Take Two (2018) s01e05 Episode Script

1 [SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE.]
[DOOR CLOSES.]
[WOMAN LAUGHS.]
[KEYPAD BEEPS.]
[SIGHS.]
[KEYS RATTLING.]
[SIGHS HEAVILY.]
[CAR ALARM BEEPING.]
[BAG THUDS.]
[EXHALES SHAKILY.]
[ALARM CONTINUES.]
- [METAL CREAKS.]
- [SCREAMING.]
[BODY THUDS.]
SAM: A meeting at an underground garage in the middle of the night? Did he say what it was about? Nope, but he sounded scared and desperate.
What if it's a conspiracy? Like Watergate.
Or Deep Throat! Oh, how cool would that be? How much coffee have you had? Well, I'm up a 4:00 in the morning, so a lot.
But it's got to be something big, right? Or Or why all the cloak and dagger? What do you think it is? You know, there's two things I've learned in life, Sam.
Nothing good happens after 3:00 a.
m.
And it's never what you think it is.
[TIRES SCREECH.]
Must be our guy.
[ENGINE TURNS OFF.]
Can I, uh Can I see some ID? Okay.
Hey.
[SIGHS.]
[GASPS.]
[GRUNTING.]
Todd Garlin.
This is my brother, Hugh.
Thanks for coming.
Why are we here, Mr.
Garlin? Uh, because I need your help.
Someone's trying to kill me.
You have any idea who? Yeah, a hitman.
Why is a hitman trying to kill you? Because I hired him to.
I don't understand.
Why would you hire someone to kill you? Two months ago, I found out that I had terminal pancreatic cancer.
I didn't want my wife and kids to put up with the burden of caring for me.
Life insurance doesn't pay out if you commit suicide, so So you hired a hitman to do it for you? Yeah, he specializes in making the deaths look like accidents.
Problem is, I just found out that I was misdiagnosed.
Turns out, I'm not gonna die after all.
Not from cancer anyway.
Well, can't you just call off the hit? I didn't want anyone to trace it back to me, so I found someone on the dark web.
I have no idea who he is, what he looks like, or how to stop him.
A lot of these people online claim they'll kill for money, but they're scammers.
They're teenagers pulling pranks.
N-no.
This one's real.
He calls himself "Azrael.
" As in the biblical Angel of Death? Yeah.
H-He's legit.
A week ago, a falling air conditioner almost crushed me.
Three days ago, a car nearly hit me.
I've been hiding out from him in this cheap motel, but he must've found me.
He made my balcony railing collapse.
If I hadn't fallen on that convertible I'd be dead.
Look, I don't know where else to turn.
I need you to find him before he kills me.
EDDIE: All right.
Let's start at the hotel.
Who else knew you were there? TODD: No one.
What about your family? Your brother? Your wife? No.
Oh, no, my wife? No, she doesn't know anything about this.
Wait, a hitman is coming for you, and you haven't told your wife? How could I tell her? She just found out I'm gonna live and now I could wind up dead again.
Well, where does she think you are? At the Peterson Clinic in Kansas, making sure my scans are clear.
How'd you get to the hotel? Took a bus? Taxi? Lyft? No, I drove.
But I wasn't followed.
I made sure of that.
You may not have been followed, but you probably were tracked.
Where's you car now? It's back at the hotel.
It's the silver Forester.
All right.
We're gonna need the keys.
We're gonna take you back to our office.
You're gonna be safe there.
You and my assistant, you guys are gonna try to track down your hitman online.
Sam and I will go to the hotel, see if he left any trace.
There's a lot of glass.
You're sure this place is safe? All entrances and exits are secure with trip alarms and cameras.
If someone's coming, we'll know.
There's no trace of an Azrael in the Perdition boards or in the Burn Web archives.
Yeah, I-I know.
I looked, too.
He went dark right after I hired him.
Maybe we could trace the money.
How did you pay him? Bitcoin, with zero-coin add-on.
Dude - Yeah, I-I-I know.
But in my defense, it was supposed to be untraceable.
MONICA: Is this the guy? [STUTTERS.]
Who are you? How'd you get in here? You said this place was secure! That's Monica.
That's Ms.
Swift's assistant.
- She's part of the team.
- Oh.
Why is she wearing mouse ears? Death is coming for you.
