The Pretender s03e19 Episode Script

[Train Whistle, Distant.]
[Footsteps.]
[Laughs.]
I got you, you self-righteous son of a- [Gunfire.]
[Grunts.]
- Ah, ah, ah! - [Cries Out.]
- Don't mess with me, Detective, especially with this gun.
- [Gun Cocks.]
It's a.
44 Magnum.
I saw a guy in a movie use one once.
Highly effective.
What you gonna do, Jarod? Shoot your own partner? Why not? You shot yours.
Detective Santora knew too much, didn't he? About your kickbacks from the Eighth Avenue dealers.
About your private stash of heroin, courtesy of the evidence locker.
You're an addict, Detective.
Your partner found out, so you killed him.
Oh.
Like I'm gonna do you.
[Laughs.]
You fired six shots, you moron.
And, oh, by the way, you were right about Santora.
If he wouldn't have been such an overachiever I wouldn't have had to shoot him between the eyes.
You ever seen that in a movie? No.
But I saw that in a cartoon.
Gotcha.
- [Beeping.]
- [Heavy Metal.]
[Continues.]
[Typing.]
"Another game, Joshua?" "You're on, Bryce.
How about face-to-face?" I knew you'd come.
- Man-to-man.
- Joshua? - You look surprised.
- You said you were in the eighth grade.
I was- [Chuckles.]
A long time ago.
Your daddy should have taught you to never trust strangers on the Internet.
- I thought you were my friend.
- I'm better than that, kid.
Much better.
I'm your brother.
Help! No! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! [Engine Starts.]
Where are you taking me? What's going on? [Beeping.]
[Man.]
Good work, Doyle.
Maybe there's some dirty cops in Minnesota you can take care of.
Never seen a cop transfer in and out as fast as you did, Doyle.
I have a very short attention span, sir.
- Minneapolis is lucky to have you.
- Thank you.
- This your family? - Uh, yes.
I hope to update those photographs soon.
- Haven't seen 'em in a while, hmm? - No, sir.
- [Woman On Radio.]
This is Dispatch.
Over.
- Go ahead, Dispatch.
Decatur Division reported a 207.
Thirteen-year-old boy residing at 439 Oakbrook Road.
A kidnapping? This is Detective Doyle.
- I'm rolling to the scene.
- What about Minneapolis? - I have to do this.
- Why? I have a thing about kidnappings.
[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.
[Police Radio Chatter.]
[Siren Blaring, Distant.]
I'm Detective Doyle.
What have we got? What we got is what we don't have.
Namely, her son Bryce Banks.
Thirteen, straight-A student, captain of the chess club.
Mom goes in last night about 10.
30, kisses him good night.
Wakes up this morning, and he's gone.
His father is a strict disciplinarian.
Mom's just a mom.
She's pretty shaken up.
I don't even want to imagine what these people are goin' through right now.
They took Jarod! My son! Where is he? Where is he? Detective? Detective? Hmm? - Are you with me, Doyle? - I'm with you.
Daddy, I got your message.
- Everything all right? - Angel, I need your help.
- My help? - It's Brigitte.
- Oh.
- Look I know how hard it's been for you since Thomas's death.
I'd really just rather move on.
That's what I'm tryin' to do- move on, make my marriage work.
But Brigitte? I don't know what the hell's going on.
I mean, this erratic behavior, mood swings- She changed her hair color again.
This morning I found her crying in the shower, for God's sake.
Daddy, I don't see how I can be of any help.
Well, reach out to her, woman-to-woman.
I mean, relate to her, find out what's bothering her.
Daddy, Bridget and I aren't exactly bosom buddies.
Angel, please.
Remember, she's family now, hmm? - [Police Radio Chatter.]
- [Men Chattering.]
[Detective.]
The kid's a prodigy.
When it comes to chess Bryce Banks is the Michael Jordan of the checkerboard.
- Can you tell me what happened? - [Jarod.]
I don't think your son was taken.
At least not from here.
There are no signs of a struggle.
And the only fingerprints on this open window are your son's.
- Bryce would never run away.
- Are you sure? There's something else, isn't there? He slammed this down before he left.
He slammed it down because of the tournament.
Bryce was supposed to compete in the City Chess Final on Saturday but he wanted to go skateboarding with his friends and Philip wouldn't let him.
- You had an argument.
- I worked my tail off for that kid.
- He never appreciated it.
- Oh, God! - It's true.
- Bryce is gone, and we don't know where.
- Can't that wait? - [Jarod.]
When you came in to say good night did you notice anything strange about the way your son was acting? I could see how disappointed he was, missing the trip with his friends.
But before I left, he was back on the computer.
