Scarpetta (2026) s01e03 Episode Script
Dot
1
- [phone rings]
- [Scarpetta] Scarpetta.
[Marino over phone] We got us another one.
[Scarpetta] Okay. I'm on my way.
Hey, Doc. This here is the husband,
Matt Petersen.
Is this sort of evasion what you envision
for the new Scarpetta regime?
Did you call the attorney
of the Commonwealth?
- Dr. Scarpetta.
- Mr. Boltz.
[Maggie] Someone tried
to remotely break into your computer
- and look up the Petersen case.
- What? I've been hacked?
How, uh, does Lori Petersen
affect your profile?
Rape is no longer the motive. Murder is.
[Marino] Cho found partials
on the wife's body, same glitter slime
on her as the rest of the vics.
I know you wanted this job, Dr. Reddy,
so you and I are gonna have to
find a way to live together.
- Scarpetta.
- [Ryan over phone] There's been a murder.
At Daingerfield, on the train tracks.
[Fruge] Gwen Hainey, 33.
Biomedical engineer at Thor Labs.
Wow. I didn't expect to see you both here.
Dr. Reddy. Maggie.
This looks like a skin graft.
I didn't notice it during the autopsy,
but now she's decomposing.
[Benton] Boyfriend, this Jinx Slater.
You know you can't tell your wife
any of this, right?
[Marino] Lu, I'm gonna need you to find
somebody else when you have the time.
Name is Jinx Slater. Long-time boyfriend
of this Gwen Hainey we found
murdered on the railroad tracks.
[disco music playing]
They say I've got this freedom ♪
to move the way I move ♪
For me, life is a party ♪
And the nights are mine ♪
- The nights are mine to groove…
- [Mrs. Scarpetta] Dorothy.
- I'm a disco
- [music stops]
Ma.
Your sister's doing her homework.
She's always doing her homework.
Nothing can stop her
from doing her homework.
You know none of that's gonna matter
when you grow up, right?
You only say that 'cause you're dumb.
Hey, I'd rather be dumb and cute
than some kind of genius dorkasaurus.
[car horn honking]
- [Kay Sr.] What is he, a taxi driver?
- [Dorothy laughs]
Well, Mama says he's not a gentleman.
Your mama forgets what it is to be young.
- Good night, Pop.
- Ciao, bella.
[Mrs. Scarpetta] Not too late.
[ Don deBrauwere sings "A Chance for Me"]
If there was something I could do,
I'd do it anytime ♪
If there's something I could say ♪
- to help me make you mine
- [laughing]
I'd say it to you ♪
Oh, please ♪
I'd say it to you, if you believe ♪
So tell me now if you can see ♪
a chance for me ♪
♪
- [siren wailing]
- [song fades]
[tense music playing]
[trembling breaths]
[indistinct police radio chatter]
[somber music playing]
[indistinct police radio chatter]
[Staci] She's just finished the 23rd book
in her Dot the Dorkasaurus series.
Please welcome to the show
Dorothy Farinelli.
[Dorothy chuckles] Thank you.
And as my father, Kay Scarpetta,
would say, buongiorno, Chicago.
- [both laugh]
- I love that.
Tell me, what does it feel like
to be the author of over 20 books?
It's… I mean, really, Staci, that is…
seems very surreal to me.
That's a big number.
The new book,
Dot: It's Not Easy Being an Only Child,
is number 23 in the Dot series.
What made you want to write
about an only child now?
- Oh, well, it's interesting because…
- What's going on?
- Oh, oh, look.
- [Scarpetta] Oh, my…
- [laughing] Look. Look.
- What the fuck is that?
What are you doing?
- Are you doing an interview?
- That's so fun.
That's my sister, um,
getting her morning coffee.
So, I'm not an only child.
She's the chief medical examiner
of the Commonwealth.
And the truth is, we're living together.
Oh. I… I don't know that I could live
with my sister, love her as I do.
Oh, it's-it's temporary.
Yes, it's just temporary,
but my daughter is here, too,
so it's family time all the time,
for better, for worse.
Aw. What is your daughter's
absolute favorite book in the series?
[intriguing music playing]
You know…
You… Oh… Wow.
I-I-I don't know
which one is her favorite,
but she's read them all, obviously. Um…
But you can buy them all
on Amazon, with 1-Click.
[Scarpetta] You've got to be kidding me.
Who does a live interview… come on…
in someone else's living room
in the morning and not tell them?
Uh, she mentioned it last night.
- She did?
- Mm-hmm.
I walked on camera looking like… I mean,
I-I was, like, what-what are you d…
[sighs] Anyway, I didn't hear her, so…
I don't…
All I know is, for any of this to work,
one of us is…
- gonna have to change.
- Well, that would have to be her.
[scoffs]
Yes, it would.
You remember, back in the day,
when you used to sometimes help me shave?
- Mm-hmm.
- I liked that.
[gentle music playing]
[Benton sighs]
You want me to do it?
Mm.
[whispers] You smell good.
You always smell so good.
Oh… [inhales deeply]
[exhales]
You all right?
I just have to go to work. [sighs]
I can't do this now.
- Kay.
- Yeah?
Is it all right?
Yes, I'm fine.
It's-it's… it's this case.
- It's just not like you.
- Mm-hmm.
I know. I have to go.
[tense, dramatic music playing]
[Marino] Yama Matthew Peter.
You think he's ditched the acting,
or is this his greatest role yet?
Cult guru veggie grower.
I see cult leader more than I see farmer.
Whatever it is waiting for us up there,
we better be prepared.
Well, it's quite possible
that Gwen was a spy
and Petersen has nothing to do with this.
Yeah, with her-her 3D bionic leg
and her donkey heart?
The DNA on the skin graft was hers,
so it was likely biosynthetic.
See, now, why can't it just be bio-bio?
Because the decomp is all wrong,
which is actually good news for us
because if…
if Gwen was in deep at Thor
and she was selling secrets to
God knows fucking who, then…
Petersen was just a coincidence and…
we don't have anything to worry about.
I did think it was him back then.
But you-you proved me wrong, right?
Yeah, well, you need to be wrong.
I need to be right.
Because, I mean,
if he really did have something
to do with this, then…
[sighs] Gwen's death is on me.
- [birds chirping]
- [indistinct newscast playing]
Hey, Luce.
Do you think you can stay
off the computer today?
Because of the hack and all?
If I had hacked your work computer,
Auntie Kay, no one would ever know.
[phone ringing]
- Hello?
- [Dorothy over phone] Lulu!
- Guess where I am.
- Oh. Hi, mom.
- [spoon clatters]
- Hey, I need to… I need to talk to her.
- I'm gonna pick that up in the bedroom.
- [Dorothy] I am in
the cutest little tiki bar in Hawaii.
Where?
Hey, Luce, sweetie, can you hang up
the phone? I need to talk to your mom.
- [Lucy] Okay. Bye, Mom.
- [Dorothy] Bye, Lulu.
Hey, you be a good girl for your auntie.
- [line clicks]
- You two having fun?
Are you fucking kidding me?
Oh, I guess she told you the news.
What were you thinking telling her
you got remarried over the phone?
How else was I supposed to tell her?
I'm on a fucking island in Hawaii.
