Programa de TV: Without a Trace - 2x13
You know, before I met you, my life was a shambles.
I was broke, I had a drinking problem, I was in a relationship with an abusive man.
I was on the verge of killing myself.
I know you were.
But how did you turn your life around?
It was because of you.
The things you taught me, the way you helped me to believe in myself.
No, Corinne, it was you.
You were the one with the will.
You were the one who faced your fears, you were the one that decided who you wanted to be, and then you made it happen.
I just gave you the tools.
Corinne McCormick, one of over twenty thousand people who have found the power within themselves using the techniques of Life Rules.
And cut.
That is a wrap.
Great.
Thanks.
Hey, that was fantastic, huh?
How do you feel?
Good.
Great.
I'm just so honored that you would want me to do this for you.
Will, come on.
Got to get you to the airport.
Thank you.
Bye.
Bye.
All right, so the limo's out front, Stephanie's going to meet you at the Buffalo Airport with a car service and you're going to go straight to Niagara Falls for the first night's orientation.
I thought this went well today.
Yeah, absolutely went well.
Gary, relax.
It's all going the way it's supposed to.
Hey, thanks.
I'm going to miss you.
So, Hmm?
Come with me.
Mm, and compete with the throng?
Well, it's Niagara Falls.
We could get married again.
I'll be fine here.
Suitcase is in the car, Will.
Shirt's on top this time.
Thanks, Jules.
Hey.
Good luck.
It's not about luck.
I just said that's not my concern.
Gary.
It's not my concern.
Gary!
Can you hold on a second?
What?
Another limo just showed up.
They say they're here for Will.
I guess helping people really pays.
I know you got a summer pad just like this one, don't you?
Oh, yeah.
A couple of 'em.
So what's the skinny on this guy?
Will Sterling, 33 years old.
He's a self-help guru.
You know, the tapes, the seminars.
Actually, the guy's gaining quite a following.
Never heard of him.
He just shot his first infomercial this morning.
After that he was supposed to catch a flight to Niagara Falls to teach a seminar.
Never made it to the airport.
Ransom demand?
Not yet, but look at this place.
We ever find the limo?
Yeah, Ten miles from here on the side of the road.
They must have transferred him to another car.
What'd the limo company have to say?
That their driver showed up fifteen minutes after sterling left.
Is the limo hot?
Stolen early this morning from a dealership in Huntington.
So the car shows up early, Sterling hops in, the rest is history.
Whoever put this whole plan together knew exactly what time Sterling was leaving to the airport.
Inside job.
Uh, huh.
We better find this guy fast because there's 200 people sitting in a hotel ballroom in Niagara Falls waiting for Will Sterling to change their lives.
...Using the techniques of Life Rules.
I grew up having every disadvantage.
My father left my mother when I was six.
My mother was a methadone addict.
Social services took me from her when I was twelve.
Then I got passed around from one foster home to the next.
You can probably guess what happened to me.
Drugs, jail, degradation.
But then one day, in the prison library...
...He discovers self-help books.
Read every one he could get his hands on.
When he gets out of jail, he gets into the self-help business himself.
Six years later, he is a millionaire.
American dream comes true.
Yeah.
This is the footage from the infomercial he was making.
Up until recently, he marketed himself mostly by word of mouth, on the internet, and he's pretty much based out of New York.
Now he's trying to expand.
Maybe the timing's not so coincidental.
It's possible that somebody didn't want him to go national.
Like a disgruntled employee.
Steven Pine, the life rules junior vice president.
Now the founder of an anti-Will Sterling website, and he's still on the company payroll.
I'm calling him in.
Guys like Sterling have a lot of power over people.
He's bound to inspire...
some pretty strong feelings.
Why?
He's not Jim Jones, Jack.
He's a smart, ambitious guy with some good strategies for tackling life.
Have you listened to the tapes?
As a matter of fact, I have.
Just for a little while, a couple of years ago.
They're actually very helpful.
Really?
So what's the hook?
What does this Sterling guy sell that the other con men don't?
Nothing that original.
He sort of condenses everything from other self-help philosophies into, um, seven basic life rules.
Want to hear them?
Oh, not particularly.
Okay, these are forensics on the limo.
No prints, no blood, no evidence of a struggle.
They must have wiped the car down.
That sounds like a professional job.
Yeah, but where's the ransom demand?
If this is about money, the kidnappers are in for a big surprise.
Sterling is leveraged up to his ass.
The house, the business, there's not a lot of cash flow.
Okay, we should check his core group, the people that are closest to him.
We should also look into his background.
He is an ex-con.
It could have caught up with him.
Life Rules, huh, Sam?
Did you walk over the coals?
It's the first cigarette I've had in three years.
Will's the one who got me to quit.
Did the two of you meet in one of his seminars?
No.
Will never dated any of his students, and believe me, he had plenty of opportunity.
No.
We met at a restaurant.
I was on a date, actually.
He was alone at the bar.
I think he was waiting for someone, and I got up to go to the bathroom and he followed me.
He said that I was the woman of his dreams and there was no doubt about it and that I should go back and finish my date and meet him at the corner of 73rd and Central Park West.
That's the kind of guy Will is.
He sees something he wants and he goes after it.
Is there anything specific you could tell me that you think might help me?
Last week, must have been Wednesday night.
It was late, we were upstairs in bed and the phone rang.
Who is that?
It's probably Gary.
Hello.
Wait, hold on a second.
Yeah, no.
Slow down.
I want to talk to you about this.
I really do.
I want to help you get through this.
Just, I will call you back in two minutes, I promise.
Okay?
I, uh, I'm going to take this downstairs.
Who is it?
It doesn't matter, Hil.
It matters to me, Will.
It was one of my clients.
At 1:00 in the morning on a private line?
I will tell them not to call like that again.
Now, listen.
Somebody is in a crisis and they need my help.
Okay?
I love you.
I'll be back up in a few minutes.
And he wouldn't tell you specifically who was on the phone?
I think he was protecting their privacy.
Does Mr.
Sterling give out his private number to all of his clients?
No, not usually.
It scares me sometimes.
The need that people have for him.
I found a late-night call to Will Sterling's house.
Corinne McCormick, 34 years old, lives in Bayside.
What have we got here?
Ah, registered handgun.
That's the girl from the infomercial they were taping today.
She was at the house right before will left.
Strange, she's stalking him and he's putting her in a video as one of his star students.
Well, just because she called him when she was having trouble doesn't mean she was stalking him.
It does when she calls his house eight times in the same day.
Can anybody say Enron?
Shredded documents?
Standard operating procedure, or so they say.
A lot of corporations shred documents.
I've got five more of these babies downstairs.
Our guy's going to have a very nice time pasting this together.
So you and will started the company together six years ago?
Actually, Will's the genius behind the whole thing.
I'm just here to run the day-to-day operations, but together we make a pretty good team.
Well, we understand that financially you're not in such great shape.
Well, will insists on putting everything we earn back into the company.
I mean, he, uh, always bets on himself.
That's what he teaches, and that's what's worked.
So when you say "back into the company," does that include this place?
Yeah, well, this is the hub of our activity.
I mean, it's a pretty good business investment.
When people see this place, they see success, you know?
Do you mind holding off on that till we're done?
Sure.
Are you aware that one of your own employees has a very negative website attacking both Will and the company?
Are we talking about Steven Pine?
That's right.
Yeah.
We had to let go of Steven a couple of weeks ago.
But he's still on your payroll.
Severance package.
Hmm.
So why'd you have to fire him?
