The Protector (2011) s01e13 Episode Script
Safe
You got time for coffee? No.
I gotta go.
Yeah.
Boys get up at 7:00.
- Mm - I gotta get home.
So [sighs.]
When do I get to meet them? Come on.
[ Chuckles .]
We've been doing this for a while now.
It hasn't been that long.
Seven weeks.
Not that I'm counting, 'cause -- mmm -- that would mean I was, you know, counting.
Come on.
I can come over as a friend, a cop you work with.
You know, the cabana boy.
It's not you.
I know that my boys would really like you.
I'd like them, too.
I'm sure I would, so what is it? It's just that the only man that my boys have ever seen me with is their father, andI just have to do this at the right time, you know, and the right way.
I have to be careful.
Yeah.
So I gotta go.
Okay? - Mm.
- I really I can't be late, and it's alreadypretty late.
- I know.
- Yeah, but I -- no.
No, wait, I gotta go.
[ Exhales sharply .]
Davey: Just like high school, huh? Sneaking in before dawn.
[ Chuckles .]
Are Nick and Leo still asleep? Yeah.
I'm gonna go for a run.
Great.
I'll start breakfast.
Davey Jack wants to meet the boys.
Good.
You're happy.
He's a good guy.
They'll see that.
[ Groaning .]
[ Cellphone rings .]
Hey.
Hey! Uh, how about dinner tonight -- here? You'd get to meet Nick and Leo.
Get to meet my brother.
Really? Wow.
I mean, yes, yes.
Yes, definitely.
All right, great.
I just have a few simple ground rules, all right? If you try to touch me in front of the boys, and I will stab you with a fork.
You look at me amorously, I stab you with a fork.
You mention that we've been dating and -- Yeah, I know, I get it.
The fork thing.
I got it.
Great.
I'll, uh, I'll see you tonight.
[ Beep .]
Hey.
Are you okay? You need any help? No, I'm good, man.
It's just my ankle.
Thanks.
[ Gunshots .]
The Protector 1x13 Safe The victim's name is Fredrick Ralston.
He owns the bus.
Did you see this? Who tries to hide a safe on a bookmobile? I mean, why wouldn't he get a safety-deposit box or something? I know.
It's like some James Bond secret stash or something.
Yeah, killer tried to shoot off the tumblers.
Fool's lucky he didn't shoot himself with the ricochet.
Well, he's dressed for a run.
Seems fit.
Maybe he comes here on a regular basis.
You think the shooter knew he'd be here? Maybe.
And if he did, maybe he knew about the safe, huh? Hey, we find the murder weapon? No, and his wallet was still in his pocket.
I got S.
I.
D.
and uniforms sweeping the area.
They're holding a witness for us.
Yeah.
He was limping, and he said he hurt his ankle, and a few seconds after he got on the bus, that's when I heard the gunshots, and then I saw someone run out of the bus.
Did you see the suspect? Yes.
Can you describe him at all? Yeah, he was -- he was a black, trim guy, not too big, and -- and he was wearing an orange knit cap.
Was he lighter or darker than me? Darker.
And like I said -- orange cap.
Let me ask you a quick question.
I notice you're wearing bicycle shorts, but I didn't see your bike anywhere.
I find them comfortable.
Oh.
I see.
Well, thank you very much.
Once we find the suspect, we'll probably call you downtown to look at some pictures.
Okay.
Thanks very much.
I don't know -- maybe when he got hurt, he turned back and surprised the killer.
Yeah, well, I'm gonna run that witness back there just on the bike shorts alone.
All right, well, let's head over to the victim's house.
Maybe we can fill in some blanks there.
Yeah, I want them to meet the kids, see where we live.
So you feel good about it.
Well, if by "good" you mean terrified, then yeah.
I mean, what if the boys don't like him? Or even worse, what if they do like him and Jack and I stop dating? That could be a disaster.
Well, at least you're trying.
I've never even brought anybody home to meet my folks.
Students, roommates? I don't know.
"Blessing Way Collective.
" Collective? Is it a modern group of hippies? Morning.
I'm Detective Dulcett.
This is Detective Sheppard.
We're here to talk to you about Fredrick Ralston.
[ Dog yapping in distance .]
Freddy's the reason we all live here.
The fact that such a peaceful guy could die in such a violent way It's totally messed up.
Why do you say that Freddy's the reason that you all lived here? I have never known a person less interested in material possessions.
Freddy shared his food, his clothes, his bed, drove that cool bus, worked when he felt like it, and was totally vegan.
Sunshine: I thought I heard voices.
Sunshine -- you should wake Cal up.
Something really bad happened.
Gloria: I know that this is difficult, but in order to find out who killed Freddy, we have to ask you some questions.
All right? Freddy was my hero.
He was Disciplined.
He ran at that park almost every morning.
Did you know that he had a hidden safe on the bus? I suspect it was already on the bus when he bought it.
There was a name scratched out on the mailbox.
Did someone leave? Yeah.
That was Trick.
Trick? What's Trick? He and Freddy didn't really get along, so he left.
Oh, Trick's a guy.
How long ago was this? Probably about a month ago.
Right before the break-in.
Freddy said it was Trick, but we didn't know for sure.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess you guys didn't file a police report, right? We don't really believe in the police -- no offense -- and the only thing that was found missing was Freddy's diving watch.
Do you know Trick's full name? Patrick Purcell.
And do you have a picture of him? I think I do.
There was another name on the mailbox -- Tamara O'Neil? Yeah, she's been sharing a bed with Freddy for the past few months.
Do you know where we can find her? Well, she usually takes a yoga class in the morning.
Oh.
That's Trick.
Patrick Purcell did three years for grand theft, prints all over the bus -- feels like a solid suspect to me -- more so than Sunshine, Meadow, or Cal.
You know where to find Purcell? Yeah, one of the girls at the house told us that he hangs out at the handball courts in Venice.
We have a couple of patrols on him now.
Anyone else in Ralston's house have a record? Not even a parking ticket.
And the witness with the bike shorts came up clean, too.
Yeah, but you know what? I still want to keep all of the roommates as suspects for now.
I mean, whoever did this tried to open a safe with a handgun.
- All right, keep me posted.
- Yep.
[ Cellphone beeps .]
[ Beep .]
Brennan? Yeah.
He wants to know what kind of cupcakes the boys like.
This was totally the right thing to do.
Good, I'm glad.
You didn't seem so certain earlier.
Yeah, well, you know, I just -- Hey.
I just got off the phone with the victim's girlfriend, Tamara O'Neil.
She's coming downtown in a couple of hours to talk to you.
- Great.
Thanks, Romeo.
- Sure.
All right.
I'll see you later.
All right, babe.
[ Chuckles .]
- Is everything okay? - Yeah.
Yeah.
You know TheMurder board.
Oh, yeah.
[ Cellphone rings .]
Excuse me.
[ Beep .]
Hey, Frankie.
Um, hang on a second? Excuse me.
There's a pool going to guess what's in that safe from the book bus.
Cost you 20 to play.
What's the pay out? So far, almost 400.
You giving odds, or is it a straight bet? Straight bet.
Most of the folks figure it's drugs, so I'm also asking for type and amount.
Same with cash.
So far, we're looking at jewelry, rare books, and a whole subcategory of human body parts.
Bensinger over in vice thinks it's a necklace of human ears.
- She's a weird broad.
- Yeah.
Let me ask you this.
Anybody guess that the safe is empty? No, but I like it.
Lieutenant, they're bringing in the safe now.
A locksmith from commercial crimes is gonna open it for us.
Go.
Did he get it open? Yeah, almost there.
I found the security company that sold Freddy Ralston the safe three years ago.
They said they installed it in his bus for him.
Did they tell you what he wanted it for? No, but he paid for it in cash.
Oh, that's good.
That goes towards my bet of what's inside that safe.
Hey, me too.
We're the same.
I said "cash" too.
Glo, what'd you bet was inside? - Murder weapon.
- Wouldn't that be cool? Looks like he's got it.
Oh Is that real? Looks real to me.
20 kilobars of gold? Yeah, you know what that's worth? - Just over a million bucks.
- Yeah.
A kilo is approximately 35 ounces.
