Accused (2023) s01e09 Episode Script

Ugh, rapist.
Baby killer.
- Britney, please.
- Jack. Stop.
- I need to talk to her.
- Don't make my job any harder.
Believe me, it's hard enough.
All rise.
The Lubbock County Court
is now in session,
the Honourable Judge Bodman presiding.
And curtain!
Guys, take your bow off of Hamlet.
Wooo-hooo! Okay great.
And now, orchestra.
Applause, applause, applause.
Milk it, but don't
overstay your welcome.
Especially you, Richie.
And I think that's it.
Thanks everyone, good work.
Now listen, we have Monday, Wednesday.
Thursday dress, and then Friday we go,
so please, get off book.
Please. And drive safe, speed racer.
Oh whatever, it wasn't even that bad.
It was pretty bad.
Hey, Fletch! Can you please
tell Clara to finish up?
Coach'll be pissed if I'm
late for practice again.
Just tell Coach you're
busy saving the arts.
Stud like you? People might
actually come and see this play.
- I'm good. You can go.
- Cool.
Thanks, babe. Let's get goin'.
It's tough being a visionary
in a small town, huh?
Yo, Fletch, uh, you coming
to the game tomorrow?
- No sorry, I can't.
- Why not?
Well, believe it or not,
I actually have a social life
that doesn't involve teenagers. So
Yeah, buddy. I bet you do. Yeah.
No. I'm not. Stop. I'm not doing that.
- Come on, man.
- No, no, no, no.
- Come on, Fletch.
- Okay, that's enough for today.
- Later, Fletch.
- Later.
I have some cleaning up to
do so I'll just be a minute.
Is everything okay?
Yeah.
Really? Because you've
seemed a little
like off lately.
I'm fine.
Then why haven't you handed
in your Hamlet paper?
Because I haven't written it yet.
Well, see? That's what
I'm talking about.
You're never late before, not even once.
I'm good, Fletch.
Really.
Okay.
I'm here, you know.
If you ever need to talk.
Ready to go?
- Hey, Clara.
- Hey.
Oh, I'll get you that paper
after the weekend. Okay?
Thank you.
- They're meeting us at the bar.
- Oh, great.
A drink is needed.
Casting the quarterback may
not have been the genius move
I thought it was. He's barely
off book and we go up next week.
What's up with Clara?
It looked like you two
were having a pretty
intimate conversation.
Oh yeah, I'm just worried about her.
Something's going on and she
won't talk about it, so
Jack, we're their teachers,
not their friends,
- not their therapists.
- I know. I know.
But do you?
She's a good kid.
Uh-huh.
What? What's the look?
As much as you care, there's a line.
Especially these days.
- Yeah.
- You get that right?
- Of course.
- Okay.
You're right and thank you.
I love you.
Oh, shoot. I forgot my bag.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry. I'll be right back.
Go get it. I owe my mom a call.
Alright!
Clara! No! No!
No!
Let me go!
Clara, what's going on? What's going on?
I can't.
- What?
- I can't.
Clara, please just talk to me.
I'm I'm calling Principal Gilroy.
Okay?
- No. No! Please! No.
- We need to get you some help.
I don't have a choice. Hey! Hey! Hey!
No.
- It's okay, Clara, please.
- No.
Just give me my phone.
I'm trying to help you.
You can't help. You can't help me!
Will you give me a chance.
If you tell anyone,
I'll do it again, I swear to God.
I'll do it again the next chance I get
and you won't be able to stop me.
Clara, but why?
It's my only way out.
Okay. That's Ms. Thoms.
She's waiting for me outside.
I have to answer. If I don't pick up,
- she'll be here in two minutes.
- Please. Please don't tell her.
Please. Please.
Okay, okay, I won't.
But I have to answer. Okay?
Hey.
Do you need help finding your bag?
Yeah, no I no I found it.
Uh, I'm sorry.
Uh, I'm on with Dustin
and he's spiralling.
- Again?
- Yeah.
Um, so why don't you go
ahead without me, okay?
And I'll just get a car
and meet you there.
