Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent (2024) s01e03 Episode Script

1
[NARRATOR]: In Toronto's war on crime,
the worst offenders are
pursued by the detectives
of the specialized criminal
investigations unit.
These are their stories.
[SOFT OMINOUS MUSIC]
[SIGHS]
Hey, I got your number
from a friend. Can we meet?
Never would've made you for a junkie.
You don't know me.
Wow.
We're a far cry from the little
storefront you had on Dundas,
where we did my first show,
if I remember correctly,
and you sold all my pieces.
Mm-hmm. Did you come all this
way to talk about the past, Rick?
No. I've actually
I've been working on
a new series of prints.
Don't have anything to show you yet
Wait, are you suggesting
that I represent you again?
Thought we could talk
about it, at least.
What? What, it's not a good time?
Oh, of course not. I'm just days out
from opening this gallery on Friday.
I haven't even mounted Eve's show yet,
which is going to be
amazing, by the way.
- But no, no, I'm not busy at all.
- You know what you need?
You need a macchiato from next door.
Just take a little break.
I'm buying, for once.
We'll have a little chat, I'll have you
back here in 15 minutes, I promise.
Huh, Lee? The plumber is on the phone.
Oh, should he call back?
Absolutely not, I've
been calling him all week.
- Look
- To be continued.
Fine. Come to my lecture tonight.
- See you later.
- Wouldn't it be great to start fresh?
You have so much baggage with her.
What did I do to piss her off?
Stop it, you don't need
Lee to put you on the map,
and you don't need to prove anything.
I think her problem was that you
didn't produce enough fast enough.
I know how stressful that can be.
Oh yeah, do you, Ms.
Paletto Award Winning Artist?
Did Lee really say I was too slow?
- Tell me, Eve. This is my life.
- Right, your life. Your career.
- And what is that supposed to mean?
- If you want a gallerist,
do some new work, Rick. Good work.
Don't just talk about
it. 'Cause there's no
free rides, and this
art career you want?
- It's not all it's cracked up to be.
- Neither was our marriage.
Which is why we're separated.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
So essentially, if you're
gonna make great art,
you need to pour your unique,
authentic self into it.
And only by doing that will
your work stand the test of time.
- Thank you.
- [APPLAUSE]
Over-served?
Understatement. He started early.
- Hi.
- That was great.
This is Jasper Claes,
one of our grad students.
Fantastic painter.
Well, I did learn
from the best. [LAUGHS]
Yes, pile on the compliments.
- We don't want her to quit teaching.
- I do.
What? She's my best artist. I do.
Hey, buddy. Let me give you a hot tip.
If you want to be represented by
the great Lee Sloane over here,
you gotta be more like Eve
Okay, let's take a walk, alright?
Oh, let's take a walk,
let's take a walk
Oh, I'm in trouble now
How do you sell that drivel?
It's okay, it's okay. Oh, hey
[GRUNTS]
Hey, hey, hey.
Come back downstairs. Don't babysit.
Not here, okay?
[SIGHS]
That guy's such an asshole.
That's why I'm divorcing him.
Are you?
I saw you guys earlier.
Please. I just need to
get through this week,
then everything will change.
Alright.
Jasper.
I love you. It'll be fine.
[FESTIVE AMBIENT MUSIC]
I'll be back. I gotta get more wine.
[MUFFLED ARGUMENT]
[DROPPING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
[KNIFE CLICKING ON THE FLOOR]
[THEME MUSIC]
Janitor found Eve Kinwood at 6 a.m.,
stabbed multiple times in the back.
Also at the base of her skull.
You talked to the staff?
Most of them were at a party
last night. No one saw anything.
No cameras?
No. No keyless logs either.
Nothing to monitor who comes and
goes in this part of the building.
Oh. A trusting, close-knit community.
Or a jealous and divided one.
It's a Paletto Award. Highest
art award in the country.
Graff, Bateman.
I was getting more
wine for the party.
