High Potential (2024) s01e03 Episode Script

1
["SOUL NO. 5" PLAYING]
Official LAPD business. Keep
my baby close. This won't take long.
I got a bicycle
I'm cruising down the street ♪
I like to keep it loose
A freak in the sheets ♪
- [CHATTERING ON RADIO]
- [MORGAN] Detectives.
- Where's my better half?
- Bathroom.
- Hmm.
- [SHUTTER CLICKING]
Good morning, Morgan. [SIGHS]
So, what do you think happened?
Well, I think we can rule out nothing.
And we're off.
Melted candles, empty glass,
clothes thrown everywhere.
It looks like a wild night
that went south.
[CLICKS TONGUE] But was it murder?
A hundred percent.
What, you don't think so?
I think it was murder and a cover-up,
but I wanna know how you know.
Sounds like a challenge.
How fun. See these hand towels?
You may remember that I used to
be a professional cleaner.
- Hmm. Vaguely, yeah.
- Yes.
The way that these towels
are folded are a disgrace.
Look, the bottom two have two edges,
the top one has three edges.
That means the killer used this
top towel to clean up after himself,
- cover his tracks.
- Hmm.
Now, get down here
and see what I'm seeing.
I can see just fine from up here,
thanks. But what do you see?
You see these streaks?
Any self-respecting housekeeper is gonna
use a microfiber mop
on a bathroom floor.
Our murderer used that towel
to wipe up this area.
Which suggests a cover-up.
Exactly. Now, our vic Is it okay
if I call him vic? It's happening.
Our vic was not alone,
because no man's gonna spend
money on a hotel room this fancy
unless he's planning on entertaining.
And my guess: a sexy brunette.
["KALEIDOSCOPE" PLAYS]
Why? Did you find a hair sample?
Nah, but blonde seems too obvious,
so I'm going with brunette for now.
Either way, she had to be
pretty attractive because
I don't mean to be disrespectful,
but the dead guy in the tub
is super hot.
Morgan, please don't ever comment
on the hotness of a victim ever again.
Okay. The manager opened the safe
for us, and we found
the victim's wallet.
Inside: $80 cash and an ID.
Ernest Lozano, Mexico City.
Do a deep dive.
Anything, everything
you can find on the guy.
Stop by the security center
downstairs. Look at last night's footage.
- Got it.
- Yep.
- Wonder what he was drugged with.
- How do you know he was drugged?
Well, 'cause who does their dishes
in a hotel room? Except you, maybe.
Anyway, this glass was
rinsed out and wiped clean.
Why do that unless you were
trying to get rid of white residue?
- Notice anything else about the glass?
- That's a whiskey tumbler.
Lead-free, crystal-cut, which is
harder and more durable than glass.
Withstands most scratches.
Also refracts light beautifully.
You want me to know
you drink whiskey so bad.
Point being this piece of glassware
is far more expensive than the others.
It must have been
brought up to the room.
Lozano and his sexy brunette stopped
at the hotel bar before
coming to the room.
- But you already knew that.
- Mm-hmm.
The tumbler was rinsed out,
leaving little to zero trace of whiskey,
which strongly suggests a cover-up.
And why cover it up unless it was
murder? Now, let's go hit the hotel bar.
[BARTENDER] I recognize him.
He had a drink at the start
of my shift around 7:00 p.m.
Was he with anyone?
A sexy brunette, maybe?
I'd say medium sexy.
- Also, she was a blonde.
- Really?
[BRUNETTE SCREAMS]
- Did it seem like business or pleasure?
- Maybe both.
The guy was definitely tying one on.
Made sure to leave a generous
tip before they bounced.
Catch the name of his guest
by any chance?
We were slammed, so I couldn't
really hear their convo.
But I wanna say that her name sounded
like, uh, Candice or Gladys or Janice.
[PHONE CHIMES]
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
So, we scrubbed through last night's
footage, and we found this at 8:02 p.m.
Lozano and his mystery woman
got on the fourth floor, into the room.
And then at 8:33 p.m.,
right there, she leaves.
No one else used a key card to
enter the suite until this morning
when the cleaners discovered
Ernest Lozano's body.
That must be our killer.
I showed a photo of our mystery
woman to the hotel doorman.
He said she parked her red Kia out
front in a no-parking
zone around 7:00 p.m.
Shortly after, LADOT arrived
and started writing tickets.
So call LADOT,
see if we can ID the red car.
I already called.
They didn't issue a ticket to a red
Kia out front of this hotel last night.
Well, the only cars that don't get
ticketed belong to cops and doctors.
Cops aren't issued red cars.
