Medium s06e04 Episode Script

The Medium Is the Message

My God, John.
Look at you.
I just talked to your doctors.
You're dying.
I want you to admit what you did, John.
I want you to admit what you are.
Shauna Gage.
Kristen Hartley.
Francine Bickford.
Ann Marie Mays.
I want you to say that you did it, John.
I want you to say it to me.
I'm the only one who still cares about what you did.
The police stopped investigating these murders years ago.
Look at you, John.
They can't put you in prison now.
You beat us all.
You got away with it.
Don't you want to take the credit for that? Cigarette? Now Tell me.
You did it,didn't you? No.
You're lying.
Wake up.
Come on, wake up And admit you did it! Admit it was you, You bastard! Admit it was you! Admit it was you, you bastard! Admit it was you! Admit it! Admit it! Admit S06E04 The Medium is the Message Arrow, hand.
Perfect.
How about that? Arrow, fish, hand, Star, pyramid.
Excellent.
I don't understand.
How is that rehab? I mean, anyone can read flash cards without words on 'em.
No, see, you're wrong.
When people go through something like mom, when they're in a coma for a while, sometimes they mess up the way they see things.
So it's important for mom to do her drills, so that we know that mom's head is working right.
Actually,the official term for what your mom is doing Is "cognitive therapy.
" When she does it which is not often enough.
I'm fine.
My cognitive skills are excellent.
When it comes to seeing stars, fish, and arrows, I'm at the top of my game.
How about We let the folks at rehab decide that? You look nice, daddy.
Thank you.
Here's hoping the good people at burroughs-strauss agree.
Now, wait a second.
Didn't you already dress up and go there? Good memory.
Excellent cognition, bridge.
Yes, indeed.
I had a good first meeting there, And today is the big day, Because today I meet the guy who, Who runs the department, and if everything Goes well with him and I impress him, Well, then I may be done with dressing up And interviewing for a while, maybe even forever.
Hey, you know what.
We got to get a move on.
I got to be at therapy in 45 minutes.
Mommy, did you sign my thing? Oh, right, the permission slip for that field trip next week.
I just have to remember where I put it.
You can't remember where you put that thing? Hey, you know what, I'm gonna make My own permission slip.
I'm gonna make a note for your teacher, And if she has any problems, she can call me, okay? Okay, mommy.
Dollar sign, triangle, hammer, House, and that last one, I don't know What you would call it looks Kind of like a tunnel? A tunnel? Really? Are you sure you don't want to take another look? I'm sorry.
It's a tree.
That's so weird, the first time I looked at it I wouldn't worry About it, Allison.
it's really common For someone recovering from a stroke To have lapses in memory, gaps in perception.
We call it "expressive aphasia.
" The flash card exercises just work the muscle, Keep it from getting too serious.
But my stroke was months ago.
I've been fine.
I haven't had any perception problems before.
These things come and go.
The one thing that really helps is practice.
Have you been using your cards at home? Well, I did look at them this morning It probably wouldn't hurt For you to be a little more disciplined.
Okay.
Someone's got flash card anxiety.
Sorry.
I couldn't help myself.
I was watching you.
It's that obvious? Well, for me it is.
But I've been playing with those cards for years.
You want a little tip? Try reading them from right to left.
Yeah.
I know it sounds stupid, But there's something about reading them backwards That forces your brain to pay attention.
At least It works for me.
Well, thanks.
I'll try that.
My name's Neal, by the way.
I'm a veteran of more cognitive therapy Than you'd ever care to remember.
My name's Allison.
Allison Dubois.
You said that you'd-you'd had a lot of therapy.
Do you mind if I ask you what happened to you? I got mugged.
Guy shot me, Left me to bleed in the street.
Had some Brain impairment.
Oh, my god, I'm so sorry.
Thanks.
Wherever the guy is, I hope he had a good time with the $22 he took from me.
They never found the man who did this to you? No.
Forgive me.
Oh, it's a work call.
Remember: Try to read them backwards.
Hello? Sorry to bother you on your day off, But I was hoping maybe you could meet me at the morgue.
