Stella Bonasera quotes from CSI: NY

Stella

Manning fights his way back from the streets and seems to have a great life ahead of him.

Mac

So, how does he end up in that alley right back where she found him?

You're wasting your time worrying about me, lady. I'm a lost cause.

Stella

There's no such thing. You just need to get off the street, get sober, and start taking care of yourself.

No, this life beat the care out of me a long time ago.

Mac

That's the victim, but who's the other guy?

Stella

They're both James Manning. The moment I saw him, I knew there was something familiar about him. And then when I saw that scar on his hand... I ran him through CARS for past collars and came up with this booking photo.

Mac

It's hard to believe they're the same person.

Stella

Put some meat on his bones and a shave and he looks like a completely different guy.

Mac

It's never a good thing when you look better in the autopsy photo than you do when you're alive.

What you're telling me pertains to evidence that you and your investigators collected and analyzed.

Stella

I'm well aware of that.

And this could not have waited until after the defendant was remanded?

Stella

With all due respect, your honour... would you prefer to make rulings without prior knowledge of all the facts?

If what you just told me goes on record, Antonio Reyes could walk out onto the street, free to do more harm. Are you prepared to live with the potential consequences of that? Are you, detective?

Stella

I am truly sorry for having to do what I did today.

And now Antonio Reyes is going to go right back out onto the street, where he can do more harm. Where he can murder somebody else's child.

Stella

I promise you, I will do everything in my power not to let that happen.

Really? Like what?

Stella

There are things I can do, steps that I can take.

Are any of those steps as good as having him back behind bars where he belongs?

Stella

What are some of the most common motives you've seen in your 15 years as D.A., Mr. Hansen?

Motives for what?

Stella

Murder.

I'm not sure I know where this is going.

Stella

Just answer the question.

Money, drugs. Erm...

Stella

And jealousy. The kind of jealousy that builds into a rage that leads to murder.

Stella Bonasera

How's it going?

Danny Messer

Feeling old.

Stella Bonasera

I'd say it was the cold weather, but you're too young for aches and pains like that.

Danny Messer

Well, Mac asked Adam to develop our vic's roll of film. Kid had no idea what he was talking about. Digital generation.

Stella Bonasera

I hope you hit him.

Danny Messer

Oh, I did.

Strangest thing. Came out of nowhere.

Stella

The lamppost? The lamppost came out of nowhere?

Right.

Danny

They have a tendency to do that when you're driving up on the sidewalk.

Stella Bonasera

We've got an impact mark. [Checks with the scanner] Hey Mac. Take a look at this.

Mac Taylor

That's pure gold.

Danny Messer

I can top that. Just found this, in his shoe print.

Stella Bonasera

Four leaf clover?

Mac Taylor

Natural genetic mutation. There's only one for every ten thousand three leaf clover.

Hang on a second. Gold, four leaf clover, right before St. Patricks Day? Where the hell are we, at the end of the rainbow? [Stella chuckles]

Mac Taylor

I'll tell you this much, neither one of these guys had the luck of the irish.

Stella Bonasera

You think I'm trying too hard?

We all have a Marina Garito, Stella.

John Brennan calls the station house once a month. And anyone who answers the phone gets a story about how his wife was murdered, and the man responsible is still out there. And it breaks your heart. Because you don't have any answers for him. But what can you do? Tell me, on those Mondays, when you hung up the phone, what did you do? [Stella shakes her head a little] You can't do much. Because you are chasing bad guys, who are out there right now, and the evidence on those old cases gets cold, and the witnesses don't remember half of what they used to, and-

Stella Bonasera

You're right. But I just can't stop thinking that I should've done more to help her find her brother.

You took her calls every Monday. That's a lot.

Mac

We're gonna need blueprints of that prison. Everything you can get your hands on. Electrical systems, service corridors, every single access point.

Stella

You really think we can do this?

Lindsay

What? What are you thinking?

Mac

We're gonna have to break Hawkes out of prison

You know, all my time in Afghanistan, and I will never get used to a child being in one of those beds.

Stella

It's the worst part of our job.

Mac

The day we get used to it is the day we should walk out the door.

Hawkes

The stria on the slug that was lodged in Nicky's backpack matches Castro's gun.

Stella

Well, if Castro shot Nicky, then how did Johnny Cook's DNA end up under his fingernails?

Hawkes

Castro was due to strike First Federation.

Stella

We believe that he was casing the branch, he saw Nicky and Sam robbing the bank, so he followed them into the alley and robbed them.

Hawkes

The gun I found on top of the trash can belonged to those boys, Flack.

But you have zero forensic evidence to prove that. And please, one of you tell me where those kids got a gun.

Stella

You got to let go of your feelings for this kid, Flack. Sam Harris was lying to you.

Sam Harris does not have it in his DNA to lie like that.

Stella

Unless he had a very good reason.