Panhandle (2022) s01e04 Episode Script

I mean, he couldn't
have killed her, right?
Right?
Morning, bud. What's going on?
- It's Ponce de Leon Day.
- Oh.
'Cause why wouldn't Florida
celebrate a colonising murderer?
He was looking for a magical fountain.
- Hmm.
- But he found Florida instead.
Wow, how lucky are we!
Why don't you go get your stuff
for school, okay?
Hey, there.
I have a new strategy,
but I need you here as soon as you can.
Yeah, that's not gonna
Well, come by as soon
as you're done handing out
tickets or seducing men.
- I don't think that's gonna
- Or is it generally both
at the same time?
Bell, are you listening to me?
Oh, and, Cammie, um
thank you.
I feel better, much better.
Must go. Checotah's here
with the compression socks
and the Theragun.
The what?
Are you sure you're okay, man?
You look like you're
gonna have a heart attack.
I always look like that.
Just do it.
Oh, hello.
You like what I've done with the place?
Not particularly.
Well, leave.
Bell Prescott keeps calling.
He wants to know
when you're coming over.
Are you two a-courtin'?
No, Urleen, we are not a-courtin'.
He's kind of cute.
Like a boy and an old man
all mixed up together.
Uh how is that cute?
Just tell him I'm busy.
I could tell him
you're out writing tickets.
Actually, I should be out
writing tickets.
So, tickets it is!
Tickets, it is not.
This is murder.
Tien Tran,
you are under arrest
for the murder of Maxie Tran.
Anything you say can and will
blah, blah, blah.
That poor woman trusted you.
She befriended you.
She shared her damn husband with you!
And what'd she get?
Blown up in an illegal fireworks stand.
I mean, what kind of
backwoods shit is that?
But you know what?
That happens to all of us.
We get played, Tien.
God, we get played.
I mean, off I go,
trusting someone again,
and then it just blows up in my face,
because it turns out, unless
there's a better explanation
oh! They murdered their wife!
That seem fair to you?
Bitch.
Thank you. Thank you. I, um
I feel better.
What?
I'd like to file a report.
Dog poop on your lawn
or a reptile in your washing machine?
Bellwether Prescott conspired
with an officer of the law
to move my daughter's burial site,
and that officer is you.
Mrs. Perez.
Officer Lorde.
Mr. Prescott acted within his rights
as a surviving spouse.
If you interfere in my family again,
there will be consequences.
Unless you really want
to file that report,
I have a very busy day.
Fine.
I'll be paying my feckless stain
of a son-in-law a visit.
Mrs. Perez.
Sheriff.
She's all yours.
Explain to me what part
of digging up Vida Perez
is you staying away from a case
I expressly told you to stay away from.
I caught a killer manicurist.
- You must be happy about that.
- Look, I get it.
You want to do right,
but I grew up here.
I know these people,
and Bell Prescott is bad news.
Look, all I'm saying, Lorde,
is that you've got to learn
how to ask questions
before you pretend to have answers.
Out of curiosity, you ever question him
about his wife's murder?
Of course I did.
Look, it's
it's possible there there's something
you should know.
And what exactly is that?
If you got something, tell me.
No, sir. I've got nothing.
I appreciate the advice.
All right. Well, thanks for this.
Good work.
Ticket lady.
She just called you
a fucking bitch, ticket lady.
I thought you wanted a break,
but here I am.
Just can't let go.
And you've already looked
at those a thousand times.
Actually, 232.
"Secrets and Lies,
Incorporated, Miami, Florida."
Lingerie store. You've literally eaten
their underwear off me.
What are you hiding, Vida?
Isn't it better to just
remember the good times?
Our first night at Shucks?
We made out in the corner.
You bought me dinner at Shucks
to commemorate the third anniversary
of the first time we had sex.
Yes, that is another memory.
It was a month before your murder,
but there's no charge
on your credit card.
You didn't use cash, so how did you pay?
Who knows?
And who cares?
You had a secret credit card.
I couldn't have a secret card.
