9:45 AM CHICAGO POLICE STATION, INTERROGATION ROOM

Agents Holmes and Hilliard are confronting Harry McKenzie and his lawyer.

 “Mr. McKenzie, do you have anything you want to tell us? Cooperate and things will go easier for you.”

“I have nothing to say!  You have nothing on me.”

 Kari takes over. “Mr. McKenzie, I understand you became engaged to David Griffin’s daughter Danielle a month ago.  He’s a vice president of Ross Industries.  I’ll give you credit, when it didn’t work out with Becca or Helen you turned your attention elsewhere.  Now are there any secrets that you don’t want your fiancee to know about?  Have you ever cheated on her?  Have you ever cheated the IRS?  Have you ever been to a white supremacist meeting?  For that matter, does she know that your family doesn’t live in the upper crust neighborhood of Scarsdale NY. I believe you’re actually from Queens.  In fact, your resume says you graduated from Cornell but you never passed that final course, did you? And your MBA? You bought that on the internet! What else is there, because we’re going to find all of it out…and then how will the future Mrs. McKenzie react to finding out the man she’s marrying is a fake?”  He looks at her surprised.  “Oh yes, we know that your name isn’t Harold Warner McKenzie III, it’s just Harry Warner.  You changed it to create an illusion.  Of course, we don’t have to tell her. If you play ball, you could just end up looking like another victim.”

The lawyer says, “This is blackmail, Agent Holmes!”

“No, Agent Hilliard and I work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and we as Special Agents, have a right to investigate anyone we see fit.”

Harry’s face turns pale, but he remains silent.

Kari reaches into her pocket and throws the jump drive on the table. “Maybe this will loosen your tongue. Confidential files from Crystal Clear in New Orleans, Mr. McKenzie, linking it and Ross Industries directly to money laundering and funding of terrorists. Palazollo and Charnquist are both dead and we’ve got Renee Charnquist in custody in New Orleans and she’s singing like bird!  Who do you think is going to take the rap? You’re in bigger trouble than you know!” She turns to walk out.

Harry calls out, “Wait! I didn’t have anything to do with that.” The lawyer whispers into Harry’s ear and he says, “All right, I’ll tell you what I know. Palazollo came to me with the idea to ally his company Crystal Clear with Ross Industries. He said he would make it worth my while. I was mad when Helen dumped me for Kimble, so I agreed. But it was just a scam - nothing to do with money laundering or terrorists, I swear. Becca had to approve the transaction and she refused.”

At the mention of Becca, Kari turns back. Harry sees her interest and says earnestly, “Palazzolo was upset. I told him I could persuade Ross but he was not a patient man. He brought  another man, a one-armed bastard named Fred Johnson, to the our next meeting. I think he was trying to intimidate me. They  hatched a plot to have Becca kidnapped. I was scared. That was more than I bargained for. So I stopped Becca outside of the office that night, pretending to invite her out to dinner.

There was another man hiding in the shadows nearby. Not Johnson, I would have recognized him. But I knew what he was there for.”

Kari pounced on his statement. “When Helen was killed, you had to know it was Johnson when Kimble gave the description of a one armed man! Why didn’t you come forward?” she demanded.

Harry starts to shake. “I couldn’t. Charnquist would have come after me!”

“You’re disgusting!”

 “I went to see Palazzolo and he told me to make sure the Crystal Clear deal went through or what happened to Helen would happen to me. So I went back to the office and I started to tell Ross that this never would have happened if Helen had married me.  I just fed into the resentment toward Kimble that was already there.  Ross ate it all up. He turned against Kimble and  alienated Becca, and she left the company. I got her job and I got to approve Crystal Clear.  When Ross was a little reluctant signing on after Becca nixed the deal I told him about the diamonds and how there was an even bigger profit to be made.  Greed was a great motivator for Ross.”

“And with you. And Helen Kimble was killed because of it.”

“I tried to stop it! I’m sorry about Helen, that was never part of the plan and I’m sorry Kimble was designated as the fall guy.  I was actually glad when he escaped.”

“Soothed your conscience, did it? You son of a bitch. You would have let an innocent man die.”

“No! I swear! If Kimble had gone to death row, I would have gone to go to the police, told them everything…”

Kari glares at him. “I’ll bet you would have! So while he was eating out of dumpsters, you moved into the executive suite. Tell it to the judge.”

She turns and walks out, followed by Agent Hilliard, who says “Is there really evidence on that jump drive?”

Kari smiles. “I have no idea. But Harry sure thought there was, so I’m sure we’ll find some.” She switches into high gear. “I want a meeting with the governor of Illinois.  I want the DA and the judge there.  With Harry’s confession, Melissa’s testimony that she saw both Walsh and Charnquist run down the fire escape, and the original emails sent by Walsh to Becca flat out saying that he saw Charnquist kill Helen and whatever Renee is telling Jason…I’ve seen death row. I don’t want Richard sitting there waiting for a new trial. I want a pardon.”

At that moment Eddie Miles comes in and says, “Eve, Chief McLaren is willing to play ball for a lighter sentence. He’s willing to testify to evidence tampering in the Kimble case. He’s admitted that he knew the glass evidence had been tampered with so that all traces of an intruder were removed!”

Eve says, “I’d say that clinches it. Let’s go see the governor. Richard may end up going to Joliet, but I guarantee he won’t be there long!”

