The Equalizer (2021) s02e08 Episode Script

1 I serve as an equalizer.
I'm the one you call when you can't call 911.
Previously on "The Equalizer" Someone's hit my personal server with a cyberattack.
If Bishop's top guys couldn't crack it, who did you tell him you were bringing this to? His son's life is at stake.
I can't use my usual team.
No.
You're in enough trouble as it is.
He's like family to Rob.
Which means he's basically our family.
Are you saying you want him to hack into the CIA? I'm in.
We got a hit.
Go! Get out of there.
- Federal agents! Don't move! - Go, go, go! You should have never breached the servers of the CIA.
Let me talk to him.
Harry! Mel, I love you.
- Harry! - It's gonna be all right.
- Harry - I love you.
Okay.
Señor.
We are seeking asylum.
Are you American? Uh, no.
I'm asking for asylum.
You're crossing illegally.
It's criminal trespassing.
But our life was threatened.
I have proof.
- Take the boy.
- No! - I have proof!! - ¡Mami! - !¡Mami! - You can't take him! You can't take my son! - !¡Mami! - No! What are you doing? I beg you, please.
Stop.
Where are you taking him? Pedro! Pedro! Hi.
Thank God you're out.
How? They dropped the charges.
McCall and Bishop pulled some strings.
They even gave the bar back.
Turns out, having you in custody is all the Feds care about.
- Right.
- But, uh, the Sanctum, they They confiscated everything.
Yeah.
The monitors.
The hardware.
The city took back the space.
They walled it up.
It's all right.
Really.
Long as you're out.
Plus, all my drives are encrypted, so they'll never find a trace of any of our activities.
I don't care about that.
I care about you.
I'm okay.
Being a traitor has its perks.
Get my own room.
Hand-delivered meals.
So, you know, no getting shanked in a mess hall.
Good.
Um we're gonna get you out of here, McCall and I.
Honey, I know what you're thinking.
Don't.
I can't do that to you.
A life on the run? No.
I seriously doubt faking my own death is gonna fly again, so I'm not leaving you in here.
We're gonna think of something.
Okay.
But in the meantime, will you do something for me? Keep going.
Don't sit around and do nothing.
I know you.
It'll kill you.
If you can't help me, help someone.
Please, don't let everything we built go to waste.
I can't do it without you.
Yes, you can.
Keshegian.
The overlords are getting antsy.
Listen, just remember to, um fix the wall by the back banquette.
Keep going.
Okay.
Robyn, I've been climbing marble steps for days now trying to get him released.
I'm just running into walls.
Hard enough getting Mel cleared.
This is a whole new level.
You talk to leadership? Both sides.
I even shaved and put on a suit for them.
He spilled secrets.
The Hill's not gonna get involved.
You talk to the CIA, you make any forward motion there? Offered them just about everything.
And as much as they'd like to have me back under their thumb, even they can't help.
I heard that faking his death made it worse.
They're embarrassed.
Army JAG's out for blood.
Bish, he got caught because of us, and he kept both of our names out of it.
Didn't even tell them about me.
We got to make this right.
I'm on my way to the Pentagon.
I got a card I want to play.
It's my last one.
And I'm not sure if we can make it work.
We have to.
Any news? We're doing everything we can.
How's Harry? He, uh, he wants us to keep going.
He doesn't want me obsessing.
What do you want? He's right.
If I don't do something.
I'll lose my mind.
Well, Dee's at her dad's all week, and Aunt Vi's going upstate for an art festival.
See? We need this.
This came in this morning.
That's him.
My son, Pedro.
He's only six.
I mean seven.
He turned seven alone.
And I have no idea where he is.
- When did you last see him? - A year ago.
At the border.
I thought I did everything right.
When we crossed, we presented ourselves to agents, asked for asylum.
But they took him from my arms and sent me back without him.
Did you just say "a year ago"? I left my country to protect him.
The maras gangs they demanded my husband pay the "tax.
" We were already paying two other gangs.
When my husband refused, they killed him.
