Detective Harry Denby clues - These Shoots are Made for Joaquin transcription

Transcript

These Shoots are Made For Joaquin

Special thanks to Meg Birns for transcribing the meeting scene and to Suz Voy's site "The Urge" for the bar scene.

Weekly plot:
Detectives Sorenson and Sipowicz investigate the murder of a loan shark. The brother of the loan shark says he shot at the killer. After investigating a drunk as a possible suspect, they find the real killer, who confesses that the loan shark's brother hired him for the job. Upon confrontation, the brother admits he did it because he was in love with the loan shark's wife.

Diane and Jill are returning from the case with the loan shark's widow in tow. As they enter the precinct, a tall, dark-haired man in a trenchcoat [Denby] approaches Diane and shows her his detective badge.

Denby: Detective Russell?

Diane: Yeah.

Denby: Detective Denby. You got a minute for me?

Diane: (not very friendly) What's it about?

Denby: (indicates Jill) Is this young lady on the job?

Diane: (confused) What?

Denby: Can we talk outside?

Diane: We're not talking anywhere until I know what this is about.

Denby: I'm with the Narcotics Task Force. I'm investigating the information that Detective Kirkendall's husband has provided to secure his plea agreement.

(They go outside)

Denby: None of this is out of school.

Diane: (sarcastically) Yeah, I like being outside when it's a little nippy.

Denby: What I'm saying is, if you want to tell your partner we talked it would be okay.

Diane: (irritated) See, that was my partner I just walked in with, so she's gonna know that we talked.

Denby: Yeah I know that was your partner. Her ex-husband beats jail for a full and total flip which he's nowhere close to doing yet but I'm presuming, for the sake of her kids, even if she thinks he's a hard-on she don't want this guy doing twenty.

Diane: So are we getting close to why I'm out here freezing?

Denby: (placatingly) I'm not looking to hurt her. If she's got something, she can help us to put pressure on this guy. Even if this information puts her in an awkward light, she shouldn't be afraid to give it up.

Diane: (firmly) She has nothing to do with what he ex-husband was into.

Denby: If she needs to give it up through someone else, that would be okay too.

Diane: (more irritated) Did you hear what I just said? Jill had nothing to do with this.

Denby: (not reacting to her anger) Her ex-husband indicates otherwise.

Diane: What?

Denby: He indicates that she had some kind of peripheral connection but he's not gonna say anything else. I want her to know I could care less about her peripheral connection. I know what women do to protect their families. My sole interest is what she can tell me about him that I can use to get her asshole ex up in the air. (pauses) You should go in and get warm. (he turns and walks away.)

end of scene

After they finish dealing with the widow of the loan shark, Jill begins to get curious about Denby.

Jill: Was it about me? Harry Denby?

Diane: It was about you.

Jill: And you haven't told me why?

Diane: And I haven't told you because I didn't know what I should do. He wants me to give you a message and I don't know if he can be trusted. He's a task force guy that's workin' with Don, checkin' out his story.

Jill: And what's the message he wants you to give me?

Diane: Jill, looking back, could you ever maybe have done something for Don, completely without knowing?

Jill: Sure I could have. I coulda dropped off boxes of pastry his mother made for private parties. Helping to tail. (finally admitting it straight out) I did.

Diane: (surprised, but trying not to show it) Oh. Whatever you gave, even if any of it implicated you, this task force guy says he'd write it up, investigate it and unfound it. So long as what you did was unintentional, he'd say it never happened.

Jill: Can we believe the task force guy?

Diane: He says he just wants Don to realize he's got no leverage.

Jill: Can we believe him?

Diane: I don't know if I believe him.

Jill: If he'd really write it, investigate it and unfound it, whatever Don starts sprayin', I'd be protected.

Diane:Yeah.

Jill: If I can trust the guy.

Diane: Yeah.

Jill: Do we give it to him?

Diane: Not yet. Let me get into him a little.

Later, Diane phones Denby to set up a meeting time with him so she can 'get into him a little.'.

Diane: (into phone) I told her what you said. Right now she's leaving it up to me. (pause) Well, it wouldn't hurt me getting to know you a little better. (Danny walks in) Do you have some time now? (pause) Sure. That's great. See you in a little while. (hangs up)

Mary Franco, who Danny has been seeing, walks in to get some photos from a file. Danny helps her while Jill and Diane continue to talk. Diane seems very upbeat.

Jill: What'd he say?

Diane: I'm gonna meet him at Smitty's.

Jill: I mean did this task force guy say anything?

Diane: "Meet you there"?

Mary leaves and Danny gets nervous. Then Jill leaves. Diane goes back to work.

