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TRANSCRIPT:
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FADE IN.

[Recap...]

VOICEOVER: Previously on Shark...

[Stark Residence, Kitchen. Night. Wayne Callison speaks to an unsuspecting Julie Stark.]

WAYNE CALLISON: Sometimes it's  hard for parents to let their kids grow up. 'Specially a kid as great as you.

[Julie smiles.]

[Stark Residence, Staircase. Night. Sebastian Stark and Julie descend the staircase.]

JULIE STARK: I know you're worried about Wayne Callison, but...

SEBASTIAN STARK: He's a serial... killer.

[Stark Residence, Door. Night. Isaac Wright stands at the door, speaking to Stark.]

ISAAC WRIGHT: I found a guy to take over guarding Julie.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Is he good?

ISAAC WRIGHT: He specializes in young women with stalker problems.

[Outside Julie's school. Day. Neal Donovan speaks to Julie.]

NEAL DONOVAN: I know this is a tough adjustment.

JULIE STARK: Until I can talk my dad off the ledge, I have to put up with you.

[Stark Residence. Night. Julie speaks to Neal.]

JULIE STARK: At least come in and let me make you some dinner.

[Neal smiles.]

[Stark Residence. Night. Julie asks Neal to taste something off a spatula. Stark turns and sees the moment they just shared. He looks at them a bit suspiciously.]

JULIE STARK: You hired him.

FLASH TO WHITE.

CUT TO:

[Stock footage of LA. Night.]

CUT TO:

[LAX. Night. The huge "LAX" sign is seen. A plane prepares for take-off.

[LAX, Parking Garage. Night. A lone car makes its way to the top of a parking garage. The car stops, the only one on the roof.]

[Inside the car, Karen Bennett prepares to get out. Suddenly, she stops, noticing something in the rear-view mirror. A black guy, wearing dark clothes, walks towards the car.]

[Ominous music plays.]

[Apprehensively, she watches him walk past the car and head towards the building. The elevator dings as he departs.]

[The ominous music fades.]

[Sighing, Karen gets out of the car. She opens the trunk and takes out her bag and shuts the trunk door. She hears someone directly behind her. She gasps and turns around, only to find herself facing an assailant, holding a hunting knife over his head, bringing it down towards her. She can only scream.]

[The scream is muffled by the noise of a plane, taking off.]

CUT TO:

[Stark Residence, Kitchen/Living Room. Day. Julie fries bacon.]

JULIE STARK: [calling out] Yours is almost done.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Mmm, smells good. I should have had you move in years ago.

JULIE STARK: Hmm.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Hey, make that portable, will you?

JULIE STARK: Sure.

SEBASTIAN STARK: You around tonight? Thought we could grab some Thai food.

JULIE STARK: Actually, I'm going to a concert at the Troubadour. Neal's taking me.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [pouring a glass of OJ] Oh, speaking of which, I talked to Neal last night. Enough time has passed since the Callison case. I don't think you need a bodyguard anymore.

JULIE STARK: [smiles uncomfortably] Just like that?

SEBASTIAN STARK: I thought you hated having him around.

JULIE STARK: Oh, when did I say that?

SEBASTIAN STARK: You called him the "manny," Jules.

[Julie says nothing; she keeps packing up Stark's "portable breakfast".]

SEBASTIAN STARK: You want him to stay on?

JULIE STARK: No, I didn't say that; I just... I'm surprised, that's all.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Just thought it was time for things to get back to normal around here.

[They kiss each other goodbye. Biting a slice of toast, he leaves.]

JULIE STARK: Have a good day.

[His mouth full, he gives a muffled reply.]

CUT TO:

[LAX. Day. A plane comes in for a landing.]

[LAX, Parking garage. Day. Stark gets out of his car and walks over to Raina Troy, who stands a short distance away from the crime scene.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: [over the sound of the landing plane] I'm at LAX and yet I'm not heading to Vegas!

RAINA TROY: White female, mid-thirties, stabbed at her car. Apparent robbery gone bad.

[Isaac is already inside the crime scene.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: If I catch Southwest 103, I could be at the Palms by noon.

[Stark flashes his DA's badge to the officer, who lets him through the crime scene tape. Isaac walks up to them.]

ISAAC WRIGHT: Victim's wallet and ID were stolen. Car's registered to a Karen Bennett.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Ooh.

RAINA TROY: You know her?

SEBASTIAN STARK: I sure hope not.

[On the other side of the tape, a car pulls up. A flustered man gets out. An officer points at the body. The man starts to run towards the body.]

RAINA TROY: Is that...?

SEBASTIAN STARK: Judge Andrew Bennett. Man, I should've gone to Vegas.

[They see another man, getting out of the car and running behind the Bennett, past a horde of reporters. He stops at the tape.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: That's Sam Harris, the top DC spin doctor. He's shepherding Bennett's confirmation to the Federal Court of Appeals. Guy's a magician.

RAINA TROY: You should hire him to fix your public image.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [chuckles] Nobody's that good.

[Andrew Bennett walks up to the covered body, clutching his head. He crouches down beside it. A detective pulls back the sheet. Karen Bennett lies dead in a pool of her own blood.]

ANDREW BENNETT: [grief-stricken] Ohh...

[Breathing heavily, Bennett gets up, helped by another detective. He staggers a bit and then sees Stark.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: Oopssss...

ANDREW BENNETT: Stark.

[Stark walks to the judge.]

ANDREW BENNETT:What the hell are you doing here?

SEBASTIAN STARK: Sir, I'm very sorry for your loss.

ANDREW BENNETT: [fiercely] Save your sorrow! Just find the animal who killed my wife!

SAM HARRIS: Your Honor...

[Harris ducks under the tape and starts walking to them. Stark tries to protest the intrusion.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: No, no, no. [motions for the officer]

ANDREW BENNETT: Sam, Sam...  [pointing to Stark] It's probably one of your ex-clients.

SAM HARRIS: Your Honor, let's go. Come on.

[The officer ushers them outside the crime scene. Bennett mutters to Harris as they leave.]

ANDREW BENNETT: I just want him to find the animal who killed her, that's all.

[Stark walks back to Raina and Isaac.]

ISAAC WRIGHT: I take it you two know each other?

SEBASTIAN STARK: Well, Bennett's just right of Pat Robertson, and he's not shy about using the bench as a pulpit. He's held me in contempt seven times. Tried to have me disbarred twice.

RAINA TROY: And I suppose you were an innocent victim.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Well, there was that petition I circulated demanding his impeachment from the bench.

RAINA TROY: [chuckling] Is there anyone in this town you haven't pissed off?

SEBASTIAN STARK: Yeah. The guy who killed Karen Bennett. [looks at the covered body] He's next on my list.

[He heads off.]

CUT TO:

[Opening Credits.]

CUT TO:

[Stock footage of LA. Day.]

CUT TO:

[DA's Office Building, HPCU Office, Conference Room. Day. On the TV, a news channel shows footage of a broken Judge Bennett being helped out of his car by Harris. The team watches, while Casey Woodland.]

CASEY WOODLAND: Bennett and his wife were married for just over two years with no kids.

MADELEINE POE: Talked to friends and relatives, everyone says they're the perfect couple.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Bennett's a star. He wants to be the next Scalia, and he's hired the A-Team to get him there.

CASEY WOODLAND: Harris is the best. Prepped Roberts for the Supreme Court.

[Raina looks at him, curiously.]

CASEY WOODLAND: My dad's a client.

[Stark nods and puts off the TV.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: What have we got? [sits at the table]

RAINA TROY: Robbery-homicide, jewelry and wallet was stolen.

CASEY WOODLAND: ME places the time of death around 11:30 pm.

MADELEINE POE: Karen Bennett was catching a late flight to SFO for an education conference.

SEBASTIAN STARK: She was a teacher?