What is that? A threat? - It's just how she talks.
- And dresses.
It's creepy.
As a survivor of multiple near-death experiences, you're a perfect subject.
- She's a psych student.
- Subject for what? A test that measures personality traits and how extreme stressors, like almost dying, can reveal who you really are.
Uh, my whole world's upside down.
I'm not sure I really know who I am.
All the more reason to take the test.
SAM: He survived that? What, does this guy have nine lives? He's going through them fast.
Well, then we need to move faster, before the hitman tries again.
We need to get into that room, take a look at that balcony.
What's our angle? David Addison.
Safety Inspector.
And I'm Madelyn Hayes.
We're investigating the accident.
Careful.
It's a pretty steep drop.
[SIGHS.]
I fell off a balcony once.
Vodka.
Luckily, I landed in the pool.
You ever have a near-death experience? I was a cop, so yeah.
What was the scariest? Actually, my closest call came when I was 15.
I was surfing Pipeline, and I nearly drowned after a three-wave hold down.
My buddies found me unconscious, floating face down in the water.
I had to be airlifted to a hospital.
Terrifying.
What happened? I lived.
[SCOFFS.]
Looks like someone used a welding torch to weaken the steel, rig it to fall.
The guy was thorough.
Oxidized the metal edges to make it look like a pre-existing structural defect.
But the hitman had to find a way to make Todd come out to the balcony and lean on the railing.
Well, Todd said he heard a car alarm.
I mean, that seems random.
How would he know that would draw Todd out? Are you kidding? Have you seen Todd? It doesn't take an actor to get inside his paranoid mind set.
I think the hitman could be pretty confident that he'd come check it out.
If we can identify which car he set off, maybe we can ID him.
MONICA: "Whatever plans you make, there's always something unexpected that will interfere with them.
" Strongly agree.
Interesting.
"People's misfortunes result from the mistakes they make.
" Strongly disagree.
Sometimes, they result from a random misdiagnosis that destroys their entire world.
Huh.
What? What does it say about me? We have to get through all the questions before I can delve into analysis.
- Ah.
Todd, it's for you.
Todd, could you recognize the car alarm if you heard it? TODD: Yeah.
I think so.
Why? Hey, Berto, pull up sound files for car alarms, see if you can narrow down which type of car it came from.
BERTO: On it.
Do you think the car's still here? No idea.
But Todd's car is.
And I'm betting the hitman was using it to track him.
[CAR ALARM BLARES.]
No, it was It was less blurpy, more tooty.
Okay.
How about this one? [CAR ALARM BLARES.]
A bit too brassy.
Who knew there were so many car alarms? [CAR ALARM BLARES.]
Warmer, but it was more of a squawky waaank.
Ugh, nothing but candy wrappers and old bottles back here.
Find anything down there? [RIPS VELCRO.]
Yeah, found this.
It's attached to the car's electrical system.
Is that a tracking device? Not like any I've ever seen.
[CELLPHONE RINGS.]
Yeah, Berto, what do you got? BERTO: Narrowed down the car alarm.
Chevy, manufactured between 2013 to 2018.
Blue Spark.
[CAR ALARM BLARES.]
That's it! That's the one.
That's great work.
All right, hang tight.
All right, let's see if the hotel had video surveillance.
[ALARM CHIRPS, HONKING STOPS.]
So you're the people who keep setting off my alarm? No.
Why? Did it go off before? At like 3:00 in the morning.
Did you see the railing collapse? Yeah, it scared the hell out of me.
So you were out here? Did you see anyone else in the parking lot? Just a guy standing by a pickup.
When the railing collapsed, he got in and drove away.
You happen to see what he looked like or the make of the truck? Didn't really get a look at him.
But it was a black Silverado pickup.
Black Silverado? That's not much to go on.
Yeah, and the hotel surveillance stopped working during the Clinton administration.
But your hitman did leave something behind.
This was attached to your car.
We think this is how he followed you.
So if we can find out who made it, we may be able to track down a point of sale.
Trace him from there.
Oh.
I can help with that.
SAM: I think this is the first time since I've met you that your hands weren't shaking.
Yeah, I've always been more comfortable with machines than with people.
I work in quality control.
You heard of MegaTech? They make that heart monitor watch? Yeah! The Aorta Recorda.
