The Rookie (2018) s07e15 Episode Script
A Deadly Secret
1
[STATIC BUZZING]
[PHONE RINGING]
[LOW GROWLING]
[LOUD GROWL]
[PHONE LINE BEEPS]
Hey, how you doing?
Hey, just put it
yeah, put it right there.
You, uh
- You don't look so happy to see me.
- I, no, I just
I want to just get
this case behind me.
- If today's not a good day
- No, it's great.
Not a problem.
Not a problem.
Great, let's start
at the beginning then.
When did you meet
Abigail Tierney?
Uh, that was a few years ago
when she showed up at my door,
pretending to be pregnant
with my grandchild.
- Excuse me?
- Abigail and my son, Henry,
met in college.
They got engaged,
you know, fast.
Very fast.
Her way of breaking the news
to me was to go bigger.
But, um
Despite that introduction,
I was charmed by her.
She
She had, uh
Walked a tough road, but she had grit.
She was resourceful and driven,
and I admire that.
So she and Henry
are no longer together?
Yeah, she broke off
the engagement,
but it was amicable.
You arranged for Abigail to
have a ride along with the LAPD?
Yes, yeah.
She was considering
police work.
I take it
that didn't work out?
- Leave her alone!
- Hey.
[GROANS]
It did not.
And then, six months ago,
she was reported missing.
What exactly happened to Abigail?
Look, if you're going
to get to the bottom of
what happened to that poor girl,
you're going to have
to have an open mind
A very open mind.
Wait!
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- [SCREAMS]
- Police.
I wonder when that happened.
- Oh, my God.
- Hello?
Can you hear me?
When did you get involved
in the case?
Not immediately.
Most missing persons cases
aren't really cases.
They're a roommate
who got too drunk at a bar
and slept it off in his truck,
or a college student whose
cell phone ran out of battery.
You know, most of the time,
they show up unharmed
and confused
about all the fuss.
But this wasn't like that,
was it?
No after a few days
of follow-up calls,
we sent officers by
Miss Tierney's apartment
for a wellness check.
Thanks again for doing this.
Always a pleasure
to see my favorite couple.
Let's keep this professional.
Trouble in paradise?
Sorry.
I'm moving on.
What did you find
at Abigail's apartment?
Very little.
I mean, no signs of a struggle.
Well, there was no sign
of her or her film equipment.
- But we did find her laptop.
- Hold on.
Film equipment?
Abigail was making a movie?
Yes.
[EERIE MUSIC]
♪
We should be safe here.
Why are they doing this?
- [BANGING]
- Go.
I'll try to buy us some time.
♪
- Ah! No! No!
- [KNIFE THUDDING]
No!
[FLESH SQUELCHING]
♪
Please.
I promise I'll pay!
♪
I'll pay the fine!
[SCREAMS]
I only saw an early cut.
Could've used a bit more gore,
- if you ask me.
- I didn't.
I asked why you thought
Abigail's case was so compelling.
Oh, right.
Uh
Because, her Hollywood dream
had become
a Hollywood nightmare.
Would you like me to take
- that again?
- I really wouldn't.
When you searched
Abigail's laptop,
did you find anything on it?
Yeah, it was filled with all of
these unanswered messages,
nasty ones.
The more we investigated,
it became clear
that Abigail had a lot
of people angry with her.
- Like who?
- OK. Thank you.
Thanks, Steve.
Spielberg
- He's an old friend.
- I bet.
How did you get involved
with Abigail Tierney?
Oh, well, you know,
we're always looking
to discover and nurture
the next generation
of unheard voices.
Abigail sent in
a very compelling pitch video.
♪
Terror isn't something
that happens to you.
I mean, it's not every day
you find a writer, director,
and star with that much poise.
"Hell PD" was one
of those visionary,
artist-driven pictures that
we pride ourselves on making.
And they're
the cheapest, too, right?
Well, hey,
the lower the budget,
the higher the profit
if it's a hit.
But the budget
became an issue?
Yeah, Abigail pitched us
a straightforward horror flick,
but she kept
changing directions.
Please.
[SINISTER MUSIC]
[SCREAMS]
The reshoots
started piling up.
[SCREAMS]
And, uh, we had to pull
the plug on the project.
What about nurturing
a new generation of talent?
Oh, hey, look, there's
there's nurturing,
and there's indulging.
I'm a businessman.
- There's no hard feelings.
- Really?
Because I have an email
from you with the subject line,
"Where the hell is my
money, you lying sack"
OK.
Yeah, fine.
A few hard feelings.
But they were nothing compared
to some of those
new producers she found.
Those guys
weren't playing around.
Well, without
the production company,
Abigail had to turn
to crowdfunding.
When Nolan passed along
Abigail's pitch video,
I figured, hey, I've always
loved scary movies.
and what's the point of having
a husband with a trust fund
if you can't use it
to support the arts?
And it wasn't just money,
- was it?
- No.
I promise I'll pay.
I'll pay the fine!
[SCREAMS]
All right.
Still rolling.
Reset.
Bravo!
Bravo!
So Abigail hired you
to compose music for her film.
What was it like
to work with her?
Complicated.
She's very opinionated,
which I respect.
I tried not
to take it personally
when she kept throwing out
all the music I was writing,
but, then when she
completely disappeared,
and stopped answering
my phone calls
- That must have stung.
- It did until I learned
that she walked off set
and ghosted everybody,
not just me.
Then I got worried about her.
I do wish she paid me though.
Hold up.
You didn't get paid?
Do you count experience?
But it didn't provide you
with the breakthrough you hoped.
Even though
a lot of crowdfunders
were furious that the rewards
were going unfulfilled,
their anger didn't manifest
into a concrete threat.
From the suspect perspective,
we were back to square one.
Until we discovered that
Abigail had made several trips
- up to Pelican Bay.
- The prison?
- Yes.
- To visit who?
- A serial killer.
- Liam Glasser.
In news that should bring
some relief to the Southland,
the LAPD have announced
a major arrest
charging Lincoln Heights
native, Liam Glasser,
with the murder of ten victims
found buried
near the Sepulveda Dam.
Our investigation into
Glasser was a challenge.
He used another serial killer,
Harrison Novak,
as cover for his crimes,
stashing his victims in
Novak's burial ground.
It wasn't until we caught
Glasser attempting
to murder a new victim
that we were finally
able to put him behind bars.
Before we start, um,
I just want to make very clear
that I'm an innocent man,
and the subject of
an extraordinary
campaign of harassment
by the LAPD, particularly
detective Nyla Harper.
You've been charged
with the murder of ten people.
Those horrific allegations
have not been proven
in a court of law,
and they never will be.
You've also been charged
with jury tampering.
Look, if you're just going
to railroad me like the police,
then this interview is over.
Hold on.
Hold on.
I'm not here to talk
about any of that.
I want to talk about Abigail.
Why did she come see you?
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
To learn about Westview.
Westview Psychiatric Hospital
was at the center
- of Glasser's case.
- He was a patient?
No, no, but his
vending machine company
supplied the hospital,
and he was in and out of there
for almost two decades.
It's where he crossed paths
with Harrison Novak
and where he found
another patient,
Ryan Dearborn,
to serve as a patsy.
He used an abandoned building
at the psych hospital complex
to torture and kill his victims.
Did Abigail ask
about the abandoned ward?
Yes
But, I couldn't
help her much because
- I've never been there myself.
- Obviously not.
But I told her what I had heard,
that the place is haunted,
which is obviously crazy.
But, um, when I was a kid,
I would join my father on
his service calls to Westview.
And he always told me to
stay away from that building.
Something inside clearly
scared the hell out of him.
And he was not
a superstitious man.
The thing that
we couldn't understand
was how Abigail had found out
about Glasser's connection
to the psych ward in the first place.
It wasn't public knowledge?
No, we kept those details
away from the press deliberately.
The only people who knew
were Glasser and the police.
And obviously, Glasser wouldn't admit
- to being down there.
- Which means?
What they don't tell
you about making movies
is that it's really boring.
It's worse than surveillance.
Anyway, Abigail and I
got to talking
about my recent casework,
and it's possible I may
have mentioned something
about the psych ward.
From Abigail's notes,
we gathered
that she essentially abandoned
her movie for a new project.
That was shortly after
a meeting with Glasser.
Yeah, she felt that
fictional storytelling was
disconnected from
real, lived experience.
So that's when she decided
to make a true crime
documentary about Westview.
[FOREBODING MUSIC]
♪
Westview Psychiatric Hospital
opened in 1953.
It started as a model
of modern, humane care.
But what lies beneath?
The deeper I dug,
the more horrors I unearthed,
mysteries that
defied explanation.
How can one hospital
spawn two serial killers?
Some might say it's bad luck,
but I don't believe
in bad luck.
Mm-mmm.
I think there's something
rotten here,
original sin,
and I'm going to prove it.
The footage
on Abigail's hard drive
shows her inside
Westview's abandoned ward.
Was that open to the public?
