Happy Face (2025) s01e01 Episode Script
The Confession
1
Gray skies are
gonna clear up ♪
Gray skies are
gonna clear up ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Brush off the
clouds and cheer up ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
And spread sunshine ♪
All over the place ♪
Just put on a happy ♪
Face ♪
♪
Gray skies are
gonna clear up ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Brush off the
clouds, hey, cheer up ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Take off the gloomy
mask of tragedy ♪
It's not your style ♪
You'll look so good
that you'll be glad ♪
You decided to smile ♪
Pick out a pleasant outlook ♪
Stick out that noble chin. ♪
MELISSA: Happy birthday,
my little Hazel.
(Hazel grunts)
Mm-mm. I come bearing a donut.
I thought we were
doing cake tonight.
What, you can't have two wishes?
Fine.
Yay!
(panting)
These are all for Hazel?
Stop drooling on them, Max.
Can I open one, Mom?
Just one. The rest
are for tonight.
(panting)
(exhales)
MAX: Why does she get so many?
MELISSA: 15 for 15.
That's how we do it.
MAX: She has 16.
MELISSA: That dark
blue one right there?
That one's for you.
- HAZEL: Thanks. How'd you know?
- Yeah.
Because Mom is the best?
Give me a hug, birthday girl.
- Come here.
- What? No, Dad, you're all wet.
Oh, sweetie, that's
rain. It's not sweat.
- You stink. Go shower.
- HAZEL: Go shower, Dad.
You guys I don't
like this team
- Hey, what are you doing, Max?
- Getting breakfast.
BEN: No, that's not
breakfast, and that's sugar.
- I said it was all right.
- If he doesn't get sugar here,
he'll just get it
on the streets.
The streets? What do you, what
do you know about the streets?
- You're 15.
- HAZEL: I know about the streets.
You don't like my makeup?
Oh, my God, just do it.
You always want to choose
what's best for your skin tone.
And warmer colors
look amazing on you.
All right, I'm gonna shower.
Dad.
Oh, you look beautiful,
birthday girl.
What's Chilliwack?
What?
Chilliwack? What is it?
Where's this coming from?
It's a It's a birthday
card. I got it in the mail.
"Ask your mom.
It was a special place
for the whole family."
- What's wrong?
- Oh, uh, it's nothing.
- Who is it?
- I don't
I don't know.
Whoa. Creepy.
Um, get your stuff together.
We got to go to school.
HAZEL: Mom, they
say they're family.
I've got a great uncle
who lives down in Oregon.
He lives in a nursing home.
If he writes to you
again, you tell me.
- What's his name?
- Just get your shoes on, we got to go.
- Go, go, go.
- Fine.
(shower running)
(Ben humming)
(keypad beeping)
(shower shuts off)
- BEN: Do we need candles?
- Uh, yeah.
I'll pick some up on
my way home from work.
BEN: Thanks.
You okay?
Yeah yeah. I'm fine.
'Kay.
♪
(studio bell rings)
- Hey.
- Oh, hey.
- Morning, Melissa.
- Morning.
- MAN: Hey, there.
- Hey.
(indistinct chatter)
IVY: I do not care
what she says now.
That is not what she said
before we put her on
a fucking plane, okay?
- Morning.
- Hi, Melissa.
Morning.
- Good morning.
- Hey.
Good morning, Stewart.
What's Ivy so upset about?
- Ugh, usual drama.
- Oh. Guest or talent?
The mother from Colorado whose
daughter was murdered last year?
She's saying she won't go on.
Money or nerves?
- PRODUCER: Five minutes!
- Hmm.
Okay, look, I'm putting
her through hair and makeup
and then she can decide.
Okay.
All right, bye.
Hi, Ivy.
(sighing): Hi, Melissa.
Her name is Kathy Weaver.
See if you can calm
her down, okay?
- Mm-kay.
- Thank you.
Yeah.
(Melissa sighs)
You're on, Mel.
Ugh.
You already look great,
so we're just gonna do
some finishing touches
and give you that
Gwyneth Paltrow glow.
Sure.
MELISSA: Mm.
But honestly, I'm not sure
I'm going through with this.
(whispers): I'm, uh
supposed to talk you into it.
But between you and me,
I don't have any
skin in the game.
You know my daughter was killed?
Yes. I am so sorry.
It's been a year. The
police have nothing.
I just can't think
of any other way
to get people to care about her
other than going on this show.
So what's the downside?
My husband says it
makes us look desperate.
What mother wouldn't
be desperate
to find out what
happened to her child?
- That's what I said.
- Yeah.
So, I had this guy in my
chair a couple months ago,
he's a an expert
on violent crime.
And he said five
out of six Americans
will be victim to a violent
crime in their life.
And you know what that means?
Kathy, you're not alone.
KATHY: I read once
that every violent act
is a rock dropped in water.
If you stay silent,
the ripples of trauma
just keep going,
pulling everyone they
touch underneath.
(phone buzzes)
- MELISSA: I'm so sorry.
- KATHY: No. Go ahead.
It could be your kids.
(waves lapping)
Someone murdered
your daughter, Kathy.
That person doesn't get to go
on living without consequences.
That person has to
pay for what they did.
And you need to make
sure that he does.
IVY: Melissa.
(Melissa sighs)
IVY: What the hell was that?
- Nothing, I
- Okay, if I lose her,
then we lose the emotional
component to the crime
and then we are like
every other show.
When I ask you to calm
I think I'm ready to do this.
Dr. Greg can't wait to meet you.
- Thank you.
- Of course.
- You look great.
- (chuckles softly)
- Yeah, let's go.
- Okay.
- You're gonna do great.
- KATHY: Thank you.
- We're just gonna go down this hall.
- KATHY: Okay.
(studio bell rings)
IVY: You can just have a
seat in the green room.
MAN: Just gonna stop
by, drop it off.
♪
Hi, um, do you have
any birthday candles?
Uh, yeah. Uh, end of the aisle.
(mouth full): Thank you.
(Melissa sighs)
(register beeping)
Can I have one of those, please?
Yep.
Absolutely. (grunts)
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
(all singing): Happy
birthday to you ♪
Happy birthday to you ♪
Happy birthday, dear Hazel ♪
Happy birthday to you. ♪
(cheering, laughing)
BEN: That's not
enough, are you crazy?
(faucet running)
That was fun.
Yeah.
She seemed happy, right?
Mm, she did.
Yeah.
I'll clean up.
You can go run.
- You sure?
- Yeah.
You got a marathon in May, go.
You're a good mom.
Love you.
Love you back.
(water running)
♪
BEN: Back in a bit.
I'll be here.
(door closes)
♪
(phone beeping)
AUTOMATED VOICE:
Thank you for calling
- Oregon Corrections Services.
- (trash can wheels rattling)
Please enter the mailbox
number, then press pound.
Okay (muttering)
(sighs)
Hi, there.
Hi.
- I'm Renee. I just moved in.
- Hi, I'm Melissa.
I'm just, I'm on
the phone, so
- thank you!
- Oh.
(sighs)
I'm gonna say this
slowly so you understand.
Stay the fuck away
from me and my kids.
Stay out of my fucking life.
Stop writing me letters.
I don't read them. I never have.
And if you ever, ever
write to one of
my children again,
or send one of your
psycho drawings,
I swear to fucking God,
I will make it my life's work
to make your miserable existence
- more miserable than it already is.
- Hi, sorry, I just,
- I have one question
- I'm so sorry, I can't talk right now!
I will not stop
filing complaints
until they take away every last
fucking privilege: TV, phone,
internet, visitors, everything.
You did what you did, and
now you have to live with it
for the rest of
your fucking life
in a fucking box alone.
(indistinct chatter)
MELISSA: Good
morning, Stewart.
Hey. Anything new going on?
Not really.
- You?
- Please.
See Kathy Weaver's
moment, by the way?
She had the audience in literal
- tears with every
- TABITHA: Melissa?
I'm Tabitha,
Dr. Greg's assistant.
He wants to talk to you.
Dr. Greg wants to talk to me?
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
♪
(Dr. Greg speaking indistinctly)
DR. GREG: Right?
- No, not yet. No.
- Hi.
Nothing else,
except for the call.
Please, have a
seat, have a seat.
No, okay? Um
I, uh, I have a meeting.
Uh
we'll talk. Okay.
- Just give me one moment.
- Yeah.
