Fortier (2001) s01e02 Episode Script

We're making progress.
Kathleen went to remove the girls.
Breaks my heart to separate them.
- lt was your idea.
- lt was, but A surgeon who amputates isn't necessarily happy about it.
The girls did that? Right So that's your evidence? You're such bastards.
Got anything to say? We're going for a ride.
Get in.
We're gonna talk, without your mother.
Catch him.
Look.
Karine drew six circles.
They're seven in the family.
Stephanie drew everyone except our guy.
Why? They're terrified of their father.
He's obviously out of the picture.
l don't know Chinese, and l don't know how this can tell you the father's innocent.
He could be innocent, because Karine's circles are red.
So they're red l'm wearing red.
Does that make me a criminal? When l first assessed them at the hospital, Karine drew this, and now, that.
They're identical.
l established that she uses the color red for the present, black for the past, and green for the future.
This time she chose red, to tell me it was continuing.
Get it? Yeah.
But why's the big circle the mother, not the father? Because of Stephanie.
She didn't draw her father.
Look, Anne.
lf these drawings have no connection, you're screwed.
Okay, turn around.
Face the wall.
Turn around.
Hands higher.
Legs apart.
lt's our turn, my friend.
Let's go.
The second time l saw Stephanie, she had her mom's wedding ring.
Sometimes, in incest cases, the mother offers her girls to the father.
The ring represents the marriage? You're sharp, Jean-Marie.
lt's like a security blanket.
But if it's going on while Charest's in jail, who's she offering her daughters to? Who's she marrying them to? l'm going back to the crisis center.
l'm going to the john.
This is too complicated for me.
l'll leave you alone.
Do you remember me? Your sisters are safe.
- Karine said it's still going on.
- l don't believe you.
Everyone's scared at your house.
Can you tell me why? lf you don't help me it'll make things harder.
But that's okay.
l'm stubborn as a mule.
l'll find what l'm after.
l'm not doing this for my own pleasure.
l'm doing it because l know it's hard for you.
You've been unhappy for a long time.
Your sisters too.
lt's hard to take the plunge.
Let it out, you'll feel better after.
None of this is your fault.
You have no reason to feel ashamed or guilty.
Look at me.
My father didn't do anything.
Leave him alone.
Doing some digging, Parent? We don't need 30 bodies to tell us this guy's mental.
Policy is, until we're sure he's crazy, we can't touch it.
Crimes Against Persons handles it.
But there's a ritual.
He puts them in a triangle.
l'm checking if we've ever had a similar case.
l found a few who were released.
Supposedly cured.
Serial killers don't change their habits, so forget it.
l can't.
Johnson told me to check.
- Screw him.
Let him do it.
- Say that to his face.
l'm not talking behind his back.
l know him.
A few more bodies, and you'll see-- He'll snatch the case from them.
CAP won't be able to say a word.
Yeah, right.
- You like blood pudding? - No, but l like sausages.
Not that kind.
This kind.
lt makes me sick when you compare people to food.
- How does it make you feel? - l have a technique.
A technique? You plug your nose and squeeze your eyes? l play music in my head.
lt doesn't wake the dead, but it keeps my mind off it.
lt's taking a while to remove the girls.
You've never taken a child away from its mother, have you? Well it shows.
Mrs.
Charest, l have to talk to you.
- Leave me alone.
- Esther You took my kids.
l'm not talking.
We can do this two ways: We can talk here, or we can talk in court.
What do you want? The girls to be safe.
- You don't have kids, do you? - No.
You don't know how it is to have your kids taken away.
You'll never know how it feels to lose your babies.
- What do you know about me? - Nothing that isn't obvious.
Typical social worker.
Jealous bitch.
You get your kicks by wrecking our families.
Leave me alone.
Alain's in jail.
lsn't that enough? Tell me who it is, and it'll all be over.
Give me back my girls, and my son that your buddies arrested.
What? My decision is based on the facts, and only the facts.
There is enough evidence to persuade me that the accused may commit other offenses if freed.
The accused will be detained until his trial.
- Bastard! - Mr.
