The Glades s01e04 Episode Script
Mucked Up
Over here! Gotcha! Got it.
The Rabbit Prince! Thank you.
I love the smell of sugar cane in the morning.
Controlled burn, my ass.
Make sure that red stuff doesn't touch my dead stuff.
Yes, ma'am.
Yep.
He's dead.
You Declan? You found the body? - Cryin' shame.
- You know who that is? Talking about the burn, letting a good fire go to waste.
- Why do they do that anyway? - You're not from around here? Uh, Chi Town.
Windy City? Chicago? Before they can harvest the sugar cane you gotta clear up this here.
Fire bring out the rabbits, so I always bring out the Mud Boys.
You caught all these rabbits? You must be fast.
Gotta be.
Coach Ward say I gotta catch 50 if I wanna play in the Mud Bowl.
Don't tell me you never heard of no Mud Bowl.
Biggest football game all year.
- Bigger than the Super Bowl? - Around these parts, yeah.
Palm Grove King Snakes gonna put the smackdown on the Panthers.
- Let me guess.
You're going for the King Snakes.
- DeAndre Matthews.
That's my boy.
Palm Grove wide receiver.
They say he got a shot in the NFL someday, just like me.
Oh, yeah? How many rabbits you got in there? Seven.
Would've been more too if I hadn't found that dumb ol' body.
You wanna buy one? - What, a rabbit? - Yeah.
Sure you don't know who that body is? No, sir.
But I'll give you this cottontail just for $2.
00.
Make good pets.
If you don't want no pet, just cook it.
Tastes good too.
All right, well Here.
Keep the change.
Yes, ma'am.
Yes, ma'am, that's right.
That's correct.
Some say I don't play well with others.
I was a damn good detective in Chicago until a disagreement with my boss encouraged me to pack it up and make a change.
So I put the Windy City in my rearview and headed to the Sunshine State.
Kick back.
Play some golf.
Work on my tan.
Maybe write the occasional speeding ticket.
Yeah.
Well, that didn't work out.
I didn't realize this was a kosher crime scene otherwise I would've brought my tchotchkes.
What? - Daniel! - "Happy bat mitzvah, Esther"? Don't start.
I hauled ass all through North Dade County.
Marisol says she's having crème brûlée.
- Esther? - Ben Feldman's daughter.
It's an important rite of passage.
Feels like blunt force trauma.
There's also a distinctive ligature mark around his neck.
- Made by? - A ligature.
Something distinctive.
- Daniel.
- I'm on it.
His suit's almost as nice as yours.
He was dragged.
Postmortem abrasions on his back and torso.
Killed elsewhere, dumped here? One of the muckety-mucks from Okeechobee Sugar is on their way.
So that's why F.
D.
L.
E.
is investigating and not Pahokee P.
D.
They don't call it Big Sugar for nothing.
Slightly tanned, and an indentation around the right middle finger.
- He's missing a ring.
- Yeah, but he's got everything else.
- Daniel! - Cell phone, car rental keys, motel room keys, wallet.
Name's Curtis Taylor, age 38, from Dallas, Texas.
Business card says he's a real-estate developer.
So, someone buries Curtis here hoping no one else will find it.
- But the killer underestimated the muck.
- What is it about this muck? - Muck Boys, Muck City, muck, muck - No, it's the soil.
It's so rich and fertile anything will grow in it, but nothing stays buried in it long.
- So we're looking for someone who wouldn't know that.
- Mm-hmm.
- An outsider? - Yeah.
And there's been plenty of them around lately.
The family that owns O.
K.
Sugar is looking for a buyer.
They've owned this land for generations, and now it seems that they want to sell.
Heard it's worth about $1.
3 billion.
- Ooh.
- Competition must be stiff.
- I can't take him anywhere.
- Ah, wait.
Wait a second.
They're here.
You wanna meet Big Sugar? Shannon Simpson, V.
P.
of P.
R.
for O.
K.
Sugar.
This is a terrible tragedy.
The company's prayers are with the victim's family.
- Do you know who Curtis Taylor is? - No.
I checked.
He's not a potential buyer, but since the body was dumped on company land we'd like to do whatever we can to help you with your investigation.
All we ask for is your discretion.
Diligence, thoroughness I get.
Not sure what you mean by "discretion.
" Every outlet from ESPN to Joe Sports Blogger is in town for the game.
Half of them would run over their own grandmothers to get a story about a dead body in a cane field.
- And it might affect the sale.
- My job is to protect the company's interests.
So is mine, unless your company is interested in hiding a murder.
No, we're not hiding anything.
In fact, we're giving you everything.
This is a list of employees with reprimands and complaints on their file.
Big Sugar, Big Brother.
Locker theft.
Vending machine abuse.
Wow.
I realize it's all pretty small-time stuff.
- Except for Ron Anderson.
- Ron, yeah.
Uh, vandalized the cars of three executives.
Threatened to take a baseball bat to the C.
E.
O.
's head if he sold the company.
And about two weeks ago he got into a screaming match with a junior exec.
- Turned into a bar brawl.
- And you didn't fire him? He's pretending to be an activist.
We don't want to make him a martyr.
- Where does this boy scout work? - In the fields.
He's an ignition specialist.
Is that political correctness corporatese for "he starts fires"? He was supposed to start a fire in the field where the body was found.
Wind shifted.
Divisional Forestry pulled the permit.
Lucky for Ron.
- Otherwise this fire would've destroyed our evidence.
- You wanna talk to him? Yeah, I dumped some trash on an executive's Mercedes.
So what? Everybody in Pahokee hates Big Sugar.
- Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em, huh? - Like a bad marriage.
- Name Curtis Taylor ring a bell? - No.
What about this guy? - Uh-uh.
- "Uh-uh"? Take another look.
- I don't know him.
- I didn't say you knew him.
But you have seen him before, haven't you, Ron? Last week he was hanging around the field the football field.
- High school? - Yeah, he was watching us practice every night.
- "Us"? - Yeah, us.
I'm the King Snakes' assistant to the coaching assistant.
- Impressive.
- Damn straight.
We've won the Mud Bowl the last two years, and come Friday it's gon' be three, baby.
Never heard of the assistant to the coach's assistant.
It's a volunteer position.
Look, I could stand here and talk football with you all day but I gotta set this fire 'fore these winds shift again.
Damn it, Ray.
Overdue orange, repo red, poorhouse purple.
Oh, my God, girl, don't you wish there were a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow? Are you trying to cheer me up? Callie, you're not the first person to get a little behind on your bills.
I'm more than a little behind.
Well, have you talked to Ray about this? Because, I don't know, maybe he could do something.
- How? - I don't know, but you have to Hey, honey, did you eat yet? I'm not hungry.
In about four days someone's having a birthday, I think.
- Pretty big one too.
- Yeah, whatever.
Uh, Ray promised to take him shooting when he turned 13.
Why, hell, I can do that! - Used to take your daddy all the time.
- Yeah.
Sure.
Thanks, Grandma.
Hey, listen, buddy, I'm a good shot.
- This could be fun.
- Yeah.
It will be.
Thank you, Jody, but I can take him shooting.
No way.
There's as many types of rope as there are material.
Rope is one of man's earliest inventions.
Well, let's hope we don't have to go back that far to find a match.
Daughters are a mitzvah.
And I should know I have three of my own.
Did Esther like her gifts? Great.
Great, great.
Mazel tov, Ben.
Bye-bye.
- Since when do you speak Hebrew? - It's called having respect for other people's traditions.
- You should try it.
- You ever heard of an assistant to the coaching assistants? - Come again.
- Sounds like an intern.
Turns out Curtis was hanging out around football practice.
Curtis might have been a football player back in the day.
He's had two arthroscopic menisectomies and an A.
C.
L.
reconstruction.
Both common injuries for a defense lineman.
Hard to believe a guy like that wouldn't go down without a fight.
He's got defensive wounds, but not many.
And I found sodium hydroxide on his hands and in his abrasions on his torso.
- It's lye.
