Reasonable Doubt

This film contains strong language

CHILDREN LAUGHING

Where's Emma? Emma?!

CHILD SCREAMING

Emma! Emma!

Emma, where are you, honey? Emma?

Emma?

Oh, God. Oh, my God. EMMA CRYING

Are you OK? Oh, God.

OK, OK.

Oh, thank God.

I saw a scary man.

Neither fate nor society.

Put Francis Mulligan in the house

of Gloria Mitchell on the night of the 15th.

Neither fate nor society

told him to tie her up, shove a gun in her face

and steal her belongings.

That was his choice.

The defence...

The defence would have you walk in his client's shoes.

Well, I have.

I'm from Riverdale.

-It's a craphole.

-HE CHUCKLES

Nobody's saying it's not, but...

That's where I'm from. It's not who I am.

He is not the victim here.

So if you are going to put yourself in anyone's shoes...

Put yourself...

in Gloria Mitchell's.

Thank you.

The jury will now adjourn to deliberate a verdict.

Nice close. Straight to your top five.

-You like that?

-Yeah, I did.

"Not who I am." That was very cute.

-I gotta go.

-Mitch, the jury only just left.

Guilty, five years, parole after two.

-How do you know that?

-One, the judge is soft

on the educationally-challenged and nobody got shot.

And two?

I don't lose.

Well, that part's true.

-That's why I hate you.

-See you tonight.

SHE GROANS Look up. Look up.

PHONE CAMERA CLICKING Please. HE CHUCKLES

-One more.

-No. Absolutely not.

-Look at those tiny little hands.

-I know.

SHE GROANS I can't believe her. Looks so perfect.

She's so peaceful.

Thank you.

We're lucky.

I'm sorry I have to go to this work thing tonight.

I wish I could stay here with you.

-Help me.

-Careful, it's slippery.

Guys. Tomorrow, thank you.

Good night, boys.

-MITCH COUGHING

-I fucking hate tequila!

Everybody hates tequila. That's the idea.

Well, I... I didn't know what to get

the man who has everything, so...

He's got a career, a beautiful little baby...

-Oh, my little baby.

-..a sexy wife.

-Careful.

-And then it hits me...

I'm going to get the man a tequila hangover.

So, Mitch, tomorrow morning,

-you are going to wake up complete, my friend.

-That's right.

-Thank you. Thank you.

-I helped.

Complete.

You OK getting home?

Yeah. Going to get a...

-Going to get a cab.

-All right.

PHONE RINGING

-Hello?

-'This is a collect call from an inmate at Concord Penitentiary.

'To accept this call, press 1.' HE GROANS

-Everything OK?

-Yeah.

Yeah. Ugh. See you tomorrow.

Listen, when you throw up in the middle of the night,

-aim away from your baby.

-Yeah, I will.

-Aim away from the baby.

-Away from the baby.

-I promise.

-Don't puke on your child, Mitch.

-I won't puke on my child.

-Until tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Don't be late!

LINE RINGING

'Inner-city Taxi.'

-Hey!

-KEYS JINGLE

-ALARM CHIRPS, HONKS

-'Inner-city Taxi. Hello?'

Can I help you guys?

What the fuck?

Oh, fuck it.

HE STARTS ENGINE

SIRENS WAIL

SIRENS CHIRP

INAUDIBLE

SIRENS CHIRP

RAPID SIRENS

-THUDS

-Fuck.

Fuck.

What the fuck?

-BREATHING HEAVILY

-Oh, no.

Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck.

Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

Oh, fuck. I'm so sorry.

Oh, shit.

Hey, I'll get an ambulance.

Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck.

-HE GRUNTS

-Take this.

-MAN GROANING

-It's OK. I'm going to get help.

I'm going to get an ambulance, all right? Hold in there.

OK. OK.

Hey. Two minutes. I promise.

-Don't leave me.

-Just going to call an ambulance.

I'll be back in two minutes.

'911, what's your emergency?'

I need an ambulance. A guy's been hit by a car.

-'What's the location, sir?'

-Uh, Keeler.

-Keeler and 26th.

-'What's your name, sir?'

Please just hurry. Hurry, he's hurt real bad.

-'Sir.'

