05x04 - The Ex Factor
Posted: 07/29/21 08:57
("WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS" PLAYING)
That's a very beautiful
engagement ring, sir.
Honestly, it's the most
beautiful one we have.
Shall I take it in back and wrap it up?
What if she says no?
Sir...
no one is going to say no to this ring.
Can you guarantee it?
On second thought, maybe
you should just let this go.
Why are you torturing
yourself like this?
Just let it go.
You have me.
You have Astrid, I have Astrid.
I have you.
That's really all
the Christmas present I need.
(GASPS)
(PHONE RINGING)
(EXHALES)
Hello?
What do you mean
they just started heading up
before you could stop them?
- You're the doorman.
- (LOUD KNOCKING)
Marissa Valerian?
Maybe.
Who's asking at :
on a Saturday morning?
I'm Agent Williams with the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This is my partner Agent Ford.
I was wondering if we could trouble you
to put on some clothes
and accompany us downtown
to Federal Plaza.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
MAN: Okay, this way, Mr. Valerian.
Let's go.
Greg? Greg!
Greg!
Do you know what's going on?
What are you doing here?
What am I doing here?
Call your office,
tell them you need a lawyer.
And don't say a word until he gets here.
So on the day of the baptism,
you two, uh, the parents,
the husband and wife,
will stand here to the left
of the baptismal font.
Now, Mrs. Bull...
Uh, Colón.
Ms. Colón.
My-my apologies.
Ms. Colón, you'll be holding the child,
so I need you to stand
closest to the font.
And you, Mr. Colón,
- you'll be...
- Bull.
I'm sorry?
You had it right the first
time... Bull, Dr. Jason Bull.
This is Mr. Colón.
Once again, my apologies.
All right, then.
Uh, husband and wife here.
Uh, uh, forgive me, Father.
But I'm not her husband.
I'm her brother.
Then why on earth
are you standing there?
Well, I'm going to be
the godfather of the child.
And, um... (CLEARS THROAT)
Well, you pulled me over here.
Ms. Colón and I are the baby's parents.
And you're not married?
No, not married.
To be fair, we used to be married.
I mean, we just aren't now.
Maybe you could put in a
good word for me, Father?
We're not here to talk about us.
This isn't about you and me.
This is about our baby,
this is about purification.
This is about her introduction
to the Catholic Church.
I-I think I'm gonna go,
uh, stand over here.
(PHONE RINGING)
Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry.
You should be.
You're ruining everything.
Okay, there you go.
It's off... all good.
(PHONE RINGING)
It's not me!
BULL: Oh.
- It's Marissa.
- Ah.
Mine was Marissa, too, actually.
(PHONE VIBRATING)
Hey, do you mind
if I step away for a second
- and see what this is all about?
- BENNY: Hello?
I'd be thrilled if you stepped away.
Far away.
Actually, we've covered all
the really important details.
The, uh, essentials.
I am so sorry to break this up, uh...
That was Marissa.
She's, uh, in some trouble.
I'm gonna head back home and...
rescue Astrid from
the babysitter. (SIGHS)
Benny, thank you so much
for coming today and tell Marissa
whatever it is, if I can do anything...
So tell me about Marissa.
Sounds like she's in a lot of trouble.
What kind of trouble? Alphabet trouble.
The FBI showed up at her
apartment this morning,
and took her into custody.
Are you serious? For what?
I... She claims she has no idea.
Told them she wouldn't talk
to anybody about anything
without her attorneys in the room.
God.
I've barely been up three hours,
and this is already one of
the worst Saturdays of my life.
Well, no offense, my friend,
but you were asking for it.
I know you want to get married
and I think, deep down inside,
she does, too, but...
you know, you got to let her
come to it in her own time.
We have a child.
She knows that.
But it's not .
A lot of people do it
without being married.
Not me.
Well, I hate to break it to you, pal,
but you're doing it right now.
Mrs. Valerian,
do you know a Douglas Scott?
Uh, not well.
Uh, maybe I was introduced to him once
over drinks.
I believe he bought into
a restaurant my husband owns,
uh, sometime last year.
I think my husband might have
even taken him on as a partner.
That's our understanding, as well.
Actually, according
to our investigation,
this Douglas Scott fellow owns a third
of your husband's restaurant.
Your husband retains a third,
and you, Mrs. Valerian,
control a third.
I actually don't control anything.
I'm his wife.
He opened the restaurant
when we were first married,
so we put it in both our names.
But I can't even tell you
where they keep the toothpicks.
Forgive me, gentlemen, but
where are you going with this?
Where we're going is: Mr. Douglas Scott,
the Valerians' business partner...
- Well, he's not my...
- ...is a person known to the FBI
as a regional wholesaler
of high-end narcotics.
What?!
W-Wait a second, as I told you,
I barely know Douglas Scott.
And my husband would never do
business with drug dealers.
- I mean, why would he?
- The same reason anyone
does business with anyone...
There's a profit in it.
We believe that as soon as
Douglas Scott bought into
your restaurant, he began to run
cash from his drug operation
through the business...
His dirty money was mixed
with the restaurant's daily
receipts and deposited into
the restaurant's
commercial bank account.
Textbook money laundering.
Uh, but what does any
of this have to do with me?
Gentlemen, we are anxious to be
cooperative in any way we can,
but I think you know as well
as we do, that Marissa Morgan
is a co-owner of this
restaurant in name only.
She had no part in any of this,
and as she told you,
she barely remembers
even meeting Mr. Scott.
Whether she met Mr. Scott or not,
both she and her husband realized
a significant improvement
in their finances
as a result of the arrangement.
Money laundering is a federal crime.
So is bank fraud, so is tax evasion.
You're easily looking at ten to years
in a federal penitentiary,
Mrs. Valerian.
Okay, well, now that you've performed
your part of the play where
our client gets good
and scared, tell us what you want,
and then we will tell you
if our client is
interested in helping you.
I mean, the short version is:
If your client were willing
to testify against Mr. Scott
and Mr. Valerian, we would
do everything in our power
to minimize, maybe even
dismiss the charges against her.
Marissa?
I-I'd be happy to testify.
The only problem is
I-I don't know anything
to testify to.
(SIGHS)
Well, if you don't, you don't.
Mrs. Valerian, you are under
arrest for money laundering
and conspiracy to commit
fraud and tax evasion.
Wait, as I told you,
I had nothing to do with any of this!
Mrs. Valerian,
you have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used...
Oh, come on, handcuffs?
Is that really necessary?
Marissa, look at me,
- You have the right to an attorney...
- look at me.
As soon as we get out of here,
Benny and I are gonna arrange
bail for you, okay?
Look at me, not at him.
We're gonna get you out on bail.
We're gonna get you out of here.
You're gonna be fine.
(ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES)
Okay, uh, so let's talk trial strategy.
You know the federal
government's gonna want
to try you and Greg together.
Together?
No. No, no, no, no.
We need to be tried
separately... we have
to be tried separately.
I mean, we're in the middle
of getting a divorce.
Yes, but the fact is you're
technically still married.
BULL: And frankly,
no matter how unpleasant
the prospect might seem,
I would prefer we represent you both.
You want to represent Greg?
I think we have to.
We just spent the morning
watching the prosecutor
try to flip you against him.
What makes you think they're not
gonna try, and flip Greg against you?
BENNY: Marissa, if he
gets his own attorney,
they are gonna do and say
what is best for him.
