Briarpatch (2020) s01e01 Episode Script

1 Well, I'm sitting here wondering Will a matchbox hold my clothes? Yeah, I'm sitting here wondering Will a matchbox hold my clothes? I ain't got no matches But I got a long way to go I'm an old poor boy and a long way from home I'm an old poor boy Hang on.
I ain't wearing any pants! Everything I do is wrong Harold.
Yeah? You're still not wearing any pants.
No.
I don't suppose I am.
Hey, who the hell is it? It's the landlady, Cindy.
What the hell does she want? What the hell you think she wants? What do you think I want, Harold? Well, I could say conversation.
Or a blessed moment in the air con you so generously provide.
Or a three-egg omelet.
But I suppose what you want is the rent.
You suppose right.
Yeah, and I intend to get it to you, I do.
It's just that work is a little light just now.
Sure you don't want that omelet? The rent, Harold.
I want the rent.
And I'm going to get it today, or you're gonna find another place to hang your little pants.
Hey, you know what? I like your hair like that.
I think it looks really nice.
Well, thank you.
Today.
You gonna round up the usual suspects, huh? Yup.
Oh, shit.
Jesus, get back.
The gas tank could go.
What the hell happened? It appears someone just blew up the landlady.
Good day, sir.
Miss Dill? The one and only.
First time in Saint Disgrace? - I grew up here.
- Really? Well, you sure ain't got the look.
All right, stay back.
What's this? Oh, there was a break-in at the zoo a week or so back.
Break-in? Yes, ma'am.
Well, more like a breakout.
Somebody blew the locks on the cages.
Look at that thing.
They've been making a mess of things ever since.
All right, I need you to push back all.
Anyway, they've pretty much got a handle on it now.
Is somebody going to help it? Can I help you, ma'am? I have a reservation.
Dill.
Allegra Dill.
Certainly, ma'am.
Made this morning.
May I ask how long you'll be staying with us? I'm not sure.
A week, maybe.
That's fine.
I'll need a credit card for incidentals.
You're Pick Dill.
That's what they used to call you: Pickle Dill.
Not since high school.
Your sister told me all about it.
Tenth grade, when you took down three of the worst bullies this state ever managed to cough up.
My finest hour.
After that, they called you Pick instead of Pickle.
And they stopped for good once you got to Austin for college.
But your sister she always called you that.
Pick.
Yes, she did.
I'm A.
D.
Singe.
Like "scorch.
" I'm Was a friend of Felicity's.
I'm also her attorney.
I didn't know she had an attorney.
Yup.
Me.
Room 981.
I apologize, we don't have anyone here to help you with your bag.
Cody called in sick again.
Rosa too.
I'll manage.
Since I provided counsel to Felicity, I thought the least I could do was be here for you, see if there's anything that you need.
I need a drink.
- Hey, A.
D.
- Afternoon, Dusty.
What'll it be? I'll have a brandy Alexander, and whatever the lady having.
A gin, please.
Ice.
Fruity kind or the dry? The dry.
Did you know my sister long? Yeah, a few years now.
I was at the law school when she was undergrad.
No, it wasn't like that.
I mean, I wished that it was.
I'd be lying if I said otherwise.
But it wasn't.
We were friends.
You know, good friends, eventually.
First she was just my French tutor.
I just thought it would be useful.
In Texas? Well, somewhere.
Anyway, we stayed close.
She'd quiz me on the imparfait, kick me some cases after she joined the force.
You know, mostly cops getting divorced.
And I helped her buy the apartment complex.
And I drew up her will.
Here we go.
Now, you let me know if you need anything else.
Sure thing, Dusty.
Thank you.
I'm terribly sorry about your sister.
Thank you.
I know things were complicated between you two.
I'd toast, but today's not a day for that.
Actually today's my birthday.
Did she ever talk about work? - Sometimes.
- Was she working on anything that might've caused someone to put a bomb in her trunk? Not that she ever told me about.
But there is something that you ought to know, though.
What? She worked for a man named Strucker.
Chief of detectives.
He called me this morning.
Two hours after she died, he rang me up.
