Coroner (2019) s04e10 Episode Script

1 River, do you wanna move in together? Yes, but why didn't you flag it after the third withdrawal? Aren't you people trained to recognize the signs of a scam? Jenny - Gordon isn't moving.
- What? He has no pulse.
Call 911.
I'm on my way.
I'm sorry, from what we can tell, he died in his sleep.
Okay, Dad.
Okay.
Hey.
Hey.
I just um, I just finished packing up some of his books.
Okay.
I'm gonna run to the library and donate some of them.
- Okay.
- Um, is there anything else you need? Uh, I'm almost done packing up his clothes.
So, maybe you can uh, maybe you can drop them off at the shelter on the way there? Yeah, for sure.
Thank you.
Oh.
Think I'm gonna keep these.
I think you should.
See if I can't convince Alphonse to take me bird watching.
Well, if you can't convince him, I'll take you up on the offer.
Oh, honey.
Hey.
It's just really quiet without him.
Yeah.
Yeah, it is.
You know, but we have to We have to remember that he went peacefully, and, he was here.
You know, at home, and It's all good stuff.
You know, it's good.
You finish this up for me? I'm just gonna go see what that is.
Peggy?! Hmm.
I love it.
It reminds me of uh, one of those places people only find in movies.
Yeah, it's a real fantasy how nothing works properly behind the pristine drywall.
Do we really need to have a party tonight? Maybe we should wait for uh, I dunno um Furniture? Before we start filling the place with objects, let's Fill it with the love and laughter of our friends.
But if we did it tomorrow, I'd have time to get through my checklist.
I still haven't gotten through the electrical.
I mean, how many How many appliances can we run without blowing a fuse? Your checklist is out of control.
We don't have anything to be worried about.
Didn't the landlord say, freight elevator was safety sealed? Like, look at this! All I see is plywood and a couple of nails! We'll just put some moving boxes in front of it, in case the party gets crazy.
- Hello? - It'll be fine.
Hey there, your door was open.
Lars! Guess I have to add locks to the list.
I just wanted to say welcome.
Again.
- Uh, this is Edna.
- Ah! I thought she could help make this place feel like home.
Thank you so much.
Uh, I wanted to tell you, we're thinking of having a little space-warming here tonight, so, we'd love it, if you'd stop by.
I wouldn't miss it.
- Did you say space warming? - Hi, Maeve.
- Hi.
- This isn't for us, is it? No, my client's gonna come and pick up Princess Fickle, tomorrow.
I'll bring something way cooler for your party.
Amazing, I I love taxidermy.
Let us know if you need anything.
Sure, for sure.
Absolutely.
Thanks again.
Really appreciate it.
Later! What is wrong with you? Uh, I'm sorry.
Just a lot of new people's names to remember, that's all.
The botanist, taxidermist, I wonder who stops by next, the necromancer? I almost forgot about the ballerinas.
I thought they'd be lighter on their feet.
Oh, I love this place! I'm going to deal with the elevator.
Peggy.
Peggy.
Oh, sorry.
Heh.
Ha Baking.
Always makes me want to allegro.
Ha.
How ya feelin'? Honey, I'm missin' your father, somethin' fierce.
But doesn't mean I can't bake.
Of course not.
Just gonna have a peek.
Figure out how to secure this better.
Whoa! Oh no.
- I'll call Tony.
- River.
I don't think we're gonna be able to board this up just yet.
Well, I miss the smell of dank elevator, and decay, first thing in the morning.
The decomposition of the exposed tissue, tells me the poor thing may have been dead as long as a week.
Hmm.
This'll make a great case, for my next book.
Can we get prints from that hand? Might be able to back at the lab, but I don't think so.
Been trying to get the landlord on the phone.
No luck yet.
Hey, do you have anything else I can go on? Well, the concrete isn't particularly porous.
And it's deep, so, I'm not too worried about autolysis.
- Uh? - Uh, self digestion.
The body hasn't started eating itself.
Delightful.
Can you tell if he fell, jumped, or was pushed? I can't know 'til we get him out.
But he landed on his back.
All right, was he poured on top of the concrete, or was the concrete poured on top of him? Well, the edge of the pour seems fairly intact, which tells me the concrete had begun to set, before the body landed on top of it.
All right, concrete takes about three days to dry.