Charest, calm down.
Take him away.
That's one problem solved.
Ready, Parent? They're coming.
ls that the other guy's son? No, it's the serial killer! - About that-- - They're waiting for you.
Three new victims.
- Any news? - No.
lt's complicated.
Some sickos are smarter than others.
Are we going, guys? Let's get this over with.
l've got things to do.
- Talk.
l'm listening.
- l want my lawyer.
Here.
The same one as my dad.
l don't have his number.
- Yes? - Savaria.
When did it start? What can l do? They're my kids, Dad.
They're my kids.
Do you hear me? - Do you? - Shut up.
l am, and l don't feel good about it.
They say they want to help you so you'll talk.
Talk and you're done for.
- The girls-- - l don't want to know.
Stand your ground.
They'll leave you alone.
Where's that awful music coming from? lt was on when we found them.
l'm just like you, Gabriel.
- What? - ltchy all over.
Just like the others.
Three at a time.
No sign of a struggle.
The victims didn't resist.
- Have you identified them? - We'll take care of it.
- Jean-Marie? - Yeah? Find me someone who knows the victim.
We're taking care of it.
lf you want the CD, buy it, 'cause l Not me.
For them! Parent, l'm trying your technique.
What did l tell you? Bunch of morons.
Does a neat job.
Rule out the suicide pact theory.
He slashes their wrists to kill them, puts them in a triangle He slides the bodies.
pointing in the cardinal directions, so Dufour thinks.
Make me a list of similarities with the other murder sites.
Keep him warm till l get there.
Charest Junior's confessing.
He'll never sign that.
Did you say that or not? You weren't even there.
He confessed under pressure.
You don't know what pressure is, buddy.
Sorry, Eric.
You, buddy, should realize that the police and the law are one and the same.
The kid talked, but the lawyer's showing off.
Do you always terrorize teenagers? He's an adult.
Barely.
His father's in jail.
That should calm your appetite.
lnstead of hounding the family, do your job right.
Check out the neighborhood.
What else are you actually doing? That's fine.
You can go.
- Yeah, but-- - Out! What game are you playing? Anyone home? Mrs.
Charest? lt's me.
What you told Mayrand-- ls it true that it was you? Yes.
- The whole family knows? - What? At home.
Everyone's protecting you.
Yes.
When did it start? l've always done it.
''Always,'' as in ''since forever''? Yes.
You wanted a confession, you got it.
l was looking for you.
l called you.
You've known me for a long time.
You should trust me.
lf someone's bothering you, tell me.
Just you and the shrink.
Listen.
l'm responsible for your case until the girls are of age.
l have to follow up on the case, whether you like it or not.
lt could be fine, or a drag for both of us.
Bloody hell Can't even do what you want in your own house.
The psychologist thinks someone else is abusing the girls.
Where's Stefan? He took off.
Happy? - l want to talk to him.
- Leave him be.
- Mrs.
Charest, l think-- - Out! - lt's my job-- - Out! l said get out! You could've told me you arrested him.
He took off as Kathleen was leaving with the girls.
- l couldn't reach you.
- Are we a team or not? l'll call you when l need you.
With all your experience, you believe him? He should've been relieved.
lnstead, his legs were shaking.
Shifty eyes, set jaw Signs a cop should recognize.
- He's covering for someone.
- You know-- The sexual abuse is still going on.
You know it's not a priority for the SAS? l'm helping out.
My priority is this.
Yours is in the morgue.
l've got a molester on the loose.
l've got a murderer on the loose.
That's worse.
The girls' lives aren't at risk.
Not their existence.
Their lives are another story.
Charest's in jail till his trial.
But he may be innocent, or only half-guilty.
l don't know yet.
Where are you at? l don't know anymore.
The whole family is lying.
Anyway A pack of lies may just add up to the truth.
l'll start from scratch.
l'll go back to the father.
- And that - What? Eczema.
lt's psychosomatic.
Charest never touched the girls.
l'm sure.
l wouldn't bet my life on it.
But if so, he's not alone, because it's still going on.
