High Potential (2024) s01e06 Episode Script

1
[RINGTONE PLAYS]
[RINGTONE PLAYS]
[RINGTONE PLAYS]
[RINGTONE PLAYS]
Ah! [SIGHS]
[RINGTONE PLAYS]
[RINGTONE STOPS]
[WEAKLY] Hey.
Sounds like someone had a night.
- Oh, my God.
- What's going on?
[GASPS]
I'm in Elaine's office.
Please tell me she didn't make you work
after the party last night.
- Oh. What happened?
- Are you okay?
- Sam? Are you there?
- Uh-huh.
Yeah, I can fix this. I-I need tape.
Tape? What What tape?
Okay. I'm sorry. I gotta go.
Sam, what are you fixing?
Do you need help?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
Elaine.
Elaine!
Oh, God.
[THEME MUSIC PLAYS]
Throw it back if you nasty ♪
Bounce it like it's elastic ♪
Go ahead, break it down real low ♪
Go ahead, break it down real low ♪
Go ahead, break it down real low ♪
Stop playing with it,
red light, green light, go ♪
[THUD]
Sure.
[CELLPHONE BUZZING]
- Yeah?
- Hey. You busy?
Ludo's got the kids till Tuesday,
so I am treating myself
to some deep cleaning.
- What's up?
- A homicide call just came in
at a company called Metkair.
I'm headed there now.
And you'd like me to join you?
Yes, I would like you to join.
♪
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
Metkair has the whole floor.
What happened in here?
There was a party last night to
celebrate the launch of a new product.
I heard it got pretty wild.
- When exactly was the party?
- The party started at 8:00.
The last person stumbled
out the door around midnight.
Can you get us a list of attendees?
You got it. No one enters
without signing in.
- Building policy. This way.
- We tested it
on some special children,
who saw immediate results.
With just a few breaths
of the KanAIRy,
your child's anxiety
is proven to diminish by 85%.
This is incredible.
And it's all homeopathic.
- I'll get you that guest list.
- No medicines. No side effects.
Thank you.
Yeah, that. Good morning.
- Hey.
- Hi.
Over here.
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
We have a Elaine Barton,
founder and CEO of Metkair Corp.
Oh.
"Female Innovator of the Year, 2024."
The shatter pattern on this glass
It's about the size of a fist.
Possibly from a fight
that ended in Elaine's murder.
Or the murderer was trying
to send a message.
- What does this mean?
- Let's rush the autopsy
and hope we can lift prints
off that trophy.
You said an employee called 911?
Yeah. Elaine's assistant,
Samantha Wozniak.
She's with an officer now.
Is she a potential witness?
She may be more than a witness.
How long did you work for Elaine?
- Uh, about four years.
- Mm.
Do you have any idea what happened?
I
I don't remember.
Did you black out?
I'm not much of a drinker in general,
and I started some new meds recently,
so maybe the the two
really don't mix.
God, I'm sorry. I'm not helping, am I?
Well, I assume
that you probably knew Elaine
better than anybody else here,
being her assistant, right?
Why don't you tell us what she was like?
Elaine was my hero.
I watched this video of her
speaking when I was a kid.
Um, I mean, she's the reason
I applied to Stanford.
Just tracked her down
and begged her to hire me.
I mean, being an assistant
isn't glamorous,
but I'm used to grunt work.
- You went to Stanford,
but you're used to grunt work?
Well, not everyone who goes there
came straight from a country club.
You know, I had a scholarship,
and I worked two jobs,
yeah, but I still graduated with honors.
So you liked working for Elaine?
Of course.
She was a visionary.
[ECHOING] She was a visionary.
Sam, have you ever heard
of a Duchenne smile?
A Duchenne smile is a smile
that reaches the eyes.
It's genuine,
as opposed to a Pan Am smile
which stops at the mouth.
It's insincere.
It's the kind of fake smile
a Pan Am flight attendant might give,
or a woman who is saying she
loved her boss a little bit more
than she really did.
I believed in Elaine's vision.
But?
She wasn't easy.
And I couldn't get everything
right, and
whatever mistake I made, I just
wouldn't hear the end of it.
