[Scene: ME's Office. Jordan and Woody walk through the corridor.]
JORDAN: Woody, listen, I know it's short notice but what are you doing later?
WOODY: Nothing. Order in, watch my beloved Badgers on satellite TV. Why?
JORDAN: Wanna have some fun?
WOODY: Uh, Jordan, is this going where I think it's going? Because, uh, ever since our kiss back in California, you've sort of been on my mind too.
JORDAN: It's dinner at my dad's bar.
WOODY: Oh.
JORDAN: It's kind of a once a year tradition. We eat, we have a lot of fun. You should come.
WOODY: Please don't tell me it's just gonna be the three of us.
JORDAN: It's not just gonna be the three of us. You'll know everybody there.
WOODY: Everybody? I'm not gonna have to sing, am I?
JORDAN: Come on.
[Scene: Max's Bar. Jordan, Garret, Nigel, Bug, Lily, Woody and Max are there.]
MAX: For those of you attending for the first time, Jordan and I started this during an ice storm a while back. Mostly out of boredom but once we got into it.
JORDAN: Trying to solve cold cases became kind of a kick.
NIGEL: Yeah, I did enjoy our attempt to Jack the ripper.
GARRET: We didn't really solve the damn thing.
MAX: We had fun trying. And all of this started as just the two of us.
GARRET: You hooked me in about 7 years ago, right?
BUG: This is my fourth.
NIGEL: Putting out collective minds together, role playing, attempting to solve the unsolvable.
WOODY: Cool. So it's like Clue, except it's for real.
LILY: Uh, so how do you pick a case?
JORDAN: Well, some are high profile and others are homicides that kind of fell through the cracks. But this year it is dad's turn to pick.
LILY: What are you thinking, Max?
MAX: Forty years ago I was a rookie detective. I couldn't solve this one at the time, so I figure might be worth taking another look. Same rules apply as always. Here are the profiles. (He hands them around.) Cops, doctors, few nut jobs. Now in some cases who you play will be based on your personality. Study your roles, think like they did.
JORDAN: Joyce Quinn, ME.
MAX: First lady coroner I ever had the pleasure of working with.
GARRET: I'm playing Roger Valone, Joyce's boss.
BUG: Wow, there's a stretch.
WOODY: Who's Jimmy Moran?
MAX: Detective I started with at the 7th. Now the rest of you will see how you fit in as we go along. Garret, how about getting us started?
GARRET: 39 years ago today, February 3rd, 1964, The Olympus Diner.
[Scene: 1964. Outside The Olympus Diner. Joyce Quinn (Jordan) pulls up in her car. A police officer taps on the window.]
JOYCE: Hi, I'm with the Medical Examiners Office. (She gets out of the car.) Hi, fellas. Who's the detective in charge?
YOUNG MAX: That would be me. At least for the time being. Who wants to know?
JOYCE: Joyce Quinn. I'm the medical examiner assigned to the case.
MAX: Max Cavanaugh from the 7th. Heck of a business for a lady to go into.
JOYCE: Who said anything about being a lady? So what've we got?
(Joyce looks inside a car and sees a dead woman on the back seat. She has a pair of stockings tied around her neck.)
MAX: Name's Ruth Carter. Local girl, single, 24 years old, worked at the diner. Finished her shift around 2am. Customer found her in the car about an hour ago.
JOYCE: Based on livor I'd place time of death somewhere around 3:00.
MAX: No prints except her own. Found one long grey hair on her sweater. Somebody really wiped things clean. License, registration, no parents name. Was she raped?
JOYCE: Looks like it. There's also a pretty nasty bump on the back of her head.
MAX: Ten to one says it didn't kill her. Recognise the way she was strangled?
JORDAN: Nylons tied in a bow around her neck. Same as the others. You think she's number 14?
MAX: Say hello to the latest victim of the Boston Strangler.
(They look at the back window. It has "14" drawn on the fogged up window.)
Opening Credits
[Scene: Max's Bar. Jordan, Garret, Woody and Max are sitting at the bar.]
JORDAN: Between June of '62 and January '64, 13 women were murdered.
GARRET: All single, raped and strangled with their own nylons.
JORDAN: The cops never figured out who did it.
WOODY: I thought some guy named DeSalvo did it?
MAX: DeSalvo confessed to it but he was never formally charged. Copping to it was his lawyer's ploy to send him to a hospital instead of the electric chair.
GARRET: So you're saying Ruth Carter was the Strangler's 14th victim?
MAX: Word of another murder spread like wildfire. First we had to deal with the press.
GARRET: Valone was the chief coroner at the time. If there were questions, he had answers.
