I'm Erica Bain. And as you know, I walk the city
I bitch and moan about it. I walk and watch and listen...
...a witness to all the beauty and ugliness...
...that is disappearing from our beloved city
Last week took me to the gray depths of the East River...
...where Dimitri Panchenko swims his morning laps...
...like he has every morning since the 1960s
Today I walked by the acres of scaffolding outside what used to be the Plaza Hotel...
...and I thought about Eloise
Remember Kay Thompson's Eloise?
Eloise who lived in the Plaza Hotel...
...with her dog Weenie and her parents, who were always away...
...and her English nanny who had eight hairpins made out of bones
That Eloise. The adored brat of my childhood. A little punk kid...
Sid vicious,spewing beer from his teeth in the Chelsea Hotel
Andy Warhol,his sunglasses...
Edgar Allan Poe,freeing live monkeys from the crates of a crumbling schooner...
...on the oily slips of South Street
Stories of a city...
...that is disappearing before our eyes. Its people swept over...
So,what will be left of those stories?
Are we going to have to construct an imaginary city to house our memories?
Because when you love something, every time a bit of it goes...
...you lose a piece of yourself
So where's Eloise going to sleep tonight? Can you hear her ghost...
...wandering around the collapsing corridors of her beloved Plaza...
...trying to find her nanny's room...
...calling out to the construction workers...
...in a voice that nobody hears:
"Has anyone seen my turtle, Skipperdee?"
This is Erica Bain,and you've been listening to Street Walk on WNKW
- And this is 90. 1,WNKW. - All right
- See you next week. - Have a good one,Erica
Hey,I'm out of here
Did Eloise really mean that much to you?
Oh,come on,Carol. Weren't you ever a little girl?
Not the kind of little girl that remembers the name of her turtle
Anyway,good show
Look,Bravo called again about that TV spot
You know what? I'm...
I'm not a face. I'm just a voice
The shows are on the website. People can download them for free
- Yeah,exactly. - Maybe
Bye
- Hello? - Hey
- Hello. - What are you wearing?
Green scrubs,tied at the waist, very sexy V-neck
- Short-sleeved little number. - How about the sexy green hat?
- Still got that? - In my hand
You like it more than the others, less than the others or the same?
Oh,yeah. I'm at the place...
...and I wanna make sure you're still okay with the cream and the orange
Yeah,cream and orange
Actually,it's not cream. It's vanilla. But that's fine
It's not cream. It's vanilla
- Who cares? Let's go get married tonight. - Your mother cares
Trust me,she wants invitations
Yeah,these are good. Thanks
Hey,listen. For tonight,if you meet me at Nicole's art thing...
...you don't have to talk to anyone but me
- Maybe. - Come on
- I've got a game,haven't I? - You're not coming?
- Look,I've gotta go. - What?
I do love you
Yeah. I love you too
- Hi. - Hi. Oh,you're James
- I'm Erica. I'm Nicole's friend. - Hi
These are good. They're really cool. I love them
The Laundromat is in a town in Jersey where Diane Arbus used to do her laundry
- Oh,yeah? - Oh,that gun store is down in Chinatown
Berenice Abbott shot it in the '30s
It's really evocative,you know?
Kind of quiet. I like that. It doesn't make too much noise
Thanks
Bring more drinks,less shrimp. More
Where you going? You're leaving?
- No,no. I'm staying. I'm staying. - Oh,my God,you're such a bad liar
I know,but I try
You have to convince him to come to one of these things
He can't avoid us forever. Oh,my God
- What are you doing here? - Don't you love this woman?
I could take her or leave her. You guys...
...this,when it starts,it's disgusting
- We have to go. - You're too happy
- Say goodbye. - Bye
- I hate you. - I love you
I really... I hate you so much
Oh,God. It's so pretty out
Tell you what. I'll get him. You sit here. Okay?
No,let me get him
- Okay. Will you get me my jacket too? - Fine
Here. Take this
Thanks
Hey
Oh,I can open my own door
Thank you
Good boy. Good boy
- Hi,puppy! - Here
Are you gonna be that crabby when you get older?
I am older. And I'm way meaner
Look,she gave me an apple. Here,baby
- So she is human. - That was too big a bite
That was too big a bite. I didn't say you could eat the whole thing
You know what?
I could get about maybe five days and we could go to the place with the water and...
...find good food and lots of sleeping
Yes,I concur
Here,boy. Good boy
Good boy
Don't give it to him. Throw it
- I wasn't mucking about,you know. - What about?
Why can't we go down to city hall tonight?
- Because it's closed. - Tomorrow,then
David,you have a family. I don't,you know?
- You're not marrying my family. - Well,I am,kind of
I mean,I hope I am
Your mom is so sweet and she just... She wants the whole deal,you know?
She wants the invitations...
...and the band playing and the minister
I don't know. Maybe I do too, you know? Because...
...it's not like I'm gonna do this twice
You're not?
No,I'm not
That's the nicest thing you ever said to me
Where's Curtis?
Oi,Curtis!
Come on,boy
Come on,pup! Did he go up there?
- He's not in there,is he? - Come on!
Curtis?
Hey!
- There he is. - Curtis
- Come on,boy. - Curtis,come on
Hey,Curtis?
- Hey. - Curtis
Hey
- What's up,boy? - What's wrong,sweetheart?
Hey
Man,don't you know there's a fucking leash law?
Yeah,don't you fucking know better?
Yeah. I'm sorry. Thanks for finding him
It's... It's all good,bro. It's all good
But...
...I get a reward or something?
