King Benny's going to move over one of his lawyers.
No, no. Don't let him do that. Snyder's perfect.
Perfect? The guy's a fall-down drunk.
I'm telling you, he's perfect.
Perfect for what?
You covering the story for your newspaper?
- Me? - Yeah.
I'm the timetable clerk, Mikey.
Ask me what movie's playing at what time.
I'm lucky they let me in the building.
Get some coffee?
Let's take a walk.
I'm going to prosecute John and Tommy in an open court.
What, are you fucking nuts?
Just hear me out.
You should stay home tomorrow.
Call in sick and save your life, counsel.
I'm not taking this case to win,
I'm taking this case to lose.
What does that mean?
It means it's payback time.
Look, John and Tommy started this.
It's begun.
It's messy, it's not how I had it planned,
but here it is.
You and I, we can finish it.
Finish what, Mikey?
You read The Count Of Monte Cristo[/I] lately?
I don't know, 10 years ago.
See, I read a little bit of it every night.
I read words like "Revenge,
"Sweet, lasting revenge."
Payback time.
It's our time.
What are you saying, Mike?
I'm saying it's time for all of us to get a taste.
I'm saying it's time to put an end to this.
Let's walk.
So I asked for the case.
Told them I was from the same neighbourhood as the accused,
knew the mentality of the area, blah, blah, blah.
They bought it.
And the connection between John, Tommy, and Nokes?
Connection? Juvenile records are destroyed after 7 years.
We were never at Wilkinson's.
We got to go after the guards,
we got to get Wilkinson's.
Bring it all down.
Adam Styler - plain-clothes cop,
works narcotics in Queens.
Known to shake down dealers for dope and cash.
He's got a cocaine problem.
Other personal information there.
Henry Addison - now works for the mayor,
if you can fucking believe that.
He's a community outreach director in Brooklyn.
His sexual habits haven't changed.
He still likes sex with young boys.
Ralph Ferguson - works in a social service agency
in Long Island...
How long you been working on this, Mike?
Just recently divorced, got one child,
and on weekends, teaches Catholic Sunday school.
Well, seems clean then, right?
That's exactly why I want the piece of shit.
The plan is to call Ferguson in as a character witness,
get him talking about his best friend Sean Nokes.
Once I got him on the stand,
I'm going to open the door to Wilkinson's.
Mike...
you sure you want to go this way?
I mean, we buried this a long time ago.
Do you still sleep with the light on?
John and Tommy? You want them to know anything about this?
Nah. It'll play better in court if they don't know.
A not guilty verdict had to be a verdict
that no-one would dare question.
Danny Snyder was to remain as Tommy and John's attorney.
Michael's plan relied on Hell's Kitchen to deliver information
and keep quiet.
Both were skills the neighbourhood had in abundance.
We set up a simple method of communication.
If Michael was sending,
messages were left for me at work
to call my non-existent girlfriend Gloria.
If I needed to get word to Michael,
I would have someone from the neighbourhood
pick up an early edition of the New York Times,
write "Edmund" in the right-hand corner of the Metro section
and drop it in front of Michael's apartment.
For this plan to succeed, we needed total secrecy
and the only people we completely trusted.
The plan depended on keeping Michael alive,
which meant word had to get to John and Tommy's killing crew
that he was not an open target.
After this night, Michael would not be available to any of us.
The only time we would see him would be in court.
That's it?
Not quite. We got four witnesses
who saw the shooting are willing to testify.
Gotta get that number down.
I'll talk to King Benny.
Good. I can handle two, but, uh,
you got to get us one for our side.
One what?
One witness,
a witness who will put John and Tommy
somewhere else on the night of the murder.
A witness they can't touch.
Don't they got a name for that?
The judge will call it perjury.
I see. And what are we calling it?
A favour.
Get up.
Come on.
Tony?
Yeah, King?
Bring Danny Snyder to see me.
Danny Snyder the lawyer?
You know more than one Danny Snyder?
No, King.
Bring me the one you know.
I can't do this now. You got to know that.
It's been a long time for me. I mean, uh...
You need somebody younger,
you know, somebody like I used to be.
Younger is not better.
Doesn't have experience,
doesn't know its way around the courthouse.
Yeah, I'm lucky I can find the courthouse.
I had only four cases last year.
You know how many I won?
None. That's how many. None.
In two of them, I-I, uh, I think the, uh,
the jury blamed me personally.
They must have been innocent.
It's tough to get innocent men off a rap.
I wasn't even planning on going to court with this one.
I was just going to plead it down best I could
and walk away.
I wasn't planning on taking this to trial, sir.
Well, your plans have been changed.
Well, I am afraid that I'll make a mistake
and say the wrong thing and, you know, uh,
uh, uh, make a wrong turn somewhere,
and you don't want to take that risk.
Life is risk.
I'm sorry?
Life is risk.
Life is a risk?
I haven't been in here before.
What do you need me to do?
Listen,
you're going to be given the answers and the questions.
All you have to do is read.
You can read, can't you?
Is-is-is it in English?
Just don't drift,
don't drink, and don't lose.
What if I DO lose?
Then you go down for the dirt nap.