Um, let's just say that Steven over-identified with Will.
Will?
Yeah.
I need to talk to you.
What's up, Steve?
Well, I-I was just thinking that I would really like to go with you on that Niagara Falls trip.
Oh.
Well, I think Gary really needs you here.
Yeah, come on, that's true, Steven.
You know you're valuable here.
I appreciate that, I really do, but I think if I'm going to grow within this company, I need to be out there at the seminars learning from you.
Well, I love your enthusiasm and your drive and your passion.
That is all great, and it's where you should be.
But you got to know how to harness that for the task at hand.
Remember what we talked about, knowing your long-term goals but keeping the short ones achievable, right?
I want to go to Niagara Falls.
Steven.
There's no reason why I'm not ready, Will.
Steven.
No reason.
Think about where you're channeling your energy right now.
Forget it.
Just forget it.
You just want to keep me down.
I mean, he started out as our computer geek, and then we promoted him to mid-level manager and the next thing you know he's got these delusions of grandeur.
So did he know the date that Will was traveling to Niagara Falls?
Yes.
And the flight.
The reason that they fired me, is 'cause Gary couldn't handle that I was very clearly becoming the number two.
Will counted on me for more and more, and Gary was threatened.
So why did you turn on Will?
Will couldn't stand up to Gary.
I mean, this guy preaches all this self-fulfillment crap, and he winds up a total hypocrite.
You sound pretty disillusioned.
Let me tell you something.
Now that I'm out of there and I have a little time to reflect on it.
I realized the whole thing is a scam.
You buy the tapes, right?
And the tapes get you to the seminars.
The seminars get you to the inner circle, and every step costs more and more money until you get to the sterling circle, which costs three grand for a weekend.
You know, it's interesting, for all this talk of money, the company was almost broke.
Well, I'm not surprised.
Why are you not surprised, Mr.
Pine?
Well, because they had some pretty funky business practices, I'll tell you that.
Funky?
Funky how?
You know, little things, you know, cutting corners, writing off questionable stuff as business expenses.
I mean, Gary sends a $5,000 check to his brother every week, and his brother doesn't even work at the company.
What would the name of this brother be?
Paul Moscowitz.
$5,000 a week for at least the last four months.
Where have the checks been going?
Lakeside Convalescence Home down in Cleveland, Ohio.
All right, guys, here's what I've got on Paul Moscowitz.
According to the IRS, he has not received a paycheck or paid taxes in the last six years.
The last known address is in Cleveland in '97.
He is, however, still an active member of SAG and AFTRA.
An out-of-work actor, that would explain why his brother's still taking care of him.
We've got to go to Cleveland.
Can I help you?
We're with the FBI.
We're looking for Paul Moscowitz.
He's right over here.
I can show you his room, but I don't think he's gonna have very much to say to you.
Why's that?
He's been in a coma for six years.
You sure that's Paul Moscowitz?
Positive.
How can I help you?
Mr.
Adler, we're with the FBI.
I understand that you have power of attorney over Paul Moscowitz.
That's right.
That's fairly unusual for a hospital administrator to have power of attorney over a patient, isn't it?
That's the way his family wanted it.
Can you explain to me why it costs $5,000 a week to maintain this patient?
Well, all this machinery, and the nursing...
Costs $1,400 a week.
We read the records.
Can you explain to me why Gary Moscowitz is paying $3,600 a week extra to maintain his brother?
I think I better speak to my attorney.
Take it easy, Mr.
Adler.
We're not interested in arresting you.
We just need some answers, okay?
That's not Paul Moscowitz.
His real name is Will Sterling.
So if Will Sterling's in a coma in Cleveland, who the hell is on the cover of this box?
This guy, uh, happens to be my brother.
Paul Moscowitz.
So your brother switched identities with an ex-con in a coma?
That is right.
Why?
'Cause America loves an underdog, and Will Sterling is a lot better of a story than Paul Moscowitz.
I mean, wouldn't you rather get advice from an ex-con who heroically rose from the ashes than a boring middle-class kid who wants to be an actor?
And where'd you guys find Will?
Coma Will.
He's our foster brother.
Oh, yeah, it was great.
Our parents thought it'd be fun and charitable to, have a round-robin of other kids constantly passing through our house, stealing things and getting arrested.
And as for the real Will, he was with us for a couple of years, and then gangs, drugs, then about six years ago, he, uh, overdosed.
And that's when Paul got the idea to steal Will's identity and trade on it?
No, it was my idea.
Everything's been my idea.
Let me see if I get you straight.
I take Will's name, his background, his life.
Yes, that becomes your new identity.
And then I move to New York, and we set up a self-help business.
Yes, I told you.
You are the front man, and I am the man behind the scenes.
Gary, this is crazy.
Is there actually any money in this?
Millions.
We-we'd be helping people, right?
Yes.
I told...
I've read every book.
I've gone to every one of these seminars, and I am telling you right now, half of these guys, they are freaking quacks.
None of them have the charisma or the good looks that you have.
So you'd coach me on what to say?
I'm gonna teach you everything: Strategies, the presentation, the seven simple rules to change your life.
You're gonna be a guru in two months.
Well, then why don't we just make up my past?
Why do we have to steal his?
Because when we succeed at this, people are gonna want to look up your past, and we're gonna have the paperwork to back that up.
This is insane.
Would you rather do regional theater in Cleveland for the rest of your life?
Because this is the role of a lifetime, Paul.
Life Rules.
So I knew Paul would eat it up.
And frankly, between you and me, he's kind of over-the-top as an actor, but I knew he'd be perfect for this.
So you arranged the switch with the Hospital Administrator and you've been paying him off ever since.
That is right.
So who else knows about your little identity swap?
Just me and Will.
I mean, uh, Paul.
I guess I should say, at this point.
Not even his wife?
Not even his wife.
His name is Paul Moscowitz, and-and he and Gary are brothers?
Mrs.
Sterling Is-is that my name?
I mean, he's the fraud.
Mrs.
Sterling.
But is my marriage a fraud?
Mrs.
Sterling.
No, I mean, is my name actually Hilary Moscowitz?
Mrs.
Sterling, that's a question you need to ask your attorney.
I don't know.
I know this is a lot to digest, but I need to ask you about Corinne McCormick.
Maybe her name is Moscowitz, too.
Apparently, she's the one who made that late-night call last week.
Do you think there's a possibility that maybe your husband and her...
Of course.
I mean, now I'd say just about anything goes, wouldn't you?
When I first met Will, my life was a shambles.
I was broke.
Had a drinking problem.
I was in a relationship with an abusive man.
I was...
on the verge of killing yourself, I know.
I watched the videotape, Ms.
McCormick.
Well, it's all true.
Will turned my life around.
Now I own my own business.
I'm financially independent, and I have a community of people who enrich my life.
Does Will enrich your life?
It's not what you think.
He helps me.
You were supposed to go to niagara falls with him.
Who told you that, Gary?
A flight booked in your name.
The ticket was then canceled.
We know that you kept calling his house that day.
You must've been pretty upset.
Look, I was angry at Gary, not Will.
That's what I called to talk to him about.
Gary is the one who canceled my trip.
Gary was trying to keep me away from Will.
Why's that?
He said it was to protect me.
From what?
From having my heart broken.
Truth is, I think Gary is jealous of Will.
Before you can make any change, you need to look at yourself cold and hard.
And think about what holds you back.
What is it that makes you see a beautiful woman across the room and not go talk to her?
What is it?
It's fear.
It's fear of rejection, fear of failure.
Even, fear of success.
