The Closer s07e13 Episode Script

Shaw looks pissed -- like he got stood up or something.
I find nothing connecting Shaw to this address.
I'll mark it down.
Now what? Here.
Look.
You know this guy? No, but Shaw does.
Hey.
Hey, what was that? Oh! That's not good.
Not good.
Come on, Morris.
We got to stop this.
He's gonna kill this guy.
You know he's -- just wait.
You want to explain to the U.
S.
attorney how we sat here and filmed a guy getting beaten to death instead of saving his life? All right.
Come on, damn it.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
They're stopping.
Oh.
Fight's over.
The guy Shaw beat up needs an ambulance.
I'm calling 911.
- 911.
- What's your emergency? Yeah, this is Agent burns, FBI.
I need L.
A.
P.
D.
to respond to 1919 North Kingsley Street.
Tell them we need the identity of the victim and tell them to get here quick before he drives away.
Yeah, it's a dark-blue pickup parked in the driveway.
Hey, Shaw's on the move.
- God damn! Shaw's on the move! - Driver needs medical assistance.
L.
A.
P.
D.
needs to get us an I.
D.
ASAP.
Let's go, Burns! Start the vehicle! Let's go! Yeah, he's alive.
He's alive.
He's beat to hell, but he's alive.
We're losing Shaw! Come on! Where's Chief Johnson? Uh, her parents dropped in for a quick visit, so we've decided to leave her out of this for now.
What did the FBI say happened here? Well, the guy I spoke to, an Agent Morris, said there was some kind of fistfight.
But when they left, the victim was still alive.
Well, if it makes you feel any better, the feds are telling the truth about the fight.
The blood trail stretches about 10 feet this way, but I'm pretty sure it's the gunshots in his head that killed him.
Two, up close.
So here's the timeline.
FBI dials 911 at 7:32 p.
m.
Right? Officers are dispatched, arrive at 7:37 p.
m.
Victim is D.
O.
A.
So we're expected to believe this murder happened in the five minutes between the FBI leaving and our officers responding? What the hell kind of operation is the FBI running that they let this guy get killed? Surveillance, Provenza.
They just wanted his name.
Registration and plates say he's a Paul Burke of Santa Monica, sir.
All right.
Let me call the FBI.
No, no, no.
Just hold on, commander.
Hold on.
I-I don't want to give the FBI this name unless we get what we need in return.
Like the name of the guy they had under surveillance when he killed our victim.
A.
K.
A.
our main suspect.
They'll never give us that, Andy.
Well, not with that attitude.
Our boy, Jimmy, says he's gonna stay up in Manhattan for Christmas.
Says he and his roommate, that Frank, have other plans for the holidays.
I'd think he'd seen enough of Frank.
I mean, they share that tiny, little apartment, both of them splitting one bedroom.
I-I just couldn't do that.
Now, Clay Jr.
-- he's working so much that he's probably gonna spend Christmas in his office.
Well, you know, you and Willie Ray are always welcome to spend the holidays with us if you -- And don't get me started on Bobby! I'm not running down my kids.
Don't you get that idea at all.
But not one of them can break away to meet us for Christmas.
That's just mind-boggling.
Hello? Uh, sorry to bother you, Chief.
I need to speak to your husband for a minute.
Why? What's going on? Oh, you know, nothing.
Um, just looking for some background info.
Wow, this was up-close and personal.
A lot of sooting.
Sooting? Lieutenant, I-is that Kendall? Uh, Chief, I I-I need you to put Special Agent Howard on the phone, please.
Let's move the body on 3.
Body?! Lieutenant! Did he hang up on me? Where's my cell? Hello? Yes, Lieutenant Provenza.
I have a victim under surveillance.
Uh, is that -- why -- give me the phone.
The word is "please.
" "Please give me the phone.
" Yeah, Lieutenant, go on.
I need to ask you about an Agent Morris who's dealing with it.
Yes, Lieutenant, we have several surveillance situations going on right now.
The Chief.
Could you give me a few more details? Are you there, Lieutenant? Hello? Uh, yeah, this Agent Morris admits to witnessing most of what happened to our victim, whose name the FBI wants, and I can give you that, but in return, I want the name of the guy that Morris had under surveillance.
