Perception s03e04 Episode Script
Possession
Don't touch that dial! It's a pop quiz.
- [Students groan.]
- I know.
I know.
Okay, you ready? Turn it over and start now! I, uh, think there might be a mistake.
The answers are stapled to the test.
Correct! Before Miss Goody-Two-Shoes here blew the whistle, the neurons in your ventromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices were firing on all cylinders, creating a rush of adrenaline and dopamine not unlike a boxer about to enter the ring.
But the fight here was between impulse and self-control.
It's called temptation.
Now, her cognitive control mechanisms stopped her from cheating, but some of you were about to go through with it.
- I know you were.
Yeah.
Right? - [Laughter.]
Your your self-control was hyped by the more emotional and impulsive limbic system, which wanted the easy "A.
" That's bad.
That's bad because when we exercise self-restraint, we have greater success at work, stronger relationships, and better mental health.
So, if it's better to resist temptation, why do we always find it so easy to give in? You do realize I have to fit into a wedding dress in a few months.
Ah, one lousy donut won't kill you.
[Chuckles.]
Hey.
I was thinking that maybe we could stay in for a change on Saturday, have a movie night.
I already have a date on Saturday.
What do you mean you have a date on Saturday? With my dad.
The Blackhawks game.
Playoffs, second row, center ice.
- I forgot.
- [Telephone rings.]
Moretti.
Yes, sir.
I have interviewed every witness.
I have combed through the forensics.
If there were any strong leads, I promise you I Yes, sir.
Trouble? I have to go tell the Pavel family why we haven't solved their daughter's murder yet.
We really appreciate you stopping by, Agent Moretti.
Yeah.
These last couple of weeks, you know, not hearing anything, it's it's it's been hell.
Well, let me assure you this is very much an active investigation.
We are pursuing every possible lead So, basically, you've got nothing.
Junior.
Show a little respect.
I'm sorry.
The boys are a little rough around the edges.
But they loved their little sister.
She was an angel.
Yeah, and it got her killed and thrown in a ditch.
Junior.
Now, what about that video online? You're not looking into it as a possible lead? I wasn't aware of any video.
Max: You want some popcorn, Doc? Why would I want popcorn? It has no nutritional value, exorbitant levels of sodium.
You might want popcorn because I'm about to put on a show.
I've been studying up tactical positions, back-rank endgames, mating nets.
I even added the fianchetto to my repertoire.
- Not interested.
- Oh, why not play? Max is just trying to connect.
Have some fun.
Giving a chess tutorial to a rank amateur is not my idea of fun.
Oh, you're just scared.
- Mm-hmm.
- And you should be.
I mean, your positional play is so weak, it needs to hire a personal trainer.
[Chuckles.]
Are you chess trash-talking me? Why? Can't handle the heat? Natalie: Yeah, Daniel.
Maybe you're worried that he'll actually beat you.
[Chuckles.]
Fine.
Fine, one game.
But you are digging yourself a hole, Lewicki.
Oh, yeah.
A "Hole" lot of awesome, Doc.
[Knock on door.]
Your inevitable humiliation will have to wait.
Any interest in helping me solve the case that will not be solved? Absolutely.
Good, because right now my only suspect is the devil.
The victim is Silvie Pavel.
She's a Stanford grad.
Her father owns a successful flooring company in Glenview.
Silvie was the idealist of the family.
She worked for an inner-city charity called NRP.
What's that? - Neighborhood Relief Project.
- Mm.
They did anti-gang work job training for ex-cons.
They handed out microloans.
Silvie was doing outreach for them in Albany Park - when she went missing last month.
- A rough part of town.
Yeah.
Dealers run those streets.
So you think it's drug-related? Don't know.
[Sighs.]
But a week after Silvie went missing, her body turned up across state lines under a bridge in Marquette Park, Indiana.
That's why the FBI got called in.
Horrible.
Cause of death? Massive trauma to the head, chest, and abdomen.
No fingerprints, no DNA, no murder weapon.
We don't even know where she died.
Okay, so, where does the devil come in? I'm Ash-Shaytan! The Archfiend! The beast with no body! I killed Silvie! Put her body in the ground, and her soul is mine now! Silvie's boss, Elena Douglas.
She and her husband, Richard, run the charity.
We vetted her at the outset of the investigation, but she and Silvie had a great relationship.
There was no reason to seriously suspect her.
Uh-huh.
Except for the acute psychosis.
Elena had no history of mental illness.
But then, a few days after Silvie died, she was hospitalized with psychotic symptoms, diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Uh-huh.
Now she's a suspect.
She is the only lead that we have had in weeks.
Could you just talk to her? Tell me what you think? Okay.
Okay, what hospital? Actually, uh, her husband had her discharged.
He was upset that she wasn't getting better.
- She's at home.
- [Sighs.]
You can't come in.
I'm sorry, but Elena's resting.
Elena: Stop! Make it stop, please! No, stop, please! Stop! Stop! Make it stop! Please! Depart into the everlasting fire.
[Screams.]
"Virtus Christi Cogeris.
" God himself commands you.
Aah! Please make it stop! It burns! What the hell is going on here?! The rite of exorcism.
Please, I need you to leave.
We're not going anywhere until you stop this archaic torture ritual.
This woman should be in a hospital.
We gave modern medicine a chance.
T-the doctors gave her a million anti-psychotics, and none worked.
This is part of Elena's faith.
It's what she would want.
- She's screaming for help.
- She's screaming for deliverance.
Her wrists are bleeding! People have died during exorcisms.
Listen, unless you get her out of those restraints right now, I am bringing you both in for endangerment.
This is a church-sanctioned exorcism, young lady.
Actually, it's Special Agent Kate Moretti.
I happen to be a good catholic, so the last thing I want to do is arrest a priest, but I will if I have to.
[Groaning.]
You're giving Satan exactly what he wants.
There is no Satan.
This woman is suffering from psychiatric symptoms hallucinations, delusions.
People like you are uncomfortable with it, so you call her possessed and and persecute her.
It's been going on for millennia.
Daniel.
Elena.
Elena.
I'm Dr.
Pierce.
- Can you hear me? - You get away! You get away from me! My soul belongs to Satan! - I tried to tell you.
- [Screams.]
Will you get them out of here? Father, please.
[Grunting.]
Here.
I want to try to help you if I can.
Satan: Ah, but you can't.
Unless, of course, I agree to relinquish her soul.
[Sighs.]
Please, you don't exist.
What? [Laughs.]
You think you're hallucinating.
- Of course I am.
- Oh.
I mean you don't exist at all.
You're a mythical personification of evil used to explain away suffering in the world.
- I see.
- Make it stop! I've got my hand wrapped around this woman's soul.
I can tear it from her body.
But if you promise me your soul in exchange for hers, I can, uh give you the cure for what ails her.
I think I know what's wrong with you.
It could be a teratoma, which is a kind of tumor.
First, they say schizophrenia, now a tumor.
Richard, let me finish my work.
Teratomas are rare, but if it's ovarian, it can cause a kind of encephalitis, which is often misdiagnosed as schizophrenia.
That would explain why the anti-psychotics didn't help.
Remove the tumor from her ovary, and her brain function may return to normal.
But you you have to let me take her back to the hospital.
Okay.
Fine.
I'll call an ambulance.
Looks like we got a deal, eh, Danny boy? I'll get started on the paperwork.
Real pleasure doing business with you.
Teratoma comes from the Greek word "Teraton," which means "Monster".
This particular monster was wrapped around Elena's left ovary.
- Oh, my God.
- Yeah.
Teratomas are made up of cells from other organs.
You can see the hair, the teeth.
Some grow partial hands, eyes, even a rudimentary, beating heart.
But the real culprit here is invisible.
Elena's teratoma caused antibodies to target NMDA receptors in her brain.
