The Forgotten s01e01 Episode Script

Look at them all, heading to work, living their lives All with a story to tell, all with a future.
I was like them.
I was like you.
And then then this happened to me.
I was on my way somewhere.
I had plans, dreams.
I had people who loved me.
I had a family.
but now all I can is wait and hope the police will do all they can.
I'm not waiting to be saved.
It's too late for that.
I'm waiting to be found.
Minor Edits: VeRdiKT [SubScene.
com.]
Morning, Alex.
Morning, Detective Russell.
I thought this place was just for cops.
They haven't kicked me outta here yet.
That's too bad, 'cause we need you.
"Highway Jane.
"Found her about a month ago.
No witnesses, no I.
D.
Nothing.
She's off the boards? It's time.
We've done everything we can.
Now I'm giving her to you.
Keep in touch, all right? I always do.
Actually, you don't.
I need those reports on my desk by Friday.
Alex, you got it? That should work.
I'll let 'em know.
- Hey! - S-Sorry.
Tyler? That's me.
You gotta sign these for my P.
O.
Alex does that.
He's on his way.
So they explained to you who we are-- the Forgotten Network? The judge said you were a victims' rights group, and that I'm your best friend for the next 200 hours.
We help identify John and Jane Does.
A body is found with no wallet or anything.
Friends and family haven't come forward.
The police have done what they can with the time they have.
But at a certain point, they have no choice.
They have to move on to fresher cases.
So you guys do this for free? Yeah.
Yeah, we're volunteers.
But it's not just us.
There are members and teams across the country - sharing ideas and-- - You're that woman.
You're Lindsey Drake.
Yeah.
Your husband's Gregory Drake.
I knew I recognized you from somewhere.
Look, you don't know me, and that has nothing to do with this.
So here it is-- the midwest regional headquarters of the Forgotten Network.
Impressive.
This is Tyler Davies.
Tyler here is an artist who specializes in human sculpture and defacing public property.
I'm Candace.
Hi.
What happened to your face? Excuse me? That bruise on your cheek.
It tells me ten things about you-- ten things that maybe you don't want me to know.
It's paint.
I'm an artist.
Oh.
Right.
Highway Jane-- blunt force head trauma.
Found 3 weeks ago, interstate 88, westside road exit.
Behind it, there's an access road-- Diehl Lane.
No I.
D.
on the body, no DNA match in the database.
Hello, everyone.
- Hey.
Hello.
- Hey.
You made it.
All right, she was found here.
We are here so we have until here.
That's five days from now.
What happens then? They bury her, unmarked grave in Potter's Field, and everyone forgets about her.
And a murderer goes free.
Here's our girl.
White.
5' 7".
Approximate age Approximate weight Wow.
That's a lot of decomp.
Highway Jane was in a ditch for about a week.
So the animals probably got to her.
Which is why we are fortunate enough to have Mr.
Happy here to hopefully help us reconstruct her face.
But remember, it's about her story, because without who is it-- there's no who done it.
- We know.
- Right.
We've got, uh, some black nail polish, huh? That might be a specific shade.
I'll check all the department stores, drugstores, specialty shops.
And, uh, her blouse-- - it's, uh, chas-- chass-- chass - Chassoni? Chassoni.
Exactly.
It's expensive.
Police already checked all the boutiques.
What about thrift stores? Uh, can you get us a clean photo of the blouse, maybe something we can show around? Sure thing.
You know me-- Any excuse to go shopping.
We got a blue tattoo on the ankle.
Looks like a foreign alphabet.
Um, maybe it's a-a tag for a human trafficking thing or something.
Let's get it on the web site.
We could use some help from the network.
And this was found in her back pocket.
Is that her P.
I.
N.
? - Phone number? - Maybe it's a flight number.
All right.
I'll look into this.
Uh, where'd Da Vinci go? Hey! You might want to take a few copies of these photos from the morgue unless you got one of those photographic memory thingies.
We identified We helped catch nearly a dozen killers.
We're actually pretty good at this.
We'd be even better with your help.
I've never done one of these for real.
You went to med school.
Well, I dropped out to do the whole art thing.
You tag buildings.
I was I was bored, all right? I'm actually a sculptor, not an expert.
Any of us look like experts? It's not a requirement.
The guy in the blue onesie seems pretty sure of himself.
It's a shirt/pant combo! Not a onesie.
I can't sculpt a dead girl.
It's too weird.
