Truth Be Told (2019) s01e03 Episode Script

[MEN SHOUTING.]
- [MAN ON PA, INDISTINCT.]
- [BELL RINGING.]
[GASPS, GROANS.]
[GASPING.]
[POPPY.]
In the Old Testament, it's called the "Akedah.
" God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to prove his faith.
And Abraham does it without a peep.
That is, until an angel of the Lord stays his hand.
Abraham has passed his test, and he is rewarded, becoming the father of a nation.
Owen Cave faced his own Akedah, proving his faith in the law by sacrificing his son.
Which member of the Menlo Park Police Department first identified your son as the main suspect? [SIGHS.]
I did.
And, like Abraham, Owen passed his test and was rewarded.
In his case, rising to the highest office to lead his department.
[MEN SHOUTING.]
[POPPY.]
Eighteen years, ten months, 24 days.
That's how long Warren Cave has sat in prison for the murder of Chuck Buhrman.
But has the right Cave been serving that time? Did Warren Cave come to believe that maybe his father's Akedah wasn't just a test? Was he a sacrifice for the sins of his father? [MEN SHOUTING.]
[CELL DOOR SLAMS.]
[INMATES CLAMORING.]
That's not Niecey, is it? Your grandbaby? You've seen her more than her father.
Ain't that a bitch? You listen to your grandmother, okay? Don't wanna end up in here like your daddy.
All right now.
Next.
Poppy Parnell.
To see Warren Cave.
You don't have clearance.
- Check again, please.
P-A-R-N - It's plain as day, ma'am.
You no longer have authorization to visit this inmate or any other inmate in this facility.
What? - On whose authority? - Not my department.
- Next.
- Can I leave a message? No.
Look, I'm just trying to I know what you're trying to do.
I don't give a shit.
And your white boy got shanked.
Step aside, please.
Next.
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER.]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING.]
[SIGHS.]
Where's Officer Hill? Somewhere else.
The warden doesn't want you trying to stay here longer than you have to.
[SCOFFS.]
You're out on Saturday.
I'm obligated to tell you we can release you into protective custody or gen pop.
- Gen pop.
- [SCOFFS.]
You wouldn't last a day.
That podcast made you the homecoming queen.
Gen pop.
Sooner the better.
Got it.
It's your death warrant.
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER.]
[MAN.]
Heard some reporter's crusading for you.
Do you really think you getting out of here? I used to think that.
Pine box, my next home.
I'm getting out, but I'm never leaving these grounds.
You ain't either.
[DOOR OPENS.]
- [POPPY.]
Hey, Ingram, I need your help.
- What do you need? - Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
- Good afternoon.
- Coffee? I was denied access to Warren Cave at Quentin this morning.
I need advice on how to get back in to see him.
Did they give you a reason why? - No.
He was in the infirmary, but - Why? He was shanked by another prisoner.
- "Shanked"? - Stabbed.
But that wasn't the reason for the denial as far as I can tell.
Do I have any legal recourse? No.
Does the inmate's defense attorney have any objection to you continuing to see the defendant? He doesn't have one.
Well, his attorney could designate you as an investigator for the defense team, therefore allowing you continued access to the client.
Would that work? We can look into it.
[POPPY.]
It's not like Ingram to stonewall me like that.
At least that pretty young thing of his had some good ideas.
Her little slipup is useless though.
It would take days to get to Warren like that, and he's already been attacked once.
Is there anyone you can check with to at least find out if he's safe? Not at Quentin.
I'm pretty sure Owen Cave took away my clearance.
What are you gonna do? There are zero degrees of separation between the streets and prison.
Drugs, phones, information.
Penitentiary walls stop nothing.
What? I always forget this side of you.
It's always there just below the surface.
Would your father help you with this? Oh.
Not in a million and one years.
There's a guy he used to trade favors with.
A biker named Jerbic.
Daddy did a ton of business with him back in the day.
[WOMAN SINGING R&B.]
[PHONE RINGS.]
Hey.
- Let me ask you something.
- Mm-hmm.
What the hell are you doing? Is that how you start conversations? [SIGHS.]
Where you at, Pop? Heading over the bridge to handle some business.
Yeah.
On Foothill Boulevard.
And don't lie.
'Cause Noa called me.
I've been in worse places before.
I'll be fine, Markus.
Why are you playing death wish over something you don't even know is true? I know.
Only two people know, and one of them is dead.
- Listen.
- No, you listen.
All this you're doing tells me you ain't telling me the truth about a whole lot of shit.
You know how I know? Because I used to be a cop, and I used to be your man.
[PHONE BEEPS.]
[SONG CONTINUES.]