- [Typing.]
- [Jarod.]
He traded e-mails with somebody named Joshua.
They arranged to meet for the first time last night face-to-face, to play chess.
[Mrs.
Banks.]
Could Joshua be the kidnapper? [Jarod.]
We're going to find out.
[Detective's Voice.]
There was a report of a bomb exploding here around 12.
05.
What's with the explosives? Looks like the kidnapper wanted to destroy all evidence.
He used a highly flammable explosive like napalm.
That seems like overkill.
Why not just grab the kid and be done with it? That's a good question.
Which leaves us right back in the dark.
In the e-mails, the kidnapper asked Bryce to meet him here.
How did they both know this place? [Detective.]
Chess tournament.
Statewide event.
Covers players from all over the southeast.
[Jarod.]
And it's open to the public.
Yeah.
Maybe the guy's some crazed kiddie chess fan or something.
Uh-uh.
It runs deeper than that.
[Young Jarod.]
You never let me play games.
Mr.
Raines, I don't understand.
When you're the best at what you do, Jarod people stand up and notice.
The kidnapper wants Bryce because he's the best.
He covets the superior mind.
Yes, Father.
Yes, sir.
He'll be ready when the time comes.
What are you gonna do to me? I'm going to give you immortality.
What's that for? It's for you, Joshua.
I want to see my mom and dad.
I told you, Joshua.
You have a new father now.
- My name's Bryce! - Your name is Joshua, just like me! Y-You can't understand.
But you're brilliant.
You'll learn.
- Why are you doing this to me? - Because you're special.
My people have talked to everybody involved with the chess tournament - and come up with zero.
- Well, they missed something.
The tournament was the only place that the kidnapper could have watched Bryce perform.
The boy's a prodigy, the ultimate trophy.
You may be right about that, Detective.
Uh, Jarod, this is Samantha Waters, the F.
B.
I.
's top profiler.
I'm with the Violent Crimes Task Force here in Atlanta.
Violent Crimes? But this is a kidnapping.
Well, it may be more than that, Detective.
A lot more.
Your kidnapper's M.
O.
Matches that of a man who abducted eight boys in Maryland and Virginia in the late 1980s.
We got a red flag related to the previous unsolved case files.
The last three boys were taken within weeks of each other in 1989.
Uh, Michael Taylor, Theodore Reed and Harry Dunn.
"Each victim was between 11 and 13 years of age.
Each displayed accelerated intelligence.
" "Trace evidence destroyed at the scene with a highly flammable explosive.
" - This sounds like our guy.
- Were any of these boys found? Yeah, we found six of the boys, but they'd been killed.
Two of them are still missing- Michael Taylor and Theodore Reed.
Harry Dunn was the last boy taken.
[Sighs.]
Your conclusion? Sam? These children, they may not be trophies.
They may be subjects.
It's almost as if the kidnapper's putting them through some sort of testing procedure and weeding out the weak and rejecting them.
By dumping them in the woods.
How is it going on locating the Banks boy? The C.
I.
D.
Was able to isolate a partial shoe print outside the blast area- size 12.
By the indentation, I could guess he was about 6 foot 2, 200 pounds.
By the indentation, I could guess he was about 6 foot 2, 200 pounds.
Well, I don't think that this guy relies on physical size to intimidate.
I think that this is all about emotional control.
His screen name was Joshua.
He traded e-mails with Bryce before Bryce vanished.
All right.
Well, I'll go over everything in detail and hopefully I'll be able to come up with a more complete profile for you.
- May I ask you one more thing? - Of course you can.
The last boy that was kidnapped- the boy in the photograph- How long was he held before he was killed? Seventy-two hours.
Maybe less.
Hello? Bridget? - Brigitte? - [Sobbing.]
[Sobbing Continues.]
[Miss Parker's Voice.]
The woman is a junkie.
- What are you gonna tell your father? - The truth.
What else? It will be your word against Bridget's.
- I'll get proof.
- How're you gonna do that? Would you like one? - I haven't seen one of these in a while.
- They're very good.
Thank you.
- "Invisible.
" - Invisible? That's how Bryce refers to himself in these e-mails.
He said that his father pushed him so hard, he felt as if he didn't exist.
The other victims had similar relationships with their parents specifically their fathers.
So, they all suffered deep psychological wounds caused by strained parental relationships.
They were all emotionally cut off from them.
Vulnerable.
Jarod? I don't think you ever get used to seeing things like that.
A lot of cops I know grow cold to it out of necessity.
I wish I could figure out how.
What-What is this? Some kind of shorthand or- Oh.
It's, uh- It's nothing.