I want to suggest to you that it is that fear, the fear of your own power, that holds you back.
Pretty interesting, huh?
Yeah.
Uh, Jack wanted me to look at these tapes.
I mean, you know, there is a lot of useful information.
There is.
He talks about his youth in Cleveland, about his foster brothers.
Did you know he used to be fat?
So, what do we got?
Meet Reese Randall.
Not a nice person.
A Foster brother with the Moscowitz clan in 1985.
In and out of juvie, he served three years for armed robbery, assault and battery, drunk driving, domestic abuse.
Just got off the phone with his landlord in Cleveland.
She says she hasn't seen him for a couple of days, and that his car is missing.
Now, from what I remember from those tapes, he was really close to his foster brothers, right?
He still is.
According to these phone records, he still talks to them.
Reese Randall?
No, Carlos Gonzalez.
He has a local cell phone.
What do we know about Mr.
Carlos Gonzalez?
Not much.
A DMV photo, three years old.
It was issued by the State of Ohio.
I still haven't been able to find a local address for him.
Have you been able to get him on his cell phone?
I wish.
He doesn't answer it.
All right, I'll get into it.
All right.
Enjoy your research.
Jack, they found this at the mansion.
I thought it was a seminar tape, but it turns out that our out-of-work actor wasn't always out of work.
I don't want you to go.
Oh, it's only three days.
I know, it just feels like three hundred already.
Oh, honey.
This is a classic.
I think he made a wise choice getting out of acting.
Wait till you see what happens next.
Hi, Mr.
Hastings.
Uh, where's your wife?
What are you doing here, Burry?
The other driver said you were sick.
What are you talking about?
I'm fine.
Stella.
Stella...
Stella !
Those schmucks.
This whole thing is a hoax.
I do not have the slightest idea of what you are talking about.
Come on, Gary.
We saw the old movie.
Well, I haven't.
Gary, this just came for you.
Let me see that.
Who brought this to you?
I don't know?
A courier.
And you opened it?
He took off already; he's gone.
All right, I need a VCR.
See this?
This here is Will Sterling.
The man with the plan.
Except the plan's changing.
I got me a very expensive piece of property right here, and I intend to collect on it.
$5 million, to be exact.
$5 million by tomorrow at 9:00, or he's dead.
Be contacted at 8:00 in the morning and told where to leave my money.
That's all for now.
Thanks for playing Life Rules.
$5 million?
We do not have $5 million.
What did he mean, "the plan's changing"?
How the hell should I know?
Gary...
didn't know about any of this.
You want to fill me in?
He should be back by now.
They were never supposed to ask for money, you have to believe me.
Something has gone wrong.
It was not supposed to happen like this.
Will came to me the night before, you know, the kidnapping and told me what he was planning.
You're having yourself kidnapped?
I'll have a limo pick me up here to take me to the airport.
Ten minutes later, the real limo will arrive and everyone will think that I've been kidnapped.
And then what?
Well, then I lay low for 24 hours and then they let me go.
And what the hell will that accomplish?
They'll videotape me at gunpoint and I'm going to talk them out of it using the techniques of Life Rules.
The cops will find the videotapes, they'll get released to the media.
A week later the infomercial comes out.
I will go through the stratosphere.
Honey, you're not doing well enough as it is.
You really need to do this?
I did not get where I've gotten by playing it safe, Hil.
You've got to go after it in life.
Does Gary know you're doing this?
No, this is just me.
You and me.
Nobody else knows.
Will, this is crazy.
No, it's inspired.
I should have tried to stop him, it's just when these things come out of his mouth, you believe them.
I really hope you're not lying to me right now.
I swear to god.
Will is in trouble.
As I said, we do not have $5 million.
And even if we hock this place, with all of our debt, I don't think we could raise more than two.
When the kidnappers contact us tomorrow, we'll try and counter.
Hopefully, that will buy us some time.
Okay, good.
That's good.
You set this up, didn't you?
Huh?
Say what?
Come on, Gary.
You're the brains behind this.
Your brother's just a front man.
He could never pull off a scam like this without you.
Um, are you kidding me?
Are you kidding me?
I am furious at him for this.
Don't you get it?
He risked everything we built.
Not to mention risking his own life.
Yes, of course, but I never would have...
I never wanted him to do the infomercial.
It's easy to look at a situation and see the problem.
And believe me, I understand that as executives, that's what you've been trained to do.
To anticipate what will go wrong and prepare for it.
But what you need to do is ask yourself, and everyone around you, to think boldly.
To be daring and to take risks.
And just so you don't think that I'm living on a cloud, when we get back from lunch, we'll move on right to our next chapter: Crisis Management.
Then we've got steaks and lobsters and all sorts of great stuff in the dining room.
And anyone interested in being in the infomercial should talk to Gary.
Thanks.
That went well.
I thought we were still debating on the merits of doing this infomercial.
Could you give me a second?
No, I decided.
We're going ahead with it.
We're going?
Actually, can we go outside for a second, please?
Thanks.
Okay, I'm your partner.
You don't just decide.
Gary, I am great at this.
I want to share it with as many people as possible.
No, no.
I don't think you understand.
Will, if you expose us to this next level of scrutiny, sooner or later some guy from the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, they're going to come sniffing around and the jig is up.
So what, you just want to rest on our laurels?
When things are going well, you do not get complacent.
That's rule number six, Gary.
Okay, don't start quoting those rules to me, okay?
I'm the one who wrote them.
Well, apparently, you've stopped following them.
Look, if things are getting too hot for you here, you're welcome to go.
What?
What did you say to me?
I'm the guy on the box, Gary.
It sounds like he drank too much of his own kool-aid.
Apparently, that was the tip of the iceberg.
Now I'm beginning to feel like I'm Doctor Frankenstein chasing after his own monster.
Well, if he wouldn't trust you, who would he trust?
Honestly, I could not tell you.
Do you stay in contact with your foster brothers?
Carlos Gonzalez?
Reese Randall?
Carlos?
God, I haven't heard from those guys in years.
What about your brother?
What are you saying?
That he might have used one of them to pull off this stunt?
It's possible.
They're ex-cons.
I, uh, all of our foster brothers were in and out over a long period of time and he did not have that kind of relationship with any of them.
I certainly don't think he trusted any one of them enough to do something like this.
That's today's paper.
The Chronicle's tough to get out in the Hamptons.
The kidnapper might live in the city.
Or maybe he's holding him in the city.
I can't figure out why they even bothered shredding some of this stuff.
Well, when you build something on a lie, you get paranoid.
Gary may have been careful, but Will certainly wasn't.
I mean, can you imagine the hubris to stunt your own kidnapping for good publicity?
After watching those tapes, one thing is clear, this guy thinks he can do anything.
Oh, Carlos Gonzales.
The foster brother with the local cell phone.
Uh-huh.
Check this out.
He's asking Will to help him out with money.
Is there a return address?
No.
Just says to call him on that cell phone.
Well, the ransom tape came from Cold Spring Harbor.
Let's check for Carlos Gonzalez..
All right.
What is that right there?
Hey, do me a favor and enhance that area right there.
Is that a wall calendar?
A plaque? "
Wood...
Woodbury Bowling League."
Wait a minute.
Woodbury, isn't that near Cold Spring Harbor?
Next town over.
Right.
These guys aren't too bright.
Nothing in Cold Spring Harbor.
Woodbury.
He's being held in Woodbury.
Woodbury.
We got him.
Got one down.
I got your back.
Who are you?
I was just about to ask you the same question.
Carlos.