Right. So it must be vehicle code 21058.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, it must be. Yeah. Remind
Oz about vehicle code 21058.
It's an emblem allowing physicians
responding to emergencies
to be exempt from
laws governing parking.
There's a hospital
less than a mile from here.
Swing by, see if anyone recognizes the
woman from our hotel security footage,
and we'll circle back at the precinct.
That sounds like a city council
issue, not a major crimes issue.
Of course. Keep me posted. Bye.
How's the hotel case lookin'?
Daphne and Oz ID'd our suspect as a
physician who works in the neighborhood.
They're bringing her in
for questioning as we speak.
- You like her for it?
- Oh, very much.
We have her on hotel security footage
entering and exiting the victim's room
- around the time of the murder.
- Yes.
It's open-and-shut.
- The file you requested, Lieutenant.
- Thank you.
- [GROANS]
- Uh-oh.
You good with that? Need some help?
No one can help me with this.
I'm gonna have to rely on
someone I'd rather not deal with.
Hmm.
Welcome to my world.
[KARADEC] Dr. Iris Bowman, tell us
about your relationship
with Ernest Lozano.
I wouldn't call it a relationship.
What would you call it?
[IRIS] Harmless fun.
We met three months ago
in a hotel bar and hit it off.
I I can't believe he's dead.
When you say "hit it off"
It's exactly what you think it means.
Ernest would reach out
whenever he was in town.
It was no-strings-attached fun
between two adults.
Hmm. Well, what did you know about him?
Ernest was a curator in Mexico City.
He wasn't like most LA guys.
He was fun, charming, cultured.
What's your husband think
about this casual fling?
My husband died in
a car accident nine months ago.
What Ernest and I had was temporary.
He was meant to be a
a Band-Aid on my life.
So what happened last night?
Nothing. He was in town,
I met him at our spot.
We had a drink or two, went
up to our room, drew a bath.
But then Ernest fell asleep, so I left.
Well, see, the thing is, Dr. Bowman,
we have you on security footage
entering Lozano's room
and then exiting 30 minutes later.
After that, not a soul enters or exits
that room, and now
Ernest Lozano is dead.
- [STAMMERS] I told you everything.
- [KARADEC] Mm-hmm.
He was alive when I left.
- Do I need a lawyer?
- [KARADEC] That would be wise.
You have the right to remain silent
- and refuse to answer questions
- She didn't do it.
The candles. There were
candles lining the bathtub.
I have the same ones at home.
I got 'em on clearance.
They smell like laundry. But the problem
is they only burn for about four hours.
I'm sorry, I-I don't know.
Is that, uh, a long time?
For a candle? What? No.
A tea light burns longer. No.
All of the candles were melted
down all the way except for this one.
Something put out this candle,
and you know what puts out fire?
Uh, water.
- Yes, Doctor. Water.
- [KARADEC] Water. Water.
[MORGAN] Water puts out fire.
In this case, bathwater.
Bathwater put out this lone candle.
So that means there was a tub fight.
There was thrashing around, bathwater
splashed out and extinguished the flame.
The candle looked like
it had been burning
for about an hour and a half.
Okay. So you are saying that
when Dr. Bowman left the room,
all the candles were burning,
and an hour after that,
something happened in that room.
And someone was in that room.
[SIGHS]
Can I leave now?
[SIGHS]
[CLICKS TONGUE] Yeah. Free to go.
[SIGHS]
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
Speaking of good, huh?
And our only suspect walks out the door.
Mahomes, under on passing yards,
over on rushing yards.
Uh, next, WNBA Finals.
Aces, moneyline, Wilson.
Ah.
Fifteen years ago, Roman
Sinquerra painted a mural downtown.
You wrote the citation and
the report, but both are illegible.
What does this say?
Look, if you're so interested,
give me 2K.
Fine, 1K. [CHUCKLES] No? 500?
I don't care how low you go. I'm
not gonna pay you for information.
Oh, yeah. Um.
Whatever thing is happening in
NASCAR, 1,000 on numbers ten through 19.
And that's it. I love you, Mom. Bye.
- Read this address out loud now.
- Hmm.
"14641 Willington Street."
No such place.
There's a Washington Boulevard
and a Billington Street,
but neither has a 14641.
Well, this is definitely
14641 Billington Street.
Again, no such place.
[SIGHS]
- Fifty bucks says there is.
- There isn't.
But if you wanna give me your
money like that, sure, I'll check it out.
I'll drive.
Wow.
There used to be nothing but chop
shops and stash houses on this street.
Now they got a CrossFit gym,
vegan Nashville hot chicken
restaurant and a third-wave coffee shop.