Our gratitude. Now give him to me
Come on,man. You know gratitude ain't worth shit around here
- You're hurting him! - Give me the dog
No,I don't think so. See,I kind of like this dog
I think he's a keeper. A keeper
Smile,baby
- You are a cunt. - Fuck you,bitch!
Come on,motherfucker. That's what I thought,you stupid pussy
- Look... - Go
I haven't got much money. You can have what I've got
Give me your watch,give me your ring. Let's go,I ain't got all day
Hurry the fuck up,princess
- Let's go. Hurry up! - Give him the shit
- Get the fuck over here. - Fuck!
- David! - I fucking missed it!
Where you going?
- Action! - Think you're fucking with me?!
You just made my day!
Popped your motherfucking cherry!
Let's even shit out
Ready for your close-up,cunt?!
Heads up!
Hollywood!
Think you're fucking with me?!
You ain't got nothing to say now,fool!
- David. - Oh,how cute. Lovebirds
- A chickenhead and a faggot. - Say "cheese," bitch!
This is the emergency room
- Did you get any sleep? - No. Where's Murrow?
We're looking for him
She was dead on arrival and her fingerprints are all over the gun
- Where? - Bedroom
Daughter called 911
Thanks. I wanna see her
- So he's laughing again. - Yeah
Listen,the kid's in a waiting room with ACS. I'll meet you over there
We need your signature right here
Where is she?
- Can I talk to her? - You can try
Hey,sweetie
Can I have a word with you?
We're just gonna be right here. All right
You like lollipops?
Pick one
That was the one I was gonna pick
You know,sweetie...
...something you should know. Your mommy,she was really worried about you
And if she could,she would tell you that you can trust me
Did your stepfather hurt your mommy?
Sean? Sean!
Okay. Okay,step back!
- I want my daughter! - Get back!
All right! All right
You don't have the right
- I do... - At a time like this,I need to see her
No,you don't. I do have the right
- She is my daughter. - No,she is your stepdaughter
And you know how this whole thing works
You done been through this a thousand times. You hire your lawyers...
...and you do your thing. But right now,we're gonna do ours
- I'm gonna take a walk. You deal with him. - Yeah,I got it
That was Dr. Sterling. Okay,bye-bye
It's a hell of a thing
- Yup. - I heard her show once
Erica?
Erica,can you hear me?
Erica?
You had the service?
They didn't know when you were going to wake up...
...if you were going to wake up
You were gone for three weeks
We had to let him go. We had to
I wanna see him again
- He's gone. - I wanna see him again!
He's gone,honey
He would have been happy that you lived
Nurse Bench,you have a call on one-four. Nurse Bench
I don't know. All the faces are starting to blur together. L...
I just can't tell anymore,you know?
You gotta help us here. We need something from you,anything
Let's start over again
He hit your boyfriend with the pipe. Once,twice,three times?
We know how tough it can be...
...to go back there... - Do you,huh?
Look,Miss Bain,we're on your side
Yeah
I know that
You're the good guys
So how come it doesn't feel like that?
Please leave a message for David and Erica after the beep
Hey,it's me. Call me at the gallery
I'll take you out. Go to dinner,a movie
Let's go for a walk. Anything,okay?
Ma'am,can I help you?
Detective O'Connor and Detective Pitney, please
Pitney and O'Connor are out. Can anyone else help you?
Well...
...you know, I wanted to check on my case
I've been calling and we've been playing phone tag...
...and I thought that if I came down... - Okay
What kind of case did you have?
My boyfriend was beaten to death
Oh,I'm sorry. Do you have a complaint report number?
- No,I don't know it. - And what was his name?
David Kirmani
K-l-R-M-A-N-I
It might be under Erica Bain
About how long ago did it happen?
June 11 th
Okay. I realize how difficult this can be...
...but if you'd please be patient and have a seat over there...
...an officer will be down shortly to help you
Okay
I realize how difficult it can be...
...but if you'd please be patient and have a seat over there...
...an officer will be down shortly to help you
- Wanna get something to eat? - What's up,guys?
- Hey. - You saw the game last night?
Man
Could I help you?
Yeah. I wanna buy a gun
License?
Oh,yeah,of course. I need a license,yeah
Once you get one,fill out this form, and we'll notify you in 30 days
I need to get something now
Sorry. That's illegal
Hey!
I won't survive 30 days
Hey
- What happened to you? - Me? Nothing
A thousand dollars
A thousand dollars?
Okay,but I need to learn how to use it
No shit. Follow me
Wait right here
In here
It's a Kahr K9. Check to see if it's loaded
How do I do that?
The chamber. Pull the slide back
It's got internal safety so you don't shoot yourself. Loads from the handle
All right
You pay me now,it's yours
I'll throw in the bullets
Yeah,I'll take it
Got it,got it,got it
You shouldn't smoke. It'll kill you
I don't care
There's plenty of ways to die
But you have to figure out a way to live
Now,that's hard
Look at you,all sophisticated
- You shouldn't be working this late. - I had a client dinner
Hey,can I get a dirty martini for the lady?
You said this was business,Sean
It is
Eighty-six that
Okay,l... I need a favor from you
You...
- You heard about that Murrow thing,right? - His wife killed herself
Oh,come on. Women don't shoot themselves in the face
At least in my experience
Where do they shoot themselves, in your experience?
The heart
Jackie,I been...
...chasing after this asshole for three straight years
And right when his wife was ready to turn state's evidence on him...
...instead of blowing the lid off of him, she blows off her own head
- Come on. - You don't let go,do you?
So what can I do?
Well,she has a daughter. Had a daughter
And...