[Scene: 1964. ME's Office. Roger Valone (Garret) is talking to the press. Jimmy Moran (Woody) is standing near by.]
ROGER: Gentlemen, please understand we've just transported the body to the morgue. I'll have a statement once we properly examine the decedent.
JIMMY: Since nobody else'll ask, I'll ask a question, doc.
ROGER: What can I do for you, detective?
JIMMY: Is this the Strangler's 14th victim or not?
ROGER: That is yet to be determined. Let's just all be patient. That's it for now, fellas. (Roger and Jimmy walk down the corridor.) Trying to kill me back there or what?
JIMMY: I just like watching you squirm.
ROGER: How long have we been working this case? A year and a half? Any nerves I had were shot a long time ago.
JIMMY: Feds are on their way. If they find out this is number 14, they're gonna handle it from here.
ROGER: It's my city, it's my case. Joyce Quinn finishes her autopsy they'll have their answers.
(Roger lights up a cigarette.)
JIMMY: Article in the paper said those things'll kill you.
ROGER: Yeah, I know. I wrote it.
JIMMY: Let me ask you something, Roger. Under the circumstances, big media case like this, you sure someone like Joyce should be calling the play?
ROGER: Drop the sports analogy, Jimmy. I hate football. Let me tell you something. Quinn did her schooling at Johns Hopkins and BU. She's a fine medical examiner. I stand by my decision.
JIMMY: I'm just pointing out...
ROGER: What, that she's a female? Wow, you are a detective.
[Cut to Autopsy. Ruth Carter is on a gurney. Joyce and Max are there.]
MAX: What do you see?
JOYCE: Signs of intercourse. There's dried semen around the pelvic area. It's not secreted so I can't get a blood type. (Max looks uncomfortable.) Better get used to it, detective. I leave my lace gloves at home. There's also sporadic bruising on the wrists and the torso.
MAX: What about that blow to the head?
JOYCE: Significant subdural hematoma. It's still hard to tell what hit her.
(Roger walks in.)
ROGER: Talk to me.
JOYCE: Better take a look at this.
ROGER: Who's he?
JOYCE: New guy. Cavanaugh. Homicide.
ROGER: Watch and learn, detective. Strangulation bruises?
JOYCE: There's no haemorrhaging under the skin. He strangled her after she was already dead.
ROGER: You think this was made to look like the others?
JOYCE: Or to steer the police in the wrong direction.
ROGER: All the other women were killed in their homes, right?
MAX: But none of them were numbered like this. A glove was used to write on the window so we couldn't lift a print.
JOYCE: Whoever did this knew how to cover their tracks.
ROGER: All right, as far as I'm concerned, Miss Carter is not number 14. Let's put the decedent on the back burner. Strangler gets priority.
JOYCE: But she was murdered...
ROGER: It's not your decision, Joyce. I'm not saying forget about it but I've got the FBI, the Boston Police and about 20 reporters waiting for me to stop the biggest killing spree in the city's history. Please, I could use a little support here.
[Scene: Max's Bar.]
GARRET: So this wasn't a Strangler case?
MAX: It was a copycat.
BUG: Well, you could've told us that from the beginning.
MAX: No, it's important you hear the details unfold the same way I did. Remember, I was there. All the rumours, whispers, I heard them all.
LILY: Well, start talking, Mr. Gossip.
MAX: All in due time.
GARRET: You know, Valone's decision to focus on the bigger picture was the right call. I had done the same thing.
LILY: What about the girl's family? How do you explain their daughter's death wasn't a priority?
GARRET: Sometimes we make decisions because we have to. It isn't always right but it comes with the job.
LILY: I hope that's Valone talking.
GARRET: Not necessarily.
BUG: So if you were told to put Ruth Carter on hold, why'd you continue to work the case?
MAX: Good question. Truth is it wasn't my idea.
[Scene: 1964. ME's Office. Max is looking into the conference room where Joyce is talking to Ruth Carter's parents. Max walks away and Joyce comes out of the room and catches up to him.]
JOYCE: Detective, wait.
MAX: Forgive me. I didn't mean to eavesdrop back there.
JOYCE: Look, I know you feel the same way about this than I do. So please, just hear me out. Ruth may not be a Strangler victim but there are two people in that room right now grieving the loss of their daughter and I'll be damned if I'm gonna tell them that she doesn't matter.
MAX: You heard Valone. He said he has priorities.
JOYCE: 200 men in Boston alone working that case, not to mention the Feds. Do they really care what we do?
MAX: I just got promoted to detective five months ago. Let me talk to my Lieutenant.
