Memphis Beat (2010) s02e04 Episode Script

Car 1256, we have a 1050 noise complaint at the Van Mosley active seniors complex.
Please respond.
10-4.
Be careful, Sutton.
You know how old ladies find you intoxicating.
I mean, it -- It -- It used to be a paradise here.
Then owner man gets greedy, lowers the age to 55.
Sir, where is -- Suddenly -- have you ever seen a thong? I mean, I'm sorry to say I now have.
Yes, I'm sure that was very upsetting.
But what I'm trying to ask you, sir, is I need you to -- Oh, I know -- Apartment 66.
Banging and screaming for three days.
Then, 20 minutes ago, it was like those bastards were trying to -- Well, I know what they were trying to do.
Sir, please.
Just go back to your apartment, okay? I mean, you've been a great help, but I can take it from here.
Thank you.
Come in.
Surpri-- Oh, you're -- You're not Barbara.
No, sir, I'm not.
And, uh, whatever it is you got going on in there, you need to keep it down.
Folks are complaining.
Well, I haven't been making any noises.
I got home about 10 minutes ago, been doing my stretches.
Well, obviously, this place has got pretty thin walls, so, uh, stretch more quietly.
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Dispatch, 1256.
Noise complaint is p -- Hello? MPD.
Anybody home? MPD! Anybody home?! Damn.
I'm goin' to Memphis where the beat is tough ♪ Memphis ♪ ♪ I can't get enough ♪ oh, well, it makes you tremble and it makes you weak gets in your blood, that Memphis beat I cordoned off the apartment and made sure nobody touched the body until you all got here.
Good work, Sutton.
Pink hearts -- Some bold decorating choices.
We haven't started to canvass yet.
A couple down the hall described the guy who lived here as looking a lot like this guy -- Didn't know his name, though.
Blunt-force trauma to the top of the head.
Round drops, so these came out at 90 degrees when he got hit.
Guy's about my height, so he was standing when it happened.
Our doer was tall or used some sort of club.
Let me see your flashlight, Sutton.
Here you go.
Take a look at this.
This whole outer portion is dry.
It's got dust in it.
So this part has to be at least a day or two old.
This isn't one stain.
It's two -- One on top of the other.
It's hard to kill a man twice.
Something else must have happened, right? Seems like it.
Sam Richard Walter, 4718 Cretchly Court.
It's one of those fancy gated areas out in Germantown.
So what's he doing in this less-than-fancy apartment? Maybe this has something to do with it.
Our man Sam was a defense attorney.
Important work -- Making sure people get their constitutional right to counsel.
True enough.
Problem is, most of them are guilty and a fair number of them are assholes.
Hold down the fort, Sutton.
Whitehead, let's go to Sam's office -- See if any of his clients fit into that category.
The dead lawyer's name is on the lease.
Got the place two months ago.
Neighbors in Germantown say he and his wife live out there full time.
What's the apartment for? Well, a couple of folks we canvassed saw him with a young woman -- Tagged her as a daughter or granddaughter.
Turns out Sam Walter and his wife -- They don't have any kids.
Oh, Sam -- The husband with an apartment on the side.
Didn't you know that was not gonna end well for you? What's the wife saying? Nothing yet.
And we went to the house to notify her of his death, but she didn't answer the door, and she's not picking up her phone.
Really? I guess that officially makes her a suspect.
Let's try a little harder to find her.
Yes, ma'am.
I know this must be a blow.
He was a -- A fine man -- A fine man.
How long did you work for him? Uh, 25 years -- September.
I talked to some folks at the courthouse, and they said Sam had a rough few years -- Lost about five or six big cases.
That's -- That's true.
Is it possible any of those clients might want to do him harm? Uh, well, attorney-client privilege dies with the -- The client, not with the attorney.
Sam would be angry with me if I shared his files and confidences.
Somebody killed him, Dolores -- Took him away from you.
You're not gonna let them get away with that, are you? Sam had a -- A bleeding heart.
I mean, that was his real problem.
