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TRANSCRIPT:
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Detectives Joel Stevens and Fearless Smith are on a late-night stakeout.

Fearless' cell phone rings:  Smith...okay, thanks.

He hangs up the phone and says to Joel:  We got the warrant.

They get out of the car and start walking towards a house. 

Fearless looks up the street:  What the hell is that?

A semi-truck, with its horn blaring, crashes into the house.

 

TERESA

Teresa is asleep in the back of an ambulance.

Randy (her partner):  Teresa.  Teresa!

Teresa sits up:  I'm up.  I'm up!

Randy opens the back doors of the ambulance:  Come on.  We just got a big one.

The ambulance arrives at the scene of an accident involving an 18-wheeler.  Teresa climbs into the cab.

Teresa:  Hi.  What's your name?

Driver:  Sean Dornan.

Teresa:  Sean, do you know where you are?

Sean:  Yeah, Los Angeles. Unhhh...I can't believe this happened!

Teresa examines him for injuries:  Do you know what day it is?

Sean:  Yeah, it's Thursday.

Teresa:  That's a nasty cut on your chin, Sean.

Sean:  I didn't even feel it.  Did anybody get hurt?

Teresa:  My partner's checking, now.  Here.  (She hands him a bandage.)  Keep some pressure on that till I get back, okay?

Sean:  Yeah.

As Teresa gets out of the truck, she hears a man shouting:  Get in the car!

She sees a man jump into a car and calls out:  Hey, are you hurt?  Hey!

The car speeds away.

Randy:  I've got two over here.

Teresa hurries over to a car trapped beneath the truck's trailer.

Randy:  The driver's DOA.  I'm checking the passenger.

Smoke fills the car, obsuring their vision.

Randy:  When's that engine coming?

Teresa hears the fire engine's siren:  It should be here any minute.

She peers, through the smoke, into the backseat:  Randy!  Someone's alive in here.

She sees a young boy.  He says:  Help...

At the hospital, Teresa is waiting in the boy's room.

Joel enters the room:  How's he doing?

Teresa:  I don't know anything, yet.  Except, he's going to wake up an orphan.

Joel:  What is he?  About seven?

Teresa: Yeah.

Joel:  The same age as my boy, Willie.

Teresa:  You know, his grandmother's coming in from Indiana.  Bad weather kept her plane on the ground.

Joel:  Teresa...I'm going to need to talk to you about the accident.  Things aren't quite as simple as we thought.  Should we go talk in the hall?

Teresa:  I'd rather stay here, if you don't mind.  I just don't want him to wake up alone.

Teresa is talking to Andrea, who's taking notes.

Teresa:  I just don't want him to wake up alone.  Are you putting that in your story?

Andrea:  Not if you don't want me to.

Teresa:  It just makes me sound like I'm gunning for sainthood.

Andrea:  Everyone will identify.  No one likes to wake up alone.  Although, there are times I've wished I was alone.

Teresa laughs.

(later)

Teresa, laughing:  A neck model!

Andrea laughs:  A neck model?!

Teresa:  Yeah...Oh, God, you know, sometimes people in comas can sort of hear what's going on.

Andrea:  I'm not sure that's such a good thing.

Teresa:  Well, it's good for him to hear laughter.

 

FEARLESS

Fearless is in his motel room, lying in bed, smoking a cigarette.

At the police station.  Fearless and Joel are walking down a hallway with Officers Ray Hechler and Tom Turcotte.

Ray:  Sean Dornan, the trucker.  He tested positive for methamphetamines.

Joel:  Is that in the report?

Ray:  Yeah, it's in the report!

Fearless:  A DUI with two fatalities.  He's looking at Murder One.

Ray:  Well, that's why this case gets dropped off on your desk, Detective.

Tom:  Yeah, he says it wasn't his fault.

Ray:  Yeah, he says that the guy cut him off, jammed on his brakes and that's why he lost control of his rig.

Joel:  Any witnesses to corroborate that?

Ray:  It's in the report!

Fearless:  An 18-wheeler on speed...

Ray:  Well, that's what happens, these days.  They deregulated the shipping rates, so these guys gotta drive two or three shifts straight through just to make ends meet for their families.

Joel:  Sean Dornan can make his own excuses, Ray.

Fearless:  Who was first on the scene?

Tom:  Paramedics - Teresa and Randy.

Ray:  Oh, yeah...by the way, there's this claims adjuster from the insurance company.  She wants to shadow the investigation.  We can make her go away, if you want.

Fearless:  Claims adjuster...

He stands up and sees the the woman:  Excuse me.

Fearless walks over to where the claims adjuster is standing.  She's talking on her cell phone:  I'll call you back.

Claims adjuster:  Bobby Smith!

Fearless:  Hello, Vicki.

Vicki:  When did you move from Fraud to Homicide?

Fearless:  About three years ago.

Vicki:  It seems to suit you.  You look good.

Fearless:  Thanks.  You, too.

Vicki:  Yeah?

Fearless:  Yeah.

