High Potential (2024) s01e12 Episode Script

1
[RUMBLING]
[WHIMPERING, BARKS]
Hey. Aw. It's okay, boy.
It's okay, boy. I got you.
I got you. I got you.
Everything all right?
See, bud? Nothing to worry about. Yeah.
[ENGINE SHUTS DOWN]
[GAGGING]
Hey. Hey, hey, hey.
Anson! Come here. Help him.
- Oh, my God.
- What happened? Is he breathing?
Anson. Get a medic.
Somebody get a medic.
[SECURITY GUARD 2] Anson, wake up.
Somebody call for help!
["NEXT TO NORMAL" PLAYING]
- [PHONE VIBRATING]
- Hey, where are you?
[LUDO] Sorry. Sorry.
I'm pulling up right now.
All right. Book in bag. Let's go.
But Anna and Count Vronsky are
Will be waiting for you. Come on, guys.
- Let's see some hustle.
- Oh, yeah. Thanks, Coach.
There was only one checkout
lane open in the store,
so the place was a zoo,
but I got everything on the list.
- Elliot, I got your junk cereal.
- Cool.
Don't tell your mom.
Ava, I got spearmint gum
that's at the bottom
of one of these two bags.
Happy fishing.
And most importantly,
fresh diapers for my baby Chloe.
Whoa. Fragrance and dye free?
What is it, her birthday?
Well, you make it easy for me
to do my job by paying for everything.
Speaking of which, can you
do pickups this afternoon?
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
Yeah, I have to move a couple
of things arou But yes. Yep.
Good? Great. I love you.
Have a great day. Bye.
- Yeah, love you.
- Bye. Have a good one.
Oh. Shut the backdoor when you leave.
Yes, I'm on it. Have a good one.
[KARADEC] You thinking poison?
[MEDICAL EXAMINER]
There's no way to know for sure
until I do an autopsy.
But seems the most likely
based on what I'm seeing.
Good thing is I don't believe
it's an airborne toxin.
I'll call off hazmat.
- Any scene restrictions?
- Don't touch anything.
Eyes only until I get a full
toxicology done at the lab,
find out exactly what we're
really dealing with here.
[MORGAN] Gillory, with two L's.
[OFFICER] I-I'm sorry. I don't see
Come on. Hey! Hi! Hi!
She's clear. Let her through.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Have a beautiful day.
Seriously? Airport police?
Morgan.
Yeah, I see him. Who is he?
[KARADEC] Anson Pierce.
Founder of a company
called Virgo Core Beta Systems.
Just landed from a short flight
out of Orange County.
[DAPHNE] He's a big player
in the tech world.
Developed a popular and controversial
social media platform called Enigmafied.
It can turn any video you have
into a deepfake within minutes.
A few simple words of direction
in Anson's app
can transform images of you
playing with your kids in the park
to you spanking one
of your kids in the park.
Wow. Awesome.
That's not terrifying at all.
Please tell me Anson wasn't
traveling with a pet.
He was. His dog, Edison.
The animal's fine.
It's being evaluated now along with
Anson's security team and the pilots.
Go ahead and start processing
the inside of the plane.
- Yeah.
- [SIRENS WAILING]
Geez. Who's that?
[SIRENS STOP]
- Adam.
- Ronnie.
This is FBI Special Agent Oliver.
Respectfully, because
this is an FBI investigation
Says who?
Well, I don't wanna step
on anyone's toes here,
but you and I both know
that any homicide
originating in US airspace
falls under the jurisdiction of the FBI.
It's too early to determine
where the homicide originated.
[MORGAN] You know what it's not
too soon to determine?
Who our dead guy got in a fight with
back in Orange County on the ground.
I don't think those busted blood
vessels are from turbulence.
I'm sorry. Who is she?
I'm standing right here.
You could just ask me.
Who are you?
Morgan.
She's a consultant.
I see.
It's nice to meet you, Morgan.
And you're absolutely right.
The petechiae on the victim's
neck, it's highly unusual.
Our medical examiner's already arranged
to have the body transported
to our morgue.
So if we need any assistance
on this case, I'll reach out.
I'm gonna take a peek
around the plane, do my thing.
[RONNIE] Whoa, whoa, not so fast.
By law, that aircraft
is our crime scene.
Only my team should be
on the plane for the time being.
Would you kindly ask your
detectives to step off, please?
Oz.
Yeah?
Now, look, my concern is
that your medical examiner is
gonna quickly discover
that they are ill-equipped
to crack the code
on whatever toxin killed our victim,
let alone deduce how it was
administered.
- Here we go.
- Based on intel and my intuition,
this is not
a cyanide-in-a-soup situation.
The is far more sophisticated, okay?
The what of this case will be hard,
but I guarantee you
the how will be harder.
Are you finished?