Let's say gold's trading at $1,500 an ounce.
That's $52,500 times 20 -- just over a million.
You got any other superpowers you want to let me know about? I haven't tried it for a few years, but I used to be able to turn my eyelids inside out.
It was a big hit when I was in fourth grade.
Yeah? Well, both my ankles are double-jointed.
I used to twist my feet backwards 180 degrees.
You know what? I can probably still do it.
Hang on.
Let me just see if I can -- look at this.
Sheppard.
Any leads on what the victim was doing with all that gold? Uh, no.
Actually, I'm trying to figure out the victim right now.
I mean, you know, on the one hand, you have this sort of peace-loving hippie who has no interest in material possessions.
And on the other hand -- you got this guy with a million bucks in gold on his bus.
The bus could be a front for drug trafficking.
Yeah, we're checking that out now.
Freddy Ralston's girlfriend is here.
- I got her by the kitchen.
- All right.
I'll be back.
You okay? Yeah.
- Here we go.
- Thanks.
Sure.
[ Sniffles .]
He was He was just so gentle and good.
I can't believe this happened.
So Freddy was the father of the baby? All right, well, I just have a few questions, all right? Did you ever spend any time on Freddy's bookmobile? Uh, sure.
Did he ever mention anything to you about the safe? No.
What safe? There was a safe hidden under one of the panels in the bus.
He did tell me something in confidence, though.
He inherited a lot of money -- like$10,000.
His aunt died and gave it to him.
He said that it made him feel dirty, and he made me promise not to tell anybody in the house about it.
I see.
We, actually, Tamara, we found over a million dollars in gold in the safe.
What? Yeah.
Now, to the best of your knowledge, did you know if Freddy sold anything other than books from the bus? You mean anything illegal? No.
No way.
Not him.
Why do you think it was that he didn't want anyone in the house to know about the money? Because of how people regarded material possessions.
And you don't think it was because he was afraid that someone might want to take it.
- No.
We were like a family.
EvenPatrick Purcell? I understand that Freddy kicked him out of the house.
They just -- they had really different personalities.
Freddy was very low-key, and Trick was more charismatic.
He liked to be the center of attention.
Did you ever notice if Trick wore an orange knit cap? I don't think so.
He liked hats, but I don't remember an orange knit cap.
Did you like him? Trick? Yeah, we all loved him.
Were any of you aware that he had served three years in prison for grand theft? He's not a killer.
Talk to him.
You'll see.
Listen, I know that Freddy is the father of the baby, and I don't want to be rude, butwell, I got the impression that people in the house were fairly casual about sex.
Did you ever end up with Trick? No.
You know, I was tempted to, but [sniffles.]
[ Chuckling .]
No, never.
I'm not sure that Tamara's telling the truth about Purcell.
I mean, who know, maybe he's the real baby daddy.
But if Freddy found out, wouldn't Purcell be the one with the bullet in his chest? Ah, you're forgetting peace, love, and child support.
Freddy could pay it, Purcell couldn't.
I mean, who knows? Maybe Tamara told Purcell about the 10 grand, and he decided to rob Freddy for himself.
I'm not saying that conspired with him, but there are a lot of things you say across a pillow that you don't say across a cup of coffee.
[ Cellphone rings .]
Oh, one sec.
Dulcett.
Thanks.
Bring him down to RHD.
Unis in Venice just picked up Purcell.
They're bringing him down here right now.
Michelle: Mr.
Purcell -- Everybody calls me Trick.
Did you get that name before, during, or after your stint in prison for grand theft? I'm not like that anymore.
You're no longer a thief, but we found your fingerprints are all over the crime scene.
- Inside Freddy's bookmobile.
- Hey, I like to read.
Ellison, Vonnegut, J.
K.
Rowling.
You like to dive? You're wearing a diving watch.
Where'd you get it? I took it.
So you're admitting you stole Freddy's watch? No, I'm admitting I took it.
Freddy didn't believe in possessions, so the watch wasn't really his.
Of course, Freddy said a lot of things he didn't believe.
Said he was a vegan, and I caught him eating pepperoni.
The guy was a poser.
Doesn't sound like you two got along at all.
He was jealous of me.
I'm smarter, prettier, better company.
Freddy didn't like that.
That's why I left.
You left, or Freddy threw you out? The joint was full of guys like Freddy -- fakes, frauds.
And how was Freddy a fraud? I moved into that house because I bought what they were selling -- everybody's equal, everybody shares.
Freddy talked it, but he didn't walk it.
So I called him on his bullshit.
It's too bad.
Everybody else was actually pretty cool.
What about Freddy's girlfriend, Tamara? Yeah, I liked her.
You slept with her? I slept with all of them -- Sunshine, Meadow, Tamara.
Why wouldn't I? Because Tamara was Freddy's girlfriend.
You haven't been listening.
Possessions are meaningless, relationships are fluid.
Can I go? No, I think we're gonna hold you.
Then we're gonna get a search warrant and search your new apartment.
You think we'll find an orange knit cap there? If you do, it isn't mine.
That color does not work for me.
But you I think you'd look great in orange.
Well, thank you.
As a matter of fact I do.
Oh, I think you should call a lawyer.
[ Cellphone rings .]
Hey, Davey, everything okay? Would you say that you had a big head or a small head? What? Why? I need your hat size.
Tell me this has nothing to do with tonight.
You're not, like, planning some weird hat surprise, are you, Davey? Because I hate hats, and I hate surprises.
I-I-I just want everything to be as normal as possible when Jack comes over.
It's not for tonight, and it's not for a hat.
It's for a crown.
Leo's getting excited about his birthday party next week, and he's started making costumes.
He wants me to be an evil wizard, Nick to be an alien, and he thinks that you should be a queen.
Oh, my God.
That's so sweet.
But you know what? I already told him that I was gonna be a surprise this year.
You know what I was thinking of being? Like a-a Yeti or a beautiful giant bird or something like that.
I would pay cash money to see either one of those.
So, what's your crown size? Medium.
Just make sure there's room for the hair.
Okay? All right, bye.
We found the gold dealer.
Oh, that was quick.
They don't call me "Rush" for nothing.
You sure you want to brag about that? Uh, dealer's name is Taggert.
He's in interrogation one.
Okay, thanks, guys.
What is your problem? Oh, I don't know.
Earlier today, I stood behind her like some stupid little puppy.
So ask her out.
She has a boyfriend.
When has that ever stopped Romeo Rush? Well, never.
So what's the problem? I don't know! I just hate it! Sure I remember him.
It's not every day some slacker walks in wearing flip-flops and writes me a check for $2 million.
$2 million? What was he, some kind of drug dealer? What makes you say that? I figure it's something illegal if you guys are asking me to come down here.
Mr.
Taggert, you're here as part of the investigation into the murder of Fredrick Ralston.
Who's that? The man who bought the gold.
You mean Karl Mercier.
All right, look, there must be some kind of mistake.
The gold that we have belonged to a man named Freddy Ralston.
All I know is the serial numbers on the kilobars the other cops showed me match the numbers I sold to Karl Mercier back in 2008.
Okay.
One second, please.
That's Fredrick Ralston.
Never seen that dude in my life.
All right, then what is Karl Mercier's gold doing in Freddy Ralston's safe? Freddy's dead? Gloria: Murdered, actually.
Mr.
Mercier? Who would want to kill Freddy? Someone interested in gold.
Is that why you asked me to come down here? You think I had something to do with it? Well, maybe you can tell us what your gold is doing in Freddy's safe.
Sure.
I gave it to him.
You just gave Freddy a million dollars? No, I gave him two.
All right, now, you can understand how that seems a little strange to some of us, right? About four years ago, I started working at the store, Hollywood Party, with Freddy and a couple other friends.
Every Friday we'd toss 10 bucks into the pot and buy lottery tickets.
Three years ago, we won.
Hit big.
12 mil after taxes.
Okay, help me understand something.
Freddy had his own piece of the pie.
Or did he? No.
He didn't.
He was hung over.
Spent Friday in bed.
So he didn't put his 10 bucks in, so he wasn't entitled to a cut.
Can you imagine how he felt? The one week he failed to pony up was the week we won? So you were just feeling generous? It just didn't seem right.