Uh, she's 11. That is a kid,
which is easy to forget when you
want to deny all responsibility for her,
but you don't tell your child
you got remarried
over the phone when you're far away
on your honeymoon.
Was I supposed to lie to her?
- 'Cause that's not me, Kay.
- No.
I'm not gonna lie to my kid
to make everyone else
feel more comfortable.
No, you should've told me first.
I could've softened the blow.
I got married. I'm not going
to the electric chair.
Was she that upset?
What do you think?
Her whole life just changed in an instant.
I think you're upset
and you're making it about Lucy. I mean,
- this is not her first stepfather.
- That's-that's your def…
Are you serious right now, Dorothy?
That's your defense?
That she's had multiple stepfathers?
Okay, I, um, I've just started
the biggest job of my life.
There is a serial murderer on the loose
- who-who rapes and tortures women.
- [slurping]
I, uh, have till Friday
to catch him before he kills again.
I don't have time
to be a mother to your kid.
Which is why, incidentally, I-I actually
don't have a fucking kid.
Is the nanny I'm paying for still there?
Oh, come on.
This is not about money, and you know it.
No, it's about you having time
with your niece.
Excuse me for thinking that
you might enjoy spending time
with an actual living person.
You know, in the future, I'll remember
you're only really comfortable
with the dead.
[line clicks]
[dramatic music playing]
- [phone beeps]
- Fuck you.
- Hey, Dr. Scarpetta.
- Abby.
I-I can't talk to you,
and I can't have a reporter staked out
by my car at my place of work.
It's-it's not about the case.
I just wanted to, um, ask you something.
It's personal.
Abby, that's worse.
I'm sorry.
I'm a reporter, not the devil,
for Christ's sake.
[dramatic music playing]
[Cho] Detergent.
Moisturizer.
Makeup remover.
[Marino] Morning, Doc.
Good morning.
[Marino] Brought those in
special delivery myself
from the Petersen home.
We got detergent, moisturizer,
makeup remover.
So far, nothing's sparkled, right,
under the UV box thing?
None of the lotions and potions
from the other murder scenes?
No, no, no. Just the substance the killer
left on the murdered women's bodies.
[Marino] Nothing.
[suspenseful music playing]
Nothing.
[Marino sighs]
Holy smokes, Doc.
Well… [chuckles] What do you know?
Blush Lab.
That's the makeup remover Matty boy used
the night of the murder. Fucking A.
Sick son of a bitch killed his wife.
Don't jump for joy just yet.
We're still waiting for the full SEM
analysis of both substances.
You're telling me that
we got two glittery goos…
one of which just happens to belong
to the dead woman's husband…
and we still don't think he's the killer?
We should be looking for other suspects.
- Like who?
- Like a suspect who…
I don't know… maybe they have a
connection to the three previous victims.
[door opens]
Um, uh, sorry to interrupt, Dr. Scarpetta.
Who the hell are you?
- Maggie Cutbush.
- She's my new assistant.
[Maggie] Health Commissioner Amburgey
just called.
- He's asked to see you in person.
- Uh-oh.
- When?
- [Maggie] He said immediately.
- Oh, man, that sucks.
- Will you shut up?
Shit.
[suspenseful music playing]
Goodbye.
You didn't tell anyone
about the hack, right?
What hack?
No, no, no, no. I never… No. No never.
Are you sure?
The reporters have been calling
quite a bit.
Do you think it was a reporter?
What if it was the killer
trying to find out what we know?
[Maggie] Shoot.
Well, that's worse.
Much worse.
Right?
Um…
Don't tell anyone where I'm going.
Yes. No, I mean, I won't tell anyone.
And, uh, let's hope I come back.
[dramatic music playing]
- Oh. Hello again.
- [gasps, chuckles]
How are you… how are you settling in?
Settling all right.
Though I can't help but feel
I've been brought in
at a potentially turbulent time.
Was that the chief I saw a minute ago
leaving the building?
Summoned by the big kahuna.
Uh, that's "boss" in Hawaiian.
Uh, but you didn't hear that from me.
- Well, I'm sure it'll be fine.
- I hope so.
But she did seem, um, nervous.
[intriguing music playing]
- Good to see you, Maggie.
- [chuckles]
Good to see you.
Bye, now.
[sighs]
[Amburgey] Dr. Scarpetta,
come in, come in.
[Scarpetta] Uh, oh. I didn't realize…
Well, I asked City Attorney Boltz
and Special Agent Wesley to sit in.
Serial killer's fourth victim.
Public is in a tizzy.
It's important we get city,
state and federal on the same page.
Are you aware, Dr. Scarpetta, of a leak
cited as a "medical source"
that's been quoted 17 times
in the papers since the first murder?
- All due respect, sir, I wasn't here…
- [Amburgey] Three new quotes just today.
All having to do
with the Lori Petersen murder.
[Scarpetta] No one in my office
would talk to the press, sir.
And I certainly would not.
So… so you've never spoken
to Abby Turnbull about any of this?
Uh, no. Never.
Because she's overeager
and not to be trusted.
She'd do just about anything
to get on the front page.
Dr. Scarpetta just said
she never spoke with her.
[Amburgey] Then is it possible
this information somehow got out
of your office unintentionally?
[ominous music playing]
- Dr. Scarpetta?
- Yeah, um…
Yeah, sorry. Uh… [sighs]
- [stammers] Do you mind if I smoke?
- Very much.
My office computer was hacked.
- What? So the leak is you?
- Oh, Jesus.
No. I hadn't entered Lori Petersen's
details into the computer yet,
so they were still locked in my desk,
but someone bypassed
the OCME security protocol
and broke into the system
and searched
for Lori Petersen's case file.
And there's no way to tell
if this is the first hack.
[Amburgey] You got to be kidding me.
Well, what do you think about that?
The first gal chief M.E.
of the Commonwealth,
and we're already up the shitter.
Give me one reason
why I shouldn't fire your ass right now.
Before you fire me, uh,
maybe someone could tell me
why no one mentioned that Lori Petersen
dialed 911 the night she was killed.
This is Lori Petersen's phone records.
She was the only victim tied
with phone cords, not electrical cords.
Now, why was that?
Why was the phone in play this time?
Because she used it.
To call for help.
But it turns out no one ever came.
Oof. Eek.
Talk about a fuckup.
Wouldn't want that getting out, would we?
[ Nancy Sinatra sings
"These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"]
You keep playin'
where you shouldn't be playin' ♪
And you keep thinkin'
that you'll never get burnt ♪
Ha ♪
I've just found me
a brand-new box of matches, yeah ♪
And what he knows
you ain't had time to learn ♪
These boots are made for walkin' ♪
and that's just what they'll do ♪
One of these days, these boots
are gonna walk all over you ♪
♪
- [song fades]
- [women breathing sharply]
- [women moaning, breathing sharply]
- [suspenseful music playing]
[moaning and sharp breathing continue]
- Middle of nowhere, huh?
- Mm-hmm.
Probably shouldn't expect a warm welcome,
if he remembers us at all.
[bird cawing]
[Petersen] And roll up.
[Petersen chants rhythmically]
[Petersen and women chanting]
[Petersen] Here it comes…
in and… [chants]
- What the fuck is going on here?