- Why put lye on the body? Lye's an accelerant.
Have you identified what made those ligature marks yet? An accelerant like lye would've helped the fire destroy the body.
- That's not how he died.
- Thought you said it was blunt force trauma.
There was, but that's not what killed him.
You'll never guess.
He drowned.
- Or maybe you will.
- How did you The question is now, what kind of water did he drown in, fresh or salty? Try soapy.
Now, that I would never have guessed.
Hut! - Yeah! Go! - You know who that is? Everybody knows who that is.
That's Bobby Bowden.
- I'm gonna introduce myself.
- You think Bobby Bowden wants to meet you? I doubt it, but I want to meet him.
And, uh, gosh, we've had a lot of great players at Florida State from Bel Marra and also from Palm Grove.
- Right.
- There's as much speed out here as anywhere in the country.
- Excuse me.
Hi.
I'm Jim Longworth.
- Hey, how you doin'? - Jim, how you doin'? - I'm not from around here, but I'm a huge fan.
Well, that's good.
It's good to see you.
Excuse me.
I've gotta go.
I was just wondering, could you, uh, maybe just say it for me once? - Say what? - You know.
"Dadgum it.
" No, dadgum it.
You finish processing Curtis's motel room? Define "finished.
" There's too many fingerprints to count and enough bodily fluids to shut down the C.
D.
C but no blood.
- And no missing ring.
- I'll send someone to the cane fields to look for it.
And by someone I do mean Daniel.
- What about the bathtub? - Too small for a 260-pound man.
Someone could have held his head underwater but housekeeping said the stopper in the bath had been broken for months.
Daniel, I'm gonna need you to pull the records on Curtis's motel phone, home phone, cell phone Saxophone, Dictaphone, xylophone.
What? I-I'm sorry, Dr.
Sanchez.
Were you talking to me? You're not gonna find the killer looking over there.
Okay? These players are amazing.
Muck City has sent more than anywhere else in the country Anquan Boldin, Santonio Holmes, Edgerrin James.
DeAndre Matthews.
Find that film crew.
See if there's any B-roll on the victim from last week.
- Listen to me! - I am listening.
Why didn't you tell me? Rita, trust me.
Don't worry.
Okay? Hey, Coach.
Looked like you were getting an earful there.
What was that about? Ever since that damn Blind Side, all the players' mothers think they're Leigh Anne Tuohy.
Gonna tell me how to play the game.
Yeah? Whose mother was that? DeAndre Matthews's mom Rita.
I'm not gonna tell you how to do anything.
I just wanna ask you something.
Okay.
What channel are you with? F.
D.
L.
E.
You know this guy? Yeah.
I saw him on the news.
It's the guy they found in the sugar cane field.
And last week was he hanging around practice? Man, when I'm coaching my head's in the game.
I don't have time to be messing around, looking at who's in the stands.
This isn't just a game.
It's a religion.
There's Curtis in the background.
Sitting with DeAndre Matthews.
What's a murdered real estate developer from Texas want with a Palm Grove football phenom? - Play that bit again.
Maybe Curtis is a booster recruiting for a college team.
- What do you s - Shh.
- You can't hear them.
- I'm listening to their body language.
They're both extremely tense.
They both have something to hide.
I want a copy of this footage.
- Hey, Chicago.
- Hey! - How was the cottontail? - Delicious.
- Get who killed that man yet? - I'm working on it.
- Got any tips? - Yeah.
Try this.
It's for good luck.
Thanks.
Afternoon, ladies.
- Afternoon.
- Oh! Afternoon! - Can you tell me where Rita Matthews is? - That's where she stays.
- What do you want with her? - I wanted to ask her some questions.
About her son DeAndre, mainly.
That young man is quick fast.
Got the best hands of anyone here in Pahokee.
Was voted "Mr.
Football" three years in a row ever since he been here.
How many rabbits does that translate into? Them recruiters always wanna know about them rabbits, don't they? - How many recruiters DeAndre been talking to? - Oh, Florida State.
Oklahoma.
Austin.
- Austin, huh? - Vivian, don't be telling all of DeAndre's business.
You from Big Ten country? I like Michigan for DeAndre.
He'd be better off at Ohio State.
Oh, no! No, no, no, Vivian! DeAndre needs to go somewhere where the offense is fast-passin' heavy-passin' and high-scorin'.
Only way he gon' get them stats for the NFL.
Everything you wanna know about DeAndre you'll find out Friday at the big game.
- Mm-hmm.
- Oh, yeah! Coach Ward gon' take them King Snakes to the promised land.
Sometimes you need to take matters into your own hands.
That's why I been prayin' on it.
She been makin' everybody in the salon pray on it too.
Dear Lord, don't make those nasty - Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
- no-good do-nothin' Panthers win.
- Amen! - Amen! - Amen! Amen.
What salon is that? Mine.
Minnie's House of Beauty, right there on Lake Avenue.
What can you tell me about Rita and Coach Ward? - Who told you about them? - Vivian.
Nothin' to tell.
- What school you say you from? - He didn't.
Oh, I'm investigating a murder.
You know, the guy in the sugar cane fields? Hand me that bowl.
That was awesome! - I want to try.
- All right, now, remember what I told you? Yeah.
Goggles and glasses.
Barrel always down and away.
This is the safety.
Safety always remains on.
Finger remains outside the trigger guard till you're ready to shoot.
Have a feel.
Whoa.
It's heavy.
Have you ever shot anyone before? I try not to.
- I've been shot.
- Where? Chicago.
- Oh, you mean where where.
- Yeah.
On my ass.
Your mom's seen it.
- At the hospital when she was treating me.
- Yeah.
So, the guy who shot you.
Was he a bad guy? Not so much a bad guy as a guy having a really bad day.
All right, ears on.
All right, knees bent, shoulders back, eyes open.
Now slowly squeeze the trigger.
Whoa.
You got three more bullets with your name on 'em so to speak.
I hit it! Yeah, you did.
Beginner's luck.
Ears back on.
Let's go again.
Tell me something, Dr.
Sanchez.
Do you think I'm stupid? What makes you think the F.
D.
L.
E.
should pay for your wife's transportation home from Esther Feldman's bat mitzvah? I was called to a crime scene and I couldn't drive her home.
I hired a car.
You hired a limo.
Town Car wouldn't do? You don't know my wife.
- Really? - Yeah.
Fox Sports sent that footage over.
- Was Curtis missing a wedding ring? - No.
Uh, half-inch band, size 12.
Sent Daniel into the fields to look for it.
Why? Curtis was married.
Called a ranger buddy of mine in Texas to facilitate a death notification for his wife.
He can't locate her, but he promised to send us copies of anything he digs up on Curtis and his missing wife.
Hope he gets more than I can.
I'm shut out.
I'm not surprised.
Muck City doesn't take kindly to strangers.
Maybe I'll do a little muckraking on Coach Ward.
- Careful.
- Daring is what I'm thinking.
- A bold move is the only way to move forward in this.
- The game is a big deal.
- So is murder.
- So is making it out.
The people of Pahokee have managed to make a way out of no way.
They're proud of it, and they should be, and we aren't going to ruin it for them.
I'm not saying don't investigate.
I'm just saying don't cause a disruption.
- Out the break! Out the break! - Get down there! Sorry.
Just doing my job.
- Sorry, kid.
- What? Come on, now.
Come on.
Hold on, now.
What's goin' on? Hold up! Hey, what's going on? Get these off of me! I didn't do nothin'! - What's up? - Yo, what's up with that? That's wrong, man! Thank you.
Sorry about the drama.
Wanted to talk to you.
Couldn't do it on the 50-yard line.
- When did you last see your father, DeAndre? - It's just me and my moms.
- I don't have a father.
- Everybody's got a father.
Every time I look in the mirror I notice one more thing that reminds me of my dad.
The way he stands, the way he frowns even when he's smiling.
It's really starting to piss me off.
Apple doesn't fall far.
That man is not my father.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Three years ago a woman named Rita Taylor she filed this protection from abuse against her husband Curtis.
