Chronicle Mysteries: The Deep End (2019) Movie Script

[typing letters]
Here's what we know.
(Alex) On this season
of Recovered...
(Operator) 911, what's your
emergency?
(Leonard) We need
an ambulance now!
(Operator) Where?
(Leonard) 34 Savannah Terrace.
(Operator) Sir, what are
you reporting?
(Leonard) My neighbour,
he wasn't answering his door
so we came in the back.
I- I think he's... hurry!
(Alex) Elliot Burke was
pronounced dead at the scene.
He was found by two men,
Jeremy Powers,
Elliot's close friend...
We were supposed to play golf.
Um, I knocked on the door...
And his neighbour,
Leonard Newcomb.
Yeah, I heard him knocking.
His statement said he was
annoyed at Jeremy
for banging on Elliot's
front door
and offered to walk him
around back .
Leonard also told the police
he saw Elliot's estranged wife,
Stephanie Burke, at the propery
the evening of Elliot's death.
They were in an argument.
The police quickly arrested
Stephanie for Elliot's murder
and the trial started last wee.
Stephanie engaged Katie Wyer
as her defence lawyer.
Full disclosure,
Katie is my best friend
and that's how I got involved.
This is really good,
I just wanna get a couple more
interviews, ok?
-Drew, hey.
-Alex.
Uh, is this enough room?
Yeah. Looks good, boss.
We'll recap the first week of
the trial on the front page.
How about some background,
you know, context?
Mmm, not on the front page.
Just the facts.
Hey, when's Miles coming back?
Well, Uncle Miles is insisting
that Chuck show him
every printing press
on the eastern seaboard,
so they may never come back.
You do know that there's
probably a reason
why he hasn't come back?
Because he wants me to settle
in without noticing?
Yes, he is sneaky like that.
Well, that does run
in the family.
You know, I happen to also
like having Hearst full time.
[barks]
Really?
Does't he drink from the hose?
Well, he doesn't leave
dirty dishes in the sink.
So it's a wash.
(Both) Oh...
Really?
I didn't think that was bad.
Does he have a book
of bad dad jokes?
He never needed one.
I insist on taking that
as a compliment.
[laughs]
Ok.
It is such a shame.
Well, Sarah, this is
completely confidential.
So much so that I don't even
remember your name.
Ok, well thank you and give
my love to John
and I'll see you soon.
Ok.
Hot tip, huh?
Burke trial?
It's all anyone's
talking about.
Who is that with Elliot?
That's Jeremy Powers,
his best friend.
Right, no. Who's the other guy?
I don't know.
Eileen?
Yet.
Did Elliot Burke have a little
brother or maybe a cousin?
Not that I know of,
but I'm gonna find out.
(Alex) I've got to talk
to Elliot's widow.
Why don't you start with
when things started to change
between you and Elliot?
It was four years ago.
Elliot and I, we...
we used to love each other
but after his father died he...
he was different.
Nobody could reach him,
not even his mom.
He would just disappear
to New York, Las Vegas.
Sometimes I wouldn't even
know where.
I tried to stay as long
as I could
but it wasn't a stable
situation.
The kids, they...
they need consistency.
This is them at her
fifth birthday party.
They're beautiful.
So the divorce was...
Contentious.
Did you two have a prenuptial
agreement?
No, but that wasn't
the problem.
I accepted the first settlement
they offered.
Elliot, he didn't want
the divorce.
He went after full custody
of the kids,
which he knows that I could
never agree to.
The day Elliot died.
I went to pick up the kids
as usual and I just-
I asked him who had been there
to watch the kids swim.
What do you mean,
like a lifeguard?
Yeah.
Sometimes a lifeguard from the
club or his mom or a friend.
Elliot couldn't swim.
Like I said, he was a good dad,
but that afternoon the kids,
they were upset.
They said that Elliot was on the
phone all afternoon with Claire.
Who's Claire?
That's what I wanted to know.
I mean, I wasn't jealous,
I really-
I did not care what Elliot did
on his own time
but when he had the kids he-
he needed to pay attention
to them.
So what did he say?
He denied the whole thing.
He said that there was
no Claire.
That the kids made it up.
But I know my kids.
They don't lie.
We investigated, the police
even did a check.
We couldn't find any Claire.
Do you think the kids
were lying?
In my experience it's not
the kind of lie kids tell.
Right now this is
our best lead.
I wanted two more months
to prep
but we've run out of reasons
to object.
The state was very confident
in their opening statement.
Hey.
You are an excellent lawyer,
Katie.
I bet they're nervous going up
against you.
Your opening statement
was powerful.
Spoken like a true best friend.
Friend, babysitter,
bringer of midnight ice cream,
whatever you need.
Finding Claire
feels like a Hail Mary,
but it's Stephanie's best hope.
That's where your podcast
can help.
Thank you, Alex.
I really appreciate it.
Stephanie and Elliot Burke
were in the middle of
a long divorce battle.
In November of last year
she took their two children
and moved out of their house.
She had been granted
temporary custody
and Elliot had
visitation rights.
Friday, April 12th
was one of his days.
It was an unusually
warm spring day
and the kids were excited
to play in the pond.
As always, Elliot arranged
for someone to watch them
because for all his
many talents...
Claire, tell me something good.
Elliot Burke did not know
how to swim.
At 6:00pm sharp
per the court order,
Stephanie was back at
34 Savannah Terrace
to pick up the kids.
The neighbour, Leonard Newcomb,
spoke to WTHN.
I was outside gardening and...
I could hear them fighting
on the back patio.
The kids were right there
in the front yard.
Stephanie came out looking
very upset.
At 6:30 Stephanie put the kids
in the car and drove off.
I'm sure of the time.
I checked my watch.
The next morning Elliot's dead
body was found floating
in the deep end of his pond.
These are the facts
that aren't in dispute.
Everything else you'll hear
at this trial is contested.
The prosecutor, Dana Atwater,
in her opening statement.
What started the fight?
Her son told her that daddy
had been on the phone all
afternoon with another woman.
There's no phone record
to support this, by the way,
but Stephanie believed it.
Was she secretly jealous
or maybe afraid that Elliot
was ready to move on and she'd
be left with a small
divorce settlement after all.
Either way, she was furious
and she snapped.
She picked up Elliot's golf club
and made herself a widow.
A widow who would
inherit everything.
The defence attorney,
Katie Wyer,
in her opening statement.
We don't dispute that Stephanie
and Elliot argued that night.
But she was seen leaving
just a few minutes later.
Here's what the prosecution
won't tell you.
They cannot pinpoint
the exact time of death.
There's a big window when
this could have happened
and it's a real stretch to say
that this could have happened
as early as 6:30.
They also have zero
physical evidence.
None.
No prints on the golf club,
no DNA.
In fact, Stephanie's
fingerprints weren't anywhere
except the doors, which is where
you would expect to find them.
This isn't a crime scene
that was wiped clean.
Maybe it was an accident
or maybe someone else came
to the house later that night
and killed Elliot.
Stephanie Burke left Elliot
alive at 6:30 that night
and never saw him again.
I'll be posting a recap of
the forensic testimony tomorrow
and then we'll learn about
the Elliot Burke that his
friends and family knew.
Meanwhile, Claire, if you're
out there listening
there are a lot of people
who would love to talk to you.
Please contact me.
My email is in the show notes.
I'm Alex McPherson,
and this is Recovered.
An alternative suspect
would help.
That's all I'm saying.
I know, but it's not Katie's job
to provide that.
The state has to prove
that Stephanie is guilty
beyond a reasonable doubt,
and they can't.
But juries want a story.
I want the story.
Oh!