Can you tell if the fall killed him, or if he was already dead? Again, we won't know until Until you get him out.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You missed me, didn't you? Not really, no.
And that elevator has been out of order for how long? The landlord said it had been decommissioned two years ago, but they hadn't They hadn't waterproofed it, until the renovations.
- Concrete was poured - Eight days ago.
You didn't bother to check in there before you signed the lease? No, no offence, you know.
I'm not judging.
Anyone feel like tea? No.
I got it, babe.
Said I wasn't judging.
With all the construction, the water pressure has been mediocre at best.
My first apartment, the guy who lived there before me, he uh, left a haunting number of dirty magazines, for me to find.
So, I get it.
Yes.
That's exactly the same as this.
Ah! Oh! Home sweet home.
Well, we might as well start canvassing.
Uh, no sense waiting on the landlord or super.
Yeah, let's make sure nobody else is at risk 'cause this place does seem like a death trap.
All right.
All right, we'll start with anyone, whose loft has access to the freight elevator.
Hey We heard there were cops down here? We live upstairs.
Is everything okay? Well, um, since you're all here Come on in.
Welcome.
Hey, have you seen Ross? He's downstairs.
Oh, be a doll, would ya, and take these to River's tonight? - Where ya goin'? - Flower shop.
Big order just came in for a Holy Communion.
Ha.
No rest for the wicked.
Bye, Ross.
- Have a lovely day, hun.
- See ya later.
It smells amazing in here.
Yeah, Peggy did some, baking for River and Dennis' housewarming.
Hey.
They're gonna like them.
I uh, was Cleaning out some of Grandpa's stuff, and I, I found these.
Think they're yours.
Yeah.
Rent.
Utilities.
I was just seeing if I had enough saved, to get my own place.
- Yeah.
- But, um, yeah I know, I know with everything going on, I I can't do that right now.
- Don't worry about it.
- Ross, look, I um Honey, I want you to have a life outside of this house, outside of us, - outside of me.
- I know, I know, I do I you Grandpa and I had this um This shared bank account, where we were saving money for you, if you wanted to, you know, go on a trip or Buy a new industrial oven, or move out.
Mom, I You know, that money is yours, so, you can uh You can use it however you want, just Think about it, okay? - Okay, um - Okay.
You headed out? Yeah.
Look just Just text me if you need anything.
- Okay? - Yeah.
And-and thank you.
I'm on a really tight deadline with this one.
But I'll tell ya, something like this, has never happened here before.
It's a pretty boring building, actually, all things considered.
We know this is a lot.
You know, something like this, happening so close to home.
Because of what I do, people assume, that death doesn't bother me.
But it's the opposite.
Were you around when the concrete was being poured? No, I never go anywhere near the elevator.
Plus, there's always so much construction going on.
I didn't even know it was happening.
If the elevator pit isn't sealed properly, the place could flood and we could all die.
Fun fact.
People only see the elegance.
They don't realize that after a show run, it feels like you've gone 12 rounds with Ali.
Noted.
Um, you guys hear any noises, or shouting coming from the elevator shaft? No, but we're in company rehearsals all day.
- Most days.
- About 10 hours.
12, if you count tech and dress rehearsals.
Hmm, and has there ever been an issue with elevator shaft access, in your own loft? Or any accidents? It's been sealed up since we moved in, like two years ago.
Do you find your floor to be heavily tilted in one direction? I noticed the sound always travels a certain direction, whenever you're doing any of your Jumps.
Oh, they're called Grand Allegro.
Ha, ha.
Even in French, they're very loud.
Tony put mats down when you moved in.
We thought it would reduce the noise.
Does not.
Sorry.
Everyone is accounted for, so, that's not a tenant down there.
How can you be so sure? There are 12 units in the building, and I make a point to see everyone daily.
Why? - For their safety? - Well, yes! Kind of.
You were checking their plants.
Plants need precision care.
The right soil pH.
Nutrition, the right light.
They're fragile, and resilient, and more like people than we like to think.
How's the pressure on four? It's on my list of things for Tony.
You'd have to ask Tony.
Tony's the building manager, but he's really everything.
He's like a den mother.
I call Tony first for everything.
Broken appliances.
Lighting.
Emergencies.
Well, this feels like an emergency.