Carlos Gonzalez.
Where is Will Sterling?
He's in a coma, Cleveland.
Paul Moscowitz.
Where is Paul Moscowitz?
I don't know.
We all lived together: Gary, Paul, me, Will, Ree...
Reese Randall, right?
Yeah.
There was so many kids going in and out of that house all the time with Gary and Paul, and...
we're all, like, the same age, you know, so it was like we had our own little basketball team.
That's a great story, Carlos.
Let's get to the part about the kidnapping and what happened to your head.
Paul and I stayed in touch over the years, you know, even after he became Will Sterling or whatever, and he was always trying to help me.
He would even send me those tapes.
You know, he-he really wanted to get me out of my rut, and that's why I ended up moving to New York.
How 'bout Gary?
You talk to him?
No.
He-he told me not to tell Gary that I knew about their gig or even that I'd come to New York.
All right, let's go back a month.
You're writing Will letters.
You're asking Will for money.
Why?
Yeah, it was for a job, though I wasn't trying to blackmail him or nothing.
So he hired you to pull off a fake kidnapping.
Look, he calls me up, right, and he says that he'll give me thirty grand, and all I have to do is find the limo and pick him up at his house, bring him back here.
We hang out for the night, and in the morning, we make a video of him talking his way out of it, and then I'd let him go.
Carlos, that's not the video you made.
You're not even in that video.
I-I know that.
That's what I'm trying to explain to you guys that it's got to be Reese who made that tape after he hit me over the head and tied me up.
How did Reese become a part of this whole plan?
I was nervous about the job, so I called Reese for backup.
Backup?
Backup?
It was a staged kidnapping, Carlos.
What the hell you need backup for?
I know that.
I thought even with the mask, I thought that somebody might figure out that it was me in front of the camera, so I called Reese and he said he didn't have a problem with it.
Okay, so he drove up from Cleveland, and we were going to split the thirty grand.
Okay?
It was supposed to be easy money until Reese turned on us.
When do you want to make that tape?
Few minutes.
All right.
Don't be nervous, Carlos.
It's all going to work out like clockwork.
I just hope nobody saw me at your house yesterday.
What a putz.
I don't know why you didn't call on me to begin with.
I could have taken care of everything.
Haven't heard from you in eight years.
Well...
If I'd have known you were running some self-help racket under Will's name, I would've called on you.
Can believe that.
You should take a seminar.
Free of charge.
Yeah, maybe I'll do that.
Carlos!
Change of plans, Paulie boy.
Sit down.
I don't know what happened, okay?
We had it all figured out.
Anybody else know about this?
No.
Nobody.
Carlos, do you have any idea where Reese would've taken Will or-or Paul or...?
I don't know.
No, no, no, man, but he's unstable.
What do you mean?
He could kill him.
He's crazy.
Unbelievable.
What is it?
I got Gary Moscowitz's cell phone records.
He and Reese Randall have been talking quite a bit over the last three days.
Only over the last three days?
Carlos said that he panicked and needed backup, right, so he called Reese.
Then almost immediately, Reese turns around and calls Gary.
So Reese must've heard from Carlos that Gary was the one who was really running the show, so he squeezes him for some extra cash.
Yeah, and then Gary heard about the fake kidnapping plan, and he went through the roof.
I mean, as far as Gary's concerned, Will is going to blow everything and then take them both to jail in the process, and this kidnapping stunt was the perfect opportunity for Gary to get rid of him.
Gary, thanks for coming in so late.
Yeah, sure, it's not like I was...
you know, getting any sleep or anything, so...
Well, it turns out that, uh, we were right.
It appears that one of your foster brothers is involved.
Really?
Who?
Reese Randall.
Reese Randall?
We're going to need you to do something for us.
Sure.
Anything.
We need you to talk to him on the phone.
Me?
Yeah.
We'll connect you to him from here and make it look like it's coming from your cell phone, and, uh, hopefully, he'll pick up.
Well, what do you want me to say to him?
Well, just stay calm.
Tell him that you're trying to organize the money, but it's taking a little longer than you thought.
Just keep him talking.
We're putting a trace on the call.
Okay.
We'll be right here for you.
Great.
Grab a seat.
You ready to patch him through?
Yeah.
Pick up the phone.
Okay, patch us in.
Yeah?
Hey, Reese, it's, um, Gary, buddy, Gary Moscowitz.
What do you want?
How-how's Paul doing?
I haven't done it yet.
Well, that's great.
Don't do anything violent, 'cause we're going to get you your money.
What do you mean, don't do anything violent?
Listen to me, Reese.
Just don't hurt him - we're going to get you whatever you want, just do not hurt him.
I know you've had a raw deal in life.
There's just no reason to take it out on Paul.
Now, whatever you're feeling, pal, I swear to god, we are going to get you whatever you want, Whatever it takes.
Reese?
Yeah, okay, bye.
Reese?
Did you track that?
Almost.
God damn.
We're going to have to try that again.
No.
What do you mean, no?
Well, I don't, I mean...
don't you think that went well?
Why would we want to do that-that seemed to go pretty well, I mean...
he seemed like he was being reasonable.
why would I want to provoke him?
We got a call coming in, same transponder.
It seems like he wants to talk to you.
Pick it up.
Hello?
You know, I don't get you, man.
I thought you'd be calling to ask me why I hadn't killed him yet, now you're telling me not to kill him.
I don't know what you're talking about, Reese.
Oh, don't give me that, man.
I got Mr.
Life Rules over here talking my head off for the last twelve hours.
Got me thinking about my dreams and aspirations.
I'm all screwed up.
Yeah, you know what, you are all screwed up, and you know what we're going to do, buddy?
We're going to get you some help for that, okay?
Hello?
I...
you know what?
He's crazy.
Jack, we got a location.
1564 Newman in the Bronx.
Martin, do me a favor and, um, arrest him.
Stand up.
What goes up must come down.
Who taught you that one?
Clear.
Guys, that way.
Gary gave in to his pettiness and his jealousy because he doesn't see what's really possible.
You do.
You have the tools.
So this is a big step for you, Reese, and I think you're ready for it.
Now, what say me and you, we walk out of here together?
You're going to go forward with your life, and I'm-I'm going to forget this whole thing ever happened.
What do you say?
Thank you, Paul.
Thank you.
Oh, hey, call me Will.
Oh, please.
Freeze, FBI.
Drop the gun.
It's okay, Reese, do what he says.
Use your tools.
You shut up!
And you drop the gun.
Stand up.
Turn around.
Am I covered?
Yep.
Put your hands behind your back.
Wasting my damn time.
Come on let's go.
Big wuss.
You all right?
Yeah.
He just needed someone to see him, someone to believe in him.
What are you talking about?
Your brother was the brains behind this whole operation.
So you-you guys know everything?
Yes, Paul, we do.
Well, you-you saw what I just did.
I mean, he-he was going to kill me.
Right.
Gary was going to pay him $100,000, and he was going to kill me.
I talked him out of it, and whatever you report, you're going to have to report that, too.
Right, just in time for the release of your infomercial.
That's right.
Yeah.
Too bad you'll be doing time for false report.
Turn around, please.
Turn around.
Lying to a federal officer, obstruction of justice.
See, here's the thing, Mr.
Sterling: The truth will come out.
That's also, one of life's rules.
Let's go.
Hey.
Hey.
You know, these may become collectors items.
I won't tell anyone if you want to take one home.
Thanks, I appreciate that, but I'm fine.
Okay.
Good night.
Good night.
Good night.
Good night.
Go!