Never hea that expression before.
Dirt nap.
Yeah.
I'm really not cut out for this anymore.
I mean, a guy gets hit by a bus, you know, and sues,
I-I like that.
Some lady slips in a supermarket,
I'm with her. A guy...
The discussion's over.
I'm an alcoholic. This is a murder case.
This isn't for me.
It was once.
Yes, but, uh...
Before you let the drink lead.
Be sober by tomorrow.
And don't look so worried, Snyder.
You got nothing to lose, just like the rest of us.
I-I don't want to be a burden to you,
but I do, you know...aside...
Or along with my alcohol problem,
I have a slight drug problem. Nothing big.
Go away.
Within days of Michael taking the case,
the West Side Boys got a visit from King Benny.
He asked that the verbal abuse directed at Michael continue.
Cries of "Traitor" and "Gutter rat"
were heard up and down the avenue.
But there was never to be a death move against him.
The hit on Michael Sullivan, if there was to be one,
could only come from King Benny.
The underground word, the only one that mattered,
had spread through the streets with the speed of a bullet.
King Benny's sleepers were making their play.
Sleepers was a street name
for anyone who spent time in a juvenile facility.
Hey!
You going to pay for that, you little prick?
I need your help, Fat Man. I need a big favour.
Be outside.
King Benny been to see you?
Oh, my goodness.
What a fucking thing we put together, huh?
You have a drunk lawyer on one side,
a kid lawyer on the other,
fucking paperboy making like Dick Tracy.
There are four sets of eyeballs that saw the whole thing.
You know?
Meanwhile, the two on trial killed more people than cancer.
Fucking General Custer has a better shot at a walk.
There's no connection with the guard and us.
The cops think it's a drug-related homicide.
It's just, we need you to pull a few strings, Fat Man.
You know, you get caught on this,
you're looking straight at serious.
I'm talking real jail, the big house.
They're not good boys anymore.
They're killers now.
Cold as stone.
I know.
I know what they were and I know what they are,
and it's not about that.
It's not worth it, throwing away a life just to get even.
You and the lawyer have a chance to get out,
to get out the right way.
There's no choice, not for us.
On occasion, I'd have dinner with Carol.
She still lived in the neighbourhood
and was a social worker in the South Bronx,
her concern for us undiminished by the passing years.
Whenever we went out as a group,
Carol would walk between Michael and John, grasping their arms,
in step between the lawyer and the killer.
Mug me or marry me, Shakes.
I'm too tired for anything else.
Would you settle for a couple of beers, Carol?
If that's your best offer.
I'll throw in a hug and a kiss.
Deal.
You look tired.
Thank you.
They don't let you sleep in this new job of yours?
So how much do you know?
Just what the neighbourhood says
and what I read in papers like yours.
What does the neighbourhood say?
That they're going to put Johnny and Tommy away,
that their best friend's going to be the one to do it.
Do you believe that?
It's ha not to, Shakes.
Or else we all have it wrong.
He did take the fucking case.
He did take the case.
What else is there to say?
You know Michael very well.
Maybe even better than I do.
Yeah, thought I did. Now I don't know.
You do...
I don't know!
He went in there and he asked for the case.
You tell me what the hell kind of friend is that?
The best kind,
the kind that will throw away everything to help his friends.
What are you telling me, Shakes?
You know this neighbourhood, Carol.
Everything's a shakedown or a scam.
Why should this be any different?
I'm hungry.
I'm going to get something to eat.
There's this point in Michael
that you can't go beyond, but you can try.
I tried, and he just...
shut down.
Couldn't touch him.
Couldn't even breathe on him.
I thought it was me.
After a while, it just gets easy to let it go.
You still love him?
I don't think about it, Shakes.
If I did, I'd say yes.
But you're with John now.
Yeah. As much as anybody can BE with John.
Oh, the man I know is not the boy you remember.
None of us are.
But there's something special about John.
You just have to look a little harder to see it.
Yeah.
Why didn't you ever ask me out?
Me?
Yeah.
'Cause you were Mikey's girl.
He got to you first.
And after Mikey?
I think it was Tommy's turn.
Oh, fuck you!
I don't know.
'Cause it was, uh...
I didn't think you'd say yes,
and, uh, da da da...
You know?
Well, you were wrong, Shakes.
You were wrong.
What? Go ahead, say it.
You work in social services, you got access to files,
and from time to time, we're going to need some information.
Yeah, sure. Whatever.
Wait. What?
Well, what do you want?
You want information? You want me to get the files?
I get the files.
No, I didn't want...
What do you want?
You still visit John?
Yeah, once a week for about an hour.
Good.
Good?
Yeah, good. Just don't tell him that you've seen me.
Don't tell him anything.
The more he thinks this thing's hopeless,
the better it might work.
Shakes, what is this about?
You want a Rolls Royce, you don't come here.
No, no, no. You go to England,
or wherever the fuck they make it.
You want champagne, you go see the French.
If you need money, you find a Jew.
But if you want dirt or scum buried under a rock somewhere,
or some secret nobody wants anybody to know about,
there's only one place to go -
right here, Hell's Kitchen.
It is the lost and found of shit.
