Long Bright River (2025) s01e04 Episode Script

Three females have been found dead.
All three were determined to have lethal
amounts of insulin in their system.
What's going on?
Danjarat found a video of the
perp in those girls' murders.
Well, this,
coupled with the witness account
from the second victim's crime scene,
tells us we may have our perp.
Yeah, I know that girl. She's
been here a couple of times.
She was in here
with this guy, Jimmy Scanlon.
Let's talk to this Jimmy Scanlon's family.
Do you recognize this woman?
No. Why?
They both went missing around the
same time that your husband did.
What are you thinking about?
- My birthday party.
Oh.
- I want to have a real one this year.
Okay.
- I wanna invite Dad.
Three-alarm fire at 222 Braddock Street.
Paula!
I got a video of the perp.
Oh, my God, Mickey.
Are you serious?
You know him?
- Yeah, I know him.
You know him, too.
'Cause he's a cop.
That's all Paula said?
It was a cop?
Thank you.
- You're welcome.
Mickey.
- She also said that the cop
was using his badge
to extort women for sex.
And you believe her?
I've known Paula my whole life.
She has no reason to lie to me.
What about Dock?
Dock has an alibi. He was locked
up during two of the murders.
And that's the only reason
you asked me here?
Just to tell me what Paula said?
No.
I just don't know where to start.
How about we start with why
you went to Dock's without me?
I should have been there with you, Mickey.
I was afraid of what Kacey
might have told Dock about me
that I hadn't told you myself.
Like what?
Come on, girls. Let's go.
Thanks for joining the Police Youth Club.
Stay out of trouble.
Wait.
What? I gotta get to work.
- I want to go back to settlement.
And I want to go on a tropical
vacation with Ann-Margret.
But that ain't gonna happen.
Your sister didn't get in.
But I just made section leader
for Woodwinds.
I'm way too old for this
- Stop. Where she goes, you go. That's it.
So go play tag or something.
Be a kid.
Look at this like a life lesson, okay?
You don't always get what you want.
Come on. It beats sitting at home, right?
Where are we supposed to go?
Do we check in or something?
Paula!
I thought you said
you weren't coming to PYC.
My mom had to work.
Come on.
We're going outside.
Come on, Mickey.
- Come on.
It's okay.
You go ahead.
Come on, Kace.
What are you reading?
Steinbeck?
I love that book.
I'm Officer Cleare.
I have a sneaking suspicion
that nobody else here
is reading Steinbeck.
What does that have to do with Dock?
Nothing.
It had to do with her.
And how I let someone come between us.
But that's not the whole story.
Some more coffee, please?
Everybody plays Minecraft.
I don't.
Where did you see this game?
Lila had it.
Lila has a phone?
Lots of kids do.
Great.
- It's really educational.
It teaches you geometry, and
how to build a good foundation.
Where did you hear that?
That's what you said when I started Legos.
Okay. Now
What do I do?
- I'll download it.
Thanks, Mom.
Okay.
Oh.
Thomas.
Hey, you can just show me
after dinner. Yeah?
Here you go.
Okay.
What would you call this tempo?
Um Allegretto.
Could you play this on your horn?
Uh
I don't think it would sound good on a horn.
Are you excited about your birthday?
Maybe we could play Minecraft.
Or maybe you could play something where
you actually connect with each other.
Okay? Without screens.
Mom, you can play Minecraft together.
I'm gonna show you, okay?
Okay. Okay.
I can't wait.
- You're gonna love it.
Am I?
And can I have snakes?
What?
- Oh, for the goodie bags.
Oh, yeah, I'll try.
What's wrong?
I I
I know you wanted
your dad to be at the party,
but I've left several messages
and he's not responded.
And we did talk about this.
This has nothing to do with you.
But Gee's gonna come.
And that'll be fun.
Well, you go ahead.
You know, technically,
that's illegal, right?
Arrest me.
Thought you guys weren't into,
you know, intoxication.
Drugs are haram.
Keeping people alive so they can recover
that's different.
To me, at least.
How are you feeling?
Good days.
Bad days.
Are you still gambling?
No.
That's good.
By the way, I may have
spoke too soon about Dock.