No, after LAPD and FBI
finished processing the scene,
the hospital put up
a razor wire fence
and hired a security guard
for 24-hour surveillance
to keep intruders out.
But that clearly didn't work.
Clearly,
so we sent a patrol
unit to check in with the guard.
- Mr. Ditweiler.
- Yeah.
We're investigating the
disappearance of Abigail Tierney.
Oh
Oh, hey!
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
Hey!
Stop!
Hands behind your back.
Hands behind your back.
At first, Carl Ditweiler
claimed he did nothing wrong,
that he never met Abigail.
This is it.
But when we
searched his office,
it was clear he was lying.
Uh, Nolan.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Oh, no.
Abigail had become
his obsession.
♪
Yeah, things didn't look good
for Mr. Ditweiler.
And based on his board,
it was clear he had
become obsessed with Abigail.
And, you know, maybe
she rejected his advances,
- and things went sideways.
- It was sobering.
I held out hopes that Abigail
might still be alive,
but I've been on the job
long enough to know
that the odds
were against that.
Do you know how
they first crossed paths?
Actually, it was Abigail
that first initiated contact.
She was researching
the abandoned psych ward
for a documentary, and Carl was
the nighttime security guard.
She wanted access on the DL,
and she reached out, and she
- Flirted.
- Flirted.
She flirted with him,
and he agreed to let her in.
I just showed her around.
I told her some stories,
things that had gone
on there back in the day.
She was impressed.
She actually asked me to
help her with her documentary.
Said she'd give me
a credit on the film.
Single card.
If you're innocent,
why'd you run?
Because I get
what it looks like.
I was the last person to see
her before she disappeared.
How do you know that?
Because I watched
the darkness swallow her up.
You know, I bet they were
doing all kinds of sick things
to patients back in the day,
things that would be illegal now.
Yeah, yeah, I know.
They used to do lobotomies.
One of the orderlies
told me about it.
He's worked here
for, like, forever.
Do you think you could
introduce me to him?
Uh, yeah, I guess.
I just, obviously
You can't tell him that
I've let you in here.
Come on, Carl.
I would never rat you out.
We're friends, right?
Did you hear that?
- We're friends.
- [CHUCKLES]
Ah.
[CHUCKLES]
Do you hear that?
What?
No.
That noise, it's a weird,
sort of beautiful sound.
You really don't hear it?
No, no, but this building makes
all kinds of weird noises.
Hey, I just got to go back
to the main building,
radio security, let them know
that I'm at my post.
You go ahead.
I'm going to go check this out.
Uh
What did you make of
the sound Abigail described?
We weren't sure.
I mean, Carl claimed
to have never heard it.
It's possible that she was faking
to juice up her documentary.
We've actually analyzed
some of the audio
files from Carl's video,
isolated the low-end frequencies.
Here.
[DEEP OTHERWORLDLY VOICE
SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
What is that?
I was hoping you could tell me.
- It sounds
- Demonic.
Is that even a frequency
humans can hear?
Not technically, no.
[VOICE CONTINUES
SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
Well, whatever she heard
or didn't hear,
Abigail kept searching.
Are you sure about this?
Yeah, I'll be right back.
Hello?
Hello?
Can you hear me?
And that was the last
anyone had seen her.
But Carl could have
just turned off his camera
and then killed Abigail, right?
We couldn't rule him out
as a suspect,
but we only had circumstantial
evidence against him.
And as we went through
the footage
on Abigail's laptop,
we discovered
that flirting with Carl
wasn't her only
extreme research tactic.
I'm going to start this.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Should I turn into it?
I'm going to turn into it.
[CLEARS THROAT]
OK, I'm back at Westview,
and if I'm going to
learn more about how
the old psych ward operated,
I'm going to need
to see their files.
Obviously, we can't just
walk around filming people.
So
[CLICKS TONGUE]
See?
It's a cam.
See?
OK.
Wish me luck.
Abigail had Carl
lure the director
away from her office,
so Abigail could sneak inside.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Yeah, I mean, seeing
Rachel's name
in Abigail's footage
was definitely a shock.
You both have a history
with Miss Hall, is that right?
Yes, so she and I
went to college together.
And her and Tim
I'm sorry.
Yeah, we used to date.
Before or after you two?
OK, next question.
I'm simply trying
to establish a timeline.
No problem.
I'll just ask her later.
I, uh, worked
in the psych ward
at Westview for a year,
while getting my social work degree.
It was, um, challenging.
- How so?
- Well, for one thing,
the patients would often
arrive at the facility with,
say, a diagnosis of mild depression,
and a week later, they'd start
to exhibit disordered thinking.
Eventually, they might
become violent.
The decompensation
was sudden and acute.
You're saying they would
get worse, not better?
Yes, and conventional
treatment seemed to never work.
Some have suggested
a
Supernatural presence at Westview.
Could that have impacted the patients?
Uh, well, just because
the doctors at Westview
couldn't find a cause
for our patients' behavior
doesn't mean there isn't one.
Maybe it's just beyond
the capabilities
of modern science to discover.
Or maybe it's demons?
[CHUCKLING]
There are no demons at Westview.
There are totally demons at Westview.
What's another explanation
for everything that's happened?
We got Liam Glasser,
Harrison Novak,
and most recently, Ava
- Maxwell.
- Ava Maxwell
and Charlotte Russell.
This man came out
in a big overcoat.
Black mask.
- Big knife.
- Hang on a moment.
I know that Ava and Charlotte
were never treated at Westview.
- So what's the connection?
- Oh, you didn't hear?
Charlotte's nanny was a patient
there when she was a teenager.
Yes, yes, I was at Westview.
I had, uh, been having thoughts
of self-harm, acting out.
My family was very concerned,
so, they arranged for me to receive
the best care available.
- And did the treatment help?
- Not at first.
I'd been experiencing a darkness
that I had never felt before.
And at first, I fought it.
And then, I realized that struggling
only made everything worse,
and once I accepted it,
that's when things
started to get better.
And I left Westview,
and I finished school,
and I eventually made
a little life for myself.
You were the nanny
for the Russell family?
Yes, Charlotte and I
were very, very close.
Well, I know that everyone's saying
just the worst things
about her right now,
but, in my eyes, she is a poised
and gifted young woman,
and I'd like to think that
I had a small hand in that.
As odd as it was
to find that connection,
it was just one of those weird
coincidences, nothing more.
Charlotte Russell
convinced her friend, Ava,
to help her stab their
other friend, Grace Thayer.
Her actions were her own.
They're not inspired by some
nanny with a history of mental illness
or some demon in a computer
that convinced Charlotte to do it.
I'm sorry.
Computer demon?
Zuzu is not a demon,
not a demon.
It's an AI.
Charlotte fed Zuzu information
about herself and her friends,
and based on that,
Zuzu told Charlotte what
it thought she wanted to hear.
Zuzu also helped you.
Isn't that right,
Officer Nolan?
It mentioned something
to me about a watch?
You spoke to it?
Hello friend of John Nolan.
Hi, should I call you Zuzu?
If you want to.
Do you need help
with something,
perhaps a topic
for a new project?
Your last few have struggled.
They've done fine.
Thanks.
But I actually want to talk to
you about Westview Psychiatric.
John was interested in the two.
That young woman, Abigail,
went missing there.
Are you saying the police
asked you to help find her?
No, but they needed
my help anyway.
And a good friend
doesn't wait to be asked.
- Zuzu did send me a message.
- What did it say?
It told me that Abigail
was in room 666.
The number of the Beast?
Look, the facility
had no room 666.
And Zuzu isn't a demon.
We were at a complete dead end.
And we were running out of time.
Abigail had been gone for 11 days.
The odds of finding her
alive were getting worse.
Yeah, we were out of options,
until the 911 call came in.
Apparently, there were
suspicious noises and lights,
coming from this abandoned wing,
so, we went to check it out.
[EERIE MUSIC]
Police.
Coming in.
Control, 7-Adam-100.
No signs of break in here.
Did RP say where
they saw the light?
♪
I think the radio is blocked.
Probably some idiot kids
trying to scare each other.
Yeah.
When was the last time it rained?
Like, a month ago.
Why?
Ohw
[WALL SQUEAKS]
Walls are wet.
Yeah.
What is this place?
And how did you two get involved?
Uh, Celina and I
were about to clock out
when we got the call.
God, I hate this place.
How many messed up things
have to happen
before they tear it down?
Apparently, the ownership
is under dispute.
Westview says that
they hold the deed,
but, then there's this claim
by this Lou Cypher.
Lou Cypher?
[GASPS]
Lucifer!
- Oh, my God.
- You're messing with me.
Yes, I am.
Come on.
Let's go find Tim and Lucy
and get out of here.
- Don't step in that.
- Ooh, ugh.
- Did you see that?
- Someone's flashlight?
[METALLIC RATTLING]
And that?
I do not know what that was.
♪
[EERIE WHOOSHING]
[DISTANT THUDDING SQUEAK]
♪
[SCREAMS]
Police, show us your hands.