He -- He took on clients who -- Who couldn't pay their bills, made his finances a mess.
I mean, we were about to lose our lease.
And thenWe weren't.
So, what happened? He borrow money from the wrong people? No.
He started making Extra money.
How? He wouldn't tell me.
Oh, yeah, but nothing gets by you, does it? I buttered up time security guard -- Literally, with my shortbread.
This is a -- A list of names Sam gave to him.
Uh, these people came to meetings, strictly off the books.
I mean, Sam never breathed a word of this to me.
It's not a client file, so I guess I can pass it along.
I'm sure Sam would be grateful.
He was lucky to have you.
Thank you.
How did it go? Crime tech already rolled.
I'm just closing up the scene.
Did we finish the canvass? Yeah, everybody but folks who -- What was that? Where did that come from? I mean, I know where babies come from.
But that particular baby -- Where did it come from? Hey, there, sweetheart.
Aren't you beautiful? Same sheet as inside.
Which means this baby came from Sam Walter's apartment.
Whoever put her here might be his killer.
Hey, you.
Hey, our ER doc says our little girl is 4 or 5 days old, and it does not look like she was delivered by professionals.
Well, that explains the other bloodstain in the apartment.
Sam might be the daddy, but his wife is 60.
I doubt if she's the mother.
Maybe she thought that cracking him in the head was easier than divorcing him.
If the birth mother saw the crime, she'd have good reason to believe that Mrs.
Walter would come after her, too.
Could be she put the baby in the cruiser to protect it.
We need to find her.
She's the only other person we know for sure that was in that apartment.
Uh, look at this.
Every month for the last three months, Sam got a check from a Peter Branson for $1,155.
Then, a few days later, he wrote a rent check to van mosley villas for$1,155.
I went down to social services, but there wasn't a welfare officer available to take custody of her.
There was a "P.
Branson" on that nighttime visitors' list we got from that secretary.
This is probably him, then, 'cause this Peter Branson did eight months last year for felony possession of stolen property, and Sam Walter was his attorney.
Come here, sweetie.
Come on, sweetie.
Oh, yeah, I know.
Oh.
Shh, shh, shh, shh! Yes, sweetie.
Oh, my.
Oh, my! Reggie, go get Branson and ask about the checks and we need the baby baby's mother here Go to the apartment and ask all around I can sing and still be in charge Yes, ma'am.
Yes, ma'am! Here.
You're the nanny till social services comes.
No, I don't know anything about babies.
And I -- And I might actually be overstating my abilities.
Oh, come on, Davey.
You carry a big old gun d patrol the streets at night.
You're gonna let a little, tiny baby scare you? Hi.
You are cute.
Yeah, I got in some trouble last year.
Sam was my lawyer, and, um, he let me do a payment plan to pay off his bill.
So your payment plan is you pay the rent on his apartment? 'Cause those amounts are exactly the same.
I'm just doing what Sam wants.
You can ask him.
I mean, it's a payment plan.
It's all aboveboard.
Really? Yeah.
How'd you like jail, Pete? Did it suit you? 'Cause you're going back for impeding a police investigation.
Wait.
I'm not impeding anything.
I just -- Sam Walter was murdered last night in that apartment you're paying for.
What? He's dead? Yeah.
And what about the baby -- Is she okay? Who said anything about a baby? Look, my wife can't have kids and felons can't legally adopt, and Sam said he'd help us out.
For 40 grand, he said he could get us a healthy baby.
Sam brokered illegal adoptions? No, not normally.
I-I think he felt bad because he didn't get me off last year.
But the baby -- She's okay? Yeah, she's fine -- Real cute.
Who's her mother? I'm really not sure.
Uh, she didn't want to meet us, so we just talked on the phone.
She, uh -- She said her name was Christie.
Christie? That's all you've got.
Look, I know how this sounds, but We would never hurt Sam.
He was making our dream come true.
They found Sam's wife.
She's been on a cruise for the last week.
She was pretty broken up about the news.
Did she know anything about the baby? Apparently not.
