Shining Girls (2022) s01e04 Episode Script

1 I've been waiting for hours.
She's been there all night.
Look out the window.
The sun is fucking coming up.
I'm sorry.
You're gonna need to take a seat.
Well, where's the doctor? Where's the doctor? - I wanna talk to him.
Where's the doctor? - She's on her way.
Just let me see my daughter Sharon.
I'd like to actually get some answers, okay? Please take a seat.
We'll be able to help you soon.
Who's your supervisor? This is not okay.
- He'll be here soon.
- I just wanna see her.
- Ma'am, I understand.
- Yeah, yeah.
Unbelievable.
Sir, this is a restricted area.
Are you serious right now? There's a hundred other fucking chairs here.
Pick one.
I'm already in this one.
Just go away.
I can't deal with whatever this is.
No, I understand.
Waiting's no fun.
Nurses don't tell you nothing, and the doctors don't do their rounds till 7:00.
Fuck.
Who you waiting for? My daughter.
Why is she here? The critical cases get seen to first.
So, if your daughter needs a specialist, you'll be waiting here a while.
You a doctor? No, I… Been on this side of it before.
It's… It's hard not knowing.
She was on the beach.
What the fuck was she doing on the beach? Your daughter was? That's what the cops said.
She could've walked that shitty dog anywhere.
It's the middle of the night.
And what? She wants to go for a swim? Well, maybe she just wanted it to herself.
You know, the beach.
Why the fuck would she want that? Someone cuts her open, just leaves her there.
I'm sorry.
Don't be sorry.
She's not dying.
Hey, hey! Don't walk away from me.
Where's the doctor? Okay.
Where's the doctor? - She's on her way - She's on her way? - You said that hours ago.
- You need to wait for her.
- Where's the doctor? - I know.
Like I said I am not moving until the doctor comes here.
I am not moving.
I mean, what is going on? I've been waiting for five hours.
When is her shift done? How'd you get here, Sharon? Hey.
You can't be in here.
Wrong room.
Sorry.
Come on.
Let's go, now! I'm waiting on the '87 Bulls stats.
It's under Royko.
One was found in Bronzeville, the other one in Englewood.
The furthest out was Berwyn.
There's seven women here.
Over a 20-year spread.
And there's probably more.
Your source can't be CPD.
I haven't run any of this by them yet.
Then how can you be so sure? Someone had been calling Julia for weeks before her murder.
She recorded him.
- I got the tapes.
And now - Wait.
Does the DA know you have them? We're just stealing evidence now? And my source recognized the voice on Julia's recordings.
It's the same man who attacked her.
Wait, your source is a victim? She's the one who brought the story to me.
And she's refusing to be featured.
Even if we keep her anonymous.
Abby, I don't need a survivor.
I'll do the legwork.
I'll connect the women.
And I'll confirm what we have.
Let me see that file.
Let me see.
- Look at what he's gotten away with.
- I got it.
Wrap up the flood.
Help Dan on this.
I can cover Daley's conference for you.
No.
We don't need a presence there right now.
If we don't go, he'll notice, and he'll punish us for it later.
Here.
I pulled background on Summer Francis.
How'd it go? Geez, they beat you up in there? All good.
More work to do.
Okay, so we covered Summer's murder.
We did a feature.
Marcus pulled the negatives, and he found a shot of what was inside Summer.
- You have any other ones? - This was it.
You put Marcus up to this morning? - Up to what? - He came to the meeting.
You two just never talk? Look.
This is a key to a staff locker at the Adler Planetarium.
A woman who works there lost the identical one.
When did you find all this out? Last night.
I called you, but you didn't pick up.
Summer Francis died in '72.
And this woman is working there now? - Yeah, but she lost her key two weeks ago.
- So, it's not the same one.
I have to cover seven murders without the primary source.
I can still help you.
I'll reach out to the families.
Some woman loses her keys last week, and you're trying to connect this to a murder that happened 20 years ago.
I don't know how that's supposed to help me.
You wanna help? I need someone to pick up the Madrigal tapes.
You should head over now, 'cause Warren closes up shop by 3:00.
Fuck.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Those Francis negatives, they work out? We're going in a different direction.
It's a big story.
Probably a lot of directions it could go.
Is that what the meeting was about this morning? You couldn't go.
I thought one of us should.
Where you headed? I'm going to go pick up tapes in the South Loop.
- The Madrigal recordings? - Yeah.