His son lies to take the blame.
The girls say it's a stranger.
Lies, nothing but lies.
And if they're telling the truth? Who? The son or the daughters? All of them! There can be more than one abuser.
Especially in a dysfunctional family.
You swore in court that it couldn't be the father.
Several people, excluding the father, of course.
No.
There's too many loose ends.
lt doesn't fit.
Your guess is as good as mine.
You don't believe it.
Listen.
lf it was him, how would he react to imprisonment? Aggressively.
- Aggressive in what way? - Unable to deal with his guilt.
Refusing to be depressed.
You know as well as l.
Who is this man? - Who? Charest? - Yes.
You saw him.
He's a delinquent, but not a pervert.
What's his role in the family? What does he believe? Where's he from? Where's he going? Help me out.
We're after the same thing.
He's a loser, a guy who's always considered himself second-rate.
Story of his life.
You have to feel sorry for him.
- Sorry for him? - He's a little man who shows his power by dominating those who are weaker, but not his kids.
They're an extension of himself.
Criminals have a sense of family.
You know that.
l hope you're being treated for that.
Yes, that! Attention Deficit Disorder.
Ritalin.
- Do you know him? - He's a regular.
How does he act? Keeps a low profile.
Does his thing.
- You know about his family? - No secrets in jail.
Guy like him refusing protection doesn't value his life.
- What do you mean? - Child molesters, in here Marcel! Mrs.
Charest, l'm sorry to come at this hour.
Your husband is dead.
We found him hanging in his cell.
What? Stefan! CAP will take it over.
Right.
Got it.
Right.
Wilfrid doesn't like it Wasting our budget on stuff that's not our concern.
lt was your idea.
Just transfer the case to another department.
l can't help thinking about the kids, now that l know them.
lt is sad, but they're not going to die.
The other wacko who's killing by threes, should we forget him? What about friendship? lt doesn't mean anything? The girls are busting their ass, and we drop it? - lt's their thing, not ours.
- Right! lt's good to cover your ass, but friends are important too.
More than you think.
What are you? A fuckin' heartless cop? Think about that when you're on your deathbed.
You know what l wish for you? l hope your room will be full.
Full of friends.
When you're on your deathbed, you won't give a shit about procedures or cases Would you like some water? l haven't any money.
My taxi's waiting.
Go on, Mayrand.
- What? - Go.
Don't laugh.
lt's not funny.
Go ahead and get dressed.
We'll wait.
- l couldn't wait.
Charest-- - Hopeless.
What are you after? A motive, and maybe proof that he was scared.
A motive? He realized his whole life was a failure.
Let's say it is him.
He hangs himself in disgust.
That's the simple solution.
But by dying, he solved one problem.
Yeah, ours.
He'll never talk now.
Let's say you're right.
lt must've been damn important.
He died, just not to talk? Yes, because there's someone else.
- Tomorrow, CAP takes the case.
- Give me 12 hours.
Send a locksmith to the house.
l'll comb the files again.
- Go ahead.
- Yeah, but lt's better if you don't stay, now that your dad's dead.
How come? They'll be after you boys.
l'll split if they come, but till then l stay with you.
No.
You can't.
You're kicking me out? You know l'm not, come on.
Do you know how l feel? Do you? - l'm going to Grandpa's.
- No.
That's not a good idea, either.
Listen l'll give you some money.
Call me in three days, okay? l'm fed up, Mom.
l want it to stop.
Can you tell me why we're going to Grandpa's tonight? l've got strange drawings, a boy taking the rap for someone, a dead father, a desperate mother, and girls who won't talk.
The only one l haven't met is Grandpa.
That's why.
- We should've brought the guys.
- Two of us is enough.
- When did you see him? - At the first assessment.
But the report hardly mentions it.
That's because l didn't write it down.
Why not? Because.
''Because'' is no answer.
Because it was the father.
That's why he killed himself.
But you're our eyes and ears.
l rely on what you write.
You knew as well as l.
You could have gone sooner.
Do you want the girls to be safe? Of course.
What? You're afraid to go? l really don't feel like waking them up at this hour.