Which may not mean it is best for you.
But if TAC represents both of you,
then we control the narrative.
We control the messaging.
BULL: And we'll do everything
we can to protect Greg.
But we'll also do everything
we can to protect you.
The question is, can the two of you...
sit in a room and work together on this?
Look, don't get me wrong,
I'd-I'd love your help.
Having those guys wake me up,
drag me downtown,
no one to call...
not my idea of fun.
I just
need to know it's okay with... you.
I actually think it makes
sense for both of us.
And don't the two of you
want to know if I did it?
No. We know you did it.
And I'm betting there's a paper trail
a mile long that proves you did it.
Withdrawals, deposits.
The question is, did you know
you were doing it?
I certainly had no idea.
What can I say?
Before I got into business
with Mr. Scott,
I was one bad weekend...
One big snow storm away
from closing the place.
I guess at the end
of the day, I'm just not
a very good businessman.
The restaurant was packed every night,
but I was still losing money.
And suddenly this guy sweeps in,
tells me how much he loves the place.
And he says, "Let me take
over the business part
"of the business, give
you a big cash infusion.
Leave you to do what you do so well."
I knew some of the other
restaurants he was involved with.
They were all on really solid footing.
I spoke with the owners;
They had nothing
but great things to say.
I mean, on a Tuesday,
I'm-I'm trying to figure out
how to pay my purveyors,
and a month later,
I'm saying to Marissa:
Maybe we can start
looking at bigger apartments.
And you didn't smell anything fishy?
(LAUGHS SOFTLY)
You know, I'm-I'm in
the restaurant business,
and at the end of the night,
we're left with a lot of stinky garbage.
And over the years, what I've learned is
that no matter how bad
the mess smells...
...if you're determined
not to smell it...
...you don't have to smell it.
(ASTRID CRYING)
BULL: Iz, I'm trying everything
with this bottle
short of adding vodka and
putting it in a martini glass.
I don't think the baby's hungry.
(SIGHS) She's been like that all day.
Just put her in the playpen.
(CRYING STOPS)
I have to remember that.
What's that?
Ah, next time you're fussy
and don't do what I want,
I'm putting you in the playpen.
That's supposed to make me smile?
That's supposed
to make me like you again?
Banter's all about volume.
Some lines are home runs,
some lines are just gonna foul out.
You humiliated me today.
In front of the priest,
in front of my brother.
Well, I felt a little humiliated, too.
I don't enjoy feeling like a
guest at my own child's baptism,
my own child's anything.
Well, you should take that up
with your therapist.
I don't have a therapist.
Well, now I know
what to get you for Christmas.
I don't have a wife either,
which, in case you're curious,
is what I really want for Christmas.
I'll stop talking.
No television for you tonight.
(KNOCKING ON GLASS)
What's the good word?
Well, based on the documents
the FBI sent over, there is none.
I know you guys don't want to hear this,
but it certainly appears
the FBI has a solid case.
DANNY: They've got Greg and
Marissa's signatures on every deposit,
every withdrawal,
all the certificates of incorporation,
the transfers of ownership.
I mean, just based on all
the places she signed her name,
Marissa is in this
just as deeply as Greg.
(SIGHS)
Bull in his office?
(EXHALES)
♪
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Whatever it is, just slide it
under the door, please.
Tell me what to get your sister.
Oh, come on. You're a smart guy.
You'll think of something.
I did.
I bought her an engagement ring.
(CHUCKLES): Oh, Bull.
Y-You're like the guy who buys
his girlfriend sexy lingerie
and doesn't understand
why she's not as excited
about it as he is.
Bull, that ring is not
for her, it's for you.
- Mm. Thank you.
- To make you feel better.
I see, Dr. Colón. Thank you.
It's not that she doesn't
want to marry you;
She doesn't want to marry anybody.
She did that. It didn't work.
She's a Catholic. She takes
that failure very seriously.
It wasn't a failure.
She had a miscarriage...
We had a miscarriage.
Yes, she did. Yes, you did.
But when you needed each other the most,
you both turned around
and no one was there.
She's not evil, she's not mean.
She would never want
to do anything to hurt you.
She loves you.
But she's desperate not to
make the same mistake twice.
Particularly because
there's a child involved.
Now, you're a psychologist.
Certainly you can understand that.
I'm just gonna get her some lingerie.
Now you're talking.
(GAVEL BANGS) HATCHER: Ms. Tyler,
how long have you been the
hostess at The Briarcrest Room?
Almost two years.
So you were there
when the ownership expanded
to include Douglas Scott?
Yes.
And did you notice any changes
once he joined the ownership team?
Of course.
I mean, Mr. Valerian
still ran the restaurant.
It was just anything involving money.
Uh, cashing out, the tip pool.
That was all Mr. Scott.
Also, before Mr. Scott, we'd take turns
making the bank run
when we closed each night.
The canvas pouch filled
with the night's receipts
that would go into the bank's
night deposit box?
But after Mr. Scott's arrival,
he took care of that.
No one touched those receipts but him.
Or someone who worked for him.
I see.
And were you aware
that Mr. Scott was not only
in the restaurant business
but also the narcotics business?
You mean dr*gs?
Exactly.
No. I didn't know he sold dr*gs.
But I sure knew he liked them.
How do you mean?
Well, if you were a pretty girl
and you worked at the restaurant,
at some point Mr. Scott...
Or one of the guys
who worked for Mr. Scott...
Was going to come on to you.
Ask you if you wanted to go out after.
Ask you if you wanted
to go home with them after.
And dr*gs were always
a part of that conversation.
But selling them? No, I had no idea.
But do you think, perhaps, Mr. Valerian
might have had an idea?
Objection. Calls for speculation.
Objection sustained.
Do you want to rephrase?
Actually, I have no further questions
for this witness at this time.
BENNY: Ooh. Good morning, Ms. Tyler.
Have you ever actually seen
Mr. Valerian do dr*gs?
Perhaps with Mr. Scott
or anyone from his team?
No. In fact,
I'm pretty sure Mr. Valerian
was not someone who approved of dr*gs.
And what makes you say that?
Well, there was another waitress. Stacy?
She'd been there from the beginning.
She was the one
who trained the rest of us.
But when Mr. Scott arrived,
she started getting
involved with one of his guys.
And for the first time ever,
she started missing work.
Sometimes she'd show up and it was like
she hadn't gotten any sleep.
And ultimately, Mr. Valerian
had to fire her.
And I know that really upset him.
And the day after Stacy was fired,
Mr. Valerian
called an all-staff meeting.
Said how heartbroken he was,
how angry he was,
how much he adored Stacy,
but that dr*gs had no place
in any business he ran.
And if he became aware of anyone
using dr*gs, selling dr*gs,
having anything to do with dr*gs,
they would be instantly terminated.
And was Mr. Scott or any
of his people in this meeting?
They were all standing
behind Mr. Valerian.
A couple of them rolling their eyes,
trying not to smile.
I'm sure Mr. Valerian had no idea.
I'm sorry.
BENNY: Thank you.
I have no further questions
for this witness, Your Honor.
OLLIS: The witness is excused.
- (GAVEL BANGS)
- Let's take a -minute recess.
Hello? Is anybody here?
♪
(CHUCKLES)
I remember you.
You didn't, by any chance
bring any food, did you?
Or... (SIGHS)
A cold martini?
I knew I forgot something.
