Shark Transcripts
SHARK
1x16: Blind Trust
Original Air Date: February 22, 2007
Written by: Devon Greggory
Directed by: Marcos Siega
Transcribed by: Rahul Kudva
FADE IN.
[Recap...]
VOICEOVER: Previously on Shark...
["Party House". Night. Neal Donovan introduces Julie to his girlfriend.]
JULIE STARK: Hi.
NEAL DONOVAN: This is Sarah.
SARAH: Hey.
JULIE STARK: [shocked, yet smiling] Oh.
[Inside "Party House". Night. Julie swallows a jello-shot and takes another.]
[LA Streets. Night. She drives home, drunk and upset. In slow-motion, she runs a red light and just about misses another car. A police cruiser, sirens blaring, chases after her. Later, she tries to walk a straight line. The officers handcuff her behind her back. In the cruiser's back seat, she looks outside, her face full of anxiety and shame.]
[Back to the show...]
[Stark Residence, bedroom. Night. Sebastian Stark is asleep in the darkened room. His phone rings. Groggily, he puts on a light and answers the phone.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: [drowsy] Hello? [listens] Uh, what time is it? [checks his watch, listens] Wait... wait. Where are you? [listens, comforting voice] All right, all right. Calm down. I'll be right there.
[With a worried look on his face, he hangs up and wipes the sleep out of his eyes.]
CUT TO:
[Precinct holding cell. Night. A miserable Julie sits in the cell with other female perps. A buzzer goes off and the room door opens. Debbie, a detective, comes to the door. A female police officer slides open the door.]
DEBBIE: Stark. Let's go.
[Julie stands and walks outside. Debbie accompanies her to the room door. The buzzer goes off and they walk into the next room. Julie looks at the person coming towards them. It's Isaac Wright.]
ISAAC WRIGHT: [sighs] Thanks, Debbie. I owe you one.
DEBBIE: You can take her home, but I can't make a DUI go away.
[Isaac nods his understanding. Debbie leaves. Isaac hands Julie her purse.]
ISAAC WRIGHT: [kindly] You all right?
JULIE STARK: Aside from the worst headache in the history of the world? Yeah. [beat] Thanks for coming.
ISAAC WRIGHT: Where's your dad?
JULIE STARK: I was too scared to call him. He's going to kill me.
ISAAC WRIGHT: Well, can you blame him?
JULIE STARK: [rueful] Yeah, I know. I messed up.
ISAAC WRIGHT: Yeah, you did. But lucky for you, I have friends here. You're released without bail.
JULIE STARK: What about my car?
ISAAC WRIGHT: It's impounded. Cost you two grand to get it back.
JULIE STARK: [freaking out] Oh, man.
ISAAC WRIGHT: Look, Julie, trust me. The money's the least of it. And this isn't something you can hide from your father.
JULIE STARK: Yeah, I know. I just, um... need to figure out the right time to tell him.
ISAAC WRIGHT: Yeah. Well... [inhales loudly] Good luck with that.
[He leads her out.]
CUT TO:
[Stock footage of LA. Night. Zoom into the La Marcian Hotel.]
[TRANSCRIBER NOTE: I'm not sure about the name of the hotel. If anyone can tell me the correct name, please email me at rahulkudva@gmail.com. Thanks.]
CUT TO:
[Hotel exterior. Night. Stark's car pulls up at the hotel entrance. A valet goes towards the car.]
CUT TO:
[Penthouse. Night. Stark enters the penthouse, followed by his friend, Christian Chambers, who has let him in. The penthouse looks like it recently hosted a party.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: [joking] I'm usually sneaking out of hotels in the middle of the night.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: [weary, serious] Man, am I glad to see you.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [complaining] Wish I could say the same. It's four-thirty in the morning, Chris.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: I know. I know. I'm sorry.
[Stark looks at the mess. He holds up a black bra.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: A little bit of a cliché, isn't it, huh? Musta been a hell of a party. Thanks for the invite.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: I've got a problem.
[He jerks his head to the left. Stark becomes serious and follows him up the stairs. A young lady lies dead on a bed. Stark reacts.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Oh... God.
[Stark walks up to her.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Her name's Heather Spaulding. She's an intern at the firm.
[Stark checks her for a pulse, obviously not getting any.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: She just... I-I think she ODed.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [all business now] Did you know her... personally?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: No, I wasn't sleeping with her. It was a company party to celebrate the merger of Tessler and Brock. I was headed home when I realized that I forgot my coat. When I came back, I found her like that.
[Stark picks up the hotel phone and starts to dial.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: What are you doing?
SEBASTIAN STARK: [peevishly] What the hell do you think I'm doing, Chris? I'm calling the cops.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: [impassioned] No, you can't. The scandal will kill us. I run a business management firm. The biggest stars in Hollywood expect me to be watching their money. Not throwing wild parties where young girls die. Look, Sebastian, everything that I have worked for is on the line. You and I go back a long way. I'm Julie's godfather.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [arguing] And I'm a DA now, Chris. Every second I stand in this room and I don't report this crime, I'm committing a crime.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: You swore that if I ever needed anything you'd be there for me.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [sighing] Oh, Chris.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: I need you now. [reciting] "On Julie's life." Remember?
[Stark hesitates a while, pensive. Then he exhales and closes his eyes.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Take the stairwell. [urgently] Avoid the cameras and anybody who can ID you! Keep your face hidden! Go home!
[He proceeds to wipe his fingerprints off the phone.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: [enunciating] Do not change your routine! And you never came back for your coat. Remember?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Okay. Yeah.
[He starts to walk out, but turns.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: What-What about her?
SEBASTIAN STARK: [walking up to him] Housekeeping will find the body. You need a lawyer. You need an alibi.
[Chambers starts to descend the stairs. He stops.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Look, Sebastian, I'm... I'm sorry I dragged you into this. You're the only person I could trust.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [low voice] Chris? I was never here.
[Chambers nods and leaves. Stark turns and looks at the body and sighs heavily.]
CUT TO:
[Opening sequence.]
CUT TO:
[Stark Residence, exterior. Day.]
JULIE STARK: [vo] I'm talking about a cash advance on my credit card.
CUT TO:
[Stark Residence. Day. Julie talks on her cell phone, while Stark is not around.]
JULIE STARK: [listens] I'm sixteen.
[Stark comes downstairs.]
JULIE STARK: [hurriedly] Yeah, no, I understand. Thank you very much. Okay. Bye. [hangs up quickly]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Whozzat?
JULIE STARK: Uh, cell phone company. I... need more minutes.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [chuckles] I don't think it's humanly possible to talk on the phone more than you already do.
[Julie lets out a weak chuckle.]
JULIE STARK: So you went out late last night. Everything okay?
SEBASTIAN STARK: [exhaling heavily through his mouth] I certainly hope so.
JULIE STARK: Hey, Dad, can I... borrow the SUV? I left my car at Megan's.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [mock-dramatic] Aren't you afraid you'll explode the ozone layer if you drive that thing?