Vicki:  You know, I always thought you'd call.

Fearless:  Well, you said you were involved, and you could have called me.

Vicki:  I considered it.  Except, you told me you never mix business with pleasure.

Fearless:  So, I guess we're back to square one.

Vicki:  Except, I'm no longer involved.

Fearless:  Hmmmm.

Vicki:  Hmmmm.

Fearless:  Maybe...we should take care of this business thing.

Vicki:  All right.

They walk over to Fearless and Joel's desks.

Fearless:  This is my partner, Joel Stevens.  Vicki Peneda.

Joel shakes her hand:  How are you?

Vicki:  I'm doing good.

Joel:  I'm going to go to the hospital, talk to Teresa, see what's going on with this truck driver.

Fearless:  Okay, cool.

Joel, as he leaves the room:  Nice to meet you.

Vicki:  Nice to meet you.

Vicki to Fearless:  So, same deal as before?  You run the show.  I get a front row seat and fill in where I can.

Fearless:  It works for me.

Vicki:  Great.

Fearless is talking on the phone:  Okay...no...thanks, that's all I need.

He hangs up the phone and says to Vicki:  That's the fifth person I've talked to and they all say that Sean Dornan is a stand-up guy.

Vicki:  We don't let him hire just anybody to drive his trucks.

She stands up, Fearless pushes his chair back, blocking her path, and puts a cigarette in his mouth.

Vicki takes the cigarette out of his mouth:  Bobby...as a friend and a risk assessment professional, I suggest that you NOT light up.

Fearless:  And if I ignore your advice?

Vicki:  Then, I'll join you.

Outside, Vicki lights Fearless' cigarette after lighting her own.

Fearless:  So, what are you still doing investigating insurance claims?  Cause when we worked that phony home invasion, you were pretty disillusioned with the job.

Vicki:  With the company.  Not the job.  And I didn't want to start at the bottom of a new field.  I'm good at what I do.  I like the puzzles.  So, I guess I just figured a way to make it work for me.

Joel walks outside, clearing his throat.

Fearless:  Hey.

Joel:  Hey.

Fearless:  You talk to Teresa?

Joel:  Yeah, I did.

Fearless:  Anything to confirm that trucker's story?

Joel:  Well, she said she remembered a small four-door car, maybe 10 years old, stopped on the shoulder just past the accident scene.  Said it looked like it might have been rear-ended.

Fearless:  Did she get a plate?

Joel:  No.  She said it took off too quick.  It was faded green, with a red left-rear door.

Fearless:  That's not a lot to go on.

Joel:  No, it isn't.

Vicki:  Listen, guys, I need to get back to the office.  Keep me posted, okay?

Fearless:  You know I will.

Vicki:  It was good to see you again, Bobby.

Fearless:  It was good to see you.

Vicki leaves.

Joel:  Ahem...Bright lady.  Seems like you two might have worked on more than a case together.

Fearless smiles:  Yeah, we kinda danced around each other.  The timing wasn't quite right for either of us.

Joel:  What about now?

Fearless:  Now, we get to find this vehicle.

Joel laughs:  I'll have Communications put out an info-only broadcast.

Fearless:  You know, if these guys really did cause this accident and they're smart, they'd ditch the car.

Joel:  You're right.

Fearless:  How many wrecking yards you think we've got in L.A.?

Joel:  Phew...we better start making phone calls.

Joel and Fearless are walking through a wrecking yard with the manager, Mack Rosell.

Rosell coughs:  The doctor says I can't keep breathing this stuff.  I got to sell the business, go where the air is better.  But, nobody will give me a fair price.

Joel:  What about the car?

Rosell, pointing to an empty space:  Well, it was right here.

Fearless:  Are you sure about that?

Rosell:  I saw it just after lunch.

He calls out to a nearby worker:  Hey, Fred!  Where's that green and red job you put here, this morning?

Fred points, off-camera:  You mean that one?

Joel and Fearless run forward, flashing their badges yelling:  Hold it!  Hey!  Hey, don't!  Stop that machine!  Stop!

A machine is about to compress the vehicle they're looking for.

Fearless, examining the manager's paperwork:  Come on.  Come on, man!  The guy buys the Accord from you last week and he sells it back to you for scrap this morning.

Joel:  And you didn't think to mention that to us, earlier?

Rosell:  I was out sick with this cough, all last week.  One of my guys handled the sale.

He has a coughing fit as Joel and Fearless walk away.  He calls to them:  Do either of you have a lozenge?

Fearless to Joel:  I'm thinking this accident was no accident.

At the police station.

Fearless:  We think the driver of the vehicle may have been looking to get into an accident.

Vicki:  L.A. should be proud.  It's the insurance-fraud capital of the world.

Joel:  Yeah, we're talking about a really small car up against a semi.  This guy must have had some stones.

Vicki:  Well, they pay these guys to lure well-insured target vehicles into accidents.  It happens all the time.  They got these fraudulent rings running 24/7, costing us millions.

Joel:  So, why do you guys pay, if you know the claims are fake?