I'll come with.
Fill you in on where Abby left it.
All right.
That key chain in the photo, you sure it couldn't have gotten mixed in from some other spread? I blew that up from the negative you gave me, the one of Summer Francis.
Hey.
What are you doing? Trying to get the pictures of those women out of my head.
Replace it with something nice.
Yeah, give me one more.
There you are, my sunny bride.
I like that one.
I appreciate the time.
Thank you.
Was that the Lower sister? Did you talk to the guy at Northwestern? Yeah, he said the incisions could be religious or anti-religious, or just some bad memory connected to a cross.
What about leaving stuff inside the victims? What does that mean? He doesn't have enough context, and we can't quote him on any of this.
Hey, the detective who worked Catherine Moore's case, she's retired, but she's open to helping us.
- She'll make a few calls.
- But will she share her original notes? I can ask.
She'll say no.
- Matty from the Tribune called.
- Who? Matty Spears, their new city editor.
He heard you stopped by the property locker.
How'd they get that? Did you give a retired detective the other women's names? Fuck.
So, they have all the same victims you turned up.
We could print tonight.
Listen… just as a holding piece.
Two paragraphs for each victim, and then we tease there's more to come.
Without your source, it reads like random murders.
There's other ways to link 'em.
How he picked the women, what they have in common, the objects that he left inside of them.
I can find those connections.
You call your retired detective back and at least get her to confirm her case details.
We need something on the record from the police.
Meet us down by the pier.
See you there.
It should be right here.
What's this guy's deal? Come on straight back.
Hi.
Did Dan send you? - Yeah.
We're with the Sun-Times.
- That's the outputs over there.
Everything I could isolate off the noise floor is in the report.
This is all of them? Thank you.
All right.
This one with the background noises.
- Would you mind cuing it up? - Sure.
I charge by the hour.
Dan will cover it.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Quality's rough.
She was using her answering machine to record the calls.
August 13th.
3:03 p.
m.
Hello? For the first couple of days, it's all hang-ups.
Hello? - Hear that? - Yeah.
Tornado warning.
Sound like air-raid sirens.
Where'd you serve? 1st Cav.
A Shau Valley.
1990.
That must've been the Plainfield tornado, right? You were real pissed when I went to shoot that.
Those tornado warnings, they were all over the city.
So, he could've been anywhere.
I pulled what was there.
Hello? I called the police.
They'll be there in 18 minutes.
They're here now.
- No, they're not.
- Is that him? - Yeah.
- You see, I'm… I'm already with you when they arrive.
Can you cue up the first time he called? - Sure.
- I'm with you every moment.
I'm Hello? Hello? Why are you doing this? How are you doing this? Just a lot of breathing after that.
- What's with the echo? - Probably the line.
You get that if there's network hops.
Water damage in the wiring can do it too.
Here, I'll pull the two apart for you.
Here's the first one.
Hello? Hello? Why are you doing this? How are you doing this? Now, here's the echo.
Hello? Hello? Why are you doing this? How are you doing this? It's different.
She doesn't sound the same.
The first one's filtered like it was recorded.
The second is her voice on the line.
He's playing a recording of her before she even says the words? Let me play them again side by side.
Hello? Hello? Why are you doing this? How are you doing this? What the fuck? What the Take it! Take whatever! - Why are you here? - I live here.
What the fuck? Why are you here? I live here.
What do you want? Just take whatever.
- Where's Sharon? - Who? How long have you lived here? - What? - How long? I don't know, like, four years.
No, Sharon lives here.
I know she does.
Where is she? I don't know.
I don't know any Sharon! I don't know where she is.
Who lived here before you? - What? - Before you, who lived here? Some old dude.
Still get his mail.
There's no place to send it.
I think he's dead.
Do you want it? Shut up! That breaks, and you're dead.
Hey, you good? You heard that, right? I don't know what I heard.
He knew what she was gonna say.
He recorded her before she even said it.
Are you sure you never got any calls like that? I didn't know what it was.
I had just started working at the Tribune.
Wasn't that like years before what happened to you? Yeah.
It was just a few hang-ups at that office and… Then what? - You don't have to do this.
- Do what? Ask me questions.
And it's What the fuck are you talking about? I should be your first stop.
I don't wanna have to be in a meeting to find out what's going on with you.
Were there any other times? This is not what I had in my head.
What'd you expect? I mean, you said this place was like a second home.
It's a pretty big one.