RAINA TROY: She ran a literacy foundation. Supplied books to low-income kids.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Oh, softened his image - the perfect wife. [chuckles] This guy's good. Forensics?

[Raina rolls her eyes.]

CASEY WOODLAND: Stab wounds indicate some kind of hunting knife.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Do we know if Bennett owns one?

RAINA TROY: [chuckling] Are we actually considering Bennett a suspect?

SEBASTIAN STARK: Is this your first day? Whenever we have a dead wife, the husband is always a suspect. [to Madeleine Poe] Check Bennett's statement. Track his whereabouts in the hours before and after the wife's murder. [to Raina] You go through Bennett's cases. Check if any defendant with a grudge was released recently.

MADELEINE POE: You think this is retaliatory?

SEBASTIAN STARK: [stands] Defense attorneys call this guy the Terminator. He maxes out defendants in the name of family values. I'm sure his "holier-than-thou" shtick has earned him an enemy or two. [gets his briefcase and prepares to leave]

RAINA TROY: Including you?

[Stark stops, looking at Raina in surprise.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: Are you suggesting I'd go after Bennett out of revenge?

RAINA TROY: [deadpan] Hmm, give me a second. Yeah.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [quiet voice] That hurts me deeply. I'm going after Bennett because it's my job. If he happens to be guilty, that's an added bonus.

[He leaves. The team prepares to go to work.]

CUT TO:

[Outside courthouse. Day.]

CUT TO:

[Courthouse, Judge Bennett's quarters. Day. Camera focuses on a picture of Bennett and Karen, during happier times. Sam Harris sits in front of the desk. Stark enters.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: Sam Harris.

SAM HARRIS: Uh, the judge is still in court.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Back to work so soon.

SAM HARRIS: He has a deep commitment to the law.

SEBASTIAN STARK: How's his commitment to his wife?

SAM HARRIS: [chuckles] That's very funny. How's the investigation going?

SEBASTIAN STARK: We're checking every angle.

SAM HARRIS: Anything off of the, uh, credit card hits?

[Stark smirks.]

SAM HARRIS: His Honor's friends at the LAPD told us that purchases were made in Inglewood using Karen's stolen credit cards. Guess you missed that angle.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Hey, you know this power player routine you're doing? Save it for somebody who gives a crap.

[Judge Bennett enters the office. Stark and Harris stand.]

ANDREW BENNETT: Has there been a development in the case?

SEBASTIAN STARK: Uh, not yet. But I was hoping to ask you some questions, Your Honor.

ANDREW BENNETT: [moving to his desk] Before I do, I, uh, [holding out his hand] I wanna apologize for my behaviour this morning.

[Stark shakes his hand.]

ANDREW BENNETT: I was, uh, distraught, I'm sorry and, uh...

SEBASTIAN STARK: No apology necessary, sir. [breaks the handshake] Do you know of anyone who might have held a grudge against you or your wife?

ANDREW BENNETT: [hanging up his robes] Karen dedicated her life to helping children. Everyone loved her. And as for me, well, you've been to my courtroom. I believe those unable to live by society's rules must be punished.

SEBASTIAN STARK: An eye for an eye.

ANDREW BENNETT: Exactly.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [chuckling] I guess that's why they say justice is blind.

[Bennett sits. Stark does the same. Harris hands him a file.]

ANDREW BENNETT: That file contains every threat against me since I, uh, became judge. phone calls to my home and office, letters, mostly from convicted defendants.

[Stark looks through the file.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: [exhales] This may be a little delicate. [closes the file, looks at Bennett] What was the state of your marriage?

SAM HARRIS: Excuse me. Is Judge Bennett a suspect in this investigation?

ANDREW BENNETT: It's fine, Sam. The sooner Mr. Stark clears me, the sooner... he can find Karen's killer.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Were you ever unfaithful?

ANDREW BENNETT: No.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [beat] How about your wife?

ANDREW BENNETT: Karen and I... pledged an oath  before God to honor one another. We both cherished that oath. I love my wife with all my heart. I know you and I have had our differences...

[He stands. Stark follows.]

ANDREW BENNETT: ...and you are the last person on earth I imagined that I would beg for justice. [appealing] But please, Mr. Stark, please find the person who killed my wife.

[Stark looks at him.]

CUT TO:

[Outside Peña's House. Day. Raina and Isaac walk up to the house.]

RAINA TROY: I ran the list of threats Bennett gave Stark. This is the only recent parolee with a violent history.

[She hands Isaac the file. Isaac looks at the mug-shots of a tough-looking Hispanic guy, with a shaven head and tattooed body.]

RAINA TROY: Frankie Peña. Seven years in Folsom for manslaughter. Beat a guy to death with a tire iron.

ISAAC WRIGHT: Nice.

[They approach the door. Isaac raps the flimsy door.]

ISAAC WRIGHT: DA's Office! We have some questions!

[They hear a door slamming open in the back and a chain-link fence being rattled.]

ISAAC WRIGHT: [sighs, calmly] He's running.

[Isaac runs towards the back. He jumps over a fence and starts running after the fleeing man. We see it's not Peña, but a younger guy. He runs onto the road, almost getting hit by a car, which screeches to a halt in front of him. He continues running frantically. Isaac jumps atop the hood of the car and tackles the kid to the ground. Raina runs up, file in hand. Isaac turns the kid around, holding his hands behind his back and yanking out his wallet.]

DANIEL VARGAS: I didn't do nothing!

ISAAC WRIGHT: [hands the wallet to Raina] That's why you're just taking a stroll.

[He turns him around.]

RAINA TROY: [looking at the kid] That's not him.

ISAAC WRIGHT: What?

[Raina shows him the kid's ID in the wallet.]

ISAAC WRIGHT: Daniel Vargas? [slaps the kid upside the head] What are you running for?

DANIEL VARGAS: Look, I just got out two weeks ago, and I'm not looking for trouble.

[Isaac hauls him up.]

RAINA TROY: Where's Frankie Peña?

DANIEL VARGAS: How should I know?

ISAAC WRIGHT: You were in his place.

DANIEL VARGAS: Frankie's my cousin. He's letting me crash there till I get it together.

RAINA TROY: Do you know where Frankie was  two nights ago, around eleven pm?

DANIEL VARGAS: He drove me to my NA meeting.

ISAAC WRIGHT: What, then he took off?

DANIEL VARGAS: No. Frankie stays. Makes sure I don't bail on my meetings. He told me if he ever catches me using again, he'd kick my ass.

ISAAC WRIGHT: Cons helping cons.

RAINA TROY: Isn't that special?

CUT TO:

[HPCU Office. Day. Raina is writing on a crimeboard, next to another one dedicated to Andrew Bennett. Raina's crimeboard has Peña's picture on it; she has drawn an arrow to it, with "WHERE?" written over it. Stark enters and stops, seeing the board.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: [chuckles] Dueling crime boards?

RAINA TROY: Frankie Peña, convicted of manslaughter, history of threats against Judge Bennett. Last seen the night of Karen Bennett's murder.

ISAAC WRIGHT: APB went wide an hour ago.

[He pulls the Bennett crimeboard in front of the Peña one.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: Fine, but until we find him, [taps the Bennett crimeboard] thank you.  Does Bennett have an alibi?

[Raina drops her shoulders.]

MADELEINE POE: He was supposed to be at a Bar Association dinner but he left at eleven, after getting a call to sign an emergency warrant. [hands Stark a paper] Night receptionist logged him in at ten to twelve.

SEBASTIAN STARK: An hour to get across town?

MADELEINE POE: It's close, but... he coulda made it to LAX, killed his wife, and back to the courthouse in time to sign the warrant.

SEBASTIAN STARK: The plot thickens.

[Casey enters, holding up a paper.]

CASEY WOODLAND: Dumped the GPS in Karen Bennett's car. Addresses are mostly stores, but there's an entry for a downtown office building.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Anything we could use?