The girl's name's Catherine Tallridge.
My best guess is about 1:00 last night Someone came up the fire escape, Broke into her place through a window, Strangled her, then left the way he came.
How can you be so sure It was around 1:00? One of the neighbors Heard a commotion coming from the place.
He even called in a noise complaint.
By the time the squad car got there, everything was quiet.
No one answered the door.
The roommate got back From sleeping over at her friend's place.
Found her like that.
You have any idea what that symbol On her head means? Symbol? Obviously, my most recent experience Is with solar cells.
I know it's not a perfect fit for, you know, What you do here, but I figure there are some parallels That make me a Good candidate.
Solar, huh? Yeah.
I started a company; I sold it last year.
Did your human resources department Not send you down a résumé? Yeah,I think that they probably sent me something.
Well, my team and I were Projecting sales for the company.
We did a lot of research Into biofuels 'cause we figured they'd be our biggest competitor in ten years or so.
Sorry.
I've just got to take a look at this real quick.
I'm listening, though.
Yes,some of the research, Some of the reading that I did that made me wish That I was working in the field, so I, you know, I'd love to To To Dive in with you.
Hello? No, no, it's good timing.
I just got done with the interview.
Listen, I appreciate you Appreciate you setting it up and everything, But I don't think it went very well.
What do you mean, the guy loved me? My god, Joe, that's fantastic! When are you supposed to start? Human resources told drew I could start whenever I'm ready.
I'm not working, so I told him I'm ready now.
I guess as of tomorrow there's gonna be Two steady paychecks coming in the house.
You "guess"? You don't sound happy.
I thought you really wanted this.
No,I do.
I do.
I just I thought I completely screwed the interview.
I thought the guy hated me, and then they offered me the job Before I could even drive off the property.
You know what that means? You're just that good.
Honey, hold on a second.
I'm not paying attention where I'm going.
Hey, Al, you there? Did I lose you? Al, you all right? Yeah, honey.
I'm fine.
Let me call you back.
Admit it was you, you bastard! Admit it was you! "I had been pursuing the libra for ten years.
"it became an obsession that cost me my career and my marriage.
"and so, when I went to visit john david boatner "in the hospice where he lay dying, "when he finally admitted that he was the libra, "it was, in an odd way, the most intimate moment of my life, And, I suspect, it was the most intimate moment of his life.
" Thank you.
There you go.
Hi.
Should I make it out to someone in particular? Actually, if you've got a minute, Can I ask you a question? Sure.
When this was all going on, When the libra slayer Was originally murdering young women, I'd just given birth to my second daughter, And I was in the hospital.
I really wasn't paying much attention to the papers.
Was these the sort of letters That he would send the police? He used a different code for each murder.
And what is this? That's the sign of the libra.
I guess you could call it his signature.
He carved it into each one of his victims.
And is this the man that you think was the libra slayer? I don't think john david boatner was the libra slayer.
I know it.
Are you sure? Weren't there any other suspects? I'm positive.
I've written three books on the subject, And I personally collected reams of evidence.
Plus, he told me he did it.
When I went to visit him right before he died, I told him if he didn't admit that he was the libra slayer, Then no one would ever know that he'd beaten the police.
He told you he didn't do it.
You gave him a cigarette.
He told you he was not the murderer.
Look, I know you spent years believing it was him.
I can kind of understand Why you would lie about what happened in the hospice, But I think you're wrong about boatner.
A young woman died last night.
I think she was murdered by the same person Who committed the original libra slayings.
I think he's back.
Let's say you're right.
Let's say that john david boatner Didn't confess on his deathbed.
That doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't the killer.
I mean, in my experience Serial murder and a deep-seated sense of honesty Rarely go hand in hand.
Yeah, but there's a reason the police never arrested boatner For the libra's killings.
They never had enough evidence.
I've been researching this.
In fact, there's a fair amount of evidence To suggest he wasn't the killer.
They were never able to conclusively prove That his handwriting was a match For any of the libra's notes.
There was never any physical evidence To tie him to any of the crime scenes.