[SIREN BLARING IN DISTANCE.]
[SIGHS.]
- [BLUES MUSIC PLAYING.]
- [CHATTERING.]
What the [CHATTERING STOPS.]
I need to see Jerbic.
I'm Shreve's daughter.
Desiree? Poppy.
His oldest.
Let her in.
Thank you.
So you came in here alone to parley on a hunch? I gambled that the history between you and my father would mean something.
Oh, based on what? Well, you're one and the same.
Outlaws.
Different color though.
Hmm.
Remember when you got out of Quentin in '84? My father rode by your side with all of the Capstones.
Oakland remembers that shit.
The world remembers that shit.
Mm-hmm.
Two hundred motorcycles clogging the highway.
Black motorcycle captain riding with you.
Remember you waved to me at the back of that Monte Carlo when you gunned it to the front of the line.
Oh, shit.
[BOTH CHUCKLING.]
Why didn't Shreve hook this up? Because the man I'm trying to help is Brotherhood.
Journalism makes strange bedfellows.
I'm trying to help someone whose life may be in danger, because of me.
I need to get a message to him with your help.
[BLUES MUSIC PLAYING.]
- Hey, Herbie.
- Hey, Poppy.
You drinking? Mm-hmm.
We keep this bottle here especially for you.
- [MAN.]
I don't remember that kid.
- [MAN 2.]
God.
[MAN 3.]
You remember.
The boy was slim as a whisper.
Anyway, he's up on the roof when he hears the gunshots, pow, pow, pow.
So he starts shimmying up to the drainpipe, right? By the time the shit had stopped, he had wedged himself so far up under the thing he couldn't get out.
[LAUGHING.]
We could not find his ass.
He was afraid to holler.
His old lady was the one who found him.
Then waltzed him in here talkin' about we need to break him off a little more of the take.
- Shh.
- You know what? We did too.
- [CHUCKLES.]
- Keep her ass quiet.
Hey, Daddy.
Hey, sweetheart.
Did you come to see your sisters? Nope, I thought I'd come to see you.
Coming to mass this Sunday? - Yup.
- Ingram? [DOOR OPENS, CLOSES.]
- [DESIREE.]
Hey, Daddy.
- [CYDIE.]
Oh, look at you.
Hey! Lookit here.
I don't drop nothing but pretty babies.
[CHUCKLES.]
- What y'all talking about? - Mmm.
Glory days.
Oh, "Story of a Rebel" number 596? You don't believe people used to quake when they heard my name? - Oh, they still do.
- There.
See? That's what's up.
So what happened to the fool on the roof? He got killed in a shoot-out with the police about a year later.
Whole club drove out to the funeral.
Had East 14th shut down for ten miles.
- [PHONE RINGS.]
- Who's that? Here we go.
- Hello? - [WARREN.]
Jerbic told me to call you.
Excuse me, Daddy.
I tried to visit you today, and they told me you were attacked.
Look, I don't have much time.
I only have one question.
[BEEPS.]
Did you know about your mother's affair with Chuck Buhrman? [SIGHS.]
That's enough.
Yes.
How? [THUMPING.]
[CREAKING, THUMPING.]
[WOMAN SIGHING, MOANING.]
[WARREN.]
I saw them together.
[SIGHS.]
I love you.
Melanie.
[POPPY.]
Did anyone else know about it? My father.
Owen knew? Are you sure? He knew for months.
Before the murder? Yeah.
How do you know? I told him.
What are you doing here? Why did you lie? - What are you talking about? - Your affair with Chuck Buhrman.
[LAUGHTER, CHATTERING.]
[POPPY.]
Did Owen know about the affair? [MELANIE.]
Of course not.
Isn't that the whole point, keeping it from your spouses? Owen had a rock-solid alibi, if that's where you're headed.
[POPPY.]
Did anyone else know? Erin suspected, but she suspected any woman that came into Chuck's orbit.
You believed Erin's alibi? [CHUCKLES.]
Anyone who knew Erin believed Erin's alibi.
What would have been more unbelievable would be if she hadn't passed out drunk for a night.
Mom? [PHONE RINGING.]
Oh.
What? Hey, you got a minute? Hell no.
- What if I apologize? - That's not good enough.
- That was some foul shit you pulled.
- Markus.
No.
Going to that club, hanging up on me like that.
You think you got the right to act any old kind of way with me? - Look, Owen knew about the affair.
- Hey, I don't give a shit.
- Keep the change.
- Thank you, sir.
Well, that's motive.
No matter what you think.
Apologize.
- Bye, Poppy.
- I'm sorry.
Oh, yeah? What for? For hanging up when you were just trying to help out.