- [Petersen] Back up.
[Scarpetta] Lucy said it was a grief cult.
Oh, yeah? Looks more like…
prostitution, kidnapping
and sex trafficking.
[women chanting rapidly]
[whimpering]
[unsettling music playing]
Just remember, we have
no official capacity here.
- Yeah, yeah, we're just picking carrots.
- [Petersen] Let's go to lunch.
[chanting stops]
[women taking deep breaths]
Ladies.
Matt Petersen.
Hi. I don't know if you remember us.
Been a long time.
Detective Marino. Dr. Scarpetta.
That's us.
Decades have passed,
and yet, no time at all.
You're just in time for lunch. Come on.
Join us.
[dramatic music playing]
- Who the hell are you?
- Blaise Fruge.
Pete Marino sent me.
Said you're helping locate a suspect.
For the Gwen Hainey case.
Yeah, I'm looking for a guy. Jinx Slater.
For Marino.
Well, actually,
you're looking for him for me.
Marino doesn't even work
for the police anymore. This is my case.
Guess you better come in, then.
Anyways, I'm gonna…
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
So, I hacked Jinx's cell provider,
got the pin I.D. for his cell phone,
and that led me to his cell tower, so…
Is there any way you could say all that
without admitting to three felonies?
Well, don't worry, the rest of it's
too inside baseball for you to understand.
Is that from a drone?
Yeah.
Is that from your drone?
[Lucy] Yes. And lucky for us,
looks like he's home.
Wow. I guess you are kind of good at this.
Mm. Nothing to it.
Great. Um, text me the address.
Uh, wait. I'm coming with.
No. You can't.
Jinx is a programmer, an elite hacker.
You have no shot without me.
This is a murder investigation,
so you can't just, like, do a ride-along.
You asked me for my help.
I'm a cop. You're a civilian.
I am no civi, babes.
Used to be a fed,
higher security clearance than you.
Fine. But you sit in the back.
Department rules.
Except I wouldn't be caught dead
in that heap of junk you rolled up in.
Shut the door behind you.
Sure thing.
[exciting music playing]
[tires screeching]
You know, I've seen pictures of you
flying your helicopter,
so driving like a maniac
is not going to impress me.
Where would you have seen those?
And why would I try to impress you?
Got you to slow down.
I don't think engines
are meant to go slow.
Cars, motorcycles, helicopters.
They want to go fast. Hmm?
Let me guess, daredevil dad?
Sort of.
I mean…
…he did let me ride his motorcycle
by the time I was four.
Listen, I know, I know we really
don't know each other, but, um…
…I was aware of seeing you
a couple times
over at A League of Their Own,
that girl bar in D.C.
I know what A League of Their Own is.
[chuckles]
Anyway, I'm really, really sorry
about your wife.
Janet.
That must've been awful.
[somber music playing]
[grunts softly]
It was.
[beeping]
- [chiming, door unlocks]
- Uh…
[door opening]
[Dorothy] Hello?
Hello? Anybody homo?
[laughing]
You know I'm joking.
I brought you my new book!
Oh, you're not here,
so I'll leave it on the table!
You probably have
recording devices everywhere.
It's here on your desk.
It's, uh, it's here, it's under your mail.
- [Janet over computer] Oh, hi, it's you.
- Oh, shit!
I'm so sorry.
Uh, I didn't mean to scare you.
[exhales]
Hell-hello.
I was just looking for Lucy.
- She went out.
- Yeah.
Hey, great job on Good Day Chicago.
You really killed it.
You watched my interview on TV today?
Yeah.
And can I just say, I-I think this book
might be my favorite in the series.
I love the way Dot talks to her mom.
And I totally get
why she wanted to run away.
I can really see
how you've grown as a writer.
[chuckling]
You've read all my books?
Of course.
I mean, you are my mother-in-law.
All my books?
Uh, yeah.
Yeah, my mom started me on them
when I was a kid.
- Dot Gets a Medal. Dot Rides a Bike.
- [chuckles]
Dot Goes to the Hospital.
Mind if I ask,
is the grandmother in the books
based on your actual mother?
What…?
You know, with all…
fictional characters,
you know, they are an amalgam of people
that I knew somehow in my life, of course.
Really?
Uh… Well, yeah, that's fiction.
Obviously, my mother
- is-is in the books, but…
- Yeah.
…my sister, you know,
there've been a few… [laughs]
characters that may or may not
have been, you know,
loosely based on her, you know,
the really rigid ones.
- That makes sense.
- Oh, you've met her.
No comment.
[intriguing music playing]
[light buzzing]
[door creaking]
[Fruge] Jinx Slater?
[sighing]
Well, he was just here.
Looks like he might've run in a hurry.
Yeah, like…
- killed my girlfriend and split?
- Could be.
This kind of tat is something
that you eventually regret.
- [Lucy laughs] If you live long enough.
- Mm.
[Lucy] See how he's looking at her?
He loved her.
Sure seems like it.
So, what? Now, we think maybe
he didn't kill her because he loved her?
Well, men kill women
they love all the time.
[suspenseful music playing]
- Huh.
- What you got?
Fabric ink.
The kind that disappears in water.
You know, Chief Scarpetta was starting
to think that maybe Gwen was a spy.
Being at Thor, Gwen would've had access
to a lot of secret shit.
So…
Think someone came for Jinx, too?
Sure looks that way.
[Jinx] You can't keep me here.
I know my rights.
[slow, dramatic music playing]
Jinx, this is a federal investigation,
and as such,
we can keep you here as long as we want.
Hell, we could even disappear you.
We're the people who do that kind of shit.
Do you know that a sickening proportion
of women in the United States
are killed by their intimate partners?
I didn't kill Gwen.
I loved her.
Loving her just makes us suspect you more.
It wasn't me.
I swear it wasn't.
Mm-hmm.
Who was it then?
[Petersen] Please help yourselves.
We grow it all here.
[Marino] I'm good.
Wait, so is it true you changed your name
to Yama Matthew?
What is that? Is that a real thing?
Thank you.
In Buddhism, Yama means god of death.
That's so funny. I-I always thought
the doc here was the god of death.
No, I understand, the desire to have
some control over death, I really do.
Once you've…
once you've experienced it, you're…
you're really never the same.
I couldn't be the same
- after what happened to my wife.
- [Scarpetta] No.
The psyche, uh, it creates what I…
I call workarounds, ways of coping.
There are bad ways
and there are good ways.
The good was to try to help
other people who'd lost people.
Others who couldn't
find their way back to the living.
That's what gave birth to this place.
And what about the bad ways?
- I'm sorry?
- You just said
there were good ways and bad ways.
I'm curious about the bad ways.
Do you know this, uh, this woman,
Gwen Hainey?
[intriguing music playing]
No.
- What about you? Have you ever…
- No, she does not.
[Scarpetta] Can you let her speak?
I don't know her.
What does this woman
have to do with anything?
[Marino] She was murdered.
And the weirdest part about that
is they found your prints in her condo.
[Petersen] All right.
I don't hold a grudge against either
of you for what you did to me, you know.
- Us?
- We found your wife's killer.
Yeah, that's what we did.
Yes…
but not before ruining my life,
my reputation.
That was all in the pursuit of justice.