-PHONE CLATTERS

-MAN GROANS

-The ambulance is coming.

-Don't leave me.

-I have to go. I can't stay.

I can't stay. You'll be fine.

I promise. I promise. I'm sorry.

-Please. No.

-I have to go.

-Please.

-Please. Please.

Fuck. Fuck.

An ambulance is coming, OK?

-TRAIN CLATTERING

-OK?

Don't leave me, please.

-There's Daddy. Hey, lover.

-Hey.

What on earth are you doing up?

-I didn't sleep great.

-Hangover?

-HE CHUCKLES

-Yeah.

How are you?

Well, apparently they wake up every two hours and they demand food.

-Who knew?

-Can I help?

Yes, you can fix the garage doors. They're driving me crazy.

Just going to grab some diapers.

-TV:

-'..blamed a ride home when she got into...

'..in the third period, they mounted...

'..remind everybody that no matter what the weather,

'the winter festival is happening...

'..be careful out there, folks. The weather is...'

-Mitch.

-Uh-huh.

Something you wanna tell me?

What?

About last night?

-What?

-And the car?

Rach...

Uh...

And why it's parked in the garage?

Did you drive home?

Yeah.

-You promised to take a cab.

-I know.

No, I mean... What, are you crazy? Cos if you get a DUI,

then you can kiss the DA's office goodbye.

I know. I know, I'm sorry.

I shouldn't have. I won't do it again.

Mitch, I am serious. You're a father now, OK?

You can't afford to take chances.

I know. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

See? Look, even Ella agrees.

Ella?

Are you sure?

Mm-hmm. Don't change the topic.

I don't know what I'd do if I lost you guys.

Mmm. Here, let me take her. You go to bed.

-HE SIGHS

-Go get some rest.

There you go. Thanks. TRUCK APPROACHES

Just an hour.

-HE CLEARS HIS THROAT

-Hey.

-You OK?

Yeah. Could you call around

the local hospitals and clinics?

I'm trying to track down a young man who was involved

in a hit-and-run accident last night around midnight.

-What case is it connected to?

-Just let me know what you find.

-Yeah.

-Over there.

Thanks.

-Morning, officers.

-Good morning.

-Good. This way.

-Thanks.

'I'm down here in front of the police department'

with the story of the tragic death of this local young man.

What started out as a routine traffic stop last night

has turned into a gruesome murder investigation

when police officers stopped this van

parked behind me in the police impound

for nothing more than a burnt-out tail-light.

When they saw blood dripping from the rear door,

they demanded the driver open the van

and it was then they discovered the body of Cecil Ackerman,

a 24-year-old parolee from Naperville.

Please don't.

The driver claims he found Ackerman

dying in the road from an apparent hit-and-run

and was merely trying to get him to the hospital.

This is Jeff Franklin, reporting live from the scene.

Hey, Counsellor.

-BUZZES

-Thanks.

Yeah?

-Detective Kanon?

-Yeah.

How many "T"s in "committed"?

-Two.

-Fucking paperwork.

SHE SIGHS You got here fast.

Yeah.

You said you were interested in the Ackerman murder?

-Yes, I am.

-PAPER RUSTLES

DA assigned just you?

Well, it's just a provisional inquiry.

Walk with me.

Suspect's name is Clinton Davis.

55 car mechanic,

couple of assault charges - nothing he did time for -

no relatives, wife and daughter were murdered

in a home invasion a few years back.

Priest was in here already,

saying what a good guy he is, how he'd never hurt a fly,

-et cetera.

-They said on the news

that he found Cecil Ackerman in the road.

Yeah, we've been there.

No broken car parts, no blood that we could see.

Yeah, but the snow thawed overnight, so...

We've got Ackerman's blood and hair all over Davis's clothes.

We've got the bloody tools and the plastic sheets

in the back of his van. We've got enough to charge him.

You guys need to decide if it's enough to convict.

-He looks terrified.

-He should be.

He's staring down 20 to life for this one alone.

This one?

I ran some keywords through the database.

It flagged a string of unsolved homicides.

You think this guy's a serial killer?

You don't even know that he killed THIS guy.

Tell your boss we'll send him everything we got.

KNOCK ON DOOR

-Mitch.