Well, even if all that's true Even if john david boatner is innocent, I don't see anything that indicates That the libra killed Catherine Tallridge.
He was flamboyant, A game-player, Taunting the police with With cryptograms, Carving his signature into the foreheads of his victims.
He took credit.
He liked taking credit.
Now if you're correct, And this man is still walking, Still killing among us, Why didn't he take credit for this death? No symbol was carved in her forehead.
No coded message was left for the police to decrypt.
If he killed her, wouldn't he want the world to know? I think he wanted to.
I think he ran out of time.
A neighbor heard noises coming From inside Catherine Tallridge's apartment The night that she was murdered.
She called the police.
I think he had to run out of there.
He didn't have time to sign his work.
I'm sorry, but I think you need to Rethink your theory.
That was the medical examiner.
Catherine Tallridge's wounds Were inflicted by an left-handed attacker.
The libra, as I'm sure you know from your research, Was right-handed.
I'm home.
Hey, where is everybody? Homework.
I picked up a fudge ripple cake on the way home to celebrate.
What's with the long face? You got a new job.
Everything all right? I was just about to ask you that.
This is the note that you wrote To marie's teacher this morning.
She sent it back.
Car keys and your wallet now! Come on.
Give me your wallet! Give me your wallet right now.
Now your keys.
Let's go.
Let's go! Man, let me Let me have my car.
I just need to get to work, and, you know You don't give me those keys, You're not going to need anything ever again.
You must be the new guy.
Joe Dubois.
Welcome aboard, Joe.
Brian Fondran.
Hey, brian, can I ask you a question? Yeah, shoot.
How do we get started here? I didn't see any kind of staff meeting on the calendar.
Yeah,we don't really do staff meetings here.
Really? Well, how do you find out What you're supposed to be doing? How do you ? Well, who sets the agenda? Who establishes, like, the thresholds for projects? Well Nobody, really.
This job is a little more read and react, You know what I mean? Basically, you just wait Until keith asks you to do something.
You met keith, right? Yeah.
So I would just wait.
Neal.
Allison.
Hi.
I'd ask you to join me, but Oh, no.
Actually, I left my sneakers in the car.
I came to see you.
Oh, thank you.
I don't know if I mentioned yesterday I work with the district attorney's office.
I know who you are.
I watch the news.
You're A professional dreamer, right? Well, I don't know how professional I am, But I do dream from time to time.
I actually had a dream About you last night.
I saw the man who shot you.
I saw his face.
I don't understand.
The man who shot me was wearing a ski mask.
I never even saw his face.
And it was 11 years ago.
That's fine,mr.
Greybridge.
All we need for you to do Is to recognize his voice.
A voice id would give us probable cause To compel a dna sample.
If that matches the sample the police found Under your fingernails the night you were shot, Then we should have everything we need to convict.
Are you ready? Okay.
Number one, please step forward and read from the card.
"you don't give me those keys, You're not going to need anything ever again.
" I don't think so.
Thank you, number one.
Number two, please step forward and read from the card.
"you don't give me those keys, You're not going to need anything ever again.
" I don't know.
Maybe.
I'm sorry.
It was It was a long time ago.
You're doing fine.
Remember, you don't have to worry about their faces.
You don't even have to look at their faces if you don't want to.
Number three, please step forward and read the card.
"you don't give me those keys, You're not going to need anything ever again.
" That's him.
I'm sure of it.
I don't even need to hear anyone else.
That's the man that shot me.
I'm get a uniform to start the processing.
We should be able to do the dna test this afternoon.
Thanks for all your help, Lee.
I know how busy you've been.
Easiest case I ever closed.
Thank you.
You okay? Yeah.
Thank you, Allison.
Hi, keith.
Joe.
Joe Dubois.
You just hired me.
Today's my first day was my first day.
It's 5:30.
Yeah, no problem.
We'll see you tomorrow.
Could I ask you something? I spent the whole day out there, And I read the company handbook, And I did the whole orientation.
But nobody actually spoke to me about work.
Nobody filled me in on any projects, told me, you know, to do anything.