That led to her psychotic behavior, her memory disturbances, and the belief that she killed Silvie.
For her, the symptoms manifested as religiously based delusions.
Divine Providence brought you to Elena.
Thank God you came along.
So you admit this has nothing to do with the devil? I'm not a philistine, Dr.
Pierce.
I pray this surgery has cured Elena's suffering.
But just because you found a tumor doesn't mean the devil didn't put it there.
Richard: All I care about is whether she's gonna be normal again.
Will I get my wife back? We should know by the morning.
[Knock on door.]
Father Pat.
Do come in.
Sorry to bother you this late, Katie.
Haven't seen you at confession for a while.
That would probably be because I have nothing to confess.
Oh, really? So, it's not true that you got a little surly with a certain monsignor this morning? Boy, you guys trade gossip faster than Perez Hilton.
And, no, for the record, I did not get a little surly with anyone this morning.
I was just doing my job.
Well, maybe, but remember how I told Donnie that I would pull a few strings to get your original marriage annulled so the divorce wouldn't count and you could get hitched at St.
Mary's, right? Yeah.
Luck of the Irish Monsignor Norris is the guy I was gonna pull those strings with.
- Yikes.
- Yeah, so, suffice it to say, you and Donnie are off the church calendar, and your annulment is, uh, on a slow train to Siberia.
[Sighs.]
Look, Donnie really has his heart set on this.
What do I do to fix it? Kate, I've known you since kindergarten.
I'm pretty sure you're not gonna like it.
Look, as long as he doesn't expect me to slink over there with my tail between my legs, make some sort of big, formal apology - He wants a formal apology.
- Son of a biscuit.
Biscuit.
Richard: It was a miracle.
Elena woke up lucid.
She's still weak, but - [Door closes.]
- [Sighs.]
She's the same woman she was before she got sick.
Are you the doctor that diagnosed my tumor? Yes.
Do you remember meeting me yesterday? I'm Agent Kate Moretti.
Do you remember me? We spoke after Silvie disappeared.
I wanted to talk to you again because you said some pretty crazy things when you were sick.
Richard told me.
That's why my lawyer is here.
Brendan Voss.
You said that you were possessed by Satan and that you killed Silvie and buried her body.
I was not possessed by Satan.
Of course not.
But I did kill Silvie.
Tell me what happened.
I had been hearing voices.
They told me that Silvie was evil, the cause of all of my suffering.
That night, they told me to get in my car and go find her.
[Voice breaking.]
I finally saw her in front of a client's apartment.
And the voices told me that she was a monster and that I had to destroy her, so I hit the gas pedal and I ran her down.
But they didn't stop.
They told me to hide the body, so I put her in the car, and and I drove to Marquette Park and left her there.
I'm so sorry.
We're obviously pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, and, Dr.
Pierce, I assume you'll be testifying on Elena's behalf.
I did not see that coming.
Did you? When you interviewed her the first time, - did she seem stable? - Yeah.
But, like I said, it was a short meeting, and we didn't really think of her as a suspect.
[Indistinct conversation.]
- See you soon? - Excuse me a minute.
Monsignor.
I'm, uh, happy to see you here, actually.
I wanted to say that I am sorry if there was any misunderstanding yesterday.
I meant you no offense.
I was just doing my job.
Hmm.
An apology with an excuse is not true repentance.
Monsignor, I'm I'm trying here.
My child, I've taken confession for 25 years.
I can recognize false contrition when I hear it.
Okay, you know what? Fine.
I am good at my job.
And frankly, I only did what any decent agent would do.
Well, you've certainly made your true feelings clear.
[Door closes.]
Hey, Danny boy.
Oh, why are you still here? I'm just finalizing our agreement.
I had my team of lawyers draw it up.
A lot of those guys down there throw a rock, hit a lawyer.
[Chuckles.]
Actually, it's a pretty popular pastime for us.
So, you can have whatever you want fame, fortune, Cubs' world championship.
[Laughs.]
But, uh, make sure you read the fine print before you sign.
You know what they say.
The devil is in the details.
The details.
Y-you know that story that Elena just told us? It's all a lie.
The antibodies created to fight this kind of tumor wreak havoc with with a lot of brain functions, particularly memory.
Teratoma patients almost always have some form of amnesia.
So, if Elena really had been psychotic at the time of the killing, she wouldn't be able to remember all of the details she described.
Maybe the lawyer coached her.
Why coach a client to be to be strong on details when she was supposedly psychotic at the time? - It doesn't make sense.
- Time-out.
Daniel Pierce is standing here telling me not to believe the crazy person? I don't think Elena was psychotic when she killed Silvie.
I think she's using the tumor she got later as a cover-up.
So you're saying that she was sane one day and then institutionalized a week later with full-blown psychosis.
Totally plausible with a teratoma.
She could have had it her whole life and felt normal, but as soon as the encephalitis developed, her psychotic symptoms were triggered.
So you think Elena killed Silvie in cold blood? Or it could have been vehicular manslaughter.
She could have run Silvie down in the road when she was high or texting or drinking and then panicked and hid the body.
One way or another, it's a brilliant plan.
H-her confession stops the investigation.
She pleads not guilty by reason of insanity, which normally means spending years in a psych hospital.
Elena's examined, found completely sane now that her tumor is gone.
[Sighs.]
She'll walk.
You got to stop that plea.
[Sighs.]
Okay.
But, Daniel, you're the one that diagnosed her and told everyone how crazy that tumor made her.
So if I'm going to trial, I need evidence that proves that Elena wasn't sick the day Silvie was murdered.
Jake: I told you everything I knew a month ago.
Right, now, you told us that, when you got out of prison, Elena hired you to drive her around, answer the phones.
What can you tell us about how she was acting on the night that Silvie disappeared? What was her state of mind? Yeah, I heard she was pleading insanity.
You want to know if she was crazy? Just tell us what you remember.
I drove Elena to the Hyatt.
She gave a presentation to some big, corporate fat cats, trying to get them to donate to NRP.
And she was fine, no erratic behavior? - Did something happen? - After the presentation, we stopped at the hotel bar, had a few drinks.
Elena started hitting on me.
So, what did you do? I got us a room.
[Both moaning.]
Elena, slow down.
I don't want to slow down.
Let's just get this over with.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Get it over with? I'm so sorry.
This is not fair to you.
I'm I'm just trying to get back at Richard.
For what? He's having an affair with Silvie.
What makes you think that? 'Cause I heard them having an argument in his office.
What exactly did you hear? Silvie said that, um, she couldn't keep it a secret, that she had to tell me, and Richard said no That if I found out, it would destroy our marriage.
It all makes sense now.
I mean, she must have been cracking up, right? That's why she was all paranoid about Richard and Silvie.
So you don't think that they were having an affair? Hell no.
And I told Elena that, but she wouldn't believe me.
She took off upset.
About what time was that? I don't know.
Around 9:00.
The next day, she begged me not to say anything So I never did.
So, Silvie was sexually aggressive and paranoid.
Could the tumor have caused that? Sounds like she was more upset than acutely delusional.
And if she really believed that Silvie was having an affair with Richard, well, that's motive to kill her, right? And she had opportunity.
Forensics estimates her time of death between 10:00 and midnight.
So, if she left the hotel at 9:00, that's enough time to go down to Albany Park to run her down.
So maybe it wasn't vehicular manslaughter at all.
Maybe it was premeditated murder by someone that knew exactly what she was doing.
I'm gonna have someone pull the surveillance video from the hotel that night.
But, in the meantime, I need to talk to the Pavels again.
Can I ask were Silvie and Elena having any problems at work? [Sighs.]
S-Silvie never shared that sort of thing with me.
I wish I had that kind of relationship with her, but I was always too busy trying to put food on the table.