Buy everyone a round on me.
- Alright.
- Love you.
Love you, too.
Clara. Please. Just uh
just talk to me.
Please.
I haven't told anyone.
I'm pregnant.
Okay.
And I I can't be.
I can't. My parents
- Look. Look, look.
- They would disown me,
and they'd rather
they'd rather disown me
- than be embarrassed at church.
- No.
Better disowned than dead.
Look, I don't
I don't expect you to
understand my situation,
but my parents cannot find out.
Okay, well, um, what about
whoever got you pregnant?
- Do you know
- Of course I know who it is.
Okay.
I can't tell him either.
Uh, did someone hurt you?
No. It wasn't like that.
- Okay.
- It it was Richie.
Richie?
It was twice.
What's he gonna do about it?
Shelly already hates me enough,
so what's the point in telling him?
Well, look, um
I know that it doesn't seem like it,
but you have options.
Adoption?
I would still have to have the baby,
which means my parents finding out.
Yeah, well, there are other options.
You mean abortion.
You're not against that?
It it doesn't matter what I am.
Is that what you want?
I mean
sure, but Texas is a no go,
so is Oklahoma.
I tried to find the pills
you can order in the mail
but you need an address
they can mail them to
and obviously I don't have that.
Even if I could get myself to New Mexico
and find a way to pay for it,
I'd have to find someone with
a license to drive me back,
and I can't ask anybody to do that
because then everyone would know.
I'm not an idiot, okay?
But what am I supposed to do?
I can't be pregnant.
I can't. I can't.
Listen. Here, listen. Listen to me.
We'll figure it out. Okay?
I promise.
I promise.
Jack Fletcher wasn't content
simply to teach his
students the curriculum.
He insinuated himself into
their personal lives.
He groomed them to see him as a peer
so that he could get close to them.
Many of these relationships
were inappropriate
and constituted an abuse of power.
But his relationship with
sixteen-year-old Clara Palmer
went even further.
Mr. Fletcher would like
the world to see him
as a caring educator.
An enthusiastic teacher.
But that's not what this man is.
This man right here?
This man is a predator.
Clara?
- Yeah?
- Can I come in?
Yep.
Sorry, sweetie. Did you take my mascara?
I don't wear mascara.
I thought you might have borrowed it
- for your school play.
- No, I didn't.
Are you alright? We're leaving
in five to pick up my new car.
I just,
I have to sew a bunch of costumes
for the play and go thrifting.
It's gonna take all weekend.
But you have to come,
you picked the colour.
Can you please tell your
mother that she doesn't need
to impress the car salesman?
I've already bought the car.
Clara says she can't come.
Oh. Why not? Come on, it'll be fun.
I can't go. I'm sorry.
Alright then, we should get goin'.
We got our phones, you can call.
See you later.
Coffee?
Coffee.
There you go
and here comes the Jack
Fletcher Hangover Special.
Never abandon me at happy hour again.
I'm sorry I didn't make it last night.
And I'm sorry I don't remember
whatever you told me about
Dustin and his wife.
Are they separating again?
Um, uh, yeah we'll see. I um
I told him I'd drive down
to Odessa today to see him.
Oh, we have the barbeque with my family.
Yes, I know, I um
I just feel like I have
to be there for him.
That's okay.
It's just gonna be my
brothers watching the game
and my mom naming every girl
I went to high school with
who's married with kids.
Well, maybe you two should set a date.
Oh yeah? You're gonna lock this down?
You know it.
Hi.
Hi.
It's okay if you want
to change your mind.
Do you?
No.
How long have I been asleep for?
Uh, about an hour. A little more.
I'm sorry it's such a long drive.
I don't mind.
Stop abortion!
Stop killing God's baby!
I did that once.
With my mom when I was little.
Spent a long time braiding my
hair like we were supposed
to show them what they
were missing or something.
Checking in. Clara Palmer.
Your appointment was at one.
I know, I'm sorry, we
we had a really long drive.
It's okay. We're always
behind these days.
Fill out these forms here.
The green one is for insurance.