Let's move it! - l've seen your granddaughters.
- Get lost! - l need your help, let's talk.
- l've nothing to say to you.
- Hey! - What? Sir? Give us a chance.
We have only 12 hours left.
Just a few questions.
Nothing's ever all black or all white.
ls this Esther's mom? - What do you want with that? - Just wondering.
ls that Esther's birthday? How old was she there? Seven.
Give me that.
This is our house.
You killed my husband, took my kids Give me the knife.
lt's okay.
- Give it.
- l'll kill you.
lt's not you she wants to kill.
Esther, stop it.
You have things to tell me.
Say nothing.
lt's okay to be angry at him, after all you endured.
You were only 7.
lt happened on your birthday.
lt's not him.
l know.
You're angry at your father because he never tried to protect you from her.
Your husband killed himself out of love for you.
Your kids can't accuse you, because they're too scared of losing you.
But it's you.
lt's you, Esther.
You did the same as she did.
You did to your kids exactly what your mom did to you, when you were 7.
A photo with her mother's ring? The drawings.
Charest didn't die for Gramps.
Process of elimination leaves The mom, herself abused.
Extenuating circumstances.
- ln defense? - ln sentencing.
- Logical.
- Not to me.
She deserves jail, a degenerate like her.
Like her mother was.
At least 14 years You know what l'd go for? Capital punishment.
As she's already dead, it'd really speed things up.
Time will fly.
ln 3 months, you'll be out of the center.
Then where to? We'll find families for you.
Good families.
Can we live together? Maybe.
Maybe one day.
And what about our mom? She needs help.
Like what? The court will decide that.
We didn't press charges.
Well, l did it for you.
So no one will hurt you again.
ls she going to jail? lt's possible.
l call the case of Esther Charest.
My client is in custody.
l will read the charges.
ln Montreal, between January 1 , 1986 and May 31 , 1999, Esther Charest, by the use of threats and abuse of authority, engaged in sexual assaults on Annie, Stephanie, Karine, Stefan and Eric Charest, constituting criminal acts contrary to Article 273-2B of the Criminal Code.
What do you plead, Counselor Savaria? Your Honor, my client pleads guilty-- One moment.
Mrs.
Charest Do you understand the nature of the charges against you? Mrs.
Charest? Do you understand? Boys! l'm sorry.
l made a mistake.
- Yeah, we know.
- l mean, l never thought you-- What'll happen to our mother? We'll do what we can.
We'll help her, even in prison.
We could put up with it, or lose our parents.
Bye, guys.
We sweat blood to protect those kids.
And that's the thanks we get.
Give them time, they're young.
lt still hurts.
Yeah.
That's not all.
- Look at this face.
- Why? Do l look like l work for the SPCA? He can't go with the girls.
The boys don't want him.
They won't let him in jail with Mrs.
Charest.
No.
This is a bit too much.
What do we do? Okay.
l'll look after it.
Come on.
Bye, puppy lncest cases are difficult for you, aren't they? l think l understood what you weren't telling me.
Yes My father molested me.
So? You want me to write a report? Hang a sign around my neck? ''l, Kathleen Giroux was a victim of incest.
'' Yes, l was a victim of incest.
Okay.
l think he was too.
lt does feel good to let it out.
You're tuned into those cases.
Leave the error margin to me.
Bye.
Come on.
Let's get a taxi.
- Nice place.
- Yep.
Ritzy little bungalow.
- You see that, Parent? - Quite a job.
Bodies placed in the same way.
Music included.
- l turned it off.
Happy? - Thanks a lot.
How many does that make? Ten.
By threes, they're going fast.
Ten divided by three That makes 3.
33 triple murders.
A driver, at the wrong place at the right time.
Anything else besides that? Nothing new.
Same pattern.
Besides the blood, the house is neat and tidy.
- What are you thinking? - Fortier.
- What about Fortier? - Call her.
Okay.
Come on, doggie.
Let's go for a walk.
That's it.
Good dog.
Hold on.
Okay.
Hold on.
Yes Hello? Yes? What?