And the Smarty Pans, the Intelli-Brella Anyway, that's where I work.
I take things apart for a living, unlock their secrets, find their vulnerabilities.
You're a reverse engineer.
You pull things apart, figure out how they work, and all their flaws.
Once I identify the problem, I know how to fix it.
[CHUCKLES.]
Wish I could do that with my life.
Took facing cancer to see some things.
Like how I've been a lousy husband and father.
What makes you think that? I overheard my family talking, saying what a disappointment I was.
Ouch.
But, you know, finding out you were cancer-free, didn't that feel like you had a second chance? Yeah, it did.
It made me determined to be a better man, turn things around.
Don't you think being honest with your wife would be a good place to start? [SCOFFS.]
And tell her what? That I thought I had terminal cancer, then I found out I didn't, but by then, I'd hired a hitman to kill me and now I can't call him off? Yeah, that'd be a lot to take in.
- Yeah.
[CHUCKLES.]
Todd, if there's a way, we'll find this guy.
Well, not from this, you won't.
Whoever fabricated this really knew what they were doing.
Custom components definitely not store-bought, which makes them untraceable.
If we can't trace the parts, maybe we can trace the skills.
Who'd have the knowledge to build something like this? Any luck? - EDDIE: Nothing.
There's no video surveillance in the area around the hotel.
And there's over several thousand black Silverados registered in L.
A.
County alone.
Yeah, how many of them are owned by electrical engineers? Avery Rush.
This is the 10th black- Silverado-owning engineer that we've checked out, with a dozen to go.
There has to be a better way.
Shoe-leather's part of the job.
Yeah, I prefer how we did it on my show.
Cut to my character finding where the bad guy was.
Eddie.
Acetylene torches and a welding mask.
Maybe this guy's been doing a little balcony work.
Doesn't look like he's around.
Eddie, look.
Photos of the balcony railing.
And plans to make it fall.
- We should go.
- I thought we were here to negotiate.
No, this is not the type of guy you want to negotiate with.
We know who he is.
Now we call the cops.
- [WHIRRING.]
- [GASP.]
Aaah! [ELECTRICITY CRACKLES.]
Wha - [BARS BUZZ.]
- [COIN LANDS ON FLOOR.]
It's electrified.
High voltage.
[STERNLY.]
Do not touch it.
[SIGHS.]
I have no bars.
Me neither.
It's like the signal's being blocked.
It's a Faraday cage.
We had this in one of my episodes, where they used the metal grates to block all radio signals.
This guy's a pro.
And if that warm cup of coffee is any indication, he's nearby.
We got to figure out a way out of here.
How? - I don't know.
There's gotta be a switch, a trigger, something that's gonna turn off that electrical field.
AVERY: There isn't.
It's very well constructed.
Somewhat of a passion project of mine.
Who are you people? We're not here for you.
We We represent a man named Todd Garlin.
Th-The guy who hired you to kill him? [SUCKS LIP.]
Doesn't ring a bell.
Sure it does.
Air Conditioner Todd, Balcony Todd.
All we're saying is if you know a Todd Garlin a-and he did hire you to kill him, he just wants to terminate his contract.
[WHISPERS.]
Bad choice of words.
This guy, Todd, or anyone else know the two of you are here? Yeah, plenty of people, and if we don't check in, they're gonna come looking for us.
I'll cancel the hit.
Great.
That's great! [LAUGHS.]
Yeah.
But I can't let you leave.
Wait.
Come on! We'll triple your fee! Where's he going? He's gonna go check my SUV.
He's gonna figure out who we are and he's gonna come back here and A-And let us go? [SIGHING.]
Oh, I was trying to be optimistic.
He can't afford to let us go.
Now that he's been exposed, he's gonna come back here, he's gonna torch this place, and he's gonna disappear.
You think he's actually going to kill us? Yeah, and I don't know what to do to stop him.
So this could be it? I'm sorry, Sam.
Shut up.
Sam? Uh - Hey, if we're gonna die What are you doing? Take off your belt.
I-I don't I don't think this is the right time.
Just stop talking.
We're doing this.
I am not going down without a fight, and I'm definitely not dying in some dank garage in the Valley.
Fabric and leather are non-conductive.
We need to get the gun.
Be careful Slowly Okay, so close.
Almost.
