Lady in the Lake (2024) s01e03 Episode Script

1
[BLEATS]
[BLEATS]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
- [LAMB BLEATS]
- [BREATHING HEAVILY]
[GASPS]
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[CLATTERING]
- [PERSON SOFTLY] Jesus Christ. Shit.
- [CLEO'S MOM] Alvin?
- [TAP RUNNING]
- [ALVIN] Shit.
[CLEO'S MOM] Alvin?
[BREATHES HEAVILY]
You gonna tell me what happened?
[ALVIN] Uh, just, uh Mr.
Shell Gordon's found out
[CHUCKLING] I ain't turn
in some fews and twos, and
[CLEO'S MOM] Ain't your
gambling bad enough?
Now you thieving other people's bets?
[ALVIN] Merva, I paid him.
Don't lie to me.
[ALVIN] I paid him.
[MERVA] Your trumpet?
I swear to God, Alvin, if you
don't stop working for that man
and get your horn back, I will leave
this house and take Cleo with me.
- [ALVIN] Baby?
- [MERVA CRIES]
[FOOTSTEPS DEPARTING]
[ALVIN] Baby? Merva?
Merva, come on, now.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[SIGHS]
Where you got $10 from?
Been saving it all year
from my runs with Charlie.
Oh, no, no, no.
[STAMMERS] You know your old man
don't take no handouts, right?
This ain't a handout.
You gotta work for it.
Excuse me? [CHUCKLES]
[CHUCKLES]
I've got to work? [CHUCKLES]
- [CLEO] Yes. Come on.
- Okay, Miss Sherwood. [CHUCKLING]
[CLEARS THROAT] All right.
Ladies and gentlemen,
it is my honor to introduce
to you the one and only,
- Cleo Sherwood. [CHUCKLES]
- [WHISPERS] Thank you. Thank you.
[ALVIN] And accompanying
her, the human trumpet,
Alvin Sherwood.
[IMITATING TRUMPET]
Kiss me each morning ♪
For a million years ♪
Hold me each evening by your side ♪
Tell me you'll love me ♪
This is Wallace White with a
special late breaking news report.
It was just after 10:30 last night
that an assassination attempt was made
on Councilwoman Myrtle Summer's life,
shocking all of Baltimore.
The would-be killers are still at
large. The police are looking for
[SANTA CLAUS] Ho, ho, ho.
[CHUCKLING] Ho, ho.
[LINE RINGING]
[BYSTANDERS GRUMBLING]
- [REGGIE] Hello?
- [CLEO] Reggie, it's it's me, Cleo.
What's going down?
You know what the fuck is going down.
- Myrtle Summer's down.
- [KNOCKING]
News said she barely
got her leg scraped.
And I don't know nothing
about it. Neither do you.
They made me drive 'em.
You understand?
- Anyone know you were there?
- [KNOCKING]
Uh, yeah, Carol the pigeon.
And the two other motherfuckers
he brought with him.
The nigga pulled up in a
red convertible, Reggie.
- [BYSTANDER] Excuse me.
- [REGGIE] He did what?
- [BYSTANDER] Excuse me.
- One minute!
I'ma take this up with Shell.
I wouldn't do that, Cleo.
Mind my words. You asked
for this, remember?
You wanted to earn Mr. Gordon's trust.
Now you got to show
him he made no mistake.
Or did he?
[INHALES SHARPLY]
He ain't make no mistake.
Don't you bring his
name into this, Cleo.
Stay low and go about your
business till this shit blows over.
- You ain't working this week.
- [KNOCKING]
- Excuse me.
- All right!
God.
Hurry up, Cleo. We've
been waiting on you.
- I'm sorry, ma'am.
- Oh, my goodness.
All right. Here you are.
- Hey, let's check out these birds.
- Yeah.
- Hey.
- [CHATTERING]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[MYRTLE GASPS, SCREAMS]
[GASPS]
[EXHALES SHARPLY]
[SANTA CLAUS] Ho, ho, ho.
- [PIERCING GUN CLICKS]
- Ow!
I didn't expect it to hurt so much.
Don't you people have a rule against
tattoos and piercing your ears?
Yeah, we're not supposed
to deface our bodies
so that we don't disrespect
the divine within.