You would have seen the bills.
Stop trying to distract me.
You're just a projection of my mind
to protect me from further hurt.
I could put you in a mascot costume
to silence you if I wanted.
This is ridiculous!
Who cares how I paid for a dinner?
The husband you cheated on cares.
You wonder why I strayed from this?
I loved you, Vida
everything about you,
the good and the bad
the way you could never let
anyone else have the last word.
It's called having an opinion.
The way you forgot things,
because there was always someone else
to pick up the pieces.
Jewellery at the pool.
Bills that I asked you to mail.
And how many lip glosses
went through the damn wash
and stained our clothes
Pink?
Carino, enough!
These!
Look at this.
You were wearing this
that night at Shucks.
Why did your father give you
a company credit card, Vida?
Maybe he got tired of
me having to dig up money
in your backyard.
What is it?
Your mother
coming here.
Oh.
I've known you for years, Bell.
Tell me the truth.
We had an argument.
I told you that already.
Tell me again.
What was it about?
I don't know.
I was drunk.
You followed her, didn't you?
No.
I don't think
I can't remember.
But I need to see her.
Just as soon as you tell me
what you were fighting about.
- It doesn't matter.
- It matters to me.
No, no, no, no!
What you watching?
What are you doing here, Marcus?
You've had time to chew on this, Cam.
I want to see my son.
Have you noticed that what you want
changes every five minutes?
You're letting your issues
get in the way of my kid.
Look, I'm just I'm just
not comfortable with this.
I'm sorry. I have work to do.
Think about it, Cammie.
Okay.
- Please.
- Mm-hmm.
Hey, Millicent. How's it going?
Mm-hmm.
Whoa!
What's What's going on here?
Why do you ask?
We're de- "taxiderming" the house.
Well, some of us are.
I wouldn't clean for that woman,
and neither should you.
- Cammie
- Oh.
Damn it. Mother, hide that thing!
I don't know why you care
what Alicia Perez thinks.
I do not want to give her
the satisfaction
of thinking her daughter
married a slovenly louche.
Now, please, just help.
Wow.
Are you
Are you wearing cologne?
Yes.
Well, it's Bay Rum.
It's more of a tonic, really.
Oh.
At any rate,
it's good you're finally here.
Whatever secret life Vida was hiding,
this could be our in,
but I need your help.
All you have to do is
call the card company
and get their statements
so I can find out what she was hiding.
And commit a felony
by impersonating a dead woman.
Think of it this way. You're a cop.
If we get caught,
you can just arrest yourself.
Actually, what would
be more helpful here is
if we talked about
the night of Vida's murder.
Blackout drunk.
Is that two words? Is "blackout" a word?
It's one word.
Point is, I remember nothing.
You don't remember there was a
big storm that night, trees fell.
You don't remember
maybe picking something up
to chop away the branches?
You make the call,
I'll answer your questions.
How's that?
I know you're angry with me,
but she's acting strange.
- She's hiding something, poorly.
- What's wrong?
Nothing.
You go from staring at me, which
indicates aggressive thoughts,
to glancing down,
indicating introspection.
You do so at a three-to-one ratio,
last seen when you blackmailed
me for those cold cases,
so I ask again
what's wrong?
Well, if you must know,
Tyler's father has developed
a, um, sudden urge
to have a relationship with his son.
- Is that so bad?
- Yes, it's bad!
Oh, he abused you.
Wait, no
Oh, Cammie, I am so sorry.
No wonder you're such a mess.
No, Marcus didn't abuse anyone,
okay? He just
just disappeared on us.
- No, I get it.
- You get it?
You are a lot,
which reminds me,
I've been wondering
why you took that job
at the paper in the first place.
That's what I'm talking about.
It wasn't for the money,
surely not the benefits.
The Post barely has a roof,
let alone pension and health packages.
Look, I-I didn't come here
to answer your questions, okay?
I came to ask you questions.
Then I realised
the paper gave you access
to databases that were
otherwise inaccessible,
namely the legal
and public records kind.
