Truth Be Told (2019) s02e06 Episode Script

The liar's punishment is
not the least that he is not believed,
but that he cannot believe anyone else.
Micah Keith has perfected
the art of deceit.
But she's also deceived herself,
believing that her lies will go unnoticed.
Micah has been my friend
for more than 30 years.
I've been in the dark
about that friendship for just as long.
Holt Rollins,
a suspect in the murder of Ramon Tomas,
is Micah's lover.
Holt Rollins and Micah Keith
have known each other for nearly 25 years.
Since the day he got out
of prison, she supported him.
She bought him a house.
Gave him a job.
A warm body.
She lied.
To me.
To you.
To the world.
For you.
You need to eat.
Not hungry.
The police still out there?
Yes.
Micah's not coming for you again.
Surprise, surprise!
What kinda sandwich is it?
Pastrami.
I'm a vegan.
A murderer worried about his diet?
Ain't that 'bout a bitch?
Take the meat out.
Did you take your meds?
Would that make more sense to you?
And your answer is yes.
I'm just tired of being erased.
For real though.
You ever wonder?
About what?
What if you and I…
told the truth?
All of it.
Poppy Parnell breaks the internet.
I can't lie. I mean,
you guys stirred up some shit.
Look at this.
I'm sorry I couldn't give you
a better heads-up.
You know, you are allowed to miss her.
How could I have been so wrong about her?
Hey, can I get some grown-ass man back--
-Hey, Poppy.
-Hey.
Why? Trini's in one of her moods again?
You know what? Worse.
She's being sweet which means
she's about to make a big ask.
Yeah.
Well, as long as
she doesn't ask for a horse.
You know, when she was eight,
every single morning--
-At breakfast!
-At breakfast!
For a full-on year,
she would ask for a pony.
Now, where in the hell
are we gonna keep a farm animal?
Where we gonna keep one in--
in North Oakland?
-Exactly!
-Come on!
I better get going.
-Really?
-I will leave you to it.
And…
-Good luck with Micah.
-Uh-huh.
Good luck to you too.
-See you, Poppy.
-Be safe.
Yeah!
It's just work, baby.
It's a good thing you're cute.
Good thing. You're lucky.
Come help me when you can.
HR is swamped with resignations.
What are you doing?
How did she get in here?
What?
I don't want anyone here
who has lost faith in me.
Have you?
No! Never.
It is-- It's just that--
Go ahead. Tell me.
I'm a little worried
about the optics of you being here.
Three of our sponsors have put
their deals on hold.
Virgin canceled our wellness cruise.
Stanford postponed
your speaking engagement,
and pretty much all of what's left
of our investors are asking questions.
And?
Look, I know--
I know that you're suffering,
'cause Poppy's vicious
and baseless accusations are vile.
Which is why I think that maybe
you should take a few weeks off.
You know,
give me a chance to right the ship.
Have I underestimated you, little mouse?
You and Lachlan were so content
to exploit me, and now what?
You wanna tuck me away?
-Out of sight, out of mind?
-No. No!
I believe you, Micah. I believe in you!
You can trust me.
That's what Poppy always said.
I will never step away.
Ever.
Call all of our press contacts.
Let's remind people who I am.
-Who Poppy really is.
-Okay.
Okay, let's run this from the top.
We know Holt Rollins killed Ramon Tomas.
Maybe…
there was evidence in Ramon's apartment
connecting Holt to Micah.
Something Ramon didn't even know about.
You think she ordered Holt to kill Ramon?
Or steal the evidence. Then it got ugly.
Who is Holt Rollins though?
Holt. Holt, Holt, Holt…
Holt is a second-chance hire for Shelter.
Yeah, that's how Markus ID'd him.
You still have those arrest records
from Aames?
Yeah.
Done.
What have we got?
Known associates:
Allen White, shot and killed last year.
Garrett Banks. Went back to jail
last September, out in 2032.
And Rose Gil.
She and Holt were arrested
in a major B and E in LA.
Accused of being involved
in a burglary ring.
Holt got ten years. Rose, five.
Anything on her since?
What about last known address?
Nothing. I checked death certificates
and the Jane Doe database.
Stay on it.
There's something there. I can feel it.
What?
Nice to have Miss Poppy Parnell
back in the house.
