"'In New York City's war on crime, 'the worst criminals offenders are pursued 'by the detectives of the Major Case Squad.'" "'These are their stories.'" "Make a left up here at this light." "We're driving in circles." "You think that's gonna fool me?" "You know how Erica feels about her privacy." "Why?" "You ever ask yourself that?" "I don't need to." "Now pull up to this driveway on the left." "Erica is just real upset about this, Doug." "You think about it, it's as big an insult as you can give another person." "If that's the way she feels, she can tell me to my face." "I deserve that." "It's making her sick." "On top of everything she has to deal with." "I just wanna talk to her." "She agreed." "You're gonna talk to her." "She said she'd talk to you, didn't she?" " Then what's the problem?" " She wants you to sign something." "What kind of a game is this?" "You come here, you make all your demands..." "You wanna talk to her, you just sign that." "This is ridiculous." "I'm out of here." " Are you threatening me?" " Please." "We're making things worse for Erica." "He's the one making the problems." "I came all the way here to see her and you're laying this crap on me!" "You bet I'm gonna make problems!" "I'll talk to her." "Toby, you too." "Why are you being so difficult?" "Don't be a fool, Christine." "This whole house of cards is coming down!" "I gave all of you your opportunity." " Douglas!" " Get yourself a lawyer!" "Erica is extremely disappointed in you, Doug." "Do I get to talk to her or not?" "Go home." "She just wants you to go home." "Maybe if I talk to her..." "Erica says we have to let him do whatever he needs to do." "You can't stop someone from walking into their own hell." "Hey!" "It's five-something, let's go." "You should've heard this guy." "More rules than the NFL playbook." "I'm like, "Why do you have to make it so complicated, you fat moron?"" "Last time I checked, all the parts fit together." "You don't have to be so damn complicated!" "Oh, my God!" "Fire!" "Help!" "Help!" "There's somebody on fire here!" "Call 911!" "The fire set off this can of butane in Mr Lafferty's pocket." "Hence the fireball." "The fire died down pretty quickly." "Lucy Hot Pants there thinks the guy died of spontaneous combustion!" "After being spontaneously hit!" "I count three impact wounds in the right of the skull." " What started it?" " A match to his coat." "Fire marshal said it smelled like it was soaked with acetone." "Nail polish remover." "His wallet's missing." "We ID'd him off his press badge." "There's blood and scalp tissue on the tip." "The perp was...seated here." "He rammed it into his head." "He wasn't murdered in this location." "This bloodstain didn't spatter here when he was killed." "It most likely came when his head was resting against the door." "His body was moved into the passenger seat after he was killed." "The killer then drove him here and put him back behind the wheel." "He set him on fire...to destroy evidence he was killed elsewhere." "Elsewhere where?" "We start where he started." "There's a garage-door opener on his key chain." "Looks like part of the umbrella." "It probably fell out of the car when the killer got out." "Make-up products." "We need a bag." "Nail polish, emery boards, manicure clippers." "Everything but nail polish remover." "Looks like he was killed in the garage." "Somebody defragged his computer to wipe files." "The family silver's accounted for, including Lafferty's gold watches and diamond cuff links." "And Pulitzer Prize." "For his coverage of the Tet Offensive in 1968." "This guy was a war correspondent before he owned a magazine." "Tough old bird." "News magazines..." "News magazines..." "No hobbies, no special interests." "I spoke too soon." "It's a catalogue for medical equipment." "Probably for his late wife." "She died last year." "He still keeps her things in the garage." " Tough, sentimental old bird." " Maybe not that sentimental." "Bank statements for the last three months." "He withdrew cash on a regular basis." "Big chunks." "Seven grand, ten grand." "He found himself a high-maintenance hobby." "116 grand in the last six months to who?" "A bookie?" "A girlfriend?" "He was a lonely widower." "We found no trace of a girlfriend." "His address and appointment book are missing." "His computer was wiped." "We're waiting on phone records." "You don't like the girlfriend angle?" "I'm open to anything." "Let's say the perpetrator was a woman." "She had excellent improvisational skills." "She created an incendiary device, she relocated the body to a high-crime area." "She might as well have left him in the garage." "That's