Melissa?
Yeah yes. Hi.
Uh, this is John.
He's, uh, he's from legal.
Hey.
How long have you been with us?
- Two years.
- DR. GREG: Two!
Right.
And-and where did you come from?
Uh, mostly freelance.
I I was doing bridal makeup.
- (knocking at door)
- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Hey, you wanted
Oh, I'm sorry, did
you want me to just
No, no, no, come on
in, Ivy. I'm just, um,
finding out a little
more about Melissa here.
Uh, Dr. Greg, if this
is about yesterday,
- and what I said to Kathy, I'm so sorry.
- DR. GREG: Uh
Ivy, what do you know about
the Happy Face Killer?
IVY: The trucker serial
killer from around here?
- DR. GREG: Mm-hmm.
- Uh, he killed in the '90s.
Serial, but under ten.
Uh, he used to sign letters to
newspapers with a happy face.
- Right, right.
- Yeah. Why?
Anything to add, Melissa?
IVY: Why would she
What's going on?
This is true crime.
She's makeup.
And yet earlier today,
the Happy Face Killer
called this show.
And said he had
information about a murder.
What?
DR. GREG: Apparently,
Mr. Happy Face made it clear
there were only two people
here that he would talk to.
Myself
and Melissa here.
So
I think you know my
next question, Melissa.
Why?
Um, I have absolutely no idea.
Really?
He says he's been
writing to you for years.
IVY: Oh, God, are you
one of those women who falls in
love with serial killers and now
we have to cover her
because there's
- Oh, no. No, no, no, no.
- What? No.
No. No.
He's, uh, calling
again in a minute.
Either you tell me
or he will.
(door opens)
TABITHA: Dr. Greg?
I have that call.
He's my father.
("Happy" by Jenny Lewis &
The Watson Twins playing)
So happy ♪
Happy ♪
Oh, so happy ♪
Happy ♪
Oh, oh-oh, oh ♪
So happy ♪
Happy ♪
Oh, oh-oh, oh ♪
So happy ♪
So happy. ♪
♪
DR. GREG: Okay, Melissa?
If, uh,
if you think your
father is lying,
offer anything you think
will be helpful, okay?
Okay.
DR. GREG: Good, good.
Uh, ready, Tabitha.
(line beeps)
Hello. This is, uh, Dr. Greg.
I'm here with, uh, Ivy Campbell,
my true crime producer,
John Howler from legal,
and, uh, Melissa Reed.
To whom am I speaking?
KEITH: Me.
DR. GREG: Is that Keith
Jesperson, the Happy Face Killer?
I don't hear Melissa.
Where is she?
Uh, before we get into that,
let me make one thing clear.
I don't like being used.
So if you're only calling to
out Melissa as your daughter,
she beat you to it.
Oh, this isn't about Melissa.
This is about trying
to get the truth
out to the media.
DR. GREG: All right, um
Uh-huh. What truth
would that be, sir?
I need to hear Melissa first.
(sighs)
What do you want?
Hi, Missy.
Don't call me that.
You're right.
You're at work.
I-I just wanted to
talk to you. I, uh
I already talked.
I told you to fuck off.
Or did you not get my message?
Is that how I raised you to
speak in front of your boss?
Uh, you let me worry
about that, sir.
Um, so, what truth
are we talking about?
It was nine.
Did you say "nine"?
What, what was nine?
When I confessed in '95,
I held one back.
- Why would you hold one victim back?
- Didn't you know?
Serial killers, uh,
do that sometimes.
DR. GREG: Then
why confess now?
I'm getting old.
I need to make things right
- while I still can.
- Bullshit. You are such a liar.
I'm trying to make
things right, Missy.
You have never tried
to make anything right.
I told you before.
- There were nine.
- You never told me
Well, maybe you should
read my letters!
What's this victim's name?
Jane.
IVY: Jane what?
Doe.
IVY: Do you not know her name,
or is this just a lie to
manipulate your daughter?
Oh, I know everything.
It just can't be that easy.
Thought you were trying
to make things right.
I am.
But prison's boring.
And they record these calls.
I'll only tell it to Melissa.
In person.
(line clicks, beeps)
(studio bell ringing)
IVY: Hey, Melissa!
Melissa, wait!
The the prison is
a four-hour drive.
Can you go tomorrow morning?
I have to go back to work, Ivy.
He just
(quietly): He said he
killed another woman.
You can't just go back to work.
He's lying.
He's trying to
manipulate me again.
Then face face him down.
Don't run away.
Please don't produce me.
Okay.
Okay.
(Melissa sighs)
You're right. I'm sorry.
Then help me understand.
Have you ever visited him?
(sighs)
Twice.
When I was 15,
after he first got
arrested and, um
when I was pregnant
with my daughter.
N-Neither time helped.
Does your family know?
My husband Ben does, but
we told the kids
that he's dead.
- I'm really sorry.
- Oh
This is so fucked.
Know what's even more fucked?
If he's not lying,
there's a family out there
still wondering what
happened to their daughter.
We could get them an answer.
That, I meant. I swear.
I have to think about it.
(sighs)
♪
♪
(crying)
(truck horn blows)
MISSY: Daddy's home!
KEITH: Come on! (laughs)
(whoops, mumbles)
There you go.
Ooh, Missy-o!
Missed you.
Here you go, son.
- SHANE: Thanks, Dad.
- What have I got for you?
- Hmm? You want to see it?
- Mm.
KEITH: No peeking.
Close your eyes.
Put out your hand.
(quietly): Here you go.
I got that for you
in a shop in Arizona.
The lady said that it was
the stone of Father Sky,
good for protection
and enduring love.
You like it?
(sobs)
WALSH (over TV):
Sunday, May 22,
and I'm John Walsh.
Two of America's most wanted
fugitives have been
(pretends growling)
(Missy giggles)
WALSH: At 9:45 Friday night,
Steven Randall Dye
flagged down a San Diego Police
squad car and turned himself in.
Dye was wanted for
I told you she's too young
to watch this, Keith.
KEITH: Now we're in trouble.
(laughs)
(chuckles)
(sobs)
(sighs)
(sniffles)
BEN: He's lying to you.
He is trying to get
you back in his life.
Or there is a family
who lost a daughter
who will never get answers.
Is that what your
work said to you?
Do you know how
manipulative that is?
- The shit that he
- What your father did
is not your responsibility.
The shit that he said,
and the shit I saw.
I knew, I knew
something was wrong.
I never did anything about it.
You were a child.
But I am an adult now.
Do you not remember what
happened last time you went?
Because I do.
You weren't okay
for months, Melissa.
You were a ghost.
I just, I
(Melissa sighs)
I know that if I don't go there
and deal with him,
then he won't stop doing this.
He will never leave us alone.
I'm not sure that you want
him to leave you alone.
What does that mean?
Because even after
everything that he has done,
you still love him.
He wasn't always a
monster. He became one.
Before that, he was just
my dad.
(chuckles)
You never saw that, but I did.
♪
Okay.
So, what do we tell the kids?
♪
(lock buzzes in distance)
(door creaks nearby)
IVY: Hey.
You okay?
- Yeah, thanks.
- (lock buzzes, latch clicks)
You guys have an hour. Good?
It's so good to see you, Missy.
Don't call me that.
Mr. Jesperson, I'm Ivy Campbell.
We spoke on the phone.
Oh, yes. Uh, I enjoy your work.
Thank you. Thank you.
Uh, so the prison has
given us permission to
record this conversation,
but I need you to
sign the release form.
Oh. Oh.
Is this, uh, something I
should have my attorney
look at first?
You wanted us here to
talk about a murder.
Now we're here, so talk.
(clears throat)
You remember Chilliwack?
Remember that day we went
swimming, just you and me?
And then after, we, uh,
sat on the bank, and just
looked at the water
and then you said,
"Look at the river, Daddy,
it's-it's so sparkly.
I think Chilliwack is a girl."
You remember that?
Mr. Jesperson, you
promised you would
tell us about the ninth
victim, the Jane Doe.
We're ready to record
whatever you have to say,
but you need to sign
the release first.
I've already told Ivy that
this whole thing is just a lie
- to get me here, so
- I wish.
Then prove it. What's her name?
KEITH: Well, if
I tell you that,
then you're just gonna get up
and you're gonna
walk out of here,
and I'm not gonna see
you for another 15 years.
