Don't give up.
Oh, I never do.
May I?
You work with your hands?
- Redhead. - Luther.
Your life would be a whole lot simpler if you could learn to operate a VCR.
True. Truer words were never spoken.
What's that?
Here we go.
That is nice.
It's okay. He's not here.
Anyway, I told him that I was sick.
So you can relax.
I'll be right back.
You like that? Do you?
Oh, yeah.
So you wanna play, huh?
You okay?
How would you like that?
- You slap... - Don't slap me!
You little bitch!
Alan, what are you doing?
Alan!
Alan, you're hurting me!
I'll hurt you, goddamn it.
You're hurting me!
Goddamn you!
You wanna be hurt?
I'll hurt you.
You like this?
- Let go! - Do you?
You like that?
Goddamn you!
- Son of a bitch! - Get away!
Get back here.
Get back here!
Stop it!
Stop it! Alan!
What are you doing?
Bitch...
...you wanna play? I'll show you how.
You fucking bastard!
You bastard!
You like that?
- Come back. - Don't!
Let go of me!
Bitch, you cut me, goddamn it!
Fucking asshole!
I'm gonna kill you!
Help! Help!
Help!
Did you kill her?
No choice in the matter, sir.
What am I gonna do?
- Jesus, Tim. What do we do? - No choice in the matter.
What the hell was that?
Oh, shit.
Oh, my God.
Do you realize what a shitstorm we're in?
Go on, tell me.
Nothing to tell. He screamed for help.
You heard no sounds of violence till then?
Nothing we haven't heard before.
- Maybe I should call the police. - Oh, Jesus. What?
Bill...
...why don't you think about that.
Just take a second...
...and think about that.
Think real...
...fucking...
...hard.
Probably not a good idea.
Here's what happened.
Poor Christy...
...came home alone and interrupted a burglary.
Sound logical?
Yeah, sure.
We have to sanitize this place.
Alan.
Did you have sex with her?
I don't know.
Bill, you're gonna have to examine her.
- I'm no gynecologist. - I just made you one.
Christ!
I'll take that.
- It has both fingerprints. - Thanks for sharing.
Gloria.
- Did I kill her? - Everything's gonna be fine, Alan.
Don't worry about it.
- Oh, God. - Now be careful.
Just don't get blood on you.
I'll take care of everything, okay? Just like I always do.
- Oh, shit. - What?
Madame's purse.
- Miss Russell, let me get him. - Thank you.
- I got him. - All right.
Nice and easy, sir.
Oh, my God!
No knife!
- What? - Where's the knife?
In the bedroom.
- Come on. - Get up there!
Shit!
Go!
Excuse me.
I got the number.
Gee, guys, maybe it was the bogeyman.
Check under the bed. You may have buried us!
I got his license number.
You think he'll sit around waiting for us?
Look, take it easy.
Everybody, shut up, all right?
What have you got?
Oh, boy.
Two-way mirror.
We better get cracking on that license number.
That's all we've got.
He's got the letter opener.
Blood...
...fingerprints.
Jesus!
Think what he can do.
The man's a thief. A thief who witnessed a murder.
It looks like he stole a whole bunch of money.
I'll tell you what he's gonna do.
He's gonna run like hell.
They beat us by seven.
By seven?
Who'd have thought that?
Kate.
I guess it'd be a little late for me.
The jogging, I mean.
Kind of dumb way to start.
But I did want to talk to you.
About?
The weather, actually.
It's getting cool in the evenings.
That happens this time of year.
I was thinking...
...of moving to a kinder, more gentle climate.
I thought I'd talk with you, since you're the only family I have.
Luther, you don't have me.
You know what it's like to be the only kid...
...who got to talk about visiting day?
This move, it would be a permanent one, you understand.
We never see each other anyway.
We haven't since Mom died. That's a year.
Look, you chose your life. You had that right.
You were never around for me. Fine.
I have no plans to be around for you.
Wait a minute. Wait.
You're lying, aren't you?
Are you active again? Is that why you're here now?
I don't believe you.
Oh, Christ!
Father, what have you done?
Christy Sullivan?
Wife of Walter.
Most likely came home, stumbled onto a burglary.
Some burglary. I wish my carpets were this clean.
I couldn't find a single fingerprint.
- Are you serious, Laura? - It's like Mary Poppins was here.
Where's Mr. Sullivan?
Sorry, Seth.
The entire Sullivan household went to Barbados two days ago.
Thanks for your support.