I'm gonna wanna be there
for your ME's initial findings.
I'll see you at your precinct.
All right. So
Not a fan of the feds?
Some guys are better than others.
And what kind of a guy is Ronnie Oliver?
If you like overbearing federal agents
who think they can do no wrong
and wanna call all the shots,
Ronnie would be your guy.
So you guys have butted heads before.
Yeah, it's been a while.
Well, he called you Adam.
They only people I've heard
call you Adam
are the lieutenant and your mom
- when she called on your birthday.
- That was a private call.
- Then don't take it in the bullpen.
- Morgan,
not everything is a puzzle
you need to solve.
Come on. Clearly, you and this
special agent have history.
I need to know what it is
so I can be prepared.
Or use it to make fun of you.
He used to be my partner.
That's all I get?
That's all you get.
You really don't think
your new partner deserves
to know what happened
with your last partner?
You and I are not officially partners.
Not officially,
but you and I are both
Morgan, um
I need a favor. It's kind of a big one.
- What?
- No more questions about Ronnie, okay?
Focus on the case. Can we do that?
- Yes, let's focus on the case.
- Thank you.
Anson Pierce has been
the subject of controversy
over his social media platform.
It lets users create images
and videos that look so real,
it's impossible to tell
what's fake and what's not.
Or it can be used
to create misinformation
that can impact our politics,
destroy reputations
and put people's lives in danger.
Congress has tried to regulate
his company for years,
but he has an army
of lawyers and lobbyist.
No wonder he needed protection.
Where's his security detail now?
Still in the process of being
cleared at the hospital.
We're getting an ETA on when
they can come in for questioning.
And if Anson was poisoned on the plane,
that makes them all suspects.
[RONNIE] Diana, it's good to see you.
[DIANA] Always a pleasure, Ronnie.
Hold on. They let you in the building?
Lieutenant Soto, so good to see you.
Good to see you.
Wow. It's strange to be back here.
Yeah, strange to have you back.
I hear you're helping us out
on one of our cases.
Something like that.
We're waiting on the ME to
determine where the murder took place.
That'll determine jurisdiction.
Shouldn't you have a visitor badge
or something if you wanna be up here?
I won't stay long.
I just figured while we wait
on your ME's findings,
I'll join you while you question
Anson's family and witnesses.
And I'll need the transcripts
before I leave.
If it's not too much trouble.
Detective, you mind some company?
Why not?
Gloria, we're very sorry for your loss.
Right now, we're trying to gather
as much information as we can.
What can you tell us about your son?
When most kids were out
kicking a ball or riding bikes,
Anson wanted to change the world.
He was nine
when I realized his brain works
in ways most of ours don't.
[SNIFFLES]
[CRIES]
- How long ago were they partners?
- [GLORIA] Sorry.
A few years before you got here.
- [KARADEC] It's okay.
- Those two set a record
for closing the most cases
in a single year.
[KARADEC] Take your time.
They were quite the team.
[MORGAN] Until they weren't.
It was a rough year for all of us.
Every parent hopes
their kid will find something
that they're passionate about.
But you never think for a moment
that it might make your child a target.
Did Anson ever mention anyone
he was concerned about?
All the time.
Jealous competitors, stalkers,
every other tech blogger.
I didn't agree
with everything Anson did.
What parent does?
But his heart was
in the right place.
- [KARADEC] Mmm.
- [DOOR OPENS]
[KARADEC] We're gonna check
Anson's calendar and see if we can
ME just called up. Preliminary
autopsy on Anson is finished.
His toxicology screen won't
come back for a day or two.
So we can't be totally sure
he was poisoned?
[KARADEC] Or how.
It could be inhaled,
ingested or injected.
And I did find this.
- Injection site?
- [MEDICAL EXAMINER] That's possible.
But not likely.
- She always like this?
- Yes.
Based on how he died,
my guess would be a poison
in the anthrax family,
but modified.
Okay, we need to know
the makeup of the poison,
so we can determine
who might've created it.
Whoever made the poison may not
be the person who killed Anson.
Right, but they'll probably
remember who they sold it to.
All due respect, we gotta get
this body to my people
as soon as possible.
[KARADEC] Former navy SEAL, coast guard
and we've got Parker.
SWAT team out of Ventura.
I see you're still carrying
your handcuff key, huh?
Yeah, for, uh, good luck.
Guess it wasn't good enough today.
So you have no idea how the guy
you were hired to protect was killed?
Believe me, I wish we did.
You don't know or you're not telling us?
You think we had something
to do with it?
Do you know how hard it'll be
for any of us to find a job now?
Mr. Pierce died on our watch.
What's more upsetting to you:
His life ending or your career?
Hey, I liked Mr. Pierce,
but we weren't with him 24/7.
If we knew anything, we'd tell you.
Your boss was a very busy man.