Yeah, I'm about to head
in right now.
I'll meet you inside, ok?
Yeah.
Mr. Powers? Hi.
I'm Alex McPherson-
I know who you are.
I heard your podcast last night.
Right.
Um, well, I'm doing the next
episode on Elliot
from his friends' perspective.
I'd really like to talk to you.
Ok.
I've got a few minutes now.
Now?
Yeah, great.
Um, thank you.
Mr. Powers, what do you most
want people to know
about your friend,
Elliot Burke?
None of you get him.
Even the D.A. isn't being fair
to his memory.
Elliot had problems,
but he was changing.
He turned himself inside out
for Stephanie and the kids.
People don't even know
half the stuff he's done
for this community.
What's a good example
that you-
Alex, they're about to start.
Oh, uh...
Excuse me.
-Hey.
-Hey.
Wow.
Oh, is that Elliot's mom?
(Drew) Deborah Burke.
Must be so hard.
She's got Jeremy there
for support.
Yeah.
Have you seen Leonard Newcomb?
He's on the witness list.
I was thinking of going by
his house later
during the lunch recess.
I wanna interview him and-
Are you gonna talk
the whole time?
[pounds gavel]
Back on the record in the
Commonwealth versus Burke.
[message alert]
Hey, Kiddo.
Uh, I'm on the clock.
You need anything, Dad?
You're an intern,
we barely pay you.
I'm sure you've got lots
of studying to do.
I'm good.
What're you doing?
I'm trying to find Claire.
From the podcast?
Mmmhmm.
I love how Alex just put
that out there at the end.
Who is she?
Someone from Elliot Burke's
life maybe.
Everybody's already done
the usual search
but nobody can find her.
I'm gonna look her up
on social media.
[knocking]
Mrs. Newcomb, hi.
Yes?
Uh, I was hoping to talk
to your husband?
Alex McPherson?
Yeah, hi.
Oh, I love your podcast.
I listen to every episode
at least twice.
How you put it all together,
it's so impressive.
Thank you.
I'm Heidi.
Nice to meet you, Heidi.
Leonard's on his way to court...
you just missed him.
Oh, ok.
Well, um, I'll try
to catch him there.
You uh... you didn't want
to go with him?
Oh, I can't.
It's not my thing.
Courts and such, not...
out there.
Do you have a few minutes?
I'm collecting background
for my podcast.
You want me on your podcast?
I would love to talk to you.
You know, just get
your impressions,
your thoughts.
Come on in.
I think it's four years now
since Elliot and Stephanie
moved next door.
And what did you think
of Stephanie?
She was nice.
Thoughtful.
I'd see her with the kids
all the time
and they'd make pictures
for me at school.
Did she seem protective
of her kids?
Oh, very.
She was a good mother.
So do you think that she could
have killed the father
of her children while her kids
were playing out front?
That is your husband's
testimony.
No, he just said what he saw.
He saw Stephanie leave at 6:30,
he didn't say that
she killed Elliot.
But that's the implication.
I know.
But you don't believe it.
It's hard to believe and I-
I didn't wanna believe
that she was even capable,
but...
But you do.
Uh... I'll turn it off.
Just between us.
[low murmuring]
Stephanie came back that night
without the kids much later.
She did?
Yeah, about 10:30, maybe?
I was in the front room.
I saw the light go on next door,
the motion sensor?
So I look out the window and
I saw her car in the driveway,
then I saw Stephanie walk
back to it
like she was in a hurry and
she got in, she drove off fast.
Why didn't you say anything?
Leonard had already told them
about the fight,
the police already knew
it was Stephanie.
I don't go out much at all.
It's a condition and I...
I thought they didn't need me,
they already had the evidence.
That's probably wrong,
isn't it?
So what do you think?
What should I do?
Tell the truth, Heidi.
That's the only way.
Mr. Powers, how long had you and
Elliot Burke known each other?
Since we were kids.
So you were close.
Very.
(Katie) Had he confided in you,
up until his death of course,
that he was trying to repair
his marriage?
(Jeremy) Look, the only thing
I can tell you
is that the most important thig
to Elliot was his family.
He would have done anything
to protect them.
You ok?
What happened?
[phone vibrates]
Your honour, may we approach?
You know what this is about?
Yes.
I didn't say anything because I
knew how it would make me look.
And Leonard clearly would have
said something if he saw me.
You went back to the house
that night.
The kids were at a birthday
party sleepover
and I thought about how Elliot
and I had fought that day
and I just- I wanted to reason
with him, you know?
Just the two of us.
So I went back to the house,
I rang the doorbell,
but nobody answered.
So I got back in my car
and I drove away.
I told you guys the truth.
I didn't see Elliot
after 6:30 that night.
[knocking]
Hey.
Katie did a great job on cross
with Heidi today,
it's delicate when you have
somebody like that.
Agoraphobia?
Yeah, it was hard for her
to testify
but she'll be glad she did.
Yeah.
It's pretty damaging testimony.
Even if it is wrong.
You don't think she was
telling the truth?
No, she is.
But Heidi and Stephanie can
both be telling the truth
and it could still add up to the
wrong conclusion for the jury.
Unless Stephanie is lying to me
and I bought it.
Can I get you something?
Coffee?
Aspirin?
Wine?
No. No, thanks.
I need a murder board.
The only way to know
if Stephanie is guilty
or if someone else killed him
is to re-examine the evidence
from the beginning.
I'm gonna have to start
from scratch.
I'm gonna have to get
all of Katie's files.
And I have tonight and the next
two days, right?
Before Katie presents
the defence's case.
I'm just saying you're not gonna
do it on your own.
We put the paper to bed.
I'm free this weekend.
Let's get to work.
Come on.
Yeah. I mean, seriously?
These are the last of the files
that Katie can let us have
for the weekend.
Great.
Thank you.
So where are you?
We need to find out who
could have wanted Elliot dead,
so we're gonna go back through
his entire life
since Stephanie moved out,
check out every single detail.
Great.
Oh, hey.
Big plans tonight?
I think I'll stay.
I can put up some photos
for you.
Kendall, I'm sure you have
better things to do
on a Friday night.
[clears throat]
I've checked all of Elliot's
social media
that I can find cached,
looking for Claire.
I even used a facial
recognition program
to check for his photo
on a dating site.
I didn't find any dating profile
and no Claire in any
friends list on his accounts.
Well, thank you.
I appreciate it,
but seriously-
No, no.
Don't- that's her
"don't mess with me" look.
Got it.
And this smells like
the divorce file to me.
You want me on this one.
Do we even want to consider
Elliot's death was an accident,
if only to rule it out?
I love that, yes.
Can we get into
the house now?
Well, Stephanie's
still officially the owner
so we should be able to.
Hmm.
Uh, screen-grabs.
(Kendall) Katie had the police
video in her evidence files.
Can I put them up?
Yeah, absolutely.
They're the ones that
found the body.
(Drew) Oh, and I went through
the evidence log.
They took photographs of
everything they collected
but I don't remember seeing
anything from the trash.
Your favourite part?
You know it.
Actually, I have that.
On the video.
(Drew) Oh, right there.
(Kendall) Yeah.
Ok, stop there.
(Kendall) Screen-grab?
(Drew) Please.
(Alex) What is that?
I don't know.
I'll zoom in.
Are those numbers?
Names, categories, a ledger.
Maybe it matches
with his financials.
Is there any way
to make it clearer?
(Kendall) It gets too pixelate.
Right.
Well, I want it anyway.
We'll put it up on the board.
Thank you.
No problem.
I didn't see anything like this
in the evidence log.
I'm gonna look again.
Oh, these are
his police records.