It's just something I made up as a child to keep the wrong people from reading my diary.
I think that Bryce wanted his privacy too but his father wouldn't let him have it.
I think that his father wanted him to be something that he never was or ever could be- a star.
[Mr.
Banks's Voice.]
This is ridiculous.
You're saying the kidnapper was at the tournament? - This is pathetic.
- Philip- - No! I'm not gonna stand by while the police chase dead ends.
He hasn't even made a ransom demand yet.
He may not.
You think this man might kill our son no matter what we do? The kidnapper may have been stalking your son at the tournament.
Now can you remember anyone who paid particular attention to Bryce? - Uh, a teacher, a tutor, anybody? - I taught my son chess.
There was that journalist at the season's first tournament.
I don't remember his name, but I remember thinking he was strange.
- Strange how? - He said he was gonna do a feature on Bryce.
But he hadn't even made it to the city finals yet.
You think he could've taken my son? We'll see what we can track down.
Well, somebody better start doin' something.
Detectives, wait, please.
About the way my husband is acting- We-We understand he's under a lot of pressure.
[Scoffs.]
That's no excuse.
My son thinks he's invisible to his father.
We need another chance to make this right.
Please, please, find my son.
- Hey, anything new? - Nothing so far.
I've got George cross-referencing the Banks kid with all the missing boys.
Friends, schools, the whole nine yards.
Now, except for the fact they could all be in Mensa, there's no other connection.
We're going through it, Sam, but the process is slow.
- Yeah, I know.
- You okay? Yeah, I'm all right.
I'm, uh- I'm working with this detective.
His name is Doyle.
Jarod Doyle.
- He's good.
It's just- - But what? I don't know.
It's just- I'm tired.
It's this case- these kids.
- Be careful, Sam.
- I will.
Bye-bye.
Hello? I must be crazy.
[Brigitte.]
Ooh, goody! There's nobody home.
- [Man Chuckling.]
- You are so naughty! [Laughing.]
Mmm! I know I shouldn't do this, but sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do.
- [Laughing.]
- A nooner? It's not even 11:00.
[Phone Ringing.]
What? You gotta help me.
There's some pretty freaky things going on here.
- Broots, where are you? - I'm stuck in your father's bathroom.
And there's some things goin' on here that shouldn't be goin' on in the workplace.
What the hell are you talking about? I'm talking about Brigitte.
[Brigitte.]
Oh, you'd better go clean that up before it stains your pants, you know.
Oh- Oh, l-I gotta go.
Broots? Broots? [Brigitte.]
Hurry up.
It's kind ofhard to finish this without you.
If your husband finds us in his office, we'll both be finished.
[Sighs.]
[Car Doors Closing.]
[Jarod.]
The reporter Bryce's Mom mentioned is named Joshua Meyers.
- So what's the problem? - The problem is the magazine he claims to write for doesn't exist.
[Detective.]
From the looks of this place, neither does his career.
Meyers? Oh, my God.
[Detective.]
Whoever he is, this guy built a shrine to Bryce Banks.
Our guy? But where's the boy? [Running Footsteps.]
- [Rifle Cocks.]
- Get down! Come out! [Yelling.]
I thought you said the kidnapper was a big guy.
This guy couldn't be more than 5'6".
- Where's the boy? - Y- You're too late.
He's my brother now.
You have pictures of Bryce Banks all over your walls.
- What have you done with him? - His name's Joshua.
He's my brother now.
[Man Screaming, Static.]
[Screaming, Static Stops.]
So, little brother, tell me your name.
My name is Joshua.
My name is Joshua.
[Static.]
[Sam.]
I've been going over the case files - and I think there may be two kidnappers.
- [No Audible Dialogue.]
Joshua Meyers.
His real name is Theodore Reed.
One of the kidnapped boys that the bureau never found.
[Detective.]
How could that be possible? - He grew up.
- My name is Joshua.
My name is Joshua.
My name is Joshua.
My name is Joshua.
My name is Joshua! [Echoing.]
[Broots.]
Well-[Clears Throat.]
I've got good news, and I've got bad news.
The good news is Brigitte is a lot happier.
And the bad news is it's Mr.
Lyle who's making her that way.
What are you talking about? I'm talking about the horizontal bop.
- Bridget and my brother? - Broots, are you 100% sure? Oh, well, more like 80, 82.
What? Drugs and Lyle? Unbelievable.
[Sighs.]
This is gonna break my father's heart.
[Jarod.]
They've been gone for a decade and now they kidnap other children.
A human pyramid scheme.
So the second kidnapper may be the other missing boy from 10 years ago.
- Mike Taylor.
- You said that he was a large man.
