Bluff City Law (2019) s01e07 Episode Script
American Epidemic
1 - - [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[GASPS.]
Jason.
You two must have broke the speed limit to get here this fast.
She's gone.
She, uh she pulled over to the side of the road.
Someone saw her slumped in the car, called it in.
Paramedics had naloxone, got her breathing again, but It was too much damage.
She passed ten minutes ago.
Getting ready to celebrate her sixth month being clean and I'm so sorry.
What can we do, Jason? Is there anything that we can take care of? Well, um, I I had I had my folks pick up Emily, but, um Jason, why don't you come with us? You shouldn't be alone, not right now.
Okay.
[GENTLE ACOUSTIC MUSIC.]
I keep thinking, um what I'm gonna say to Emily, the actual words.
"Mommy's never coming home.
" I mean, she's three.
She she she doesn't even really know what "never" means.
You know? A book, I guess.
I'll I'll get a book.
I'm telling you this is the best food for 100 miles.
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
DA Glassman.
How are ya? [GRUNTS.]
Whoo, Jason.
[SOLEMN MUSIC.]
I'm gonna resign as District Attorney.
I think it'd be easier on Emily if I'm around, and well, I don't know if I can do this anymore.
10% of the folks in my county have an arrest for opioid possession.
Four years I've been in office.
I feel like all I'm doing is locking up my own people.
What you say makes sense.
Only advice is, take a beat.
If it is the right decision, it'll still be right a few weeks from now.
When she had their daughter, it was a really difficult delivery.
So the doctor prescribed some pills to manage the pain.
And after the first refill, she was hooked.
You know, something like that happening to Maya, that's my worst nightmare.
She went to rehab.
We thought she was doing better, but Kate and I are so Were so alike.
It just makes you think, if it could happen to her, it That's the whole point about the opioid crisis, Syd.
It can happen to anyone.
- Dad, you wanted to see me? - Shut the door, son.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
I wanna do a deep dive into prescription painkiller abuse.
Who's been fighting these companies in court? What's worked, what hasn't.
Want me to read Sydney into it? No, not yet.
I don't wanna get her hopes up.
People thought the settlement was big, but it was less than half of 1% of Big Pharma made on those drugs in one quarter.
It's not exactly a deterrent.
No, all right.
Uh, I'm gonna take a look at the trial transcripts, see if there's anything that they could have done better.
I'll call the capitol and get the latest on how much these drugs are costing the state.
Great.
Should I tell your dad we're looking into this? Uh, let's wait.
I don't want him thinking I'm off on one of my crusades.
- All good? - All good.
Best part about this approach is if we win, we don't just get justice for Kate, we save the whole town.
[SNAPS FINGERS.]
There we go.
Yes.
I think this'll work.
Jason said his whole county was decimated Good work.
- Yeah.
- Oh, track down Briana.
We're gonna need her on this.
- I think there's a case we can make - I wanna take a run - on Jason's behalf.
- at this opioid problem.
So, you've been thinking about it? Since the minute we got back to Memphis.
[ISAAC HAYES' "DO YOUR THING".]
Sweet.
If the music make you move 'Cause you can dig the groove Then groove on I'd be interested in hearing Memphis Bachelor of the Year? Robbie, I'm gonna have to call you back.
Okay.
You are Memphis Bachelor of the Year two times running.
Oh, God.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
Someone in the office may put me up for that as a as a joke.
I'm pretty certain it was Della.
Well, you know, not to be a buttinsky, but since I've been staying here, things have been pretty dry for you in the feminine company department.
Am I, uh, interfering with your game? - No.
- Because you can always put a hat on a door - or some kind of sign - George, George.
I'm good.
Anyway, while we're in here, I wanna speak to you about something sensitive.
Okay.
Yeah, the wrongful imprisonment suit, that's going really well.
Well, that's good, because I am planning myself one heck of a world tour.
Part of that case, that's gonna be letting the jury see all the things that you have lost.
So that means, among other things, we're gonna have Sara testify.
So I don't know if you want me to speak to her first, or No, I want you to leave her alone.
George, that's your ex-wife.
That's the mother of your son.
Yeah, and she went through hell, just like I did.
I mean, think, Jake.
The whole point of me lying to her and tell her I was guilty was so that she could move on.
- I get it, but - No, no buts.
No buts, not on this.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
Look, I'm sorry, amigo.
I know you're just doing your job, but I am telling you on this one, leave her be.
Okay, "public nuisance.
" Now, I admit, it's been a few years since law school, but these laws were designed to prevent things like companies polluting a river upstream from a town.
Think of the pain pills as pollution.
Toxic smoke being released to the public without enough caution or care, belched from pill mills, even though we know the kind of damage they do.
What is that? Oh, that's a mill and then smokestacks and smoke.
Looks like a dying train.
The Titanic about to sink.
It's a jack-in-the-box vaping.
Okay, never mind the drawing.
That's not the point of the presentation.
- What do you think? - I think it's a national case.
Maybe one day, but for now, It's about one town a few hours east that needs our help.
Okay, I see the concept, and you both know I'm gonna love getting dirt off of any scum who profits off this.
But who exactly is our client? [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
That's the best part.
You sure about this? We got continuances on the cases we need to and rooms at hotel off the interstate.
We're not leaving without a win.
You're not doing this for me, are you? We're doing this for you and for every DA in every town that's facing the same impossible tide, Jason.
- I, Sydney Strait - I, Elijah Strait "Solemnly swear I will faithfully perform the duties "of an assistant district attorney of the state of Tennessee, so help me God.
" BOTH: Solemnly swear I will faithfully perform the duties of an assistant district attorney of the state of Tennessee, so help me God.
Congratulations, you now represent the people of Tennessee.
[JAZZY MUSIC.]
Didn't know DAs could team up with private counsel.
Yeah, it's rare, but it's not unheard of.
We take a temporary leave from our practice and then, for one case, we have all the powers of a prosecutor: launching investigations, bringing charges, recommending sentences.
Hmm, sounds kind of badass.
It is kind of badass.
Do you wanna go up real quick? Uh, we have almost a dozen clinics to hit up and not a lot of time, so So that's a no.
I'll meet you at the DA's offices around 5:00? - Be careful, you two.
- Oh, we the law now.
Uh, checking in.
Strait.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
Last name's Corsair.
Like a pirate.
Corsair.
Thank you.
One of these days, someone's gonna get that reference.
Here you are, sir.
Elevator's on the left.
Thank you.
It's French, right? Are you sure you don't want me to come in with you? - To do what? - I don't know, just be a concerned friend who can talk about how much pain you're in.
Sydney, what's going on? Is this weird, Bri, doing this, getting the painkillers? 'Cause Is this weird 'cause of my brother? Look, I already told you, I used to score for Alec all the time before I knew drugs were bad.
Okay, well, you can shrug it off if you want, but I am here for you.
- Good.