JOYCE: No, by then the trail will be cold. Max, 13 women are dead by the hands of a mad man and the whole city's after him. One girl's gone and no one seems to care. What makes her life any less important?
[Scene: University Biology Lab. Joyce, Max and Dr. Morehouse (Bug) is there. Dr. Morehouse is looking into a microscope.]
MAX: Where you from, professor?
MOREHOUSE: Shut up.
MAX: Excuse me?
MOREHOUSE: I'm trying to work.
JOYCE: Dr. Morehouse lives in New Zealand. He's here on a research grant.
MAX: Researching what? Manners?
MOREHOUSE: Forensic science. i.e. How to help you police buffoons catch your bad guys. This grey hair you found on the girl's sweater, it isn't grey at all. It's white.
JOYCE: See? He's irritable but he's good.
MOREHOUSE: You know, two years ago, science has began playing with the genetic trail of breadcrumbs called DNA. Some day we'll be able to tell all there is to know about a person from a hair like this.
MAX: What can you tell us now?
MOREHOUSE: That the killer has split ends.
JOYCE: Cut him some slack, he's new.
MOREHOUSE: Yeah, are we still on for coffee? You know, Ginsburg himself is reading at the student union next Tuesday.
JOYCE: I got a phone. Do you remember the number?
MOREHOUSE: How could I forget?
MAX: Look, about the hair.
MOREHOUSE: Yeah. Don't necessarily look for an older assailant. Based on the follicle, there's a lack of intrinsic factor protein present. Probably caused by a severe case of pernicious anaemia in childhood. Premature white hair and pale skin are classic indicators of the disease.
JOYCE: Thanks.
MOREHOUSE: No, doll, thank you.
(He kisses Joyce's hand.)
[Scene: Max's Bar.]
MAX: Morehouse clearly had a way with the ladies.
BUG: Well, men of intelligence often do. You know, everything he said was accurate. In '62, Crick, Watson and Wilkins were awarded the Nobel prize for discovering molecular strands. And DNA profiling was developed in New Zealand in the 80's. Probably under the naughty professors...
NIGEL: Bloody riveting. Uh, listen, how about some fun for yours truly, hey? I'm not eating these cocktail wieners for my health, you know.
MAX: Patient. You're up soon.
BUG: Do you know, it's interesting to me that Joyce wasn't afraid to use her assets to get what she wanted.
LILY: So what's wrong with that? Do you know how many barriers she had to break just to get this job?
MAX: Not to mention earning the respect of an all male police force.
BUG: I was merely making an observation. So what was next?
MAX: Back to the crime scene.
[Scene: 1964. The Olympus Diner. Joyce and Max are talking to the owner, George.]
GEORGE: Yeah, Ruthie was a good girl but she was a big flirt. Men don't take well to that, you know.
JOYCE: Flirt how, Mr. Sovatas?
GEORGE: Shaking that caboose, winking and smiling all the time. She knew where her bread was buttered. It showed in the tips she got.
MAX: Did it ever go further than that?
GEORGE: What, do you mean did she ever have sex with them? Nah, no way, she wasn't like that. But she spent a lot of time with one of my dishwashers though. This weird kid I hired about ten months ago.
JOYCE: What's his name?
GEORGE: Simon. He's here today if you want to talk to him. (Simon, wearing a beanie and holding a tray of cutlery walks in.) Hey, Simon. Some people wanna see you. (Simon throws the tray and makes a run for it.) Hey!
(Max chases after Simon and grabs him. He pushes him on the table and pulls off his beanie, revealing his white hair.)
JOYCE: Well, what do you know. Look what we've got here.
[Scene: Max's Bar.]
NIGEL: Forget it. Okay. Every year it's the same. I've had enough.
(He grabs his coat.)
MAX: Come on, Nigel, wait, wait.
BUG: Stop complaining, it's just a game.
NIGEL: Yeah, perhaps. But I'm tired of always being the killer pervert.
LILY: Is it true?
JORDAN: Last year he was the Milwaukee bondage killer.
GARRET: The year before that the ice cream rapist of '77.
JORDAN, GARRET: Killer perve.
NIGEL: For once, why can't I be like the district attorney or a gun toting cop?
BUG: When have you ever seen a cop who wears leather pants and snake skin boots?
WOODY: The Village People.
NIGEL: Don't be so quick to criticise, mister. You're a far cry from that college casanova you just portrayed.
BUG: Well, I wish I could say the same for you because white hair aside, you're equally disturbed.
LILY: I don't think they're role playing anymore.
GARRET: Can we get back to the case, please?
MAX: You heard the man. Where were we?
WOODY: Uh, the killer perve was about to jump ship.
NIGEL: I'll stay and I'll participate. Under one condition.