CASEY WOODLAND: Checked her address book against the names in the building, came up with a match: Rob Demato.

MADELEINE POE: The divorce lawyer?

SEBASTIAN STARK: I keep him on permanent retainer.

MADELEINE POE: If their marriage was so perfect...

RAINA TROY: ...then why is his wife meeting with Demato?

SEBASTIAN STARK: Only one way to find out.

[He points to Casey and moves off.]

CUT TO:

[Rob Demato's Office. Day. Rob Demato enters, followed by Madeleine and Casey.]

ROB DEMATO: I assume you guys have heard of attorney-client privilege.

MADELEINE POE: This is a murder investigation. We thought you might wanna help out.

[Casey and Madeleine sit.]

ROB DEMATO: I'm sorry, I can't.

CASEY WOODLAND: We know you met with Karen Bennett. We think her husband may have found out.

ROB DEMATO: You're looking at Andrew Bennett for this?

CASEY WOODLAND: Should we be?

ROB DEMATO: [sits at his desk] Karen came in about a month ago. Said she was leaving her husband.

CASEY WOODLAND: She say why?

ROB DEMATO: California's a no-fault state. "Why" doesn't matter. Karen hadn't signed a prenup. I warned her there might be some issues.

MADELEINE POE: A divorce without a custody battle sounds pretty straightforward.

ROB DEMATO: Not if your, uh, soon-to-be ex is a powerful judge with plenty of friends on the bench.

MADELEINE POE: Is that why she didn't file?

ROB DEMATO: Couldn't say-- she never came back.

CASEY WOODLAND: Do you think they reconciled?

ROB DEMATO: Love's a funny thing.

[Madeleine and Casey exchange looks.]

CUT TO:

[Courthouse steps. Day. Stark walks up the steps. DA Jessica Devlin walks up to him.]

JESSICA DEVLIN: You're charging Judge Bennett?

SEBASTIAN STARK: Where'd you hear that?

JESSICA DEVLIN: CNN.

[Stark smirks.]

JESSICA DEVLIN: Someone leaked the fact that Bennett's a suspect in his wife's murder; my money's on you.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Now, why would I do that?

JESSICA DEVLIN: Oh, I don't know. 'Cause you hate the man with every fiber of your being?

SEBASTIAN STARK: Yeah, but outing him as a suspect and having him lawyer up hurts my case. You know my motto: Winning first, revenge a close second.

[They stop walking.]

JESSICA DEVLIN: Bennett is a very popular guy.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Yeah, right. [almost disdainfully] People don't like Bennett, they fear him.

JESSICA DEVLIN: Same difference. He knows everyone in this city. He will bring the Wrath of God down on you.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [starts to walk] Well, if he killed his wife, I'm willing to bet God will be on my side.

JESSICA DEVLIN: [walking after him] Bennett is a judge, Sebastian. You can't afford to get this one wrong.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [turns to her] You know, last time I looked, my office door said "High-Profile Crime Unit." I don't have the luxury of getting anything wrong, Jess. Which is where my God-like perfection comes in handy. So unless one of those civil servant hacks, that you laughingly call a prosecutor, has suddenly grown a brain, and some balls, kindly take a giant step back.

JESSICA DEVLIN: So I can assume you've got this covered.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Yeah.

[He walks away.]

CUT TO:

[Courthouse. Day. Casey looks disappointed and beat. Stark walks up to him.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: [cheerfully] Who died?

CASEY WOODLAND: Judge Lindstrom won't hear our request for a search warrant for Bennett's car.

SEBASTIAN STARK: That's probably because he and Bennett went to law school together.

CASEY WOODLAND: I didn't know that.

SEBASTIAN STARK: You should have that put on a T-shirt. Hey, forget it. You think any judge in this town is gonna help us go after Bennett?

CASEY WOODLAND: Well, if we're gonna check him out, we need a warrant.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Maybe. [sly voice] Maybe not. What kind of car does Bennett drive?

[They start walking.]

CASEY WOODLAND: Black Cadillac STS.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Okay, pull this month's police reports on all unsolved vehicle-related crimes. Drive-bys, hit-and-runs, and see if any of them involve a black Caddy.

CASEY WOODLAND: This is the part where we get disbarred, isn't it?

[Stark shrugs.]

CUE UPBEAT MUSIC.

CUT TO:

[LA Street/Isaac's car. Day. Isaac drives up a road, following a black Cadillac. He puts his finger to his ear, listening to Stark.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: [vo, from earpiece] You find Bennett?

ISAAC WRIGHT: I'm right behind him.

INTERCUT WITH:

[HPCU Office. Day. Casey and Stark communicate with Isaac over the radio.]

CASEY WOODLAND: A car matching Bennett's was involved in a drug buy in Hawthorne two weeks ago. Cops never caught the guy.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Did you call your friends in Narcotics?

[LA Street/Isaac's car. Day.]

ISAAC WRIGHT: We're ready to roll.

[The Caddy drives up to a restaurant, with Isaac in close pursuit. The Caddy stops at the door. Isaac stops a small distance away. Judge Bennett gets out of the Caddy. The parking valet comes up.]

VALET: Enjoy your lunch, Judge Bennett.

ANDREW BENNETT: [giving him a tip and his carkeys] Hey. Thank you.

VALET: Thank you.

[The valet gets into the car, while Isaac watches. Bennett enters the restaurant. Isaac, making sure Bennett's clear, gets out of his car and runs towards Bennett's Caddy. Behind him, a police towtruck appears. Badge in hand, he taps on the Caddy's window and speaks to the valet.]

ISAAC WRIGHT: I'll handle this.

[The valet uneasily steps out. The towtruck stops in front of the car.]

CUT TO:

[Forensics Lab. Day. The CSU people are going through Bennett's car. Raina walks up.]

RAINA TROY: Hey. Anything?

ISAAC WRIGHT: Car looks clean except for this.

[He holds up a paper, stained with a black substance.]

RAINA TROY: What is it?

ISAAC WRIGHT: Some kind of oil. I scraped it off the floorboard. He could have picked it up at the airport parking structure.

[He moves to the trunk of the car. Raina follows.]

ISAAC WRIGHT: But check this out. Now...

[He points to a spot on the trunk-floor.]

ISAAC WRIGHT: You see how this spot's lighter than the rest of the carpet?

RAINA TROY: Yeah.

ISAAC WRIGHT: Bennett must have scrubbed it clean.

RAINA TROY: [to nearby criminalist] Recently?

CSU CRIMINALIST: Couple days, maybe a week. Might've been trying to get rid of that oil.

ISAAC WRIGHT: Let's run a Luminol test.

[The criminalist sprays the trunk-floor with Lunimol. He shines UV light on the floor. A large spot glows fluorescent blue.]

ISAAC WRIGHT: That's a lot of blood. The judge definitely didn't cut himself shaving.

RAINA TROY: No, but he may have just cut his own throat.

[She walks off.]

CUT TO:

[Courthouse. Day. Casey speaks to Raina on his cell phone. Stark stands close by, listening eagerly.]

CASEY WOODLAND: You're absolutely positive? [listens, smiles] All right. [hangs up, to Stark] Blood type in Bennett's car matches his wife's.

[Stark goes up to a courtroom door, flanked by officers. He stops at the door, pure ecstasy on his face.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: [pumping his fist] I am gonna love this!

[He and Casey open the doors.]

[Courtroom. Day. Judge Bennett is at the bench. A trial is underway. Stark expressionlessly marches up towards the bench, followed by Casey and the officers.]

ANDREW BENNETT: [miffed] We are in the middle of a trial.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Not anymore! Andrew Bennett, you are under arrest for the murder of your wife!

[The crowd starts to murmur in surprise. The officers go behind the bench and escort Bennett off the bench. Stark addresses the crowd, his arms raised in a Nixonesque 'V'.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: Ladies and gentlemen! Court is adjourned!