- Okay.
Stay here, otherwise I'm not gonna find a ride home.
[GRUNTS.]
Okay.
Yeah, so I was picking up my baby and my back got hurt.
On a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst, how do you rate your pain? Mm, a six.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
You mean an eight? Yes, an eight.
Nonspecific acute back pain.
Here's a prescription for 40 milligrams oxycodone, three times a day, 30-day supply.
Uh, is 90 pills a lot? It's a standard initial dosing.
Come back in month and we'll see if we need to increase it.
Thank you.
Uh, is 90 pills a lot? It's a standard initial dosing.
Come back in a month and we'll see if we need to increase it.
90 pills without even a cursory exam.
Horrible but legal.
You got 90 pills from everyone? Well, since I was a new patient, most clinics told me to go home, take an aspirin and apply heat.
Only these three [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
were so generous.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
All owned by Dr.
Lee Pyle.
Let me guess.
That's the guy Jason cold-cocked? Mm-hmm.
At least he got the right guy.
Pyle graduated top of his class at Johns Hopkins, but quit internal medicine when he realized he could make more money opening pain clinics.
Since Pyle's clinics opened [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
Drug arrests have tripled and 14% of babies born in the county now have prenatal exposure to opioids.
Get this.
One of Pyle's clinics prescribed 13 million pills in the last five years.
13 million to a town of 400 people.
Dad, he is our case.
He's our public nuisance.
I mean, his clinics are killing this part of the state.
Let's not forget about his history with Jason.
If we go after him, it could look a lot like malicious prosecution.
The numbers speak for themselves.
I mean, Pyle is just as evil as anyone in a drug cartel.
All right, let's bring him in with his lawyer.
Apply some heat.
You hear what I said, Jake? Yeah.
You were saying whoever it was that framed George, it's not some big conspiracy.
How's he doing? Sometimes sometimes, he's the life and soul of the party, you know.
He does these great, crazy things.
And then other times I have I have a friend, he's a shrink, and he says that he suffers from something called the Don Quixote syndrome.
George acts like the world is this amazing place so that he doesn't have to deal with all that he lost.
I wish I could get you more than just Detective Walker for your case.
His testimony implicates the Chief as the man behind the cover-up.
With Chief being dead, I think the mystery on who killed Tess dies with him.
[SIREN WAILING, INDISTINCT SHOUTS.]
Is Sydney around? No, no, she's on a case with her dad out of town.
Why? I heard that she lost the case.
She doesn't handle losses well, so I guess I still worry.
She seems okay.
She and I used to come out here a lot.
- It's a good place.
- All right.
There's open container law in Memphis, by the way.
I'll arrest you next time, Reilly.
Yes, Officer.
Hello? - Where's your lawyer - Oh, I've brought no lawyer.
I have nothing to hide.
Please have a seat.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
You're friends of Jason's, acting now in his absence.
I hope he's doing well.
Please tell him I harbor no ill will towards him.
He's a hero, and his wife's overdose is a tragedy.
Mr.
Pyle, as acting ADAs, it is our duty to inform you that you are under investigation for you role in the proliferation of opioid abuse in this county.
Sir, we have evidence that will prove beyond a reasonable doubt your part in destroying a generation of citizens for profit.
Now, we are prepared to discuss terms of a settlement that would include the shuttering of your clinics, the funding of a rehab program, and the surrendering of your medical license.
You know, most of the men and women in this part of the state, they work jobs that require manual labor.
And unlike everyone in this room, they can't afford to miss work due to pain.
I help them.
I keep food on their plates.
I allow them to live their lives, and once I've got them back on their feet, I stop writing them prescriptions Which just forces them to buy drugs on the black market.
I force them? Is that your legal theory? Because I was under the impression that most people simply stop and go on with their lives.
As for the addicts, they're well addicts.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
I could have told you trying to scare Pyle would be a waste of time.
I get why you punched him, though.
He's a smug son of a bitch.
A jury won't see that.
He'll fool 'em.
[COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING.]
We are going to make this case, Jason.
What am I gonna do, Elijah? I feel like I'm gonna suffocate.
You're gonna take one breath at a time, live for your daughter, do whatever it takes to get it all one more day behind you.
Till when? Oh, hey.
Hi.
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING.]
I will let you know when I figure that part out.
Can we, uh can we get the check, please? You're prosecuting Pyle? Yes.
Then your money's no good here.
You like that wine you picked? It's not bad.
This is my cell number.
Everything okay? I just saw someone, reminded me of a guy I used to know.
Thank you.
You got it.
A company builds a coal mine upriver, and a few years later, children downstream get sick.
A power plant burns toxic fumes and people downwind develop lung disease.
We've all heard these kinds of stories before.
Well, in 1995, a new kind of pain pill was introduced.
And what exactly is your title, Dr.
Banks? I am the Chief of Medicine at McCrae General.
Physicians were told that it was not as addictive as other painkillers.
Patients were promised relief without risk.
It was hailed as a wonder drug.
Unfortunately, none of that was accurate.
These medicines are highly addictive.
Like a poisoned river or polluted air, the damage was subtle at first.
Ms.
Stafford, what do you do? I run a home that takes in children whose parents have been deemed temporarily unfit to care for them.
Manmade disasters take time to reveal the true extent of their horror.
When I opened in 2004, I handled 13 children.
This year, so far, I've had 87, almost all of them the children of opioid addicts.
Our communities are being ravaged.
75% of all arrests are drug-related.
Our people are dying.
My three deputies have handled 47 overdose deaths since January.
And yet, even now, at this moment, the epidemic continues to spread.
Why? Because the defendant's pain clinics sold more pills this year than ever before.
More pills, even though the people whose job it is to take care of us are saying My hospital is strained to the breaking point.
An entire generation of kids are losing their parents.
My town is dying.
I should not be the one speaking with you here today.
Your DA, Jason Glassman, should, but he can't.
Because his wife recently became the 48th overdose death this year in the county.
Dead because of pills that trace back to one of Dr.
Pyle's clinics.
Clinics that dare to call themselves places of healing, when in reality, all they do is exploit the vulnerable for profit and wipe out entire communities.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
And they are wiping out your community.
Thank you.
[PHONE RINGS.]
- Hello.
- Hi.
Is Mr.
Reilly in? I'm Sara Carpenter, George Bell's ex-wife.
- Just a moment.
- Thank you.
I don't understand.
You said my testimony would be important to this trial.
Why would you call and cancel? My hope is that we won't even go to trial.
Okay? This case, it's so strong And I would make it stronger.
This is George, isn't it? He doesn't want me to be a part of this, because he hates me.
No.
No, he doesn't hate you.
Then why? He doesn't wanna put you through it.
- That doesn't make any sense.
- Well, it does to him.
Is he okay? 'Cause I've I've asked around, and people have said that men in George's situation can really struggle.
He's he's working his way through a few things, and he's he's doing it his way.