It's beautiful.
Wait. This was the street, right?
I could have sworn the mural was here.
Maybe I didn't write this.
Turn around, Melon.
14614 Billington.
Looks like a sign
protected a part of that mural.
- [CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
- [LIEUTENANT MELON] It's a cool fish tail.
That's a bird's wing.
Those are feathers, not scales.
- That's a fish tail.
- It's a bird's wing.
Double or nothing.
Why not?
Definitely feathers.
- We have news on our victim.
- [KARADEC] What's up?
We heard back from Ernest
Lozano's colleagues in Mexico City.
They say he's alive and well and
showing up at work every day.
- What
- [OZ] Yeah.
Local police questioned Lozano
about his ID showing up
- at the hotel of a murdered man.
- Mm-hmm.
He told them about a ride he
took a couple years ago in LA.
On the drive, he and the driver joked
about how much they looked alike.
Later that night, he realized
he lost his wallet. So our victim
- Is not Ernest Lozano. Okay.
- [DAPHNE] Yeah.
Put pressure on the lab for DNA
and fingerprints from the crime scene,
and I'll look more closely at
Where's the evidence box?
"Working from home. See you
tomorrow. Morgan." Smiley face.
[SPACESHIP WHIRRING THROUGH TV]
- This is the best movie night ever.
- [CHUCKLES]
All right. The trick is to see if we
can notice things other people can't.
What do you think these keys go to?
Oh. Bike lock, PO box and car keys.
- You are my son.
- [FRIDGE DOOR OPENS]
Ava, can you grab us a couple of sodas?
I can't touch surfaces
'cause of my gloves.
[FRIDGE DOOR CLOSES]
Oh. Okay. This is interesting.
- Do you see this stitching right here?
- Mm-hmm.
- Thank you. This is from
- [PERSON] Two sodas
[GASPS] Oh! Uh.
Hi, strange boy in my house.
Who are you?
I'm Ryder, Ava's friend.
Oh, yeah?
What are you doing?
What does it look like? Studying.
I couldn't find the cookies,
so I got cheese puffs.
- [MORGAN GASPS]
- Thank you. I love cheese puffs
I bought those. These are mine. Can
I see you in the hallway for a second?
[AVA SIGHS]
Okay. Don't freak out.
Ludo said I could have Ryder in my room
as long as we shut the door
if our music got too loud.
Oh, he did? [LAUGHS]
Man, what a problem-solver.
That's great, because, uh,
my primary concern here was
the decibel level of your music.
No. Mom, we were just studying.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
To be continued.
I assume you got my Post-it.
Mmm.
You never take evidence home,
Morgan. Ever. Y
You have got to be kidding me.
What? He's wearing gloves.
[MORGAN] You're upset, and
you're allowed to have all your feelings.
But people bring their work home
all the time. [CHUCKLES]
My daughter is in her room
working on her homework right now.
Elliot, go bug your sister. Quick.
Run. Open Keep the door open.
[ELLIOT] Ava, I'm coming to bug you!
Morgan, this goes against all rules
and all protocol for handling evidence.
Well, what's the worst
that could happen?
Um, you know, I don't know.
Let me think.
Oh, right. Everything in here
becomes inadmissible in court,
and we can't convict the murderer.
Yeah, that's bad. That'd be bad.
And I get that.
I did think about that.
But here's the thing,
I really want to help you
figure out who your dead guy is.
[KARADEC] Silly me. I was gonna
use dental records and fingerprints.
There's so many clues in this
evidence box that you guys missed.
Did anybody even look at the shoes?
There's cement all over the soles.
He must have lived or worked
near a construction site.
Oh. Great. We'll just visit the one
construction site in Los Angeles.
- Okay. Look at the man's pants.
- [KARADEC SIGHS]
This is not the original stitching,
but this repair was done
by a professional.
- See the-the threads?
- [KARADEC] What about them?
[MORGAN] They don't cross.
You don't find that
the tiniest bit strange?
Um, I can say with full
confidence I have never in my life
thought about how threads
cross on a pants hem.
Well, lucky for you, I've spent
a lot of time thinking about it.
The whole hyperactive brain
thing makes it hard to fall asleep.
So, for a long time, the only
thing that would put me down
was watching sewing
and alterations videos.
[IN MALAGASY]
Now, the victim's pants
were repaired without crossing.
That is something that is unique
to tailors from Madagascar.
Because they have a superstition
that crossing your stitches is unlucky.
Oh. You know what? Just make a list
of all of the tailors
from Madagascar in the area.
I don't think the LAPD
has a magical database
of seamstresses and tailors
cross-referenced by ethnicity.