What, all of those are Elliot's?
Mmmhmm.
Speeding tickets,
lots of parking tickets.
A fender bender.
Almost took his license away
last year.
Is there any disturbing
the peace?
There was one.
The neighbours across the street
complained about a party.
Just one?
I have a friend in
the neighbourhood who said
there were a lot of loud parties
after Stephanie moved out.
Noted.
Mmmhmm.
So, anything in his financials?
I checked the bank records,
his credit card statements,
everything seems normal.
I mean, there was this one
charge that I flagged
for Around the World Ltd.
It's a moving company?
Maybe he paid to move
Stephanie out.
It's a reoccurring charge.
Every four weeks on the dot.
Hmm.
Well, who needs a monthly
moving company?
Exactly.
How's divorce land?
Oh, well, ugly,
but we knew that.
Lots of squabbling
back and forth
but the kids both had
huge trust funds.
Oh, that's bad for Stephanie,
right?
There's more motive, with Elliot
dead she'd inherit from him
and then be in charge
of the trusts.
Alex, take a look
at the podcast page.
The comments.
Look at that one.
It's a good thing he went drunk
diving instead of drunk driving?
That's harsh.
There's no mention of him
drinking in the trial.
Actually, they can't determine
a good blood alcohol reading
because the body had been
in the water too long.
So we have to find someone
that knows about
his drinking first hand.
But who's gonna admit to that?
Wouldn't his friends
just deny it?
Maybe his club.
They would know.
The Burkes are serious golfers
at Larchmont Hills.
That is a brilliant idea.
If you're going to the club
Alex, I'm going with you.
We can go find out who the
mystery man is in that photo
at the golf tournament
with Elliot, right?
Yes.
And also Stephanie had mentioned
that Elliot used to get
a lifeguard from the country
club to watch the kids.
I'm gonna go to
the property clerk
and see if I can get a peek
at that evidence.
Drew, you should
get some rest.
Nah, I'm used to
the midnight shift.
Alright, well at least pace
yourself and hydrate.
I need you.
I mean...
I mean we all need you and you
still have a lot to do
'cause it's the-
Right.
The Paper.
And you- we still have
to get it out on Sunday.
Of course.
I get it.
I'll see you later.
Yeah, yeah.
Speak up.
What?
Come on. I have eyes.
You need some sleep, alright?
There's nothing to see here.
Ok.
Just don't wait too long.
You don't want regrets.
The annual tournament here
is exclusive.
I can't believe they have
a bar-mobile.
It takes liquid refreshments
around to every hole.
Ok, well you're gonna find that
and I'm gonna head
to the clubhouse and see if
anyone recognizes... the caddy.
Well, that's one mystery solved.
Oh, there's the bar-mobile.
You'll be ok?
-Yeah.
-All right.
I left a message the first time
you called.
Before the trial even started.
Did you not get it?
Yes, Mrs. Burke. I did.
I want no part of your true
crime drama.
It's no secret what side
you're on.
I didn't know you'd be here,
Mrs. Burke.
I'm sorry to disturb you.
But your son is gone.
Don't you want to make sure that
the right person is punished?
I'm not on a side.
I just want the truth.
I'm ok, Max.
You want some truth
for your show?
Yeah.
Yeah, I do.
I would love to interview you.
If you want to come down
to my office I'd be happy to-
No, no, right now before
you get it anymore wrong.
Elliot Burke was a better guy
than half the people
in this place.
He tried to do good.
To make good.
He didn't deserve to die.
Never should have happened.
Now back off, lady.
Leave this alone or people
are gonna get hurt.
[laughing]
Oh my goodness, I was
at that party,
and I tell you, Fay, those of
you that were working that day
deserved every penny
you got.
[laughs] That's so wild.
Your column about that
was hilarious.
Well, that story wrote itself.
I just never revealed
my sources.
No, no, you are a ninja
like that.
Can I be you when I grow up?
Yes.
[laughs]
You can go on over there
if you need to.
Nah, she never wants a drink
and he can't pay.
Jeremy?
He's not a member.
It's the Burkes, he just
comes with them.
Besides, they never wanna drink
when she's there.
Well, he's handsome.
Max Corey.
Was he Elliot's caddy?
Caddy, drinking buddy,
flying buddy.
Not at the same time
or anything.
So he's a pilot.
Mr. Burke was.
Yeah, he'd take Max
on trips sometimes
and Max would get
all mysterious about it.
Huh.
Mmmhmm.
Looks like somebody has
their own inside sources.
No, I just saw a lot when I was
over at Mr. Burke's house
to lifeguard for his kids.
Huh.
You said you worked
for Elliot a lot
and that he was on his phone
all the time.
I know you weren't there
the day Elliot died,
but did you ever hear him
mention a woman named Claire?
Um, I wish I could remember,
I'm sorry.
I was focused on the kids.
Mr. Burke, Elliot, would stay
back and watch the kids play.
He'd be on one call and then
the other phone would ring
and he'd juggle the two.
You mean he'd go in the house
and answer the house phone?
No, he had his smart phone
and then his flip phone.
Did you tell the police
that he had a second phone?
Well, they didn't ask.
What did they ask?
Like, did he ever bring
a woman there,
which is no.
He was busy but
he was a good dad.
So the caddy's name is Max Corey
and he definitely was the guy
in the picture with Jeremy
and Elliot.
Fay confirmed
they are very close.
Maybe that's why he was
so upset.
Because they were good friends.
Or he has a guilty conscience.
He did kind of threaten me.
Really?
Wow.
That kind of behaviour
deserves attention.
So Jeremy turns out to be
somewhat of a mooch.
He doesn't even belong
to this club.
He only comes
with the Burkes.
And did you know that Elliot
was a pilot?
No.
Yes.
Apparently he's racked up quite
a few frequent flyer miles.
And you learned all of this
from the bar-mobile?
It's the art of knowing
who to talk to.
I will never doubt you again.
So Elliot was a pilot,
did he own his own plane?
I don't know.
We're gonna have to find out.
I'll add it to the list, right
next to Elliot's second phone.
Yeah, right.
No airplane rentals.
No aviation bills of any kind.
How did he manage that?
You know what? I'm gonna
check this out.
Thank you.
Yes, you're welcome.
Kendall, how's it going?
Good.
I've been checking the podcast
page comments.
There've been a few tips
about Claire.
Really?
Yeah.
Mostly it's just speculation,
not like anyone knows,
but I'm collecting them.
Well, I appreciate it.
If there's anything helpful
let me know, ok?
Yeah.
I'm picking up lunch.
Great.
Oh, good. Can you get me
a hamburger?
I ordered you a salad.
[laughs]
Great.
Nice try. Anything?
You first.
Ok, well I've been
looking through
the credit card statements.
Everything seems normal,
routine.
But there was this one big
catering bill.
Hmm. He threw a party?
Well, maybe, but there's a
sticky note with an address
and it says to follow up.
But the lawyers were not focused
on the financials.
Divorce lawyers skipped
the money?
Stephanie didn't care about
the money
so yeah I do think
they skipped it.
They were focused
on the custody battle.
(Alex) This is a huge charge
for Elite Events.
What do you see
looking at the money?
Well, it's weird.
I mean, these bills don't
account for their lifestyle.
What do you mean?
Well, those kids had
trust funds, right?
And Elliot was wearing a watch
that retails at five figures.
If you were to look at these
bills you would...
he must have been hiding
his assets.
In case the lawyers
did come looking.
Exactly.
Wow, is that the page
from the desk?
Yeah.
The gilt edge on that paper,
it's like an old school ledger.
Gotta love a man
who knows his paper.