-I have a request, sir.

Thanks. Hey.

Mitch Brockden, DA's office.

My associate Stuart Wilson.

Terry Roberts, public defender's office.

There you go.

Mr Davis, we're going to ask you a few questions

about the night of the fourth.

If you can answer as accurately as possible...

You're going to be my prosecutor?

Uh, if this goes to trial,

then, yes, I am.

I didn't do anything. I'm innocent.

Then you've got nothing to worry about.

OK, Mr Davis,

let's start with you telling us where you were

earlier that evening.

Left work, went to group,

went for a drive.

Group?

Yeah, I help out at some support groups.

-and the drive?

-Just something I do.

It's not against the law, right?

I mean, don't you ever go out and drive around at night?

Due respect, I think that's beside the point.

I don't like to spend too much time at home.

It brings back memories...

my wife and child.

Uh, yes.

I heard what happened to your family.

I'm... I'm sorry.

Emanuel Fryer. Gunned down the next night

attacking someone else's family.

'What do we know about the victim?'

Cecil Ackerman. Registered sex offender -

two counts of child sex abuse, did two years inside,

was only out on parole three months.

So a real loss to society.

So far there's no connection between him and Davis.

-What about the murder weapon?

-Weapons.

The coroner couldn't be exact,

but he suggested these wounds could be consistent

with the type of tools and machine parts

found in the back of Davis's van.

-Could be?

-Well, they also found

significant amounts of oil and grit in the wounds,

which corroborates Davis's hit-and-run story.

True, but the vic's DNA and blood were

all over Davis's clothes, inside his van.

Which could've got there when he lifted Ackerman into his van.

Yeah, or when he murdered him. Davis has two counts

-of aggravated assault.

-At a time when his family

had just been murdered in a home invasion.

He hasn't had so much as a parking ticket since.

What's bothering you, Mitch?

I don't see motive.

KNOCK ON DOOR

Just got this audio file.

-SHE CLEARS HER THROAT

-Here's the transcript.

It was a 911 call. Somebody called in an accident

20 minutes before Davis was picked up.

By the time the ambulance arrived at the location,

there was no-one there.

OK, thank you.

Is there any way we can find the caller?

-No, he used a payphone.

-How do you know that?

If he used his cell, it would have his name, phone records.

OK, 911 call's potentially damaging,

but it's not conclusive.

And if we can't find the caller, defence probably can't either.

Could be anyone in Chicago.

Mitch, where were you that evening?

-HE LAUGHS

-No, Mitch couldn't string a sentence together

-that night, right, Mitch?

-HE CHUCKLES

-Yeah, thanks, Stu.

-If it was a hit-and-run,

all it takes is for the guy who hit him

to come forward and confess, and we're dead in the water.

What's the likelihood of anybody doing that, huh?

Bottom line - do we have enough for a conviction?

Davis was found with a dead man in his van.

We have a ton of physical evidence,

no alibi, a documented history of violence

and his public defender's still in diapers.

Mitch will eat him for breakfast.

Charge him, murder one.

You examined the body, doctor.

In your professional... opinion,

what was the cause of death?

Blunt force trauma to the skull.

And what caused that trauma?

The back of the skull was badly crushed,

so it's hard to narrow it down to any one item,

but some of the marks seemed consistent

with a hammer found in the suspect's van.

And the interior was covered in grease and motor oil,

so any type of violent struggle in that environment

could've also caused those wounds and left that trace evidence.

You said, "SEEMED consistent."

That's correct.

Your report talks of abrasions

and impact wounds with grease and motor oil in them.

Now the defence, I'm sure, is going to argue that...

those wounds indicate

that a car ran over Cecil Ackerman,

as per the defendant's testimony,

and that the rest is just...

..a misinterpretation of the evidence.

No more questions, Your Honour.

'911, what's your emergency?

-'MITCH PANTING

-I need an ambulance.

-'A guy's been hit by a car.

-What's the location, sir?

'Uh, Keeler. Keeler and 26th.

'What's your name, sir?

-'Please just hurry. Hurry, he's hurt real bad.

-Sir.'

It's your witness, Mr Brockden.

Doctor, the jury will be unfamiliar with your field of expertise,

so I'll ask quite a simple question.