You're home late.
Well, I had to return a
Christmas gift I got for you.
- Mm.
- Something I know deep down inside
you really want,
but that you're just not
ready to accept from me yet.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Mm-hmm.
I wonder what that could be.
A table saw.
(LAUGHS SOFTLY)
You so get me.
Mm-hmm.
So wait, I'm not getting anything now?
Oh, I think it's gonna be a
mostly socks and underwear
kind of Christmas for you.
Socks?
Support hose.
Nothing but the best.
And underwear?
Flannel.
Made from real flan.
Mmm.
So...
what is our mini, artificial
Christmas tree doing in here?
Because I thought we
decided it was gonna live
in the living room where all
the artificial trees live?
(GROANS): Yeah, that was the plan,
but then, once I set it up,
Astrid just refused to be
anywhere it wasn't.
So I just picked it up
and put it in here
- and she fell asleep right away.
- Huh.
No problem.
So, how goes the trial?
Oh, well, from a legal standpoint,
not a huge breakthrough today,
but just before court adjourned,
the estranged wife squeezed
her husband's hand.
And then, they actually turned
and looked at each other
in the eye for the first time
since the trial began.
It was the closest thing I've seen
to a Christmas miracle all season.
Hmm.
(LAUGHS)
- (GAVEL BANGS)
- HATCHER: Mr. Walker,
can you tell the court who you work for?
I'm an employee of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
And what is it you do for them?
I'm what's called a forensic accountant.
And what does that entail?
I'm kind of a money detective.
I examine bank records,
tax records, all kinds
of financial records
and see what kind of story they tell.
Are there any irregularities?
Has some sort of criminal
malfeasance taken place?
And did you have occasion to examine
The Briarcrest Room's financial records?
I did.
And did they tell you a story?
They certainly seemed to.
In the ten months' worth
of records we examined,
we concluded that at least
$ , a day in funds
derived from sources that were
clearly not the restaurant
were being deposited in the
restaurant's account as though
part of the day's receipts.
HATCHER: No further questions,
Your Honor.
So, Mr. Walker.
Let me ask you something.
How many years did you have
to go to school
to become, uh,
what do you call yourself?
A forensic accountant?
Four years of undergrad work,
and then a two-year MBA program.
That's impressive.
And how long did you say you studied
the financial records of the restaurant?
Well, my office and I went through them
with a fine-tooth comb
for over weeks.
So almost four months.
Wow.
A-And not just you but your entire team,
uh, went through these documents
to piece together
Douglas Scott's money
laundering scheme. Ha.
And yet, you believe my clients...
Two people who have had
exactly zero time
studying forensic accounting...
Knew everything that
was going on around them?
WALKER: Well, in May,
before Douglas Scott
bought into the business,
the restaurant turned tables
for a gross monthly loss of $ , .
In June, one month after
Douglas Scott became co-owner,
the restaurant turned tables.
Now, that's tables less,
yet somehow they suddenly had
a $ , profit.
BENNY: But you're not
answering my question.
WALKER: I'm trying to.
This trend of fewer tables
yet greater profits continued
for the next ten months.
How is that possible? The
restaurant didn't raise their prices.
You don't need to be a FBI agent
- nor a trained CPA to do the math.
- _
It just doesn't add up.
(PHONE VIBRATES)
_
_
Tough day, but that's to be expected.
Prosecution's rested.
Tomorrow we present our case.
You ready to take the stand?
Ready as I'll ever be.
Hey, we're, uh, heading uptown.
Anybody need a ride?
Actually, I feel like walking.
No, I'm, uh, heading the other way.
But thanks.
See you in the morning.
How could you not have known?
How could you not have known?
Oh, come on, Greg.
You know I never saw
a penny of that money.
It went into the joint bank account.
(STAMMERS) You paid the bills,
you wrote all the checks.
Yeah, "joint."
That means the two of us.
You could have looked at the statements.
They'd sit on the kitchen table
for the entire month.
It's your restaurant.
I don't know how many tables
you're turning.
I don't know if you're making
a profit or not.
You don't tell me those things.
You don't ask.
And suddenly, everything is better.
You're making money,
and it doesn't occur to you
to find out why? How?
Hell no.
When things are good, no,
I don't need to know why.
I just need for them to not stop.
But you wouldn't understand that.
No, I don't understand that at all.
I trusted you.
It's like the other day.
You said you smelled the garbage,
but you didn't do anything about it.
Why would I?
We were winning.
You don't check the weather
when the sun's out.
I do.
Especially if I've made plans
with someone
that I supposedly care about.
♪
So, you made her something?
For Christmas?
Why do you sound so surprised?
I'm a clever, creative person.
Uh, well, you're a -year-old man.
She's a -year-old woman.
What did you make her?
A birdhouse made out of Popsicle sticks?
We're here.
Oh, my God. I'm not sure
I'm ready for this.
See you all inside.
(DOOR OPENS, CLOSES)
Now, before you go in there
and take the stand this morning,
I need to talk to you
about a couple of things.
As my client,
I need to remind you to tell the truth.
- Of course.
- No.
It's more complicated than that.
The only certainty in all this is
that they are gonna ask you questions
that will pit you against Greg.
Questions that will make you
at least consider
fudging the truth,
shading the truth to protect yourself,
to protect Greg.
It's a trap.
Bull, I am not a liar.
I am certainly not gonna lie under oath.
And now is the part where
I talk to you like a friend.
Yes, they are trying
you and Greg together.
But the jury will be instructed
to decide your cases separately,
which means that Greg
can be found guilty
and you can be found innocent.
Not that I'm wishing that on Greg.
- God, no. Me, either.
- But I believe in your innocence.
And we need that jury
to believe in it, too.
And the way we get them
to believe in your innocence
is by believing you,
which means that you
are gonna have to share...
everything.
You're gonna have to share it all,
even the embarrassing parts.
There are no embarrassing parts.
Oh, yes, there are.
You're a real smart person,
Marissa Morgan.
And that's not something you can
hide or cover up with makeup.
Smart just oozes out of you.
But you loved this man.
You trusted this man.
And that notwithstanding,
either he's far more ignorant
than he lets on or, more than likely,
he was able to persuade himself
that he didn't need to confide in you
when he sensed something
illegal was going on.
Even though he was playing
with your money,
with your reputation.
With your future.
I'm sorry. It really is
as simple as that.
But the jury will never know
unless you tell them.
I guess we should get in there.
BENNY: So you signed this?
Apparently, I did.
But you didn't read it?
No, not that I recall.
And you signed this?
Looks like I did.
Um, yes, that's my signature.
How about this transfer of ownership?
Signing away a third of
your business to Douglas Scott.
You remember signing this?
Honestly, no.
I'd come out to the kitchen
table in the morning,
there'd be things to sign.
Little yellow Post-its all over them.
My husband ran a restaurant.
He slept from : in the
morning until : in the morning.
I slept from : at night
until : the next day.
There was no time to discuss
what I was signing.
By the time he was awake,
I'd already been at work
for three hours.
It's just the way we did it.
Hmm. One last question.
You know, the prosecution contends
that you profited handsomely
from this arrangement with Mr. Scott.
Is that true?
It may be.
I really have no way of knowing.
All the money went into a joint account
that my husband and I had together.
Frankly, I almost never looked at it.
Never even checked the balance.
When we'd talk,
he'd say the restaurant was doing well.