If we'd stayed, they would have killed us, too.
And in all that time, you haven't seen or heard - from your son? - Once.
After I was deported.
I spoke to him over the phone for ten minutes.
I promised I'd come back.
Where was he then? He said New York.
I made calls looking for him as soon as I could afford it.
A lady told me he was in an emergency shelter.
In Queens.
But when I called, it's like he disappeared.
And you never got any information from Immigration? Nothing.
I tried to get back, but it took me all this time to get money to pay a coyote.
I-I'm sorry I don't have more.
You don't have to apologize for anything.
He's out there, waiting for me.
He has to be so scared.
Mrs.
Castillo, I promise, we're gonna do everything we can to get your son back.
In the meantime, I'll call you on this when I know something.
Pedro Castillo he would have been here a year ago.
I'm sorry.
I can't hand over information - to anyone who asks.
- I'm not "anyone.
" I was hired to find a missing child.
As a lawyer, you should understand Is there a problem? I was just trying to explain that we are not permitted to share any information from the children's files with outsiders.
Um, if she had a social worker who could vouch for her Why don't we get the detective from the NYPD on the phone who's working this case? He can verify that I'm representing the family.
Go ahead, call him.
- Let me know what you can find.
- Okay.
Detective Dante.
Detective.
Agent Deleo with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
I got a woman here says she's a legal advocate working with you on a case involving a child named Pedro Castillo.
This ringing any bells? I mean, as caregivers, temporary or not, we should be demanding something better than mylar blankets.
Pedro Castillo.
Of course.
There a problem? No.
Just confirming.
Can't be too careful when dealing with minors.
Thanks for your time, Detective.
Absolutely.
We good? She checks.
Uh, here is everything I have on file for Pedro Castillo.
I can make a copy of it if you'd like.
What is this? - His signature.
- His signature? On a document waiving his rights? In English? Someone would have explained it.
To a six-year-old? Had he not signed this, a judge might have reunited him with his mom.
I don't make the rules.
The government does.
None of us enjoy watching kids languishing here.
Especially the little ones.
But there are so many children and not enough beds.
Fortunately for Pedro, he was moved to a shelter after a week.
- Where? - Safe Cradle Charity.
Detective.
Since we're working together, maybe you'd like to fill me in.
Pedro Castillo, seven-year-old, taken from his mother at the border.
A year later, she still doesn't know where he is.
You hear stories.
Hard not to imagine your own kid out there.
Thanks to you, I got the name of the shelter he was transferred to.
I'm on my way there now.
Well, you'll need a badge to make it official.
Safe Cradle Charity.
Not exactly what I pictured.
Not looking particularly safe or charitable.
It looks like it's been abandoned.
Anything? Something caught fire here.
Window's broken.
Been brokena while.
Check this out.
Kids were here.
Around Easter.
Almost a year ago.
So where the hell are they now? House abandoned, missing kids, and the caseworker doesn't even know about it? System's overwhelmed.
Not a lot of oversight on these charities.
We should've never been separating these kids from their families to begin with.
Even with the zero tolerance border policy lifted, it's still a nightmare for the kids who may never see their families again.
Can you make a call? I want to know who owns this place.
Okay.
But you don't normally need help with stuff like that.
My computer's down.
Okay, Harry.
Hey, babe.
If you're seeing this, then, um something went wrong.
Or I messed up.
Guess that's possible.
And, um, I may not be around anymore, so on this drive is everything you need to keep going.
Where all the money is.
Who you can trust in my world.
I know you know the password, 'cause I made you say it a million times.
I left you a guide and some tools, in case you want to keep helping Rob.
So, basically, I get to geek out and, uh, you have to listen.
What sucks is I won't be there to see it.
I guess what I really wanted to say is, um is that you can do this.
You're incredible.
I probably didn't say it enough.
But you are.
One last thing.
It's really important.
For the love of God, don't accept any cookies.
House belongs to a guy named Rodrigo Perez.
He owns a gym in Bushwick.
What's his relation to the charity? From what I can tell, he doesn't have one.