And? Well, I'm not gonna apologize for pursuing a lead, so you can just let that go.
I've been doing this for 20 years and in worse places than I was last night.
Warren confirmed that Owen knew about the affair.
Yeah, but you're still ignoring the fact that he has an alibi, a rock-solid one.
He was on duty that night.
He couldn't have done it.
- Could someone have covered for him? - Listen to me.
The first rule of the investigation is you do not get emotionally attached to the outcome.
That's what turns cops into sloppy cops.
Well, just because he was on duty doesn't mean he couldn't have done it.
Let me tell you something.
You cannot will him to be a suspect, Poppy.
You understand that? This is your golden opportunity to say, "I told you so.
" How many of those do you think you're gonna get in this lifetime? [CHUCKLES.]
All right.
All right, I'm on it.
But the next time you hang up on me, we're gonna have - [PHONE BEEPS.]
- Hello? [SCOFFS.]
[GLASS SHATTERS.]
So who told you? All that matters is it wasn't you.
Why would I call you? Because my sister died.
Because you were in the car, apparently.
Because of that bullshit podcast about us.
So you know about that.
About the podcast about my dead husband? Yeah, someone thought to mention it to me.
So is that why you're here? Because I haven't seen you since you showed up shit-faced at the hospital when my daughter was born, so I know you're not here to pay respects.
All right, you got me, baby.
I'm not here for the podcast, I'm not here for the funeral, I'm here for what's mine.
Susan took the house we grew up in.
She took my daughter, she took my life, and I want it all back.
Yeah, you want me back? Let's just start with the house.
You're such a bitch.
Yeah, well, where do you think you got it from? Oh, believe me, I know exactly where I got it from.
Yup, that's why your sister left you.
Just took off.
Couldn't stand one more day of you.
Hey, Armand.
What's up, man? Hey.
Hey, hey, hey! Hold on, man.
I see you're still hitting up the two for two.
Guess we're all creatures of habit, right? It was one drink.
You know it's a slippery slope, man.
What do you need, Markus? Look, I'm still trying to get my hands on those call logs.
I can't help you.
Cave is the chief of police.
- All I need you to do - You're not a cop anymore, remember? Stop trying to trade off it.
You were asleep when I got home last night.
And gone before you woke up this morning.
- You wanna do this now or later? - Why did you lie yesterday? I was managing your expectations.
All I could do Where are you going? You were trying to cut me off.
- Step carefully.
- Oh.
"Step" [KNOCKING.]
Daddy, Lil, is everything okay? What'd you need the Red Saints for? For a story I'm doing.
For that silly-ass radio show? What story? I needed to get to someone on the inside.
So you traded on my name? There's no hiding from me.
- I wasn't trying to hide - Jerbic is a piece of shit.
I haven't dealt with him in over a decade.
- I didn't know that.
- Of course you didn't.
'Cause this ain't your world anymore.
- What's going on? - You know what Jerbic did? He called me, happy as shit.
You know what he said? "Your daughter cashed in one of your chips.
" I don't like owing motherfuckers.
Hear me? What you do out here costs me.
Whatever your last name is now, when you in the Bay, you a Scoville.
You need to act like you know that.
- That's enough.
She hears you.
- Oh, now it's enough.
Where you been? Letting your wife run around like she ain't got no sense.
Old man, this is my house.
I didn't realize that I overstepped my bounds.
Why didn't you ask me? White boy then? AB.
You are stepping in some shit you got no business being around.
And I never heard, "I'm sorry.
" [DOOR OPENS.]
[DOOR CLOSES.]
I made an appointment with a Realtor for tomorrow.
But realistically, when can we sell this place? We just have to clean it out.
That's not possible.
What do you mean? Have either of you spoken to Josie? No.
Josie's the executor.
The title can only be transferred to her.
What if she's dead? Then there are steps we would take with the state.
But that would obviously require proof.
Have you spoken to her? - Excuse me? - Have you talked to Josie? I represent Susan Carver's estate.
That's all I'm at liberty to disclose to you at this time.
[SIGHS.]
I couldn't get a single thing done today.
All I could think about was Shreve and Lil rolling into my house like Bonnie and Clyde.
I'm praying.
I'm sorry about Daddy and Lil, but this is not the place.
Why are you sorry? Tell me.
Hmm? Are you sorry because you were caught? Are you sorry because you're trying to free a man who is Aryan Brotherhood? Are you sorry because you're just telling me about it? Do you wanna listen or do you wanna fight? Fight! I wanna fight! From what I've seen, fighting is the thing that works in your family! Okay, we should talk when we both have calmed down.