That sucks. I'm sorry.
It got worse the closer
we got to the KanAIRy launch.
She
She got secretive. Just paranoid.
She had new locks put on her door.
It just felt like she had eyes
and ears everywhere.
We were rushing to scale up production.
Every day was hell.
And how much can one person take, right?
Wait. You You don't think that I
♪
No, I would remember that.
Sam doesn't remember
what happened last night.
Let's see what her stuff has to say.
Uh-huh.
You don't believe her.
Uh, you know, a promising
young graduate pins her dreams
to a lady who makes her life hell.
That would be motive.
And Sam had means and opportunity, too.
So if the prints come back
on that trophy
There are so many questions
in that crime scene
that still need answers.
Please keep an open mind.
- Mm-hmm.
- Okay.
Sam's Web history.
A search last night at 10:21 p.m. for
gibberish.
Okay. Too drunk to type.
Oh, look at these.
Okay, so those could
have interacted with the alcohol
and made her black out,
just like she said.
Just because you don't
remember committing a crime
doesn't mean you didn't do it.
Huh.
You might want to keep
an open mind, too.
What?
Oh, that's not great.
Looks like you hated your
boss, and maybe one night
- after too many drinks, you
- I didn't kill Elaine.
- Or you don't remember?
- This poor kid. I've been there.
You wouldn't believe
how many jerks I've worked for.
Oh, I'm familiar
with your work history, Morgan.
Sam's obviously smart. She's got grit.
I just wish I could go back in time
and tell her she's got
the power to walk away.
Maybe. But this young woman seems
to really have believed
in what she was doing.
And in her boss,
tough as she might have been.
When you find your calling,
it changes the calculus.
You'd be surprised at all the crap
you're willing to put up with.
The question is,
did Elaine push Sam so hard
that it wasn't worth it anymore?
- [DOOR OPENS]
- Sam Wozniak
is still saying she remembers nothing.
She's agreed to stay
at the station for now.
Well, yeah. She wants to help.
Morgan, you know I love
how you always stick up
for the underdog.
But sometimes good people do bad things
and we have to hold them accountable.
Uh, yeah, obviously, I know that.
I'm just saying I don't think
it applies in this situation.
I'll have Daphne and Oz
start contacting everyone
on the guest list last night.
We need to find out who saw what
and when.
And I need you to break the news
to Elaine's husband, Eric Barton.
Okay, good.
It's usually the husband anyway.
♪
[DOOR OPENS]
When Elaine didn't come home last night,
I-I just figured she'd stayed
after the party to work late.
We're very sorry.
What can you tell us about Elaine?
Where do I start? Uh
The only thing bigger than
Elaine's ambition was her heart.
She quit medical school to revolutionize
the healthcare industry.
I was her first investor.
When I saw her passion,
I was immediately in
in every sense of the word.
What time did you last see Elaine?
I left around 10:00.
The party was in full swing
with Elaine at the center of it.
It was her night to shine. And she did.
She was pitch-perfect.
Were you and Elaine
getting along lately?
Is there anything we should know?
We got along fine.
Sure, uh, things have been tense.
She had just closed a huge,
uh, distribution deal.
It was stressful.
I'm sorry. I-I just gotta
know What exactly happened?
Uh, it appears
she was attacked in her office.
Someone used one of her trophies
as a weapon.
Oh, my God.
Um any suspects?
- One.
- Who?
Uh, we'll share more when we can,
but for now, can you tell us
if your wife had any enemies?
Elaine felt that the work she
was doing would help millions.
So when people got in the way of that,
she let them know.
She had a way
of bending people to her will.
Did she ever bend them
far enough to break?
She demanded a lot of her employees.
Enough for them to want her dead?
You'd have to ask them.
♪
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
If I may.
- Thanks.
- You're Morgan, right?
- Mm-hmm.
- I'm Tom. Janitorial staff.
Oh.
Actually, I've
been meaning to talk to you.
- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.
I couldn't help but notice
you've been smudging up
the glass of the bullpen doors
with your cheesy chip fingers.
What makes you think that's me?
Well, for starters,
the smudges are orange.
A lot of people work on this floor, Tom.