You maybe waiting for me to come to you with something? Like an idea or something? No one explained it to you? This department may run a little differently than what you're used to.
Okay, that's all right.
No problem.
I'll adjust.
Just tell me what you need.
That's the thing.
I don't I don't really need anything.
The truth is I prefer to be The only engineer on my projects.
Honestly, I find it streamlines things.
You know? Collaboration can just be distracting.
Right? I'm sorry, you saying that You're never going to ask me to do anything? Not very often, no.
Why did you hire me? Corporate gives me A certain amount of money for staffing.
And you know the way That corporate budgets work.
If you don't use that money, then, Well, it goes away.
But who knows? In the future, I might need it, right? So I hire people.
Yeah, I find that most people don't have a problem with this.
Most people actually think it's a dream come true.
So You know, Maybe if you think about this as a kind of scholarship.
You're free to spend your days working on whatever you want.
You're just not going to be working on biodiesels.
Turns out I could've been anyone.
Maybe I was just the last interview.
Maybe he was just tired of seeing people.
Wait, he's just Going to pay you to sit there and do nothing? Yeah, that's what he said.
He said to think of it as a kind of scholarship.
I mean, it's not like I'm going to turn down the money.
I mean, truth is, I can't.
But I don't know.
I mean, I know there are a lot of people out there Who'd kill to be, you know, getting a paycheck right now, Any kind of paycheck.
But I honestly don't know if I can do it.
I don't know if I can get up every morning and go into work, Knowing that my being there is of no consequence.
Well, it will change once he gets to know you, Once he sees what he has You don't understand.
He doesn't want to know what he has.
And he certainly doesn't want to get to know me.
Okay, that's enough whining.
I got to get my beauty sleep, so I can get up bright and early And go into work and do nothing.
"10:21: Jacinda birk stands at her window.
"she sees a view of edison park, but cannot see me watching.
"when she is asleep, I will go to her.
When she is asleep, I will make her mine.
" And it goes on like that for the remainder of the page.
Took a team of experts about ten hours to decode it.
You were right about Catherine Tallridge.
He confesses to her murder about five lines down.
Are we sure this is authentic? Are we sure this is written by the original libra slayer? I'm afraid we can't be certain about that.
When the libra slayer was last active, He left coded messages with the body of each victim.
Now, each of these codes was unique, But all of the translated messages had a specific voice: Arrogant, derisive, almost clinical In the recording of detail.
The time of day, the victim's full name, References to the location.
Now, this new messageboth in tone And in the complexity of the code itself Appears to be identical To the messages left by the libra.
It even refers to details of the original crimes That were held back from the press.
Seems unlikely that anyone But the original killer would know them.
On the other hand, there is one detail that doesn't line up.
According to the medical examiner, Both Catherine Tallridge and jacinda birk Were murdered by a left-handed assailant.
But isn't it common knowledge? Isn't the libra slayer right-handed? So we always believed.
But this new cryptogram It was written by somebody who's left-handed.
Whoever killed these women, if not the original libra slayer, Then it's someone who's doing things the exact same way, But using the other hand.
Talk to me.
I was wondering if you'd had a chance To look at the schematic that I left for you at lunch.
It's 5:30; everyone's taking off.
I just didn't want to go If you were planning on giving me any feedback Any reaction, a direction of some sort.
You talking about that wiring thing? Yeah,that wasn't something That I asked you to do.
I know.
I read it.
It wasn't bad.
Oh, really? Do you want to sit down? Maybe we could set up a time we could go over it? It wasn't bad.
It just wasn't excellent.
You know, I mean, frankly, What was the point? No offense, but I don't really have any use For that kind of work.
I mean, like I told you, I can get to excellent on my own.
So Really? I was actually thinking About that wiring problem today at lunch.
I came up with some pretty interesting stuff.
You can take a look if you want.
Thank you.
I meant it.
It wasn't bad.
You're a smart guy.
Which means that you're going to be miserable here.
I'm not saying that I'm unhappy.
It's just my second day.
No, I know you're not griping.
I just I know how this is going to play out.
Most people, they come here, They figure out how I like to operate pretty quickly.