Looks like almost every hour
of his last week
is accounted for here on his schedule.
The thing that bothers me is that
every meeting here is so detailed
except for this one: Orange County.
Two hours, no location, no name.
What's that about?
We don't know.
He had us drive him
to an office building downtown.
He asked us to wait in the car.
We're gonna need that address.
- Morgan, you got anything?
- Not yet.
What about you? None of
those security guards confessed?
No, but there's a two-hour window
before Anson got on his plane
where they claim
to have no idea where he was.
Well, that's not nothing.
[RONNIE] I'm heading back to the bureau.
I'll have my team look
into the backgrounds
of Anson's security team.
As will we.
Okay. And please expedite
the body transfer.
Ronnie, I think you should reconsider.
Adam, it's not personal, all right?
I think it's best for my team to handle
this investigation without interference.
Things will move a lot faster. Trust me.
Trust you? Really?
[MORGAN]
Where'd we get this flash drive?
Found it in Anson's jacket pocket.
I had it processed this morning.
- It's not his.
- What do you mean?
Anson's first breakthrough
in tech was designing
a higher capacity flash drive
his sophomore year
at Taft High School.
His company
still makes them today.
So, why would he have a flash drive
from one of his competitors
in his coat pocket?
- He wouldn't.
- Let's see what's on that drive.
- [BEEPING]
- [PEOPLE CLAMORING]
[OZ] Wait. What happened?
Is your computer down too?
- I don't know. It just went blank.
- [OZ] What's happened?
[PERSON] What's going on?
What the hell happened?
The hard drive we found on Anson
must've had malware
that breached our fire wall.
I'm running
every antivirus program I can.
Keep trying till something works.
Someone wanted
what this malware's doing to us
to happen to Anson.
And if someone was able
to give a hard drive to Anson,
then they were close enough
to poison him too.
- Oz, pull any and all CCTV
- [OZ] Hmm?
on Anson's whereabouts in Orange County
before he boarded his plane to LA.
Whoever gave that flash drive
to Anson is our prime suspect.
- Got it.
- [RONNIE] I'll head to the field office
and get a tech team to do
a sweep for satellite video.
Great. We can use
all the help we can get.
Until we're back online, there's
nothing else we can do here.
You two, go with him.
[KARADEC] So, do we need
to go over the rules?
- Rules?
- Let's just get in, get out,
mine the FBI for any information
we can use on the case,
then get back home.
- You worried I'm gonna embarrass you?
- Not at all.
I'm just saying let's both
be on our best behavior, okay?
- [SECURITY SYSTEM BEEPING]
- Always.
Ma'am, I'm gonna have
to ask you to empty your bag.
You got it.
Applesauce.
Agent Oliver.
Everyone, this is
Detective Karadec from the LAPD.
- And his consultant
- Gillory. Nice to meet you all.
All right. Rina's one of top profilers
and was about to take us through.
Yeah, great.
Okay. Now, based upon what we know
about Anson Pierce's murder,
and data from a wide range
of crimes like this,
I believe the killer was
likely a single white male.
Educated but unemployed.
Someone in his orbit.
Likely, a professional contact
who had the ability to get close.
Do you have something you wanna add?
[CLICKS TONGUE] Uh
Just Yeah, that's
definitely a possibility.
You got another one?
Well, I don't have any formal
training in profiling
We know.
Yeah, of course you do.
[CLEARS THROAT] Let's see.
Based on my own data
called "gut instinct,"
given Anson's polarizing views
on technology
[PEOPLE BOOING]
I think it is possible
that the killer could
be a shut-in who hated Anson.
A Luddite who disliked technology.
Somebody who was pissed off at
what the company was doing. Right?
'Cause this just feels
like a personal thing to me.
You think my profile's off?
Didn't Didn't I just explain that?
Tech team just found this.
Enhance that image.
[KARADEC] That must be the flash
drive we found in Anson's pocket.
Apply facial recognition
and run it through the system.
- How long is that gonna take?
- Not long.
Already found him.
Simon Keating. Looks like
he's unemployed and single.
Nice work, Rina. All right,
let's bring this guy in.
When did this happen?
Shortly after you slipped that
flash drive into his pocket.
So, did you kill him?
[SIMON] Are you serious?
Yeah, I am. He's dead.
And you got real close.
I was just trying to get his attention.
Okay? He didn't understand
how much we had in common,
how much I could help him.
I needed Anson to realize that
his cybersecurity infrastructure
was being spearheaded
by maladroit morons.
I wanted to protect him
from the white hats.
They're ethical-minded super
hackers that are not to be trifled with.
So you want me to believe
that you're a hacker
who tried to protect Anson from
other hackers by hacking him?
Not quite that simple,
but close enough.
You know what else is
not so simple?
The poison that killed Anson.