...her daughter knows something
But now he's asked for custody of her and then he's gonna get it
- Is he the father? - No,no. He's her stepfather
- And you want her made a ward of court. - Yes
She knows something and she's not safe with him
Look,all I'm asking you to do is just act on her behalf
Please
Sean,I'm your ex-wife
Conflict of interest
And besides,I don't do pro bono
You used to
Yeah,well,I grew up
When did you get out?!
- You won't let me see my kids? - You can't be here! Court order!
- I'm calling 911! - Lf I can't see them,you won't see them!
Try seeing them now
It's my money too
I can hear you breathing
No
- Squad central. - Notify upon arrival
- Damn. - We're a 10-84 at 110 and Lenox
10-4. Eighty-five to patrol supervisor on the scene
- 10-4. - Looks like the circus made it to town
Any IDs?
Victim's a 30-year-old Vietnamese female. Ida Combs
- Where's the other body? - This way
Got a 39-year-old,Sandy Combs. White male
Looks like he was a roadie for Aerosmith. I don't think those guys have a dental plan
Guy had a rap sheet longer than my dick
So in other words,no priors
Easy
So we got us a Sandy Combs and an Ida Combs. What does that tell us?
They're married. I'm way ahead of you,pal
- Yeah,that's one way of ending it. - You know,what's wrong with divorce?
Everything
Divorce sucks
Okay,so tell me
Well,she took three in the torso with a.38
Then somebody smoked him with a 9 mm automatic. Don't ask me who,though
And we found these casings
Three casings. Looks like there's a partial print on one,but it's smudged
Anybody check surveillance?
That monitor's working, but the machine's empty
Machine's working
- But where's the tape? - Don't know
And why didn't he take the money?
They chickened out,got scared?
We got three casings,only one hit. How about that?
Maybe he's farsighted,crappy shooter. Who knows?
Or he never fired a gun before
It is...
...astonishing...
...numbing,to find...
...that inside you there is a stranger
One that has your...
...arms...
...your legs...
...your eyes
A sleepless,restless stranger...
...who keeps walking...
...keeps eating...
...keeps...
...living
New York,like any metropolis...
New York,like any metropolis, is an organism that changes,mutates
Building sprout-like chromosomes on the DNA of its streets
New York,like any metropolis...
...is an organism that changes,mutates
Building sprout-like chromosomes on the DNA of its streets
Look,I've got... I've got two shows that are almost finished
They're already mixed. All they need is an intro and an outro,which I could do live
I've got six shows in various stages
I've got all these stories in my files. You know,new stuff,better stuff
And I know what I'm doing, and you know that I know what I'm doing
Erica. You've been through so much
You need more time before you put yourself out there
- Don't make me beg. - I don't mean to
But we have a public and I'm not sure you're ready for it yet
You telling me I can't work because of what happened?
I did not say that
Look...
...I just need to keep living
You know,I don't wanna...
I don't wanna disappear
- Station WNKW, located at 90. 1 on the FM dial
Up next is Street Walk
Let's now join Erica Bain in our WNKW studios
Okay,Erica. Three,two,one,you're on
This is Erica Bain,and I walk the city
New York...
...like any metropolis,is an organism...
Okay. Is there anything we can cut to?
Music,prerecord,anything?
Give me a minute,Carol
New York...
...like any metropolis...
...is...
Oh,shit
New York...
...the safest big city in the world
But it is horrible...
...to fear the place you once loved
And to see a street corner you knew so well...
...and be afraid of its shadow
To see familiar steps, be unable to climb them
I never understood how people lived with fear
Women afraid to walk home alone...
...people afraid of...
...white powder in their mailbox...
...darkness and night
People afraid of people
I always believed that fear belonged to other people
Weaker people
It never touched me
And then it did
And when it touches you,you know...
...that it's been there all along...
...waiting beneath the surfaces of everything you loved
And your skin crawls...
...and your heart sickens...
...and you look at the person you once were walking down that street...
...and you wonder,will you...?
Will you ever be her again?
Talk to me
Look at this motherfucker right here
Hey,what sounds you got up in there,dog?
This motherfucker think I'm playing,man
Don't nobody talk in New York no more? I asked you a motherfucking question!
I said,what are you listening to, you fucking faggot?!
- Radiohead,man. - Radiohead?
Leave him alone,man!
Man,shut the fuck up!
Little man,you ain't know your pop sucked dick?
He's good at it too. Now,you wanna grow up to be like that punk ass?
That's a nice watch. How old are you?
- Get your ass out of here. - Tell your mom I said "What's up?"
Yo,little man,holler at me, I'll show you how to be a G
Hey,yo,thanks for the iPod,man
This shit is nice,man. This is all me right here
- I'm keeping this joint. - You kidding me,right?
This is cool
Oh,shit
- Yo,yo,yo,I got this,I got this. - Bitch,is you crazy?
This is too easy,man
So...
...you gonna give me some Radiohead too?
You ever been fucked by a knife?
I should have walked out of that train
I could've just shown them the gun, and they wouldn't have hurt me
Why don't my hands shake?
Why doesn't somebody stop me?
I swear they like Oreos
Homicide,this is Vitale
There you go, you're doing the tricks again
Upside down. No,come on up. Gotta come to the top. There you go,baby
Okay,thank you
We've got two confirmed shot on a subway from Brooklyn
Church Street,lower Manhattan. Everyone's arguing whose jurisdiction
- That makes it ours. - All right,fellas,let's go
We got two dead bodies inside the subway car,and no eyewitnesses
Of course not. Did you check with BCI?