Two weeks later she, uh, showed up in Pahokee with her son only this time they were using her maiden name Matthews.
- How'd he find ya? - Saw me in a YouTube video playing in our last game.
- Weren't happy that he tracked you down.
- I don't care what he does.
I need to get back to practice.
So the ring was a peace offering.
He wanted to take you and your mother back to Texas.
Over my dead body! Supposed to be Mr.
Upstanding Businessman? Mr.
Great Austin University defensive end? Supposed to be someone I look up to.
Meanwhile he's beatin' the hell out of her, and I didn't do nothin'! - You wanted to kill him.
- Hell yeah, I wanted to kill him! But I didn't.
Look, I didn't do it.
How'd you get those bruises on your neck? - You went after Curtis, he fought back? - I got these in practice.
You're off the hook, DeAndre.
Someone confessed to the murder.
Your mom.
"Curtis started beating me the year DeAndre was born.
When I found out he was in Pahokee I couldn't stop thinking about the hell he put us through.
" Well, this tells me why.
I want to know how.
- You already know how.
- The confession has to be in your own words.
I smashed him in the head with a tire iron from my car.
Seeing him made me so angry I couldn't control myself.
So it was his fault.
He made you so mad you had to kill him.
- How'd you get the body out into the field? - In my car.
You moved a 260-pound man from his motel room into the trunk of his car.
Yeah.
No, I What'd you do with the ring? Curtis wore a ring on his right hand.
A championship ring from Austin University.
He was so proud of that.
I threw it in Lake Okeechobee.
Are you seeing Coach Ward? I only ask 'cause you two looked pretty familiar on the field the other day.
He's my son's coach.
He's a good and decent man.
- Good and decent enough to help you with a dead body? - No! I did it all by myself! Okay, Ms.
Matthews, I think I have everything I need.
You're free to go.
- That's it? - That's it.
Unless you want to confess to something else.
- Mom, what are you doing? - You need to call a lawyer.
Sure, she can call a lawyer.
She's not under arrest.
She didn't kill Curtis.
Your mom is a terrible liar.
Worst I've ever seen.
But her instinct to protect her child is impressive and troublesome.
Makes me think you do have something to do with this murder after all.
And this time I really do have to arrest you.
No! Wait! Please! Let him go! Afternoon, ladies.
Nice security system.
That's the alarm system.
That's for security.
- We got nothing to say to you.
- Should take my friend there and go upside your head.
Careful, or he'll have you arrested like he did DeAndre.
Mm-hmm.
Okay then.
I'll take a trim.
You want DeAndre back in the game, out of custody you're gonna have to help me understand a few things.
You want me to cut your hair and do your job too? I'm doing my job.
In fact, where were you three ladies the night Curtis Taylor was killed? Here.
I did Vivian's hair, and then we all went to football practice.
- And your husbands? - Please.
What husbands? Oh.
I read you.
Yeah.
Marriage is hard.
Well, so I've been told.
Course, you never know when you're gonna meet the right person.
Just when you do, timing kinda sucks.
- You find one, you put a ring on it.
- She already has one.
- She's married.
- Does her husband know how you feel? I doubt it.
He's in prison.
What you waitin' for? Man gets himself locked up, she doesn't owe him.
Could be she's scared to live her own life.
Probably doesn't know exactly what she wants to do.
You know, sometimes it's better when somebody better starts steppin' up and steppin' in.
- You need to start steppin' up.
- Is that what happened with Rita and Coach Ward? He stepped up? Rita confessed to the murder.
- He's messin' with us.
- No, I took the confession myself.
I'm pretty sure she wasn't alone in it.
But if she wants to go down for it, I'll let her.
Unless someone tells me if someone else might have been involved or - Oh.
Really? We're done? - Yeah.
Okay.
Uh Looks kinda uneven.
Don't you think? Got that Right.
There you go.
Have a nice day.
Well, if it isn't the Rabbit Prince.
Declan, I gotta ask.
What's with the bike? You arrested DeAndre.
Give me my rabbit's foot back.
We get a lot of abused women here.
- How do you love someone who treats you like that? - I know.
It makes no sense.
But it's just sometimes not that easy.
Okay.
Well, tell me, how do you wake a woman like that up? Everyone's different.
Different factors are involved.
So, can't choose who you fall in love with? That kind of thing? I mean, you'd never stay with someone who hit you, right? If any man ever abused me, he'd be one of your cold cases.
- So for some women murder's the only way out.
- Well, at least they think so.
But that only applies to women who lost their support system or never had one to begin with.
Everyone needs a support system, especially with kids.
No one can make you leave but if you don't have anyone to help you get out then you could stay in a bad relationship forever.
Support system, huh? So, Jeff have a good time shooting unarmed, innocent milk jugs? He did.
Thanks for asking me.
- He any good at it? - Yeah.
He's a natural.
Great! - Anyway, I should, um - Yeah, I should get back at it.
- Thanks for the abuse.
- Yeah, no problem.
Hey, you arrested their star player, so they T.
P.
'd your car.
- I told you not to mess with the big game in Muck City.
- Pahokee's revenge.
Mm-hmm.
Game's tomorrow.
When are you going to release DeAndre? I'm raking the muck.
Muckraking's my new calling.
Speaking of which, I got some more dirt from my friend in Texas.
- Look, either charge DeAndre or kick him.
- I will.
Just not yet.
Really? What about Saturday night for a round? Of course.
It's Shabbat.
How could I forget? Yeah.
Sunday afternoon it is.
And I'll see about those tee times.
All right, Feldman.
Talk soon.
Bye-bye.
- I can get us tee times anytime we want.
- This isn't about you.
All right? You and I can play anytime.
- Wh - Yeah.
Busy solving a murder anyway.
- Any luck investigating those ligature marks? - Not yet.
- Any luck finding the ring? - No.
- I was gonna try pawnshops.
- No.
Too personal an item to sell.
- Whoever took it must've known how much it meant to Curtis.
- Whoever took it was the killer.
I understand why DeAndre and his mother would want to kill Curtis.
But why now? Why not three years ago when the coward was still using her as a punching bag? - Curtis was gonna take DeAndre back to Texas.
- How? Asking for another chance.
If that didn't work, the law was on his side.
Curtis filed papers with the Texas court.
He was gonna take action against Rita for kidnapping.
Why bother trying to bribe him with his A.
U.
ring? Like most abusers, he was delusional.
Wanted DeAndre to come willingly.
Yeah, but DeAndre said no and Rita sure as hell wasn't going to help Curtis.
Who would he turn to? Who's gonna help him? If only we had DeAndre's phone.
Oh, wait! We do! Forty-two! Hut! - What's up, baby? - Mm-mmm.
- Baby girl? - Uh, mm-mmm.
- Bo? - Oh, no.
Hey, girl.
"Hey, girl"? Hey, girl.
"Cops planning to check lockers.
" Hold up.
I'll be right back.
I believe you have a ring for me.
- I'm not talking to you.
- Hey, if I killed someone I wouldn't talk to me either.
You're not gonna trick me into saying something.
I'm waiting for my lawyer.
Okay.
Let's wait.
But before your lawyer comes, Crystal, you should know you're in a world of trouble.
Curtis was wearing this ring the day he died.
Only way you could have got it is if the killer gave it to you.
Then you're an accessory.
Or you took it off the body yourself.
Then you're the killer.
Either way Whew.
Not looking good for you.
I was at practice, and then I was with DeAndre.
I wouldn't link my alibi to a guy who's already sitting in jail.
I didn't kill Mr.
Taylor.
He gave me the ring to give to DeAndre.
He wanted me to convince DeAndre to move back to Texas with him.
Said he'd make sure DeAndre got to play football at A.
U.
You didn't want DeAndre to move back to Texas with his dad.
- That's why you killed Curtis.
- No! Yeah! It makes perfect sense.
Colleges are recruiting DeAndre.
He's got a shot at the NFL.
That's your meal ticket outta here.