We were doing well. That's all he said,
and that's all I needed to hear.
Bills would come in.
None of them were overdue.
He wrote the checks.
I-I really didn't give it much thought.
Thank you, Mrs. Valerian.
No further questions, Your Honor.
HATCHER: Mrs. Valerian,
you worked as a senior-level analyst
for Homeland Security for
almost nine years, didn't you?
I did.
That's one of those jobs
where I have to believe
that the devil is in the details.
Wouldn't you agree?
I would.
Tons of reading. Scrutinizing documents.
Tens of hours of research.
And yet you're testifying
that you signed countless contracts,
invoices, checks, transfers of ownership
without ever once
actually looking at them?
Yes.
HATCHER: And am I also to believe
that your husband tells you
he's about to bring in a new partner
to help run his business, and you...
With all the resources of
the Trial Analysis Corporation
for whom you work, with all
of your past friendships
and relationships
at Homeland Security...
Don't even bother to run
a background check on this man?
I did not.
For a woman with your background,
that seems rather unlikely.
I don't know what to say.
It-it was my husband's restaurant.
It was my husband's thing.
I trusted my husband.
Guess I'm a fool.
We were married. I... We are married.
Married to each other
for the second time,
as a matter of fact.
What is love if not surrender?
And what is surrender
if not the certainty of trust?
The absolute belief
that this other person
always has your back,
and you always have theirs?
HATCHER: You're not
answering my question.
MARISSA: I'm trying.
When we got married for the second time,
I felt I needed to show him
that this time was forever.
So I signed over half
of my condominium...
By far my most valuable possession...
To him.
My idea.
I wanted Greg to know
that what was mine, was his.
And then, without me saying a word,
he signed over half his ownership
in his new restaurant...
His baby... to me.
Again...
the question is, why wouldn't you run
a background check on a man
you were about to go
into business with?
I trusted my husband.
I trusted his judgment.
I knew he trusted mine.
I just wanted to return the favor.
When it came to my condominium,
if there was an unexpected assessment...
The-the building roof
started to leak last year.
That was $ ,
that we hadn't planned on.
I would just write out
a check and put it
on the kitchen table for him to sign.
And he would just sign it.
No conversation. Just blind trust.
I wanted to redo the kitchen, and I did.
Not a peep.
Except to say how much he loved it.
And, yes, could we get
the workers to show up
a little later so he could sleep.
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
That's all well and good, Mrs. Valerian.
But you and your husband ran a
business that consistently lost money.
And then one day it didn't.
And it's your testimony
that you never felt compelled
to ask about it?
And he never offered an explanation?
Actually, I did finally ask him.
Just the other day, right after court.
HATCHER: You asked about
how the business was suddenly
making money when it was
seating fewer customers?
I did.
And what did he say?
He said he didn't know.
He said he didn't care.
He said you don't ask about
the weather when the sun is out.
You do if it's out
in the middle of the night.
I have no further questions, Your Honor.
OLLIS: The witness is excused.
Let's take a -minute break.
I did the best I could.
You hung me out to dry, Marissa.
No, you hung me out to dry.
That's why we're here.
Or have you forgotten?
(SLAPS TABLE)
Um, he knows he's the next
witness, doesn't he?
You better ask the judge if
she'll adjourn for the day.
I have a feeling Greg
doesn't plan on coming back.
(PHONE RINGING)
(GRUNTS)
Hello?
GREG: Dr. Bull. It's Greg Valerian.
I just wanted to let you know,
after what happened today in court,
I'm exploring my options.
I'm sorry, Greg, can you repeat that?
I'm not sure I know what you mean.
I mean I no longer think it makes sense
for me to be represented by your firm.
By the firm that employs the woman
I'm in the midst
of getting a divorce from.
I just didn't want you
to be blindsided in the morning.
Okay, Greg, can we talk
about this for a second?
I think you're making a mistake.
(CHUCKLES) That's okay.
Won't be the first.
Good night, Dr. Bull.
(EXHALES)
My suspicion here,
is once we get inside,
Greg will make a plea
for new representation,
maybe even a whole new trial.
That's crazy.
We're two-thirds of the way
through the proceedings.
Well, I'm sure that'll be the
judge's point of view as well.
He wants to stretch this out,
just like he's done with our divorce.
(SIGHS)
Tell me one more time how smart I am?
How'd I manage to do it?
Pick such a selfish person
to spend my life with?
Twice!
How could I have been so wrong?
I thought he actually had my back.
I thought he actually cared about me.
We should get inside.
OLLIS: Before we begin today's testimony
or invite the jury in,
I understand that the A.U.S.A.
would like to address the bench.
Your Honor, I need to inform the court
that one of the defendants,
Greg Valerian,
reached out to me early this morning
to inform me that he has
served verbal notice
that he wishes
to no longer be represented
by either the Trial Analysis Corporation
or its attorney, Mr. Benjamin Colón,
and moving forward,
chooses to represent himself.
OLLIS: I don't see Mr. Valerian here,
but if you would please
let him know that his request
is something I'm going to need
to take under advisement,
and given that this trial
is almost over...
There's more, Your Honor.
Subject to your approval, of course,
Mr. Valerian has offered
to change his plea to guilty
and testify against Douglas Scott
in various criminal matters
that remain pending against him.
In return, he has agreed to serve
no more than months in prison,
and we have agreed to drop
all charges against his wife,
Marissa Valerian,
who we have come to believe
had little or no involvement
in any of this.
See that? Maybe you weren't
so wrong about him after all.
You guys go ahead. I'm fine here.
Thank you.
No. Thank you.
I don't know
what I was thinking, Marissa.
I'm sorry.
You were thinking the sun was out.
So when do you have to turn yourself in?
(SIGHS) Not until the middle of January.
And I promise, I'll get
the whole divorce thing done
before that.
I wasn't thinking about that.
I don't think there's any rush
on that at this point.
Not on my end, anyway.
No, I want to get it done.
I owe you that.
♪
So w-what are you doing for Christmas?
Excuse me?
Christmas. Three days from now.
You want to come over?
I mean, the place is still half yours.
Yeah.
Yeah, I'd like that.
You're cooking.
(LAUGHS)
Thank you again.
Thank you again.
♪
BULL (WHISPERS): You think she knows?
Knows she's been baptized?
Somewhere deep in there,
she knows something special happened.
Hopefully the first
of many special things.
Two days until her first Christmas.
Mm-hmm.
(WHISPERS): Want to open something?
No. It's not Christmas.
Come on.
You want me to open something?
Just one thing. One special thing.
(PAPER RUSTLING)
This is my gift?
Mm-hmm.
You write this?
Yes, I did.
"I'm always here.
"Whether you choose to keep me or not,
"I will always be here when you need me.
"When you want me.
"So feel free to push me away.
"Feel free to say no.
"I will leave, but never go far.
I'm yours forever. Merry Christmas."
You mean this?
Thank you.
I ordered your socks and underwear,
but they haven't gotten here yet.
(LAUGHS)
(SNIFFLES) Well, now I feel like
I have to give you something.
Oh, don't feel any pressure.
I mean, if it's still on its way
to the dealership from Germany,
I completely understand.
You should not have gone
all out like this.
(QUIETLY): Just shut up and open it.
Okay.
♪
A ring...
A ring in a ring box.
So...
...will you marry me?
I don't get a knee?
I don't get a nice dinner?
Just say yes and lay one on me, big boy.