Well, if you don't
tell me that now,
then I'm just gonna get up
and I'm gonna walk out of
here and you won't see me
for the rest of your life,
so (clicks tongue)
BASSETT: Two
choices, Jesperson.
Sign the form.
Go back to your cell.
♪
KEITH: Oh, I think
I'll keep this.
(chuckles) See if I can make
something useful out of it.
Come on, Dad, just
give it to her.
(gasps)
Did you hear yourself?
You called me Dad.
(Keith sighs)
IVY: So I'm just gonna clip
this to your shirt, all right?
What? Oh, yeah.
Missy, you gonna come over
here and do my makeup for me?
Make me look pretty on camera?
- Is that why you're doing this?
- KEITH: What?
So you can get some
attention, be on TV?
(laughing)
I'm not the one that used
to parade around the house
pretending she was Dolly Parton.
(scoffs)
Here you come again ♪
Just when I've begun
to get myself together ♪
You waltz right in the door ♪
Just like you done before ♪
And wrap my heart around
your little finger. ♪
MELISSA: Ha, ha, ha, ha.
You're saying I'm the
one who wants attention?
KEITH: No, what
I'm saying is that
- you're still my little girl
- (Melissa scoffs)
digging in my
pockets for treasure.
That's why you're here.
No, I'm not here for you.
We're here for the truth, Keith.
- So, go ahead and tell us.
- (Keith scoffs) I will.
As soon as Missy here
tells me why she is acting
like she's God's gift
when she's the one
that benefitted
from every killing that I did.
Excuse me?
Every time a woman
took her last breath,
you got presents.
Time with Daddy.
I needed to be
around you, after,
because it
kept me out of the darkness.
So I brought you little trinkets
and big presents that I knew
your mom couldn't afford.
Lots of candy.
And seeing you happy,
it just erased
all that I'd done.
Because if-if you
loved me that much,
and I loved you that much
then, uh,
I couldn't be all that bad.
IVY: What does this all have
to do with the ninth victim?
'Cause after I killed her,
I brought you a trampoline.
Do you remember? It was the
last gift that I gave you.
(laughter)
I need to go to the bathroom.
Can I use the bathroom,
please? Thank you.
(lock buzzes, latch clicks)
(sighs heavily)
So, Jesperson's your pops.
I'd appreciate it if you
kept that to yourself.
I'd appreciate it if you
made it worth my while.
Relax. I just wanted to
see if you were a sick fuck
like your dad.
(exhales)
Uh, that's my cue, Ivy.
IVY: Well, wait, wait,
Mr. Jesperson, please.
You haven't told us anything.
This thing. See?
I gotta give Dr. Greg something
or he won't let us come back.
(muttering indistinctly)
What was the name of the victim?
Where did you dump her?
Ask Missy.
She knows.
(lock buzzes, latch clicks)
(indistinct chatter)
IVY: Hey.
So, how many glasses are you in?
Two.
Then two glasses for me, too.
I know today was a lot.
It's gonna take a lot
more than two to forget.
Good. Good.
'Cause I'm gonna
need you to remember.
Remember what?
Well, when you went
to the bathroom,
I tried to get him
to tell us something.
And he didn't give you
anything because he's lying.
Actually, no.
He said, "Ask Missy, she knows."
Ask me what? What
would I know?
That's why I'm asking you.
I have no clue, Ivy, I swear.
Okay.
The trampoline.
Did he mean it was the
last gift he brought you
before he got arrested?
Yeah, I guess so.
I was
uh, I was 15.
It was winter. I was
wearing my puffy coat.
I'd just gotten
it for Christmas.
Oh, you want to jump. (laughs)
Hey, Dad.
Oh. Mm.
It definitely had to
have been after that.
Okay. Christmas.
Christmas. Christmas.
- What's that?
- A timeline of his murders.
Oh, God. Excuse me.
Hi, can I have another, please?
It's cheaper if I
just leave the bottle.
IVY: You know, that's
a good idea. Thank you.
(sighs)
So this is your
life, Ivy Campbell?
Just building timelines
for serial killers?
My life is whatever the
latest crime story requires.
MELISSA: Doesn't it get
depressing, thinking about
all the terrible things that
happen to people all the time?
You know terrible things
don't just happen.
Terrible things
are done by people,
and that interests me.
What's "Death Game"?
Just tell me.
He liked to choke them,
but not to kill them.
He'd strangle them just
enough to bring them
in and out of consciousness.
Sometimes for hours.
So he could rape them again.
I figured you knew.
I've tried to avoid the details.
I can have Adele contact
the trucking company.
I'm tired. I'm-I'm gonna go.
Are you gonna be okay?
What are we doing here?
I know how to pull off
the perfect murder.
Duct tape comes in real handy.
But you got to take it with you.
Because they can get a
print off this now, too.
Just like that.
Zip ties are much better.
I think you've been
reading too many of
your crime books, Dad.
(sniffles)
(crying)
(sighs)
Keith Hunter Jesperson,
aka the Happy Face Killer,
confessed to authorities
that five years ago
he lured his first
victim, Kelly Davis,
to this house in
Portland, where he lived
with his girlfriend at the time.
What do you think?
Come on in, I'll show you.
Jesperson says he brutally
beat Kelly in the living room,
then strangled her to death.
He claims their sexual
encounter was consensual,
but the police say otherwise.
TEEN MELISSA: So this
is Allison's place?
Oh, yeah. She's nice.
She let me move in.
I can't believe you already
have a new girlfriend.
I'm gonna get bunk beds.
But for now you get
to sleep on the couch.
(sighs)
(inhales)
♪
KEITH: Hi, Missy.
-Hi, Dad.
-What are What are you doing?
I had a nightmare.
Dreamed a lady was
touching my hair.
Huh.
That's spaghetti sauce.
(indistinct chatter)
- Hey.
- Hey.
Good morning.
We need to talk to my mom.
She lives in Spokane.
Okay. Yeah, let's go.
- Okay.
- Come on.
Do you know when
Mom's gonna be back?
Can we come in? I left
a message, I just
I need to go to the basement.
(sighs) Sorry about my stepdad.
That's his good side.
Okay, so what exactly
are we looking for?
My mom kept all of her receipts.
When you're poor
with three kids,
sometimes you have to return
something to afford dinner.
You guys moved here
after the divorce?
Yep. When I was 12.
My mom and my grandma
slept upstairs
and my brother and sister
and I slept down here.
Down here? Every night?
Yeah, our cots were
right over there.
What about Mr. Hospitality?
Mm, he came a few years later.
(paper rustling)
(Ivy chuckles)
What'd this guy do?
Oh, God.
That's Brenden, my
ex-boyfriend from high school.
JUNE: Melissa?
Hey, Mom.
You just show up?
You don't even call?
I called you like four
times. I left a message.
This is Ivy, this
is my boss.
JUNE: Hello, dear.
So, you visited your father?
How'd you know?
- Your brother told me.
- (Melissa sighs)
Shane talks to him? Since when?
When you don't visit or call,
you end up out of the loop.
I call you.
JUNE: My apologies, Ivy.
Do you drink tea?
I burned all my records.
And I have no idea what happened
- to that eyesore of a trampoline.
- (phone buzzes)
So you have no idea where
he drove from that time?
No, and I would say I'm sorry
I can't help you, but I'm not.
But if what Mr. Jesperson
said is true,
there could be a family that
could use this information.
Ivy, do you know what
I do for a living?
Melissa said you're a caseworker
at the Salvation Army.
I help women and children
get off the streets
and into safe
housing, every day.
I do my part.
Except when it comes
to your own children.
They're on their own.
(Joseph shouts, slams table)
JUNE: Did I not keep a
roof over your heads?
- Food on the table?
- You didn't talk to us, Mom.
- You didn't explain anything.
- What have you told your kids?
- That's different.
- JUNE: How?
I'm not blaming you.
But he is still very dangerous.
No, he's desperate
and he's pathetic
and he's in prison.
Ivy, do you mind excusing us?
Yeah, yeah, of course.
Uh, I have to make
a call anyway.
- Uh, do you mind if I do it outside?
- JUNE: Yeah.
What is going on with you, Mom?
Why are you acting so weird?
Years ago, after your
father went away
I was up late, cleaning.
The phone rang. It was a man.
He said
"I know exactly what
you're wearing, June."
And he described my
nightgown to a T.
Even my slippers.
Where was I?
