The Pretender s03e09 Episode Script

[Lead Breaks.]
- [Phone Rings.]
- What? - [Jarod.]
How well do you know your father? - Better than you know yours.
- Yes.
Well, I'm working on that one.
- Why the call, Jarod? [Jarod.]
You and your father are close.
But how close? Does he share important things with you? Would he tell you about the big developments in his life? I'd be insanely optimistic to think this little quiz show had a bonus round, wouldn't I? - Check your mail, Miss Parker.
- Why? Because we all have a lot to learn.
Including me.
Gotta go.
Don't wanna be late for my first day of school.
- Jarod- - [Dial Tone.]
What did he have to say? A lot less than he knows, that's for sure.
[Paper Rustling.]
Miss Parker? It's a copy of a letter to my father from his attorney.
He's changing his will.
- Hmm.
- Miss Parker.
Statistician from the Brooksberry field office.
Swears she saw Jarod on her lunch break.
Call Brooksberry.
Get a local Sweeper team moving now.
Okay.
[Scraping.]
[Jarod.]
Well, well, well, the Vanguard Program.
The finest minds at the university.
I'll have to do my best to keep up.
Welcome to graduate class 523- Psychology of the Criminal Mind.
I'm your new professor, Dr.
Gardner.
But please, call meJarod.
Oh, my God! [Woman Screams.]
Oh, my God! [Man Narrating.]
There are Pretenders among us.
[Jarod.]
I was taken from my family.
Thirty-six hours and he's already demonstrating more talent than any of our others.
How many people died because of what I thought up? Since I broke out, I've spent every moment searching for my past.
[Miss Parker.]
He's a Pretender- A genius who can become anyone that he wants to be.
- The Centre wants him alive.
- Preferably.
[Miss Parker.]
He defends the weak and abused.
Life's a gift.
- You a doctor? - I am today.
[Murmuring.]
- Somebody get some help! - Call 911! - You can cancel that call.
- [Woman.]
What? I may be a little sticky, but otherwise I'm just fine.
Oh, the gunmen.
They were some drama students that I recruited.
And the shots? Blanks.
I assume there's a point to scaring the hell out of us like that.
Oh, yes, sir.
There's absolutely a point.
I'm the cop.
You're the witness.
Describe the gunman to me.
- Tall, dark suit.
- How tall? How dark? - Uh- - "Uh" doesn't cut it.
I need details.
- What color hair did he have? - Brown.
Maybe a little reddish.
- No, it was blond.
- Straight or wavy? - Straight.
- Wavy.
Any distinguishing features? Scars? Facial hair? - What kind of shoes was he wearing? - Shoes? All I saw was the gun.
I couldn't even tell you if the guy had feet.
- [Laughter.]
- This is a highly charged situation.
Your adrenaline is pumping.
Here's my point.
That even the most brilliant minds - can miss a thing or two.
- [Woman.]
Speak for yourself.
Your killer, Jarod, was a white male, 6'1 ", 170.
He had straight brown hair.
Blond if you count the cheesy shampooed-in highlights.
And except for the played-out 90210 sideburns, he was clean shaven.
Clothing-wise, and that's where the real crime was committed he wore an off-the-rack J.
C.
Penny special, charcoal gray with lapels that screamed Bush administration.
Oh, and start your manhunt in the Financial Aid office because nobody with even 10 bucks in their pockets would be seen wearing those shoes.
- [All Chuckle.]
- [Jarod.]
Very good, Miss- - Dunning, Claire.
- Ah, yes.
Top of the Vanguard class.
Grady and Matthew here were close, but, uh, no cigar though.
Even with their vast intellect, it would be pretty difficult to keep up with someone who joined Mensa at age 13.
I'm kinda curious as to your qualifications, Doc.
Well, you frame a couple of diplomas, you slap your name on a few dissertations and voilà, people think you're a genius.
So, what kind of genius surprises are we in for next? Something that will help us delve into the criminal mind.
This class has been put on hold since your last professor Alden Clark, disappeared.
Now, I thought, wouldn't it be provocative if we all solved the mystery ofhis disappearance? He cleaned out his bank account and ran off with his mistress.
Maybe.
Maybe not.