I can't be the only one
who likes chips and has fingers.
I guess I should leave
the police work to you, huh?
I'll tell you what.
If I see anything,
I'll be sure to let you know.
- Thanks.
- You got it.
- I'm gonna get back to work.
- Okay.
♪
Have we confirmed Eric left
the party when he said he did?
Not yet.
Preliminary tox is back on Sam.
Looks like she had more
than enough diazepam and alcohol
in her system
to trigger anterograde amnesia.
Here's something.
The last check Elaine cut
was written last night
made out to "cash."
$45,623. Pretty specific.
So we keep tabs on Elaine's account,
see if anybody cashes it.
And we have no idea why "forever"
was written on the wall?
- Nope. Not yet.
- It's driving me nuts.
- Time of death?
- M.E's still working on that.
Yeah, and we'll have prints
off that murder weapon soon.
My money's on Sam.
Hi. How can I help you?
Hi. Nina Wong.
I'm here about Elaine Barton.
We need to talk to these party guests,
try to nail down a timeline.
♪
Nina, how did you know Elaine?
When she was first getting
Metkair off the ground,
she hired me as her assistant.
Tell me about the party last night.
It was a lovely celebration.
Elaine was thrilled
about the distribution deal
with Saveporium.
I was so proud of her.
I left around 9:30.
Did you notice anything
out of the ordinary?
Not really. I was enjoying myself.
We don't get to have
a lot of fun at Metkair.
The party was honestly nice.
I couldn't wait to get out of there.
We all expected Elaine
to be in a better mood,
but I don't know.
The vibe was weird.
I wanted to leave early,
but Wanda insisted on staying
until she sang "Rolling in the Deep."
It's kind of my anthem.
We left as soon as she was done.
[Overlapping speaking]
But we heard an argument in
Elaine's office on our way out.
And you didn't think to go in?
It wasn't unusual for Elaine
to be cussing someone out.
I feel bad, but
I was just glad it wasn't me.
♪
[DOOR OPENS]
Time of death was around 11:00 p.m.
And how'd you get there?
Well, the karaoke machine
keeps a record of all the songs
that were sung when,
so I asked the vendor
to give me a copy of the playlist.
According to the playlist,
"Rolling in the Deep"
was played at 10:53.
That is the song that Wanda sang
right before employees heard
the fight between Elaine
and an unknown person.
- Right.
- After that,
the entire sales team sang
"Since U Been Gone,"
which would have been
really loud, right?
- Since you been gone ♪
- Since you been gone ♪
And yet the argument
was heard over the song.
[INDISTINCT ARGUING]
your decision to approach me like this!
And that was from 10:58 to 11:01.
- Okay.
- Next, Amanda from reception
sings "Nothing Compares 2 U."
A quiet song sung by a quiet woman,
and yet nobody heard a thing.
So the struggle had
to have been over by then.
And no one reported
seeing Elaine after that.
That's right, so she was killed
in the three minutes
between 10:58 and 11:01.
- Good work, Gillory.
- Thank you.
I gotta see if I can dig around
and get those memories out of Sam.
Whatever you want. It's on me.
I'm fine, thank you.
No, you have to eat something.
You got to be starving.
- Uh, cheese curls.
- Right.
[VENDING MACHINE BEEPS, THUD]
Okay. There you go.
Cheers.
Thank you for being so nice to me.
Well, listen,
I didn't graduate from Stanford,
but I have been where you are
overqualified
and treated like crap by your boss.
Just hang in there, okay?
[VOICE BREAKING] I can't
believe this is happening.
- Yeah.
- [HYPERVENTILATING]
Hey. Look at me. Look at me.
Take a deep breath. Let me see it.
[BREATHES DEEPLY]
Now calm your brain down.
It's easier said than done. I know.
I'm so scared.
[VOICE BREAKING]
I can't remember anything.
- What if I
- Killed your boss? No.
Fantasized about killing your boss?
Who hasn't?
We're gonna figure out
what happened, okay?
But you gotta help me.
Of course.
Come here.
- Check your pockets.
- I don't have any pockets.
I know, so check
all the places you'd put stuff
if you didn't have pockets.