When she had a problem, she'd go to her mom.
Why are you asking about problems? We're trying to determine if there was a motive involved.
You just said that the woman went crazy.
I thought we were talking an insanity plea.
We're looking into the idea that Elena may not have been entirely truthful about that.
S-so, y-you think she faked this illness? No, no, she had a real condition, but it's possible she was sane when she killed your daughter.
She murdered Silvie in cold blood? You know, when Silvie graduated form Stanford, I-I wanted her to work for me like her brothers, but, um she wanted to help people.
And look where it got her.
Please, you make sure you get justice for our little girl.
- Donnie: Hey.
- Hey.
- What's up? - I'm just trying to establish Elena's whereabouts at the time of the murder.
But I did pick up some hop-li and those little chocolate things that you like from Let Them Eat Cupcakes.
You trying to bribe me? I am trying to buy your forgiveness.
What did you do? Um There's been a little bit of a hitch with the annulment.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
I thought Father Pat said everything was copacetic.
It was.
It was.
And then I made it a little bit less copacetic by pissing off the Monsignor.
And now if I don't admit that I was wrong, our wedding isn't happening.
And you don't think you were wrong.
I know for a fact that I was not wrong, so how can I look him in the eyes and say that I was? Look, Don, you know that I understand that a church wedding is important to you.
Kate.
It's fine.
I would never ask you to sacrifice your principles.
We'll book the Four Seasons.
And we're good? Yes.
We're good.
I'll go set the table.
[Sighs.]
[Sighs.]
You've got to be kidding me.
This is Elena leaving Jake's hotel room clearly a bit drunk.
She rides the elevator down, gets off at 9:18, she goes to the parking lot, gets in her car, and then What? Nothing's happening.
Exactly.
The car doesn't budge for the next six hours.
She was sleeping it off.
Out cold at the time of the murder, which explains why the forensics came back clean on the car.
She couldn't have killed Silvie.
So why confess? She's obviously lying to cover up for the real killer.
Listen, Elena, you're a woman of faith.
You know that confession is about unburdening your secrets.
It's about finding absolution.
Don't you want that? My client has nothing to confess.
In fact, she's relieved to learn she didn't do this terrible thing.
And since you have exculpatory evidence, drop the charges and let her go home right now.
Actually, I think we'll charge you with lying to a federal agent instead.
That and obstruction.
Unless, of course, she wants to start telling us the truth.
She wasn't lying.
She was confused.
You'll never make those charges stick.
Voss is right.
It'd be tough to prosecute her.
She's not going to tell us who she's covering for.
If Richard and Silvie were having an affair and Silvie was gonna tell Elena about it, Richard could have killed her to keep it quiet.
And Elena was willing to take the fall for a husband who cheated on her? You'd be surprised what wives are willing to forgive their husbands for.
You think I killed Silvie?! This is insane! You don't have a shred of evidence against me or my wife.
A-and I sure as hell wasn't having an affair with that girl.
Elena thought that you were.
She overheard you and Silvie taking about a secret.
What was it? Elena was sick.
W-who knows what she thought she heard.
We don't think she was sick at all at that point.
When I interviewed you last month, you said that you were alone at work when Silvie was killed.
You don't have an alibi.
That was a lie.
I was with someone.
Who? I really can't tell you anything about my clients.
Dominatrix/Servant Privilege and all.
So, I assume that you never have any sexual contact with any of your clients.
Of course not.
So, you would have no problem if the FBI wanted to start making regular visits to the, uh, Submission Sanctuary, maybe look through your books, dug through your background? I can make your life extremely unpleasant.
Mm.
Babe, you may have missed your calling.
[Chuckles.]
What do you want to know? Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
He's one of my regulars.
Was he there the night of May 18th? Um Oh, looks like it.
You want confirmation? How? I have time-stamped videos of all of my sessions, you know, to protect myself.
You want to see? - I-I'm good.
- I'll take the hit.
Richard: Delicious.
- Satan: God, I love this woman! - [Whip cracking, groaning.]
- [Chuckles.]
- You're pathetic.
Count for me.
One of my many minions.
One of the best.
- Two.
- We'll go to a hundred.
Very imaginative when it comes to inflicting pain.
Aah! - Aah! - Kneel.
- [Laughs.]
- Aah! Masochists pay her thousands of dollars to torture them.
- Did I tell you to stop? - [Chuckles.]
[Groans.]
What, you still need more proof I exist? - Thousands of dollars? - Uh-huh.
When you say that Richard was a regular customer, what does that mean in dollars and cents? Well, he sessioned about twice a week, usually the SWAT, Spank, and Worship package.
That's about $1,500.
- A week? - An hour.
Maybe I did miss my calling.
That is one hell of a lot more than an FBI paycheck.
If Richard went there twice a week, that's over 100 grand a year.
These people work for a nonprofit.
So how was he paying for it? Well, if the charity's raking in that much cash, maybe he's skimming off the top.
So, the conversation that Elena overheard could have been Silvie telling Richard that she was gonna expose his embezzlement, not about some affair.
That would give him motive for murder.
Although, as we just established, he has an alibi.
We've also established that he can afford to hire a hitman.
I'm gonna ask Donnie for a warrant for NRP's books.
You stalking me, Father Pat? I was just catching up with Donnie.
He says you're getting hitched at the Four Seasons? Yeah.
Turns out he's fine with it.
Come on.
You and I both know he had his heart set on St.
Mary's.
Katie, it's his way of atoning for the mistakes he made in your first marriage.
You got to let the man atone.
Listen, even if I wanted to, how am I supposed to do that? I apologized to the Monsignor.
He didn't accept it.
Come on, Katie.
This is Chicago.
The Monsignor's old-school.
You know how it works.
You do something nice for the church, he does something nice for you.
What is this, a shakedown now? Feels like a shakedown.
Call it an act of contrition, all right? The Monsignor cares about the church, okay? The collection plate's been a little light lately.
We're holding an auction Friday night.
Show up and buy something expensive.
I don't know.
This feels wrong.
- You know what I think? - Hmm? This isn't about Norris or your principles.
This is about the tomboy that I knew back on the playground who hates the idea of standing in front of the altar at St.
Mary's in a big, poufy dress.
Okay, so what if I do? Well, then, Donnie has got to sacrifice what's important to him because you're just not willing to sacrifice what's important to you.
[Sighs.]
Oh, yeah.
I got you now, Doc.
Rook to A3.
I take your bishop.
[Sighs.]
[Telephone rings.]
[Telephone beeps.]
Dr.
Pierce's residence.
Doc, it's Kate.
It sounds important.
Kate: Check this out.
We went through NRP's books.
Was Richard embezzling? We found something even better.
The charity takes in about $600,000 a year.
$300,000 of that comes from corporate donations.
The rest is from individuals who give through PayPal, check, or good old-fashioned cash, which accounts for $10,000 a month, until last February, when cash donations spiked to $300,000.
Corporate giving stays the same, and cash goes up 3,000%? Mm-hmm.
And then, all of that new money is cycled right back out to hundreds of new microloan recipients.
I'm betting they don't even exist.
This charity's a front for a massive money-laundering operation.
Don't you just love the hypocrisy? The Douglas family sure provides you with a lot of business.
You need to stop bringing spurious charges against my clients.
Kate: We have hard evidence that at least a quarter of the charity's microloan recipients are fake.
Who are you laundering money for? Once again, my client has nothing to say.
That's fine.
I'll do the talking.
Silvie found out about the money laundering and confronted you.
She threatened to expose your operation, so you had her killed to keep her quiet.
That's a fairy tale.
You have no evidence of any murder.
And if you're looking for fraud, find the swindlers who created false identities to get loans from my clients.
We're done here.
The biggest problem in Albany Park is drugs.
Maybe Richard's laundering money for one of the dealers.