But, you know, I can check.
Well, all you need to do is find all of
the tailor and alteration shops in LA,
and find the ones
with the longest names.
Because long names
are uniquely Madagascan?
Well, no, but their naming customs
are unlike anywhere else in the world.
All of their names are unique,
and every name has meaning.
And when two people get married,
they just smash their names
together into one big, giant, long name.
It's super romantic.
Okay. So, compile a list
of tailors in Los Angeles,
find the ones with the longest names,
and then look for one
by a construction site.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Yeah. Okay. Well,
we'll get into that tomorrow.
- Okay.
- [KARADEC] And, Morgan,
don't ever use that phrase again.
Probably will.
[BABY CRYING]
[CRYING STOPS]
So, Ryder seems nice.
Funny. That's what his PO said.
[LAUGHS] Parole officer. Yeah,
I get it. 'Cause he was in juvie.
Mm-mmm. Chino. He was tried as an adult.
You You are so, so funny. [LAUGHS]
But seriously, tell me all
about him. I wanna know.
- Hey, I gotta go or I'll be late.
- Sit.
Put your phone away. I guess
we're doing this the hard way.
Did you mean for that to rhyme?
- I will be asking the questions. Okay?
- [SIGHS]
- Tell me about Ryder.
- All we were doing was studying.
[SIGHS] It always starts with studying,
and then you're lying about
where you were.
And the next thing you know
You're a single mom, with
three kids, pretending to be a cop.
I am not pretending. Thank
you very much. I am consulting.
Oh, yeah. I know. You don't
even have a badge. [CHUCKLES]
[CHUCKLES] You think
I need a badge? Okay.
I will have you know,
I walk into a space
and people are like,
"Who is this?" Okay?
Then other people are like,
"I don't know, but
she definitely belongs here."
Okay, Mom, this is cringe. I gotta go.
"Make way," they all yell. You know?
- "Give that lady access."
- [BABY BABBLES]
[SIGHS]
When can I get a badge?
Please, stop ringing the bell. Okay?
How old were you
when you started dating?
I bet you were that guy
who dated the same girl
all four years of high school.
And then on prom night,
you made a pact to lose your
Hello. Uh, are you
Raissa Rakota Harimalala?
Indeed. You may call me Rai.
Rai. Real quick,
do you recognize this man?
Mr. Eduardo.
- Is Is he dead?
- Eduardo is his last name?
No.
Eduardo's his first name.
Yes.
Do you know his last name?
No. Mr. Eduardo, he always pays in cash.
Can you tell us anything about him?
Mr. Eduardo is one of my regulars.
He finds designer suits secondhand.
I make them look nice again.
- Get excited. We got a first name.
- Oh, I'm thrilled.
You do realize there could be thousands
of Eduardos in Los
Angeles though, right?
- Wait. Do you hear that?
- [CONSTRUCTION DRILLING]
Sweet, sweet sounds of the city.
Okay. Tailor shop,
construction site. Now what?
- Now we just got to find a parking lot.
- Mmm.
Yep. Right here.
Why do we care about parking?
Don't get mad at me.
Of course you brought his keys.
Well, it's still in the evidence bag,
and it's a good thing I did. Because
[CAR BEEPING]
[MORGAN] Eduardo's Toyota.
Next time.
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
[DIALING]
[RINGING TONE]
[DAPHNE] Forester.
What do you need?
Hey, Daph. I just sent you the plates
on our victim's vehicle. Do your thing.
Probably the car Ernest Lozano
lost his wallet in.
And I will have to call you back. Bye.
Morgan. Morgan. No. No, no. Don't.
Gloves. Sorry. Gloves.
No, it's not the gloves.
Actually, yes, you do need gloves.
But before you touch anything,
just ask me first. Okay?
No, you're totally right. I apologize.
You said that before.
Won't happen again.
- Mmm.
- Except I did already touch everything.
He's got suits, charging cables,
little waters, hand
The guy's a rideshare driver.
Yes. How'd you do that so fast?
Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Oh. Yep. Yeah, that too.
Daphne says the car is
registered to an Eduardo Cortez,
lives in this building.
Ten years ago, the guy did time
in prison for credit card fraud.
Since then,
he's been a rideshare driver.
Pretty fancy building for a
driver. We sure this is our guy?
Mmm.
- Eduardo Cortez's driver's license.
- Whew.
[MORGAN] Yeah, that's him.
How do you have
a hot driver's license photo?
216, this should be the place.
- Morgan, what did I tell you ab
- I'm just kidding. [LAUGHS]
You're fun.
- You're a lot of fun.
- Mm-hmm.