Just how accurate is forensic linguistics?

-Extremely.

-But it's not perfect?

Perfection doesn't happen in science.

OK. On a sliding scale of one to ten, then...

You may want to object, counsellor.

The witness's field is not on trial here.

I'll withdraw the question, Your Honour.

You stated earlier that you believe the caller to be genuine.

By this, I assume you mean

he was reporting a real accident.

Correct.

And you can tell this just by...

hearing his voice?

It's more complicated than that, but, yes.

What else can you tell us about the caller?

Hard to be certain from the quality of the tape.

Sounded like a white male... possibly in his 30s...

from the south of Chicago,

but he's tried hard to soften the accent -

not unlike yourself, Counsellor.

Now you're from where, Riverdale?

When you say it's hard to tell for certain...

..that the tape is unclear, that it SEEMS to be a white male...

The underlying ethnicity is hard to fully hide from trained ears.

Yes, it's a good recording. Uh-huh.

-OK, thank you.

-Thank you, too.

-Hey.

-Staff meeting starts in five.

Someone named Jimmy called, wouldn't leave a last name.

Said to tell you he's out and wants to see you.

Left a contact number. Do you want me to get him on the phone for you?

No, no, no, thank you.

HE INHALES Smell that?

That's the smell of freedom.

Hey, so I called your house the other day,

you know, looking for ya.

Your wife...

She doesn't know who I am, does she?

You've been gone a long time, Jimmy.

How do you not tell her about your own fucking brother?

Step-brother.

And let's face it, legally not even that.

You wanna play like that.

Don't be fucking cute with me, Jimmy.

I was working at that warehouse

to pay my way through law school when you fucking hit it!

I could've been done as a fucking accessory. Huh?

Bye-bye, career. Yeah, I know. I was fucking stupid.

Fuck, Mitch.

I mean, Jesus, I was doing a lot of drugs back then.

I was selfish. I've had a lot of fucking time

to think about my life, think about who I was.

OK?

Now, I let you down.

But I will not let you down again.

Look...

I met Rachel when I was graduating.

She processed my application to the DA's office.

Seeing as my ma never officially married your dad...

Yeah, you figured why mention us, right?

Jimmy, it was best for me not to have ties

-to a criminal past, you know?

-JIMMY SNORTS

Once I'd lied on the forms,

-I couldn't tell...

-Yeah, I get it.

I understand.

-God.

-I'm not that kid any more.

Riverdale, it's...

It was another life.

Well, lucky you.

I only got the one.

Hey.

PHONE RINGING

Hello?

'Hey, Mr Brockden. It's Kanon.'

Detective Kanon.

What can I do for you?

'Just checking in.

'We lost a point or two on that forensic linguist.'

Yeah.

Yeah, I know. It's, um...

It's almost impossible to make Davis the caller, so...

'Right.'

'It's kind of late, Detective. Is there something you need?

'No, just wanted to know that you're ready for tomorrow.

'SOFT CLICK'

-What was that?

-'What?'

You're recording this?

'Why would I be recording this?

'SHE CHUCKLES They say that cops are paranoid.

'See you in court.'

She's asleep. Hey.

Hey.

-You smell like milk.

-SHE CHUCKLES

Ella was sick on me, again. FRIDGE CLOSES

-GLASS CLATTERS

-Nice.

Mitch. Hey.

Look at me.

Mitch.

What is it?

Is there something you're not telling me?

Yes.

What? Can't you just...

Tell me.

I love you.

I love you, too.

All rise.

Be seated.

Before session begins, Your Honour, I would like to approach the bench.

I will not tolerate tardiness, Mr Roberts.

I'm sorry, your honour, but there has been

an important development.

Defence would like to call a new witness.

Objection, Your Honour. The prosecution wasn't informed of this.

Defence was unaware of their identity until late last night.

What is the relevance of this witness, Mr Roberts?

He's the man who made the 911 call.

PEOPLE: What? What? Order!

GAVEL BANGS Order.

-Your Honour...

-I'm inclined to allow it, Mr Brockden.

Yes, I understand that, but if you could just...

-Mr Brockden!

-Dr Brown's lab ran

a voice analysis overnight and we got a viable match.