Uh, now, if he turns out not to be the shooter, he could be the last person to see our victim alive.
Will no one pick up their phone? So, you, uh, you want to trade info.
That's right.
The identity of our dead guy for the name of your suspect.
Okay, Lieutenant.
Let's do it.
You first.
Ah.
Yes.
Uh, well, the victim is Paul Burke from Santa Monica.
Worked for the Laura B Catering company.
Catering.
Very interesting.
I will get back to you with the name you wanted shortly.
Hello.
No, uh Agent Howard.
Fritz.
He'll He'll get back to me Shortly, he said.
Not me.
Uh, Lieutenant, it's -- This is ridiculous! I've never been treated like this before in my life.
It's not ridiculous -- it's a federal issue and not your business at the moment.
Clay Willie Ray, I'm so sorry.
I hate to leave.
But this is something that just can't wait.
Oh, we understand.
Crime doesn't stop for dinner in this house.
Matter of fact, it pays for dinner.
You go man those barricades, son.
Fritz.
Clay.
I just want to tell you How very proud we are of you.
T-thank you, Clay.
How very proud.
Thank -- thanks very much.
- Honey - Thank you.
he has to go.
If you're meeting my division, I'm going, too.
No, no, no, no, no.
This is classified FBI business.
Top secret.
Top secret? L-like the way you paid Gavin and didn't tell me -- that kind of top secret? Oh.
Yeah, that was horribly selfish of me, using my inheritance for your legal fees.
The things I hide! Look, if you're really interested in uncovering some secrets, why don't you find out the reason behind your parents' blitz visit and why your mother is so quiet or that hug your dad just gave me? What was that about? Brenda? Say goodbye to Fritzi and bring in the rest of the dinner.
Anyway, I don't know how to break this to you, but you are gonna have to spend some time alone with your parents.
I love you.
I'll be back as soon as I can.
Bye! Tell her right now when there's no distraction.
Shh.
Well, I guess it's just us for dinner, then.
Which might make it easier to say what it is you flew out here to tell me.
Which is obviously too serious to talk about on the phone.
Well, why don't we just have a nice dinner with each other, and then when Fritzi comes back -- Enough, Willie Ray.
Enough.
Let's just Get it out there.
Claynot right before we eat.
There's never going to be a good time! Damn it! Doctor said don't take away my control! Doctor? What kind of doctor, daddy? Well I've heard you police people say, "I've got some good news and some bad news.
" Well, so do I.
Good news is I'm not gonna die.
Bad news is, well I've got cancer.
There it is.
Hey.
That's terrible news about your dad.
How's he feeling this morning? I don't know.
Let's -- let's talk about it later.
Okay.
Everyone, this is Special Agent Morris.
He's one of the guys who filmed the confrontation between our victim in the pickup, Paul Burke, and the other guy.
Who we should call "the assailant"? The name of our surveillance subject is Eric Shaw.
Detective Sanchez, yes.
I want to thank Agent Morris for filming the murder for us.
There's no murder on that tape, Detective.
We would have heard the two gunshots before we left.
You know, I appreciate you getting Eric Shaw's name back to me in such a timely manner, but you'll forgive me if we all feel that there may be some strings attached.
Not strings -- chains.
Eric Shaw is the linchpin in an investigation involving interstate trafficking of stolen property.
Oh, whoopty-do.
Through work by our field officers in Miami and New York, we've just succeeded in tracing millions of dollars in furniture, art, and electronics to burglaries here in Los Angeles, and to Eric Shaw through pawn shops he operates in Florida and auction houses in Manhattan he deals with.
We've had him under constant surveillance now for the last three days, hoping to discover the details of his operation.
We think your victim provided us with the key.
Paul Burke and Eric Shaw were partners in a catering company we now think was used to case expensive homes in the Hollywood Hills.
The blue dots represent homes burglarized in the last year in L.
A.
These yellow diamonds show homes where Burke's company met about a job.
So, Shaw catered every residence that he robbed, and you guys just now put that together? No, bright eyes.
Even you L.
A.
P.
D.
mutts could have figured that out.