This is Professor Clark's book The Perfect Murder.
Now, what if Professor Clark didn't run off with his mistress? What if, for argument's sake, that he himself was the victim of the perfect murder.
- [Miss Parker.]
If murder were legal, Broots? - [Broots.]
Huh? Your tip on Jarod? False alarm.
Sweeper team came up empty.
Oh, well, that- Oh, I see, so kill the messenger? Well, that's your first usable idea in weeks.
Broots, do you know who that man speaking with my father is? Yeah, he's a doctor.
I just rode up with him on the elevator.
- Doctor? - Yeah.
- Changing his will.
- Huh? Something the matter, Miss Parker? There you go.
[Baby Gurgles.]
Mrs.
Clark.
If you're another bill collector, you can save your breath.
Not even the house is mine anymore.
Actually, my name is Jarod Gardner.
I'm taking over your husband's classes at the university.
[Baby Cooing.]
I'm sorry.
I've been meaning to stop by and clear his things out of the office.
I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it yet.
I understand.
[Chuckles.]
Hi.
They're so fragile and so innocent.
Yet, with one look, they can help you through anything.
Why are you here, Dr.
Gardner? To help.
Alden and I used to dream about the day our children would run around this yard.
It must be very difficult to be the only one who still believes in him.
It's been a year now.
I don't have any illusions that my husband is suddenly gonna walk back into my life but I need answers.
I need something to tell our child, other than his father ran off with his girlfriend.
Alden and I had a very difficult time getting pregnant.
There was so much heartbreak.
He wanted this baby so badly.
There is no way he would have missed his son's birth if he were still alive.
[Baby Gurgles.]
The harsh reality is he left her.
Alden Clark was having an affair.
I found e-mail on his computer from his mistress, fantasies, plans for running away.
None of it G-rated.
Plus, he withdrew every last cent from their account the day he left.
He had a baby on the way.
It doesn't make any sense.
Look, I feel for Mrs.
Clark and her child but sooner or later she needs to face the facts.
No body, no sign of foul play.
The man walked out.
Now, Dr.
Gardner, it's only natural to want the facts about the man you're replacing but I have 25 real cases to handle.
That's my harsh reality.
Excuse me.
[Jarod.]
So, you want to commit the perfect murder.
How do you go about it? Well? Oh, come on.
Use those brilliant minds of yours.
Become a killer.
A sociopath.
Someone without compassion, without a conscience.
This is sick.
We're talking about Professor Clark here.
We should just leave it alone.
No, I think we can stand to learn a great deal from this.
So I'm asking that you play along with me.
I'm willing to go along with any game you wanna play, Jarod.
[Students Chuckles.]
At the risk of sounding like Claire, I'm in.
- I'm in.
- Me too.
- Good.
Then let's begin.
Name all the ways that you can kill someone.
- Stabbing.
- Stabbing.
- Shooting.
- Shooting.
Very good.
- Suffocation.
- Suffocation.
[No Audible Dialogue.]
There certainly are a lot of ways to kill somebody.
But you still have to deal with the body.
- I'd bury it out in the woods somewhere.
- [Claire.]
It's too risky.
You hear stories all the time about some hiker stumbling over a stiff.
It'd be smarter to make the perfect murder look like a suicide.
You still end up with an investigation.
If it's not flawless, you're screwed.
So how would you deal with it, Claire? The perfect murder isn't a murder.
It's an accident.
- Hmm.
- She's right.
Plausible deniability.
Make it look like an accident.
Something that fits into the victim's daily routine.
If we're talking about Dr.
Clark, how about on the road up to his cabin? - His cabin? - Yeah, he had a cabin.
He used to go up there in the mountains after school on Fridays.
And he did disappear on a Friday.
[Young Sydney.]
LatelyJarod's been bored.
We must find better ways to engage his intellect.
Keep a brilliant mind from becoming idle.
[Young Jarod.]
Sydney, I can't do these anymore.
These same problems, they're so monotonous.
- What are they doing? - They're just working on a new security system.
Come on, Jarod.
Back to work.
[Phone Rings.]
- Hello.
- Jarod, I just got your message.
Alden wasn't headed to the cabin the day he vanished.
The students told me that he headed up to his cabin every Friday night to write.
