The Pretender s04e10 Episode Script
Spin Doctor
[TV: Man.]
Good morning, Washington.
It's a sunny new day here in the nation's capital but don't put away those umbrellas just yet as there's a storm moving up the seaboard.
The five-day forecast will follow today's Washington Report.
[TV: Woman.]
We're at Secret Service headquarters for today's Washington Report where officials are trying to piece together the final hours of Todd Baxter a young agent whose body was recovered from the Potomac River just last night.
Todd.
[Panting.]
[Panting Continues.]
[Man Shouting.]
Jarod! Jarod! Mike! Through here! - Stop! - [Shouting, Indistinct.]
There he is! Get him! Stop! Wait! Wait! Will you help me, please? My car is broken down and I need a ride.
- Please? - All right.
Hop in.
[Beeps.]
Get me Mr.
Parker.
The Pretender has escaped.
I'm free.
I'm Todd- Baxter.
- Jarod.
- Jarod.
- Got a last name? - Just Jarod.
Just Jarod, huh? How about them apples.
- [Chuckles.]
- Apples? I, uh- I don't know how I can ever thank you.
Oh, just someday down the road do somethin' nice for somebody.
The Secret Service is baffled by the apparent suicide.
After just three-and-a-half short years as an agent how did such a promising young man end up dead in the Potomac? A question that may never be answered.
[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.
- [Jarod.]
Life's a gift.
- You a doctor? - I am today.
[TV: Woman.]
More details emerging in the apparent suicide of young Secret Service Agent Todd Baxter who spent the final hours of his life at this D.
C.
hotel, the River Glen.
Sources say he jumped to his death in the Potomac after a night of drugs and depression.
However, friends and family we spoke with say this is not the Todd Baxter they knew.
I'm gonna make a difference.
Does that sound hokey? Hokey? Is that a sporting event? [Laughs.]
Yeah.
Anyhow, all my life I've known that, uh D.
C.
's where things get done.
It's a tough town and all that but with smarts and hard work, a guy can- Change the world.
But what changed Todd Baxter? Was it the pressure of life inside the Beltway the demanding years in the Secret Service? The answers are through those doors.
[Radio: Dispatcher, Indistinct.]
[Elevator Bell Dings.]
- Agent Holder? - Yeah? - Special Agent Wilkes.
- Oh, right, right, right.
- The behavioral science guy.
- Yes, I just got in from the airport.
I bet you didn't have lunch, either, did you? Here.
You hungry? "Cup O'Soup.
A meal in a minute.
" That's a rather clever idea, isn't it? - Idea? Are you from the Seattle office or Mars? - Somewhere in between.
Well, I bet the boss wants to see ya.
Talbot.
He's got the place buzzing over the Baxter thing.
- You knew Todd? - Yeah.
Can't believe he'd do something like this.
Neither can I.
- Wilkes.
Ellis Talbot.
- Sir.
Seattle faxed me your papers this morning.
I could use a man with your expertise about now.
Follow me.
The maid called the D.
C.
cops this morning and they called the Bureau.
F.
B.
I.
's running things.
Hoover boys are lookin' at Baxter's body now.
From what I understand, he'd been in the Potomac about a week.
He put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door which is why it took the hotel people so long to finally get curious.
[Holder.]
Which fits with the rest of the story.
The night Todd checked in here, witnesses downstairs say that he met up with an old girlfriend in the bar, they came here for a little sex and a lot of heroin.
Has anyone questioned the girlfriend? The feds are still looking for her but indications are she was long gone before Todd went on his bender.
And jumped.
[Talbot.]
Demons like his, I sometimes wonder if I ever knew the real Todd Baxter.
Sure you want to get out here? Yes.
- This will be fine.
- All right.
Your car didn't really break down, did it? No.
Why did you help me? My gut told me to trust you.
Wait a second.
There you go.
Oh, no.
I-I couldn't possibly.
You've helped me too much already.
Forget it.
Have an ice cream cone on me.
Ice cream? Is it good? [Chuckles.]
Yeah, it's very good.
Look, I don't know what cave you've been livin' in, Jarod, but you're ever in D.
C.
, look me up.
I will.
Thank you.
Jarod? You two work with the feds if you have to, but report only to me.
So what is it you're not telling me? F.
B.
I.
's floating a theory that this was a homicide.
That's where you come in.
Baxter's suicide's embarrassing enough without far-fetched speculation it was a murder.
You're the behavioral science expert.
Get them to see the truth about Todd's psychological troubles.
The truth is all any of us want.
- Agent Ted Holder.
- Hi.
This is Special Agent Jarod Wilkes.
Bailey Malone, Violent Crimes Task Force.
V.
C.
T.
F.
The Bureau's finest.
I brought the Baxter autopsy files.
You boys have some catching up to do.
- [Muttering.]
- Daddy? I just heard.
Oh, there's nothin' to fear.
The doctors just want the baby for observation.
Your little brother's gonna be just fine.
After all, you helped my new son into this world, got me back to my old desk.
I've never been more proud to be your father.
Oh, you got that look in your eye.
- What lie has Jarod been tellin' you now? - It's not Jarod.
It's me.
I don't know, it just- [Sighs.]
So much has happened in the last few weeks.
Bridget dying, you coming home, the new baby.
Ah, I understand.
Yeah.
You want things to be diffierent.
Listen, come here.
Come here.
You must never lose your desire to get Jarod back.
The new child is the future of the family, but Jarod is the future of the Centre.
Why? He's our greatest achievement, our biggest asset.
However, consider your life officially changed.
It's a brand-new day at the Centre.
- [Chuckles.]
- [Kiss.]
My attempts at cross-pollination appear to be successful.
Very good.
Lies! Damn lies! Lies! [Jarod.]
They finished the autopsy already? Yes, it's all there in the report.
Oh, and get this- Malone tells me they're not just thinking murder.
They're thinking signature killer.
- A signature killer? - Yeah.
- Well, apparently their profiler has a theory.
- Profiler? - [Woman.]
That's me.
- [Knocking.]
- Were you expecting someone else? - Call it deja vu.
With a twist ending.
- Jarod Wilkes.
- Rachel Burke.
- Agent Ted Holder.
- Nice to meet you.
Not to be rude, but isn't your signature killer theory a bit presumptuous? Well, it's just that.