Oh, no, wait. It gets worse.
The shots came from here.
If she stumbled on a burglary, she should've been here.
But she was killed exactly where she is.
See, the blood patterns indicate that.
What is she doing here?
Looks like someone sat here, but I couldn't find any prints.
So you think old man Sullivan holed up in this chair...
...and watched his wife perform?
God, I hope not.
For his sake. You know, he's such a great man.
Be careful digging that out.
Looks like he tried to strangle her.
Then he went to the door to shoot her from behind?
He also inspected her vagina.
He did what?
Why?
Maybe he didn't remember that he did her.
A strong burglar with a weak mind.
Obviously, it's another open-and-shut case.
We can expect tomorrow's temperatures...
... to climb into the 70s with lows around 50.
Turner will start things off for the Cougars.
- One man to beat. - He's going all the way!
Nothing but clear sailing now.
Six points!
Mr. Sullivan.
Sorry to bother you.
I'm Seth Frank, senior homicide detective, Middletown County.
My client is in no mood for conversations.
It's all right, Sandy.
You're in charge of the case?
Yes, sir.
I've gotta ask you a few questions.
What do you want?
Positive identification?
Yes...
...that was my wife.
Anything else?
You'd been in Barbados for two days.
I took the staff, always do this time of year.
Your wife didn't come with you.
Well, she was.
Had it all planned.
But you know women.
She changed her mind.
I'd been married to my Rebecca for 47 years.
When she died...
...I decided I never wanted that pain again.
One thing I knew about Christy...
...she was going to outlive me.
I think that's enough for today.
Sir, I have to ask you about the vault.
You mean, the contents of the vault, of course.
Sandy, you go on.
- Walter. - No, really.
I'm all right. You go on to the reception.
Obviously, I can't make it.
I'm sure everyone will understand.
You don't mean the contents.
You mean the chair.
You must ask about the chair.
Yes, sir. I do.
Why? Are they connected?
Someone sat in it and may have been involved in the murder.
I have the deepest respect for you. I'm sorry to have to do this.
I promise you, none of this will make my highlight reel.
Well, I hoped I could satisfy her.
But, you know...
...she had needs.
She didn't want to go behind my back.
She suggested the chair.
She hoped I might get to like sitting there.
I didn't.
For 80 years, I've tried to live...
...a decent life.
I've given a billion dollars to charity.
If this comes to trial...
...none of that will be remembered.
I'll just go out...
...the joke of the world.
I understand, sir. I'll do what I can.
Would you listen to me whine?
I apologize, Mr. Frank.
Just do your job and I'll try to do mine.
Yes, sir.
I'm sorry, sir.
Ladies and gentlemen, the President.
Sandy.
Mr. President.
- Take a walk with me. - Certainly, sir.
Tell me about Walter. How is he?
Well, he's 80 and alone, Mr. President.
He understands that officially my hands are tied.
Yes, but he's very moved by your concern, sir.
Any news of the killer?
Why isn't there? Who's in charge of this?
The top man.
He spent eight years, homicide work in New York.
I understand how you feel. It's hard to be patient.
No one understands how I feel.
I'm supposed to have all this power...
...and I can't even help my oldest friend.
You and I know, more than any man alive, Walter Sullivan put me here.
Now when he needs me most...
Well, he must feel abandoned.
I'll have a press conference.
I'll have Walter come and I'll embrace him in front of the world.
He'll treasure that.
What a generous gesture.
Thank you, sir. Thank you.
Tennis elbow.
This is getting worse, Gloria.
I need to see a doctor.
The country would have to be informed, Mr. President.
What happened to my rights to privacy?
I think she nicked a tendon.
Burton says it's a flesh wound.
Since when did you become an expert, Bill?
You ever been wounded?
Yes, sir. A few times.
You're serious about this press conference?
Of course I am.
Walter's like a father to me.
Shall I bring Mrs. Richmond home?
I don't think Mrs. Richmond's mission...
...to help the poor in Asia needs to be interrupted.
What do we know so far?
We've checked his license plates.
He stole the car from a police impoundment lot.
We're not dealing with a fool, are we?
Has he initiated contact?
Burton doesn't think he will.
I agree.
I apologize for my behavior.
Consider it a blip on the screen.
As far as I'm concerned, that's all he is.
He could be a little more than that, Alan.
He saw.
He saw nothing. He saw a drunk woman who liked rough sex too much.
He's a burglar. Who's gonna believe him?
After all, it's not as if he has any evidence.