You know, Freddy was one of my best friends.
4 million's way more money than I ever dreamed of.
Why not share it? He would have done the same for me.
What about your other friends? Did they share with Freddy? You'd have to ask them.
When was the last time you saw Freddy? A while ago.
He started hanging with a different crowd.
We just kind of drifted apart.
With all that money, how come you're still working at that store? Because I own it.
After we won, I bought Hollywood Party as an investment.
I always loved working there.
All right, where were you yesterday at 6:00 a.
m.
? At the store, meeting a delivery.
Who gives away $2 million? And why are Karl and Freddy not hanging out anymore? If somebody gave me $2 million, I'm their friend for life.
And I'm calling them every day just to sing them the "Thank you" song.
There's a "Thank you" song? There would be if somebody gave me $2 million.
What about the other two winners? James Angelico and Selena Flores.
James still lives in town.
I left word for him.
And Selena bought a dive shop in Tahiti.
So I'm supposed to Skype with her later on tonight.
Witness from the park came in.
I showed him a six-pack which included Purcell, but he couldn't make an I.
D.
Does that mean Purcell is off the hook? No, not necessarily.
Look, at least we know now how Freddy got the money, right? I mean, Purcell still could be the guy who tried to steal it.
I'm just gonna hold him overnight.
What would you do if you won $4 million? Ko-samui.
Pardon me? Excuse me? It's my wife's home town in Thailand.
Beautiful beaches, great golf.
You could live like a king.
Of course, I'd need a boat to get there.
I'm a little partial to the Catalina 470 -- very nice on the open water.
Then every summer, I'd go to Alaska, spend a week at the Kenai River Lodge fishing for steelhead with my cousin Jorge.
Gloria: Oh.
- Yeah.
You? Italy.
Sheppard? I know my boys would like a big, flat-screen TV.
And after that? Well, you know, I'd probably pay off my mortgage and just come back to work, I guess.
What? I like my job? I do, and you know what? I don't really like travel and Foreign bathrooms -- it's so uncomfortable.
Well, I'm going to take my pretend millions and go home to dinner.
Good luck tonight.
I know it'll be great.
Have Leo or Nick mentioned anything about it at all? Yeah.
They want to know what's for dinner.
I'm just worried that they're anxious.
You know, I mean, I am.
You don't think I'm rushing it, do you? I mean, inviting Jack over? I read somewhere that you should wait two months or 20 dates, and we're really close to that -- everything you've said about Jack tells me it's gonna be great.
I just don't want them to think that I'm trying to replace their dad.
Hey, it's just dinner.
Yeah.
[ Chuckles .]
Yeah.
[ Cellphone rings .]
Oh! Hang on.
Hey, Jack, are you on your way over? - Yeah, I wish.
- What happened? Look, Gloria, I'm sorry.
I'm stuck here in San Pedro, waiting on a prisoner transfer.
Oh.
Okay.
No it's not okay.
I feel awful.
I was the one pushing to meet your family, and now this.
Yeah, well, it's part of your job, so Yeah, it doesn't make it right.
So, can we make it another night? Sure.
JustBe safe, okay? All right.
See ya.
[ Beep .]
Change of plans? Yeah.
Thank God.
[ Chuckles .]
Hey.
I'm hungry.
Yeah, when's dinner, mom? Just a couple of minutes.
Why don't you guys go wash up, okay? - Okay.
- Okay.
All right.
Karl gave Freddy how much? He said $2 million.
Wow! I had no idea.
I mean, when we bought that first lottery ticket, we all made a deal.
You don't pay any given week, no payout.
And Freddy knew these rules? We all did.
Karl said that he cut Freddy in because they were best friends and that Freddy would have done the same for him.
Best friends? That's news to me.
I don't know.
And Freddy is the cheapest guy I've ever met.
No way he'd share.
So why would Karl cut him in? Karl probably wasn't thinking straight.
Winning that money was the worst thing that ever happened to him.
Why's that? When we won, we partied so hard at Karl's place.
We were millionaires.
And Karl's girlfriend, Mallory, she was exceptionally wasted.
It was so sad.
Because she was wasted? No.
That she died.
Really? What happened? She was up on the balcony with Karl, and like I said, she was super wasted.
She fell off the balcony and broke her neck.
Karl's never been the same.
Huh.
Thanks for coming in Mr.
Angelico.
We're talking to all the lottery winners.
So I spoke to Selena last night.
She told me about what happened to Mallory.
Yeah, that was, uh, that was terrible.
I didn't see it.
I was downstairs.
She said Karl's never been the same.
It's weird, huh? You know, luck.
Winning that ticket was bad for Karl, but great for me.
I went to Rome last week.
I flew there on a private jet.
That must have cost a couple of bucks.
It cost a hell of a lot more than my lion, that's for sure.
Why would you buy a lion? It's the king of the jungle.
So you buy a lion, but you wouldn't help your friend Freddy Ralston with money? Why would I help Freddy Ralston with anything? Well, Karl did.
He gave him over half his winnings.
There's no way.
Look, the only guy cheaper than Freddy was Karl.
Karl confirmed it -- $2 million.
Come on.
We need to talk.
When was the last time you heard from Karl? Uh, maybe like a month ago.
Said he wanted to borrow some cash.
Did he tell you what for? I wasn't on the phone long enough to find out.
[ Cellphone rings .]
Excuse me.
My driver's downstairs.
Would either of you ladies like a latte? I could -- no, I couldn't.
Uh, anyway [clears throat.]
Thank you for coming in.
Sure.
Yeah.
Thanks a lot.
All right.
Bye-bye.
Sounds like Karl's investments weren't all that profitable.
Yeah, maybe you should check out his finances, and I'll go see who investigated Mallory's death.
What do you want? - I'm not following.
- With Dulcett.
You want to work with her, you want to sleep with her, or do you want to be her boyfriend? She's got a boyfriend.
That's not the question.
Okay? If you want to be with her, just tell her how you feel.
But this moping and stuttering, it's very unbecoming.
I don't know what to say.
How is that possible? You're you.
Okay? You just say one of those magical things guys like you say.
Yeah, but it's It's different with her.
Are you saying you don't know how to talk to a woman? I'm saying I don't want to blow it.
You're really torn up about this.
Hey [chuckles.]
it's awful, isn't it? Now you know how we mortals live, with the sweaty palms and the stomach tied in knots, just struggling to just go up to a woman and say "hi.
" WellWell, you and Angie seem happy.
We are, yeah.
But it's not like she just sat on my lap.
I had to work at it.
So what'd you do? No Are you asking me for my advice? How'd you get Angie? I told her how I really felt.
Yeah, well I tried that.
- It didn't happen.
- No.
I'm not saying try to be charming or entertaining or even funny -- even though funny works pretty well for me.
I'm saying, be honest.
If you're really interested in Dulcett, then you got to tell her how you really feel.
You'll either scare the hell out of her, or she'll never let you go.
[ Sighs .]
Mallory's blood alcohol was twice the legal limit.
She had also taken a bunch of pills.
It was a miracle she could stand at all.
Well, I'm not trying to reopen your old case, Detective, but there were a number of people at that party who are connected to the murder investigation I'm doing.
So, anything that you can tell me about Mallory's death, I'd really appreciate it.
There's not much to tell.
Everybody at the party was loaded.
The girl, Mallory, was partying on the balcony with her boyfriend.
Karl Mercier? - Yeah, him and another guy -- - Freddy -- Freddy Ralston? Yeah.
Anyway, Mallory lost her balance, tripped and fell.
Freddy backed up Karl's story 100%, and at the end of the day, we all agreed it was just one of those terrible accidents.
All right, great.
Well, I appreciate it.
What if Mallory falling off the balcony wasn't an accident, okay? And maybe Freddy saw what really happened, and he backed up Karl but for a price? Say, $2 million? Yeah.
Let me guess.
Birthday party? Every day's a party with us.
And we'd like your boss to join us.
Karl's not here.
He's working a Grimm.
Excuse me? A kid's costume party with a fairy-tale theme.
We call it a Grimm.
You know, Rapunzel, Big Bad Wolf, The Frog King, that kind of stuff.