Vicki:  It's cheaper to settle most claims than to fight them.

Joel:  I guess so.  And, somehow, send the cost back to the customer.

Vicki:  I'm not trying to justify it.  I just want to let you guys know how the system works.  Now, the guys at the top - the lawyers, the doctors, who are helping run these scams - they're making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, too.  And there's almost no risk.

Fearless:  Yeah, unless you happen to be one of the guys who drives the car.

Vicki:  Yeah...

 

CAESAR

In a garage, Caesar is working on the green and red car.  He starts it up.

(The following conversation is in Spanish.)

Ruben:  You the man.

Caesar:  I told you, I fix anything.

Ruben gives him some money.

Caesar:  Thanks,  I can't get buy on what they pay here.

Ruben:  No?

Caesar:  I work my ass off, double shifts.  I hardly see my family.

Ruben:  Do you want to make a few extra bucks?

Caesar:  How?

Ruben:  I know a guy who pays good for a couple of hours of work.  Three, four hundred dollars.

Caesar:  I don't want anything to do with drugs, man.

Ruben:  Caesar, it isn't drugs.  You just take a ride in the car with me.  It's not illegal.  Tell me you can't use four hundred dollars.

Caesar and Ruben go to the Tiki Lounge, where they meet up with Hugo.

Hugo:  Ruben, my man!  This must be the car guy.

Ruben:  Caesar.

Hugo and Caesar shake hands.

Caesar:  How are you doing?

Hugo:  Caesar, a noble name.  I like it.  I like your friend's name.

Hugo to bartender:  Sandy, por favor, two Guatamelan Coolers.

Sandy:  You got it, Boss.

Hugo:  I thought you guys might appreciate a little taste of home.

Ruben:  Actually, I'm Mexican and he's Ecuadorian.

Hugo:  That's the beauty.  This is a nation of immigrants, my friend.  Step into my office over here.

Hugo and Ruben slide into a booth.

Hugo:  Sit down, Caesar!  Cop a squat.  Relax your crack...Okay, what color car are you driving?

Caesar:  It's green.

Hugo:  Green.  Okay, here it is.  (He reaches into a sack and pulls out a small green toy car.)

You guys are in the green machine and over here's a big fat truck.  (He uses a Tiki glass as the truck.)  With me?  Okay, it's simple.  Simple.  You're going along, you're going along, you're going along and all of a sudden, you cut in front of him.  He'll back off, you back off.  You slow down, which pisses him off and all of a sudden, you just slam on your brakes.  Wham!  Ohhh, whiplash!  Dios mio, that hurts!

Ruben laughs.

Hugo:  You pull over, exchange information, and then you go out and get breakfast and wait for my call.  It's a four-seater, right?

Ruben:  Yeah, yeah.

Hugo:  You should find two more guys.  Remember, more guys in the car means more money in your pockets.

Caesar:  I don't know.

Hugo:  Problem?

Ruben to Hugo:  No, no, it's okay.

Ruben to Caesar:  It's okay!

Hugo:  Caesar, my friend, I've been doing this forever. Hmm?  Nobody gets hurt.  We only get these big companies - BIG companies - to share some of their ill-gotten gains.  Like Robin and his Merry Men.

Caesar smiles and nods.

Hugo:  Drink up, amigos, huh?  Everything's going to be fine.  No problema.  Salud!

Ruben:  Salud.

Caesar:  Salud...

Ruben and Caesar are in the green Accord, with two other men.

Ruben:  That's the one, CalSouth Groceries.

Caesar:  That's a big damn truck.

Ruben:  Yeah, with big insurance.  All right.  Here we go.

He pulls the car over in front of the truck.  The driver, Sean Dornan, honks his horn at them.

Ruben:  What the hell's he doing?

Sean pulls the truck into the other lane and passes them.

Ruben:  It's okay.  He's pissed off.  That's good.

Ruben catches up with the truck and pulls over in front of it, again.  Sean honks the horn again.

Ruben:  Everybody, hold on tight!

He slams on the brakes.  The truck collides with the rear end of the car, pushing the car off the road and into a pole.

Joel and Fearless enter the garage where Caesar is working.

Joel:  Caesar!  We're looking for Caesar.

Caesar looks up.

Joel and Fearless walk over to him.

Joel:  Are you Caesar?  Detective Stevens and my partner, Detective Smith.  A guy named Mack Rosell told us you sold him a car for scrap, earlier today.

Caesar:  I don't know who you're talking about.

Fearless:  Ah...well, he owns the wrecking yard where you buy your parts.  He gave us a couple of receipts with your signature.  (He pulls the receipts out of his pocket and shows them to Caesar.)

Caesar:  So, what?

Joel:  What happened to your face, Caesar?  It looks like you went and had an accident.

Caesar turns away abruptly.

Fearless:  Ah, ah, ah...Caesar, now, be still.  You know, we got you.  We have a witness who ID'd the car in accident over on Doncaster?.  Are you going to talk to us here or are you going to come down to the station?