They lose it and we find it. Forget about it, man.
Now you only got two witnesses who are going to testify.
two others changed their minds.
Which two?
The suits at the bar.
So that still leaves the couple in the booth.
For now.
Everything else falling into place?
Except for your witness.
That pocket's still empty.
I know.
When you were sent away,
I was always sorry I couldn't do more for you.
I didn't know you liked pigeons so much.
I like anything that don't talk.
Michael's vision of where he wanted this case to go
was very clear.
He was aiming for guilty...
A charge of guilty against the Wilkinson Home for Boys,
against Sean Nokes, Adam Styler,
Henry Addison and Ralph Ferguson.
I will present you evidence and testimony to prove that.
I will place them at the scene of the crime.
I will bring witnesses to the stand
who will confirm that they were there on that deadly night.
I will present enough evidence
that you can then go into a jury room
and come back with a clear decision
that's beyond a reasonable doubt.
I'm sure you all know what that means
since you probably watch as much television as I do.
John - John Reilly
and Thomas Marcano are two innocent pawns quickly arrested
and just...
uh, as, uh, quickly prosecuted
on the slightest threads of evidence.
On the bright side, he seems to know their names.
It's nice when you come around.
Hey, bring me another spoon. This one's dirty.
Take it.
No, no. She'll do it.
So how's work?
I'm still there.
You know, Pop, I, uh...
I went down to the courthouse.
John and Tommy - I saw John and Tommy,
and, uh, I saw them there,
I started thinking back...
Well, where's the chicken?
So?
Nothing.
I was just thinking things.
But you're doing good, right?
Oh, yeah, I'm good.
Good.
What the hell do these things do?
They're for prayin'.
Just look at all this shit.
Your mother think you're in the fucking army?
None of it on the approved list.
Your mommy got a copy of that list?
My mother can't speak English that well.
Don't blame us for your fucking mother being stupid, all right?
When are you going to let us hearyou pray?
Maybe he needs something to pray for.
Put your hands on the table and lay them down flat.
Spread your legs.
Start thinkin' up some prayers.
We don't hear no praying.
You better start, or Styler may lose his baton up your ass.
Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Pray nice and loud.
Louder.
Fucking pray, come on now!
Louder!
Pray like you're in fucking church!
Sorry I'm late. I lost all track of time.
Look, I got this idea for a witness, but I'm not sure yet.
But I wanted you to come along so you wanna just...?
Where are we going?
His place.
Where is it?
It's in the rectory.
No, Shakes.
Trust me.
How was court today?
Like the first round of a fight,
everybody just feeling each other out.
How'd the boys look?
Like they wished they was someplace else.
It's the sheep that stray that you most want back.
It's not too late, Father.
We still have a chance to bring in a couple of stray sheep.
One more chance.
Is that chance legal?
Last chances never are.
King Benny behind this?
He's in on it, but he's not calling the shots.
Who is?
Michael.
I should have smelled it.
The minute he went for the case,
I should have figured something was up.
It's a good plan.
Michael's got it all covered.
Just about every base you look at, he's got it covered.
Not every base.
You're short something or else you wouldn't be here.
You don't shit a shitter, right?
That's right.
So what is it?
Where do you come up short?
Witness.
We need somebody to say they were with John and Tommy
on the night of the murder.
So you figured if you had a priest it would be perfect.
Not just any priest.
So you're...
You're asking me...
You're asking me to lie.
You're asking me to swear to God and then lie.
I'm asking you to save two of your boys.
Did they kill that guard?
Yes.
So what they said is true.
They walked in and they killed him.
Yes...
They killed him exactly like that.
I think I need a drink.
Anyone want a drink?
Yeah.
This is some favour you're asking me.
We know that.
No, I don't think you do know.
You said if there was ever anything really important,
I could come to you, ask you.
I was thinking more along the lines of Yankee tickets.
I don't need Yankee tickets, Father.
I need a witness.
What about the life that was taken? What's that worth?
To me?
Nothing.
Why not?
Tell me.
He was a...
He was a guard at Wilkinson's...
All right?
If Father Bobby was going to be involved,
he deserved to know what he was getting into.
If he wasn't, I trusted that the truth would go no further.
I thought that Carol needed to know as well.
Jesus Christ, we were just boys.
Not tough.
And they held us down.
I told him about the torture,
the beatings and the rapes.
I told him about the four frightened boys
who prayed to Father Bobby's God for help that never came.
I told him everything.
And you can't - you can't fight any more.
We just took it all.
John used to wail at night.
You'd hear it all the way down the hall.
You know he wanted to be a priest.
John wanted to be a priest.
I just sort of blacked out.
What I could remember is I couldn't breathe.
I still had to choke...
Then I blacked out.
But I do remember when, for fun,
they'd take us down in the basement
and tie two of us together...
And watch...
I got a decision to make.
I only pray it's the right one.
It will be, Father,
whichever way you go.
Goodnight.
OK, so you were sitting down. You were having dinner,
and two men entered McHale's, correct?
- Yes. - Did you see the two men
as they approached the table where Mr Nokes was sitting?
I-I noticed it, yes.
Did you hear what was said between them?
Um, no.