Do I wanna find out how you got
that photo?
Just a trial exhibit and no.
We need to find that book.
Yup.
Flip phone?
What's this?
Fay works at the country club.
She said she used to work
for Elliot
as a lifeguard for his kids
and he had a second phone.
A flip phone.
Burner phone.
Maybe that's how he was talking
to Claire
and there were no records
of the calls.
Yeah, but why does a guy need
a burner phone
to call a girlfriend?
He's getting divorced,
maybe he didn't want people to
know that he had a girlfriend?
No flip phone in
the evidence log.
Maybe the police found it
but they thought it belonged
to the kids.
How about you help me search
the Burke property?
I thought you'd never ask.
You're trespassing!
Stephanie Burke gave us
permission to be here.
This is still her house.
Not for long.
You should have left
my wife alone.
I didn't force her
to do anything, Mr. Newcomb.
You're thoughtless,
careless people.
All of you.
That's the property line.
Ok.
That was intense.
Mmmhmm.
If that burner phone is gone
you know what that means.
Somebody took it.
The person who killed him
took it.
But maybe it was an accident,
you know?
I mean, maybe nobody came here
on purpose to kill him
but then when something happened
they took advantage.
Ok, play it out.
I mean, we're here,
let's settle it.
Could this possibly have
just been an accident?
Ok, so here are the crime
scene photos.
Mmhmm.
This is the golf club
they found.
Ok, look. There's the wound
on Elliot's head.
Maybe back here
and going that way?
Ok.
And then here they found blood
and hair on this rock here.
Oh, kind of here.
Mmmhmm.
So line it up?
Oh, right.
I'm always it, right?
Your favourite part.
It's my favourite part.
Oh, careful!
It's ok. Thank you.
How does that look?
Is that right?
I think so.
But, I mean, you would have had
to fall backward to land there.
He could have accidentally
slipped.
There was a bunch of junk here
on the grass.
Yeah, he could have tripped
and then fallen backwards
to hit his head on the rock?
And then from here he does like
a somersault backwards
into the water.
Right, ok.
If you're gonna do tricks
I need to get my camera out.
Yeah.
But maybe you should.
Like, try to stand up like
you're disoriented, you know?
Right, right.
Groggy?
Ok.
I mean, even if you had
a head wound,
even if you were tipsy,
it's just a stretch
to think you'd end up
in the water.
By accident?
Yeah.
So this wasn't an accident.
No.
Ok, you come up behind me,
alright?
Ok, yeah.
I turn.
Oh!
Comes down like this...
lands, whoa!
And of course it's a golf club
so someone any size could
swing it with enough force.
Like Claire.
Or Stephanie.
Right.
Or we're dealing with someone
else entirely.
Hey.
Come on, you're working
too hard.
Get some studying done,
sweetie.
No, I'm fine.
Right.
[message alert]
I finally found a clear photo
of Max Corey.
He's not on any social media.
Huh.
That's strange.
Yeah.
He was on a promotional shot
for one of the country club's
golf tournaments.
But anyways, he's
on the board now.
Oh, that's great.
Did you find the phone
or the book?
No, the patio door was locked
from the inside
so we gotta wait until we get
some keys from Stephanie.
Hey. Where's Eileen?
Excuse me, are you Dave?
Inside they said
that you're the one
in charge of everything here.
I'm one of the managers,
can I help you?
Well, I hope so.
I'm looking to charter a plane
to take a party
to a ball game in Cleveland and
a friend of mine was on a flight
with Elliot Burke
and just loved it.
So I'm hoping that I can rent
that same plane.
Mr. Burke didn't rent planes.
Oh.
But he flew out of this airport,
right?
Yes, but he had
his own plane.
I'm- I'm sorry, I didn't catch
your name?
It's Eileen.
This plane is just gorgeous.
Is this your plane?
It is.
Wow.
It must be so liberating
to be a pilot.
I give lessons.
I can take you up for a flight
right now if you'd like.
I'd love that.
Great. I'll just need you
to sign a waiver.
I'll be right back.
Ok, thank you, Dave.
[snaps photos]
[snaps photo]
Eileen just emailed me.
She sent a bunch of photos
with planes with tail numbers.
But she did find out that
Elliot Burke owns this plane.
I found it on an online
database.
Wait, Elliot owns an airplane?
(Alex) That can't be possible.
There's no record of a loan.
He certainly didn't
buy it outright,
I mean there are no bills,
there's no financial trail.
It doesn't make sense.
I mean, the lawyers
looked through everything.
There's no hint that Elliot had
a shell company,
he wasn't using
an alternate I.D.
If he tried to get cash
online somewhere
they would have to report
anything over $20,000.
It's not like he had a second
set of books.
Unless that's what this is.
I mean, it could be,
but there'd have to be a cash
flow from somewhere
and since he quit
a few months ago,
I mean, there was no trail
through any of his accounts
or investments.
Couldn't be from his trust
or his kids' trust.
So where did he come up with
the cash to buy an airpla...
Unless it's just cash.
Unless he's operating
from a huge pile of cash.
But then the question is how?
And where is it now?
Maybe the killer took it.
Could be why he was killed.
Greed.
Your favourite motive.
But seriously, if you had a pile
of cash
would you just keep it lying
around your house?
I wouldn't, but who knows
with Elliot?
So what're you two doing?
I was just searching
lexus nexus.
Our helpful neighbour Leonard
Newcomb filed civil complaints
against Elliot last fall.
A few of them, actually.
Elliot kept hitting golf balls
that ricocheted into his yard.
It damaged his plants
and landscape,
broke a shed window.
Leonard felt under assault.
Yeah, it looks like the whole
thing escalated.
Newcomb said he'd protect
his life and property.
Look at Elliot's reply.
He claimed Leonard threatened
him with bodily harm
calling it self-defence.
What do you think,
he just snapped?
People get into deadly fights
over less.
If that's the case then why
didn't Katie bring all that up
in cross-examination?
It wasn't relevant to finding
the body,
which you can only ask about
things the DA covered under Ac.
Right.
I'm just gonna keep digging
here for Leonard.
I hate to say this but we have
to follow the money.
We didn't hear you.
Well, we have to because
they didn't.
What?
This large catering charge
at 890 Stanton.
Do you know where that is?
That is at the airport,
about a 30-minute drive.
Field trip.
This is not the vibe I'd expect
from a high-end
catering company.
Yeah.
Definitely not interested
in the wine list.
Will you hold this?
Thank you.
Ok.
[snaps photo]
Oh, hi.
Um, are we in the right place?
I don't know. Are you?
We're here for Elite Events?
Look, I close up at 8:00.
They'll be here
after I'm gone.
What happens after that,
not my business.
And I want no part of it!
Ok.
What is this?
No clue, but it's ongoing.
Yeah, we're gonna come back
tonight though, right?
Yeah.
But as what? Guests?
Yeah. And based on how much
money Elliot spent
we're gonna need
some wardrobe help.
The last months of Elliot
Burke's life
are a mass of contradictions.
The physical evidence.
The paper trail of his life
raises questions.
But there is fierce support
from his friends.
Here is Jeremy Powers.
(Jeremy) Elliot had problems
but he was changing.
He turned himself inside out
for Stephanie and the kids.
People don't even know
half the stuff he's done
for this community.
(Alex) And this is his long-tie
caddy and friend,
Max Corey, from
Larchmont Hills.
(Max) Elliot Burke was a better
guy than half the people
in this place.
He tried to do good.
To make good.
He didn't deserve to die.
Katie, hey!
Sorry we're late.
No problem.
I just got here.
Alright, let's go inside.
Come on.
Yeah, good job, Hearst.