Yeah,I got this printout
- They here yet? - Yes,sir
- And I'll get them to you. - Morning,fellas
Christ on a cracker
Well,I hope this is their stop
Got Radiohead,U2,Dixie Chicks
- No Wu-Tang? - I don't think this is his
Money in his pocket
Looks like a 9 mm automatic
- Like from the other night? - Yeah
Check it against Brass Catchers, see if it matches
Hey,you
- Just go inside. I came out here for a smoke. I just wanna go back in
You're giving me a hard time. You let my friends in
They both had cash,so neither one of them was robbed. And they had priors
A shitload of them
The guy at Sandy's,he had priors
I know,but that was domestic
No,but he wasn't robbed
Or something
- I mean,what are we missing? - I wish I knew
Now,look. You got a small guy sitting
These two punks come at him with a knife and,you know...
...he shoots the first one without getting out of his seat
Right. Go on,I'm with you
It's like maybe Mr. Average Joe just decided,I'm not gonna take it anymore
And I'm gonna take matters into my own hands
The kind of guy you wouldn't even notice
Well,if that's true,he's getting better
Yeah. Every bullet hit home
- Detective! - Hey,detective!
- Detective! - Any leads,detective? Please
- Come on,step back! - What about the bodies,detective?
It's a new... It's a new investigation
We haven't talked to anybody yet,no
It's a brand-new investigation
- Any suspects? - No,we're not... I'm sorry,but we're not...
Any leads? How many?
Detective!
Hey
Excuse me,don't I know you?
- No,I don't think we've met. - Wait a minute. I know you
- No. You haven't. L... - What's your name?
My name's Erica Bain. I do a radio show
I don't know if you'd be interested in doing an interview. I'd love to...
I'm sorry. We're not talking to the media now
I'm not that kind of media. It would be about you
My life's not that interesting
- Yeah,but the work you do is. - No,thank you
So...
...you gonna give me some Radiohead too?
You ever been fucked by a knife?
How the hell did this get out so quick?
Who knows? Coroner hates you, people fucking technicians. Who knows?
"Bloodbath."
You ever listen to NKW?
- What is that,like hip-hop? - No
Remember a couple of months ago...
...this girl and her boyfriend, they got jacked in Central Park?
- No. Which ones? - Well,anyway,she has this radio show
- Right. - She shows up at the subway last night...
...and guess who she wants to interview? - Me?
What,you? You should totally do it. Remember that Bernie Goetz thing?
Hey,is Carter in?
Reporters calling in the night. Reporters eat that shit up
No,well,she's not that kind of reporter. Yeah,well,have him call me
What is she? Like a DJ or something?
- No,she's just interesting,you know. - Interesting?
Have him call me at my desk. It's Mercer
What's she want with you? Give her my number
What's her precise street address?
You know what I want?
I want everyone in the market that night...
...everyone on the subway,outside. Everybody,I need them all brought in
Somebody has to have seen this guy
I need you to get the registration off of this iPod
- See who it belongs to. - I'm on it
You've been avoiding me
- No,I haven't. - Yeah
You've been avoiding the full glare of my disapproval
Yeah,well,it was... The show sucked and everybody hated it. I'm sorry
Well,we don't normally do silence on WNKW
You almost managed a full minute
Well,I think I did an okay recovery,so...
You got 11 more steps,do you? Are they all gonna be on the air?
I thought we were better than some AM confessional...
...but people are responding
I was wrong. I'm big enough to admit it,so keep it up
Erica Bain?
Erica Bain
I'm Detective Mercer. You...
You remember me from last night?
- Yeah. - Yeah,well...
...I saw you in the hospital after...
After what had happened to you and to your friend
My friend?
Yeah. I stopped by your room,you know, because I recognized your name
My wife,she used to listen to your show all the time and...
...that was why I stopped you in the subway
I just wanted you to know that
Thank you
You know,it was disturbing
It really was. I mean,you were gone
And to see somebody...
...that can't see you,it...
But you're back now
Yeah,I'm back now
A lot of people don't make it back
I know that
I know you do. You see...
...I checked into your case
- You checked into my case? - Yeah
We got two of the best detectives in this city that's working on this...
...and we will find them
We always do
Are policemen always so confident?
Are you interviewing me now?
- Yeah,I guess I am. - Right
Okay
How long is this gonna take?
Five minutes,tops. We can do it over here
Yeah
When you first go to a crime scene...
...what do you look for? - Evidence
Okay,such as?
Murder weapon,entry wound...
...DNA samples,prints, carbon fragments...
...position of the corpse
It's amazing what a dead body can tell you
So the dead do talk?
Oh,yeah. Everybody talks
Now,most everybody lies. But the dead can't
And then again,the lies tell you things too,because...
...people tell them for a reason
And those bodies at the subway, what are they telling you?
You read the paper
Should I believe what I read?
You ever read about him?
Why do I know him?
That's Mr. Murrow. He owns the parking out on Roosevelt Island
But that's not all he does
What else does he do?
- You really wanna know? - Yeah
Then this is off the record
Okay
He imports drugs,guns,people. Whatever's in demand
Found three guys that had crossed him...
...with their hands Superglued to a table and expanding cement in their throats
Had his wife ready to testify against him...
...and then she's found with her brains blown out,gun in her hand
Nothing adds up except his lawyers
Now he's got custody of his stepdaughter...
...and not for sentimental reasons
But he knows she knows something...
...and I hate to think what's gonna happen to her. But...
...maybe you know a nicer side
And why can't you nail him?
Because I follow the law
Well,there's nothing you can do?