BUG: No, this isn't negotiable. You're the pervert, deal with it.
(Nigel heads for the door. Max grabs him.)
MAX: Nigel, now since I know where this is going, I can bend the rules a little. Nigel, you might wanna stick around.
NIGEL: Oh, well, if you're suggesting that things are more complicated than they appear.
WOODY: (mumbles to himself) What a pervert.
NIGEL: I wouldn't miss it for the world.
[Scene: 1964. Police Interrogation Room. Joyce, Max and Simon are there.]
SIMON: Ruth and I were just friends. She used to take me to work. I don't drive.
JOYCE: That places him in the car.
MAX: No license, no social security number. I'm guessing no green card either.
SIMON: Please don't send me back. I'm trying to make a life for myself here.
MAX: Sounds like you had an interesting one in England. Scott, your uncle, said you had a record for sexual assault.
SIMON: That was a long time ago. I swear to you, things are different now.
JOYCE: Different in what way?
SIMON: I-I-I couldn't hurt Ruthie. I couldn't hurt anybody. What if I told you that Sovatas, the bloke who owned the diner was obsessed with her?
MAX: Got any proof?
SIMON: Ladies room stall. She has a wall with his office. There's a convenient little hole right behind a painting. Ruth used to change into her uniform there.
[Scene: The Olympus Diner. Joyce, Max and George are there. Max grabs George's arm and pushes him onto a stool.]
MAX: You like looking at girls, George? What else do you like to do?
GEORGE: Stop, you're hurting me.
MAX: What about Ruth Carter? All the winking and smiling you told us about. You wanted some of that, didn't you?
GEORGE: Come on, why are you doing this?
MAX: You used to look at her in the bathroom. You used to watch her get dressed.
GEORGE: Well, she was a damn tease. She knew I was back there. She probably liked it.
JOYCE: Did Ruth tell you that?
GEORGE: She didn't have to.
MAX: So last night you thought she wanted more. You raped her and killed her.
GEORGE: I didn't kill nobody.
JOYCE: You read about the Strangler in the paper. About the nylons. You made it look like he did it.
MAX: You stupid asses. Look at me. I ain't married, I don't even have a girl. I'm a lousy peeping Tom. I couldn't have raped her even if I wanted. Put it together.
MAX: Put what together?
JOYCE: He's impotent.
[Scene: Max's Bar. Bug and Garret are playing pool.]
GARRET: So the great Greek wasn't so great after all.
BUG: Record show they tested him and Joyce was right.
GARRET: I'm not ruling out the dishwasher yet. What do you think, Woody?
WOODY: I think this Moran was one bad assed dude.
BUG: Yeah, how so?
WOODY: He made lieutenant before he was 35 years old. Wounded on the job three times. Had over 400 career busts and retired 17 years ago division chief.
GARRET: Does it say anything in there about browbeating his co-workers?
WOODY: What do you mean?
GARRET: Before you put Moran on a pedestal, you might wanna go see Roger Valone's file as well. Moran was instrumental in getting him fired as chief coroner.
[Scene: 1964. ME's Office. Roger's Office. Roger and Jimmy are there. Roger has his feet up on the desk and is rubbing his forehead.]
JIMMY: Trying to relax, chief?
ROGER: Easier said than done.
JIMMY: Man's gotta find time for himself, otherwise he loses perspective.
ROGER: Did you come all the way down here to chat, Moran? What can I do for you?
JIMMY: Word around the precinct is that the Ruth Carter case is still active. That was supposed to be put on the back burner.
ROGER: You heard me talk to Joyce. I'll handle it first thing tomorrow.
JIMMY: It should've been handled today.
ROGER: For a back burner case you seem awfully concerned.
JIMMY: Just looking out for the city's best interests.
ROGER: For the last 15 months, I've done nothing but eat, sleep and breathe the Strangler.
JIMMY: You think I don't know that?
ROGER: What are you suggesting?
JIMMY: What if the mayor got wind that you weren't focused on the biggest man hunt this town has ever seen.
ROGER: That's a lie.
JIMMY: People talk.
ROGER: Who exactly?
JIMMY: When you work around the dead too long, you start to think people aren't paying attention. There are still a few eyes open around here. Watch yourself, chief.
(Jimmy leaves the room.)
[Scene: Joyce's Apartment. Bedroom. Joyce is in bed asleep. Jimmy walks in and turns on the record player. Joyce wakes up with a jolt.]
JOYCE: Who's there?
(Jimmy turns on a lamp.)
JIMMY: Boo.
JOYCE: Jimmy.
JIMMY: You know, Joyce, you really need to keep your wits about you.