- I heard yelling.
- An argument?
I think so. It was muffled.
But then something hit the floor. Hard.
What time was this?
Around 5:30.
I thought it was nothing.
I didn't even go check.
Who would do this?
Everyone loved Eve.
Thank you.
[GRAFF SIGHS] So what do we have?
An argument, multiple stab wounds.
It could indicate a crime of passion.
Great. So our suspects are only
everyone who ever loved
or hated Eve. Easy.
It could be the person who touched this.
Had blood on their hand
and transferred it when they stood up.
Tech found this in a
garbage can down the hall.
Dried blood.
Somebody tried to wipe this clean.
Let me see her!
So when was the last time you saw Eve?
The last time I saw her was
at Lee's lecture. Yesterday.
- Who else was there?
- Students, you know.
Some faculty.
I left early, I was unwell.
A whole bottle of scotch would
certainly make one feel unwell.
I had a couple of drinks, okay?
I was tired, I came up here,
I slept for a little
bit and then I went home.
- What time was this?
- About 7.
And when Eve didn't come home
We were separated.
We had been for a little over a year,
so she kept the house and I moved out.
It must've been hard
working so close to your ex.
There was always issues, but
you know, she was my friend.
And we talked all the time about
life, and school, and my art.
- Not hers?
- She was actually pretty modest about the whole
success thing. She'd always been quiet.
- A little distant.
- I don't see much distance here.
You two were stuck together.
Oh, God.
We um
had problems,
but I always thought there
was a chance for us, you know.
- Is this your art?
- Yeah.
That's screen print.
It it's good.
Do they still do it with the
squeegee thing and the ink
and messy business.
Yeah, I teach that.
I also teach linocut and intaglio.
His fingernails are way too clean
for someone who plays in ink all day.
He scrubbed that right hand raw.
A man with a clean hand
is not a killer, Bateman.
Oh, come on. Sleeping in
his office is not an alibi.
I bet he wiped that bloody
mitt all over that arm rest
- and called it a night.
- Leave that to forensics.
All I know is Rick's got
an inferiority complex
about Eve's art career
that he's drowning in booze.
Yeah, I saw how he
drank in your compliment,
but is being less talented than
you ex a motive to kill her?
Seems like a divorce gone wrong to me.
We need to find everyone
who was at that party.
See what happened between him and Eve.
Rick was hammered.
I was working refreshments.
He must've drank like a bottle of
wine before the lecture even started.
Seems to me that Eve wouldn't stand
for that at a talk she organized.
No. She hauled him right out of there.
- What time was this?
- Around 5 p.m.
God, I can't believe this is happening.
Eve was my first real mentor.
How long did you stay
at the party, Melinda?
Until Suyin and I taught
Sculpture 120 at 6 p.m.
I'm her studio assistant.
Wait.
What are you asking me?
We just want to know
if you saw anything.
Honestly, nothing. You
should talk to Jasper.
When Eve took Rick
upstairs, he went with them.
Rick was a mess.
I threw him in his office.
He was passed out before
he even hit the couch.
The man's a drunk. It's not the
first time he's passed out at school.
So a couple of glasses of
scotch, maybe a bottle of wine,
and he's what, comatose?
- Is that surprising?
- It's featherweight for an alcoholic.
Okay, so maybe he had more.
All I know is he was embarrassing
the hell out of Eve. I had to
- help her get him out of there.
- She couldn't handle her own husband?
Ex-husband.
And no. No, he was making a huge scene.
It's a sticky thing to
get in the middle of.
Yeah, well he started it.
He was harassing us about how
Lee would only ever
represent people like Eve.
He's so jealous of her.
I swear, if Rick did this, I'll
Kill him for killing your girlfriend?
Who told you about us?
You did. Just now.
You know that Rick thought that
there still might be a chance for them.
Did he tell you that? Did Eve?
- No.
- You sure?
Because if Rick was asleep
like you said he was,
and you're left alone with Eve
I would never hurt her. Ever.