Uh
- Um
- What is it?
Oh God.
Okay. It's not ideal.
I might as well just confess now.
I recognize that lipstick.
That's your lipstick,
but on Sam's mouth.
Now, you claimed that you were
at your desk all night, Denise,
so how do you explain this, hmm?
Tell us exactly what happened,
Denise. The truth this time.
- You need this job.
- Yeah, and what you did
last night could get you fired.
It's not just about that.
Someone lost their life last night.
And if I let a killer
through the door
No, we're not there yet. Let me guess.
Your job is boring.
Very.
I worked at the DMV
in Van Nuys one time.
I was a Mailing Machine Operator.
I used every opportunity
to leave my station.
Did you abandon your post last night?
The party sounded like such a good time.
Sam looked amazing.
I'd always had a thing for her.
So I figured if I was at the party,
I could at least keep an eye on things.
Plus, I'd already signed
everyone in on the invite list,
so I figured it was okay.
Had a couple drinks,
and then Sam and I
started talking and
Keep going.
We kissed a little.
Um, didn't last long.
Sam went to the bathroom,
so I waited for her.
But then some other woman came out.
Someone I didn't recognize.
- Someone not on the list?
- Exactly.
I tried to chase after her, but
she booked it for the elevator
and the doors closed
before I could get to her.
So, to be clear, you didn't
see her leave the building?
- Nah.
- What time was this?
Sometime after 10:00, I think.
Please tell me you got
a good look at this lady.
Uh, brownish hair, average build.
Is that it? That's all you got?
No. She had this thing stuck to her arm.
It was, like, a square,
plastic-looking
I don't know what.
It was, like, right here.
The size of a matchbook?
Yeah, give or take.
♪
- Is it this woman?
- That's her.
- That was cool.
- It's an insulin pump.
She's diabetic.
This is definitely
the woman you saw last night?
Yeah, 100%.
Carmen, Nico, and Arturo Jimenez.
Let's find out what
Carmen has to say for herself.
♪
[CELLPHONE BUZZING]
- Karadec.
- It's Daphne. Bad news.
They were unable to pull any
prints from the murder weapon.
- Damn.
- Okay. Sam's home.
Her mom's driving up
from San Diego to be with her.
- Stop texting suspects.
- One more thing.
M.E. confirmed time of death
was likely around 11:00 p.m.
During "Since U Been Gone."
Thanks, Daph.
No. Thank you, Kelly Clarkson.
All right.
[GATE DOOR OPENS]
We heard about Elaine Barton.
What a loss.
- You knew her personally?
- Yes.
Our son, Nico, was one
of the earliest adopters
- of the KanAIRy.
- Ah.
It changed his life.
Mrs. Jimenez, we understand
that you were
at the KanAIRy launch party.
Right?
We talked to the security guard
that you ran from.
- You know?
- Yes, I was there.
Hmm.
Well, considering Elaine Barton is dead,
we need to know
why you crashed that party.
- I can't talk to you.
- You can't or you won't?
Well, I can talk.
I got to say, this house is gorgeous.
I can't help but notice, though
The stuff that you have
doesn't quite fill up the space.
You know? That, and the
temporary parking pass I saw,
makes me think
you guys just moved in recently.
- A couple of months ago.
- Oh, congratulations.
I-I'm doing the math here, and I'm
Something's just not quite adding up.
Between Carmen's retail job
and Arturo being out of work,
how do you guys afford
a place like this?
I saw your unemployment check
next to your name tag
on the side table over there.
You know, that's where I dump
all my crap
when I get home, too.
Guess some things don't change,
no matter how big your house is.
[CASH REGISTER DINGS]
I think we're done here.
- Oh. Okay.
- Okay.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
Oh.
I think it's time we move this
conversation to the police station.
Wouldn't you agree?
♪
Carmen, humor me.
Let's see how close I can get
to what really happened
between you and Elaine, hmm?
I think you were part
of a big old scheme.
Metkair pays you to fabricate
a heartwarming story
about how well the KanAIRy works,
because every product needs
a good success story, right?
But deals like that often sour,
don't they?
Maybe Elaine got tired of paying you.