[CHILD] Daddy! Daddy's home!
Hello? Can I help you?
Sorry to intrude, ma'am.
I'm LAPD Detective Adam Karadec.
This is consultant Morgan Gillery.
Do you happen to know an Eduardo Cortez?
He's my husband.
Is he okay?
Cheers. [SIPS] Ooh!
I'll let mine cool down.
It's just too hot.
Gosh. Thank you, guys,
for sharing your tea with me.
Your friends are all really nice.
Do you have a favorite friend?
[WHISPERS] I won't tell the rest.
Stanley. He can take photos too.
Stanley can take photos?
No way. Let me see this.
So cool.
My daddy gave him to me.
He also gave me that dictionary.
Oh. Words are Words are important.
[EDUARDO'S SPOUSE] We've
been together for ten years.
I met Eduardo after
he was released from prison.
How long had he been driving?
He used to drive
up until three years ago,
when he started at his cousin's
wine distribution business.
Was it strange that he hadn't come home?
His job required quite a bit of travel,
so Eduardo being away felt normal.
I can't believe he's gone.
Do you recognize this woman?
I don't. Who is she?
I'm sorry, but Eduardo was
not traveling for work.
We found his body
in a Hollywood hotel room.
He was with this woman
the night he was murdered.
What the hell was that? Woman
just found out her husband died.
Maybe give it a sec before you
whip out a picture of his mistress.
If Regina knew
about Eduardo's infidelity,
she had strong motive to kill him.
I needed to get
her unvarnished reaction.
Ooh. That's good.
Didn't think about that.
It seems like there's a lot about
this job you don't think about.
You know, like taking evidence
home with you.
You know, every once in a while
I start to get tricked
into thinking that maybe
you're a normal person.
And then, sure enough, you remind
me you're just a heartless police robot.
Mm-hmm.
Why would Eduardo use a fake ID?
Why would someone change their entire
identity just to cheat on their wife?
Doesn't add up.
- Finances don't really add up either.
- Mmm.
Sweet apartment, the car, altering
suits to make 'em look expensive.
Yep. Go home, get rest and
do not take evidence with you.
[LUDO] It was a pretty normal day.
Ava was glued to her phone.
Elliot worked on his geography project.
Chloe ate a crayon,
but it was a green one.
So I feel it was the most
natural and least toxic.
Did Chloe have a guest?
Chloe, the baby, did not have a guest.
She didn't have any, uh,
floppy-haired teenage boys swing by?
[SIGHS] I knew this was coming.
Look, Ryder seems like a nice kid.
- I think it's fine.
- It's not fine.
We both knew that she was gonna
have friends over sooner or later.
- Ava's 15.
- What were you doing when you were 15?
Lifting. Hanging with my boys.
I'm kidding, I didn't lift or
have boys. But Ava's different.
I know Ava's different, but
teenage boys are all the same.
Well, we're both trying
to figure it out, okay?
I think we just need to trust Ava.
- So let's calm down, and
- Don't tell me to calm down.
- You overstepped in a major way.
- Okay.
You're on one of your
famous Morgan rants,
so I'm gonna give you a little space.
I am not on a Morgan rant.
I am doing what's best
for my kid. Ava is my daughter.
Right. I'm just the manny.
That's not what I said.
That's not what I meant.
You don't [SIGHS]
Can you please come back here
so we can
Okay.
[DOOR SLAMS]
Eduardo's life just doesn't add up.
I'm late. I'm sorry. Sorry I'm late.
It was a crazy kid morning,
but who cares about that?
Who cares about kids?
- I brought doughnuts.
- Hell yeah.
I love it when you're late.
Ooh. So many options.
Can't go wrong with glaze, right?
- Never.
- [OZ] No.
Maybe it's a sprinkles day.
- Might be a sprinkles day.
- Yeah. I don't know. Is that a jelly
- Just pick a damn doughnut.
- Okay.
[SELENA] Medical examiner's
report just came in.
Eduardo Cortez's cause of death
is drowning
with trace amounts of alcohol
in his system.
But he looked sober on the CCTV
footage when he was walking with Iris.
Bartender says he tied one on.
Could have been all the Xanax
the lab found in his system.
They also found residue
on the glassware.
Well, Xanax's main side effects
are severe drowsiness and dizziness.
Still, no one other than Dr. Bowman used
the key card to enter
the room that night.
But the cameras proved
she isn't the killer.
What if the murderer entered the room
in a way that didn't require a key card?
What are you talking about, Morgan?
I'm talking about the murderer going
into the room through the window.
The room is on the fourth floor.
You'd have to be Spider-Man.