I was trying to convince her
to come back down to the party,
and she wouldn't. So I left.
Where did you go?
So Jasper has no alibi.
Well, we're checking cameras in the
area to verify his stress stroll.
We do have alibis on the students
and on the lecture guests,
including Lee Sloane who drove
out of a paid lot at 5:15,
before Suyin heard the argument at 5:30.
So, it's between the
boyfriend and the husband.
What do we have on Sleeping Beauty?
Well, Rick is an alcoholic.
Lots of insecurities.
No domestic charges.
But he was being helped upstairs
by his wife's younger boyfriend.
Well, that could turn into
a crime of passion real fast.
- And what about Jasper?
- No record.
- Not even a parking ticket.
- Then my money is on Rick.
We're betting now? Last
chance to place wagers
before I blow your minds with
these epic traffic stills.
- No takers?
- No, they still owe me from last week.
Well, there we have
the fair Jasper walking
past a security camera at 5:20 p.m.,
so lover boy is cleared.
And look at this,
Rick's car leaving the
area at 1 a.m., way past 7.
What did I tell you?
My money's on the husband.
Then let's find him.
Now, if you came to Sloane
gallery, I think I could do a
Oh, excuse me for a minute.
Rick!
I've been calling you. Are you okay?
Hey.
Are you okay?
Everything is just
such a blur, you know.
I just don't feel right.
It's not
It's not just the hangover, it's just
I can't remember anything.
Anything at all?
Hmm When was the
last time you saw me?
Uh, you went upstairs, with Eve.
You honestly don't remember anything?
No. I saw her in the office, and
she was on the floor.
But it was dark and I mean
I saw her in the office
this morning with the police.
I don't know.
I just can't keep my
head clear, you know.
What don't you
go upstairs to my office,
and I'll be right there. Okay?
Hello? Yes, I
I need the police.
No, right away.
So, first you said you were sleeping,
and now you think you
were drugged? Which is it?
On behalf of Mr. Kinwood,
I would like to thank you for
facilitating his drug test.
But you should also know that
he's here against my advice.
I told you. I don't remember anything.
Let me jug your memory. You
said you left school at 7 p.m.,
yet there is your car,
leaving the area at 1 a.m.
My client has already said he
has no memory of these events.
Well, that's a good thing
you left a trail, then.
We got his DNA off a cup in his office,
it matches the DNA we
found on Eve's couch.
Rick's epithelial cells and
Eve's blood.
I've been in that office,
what, a thousand times?
- Did you ever kill anyone in it?
- Detective!
Your client was ten feet away
at the time of the murder.
He told Lee Sloane he
saw the body last night.
I think I would like to go, now.
We get it, Rick.
You know, you had too
much to drink last night
Thank you. You can't recall.
It happens to the best of us.
Okay, I'm not perfect.
But neither was Eve.
But Eve didn't let anyone see that.
No one
got to know the real Eve.
You know, she would just drop people,
for no reason. She did that to me.
She did it to her friends, she
did it to her assistant Melinda.
You know, sometimes I wish
that her work could talk.
Because I think that's the only
place she put her real self.
And then yesterday, when
we were walking, she said,
"A career in art is not all
it's cracked up to be," so
I don't know.
Don't ask me questions about who
she is or what she wanted because
I don't know who she was.
Can I have the report, please?
Seems my client had an enormous amount
of the sedative Zolpidem in his system.
No wonder he can't remember.
So, thank you for the hard seat
and the stagnant air, but
we're leaving now. Come on.
How do you know he didn't dose himself?
Prove it.
What do we have on Rick?
Lab report doesn't lie. Rick had
a lot of Zolpidem in his system,
and Jasper, who also
has no reason to lie,
said he saw Rick out cold at 5 p.m.
And Zolpidem lasts what, eight hours?
That's 1 a.m. And what's
Rick doing at 1 a.m.?
He's driving around in
his car. Hopefully awake.