Her family goes to bed every night wondering what happened.
They haven't forgotten about her, and neither have we.
We need to get her story out there.
But what's the point? I mean, telling her family she's dead is gonna fix something? It's knowledge, and we try to get justice.
Well, it's still grief and pain.
It's just a different kid.
Well, the difference matters.
Look, you call yourself an artist.
Prove it.
This is her.
This is our girl.
Nice job, Tyler.
So what do we do now? We get to work.
When you think about your life, when you're living it, you don't think about where it ends or who ends it.
There's nothing here, Alex.
She died here.
I needed to see it.
This is where it ended for her.
This is where it begins for us.
We're gonna follow her journey, follow her footprints.
We've got Candace on the nail polish.
Lindsey's on the blouse.
I'm on the digits.
And.
Uh, what about that gas station? It's the only thing out here.
File said the clerk has a record, so police came up dry, but I like it.
Work your magic, W.
Please don't call me that.
All right, let's do this.
All right, here we go.
Cold outside, eh? Business kind of slow, eh? Porn's over there.
Oh.
Um actually, I was wondering if I could ask you a question.
I don't know if you're aware, but-- but there was a murder took place a few weeks ago across the road there.
Uh, I was wondering if we could leave some fliers here for your customers.
No.
It's against store policy.
This is the closest gas station around, right? I mean, it's the only gas station around.
You were here that night, right? By yourself? - So? - So maybe you saw something.
You know? Maybe you did something.
I already talked to the cops.
Unless you've got some kind of badge, we're done talkin'.
Okay.
But I'm watching you.
Rock on, Shaggy.
Why are we here again? The nail polish-- It's called deep bruise, and about 10 department stores and 100 drug stores sell it.
So I thought, who wears it? Maybe goth chicks.
And where do they buy everything else? R.
D.
O.
Where I grew up, there weren't stores this like.
There weren't people like this.
It was a whole new world, a chance to start over, and I wanted in.
Excuse me.
You know this girl? Someone killed her last month.
It could happen again.
A lot of people come snooping around-- cops, parents.
We don't like it.
So where do you go to get away from all that? Thank you.
She knew her? No.
So why are you so happy? Because we talk and listen, and a store like this leads us to nightclubs like these.
She bought the blouse at Sunshine Thrift Store on Ashland Avenue.
Record of the sale, but no record of the buyer.
Well, Ashland is West Loop, right? - That's right by the university.
- Mm-hmm.
- Maybe she was a student.
- Maybe she had a stalker.
Or maybe she was the stalker, and the hunter became the hunted.
Well, no local colleges have reported any missing persons.
But I can double check that for you.
Also, I finished comparing the reconstruction to the Ohio Missing Persons list.
No matches.
So that takes care of the whole midwest.
Who's that guy? Gas station attendant.
I'm watching him.
Oh, shoot.
I gotta get out of here.
Got a lady with no dial tone over on State Street.
I thought you were supposed to be there two hours ago.
Okay, we can only provide a window, Lindsey.
All right, I'm meeting Detective Russell to give her an update.
And I'm also thinking we should run that tattoo through the international database this time.
This is the loudest one yet! Please tell me we're out of fliers! - Do you guys know her?! - No.
No? Can I get a beer? Tyler! Don't even think about it.
- You cops? - No! No.
We're just looking for anybody who knows this girl.
You don't belong here.
Get out.
We ran it through everything we linked to overseas.
No hits with organized crime or trafficking.
What about the numbers? for Italy or Alabama.
It also the model number for a lawn mower that was recalled in 1987.
So nothing, then.
That's right.
Just like you and the tattoo.
Wow.
She's defending your honor.
Well, somebody around here has to.
Look, if it were easy, Highway Jane would be home already.
Now I gotta ask you about the gas station attendant.
- Yes or no? - No.
Surveillance tapes show he never left the register, and Highway Jane was never there.
Donovan? Excuse me, ladies.
It always surprises me that it's not strange for him being back here.
Once a cop, always a cop.
- How you doing? - I don't really know I'm a little I've got some ideas, but, uh, I just don't have a strong feel for her yet.
I meant you, actually.
You trying to get rid of me? That doesn't seem possible.
Good days, bad days still.
And how many good? I don't count.
So what's your deal? You're into this for a reason, right? Lindsey has the thing with her husband.
I tagged a courthouse.
You, like, lose someone or something? Nope.
Just my mind and a day job that I hate.
Look, she has no one.