Well, when you put it like that...
Yes.
That's a very beautiful
engagement ring, sir.
Honestly, it's the most
beautiful one we have.
Shall I take it in back and wrap it up?
What if she says no?
Sir...
no one is going to say no to this ring.
Can you guarantee it?
On second thought, maybe
you should just let this go.
Why are you torturing
yourself like this?
Just let it go.
You have me.
You have Astrid, I have Astrid.
I have you.
That's really all
the Christmas present I need.
(GASPS)
(PHONE RINGING)
(EXHALES)
Hello?
What do you mean
they just started heading up
before you could stop them?
- You're the doorman.
- (LOUD KNOCKING)
Marissa Valerian?
Maybe.
Who's asking at :
on a Saturday morning?
I'm Agent Williams with the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This is my partner Agent Ford.
I was wondering if we could trouble you
to put on some clothes
and accompany us downtown
to Federal Plaza.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
MAN: Okay, this way, Mr. Valerian.
Let's go.
Greg? Greg!
Greg!
Do you know what's going on?
What are you doing here?
What am I doing here?
Call your office,
tell them you need a lawyer.
And don't say a word until he gets here.
So on the day of the baptism,
you two, uh, the parents,
the husband and wife,
will stand here to the left
of the baptismal font.
Now, Mrs. Bull...
Uh, Colón.
Ms. Colón.
My-my apologies.
Ms. Colón, you'll be holding the child,
so I need you to stand
closest to the font.
And you, Mr. Colón,
- you'll be...
- Bull.
I'm sorry?
You had it right the first
time... Bull, Dr. Jason Bull.
This is Mr. Colón.
Once again, my apologies.
All right, then.
Uh, husband and wife here.
Uh, uh, forgive me, Father.
But I'm not her husband.
I'm her brother.
Then why on earth
are you standing there?
Well, I'm going to be
the godfather of the child.
And, um... (CLEARS THROAT)
Well, you pulled me over here.
Ms. Colón and I are the baby's parents.
And you're not married?
No, not married.
To be fair, we used to be married.
I mean, we just aren't now.
Maybe you could put in a
good word for me, Father?
We're not here to talk about us.
This isn't about you and me.
This is about our baby,
this is about purification.
This is about her introduction
to the Catholic Church.
I-I think I'm gonna go,
uh, stand over here.
(PHONE RINGING)
Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry.
You should be.
You're ruining everything.
Okay, there you go.
It's off... all good.
(PHONE RINGING)
It's not me!
BULL: Oh.
- It's Marissa.
- Ah.
Mine was Marissa, too, actually.
(PHONE VIBRATING)
Hey, do you mind
if I step away for a second
- and see what this is all about?
- BENNY: Hello?
I'd be thrilled if you stepped away.
Far away.
Actually, we've covered all
the really important details.
The, uh, essentials.
I am so sorry to break this up, uh...
That was Marissa.
She's, uh, in some trouble.
I'm gonna head back home and...
rescue Astrid from
the babysitter. (SIGHS)
Benny, thank you so much
for coming today and tell Marissa
whatever it is, if I can do anything...
So tell me about Marissa.
Sounds like she's in a lot of trouble.
What kind of trouble? Alphabet trouble.
The FBI showed up at her
apartment this morning,
and took her into custody.
Are you serious? For what?
I... She claims she has no idea.
Told them she wouldn't talk
to anybody about anything
without her attorneys in the room.
God.
I've barely been up three hours,
and this is already one of
the worst Saturdays of my life.
Well, no offense, my friend,
but you were asking for it.
I know you want to get married
and I think, deep down inside,
she does, too, but...
you know, you got to let her
come to it in her own time.
We have a child.
She knows that.
But it's not .
A lot of people do it
without being married.
Not me.
Well, I hate to break it to you, pal,
but you're doing it right now.
Mrs. Valerian,
do you know a Douglas Scott?
Uh, not well.
Uh, maybe I was introduced to him once
over drinks.
I believe he bought into
a restaurant my husband owns,
uh, sometime last year.
I think my husband might have
even taken him on as a partner.
That's our understanding, as well.
Actually, according
to our investigation,
this Douglas Scott fellow owns a third
of your husband's restaurant.
Your husband retains a third,
and you, Mrs. Valerian,
control a third.
I actually don't control anything.
I'm his wife.
He opened the restaurant
when we were first married,
so we put it in both our names.
But I can't even tell you
where they keep the toothpicks.
Forgive me, gentlemen, but
where are you going with this?
Where we're going is: Mr. Douglas Scott,
the Valerians' business partner...
- Well, he's not my...
- ...is a person known to the FBI
as a regional wholesaler
of high-end narcotics.
What?!
W-Wait a second, as I told you,
I barely know Douglas Scott.
And my husband would never do
business with drug dealers.
- I mean, why would he?
- The same reason anyone
does business with anyone...
There's a profit in it.
We believe that as soon as
Douglas Scott bought into
your restaurant, he began to run
cash from his drug operation
through the business...
His dirty money was mixed
with the restaurant's daily
receipts and deposited into
the restaurant's
commercial bank account.
Textbook money laundering.
Uh, but what does any
of this have to do with me?
Gentlemen, we are anxious to be
cooperative in any way we can,
but I think you know as well
as we do, that Marissa Morgan
is a co-owner of this
restaurant in name only.
She had no part in any of this,
and as she told you,
she barely remembers
even meeting Mr. Scott.
Whether she met Mr. Scott or not,
both she and her husband realized
a significant improvement
in their finances
as a result of the arrangement.
Money laundering is a federal crime.
So is bank fraud, so is tax evasion.
You're easily looking at ten to years
in a federal penitentiary,
Mrs. Valerian.
Okay, well, now that you've performed
your part of the play where
our client gets good
and scared, tell us what you want,
and then we will tell you
if our client is
interested in helping you.
I mean, the short version is:
If your client were willing
to testify against Mr. Scott
and Mr. Valerian, we would
do everything in our power
to minimize, maybe even
dismiss the charges against her.
Marissa?
I-I'd be happy to testify.
The only problem is
I-I don't know anything
to testify to.
(SIGHS)
Well, if you don't, you don't.
Mrs. Valerian, you are under
arrest for money laundering
and conspiracy to commit
fraud and tax evasion.
Wait, as I told you,
I had nothing to do with any of this!
Mrs. Valerian,
you have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used...
Oh, come on, handcuffs?
Is that really necessary?
Marissa, look at me,
- You have the right to an attorney...
- look at me.
As soon as we get out of here,
Benny and I are gonna arrange
bail for you, okay?
Look at me, not at him.
We're gonna get you out on bail.
We're gonna get you out of here.
You're gonna be fine.
(ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES)
Okay, uh, so let's talk trial strategy.
You know the federal
government's gonna want
to try you and Greg together.
Together?
No. No, no, no, no.
We need to be tried
separately... we have
to be tried separately.
I mean, we're in the middle
of getting a divorce.
Yes, but the fact is you're
technically still married.
BULL: And frankly,
no matter how unpleasant
the prospect might seem,
I would prefer we represent you both.
You want to represent Greg?
I think we have to.
We just spent the morning
watching the prosecutor
try to flip you against him.
What makes you think they're not
gonna try, and flip Greg against you?
BENNY: Marissa, if he
gets his own attorney,
they are gonna do and say
what is best for him.
Which may not mean it is best for you.