- Whoa, whoa.
Both? Are you serious? - Yes, dead serious.
Did you lie to me in front of your colleagues? You know what? Yes.
I did.
The man was shanked.
So sue me for trying to protect my wife from a situation I wasn't in danger.
I grew up in and out of places like that.
This fancy shit's what's new to me.
Oh, okay.
Okay.
Even your father told you to stop.
Suddenly you and Daddy are on the same page? - I understand where he's coming from.
- Where exactly is that? Because this is what I've always done! This is who I have always been! This is my job! And nobody understands that more than me! Look.
There is out there and there is in here.
They need to be worlds apart.
You're right.
I hear what you're saying, okay? I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
But that is my "in here.
" And we can fight anywhere else in this house but there.
If we can agree on that, then cool.
Cool.
[BUZZER BUZZES.]
[MARKUS.]
Come on, pass the rock.
Come on, what you doing? All right, J.
We got a mouse in the house, J.
Mouse in the house.
That's what I'm talking about.
Been waiting for him to do that all day.
Let's go.
- Creatures of habit.
- Mm-hmm.
I listened to that podcast.
I don't wanna be on the wrong side of history when all this shakes down.
- And what I said before about - Hey, hey, hey.
Forget about that.
All right? We good.
My man.
- [SIGHS.]
- [PHONE RINGS.]
- [RINGS.]
- Hey.
You good? Yeah, I'm fine.
Hmm.
Question for you.
Should I ask for an advance on the book deal now or lobby for points on the back end? What did you find? 'Cause, you know, the job is all right, but it's not that all right.
- Stop.
What did you find? - [CHUCKLES.]
All right, all right.
Owen's alibi is fishy.
He wasn't on duty.
Oh, no, no, no.
He was.
All night.
- But - You motherfucker.
[CHUCKLES.]
One of his calls was a disturbing the peace call.
And? Look, he took the call at 3:30 a.
m.
And he didn't show up to his next call until 4:44.
That was in the window of when Chuck was murdered.
If you were to ask a humble man, such as myself, he would tell you there's no way in hell a disturbing the peace call should take 74 minutes.
Something's off.
I knew it.
I knew it.
Thank you.
You're welcome, Poppy.
I knew it.
Hi.
I know that you are in contact with Josie, and I was just wondering if you would give this to her.
Please.
I'm not asking you to betray attorney-client privilege.
Please.
Thank you.
This is me leaving.
Not asking for anything else.
Boundaries.
[CAR ALARM BEEPS.]
[CAR STARTS.]
[WOMAN SINGING ELECTRONIC BLUES MUSIC.]
[WHISPERING.]
Oh, my God.
How did you find me? Uh, Josie.
Josie, Josie.
Josie.
Basketball fantasy camp? Missing two days at a Palo Alto private school is like missing a month anywhere else.
I promise I won't fall behind.
Come on, Alana.
Give the kid a special memory with his old man.
Hmm? Hey, you speak to your teachers.
And you get every assignment ahead of time.
- Yes.
- I can't believe this.
- [KISSES, LAUGHS.]
- [DOORBELL RINGS.]
Come on, baby.
Yeah! - Chief Cave.
- What the hell are you doing here? You came to my house, so I thought I'd pay you a visit.
Dad, breakfast.
I'll be right there, son.
Son? A spare.
Hmm.
What are you doing here? - [BEEPS.]
- [WARREN'S VOICE.]
I saw them together.
[POPPY'S VOICE.]
Did anyone else know about it? [WARREN.]
My father.
[POPPY.]
Owen knew? Are you sure? [WARREN.]
He knew for months.
[POPPY.]
Before the murder? [WARREN.]
Yeah.
[POPPY.]
How do you know? [WARREN.]
I told him.
[BEEPS.]
- What do you want? - You on my podcast.
- You don't need me.
- Oh, but I want you.
You have the trial transcripts, you have the police record You had motive, you had opportunity.
Now I'm giving you the opportunity to explain yourself You cannot play that, and you cannot use my name.
Oh, you watch.
- You're on a very hazardous road.
- For who? You.
And let's be clear about that.
- This is dangerous for you.
- Are you threatening me? No.
I'm telling you.
You've crossed a line, and you'll pay.
That's a promise.
[DOOR OPENS.]
- Don't start no shit, won't be no shit.
- I'll take another fugazi.
Come on, that's what I'm saying.
It was the same Blue that came up from LA before he went to 'Nam.
No, that's a different Blue.
I'm talking about the Blue from Arkansas who had that Lincoln.
Lincoln? It was a Coupe de Ville.
Come on, brother.
Oh, hell no.