Maybe he's running scared
because he just killed Eve.
Or somebody set him up.
Now, forensics just
came back on the knife.
It's not just a knife. It's a
tool used for intaglio printing.
Didn't Rick say he teaches that?
Yes, but something other than
blood was found on the handle.
A small amount of corn starch.
- Yeah
- So, it could be an art project?
Maybe, but it's also
the moisture-wicking
agent used in powdered latex gloves,
which we don't use at crime
scenes, and neither do the techs.
And you think our killer
wore powdered latex gloves?
- Still could've been Rick.
- It could've been anyone.
Everything we have on
Rick is circumstantial.
It's true.
But I'm not saying Rick didn't
do it. Let's keep him on the boil,
- but he is an easy target.
- Exactly.
Exactly. Everyone knows his flaws.
If somebody wanted to frame him,
then nobody would bat an eye.
But we haven't looked at everything yet.
Including the most important thing. Eve.
We know the beloved professor.
Everyone did.
But Eve the painter
seems to be a mystery.
That Eve was closed off, worked alone.
I think if we find the real Eve,
then we may well find the real killer.
Who is the real Eve?
This is Eve. In living colour.
Interesting brush stokes. Very gestural.
Impulsive, yet somehow
also restrained.
Apt description.
What you're seeing here
is a woman in transition.
Breaking out.
Of course, she made these around
the time she separated from Rick.
And these won her the Paletto
award three months ago?
No. Those came later.
But number 15 is one
of the award winners.
Whoa. Her style is evolving.
It's gaining momentum. Energy.
That burgundy is almost primal.
Hmm, you got a great eye, Detective.
Yeah, these pieces are from a time
I like to call the Eve-olution.
Her rebirth. Her expansion.
She found a new gear.
I just can't believe that she's gone.
You worked together a long time.
- Fifteen years, yeah.
- Wow.
I met her when I
closed my first gallery.
I'd moved to a smaller space,
and she had just finished her master's.
A talent, but she wasn't here
yet. So, we grew together.
No kidding. This place is beautiful.
Oh, thank you.
Yeah, I really needed to expand.
I've got a lot of new
clients recently, so
Everyone wants you to get
them to Paletto-level success.
Oh, well, that's not up
to me, it's up to them.
Which is why you only
represent people like Eve.
We heard that Rick thought
you may have a bias.
To people who are talented and
hardworking? Yes, of course.
Don't get me started on Rick.
I used to represent him, and his
work was in decline.
And to be honest, I don't know if he
was really that good in the first place.
But I can't help but
think that if I had just
taken him back, that
maybe Eve would still
Anyways. I
have to put that out of my mind
and get back to working
on Eve's exhibition.
The opening is Friday,
if you'd like to come.
[CELLPHONE RINGING]
Oh, excuse me, I have to take this.
"Behind the pedestrian
world of appearances,
there is a realm of formal perfection."
Sounds like the opening
credits of Days of Our Lives.
I think it's Plato-adjacent.
There's engine grease on this painting.
Are you the gallery assistant?
Uh, yes. Callie.
Detective Graff, Bateman.
Do you write those
statements for the shows?
Me? Sometimes, but not Eve's.
She was very specific about
what she wanted it to say.
She even got these printed herself.
I'd like to see her studio.
Oh, we don't know where it is.
She was very secretive.
I don't know where Eve's studio is.
I don't think anyone does.
Not even Lee?
Definitely not Lee.
You don't think that's strange?
No. Eve wanted to be alone.
- Away from the chatter, from the school
- From Rick?
From everyone.
Before she and Rick broke up,
Eve was having a really
hard time, you know.
She said she couldn't make
anything good. She needed
- A room of her own.
- Yeah.
Wherever that was, it worked.
She made all those intense
paintings in a year,
- won the Paletto
- She was inspired.
Jasper, why do you think Eve
became a painter to begin with?
She always was.
She told me once that as a kid she
would break into this old body shop
and make crazy paintings on car parts.