You sound like a guy who's trying really hard to not answer my question.
I'm just a guy who is doing his best to try and respect George's wishes.
I respected his wishes once.
Maybe if I hadn't, I could have saved him.
Your message said you had something important to tell us.
So here we are, Mr.
Carlson.
We are in the middle of a trial right now, so we'd appreciate if you got to the point.
I was the EMT who found District Attorney Glassman's wife.
Well, I I don't wanna screw anything up.
I just want assurances.
Why don't you tell us what's troubling you and we can go from there.
Well, all of us love DA Glassman, right? Uh, so when we found his wife, it was bad enough she died.
We all knew it was the pills that hooked her.
She had those empty bottles right where we left 'em.
But she, um she also had some burnt tinfoil with a lighter.
Heroin.
She was smoking heroin.
When she coded, me and my partner wanted to spare Mr.
Glassman the insult.
So we threw it out.
We didn't know there'd be some big trial.
Say the word and I won't ever repeat this.
I mean, I'll I'll I'll lie if I need to.
You did the right thing coming to us.
So why don't you let us discuss what we need to do and we'll get back to you first thing in the morning.
You can't tell anyone, not if you wanna win the case.
If we were the defense, we would have no obligation to turn over evidence that could hurt us.
As prosecutors, we have to turn over any exculpatory evidence.
- Maybe there's a loophole.
- Sydney.
If she was using heroin, Pyle is the reason.
I'm not saying we break the law.
I'm just saying I'm wondering, since we're not real DAs We are real DAs.
If the jury hears "heroin," you are done.
They will no longer see some sweet lady who was led astray.
They will see a drug addict who crossed the line.
- Bri, hold on that is not - I'm sorry, it's true.
Well, doesn't that just prove our point that pills led to that Nuh-uh-uh, weakness led to that, not some doctor, not some pill mill weakness.
I think, maybe, your judgment is clouded here.
Actually, my experience is informing my judgment.
Thank you.
I know how people see drug users.
Look, she won't be a victim.
She will be some woman who chose drugs even though she had a great life and a loving husband.
Oh, my God, we'll have to tell Jason.
Not if you bury it like you should.
- How we doing here? - Okay.
[CHUCKLES.]
[JAZZY MUSIC PLAYING.]
That was something the other day.
You hit me with that French thing and then you sauntered off to the elevator like you claimed victory and then you just departed the field.
Is that what I did? Kind of.
- I'm Hannah.
- Elijah.
I know, 'cause everyone in this hotel is talking about you, 'cause you and your daughter are kind of a big deal.
I wouldn't say all that.
Motorcycle? Yeah.
"Easy Rider" kind of thing? You just really dated both of us.
But yeah, actually, I'm riding cross-country.
It's part of a midlife crisis, I think.
The marriage blew up and my son got safely off to college, and I realized I couldn't even remember the last time I looked at things, you know, in real life.
Hmm.
Coast to coast with just what you can carry, huh? It's kind of freeing, in a way.
Sounds nice.
You have a heavy heart? So much for the poker face, huh? Uh, ethical dilemma.
I gotta do something tomorrow I really don't wanna do.
I'm sorry.
- Max? - Yeah.
Can I have another and whatever Hannah's having? You got it.
It was really nice talking to you, Elijah.
It was like I needed it, and I didn't even know it.
Yeah, same.
[ELEVATOR DINGS.]
[SOFT MUSIC.]
On behalf of my client Dr.
Pyle, I'm gonna to choose to believe you when you say that this man came forward yesterday.
Planning on dismissing the charges? No, we don't feel that it hurts our case.
Right.
[BRIEFCASE CLICKS OPEN.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Okay, so we know he's going to use it.
[CHUCKLES.]
- Put me on the stand.
- Jason.
Let me protect my wife's reputation before Pyle tries to destroy it.
No, no, no, you don't let the loved ones of the an addict try to defend the addict.
- It will backfire.
- He loved her.
- The jury will see that.
- It will only make it worse.
And so when did you first know that Katie was addicted to opioids? When our daughter was two, I found a stash of pills.
[SOLEMN MUSIC.]
I'm embarrassed to say that I was guilty of a basic bias.
I thought that drug addicts looked a certain way or had a certain character.
And even though I'd been prosecuting plenty of good, normal people, I still thought that that it was a weakness.
I take it you wouldn't describe your wife as weak.
Oh, she's the strongest person I ever met.
She ran her practice, our house, did ten other things all at the same time.
She was Superwoman.
After you discovered your wife's addiction, - you sent her to rehab.
- Yes.
You asked her to submit to weekly drug tests as part of her recovery.
- Yes.
- Did life ever go back to normal? When a person you love becomes addicted to this poison, there is no normal.
Every unanswered text is sinister.
Every unexplained hour is a nightmare.
My wife was the addict, but her illness turned me into someone who wasn't so much living as accumulating day after day of dread.
But if she was doing everything right, why be worried? Because there's an endless river of pills out there.
And men like to defend it and make sure to put their clinics next to supermarkets, dry cleaners, so that people like my wife, who they hooked in the first place, are never more than one bad moment away.
Jason, your wife did not die from taking pills, did she? No.
Like so many other people in this county, she graduated to the only thing that was easier to get than one of his prescriptions.
Heroin? Yes.
The love of my life my soul mate my wife walked into a pharmacy one day and then died on the side of the road, smoking heroin, less than three years later.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Mr.
Glassman, I'm very sorry for your loss.
Is it true that when Dr.
Pyle tried to talk to you after your wife's death, you punched him in the face? Yes.
Because you blame him for her death? Yes.
Yet you just told the court that she died of a heroin overdose.
That's correct.
I'm confused.
Did Dr.
Pyle prescribe your wife heroin? - Of course not, but he - Mr.
Glassman, how long have you been the District Attorney here? Coming up on five years.
And in that five years, how many drug prosecutions have you brought against licensed medical doctors like Dr.
Pyle? - None.
- How many prosecutions have you brought against pain clinics? - None.
- How many times have you asked your former employer, the esteemed Elijah Strait, to represent the county? - None, but obviously that's - Have you ever before prosecuted a physician as a "public nuisance"? - No.
- So everything about this case is unprecedented.
Is that because you're an angry, grieving, - district attorney - Objection.
- Indulging in a malicious - Objection, Your Honor! Prosecution so that you have someone to blame - other than your wife - Mr.
Colton, - that is enough.
- Or her heroin dealer? - Or yourself for her death? - Objection! Another word and I'll hold you in contempt.
So just to be clear, Mr.
Glassman, before your wife's death, did you ever tell anyone anywhere in any capacity that you were bringing charges against my client or any pain clinic owner? No, but I wish I had.
I'm sure you do.
Nothing further.
You can't miss Istanbul.
- Two words for you.
- [DOORBELL RINGS.]
"Midnight Express.