Alright buddy,
go get some water.
Wow.
Ok, Stephanie's keys.
Great.
It's these two and this is
the one for the front door.
Perfect. Alright.
We'll get there as soon
as we can.
Thank you.
So what is all this?
Oh, uh, while my mom and I
were travelling
I put all my stuff in storage.
I finally sprung it last week.
Does this mean that you're
staying for good?
The truth is I don't know.
This was always supposed
to be temporary.
Haven't you had enough
of temporary?
Don't you wanna just pull out
a couple throw pillows
and call someplace home?
I haven't done that
in a long time.
A long time.
Katie, let's talk
about Stephanie.
How is she holding up?
Oh, Stephanie.
I am prepping her to take
the stand.
You're gonna put her on?
As a last resort.
Right now there's no other way
to get Stephanie's story in.
I hope we can fix that.
Yeah, me too.
[knocking]
Woah.
You look nice.
Where do you keep your recorder
in that thing?
[laughs]
Don't you worry, I have it
right here.
I am ready for action.
Hey. Don't even think about it.
What?
You can interview
anyone you want
but if I see that red light
near me, I'm out.
You know, you should really
rethink that.
You have a great voice.
You would be great
in the podcast.
Bye, Hearst.
Good evening.
We're friends of Elliot's.
But remember, it
was actually um,
it was Max who sent us.
Thank you.
Wow.
What do you think?
Is that Elliot's airplane?
(Alex) Looks like it, yeah.
So his hangar, he catered,
maybe he runs the game.
Is there big money in that?
Yeah, there can be.
Well, maybe we should play
a game, you know?
See if we can find out anything.
Oh, perfect. That's
the bank right there.
Ok.
Nope.
What're you doing?
No photos.
People are watching.
Oh, right.
Somehow I don't think two
reporters are gonna get
a particularly warm welcome at a
secret underground poker game.
A well-to-do couple on the town
on the other hand...
What do you say, darlin'?
I'd love to.
-Hi.
-Hi.
What's the buy in?
5,000.
50,000.
Oh.
Uh, so we will be in
for 5,000.
Thanks.
Good luck.
Really? You're just walking
around with all that cash?
Well, Elliot had a lot of cash,
I figured we should, too.
Well, sure as hell
is the well-to-do part.
So and then this
is just a cover, ok?
Try not to lose it all.
Me?
I have a terrible poker face.
Come on!
What're you doing here?
Um...
We're just playing poker.
How did you even know
about this?
Uh, of course we know
about Elliot's game.
He's dead.
Just leave him alone.
Get these guys out of here.
Well, there goes that cover,
huh?
Yeah.
Miss McPherson?
This is a private party.
Speaking of party,
who pays for this?
It's gotta be tough
on a caddy's wage.
Tony will see you out.
Thanks.
(Alex) Let's take another look
at the murder board.
So Max is running that game.
You think he and Elliot
are working together?
Yeah, but why would Elliot
need Max?
He wouldn't.
So Max took the game from
Elliot because he got jealous.
Mmmhmm.
Do you think a game like that
generates the kind of money
that Elliot had though?
For a 50k buy in?
Absolutely.
But you'd also need the cash
to sustain it
'cause there's no way Max
was making that kind of money.
Right.
So he has a partner?
Unless he took the money
from Elliot.
I mean, nobody's found that pile
of cash you think he had.
[screeching tires]
Look out!
[gasping]
Are you ok?
5-9-R-6.
What?
Uh, the plate. Part of the plate
said 5-9-R-6..
Ok.
Yeah. 5-9-R-6.
-Come on.
-Okay.
Hey.
How's your hand?
It's fine.
Before you say anything
yes, I'm sure,
and no, I'm not getting it
checked out.
See, I knew you'd say that
so I went to the break room.
Do you mind?
Of course not.
Oof.
It's fine.
[inhales sharply]
Sorry.
Are you?
Not really.
What did the sheriff say?
He said that the partial
will help
but it's gonna take some time
to track it down.
Right. Of course.
There you go.
Thank you.
I'll put this on the board.
(Alex) Eileen, I can't believe
you're still here.
(Eileen) Lots to do, darling.
[sighs]
We need to find this book.
Jeremy?
Well, he was at the poker game
and he was upset
that we were there.
Well, I've talked to a lot
of people that said
that he's been an absolute wreck
since Elliot died.
Lost a lot of weight,
drinking more, missing work.
Maybe he just snapped
at us because he's worried
that we're gonna ruin
his friend's memory.
Are you ok?
Yeah, it's alright.
Ow.
It's ok. How's it going
with the Claire tips?
So far it's just all the people
that the police and Katie
have already cleared.
Who is this woman?
She's got to be
from out of town.
I just wish we had a picture.
I wish we knew her full name.
And if she had a rap sheet,
that would be helpful, too.
'Cause Elliot was
definitely reckless.
Maybe she is, too.
That must be a typo, right?
This DOI, they must mean DUI.
No, it's DOI,
Department of Insurance.
It's part of the sheriff's
department.
That's a thing?
Yeah.
When my Edward had an accident
that's the department
that handled it.
Huh.
It says that Jeremy Powers
was with him
when he had the accident.
They were on Warner Boulevard?
Warner Boulevard?
That is a real dicey
neighbourhood
just outside of town.
Huh.
Wonder what they
were doing there.
Alright. Everything
is locked up.
That is a great question,
that we are not working here
anymore tonight.
You got that, ladies?
We'll pick it up somewhere
else tomorrow.
Right, Eileen?
Safety first.
She always takes your side.
[chuckles]
Did you have to circle
the block twice?
You said to make sure we
weren't being trailed.
Oh, right.
Hearst, I'm home!
Come here, Hearst!
Good boy.
Hey buddy!
You going somewhere?
Oh, I'm staying.
I mean, maybe.
Oh.
Analog.
Just how long have you been
walking around with a recorder?
[laughs]
They're my mother's.
She kept an audio diary.
Every family vacation.
I was helping her transfer them
to digital when she got sick.
You know, this is actually
my inspiration for the podcast.
Is this her?
It's a beautiful photo.
Ah, Paris.
You've been?
Yeah, I spent my first few years
on the foreign desk
living out of a backpack.
Decided it wasn't for you?
Actually, I loved it.
How did you end up
on the city beat?
I wanted to give
Kendall stability.
Do you miss it?
Sometimes.
But I'm where
I'm supposed to be.
You sound so sure.
When you know,
you know.
Are we having a moment?
Nah.
I didn't think so.
[bark]
I should go.
Right.
You give me one of those
creative texts
if you need anything.
Right.
Well, I won't though because
I've got my fearless guard dog
to protect me.
Yes, of course.
I will sleep better at night
knowing that.
Thank you so much,
Hearst.
[laughs]
Well, um, I'll just
see you out.
Ok.
Goodnight.
Yeah, thanks.
[exhales]
Hearst.
[whimpers]
Yeah, don't worry.
I got it covered.
I'm on my way.
Hi.
I'm looking for Max.
Uh, he left a little while ago
for some reason.
-Oh.
-Can I help you?
I don't know, can you?
Hey, what's it take to get
into this game?
You have to know
the right people.
Drew.
It's nice to meet you, Drew.
What do I call you?
The right people.
Hey, so who really runs
this game?
Surely it's not the caddy.
Max is very personable,
everyone likes him.
I have no complaints.
Except that I am
on a losing streak.
You don't look like it.
Well, whatever I lose someone
else wins.
I'm spreading wealth
so why not look like it?
Mint?
Thanks.
My ride's here.
Don't linger.
The sheriff said a missing
license plate proves nothing.