Like in a garage?
Yeah. I guess so.
I know exactly where that studio is.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
I thought the key in
her office was weird.
Jimmie's garage.
A room of her own.
A gateway to the Eve-olution.
You know, Sushi's no
good for an opening.
The idea that it's out for so long
So, passed hors d'oeuvres? Crudité?
Chopped up vegetables? Don't be cheap.
I need to speak with Lee.
In private.
I Find out what MOCA
did for their last event.
Melinda, hey.
I know I said that you
should come by any time,
- but I'd appreciate if you call first.
- Really?
This is Eve's work.
- Where did you find these?
- You want them?
Of course I do. Anyone would.
And Eve wouldn't want
her work rotting away in
what is this place?
Just give me the address
and I'll send a truck.
I'll take care of it.
The one isn't quite finished,
but a dead artist's work
is worth something, right?
How much do you want for them?
Yeah.
Oh, seems like the place, doesn't it?
What gave it away?
Maybe the grease we found on
the painting at the gallery.
This doesn't add up.
Let me guess, the
brush stokes are a little too far apart
to have been painted by a woman
who works with her ex-husband but
has a devoted young lover
You jest, but you're not wrong.
Eve didn't paint these
because this one's still wet.
So unless she's back from the dead,
Eve's a fraud.
[OMINOUS MUSIC INTENSIFIES]
We found these paintings
and documentation
of a group show that Eve
was in three years ago.
Jasper said she was in a slump, but
These paintings are
nothing like the works
we found in that garage Eve was renting.
How does this get us
any closer to a suspect?
Well, the real artist killed Eve because
they were tired of doing all the work
- while she got all the credit.
- That's a powerful motive.
I guess we'd better find out who
was actually holding that brush.
I've been going through the phone.
Haven't been able to find any
conversations with anyone
about the garage or her work.
But I did find one very suspicious
thing in her camera roll.
Turns out she made a video
the night before she died.
Never would've made you for a junkie.
You don't know me.
Why would Eve made a video
of herself buying heroin?
I mean, Da Silva said that
her blood screen was clean
and there was no history of drug use.
Was the buying it for someone else?
Was it a payment for making her work?
Maybe, but it couldn't
be just anybody. I mean
if the real painter is the killer,
they'd have to be able to get in and out
of that school without being noticed.
So is the killer a student?
Hungry for success, willing to
do anything for a mentor like Eve,
including making her art for her?
And who do we know, according
to Rick, who was mentored by Eve
- and then dropped for no reason?
- Melinda.
She makes a bunch of
paintings, gets turfed,
Eve's career takes off, Melinda
decides to take her out
And sets up Rick.
She was manning that
refreshment stand
Maybe she gave him more than wine.
I didn't drug Rick.
I didn't lie about liking Eve.
I used to like her a lot.
Before she got rid of me for no reason.
Well, that's not what
the registrar said.
There was a reason. You were redundant.
That's gotta hurt.
When was the last time
you were at Eve's studio?
The day she fired me. Maybe a year ago?
Yet the paint on the sole of
your shoes is the same color
as accents in Eve's latest work.
- We saw it at the garage.
- And so did you.
But I don't think Melinda
here painted those works.
Hers are nothing like
Eve's. Energy's all wrong.
Yeah, thanks for the critique, but
So why did you go to
the garage this week?
I I wanted some of my stuff back.
What? She's gone.
It's mine.
And I used to use that
space as a studio too,
before she had her revival,
decided she didn't need
me anymore and fired me.
Wouldn't even let me back
in to get any of my brushes.
So you lost a job, a mentor
and a place to work all on the same day.
[SIGHS]
I don't know how much brushes are,
but I feel that getting those back
really doesn't compensate
for your hardship.
You went there to see if Eve had any
of her work lying around, didn't you?
Because you know that Lee Sloane
doesn't know where the studio is.
Okay. Fine, yes.
But I only showed her a photo of them.