JULIE STARK: I'll risk it. [smirks]
CUT TO:
[Ravine. Day. Stark and Madeleine Poe stand at a crime scene (cordoned off with tape).]
MADELEINE POE: Hikers called it in about an hour ago. Looks like a body dump. The car stopped here. Cops say the body was tossed over the edge.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Do we have an ID?
MADELEINE POE: Not yet. But apparently her grandfather's some guy named Bonyadi.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Arthur Bonyadi?
MADELEINE POE: Yeah.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Arthur Bonyadi's a big mob enforcer from the east. He started in Jersey and came out here.
MADELEINE POE: You think he's going to want revenge?
[They duck past the tape and move towards the body.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Nah, he mellowed out about ten years ago. Of course, five bullets to the brain will do that to you. So with a name like Bonyadi, I'm surprised the vultures aren't circling, you know?
[A forensics tech hands Madeleine a notebook. She looks at it.]
MADELEINE POE: Oh, maybe that's because she doesn't go by Bonyadi. She goes by her mother's name, Spaulding. Heather Spaulding.
[Lucky for Stark, his sunglasses cover the shock.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: [to the forensics tech] Let me see this.
[The tech pulls back the sheet. Sure enough, it's Heather Spaulding. Stark looks at the body, completely befuddled.]
FLASH TO WHITE.
CUT TO:
[Outside store. Day. Stark impatiently rips a prepaid disposable phone out of the cover and throws the cover into his car. He gets into his car. Hastily, he dials a number.
WOMAN'S VOICE: [from phone, cheerful] Good morning, La Marcian Hotel.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [into phone] Yes, I'd like to, um...
[Isaac pulls up in his car. Stark motions for him to wait.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: [into phone] I'd like to have a late checkout on the penthouse please, and a "Do Not Disturb" on it until then.
WOMAN'S VOICE: [from phone] Certainly, sir.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [into phone] Thank you.
[He hangs up and turns to Isaac.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Hey.
ISAAC WRIGHT: What's up?
SEBASTIAN STARK: I need a favor off the books.
ISAAC WRIGHT: All right, talk to me.
SEBASTIAN STARK: I need you to get invisible. I need you to find somebody you trust, work up the La Marcian penthouse, full forensics.
ISAAC WRIGHT: I take it this is "need to know"?
SEBASTIAN STARK: [sighs] More like "I wish I didn't know."
CUT TO:
[Shot of the coast. Day. A yacht sails on the water.]
CUT TO:
[Chambers Residence. Day. Stark descends the staircase into the lavish living room. He meets up with Fran Chambers, Christian's wife.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: [pleasantly] Hey, why didn't we ever get together, Fran?
FRANCES CHAMBERS: I was married to your best friend, remember?
SEBASTIAN STARK: I guess that could've been embarrassing. But I'm divorced now.
FRANCES CHAMBERS: And I know all the reasons why.
[They laugh and give each other a hug and kiss. The Chambers' kids, CJ and Addison, run inside and hug Stark.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Hey!
CJ CHAMBERS: Sebastian, what'd you bring us?
SEBASTIAN STARK: Oh, man, I'm busted, guys. I'm sorry. I thought you'd be in school.
ADDISON CHAMBERS: [excited] It's travel day. We never go to school on travel day.
CJ CHAMBERS: Yeah.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Travel day?
CJ CHAMBERS: Yeah. We're going to Italy. Wanna come?
[Chambers enters.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: [to his family] Uh, could you guys, uh, give us a minute?
SEBASTIAN STARK: Hey. [beat, then to the kids] I'll see ya at the Piazza Navona. Ciao.
[They laugh, as he walks away with Chambers.]
FRANCES CHAMBERS: Come on, kids. Let's go outside.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Travel day, huh?
[He and Chambers walk through the house.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: [sighs] Sebastian, I'm glad to see you. It's all over the news.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [quietly] So what, you figure this a great time to check out Tuscany?
[They stop at a counter. Fran and the kids are outside.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: I'm doing what you said. I'm sticking to my routine. This trip has been planned for months.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Cancel it.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Yeah, okay. If you think that's best.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Who moved the body?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Honestly, I don't know. Whoever killed Heather, must've come back for her.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [gravely] This is the real thing, Chris. I need you to level with me.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: I swear on the lives of my children, I never touched her. Don't you believe me?
[Stark waves to Fran and the kids outside.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Of course I do. But you're a murder suspect. And I'm an accessory after the fact. And if we're not careful, we're gonna be sharing a prison cell for the next thirty years.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: All right, I'll go to the police. I'll tell them what I know. I'll keep your name out of it.
SEBASTIAN STARK: No. Hopefully we'll catch whoever did this, and I'll be able to keep your name out of it.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Hey. Thanks, man.
[He embraces Stark, gratefully.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Yeah. Don't thank me yet.
CUT TO:
[Stock footage of LA. Day.]
CUT TO:
[DA's Office, HPCU Office. Day. The team is busy preparing the crimeboard. Casey Woodland has compiled a timeline of the crime. Stark enters.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: What have we got?
MADELEINE POE: Heather Spaulding, aka Heather Bonyadi, 25, UCLA business school, intern for Kilpatrick Chambers, money managers to the stars.
CASEY WOODLAND: Last seen around 1 AM at a firm party at La Marcian. Her body was spotted by joggers in the LA ravine around 7 AM.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Anything off the autopsy?
RAINA TROY: ME puts time of death between 3 and 3:30 AM. They found fresh semen, traces of Ecstasy and enough ketamine to get an elephant in the mood.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [smirks] Ecstasy and ketamine. This is a date rape. Cause of death?
RAINA TROY: Asphyxiation due to overdose or... suffocation. Damage is nearly identical.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Same effect.
CASEY WOODLAND: Should we reinterview witnesses at the party?
SEBASTIAN STARK: Let the cops handle that. Focus on the semen and the ketamine. Even money - they're from the same guy, and that guy is our killer.
CUT TO:
[HPCU Office, Conference Room. Day. Raina Troy and Madeleine interview Ryan Stafford.]
RAINA TROY: Mr. Stafford, you were Heather Spaulding's immediate supervisor?
RYAN STAFFORD: I didn't really get a chance to know her. But, uh... she seemed bright. She worked hard.
MADELEINE POE: Can you tell us anything about her personal life?
RYAN STAFFORD: I don't think she had a regular boyfriend. At least, i-it didn't seem like that at the party.
RAINA TROY: Hmm? What do you mean?
RYAN STAFFORD: Heather was getting pretty friendly with one of our clients. We have strict rules about that sort of thing, but, uh, B is not the kind of guy who takes no for an answer.
MADELEINE POE: Does B have a last name?
RYAN STAFFORD: Only if it didn't come from me.
CUT TO:
[Recording Studio. Day. Rock music plays. "B", AKA Ben Melvin, unlit cigarette in his mouth, stands at the console, swaying to the music. With a flamboyant flick of his lighter, he lights his cigarette. Casey and Isaac enter, making way for a couple of ladies to leave.]