2PM  - OUTSIDE JOLIET STATE PRISON

 “Looks like we have a reception committee,” the driver of the van calls out. The van slows to a stop and is quickly surrounded by the press, holding out their microphones. The cameras are already flashing as the door opens. The guard reaches to get Kimble to his feet and pushes him toward the door. The shouting begins.

“Dr. Kimble! How does it feel to be finally exonerated?

“Do you believe Matthew Ross was involved?”

“Do you think Gerard knew McClaren was involved in the evidence tampering?

 “Is it true Gerard  blackmailed McClaren to get on the task force?

“What about Matthew Ross and Vasick?”

“Is it true the governor is considering a pardon?”

“What will you do now?”

“Is it true Agent Holmes is pregnant with your child?” Kimble searches for the source of that question, only to spot a familiar face – Carrie Dewhurst!

As Kimble stares in disbelief, Eve Hilliard presses through the crowd to reach Kimble as the prison guards hold back the reporters. Once inside the gates, she turns to him. “Its just for your protection, Dr. Kimble.  I’m sorry about that, but it appears the press seems to always know the story before the participants in it.”  She hands him an envelope. Dazed, he pulls out a letter and reads,

In light of the testimony of a witness to the conspiracy to kidnap Becca Ross, laying the blame for Helen Kimble’s death on one Ben Charnquist, and in light of Dr. Kimble’s assistance in providing evidence against one Frederico Palazollo for diamond smuggling and funding of terrorist activities, by the power invested in me as Governor of the state of Illinois, I do hereby provide a full pardon for Richard Kimble, exonerating him of all charges brought against him in relation to the death of his wife, Helen Ross Kimble.

“You’re free to go, Dr. Kimble.”  She unlocks the cuffs.  “But there’s someone you might want to see first.”

Kimble looks up to see Kari grinning at him. Then they rush into each others arms.

When they break apart, Kimble says, “So is it true that you’re carrying my child?”

Kari looks at him completely shocked at the absurdity of the question and all the two of them can do is laugh.  “So where do you want to go?”

Kimble is temporarily at a loss, faced with the freedom to choose after so many years. Then he says decisively, “To Maggie’s! And then…maybe we can discuss Hawaii?”  They smile at each other and proceed to walk toward a limousine. 

 

THE NEXT WEEK - FUGITIVE TASK FORCE HQTRS - GERARD’S OFFICE

Kari walks in to Gerard’s office carrying a newspaper as Gerard is clearing out his office and putting his personal effect into boxes.  He looks up and says, “Ah, Agent Holmes, have you come to gloat?”

“No, Gerard. I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but…actually I was a little concerned for you.”

“Concerned about me?  Why is that?”

“I look at you and I think ‘There by the grace of God go I’, if I hadn’t gotten the help that therapy gave me all those years ago.  You should consider it while you’re doing time.”

Gerard with sarcasm in his voice says, “Thank you Agent Holmes but that decision has already been made for me.”

“Really?”

“I pled guilty to obstruction of justice and blackmail and my lawyer made an impassioned plea that I was under great duress.  The judge bought it, and I not only get to spend six months in Illinios’ lightest security prison which is the next best thing to country club I’ve been told but I get to have counseling while I’m there as well.”  His tone changes somewhat. “Then again, maybe it’s a good thing. My daughter Alex says she hates me and Sara has served me with divorce papers.  She told me she was sick of playing second fiddle to ghosts.  I guess I can’t blame her.”

“Well, maybe I can help you put some ghosts to rest.”

“What do you mean?”

“I told you awhile back that I asked a colleague of mine in Atlanta to investigate Jackson Menzies III and you’ll be happy to know that they’ve found something.”  She hands Gerard a copy of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution and it states on the front page ‘Millionaire Jackson Menzies Pleads Guilty To Income Tax Evasion and Insider Trading’.

“Holmes, how did you know?”

“I didn’t.  However, you told me back in Syracuse that you believed that Menzies paid off the judge and the DA’s office to avoid prosecution for Lenore’s death.  I figured if it was true, that couldn’t be the only criminal act he’s ever done, so I told the agent to just start investigating anything pertaining to white collar crime and work from there.  Ironically, he’s going to go to jail for income tax evasion longer than he would have spent if he he’d been convicted of vehicular manslaughter.  So do you feel better?”

“Well, yes, I do feel better.  It doesn’t change anything though.”

“Of course it doesn’t change anything, but you do feel better and that’s the best we can do in our situations.”

“Do you feel better Holmes?  Or would you have preferred to have been the one to pull the trigger on Charnquist?”

“I do feel better, Gerard.  And as for who killed Charnquist, I’m glad it wasn’t me.  I don’t know how I would have felt doing that and I don’t want to know.  Be well, Gerard and don’t give up on Alex.  You’ve still got a lot of years to try and set it right.”

As she walks out Eve Hilliard is walking toward Gerard’s office.  Kari says, “Eve, I’m glad I ran into you.”

“I’m on my way to see Gerard, we have to officially take him to his sentencing.  You surprise me Holmes, you’re calling me Eve.”

Kari smiles and says, “Anyone who defies an order to help me is a friend in my book.”  She hands Eve a piece of paper and says, “Here’s my personal email.  Once I’m here in Chicago full time, email me and let’s do lunch some time!”

Eve smiles and says, “I’d like that Kari, I would be fascinated to hear about the cases you’ve worked.”  Kari smiles and they part company.

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