I think that gun takes more than a C cup.
Ooh! You got it! Slow.
Hurry! He's coming.
Clever.
[CHUCKLES.]
But not clever enough.
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLES.]
[SCREAMS.]
[GRUNTING.]
[CRACKLING STOPS.]
[LOCK DISENGAGES.]
[CLATTERS.]
Go! Go! Looks like Avery Rush was a victim of his own engineering.
You're gonna find more evidence inside linking him to at least a dozen contract killings.
Cyber's been trying to track down Azrael for years.
How'd you find him? Our client suspected he was on the guy's hit list.
He hired us to track him down before he can complete the job.
Who's the client? Right now, he'd prefer to stay anonymous.
But I'm pretty certain I can convince him to give you a statement.
Thanks.
Oh, and speaking of statements, how'd you like me to characterize this in my report? I believe these are yours.
How long were you guys in that cage anyway? I don't know how to thank you.
I'd be dead without you guys.
Well, you can start by going home and having your second chance.
Thank you guys, too.
Good luck, dude.
Hey, we had your Forester towed over here.
Checked it over.
Clean and ready to go.
It's parked out front.
Still got the keys? Uh yeah.
Thanks.
Well, I guess this is it.
Wait, but we haven't finished the test.
Sorry, Monica.
I can't wait to start my life over again.
Bye.
- I'll do the test.
- [DOOR CLOSES.]
You know all this talk about near-death experiences, and we, actually, almost died today.
This has me thinking about all the stuff I still want to do that I haven't done.
Yeah, like what? Climb the pyramids? I've done that.
Hot air balloon over Europe? I've done that, too.
So what haven't you done? I have a list.
What about you, Eddie? What do you want to do? Is there some big wave off the coast of Tahiti? No, actually, I don't surf anymore.
Not since that day.
Well, there has to be something.
You know, don't you have a bucket list, a goal, a dream? Used to.
[CELLPHONE VIBRATES.]
It's Todd.
Hey, Todd.
Did you forget something? Everything okay? TODD: No.
I-I realized I'm about to go home, about to restart my life.
I know I need to tell Lisa the truth about everything, but I-I don't know how.
I've spent so much time focusing on dying, I-I haven't figured out how to live.
How do I become the husband and the father I want to be? [LINE CRACKLES.]
You just do.
You just need to be present.
Wh Give them presents? What? No, I said, "be present.
" There's some weird noise on the line.
That's EMF frequency interference.
[CRACKLING CONTINUES.]
Yeah hear too.
I don't know where it's coming from.
Get out of the car.
Get out! Now! [EXPLOSION.]
Given the severity of the blast, your injuries were relatively minor.
You're lucky you got away from that car when you did.
So I'll live? We still have a few more tests to run, but yes, you'll live.
Thanks, Doctor.
Hey, what the hell happened? I thought my hitman was supposed to be out of commission.
- He is.
- Then how d Your hitman didn't plant that bomb.
We swept your car when it was brought to the office.
It was clean.
The bomb was planted after Avery Rush was in custody.
Are you saying that someone else tried to kill me? Sure looks that way.
Do you know anyone that might want you dead? Just me.
Before.
Back when I was dying.
Anyway, this is like "Final Destination.
" Maybe I was really supposed to die of cancer, and this is God's way of fixing his mistake.
God doesn't plant car bombs.
Someone's after you.
We have to find out why.
What am I supposed to do in the meantime? Go into hiding? What if they try to kill me again? I'm like a sitting duck here.
Might as well be dead.
That's not such a bad idea.
What? [WHISPERING.]
For Todd to be dead.
That way, no one would be trying to kill you.
You'd be safe, and it would buy us time.
Wait, you want to fake his death? - It's perfect.
We did it on an episode of "Hot Suspect.
" It keeps our witness safe until we catch the killer.
Really? A fake death helped catch a fictional killer? That's amazing.
Maybe if I'm dead, people will stop trying to kill me.
This isn't an episode of "Hot Suspect.
" You know what it takes to fake a death in the real world? Cops, doctors, the hospital They all have to be involved.
Eddie, what do cops, doctors, and hospitals all have in common? They're committed to saving lives.
Don't you want to save Todd's? Fake his death? Do you have any idea what you're asking? Yeah, I know exactly what I'm asking.