And when I went back to
get them, they were gone.
I haven't told her yet. And
Look. I didn't take them.
Yeah, we know.
Around the time that she fired you,
was she hanging around anyone new?
Unusual? Different?
- What, like a bunch of artists?
- Sure.
Yeah. She, um
did a couple of forums, panels.
She taught art therapy classes.
Where?
This is where we held
the class that Eve taught.
She was big on
unconventional art spaces.
So we've heard.
She was one of the best
art consultants we had.
Worked seamlessly with the therapist.
We're really grateful we got her
in here before her career took off.
Do you recall who was in
the classes Eve taught?
- I can't divulge their names.
- But this is their work.
This is work from all the sessions,
but these pieces are
from when Eve was here.
Eve hung her own work?
No. That's definitely
by one of our clients.
- We can't afford a real Eve.
- Of course not.
Maybe this person,
Nikki, is the real Eve.
Excuse me?
It may well be that Eve
co-opted Nikki's work.
And if so, she may be
involved in Eve's murder.
Nikki? No.
What happened during these sessions?
You know I can't talk about
that. And you're wrong.
Nikki loved Eve. She was a
positive influence on her recovery.
Still I'd like to talk to her myself.
Do you have her last name?
Sure. It's spelled: Get a warrant.
[KNOCKING]
Nikki?
[KNOCKING]
Nikki, are you here?
[KNOCKING]
Nikki?
Nikki?
Hi.
I thought you didn't want
to be in contact anymore?
I was just really worried about you.
You owe my assistant.
Getting a production order
for psychiatric records
is nearly impossible.
But he caught Judge
Parker on a good day.
Thank you, counselor.
Behold Nikki Trettini.
Eve's favourite student.
She was treated for opioid
addiction over a year ago.
According to her case worker,
she's been clean ever since.
Eve helped Nikki get off the street.
Got her clean, got her an
apartment, paid her expenses.
And in exchange, Nikki made her art.
Says here Nikki was hopeful she
was gonna make her own work soon.
Have an art career.
Now that could be a
statement or a threat.
Except I just ran her into the database,
no drug charges, no history of violence.
Well, maybe someone's never stolen
her whole life's work before.
I'll get a warrant.
Eve was killed on September 18th, right?
Says here Nikki met with her case
worker on September 18th at 4 p.m.,
was in a group therapy
session from 5 to 7.
Nikki Trettini?
Nikki?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC] Nikki!
Clear!
Clear.
[SIGHS] She's gone.
Must've relapsed.
What's this?
Maybe she didn't overdose.
Looks like she hid this in a hurry.
[BATEMAN SIGHS]
Her case worker wasn't wrong.
Ms. Trettini has been
clean for about a year.
So it's possible this wasn't
an accidental overdose?
I doubt it. She had a bad
mix of drugs in her system.
Sadly, if someone takes
a sedative and opioid,
their airway can collapse
and they asphyxiate.
It's kinda like sleep apnea on steroids.
Wait. Nikki was sedated?
Her plasma tox showed a high
concentration of Zolpidem.
You're thinking what I'm thinking?
Couldn't be clearer.
Lee Sloane?
Yes. She has a vested interest in
keeping Nikki from making her own art.
She knows Rick well enough to frame him.
And she happened to be at school
the day that Eve was killed.
Nikki hid this before she OD'd.
Our thinking is that Lee showed up,
Nikki panicked and hung this
on the wall to conceal it.
Nikki lets Lee in.
Lee handed her a latte
laced with Zolpidem,
pumped her full of heroin,
made it look like an OD.
I've never liked art dealers.
And I don't like half-baked theories.
Can't take them to court.
We know the Zolpidem link is tenuous.
More than tenuous.
You can't prove Lee Sloane gave
sleeping pills to either of them.
People take that stuff of
their own volition all the time.
Neither Rick nor Nikki
had a prescription for it.
Bet Nikki didn't have a
prescription for heroin either.