You get anything from the folks on the first floor? Fresh-baked snickerdoodles From the lady in apartment 15.
How about you? Well, Mrs.
meyer in 51 never saw Sam Walter or the girl.
Mr.
Wilson in apartment 55 saw the girl, didn't know she was pregnant, and was certain her name was Jersey.
And the woman in apartment 60 thought I looked like her grandson.
So we're nowhere on finding the baby's mom? Not yet.
Knock, knock.
I ain't bothering anybody, anyhow.
No, ma'am.
But it looks like you've lived here for a while.
Who's asking? Detectives Hendricks and white, mPD.
Hmm.
Well, if you're not rousting me, then I'm thinking you need something.
Um, have you seen anyone pregnant or a -- A new baby around these apartments? Yeah, that baby was pink as a newborn squirrel.
Really? Have you ever actually even seen a newborn squirrel? What's it to you? Not a thing.
Did you see who was with the baby? A young girl -- Pale, kind of nervous, but she was real nice.
Can you tell us anything else about this girl? Well, she gave me this shirt.
Can we get you anything for your trouble? Are those snickerdoodles? Yeah.
They sure are.
Thank you, ma'am.
Those were my cookies.
I'm gonna pretend like you didn't say that.
God's path -- Isn't that a halfway house for female parolees? Yep.
Sam Walter should have known better than to have a girlfriend that could take him in a fight.
I'm sorry, detective Hendricks, but your witness is mistaken.
Look, we're not saying this resident definitely committed a crime, but we're still gonna need to talk to her.
What you're saying is that, unbeknownst to us, one of our charges carried a baby to term.
And what I'm telling you is that's not possible.
A murder's been committed, sister Agnes, so I'm afraid I can't take your word for it.
You don't have to.
All of our residents were signed in by 6:00 last night, as well as every night before that.
We have a curfew.
We insist that everyone abides by it.
Who watches them sign in? Whoever's available.
Then, as much as it pains me, I have to assume one of you helped a resident hide a pregnancy, as well as covered that person's absence from the house.
I'm afraid you're all gonna have to come with us down to the station.
They had nothing to do with this.
I'm so sorry, sisters.
This is all my fault.
All right, so, who's the resident we should talk to? None of them.
It was me.
I'm the baby's mother.
I wish somebody would have told a 14 year old me that one day I'd be questioning a nun about a murder.
Might have made sister Mary Margaret's threats about me going to hell for bad behavior a little easier to ignore.
I doubt it.
Well, unless she travels with a 9-iron, she's too short to be the doer.
Maybe, but I bet you she knows who it is.
All right.
How's the baby? Is she okay? The baby's fine.
Now let's talk about how she ended up in the back of a police car.
A man is dead, sister Catherine Thomas.
The right thing for you to do is tell me how that happened.
I don't know.
Was Sam the baby's father? No.
Sam loved his wife.
Then why was he there? He was helping me find a home for my baby.
He rented me that apartment so that I could do this all in sect.
Which explains how you know each other and what your business was, but not how he ended up dead today.
I was recuperating.
The sisters thought I was in Iowa, visiting family.
Sam stopped by to check on me, and someone started banging on the door.
Sam went to see who it was and told me I should take the baby and run.
You have no idea who was doing the banging? No.
If you weren't afraid of the person at the door, why put the baby in a police car? I got outside, and I realized Where would I go? I don't have any money or normal clothes.
I needed to do the best thing for my baby.
Putting her in the police car seemed like the best option.
Can anyone else confirm that you're the baby's mother? I went to a clinic for exams.
I used the name Christie Thomas.
Who's the baby's father, sister Catherine? I'm sorry, detective Hendricks.
I can't tell you.
No disrespect, sister Catherine, butI'm not sure I believe anything you've told me.
Back off.
She's quiet.
And she's an angel.
But I got to make copies for the staff meeting.
Use the auto feed.
It's broken.
Look, you can't move her.
If I stop pressing this button, she'll start crying.
I can't have that.