Chris, I'm just trying to keep the guy alive.
Look cops, doctors, aren't they all committed to saving lives? No, they're committed to keeping their jobs and pensions.
This was her idea, wasn't it? That obvious? - Mm-hmm.
Along with the stupid speech about cops and doctors saving lives.
But I got to admit, I see the logic in it.
You do? It might give us a chance to figure out what the hell's going on without putting your client at risk.
So you'll help us? Yeah.
And she is right about the saving lives thing.
But whatever you learn, you share.
Done.
What'd you find at the bomb site? CSI found the detonator.
Bomb was triggered remotely by a cellphone.
Cellphone? - Mm-hmm.
I pulled warrants to get tower logs from every wireless carrier.
With any luck, we'll be able to pinpoint where the detonation call came from.
Sam, if we do this, I'm gonna need to tell Lisa.
I can't have her and the kids thinking I'm actually dead.
She needs to be okay with this.
Will you go to her? She loves you.
She watched everything that you're in.
She'll listen to you.
[CHUCKLES.]
LISA: So, you're saying my husband, Todd, sent Sam Swift to talk to me? How does he even know you? Actually, we just met.
In Kansas? I'm sorry, Lisa.
Todd's not in Kansas anymore.
I can't believe after everything we've been through, he would lie to me like this.
Todd loves you and the kids.
I think this was just his misguided way of trying to be noble.
[SIGHS.]
You said you you stopped the hitman.
S-So who is trying to kill him now? We don't know.
That's why we need to fake his death, to give us time to find them.
Did Todd have any enemies that you know of? He didn't have a lot of friends, but nobody hates him.
Have you noticed anything weird or out of the ordinary around here the last couple weeks? There was an Escalade I didn't recognize parked across the street a few times.
I could've sworn there was someone in it, but the windows were blacked-out.
Now, please, I need to see Todd.
I am so sorry for all I put you through with the illness, all I put you through after.
Lisa, I swear, when this is all done, I'm gonna be the husband and father you always wanted me to be.
[GRUNTS.]
Ow.
- Sorry.
No, no.
No, it's good.
Just got word from Detective Rollins.
The hospital staff says we're good to go.
It's time to die, Todd.
Can't you just say, "He died.
" Release a statement or something? We got to make it convincing in case our killer's hanging around the hospital, waiting to see what's happened.
So how exactly are you planning to kill me? MAN: Blue team to ICU.
Blue team to ICU.
First, the hospital staff will make it appear that you've succumbed to your injuries Then you'll be transported to the coroner's office.
And then, as far as most of the world is concerned, Todd Garlin will be deceased.
[GASPS.]
Congratulations, you're dead.
Now, let's find out who killed you.
It's been two days.
I was really hoping not to be dead by now.
Dude, enjoy it.
No bills, no responsibilities, no spam callers.
Have you finished analyzing the test? I'm still crunching the numbers.
But I'll add impatience to the data set.
A-Any thoughts so far, any clues telling you who I am? I mean, you said all that stress would bring out the real me.
Sounds like it has.
Hey.
- [DOOR CLOSES.]
- Is there any news? Yeah, the warrants came in for the cell tower phone logs.
Great, so we can cancel my funeral.
Y-You know, Todd, it's this afternoon.
We just We need time to search the logs.
This is ridiculous.
There wasn't even supposed to be a funeral.
Yeah, I-I-I'm sorry.
You know, we didn't know Lisa's friends would plan one.
And we wanted to stop it, but it would have looked suspicious.
After all I put her through, I should be there.
She knows it's not real.
But it's gonna seem real to her.
She'll be looking at my coffin, mourning me, thinking next time I'll actually be in there.
Yeah, but right now, you're not in it.
But that's my point.
Even if I was dead, I'd be there.
I promised her I'd be there.
I bet my killer's there, gloating.
I just hate her having to deal with this alone.
What? TODD: I'm cousin Larry from Harrisburg.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
I'm cousin Larry from Harrisburg.
Well, you're walking like Todd from Los Angeles.
I don't know how else to walk.
You're an old man.
Imagine your knees hurt.
What if I'm a spry old man.
Okay, uh How about this? I said your knees hurt, not that you have to pee.
All right, just forget it.
Just don't make eye contact.
Don't mingle.
And don't touch your beard or it'll come off.