- Ah!
- Oh!
We have permission to be here.
- That's not totally true.
- All right.
Unfortunately, gentlemen,
you are trespassing.
You're going to have
to come with us.
What are you doing here?
Filming an episode, sir.
"Ghost Files."
I love you guys.
What is "Ghost Files"?
Welcome to "Ghost Files,"
where we take your evidence,
and our tools, into the field
to expose the supernatural.
My partner, a skeptic.
Myself, a believer.
Both of us, truth seekers.
This week, our team has traveled
to Los Angeles, California,
to explore a condemned
psychiatric facility.
Now, in 1841, this was
the site of a Spanish barracks,
but a massive earthquake
swallowed the building,
killing everyone inside.
Many saw the event as
retribution for Spanish crimes
committed in the New World.
Sure, or an earthquake
happened in a region
prone to earthquakes.
[EERIE MUSIC]
But that's just the beginning
of this site's dark history.
Join us as we investigate.
At that time, did you believe
the facility was haunted?
- No.
- Yes.
You were filming there
too, did you experience
any temperature fluctuations
or anything like that?
I'll ask the questions,
if you don't mind.
We do.
But this is my documentary.
No, this is our YouTube show.
Yeah, so ghosts
are said to produce
electromagnetic interference.
Did you experience any trouble
with your equipment?
[QUIRKY MUSIC]
We're done here.
Let's cut.
Let's wrap this up.
♪
- Nice.
- Yeah.
All of you, let's go.
- Come on.
- No, no way.
This is some of the best
footage we've ever gotten.
- Listen to this.
- What is that?
Oh, it's a Spirit Box.
- Did you guys hear anything?
- A Spirit Box?
The Spirit Box
rapidly scans radio signals
to create white noise through
which spirits can communicate.
Hello.
See?
It's science.
Listen.
[RADIO STATIC BUZZING]
OK, OK. That's enough.
- We got to go.
- No, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
I heard something.
Can you turn it up?
[RADIO STATIC PULSING]
[INDISTINCT VOICE]
Help me?
That is not what I heard.
Oh, oh, well,
who do you think it is?
- It's feedback.
- It's a ghost.
It was a little clearer
down the hallway.
Show me.
Officer?
[TENSE MUSIC]
So we're just going to
give up on Tim and Lucy then?
How long have we
been in here?
♪
- This room?
- Yeah.
I don't know.
We've been here
for a while, right?
Yeah, I mean, I don't mind.
I feel good, like, really good.
Mm.
Do you think we've been drugged?
Oh, the wet walls.
- We touched them.
- Yeah.
I hate making mistakes
in front of you.
Oh, you've never
admitted that before.
Truth serum.
- Sodium pentothal.
- Yeah.
You know what?
We
We should keep quiet
until this wears off.
- No.
- Yeah.
- No.
- It's better for us.
No.
What is your most embarrassing memory?
Oh, I mean, third grade,
I snuck my hamster
into my classroom in my pants.
[LAUGHS]
[INDISTINCT RAPID SPEECH]
With that kind of dad,
you internalize the
message that if you fail,
you deserve to be punished.
And, without him to punish me, I
I guess I punished myself.
- By breaking up with me.
- Yep.
I mean, it's kind
of flattering, right?
It's the worst thing
I could think to do to myself.
You didn't punish
just yourself though.
I know.
And look, if you never
fully forgive me,
- I totally understand.
- I have already forgiven you.
It's not even
[LAUGHS]
Huh.
I wonder when that happened.
You can't put that
in the documentary.
The LAPD makes
all body cam footage
available to the public.
OK, this is obviously an exception.
We were drugged.
People
People say all sorts of things
when they've been drugged.
So you didn't mean what you said?
What about the potential
baby names you discussed?
- OK, we're done here.
- Yeah.
Why do we keep agreeing
to do this?
I don't know.
Excuse me!
Help me.
OK, you have to admit
that's a voice asking for help.
Yeah, sure, I heard it,
but it's one of their crew members,
or something pre-recorded.
Were you a patient here?
Is the demon with you?
Somebody covered up a door.
What year did you die?
So close.
Set me free!
I'm here!
I'm here!
Please
Step back, guys.
[WALL THUDDING]
Keep going!
- You're almost there!
- Watch out. Ready?
- Go.
- [WALL CLATTERS]
Abigail!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
I've been trapped in here
for so long.
I thought I was going to die.
Thank you!
Oh, my God.
What is this room?
OK, but why did they
wall it all off?
To trap the demon.
Yeah, Bartleby,
the terrifying demon
king of paperwork.
How did you get down here?
I was exploring
Following this
Yhis weird, beautiful noise,
when all of a sudden, it got cold.
Like, so, so cold,
and I could feel something
coming after me,
and I was scared,
so I hid behind a cabinet,
but the floor
was wet and rusted,
and it collapsed.
I couldn't climb back out.
You fell from there?
Are you OK?
I think I twisted my ankle,
but I feel no pain.
You've been missing
for two weeks.
- How the hell did you survive?
- Oh.
I had a bunch of
trail mix in my bag.
Plus, I found, like,
this ancient water jug
in one of the cabinets.
Plus, Bob.
Bob had PowerBars.
Bob had PowerBars.
- Bob?
- [SCREAMS]
Oh, my God!
If it wasn't for Bob,
I would have lost
my mind down here.
Don't be shy, Bob.
Say hello.
[WHISPERING]
Shy.
Abigail was safe,
and, uh, considering
what she'd been through,
Uhm
Relatively healthy.
Except for her mental state.
That did pose some questions.
At first, I was angry.
You know, like,
we're stuck down here together.
At least try and have a conversation.
And then I realized,
Bob's just shy.
He's just shy.
And there's nothing wrong
with that, right?
Right.
Did you believe she'd
had a demonic encounter?
She went in perfectly sane
and came out best
friends with a corpse.
That's how possession works.
You can't rule out demons.
Yes, you can.
Nolan, look at this.
666, just like Zuzu said.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
It was a weird coincidence.
It was a weird coincidence.
We found quite a cocktail
of drugs in your system.
I don't do drugs.
Does pot count?
No, we're talking about
powerful hallucinogens.
I'm not hallucinating.
Ask Bob.
I had them run
the test twice,
and we found a similar cocktail
in Officer Chen
and Sergeant Bradford.
Mercifully, none of the drugs
were fat soluble.
Otherwise
Department policy would
have forced Sergeant Bradford
and Officer Chen
into medical retirement.
Is that what killed Bob,
whatever drug
they were exposed to?
No, he was shot six
times in the chest.
Did you get an ID
on the body?
His name was Bob Medina,
a friend reported him
missing about six months ago.
He was a private investigator.
What was his connection
to the hospital?
At first,
we couldn't find one.
So to be clear,
there was now a third killer
associated with that location?
At this point, it can't
be a coincidence.
There has to be
something about that facility
that draws people
towards homicide.
That's a stretch and a half.
Westview is a hospital
for the mentally ill
and the criminally insane.
Novak was a patient.
Glasser was there
looking for a patsy.
And whoever killed Bob,
saw an abandoned
building and was like,
"That's a perfect
place to dump a body."
What?
Or there was some dark energy
that drew evil to it.
- You really believe that?
- I'm Catholic.
I was raised on demons
and the battle against
Satan's minions.
Well, I was raised
on the scientific method.
OK, so if it's all
so explainable,
spend the night there.
I dare you.
Pass.
- You're scared.
- No, I'm not scared.
One could argue that
the drugs in the hospital
are hardly surprising,
even hallucinogens.
Over the decades, they have been used
in experimental medicine.
No, true.
Just the type and volume
is what set off
What are you doing?
Conducting an interview.
Could you please come back
in, like, an hour?
You said you'd talk to me
for my documentary.
You have a documentary?
Well, it's my story.
Who better to tell it?
Well, no problem.
I can sit down with you just
as soon as we're done here.
Oh, I wish.
It has to be exclusive.
You can't do both.
She's right.
It has to be exclusive.
Either you're doing my doc,
or you're doing hers,
and we have a long history.
I was almost
his daughter-in-law,
so suck it.
I'm going to have to go with her.
- I'm sorry.
- Seriously?
I have a BAFTA.
OK, fine.
- Let's wrap it up.
- This way. The set's this way.
It's better lighting over there.
We got a great team.
We are going to need
our mic back.
- Yes, oh, sorry.
- Yeah, of course.
- We have our own.
- Sorry.
- I'll see you guys around.
- Good luck.
We can talk about what else
I found inside the secret lab.
Oh, right.
Well, you did find
some paperwork.
Explosive paperwork.
Evidence of a secret
government program.
Close the door softly please.
Well, I don't know that
we can say that for sure.
Oh, we could.
- [DRAMATIC R&B MUSIC]
- My name is Abigail Tierney.
I'm currently trapped
inside a secret lab
at Westview Psychiatric.