The the the the guy we talked to that got a room with Elena, he was an ex-con.
What was he in for? Hell, even when I was dealing, I never moved that much money.
I wouldn't even begin to know how to run an operation that size.
But you don't seem too surprised that NRP was a laundromat for dirty cash.
Come on, Jake.
Tell us what you know.
I don't rat people out.
That's a code I've lived by my whole life.
See, you don't get to have it both ways.
You're either truly reformed, or you're cleaning drug money for some scumbag.
Now, you got to choose between good and evil.
Don't talk to me about good and evil.
There's no such thing.
What about Silvie? You don't think she was good? You think she deserved what she got? [Sighs.]
Look you put me on the stand, and I'll deny all of this.
But, yeah, Silvie came to me.
She was smart.
She'd found the discrepancy in the books.
The charity's a fraud, and Richard, too.
He begged me not to tell Elena.
We do a lot of good work here, Silvie.
Who cares if people take their cut? That's the way the world works.
I can't live with that.
Silvie, wait! I told her to chill, but she was so naive.
She said her father had donated thousands of dollars.
She had to tell her family the truth about NRP.
[Scoffs.]
And I told her maybe that wasn't such a good idea.
Why not? Because she'd find out something she didn't want to know.
Look, every couple weeks, I'd see Richard get a late-night cash delivery.
And the guys dropping off the money they were Pavel's sons.
John: You've got nothing on us.
We've got deposit slips, wireless transfer receipts, and reams of account data, all proving that your dirty money was washed through the charity and then deposited in a secret account in the Caymans.
Now, I'm guessing that you didn't make all that cash installing laminate flooring, so, what was it drugs, prostitution? How dare you speak to my husband like that! That's all right, sweetheart.
These allegations are ludicrous.
Silvie didn't think so.
She told you she was going to the authorities.
She would have ruined your family, - so you had her killed.
- My own daughter? You know what? You're crazy! I loved Silvie! I wouldn't hurt my own daughter! You know, I'm not saying another word.
- I want my lawyer.
- Oh, that's right.
You're represented by the same firm that employs Brendan Voss, the lawyer who entered Elena's insanity plea, only he wasn't looking out for her interests.
He was protecting yours.
So, how'd you get her to confess? Did you threaten to kill her, too? Kate: Come on.
Let's go.
It's gonna be all right, honey.
It's gonna be okay.
Don't worry.
I thought Max was gonna be easy pickings.
It's not the game that's bothering me.
Then what? Satan: We made a deal, Danny.
But you haven't signed the contract.
I just need your John Hancock right here, and then I'll let you in on what's troubling you.
Daniel.
[Sighs.]
Ohh.
He's not real, and neither is hell, so, why the hell not? [Chuckles.]
Thanks.
You know, I'm really gonna enjoy spending eternity with you.
Okay, here's your problem.
In four moves, Lewicki's gonna checkmate you.
Son of a bitch.
You're not gonna let him get away with that, are you? Get away with what? Max played well.
No, he didn't.
He cheated.
He moved his Queen when you weren't looking.
It's the only way he could have pulled off this gambit.
He's right.
Daniel, don't be paranoid.
Max would never cheat.
Of course he would.
Everybody cheats.
It's one of my greatest accomplishments.
- Move it back.
- Don't! Uh, Doc, what are you doing? Are you cheating? No.
You were! You clearly moved my Queen when I wasn't looking.
If that's the way you want to Gotcha.
I'm sorry.
I just got a little confused.
Are you okay? Yes, I'm fine.
Then put my Queen back so I can take your Knight.
Satan: Yes, the Queen.
She can take out any piece on the board.
I I got to call Kate.
- Why? What's wrong? - [Telephone beeps.]
- We were wrong.
- [Telephone speed dialing.]
- John Pavel didn't kill his daughter.
- [Telephone rings.]
Unless you've got another warrant, you can just get the hell off my property.
You're very protective of your family, aren't you, Mrs.
Pavel? Ironically, that's why you killed your daughter.
That's preposterous.
The last time I was here, your husband was pretty broken up about Silvie, but you were calm.
He was particularly grief-stricken that he hadn't been closer with her.
You're the one she always talked to when she had a problem.
That's why, when she heard about the money laundering, it wasn't him she went to.
She came to you.
And when she told you she was gonna go to the authorities, you sacrificed her, your only daughter, to save the rest of them.
- That's a lie.
- Mrs.
Pavel we're impounding your car.
We're also pulling repair records from every shop in the state.
We're gonna prove that it was you.
So tell us what happened, and maybe I can talk to the U.
S.
attorney about a deal.
You and your husband would go to jail, but your sons could get probation.
They could still have a life.
Or I could make it my mission to ensure that they spend as much time in prison as possible, the family that you killed your daughter to protect would be ruined.
[Inhales deeply.]
Silvie called me.
[Sniffles.]
She was ranting about the charity being a fraud and talking about going to the police.
Silvie: NRP is just a giant front for money laundering.
I have to tell the police.
Don't get involved, Silvie.
What? No.
I I can't just sit by and do nothing.
Well, you have to.
Why? Mom? Mom? Because because it's our family's money that's being laundered.
That's not true.
Did you really think that a flooring business supported our lifestyle Your education? Grow up, Silvie! Where does the money come from, then? Drugs, extortion, worse?! Look, it's your father's business.
He and the boys provide, and it is not our place to ask questions! Why?! Because we're women? Because I don't matter to you as much as your precious sons?! You disgust me! My entire life was a lie, and you never said one single word.
I don't care what happens, Mom! I'm going to the police.
No! You can't! - Silvie, you can't! - Aah! Go to hell! Don't you get out of this car! Don't! Silvie! [Engine turns over, tires screech.]
[Crying.]
I had to protect my family.
I had to sacrifice one to save the rest.
[Tires screech.]
[Thud.]
[Brakes squeal.]
So, when you saw that video, you knew that it was only a matter of time before the FBI would come around asking about the charity.
You panicked.
Yeah, I called Voss.
He said he had a plan.
He said don't worry.
A false confession.
Elena realized it was the only way to protect her husband and the charity, so she went along with it.
I thought my family would be saved.
Your family was destroyed the second you killed your daughter.
Victoria Pavel, you're under arrest for murder.
[Handcuffs click.]
Monsignor, you accused me of false repentance before, and, well, you were right.
To make up for it, I would like to do something for the church.
- Blackhawks playoff tickets? - Mm-hmm.
You should be able to get a fortune for them tomorrow at the church raffle.
Bless you, Agent Moretti.
And now I have to make amends to the other Father.
[Dialing.]
Hey, Dad.
Um About the game That would be Checkmate! You got to be kidding me.
[Chuckles.]
Gotcha! Whoo! [Humming.]
Ah! Who says hell isn't real? [Humming continues.]
[Sighs.]
[Key clinks.]
I don't know what Pat did but the wedding's back on at St.
Mary's.
Really? - Yeah.
- Aw.
Guess the Monsignor had a change of heart.
- Mm-hmm.
- Mm-hmm.
[Chuckles.]
Still up for movie night on Saturday? What about the Blackhawks game? Oh, come on, why would I want to spend my night with a bunch of drunk, obnoxious, screaming fans when I could be curled up on the couch with the man I love? If you believe in the guy with the red cape and the pitchfork, then the world is divided up into good and evil.
Of course, evolved thinkers like us know that life's not quite so absolute.
Or is it? FMRI scans of psychopaths reveal that their brains have subtle differences.
There's less activity in their prefrontal cortices and decreased regional gray matter in their paralimbic systems.
In other words, they may be wired to do evil.
It's a scary thought.
But equally amazing is our capacity to do good, the brain's ability to create empathy, compassion, and connection These things can give someone the drive to live a life of sacrifice or to commit to someone they love or just to connect with a friend.
