Murder in the First

Fellas, fellas.

Good morning.

Hey.

So, how was the, uh, birthday thing?

Exhausting. Thanks for asking, though.

So, you're not even gonna make eye contact with me?

Is that what's going on?

I'm working.

It's what we're paid to do, right?

All right. So, you're still pissed.

Oh, my God.

Terry, the center of the world

doesn't go through you, all right?

Can we just try and close a couple cases here, please?

We really should be looking at Paul Barnes, hard.

Agreed. Okay. Molk, Navarro?

-Yo. -Let's do this.

All right. Let's hit this scenario.

Barnes had access to the murder weapon.

Mm-hmm. Check. Check.

Before and after it killed Normandy,

which -- which matters.

He had total access to Alicia's house

until Andrew Lippman pushed him out.

And then Normandy kept him out.

Which is sad. I mean, the poor girl,

all these guys in her life, trying to take charge of her.

Okay, all right. She's not the victim here.

Right, she's not the murder victim. I didn't say she was --

So, we're thinking Barnes hired Billy

to get rid of Normandy with Lippman's gun?

-Uh-huh. -Nice and tidy.

-Okay. -Two for one.

And we don't even need this charge to stick, right?

We just need to build a permanent firewall

between Lippman and Alicia.

Make Daddy her hero again.

Where was Barnes when Billy got dead?

Hospital, making sure everyone saw he was there.

Yeah, but according to the timeline,

we established that he could have snuck out.

So, where does that leave us?

Koto: A lot of motive but zero evidence --

the same problem we've had with every other suspect

in this goddamn case.

I mean, can you at least tie Paul Barnes to the 911 call?

Keefer confirmed that a call came through

a deaf relay service.

Yeah, so it lets you type your message,

eliminating voice recognition.

But because of privacy laws, we can't track it.

Naturally.

And "shots fired" could have come straight from Paul Barnes.

He could have SWAT'd Alicia's house

to make sure the murder weapon was logged and found

but knowing that it was registered to Lippman.

Okay. Well, until your psychic talents are admissible in court,

go find some actual evidence we can use.

Yes, sir.

Easy for me to say. I know.

I'm just frustrated.

We all are, sir.

We got the wrong guy.

The State recalls Skylar Jennings.

Your Honor, I move to exclude this witness's testimony.

The girl should be in rehab, not on the witness stand,

after her performance last week in this courtroom

where she was clearly under the influence of narcotics.

Denied. Sit down, Mr. Arkin.

You'll get your turn on cross-examination.

Came straight from her 12-step meeting.

Good for her.

Skylar, where were you standing

when you witnessed the accident?

I was on top of the warehouse roof

at the corner of 7th and Parr.

Were you alone?

Yes, I was.

What were you doing on a roof in an industrial area

at 11:00 at night by yourself?

I was tagging up a billboard.

What does that mean? I was spray-painting.

I'm a graffiti artist.

All right.

Why did you look down at the street?

I heard a car, and I just wanted to make sure it wasn't cops.

What did you see?

A gold car barreling down the street,

and there was a lady already out in the crosswalk.

I didn't even have time to yell

before the car hit her and she went flying.

Did you hear brakes being applied?

Not until after scream and that thump

I can't forget.

Then he stomped on the brakes.

Yeah, I mean, I can smell the rubber.

-So, it was first the scream... -Mm-hmm.

...then the impact, then the brakes.

That's the sequence you remember, Skylar?

Exactly. Did you call 911?

I know I should have, but I didn't.

Why not?

I didn't want to get in trouble.

You're a heroin addict, aren't you, Skylar?

In fact, weren't you high on heroin

when you collapsed in this courtroom last week?

Yes. And I'm sorry about that.

I was nervous.

Now, you've been arrested on numerous occasions

for possession of narcotics, haven't you?

Yes.

Right, and the last time was 15 days after the accident

that you claim you saw.

I know what I saw.

But till you were arrested, again, you didn't tell anybody

that you had witnessed a terrible accident,

a fatal accident, did you? No.

You've been promised favorable treatment

on your drug charges in exchange for

your testimony here today, haven't you?

Sure, but that doesn't change the facts.

Uh, the fact that you're only here to help yourself?

No more questions for Ms. Jennings.

Don't gloat.

There are eyes on you.

Hey, Kat.

Can I come in?

I don't know what else I can tell you about Paul.

I mean, you met him. He's a big personality.

Hmm. I didn't see that.

Well, maybe not when he's talking to you.

But he gets what he wants.

Like cutting you off from Alicia?

I was a crazy mess with drugs and the booze.

He was right. I wasn't good for her.

I'd come home from the road,

and it was like I was the party crasher, you know?

I remember this one time -- Ally must have been about 5,

and I was trying to make up with Paul for something I had done.

I don't even know what.

And she came running over and kicked me and said,

"Go get your own daddy."

Daddy's little girl?

All the way.

Even when she got older?

Oh, they were their own tight club by then.

I was never a member.

Maybe I didn't try very hard,

but it was always them against everybody else.

Until she got older and found new daddies of her own, right?

What do you mean?

Well, Andrew Lippman, Normandy Parker --

She definitely picks older men, right?

No. No, they pick her.

They like that she needs someone to protect her.

I couldn't do it.

I was too twisted on chemicals all the time.

I mean, but that's a choice, right?

I mean, nobody forced anything down my throat

or up my nose or in my arm.

I should have never said anything to him.

To who? Paul.

Paul is not the forgiving type.

He didn't want a sick thing like me around our girl anymore.

Well, what did you say to him?

I got this crazy idea that there was...

something wrong between him and Ally,

that they were...

too close, you know?

That's how disgusting I was.

Shame on me.

There was no way back from that.

Did you see something?

Not really.

I-I don't -- I just...

Sometimes, I'd think I heard them in her room.

Sometimes, it was the way they looked at each other.

I don't want to talk to you anymore.

Uh, can I finish my tea at least?

It's cold.

I should have never answered the door.

I knew it. I knew it!

I knew it.

It's okay.

Kat, this is off the record, okay?

We're just having a conversation.

Then let's pretend we didn't have it.

Okay?

So, you went back to see her by yourself?

Yeah, just wanted to get more background.

I mean, she obviously wasn't gonna talk

in front of you, so...

Please tell me you recorded it.

No. Hildy...

Terry, it was just a conversation.

Come on. What did she say?

That's what I'm trying to tell you.

She thinks that Paul molested Alicia.

That's why he cut off contact between her and Kat.

So, sexual jealousy is clearly a whole new motive for us.