Oh, I thought it was
to keep the devil out.
- No, the devil prefers other holes.
- [CHUCKLES]
Oh, it-it-it didn't go in all the way.
I'm gonna have to put it in by hand.
Ow!
[CLEO] Your writing
dreams ruined your life.
Now you wanted those same
dreams to rewrite it.
But why did you need to
drag my dead body into it?
I was safe at the
bottom of that fountain.
Good morning, ma'am. How can I help you?
Good morning. I'm, uh
I'm here to see Bob Bauer.
Is he expecting you?
He'll be glad to see me.
And your name is?
Maddie Schwartz.
Please wait over there.
Mr. Bauer. There's a
girl here to see you.
Her name's Maddie Schwartz,
but I don't think she's anybody.
Mrs. Schwartz, last desk on the right.
[REPORTERS CHATTERING]
How can I help you, Mrs. Schwartz?
Looks like I'm the one who helped you.
Thanks.
Anything else?
Yes.
- I read in your paper
- [BAUER] Help yourself.
that a Black man with a bruised eye
was spotted chatting up
Tessie Durst at the fish store.
Oh, come on. Says Stephan
Zawadzkie's mother.
Well, maybe I could go speak
to her, mother-to-mother,
and see if there's more to the story.
You know, if we thought
a mother would help,
we would send Edna, 'cause
she's like a mother to us all.
[KISSES] Isn't that right?
Send one of your cockless
babies. I got some work to do.
[CHUCKLES, SNORTS]
It sounds like you still need me.
[CLEARS THROAT] Let me
understand this, Mrs. Schwartz
It's Maddie.
[PHONE RINGS]
You want to just waltz into
a serious place of business
that employs skilled
and experienced people
and start working on stories.
And your only qualification
is being a mother?
Your name is on that paper
because I gave you a good
lead that got you a scoop.
No, you deflected me,
and I had the skill and experience
to turn that deflection to my advantage.
In my book, that still means
you owe me one, Mr. Bauer.
Bob. No, I am in the news business,
not the handing-out-favors business,
which is what you're asking me to do.
I have writing experience.
Oh. In your poetry club
or your school newspaper?
Did you bring a résumé?
You know, I'd show you
to the door, Maddie.
But believe it or not, I'm a busy man.
Gladys, who'd I hang up on?
[CHUCKLES] Are you drunk or in jail?
Thank you so very much for your time.
[MADDIE] Dear Stephan,
I can only imagine what you
must be feeling right now.
I want you to know that some of us
are sympathetic to your situation.
My name is Maddie, and I'm the
one who found Tessie in the lake.
[WALLACE] We're live with Myrtle Summer
for her first statement after
being released from the hospital.
Yesterday, an attempt to murder
me took place outside my home.
I was shot in my foot,
but I'm standing on it today
to reaffirm my commitment
to this election.
[WHIMPERING]
My campaign, my supporters
and the people of this
city will not be shot down.
[MADDIE] I was the
first to see her dead.
They say you were the
last to see her alive.
Which makes me feel we
are connected in some way.
A feeling I thought you might share.
[MYRTLE] Our police will
find these cowardly men.
Operator, can I please have the address
for the Clifton T. Perkins
Psychiatric Hospital?
Uh, could I make you a little offer?
[SIGHS] Let's hear it.
I see you have a phone behind the bar.
If I paid you a nickel for each
message, would you take calls for me?
A quarter, and I will consider it.
Could you answer without mentioning
that it's The Silver Dollar?
Would you like me to
wear a tie too, ma'am?
[CHUCKLES] It's just until I
get a phone in my own apartment.
You live here?
It takes a while for that on this block.
I actually live in this building.
Hmm. Well then, 30 cents and you've
got yourself a deal, neighbor.
[STABLE HAND] Man, every morning.
A minute to warm my hands up.
You just gotta hold him tight like this.
See, he gonna try to take
you in to the stables.
So you gotta
Mmm.
Take it off like that
and grab it from the top.
And pull.
And take it all out back
'cause you don't wanna drag it.
- This stuff
- [PLATT] Hey, now.
Long night?
Doing here, pig brother?
There ain't nothing bad going on here.
You better watch that
mouth of yours, Teeth.
It's all right. Let him play
tough in front of his boy.
