Before and After Page #5

Trust me, it's not a problem anymore.

But, Dad, you can go to jail, too.

If they have to take one of us,

better it's me.

What are you saying?

Jacob, listen to me.

That night when I came out here,

I didn't even know what I was doing.

Pure instinct.

But maybe I bought us a chance.

They've got no murder weapon,

no physical evidence, no witnesses.

And we never heard your confession.

You understand me?

You never said it and we never heard it.

Jake...

you're not required

to testify against yourself.

Now, that's fair, that's legal,

that's how the system works.

So...

if we all just keep quiet,

maybe they've got no case.

Maybe you'll walk away from this

with some kind of a life still ahead of you.

Yeah, but there were witnesses. People

drove by and they saw us parked there.

You're not denying you were there.

You were stuck in the snow, right?

You had that argument,

and you walked away from her, mad.

Left her with the car and the keys.

So you don't know what the hell

happened when she was alone.

And neither do we.

Wait a minute. But the car was here.

You reconsidered.

You came back and you found her.

You just panicked.

Isn't that possible?

Because you knew you'd be a suspect.

Drove back here, still in a state of shock,

and took off for Boston.

Foolish, yes, but not murder.

I wish there was some other way.

I stayed up all night racking my brains.

Any other way that might be safe.

If I just told the truth...

The fact that you ran away, never went

for help, never came forward at all.

Jake, how's that gonna look?

You don't have to convince a jury.

That's up to Panos.

Let the prosecution take their shots.

All I'm saying is let's just not

make their case for them.

So, I thought, I figured, since

the police were bound to suspect me,

they'd also be looking for the car,

so I thought I better hitchhike.

I know that was really stupid

and dumb of me, but...

You know, all of it is just a blur,

Mr. Demeris.

Everything after I walked back

and found her there.

Well, Jacob, what if I said it seemed

pretty clear to me that you did it?

You hit her on the head with something,

then you just took off.

But I didn't.

That doesn't...

I'm the prosecution now.

And you're the guy who smashed her up.

How are you gonna prove

to me you didn't do it?

- Well, I...

- Oh, no, no!

You don't answer that.

Now, remember, Jacob, you don't have

to answer that question.

They have to answer it.

They have to prove something on you.

You do not have to prove the opposite.

So, how does it look?

Well, the grand jury sits next Monday,

but we've still got

a hell of a lot to prepare.

- My trial starts Monday?

- No, no.

It's not a trial. Not yet.

No, the grand jury simply weighs the facts

and decides if there's enough

evidence to indict you.

Now if you're very, very lucky,

you may not even go to trial.

But I'll have a better idea once I see

the final witness list and forensics.

Thanks.

Thanks. See you.

Oh, Jake...

I'm sorry, I'm a little slow sometimes.

I'm just curious.

Let me ask you something.

What were the two of you fighting about?

I mean, what got you so mad?

I can't believe I let this go.

Well, she was pregnant, for one thing.

I think you better sit down again, kiddo.

Come on, son.

This was somebody else's.

At least she said it was.

What? This is good?

Oh, this is very good, my friend.

This is the best news I've heard all day.

And you're convinced that it couldn't

possibly have been yours?

What do you mean? I mean...

- ... you know.

- Right. You know?

Well, yeah, but we were always...

Safe. You can say it, son.

And she swore this was somebody else's.

Now, the first thing we do is we go

to the medical examiner,

- get a full DNA report.

- I'm already on it.

Panos, I don't...

We still don't understand.

It's called

reasonable doubt, Mr. Ryan.

Suppose Jacob and Martha

were followed by someone

with a good reason to be jealous?

Suppose the wrong boyfriend got arrested.

So?

So, what?

How do you think it went?

Did he like it, you mean?

Or did I like it?

- Like what?

- Your story.

Well, yes, my story, I guess.

Our story.

Jake, are you all right?

What?

Remember that last morning?

That argument we had?

Remember what you said to me?

You said that it's time

I learned to pay my own way.

And you called me a hypocrite.

Jake, if you're not okay with this,

we can go back there. I mean it.

It's still not too late.

Oh, man. Are you sure this

is the best thing to do?

I haven't been sure of anything in my life

since February 12th,

but it's what we've got, son.

It's what we're down to.

All I'm proposing is that

we save your life first.

Later on we can worry about your soul.

Is that being a hypocrite?

I don't know.

But the worst thing you can be called

in this world

is someone who didn't stand up

for his family.

I...

I really am grateful for everything

you're trying to do for me.

Dad?

I am grateful, okay?

I really mean it.

Come on.

Without a word, Ben?

Not one word?

It's Jacob's choice. Jacob's life.

And you had nothing to do with it.

- We discussed his options, yeah.

- Options?

Benny, he's your boy.

And he's scared,

and he would do anything right now.

He would say anything if he thought

he could win back your approval.

He never lost it.

If you don't know he deserves yours too,

then you've got a serious problem.

How dare you? How dare you?

It's done, Carolyn, okay?

It's taken care of.

Just like you took care of the evidence.

That's right. You never even had

to dirty your precious hands.

Trim a little here, add a little there.

How could I forget how clever

you are at making things?

Well, one of us had to

do something, and fast.

Do you think you've made

it easier on him now? Do you see?

Do you not see that

you have tied his hands?

Now he has you to defend

as well as himself.

What do you want? What?

That he should pay with the next twenty

years, the next thirty years of his life?

For one mistake, for one moment?

That he should come

out of prison a middle-aged man?

Who does that benefit? Who?

Oh, love, sooner or later,

somebody's gonna have to be forgiven.

Him, for what he did,

or us because we did nothing

when we had a chance to save him.

Wouldn't you rather forgive him?

Hey... Jude.

Good news. Okay.

I, uh, stopped at the lab

on the way up here.

Now, they had the M.E.'s

fetal tissue analysis...

and they had that blood sample

that we submitted from Jacob.

- Okay, this gets pretty technical, but...

- Jacob wasn't the father.

Bingo.

Oh, man, listen to me,

telling a doctor what's technical.

But this works both ways, doesn't it?

I mean, they could say he was jealous.

- This gives him a motive.

- This lets us go after the girl.

Attack her character. Martha Taverner

just blew fifty sympathy points.

Look at it this way.

This introduces doubt.

And doubt, kiddo, is our very best friend.

- Excuse me. Pardon me. Mrs. Ryan.

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