If you're going to need
help with payment,
there are organizations that can
Can I pay with cash?
- Yes. It's $750.
- Okay.
But you will need to fill out the
section marked "emergency contact".
Thank you.
We'll confirm how far along
you are with an ultrasound.
You don't have to look
at the monitor, okay?
If you're further than you think,
you may need a medical
procedure to end the pregnancy.
If that's the case,
is someone here with you?
Yeah.
Okay, good.
This won't hurt,
but you'll feel some pressure.
Okay.
You're measuring just over seven weeks,
which means you don't need surgery.
We'll be able to give you some pills
which will end the pregnancy
over the next few days.
Can I just do the surgery?
So I know it worked?
The pills are very effective.
I have a dose here for you now
and there's another medication,
misoprostol, that you'll
take at home in 24 hours.
Does all of that sound okay?
Yeah.
Can you hold your hand out for me?
This is the mifepristone to take now.
Go ahead and swallow those.
Good.
This has the pills for tomorrow.
When you take them,
let them dissolve in your mouth
before you swallow.
You'll probably start bleeding
pretty quickly after that.
It should feel like a heavy period.
Try to take it easy over the
next few days, if you can.
I have school on Monday.
Bring extra pads.
Here you go. Let's get you changed.
Hey. How's it going?
It's the usual dumpster fire.
I mean, between dealing with my family
and watchin' football all day
you would have been in agony.
Well, I love you more
than I hate football,
so I still wish I was there.
But um, I'm kinda in the
middle of it with Dustin,
maybe you can tell me
everything over dinner?
Is that an invitation?
I'll call you when I'm close.
I'll think about it.
Okay, see ya.
- Hi.
- Hello.
Remember, two in each cheek.
Let them dissolve for 30 minutes.
Ibuprofen for pain. No aspirin.
Thank you. Thanks.
Okay, so should we go?
Thank you.
Not just for today.
You know, Ms. Thoms is really lucky.
You're a good guy.
Most girls don't end up with good guys.
Well, it doesn't mean you can't.
No offence to you
and Miss Thoms,
but the whole marriage thing
is just kind of a relic.
Your parents are together, aren't they?
Not exactly, no.
I mean my biological father left
when I was like six months old,
but not until after he
ran up a bunch of charges
and ruined my mom's credit.
You know, we were always getting
kicked out of apartments,
sleeping in the car,
and leanin' on the church.
That's how my mom met my step-dad.
At church?
Yeah. When I was seven.
He owned a hardware store and I
think my mom felt like
Cinderella or something.
Well, that doesn't sound so bad.
Yeah, I I think my mom was just happy
we weren't broke anymore.
Are you okay?
I think it's working. Yeah.
Okay.
Ms. Thoms, you can either
swear on the Bible
or make a solemn affirmation
to tell the truth.
The Bible.
Place your left hand on the Bible.
Raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell the truth,
the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth?
I do.
- You're home!
- Aw!
- Did someone miss me?
- Horribly!
How'd it go with Dustin?
Um, I talked him down. At least for now.
He's lucky to have you as a friend.
Let's uh, let's get some dinner
and you can tell me about
the rest of your day.
My mom drank two hard seltzers
without realizing they were alcoholic.
- Oh no!
- And my father
refuses to acknowledge how upset he is,
and so he just goes outside
and starts furiously cleaning his grill.
Oh, shoot.
I meant to fill my tank before but
There's a station just up ahead.
Anyway, you were
you were so lucky to miss it.
Ah, apparently.
Your car is a total mess.
What's this?
I found it in your car.
If you want to be really horrified?
Check out my desk at school,
I have no idea how half
the stuff gets in there.
Let's go. Come on, I'm hungry.
Ms. Thoms, please state your
relationship to the defendant.
Uh, we were engaged for
most of the last year,
and we were together for
two years before that.
And how would you characterize
your relationship?
It was loving and fun.
Jack made me happy.
We were getting married.
But you ended your
engagement with Mr. Fletcher
- after his arrest.
- Yes.
Please tell the court why.
My Hamlet essay.
Oh!