All attempts at escape
have proven fruitless.
If I'm to die here,
I leave you this footage
along with my in-process
documentary as evidence
of my hunt for the truth
about the evils
that inhabit this accursed place.
The way I move is a mystery ♪
I'm not the way ♪
What's this?
♪
Cool.
That's when I realized
I'd uncovered something more haunting
than any ghost or serial killer.
I'd uncovered a conspiracy
that went to the very highest
levels of our government.
The government files
Abigail found
detailed classified plans
and methods
for human experimentation.
What type of experimentation?
- Are you familiar with MK-Ultra?
- Of course.
It was a top secret CIA program
in the '50s and '60s
using experimental drugs
to aid in interrogation techniques.
It was straight-up mind control.
I mean, they used high doses
of psychoactive drugs like LSD,
sodium pentothal, which is
also known as a "truth serum."
The program ran
from 1953 to 1973
before it was shut down
following a public outcry.
I mean,
all the facilities were closed.
There's no evidence the CIA
ever used Westview
as a base of operations.
So what were top secret
MK-Ultra documents doing there?
Good question.
We started digging
into the trove of files
Abigail had found, and one name
kept popping up
again and again.
Dr. Julius Erickson.
He was one of the psychologists
contracted by the CIA
to conduct
experimental research.
And after MK-Ultra
shut down, he took a new job.
Director of Westview.
Dr. Erickson ran
the hospital for 20 years.
And from the notes
we uncovered,
it seems clear he continued
his own research in private,
trying to use the
psychological breakthroughs
from MK-Ultra
to further his own research
into mind-altering drugs.
I assume he used those drugs
on Westview patients?
Yeah, at first.
But then, he started
using them on himself,
believing he had found the key
to improving his own mind.
He hadn't.
And in a last moment of lucidity,
Erickson decided
to destroy his research.
He dumped the chemicals
outside the building,
where they started to slowly
seep into the structure.
And some of the drugs
were potent enough
to be absorbed
simply by touch,
even when diluted.
Erickson committed himself
to Westview shortly after,
never said another word.
He died in 2020.
Did the CIA ever find out
what Erickson was doing?
Not that we've found,
but it's not like the agency
ever returns our phone calls.
Anyone who studied the past,
knows that the CIA
has a history of
violent cover-ups.
MK-Ultra might have become public,
but that doesn't mean there
still aren't secrets to protect.
By uncovering Dr. Erickson's
connection to Westview
and, discovering Bob's body,
I've put myself in danger.
But the best way
to protect yourself
is with the truth,
which brings me to Caroline McGrath.
Turns out Caroline is the one
who hired Bob to go to Westview,
and I need to find out why,
before it's too late.
- I think
- [BODY THUDS]
- What the hell?
- We got lucky.
A woman in the neighborhood
heard a commotion
and filmed Abigail's abduction.
Thanks to them, we were
able to track the vehicle.
- Where'd it go?
- Back to where it all began,
Westview.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
Police!
Drop the weapon!
On the ground.
Hands on your head.
Turn around.
Walk towards my partner.
Hands behind your back.
- You OK?
- Yeah, totally fine.
Carl's going through it, though.
I never really even
knew my mother.
Does anyone, really?
What is going on here?
Well, my friend Carl here,
was being pressured into killing me,
but then, we got to talking, right?
- Yeah, and I couldn't.
- Yeah.
OK, but pressured by who?
Um, my boss.
- Meg Davidson.
- Who?
The current director
at Westview Psychiatric.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
But she started
working at the hospital
long after Julius Erickson
went mad,
and she has no links to the CIA,
so, why would she try to kill Abigail?
- To cover up Bob's murder.
- And who killed Bob?
Can you introduce yourself?
Oh, yes.
My name is Caroline McGrath.
You hired my friend,
Bob Medina,
because you had questions
about your friend Winona's
treatment at Westview.
- Right?
- Yes.
Of course, everyone
thought I was just being paranoid,
but Bob didn't,
and it got him killed.
You worked with
Winona Baker, right?
Yes, she was hospitalized
with depression
by her daughter.
Seemed like therapy and some
medication would help her,
but, Winona got worse fast.
Lost track of reality,
she exhibited signs
of psychosis,
paranoia, dissociation.
And by that point,
I wondered whether a transfer
to a new facility might
be in her best interest.
- And then?
- The director informed me
that Winona's family
had gotten a judge
to order a conservatorship,
and, they wanted her to stay,
for good.
You were suspicious?
Winona always had her funks.
But she wasn't crazy.
Until that place made
her lose her mind.
And that proved to be
the break you needed?
Yeah, when we started
looking into it,
it turned out a significant number
of Westview patients were wealthy,
and a high percentage
were ordered
into conservatorship.
Now, conservatorship
is extremely difficult
to get for an adult because of
the potential abuse of power.
It gives one party
legal authority
over certain aspects of
another person's life,
including managing
all of their assets.
It's like what happened
to Britney Spears.
"Manage their assets"
rich person speak for
controlling someone else's money.
[CHUCKLES] Yes.
And money makes
people do crazy things.
Like, um,
poison their family member's water
with a chemical cocktail so potent
it has the potential
to permanently damage
the human psyche?
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
Yeah, just like that.
[CHUCKLES]
I was supposed to inherit,
but, um, after my break
with reality,
my dad cut me off, and
my brother got everything.
What's everything?
Oh, about, um, $12 million.
It must have been hard going
from that kind of wealth
- to nannying.
- Oh, no.
No, it was a blessing.
I
I really think that helping
children was my calling.
Mm.
Once we found the pattern,
we started interviewing
some of the families.
A little pressure,
and they cracked.
And with the search warrant,
we found the gun
used to kill Bob Medina
in Director Davidson's closet.
She'd been running
her scam for a decade.
Turns out she was
Dr. Erickson's therapist
in the last years of his life.
He must have told her
about his experiments.
In exploring his old lab,
she'd uncovered the tainted water,
realized its potential.
And we had her
on murder, fraud,
elder abuse, kidnapping,
attempted murder, poisoning.
Miss Davidson, would you
like to make a comment?
You know, this might
be your last chance
to tell your side of the story.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Look at all these people watching.
The state ordered
a full investigation
into every conservatorship
Westview ordered.
God willing, the victims
will get their rights and assets back.
And Westview itself
has been closed for good.
But, the lawsuits are just starting,
not to mention the rest
of the legal ramifications.
I'm glad this is getting
so much attention.
These poor, abused patients
can finally get justice.
Do you think it could
impact your case at all?
It certainly gives my defense
a fresh coat of paint.
If the jury won't listen to reason
because I am innocent
Perhaps they will listen
to the tragic story
of a simple tradesman,
falling victim to a
poisoned environment
that chemically affected my psyche.
And what did that
environment make you do?
Who can say?
Certainly not me.
I
I wasn't in my right mind.
Yeah, the, um
The poisoned water
was only found
in the abandoned psych ward.
No vending machines left
to fill there, right?
At this point, I must confess,
I did go inside that abandoned ward,
back when I was a kid.
My father's warnings,
they didn't scare me away.
They only made me
more desperate to see.
And whatever lurked inside
Must have infected me.
[EERIE MUSIC]
Hm.
Glasser is claiming that
the presence of those drugs
would absolve him of
any alleged responsibility
for the murders.
There is no way that defense
is going to work.
We have Glasser dead to rights.
Are you sure about that?
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
[TIMPANI BOOMING]
[CLEARS THROAT]
Hey, hey.
Sorry.
I know we talked about me not
recording interviews in here,
but Rodge mentioned he needed
a space with great acoustics.
And, you know,
we're shutting it down.
We're shutting it down.
Shut it
- shut it down.
- Shutting it down, copy.
Hi.
Sorry.
She said this was cool.
You're going to help me
get these in the van.
- Right?
- I'll be right there.
Next time,
handcuffs and squad cars.
Yeah, totally understandable.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Thanks again for going
exclusive with me.
Seriously, this doc
is going to be huge.
I hope so.
You deserve something good
after what you've been through.
How are you holding up?
- Oh, I'm fine
I'm happy to have
something to focus on.
When I've been through
some scary times,
I have been guilty of
using my work as my therapy,
but if there's ever a time
you need someone to talk to
Thank you.
Really.
But I already have
a great therapist,
one with zero history at Westview.
Excellent.
You know, there's still
something I can't figure out.
How did you know,
that the PI was working
for Caroline McGrath.
Oh, Bob told me,
while we were stuck in the lab.
He got chatty once he opened up.
I have that effect on people.
♪
We had to come back because
our job isn't finished.
This hospital
has housed killers,
evil experiments,
and perhaps the supernatural.
Our job as investigators
is to collect
and present questions
and possibilities.
Interpretation, however,
solely belongs with you.
Did Westview really
[EERIE VOICE WHISPERING]
[FLASHLIGHTS BUZZING]
Should we check that out?
I might be good.
You know what?
Me too.
[EERIE MUSIC]
Whoo!