He told me to meet him at Felicity's bank.
Safety-deposit box? I was there when they opened it up.
They brought it all out the box.
Her will, some photos of your parents from before the accident, and an insurance policy.
It's the first I heard of it.
It's only three weeks old.
A term policy naming you sole beneficiary.
I don't think you can smoke in here anymore.
I don't plan to.
Okay.
Okay.
How much? 1.
7 million.
1.
7 million.
I'm Calvin Strucker, Miss Dill, chief of detectives of the SBPD.
I spoke to you on the phone.
I'd like to say again how truly sorry I am.
This is Captain Gene Colder, Homicide.
Ma'am.
Please come in.
Go ahead, Gene.
Investigating or mourning? Both, I'm afraid.
Miss Dill, when an officer falls in the line of duty, - it's imperative to - Who did it? We don't know that yet.
Why'd they do it? We don't know that either.
We're here for two reasons.
One is to try and answer any questions you might have, and the other is to offer official condolences of the department.
Your sister was an exceptional person.
How much did she make in a year? Fifty-five fifty.
And the annual premium on a $1.
7 million life insurance policy for a 27-year-old woman in good health is how much? You heard about that, huh? I heard about it.
The lawyer? Well, if we're going to have this conversation, I'm going to need a cup of coffee.
It's not a smart investment for a young person with no dependents.
There's no surrender value.
You can't borrow against it.
Of course, if she knew she was going to die, she might have wanted to leave something to family.
Which is me.
She said you were some kind of investigator.
You a Fed? No.
I work for a Senate subcommittee.
What does that mean? Whatever they want it to.
It's not just the life insurance.
There's also the matter of her property.
On 32nd.
You been there? Not yet.
When she told me she was in the market, I offered her some help with the down payment.
She laughed.
Said she was going to get creative.
That's her.
Then I found out what that meant.
A multi-unit fixer-upper with a price tag just north of 400,000.
How much did my sister have in her checking account? Three hundred and thirty-two dollars.
So I mean, do you want to ask it or should I? When did my sister go bad? - She didn't.
- Gene She was good police.
Natural.
- We jumped her to second grade - Gene.
over three older detectives straight out - of central casting.
- Gene She worked leads, she was patient.
She would have made sergeant in two years, easy.
You talk like you knew her.
Better than you.
Miss Dill, I apologize if tempers are running a little hot.
Felicity was family.
We feel the same way.
And the thing about homicides, well, most of them are damn simple.
A guy will call you and say, "Hey, I need you to get over here "on account of I just murdered my girlfriend with a hockey stick.
" And when you get there, he's there, sitting on the edge of the bed, the stick still in hand, crying tears on top of blood.
But every now and then, you'll get one that's tricky.
Like this one right here.
- Yes.
- I told you that we are going to bury your sister on Saturday morning.
Before that, we're going to find out what went wrong.
Fine.
I want to see her place.
Impossible.
There's procedure.
What Gene is trying to say, it's a matter of time.
We've got our best forensics boys tramping through there right now.
I need to see where my sister lived.
And I'll do my best to make it happen.
I need your trust on this, Miss Dill.
I'll be in touch.
Your sister and I, when my divorce comes through, we were going to be married.
She never told you, did she? No.
She never did.
Miss Dill.
Cyrus.
The senator would like to meet.
I'm on personal leave.
Bereavement.
The senator knows and extends his condolences.
If he extends them any further, he might strain something.
I will be coordinating his arrival later today.
- We'll be in touch.
- He could call me.
This isn't the sort of thing one discusses on telephones.
It never is.
How about a hint? Your loss, while tragic, presents an opportunity.
Here it comes.
One of the targets of the senator's investigation, of your investigation, makes his home here.
While in town, you could depose him.
You know Spivey well, I believe.
I do.
It would save us a subpoena, and all of this could be expensed.
Fine.
You'll do it? I'll talk to the senator about it.
That tamale, was it good? - The best.
- Where'd you get it? - Lupe's.
- Spell it? L-U-P-E-S.
Apostrophe? Of course.
We'll be in touch.
Got him? - Yeah.