This is the first thing I've tried that worked, so there's a Kinko's across the street, detective.
Hey, Davey.
Hey, Reggie.
Thank God you're here.
Aww.
You called Dwight's mom? Y'all weren't helping me.
You know, this is some creative problem solving here, but it's not a long-term solution.
So why don't we move her? Just move her.
Let's get out of the machine.
She's not crying.
Well, she's asleep.
Davey, good job.
Good job.
Alta Vista women's clinic verified that Christie Thomas was a patient.
There's no name on the father, but the nurse remembers that he was tall, around 6 foot.
Hey, sweetie.
What's my mama doing here? Babysitting, I guess.
So, where are we? Well, the baby's father seems to be our best angle.
Here? If Sam was the middleman for an illegal adoption, money had to be involved.
So maybe the father wasn't happy with his share and killed Sam for a bigger piece of the pie.
The fact that the nun won't give us the name certainly doesn't make him seem innocent.
I can go at her again, but my gut tells me the nun won't roll over and give us a name.
I agree.
Let her go.
That'll teach her.
Follow her.
She can't stay away from him too long.
Can you imagine being the guy a nun decides to have sex with? I'd like to think I'd have the good sense to say "no.
" Why -- You afraid to have your feet on fire for all of eternity? No, just a person's bound to have doubts.
The least I can do is be decent when those moments occur.
So what if there is no father, know what I mean? Immaculate conception? You don't believe that.
Wish I did.
I guess there's only so many tragedies you can see before you stop believing in miracles.
Let me put it this way, whitehead -- We sacrifice so that others might believe.
Who's that? Sister Catherine in street clothes.
I guess rice was right.
I won't tell her you said so.
Get off me! Let me go! What the hell? MPD! Stop it! Let me go! Hey, let her go! Aah! Make sure she's okay.
Dark sedan.
Partial plate -- Tennessee, 3-zebra-Alpha.
I'll get an a.
P.
B.
Out right away.
Thanks, Sutton.
You okay? She said that she was headed to the bus to go to the grocery store.
Was that the baby's father? No.
I told you -- He has nothing to do with this.
You got to realize you not wanting to talk about him or letting us talk to him -- It's making me think he killed Sam.
He didn't.
I promise.
So, who attacked you? That was my father.
What's his name? Harlin Thomas.
Hey, Sutton, it's Dwight again.
Put an APB out on a Harlin Thomas.
He tried to run me over.
He should be considered dangerous.
Will do.
What's Harlin's connection in this? WhenI got pregnant, I didn't know who to turn to.
He said he'd find a -- A lawyer who could do an adoption.
I had no idea he was selling the baby.
Turns out my dad was getting a $25,000 finders' fee.
My guess is Harlin's got money troubles.
Among other troubles.
Sam came by to tell me that he'd called my dad to tell him that the deal was off.
When I heard the banging, I knew bad things were gonna happen.
That was your father, banging on the door at the apartment? I didn't want to leave Sam alone, but You had to protect the baby.
So I grabbed our stuff, and I headed out the window.
Why didn't you tell me about your dad before? I guess I didn't want to believe that he could kill someone.
Harlin Thomas, 48 years old.
Guy was in time on everything from check fraud to drugs.
Was it his car that tried to run me down? He's the proud owner of an oldsmobile, license 0-baker-4-3-zebra-Alpha.
Uniforms are en route as we speak.
Good.
Where are we with the -- What the hell is -- hey, that's not for you! Well, what's it doing in my coffeepot? 'Cause I'm heating it up for little Perneria Nula.
It's a temporary name -- Unless, of course, the parents like it.
Sounds like a rash, Sutton.
It is exotic -- I concur.
It belonged to my great aunt.
She taught me how to salsa dance when I was 8.
Oh, evidence is done with the nun's bag.
Give me that.
It's not like I want it, anyway.
Didn't our nun say she was running to catch a bus? She did.
Why do you catch a bus if you got a car? All this baby stuff -- Maybe this is what she grabbed on her way out of Sam's apartment.