Mutts? Hey, hey, Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Lieutenant.
They didn't cater any of these homes.
All right? Once they got a good look at the houses, they would intentionally overbid the job.
That way, another company would come in and work the party, and Burke and Shaw would come back later and burglarize the house.
So the catering connection was completely hidden.
Yes.
Yes.
But we are confident that if we can exploit this lead, we can close our case and we can roll up Shaw's entire organization.
Well, what about our murder? We want the L.
A.
P.
D.
to feel free to pursue that as long as they don't disrupt our surveillance of Shaw.
But Shaw is our suspect.
No, he's not.
We just showed you video proving Shaw didn't murder anybody.
So where's the video of Shaw for the rest of the evening? Or before? Why don't you show us that?! Wait -- wait a minute.
Um, did we make our notifications? Yeah.
Uh, Chief, late last night, we talked to Burke's wife and son.
And we should follow up there because the victim had just told his wife he wanted a divorce.
The Burkes are on their way in right now, Chief.
There.
People you can talk to.
And divorce -- that's a great motive for murder.
So, other suspects.
Just don't mention the name Eric Shaw or anything about a theft ring.
Understood? Well, that sounds quite a bit more like a command than an ask, Agent Morris, and allow me to point out that most of these burglaries and certainly this murder took place in the city of Los Angeles, where I happen to be Chief of Police.
We get to set the priorities on this one.
We're talking about clearing almost 40 of your open cases, Will.
That's a win-win for everyone.
Let's interview the family first, see what they have to say.
We'd do that anyway.
Thank you so much for the briefing, Agent Morris.
Excuse me.
Do you work for me or for your husband? Honestly, Will, I don't know if I can work at all right now.
Okay.
Look, if -- if you're feeling more stressed out about this federal lawsuit No, it's not that.
It's my -- it's my father.
He's really sick.
He just told me last night.
Oh, God, Brenda.
I'm s-- I'm so sorry.
I-I think maybe I should Go home for Christmas, Will.
I know it's not scheduled, but No, that's Uh What -- what exactly is wrong with your dad? Thyroid cancer.
I looked it all up last night online.
Daddy's gonna suffer from high blood pressure, exhaustion, mood swings.
He practically bit my mother's head off last night.
You know It It might be easier on your mom and dad than you think.
Why do you say that? Because they're here now, handing out gifts.
Oh, for heaven's sakes.
Is that a snowman wearing a policeman's uniform? It is! And when Clay and I saw it, we just knew you should have it.
Well, thank you.
How great.
Hey.
You should be home, resting.
We're only gonna be here two more days.
We want to make the most of it.
Spreading a little holiday cheer never hurt anybody.
Uh, excuse me, Chief.
Oh, Detective Sanchez! The last little boy on Santa's route.
We knew that you probably have a lot of these at home, but these are for work.
Feliz navidad, Detective.
Oh! Wonderful! Thank you.
I mean, gracias.
Chief, the victim's family's here, and -- Oh, uh, one second, Detective.
Look, daddy, I think I should drive y'all home.
Oh, Brenda Leigh, when have I ever wanted you to make a big fuss over me? If you don't do your job, it'll make me feel worse.
Now, you go on.
Go on, now.
We're among friends.
Okay.
Uh, Detective Sanchez, you can bring the family in.
- I can't.
- Why not? You'll see.
Excuse me.
Is that Yes, ma'am, Eric Shaw.
What on earth is he doing here? His sister, Laura, was our victim's wife.
Paul Burke was Eric Shaw's brother-in-law, and you didn't know it? Look, we only very recently connected Shaw to these robberies.
I thought you had him under constant surveillance.
How is it he's just showing up in my break room without you knowing it? These investigations are complex.
We don't -- You lost him last night Didn't you? Oh, my.
So how do you know that Shaw didn't just circle the block and then come back and shoot my victim? Oh, there's no proof of that.
Well, I'll give him proof when I show him that video No, no, no, Brenda! That you made last night.
If Shaw knows we're onto him, we'd lose our chance to take down the rest of his ring.
We want everyone.
You cannot question him.