Well, he planned to go, but that was the Friday I found out I was pregnant.
I called him at school, and he said he was coming right home to celebrate.
That's the last time I spoke to him.
So, the police never searched the road up to your cabin.
[Mrs.
Clark.]
No.
No, they didn't.
[Chattering.]
[Woman.]
We can use another flare over here, please.
- [Man.]
Mark it off.
- [Man #2.]
We'll be right there.
- You get around, Professor Gardner.
- I just heard what happened.
Got a call from an anonymous motorist.
Guy stopped.
Let his dog take a leak.
Glanced down, spied the wreck.
- Hmm.
- Kinda feel for Mrs.
Clark.
It just goes from bad to worse for her.
She told me he wasn't headed up here the day he disappeared.
That doesn't surprise me.
Especially finding these in the car.
Plane tickets.
Mazatlán.
One for Clark, the other issued to a Karen Sweet.
- We found these in the glove box.
- The other woman? Mm-hmm.
We also found the 40,000 in cash Clark took from his account.
And a six-pack of empty beer bottles.
So you think he was headed up to his cabin to meet her had a few beers and lost control? Yeah, the story's clear.
Clark died, the victim of a car accident.
[Mrs.
Clark.]
I guess part of me was still hoping.
That's only natural.
You know, yesterday, I would have done anything to keep this house and memories.
Now I've got the money to stay.
I'm not sure I want to anymore.
Don't give up on your husband yet.
I'm doing the best I can.
I really am.
But now the plane tickets and the photographs.
[Scoffs.]
What am I supposed to believe? Believe what's in your heart.
[Miss Parker.]
Are you sure you're all right, Daddy? I never felt better.
It's amazing how we adapt to changes life throws at us.
- Even the big ones.
- Big ones? Yeah, I always thought I'd be frightened standing on the threshold, as it were but honestly, I made peace with a lot of things.
Daddy, are- are you dying? I know about the doctor, your will and the life insurance.
- Oh, angel- - Please don't lie to me.
Not about this.
Sweetie, read the labels.
Hmm? Vitamin "E," Ginseng Viagra? [Chuckles.]
I'm in love, sweetheart.
L-I feel like I've been reborn.
- What? - Mm.
Who is she? Oh, no, I promised her she'd be here when I told you.
I don't wanna start messing up this early in our engagement.
Engagement? Daddy, this is crazy.
Oh, I know, I know.
After all this time, your old man found somebody who makes him happy.
Hmm? - Pretty wild, isn't it? - What's that, Claire? - Pretty wild, isn't it? - What's that, Claire? Professor Clark turning up like that.
Yeah, talk about him one day, he's found the next.
Makes you wonder.
Wonder is a wonderful thing, Grady.
How do you feel about it, Matthew? Sad, I guess.
I mean, Dr.
Clark was our adviser.
Well, I'm just surprised that you're all not more upset.
Why be upset? This will make the game so much more fun.
- The game? - In class.
Now there are clues to follow.
It's no longer just theoretical.
Now it's real.
Much more dangerous.
You know, Jarod if you ever wanna get together pick each other's brains.
A little one-on-one? - [Squeaking.]
- Careful, Claire.
Don't cross a line you can't come back from.
Oh, well.
I guess my friends will have to do.
See you in class.
[Claire Laughs.]
Hey.
[Klaxon Blaring.]
Jarod.
[Laughing.]
[Keys Clacking.]
Hmm.
Professor Clark disappears, and your grades take a nosedive.
Something on your mind, Matthew? What about you, Claire? Feeling guilty about anything? Hmm.
I guess not.
This is getting too creepy, don't you think Professor Gardner? If this really is the perfect murder- What if I told you it wasn't the perfect murder? What if I told you that our killer made a very serious mistake.
You're not just toying with us now, are you, Jarod? Professor Clark's body it was recovered on the road to his cabin but he wasn't going to his cabin that Friday night.
He was going home.
He changed his routine.
But the killer didn't know that.
- So what next? - We go back to the scene of the crime.
You wanna fake a car crash.
How do you do it? Do you run the professor's car off the road? Do you cut his brake line? Or maybe you just drug him.