Danny: (to Diane) What do you got, a date of some sort?

Diane: Yeah. Sort of.

end of scene

Inside Smitty's, Diane quickly finds out that Denby has a major problem of his own.

Denby: I was on a foot post in the Bronx; two years a cop. A couple of geniuses in ski masks come out the front door of a bank - I got lucky in the shoot out. Job gives me my gold shield, make some lucky collars in narcotics...

Diane: You're a lucky guy.

Denby: They upped me to this task force. So now I work regular hours - except when I'm babysitting jerks like your friend Don - I get a new car every year that I get to drive home...who's got it better than me?"

(the drinks arrive)

Diane: (to waitress) Thanks.

Denby: (to waitress) Thank you my child. (to Diane) I mean now I'm safely in the lead and you're still not gonna drink with me?

Diane: No. (hesitates a split second) No.

Denby: And is this tactical? You abstain, find out what Denby knows as he yields to what is - admittedly - a small problem with alcohol? Or am I in the presence of conviction?

Diane: You're in the presence of someone who doesn't wanna drink.

Denby: No, I sense we're drilling in bedrock here. Is it the old story - one's too many, fifty aren't enough?

Diane: It's got a ring to it.

Denby: And have you now seen the light?

Diane: This seems like a good place to take a turn in the conversation.

Denby: Gets mean behind his cocktails, this Denby. I apologize.

Diane: It's okay.

Denby: So...do you come bearing a message from Detective Kirkendall?

Diane: I come in peace is as far as I'm ready to go at the moment.

Denby: You come in peace, huh. Look what believing that from a stranger got the Indians. If you're prepared to have a drink with me, I could shed some valuable light on your partner's situation.

Diane: How 'bout doing that anyway, just 'cause you're a good guy?

Denby: Too intangible. We need what the devil would call 'an exchange of consideration'.

Diane: I'm not drinking with you.

Denby: Will you give me a small peck on the cheek?

Diane: (disgusted but determined) Yeah, yeah, I'll give you a small peck on the cheek.

Denby: Well this kiss would have to be a priori. You know what that means? Are you the victim of a Jesuit education too?

Diane: Come on Denby.

Denby: A priori means you go first. You peck...I shed light.

Diane: (gives him a peck on the cheek) Now, don't you feel like an asshole?

Denby: No, actually I feel rather good about the world. I feel rather set up.

Diane: Your turn.

Denby: God did this, right? When there was darkness on the waters? (he starts to play with her hand) I would say this, Detective; as it applies to a Federal prosecutor, are you familiar with the legal term 'wuss'?

Diane: Talking about the prosecutor that would be going to bat against my partner's ex-husband?

Denby: I'm talking about a prosecutor who's supposed to be going to bat against six Dominican and three Peruvian bad guys, against whom without your partner's ex-husband's testimony, we have got evidence up the ass.

Diane: So giving a deal to Don is what makes the prosecutor a wuss?

Denby: Real kiss, you get the rest. And I find myself out of scotch.

Diane: (to waitress) Could he get another drink?

Denby: (to waitress, referring to Diane) And her, too.

Diane: Screw you, Denby.

Denby: Screw me? Nah, I'm a realist. My price isn't that high.

Diane: I'm not drinking with you.

Denby: I need a wet one then.

Diane: You were a decent guy this morning.

Denby: It's not morning anymore on this part of the globe. It's good. The rest of the story is good.

Diane: All right. You first this time.

Denby: I can't rationalize that, Diane. The whole sorry history of the red man's trust is staring me in the face.

Diane: You must hate yourself in the mornings.

Denby: Only sometimes. Often I don't remember anything at all. I mean how much do you care about your partner?

Diane: You prick.

Denby: (scolding with finger) Now, now. (She kisses him; it lasts for several seconds, longer than she has to allow it. He uses his tongue. As they separate, the drinks arrive, and he hesitates a moment before speaking.) I believe this is called hitting the daily double.

Diane: (her attitude unchanged after she spends a moment recovering as the drinks are set down) You better tell me.

Denby: The prosecutor's new boss is an anti-wuss.

Diane: I don't wanna hear any clever crap. You tell me what's going on.

Denby: The prosecutor's new boss is gonna make the prosecutor go to bat against the dealers, with or without your partner's ex-husband on the team.

Diane: Tell me what I should tell her.

Denby: You should tell your partner sit tight. Tell her...not to give me anything. (She goes to leave. He nods towards her drink) Can I have that if you don't want it? (She pushes the drink towards him and leaves) Goodnight. (The camera focuses on the glass he is holding as he raises it and sets it down still full, with Diane walking out the door in the background).

end of scene