Did you see them pull out their guns?
No.
Did you hear the shots?
Yes, I heard the shots.
And what was their behaviour after the shooting?
They walked out of McHale's as if nothing had happened.
And at that time, Mrs Salinas,
did you see their faces clearly?
Yes.
I looked up as they walked away.
Are you positive?
Yes. Very positive.
And are the two men you saw in McHale's in this room today?
Yes, they are.
Could you point them out for the jury, please?
They're sitting right over there.
Your Honour, will the record show that Mrs Salinas identified
John Reilly and Thomas Marcano as the two men in question.
Noted.
Thank you. No further questions.
Counsel, are you ready to proceed?
Yes, Your Honour, we are.
Good morning. I just have a few questions.
I won't take too much of your time, Mrs Salinas.
Uh, you say that you only had wine
to drink with dinner. Is that correct?
Yes.
Are you sure about that?
Are you sure that was all you had, one, uh, bottle of wine?
Yes, a bottle of red Chianti.
Uh-huh. Had you anything to drink, uh, prior to that?
What do you mean, prior?
At, uh, uh, lunch.
Maybe, did you have anything to drink at lunch?
Yes, I did.
And, uh, what did you have to drink?
I went shopping, and I, um -
I stopped at a place on Madison Avenue for some...
I didn't ask where you went.
I asked what you had to drink at lunch.
A Martini.
And what else?
Um, probably some wine.
And how...uh...how many glasses of wine did you have to drink?
Um...
One glass, maybe two.
Closer to two?
Yes, probably two glasses. About two.
And did you, uh...
Uh...
It's like pulling teeth.
Uh...
I should've pinned the questions to his shirt.
And, uh, tell me, uh, then at dinner, do you, uh, uh -
Strike that.
Uh...
Uh, uh...
What time, Mrs Salinas, did you have lunch?
Objection, Your Honour.
What Mrs Salinas did on the day of the murder
has nothing to do with what she saw on the night of the murder.
How much she had to drink does, Your Honour.
Overruled.
Ahem. Mrs Salinas, what time, uh, did you have lunch?
About 1:30.
And what did you have for lunch?
It's a while ago. Um, probably a salad.
I-I like to eat a little light in the day.
A Martini, two glasses of wine, and a salad. Is that correct?
Yes. That's right.
And you had wine at dinner about 6 hours later. Is that right?
Yes, that's right.
How much wine did you have to drink
by the time my clients allegedly walked into McHale's?
Two glasses.
Would you say that four glasses of wine and a Martini
within a 6-hour period is a lot for you to drink?
Yes, it is. Yes.
Uh-huh. Sure.
Uh...
And, uh, have you ever heard a gun fired
prior to the night in question?
No.
Uh, how would you describe the sound?
It's loud, like fireworks loud.
Did the sound, uh, frighten you?
Very much.
Did you close your - uh, your eyes?
At first, um, until the shooting stopped, then I opened them.
Did you think the men who did the shooting
were going to kill everybody in McHale's?
Well, I-I really didn't know what to think.
I-Ijust knew that a man had been shot.
Did you think you might be shot by the cold-blooded killers?
Yes. Yes, I did.
Yet, despite that fear,
despite that, uh, risk to your life,
you looked at their faces, uh, as they left?
Yes, I did.
Is that correct?
Yes, I did.
Did you look at their faces? Did you really, really look,
Mrs Salinas?
I glanced at them when they walked by, but I did see them.
You glanced.
You didn't look.
I saw them.
You glanced at them, Mrs Salinas.
You glanced at them through the eyes of a very frightened woman
who maybe had too much to drink.
Objection, Your Honour.
There is no need, Your Honour. I have no further questions.
Thank you, Mrs Salinas. You may step down.
It was 6:15 on Sunday morning.
Frank Magcicco worked out of a homicide unit in Brooklyn.
He was a first grade detective
with an honest name and a solid reputation.
He was also King Benny's nephew.
Nick Davenport was with Internal Affairs.
He was ambitious and wanted to make captain before he hit 40.
He knew the fastest way up the track was to reel in
a maximum amount of dirty cops in a minimum amount of time.
Frank, what is this shit?
Hey, I were you, I'd do what the kid says.
You make this one, you're going to be having breakfast
once a month with the commissioner.
Man, you got a real ha-on for this Styler guy, huh?
What's your beef with him?
One more thing.
Can't wait.
It's simple.
No one knows if I give you this information,
and I mean nobody.
How did you get it?
It fell into my lap.
Just like it's going to fall into yours.
Christ Almighty.
Got everything in here but a confession.
I thought I'd leave that up to you.
My preference is that you beat it out of him.
There's even surveillance photos.
This piece of shit's pulling in about 5 grand a month
ripping off pushers. Has been for about three years.
More like four.
He ain't going to see five.
So you got enough for a conviction?
That ain't up to me. That's up to jury.
Show the jury this.
Well, what've you got there, Ness?
About three weeks ago,
the body of a drug-dealer named Indian Red Lopez
was found in an alley in Jackson Heights.
Three bullets in his head, nothing in his pockets.
I'm with you so far.
This is the gun that killed him,
and these are the shells.