Nothing that's legal
I didn't say that
I didn't hear it
Thank you
Nothing that's legal
So...
...there's nothing you can do?
No. No matter how bad I feel about it
I petitioned that she be made a ward of the court...
...but his lawyers killed that one stone dead,so...
Ever shot anyone?
Yeah
Did your hands shake?
No
But that's one of the benefits of being on the right side
A benefit that that asshole and the subway shooter don't have
And you think they're the same?
They both walked away from a murder, didn't they?
Let me ask you a question
Just us
How did you...
...pull it back together after what happened to you?
You don't
I'm sorry
- No,no. - Jacked-up question,man
It's a fair question. You...
You become someone else
A stranger
You must have loved him very much
Yeah
Sometimes that just makes it harder, you know. You just wish you didn't
So,come on,some more cop stuff
- Or are we done? - No,l... We're good
Thanks
And... here
That's my card. You...
You wanna talk about your case, you can call me. Any time
I warn you...
...I don't sleep
Neither do I
I walk the streets at night now
I find places and things I never knew existed
But am I finding them or are they finding me?
Ever shot anyone?
Yes
Did your hands shake?
No,that's one of the benefits of being on the right side
That from a police detective covering last night's subway shooting
And like all good cops, he believes in the law...
...in right and wrong, and the thin,fragile line between them
And he's probably wondering, as I speak...
...why is somebody doing his job for him?
Hey,baby
- Hello. - What's up,honey?
Not much
So,what would 50 dollars do for you?
- Shouldn't she be at home? - She got no home
Have you,honey?
- Where to? - Come on in
- You're looking for a show in the back seat? - Oh,yeah
What's your name,honey?
Chloe
What's he got in mind,Chloe?
The little whore needs a mommy
Are you a mommy?
You're a whore,right?
I'm collecting whores
You know them suicide bombers over in Iraq?
When they die they want 72 virgins. Me,I want whores
I want them while I'm alive
You know,Chloe and I are gonna take a little walk
- You ain't going nowhere. - Never get in the car
How long have you been in it?
Four...
...five,six days
Since...
Since Vegas
But you wanna go now,don't you?
Yes
Are you giving me grief again?
Oh,my,got us a supercunt here
Open the doors
And if I don't?
Then I'll be the last supercunt you'll ever see
Get out of the car,Chloe. Go on
Not until he pays me
All right,pay the girl
Come on! Easy
All of it
All of it!
Come on,walk
Don't turn around. Just keep going
You got a family back there,Chloe, in Vegas?
No. I went there from Albuquerque
Well,you got enough money to get you home now
Ain't you a sad whore?
Get out of the way!
Hey. Hey!
You're okay. You're okay,come on
Let me turn you over
All right. I'm so sorry. Here
Is this...
...still America?
Yeah. Your leg is broken
Who the hell are you?
I'm nobody
There is no going back...
...to that other
She is gone
This thing,this stranger...
...it's all you are now
You walking out the heat?
Yeah
Are you all right?
Your hands are cold as ice
Your lipstick is smudged
Erica. Erica!
You never said my name before
I heard your show
Right and wrong?
Ballistic tests have linked last night's shooting...
...with the shooting from the market and the shooting from the subway,so...
Are you saying...? Are you saying the same gun was used in all three shootings?
Well,that seems to be the case
Detective
Sources are saying the witness can provide a description...
...but has refused to talk. - I'm sorry,can you repeat that?
Has the witness refused to provide a description?
No,the witness is awake...
...and she is coherent,and we will be interviewing her shortly
Now,thank you,that's everything. Chief
Please,everybody,please
That's all the information we're prepared to release
Thank you very much
Hey
- You handled yourself really well back there. - I tried
So,what,is this guy becoming an obsession with you?
No,my interest is in you
Why me?
Well,because you seem like a good man, you know? Like a good cop
Yeah,well,ain't nobody doing my job for me
You heard my show
Yeah
You gotta think every one of those reporters in that room...
...is gonna sensationalize this
But not you
You're better than that
How can you tell?
Your show
- My show? - Yeah
You see,my wife...
...she didn't listen to it. - No?
I did
Well,you don't fit our audience profile
- Yeah,and you don't fit your voice either. - I don't?
No,you're a whole lot cuter and about 100 pounds lighter
How's the girl doing?
She's pretty banged up. Yeah,but we'll know more tomorrow
Well...
I hope she's all right
Yeah
- Hi. - Hey
You see those pictures of the subway thing?
- Gross. - They shot another one last night
- Some pervert. - Who will they go for next,Donald Trump?
- No,that's incitement. - And justified
- Wish he'd take care of my ex. - You think that's funny?
I suppose you think lethal injection's funny too
- Funny like strange,or funny "ha,ha"? - You're sick,you know that?
You're all sick
I'm thinking about opening up your show. I want you to take phone-ins
- On what? - You heard them
You mean the shootings? The vigilante thing?
- You really think that that's appropriate? - Why not?
Well,I thought you said you didn't like that kind of thing
I don't. But you're good at it
- How am I good at it? - You're a survivor
- I'm not asking you to personalize it. - Oh,you're not?
No more than you already have
The essential American soul is hard...
...isolate,stoic,and a killer
It has never yet melted
I quote that from D.H. Lawrence...
...because someone is playing God out there...
...killing in the name of justice, in this...
...the safest big city in the world
And because I've been asked today to do something that we've never done before:
Take calls from our listeners on the subject
This is a new departure for us but we wanna hear from you...
...so call 212-165-9990
First caller. Hi,you're on the air
As far as I'm concerned, he's doing us a favor
And why is that?