- I only want what's best for him.
- And for you.
- He goes back to Texas with his dad, it's all over.
- You're wrong.
DeAndre loves me.
And besides, he doesn't need his daddy to go to A.
U.
If he really wanted to go he'd ask Coach Ward just like he does with everything.
Coach Ward helped him get away from Texas and come here in the first place.
Excuse me.
Can I leave? No, you can't.
Thank you very much.
Curtis Taylor wasn't the only person that played at Austin University.
You checked with their department of athletics? Guess who else was listed on exactly the same squad.
- Coach Ward.
- He conveniently forgot to mention that earlier.
- Yeah.
We're in the middle of a strategy session.
We lost one of our best players, as you know.
Rabbit stew.
We make it every year before the game.
Well, you'll be happy to know DeAndre Matthews has been "unarrested.
" - Oh! You hear that, guys? DeAndre can play! - That's great news.
Not so great is you lying about not knowing Curtis Taylor.
Hey, fellas, give us a minute here.
All right, let's go, Tim.
"A.
U.
Football, 1993.
" Same team, same year.
Different experience.
Curtis was a star, your ass was warming the bench.
Should've tried out for the cheerleading team with Rita.
You might have had a chance.
- I played.
- In practice, maybe.
What, two games? No wonder you don't wear your ring.
You didn't earn it the way Curtis did.
I may not have played as good as Curtis, but I know the game better than anyone.
- And look who's winning now.
- Yeah, but not back then.
Two months after graduation Rita is Curtis's wife.
We pulled Curtis's phone records from four years ago.
You called his house at least, what, twice a month? Yeah, but not to talk to Curtis.
You rang to talk to Rita.
You knew he was no good for her.
You were hoping one day she'd dump the loser husband.
You were trying to get her out of a bad marriage.
You became a father figure to her son.
You were trying to steal another man's family away.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
We have a warrant to search your premises.
What? Units 417, 632 After you.
- Detectives.
- How you doin'? What? Let's go.
Why does the coach have an O.
K.
Sugar employee parking pass on his windshield? Ooh.
You could haul a lot of dead weight with that.
I don't know about Chicago, but in this part of the world you need a winch to haul all sorts of stuff out of the muck.
- Or bury it.
- Hey! What you doin' to my truck? - What are you doing to that trash? - I'm helping the coach out.
Well, you're not helping him out inside.
That job looks like something for assistant to the assistant of the assistant coaches.
- Just don't touch my truck.
- No problem.
Small problem.
Our warrant doesn't cover his truck.
Only evidence recovered inside of the residence.
Oh, yeah? Good enough for me.
The ligature marking on Curtis's neck matched the patterns on the winch.
- Daniel only looked at ropes and chains, not cables.
- Mmm.
Can't wait to tell him.
If Curtis's body was in the back of Ron's truck, his D.
N.
A.
's gonna be all over it.
If? I found skin and blood on the winch and in the flatbed.
- Also on the skin were traces of lye.
- Just like on the body.
- That's weird.
- It's not weird.
It's evidence.
Hard to believe Ron would be so desperate to be part of the team that he'd kill someone.
Not if Coach Ward put him up to it.
Some people will do anything to get ahead.
- What? - Esther Feldman's bat mitzvah.
- Yeah? - Esther Feldman? As in, daughter to Ben Feldman? Judge Ben Feldman? Oh, yeah, that's right.
Ben is a judge.
- Judge Ben Feldman who's on the F.
D.
L.
E.
advancement committee? - Is he? Hmm.
I didn't know that.
You're Chief Medical Examiner.
What's next? President of Death? Keeper of Corpses? Wh You can't be promoted anymore.
- I like meeting new people.
- No, you don't.
You're like me.
No, I'm not.
And that's why you're alone.
It's Marisol, isn't it? You're networking to please your wife.
That's what happens when the Coast Guard rescues you with just your clothes on your back.
You want crazy things, like success.
And all off the back of little Esther Feldman.
You oughta be ashamed of yourself, using a - Back at ya, big daddy.
- For the record? - Mm-hmm.
- Jeff turned 13 today.
- Really? - Mm-hmm.
And yeah, I would do anything for him, even kill if I had to.
But I got no reason to kill Curtis Taylor.
- But Coach Ward does.
- Hey.
- That's a good man you're talking about.
- So I keep hearing.
You know what Coach Ward said about you? Night of the murder, you left practice early.
- Where'd you go? - Had some personal business to attend to.
"Personal business," Ron? Sounds like a bit of an oxymoron.
She told me not to tell.
My ex-wife.
We were havin' sex.
- Really? - Surprised me too.
- So sex with the ex isn't a regular occurrence.
- No.
She came on to me over at the practice field.
Damn good-lookin' too.
She had her hair done and everything.
I mean, I wasn't gonna pass up a chance to hit that again.
So you see why I can't tell you who it is, don't you? Oh, being a gentleman you wouldn't want to besmirch a lady's reputation in case you wanted to hit that again I get it.
We're closed.
- This'll only take a minute.
- The game's about to start! And DeAndre is playing tonight! Whoo, thank the Lord.
We gon' kick some ass tonight.
Last week someone called the Texas State Attorney's office from this phone.
Found out from a clerk that Curtis had filed papers to bring DeAndre back to Texas.
Well, you couldn't let that happen.
- I don't wanna miss the kickoff.
- If we gotta go, you gotta go.
I didn't think a woman was strong enough to kill Curtis.
- But three women? - I did not see that.
You guys are Rita's support network.
You each bring something different to the party.
- Crystal is your granddaughter, right? - You keep Crystal out of this! It's okay, Remelle.
Don't let him get to you.
You told Curtis that Crystal wanted to talk to him about DeAndre.
So he came here.
Probably sat in this chair where you whacked him over the head with your little friend here.
Then you wheeled him over to the sink, where you drowned him in soapy water with traces of lye.
"C.
J.
's Hair Relaxer.
" - Main ingredient? - Lye.
But you needed a way to move the body which is why Vivian's been having sex with her ex-husband Ron 'cause you needed his truck with the winch.
Don't worry.
He's been a complete gentleman.
Left your name out of it till the end.
But he did tell you when the next controlled burn was scheduled.
Only you guys didn't plan on the wind changing.
You can't prove any of this.
Do all your customers bleed so much? Ooh-ooh! Going to the game? Can't.
Late for a party.
Declan, you do know that's a girl's bike, right? What can I say? Ladies love the Rabbit Prince.
- You knew who that dead body was, didn't you? - Yeah.
He bought one of my rabbits, asked if I knew DeAndre.
He even gave me his card.
- Why didn't you tell me? - I didn't want DeAndre to get in trouble.
Besides, I knew you'd figure it out.
You the 5-0, man.
Didn't even need it.
Whoo! DeAndre! No way.
No way! It's an XBox 360? - Oh, my gosh! Thank you so much, Mom! - That's, um, not from me, kiddo.
- Who's it from? - I have no idea.
Excuse me.
Ah.
I see I came at the right time.
That was too expensive.
Well, I can't justify buying it for myself.
This way I get to come over here and play it.
Uh, can I call you later? 'Cause we're kind of in the middle of something.
- Jeff didn't tell you? - Tell me He invited me to his party.
He said you were okay with it.
But if it's a problem - No, I mean, his grandma's here.
- Ah.
Oh, my gosh, dude! Thank you so much! - I take it you like it.
- Oh, my gosh! It's awesome! Um, drinks are in the kitchen.
So I'll go set up the game.
- Uh - I'm sorry to interrupt but your daddy's on the phone.
- He would like to wish you a happy birthday.
- Great! Why don't you take it in the other room? That way y'all will have more privacy.
Okay, um, you set the game up.
I'm player number one.
Hey, Jeff, you know what? Uh, next time, man.
I just came by to say happy birthday.
You know, the Yeah.
See? Office never sleeps.
- Okay.
Well thank you.
- All right.
- Happy birthday.
- Thanks.
Thanks.
- Hey, Ray.
No.
Yeah.