How soon can defence present this witness?

Right away, Your Honour. He's been in the courtroom

-this entire trial.

-Your Honour, please!

-Can I just please say some...

-GAVEL BANGS

Enough!

Call your witness.

The defence calls...

..Jimmy Logan to the stand.

'In a surprise twist of events, a witness came forward today

'and ended the prosecution's case against Clinton Davis.

'The witness saw the victim, Cecil Ackerman,

'mowed down by a hit-and-run driver

'in a red SUV and left on the road to die.'

He then called 911.

It seems that Clinton Davis

was not the only Good Samaritan in this trial.

Mr Davis?

I just wanted to wish you all the best.

Yeah, it's like you said...

if I was innocent, everything would work out.

Yes, I did.

So, what happens now?

-You go back to your life.

-No, no, no,

I mean with the hit-and-run driver, the one the witness saw.

Maybe he'll turn himself in.

Huh!

Would you?

-WOMAN SCREAMING

-I fucking love you, you fucking bitch!

-Whore!

-Stop it!

-I'll fucking kill you!

-Stop it!

-No! Leave me alone!

-Don't do this to me, you fucking bitch!

-I fucking love you!

-Hey!

-Fucking let me go!

I fucking love you!

The mutilated body of Pedro Gonzales

was found early this morning on the bank of the Chicago River.

According to a source at the coroner's office,

the back of his skull was badly crushed,

possibly by a hammer.

His family says the last time anybody saw him alive

was at the North Mall on Saturday.

KANON'S VOICE: 'I ran some keywords through the database.

'it flagged a string of unsolved homicides.'

SIRENS WAILING

I can't stay here. Shit!

Oh, fuck. No. No.

I looked at the autopsy results.

The wounds on Ackerman were similar to those found on Gonzales.

Ackerman was a hit-and-run, remember?

The wounds were inconclusive.

You yourself pointed that out at the trial.

Inconclusive, exactly.

What if it was both?

what if Ackerman ran into the path of a car

because he was trying to get away from Davis

who was in the process of torturing him?

It explains why the forensics was so confusing.

Anything else?

Thanks for coming by.

Hey.

Oh, fuck.

-MUTTERS

-Shit. Fuck.

BABY CRYING

HE GASPS

PHONE RINGS Yes, sir...

Oh, shit.

PHONE RINGING

-yeah, hello.

-CLINTON: 'You get my photograph?'

-What do you want?

-Stop following me.

I know what you did.

And yet the cops haven't come a'calling.

TOOL WHIRRING Why you think that is, Mitch?

If you knew I was the driver, why didn't you just turn me in, huh?

'I didn't want to play my ace in the police station.'

I needed to go to court.

I had to get a jury of my peers

to see your card, find me innocent.

You wanted double jeopardy.

'Bingo. A free pass.'

-But you didn't expose me.

-'There was no need.'

I could see you were having a crisis of conscience.

-Is this a fucking game to you?

-'Far from it.'

I won't let you get away with this.

Yeah, you will, or I will ruin you.

Besides, who's going to protect Rachel and Ella

'when you get locked up for hit-and-run, hmm?'

What did you say?

Family is a precious thing, Mitch.

It's our job as men to protect 'em.

-Davis.

-HANGS UP

Hey. Shut the door.

Is that Ackerman?

And the guy from the news.

Have to work out what links all these men.

How he's picking his victims and why.

How who's picking them?

Clinton Davis.

What?

These are the unsolved homicides

that Kanon thinks match Davis's MO.

Davis's MO?

-HE CHUCKLES

-Dav-Davis was innocent.

Hit-and-run, Mitch. 911 caller proved it.

Yeah, I wish it were that simple.

What the hell is going on?

What the hell is going on, Mitch?

First you blow the Davis case, almost get yourself disbarred

and now what? You're trying to prove

that this guy is the goddamn Boston Strangler?

Stu, if I could explain this, I would.

All these men were murdered with what pathologists think were tools.

The first took place eight months

after Davis's family was tortured with similar tools.

You see, I think he picked 'em.

I think he picked all of them,

but what the fuck do they all have in common?

Well, Ackerman was a child molester.

None of the others were.