The good news is his body's landing
at our toxicology lab within the hour.
Which means we'll get to the
bottom of what toxin was used
and who used it real soon.
We'll keep you in holding until then.
Plenty of sunshine and
blue skies on tap for you
[RAP MUSIC PLAYING]
[TAPPING]
[WHIMPERING] Don't shoot.
Okay, okay. All right.
[PANTING]
What's happening?
[BEEPS]
[GROANS]
I don't think Rina the profiler
and I are gonna be friends.
Yeah, well, you know, Morgan,
I think the fact that Anson's
body just got blown up
might take precedence.
That's fair.
Guys, please, tell me we got a lead
on whoever attacked our coroner.
CSI is processing the scene.
So far, nothing.
Not a single witness? Nothing?
Anson's body should've never
come here in the first place.
No one could've anticipated
this would happen, Ronnie.
It's becoming painfully clear
that some things never change.
- What's that supposed to mean?
- It means stop being so stubborn
and admit you made the wrong call.
The wrong call about what?
Staying on this case.
My team doesn't need assistance!
It's causing too many problems!
We don't gotta turn this
into some kinda contest.
Contest? We're doing our jobs
same as you.
- Oz, right?
- Yeah.
Do me a favor. Stay in your lane.
[DAPHNE] And you do me a favor.
Show us some respect in our house.
You don't live here anymore.
- Daphne
- No. That is my partner you're talking to.
Choose your words carefully.
That sounds like a warning, Detective.
- How perceptive.
- Lieutenant, you gonna step in here?
No.
Maybe we should all just
get back to work.
Oh. Good idea.
Let me hit somebody at the
bureau to see if they can help
put Anson's body back together
piece by piece.
I don't know if I ever
mentioned it to you guys,
but I was in labor for two hours
with my third baby
before she popped out.
There she was,
brand-new person in the world.
The point is,
a lot can happen in 120 minutes.
So instead of doing whatever
this is that you guys are doing,
maybe we circle back
to that mystery meeting
that Anson had the day before he died.
Yeah, because poisoning Anson
and orchestrating
an attack to destroy evidence
feels like a lot
for one person to pull off.
And Simon's been in holding all
day and couldn't have done it.
You think our killer
was working with a partner?
I do. So maybe whoever Anson met
in that two-hour time window
is the one who poisoned him.
Okay, so are we compiling
a list of experts
who could make a poison
like the one that killed Anson?
Do you really think I don't
already have a digital dossier
with multiple suspects waiting
for me back at the field office?
Keeping things from us is not
going to help solve this case.
Oh, and you think sharing
confidential files with,
I don't know, a consultant, will?
Yes, it will. So, tag her in and
let her show you what she can do.
You know, It's starting to feel
like when I left this place,
you lost your mind.
You know what, Ronnie?
I'll make you a deal.
You show us all your intel,
and if we come up empty,
we'll back off the case.
What do you say?
Meet me in my office.
You come up short, you're out.
Look, I don't care who gets
credit for solving this case,
I just want it solved.
Don't let personal feelings
get in the way
of figuring out who killed Anson.
- I hear you, but
- But what?
The FBI has information
that we need to see, Selena.
That Morgan needs to see.
How else are we gonna
get our hands on it
unless I offered up something in return?
Fine. I know your history.
If you have something to prove,
you better not let it
get in the way of this case.
I will never let that happen.
But right now, we're just a
distraction for him, especially Morgan.
He sees her exactly
the same way I used to
before I realized
how valuable she really is.
And I know it's a big risk, but
it's one I'm willing to take.
Let's hope it pays off.
All right, Morgan.
Here's a handful of terabytes
of information to sift through.
Terabytes. Of course.
You sure you wanna do this?
Oh, yeah. Piece of cake.
What else can you tell her about
the intel before she dives in?
There are roughly a dozen toxicologists
on our radar for various reasons.
My team is still in
the process of discovering
which one might've had motive
to kill Anson.
- Hopefully I can help.
- All right. Have at it. [SIGHS]
All right. [SIGHS]
I think I've seen enough.
It's already morning.
Maybe we should get some rest.
You know, there is such a thing
as too much information.
I just wish I had something
a little more concrete.
Well, What about him?
You keep circling back
to this guy over and over again. Why?
Kenneth Sutton was a
board-certified medical toxicologist
at California Poison Control
for a decade.
He quit three years ago and went
off the grid after his daughter died.
Her name was Julie.
- What happened to her?
- She took her own life
when misinformation was spread
about her on Anson's AI platform.
- She was 24.
- Okay, well, there's motive.
Yeah, and the FBI went
and visited Kenneth
right after Anson's murder.
Did they? It would've been nice if
they'd shared that information with us.
Yeah. And here's the weird thing.
According to their files,
Kenneth only left his apartment
on Wednesdays
to go put flowers
on his daughter's grave.