June, how's tricks?
- Okay.
- Flowers still got powers?
Come on, man. What's
that you got with us?
You know the ACD don't like seeing
the horses live like this, boy.
Come on, brotherman.
Oh, so now it's brotherman, huh?
Let us take care of the ACD.
And how about you run word
through all the stables in town
and have they mouth on who tried
to do Myrtle Summer last night?
I know you arabbers
heard all the stories.
Man, I don't know no damn stories.
[PLATT] Sure you do.
Like one about a fella who tried
to get a load of
buckshot out his backside
without going to a hospital.
Man, I might have heard something
about some horse doctor pulling
some shot out some fool's ass.
Fool got a name?
Mr. Gordon?
[REGGIE] Slappy says you asked
him to host tonight. Is that so?
[CLEARS THROAT]
Mr. Gordon.
You ain't come here to talk
about no damn Slappy Johnson.
[CLEARS THROAT]
I fucked up hiring those clowns.
No one else wanted to do the job
unless I brought your name in.
You know why I asked you
not to do it yourself?
Because you love me like a son.
I love you like a son.
That's right.
And I ain't want it on your hands,
and I didn't want it on your heart.
But now, Myrtle saw their faces.
Them boys saw you
when you made the drop.
Don't matter none.
I'll go and jump off a bridge
before I ever said a
word to do you any harm.
I know.
But it'd break my heart to see you fall.
[COINS RATTLING]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[ALVIN] Stop the trolley!
- [SCREAMS]
- Stop the trolley!
Stop the trolley! Stop it!
Stop the trolley, please!
- Stop the car.
- Help! Somebody!
- [SCREAMING]
- Stop the car! Stop the car!
[BREATHES SHARPLY]
Stop [BREATHING SHAKILY]
- [LAMB BLEATS]
- [GASPS]
[SIGHS]
Lionel.
[SIGHS]
Baby, let me see. Can I see your eyes?
[LIONEL] Why?
Open your eyes, baby. Let me see.
Ma?
Can I go back to sleep?
I know. I know.
[MERVA] Yeah, what?
What?
His eyes.
[MERVA] Let me see.
Now, I know you don't see
steady with me on much.
The doctors have done
everything they can do for him.
It's time for you to let
me call the reverend, Cleo.
[REVEREND] Lord, oh, Lord,
we ask for your deliverance.
Your son, Lionel, is innocent
of his family's blood.
Lord, shine your light on this family.
[WHINES]
[REVEREND] Let the burden they
bear flow down that river of blood.
Repeat after me.
Our Father
[CLEO, ISAIAH] Our Father
[REVEREND] Our healer
Our healer
- [REVEREND] Our Father
- [CLEO, MERVA] Our Father
[REVEREND] Our savior
- Our savior [CRIES]
- [MERVA] Our savior
[LIONEL WHIMPERS]
[REVEREND] Amen.
- [MERVA, ISAIAH] Amen.
- Amen. [CRIES]
[CLEO] What you did over there,
will it help my boy with
anything other than hope?
Sickle cell has no cure,
Eunetta. You know that.
But you still have
the power to save him.
How do I do it?
Show the Lord your
devotion to his ministry.
Tithe.
Donate to his church and sow a
seed from which a miracle can grow.
[CHUCKLES]
How much does the Lord need?
The Lord does not need.
The Lord is complete.
And his love for your
son is without limit.
The question is, how much is
your son's life worth to you?
What are you willing to sacrifice?
You see yourself out, Reverend.
Eunetta?
[CLEO] I looked to the
politician for deliverance.
I looked to the pimp for protection.
I looked to the preacher for salvation.
But in the end. I was on my own.
I was sinking, Maddie.
And all I could think was
that I deserved to drown.
I had a dream tonight.
Yeah?
[CLEO] The whole city was burnt up.
Streetcars dead, locked up.
Then I saw a lamb
[ALVIN] "Loss of happiness
followed by wealth."
- [CLEO] Mm-hmm.
- "221."
Pretty good-looking
number, if you ask me.
[ALVIN] All right, $10 on 221.
If I win, I get my trumpet back
Everybody in my family had guns.
My mama had three. People
would give them to her.
And she do! People
just give them to her.
What is you doing?
I told you to lay low
tonight. You're not working.