FLASH OUT.

HARD CUT TO:

[Outside DA's Office. Day.]

JESSICA DEVLIN: [vo] You arrested a sitting judge...

CUT TO:

[DA's Office, Hallway. Day. Stark and Jessica walk.]

JESSICA DEVLIN: ...in the middle of a trial?

SEBASTIAN STARK: I can't tell you how long I have dreamed of doing that.

JESSICA DEVLIN: Yeah, I've got to admit it's crossed my mind a few times. Was it amazing?

SEBASTIAN STARK: Take the best sex you've ever had, add in a royal flush.

JESSICA DEVLIN: Still, you humiliated the man.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Look, guys like Bennett think they're untouchable, so I reached out and touched him.

JESSICA DEVLIN: Yeah, and in the process, alienated every judge in this building. We've already had six no-brainer motions denied this morning. We can't buy a continuance.

[They stop at the elevators.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: Screw 'em if they can't take a joke.

JESSICA DEVLIN: [hitting a button] No, the point is, you wanted a war, you got one.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [unfazed] Good.

[He walks towards his office, while she waits for the elevator.]

CUT TO:

[Courtroom. Day. The prelim is underway. The Honorable Judge Kathryn Cavanaugh sits at the bench, while the dishonored Judge Andrew Bennett sits at the Defense table. Bennett's attorney, Gloria Dent (Monica Tanner's lawyer in "Dial M for Monica"), stands in front of the bench, while Stark fiddles with his briefcase at the Prosecution table.]

GLORIA DENT: Your Honor, defense moves that all evidence found in the _illegal_ search of my client's car be ruled inadmissible.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [approaching the bench, chuckles] On what grounds?

GLORIA DENT: No search warrant was granted.

SEBASTIAN STARK: No warrant was necessary. The car in question was seized after being implicated in a drug-trafficking incident.

GLORIA DENT: The connection to which Mr. Stark completely fabricated.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Well, tell that to the diligent officers of LAPD.

JUDGE KATHRYN CAVANAUGH: [breaking in] I'll... I'll... I will allow the search, but I'd better not find out that you were involved, Mr. Stark.

[Stark nods.]

JUDGE KATHRYN CAVANAUGH: As to the matter of bail?

SEBASTIAN STARK: We're talking about murder one.

GLORIA DENT: My client is a highly respected jurist and poses little risk of flight.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Judge Bennett personally denied bail in dozens of cases, just like this. Are we not all equal under the law?

GLORIA DENT: [sarcastic] Suddenly you're a man of the people.

JUDGE KATHRYN CAVANAUGH: Enough. The bail is set at two hundred thousand dollars.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [arguing] For capital murder? That's a joke.

JUDGE KATHRYN CAVANAUGH: [firm] The defendant is an upstanding member of this community, Mr. Stark. You'd do well to remember that.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [forced smile] Thank you, Your Honor.

GLORIA DENT: Thank you.

[Gloria and Stark return to their respective tables.]

GLORIA DENT: Bennett's a choir boy. I'm going to squash you... like a bug.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Dream on. [looks at her] You change your hair?

GLORIA DENT: Loser buys dinner?

SEBASTIAN STARK: Sounds unethical. You're on.

[She smiles at her and walks past Bennett, who acknowledges her. Bennett, escorted by a guard, comes up to Stark.]

ANDREW BENNETT: This is a personal vendetta, Stark. And you know, when this trial's over and I'm exonerated, I'm gonna return the favor. [intimidating] I'm gonna make your life a living hell.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Well, thanks, but I've already been married.

ANDREW BENNETT: [smiles] Okay, just remember: when you go after the king, you better kill the king.

SEBASTIAN STARK: That's what Elvis said to the Beatles. Next thing you know, he's playing Vegas in a sequined jumpsuit. Go figure.

[He walks out.]

CUT TO:

[DA's Office, Hallway/HPCU Office. Day. Raina and Casey walk, arguing about who the suspect should be.]

RAINA TROY: No eyewitness, no murder weapon, no motive. It's two days until the trial, and all we've got is a Cadillac with a bleach stain.

CASEY WOODLAND: [arguing] We've got Karen Bennett's blood in her husband's car.

RAINA TROY: We have got blood matching her _type_. DNA came back inconclusive. The sample was too degraded for a positive ID.

[They enter the HPCU office.]

CASEY WOODLAND: [admitting] Isaac did say we got nothing from the search at Bennett's house.

RAINA TROY: Fun never stops.

[Madeleine enters, behind them and walks to her desk.]

MADELEINE POE: Hey. Looked into Bennett's bank records. He used an ATM in Torrance a dozen times in the last three months.

[She puts a stack of papers into her briefcase.]

CASEY WOODLAND: Torrance is way out of the judge's zip code. Maybe he was meeting someone.

MADELEINE POE: Let's find out.

[She leaves, just as quickly as she came.]

CUT TO:

[Stock footage of LA. Night.]

CUT TO:

[Nuts and Bolts Bar. Night. Madeleine and Casey approach the bartender.]

BARTENDER: You lost?

CASEY WOODLAND: We're from the DA's Office.

MADELEINE POE: [shows him Bennett's picture] Seen this guy?

BARTENDER: [hardly looks at it] Nope.

MADELEINE POE: He's used the ATM here a dozen times.

BARTENDER: Lots of people do.

MADELEINE POE: Well, we could ask your customers instead.

BARTENDER: Look, no one's gonna talk to you. It's not how this place works.

CASEY WOODLAND: We're investigating a murder. How'd you like to see how jail works?

BARTENDER: [sighs, looks at the picture] Comes in once a week, usually meets a friend.

CASEY WOODLAND: This friend got a name?

BARTENDER: A younger guy. I think his name is Rob. He's a lawyer. Italian, last name...

MADELEINE POE: Demato?

BARTENDER: That's it.

[Madeleine and Casy exchange surprised looks.]

MADELEINE POE: Are you sure he's never met anyone else here? A woman?

BARTENDER: [chuckles] Like I said, that's not how this place works.

[Casey and Madeleine turn to look at the patrons. Guys hang out with other guys in booths. Some guys go arm-in-arm, one of them makes eyes at Casey. Casey turns uneasily.]

CASEY WOODLAND: [quietly, to Madeleine] Let's go.

[They leave.]

CUT TO:

[Stark Residence, Foyer. Night. Neal enters, checking to see if everything's all right inside. Julie enters.]

JULIE STARK: [cheery] Thank you so much for taking me to that concert.

NEAL DONOVAN: [chuckles] That's the fourth time you've thanked me. It's fine.

JULIE STARK: Yeah, I just know that Jo-Jo probably isn't really high on your download list.

NEAL DONOVAN: [assuring] It was fun. [beat] I should get going.

JULIE STARK: I can't believe Thursday's your last day.

NEAL DONOVAN: [smirks] I'm sure you're happy to get rid of me.

JULIE STARK: Just come hungry. I'm making you a good-bye dinner.

NEAL DONOVAN: You don't have to do that.

JULIE STARK: I want to.

NEAL DONOVAN: [smiles] Okay. It's a date.

[He leaves. Julie smiles, elated.]

CUT TO:

[Rob Demato's Office. Night. Madeleine and Casey speak to an uncomfortable Demato.]

MADELEINE POE: You were never Karen Bennett's attorney, were you?

ROB DEMATO: I told you what I knew.

MADELEINE POE: [sits] You just left out one small detail: that Andrew Bennett's gay and you were having an affair with him.

ROB DEMATO: My personal life is none of your business.

CASEY WOODLAND: Bennett built his career [chuckles] crusading against gay rights.

ROB DEMATO: Politics weren't a big topic of discussion between me and Andrew. Look, neither one of us flaunted our sexuality. Andrew referred a lot of clients my way. The kind of people who would not hire a gay attorney.