Forget about the drugs.
We need proof of murder.
What about Lee's alibi?
So, Mark took another look into the
parking stub Lee's assistant sent us.
The credit card used was a company card,
but the pin wasn't
Lee's, it was Callie's.
Lee's assistant.
Callie drove that car off
the lot to give Lee an alibi.
Okay. That, I can use.
But why kill Eve, though?
I mean, Eve is your star,
Eve is your money maker.
Okay, I can see Lee finding
out that Eve was faking it
and then killing Nikki
to protect Eve's secret
But that secret hadn't come out yet.
Even if it had, why not just
throw them both under the bus?
Lee could say she was a
victim to their lies too.
No murder necessary.
But Lee was complicit.
Lee was definitely aware of
Nikki and Eve's arrangement.
I've been going through Nikki's phone.
So first, I found this weird video.
Nikki in Eve's office
with her Paletto award?
Then, after Eve's murder,
a whole text exchange
between Lee and Nikki
about the paintings.
So Lee wants to know
where the paintings are.
Nikki responds with, "I'm
broken. I can't work on them."
Lee: "You know those
ones are worth the most.
Please, do it for Eve."
Nikki: "Fine; Pick them
up on Friday. Usual spot."
Knowing, of course,
that Lee doesn't know
where that usual spot is.
- Eve's studio.
- Power move.
So when Melinda offers
to deliver the pieces,
Lee decides that she
no longer needs Nikki.
And so she kills Nikki to
tie up the final loose thread.
Which makes Lee's last message
to Nikki so significant.
"Nikki, we owe it to the world
to share Eve's incredible work
because behind the pedestrian
world of appearances
is a realm of formal perfection."
Now, where have we heard that before?
And don't say Days of Our Lives.
The artist statement.
Now, Callie told us that Eve wrote and
printed this statement herself, but
Eve didn't write it. Lee did.
This isn't what Eve intended to say.
So let's find the real statement.
I'm sorry, this was the earliest
I could get these loaners here.
Eve's collectors were very
reluctant to part with them.
Uh what happened to the work that
was supposed to come from her studio?
Well, Melinda said that she'd
help me find them, but she flaked.
Stay on him while I greet.
Kit, hi.
Oh, it's so good to see you.
I wish it were under
better circumstances.
Me too. Me too.
But Eve's work lives on, right?
Speaking of, there is a piece
that I earmarked just for you.
Don't you think this would look great
in your place in Prince Edward County?
[BATEMAN]: It's hard to
believe Eve painted that.
She means it's so perfect.
Like a Platonic form, but in this world.
Is that what I mean?
That was quite eloquent.
Oh, I can't take credit for it.
My interpretation is definitely
influenced by Eve's words.
If you'll excuse me a minute.
Of course. I
Hey there, Callie.
Detective Bateman. Hi.
1998. It's your birth year, right?
It's also the pin to your company card.
Lee wasn't with you in her car when you
drove it out of the
lot the day Eve died.
Yeah, Lee said she'd been
drinking. Couldn't drive.
What are you suggesting?
You're an accessory to murder.
Unless you tell me
exactly what happened.
Oh, and this is one of
my favorite pieces by Eve.
It's so emotional.
It's beautiful. Very melancholy.
Is there something that you would
like to say, Detective Graff?
Actually, there is, if you don't mind.
It'll only take a minute.
Excuse me. One moment, please.
"I waited a long time
to tell my community
- about something I have hidden."
- What are you doing?
I'm reading from Eve's real statement.
There is a lot in here I
doubt you want people to hear.
How about we go somewhere
a little more private?
- None of this is true.
- I think it is.
It clearly states that you knew
Eve wasn't producing her own work
when you nominated her
for that Paletto award.
I did not know that.
And you also knew she had a
change of heart after she won.
The guilt of profiting from another
artist was driving her crazy.
Eve didn't want to
exploit Nikki anymore,
but you pressured her to continue
this charade so you could profit.