(He takes off his tie.)
JOYCE: It's 2:00 in the morning.
JIMMY: A girl can't be too careful these days. Of course, I happen to have a spare key. You can't trust anybody. (He takes off his shirt.) You really need to know who you're spending time with.
(He sits on the bed.)
JOYCE: Oh, I know exactly who I'm spending time with. An Irish, egotistical horse's ass.
(They lay down on the bed.)
[Scene: Max's Bar. Jordan is standing by the jukebox. Woody goes up to her.]
WOODY: So how about that?
JORDAN: How about what?
WOODY: According to Max, Moran and Joyce had a thing going on.
JORDAN: Too bad she had such lousy taste in men. Moran was married.
WOODY: Maybe their marriage sucked.
JORDAN: Now you're defending him?
WOODY: Hey, I'm just playing devil's advocate. You gotta admit though, all these people, us spending time together. It's entertaining. Sorry you invited me?
(Lily walks in.)
LILY: Guys? Uh, we need to get back to the table.
JORDAN: Why? What's up?
LILY: Um, Max wants to open another case file.
WOODY: I thought we were only doing one murder tonight.
JORDAN: So did I.
[Scene: 1964. Joyce's Apartment. Bedroom. Joyce and Jimmy are asleep in bed. The phone rings and Joyce answers it from the side table.]
JOYCE: Quinn. Max. Wait, slow down. Where? (Jimmy wakes up.) All right, I'll be right over.
JIMMY: What's going on?
JOYCE: Another murder. It looks like the Strangler.
JIMMY: Where?
JOYCE: An apartment near Pursing Square. 1420 Keldar.
JIMMY: That's my building.
[Scene: Apartment. A dead woman is laying on the floor. Police officers and Max are there. Joyce walks in.]
JOYCE: Max?
MAX: It's Moran's wife.
JOYCE: Jimmy drove me.
MAX: Where is he?
(Jimmy rushes in.)
JIMMY: Let me see her. Let me see her. Oh, Peg. (He kneels beside her.) Peg.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
[Scene: Max's Bar.]
LILY: I can't believe she's dead.
WOODY: Moran must've been devastated. Guy spends a year and a half chasing a killer and his wife becomes the next victim.
MAX: Don't be so sure.
BUG: What do you mean?
JORDAN: Historically that would've made Peggy Moran the Strangler's 14th murder.
GARRET: Yeah, but we know that's not the case.
LILY: Another copy cat?
WOODY: And if so, how'd they figure it out?
JORDAN: Same way we would today. Peggy was dead but she still had all the answers.
BUG: Where's the Peggy Moran autopsy file?
[Scene: 1964. ME's Office. Autopsy. Joyce, Max, Roger and a man are there.]
JOYCE: (to man) Swab the scratches on her arm, check for any out of place hair and fluids. Could you give us a minute?
(The man leaves the room.)
ROGER: Run whatever you get through the computer punch cards. If anything matches the other Strangler cases, you should get an answer in about 18 hours.
MAX: Sure looks like a Strangler case.
ROGER: Let's hope not. Wife of a cop gets killed, the tension level in this city goes from bad to worse.
JOYCE: Thos prayers of yours might be answered, Roger. She wasn't raped.
ROGER: Prove it.
JOYCE: There's no vaginal tearing consistent with the other Strangler victims.
MAX: Yet the rest of the matter matches. No forced entry in the apartment, obvious signs of struggled and crushed her windpipe with her own nylons.
JOYCE: Or maybe not. Fellas, what do you know about ladies stockings? (Max and Roger exchange looks.) That's what I figured. Yes, Peggy was strangled with a pair of nylons but these were never worn before. They're brand new.
ROGER: How can you tell?
JOYCE: You can still see the packing crease on the heal.
[Scene: Max's Bar.]
MAX: Joyce's hunch was right. She's good at her job.
JORDAN: Better than good.
NIGEL: We'd know in a moment today whether those pantyhose were new or not. We can do skin and secretion samples on the fabric.
LILY: Instead they had nothing to go on.
BUG: And how about that computer? 18 hours.
WOODY: Might as well have been the stone age.
JORDAN: So if Peggy Moran wasn't number 14 and if she was killed by a copycat, the question is...
WOODY: Was she murdered by the same guy who killed Ruth Carter?
[Scene: 1964. Police Homicide Division. The room is full of people. Jimmy walks in and they stare at him.]
JIMMY: Until last night we were looking for the Strangler because he was killing innocent women. Now he's brought it home. The coroner's telling me it wasn't him but I'm not buying that. Is a double that clever? This guy reads the papers, he knows our names, he knows where we live. He wanted to get one of us and he got her. He got my Peg. You find him, you catch him and if you don't wanna do it for me, then you do it for her.