But if TAC represents both of you,
then we control the narrative.
We control the messaging.
BULL: And we'll do everything
we can to protect Greg.
But we'll also do everything
we can to protect you.
The question is, can the two of you...
sit in a room and work together on this?
Look, don't get me wrong,
I'd-I'd love your help.
Having those guys wake me up,
drag me downtown,
no one to call...
not my idea of fun.
I just
need to know it's okay with... you.
I actually think it makes
sense for both of us.
And don't the two of you
want to know if I did it?
No. We know you did it.
And I'm betting there's a paper trail
a mile long that proves you did it.
Withdrawals, deposits.
The question is, did you know
you were doing it?
I certainly had no idea.
What can I say?
Before I got into business
with Mr. Scott,
I was one bad weekend...
One big snow storm away
from closing the place.
I guess at the end
of the day, I'm just not
a very good businessman.
The restaurant was packed every night,
but I was still losing money.
And suddenly this guy sweeps in,
tells me how much he loves the place.
And he says, "Let me take
over the business part
"of the business, give
you a big cash infusion.
Leave you to do what you do so well."
I knew some of the other
restaurants he was involved with.
They were all on really solid footing.
I spoke with the owners;
They had nothing
but great things to say.
I mean, on a Tuesday,
I'm-I'm trying to figure out
how to pay my purveyors,
and a month later,
I'm saying to Marissa:
Maybe we can start
looking at bigger apartments.
And you didn't smell anything fishy?
(LAUGHS SOFTLY)
You know, I'm-I'm in
the restaurant business,
and at the end of the night,
we're left with a lot of stinky garbage.
And over the years, what I've learned is
that no matter how bad
the mess smells...
...if you're determined
not to smell it...
...you don't have to smell it.
(ASTRID CRYING)
BULL: Iz, I'm trying everything
with this bottle
short of adding vodka and
putting it in a martini glass.
I don't think the baby's hungry.
(SIGHS) She's been like that all day.
Just put her in the playpen.
(CRYING STOPS)
I have to remember that.
What's that?
Ah, next time you're fussy
and don't do what I want,
I'm putting you in the playpen.
That's supposed to make me smile?
That's supposed
to make me like you again?
Banter's all about volume.
Some lines are home runs,
some lines are just gonna foul out.
You humiliated me today.
In front of the priest,
in front of my brother.
Well, I felt a little humiliated, too.
I don't enjoy feeling like a
guest at my own child's baptism,
my own child's anything.
Well, you should take that up
with your therapist.
I don't have a therapist.
Well, now I know
what to get you for Christmas.
I don't have a wife either,
which, in case you're curious,
is what I really want for Christmas.
I'll stop talking.
No television for you tonight.
(KNOCKING ON GLASS)
What's the good word?
Well, based on the documents
the FBI sent over, there is none.
I know you guys don't want to hear this,
but it certainly appears
the FBI has a solid case.
DANNY: They've got Greg and
Marissa's signatures on every deposit,
every withdrawal,
all the certificates of incorporation,
the transfers of ownership.
I mean, just based on all
the places she signed her name,
Marissa is in this
just as deeply as Greg.
(SIGHS)
Bull in his office?
(EXHALES)
♪
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Whatever it is, just slide it
under the door, please.
Tell me what to get your sister.
Oh, come on. You're a smart guy.
You'll think of something.
I did.
I bought her an engagement ring.
(CHUCKLES): Oh, Bull.
Y-You're like the guy who buys
his girlfriend sexy lingerie
and doesn't understand
why she's not as excited
about it as he is.
Bull, that ring is not
for her, it's for you.
- Mm. Thank you.
- To make you feel better.
I see, Dr. Colón. Thank you.
It's not that she doesn't
want to marry you;
She doesn't want to marry anybody.
She did that. It didn't work.
She's a Catholic. She takes
that failure very seriously.
It wasn't a failure.
She had a miscarriage...
We had a miscarriage.
Yes, she did. Yes, you did.
But when you needed each other the most,
you both turned around
and no one was there.
She's not evil, she's not mean.
She would never want
to do anything to hurt you.
She loves you.
But she's desperate not to
make the same mistake twice.
Particularly because
there's a child involved.
Now, you're a psychologist.
Certainly you can understand that.
I'm just gonna get her some lingerie.
Now you're talking.
(GAVEL BANGS) HATCHER: Ms. Tyler,
how long have you been the
hostess at The Briarcrest Room?
Almost two years.
So you were there
when the ownership expanded
to include Douglas Scott?
Yes.
And did you notice any changes
once he joined the ownership team?
Of course.
I mean, Mr. Valerian
still ran the restaurant.
It was just anything involving money.
Uh, cashing out, the tip pool.
That was all Mr. Scott.
Also, before Mr. Scott, we'd take turns
making the bank run
when we closed each night.
The canvas pouch filled
with the night's receipts
that would go into the bank's
night deposit box?
But after Mr. Scott's arrival,
he took care of that.
No one touched those receipts but him.
Or someone who worked for him.
I see.
And were you aware
that Mr. Scott was not only
in the restaurant business
but also the narcotics business?
You mean dr*gs?
Exactly.
No. I didn't know he sold dr*gs.
But I sure knew he liked them.
How do you mean?
Well, if you were a pretty girl
and you worked at the restaurant,
at some point Mr. Scott...
Or one of the guys
who worked for Mr. Scott...
Was going to come on to you.
Ask you if you wanted to go out after.
Ask you if you wanted
to go home with them after.
And dr*gs were always
a part of that conversation.
But selling them? No, I had no idea.
But do you think, perhaps, Mr. Valerian
might have had an idea?
Objection. Calls for speculation.
Objection sustained.
Do you want to rephrase?
Actually, I have no further questions
for this witness at this time.
BENNY: Ooh. Good morning, Ms. Tyler.
Have you ever actually seen
Mr. Valerian do dr*gs?
Perhaps with Mr. Scott
or anyone from his team?
No. In fact,
I'm pretty sure Mr. Valerian
was not someone who approved of dr*gs.
And what makes you say that?
Well, there was another waitress. Stacy?
She'd been there from the beginning.
She was the one
who trained the rest of us.
But when Mr. Scott arrived,
she started getting
involved with one of his guys.
And for the first time ever,
she started missing work.
Sometimes she'd show up and it was like
she hadn't gotten any sleep.
And ultimately, Mr. Valerian
had to fire her.
And I know that really upset him.
And the day after Stacy was fired,
Mr. Valerian
called an all-staff meeting.
Said how heartbroken he was,
how angry he was,
how much he adored Stacy,
but that dr*gs had no place
in any business he ran.
And if he became aware of anyone
using dr*gs, selling dr*gs,
having anything to do with dr*gs,
they would be instantly terminated.
And was Mr. Scott or any
of his people in this meeting?
They were all standing
behind Mr. Valerian.
A couple of them rolling their eyes,
trying not to smile.
I'm sure Mr. Valerian had no idea.
I'm sorry.
BENNY: Thank you.
I have no further questions
for this witness, Your Honor.
OLLIS: The witness is excused.
- (GAVEL BANGS)
- Let's take a -minute recess.
Hello? Is anybody here?
♪
(CHUCKLES)
I remember you.
You didn't, by any chance
bring any food, did you?
Or... (SIGHS)
A cold martini?
I knew I forgot something.
You're home late.
Well, I had to return a
Christmas gift I got for you.