ISAAC WRIGHT: [holding his DA's badge] Ben Melvin?
BEN MELVIN: [without looking back at them, in tune with the music] I'm in the middle of a session.
ISAAC WRIGHT: We're from the DA's office. We have a few questions about Heather Spaulding.
BEN MELVIN: I already talked to the cops.
CASEY WOODLAND: [good ADA] Aw, it'll just take a second.
ISAAC WRIGHT: [bad DA investigator] Or longer if we have to go downtown.
[Melvin sighs and turns off the music. He turns to them.]
BEN MELVIN: Look, I barely even knew the girl.
CASEY WOODLAND: So... you two weren't dating?
BEN MELVIN: [chuckles] Dating? We met at a party. She dug the music. You know how it goes.
ISAAC WRIGHT: So you don't mind submitting a DNA sample?
BEN MELVIN: [sniggers] Talk to my lawyer.
[He stubs out his half-finished cigarette in the ashtray. Isaac clears his throat and, with a handkerchief, picks up the cigarette butt.]
ISAAC WRIGHT: That's okay. I got it.
BEN MELVIN: Whoa, you can't do that.
CASEY WOODLAND: Oh, I doubt a judge will have a problem with it. Especially if your DNA matches the semen found inside of Heather.
BEN MELVIN: [gives in] Fine. Yes, me and Heather, we went out a couple of times. Yes, we hooked up. But I never hurt her.
ISAAC WRIGHT: Did you hurt Rebecca Knight? How about, uh, Jill Stampler? Carrie Hall?
CASEY WOODLAND: Seems they all filed police reports against you for being a little rough.
BEN MELVIN: [arrogant] Yeah? Well... those records are sealed.
CASEY WOODLAND: [in his face] You don't really like when women say "no" to you, do you, Ben? That's why you slipped Heather a shot of ketamine.
BEN MELVIN: [laughs] I'm done talking.
ISAAC WRIGHT: We'll see about that. [grabs him and pushes him towards the door] Let's go.
BEN MELVIN: [defensive, yet compliant] Whoa.
[They lead him out.]
CUT TO:
[DA's Office Exterior. Day.]
CUT TO:
[HPCU Office. Day. Casey and Raina stand in front of the crimeboard, discussing the case. Madeleine sits at her desk, on the phone.]
CASEY WOODLAND: Ryan Stafford places Melvin with Heather at the party around 1:45, making him the last person to see her alive.
RAINA TROY: Well, Melvin does have a history of violence against women.
CASEY WOODLAND: Exactly. He pumps her full of Special K, rapes her. She's traumatized, ODs.
RAINA TROY: That's perfect for the cover of People Magazine, but with no other evidence of rape?
CASEY WOODLAND: [yielding] The defense can argue she took Special K voluntarily to enhance sex.
MADELEINE POE: [into phone] Thank you. [hangs up, to the others] This might help. I checked into sexual assault complaints against our boy in the last three cities he's toured. A young woman from San Jose, Evelyn Brown, says Melvin slipped her a roofie and raped her.
CASEY WOODLAND: Jackpot.
RAINA TROY: Matching MO gets us a warrant for Ben Melvin's condo.
[They walk off.]
CUT TO:
[Ben Melvin's Condo. Day. Forensics specialists go through the place, while Stark waits inside. Isaac walks up to him.]
ISAAC WRIGHT: Got the results from the hotel sweep.
SEBASTIAN STARK: And?
ISAAC WRIGHT: Nothing unusual. Hair fibers, loose items, bunch of mismatched prints.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Mm-hmm.
[One of the forensics guys tests a liquid (from a vial) with another liquid, which turns dark purple. ]
FORENSICS TECH: [calls out] We got somethin'!
[Stark and Isaac enter the room.]
FORENSICS TECH: Definitely ketamine.
[Stark turns to walk past Isaac.]
ISAAC WRIGHT: Still want me to run those prints?
SEBASTIAN STARK: [relieved] No, we got our guy.
[He leaves.]
FLASH TO:
[Flashback. Someone puts ketamine in a drink. Heather Spaulding drinks it. She sits groggily on the bed, then falls back unconscious. Melvin gets on top of her.]
HARD CUT TO:
[Police Impound Lot. Day. Julie paces around anxiously waiting for her car, while her friend, Megan,sits idly nearby.]
JULIE STARK: Thank you so much for helping me, Megan.
MEGAN: No problem. Gave me an excuse to blow of calculus.
JULIE STARK: [exhales] Probably the last time we're going to hang out for a long time because when my dad finds out I got arrested, he's going to ground me... till college.
MEGAN: So don't tell him.
JULIE STARK: I have to go to court, Megan. My dad knows every lawyer and judge in Los Angeles.
[The attendant comes outside, holding a clipboard.]
IMPOUND LOT ATTENDANT: Which one of you is Sebastian Stark?
JULIE STARK: Uh, that's my dad.
IMPOUND LOT ATTENDANT: I can only release the car to the registered owner.
JULIE STARK: But it's my car.
IMPOUND LOT ATTENDANT: Not according to the state of California.
JULIE STARK: Okay, look, here's the check for two thousand dollars. Can I... Please, I just need my car back.
IMPOUND LOT ATTENDANT: Sorry. Rules are rules.
[He starts to go back inside. Megan, folding up a couple of bills, stands up, smiling sweetly.]
MEGAN: Sir. Um, we really need the car. So... what if you... [puts the money on his clipboard] take this two hundred, and we take the keys? It'll be just like my friend's dad was here the whole time.
[Julie gives him a goofy, hopeful smile.]
IMPOUND LOT ATTENDANT: [firm] Sorry. I can't do it.
[Megan pulls out another bill.]
MEGAN: [looking at his name-tag] Chuck... Think you can.
[She smiles at him. He relents and hands Megan the keys.]
IMPOUND LOT ATTENDANT: Drive safe.
[Megan hands an amazed Julie her keys back. Along with "Chuck", They start to walk towards the car.]
JULIE STARK: You have to let me pay you back.
MEGAN: Forget it. My mom keeps tons of cash in her dresser drawer.
JULIE STARK: [chuckles] Oh, you steal from your mom?
MEGAN: Well, it's not like she doesn't know. I mean, our relationship is based on denial. She doesn't know what I'm doing, then she doesn't have to deal with it. You should give it a try.
[Julie considers it.]
CUT TO:
[Stock footage of LA. Day. Shot of the courthouse exterior.]
CUT TO:
[Courtroom. Day. The prelim is underway. The Honorable Trevor C. Williams sits at the bench. Ben Melvin sits with his atorney, Randal Hairston. Stark examines the Medical Examiner, Mickey Cruz Alvarez.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Dr. Alvarez, can you compare the grade of ketamine in the defendant's home with the drug found in Heather
Spaulding's bloodstream?