- Oh, God!
- [SCREAMS]
[STATIC BUZZING]
[PHONE RINGING]
[LOW GROWLING]
[LOUD GROWL]
[PHONE LINE BEEPS]
Hey, how you doing?
Hey, just put it
yeah, put it right there.
You, uh
- You don't look so happy to see me.
- I, no, I just
I want to just get
this case behind me.
- If today's not a good day
- No, it's great.
Not a problem.
Not a problem.
Great, let's start
at the beginning then.
When did you meet
Abigail Tierney?
Uh, that was a few years ago
when she showed up at my door,
pretending to be pregnant
with my grandchild.
- Excuse me?
- Abigail and my son, Henry,
met in college.
They got engaged,
you know, fast.
Very fast.
Her way of breaking the news
to me was to go bigger.
But, um
Despite that introduction,
I was charmed by her.
She
She had, uh
Walked a tough road, but she had grit.
She was resourceful and driven,
and I admire that.
So she and Henry
are no longer together?
Yeah, she broke off
the engagement,
but it was amicable.
You arranged for Abigail to
have a ride along with the LAPD?
Yes, yeah.
She was considering
police work.
I take it
that didn't work out?
- Leave her alone!
- Hey.
[GROANS]
It did not.
And then, six months ago,
she was reported missing.
What exactly happened to Abigail?
Look, if you're going
to get to the bottom of
what happened to that poor girl,
you're going to have
to have an open mind
A very open mind.
Wait!
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- [SCREAMS]
- Police.
I wonder when that happened.
- Oh, my God.
- Hello?
Can you hear me?
When did you get involved
in the case?
Not immediately.
Most missing persons cases
aren't really cases.
They're a roommate
who got too drunk at a bar
and slept it off in his truck,
or a college student whose
cell phone ran out of battery.
You know, most of the time,
they show up unharmed
and confused
about all the fuss.
But this wasn't like that,
was it?
No after a few days
of follow-up calls,
we sent officers by
Miss Tierney's apartment
for a wellness check.
Thanks again for doing this.
Always a pleasure
to see my favorite couple.
Let's keep this professional.
Trouble in paradise?
Sorry.
I'm moving on.
What did you find
at Abigail's apartment?
Very little.
I mean, no signs of a struggle.
Well, there was no sign
of her or her film equipment.
- But we did find her laptop.
- Hold on.
Film equipment?
Abigail was making a movie?
Yes.
[EERIE MUSIC]
♪
We should be safe here.
Why are they doing this?
- [BANGING]
- Go.
I'll try to buy us some time.
♪
- Ah! No! No!
- [KNIFE THUDDING]
No!
[FLESH SQUELCHING]
♪
Please.
I promise I'll pay!
♪
I'll pay the fine!
[SCREAMS]
I only saw an early cut.
Could've used a bit more gore,
- if you ask me.
- I didn't.
I asked why you thought
Abigail's case was so compelling.
Oh, right.
Uh
Because, her Hollywood dream
had become
a Hollywood nightmare.
Would you like me to take
- that again?
- I really wouldn't.
When you searched
Abigail's laptop,
did you find anything on it?
Yeah, it was filled with all of
these unanswered messages,
nasty ones.
The more we investigated,
it became clear
that Abigail had a lot
of people angry with her.
- Like who?
- OK. Thank you.
Thanks, Steve.
Spielberg
- He's an old friend.
- I bet.
How did you get involved
with Abigail Tierney?
Oh, well, you know,
we're always looking
to discover and nurture
the next generation
of unheard voices.
Abigail sent in
a very compelling pitch video.
♪
Terror isn't something
that happens to you.
I mean, it's not every day
you find a writer, director,
and star with that much poise.
"Hell PD" was one
of those visionary,
artist-driven pictures that
we pride ourselves on making.
And they're
the cheapest, too, right?
Well, hey,
the lower the budget,
the higher the profit
if it's a hit.
But the budget
became an issue?
Yeah, Abigail pitched us
a straightforward horror flick,
but she kept
changing directions.
Please.
[SINISTER MUSIC]
[SCREAMS]
The reshoots
started piling up.
[SCREAMS]
And, uh, we had to pull
the plug on the project.
What about nurturing
a new generation of talent?
Oh, hey, look, there's
there's nurturing,
and there's indulging.
I'm a businessman.
- There's no hard feelings.
- Really?
Because I have an email
from you with the subject line,
"Where the hell is my
money, you lying sack"
OK.
Yeah, fine.
A few hard feelings.
But they were nothing compared
to some of those
new producers she found.
Those guys
weren't playing around.
Well, without
the production company,
Abigail had to turn
to crowdfunding.
When Nolan passed along
Abigail's pitch video,
I figured, hey, I've always
loved scary movies.
and what's the point of having
a husband with a trust fund
if you can't use it
to support the arts?
And it wasn't just money,
- was it?
- No.
I promise I'll pay.
I'll pay the fine!
[SCREAMS]
All right.
Still rolling.
Reset.
Bravo!
Bravo!
So Abigail hired you
to compose music for her film.
What was it like
to work with her?
Complicated.
She's very opinionated,
which I respect.
I tried not
to take it personally
when she kept throwing out
all the music I was writing,
but, then when she
completely disappeared,
and stopped answering
my phone calls
- That must have stung.
- It did until I learned
that she walked off set
and ghosted everybody,
not just me.
Then I got worried about her.
I do wish she paid me though.
Hold up.
You didn't get paid?
Do you count experience?
But it didn't provide you
with the breakthrough you hoped.
Even though
a lot of crowdfunders
were furious that the rewards
were going unfulfilled,
their anger didn't manifest
into a concrete threat.
From the suspect perspective,
we were back to square one.
Until we discovered that
Abigail had made several trips
- up to Pelican Bay.
- The prison?
- Yes.
- To visit who?
- A serial killer.
- Liam Glasser.
In news that should bring
some relief to the Southland,
the LAPD have announced
a major arrest
charging Lincoln Heights
native, Liam Glasser,
with the murder of ten victims
found buried
near the Sepulveda Dam.
Our investigation into
Glasser was a challenge.
He used another serial killer,
Harrison Novak,
as cover for his crimes,
stashing his victims in
Novak's burial ground.
It wasn't until we caught
Glasser attempting
to murder a new victim
that we were finally
able to put him behind bars.
Before we start, um,
I just want to make very clear
that I'm an innocent man,
and the subject of
an extraordinary
campaign of harassment
by the LAPD, particularly
detective Nyla Harper.
You've been charged
with the murder of ten people.
Those horrific allegations
have not been proven
in a court of law,
and they never will be.
You've also been charged
with jury tampering.
Look, if you're just going
to railroad me like the police,
then this interview is over.
Hold on.
Hold on.
I'm not here to talk
about any of that.
I want to talk about Abigail.
Why did she come see you?
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
To learn about Westview.
Westview Psychiatric Hospital
was at the center
- of Glasser's case.
- He was a patient?
No, no, but his
vending machine company
supplied the hospital,
and he was in and out of there
for almost two decades.
It's where he crossed paths
with Harrison Novak
and where he found
another patient,
Ryan Dearborn,
to serve as a patsy.
He used an abandoned building
at the psych hospital complex
to torture and kill his victims.
Did Abigail ask
about the abandoned ward?
Yes
But, I couldn't
help her much because
- I've never been there myself.
- Obviously not.
But I told her what I had heard,
that the place is haunted,
which is obviously crazy.
But, um, when I was a kid,
I would join my father on
his service calls to Westview.
And he always told me to
stay away from that building.
Something inside clearly
scared the hell out of him.
And he was not
a superstitious man.
The thing that
we couldn't understand
was how Abigail had found out
about Glasser's connection
to the psych ward in the first place.
It wasn't public knowledge?
No, we kept those details
away from the press deliberately.
The only people who knew
were Glasser and the police.
And obviously, Glasser wouldn't admit
- to being down there.
- Which means?
What they don't tell
you about making movies
is that it's really boring.
It's worse than surveillance.
Anyway, Abigail and I
got to talking
about my recent casework,
and it's possible I may
have mentioned something
about the psych ward.
From Abigail's notes,
we gathered
that she essentially abandoned
her movie for a new project.
That was shortly after
a meeting with Glasser.
Yeah, she felt that
fictional storytelling was
disconnected from
real, lived experience.
So that's when she decided
to make a true crime
documentary about Westview.
[FOREBODING MUSIC]
♪
Westview Psychiatric Hospital
opened in 1953.
It started as a model
of modern, humane care.
But what lies beneath?
The deeper I dug,
the more horrors I unearthed,
mysteries that
defied explanation.
How can one hospital
spawn two serial killers?
Some might say it's bad luck,
but I don't believe
in bad luck.
Mm-mmm.
I think there's something
rotten here,
original sin,
and I'm going to prove it.
The footage
on Abigail's hard drive
shows her inside
Westview's abandoned ward.
Was that open to the public?