Look, that's Jane from HR.
I thought she hated me.
That's Lisa's friend Meg.
I know she hated me.
Well, they're here, right? So maybe they didn't.
Maybe they're hate-mourning.
By the way, this is a surprisingly good turn-out.
All right, look around.
See if you see anyone out of the ordinary or shouldn't be here.
Oh, my God.
- What? It's Dave and Marty.
My freshman roommates.
No, no, no, Todd.
You can't.
You can't.
DAVE: He had his head in the sand.
I can't remember a time he wasn't working.
Was a lucky guy, though.
Lisa's a great- looking woman.
Careful, Marty, you're not divorced yet.
Do you hear that? I'm dead less than a week, and Marty's already trying to bang my wife.
All right, come on.
You can kick his ass later.
Crowd looked bigger from back there, didn't it? Todd? Oh, wow.
I thought You sound exactly like Todd.
You must be related.
Uh, I'm Cousin Harris from Larryburg.
This is my wife, uh Pamela.
Pamela.
It's so nice to meet you.
Cheryl Axelrod, CEO of MegaTech, where Todd works.
Worked.
Sorry, it's just so hard to believe he's gone.
Well, I'm sure it would mean a lot to Todd that you came to pay your respects.
And I bet he'd be surprised as hell.
Will you excuse us? I told you to find someone who stand out, not someone who stands out.
You want something out of the ordinary? It's pretty weird that Axelrod would be here.
She hardly knew me.
Well, maybe you meant more to the company than you thought.
[SIGHS.]
1,300 calls within a 5-second window on just one of these cell logs, and so far, none of these names connect to Todd.
So how's your dead guy doing? Uh, he's going a little stir crazy.
Being dead is killing him.
I faked my death once.
Who were you running from? A gang.
A girl.
She wouldn't leave me alone.
When I was, like, 14, this girl, Khloe, was sweating me.
So I had a friend of mine tell her that I was dead.
You literally ghosted her.
Yeah, I guess I invented that.
Baby Boy, order us a pizza.
We could be here for a while.
I told you not to call me that.
I don't think we're gonna need that pizza.
Look where this call originated.
HUGH: And if he hadn't pushed me into that tree, I would have drowned.
So I not only have Todd to thank for my life, but also for the metal plate in my leg since that fateful day I really miss you, big bro.
You always looked out for me.
And I plan to return the favor tenfold.
I promise to be completely there for Lisa and the kids.
Hey, cut it out.
You'll smear the great makeup job I did on you.
Sorry.
It's just very moving.
Who's the pro-wrestler with Lisa? That's Walter Bunch, head of corporate security at MegaTech.
We've never even spoken.
What's the head of security doing at your funeral? Wait, Todd I mean, Larry.
[INDISTINCT TALKING.]
Lisa.
[GASPS.]
Oh, my God.
What are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead.
I had to come see you.
I was worried about you, honey.
How you holding up? This is all so surreal.
Lisa, the guy you were just talking to from MegaTech.
What did he say? Well, he acted like he was offering his condolences, but I think he just wants the company laptop and files from the house.
He said you were working on sensitive projects.
And he was concerned that I hadn't called him back.
That is, like, the definition of "too soon.
" Yeah, I thought so, too.
- [CELLPHONE VIBRATES.]
- Sorry.
[CELLPHONE BEEPS.]
Hi, Eddie.
Hey, I hear voices.
Where are you? A-At the funeral.
What? You're supposed to be with Todd.
I am.
You took him to his own funeral? What are you thinking? You could blow his cover.
Forget his cover.
I blew the case open.
Eddie, I got a lead.
Yeah.
Well, so do we.
You know, the call that triggered that bomb.
It was made by someone inside Todd's company.
Yeah, someone who drives a black Escalade with tinted windows.
I think I know who killed Todd.
You really think Walter Bunch tried to kill me? SAM: Lisa said it was definitely his car outside your house.
And the call that triggered that bomb was made from a cellphone inside MegaTech.
What exactly does Bunch do at the company? He's Axelrod's hatchet man.
He protects the company's interests.
Well, apparently, that included your laptop.
What's on it? Same stuff that's on the servers.
Normal work stuff.
I could log in and show you.
Wait, wait.
Don't use your real name.
Remember, you're dead.