It's a theory.
But there's evidence to support it.
- Like? - Like our autopsy.
It confirms that Todd Baxter did not die from a jump.
He was strangled to death.
Probably a piano wire.
And despite a week in the Potomac, we found these.
- Ligature marks.
- On both wrists.
Not exactly consistent with suicide.
Not to be rude.
And he was drugged, and there is evidence of sexual activity.
He may have a sexual need to be tied up, maybe even asphyxiated.
[Phone Rings.]
Or someone else tied him up.
Your signature killer? - Yeah.
It's just, uh- - Instinct.
Somethin' like that.
They've located Todd's girlfriend, an Emily Sadler.
I'd like to question her myself.
- I'll keep you in the loop.
- I look forward to that.
[Woman.]
Todd and I met at Columbia.
I studied journalism, and he was a criminology major.
What they say about Todd is true.
He was a really good guy.
But he had demons.
What kind of demons? The kind he couldn't beat.
And this town made it worse.
I'd never seen him that wrecked.
- He was in a bad place that night.
- He had a drug habit, didn't he? Yes.
It haunted him.
Did you try to help him? Well, what do you think I was doing that night? That's why I went upstairs.
I was always tryin' to help him.
But then he pulled out the drugs, and he started drinking.
And we started fighting.
Some things were said, so I left.
So you just walked out.
Now that's my demon.
So, in your mind, Todd Baxter was perfectly capable of jumping off that balcony? Yeah.
He was always going too far.
That's the way he was.
Unless you know something I don't.
[Miss Parker.]
This can't be right.
Sydney wouldn't have trashed these.
They're like therapy for him.
Ho-ho.
Hello.
[Computer: Sydney.]
Damn lies! Always knew he was a mad scientist.
- The Centre does that to you.
- Go back to before he freaks out.
Oh.
[Miss Parker.]
Angelo.
- Zoom in and freeze it.
- [Broots.]
It's a watch in a Centre bag.
Angelo must have dug it out of the Centre archives.
And being an empath, he had to know the effect it would have on Syd.
I hate seeing him like this.
[Exhales.]
How many black holes has Sydney helped me out of? Why didn't you come to me? [Talbot.]
You got 48 hours to find the truth.
The F.
B.
I.
wants to chase theories, they can do it till their badges fall off.
But I can tell you, I will not have my division wasting resources on Agent Baxter.
- Tell Jerry we're in, please.
- Sir, he is one of our own.
That's not the issue.
This whole mess has put a spotlight on us, and it's a bad one.
Are you suggesting that the F.
B.
I.
is lying? No.
I'm saying Agent Baxter was lying.
For all we know, a heroin dealer killed him.
It's bad enough that this didn't show up on a background check.
- Now we have to find out the kid had a million sick habits.
- A million and one.
Jerry Linden, Office of Communications.
Special Agent Wilkes.
- Pleasure.
- If a reporter calls you, send him to Jerry.
Thank you, sir.
Do not leak this.
It's not good.
Agent Baxter was arrested in college- possession of heroin, intent to sell.
Well, I guess we'd better just drop the case right now.
Case? You sound like the feds.
You got your 48 hours.
Then you're back in Seattle.
May I have this? You've got it all on file.
We don't need this stuff about Todd floatin' around.
Come on in.
The shredders in Seattle are smaller.
Secrets in D.
C.
are bigger.
You should see the size of the janitor's cart they haul this stuff away in every Friday.
- Did Talbot put his personality through that thing? - [Chuckling.]
Have a seat.
Let me tell you somethin' about Talbot.
You know all that crap about Boy Scouts who run alongside the president's limo? He doesn't just buy it.
He lived it for 25 years.
Todd Baxter would have too.
Tell me something.
If they were such good friends, why did she walk out of that hotel room? I don't know.
He had an addiction.
Sometimes walking's the only option.
[Screaming.]
Emily! [Yelling, Groaning.]
Damn! [Groans.]
- Are you all right? - Yeah.
They said muggings were up, but I had no idea.
Thanks.
I'm glad you're all right.
Thank you.
That wasn't a mugging.
I think you know that.
Why did you leave Todd at the hotel that night? What do you want from me? He was my friend.
It's not my fault he couldn't see that.
He was murdered, and someone is trying to destroy what's left of his name.
I don't think you want that.
Why are you lying? [Sighs.]
I came to this town to make a difference.
You sound like Todd.
- You knew him? - He saved my life once.
[Sobs.]
God, I miss him.
Then help me.
Help me protect his memory.
[Sighs.]
Todd said he was meeting someone at the hotel but he still had time to help me with a problem I had at work.
That was Todd.
We had dinner and I left.
I hadn't heard from him in a week, and then I see the news.
When they found his body.
I get this phone call.
The man on the other end knows where I live.
He knows where I walk my dog, everything.
- He asked you to lie.
- He had the lie worked out.
It was scary.
I had to say that it was sex and heroin.
Todd and I were best friends.
Just friends.
We were never together in his room that night, and he never did drugs.
They said he was arrested for possession in college.
A total lie.
The man on the phone threatened to end my career.
I didn't care.
Todd was my friend.
I told him I was gonna call the papers.
And then he told me to check my mailbox.
That's my father.
They made me choose between Todd's memory and my father's life.
I- [Exhales.]
You did the right thing.
You did the right thing.
Did Todd tell you who he was meeting that night? No.
Uh- [Emily.]
Allhe said was, "I'm gonna be in the paper soon.
" And then he tapped his briefcase.
Like there was something important in it.
I want you to stay at my place.
You'll be safe there.
There's no safe place from the monsters.
Todd said D.
C.
was like a big masquerade ball only the people in disguise were monsters.
If you want to make a difference, you gotta pull off a few masks.
That's why he's dead, Jarod.
[Angelo.]
No hope.
No hope.
What is "hope," Angelo? Sydney lost hope.
Sydney lost hope.
- What does it have to do with that watch? - Centre takes hope.
What did they take, Angelo? Check Syd's file.
It's a long shot, but see if there's something about "hope.
" Okay.
Mr.
Parker takes hope from Sydney.
What does my father have to do with this? [Tires Screeching.]
[Sobbing.]
[Phone Ringing.]
Hey, how about I cook you lunch? No, thanks.
I'll pass.