the point." "She over-thought the event." "She was careful, but almost..." "neurotically anxious about hiding her tracks." "Lafferty might have been the target of her anger, but he wasn't the object of her passion." "She wasn't emotionally involved... with him." "She was emotionally involved with his bank account." " He had two kids, right?" " Son and daughter." "They're coming for the ID." "I invited him to join my wife and some friends for dinner, but he wanted to stay in." "Did you suspect he had other plans?" "Since Mom died, Dad's been a little difficult." "He's been grieving." "Miss Lafferty, any time you wanna jump in..." "It's obvious, isn't it?" "Look at where you found my father." "On 11th Avenue." " He'd turned into a sex addict." " She's right." "A few weeks ago I was in Bvlgari's with my kid buying for Mother's Day." " Dad was at the jewellery counter." " Did you talk to him?" "Yes." "He wasn't too happy to see me." "As soon as he got his receipt, he left." "I thought he was buying jewellery for some girlfriend." " Did you see what he bought?" " No." "The sales person told him to come and pick it up in a week." "He was having it inscribed." "Mr Lafferty bought a lady's watch in gold." "Lucky lady." "He had some engraving done?" "It's on the next page." ""To Erica, for giving me a reason to go on." "Douglas."" " Romantic, don't you think?" " You don't wanna know what I think." " Which model is it?" " This one." "Oh." "Er..." "This watch has a clasp on the band." "The receipt says that Mr Lafferty switched it with an expansion band." "It's easier to take on and off." "He said that the lady might find a band with a clasp difficult to use." "I think she had a little handicap with her right hand." "Thank you very much." "We're going to Queens." "The medical equipment catalogue?" "It's where they have their store." "Erica needs more!" "We have to move!" "Rethink this, Barb, please, for Erica's sake." "We know what's best." "I don't know how we're gonna make do with this." "Tell me where you're going." "I'll see what I can do." "I'll tell Erica." "I know you're trying to help." "She'll call you, OK?" "We supplied Mr Lafferty with a wheelchair when his wife was sick." "Three months ago, he ordered another one." "It had to be motorised, with a joystick." " A left-handed joystick?" " Yes." "The young lady had lost the use of her right hand." "He said she might eventually need a mouth-control stick." "Where was it to be delivered?" "To Erica Windemere." "I have no address." "Mr Lafferty was going to tell me when he made the last payment." "It's been ready now for three weeks." "This chair's for a child." "Mr Lafferty said she is 14 and weighs only 90 pounds." "The new love of his life." "A little girl in a wheelchair." "Wheelchair, respirator, heart monitor..." "Over 30,000 total in medical supplies." " She a relative?" " His kids have never heard of her." " He met her in the last six months." " Maybe he was with her mother." "It's about what was on the watch." "His wife is dead." "His kids don't like him." "Helping this girl filled a void in his life." "His phone records came." "No calls to any Windemere." "A lot of calls to numbers that never showed six months ago." "Check 'em out." "I was blown away when I heard what happened to Doug." "Such a decent guy." "Where did you know him from?" "We had, you know, common interests." "You mean Erica?" " You know Erica?" " We're trying to get in touch." "Just leave a message on the website." "Erica W." "There's a chatroom and everything." "That's how I met Doug." "We need to actually talk to her." "I can't help you with that." "You're worried about Erica?" "So are we." "She's been through a lot." "I mean, you read the book." "Yeah, sure." "The book." "My partner hasn't." "Well, you should." "It's so right on." "He's been after me to get into it." "What's it called again?" "Through The Darkness." "What did you like most about it?" "She never gives up." "My sister died of breast cancer three years ago." "She left behind two kids." "Erica's book helps me talk to them." "You gotta read it." "OK?" "It's been one of our biggest sellers, which surprised me." "It was pretty raw when we got it." "Thank God for editors." "Christine, these detectives need information about Erica Windemere." "One of my favourite authors." "How can I help?" "It's about the murder of Douglas Lafferty." "Oh, yes." "In fact, Erica e-mailed me yesterday telling me how upset she was." " They were friends?" " She was very fond of him." "I just got the book." " It says she has ALS." " Yes." "Lou Gehrig's disease." "That's degenerative." ""Your body is destroyed