Yeah, it feels smaller with the crowds.
Your mom would just let you wander around here? Well, she worked the 2:00 a.
m.
show three times a week, and she couldn't pay for a babysitter.
So, this was it.
Hey, what are you looking for? Kirby? What are you doing? It should still be here.
Everything else is.
I don't understand what it adds.
It adds texture.
Jesus, this is not some garage shit.
Hey, Mom.
- Hey, Sharon.
- Hey.
My throat is dry.
Why is it so cold in here? You wanted a clean demo.
No crowds.
I'm gonna blow a vocal cord.
Thanks, baby.
Which one of you did that? And they're gone like this song.
What? Leonard Cohen.
I play it for you all the time.
Maybe you have a secret admirer.
Don't let it go to your head.
What's got you all worked up? Tommy got a tape to Vee over at Touch and Go.
So, I mean, they didn't put up a lot for But they're gonna cover a promo and distro and Yeah, it'll be 50-50 split.
It's gonna be good.
Do you want me to stay? Well, I wouldn't want to disrupt your office drone routine.
Give it a fucking rest.
It's a newspaper.
It's This guy.
He's played for half his life, and he still can't work a delay pedal! - You think you can do better? - Yeah, I think I can.
And Sharon Sharon, I know that climbing the corporate ladder is a lot, but Why do I fucking sound like I'm in Siberia? You said, "Monster reverb.
" Yeah, monster.
Like big, not like inaudible.
Will you get it? Tell them it's closed.
- That's not my job anymore.
- Well, I am trying to do my job You can either be farther back in the mix and delayed or up close and crisp.
- Just fucking turn me off.
- You can't be both.
- Turn me the fuck off.
- You can't do both.
Hey.
Sid's.
We're closed right now.
Jesus.
Turn your music down.
What the fuck? What the fuck? Yeah.
Yes, yes.
More.
More! What? I fucking told you.
Sharon! Get over here.
I fucking told you.
Sharon! Get over here.
Bring me another tube.
I was just like Julia.
He was here.
When you first got the calls, you never told Rachel? What would I have said? It would've seemed crazy.
And then the calls just stopped.
But he didn't.
He just waited.
I just never realized it was him.
Catherine wouldn't go out on her own.
I always had to knock on doors with her.
We tried to hit 20 doors an hour.
We covered a lot of ground.
This was Mayor Washington's first campaign, right? - Yeah.
- Was she political? She ever volunteer for any campaigns? No.
Anne cared about other things.
About her family.
About me.
People around her.
Margot went with this nice kid.
He was in Carpenters Local 13.
She didn't live alone? No.
It would have been them two and a little girl.
Bonnie, Betty, something like that.
She had a daughter? Karen never talked about kids.
She was studying music but switched to nursing when I got sick.
She worked at Provident Hospital? Yeah.
She got her real estate license in 1985? Yeah, just before she got killed.
Yeah.
She ever show any places on the South Side? No.
We were in Andersonville.
We spent the entire summer canvassing the South Side.
Which neighborhoods? Maybe Englewood? Bronzeville? No, just Woodlawn.
Between your care and the hospital, she must not have had time for much else, right? She didn't mind.
She liked being home.
They weren't married.
I remember that.
Which was a much bigger deal back then.
Any of these other women volunteer for it? - I'm sorry.
I don't know any of them.
- I don't know.
Maybe she met them at church, a bar, club? Did she know any of these women? …involved with any of these women? Any of these women? Know any of these women? I don't understand.
What's your story about? You lived with Summer over in Kenwood? You mean, how did I climb from there to here? I'm a libel attorney, and this is America.
Is that how you guys met? Law school? We met partying.
We were 20.
Must have been hard losing your roommate at that age.
Roommate? Is that what the police told you? They miss everything, right? Did either of you come across any of these women? I don't know.
Maybe she did.
Summer changed a lot right before it happened.
Like how? She got quiet, distant.
Do you know why? I thought she was seeing someone else, but I never asked.
I figured she'd break up with me if I pushed too hard.
But she never said anything, like a name or somewhere she went? Something like that.
I kept thinking what we did wrong.
Went to the wrong parties, knew the wrong people.
There were plenty.
But it still never made any fucking sense.
I kept some photos.
You can see for yourself how beautiful she was.
We spent a couple of summers in Saugatuck.
Yeah.
Took a few watercolor classes.
Puttered around.
That was more her speed than Kenwood.