Well, ramming the car would leave paint evidence and cutting the brakes would be way too obvious.
And drugs would be found in an autopsy.
Not necessarily.
Right, uh, Matthew? Well, l-I don't know.
Oh, come on.
You're the ace of your biochemistry class, aren't you? Why don't you tell everyone what dimethylphenol is? - Um, it's a heavy sedative.
- And it metabolizes in the body how? The same as alcohol.
It has the same chemical signature.
So, a shot of DMP, it would knock the victim out.
But if anybody checked, it would show up in the blood no different than, let's say, a few beers.
Okay, so maybe we've got the how.
What about the why? The motivation.
Why would somebody wanna kill somebody? Tomorrow in class, we'll do a little role-playing exercise that will help us discover this motivation.
Uh, Richard, you can play the cop.
And, Gwen, you can be the other woman.
And, um you, Claire, you're the killer.
But you had accomplices.
How about, uh, you, Grady? And you, Matthew.
Strictly theoretical, of course.
This is, after all, just a game.
Let the games begin.
[Rat Squeaking.]
[Young Sydney.]
Did you think you'd get away with it? I just get so bored sometimes, Sydney.
A sharp mind left idle can become a very sharp weapon indeed.
You gonna come in, Doc? Or do you just like to watch? Interesting experiment.
There's no way the rat can win.
Every turn leads nowhere.
No reward, no way out.
- Seems pointless.
- Maybe that is the point.
He with the biggest brain wins.
Is that it? Or she.
Certainly not them.
Their tiny brains can barely think.
So, round and round they go, chasing their tails forever.
Very cruel, Miss Dunning.
Although I can't believe a rigged game doesn't bore you.
Once in a while even the dumber animals do something unpredictable.
Something that catches you off guard.
And that's when it really gets fun.
Fun, till you get bitten.
I haven't been bitten yet.
Yet, being the operative word.
Everyone's gotta go sometime.
The question is- Who will go first? Which brings us back to- the biggest brain rules.
The superior mind always has a way out.
Tiny little door marked "Exit.
" Well, maybe it's time to run for it.
- [Rat Squeaking.]
- Oh, uh, Jarod.
[Camera Whirs.]
I'll keep it in my glove box.
Just like Professor Clark.
[Miss Parker.]
I just don't get it, Sydney.
He hasn't so much as looked at another woman since the day my mother died.
And now, just like that, he decides he's replacing her.
No, he's not replacing her.
Your father has lived alone a long time.
It's only natural for him to reach out again.
You sound like you're on his side.
There are no sides here.
You must let him move on with his life.
I'm sorry it's painful for you.
It often is for the children involved.
- I'm not a child.
- Then you know what you must do.
Professor Clark said in his book that motive springs from that bottomless pit called the human psyche.
That no matter how deeply you dig, you never exhaust it.
Let's do right by him, shall we? Let's figure out why he was killed.
Let's start with the police.
Richard, you're our cop.
What do they think? Statistically, money and jealousy top the list.
It could have been a robbery.
Except the 40,000 was left in the car.
So jealousy then.
Another teacher with a gripe against Professor Clark.
[Gwen.]
Or his wife, if she knew about the affair.
It could be something as simple as road rage.
No, that's spontaneous.
This was planned.
Well, we're in a unique position here today because we have the killers in our class.
Why don't we ask them? - Matthew.
- Yeah.
Why would you murder someone? - Maybe I didn't like him.
- If you don't like someone, you avoid them.
If you see them walking down the street, you walk to the other side.
You don't send them careening off a cliff.
Grady, any thoughts? I don't know.
Why does anyone murder? I'm not asking anyone.
I'm asking you.
So, dig down deep into that bottomless pit of yours and tell us why would you kill.
- Well, uh- - Hello? There are a million reasons to kill.
Revenge.
Revolt.
Release.
Superstition.
Paranoia.
Bad debt.
Bad childhood.
Bad hair day.
[Jarod.]
I'm afraid you've missed the most relevant one.
Arrogance.
You see, our killers, they think they're smarter than the rest of us and that this is all a game.
That's the reason they have accomplices.
What fun is it to commit the perfect murder if you don't have someone to gloat over it with? But arrogancejust may be their downfall.
