Perfect for what?
You coverin' this story for your newspaper?
- Me? - Yeah. - I'm a 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 gonna prosecute John and Tommy in an open court.
- What? Are you fuckin' nuts? - Just hear me out.
You should stay home tomorrow.
Call in sick and save your life, Counselor.
I'm not takin' this case to win.
I'm takin' 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 lately?
I don't know. Ten 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 sayin', Mike?
I'm sayin' it's time for all of us to get a taste.
I'm sayin' it's time to put an end to this.
Let's walk.
So I asked for the case.
Told 'em I was from the same neighborhood as the accused.
Knew the mentality of the area. Blah, blah, blah.
They bought it.
And the connection between John, Tommy and Nokes?
What connection? All juvenile records are destroyed after seven years.
We were never at Wilkinson's.
We gotta go after the guards. I gotta get Wilkinson's.
Bring it all down.
Adam Styler. Plainclothes 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 fuckin' believe that.
He's a community outreach director in Brooklyn.
Sexual habits haven't changed. Still likes sex with young boys.
Ralph Ferguson. Works in a social service agency in Long Island.
How long you been workin' on this, Mike?
Recently divorced, got one child...
and on weekends teaches Catholic Sunday school.
Seems clean, then. Right?
That's exactly why I want the piece of shit.
Plan is to call Ferguson in as a character witness.
Get him talkin' about his best friend Sean Nokes.
Once I got him on the stand, I'm gonna open the door to Wilkinson's.
Mike...
Sure you wanna go this way?
I mean, we buried this a long time ago.
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 to question.
Danny Snyder was to remain as Tommy and John's attorney.
Michael's plan relied heavily on Hell's Kitchen...
to deliver information and keep quiet.
Both were skills the neighborhood had in abundance.
We'd set up a simple method of communication.
If Michael was sending, messages were left at work...
for me to call my non-existent girlfriend, Gloria.
If I needed to get word to Michael...
I would have someone from the neighborhood...
pick up an early edition of The New York Times...
write "Edmund" in the upper 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 that 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 and are willing to testify.
I gotta get that number down.
- I'll talk to King Benny. - Good.
I can handle two, but, uh...
you gotta get us one for our side.
- One what? - One witness.
A witness who'll 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? - Judge would call it "perjury."
Nice. And what are we callin' it?
A favor.
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, and you gotta 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 a courthouse.
Hey, 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 gonna plead it down best I could and walk away.
I wasn't... 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 wanna take that risk.
- Life is risk. - I'm sorry?
- Life is risk. - Life is a risk.
- Mm-hmm. - Uh-huh.
I haven't been in here before.
- What do you need me to do? - Listen.
You're gonna be given the answers and the questions.
All you have to do is read.
You can read, can't you?
Uh, is it, uh, it's... I-Is it 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 heard that expression before.
Dirt nap.
I'm not really cut out for this anymore.
I mean, a guy gets hit by a bus, you know, and sues.
I-I like that.
Some lady, uh, 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...
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 don't want to be a burden to you, but I do... You know, aside...
Or along with my alcohol problem, I have a-a-a slight drug problem.
I mean, n-nothing big, just...
Go away.
Within days of Michael taking the case...
the West Side Boys got a visit from King Benny.
The king requested that the verbal abuse directed towards 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 late-night 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 gonna pay for that, you little prick?
I need your help, Fat Man. I need a big favor. 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.
Dude, you get caught on this, you're lookin' straight-ass serious.
I'm talking real jail. The big house.
Hey, Mike.
They are 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 neighborhood and was a social worker in the South Bronx.
Her concern for us was 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 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 give you time to sleep in this new job of yours?
What a very special time for me
So how much do you know?
Just what the neighborhood says...
or what I read in papers like yours.
What does the neighborhood say?
That they're gonna put Johnny and Tommy away.
That their best friend's gonna be the one to do it.
- You believe that? - It's hard not to, Shakes.
Unless we all have it wrong.
He did take the fuckin' case.
- He did take the case. - What else is there to say?
You know Michael very well.
Maybe even better than I do.
