FADE IN:
EXT. HICKORY AVENUE/ROLAND PARK - EARLY EVENING
An average, ordinary middle-class neighborhood. Solid homes.
Well-kept lawns. Family-size cars. Completely out of place,
a regulation Baltimore City Police Department Cavalier drives
along.
BOLANDER (O.C.)
Nothing is real.
PEMBLETON (O.C.)
What do you mean, nothing is real?
BOLANDER (O.C.)
There is no reality.
PEMBLETON
Really...
The Cavalier pulls over to curb. FRANK PEMBLETON gets out of
driver's side as STANLEY BOLANDER emerges from the
passenger's. They head down the sidewalk.
BOLANDER
Take the color green. You see
green, I see green. We call it
"green" because as a society we
have agreed that this thing, this
color, is green. We think we're
having the shared experience of
green, but how do we know? Maybe
my green is actually greener than
your green.
PEMBLETON
You mean, maybe my green is red?
BOLANDER
Maybe. Take colorblind people,
they carry with them a stigma --
PEMBLETON
A stigmatism.
BOLANDER
Because they don't see what the
rest of us see as green. But
maybe, just maybe, their perception
is correct. Maybe a colorblind
person is actually seeing pure
green, the real green.
They pass through yellow plastic police lines. We become
aware that the calm of the neighborhood has been shattered by
a crime. An M.E. Van waits for its latest passenger.
UNIFORMS hold ONLOOKERS at bay. Other POLICE PERSONNEL move
in and out of a white, two story home.
PEMBLETON
Man, this is just my luck. I get a
call. My partner's off tonight.
So I look around the Squad Room. I
see Munch. No. I see Howard. No.
Felton. Lewis. No. No. I think
Bolander. I'll take Bolander.
He's the only one who won't drive
me crazy.
BOLANDER
I'm driving you crazy?
PEMBLETON
Philosophizing. You're not know as
the philosophical type, Stan.
BOLANDER
You get shot in the head, it makes
you think.
They reach the front door of the house. The BODY of a
seventeen year old, olive-skinned man, Hikmet Gersel, lies
dead, shot through the chest. His face is covered with white
stage makeup. He wears a leather jacket. ALYSSA DYER,
Assistant Medical Examiner, takes notes. PEMBLETON turns to
Officer STEVEN PASKULY.
PEMBLETON
Hey, Paskuly, what've we got?
PASKULY
The deceased name is Hikmet Gersel,
G-E-R-S-E-L. Seventeen years old,
exchange student from Turkey.
BOLANDER
Do Turks wear white makeup? Is
that some kind of religious thing?
Or is he a mime?
PASKULY
The owner of the house thought he
was a burglar, shot him.
PEMBLETON
Where's the homeowner?
PASKULY
Inside. I got him and his wife in
separate rooms. Plus a friend of
this kid here. The friend says
they were going to a party and got
the wrong address.
PEMBLETON, BOLANDER and PASKULY enter house.
INT. LIVING ROOM/JIM BAYLISS HOME - EARLY EVENING
PEMBLETON, BOLANDER and PASKULY enter. COPS all over. A MAN
in his mid-thirties sits with his head in his hands.
PASKULY (CONT.)
The guy's name is Jim Bayliss.
The MAN looks up, lost, confused. PEMBLETON registers
surprise, leans into BOLANDER.
PEMBLETON
Stan -- Jim Bayliss, he's Tim's
cousin.
BOLANDER looks at PEMBLETON, then at JIM. On JIM, in shock,
FADE TO:
MAIN TITLES
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
INT. TIM BAYLISS' CAR - NIGHT
CU on TIM BAYLISS' face.
PEMBLETON (V.O.)
You have the right to remain
silent. Anything you say can and
will be used against you in a court
of law. Do you understand?
JIM (V.O.)
Yes.
CAMERA PULLS BACK TO REVEAL BAYLISS, in street clothes, in
his own Car, driving, alone.
PEMBLETON (V.O.)
Do you need me to explain further?
JIM (V.O.)
No. I'm a lawyer.
PEMBLETON (V.O.)
Even so. I have to ask.
JIM (V.O.)
Of course.
BAYLISS pulls up to curb.
EXT. HICKORY AVENUE/ROLAND PARK - NIGHT
Car stops. BAYLISS gets out.
PEMBLETON (V.O.)
You have the right to an attorney.
If you decide not to speak to an
attorney at this time, no questions
will be asked of you. Do you
understand?
JIM (V.O.)
Yes.
BAYLISS crosses to the Jim Bayliss' home as the M.E. TEAM
puts BODY into van.