[Cut to the corridor. Joyce and Max are there.]
JOYCE: Sorry, did I pick a bad time?
MAX: Hasn't been a good time in weeks. What's up?
JOYCE: Photos of the knots used in all 13 Strangler victims. I compared them with Ruth Carter and Peggy Moran. There's an inconsistency.
MAX: Meaning?
JOYCE: See for yourself. (She shows him the photos.) The knots used on Ruth and Peggy are slightly different. The Strangler finishes with a square knot after they're dead.
MAX: So our copy cat finally messed up. You two women are linked. Now what?
JOYCE: We still don't have any hard evidence to work with. At this point I'll take any help I can get.
[Scene: Max's Bar. Lily is sitting at the bar with her head resting on the bar. Nigel and Garret walk over to her.]
LILY: What?
NIGEL: We said relax and have a drink, love.
GARRET: Not ten.
LILY: Ow. (She rubs her head.) What time is it?
MAX: Time to play. Ever hear of a woman named Annabel Costa?
LILY: Uh...
GARRET: Costa worked in a dry cleaner in New Port, Rhode Island. The Feds used her on the Strangler case.
LILY: Used her how?
MAX: What if I told you in 11 years, Costa found 5 kidnapped children, solved 3 murders and help apprehend 7 criminals.
LILY: I'd say that she was wasting her time starching collars.
NIGEL: She was a psychic.
MAX: Cute but a little eccentric.
GARRET: Suit you perfect.
[Scene: 1964. ME's Office. Conference Room. Joyce, Max and Annabel Costa (Lily) are there.]
MAX: Ms. Costa, we brought you here because we hit a brick wall.
ANNABEL: Do you have any Jujubes? I really like Jujubes.
JOYCE: Two women are dead. We think they share the same killer but we can't produce enough hard evidence to track him down.
ANNABEL: I also like liquorice but only if it's a rope and only if it's red.
JOYCE: Is she always like this? Well, according to this you prevented a train accident from happening in '61. You've claimed to have the gift since you were 12 years old and for the past nine months, you've been a consultant for both the FBI and CIA.
ANNABEL: Your skirt's too long.
JOYCE: Excuse me?
ANNABEL: Your skirt's too long. I work in a dry cleaner. The new length is about an inch higher. You have nice legs though. For a coroner, I mean. Do you like Jujubes?
JOYCE: (to Max) Are you sure we shouldn't call somebody?
MAX: Call who? She's the best.
(Joyce hands Annabel a pair of stockings.)
ANNABEL: What was the girl's name?
MAX: Ruth Carter.
ANNABEL: I got in a car with a man. She's in love with him. There's someone else there too. There's an argument. Oh, no, it's getting physical. Wait, we're in an alley.
[Cut to an alley. Joyce, Max and Annabel are there.]
MAX: This better be good.
ANNABEL: Could you be quiet, please?
JOYCE: Ruth was killed in the diner parking lot, not an alley way. No disrespect to Miss Jujube but what can we find here?
ANNABEL: Maybe something the killer was trying to hide. Over there.
(Annabel pulls out a white shirt from a trash can.)
MAX: What is it?
ANNABEL: 15 and a half.
JOYCE: Blood on the sleeve. Lipstick on the collar. Is it Ruth's?
[Scene: Max's Bar.]
MAX: Lipstick matched what Ruth carried in her purse but the blood wasn't hers.
JORDAN: Okay, look, there's a good chance the shirt belonged to the killer. And the tailor was local so maybe we can trace who bought it.
LILY: We know it wasn't the diner owner.
GARRET: According to medical records, the blood on the shirt doesn't match the dishwasher's blood.
NIGEL: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
BUG: These days you can pull DNA from sweat around the armpits, run it through the codes database and hope for a match.
WOODY: Hey, it doesn't matter. We're talking prehistoric detective work. It was probably all contaminated anyway.
MAX: I resent the prehistoric comment. Medieval maybe.
BUG: Back then you could have DNA samples in every way, shape and form and it wouldn't mean bobkis.
LILY: I know I'm new at this but it seems like we're sort of back to square one.
[Scene: 1964. Joyce's Apartment. Jimmy is asleep in bed. Joyce walks in. She picks up Jimmy's shirt and goes to the closet. She notices the brand of shirt matches the shirt they found in the alley. Jimmy grabs her from behind.]
JIMMY: Hey.
JOYCE: You scared me.
JIMMY: Sorry, I needed a hug.
JOYCE: Listen, I, um, I left something at work. Why don't you rest and I'll bring us both back something for dinner.