Well, when will he be back? Maybe half an hour? We can wait.
Hey, you know what? It's Leo's birthday this week, and he wanted me to get a queen costume.
Do you have a queen costume? Hey, this is Hollywood.
You have to book those in advance.
Oh, well.
What else you got? Hey, 'Chelle, does my butt look fat? [ Laughs .]
[ Laughs .]
I wonder how Jack would react if he showed up for dinner tonight and I was wearing this.
"Hello.
" - So it's back on? - Oh, yeah.
100%.
No more flip-flopping.
You know, it was never really about him and me.
That part's very clear.
Must be nice, 'cause it's not that way for me and Frankie.
I mean, you know, we have fun when we're together, but I think I'm ready for something a little more real than just fun.
You know? Is that bad? No, I don't think so.
Then again, you're asking a chick in a fat suit.
I don't know.
[ Laughs .]
Oh, my God! Look at that chicken head! Hey, do you have the rest of the chicken costume? [ Sighs .]
It's perfect, right? If you want to get plucked.
You know what? Leo is gonna love this.
I'm gonna go ask them how much they charge to rent it out, all right? [ Object thunks lightly .]
Karl? Karl [ Gasping .]
Who the hell are you?! Luis.
I work at the store.
I didn't do anything.
- Well, so why'd you run? - A giant chicken was chasing me! Hey.
- Here's Karl.
- Did you tell him? Oh, yeah.
You're under arrest for the murder of Fredrick Ralston.
[ Handcuffs click .]
[ Siren wails .]
The killer was I.
D.
'd as an African-American male wearing an orange knit cap.
Now, you have that exact mask in your store, and you have motive.
This is crazy.
Why -- why would I kill Freddy? Well, for starters, you were tired of being extorted.
I told you, I gave him the money.
Yes, because you killed your girlfriend.
I didn't kill Mallory.
Then what happened, hmm? It was you and Mallory and Freddy on the balcony that night.
And the next day, Mallory is dead, and you've given half of your winnings to a guy you weren't very close to.
When all is said and done, $2 million will buy a whole lot of silence.
What really happened on that balcony that night, Karl, huh? Two people close to you are dead.
Now, you need to convince us that you are not responsible, or you're going to go away for a very, very long time.
Freddy was pissed that he wasn't in on the lottery.
He was telling everybody that we screwed him over.
I told him that he screwed himself.
Then he said [sighs.]
"I may not be rich, but at least my girlfriend isn't screwing her boss.
" Mallory was out on the balcony.
I went out to confront her.
She was drunk.
She pushed me.
Said that if I had been a better lover I pushed her back.
She tripped over a keg.
[ Hands clap desk .]
Freddy saw the whole thing.
And Freddy played the part of the good friend and told you he had your back.
And so you shared your winnings out of gratitude.
[ Inhales sharply .]
So that worked out fine until you started to run out of money.
Between my mortgage on my house and the store, I'm sunk.
A couple of weeks ago, I asked Freddy for a loan.
He said he'd think about it.
When he asked me to give a job to his girlfriend, I didn't think twice.
Wait.
I didn't see Tamara at the store.
She's usually in the back or making deliveries.
You send a pregnant woman to make deliveries? Tamara's pregnant? Since when? Did you catch Freddy's killer? Actually, that's not why we asked you to come in, Meadow.
In his will, Freddy directed his executor to sell everything and donate the proceeds to the school district to buy textbooks.
That sounds like Freddy.
Always thinking about others.
Well, he also remembered his friends, the people that he lived with.
Before the bus is sold, he wanted each of you to go in and take whatever books you want.
Oh, that's beautiful.
And all that gold will buy the schools a lot of books.
Well, I-it would have, yes.
But unfortunately, the gold didn't belong to Freddy.
He was just holding it for his friend Karl.
So the gold will be returned to Karl.
That makes sense.
I couldn't imagine Freddy wanting to be burdened with all that wealth.
A lawyer handling the estate will contact you to arrange a time for you to choose your books.
Thank you.
- Can I ask a favor? - Sure.
Can you make sure that everybody in the house knows about the will? That Freddy left them some books.
- Of course.
- Great.
Karl: Hey, Tamara.
You look thin.
I didn't think you were working today.
Truth be told, I'm tired of working.
Look, I'll make this short and sweet.
Freddy told me all about you, Mallory, and the balcony.
Yeah, well, Freddy's dead.
Don't be thick, Karl.
From now on, I'm Freddy.
If you don't want me talking to the police, I want his half of the gold.
You killed him.
It was you in the mask.
Do we have a deal? Screw you.
You're not gonna shoot.
[ Click .]
That's exactly what Freddy said.
All right.
African-American man, pregnant woman -- you really like dressing up in costumes, don't you? Well, I'm hoping that you're gonna like that convict's outfit you're gonna be wearing for a while.
You know what? It'll go nicely with that orange knit cap.
Tamara O'Neil, you're under arrest for the murder of Fredrick Ralston.
I don't understand why you did it.
Because he was a liar.
He took advantage of people.
People like you? He had me sell my car so he could go home and visit his sick mom.
And then I find out he's got all that gold? What kind of bullshit is that? All right, let's go.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say or do will be held against you in a court of law.
Karl Mercier admitted to pushing Mallory.
The D.
A.
hit him with involuntary manslaughter.
So he'll do two years minimum.
And the gold? Courts will decide, but since it originally belonged to Karl and Freddy extorted it, Karl will probably get it all back.
That's not so bad.
By the time he gets out, it might double in value.
What about the O'Neil girl? S.
I.
D.
confirmed the gun she pulled on Karl was the same one used to kill Freddy.
- Everything okay, Sheppard? - Yeah, yeah.
I was just thinking about luck, you know? Wondering where they'd all be if a different lottery number had come up? Yeah.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Haven't seen much of you around lately.
Yeah.
[ Sighs .]
yeah, I been kind of busy.
So, hell of a day for you and Sheppard, huh? Yeah, yeah.
On a scale of 1 to 10, not so bad.
I gotta go.
So Oh, yeah.
Hot date tonight? You know, just dinner.
Okay, then.
- All right.
- Yeah.
Bye.
Um, actually There is something I've been trying to tell you.
I Damn it.
Romeo! I know.
You're seeing someone else.
[ Sighs .]
But I can't keep pretending you're just another cop.
I've never said this to anyone before but I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you.
[ Exhales .]
Do it again.
[ Sighs .]
Are you worried that he'll cancel again or that he'll show? [ Sighs .]
Both.
[ Chuckles .]
[ Doorbell rings .]
Breathe.
[ Exhales sharply .]
Yeah.
Breathe.
Hey.
I'm Jack.
Wait, don't tell me.
Let me guess here.
Nick and Leo, right? Yeah.
Yeah.
- Yes.
Hi.
- Hey.
So, I heard that you guys like cupcakes.
It depends.
Yeah.
It depends.
It depends? It depends.
All right, well, how is chocolate with white frosting and red velvet? Oh! - Perfect! Perfect! - Yeah? There you go.
Thanks! He brought our favorite.
Take them in the kitchen, okay? - Hey -- no, not too close, okay? - Oh, right, yes.
The fork, remember? The fork.
I'm really serious about the PDA, okay? We can't -- is this too close? Okay.
No.
This is -- yeah, it's actually Perfect.
- Hey, welcome.
- Hey.
- Jack.
- I'm Davey.
- Nice to meet you.
- You too.
Yeah.
Um Why do I feel like a chaperone at prom? [ Laughs .]
Uh, dinner's ready.
Great.
Okay.
Okay? Yeah.
Okay, desert island, top three candy bars.
Go.
Milky Way! Peanut butter cup.
- Hi-chew.
- What's a hi-chew? Gesundheit.
- Oh, I cannot believe -- - Yeah, good one, Nick.
Nobody saw that coming.
Nick: But it's funny! Completely walked right into that.
A hi-chew is a Japanese candy, and it won't melt like chocolate on a desert island.
Oh, you know, I had not considered the heat factor.
Yes, my peanut butter cup would be a melted little puddle in the sand, but so would your Milky Way.
Okay, no, desert-island movies.
"Moonraker.
" Nick: "Indiana Jones.
" Leo: "Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back.