- Grab the tail.
I got the tail.
Give me a hand.
Come on, pull him back! Pull him back! - Press Club.
- Allegra Dill.
Jesus.
I heard about your sister.
I'm sorry.
Thanks.
So who did it? They don't know.
Who's working the police beat for "The Chronicle" these days? Who else? - Freddie Laffter.
- No.
Yes.
Does he still have dinner here every night? Eight o'clock on the dot.
How about another? Listen, Pick, a word of advice: if you're going to treat Freddie Laffter, you're going to have to pace yourself.
You want to talk about your sister.
I do.
See this? I did.
A bit flowery, don't you think? Lalo, God damn it, treat us like gentlemen, get us some cognac.
All right, you want the good stuff? Bring him the good stuff.
Your funeral, Miss Dill.
If you need anything else, just let me know, okay? How come they treat you like a white man? Nacho still lets me smoke in here.
Mainly because he's hoping I'll croak faster.
- You want one? - No, thanks.
Mm.
Oh, Jesus, if there's one thing I can't stand, it's a controlled drinker.
Well, to our most enduring myth: the bibulous newspaperman.
Mm.
Tell me about Captain Colder.
Your almost brother-in-law? You knew about that, then? Well, they didn't exactly try to hide it.
But she didn't tell you, did she? - No.
- Huh.
- Must have had her reasons.
- Such as? Why don't you ask Captain Colder? He says he thought she'd told me.
Called her a liar, huh? That's not very nice.
But who pays for nice nowadays? He says she was a pretty good cop.
She was okay.
Moved up quick.
Who do you think killed her? Someone with money.
What makes you say that? The bomb.
Done by a pro.
C4 plastic, mercury fulminator.
Very classy.
That probably means out-of-state talent, and that means money.
Okay.
That's who.
What about why? A guess? Sure.
She found out something that could stop whoever hired the bomber from being rich anymore.
By the way, you lied to me.
You do want one.
I know about the apartment complex.
I decided not to run it.
For now.
You think she was on the take? I don't know.
Who was the richest man in town last time you were here? Probably old lady Bains.
Ha! Becky.
Yeah.
You know she burned with the sugar factory.
I'd heard.
An entire goddamn city block, turned to caramel.
No, you know who I'm talking about, right? I do.
You going to see him? I don't suppose I can avoid it much longer.
Is it possible to send someone up to the ninth floor? There's a tray of food that's been checked in as long as I have.
Oh, jeez.
I am so sorry, Miss - Dill.
- Doll? Dill.
I do apologize.
We're just a little short-staffed ever since the situation.
- Situation? - The animals.
From the zoo.
Cody was mauled by a tiger, I'm afraid - A tiger? - Yes, ma'am.
They haven't caught the tiger? No, miss.
But, you know, fingers crossed.
God damn it! Senator? - In the dark? - Cyrus told you I was coming.
That's not the same thing, and you know it.
Where does your wife think you are tonight? San Antonio.
Fundraiser.
- Dinner? - Yup.
How's the soup? I never eat the soup.
You going to survive? It looks like it.
How are you? - Swell.
- Hmm.
I take it Cyrus already made the ask.
Allegra, it makes me sick having you do this, but you're already here.
Have you seen him? I've been a little busy.
Have you had any contact with him at all? Someone murdered my sister, Senator.
Someone with money.
And I'm terribly sorry.
Do you think it was Spivey? I don't think anything.
He was my friend.
Hmm.
And then he wasn't.
Can I get a drink? We're out of soda.
Cute.
These for me? You shouldn't have.
The hearing's in a month.
If we have any chance at nailing Brattle, we need Spivey to flip.
- We need to catch Brattle first.
- We're close.
When you do see Spivey, I'm going to need you to wear a wire.
I won't do it.
Will you wear anything? God damn it.
Oh, open hand.
We said open hand.
I'm going to get the bottle now.
Pick.
So glad you came.
Mwah.
Thank you, darling.
Does she talk? Daisy? Sure, she's a chatterbox.
All depends on the topic.
Hmm.
Well, go on, sit down, will you? You got me feeling nervous as hell.