You have your vegetable, your chicken noodle, your shrimp gumbo.
Shrimp almost tastes real.
Mmm.
Tempting, but no.
This better be good.
Todd Baxter tells his friend, Emily Sadler that his name is about to be put into the paper that he has something important in his briefcase.
Three days later, Bill Radcliffi, reporter, covers Secret Service for the Washington Journal- dies in a car accident.
An accident with one incongruous detail.
Ligature marks, like those found on Todd Baxter.
I believe Baxter was going to meet this reporter to expose something that he discovered.
And that "something" was in his briefcase.
All we found was office paperwork.
What makes you so damn sure? Let's just say that I've gotten into the mind of the killer.
You've what? Think about it.
The killer wants to cover up what Todd has discovered.
That's why he had to kill the reporter too.
I don't think so.
The killer's into the act- the power he exhibits over the helpless victim.
There's a purity in that violence.
It satisfies him.
I mean, if there is a cover-up, someone else is calling the shots.
- Someone else? - Yes.
- And this theory is based upon what? - Hold on a second.
Hold on.
There are two suspects? You two might want to get on the same page.
You're running out of time.
Holder, come into my offiice.
You and I, we have to talk.
- Talbot could shut us down.
- Not me.
He could seal the evidence.
It would take months to reopen the case, even for the F.
B.
I.
- You and me, we have to work together.
- Yes, but not blindly.
But you can make these leaps of logic? How does that work? It's complicated.
Well, that isn't good enough.
There's evidence of a cover-up.
- Not by this killer.
- Then by who? Todd Baxter was at that hotel room to meet the reporter so he could expose the killer.
- Has it ever occurred to you that maybe he needs to kill? - "Needs to kill.
" No.
Maybe you ought to get into his mind again.
How does that work? It's complicated.
[Exhales.]
You know, Jarod, I think that under different circumstances you and I- Yes? Still wouldn't have gotten along.
Is that so? Well, for starters, you drink processed powder and hot water.
You never know how tasty something's going to be unless you try it for yourself.
Well, if we ever make it out of here, I'm gonna show you what real food is like.
- I make an amazing bouillabaisse.
- Really? Mm-hmm.
- Can you drink it out of a mug? - You can drink it out of whatever you like.
[Chuckles.]
You're lookin' for your family? Yes.
They're out here somewhere.
I lost my dad when I was 10.
It's a tough age to become man of the house.
- You grew up fast.
- Very.
But it taught me responsibility, to always do the right thing.
And make sure others do too.
[Chuckles.]
[Todd.]
Make sure others do too.
[Emily.]
All he said was, "I'm gonna be in the paper soon.
" And then he tapped his briefcase.
[Jarod.]
Like there was something important in it.
Doesn't make any sense.
You know, the thing I can't understand about these papers, Jarod? Why kill Todd over these? They're all random, not connected.
Not even by a specific case.
It's like somebody just grabbed them.
To replace the ones that were originally in his briefcase.
If somebody did switch 'em, then Todd definitely had the goods on him.
The question is, who.
Hang in there, man.
We'll get him.
[Phone Rings.]
- Agent Wilkes.
- It's Malone.
Listen, I went over those papers you sent from Baxter's briefcase.
Nothing.
- However, I found something interesting.
- What? That heroin charge against Baxter from his college days? - It's a fake.
- Yeah.
The campus cop who arrested Baxter doesn't exist.
- Someone's trying to smear his past.
- I'll have to call you back.
[Dial Tone.]
Let's take a walk.
Let me share something with you, Agent.
I'm under review, and I'm not inclined to believe in a conspiracy but I know what city I'm in.
If this Baxter thing keeps goin' south we're gonna ruffle some feathers, and we're gonna get clipped.
What about Todd Baxter? Whose feathers did he ruffle? What do you mean? There was something in his briefcase that someone didn't want exposed.
He also had heroin, barbiturates and some fuzzy handcuffs.
The kid was messed up, Jarod.
I hired Baxter.
You think I want to believe this? He was convicted of possession in college.
We should track down the arresting officer.
He already did.
You talked to the officer that arrested him? Yes.
I would have rather not.
Trust me.
Jerry's seen the truth on this thing from the beginning.
And I'm beginning to see it myself.
[Emily.]
Linden switched the files? Nice theory.
But you got no proof unless you find the originals, and they're probably long shredded by now.
Well, then it's time to go digging through some trash.
[Glass Shattering.]
- Typical shrink.
Just flat nuts.
- Lies! It was in a Centre evidence bag.
- Who did the watch belong to? - I don't want to relive that.
Relive what? We helped him.
It was awful.
Then get it out in the open.
It's a brand-new day at the Centre.
Remember? All right.
Years ago, Sydney killed a woman.
[Malone.]
Agent Wilkes.
Just the man I've been looking for.
What? Nice working with you again.
A year ago, you worked with us on a kidnapping in Atlanta.
You used a different name.
Who the hell are you? Who are you working undercover for? Congress.
I work for an oversight committee that keeps tabs on local and federal law enforcement.
That explains your badge in Atlanta.
What brought you to the Service? The committee smelled a rat in the Baxter case.
They sent me down.
Still doesn't answer all my questions.
I'll answer any question you want.
But right now, I found Todd Baxter's killer, and I need your help to get him.
Syd killed a woman? In a car accident.
It happened during the early stages of the Jarod Project.
Syd hired a college intern from France, a young girl.
[Broots Exhales.]
She was pretty.
Apparently, they were having an affiair.
They'd gone to dinner and were driving back when Sydney lost control and broadsided a tree.
She died two hours later in the hospital.
- Her name was Hope? - Claudia.
When Angelo said Sydney lost hope, he meant it.
Now, these are the Centre records of the accident.
I'm hoping that'll help us find Syd.
Provence Restaurant.
This must be where they dined before- - Worth a try.
- Yeah.
- Did you glue this together? - Yeah.
It's all 6,422 strips.
- After that, I got bored.
- Mmm.
Yeah, well, Baxter certainly wasn't.
Between these articles and those confidential memos you pieced together Baxter connected Linden to numerous illegal operations and other so-called suicides.
Todd was definitely trying to make a difference.
- How about those apples? - Them apples.
- Hmm? - It's "How about them apples?" Oh.
I knew it was something about apples.
Bailey told me who you worked for.