- Birthday boy's right here.
English - US - SDH
The Rabbit Prince! Thank you.
I love the smell of sugar cane in the morning.
Controlled burn, my ass.
Make sure that red stuff doesn't touch my dead stuff.
Yes, ma'am.
Yep.
He's dead.
You Declan? You found the body? - Cryin' shame.
- You know who that is? Talking about the burn, letting a good fire go to waste.
- Why do they do that anyway? - You're not from around here? Uh, Chi Town.
Windy City? Chicago? Before they can harvest the sugar cane you gotta clear up this here.
Fire bring out the rabbits, so I always bring out the Mud Boys.
You caught all these rabbits? You must be fast.
Gotta be.
Coach Ward say I gotta catch 50 if I wanna play in the Mud Bowl.
Don't tell me you never heard of no Mud Bowl.
Biggest football game all year.
- Bigger than the Super Bowl? - Around these parts, yeah.
Palm Grove King Snakes gonna put the smackdown on the Panthers.
- Let me guess.
You're going for the King Snakes.
- DeAndre Matthews.
That's my boy.
Palm Grove wide receiver.
They say he got a shot in the NFL someday, just like me.
Oh, yeah? How many rabbits you got in there? Seven.
Would've been more too if I hadn't found that dumb ol' body.
You wanna buy one? - What, a rabbit? - Yeah.
Sure you don't know who that body is? No, sir.
But I'll give you this cottontail just for $2.
00.
Make good pets.
If you don't want no pet, just cook it.
Tastes good too.
All right, well Here.
Keep the change.
Yes, ma'am.
Yes, ma'am, that's right.
That's correct.
Some say I don't play well with others.
I was a damn good detective in Chicago until a disagreement with my boss encouraged me to pack it up and make a change.
So I put the Windy City in my rearview and headed to the Sunshine State.
Kick back.
Play some golf.
Work on my tan.
Maybe write the occasional speeding ticket.
Yeah.
Well, that didn't work out.
I didn't realize this was a kosher crime scene otherwise I would've brought my tchotchkes.
What? - Daniel! - "Happy bat mitzvah, Esther"? Don't start.
I hauled ass all through North Dade County.
Marisol says she's having crème brûlée.
- Esther? - Ben Feldman's daughter.
It's an important rite of passage.
Feels like blunt force trauma.
There's also a distinctive ligature mark around his neck.
- Made by? - A ligature.
Something distinctive.
- Daniel.
- I'm on it.
His suit's almost as nice as yours.
He was dragged.
Postmortem abrasions on his back and torso.
Killed elsewhere, dumped here? One of the muckety-mucks from Okeechobee Sugar is on their way.
So that's why F.
D.
L.
E.
is investigating and not Pahokee P.
D.
They don't call it Big Sugar for nothing.
Slightly tanned, and an indentation around the right middle finger.
- He's missing a ring.
- Yeah, but he's got everything else.
- Daniel! - Cell phone, car rental keys, motel room keys, wallet.
Name's Curtis Taylor, age 38, from Dallas, Texas.
Business card says he's a real-estate developer.
So, someone buries Curtis here hoping no one else will find it.
- But the killer underestimated the muck.
- What is it about this muck? - Muck Boys, Muck City, muck, muck - No, it's the soil.
It's so rich and fertile anything will grow in it, but nothing stays buried in it long.
- So we're looking for someone who wouldn't know that.
- Mm-hmm.
- An outsider? - Yeah.
And there's been plenty of them around lately.
The family that owns O.
K.
Sugar is looking for a buyer.
They've owned this land for generations, and now it seems that they want to sell.
Heard it's worth about $1.
3 billion.
- Ooh.
- Competition must be stiff.
- I can't take him anywhere.
- Ah, wait.
Wait a second.
They're here.
You wanna meet Big Sugar? Shannon Simpson, V.
P.
of P.
R.
for O.
K.
Sugar.
This is a terrible tragedy.
The company's prayers are with the victim's family.
- Do you know who Curtis Taylor is? - No.
I checked.
He's not a potential buyer, but since the body was dumped on company land we'd like to do whatever we can to help you with your investigation.
All we ask for is your discretion.
Diligence, thoroughness I get.
Not sure what you mean by "discretion.
" Every outlet from ESPN to Joe Sports Blogger is in town for the game.
Half of them would run over their own grandmothers to get a story about a dead body in a cane field.
- And it might affect the sale.
- My job is to protect the company's interests.
So is mine, unless your company is interested in hiding a murder.
No, we're not hiding anything.
In fact, we're giving you everything.
This is a list of employees with reprimands and complaints on their file.
Big Sugar, Big Brother.
Locker theft.
Vending machine abuse.
Wow.
I realize it's all pretty small-time stuff.
- Except for Ron Anderson.
- Ron, yeah.
Uh, vandalized the cars of three executives.
Threatened to take a baseball bat to the C.
E.
O.
's head if he sold the company.
And about two weeks ago he got into a screaming match with a junior exec.
- Turned into a bar brawl.
- And you didn't fire him? He's pretending to be an activist.
We don't want to make him a martyr.
- Where does this boy scout work? - In the fields.
He's an ignition specialist.
Is that political correctness corporatese for "he starts fires"? He was supposed to start a fire in the field where the body was found.
Wind shifted.
Divisional Forestry pulled the permit.
Lucky for Ron.
- Otherwise this fire would've destroyed our evidence.
- You wanna talk to him? Yeah, I dumped some trash on an executive's Mercedes.
So what? Everybody in Pahokee hates Big Sugar.
- Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em, huh? - Like a bad marriage.
- Name Curtis Taylor ring a bell? - No.
What about this guy? - Uh-uh.
- "Uh-uh"? Take another look.
- I don't know him.
- I didn't say you knew him.
But you have seen him before, haven't you, Ron? Last week he was hanging around the field the football field.
- High school? - Yeah, he was watching us practice every night.
- "Us"? - Yeah, us.
I'm the King Snakes' assistant to the coaching assistant.
- Impressive.
- Damn straight.
We've won the Mud Bowl the last two years, and come Friday it's gon' be three, baby.
Never heard of the assistant to the coach's assistant.
It's a volunteer position.
Look, I could stand here and talk football with you all day but I gotta set this fire 'fore these winds shift again.
Damn it, Ray.
Overdue orange, repo red, poorhouse purple.
Oh, my God, girl, don't you wish there were a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow? Are you trying to cheer me up? Callie, you're not the first person to get a little behind on your bills.
I'm more than a little behind.
Well, have you talked to Ray about this? Because, I don't know, maybe he could do something.
- How? - I don't know, but you have to Hey, honey, did you eat yet? I'm not hungry.
In about four days someone's having a birthday, I think.
- Pretty big one too.
- Yeah, whatever.
Uh, Ray promised to take him shooting when he turned 13.
Why, hell, I can do that! - Used to take your daddy all the time.
- Yeah.
Sure.
Thanks, Grandma.
Hey, listen, buddy, I'm a good shot.
- This could be fun.
- Yeah.
It will be.
Thank you, Jody, but I can take him shooting.
No way.
There's as many types of rope as there are material.
Rope is one of man's earliest inventions.
Well, let's hope we don't have to go back that far to find a match.
Daughters are a mitzvah.
And I should know I have three of my own.
Did Esther like her gifts? Great.
Great, great.
Mazel tov, Ben.
Bye-bye.
- Since when do you speak Hebrew? - It's called having respect for other people's traditions.
- You should try it.
- You ever heard of an assistant to the coaching assistants? - Come again.
- Sounds like an intern.
Turns out Curtis was hanging out around football practice.
Curtis might have been a football player back in the day.
He's had two arthroscopic menisectomies and an A.
C.
L.
reconstruction.
Both common injuries for a defense lineman.
Hard to believe a guy like that wouldn't go down without a fight.
He's got defensive wounds, but not many.
And I found sodium hydroxide on his hands and in his abrasions on his torso.
- It's lye.
- Why put lye on the body? Lye's an accelerant.