MICKEY CRUZ ALVAREZ: Yes, the chemical makeup is identical. Both samples came from the same batch.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Thank you, Doctor.
[He returns to the Prosecution Table. Hairston stands.]
RANDAL HAIRSTON: [looking through some papers] Doctor, your report stated there's a strong chance ketamine didn't kill Miss Spaulding.
MICKEY CRUZ ALVAREZ: Well, ketamine overdose often resembles suffocation.
RANDAL HAIRSTON: Which may have been caused by something other than ketamine?
MICKEY CRUZ ALVAREZ: Yes, but there's no evidence that...
RANDAL HAIRSTON: [interrupts] Thank you, Doctor. Your Honor, we move for immediate dismissal.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [stands] On what grounds? Either the defendant smothered the victim, or he poisoned her. [smirking] Either way, she's just as dead!
RANDAL HAIRSTON: [to Stark] But the search warrant was based solely on ketamine poisoning. If the victim was suffocated, then there's a...
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Nice try, Mr. Hairston. Overruled.
[Stark sits.]
RANDAL HAIRSTON: [immediately] Permission to call a witness.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [stands again] Your Honor, this is a preliminary hearing. [to Hairston] I'll be happy to destroy your witnesses as soon as we get to trial.
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Your pushing it, Mr. Hairston.
RANDAL HAIRSTON: [pointing to a lady in the galley] She has information directly relevant to this proceeding, Your Honor.
[The judge sighs. He motions to the lady.]
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Ma'am, please rise.
[The lady stands. It's Brittany, the hooker who worked for Monica Tanner and who groped Casey in a hotel room, to Madeleine's displeasure (see "Dial M for Monica").]
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: State your name.
BRITTANY FORREST: [raises her right hand quickly] Oh, um, Brittany Forrest.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [stands, irritably] Your Honor...
[Next to him, Casey smiles in recognition.]
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Your objection is noted, Mr. Stark. [to Brittany] Do you have anything pertinent to add to these proceedings?
BRITTANY FORREST: I dance at Foreplay Gentlemen's Club. Ben was with me at the club the morning that girl got killed.
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: [kindly] Do you have any proof of this?
BRITTANY FORREST: Yeah. Around twelve hundred bucks.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [can't resist] In singles.
[Soft laughter from the audience. The judge gives him a look, although he himself seems amused.]
BRITTANY FORREST: I was with him from 3 to 6 AM.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [has enough, stands] Your Honor, while I'm sure Brittany here is worth every penny, her credibility is clearly a matter for the jury to assess.
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Agreed. This case is held over for trial. We're adjourned.
[Melvin looks frustrated. He and Hairston confer. The audience starts to slowly shuffle out. Stark and Casey turn to Raina in the galley.]
RAINA TROY: [amused] Did Hairston really think that he could get this dumped at prelim?
SEBASTIAN STARK: Hah! It was worth a shot. Melvin's got concert dates pending.
[The cops lead Melvin away.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: His label needs him out of jail. Fortunately for us, Hairston tipped his strategy.
CASEY WOODLAND: They're going to try to put Ben somewhere else at the time of the murder.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Which means you get to hear the words you've always dreamed of - "I'm sending you to the strip club... [to Raina] and you."
[Raina doesn't look enthusiastic. Casey, on the other hand, looks like a hungry cat at a tuna factory. He pats Raina's arm and gets up.]
CUT TO:
[Foreplay Gentlemen's Club. Day. The place is dark. Loud music blares in the background. A stripper swings quite flexibly around the pole. Patrons watch in rapt attention. Casey and Raina walk past a stripper doing a split.]
CASEY WOODLAND: You really have to admire the athleticism.
RAINA TROY: Please. You know, you could never bring Madeleine to a place like this.
CASEY WOODLAND: You kidding? I'd never get her out of here.
RAINA TROY: Hey, tell me, how do you guys have a relationship and still work together?
CASEY WOODLAND: Easy. We don't have a relationship. We just have sex.
[Casey sees who he's looking for and motions to Raina to follow. Brittany Forrest hovers over one of the customers.]
CASEY WOODLAND: [familiarly] Brittany!
[Brittany looks up and sees them.]
BRITTANY FORREST: [coming up to them] My lawyer told me not to talk to anyone.
RAINA TROY: Did your lawyer explain the penalty for perjury?
BRITTANY FORREST: Trust me, I'm familiar with the legal system, okay?
CASEY WOODLAND: We know you deposited five thousand dollars in your bank account this morning.
RAINA TROY: So either Ben Melvin is paying you off, or you had a really good night.
CASEY WOODLAND: Now might be a good time to rethink your statement.
BRITTANY FORREST: [puts her hand on Casey's chest] You know what? I got a table dance waiting.
[She gives him a slight push and leaves.]
CASEY WOODLAND: [chuckling] I bet you do.
CUT TO:
[Outside Strip Club. Day. A parking valet takes down the license number of a parked car. Raina and Casey walk out of the joint.]
RAINA TROY: [sighs loudly] If it is one thing I hate, it's a stubborn stripper.
[The parking valet punches the ticket. Casey notices it.]
CASEY WOODLAND: [pointing to the ticket Raina holds] Hey, does our ticket have a time code?
RAINA TROY: [absently] Yeah. [then understands, smiles] Yeah.
CUT TO:
[HPCU Office. Day. Raina and Casey give the news to Stark and Isaac.]
CASEY WOODLAND: [pointing to the timeline on the crimeboard] The stamped ticket proves that Melvin didn't valet his car until 4:12 AM, an hour later than Brittany the stripper stated. He left the club at 5:47, his doorman puts him at home at 6:00 AM, so he couldn't have dumped the body after the strip club.
ISAAC WRIGHT: But that also means that he had more than enough time between 3 and 4 to dump the body before he went to the club.
[Stark looks at the heavens and sighs. Wordlessly, he walks to his office. Isaac follows.]
CASEY WOODLAND: [disappointed] You're welcome.
[In Stark's office, Isaac walks up to Stark. They speak in low voices.]
ISAAC WRIGHT: You wanna tell me what's going on?
SEBASTIAN STARK: I can't.
ISAAC WRIGHT: Are you jammed up?
SEBASTIAN STARK: I need you to look into something.
ISAAC WRIGHT: Not 'til I get answers.
[Stark closes the door. Casey notices the cloak-and-dagger meeting between the two.]
ISAAC WRIGHT: [stern] Are you involved in Heather Spaulding's death?
SEBASTIAN STARK: [sighs] No.
ISAAC WRIGHT: [skeptical] No?
SEBASTIAN STARK: No.
ISAAC WRIGHT: Then why did I find your prints in the penthouse?
SEBASTIAN STARK: [caught] Oh, man.
ISAAC WRIGHT: You're in the system off multiple contempt citations.
SEBASTIAN STARK: It's not what you think, Isaac.