You know, they settle in to doing whatever.
They like doing whatever.
But you Have initiative.
The trouble is, I have no use for that.
I'll tell you what.
I'm gonna e-mail the guy That runs the commercial aeronautics division.
They got some new contracts.
They're probably looking for talent.
I could offer to take one of their worst guys In exchange for you.
You're gonna trade me? Sure.
Yeah.
You'll like it down there.
They do some kind of interesting stuff with turbines.
You look like you're cramming For the world's most gruesome final.
Yeah, well, The way this is going, You might as well just hand me an "f.
" I hope you guys are learning more than I am.
We've got half the homicide division pulling overtime.
So far, not much in the way of results.
Your friend Neal Greybridge, The assistant district attorney In charge of his case, called me.
Apparently, they scheduled a sit-down with him.
They're building a case against the guy who shot him, so, You know, they need to go over his statement, Talk to him about taking the stand.
Only problem is Neal never showed up.
I hope he's okay.
I keep calling him.
I know the ada.
Left him a couple messages.
But you know this guy.
I was thinking maybe you could reach out to him.
Just make sure he isn't gonna flake out on us.
Hi, it's Neal.
Leave me your name and number, And I'll call you back as soon as I can.
Hi, Neal.
This is Allison Dubois again.
Sorry to leave you another message.
Just calling to make sure that you check in With detective Scanlon tomorrow.
If you get this, can you call me in the morning? I don't understand Why this guy won't call either one of us back.
Maybe he's afraid to confront the guy who shot him.
I don't know.
When the doctors told Neal that he was paralyzed, He basically just ignored them.
He doesn't really strike me As the kind of guy who's short on courage.
What are you reading so intently? I thought you didn't have to do any work with your new job.
I don't.
But I did.
I took your advice, and I tried to show him what I got.
Unfortunately, when he saw it, He couldn't have been less impressed.
So this is my boss's solution To a problem that I spent the whole morning working on, And he dashed it off while eating a tuna sandwich.
Read through it four times now, and you know what? It's better than what I came up with.
Way better.
I can see why the company puts up with this guy's quirks.
You know, it's a shame that this much talent Is attached to a guy with zero people skills.
Well It's a shame, But at least it won't be your problem anymore.
That's right 'cause I'm gonna do Some really interesting thing with turbines.
Authorities have cracked the coded message That was left with the latest victim Of the so-called libra slayer, though apparently the note Has given them no further clues To the identity of the murderer.
And in other news, president bill clinton today vowed To fight impeachment char Car keys and your wallet now! Come on.
Give me your wallet! Give me your wallet right now.
Now your keys.
Let's go.
Let's go! Man, let me Let me have my car.
I just need to get to work and, you know If you don't give me those keys, You're not going to need anything ever again.
So wait a second.
You're telling me That guy that limped in here the other day With the cane Was the libra slayer? Neal Greybridge, yes, it's him.
Really? 'cause that guy can barely get around.
How does it work? Does he park in a handicapped spot before he kills someone? I'm telling you it's him, Lee.
I saw it.
The original killings stopped Right after Neal got shot.
They started again As soon as he was well enough to get around.
And you want to know why The killer's suddenly left-handed? 'cause he can't use his right hand.
He's got a bullet lodged in his spine.
That sure would explain a lot of things.
Like the handprint.
What handprint? detectives on the case Discovered a partial handprint on one of the letters That the libra slayer left behind.
They were sure that was the piece of evidence That was gonna help them Put john david boatner away.
The only problem was It didn't match.
It wasn't his print.
Bring Neal Greybridge in.
Take his print.
If I'm wrong, you'll have lost a couple hours.
If I'm right Maybe this whole thing will be over.
Keith, you got a minute? Actually, I don't.
Just one minute.
Promise.
I just want to talk to you about that transfer.
What about it? It's just gonna take a couple days To get through human resources.
I know that.
Thing is, I don't want it.
Really? I knew it.
Suddenly, you realize the idea of a couple years of free money Isn't so heinous, huh? No, actually, it wasn't that.
I read your notes.