" - Nice.
"The Big Blue.
"
I gotta go.
Yeah.
Boys get up at 7:00.
- Mm - I gotta get home.
So [sighs.]
When do I get to meet them? Come on.
[ Chuckles .]
We've been doing this for a while now.
It hasn't been that long.
Seven weeks.
Not that I'm counting, 'cause -- mmm -- that would mean I was, you know, counting.
Come on.
I can come over as a friend, a cop you work with.
You know, the cabana boy.
It's not you.
I know that my boys would really like you.
I'd like them, too.
I'm sure I would, so what is it? It's just that the only man that my boys have ever seen me with is their father, andI just have to do this at the right time, you know, and the right way.
I have to be careful.
Yeah.
So I gotta go.
Okay? - Mm.
- I really I can't be late, and it's alreadypretty late.
- I know.
- Yeah, but I -- no.
No, wait, I gotta go.
[ Exhales sharply .]
Davey: Just like high school, huh? Sneaking in before dawn.
[ Chuckles .]
Are Nick and Leo still asleep? Yeah.
I'm gonna go for a run.
Great.
I'll start breakfast.
Davey Jack wants to meet the boys.
Good.
You're happy.
He's a good guy.
They'll see that.
[ Groaning .]
[ Cellphone rings .]
Hey.
Hey! Uh, how about dinner tonight -- here? You'd get to meet Nick and Leo.
Get to meet my brother.
Really? Wow.
I mean, yes, yes.
Yes, definitely.
All right, great.
I just have a few simple ground rules, all right? If you try to touch me in front of the boys, and I will stab you with a fork.
You look at me amorously, I stab you with a fork.
You mention that we've been dating and -- Yeah, I know, I get it.
The fork thing.
I got it.
Great.
I'll, uh, I'll see you tonight.
[ Beep .]
Hey.
Are you okay? You need any help? No, I'm good, man.
It's just my ankle.
Thanks.
[ Gunshots .]
The Protector 1x13 Safe The victim's name is Fredrick Ralston.
He owns the bus.
Did you see this? Who tries to hide a safe on a bookmobile? I mean, why wouldn't he get a safety-deposit box or something? I know.
It's like some James Bond secret stash or something.
Yeah, killer tried to shoot off the tumblers.
Fool's lucky he didn't shoot himself with the ricochet.
Well, he's dressed for a run.
Seems fit.
Maybe he comes here on a regular basis.
You think the shooter knew he'd be here? Maybe.
And if he did, maybe he knew about the safe, huh? Hey, we find the murder weapon? No, and his wallet was still in his pocket.
I got S.
I.
D.
and uniforms sweeping the area.
They're holding a witness for us.
Yeah.
He was limping, and he said he hurt his ankle, and a few seconds after he got on the bus, that's when I heard the gunshots, and then I saw someone run out of the bus.
Did you see the suspect? Yes.
Can you describe him at all? Yeah, he was -- he was a black, trim guy, not too big, and -- and he was wearing an orange knit cap.
Was he lighter or darker than me? Darker.
And like I said -- orange cap.
Let me ask you a quick question.
I notice you're wearing bicycle shorts, but I didn't see your bike anywhere.
I find them comfortable.
Oh.
I see.
Well, thank you very much.
Once we find the suspect, we'll probably call you downtown to look at some pictures.
Okay.
Thanks very much.
I don't know -- maybe when he got hurt, he turned back and surprised the killer.
Yeah, well, I'm gonna run that witness back there just on the bike shorts alone.
All right, well, let's head over to the victim's house.
Maybe we can fill in some blanks there.
Yeah, I want them to meet the kids, see where we live.
So you feel good about it.
Well, if by "good" you mean terrified, then yeah.
I mean, what if the boys don't like him? Or even worse, what if they do like him and Jack and I stop dating? That could be a disaster.
Well, at least you're trying.
I've never even brought anybody home to meet my folks.
Students, roommates? I don't know.
"Blessing Way Collective.
" Collective? Is it a modern group of hippies? Morning.
I'm Detective Dulcett.
This is Detective Sheppard.
We're here to talk to you about Fredrick Ralston.
[ Dog yapping in distance .]
Freddy's the reason we all live here.
The fact that such a peaceful guy could die in such a violent way It's totally messed up.
Why do you say that Freddy's the reason that you all lived here? I have never known a person less interested in material possessions.
Freddy shared his food, his clothes, his bed, drove that cool bus, worked when he felt like it, and was totally vegan.
Sunshine: I thought I heard voices.
Sunshine -- you should wake Cal up.
Something really bad happened.
Gloria: I know that this is difficult, but in order to find out who killed Freddy, we have to ask you some questions.
All right? Freddy was my hero.
He was Disciplined.
He ran at that park almost every morning.
Did you know that he had a hidden safe on the bus? I suspect it was already on the bus when he bought it.
There was a name scratched out on the mailbox.
Did someone leave? Yeah.
That was Trick.
Trick? What's Trick? He and Freddy didn't really get along, so he left.
Oh, Trick's a guy.
How long ago was this? Probably about a month ago.
Right before the break-in.
Freddy said it was Trick, but we didn't know for sure.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess you guys didn't file a police report, right? We don't really believe in the police -- no offense -- and the only thing that was found missing was Freddy's diving watch.
Do you know Trick's full name? Patrick Purcell.
And do you have a picture of him? I think I do.
There was another name on the mailbox -- Tamara O'Neil? Yeah, she's been sharing a bed with Freddy for the past few months.
Do you know where we can find her? Well, she usually takes a yoga class in the morning.
Oh.
That's Trick.
Patrick Purcell did three years for grand theft, prints all over the bus -- feels like a solid suspect to me -- more so than Sunshine, Meadow, or Cal.
You know where to find Purcell? Yeah, one of the girls at the house told us that he hangs out at the handball courts in Venice.
We have a couple of patrols on him now.
Anyone else in Ralston's house have a record? Not even a parking ticket.
And the witness with the bike shorts came up clean, too.
Yeah, but you know what? I still want to keep all of the roommates as suspects for now.
I mean, whoever did this tried to open a safe with a handgun.
- All right, keep me posted.
- Yep.
[ Cellphone beeps .]
[ Beep .]
Brennan? Yeah.
He wants to know what kind of cupcakes the boys like.
This was totally the right thing to do.
Good, I'm glad.
You didn't seem so certain earlier.
Yeah, well, you know, I just -- Hey.
I just got off the phone with the victim's girlfriend, Tamara O'Neil.
She's coming downtown in a couple of hours to talk to you.
- Great.
Thanks, Romeo.
- Sure.
All right.
I'll see you later.
All right, babe.
[ Chuckles .]
- Is everything okay? - Yeah.
Yeah.
You know TheMurder board.
Oh, yeah.
[ Cellphone rings .]
Excuse me.
[ Beep .]
Hey, Frankie.
Um, hang on a second? Excuse me.
There's a pool going to guess what's in that safe from the book bus.
Cost you 20 to play.
What's the pay out? So far, almost 400.
You giving odds, or is it a straight bet? Straight bet.
Most of the folks figure it's drugs, so I'm also asking for type and amount.
Same with cash.
So far, we're looking at jewelry, rare books, and a whole subcategory of human body parts.
Bensinger over in vice thinks it's a necklace of human ears.
- She's a weird broad.
- Yeah.
Let me ask you this.
Anybody guess that the safe is empty? No, but I like it.
Lieutenant, they're bringing in the safe now.
A locksmith from commercial crimes is gonna open it for us.
Go.
Did he get it open? Yeah, almost there.
I found the security company that sold Freddy Ralston the safe three years ago.
They said they installed it in his bus for him.
Did they tell you what he wanted it for? No, but he paid for it in cash.
Oh, that's good.
That goes towards my bet of what's inside that safe.
Hey, me too.
We're the same.
I said "cash" too.
Glo, what'd you bet was inside? - Murder weapon.
- Wouldn't that be cool? Looks like he's got it.
Oh Is that real? Looks real to me.
20 kilobars of gold? Yeah, you know what that's worth? - Just over a million bucks.
- Yeah.
A kilo is approximately 35 ounces.
Let's say gold's trading at $1,500 an ounce.