" It's, uh it's a movie, George.
It's a cautionary tale.
What, lady friend? It's it's Sara.
I-I didn't ask her to come.
Well, tell her to go away.
She's your ex-wife, George.
I can't I can't tell her to go away.
[DOOR UNLATCHING.]
- Hey.
- Hi.
- Please, come in.
- Thank you.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC.]
Hi.
Hi.
Jake said you were good.
I was happy to hear that.
Yeah.
I'm a principal at a school outside of Atlanta.
I went admin, can you believe it? Had you told me back in the day that I'd end up with a job like that [CHUCKLES.]
Well, whoever they are, they're they're lucky to have you.
When I first got word that you were innocent, I was so mad.
All I could think was, you let me think that you were a monster.
And some part of me always knew you were lying.
I knew it, and yet I let myself believe that I'm so sorry, George.
I am so sorry.
No.
Hey, hey.
You did the right thing.
[SOBS.]
I mean, we got a bad hand and we played it the best we could.
No, I am not gonna do this again, George.
I'm not gonna pretend that you're okay when you're not.
But I am.
I'm all things considered.
I don't believe you.
There may have been 20 years, but I still know you.
Okay, now this see, this is why I didn't wanna see you.
I didn't even wanna tell you.
Why would you say that? Because I'm trying to move on, and I can't do that by talking to you or anyone else about the past.
My life was destroyed.
Is that what you wanna hear? God reached down and picked me up and threw me into hell, where I was left to rot while everybody else got to go on.
Is that what you want me to say? There.
Are you satisfied? Go home, Sara.
Go back to your friends and your husband, and forget about me.
Forget all about me.
Live your life and let me try to live what's left of mine.
[SOBBING.]
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES.]
Okay, is it good or really good? I kept telling you addicts are all the same.
Then I realized dealers are all the same too.
Guys like Pyle don't get to the top playing by the rules.
I don't understand.
You're not in pain.
I'm not, but see, I have a steady supply of people who are, people I will bring to you if I know you can handle such a large demand.
You just proposed large-scale insurance fraud.
Did they go for it? Turned out, they didn't have the authority to say yes.
I have to call the boss.
Come back same time tomorrow? I went to clinics I hadn't been to further out, found two that said yes, provided their boss said okay.
- Pyle.
- Yeah.
Look, forget about "public nuisance.
" You get these guys to flip, he'll be looking at 25 years.
Now, hold on.
Y'all are working for the DA's Office, remember? Which means what you just did, Briana, is entrapment.
Can't use that tape.
Oh, we don't need to.
You think this is the first time they ever did a deal like that? That's the thing about dealers.
Their drug is greed.
Get into their clinics, tell them you have proof of prior bad acts, you'll flip 'em.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Well, I'll talk to the Sheriff, and you can hit him up first thing in the morning.
[SOUL MUSIC PLAYING.]
Elijah, what a nice surprise.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS.]
I was actually looking for you.
I wanted to say good-bye.
I'm heading out in the morning.
Open road, huh? Something like that.
Well, it was a genuine pleasure meeting you, Hannah.
Yeah, you too.
[ELEVATOR DINGS.]
Do you feel that? [TENDER MUSIC.]
That feeling that in another universe or in another lifetime Then I won't say good-bye.
I will say to be continued.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Mr.
Donnelly, I'm Assistant District Attorney Elijah Strait.
- What do you want? - You.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Mr.
Deitchman, my name is Sydney Strait.
I'm with the DA's Office.
I'd like to talk to you about your relationship with Dr.
Lee Pyle.
I'm an independent businessman, haven't worked with Dr.
Pyle in years.
Well, that's just not true, Mr.
Donnelly.
We know about the arrangement you and Malcolm Deitchman have with Pyle.
This is your last chance.
Whoever gives us Pyle first gets immunity.
The other will spend the next 15 years in West Tennessee State Penitentiary.
- Do what you want.
- You're bluffing.
- I'll plead the Fifth.
- I'll plead the Fifth.
[SIGHS.]
He's pleading the Fifth too.
Are we out of moves, Bri? No, we just gotta get creative.
You're wasting both of our time, Mr.
Strait.
I've got nothing on Pyle.
He's just my former boss.
I send him a fruit basket at Christmas.
That's about all.
Are you sure about that "former" part? Yes.
Like I said yesterday, former.
Did you think that bringing me in here was gonna scare me into changing my answer? I was hoping it might make you do the right thing.
Obviously, I was wrong.
[MISCHIEVOUS MUSIC.]
Well, you should have believed me yesterday when I told you I'd plead the Fifth.
Son of a bitch.
Well, Mr.
Deitchman, I won't be bothering you again.
No, wait.
I'll cooperate.
I'll give you Pyle.
That ship has sailed.
Do you have him on Medicare fraud? I kept records just in case I needed them.
I'll I'll make your case.
Did you get to the best part? Where Deitchman describes how drug dealers bus in homeless people to get prescriptions at your clinics and then gives you a cut of the street profits.
I'm particularly looking forward to a jury hearing that one.
- What do you want? - Don't say a word.
Shut up, Neil.
What do you want, Mr.
Strait? For starters, all of your clinic's, assets, and profits.
We'll use that for drug prevention.
Okay.
I mean, all of it, every last penny of the millions you made killing this community, Then Federal time.
No.
No, I'm not going to prison.
Oh, you're going to prison.
The only question is, will it be 50 years or 15? What do I need to do to get 15? Give me your suppliers, drug companies themselves.
You are still here.
Well, you know me, always another case.
I haven't heard from Alec in six months.
Uh, that is the longest stretch since I was 15.
I know he's okay.
I pay off his dealers, and I keep tabs on him.
I know I'm not supposed to pay off his dealers, 'cause I'm supposed to let him hit rock bottom.
It's just, uh, I am worried when he hits, he's not gonna make it.
And that's where I am on all that.
Okay, come here.
I'm sorry, Bri.
Yeah, me too.
Wanna get something to eat? [SIGHS.]
Yeah, I'd like that.
Okay, good.
[LAUGHS.]
Come on.
I caved.
Istanbul is on the schedule.
[AL GREEN'S "LAY IT DOWN".]
"In another lifetime.
" I like that.
[CHUCKLES.]
On the drive back, I was thinking, uh, "How did I do what I used to do? How did I compartmentalize like that?" Lay it down I love Carolyn very much.
And that's why you stopped.
It feels like now I just met you Like, anything I do now feels like a a betrayal.
This just in.
You're a human being, and it would be strange if you didn't feel that way.
But you're not the man that you were.
And just because Carolyn is gone doesn't mean you're gonna change back.
And that said, here's what I know that I know about your Carolyn.
She wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life mourning her.
And you wouldn't want that for her.
Lay down, let it go - Storm out of here - Fall in love And one more thing [CLEARS THROAT.]
Your love Hey.
Wh Mom just called.