He is.
He also calls himselfJoshua.
And Bryce will also be named Joshua.
A new name from a new parent.
- A father figure.
- And there's our connection.
They are my brothers.
They areJoshua, like me.
[Jarod On Speaker.]
Where have you taken the boy? You've told me everything else.
Why not tell me where he was taken? - He can't say.
- Joshua can't say.
He will takeJoshua into the woods.
Joshua doesn't wanna go into the woods.
- Ask him about the woods.
- What's in the woods? You two are scary.
- Joshua can't say.
- Why can't you say? - Father.
- [Jarod.]
Who is Father? Is this you? Your name isn'tJoshua.
It's Theodore.
Theodore Reed.
My name is Joshua.
My name is Joshua.
My name is Joshua.
Joshua doesn't wanna go into the woods.
- Because of Father? - Anything for Father.
Everything for Father.
Anything for Father.
- Where is the boy? - Everything for Father.
- Where is the boy? - Anything for Father.
- Where is the boy? - Everything for Father.
Anything for Father.
Everything for Father.
Anything for Father.
This isn't someone who is lying.
It's not that he won't tell us.
He can't.
The way he shuts down when I ask him difficult questions- classic signs of psychological patterning.
- Yes.
Brainwashing.
- As much as we'd like to think some C.
I.
A.
Spook perfected it during the Cold War these men aren't a product of that.
Well, they weren't men when they were kidnapped.
When a child is taken from his home he eventually loses all sense of what is real and unreal.
Without that connection to the people that he loves without that nurturing, his mind can easily be molded.
And his loyalty is changed, his intellect honed.
His very identity so altered, he doesn't even know who he is anymore.
How do you know all of this? They're going to do to Bryce what was done to them.
- Brainwash him? - [Jarod.]
If the boy measures up.
And if he doesn't? In 26 hours Bryce Banks could be gone forever.
[No Audible Dialogue.]
- [Man.]
You're running out of time.
- Yeah, I know.
- [Man.]
You're running out of time.
- Yeah, I know.
Look, we need to try another tack in finding the connection between Bryce Banks and the other kidnapped boys.
- Father figures.
- We're talking pastors, coaches, scout leaders.
- That kind of thing.
- Anyone they could look up to in place of their real father.
We're on it, Sam.
So how's Detective Doyle? That's one I haven't figured out yet.
[Young Raines.]
You did it, Jarod.
You won.
[Young Jarod.]
Does that mean I can see my mom and dad? We've already explained that to you.
We're your family now.
Look how proud you've made us here today.
I almost feel like your father.
[Knocking.]
- Sam.
- Oh, hi.
I hope I'm not disturbing you.
Uh, how did you find out where I was? - Uh, Logan told me.
- Oh.
- May I? - Oh, sure.
Come in.
- Thanks.
No.
- I'm sorry.
Well, this isn't exactly where I had imagined a talented law enforcement officer would live.
I'm, uh, sort of in between places right now.
- Yes.
- Sorry about the mess.
No.
None of my business, really.
- It's a long story.
- Oh.
So, uh, what can I do for you? Well, I was just, uh, curious about one thing.
- What's that? - Why are you lying? I felt there was something bothering you about this case and when I looked at the video of you questioning Joshua, I knew it.
- I don't understand.
- A child.
A child trapped by his past.
Lost, alone, afraid.
With all due respect, I don't think that I'm the one that you should be profiling.
Well, I'm sorry.
It's a bad habit of mine.
- Who are you, Jarod? - What do you mean? [Laughs.]
Come on.
You eat candy out of a toy dispenser.
You have your whole life laid out around you.
Classic textbook misplaced childhood, I guess.
No, I don't think there's anything textbook about you.
My life has no bearing on this case.
Well, I think that it does.
That interrogation- That interrogation went nowhere becauseJoshua Meyers was programmed to shut down.
End of story.
You know, my mother died when I was a little girl.
And my father- My father just wasn't really around.
I was sort of raised by my best friend's family.
You had foster parents, didn't you? Foster parents? I guess you could call them that.
Why is this case so personal to you? Let's just say that I'm dedicated.
Or maybe you're more likeJoshua than you want to admit.
[Big Joshua.]
I've done everything as you instructed.
I understand.
Yes, sir.
Your new son is almost ready.
[Beeps Off.]
My name is Joshua.
Father is gonna be so proud of you.
[Laughing.]
No, Joshua, no! No! You disappoint me, Joshua! Do you know what happens when Father rejects you? You go out into the woods and you don't come out, ever! Ever.
Ask all you want.
I won't tell you where the boy is.
Whatever you say, Joshua.