So what do you want me to do? Talk to everyone else in the victim's family and completely ignore Shaw -- is that it? Don't you think he'll notice? All right, look.
I know exactly how we'll handle this.
Sorry, Chief.
Just, uh, clearing the table for you.
Thank you so much.
Detective Gabriel.
Uh, Deputy Chief Johnson, this is Mr.
Burke's wife, Laura, and their son, Ian.
And this is Laura's brother and sister, Eric and Emily Shaw.
And this is I'm Fritz Howard, and I'm so sorry for your loss.
He'll be taking notes.
And I want to apologize, Mrs.
Burke, for asking you and your son to come down here so soon after a tragedy like this, but we do have some formal questions for you.
What kind of formal questions are you talking about? My sister's in shock.
She shouldn't even be here right now.
Eric, Eric, it's fine.
I-I want to help.
Please.
Okay.
Well, we need to start with asking each of you where you were last night between 6:00 p.
m.
and 9:00 p.
m.
Um, I was at home with Ian, and I made dinner, and we talked for a long time.
About? I was thinking I should take some time off from college.
Mom didn't want me to.
And, "Emily," is it? Yeah.
I was, um, at my apartment watching a Christmas movie.
And I was with her.
Which movie was that? "It's a Wonderful Life.
" Yeah, right.
More like "Fight Club.
" Hey, Morris.
Here's a little tip.
When following someone, wherever they go, you go.
Mrs.
Burke, do you have any idea what your husband was doing in Hollywood last night? No.
All of our friends live on the West Side.
- Any catering jobs? - No.
We -- we don't have any clients in that area right now.
Do we, Eric? Emily? No.
Oh, are all of you in the catering business together? But not working In that area and not last night.
So So, it was strange your husband being there? Dad did a lot of strange things lately.
In what way? How about coming home last week and telling my mother he's not in love with her anymore? And their marriage is over Because he just decided it was.
And telling me it's none of my business.
Is that strange enough for you? 'Cause it's pretty strange to me.
Ian, Ian.
Your dad was a good man.
Laura, you don't know the whole story.
No.
No.
Don't air it here.
What? What story? What? Emily, what are you talking about? I'm sorry you got to find out like this.
But Paul was where they found him last night because he was sleeping with Claudia.
Claudia Shipley? Your ex-girlfriend? She -- she works for us! Yeah.
You found him in Hollywood last night because he was leaving her apartment.
Oh, my God! We need to find this Claudia Shipley.
Claudia? Are you -- are you sure, Eric? Yes, I'm sure.
I found out when she texted me by mistake, thinking I was Paul.
Oh, so both of you were sleeping with this Claudia Shipley? Did you not hear the part about her being my ex?! Paul was cheating on my little sister.
That's what bothered me.
And did youconfront him about this? We ask about a confrontation, Mr.
Shaw, because we assume that you know where your ex-girlfriend lived.
And there were signs of a struggle in the driveway outside her apartment building.
Well, it looks like Paul was pissing off more people than just us.
I don't know what gets into men after they turn 40.
I really don't.
I don't believe it.
Paul was not seeing Claudia.
Yeah, Laura He was.
- Mr.
Shaw, I need to ask you -- - Mrs.
Burke, Ian Your family has been through a terrible ordeal, and I can assure you that Chief Johnson and the L.
A.
P.
D.
are gonna work tirelessly to conclude this investigation.
In the meantime, I don't think we need to take up any more of your time this morning.
I want to thank you for coming in.
And again, we're very, very sorry for your loss.
Detective? Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Sorry I'm late.
Big pile-up on the 405, been backed up with traffic fatalities all morning.
You all right? You seem a little down, and you haven't interrupted me yet.
Uh, I-I was just wondering -- do you know how serious thyroid cancer can be? By the time I usually find it in someone, it's extremely serious.
Why? My father has it.
Oh.
No.
What stage? First.
First.
Oh.
Don't worry.
Thyroidectomy.
It's a very simple surgery.
Very simple.
And post-op, he'll just have to find a balance.
When you say "simple surgery," how simple is it, really? - Like this.
See? - Ohh Here's the victim's thyroid.
I grabbed it while we were talking.
It's that easy.