Think about it.
What's the first thing that happens when you're born into this world? You get a name.
So you should have it when you leave.
I always think, what if that were me? I would want somebody to care about me.
I'd want the world to remember that I was here and that I did things, that I affected people.
- Does that make any sense to you? - Yeah.
But it feels weird to care about someone I don't even know.
She's a human being.
You know her.
Hey.
We know her.
- You do? - Her name's Vivian.
Alex? Meet us at the Silver Tongue.
So, Alex, this is Jessica and Sister Mary Margaret.
Nice to meet you, sister.
So, uh, her name was Vivian? What can you tell me about her? She was a cool chick, really friendly and sweet.
Kinda new to all this.
But you never got her last name? We only saw her here.
We Whoever he is, he went back inside.
So who is he anyway? His name's Quint.
They dated for a little while.
- Really? - Something happened.
They got in this huge fight after the sharpeners show in front of everyone.
I don't know what it was about, but after that, I never saw her again.
She had this tattoo on her ankle.
I know.
So cool.
I asked her about it.
She said it was a long story, from a different life.
A different life where? I wish I knew.
Thanks for your help.
Hey, Jessica? Did you guys ever leave the club together? - Maybe see where she lived? - No.
I live right down Kedzie, so She took the tin, I think.
The train? Uh, Blue Line Train, west towards O' Hare.
- You said the 18th, right? - Yeah.
Why blue? According to Jessica, the fight between Vivian and Quint Was late on the 17th.
The concert ended at 2:30 A.
M.
Okay.
Why blue? That's the train that runs closest to the club.
Blue is north, and blue runs through west loop.
Where she bought the blouse.
Trains only run twice an hour that late.
So we have one that stopped at Kedzie at 2:13 Uh, Western and Illinois med a few minutes later.
Kedzie only had a Hispanic couple.
This is Western.
She's not there.
Call up Illinois Med.
Wait! Wait.
Stop.
That's her.
Print that.
W.
, expand the radius from Illinois Med el stop.
Grocery stores, apartments, gymnasiums-- Everything around it.
Excuse me.
Does this girl look familiar to you? Okay, well, thank you.
She ever come in here? Oh, yeah.
She was in here, like, a month ago.
Remember? Paid with all those coins and ones? Small bills? Like tip money? Maybe she was a waitress.
Okay.
We need a list of the West Loop restaurants.
Right now.
You got it.
It's her.
She's, um yes.
I'm sorry.
We loved her around here.
You'd think the way she looks, she'd scare people off.
But she had regular customers.
That sweet smile, you know? But she quit about a month ago.
Something happened.
This woman came in and really rattled her.
She was out back crying for, like, an hour.
She was older, maybe 40.
Red hair.
We really need Vivian's last name.
Simmons.
Vivian Simmons.
"Simmons"? Alex, are you sure? Local address, We'll meet you there.
She lived by herself.
Looks like she left in a hurry.
We're processing it now.
Detective Russell? Oh, we got it from here.
You're just gonna take that from her? No, we're gonna tag her car.
What's going on? A girl who lived here was killed--Vivian Simmons.
Vivian? You knew her? Yeah.
I mean, she's dead? She was murdered.
What's your name? Clay.
How well did you know her? Pretty well.
"Pretty well" like you held the door for her a couple times, or "pretty well" you slept together and you know her whole life story? We dated for a while.
It didn't work out.
Was it her choice or yours? She ended it.
I-I didn't see much of her after that.
You know, I was busy with med school.
I just studied a lot so I-I wouldn't have to deal, you know? Yeah.
I would talk to the other guy if I were you.
Tall, black ponytail.
Quint? The bouncer? Yeah, I guess.
He wasn't happy that wwere seeing each other.
I-I thought he was stalking her.
We got a permanent address for Vivian Simmons up in Evanston.
No answer when I called.
You want to ride with me? Sure.
Excuse me.
Are you Mr.
Simmons? Yes.
I'm Detective Russell, Chicago Police.
This is Alex Donovan.
Mr.
Simmons, do you, by any chance, have a daughter named Vivian? Yeah.
I'm sorry-- Vivian! Could you come here for a minute, please? Uh, Alex? Hi.
I'm Vivian Simmons.
Can I help you? So what do we know? The search of her apartment turned up nothing special, and the real Vivian Simmons said that her purse was stolen from the art institute over a year ago.
Well, Highway Jane took it.