ISAAC WRIGHT: [dourly] Yeah, well, you know what I think? I think something went down at that party, which means you're withholding evidence in a murder case. Or worse.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Get everybody over to my place. I'm only going to tell this story once.
BLUR TO:
[Stock footage of LA. Night.]
CUT TO:
[Stark Residence exterior. Night.]
CUT TO:
[Stark Residence, basement courtroom. Night. Stark confesses to his shocked team.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: [somber] Ben Melvin couldn't have dumped Heather's body between 3 and 4 AM because... [sighs] I was with Heather's body in the hotel suite at 4:30.
[A long beat, while the team digests this.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: I'm sorry. I was trying to help a friend.
RAINA TROY: [pissed] That's your explanation? You committed a felony to help a friend?
ISAAC WRIGHT: Yeah, a friend who might have killed this girl?
SEBASTIAN STARK: I know that Chris did not do this.
CASEY WOODLAND: That's what trials are for.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Look, I admitted it. I screwed up. But I owe this guy in ways you can't imagine.
RAINA TROY: So why are you telling us now?
SEBASTIAN STARK: Because I think you have a right to know.
MADELEINE POE: If we don't turn you in, we're all accessories.
SEBASTIAN STARK: I understand that.
RAINA TROY: If one of us had pulled this, you would fire us on the spot.
CASEY WOODLAND: Instead you're asking us to break the law to keep you out of jail.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [shaking his head] No, I'm not. Matter of fact, as of this moment, you are all officially recused from the Spaulding case.
[The team looks incredulous.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: If I go down, I go down alone.
[He walks past them and leaves. The team hangs around, pensively.]
RAINA TROY: [fiercely] Being recused does not let us off the hook.
MADELEINE POE: We're still ethically obligated to report Stark.
CASEY WOODLAND: Whoa. Let's think about this.
RAINA TROY: What is there to think about? Are you willing to throw away your career for him?
MADELEINE POE: Raina's right, Casey. He's putting us in an impossible position.
ISAAC WRIGHT: He went on the line for a friend. When I did that for my partner, Stark had my back.
RAINA TROY: [loudly] He broke the damn law!
CASEY WOODLAND: [arguing] You're right! But every one of us has messed up, and Stark's bailed us out!
RAINA TROY: No, I would never put him in this position. None of us would.
CASEY WOODLAND: He needs our help, and I say we give it to him.
RAINA TROY: I'm out.
[She starts to walk out. Isaac gets in her way.]
ISAAC WRIGHT: Hold on. I don't know if I trust Stark. But I respect what he does, and I don't think he'd let a killer walk. Either we're all in this, or we're all out. I'm in.
MADELEINE POE: [sighs] I could always go to med school.
CASEY WOODLAND: [to Raina] It's up to you.
[Raina thinks.]
CUT TO:
[HPCU Office. Day. Stark sits alone in the office, staring at the crimeboard. He looks down and sighs. Footsteps are heard behind. He looks behind, seeing the team enter.]
RAINA TROY: [all business] So the body was moved some time after 4:30.
ISAAC WRIGHT: Checked with hotel maintenance. Elevators were down between 5:50 and 6:45.
[Stark gets up and looks at them, trying to hide his grateful look.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: You guys don't have to do this.
MADELEINE POE: You're right. So appreciate it, and let's win.
[Stark nods.]
CASEY WOODLAND: Whoever moved Heather's body did so between 4:30 and 5:50 AM.
RAINA TROY: Which brings us back to your pal, Chris Chambers.
ISAAC WRIGHT: Yeah, maybe we missed a link between Chris and the victim. Um, an affair, drugs?
SEBASTIAN STARK: [beat, shakes his head] No. No, if Chris is involved, there's only one reason - money. We've got to take a look at the firm's financial records.
MADELEINE POE: We're never going to get a warrant.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [snorts] We don't need a warrant. I just need a computer.
[He walks off.]
CUT TO:
[HPCU Office, Conference Room. Day. Raina hovers over "the shark geek", Lewis Slocombe, who works on his laptop.]
RAINA TROY: Are we in?
LEWIS SLOCOMBE: I'm using Heather's previous searches as cover to access the database, but their spyware's really good.
[A few bleeps and flashes on the laptop signal paydirt.]
LEWIS SLOCOMBE: We're in.
RAINA TROY: [pats his shoulder] I never doubted you. [smiles]
[Casey, in the other room, gets up and walks towards the conference room.]
CASEY WOODLAND: [keyed up] Prepare to love me.
RAINA TROY: Hey, girl wants a little sweet talk first.
CASEY WOODLAND: I know who moved the body.
RAINA TROY: Okay, that's pretty sweet.
[Casey drops a stack of sheets on the table.]
CASEY WOODLAND: After we ruled out Melvin, I ran the credit cards of everybody at the party. 4:43 AM, a large suitcase was purchased from a 24-hour store one block from the hotel. It was charged on a credit card belonging to... Ryan Stafford.
RAINA TROY: Heather's boss.
[Lewis' laptop bleeps again.]
LEWIS SLOCOMBE: You guys aren't going to believe this.
[Raina and Casey look at the laptop and seem concerned.]
CUT TO:
[Chambers' Residence, patio. Christian Chambers stands on his patio, near the pool, watching his kids play soccer below. Stark comes into the patio. Chambers turns.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: What's up?
SEBASTIAN STARK: We got access to Heather Spaulding's computer.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Oh, okay, just make sure that our...
SEBASTIAN STARK: [fierce] You cut the crap! Heather found out that Stafford was embezzling millions from your company. That's why she was killed!
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Okay, I had no idea...
SEBASTIAN STARK: [cuts him off] Enough! You are protecting Stafford, and you're using me to do it!
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Listen to me. I had no idea what Ryan was up to. When I found out, I was... I was furious. I confronted him. He promised to pay back the money.
SEBASTIAN STARK: So you kept it quiet. To keep up appearances?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Embezzlement isn't exactly a big confidence-builder for big-money clients. I thought everything would work out until Heather stumbled over Ryan's private account. I didn't think he'd kill her.
SEBASTIAN STARK: You sold me out, Chris.
[He starts to walk away.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: [following him] I'm sorry. I was desperate; I didn't know what else to do.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Here's a novel idea: tell the truth.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: I wanted to, but I poured my life into that firm. I couldn't watch it crumble because of one greedy punk.
SEBASTIAN STARK: So you lied to me? You put my entire career in jeopardy? Threw away thirty years of our friendship?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Try to understand. If this merger falls apart, the whole company goes down. I've got nothing. Franny, the kids.
SEBASTIAN STARK: You should have thought of that before you put a scumbag before your best friend.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: You want to talk about friendship? Maybe you've forgotten how it felt hitting rock bottom.
[Stark doesn't want to hear this. He moves away. Chambers keeps talking.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: It wasn't that long ago, pal. Messy divorce. Day-trading like you were in Vegas. I could have gone to jail for backdating those stock certificates, but I did it anyway. What'd you clear? Three, four million? Just like that, you were square. Your partners, your family. No one ever knew how close you came. You're here today because of me.