JIMMY: You sure? It's late.
JOYCE: Yeah, it's okay, really.
JIMMY: I'm so lucky to have you. You know that?
(He kisses her and she leaves.)
[Cut to the ME's Office. Joyce walks into Autopsy with Jimmy's shirt. She gets out the shirt they found in the alley.]
JOYCE: Come on, prove me wrong. (She compares the two shirts and they are both the same. She dials a number on the phone.) Max, it's me. You better see this.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
[Scene: Max's Bar.]
WOODY: No, no way. No. It's impossible.
JORDAN: The shirts matched up.
WOODY: Circumstantial nonsense.
LILY: Aren't you taking this a little personally, Woody?
WOODY: Somebody's gotta defend the guy. He was a big time decorated cop.
MAX: A symbol of the force, right Woodrow?
WOODY: Exactly. The guy's wife dies and suddenly he's a copycat killer? What is that?
BUG: The truth is there could have been a hundred shirts out there made by the same tailor.
WOODY: With tiny differences but differences nonetheless.
NIGEL: If the shirt don't fit, you must not quit.
BUG: Tasteless but appropriate.
GARRET: What they needed was a blood sample from Moran and run it against the stain on the shirt.
JORDAN: That puts him at the scene. Dad, did you get a sample?
[Scene: 1964. Morgue Bullpen. Joyce and Max are there.]
MAX: I can try to pull his medical file from personnel.
JOYCE: No, no, I think we should just be straight with him. Ask him for a sample and give him the benefit of the doubt.
MAX: If all this is circumstantial, I appreciate that you came to me.
JOYCE: Yeah. It's me, right? Me of all people. Sorry, I should've said something about us earlier.
MAX: You don't owe me an explanation.
JOYCE: I know he's married. I tried to break it off but the fact is it's not about a relationship, it's just...
MAX: Convenient? I get it. We all make decisions. My wife and I, we're having a tough time right now. I know what it means to meet someone who understands. Just promise me something, okay?
JOYCE: What?
MAX: Be careful.
(Roger walks up to them.)
ROGER: Detective Cavanaugh. Tell me you aren't here to discuss the Ruth Carter case. I'm having a bad enough day as it is.
MAX: No, sir. I was just on my way out.
[Cut to Police Homicide Division. Jimmy's Office. Jimmy is on the phone.]
JIMMY: (on phone) Thank you, Mr. Harris. We'll just stick with all the arrangements that we discussed. (Joyce walks in.) And you'll call the cemetery for me? Thank you again, Mr. Harris. (He hangs up.) I'm sorry, that was, um...
JOYCE: I heard. Listen, I was in the building. Do you have a minute?
JIMMY: Sure. Is something wrong?
JOYCE: I need you to tell me something. I need to know if you were sleeping with Ruth Carter. She's the girl that was found...
JIMMY: I know who she was. Joyce, my wife just died and you're accusing me?
JOYCE: We found the shirt, Jimmy. The exact kind that you wear. Same tailor, same size. Ruth's lipstick was on the collar and there was blood on the sleeve. We need... I need to know if it's yours. I just want a blood sample so we can be sure.
JIMMY: Absolutely not.
JOYCE: Please, Jimmy. If you don't give it to me...
JIMMY: What are you gonna do? Call the police? You wanna know, Joyce? You want the truth?
JOYCE: Yes, that's what I want.
JIMMY: I spent time with her. She was a good kid. Sweet. God knows, I'm a sucker for a gorgeous smile. It was one night, it was nothing. It meant nothing. We had sex and I left. I didn't kill her, I didn't kill anyone. You still want my blood?
JOYCE: Yeah.
JIMMY: All right, take it. (He takes off his jacket and rolls up his sleeve.) But Joyce, do me a favour.
JOYCE: What's that?
JIMMY: Go to hell.
[Scene: Max's Bar.]
JORDAN: The blood on the shirt wasn't Detective Moran's.
(Everyone buries their head in their hands.)
MAX: Now you know why I've been banging my head against the wall with this for so many years.
WOODY: Circumstantial evidence pointed to Moran but you always need a solid piece of forensic proof.
LILY: Who killed both women?
NIGEL: And did an almost perfect job of mimicking one of the greatest unsolved cases of the 20th century?
JORDAN: We can try to do this but it would be a first.
BUG: Try what?
GARRET: Another patented Cavanaugh re-enactment. You better pour another drink.
JORDAN: Okay, what do we know about Ruth Carter?
BUG: She was a flirt, she liked men.
LILY: Who was she with that night? Was it the dishwasher?
MAX: Simon was a troubled kid but he didn't kill anybody. His alibi lined up.