Cooking with gas now, baby!
Sit up straight!
I said to sit up straight!
It's okay. I'm here now.
It'll heal. Just like last time.
July 17th, 1997.
July 17th…
Gotcha.
Welcome to Shelter, everybody.
I'm happy to see you.
-Micah.
-Hey, Micah.
Hi. Wow.
I love this surrealist phase, Junior.
-You like it?
-I do.
Hey, do you wanna add your tag?
That red rose you always use.
That's all you, honey.
She's great with them.
Yes, she is. Micah handpicked
every scholarship recipient.
Nothing is more important to her
than the investment in kids.
You should go. Go, go. Please.
What's this called?
Clique.
Who's she?
She's three people.
You?
Schoolmates?
Drea Spivey. Melanie Sanchez.
Leah Ellstrom.
And who are they?
Missing girls.
Just three of the dozens of young girls
who've disappeared from Oakland
in the past few years.
The police haven't located any of them?
No, they'd have to look for them
to find them.
That goes for the local press too.
It's really beautiful.
Noa found out Rose had been
in a board and care facility.
Okay, so what are you saying?
That this woman…
Diane, runs the facility?
Yeah.
And she thinks this call is about
a job opportunity at Shelter.
-Are you freaking nuts?
-Come on.
It's a good lead.
And I'll owe you.
You know how long
that "owe you" list is by now?
Here you go.
-Thank you.
-All right.
Hello, this is Diane Cooper.
Hello, Diane, how you doing?
This is Markus Killebrew.
I'm checking on an applicant
that listed your facility
as a primary residence.
We don't share private information
about our residents.
I completely understand that.
We have the same policy.
But you see, this--
This particular applicant,
Rose, she's special.
And I just wanna see
if I can help her out and--
You heard from Rose? When?
A couple of days ago.
Why? Is there a problem?
Was there any trouble? I'm former OPD.
She's been missing for weeks.
What's your name again?
I'm sorry to hear that.
It's Markus Killebrew.
I'm head of security at Shelter
here in San Francisco.
This is Poppy Parnell.
Do you think Rose could be in danger?
Do you?
Let me ask you a question. Has there been
any recent trouble at your facility?
Well, a few years back,
we had to ban one of Rose's visitors.
The banned visitor never came back,
but about six months ago,
Rose had another visitor.
I remember because she started
her artwork again.
It was like she caught fire.
Let me ask you something. Can you
give me a copy of the visitor ledger?
Our policy prevents against that.
I've already said too much.
Okay, so, how about this?
Why don't you just make some calls?
Check me out, okay?
Do your due diligence
just to be on the safe side,
and you can contact me.
But listen, Diane, trust me, okay?
I'm gonna keep an eye out for Rose.
-I appreciate your time. Thank you.
-Thank you.
Hi.
I wanna talk. In person.
I miss you.
Please.
Hey.
Can't I come in?
Out here is fine.
Well, thanks for picking up the phone.
How do we fix this, Pop?
We're past that.
I just wanna find out who killed Josh.
-And I wanna help you.
-Do you?
Yes.
'Cause you lied about being in love with
the prime suspect of a related murder.
He's not who you think he is.
You chose him over me.
Over Daddy, Cydie, Desiree. Over Josh.
-That is not true.
-Then why weren't you honest?
Because I was scared.
I'm scared! I'm scared every goddamn day,
-but I--
-But what? You don't lie?
Who's Rose Gil?
She was on the streets with me and Holt.
I-- Why are you asking about Rose?
I haven't thought about her for years.
Why didn't you write about her?
Because she was sick.
And I didn't think that was fair.
I couldn't tell her story
without telling that part.
I don't trust you, Micah.
I love you, but I do not trust you.
You know, we've been friends
for most of our lives.
We know a lot about each other.
And?
You hold all of my confidences.
And I hold yours.
So motherfucking what?
I know things that could destroy
this life you built
and this person you pretend to be.
Hey! You got your hair wet!
Shit!
After I spent hours wrestling with
this nappy cotton wool!
It's my fault! Not Poppy's.
Get the hell outta here, little girl!
You know I don't have time for this shit!
Come on! Carry your ass home!
This is the last time you're coming down
to my damn house. Talking back to my ass.
Hey!
Hi! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.
I'm Micah.