MADELEINE POE: And how do you think those clients will react when they find out that your favorite bar is called "The Nuts and Bolts"?

ROB DEMATO: [leaning forward] You can threaten me all you want, but there is no way that Andrew could have done this.

CASEY WOODLAND: We found Karen's blood in his car. A woman is dead. Why are you covering for her killer?

[Demato looks at them.]

ROB DEMATO: A month ago, Andrew called me and said that he couldn't meet me. Said that Karen had found out about our affair. A few days later, she showed up at my office screaming, saying she was gonna tell everybody about Andrew and me. Press would have crucified him.

MADELEINE POE: What did you do?

[Realisation hits Demato.]

ROB DEMATO: [quietly] I called Andrew.

CUT TO:

[Stock footage of LA. Day.]

CUT TO:

[Outside courthouse. Day. Casey and Madeleine, beaming heavily, stand behind an overjoyed Stark (facing the camera).]

SEBASTIAN STARK: [nonplussed] Gay?

CASEY WOODLAND: Gay.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [to Casey, almost serious] I could kiss you so hard on the mouth right now.

CASEY WOODLAND: Rain check.

MADELEINE POE: Karen Bennett threatened to go public, tell everyone her husband's sleeping with a man.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Which probably would not have gone over very well with his gay-bashing supporters. How do you spell motive?

CASEY WOODLAND: Bennett couldn't let this get out on the eve of his confirmation to the Federal Court

SEBASTIAN STARK: So he kills his wife to keep her quiet. So much for family values.

[Jessica approaches. Stark, still on cloud nine, gives her a 100-watt smile.]

JESSICA DEVLIN: Good morning.

CASEY WOODLAND: 'Morning.

MADELEINE POE: 'Morning.

[Casey and Madeleine leave.]

JESSICA DEVLIN: I just got a call from Assistant Attorney General Rogers vouching for Bennett's character.

SEBASTIAN STARK: So?

JESSICA DEVLIN: So Bennett is a card-carrying member of the Old Boy's Club.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [really enjoying this, laughs loudly] Oh, heyy, you have no idea.

JESSICA DEVLIN: Meaning?

SEBASTIAN STARK: Meaning Bennett didn't exactly practice what he preached. He's gay, Jess.

JESSICA DEVLIN: [get outta here!] No way.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [quietly] Way.

JESSICA DEVLIN: [whispers, believing] Gay?

CUT TO:

[Jessica's Office. Day. Jessica speaks to Gloria and Bennett, while Stark hovers around.]

GLORIA DENT: My client's sexual preference has nothing to do with this case.

SEBASTIAN STARK: These things have a way of getting out.

ANDREW BENNETT: So do defamation suits.

JESSICA DEVLIN: We're not here to make threats, we're here to make a deal. Fifteen years for murder one.

GLORIA DENT: Judge Bennett is one of the most respected public servants in this city.

SEBASTIAN STARK: With his dead wife's blood on his hands, and a lover named Rob, waiting in the wings to testify. How do you think that's gonna play at your confirmation hearing?

ANDREW BENNETT: Well, the blood evidence is ambiguous, and if you had a decent case, you wouldn't be sitting here right now.

JESSICA DEVLIN: If your client wasn't prepared to plead to a lesser crime, why'd you call this meeting?

[Gloria pulls a folder out of her briefcase.]

GLORIA DENT: [hands it to Jessica] To give you this.

[Jessica opens it. Stark, standing behind her, gives it a cursory glance.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: [chuckling] A motion to dismiss? I hate to break it to you, I've never laid down a winning hand in my life. Why would I start now?

GLORIA DENT: [smug] The Caltrans road crew found the knife that killed Karen Bennett, on the side of the 10 Freeway. LAPD matched the prints to those of Frankie Peña, the felon who repeatedly threatened to kill the Bennetts.

[Gloria and Bennett stand.]

ANDREW BENNETT: I enjoyed watching both of you attempt to coerce a plea from an innocent defendant, and I'm sure the State Bar will find it equally fascinating. See you in court, Counselor.

GLORIA DENT: Good day.

[They walk out.]

JESSICA DEVLIN: So that's bad.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Yeah.

HARD CUT TO:

[Stock footage of LA. Day.]

CUT TO:

[Courtroom. Day. Judge Cavanaugh sits at the bench, listening to Gloria's motion to dismiss, while Stark sits close by.]

GLORIA DENT: We're requesting that all charges be dropped immediately.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [stands] Your Honor, this motion is premature.

GLORIA DENT: A murder weapon has been found with prints on it, matching an ex-convict who repeatedly made threats against my client and the deceased, his wife.

SEBASTIAN STARK: The People request a week to analyze this new evidence, Your Honor.

JUDGE KATHRYN CAVANAUGH: You've got forty-eight hours to demonstrate why the charges shouldn't be dropped. We're done.

[Stark nods shortly. He gathers his paperwork. Gloria comes over.]

GLORIA DENT: [whispering] I know this great little seafood joint down in the marina - casual, romantic.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Sounds good. Don't forget your credit card.

CUT TO:

[HPCU Office. Day. The team watches Harris give a live statement to the press on TV. Gloria stands nearby.]

SAM HARRIS: [on TV] Andrew Bennett is innocent of this terrible crime. Now we're here today to appeal to the public to help us find the man responsible. [holds up Peña's mugshots] Frankie Peña, a violent criminal who has made repeated threats against the Bennett family.

RAINA TROY: He's discussing evidence in an ongoing trial.

CASEY WOODLAND: He's not on Bennett's legal team. He can say whatever he wants.

MADELEINE POE: I say we fight back, play the gay card.

RAINA TROY: What, you think outing the judge is gonna score points with the jury?

MADELEINE POE: Why not? It establishes motive for Bennett to kill his wife, and with our largely conservative jury, homophobia works for us.

CASEY WOODLAND: Charming, Madeleine.

[They stop talking and watch the broadcast.]

SAM HARRIS: [on TV] This entire case is an attack on the personal life of Andrew Bennett. Mr. Bennett did not murder his wife. [beat] His only transgression was having an extramarital affair... with another man. Singled out...

[The team is shocked.]

CASEY WOODLAND: Bennett just outed himself on live television.

MADELEINE POE: That's a pretty desperate move for an innocent man.

RAINA TROY: Maybe not. The murder weapon was found with Karen Bennett's blood and Peña's prints all over it, and Peña is on record threatening her.

MADELEINE POE: Peña was a free man. Why would he risk going back to prison to kill Karen Bennett?

[As if on cue, Stark enters, a confident swagger in his strut.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: I'll tell you why. [holds up a file] Two weeks ago, one Danny Vargas, Peña's cousin, was paroled early. Anyone care to guess why? Because before his hearing, the parole board received a glowing letter of recommendation from none other than Judge Andrew Bennett.

RAINA TROY: The cousin is the connection between Bennett and Peña.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [moving the Bennett crimeboard next to the Peña one] You've got it. Judge Bennett hired Peña to kill his wife.

MADELEINE POE: I checked into Bennett's accounts. No major withdrawals were made in the last six months.

SEBASTIAN STARK: That's because Bennett didn't pay Peña off with money. He paid him off with Danny Vargas' freedom. [ordering] I want Vargas in here, and I want him in here now.

[He stalks off.]

CUT TO:

[Interrogation room. Day. Danny Vargas sits uneasily at the table in the darkened room, while Raina sits in front of him and Isaac leans up against the wall.]

ISAAC WRIGHT: You lied to us, Danny, and I don't like being lied to.

RAINA TROY: Peña dropped you off at your NA meeting the night of the murder, but he didn't stick around like you said, did he?

DANIEL VARGAS: [beat] No.

RAINA TROY: Where'd he go?

DANIEL VARGAS: I don't know.

ISAAC WRIGHT: [stepping forward] You're a damn liar.

DANIEL VARGAS: [scared] I swear. I never heard from him again.