And, uh, what's behind door number 3?
The prints on the gun belong to Adam Styler.
- Do me a favour, would you? - What's that?
If I ever make it on to your shit list, give me a call.
Give me a chance to apologize.
So, you need anything else, you talk to Frank.
He knows how to get a hold of me.
Take care of yourself, kid.
The water gets choppy out your way.
I'll do what I can.
Hey, Ness.
Did you ever think of becoming a cop?
And leave the good guys?
The body of Christ.
Amen.
The body of Christ.
Amen.
The body of Christ.
Amen.
The body of Chri...
The body of Christ.
Michael had done all that could be expected
of an assistant district attorney seeking a conviction.
He had a forensic expert detail the make and calibre
of the gun that killed Nokes.
He just never had the murder weapon to present as evidence,
and he never gave the jury a motive for the murder.
The tension of his task, the hours he was working,
and the uncertainty about the outcome weighed heavily on him.
Did you see their faces?
Yes. I looked at them, and they looked at me.
Did they say anything to you?
No, they just looked at me and walked out of McHale's.
Are you sure the two defendants killed Sean Nokes?
I KNOW they killed him.
If the plan worked, it would be everyone's success.
If it failed, the fault would fall to Michael.
Father Bobby Carillo, remained the key to a plan
that called for all involved to get away with murder.
Did you turn around, when you heard the shooting, Mr Carson?
Why-why didn't you turn around, Mr Carson?
I was concerned for my...
Did the two individuals threaten you in any way?
No.
Did they threaten anyone in McHale's restaurant,
as far as you know?
I didn't see it, but I know it.
If you didn't see the defendants shoot the guy,
then how do you know it was the defendants that shot the guy?
So what's the emergency?
You know, Shakes shouldn't have sent you. It's too risky.
Hey, nobody sent me.
I wanted to see you.
Why?
Shakes met with Father Bobby two weeks ago.
He hasn't heard from him since.
It's not an overnight decision for him.
What if he doesn't testify?
Then we got a very serious problem.
Have Shakes talk to Father Bobby again.
Have him tell him the whole story.
He already has.
What?
I-I was with him when he talked to Father Bobby.
I heard everything, Michael.
So you know.
Yeah.
If only you'd told me.
I...
I think things could have been different.
If you could've talked.
Well, maybe...
Maybe...
I don't...
Hey, how you doing?
Oh, man, that diet is working. I don't care what anybody says.
You still have a thing for Doris Day?
She's a good woman.
You know Lastrega?
Hard to miss a lady with four warts and only one eye.
She needs the heads.
Salvatore.
Take this to the witch.
Now, why does she need the heads?
She takes the eyes.
Oh. Wonderful.
Puts them in a bowl and mixes them with water and oil.
And then?
People get headaches, they go to her.
She looks into their eyes and tells them
who is wishing the headaches.
She says a few words,
and the headaches go away.
Once in a while, the person who wished the headaches
goes away, too.
This guy Addison,
the one who works for the mayor,
he quits his job in two weeks.
He don't want nobody to know what kind of a guy he is.
He don't want nobody to see pictures of him they shouldn't.
- He knows us. - He will.
The boys he buys for parties are expensive.
Now, Addison makes good money, but he don't make real money.
How much does he owe?
8 grand.
I paid that off.
You paid?
Addison's debts belong to me now.
You hate debts.
I hate Addison.
We're in the dirty end of the field now. That's where I play,
and I like to play alone.
You're a nice kid. You always were.
Don't let this change it.
Yeah.
His mother named him Edward Goldenberg Robinson,
after her favourite actor.
To continue the Hollywood connection,
Eddie Robinson took the street-name Little Caesar,
as he made his way up the ranks of the lucrative drug trade.
He had a 12-year-old son in a private school upstate.
He named him Rizzo, after his youngest brother,
who died while in the custody of the Wilkinson Home for Boys.
I want you to give me some money.
All right. I'll play along.
How long before you pay it back?
I ain't paying it back, somebody else is.
This somebody I know?
Your little brother knew him.
Rizzo?
How did he know Rizzo?
Henry Addison was a guard in an upstate reform school.
He was there the same time as Rizzo, before and after he died.
Bip...
Count out $8,000, put it in an envelope.
You, uh...
go back a long time, old man.
Old men always do.
Ran with the Guineas, back when the Guineas were tough.
I ran when I could.
Looked good doing it, too.
You gave the business some style, some class.
Made it a call for respect,
the way you wore it, the way you talked it.
Always liked that about you.
I'm no help to you. My tailor is dead.
I'll look up our friend and collect the money he owes me.
He owes you something more than money.
Ain't nothing worth more than the green.
This is.
What, old man?
What's this guy owe that means more than dollars?
He owes you Rizzo.
He's the man that killed your brother.
They said that he died of pneumonia.
They SAID.
What is the relevance of this?
So Ralph Ferguson is a Sunday school teacher.
I don't know, counsel, what you're asking is highly unusual.
I understand that, Your Honour.
Again, I need to put a face to the victim.
Uh, otherwise, he's just another name in the obituaries.
Mr Snyder, any objections?
I don't have a problem with it.