Yeah, everything's there, just the way I left it.
Except Wait, that's weird.
Some of the reports I wrote are missing.
What were they about? Major security flaw in the MegaTech Smart Detector.
It's a Wi-Fi-enabled smoke alarm.
And what was the flaw? Uh, it can be hacked and turned into a listening device.
I tested one by installing it in my house.
That's how I found out what my family really thought about me.
That's awful.
Yeah, it was.
But my brother made me see it as a gift, a chance to fix things with my family, to really Wait, wait.
Hold on, Todd.
Let me get this straight, you're saying that the smoke detector could be hacked and turned into an eavesdropping device? It was a huge problem.
The company already sold five million units.
I sent my report to management.
They said they were gonna fix it.
And what would happen if the news of that flaw got out? Well, the company would take a big hit.
Stock price.
PR.
Heads would've rolled.
Including the CEO's? Axelrod had been on thin ice for awhile.
Something like this, the board would've canned her for sure.
Potentially costing her millions.
That's why they were at the funeral, to close out the cover-up.
Yeah, but I wasn't gonna tell anybody.
Maybe they couldn't take that chance.
Cheryl Axelrod.
I am such a huge fan, Ms.
Swift.
Oh, yes, I noticed.
You've been following my posts since "Hot Suspect.
" I hate to trade on that, but it's the only way to get a meeting with such a busy woman.
Are you kidding? When I heard Sam Swift wanted to get inside the mind of a tech titan for an upcoming role, I was all in.
So what's the movie? Oh, it's a thriller about a corporate conspiracy, a cover-up, and a killing.
Starring me and a smoke detector.
What is this? This is a little chat about Todd Garlin's murder.
- I'm calling security.
- Walter Bunch? Because that would be great.
W-We want to talk to him, too.
Why did you have Bunch surveilling Todd's house? Are you suggesting MegaTech is responsible for Todd's death? I mean, he realized the smoke alarm was a wire tap.
That created a problem.
We fixed that problem with a security patch.
So why did you bury his report? Why'd you go after the laptop, the files? Because if word got out, it would've been disastrous.
So I'm guessing him dying was just wildly convenient.
Was the fact that Todd passed away an advance to us? Yes.
Did we kill him? No.
We may be sons-of-bitches, but we're not murderers.
Well, someone here is, because the call that blew up his car was placed at 2:53 p.
m.
Thursday from this building.
Well, neither Mr.
Bunch nor I were in the building at the time.
Well, we need the security footage from the lobby to see who came in when.
We don't do cameras.
We have body scanners.
Like, at the airport? That makes you a naked ghost? We don't care about faces.
Our system is designed to make sure people don't leave with proprietary materials.
We'll need to see the scans.
Not without a warrant.
Do you know how many followers I have, Ms.
Axelrod? How do you think they'll feel about the MegaTech brand if I start posting everything I know? Next time I fly, I am opting out of the body scanner.
That is way more revealing than I thought.
I don't know how the hell we're gonna ID anyone.
I can't tell one person from another.
Pretty sure that's a woman.
Yep, and that's a dude.
- Wow.
- I know, right? Wait, see that? What? It's a metal plate.
Todd's brother Hugh told us a story about a metal plate in his leg.
Something from an accident when they were kids.
Look at the time stamp.
That's five minutes before the bomb detonated.
What if Hugh was trying to kill his brother? And made the call from Todd's work to cover his tracks.
That way, if anyone looked to see where the call came from, it would point to someone from his company.
Why would Hugh want to kill his brother? I don't know, but it can't be a coincidence.
As far as Hugh's concerned, Todd was dead.
No, wait.
Todd told Hugh about overhearing this family.
So Hugh knew about the smoke detector.
And he told his wife about faking Todd's death at Todd's house.
Under the smoke detector.
What if Hugh was listening? He would've known Todd's still alive.
Todd's not answering.
Todd! Where are you?! Sam! Someone tried to kill me? Again? Well, the good news is, the doctors say you're gonna make a full recovery.
What was it this time? It was a gas leak.
Still trying to figure out where it came from.
I know exactly where it came from.
- Your furnace.
- No, that's brand-new.
There's no way it was equipment failure.
Of Of course it wasn't.
I know that unit.
It's Wi-Fi-enabled and very hackable.