That's $52,500 times 20 -- just over a million.
You got any other superpowers you want to let me know about? I haven't tried it for a few years, but I used to be able to turn my eyelids inside out.
It was a big hit when I was in fourth grade.
Yeah? Well, both my ankles are double-jointed.
I used to twist my feet backwards 180 degrees.
You know what? I can probably still do it.
Hang on.
Let me just see if I can -- look at this.
Sheppard.
Any leads on what the victim was doing with all that gold? Uh, no.
Actually, I'm trying to figure out the victim right now.
I mean, you know, on the one hand, you have this sort of peace-loving hippie who has no interest in material possessions.
And on the other hand -- you got this guy with a million bucks in gold on his bus.
The bus could be a front for drug trafficking.
Yeah, we're checking that out now.
Freddy Ralston's girlfriend is here.
- I got her by the kitchen.
- All right.
I'll be back.
You okay? Yeah.
- Here we go.
- Thanks.
Sure.
[ Sniffles .]
He was He was just so gentle and good.
I can't believe this happened.
So Freddy was the father of the baby? All right, well, I just have a few questions, all right? Did you ever spend any time on Freddy's bookmobile? Uh, sure.
Did he ever mention anything to you about the safe? No.
What safe? There was a safe hidden under one of the panels in the bus.
He did tell me something in confidence, though.
He inherited a lot of money -- like$10,000.
His aunt died and gave it to him.
He said that it made him feel dirty, and he made me promise not to tell anybody in the house about it.
I see.
We, actually, Tamara, we found over a million dollars in gold in the safe.
What? Yeah.
Now, to the best of your knowledge, did you know if Freddy sold anything other than books from the bus? You mean anything illegal? No.
No way.
Not him.
Why do you think it was that he didn't want anyone in the house to know about the money? Because of how people regarded material possessions.
And you don't think it was because he was afraid that someone might want to take it.
- No.
We were like a family.
EvenPatrick Purcell? I understand that Freddy kicked him out of the house.
They just -- they had really different personalities.
Freddy was very low-key, and Trick was more charismatic.
He liked to be the center of attention.
Did you ever notice if Trick wore an orange knit cap? I don't think so.
He liked hats, but I don't remember an orange knit cap.
Did you like him? Trick? Yeah, we all loved him.
Were any of you aware that he had served three years in prison for grand theft? He's not a killer.
Talk to him.
You'll see.
Listen, I know that Freddy is the father of the baby, and I don't want to be rude, butwell, I got the impression that people in the house were fairly casual about sex.
Did you ever end up with Trick? No.
You know, I was tempted to, but [sniffles.]
[ Chuckling .]
No, never.
I'm not sure that Tamara's telling the truth about Purcell.
I mean, who know, maybe he's the real baby daddy.
But if Freddy found out, wouldn't Purcell be the one with the bullet in his chest? Ah, you're forgetting peace, love, and child support.
Freddy could pay it, Purcell couldn't.
I mean, who knows? Maybe Tamara told Purcell about the 10 grand, and he decided to rob Freddy for himself.
I'm not saying that conspired with him, but there are a lot of things you say across a pillow that you don't say across a cup of coffee.
[ Cellphone rings .]
Oh, one sec.
Dulcett.
Thanks.
Bring him down to RHD.
Unis in Venice just picked up Purcell.
They're bringing him down here right now.
Michelle: Mr.
Purcell -- Everybody calls me Trick.
Did you get that name before, during, or after your stint in prison for grand theft? I'm not like that anymore.
You're no longer a thief, but we found your fingerprints are all over the crime scene.
- Inside Freddy's bookmobile.
- Hey, I like to read.
Ellison, Vonnegut, J.
K.
Rowling.
You like to dive? You're wearing a diving watch.
Where'd you get it? I took it.
So you're admitting you stole Freddy's watch? No, I'm admitting I took it.
Freddy didn't believe in possessions, so the watch wasn't really his.
Of course, Freddy said a lot of things he didn't believe.
Said he was a vegan, and I caught him eating pepperoni.
The guy was a poser.
Doesn't sound like you two got along at all.
He was jealous of me.
I'm smarter, prettier, better company.
Freddy didn't like that.
That's why I left.
You left, or Freddy threw you out? The joint was full of guys like Freddy -- fakes, frauds.
And how was Freddy a fraud? I moved into that house because I bought what they were selling -- everybody's equal, everybody shares.
Freddy talked it, but he didn't walk it.
So I called him on his bullshit.
It's too bad.
Everybody else was actually pretty cool.
What about Freddy's girlfriend, Tamara? Yeah, I liked her.
You slept with her? I slept with all of them -- Sunshine, Meadow, Tamara.
Why wouldn't I? Because Tamara was Freddy's girlfriend.
You haven't been listening.
Possessions are meaningless, relationships are fluid.
Can I go? No, I think we're gonna hold you.
Then we're gonna get a search warrant and search your new apartment.
You think we'll find an orange knit cap there? If you do, it isn't mine.
That color does not work for me.
But you I think you'd look great in orange.
Well, thank you.
As a matter of fact I do.
Oh, I think you should call a lawyer.
[ Cellphone rings .]
Hey, Davey, everything okay? Would you say that you had a big head or a small head? What? Why? I need your hat size.
Tell me this has nothing to do with tonight.
You're not, like, planning some weird hat surprise, are you, Davey? Because I hate hats, and I hate surprises.
I-I-I just want everything to be as normal as possible when Jack comes over.
It's not for tonight, and it's not for a hat.
It's for a crown.
Leo's getting excited about his birthday party next week, and he's started making costumes.
He wants me to be an evil wizard, Nick to be an alien, and he thinks that you should be a queen.
Oh, my God.
That's so sweet.
But you know what? I already told him that I was gonna be a surprise this year.
You know what I was thinking of being? Like a-a Yeti or a beautiful giant bird or something like that.
I would pay cash money to see either one of those.
So, what's your crown size? Medium.
Just make sure there's room for the hair.
Okay? All right, bye.
We found the gold dealer.
Oh, that was quick.
They don't call me "Rush" for nothing.
You sure you want to brag about that? Uh, dealer's name is Taggert.
He's in interrogation one.
Okay, thanks, guys.
What is your problem? Oh, I don't know.
Earlier today, I stood behind her like some stupid little puppy.
So ask her out.
She has a boyfriend.
When has that ever stopped Romeo Rush? Well, never.
So what's the problem? I don't know! I just hate it! Sure I remember him.
It's not every day some slacker walks in wearing flip-flops and writes me a check for $2 million.
$2 million? What was he, some kind of drug dealer? What makes you say that? I figure it's something illegal if you guys are asking me to come down here.
Mr.
Taggert, you're here as part of the investigation into the murder of Fredrick Ralston.
Who's that? The man who bought the gold.
You mean Karl Mercier.
All right, look, there must be some kind of mistake.
The gold that we have belonged to a man named Freddy Ralston.
All I know is the serial numbers on the kilobars the other cops showed me match the numbers I sold to Karl Mercier back in 2008.
Okay.
One second, please.
That's Fredrick Ralston.
Never seen that dude in my life.
All right, then what is Karl Mercier's gold doing in Freddy Ralston's safe? Freddy's dead? Gloria: Murdered, actually.
Mr.
Mercier? Who would want to kill Freddy? Someone interested in gold.
Is that why you asked me to come down here? You think I had something to do with it? Well, maybe you can tell us what your gold is doing in Freddy's safe.
Sure.
I gave it to him.
You just gave Freddy a million dollars? No, I gave him two.
All right, now, you can understand how that seems a little strange to some of us, right? About four years ago, I started working at the store, Hollywood Party, with Freddy and a couple other friends.
Every Friday we'd toss 10 bucks into the pot and buy lottery tickets.
Three years ago, we won.
Hit big.
12 mil after taxes.
Okay, help me understand something.
Freddy had his own piece of the pie.
Or did he? No.
He didn't.
He was hung over.
Spent Friday in bed.
So he didn't put his 10 bucks in, so he wasn't entitled to a cut.
Can you imagine how he felt? The one week he failed to pony up was the week we won? So you were just feeling generous? It just didn't seem right.
You know, Freddy was one of my best friends.