He emigrated from Mexico as a teen as a part of the El Yermo gang.
My guess is that the gym he owns is a front for something else.
Wait.
So ICE snatches Pedro away from his mother, deposits him in the home of a street gang? He could be trafficking these kids.
Bet we can find him at his gym.
No.
I roll solo on this one.
A guy like this warrants a real conversation.
Rodrigo.
Hey! Who are you? I'm asking the questions.
And you can start by telling me what happened to those kids that were at your place.
You people.
You never stop.
Isn't it enough what you've done? Firebombing my house.
What people? You closed-minded neighborhood watch jack-holes.
I don't know anything about neighborhood watch.
What I do know is that I'm looking for a kid who was sent to a jacked-up house owned by a member of El Yermo.
I ain't no banger.
I left Mexico to escape El Yermo.
Crossed the border alone at 15.
Did what I needed to survive.
You still didn't answer my question.
That house? That's my house.
I was trying to help those kids, 'cause I know what it's like.
So I gave the charity use of my home.
Then word spread on the block that there were illegals in the house.
Some racist nutjobs tried to set it on fire.
Made the house unlivable.
All the kids were transferred.
What about this kid? - You see him? - Yeah.
Pedro.
Said his mom was coming to get him.
Could never find her.
Do you know where he was transferred to? Yeah.
Shelter in Brooklyn called Crestfield's Group Home.
Thank you.
Sorry.
Hey.
Good luck finding him.
Hola.
Uh, did you find him? No, not yet, but we're making progress.
Was Crestfield's Group Home one of the shelters that you called? No, I don't know it.
Do you think my Pedro is there? He might have been sent there.
We're gonna check it out.
If he's there, I need to come.
No.
I know it's hard, but just hang in there, okay? I'll call you the minute I have more.
Go right ahead.
Thank you.
If it isn't the man who poached some of my best.
I think Langley was a better fit for them.
I know why you're here, Bill.
You know my answer has to be no.
Oh, come on.
Henry, how far do we go back? Not long enough.
Not for what he did.
It's not like he revealed troop movements.
He exposed war crimes: torture, - prisoner abuse.
- He went outside the circle.
You have any idea how much damage he did to our relationships? Did he do the damage? Or did our country? Look, Henry, I understand if you don't want to let him go free, but bring him back into the fold.
He's one of the best hackers in the world.
You want us to recruit him? It's a high-stakes world.
Put him in cyber intelligence.
That's precisely what we offered him.
Here's what he said.
You're not offering me freedom.
You just want to put me in another cage to do your bidding, no matter how corrupt.
No, I'm not I'm not gonna trade my soul to become a mindless instrument of the state.
All right? I would rather rot in here.
Do you understand the implications You really want to help a guy who won't even help himself? Henry, look, please, there has got to be a pathway.
There's not.
And you should be grateful we're not asking who gave him help all these years.
My advice, drop it.
Because at this point only an act of the Almighty himself can help him.
Pedro Ma'am, can you please just calm down.
- Where is he? Where's my son? - Please, I told you, I don't know the boy you're looking for.
I don't believe you.
- Step into my office - Alma.
You said he might be here, but he isn't.
Let me talk to them.
I'm an advocate for Mrs.
Castillo.
Her son's been missing in the system for months.
As I told her, if Pedro was here, he's no longer in our care.
We know he was here.
Six months ago.
Castillo.
C-A-S-T- I-L-L-O.
I'm sorry.
He's not in our records.
This is a child we're talking about, not an Amazon package.
How do you lose a human being? A vendor for CBP inadvertently purged data from their system.
Now, we're in the process of trying to recover it from hard files, but You must remember him.
We've had a lot of turnover.
You said he was here months ago.
I just started last month.
Well, what about these kids? Where do they go from here? If he didn't have anyone to claim him in the States, he'd either be transferred to a foster facility, or he'd be deported.
Deported? Without telling his mother? Sometimes ICE isn't able to reach the parents if they're not documented.