while..."" ""..your soul stays intact."" "That's what it says on the cover." "That's the least of what she's had to face." " She could teach us a lot." " And we have a lot to learn." "We need her address and phone number." "You know she's just a bedridden little girl?" "She might know something she doesn't know she knows." "She sounds like she'd want to help." "Yeah." "I don't have a phone number, but I'll give you her e-mail." "Er...is that how you worked on the book with her?" "Through her e-mails?" "Yes, and she calls me." "She can't give out her address or phone." "The book explains why." "How about her book royalties?" "How do you get cheques to her?" "Her foster mother, Barb, comes to the office." " She doesn't live with her parents?" " Child Welfare took her from them." "Is there a foster father?" "There's Toby." "He's the physical therapist." "And she has you." "I'm sorry for all the secrecy." "It's the only way to protect Erica's safety." " You really do need to read the book." " OK." "Thanks." "Two days for the subpoena, a few more for the e-mail information." "Probably another dead end." "This kid doesn't want to be found." "She writes she's been dodging death threats." "Her parents were members of a violent drug gang that sexually abused her." "Sexually abusing a kid with ALS." "Lovely." "No, that was before the ALS kicked in at age 11." "Her father's serving ten years for the sex abuse." "Her mother vowed to kill her if she finds her." " What are you writing?" " An e-mail." "To get her attention." ""Dear Erica, I just finished your book." ""I've met a lot of people, but none with your courage..." Get the idea?" "Then I tell her I wanna talk about Lafferty and I include my number." "While you wait for an answer, let's see if Child Welfare knows where she is." "Welfare has no record of a girl with ALS in the last five years." "No record of a girl being used as a sex toy by a dope gang." "No record of foster parents named Barb and Toby." "But people have talked to this girl?" "The editor?" "We found people who say they got calls from her." "All say the same." "Sweet girl with a bad disease and a positive attitude." "Captain Deakins." "Erica Windemere." "For you." "You wanna take it here?" "Hello, Erica, this is Detective Alexandra Eames." " 'Hello, Detective.'" " Call me Alex." "'Am I on speakerphone, Alex?" "'" "Yes." "I'm with my boss, Captain Deakins, and my partner Detective Goren." "We're anxious to speak to you." "'OK." "I was so glad you wrote me." "'If there's any way I can help, of course I will.'" "When's the last time you spoke with Mr Lafferty?" "'We spoke all the time about his children." "'He wanted a better relationship with them." "'He was such a big support to me.'" "Erica, is there any way that we could meet and talk to you in person?" "'It depends on my health." "I've had so many bad days lately." " 'Alex, do you have any kids?" "'" " No." "'Your voice reminds me of my kindergarten teacher." "'It's a very warm voice, like you spend a lot of time talking to kids." "'I hope you have some someday.'" "Erica, your book says you contracted ALS when you were just 11." "That's pretty rare, isn't it?" "'Yes.'" "You still have the use of your right hand?" "'No, I don't.'" " But you have the use of your left." " 'Yes.'" "Well, that kind of asymmetric disability is..." "unusual for ALS sufferers, isn't it?" "'I don't know what usual is." "'What's happening to me is what's usual for me.'" "One more thing..." "How has ALS affected your menstruation?" "'Erm...you mean...'" "I don't want to embarrass you." "In your book you're very frank about your development as a young woman." "If it makes you uncomfortable..." "'It's not that.'" "How has your condition affected you?" "Is there something you have to think about?" "'I can't believe I'm being attacked like this!" "'Alex, people can't destroy you unless you let them!" "'What did you people say to Erica?" "'" " Er, w-who's this?" " 'This is her foster mother." "'Erica's crying right now." "'How could you take five minutes 'of what precious time she has left to do this to her?" "Shame on you!" "'" "If I hadn't heard it with my own ears..." "Well, it was a legitimate question." "She was trying to find the right answer." "The right answer's whatever's happening to her body." "She shouldn't have to think about it." "That's why Doug Lafferty never took delivery of the wheelchair." "She's a fake." "And he found out." "My wife told me about this book." "It made some talk-show book selection." " Said she's the next Anne Frank." " Anne Frank actually existed." " No one's ever met this girl?" " Maybe someone has." "From