Of course, your father will have to be anesthetized, and they shouldn't cut through his neck like that, but still Doctor, you didn't have to do that.
Oh, don't worry.
This guy won't miss it.
Thyroid -- that's Greek for "shield.
" Looks like a little shield, doesn't it? And they guard us, too, thyroids.
They keep us from having emotional breakdowns and crippling mood swings.
Just think of it as a regulator for your inner diva.
So that's it? Just a quick little surgery and the person recovers? Well, not this guy, but generally, yes.
Recover.
Now, your father will have to watch his calcium levels for the rest of his life.
His emotions will be all over the place.
But I'm sure he'll find a balance.
I can tell you this much.
The procedure usually works out better than getting shot twice in the head.
Ouch.
And beaten up, too.
Your victim had a very bad night.
There's a lot of sooting at the wounds, so the weapon was discharged at close range.
Hmm, but what's really interesting is the mark on the scalp.
See this bruising around the bullet holes? It's kind of like a little tattoo of the murder weapon.
A small double-barreled gun.
But what kind, I wonder? A .
41-caliber derringer, Chief.
Okay, well, if you ask me, that makes for a pretty rarified murder weapon.
Lieutenant Flynn, would you please look into reports on missing derringers and sales of bullets that went with it? Yeah, I'll check some pawn shops, too.
You never know.
Chief? Got Claudia Shipley in interview 2.
Oh, good.
And, uhOh.
Do you really need to sit next to me and pass notes like we're in homeroom? What do you care about this woman? She was Shaw's ex-girlfriend.
After which she was dating my victim.
What does Claudia Shipley have to do with your investigation? Uh, Chief? When we picked Claudia up, she was at the airport on her way to Brazil with $1.
8 million in her carry-on.
That sounds a little suspicious.
Look, we are working a murder here, not a bunch of burglaries.
And if Claudia Shipley really is the killer, which is probably the case, and she's fleeing with huge wads of cash, then you should thank me for finding her so the FBI won't look like the worst cops on earth for having lost Shaw to begin with.
I think you're getting a little more angry than the circumstances warrant.
And we both know why.
Your parents need a little more attention than the L.
A.
P.
D.
does this afternoon.
Let me interview Claudia.
Take this opportunity to spend some more time with your mom and dad.
I cannot Believe That you would use my father's cancer to manipulate me into giving up this interview.
I cannot believe it! It is awful, just shameful.
Shameful.
That really should have worked.
You'd think! She's good.
Very good.
Good afternoon, Ms.
Shipley.
I'm Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson.
I'm so sorry to have interrupted your trip to Brazil.
But we have some questions about an incident that happened outside of your apartment building.
Did you happen to see or hear anything unusual last night, early evening, around 7:30? Well, yes, I heard there was a murder.
Did you know the victim? I don'tthink so.
Uh, I wasn't there when it happened.
So, Claudia, you're completely unaware of the fact that the victim last night was your boss from the catering company, Paul Burke? What? Oh, my God.
No, you're kidding.
Why? What was Mr.
Burke doing at my apartment building? We were wondering the same thing.
Do you and Mr.
Burke see each other outside of work? No.
God, he was married.
Claudia, we have the victim's cellphone, and it's full of text messages From you.
So where were you last night between 6:00 p.
m.
and 9:00 p.
m.
? I was on a film set with a lot of other background artists.
I was doing a movie.
Oh.
You're an actor.
I thought you were a waiter for a catering company.
I do both.
Working two jobs -- that explains the $1.
8 million that you were taking on your spontaneous trip to Brazil.
All right.
All right.
I knew Paul had been murdered, and I was scared.
- Why? - 'Cause of that money.
Paul was keeping it at my apartment.
And now Paul was dead.
So I thought someone might kill me to take it.
Well, Claudia, you should know that we are getting ready to search your apartment right this minute.
Wait.
You're gonna search my place? Yes, we are! Okay.
Um Are you the person that can make deals? Sure.
I can make a deal.
The reason that I bring this up is, when you're searching my apartment, you might find some furniture, um, some art things silver, maybe, that might be I don't know, stolen property.
But you need to know that I did not take any of those things.