Maybe you started asking for more cash
in exchange for your cooperation.
♪
I can put you at the scene of the crime
and the wounds on your hand
that you refuse to explain
certainly give me probable cause.
I'm offering you one last shot
to come clean.
What's it gonna be?
♪
If she's innocent, why won't she talk?
And if she's guilty,
why hasn't she called a lawyer?
Daphne, look into their financials.
Who's paying their mortgage?
[KEYBOARD CLACKING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
Morgan? You all right?
It seemed like gibberish.
- What?
- Sam's Web search.
Remember? It made no sense.
Wasn't she heavily intoxicated?
- Exactly.
- Her hands were shifted over.
Had they been in the right place
♪
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
That is why the word "forever" was
written on the wall in Elaine's office.
Hmm.
I think I can get Carmen to talk.
- Take Morgan with you.
- No. Just me.
The KanAIRy was giving off
forever chemicals,
and PFA exposure can cause asthma.
Metkair's buying your silence
because their product was hurting kids.
And one of those kids was yours.
Certainly explains that nice
house that you're living in.
And it explains why Nico wasn't
running around in the yard
with the other kids.
He couldn't.
But that was your little boy.
Money could not heal him,
and it could not fix your pain.
Every mother has her limit.
Carmen, there is no chance I
would be able to control myself
if someone hurt my son
the way Nico was hurt.
Are you ready to tell me what
happened in Elaine's office?
At first, I was okay taking the money.
It helped with the doctor bills
let us move away from the freeway.
But ultimately
I couldn't live with myself.
Nothing they gave us changed the
fact that my son was struggling.
I wanted to destroy them.
So you went to that party
to get revenge?
The first thing I saw
was people dancing, singing,
celebrating that device, that woman.
I couldn't stomach it.
So I decided to go to her office,
wait for her to come in
so I could tell her
exactly what I thought about her.
And that's when you lost it.
Sitting there
I just got angrier and angrier.
I grabbed a marker
and wrote "forever" on the wall.
And then I stabbed a stupid stuffed bird
with a letter opener, and it slipped.
And I cut my hand.
Then that's when Elaine walked in.
Before I could even say my piece,
she said that she would bury me
in lawsuits
because of the NDAs
if I tried to go against her.
Threatened to stop the payments,
even if her husband disagreed.
I wanted to hurt her.
- But
- But what?
I chickened out.
Not what I was expecting.
Hurting Elaine
wouldn't help my son.
Me neither.
She had all the power,
and we both knew it.
So I turned to leave,
and as I walked out,
I did punch her stupid face
the one framed on the wall.
Okay. Carmen, I want to believe you,
but somebody murdered Elaine.
I swear She was alive when I left.
[SIGHS]
Okay, this is a weird question,
but is there any chance
you remember what song
was being sung on karaoke when you left?
Chili Peppers.
"Californication," I think.
10:15.
Can anyone corroborate this story?
Yeah.
I ran into a drunk young woman
in the bathroom.
I was crying, and she was
so sweet, trying to comfort me.
And then she got just as upset as me
when I told her what
Elaine had done to my son.
I don't remember her name,
but she was wearing a
A sparkly floral dress.
Yeah.
♪
So Sam already wanted to stab her boss.
Then a crying mother tells her
about the PFAs and the KanAIRy.
I think we need another round
of interrogation.
Okay, just hang on one second, okay?
From what Carmen said,
it sounds like there was a disagreement
between Eric and Elaine
when it came to these payouts.
He was the money behind the operation.
If she strong-armed him
to participate in fraud,
maybe he changed his mind.
Yeah, or he didn't want to go to jail.
I mean, that sounds like a motive.
- Maybe, but, Morgan
- Listen, I get it.
Sam is still a suspect. I know.
And by all means,
continue to ask her questions
that she won't be able to answer
'cause she still
doesn't remember anything.
But I feel like you and I
could probably think
of better ways to spend our time.
Hmm.
That was rude. And I'm sorry.
Go talk to Eric.
Find out what he knew
about those payouts
and whether or not he and Elaine
were at odds.
It's been hard to put
one foot in front of the other,
- but the truth is
- Sorry.