You kids were
downstairs, asleep.
It was terrifying.
I turned off all the lights
so he couldn't see me.
I sat on the couch in the dark,
holding a kitchen knife,
watching the knob
on the front door.
And you think Dad had
something to do with this?
I know he did.
He called later to say
he'd sent a friend by.
Said I should expect
to see him again.
Who?
You know he always had people
worshipping him,
doing his bidding.
What, like fans?
All I know
is sometimes I'll
come out of a store
and my car will
have a flat tire.
Or I'll come home and the cups
are moved to a
different cabinet.
- You're being paranoid, Mom.
- No!
(shaky breath)
He wants me to know
that I'm only alive because
he wants me to be.
Ugh, Mom
You have to hear me.
He has power outside
of those prison walls.
And in the right
circumstances
he would hurt anyone.
Even his little Missy.
(urgent knocking)
I was on the phone
when I saw it.
That's got to be it, right?
(sighs)
MELISSA: We only
had one trampoline.
- Okay, let's go.
- Wait. Here, here.
All right.
You got it?
- Yep.
- Okay.
Oh, here.
Um, 1529 Main Street.
Denton, Texas.
(winded): It's It's Texas.
There we go.
Yeah.
- (lock buzzes, latch clicks)
- Texas.
What about it?
Turns out, trampolines are
really hard to get rid of.
We found an old label on ours
that led back to a
sports store in Texas.
Ivy spent all night
searching unsolved murders.
Can't blame you for leaving her
out of your first confession.
(scoffs)
IVY: You wiggled out of the
death penalty here in Oregon,
but Texas would've killed
you in a heartbeat.
Aren't you two in a good mood?
IVY: Well, I figure this
process will really speed up
once we loop in law enforcement,
but then, of course,
you'll lose control
of the story.
So, if you want to get
out in front of it,
now's the time.
Uh, I delivered, uh,
a load of frames to,
uh, Denton, Texas.
And, um
dispatcher told me that
he'd have another load for me
in a day or two, so I decided
I'm gonna drive
around for a while.
And stopped at a bar
to have a burger.
And I was served by this
pretty little bartender.
And she was just getting
off her day shift.
I finished eating and
got back in my truck.
And I wasn't
lookin' for trouble.
But I guess that's
Something must've
been looking for me,
because what do you know?
I'm There's that
little bartender
and she's hitchhiking.
And she's all legs and thumb.
And that was
(taps table) fate.
And so I pulled
over and I asked her
if she needed some help, and
she recognized
me from the bar,
and said that her
car battery died.
IVY: What was the bar called?
- I don't remember, Ivy.
- Bullshit.
She got into your
truck willingly?
KEITH: Well, she was hesitant,
but I showed her a picture
of my kids that I
kept up on the visor.
I mean, they all relax once they
see that you have daughters.
IVY: What was her name?
Whatever happened to that little
girl that loved Dolly Parton?
I mean, I-I thought
that you were
You were gonna be a star.
A-And then somehow, you just
wound up doing their makeup.
You're questioning
my life choices?
KEITH: Well, this
girl, the bartender,
she really wanted to be a star.
And, uh, she had a
really good voice, too.
And she was singing
along with this guitar
that she had with her.
We drove around for
a couple of hours.
And
we wound up having sex.
But I did not rape her.
And I want to go on record:
I've never raped a
woman in my life.
I never paid for sex.
Did some of those girls
like it rough? Yes.
Did I strangle them? Yes.
But I never, ever raped them.
IVY: Okay, what happened next?
She kept going on about how
she was gonna be a huge star
and that I'd be
able to brag someday
that I'd had her once.
And it rubbed me the wrong way.
I mean, that the ego.
And so I told her, I said, uh,
"I don't see how you're
gonna get to be a big star
if I kill you first."
So let me tell you about
strangling a woman.
It ain't easy.
Along the way, I'd learned
that if I used my fist
and pressed right
into the larynx,
I could just hold that, and
let time just tick away,
and when I smelled the urine,
I knew that I was done.
But she was different.
I was choking her,
and this smell
started to come off of her.
You know, like when a skunk
sprays when they get cornered.
But, you know
but it wasn't fear
and it wasn't piss. It was, uh,
it was grapefruit.
Grapefruit?
The smell of it filled up
the whole cab of the truck.
The pink skin, you know, the
(sniffs)
Um, it was bright, like citrus.
(sniffs) And, uh, that threw me.
But that was her.
That was
the smell of her death.
I'd just started to move her,
but she woke up.
Could've sworn
that she was dead.
And she started coughing.
And so, I just hit
her over the head,
and then she was dead.
IVY: What about
the murder weapon?
What'd you hit her with?
KEITH: My dog wrench. 11-inch.
IVY: Okay, what happened next?
KEITH: Picked her up
and carried her down
under some bridge
and dumped her.
And then I bought a trampoline.
And then I drove
straight to you.
What was her name?
Now, you think you're
so much better than me.
You think you're so different.
You don't see how
we're the same, do you?
Secretive by nature,
so good at pretending
to be somebody
you're not.
Act tough, but deep down,
you're just filled
with insecurity,
and you're afraid
you can't love.
And you're afraid
you can't be loved.
I've been married for 20 years.
Oh, to Ben the branch manager?
And those kids.
Max.
Does he know that
he's got my eyes?
And Hazel, in that little
plaid uniform she got,
I bet she goes
Don't you fucking
talk about my kids.
I'm sorry that you have to
have a dad like me, Missy.
You deserve better.
(lock buzzes, latch clicks)
(door opens)
SHANE: Get us anything else?
You're too old for a trampoline?
(laughs)
KEITH: Let me dig
in my pockets.
What treasures do I have here?
Hmm?
Hmm. Yeah, just what is it?
- SHANE: I'm gonna grab that.
- No, no, no, no.
Anything but that.
That one, that's for Missy.
(knock on door)
She had a guitar.
(line ringing)
IVY: Wait, what?
- What's going on?
- Hey, Ben.
Hey. How'd it go?
It's-It's still going.
Um, I need your help.
Can you can you go into
- my safe, please?
- Is that Mom?
- Can I talk to her?
- Uh (stammers)
I was hoping you'd left by now.
(sighs) Uh, we're-we're
dealing with something here.
Um, I-I need your help.
Please, go in my safe.
Please, please, please.
Hey, I'll be right back, okay?
Just one second.
Okay, I'm here.
The code is our anniversary.
Okay. 0-7-2-9-0-4.
- (safe opens)
- Got it.
There should be a perfume box.
It says, "Elizabeth Poppy."
You know, dump it out,
and there's a
yellow guitar pick.
KEITH: This
is for you.
So you can be a star
just like Dolly.
What's it say?
"Whiskey River."
A bar in Texas. Whiskey River.
- BEN: Hey, Melissa, what's going on here?
- Yeah.
We have a lead on
the ninth victim.
So he's telling the truth?
I don't know, but if he
killed somebody else,
then I have to do
something about it.
Melissa, if you go down
this road, it's
going to come out
that your dad is the
Happy Face Killer.
You know that, right?
Melissa?
IVY: Found it.
I have to call you back,
okay? I love you. Bye.
Is that her? What's her name?
IVY: "Small town remembers
Heather Richmond,
"aspiring singer who
was raped and murdered
"on February 18, 1995.
"She was last seen leaving
the bar where she worked
"in Jefferson, Texas,
Whiskey River."
Holy shit. We did
it. We solved it.
Wait, wait, wait.
Hold on. Hold on.
It's it's not unsolved.
What? What does that mean?
"Heather's boyfriend at
the time, Elijah Carter,
"was convicted of her murder.
He's still on death row. He
maintains his innocence."
Death row?
He has two months.
Oh, my God.
IVY: Fuck. Okay, we
need to go to Texas
and figure out what's
going on right now.