Professor Clark says in his book that the perfect murder is committed by one person alone.
- Why is that? - Because accomplices can be unpredictable.
Exactly.
You never know what they might do how they might react.
Take our role players over here.
What if one of them couldn't take the pressure and crumbled? What if one of them went to the police and cut a deal? Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself, Jarod? I mean, there's no evidence that Professor Clark's death was anything but an accident.
Well, quite obviously, you haven't spoken to the police today.
I talked to the detective in charge of this case and he's convinced that the Polaroids in the glove compartment were fakes along with the e-mail and any other evidence that might suggest that there was another woman.
As of today Professor Clark's death was reclassified as a homicide.
[Murmuring.]
As a matter of fact, Detective Rusk thinks the killer may even be right here in the classroom.
[Murmuring.]
Well, that's all for today.
See you the next time.
- Not if I see you first.
- Come on, Claire.
Let's go.
Please.
Please? [No Audible Dialogue.]
[No Audible Dialogue Continues.]
[Phones Ringing.]
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Excuse me.
You need a special pass to get back here.
- I just have a delivery.
- For who? - Detective Rusk.
- I'll take it.
- Are you sure? - Trust me.
It's in the right hands.
Cool.
Thanks.
[Jarod.]
"Take Polaroids ofhooker to plant in glove box.
"Hack into Clark's bank account.
Get dimethylphenol from the chem lab.
" It goes on and on.
And it's all in your handwriting.
You might wanna refresh yourself, Matthew.
It's been a long time since you murdered Professor Clark.
- Where'd you get this? - In an envelope addressed to the Hanover Sheriff's Department.
Oh, there was a little note inside from a concerned citizen.
Claire wouldn't- She wouldn't do this to me.
And Grady.
They're my friends.
And you're their patsy.
You see this baby, Matthew? He'll never know who his father is.
Not for a second.
Not ever.
And his mother, she agonized for months wondering when he was coming home until they discovered that he was dead.
We were just sitting around talking one night.
Getting drunk.
You know? We were just tossing out ideas on how to pull it off.
It was just a game.
When I walked into class that day, and Professor Clark wasn't there Claire just started to laugh.
She said, "What good is building the perfect toy if you're not gonna play with it?" - She and Grady actually killed him.
- And you? You sat around and you did nothing.
I was afraid! What was I supposed to do? Claire's my best friend.
And I didn't want her to be mad at me.
The game is over, Matthew.
It's time to do the right thing.
- Where's Matthew? - By now, probably some prisoner's wife.
But once he starts talking, they're gonna come straight for us.
So let them.
As long as you keep your mouth shut and your pants dry no one can touch us.
Good morning, Claire.
Grady.
Professor Gardner! Professor! - Richard, is something wrong? - Matthew Collins is dead.
He killed himself.
[Fizzing.]
- They bought my suicide? - Hook, line and sinker.
I don't quite understand what you're going to do.
I'm going to murder them perfectly.
[Rolling Thunder.]
I'm telling you.
It couldn't have worked out better if we planned it this way.
[Laughs.]
Oh, wait, we did plan it this way.
Matthew is dead.
He wasn't up to our level, Grady.
What he did is only proof of that.
- [Door Opens.]
- What the hell are you doing here? I hope I'm not too late for the party.
- We're mourning our friend, Professor.
- I know.
That's why I brought his favorite beer.
So we could pay our respects.
- Matthew would want it this way.
- [Opens Bottle.]
Go ahead.
- To the biggest brain.
- To, uh, rats in a maze.
- [Bottles Clink Together.]
- Like Matthew, your backup plan.
- Your little door marked "Exit.
" - May he rest in peace.
- [Laughs.]
- What's so funny? You really think this is over, don't you? Well, it is, isn't it? Sure, the exit door is open, but where does it lead? [Quiet Chuckle.]
I've a little backup plan too.
- Nighty-night.
- [Groans.]
Claire, no sleeping in class.
Claire, wake up.
There you are.
You were out for so long, I was getting worried about you.
- What the hell- - I'll take this.
Wouldn't want you smudging your fingerprints.
Careful.
That chair's a little wobbly.
One false move and- [Gags.]