The prosecution would like to call Ralph Ferguson.
Good morning, Mr Ferguson.
Good morning.
I'd like to thank you for coming.
I realize, for you, this has been a long trip.
I'm just sorry it had to be for something like this.
You and the victim Sean Nokes were such good friends -
your testimony as a character witness will be very valuable.
We were great friends. It would be hard to find a better friend.
Would you say you were his best friend?
I was his closest, that's for sure.
How long did you know each other?
Uh, about 17, 18 years.
And did you see each other often?
As often as we could.
Weekends, holidays, vacations - things like that.
What kind of man was Sean Nokes?
He was a good man. He was too good to be shot dead
by a couple of street punks.
Objection. Statement is one of opinion, not fact.
He was asked his opinion.
Overruled. Please proceed.
Mr Ferguson...
were you aware of any enemies he might have had?
Sean Nokes had no enemies.
Thank you, Mr Ferguson. I have no further questions.
What is that, a prison?
No, it's a juvenile facility for young boys.
And your function was what, at this juvenile facility?
Standard stuff. Keep the boys in line,
make sure they got to their classes on time,
keep an eye out for trouble, put them down for the night -
nothing exciting.
As guards, were you and Mr Nokes allowed to use force
to, as you put it, keep the boys in line?
What? What do you mean "force"?
Were you allowed to hit them?
No. Of course not.
Were any of the boys hit by any of the guards
at any time at the Wilkinson Home?
Yeah, I'm sure that something like that may have happened.
It was a...it was a big place.
But it wasn't the common practice.
Sure. Let's narrow the place down, then.
Did you or Mr Nokes ever hit any of the boys under your care
at the Wilkinson Home for Boys?
Would you like me to repeat the question, Mr Ferguson?
No.
Then answer it, please. And remember, you're under oath.
A few boys who we considered to be discipline problems
uh, were hit on occasion.
And, uh, how were they hit?
I don't know what you mean.
A fist? Open hand?
A kick?
Baton, maybe?
It depended on what the situation called for.
Who determined that situation?
The guard on the scene.
That's a lot of power to have over a boy, isn't it?
It came with the job, sir.
Did torture come with the job?
Boys were tortured, weren't they, Mr Ferguson?
Define torture.
Well, let's define torture.
Uh, cigarette burning...
Random beatings...
Solitary confinement with no food and no light.
Would you say that took place?
On occasion.
Who tortured them?
Guards.
Which guards?
I don't...I can't remember all of them.
Remember one.
Mr Ferguson, remember one.
Remember one.
Aah!
Let me ask you this, Mr Ferguson. Was there ever...?
Counsel, this line of questioning
better lead somewhere having to do with this case.
It will, Your Honour.
For your sake.
Yes, sir. Uh, Mr Ferguson,
was there ever any sexual abuse
at the Wilkinson Home for Boys?
Was there ever any sexual abuse
at the Wilkinson Home for Boys?
Yes, I heard that there was.
I'm not asking what you heard.
I'm asking what you saw.
Please push the door closed.
I thought all you boys liked this.
No!
Yes, I saw.
And did you and Sean Nokes
ever force yourself on any of the boys?
Did you and Sean Nokes ever rape
any of the boys at Wilkinson Home?
Counsellors...
Approach.
I just fucked your little friend Johnny.
Counsellor, what the hell is going on here?
Guess I called the wrong character witness.
I've given you wide latitude in calling this character witness.
Now it's blown up in your face.
I don't like it.
Please answer the question.
Let me ask you, Mr Ferguson...
I like it nice and slow.
Sean Nokes visited your home on occasion, is that correct?
Would your ex-wife leave Sean Nokes alone with your child?
My child?
Yes. Would your ex-wife ever leave Sean Nokes alone
with...with your child?
There would be no reason for that.
There would be no reason for him to be alone with our child.
It wouldn't come up.
Aha. Never came up.
Did she ever voice any concern...
In explaining why she would never allow
Sean Nokes to be in a room alone with your son?
- Objection. - Sustained.
I like it nice and slow.
Yes.
Yes?
Yes, what?
Yes, Sean Nokes had experiences with some boys.
Were you there?
Yes.
Did you observe these experiences?
Yes.
Did you more than observe?
I was drinking, and...
Were there any other guards around during these experiences?
Yes.
With you and Mr Nokes?
Yes.
On more than one occasion?
Yes.
Yeah.
Mr Ferguson, do you still think
that Sean Nokes was a good man?
He was my friend.
A friend who raped and abused boys
he was paid to look after.
I have no further questions.
I want this to be over.
Witness is excused.
Mr Ferguson.
If I were you, I wouldn't stray too far from home.
People will want to talk to you. Do you understand?
Michael continued to swim
both ends of the pool at the same time.
Playing prosecution and defence attorney,
he exposed Ferguson for what he was
and still kept John and Tommy's motive for killing Nokes
hidden from the eyes of the court.
Little Caesar,
who always kept a picture of his dead brother in his pocket,
called in the Henry Addison loan.
It was a loan Addison couldn't afford to pay back,
and it gave Little Caesar the only reason he needed
to even his score for Rizzo.