SEBASTIAN STARK: We scammed the system. We played the angles. But it stopped right at the water's edge. You broke the cardinal rule, the only one that matters: [enunciates] Never... cross your friends. When this is over, we're even. And we're done.
[He walks away.]
CUT TO:
[Stark Residence. Day. Stark watches the news report on the TV, about the case. As the reporter speaks, the inset shows Ryan Stafford being led out handcuffed by cops. The inset fills the screen.
REPORTER: [on TV] Moments ago, the Heather Spaulding murder case took a shocking turn. Charges were dropped against singer Ben Melvin and filed against Ryan Stafford, a junior partner at Kilpatrick and Chambers. A bad week turned worse for the firm when its big-money merger went belly-up as senior partner Christian Chambers agreed to testify.
[A car horn is heard.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: [calls] Julie, Megan's here.
JULIE STARK: Thanks.
[Stark turns off the TV. Julie comes downstairs.]
JULIE STARK: You got a package today, so I put it on your desk with the mail. Bye.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [picking up the package] In by ten?
JULIE STARK: [kisses him] AM or PM?
SEBASTIAN STARK: Cute.
[She leaves. Stark opens the package. It's a CD. He puts into his computer's DVD drive. It loads automatically. A slideshow comes up - the pictures show Stark bending over Heather Spaulding's lifeless body. Stark looks at them, bemused. The next picture says "IF I GO DOWN / YOU GO DOWN".]
CUT TO:
[DA Jessica Devlin's Office. Stark shows the pictures to an upset Jessica.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: [somber] They were taken on Ryan Stafford's cell phone. Must have been hiding in the closet when I showed up. We matched the CD to his computer. He... he burned it the day of the murder.
[Jessica glares at him.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: I guess now would be the appropriate time to throw my ass out of the building.
JESSICA DEVLIN: [beat] If I fired you, would Stafford still release these photos?
SEBASTIAN STARK: Probably.
JESSICA DEVLIN: [scoffs] You know, I always knew you'd bury this office and me along with it, but I figured it'd be jury tampering, maybe falsifying evidence.
SEBASTIAN STARK: I'm sorry, Jess. I really am.
JESSICA DEVLIN: So why are you here?
SEBASTIAN STARK: To warn you, in case the whole thing blows up...
JESSICA DEVLIN: [interrupts] No, Sebastian, why are you _here_? I mean, God knows you don't need the money or the publicity.
[She gets up and faces him.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: [breathes loudly] I needed a fresh start.
JESSICA DEVLIN: Oh, please, you haven't changed. You're still the guy cutting corners, playing fast and loose with the law.
SEBASTIAN STARK: That's not true.
JESSICA DEVLIN: Really? You didn't come to me until you were being blackmailed, 'til you had no other choice. You just left this office, left me twisting in the wind. So now I want an answer. What the hell are you doing here?
SEBASTIAN STARK: I used to get off on being... the best lawyer in town. I still do. But it's different now. Instead of it being about me, it's about the work. When I come home in the evening and, uh, I see my daughter, I talk about my day. For the first time in my life... I am proud of what I do.
JESSICA DEVLIN: [softly] All right, you want this job? You do whatever it takes to make this go away.
[She moves off.]
CUT TO:
[Stock footage of LA. Night.]
CUT TO:
[County Jail, exterior. Night.]
CUT TO:
[Open visiting area. Night. Stark waits, near the chain-link fences. Ryan Stafford is escorted to him by an officer.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: [to the officer] Wanna give us a minute?
[The officer leave.]
RYAN STAFFORD: [cocky] Sebastian Stark. Chris never stops talking about you.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Why did you do it, Ryan?
RYAN STAFFORD: I don't know what you mean. I'm innocent.
SEBASTIAN STARK: So the blackmail is just for kicks?
RYAN STAFFORD: [looks around, conspiratorially] Should I talk into the microphone?
SEBASTIAN STARK: I'm not wearing a microphone. Pat me down if you want.
RYAN STAFFORD: Well, I take it you got my little gift. Sorry I didn't get your best side.
SEBASTIAN STARK: What do you want?
RYAN STAFFORD: Drop the charges. I walk away with my freedom, my money, and my pictures.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Why not call a press conference and announce I'm on the take? Might attract less attention.
RYAN STAFFORD: I'm open to suggestions.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [exhales, scoffs] If I do this... it's got to look like you outsmarted us and won.
RYAN STAFFORD: [nods] Fine, as long as Chris never takes the stand.
[Stark only looks at him.]
CUT TO:
[Courtroom. Day. The trial is underway. The Honorable Trevor C. Williams sits at the bench. Stafford's counsel, Kate Restin, stands as the judge speaks. Stark sits while Raina stands at the Prosecution Table.]
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: In the People versus Ryan Stafford, defense motion to exclude evidence obtained from the victim's computer is denied. Anything else, Ms. Preston?
KATE RESTIN: Yes, Your Honor. It is our contention that Ben Melvin, not Mr. Stafford, is responsible for the death of Heather Spaulding. We therefore move to admit all of Mr. Melvin's prior bad acts that pertain to drug-related attacks on women.
RAINA TROY: Objection. Prior bad acts are not admissib...
SEBASTIAN STARK: [getting up, interrupting] Prosecution has no objection, Your Honor.
RAINA TROY: You gotta be kidding me.
[Nervous silence. Madeleine and Casey look apprehensively at each other.]
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Is there an objection on the table?
RAINA TROY: [simultaneously] Yes.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [simultaneously] No.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Sorry, Your Honor. Ms. Troy has obviously forgotten the hierarchy. [staring Raina down] The objection is withdrawn.
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Very well. Motion to admit Ben Melvin's prior bad acts is granted.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [sits] Thank you.
[Raina glares at him and sits down slowly.]
CUT TO:
[HPCU Office. Day. Casey and Madeleine criticize Stark.]
CASEY WOODLAND: Framing Ben Melvin is Stafford's only shot and Stark left the door wide open!
MADELEINE POE: He's throwing the case after we went to bat for him. We need to turn Stark in before it's too late... for all of us.
[Raina and Stark come inside... laughing!]
CASEY WOODLAND: Oh, so this is funny?
RAINA TROY: [laughing, to Stark] You are the man.
SEBASTIAN STARK: You know, that's true. But your performance: sheer brilliance. I laughed, I cried.
RAINA TROY: Nah, just got it like that.
[Casey and Madeleine catch on... at last!!]
MADELEINE POE: Your fight in court was a scam?
SEBASTIAN STARK: Well, there's no way we could keep Melvin's prior acts out...
CASEY WOODLAND: [impressed] So you stage a fight so that Stafford would think you're throwing the case.
MADELEINE POE: Not... bad.
SEBASTIAN STARK: So how close were you guys to selling me out?
CASEY WOODLAND: [immediately] Never doubted you once.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Ahh... Where's Isaac?