And here you are again, pursuing justice.
You need to go.
[Marino] Now, look, you-you're within your
rights to have us tossed, okay? But…
[sighs] …until my curiosity's mollified
about what
your prints are doing
inside a dead woman's condo,
you're not gonna have much peace,
Yama Matthew.
I haven't had any peace for 27 years.
I get that. I understand.
You're the medical examiner, yes?
Mm-hmm.
[Petersen] And you-you're retired?
So…
…get the hell off my land.
[inhales]
Thank you.
[dramatic music playing]
She had marks on her wrists.
You think she tried to off herself?
I think someone tried to tie her up.
[doorbell rings]
Hi.
[stammers] I hope I'm not bothering you.
May I come in a second?
Yeah. Sure.
Agent Wesley.
- Um…
- Uh, can I get you anything?
Oh, no, thanks. I mean…
Maybe. I mean, if you're having something.
Yeah, sure.
[Benton] Uh… Ugh…
I just wanted to say, I had no idea
that you were being summoned today.
Nor was I there
in-in any adversarial manner.
I-I just…
I wanted to assure you of that.
Well, um…
Maybe if you tell me
exactly what happened after I left,
I-I might even believe you.
- Lot of backpedaling.
- Mm.
Right.
You caught them off guard
knowing about the 911 call.
That 911 call gets answered,
and Lori Petersen would still be alive.
Amburgey and Boltz are elected officials.
If that gets out, they're…
they're finished.
Well, that's why he only gagged you
and he didn't…
What, didn't fire me?
You rattled them.
Mm, yeah, if only.
- Anyway…
- [clears throat]
I just wanted you to know
that I'm-I'm on your side.
I wouldn't want to mess with you, at all.
[gentle music playing]
[moaning softly]
[Lucy] Aren't you supposed to do that
in your bedroom?
Hey.
- [Scarpetta] Lucy, um…
- Hi, I'm Lucy.
- Are you Aunt Kay's boyfriend?
- [Scarpetta] Uh, uh.
This is, uh, my niece, Lucy.
Lucy, this is, uh, Benton.
Hello, Hello, Lucy.
- Hello.
- Bed. Bed, now.
It's not a big deal, Auntie Kay.
I see my mom kiss guys all the time.
Oh, God, that's great,
that's really good. Um…
That's my niece. She's 11.
- I should go. She's 11?
- Yeah.
I know, I know. Her mom is, um…
Yeah, that doesn't matter.
You should go.
[sighs]
- Listen…
- Yeah, I'm gonna… [laughs]
- I'm gonna let you out.
- Yes. All right.
Yeah. Yeah.
[Scarpetta] Um…
[sighing]
[laughs softly]
- So…
- [clears throat]
[engine starting, revving]
- What the hell?
- Was someone watching us?
[intense music playing]
[mouse clicking]
What's the latest?
They used Palomar knots on Gwen Hainey.
Strong, hard to tie.
Favored by professional survivalists.
Got to be pretty bored
to make survival a profession.
And then the phone cords
that he used on Lori Petersen,
Palomar knots.
- Same ones?
- Yes.
We got to get a warrant
on that fucking farm.
Find out what kind of knots
that dumb fuck is tying these days.
Well, he's not dumb, that's for sure.
[exhales]
If you're right and it's been
Matt Petersen this whole time…
[exhales]
Then we better fucking run.
- Oh, we got to do more than run.
- And never look back.
- Yeah.
- [phone chimes]
Oh, it's Lucy.
Uh, goddamn it, Jinx Slater in the wind.
[Marino sighs]
Blaise said to tell you
that they found invisible ink at his crib.
Okay. What did I tell you? Spy.
This proves my theory.
- Uh…
- Where is Lucy?
Well, Lucy is grabbing a bite
at Seven Seas with Blaise Fruge.
She's with Blaise?
Having dinner?
Hey, you know that they're both from the
same… what do you call it?… persuasion.
- That's not what you call it.
- Oh, I think it is.
Come on, you know that.
All right.
[sighs] You're doing a good thing, though.
For Lucy, really good.
Surprisingly good, for you.
[intriguing music playing]
[Benton] Just so you know,
I-I didn't want to have to show you this.
[Jinx] Please.
I don't want to see that.
Did you do this?
[Tron] He may look genteel,
but, I promise you, that's not the case.
Agent Wesley has quite the reputation.
Please stop.
- Did you do this?
- Agent Wesley
likes to talk to serial killers
just for kicks.
I didn't fucking do it!
Okay. Okay.
Let's start talking about what Gwen
was really doing at Thor Labs
and how you were helping her.
[somber music playing]
[crickets chirping]
[Dorothy] Okay, and then…
there's Dot goes to Paris
and she gets lost at Euro Disney.
They-they think she's, like…
- [laughing] one of the Seven Dwarfs.
- [Janet chuckling]
- Okay, yeah.
- Yes. It's good, right?
Then Dot makes a wish
on a shooting star…
…and gets a stepsister.
No.
- No.
- No,
no, no.
No. You are right.
I think it's a stinker.
I have been telling my publishers
that that's a stinker from the beginning,
but they just…
they keep wanting to publish it.
I agree with you.
Why didn't I know that you read my books
when you were, you know…
Yeah.
Well, I guess we never really talked
that much before.
No. No.
There's something
I would like to say to you, Dorothy.
And I really hope
that you take it the right way.
Okay.
Do you have to be so hard on Lucy
for spending time with me?
Well, I-I… I will admit it.
I-I'm worried.
I'm worried about her spending
this much time with you.
I want her to have a real life.
But this is her real life.
Is it?
Or is it her old life?
Dorothy.
I promise you…
…I promise from the bottom
of my heart…
…I would never do anything to hurt Lucy.
Ever.
She's my love.
Wow.
Wait, it's-it's so dark out.
[laughs]
What-what time is it?
[gasps]
It's so late.
I-I didn't hear them come home.
Did you hear them come home? I didn't.
Uh, I could try to locate them,
if you like.
No.
Lucy probably just got dragged
into my sister and Pete's,
you know, criminal nonsense.
I've been deserted
by them for the greener pastures
of death and murder.
- [chuckles]
- [sighs]
It's very lonely,
being the odd man out of the group
all the time.
You know?
And…
theoretically, that I…
have more right to him
than her at this moment.
You know, I just…
I don't know what's in it
for my husband to be tethered
- to my weirdo sister once again.
- [chuckling]
Well, duh.
I mean, Pete's always been in love
with Kay. [chuckles]
What?
[ Alanis Morissette sings "Uninvited"]
Like ♪
anyone would be ♪
I am flattered ♪
by your fascination with me ♪
[shuts off engine]
Like ♪
any hot-blooded woman ♪
I have simply wanted an object ♪
to crave ♪
I don't think you unworthy ♪
I need a moment ♪
to deliberate ♪
But you ♪
you're not allowed ♪
You're uninvited ♪
An unfortunate slight ♪
Like any uncharted territory ♪
I must seem greatly intriguing ♪
You speak of my love like ♪
you have experienced ♪
love like mine before ♪
But this is not allowed ♪
You're uninvited ♪
An unfortunate slight ♪
I don't think you unworthy ♪
I need a moment ♪
to deliberate ♪
♪
[music fades]
- [phone rings]
- [Scarpetta] Scarpetta.