4 million's way more money than I ever dreamed of.
Why not share it? He would have done the same for me.
What about your other friends? Did they share with Freddy? You'd have to ask them.
When was the last time you saw Freddy? A while ago.
He started hanging with a different crowd.
We just kind of drifted apart.
With all that money, how come you're still working at that store? Because I own it.
After we won, I bought Hollywood Party as an investment.
I always loved working there.
All right, where were you yesterday at 6:00 a.
m.
? At the store, meeting a delivery.
Who gives away $2 million? And why are Karl and Freddy not hanging out anymore? If somebody gave me $2 million, I'm their friend for life.
And I'm calling them every day just to sing them the "Thank you" song.
There's a "Thank you" song? There would be if somebody gave me $2 million.
What about the other two winners? James Angelico and Selena Flores.
James still lives in town.
I left word for him.
And Selena bought a dive shop in Tahiti.
So I'm supposed to Skype with her later on tonight.
Witness from the park came in.
I showed him a six-pack which included Purcell, but he couldn't make an I.
D.
Does that mean Purcell is off the hook? No, not necessarily.
Look, at least we know now how Freddy got the money, right? I mean, Purcell still could be the guy who tried to steal it.
I'm just gonna hold him overnight.
What would you do if you won $4 million? Ko-samui.
Pardon me? Excuse me? It's my wife's home town in Thailand.
Beautiful beaches, great golf.
You could live like a king.
Of course, I'd need a boat to get there.
I'm a little partial to the Catalina 470 -- very nice on the open water.
Then every summer, I'd go to Alaska, spend a week at the Kenai River Lodge fishing for steelhead with my cousin Jorge.
Gloria: Oh.
- Yeah.
You? Italy.
Sheppard? I know my boys would like a big, flat-screen TV.
And after that? Well, you know, I'd probably pay off my mortgage and just come back to work, I guess.
What? I like my job? I do, and you know what? I don't really like travel and Foreign bathrooms -- it's so uncomfortable.
Well, I'm going to take my pretend millions and go home to dinner.
Good luck tonight.
I know it'll be great.
Have Leo or Nick mentioned anything about it at all? Yeah.
They want to know what's for dinner.
I'm just worried that they're anxious.
You know, I mean, I am.
You don't think I'm rushing it, do you? I mean, inviting Jack over? I read somewhere that you should wait two months or 20 dates, and we're really close to that -- everything you've said about Jack tells me it's gonna be great.
I just don't want them to think that I'm trying to replace their dad.
Hey, it's just dinner.
Yeah.
[ Chuckles .]
Yeah.
[ Cellphone rings .]
Oh! Hang on.
Hey, Jack, are you on your way over? - Yeah, I wish.
- What happened? Look, Gloria, I'm sorry.
I'm stuck here in San Pedro, waiting on a prisoner transfer.
Oh.
Okay.
No it's not okay.
I feel awful.
I was the one pushing to meet your family, and now this.
Yeah, well, it's part of your job, so Yeah, it doesn't make it right.
So, can we make it another night? Sure.
JustBe safe, okay? All right.
See ya.
[ Beep .]
Change of plans? Yeah.
Thank God.
[ Chuckles .]
Hey.
I'm hungry.
Yeah, when's dinner, mom? Just a couple of minutes.
Why don't you guys go wash up, okay? - Okay.
- Okay.
All right.
Karl gave Freddy how much? He said $2 million.
Wow! I had no idea.
I mean, when we bought that first lottery ticket, we all made a deal.
You don't pay any given week, no payout.
And Freddy knew these rules? We all did.
Karl said that he cut Freddy in because they were best friends and that Freddy would have done the same for him.
Best friends? That's news to me.
I don't know.
And Freddy is the cheapest guy I've ever met.
No way he'd share.
So why would Karl cut him in? Karl probably wasn't thinking straight.
Winning that money was the worst thing that ever happened to him.
Why's that? When we won, we partied so hard at Karl's place.
We were millionaires.
And Karl's girlfriend, Mallory, she was exceptionally wasted.
It was so sad.
Because she was wasted? No.
That she died.
Really? What happened? She was up on the balcony with Karl, and like I said, she was super wasted.
She fell off the balcony and broke her neck.
Karl's never been the same.
Huh.
Thanks for coming in Mr.
Angelico.
We're talking to all the lottery winners.
So I spoke to Selena last night.
She told me about what happened to Mallory.
Yeah, that was, uh, that was terrible.
I didn't see it.
I was downstairs.
She said Karl's never been the same.
It's weird, huh? You know, luck.
Winning that ticket was bad for Karl, but great for me.
I went to Rome last week.
I flew there on a private jet.
That must have cost a couple of bucks.
It cost a hell of a lot more than my lion, that's for sure.
Why would you buy a lion? It's the king of the jungle.
So you buy a lion, but you wouldn't help your friend Freddy Ralston with money? Why would I help Freddy Ralston with anything? Well, Karl did.
He gave him over half his winnings.
There's no way.
Look, the only guy cheaper than Freddy was Karl.
Karl confirmed it -- $2 million.
Come on.
We need to talk.
When was the last time you heard from Karl? Uh, maybe like a month ago.
Said he wanted to borrow some cash.
Did he tell you what for? I wasn't on the phone long enough to find out.
[ Cellphone rings .]
Excuse me.
My driver's downstairs.
Would either of you ladies like a latte? I could -- no, I couldn't.
Uh, anyway [clears throat.]
Thank you for coming in.
Sure.
Yeah.
Thanks a lot.
All right.
Bye-bye.
Sounds like Karl's investments weren't all that profitable.
Yeah, maybe you should check out his finances, and I'll go see who investigated Mallory's death.
What do you want? - I'm not following.
- With Dulcett.
You want to work with her, you want to sleep with her, or do you want to be her boyfriend? She's got a boyfriend.
That's not the question.
Okay? If you want to be with her, just tell her how you feel.
But this moping and stuttering, it's very unbecoming.
I don't know what to say.
How is that possible? You're you.
Okay? You just say one of those magical things guys like you say.
Yeah, but it's It's different with her.
Are you saying you don't know how to talk to a woman? I'm saying I don't want to blow it.
You're really torn up about this.
Hey [chuckles.]
it's awful, isn't it? Now you know how we mortals live, with the sweaty palms and the stomach tied in knots, just struggling to just go up to a woman and say "hi.
" WellWell, you and Angie seem happy.
We are, yeah.
But it's not like she just sat on my lap.
I had to work at it.
So what'd you do? No Are you asking me for my advice? How'd you get Angie? I told her how I really felt.
Yeah, well I tried that.
- It didn't happen.
- No.
I'm not saying try to be charming or entertaining or even funny -- even though funny works pretty well for me.
I'm saying, be honest.
If you're really interested in Dulcett, then you got to tell her how you really feel.
You'll either scare the hell out of her, or she'll never let you go.
[ Sighs .]
Mallory's blood alcohol was twice the legal limit.
She had also taken a bunch of pills.
It was a miracle she could stand at all.
Well, I'm not trying to reopen your old case, Detective, but there were a number of people at that party who are connected to the murder investigation I'm doing.
So, anything that you can tell me about Mallory's death, I'd really appreciate it.
There's not much to tell.
Everybody at the party was loaded.
The girl, Mallory, was partying on the balcony with her boyfriend.
Karl Mercier? - Yeah, him and another guy -- - Freddy -- Freddy Ralston? Yeah.
Anyway, Mallory lost her balance, tripped and fell.
Freddy backed up Karl's story 100%, and at the end of the day, we all agreed it was just one of those terrible accidents.
All right, great.
Well, I appreciate it.
What if Mallory falling off the balcony wasn't an accident, okay? And maybe Freddy saw what really happened, and he backed up Karl but for a price? Say, $2 million? Yeah.
Let me guess.
Birthday party? Every day's a party with us.
And we'd like your boss to join us.
Karl's not here.
He's working a Grimm.
Excuse me? A kid's costume party with a fairy-tale theme.
We call it a Grimm.
You know, Rapunzel, Big Bad Wolf, The Frog King, that kind of stuff.
Well, when will he be back? Maybe half an hour? We can wait.