She, uh, said she'll be in town Monday.
[GASPS.]
Jason.
You two must have broke the speed limit to get here this fast.
She's gone.
She, uh she pulled over to the side of the road.
Someone saw her slumped in the car, called it in.
Paramedics had naloxone, got her breathing again, but It was too much damage.
She passed ten minutes ago.
Getting ready to celebrate her sixth month being clean and I'm so sorry.
What can we do, Jason? Is there anything that we can take care of? Well, um, I I had I had my folks pick up Emily, but, um Jason, why don't you come with us? You shouldn't be alone, not right now.
Okay.
[GENTLE ACOUSTIC MUSIC.]
I keep thinking, um what I'm gonna say to Emily, the actual words.
"Mommy's never coming home.
" I mean, she's three.
She she she doesn't even really know what "never" means.
You know? A book, I guess.
I'll I'll get a book.
I'm telling you this is the best food for 100 miles.
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
DA Glassman.
How are ya? [GRUNTS.]
Whoo, Jason.
[SOLEMN MUSIC.]
I'm gonna resign as District Attorney.
I think it'd be easier on Emily if I'm around, and well, I don't know if I can do this anymore.
10% of the folks in my county have an arrest for opioid possession.
Four years I've been in office.
I feel like all I'm doing is locking up my own people.
What you say makes sense.
Only advice is, take a beat.
If it is the right decision, it'll still be right a few weeks from now.
When she had their daughter, it was a really difficult delivery.
So the doctor prescribed some pills to manage the pain.
And after the first refill, she was hooked.
You know, something like that happening to Maya, that's my worst nightmare.
She went to rehab.
We thought she was doing better, but Kate and I are so Were so alike.
It just makes you think, if it could happen to her, it That's the whole point about the opioid crisis, Syd.
It can happen to anyone.
- Dad, you wanted to see me? - Shut the door, son.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
I wanna do a deep dive into prescription painkiller abuse.
Who's been fighting these companies in court? What's worked, what hasn't.
Want me to read Sydney into it? No, not yet.
I don't wanna get her hopes up.
People thought the settlement was big, but it was less than half of 1% of Big Pharma made on those drugs in one quarter.
It's not exactly a deterrent.
No, all right.
Uh, I'm gonna take a look at the trial transcripts, see if there's anything that they could have done better.
I'll call the capitol and get the latest on how much these drugs are costing the state.
Great.
Should I tell your dad we're looking into this? Uh, let's wait.
I don't want him thinking I'm off on one of my crusades.
- All good? - All good.
Best part about this approach is if we win, we don't just get justice for Kate, we save the whole town.
[SNAPS FINGERS.]
There we go.
Yes.
I think this'll work.
Jason said his whole county was decimated Good work.
- Yeah.
- Oh, track down Briana.
We're gonna need her on this.
- I think there's a case we can make - I wanna take a run - on Jason's behalf.
- at this opioid problem.
So, you've been thinking about it? Since the minute we got back to Memphis.
[ISAAC HAYES' "DO YOUR THING".]
Sweet.
If the music make you move 'Cause you can dig the groove Then groove on I'd be interested in hearing Memphis Bachelor of the Year? Robbie, I'm gonna have to call you back.
Okay.
You are Memphis Bachelor of the Year two times running.
Oh, God.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
Someone in the office may put me up for that as a as a joke.
I'm pretty certain it was Della.
Well, you know, not to be a buttinsky, but since I've been staying here, things have been pretty dry for you in the feminine company department.
Am I, uh, interfering with your game? - No.
- Because you can always put a hat on a door - or some kind of sign - George, George.
I'm good.
Anyway, while we're in here, I wanna speak to you about something sensitive.
Okay.
Yeah, the wrongful imprisonment suit, that's going really well.
Well, that's good, because I am planning myself one heck of a world tour.
Part of that case, that's gonna be letting the jury see all the things that you have lost.
So that means, among other things, we're gonna have Sara testify.
So I don't know if you want me to speak to her first, or No, I want you to leave her alone.
George, that's your ex-wife.
That's the mother of your son.
Yeah, and she went through hell, just like I did.
I mean, think, Jake.
The whole point of me lying to her and tell her I was guilty was so that she could move on.
- I get it, but - No, no buts.
No buts, not on this.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
Look, I'm sorry, amigo.
I know you're just doing your job, but I am telling you on this one, leave her be.
Okay, "public nuisance.
" Now, I admit, it's been a few years since law school, but these laws were designed to prevent things like companies polluting a river upstream from a town.
Think of the pain pills as pollution.
Toxic smoke being released to the public without enough caution or care, belched from pill mills, even though we know the kind of damage they do.
What is that? Oh, that's a mill and then smokestacks and smoke.
Looks like a dying train.
The Titanic about to sink.
It's a jack-in-the-box vaping.
Okay, never mind the drawing.
That's not the point of the presentation.
- What do you think? - I think it's a national case.
Maybe one day, but for now, It's about one town a few hours east that needs our help.
Okay, I see the concept, and you both know I'm gonna love getting dirt off of any scum who profits off this.
But who exactly is our client? [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
That's the best part.
You sure about this? We got continuances on the cases we need to and rooms at hotel off the interstate.
We're not leaving without a win.
You're not doing this for me, are you? We're doing this for you and for every DA in every town that's facing the same impossible tide, Jason.
- I, Sydney Strait - I, Elijah Strait "Solemnly swear I will faithfully perform the duties "of an assistant district attorney of the state of Tennessee, so help me God.
" BOTH: Solemnly swear I will faithfully perform the duties of an assistant district attorney of the state of Tennessee, so help me God.
Congratulations, you now represent the people of Tennessee.
[JAZZY MUSIC.]
Didn't know DAs could team up with private counsel.
Yeah, it's rare, but it's not unheard of.
We take a temporary leave from our practice and then, for one case, we have all the powers of a prosecutor: launching investigations, bringing charges, recommending sentences.
Hmm, sounds kind of badass.
It is kind of badass.
Do you wanna go up real quick? Uh, we have almost a dozen clinics to hit up and not a lot of time, so So that's a no.
I'll meet you at the DA's offices around 5:00? - Be careful, you two.
- Oh, we the law now.
Uh, checking in.
Strait.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
Last name's Corsair.
Like a pirate.
Corsair.
Thank you.
One of these days, someone's gonna get that reference.
Here you are, sir.
Elevator's on the left.
Thank you.
It's French, right? Are you sure you don't want me to come in with you? - To do what? - I don't know, just be a concerned friend who can talk about how much pain you're in.
Sydney, what's going on? Is this weird, Bri, doing this, getting the painkillers? 'Cause Is this weird 'cause of my brother? Look, I already told you, I used to score for Alec all the time before I knew drugs were bad.
Okay, well, you can shrug it off if you want, but I am here for you.
- Good.
- Okay.
Stay here, otherwise I'm not gonna find a ride home.