[Marino over phone] We got us another one.
[Scarpetta] Okay. I'm on my way.
Hey, Doc. This here is the husband,
Matt Petersen.
Is this sort of evasion what you envision
for the new Scarpetta regime?
Did you call the attorney
of the Commonwealth?
- Dr. Scarpetta.
- Mr. Boltz.
[Maggie] Someone tried
to remotely break into your computer
- and look up the Petersen case.
- What? I've been hacked?
How, uh, does Lori Petersen
affect your profile?
Rape is no longer the motive. Murder is.
[Marino] Cho found partials
on the wife's body, same glitter slime
on her as the rest of the vics.
I know you wanted this job, Dr. Reddy,
so you and I are gonna have to
find a way to live together.
- Scarpetta.
- [Ryan over phone] There's been a murder.
At Daingerfield, on the train tracks.
[Fruge] Gwen Hainey, 33.
Biomedical engineer at Thor Labs.
Wow. I didn't expect to see you both here.
Dr. Reddy. Maggie.
This looks like a skin graft.
I didn't notice it during the autopsy,
but now she's decomposing.
[Benton] Boyfriend, this Jinx Slater.
You know you can't tell your wife
any of this, right?
[Marino] Lu, I'm gonna need you to find
somebody else when you have the time.
Name is Jinx Slater. Long-time boyfriend
of this Gwen Hainey we found
murdered on the railroad tracks.
[disco music playing]
They say I've got this freedom ♪
to move the way I move ♪
For me, life is a party ♪
And the nights are mine ♪
- The nights are mine to groove…
- [Mrs. Scarpetta] Dorothy.
- I'm a disco
- [music stops]
Ma.
Your sister's doing her homework.
She's always doing her homework.
Nothing can stop her
from doing her homework.
You know none of that's gonna matter
when you grow up, right?
You only say that 'cause you're dumb.
Hey, I'd rather be dumb and cute
than some kind of genius dorkasaurus.
[car horn honking]
- [Kay Sr.] What is he, a taxi driver?
- [Dorothy laughs]
Well, Mama says he's not a gentleman.
Your mama forgets what it is to be young.
- Good night, Pop.
- Ciao, bella.
[Mrs. Scarpetta] Not too late.
[ Don deBrauwere sings "A Chance for Me"]
If there was something I could do,
I'd do it anytime ♪
If there's something I could say ♪
- to help me make you mine
- [laughing]
I'd say it to you ♪
Oh, please ♪
I'd say it to you, if you believe ♪
So tell me now if you can see ♪
a chance for me ♪
♪
- [siren wailing]
- [song fades]
[tense music playing]
[trembling breaths]
[indistinct police radio chatter]
[somber music playing]
[indistinct police radio chatter]
[Staci] She's just finished the 23rd book
in her Dot the Dorkasaurus series.
Please welcome to the show
Dorothy Farinelli.
[Dorothy chuckles] Thank you.
And as my father, Kay Scarpetta,
would say, buongiorno, Chicago.
- [both laugh]
- I love that.
Tell me, what does it feel like
to be the author of over 20 books?
It's… I mean, really, Staci, that is…
seems very surreal to me.
That's a big number.
The new book,
Dot: It's Not Easy Being an Only Child,
is number 23 in the Dot series.
What made you want to write
about an only child now?
- Oh, well, it's interesting because…
- What's going on?
- Oh, oh, look.
- [Scarpetta] Oh, my…
- [laughing] Look. Look.
- What the fuck is that?
What are you doing?
- Are you doing an interview?
- That's so fun.
That's my sister, um,
getting her morning coffee.
So, I'm not an only child.
She's the chief medical examiner
of the Commonwealth.
And the truth is, we're living together.
Oh. I… I don't know that I could live
with my sister, love her as I do.
Oh, it's-it's temporary.
Yes, it's just temporary,
but my daughter is here, too,
so it's family time all the time,
for better, for worse.
Aw. What is your daughter's
absolute favorite book in the series?
[intriguing music playing]
You know…
You… Oh… Wow.
I-I-I don't know
which one is her favorite,
but she's read them all, obviously. Um…
But you can buy them all
on Amazon, with 1-Click.
[Scarpetta] You've got to be kidding me.
Who does a live interview… come on…
in someone else's living room
in the morning and not tell them?
Uh, she mentioned it last night.
- She did?
- Mm-hmm.
I walked on camera looking like… I mean,
I-I was, like, what-what are you d…
[sighs] Anyway, I didn't hear her, so…
I don't…
All I know is, for any of this to work,
one of us is…
- gonna have to change.
- Well, that would have to be her.
[scoffs]
Yes, it would.
You remember, back in the day,
when you used to sometimes help me shave?
- Mm-hmm.
- I liked that.
[gentle music playing]
[Benton sighs]
You want me to do it?
Mm.
[whispers] You smell good.
You always smell so good.
Oh… [inhales deeply]
[exhales]
You all right?
I just have to go to work. [sighs]
I can't do this now.
- Kay.
- Yeah?
Is it all right?
Yes, I'm fine.
It's-it's… it's this case.
- It's just not like you.
- Mm-hmm.
I know. I have to go.
[tense, dramatic music playing]
[Marino] Yama Matthew Peter.
You think he's ditched the acting,
or is this his greatest role yet?
Cult guru veggie grower.
I see cult leader more than I see farmer.
Whatever it is waiting for us up there,
we better be prepared.
Well, it's quite possible
that Gwen was a spy
and Petersen has nothing to do with this.
Yeah, with her-her 3D bionic leg
and her donkey heart?
The DNA on the skin graft was hers,
so it was likely biosynthetic.
See, now, why can't it just be bio-bio?
Because the decomp is all wrong,
which is actually good news for us
because if…
if Gwen was in deep at Thor
and she was selling secrets to
God knows fucking who, then…
Petersen was just a coincidence and…
we don't have anything to worry about.
I did think it was him back then.
But you-you proved me wrong, right?
Yeah, well, you need to be wrong.
I need to be right.
Because, I mean,
if he really did have something
to do with this, then…
[sighs] Gwen's death is on me.
- [birds chirping]
- [indistinct newscast playing]
Hey, Luce.
Do you think you can stay
off the computer today?
Because of the hack and all?
If I had hacked your work computer,
Auntie Kay, no one would ever know.
[phone ringing]
- Hello?
- [Dorothy over phone] Lulu!
- Guess where I am.
- Oh. Hi, mom.
- [spoon clatters]
- Hey, I need to… I need to talk to her.
- I'm gonna pick that up in the bedroom.
- [Dorothy] I am in
the cutest little tiki bar in Hawaii.
Where?
Hey, Luce, sweetie, can you hang up
the phone? I need to talk to your mom.
- [Lucy] Okay. Bye, Mom.
- [Dorothy] Bye, Lulu.
Hey, you be a good girl for your auntie.
- [line clicks]
- You two having fun?
Are you fucking kidding me?
Oh, I guess she told you the news.
What were you thinking telling her
you got remarried over the phone?
How else was I supposed to tell her?
I'm on a fucking island in Hawaii.