So when that pinguid prick
Marcus Malin became untenable,
you found another job
that gave you access
Boggsville PD.
Marcus fired me, so I took
this job for the benefits, okay?
What I couldn't fathom
is why you never found
what you were looking for.
But then it hit me.
You stopped looking
because you had Tyler.
There you go.
You got her up
against the ropes.
Why do you think about me so much?
Do you have a crush?
That is not what is happening here.
Oh, 'cause it's it's feeling
real crush-y in here.
Hello? How can I help you?
Last four digits, 8128.
Gracias.
Vida Perez.
Yeah, I need to access
some old statements.
Yeah, sure,
I can answer a few identity verification
questions.
Mother's maiden name?
Famosa.
Famosa.
Date of birth?
April 9th.
- April 10, 19 Oh, sorry!
- 9th.
Sorry, April 9th.
Wow!
You know how it is. One too many Cosmos.
The make of my first car?
I'm just a projection, remember?
Who are these people, the CIA?
It was some type of convertible.
She told me she wrecked it
within the first week.
Wow!
You guys sure do go down
memory lane, don't you?
Instead of punishing her,
Alejandro bought her a puppy,
which she named Beemer, after the car.
It was a BMW.
A BMW convertible.
Obnoxious for a first car, right?
I grew up privileged.
I was a total asshole.
Still am.
That's great.
Uh, I have a new email,
if you'd be so kind.
All right, a deal's a deal, Bell.
While we wait, you can
tell me about that night.
Tell me what you were
looking for at the newspaper.
No, no.
That little thing you do
is not gonna work, okay?
I pulled the tape of your
interview with the sheriff.
Yeah, that's right.
Look at me going all detective and shit.
Vida was complicated.
She was charming, but
Sometimes
Tell me what happened.
The night before her murder
was the anniversary
of my father's death.
Oh, my God, people lose
their parents every damn day!
You've been checked out
of this marriage for months!
Oh, look who finally noticed
something other than a new handbag
Whenever it is convenient
for you to check back in
Or who's fucking who in Miami
It's always about Bell, Bell, Bell
Or whatever else she's
always obsessing over
that has nothing to do with us!
Like I don't even exist!
Open your eyes and look at me!
I needed you,
and you weren't there!
I needed you, too, God damn it!
Well, you're not worth it!
So maybe I should find someone who is!
Fuck!
I told her I never
wanted to see her again.
And then what happened?
Hey! Hey!
I can't remember. I can't remember.
I can't remember.
Statements are in.
Clothes, clothes, more clothes,
a nightclub in Destin.
Hmm.
A $750 charge to the fishing marina.
Vida doesn't strike me
as a fishing type of gal.
Stay calm.
I was born calm
literally.
I had the umbilical cord
wrapped around my neck.
Frankly, it's a miracle I survived.
Alicia, how nice to hear from you.
We're all ready for you
over here at Casa Prescott.
Hey.
Bellwether, it's been a long time.
Well, time flies
when you're having fun.
I've decided it's too painful
to see my daughter's fresh grave.
Sure, sure.
What a shame.
I was so looking forward to
So you'll meet me at Shucks
in an hour instead,
unless that would be
too stressful for you.
See you in an hour.
I got this.
Wow.
Too much?
Hmm. All you're missing is a
couple of cartoon animal friends
singing about how great slavery was.
Perfect. I'll see you in an hour.
Why does he put himself through this?
He needs to prove that he's more than
what she thinks he is.
Why?
Oh, honey, gonna need a drink.
Come on.
This goes back long before Vida.
Alicia's family owned
a big rum distillery in Cuba,
but when Castro moved in,
old Quique Famosa pulled up
stakes and moved here.
He opened El Calvero Rum,
but you can't make rum
without cane syrup,
so he struck a deal with Prescott Sugar.
You were in business with Vida's family?
Indigo never shared details, but
there were issues.
Yeah, I'm sure Bell and Vida
getting together
didn't exactly help the situation.
Well, in a way, it did.