Subtitles: ndykoo www.forom.com
I was broke, I had a drinking problem, I was in a relationship with an abusive man.
I was on the verge of killing myself.
I know you were.
But how did you turn your life around?
It was because of you.
The things you taught me, the way you helped me to believe in myself.
No, Corinne, it was you.
You were the one with the will.
You were the one who faced your fears, you were the one that decided who you wanted to be, and then you made it happen.
I just gave you the tools.
Corinne McCormick, one of over twenty thousand people who have found the power within themselves using the techniques of Life Rules.
And cut.
That is a wrap.
Great.
Thanks.
Hey, that was fantastic, huh?
How do you feel?
Good.
Great.
I'm just so honored that you would want me to do this for you.
Will, come on.
Got to get you to the airport.
Thank you.
Bye.
Bye.
All right, so the limo's out front, Stephanie's going to meet you at the Buffalo Airport with a car service and you're going to go straight to Niagara Falls for the first night's orientation.
I thought this went well today.
Yeah, absolutely went well.
Gary, relax.
It's all going the way it's supposed to.
Hey, thanks.
I'm going to miss you.
So, Hmm?
Come with me.
Mm, and compete with the throng?
Well, it's Niagara Falls.
We could get married again.
I'll be fine here.
Suitcase is in the car, Will.
Shirt's on top this time.
Thanks, Jules.
Hey.
Good luck.
It's not about luck.
I just said that's not my concern.
Gary.
It's not my concern.
Gary!
Can you hold on a second?
What?
Another limo just showed up.
They say they're here for Will.
I guess helping people really pays.
I know you got a summer pad just like this one, don't you?
Oh, yeah.
A couple of 'em.
So what's the skinny on this guy?
Will Sterling, 33 years old.
He's a self-help guru.
You know, the tapes, the seminars.
Actually, the guy's gaining quite a following.
Never heard of him.
He just shot his first infomercial this morning.
After that he was supposed to catch a flight to Niagara Falls to teach a seminar.
Never made it to the airport.
Ransom demand?
Not yet, but look at this place.
We ever find the limo?
Yeah, Ten miles from here on the side of the road.
They must have transferred him to another car.
What'd the limo company have to say?
That their driver showed up fifteen minutes after sterling left.
Is the limo hot?
Stolen early this morning from a dealership in Huntington.
So the car shows up early, Sterling hops in, the rest is history.
Whoever put this whole plan together knew exactly what time Sterling was leaving to the airport.
Inside job.
Uh, huh.
We better find this guy fast because there's 200 people sitting in a hotel ballroom in Niagara Falls waiting for Will Sterling to change their lives.
...Using the techniques of Life Rules.
I grew up having every disadvantage.
My father left my mother when I was six.
My mother was a methadone addict.
Social services took me from her when I was twelve.
Then I got passed around from one foster home to the next.
You can probably guess what happened to me.
Drugs, jail, degradation.
But then one day, in the prison library...
...He discovers self-help books.
Read every one he could get his hands on.
When he gets out of jail, he gets into the self-help business himself.
Six years later, he is a millionaire.
American dream comes true.
Yeah.
This is the footage from the infomercial he was making.
Up until recently, he marketed himself mostly by word of mouth, on the internet, and he's pretty much based out of New York.
Now he's trying to expand.
Maybe the timing's not so coincidental.
It's possible that somebody didn't want him to go national.
Like a disgruntled employee.
Steven Pine, the life rules junior vice president.
Now the founder of an anti-Will Sterling website, and he's still on the company payroll.
I'm calling him in.
Guys like Sterling have a lot of power over people.
He's bound to inspire...
some pretty strong feelings.
Why?
He's not Jim Jones, Jack.
He's a smart, ambitious guy with some good strategies for tackling life.
Have you listened to the tapes?
As a matter of fact, I have.
Just for a little while, a couple of years ago.
They're actually very helpful.
Really?
So what's the hook?
What does this Sterling guy sell that the other con men don't?
Nothing that original.
He sort of condenses everything from other self-help philosophies into, um, seven basic life rules.
Want to hear them?
Oh, not particularly.
Okay, these are forensics on the limo.
No prints, no blood, no evidence of a struggle.
They must have wiped the car down.
That sounds like a professional job.
Yeah, but where's the ransom demand?
If this is about money, the kidnappers are in for a big surprise.
Sterling is leveraged up to his ass.
The house, the business, there's not a lot of cash flow.
Okay, we should check his core group, the people that are closest to him.
We should also look into his background.
He is an ex-con.
It could have caught up with him.
Life Rules, huh, Sam?
Did you walk over the coals?
It's the first cigarette I've had in three years.
Will's the one who got me to quit.
Did the two of you meet in one of his seminars?
No.
Will never dated any of his students, and believe me, he had plenty of opportunity.
No.
We met at a restaurant.
I was on a date, actually.
He was alone at the bar.
I think he was waiting for someone, and I got up to go to the bathroom and he followed me.
He said that I was the woman of his dreams and there was no doubt about it and that I should go back and finish my date and meet him at the corner of 73rd and Central Park West.
That's the kind of guy Will is.
He sees something he wants and he goes after it.
Is there anything specific you could tell me that you think might help me?
Last week, must have been Wednesday night.
It was late, we were upstairs in bed and the phone rang.
Who is that?
It's probably Gary.
Hello.
Wait, hold on a second.
Yeah, no.
Slow down.
I want to talk to you about this.
I really do.
I want to help you get through this.
Just, I will call you back in two minutes, I promise.
Okay?
I, uh, I'm going to take this downstairs.
Who is it?
It doesn't matter, Hil.
It matters to me, Will.
It was one of my clients.
At 1:00 in the morning on a private line?
I will tell them not to call like that again.
Now, listen.
Somebody is in a crisis and they need my help.
Okay?
I love you.
I'll be back up in a few minutes.
And he wouldn't tell you specifically who was on the phone?
I think he was protecting their privacy.
Does Mr.
Sterling give out his private number to all of his clients?
No, not usually.
It scares me sometimes.
The need that people have for him.
I found a late-night call to Will Sterling's house.
Corinne McCormick, 34 years old, lives in Bayside.
What have we got here?
Ah, registered handgun.
That's the girl from the infomercial they were taping today.
She was at the house right before will left.
Strange, she's stalking him and he's putting her in a video as one of his star students.
Well, just because she called him when she was having trouble doesn't mean she was stalking him.
It does when she calls his house eight times in the same day.
Can anybody say Enron?
Shredded documents?
Standard operating procedure, or so they say.
A lot of corporations shred documents.
I've got five more of these babies downstairs.
Our guy's going to have a very nice time pasting this together.
So you and will started the company together six years ago?
Actually, Will's the genius behind the whole thing.
I'm just here to run the day-to-day operations, but together we make a pretty good team.
Well, we understand that financially you're not in such great shape.
Well, will insists on putting everything we earn back into the company.
I mean, he, uh, always bets on himself.
That's what he teaches, and that's what's worked.
So when you say "back into the company," does that include this place?
Yeah, well, this is the hub of our activity.
I mean, it's a pretty good business investment.
When people see this place, they see success, you know?
Do you mind holding off on that till we're done?
Sure.
Are you aware that one of your own employees has a very negative website attacking both Will and the company?
Are we talking about Steven Pine?
That's right.
Yeah.
We had to let go of Steven a couple of weeks ago.
But he's still on your payroll.
Severance package.
Hmm.
So why'd you have to fire him?
Um, let's just say that Steven over-identified with Will.
Will?