If Catherine's got the keys, maybe the vehicle's still at the scene.
Ford f-150 -- Not exactly a nun-mobile.
Maybe it's the baby's dad.
Let's find that truck so we can find him.
Maybe he'll confirm her story.
Yeah, that's my truck.
I loaned it to my boy, Damon.
We'd like to talk to him.
I'm not sure where he is.
I haven't talked to him since Tuesday.
That doesn't worry you? Ever since he knocked up that girlfriend of his, Damon spends most of his time with her.
You seem awfully unconcerned about the circumstances of this pregnancy.
It's not the choice I would have made for him, but he's taking responsibility for himself, acting like a man -- That's what I'd want him to do.
Do you know how we could reach Damon? Well, call him.
We did.
He didn't answer.
Well, I think I have the girlfriend's number here somewhere.
We already have sister Catherine at the station.
Well, then maybe the sister can give you Christie's number.
But sister Catherine is Christie, right? SisterCatherine? Well, you mean like sister sister? Like nun sister.
Oh, no.
Christie's not a nun.
She's a -- She's a junior in high school.
Catherine's not the baby's mother.
She's the aunt.
Means not only is the father unaccounted for, the mother is, too.
We got photos of both kids on the street.
We're checking into shelters and hospitals.
Greenback's talking to their friends -- See if anybody knows where they are.
Six years -- That's how long it takes to become a nun.
She was willing to throw all that away for those kids.
I guess that's a version of having God on your side.
I'll go talk to her again.
It's basically stick, stick with the disposables.
How's it going? Davey is making wonderful progress.
He's a natural.
Thank you, ma'am.
Dwight, I'm telling you -- When you have children, this woman's gonna be a lifesaver for you.
I'm sure.
So, when are you gonna settle down and get serious, anyway? Just officer Sutton and I are just talking about our hopes and dreams.
Well, I work with Sutton, so maybe you shouldn't -- Children are a blessing, Dwight.
Yes, they are.
Where is our bundle of caffeine? She's taking a nap.
I need to borrow her.
She's not a lawn mower, Dwight.
I know.
My mama wouldn't have shown up for a lawn mower.
Very nice.
She's bigger than she was just two days ago.
Yeah, she looks like you around the eyes.
Of course, I got my aunt's eyes, too.
You have to stop lying to me, sister Catherine.
I've had about enough.
We know about Christie and Damon.
Did they kill Sam? No.
Are you protecting them from Harlin? Yes.
'Cause nobody's seen them since the day Sam was killed.
I'm sure they're fine.
I think Christie and Damon put the baby in that police car.
'Cause, while they were hiding outside, waiting for you Let me make sure they're safe, sister Catherine.
Do you mind? I don't want to be a tiger 'cause tigers play too rough I don't want to be a lion 'cause lions ain't the kind you love enough I just want to be your Teddy bear Put a chain around my neck and lead me anywhere oh, let me be your Teddy bear oh, let me be your Teddy bear I don't want to be a tiger 'cause tigers play too rough I don't want to a lion 'cause lions ain't the kind you love enough I just want to be your Teddy bear My dad He didn't used to be like this.
When I was little, he was a good man.
But then, when Christie's mom died -- That's who raised us both -- He started drinking and doing drugs.
I wanted to stand up to him, but I couldn't.
God showed me a way out, but I never should have left my sister.
Where would Christie and Damon go? When they decided not to go through with the adoption I got them an apartment in West Memphis.
That's where I was headed when you picked me up.
Give me an address.
I'll send someone to make sure they're okay.
Whitehead's got West Memphis PD out looking for them.
Good.
Good.
What -- What did you find out about Harlin Thomas' place? He hasn't been there since Tuesday.
But a neighbor's told us Harlin's got a drug problem.
He tried to borrow money recently 'cause he got himself in debt to a bookie to pay for his habit.
Guess how much he owes.
25 grand.
Exactly what he was supposed to make from selling that baby.