Professor David Cantler's introduction " ""Erica's easy smile hides a will of iron" ""which refuses to succumb to the ravages of life."" "An easy smile isn't easy to see on the phone." "Cantler?" "The geneticist with the bestseller?" "Two bestsellers and four wives." "The professor likes the ladies." "And vice versa." "You know us." "We like men who play with the building blocks of life." " Professor Cantler!" " Hello." "I'm a graduate..." "Sorry, Alex Eames." " In social work." "A graduate student." " What can I do for you?" "My thesis is on survivors of child sex abuse" " and you wrote the introduction..." " To Through The Darkness." "Yes." "I want to interview Erica for my thesis and if you could help me..." "Yes, well, I have a confession to make." "It wasn't possible to actually meet with her." " But your introduction..." " Yes." "Poetic licence." "I went to meet her but her health was too fragile." " You got to see where she lived." " Yes, I did, but..." "My thesis partner." "Hi." "I'm Detective Robert Goren." "How you doing?" "Did Alex mention she's a detective, too?" "Her thesis, that's a subpoena we need to serve on Erica and her...foster parents." "Look, I actually don't know where she lives." "They had me drive to a gas station on Long Island, then this man, Toby, picked me up and drove me around in his van." "You know what the house looks like?" "We'll drive until we find it." "There's still food in the fridge." "Whoever lived here must've just moved." "Gravel from the driveway." "I waited to meet Erica in this room." "She was in the bedroom." "Too sick to come out." "Hook, line and sinker." "I can't believe you fell for this." "Erica exists." "She's a loving soul who's been through great trials in her life." " I've spoken to her many times." " On the phone." "You're a scientist." "I don't have to stick my fingers in the wounds to believe." "There's a theorem." "Gödel's Great Incompleteness." ""Every axiomatic system will contain truths..."" ""..that cannot be proven." ""But the absence of proof can be proof."" "This was Erica's bedroom?" "Er...the bed was in here?" "I don't see any marks or indentations on the carpet." " Or the wall." "Do you?" " That's not conclusive." "I don't see a 220-volt hook-up... for the respirator Doug Lafferty bought for..." "Erica." "Doug Lafferty bought her a respirator?" "You bought her one too, didn't you?" "I'm sure they made a nice profit selling the equipment." "I've been a fool." "It's..." "Wanting to help someone is not...foolish." "But now you have to help us find these people." "There's a pharmacy." "Sometimes they asked me to pay for her prescriptions." "I'm a friend of David Cantler's." "He was meant to drop off money for a kid's prescription." "Erica Windemere." "He asked me to take care of it." "Is that OK?" " Sure, I guess so." " How much is it?" "Let's see, she's on the Rilutek in addition to Zanaflex and Roxanol." "That's $800 for all three." "$800?" "This girl never heard of medical insurance?" "Doesn't have any." "That's all I know." "Erm..." "I don't mean to be rude... but how do I know you're going to actually send her the drugs?" "Somebody pays for the drugs and I call Erica's foster mother to get 'em." "Can you show me Erica's prescriptions for the drugs?" "Why would I wanna do that?" "Because I'm a cop." "And you're about to be arrested for selling drugs without prescriptions." "l-l-l just pass it on to Barb for Erica." " It's a donation." " After your handling fee?" "OK, Murray, this is what you're gonna do." "You're gonna call Barb and tell her a big donation just came in and that you need her to come by before you close." "Have you ever seen her?" "Have you, Christine?" "I've never seen JD Salinger, but it doesn't make me doubt his existence." "All right, be flip." "If you publish any further editions of the book I want my intro excised." "This is because of Barb." "She's too overprotective." "Erica would meet people if Barb let her." "Christine, you got taken and I got taken." "I hope when this hits the papers we don't look like total idiots." "Well, I hope I never lose faith in one of the kindest, most spiritual human beings I have ever met!" " I feel sorry for you." " Well, feel sorry for yourself." "You're not just betraying Erica, you're betraying all children." "Erica is safe where we left her, with friends." "We found your motel room." "None of Erica's belongings were there, not even a picture." "We know what she looks like." "We don't need a picture." "All of her things are with her." "Toby's in the next room." "You sure he's telling the same story?" "Yes, I'm sure." "Because it's the truth." "What