You mean no other contact
with the outside world?
It doesn't look like it.
And Ronnie's team pulled these photos
from the surveillance cameras
at the Verdugo Hills Cemetery.
That's it. There's no other record of
him going anywhere on any other day.
Why would you wear gloves
to put flowers on a grave?
- You wouldn't.
- He's not wearing gloves
at any of these other cemetery visits.
Only this one.
And look at the date.
That's two days before Anson's murder.
I think he was wearing gloves to
protect himself from the poison
that he hid in the flowers.
Poison he put there so somebody
else could come and pick it up
and kill Anson with it.
[CHUCKLES]
I don't know how,
but I think you did it.
- Let's go talk to Kenneth.
- Yeah.
- [PHONE VIBRATING]
- Good morning.
Hey. How's everyone doing over there?
Uh We're all good here.
Just, uh, trying to feed our
little lady before I do drop-off.
Be right there.
Um Bet you can imagine
why I'm calling.
How late are you gonna be?
It's tough to say.
Are you kidding me?
Are you sure everything's all right?
Yeah, yeah. Uh Just, um
I don't think I can stay over
again tonight.
That's okay. I should be home
by dinner at the latest.
I I can't clear my whole schedule.
Ludo, I know this is a lot,
but it's kinda
what we both signed up for.
No, I know, I know. You're right.
I got it.
Okay. All right, I'll see you tonight.
Mm-hmm.
[SIGHS]
[PHONE RINGING]
[TIRES SCREETCH]
[VOICEMAIL]
It's Ronnie. Leave a message.
Hey, Ronnie. We're pretty sure
we know who made the poison
that killed Anson.
Guy named Kenneth Sutton.
75 Edenhurst, apartment 406.
We're just getting there now.
Call me back.
Kenneth Sutton.
Detective Adam Karadec, LAPD.
Need to ask you a couple of questions
about the death of Anson Pierce.
- I already spoke to the FBI.
- Yeah, we know you did.
But they didn't ask about the
gloves you were wearing the other day
when you went to put flowers
on your daughter's grave.
We know why you wanted Anson dead.
You blamed him
for your daughter's suicide.
Kenneth. Kenneth! Freeze!
Kenneth!
- [OFFICER 1] There he is.
- [OFFICER2] Hey, freeze!
No, no, don't do it!
Your leg will never make it!
- [KENNETH GROANS]
- [MORGAN SCREAMS] Oh, my God!
[BONE CRACKS]
[KARADEC SIGHS] Damn it, Kenneth.
[KARADEC] Let's see what
Kenneth's apartment has to say.
[MORGAN] This feels awful.
Did you know that deepfake video
of Julie was only 31 seconds long?
It took one bully less than a minute
to ruin her life with Anson's app.
Yeah, that's the world we live in now.
Well, please remind me to throw
my 15-year-old daughter's phone
in the trash when I get home.
Looks like your profile
on the killer was right.
A shut-in who hated Anson.
Yeah, but I don't think I could've
predicted he was a butterfly.
- A butterfly?
- Yeah.
Everyone has got
a different organizing style.
Like, ladybugs prefer
to have lots of storage
to hide their mess.
Now, bees.
Bees build their hives
very structured and efficient.
So the bee organizing style
is much more methodical.
Whereas crickets like to have
things very neat and orderly,
with just a couple of
sentimental items front and center.
Mmm. And, uh, what's a butterfly?
Butterflies like to have
everything out in the open
so there's quick and
easy access to everything.
Much like Kenneth does. Or did.
Now, I am a ladybug and you,
my friend, you're a cricket.
- Morgan.
- We can talk about it later.
- Or never.
- I'll probably squeeze it in somewhere.
So while it might look on the outside
like Kenneth was a pack rat, he's not.
Everything here was important
to him. Everything had purpose.
Well, let's just hope
we can find something here
which leads us to whoever
he was working with.
No TV, no computer.
No technology of any kind,
so he must've been partnering
with somebody who's tech-savvy,
- someone like Simon.
- [PHONE VIBRATES]
Looks like the FBI just landed.
I'll handle this. Should be fun.
Tell me it's not true.
Our suspect is dead?
We tried to stop it.
You shouldn't have tried anything!
I called you. You didn't answer.
As I predicted, Morgan came through.
Now we're even further away
from solving this case.
Or are we one step closer
to solving this case?
What? You got a confession
before he jumped?
Ronnie.
Come on, brother.
We can't keep working like this.
I can admit maybe I was letting
some of the past get in the way
of how I was handling the case.
That's on me.
But the bottom line is,
this thing that we're doing,
it's not good for either side.
There shouldn't be any sides, man!
I walked right into that one, didn't I?
You know, I still know you pretty well.
And that's why I know
you wanna solve this case
just as badly as we do
and for all the right reasons.