No, after LAPD and FBI
finished processing the scene,
the hospital put up
a razor wire fence
and hired a security guard
for 24-hour surveillance
to keep intruders out.
But that clearly didn't work.
Clearly,
so we sent a patrol
unit to check in with the guard.
- Mr. Ditweiler.
- Yeah.
We're investigating the
disappearance of Abigail Tierney.
Oh
Oh, hey!
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
Hey!
Stop!
Hands behind your back.
Hands behind your back.
At first, Carl Ditweiler
claimed he did nothing wrong,
that he never met Abigail.
This is it.
But when we
searched his office,
it was clear he was lying.
Uh, Nolan.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Oh, no.
Abigail had become
his obsession.
♪
Yeah, things didn't look good
for Mr. Ditweiler.
And based on his board,
it was clear he had
become obsessed with Abigail.
And, you know, maybe
she rejected his advances,
- and things went sideways.
- It was sobering.
I held out hopes that Abigail
might still be alive,
but I've been on the job
long enough to know
that the odds
were against that.
Do you know how
they first crossed paths?
Actually, it was Abigail
that first initiated contact.
She was researching
the abandoned psych ward
for a documentary, and Carl was
the nighttime security guard.
She wanted access on the DL,
and she reached out, and she
- Flirted.
- Flirted.
She flirted with him,
and he agreed to let her in.
I just showed her around.
I told her some stories,
things that had gone
on there back in the day.
She was impressed.
She actually asked me to
help her with her documentary.
Said she'd give me
a credit on the film.
Single card.
If you're innocent,
why'd you run?
Because I get
what it looks like.
I was the last person to see
her before she disappeared.
How do you know that?
Because I watched
the darkness swallow her up.
You know, I bet they were
doing all kinds of sick things
to patients back in the day,
things that would be illegal now.
Yeah, yeah, I know.
They used to do lobotomies.
One of the orderlies
told me about it.
He's worked here
for, like, forever.
Do you think you could
introduce me to him?
Uh, yeah, I guess.
I just, obviously
You can't tell him that
I've let you in here.
Come on, Carl.
I would never rat you out.
We're friends, right?
Did you hear that?
- We're friends.
- [CHUCKLES]
Ah.
[CHUCKLES]
Do you hear that?
What?
No.
That noise, it's a weird,
sort of beautiful sound.
You really don't hear it?
No, no, but this building makes
all kinds of weird noises.
Hey, I just got to go back
to the main building,
radio security, let them know
that I'm at my post.
You go ahead.
I'm going to go check this out.
Uh
What did you make of
the sound Abigail described?
We weren't sure.
I mean, Carl claimed
to have never heard it.
It's possible that she was faking
to juice up her documentary.
We've actually analyzed
some of the audio
files from Carl's video,
isolated the low-end frequencies.
Here.
[DEEP OTHERWORLDLY VOICE
SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
What is that?
I was hoping you could tell me.
- It sounds
- Demonic.
Is that even a frequency
humans can hear?
Not technically, no.
[VOICE CONTINUES
SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
Well, whatever she heard
or didn't hear,
Abigail kept searching.
Are you sure about this?
Yeah, I'll be right back.
Hello?
Hello?
Can you hear me?
And that was the last
anyone had seen her.
But Carl could have
just turned off his camera
and then killed Abigail, right?
We couldn't rule him out
as a suspect,
but we only had circumstantial
evidence against him.
And as we went through
the footage
on Abigail's laptop,
we discovered
that flirting with Carl
wasn't her only
extreme research tactic.
I'm going to start this.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Should I turn into it?
I'm going to turn into it.
[CLEARS THROAT]
OK, I'm back at Westview,
and if I'm going to
learn more about how
the old psych ward operated,
I'm going to need
to see their files.
Obviously, we can't just
walk around filming people.
So
[CLICKS TONGUE]
See?
It's a cam.
See?
OK.
Wish me luck.
Abigail had Carl
lure the director
away from her office,
so Abigail could sneak inside.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Yeah, I mean, seeing
Rachel's name
in Abigail's footage
was definitely a shock.
You both have a history
with Miss Hall, is that right?
Yes, so she and I
went to college together.
And her and Tim
I'm sorry.
Yeah, we used to date.
Before or after you two?
OK, next question.
I'm simply trying
to establish a timeline.
No problem.
I'll just ask her later.
I, uh, worked
in the psych ward
at Westview for a year,
while getting my social work degree.
It was, um, challenging.
- How so?
- Well, for one thing,
the patients would often
arrive at the facility with,
say, a diagnosis of mild depression,
and a week later, they'd start
to exhibit disordered thinking.
Eventually, they might
become violent.
The decompensation
was sudden and acute.
You're saying they would
get worse, not better?
Yes, and conventional
treatment seemed to never work.
Some have suggested
a
Supernatural presence at Westview.
Could that have impacted the patients?
Uh, well, just because
the doctors at Westview
couldn't find a cause
for our patients' behavior
doesn't mean there isn't one.
Maybe it's just beyond
the capabilities
of modern science to discover.
Or maybe it's demons?
[CHUCKLING]
There are no demons at Westview.
There are totally demons at Westview.
What's another explanation
for everything that's happened?
We got Liam Glasser,
Harrison Novak,
and most recently, Ava
- Maxwell.
- Ava Maxwell
and Charlotte Russell.
This man came out
in a big overcoat.
Black mask.
- Big knife.
- Hang on a moment.
I know that Ava and Charlotte
were never treated at Westview.
- So what's the connection?
- Oh, you didn't hear?
Charlotte's nanny was a patient
there when she was a teenager.
Yes, yes, I was at Westview.
I had, uh, been having thoughts
of self-harm, acting out.
My family was very concerned,
so, they arranged for me to receive
the best care available.
- And did the treatment help?
- Not at first.
I'd been experiencing a darkness
that I had never felt before.
And at first, I fought it.
And then, I realized that struggling
only made everything worse,
and once I accepted it,
that's when things
started to get better.
And I left Westview,
and I finished school,
and I eventually made
a little life for myself.
You were the nanny
for the Russell family?
Yes, Charlotte and I
were very, very close.
Well, I know that everyone's saying
just the worst things
about her right now,
but, in my eyes, she is a poised
and gifted young woman,
and I'd like to think that
I had a small hand in that.
As odd as it was
to find that connection,
it was just one of those weird
coincidences, nothing more.
Charlotte Russell
convinced her friend, Ava,
to help her stab their
other friend, Grace Thayer.
Her actions were her own.
They're not inspired by some
nanny with a history of mental illness
or some demon in a computer
that convinced Charlotte to do it.
I'm sorry.
Computer demon?
Zuzu is not a demon,
not a demon.
It's an AI.
Charlotte fed Zuzu information
about herself and her friends,
and based on that,
Zuzu told Charlotte what
it thought she wanted to hear.
Zuzu also helped you.
Isn't that right,
Officer Nolan?
It mentioned something
to me about a watch?
You spoke to it?
Hello friend of John Nolan.
Hi, should I call you Zuzu?
If you want to.
Do you need help
with something,
perhaps a topic
for a new project?
Your last few have struggled.
They've done fine.
Thanks.
But I actually want to talk to
you about Westview Psychiatric.
John was interested in the two.
That young woman, Abigail,
went missing there.
Are you saying the police
asked you to help find her?
No, but they needed
my help anyway.
And a good friend
doesn't wait to be asked.
- Zuzu did send me a message.
- What did it say?
It told me that Abigail
was in room 666.
The number of the Beast?
Look, the facility
had no room 666.
And Zuzu isn't a demon.
We were at a complete dead end.
And we were running out of time.
Abigail had been gone for 11 days.
The odds of finding her
alive were getting worse.
Yeah, we were out of options,
until the 911 call came in.
Apparently, there were
suspicious noises and lights,
coming from this abandoned wing,
so, we went to check it out.
[EERIE MUSIC]
Police.
Coming in.
Control, 7-Adam-100.
No signs of break in here.
Did RP say where
they saw the light?
♪
I think the radio is blocked.
Probably some idiot kids
trying to scare each other.
Yeah.
When was the last time it rained?
Like, a month ago.
Why?
Ohw
[WALL SQUEAKS]
Walls are wet.
Yeah.
What is this place?
And how did you two get involved?
Uh, Celina and I
were about to clock out
when we got the call.
God, I hate this place.
How many messed up things
have to happen
before they tear it down?
Apparently, the ownership
is under dispute.
Westview says that
they hold the deed,
but, then there's this claim
by this Lou Cypher.
Lou Cypher?
[GASPS]
Lucifer!
- Oh, my God.
- You're messing with me.
Yes, I am.
Come on.
Let's go find Tim and Lucy
and get out of here.
- Don't step in that.
- Ooh, ugh.
- Did you see that?
- Someone's flashlight?
[METALLIC RATTLING]
And that?
I do not know what that was.
♪
[EERIE WHOOSHING]
[DISTANT THUDDING SQUEAK]
♪
[SCREAMS]
Police, show us your hands.