INT. DEN/JIM BAYLISS HOME - NIGHT
PEMBLETON sits beside JIM.
PEMBLETON
Do you need me to explain further?
JIM
No.
PEMBLETON
If you do decide to speak to us,
you may stop at anytime. Do you
understand?
JIM nods.
INT. LIVING ROOM/JIM BAYLISS HOME - NIGHT
BAYLISS enters, looks around at the chaos.
PEMBLETON (O.C., CONT.)
Do you need me to explain further?
JIM (O.C.)
No.
BAYLISS, on a mission, crosses to BOLANDER.
BAYLISS
Where is he?
BOLANDER
The den.
BAYLISS turns toward Den, BOLANDER reacts.
BOLANDER (CONT.)
Hey, Tim, wait --
BAYLISS keeps going.
INT. DEN/JIM BAYLISS HOME - NIGHT
JIM and PEMBLETON sit opposite each other.
PEMBLETON
If you wish an attorney, you will
be afforded one. Do you --
Door opens. BAYLISS enters.
BAYLISS
Jim, you okay?
PEMBLETON is up on his feet instantly.
PEMBLETON
Hey, hey, Tim, you know you're not
allowed in here.
BAYLISS
He's my cousin.
PEMBLETON
That's why you're not allowed.
BAYLISS
Frank, this is me here. Don't
start giving me regulations, don't
shove procedures in my face --
PEMBLETON
Calm down.
BAYLISS
And don't tell me to calm down --
JIM
Teege.
BAYLISS turns to face JIM.
JIM (CONT.)
It's okay.
BAYLISS
But --
JIM gives him an "I-got-it-under-control" look. BAYLISS
hesitates for a beat, nods, looks at PEMBLETON, turns, exits.
BOLANDER closes the door.
JIM
Working Homicide has really changed
him. Teege never used to be so...
aggressive.
PEMBLETON
Why do you call Tim "Teege"?
JIM
It's a family nickname. When we
were playing basketball in school,
we were the dynamic duo. Tim and
Jim. T and J. Teege... Stupid,
huh?
PEMBLETON
Growing up, my brothers called me
Bucky. Can't remember why.
(resumes his seat)
Okay. To repeat... If you want a
lawyer, you will be afforded one.
JIM shakes his head, no.
INT. MASTER BEDROOM/JIM BAYLISS HOME - NIGHT
SHANNON BAYLISS, mid-thirties, sits on canopied bed, holding
one CHILD, six months old. On the floor, two other CHILDREN,
three and six, play. BAYLISS enters.
BAYLISS
Shannon --
SHANNON sees him, smiles relieved. The CHILDREN also react.
QUICK CUTS of hugs, kisses. Then:
SHANNON
It's a nightmare.
BAYLISS
Yeah.
SHANNON
I called my parents. Asked them to
come watch the kids. The detective
says I'll have to go down to
Headquarters to tell what happened.
He was very nice about it.
BAYLISS
Pembleton?
SHANNON
The white one. You want some
coffee or something?
BAYLISS
Naw. Actually I gotta hit the
head.
(hugs SHANNON again)
Everything's gonna be fine.
BAYLISS exits.
INT. HALLWAY/JIM BAYLISS HOME - NIGHT
BAYLISS enters, walks to Bathroom. The door is locked. He
looks inside one of the Children's Rooms.
BAYLISS' POV: another seventeen year old, DAVID SCHOLTZ,
whose face is also covered in white makeup and wearing a
leather jacket. Bathroom door opens. BOLANDER emerges.
BOLANDER
There must been okra in the
Kentucky Burgoo I had with dinner.
I get a bad reaction to okra.
BAYLISS
(indicates SCHOLTZ)
Who's the kid?
BOLANDER
Friend of the deceased.
BOLANDER heads off. BAYLISS stares at SCHOLTZ, who looks up,
sees BAYLISS and looks away, nervously. BAYLISS enters the
Bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
INT. DEN/JIM BAYLISS HOME - NIGHT
JIM sits alone. Beat. PEMBLETON enters with a UNIFORM.
PEMBLETON
Alright, Jim, this officer is going
to transport you to Headquarters
where we'll take your statement.
JIM
I told the first policeman who
arrived everything.
PEMBLETON
Uh-huh. But I'd kinda like to hear
it for myself.
JIM
Okay.
Pembleton turns to UNIFORM, who takes out handcuffs. JIM
reacts, surprised.
PEMBLETON
Sorry. It's standard.
JIM
Yeah... I know that.
UNIFORM cuffs JIM, who faces PEMBLETON with fragile smile.
JIM (CONT.)
I've just never been handcuffed
before.