Yeah, but if it was the bouncer
from that card game
someone is trying
to tell us something.
Yeah, well the police
will keep searching
with the last four numbers
you saw
but it's gonna take
some time.
Why wouldn't they take
the license plate off the car
before they tried to hit us?
I think we're dealing with
professional killers here.
Good morning!
Mr. Newcomb, hi.
[whispers] That guy.
I don't know what Heidi
sees in him.
Doesn't look like a lot
of kids live here.
There you go.
I guess he was
a weekend dad.
Not his choice.
Ok, so where do you think
we'd find his books
or his flip phone?
Drew...
I think maybe we should start
in his office.
Right.
So just asking,
first impressions,
you hear the name "Cooper",
you think that's a boy's name
or a girl's name?
Sounds like a last name.
But if it was a family name
then maybe you'd name
a boy Cooper?
Right.
But it's a nice girl's name,
right?
Are you naming a baby,
Drew?
Cooper texted Kendall
last night.
"Tonight" question mark,
exclamation point.
"I've been thinking
about it all week."
"Say yes" exclamation point.
Or, you know, words
to that effect.
Exactly.
What? Her phone pinged, I looked
over and there it was.
That text could mean
a million things.
Innocent things.
Come on, we were both
18 once.
This is Kendall
we're talking about.
She is a cool, good,
level-headed young woman.
A mathlete.
Like they don't have wild plans
they think about all week?
What was her reply?
Well, I wasn't spying.
It was all emojis.
You didn't stand a chance.
No.
Here's the thing.
Whatever it was,
she didn't do it.
Even when we tried to convince
her to leave she stayed.
She hung out with you
and all of us at the paper.
I know, you're right.
Woah, hey.
What?
What?
Flip phone?
No phone, but it looks like
a pilot's license, a key.
What's that for?
Maybe a safety deposit box?
I don't know. You know what?
I think I know this company,
they make like padlocks
and lock boxes.
Did you see one around here?
No.
If Elliot wanted to hide
something from Stephanie.
He would put it somewhere
she knew nothing about.
Where should we start?
I guess in the front.
He'd probably put it somewhere
where nobody would find it.
Ok.
Wow.
That's cool.
Yeah.
Um, ok.
Woah.
This is awesome.
This is awesome.
Uh, ok, how big a box
are we looking for here?
Hard to say.
Oh. Hey.
The pilot log book.
Looks like Elliot flew to...
what is that, Detroit?
A lot.
He picked up one passenger.
Huh.
Hmm. Maybe it was that woman
from the game last night.
Well, if it was Claire that's
why we couldn't find her
'cause she's in Detroit.
Right.
Ok, alright. Keep looking.
Where else could it be?
Hey! This is a restricted area.
Hey.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
-Yeah.
-You two were here yesterday.
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
We were.
We heard that the plane
was for sale?
Where'd you hear that?
If Max is trying to pull
a fast one on me
I'm not gonna fall for it-
Uh, no. Uh, not Max.
Uh, it was Elliot's friend
Jeremy.
Jeremy.
Powers.
Jeremy, sure.
Nice guy.
You folks have any questions?
Well, the plane seems
very well maintained.
Mmmhmm.
Mostly a weekend flyer,
is it?
Yeah, he flew a bit
with his buddy,
picked up a passenger
on the weekends.
Round trip, though.
Always parked in the hangar.
Oh, you can tell.
The passenger that he picked up,
she a brunette? Brown eyes?
That's Claire.
I had to find her a charter
service after Elliot passed.
She just flew out
a few hours ago.
Hey, I have the service logs
for this plane in the office
if you wanna come look.
Um...
You know what? If
we decide to move forward
we'll come back for all that,
but...
Right. Thank you.
So much.
Thanks for the preview.
It's great.
Yeah, great plane.
Very interesting.
Ok.
So Claire isn't the girlfriend.
She could be a gambler
and his girlfriend.
I don't know. When I talked
to her she-
Wait, wait. When did you
talk to her?
When I came back.
You get to go rogue
while I have to stay safe.
It was a spur of
the moment thing.
[engine roars]
Let's go.
Anyway, she said that she was
a big loser
but she didn't seem upset
about it
so I'm thinking that
she's probably a fish.
Excuse me?
People who like to play
the game but are lousy at it
and can afford to lose a lot.
They're really good
for the game.
It just brings more people
to the table.
Right.
I don't know. She seemed like
she was more than just a player.
Like she was very in control
of the situation.
Maybe she's the money
behind Max if she's rich.
Could be.
Maybe she was trying to take
the game away from Elliot.
You should have gotten her
phone number.
You really don't think we can go
back to the news room?
After our run-in with the SUV
I think it's best we just
lay low for a while.
And it's much nicer
to work here.
We are running out of time.
I don't know.
We've got a lot of
reasonable doubt.
We dug up a lot.
But everything we dug up
on Elliot
is really just more motive
for Stephanie.
I mean, look.
She has like $10 worth of
art supplies right there.
They designed everything
for that party themselves.
In this tiny apartment,
they have nothing
and they are so happy.
Stephanie wasn't in it
for the money.
She didn't do it.
Ok, well, let's run it down
and we'll start with
neighbour Leonard.
(Drew) We know that there
was an ongoing feud,
the threats were real.
He was always home
so he could have just walked
over and done it.
And based on what
they were fighting about
maybe he thought it was
poetic justice
to attack Elliot with his
very own golf club.
Yeah, but would
Heidi cover for him?
I don't think she'd lie.
But it's not exactly like her
husband would tell her, either.
Ok, so Leonard stays
on the board.
I think you're right.
I think it all goes back
to the game.
I'll put this here so we
all know what you mean.
Who else was at the game?
Uh, Max Corey.
Yeah, he was acting very
different last night, wasn't he?
Mmmhmm. Fantasy
double life for a golf caddy.
But do you think that he would
kill Elliot to take the game?
I mean, is he that ambitious?
Max was Elliot's caddy for years
and Elliot looked after Max
so why would Max turn on him?
I mean, maybe Claire offered
Max better money
to help her take over the game.
Yeah, maybe.
What about Claire?
Oh, no.
She's definitely not the type.
Dad, whatever happened
to never judge a book?
I'm just saying.
So what else do we have on Max
besides the card game?
Just his behaviour.
He's been acting erratic.
He threatened me, shutting down
the podcast interview.
Didn't you say Elliot's friend
Jeremy was there, too?
Yeah.
I mean, he really does seem
to just pop up everywhere,
doesn't he?
What would his motive be?
He was Elliot's friend,
Elliot took care of him.
And he has apparently been
a mess since Elliot died.
Well, I mean, he does know
Elliot's every move
and where he's been and what
he's up to, so...
Oh yeah, fender bender.
But Elliot and Jeremy were
together when it happened.
In a bad part of town.
Why were they there?
Hmm.
Good question.
(Drew) Ok, this is the spot.
According to the report Elliot
was travelling east,
he turned left and then-
Drew.
Look at that.
[phone ringing]
Hello.
Hey, Kendall.
Can you check Elliot's credit
card statements for me?
I'm looking for a reoccurring
charge that was to
Around the World Moving.
I wanna see if there's
any other information there.
There's just this string
of numbers.
Yeah, yeah. That's
the phone number.
There's also SC202.
Wait, 202.
Yeah.
That's it.
I think so. Thank you so much,
Kendall.
Thanks, honey.
So the reoccurring charge
on his credit card,
he wasn't moving something,
he was paying to keep
something here.
Right. And based on the location
of that office
you could come and go
as you please, right?
Any time of day or night.
Plus it's close to the airport
so he can get away quick
if he needs to.