And they ship them back anyway?! To where? He's seven years old! This country is not what they say it is.
- You said there were hard files.
- When I got here, it was a mess.
We're trying to sort through it now, but Nate.
This is Nate Yardley.
He's the one working to update the database for us.
Nate, this woman is trying to find her son.
I could try doing a specific search for your son's file.
What's his name? Pedro Castillo.
Really? You can do that? We're doing our best to reunite children separated from their families.
Just the number of cases can be overwhelming.
Give me your number, and I'll call you if I find anything.
Please, the minute you find something.
You got it.
A woman just stopped by asking about her kid.
Definitely an illegal, but she had a legal advocate with her.
Yeah, I know it's bad.
Yeah, I'll take care of it.
I swear, librarians do more to keep track of books than Immigration did with these kids.
Well, there is some good news.
Pedro isn't on deportation records.
I checked Customs and Border Patrol servers.
Nothing.
He must still be in the country.
You're a quick study.
Yeah, Harry's instructions were mind-numbingly detailed.
Hey, you okay doing this right now? Yeah.
I mean what else am I gonna do? He's not dead, right? We'll figure something out.
Yeah.
We will.
Well, then, in the meantime, there's a little boy out there lost, so we have to find him.
If he hasn't been deported, he must be in the foster system.
Dante identified half a dozen agencies that work with Crestfield's Home.
He and I are going to canvass them now.
I'll stop back after? Thanks, Rob.
Love ya.
You, too.
We're closed! Yeah, I know.
I got to talk to you.
You don't like me, do you? Yeah.
Well, what I'm about to tell you isn't gonna change that.
I've done everything I can think of, and I can't get him out.
But there is a path if he would choose it.
You want him to go back to Military Intelligence? I am confident that if he would do that He won't.
Then convince him.
To be someone he's not? To go against every fiber of his moral being because it's convenient? Mel, this is his last shot.
All this martyrdom stuff, "values his soul over his freedom.
" I don't even know what that means.
- It's foolish.
- Don't.
It's not foolish.
Not to him.
It's who he is.
It's the reason why he took the risk to help you in the first place.
It's why I love him.
Well, I wish I could help him, but I can't.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
Me, too.
Hola.
Ms.
Castillo, this is Nate from Crestfield's Group Home.
Yes, yes.
Uh, did you find Pedro's file? Do you know where he is? I do, and I can take you to him, but I could lose my job here.
Please.
I have to find him.
I won't tell anyone.
I need you to promise not to tell.
Not even your friend.
I promise.
Good.
I'll explain everything when I see you.
Okay.
Where do I meet you? Ms.
Castillo? Why bring me here? And where is my s Keep quiet.
Walk to that car over there.
Did you really think she'd be stupid enough to come alone? - Wait.
I wasn't gonna hurt her.
- Oh, yeah? Then why'd you bring the gun? Where's the boy? I don't know.
This is not the day.
Where is the boy? Okay.
Look, I can take you to him.
He's safe.
I swear.
Give me the address.
Okay, okay.
Uh, 1137 Bedford.
You're gonna take us to him right now.
Get up.
Get up.
Down.
Down.
Mel? Alma? What happened? Shooter took him out and tore off that way.
You get a look at him? - Just taillights.
- Thanks for covering.
Good thing I was close by or she'd be dead.
Any luck in Long Island? Struck out.
Which means he's our best lead.
I'm beginningto see - why you two are friends.
- It was a setup.
He pulled a gun on her the minute she showed.
And when it went sideways, his partner wanted to make sure he didn't talk.
If they were trying to make her disappear, this is a whole lot bigger than just a missing kid.
Why did they kill him? Because he told us where my son is? He gave an address.
1137 Bedford.
He said the kid was there.
We should get out of here.
I'll leave the mother out of the report for now.
But I'll need you to fill me in.
I'll be fine.
Go to the address.
Find her son.
Yes? Is there a Pedro Castillo here? Who's asking? I'm his mother.
I don't understand Pedro said his parents were killed.
The agency confirmed it.