Hey, what-what is going on? This is a summons for Shreve Scoville to appear in 30 days.
We've included a list of violations.
Hey, whoa, whoa.
I'm taking care of this.
Didn't you talk to Lance before you came in here? This isn't Lance's jurisdiction.
Complaints were made.
We pulled paperwork.
You got a litany of violations from faulty wiring to derelict liquor license.
You know god damn well - you didn't have to run in here.
- Don't step toward him.
- Hey.
Hey! That's my wife.
- What the fuck? The Whisper Lounge and that funky kale factory down the street never comply with Ma'am, if you continue to be aggressive, I will cite you "Aggressive" is you coming in here acting like it's a raid when you need to hand over some paperwork.
Cydie Scoville? Yeah? Cydie Scoville, you're under arrest.
What? For what? What are you talking about? What are you doing? - Take it easy.
- Daddy.
- [OFFICER.]
Let's go.
- Cydie, we'll fix this.
Just stay calm.
- Can we know what's going on? - She has an outstanding warrant.
For traffic tickets.
OPD don't even respond to grand theft auto anymore.
Since when are you enforcing misdemeanor warrants? Where's your other daughter, the reporter? 'Cause we were hoping she would be here.
Tell her Owen Cave sends his best.
- Let's go.
- [WHIMPERS.]
[ENGINE STARTING.]
- [SIGHS.]
- [DOOR CLOSES.]
Put your feet on the red line.
I'm gonna pat you down.
[OFFICER 2.]
Spread your legs.
And stick your left hand on the wall for me.
Put your right hand on the wall.
Take a seat on the bench, please.
[OFFICER 2.]
Six rings? [OFFICER 1.]
Please remove your lashes.
And your makeup.
[OFFICER 2.]
We need another bag for the wig.
[OFFICER 3.]
I'm gonna have you wipe your hands together for me.
Go ahead and take a step up.
Let me see your right thumb.
[MACHINE CLICKS, WHIRS.]
Do me a favor.
Take a step to the left.
And fingers together just like this.
[MACHINE CLICKS, WHIRS.]
[SHUTTER CLICKS.]
- [SHUTTER CLICKS.]
- [SECURITY DOOR BUZZES.]
[FEMALE PRISONER 1.]
Yo, Officer, it's a bail hearing.
[FEMALE PRISONER 2.]
Yeah.
Don't cry, muffin! [LOCK CLICKING.]
[DOOR CLOSES.]
[WOMAN.]
Take this form.
Have a seat and we'll process her out.
- [CHATTERING.]
- [POLICE RADIO CHATTER.]
Did you pay? We did.
She should be out in a minute.
Mm-hmm.
- You should've called me.
- Why? Ingram's the lawyer.
And we called who we meant to call.
[DOOR OPENS.]
Oh, my God.
Cydie.
Daddy, my hair.
Come here, baby.
What the fuck did you do? Nothing, Daddy.
You ain't been back but a minute and already going to Jerbic.
They raided my bar.
And your sister Come here.
- That cop did this.
- What? That cop, Cave.
He did this because of you.
- You don't know that, Daddy.
- The one who arrested Cydie told me so.
- I don't know why he would - [GRUNTING.]
- What are you doing? - Everything you leave out is a lie.
- Get your goddamn hands off my wife.
- [LIL.]
Hey, don't talk to him like that.
- [POPPY.]
Babe.
- What is wrong with you? - Come on, babe.
- What is wrong with you? - Come on, babe.
Come on, baby.
- All of you! [DOOR OPENS.]
[DOOR CLOSES.]
[SNIFFLES.]
[THUNDER RUMBLING.]
In the time since I initially recorded the opening of this episode, things have changed.
If I'm honest the pursuit of this podcast is not fueled solely by the guilt that I may have helped put Warren Cave in prison unjustly.
It ain't nothing, baby.
She'll be I realize now that I identify with Warren.
Yo, Shreve! Because I've been sacrificed myself.
Don't cry.
You hear me? Nobody cares about a little black girl's tears.
I know what it feels like to lie on that altar and see that knife raised up and wonder if you're being sacrificed for some higher good or if you're just a casualty of someone else's ambition.
I survived.
Warren survived.
[INMATES CLAMORING.]
But even if you survive, even if you get down off that altar alive you are never the same again.
[INMATE.]
Hey, buddy.
Wondered if you'd be back now that you're famous.
[CHUCKLES.]
I thought they'd have your ass protected.
I ain't a pussy.
[GROANS.]
Man, you should see this shit.
[SIGHS.]
You're gonna give that shit back, right? People need to see you step up.
[SIGHS.]
The people will get their show.