Harlin's not gonna be very happy when he finds out those kids left that baby with the police.
Oh, you got spit-up like a skunk stripe all the way down the back of your uniform.
Badge of honor, Reggie -- Badge of honor.
Well, I think you also get a badge for something else.
Oh, no! Did you poop on Davey? Sutton.
That was West Memphis PD kids aren't there.
Hey, Dwight, whitehead.
We got a hit on the APB for Harlin Thomas' oldsmobile.
It's outside the station right now.
All right, Sutton, stay with that baby in case Harlin got in the precinct.
You got it.
Here, get the passenger side.
Put your hands on the steering wheel! Damon? Harlin made me come here.
He's got Christie.
He told me if I don't bring him the baby that he's not gonna let her go.
So, Harlin sent you? Yeah, right after we told him we put the baby in the police car.
Not the brightest idea -- Sending you into a police station to steal a baby.
He still thinks he could sell her, you know, raise some money and get out of town.
He doesn't want to go to jail for killing Sam.
So he admits to the deed? I-I don't think that he meant to do it.
I mean, Harlin's totally tweaked.
He's half out of his mind.
It's worse than I've ever seen him.
Where is he? Capri motel, out in Wolfchase.
SWAT wired a camera through the vent.
Harlin's got two shotguns and a .
45.
He's not responding to the bullhorn.
They're ready to move in.
If SWAT moves in, he's gonna kill her.
I know.
We need to let him know there's another way out.
You want me to talk to him? This has been done before with family members, when the hostage taker isn't responding to the police.
But we're not close.
But you're family.
You can connect to parts of him that we can't reach.
I don't think I can do this.
"I can do all things through God, who strengthens me.
" I did love catechism.
Sister Catherine I know you're scared, but you know you're not alone.
Excuse me.
Yes.
I'm from social services.
I'm looking for officer Sutton.
Oh, yeah, he was -- He was just here.
Please, just have a seat.
I'll go -- I'll go find him.
Thank you.
Uh-huh.
Social services is here.
I guess they had to come eventually.
Well, our little girl needs a bed.
She can't sleep in the car seat forever.
In my whole life, I've never been with a baby more than a minute or two.
I'd always get scared off by how much care they needed.
But what I realized is how special giving that care can make you feel.
Do you think she'll know I existed? I think she'll remember that she was loved, even if she doesn't quite know where that love came from.
She's something, isn't she? Thank you, little Perneria Nula, for letting us be a part of your life.
It's a good name, right? It suits her.
I think so, too.
Just help him feel that he's not alone in this.
Dad, it's Cathy.
Get out of here, girl! No.
There's nothing you can do.
Maybe not, butI can't leave here without Christie.
Is she okay? Yeah.
I screwed up, Cathy.
I screwed up bad.
Remember when mom was sick and you couldn't cook, but you'd put that tray on the bed and put a pillowcase over it, like a tablecloth? You'd call it the spectacular cereal selection or -- Or "peanut butter and the seven jellies.
" And then, when mom was gone, you took me to church and you'd show me the stained-glass windows and told me what mom was doing in heaven.
You helped me through that.
Now you need help, dad, and I'm gonna help you get it.
Mr.
Thomas, uh, I'm detective Hendricks.
Sister Catherine's right.
We just want to help you.
I'm gonna go ahead and put down my gun now, and I-I just ask the same courtesy of you.
If you'll just put your hands on your head, we need to make sure Christie's okay.
Sister Catherine, nice to see you again.
Hello.
Hi.
Cookies from the nuns of God's path.
Oh, it's a miracle -- Snickerdoodles.
How are Christie and Damon? They're good.
Social services gave Damon's father temporary custody until they decide what they want to do.
What's her name Angela.
What you guys do every day -- Being so brave and believing that people deserve justice and kindness -- I think it's amazing.
And I just wanted to say thank you For helping me.
You're welcome.
Enjoy.
Thank you.
Listen, if Sutton asks, they named her Perneria.
Do I get your half of the cookies? If that's what it takes.
Perneria it is.