It's not exactly what I had in mind when I said we should be alone together.
We're not alone are we, Grady? Wh-What is this? Is this supposed to be a joke? Oh, come on, Claire.
I know you're full of yourself but did you really think that you were the only person in the world that could pull off the perfect murder? This isn't funny.
Let us go, Jarod.
You know, a teacher is very lucky if he can learn as much from his students as they learn from him.
In your case, I hit the jackpot.
Especially with all the mistakes you made.
Matthew being one of them.
- Oh, by the way, he's still alive.
- [Cocks Gun.]
Faking his suicide was all part of my plan.
[Imitates Gunshot.]
What? You want us to talk? Is that it? Fine, I'll talk.
Grady, shut up.
Ajury could never convict us.
If you were going to court.
But you're not.
I'm the onlyjudge that matters now, so let's examine the evidence.
First, in all your planning, you forgot one very important thing.
Professor Clark had a family.
He had a baby on the way and a wife who never stopped believing in him.
You two, on the other hand, you only have each other.
Before the tragedy, that is.
- What tragedy? - Don't play dumb, Claire.
It's all in your suicide note.
It says in here how you and Grady killed Professor Clark.
But grieving for the loss of his friend Matthew, Grady cracked under pressure and wanted to go to the police and confess.
So you- [Imitates Gunshot.]
Killed him.
And then you hung yourself, because you couldn't face the utter futility and remorse.
Brilliant minds.
They're so fragile.
- They'll know it's not my handwriting.
- But it is.
You see, I found these notes that you wrote Professor Clark in his files and I traced over various words and voilà.
Suicide note.
Gun with your fingerprints.
It's perfect.
- Go to hell.
- You first.
- Actually, Grady first.
- [Cocks Gun.]
- Murder before suicide.
- Wait! Wait! - I'll tell you whatever you wanna hear! - Shut up, Grady.
He won't do it.
The bullet's just a blank.
Oh, you think so? [Grady.]
Please, Jarod.
Oh, God, no! Come on, Claire, it's over! [Whimpering.]
Okay, we did it! We murdered Professor Clark! Partly it was thrill, but mostly Claire was mad at him because he wouldn't sleep with her! - Shut up, Grady.
- Just don't kill me.
As far as I'm concerned, you're dead already.
No! Well, well, well, well, well.
What do you know? It was a bluff.
But one that wasn't missed by the camera.
All your talk about the perfect murder.
All your claims as to how extraordinary you are.
You killed Professor Clark because he spurned you.
You're no genius.
You're as common as they come.
[Grunts.]
[Claire.]
Jarod.
Jarod! [Miss Parker.]
Daddy, I've come with a little peace offering.
[Woman Laughing.]
Hello? - [Laughing Continues.]
- Who's in my father's private washroom? [Water Running.]
Daddy.
Oh, my God.
Hi, Miss Parker.
[Giggles.]
- Not Bridget.
- Look.
I'm gonna be your new mommy.
You're gonna marry the bi- The woman who tried to kill you? Oh, come on, angel.
Be happy for me.
- Honey bunny.
- Hmm? - I'm your new angel now.
- Oh.
[Both Chuckling.]
Hmm.
[Jarod.]
So, how well do you think you know your father now, Miss Parker? - Coming to the wedding? - I'm not big on brides in black leather.
Although, there is a certain enjoyable irony in it.
Funny, I'm not seeing it.
Oh, give her a chance.
A chance to what? Suck the rest of the life out of my father? Love can change people, Miss Parker.
- [Phone Beeps.]
- [Chuckles.]
[Dial Tone, Beeps.]
We miss you, Alden.
Chinese elm.
Alden's favorite.
- It's beautiful.
- Mm.
I know someone who's ready to climb it already.
Come here.
Hello.
Yes.
Oh, Jarod, you've given us so much.
The chance to bury Alden.
Our home.
- I just wish I could have given it all back to you.
- You've given us the truth.
Nothing mattered more to Alden than that.
Thank you.
I just want to know how you knew all along.
I mean, even when I had doubts.
The truth was always in your husband's book.
In the dedication.
"To Chris: Whom I've been waiting to meet for so very long.
" Good luck.
Bye, Chris.
[Gurgling.]