MADELEINE POE: He's, uh, checking all the major courier services in LA. Stafford used a messenger to deliver the photos to your house, so he'll probably use one to make them public.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Well, either way, Chris Chambers will be coming to my house tonight at 7 for prep.
RAINA TROY: But, if you put Chris Chambers on the stand before we locate those photos...
SEBASTIAN STARK: We'll nail Ryan Stafford, but we'll all be looking for a different line of work.
[He enters his office.]
CUT TO:
[Stock footage of LA. Night.]
CUT TO:
[Stark Residence, Exterior. Night.]
CUT TO:
[Stark Residence, Basement Courtroom. Night. The "Honorable" Madeleine Poe presides. Chambers sits in the witness box, while Raina examines him. ]
RAINA TROY: Did anyone else know that Stafford was stealing from the company?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: No. No, I wanted to keep it quiet. I didn't want the scandal.
RAINA TROY: But Heather Spaulding found out?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Yes.
[Stark's cell phone rings. He answers it.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Ryan tried to buy her silence, but the night of the party, she threatened to turn him in. He killed her.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [into phone] Yeah?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: He had a bruise... [points to his throat] here, when she grabbed his collar [holds his own collar] fighting back.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [into phone, softly] Yeah, thanks.
[Stark hangs up, a grim expression on his face.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: And when I got there, he was standing over Heather. She was dead. And that's when he asked me for my help.
RAINA TROY: No more questions.
[Chambers gets up and leaves the box.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: So? How'd I do?
SEBASTIAN STARK: Fine.
[Chambers walks outside, bumping fists with Stark as he passes. Stark drops his smile as Chambers goes.]
CASEY WOODLAND: Pretty persuasive witness.
RAINA TROY: At least we'll go out with a win.
MADELEINE POE: Ryan Stafford's going down.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Maybe not. Just talked to Isaac. He found the photos... but the guy at the courier service says it wasn't Ryan Stafford who dropped them off.
[The team looks baffled.]
CUT TO:
[Stark Residence, Patio. Night. Chambers stands outside on the cliff, overlooking the LA skyline. Stark comes outside and joins him.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Sebastian.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [gloomy] I, uh, came bearing gifts.
[He holds out the package, in which the blackmailing CD was wrapped. Chambers takes it.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: I took the liberty of taking the CD of me at the crime scene out.
[Chambers looks at him. He drops the act.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: How'd you figure it out?
SEBASTIAN STARK: Courier service IDed your photo.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: You weren't supposed to keep digging.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [laughs] Actually, I was digging out. It's a natural reaction when someone's trying to bury you.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Come on, Sebastian, you know me.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Yeah, I thought I did, Chris. I thought I knew you. Ryan didn't struggle with Heather Spaulding. It was you, my friend.
[Chambers moves away and sighs.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Heather noticed something hinky with our cash flow. Came to Ryan trying to score points, so we shined her on, thinking she'd go away. But she kept digging. The night of the party, Heather approached Ryan. She was done with Ben Melvin, but she was still high as a kite, and it seemed she'd decided to [mocking] do the right thing, blow the whistle. By the time I got to the suite, Ryan was freaking out. Heather was talking about notifying the SEC, the AG's office. I couldn't let that happen.
SEBASTIAN STARK: So you killed her.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: [smiling] I don't suppose you'd look the other way for old times' sake?
SEBASTIAN STARK: Tell you what. If you confess, Chris, I'll take the death penalty off the table. For old times' sake.
[Smugly, Chambers pockets the package.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: That's tempting. But I think I'll pass. In the thirty years that we've been friends, I have never met anyone who loves what they do more than you. Release those photos, you'll never practice law again.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [disgusted] You are a piece of work, pal.
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Put me on the stand as your star witness. [shrugs] All this goes away.
[Stark only looks at him.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Give Julie a kiss from me.
[He walks off. Stark hangs behind, looking pissed.]
FLASH TO:
[Flashback. Heather Spaulding cries out as she struggles against her attacker, Christian Chambers. He smothers her with a pillow. She stops moving and he takes the pillow off her face.]
HARD CUT TO:
[Stock footage of LA. Day. Shot of Courthouse exterior.]
JESSICA DEVLIN: [vo] Stafford go for the deal?
CUT TO:
[Courthouse. Day. Jessica and Stark walk.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Heh! Turned me down clod.
JESSICA DEVLIN: [smirks] He has no idea Chambers is setting him up?
SEBASTIAN STARK: And I can't tell him. But I can make one thing right.
[He pulls an envelope from his jacket pocket and hands it to her.]
JESSICA DEVLIN: 'F this is cash for all the gried you caused me, you need a bigger envelope.
SEBASTIAN STARK: It's my resignation. I've become a liability to this office, Jess.
[She takes him aside.]
JESSICA DEVLIN: [softly] I need you to finish what you started.
[Stark sighs.]
JESSICA DEVLIN: Put Chris Chambers on the stand, convict Ryan Stafford. Extortion, embezzlement, conspiracy... just convict him for something. Get Chambers later.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [shaking his head, quietly] That's not right.
JESSICA DEVLIN: No. It's as close as we're going to get.
CUT TO:
[Courtroom. Day. The trial continues. The judge calls Stark.]
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Mr. Stark. You're next witness.
[Stark stands.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: The State calls Christian Chambers.
[Ryan Stafford looks concerned. Chambers gets up and walks to the dock and sits down. Stafford and his counsel, Kate Restin, whisper to each other.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: In the interest of full disclosure, what is the nature of our relationship?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: We've been friends for thirty years. I'm godfather to your daughter. You were my best man... twice.
SEBASTIAN STARK: As senior partner at Kilpatrick Chambers, the defendant reports directly to you, is that correct?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Yes. Ryan was a protégé of mine. Until I discovered that he was embezzling funds.
SEBASTIAN STARK: And did anyone else know about that?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Yes. Heather Spaulding. She found out about it, and she threatened to turn Ryan in.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Mr. Chambers, who killed Heather Spaulding?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Ryan Stafford. He suffocated her with a pillow.
[Stafford rolls his head in disbelief.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: And how do you know this?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Because I walked into the room moments after he killed her. And he confessed what he'd done.
KATE RESTIN: [stands] Objection! Hearsay.
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Overruled.
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Your Honor, we request a recess to confer with the prosecution.
SEBASTIAN STARK: The prosecution has no interest in talking with the defense counsel at this time.
[Defeated, Kate sits.]
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Proceed.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Mr. Chambers, after Ryan Stafford confessed to you, what did you do?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: I told him that I couldn't be involved. And then-then I left.
SEBASTIAN STARK: I'll ask you again. ["Shark Mode", stern] After you found Heather Spaulding lying dead in that hotel room, what did you do?
[Chambers looks at him. Everyone else also seems puzzled.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Like I said, I left.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Then how do you explain this?
[Stark walks to the Prosecution Table. Chamber seems apprehensive. Stark picks up the blackmail pictures and holds them out.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Your Honor, these photos were taken of me at the crime scene the night of the murder.