Did we just hear you say
something about the "truth"?
Excuse me. You can't just waltz in here.
Oh, we already waltzed. Hey, Eric,
we know that you and Elaine
were buying people's silence.
- Everyone out except Hornstock.
- Mm.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
My lawyer. Tread lightly.
- Is that a threat?
- It's a warning.
- He's not to be trifled with.
- Hmm.
Will you look at that? Neither are we.
[SCOFFS]
Go ahead.
We spoke to Carmen Jimenez
about her son, Nico,
and, uh, I'm guessing they were
just one of
many families receiving payouts.
Those were perfectly legal contracts
under California Civil Code 1550,
which you wouldn't know because
you're obviously not lawyers.
He's right I'm not a lawyer.
But I did pick up a couple
of cleaning shifts
- at a legal library.
- Is there a point to all this?
The point is,
Section 12[a][2] of the Securities Act
does not look kindly on companies
that have materially false statements
in their investor prospectuses.
Now, in layman's terms,
that means you raised a bunch of money,
but you didn't tell the investors
that your product was hurting
people, so you could go to jail.
Now, to me,
that seems like a reason
that a husband and a wife
would get into an altercation.
- Hm.
Oh, you're gonna go?
You can
[SIGHS]
Carmen signed Nico up for
the very first round of testing.
Our prototype worked like magic.
And then the health issues cropped up.
Elaine promised to find a fix,
and I provided
financial redress, for
the Jimenez family and others.
"Financial redress."
That's a fancy way to say hush money.
And the FDA never got involved at all?
The KanAIRy isn't a medical device.
It's homeopathic,
so we don't need FDA approval.
Right, because why would
there be guidelines on a product
that children put in their mouths?
Our latest model was so close, but
But you couldn't have
bad press kill your launch.
I didn't think we were
ready for the launch at all.
These families that were harmed
You made them a promise.
Elaine was like a runaway train.
She felt the distribution deal
was too good to pass up.
So I went to extremes to stop her.
What kind of extremes?
Not the kind that you're thinking of.
I was parallel tracking
with some developers,
taking my jet up to Palo Alto
every week,
trying to come up with a solution.
We still can't confirm
that you were home at 10 p.m.
the night that Elaine died.
I didn't kill Elaine.
I loved her.
I just didn't love what she'd become.
♪
So, here's the story
behind the KanAIRy.
I don't have kids of my own,
but I do have a niece,
which is even better
because I can spoil her rotten.
One day a couple years ago,
she's at my house
and she starts having
a panic attack
and can't breathe.
So, I'm an inventor
I improvise.
I grab a kazoo,
if you can believe it,
some essential oils,
and I put a few drops
You're lying.
Sorry to interrupt.
Looks like someone made
a mess around you.
[CHUCKLES] Yeah. Someone did.
- Mind if I take care of it?
- Right now?
Yeah. I need to wrap up
and get out of here.
I go to nursing school at night,
and I don't want to be late.
Hang on.
You'd rather be a nurse than a janitor?
Oh, no, this is just a backup plan
in case the janitor thing
doesn't work out.
Mm. I see. That makes sense.
Okay, well, I will clean up
after myself this one time.
Appreciate that. See you tomorrow.
See you tomorrow.
I don't have kids of my own,
but I do have a niece,
which is even better
because I can spoil her rotten.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
If you had a niece you adored
and she made you rich and famous,
wouldn't you have a picture
of her somewhere?
Uh, well, I have a nephew I adore,
and I have tons of photos of him.
He hasn't made me rich
and famous or anything,
- but there's still time.
- Yeah, right?
I mean, I have a million of these.
- Kids?
- Pictures.
- They're cute.
- Thank you, but not the point.
The point is she's lying.
The kazoo, the essential oils,
the whole thing.
What does this smell like to you?
- Uh, Grandma's purse.
- Right?
Peppermint, ginger, and licorice.
Those are three of the eight
Xiao Yao San herbs.
It's a formulation
in traditional Chinese medicine
used to relieve stress,
treat depression, lower anxiety.
The problem is, Elaine's
background is Western medicine.