It's Dora's last night, hmm?
Let a girl have some fun.
Rich people get land.
Poor people inherit guns and
cast-iron skillets. I don't cook.
Can I get a vodka martini with one
of those pretty green olives in it?
Oh, you're drinking now?
"That's a nice watch." And
you like, "You like this watch?
My grandfather died
and left me this watch."
And I'm thinking, "Damn,
mine just left me a gun."
"Give me your motherfucking watch!"
[PATRONS LAUGH]
[SLAPPY] So speaking of smoking
guns, ladies and gentlemen,
- the next person onto this stage
- [REGGIE] Cleo.
is a smoking gun that
needs no introduction.
Needed that.
This is her last week
performing here at the Pharaoh
because she's leaving y'all
Black asses and going to Paris.
A loud round of applause right
now. Give it up for Dora Carter!
- [PATRONS CHEERING]
- [SLAPPY] Oh, there you go!
Thank you, Slappy.
Y'all know I let it all hang out.
[PATRONS CHUCKLE]
I got some real good friends
who've been with me
through thick and thin,
but tonight I wanna see y'all dance.
Now, this how I want
you to remember Dora.
Hit it, baby.
[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]
Yeah ♪
Yeah ♪
Yeah ♪
Yeah ♪
[SCATS]
See-line woman ♪
Dressed in red ♪
She drink coffee ♪
See-line woman ♪
She drink tea ♪
She drink coffee and then go home ♪
See-line woman ♪
See-line woman ♪
Dressed in green ♪
Wears silk stockings ♪
With golden seams ♪
See-line woman ♪
See-line woman ♪
Dressed in red ♪
Make a man ♪
Lose his head ♪
See-line woman ♪
See-line woman ♪
Black dress on ♪
For a thousand dollars ♪
She wail and moan ♪
See-line woman ♪
See-line woman ♪
Wiggle, wiggle ♪
Purr like a cat ♪
Wink at a man ♪
And he wink back ♪
See-line woman ♪
Empty his pockets ♪
And wreck his day ♪
Make him love her ♪
And she'll fly away ♪
Woman, hey ♪
Have I done something wrong, Officer?
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Woman, hey ♪
See-line woman ♪
Empty his pockets ♪
And she wreck his days ♪
[BREATHING HEAVILY, MOANING]
And she make him love her ♪
Then she sure fly away ♪
Fly ♪
Fly ♪
She sure will fly ♪
[CLEO GRUNTING]
[CHUCKLES]
I'm sorry, I ain't get
much sleep last night.
But don't worry, your boy
Reggie will clean it up for you.
Right, Reggie?
[PLATT BREATHES HEAVILY]
[CLAMORING]
[SLAPPY] All right, come on, Leo.
That's enough twirling. All right.
You done twirled enough.
- What's your problem, man?
- Get off of me.
My problem is you got your
hands all over my wife.
- Hey, man.
- [SLAPPY] Come on, it's time to go.
See you, Reggie.
The hell going on?
She fly away ♪
[CLEO] You jealous.
He was what? He was probably
about 23, but he was into me.
- [CHUCKLING]
- [SLAPPY CHUCKLES]
[CLEO] See-line woman ♪
See-line ♪
Dressed in red ♪
See-line ♪
Make a man ♪
Lose his head ♪
[CHUCKLING] See-line wo ♪
Purr like a cat ♪
Wink at a man ♪
And he wink ♪
- ["SEE-LINE WOMAN" PLAYING]
- Oh, buddy, buddy, buddy.
Boy, right. Let's go.
What did you tell Shell?
[CHUCKLES]
You hear me, Leo? What
the fuck you tell Shell?
Come on, dance with me.
Why're you so so uptight?
Be like me.
- Come on.
- Mm-mmm.
- What the fuck's wrong with you?
- Come on, dance with me.
Spin me, come on.
- I'm asking you a question.
- I'll tell you if you spin me.
[CHUCKLES]
What did Shell say?
[CLICKS TONGUE] Give me
a blanket. Leave me alone.
Give me Give me a
blanket. Come on, Slap.
Go to the back.
I'll take the couch.
Cool off!
[MUSIC STOPS]
[SIPS]
[CLEO CRIES]
Baby?