Have you identified what made those ligature marks yet? An accelerant like lye would've helped the fire destroy the body.
- That's not how he died.
- Thought you said it was blunt force trauma.
There was, but that's not what killed him.
You'll never guess.
He drowned.
- Or maybe you will.
- How did you The question is now, what kind of water did he drown in, fresh or salty? Try soapy.
Now, that I would never have guessed.
Hut! - Yeah! Go! - You know who that is? Everybody knows who that is.
That's Bobby Bowden.
- I'm gonna introduce myself.
- You think Bobby Bowden wants to meet you? I doubt it, but I want to meet him.
And, uh, gosh, we've had a lot of great players at Florida State from Bel Marra and also from Palm Grove.
- Right.
- There's as much speed out here as anywhere in the country.
- Excuse me.
Hi.
I'm Jim Longworth.
- Hey, how you doin'? - Jim, how you doin'? - I'm not from around here, but I'm a huge fan.
Well, that's good.
It's good to see you.
Excuse me.
I've gotta go.
I was just wondering, could you, uh, maybe just say it for me once? - Say what? - You know.
"Dadgum it.
" No, dadgum it.
You finish processing Curtis's motel room? Define "finished.
" There's too many fingerprints to count and enough bodily fluids to shut down the C.
D.
C but no blood.
- And no missing ring.
- I'll send someone to the cane fields to look for it.
And by someone I do mean Daniel.
- What about the bathtub? - Too small for a 260-pound man.
Someone could have held his head underwater but housekeeping said the stopper in the bath had been broken for months.
Daniel, I'm gonna need you to pull the records on Curtis's motel phone, home phone, cell phone Saxophone, Dictaphone, xylophone.
What? I-I'm sorry, Dr.
Sanchez.
Were you talking to me? You're not gonna find the killer looking over there.
Okay? These players are amazing.
Muck City has sent more than anywhere else in the country Anquan Boldin, Santonio Holmes, Edgerrin James.
DeAndre Matthews.
Find that film crew.
See if there's any B-roll on the victim from last week.
- Listen to me! - I am listening.
Why didn't you tell me? Rita, trust me.
Don't worry.
Okay? Hey, Coach.
Looked like you were getting an earful there.
What was that about? Ever since that damn Blind Side, all the players' mothers think they're Leigh Anne Tuohy.
Gonna tell me how to play the game.
Yeah? Whose mother was that? DeAndre Matthews's mom Rita.
I'm not gonna tell you how to do anything.
I just wanna ask you something.
Okay.
What channel are you with? F.
D.
L.
E.
You know this guy? Yeah.
I saw him on the news.
It's the guy they found in the sugar cane field.
And last week was he hanging around practice? Man, when I'm coaching my head's in the game.
I don't have time to be messing around, looking at who's in the stands.
This isn't just a game.
It's a religion.
There's Curtis in the background.
Sitting with DeAndre Matthews.
What's a murdered real estate developer from Texas want with a Palm Grove football phenom? - Play that bit again.
Maybe Curtis is a booster recruiting for a college team.
- What do you s - Shh.
- You can't hear them.
- I'm listening to their body language.
They're both extremely tense.
They both have something to hide.
I want a copy of this footage.
- Hey, Chicago.
- Hey! - How was the cottontail? - Delicious.
- Get who killed that man yet? - I'm working on it.
- Got any tips? - Yeah.
Try this.
It's for good luck.
Thanks.
Afternoon, ladies.
- Afternoon.
- Oh! Afternoon! - Can you tell me where Rita Matthews is? - That's where she stays.
- What do you want with her? - I wanted to ask her some questions.
About her son DeAndre, mainly.
That young man is quick fast.
Got the best hands of anyone here in Pahokee.
Was voted "Mr.
Football" three years in a row ever since he been here.
How many rabbits does that translate into? Them recruiters always wanna know about them rabbits, don't they? - How many recruiters DeAndre been talking to? - Oh, Florida State.
Oklahoma.
Austin.
- Austin, huh? - Vivian, don't be telling all of DeAndre's business.
You from Big Ten country? I like Michigan for DeAndre.
He'd be better off at Ohio State.
Oh, no! No, no, no, Vivian! DeAndre needs to go somewhere where the offense is fast-passin' heavy-passin' and high-scorin'.
Only way he gon' get them stats for the NFL.
Everything you wanna know about DeAndre you'll find out Friday at the big game.
- Mm-hmm.
- Oh, yeah! Coach Ward gon' take them King Snakes to the promised land.
Sometimes you need to take matters into your own hands.
That's why I been prayin' on it.
She been makin' everybody in the salon pray on it too.
Dear Lord, don't make those nasty - Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
- no-good do-nothin' Panthers win.
- Amen! - Amen! - Amen! Amen.
What salon is that? Mine.
Minnie's House of Beauty, right there on Lake Avenue.
What can you tell me about Rita and Coach Ward? - Who told you about them? - Vivian.
Nothin' to tell.
- What school you say you from? - He didn't.
Oh, I'm investigating a murder.
You know, the guy in the sugar cane fields? Hand me that bowl.
That was awesome! - I want to try.
- All right, now, remember what I told you? Yeah.
Goggles and glasses.
Barrel always down and away.
This is the safety.
Safety always remains on.
Finger remains outside the trigger guard till you're ready to shoot.
Have a feel.
Whoa.
It's heavy.
Have you ever shot anyone before? I try not to.
- I've been shot.
- Where? Chicago.
- Oh, you mean where where.
- Yeah.
On my ass.
Your mom's seen it.
- At the hospital when she was treating me.
- Yeah.
So, the guy who shot you.
Was he a bad guy? Not so much a bad guy as a guy having a really bad day.
All right, ears on.
All right, knees bent, shoulders back, eyes open.
Now slowly squeeze the trigger.
Whoa.
You got three more bullets with your name on 'em so to speak.
I hit it! Yeah, you did.
Beginner's luck.
Ears back on.
Let's go again.
Tell me something, Dr.
Sanchez.
Do you think I'm stupid? What makes you think the F.
D.
L.
E.
should pay for your wife's transportation home from Esther Feldman's bat mitzvah? I was called to a crime scene and I couldn't drive her home.
I hired a car.
You hired a limo.
Town Car wouldn't do? You don't know my wife.
- Really? - Yeah.
Fox Sports sent that footage over.
- Was Curtis missing a wedding ring? - No.
Uh, half-inch band, size 12.
Sent Daniel into the fields to look for it.
Why? Curtis was married.
Called a ranger buddy of mine in Texas to facilitate a death notification for his wife.
He can't locate her, but he promised to send us copies of anything he digs up on Curtis and his missing wife.
Hope he gets more than I can.
I'm shut out.
I'm not surprised.
Muck City doesn't take kindly to strangers.
Maybe I'll do a little muckraking on Coach Ward.
- Careful.
- Daring is what I'm thinking.
- A bold move is the only way to move forward in this.
- The game is a big deal.
- So is murder.
- So is making it out.
The people of Pahokee have managed to make a way out of no way.
They're proud of it, and they should be, and we aren't going to ruin it for them.
I'm not saying don't investigate.
I'm just saying don't cause a disruption.
- Out the break! Out the break! - Get down there! Sorry.
Just doing my job.
- Sorry, kid.
- What? Come on, now.
Come on.
Hold on, now.
What's goin' on? Hold up! Hey, what's going on? Get these off of me! I didn't do nothin'! - What's up? - Yo, what's up with that? That's wrong, man! Thank you.
Sorry about the drama.
Wanted to talk to you.
Couldn't do it on the 50-yard line.
- When did you last see your father, DeAndre? - It's just me and my moms.
- I don't have a father.
- Everybody's got a father.
Every time I look in the mirror I notice one more thing that reminds me of my dad.
The way he stands, the way he frowns even when he's smiling.
It's really starting to piss me off.
Apple doesn't fall far.
That man is not my father.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Three years ago a woman named Rita Taylor she filed this protection from abuse against her husband Curtis.