They the ones who showed you how to get into a killer's mind? No.
That was more home schooling.
That's some home.
You don't want to know.
Well, I decided not to wait.
Try this.
- Is this your bouillabaisse? - Mm-hmm.
Mmm.
Mmm! How do you have time to track a killer and make something this delicious? Well, we all have our secrets.
Don't we, Jarod? It only helps until the next morning.
And, uh, I'll be back then.
We know about the accident, Syd.
Look, I'm here with some of my favorite ghosts.
Can't you see? So leave me alone.
You wouldn't let us off that easy, so forget it, Sydney.
It wasn't your fault.
You have to let Claudia go.
I can't.
We're celebrating.
Why? Because.
Because they used her against me.
Syd, the Centre helped you.
The Centre sure helped.
They were there right after the accident.
Centre Sweepers yelling "Oh, we'll give Claudia the best care.
" And then two hours later I got the news.
I gave her this watch for her birthday.
It would have been yesterday.
How did Angelo know about- [Chuckles.]
Angelo.
How does Angelo know about anything? He knew that you need to deal with this pain, Syd that you were in love with her.
That wasn't Angelo.
- They told you that.
- That's what my father said.
That's what the file said.
- Centre lies! - Careful, Sydney.
Oh, no, much later, when I found out what the Centre was doing with Jarod's work and I rose up in protest- They used the accident against you? I did love her.
Like my daughter.
She was my student.
But the Centre fabricated some story of an affiair between us.
They threatened me with jail.
- They threatened- - To separate you from Jarod.
Yes.
They used it to force me to do their bidding.
Not only was Claudia dead, but they tried to destroy the very memory of her.
My father did this to you? Not directly, of course.
But, yes, Mr.
Parker was running the Centre.
Now have a shot.
[Jarod.]
Todd Baxter knew too much.
He connected Linden to several major illegal operations- character assassinations, extortion among other clandestine things.
Your director of communications has had six Washington jobs in the last seven years.
Yeah.
Travel office, D.
O.
J.
cover-up, framed a D.
O.
E.
whistle blower.
Watergate plumbers got nothin' on this guy.
Hasn't paid this well since G.
Gordon Liddy.
His offshore accounts are packed.
Agent Baxter found out, and that crafty son of a bitch killed him.
Made it look like a drug overdose so I'd shut down the case.
- He played me.
- Except Linden isn't the killer, is he, Rachel? Are you two reading each other's minds now? Murder is not in Linden's profile.
He likes to control the truth, but only from the background.
He was never in that hotel.
- Think he had someone do his dirty work for him? - Mm-hmm.
- All right.
When do we move? - [Both.]
We don't.
There's a killer out there, and Linden is going to lead us right to him.
Daddy, the Centre did this.
You did this.
You forgot.
The Triumvirate gave the orders.
I carried them out.
- I knew you would say that.
- I don't like your attitude.
Daddy, please.
I just want Sydney to have some closure.
[Sighs.]
It can be arranged.
- [Intercom Beeps.]
- Mr.
Morgenstern.
[Gasps.]
Claudia.
[Speaking French.]
[French.]
Oh, Sydney.
[French Continues.]
When you told me what Sydney was going through, I had her flown in.
She's a groundbreaking psychiatrist at a teaching hospital outside of Paris.
A hospital funded by the Centre.
After the accident, she healed up quickly.
We gave her a future, a career.
And told her that Sydney was dead.
Well, that's one order I wish I'd never taken.
Angel, a new life changes everything.
I told you.
It's a brand-new day.
- [Rings.]
- Communications.
Linden.
[Jarod.]
I'm watching you.
Who the hell is this? I'm the man you hired to throw Todd Baxter out the window.
- Baxter committed suicide.
- No.
You hired me to kill him, didn't you? I'll take that as a "no comment.
" If you care to explain yourself, off the record meet me at the River Glen Hotel room 814.
Hello? Hello? Anyone here? You don't think I'd be foolish enough to be armed, do you? I'm about to find out how big a fool you are.
Agent Wilkes.
- So what is this? - It's the River Glen Hotel.
Not exactly the Watergate, but scandals can be made here as well.
Well, I sure hope you brought your wallet so you can buy your freedom.
Innocent men don't need to.
[Jarod.]
These documents that I stole from your office- they seem to say otherwise.
Well, aren't you industrious.
Fabrications designed to destroy an honest man.
Like the ones you create? Like the ones that Todd Baxter discovered? You make a fortune creating scandals that ruin people's lives even end them.
Jarod, if you're trying to get me to make a verbal admission for something I know nothing about for you or whoever else is watching- Damn it.
I'm afraid you got the wrong fool.
[Sighs.]
You're right.
I am a fool for ever believing you could possibly just tell the truth.
- We're done here.
- Oh, we are just getting started.
- We'd better get in there.
- No, just give him a minute.
- I wouldn't want you to miss it.
- Miss what? Your suicide.
[Gasps.]
[Grunts.]
[Sighs.]
# [Whistling.]
What are you doing? I'm setting the scene just like the man you hired to kill Todd Baxter did.
[Groans.]
I'm gonna make it seem like you had an evening of drugs.
Then you took a swan dive out the window.
Hope they find your body sooner.
- No, wait.
Wait! No! - Mmm.
No waiting.
No! No! [Grunts.]
Who did it? You tell me who killed Todd Baxter or they'll be fishing your body out of the Potomac-what's left of it.
- I can pay you.
Just forget about Baxter.
- Money? - Yeah.
- Todd Baxter saved my life! - You killed him.
I'm gonna even the score! - No! You're crazy.
Plan "B.
" Plan "B.
" Go to plan "B"! What are you doing? You warning your accomplice? You tell me who killed him, or I will drop you out of this window! Holder.
Agent Holder.
- Where is he? - He's in the service elevator at the end of the hall.
- Get up! - No! No! No! - Good luck.
- Yeah, you too.
Is this more bouillabaisse? No, I only had 30 seconds.
It's chicken noodle.
- [Laughs.]
- The chicken almost tastes real.
Mmm.
That's why you're undercover.
You're alone in this world.
We all have secrets.
No family? No one to get close to? Not yet.
I should get back to the office.
Jarod.
This-This was more than just a case for you.
Why? Let's just say I was helping out an old friend.