Caesar:  It was just supposed to be a fender-bender, okay?  But, things just got messed up.

FLASHBACK to the accident scene.

After the car hit the pole, Caesar looks out and sees another car trapped beneath the semi's trailer.

Caesar:  Dios mio.

He gets out of the car.

Ruben:  Hey!  Hey, hey, where are you going?

Caesar:  I've got to help them.

Ruben gets out of the car:  Get in the car!

Caesar:  I've got to help those people.

Ruben punches him in the face:  Get in the car!  Do you want Hugo to put a bullet in your head, huh?

Teresa calls out to them:  Hey!  Are you hurt?

They get in the car and Ruben speeds away.

Caesar to Joel and Fearless:  We were going to fill out some papers for the insurance and this guy was going to pay us four hundred dollars.

Joel:  This guy?

Caesar:  I don't know his name.

Joel:  Well, what did 'this guy' say he was going to do to you if you gave him up?

Caesar:  I don't know.

Fearless:  You don't know if he threatened you?

Caesar:  You just don't get it.  I work my ass off and I still don't make enough.  You know... when my kids get sick, I have to choose between the rent or the doctor. 

Joel:  Caesar, there's a seven-year-old boy in the hospital, right now.  When he wakes up, he's going to find out that he doesn't have a mother or a father.  And guess what?  That's on you.

Caesar:  No.

Joel:  Yeah, that's on you!  And 'this guy'.

Caesar (in Spanish):  No, I didn't do that...I didn't do that.

Joel:  Caesar. 

Joel (in Spanish):  I understand.  But, what if it was your kid?  Hmm?

Caesar breaks down in tears.

Joel:  What's his name?

Caesar:  I don't know his whole name.  They just called him Hugo.

Joel:  Hugo...

 

HUGO

Hugo is at his home.  He hears a car honking outside, looks out the window and sees Ruben drive the Accord into his driveway.  He hurries outside.

Hugo:  What the hell's going on?

Ruben gets out of the car:  The driver messed up, man.  He went crazy and lost control.  I think someone may have been killed.  We had to get the hell out of there.

Hugo:  And you came here?  Why?

Ruben:  Well, I didn't know what you wanted us to do.

Hugo:  I sure as hell didn't want you to come to my house!  Get out of here.  And get rid of the car.

Ruben:  What do you mean, get rid of it?  Where?

Hugo:  I don't know.  Your buddy, Caesar, found it.  See if he can find some place to dump it.

He notices that Caesar's face is bleeding.

Hugo:  What happened to him?

Ruben:  Nothing.  He's all right.  Vamos!

Hugo to Caesar:  That's why I tell you guys to wear seat belts.

Ruben:  What about our money?

Hugo:  Get out of here!  Now!  Go!

They drive off and Hugo goes back inside his house. 

He picks up the telephone:  Hey, Boss...yeah, we...got ourselves a little problem.

Hugo is sitting in his booth at the Tiki Lounge.

Joel and Fearless enter.

Fearless to bartender:  We're looking for Hugo.

They walk over to Hugo's table.

Fearless shows his badge:  Hugo, I'm Detective Smith.  This is my partner, Detective Stevens.  Mind if we sit?

Hugo:  Would it matter if I did?

Joel:  Not really.

Joel and Fearless sit down at the table.

Fearless:  Pretty nice little old joint you got here, man.

Hugo:  All original, too.  None of that retro crap.  Check this.  (He holds up a rib.)  Hawaiian spare ribs.  Same recipe since 1962.  Umm, I swear it's like a poem.  A food poem.  What can I do for you?

Fearless:  We want to talk to you about a little incident.  We heard you had something to do with that big accident down on Doncaster.  A semi jackknifed, killed a couple of people.

Hugo:  Yeah, I saw that on the news. 

Joel:  Yeah, it left their little boy in a coma.

Hugo:  Terrible.  It's a tragedy.  Hey, but I didn't have anything to do with it.  I was in bed asleep when it happened.  Now, there's a plausible scenario - man asleep in bed jackknifes semi on Doncaster Blvd.

Joel:  The car stopped short in front of the semi, trying to get hit.

Fearless:  It's called a scoop and squat.  You hired the driver of the car.

Hugo:  You're grasping at straws.

Joel:  We have a witness.

Hugo:  A witness to what?  It never happened.  That's all I'm going to say.

Joel stands up:  That's fine.  Let's go.

Hugo:  What?

Fearless:  We've been to your office.  Now, you come to ours.

Hugo gets up from the table.

 

RAY

Ray and Tom arrive at the accident scene.  The driver of the truck, Sean Dornan, is watching the fireman trying to remove the car from beneath the trailer.

Sean:  No...No!  Uhhhhhhh, no!

Ray walks over to him:  Excuse me.  Just step back and let them work.  Are you the driver here?

Sean:  Yeah, it's my truck.

Ray:  You got any ID.

Sean:  Is it true people are dead in there?

Ray:  I don't know, sir.  The paramedics are working on them now.  Do you have any ID?