- [Students groan.]
- I know.
I know.
Okay, you ready? Turn it over and start now! I, uh, think there might be a mistake.
The answers are stapled to the test.
Correct! Before Miss Goody-Two-Shoes here blew the whistle, the neurons in your ventromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices were firing on all cylinders, creating a rush of adrenaline and dopamine not unlike a boxer about to enter the ring.
But the fight here was between impulse and self-control.
It's called temptation.
Now, her cognitive control mechanisms stopped her from cheating, but some of you were about to go through with it.
- I know you were.
Yeah.
Right? - [Laughter.]
Your your self-control was hyped by the more emotional and impulsive limbic system, which wanted the easy "A.
" That's bad.
That's bad because when we exercise self-restraint, we have greater success at work, stronger relationships, and better mental health.
So, if it's better to resist temptation, why do we always find it so easy to give in? You do realize I have to fit into a wedding dress in a few months.
Ah, one lousy donut won't kill you.
[Chuckles.]
Hey.
I was thinking that maybe we could stay in for a change on Saturday, have a movie night.
I already have a date on Saturday.
What do you mean you have a date on Saturday? With my dad.
The Blackhawks game.
Playoffs, second row, center ice.
- I forgot.
- [Telephone rings.]
Moretti.
Yes, sir.
I have interviewed every witness.
I have combed through the forensics.
If there were any strong leads, I promise you I Yes, sir.
Trouble? I have to go tell the Pavel family why we haven't solved their daughter's murder yet.
We really appreciate you stopping by, Agent Moretti.
Yeah.
These last couple of weeks, you know, not hearing anything, it's it's it's been hell.
Well, let me assure you this is very much an active investigation.
We are pursuing every possible lead So, basically, you've got nothing.
Junior.
Show a little respect.
I'm sorry.
The boys are a little rough around the edges.
But they loved their little sister.
She was an angel.
Yeah, and it got her killed and thrown in a ditch.
Junior.
Now, what about that video online? You're not looking into it as a possible lead? I wasn't aware of any video.
Max: You want some popcorn, Doc? Why would I want popcorn? It has no nutritional value, exorbitant levels of sodium.
You might want popcorn because I'm about to put on a show.
I've been studying up tactical positions, back-rank endgames, mating nets.
I even added the fianchetto to my repertoire.
- Not interested.
- Oh, why not play? Max is just trying to connect.
Have some fun.
Giving a chess tutorial to a rank amateur is not my idea of fun.
Oh, you're just scared.
- Mm-hmm.
- And you should be.
I mean, your positional play is so weak, it needs to hire a personal trainer.
[Chuckles.]
Are you chess trash-talking me? Why? Can't handle the heat? Natalie: Yeah, Daniel.
Maybe you're worried that he'll actually beat you.
[Chuckles.]
Fine.
Fine, one game.
But you are digging yourself a hole, Lewicki.
Oh, yeah.
A "Hole" lot of awesome, Doc.
[Knock on door.]
Your inevitable humiliation will have to wait.
Any interest in helping me solve the case that will not be solved? Absolutely.
Good, because right now my only suspect is the devil.
The victim is Silvie Pavel.
She's a Stanford grad.
Her father owns a successful flooring company in Glenview.
Silvie was the idealist of the family.
She worked for an inner-city charity called NRP.
What's that? - Neighborhood Relief Project.
- Mm.
They did anti-gang work job training for ex-cons.
They handed out microloans.
Silvie was doing outreach for them in Albany Park - when she went missing last month.
- A rough part of town.
Yeah.
Dealers run those streets.
So you think it's drug-related? Don't know.
[Sighs.]
But a week after Silvie went missing, her body turned up across state lines under a bridge in Marquette Park, Indiana.
That's why the FBI got called in.
Horrible.
Cause of death? Massive trauma to the head, chest, and abdomen.
No fingerprints, no DNA, no murder weapon.
We don't even know where she died.
Okay, so, where does the devil come in? I'm Ash-Shaytan! The Archfiend! The beast with no body! I killed Silvie! Put her body in the ground, and her soul is mine now! Silvie's boss, Elena Douglas.
She and her husband, Richard, run the charity.
We vetted her at the outset of the investigation, but she and Silvie had a great relationship.
There was no reason to seriously suspect her.
Uh-huh.
Except for the acute psychosis.
Elena had no history of mental illness.
But then, a few days after Silvie died, she was hospitalized with psychotic symptoms, diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Uh-huh.
Now she's a suspect.
She is the only lead that we have had in weeks.
Could you just talk to her? Tell me what you think? Okay.
Okay, what hospital? Actually, uh, her husband had her discharged.
He was upset that she wasn't getting better.
- She's at home.
- [Sighs.]
You can't come in.
I'm sorry, but Elena's resting.
Elena: Stop! Make it stop, please! No, stop, please! Stop! Stop! Make it stop! Please! Depart into the everlasting fire.
[Screams.]
"Virtus Christi Cogeris.
" God himself commands you.
Aah! Please make it stop! It burns! What the hell is going on here?! The rite of exorcism.
Please, I need you to leave.
We're not going anywhere until you stop this archaic torture ritual.
This woman should be in a hospital.
We gave modern medicine a chance.
T-the doctors gave her a million anti-psychotics, and none worked.
This is part of Elena's faith.
It's what she would want.
- She's screaming for help.
- She's screaming for deliverance.
Her wrists are bleeding! People have died during exorcisms.
Listen, unless you get her out of those restraints right now, I am bringing you both in for endangerment.
This is a church-sanctioned exorcism, young lady.
Actually, it's Special Agent Kate Moretti.
I happen to be a good catholic, so the last thing I want to do is arrest a priest, but I will if I have to.
[Groaning.]
You're giving Satan exactly what he wants.
There is no Satan.
This woman is suffering from psychiatric symptoms hallucinations, delusions.
People like you are uncomfortable with it, so you call her possessed and and persecute her.
It's been going on for millennia.
Daniel.
Elena.
Elena.
I'm Dr.
Pierce.
- Can you hear me? - You get away! You get away from me! My soul belongs to Satan! - I tried to tell you.
- [Screams.]
Will you get them out of here? Father, please.
[Grunting.]
Here.
I want to try to help you if I can.
Satan: Ah, but you can't.
Unless, of course, I agree to relinquish her soul.
[Sighs.]
Please, you don't exist.
What? [Laughs.]
You think you're hallucinating.
- Of course I am.
- Oh.
I mean you don't exist at all.
You're a mythical personification of evil used to explain away suffering in the world.
- I see.
- Make it stop! I've got my hand wrapped around this woman's soul.
I can tear it from her body.
But if you promise me your soul in exchange for hers, I can, uh give you the cure for what ails her.
I think I know what's wrong with you.
It could be a teratoma, which is a kind of tumor.
First, they say schizophrenia, now a tumor.
Richard, let me finish my work.
Teratomas are rare, but if it's ovarian, it can cause a kind of encephalitis, which is often misdiagnosed as schizophrenia.
That would explain why the anti-psychotics didn't help.
Remove the tumor from her ovary, and her brain function may return to normal.
But you you have to let me take her back to the hospital.
Okay.
Fine.
I'll call an ambulance.
Looks like we got a deal, eh, Danny boy? I'll get started on the paperwork.
Real pleasure doing business with you.
Teratoma comes from the Greek word "Teraton," which means "Monster".
This particular monster was wrapped around Elena's left ovary.
- Oh, my God.
- Yeah.
Teratomas are made up of cells from other organs.
You can see the hair, the teeth.
Some grow partial hands, eyes, even a rudimentary, beating heart.
But the real culprit here is invisible.
Elena's teratoma caused antibodies to target NMDA receptors in her brain.