ISAAC WRIGHT: Then why'd you lie about the NA meeting?

DANIEL VARGAS: I was just looking out for Frankie the way he always looks out for me.

RAINA TROY: Like getting you paroled early?

[Danny looks at her.]

RAINA TROY: Oh, you didn't think we knew about that, did you? Y'know, Frankie killed Bennett's wife to get you out early. So what was your part?

DANIEL VARGAS: [verge of tears] I had nothing to do with it.

ISAAC WRIGHT: Then tell us where Frankie is.

DANIEL VARGAS: I don't know.

RAINA TROY: [standing, to Isaac] Charge him as an accessory to murder.

DANIEL VARGAS: No, no, wait. Before he left, he said he was gonna shake down some rich white dude. Like blackmail.

[Raina and Isaac move aside, while Danny sits edgily in his seat.]

RAINA TROY: [whispering] Guy like Peña disappears? A record, no money?

ISAAC WRIGHT: Yeah, chances are, he's not poolside in Cabo.

RAINA TROY: We need to recheck the evidence from Bennett's car. that's not Karen Bennett's blood after all.

[She walks off.]

CUT TO:

[HPCU Office, Stark's Office. Stark pores over some paperwork. There's a rap on his door. Madeleine and Lewis Slocombe (carrying a laptop) enter together.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: Let me guess. Casting call for "Beauty and the Geek"?

MADELEINE POE: He wishes.

LEWIS SLOCOMBE: [sincerely] So badly. We just finished analyzing the oil residue found in Bennett's car. [smiling] It's fascinating.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [bored] You find oil residue fascinating?

[Lewis places the laptop in front of Stark.]

MADELEINE POE: It's crude oil - the kind that you pump from an oil-well.

[The laptop screen shows a Cude Oil Chromatogram. Lewis hits a button, bringing up a window showing the "Molecular Components of Crude Oil".]

MADELEINE POE: The only active oil field in greater LA...

[Lewis brings up a map, which zooms up to a place, with an oilwell drawing.]

MADELEINE POE: ... Stocker Hill.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Well, gold stars all around. Get an SID team out here right away. I got a feeling we're about to strike it rich.

CUT TO:

[Stark Residence. Day. Julie opens the front door. Neal stands outside.]

JULIE STARK: Hey. C'mon in.

NEAL DONOVAN: You look great.

[He enters.]

JULIE STARK: [flattered] Thanks.

[He closes the door, while she moves to the kitchen.]

JULIE STARK: Um, dinner's not quite ready yet. Can I get you something to drink?

NEAL DONOVAN: Oh, no. I'm good.

[Looking at the kitchen counter, his mouth drops. Some really delicious-looking food is placed on it and Julie's still making more.]

NEAL DONOVAN: This looks amazing.

JULIE STARK: A little too much Martha Stewart Living.

NEAL DONOVAN: [exhales] Thing is... I got a new job today. Working for a diplomat.

JULIE STARK: Wow. That was fast.

NEAL DONOVAN: Yeah, I know. Problem is... they need me to start tonight.

[Julie, her back to him, looks disappointed.]

JULIE STARK: [trying to sound cheerful] Oh.

NEAL DONOVAN: [sincerely] I'm really sorry.

JULIE STARK: [turning to him] No. It's okay. I get it. It's work. [faint chuckle]

[She turns back to the counter.]

NEAL DONOVAN: [walking up to her] Look... let me make it up

JULIE STARK: Really, it's okay.

NEAL DONOVAN: No, it's not. Some friends of mine are having a party tomorrow night. I was gonna stop by early before work. Lots of fun people. Wanna meet me there?

JULIE STARK: [genuinely cheerful now] Okay.

CUT TO:

[Stocker Hill. Day. An oil well operates noisily in the background. An SID team looks for evidence. Raina and Isaac walk.]

RAINA TROY: Strange place to meet someone.

ISAAC WRIGHT: Not if you don't wanna be found.

RAINA TROY: [hugging herself] It's cold out here.

[Isaac, the knight in a shiny leather jacket, takes off the jacket and puts it round her. One of the SID guys near the oil well calls out.]

SID GUY: We've got a body!

[Raina and Isaac look at the man waving at them.]

RAINA TROY: Looks like we found Frankie Peña.

[They walk towards the place.]

CUT TO:

[Stock footage of LA. Night.]

CUT TO:

[Judge Bennett's quarters. Night. Bennett is behind his desk, working on something. Stark walks in slowly. Bennett looks up.]

ANDREW BENNETT: I'm afraid I can't talk to you without Counsel present.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Oh, right. I forgot. You always play by the rules.

ANDREW BENNETT: And you always break them.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Only when they get in the way. We found Peña. Shot in the chest up on Stocker Hill.

ANDREW BENNETT: [unfazed] Well, I can't say I'm sorry to hear it.

SEBASTIAN STARK: We're running ballistics, but you and I both know the bullet came from your gun. Still time to settle, avoid the death penalty.

ANDREW BENNETT: Well, that's the difference between us, Stark. I believe in the system.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Why not confess? Throw yourself on the mercy of the court.

ANDREW BENNETT: Well, you know I've never been a big proponent of mercy.

[Stark smirks.]

ANDREW BENNETT: Besides, I'm very confident that in the end, the truth will come out.

SEBASTIAN STARK: And the truth will set you free, right? Don't bet on it.

[He turns to leave.]

HARD CUT TO:

[Shot of the courthouse exterior. Day.]

CUT TO:

[Courtroom. The trial is underway. The Honorable Kathryn Cavanaugh presides. Stark gives his opening to the jury.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: Karen Bennett was a devoted wife. She loved her husband, and she trusted him. Now, when Karen found out that her husband was having an affair, she realized that he was a liar. When she found out that that affair was with another man, she understood that her husband - an avid proponent of family values and the sanctity of marriage - was also... a hypocrite. It was then that she decided to leave him. But Andrew Bennett knew that if his lifestyle - and more importantly, his blatant hypocrisy - were ever to become public, he could kiss his judicial career good-bye. [pointing at Bennett] And that's when he decided to hire Frankie Peña to murder his wife. But Andrew Bennett's a smart guy. He knew that Frankie Peña was the only link between him  and the murder of his wife. And so, what did he do? [jabs his finger towards Bennett] He killed Peña, too. For his entire career, Judge Andrew Bennett pretended to represent justice. Teach him the meaning of that word.

[Stark returns to his seat. Gloria delivers her opening.]

GLORIA DENT: Every piece of evidence in the murder of Karen Bennett directly links Frankie Peña to the crime. Not my client. Mr. Peña was a violent criminal, and his death was the direct result of the dangerous life that he chose to lead. And as far as the murder of Karen Bennett, my client had absolutely nothing to do with it. Judge Andrew Bennett is a fine public servant, and he is a grieving husband, and he is a victim.

[She returns to her seat.]

TIME LAPSE:

[Raina examines a detective.]

RAINA TROY: Detective, did you supervise ballistics on the bullet that killed Frankie Peña?

DETECTIVE: Yes. One .38 caliber slug to the chest.

RAINA TROY: And were you able to trace that bullet to a particular weapon?

DETECTIVE: Yes. It belonged to a handgun registered to Judge Andrew Bennett.

RAINA TROY: Thank you.

[She returns to her seat next to Stark.]

GLORIA DENT: [standing] No questions, Your Honor.

[The detective leaves the stand.]

GLORIA DENT: Your Honor, I'd like to call Andrew Bennett to the stand.

[The crowd starts to murmur quietly, as Bennett makes his way to the stand. Stark and Raina confer quietly. Madeleine and Casey, in the galley, whisper to each other.]

MADELEINE POE: [whispering] She's desperate.

CASEY WOODLAND: [whispering] Maybe not.Bennett definitely knows his way around a jury.

MADELEINE POE: [whispering] Sebastian's gonna rip his head off.