PEMBLETON nods to UNIFORM, who escorts JIM out.
INT. HALLWAY/JIM BAYLISS HOME - NIGHT
BAYLISS hovers by the Den door as JIM and UNIFORM come out,
followed by PEMBLETON. BAYLISS sees JIM cuffed, reacts.
BOLANDER approaches, carrying a .44 caliber Smith and Wesson
revolver.
BOLANDER
We need you to identify this as the
weapon you used.
JIM
Yes. It is. That's it.
SHANNON comes out Bedroom, see her HUSBAND handcuffed and the
revolver. She lets out a WAIL. BAYLISS goes to her, holds
her. On JIM, being led out the door,
CUT TO:
INT. SQUAD ROOM/HOMICIDE UNIT - NIGHT
The name "G-E-R-S-E-L" is written on "The Board" in RED under
Pembleton's name.
PULL BACK to REVEAL MELDRICK LEWIS leaning over the shoulder
of JOHN MUNCH, who sits at his desk, poring over financial
ledgers.
LEWIS
The restaurant is losing money?
MUNCH
The restaurant's not losing money,
we're losing money. All of our
money.
LEWIS
How's that possible? The bar's
full every night.
MUNCH
The bar is full. The restaurant is
empty. We gotta figure out a way
to get people to come in and eat.
LEWIS
You wanna know the best way to get
people to come in and eat? Serve
good food.
MUNCH
We serve good food.
LEWIS
Our chef, Henri? He stinks. I
don't even think he's really
French.
MUNCH
You don't like the food?
LEWIS
The truth? Since you hired that
frog man, I only are there but
once. I tried his Croque Monsieur
and I got the runs. I say we hand
Henri his toque and point to the
door.
BAYLISS crosses by.
MUNCH
Hey, partner, we need to have a
confab.
BAYLISS
Later.
BAYLISS continues to "The Box", where the blinds are closed.
PEMBLETON and BOLANDER exit.
PEMBLETON
Okay. I'll take him down to the
lab, GSR him.
BAYLISS
Frank, can we talk?
PEMBLETON
Sure.
BOLANDER
You want me in or out, Tim?
BAYLISS
Out, Stan. Thanks.
BOLANDER crosses toward Coffee Room.
BAYLISS (CONT.)
Look, I'm sorry for the way I
behaved at my cousin's house. You
just gotta understand, Jim and me,
we grew up next door to each other.
He and his brother Kurt were like
my brothers. Jim's dad died when
he was thirteen --
PEMBLETON
Tim --
BAYLISS
No, no, listen to me, Frank. I'm
telling you all of this so that you
know the kind of person you're
dealing with. He's not some sleazy
smokehound. He's a fine man, a
fine human being.
PEMBLETON
I don't doubt that.
BAYLISS
(takes a step back)
Oh, I see...
PEMBLETON
See what?
BAYLISS
You're giving me that look you give
when you've got your mind made up,
when you've decided to hunt for
bear. Well, I'm here to tell you,
Frank, I'm not gonna let you do it.
NAOMI approaches.
NAOMI
Excuse me... Bayliss, you told me
to tell you when your cousin's wife
arrived.
BAYLISS signals NAOMI to wait.
BAYLISS
I'm not gonna let you hurt my
family, Frank. I know all your
tricks. You better not take one
little baby step outta line.
SHANNON enters "The Aquarium", escorted by UNIFORM. BAYLISS
follows NAOMI over.
PEMBLETON
Tim --
BAYLISS keeps going. PEMBLETON watches BAYLISS as he enters
"The Aquarium".
INT. CRIME LAB/POLICE HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT
A Crime Lab TECHNICIAN sits at a table as PEMBLETON and JIM
enter.
PEMBLETON (CONT.)
We're gonna test your fingers for
barium residue. That's the powder
on a person's hand after a gun is
discharged.
JIM
I know that, Frank. And you
already know that I fired the gun.
PEMBLETON
No offense, but you say you fired
the gun. I believe you, but I
don't know. Maybe you're saying
you fired the gun to protect
someone else.
JIM
I fired the gun.
PEMBLETON
After the test, we'll have proof
that what you say is true. It's
important, in a case like this to
be sure, absolutely sure, about
every single element.
JIM
Right.
JIM sits, watches as Crime Lab TECHNICIAN puts a thimble-like
instrument, the "dabber", on his own finger. He dabs up and
down JIM's hand, starting at the top of the forefinger, then
into the webbing between the forefinger and thumb, making
sure to cover the inside of the fingers and the back of the
hand. As he does, dabbing about a hundred times, PEMBLETON
and JIM talk.