You know I didn't see Felicity all that much.
Not the biggest fan of cops, just as a general rule.
But well, she seemed like a good one.
Say, you want something? I got soda pop, beer, a little coke if you like that sort of thing.
I'll take a beer.
Okay.
There you go.
You know, the first beer I ever had was probably about 60 feet away, over that hedge.
You gave me that one too.
Oh, shit, you remember that? You said you'd own this place someday.
Yeah, and I do.
Hang your boots on the porch.
And I did.
Yeah, you said a lot of things.
The giraffes.
From the zoo? Oh, no.
Those are mine.
You know how I feel about tall ladies.
Well, God damn.
This ain't just like you, Pick.
Mixing business with sorrow.
So, what are you really here to do, hmm? - Put me in handcuffs? - No.
You still like that stuff, though, right? Handcuffs? All right, what's your little baby senator want, hmm? A deposition? How's it work? I ask you questions, you answer truthfully to the best of your ability.
Shit, Pick, that's never been one of my better abilities.
They found Clyde Brattle, Jake.
Bullshit.
Truth.
Uh-huh.
And where was he? Old San Juan? Or Cape Town? One of the Tripolis? Please.
More folks have seen Clyde Brattle since Aleppo than Elvis, Tupac, and Jesus combined.
And he's deader than all three of them.
Mexico City.
Which means he's extraditable.
The senator only needs one of you.
Do you mind if I record this? Or should we just use yours? My what? Recorder you got set up in here.
How long's that been going? From the second you walked in the room.
God damn.
Is it bad this is turning me on a little bit? That's truthful.
Okay, we can use my tape.
Okay.
Here we go.
This is the sworn testimony of John Jacob Spivey, taken on August something-or-other right here in his goddamn obscene mansion.
You are John Jacob Spivey? Always have been.
State your age.
38, same as you.
Happy birthday, by the way.
- You are an American citizen? - I am.
Occupation? I'm retired.
Prior to that.
I was engaged in the purchase and sale of defensive weaponry.
Before that? I was a contract employee of a government agency.
Which agency? Hmm, one of the ones you're not supposed to talk about on the record.
Where were you hired? Well, I guess I got the real heavy thumb when I was deployed.
- In Iraq? - In and around there, sure.
Can you disclose the nature of your duties while in government service? Shit, no.
Due to oaths of service sworn to, or fears of self-incrimination? When did you meet Clyde Tomerlin Brattle? 2006 or around there.
What was the nature of your relationship? He was my boss.
And what was the nature of your work together? You know those tall, extra faucets American ladies love to have? Well, it turns out hardly anybody in the Middle East has one of those suckers.
And old Clyde and I thought that was a shame.
So we'd go around to all the little hovels in Mosul and Tikrit and you know, kind of do some light plumbing work in a humanitarian sort of way.
- Liquid Outreach, we called it.
- Cut the shit.
Come on, you're the one peddling it, girl.
You think I give a fuck about oaths? Look, I was 31 when I got out and an old man.
I mean up here.
I'm 102 up here, Pick.
I've seen some shit.
I was in even more of it.
They paid me 10,000 bucks a week to do stuff that I won't even let myself remember.
Poor war criminal Jake.
Fuck you, Pick.
Fuck you.
You think I got to be young and carefree? Do you remember what happened 12 years ago? Can you testify to how much money Clyde Brattle had under his control before he went missing in Aleppo? Enough to make your boss and a couple other governments awful mad.
And you haven't had any contact with Clyde Brattle since? What's the ask, Pick? You want names and dates and receipts? You offering immunity? Oh, well.
Put it in writing.
Uh-huh.
Well, I'd like to put some thought into this.
You sticking around? Till I find out what happened to Felicity, sure.
She's dead, Jake.
There's always a dead girl, Pick.
Don't you go to the movies? Watch the news? The trick is keeping yourself out of the equation.
- What's that supposed to mean? - Well, number one, don't be the dead girl.
And second, don't be the poor hopeless fucker trying to find out who killed her.
And what about the one who did the killing? In my experience he always gets away with it.