JUDGE KATHRYN CAVANAUGH: Quiet down, please.

[The murmur ceases. Stark looks curious and apprehensive at the same time.]

GLORIA DENT: [to Bennett] Had Frankie Peña threatened you in the past?

ANDREW BENNETT: He wrote letters to me while he was in prison. When he was paroled, he called my home and office. I tried reasoning with him. He wouldn't listen. He threatened to kill me and my wife.

GLORIA DENT: Tell us what happened the night that your wife was murdered.

ANDREW BENNETT: I tried calling Karen for hours, and it wasn't like her to not answer. Um, I knew right away something was wrong.

GLORIA DENT: What did you do?

ANDREW BENNETT: I went to see Frankie Peña.

GLORIA DENT: [more a statement than a question] You went to his home.

ANDREW BENNETT: I've been threatened many times, but Peña was the only one who had ever threatened Karen.

GLORIA DENT: What happened next?

ANDREW BENNETT: I waited outside Peña's house, and when he arrived, I confronted him.

GLORIA DENT: You brought a gun?

ANDREW BENNETT: Yes.

GLORIA DENT: Did you intend to kill Frankie Peña?

ANDREW BENNETT: No. [beat] I only wanted to get him to tell me where Karen was. I prayed that... she was still alive.

GLORIA DENT: And what happened next?

ANDREW BENNETT: [beat] Peña told me that he had followed Karen to the airport. He waited by her car. [emotional] He stabbed her. And then he told me he watched her die.

GLORIA DENT: I know how difficult this is, but please, tell us what happened next.

ANDREW BENNETT: [intense] I told Peña that I was calling the police. That I was gonna make sure that he spent the rest of his life in jail.

GLORIA DENT: But you never made that call, did you?

ANDREW BENNETT: No, I never got the chance. Peña attacked me. I was afraid... he was gonna kill me like he... he had killed Karen. And that's... that's when I shot him. 

[Bennett breathes out a heavy sigh. He looks at the jury.]

ANDREW BENNETT: I know, I should have gone to the police, but this man, he had already taken so much from me.

[Stark only watches, knowing his case is in the crapper.]

ANDREW BENNETT: He destroyed my life.

CUT TO:

[Courthouse, outside courtroom. Day. Reporters clamour to get statements from Stark as he exits the courtroom with his team.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: No comment. I have no comment. Thank you.

RAINA TROY: Bennett knows that he is sunk on the Peña murder, so he cops to it.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [chuckles wryly] He spins it to make himself look like a hero in the process.

CASEY WOODLAND: So what about cross?

[They stop walking.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: Did you see that jury? They are gonna acquit Bennett of the murder of his wife. They're gonna give him a slap on the wrist for killing Peña. Hate to tell you guys, but it we can't prove that Bennett hired Peña to kill his wife, this guy is literally gonna get away with murder.

[They see Sam Harris speaking to the reporters.]

SAM HARRIS: Andrew Bennett is extremely anxious to put this painful ordeal behind him. He has dedicated his life to serving justice, and would like nothing more than to continue to do so.

CASEY WOODLAND: How stoned is this guy, thinking he can save Bennett's nomination?

SEBASTIAN STARK: Hey, if Bennett walks, Harris is gonna make it look like he can walk on water.

RAINA TROY: You think Harris knew the whole time that Bennett's gay?

SEBASTIAN STARK: A guy as good as Harris, nothing gets by him.

[Suddenly, he gets an epiphany. He watches Harris speaking with the reporters.]

SAM HARRIS: [to the reporters] That is for the, uh, court to decide. I mean to be honest with you...

[Stark looks at Harris, in slow-motion. He whips around to his team.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: Where did they find the knife that killed Karen Bennett?

CASEY WOODLAND: Side of the 10 Freeway by Crenshaw.

MADELEINE POE: For a seasoned criminal, Peña sure picked a lame place to dump a weapon.

SEBASTIAN STARK: That's because Peña didn't dump the weapon.

RAINA TROY: You think it was Bennett?

SEBASTIAN STARK: No, the knife was found _after_ Bennett was arrested. So, if it had been there before, Caltrans would have found it, right?

CASEY WOODLAND: [stating the obvious] It was Harris.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [chuckling, pointing at Harris] You need something fixed, call a fixer. Okay, we're due back in an hour. [to Madeleine and Raina] I need you guys to stall Judge Cavanaugh. [takes Casey aside] Your dad is a client of Harris's, right?

CASEY WOODLAND: Yeah.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Okay. We're gonna put that pretty face of yours to work.

CUT TO:

[Harris' Office. Day. Casey and Harris' PA, Kim, walk into the office.]

KIM: So your dad's really looking for a legislative aide?

CASEY WOODLAND: Yeah, but it is tough to find good people.

KIM: I would kill to work in Sacramento.

CASEY WOODLAND: I know he'll really appreciate you helping me out.

KIM: I'm not supposed to let anyone in Mr. Harris's office.

CASEY WOODLAND: It'll just take a minute. My dad said it's really important.

KIM: Well, it is for a client.

[Casey smirks.]

KIM: Just hurry. Mr. Harris is gonna be back from court pretty soon.

CASEY WOODLAND: Why don't you go grab your résumé?

[With a smile, she leaves. Casey leans over Harris' computer, checking out his browsing history. He finds a site, which opens up a map.]

CASEY WOODLAND: [quietly exulting] Yes.

[He speed-dials Stark.]

CASEY WOODLAND: [into phone] Sebastian, hey. Harris has been on the Caltrans Web site. He's got maps of the 10 at Crenshaw in his recent searches.

[He hangs up. Kim enters. He hits a key, closing the window.]

KIM: Here you go. [holding out her résumé] I can interview anytime.

CASEY WOODLAND: [taking it] You're gonna love Sacramento.

[He leaves, while she smiles excitedly.]

CUT TO:

[Shots of people on the beach. Day.]

CUT TO:

["Party House". Day. Young guys and girls mill around the crowded place, enjoying themselves. Julie enters nervously. She sees someone offscreen and smiles. She weaves past some people and goes up to Neal, who's hanging out with some of his friends.]

JULIE STARK: [nervous] Hi.

NEAL DONOVAN: Julie. Hey. [to his friends] Guys, guys, this is Julie.

NEAL'S FRIENDS: Hey. Hi.

JULIE STARK: [quietly] Hi.

NEAL DONOVAN: [to Julie] Listen, uh, I gotta run in the house for a second. You gonna be okay

JULIE STARK: [shrugs] Yeah, no problem. Hurry back.

[He goes inside.]

CUT TO:

[Interrogation room. Day. Harris sits peevishly at the table. Stark speaks to him.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: I'm charging you with conspiracy to commit murder.

[He slaps a folder on the table.]

SAM HARRIS: [laughs] Based on a couple of Google maps? Good luck.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Maps from your computer, Sam. Work schedules of the road crew that found the murder weapon. Peña didn't ditch that knife on the side of the freeway, you did.

SAM HARRIS: The judge'll never let this stuff in.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [in "Shark Mode"] Maybe. But I've got an insurance policy. When LAPD or Narcotics searched Bennett's car, they found blood and oil residue. They also found hair follicles. Yours.

SAM HARRIS: [still unintimidated] Intriguing. Except I've been in Bennett's car dozens of times...

SEBASTIAN STARK: [cuts him off] Right. But all the jury's gonna hear is, Mr. Harris's DNA was found at the crime scene.

SAM HARRIS: Fifty people saw me at a client's party during Karen Bennett's murder.

SEBASTIAN STARK: But not during Peña's. When I present evidence that you were with Bennett the night Peña died, his self-defense theory's shot. Which makes it your word against Judge Andrew Bennett's. You saw him play the jury today. Who do you think they're gonna believe?

SAM HARRIS: [laughs] C'mon.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [cracks a smile] Yeah.