Yeah, so where's Tony? Uh, you'll have to fill me in later.
The fire crew is here.
I need to get them up to speed.
Gentlemen.
Whoa! Don't kick me.
Hi.
How ya doin'? Oh, I know that one.
That's a plié.
Nah, actually it's a dégagé.
I dated a lot of dancers.
Actually, no, that's a lie.
I just watch a lot of "World of Dance".
Whew! That was good.
Wellness check? What, you think he's the guy in the cement? Oh yeah, personally door-knocked every unit.
He's the only one unaccounted for.
So, you want me to kick it in? It's an out-swinging door.
- I could pull it, then.
- You I'm here! Hold your jocks! - Ugh, fab form, ladies.
- Hi, Tony! Excuse me.
Oh, geez.
Oof! Oh, God.
Tony Gabris? At the moment I am, Miss Gender.
But I will be Tony once I have untucked.
Okay, well now that we know that you're alive, we have some questions for you.
Okay, can we do this somewhere else? I mean, with my hangover, I just cannot with this noise.
- Yeah.
Of course.
- Back down we go.
Okay.
This is one for the books.
You all ready for this? Let's get crackin'! I have another show this afternoon, so, if I don't clean some of this spackle off of my skin, my pores will be open wider than, oh.
Know your audience.
I'm just trying to get a sense of why, say, instead of calling 911 when there's an emergency, the tenants call you instead? Have you ever felt unsafe in your own home? Most of the sweet souls that end up in my Tiny, eclectic village, have, at some point in time.
I mean, you can only ask for help so many times, and be ignored, before you start to lose faith.
I make a point of handling each of my tenants' issues, no matter how big or small, so, that they know they're safe, at least in my building.
Sounds very personal to you.
I was unhoused as a youth.
So, yes.
Taking care of where someone calls home is Very personal to me.
Do you think it's possible, the person we found was Unhoused? No.
Squatters, they tend to look for a place that's dry, warm, you know, easily accessible.
An elevator shaft is not that.
And other than tenants, is anybody else in and out of the building frequently? Do not get me started on the endless renovations.
It's loud, it's invasive.
The cockroaches keep better hours than the day labourers.
And who's doing the work? A company called Stabler.
I have been complaining to the building owner, for a year about Stabler.
If one of their workers did fall in there, it's probably 'cause the foreman pushed him in, so, he wouldn't have to pay them.
Oh.
Hi, this is Jenny Cooper.
Ruth, from Orwell Financial.
What's your relationship to Gordon Cooper? I'm in his daughter, yeah.
Okay, 'cause a Jenny Cooper has also signed Mr.
Cooper's death certificate.
Oh, yeah, it is uh it is my signature on the death certificate.
But that's just Because I'm a coroner, so, I know it's a little confusing.
You made a request, to close out the late Mr.
Cooper's accounts.
No, I-I wanted to close the chequing account, but, I wanted to keep the joint account open for my son.
I just wanted to see if I could take My dad's name off of it, if that's possible.
That one's flagged for suspicious activity.
Sorry, um what do you mean suspicious activity? Construction, day labourer, Stabler.
You've reached Stabler Project Management.
Thank you for holding.
Your call is very important to us.
Like Hell, it is.
I got some goods.
What'd you get? Oh, a whole lotta nothing.
Okay, well I talked to my cousin, Reggie, and he works on the crew that's building Bathurst Village, and he said you either have to be desperate, or have a death wish, to work for Stabler.
- One of those lowest bidder types.
- Mm-hmm.
And they're notorious for safety and code violations.
Right now, they're in the middle of a massive lawsuit with one of the families of their former workers, who died on their job.
So, another death on the books would be catastrophic for Stabler.
Oh yeah, they'd be pretty motivated to make something like that disappear.
They won't answer our calls.
Let's go pay 'em a visit.
Thank you for waiting, Ms.
Cooper.
Can you log into your e-banking? Hi, yeah, just one sec.
Okay.
As you'll see, over the course of a week, your father withdrew multiple $1,000 installments, which was his daily limit.
That's when we flagged it for suspicious activity.
Wait, are you saying that my dad withdrew all of these amounts? The police are looking into this matter, but, it looks like your father was the victim of an elder's scam.
Sorry, I don't understand but Because all the money is here.