Just like we used to do
back in the day. Hmm?
You were always the calm one.
Apparently, I still am.
All right, man. Look, let's
just, uh, process the scene,
see if we can find anything
that leads us to whoever
Kenneth was working with.
Hey, Morgan. Ronnie's team
is pulling security footage
from Verdugo Hills Cemetery to
see who picked up that poison.
[MORGAN] Great.
Let's just hope whoever it was didn't
know there were security cameras,
or they would've made sure we
couldn't get a good look at 'em.
Yeah, here's hoping.
You miss it, don't you?
Being his partner.
It's okay. I'm not gonna have
hurt feelings if you do.
Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do miss the guy.
I mean, he was more than
my partner. He was my friend.
So, you just don't like how it ended?
[SIGHS]
We had a few bad seeds in the department
who wanted to see
the two top detectives go down.
Some evidence went missing
from one of our cases,
pretty large sum of money
from the crime scene.
I guess it looked
like we were on the take.
Okay, you don't wanna
talk about it. That's okay.
It was an honest mistake, Morgan.
The money was incorrectly
logged into the evidence file.
One wrong digit, a nine
that should've been a zero,
and it looked
like we had stolen the money.
Things got messy, rumors started flying,
Ronnie saw an opportunity
at the FBI and he took it.
Took it and ran. Left me to clear
both of our names, which I did.
Weathered the storm,
but I definitely got wet.
People around here
didn't look at me the same
for a long time after that.
- Even though you didn't do anything wrong?
- Mm-hmm.
And Ronnie, he was gone.
[KARADEC] Wait a minute.
What's this? What are you
What are you doing?
What's your face doing?
Pretty sure that's what my face
looks like when I've got something.
Do you have something?
We thought Anson was in some
kind of altercation
the day he died, right?
Yeah. What, you don't?
I mean, if he didn't mention it
to his security team,
the team he paid to keep him safe,
then maybe these marks on his body
weren't from a fight.
Ah. Oh
You think he was in
a different kind of encounter.
One where he was a willing participant?
Well, that two-hour mystery meeting.
Sounds like we need to talk
to the person
he was meeting with in Orange County.
Yeah. I'm gonna get
Ronnie's help on this.
Have him get some footage of
the back exit of the office building.
I think that Anson was
just passing through
on his way to a more comfortable
spot for his "meeting."
Oh. Adam and Morgan, welcome back.
Nice work to our partners at the LAPD
who helped to lead us to Aria Vale.
She checked into The Borzi Hotel
in Orange County
- the night before Anson's death.
- What do we know about her?
Well, she runs a nonprofit
that tries to regulate AI
in online technology.
And she made no secret about her
desire to shut down Anson's company.
We think she might have found
another way to shut him down.
- [RONNIE] Yeah.
- I have so many questions for this woman.
Well, so do I.
Which is why I have a team
tracking her down as we speak.
[PHONE VIBRATING]
- Give me a second.
- Mm-hmm.
- Hi.
- Mom. It's Dad.
- He He just
- Wait. Elliot?
Honey, slow down. What's going on?
He just collapsed.
What? Is he breathing?
You know what? I'm gonna call 911, okay?
No. No ambulance. It's okay. I'm fine.
[GROANS]
He keeps saying no.
What do you want us to do?
Keep an eye on him, all right?
Everything's gonna be okay.
I'll be right there.
Thanks.
Hey. Are you okay?
I think I recognize that voice.
Is that the mother of my children?
- What happened?
- I got lightheaded and I fainted.
But I'm fine, really.
- Okay. Is Chloe down?
- Yeah, she's asleep.
- Where's Elliot?
- He's outside on the porch.
Okay. Can you give us a second?
Mm-hmm.
[GROANS, SIGHS]
- Do you you wanna talk about it?
- Not really. No.
Look, I was probably dehydrated
and didn't eat enough food.
- But I'm good now.
- I'm sorry.
Why are you sorry?
None of this is your fault.
I'm just having you do
so much with the kids,
and you're really picking up
the slack around here.
- I just feel really bad
- Yeah, because I want to.
When you and I split up,
we agreed we're gonna remain
a family no matter what.
That's what I'm doing.
I know. And I couldn't do this
without you.
And I don't want to.
I feel the same.
Thanks.
I'm gonna go check on Elliot.
Yeah, please do. I think
he's a little freaked out.
I know that the two of you
remember everything
that ever happened, but if you
can find a way to erase the memory
of his father face-planting
on the kitchen tile,
I'd really appreciate it.
Sorry I missed it.
[CHUCKLES]
You need a blanket out here?
I'm okay.
That was pretty scary, huh?
Yeah. You know what?
Your dad is just fine.
But I'll have him go to the
doctor tomorrow, just to be safe.
They should probably order
an MRI, or an echo.