Alejandro convinced Indigo to
sell the company.
So, after 120 years,
Prescott Sugar was no more.
Hmm.
At first, it was wonderful.
We traveled,
and we worked in the garden.
We made love all the time.
Good to know.
Bell and Vida were happy, too.
Were they, though?
Look, I
I want to help, Millicent.
I do, but it's hard to help when
I don't have the full picture.
The full picture is Bell was happy.
But right after Indigo died, he
He changed. I don't know why.
Ah. Wow.
Thank you for the drink and the chat.
- I should go.
- Um
I hope that you find
what you're digging for.
And I hope what you're digging for
does not hurt my son
because I love him
as much as you love yours.
Okay.
Alicia.
You look well.
Too bad Alejandro couldn't join us.
It would have been nice to
see the dude.
"Dude"?
That's how calm I am.
Actually, he doesn't know I'm here.
I am uninterested in having
an affair with a married woman!
That was a joke.
You're my former mother-in-law.
I hate you!
That's also a joke.
I know you're angry.
If it helps, I acknowledge
that I was not without blame
in Vida's death.
Had I
dealt with our issues
maybe she'd still be with me.
I don't like you, Bellwether.
Never have.
But in the end,
we want the same thing
truth.
That's him. That's Vida's lover.
Please do not break my bottle.
You'll get Mountain Dew everywhere,
and then the ants will come,
and this is basically my office.
You drink Mountain Dew?
Are you a teenage boy?
Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no.
You are not pointing the finger,
King of Weird Choices.
Now, did Mrs. Perez give you a name
or tell you where she got this?
Or did she just Google Image
"suspicious photo"?
She doesn't know his name.
And it was taken by a private detective
for reasons
she refused to share with me.
Do you think I'm a narcissist?
Yes.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm.
But I think about you all the time.
You do?
I mean
not like that.
Okay, uh, well, if Alicia
had this the whole time,
then why wasn't it in the police file?
Because what she cares about
most is her family's reputation.
Hmm.
Well, people have a lot of complicated
reasons for doing what they do.
- What's that supposed to mean?
- Nothing.
Really? It seemed like something.
Mm.
You should start at the marina.
Find out about that $750 charge.
Okay, before it was "we, we, we."
Now it's just me?
I could go into
cardiac arrest at any moment.
Do you really want my death
on your hands?
No, you're not guilting me.
Also, I could vomit.
Okay, fine. Get out.
But for the record,
I am not doing this for you.
I'm doing this because I have questions
that need to be answered.
Is that clear?
Yes. This is all for you.
None of this is for me.
- Mm-hmm.
- Is that better?
Yes, actually. Thank you.
Bye.
Sorry about that.
And I'm sorry about that.
You want to make this a thing, lady?
No, I don't,
but I will if you don't answer
my question.
When did you say that money got paid?
A little over five years ago.
That's what I figured.
Meaning?
Owners of the marina
were pissed this was
gonna get all gentrified.
They wanted to fuck with the developers,
so they sold boat slips for cheap.
750 bucks, clear title.
So the developers would
have to pay through the nose
to buy them back.
Good move.
Didn't turn out that way.
I cleaned out my bank account
to buy three of them.
Then everything went to
shit 'cause Bell Prescott
abandoned the project.
Jesus, does everything
lead back to that?
I call a shark "pinata of the sea."
Never know what you're gonna get.
I'd cover your nose.
Oh, God, my son would love this.
So why did Vida get a boat slip?
Oh, hell, lady
you don't know?
Bellwether.
Motherfucker.
Hey! Shit. Freeze!
Shit!
Ugh!
I'm gonna have to see your license
and registration, ticket lady.
Real funny.
What are you looking at?
You're telling me you
didn't know the boat existed.
That is exactly what I'm telling you.
So the guy who got away from me
was screwing your wife
and living on a boat
you didn't know about?
She hated boats.
Maybe not so much.
On a scale of one to ten, ten being me,
how good-looking would you say he was?
That's what you're
thinking about right now?