Yeah, I thought I did. Now I don't know.
- You do know. - I don't know!
He went in there and he asked for the case.
Now you tell me. What the hell kind of friend is that?
The best kind.
The kind that'd throw away everything to help his friends.
What are you tellin' me, Shakes?
You know this neighborhood, Carol.
Everything's a shakedown or a scam. Why should this be any different?
I'm hungry.
I'm gonna get somethin' to eat.
There's this point in Michael...
that you can't go beyond.
I mean, 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.
The man I know is not the boy you remember.
None of us are.
But there's somethin' 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. It was, uh...
I-I didn't think you'd say yes, and, uh...
Well, you were wrong, Shakes.
You were wrong.
What? Go ahead, say it.
You work at social services.
You got files... You got access to files...
and from time to time we're gonna need some information.
Yeah. Sure. Whatever.
Wait. What?
What? What do you want? Y-You want information?
Y-You want me to get the files, I get the files.
- No, I didn't want. I didn't... - 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?
If you want a Rolls-Royce, you don't come here.
You go to England or wherever the fuck they make it.
If 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 gonna 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 fallin' 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 offer into account testimony to prove that.
I will place him 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, suddenly I started thinking back to when we...
Well, where's the chicken?
So?
Nothin'. I was just thinkin' things.
But you're doin' good, right?
Oh, yeah. I'm good.
Good.
- What the hell do these things do? - They're for praying.
Just look at all this shit. Does your mother think you're in the fuckin' army or somethin'?
- Ain't none of it on the approved list. - Sure your mommy got a copy of that list?
My mother can't speak English that well.
Oh, don't blame us for your fuckin' mother bein' stupid, all right?
When are you gonna let us hear you pray?
Maybe he needs somethin' to pray for.
Put your hands on the table and lay 'em down flat.
Spread your legs.
Start thinkin' up some prayers.
- We don't hear no prayin'. - You better start, else Styler might lose his baton up your ass.
Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
- Pray nice and loud. - Hail Mary, full of grace...
Now louder!
Fuckin' pray! Come on now!
- Louder! - Can't hear you!
Louder, fucker!
Pray till your balls hurt!
Louder!
Sorry I'm late. I lost all track of time.
I got this idea for a witness, but I'm not quite sure yet.
But I wanted you to come along so you could see it.
- Where are we going? - To his place.
- Where is it? - He's in the rectory.
No, Shakes. I can't...
How was court today?
Like the first round of a fight... everybody just feelin' each other out.
How did 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, uh, he's not callin' the shots.
- Who is? - Michael.
I should've smelled it.
The minute he went for the case, I should've figured somethin' was up.
It's a good plan. Michael's got it all covered.
Just about every base you look at, he... 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 take the stand...
and 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 favor 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, Shakes? 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 gonna be involved...
he deserved to know what he was getting into.
If he wasn't, I trusted that the truth would go no further than his room.
I thought that Carol needed to know as well.
Jesus Christ, we were just boys.
We weren't that tough.
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 anymore.
You 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, but what I could remember...
is that I couldn't even breathe.
I started to choke...
Then I blacked out.
But I do remember when... when, for fun...
they'd take us down in the basement...
and tie two or three 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.
Good night.
Okay, 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 did they do? What was their behavior after... 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, are they in this room today?
- Yes, they are. - Could you point them out for the jury, please?
They're sitting right over there.
Your Honor, will the record reflect that Mrs. Salinas has identified...
defendants 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 Honor, we are. Good morning.
I just have a few questions. I won't take too much of your time, Mrs. Salinas.
Uh, you stated that, uh, you only had wine to drink with dinner.
- Is that correct? - Yes. - Are you sure about that?
Are you sure that's 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...
See, I didn't ask you where you went. I asked you what you had to drink at lunch.
- A martini. - And what else?
Um, probably some wine.
Yes, and how... Uh, how many, uh, glasses of wine did you have to drink?
Um, one-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, you, uh...
Uh... Strike that. Uh...
Uh, uh...
What time, Mrs. Salinas, did you have lunch?
Objection, Your Honor.