This is it.
Please tell me you have that key
we found in his office.
I don't.
[sighs]
Wait.
-What is that?
-What?
Looks like a key
behind your ear.
[laughs]
Woah.
Ok.
Ok is right.
Just wait, you're gonna
need these.
Thanks.
Ok.
What do you think we got here?
Woah.
This is obviously where Elliot
was stashing his earnings.
Do you think Max grabbed a bag
of this to keep the game going?
It's a possibility.
Woah.
What's that sound?
I don't suppose you have
a hair pin.
No.
What, you're out
of magic tricks?
Sadly.
Ta-dah.
Where'd you get these?
What can I say?
You're a terrible influence.
Ha.
Flattery will get you nowhere.
There we go.
Wow, this must be it.
This is the book
from Elliot's game.
Look at that.
Names, dates, numbers.
Wow, is that the amount of money
people were winning?
Yeah.
Woah, wait.
Wait, wait, wait.
These are IOUs.
Look at this.
A torn page.
These are the rest of the names
to go with the numbers.
Ok.
Wait, hold on.
There it is.
Wow.
We need to get a copy of this.
A big one.
Yeah.
So what, he just ripped it out
and brought it home?
Why?
Well, it's the IOU section,
right?
Look at these names.
Sparwood Inc, MM, Candy Man
Inc, Hydrangea Man.
Yeah, they're codes
or nicknames.
Seven people owed Elliot money.
Three of which owed him
a lot of money.
Which means that three of them
have big motive to kill Elliot.
Isn't it true that you and
your husband fought often?
Yes, but only after we separated
and not in front of the kids.
Don't say yes or she'll
cut you off after that.
Start with the second part.
Don't duck the question
but make your point.
Oh, ok.
[knocking]
Hi.
Thank you. Uh, sorry
to interrupt.
How's it going?
I don't know. I think my lawyer
is going easy on me.
You're doing great, Stephanie.
I only have half an hour
before they take her back.
Right. But this is important.
It'll just take a few minutes.
Ok. Just a few minutes.
I'll be right back.
Ok.
Thanks.
Ok.
Has Katie kept you up
to speed?
Yeah, she told me
about the card game.
Are there any suspects?
Maybe. We found a list of people
that owed Elliot money
but it's in some kind of code.
Does any of this make
sense to you?
Sparwood Inc, no.
MM.
Mighty Max.
Max Corey.
That's what Elliot called him.
Ok, that's great.
Anything else ring a bell?
Pandora, no.
Hydrangea Man.
That's what we called
our neighbour.
Leonard Newcomb?
Yeah, he was obsessed
with his landscaping.
Does it make sense that Elliot
would include him
in a card game?
If it would calm him down
with all the complaints, maybe.
Great.
I mean, does anything else
seem familiar?
We really wanna find this person
tonight, if possible.
I'm sorry.
Nothing else.
No, don't be sorry.
You are doing great.
This is a big help.
Ok, there are five green things
in Alex's fridge,
two of which I think are
supposed to be green?
I can make fritters with
the zucchini for everyone.
Or, you know what?
You seem busy.
Why don't I order take-out,
huh, get some pizza?
[message alert]
Dad.
Ok, no. Zucchini fritters
sound delicious.
You wash, I'll chop.
Ok.
[message alert]
Honey, I feel like you
missed out
on something really important
this weekend.
I mean, your friends
keep pinging.
No. It's just drama.
Madison and Cooper
threw a party,
Chloe and Bree had a big
fight over Tyler
who is so not worth it.
Ulgh, I know, right?
Boys are so not...
yet.
Madison and Cooper,
they're roommates?
No, they're dating.
Oh!
That's great!
I bet. Right?
Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.
I know him from my independent
study on fractals.
Mmmhmm.
She's a marketing major so
they're opposites for sure.
Right. But that works, right?
Yeah.
That works.
That totally works.
[message alert]
Golf and death?
MM is Max Corey, so I thought
I could use some backup.
Right.
Here he comes.
Max.
You got a minute?
Yeah, sorry about last night.
People like their privacy,
right?
Is that why someone tried to run
us down after we left the game?
What?
Yeah. But it's ok 'cause
we got a partial
on the license plate,
sheriff's got it now.
Well, then you should go pick up
whoever owns that car.
It has nothing to do with me.
It's a pretty big step for you,
running that card game.
You don't make enough money
to run a game like that.
I just kept it going.
There's an investor from out
of town, they are the bank.
Yeah? Who's that?
Claire?
Leave her alone.
She's a nice lady.
She just likes to play cards.
She's just the investor.
What does this have to do
with anything?
We have the book, Max.
Elliot's book on the game.
You owed him a lot of money.
My debt was cleared.
Let's talk about that.
How it happened.
No, I worked it off.
And then he said that
he'd forgive the rest.
Elliot was good to me.
I wouldn't try and-
What? Take his game from him?
No.
Yeah, once he died I kept
it going with a little help.
It's something I could make
a little something off of.
It's tips but they're still
good ones.
Look, do not tell his mom,
she had no idea and
that would kill her.
Elliot was gonna get out
of the whole thing.
It wasn't even about the money.
He cut off a bunch of people
who owed him,
wouldn't even let them rack
their debt up.
Where were you April 12th?
I was working a tournament right
off the mainline of Philly.
A country club.
You can check it out.
I gotta take care of something.
What do you think?
Eileen can check out his alibi
and obviously Claire is the bank
but she did get into that car
that tried to run us down.
Sheriff needs to find that car.
And we have to check out
Hydrangea Man next.
Anything?
Nothing.
Ok, well then they're
not at home.
The guy lives in the yard,
watches our every move
and now he's gone?
What about Heidi?
I thought his wife
never left the house.
Well, maybe there is an innocent
reason for them to leave.
Sure.
You know, Leonard didn't really
owe that much money.
But he was looking
to make some.
Look what I found.
Woah.
That is the same type of SUV.
This is the only photo
he posted.
You can't see the plates
and only serious buyers
will get the VIN.
You know what? I'm
gonna ask the sheriff
and see if he can get Leonard
Newcomb's vehicle registration.
I mean, this might qualify
as probable cause.
Newcomb sued over six inches
of his property line.
You and I saw firsthand
just how intense the guy is.
Maybe it has nothing to do
with money.
Maybe he's just afraid
it was gonna get out
and he was embarrassed.
Wait a second, did everybody
just hear that or was it me?
Drew Godfrey suggesting
that the motive for murder
might be based in emotion.
Guilty.
[laughs]
Seriously though,
you're right.
Right?
There's lots of emotion
going on here.
Anger and embarrassment
and fear.
The question is why now?
What?
Well, what's the breaking point?
Why would someone suddenly
be afraid enough to kill?
I mean, these debts were old
and some of them added up
over a long time.
Like look at Sparwood Inc.
$150,000 added up
over nearly a year.
Do you remember that Max said
that Elliot was thinking of
shutting down the game
even though he was gonna
forgive the debt?
I mean, what if Claire
was bankrolling
and maybe she was afraid she was
about to take a financial hit.
Or maybe Elliot was dealing
with some high-stakes players
and they wanted him
to extend credit
and he wouldn't
and it got violent.
I mean, at least with this
you'd have reasonable doubt.
You know, viable suspects.
What time's court tomorrow?
9:00am.
Thirteen hours.
Sparwood Inc isn't incorporated
in Pennsylvania as an LLC,
personal corporation,
or anything.
I can start looking
at other states.
Hey, and uh, I just heard back
from the country club in Wayne,
and they said that Max Corey
was working there
on April 12th, 13th and 14th.
He wasn't working all night
and it's not that far
a drive from Philly.