Because no matter what the media tells us...
...crimes are being committed, and he's cleaning it up
And you think he has the right to do that
- Well,yeah. - Next caller. You're on the air
You're talking about murder
The death penalty without a trial
The vigilante is just like the people he's killing. He should be in jail
Well,maybe he will. Next caller. You're on the air
It's less about what he's doing than how it makes us feel
There's not a person I know...
...doesn't get a jolt of pleasure when they hear...
- Pleasure? - Yeah,revenge makes us feel good
That's why we have war, why we got the death...
- Next caller,you're on the air. - I think it's good for New York
I mean,this city was turning into Disneyland
- We're getting our street cred back. - Next caller. You're on the air
What is wrong with our society,that this kind of thing can even get on radio?
Revenge,murder,vigilante killings?
Hasn't the whole Iraqi debacle taught us anything?
"Waste the bad guys,bring them on."
I've been a fan of yours. I can't even believe you're...
Neither can I. You're on the air
I wonder if the vigilante has a girlfriend because there's something sexy about...
- Sexy? - Yeah,completely
And if he's listening,my number is 2...
- You're on the line. - This is the vigilante calling
I'm the man that takes care of business. That chick can have...
- I need to talk to someone. - Ma'am,can I help you?
Yeah
I need to talk to someone about a homicide
Names?
Erica Bain
She was the victim?
No. She wasn't the victim
She was the...
- She's... - No "Erica Bain" under homicide
- Well,maybe there should be. You know? - Pardon me?
Nothing
You gonna give me some Radiohead too?
Fucking woman!
Are you a mommy? You're a whore,right?
Erica?
Is that you?
- Because I could not stop for Death... - Erica?
...he kindly stopped for me
Erica?
The carriage held but just ourselves. And Immortality
Erica?
Mercer
Hey,it's me,Erica
I know
- Is everything okay? - Yeah,I...
I just wanted to talk and l... For some reason,I thought of you
Okay
What's going on?
What do you do when you can't sleep?
- Nothing. - Isn't that hard?
To do nothing?
Well,you sort of get used to it
Erica?
Well,come on,what's happening? Talk to me
Did you sleep better when your wife was beside you?
I know I did
I couldn't feel my body unless his arms were wrapped around me
Yeah,well,my wife,she used to...
...flip through the night
So I called her a mackerel
I guess that's not the worst thing in the world to wake up to
Hey,you want me to stay on the phone with you until you go to sleep?
No
You've been good to me
Sleep tight
Yeah
How late?
Look,I'm not busting your balls. You told me it'd be there and it better be
Why do you think you can hurt people?
- What? - Just do damage and walk away
Don't you know what you leave behind?
- Do I know you? - Do you think about it?
Does it keep you up at night?
- Does it haunt you? - Excuse me?
Because it haunts me
Are you one of them press paparazzo freaks?
You got a fucking camera there?
You can't take my fucking picture
You're gonna come to my fucking place and take my fucking picture?
You fuck!
- You a fucking cop? - You wish
Well,it looks like he fell from up there
Cause of death could be the fall. It could be the crowbar stuck in his skull
I'd say 50-50 either way
Shit
Maybe 70-30
I mean,come on,man. How many people wanted this prick dead? Besides us?
Too many. The problem is he knew all of them
He wouldn't let anybody get this close to him
You think someone did us a favor? Maybe we should put him on the payroll
What,like someone think they're doing our job for us?
Saying,Hey,New York's finest, I'm gonna send you a little message
This is how it's done
- Get a shot right there. - Officer!
Here we go. All right,I'll be back
Erica,are you okay? Oh,my God
- Get out. - My God!
- Get away! - No,I won't get away
Don't touch me. I'm sick!
I can see that
- We have to get you to a hospital. - No
No
- Why not? - I can't because...
Oh,God. I can't
What kind of trouble are you in?
You don't wanna know
Were you a nurse?
When I had to be
This is going to leave a scar
I killed a man tonight
Because he did this to you?
No
I would've killed him anyway
Back home...
...they gave young boys guns
Made them kill their parents
Just to show us...
...anyone...
...can cross that line
Anyone can be a killer
Each death leaves a hole...
...waiting to be filled
Did the ME come back with his liver temperature yet?
Yeah,he's about... Dead about two hours from when we got there
- So that puts us at what time? - About 1:00,give or take
Damn
Okay,I want everyone from the subway and from that market killing...
...I want them all brought in again. - We've done all of that
We need to do it again. We need to think outside the box
But he hit him with a crowbar, hefted him over the rail
We're talking about a different guy here,man. Think about it
Maybe
What about the iPod? You said it traced back to a kid
I thought I told you. The kid's father is an attorney
- He wants a subpoena,but I'm on it. - Get him
- Whatever you gotta do... - All right. I'll call right now
Hey,Erica
No,I just wanna know how you slept
Hey,you wanna see what I do?
Well,meet me over at Wynnward Hospital in Washington Heights
You'll get an idea
East 1 4 and Broadway,East 1 4 and Broadway. None confirmed at the time
Why doesn't he march here?
- March down the street. - Ethan Grant,my man
Now sit your hippie ass down
You smoking pot?
- I need to talk to you. - My dad said not to get involved
Oh,yeah? Does your dad know you smoke grass,huh?
That's a lot more than a misdemeanor these days
- Listen,I didn't see anything. - I think you did
- Look at me. Hey,you selling this shit? - No
Well,I believe you
Maybe a judge won't. Come on,Skippy. Get your shit. Let's go. Come on
- Hey. Thanks for coming. - Hey
Sure
- Nice jacket. - Thanks
So,what time you got to sleep last night?