The full amount, was recently deposited into the account by cheque.
Well, who wrote the cheque? Peggy Cooper.
Um Sorry, I'm just I'm confused.
What you're saying is that my dad, was scammed for $10K, and, Peggy put it back? I'm very sorry.
This must be incredibly stressful for you.
No, it's, if, I um Thank you.
Significantly less decomposition, than the exposed hand.
Enough to grab prints? Concrete heats up as it dries.
There's too much scarring here.
But The trapezium and the carpometacarpal appear to be broken.
Can you check the left hand? Yeah.
Lividity, in the ulnar border.
And yeah, this thumb's broken, too.
He landed on his back so, how did he break his thumbs? Could they be pre-mortem defensive wounds? Because that would be great.
Well, if it's a homicide, we're more likely to get our deposit back.
Dennis.
I don't wanna move.
Who better to have found this body than two people, who work alongside death? I think this was meant to be.
Well, I don't.
Ow! I'm gonna go grab some ice for my foot.
Well, that was awkward.
Yeah.
Hello, stranger.
There you are.
Cranial trauma, posterior left.
- From the fall? - Possibly.
Also some discolouring along the jaw line.
Huh.
Well, now.
That's not something one comes across every day.
I'm definitely going to be writing about that.
Huh.
Bleeding, overgrown gums.
Decay of the teeth.
So He was sick before he died.
Uh, yeah, see these bumps, on the hair follicles? Mm-hmm.
Yeah, they look bruised, too.
He wasn't just sick, he had scurvy.
Mood stabilizer.
Anti-convulsant, anti-psychotic.
Hey.
Ross, uh Did you know that Grandpa got scammed? Yeah, I'm at the flower shop right now.
She's not here.
Yeah, can I call you back? Thanks.
Seen these red welts? Bug bites? Cockroach bites, to be exact.
They're all over the medial parts of his arms.
Oh, cockroaches rarely bite humans.
Only if their populations outgrow their normal food sources.
You researched cockroaches, too? And it's a good thing, because clearly, they're a problem in our building.
Are these bites pre- or post-mortem? Pre.
Why would someone let themselves get bitten, over and over? It's not like you can't see cockroaches.
Maybe the scurvy made him too weak to swat them off.
Or you're tied up, so you can't.
His thumbs are broken.
From trying to escape his bindings.
He wasn't a construction worker.
He was someone's prisoner.
This one's a doozy.
We didn't want you to miss out on all the fun.
Well, I'm glad you called.
It was time for me to get back to work.
Okay, these threads, are hollow-braid nylon rope.
We found them in his wrist, and ankle tissue.
Could him having scurvy, be result of him starving to death? No, the body would've uh, eaten the muscle mass, if he was starved.
He's still very fit, despite everything else going on with him.
Uh, kidney stones, in the calyxes.
Ooh, ugh.
He hadn't finished passing these yet.
They were still developing.
Does that give us a better idea of how long he was held before he died? Well, it gives me an idea that his health was compromised, before he was in captivity.
I mean, he would've only lasted a week or two without medical attention.
So, he was missing a couple of weeks, tops.
All right, that'll help us in the missing persons search.
Whoever was holding this guy, held him on site, and then dumped him in the elevator shaft, the day the concrete was poured.
I mean, we went through that building, loft by loft, and nothing.
Yeah, well, I doubt the hostage taker would've left some rope around for us to find.
How could they have kept him there, without anyone hearing him call out? Maybe they muzzled him.
Or, he was in a soundproof room.
Where do you find cockroaches the most in buildings like that? We checked the boiler room.
How 'bout a cellar or a crawl space? The building doesn't have those.
Yeah, I'm gonna call the city archives.
Maybe they can put a rush on the building blueprints.
Maybe there's a room we missed.
Actually, don't bother.
I know someone who could help.
What? All right, these, are the most recent plans.
As you can see, every unit is pretty much the same type of open-concept, L-shape.
But I've been keeping notes of everything, since we got the keys.
Anything broken, off kilter, or asymmetrical.
Plumbing stuff.
Electrical, ventilation.
I used a stud finder, to measure the splits between joists.
Dennis, is there anything different in these prints, than what you've found? Uh Not really.
They all seem to line up.