[CRYING]
[SLAPPY] It's okay. It's okay.
- [CRIES]
- What did he do, baby?
Come on. Fuck me, Slap. Come on, please.
- No. [GRUNTS]
- Come on, Slap. Fuck me, please.
- Please, Slap.
- Baby, no, not like this.
Tell me what's going on, baby.
- No.
- [BREATHING SHAKILY]
Tell me, what happened?
Did Shell get you in trouble?
- [SIGHS] What did you do?
- [WHIMPERS]
Who cares what happened with Shell?
What does it matter, if our
son's gonna die? [CRYING]
We've been knowing this, Cleo.
It's okay. [SIGHS]
- No. I let myself hope.
- Cleo, it's okay.
I feel so ashamed. [CRYING]
Don't feel ashamed. Why?
It's good to have hope.
I saw the Prophet today.
He said there was nothing he could do.
[SIGHS]
Nothing he could do.
But take my money.
[CRYING]
We'll find another doctor or something.
We? [SNIFFLES]
There ain't no "we."
It's just you and your fucking dreams.
[SLAPPY] Don't say that to me.
Don't blame me for having dreams
[SIGHS] just
'cause you let yours go.
You want me to dream
and I can't even breathe?
- Sorry. I'm sorry.
- Slap, I can't even
- I can't even breathe.
- Leo, I'm here.
- [CRYING, COUGHING]
- I'm here. Hey.
I'm here with you. I'm sorry.
Please, Leo, you're
starting to scare me, Leo.
Leo?
Oh, hey, let's not fight.
- [SNIFFLES]
- Please, baby.
Let's not fight. Okay?
[BOTH BREATHE HEAVILY]
- [TIRES SCREECH ON STREET]
- [CRASH]
[GRUNTS]
[SIGHS] Oh, God.
[GROANS]
[STAMMERING]
[MUMBLING]
[SIGHS]
I know, I know. Mother
of the year. [SIGHS]
Are you chewing gum?
[SIGHS]
I'm sorry.
I woke up late and then
my hubcaps got stolen.
Well, at the Bottom?
How unexpected.
You should really come visit
me. It's gotten a lot nicer.
No. Thanks.
[MADDIE SIGHS]
Wow. It's packed.
Yeah. Some mothers are worried about
their sons getting into college,
so don't get drafted to Vietnam.
I don't think education is
a draft-avoidance tactic.
- Here you go.
- I hope that, you know, if you care so much,
you should be out in
the streets, protesting.
I got an idea.
Why don't you protest in the streets?
All I'm saying is, I'd love for you
to be passionate about something.
Well, listen, I got activism
coming out of my ass.
- But you know what I am passionate about?
- What?
You not lecturing me
for five fucking minutes.
You missed our exit.
We're not going home.
[SIGHS]
Stay in the car if you want.
[CHATTERING]
once the horses hit the mud.
So what do we do now?
Gotta get those house calls
before the five o'clock race.
[CHARLIE] That's right,
boy. That's right.
[SCREAMS]
Fucking hands off me,
you fruity motherfucker.
- That's Officer Davis to you, Sponge.
- [GROANING]
[DAVIS] Still got buckshot in your ass?
- [SPONGE] What the fuck!
- [DAVIS] Let me pull some of it out.
And I'll have Officer Davis drag
that, uh, evidence he holding
all the way down to that station
and we gonna tell 'em it was your
plan to assassinate Senator Summer.
- You understand, son?
- Man, I don't know shit about [GROANS]
Shit and we both know you ain't
got the brains for that, Sponge.
- So tell us who set you to it!
- Okay, okay. It was a woman.
- A woman. Who was she?
- I don't know, man [GROANS] Shit.
[BREATHES HEAVILY] I swear. I fucking
swear, I don't She was Black.
- I'ma need more than Black, nigga.
- She was fine.
Had a nice powder-blue coat on.
Must have cost a pretty penny.
Hmm.
["DON'T PLAY NO WOMAN
FOR NO FOOL" PLAYING]
Want some tea?
No, thanks.
You can sit down, you know. [CHUCKLES]
It's not much, but
it's where I live now.
I've got my little bed,
my little kitchen
Yeah, I can see that, Mom.
[SIGHS]
Don't do it.
- I don't know what Milton would say.