But no gun? No! Are you kidding? I hate guns! So how did all this stolen property make it into your apartment -- Miss Shipley? I'm Special Agent Howard of the FBI.
This is Special Agent Morris.
I think you should know in advance that Deputy Chief Johnson's "deals" almost always include a lot of prison time.
And those made by the FBI involve something called the Witness Protection program.
Now, I think, honestly, you would be better off coming with us.
You'd really send me to prison? Yeah.
Probably.
You know, guys, you're welcome.
I'm glad we could find someone to help you wrap up your case.
Funny, I-I don't remember saying "thank you.
" Hey, Chief.
It's not all bad.
It isn't? Homeless guy was arrested with this this morning.
Scared the crap out of some drivers when he was panhandling with it.
More effective than a squeegee.
Here.
Let me see that.
He's still in booking.
He said he found it near the LA Brea off-ramp of the 10.
Here.
Take a look at this.
See? See? Lines up.
Huh? Perfect fit.
Now, look at this.
Matches the wound and the bruising.
This derringer was stolen from this house in the Hollywood Hills, which happens to be one of the houses that the gang burglarized.
Now, there are no prints on the gun But that ties it to Shaw.
We need to do more than just tie it to him, Lieutenant.
We need to put it in his hand.
I'm not quite sure how to do that yet.
You think we should share this information with the FBI? Oh, sure.
Just as soon as we figure out how to use it.
So, did Claudia Shipley say anything about the murder? You know I can't reveal what Claudia told me.
My interview with her landed you a major piece of information that you wouldn't have gotten otherwise.
Thank you, mama.
She served her purpose.
That's all I can say.
You mean she served your purpose.
So, what, you found lots and lots of stolen goods at her apartment, and some of them came from Shaw, is that it? Is it too much to ask that we finish our dessert before you two start yammering about a murder?! Clay, don't do this to yourself.
You're tired.
You need to finish your pie and go to bed.
Do not tell me what to do! I do not need -- But, daddy, mama was just saying that you were tired.
And don't you interrupt me, Brenda Leigh! I mean it, now.
If I am tired, it's because I'm tired of people telling me I'm tired, especially you, Willie Ray.
I am bone-weary of the word "tired"! Now, y'all can go back to ignoring me because now I am going to bed.
What was that all about? Well, now you know what I've been dealing with.
Is he like that every day, Willie Ray? No, no.
And don't worry about it.
You have your own lives to deal with.
Mama, this is too much for you to manage on your own.
Look, I have vacation days all stored up, and -- and I'll come out to Atlanta to visit you just as soon as you want me to.
Well, your father and I would love that, Brenda Leigh.
But it's not necessary, really.
We have the surgery the first of the year.
Then Clay has hormone-replacement therapy, and that takes a few weeks to get right.
So I'm thinking that after the surgery would be the best time, if you want to.
We do.
We do.
Well, I can book the tickets for -- The second week in January.
If you can.
That would be a wonderful treat.
Having more of the family together might help your father recover faster.
The truth is, Clay thinks that he has completely dealt with this diagnosis, and he hasn't.
I have to help him understand that he hasn't dealt with it.
I tell you -- this pie is delicious.
Y'all ought to try a bite.
Now, I'm gonna go in and give Clay a pep talk.
I'll be right back.
What are you thinking? That some families are easier to bring together than others.
A Wisconsin man vacationing here in Los Angeles reported seeing a gun being thrown from a vehicle along the 10 freeway just after the murder.
Unfortunately, the driver was lost at the time and not sure where along the freeway he saw the weapon get dumped.
And as you know, it's a long stretch of road.
So, what we're gonna do is we're gonna detail to find this gun.
We'll start here, check some of the freeway interchanges, and stop at the exit nearest the apartment.
Takes about two weeks.
Because it's a small weapon and it won't be easy to find.
We owe it to all of you to look for it just as hard as we can.
Will that solve the case? I don't care anymore.
I don't want to be involved.
This is It's not what I wanted my life to be about.
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
Well, sit down.
Sit down, Ian.
Sit down.
Laura will want to know about this later.
And so will you.
Go on, Detective.