[GRUNTS.]
Okay.
Yeah, so I was picking up my baby and my back got hurt.
On a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst, how do you rate your pain? Mm, a six.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
You mean an eight? Yes, an eight.
Nonspecific acute back pain.
Here's a prescription for 40 milligrams oxycodone, three times a day, 30-day supply.
Uh, is 90 pills a lot? It's a standard initial dosing.
Come back in month and we'll see if we need to increase it.
Thank you.
Uh, is 90 pills a lot? It's a standard initial dosing.
Come back in a month and we'll see if we need to increase it.
90 pills without even a cursory exam.
Horrible but legal.
You got 90 pills from everyone? Well, since I was a new patient, most clinics told me to go home, take an aspirin and apply heat.
Only these three [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
were so generous.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
All owned by Dr.
Lee Pyle.
Let me guess.
That's the guy Jason cold-cocked? Mm-hmm.
At least he got the right guy.
Pyle graduated top of his class at Johns Hopkins, but quit internal medicine when he realized he could make more money opening pain clinics.
Since Pyle's clinics opened [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
Drug arrests have tripled and 14% of babies born in the county now have prenatal exposure to opioids.
Get this.
One of Pyle's clinics prescribed 13 million pills in the last five years.
13 million to a town of 400 people.
Dad, he is our case.
He's our public nuisance.
I mean, his clinics are killing this part of the state.
Let's not forget about his history with Jason.
If we go after him, it could look a lot like malicious prosecution.
The numbers speak for themselves.
I mean, Pyle is just as evil as anyone in a drug cartel.
All right, let's bring him in with his lawyer.
Apply some heat.
You hear what I said, Jake? Yeah.
You were saying whoever it was that framed George, it's not some big conspiracy.
How's he doing? Sometimes sometimes, he's the life and soul of the party, you know.
He does these great, crazy things.
And then other times I have I have a friend, he's a shrink, and he says that he suffers from something called the Don Quixote syndrome.
George acts like the world is this amazing place so that he doesn't have to deal with all that he lost.
I wish I could get you more than just Detective Walker for your case.
His testimony implicates the Chief as the man behind the cover-up.
With Chief being dead, I think the mystery on who killed Tess dies with him.
[SIREN WAILING, INDISTINCT SHOUTS.]
Is Sydney around? No, no, she's on a case with her dad out of town.
Why? I heard that she lost the case.
She doesn't handle losses well, so I guess I still worry.
She seems okay.
She and I used to come out here a lot.
- It's a good place.
- All right.
There's open container law in Memphis, by the way.
I'll arrest you next time, Reilly.
Yes, Officer.
Hello? - Where's your lawyer - Oh, I've brought no lawyer.
I have nothing to hide.
Please have a seat.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
You're friends of Jason's, acting now in his absence.
I hope he's doing well.
Please tell him I harbor no ill will towards him.
He's a hero, and his wife's overdose is a tragedy.
Mr.
Pyle, as acting ADAs, it is our duty to inform you that you are under investigation for you role in the proliferation of opioid abuse in this county.
Sir, we have evidence that will prove beyond a reasonable doubt your part in destroying a generation of citizens for profit.
Now, we are prepared to discuss terms of a settlement that would include the shuttering of your clinics, the funding of a rehab program, and the surrendering of your medical license.
You know, most of the men and women in this part of the state, they work jobs that require manual labor.
And unlike everyone in this room, they can't afford to miss work due to pain.
I help them.
I keep food on their plates.
I allow them to live their lives, and once I've got them back on their feet, I stop writing them prescriptions Which just forces them to buy drugs on the black market.
I force them? Is that your legal theory? Because I was under the impression that most people simply stop and go on with their lives.
As for the addicts, they're well addicts.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
I could have told you trying to scare Pyle would be a waste of time.
I get why you punched him, though.
He's a smug son of a bitch.
A jury won't see that.
He'll fool 'em.
[COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING.]
We are going to make this case, Jason.
What am I gonna do, Elijah? I feel like I'm gonna suffocate.
You're gonna take one breath at a time, live for your daughter, do whatever it takes to get it all one more day behind you.
Till when? Oh, hey.
Hi.
[INDISTINCT CHATTERING.]
I will let you know when I figure that part out.
Can we, uh can we get the check, please? You're prosecuting Pyle? Yes.
Then your money's no good here.
You like that wine you picked? It's not bad.
This is my cell number.
Everything okay? I just saw someone, reminded me of a guy I used to know.
Thank you.
You got it.
A company builds a coal mine upriver, and a few years later, children downstream get sick.
A power plant burns toxic fumes and people downwind develop lung disease.
We've all heard these kinds of stories before.
Well, in 1995, a new kind of pain pill was introduced.
And what exactly is your title, Dr.
Banks? I am the Chief of Medicine at McCrae General.
Physicians were told that it was not as addictive as other painkillers.
Patients were promised relief without risk.
It was hailed as a wonder drug.
Unfortunately, none of that was accurate.
These medicines are highly addictive.
Like a poisoned river or polluted air, the damage was subtle at first.
Ms.
Stafford, what do you do? I run a home that takes in children whose parents have been deemed temporarily unfit to care for them.
Manmade disasters take time to reveal the true extent of their horror.
When I opened in 2004, I handled 13 children.
This year, so far, I've had 87, almost all of them the children of opioid addicts.
Our communities are being ravaged.
75% of all arrests are drug-related.
Our people are dying.
My three deputies have handled 47 overdose deaths since January.
And yet, even now, at this moment, the epidemic continues to spread.
Why? Because the defendant's pain clinics sold more pills this year than ever before.
More pills, even though the people whose job it is to take care of us are saying My hospital is strained to the breaking point.
An entire generation of kids are losing their parents.
My town is dying.
I should not be the one speaking with you here today.
Your DA, Jason Glassman, should, but he can't.
Because his wife recently became the 48th overdose death this year in the county.
Dead because of pills that trace back to one of Dr.
Pyle's clinics.
Clinics that dare to call themselves places of healing, when in reality, all they do is exploit the vulnerable for profit and wipe out entire communities.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
And they are wiping out your community.
Thank you.
[PHONE RINGS.]
- Hello.
- Hi.
Is Mr.
Reilly in? I'm Sara Carpenter, George Bell's ex-wife.
- Just a moment.
- Thank you.
I don't understand.
You said my testimony would be important to this trial.
Why would you call and cancel? My hope is that we won't even go to trial.
Okay? This case, it's so strong And I would make it stronger.
This is George, isn't it? He doesn't want me to be a part of this, because he hates me.
No.
No, he doesn't hate you.
Then why? He doesn't wanna put you through it.
- That doesn't make any sense.
- Well, it does to him.
Is he okay? 'Cause I've I've asked around, and people have said that men in George's situation can really struggle.
He's he's working his way through a few things, and he's he's doing it his way.