Well, if you ever need a new friend, you can call me.
Good morning, Washington.
It's a sunny new day here in the nation's capital but don't put away those umbrellas just yet as there's a storm moving up the seaboard.
The five-day forecast will follow today's Washington Report.
[TV: Woman.]
We're at Secret Service headquarters for today's Washington Report where officials are trying to piece together the final hours of Todd Baxter a young agent whose body was recovered from the Potomac River just last night.
Todd.
[Panting.]
[Panting Continues.]
[Man Shouting.]
Jarod! Jarod! Mike! Through here! - Stop! - [Shouting, Indistinct.]
There he is! Get him! Stop! Wait! Wait! Will you help me, please? My car is broken down and I need a ride.
- Please? - All right.
Hop in.
[Beeps.]
Get me Mr.
Parker.
The Pretender has escaped.
I'm free.
I'm Todd- Baxter.
- Jarod.
- Jarod.
- Got a last name? - Just Jarod.
Just Jarod, huh? How about them apples.
- [Chuckles.]
- Apples? I, uh- I don't know how I can ever thank you.
Oh, just someday down the road do somethin' nice for somebody.
The Secret Service is baffled by the apparent suicide.
After just three-and-a-half short years as an agent how did such a promising young man end up dead in the Potomac? A question that may never be answered.
[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.
- [Jarod.]
Life's a gift.
- You a doctor? - I am today.
[TV: Woman.]
More details emerging in the apparent suicide of young Secret Service Agent Todd Baxter who spent the final hours of his life at this D.
C.
hotel, the River Glen.
Sources say he jumped to his death in the Potomac after a night of drugs and depression.
However, friends and family we spoke with say this is not the Todd Baxter they knew.
I'm gonna make a difference.
Does that sound hokey? Hokey? Is that a sporting event? [Laughs.]
Yeah.
Anyhow, all my life I've known that, uh D.
C.
's where things get done.
It's a tough town and all that but with smarts and hard work, a guy can- Change the world.
But what changed Todd Baxter? Was it the pressure of life inside the Beltway the demanding years in the Secret Service? The answers are through those doors.
[Radio: Dispatcher, Indistinct.]
[Elevator Bell Dings.]
- Agent Holder? - Yeah? - Special Agent Wilkes.
- Oh, right, right, right.
- The behavioral science guy.
- Yes, I just got in from the airport.
I bet you didn't have lunch, either, did you? Here.
You hungry? "Cup O'Soup.
A meal in a minute.
" That's a rather clever idea, isn't it? - Idea? Are you from the Seattle office or Mars? - Somewhere in between.
Well, I bet the boss wants to see ya.
Talbot.
He's got the place buzzing over the Baxter thing.
- You knew Todd? - Yeah.
Can't believe he'd do something like this.
Neither can I.
- Wilkes.
Ellis Talbot.
- Sir.
Seattle faxed me your papers this morning.
I could use a man with your expertise about now.
Follow me.
The maid called the D.
C.
cops this morning and they called the Bureau.
F.
B.
I.
's running things.
Hoover boys are lookin' at Baxter's body now.
From what I understand, he'd been in the Potomac about a week.
He put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door which is why it took the hotel people so long to finally get curious.
[Holder.]
Which fits with the rest of the story.
The night Todd checked in here, witnesses downstairs say that he met up with an old girlfriend in the bar, they came here for a little sex and a lot of heroin.
Has anyone questioned the girlfriend? The feds are still looking for her but indications are she was long gone before Todd went on his bender.
And jumped.
[Talbot.]
Demons like his, I sometimes wonder if I ever knew the real Todd Baxter.
Sure you want to get out here? Yes.
- This will be fine.
- All right.
Your car didn't really break down, did it? No.
Why did you help me? My gut told me to trust you.
Wait a second.
There you go.
Oh, no.
I-I couldn't possibly.
You've helped me too much already.
Forget it.
Have an ice cream cone on me.
Ice cream? Is it good? [Chuckles.]
Yeah, it's very good.
Look, I don't know what cave you've been livin' in, Jarod, but you're ever in D.
C.
, look me up.
I will.
Thank you.
Jarod? You two work with the feds if you have to, but report only to me.
So what is it you're not telling me? F.
B.
I.
's floating a theory that this was a homicide.
That's where you come in.
Baxter's suicide's embarrassing enough without far-fetched speculation it was a murder.
You're the behavioral science expert.
Get them to see the truth about Todd's psychological troubles.
The truth is all any of us want.
- Agent Ted Holder.
- Hi.
This is Special Agent Jarod Wilkes.
Bailey Malone, Violent Crimes Task Force.
V.
C.
T.
F.
The Bureau's finest.
I brought the Baxter autopsy files.
You boys have some catching up to do.
- [Muttering.]
- Daddy? I just heard.
Oh, there's nothin' to fear.
The doctors just want the baby for observation.
Your little brother's gonna be just fine.
After all, you helped my new son into this world, got me back to my old desk.
I've never been more proud to be your father.
Oh, you got that look in your eye.
- What lie has Jarod been tellin' you now? - It's not Jarod.
It's me.
I don't know, it just- [Sighs.]
So much has happened in the last few weeks.
Bridget dying, you coming home, the new baby.
Ah, I understand.
Yeah.
You want things to be diffierent.
Listen, come here.
Come here.
You must never lose your desire to get Jarod back.
The new child is the future of the family, but Jarod is the future of the Centre.
Why? He's our greatest achievement, our biggest asset.
However, consider your life officially changed.
It's a brand-new day at the Centre.
- [Chuckles.]
- [Kiss.]
My attempts at cross-pollination appear to be successful.
Very good.
Lies! Damn lies! Lies! [Jarod.]
They finished the autopsy already? Yes, it's all there in the report.
Oh, and get this- Malone tells me they're not just thinking murder.
They're thinking signature killer.
- A signature killer? - Yeah.
- Well, apparently their profiler has a theory.
- Profiler? - [Woman.]
That's me.
- [Knocking.]
- Were you expecting someone else? - Call it deja vu.
With a twist ending.
- Jarod Wilkes.
- Rachel Burke.
- Agent Ted Holder.
- Nice to meet you.
Not to be rude, but isn't your signature killer theory a bit presumptuous? Well, it's just that.
It's a theory.
But there's evidence to support it.