Two weeks later she, uh, showed up in Pahokee with her son only this time they were using her maiden name Matthews.
- How'd he find ya? - Saw me in a YouTube video playing in our last game.
- Weren't happy that he tracked you down.
- I don't care what he does.
I need to get back to practice.
So the ring was a peace offering.
He wanted to take you and your mother back to Texas.
Over my dead body! Supposed to be Mr.
Upstanding Businessman? Mr.
Great Austin University defensive end? Supposed to be someone I look up to.
Meanwhile he's beatin' the hell out of her, and I didn't do nothin'! - You wanted to kill him.
- Hell yeah, I wanted to kill him! But I didn't.
Look, I didn't do it.
How'd you get those bruises on your neck? - You went after Curtis, he fought back? - I got these in practice.
You're off the hook, DeAndre.
Someone confessed to the murder.
Your mom.
"Curtis started beating me the year DeAndre was born.
When I found out he was in Pahokee I couldn't stop thinking about the hell he put us through.
" Well, this tells me why.
I want to know how.
- You already know how.
- The confession has to be in your own words.
I smashed him in the head with a tire iron from my car.
Seeing him made me so angry I couldn't control myself.
So it was his fault.
He made you so mad you had to kill him.
- How'd you get the body out into the field? - In my car.
You moved a 260-pound man from his motel room into the trunk of his car.
Yeah.
No, I What'd you do with the ring? Curtis wore a ring on his right hand.
A championship ring from Austin University.
He was so proud of that.
I threw it in Lake Okeechobee.
Are you seeing Coach Ward? I only ask 'cause you two looked pretty familiar on the field the other day.
He's my son's coach.
He's a good and decent man.
- Good and decent enough to help you with a dead body? - No! I did it all by myself! Okay, Ms.
Matthews, I think I have everything I need.
You're free to go.
- That's it? - That's it.
Unless you want to confess to something else.
- Mom, what are you doing? - You need to call a lawyer.
Sure, she can call a lawyer.
She's not under arrest.
She didn't kill Curtis.
Your mom is a terrible liar.
Worst I've ever seen.
But her instinct to protect her child is impressive and troublesome.
Makes me think you do have something to do with this murder after all.
And this time I really do have to arrest you.
No! Wait! Please! Let him go! Afternoon, ladies.
Nice security system.
That's the alarm system.
That's for security.
- We got nothing to say to you.
- Should take my friend there and go upside your head.
Careful, or he'll have you arrested like he did DeAndre.
Mm-hmm.
Okay then.
I'll take a trim.
You want DeAndre back in the game, out of custody you're gonna have to help me understand a few things.
You want me to cut your hair and do your job too? I'm doing my job.
In fact, where were you three ladies the night Curtis Taylor was killed? Here.
I did Vivian's hair, and then we all went to football practice.
- And your husbands? - Please.
What husbands? Oh.
I read you.
Yeah.
Marriage is hard.
Well, so I've been told.
Course, you never know when you're gonna meet the right person.
Just when you do, timing kinda sucks.
- You find one, you put a ring on it.
- She already has one.
- She's married.
- Does her husband know how you feel? I doubt it.
He's in prison.
What you waitin' for? Man gets himself locked up, she doesn't owe him.
Could be she's scared to live her own life.
Probably doesn't know exactly what she wants to do.
You know, sometimes it's better when somebody better starts steppin' up and steppin' in.
- You need to start steppin' up.
- Is that what happened with Rita and Coach Ward? He stepped up? Rita confessed to the murder.
- He's messin' with us.
- No, I took the confession myself.
I'm pretty sure she wasn't alone in it.
But if she wants to go down for it, I'll let her.
Unless someone tells me if someone else might have been involved or - Oh.
Really? We're done? - Yeah.
Okay.
Uh Looks kinda uneven.
Don't you think? Got that Right.
There you go.
Have a nice day.
Well, if it isn't the Rabbit Prince.
Declan, I gotta ask.
What's with the bike? You arrested DeAndre.
Give me my rabbit's foot back.
We get a lot of abused women here.
- How do you love someone who treats you like that? - I know.
It makes no sense.
But it's just sometimes not that easy.
Okay.
Well, tell me, how do you wake a woman like that up? Everyone's different.
Different factors are involved.
So, can't choose who you fall in love with? That kind of thing? I mean, you'd never stay with someone who hit you, right? If any man ever abused me, he'd be one of your cold cases.
- So for some women murder's the only way out.
- Well, at least they think so.
But that only applies to women who lost their support system or never had one to begin with.
Everyone needs a support system, especially with kids.
No one can make you leave but if you don't have anyone to help you get out then you could stay in a bad relationship forever.
Support system, huh? So, Jeff have a good time shooting unarmed, innocent milk jugs? He did.
Thanks for asking me.
- He any good at it? - Yeah.
He's a natural.
Great! - Anyway, I should, um - Yeah, I should get back at it.
- Thanks for the abuse.
- Yeah, no problem.
Hey, you arrested their star player, so they T.
P.
'd your car.
- I told you not to mess with the big game in Muck City.
- Pahokee's revenge.
Mm-hmm.
Game's tomorrow.
When are you going to release DeAndre? I'm raking the muck.
Muckraking's my new calling.
Speaking of which, I got some more dirt from my friend in Texas.
- Look, either charge DeAndre or kick him.
- I will.
Just not yet.
Really? What about Saturday night for a round? Of course.
It's Shabbat.
How could I forget? Yeah.
Sunday afternoon it is.
And I'll see about those tee times.
All right, Feldman.
Talk soon.
Bye-bye.
- I can get us tee times anytime we want.
- This isn't about you.
All right? You and I can play anytime.
- Wh - Yeah.
Busy solving a murder anyway.
- Any luck investigating those ligature marks? - Not yet.
- Any luck finding the ring? - No.
- I was gonna try pawnshops.
- No.
Too personal an item to sell.
- Whoever took it must've known how much it meant to Curtis.
- Whoever took it was the killer.
I understand why DeAndre and his mother would want to kill Curtis.
But why now? Why not three years ago when the coward was still using her as a punching bag? - Curtis was gonna take DeAndre back to Texas.
- How? Asking for another chance.
If that didn't work, the law was on his side.
Curtis filed papers with the Texas court.
He was gonna take action against Rita for kidnapping.
Why bother trying to bribe him with his A.
U.
ring? Like most abusers, he was delusional.
Wanted DeAndre to come willingly.
Yeah, but DeAndre said no and Rita sure as hell wasn't going to help Curtis.
Who would he turn to? Who's gonna help him? If only we had DeAndre's phone.
Oh, wait! We do! Forty-two! Hut! - What's up, baby? - Mm-mmm.
- Baby girl? - Uh, mm-mmm.
- Bo? - Oh, no.
Hey, girl.
"Hey, girl"? Hey, girl.
"Cops planning to check lockers.
" Hold up.
I'll be right back.
I believe you have a ring for me.
- I'm not talking to you.
- Hey, if I killed someone I wouldn't talk to me either.
You're not gonna trick me into saying something.
I'm waiting for my lawyer.
Okay.
Let's wait.
But before your lawyer comes, Crystal, you should know you're in a world of trouble.
Curtis was wearing this ring the day he died.
Only way you could have got it is if the killer gave it to you.
Then you're an accessory.
Or you took it off the body yourself.
Then you're the killer.
Either way Whew.
Not looking good for you.
I was at practice, and then I was with DeAndre.
I wouldn't link my alibi to a guy who's already sitting in jail.
I didn't kill Mr.
Taylor.
He gave me the ring to give to DeAndre.
He wanted me to convince DeAndre to move back to Texas with him.
Said he'd make sure DeAndre got to play football at A.
U.
You didn't want DeAndre to move back to Texas with his dad.
- That's why you killed Curtis.
- No! Yeah! It makes perfect sense.
Colleges are recruiting DeAndre.
He's got a shot at the NFL.
That's your meal ticket outta here.
- I only want what's best for him.
- And for you.