That led to her psychotic behavior, her memory disturbances, and the belief that she killed Silvie.
For her, the symptoms manifested as religiously based delusions.
Divine Providence brought you to Elena.
Thank God you came along.
So you admit this has nothing to do with the devil? I'm not a philistine, Dr.
Pierce.
I pray this surgery has cured Elena's suffering.
But just because you found a tumor doesn't mean the devil didn't put it there.
Richard: All I care about is whether she's gonna be normal again.
Will I get my wife back? We should know by the morning.
[Knock on door.]
Father Pat.
Do come in.
Sorry to bother you this late, Katie.
Haven't seen you at confession for a while.
That would probably be because I have nothing to confess.
Oh, really? So, it's not true that you got a little surly with a certain monsignor this morning? Boy, you guys trade gossip faster than Perez Hilton.
And, no, for the record, I did not get a little surly with anyone this morning.
I was just doing my job.
Well, maybe, but remember how I told Donnie that I would pull a few strings to get your original marriage annulled so the divorce wouldn't count and you could get hitched at St.
Mary's, right? Yeah.
Luck of the Irish Monsignor Norris is the guy I was gonna pull those strings with.
- Yikes.
- Yeah, so, suffice it to say, you and Donnie are off the church calendar, and your annulment is, uh, on a slow train to Siberia.
[Sighs.]
Look, Donnie really has his heart set on this.
What do I do to fix it? Kate, I've known you since kindergarten.
I'm pretty sure you're not gonna like it.
Look, as long as he doesn't expect me to slink over there with my tail between my legs, make some sort of big, formal apology - He wants a formal apology.
- Son of a biscuit.
Biscuit.
Richard: It was a miracle.
Elena woke up lucid.
She's still weak, but - [Door closes.]
- [Sighs.]
She's the same woman she was before she got sick.
Are you the doctor that diagnosed my tumor? Yes.
Do you remember meeting me yesterday? I'm Agent Kate Moretti.
Do you remember me? We spoke after Silvie disappeared.
I wanted to talk to you again because you said some pretty crazy things when you were sick.
Richard told me.
That's why my lawyer is here.
Brendan Voss.
You said that you were possessed by Satan and that you killed Silvie and buried her body.
I was not possessed by Satan.
Of course not.
But I did kill Silvie.
Tell me what happened.
I had been hearing voices.
They told me that Silvie was evil, the cause of all of my suffering.
That night, they told me to get in my car and go find her.
[Voice breaking.]
I finally saw her in front of a client's apartment.
And the voices told me that she was a monster and that I had to destroy her, so I hit the gas pedal and I ran her down.
But they didn't stop.
They told me to hide the body, so I put her in the car, and and I drove to Marquette Park and left her there.
I'm so sorry.
We're obviously pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, and, Dr.
Pierce, I assume you'll be testifying on Elena's behalf.
I did not see that coming.
Did you? When you interviewed her the first time, - did she seem stable? - Yeah.
But, like I said, it was a short meeting, and we didn't really think of her as a suspect.
[Indistinct conversation.]
- See you soon? - Excuse me a minute.
Monsignor.
I'm, uh, happy to see you here, actually.
I wanted to say that I am sorry if there was any misunderstanding yesterday.
I meant you no offense.
I was just doing my job.
Hmm.
An apology with an excuse is not true repentance.
Monsignor, I'm I'm trying here.
My child, I've taken confession for 25 years.
I can recognize false contrition when I hear it.
Okay, you know what? Fine.
I am good at my job.
And frankly, I only did what any decent agent would do.
Well, you've certainly made your true feelings clear.
[Door closes.]
Hey, Danny boy.
Oh, why are you still here? I'm just finalizing our agreement.
I had my team of lawyers draw it up.
A lot of those guys down there throw a rock, hit a lawyer.
[Chuckles.]
Actually, it's a pretty popular pastime for us.
So, you can have whatever you want fame, fortune, Cubs' world championship.
[Laughs.]
But, uh, make sure you read the fine print before you sign.
You know what they say.
The devil is in the details.
The details.
Y-you know that story that Elena just told us? It's all a lie.
The antibodies created to fight this kind of tumor wreak havoc with with a lot of brain functions, particularly memory.
Teratoma patients almost always have some form of amnesia.
So, if Elena really had been psychotic at the time of the killing, she wouldn't be able to remember all of the details she described.
Maybe the lawyer coached her.
Why coach a client to be to be strong on details when she was supposedly psychotic at the time? - It doesn't make sense.
- Time-out.
Daniel Pierce is standing here telling me not to believe the crazy person? I don't think Elena was psychotic when she killed Silvie.
I think she's using the tumor she got later as a cover-up.
So you're saying that she was sane one day and then institutionalized a week later with full-blown psychosis.
Totally plausible with a teratoma.
She could have had it her whole life and felt normal, but as soon as the encephalitis developed, her psychotic symptoms were triggered.
So you think Elena killed Silvie in cold blood? Or it could have been vehicular manslaughter.
She could have run Silvie down in the road when she was high or texting or drinking and then panicked and hid the body.
One way or another, it's a brilliant plan.
H-her confession stops the investigation.
She pleads not guilty by reason of insanity, which normally means spending years in a psych hospital.
Elena's examined, found completely sane now that her tumor is gone.
[Sighs.]
She'll walk.
You got to stop that plea.
[Sighs.]
Okay.
But, Daniel, you're the one that diagnosed her and told everyone how crazy that tumor made her.
So if I'm going to trial, I need evidence that proves that Elena wasn't sick the day Silvie was murdered.
Jake: I told you everything I knew a month ago.
Right, now, you told us that, when you got out of prison, Elena hired you to drive her around, answer the phones.
What can you tell us about how she was acting on the night that Silvie disappeared? What was her state of mind? Yeah, I heard she was pleading insanity.
You want to know if she was crazy? Just tell us what you remember.
I drove Elena to the Hyatt.
She gave a presentation to some big, corporate fat cats, trying to get them to donate to NRP.
And she was fine, no erratic behavior? - Did something happen? - After the presentation, we stopped at the hotel bar, had a few drinks.
Elena started hitting on me.
So, what did you do? I got us a room.
[Both moaning.]
Elena, slow down.
I don't want to slow down.
Let's just get this over with.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Get it over with? I'm so sorry.
This is not fair to you.
I'm I'm just trying to get back at Richard.
For what? He's having an affair with Silvie.
What makes you think that? 'Cause I heard them having an argument in his office.
What exactly did you hear? Silvie said that, um, she couldn't keep it a secret, that she had to tell me, and Richard said no That if I found out, it would destroy our marriage.
It all makes sense now.
I mean, she must have been cracking up, right? That's why she was all paranoid about Richard and Silvie.
So you don't think that they were having an affair? Hell no.
And I told Elena that, but she wouldn't believe me.
She took off upset.
About what time was that? I don't know.
Around 9:00.
The next day, she begged me not to say anything So I never did.
So, Silvie was sexually aggressive and paranoid.
Could the tumor have caused that? Sounds like she was more upset than acutely delusional.
And if she really believed that Silvie was having an affair with Richard, well, that's motive to kill her, right? And she had opportunity.
Forensics estimates her time of death between 10:00 and midnight.
So, if she left the hotel at 9:00, that's enough time to go down to Albany Park to run her down.
So maybe it wasn't vehicular manslaughter at all.
Maybe it was premeditated murder by someone that knew exactly what she was doing.
I'm gonna have someone pull the surveillance video from the hotel that night.
But, in the meantime, I need to talk to the Pavels again.
Can I ask were Silvie and Elena having any problems at work? [Sighs.]
S-Silvie never shared that sort of thing with me.
I wish I had that kind of relationship with her, but I was always too busy trying to put food on the table.
When she had a problem, she'd go to her mom.