("Happy Face" by
Jagwar Twin playing)
Hey ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Then everything's okay ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
♪
Hey ♪
Put on a happy face. ♪
Captioned by Media Access
♪
Flip the switch,
flip the stove ♪
World gone mad,
let's start the show ♪
Get your kicks and let's go ♪
If you're sad,
don't let it show ♪
They say, "Put
on a happy face" ♪
'Cause we're
tick-tock, tick-tock ♪
Ticking like a time bomb ♪
Hey ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Then everything's okay ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Hey ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Then everything's okay ♪
Put on a happy face. ♪
♪
Gray skies are
gonna clear up ♪
Gray skies are
gonna clear up ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Brush off the
clouds and cheer up ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
And spread sunshine ♪
All over the place ♪
Just put on a happy ♪
Face ♪
♪
Gray skies are
gonna clear up ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Brush off the
clouds, hey, cheer up ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Take off the gloomy
mask of tragedy ♪
It's not your style ♪
You'll look so good
that you'll be glad ♪
You decided to smile ♪
Pick out a pleasant outlook ♪
Stick out that noble chin. ♪
MELISSA: Happy birthday,
my little Hazel.
(Hazel grunts)
Mm-mm. I come bearing a donut.
I thought we were
doing cake tonight.
What, you can't have two wishes?
Fine.
Yay!
(panting)
These are all for Hazel?
Stop drooling on them, Max.
Can I open one, Mom?
Just one. The rest
are for tonight.
(panting)
(exhales)
MAX: Why does she get so many?
MELISSA: 15 for 15.
That's how we do it.
MAX: She has 16.
MELISSA: That dark
blue one right there?
That one's for you.
- HAZEL: Thanks. How'd you know?
- Yeah.
Because Mom is the best?
Give me a hug, birthday girl.
- Come here.
- What? No, Dad, you're all wet.
Oh, sweetie, that's
rain. It's not sweat.
- You stink. Go shower.
- HAZEL: Go shower, Dad.
You guys I don't
like this team
- Hey, what are you doing, Max?
- Getting breakfast.
BEN: No, that's not
breakfast, and that's sugar.
- I said it was all right.
- If he doesn't get sugar here,
he'll just get it
on the streets.
The streets? What do you, what
do you know about the streets?
- You're 15.
- HAZEL: I know about the streets.
You don't like my makeup?
Oh, my God, just do it.
You always want to choose
what's best for your skin tone.
And warmer colors
look amazing on you.
All right, I'm gonna shower.
Dad.
Oh, you look beautiful,
birthday girl.
What's Chilliwack?
What?
Chilliwack? What is it?
Where's this coming from?
It's a It's a birthday
card. I got it in the mail.
"Ask your mom.
It was a special place
for the whole family."
- What's wrong?
- Oh, uh, it's nothing.
- Who is it?
- I don't
I don't know.
Whoa. Creepy.
Um, get your stuff together.
We got to go to school.
HAZEL: Mom, they
say they're family.
I've got a great uncle
who lives down in Oregon.
He lives in a nursing home.
If he writes to you
again, you tell me.
- What's his name?
- Just get your shoes on, we got to go.
- Go, go, go.
- Fine.
(shower running)
(Ben humming)
(keypad beeping)
(shower shuts off)
- BEN: Do we need candles?
- Uh, yeah.
I'll pick some up on
my way home from work.
BEN: Thanks.
You okay?
Yeah yeah. I'm fine.
'Kay.
♪
(studio bell rings)
- Hey.
- Oh, hey.
- Morning, Melissa.
- Morning.
- MAN: Hey, there.
- Hey.
(indistinct chatter)
IVY: I do not care
what she says now.
That is not what she said
before we put her on
a fucking plane, okay?
- Morning.
- Hi, Melissa.
Morning.
- Good morning.
- Hey.
Good morning, Stewart.
What's Ivy so upset about?
- Ugh, usual drama.
- Oh. Guest or talent?
The mother from Colorado whose
daughter was murdered last year?
She's saying she won't go on.
Money or nerves?
- PRODUCER: Five minutes!
- Hmm.
Okay, look, I'm putting
her through hair and makeup
and then she can decide.
Okay.
All right, bye.
Hi, Ivy.
(sighing): Hi, Melissa.
Her name is Kathy Weaver.
See if you can calm
her down, okay?
- Mm-kay.
- Thank you.
Yeah.
(Melissa sighs)
You're on, Mel.
Ugh.
You already look great,
so we're just gonna do
some finishing touches
and give you that
Gwyneth Paltrow glow.
Sure.
MELISSA: Mm.
But honestly, I'm not sure
I'm going through with this.
(whispers): I'm, uh
supposed to talk you into it.
But between you and me,
I don't have any
skin in the game.
You know my daughter was killed?
Yes. I am so sorry.
It's been a year. The
police have nothing.
I just can't think
of any other way
to get people to care about her
other than going on this show.
So what's the downside?
My husband says it
makes us look desperate.
What mother wouldn't
be desperate
to find out what
happened to her child?
- That's what I said.
- Yeah.
So, I had this guy in my
chair a couple months ago,
he's a an expert
on violent crime.
And he said five
out of six Americans
will be victim to a violent
crime in their life.
And you know what that means?
Kathy, you're not alone.
KATHY: I read once
that every violent act
is a rock dropped in water.
If you stay silent,
the ripples of trauma
just keep going,
pulling everyone they
touch underneath.
(phone buzzes)
- MELISSA: I'm so sorry.
- KATHY: No. Go ahead.
It could be your kids.
(waves lapping)
Someone murdered
your daughter, Kathy.
That person doesn't get to go
on living without consequences.
That person has to
pay for what they did.
And you need to make
sure that he does.
IVY: Melissa.
(Melissa sighs)
IVY: What the hell was that?
- Nothing, I
- Okay, if I lose her,
then we lose the emotional
component to the crime
and then we are like
every other show.
When I ask you to calm
I think I'm ready to do this.
Dr. Greg can't wait to meet you.
- Thank you.
- Of course.
- You look great.
- (chuckles softly)
- Yeah, let's go.
- Okay.
- You're gonna do great.
- KATHY: Thank you.
- We're just gonna go down this hall.
- KATHY: Okay.
(studio bell rings)
IVY: You can just have a
seat in the green room.
MAN: Just gonna stop
by, drop it off.
♪
Hi, um, do you have
any birthday candles?
Uh, yeah. Uh, end of the aisle.
(mouth full): Thank you.
(Melissa sighs)
(register beeping)
Can I have one of those, please?
Yep.
Absolutely. (grunts)
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
(all singing): Happy
birthday to you ♪
Happy birthday to you ♪
Happy birthday, dear Hazel ♪
Happy birthday to you. ♪
(cheering, laughing)
BEN: That's not
enough, are you crazy?
(faucet running)
That was fun.
Yeah.
She seemed happy, right?
Mm, she did.
Yeah.
I'll clean up.
You can go run.
- You sure?
- Yeah.
You got a marathon in May, go.
You're a good mom.
Love you.
Love you back.
(water running)
♪
BEN: Back in a bit.
I'll be here.
(door closes)
♪
(phone beeping)
AUTOMATED VOICE:
Thank you for calling
- Oregon Corrections Services.
- (trash can wheels rattling)
Please enter the mailbox
number, then press pound.
Okay (muttering)
(sighs)
Hi, there.
Hi.
- I'm Renee. I just moved in.
- Hi, I'm Melissa.
I'm just, I'm on
the phone, so
- thank you!
- Oh.
(sighs)
I'm gonna say this
slowly so you understand.
Stay the fuck away
from me and my kids.
Stay out of my fucking life.
Stop writing me letters.
I don't read them. I never have.
And if you ever, ever
write to one of
my children again,
or send one of your
psycho drawings,
I swear to fucking God,
I will make it my life's work
to make your miserable existence
- more miserable than it already is.
- Hi, sorry, I just,
- I have one question
- I'm so sorry, I can't talk right now!
I will not stop
filing complaints
until they take away every last
fucking privilege: TV, phone,
internet, visitors, everything.
You did what you did, and
now you have to live with it
for the rest of
your fucking life
in a fucking box alone.
(indistinct chatter)
MELISSA: Good
morning, Stewart.
Hey. Anything new going on?
Not really.
- You?
- Please.
See Kathy Weaver's
moment, by the way?
She had the audience in literal
- tears with every
- TABITHA: Melissa?
I'm Tabitha,
Dr. Greg's assistant.
He wants to talk to you.
Dr. Greg wants to talk to me?
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
♪
(Dr. Greg speaking indistinctly)
DR. GREG: Right?
- No, not yet. No.
- Hi.
Nothing else,
except for the call.
Please, have a
seat, have a seat.
No, okay? Um
I, uh, I have a meeting.
Uh
we'll talk. Okay.
- Just give me one moment.
- Yeah.
Melissa?
Yeah yes. Hi.