You sound like a guy who's trying really hard to not answer my question.
I'm just a guy who is doing his best to try and respect George's wishes.
I respected his wishes once.
Maybe if I hadn't, I could have saved him.
Your message said you had something important to tell us.
So here we are, Mr.
Carlson.
We are in the middle of a trial right now, so we'd appreciate if you got to the point.
I was the EMT who found District Attorney Glassman's wife.
Well, I I don't wanna screw anything up.
I just want assurances.
Why don't you tell us what's troubling you and we can go from there.
Well, all of us love DA Glassman, right? Uh, so when we found his wife, it was bad enough she died.
We all knew it was the pills that hooked her.
She had those empty bottles right where we left 'em.
But she, um she also had some burnt tinfoil with a lighter.
Heroin.
She was smoking heroin.
When she coded, me and my partner wanted to spare Mr.
Glassman the insult.
So we threw it out.
We didn't know there'd be some big trial.
Say the word and I won't ever repeat this.
I mean, I'll I'll I'll lie if I need to.
You did the right thing coming to us.
So why don't you let us discuss what we need to do and we'll get back to you first thing in the morning.
You can't tell anyone, not if you wanna win the case.
If we were the defense, we would have no obligation to turn over evidence that could hurt us.
As prosecutors, we have to turn over any exculpatory evidence.
- Maybe there's a loophole.
- Sydney.
If she was using heroin, Pyle is the reason.
I'm not saying we break the law.
I'm just saying I'm wondering, since we're not real DAs We are real DAs.
If the jury hears "heroin," you are done.
They will no longer see some sweet lady who was led astray.
They will see a drug addict who crossed the line.
- Bri, hold on that is not - I'm sorry, it's true.
Well, doesn't that just prove our point that pills led to that Nuh-uh-uh, weakness led to that, not some doctor, not some pill mill weakness.
I think, maybe, your judgment is clouded here.
Actually, my experience is informing my judgment.
Thank you.
I know how people see drug users.
Look, she won't be a victim.
She will be some woman who chose drugs even though she had a great life and a loving husband.
Oh, my God, we'll have to tell Jason.
Not if you bury it like you should.
- How we doing here? - Okay.
[CHUCKLES.]
[JAZZY MUSIC PLAYING.]
That was something the other day.
You hit me with that French thing and then you sauntered off to the elevator like you claimed victory and then you just departed the field.
Is that what I did? Kind of.
- I'm Hannah.
- Elijah.
I know, 'cause everyone in this hotel is talking about you, 'cause you and your daughter are kind of a big deal.
I wouldn't say all that.
Motorcycle? Yeah.
"Easy Rider" kind of thing? You just really dated both of us.
But yeah, actually, I'm riding cross-country.
It's part of a midlife crisis, I think.
The marriage blew up and my son got safely off to college, and I realized I couldn't even remember the last time I looked at things, you know, in real life.
Hmm.
Coast to coast with just what you can carry, huh? It's kind of freeing, in a way.
Sounds nice.
You have a heavy heart? So much for the poker face, huh? Uh, ethical dilemma.
I gotta do something tomorrow I really don't wanna do.
I'm sorry.
- Max? - Yeah.
Can I have another and whatever Hannah's having? You got it.
It was really nice talking to you, Elijah.
It was like I needed it, and I didn't even know it.
Yeah, same.
[ELEVATOR DINGS.]
[SOFT MUSIC.]
On behalf of my client Dr.
Pyle, I'm gonna to choose to believe you when you say that this man came forward yesterday.
Planning on dismissing the charges? No, we don't feel that it hurts our case.
Right.
[BRIEFCASE CLICKS OPEN.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Okay, so we know he's going to use it.
[CHUCKLES.]
- Put me on the stand.
- Jason.
Let me protect my wife's reputation before Pyle tries to destroy it.
No, no, no, you don't let the loved ones of the an addict try to defend the addict.
- It will backfire.
- He loved her.
- The jury will see that.
- It will only make it worse.
And so when did you first know that Katie was addicted to opioids? When our daughter was two, I found a stash of pills.
[SOLEMN MUSIC.]
I'm embarrassed to say that I was guilty of a basic bias.
I thought that drug addicts looked a certain way or had a certain character.
And even though I'd been prosecuting plenty of good, normal people, I still thought that that it was a weakness.
I take it you wouldn't describe your wife as weak.
Oh, she's the strongest person I ever met.
She ran her practice, our house, did ten other things all at the same time.
She was Superwoman.
After you discovered your wife's addiction, - you sent her to rehab.
- Yes.
You asked her to submit to weekly drug tests as part of her recovery.
- Yes.
- Did life ever go back to normal? When a person you love becomes addicted to this poison, there is no normal.
Every unanswered text is sinister.
Every unexplained hour is a nightmare.
My wife was the addict, but her illness turned me into someone who wasn't so much living as accumulating day after day of dread.
But if she was doing everything right, why be worried? Because there's an endless river of pills out there.
And men like to defend it and make sure to put their clinics next to supermarkets, dry cleaners, so that people like my wife, who they hooked in the first place, are never more than one bad moment away.
Jason, your wife did not die from taking pills, did she? No.
Like so many other people in this county, she graduated to the only thing that was easier to get than one of his prescriptions.
Heroin? Yes.
The love of my life my soul mate my wife walked into a pharmacy one day and then died on the side of the road, smoking heroin, less than three years later.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Mr.
Glassman, I'm very sorry for your loss.
Is it true that when Dr.
Pyle tried to talk to you after your wife's death, you punched him in the face? Yes.
Because you blame him for her death? Yes.
Yet you just told the court that she died of a heroin overdose.
That's correct.
I'm confused.
Did Dr.
Pyle prescribe your wife heroin? - Of course not, but he - Mr.
Glassman, how long have you been the District Attorney here? Coming up on five years.
And in that five years, how many drug prosecutions have you brought against licensed medical doctors like Dr.
Pyle? - None.
- How many prosecutions have you brought against pain clinics? - None.
- How many times have you asked your former employer, the esteemed Elijah Strait, to represent the county? - None, but obviously that's - Have you ever before prosecuted a physician as a "public nuisance"? - No.
- So everything about this case is unprecedented.
Is that because you're an angry, grieving, - district attorney - Objection.
- Indulging in a malicious - Objection, Your Honor! Prosecution so that you have someone to blame - other than your wife - Mr.
Colton, - that is enough.
- Or her heroin dealer? - Or yourself for her death? - Objection! Another word and I'll hold you in contempt.
So just to be clear, Mr.
Glassman, before your wife's death, did you ever tell anyone anywhere in any capacity that you were bringing charges against my client or any pain clinic owner? No, but I wish I had.
I'm sure you do.
Nothing further.
You can't miss Istanbul.
- Two words for you.
- [DOORBELL RINGS.]
"Midnight Express.
" It's, uh it's a movie, George.