All of her inventions before
the KanAIRy were Western-based.
So why isn't she just using,
like, lavender and chamomile
and other boring white people herbs?
Where'd she get
a traditional Chinese formula?
Does she have an acupuncturist?
Elaine was thrilled
about the distribution deal
with Saveporium.
I was so proud of her.
Nina had cupping marks on her back.
She is into traditional
Chinese medicine.
You know what else Nina has?
- What?
- A daughter.
Oh, you think Nina's daughter
made this woman rich and famous?
I think Nina made the first
prototype for her daughter
and shared the information
with her boss.
And how would you feel
if someone was about to make
millions of dollars off of your idea,
but it was hurting people when
it was supposed to help them?
Pretty sure I'd be mad.
Yes, Tom.
I think you'd be very mad.
[CLEARS THROAT]
So, tell me about the KanAIRy, Nina.
Was it your idea?
[CLEARS THROAT]
My daughter, Alice,
she struggles with panic attacks.
One morning, she was having
a pretty bad episode,
and I just needed to get her to breathe,
so I grabbed her kazoo
and I put a drop of essential oil on it
and I told her to close her eyes
and make the kazoo sound
for as long as she could.
And, uh, it actually calmed her down.
And when I shared the story
with Elaine, she lit up.
Good work, Morgan.
So, Elaine took your idea
and ran with it.
Well, with my blessing.
I wanted her to help
other kids like my daughter.
- Did she pay you for the idea?
- Yes.
And it allowed me to go
and live a life that I wanted,
a quieter one with my daughter
up in the Bay area.
I see.
Where were you at 11 p.m.
on the night of the murder?
- Walking back to my hotel.
- Hm.
Detective, I didn't kill her.
Look, I've heard the rumors, and I know
that Elaine has changed a lot
since we worked together.
But I have to believe
that whatever was going on,
she still had good intentions.
Elaine was this kid from Missouri
with a dream to help people.
Her first invention
in med school, it wasn't flashy.
It was a solvent that removed
medical tape gently.
She saw all these sick people
getting poked with IVs,
and she said
that if she couldn't save them
from the needles,
then at least she could help
reduce the irritation
from the adhesives.
That's the Elaine that I knew.
We'll check with the hotel,
see what time she swiped the key card.
She's telling the truth about
how much she loved Elaine.
You see that smile.
Still doesn't mean she didn't kill her.
This whole thing has been awful.
My friend died.
She was murdered with
her own trophy at her own party.
This is This is horrific.
How long have you and Eric
Barton been sleeping together?
What?
Well, the only people
who knew exactly how Elaine died
are the murderer
and Elaine's husband,
because we told him.
So either you killed Elaine,
or you're having an affair
with her husband.
Or both.
You know, Eric mentioned multiple trips
on a private jet to Palo Alto.
Is it safe to assume that
he was going there to see you?
Only because we were both
trying to do what was best
for the KanAIRy.
Eric and I thought
that we could change her mind
and and get her to
do the right thing.
And then we just started
spending all this time together
and and we started to
Do the wrong thing?
I know it looks bad,
but we were both fighting
for something we loved.
And then we fell in love.
Did he join you
in your hotel room that night
after he left the party?
Yeah. He did.
Which is why neither one of us
could have killed Elaine.
Okay, so obviously we need to confirm
- both Nina and Eric's alibis.
- Okay.
Assuming they check out,
and I have a feeling they will,
we're gonna have to book Sam, Morgan.
- I'm sorry.
- No, I know.
But I still don't believe
Sam's a killer.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
Karadec. Sam's here.
I don't understand.
Can we please have some more time?
- Morgan, we talked about this.
- No, I understand that,
but we still haven't figured out
who that big check was for.
What check?
Elaine wrote a check
made out to cash for $45,623.
- Hey.
- Sam! Hey!
♪
- I'll talk to her.
- Mm-hmm.
♪
[SAM RETCHING]
[TOILET FLUSHES]
[GASPING] $45,623.
That's the amount left
on my student loans.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Elaine wrote that check to you.
[CRYING] Oh, my God.
That means I How is that possible?
- How could I
- Just take a deep breath.
Okay?