PEMBLETON
May I ask where you got the gun?
JIM
I just bought it about a month ago.
There've been a couple burglaries
in our neighborhood. One couple
got tied up. The wife was raped.
I figured, these days, I'd better
be prepared. I've never owned one
before. Never even shot it before
tonight.
PEMBLETON
Why'd you choose a forty-four?
JIM
Teege picked it out for me. He
knows guns.
PEMBLETON
Me, I would've had you buy a three
fifty-seven.
JIM
Why?
PEMBLETON
A forty-four is a big gun. No one
needs a gun that big.
JIM
What kind have you got there?
(indicates gun in
Pembleton's holster)
PEMBLETON
A nine millimeter Glock.
JIM
Is that a good kind?
PEMBLETON
Depends what you like. Some of the
guys held onto their thirty-eights
when the Department started issuing
Glocks.
JIM
But you like that one better?
PEMBLETON
Holds more rounds in the clip. I'd
rather have the fire power already
loaded, just in case, y'know?
Stopping power is greater, too.
JIM
You mean impact?
PEMBLETON
Yeah, this gun discharges at nine
hundred and ninety feet per second.
JIM
That's fast...
(looks away, lost in
thought)
I bought the gun so that my family
would feel safe. It's funny...
When I was a kid, we never even
locked our front door.
The Crime Lab TECHNICIAN puts the dabber into a plastic
ziplock bag.
INT. GIARDELLO'S OFFICE/HOMICIDE UNIT - NIGHT
AL GIARDELLO works at his desk. BAYLISS enters without
knocking.
BAYLISS
Gee, I want to be in the "The Box"
when Pembleton interrogates my
cousin.
GIARDELLO looks up, takes off his glasses.
BAYLISS (CONT.)
I know that it's the first rule
drilled into us at the Academy --
when a relative's involved we have
to stay out -- but I think I should
be given a little leeway here.
He's gonna have to face Pembleton
and we've all seen what Pembleton
can do to somebody in that Box. So
I'm asking you, Gee, let me be
there for my cousin.
GIARDELLO
We have to do this by the book, so
that there are no questions later.
BAYLISS
You're saying no?
GIARDELLO
I'm saying no.
BAYLISS turns to go.
GIARDELLO (CONT.)
You can watch from the Observation
Room.
BAYLISS nods.
GIARDELLO (CONT.)
I promise, we'll do right by him.
BAYLISS exits.
INT. SQUAD ROOM/HOMICIDE UNIT - NIGHT
BAYLISS crosses to "The Box", looks inside.
BAYLISS POV: JIM sits opposite PEMBLETON and BOLANDER.
They're laughing.
BAYLISS stops, takes a breath, crosses to Observation Room.
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM/HOMICIDE UNIT - NIGHT
JIM sits opposite PEMBLETON and BOLANDER.
BOLANDER
So, you and Tim were big basketball
stars, huh?
JIM
We were the two tallest guys in our
school. We also grew up playing
hoop together in his backyard so we
knew each other's moves.
BOLANDER
You ever think about turning pro?
JIM
Naw. We were okay -- for white
guys... Besides I needed to keep my
grades up. I had to study if I
wanted to get into a good law
school.
PEMBLETON
Jim --
(smiles)
I know you told the uniforms, when
they first arrived at your house,
what happened. But sometimes, so
near the actual event, people get
caught up, y'know, and they leave
things out. Now that you've had a
chance to, to, relax, I'd like you
to -- and take as much time as you
need -- to tell us exactly, step-by
step, what transpired.
JIM
Sure... How far back do you want me
to start?
PEMBLETON
Wherever. You tell us.
JIM
Alright... I was in the den,
playing with my kids...
On JIM, remembering,
FLASH BACK TO:
INT. DEN/JIM BAYLISS HOME - EARLY EVENING
JIM bounces his three year old DAUGHTER around. His six year
old SON tugs at his knee.
JIM (V.O.)
The doorbell rang. Shannon called
from the living room, said she'd
get it.
JIM swings his DAUGHTER, who SQUEALS with laughter.
JIM (V.O.) (CONT.)
I'd been working a lot lately.
This was the first change I'd had
in a while to spend with the kids.
O.C., HEAR SHANNON SCREAM.
JIM (V.O.) (CONT.)
All of a sudden, Shannon screamed.
So I went running.
JIM is up and out of the room.
INT. HALLWAY/JIM BAYLISS HOME - EARLY EVENING
JIM meets SHANNON halfway.
JIM (V.O.)
Shannon was yelling about this
weirdo at the front door.
JIM leads SHANNON to Den, pushes her inside, closes door.