Uh, this is John.
He's, uh, he's from legal.
Hey.
How long have you been with us?
- Two years.
- DR. GREG: Two!
Right.
And-and where did you come from?
Uh, mostly freelance.
I I was doing bridal makeup.
- (knocking at door)
- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Hey, you wanted
Oh, I'm sorry, did
you want me to just
No, no, no, come on
in, Ivy. I'm just, um,
finding out a little
more about Melissa here.
Uh, Dr. Greg, if this
is about yesterday,
- and what I said to Kathy, I'm so sorry.
- DR. GREG: Uh
Ivy, what do you know about
the Happy Face Killer?
IVY: The trucker serial
killer from around here?
- DR. GREG: Mm-hmm.
- Uh, he killed in the '90s.
Serial, but under ten.
Uh, he used to sign letters to
newspapers with a happy face.
- Right, right.
- Yeah. Why?
Anything to add, Melissa?
IVY: Why would she
What's going on?
This is true crime.
She's makeup.
And yet earlier today,
the Happy Face Killer
called this show.
And said he had
information about a murder.
What?
DR. GREG: Apparently,
Mr. Happy Face made it clear
there were only two people
here that he would talk to.
Myself
and Melissa here.
So
I think you know my
next question, Melissa.
Why?
Um, I have absolutely no idea.
Really?
He says he's been
writing to you for years.
IVY: Oh, God, are you
one of those women who falls in
love with serial killers and now
we have to cover her
because there's
- Oh, no. No, no, no, no.
- What? No.
No. No.
He's, uh, calling
again in a minute.
Either you tell me
or he will.
(door opens)
TABITHA: Dr. Greg?
I have that call.
He's my father.
("Happy" by Jenny Lewis &
The Watson Twins playing)
So happy ♪
Happy ♪
Oh, so happy ♪
Happy ♪
Oh, oh-oh, oh ♪
So happy ♪
Happy ♪
Oh, oh-oh, oh ♪
So happy ♪
So happy. ♪
♪
DR. GREG: Okay, Melissa?
If, uh,
if you think your
father is lying,
offer anything you think
will be helpful, okay?
Okay.
DR. GREG: Good, good.
Uh, ready, Tabitha.
(line beeps)
Hello. This is, uh, Dr. Greg.
I'm here with, uh, Ivy Campbell,
my true crime producer,
John Howler from legal,
and, uh, Melissa Reed.
To whom am I speaking?
KEITH: Me.
DR. GREG: Is that Keith
Jesperson, the Happy Face Killer?
I don't hear Melissa.
Where is she?
Uh, before we get into that,
let me make one thing clear.
I don't like being used.
So if you're only calling to
out Melissa as your daughter,
she beat you to it.
Oh, this isn't about Melissa.
This is about trying
to get the truth
out to the media.
DR. GREG: All right, um
Uh-huh. What truth
would that be, sir?
I need to hear Melissa first.
(sighs)
What do you want?
Hi, Missy.
Don't call me that.
You're right.
You're at work.
I-I just wanted to
talk to you. I, uh
I already talked.
I told you to fuck off.
Or did you not get my message?
Is that how I raised you to
speak in front of your boss?
Uh, you let me worry
about that, sir.
Um, so, what truth
are we talking about?
It was nine.
Did you say "nine"?
What, what was nine?
When I confessed in '95,
I held one back.
- Why would you hold one victim back?
- Didn't you know?
Serial killers, uh,
do that sometimes.
DR. GREG: Then
why confess now?
I'm getting old.
I need to make things right
- while I still can.
- Bullshit. You are such a liar.
I'm trying to make
things right, Missy.
You have never tried
to make anything right.
I told you before.
- There were nine.
- You never told me
Well, maybe you should
read my letters!
What's this victim's name?
Jane.
IVY: Jane what?
Doe.
IVY: Do you not know her name,
or is this just a lie to
manipulate your daughter?
Oh, I know everything.
It just can't be that easy.
Thought you were trying
to make things right.
I am.
But prison's boring.
And they record these calls.
I'll only tell it to Melissa.
In person.
(line clicks, beeps)
(studio bell ringing)
IVY: Hey, Melissa!
Melissa, wait!
The the prison is
a four-hour drive.
Can you go tomorrow morning?
I have to go back to work, Ivy.
He just
(quietly): He said he
killed another woman.
You can't just go back to work.
He's lying.
He's trying to
manipulate me again.
Then face face him down.
Don't run away.
Please don't produce me.
Okay.
Okay.
(Melissa sighs)
You're right. I'm sorry.
Then help me understand.
Have you ever visited him?
(sighs)
Twice.
When I was 15,
after he first got
arrested and, um
when I was pregnant
with my daughter.
N-Neither time helped.
Does your family know?
My husband Ben does, but
we told the kids
that he's dead.
- I'm really sorry.
- Oh
This is so fucked.
Know what's even more fucked?
If he's not lying,
there's a family out there
still wondering what
happened to their daughter.
We could get them an answer.
That, I meant. I swear.
I have to think about it.
(sighs)
♪
♪
(crying)
(truck horn blows)
MISSY: Daddy's home!
KEITH: Come on! (laughs)
(whoops, mumbles)
There you go.
Ooh, Missy-o!
Missed you.
Here you go, son.
- SHANE: Thanks, Dad.
- What have I got for you?
- Hmm? You want to see it?
- Mm.
KEITH: No peeking.
Close your eyes.
Put out your hand.
(quietly): Here you go.
I got that for you
in a shop in Arizona.
The lady said that it was
the stone of Father Sky,
good for protection
and enduring love.
You like it?
(sobs)
WALSH (over TV):
Sunday, May 22,
and I'm John Walsh.
Two of America's most wanted
fugitives have been
(pretends growling)
(Missy giggles)
WALSH: At 9:45 Friday night,
Steven Randall Dye
flagged down a San Diego Police
squad car and turned himself in.
Dye was wanted for
I told you she's too young
to watch this, Keith.
KEITH: Now we're in trouble.
(laughs)
(chuckles)
(sobs)
(sighs)
(sniffles)
BEN: He's lying to you.
He is trying to get
you back in his life.
Or there is a family
who lost a daughter
who will never get answers.
Is that what your
work said to you?
Do you know how
manipulative that is?
- The shit that he
- What your father did
is not your responsibility.
The shit that he said,
and the shit I saw.
I knew, I knew
something was wrong.
I never did anything about it.
You were a child.
But I am an adult now.
Do you not remember what
happened last time you went?
Because I do.
You weren't okay
for months, Melissa.
You were a ghost.
I just, I
(Melissa sighs)
I know that if I don't go there
and deal with him,
then he won't stop doing this.
He will never leave us alone.
I'm not sure that you want
him to leave you alone.
What does that mean?
Because even after
everything that he has done,
you still love him.
He wasn't always a
monster. He became one.
Before that, he was just
my dad.
(chuckles)
You never saw that, but I did.
♪
Okay.
So, what do we tell the kids?
♪
(lock buzzes in distance)
(door creaks nearby)
IVY: Hey.
You okay?
- Yeah, thanks.
- (lock buzzes, latch clicks)
You guys have an hour. Good?
It's so good to see you, Missy.
Don't call me that.
Mr. Jesperson, I'm Ivy Campbell.
We spoke on the phone.
Oh, yes. Uh, I enjoy your work.
Thank you. Thank you.
Uh, so the prison has
given us permission to
record this conversation,
but I need you to
sign the release form.
Oh. Oh.
Is this, uh, something I
should have my attorney
look at first?
You wanted us here to
talk about a murder.
Now we're here, so talk.
(clears throat)
You remember Chilliwack?
Remember that day we went
swimming, just you and me?
And then after, we, uh,
sat on the bank, and just
looked at the water
and then you said,
"Look at the river, Daddy,
it's-it's so sparkly.
I think Chilliwack is a girl."
You remember that?
Mr. Jesperson, you
promised you would
tell us about the ninth
victim, the Jane Doe.
We're ready to record
whatever you have to say,
but you need to sign
the release first.
I've already told Ivy that
this whole thing is just a lie
- to get me here, so
- I wish.
Then prove it. What's her name?
KEITH: Well, if
I tell you that,
then you're just gonna get up
and you're gonna
walk out of here,
and I'm not gonna see
you for another 15 years.