Your solution to the wiring problem it's smart.
Scary smart.
Oh, well, that's Okay Thanks.
You're welcome.
Thing is, I don't want To transfer away from that kind of thinking.
No good engineer would.
Yeah, well This isn't really about what you want.
I'm not so sure.
See, you need my help, man.
You don't know it yet, but you need my help.
You're clearly brilliant.
You're brilliant enough to get away with this howard hughes act Up until now.
But I guarantee you you're gonna get caught 'cause you're not doing your best work.
Nobody does their best work in a vacuum.
Now, you need someone to bounce your ideas off, Somebody to check your thinking against.
Somebody who's smart enough to keep pace with you And someone who's gonna call you on your crap.
I think I'm that guy.
So think about it.
If you agree, call off the transfer.
By the way, you're gonna want to check your work On diagram seven, page four.
I fixed it for you.
Hello.
I'm in Neal Greybridge's apartment right now.
You should see his bookshelf: Cryptanalysis, The codebreakers, pretty much everything That's ever been written on the subject of encryption.
Are you bringing him in? I'm not bringing him anywhere.
Not right now, anyway.
He's gone.
A neighbor told me she saw Neal packing up his car And driving off in a hurry.
This was the day before yesterday.
So,something must have spooked him.
Oh, my god, Lee, I scared him off.
I told him that I'd been dreaming about him.
I even found the man who'd shot him.
He must have figured it was just a matter of time Before I learned the truth about him.
We should have him in custody right now.
We would have him in custody right now If I'd just seen it sooner.
We'll find him, Allison.
It's just a matter of time.
I'm not sure we have time.
Neal spent the last 11 years of his life working his way Out of a hospital bed.
Getting himself strong enough To do the one thing that he really loves.
Now that he's back, I don't think he's going To stop killing women Just because the police know who he is.
You okay? Al? Wait.
Shh.
I got to get this down.
Thank you, sir.
I'll be waiting by the phone.
Devalos got the fax.
I told him what I know.
Neal Greybridge is going to leave that note At the scene of the next murder.
The police are trying to decode it now.
That's good news, right? In your dream, the murder took place At 5:30 in the morning.
Now it's exactly 1:51.
So that gives the police over three and a half hours To try and break this thing.
Yeah, well, it took the police ten hours to decode the last letter, so the girl will be dead by then.
It's right here.
It's right here in front of me.
Every one of his messages contains the name of the victim.
He stalks them; he notes their surroundings.
He documents everything.
If we could just read this, We would know exactly who he's gonna kill, Exactly how he's gonna do it.
Wait a minute.
I know this.
I know I know this.
What are you doing? It's right here.
I had it right here the whole time.
What are you talking about? You had what? This.
Isn't that the note that you wrote To Marie's teacher? I need a pen.
Thanks.
This is the answer key.
"Dear mrs.
Cezaux" The police arrested him early this morning in San Bernardino,California.
He was trying to break into the home Of the woman you dreamt about.
As a matter of fact, mr.
Greybridge told us He was willing to make a full confession.
There's only one condition: Before he'll issue his statement, He wants to talk to you.
When I was in rehab, They called me "a textbook example of courage, willpower.
" Nobody could believe that a man like Neal Greybridge Quiet little Neal Greybridge Could look a medical impossibility in the face, And then step on its throat.
Of course, what they didn't understand Was that Neal Greybridge Couldn't even make it out of his hospital bed.
Hmm.
It takes an incredible sense of purpose To achieve a miracle like that.
And the part that I showed the world, The part that everybody knew as "Neal Greybridge" He didn't have that sense of purpose.
The man that had the strength and the courage To Get out of bed and walk again That man is a part that I kept secret.
It's a part that still had work to do.
It's a part that had to get out of bed And had to stand again and walk again.
If you say so.
Why are you telling me this? Because you are the only person That's ever actually seen that part of me And lived.
Now that you know everything about me, I'm curious.
Do you see me the same way that I see myself? I see an egoist Self-centered, self-involved A murderer Cowardly murderer A waste.
Will there be anything else?
Previous EpisodeNext Episode