Davenport wasted little time on following up on Adam Styler.
He was quickly arrested and charged
with the shooting death of the Queens drug dealer
and eight counts of corruption and bribery.
See, most people play this game in the summer.
It's easier to see the ball without tears in your eyes.
- Yeah. [I] - Yeah?
I give a fuck about most people.
You're going to have a heart attack
and I'm not breathing in your mouth.
Yeah, well, I'm not going to marry you either.
John and Tommy smell something
and they just don't know what.
A spic be living in the White House
by the time it reaches their fucking brains.
Snyder came through big. He's not half bad.
The way you talk, I thought he could hardly stand up.
Oh, no, he's a drunk, but he is not a fool.
We only win when John and Tommy walk.
Then you'll have to get them out of the shooting hall.
You have to put them someplace else.
And only a witness does that for you.
And he's doing a Claude Rains so far.
Nobody's seen the fucker.
What if he doesn't show?
What if we have to go on the way we are?
The street is the only one that matters.
Court is for uptown people with suits, money,
lawyers with three names.
If you got cash, you can buy court justice,
but on the street, justice has no price.
She's blind where the judge sits,
but she's not blind out here.
Out here, the bitch got eyes.
We need both.
Then you need a witness.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
you are to disregard the testimony of Ralph Ferguson.
His entire testimony is stricken from this record.
That concludes the people's case, Your Honour.
People rest?
People rest.
Is the defence ready to proceed?
Uh, I'm not sure, uh...
Your Honour, I don't, uh, I don't know, uh...
You don't know?
Well, I'm not sure that, uh,
- we're waiting, uh... - All right.
9 am tomorrow morning,
present a witness or be prepared to sum up.
9 am.
Everything good?
Good.
Good, I like to hear that.
Bye-bye.
You're late.
Very interesting attending the morning mass.
Your Honour, the defence calls Father Robert Carillo.
Father, do you know most of the people in your parish?
I know all the people in my parish.
Do you know the two defendants - John Reilly and Thomas Marcano?
Yes, I do.
How long have you known them?
Since they were boys.
They were both students of mine.
How long has it been?
It'll be 20 years this spring.
I'm a priest.
The case of the people of the state of New York
againstJohn Reilly and Thomas Marcano.
Do you swear that the evidence you are about to give
is the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
I do.
Do you recall, uh, where you were
on the night ofNovember 1st of this past year?
Yes, I do.
Where was that?
I was at the basketball game at the Garden,
the Knicks versus the Celtics.
And, uh, when did the Knick game begin?
About 7:30.
What time did it end?
Between 9:30 and 10:00.
Do you remember who won that game?
Sad to say, it was the Celtics.
Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish
were a little too much for our boys that night,
even if it was All Saints Day.
Well, next time give me a call. I'll try my guy.
I'll try that.
Father Carillo, were you at the game alone?
No, I went there with two friends.
And who were those two friends, Father?
John Reilly and Thomas Marcano.
The two defendants?
Yes, the same two defendants.
Father Carillo, at 8:25 pm,
the time the police say
victim Sean Nokes was murdered,
were you still with Mr Reilly
and Mr Marcano at the basketball game?
Yes, I was.
And at what time did you, Mr Reilly,
and Mr Marcano part company?
It was around 10:30...
A little later.
They dropped me off in front of the rectory,
near where they had picked me up.
Did the defendants tell you where they were going?
No, they didn't,
but I imagine after a night spent with a priest,
they went looking for the first open bar they could find.
So then, Father, if the two defendants
were with you at 8:25 at the night of the murder,
they couldn't have shot and killed Sean Nokes
as the prosecution contends, isn't that correct?
Not unless they shot him from the blue seats at the Garden.
No, he was not shot from there.
Then he was not shot by those boys.
No further questions, Your Honour.
Thank you, Father.
Your witness, Mr Sullivan.
Thank you, Your Honour.
Did you buy the tickets, or were they given to you?
- No, I bought them. - On the day of the game?
I went to the box office about a week before.
Did anyone know you were going to the game,
other than the two defendants?
I don't think so.
Was anyone with you when you purchased the tickets?
No.
No one saw you buy the tickets?
That's right.
Did you get a receipt?
No, I didn't.
Pay by cheque, Mastercard, Visa?
No, I paid by cash.
I usually pay for things in cash.
You care for the boys in your parish, don't you, Father?
Very much.
And there isn't anything you wouldn't do for them,
am I right?
Anything in my power to do,
I would make it a point.
You're like a father, a good father,
looking out for one of his sons.
Something along those lines, yes.
And is it true, then, as a good father,
you would want to protect them
from something they shouldn't have done?
As much as I would want to protect them from something
someone else said they did, yes.
Like a murder?
Yes, like a murder.
Let me get this straight.
No one knew you were going to the game.
No one saw you at the game.
No one saw you buy tickets for the game.
There's no record you even bought tickets.
You have no receipt for the tickets.
Am I correct?
Yes, that's correct.
Then how do we really know, Father?
How do we know you and the two defendants
were at the game on the night of the murder?
I'm telling you as a witness and as a priest,
we were at the game.
Yes, as a priest.