Although, when I called Tony, to complain about the water pressure, he told me, they were supposed to install a booster pump on the third floor, to increase the water pressure.
But it hasn't happened, because River and I still can't get consistent pressure.
Sorry, uh, it's not about me.
Um I checked the floor.
I can't find the room.
Well, my team scoured the building, and, I don't remember a doorway off this hallway.
So, are you saying there might be a secret room 20 feet away from the elevator shaft? All right, thank you.
Uh I was gonna get to that.
Did you ever wanna live there? Of course I did.
Because all the obsessing, and list keeping.
Just seems like you were always looking for a way out.
I don't want a way out.
I want you to be happy.
I want you to be safe.
All of this is because I care, River.
I was happy, Dennis.
And now I just feel I don't know what to feel.
Well, uh Should be around the next corner.
All right, well, this should be it.
Thanks for coming and doing this.
This might be good for me.
Looks like they just walled up this whole room.
Doubt we're gonna find a light switch in here.
Strong smell of bleach.
Ah! Ugh! I don't like cockroaches.
There's something under here.
Oof! Yeah.
Donovan.
We need to get iDent in here.
- Yeah.
- Hey Look at this.
Dog camera.
There's another one here, too.
So, the captors weren't just holding him here, they were Communicating with him as well.
This must be how they got him in here.
It's locked from the other side.
Is that someone's closet? Someone who - Yeah, Malik? - Hey, Mac.
Using our timeline, age, and body type of our John Doe, I think I've found our guy.
His name is Evan Bosch.
He's a choreographer, for the Toronto Ballet Conservatory.
Who went missing two weeks ago.
You just couldn't help yourself.
Cori? Another dancer presses charges against you, and you have the nerve, to come to us for help.
After all these years, we were finally safe from you.
You came into our home.
You're making a terrible mistake, but it's not too late.
We can, figure it out together.
- Just say it.
- What?! What do you want me to say? The truth! Admit what you did to us, and what you did to that new girl, and we'll let you go.
Are you recording me? People will be looking for me, Cori.
It's been two days.
How many, have there been? None! There have been none! Then why ask us to lie for you? If you haven't done anything wrong, then why aren't you calling out for help? Is it because if someone found you here, you'd have to explain why two women are keeping you prisoner? I need water.
Please, Cori? You won't help me.
After all I did for you.
All I ever did was make all of you better! I I improved you! By poking and prodding at us like cattle? Weighing me every day? Ah, everyone knows they have standards.
Standards.
I had an eating disorder at 17.
Oh, boo hoo! Eh, chubby little Cori.
That didn't stop you, did it? I expected that kind of Manipulative garbage from her, Kana.
Not from you.
This would all be over, if you would just say it.
Well, what difference would it make? Anything I say will seem coerced in the eyes of the law.
Meaningless.
Just admit it to us, and it'll be just like you said Meaningless.
Uh, I think we all know what happened here.
It's not like we don't already know the outcome.
He abused these girls when they were younger.
They're refusing to talk, and this footage only hurts their case.
There's more.
This whole thing lasted six days, and then Just do something! I'm trying! Oh no! He was never gonna say it, and now he never will.
You have a first aid kit? You said you were the coroner, Dr.
Cooper? Jenny.
And before that I was an ER doctor, and I noticed you were fussing with your bandaid, so I wanted to uh, see if you wouldn't mind, if I could just take a look at it.
Yes, I do mind.
It's nothing.
Okay.
Ballet is a tough world.
You start so young.
You gotta grow up so fast.
You dance? Mainly in my kitchen.
Alone.
I did have to grow up fast, though.
So, I understand what that's like.
If you'll let me, I'd like to just take a quick look.
Thank you.
I'm just uh, gonna put some antiseptic on it.
And then, redress the wounds, until, we can get proper attention, okay? I noticed, that uh, Evan had the same bite marks, but, Cori didn't.
It's-it's not what you're thinking.
Not thinking anything.
I'm uh I'm just here to help.
However I can.
Okay? All right.
Choreographers are Kind of like coaches.
It's all about what they can get your body to do on stage.
And they push your physicality so far past its physical limitations, that, your body doesn't even feel like yours anymore.
You just become this vessel, for other people to put their art into.
And that can be so beautiful, to be the living embodiment, of somebody else's creation.
But I mean, they can forget that there's a human being in there.