Her first step into a life of crime, right? No, no, this woman had a job and kept it.
Right.
I mean, she probably just needed the I.
D.
to really become someone else.
I know the feeling.
She could've been running away from someone in her past.
Maybe she took the I.
D.
to get away from him.
What if the killer were somebody who found her? The redheaded woman from the diner-- She spooked her about something.
Or it could've been somebody she met three days earlier.
The pool is huge.
We really don't know now.
What we do know is her name's not Vivian Simmons.
Hey, don't.
Don't do that.
The things she did, the places she went might be a small part of her story, but we have it.
We don't have her name, but it's still her footprints.
It's all still her.
And someone left her by the side of the road like a piece of trash.
We are gonna cover every angle until we find something.
Walter, stay on Quint.
Russell couldn't get anything out of him.
We gotta dig something up.
Copy that.
What about you? I'm gonna talk to Clay-- the, uh, med student who lives in the building.
The girl he's dating disappears, and he knows she has this jealous ex-boyfriend and he never reports her missing.
What did you say his name was? Clay Thornton.
No, it's not here.
You say he's in the school of medicine? Let me look at last semester.
Oh, wait.
There he is.
Thornton, Clay.
His account is 09-X.
Admin withdrawal.
I have no idea what that means.
I'm sorry.
I can't give out any further information.
"Admin withdrawal"? He got kicked out.
You a cop? What if I was? I work for the phone company.
You with those people at the club? Yes! I'm not a cop.
I was into her.
I never would've hurt her.
But if I see you again, I'll kill you.
Clay Thornton-- He used to be in your chemistry class, right? Yeah.
What'd he do now? What did he do before? Stole some meds from the pharmacy lab.
A lot of them.
He's an addict? He's a dealer.
I'm late for a thoracics seminar.
Enjoy.
Thank you.
If Clay was dealing, maybe he wanted Highway Jane to deal, too.
She did spend time at those clubs, didn't she? Lot of potential customers.
Mr.
Thornton? Mr.
Thornton! Chicago police.
Freeze! Police! Call it in! We just wanted to talk.
Now everybody's angry.
Freeze! You're not a cop? No, but I am.
I wouldn't do that whole "Freeze! Police!" thing anymore.
I'll make a note of it.
Do you know how much it costs to go to medical school? I mean, I wasn't even in my residency yet, and I was alread over Oh, lots of people become doctors without becoming drug dealers.
Look, it was not some big-- some big operation.
It was like--it was like-- what do you call it? Like a-- Like a-a crime of opportunity? We just call it a crime.
She sold for you at the clubs? Vivian? No.
No, not at all.
She wasn't-- She wasn't into that at all.
And--and she wasn't some badass, and when she found out that I was doing it, she--she-- That was it.
She dropped me.
When was that? It was a couple months ago.
It was the same week that I got kicked out of med school.
And after that, I never saw her again.
That is all I know, I swear.
So tell me again what happened.
Well, there was an assault.
An assault? Well, more of a standoff, really.
It was, you know, two men grappling for position.
But he was telling the truth.
Quint said she rejected him.
He was actually really into her.
But there is still possible motive because if she dumped him for another guy, then why didn't I notice it before? It's not letters or a symbol.
I think it's part of a pitchfork.
It's goth, right? Devil holding a pitchfork.
It is, but, uh, Jessica from the club said that she had the tattoo before she got here.
So she was goth before Chicago? Sister Mary and Jessica both said that she was new to this.
Who else gets a devil tattoo? High school students, if the devil is your mascot.
Okay okay, there's 15 devil mascots in Illinois and surrounding states.
This devil is blue.
Okay.
So there are only three blue devils.
Maybe that one? No, look for the curved one.
"Collins High.
"Our girl is from Dubuque, Iowa.
" We're close.
Her name is Tracy Benedict.
She graduated a couple years ago.
She looked different, though.
She was blonde back then.
That's her sister Amy.
She's a freshman.
Her mom picks her up? Every day.
Thank you.
Oh, I hate this.
Then she'll know, just like someday I'll know.
Mrs.
Benedict? Yes? My name is Alex Donovan.
I work with the Chicago Police Department.
Tracy? You found her? Yes, we did.
Oh, God.
Oh, God, no.
I'm so sorry.
Home-- the light switch by the den that never turned on anything My sister's ridiculous slumber parties my stupid noir picture.
I miss it.
I miss all of it.
She was a great girl.
She got good grades, never stayed out too late.