Really, Oz? I brought doughnuts.
Look, would it be easy? No.
But is it doable? I think so.
Right here.
I didn't see it
when I was there in person.
There was a crime scene
photographer standing in front of me.
But do you see?
- What are we looking at?
- The window latches.
See? All of those are turned
to the left except for this one,
which is turned to the right,
which means it's unlocked.
The murderer could have done the
deed and then exited through the window
but not been able
to lock it from the outside.
Except it's on the fourth floor, Morgan.
What other leads do we have?
Cortez's financials.
A prelim check showed he had no debt.
Lived in a fancy apartment.
Drove a beat-up car.
Yeah. He did wear old suits and
doctor 'em up to look expensive.
All right. Keep digging
into his finances.
Oz, check out Morgan's window theory.
[WHISPERS] Yes!
Here you go, sir.
- Thanks.
- Mm-hmm.
[VEHICLES PASSING]
Spider-Man, Spider-Man ♪
Does whatever a spider can ♪
Look out! ♪
Here comes the Spider-Man ♪
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
It was a yellow light.
You could have just gone.
[OZ] Hey. Big news.
I just got back from the hotel.
Manager said it's policy for
the cleaners to lock the windows
when they finish cleaning
the room each morning.
So if a window was unlocked,
guest must have done it that day.
- So it was left unlocked.
- [OZ] Mm-hmm.
But the question wasn't
whether the window was unlocked.
- Could someone get up to the window?
- [OZ] I think someone could.
Not me but someone.
Look, there are recessed windows
and a lot of ledges.
In between those,
crevices and indentations.
But check this out.
[KARADEC] What is that? Powder?
Yes, it's powder.
It's magnesium carbonate.
- That's the powder climbers use.
- [DAPHNE] Hey, guys.
Okay. Thank you.
You wanted a deep dive
into Eduardo Cortez's money?
I just learned he deposited
checks totaling more than 200,000
in the past year from
a woman named Glenda Walker.
Her address.
This is it.
Feel like an assisted-living community
isn't a hotbed for criminal activity.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
LAPD. Is this Glenda Walker's room?
Uh, yeah.
Can we ask her some questions?
You can try.
[KARADEC] Glenda,
do you know Eduardo Cortez?
I am sorry, I-I don't. Should I?
Uh, what about Ernest Lozano?
Oh, yes. [CHUCKLES]
Ernest is my fiancé.
We made plans to fly to Mexico City.
He's picking me up any minute now.
[KARADEC] Oh.
Can I ask why you gave him $200,000?
She what?
Mom? Is that true?
It's for our home in Mexico City.
I gave Ernest my half, and
he is taking care of everything.
It has a lovely guest room
just for Kyle.
Oh. [CHUCKLES]
Kyle, do you mind
if we speak in private?
Yeah.
[SIGHS] How long has she been like this?
My mom got diagnosed almost a year ago.
It's getting worse.
Doctors say it's dementia.
Yeah. You ever meet this Ernest?
No. No, I was living up north
when they first met.
So, my mom got sick.
Stopped hearing from the guy.
- [KNOCKING ON DOOR]
- [VACUUM CLEANER SWITCHES OFF]
We're gonna have to establish
some boundaries,
'cause Karadec was just here
the other night.
I have a Roman question.
So this.
- [MORGAN] Roman's work.
- [SELENA] Mm-hmm.
Bird's wing or fishtail?
Please tell me it's a bird's
wing. I got 50 bucks on it.
- It's a bird's wing.
- Yes!
It's a Phoenix actually. Do
you wanna see the whole thing?
I would, in fact.
Is this relevant to anything
other than your bet?
A month before he went missing,
Roman was cited for painting a
mural in an unauthorized location.
Back then, the area was
a hotbed for criminal activity.
- Roman wasn't a criminal.
- I wonder if he saw something in the area
- he shouldn't have.
- I don't know.
He didn't say anything about it.
I'm sure he would have.
Oh, wow.
- Isn't that cool?
- It really is.
Keep it. Keep all of them.
They might be useful.
- Great.
- Do you want a cookie?
I'm not sure if that's
a serious question or not.
- But if it is, yes.
- I don't joke around about cookies.
I'm not concerned about your bowels.
I just hide the good stuff
where the kids will never look.
[CHUCKLES]
You are a genius.
Had I known this
when I was raising my kids,
my books would've been
full with cookies.
Mmm.
I bet you could fit a lot
of cookies in a dictionary.
Thank you for letting me look
at your daddy's gift.
- [SIGHS]
- Oh, my. How much is in there?
Ballpark. Fifty grand.
Where did Eduardo get this money?