- You mean Dad?
- Gonna start calling him Milton now?
- Well, it's his name.
Is it really so terrible here?
It smells weird.
It smells different.
If you stay here more often, maybe
it'll start smelling like you.
You'll get used to it, and maybe
it'll start smelling like home.
It'll never smell like
home, because Dad isn't here.
Would you like me to
spray his Floris No.89?
You know Milton started
wearing that when you were four
and he read that James Bond uses it?
You don't have to be
boring like him, Seth.
- Dad's not boring.
- You can
- You're the one who's fucking boring.
- Be open to new smells.
- New experiences.
- Having some kind of phony adventure in Negro town.
I can't believe you
left us for this shit.
I didn't leave you.
I love you.
I want to spend time with you, but
you insist on staying with Milton.
Mom, stop calling him that.
You're so selfish.
- You are so selfish.
- [RECORD SCRATCHES, MUSIC STOPS]
- [SIGHS] You can Me, selfish?
- You're not a kid anymore.
I'm going through something
and all you care about is your
own comfort. Just like Milton.
You're You're both the
same. I can't understand why.
- Why? Why don't you understand?
- [SIGHS] I don't know.
- What's so hard to understand about it?
- I never understood it. I nev
- Why can't you understand it?
- Seth, enough.
- No, just tell me.
- Enough!
- What don't you understand about me?
- Just stop Forget
Why? Tell me, what don't
you understand about it?
He's not your father!
Oh, I'm sorry I'm so sorry.
I can't believe I just said that.
I'm [STAMMERS]
Um I didn't
I was just angry. [STAMMERS]
[INHALES SHARPLY]
I just want you to
know who you can become
and everything you can be.
I'm sorry. I [EXHALES HEAVILY]
What, someone like that
guy that you slept with,
whose name you didn't even
bother to write in your diary?
Hmm?
You read my diaries?
You just left them in your
closet without a lock or anything.
I mean, if you didn't want anyone
to read them you could've put them
- somewhere harder to f
- When?
[SETH STAMMERS, SIGHS]
When? When did you read them?
The day before my Bar Mitzvah.
[BREATHES HEAVILY]
[SETH SIGHS, CHUCKLES]
[SCOFFS] I thought
I thought God was testing
me or something. I
I wanted to tear those pages
out so Dad wouldn't find them,
but then you'd know I read
them. So I I couldn't do that.
So I've just been living with the
Just gotten used to being scared
that Dad will find out and leave and
I'm so sorry.
And then y you fucking left
You fucking left.
You're calling me selfish?
I didn't
I don't know who I am.
And I don't know who my real
father is. And I [SIGHS]
And I don't care because I have a dad.
Of course.
You can call him Milton all you
fucking want, but he's my dad.
- Okay.
- He's the only father that I need.
[INHALES HEAVILY] That's fair. [SIGHS]
So, can I please go home now?
[CLEO] When a woman finally
goes into the attic of her life
and finds lost lies,
misplaced memories, broken promises,
she realizes how dangerous
she was to those around her
who believed she knew herself.
Miss Cleopatra.
I gotta say, it's nice to see you
when you ain't half hid behind that bar.
- What do you want, Officer Platt?
- All right, well
Cleo, is everything
all right over there?
Uh, yes. It'd be just a second.
This is a friend of mine, Miss Jean.
Hey, Miss Jean.
I found me one of those clowns
who tried to kill Mrs. Summer.
He couldn't tell me who hired him,
but he knew who made the drop-off.
Said you drove the car too, Cleo.
I don't I don't know what
you're talking about, Officer Platt.
Then we can meet up at the Pharaoh.
We can have this conversation
in front of Mr. Gordon, shall we?
Or you can help me and
I can keep your name
out of this as long as I can.
You a loose end, okay?
We both know that.
And I can't do nothing about
that, but I can buy you some time.
Do you understand?
[BREATHES SHAKILY]
Red Buick Skylark.
BM-8488.
BM-8488.
- Thank you, Cleo.
- Officer Platt?
Wh-What happens when that time runs out?
We both know who sent you, Cleo.
You come on in and you tell us about it,
and we'll make sure
no harm comes to you.
- Us?
- Yeah.
- The police?
- Yes.
Same police sends your partner to
collect a fat envelope every week?