He's a burglar. Who 's gonna believe him?
After all, it's not as if he has any evidence.
Boy, you always did disappear good, Luther.
You're trying to say I have a weak face?
No, I'm saying you're lucky.
Some customers, no matter what I do, still stand out.
How many passports you want?
Four ought to do the trick.
You want different looks, matching international driver's licenses.
I'll throw in dummy credit cards.
How are the rugs I made you holding up?
Good. The mustaches and the beards also.
We try to give quality for our money.
You leaving the country for permanent?
That could be.
Does it matter where you've been? I hate doing Asian passport stamps.
No. Make it European.
Caribbean in the wintertime. How long is all this gonna take?
It usually takes time. For you, I'll rush it.
You're always dependable, Valerie.
Listen, Luther...
...I don't wanna know what you're into.
I do, but I'm not gonna ask you. But leaving the country forever...
What is it?
I never figured you for a runner.
Thirty percent of my runners kill themselves within five years.
Right now, five years doesn't sound too bad.
Take care.
See you.
Okay, see if this makes any sense.
I am Christy Sullivan.
I come in and I surprise a burglar.
Okay, now you're the surprised burglar coming from the vault.
Gold star. I draw my gun. Boom.
Then why strangle her when you could just shoot her?
Why do I bother to strip her and put her clothes back on?
There, I can help you out.
You used to be a dry cleaner and you love beautiful clothes.
Thanks a lot. And you dress her because...
She was a good customer and you didn't want her embarrassed when police came.
She had a 0.21 blood-alcohol level. Not that it matters.
She didn't drive.
The chauffeurs, they keep exact mileage on these cars.
They haven't been driven since they went to Barbados.
I checked every cab and limo service in the area.
Somebody drove her home. Who?
Why haven't they come forward?
Maybe because whoever drove her home killed her.
Maybe.
I love this case.
Lieutenant?
Sorry to bother you, but the phone problems?
- I took care of them. - Thanks.
Just part of the job.
I hate people who say that. It is your fucking job.
Remember the bullet hole in the wall?
Guess what?
No slug.
Why take a slug out of the wall when there's one stuck in her head?
Different from the one in her body?
Two different guns means two burglars.
Two guys broke in?
They both went out the window? Bullshit.
By the way...
...why did he or they go out the window anyway...
...when he or they got in by breaking a zillion dollar security system?
Bill Burton from Secret Service in the parking lot.
Thanks, Bob. What's he doing in the parking lot?
Bill Burton. Hi.
Hi. Seth Frank. To what do I owe the honor?
You must be going crazy...
...but the boss is interested about your progress.
Maybe we could help each other.
What do you have in mind?
Well, you know how close he and Sullivan are, right?
The minute anything breaks...
...I'll tell the President.
He'd be the first to alert Mr. Sullivan.
It'd mean a lot to him.
Any red tape you want cut, done.
Here's my numbers.
Any leads?
We're still figuring out what happened.
- I love playing Sherlock Holmes. - You guys do that?
I was a state trooper before the government got me.
Wait. You're that Bill Burton?
- I was younger and dumber then. - I was younger. I'm dumber now.
Keep in touch.
My chef makes them especially for me.
I promise you, they're sinful.
You're a salesman, Mr. Sullivan.
This is a new arena for me.
But from what I'm told, you have a flawless reputation.
Which is why I need to employ you, Mr. McCarty.
Understood.
I don't know who it is I'm after yet.
Until I do...
...you wait in Washington for instructions.
That's out of the question.
Mine is not creative work.
I do it because I enjoy living beyond my means.
I can't afford to sit around.
My father died when I was 10 years old.
He was a miner. He died of lung disease.
I became rich at 25.
The first thing I did was buy that mine, close it down...
...and give every miner $50,000 to retire on.
You will wait in Washington, Mr. McCarty.
And I will put one million dollars' expenses...
...in a Swiss bank of your choosing.
And when the time comes...
...2 million dollars a bullet.
You are a salesman, sir.
Selling sin is easy.
- Who is he? - It's Luther Whitney...
...one of the great thieves of the world.
I've been going nuts. I was up all night.
I remembered your notion how it was two burglars.
Around dawn, I thought, "What if it's not two burglars...
...but just one guy trying to make it look like two?"
I called my buddy at the Bureau. They keep track.
There's only half a dozen guys who could've done the Sullivan job.
I've been tracing all six.
Whitney's the only guy that lives here.