Oh, Sam.
[CRYING]
Sometimes really good people
do bad things.
Oh, my life is over.
- No.
- [SOBBING] Oh, my God.
[SOBS]
I'm sorry.
♪
Hey.
I was wrong about Sam,
and you were right.
I just wanted to be sure you're okay.
Yeah. I'm okay.
I just really didn't want
it to be Sam, you know?
I wanted to protect her.
The truth is, when I was her age,
I stayed in a lot of bad situations,
and it wasn't
'cause I loved where I was.
I was just too afraid to get out.
I understand.
She got secretive, paranoid.
I mean, she had new locks
put on her door.
It felt like she had
eyes and ears everywhere.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
- Karadec.
- Yeah.
We got to go back to Elaine's office.
We know Elaine was secretive
and paranoid,
so why would she hang
a mirror behind her desk?
Anyone coming into the office
would be able to see
what she was working on
in the reflection.
It makes no sense.
Unless it was serving
a different purpose.
Look.
If this were a real mirror,
there'd be a gap,
but my fingernail
is touching its reflection.
Because it's two-way glass.
With a camera hidden behind it.
Providing a perfect vantage
point for the entire room
and everything that happened in it.
♪
[SIGHS] Sam, we have some news.
Turns out there was a hidden
camera in Elaine's office.
We have video evidence
of the night she died.
You came in to tell Elaine
you were quitting.
And when you told her
why you were leaving,
she tried to bribe you
to keep you quiet.
But you refused.
And you were about to go
public to the rest of the party
about what the KanAIRy did
to the Jimenez family.
You're a fraud. I quit!
But she couldn't let you
ruin her life's work.
Remember you told us Elaine was paranoid
leading up to the launch?
She tried to silence you that night.
But you fought her off.
♪
She fell
and landed on one of her awards.
You hit your head.
And that's when you passed out.
So, what does this mean?
It means it was self-defense.
Sam, you responded
to a threat of bodily harm
with a reasonable amount of force,
and with a halfway decent lawyer
you'll serve no time.
Because all you did
was stand up for yourself.
Thank you.
♪
We'll meet you there, Lieutenant.
I'm gonna put $5 in the jukebox
- and spend it all on yacht rock.
- Do it.
I will so have your badge
if you do that.
I'd ask you to join us for drinks,
but I'm sure you're anxious
to get back to your kids.
Not tonight, actually. Ludo's got them.
Well, then, you should
definitely join us.
First round's on me.
As great as that sounds,
I had an evening
of doing absolutely nothing
that I was really looking forward to.
Alright. I'll see you tomorrow.
See you tomorrow.
- Good night.
- Night, Morgan.
♪
[KEYPAD BEEPING]
♪
Made way for the kids we were ♪
We were so free that it almost hurt ♪
She's looking at me like
I'm supposed to jump in there
and arrest him or something, I swear.
- Of course I didn't do that
- Ohh! Hey!
- Hey!
- Morgan, you never come.
- I figured what the hell.
- Mm.
- Let's get you a drink.
- Okay.
- Mm!
- Oh, one thing
What can I get you?
Hey, I'll have another IPA, please.
Manhattan, please.
Oh, something you might want to know.
Uh, Eric Barton
and his lawyers have promised
that none of the harmful KanAIRys
will make it onto shelves.
- That's great news.
- It is.
Also, I was texting with Sam
on the way over.
I told her to swing by for a drink.
- What?
- It's a joke, dummy.
- Morgan
- Go drink your beer.
I'm glad you came.
What made you decide to come hang out
with your coworkers rather than
Rather than drinking
2 1/2 glasses of wine
and cutting my own bangs?
Well, mostly,
I just wanted to thank you.
For?
For being a really great boss.
So far, this isn't a job
I want to run from,
and that's mainly because of you.
It means a lot.
And for the record, I wouldn't let you.
Hey, Lieutenant.
Karadec said back in the day,
you ran over a parked Vespa
with a patrol car.
- Totally true.
- Okay
I gotta go straighten this out.
- Please say that's true.
- Is it?
- It's not entirely true.
- [LAUGHS]
I mean, hold on, hold on
There's more to it