We we just adopted him.
- You can't adopt my child.
- The consultant we're working with finalized the paperwork last week.
Is this the consultant? Yeah.
How much did you pay him? Ten thousand dollars.
He works data entry at a children's shelter.
I think he's part of an illegal adoption ring.
No.
You're lying.
Gail No.
A stranger shows up at our doorstep, and we're just supposed to hand Pedro over? Show me a birth certificate - or a passport.
- We don't need you to hand him over.
- We just want to speak with him.
- Mm-mm.
No.
I want them out of my house.
- I'm not leaving without my son.
- Alma Mr.
and Mrs.
Hobson, please.
Either you bring Pedro out now, or we call Social Services, let them sort it out.
- I'll get him.
- N-No.
- Gail, honey - No.
No.
If she really is Pedro's mother, what kind of people are we if we take him away from her? It's okay.
That's not him.
That's not my Pedro.
It's okay.
Manny Emmanuel Garcia.
Sweetie, why did you pretend to be Pedro? He asked me to.
He heard they were going to find a home for him, and he was afraid if he went, his mami wouldn't be able to find him.
But I wanted a home, so we switched names.
That sounds like my Pedro-ito.
The story you told us about the storm and the rest of your family, was that true? My family they're gone.
Will I have to leave now? No.
No.
You're our son.
We love you.
We're gonna fight to keep you.
Huh? I hope you find your boy.
I thought I'd finally found him.
Hey, we'll keep at it.
We'll go back to the group home, and we'll find "Emmanuel.
" I went room to room.
Then we'll keep looking.
Please tell me something good.
Wish I could.
There is no Emmanuel Garcia at the group home anymore, and any record of him was lost in that data purge.
I'm circling back with foster agencies and OCFS, but nothing so far.
What about our data entry clerk? His apartment was ransacked.
I'm thinking whoever he was working with got to it before we did.
Yeah, most likely partners in the adoption ring.
God knows how many kids they've already sold off.
And with no records we have no way of finding any of them.
Wish I had more.
Yeah.
Me, too.
Must have been terrible for Alma to think she found her son.
Sad part is, I know Harry could probably restore that data and find those kids.
I don't care what Bishop said, we're not giving up just yet.
Look I know Bishop didn't start with General Ryland.
And I know you've done everything you can.
How did we run out of options, Rob? We're never out of options.
Aunt Vi? I thought you left already.
I can't leave until I find the keys to my art storage cabinet.
The pieces I'm supposed to be showing for this damn art festival are in there.
Well, I can pop that open for you.
You got home late last night.
Heard you banging around the kitchen.
Couldn't sleep? Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.
Want to talk about it? I solve people's problems.
It's what I'm good at.
But right now, I have a close friend who I can't help and a lost child I can't find.
I don't like feeling like this.
It feels like I'm Powerless? Honey, that just means that you're human.
You have been fighting ever since you let out that righteous cry the day you were born.
And you usually win.
Not this time, Auntie.
I don't know what to do.
That's just how you feel right now.
It'll come to you.
Trust yourself.
You can do it.
I know what I can do.
I can pop that lock and get you on your way.
Ooh.
Can you show me how to use those sometime? I know it's here somewhere.
I know that key did not just get up and walk out of here by itself.
Uh, Vi, I'll be there in a second.
I got to make a quick phone call.
Ain't no way in hell you walked away by yourself.
Hello? Hi.
I'm sorry to bother you.
I know it's early.
But I need to ask Manny one more question.
Okay.
Here.
- Hola.
- Manny, the day you left Crestfield's Group for your new home, who walked you out? Some man.
Do you remember what he looked like? He had hair on his face.
Did he have a badge? A gun, too.
What color was his uniform? Black.
He was describing an ICE agent.
There's no way Pedro could have walked out of that group home by himself.
He had to be escorted out.
And Yardley didn't have the authority.
- But an ICE agent does.
- And I'm willing to bet that he's Yardley's partner.
I saw one fitting that description at the emergency shelter.
I think I found him.