It's a cautionary tale.
What, lady friend? It's it's Sara.
I-I didn't ask her to come.
Well, tell her to go away.
She's your ex-wife, George.
I can't I can't tell her to go away.
[DOOR UNLATCHING.]
- Hey.
- Hi.
- Please, come in.
- Thank you.
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC.]
Hi.
Hi.
Jake said you were good.
I was happy to hear that.
Yeah.
I'm a principal at a school outside of Atlanta.
I went admin, can you believe it? Had you told me back in the day that I'd end up with a job like that [CHUCKLES.]
Well, whoever they are, they're they're lucky to have you.
When I first got word that you were innocent, I was so mad.
All I could think was, you let me think that you were a monster.
And some part of me always knew you were lying.
I knew it, and yet I let myself believe that I'm so sorry, George.
I am so sorry.
No.
Hey, hey.
You did the right thing.
[SOBS.]
I mean, we got a bad hand and we played it the best we could.
No, I am not gonna do this again, George.
I'm not gonna pretend that you're okay when you're not.
But I am.
I'm all things considered.
I don't believe you.
There may have been 20 years, but I still know you.
Okay, now this see, this is why I didn't wanna see you.
I didn't even wanna tell you.
Why would you say that? Because I'm trying to move on, and I can't do that by talking to you or anyone else about the past.
My life was destroyed.
Is that what you wanna hear? God reached down and picked me up and threw me into hell, where I was left to rot while everybody else got to go on.
Is that what you want me to say? There.
Are you satisfied? Go home, Sara.
Go back to your friends and your husband, and forget about me.
Forget all about me.
Live your life and let me try to live what's left of mine.
[SOBBING.]
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES.]
Okay, is it good or really good? I kept telling you addicts are all the same.
Then I realized dealers are all the same too.
Guys like Pyle don't get to the top playing by the rules.
I don't understand.
You're not in pain.
I'm not, but see, I have a steady supply of people who are, people I will bring to you if I know you can handle such a large demand.
You just proposed large-scale insurance fraud.
Did they go for it? Turned out, they didn't have the authority to say yes.
I have to call the boss.
Come back same time tomorrow? I went to clinics I hadn't been to further out, found two that said yes, provided their boss said okay.
- Pyle.
- Yeah.
Look, forget about "public nuisance.
" You get these guys to flip, he'll be looking at 25 years.
Now, hold on.
Y'all are working for the DA's Office, remember? Which means what you just did, Briana, is entrapment.
Can't use that tape.
Oh, we don't need to.
You think this is the first time they ever did a deal like that? That's the thing about dealers.
Their drug is greed.
Get into their clinics, tell them you have proof of prior bad acts, you'll flip 'em.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Well, I'll talk to the Sheriff, and you can hit him up first thing in the morning.
[SOUL MUSIC PLAYING.]
Elijah, what a nice surprise.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS.]
I was actually looking for you.
I wanted to say good-bye.
I'm heading out in the morning.
Open road, huh? Something like that.
Well, it was a genuine pleasure meeting you, Hannah.
Yeah, you too.
[ELEVATOR DINGS.]
Do you feel that? [TENDER MUSIC.]
That feeling that in another universe or in another lifetime Then I won't say good-bye.
I will say to be continued.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Mr.
Donnelly, I'm Assistant District Attorney Elijah Strait.
- What do you want? - You.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Mr.
Deitchman, my name is Sydney Strait.
I'm with the DA's Office.
I'd like to talk to you about your relationship with Dr.
Lee Pyle.
I'm an independent businessman, haven't worked with Dr.
Pyle in years.
Well, that's just not true, Mr.
Donnelly.
We know about the arrangement you and Malcolm Deitchman have with Pyle.
This is your last chance.
Whoever gives us Pyle first gets immunity.
The other will spend the next 15 years in West Tennessee State Penitentiary.
- Do what you want.
- You're bluffing.
- I'll plead the Fifth.
- I'll plead the Fifth.
[SIGHS.]
He's pleading the Fifth too.
Are we out of moves, Bri? No, we just gotta get creative.
You're wasting both of our time, Mr.
Strait.
I've got nothing on Pyle.
He's just my former boss.
I send him a fruit basket at Christmas.
That's about all.
Are you sure about that "former" part? Yes.
Like I said yesterday, former.
Did you think that bringing me in here was gonna scare me into changing my answer? I was hoping it might make you do the right thing.
Obviously, I was wrong.
[MISCHIEVOUS MUSIC.]
Well, you should have believed me yesterday when I told you I'd plead the Fifth.
Son of a bitch.
Well, Mr.
Deitchman, I won't be bothering you again.
No, wait.
I'll cooperate.
I'll give you Pyle.
That ship has sailed.
Do you have him on Medicare fraud? I kept records just in case I needed them.
I'll I'll make your case.
Did you get to the best part? Where Deitchman describes how drug dealers bus in homeless people to get prescriptions at your clinics and then gives you a cut of the street profits.
I'm particularly looking forward to a jury hearing that one.
- What do you want? - Don't say a word.
Shut up, Neil.
What do you want, Mr.
Strait? For starters, all of your clinic's, assets, and profits.
We'll use that for drug prevention.
Okay.
I mean, all of it, every last penny of the millions you made killing this community, Then Federal time.
No.
No, I'm not going to prison.
Oh, you're going to prison.
The only question is, will it be 50 years or 15? What do I need to do to get 15? Give me your suppliers, drug companies themselves.
You are still here.
Well, you know me, always another case.
I haven't heard from Alec in six months.
Uh, that is the longest stretch since I was 15.
I know he's okay.
I pay off his dealers, and I keep tabs on him.
I know I'm not supposed to pay off his dealers, 'cause I'm supposed to let him hit rock bottom.
It's just, uh, I am worried when he hits, he's not gonna make it.
And that's where I am on all that.
Okay, come here.
I'm sorry, Bri.
Yeah, me too.
Wanna get something to eat? [SIGHS.]
Yeah, I'd like that.
Okay, good.
[LAUGHS.]
Come on.
I caved.
Istanbul is on the schedule.
[AL GREEN'S "LAY IT DOWN".]
"In another lifetime.
" I like that.
[CHUCKLES.]
On the drive back, I was thinking, uh, "How did I do what I used to do? How did I compartmentalize like that?" Lay it down I love Carolyn very much.
And that's why you stopped.
It feels like now I just met you Like, anything I do now feels like a a betrayal.
This just in.
You're a human being, and it would be strange if you didn't feel that way.
But you're not the man that you were.
And just because Carolyn is gone doesn't mean you're gonna change back.
And that said, here's what I know that I know about your Carolyn.
She wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life mourning her.
And you wouldn't want that for her.
Lay down, let it go - Storm out of here - Fall in love And one more thing [CLEARS THROAT.]
Your love Hey.
Wh Mom just called.
She, uh, said she'll be in town Monday.