Uh, she's 11. That is a kid,
which is easy to forget when you
want to deny all responsibility for her,
but you don't tell your child
you got remarried
over the phone when you're far away
on your honeymoon.
Was I supposed to lie to her?
- 'Cause that's not me, Kay.
- No.
I'm not gonna lie to my kid
to make everyone else
feel more comfortable.
No, you should've told me first.
I could've softened the blow.
I got married. I'm not going
to the electric chair.
Was she that upset?
What do you think?
Her whole life just changed in an instant.
I think you're upset
and you're making it about Lucy. I mean,
- this is not her first stepfather.
- That's-that's your def…
Are you serious right now, Dorothy?
That's your defense?
That she's had multiple stepfathers?
Okay, I, um, I've just started
the biggest job of my life.
There is a serial murderer on the loose
- who-who rapes and tortures women.
- [slurping]
I, uh, have till Friday
to catch him before he kills again.
I don't have time
to be a mother to your kid.
Which is why, incidentally, I-I actually
don't have a fucking kid.
Is the nanny I'm paying for still there?
Oh, come on.
This is not about money, and you know it.
No, it's about you having time
with your niece.
Excuse me for thinking that
you might enjoy spending time
with an actual living person.
You know, in the future, I'll remember
you're only really comfortable
with the dead.
[line clicks]
[dramatic music playing]
- [phone beeps]
- Fuck you.
- Hey, Dr. Scarpetta.
- Abby.
I-I can't talk to you,
and I can't have a reporter staked out
by my car at my place of work.
It's-it's not about the case.
I just wanted to, um, ask you something.
It's personal.
Abby, that's worse.
I'm sorry.
I'm a reporter, not the devil,
for Christ's sake.
[dramatic music playing]
[Cho] Detergent.
Moisturizer.
Makeup remover.
[Marino] Morning, Doc.
Good morning.
[Marino] Brought those in
special delivery myself
from the Petersen home.
We got detergent, moisturizer,
makeup remover.
So far, nothing's sparkled, right,
under the UV box thing?
None of the lotions and potions
from the other murder scenes?
No, no, no. Just the substance the killer
left on the murdered women's bodies.
[Marino] Nothing.
[suspenseful music playing]
Nothing.
[Marino sighs]
Holy smokes, Doc.
Well… [chuckles] What do you know?
Blush Lab.
That's the makeup remover Matty boy used
the night of the murder. Fucking A.
Sick son of a bitch killed his wife.
Don't jump for joy just yet.
We're still waiting for the full SEM
analysis of both substances.
You're telling me that
we got two glittery goos…
one of which just happens to belong
to the dead woman's husband…
and we still don't think he's the killer?
We should be looking for other suspects.
- Like who?
- Like a suspect who…
I don't know… maybe they have a
connection to the three previous victims.
[door opens]
Um, uh, sorry to interrupt, Dr. Scarpetta.
Who the hell are you?
- Maggie Cutbush.
- She's my new assistant.
[Maggie] Health Commissioner Amburgey
just called.
- He's asked to see you in person.
- Uh-oh.
- When?
- [Maggie] He said immediately.
- Oh, man, that sucks.
- Will you shut up?
Shit.
[suspenseful music playing]
Goodbye.
You didn't tell anyone
about the hack, right?
What hack?
No, no, no, no. I never… No. No never.
Are you sure?
The reporters have been calling
quite a bit.
Do you think it was a reporter?
What if it was the killer
trying to find out what we know?
[Maggie] Shoot.
Well, that's worse.
Much worse.
Right?
Um…
Don't tell anyone where I'm going.
Yes. No, I mean, I won't tell anyone.
And, uh, let's hope I come back.
[dramatic music playing]
- Oh. Hello again.
- [gasps, chuckles]
How are you… how are you settling in?
Settling all right.
Though I can't help but feel
I've been brought in
at a potentially turbulent time.
Was that the chief I saw a minute ago
leaving the building?
Summoned by the big kahuna.
Uh, that's "boss" in Hawaiian.
Uh, but you didn't hear that from me.
- Well, I'm sure it'll be fine.
- I hope so.
But she did seem, um, nervous.
[intriguing music playing]
- Good to see you, Maggie.
- [chuckles]
Good to see you.
Bye, now.
[sighs]
[Amburgey] Dr. Scarpetta,
come in, come in.
[Scarpetta] Uh, oh. I didn't realize…
Well, I asked City Attorney Boltz
and Special Agent Wesley to sit in.
Serial killer's fourth victim.
Public is in a tizzy.
It's important we get city,
state and federal on the same page.
Are you aware, Dr. Scarpetta, of a leak
cited as a "medical source"
that's been quoted 17 times
in the papers since the first murder?
- All due respect, sir, I wasn't here…
- [Amburgey] Three new quotes just today.
All having to do
with the Lori Petersen murder.
[Scarpetta] No one in my office
would talk to the press, sir.
And I certainly would not.
So… so you've never spoken
to Abby Turnbull about any of this?
Uh, no. Never.
Because she's overeager
and not to be trusted.
She'd do just about anything
to get on the front page.
Dr. Scarpetta just said
she never spoke with her.
[Amburgey] Then is it possible
this information somehow got out
of your office unintentionally?
[ominous music playing]
- Dr. Scarpetta?
- Yeah, um…
Yeah, sorry. Uh… [sighs]
- [stammers] Do you mind if I smoke?
- Very much.
My office computer was hacked.
- What? So the leak is you?
- Oh, Jesus.
No. I hadn't entered Lori Petersen's
details into the computer yet,
so they were still locked in my desk,
but someone bypassed
the OCME security protocol
and broke into the system
and searched
for Lori Petersen's case file.
And there's no way to tell
if this is the first hack.
[Amburgey] You got to be kidding me.
Well, what do you think about that?
The first gal chief M.E.
of the Commonwealth,
and we're already up the shitter.
Give me one reason
why I shouldn't fire your ass right now.
Before you fire me, uh,
maybe someone could tell me
why no one mentioned that Lori Petersen
dialed 911 the night she was killed.
This is Lori Petersen's phone records.
She was the only victim tied
with phone cords, not electrical cords.
Now, why was that?
Why was the phone in play this time?
Because she used it.
To call for help.
But it turns out no one ever came.
Oof. Eek.
Talk about a fuckup.
Wouldn't want that getting out, would we?
[ Nancy Sinatra sings
"These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"]
You keep playin'
where you shouldn't be playin' ♪
And you keep thinkin'
that you'll never get burnt ♪
Ha ♪
I've just found me
a brand-new box of matches, yeah ♪
And what he knows
you ain't had time to learn ♪
These boots are made for walkin' ♪
and that's just what they'll do ♪
One of these days, these boots
are gonna walk all over you ♪
♪
- [song fades]
- [women breathing sharply]
- [women moaning, breathing sharply]
- [suspenseful music playing]
[moaning and sharp breathing continue]
- Middle of nowhere, huh?
- Mm-hmm.
Probably shouldn't expect a warm welcome,
if he remembers us at all.
[bird cawing]
[Petersen] And roll up.
[Petersen chants rhythmically]
[Petersen and women chanting]
[Petersen] Here it comes…
in and… [chants]
- What the fuck is going on here?
- [Petersen] Back up.