is it that makes you want to destroy someone good like Erica?" "I'm just a natural-born sceptic." "Maybe I haven't had enough tragedy in my life." "Like Doug." "His wife is gone." "His kids hate him." "Death staring him in the face." "Doug was full of love." "Erica opened his heart." " Not to mention his wallet." " I'm not even gonna speak to that." "Doug...had doubts." "Huh?" "Isn't that why... he was at the house" "the night that he died?" "He wasn't there." "This is gravel." "From your driveway." "Gravel." "It gets around, all the way to..." "Manhattan." "This is the same kind of gravel." "We found it in the tyres of Doug's car." "He did come out that night." "He and Erica needed to talk and they did." "Now we know one thing." "You're not above lying to us." "I'll do whatever I need to protect Erica." "Including killing an old man who threatens to destroy you." "People can't destroy you unless you let them." "I've heard that before." "From Erica." " Did she teach you that?" " Yes, she did." "Strength of character, strength of will." "These are the tools you were given to make yourself what you would be." "And you made Erica..." "into what you'd like yourself to be." "Erica made herself." "I was just lucky to meet her in her time of need." "You're quick!" "Just like Erica." "You ever get jealous of all the attention that she gets?" "No!" "Because some of it falls on you, right?" "I'm just there to help Erica." "And you take care of Erica." "You control access to Erica." "That makes you a very important person." "Isn't that what this is really about?" "Mr Jacobs here has been hired to represent the Windemeres." "Some people pretend to be sick for the attention, the love." "Some women make their children sick for the same reason." "Some women...kill their babies." "But this woman... she invented a sick child for the attention, for the love." "If somebody like Lafferty gets in the way..." "No, she's not violent." "She believes...that she can talk her way out of anything." "These people are con artists." "But I don't think they killed Lafferty." "Someone showed Lafferty the way to the house, then drove back with him, someone Barb and Toby trusted." "We got thousands of emails to Erica catalogued here from every state, and all the replies." "This was a full-time job." "Full-time salary too." "These are drafts of the book with handwritten revisions." " Most of the book was rewritten." " Not just rewritten." "Transformed." "This paragraph here about Erica being told she had ALS, the original's er..." "The word you're looking for is "awful"." "Yeah, but the new material, it breaks your heart." "Whoever made these changes, it was a labour of love." "What you've done is cruel and heartless." "Arresting Barb and Toby?" "That puts Erica in terrible danger!" " Have you talked to Erica?" " he's probably afraid to call." "Maybe you're hoping she doesn't." "She may ask you to take care of her." "I would do it without hesitation." "It doesn't intimidate me." "It should." "You're single." "No one to help you." "Full-time job." "Erica would be my full-time job." "You have no doubt that she's a flesh-and-blood little girl?" "No, I don't." "You had a scare last summer." "A co-worker told us you had a bad smear." "I had a pre-cancerous cervical condition which I was treated for." "Not that it's any of your business." "Did it raise the question of whether you'd ever have your own children?" "Is that the void that Erica filled?" "Erica restored your faith in the human spirit." "She gave you courage in the face of evil." "No one was gonna tell you that she doesn't exist." "To deny her was to...deny you." " OK, this is ridiculous." " Is it?" "I don't know where Erica ends and you begin." "You are insane!" "This is all her!" "This is her!" "This is her life!" "These are her thoughts!" "Douglas Lafferty's faith wasn't as strong as yours." "He wanted proof, didn't he?" "Is that why you took him to the house?" "Maybe Doug Lafferty's suspicions weren't appeased." " He was gonna make trouble." " No." "Maybe driving back to the city, you tried to reason with him." "You told him how much Erica meant to you." "The closer you got to his home, the more frantic that you became?" "I stayed home all night." "I never left the house." "We checked the logs of your company's messenger service." "That night they tried to deliver to you at nine and midnight." "There was no answer either time." "We don't doubt the sincerity of your beliefs, Miss Wilkes." "You were taken advantage of." "I'm willing to take that into consideration if you tell us the truth." "I stayed home all night." "I went to bed early and that is