I don't think we can rule
him out.
Why don't I start looking at
the Michigan companies.
Maybe it's Claire.
I wish we had photos
of the other players
from that game last night.
Look, like Max said,
these were people
that Elliot had cut off
and he wasn't gonna
let them play again
until they paid off their debt.
But without Elliot there
there's no one to stop them.
Max didn't have that book.
You all need to go home.
Get some rest.
It's been a very long weekend
and you all have been
so amazing.
Honestly, I can't
thank you all enough.
Are you sure?
Yes.
What we need is someone who can
understand Elliot's shorthand.
[Hearst panting]
[knocking]
Mrs. Burke, it's important.
I have news.
It's already past
the children's bed time
and structure is very important
right now.
I won't keep you long.
We've been looking into
your son's activities
and we found some
surprising things.
Your son was a good man
and we found out
that he was really trying
to change
and I want to include
all of that in my podcast.
What is your point,
Miss McPherson?
I'm really sorry that
I'm the one that has
to tell you this,
but your son was...
running a high-stakes
poker game.
We found his storage unit,
it had a lot of money in it
and a ledger,
he kept a book on the game.
People owed him money.
Three people owed him
a lot of money.
It's a pretty strong motive
for murder.
So why are you talking
to me?
If this is true go find
these people.
I can't.
It's in code.
Elliot's own code and Stephanie
could only recognize
two of the names.
My mother knew me.
Knew how I thought.
Better than anyone.
And, well, maybe you know more
than you think you do.
I'm the reason that Elliot
couldn't swim.
I did that.
We were at the beach
when he was three,
he was running in the surf
and he fell and he tumbled out
into the waves.
I had looked away for 20 seconds
and I turned around
and my boy was washing
out to sea.
I ran out and caught him before
the tow dragged him under
but another 20 seconds
and he would have been...
Gone.
I swore that I would never
look away again.
And here we are.
If you could just see if you
recognize any of the names.
No.
Keep it.
Think it over.
Mrs. Burke?
I'm so sorry.
No Leonard.
No Deborah, either.
Any word on the list
of names?
Nothing, but the fact
that it exists helps,
it's still an alternate suspect,
right?
It is.
All rise.
[bangs gavel]
Back on the record in
the Commonwealth
versus Burke.
Before we begin I have a motion
to dismiss before me.
Yes, your honour.
We move the court dismiss the
charges against Stephanie Burke.
The prosecution
has failed to meet
the burden of proof
under the law.
Mrs. Burke.
Deborah.
I didn't sleep
at all last night.
This was nagging at me.
Sparwood.
I just couldn't place it.
Then this morning I looked
at an old address book.
I do all my Christmas cards
by hand.
Usually I'd remember.
But this was a long time ago.
Motion is denied.
Miss Wyer, are you ready
to proceed for the defence?
Yes, your honour.
I'd like to recall
Jeremy Powers.
Mr. Powers, please take
the stand
with the reminder that
you're still under oath.
Mr. Powers, you've stated
that you've known Mr. Burke
since you were very young?
Have you spent a lot of time
together since?
We have, yeah.
Had.
And what kinds of things would
you do together, typically.
We played golf a lot.
What else?
Travel some, go to ball games.
Anything else?
Anything else you did
on a regular basis?
I don't know what you mean.
Mr. Powers, what
is Sparwood Inc?
Objection, your honour.
Is there any relevance
in our future?
Defence council presented
no statement for this witness
and he's being called
out of order.
Mr. Powers is on the
prosecution's witness list.
They don't need an additional
statement from me.
We received a different list.
We prepared for different
witnesses today.
Let's take a 10 minute recess.
I want to see council
in my chambers.
The witness may step down
but you will retake the stand
when we resume.
[bangs gavel]
He knows.
Yes, he does.
Excuse me.
Sorry, Mrs. Burke.
[crowd murmuring]
Excuse me.
Do you see him?
I got him, he's this way.
What?
Do you-
Do you see him?
Let's split up, ok?
Jeremy, wait! No, please.
Please just wait.
Look, I understand, ok?
I understand the stress
that you were under.
I found Elliot's book.
I saw how much money
you owed him.
So what happened?
He wouldn't forgive
the debt?
You don't know what
you're talking about.
Of course he would.
He was my friend.
That wasn't enough?
Forgiving the debt
wasn't enough.
You... you...
you wanted to play.
He had all that cash!
I just needed enough to play!
One good game would
have changed everything.
I just needed- I needed
a loan to get back on top
and he wouldn't even listen.
I didn't go there to hurt him.
I didn't mean to.
I...
Jeremy.
Stop! Stop!
Alex, he's headed
for the stairs.
Stay down! Stay down!
I got him!
[grunting]
Are you ok?
Yeah.
You don't like it
when I go rogue.
I didn't think you were gonna
body slam the guy.
Ha! Yeah, me neither.
Good job.
Everybody stop!
Put your hands where
I can see them!
I got him. I got him.
This is a misunderstanding.
I didn't do anything!
I want to talk to my lawyer!
That was awesome.
I mean, he was gonna
get away. I-
Yeah, that's what-
what you should do.
I was waiting for you...
No, no, no.
I got a bad back.
Ooh! I've got a bad back,
so I couldn't quite give it
my full there.
That was good.
Should we uh...
-Yeah.
-Get back in?
Well, I guess
we should explain.
Hey, let me at least get
the door for you.
Thank you.
At the advice of
his accountant,
Jeremy Powers used the street
he had grown up on,
Sparwood Avenue, to name
the corporation
he intended to hide
his poker winnings.
Luckily, Deborah Burke
is the kind of woman
who likes to handwrite
her Christmas cards.
Jeremy used Sparwood Inc.
to lease a black SUV
with a license plate ending
in 5-9-R-6.
Sparwood also incurred debt.
Massive debt.
Jeremy lived eight blocks
from Elliot.
On the night of April 12th he
walked over to Elliot's house.
They hit golf balls together in
the back yard as they often di.
Jeremy used that bonding moment
to ask Elliot for another loan.
Jeremy couldn't stop playing.
Trying to be a good friend,
Elliot refused.
He didn't want to enable
his gambling addiction.
Jeremy snapped.
Jeremy said that
Elliot died instantly.
He found his flip phone
and took it.
But Jeremy couldn't find
Elliot's key to the storage unit
and he panicked.
He tried to make it look like
Elliot had drowned.
Jeremy confessed and has plead
guilty to second degree murder.
Stephanie Burke
has been released.
Stephanie has been reunited
with her two children,
and she and Deborah
have made peace
and are working together
for the kids.
As for the mysterious Claire,
she played no part
in Elliot's death.
She was his business associate.
The Recovered podcast, along
with the Harrington Chronicle,
will honour and respect
her privacy.
This case has challenged me
in surprising ways
and it's reminded me that when
you find yourself in a hole
it's good to know
that you have a crew.
Friends who can help
dig you out.
Congratulations.
[laughs]
You know what I mean.
Kendall, Eileen?
I just wanted to say thank you
both for helping me.
I really appreciated everything
that you did this weekend.
Oh my goodness, Alex,
you didn't have to do this.
Oh, I wanted to.
Just, you know,
little treats.
Thank you.
Thank you, Alex.
You know, you could have put the
Recovered promo above the fold.
We put news above the fold.
Well, we made news.
Yeah, I guess we did.
So have you thought about it?
You are so persistent.
Thank you.
Seriously.
Podcasts with two hosts
do great.
I think it would be awesome.
But I already have
a job or two.
Why not three?
I'll think about it.
I'm Alex McPherson.
Until next time,
this has been Recovered.