Yeah. Zarina.
I've read your books.
It's good to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Those are for you.
Wow.
I hope it's not clothes.
Once I got to four months
with my daughter, nothing fit.
-So…
-You're lucky.
Well, I appreciate the gifts.
But how can I help you?
These are the offer papers
for Markus at Shelter.
This is--
This is generous.
He's worth it.
I'm just afraid he's gonna
throw it all away because of some…
devotion to Poppy.
Poppy and I had a falling-out,
and I remain hopeful
but at the moment, it feels irreparable.
Did Markus turn this down?
Not yet.
Thank you for the gifts.
Thank you for your honesty.
I don't back-door in my marriage.
I respect that.
But this is twice his old salary.
Six months paternity leave, an opportunity
for him to create his own security detail.
Okay. Micah.
Poppy left her husband.
She's getting a divorce.
I need Markus. He makes me feel safe.
That is not easy.
We can help each other out.
How?
That proposal is predicated on
his exclusivity to Shelter.
No outside work.
No partnership with Poppy.
You think it over.
All clear here. No sign of Rollins.
10-4…
Copy that. Heading in.
You ever wonder how the cops found us
the night we were arrested?
We were young.
Amateurs.
A few weeks before we were arrested,
they caught Micah
breaking into the school.
They let her off with a warning.
Then, two weeks later,
we get caught red-handed.
She got picked up. Same as we did.
But never charged.
Aren't you getting it yet? She set us up.
Fuck you.
Claimed we were in
some sort of a burglary ring.
You and me.
That's how come we went to jail.
You have killed people to protect her.
If you touch me, I will scream.
Cops right outside, remember?
And they're looking for you.
You and Micah.
Neither of you ever had
any good boundaries.
People get hurt when they don't know
where the lines are. Now you know.
-Micah--
-Stop saying her fucking name!
She didn't protect you then.
She won't protect you now.
You feel it? You feel it's true?
I can see it.
What are you gonna do, huh?
What are you gonna do? Kill me?
Go ahead.
Keep cleaning up her messes.
Hey, Uncle Bug.
Hey.
What's up, Popgun? What you got?
What else we got in here?
I don't wanna read about Vietnam anymore.
Okay. What would you like?
Napoleon.
Well, it's good to see you.
Well, I see you all the time.
Buses, billboards, voice on the airwaves.
You're the talk of the town.
Don't know if that's a good or bad thing.
You and your friend are fightin'.
It's more than that.
She asked to meet.
Wanted a truce. After all she lied about.
You never look for an enemy
where you think she's too scared to go.
Uncle Bug, I wanted to ask you…
After Mama died,
why did Daddy send me to Miss Shirley?
Why didn't he send me with you?
To live where?
Did you know about Miss Shirley?
Everybody knew.
Desiree and Cydie were playing dress-up
and having tea parties in Elysian Fields.
Why not me?
What was so wrong with me
that I got left behind?
You're remembering emotions, not facts.
You ever asked them what it was like
up on them hills?
It can't compare, I'm sure.
-It left me vulnerable to--
-You survived, right?
I endured.
But not every piece of me survived.
The little girl that went
into Miss Shirley's house
is not the same one that came out.
Hey.
Yo. Heard from Diane
at the board and care.
-Yeah?
-She told me that
Holt Rollins was the banned visitor.
And the second visitor?
Joshua Keith.
Josh went to see Rose
six months before his murder.
We have to find her, Markus.
Yes, we do, but how?
The Romans used to speak of
"memoria praeteritorum bonorum."
Roughly translated, this means,
"The past is always well-remembered."
It's a phenomenon psychologists refer to
as rosy retrospection.
A tendency to disproportionately
positively remember the past.
This idea assumes
you have a past worth romanticizing.
But what of those born and bred
in trauma? Scarcity?
What leeway are they afforded
to reckon with their past?
For most of her life,
Rose Gil was erased by society.
She spent over 20 years
living on the streets without a real home.
She was, as Micah so aptly coined,
"a discard."
Rose Gil met with Joshua Keith
mere months before his death.
A moment that incited a dramatic change
in both of their behavior.
She then ran away from the only place
that ever looked after her,
just two days before
Joshua Keith was murdered.
Only one person knows for certain
how those events are related.
That person is you, Rose.