- Why haven't I ever heard of him? - He hasn't been arrested in 30 years.
What's this? His graduation picture from Harvard?
That's history. He was just a punk, part of a gang.
Three-time loser.
Since he got out last...
...no one's touched him.
When something big comes up, they question him, but nothing sticks.
Oh, Seth.
We can make this stick.
I bet you he's our guy.
He's a local. You can't ask for anything more.
Well, we got a problem.
What?
He hasn't killed anyone in 45 years.
Korea.
So what? He's a veteran.
Not just a veteran, he's a wounded veteran.
I got his war record here.
Battles, commendations, decorations up the kazoo.
He lives alone on disability.
That's what he says anyway.
But I don't see him as a killer. He's just a great thief.
And besides, I don't do war heroes.
Boy, you must be smart.
Pardon me?
It usually takes you guys a week to get to me.
Oh, Seth Frank.
I recognize your picture from the newspaper.
Luther Whitney.
Nice to meet you.
Would you like a signed confession now or do you want coffee first?
Before I send you away for life, I should probably check out your alibi.
I was watching a football game with an old friend, Red Bransford.
He owns a saloon here in town.
You can ask me about the game.
I could be lying.
You been following the case?
Yeah, I have.
I love true crime.
FBI says there's only a few guys who could have handled this job.
I got a list here. You're on it.
How I wish it were true.
This person, they go in the front door...
...and out a window, down a rope in the middle of the night?
Now, if I could do something like that...
...I'd be the star of my AARP meetings.
- What's that? The American... - Association of Retired Persons.
Luther, why was this so difficult?
You want me to help you solve your case?
Just looking for insight.
How would you...?
Scratch that. How would one go about it?
What kind of person should I look for?
Except for the rope trick, an older person, like me.
Because?
Well, you need patience.
The secret is research, research and research. I've read that.
What kind of research?
Well, from what I saw on the tube, this is a rather large home.
Must be an architectural office.
You'd go to the library, go through public records...
...find out where that architectural office is and break in.
And then you xerox the plans and get them back by morning.
Why not just steal them?
Anyone can break into an office, but doing it...
...without having people know you were there is the trick.
Then there's the general contractor.
And then there's the security company.
Do you realize the skill of breaking the security of a security company?
I don't know how those guys do it.
Why go to all that trouble, Luther?
There's a vault in the house. There must be a secret way into it.
There was. That's what I don't get.
How do you mean?
This guy obviously did the research you're talking about.
So why does he take a crowbar...
...to open the vault when there's a clicker right there?
A clicker?
Well, a gizmo, like a VCR remote.
Sounds amazing to me.
Must've been a lot of valuables in that vault.
Close to 5 million total value.
Is that funny?
I feel like you're trying to surprise me.
I was trying to.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
There you go again.
Would the burglar use a disguise?
Yeah, he might.
Get with the program if you're gonna catch this guy.
It is a guy we think, anyway. Some sort of a Ioner? Weirdo?
Maybe like you.
Well, I'd be the perfect prototype, actually.
Except you see a face around long enough and put things together.
That's why these top guys have disguises.
Some of them, I even understand, become makeup experts...
...hire wigmakers and things like that.
Go on about the wigmakers.
I would...
I've gotta go have my pacemaker checked.
It's been so exciting talking to you.
A: You don't have a pacemaker. And B: I'll be back tomorrow.
Tomorrow is promised to no one.
Goodbye.
Pacemaker, my ass.
Oh, Katie.
You gotta start eating better than this, darling.
I'm having this press conference here...
...because it is here, at this courthouse...
...that Christine Sullivan's killer will be tried.
As you know, I came from an impoverished family...
... in an impoverished town.
We lived with our doors...
... unlocked.
We all lock our doors now.
- That's not what concerns me. - A ginger ale.
We are also locking our hearts.
Could you turn that off?
- That is the sadness. - In a second.
That...
...is the loss.
We are locking our hearts to the weary.
We are locking our hearts...
... to the poor and their pain.
Sisters and brothers...
... we are locking our hearts to ourselves.
Turn it back on.
- But you said... - I know...
...but turn it on.
We feel that savagery and violence must be allowed a place at table.
That is wrong. That is not America.
I shall fight that battle.
Dear friend...
...old friend...
...we shall fight that battle.
Who can explain chance?
If we had not met...
...I would not be President today.
If Christine had not taken ill...
... she would be with you in Barbados even now.
Walter, you've been like a father to me.
I would give the world to lessen your pain.