I just hope your thesis isn't uh,
"Hamlet is a soft boy".
Well, he is. But, it's not.
Wait, wait, wait.
Uh, just talk to me for a second.
How are you doing?
Good.
- Yeah?
- Really.
- Oh.
- Hop.
Hey, Fletch. I was hoping
to catch you and uh
I just sort of had a personal issue.
Oh, maybe you should talk to
the counsellor about that.
Yeah, I barely know her,
and uh, it's about sex.
O Okay.
Um.
So, you know, Shelly and I've
been dating for like a year
and uh
And?
She wants to have sex.
Like, today.
She keeps saying "we're
ready" and obviously,
you know, I want to but uh
But what?
I'm not sure we should.
Like, I don't know if I'm really
gonna wait until I'm married,
but I always thought
I might and I just
I don't want to regret it later.
So you've never had sex?
No.
And I don't want her
to regret it either.
I don't want to be the guy
who messed her up, you know?
Clara.
Whoa. Hey.
Hey. Um
We need to talk.
About what?
Why you told me Richie got you pregnant.
You you talked to Richie?
Yes.
Whatever he told you, he's lying.
Clara, just cut it out, okay?
Give me the same respect
that I've always given you,
and just tell me why did
you make up the story.
Are you protecting someone?
Stop.
Are you afraid of them?
- Stop. Stop.
- Is it someone at home?
- Stop.
- Your stepfather?
Stop, stop!
It was him, wasn't it?
Even if it was,
no one would believe me.
He teaches Sunday School.
Clara, he's abusing you.
It would destroy my mother.
What about you?
You need to let this go.
Okay? It's over.
Is it?
Okay, I'm I'm sorry Clara,
but I have to report this to the police.
No, you, you told me you would help me.
I am.
You got me the abortion.
You're gonna lose your job!
We'll both have to deal
with the consequences,
but I can't do nothing.
You understand that, right?
I'm sorry.
Hold on one second.
I am sorry, I just got your text.
Can you meet me at my car?
We need to talk.
Can't it wait?
I'm about to step into
a department meeting.
I need you to meet me now.
Well, can it wait 30 minutes?
No.
What's going on, Jack?
When I see you, okay?
Please, Britney.
Okay.
Are you okay? What's goin' on?
I wanted you to hear it from me
before you hear
anything from anyone else.
Wait, hear what?
You're scaring me, Jack.
The other day,
when I went back for my bag.
I found Clara about to hang herself.
She was standing on the prop table.
She had an extension
cord around her neck.
- Oh my god.
- No, I got to her just in time.
Wait. Wait. Is she okay?
She was pregnant.
She had convinced herself
that was the only way out.
So, when I called you
and you said Dustin.
Yeah, that was a that was an excuse.
She she begged me
to keep it a secret.
She threatened to kill herself
if I told her parents or anyone else.
I'm not anyone, Jack.
I care about her too.
Of course, and I wanted
to tell you, Brit,
more than anything. But I was afraid
that she would go through with it.
She she almost did it.
I literally caught her as
she stepped off the table!
So when you said you went to see Dustin?
I uh
I was in New Mexico.
I took Clara to get an abortion.
Jack.
What else could I do? What?
She was going to take her own life.
Well, what about the
life she was carrying?
What would you have done?
I don't know.
But I would have never lied to you.
I've never given you
reason not to trust me.
Not to talk to me.
And now you've put me in
this horrible position
of keeping this secret
or blowing up our lives.
Britney, I'm not asking
you to keep any secrets.
I'm going to the police
to tell them everything.
The police? Why?
Because things have
gotten a little bit more
complicated than I thought.
More complicated how?
Jack Fletcher?
Turn around and put
your hands on the car.
- What's goin' on?
- Why?
Jack Fletcher, you're under
arrest for statutory rape.
What?!
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and
will be used against you
- in a court of law.
- This is insane!
You have the right to an attorney.
If you can't afford one,
a lawyer will be provided for you.
This is a mistake, alright.
You have to trust me.
Let's go.
This is a mistake. You have to trust me!