Well, if you don't
tell me that now,
then I'm just gonna get up
and I'm gonna walk out of
here and you won't see me
for the rest of your life,
so (clicks tongue)
BASSETT: Two
choices, Jesperson.
Sign the form.
Go back to your cell.
♪
KEITH: Oh, I think
I'll keep this.
(chuckles) See if I can make
something useful out of it.
Come on, Dad, just
give it to her.
(gasps)
Did you hear yourself?
You called me Dad.
(Keith sighs)
IVY: So I'm just gonna clip
this to your shirt, all right?
What? Oh, yeah.
Missy, you gonna come over
here and do my makeup for me?
Make me look pretty on camera?
- Is that why you're doing this?
- KEITH: What?
So you can get some
attention, be on TV?
(laughing)
I'm not the one that used
to parade around the house
pretending she was Dolly Parton.
(scoffs)
Here you come again ♪
Just when I've begun
to get myself together ♪
You waltz right in the door ♪
Just like you done before ♪
And wrap my heart around
your little finger. ♪
MELISSA: Ha, ha, ha, ha.
You're saying I'm the
one who wants attention?
KEITH: No, what
I'm saying is that
- you're still my little girl
- (Melissa scoffs)
digging in my
pockets for treasure.
That's why you're here.
No, I'm not here for you.
We're here for the truth, Keith.
- So, go ahead and tell us.
- (Keith scoffs) I will.
As soon as Missy here
tells me why she is acting
like she's God's gift
when she's the one
that benefitted
from every killing that I did.
Excuse me?
Every time a woman
took her last breath,
you got presents.
Time with Daddy.
I needed to be
around you, after,
because it
kept me out of the darkness.
So I brought you little trinkets
and big presents that I knew
your mom couldn't afford.
Lots of candy.
And seeing you happy,
it just erased
all that I'd done.
Because if-if you
loved me that much,
and I loved you that much
then, uh,
I couldn't be all that bad.
IVY: What does this all have
to do with the ninth victim?
'Cause after I killed her,
I brought you a trampoline.
Do you remember? It was the
last gift that I gave you.
(laughter)
I need to go to the bathroom.
Can I use the bathroom,
please? Thank you.
(lock buzzes, latch clicks)
(sighs heavily)
So, Jesperson's your pops.
I'd appreciate it if you
kept that to yourself.
I'd appreciate it if you
made it worth my while.
Relax. I just wanted to
see if you were a sick fuck
like your dad.
(exhales)
Uh, that's my cue, Ivy.
IVY: Well, wait, wait,
Mr. Jesperson, please.
You haven't told us anything.
This thing. See?
I gotta give Dr. Greg something
or he won't let us come back.
(muttering indistinctly)
What was the name of the victim?
Where did you dump her?
Ask Missy.
She knows.
(lock buzzes, latch clicks)
(indistinct chatter)
IVY: Hey.
So, how many glasses are you in?
Two.
Then two glasses for me, too.
I know today was a lot.
It's gonna take a lot
more than two to forget.
Good. Good.
'Cause I'm gonna
need you to remember.
Remember what?
Well, when you went
to the bathroom,
I tried to get him
to tell us something.
And he didn't give you
anything because he's lying.
Actually, no.
He said, "Ask Missy, she knows."
Ask me what? What
would I know?
That's why I'm asking you.
I have no clue, Ivy, I swear.
Okay.
The trampoline.
Did he mean it was the
last gift he brought you
before he got arrested?
Yeah, I guess so.
I was
uh, I was 15.
It was winter. I was
wearing my puffy coat.
I'd just gotten
it for Christmas.
Oh, you want to jump. (laughs)
Hey, Dad.
Oh. Mm.
It definitely had to
have been after that.
Okay. Christmas.
Christmas. Christmas.
- What's that?
- A timeline of his murders.
Oh, God. Excuse me.
Hi, can I have another, please?
It's cheaper if I
just leave the bottle.
IVY: You know, that's
a good idea. Thank you.
(sighs)
So this is your
life, Ivy Campbell?
Just building timelines
for serial killers?
My life is whatever the
latest crime story requires.
MELISSA: Doesn't it get
depressing, thinking about
all the terrible things that
happen to people all the time?
You know terrible things
don't just happen.
Terrible things
are done by people,
and that interests me.
What's "Death Game"?
Just tell me.
He liked to choke them,
but not to kill them.
He'd strangle them just
enough to bring them
in and out of consciousness.
Sometimes for hours.
So he could rape them again.
I figured you knew.
I've tried to avoid the details.
I can have Adele contact
the trucking company.
I'm tired. I'm-I'm gonna go.
Are you gonna be okay?
What are we doing here?
I know how to pull off
the perfect murder.
Duct tape comes in real handy.
But you got to take it with you.
Because they can get a
print off this now, too.
Just like that.
Zip ties are much better.
I think you've been
reading too many of
your crime books, Dad.
(sniffles)
(crying)
(sighs)
Keith Hunter Jesperson,
aka the Happy Face Killer,
confessed to authorities
that five years ago
he lured his first
victim, Kelly Davis,
to this house in
Portland, where he lived
with his girlfriend at the time.
What do you think?
Come on in, I'll show you.
Jesperson says he brutally
beat Kelly in the living room,
then strangled her to death.
He claims their sexual
encounter was consensual,
but the police say otherwise.
TEEN MELISSA: So this
is Allison's place?
Oh, yeah. She's nice.
She let me move in.
I can't believe you already
have a new girlfriend.
I'm gonna get bunk beds.
But for now you get
to sleep on the couch.
(sighs)
(inhales)
♪
KEITH: Hi, Missy.
-Hi, Dad.
-What are What are you doing?
I had a nightmare.
Dreamed a lady was
touching my hair.
Huh.
That's spaghetti sauce.
(indistinct chatter)
- Hey.
- Hey.
Good morning.
We need to talk to my mom.
She lives in Spokane.
Okay. Yeah, let's go.
- Okay.
- Come on.
Do you know when
Mom's gonna be back?
Can we come in? I left
a message, I just
I need to go to the basement.
(sighs) Sorry about my stepdad.
That's his good side.
Okay, so what exactly
are we looking for?
My mom kept all of her receipts.
When you're poor
with three kids,
sometimes you have to return
something to afford dinner.
You guys moved here
after the divorce?
Yep. When I was 12.
My mom and my grandma
slept upstairs
and my brother and sister
and I slept down here.
Down here? Every night?
Yeah, our cots were
right over there.
What about Mr. Hospitality?
Mm, he came a few years later.
(paper rustling)
(Ivy chuckles)
What'd this guy do?
Oh, God.
That's Brenden, my
ex-boyfriend from high school.
JUNE: Melissa?
Hey, Mom.
You just show up?
You don't even call?
I called you like four
times. I left a message.
This is Ivy, this
is my boss.
JUNE: Hello, dear.
So, you visited your father?
How'd you know?
- Your brother told me.
- (Melissa sighs)
Shane talks to him? Since when?
When you don't visit or call,
you end up out of the loop.
I call you.
JUNE: My apologies, Ivy.
Do you drink tea?
I burned all my records.
And I have no idea what happened
- to that eyesore of a trampoline.
- (phone buzzes)
So you have no idea where
he drove from that time?
No, and I would say I'm sorry
I can't help you, but I'm not.
But if what Mr. Jesperson
said is true,
there could be a family that
could use this information.
Ivy, do you know what
I do for a living?
Melissa said you're a caseworker
at the Salvation Army.
I help women and children
get off the streets
and into safe
housing, every day.
I do my part.
Except when it comes
to your own children.
They're on their own.
(Joseph shouts, slams table)
JUNE: Did I not keep a
roof over your heads?
- Food on the table?
- You didn't talk to us, Mom.
- You didn't explain anything.
- What have you told your kids?
- That's different.
- JUNE: How?
I'm not blaming you.
But he is still very dangerous.
No, he's desperate
and he's pathetic
and he's in prison.
Ivy, do you mind excusing us?
Yeah, yeah, of course.
Uh, I have to make
a call anyway.
- Uh, do you mind if I do it outside?
- JUNE: Yeah.
What is going on with you, Mom?
Why are you acting so weird?
Years ago, after your
father went away
I was up late, cleaning.
The phone rang. It was a man.
He said
"I know exactly what
you're wearing, June."
And he described my
nightgown to a T.
Even my slippers.
Where was I?
You kids were
downstairs, asleep.