[SCOFFS] I don't know what
you're talking about, Cleo,
but thank you for the information.
Well, I'll see you soon.
Bye, Miss Jean. Thank you.
[BREATHES DEEPLY]
[BAUER] Oh, Mrs. Schwartz.
What is it now? I have had a long day.
I wrote Stephan Zawadzkie a letter.
Congratulations.
He wrote me back.
- Mmm.
- That's a story.
[CLICKS TONGUE] Oh,
"Housewife in Pikesville
finds a new pen pal."
- I'll get right to it.
- Fine.
I'll take it to The Beacon or The Sun.
They'll probably find a
better headline for it as well.
Don't. Hey, hey, hey.
Okay, it's a story.
My byline on it.
You help research and flesh it out,
you get credited as contributor.
Best I can do.
I want an advance.
- [VISITOR LAUGHING]
- [JUDITH LAUGHING] Okay.
["PROMISE ME THOMAS" PLAYING ON RADIO]
Maddie.
- You remember Officer Bosko. [CHUCKLES]
- [BOSKO CHUCKLES]
- Call me Johnny.
- Officer, everything all right?
[CHUCKLES]
That's the problem with these uniforms.
The minute people see you, they
assume something must be wrong.
- [LAUGHS]
- Just making my rounds.
How are you, Ms. Schwartz?
Oh, I couldn't be better.
Yeah?
Oh, 'cause Judith had
mentioned something
about your apartment getting robbed
a few weeks back.
Oh. That's all been taken care of.
You don't need to worry about that.
You have much bigger
fish to fry, I'm sure.
[LAUGHS]
Well, I'm glad to hear it.
Oh, gosh. These earrings.
- You have anything to disinfect or, uh
- Yep.
[SIGHS] I got my ears pierced
recently and it just won't let up.
Goodness.
[SMACKS LIPS] Well, ladies, um,
will leave you to your burning ears.
That is certainly above
my pay grade. [LAUGHS]
Have a good day, Officer.
You as well, Ms. Schwartz.
Judith.
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
He was asking you out, wasn't he?
[SIGHS] I think it's, uh, just like
a weird little plot to get to you.
No, please.
I think that divine within is infected.
However
- [JUDITH CHUCKLES]
- it has provided the rent
courtesy of an advance check
from The Baltimore Star.
- [MADDIE CHUCKLES]
- [GASPS]
Maddie.
Ah. All right.
- [LAUGHS] I'm proud of you, Maddie.
- [CHUCKLES]
Jealous, but proud.
[SNIFFS]
[CHUCKLES]
[CHUCKLES]
[LAUGHS]
Come on. You see me. You can smile.
You just mad your mama still got it.
[SIGHS] Surprised you
ain't out running numbers.
I'm kidding. I'm sorry.
You ever met anybody hit
it big playing the numbers?
- Who?
- You.
Yeah. I guess Charlie
tell you everything, huh?
I had my daddy put all my
money on a dream I'd had,
and I won.
Yeah, but he left with all of it.
He did.
I still love my daddy.
I need your help, Teddy.
I'ma gonna play numbers one last
time, but you can't tell Old Charlie.
I need you to tell me about some
of the people who bet with you.
Okay.
[CLEO] Okay.
He never missed a bet.
I mean, like, he would
always be there on time all
- [DORA] Who is it?
- It's Cleo.
Fuck you, Cleo.
I'm coming in.
That fucking needle-dick
motherfucker Clarence
gave you a motherfucking key?
That's a lot of adjectives
for a short question.
[GROANS] Keep it.
Getting the fuck outta here anyhow.
Then what the hell are
you getting high for, Dora?
Just a little goodbye
present from Shell.
[MOANING]
Dora, I need you to
stay with me right now.
I need your help.
- I called Reggie, and he's on his way
- [KNOCKING]
Baby.
She fine, Reggie. Leave it be.
Does this look like a woman
that's all right to you?
Cut the shit, Reggie.
If you really ain't like seeing
her like this, you'd tell your boss.
He keep her like this for you, don't he?
- Mind how you speak to me, Cleo.
- She's stuck. She can't leave.
Here, ready to do a dance for
you whenever you want her to
I said watch your mouth, Cleo!
He doesn't know, does he?