SAM HARRIS: [loses the smile] Come on! Even you wouldn't do something this unethical!

SEBASTIAN STARK: [deadpan] Wouldn't even crack my top ten.

[Harris glares at Stark, knowing he's screwed.]

CUT TO:

[Courtroom. Day. Harris sits in the stand, as Stark's witness.]

SAM HARRIS: Bennett thought that if his homosexuality became public he'd be ruined. And that's when he called me in. I don't even think his wife knew.

SEBASTIAN STARK: But she did find out.

SAM HARRIS: Yeah, that's when he hired Frankie Peña to kill her.

GLORIA DENT: Objection! Assumes facts, not in evidence.

JUDGE KATHRYN CAVANAUGH: Overruled.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Uh, would you describe for the jury this murder-for-hire plot?

SAM HARRIS: Sure. About a month ago, Bennett introduced me to a man named John Chavez. Bennett told me that he was a reformed drug dealer that he put away years ago. You know, someone that we would parade in front of the cameras during the confirmation process.

SEBASTIAN STARK: To soften his image for the Liberals.

SAM HARRIS: Exactly. Day after Karen was murdered, Bennett came to me, told me that he killed Frankie Peña in self-defense. And that he needed my help.

SEBASTIAN STARK: So you helped him out, why?

SAM HARRIS: I just didn't think he deserved to go to jail for what he did. You know, if somebody murdered my wife, I would definitely do the same thing.

SEBASTIAN STARK: So you dumped the knife that Peña used to kill Karen Bennett.

SAM HARRIS: Bennett knew the Caltrans schedules from community service sentences. He told me to dump the knife where it was sure to be found.

[The jury looks at him.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: Why didn't you say anything before now?

SAM HARRIS: Because I thought I was helping an innocent man.

[Gloria looks at Harris, a defeated look on her face.]

Then I saw photos of Frankie Peña in the newspaper. It was the same man that Bennett had introduced to me as John Chavez. That's when I knew that Bennett had hired Frankie Peña to killhis wife.

[Bennett glowers at Harris, mad at his betrayal.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: [quick smug smile to Gloria] No more questions.

[He returns to his seat.]

CUT TO:

[Courthouse, outside courtroom. Day. An upset Gloria confers with her underlings.]

GLORIA DENT: I want the brief on my desk tonight...

[Stark victoriously marches up. The underlings leave.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: So, I'm thinking Northern Italian in Beverly Hills. Calamari, a little osso buco.

GLORIA DENT: Screw you.

SEBASTIAN STARK: In that case,we need a couple bottles of Chianti as well.

GLORIA DENT: And a little blue pill.

SEBASTIAN STARK: Not for you, Counselor. You're a natural aphrodisiac.

[Giving him an expresionless stare, she leaves. Jessica walks up to him.]

JESSICA DEVLIN: Impressive. Getting Harris to turn on his own client. How'd you do it?

SEBASTIAN STARK: I threatened to use his DNA to frame him for Peña's murder.

JESSICA DEVLIN: [laughing] And he actually thought you'd do it?

[Stark gives her a "have-we-just-met?" look.]

JESSICA DEVLIN: Oh. Right.

[They walk off.]

CUT TO:

["Party House". Night. The party continues. Julie stands alone in the unfamiliar place, looking for Neal. She goes up to the bar.]

JULIE STARK: [to some party-goers] Have you guys seen Neal? Donovan?

[Head-shakes and blank stares are all she gets. She beats a retreat.]

[Outside "Party House". Night. She walks outside and sees him speaking to someone. Feeling much better, she runs up to him.]

JULIE STARK: There you are.

NEAL DONOVAN: [turns around] Hey, Julie.

JULIE STARK: Hi.

[He points to the girl he's been talking to.]

NEAL DONOVAN: Hey, um, this is Sarah.

JULIE STARK: Oh.

[Julie is stunned to see Sarah put her arm around Neal's.]

NEAL DONOVAN: [good-naturedly] You having fun?

JULIE STARK: [frozen smile] Yeah.

NEAL DONOVAN: [chuckles] Okay.

JULIE STARK: Yeah. Huh, I'm... gonna...

[She walks back inside, dazed.]

[Inside "Party House". Night. "Ice Cream" by "New Young Pony Club" plays. Some people are doing jello-shots at the bar. Julie walks aimlessly up to them. One of them hands her a jello-shot. She swallows it and sees one glass still on the bar. She takes it and swallows that as well. She sighs.]

CUT TO:

[Stock footage of LA. Night.]

CUT TO:

[Court Holding Cell. Night. Bennett stands inside the cell, while Stark stands outside.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: Does the Supreme Court have a policy on convicted murderers? What were you thinking? Bar-hopping with your boyfriend weeks  before you confirmation hearing? Did you honestly think nobody would find out?

ANDREW BENNETT: You think this has been easy? I have been trapped for years, unable to live my life and to be who I am.

SEBASTIAN STARK: You ever been to West Hollywood? Great food, rent control. You're the one who made the choice to pretend to be something you're not.

ANDREW BENNETT: Oh, that's what this is all about, isn't it? It's because I'm gay, and that disgusts you.

SEBASTIAN STARK: I don't care if you do it with farm animals. You killed your wife, Bennett, to protect your image. That... disgusts me.

[He stalks off.]

CUE MUSIC: ["Boston" by Augustana]

CUT TO:

[Julie's car/LA Streets. Night. Julie drives, weeping.]

CUT TO:

[Stark Residence. Night. Stark enters into the darkened place. He switches on a light.]

CUT TO:

[Julie's car/LA Streets. Night. Julie drives through a red light. In slow-motion, she almost hits another car, which swerves out of the way, its tires squealing.]

CUT TO:

[Stark Residence. Night. Stark walks around the place.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: [calling] Julie?

CUT TO:

[Julie's car/LA Streets. Night. Julie continues to drive away. Behind her, a police cruiser sounds its siren and chases after her. Julie looks in the rear-view mirror, fearfully.]

CUT TO:

[Stark Residence. Night. Stark drops his briefcase on the kitchen counter and walks towards the fridge.]

CUT TO:

[Julie's car/LA Streets. Night. Julie's pulled over. The officer comes over and shines his flashlight in her face. In slow-motion, she anxiously lowers her window.]

CUT TO:

[Stark Residence. Night. Stark speed-dials Julie's cell phone and opens the refrigerator.]

CUT TO:

[Julie's car/LA Streets. Night. Julie steps out of the car. In the car, the cell phone starts to ring. In slow-motion, she moves timidly away from the door as the officer closes it. The phone goes into voice-mail.]

JULIE'S VOICE: [from phone] Hey, it's Julie.

CUT TO:

[Stark Residence. Night. Stark listens.]

JULIE'S VOICE: [from phone] Leave me a message and I'll call you back.

SEBASTIAN STARK: [into phone] Hey, Jules, I just got home. Wondered if you had dinner.

CUT TO:

[Julie's car/LA Streets. In slow-motion, the officers test Julie for drunkenness. An officer passes his finger slowly in front of her. She tries to follow it. She can't walk a proper straight line, almost falling over. Knowing she's in trouble, she drops her head.]

CUT TO:

[Stark Residence. Night.]

SEBASTIAN STARK: [into phone, continued] Uh, you'll probably be back home soon, so I'll just wait a bit. [lively] I love you.

CUT TO:

[Julie's car/LA Streets. Night. In slow-motion, Julie is handcuffed behind her back. The officers usher her into the cruiser. She starts to cry in shame. The cops enter the cruiser.]

CUT TO:

[Stark Residence. Night. Stark hangs up.]

CUT TO:

[Julie's car/LA Streets. Night. The cruiser starts to move. In the backseat, Julie looks ashamed.]

CUT TO:

[End Credits.]

END MUSIC.
 

END OF EPISODE

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TRANSCRIBED BY RAHUL KUDVA - WWW.TWIZTV.COM
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