Well, he, um, he was was mostly running,
so I only got a really
good look at his backside,
which was honestly terrific.
He's, like, real strong
and really good at throwing
stuff in my way, like, excellent.
Right.
Most importantly,
once he saw my uniform,
he he ran like hell.
He either had something
to do with Vida's murder,
or he knows something about it.
Either way, we need to find him.
No, no, no, I I need to go home,
but we are having a
long-ass talk in the morning,
you get me?
I would say don't leave town,
but, um, I think
that goes without saying.
If you want to come home early
for any reason,
you know what number to call, right?
- 911?
- Yep.
And I'll be there faster
than Spider-Man, okay?
What's all this?
I want to show him
all my favourite things.
Maybe my favourite things
are the same as his.
Well, let's just take one tonight,
and then we can, um, tell him
about all the others, okay?
Why?
Because it's a new friendship,
and you want to feel things out
just like when we go to Costco
and try all the samples
before deciding what
what dinner to get.
Wait, I thought you said
the samples were dinner.
Look, the point is you don't want to get
too attached to someone
before you know they're good for you.
And if they're not, that's okay,
'cause I'll always be here.
And we'll always have
each other, all right?
Okay.
All right.
Hi.
Make sure that his car seat's
secured properly, okay?
Come on.
And easy on the sugar, all right?
You can give him dessert,
but don't just give him dessert, okay?
I know. I know, Cam.
Hmm.
Hey, um, I just want to say thank you
for, you know, changing your mind.
- Yeah.
- Come on.
- Dr. Dinosaur.
- Dr. Dinosaur. Okay.
No.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Um
Dumb joke.
Oh, come on. Who doesn't know
a booty call when they see one?
Not smart, exposing your queen.
My queen betrayed me, Skramstad.
Thank you.
I don't remember the last
time I went to a restaurant
that didn't have crayons on the table.
So how long you plan
on staying in Boggsville?
What do you mean?
You seem more city than country,
and this place is real country.
You trying to say I'm urban?
Who you calling urban?
I mean, I got six more
months' worth of contract.
I don't have a choice,
but you could just hit the highway,
head back to Detroit.
Hm. No, I can't take Tyler out of state
without Marcus' permission.
You never should have left Detroit.
Good music scene, nice zoo.
High murder rates.
Fantastic barbecue.
Rampant heroin use.
Burgeoning arts scene.
Massive foreclosures.
This is getting very sexy.
Tell me about it.
Unfortunately, I ran out
of things to say about Detroit.
So it turns out hauling
a 12-ton amphibious vehicle
with a van is a lot more
taxing on the engine
than you could even imagine.
I mean, I don't even know how
I got it in here.
It was one go.
Are you all right, man?
I'm fine.
You want to work out tomorrow maybe?
No, I do not.
Now you should go.
Fine.
You either bought this for your lover
and named it after your husband,
which would be psychotic
to the point of nonsensical.
Or I bought this boat for you.
Surprise.
It was for my birthday.
I didn't make it till then, did I?
Vida.
Is that why you kept
the boat slip payment secret?
You still
Loved you?
I never stopped.
Then why was your lover
living on my boat?
- Darby?
- Hey. About time you picked up.
Funny story
you won't believe who's at Sweet Water.
Cammie and Otis together.
Well, good for them. They're adults.
They can do adult stuff.
Oh.
You guys aren't a thing?
Cammie and I?
No, we have no things.
We are colleagues,
unofficial colleagues,
as we are not paid
for our colleague-ness.
Okay. Never mind, then.
I will let them get back
to their daiquiris.
They're drinking daiquiris?
Mm, yeah, lots.
What kind?
Hemingway.
That's our drink.
Report back with further developments.
It sounds like being
the only cop in town
is exciting.
Mm! One time I pulled over T-Pain.
Got a selfie out of it.
- What's he like?
- He was real pissed.
- Mm.
- Yeah.
But, I mean, I pulled him over,
so it was legitimate.
And then there's people like Bell.
