Criminal Law Page #4

I wonder if we'll still be friends.

Well, well, look at that.

Chase, is your client being

questioned in the Westfield case?

Mr. Chase, is there

another eyewitness?

Mr. Chase, what about Phylis Gilder?

Is there any connection?

Well, well, look who's here,

super-shyster.

Where's Stillwell?

Well, it's funny you should ask.

Tony, where's Jean?

Out somewhere.

Like the man says, "Out."

But don't let me stop you.

You've got to get that crazy murderer out

on the street again, free as a bird.

You've got someone to watch.

What more do you want?

What I want for your friend

would amaze and sicken you.

Just prove he did it.

I'm gettin' there.

Just found what you might

call "a hole in his alibi."

Mesel, I warn you. Don't take this

to court yet. You'll lose him.

You will lose.

Look, I've had it with you.

First, you stand over a barbecued

body, and you tell me a story

that my sweet old mother wouldn't piss on.

And now you're representing

the man I think did it,

the same man you defended

before on the same charge.

He was defended in a fair

trial, he was acquitted.

That case is irrelevant.

Mesel, you have to keep up.

Irrelevant, immaterial, inadmissible!

Jesus.

What the f*** happened?

Come on. Take it easy.

First, tell me what took you so long?

I had to enumerate every good

deed your ancestors ever did,

not to mention every piece

of property the family owns.

What about my reputation? I was a

model prisoner last time around.

Last time around was not

an argument in your favor.

They're gonna be watching

you closer than ever.

Can't you argue harassment or something?

- I'll do everything possible.

- Just go out to the island

stay away from everybody, and sit tight.

For how long?

They can afford to wait.

There's no statute of limitations on murder.

Somebody doused the place

with gas from a lawn mower.

Did a very thorough job.

Took it right down

to the mouth of the tunnel...

Look, I don't care if it was a

proficient, painstaking pyromaniac.

Why last night?

And only the two of us knew

how sensitive it was.

You're the one that's got to do it.

I got to stay here.

Martin,

I didn't burn that pavilion.

I know, I did.

We really are partners now.

What charge...

Mr. Chase, I'd like

to ask your client:

Do you have anything to say

about last night's fire?

My attorney will make

a statement. Ben.

I'm glad you're here. The

people have a right to know

how police harassment can grow from

a simple case of mistaken identity.

How a law-abiding citizen

who happened once to be

in the wrong place at the wrong time,

must suffer repeated

attacks on his reputation.

Mesel got an anonymous

phone call last night.

It seems that firemen were swarming

all over the Thiels' backyard.

Temporarily and legitimately

breaching their privacy.

Don't get ahead of me.

The tip was that the fire would reveal

something relevant to the murder.

But the call came in late,

and when Mesel got there,

the firemen were gone.

Re-establishing Martin's

right to privacy.

Mesel was excited.

Maybe he was thinking

exigent circumstances...

Maybe he wasn't thinking at all.

Drink your milk.

Anyway,

Mesel found the tunnel

and he went through it

to Martin Thiel's room.

He what?

I know.

Hey, why not?

Once he searched their property

and found the tunnel without a warrant,

anything in the tunnel could be excluded.

Yeah, that's what Parks tells us.

Parks, hell.

You wouldn't have

stepped into this, would you?

I wasn't there.

Mesel thinks he was suckered, by you.

I wish.

I can't hold him back, Ben.

He's going to Parks

and he's asking that you get

disqualified from the case

because you're a material witness.

Well, Parks won't do that on his own hoof.

It'll take a few days at least.

Days?

Meanwhile, we're back to square one.

Minus one, no, minus two.

The alibi's out of it, and now

Mesel's trying to put me out of it.

Hasn't he got anything better to do?

Organically grown,

no artificial fertilizers,

and no pesticides.

No, thanks.

This guy, he's developing

a style as he goes.

Gagging them with a diaper before,

burning them with a blow-torch after...

Blow-torch.

It's no more amazing than

raping and killing them.

But he works clean, Ben.

He hasn't left us a thing to go on

except bodies in the rain,

always in the goddamn rain.

I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean

to frighten you.

I did call the house first.

How'd you find me?

I've got connections.

So, you're a photo editor.

Not exactly...

What the hell do you care?

What do you want?

Can I give you a ride?

All right,

Mesel's gonna come to you

with questions about me.

He already has.

I kept your crazy secret.

I'll be damned if I know

why I should help you

pussyfoot around that son of a b*tch,

when the only thing that makes any

sense is to blow the bastard away!

You think this is the way I want it?

This is the way it is and I

can't f***ing believe it!

I'm hanging on because sooner or later

he'll let me see something! Me and only me!

I don't know, some little thing!

And then I'll nail him!

It won't bring her back.

Nothing's going to bring her back.

They had that animal locked up,

and I let him out to kill again.

Every time the phone rings,

every time the news comes on,

I hold my breath.

I'll take you home.

How about getting something to eat?

Can't leave the dog too long.

She's gotten really neurotic

since Janet just walked out

and never came back.

We could eat here, with the dog.

With the dog?

Yeah.

Right, I'll cook something.

What?

Hey, just stand back and watch.

Messy, but necessary.

First you scrub away

the scum, then you purify.

You didn't come out here

to see me scrape paint.

I came to see what you really care about.

Come on, then.

This is Fancy.

She was disqualified for

shows, so now she's my crew.

Looks fine to me.

She looks fine to me, too.

Standards don't allow enough for character.

They're so stupid.

I could lose them in half an hour here.

Slip into these reeds and turn up anywhere.

You just said you love it out here.

Don't play lawyers' games with me, Ben.

I do love it.

I wish I could stay forever,

just drifting, but...

I have things to do.

Sure.

Tunnels to dig.

Why are you mocking me?

Martin, you've done nothing but ridicule me.

You say we're partners, but

you never tell me anything.

There's no trust here.

The tunnel...

The tunnel was a legacy of the first

Martin Thiel, the real Martin Thiel.

My God, there was a man!

He moved freely, he knew how

to clean out scum, how to...

Purify.

You should appreciate this.

He believed in the Lex Talionis,

the law of retaliation.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth...

A life for a life!

He did it and no lesser law trammeled him.

He saw a man whipping a dog,

he seized the whip and used

it on the man, who cried:

"But it's not your dog!"

And my forefather said:

"It's God's dog and I'm here to avenge it!"

Do you see the beauty in that?

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