Why are you asking about problems? We're trying to determine if there was a motive involved.
You just said that the woman went crazy.
I thought we were talking an insanity plea.
We're looking into the idea that Elena may not have been entirely truthful about that.
S-so, y-you think she faked this illness? No, no, she had a real condition, but it's possible she was sane when she killed your daughter.
She murdered Silvie in cold blood? You know, when Silvie graduated form Stanford, I-I wanted her to work for me like her brothers, but, um she wanted to help people.
And look where it got her.
Please, you make sure you get justice for our little girl.
- Donnie: Hey.
- Hey.
- What's up? - I'm just trying to establish Elena's whereabouts at the time of the murder.
But I did pick up some hop-li and those little chocolate things that you like from Let Them Eat Cupcakes.
You trying to bribe me? I am trying to buy your forgiveness.
What did you do? Um There's been a little bit of a hitch with the annulment.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
I thought Father Pat said everything was copacetic.
It was.
It was.
And then I made it a little bit less copacetic by pissing off the Monsignor.
And now if I don't admit that I was wrong, our wedding isn't happening.
And you don't think you were wrong.
I know for a fact that I was not wrong, so how can I look him in the eyes and say that I was? Look, Don, you know that I understand that a church wedding is important to you.
Kate.
It's fine.
I would never ask you to sacrifice your principles.
We'll book the Four Seasons.
And we're good? Yes.
We're good.
I'll go set the table.
[Sighs.]
[Sighs.]
You've got to be kidding me.
This is Elena leaving Jake's hotel room clearly a bit drunk.
She rides the elevator down, gets off at 9:18, she goes to the parking lot, gets in her car, and then What? Nothing's happening.
Exactly.
The car doesn't budge for the next six hours.
She was sleeping it off.
Out cold at the time of the murder, which explains why the forensics came back clean on the car.
She couldn't have killed Silvie.
So why confess? She's obviously lying to cover up for the real killer.
Listen, Elena, you're a woman of faith.
You know that confession is about unburdening your secrets.
It's about finding absolution.
Don't you want that? My client has nothing to confess.
In fact, she's relieved to learn she didn't do this terrible thing.
And since you have exculpatory evidence, drop the charges and let her go home right now.
Actually, I think we'll charge you with lying to a federal agent instead.
That and obstruction.
Unless, of course, she wants to start telling us the truth.
She wasn't lying.
She was confused.
You'll never make those charges stick.
Voss is right.
It'd be tough to prosecute her.
She's not going to tell us who she's covering for.
If Richard and Silvie were having an affair and Silvie was gonna tell Elena about it, Richard could have killed her to keep it quiet.
And Elena was willing to take the fall for a husband who cheated on her? You'd be surprised what wives are willing to forgive their husbands for.
You think I killed Silvie?! This is insane! You don't have a shred of evidence against me or my wife.
A-and I sure as hell wasn't having an affair with that girl.
Elena thought that you were.
She overheard you and Silvie taking about a secret.
What was it? Elena was sick.
W-who knows what she thought she heard.
We don't think she was sick at all at that point.
When I interviewed you last month, you said that you were alone at work when Silvie was killed.
You don't have an alibi.
That was a lie.
I was with someone.
Who? I really can't tell you anything about my clients.
Dominatrix/Servant Privilege and all.
So, I assume that you never have any sexual contact with any of your clients.
Of course not.
So, you would have no problem if the FBI wanted to start making regular visits to the, uh, Submission Sanctuary, maybe look through your books, dug through your background? I can make your life extremely unpleasant.
Mm.
Babe, you may have missed your calling.
[Chuckles.]
What do you want to know? Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
He's one of my regulars.
Was he there the night of May 18th? Um Oh, looks like it.
You want confirmation? How? I have time-stamped videos of all of my sessions, you know, to protect myself.
You want to see? - I-I'm good.
- I'll take the hit.
Richard: Delicious.
- Satan: God, I love this woman! - [Whip cracking, groaning.]
- [Chuckles.]
- You're pathetic.
Count for me.
One of my many minions.
One of the best.
- Two.
- We'll go to a hundred.
Very imaginative when it comes to inflicting pain.
Aah! - Aah! - Kneel.
- [Laughs.]
- Aah! Masochists pay her thousands of dollars to torture them.
- Did I tell you to stop? - [Chuckles.]
[Groans.]
What, you still need more proof I exist? - Thousands of dollars? - Uh-huh.
When you say that Richard was a regular customer, what does that mean in dollars and cents? Well, he sessioned about twice a week, usually the SWAT, Spank, and Worship package.
That's about $1,500.
- A week? - An hour.
Maybe I did miss my calling.
That is one hell of a lot more than an FBI paycheck.
If Richard went there twice a week, that's over 100 grand a year.
These people work for a nonprofit.
So how was he paying for it? Well, if the charity's raking in that much cash, maybe he's skimming off the top.
So, the conversation that Elena overheard could have been Silvie telling Richard that she was gonna expose his embezzlement, not about some affair.
That would give him motive for murder.
Although, as we just established, he has an alibi.
We've also established that he can afford to hire a hitman.
I'm gonna ask Donnie for a warrant for NRP's books.
You stalking me, Father Pat? I was just catching up with Donnie.
He says you're getting hitched at the Four Seasons? Yeah.
Turns out he's fine with it.
Come on.
You and I both know he had his heart set on St.
Mary's.
Katie, it's his way of atoning for the mistakes he made in your first marriage.
You got to let the man atone.
Listen, even if I wanted to, how am I supposed to do that? I apologized to the Monsignor.
He didn't accept it.
Come on, Katie.
This is Chicago.
The Monsignor's old-school.
You know how it works.
You do something nice for the church, he does something nice for you.
What is this, a shakedown now? Feels like a shakedown.
Call it an act of contrition, all right? The Monsignor cares about the church, okay? The collection plate's been a little light lately.
We're holding an auction Friday night.
Show up and buy something expensive.
I don't know.
This feels wrong.
- You know what I think? - Hmm? This isn't about Norris or your principles.
This is about the tomboy that I knew back on the playground who hates the idea of standing in front of the altar at St.
Mary's in a big, poufy dress.
Okay, so what if I do? Well, then, Donnie has got to sacrifice what's important to him because you're just not willing to sacrifice what's important to you.
[Sighs.]
Oh, yeah.
I got you now, Doc.
Rook to A3.
I take your bishop.
[Sighs.]
[Telephone rings.]
[Telephone beeps.]
Dr.
Pierce's residence.
Doc, it's Kate.
It sounds important.
Kate: Check this out.
We went through NRP's books.
Was Richard embezzling? We found something even better.
The charity takes in about $600,000 a year.
$300,000 of that comes from corporate donations.
The rest is from individuals who give through PayPal, check, or good old-fashioned cash, which accounts for $10,000 a month, until last February, when cash donations spiked to $300,000.
Corporate giving stays the same, and cash goes up 3,000%? Mm-hmm.
And then, all of that new money is cycled right back out to hundreds of new microloan recipients.
I'm betting they don't even exist.
This charity's a front for a massive money-laundering operation.
Don't you just love the hypocrisy? The Douglas family sure provides you with a lot of business.
You need to stop bringing spurious charges against my clients.
Kate: We have hard evidence that at least a quarter of the charity's microloan recipients are fake.
Who are you laundering money for? Once again, my client has nothing to say.
That's fine.
I'll do the talking.
Silvie found out about the money laundering and confronted you.
She threatened to expose your operation, so you had her killed to keep her quiet.
That's a fairy tale.
You have no evidence of any murder.
And if you're looking for fraud, find the swindlers who created false identities to get loans from my clients.
We're done here.
The biggest problem in Albany Park is drugs.
Maybe Richard's laundering money for one of the dealers.