Well, they do all have criminal records.

So you think this behaviour started

-with the death of his family, right?

-Yes, I do.

So remind me, what happened there?

A man broke into their home and systematically tortured

and butchered his wife and child...

using similar tools to the ones that killed these guys.

The guy made Davis watch the whole goddamn thing.

Then he slit his throat and left him for dead.

It was a miracle he survived.

The guy's name was Emanuel fryer...

career criminal.

Gunned down the following night during another home invasion.

Recently paroled, blah, blah, blah.

-Broken home...

-Oh, shit.

What?

Gonzales, recently paroled.

Fryer, recently paroled.

Ackerman was recently...

All these men are recently fucking paroled.

Stu, you are a goddamn genius!

Shit. I love you. I love you.

OK, so you're saying that the only reason Ackerman was in the street

-was because Davis was chasing him.

-Uh-huh.

-And then after you left,

-Davis finished the job?

-Exactly.

If I could just get proof, you know?

Davis can't be retried for Ackerman,

but if I can get evidence that he...

he killed those other guys,

I can cut us both a deal.

What you said under oath, what I did...

You all right there?

What I did, it just goes away.

Mitch, I'm on parole.

I get busted breaking into some guy's fucking house...

Come on, I don't want you breaking in. I'll break in.

I just need for you to tail him...

let me know when he's coming back.

Ah, it's just a little aiding and abetting, then.

Eh.

Forget it, Mitch.

Let it go. I'm done.

That fucker really break into your house?

Yes.

While we were sleeping.

All right, he's going to know your ride.

-Can you rent me a clean set of wheels?

-Of course.

Thanks, Jimmy.

You know what? I mean that.

I may be an asshole, but I'm still your brother.

See you later, Davis.

All right, guys. See you later. Have a good evening.

-BEEPS

-Yo, Jimmy.

Got anything tying him to the victims?

No. Not yet.

Looks like he eats and sleeps here, but that's about it.

The rest of the time he spends in self-help groups.

You know, sometimes he goes to two a night.

Oh, fuck. That's it.

That's how he picks his victims.

The guy that killed his family was a parolee.

They're all parolee meetings.

Nobody notices the guy making coffee.

He just hangs around like a fly on the wall,

'listening for the guy who feels worried about reoffending.'

Yeah, I've been to those meetings.

-The room's full of guys like that.

-Exactly.

Fuck me.

He kept their parolee cards.

-HORN BLASTS

-'Jimmy, what's that?'

Uh, we're near the cement works.

Must be coffee break or something.

You know, that's pretty close.

Is he coming back?

I don't know. He went into some old warehouse

and came out carrying something. I lost him.

-Carrying what?

-I don't know, looked like some old tools or something.

Jimmy, get the fuck outta there.

Jimmy? Jimmy!

Jimmy, can you hear me?

'Jimmy? Jimmy, are you there?

'I'm coming, Jimmy.'

I'm coming, Jimmy.

Jimmy!

Jimmy!

Jimmy!

Jimmy!

-Jimmy!

-Aah! Fuck!

-GRUNTS

-JIMMY YELLS

-Jimmy!

-Mitch!

-Jimmy!

Help me!

MITCH PANTING You gotta help me, Mitch!

Help... Mitch. RUNNING FOOTSTEPS

Yo, Jimmy!

Oh, please help me!

-Jimmy!

-Mitch!

GASPS Mitch!

-Oh, Jesus Christ.

-GASPING BREATHS

Oh, Jimmy.

'911, what is your emergency?'

-WEAKLY:

-Help me.

Help me, please.

He's...trying to kill me.

PANTS HURRY 'Sir?

'Sir, who is trying to kill you?

'Sir? Sir, are you there?

'Sir?'

Hello? Yeah, I need an ambulance.

Can you hear... Can you hear me?

Hello?

Yeah, I need an ambulance.

-BEEPS

-Fuck! Fuck!

-Stay with me. I'm going to move you, OK?

-JIMMY GRUNTS

-OK?

-OK.

OK, OK, come on.

-JIMMY SCREAMS

-Come on, stay with me!

-Come on!

-JIMMY GRUNTS

SIRENS WAILING

Let's go, men.

Hey!