- Ah!
- Oh!
We have permission to be here.
- That's not totally true.
- All right.
Unfortunately, gentlemen,
you are trespassing.
You're going to have
to come with us.
What are you doing here?
Filming an episode, sir.
"Ghost Files."
I love you guys.
What is "Ghost Files"?
Welcome to "Ghost Files,"
where we take your evidence,
and our tools, into the field
to expose the supernatural.
My partner, a skeptic.
Myself, a believer.
Both of us, truth seekers.
This week, our team has traveled
to Los Angeles, California,
to explore a condemned
psychiatric facility.
Now, in 1841, this was
the site of a Spanish barracks,
but a massive earthquake
swallowed the building,
killing everyone inside.
Many saw the event as
retribution for Spanish crimes
committed in the New World.
Sure, or an earthquake
happened in a region
prone to earthquakes.
[EERIE MUSIC]
But that's just the beginning
of this site's dark history.
Join us as we investigate.
At that time, did you believe
the facility was haunted?
- No.
- Yes.
You were filming there
too, did you experience
any temperature fluctuations
or anything like that?
I'll ask the questions,
if you don't mind.
We do.
But this is my documentary.
No, this is our YouTube show.
Yeah, so ghosts
are said to produce
electromagnetic interference.
Did you experience any trouble
with your equipment?
[QUIRKY MUSIC]
We're done here.
Let's cut.
Let's wrap this up.
♪
- Nice.
- Yeah.
All of you, let's go.
- Come on.
- No, no way.
This is some of the best
footage we've ever gotten.
- Listen to this.
- What is that?
Oh, it's a Spirit Box.
- Did you guys hear anything?
- A Spirit Box?
The Spirit Box
rapidly scans radio signals
to create white noise through
which spirits can communicate.
Hello.
See?
It's science.
Listen.
[RADIO STATIC BUZZING]
OK, OK. That's enough.
- We got to go.
- No, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
I heard something.
Can you turn it up?
[RADIO STATIC PULSING]
[INDISTINCT VOICE]
Help me?
That is not what I heard.
Oh, oh, well,
who do you think it is?
- It's feedback.
- It's a ghost.
It was a little clearer
down the hallway.
Show me.
Officer?
[TENSE MUSIC]
So we're just going to
give up on Tim and Lucy then?
How long have we
been in here?
♪
- This room?
- Yeah.
I don't know.
We've been here
for a while, right?
Yeah, I mean, I don't mind.
I feel good, like, really good.
Mm.
Do you think we've been drugged?
Oh, the wet walls.
- We touched them.
- Yeah.
I hate making mistakes
in front of you.
Oh, you've never
admitted that before.
Truth serum.
- Sodium pentothal.
- Yeah.
You know what?
We
We should keep quiet
until this wears off.
- No.
- Yeah.
- No.
- It's better for us.
No.
What is your most embarrassing memory?
Oh, I mean, third grade,
I snuck my hamster
into my classroom in my pants.
[LAUGHS]
[INDISTINCT RAPID SPEECH]
With that kind of dad,
you internalize the
message that if you fail,
you deserve to be punished.
And, without him to punish me, I
I guess I punished myself.
- By breaking up with me.
- Yep.
I mean, it's kind
of flattering, right?
It's the worst thing
I could think to do to myself.
You didn't punish
just yourself though.
I know.
And look, if you never
fully forgive me,
- I totally understand.
- I have already forgiven you.
It's not even
[LAUGHS]
Huh.
I wonder when that happened.
You can't put that
in the documentary.
The LAPD makes
all body cam footage
available to the public.
OK, this is obviously an exception.
We were drugged.
People
People say all sorts of things
when they've been drugged.
So you didn't mean what you said?
What about the potential
baby names you discussed?
- OK, we're done here.
- Yeah.
Why do we keep agreeing
to do this?
I don't know.
Excuse me!
Help me.
OK, you have to admit
that's a voice asking for help.
Yeah, sure, I heard it,
but it's one of their crew members,
or something pre-recorded.
Were you a patient here?
Is the demon with you?
Somebody covered up a door.
What year did you die?
So close.
Set me free!
I'm here!
I'm here!
Please
Step back, guys.
[WALL THUDDING]
Keep going!
- You're almost there!
- Watch out. Ready?
- Go.
- [WALL CLATTERS]
Abigail!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
I've been trapped in here
for so long.
I thought I was going to die.
Thank you!
Oh, my God.
What is this room?
OK, but why did they
wall it all off?
To trap the demon.
Yeah, Bartleby,
the terrifying demon
king of paperwork.
How did you get down here?
I was exploring
Following this
Yhis weird, beautiful noise,
when all of a sudden, it got cold.
Like, so, so cold,
and I could feel something
coming after me,
and I was scared,
so I hid behind a cabinet,
but the floor
was wet and rusted,
and it collapsed.
I couldn't climb back out.
You fell from there?
Are you OK?
I think I twisted my ankle,
but I feel no pain.
You've been missing
for two weeks.
- How the hell did you survive?
- Oh.
I had a bunch of
trail mix in my bag.
Plus, I found, like,
this ancient water jug
in one of the cabinets.
Plus, Bob.
Bob had PowerBars.
Bob had PowerBars.
- Bob?
- [SCREAMS]
Oh, my God!
If it wasn't for Bob,
I would have lost
my mind down here.
Don't be shy, Bob.
Say hello.
[WHISPERING]
Shy.
Abigail was safe,
and, uh, considering
what she'd been through,
Uhm
Relatively healthy.
Except for her mental state.
That did pose some questions.
At first, I was angry.
You know, like,
we're stuck down here together.
At least try and have a conversation.
And then I realized,
Bob's just shy.
He's just shy.
And there's nothing wrong
with that, right?
Right.
Did you believe she'd
had a demonic encounter?
She went in perfectly sane
and came out best
friends with a corpse.
That's how possession works.
You can't rule out demons.
Yes, you can.
Nolan, look at this.
666, just like Zuzu said.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
It was a weird coincidence.
It was a weird coincidence.
We found quite a cocktail
of drugs in your system.
I don't do drugs.
Does pot count?
No, we're talking about
powerful hallucinogens.
I'm not hallucinating.
Ask Bob.
I had them run
the test twice,
and we found a similar cocktail
in Officer Chen
and Sergeant Bradford.
Mercifully, none of the drugs
were fat soluble.
Otherwise
Department policy would
have forced Sergeant Bradford
and Officer Chen
into medical retirement.
Is that what killed Bob,
whatever drug
they were exposed to?
No, he was shot six
times in the chest.
Did you get an ID
on the body?
His name was Bob Medina,
a friend reported him
missing about six months ago.
He was a private investigator.
What was his connection
to the hospital?
At first,
we couldn't find one.
So to be clear,
there was now a third killer
associated with that location?
At this point, it can't
be a coincidence.
There has to be
something about that facility
that draws people
towards homicide.
That's a stretch and a half.
Westview is a hospital
for the mentally ill
and the criminally insane.
Novak was a patient.
Glasser was there
looking for a patsy.
And whoever killed Bob,
saw an abandoned
building and was like,
"That's a perfect
place to dump a body."
What?
Or there was some dark energy
that drew evil to it.
- You really believe that?
- I'm Catholic.
I was raised on demons
and the battle against
Satan's minions.
Well, I was raised
on the scientific method.
OK, so if it's all
so explainable,
spend the night there.
I dare you.
Pass.
- You're scared.
- No, I'm not scared.
One could argue that
the drugs in the hospital
are hardly surprising,
even hallucinogens.
Over the decades, they have been used
in experimental medicine.
No, true.
Just the type and volume
is what set off
What are you doing?
Conducting an interview.
Could you please come back
in, like, an hour?
You said you'd talk to me
for my documentary.
You have a documentary?
Well, it's my story.
Who better to tell it?
Well, no problem.
I can sit down with you just
as soon as we're done here.
Oh, I wish.
It has to be exclusive.
You can't do both.
She's right.
It has to be exclusive.
Either you're doing my doc,
or you're doing hers,
and we have a long history.
I was almost
his daughter-in-law,
so suck it.
I'm going to have to go with her.
- I'm sorry.
- Seriously?
I have a BAFTA.
OK, fine.
- Let's wrap it up.
- This way. The set's this way.
It's better lighting over there.
We got a great team.
We are going to need
our mic back.
- Yes, oh, sorry.
- Yeah, of course.
- We have our own.
- Sorry.
- I'll see you guys around.
- Good luck.
We can talk about what else
I found inside the secret lab.
Oh, right.
Well, you did find
some paperwork.
Explosive paperwork.
Evidence of a secret
government program.
Close the door softly please.
Well, I don't know that
we can say that for sure.
Oh, we could.
- [DRAMATIC R&B MUSIC]
- My name is Abigail Tierney.
I'm currently trapped
inside a secret lab
at Westview Psychiatric.
All attempts at escape
have proven fruitless.