I'm not your judge, jury or executioner.
If you hear this, Rose,
please, please contact me.
I offer you this platform so that you are
no longer erased.
Whatever you've done,
whatever's been done to you,
let Reconsidered be a safe place
to tell your story in your words.
My name is Poppy Parnell,
and I'd like you to reconsider.
Poppy!
-Yeah?
-We got a problem.
Bay Morning is airing
a segment on Micah Keith.
So? We knew a puff piece was coming.
Hey.
Less puff, more huff. At you.
Micah Keith,
whose foundation has established
youth programs around the Bay Area,
states, "I don't understand it either
about Mrs. Parnell.
We here at Shelter try
to use our resources to assist.
To lift up those less fortunate."
This bitch Miss Parnell'd you?
Mrs. Keith, a native of the area,
took me on a tour of The Keith Collective
in an underserved community
that Mrs. Parnell continues to ignore
on her popular nationwide podcast.
Mrs. Keith attended
the neighborhood watch meeting,
which took place at The Knock,
a second home to Parnell,
currently owned by Parnell's father
and leader of the infamous
Capstone motorcycle club.
It's a hit piece.
Parnell's blatant neglect
of her own community…
-Cydie.
-…remains baffling as she dives into
yet another high-profile case,
while young women disappear quietly
from the same neighborhood
where she grew up.
We reached out to Parnell for comment,
but she hasn't responded.
I'm Susan Laura reporting live…
-Oh, hell. Cydie!
-…and we'll be right back.
Watch out! Come here.
Hi. I need you to move that bike.
-Tell her to bring her ass outside.
-Okay.
I know she in there giving a speech
to some gullible ass bitches.
-Okay, sweetie, but I'm gonna need you--
-Don't call me fucking sweetie.
-Okay, I'm sorry. Can you--
-Hey!
-You grimy, thievin', hustlin'…
-What are you doing?
-…pitiful ass bitch.
-Whoa, whoa, whoa.
This is not the place for this.
Yeah, if it wasn't for my sister,
you wouldn't have none of this.
She made you! Let you into her home,
gave you a family.
-Cydie, come on.
-And you do this to her?
Stop talking.
And you sent Holt to my bus
trying to intimidate me?
What are you talking about?
-You don't know nothing about that?
-No, I don't know anything.
-Calm down.
-You aren't even worth
-the gas it took to get here!
-Hey! Hey!
-Whoa, hey, hey, hey!
-Fuck!
-I'll beat your ass…
-I will fucking fight you.
-…right here, right now.
-You wanna beat my ass?
-I will beat your ass right now.
-I'll fucking fight you! Yeah? Come on!
-Get Micah back inside.
-Fuck you!
Everybody who tries to love your trick ass
ends up dead.
-Hey. That's it.
-Micah, come inside.
-Calm down.
-Get off me!
And you!
You're riding with that ho?
You know what? You chose wrong then,
and you're choosing wrong now.
Wait, hold on!
How did this become my shit?
You out here clowning
like it's the Eastmont Mall.
This is my business!
Go home!
Fuck all y'all.
All these goddamn women.
Hey.
Hey, Elk.
-Hey, sweetheart. Look at you.
-Hey, Daddy.
Lillian still in Georgia?
Another couple weeks.
Gives me more time to spend with you.
You worried about that news report?
She warned me how much she could
blow up my life if I mess with her,
which is probably why she asked me
to help in the first place.
Felt like she had something on me
to keep me in line.
Does she?
I saw Uncle Bug yesterday.
He embarrassed your mother's family
more than me.
Those saditty ass folks in Elysian Field
didn't want to deal with riffraff like me
or crazy motherfuckers in the mix.
And Bug?
He was crazy in the cradle.
Daddy…
Did you know Miss Shirley hated
me and Mama when you sent me there?
Why didn't you just send me
to her side of the family?
They didn't want you.
Elinor's family cut her off
when we got together.
To them, she didn't exist anymore,
which meant you didn't exist.
And none of them came to her funeral.
Nary one of 'em.
Her favorite cousin, Leona,
showed up at the repast, but…
no one was at the burial.
Is that why you were so angry?
One of many reasons.
Leona offered to take two of you.
I thought it best that
the two youngest girls stay together.
The only other person who offered to help
was Shirley.
Why you thinking about this?