[Scarpetta] Lucy said it was a grief cult.
Oh, yeah? Looks more like…
prostitution, kidnapping
and sex trafficking.
[women chanting rapidly]
[whimpering]
[unsettling music playing]
Just remember, we have
no official capacity here.
- Yeah, yeah, we're just picking carrots.
- [Petersen] Let's go to lunch.
[chanting stops]
[women taking deep breaths]
Ladies.
Matt Petersen.
Hi. I don't know if you remember us.
Been a long time.
Detective Marino. Dr. Scarpetta.
That's us.
Decades have passed,
and yet, no time at all.
You're just in time for lunch. Come on.
Join us.
[dramatic music playing]
- Who the hell are you?
- Blaise Fruge.
Pete Marino sent me.
Said you're helping locate a suspect.
For the Gwen Hainey case.
Yeah, I'm looking for a guy. Jinx Slater.
For Marino.
Well, actually,
you're looking for him for me.
Marino doesn't even work
for the police anymore. This is my case.
Guess you better come in, then.
Anyways, I'm gonna…
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
So, I hacked Jinx's cell provider,
got the pin I.D. for his cell phone,
and that led me to his cell tower, so…
Is there any way you could say all that
without admitting to three felonies?
Well, don't worry, the rest of it's
too inside baseball for you to understand.
Is that from a drone?
Yeah.
Is that from your drone?
[Lucy] Yes. And lucky for us,
looks like he's home.
Wow. I guess you are kind of good at this.
Mm. Nothing to it.
Great. Um, text me the address.
Uh, wait. I'm coming with.
No. You can't.
Jinx is a programmer, an elite hacker.
You have no shot without me.
This is a murder investigation,
so you can't just, like, do a ride-along.
You asked me for my help.
I'm a cop. You're a civilian.
I am no civi, babes.
Used to be a fed,
higher security clearance than you.
Fine. But you sit in the back.
Department rules.
Except I wouldn't be caught dead
in that heap of junk you rolled up in.
Shut the door behind you.
Sure thing.
[exciting music playing]
[tires screeching]
You know, I've seen pictures of you
flying your helicopter,
so driving like a maniac
is not going to impress me.
Where would you have seen those?
And why would I try to impress you?
Got you to slow down.
I don't think engines
are meant to go slow.
Cars, motorcycles, helicopters.
They want to go fast. Hmm?
Let me guess, daredevil dad?
Sort of.
I mean…
…he did let me ride his motorcycle
by the time I was four.
Listen, I know, I know we really
don't know each other, but, um…
…I was aware of seeing you
a couple times
over at A League of Their Own,
that girl bar in D.C.
I know what A League of Their Own is.
[chuckles]
Anyway, I'm really, really sorry
about your wife.
Janet.
That must've been awful.
[somber music playing]
[grunts softly]
It was.
[beeping]
- [chiming, door unlocks]
- Uh…
[door opening]
[Dorothy] Hello?
Hello? Anybody homo?
[laughing]
You know I'm joking.
I brought you my new book!
Oh, you're not here,
so I'll leave it on the table!
You probably have
recording devices everywhere.
It's here on your desk.
It's, uh, it's here, it's under your mail.
- [Janet over computer] Oh, hi, it's you.
- Oh, shit!
I'm so sorry.
Uh, I didn't mean to scare you.
[exhales]
Hell-hello.
I was just looking for Lucy.
- She went out.
- Yeah.
Hey, great job on Good Day Chicago.
You really killed it.
You watched my interview on TV today?
Yeah.
And can I just say, I-I think this book
might be my favorite in the series.
I love the way Dot talks to her mom.
And I totally get
why she wanted to run away.
I can really see
how you've grown as a writer.
[chuckling]
You've read all my books?
Of course.
I mean, you are my mother-in-law.
All my books?
Uh, yeah.
Yeah, my mom started me on them
when I was a kid.
- Dot Gets a Medal. Dot Rides a Bike.
- [chuckles]
Dot Goes to the Hospital.
Mind if I ask,
is the grandmother in the books
based on your actual mother?
What…?
You know, with all…
fictional characters,
you know, they are an amalgam of people
that I knew somehow in my life, of course.
Really?
Uh… Well, yeah, that's fiction.
Obviously, my mother
- is-is in the books, but…
- Yeah.
…my sister, you know,
there've been a few… [laughs]
characters that may or may not
have been, you know,
loosely based on her, you know,
the really rigid ones.
- That makes sense.
- Oh, you've met her.
No comment.
[intriguing music playing]
[light buzzing]
[door creaking]
[Fruge] Jinx Slater?
[sighing]
Well, he was just here.
Looks like he might've run in a hurry.
Yeah, like…
- killed my girlfriend and split?
- Could be.
This kind of tat is something
that you eventually regret.
- [Lucy laughs] If you live long enough.
- Mm.
[Lucy] See how he's looking at her?
He loved her.
Sure seems like it.
So, what? Now, we think maybe
he didn't kill her because he loved her?
Well, men kill women
they love all the time.
[suspenseful music playing]
- Huh.
- What you got?
Fabric ink.
The kind that disappears in water.
You know, Chief Scarpetta was starting
to think that maybe Gwen was a spy.
Being at Thor, Gwen would've had access
to a lot of secret shit.
So…
Think someone came for Jinx, too?
Sure looks that way.
[Jinx] You can't keep me here.
I know my rights.
[slow, dramatic music playing]
Jinx, this is a federal investigation,
and as such,
we can keep you here as long as we want.
Hell, we could even disappear you.
We're the people who do that kind of shit.
Do you know that a sickening proportion
of women in the United States
are killed by their intimate partners?
I didn't kill Gwen.
I loved her.
Loving her just makes us suspect you more.
It wasn't me.
I swear it wasn't.
Mm-hmm.
Who was it then?
[Petersen] Please help yourselves.
We grow it all here.
[Marino] I'm good.
Wait, so is it true you changed your name
to Yama Matthew?
What is that? Is that a real thing?
Thank you.
In Buddhism, Yama means god of death.
That's so funny. I-I always thought
the doc here was the god of death.
No, I understand, the desire to have
some control over death, I really do.
Once you've…
once you've experienced it, you're…
you're really never the same.
I couldn't be the same
- after what happened to my wife.
- [Scarpetta] No.
The psyche, uh, it creates what I…
I call workarounds, ways of coping.
There are bad ways
and there are good ways.
The good was to try to help
other people who'd lost people.
Others who couldn't
find their way back to the living.
That's what gave birth to this place.
And what about the bad ways?
- I'm sorry?
- You just said
there were good ways and bad ways.
I'm curious about the bad ways.
Do you know this, uh, this woman,
Gwen Hainey?
[intriguing music playing]
No.
- What about you? Have you ever…
- No, she does not.
[Scarpetta] Can you let her speak?
I don't know her.
What does this woman
have to do with anything?
[Marino] She was murdered.
And the weirdest part about that
is they found your prints in her condo.
[Petersen] All right.
I don't hold a grudge against either
of you for what you did to me, you know.
- Us?
- We found your wife's killer.
Yeah, that's what we did.
Yes…
but not before ruining my life,
my reputation.
That was all in the pursuit of justice.
And here you are again, pursuing justice.