Sean reaches into his pocket:  Yeah.

Ray:  Can you remove your eyewear, please, sir?

Sean takes off his sunglasses.

Ray:  Want to tell me how this happened?

Sean:  Yeah, a guy...a guy pulled out in front of me, jammed on his brakes.  I hit mine and rear-ended him.  The trailer fishtailed.

Ray:  Sir, I can't help but notice your pupils are rather dilated for the sunlight here.

Sean:  Hey, I did NOT cause this accident.

Ray:  Have you been taking speed?

Sean:  Oh, come on!

Ray:  I know a lot of you guys use it.

Sean:  This is a bunch of crap!  The guy pulled out in front of me!  I hit his damn car!  That's that!

Ray:  All right, sir.  Let me ask you to step over here, sir, by the car.  We're going to have to go downtown and you're going to have to give a statement and a blood test.  Just calm down, sir.  Put your hands behind your back.

At the police station, Ray enters the interrogation room where Sean Dornan is waiting.

Ray:  Good news.  The DA's dropping the felony charges.  You're still looking at a DUI, but you can go home, now.

Sean:  I've got a wife and four kids to support.

Ray:  Well, you can't do that in here.  Come on, let's go.

Sean:  Look, if I drive by the book, my family starves.  I gotta work double-shifts and turn-arounds just to make ends meet.  That's what the meth was for.  I just can't work those kind of hours without it.

Ray:  Well, I don't recommend using that defense in court.  Come on, I got to sign you out.

Sean is crying:  My wife's going to walk out.  She's going to take the kids.  She's going to leave.  I don't know what I'm going to do.  I mean, what am I going to do?!

Ray:  Well, you're going to do whatever you gotta do.  Look, Sean, you're not the first guy to ever get his marbles in a vice, crossing an ethical line.

Sean:  My life is over!

Ray:  Your life is not over!

Sean:  Right... (He heads for the door.)

Ray:  Listen, Sean!  (He pulls Sean back into the room and closes the door.)  Now, listen to me.  You may have been the victim of a crime.

Sean:  What are you talking about?

Ray:  The guy who cut you off - he forced it to happen.  It was a set-up.

Sean:  Insurance?

Ray:  Probably.  Now come on, let's go.

They leave the interrogation room and walk down the hall.

Sean:  Did they find these guys?

Ray:  There's an investigation underway.

Fearless walks up:  Mr. Dornan.  All right, I've got some papers for you to sign.  You got a ride home?

Sean:  Yeah.  Yeah, I'll call my wife and she'll probably come pick me up.

Fearless points to one of the papers:  This will enable you to get your rig out of impound.

A man calls out:  Detective Smith!

Fearless looks up and the man walks over and hands him a business card:  Leonard Glassman.  I represent Hugo Pinkston.

Fearless:  Great.  I'll be with you in just a second there, Mr. Glassman.

Glassman:  What is it with you guys, huh?  I mean, you just suspended the constitution and the rules of evidence?

Ray:  All right, sir, just wait back there.

Glassman:  You don't have a case.  My client was in bed asleep at the time of the accident.

Ray:  Right back there, sir.

Glassman:  Oh, for crying out loud!

Fearless:  Ray, Ray, Ray...why don't you escort Mr. Dornan to the front door?

Ray:  Come on, Sean.

As they walk away, Sean asks:  What was that all about?  He's talking about the guy who set me up, isn't he?

Ray:  Look, Sean, just call your wife.  Go home to your family, tell them you love them.  Just start putting this thing behind you.  Just start making it right, okay?  Are you going to do that?

Sean:  Yeah, officer.

Ray:  It's Ray.  The telephone's on your first left there.

Sean:  Thanks, Ray.

 

JOEL

Joel is at home, sitting on his couch, where he's obviously been sleeping.

Flashback to the little boy's hospital room.

Teresa:  I'd rather stay here if you don't mind.  I just don't want him to wake up alone.

Joel:  Sure.

Teresa:  How are you doing?  Are you all right?

Joel:  Yeah...Yeah.

Flashback to questioning Hugo in his restaurant.

Fearless:  We hear you had something to do with that big accident down on Doncaster. A semi jackknifed, killed a couple of people.

Hugo:  Yeah, I saw that on the news. 

Joel:  Yeah, it left their little boy in a coma.

Hugo:  Terrible.  It's a tragedy.

Joel and Fearless are in David McNorris' office.

David:  Wait a minute.  You've got a co-conspirator that's willing to testify that Hugo Pinkston orchestrated the accident?  Offered him money to partake in it, told him where the target was and how to dispose of the car when he finished?

Joel:  That's right.

David:  Am I missing something?  I mean, why don't you charge the guy, now?

Fearless:  If you want to kill a snake, you got to cut off the head.

David:  Yeah, I've heard that before.

Fearless:  Look, we're pretty convinced that Hugo is the captain.  He hires the talent.  He puts on the show.  But, these scams don't ever work unless you got crooked lawyers and medical clinics processing these insurance claims.