Yeah.
I need to talk to you.
What's up, Steve?
Well, I-I was just thinking that I would really like to go with you on that Niagara Falls trip.
Oh.
Well, I think Gary really needs you here.
Yeah, come on, that's true, Steven.
You know you're valuable here.
I appreciate that, I really do, but I think if I'm going to grow within this company, I need to be out there at the seminars learning from you.
Well, I love your enthusiasm and your drive and your passion.
That is all great, and it's where you should be.
But you got to know how to harness that for the task at hand.
Remember what we talked about, knowing your long-term goals but keeping the short ones achievable, right?
I want to go to Niagara Falls.
Steven.
There's no reason why I'm not ready, Will.
Steven.
No reason.
Think about where you're channeling your energy right now.
Forget it.
Just forget it.
You just want to keep me down.
I mean, he started out as our computer geek, and then we promoted him to mid-level manager and the next thing you know he's got these delusions of grandeur.
So did he know the date that Will was traveling to Niagara Falls?
Yes.
And the flight.
The reason that they fired me, is 'cause Gary couldn't handle that I was very clearly becoming the number two.
Will counted on me for more and more, and Gary was threatened.
So why did you turn on Will?
Will couldn't stand up to Gary.
I mean, this guy preaches all this self-fulfillment crap, and he winds up a total hypocrite.
You sound pretty disillusioned.
Let me tell you something.
Now that I'm out of there and I have a little time to reflect on it.
I realized the whole thing is a scam.
You buy the tapes, right?
And the tapes get you to the seminars.
The seminars get you to the inner circle, and every step costs more and more money until you get to the sterling circle, which costs three grand for a weekend.
You know, it's interesting, for all this talk of money, the company was almost broke.
Well, I'm not surprised.
Why are you not surprised, Mr.
Pine?
Well, because they had some pretty funky business practices, I'll tell you that.
Funky?
Funky how?
You know, little things, you know, cutting corners, writing off questionable stuff as business expenses.
I mean, Gary sends a $5,000 check to his brother every week, and his brother doesn't even work at the company.
What would the name of this brother be?
Paul Moscowitz.
$5,000 a week for at least the last four months.
Where have the checks been going?
Lakeside Convalescence Home down in Cleveland, Ohio.
All right, guys, here's what I've got on Paul Moscowitz.
According to the IRS, he has not received a paycheck or paid taxes in the last six years.
The last known address is in Cleveland in '97.
He is, however, still an active member of SAG and AFTRA.
An out-of-work actor, that would explain why his brother's still taking care of him.
We've got to go to Cleveland.
Can I help you?
We're with the FBI.
We're looking for Paul Moscowitz.
He's right over here.
I can show you his room, but I don't think he's gonna have very much to say to you.
Why's that?
He's been in a coma for six years.
You sure that's Paul Moscowitz?
Positive.
How can I help you?
Mr.
Adler, we're with the FBI.
I understand that you have power of attorney over Paul Moscowitz.
That's right.
That's fairly unusual for a hospital administrator to have power of attorney over a patient, isn't it?
That's the way his family wanted it.
Can you explain to me why it costs $5,000 a week to maintain this patient?
Well, all this machinery, and the nursing...
Costs $1,400 a week.
We read the records.
Can you explain to me why Gary Moscowitz is paying $3,600 a week extra to maintain his brother?
I think I better speak to my attorney.
Take it easy, Mr.
Adler.
We're not interested in arresting you.
We just need some answers, okay?
That's not Paul Moscowitz.
His real name is Will Sterling.
So if Will Sterling's in a coma in Cleveland, who the hell is on the cover of this box?
This guy, uh, happens to be my brother.
Paul Moscowitz.
So your brother switched identities with an ex-con in a coma?
That is right.
Why?
'Cause America loves an underdog, and Will Sterling is a lot better of a story than Paul Moscowitz.
I mean, wouldn't you rather get advice from an ex-con who heroically rose from the ashes than a boring middle-class kid who wants to be an actor?
And where'd you guys find Will?
Coma Will.
He's our foster brother.
Oh, yeah, it was great.
Our parents thought it'd be fun and charitable to, have a round-robin of other kids constantly passing through our house, stealing things and getting arrested.
And as for the real Will, he was with us for a couple of years, and then gangs, drugs, then about six years ago, he, uh, overdosed.
And that's when Paul got the idea to steal Will's identity and trade on it?
No, it was my idea.
Everything's been my idea.
Let me see if I get you straight.
I take Will's name, his background, his life.
Yes, that becomes your new identity.
And then I move to New York, and we set up a self-help business.
Yes, I told you.
You are the front man, and I am the man behind the scenes.
Gary, this is crazy.
Is there actually any money in this?
Millions.
We-we'd be helping people, right?
Yes.
I told...
I've read every book.
I've gone to every one of these seminars, and I am telling you right now, half of these guys, they are freaking quacks.
None of them have the charisma or the good looks that you have.
So you'd coach me on what to say?
I'm gonna teach you everything: Strategies, the presentation, the seven simple rules to change your life.
You're gonna be a guru in two months.
Well, then why don't we just make up my past?
Why do we have to steal his?
Because when we succeed at this, people are gonna want to look up your past, and we're gonna have the paperwork to back that up.
This is insane.
Would you rather do regional theater in Cleveland for the rest of your life?
Because this is the role of a lifetime, Paul.
Life Rules.
So I knew Paul would eat it up.
And frankly, between you and me, he's kind of over-the-top as an actor, but I knew he'd be perfect for this.
So you arranged the switch with the Hospital Administrator and you've been paying him off ever since.
That is right.
So who else knows about your little identity swap?
Just me and Will.
I mean, uh, Paul.
I guess I should say, at this point.
Not even his wife?
Not even his wife.
His name is Paul Moscowitz, and-and he and Gary are brothers?
Mrs.
Sterling Is-is that my name?
I mean, he's the fraud.
Mrs.
Sterling.
But is my marriage a fraud?
Mrs.
Sterling.
No, I mean, is my name actually Hilary Moscowitz?
Mrs.
Sterling, that's a question you need to ask your attorney.
I don't know.
I know this is a lot to digest, but I need to ask you about Corinne McCormick.
Maybe her name is Moscowitz, too.
Apparently, she's the one who made that late-night call last week.
Do you think there's a possibility that maybe your husband and her...
Of course.
I mean, now I'd say just about anything goes, wouldn't you?
When I first met Will, my life was a shambles.
I was broke.
Had a drinking problem.
I was in a relationship with an abusive man.
I was...
on the verge of killing yourself, I know.
I watched the videotape, Ms.
McCormick.
Well, it's all true.
Will turned my life around.
Now I own my own business.
I'm financially independent, and I have a community of people who enrich my life.
Does Will enrich your life?
It's not what you think.
He helps me.
You were supposed to go to niagara falls with him.
Who told you that, Gary?
A flight booked in your name.
The ticket was then canceled.
We know that you kept calling his house that day.
You must've been pretty upset.
Look, I was angry at Gary, not Will.
That's what I called to talk to him about.
Gary is the one who canceled my trip.
Gary was trying to keep me away from Will.
Why's that?
He said it was to protect me.
From what?
From having my heart broken.
Truth is, I think Gary is jealous of Will.
Before you can make any change, you need to look at yourself cold and hard.
And think about what holds you back.
What is it that makes you see a beautiful woman across the room and not go talk to her?
What is it?
It's fear.
It's fear of rejection, fear of failure.
Even, fear of success.
I want to suggest to you that it is that fear, the fear of your own power, that holds you back.