- He goes back to Texas with his dad, it's all over.
- You're wrong.
DeAndre loves me.
And besides, he doesn't need his daddy to go to A.
U.
If he really wanted to go he'd ask Coach Ward just like he does with everything.
Coach Ward helped him get away from Texas and come here in the first place.
Excuse me.
Can I leave? No, you can't.
Thank you very much.
Curtis Taylor wasn't the only person that played at Austin University.
You checked with their department of athletics? Guess who else was listed on exactly the same squad.
- Coach Ward.
- He conveniently forgot to mention that earlier.
- Yeah.
We're in the middle of a strategy session.
We lost one of our best players, as you know.
Rabbit stew.
We make it every year before the game.
Well, you'll be happy to know DeAndre Matthews has been "unarrested.
" - Oh! You hear that, guys? DeAndre can play! - That's great news.
Not so great is you lying about not knowing Curtis Taylor.
Hey, fellas, give us a minute here.
All right, let's go, Tim.
"A.
U.
Football, 1993.
" Same team, same year.
Different experience.
Curtis was a star, your ass was warming the bench.
Should've tried out for the cheerleading team with Rita.
You might have had a chance.
- I played.
- In practice, maybe.
What, two games? No wonder you don't wear your ring.
You didn't earn it the way Curtis did.
I may not have played as good as Curtis, but I know the game better than anyone.
- And look who's winning now.
- Yeah, but not back then.
Two months after graduation Rita is Curtis's wife.
We pulled Curtis's phone records from four years ago.
You called his house at least, what, twice a month? Yeah, but not to talk to Curtis.
You rang to talk to Rita.
You knew he was no good for her.
You were hoping one day she'd dump the loser husband.
You were trying to get her out of a bad marriage.
You became a father figure to her son.
You were trying to steal another man's family away.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
We have a warrant to search your premises.
What? Units 417, 632 After you.
- Detectives.
- How you doin'? What? Let's go.
Why does the coach have an O.
K.
Sugar employee parking pass on his windshield? Ooh.
You could haul a lot of dead weight with that.
I don't know about Chicago, but in this part of the world you need a winch to haul all sorts of stuff out of the muck.
- Or bury it.
- Hey! What you doin' to my truck? - What are you doing to that trash? - I'm helping the coach out.
Well, you're not helping him out inside.
That job looks like something for assistant to the assistant of the assistant coaches.
- Just don't touch my truck.
- No problem.
Small problem.
Our warrant doesn't cover his truck.
Only evidence recovered inside of the residence.
Oh, yeah? Good enough for me.
The ligature marking on Curtis's neck matched the patterns on the winch.
- Daniel only looked at ropes and chains, not cables.
- Mmm.
Can't wait to tell him.
If Curtis's body was in the back of Ron's truck, his D.
N.
A.
's gonna be all over it.
If? I found skin and blood on the winch and in the flatbed.
- Also on the skin were traces of lye.
- Just like on the body.
- That's weird.
- It's not weird.
It's evidence.
Hard to believe Ron would be so desperate to be part of the team that he'd kill someone.
Not if Coach Ward put him up to it.
Some people will do anything to get ahead.
- What? - Esther Feldman's bat mitzvah.
- Yeah? - Esther Feldman? As in, daughter to Ben Feldman? Judge Ben Feldman? Oh, yeah, that's right.
Ben is a judge.
- Judge Ben Feldman who's on the F.
D.
L.
E.
advancement committee? - Is he? Hmm.
I didn't know that.
You're Chief Medical Examiner.
What's next? President of Death? Keeper of Corpses? Wh You can't be promoted anymore.
- I like meeting new people.
- No, you don't.
You're like me.
No, I'm not.
And that's why you're alone.
It's Marisol, isn't it? You're networking to please your wife.
That's what happens when the Coast Guard rescues you with just your clothes on your back.
You want crazy things, like success.
And all off the back of little Esther Feldman.
You oughta be ashamed of yourself, using a - Back at ya, big daddy.
- For the record? - Mm-hmm.
- Jeff turned 13 today.
- Really? - Mm-hmm.
And yeah, I would do anything for him, even kill if I had to.
But I got no reason to kill Curtis Taylor.
- But Coach Ward does.
- Hey.
- That's a good man you're talking about.
- So I keep hearing.
You know what Coach Ward said about you? Night of the murder, you left practice early.
- Where'd you go? - Had some personal business to attend to.
"Personal business," Ron? Sounds like a bit of an oxymoron.
She told me not to tell.
My ex-wife.
We were havin' sex.
- Really? - Surprised me too.
- So sex with the ex isn't a regular occurrence.
- No.
She came on to me over at the practice field.
Damn good-lookin' too.
She had her hair done and everything.
I mean, I wasn't gonna pass up a chance to hit that again.
So you see why I can't tell you who it is, don't you? Oh, being a gentleman you wouldn't want to besmirch a lady's reputation in case you wanted to hit that again I get it.
We're closed.
- This'll only take a minute.
- The game's about to start! And DeAndre is playing tonight! Whoo, thank the Lord.
We gon' kick some ass tonight.
Last week someone called the Texas State Attorney's office from this phone.
Found out from a clerk that Curtis had filed papers to bring DeAndre back to Texas.
Well, you couldn't let that happen.
- I don't wanna miss the kickoff.
- If we gotta go, you gotta go.
I didn't think a woman was strong enough to kill Curtis.
- But three women? - I did not see that.
You guys are Rita's support network.
You each bring something different to the party.
- Crystal is your granddaughter, right? - You keep Crystal out of this! It's okay, Remelle.
Don't let him get to you.
You told Curtis that Crystal wanted to talk to him about DeAndre.
So he came here.
Probably sat in this chair where you whacked him over the head with your little friend here.
Then you wheeled him over to the sink, where you drowned him in soapy water with traces of lye.
"C.
J.
's Hair Relaxer.
" - Main ingredient? - Lye.
But you needed a way to move the body which is why Vivian's been having sex with her ex-husband Ron 'cause you needed his truck with the winch.
Don't worry.
He's been a complete gentleman.
Left your name out of it till the end.
But he did tell you when the next controlled burn was scheduled.
Only you guys didn't plan on the wind changing.
You can't prove any of this.
Do all your customers bleed so much? Ooh-ooh! Going to the game? Can't.
Late for a party.
Declan, you do know that's a girl's bike, right? What can I say? Ladies love the Rabbit Prince.
- You knew who that dead body was, didn't you? - Yeah.
He bought one of my rabbits, asked if I knew DeAndre.
He even gave me his card.
- Why didn't you tell me? - I didn't want DeAndre to get in trouble.
Besides, I knew you'd figure it out.
You the 5-0, man.
Didn't even need it.
Whoo! DeAndre! No way.
No way! It's an XBox 360? - Oh, my gosh! Thank you so much, Mom! - That's, um, not from me, kiddo.
- Who's it from? - I have no idea.
Excuse me.
Ah.
I see I came at the right time.
That was too expensive.
Well, I can't justify buying it for myself.
This way I get to come over here and play it.
Uh, can I call you later? 'Cause we're kind of in the middle of something.
- Jeff didn't tell you? - Tell me He invited me to his party.
He said you were okay with it.
But if it's a problem - No, I mean, his grandma's here.
- Ah.
Oh, my gosh, dude! Thank you so much! - I take it you like it.
- Oh, my gosh! It's awesome! Um, drinks are in the kitchen.
So I'll go set up the game.
- Uh - I'm sorry to interrupt but your daddy's on the phone.
- He would like to wish you a happy birthday.
- Great! Why don't you take it in the other room? That way y'all will have more privacy.
Okay, um, you set the game up.
I'm player number one.
Hey, Jeff, you know what? Uh, next time, man.
I just came by to say happy birthday.
You know, the Yeah.
See? Office never sleeps.
- Okay.
Well thank you.
- All right.
- Happy birthday.
- Thanks.
Thanks.
- Hey, Ray.
No.
Yeah.
- Birthday boy's right here.
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