Working theory,
he was seducing vulnerable women
and scamming them out of their money.
Take it away.
Give it back to those women.
Wanna see my Stanley photos?
I sure do want to see your Stanley
photos. [CHUCKLES] Oh, cute.
That's my daddy.
- There he is.
- Here I am.
- Saved you a stool.
- Thank you.
- Your, uh, drink's on the way.
- Hmm.
Dirty vodka martini on the rocks.
- Hmm.
- Weird drink for my weird guy.
Yeah, well, martini glasses
are what's weird.
It's poorly designed barware.
Terrible for people with large hands.
And how did you guess my drink?
I've been cleaning up
in major crimes for months.
I know you better than
you know yourself.
- Oh, you do?
- I do.
Okay. Well, tell me about myself then.
You fill your car up every two weeks
at the same spot next to Union Station.
You love yourself a French dip
from Philippe's.
- You avoid the 405 at all costs.
- Mm-hmm.
And, uh, your favorite doughnut is
not a doughnut. It's an apple fritter.
Hmm.
So where was my fritter earlier?
I haven't decided if I like you yet.
Hmm. What was so important that
we couldn't talk about it on the phone?
Yes.
So we know that Eduardo was conning
rich, vulnerable women
to get their money.
And who meets a lot of rich,
vulnerable women?
- A hotel bartender.
- [MORGAN] Mm-hmm.
- [KARADEC] Hey!
- Ah. Oh.
[ALARM BLARING]
[STAMMERS] What are you doing?
I'm not going back to prison.
Oz, put the gun down.
[GRUNTS, GROANING]
- [MORGAN] Yeah, they went out the front.
- Morgan!
- Check the back door.
- Yes, ma'am.
Why didn't you tell me
what I was walking into?
- I didn't know all that was gonna happen.
- I could've gotten stabbed.
Okay. I think you're
overreacting just a teeny bit.
I am not overreacting. We
both could've been seriously hurt.
But we didn't, right? And how about
a little bit of gratitude, by the way?
Oh, gratitude. Gratitude for what?
I gave you a break in the case.
Oh! Thank you, Morgan, for
giving me a break in the case
in the most idiotic way possible.
How can someone as smart as you
are do so many stupid things?
[SCOFFS] Why does everyone feel like
they have the right
to just call me stupid?
I don't have to take this.
I don't need this job that bad.
- Fine. This job does not need you.
- Perfect. I quit.
- There is no way Morgan quit.
- That's what I heard.
- She stormed off at the hotel.
- [ELEVATOR DINGS]
Karadec. [CLEARS THROAT]
Daphne, meet me in Interrogation.
Oz, get started on the paperwork.
[SIGHS]
Assault, battery, extortion,
buying and selling of stolen goods.
And Eduardo Cortez's murder.
We know you guys
shared a cell in prison.
What was your relationship like
with Eduardo after being released?
Look, you pulled a knife on a cop.
You wanna minimize your
jail time, this is your chance.
[STAMMERS] When I got out,
I was doing okay bartending.
But I knew that Eduardo was struggling.
He helped me on the inside,
so I felt like I owed him.
When I started at the hotel,
he came up with a plan.
To exploit vulnerable women.
I only gave him possible marks.
After that, whatever Eduardo did
with these women is on him.
But you got a finder's fee.
Sure, but I had
nothing to do with his death.
Why would I want Eduardo killed?
He was my goose that laid golden eggs.
[CLICKS TONGUE]
Prado admitted to running a con
with our victim,
- but he lawyered up, so
- [SIGHS]
Any other leads?
Yeah, a few. I'll chase 'em down.
Oh, uh One more thing. Morgan quit.
She didn't quit.
Mmm. No, she made it pretty clear.
I chewed her out
after the hotel incident,
and she stormed off yelling
she didn't need the job.
She'll be back. She needs this.
[LUDO] You quit?
Well, he was yelling. I was
yelling. I don't know. I felt attacked.
- I really liked that job.
- Liked? I loved that job.
It was a sweet gig,
and they paid me for childcare.
So, wait, why did you call me all the
way over here if you
didn't need a manny?
[SIGHS] I just wanted
to tell you in person
that I'm really sorry about what
I said to you the other night.
You're the closest thing
Ava has to a father,
and we're all really lucky
to have you in our lives.
Thanks.
Now, if you can just apologize
like that to the LAPD,
I'm pretty sure you could
get that sweet job back.
LAPD are bossy. You know
how I feel about authority.
[CHUCKLES] I do know.
Hot Dog on a Stick.
H&R Block. Magic Castle.
Kaiser Permanente Sunset,
Kaiser Permanente Culver City.