What?
That you sent me with the envelope.
He had no idea what I was talking about
when I told him you'll clean his mess.
Did he?
I didn't think so!
- Why'd you send me, Reggie?
- Trying to
Trying to keep the heat off of me, Cleo.
- I had to.
- God.
[SIGHS]
If I go down, Reggie,
you're coming with me.
You understand?
Or you can help keep
us both from drowning.
[SIGHS]
What do you want?
I saw the red books.
I know Shell runs a rig on
the scoreboard at Pimlico
to make sure the race bets end at 315
when the whole town is
betting on Santa's birthday.
I saw your signature on the ledger.
You know the number he gives 'em.
You give me that number, I place a bet,
it can't be tied back to either of us.
And then I disappear.
Disappear?
[SCOFFS, STAMMERS] What about your
What about your kids? You
just gonna leave your boys?
Now you're worried
about my kids, Reggie?
At 600-to-1 odds, that's
30,000 on-on a $50 bet, and I
Reggie, I kick 10% of that back to you.
Uh-uh, all right? I'm not taking it.
- 'Cause you're Gordon's boy, huh?
- Back up off me, Cleo!
[DORA MOANS] What the hell y'all doing?
- [MOANING]
- Dora, baby, listen.
Look at Reggie. Huh? Look at Reggie.
See, right about now, he's
thinking his life might be easier
if he got rid of me.
- What you mean get rid of
- Dora,
Reggie might wanna kill me.
So if I come up dead, I
want you to know who did it.
[MOANING] No. Reggie, why you
Unless you want to kill us both.
[DORA] What's wrong with her
Reggie, you get me that number.
[BAUER] Come on.
Hey, there he is.
[EXAMINER] Bauer. Come in.
Dr. Kornblatt, this
is Marjorie Schwartz.
- Madeline.
- Oh, sorry. Madeline Schwartz.
And I prefer my maiden
name, Morgenstern.
Okay, that's news to me. This
is, uh, Madeline Morgenstern.
Nice to meet you, Mrs. Morning
Star. Did you know I spoke German?
I'm not surprised at anything you do.
This is Dr. Kornblatt. He is the ME.
- Did you show her my wall?
- Oh, sorry.
No, slipped my mind. On the way out.
Doc here is from LA,
and he did the autopsies
for George Reeves, uh,
- Thelma Todd, Marilyn Monroe
- Wow.
Well, everyone is the
same on the inside.
- So I hear.
- [BAUER] Mmm.
Dr. Kornblatt, was there
anything unusual or
Hey, anything that you might
have noticed about the Durst girl
that the rags missed or
The gravel I found brought
her killer in. I noticed that.
Was there anything else?
[SIGHS]
Help me out, Doc.
For you, Bauer, I-I do
believe there was something.
Oh.
[BAUER] What you got?
Gravel wasn't the only
thing under her fingernails.
- [BAUER] Mmm.
- I found some skin cells,
which means she put up a fight
when he attempted to rape her.
Attempted to rape her?
[KORNBLATT] There was some
bruising between her legs, uh,
but the hymen wasn't broken.
Police know about it, but the
girl's family went through enough,
and it wasn't the cause of death, so
Was it Zawadzkie's skin
that was under her nails?
Couldn't tell you. He
didn't have any scratches.
So it could have been someone else.
I just carve them up.
You tell their stories.
But I don't see why not.
[MADDIE] Hello, Cedrick.
Good evening.
And we're closed, Ms. Teaberry.
- Can I just get my messages, please?
- Mmm.
[SIGHS] Actually, yes.
There was one from your mother.
Sounds like a lovely woman.
- [MADDIE SIGHS]
- And one from the psychiatric hospital.
Hello, I'm calling on behalf
of The Baltimore Star,
returning a call for Dr. McKenzie.
[OPERATOR] Hold on. I'll transfer.
- [DR. MCKENZIE] Mrs. Schwartz?
- No, it's Morg
Yes, this is she. [SIGHS]
I was calling regarding the letter
you sent to Stephan Zawadzkie.
- We think it might be helpful if
- Yes?
He's asking to meet with you.
- [BUZZING]
- [LOCK CLICKS]
Zawadzkie.
- Stephan.
- Mmm.
I'm Madeline.