You need to go.
[Marino] Now, look, you-you're within your
rights to have us tossed, okay? But…
[sighs] …until my curiosity's mollified
about what
your prints are doing
inside a dead woman's condo,
you're not gonna have much peace,
Yama Matthew.
I haven't had any peace for 27 years.
I get that. I understand.
You're the medical examiner, yes?
Mm-hmm.
[Petersen] And you-you're retired?
So…
…get the hell off my land.
[inhales]
Thank you.
[dramatic music playing]
She had marks on her wrists.
You think she tried to off herself?
I think someone tried to tie her up.
[doorbell rings]
Hi.
[stammers] I hope I'm not bothering you.
May I come in a second?
Yeah. Sure.
Agent Wesley.
- Um…
- Uh, can I get you anything?
Oh, no, thanks. I mean…
Maybe. I mean, if you're having something.
Yeah, sure.
[Benton] Uh… Ugh…
I just wanted to say, I had no idea
that you were being summoned today.
Nor was I there
in-in any adversarial manner.
I-I just…
I wanted to assure you of that.
Well, um…
Maybe if you tell me
exactly what happened after I left,
I-I might even believe you.
- Lot of backpedaling.
- Mm.
Right.
You caught them off guard
knowing about the 911 call.
That 911 call gets answered,
and Lori Petersen would still be alive.
Amburgey and Boltz are elected officials.
If that gets out, they're…
they're finished.
Well, that's why he only gagged you
and he didn't…
What, didn't fire me?
You rattled them.
Mm, yeah, if only.
- Anyway…
- [clears throat]
I just wanted you to know
that I'm-I'm on your side.
I wouldn't want to mess with you, at all.
[gentle music playing]
[moaning softly]
[Lucy] Aren't you supposed to do that
in your bedroom?
Hey.
- [Scarpetta] Lucy, um…
- Hi, I'm Lucy.
- Are you Aunt Kay's boyfriend?
- [Scarpetta] Uh, uh.
This is, uh, my niece, Lucy.
Lucy, this is, uh, Benton.
Hello, Hello, Lucy.
- Hello.
- Bed. Bed, now.
It's not a big deal, Auntie Kay.
I see my mom kiss guys all the time.
Oh, God, that's great,
that's really good. Um…
That's my niece. She's 11.
- I should go. She's 11?
- Yeah.
I know, I know. Her mom is, um…
Yeah, that doesn't matter.
You should go.
[sighs]
- Listen…
- Yeah, I'm gonna… [laughs]
- I'm gonna let you out.
- Yes. All right.
Yeah. Yeah.
[Scarpetta] Um…
[sighing]
[laughs softly]
- So…
- [clears throat]
[engine starting, revving]
- What the hell?
- Was someone watching us?
[intense music playing]
[mouse clicking]
What's the latest?
They used Palomar knots on Gwen Hainey.
Strong, hard to tie.
Favored by professional survivalists.
Got to be pretty bored
to make survival a profession.
And then the phone cords
that he used on Lori Petersen,
Palomar knots.
- Same ones?
- Yes.
We got to get a warrant
on that fucking farm.
Find out what kind of knots
that dumb fuck is tying these days.
Well, he's not dumb, that's for sure.
[exhales]
If you're right and it's been
Matt Petersen this whole time…
[exhales]
Then we better fucking run.
- Oh, we got to do more than run.
- And never look back.
- Yeah.
- [phone chimes]
Oh, it's Lucy.
Uh, goddamn it, Jinx Slater in the wind.
[Marino sighs]
Blaise said to tell you
that they found invisible ink at his crib.
Okay. What did I tell you? Spy.
This proves my theory.
- Uh…
- Where is Lucy?
Well, Lucy is grabbing a bite
at Seven Seas with Blaise Fruge.
She's with Blaise?
Having dinner?
Hey, you know that they're both from the
same… what do you call it?… persuasion.
- That's not what you call it.
- Oh, I think it is.
Come on, you know that.
All right.
[sighs] You're doing a good thing, though.
For Lucy, really good.
Surprisingly good, for you.
[intriguing music playing]
[Benton] Just so you know,
I-I didn't want to have to show you this.
[Jinx] Please.
I don't want to see that.
Did you do this?
[Tron] He may look genteel,
but, I promise you, that's not the case.
Agent Wesley has quite the reputation.
Please stop.
- Did you do this?
- Agent Wesley
likes to talk to serial killers
just for kicks.
I didn't fucking do it!
Okay. Okay.
Let's start talking about what Gwen
was really doing at Thor Labs
and how you were helping her.
[somber music playing]
[crickets chirping]
[Dorothy] Okay, and then…
there's Dot goes to Paris
and she gets lost at Euro Disney.
They-they think she's, like…
- [laughing] one of the Seven Dwarfs.
- [Janet chuckling]
- Okay, yeah.
- Yes. It's good, right?
Then Dot makes a wish
on a shooting star…
…and gets a stepsister.
No.
- No.
- No,
no, no.
No. You are right.
I think it's a stinker.
I have been telling my publishers
that that's a stinker from the beginning,
but they just…
they keep wanting to publish it.
I agree with you.
Why didn't I know that you read my books
when you were, you know…
Yeah.
Well, I guess we never really talked
that much before.
No. No.
There's something
I would like to say to you, Dorothy.
And I really hope
that you take it the right way.
Okay.
Do you have to be so hard on Lucy
for spending time with me?
Well, I-I… I will admit it.
I-I'm worried.
I'm worried about her spending
this much time with you.
I want her to have a real life.
But this is her real life.
Is it?
Or is it her old life?
Dorothy.
I promise you…
…I promise from the bottom
of my heart…
…I would never do anything to hurt Lucy.
Ever.
She's my love.
Wow.
Wait, it's-it's so dark out.
[laughs]
What-what time is it?
[gasps]
It's so late.
I-I didn't hear them come home.
Did you hear them come home? I didn't.
Uh, I could try to locate them,
if you like.
No.
Lucy probably just got dragged
into my sister and Pete's,
you know, criminal nonsense.
I've been deserted
by them for the greener pastures
of death and murder.
- [chuckles]
- [sighs]
It's very lonely,
being the odd man out of the group
all the time.
You know?
And…
theoretically, that I…
have more right to him
than her at this moment.
You know, I just…
I don't know what's in it
for my husband to be tethered
- to my weirdo sister once again.
- [chuckling]
Well, duh.
I mean, Pete's always been in love
with Kay. [chuckles]
What?
[ Alanis Morissette sings "Uninvited"]
Like ♪
anyone would be ♪
I am flattered ♪
by your fascination with me ♪
[shuts off engine]
Like ♪
any hot-blooded woman ♪
I have simply wanted an object ♪
to crave ♪
I don't think you unworthy ♪
I need a moment ♪
to deliberate ♪
But you ♪
you're not allowed ♪
You're uninvited ♪
An unfortunate slight ♪
Like any uncharted territory ♪
I must seem greatly intriguing ♪
You speak of my love like ♪
you have experienced ♪
love like mine before ♪
But this is not allowed ♪
You're uninvited ♪
An unfortunate slight ♪
I don't think you unworthy ♪
I need a moment ♪
to deliberate ♪
♪
[music fades]