W-Wait a minute, who tried to kill me? Everyone thought I was dead.
Not everyone.
We think Hugh knew.
Hugh? N-No.
No.
It's the way it's breaking, Todd.
He's a science teacher.
He's got the technical know ho You need to leave.
Both of you.
Look, I know how hard this is, but can you think of any reason he might want to hurt you? Get the hell out! [LOCK DISENGAGES.]
Lisa, you here? Got your text.
Lisa didn't send you that text.
I did.
Todd.
What the hell? What's going on? You tell me, Hugh.
Why'd you do it? [SCOFFS.]
[GUN COCKS.]
I want the truth.
The truth, big bro, is that you've been a ghost in your own life.
Who was there to help Noah with math, or show Kyle how to throw a curve? You? No.
You were too busy working.
Who was there to console Lisa when she learned that you were gonna die? You? No.
You were too consumed with your illness to actually be there for your wife or your family.
So, what? You were just gonna step in? I stepped in years ago.
Did you ever ask yourself why I never got married, Todd? Why I never found someone? Hmm? Because I knew Lisa and the kids needed me.
They're more my family than they are yours - at this point.
- I don't understand.
You were the one telling me to fix things with them.
I've been telling you that forever.
But with all that's happened, I finally get it this time.
I understand.
I'm changing.
[CHUCKLING.]
Please.
I never heard that happening.
What, you were eavesdropping? On us? On me? You are who you are, Todd.
You'll never change.
You don't know that.
I've got a second chance with Lisa and the kids.
No, you dying was my second chance.
- You'd kill your own brother?! - You had cancer.
You even hired a hitman to finish you off.
It was your time.
Then, it was gonna be my time.
And now you'll be doing time.
Nothing like a little confession to clear things up.
Especially when it's streaming live to the LAPD Technology's a bitch, Hugh.
CHRISTINE: Hugh Garlin, you're under arrest for attempted murder.
Todd, y [HANDCUFFS CLICKING.]
You'll never change.
Wanna bet? Come on.
This is Detective Rollins' card.
She wants to take your statement when you have a moment.
Hugh Just so hard to believe.
What's gonna happen to him? Well, he did try to kill you.
Twice.
Yeah, but he's still my brother.
I don't want him to be in prison for the rest of his life.
Well, then, let the district attorney know.
They'll take that into account.
[EXHALES DEEPLY.]
So guess this is finally over? Or it's just beginning.
What's next for you? Well, I have 87 vacation days stored up.
I thought, maybe, I'd take some time off.
Lisa has always wanted to go on a road trip with the kids.
Rent an RV, see the Grand Canyon, go where the road takes us What do you think? I think that you've identified the problem and know how to fix it.
[CHUCKLES.]
Todd.
Good.
I have your test results.
They're revealing.
You know what, I'm good.
I don't wanna know what the test says.
That's not what the test says you would say.
It's okay.
I know who I am.
Thanks again.
For everything.
Wait! What's your diagnosis? That's confidential.
I think he's gonna be okay.
[SIMON STEADMAN'S "THE LUCKY ONE" PLAYS.]
What are you doing here so early? Waiting for you.
That sounds ominous.
You know, spending all the time with Todd got me thinking.
The things we care about most in life, we sometimes let drift away.
Oh, so it is ominous.
Come into your office.
I have something to show you.
Just need a voice to say the time is right Well, that looks just like my old long board.
It I your old long board.
That's, uh That's impossible.
I gave mine away to my neighbor in Venice years ago.
Yep, and he gave it to his son, who gave it to his girlfriend, who sold it to her drug dealer, who put it in a barn.
It's had quite the chain of custody.
Just like a love you cannot fake [CHUCKLES.]
I'm amazed it's still in one piece.
The surf shop cleaned it up, said it's in great shape, very sea-worthy.
It seemed like surfing meant a lot to you.
I just thought maybe you might want to get back on the board.
Ah, ah, ah, ah I'm on my way What? I'm sorry.
Did I do something bad? I really - No.
No.
It's, uh It's great.
- I need to bother everyone - It's great.
I'll find the strength You think you might go out? You know, uh, maybe I will one of these days.
Well, let me know when you do.
You might get to see me in a bikini.
Yeah I'm gonna be - Surf's up.
- I'm gonna be the lucky one