Agent Ike Deleo.
- That's him.
- Crestfield's Group Home is in his jurisdiction.
All he'd have to do is produce papers saying a kid was being deported.
Director wouldn't give it a second thought.
Then he could just walk out with a kid, no questions asked.
Okay.
So how do we figure out where Deleo took Pedro? We track his movements.
Well, that might be a little bit above my skill level.
This isn't.
- A flash drive? - Not as cool as hacking traffic cams, but it'll do the job.
I'll look at it when I get home.
Oh, damn it.
No.
My tire's flat.
Can I call you back? Come on.
Seriously? - You need any help? - I can't find my jack.
Ah.
Good thing I was in the area.
Oh.
This is electric.
You plug it in the cigarette lighter, it does all the work for you.
- This open, right? Okay.
- Oh, yeah.
All right No, I got it from here.
- You sure? - Come on, save me some dignity.
All right.
- Hey.
- Yeah.
Thanks for the help.
My pleasure.
All the info from his nav system.
Our low-fi scheme worked.
GPS tells the tale.
He's been to that group home multiple times.
Seems like most of the time he drove straight to a building in Sunset Park.
The building is owned by a clothing manufacturing company, XLBR Fashions.
- A garment factory.
- It's been flagged multiple times for labor violations, unsafe work conditions, abuses.
Yeah, in other words, a sweatshop.
You hear "sweatshop," and you think Bangladesh, India, China.
No, they still exist here.
Doesn't get much attention, because the workers are mostly undocumented.
Okay, but the factory can't be putting undocumented children to work, can they? It's Harry's lawyer.
Yes? Hi.
Tomorrow? Why-why so sudden? Yeah.
O-Okay.
Th-Thanks.
What is it? Mel? They're sending Harry to Leavenworth first thing tomorrow morning his lawyer says if I want to see him, I have to go now.
Go.
Yeah.
Um, what about the garment factory I got it.
Now, go.
Okay.
My God.
Leave a message.
Hey, Bish.
It's me.
They're shipping Harry out.
Please tell me you have a miracle up your sleeve, because I'm all out.
I can't let it end like this.
Hey.
I guess you heard.
Yeah.
I don't suppose you have any, uh, any good news? We tried, honey.
We just, um Honey, it's okay.
I knew the risk I was taking when I leaked those documents.
Oh, sweetie if there were some way, if there was just some way I could spare you all this No.
Don't you dare apologize to me.
I'm so proud of you.
I'm so proud to be your wife.
Okay? - Time's up.
- Hold on.
Just one sec.
I love you, okay? - I know.
- Okay? - I know.
- I love you.
- I love you, too.
- No matter how far away I am, - I love you.
- I'm not giving up, ever.
It's not over.
It's not over.
I love you.
I know.
Sir It's William Bishop.
Don't move.
At the emergency shelter, you called yourself a lawyer.
I'm guessing that was a lie.
Who are you, really? I'm an angry mother, looking for justice.
Where is Pedro Castillo? He's here, isn't he? Look, I'm trying to give you a chance to do the right thing here.
Take it.
Take her to the back.
Hand over your gun.
Hurry it up.
Aah! Pedro.
Pedro !¡Mami! I can't believe it.
I've arranged for you to meet with an immigration lawyer.
You're gonna get a three-year visa.
So we can stay? Yes.
It's a special visa for victims of the border separation policy.
Gracias.
Rob! What's up? They're releasing him.
- How's that possible? - I don't know.
I just know that Harry's coming home.
Harry! So, I heard it was the president who intervened.
Bish, you didn't.
You made the call? Your golden ticket? My one and only "get out of jail free" card.
You did that for Harry? No, I did that for you.
Thank you.
Well, don't get too excited There are conditions.
Harry can never touch a computer again.
You can't be serious.
It was the one condition of his release.
That will never stand.
You know that, right? He so much as checks his bank account online, he's back in Leavenworth.
Still, I can't believe you did that.
Yeah, well, don't tell him about it.
I don't want him to think I'm going soft.
Going?