- Like? - Like our autopsy.
It confirms that Todd Baxter did not die from a jump.
He was strangled to death.
Probably a piano wire.
And despite a week in the Potomac, we found these.
- Ligature marks.
- On both wrists.
Not exactly consistent with suicide.
Not to be rude.
And he was drugged, and there is evidence of sexual activity.
He may have a sexual need to be tied up, maybe even asphyxiated.
[Phone Rings.]
Or someone else tied him up.
Your signature killer? - Yeah.
It's just, uh- - Instinct.
Somethin' like that.
They've located Todd's girlfriend, an Emily Sadler.
I'd like to question her myself.
- I'll keep you in the loop.
- I look forward to that.
[Woman.]
Todd and I met at Columbia.
I studied journalism, and he was a criminology major.
What they say about Todd is true.
He was a really good guy.
But he had demons.
What kind of demons? The kind he couldn't beat.
And this town made it worse.
I'd never seen him that wrecked.
- He was in a bad place that night.
- He had a drug habit, didn't he? Yes.
It haunted him.
Did you try to help him? Well, what do you think I was doing that night? That's why I went upstairs.
I was always tryin' to help him.
But then he pulled out the drugs, and he started drinking.
And we started fighting.
Some things were said, so I left.
So you just walked out.
Now that's my demon.
So, in your mind, Todd Baxter was perfectly capable of jumping off that balcony? Yeah.
He was always going too far.
That's the way he was.
Unless you know something I don't.
[Miss Parker.]
This can't be right.
Sydney wouldn't have trashed these.
They're like therapy for him.
Ho-ho.
Hello.
[Computer: Sydney.]
Damn lies! Always knew he was a mad scientist.
- The Centre does that to you.
- Go back to before he freaks out.
Oh.
[Miss Parker.]
Angelo.
- Zoom in and freeze it.
- [Broots.]
It's a watch in a Centre bag.
Angelo must have dug it out of the Centre archives.
And being an empath, he had to know the effect it would have on Syd.
I hate seeing him like this.
[Exhales.]
How many black holes has Sydney helped me out of? Why didn't you come to me? [Talbot.]
You got 48 hours to find the truth.
The F.
B.
I.
wants to chase theories, they can do it till their badges fall off.
But I can tell you, I will not have my division wasting resources on Agent Baxter.
- Tell Jerry we're in, please.
- Sir, he is one of our own.
That's not the issue.
This whole mess has put a spotlight on us, and it's a bad one.
Are you suggesting that the F.
B.
I.
is lying? No.
I'm saying Agent Baxter was lying.
For all we know, a heroin dealer killed him.
It's bad enough that this didn't show up on a background check.
- Now we have to find out the kid had a million sick habits.
- A million and one.
Jerry Linden, Office of Communications.
Special Agent Wilkes.
- Pleasure.
- If a reporter calls you, send him to Jerry.
Thank you, sir.
Do not leak this.
It's not good.
Agent Baxter was arrested in college- possession of heroin, intent to sell.
Well, I guess we'd better just drop the case right now.
Case? You sound like the feds.
You got your 48 hours.
Then you're back in Seattle.
May I have this? You've got it all on file.
We don't need this stuff about Todd floatin' around.
Come on in.
The shredders in Seattle are smaller.
Secrets in D.
C.
are bigger.
You should see the size of the janitor's cart they haul this stuff away in every Friday.
- Did Talbot put his personality through that thing? - [Chuckling.]
Have a seat.
Let me tell you somethin' about Talbot.
You know all that crap about Boy Scouts who run alongside the president's limo? He doesn't just buy it.
He lived it for 25 years.
Todd Baxter would have too.
Tell me something.
If they were such good friends, why did she walk out of that hotel room? I don't know.
He had an addiction.
Sometimes walking's the only option.
[Screaming.]
Emily! [Yelling, Groaning.]
Damn! [Groans.]
- Are you all right? - Yeah.
They said muggings were up, but I had no idea.
Thanks.
I'm glad you're all right.
Thank you.
That wasn't a mugging.
I think you know that.
Why did you leave Todd at the hotel that night? What do you want from me? He was my friend.
It's not my fault he couldn't see that.
He was murdered, and someone is trying to destroy what's left of his name.
I don't think you want that.
Why are you lying? [Sighs.]
I came to this town to make a difference.
You sound like Todd.
- You knew him? - He saved my life once.
[Sobs.]
God, I miss him.
Then help me.
Help me protect his memory.
[Sighs.]
Todd said he was meeting someone at the hotel but he still had time to help me with a problem I had at work.
That was Todd.
We had dinner and I left.
I hadn't heard from him in a week, and then I see the news.
When they found his body.
I get this phone call.
The man on the other end knows where I live.
He knows where I walk my dog, everything.
- He asked you to lie.
- He had the lie worked out.
It was scary.
I had to say that it was sex and heroin.
Todd and I were best friends.
Just friends.
We were never together in his room that night, and he never did drugs.
They said he was arrested for possession in college.
A total lie.
The man on the phone threatened to end my career.
I didn't care.
Todd was my friend.
I told him I was gonna call the papers.
And then he told me to check my mailbox.
That's my father.
They made me choose between Todd's memory and my father's life.
I- [Exhales.]
You did the right thing.
You did the right thing.
Did Todd tell you who he was meeting that night? No.
Uh- [Emily.]
Allhe said was, "I'm gonna be in the paper soon.
" And then he tapped his briefcase.
Like there was something important in it.
I want you to stay at my place.
You'll be safe there.
There's no safe place from the monsters.
Todd said D.
C.
was like a big masquerade ball only the people in disguise were monsters.
If you want to make a difference, you gotta pull off a few masks.
That's why he's dead, Jarod.
[Angelo.]
No hope.
No hope.
What is "hope," Angelo? Sydney lost hope.
Sydney lost hope.
- What does it have to do with that watch? - Centre takes hope.
What did they take, Angelo? Check Syd's file.
It's a long shot, but see if there's something about "hope.
" Okay.
Mr.
Parker takes hope from Sydney.
What does my father have to do with this? [Tires Screeching.]
[Sobbing.]
[Phone Ringing.]
Hey, how about I cook you lunch? No, thanks.
I'll pass.
You have your vegetable, your chicken noodle, your shrimp gumbo.