And you just start so young, that you don't actually, see it for the violation that it is.
So, when Evan started to force himself on me, it just felt like the natural progression of His ownership, over my body.
Did you um Did you know about any of the other dancers? No.
Not until we had Left the Conservatory, and joined a company.
Cori let it slip one night.
That he had done the same thing to her.
And and we wanted to leave it all in the past, but then, he came into our safe space, and And even then, Cori didn't wanna tell the police.
There was this, door that we found, in the back of my closet, and we dragged the body in there, but, we were just making things up as we went.
Right.
So, the plan was just to Scare him into confessing.
We thought it would take a few hours.
Oh, we were naive To think he'd ever admit it.
He had too much to lose.
That's when you started to go in and See him on your own.
I thought that if I went in there, without Cori, and, and without the cameras, that he might tell the truth.
I was his favourite.
He would always say.
Look, and I know how stupid that sounds.
No, that's not stupid.
He manipulated you from a very young age.
He Groomed you.
This is uh This is not your fault.
Yeah, and even then, we were gonna let him go, but, then we came back and And we found him dead.
And that's when you put him down the elevator shaft.
Tony had told us, that the cement was getting poured, and we knew we had this small window of opportunity.
So We took it.
I hated him, for what he did to us, but, I didn't wanna see him die! I believe you.
Would you talk, to Detective McAvoy? He can help you, and I trust him.
I trust him, with my life.
- Okay.
- Okay.
What do they do from here? Well, someone's dead, so, that complicates it.
Is the coroner's office any closer to a ruling? I just can't wrap my head around, how rapidly he developed scurvy.
Well, I have a guess.
I did a social media scrape after IDing him.
The guy just talked about keto this, and keto that, and I was like, "Eat an orange, Bro!" Malik, you're a genius.
I am? I am! Heheh.
No, the-the adverse effects of keto is nutrient deficiency, and kidney stones, which can get infected, and can cause sepsis.
Will you tell uh, tell Donovan that uh, that it's looking like an accidental death.
This is good for Kana and Cori's case, yeah? Hadn't crossed my mind.
Peggy.
Where are you? I went to the flower shop.
I ran out of white Calla lilies.
Been out chasing suppliers all day.
But I'm here at the shop now.
Hey, look, I uh I found your pills.
Um Do you wanna do you wanna talk to me? I mean, if you wanna talk to me about anything.
You don't need to worry about that, when you've got so much else to think about.
You know what? Don't move.
I'll be right there.
Oh! I'm so sorry.
I'm so, so sorry.
Look, we're gonna be with you, every step of the way through this.
- Okay? - Yeah.
Thank you for calling, Detective.
You're okay.
It's okay.
Go on.
I guess you were right to hate it.
River, I wasn't right.
I was an ass.
I was so crazy and obsessive.
I didn't even stop worrying long enough, to enjoy the fact, that, we're moving in together.
That I actually get to live with you.
So, you do still wanna Live together? Yes.
A million times, yes! I just I wanted our first home together to be perfect.
Perfect, schmerfect.
Hmm.
My perfect home is wherever you are.
Besides, the crime scene, and the cockroaches, are quirks that only add to the charm.
- Just like your quirks.
- Oh.
I think that was a compliment? - It was.
- Was it a compliment? Oh, man.
I should get that.
You don't have to.
Hey.
Well, we figured the party was off, but uh, you two could use a hand.
Maybe ease some of Dennis' stress.
I'm real good with my hands.
Well, I'm not, so I brought these, - and they're cold.
- Perfect.
- Come on in.
- All right.
How you doin', man? I'm okay.
Thanks for coming.
So, what's the news on the neighbours? Uh, they're being taken care of.
And there may be some hope.
I talked to the Crown Attorney, and, major charges may be undesirable to pursue.
With more victims coming forward, this can be argued as a case of self defence gone wrong.
I know our office is supposed to be impartial, but Impartially That guy got what he deserved.
Yeah, sepsis due to untreated scurvy.
Hmm, no, karma Due to untreated evil.
So, tell us about this amazing place of yours.
Okay, well, uh, the building was built in the 60s, and, I just heard recently, that Buffy Sainte-Marie herself, used to hang out between here, and the Purple Onion, while she was writing her Vietnam protest song.