Well, if, when we can locate the weapon we can connect it to an individual I thought we already found the gun.
We did.
Now we're justencouraging someone else to go hunt for it.
we found a ton of stolen goods in her apartment, and if Claudia turns up, we're hoping she'll be able to help us sort things out.
You looking for this? You have the right to an attorney.
If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the state.
Do you understand these rights, Emily? Yeah.
This is all a big misunderstanding.
No, it's not.
I understand perfectly.
You came back here to recover a murder weapon.
I didn't kill anyone.
All right, then.
Youtossed it for someone else.
Let's see, um, your sister, Laura.
Her husband asked for a divorce.
She finds him in Claudia's apartment and snaps.
How about your nephew? Was the pain of watching his father leave his mother too much to bear? Okay, leave them out of this.
Or maybe it was your brother, Eric.
Paul was divorcing his sister and sleeping with his ex-girlfriend.
No.
No.
The gun's mine.
Eric gave it to me.
You sure about that? Yeah.
Me My brother -- we're the black sheep.
We always have been.
That's why when Eric got Claudia's text by mistake, I knew -- I knew he was gonna lose it with Paul.
So I followed him.
And you watched him beat up Paul? Yeah.
Yeah, I was gonna jump out and stop him if he went too far.
But he didn't.
And then, after Eric left, I -- I even went to check on the asshole.
Didn't want Paul to bleed to death or anything, especially not before he told us where he'd taken all the money we trusted him to hold.
And how was he -- Paul? He'd been afraid of everything he was gonna lose in the divorce.
But after the fight, he looked at me and said, nowHe could walk away from Laura, and he'd owe her nothing.
And he told me that he's gonna take all the money that we made in the burglaries, which really wasn't fair.
And then he said, he He said, "that crazy bitch I married "will finally get what she deserves for giving me such a worthless son.
" So I took the gun out of my purse, and I shot him in the head.
To protect my family, I shot him.
If you were only following your brother because you were worried about him, why did you have a loaded gun in your purse? I I had been carrying that derringer around for months.
I liked it.
And I never liked it more than when I was blowing Paul's head off.
We finished booking Emily, so I think we're done here.
Oh, great.
Thank you.
Um If you don't mind me butting in, my sister had thyroid cancer.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
Wait a minute.
How did you find out -- Oh.
Your father When they were handing out the gifts -- "Merry Christmas.
I've got cancer.
" There's no easy way to say it, I guess.
Guess you're right about that.
H-how is she, though? Oh, she's fine now.
But I learned a lot from what happened to her.
Like -- like what? Well No matter how frustrated I got with her, I always tried to keep her best interests at heart, because she wasn't able to do that for herself.
You'll see.
But if you ever need to talk about it, I know stuff.
Thanks.
Thanks.
I'll remember that.
Good night.
Oh, sorry.
Am I late? Uh, what time is the reservation? You're good.
Very good, actually.
I hope we're not going anyplace too chichi.
Well, mama, it's your last night here.
We have to go someplace little uptown.
Before we go, I'd like to say something.
I-I'm sorry that I was so short with everybody last night.
Y'all didn't deserve that.
Especially you, Willie Ray.
I know I couldn't go through this without y'all.
So, from now on, I'm gonna be on my best behavior.
I promise.
And if anytime I fail to do that, you should feel free to hit me over the head or something.
No, no, I mean it.
Hit me in the head until I pull it all together.
I don't think that will be necessary But I'll keep it in mind.
Daddy, I have something to tell you, too.
I spoke to Jimmy and Bobby and Clay Jr.
today, and we're all gonna come visit you after Christmas.
Oh, now, Clay, isn't that nice? But the boys will be worried about me all during Christmas.
Willie Ray, I think we should get on the phone right now and -- and -- and settle this thing, talk to them about it.
We can do that before dinner.
Clay, it's three hours later on the east coast.
Now, don't start bossing me around! When I make a decision, it depends on the needs of the moment, the facts, and the crisis at hand.
Now, I will not have my son -- We have reservations, Clay.
It's kind of a great place, too, daddy.
I think you'll like it.
Thank you, Fritz.
Anytime, Clay.
Anytime at all.