why I didn't hear the buzzing." "Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to leave." "The power of faith." "No, she really believes Erica is real." "Maybe a little faith in Erica..." "isn't such a bad thing." "They freely admit Lafferty was at their house that night." "They have nothing to hide." "Or they want to create that impression." "I may've been pliable before but now the insurance policy has come up..." "What insurance policy?" "Ask your clients." "Erm...four months ago, Douglas Lafferty changed the beneficiary on his... insurance policy, naming Erica Windemere to receive a payout of two million dollars." "We didn't know anything about that." "Oh, really?" "The money was to be held in trust, with your client as trustee." "Two million dollars to spend any way she wanted." "The best part of it is, you would've been able to keep it without ever having to prove that Erica exists." "A murder conviction will, of course, void the policy." "Crime isn't supposed to pay." "We didn't kill Doug." "We swear." "Well, if not you, then, who?" "I found out the District Attorney is seizing Erica's book royalties!" "That is inhumane!" "What is she supposed to live on?" "What's the DA supposed to do?" "We found new evidence implicating Barb in Doug Lafferty's murder." "OK, I am not defending what Barb did." "I am just here to protect Erica's interests." "She sent you here?" "No!" "I e-mailed her saying it was urgent that we speak." "I don't even think she has a computer any more." "This is the precarious situation she's in." "Without those book royalties, she has nothing." "I thought she has hundreds of people sending her money." "What?" "She's in hiding." "How do you expect them to get the money to her?" " Barb said she was safe." " Barb is a liar!" "Barb needs to be kept away from Erica." "Oh." " You know what's best for her." " Yes, I do." "Call for Miss Wilkes." "Her office." "Tell them she's busy." "It's important." "Erica Windemere's holding." "Put it through in here." "Oh, God." "Er..." " 'Christine?" "'" " Erica!" "Yes, it's me." "I'm here." "Hi." " 'I'm so happy to hear your voice!" "'" " I am too, Erica." "I'm here with the police right now." "So tell me how you're doing." "'All right." "'But I'm very scared.'" "I am taking care of everything." "Don't worry about anything." " I'm not gonna let you..." " 'Did they tell you about Doug?" "'" "'Barb told me on the phone that he had insurance." "'I don't understand these things.'" "He had a life policy that left Erica two million dollars." "But that's incredible!" "That's a miracle!" "'Only now I won't get it..." "'Because of Barb and what she did to Doug!" "'" "Since Barb's the trustee and she killed Doug, the policy is void." "Erica gets nothing." "'What's going to happen to me?" "'" "The people I'm with can't afford to take care of me." "We don't have any money." "Barb had it all." "Erica, listen to me, sweetheart." "Nothing bad is gonna happen to you." "She has no health insurance." " 'I'm going to end up in a home.'" " No!" "No, you're not." "I'm gonna make sure of that." "How?" "With what money?" "I mean..." "Erica's at the end of her rope." "Right, Erica?" "'I'm so sorry, Christine." "'I tried to be brave, 'but losing Barb and Toby...'" " Erica..." " '..is just too much.'" "You taught me so much about accepting loss and uncertainty and hardship, and appreciating what is beautiful and hopeful in life." "Beauty won't help!" "Her disease is gonna get worse." "What she has to look forward to is more hardship, loss and uncertainty." "Erica, you know that I would sacrifice everything for you." "You better mean it..." "because she's got no one else." "'You're the only one I have left, Christine.'" "I know." "What?" "Erica?" " Erica?" " Erica?" "Erica?" "Erica!" "Erica." "What are you gonna do, Christine?" "That money could change everything." "It could save her life." "Whatever you did, you... you did to defend your faith in her." "Your heart was pure." "Now it's time to take the...final step." "To give Erica the greatest gift." "You need to do this or your faith in Erica will have been... a lie." "I did it." "Not Barb." "I killed Doug." "Tell me what you did." "I killed him in his garage." "I used nail polish remover and I set him on fire." "He was gonna hurt Erica." "He kept saying she wasn't real, and I couldn't let him say that." "I just couldn't let him say that." "So I get the insurance money, right?" "When do I get it?" " Sorry." " What?" "Erica isn't the only thing that doesn't exist." "You lied?" "You lied to me?" "I helped you and you..." "You...ruined...everything!" "Erica will be so disappointed in them."