GARRET: The blood wasn't a match. What about the diner owner?
JORDAN: Absolutely not. The report showed semen on Ruth's body and Sovatas couldn't produce.
NIGEL: Mount Olympus was everything but.
LILY: So what if it was Moran?
MAX: Word around the office was that Jimmy had women all over town. The diner was a frequent stop for on duty cops so it doesn't surprise me he hit on the Carter girl.
LILY: But why kill her?
GARRET: Something must have happened. Someone caught him.
MAX: Psychic said she saw another person there.
JORDAN: What if Peggy knew that he was cheating?
LILY: When she saw Jimmy with another woman her emotions took over.
GARRET: Moran and Ruth probably tried to reason with her, things got heated. Now if Peggy lunged for her...
JORDAN: Ruth could've slipped and hit her head on the concrete.
LILY: Since there was no sign of a weapon, that explains the bruise. It really was an accident.
MAX: And if word got out that Moran was involved, he was ruined. He had to do something.
JORDAN: That night Jimmy Moran learned more about the Strangler than he ever wanted.
BUG: Wow. But how's the wife's death connect?
LILY: What if Peggy didn't love him anymore? I mean, he was still sleeping with Joyce. How many other women were there?
GARRET: Moran made her an accessory to a cover up. She couldn't handle the guilt.
MAX: Moran knew if Peggy went to the police, his career was over.
WOODY: How important was it to him?
JORDAN: Important enough to kill. Jimmy Moran strangled her before he went over to Joyce's that night. Explains why Peggy wasn't raped. He couldn't do it.
GARRET: Moran used the brand new nylons.
NIGEL: And then dressed the apartment like every Strangler crime scene he'd ever seen.
MAX: All well and good. But I still need hard evidence. This is hearsay. Come on, connect the two crimes for me. Put Peggy Moran at the diner that night.
JORDAN: The blood on the shirt. When Ruth hit Peggy, Peggy's lip started to bleed. Maybe the blood was Peggy's.
WOODY: Max, is the case evidence still in the warehouse downtown?
MAX: Probably. They've got boxes down there from the 1800's.
GARRET: Can you get in?
(Woody gives him a look.)
[Time lapse. ME's Office. Forensic Laboratory.]
BUG: By rehydrating the blood on the shirt, we can get a better sample for DNA analysis.
JORDAN: You guys find that tissue sample from Peggy's autopsy?
LILY: Found it in the basement just like you said. There are hundreds of samples in there.
GARRET: Unsolved cases are stored indefinitely. State policy.
NIGEL: All right, Peggy's DNA is in the reaction chamber. Ready when you are for the mystery blood.
BUG: Reintroducing moisture to the stain.
JORDAN: Here it comes. Give it a shot, Nige.
GARRET: Mrs Moran was type O. Blood type matches the shirt. What about DNA?
("Match confirmed" shows up on the computer.)
JORDAN: Case closed.
BUG: And with Ruth Carter's lipstick on the collar, that puts Peggy at the crime scene also.
JORDAN: That means Moran ditched the shirt that night and he's been hiding the truth ever since.
LILY: How does he live with himself?
WOODY: I'll bring him in for questioning tomorrow.
MAX: Don't bother, kid. Jimmy Moran passed away about three months ago.
[Scene: Max's Bar. Everyone's getting ready to leave.]
NIGEL: Anyone up for some breakfast? I know a great little Greek diner around the corner.
BUG: That is so not funny. But I am in the mood for some waffles.
(Nigel and Bug leave.)
GARRET: Goodnight, everybody.
MAX: Goodnight.
JORDAN: 'Night.
GARRET: Get some rest.
LILY: You heading home, Garret?
GARRET: I kind of got a second wind. Figured I'd head over to the park and watch the sun come up on the new snow.
LILY: Great. You want some company?
GARRET: Come on.
(Garret and Lily leave.)
MAX: Thank you, sweetheart. (They hug.) Another fun night for the record books.
JORDAN: Yeah. No problem. Dad, I think I'll close up if that's okay.
MAX: Be careful going home. You too, Hoyt.
WOODY: Yes, sir.
(Max leaves.)
JORDAN: So, I guess we just call it a night, huh?
WOODY: I guess so.
JORDAN: Look, Woody, about what happened... / WOODY: Listen, Jordan, I...
JORDAN: I'll go first.
WOODY: Forget it. You know what? Just wait.
(He walks over to the jukebox.)
JORDAN: Woody.
WOODY: Don't say anything... (He pushes a button on the jukebox and a song starts to play. He holds out his hand.) And please dance with me.
(Jordan takes his hand and they start dancing.)