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 Honor. - Overruled.
Mrs. Salinas, what time, uh, did you have lunch?
- About 1:30. - And what did you have for lunch?
It was 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 then you had wine at dinner about six 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, uh...
four glasses of wine and a martini within a six-hour period...
- Is a lot for you to drink? - Yes, it is. Yes.
Uh-huh. Sure.
Uh... And, uh...
had 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-I just knew that a man had been shot.
Did you think you might be shot dead by the two 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 Honor.
There is no need, Your Honor. 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-rate 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 gonna be having breakfast once a month with the commissioner.
Man, you got a real hard-on for this style of guy, huh?
- What's your beef with him? - One more thing.
- I 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 gonna 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 pullin' in about five grand a month rippin' off pushers.
- Has been for about three years. - More like four.
- He ain't gonna see five. - So you got enough for a conviction?
That ain't up to me. That's up to a jury.
Show the jury this.
- Well, what do 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 three?
The prints on the gun belong to Adam Styler.
- Hey, do me a favor, would you? - What's that?
If I ever make it onto 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 becomin' a cop?
And leave the good guys?
The body of Christ.
- The body of Christ. - Amen.
The body of Chri...
Amen.
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 caliber...
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 on Michael.
Oh, boy, man!
Father Bobby Carillo, the priest with the best hook shot on the west side...
remained the key to a plan that called for all involved to get away with murder.
Did you turn around, look behind you when you heard the shooting, Mr. Carson?
- Why-Why didn't you turn around, Mr. Carson? - I was concerned for my...
- Mr. Carson, 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 guys...
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.
Ha... Have Shakes talk to Father Bobby again.
Have him tell him the whole story. He'll know what that means.
- He already has. - What?
I-I wa... 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.
Maybe... Maybe we...
Maybe...
I don't...
- Spill 'em, you know? - Right.
Hey, Shay, how ya doin'?
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 see.
- 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? - Eight grand with a heavy vig.
- 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. Go.
His mother named him Edward Goldenberg Robinson, after her favorite 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 in upstate New York.
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? - Mm-hmm.
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 doin' it too.
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 nothin' 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 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 Honor. Again, I need to put a face to the victim.
Uh, otherwise, just another name in the obituaries.
- Mr. Snyder, any objections? - I don't have a problem with it.
Your Honor, the prosecution would like to call Ralph Ferguson to the stand.
- Good morning, Mr. Ferguson. - Good morning.
I'd like to thank you for coming. I realize for you it's 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...
I think 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.
- 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, Your Honor. 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, um...
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?
Wh-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 of the 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? 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 'em.
Remember one.
Mr. Ferguson, remember one.
Remember one.
Mr. Fergu...
Let me ask you this, Mr. Ferguson. Was there ever any sexual...
Counsel, this line of questioning better lead somewhere having to do with this case.
- It will, Your Honor. - 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.
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?
Counselors, approach.
I just fucked your little friend Johnny.
Counselor, what the hell is going on here?
I guess I called the wrong character witness.
Counselor, I've given you wide latitude in calling this character witness.
- Now it's blown up in your face. - Please, sir, don't do this to me!
- Oh, you're gonna like it. - I don't like it!
Mr. Ferguson, please answer the question.
- Please, Ferguson... - I'm gonna come see you tomorrow, okay?
- And remember something... - 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 ever leave Sean Nokes alone with your child?
- My child? - Yes.
In other words, would your ex-wife ever leave Sean Nokes alone...
- With-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. - Uh-huh. Never came up.
Didn't she ever voice any concern...
explaining why she would never allow Sean Nokes to be in a room...
- Alone with your son? - Objection.
- Sustained.
Did you ever rape one of the boys at Wilkinson Home for Boys?
- Sean Nokes. Did he... Did he... - I like it nice and slow.
- From your ex-wife... - You ain't gonna touch me ever again!
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.
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 defense 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 breast 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.
Twenty-three, please...
That's six for me, two for you.
See, most people play this game in the summer.
It's easier to see the ball without tears in your eyes.
- Yeah. - Yeah? - I give a fuck about most people.