Eve makes way more money
than I do from her paintings.
And Nikki made nothing from them.
Eve knew you'd never
let her out of this lie,
so she and Nikki hatched a plan.
They were going to distribute
this statement on opening night,
come clean, give Nikki
the credit she was due,
- and take you down in the process.
- Okay.
And you got all that from
this little piece of paper?
Oh, I did, yeah.
And I know you've read it too.
You see, I think Callie told you
that Eve was printing
her own statement herself.
You were curious, you know,
busy woman taking on admin
tasks, that's strange.
So you went down to the print
shop a week before Eve died,
and you you had a look at
the proof of the statement.
You read it and you realized
that if the truth came out,
you'd lose everything: Your
reputation, your revamped career.
All you'd be left with is
this big brand new gallery,
a ton of debt,
and no clients to fleece
to help you pay it back.
So, you killed Eve
to prevent all that from coming to life.
You came up with a new
statement full of
pseudo-philosophical drivel,
and then you killed Nikki
to keep your fraud a secret.
Everyone knows Rick killed Eve.
Now, that's the story
you wanted people to see.
Because you're what,
a curator, a gallerist.
You [CLATTERING]
take all these pieces,
and you put them together.
I do that too in my job.
See, you knew everyone
knew about Rick's drinking,
about how he'd often
pass out in his office.
You knew how adept he was
at failing to produce work.
And you knew about his
explosive volatility.
So all you had to do was light
the fuse by crushing his dreams.
So you spike his red
wine with sleeping pills
and meanwhile your
assistant moves your car
so it looks like, ladies and
gentlemen, Lee has left the building.
But really, you haven't. And then, with
everyone downstairs enjoying themselves,
you kill Eve, and then
drag Rick into her office.
Voila. Perfect frame job.
Okay. I've had enough.
Wait. Not exactly perfect.
You see, these gloves, they're not great
for moving artwork or committing murder.
They leave a residue behind.
On frames, and on the handle of
the weapon we found at the scene.
The knife you used to kill Eve.
Eve was my friend, okay?
My client of 15 years. I
didn't kill her. I loved her.
Whatever you're trying to do or say here
is disgusting, and it is so upsetting.
No, what's upsetting is that
according to the autopsy,
you stabbed her here
first. Her brain stem.
It controls her movement, her
breathing, her ability to speak.
You wanted it so that she wasn't
able to run or cry for help.
This was no crime of passion,
this was a calculated
premeditated murder.
Well, if I'm not being
charged with something,
- I think I'm free to go, Detective.
- Oh, yeah, yeah, no, you can go.
And you'll probably
just catch the end of my
partner's presentation
of Eve's statement,
exposing what a charlatan
you actually are.
I bet it's already trending.
Because it's not just words. It's
Eve and Nikki, they
made a little art film.
It's actually quite an eloquent piece.
But you've never seen
it, you couldn't have.
Eve only added a QR code to the
statement the night before she died.
It links to the film with
Eve posing as a heroin addict,
and Nikki playing the role of a
Paletto-award-winning professor.
Yeah, that's quite the commentary.
It was just their statement
on the irony of raw talent
being subsumed by middle-class greed,
ambition, and fear of irrelevance.
Sound familiar?
No.
You can't ruin my reputation. You can't.
You don't have a reputation
without Nikki and Eve.
Neither one of them would have
careers if it wasn't for me.
Me!
I was saving her reputation.
And it doesn't matter that
Eve's dead. Art lives forever.
So if she goes around telling
everyone that she didn't make it,
she destroys her legacy.
Forever. Do you understand?
Forever.
I like that word. "Forever."
I'm sure that soon enough,
you'll find out what it really means.
Is there a saying about success
being wasted on the talentless?
If there isn't, I think
you just coined it.
I'll take credit for it.
Speaking of,
I hope Nikki gets the
recognition she deserves.
Me too. I just wish she
was around to appreciate it.
[THEME MUSIC]