He's capable of pretty much anything.
Even killing his wife?
Hypothetically,
what if there was evidence
that tied him to the murder?
Even if he didn't remember it, hmm?
- Hypothetically?
- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
30% of the time, he's 80% blitzed.
You get blackout drunk,
the hippocampus can't form memories,
which means if Bell killed her
when he was drunk,
he wouldn't have to try and forget
because he would be incapable
of remembering.
So, hypothetically,
on the hypothetical
if it happened and if there was evidence
and if he had to stand trial
All I know is this
Bell Prescott is not on this date,
and I'm not the kind of man
who likes to share his time.
- Is that so?
- Mm.
Hmm.
Where do you get off spying on me?
It's not spying.
But I am curious why you
were on a date with Otis.
At least Otis can go on a date.
Also, I don't need
to justify my shit to you.
What are you doing?
Oh, relax.
I preserved all the relevant clues.
What relevant clues?
First this beaded ring,
green and yellow
Miccosukee representation of a turtle.
Could have been a souvenir
- Are you out of your mind?
- Other than the single weaving stitch.
Maybe an expensive souvenir.
But then I found this sarsaparilla.
Note the bit of string at the end,
therefore, the remains of a smudge.
Likely homemade by an elder.
You just took the damn boat?
It has my name on it,
so it must be mine.
And thank God I took it,
because, clearly,
these clues suggest that the lover
has some connection
to the Miccosukee tribe
a virtual fact when
you take into account this.
Peacock.
Found on the Velcro of his backpack.
Very attractive.
Could be ornamental.
But smell.
Oh, God, it smells like piss.
No, boric acid, to prevent mites,
therefore natural, not preserved.
Still downy, which means
it came from a juvenile.
Interesting birds, peafowl.
Uh, polygamous, much like yourself.
And the juveniles stay close
to home because of predators,
also like yourself.
Regardless, because of
our rampant destruction
of their habitat,
home means the northeast corner
of the Miccosukee camp.
Ta-da!
That's why I took the boat,
because now we know the lothario
is either Miccosukee
or Miccosukee-adjacent.
You done?
Yes, I am done.
Are you sure, or you gonna splooge
some more factual garbage?
I'm done.
Good, because I slept on it,
I prayed on it,
and I am done with you
and this psycho relationship.
If I had half the sense I was born with,
I would arrest you right now.
On what grounds? It's my boat.
On grounds of homicide.
You were blackout drunk, and you
you killed your wife.
This whole bullshit investigation
is just your your psyche's
way of admitting guilt.
I have proof.
I have fucking proof.
Wait, what?
You found a murder weapon?
Yeah, I'll explain later,
but we'll need
your fingerprint examiner.
Is this about the Vida Perez case?
Yeah.
Jesus, Cammie.
You were right about Prescott.
I got to go.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- I got him.
- No, you'll wake him up.
- I said I said I got him.
- Okay, okay.
Hey, bud.
Okay, thanks.
Hello?
Hi, Miss Tanika.
Laila!
My God, it's been years!
Where are you? How are you?
I'm good. I'm good.
I'm sorry, I
I tried to call before, but
I didn't know what to say.
Do you need anything?
Money? Anything?
Just need things to make sense again.
Tell me what's wrong.
Nothing. It's nothing.
We're We're fine.
- "We"?
- Yeah.
Me and Tyler.
My son.
He's six.
Smart as a whip.
Asks a lot of questions.
Man, can he just brighten up
the room with that smile.
It's different when
you have a little one
to look after, isn't it?
I want you to know
that I might have been
chasing something that
doesn't feel like
it ever belonged to me.
But you were always mine.
You were always enough.
Aw.
You were mine, too, baby.
Quick, follow me.
Bell! Bell!
We need to get to the lighthouse!
You need to follow me.
Bell? Bell!
Stop!
You were right.
I think I killed her.
I I know where to find her lover.
I just
I need to look him
in the eyes. And then
then you can arrest me.
Hey, can you come watch Ty?
Thanks.
Wha