You're gonna have a heart attack, and I'm not breathin' in your mouth.
Yeah, well, I'm not going to marry you either.
John and Tommy smell something. They just don't know what.
A spick 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 told it, I thought he could hardly stand up.
Oh, no. He's a drunk, but he's not a fool.
We only win when John and Tommy walk.
Then you'll have to get them out of the shooting court.
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 in 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 Honor.
- People rest? - People rest.
- Is the defense ready to proceed? - Uh, I'm not sure.
Uh, Your Honor, 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. 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning...
present a witness or be prepared to sum up.
9:00 a.m.
- Everything good? - Good.
- Good. I like to hear that. - Bye-bye.
- You're late. - Very interesting attending the morning mass.
Your Honor, the defense 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.
- Remain standing. - How long has it been?
- It'll be 20 years this spring. - Raise your right hand.
- I'm a priest. - The case of the people...
of the state of New York against John Reilly and Thomas Marcano.
Do you swear the evidence you are about to give is the truth...
the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
I do.
Father, do you recall, uh, where you were on the night of November 1 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 Saint's 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 p.m...
the time the police say the 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 two 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. No. He was not shot from there.
Then he was not shot by those boys.
No further questions, Your Honor. Thank you, Father.
- Your witness, Mr. Sullivan. - Thank you, Your Honor.
Did you buy the tickets for the game, Father, 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.
Uh, 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 check, 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 then.
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... Uh, why do you keep the stubs?
Because 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, guilt 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?
- Yeah. - Uh, mustard, relish.
A lot of relish.
Give him two napkins.
You did good in there, Counselor.
So, what happens to you now?
What happens? I walk away.
I'll wait a few weeks, I'll hand in my notice...
and 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 and work as a defense lawyer.
The money's better.
There's always gonna be more bad guys than good, Mikey.
And can you imagine the work you'd 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 gonna 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, Counselor. I may need a good lawyer one day.
- Hey, you can't afford a good lawyer. - Okay.
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 had promised, resigned from his job...
after working the losing end of a "can't miss" case.
Excuse me.
I don't know how to fuckin' thank you.
- All right. - I can't believe what you did.
- I can't believe you 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 gonna have him burned. - And?
And I figured he's a friend, and if you gotta be sent away on a murder rap, who better to do it?
Well, the way he's handling his end of the case, I thought he sucked as a lawyer.
- I started feeling sorry for the bastard. - Hey.
Never feel sorry for a lawyer.
Get over here, Counselor!
You are the real count...
alive and well and living in New York City.
- Fuckin' maniac. - All right. All right.
- You maniac. Jesus! - What is this, a gay bar?
- Uh-oh. - It was until you came in.
Why don't you give me a kiss to go with that hello?
- Get out of the way. - You're next.
- Break it up there! - Let's have a drink.
- The Four Gladiators. - Oh, he's right. I forget, you know?
The Four Gladiators. Worst quartet to ever hold a Hell's Kitchen corner, swear to God.
- Yeah, but what was that name that Shakes wanted to call it? - No, no, no, no.
Genius wanted to call it the Count and his Cristos.
- Nice name! - It's so sweet, isn't it?
- That would've sent albums flying out of the stores. - We weren't that...
We weren't that bad. I mean, some people wanted to hear us sing.
- We were that bad. - Yeah, the kids at the deaf school don't count.
- One song for Carol. - Oh, no.
- I retired a long time ago. - Come on, you mutts. - Wait, wait, wait.
Don't you guys have to go and shoot somebody?
- Ohh! - No!
No. We always got time for a song.
Just kidding. You know what I'm saying?
- Wine, anybody? - You pick it, but nothin' too slow.
All right. Start us off.
- How many songs do you know? - One.
Walk like a man
Walk like a man, fast as you can
Walk like a man, my son
I'll tell the world to forget about the girl
On March 16, 1984, John Reilly's wilted body...
was found face up in a tenement building...
right next to the bottle of boiler gin that killed him.
At the time of his death, 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.
There was a crucifix and a picture of St. Jude 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 practices 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 a 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.