David:  Look, guys, I didn't just fall off the turnip truck, okay?  I know what goes to the top.  Where's your case?

Joel:  We looked into Hugo Pinkston's lawyer, Leonard Glassman.  He does some criminal work, but the bulk of his cases are accident/personal injury.  That's not a small coincidence.

David:  So, what are you saying?  That Glassman is the head of the snake?

Joel:  Yeah, that's a pretty good possibility.

David:  Yeah, well, that's not good enough.

Joel:  Why?

David:  Because Glassman's going to claim that he didn't know the insurance cases were bogus.  There isn't a judge in the world who's going to let you go fishing through someone's files if you don't have probable cause.  And guess what?  We don't have probably cause.  A bird in the hand, guys.  You want Glassman?  Go after Hugo and then, flip him.

Fearless:  As soon as we pick Hugo up, Glassman's going to destroy the evidence.  It's going to be Hugo's word against the lawyer's.

Joel:  Hugo's going to get a deal and his lawyer's going to get off on reasonable doubt.

David:  I said this before.  It's an imperfect world.

Joel:  So, that's it?  These guys get off the hook.  Sorry about your parents, kid, but it's an imperfect world.

David:  Look, Joel...

Joel:  We're not asking for that much!

David:  I appreciate your moral indignation, but if you don't have a case, let it go.

He opens the door for them.

Joel and Fearless are at Vicki Peneda's office.

Joel:  The best the Deputy DA's going to do is give us a search warrant for this guy, Hugo Pinkston's house.  So, if we want to get to his lawyer, we're going to have to find something there that incriminates him.

Fearless:  So...what if we do?  What's the smoking gun?

Vicki:  I'd look for paper.

Fearless:  What kind of paper?

Vicki:  Accident reports, legal retainers, medical files.  Maybe, a ledger.

Joel:  Wait a minute.  These guys keep ledgers?

Vicki:  Sure.  To track their cases.

Joel:  Well, if we find the ledger...

Vicki:  Then, you've got your smoking gun.  Case closed.

Joel to Fearless:  I'll wait for you downstairs.

Fearless:  All right.  Two minutes.

Joel walks over to a desk and says:  Give me the file on Leonard Glassman.

Vicki to Fearless:  I think so.  What do you feel like doing?

Fearless:  Maybe, we could go to Catalina for the weekend.

Vicki:  Ohhh, for the weekend?  You're very ambitious.

Fearless:  Yeah, I am.

Joel overhears their conversation and smiles, as he heads downstairs.

Joel and Fearless are sitting in their car outside of Hugo's house.

Fearless:  Looks like he's home.

Joel:  Yeah.  Just got to wait for the warrant.  So...how's it going with you and Vicki?

Fearless:  It's going.  You know, I woke up early this morning, man.  Took a long walk in the park and it was just one of those days when you look at your life and then, you go ' Is this my life?  Is this all that there's ever going to be?'  Then, I look up a couple of hours later and bang, there's Vicki.

Joel:  Like someone answered your question.

Fearless:  An answer.  Maybe, not THE answer.  But, for the first time in a long time, at least I'm open to it.  I don't know why.  You know, I look at your life sometimes and I think that's how it's supposed to be.  Get yourself a sweet woman, have a great kid.  You know, become a part of the whole chain of being.

Joel:  Yeah.  Chain of being.  That's poetic.

Fearless:  I guess it ain't all poetry, though, huh? 

Joel starts to answer him, when Fearless' cell phone rings.

Fearless to phone:  Smith...okay, thanks.

Fearless to Joel:  We got the warrant.

They get out of the car and start walking to Hugo's house.

Fearless:  How are you doing?

Joel:  Well, I woke up this morning, asking myself the same question as you.

Fearless:  Did you get an answer?

Joel:  My boy, Willie, gave me a hug.

Fearless looks up the street:  What the hell is that?

An semi-truck, with its horn blaring, crashes into Hugo's house.

The semi is being hooked up to a tow truck.  Joel and Fearless walk out of the house with Sean Dornan, who is handcuffed.

Ray walks over:  Sean, what the hell happened?

Joel:  He followed Hugo and his lawyer here.

Fearless:  He got his truck out of impound and decided to administer some street justice.

Ray:  What the hell did you do that for?  Why didn't you go home to your family?  We were going to nail the guy.

Sean:  He had it coming.  And you know it.

Ray:  Get him the hell out of here!

Tom puts Sean inside the patrol car:  Let's go.  Watch your head.

Inside the house, Hugo is lying on the floor halfway under the truck.

Fearless examines the body:  Hey, look at this.  Son of a bitch!  He's been shot.  Looks like he was dead long before this truck was out of impound.

Joel:  Close range?

Fearless:  Entry wound right behind the ear.

Joel:  Yeah?

Fearless:  Yeah, somebody capped the captain.

Joel:  As far as we know, his lawyer's the last person to see him alive.

Fearless:  Shouldn't be too hard to get a search warrant.

Fearless pulls out his cell phone and dials a number.

