "See if she's got an answer." "Fine." "What about Casper?" " Are you going to leave him locked up?" " He's tough." "He can handle it." "Neecee?" "I'm gonna look upstairs." "Denise?" "¶ I was looking for affection" "¶ So I decided to go" "¶ Swing a in my direction" "¶ I'll be out of control" "¶ Let's take it to perfection Just you and me" "¶ Let's see if you can bring, bring, bring The nasty out of me" "¶ Let, let me sock it" "¶ Ooh, ah Sock it to me like you want to" "¶ I can take it like a pro you know" "¶ Do a long throw with a back stroke" "¶ My hormones jumping' like a disco" "¶ I'll be poppin' mess like some Crisco" "¶ And all you gotta say is Missy go" "¶ And when you say go I won't move slow" "¶ I'm at your house around midnight" "¶ Don't fall asleep" "¶ lt'll just be me, me, me" "¶ On a midnight creep ¶" " Going somewhere?" " Who let you up here?" "Your mother did." "We solved your sister's murder." " Neecee killed Destiny." " I coulda told you that." " Oh, you should have told us that." " Couldn't." "I just found out." "I have time." "Right." "Cos you were too busy shooting Neecee Raeburn." " I knew you'd think I offed her." " Who else would have done it?" "Anybody." "Everybody." "But not me." "I don't wanna be part of that gang no more." "I'm through with gangbangin'." "You're quitting the Terrace girls?" "Don't you think it's late for that?" "Look, I know my crew is not gonna make leaving' easy for me." "They'd rather see me bleed than walk away." " So you're running instead?" " Hell, yeah." "I stay in Baltimore, I'm gonna end up just like Destiny." "My own girls are after me!" "EABs thinkin' I offed Neecee." "I ain't got no other choice but to be someplace else." " How about inside a city jail?" " What?" " You're takin' me downtown?" " Open your mouth, Tonya." "You got anything in there?" "Open your mouth." "You know I ain't touched that trick." "You know I ain't touched that trick!" "Get your hands behind your back." "Now." "Please." "That's right." "That's cool." "Lock a sister up, right?" "I'll be just as dead as I will be on the streets." "Where are you going, Tonya?" "Can I come with you?" "No." "You stay here, Rochelle." "You stick with Mama, all right?" "Take that thing off your head." "Gimme a kiss." " Do we have a case against Crystal?" " Well, that depends." "The motive's there, no question." "You still got a murder weapon?" "We don't have a gun but we're not empty-handed." "Crystal had these hidden in her dresser drawer." "Don't tell me she shaves." "Denise Raeburn's face was slashed." "This package is open." "A blade missing." "It's better than nothing, but not by much." "I'll move ahead but with so little evidence, if this goes to trial, odds are she'll get off." "What choice do we have?" "Just let her go?" "I'll talk to her PD." "See if they're willing to accept a manslaughter plea." "We'll say goodnight to our Terrace boys and girls." "At least for the time being." "Thank you, Detectives." "Thank you, Danvers." " Sheppard?" " Yeah?" "You haven't partnered with Lewis for quite some time." "If there was a problem, you'd let me know, right?" "Right." "There's no problem, Gee." "Good." "I wanted you to talk to her." "I didn't expect you'd go threaten the boyfriend." "No excuse, but have you considered that my testosterone-riddled behaviour might have to do with our situation?" "You mean all this happened because we haven't had sex?" "I haven't had any release in three weeks." "I just might have been feeling especially potent." "I may have needed to get rid of some pent-up energy!" "You're hurting my head, John." "Sit down." "Easy, baby." "I'll take it easy." "You'll see, honey." "I will take it easy." "In less than a week, this wedding will be over with, and I'll be back to my usual docile, sweet self." " I'm afraid it's gonna be later than that." " Excuse me?" "You don't expect me to get married looking like this, do you?" "We have to postpone the wedding until the welt goes away." "You can make it a little longer, baby." "Only one or two more weeks." " Two weeks?" " Three at the most." "Oh..." "So Neecee kills Destiny, and Crystal kills Neecee." "So much for the gentler sex." "Neither one of them felt they had a choice." "Someone shoots your sister." "Someone sleeps with your man." " Someone has to pay for it." " Yeah." "I don't know why I'm so shocked." "I mean, I've seen female killers before." "Guess I just wanted to give women more credit." "You know, you expect boys to be capable of this kind of violence." "Not girls." "Your father beats on you from the time you're born." "You grow up around guys like our lovely Casper." "How else you gonna end up, and get any respect?" " By acting ladylike?" " Nope." "By acting tough." "Being strong." "You live your life that way long enough, it becomes who you are." "So it's a man's world, and we have to play by their rules." "There's gotta be another way." "You figure it out, you let me know." "Hey, heard you two put down the Keib murder." "Good work." " Did you expect any different?" " Of course not." "Let's celebrate." "The Waterfront." "Well, we're buying the first round." "Oh, if you insist." "Hey, wait up." " You coming?" " Hey." " Hey, Meldrick." " Sheppard." "You want to come have a drink?" "No." "I think I'll pass, thanks." " You sure?" " Yeah." "You'll do fine without me." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Nothin'." "How long are you going to keep this up?" "You got a problem, I'm not gonna let it stop me." " I'm gonna keep doing my job." " Yeah." "As well you should, you know." "Just go have yourself a drink." "Enjoy yourself." "OK..." "Damn." "Damn!"