- Kaiser Permanente
- I get it. I quit a lot.
Well, we'll figure it out.
Although, I do think I should
tell you, yesterday at pickup,
I heard Elliot bragging
to his classmates
about his mom being a detective.
I've never heard Elliot boasting
about his driving instructor dad
or his cleaning lady mom, have you?
We gotta tell him to stop bragging
about his mom being a cop.
- Everyone's gonna think he's a narc.
- [CHUCKLES]
Thanks for the apology.
Bye.
[CHLOE BABBLES]
[DAPHNE] Prado's lawyer made it
clear, there's no confession coming.
Yeah, it's fine. He's not our guy.
Couldn't have been in the
hotel room at the time of death.
Staff confirmed his alibi, and
we're getting security footage
- from the downstairs bar
- And his nails.
- I told you.
- [DAPHNE] Thanks.
I know which one I want.
Can we please get back to the case?
Yes. As I was saying, his fingernails.
What about 'em? The victim
wasn't scratched to death, Morgan.
No, he was not.
But, in order to climb
the exterior of a hotel
and get into the fourth-floor window,
the murderer would have to
have short nails.
The bartender had long,
flamenco-guitar nails.
But you know who has short nails?
- I do.
- Me too.
We all have short nails.
So what? We're all murderers?
- What's your point, Morgan?
- This question is for Karadec.
Do you know who has short fingernails?
Members of the Long Beach Climbing Club.
Kyle.
- Explain.
- Kyle's a climber.
[MORGAN] He could easily
get up in that window.
He snuck up on Eduardo.
He forced him underwater.
Kyle wanted revenge for his mother.
Daphne, Oz, go arrest Kyle
Walker. Get him back here ASAP.
Excellent work, Morgan.
Detective, get the confession
and close it up.
I thought you quit.
- Oh, I did.
- Hmm.
But you need me, admit it.
- Good work, Morgan.
- Thank you.
You couldn't have done it alone.
[RADIO CHATTER]
What'd you say?
I said, "You couldn't
have done it alone."
Kyle. Kyle couldn't have done it alone.
He doesn't appear on
any of the CCTV footage.
He had an accomplice, someone
who drugged Eduardo's drink.
[MORGAN] Someone who
unlatched the window.
Someone who was already
inside the room that night.
I already explained
the nature of our relationship.
Sure. But you left out the part
where you gave Eduardo $390,000.
We know he lied to you.
We know he took your money.
What we wanna know is,
how did you meet Kyle Walker?
So, Kyle, how did you come into
contact with Dr. Iris Bowman?
I met Kyle at the hotel.
I started staking out the place
where I knew she met this new guy.
And that's where you met Iris?
She was with him.
I I just wanted to ruin his scam.
So, I tried to warn her, but it was
Too late.
I-I'd already given him so much.
I was humiliated. I was furious.
But Kyle wanted revenge.
I'm saying that we get even.
He came up with a plan to kill him.
It was Iris. She wanted revenge.
The police can't help us.
You could have
taken this to the authorities.
We could have helped you.
Help? No one could help me.
One day I was married
to the love of my life,
and the next day he was gone.
I spent six months convinced I'd never
be whole again, let alone love again.
And then in a hotel bar, of all
places [CHUCKLES] I met Ernest.
He brought light back into my life.
And in return, I gave him everything.
He said my money was going to
our vacation house in Mexico City.
So, once Kyle told me
about the scam, I just
decided to take back what was mine.
See, that's the thing, Kyle. It
doesn't matter who came up with what.
You're both complicit.
Can I ask you guys something?
What kind of man takes advantage
of a woman whose memory
is-is so far gone
that she doesn't even know
who or where she is?
Who targets a mother
whose memory is so eroded
that she doesn't even remember her son?
Come on, Kyle. It's time to go.
Hey, wait. Wait, wait, wait.
Before you lock me up
or whatever you're gonna do
I need to say goodbye to my mom.
All set.
Hey, Mom, I'm in Colorado now.
You got the job.
Yeah, you're looking at Rocky
Mountain Park's newest employee.
Oh, that is fantastic, sweetie.
You always wanted to move there.
I'm not gonna be able
to stop by anymore.
But I-I'm gonna call you, okay?
I'm gonna check in.
Will you promise me that you're
gonna keep up with your physical
You worry too much about me.
You always have.
I'll be okay.
Hey, I love you, Mom.
Oh, I love you too.
Karadec, I was wrong.
- You're not a heartless police robot.
- Mmm.
Just a regular police robot.
Well, I'll, uh, see you tomorrow.
[CHUCKLES]
Mmm.