Defence calls Clara Palmer.
Ten students and five faculty members
were deposed by the District
Attorney and by me.
Those depositions have
been given to the jury.
Have you read them?
Would you say they were consistent
in their characterization
of your relationship
with Mr. Fletcher?
Yes, they were all, uh, consistent.
Everyone described Mr.
Fletcher as an advocate,
a fierce believer in your intelligence,
in your talent and in your future.
Is that an accurate description?
It was.
Before your claim that the
relationship between you
and Mr. Fletcher became sexual.
Yes.
Can you explain why
no one ever witnessed
one inappropriate moment
between the two of you.
He took me to get an abortion.
That's inappropriate.
Yes, it is. And it's illegal.
But it's a far cry from
the statutory rape charge
he's facing because of your allegation.
Mr. Fletcher acted against
his own moral judgment
because you were in crisis.
Because you threatened to
kill yourself if he didn't,
- isn't that right?
- No.
Mr. Fletcher risked his job,
his relationships,
and his freedom in order
to help you, didn't he?
Asked and answered, Your Honor.
- Sustained.
- Miss Palmer,
can you provide any concrete evidence
that the relationship with
Jack Fletcher became sexual?
No.
Because the relationship
with Mr. Fletcher
never became sexual, isn't that right?
It's because he got rid
of all the evidence
when he took me to get the abortion.
Clara, please don't do this.
You will not address
the defendant directly,
- is that clear?
- She's lying. She's scared!
One more word
and I will have you removed
from this courtroom,
do you understand?
Yes, Your Honor.
It's so good to see you.
Um they set bail at uh
a hundred grand and they
know I can't afford that.
Of course they set it high,
it's a crime against a minor.
Except I didn't do it.
Then why would she say you did?
Wait. What? You don't
seriously believe I
I don't know what to believe.
I never I never touched her, Brit.
I never even looked at her that way.
Look, she told me that Richie
had gotten her pregnant
and I believed her and then, afterward,
I found out that it was
actually her stepfather
who had been abusing her
for God knows how long.
I keep getting blind-sided!
I mean, look where we are!
I know.
And I'm sorry. I told her
I had to tell the police,
that's why I went to talk to you.
I was planning my life around you.
We can still have that life.
How?
I don't even know who you are.
I'm the same person I've always been.
Well, if that were true,
we wouldn't be here.
Brit, she's freaked out,
but she'll come to her senses
and we'll get through this.
Everything we talked about.
- Buying land, having kids.
- Kids?
Yes. Yes. You, me, a family.
That's still all that matters to me.
How can you say that after what you did?
What I did was try to
help a girl in trouble.
Even if that's true.
Even if I choose to
believe that you didn't do
everything that they're sayin'.
You still took an underage girl,
a kid, to get an abortion.
That wasn't for you to decide.
Do you think I wanted to get involved?!
Maybe if she had better options
I wouldn't have had to.
Even so.
You did it. And you lied about it.
And you didn't think about
what that would do to us?
My mom was 19
when she got pregnant
and she didn't think
that she wasn't ready.
She didn't think she couldn't do it.
And so
she was walking into an
abortion clinic when someone,
a complete stranger,
convinced her to change her mind,
to keep her baby.
To keep me.
So for me this isn't just
about my faith, it's who I am.
No, Brit! Brit! Brit.
When Mr. Fletcher was arrested,
he told the police
that your stepfather had
gotten you pregnant.
Did your stepfather get you pregnant?
- You never said that?
- No.
To your knowledge, did Mr. Fletcher
ever report your stepfather
to the authorities?
Only after he was arrested.
That's convenient.
Please tell the court what
happened when you told
Mr. Fletcher you were pregnant.
He told me he would take care of it.
And by "take care of it," did
he mean destroying evidence
of the illicit relationship
he'd instigated with
his underage student?
Leading the witness, Your Honor.
Sustained.
How did you pay for your abortion?
I didn't. Mr. Fletcher did.
How? Cash or a check? Credit card?
Cash.
So he could keep your
relationship hidden
- and untraceable.