 

TOM

Tom and Ray drive up to Leonard Glassman's office.

Ray:  Oh, beautiful!  You'd thnk the guy could rent an office on the ground floor.  What's he do when he wants to impress a client?  Take him next door for a corn dog?

After walking up the stairs, Ray says:  You watch, we're going to be carrying files up and down those things all day.

Tom:  What are you saving it for?  The Stairmaster?

Ray taps on the door with his police baton:  Police.  Open up!

A woman comes to the door:  Is there something wrong?

Ray:  Please open the door, ma'am, so we can talk.

The woman opens the door slightly and Ray rams his baton between the door and the doorsill.

Woman:  What is it?

Ray:  There is a search warrant.

Woman:  Go away!

Ray:  I would love to, ma'am, but you have my baton caught in the door.

Woman:  Get out!  I want to see a search warrant.

Tom:  Ma'am, open the door, please!

Woman:  No!  Get out!

Tom:  Please!

Tom and Ray force their way inside the office.

Woman yells:  Lenny!  Lenny!  Get out!  Lenny!

Ray holds her at bay, while Tom runs down the hall to a locked door.

Tom:  Sir, open the door!

Tom forces the door open and sees Leonard Glassman using the paper shredder.

Tom:  Step away from the shredder. 

Tom calls out to Ray:  He's destroying evidence!

Tom to Glassman:  Step away.

Glassman:  Fine, fine...

He backs away from the machine, until Tom bends down to unplug it from the wall.  Then, Glassman hurries over and grabs some more papers.  Tom grabs him.

Glassman:  All right, all right.

Tom:  Head down.  Hands behind your back.

Tom handcuffs him.

Glassman:  This is a violation of my civil rights.  I want your ID.  I want your badge number!

Tom:  Shut your mouth!

Ray is putting the handcuffed woman into the backseat of the patrol car.

Ray:  Okay, into the car, ma'am.  Watch your head.

He looks up to see Joel and Fearless coming down the stairs, carrying boxes of files.

Ray:  Ah, detectives.  I see you're finding everything to your satifaction.

Fearless:  Yeah.  Nice job, guys.

Joel:  There's a couple of dumpsters over there.  They might have some shredded papers, documents.  Why don't you guys check it out?

Tom and Ray look at each other.

Ray is standing outside the dumpster, pawing through the garbage.

Ray:  Maybe, it's my history in Vista Heights.  They figure I'm used to wallowing in garbage.

Tom:  Yeah?  Who's in the dumpster?

Tom is inside the dumpster.

Ray:  Just be careful for razor blades, used needles, radioactive waste.  You know, the usual.

Tom:  Thanks.

Ray:  I got your back.

Tom:  Hey!  I got something.

He holds up a sack and Ray looks inside.

Ray:  Hoo-hoo!

Tom calls out:  Fearless!

Fearless walks over:  Yeah?

Tom:  What caliber gun was your suspect shot with?

Fearless:  A .380.

Tom lifts the gun out of the sack:  A .380.  (He smells the gun.)  I think it's been fired.

Fearless stares at the gun for a moment.

Ray:  If it's too little, we can always throw it back.

Fearless:  Just tag it and bag it.  Nice job.  Very nice job.

Tom:  Thank you.

 

VICKI

Fearless and Vicki arrive at the Tiki Lounge.

Vicki:  Bobby, when you told me you were going to take me some place special, I was thinking, maybe Spago.

Fearless:  So, you've nevr been here?

Vicki:  No.  I think I would have remembered if I had.

Fearless:  Well, this is living history because there aren't that many authentic Tiki bars left.

Vicki:  And that's a bad thing?

The waitress brings their drinks to the table.

Fearless to Waitress:  Thank you.

Fearless to Vicki:  I hear the Hawaiian spare ribs are "to die for".

Vicki:  You're kidding, right?

Fearless:  You've never been here?

Vicki shakes her head.

Fearless:  I thought I saw the bartender give you one of them looks.

Vicki:  Well, I've been known to turn a few heads, you know? 

Fearless:  Yeah, some women are beautiful because God put them together just right.  And some are beautiful because of what's on the inside.  Smarts, humor, experience.  Baby, you got it all!

Vicki laughs:  I think you've been listening to a little too much Barry White.

Fearless:  Let's go have a smoke.

Vicki:  Okay.

Outside the restaurant.

Fearless:  I can't find my lighter.  I must have left it on my desk.  You got matches?

Vicki:  Yeah.

She pulls a matchbook out of her purse and lights his cigarette.  Fearless takes hold of her hand and looks at the matchbook. 

Fearless:  Hmmm.

The matchbook is from the Tiki Lounge.

Flashback to the day before when Vicki lit his cigarette outside the police station.

Fearless:  You said you'd never been here before.  You had these matches, yesterday, at the precinct.

Vicki:  Bobby, I...uh...I...How long have you known?

Fearless:  You're a strong woman, Vicki.  You wouldn't spend three years in a dead-end job.

Flashback to the day before, outside the police station.