I read that dizziness could be
a sign of a silent heart attack,
or a coronary spasm that can
lead to a myocardial infarction.
The Internet's a dangerous place.
Apparently, so is our kitchen.
You're worrying, I can tell.
It's okay. I'm worried too.
- You are?
- Oh, yeah.
Sometimes my mind can take me
to places I don't wanna go.
Does that ever happen to you?
It did today.
Yeah, thoughts are hard to control.
You know, especially when you've
got a brain like you and I do.
But we are in charge.
And the trick is to focus
on the stuff that you do want,
not the stuff that you don't.
I don't think I can.
It's not always easy. I know.
But I guess we gotta ask
ourselves, do we wanna be scared,
or do we want to notice
all of the wonderful things
that are happening right around us?
Like what?
Like the fact
that my son called me today
'cause his dad needed help,
and that made me so proud.
Like the fact
that we're all here tonight
under one roof, safe and sound.
But for tonight, you're all mine.
And I'm grateful for that.
[ELLIOT] Me too.
[CHUCKLES] Okay, okay, I can't breathe.
[MORGAN] You can breathe fine.
If you couldn't breathe,
you wouldn't be able to talk.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
Anson felt that you were resisting
the inevitable evolution
of humans and technology together.
He said, quote, "Aria Vale fears
the inevitable and hates freedom."
Look, we met up a few times
to try to find common ground.
And?
We both decided that we were
wasting each other's time.
[SCOFFS]
[RONNIE SIGHS]
- Here it comes.
- Here comes what?
One word.
You familiar with the Getty kouros?
The ancient sculpture?
Well, people thought it was,
until a famous art scholar
by the name of Pierre Paul
took one look at it
and uttered one word,
"fake."
No proof, just his intuition.
Old Pierre had the ability
to identify what was real
and what wasn't based on a gut feeling.
Okay.
I can do it too.
You know what word comes to mind
when I see you?
"Liar."
Now you're acting surprised.
It never gets old.
And I ain't buying that either.
So what do you say? You ready
to start telling me the truth?
During one of our meetings,
things got heated.
That's how he got the bruises
on his neck and wrists?
Yes.
A collar and wrists restraints.
You know, a guy dies from poison
just hours after you saw him.
I didn't poison him.
Well, can you explain this?
That's from my earring.
It poked him, and we laughed about it.
Anything else you wanna tell me?
Yeah. [SIGHS]
I think I need a lawyer.
Based on cell tower triangulation,
neither Simon nor Aria came
anywhere near Julie's grave
in the days leading up
to Anson's murder.
Hmm. So neither of them are
the person in this photo
retrieving the poison.
You know, unless maybe
they pulled that trick
that we came across with our suspect
in the Pawn Shop homicide case?
He left his cell at home to shore
up his alibi. Remember that one?
Oh, you mean Abe's Smoke Shop
murder on Crenshaw Boulevard.
No, I'm certain it was
Mr. P's Pawn on Centinela.
- You wanna make this interesting?
- What are we making interesting?
Welcome back. Is Ludo okay?
Yes. Thank you. Where are we?
We're still trying to connect
Aria or Simon to Kenneth.
Yeah, but I think it may be time
to open it up to other suspects.
I just don't buy that Kenneth
didn't have more contact
- with whoever he was working with.
- Yeah. I agree.
But there's no evidence
that he met with anyone else.
I mean, we checked his friends,
his family, his colleagues.
But Kenneth was a butterfly.
- A what?
- His organizing style.
Everything in his place had purpose.
See these books right here?
I mean, they look completely untouched.
Hard copies still wrapped in plastic.
- Louisa May Alcott.
- You familiar?
Enough to know one of
her most famous quotes.
"It takes two flints to make a fire."
Yeah, I think those books
belonged to Kenneth's daughter.
Parker had a flint hanging
on his key chain,
most likely a gift from Julie.
I bet there's more than just a spark
between him and our
Louisa May Alcott enthusiast.
I think Julie and Parker were
in a relationship when she died.
Okay. So you're saying Kenneth
and Parker hatched a plan
to kill Anson in retribution
for Julie's death.
Makes perfect sense.
Parker had the credentials to work
his way onto Anson's security detail.
And we know Kenneth made the poison.
Kenneth had dog collars
in his apartment but no dog.
I bet the poison was placed
in the dog collar
and hidden inside the flowers
that Kenneth left
at Julie's grave.
Parker must've
picked up the flowers
and put the collar
on Anson's dog,
which made contact
with his skin on the flight.
Time for him to tell us.
- Karadec, we got a big problem.
- How big?
My apprehension team
just made it to Parker's hotel.
He must have seen us coming
'cause he's long gone.
Can you do some sort of satellite
facial tracking or something?
- Yeah, already in the works.
- Screen two.