Pretty interesting, huh?
Yeah.
Uh, Jack wanted me to look at these tapes.
I mean, you know, there is a lot of useful information.
There is.
He talks about his youth in Cleveland, about his foster brothers.
Did you know he used to be fat?
So, what do we got?
Meet Reese Randall.
Not a nice person.
A Foster brother with the Moscowitz clan in 1985.
In and out of juvie, he served three years for armed robbery, assault and battery, drunk driving, domestic abuse.
Just got off the phone with his landlord in Cleveland.
She says she hasn't seen him for a couple of days, and that his car is missing.
Now, from what I remember from those tapes, he was really close to his foster brothers, right?
He still is.
According to these phone records, he still talks to them.
Reese Randall?
No, Carlos Gonzalez.
He has a local cell phone.
What do we know about Mr.
Carlos Gonzalez?
Not much.
A DMV photo, three years old.
It was issued by the State of Ohio.
I still haven't been able to find a local address for him.
Have you been able to get him on his cell phone?
I wish.
He doesn't answer it.
All right, I'll get into it.
All right.
Enjoy your research.
Jack, they found this at the mansion.
I thought it was a seminar tape, but it turns out that our out-of-work actor wasn't always out of work.
I don't want you to go.
Oh, it's only three days.
I know, it just feels like three hundred already.
Oh, honey.
This is a classic.
I think he made a wise choice getting out of acting.
Wait till you see what happens next.
Hi, Mr.
Hastings.
Uh, where's your wife?
What are you doing here, Burry?
The other driver said you were sick.
What are you talking about?
I'm fine.
Stella.
Stella...
Stella !
Those schmucks.
This whole thing is a hoax.
I do not have the slightest idea of what you are talking about.
Come on, Gary.
We saw the old movie.
Well, I haven't.
Gary, this just came for you.
Let me see that.
Who brought this to you?
I don't know?
A courier.
And you opened it?
He took off already; he's gone.
All right, I need a VCR.
See this?
This here is Will Sterling.
The man with the plan.
Except the plan's changing.
I got me a very expensive piece of property right here, and I intend to collect on it.
$5 million, to be exact.
$5 million by tomorrow at 9:00, or he's dead.
Be contacted at 8:00 in the morning and told where to leave my money.
That's all for now.
Thanks for playing Life Rules.
$5 million?
We do not have $5 million.
What did he mean, "the plan's changing"?
How the hell should I know?
Gary...
didn't know about any of this.
You want to fill me in?
He should be back by now.
They were never supposed to ask for money, you have to believe me.
Something has gone wrong.
It was not supposed to happen like this.
Will came to me the night before, you know, the kidnapping and told me what he was planning.
You're having yourself kidnapped?
I'll have a limo pick me up here to take me to the airport.
Ten minutes later, the real limo will arrive and everyone will think that I've been kidnapped.
And then what?
Well, then I lay low for 24 hours and then they let me go.
And what the hell will that accomplish?
They'll videotape me at gunpoint and I'm going to talk them out of it using the techniques of Life Rules.
The cops will find the videotapes, they'll get released to the media.
A week later the infomercial comes out.
I will go through the stratosphere.
Honey, you're not doing well enough as it is.
You really need to do this?
I did not get where I've gotten by playing it safe, Hil.
You've got to go after it in life.
Does Gary know you're doing this?
No, this is just me.
You and me.
Nobody else knows.
Will, this is crazy.
No, it's inspired.
I should have tried to stop him, it's just when these things come out of his mouth, you believe them.
I really hope you're not lying to me right now.
I swear to god.
Will is in trouble.
As I said, we do not have $5 million.
And even if we hock this place, with all of our debt, I don't think we could raise more than two.
When the kidnappers contact us tomorrow, we'll try and counter.
Hopefully, that will buy us some time.
Okay, good.
That's good.
You set this up, didn't you?
Huh?
Say what?
Come on, Gary.
You're the brains behind this.
Your brother's just a front man.
He could never pull off a scam like this without you.
Um, are you kidding me?
Are you kidding me?
I am furious at him for this.
Don't you get it?
He risked everything we built.
Not to mention risking his own life.
Yes, of course, but I never would have...
I never wanted him to do the infomercial.
It's easy to look at a situation and see the problem.
And believe me, I understand that as executives, that's what you've been trained to do.
To anticipate what will go wrong and prepare for it.
But what you need to do is ask yourself, and everyone around you, to think boldly.
To be daring and to take risks.
And just so you don't think that I'm living on a cloud, when we get back from lunch, we'll move on right to our next chapter: Crisis Management.
Then we've got steaks and lobsters and all sorts of great stuff in the dining room.
And anyone interested in being in the infomercial should talk to Gary.
Thanks.
That went well.
I thought we were still debating on the merits of doing this infomercial.
Could you give me a second?
No, I decided.
We're going ahead with it.
We're going?
Actually, can we go outside for a second, please?
Thanks.
Okay, I'm your partner.
You don't just decide.
Gary, I am great at this.
I want to share it with as many people as possible.
No, no.
I don't think you understand.
Will, if you expose us to this next level of scrutiny, sooner or later some guy from the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, they're going to come sniffing around and the jig is up.
So what, you just want to rest on our laurels?
When things are going well, you do not get complacent.
That's rule number six, Gary.
Okay, don't start quoting those rules to me, okay?
I'm the one who wrote them.
Well, apparently, you've stopped following them.
Look, if things are getting too hot for you here, you're welcome to go.
What?
What did you say to me?
I'm the guy on the box, Gary.
It sounds like he drank too much of his own kool-aid.
Apparently, that was the tip of the iceberg.
Now I'm beginning to feel like I'm Doctor Frankenstein chasing after his own monster.
Well, if he wouldn't trust you, who would he trust?
Honestly, I could not tell you.
Do you stay in contact with your foster brothers?
Carlos Gonzalez?
Reese Randall?
Carlos?
God, I haven't heard from those guys in years.
What about your brother?
What are you saying?
That he might have used one of them to pull off this stunt?
It's possible.
They're ex-cons.
I, uh, all of our foster brothers were in and out over a long period of time and he did not have that kind of relationship with any of them.
I certainly don't think he trusted any one of them enough to do something like this.
That's today's paper.
The Chronicle's tough to get out in the Hamptons.
The kidnapper might live in the city.
Or maybe he's holding him in the city.
I can't figure out why they even bothered shredding some of this stuff.
Well, when you build something on a lie, you get paranoid.
Gary may have been careful, but Will certainly wasn't.
I mean, can you imagine the hubris to stunt your own kidnapping for good publicity?
After watching those tapes, one thing is clear, this guy thinks he can do anything.
Oh, Carlos Gonzales.
The foster brother with the local cell phone.
Uh-huh.
Check this out.
He's asking Will to help him out with money.
Is there a return address?
No.
Just says to call him on that cell phone.
Well, the ransom tape came from Cold Spring Harbor.
Let's check for Carlos Gonzalez..
All right.
What is that right there?
Hey, do me a favor and enhance that area right there.
Is that a wall calendar?
A plaque? "
Wood...
Woodbury Bowling League."
Wait a minute.
Woodbury, isn't that near Cold Spring Harbor?
Next town over.
Right.
These guys aren't too bright.
Nothing in Cold Spring Harbor.
Woodbury.
He's being held in Woodbury.
Woodbury.
We got him.
Got one down.
I got your back.
Who are you?
I was just about to ask you the same question.
Carlos.
Carlos Gonzalez.
Where is Will Sterling?