You mind if I… Her grandmother gave her that for some birthday.
- What's wrong? - Give me a sec.
Was this Summer's? Yeah.
Yeah, it was a part of the set.
Where's this from? Did you know this woman? Did Summer? I don't think so.
Why? You gonna tell Dan about Sid's? You don't think I should? No, I don't.
It'll end up in his fourth graph as filler.
Hey, hey.
You pulling an all-nighter? Yeah, we're breaking Dan's cold case murders.
- Tonight? - Kirby, wait.
Fuck.
I need her to pull like a hundred clips.
How are you going to press already? Where you been? You were gone, like, six hours.
Come here.
So, this… belonged to Summer Francis.
And this was found with Margot Zelle.
He took the mirror from one and left it in another.
These women don't know each other.
They don't have anything in common.
He is the one connecting them.
Willie Rose was left with a pin.
Let me see.
It's a nurse's pin.
Karen worked at Provident Hospital.
He took it from Karen, left it with Willie.
What was found in Karen? Catherine Moore.
Whose campaign did she work on? Harold Washington.
- Hey, Jimmy.
- Yeah? What was Harold Washington's campaign slogan? "The silence is deafening.
" This, this is Catherine's.
Julia, Julia.
She was a social worker.
Were there any other kind of IDs or anything like that? Catholic, right? Safe guess.
She was from Jefferson Park.
The devotional card could be hers.
Found with Anne Lower.
Anne was killed in '85 and Julia in '90.
So, he must have taken the card from Anne by then.
But he doesn't kill Julia for another five years.
What is he doing all that time? He watched us, sometimes for years.
We didn't know he was there, not until he wanted us to.
How did no one catch on to him? 'Cause he picked random victims.
He moved around.
He kept his distance.
He didn't, though.
He got close.
He knew all about us.
- Knew what? - We need to run with what we have.
We should start with Julia.
She's been our coverage so far.
You should lead with me.
I'll give you a firsthand account.
You can have my police report, hospital photos, whatever you need.
If we include all that, we will not be able to hide who you are.
I know.
You sure? We can make do with what we have.
I'm the better story.
That's what I want for this.
Pawel's hearing is wrapping up.
We need to make a show of offering the police a chance to comment.
Let's go, Dan.
Let's go.
We gotta get there before the press conference.
What is it? The key.
From the planetarium.
I should talk to the woman who lost it.
Let her know all of this.
You still think she's connected? He took her key.
She has to be.
Take this in case she wants to see it.
Okay.
Hello? Hi, I'm Kirby Mazrachi.
I asked you about the key chain you lost.
Okay.
Why are you here? Your key, it was found on a woman who was murdered.
The photo I showed you was from a crime scene.
Thank you for letting me up.
I've never had any hang-ups, no weird calls, nothing like that.
- Not even years ago? - Never.
None of this is happening to me.
Try to really think back.
I mean, if there was some heavy breather outside my window, I would know.
I didn't.
I was assaulted by the same man.
I'm really sorry.
He watched me for years.
I had no idea.
Well, I'm not you.
Then why was your key left inside a dead woman? But you said this photo was from 20 years ago.
You're sure those were only made last year? Yes.
Hubble returned its first picture of Jupiter.
We did a whole exhibit.
Look, I don't know what you want me to do.
Stay with friends, family.
Don't go out on your own.
I carry a knife.
I'm sorry.
I have to get going.
- I'm covering the midnight show, so - Sure.
We won't be able to see shit tonight.
You should really figure out how you lost that key.
Still have mine.
He left something with those other women.
What about you? A matchbook.
Whose was it? I don't know.
It's from some bar that doesn't even exist.
Just because something hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't.
It always takes looking at something a few times before it makes sense.
If you figure it all out, give me a call.
- Can I grab the red one? - Five bucks.
You don't look right.
What's wrong with your hair? Stopped by your place.
Somebody else was living there.
- I don't know who y - When did you move? You didn't know Jinny.
I know you didn't.
None of you knew each other.
How did you find her? Or did she find you? Yeah, maybe that's it, 'cause she's smarter than you are.
Stop.
Fucking stop.
You look different.
I don't like you like this.
You remember me… from Eldridge Street? You gave me the horse.
The Pegasus.
It had wings.
Horses are just hooves and tails.
I You look the same.
And you look different.
Nothing like I left you.
I killed you.
You shouldn't be here.
Did you do that? This can't be happening.
This can't be happening here.
Who are you?