I don't know,pretty soon after we hung up,I guess
- About 1,1:30? - Yeah. Something like that
Yeah. I ended up working all night
You know you're not gonna be able to reference this on your show?
Sure,if I knew what this was
We're gonna interview a witness to a shooting
- Isn't that against procedure? - Yeah
But I've tried to talk to her twice...
...and she seemed real nervous to talk to me
I figure maybe if you were there, she'll talk
Why me?
Because you got me to talk
Hi,Chloe
How are we feeling today?
All right
I brought a friend
Hi,Chloe
Hi
So you feel like telling me what happened to you that night now?
That's a pretty necklace
You should tell them what you saw
Whatever it was,tell them the truth
It's okay
I saw...
I saw nobody
Come on,Chloe. Tell me the truth now,all right?
And nobody saw me
Okay
Sorry if that upset you
Well,I'm sorry that I couldn't be more help back there
Well,you definitely seemed to help her
She sure liked your...
...necklace
It meant a lot to me
Erica?
- Yeah. - Why'd you call me last night?
I told you,I couldn't sleep
And you were in bed?
No. I couldn't sleep
You wanna tell us again why you didn't wanna come in?
- For what? To get back my iPod? - Hey,watch your ass
I don't know. I had mixed feelings
I mean,I was kind of glad those guys got killed
- You were glad? - Yeah. I know I shouldn't be,but I was
- While we're young,give us a statement. - Look,I didn't see any vigilante
Those guys smacked me around and took my iPod
Then they hassled some black dude sitting next to his kid...
...so we all got off, except for some woman at the back
A woman
Yeah,just a woman. She was staying out of it
Maybe the vigi guy got on at the next stop
Can you describe this woman well enough for an artist to make a sketch?
I can try
Where are you going with this woman thing?
I'm not sure yet
Women kill their kids,their husbands, boyfriends,shit they love
They don't do this
- How you doing? - They don't?
- Good. - You need some more water?
- Nope. - Okay
Just think about the first moment that you met her. All right?
Where you were,where she was
Tell me anything that comes to mind
She had light hair,I think
And okay lips. And she was skinny
But she had some ass. You know,you could tell because...
- But you're not doing the ass,right? - No
Okay
She had good skin
It was smooth
And nice breasts
Yeah. Like,they were little, like Kate Moss titties
- But they looked good with... - Try to focus on the face
Oh,I'm sorry
- Hey,you know what I do remember? - What?
She was,like,on lockdown
I mean,shut off. Kind of scary
It's not cream
It's vanilla
You left a hole in me
But I'm done now
You hear me?
I'm done now
Great. It's Jennifer Aniston. I knew he was bullshitting us
No,not really. This is a phenomenon that happens quite often
The mind gets so saturated with popular images...
...it's often difficult,especially for people under 20,to recall something unique
That's Mr. Murrow
He owns the parking out on Roosevelt Island. That's not all he does
What else does he do?
- You really wanna know? - Yeah
- Then this is off the record. - Erica!
Who is it?
It's Detective Mercer. Could I have a minute with you?
Yeah. Yeah,just a second
- Hey. - Hey
I tried to call,but there was no answer
The ringer must be off
- Can I come in? - Yeah,sure. Come on in
- It's pretty dark in here. - I like it like that
Got something...
Is this yours?
- Where'd you find it? - Spanish Harlem
A uniform pinched the suspect's girlfriend trying to pawn it
He fit the description that you gave
Oh,my God
I need a favor from you
I'd like for you to come downtown and ID him in a lineup
No. I can't
I understand you're nervous, but you won't be alone in there
I promise
I'll get my stuff
Thanks
Okay,let's go
You're going to view five subjects, and then I'm gonna ask you three questions:
Do you recognize anyone? Where do you know them from? And what did they do?
Lights and blinds
Number one,approach the mirror
No
Sit down. Number two,approach the mirror
No
Sit down. Number three,approach the mirror
No
Sit down. Number four,approach the mirror
I can see them all. It's none of them
Sit down. You're sure?
Yeah. I'm sorry
I really am
I'm so sorry
Damn,I thought we had him. You think she just froze up?
Doesn't really seem like the type, you know?
I don't know
- You okay? - Yeah
That looked like it was pretty tough on you
It was. I was kind of hoping I was finally done
Yeah,well,I'm off now. Let's go get some food
- No,I'm not hungry. That's okay. - No,you need to eat
I can barely remember his hands
Perhaps you need to forget
I can't
I miss who I was with him
You know that feeling?
You know...
...this is Mughal. It was a gift from David's grandmother
Speaking of gifts...
You know,someone gave me a gift the other night
Yeah?
You recall that guy we saw on TV at the coffee shop?
The one I've been trying to put away for three years
Apparently somebody else must've had something against him...
...because we're not talking about a 9 mm here
It got real personal
Yeah,I read about it
We got some more information on that subway shooting
Turns out there was a woman on the car
Now,all this time,we've been looking for a man with a gun
It was a woman with a grudge
Well,I guess there's a lot of us out there
You know,Erica,when I was a rookie...
...I used to give myself this test
I would ask myself,if there was someone that I knew that had committed a crime...
...would I have the fortitude to put them away?
What kind of someone?
Someone close to me. Like the best friend I could ever...
I could ever hope to have
And...?
I always hoped that I would have the courage and the dedication to say yes
And do you?