Shrimp almost tastes real.
Mmm.
Tempting, but no.
This better be good.
Todd Baxter tells his friend, Emily Sadler that his name is about to be put into the paper that he has something important in his briefcase.
Three days later, Bill Radcliffi, reporter, covers Secret Service for the Washington Journal- dies in a car accident.
An accident with one incongruous detail.
Ligature marks, like those found on Todd Baxter.
I believe Baxter was going to meet this reporter to expose something that he discovered.
And that "something" was in his briefcase.
All we found was office paperwork.
What makes you so damn sure? Let's just say that I've gotten into the mind of the killer.
You've what? Think about it.
The killer wants to cover up what Todd has discovered.
That's why he had to kill the reporter too.
I don't think so.
The killer's into the act- the power he exhibits over the helpless victim.
There's a purity in that violence.
It satisfies him.
I mean, if there is a cover-up, someone else is calling the shots.
- Someone else? - Yes.
- And this theory is based upon what? - Hold on a second.
Hold on.
There are two suspects? You two might want to get on the same page.
You're running out of time.
Holder, come into my offiice.
You and I, we have to talk.
- Talbot could shut us down.
- Not me.
He could seal the evidence.
It would take months to reopen the case, even for the F.
B.
I.
- You and me, we have to work together.
- Yes, but not blindly.
But you can make these leaps of logic? How does that work? It's complicated.
Well, that isn't good enough.
There's evidence of a cover-up.
- Not by this killer.
- Then by who? Todd Baxter was at that hotel room to meet the reporter so he could expose the killer.
- Has it ever occurred to you that maybe he needs to kill? - "Needs to kill.
" No.
Maybe you ought to get into his mind again.
How does that work? It's complicated.
[Exhales.]
You know, Jarod, I think that under different circumstances you and I- Yes? Still wouldn't have gotten along.
Is that so? Well, for starters, you drink processed powder and hot water.
You never know how tasty something's going to be unless you try it for yourself.
Well, if we ever make it out of here, I'm gonna show you what real food is like.
- I make an amazing bouillabaisse.
- Really? Mm-hmm.
- Can you drink it out of a mug? - You can drink it out of whatever you like.
[Chuckles.]
You're lookin' for your family? Yes.
They're out here somewhere.
I lost my dad when I was 10.
It's a tough age to become man of the house.
- You grew up fast.
- Very.
But it taught me responsibility, to always do the right thing.
And make sure others do too.
[Chuckles.]
[Todd.]
Make sure others do too.
[Emily.]
All he said was, "I'm gonna be in the paper soon.
" And then he tapped his briefcase.
[Jarod.]
Like there was something important in it.
Doesn't make any sense.
You know, the thing I can't understand about these papers, Jarod? Why kill Todd over these? They're all random, not connected.
Not even by a specific case.
It's like somebody just grabbed them.
To replace the ones that were originally in his briefcase.
If somebody did switch 'em, then Todd definitely had the goods on him.
The question is, who.
Hang in there, man.
We'll get him.
[Phone Rings.]
- Agent Wilkes.
- It's Malone.
Listen, I went over those papers you sent from Baxter's briefcase.
Nothing.
- However, I found something interesting.
- What? That heroin charge against Baxter from his college days? - It's a fake.
- Yeah.
The campus cop who arrested Baxter doesn't exist.
- Someone's trying to smear his past.
- I'll have to call you back.
[Dial Tone.]
Let's take a walk.
Let me share something with you, Agent.
I'm under review, and I'm not inclined to believe in a conspiracy but I know what city I'm in.
If this Baxter thing keeps goin' south we're gonna ruffle some feathers, and we're gonna get clipped.
What about Todd Baxter? Whose feathers did he ruffle? What do you mean? There was something in his briefcase that someone didn't want exposed.
He also had heroin, barbiturates and some fuzzy handcuffs.
The kid was messed up, Jarod.
I hired Baxter.
You think I want to believe this? He was convicted of possession in college.
We should track down the arresting officer.
He already did.
You talked to the officer that arrested him? Yes.
I would have rather not.
Trust me.
Jerry's seen the truth on this thing from the beginning.
And I'm beginning to see it myself.
[Emily.]
Linden switched the files? Nice theory.
But you got no proof unless you find the originals, and they're probably long shredded by now.
Well, then it's time to go digging through some trash.
[Glass Shattering.]
- Typical shrink.
Just flat nuts.
- Lies! It was in a Centre evidence bag.
- Who did the watch belong to? - I don't want to relive that.
Relive what? We helped him.
It was awful.
Then get it out in the open.
It's a brand-new day at the Centre.
Remember? All right.
Years ago, Sydney killed a woman.
[Malone.]
Agent Wilkes.
Just the man I've been looking for.
What? Nice working with you again.
A year ago, you worked with us on a kidnapping in Atlanta.
You used a different name.
Who the hell are you? Who are you working undercover for? Congress.
I work for an oversight committee that keeps tabs on local and federal law enforcement.
That explains your badge in Atlanta.
What brought you to the Service? The committee smelled a rat in the Baxter case.
They sent me down.
Still doesn't answer all my questions.
I'll answer any question you want.
But right now, I found Todd Baxter's killer, and I need your help to get him.
Syd killed a woman? In a car accident.
It happened during the early stages of the Jarod Project.
Syd hired a college intern from France, a young girl.
[Broots Exhales.]
She was pretty.
Apparently, they were having an affiair.
They'd gone to dinner and were driving back when Sydney lost control and broadsided a tree.
She died two hours later in the hospital.
- Her name was Hope? - Claudia.
When Angelo said Sydney lost hope, he meant it.
Now, these are the Centre records of the accident.
I'm hoping that'll help us find Syd.
Provence Restaurant.
This must be where they dined before- - Worth a try.
- Yeah.
- Did you glue this together? - Yeah.
It's all 6,422 strips.
- After that, I got bored.
- Mmm.
Yeah, well, Baxter certainly wasn't.
Between these articles and those confidential memos you pieced together Baxter connected Linden to numerous illegal operations and other so-called suicides.
Todd was definitely trying to make a difference.
- How about those apples? - Them apples.
- Hmm? - It's "How about them apples?" Oh.
I knew it was something about apples.
Bailey told me who you worked for.
They the ones who showed you how to get into a killer's mind? No.