Vicki:  So, I guess I just figured a way to make it work for me.

Fearless:  When we came here to question Hugo, I remembered your matches.  Figured he could use someone like you to make this scam work.

Vicki:  Oh...I'm always picking up matchbooks.  I don't even think about it.

Flash to Vicki picking up a matchbook at the Tiki Lounge.

Hugo:  That's what I've been saying all along.  That we make a good team.  You're the boss.             

Flashback to the semi rear-ending the car.

Flash to Vicki answering her cell phone.

Hugo, on the phone:  Hey, Boss.

Vicki:  What?

Hugo:  We...got ourselves a little bit of a problem.

Flash to the scene of the accident.

Vicki:  We're the insurance writer for Pacific Roadway.  That is one of our trucks.

Ray:  You're here already?  You must be a fast mover.

Vicki:  As soon as the driver calls in the accident, we're at the scene.  Especially when there are fatalities.

Vicki:  I wasn't working you, Bobby.  My feelings were real!  When I turned around and saw you, I almost ran.

Flashback to Vicki, at the police station, talking on her cell phone as Fearless walks up to her.

Vicki to phone:  I'll call you back.

Vicki to Fearless:  Bobby Smith...

Flashback to Tom holding up the gun he found in the garbage.

Fearless:  You planted the gun in the dumpster.  You shot Hugo.

Vicki:  No!

Fearless:  I'd like to believe that.                     

Flash to Hugo's house.

Hugo:  I'm not the kind of guy who rolls over on people.  I am nothing, if not loyal.

Vicki:  I can't take that chance, Hugo.  I bought you a ticket to Mexico City.

Hugo:  Mexico City?

Vicki:  The plane leaves in three hours.  I'm taking you to the airport.

Hugo laughs:  Mexico City!  I don't see myself being happy in Mexico City.  Do you?

Vicki pulls out a gun and points it at him:  You're getting on that plane.

Hugo:  Oh, please!  What movie did you see that in?

He grabs her arm.  They struggle and the gun goes off.  Hugo falls to the floor and dies.

Vicki:  Bobby, the company kept bringing in all these college kids.  'Vicki, this is Jeff. He's going to be your new supervisor.  You mind showing him the ropes?'  The message was loud and clear.  'You are a Hispanic woman with no college degree.  You ain't going any higher.'  I started thinking to myself, 'If I want to get somewhere, I got to do it myself.'  No one was supposed to get hurt.  And the money was so good.  This was the last time, Bobby.  I swear!

Fearless takes off his jacket and puts it around her shoulders:  I really wish I'd gotten this one wrong.  I really do.  I'm sorry.  Let's go.

Vicki lays her head on his shoulder and he caresses her hair, as he says, softly:  Let's go.

 

FEARLESS

Fearless is at the police station and spots Joel.

Fearless:  What are you doing here?

Joel:  Just taking care of a few things.  I thought you had a date with Vicki.  What are you doing here?

Fearless:  There's something I should have shared with you, partner, but I didn't.  I wasn't sure.

Joel:  Well, you sound pretty sure now.  What is it?

Fearless:  Vicki's in Processing.  She's the head of the snake.

 

ANDREA

Andrea is at home, lying in bed.

Flashback to her conversation with Teresa in the little boy's hospital room.

Teresa:  I just don't want him to wake up alone.  Are you putting that in your story?

Andrea:  Not if you don't want me to.

Teresa:  It just makes me sound like I'm gunning for sainthood.

Andrea:  Everyone will identify.  No one likes to wake up alone.  Although, there are times I've wished I was alone.

Andrea gets out of bed.

She's walking down a hallway in the police station, talking on her cell phone.

Andrea:  Lewis?  Little.  About the insurance-fraud story.  Listen, I want to hold off until the kid's back in Indiana...a couple of days, at least...Yeah, there's a snow storm...I know it's a heartfelt story.  That's why I want to hold off.  Two hours after we run it, the kid's going to be inundated with flowers and teddy bears and get-well posters from third-grade classes.  And I think what he really needs, right now, is to be alone with his family...tomorrow?  Sure.  (She looks at her watch.)  Sorry, I didn't realize what time it was...Yeah, go tuck your kids in.  We'll talk in the morning...Okay, good-night.

She stops, looks around the station for a moment, then turns and leaves the building.

Andrea enters the little boy's hospital room and sees Teresa asleep in a chair.  Joel and Fearless are standing there, also.  Joel puts his finger to his lips, signalling for her to be quiet.  But, Teresa wakes up and sees everyone.

Teresa:  Hey, what are you guys doing here?

Joel:  We came to check up on Jamie.

Fearless:  And to see how you were.

Teresa:  I'm okay.  Just having a hard time keeping my eyes open, that's all.

Andrea:  Listen, if you want to go home, I'll be happy to stay.

Teresa:  No, I'm okay.  Thanks.

Joel takes off his jacket:  Well, maybe we can all stay and keep you company.

Teresa:  That would be nice.

They, all, stand silently around the little boy's bed.

END