- Mm.
- Something I know deep down inside
you really want,
but that you're just not
ready to accept from me yet.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Mm-hmm.
I wonder what that could be.
A table saw.
(LAUGHS SOFTLY)
You so get me.
Mm-hmm.
So wait, I'm not getting anything now?
Oh, I think it's gonna be a
mostly socks and underwear
kind of Christmas for you.
Socks?
Support hose.
Nothing but the best.
And underwear?
Flannel.
Made from real flan.
Mmm.
So...
what is our mini, artificial
Christmas tree doing in here?
Because I thought we
decided it was gonna live
in the living room where all
the artificial trees live?
(GROANS): Yeah, that was the plan,
but then, once I set it up,
Astrid just refused to be
anywhere it wasn't.
So I just picked it up
and put it in here
- and she fell asleep right away.
- Huh.
No problem.
So, how goes the trial?
Oh, well, from a legal standpoint,
not a huge breakthrough today,
but just before court adjourned,
the estranged wife squeezed
her husband's hand.
And then, they actually turned
and looked at each other
in the eye for the first time
since the trial began.
It was the closest thing I've seen
to a Christmas miracle all season.
Hmm.
(LAUGHS)
- (GAVEL BANGS)
- HATCHER: Mr. Walker,
can you tell the court who you work for?
I'm an employee of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
And what is it you do for them?
I'm what's called a forensic accountant.
And what does that entail?
I'm kind of a money detective.
I examine bank records,
tax records, all kinds
of financial records
and see what kind of story they tell.
Are there any irregularities?
Has some sort of criminal
malfeasance taken place?
And did you have occasion to examine
The Briarcrest Room's financial records?
I did.
And did they tell you a story?
They certainly seemed to.
In the ten months' worth
of records we examined,
we concluded that at least
$ , a day in funds
derived from sources that were
clearly not the restaurant
were being deposited in the
restaurant's account as though
part of the day's receipts.
HATCHER: No further questions,
Your Honor.
So, Mr. Walker.
Let me ask you something.
How many years did you have
to go to school
to become, uh,
what do you call yourself?
A forensic accountant?
Four years of undergrad work,
and then a two-year MBA program.
That's impressive.
And how long did you say you studied
the financial records of the restaurant?
Well, my office and I went through them
with a fine-tooth comb
for over weeks.
So almost four months.
Wow.
A-And not just you but your entire team,
uh, went through these documents
to piece together
Douglas Scott's money
laundering scheme. Ha.
And yet, you believe my clients...
Two people who have had
exactly zero time
studying forensic accounting...
Knew everything that
was going on around them?
WALKER: Well, in May,
before Douglas Scott
bought into the business,
the restaurant turned tables
for a gross monthly loss of $ , .
In June, one month after
Douglas Scott became co-owner,
the restaurant turned tables.
Now, that's tables less,
yet somehow they suddenly had
a $ , profit.
BENNY: But you're not
answering my question.
WALKER: I'm trying to.
This trend of fewer tables
yet greater profits continued
for the next ten months.
How is that possible? The
restaurant didn't raise their prices.
You don't need to be a FBI agent
- nor a trained CPA to do the math.
- _
It just doesn't add up.
(PHONE VIBRATES)
_
_
Tough day, but that's to be expected.
Prosecution's rested.
Tomorrow we present our case.
You ready to take the stand?
Ready as I'll ever be.
Hey, we're, uh, heading uptown.
Anybody need a ride?
Actually, I feel like walking.
No, I'm, uh, heading the other way.
But thanks.
See you in the morning.
How could you not have known?
How could you not have known?
Oh, come on, Greg.
You know I never saw
a penny of that money.
It went into the joint bank account.
(STAMMERS) You paid the bills,
you wrote all the checks.
Yeah, "joint."
That means the two of us.
You could have looked at the statements.
They'd sit on the kitchen table
for the entire month.
It's your restaurant.
I don't know how many tables
you're turning.
I don't know if you're making
a profit or not.
You don't tell me those things.
You don't ask.
And suddenly, everything is better.
You're making money,
and it doesn't occur to you
to find out why? How?
Hell no.
When things are good, no,
I don't need to know why.
I just need for them to not stop.
But you wouldn't understand that.
No, I don't understand that at all.
I trusted you.
It's like the other day.
You said you smelled the garbage,
but you didn't do anything about it.
Why would I?
We were winning.
You don't check the weather
when the sun's out.
I do.
Especially if I've made plans
with someone
that I supposedly care about.
♪
So, you made her something?
For Christmas?
Why do you sound so surprised?
I'm a clever, creative person.
Uh, well, you're a -year-old man.
She's a -year-old woman.
What did you make her?
A birdhouse made out of Popsicle sticks?
We're here.
Oh, my God. I'm not sure
I'm ready for this.
See you all inside.
(DOOR OPENS, CLOSES)
Now, before you go in there
and take the stand this morning,
I need to talk to you
about a couple of things.
As my client,
I need to remind you to tell the truth.
- Of course.
- No.
It's more complicated than that.
The only certainty in all this is
that they are gonna ask you questions
that will pit you against Greg.
Questions that will make you
at least consider
fudging the truth,
shading the truth to protect yourself,
to protect Greg.
It's a trap.
Bull, I am not a liar.
I am certainly not gonna lie under oath.
And now is the part where
I talk to you like a friend.
Yes, they are trying
you and Greg together.
But the jury will be instructed
to decide your cases separately,
which means that Greg
can be found guilty
and you can be found innocent.
Not that I'm wishing that on Greg.
- God, no. Me, either.
- But I believe in your innocence.
And we need that jury
to believe in it, too.
And the way we get them
to believe in your innocence
is by believing you,
which means that you
are gonna have to share...
everything.
You're gonna have to share it all,
even the embarrassing parts.
There are no embarrassing parts.
Oh, yes, there are.
You're a real smart person,
Marissa Morgan.
And that's not something you can
hide or cover up with makeup.
Smart just oozes out of you.
But you loved this man.
You trusted this man.
And that notwithstanding,
either he's far more ignorant
than he lets on or, more than likely,
he was able to persuade himself
that he didn't need to confide in you
when he sensed something
illegal was going on.
Even though he was playing
with your money,
with your reputation.
With your future.
I'm sorry. It really is
as simple as that.
But the jury will never know
unless you tell them.
I guess we should get in there.
BENNY: So you signed this?
Apparently, I did.
But you didn't read it?
No, not that I recall.
And you signed this?
Looks like I did.
Um, yes, that's my signature.
How about this transfer of ownership?
Signing away a third of
your business to Douglas Scott.
You remember signing this?
Honestly, no.
I'd come out to the kitchen
table in the morning,
there'd be things to sign.
Little yellow Post-its all over them.
My husband ran a restaurant.
He slept from : in the
morning until : in the morning.
I slept from : at night
until : the next day.
There was no time to discuss
what I was signing.
By the time he was awake,
I'd already been at work
for three hours.
It's just the way we did it.
Hmm. One last question.
You know, the prosecution contends
that you profited handsomely
from this arrangement with Mr. Scott.
Is that true?
It may be.
I really have no way of knowing.
All the money went into a joint account
that my husband and I had together.
Frankly, I almost never looked at it.
Never even checked the balance.
When we'd talk,
he'd say the restaurant was doing well.
We were doing well. That's all he said,
and that's all I needed to hear.