I do
And it's important that you know that
I know that
It's what I admire about you
One more piece of evidence, and she goes down
And I'm sure you'll find it
You're a good detective. You miss nothing
I have to go
- I got it. - Okay
Hang on
Hey
- I wonder what David would think of... - Think of what?
This woman with a grudge
I don't know
The dead don't talk
At least not to me
All right,thanks
Hey,can I get Joey Mortell?
Crackheads
I got you stuck in traffic, 88th and 3rd Avenue
Pull over at the corner,Roma's Pizza. Get yourself a slice
- No,I'm not gonna be here that long. - You are gonna be there that long...
...because I got traffic backed up on 3rd all the way to 96th Street
- Make yourself comfortable. - Well,I need you to do me a favor,okay?
Can you run a trace on a call? And I don't have a subpoena
But you'll get one,right?
Yeah,if I have to
All right
Give me the date and the time
Two days ago,July 20th...
...between 12 and 1:30 a.m
All right. Okay,I need the number
Hold on
- It's 917... - Yeah
...157- 1 431. - All right,give me the name
Look,it's private,like I said
Okay,it's that kind of private. I see
All right. Okay,yeah,I got you covered
- Okay,just call me,all right? - You got it
You seen this ring before?
It looks familiar
I got a name. Shauna Nelson
An address,a cell phone
What'd she look like?
She had two eyes,a mouth and a nose, right in the middle of her face
Please get the fuck out of here
Yeah
Shut up. Shut up. That is...
It's true
Hello?
- Do you know this number? - No
Are you sure? 917
Hey,you guys,are 917... Fuck you guys. I'll see you later,okay?
- Bye. - Later
Hey!
- Are you Shauna? - Did you just call me?
Yeah,l... I got your number from the pawn shop. You had my ring
Yeah. Motherfucker fucks some slut...
...gives me the ring as a fucking make-up gift
- Turns out he stole the shit. - I wanna know where he is
Can you tell me where he is?
- L... - No. No
- I need an address. Phone number,anything. - No
- Tell me where he is! - No!
I saw what they did to you
That shit can't happen to me
The call lasted three minutes and 46 seconds
From 12:26 to 12:30...
...from 917-157-1431 to your cell phone
Vicinity of Roosevelt Island
Did she tell you she was someplace else?
- Yes,she did. - I'm sorry,man
But fuck her,right?
- Fuck her. - Yup
Fuck her
Hey,do me a favor
Keep this to yourself until...
...I can get that subpoena. - Didn't even go on the hard drive
Action!
Think you're fucking with me?!
Popped your motherfucking cherry! Over there. Let's even shit out
Heads up!
Hollywood!
How cute. Lovebirds
Action!
Think you're fucking with me?!
- You guys wanna make money or not? - Hell,yeah
You know what to do. Stand on that corner and keep an eye out
Show me you can do this. Show me you're ready
Stand next to the four guys, keep your mouth shut and your eyes open
Cops come,what do you do?
- Run! - Run,right?
Good. Listen,motherfuckers, stand on that sidewalk,keep an eye open
- How hard can that shit be? Right? - Yeah
Good. So get going. Get on that fucking sidewalk. Come on
You want something?
I want my dog back
The fuck?
Hi. Hi,boy. It's me
Hey. Hey,buddy. Hey
Do you remember me? Huh,boy?
Come on,man
Go,go!
No,you got me fucking waiting, and I need an address!
For Reed Bryant. He came in yesterday
Get away,bitch!
Who's the bitch now?
- 90 Clayton Avenue. - Thank you
Get the fuck out of the road!
- Hey,puppy. - Don't you know there's a leash law?
For a bitch like you!
It's just you and me and the fucking dog again,bitch!
I made your boyfriend smile. I'm gonna make you smile too,bitch!
- You think you can come after me,huh? - Get on the ground!
Get on the fucking ground! Police! On the ground! Lay flat on the ground!
- Drop the gun,Erica! - Stay out of this!
- No. - This is between him and me!
- You do not have the right. - Yes,I do!
No. I have the right to hunt him down and to shoot him
Then shoot him,then!
I don't do that shit,I investigate it. Now give me the gun
- And what are you gonna do,Mercer? - Come on
- You gonna arrest him? - Give me the gun
- Arrest me,officer! - Shut up!
- Give me the gun! - Come on,cuff me!
- Shut up! - Give me the gun,I said
Come on. Good girl
That's it. Good girl
No
Now,if you're gonna use a gun, you make sure it's legal
What the fuck are you doing,man?
- Ain't nobody talking to you. - Come on...
- I saw that shit you did! - You're a fucking cop!
- Not tonight. - Come on!
- Put me in cuffs! Get me out of here! - Shut the fuck up!
You can take me now
Problem is,if you go down, I go down
No. I can't let you do that for me
So you've got one person left to shoot
What?
You see,there was never any vigilante
It was just three punks out on a killing spree
They got a taste for it up in Central Park
And they bought themselves a gun
And they turned on each other, the way they do
And somehow...
...I got winged and...
...I did what I had to do
Right here
- I can't. - You only shoot bad guys?
I've joined that club. Now you nick me, graze me,but you wound me
From about 3 feet
- My hands are shaking. - You just make sure you miss my heart
Damn! Motherfuck,that shit hurts!
I'm sorry
So am I
Now you get out of here before I lose my temper
Baby,look at you. She left you too,huh?
That's okay. I got you now. You're gonna be fine. Come here
Come here. Wait,wait,wait!
10-13,10-13. Officer hit
Three perps down at 90 Clayton
Send a bus
There is no going back to that other person...
...that other place
This thing,this stranger...
...she is all you are now