- Conjecture, Your Honor.
Sustained.
How long had your
relationship been going on?
I don't know, I don't
Weeks? Months?
Approximately when did it start?
Spring.
The first time was in his car.
He was driving me home.
There was a baseball game on
the radio, so it was spring.
He pulled his car over.
So this had been going
on for several months.
- Yes.
- I need to talk to Britney.
You know you have to
convince the jury, not her.
And how's that goin'?
Please. Let me use your
phone so I can text her.
Sometimes he would ask
me to stay after school
to work on costumes for the play.
And to your knowledge did he ever ask
any other students to stay late?
- No. Not usually.
- Why didn't you tell anyone.
Because he told me that
that people would assume
that I wanted it.
I didn't want it. Not once.
I have no further questions.
The prosecution rests, Your Honor.
This court will recess for
15 before closing arguments.
All rise.
She did great back there. You did great.
We got about 15 minutes till
the Judge calls us back in,
I'm gonna get a beverage.
Anybody thirsty?
We're uh, we're good, thank you.
Okay.
Sweetie. What's going on?
She's just nervous.
Hey.
Everything's okay.
I got this, Jessica.
Just give us a minute, okay?
There, you see.
You see, you're worrying your mom.
What'd she ever do to deserve all this?
I can't do this to Mr. Fletcher.
You already have.
Mrs. Palmer.
Ms. Thoms
Can we talk? Somewhere private?
Whatever you have to say
you can say it right here.
Mrs. Palmer, I've seen you at church
and I believe you and I share a
deep devotion to Jesus Christ.
So you don't need me to
explain how grave a sin it is
to bear false witness.
What are you suggesting?
Your daughter is lying
about what happened.
I wasn't sure what to believe
myself, not at first.
But you are now?
Jack never denied taking
Clara to New Mexico to
terminate her pregnancy.
Which I'm still struggling with.
But these other charges,
Jack would have never done the things
that Clara's accusing him of.
This is almost over, alright,
but until it is, get a grip
and keep your mouth shut.
I think I've heard enough.
Then it's time to start listening.
If not to me, then to your own daughter.
What are you bothering my wife about?
Clara invented this story
because she's trying to protect you.
Leave my family alone. I'm warning you.
Clara, Jack cares about you, always has.
He doesn't deserve this.
I warned you to leave my family alone!
- No, Frank. You leave us alone.
- Come on Jessica,
you're not gonna let this woman
get you all turned around.
Don't you touch me!
Don't you touch me or
my daughter ever again!
Ma'am?
She is my daughter!
She is my daughter!
How could you?!
- What is goin' on?
- How could you?!
What is goin' on?
Is everything okay here?
How could you?
Clara's recanted her testimony.
She's giving a new
statement to the police.
They've taken her
stepfather into custody.
As to the charges against you,
they're gonna drop everything
except transporting a
minor across state lines
- without parental consent.
- Okay. Okay.
I'm not promising you anything,
but I'm pretty confident I
can cut a deal with the DA,
get you probation.
You'll probably lose
your teacher's licence,
at least in Texas,
but at least you won't be
a registered sex offender.
Oh. Thank you, thank you,
Emmett. Really.
Good luck, Jack.
Hi.
Thank you for believing me
and for saving me.
You're a good man, Jack.
I've really missed you.
I miss you too.
But I
I still can't get past what you did.
Maybe you will, in time.
Nothing's black and white.
Some things are. At least for me.
You know, I
I kept not being able
to throw this away.
At first I thought it was
evidence of something
between you and Clara,
but then I realized it
was a kind of sign.
Some things break and are
meant to stay broken.
And that's okay.
Yeah.
Hey.
Hey.
Heard the run went well.
I heard that too.
The show must go on, right?
I think I'm gonna hate myself
forever for what I did to you.
Oh I don't want that. Don't do that.
You don't you don't
have to be nice to me.
I don't think I deserve
you being nice to me.
Clara, look at me.
We're okay.
And all I ever wanted
was for you to be okay.
You know that, right?
You're a kid, I'm not mad at you.
You're just a kid.