Backstrom

Trippi?

10 bucks says it was your cigar smoke that killed him.

The victim had no wallet or I.D.

First officers on the scene identified him

- as Dante Trippi. - Never heard of him.

Trippi was the guy who you warned

to never come near Valentine again.

Remember? You put the thing in his mouth.

And you was like, "I'll kill you."

You threatened the man who ended up

murdered at your doorstep?

- Well, that looks good. - You know Moto.

To him, all white guys look the same.

- It was probably Niedermayer. - Lieutenant, if you will.

The victim... he stood here. He was shot from here.

Pop... now, the bullet pierced his lung,

but he kept breathing because the chest

is a negative-pressure space, and when the cavity's punc...

- Niedermayer! - I'm sorry. The blood pattern shows

that he accelerated before going over the railing,

which indicates that he was thrown into the water,

uh, presumably to finish him off without having to fire

an additional shot and attract unwanted attention,

but the murderer did not stay to make sure the victim was dead.

Instead, he fled, stumbling over this disposal drum,

spraying, uh, antifreeze in a pattern that suggests

that he was running quickly.

Well, that rules out the lieutenant as a suspect.

Thank you. Good point.

Meanwhile, the victim swam all the way around over to here...

where he managed to climb up this ladder...

on the rungs.

Weakened, he crawls along this path...

before running into you.

So, why was Dante Trippi at your house... boat?

- Your houseboat. - What the hell's going on here?

I haven't been woken up by this many cops

since the police pride parade after party.

You want to know why Trippi came to my boat?

To see him.

Trippi?

Whoa!

That was a fake scream.

Why you looking at me like that?

I have not seen Trippi since you broke his jaw!

You broke his jaw!

If this is even the guy I'm thinking of.

Oh.

Hmm.

Sorry. Late-night murder investigation.

It's a young man's game.

Speaking of age, you look surprisingly good.

Oh, I could bask in your compliments all day,

but I came to give you a heads-up about the Trippi case.

Oh, save it. Scumbag-on-scumbag murders never get solved.

Well, this one has to. You got five days.

Because we're on a reality show?

No, that's when the civilian-oversight committee

meets next, and there are rumors circulating

that you broke Trippi's jaw.

That is completely false.

It was broken when I got there.

- And what was Trippi doing at your barge? - I have no idea.

To see Valentine, your brother, who Trippi beat up

the night you may or may not have broken his jaw?

- I didn't kill him. - Well, that's beside the point.

Your eyelashes.

- What? - Wow, they're like...

Like spiders nesting on your face.

What are you talking about?

You got stripper shoes on. You smell like peach cobbler.

You're dating someone.

Okay, you need to focus on yourself right now.

Find the killer before all this blows up

and gets you kicked off the S.C.U.

Men who like peach cobbler don't like women!

What?

Get off your lazy asses and go catch the killer.

You did four years for stripping cars.

Trippi didn't do one day for selling them.

So, after your strip joint mysteriously burned down,

you took on a new partner... Dante Trippi.

Dante Trippi posted your bail

10 times for prostitution.

After nine of those times,

you told 911 that he was gonna kill you.

After you were fired for stealing,

you were beaten within an inch of your life

in an empty warehouse owned by this man.

You had four years to plan your revenge, then you got it.

I'm on parole. How am I gonna get a gun?

Son, who said anything about Trippi being shot?

Lieutenant, I got motive and no alibi.

Nothing ends extortion like a murder.

I got a girl out there who might have killed Dante Trippi,

and she definitely scares the hell out of me.

This is useless.

I'm a better suspect than any of these losers.

Oh, God. Niedermayer, stop miming.

Get down to the port, find some evidence that points at anybody

other than me! Out!

Whoa!

Oh!

Okay.

Hey. Where do you keep your spare gun?

It's like the O.K. corral over here.

S01E12 Corkscrewed

Talk. Now.

How? I'm still shaking with terror.

See?

Well, at least on the inside.

Isn't somebody supposed to be tenderly stroking my hair

and promising to avenge m...

ohh, hmm, speak of the devil.

The bullets fired at Valentine

came from the same gun that killed Trippi.

marks from the rifled barrel.

So, Valentine and Trippi must be connected.

It's not gonna look good at your oversight hearing.

Trippi and I are not connected.

You're lying.

Melodramatic gestures like that might hurt your hand.

Trippi was a big-time fence,

and you're nothing but a little low-level...

Boutique collector.

All Trippi wanted was a piece of your action.

Which piece?

Wine.

I'm warning you.

I'm telling you. Collector-grade wine.

Bottles that sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

- What's the scam? - It's legit.

I resell undervalued bottles I find at estate sales.

Trippi found out about it and took over my business.

How many old ladies

with precious unopened bottles of wine

can you possibly track down in a month?

One?

Trippi would never waste his time with that.

Where are you getting your supply from?

What difference does it make?

Because your collector-grade wine was stolen,

and the person you stole it from is very angry.

They killed Trippi, and they're gonna keep trying to kill you

until I can work my way up the supply chain

and find the murderer.

So, where are you getting your wine?

This contact in Washington, but they don't steal it!

Well, they're either the killers, or they're dead.

- Who else? - They're the only ones I know of.

Oh, God.

Look, every month, they put a crate on a tugboat.

The tugboat comes down the river.

I unload said crate...

that's me, by the way... I hide it in the woods,

and then Trippi's guys pick it up

and distribute to their buyers.

- Who are the buyers? - That...

I sincerely don't know.

Take me to your vineyard guys.

I'll check in with the river supervisor Altano,

see what he's found.

- Wait... Hank Altano? - Yeah.

He was just in front of the civilian-oversight committee.

Being unfairly framed for what?

I don't know 'cause the case is still open,

but I heard something about taking bribes.

New plan... Niedermayer, take Moto and Valentine.

Find out where these guys are getting their wine from.

You and I... we'll talk to the river cop.

I've just got a stop to make first.

I can't tell you anything about Altano.

'Cause you don't have anything on him yet

and you're keeping the case open until you do.

Or you've burned your tongue. Which is it?

The river unit's a special group inside the sheriff's office

led by an arrogant, self-aggrandizing pig

who thinks he's above the rules.

His crew hates and pities him,

but they lie to keep him out of trouble.

Sound familiar?

I'm sure they don't hate him.

Well, I'm sure he's too blinded by his ego to notice.

That's why guys like him

can't see when they've crossed the line.

I see what you're doing.

Very clever, insulting me in that way.

Oh, yeah, I was worried that the comparison might be too subtle.

No, no, no. Not too subtle at all.

I'm just wondering if you insult

your current boyfriend in the same way.

You know, that nordic freak from corrections.

- Everett, don't. - No. Not him.

I meant the guy from vice with the hipster mustache

- who irons his jeans. - Stop it.

- Okay? Look, yes, fine. What's his name? - Geno something?

I am seeing someone, but it's no one that you've ever met.

See how good the truth feels?

Don't be afraid to use your scary preacher voice.

We're gonna bust this scumbag with God cop, bad cop.