That was more home schooling.
That's some home.
You don't want to know.
Well, I decided not to wait.
Try this.
- Is this your bouillabaisse? - Mm-hmm.
Mmm.
Mmm! How do you have time to track a killer and make something this delicious? Well, we all have our secrets.
Don't we, Jarod? It only helps until the next morning.
And, uh, I'll be back then.
We know about the accident, Syd.
Look, I'm here with some of my favorite ghosts.
Can't you see? So leave me alone.
You wouldn't let us off that easy, so forget it, Sydney.
It wasn't your fault.
You have to let Claudia go.
I can't.
We're celebrating.
Why? Because.
Because they used her against me.
Syd, the Centre helped you.
The Centre sure helped.
They were there right after the accident.
Centre Sweepers yelling "Oh, we'll give Claudia the best care.
" And then two hours later I got the news.
I gave her this watch for her birthday.
It would have been yesterday.
How did Angelo know about- [Chuckles.]
Angelo.
How does Angelo know about anything? He knew that you need to deal with this pain, Syd that you were in love with her.
That wasn't Angelo.
- They told you that.
- That's what my father said.
That's what the file said.
- Centre lies! - Careful, Sydney.
Oh, no, much later, when I found out what the Centre was doing with Jarod's work and I rose up in protest- They used the accident against you? I did love her.
Like my daughter.
She was my student.
But the Centre fabricated some story of an affiair between us.
They threatened me with jail.
- They threatened- - To separate you from Jarod.
Yes.
They used it to force me to do their bidding.
Not only was Claudia dead, but they tried to destroy the very memory of her.
My father did this to you? Not directly, of course.
But, yes, Mr.
Parker was running the Centre.
Now have a shot.
[Jarod.]
Todd Baxter knew too much.
He connected Linden to several major illegal operations- character assassinations, extortion among other clandestine things.
Your director of communications has had six Washington jobs in the last seven years.
Yeah.
Travel office, D.
O.
J.
cover-up, framed a D.
O.
E.
whistle blower.
Watergate plumbers got nothin' on this guy.
Hasn't paid this well since G.
Gordon Liddy.
His offshore accounts are packed.
Agent Baxter found out, and that crafty son of a bitch killed him.
Made it look like a drug overdose so I'd shut down the case.
- He played me.
- Except Linden isn't the killer, is he, Rachel? Are you two reading each other's minds now? Murder is not in Linden's profile.
He likes to control the truth, but only from the background.
He was never in that hotel.
- Think he had someone do his dirty work for him? - Mm-hmm.
- All right.
When do we move? - [Both.]
We don't.
There's a killer out there, and Linden is going to lead us right to him.
Daddy, the Centre did this.
You did this.
You forgot.
The Triumvirate gave the orders.
I carried them out.
- I knew you would say that.
- I don't like your attitude.
Daddy, please.
I just want Sydney to have some closure.
[Sighs.]
It can be arranged.
- [Intercom Beeps.]
- Mr.
Morgenstern.
[Gasps.]
Claudia.
[Speaking French.]
[French.]
Oh, Sydney.
[French Continues.]
When you told me what Sydney was going through, I had her flown in.
She's a groundbreaking psychiatrist at a teaching hospital outside of Paris.
A hospital funded by the Centre.
After the accident, she healed up quickly.
We gave her a future, a career.
And told her that Sydney was dead.
Well, that's one order I wish I'd never taken.
Angel, a new life changes everything.
I told you.
It's a brand-new day.
- [Rings.]
- Communications.
Linden.
[Jarod.]
I'm watching you.
Who the hell is this? I'm the man you hired to throw Todd Baxter out the window.
- Baxter committed suicide.
- No.
You hired me to kill him, didn't you? I'll take that as a "no comment.
" If you care to explain yourself, off the record meet me at the River Glen Hotel room 814.
Hello? Hello? Anyone here? You don't think I'd be foolish enough to be armed, do you? I'm about to find out how big a fool you are.
Agent Wilkes.
- So what is this? - It's the River Glen Hotel.
Not exactly the Watergate, but scandals can be made here as well.
Well, I sure hope you brought your wallet so you can buy your freedom.
Innocent men don't need to.
[Jarod.]
These documents that I stole from your office- they seem to say otherwise.
Well, aren't you industrious.
Fabrications designed to destroy an honest man.
Like the ones you create? Like the ones that Todd Baxter discovered? You make a fortune creating scandals that ruin people's lives even end them.
Jarod, if you're trying to get me to make a verbal admission for something I know nothing about for you or whoever else is watching- Damn it.
I'm afraid you got the wrong fool.
[Sighs.]
You're right.
I am a fool for ever believing you could possibly just tell the truth.
- We're done here.
- Oh, we are just getting started.
- We'd better get in there.
- No, just give him a minute.
- I wouldn't want you to miss it.
- Miss what? Your suicide.
[Gasps.]
[Grunts.]
[Sighs.]
# [Whistling.]
What are you doing? I'm setting the scene just like the man you hired to kill Todd Baxter did.
[Groans.]
I'm gonna make it seem like you had an evening of drugs.
Then you took a swan dive out the window.
Hope they find your body sooner.
- No, wait.
Wait! No! - Mmm.
No waiting.
No! No! [Grunts.]
Who did it? You tell me who killed Todd Baxter or they'll be fishing your body out of the Potomac-what's left of it.
- I can pay you.
Just forget about Baxter.
- Money? - Yeah.
- Todd Baxter saved my life! - You killed him.
I'm gonna even the score! - No! You're crazy.
Plan "B.
" Plan "B.
" Go to plan "B"! What are you doing? You warning your accomplice? You tell me who killed him, or I will drop you out of this window! Holder.
Agent Holder.
- Where is he? - He's in the service elevator at the end of the hall.
- Get up! - No! No! No! - Good luck.
- Yeah, you too.
Is this more bouillabaisse? No, I only had 30 seconds.
It's chicken noodle.
- [Laughs.]
- The chicken almost tastes real.
Mmm.
That's why you're undercover.
You're alone in this world.
We all have secrets.
No family? No one to get close to? Not yet.
I should get back to the office.
Jarod.
This-This was more than just a case for you.
Why? Let's just say I was helping out an old friend.
Well, if you ever need a new friend, you can call me.