[The courtroom erupts.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: [loudly over the noise] Photos that this witness is using in an attempt to blackmail the prosecutor's office! I request they be entered as Exhibit "J."
[Next to Casey and Madeleine, Frances Chambers sits shocked.]
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: [yells] Quiet! [takes the photos] Mr. Stark, can you authenticate these photos?
SEBASTIAN STARK: No, sir, I cannot, but [points to Stafford] the defendant can.
[Stafford quickly confers with his counsel.]
KATE RESTIN: [stands] My client can provide proof of authenticity, Your Honor.
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Very well. Proceed, Mr. Stark.
[Stark approaches Chambers, his game face on.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: After you found Heather Spaulding dead in that hotel room, what did you do?
[His trump card now dead in the water, Chambers can now only glower at Stark.]
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: I called you.
SEBASTIAN STARK: And for the record, when I arrived, the victim was dead at that time, correct?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Yes, she was, but that was...
SEBASTIAN STARK: And you made an attempt to solicit my help to cover your tracks, did you not?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: Yes.
SEBASTIAN STARK: And is it or is it not true _you_ killed Heather Spaulding, not Mr. Stafford?
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Mr. Chambers, do not answer that question. [to Stark, admonishing] The witness has a right to avoid self-incrimination.
SEBASTIAN STARK: With all due respect, Your Honor, let him assert that right. And I want you to think long and hard before you answer. Because Ryan Stafford will accept a plea agreement on embezzlement. And in return, he will testify against you on murder charges. So I will ask you again, Mr. Chambers, did-you-kill-Heather Spaulding?
CHRISTIAN CHAMBERS: [beat] I wanna talk to my lawyer.
SEBASTIAN STARK: We're done. [to the judge] Your Honor, the people move that murder charges against Ryan Stafford be dismissed, and in light of the material evidence, that Mr. Chambers be remanded in custody.
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: [to the bailiff] So ordered.
[The bailiff leads Chambers away.]
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: One last order of business. Mr. Stark, I hereby suspend your right to practice law pending an internal investigation of your actions.
[The commotion starts again.]
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: This court stands adjourned.
[He bangs his gavel twice.]
CUT TO:
[Courthouse, Outside courtroom. Day. Spectators walk outside. The team exits, looking downcast. Stark walks slowly up to them.]
RAINA TROY: I can't believe you did that.
SEBASTIAN STARK: I always wanted to commit career suicide in open court. Hey, uh, you guys really stood by me when the chips were down. I'm not gonna forget about it.
[He walks off.]
CUT TO:
[Stock footage of LA. Day. Shot of courthouse.]
CUT TO:
[Judge's Quarters. Day. Judge Williams sits at his desk, while Stark and Jessica stand in front of it.]
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: Failure to report a felony is grounds for immediate disbarment and criminal investigation.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [grimly] I understand.
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: [lowers his tone] I was prepared to pursue this course until Ms. Devlin informed me about the ongoing federal fraud investigation.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [huh?] The investigation?
JESSICA DEVLIN: I explained how the Treasury Department was unwilling to risk our investigation by allowing you to come forward unless it was absolutely necessary.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Well, you know how those treasury guys can be...
JESSICA DEVLIN: [interrupting] As I said earlier, because of his involvement in the federal probe, Mr. Stark was unable to disclose his presence at the crime scene. It was only when faced with a possible miscarriage of justice that he felt compelled to come forward.
SEBASTIAN STARK: It was the right thing to do.
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: It doesn't excuse your behavior. But having worked on undercover narcotics operations as a prosecutor, I understand your... predicament.
SEBASTIAN STARK: I appreciate that.
JUDGE TREVOR C. WILLIAMS: You are hereby... reinstated.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Thank you, Your Honor.
JESSICA DEVLIN: Thank you, Your Honor.
CUT TO:
[Outside Judge's quarters. Day. Stark and Jessica exit into the hallway.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: I'm sorry. [wheezes out a laugh] Have we met?
JESSICA DEVLIN: Luckily for you, there is an ongoing federal probe. I have a friend at treasury, called in a favor.
SEBASTIAN STARK: I just can't believe you put yourself on the line like that. You like me. You really like me.
JESSICA DEVLIN: [laughs] Don't flatter yourself. I did it to preserve the reputation of this office.
[They stop at the elevators. Jessica hits a button.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Yeah.
JESSICA DEVLIN: And as an added bonus, now I have something to hold over your head.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Well, I know I sound like a broken record, but I really am sorry. I never meant to put you in the crosshairs, Jess. I'm sorry.
[The elevator dings and the door opens.]
JESSICA DEVLIN: Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to make it up to me.
[They get inside.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: I like the sound of that.
[The elevator dings and the door closes.]
CUT TO:
[Stock footage of LA. Night.]
CUT TO:
[HPCU Office. Night. In the darkened office, Stark and Isaac prepare to leave for the day.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Hey, hell of a job running down Stafford's pictures.
ISAAC WRIGHT: Thanks. Uh, look, a reporter's been asking about Julie's arrest. I handled it, I just thought you should know.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [puzzled] Julie who?
ISAAC WRIGHT: [oops] Uhhh... She didn't... she didn't tell you?
SEBASTIAN STARK: Tell me what?
ISAAC WRIGHT: Uh, maybe you should talk to her.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [persistent] Isaac.
ISAAC WRIGHT: Julie was arrested for DUI.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [shocked] What?!
ISAAC WRIGHT: She called me. I got her out, but she promised she was going to tell you.
SEBASTIAN STARK: [mad] What were you thinking?! This is my daughter!
ISAAC WRIGHT: I was just trying to help.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Help?! What, by going behind my back?!
ISAAC WRIGHT: Hold on! Julie called me.
SEBASTIAN STARK: Yeah! Yeah, that's exactly the problem.
[He storms off.]
CUT TO:
[Stark Residence, Living Room. Night. Julie is asleep on the couch. Stark enters and sees her asleep. He looks at her and slowly goes over to her. He sits down next to her. She stirs and opens her eyes, noticing him.]
JULIE STARK: Hi. I saw Uncle Chris on the news. Why would he do something like that?
SEBASTIAN STARK: [softly] Sometimes people disappoint you.
JULIE STARK: I'm gonna go to bed.
[She gets up and starts to go. Stark looks at her, hopeful for a confession. His shoulders drop when she walks past him. She turns around and hugs him from behind. He pats her hand. Breaking the hug, Julie starts going upstairs.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: Thing is...
[Julie stops.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: If Uncle Chris had just leveled with me... I could have helped him. But he didn't have the guts to admit he screwed up.
[Julie looks at him, conflicted.]
JULIE STARK: I love you.
[Stark turns forward.]
SEBASTIAN STARK: [hiding his disappointment] I love you, too.
[She walks upstairs. Stark sits pensively.]
CUT TO:
[END CREDITS.]