Everything a mom could hope for until Trevor died about a year and half ago.
Her father? They were close.
He was sick with cancer.
And we didn't know how to tell her how serious it was.
I'm sorry.
She was getting a tattoo with a couple of her friends.
It wasn't a big deal until I had to pull her out and tell her that her father was dead.
She left with this half-finished devil on her ankle.
But she was angry.
Oh, yeah.
She didn't know how to handle it.
None of us did.
And we tried to talk about it and figure it all out together, but a few weeks later, she was gone.
Candace? I always thought she'd call.
I kept track of every time someone would call and hang up.
Maybe maybe this will help.
This will help a lot.
Thank you.
Listen, I just wanna ask you a question.
You saw Tracy in the city, middle of last month.
How do you know? Your red hair.
People saw you.
I am right.
You know she quit her job that day? She did? Who are you? Zoe Jenks.
I'm the drama teacher at Collins High School.
Tracy was a student of mine.
I was in Chicago with my boys.
We went to the circus, and when it was over, the little one was screaming that he wanted macaroni and that he had to pee.
Do you have kids? Uh a daughter.
So you knew Tracy well.
Since she was a freshman.
Kids come and go like a blur-- but Tracy made impression.
She really could have been something.
So what happened on that day in the city? Honestly, I-I-I I didn't even recognize her at first.
She dyed her hair black.
I asked her about her mom.
She begged me not to tell her where she was.
And you respected her wishes? I told her it was time to come home.
I told her Amy needed her big sister, that there was a bus from the city to Dubuque every night.
I thought she'd take it, but she didn't.
I kept waiting for her to show up.
I should've done something.
I-I should've You never think that's true.
You don't.
Thank you.
Tracy's little sister-- She kept a list of every hang-up call over the past three years.
She thought that one of them might be Tracy.
Look at the last one from the day she died.
Our digits.
Great.
I'll call Russell, put a trace on it.
Screw that.
I'm calling.
Hey, it's Jessica.
I'm not here.
You know what to do.
Jessica.
Who's Jessica? Tracy's friend from the club.
She's not telling us everything she knows.
Hey, Jessica.
It's okay.
I just wanna talk.
I told you everything.
You should talk to Quint.
Well, we did talk to Quint.
He told us we should talk to you.
It's really hard to know who to believe.
Tell you the truth, I really didn't want to come out here at all.
I tried your cell phone, but you didn't answer.
Well, how did you get my number? Tracy gave it to me.
Tracy.
Right.
So you knew her name was Tracy, but you told us it was Vivian.
Uh I'm not sure.
Your numbers were und in her pocket when she died.
And you told us that you guys really didn't know each other very well.
No.
Well, there was a call to her house from your phone.
W-why is that? Why would you call her mother? She borrowed my phone.
I don't know who she was calling.
So you did see her the night she died.
You knew each other pretty well, didn't you? I mean, you were good friends, right? Jessica.
What did she do that made you so angry? She lied.
Everything she told me was a lie.
- So she hurt you? - Yes.
And then you hurt her.
Right? It's over, Jessica.
Jessica was a friend when I needed one the most.
She helped me fit in.
She taught me how it all worked.
We had a million ideas about everything.
We even talked about moving to L.
A.
together.
But then I saw mrs.
Jecks, and I realized it was time to stop being Vivian.
It was time to go home.
A bus ticket Tracy Benedict's-- from under the seat of your car.
I decided to tell Jessica the truth about who I was, where I was from.
She was so angry.
She said I'd ruined all our plans.
She said she trusted me and I betrayed her.
I got scared.
I told her to stop the car.
It was the last thing I ever said.
Beautiful service.
What's he doing? Exaggeting his role.
You said the other day that sometimes you want to be someone else.
Sometimes.
Yeah.
So be this.
I can't be Alex.
None of us can.
His daughter, Lucy-- She was kidnapped two years ago.
Is she dead? He doesn't know.
He may never know.
So I hear they caught someone? Yes.
She confessed.
I think you should know that there is a bus from the city that gets in a little before 11:00.
Tracy did have a ticket.
She was on her way home.
When I go to sleep tonight for the first time in a long time, I won't worry.
I'll grieve, but I won't worry.
Thank you for bringing my daughter back.
It wasn't just me.
A lot of people helped.
Are they here with you? They're everywhere.
And we're everywhere, too nameless and forgotten.
My name is Tracy Benedict, and these are the people who gave it back to me.