-Hey, he needs an ambulance.

-Set him down now!

-Oh, fuck.

-Put him down!

Do it! Put him down now!

-Now!

-Down! Down!

-Fuck.

-You gotta be fucking kidding me. Oh, fuck.

-Go!

-He needs an ambulance!

-Cool it!

Jimmy. Oh, God, get him a fucking ambulance!

-JIMMY COUGHING

-Jimmy, hang in there. Hang in there, brother.

-Hang in there, brother.

-..can and will be used against you...

-Calm down.

-Hang in there.

You have the right to an attorney.

We've got an injured white male.

DOOR BUZZER

DOOR OPENS FOOTSTEPS

-How's Jimmy?

-He's in a coma...

DOOR CLOSES ..but the doctors are hopeful.

So, you wanna tell me what your relationship is to him?

-Yeah, we're, um...

-HE CLEARS HIS THROAT

..step-brothers.

Our parents just never married.

That's why he'd lie for you in court.

Exactly.

So why turn on him now?

What?

Was he blackmailing you?

What are you talking about?

I didn't do this.

Clinton Davis did this.

-Using your hammer?

-Yes.

He broke into my house, he stole my tools.

Did you report that?

-No.

-No.

It's only your prints on the hammer.

Jesus Christ.

I made the 911 call, for Christ's sakes.

Why would I do that if I was guilty?

I really don't know, Mitch.

But you did it before.

'911, what's your emergency?

'I need an ambulance. A guy's been hit by a car.

'What's the location, sir?

'Uh, Keeler.'

-That's you, right?

-Yes, yes, yes, it's me.

I hit Ackerman with my car and I left.

It was wrong. I know that, but I was scared.

I'd been drinking. It was an accident.

We found this...

..in the bottom of your tool box.

It has Ackerman's blood all over it.

Well, Davis must've put it there.

I dropped my cards when I was helping Ackerman.

-I must've missed one.

-All of this...

-..leads directly to you.

-Oh, Jesus Christ.

All right, listen, OK? If I killed Ackerman,

why didn't I crucify Davis in court when I had the chance, hmm?

He was the perfect scapegoat.

-HE SIGHS

-OK, there's a bag.

-There's a bag?

-Yes.

Davis kept the IDs of all his victims.

He's targeting violent parolees

that he thinks will reoffend,

like the man that killed his family.

-Where's this bag?

-In his house.

How do you know this?

-I broke in.

-You broke in?

SHE CHUCKLES You broke into his fucking house?

Seriously, Mitch...

How do I know you didn't put it there?

You know, I don't think I should answer any more questions

till I have a lawyer present.

You know, I think

that's a really good idea.

You've got a call. Stuart Wilson from the DA's office.

Stu, where the fuck have you been?

CLINTON: 'I'm sorry, Mitch.

'this is the only way they'd let me talk to you.'

Now you listen to me, you fucking son of a bitch.

I will find you, I will come for you and I will take your life.

-'You hear me, Davis?'

-Oh, listen to you.

Where was all that backbone when you hit Ackerman, huh?

If you'd showed it then,

you would've waited for the ambulance and he'd be alive.

Course, he'd still be free to go around

hurting small children... CHILDREN LAUGHING

THUDS ..which he was about to do when I took him.

You do know that, right?

'If you'd let well enough alone,

'we never would've come to this place, Mitch.'

What do you want?

'You could've ruined my life or ruined yours,'

but yet you found a third option.

One that helped us both.

There is no fucking third option here.

'Yeah, there is.'

what if another murder happened with the same MO

while they have you in custody, hmm?

Go a long way towards shedding light on your innocence

or even throw a reasonable doubt on your guilt.

'What are you... What are you talking about,

-'another murder?'

-The problem is, you don't know my pain

or my emptiness.

'But now you're going to know what it is to be me.'

Davis? Davis, what...?

Where are you, Davis? Huh?

I have to go now, Mitch.

-Davis!

-CLICKS RAPIDLY

Hey! Is the line cut? Hey!

I need a line. I need an outside line.

-Davis is going to kill my wife!

-Stop!

-hey!

-He's going to kill my fucking wife. Ah!

DOORBELL

-Mrs Brockden?

-Yes.