The the the the guy we talked to that got a room with Elena, he was an ex-con.
What was he in for? Hell, even when I was dealing, I never moved that much money.
I wouldn't even begin to know how to run an operation that size.
But you don't seem too surprised that NRP was a laundromat for dirty cash.
Come on, Jake.
Tell us what you know.
I don't rat people out.
That's a code I've lived by my whole life.
See, you don't get to have it both ways.
You're either truly reformed, or you're cleaning drug money for some scumbag.
Now, you got to choose between good and evil.
Don't talk to me about good and evil.
There's no such thing.
What about Silvie? You don't think she was good? You think she deserved what she got? [Sighs.]
Look you put me on the stand, and I'll deny all of this.
But, yeah, Silvie came to me.
She was smart.
She'd found the discrepancy in the books.
The charity's a fraud, and Richard, too.
He begged me not to tell Elena.
We do a lot of good work here, Silvie.
Who cares if people take their cut? That's the way the world works.
I can't live with that.
Silvie, wait! I told her to chill, but she was so naive.
She said her father had donated thousands of dollars.
She had to tell her family the truth about NRP.
[Scoffs.]
And I told her maybe that wasn't such a good idea.
Why not? Because she'd find out something she didn't want to know.
Look, every couple weeks, I'd see Richard get a late-night cash delivery.
And the guys dropping off the money they were Pavel's sons.
John: You've got nothing on us.
We've got deposit slips, wireless transfer receipts, and reams of account data, all proving that your dirty money was washed through the charity and then deposited in a secret account in the Caymans.
Now, I'm guessing that you didn't make all that cash installing laminate flooring, so, what was it drugs, prostitution? How dare you speak to my husband like that! That's all right, sweetheart.
These allegations are ludicrous.
Silvie didn't think so.
She told you she was going to the authorities.
She would have ruined your family, - so you had her killed.
- My own daughter? You know what? You're crazy! I loved Silvie! I wouldn't hurt my own daughter! You know, I'm not saying another word.
- I want my lawyer.
- Oh, that's right.
You're represented by the same firm that employs Brendan Voss, the lawyer who entered Elena's insanity plea, only he wasn't looking out for her interests.
He was protecting yours.
So, how'd you get her to confess? Did you threaten to kill her, too? Kate: Come on.
Let's go.
It's gonna be all right, honey.
It's gonna be okay.
Don't worry.
I thought Max was gonna be easy pickings.
It's not the game that's bothering me.
Then what? Satan: We made a deal, Danny.
But you haven't signed the contract.
I just need your John Hancock right here, and then I'll let you in on what's troubling you.
Daniel.
[Sighs.]
Ohh.
He's not real, and neither is hell, so, why the hell not? [Chuckles.]
Thanks.
You know, I'm really gonna enjoy spending eternity with you.
Okay, here's your problem.
In four moves, Lewicki's gonna checkmate you.
Son of a bitch.
You're not gonna let him get away with that, are you? Get away with what? Max played well.
No, he didn't.
He cheated.
He moved his Queen when you weren't looking.
It's the only way he could have pulled off this gambit.
He's right.
Daniel, don't be paranoid.
Max would never cheat.
Of course he would.
Everybody cheats.
It's one of my greatest accomplishments.
- Move it back.
- Don't! Uh, Doc, what are you doing? Are you cheating? No.
You were! You clearly moved my Queen when I wasn't looking.
If that's the way you want to Gotcha.
I'm sorry.
I just got a little confused.
Are you okay? Yes, I'm fine.
Then put my Queen back so I can take your Knight.
Satan: Yes, the Queen.
She can take out any piece on the board.
I I got to call Kate.
- Why? What's wrong? - [Telephone beeps.]
- We were wrong.
- [Telephone speed dialing.]
- John Pavel didn't kill his daughter.
- [Telephone rings.]
Unless you've got another warrant, you can just get the hell off my property.
You're very protective of your family, aren't you, Mrs.
Pavel? Ironically, that's why you killed your daughter.
That's preposterous.
The last time I was here, your husband was pretty broken up about Silvie, but you were calm.
He was particularly grief-stricken that he hadn't been closer with her.
You're the one she always talked to when she had a problem.
That's why, when she heard about the money laundering, it wasn't him she went to.
She came to you.
And when she told you she was gonna go to the authorities, you sacrificed her, your only daughter, to save the rest of them.
- That's a lie.
- Mrs.
Pavel we're impounding your car.
We're also pulling repair records from every shop in the state.
We're gonna prove that it was you.
So tell us what happened, and maybe I can talk to the U.
S.
attorney about a deal.
You and your husband would go to jail, but your sons could get probation.
They could still have a life.
Or I could make it my mission to ensure that they spend as much time in prison as possible, the family that you killed your daughter to protect would be ruined.
[Inhales deeply.]
Silvie called me.
[Sniffles.]
She was ranting about the charity being a fraud and talking about going to the police.
Silvie: NRP is just a giant front for money laundering.
I have to tell the police.
Don't get involved, Silvie.
What? No.
I I can't just sit by and do nothing.
Well, you have to.
Why? Mom? Mom? Because because it's our family's money that's being laundered.
That's not true.
Did you really think that a flooring business supported our lifestyle Your education? Grow up, Silvie! Where does the money come from, then? Drugs, extortion, worse?! Look, it's your father's business.
He and the boys provide, and it is not our place to ask questions! Why?! Because we're women? Because I don't matter to you as much as your precious sons?! You disgust me! My entire life was a lie, and you never said one single word.
I don't care what happens, Mom! I'm going to the police.
No! You can't! - Silvie, you can't! - Aah! Go to hell! Don't you get out of this car! Don't! Silvie! [Engine turns over, tires screech.]
[Crying.]
I had to protect my family.
I had to sacrifice one to save the rest.
[Tires screech.]
[Thud.]
[Brakes squeal.]
So, when you saw that video, you knew that it was only a matter of time before the FBI would come around asking about the charity.
You panicked.
Yeah, I called Voss.
He said he had a plan.
He said don't worry.
A false confession.
Elena realized it was the only way to protect her husband and the charity, so she went along with it.
I thought my family would be saved.
Your family was destroyed the second you killed your daughter.
Victoria Pavel, you're under arrest for murder.
[Handcuffs click.]
Monsignor, you accused me of false repentance before, and, well, you were right.
To make up for it, I would like to do something for the church.
- Blackhawks playoff tickets? - Mm-hmm.
You should be able to get a fortune for them tomorrow at the church raffle.
Bless you, Agent Moretti.
And now I have to make amends to the other Father.
[Dialing.]
Hey, Dad.
Um About the game That would be Checkmate! You got to be kidding me.
[Chuckles.]
Gotcha! Whoo! [Humming.]
Ah! Who says hell isn't real? [Humming continues.]
[Sighs.]
[Key clinks.]
I don't know what Pat did but the wedding's back on at St.
Mary's.
Really? - Yeah.
- Aw.
Guess the Monsignor had a change of heart.
- Mm-hmm.
- Mm-hmm.
[Chuckles.]
Still up for movie night on Saturday? What about the Blackhawks game? Oh, come on, why would I want to spend my night with a bunch of drunk, obnoxious, screaming fans when I could be curled up on the couch with the man I love? If you believe in the guy with the red cape and the pitchfork, then the world is divided up into good and evil.
Of course, evolved thinkers like us know that life's not quite so absolute.
Or is it? FMRI scans of psychopaths reveal that their brains have subtle differences.
There's less activity in their prefrontal cortices and decreased regional gray matter in their paralimbic systems.
In other words, they may be wired to do evil.
It's a scary thought.
But equally amazing is our capacity to do good, the brain's ability to create empathy, compassion, and connection These things can give someone the drive to live a life of sacrifice or to commit to someone they love or just to connect with a friend.