Our problem is about
to get a whole lot bigger
if he's heading back
to the Valley airport.
Anson's jet is still there.
He could be making a run for it.
We'll tag in TSA to stop him.
- [DAPHNE] Forrester.
- Daphne, I need you here. Now.
Got it. On my way.
Hey.
No communication with air
traffic control. Understand?
All right.
- [SIREN WAILING]
- Just like old times.
And new times.
Let's just hope this plan works.
Let's go, let's go!
How long till we're in the air?
[STUTTERING] Five minutes or so.
Daphne, how we looking?
We're doing our best.
Simon's a little frazzled.
This is incredibly challenging.
Keep trying. We're running out of time.
Yeah, I can see that.
- Come on! Go, go! Go!
- Okay, okay, okay, okay.
[ENGINE POWERING DOWN]
- What did you do?
- Nothing. Nothing, I swear.
- Why did that happen?
- I don't know. Everything just shut down.
[SIRENS WAILING]
- [OFFICER 1] Freeze!
- [OFFICER 2] Hold it!
LAPD!
FBI!
- Drop it!
- Drop the weapon now!
- Put the weapon down!
- Parker, put the gun on the ground.
Do it! Now!
Unless you wanna meet
Kenneth on the other side.
- [OFFICER 4] Team, move in.
- [OFFICER 5] You're covered.
[OFFICER 6] Stay on him.
[RONNIE] Cuff him.
[OFFICER 7] All right, move.
[SIGHS]
First time hacking into
the motherboard of an airplane?
First and last.
[CHUCKLES]
[RONNIE] Pretty nice view, right?
[KARADEC] I've seen better.
Here. Souvenir.
You know, I almost
took one of these earlier.
- Almost.
- [LAUGHING]
Thanks.
I'm sure you saw the press
release from Anson's mother.
- I did.
- Yeah.
Well, it looks like she's gonna lobby
to regulate all of her son's platforms.
Hopefully there's not another
tragedy like Julie's in the future.
Amen to that.
[KARADEC SIGHS]
I'm sorry, Adam.
I probably should've said that
a while ago,
but turns out I'm even more
stubborn than you are.
Yeah, man, I
I saw an exit, and I took it.
And I left you to clean up
the mess for both of us,
which you did.
But in many ways,
you're the reason I'm here.
Nah, you would've still made it
on your own, even without my help.
- Yeah, probably would've.
- [KARADEC CHUCKLES]
- But I still owe you one.
- No, you do not.
I do.
Which is why I'd like
to put in a word for you
with the special agent in charge.
So, what do you say?
[SIGHS]
[KARADEC] Morgan,
I need to tell you something.
Hmm?
Ronnie offered me a job.
He wants to partner with me again.
- Wow.
- Hmm.
- What did you say?
- I said no.
Okay, when I worked at the DMV,
and a big rig driver named Rufus
suggested that I'd be a pretty
decent long-hauler
- Hmm-hmm.
- I at least slept on it
before I told him, "Absolutely not."
I don't need to sleep on it.
This is where I wanna be.
And I have a new partner now.
- What did you just say?
- You heard me.
I mean, plus, you saw the FBI, Morgan.
I mean, the gadgets, the tech,
the bells, the whistles, it would
It would make our job
way too easy, wouldn't it?
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, how we gonna, you know,
take all the credit
and brag about everything if the
computers are doing all the work?
That's what I'm saying.
All right. Well
["THE GOOD SIDE" PLAYING]
Then I guess
I'll see you tomorrow, partner.
I'll be here.
I got the good side of things ♪
Yeah.
This seems like a bad idea.
I don't think you have enough
information to determine that.
[AVA] Hey, hey, no peeking.
I'm not! I'm not.
And swayed in the breeze ♪
Okay. Ready?
Take it off.
Ta-da!
Oh! I thought I smelled tacos.
Mom even got those nachos with
the disgusting cheese you like.
- [LUDO SIGHS]
- [ELLIOT] It's called Queso Oaxaca.
She's letting us eat on the
coach. And we're watching 2001?
A Space Odyssey? With all of us?
If the kids can get through
the monkey part.
It's not a documentary, is it?
Oh, God forbid you learn something.
Thank you.
You got it.
We're all so busy.
We gotta remember to slow down
and appreciate each other.
- Mm-hmm.
- I'm glad you're okay, Dad.
Hey, me too, buddy.
- Can I press play?
- Go nuts.
[TV BEEPS]
The good side of things ♪
- [MORGAN] Oh, boy.
- Ew. No. Gross.
Use a fork or something.
Seriously, who raised you?
I had nothing to do with it.
Don't look at me. That is
kinda gross, buddy. Here.
Apologize ♪
Oh, my God.
What have I gotten myself into?
So good, right?
[MORGAN] Mmm.
The good side of things ♪