It was terrifying.
I turned off all the lights
so he couldn't see me.
I sat on the couch in the dark,
holding a kitchen knife,
watching the knob
on the front door.
And you think Dad had
something to do with this?
I know he did.
He called later to say
he'd sent a friend by.
Said I should expect
to see him again.
Who?
You know he always had people
worshipping him,
doing his bidding.
What, like fans?
All I know
is sometimes I'll
come out of a store
and my car will
have a flat tire.
Or I'll come home and the cups
are moved to a
different cabinet.
- You're being paranoid, Mom.
- No!
(shaky breath)
He wants me to know
that I'm only alive because
he wants me to be.
Ugh, Mom
You have to hear me.
He has power outside
of those prison walls.
And in the right
circumstances
he would hurt anyone.
Even his little Missy.
(urgent knocking)
I was on the phone
when I saw it.
That's got to be it, right?
(sighs)
MELISSA: We only
had one trampoline.
- Okay, let's go.
- Wait. Here, here.
All right.
You got it?
- Yep.
- Okay.
Oh, here.
Um, 1529 Main Street.
Denton, Texas.
(winded): It's It's Texas.
There we go.
Yeah.
- (lock buzzes, latch clicks)
- Texas.
What about it?
Turns out, trampolines are
really hard to get rid of.
We found an old label on ours
that led back to a
sports store in Texas.
Ivy spent all night
searching unsolved murders.
Can't blame you for leaving her
out of your first confession.
(scoffs)
IVY: You wiggled out of the
death penalty here in Oregon,
but Texas would've killed
you in a heartbeat.
Aren't you two in a good mood?
IVY: Well, I figure this
process will really speed up
once we loop in law enforcement,
but then, of course,
you'll lose control
of the story.
So, if you want to get
out in front of it,
now's the time.
Uh, I delivered, uh,
a load of frames to,
uh, Denton, Texas.
And, um
dispatcher told me that
he'd have another load for me
in a day or two, so I decided
I'm gonna drive
around for a while.
And stopped at a bar
to have a burger.
And I was served by this
pretty little bartender.
And she was just getting
off her day shift.
I finished eating and
got back in my truck.
And I wasn't
lookin' for trouble.
But I guess that's
Something must've
been looking for me,
because what do you know?
I'm There's that
little bartender
and she's hitchhiking.
And she's all legs and thumb.
And that was
(taps table) fate.
And so I pulled
over and I asked her
if she needed some help, and
she recognized
me from the bar,
and said that her
car battery died.
IVY: What was the bar called?
- I don't remember, Ivy.
- Bullshit.
She got into your
truck willingly?
KEITH: Well, she was hesitant,
but I showed her a picture
of my kids that I
kept up on the visor.
I mean, they all relax once they
see that you have daughters.
IVY: What was her name?
Whatever happened to that little
girl that loved Dolly Parton?
I mean, I-I thought
that you were
You were gonna be a star.
A-And then somehow, you just
wound up doing their makeup.
You're questioning
my life choices?
KEITH: Well, this
girl, the bartender,
she really wanted to be a star.
And, uh, she had a
really good voice, too.
And she was singing
along with this guitar
that she had with her.
We drove around for
a couple of hours.
And
we wound up having sex.
But I did not rape her.
And I want to go on record:
I've never raped a
woman in my life.
I never paid for sex.
Did some of those girls
like it rough? Yes.
Did I strangle them? Yes.
But I never, ever raped them.
IVY: Okay, what happened next?
She kept going on about how
she was gonna be a huge star
and that I'd be
able to brag someday
that I'd had her once.
And it rubbed me the wrong way.
I mean, that the ego.
And so I told her, I said, uh,
"I don't see how you're
gonna get to be a big star
if I kill you first."
So let me tell you about
strangling a woman.
It ain't easy.
Along the way, I'd learned
that if I used my fist
and pressed right
into the larynx,
I could just hold that, and
let time just tick away,
and when I smelled the urine,
I knew that I was done.
But she was different.
I was choking her,
and this smell
started to come off of her.
You know, like when a skunk
sprays when they get cornered.
But, you know
but it wasn't fear
and it wasn't piss. It was, uh,
it was grapefruit.
Grapefruit?
The smell of it filled up
the whole cab of the truck.
The pink skin, you know, the
(sniffs)
Um, it was bright, like citrus.
(sniffs) And, uh, that threw me.
But that was her.
That was
the smell of her death.
I'd just started to move her,
but she woke up.
Could've sworn
that she was dead.
And she started coughing.
And so, I just hit
her over the head,
and then she was dead.
IVY: What about
the murder weapon?
What'd you hit her with?
KEITH: My dog wrench. 11-inch.
IVY: Okay, what happened next?
KEITH: Picked her up
and carried her down
under some bridge
and dumped her.
And then I bought a trampoline.
And then I drove
straight to you.
What was her name?
Now, you think you're
so much better than me.
You think you're so different.
You don't see how
we're the same, do you?
Secretive by nature,
so good at pretending
to be somebody
you're not.
Act tough, but deep down,
you're just filled
with insecurity,
and you're afraid
you can't love.
And you're afraid
you can't be loved.
I've been married for 20 years.
Oh, to Ben the branch manager?
And those kids.
Max.
Does he know that
he's got my eyes?
And Hazel, in that little
plaid uniform she got,
I bet she goes
Don't you fucking
talk about my kids.
I'm sorry that you have to
have a dad like me, Missy.
You deserve better.
(lock buzzes, latch clicks)
(door opens)
SHANE: Get us anything else?
You're too old for a trampoline?
(laughs)
KEITH: Let me dig
in my pockets.
What treasures do I have here?
Hmm?
Hmm. Yeah, just what is it?
- SHANE: I'm gonna grab that.
- No, no, no, no.
Anything but that.
That one, that's for Missy.
(knock on door)
She had a guitar.
(line ringing)
IVY: Wait, what?
- What's going on?
- Hey, Ben.
Hey. How'd it go?
It's-It's still going.
Um, I need your help.
Can you can you go into
- my safe, please?
- Is that Mom?
- Can I talk to her?
- Uh (stammers)
I was hoping you'd left by now.
(sighs) Uh, we're-we're
dealing with something here.
Um, I-I need your help.
Please, go in my safe.
Please, please, please.
Hey, I'll be right back, okay?
Just one second.
Okay, I'm here.
The code is our anniversary.
Okay. 0-7-2-9-0-4.
- (safe opens)
- Got it.
There should be a perfume box.
It says, "Elizabeth Poppy."
You know, dump it out,
and there's a
yellow guitar pick.
KEITH: This
is for you.
So you can be a star
just like Dolly.
What's it say?
"Whiskey River."
A bar in Texas. Whiskey River.
- BEN: Hey, Melissa, what's going on here?
- Yeah.
We have a lead on
the ninth victim.
So he's telling the truth?
I don't know, but if he
killed somebody else,
then I have to do
something about it.
Melissa, if you go down
this road, it's
going to come out
that your dad is the
Happy Face Killer.
You know that, right?
Melissa?
IVY: Found it.
I have to call you back,
okay? I love you. Bye.
Is that her? What's her name?
IVY: "Small town remembers
Heather Richmond,
"aspiring singer who
was raped and murdered
"on February 18, 1995.
"She was last seen leaving
the bar where she worked
"in Jefferson, Texas,
Whiskey River."
Holy shit. We did
it. We solved it.
Wait, wait, wait.
Hold on. Hold on.
It's it's not unsolved.
What? What does that mean?
"Heather's boyfriend at
the time, Elijah Carter,
"was convicted of her murder.
He's still on death row. He
maintains his innocence."
Death row?
He has two months.
Oh, my God.
IVY: Fuck. Okay, we
need to go to Texas
and figure out what's
going on right now.
("Happy Face" by
Jagwar Twin playing)
Hey ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Then everything's okay ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
♪
Hey ♪
Put on a happy face. ♪
Captioned by Media Access
♪
Flip the switch,
flip the stove ♪
World gone mad,
let's start the show ♪
Get your kicks and let's go ♪
If you're sad,
don't let it show ♪
They say, "Put
on a happy face" ♪
'Cause we're
tick-tock, tick-tock ♪
Ticking like a time bomb ♪
Hey ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Then everything's okay ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Hey ♪
Put on a happy face ♪
Then everything's okay ♪
Put on a happy face. ♪
♪