And a priest wouldn't lie, am I right?
A priest with ticket stubs wouldn't need to lie and...
I always keep the stubs.
Do you want to see them?
Uh, why is that, Father?
Why-why do you keep the stubs?
You never know when someone might want more than your word.
Has anyone ever questioned your word before today?
No, no one ever has...
But there's a first time for everything.
I have no further questions. Thank you, Father.
You may step down.
I've never recovered from seeing Father Bobby
take the stand and lie for us,
to even the score for John and Tommy.
He didn't just testify for them.
He testified against Wilkinson
and the evil that had lived there for too long.
Still, I was sorry he had to do it.
With respect to the charge of murder in the second degree,
do you find the defendant, John Reilly, guilty or not guilty?
Not guilty.
With respect to the charge of murder in the second degree,
do you find the defendant, Thomas Marcano,
guilty or not guilty?
Not guilty.
Thank you very much. This jury is discharged.
Hi, how are you?
Could I get a hot dog?
Uh, mustard, relish.
Lot of relish.
Give him two napkins.
You did good there, counsellor.
So, what happens to you now?
What happens, I walk away.
I'll wait a few weeks, I'll hand in my notice.
After the way I handled this case,
they won't be in a rush to keep me from the door.
So, you switch to the other side.
Work as a defence lawyer, the money's better.
There's always going to be more bad guys than good, Mikey.
Can you imagine the work you'll get from John and Tommy's crew?
Yeah.
That's a house and a pool.
Not for me.
I've seen all the law I want to see.
It's time for something else.
Like what?
Let you know when I know.
You know, you're too old to play for the Yankees,
and you're too young to take up golf.
Why you shooting holes through all my plans?
You're-you're going to make me panic.
You'll work it out, you always have.
It's time for quiet, Shakes.
I just want to shut my eyes
and not have to see the places I've been.
I'm weary.
I don't know...
Maybe I'll get lucky, forget I was even there.
Well, don't disappear on me, counsellor.
I may need a good lawyer one day.
You can't afford a good lawyer.
I may need a good friend though.
I'll find you when you do. Count on it.
Always have.
A full month had passed since the acquittal
and no-one had made contact.
In those few weeks, our lives had reverted back
to what they'd been prior to the murder of Sean Nokes.
Carol had returned to her stack of social service files,
helping troubled teens and single mothers.
John and Tommy went back to the streets,
running the West Side Boys.
I was promoted from clerk to reporter trainee
covering the entertainment beat.
Michael, as he promised, resigned from his job
after working the losing end of a "can't miss" case.
I don't know how to fucking thank you.
I can't believe what you did.
I can't believe we got away with it.
It wasn't me, man.
That was Mikey. It was all Mikey's plan.
You know, when I first heard he was taking the case,
I was going to have him burned.
And?
And I figured he's a friend
and if you've got to be sent away
on a murder rap, who better to do it?
The way he handled his end of the case, I thought he sucked.
I started feeling sorry for the bastard.
Never feel sorry for a lawyer.
Hey, get over here, counsellor.
You are the real Count,
alive and well and living in New York City.
He's a maniac. All right, all right.
You maniac, Jesus.
What is this, a gay bar?
It was until you came in.
Why don't you give me a kiss to go with that hello?
Get out of the way.
Let's have a drink.
The Four Gladiators.
Oh, he's right, I forget, you know.
The Four Gladiators...
The worst quartet to ever hold a Hell's Kitchen corner.
Yeah, but what was that name
that Shakes wanted to call it?
The genius wanted to call it,
the Count and his Cristos.
Come on, it's so sweet.
We weren't that... we weren't that bad.
Some people wanted to hear us sing.
Yeah, the kids at the deaf school don't count.
One song for Carol.
Oh, no...
- I retired. - Come on, you mutts.
Don't you guys have to go and shoot somebody?
No.
We always got time for a song.
Just kidding, you know what I'm saying?
Wine, anybody?
You pick, but nothin' too slow.
Oh, start us off.
How many songs do you know?
One.
Oh whee oo whee oo whee oo
Walk like a man
Walk like a man fast as you can
Walk like a man, my son...
On March 16, 1984, John Reilly's bloated body
was found face up in a tenement building,
right next to the bottle of boiler gin that killed him.
At the time, he was a suspect in five unsolved homicides.
He was two weeks past his 29th birthday.
Thomas Marcano died on July 26, 1985.
He was shot at close range five times.
The body lay undiscovered for more than a week.
A crucifix and a picture of St Jude were in his pocket.
He was 29 years old.
Michael Sullivan lives in a small town
in the English countryside
where he works part-time as a carpenter.
He no longer practises law,
and he has never married.
He lives quietly and alone.
Carol still works for a social service agency,
and lives in Hell's Kitchen.
She has never married, but is a single mother
supporting her growing 12-year-old son.
The boy, John Thomas Michael Martinez,
loves to read and is called "Shakes" by his mother.
It was our special night,
and we held it for as long as we could.
It was our happy ending.
And the last time we would ever be together again.
The future lay sparkling ahead
and we thought we would know each other forever.
Subtitles made possible by Polygram Filmed Entertainment Edited By: Tameem666