I'm detective Kanon. I hate to bother you

at this ungodly hour, but I'd like to ask you

-some questions about your husband...

-ELLA CRYING

..if it's all right with you.

No, not at all. Of co... I'm... Just one minute.

'Suspect is approximately 5'5"...'

You know, I've been calling all day and I...

I hope you don't mind.

Hey, officer. Just finished up with a client.

Can you tell me what you've arrested my husband for?

-Murder.

-What?!

That-I mean, that's insane. Mitch...

I know. I know it-it's crazy.

and I personally don't believe he's guilty at all,

but I just need to ask you some questions to clear...

-HE COUGHS

-Could you get me a glass of water, please?

Um, yeah, sure.

Good night, counsellor.

Drive safe.

HORNS BLASTING

There you go. ELLA CRYING

look, I just don't understand.

If you know that he didn't do it, then why are you still holding him?

Some of the other detectives are having a problem with his story.

But like I said, once we have our conversation,

I'm sure we can clear that all up.

-He got a phone call and he went crazy.

-Who called?

Wilson or something from the DA's office.

He was ranting about making another call,

said someone was going to kill his wife. Davis.

What the hell's going on in here?

-Did you just call Mitch?

-No.

Get a unit over to Brockden's house now.

SHE SCREAMS

Rachel! Rach!

Oh, somebody! Somebody help me!

-Get up.

-No! Why are you doing this?

-Get up.

-No!

Please, don't kill me.

-No.

-Don't hurt her!

Mitch. Mitch.

-SHE GULPS LOUDLY

-Toss the gun over here.

Do it.

Now, Rachel, I want you to bend down

take that gun by the barrel

and pass it to me.

Whatever you're thinking of doing, Clinton, don't do it.

Well, it looks like you just fucked up

our reasonable doubt here, Mitch.

What happened to your family was terrible.

Doing this, it's... It's not going to change that.

I was protecting other people's families.

Who's going to protect yours now, Mitch?

You?

You understand now? Do you get it?

Yeah, I get it.

I get that you watched your wife and child

tortured to death and you did nothing.

I get that you're a fucking coward.

You froze.

You cared more about saving yourself than your own flesh and blood.

-Mitch, please don't.

-You think if you take out

-as many parolees as possible...

-Shut up.

..you'll make what happened to your family go away.

-Please.

-You know, if you were a man...

A real man, you would've died first.

I thought I WAS dead.

I was hog-tied with my throat cut,

but I wasn't so lucky.

I had to watch my loved ones die.

You're not tied up though, Mitch.

So what are you going to do, huh?

Are you willing to die first?

Yes.

Yes, I am.

We'll see about that.

Oh! Mitch! No!

You need to understand,

to see someone you love

bleed to death in front of your eyes.

SHE CRIES Please. Please don't.

-Please don't.

-Begging won't help, Rachel.

My wife begged.

It's a waste of time.

-Now...

-No! No!

-Now you're going to see what it's like to be me.

-Please!

To feel my emptiness,

my pain.

I'm going to give you something I never had, Mitch.

Prove you can do better than I did.

-Please.

-Go ahead.

-Save...your family.

-SHE CRIES

Mitch, no!

GUNSHOT

CRYING CONTINUES Mitch!

Mitch!

SHE SOBS

DISTANT SIRENS

Can I help you with anything?

Oh, you're hysterical.

Rach!

Rach, he's here.

Give me Ella, then you can say hello.

-Yeah, I got her.

-I know.

-This is my wife Rachel.

-Hey.

-SHE CLEARS HER THROAT

-This is my brother Jimmy.

-Hello, Jimmy.

-Wow, hi.

-How are you?

-Better than I look.

-ALL LAUGH

-And this...

-Oh, Jesus.

-This is your niece...

Ella.

Oh, my God. Hi, Ella.

Ella, that's your uncle Jimmy.

Hey, Ella.

Oh, my God.

Oh, Mitch.

You named her after your ma.

Wow.

INHALES DEEPLY Well, I don't know about you guys,

-but I am freezing.

-Yeah.

-Jimmy, wanna come in?

-Yeah, all right. Definitely.

-You OK with her?

-This is terrifying.

How do you do this?