A son should be called by his given name especially if that name was given to him by Father.
Gave you a new name, a whole new life.
He loved you when your own father wouldn't.
But part of his love was doing his will and his will was to kidnap innocent children and take them from their homes.
No.
Bryce was unhappy.
His father didn't love him.
His new father will- my father.
Before you were ripped away from your real family, were you unhappy? I wasn't taken.
I was set free.
Father doesn't make us do anything.
We do things for Father.
Of course.
After all, he's Father.
You have to do whatever he says, obey his will.
- Yes.
- Even ifhe asked you to go into the woods? Why are you so afraid of the woods, Joshua? Is it because your brothers are out there? - Brothers? - Eight of you were taken but only two of you becameJoshua.
The rest died in the woods.
Stop- Stop talking to me.
What does your father make you do in the woods, Joshua? Joshua-Joshua can't say.
Well, maybe these pictures will help you remember.
- I don't want to look.
- What happened to this Joshua? I don't want to look.
No, I don't want- I don't want to look.
Father didn't think he cut it so he asked you to go out in the woods and do this to him.
He asked you to kill this boy, didn't he? Look at the pictures, damn it! I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
- Theodore- - I'm so sorry.
- I'm so sorry.
- Theodore, help me.
Help me save Bryce.
[Sobbing Continues.]
I'm sorry.
[Laughter.]
Ah, angel.
Ah, perfect timing.
Daddy, I need to speak with you, alone.
Well, this is your family.
We, uh-We have no secrets.
- Daddy, I've recently learned- - Miss Parker? Oh.
Excuse me.
May we have a word with you outside? - Later.
- It's important.
Excuse me.
One minute.
[Door Opens.]
- What? - I checked the contents of that s- I checked the contents of the syringe.
It was Pergonal.
- What the hell is that? - It's a drug.
But a fertility drug.
Fertility? Are you sure? Bridget wasn't trying to get high.
She was trying to get pregnant.
Oh.
But with whose baby? - [Laughter.]
- [Brigitte.]
So, Lyle and I came in here to celebrate.
I know I shouldn't, but I couldn't help it.
I was so excited! Too excited.
She spilled champagne all over my pants.
I had to go into the bathroom and clean myself up.
Angel, you wanted to tell me something.
It's nothing, Daddy.
I'm gonna get going.
[Mr.
Parker.]
No, wait.
Wait.
Wait a minute.
We have something to tell you.
Brigitte and I are going to have, uh, a little Parker.
Congratulations, Miss P.
You're gonna have a baby brother or sister.
[Mr.
Lyle.]
Oh, this is fantastic! [Mr.
Parker.]
It turns out the erratic behavior and mood swings had to do with fertility drugs.
You know, the hormones and what.
This is a surprise.
Yeah.
Well, it's a happy day for the family.
Oh, come on.
Don't be a poop.
Happy days, indeed.
Go, go, go! Go! The woods.
The woods! [Bryce.]
Where are we going? We're going for a walk in the woods.
Hello, Joshua.
- Who are you? - I'm the Father.
I'm your father.
Don't be afraid.
I've come to set you free.
- [Detective.]
Drop the knife! - [Guns Cocking.]
- Drop the knife! - No, You don't understand.
- No, you don't understand.
- I am the Father.
He is my son.
I am Abraham.
- Come on, do this.
- I'm going to set- [Sobbing.]
No! [Yelling.]
[Grunting.]
- No more- - Father.
- Killing! - All right, Jarod, we got him! - No more! No more! Calm down, all right? Jarod.
No, no.
Everything for Father.
It's okay.
[Panting.]
- It's okay.
It's okay.
- [Sobbing.]
It's okay now.
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay.
[Whispering.]
Detective.
We can't thank you enough for giving us a second chance with our son.
- How's your husband? - I don't think he realizes the way he is.
But I do know that I'm gonna do everything I can to show our son that there's more to life than winning chess matches.
[Murmuring.]
His name is Dr.
Samson Dane.
He was a child psychologist.
He treated Meyers, Taylor and the other missing boys.
He used his influence to lure them away from their families.
Dane's own son died of a genetic disorder.
My guess is his name was Joshua.
All these years he was trying to recreate a family.
They're being admitted to a psychiatric facility.
With any luck, they'll be deprogrammed.
- What about their parents? - They're seeing them today.
Ten years is a long time.
A child never forgets the people who love him.
- Well, l- - Oh, wait.
I almost forgot.
- [Chuckles.]
- I got you this.
For me? Thank you.
Uh - [Laughs.]
- For the kid in you.
[Chuckles.]
- Good luck, Jarod.
- Thank you.
I'll see you.