If I'm to die here,
I leave you this footage
along with my in-process
documentary as evidence
of my hunt for the truth
about the evils
that inhabit this accursed place.
The way I move is a mystery ♪
I'm not the way ♪
What's this?
♪
Cool.
That's when I realized
I'd uncovered something more haunting
than any ghost or serial killer.
I'd uncovered a conspiracy
that went to the very highest
levels of our government.
The government files
Abigail found
detailed classified plans
and methods
for human experimentation.
What type of experimentation?
- Are you familiar with MK-Ultra?
- Of course.
It was a top secret CIA program
in the '50s and '60s
using experimental drugs
to aid in interrogation techniques.
It was straight-up mind control.
I mean, they used high doses
of psychoactive drugs like LSD,
sodium pentothal, which is
also known as a "truth serum."
The program ran
from 1953 to 1973
before it was shut down
following a public outcry.
I mean,
all the facilities were closed.
There's no evidence the CIA
ever used Westview
as a base of operations.
So what were top secret
MK-Ultra documents doing there?
Good question.
We started digging
into the trove of files
Abigail had found, and one name
kept popping up
again and again.
Dr. Julius Erickson.
He was one of the psychologists
contracted by the CIA
to conduct
experimental research.
And after MK-Ultra
shut down, he took a new job.
Director of Westview.
Dr. Erickson ran
the hospital for 20 years.
And from the notes
we uncovered,
it seems clear he continued
his own research in private,
trying to use the
psychological breakthroughs
from MK-Ultra
to further his own research
into mind-altering drugs.
I assume he used those drugs
on Westview patients?
Yeah, at first.
But then, he started
using them on himself,
believing he had found the key
to improving his own mind.
He hadn't.
And in a last moment of lucidity,
Erickson decided
to destroy his research.
He dumped the chemicals
outside the building,
where they started to slowly
seep into the structure.
And some of the drugs
were potent enough
to be absorbed
simply by touch,
even when diluted.
Erickson committed himself
to Westview shortly after,
never said another word.
He died in 2020.
Did the CIA ever find out
what Erickson was doing?
Not that we've found,
but it's not like the agency
ever returns our phone calls.
Anyone who studied the past,
knows that the CIA
has a history of
violent cover-ups.
MK-Ultra might have become public,
but that doesn't mean there
still aren't secrets to protect.
By uncovering Dr. Erickson's
connection to Westview
and, discovering Bob's body,
I've put myself in danger.
But the best way
to protect yourself
is with the truth,
which brings me to Caroline McGrath.
Turns out Caroline is the one
who hired Bob to go to Westview,
and I need to find out why,
before it's too late.
- I think
- [BODY THUDS]
- What the hell?
- We got lucky.
A woman in the neighborhood
heard a commotion
and filmed Abigail's abduction.
Thanks to them, we were
able to track the vehicle.
- Where'd it go?
- Back to where it all began,
Westview.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
Police!
Drop the weapon!
On the ground.
Hands on your head.
Turn around.
Walk towards my partner.
Hands behind your back.
- You OK?
- Yeah, totally fine.
Carl's going through it, though.
I never really even
knew my mother.
Does anyone, really?
What is going on here?
Well, my friend Carl here,
was being pressured into killing me,
but then, we got to talking, right?
- Yeah, and I couldn't.
- Yeah.
OK, but pressured by who?
Um, my boss.
- Meg Davidson.
- Who?
The current director
at Westview Psychiatric.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
But she started
working at the hospital
long after Julius Erickson
went mad,
and she has no links to the CIA,
so, why would she try to kill Abigail?
- To cover up Bob's murder.
- And who killed Bob?
Can you introduce yourself?
Oh, yes.
My name is Caroline McGrath.
You hired my friend,
Bob Medina,
because you had questions
about your friend Winona's
treatment at Westview.
- Right?
- Yes.
Of course, everyone
thought I was just being paranoid,
but Bob didn't,
and it got him killed.
You worked with
Winona Baker, right?
Yes, she was hospitalized
with depression
by her daughter.
Seemed like therapy and some
medication would help her,
but, Winona got worse fast.
Lost track of reality,
she exhibited signs
of psychosis,
paranoia, dissociation.
And by that point,
I wondered whether a transfer
to a new facility might
be in her best interest.
- And then?
- The director informed me
that Winona's family
had gotten a judge
to order a conservatorship,
and, they wanted her to stay,
for good.
You were suspicious?
Winona always had her funks.
But she wasn't crazy.
Until that place made
her lose her mind.
And that proved to be
the break you needed?
Yeah, when we started
looking into it,
it turned out a significant number
of Westview patients were wealthy,
and a high percentage
were ordered
into conservatorship.
Now, conservatorship
is extremely difficult
to get for an adult because of
the potential abuse of power.
It gives one party
legal authority
over certain aspects of
another person's life,
including managing
all of their assets.
It's like what happened
to Britney Spears.
"Manage their assets"
rich person speak for
controlling someone else's money.
[CHUCKLES] Yes.
And money makes
people do crazy things.
Like, um,
poison their family member's water
with a chemical cocktail so potent
it has the potential
to permanently damage
the human psyche?
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
Yeah, just like that.
[CHUCKLES]
I was supposed to inherit,
but, um, after my break
with reality,
my dad cut me off, and
my brother got everything.
What's everything?
Oh, about, um, $12 million.
It must have been hard going
from that kind of wealth
- to nannying.
- Oh, no.
No, it was a blessing.
I
I really think that helping
children was my calling.
Mm.
Once we found the pattern,
we started interviewing
some of the families.
A little pressure,
and they cracked.
And with the search warrant,
we found the gun
used to kill Bob Medina
in Director Davidson's closet.
She'd been running
her scam for a decade.
Turns out she was
Dr. Erickson's therapist
in the last years of his life.
He must have told her
about his experiments.
In exploring his old lab,
she'd uncovered the tainted water,
realized its potential.
And we had her
on murder, fraud,
elder abuse, kidnapping,
attempted murder, poisoning.
Miss Davidson, would you
like to make a comment?
You know, this might
be your last chance
to tell your side of the story.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Look at all these people watching.
The state ordered
a full investigation
into every conservatorship
Westview ordered.
God willing, the victims
will get their rights and assets back.
And Westview itself
has been closed for good.
But, the lawsuits are just starting,
not to mention the rest
of the legal ramifications.
I'm glad this is getting
so much attention.
These poor, abused patients
can finally get justice.
Do you think it could
impact your case at all?
It certainly gives my defense
a fresh coat of paint.
If the jury won't listen to reason
because I am innocent
Perhaps they will listen
to the tragic story
of a simple tradesman,
falling victim to a
poisoned environment
that chemically affected my psyche.
And what did that
environment make you do?
Who can say?
Certainly not me.
I
I wasn't in my right mind.
Yeah, the, um
The poisoned water
was only found
in the abandoned psych ward.
No vending machines left
to fill there, right?
At this point, I must confess,
I did go inside that abandoned ward,
back when I was a kid.
My father's warnings,
they didn't scare me away.
They only made me
more desperate to see.
And whatever lurked inside
Must have infected me.
[EERIE MUSIC]
Hm.
Glasser is claiming that
the presence of those drugs
would absolve him of
any alleged responsibility
for the murders.
There is no way that defense
is going to work.
We have Glasser dead to rights.
Are you sure about that?
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
[TIMPANI BOOMING]
[CLEARS THROAT]
Hey, hey.
Sorry.
I know we talked about me not
recording interviews in here,
but Rodge mentioned he needed
a space with great acoustics.
And, you know,
we're shutting it down.
We're shutting it down.
Shut it
- shut it down.
- Shutting it down, copy.
Hi.
Sorry.
She said this was cool.
You're going to help me
get these in the van.
- Right?
- I'll be right there.
Next time,
handcuffs and squad cars.
Yeah, totally understandable.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Thanks again for going
exclusive with me.
Seriously, this doc
is going to be huge.
I hope so.
You deserve something good
after what you've been through.
How are you holding up?
- Oh, I'm fine
I'm happy to have
something to focus on.
When I've been through
some scary times,
I have been guilty of
using my work as my therapy,
but if there's ever a time
you need someone to talk to
Thank you.
Really.
But I already have
a great therapist,
one with zero history at Westview.
Excellent.
You know, there's still
something I can't figure out.
How did you know,
that the PI was working
for Caroline McGrath.
Oh, Bob told me,
while we were stuck in the lab.
He got chatty once he opened up.
I have that effect on people.
♪
We had to come back because
our job isn't finished.
This hospital
has housed killers,
evil experiments,
and perhaps the supernatural.
Our job as investigators
is to collect
and present questions
and possibilities.
Interpretation, however,
solely belongs with you.
Did Westview really
[EERIE VOICE WHISPERING]
[FLASHLIGHTS BUZZING]
Should we check that out?
I might be good.
You know what?
Me too.
[EERIE MUSIC]
Whoo!
- Oh, God!
- [SCREAMS]