Because I'm sick in the head,
you think I'll forget?
No, Daddy.
No.
All this business with Micah just got me
thinking about when I first met her.
That's all.
-Are you sure?
-Yeah, Daddy. Yeah.
I'm worried about you.
Rose, I need you to take your pills.
She said she wanted me to call her.
Why won't she call me back?
Because Poppy Parnell doesn't give a fuck
about you or me.
Maybe she hasn't checked the tip line yet.
I just need to think.
Think, think, think, think…
Let's go see her.
I can't. Cops are still out there.
I walk out those doors, I go to jail.
Rose…
Take your pills.
You mean these?
-Come on, Rose. Don't do that.
-Don't condescend to me.
I wanna send this to Poppy
and arrange a meeting for us.
Then let's see what she has to--
Holt, stop.
Holt.
Holt.
I'm sorry. So sorry.
You gotta stop defending her.
You gotta stop protecting her.
She married someone else.
She loved someone else.
She doesn't love you.
Fuck.
Oh, shit, I'm trending.
-I'll beat your ass…
-I will fucking fight you.
-…right here, right now.
-You wanna beat my ass?
Yeah, spreading like wildfire.
You ever look into Drea's case?
Yeah.
Is that why you've been so pissed?
Look, I love you, but the person
with the loudest voice can't be silent.
And if they do, they can't come over here
to lick wounds.
Well, I didn't come for that.
Well, what then?
I came to ask you about Leona.
Mama's cousin y'all stayed with.
I loved her.
I used to play dress-up in her closet
all the time.
That's not how I remember it.
Why not?
We weren't welcome there,
no matter what you think.
We were the ghetto orphans,
and we could never forget it.
What?
That wasn't dress-up.
She put us in there and told us to play
whenever she had Jack and Jill meetings
for her kids.
We were not welcome.
I got so mad one time, I ran a bath
and threw all her wigs in the tub.
And then I went to go hide
in her sewing room.
Weren't you afraid she'd find you?
I hide in the places
I'd been told never to go.
Never look for an enemy
where you think they're too afraid to go.
I gotta go.
This girl…
You know she missed curfew again
last night?
-She what?
-Yeah.
She was going to crew practice
before I got up this morning.
-But see, here's what we're gonna do.
-Oh, my God.
I got the plan.
As soon as she walks through that door
to eat dinner…
as soon as she comes in,
we're gonna snatch up that phone,
and we're gonna replace it with this baby.
-This is good.
-Yes, it is.
-No pictures, no games…
-None of that.
…no social media. Yes.
-None of that.
-So when does she get her phone back?
Whenever I say.
-Hold on one second, baby.
-Uh-huh.
Hey, Pop. What's happening?
Hey, I'm headed to the city.
Holt's place. Can you meet me?
-Hey, we're about to sit down to dinner.
-I know, I know.
Listen, listen. This is not a great time.
I'm about to sit down
and eat dinner with the fam.
I think he's hiding there, Markus.
Really?
All right, look. I'm on my way.
Baby, that was--
A conflict of interest?
-Rina, come on, now.
-She's getting divorced.
What?
Ingram left her.
Moved back to the East Coast.
-Who told you that?
-Micah.
Micah?
All that time that you spend together,
and you haven't noticed that
she stopped wearing her wedding ring.
Baby.
-Hey, Rina, I'm--
-Just go already.
Hey. You see 'em
lurking back there, right?
-Unmarked?
-Uh-huh.
Yeah.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
That looks like blood.
You feeling what I'm feeling?
Uh-huh.
Go, go.
Hey.
-Take it easy.
-Sorry.
Whoa. What you doing? What you doing?
Don't touch anything.
Don't touch anything.
Okay.
You know, you were right.
Someone was here.
Yeah.
Something went down.
Hey, over here.
-You got it?
-Yep.
-"Ari--" You--
-"Aripiprazole."
-What is that?
-It's an antipsychotic.
It's Rose's. She was here too.
San Francisco PD!
-Don't move!
-Whoa, whoa, whoa.
-Keep 'em up!
-Don't think about it, man.
We're here on location.
We have two suspects in the house
at this time. We need backup.
You've reached the Reconsidered
tip line. Please leave a message.
Poppy, this is Rose Gil.
I think you're looking for me.