I want to tell you about your girlfriend.
What about my girl? - I'm strong enough.
- I might hurt your feelings.
My feelings already hurt about being here with you.
Well Uh-huh.
And the wind was blowing real hard.
Is that right? I'm old enough to remember when we used to have seasons around here.
Now we just have broiler settings.
You disappoint me, Miss Dill.
If you wanted a look-see, all you had to do was ask.
I thought that was against procedure.
You really have been gone a long time.
Lock up when you're done.
Take your time.
You know what they call these? This is a get fiddle.
- A what? - It's a get fiddle.
Why is it a get fiddle? You'll get it and bring it to me so I can fiddle with it.
I want to play something that you can sing.
Okay, well, I can sing "You Are My Sunshine.
" I thought you'd be longer.
Where did my sister live? Excuse me? Right upstairs.
Wait.
That was your sister? Yeah, I can show you the deed.
It's yours now anyway, by rights.
I'll ask again.
Where did my sister live? Cindy, take that inside.
We're going to have a little chat.
Sure thing, Chief.
Sorry for your loss.
Tarragon, God damn it.
- What now? - Tarragon.
It's an herb.
Felicity loved it.
Dumped it on just about everything.
- Chicken.
Fish.
White chili.
- Mm.
There's not a trace of it in that apartment, same as there aren't any books, which is, by the way, what my sister liked to read, two at a time, not magazines.
- Books? - Yeah, books.
Felicity wasn't neat, Chief.
She didn't hang Impressionist prints on her wall like a fucking depressed secretary.
She didn't press and fold her underwear.
She left piles.
Nests.
Miss Dill, you really need to calm down.
No one lived in that apartment.
Certainly not my sister.
When was the last time you saw Felicity? Three years ago.
She came to D.
C.
for a few days.
The last time you were here? Nine years before that.
Doesn't sound like you were particularly close.
I say that because police work has a funny way of changing people.
Makes them a lot less sloppy in all areas of their life.
Tell me where my sister lived, or so help me God, I will burn this city to the ground.
I believe you would, too.
Okay, Miss Dill.
Maybe your sister didn't live at this address.
At least not full-time.
Why? Perhaps it wasn't safe.
What did she have to be afraid of? Everything.
If you're smart in this life, you'll be afraid of everything.
I tried to teach Felicity that.
Whoo! Mercy, it is hot.
Hmm.
Ooh! Who killed my sister? You're just like her, aren't you? Who killed? Okay, Miss Dill.
I can show you something.
It ain't much, but it's something I think you'd like to see.
What? Where your sister lived.
Where Felicity actually lived.
You know, I had an old desk sergeant that used to say that being a cop in Saint Disgrace was kind of like being a salad on the menu at a burger joint.
You're just there to make people feel like they have a choice.
Felicity seemed to think it was more than that.
I was a friend of your sister.
- I can be your friend, too.
- Hey, there, Pick! Mr.
Singe.
Chief! Where you two headed on a cool night like this? Hey, y'all need to be in some air conditioning or a meat locker if you're lucky.
You know, I was on my way to get a cocktail.
You know, hopefully one of them frozen ones, if you guys care to join me.
Maybe you can do catch-up some other time.
Miss Dill and I have some business.
Okay, I mean, are you sure about that? Because, I mean, it's going to be really refreshing.
I think it can wait.
I think that I think that Je pense que nous devrions obtenir cette boisson maintenant.
What? Je pense que la boisson maintenant.
You feeling okay, son? Yeah, never been better.
Maintenant.
Chief, it'll keep until tomorrow.
Suit yourself.
I'll meet you at the station in the morning.
You have a fine night, Chief.
I'm parked right over here.
Y'all be safe.
Pick! Oh, my goodness! Pick I got you.
Hey, y'all all right? Thank you.
Don't mention it.
Had a day, huh? You could say that.
I will try to make this as quick as possible.
How are you with needles? I'm okay.
Not so bad, right? All done.
You're all done.
Oh.
It's okay.
Hey, I've got you.
You're okay.
You're okay.
What? What? Yeah, I thought so.