Bills would come in.
None of them were overdue.
He wrote the checks.
I-I really didn't give it much thought.
Thank you, Mrs. Valerian.
No further questions, Your Honor.
HATCHER: Mrs. Valerian,
you worked as a senior-level analyst
for Homeland Security for
almost nine years, didn't you?
I did.
That's one of those jobs
where I have to believe
that the devil is in the details.
Wouldn't you agree?
I would.
Tons of reading. Scrutinizing documents.
Tens of hours of research.
And yet you're testifying
that you signed countless contracts,
invoices, checks, transfers of ownership
without ever once
actually looking at them?
Yes.
HATCHER: And am I also to believe
that your husband tells you
he's about to bring in a new partner
to help run his business, and you...
With all the resources of
the Trial Analysis Corporation
for whom you work, with all
of your past friendships
and relationships
at Homeland Security...
Don't even bother to run
a background check on this man?
I did not.
For a woman with your background,
that seems rather unlikely.
I don't know what to say.
It-it was my husband's restaurant.
It was my husband's thing.
I trusted my husband.
Guess I'm a fool.
We were married. I... We are married.
Married to each other
for the second time,
as a matter of fact.
What is love if not surrender?
And what is surrender
if not the certainty of trust?
The absolute belief
that this other person
always has your back,
and you always have theirs?
HATCHER: You're not
answering my question.
MARISSA: I'm trying.
When we got married for the second time,
I felt I needed to show him
that this time was forever.
So I signed over half
of my condominium...
By far my most valuable possession...
To him.
My idea.
I wanted Greg to know
that what was mine, was his.
And then, without me saying a word,
he signed over half his ownership
in his new restaurant...
His baby... to me.
Again...
the question is, why wouldn't you run
a background check on a man
you were about to go
into business with?
I trusted my husband.
I trusted his judgment.
I knew he trusted mine.
I just wanted to return the favor.
When it came to my condominium,
if there was an unexpected assessment...
The-the building roof
started to leak last year.
That was $ ,
that we hadn't planned on.
I would just write out
a check and put it
on the kitchen table for him to sign.
And he would just sign it.
No conversation. Just blind trust.
I wanted to redo the kitchen, and I did.
Not a peep.
Except to say how much he loved it.
And, yes, could we get
the workers to show up
a little later so he could sleep.
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
That's all well and good, Mrs. Valerian.
But you and your husband ran a
business that consistently lost money.
And then one day it didn't.
And it's your testimony
that you never felt compelled
to ask about it?
And he never offered an explanation?
Actually, I did finally ask him.
Just the other day, right after court.
HATCHER: You asked about
how the business was suddenly
making money when it was
seating fewer customers?
I did.
And what did he say?
He said he didn't know.
He said he didn't care.
He said you don't ask about
the weather when the sun is out.
You do if it's out
in the middle of the night.
I have no further questions, Your Honor.
OLLIS: The witness is excused.
Let's take a -minute break.
I did the best I could.
You hung me out to dry, Marissa.
No, you hung me out to dry.
That's why we're here.
Or have you forgotten?
(SLAPS TABLE)
Um, he knows he's the next
witness, doesn't he?
You better ask the judge if
she'll adjourn for the day.
I have a feeling Greg
doesn't plan on coming back.
(PHONE RINGING)
(GRUNTS)
Hello?
GREG: Dr. Bull. It's Greg Valerian.
I just wanted to let you know,
after what happened today in court,
I'm exploring my options.
I'm sorry, Greg, can you repeat that?
I'm not sure I know what you mean.
I mean I no longer think it makes sense
for me to be represented by your firm.
By the firm that employs the woman
I'm in the midst
of getting a divorce from.
I just didn't want you
to be blindsided in the morning.
Okay, Greg, can we talk
about this for a second?
I think you're making a mistake.
(CHUCKLES) That's okay.
Won't be the first.
Good night, Dr. Bull.
(EXHALES)
My suspicion here,
is once we get inside,
Greg will make a plea
for new representation,
maybe even a whole new trial.
That's crazy.
We're two-thirds of the way
through the proceedings.
Well, I'm sure that'll be the
judge's point of view as well.
He wants to stretch this out,
just like he's done with our divorce.
(SIGHS)
Tell me one more time how smart I am?
How'd I manage to do it?
Pick such a selfish person
to spend my life with?
Twice!
How could I have been so wrong?
I thought he actually had my back.
I thought he actually cared about me.
We should get inside.
OLLIS: Before we begin today's testimony
or invite the jury in,
I understand that the A.U.S.A.
would like to address the bench.
Your Honor, I need to inform the court
that one of the defendants,
Greg Valerian,
reached out to me early this morning
to inform me that he has
served verbal notice
that he wishes
to no longer be represented
by either the Trial Analysis Corporation
or its attorney, Mr. Benjamin Colón,
and moving forward,
chooses to represent himself.
OLLIS: I don't see Mr. Valerian here,
but if you would please
let him know that his request
is something I'm going to need
to take under advisement,
and given that this trial
is almost over...
There's more, Your Honor.
Subject to your approval, of course,
Mr. Valerian has offered
to change his plea to guilty
and testify against Douglas Scott
in various criminal matters
that remain pending against him.
In return, he has agreed to serve
no more than months in prison,
and we have agreed to drop
all charges against his wife,
Marissa Valerian,
who we have come to believe
had little or no involvement
in any of this.
See that? Maybe you weren't
so wrong about him after all.
You guys go ahead. I'm fine here.
Thank you.
No. Thank you.
I don't know
what I was thinking, Marissa.
I'm sorry.
You were thinking the sun was out.
So when do you have to turn yourself in?
(SIGHS) Not until the middle of January.
And I promise, I'll get
the whole divorce thing done
before that.
I wasn't thinking about that.
I don't think there's any rush
on that at this point.
Not on my end, anyway.
No, I want to get it done.
I owe you that.
♪
So w-what are you doing for Christmas?
Excuse me?
Christmas. Three days from now.
You want to come over?
I mean, the place is still half yours.
Yeah.
Yeah, I'd like that.
You're cooking.
(LAUGHS)
Thank you again.
Thank you again.
♪
BULL (WHISPERS): You think she knows?
Knows she's been baptized?
Somewhere deep in there,
she knows something special happened.
Hopefully the first
of many special things.
Two days until her first Christmas.
Mm-hmm.
(WHISPERS): Want to open something?
No. It's not Christmas.
Come on.
You want me to open something?
Just one thing. One special thing.
(PAPER RUSTLING)
This is my gift?
Mm-hmm.
You write this?
Yes, I did.
"I'm always here.
"Whether you choose to keep me or not,
"I will always be here when you need me.
"When you want me.
"So feel free to push me away.
"Feel free to say no.
"I will leave, but never go far.
I'm yours forever. Merry Christmas."
You mean this?
Thank you.
I ordered your socks and underwear,
but they haven't gotten here yet.
(LAUGHS)
(SNIFFLES) Well, now I feel like
I have to give you something.
Oh, don't feel any pressure.
I mean, if it's still on its way
to the dealership from Germany,
I completely understand.
You should not have gone
all out like this.
(QUIETLY): Just shut up and open it.
Okay.
♪
A ring...
A ring in a ring box.
So...
...will you marry me?
I don't get a knee?
I don't get a nice dinner?
Just say yes and lay one on me, big boy.
Well, when you put it like that...
Yes.