He's in a coma, Cleveland.
Paul Moscowitz.
Where is Paul Moscowitz?
I don't know.
We all lived together: Gary, Paul, me, Will, Ree...
Reese Randall, right?
Yeah.
There was so many kids going in and out of that house all the time with Gary and Paul, and...
we're all, like, the same age, you know, so it was like we had our own little basketball team.
That's a great story, Carlos.
Let's get to the part about the kidnapping and what happened to your head.
Paul and I stayed in touch over the years, you know, even after he became Will Sterling or whatever, and he was always trying to help me.
He would even send me those tapes.
You know, he-he really wanted to get me out of my rut, and that's why I ended up moving to New York.
How 'bout Gary?
You talk to him?
No.
He-he told me not to tell Gary that I knew about their gig or even that I'd come to New York.
All right, let's go back a month.
You're writing Will letters.
You're asking Will for money.
Why?
Yeah, it was for a job, though I wasn't trying to blackmail him or nothing.
So he hired you to pull off a fake kidnapping.
Look, he calls me up, right, and he says that he'll give me thirty grand, and all I have to do is find the limo and pick him up at his house, bring him back here.
We hang out for the night, and in the morning, we make a video of him talking his way out of it, and then I'd let him go.
Carlos, that's not the video you made.
You're not even in that video.
I-I know that.
That's what I'm trying to explain to you guys that it's got to be Reese who made that tape after he hit me over the head and tied me up.
How did Reese become a part of this whole plan?
I was nervous about the job, so I called Reese for backup.
Backup?
Backup?
It was a staged kidnapping, Carlos.
What the hell you need backup for?
I know that.
I thought even with the mask, I thought that somebody might figure out that it was me in front of the camera, so I called Reese and he said he didn't have a problem with it.
Okay, so he drove up from Cleveland, and we were going to split the thirty grand.
Okay?
It was supposed to be easy money until Reese turned on us.
When do you want to make that tape?
Few minutes.
All right.
Don't be nervous, Carlos.
It's all going to work out like clockwork.
I just hope nobody saw me at your house yesterday.
What a putz.
I don't know why you didn't call on me to begin with.
I could have taken care of everything.
Haven't heard from you in eight years.
Well...
If I'd have known you were running some self-help racket under Will's name, I would've called on you.
Can believe that.
You should take a seminar.
Free of charge.
Yeah, maybe I'll do that.
Carlos!
Change of plans, Paulie boy.
Sit down.
I don't know what happened, okay?
We had it all figured out.
Anybody else know about this?
No.
Nobody.
Carlos, do you have any idea where Reese would've taken Will or-or Paul or...?
I don't know.
No, no, no, man, but he's unstable.
What do you mean?
He could kill him.
He's crazy.
Unbelievable.
What is it?
I got Gary Moscowitz's cell phone records.
He and Reese Randall have been talking quite a bit over the last three days.
Only over the last three days?
Carlos said that he panicked and needed backup, right, so he called Reese.
Then almost immediately, Reese turns around and calls Gary.
So Reese must've heard from Carlos that Gary was the one who was really running the show, so he squeezes him for some extra cash.
Yeah, and then Gary heard about the fake kidnapping plan, and he went through the roof.
I mean, as far as Gary's concerned, Will is going to blow everything and then take them both to jail in the process, and this kidnapping stunt was the perfect opportunity for Gary to get rid of him.
Gary, thanks for coming in so late.
Yeah, sure, it's not like I was...
you know, getting any sleep or anything, so...
Well, it turns out that, uh, we were right.
It appears that one of your foster brothers is involved.
Really?
Who?
Reese Randall.
Reese Randall?
We're going to need you to do something for us.
Sure.
Anything.
We need you to talk to him on the phone.
Me?
Yeah.
We'll connect you to him from here and make it look like it's coming from your cell phone, and, uh, hopefully, he'll pick up.
Well, what do you want me to say to him?
Well, just stay calm.
Tell him that you're trying to organize the money, but it's taking a little longer than you thought.
Just keep him talking.
We're putting a trace on the call.
Okay.
We'll be right here for you.
Great.
Grab a seat.
You ready to patch him through?
Yeah.
Pick up the phone.
Okay, patch us in.
Yeah?
Hey, Reese, it's, um, Gary, buddy, Gary Moscowitz.
What do you want?
How-how's Paul doing?
I haven't done it yet.
Well, that's great.
Don't do anything violent, 'cause we're going to get you your money.
What do you mean, don't do anything violent?
Listen to me, Reese.
Just don't hurt him - we're going to get you whatever you want, just do not hurt him.
I know you've had a raw deal in life.
There's just no reason to take it out on Paul.
Now, whatever you're feeling, pal, I swear to god, we are going to get you whatever you want, Whatever it takes.
Reese?
Yeah, okay, bye.
Reese?
Did you track that?
Almost.
God damn.
We're going to have to try that again.
No.
What do you mean, no?
Well, I don't, I mean...
don't you think that went well?
Why would we want to do that-that seemed to go pretty well, I mean...
he seemed like he was being reasonable.
why would I want to provoke him?
We got a call coming in, same transponder.
It seems like he wants to talk to you.
Pick it up.
Hello?
You know, I don't get you, man.
I thought you'd be calling to ask me why I hadn't killed him yet, now you're telling me not to kill him.
I don't know what you're talking about, Reese.
Oh, don't give me that, man.
I got Mr.
Life Rules over here talking my head off for the last twelve hours.
Got me thinking about my dreams and aspirations.
I'm all screwed up.
Yeah, you know what, you are all screwed up, and you know what we're going to do, buddy?
We're going to get you some help for that, okay?
Hello?
I...
you know what?
He's crazy.
Jack, we got a location.
1564 Newman in the Bronx.
Martin, do me a favor and, um, arrest him.
Stand up.
What goes up must come down.
Who taught you that one?
Clear.
Guys, that way.
Gary gave in to his pettiness and his jealousy because he doesn't see what's really possible.
You do.
You have the tools.
So this is a big step for you, Reese, and I think you're ready for it.
Now, what say me and you, we walk out of here together?
You're going to go forward with your life, and I'm-I'm going to forget this whole thing ever happened.
What do you say?
Thank you, Paul.
Thank you.
Oh, hey, call me Will.
Oh, please.
Freeze, FBI.
Drop the gun.
It's okay, Reese, do what he says.
Use your tools.
You shut up!
And you drop the gun.
Stand up.
Turn around.
Am I covered?
Yep.
Put your hands behind your back.
Wasting my damn time.
Come on let's go.
Big wuss.
You all right?
Yeah.
He just needed someone to see him, someone to believe in him.
What are you talking about?
Your brother was the brains behind this whole operation.
So you-you guys know everything?
Yes, Paul, we do.
Well, you-you saw what I just did.
I mean, he-he was going to kill me.
Right.
Gary was going to pay him $100,000, and he was going to kill me.
I talked him out of it, and whatever you report, you're going to have to report that, too.
Right, just in time for the release of your infomercial.
That's right.
Yeah.
Too bad you'll be doing time for false report.
Turn around, please.
Turn around.
Lying to a federal officer, obstruction of justice.
See, here's the thing, Mr.
Sterling: The truth will come out.
That's also, one of life's rules.
Let's go.
Hey.
Hey.
You know, these may become collectors items.
I won't tell anyone if you want to take one home.
Thanks, I appreciate that, but I'm fine.
Okay.
Good night.
Good night.
Good night.
Good night.
Go!
Subtitles: ndykoo www.forom.com