Hey, you know what? It's Leo's birthday this week, and he wanted me to get a queen costume.
Do you have a queen costume? Hey, this is Hollywood.
You have to book those in advance.
Oh, well.
What else you got? Hey, 'Chelle, does my butt look fat? [ Laughs .]
[ Laughs .]
I wonder how Jack would react if he showed up for dinner tonight and I was wearing this.
"Hello.
" - So it's back on? - Oh, yeah.
100%.
No more flip-flopping.
You know, it was never really about him and me.
That part's very clear.
Must be nice, 'cause it's not that way for me and Frankie.
I mean, you know, we have fun when we're together, but I think I'm ready for something a little more real than just fun.
You know? Is that bad? No, I don't think so.
Then again, you're asking a chick in a fat suit.
I don't know.
[ Laughs .]
Oh, my God! Look at that chicken head! Hey, do you have the rest of the chicken costume? [ Sighs .]
It's perfect, right? If you want to get plucked.
You know what? Leo is gonna love this.
I'm gonna go ask them how much they charge to rent it out, all right? [ Object thunks lightly .]
Karl? Karl [ Gasping .]
Who the hell are you?! Luis.
I work at the store.
I didn't do anything.
- Well, so why'd you run? - A giant chicken was chasing me! Hey.
- Here's Karl.
- Did you tell him? Oh, yeah.
You're under arrest for the murder of Fredrick Ralston.
[ Handcuffs click .]
[ Siren wails .]
The killer was I.
D.
'd as an African-American male wearing an orange knit cap.
Now, you have that exact mask in your store, and you have motive.
This is crazy.
Why -- why would I kill Freddy? Well, for starters, you were tired of being extorted.
I told you, I gave him the money.
Yes, because you killed your girlfriend.
I didn't kill Mallory.
Then what happened, hmm? It was you and Mallory and Freddy on the balcony that night.
And the next day, Mallory is dead, and you've given half of your winnings to a guy you weren't very close to.
When all is said and done, $2 million will buy a whole lot of silence.
What really happened on that balcony that night, Karl, huh? Two people close to you are dead.
Now, you need to convince us that you are not responsible, or you're going to go away for a very, very long time.
Freddy was pissed that he wasn't in on the lottery.
He was telling everybody that we screwed him over.
I told him that he screwed himself.
Then he said [sighs.]
"I may not be rich, but at least my girlfriend isn't screwing her boss.
" Mallory was out on the balcony.
I went out to confront her.
She was drunk.
She pushed me.
Said that if I had been a better lover I pushed her back.
She tripped over a keg.
[ Hands clap desk .]
Freddy saw the whole thing.
And Freddy played the part of the good friend and told you he had your back.
And so you shared your winnings out of gratitude.
[ Inhales sharply .]
So that worked out fine until you started to run out of money.
Between my mortgage on my house and the store, I'm sunk.
A couple of weeks ago, I asked Freddy for a loan.
He said he'd think about it.
When he asked me to give a job to his girlfriend, I didn't think twice.
Wait.
I didn't see Tamara at the store.
She's usually in the back or making deliveries.
You send a pregnant woman to make deliveries? Tamara's pregnant? Since when? Did you catch Freddy's killer? Actually, that's not why we asked you to come in, Meadow.
In his will, Freddy directed his executor to sell everything and donate the proceeds to the school district to buy textbooks.
That sounds like Freddy.
Always thinking about others.
Well, he also remembered his friends, the people that he lived with.
Before the bus is sold, he wanted each of you to go in and take whatever books you want.
Oh, that's beautiful.
And all that gold will buy the schools a lot of books.
Well, I-it would have, yes.
But unfortunately, the gold didn't belong to Freddy.
He was just holding it for his friend Karl.
So the gold will be returned to Karl.
That makes sense.
I couldn't imagine Freddy wanting to be burdened with all that wealth.
A lawyer handling the estate will contact you to arrange a time for you to choose your books.
Thank you.
- Can I ask a favor? - Sure.
Can you make sure that everybody in the house knows about the will? That Freddy left them some books.
- Of course.
- Great.
Karl: Hey, Tamara.
You look thin.
I didn't think you were working today.
Truth be told, I'm tired of working.
Look, I'll make this short and sweet.
Freddy told me all about you, Mallory, and the balcony.
Yeah, well, Freddy's dead.
Don't be thick, Karl.
From now on, I'm Freddy.
If you don't want me talking to the police, I want his half of the gold.
You killed him.
It was you in the mask.
Do we have a deal? Screw you.
You're not gonna shoot.
[ Click .]
That's exactly what Freddy said.
All right.
African-American man, pregnant woman -- you really like dressing up in costumes, don't you? Well, I'm hoping that you're gonna like that convict's outfit you're gonna be wearing for a while.
You know what? It'll go nicely with that orange knit cap.
Tamara O'Neil, you're under arrest for the murder of Fredrick Ralston.
I don't understand why you did it.
Because he was a liar.
He took advantage of people.
People like you? He had me sell my car so he could go home and visit his sick mom.
And then I find out he's got all that gold? What kind of bullshit is that? All right, let's go.
You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say or do will be held against you in a court of law.
Karl Mercier admitted to pushing Mallory.
The D.
A.
hit him with involuntary manslaughter.
So he'll do two years minimum.
And the gold? Courts will decide, but since it originally belonged to Karl and Freddy extorted it, Karl will probably get it all back.
That's not so bad.
By the time he gets out, it might double in value.
What about the O'Neil girl? S.
I.
D.
confirmed the gun she pulled on Karl was the same one used to kill Freddy.
- Everything okay, Sheppard? - Yeah, yeah.
I was just thinking about luck, you know? Wondering where they'd all be if a different lottery number had come up? Yeah.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Haven't seen much of you around lately.
Yeah.
[ Sighs .]
yeah, I been kind of busy.
So, hell of a day for you and Sheppard, huh? Yeah, yeah.
On a scale of 1 to 10, not so bad.
I gotta go.
So Oh, yeah.
Hot date tonight? You know, just dinner.
Okay, then.
- All right.
- Yeah.
Bye.
Um, actually There is something I've been trying to tell you.
I Damn it.
Romeo! I know.
You're seeing someone else.
[ Sighs .]
But I can't keep pretending you're just another cop.
I've never said this to anyone before but I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you.
[ Exhales .]
Do it again.
[ Sighs .]
Are you worried that he'll cancel again or that he'll show? [ Sighs .]
Both.
[ Chuckles .]
[ Doorbell rings .]
Breathe.
[ Exhales sharply .]
Yeah.
Breathe.
Hey.
I'm Jack.
Wait, don't tell me.
Let me guess here.
Nick and Leo, right? Yeah.
Yeah.
- Yes.
Hi.
- Hey.
So, I heard that you guys like cupcakes.
It depends.
Yeah.
It depends.
It depends? It depends.
All right, well, how is chocolate with white frosting and red velvet? Oh! - Perfect! Perfect! - Yeah? There you go.
Thanks! He brought our favorite.
Take them in the kitchen, okay? - Hey -- no, not too close, okay? - Oh, right, yes.
The fork, remember? The fork.
I'm really serious about the PDA, okay? We can't -- is this too close? Okay.
No.
This is -- yeah, it's actually Perfect.
- Hey, welcome.
- Hey.
- Jack.
- I'm Davey.
- Nice to meet you.
- You too.
Yeah.
Um Why do I feel like a chaperone at prom? [ Laughs .]
Uh, dinner's ready.
Great.
Okay.
Okay? Yeah.
Okay, desert island, top three candy bars.
Go.
Milky Way! Peanut butter cup.
- Hi-chew.
- What's a hi-chew? Gesundheit.
- Oh, I cannot believe -- - Yeah, good one, Nick.
Nobody saw that coming.
Nick: But it's funny! Completely walked right into that.
A hi-chew is a Japanese candy, and it won't melt like chocolate on a desert island.
Oh, you know, I had not considered the heat factor.
Yes, my peanut butter cup would be a melted little puddle in the sand, but so would your Milky Way.
Okay, no, desert-island movies.
"Moonraker.
" Nick: "Indiana Jones.
" Leo: "Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back.
" - Nice.
"The Big Blue.
"