It seems like that guy is making
enemies everywhere he goes.
Yeah? How do you mean?
You know his abando
got burned down yesterday.
Word on the street,
it was his old supplier.
Old supplier,
means there's a new one.
Always is.
Have you heard anything
in the neighborhood lately
about a cop using his badge
to extort women?
Of course there is.
You know about this?
- Mm-mm.
I know about the police.
That's what I know about.
You know you can't trust them.
You're different.
You know who this cop might be?
You're better off asking
which cop it couldn't be.
When I lost my sons, you know
two cops walked right on by
while I was out there yelling for help,
when that good-for-nothing
ambulance never came.
You were the only cop who stopped,
only cop I knew back then
to carry Narcan on him,
only cop who gave a shit.
You don't know
how many cops I see each day
walk straight past human suffering.
Therefore, it don't surprise me
that some among you cause it.
Garcia.
Brooks.
It'd be one thing if they just forgot about us,
if they could only just turn a blind eye,
because what they're doing out there
fanning the flames, making bad
things worse in this community.
We don't need protection from each other.
We need protection from the police.
Excuse me, is this footage
taken from outside your store?
Looks that way.
I was assigned to check back in
with you guys.
See if you or any of your
coworkers have spotted this guy.
We think he may have something
to do with the Kensington murders.
Nah. I don't know him.
Maybe I can check your camera.
- Someone broke it last week.
Did you file a report?
Do you want to?
Sure, sounds great.
Why don't you file a report?
Actually, better yet, I could
just show you why we didn't.
Okay.
So there's a cop across the
street just watching us.
How lucky we are to have him, right?
Then this dude rolls up,
busts the camera.
And what do the cops do? Nothing.
Sitting there,
smoking a cigarette.
The only thing folks can count on
anymore is that you can't count on them.
So he just sat there?
He didn't even get out of
his car. It was embarrassing.
I was embarrassed to be a cop.
Did you recognize him?
- No.
It's like these women,
Taylor Yoon, Elizabeth O'Connor,
that Jane Doe they found by the tracks
looks like they've all been forgotten.
Mr. Winton's right.
Something's changed in the neighborhood.
I'm talking about trust,
and respect,
and how there used to be some, both ways.
Now there's none.
When I was growing up,
a lot of the cops came
from the neighborhood,
and now I feel like I'm the only one left.
I was thinking if I was living on the streets,
and something bad happened to me
right now, today
- Who would you call?
Who does Kacey call?
I'm the only cop that she has left.
Not the only one.
Calling all units.
Possible domestic assault
in progress.31 G Street.
56201 responding.
Okay, I gotta go.
All right.
56201 on site.
Roger that.26284.
Oh, hey. Hi.
Are you okay?
Are your parents home?
They're back there?
Okay. Are you hurt?
My sister.
I'm gonna go check on your sister.
Can you sit right there?
And don't go anywhere, okay?
Can you do that for me? Okay.
Do you think you can
talk to me like that, huh?
Look what you did.
No! No!
Sir, you need to calm down. You
need to step back. Step back.
We're okay.
You guys okay?
Keep going.
Thank you.
What the fuck is that?
I'm gonna give you an IV
to help with the pain.
I can't have none of that shit.
Oh, no, she's not taking my girls.
When there's a domestic assault,
there's usually a brief period
of separation and evaluation, okay?
Mrs. Kelly.
- You're not taking my girls.
I'm Clara, with social services,
there's nothing to worry about.
But it is standard procedure.
I don't give no fucks about
your procedures. Colleen.
Colleen, it's going to be easier
for them if this goes smooth, okay?
I saw how you protected your girls.
Okay.
Okay, girls. All right. Um
You go with the nice lady, all right?
All right? You be brave.
Mommy loves you.
No.
- Hey.
Come on, sweetie.
So we have to go, okay?
You've got to listen.
Hey. Hey.
You don't remember me, do you?
But I remember you.
Hey.
Sean Kelly going down to
holding. Yes, that's him.
Thanks.
- Yeah.
Come on.
Hi.
- Hey, it's me.
I just got a call from my buddy
at Delaware PD. You got a sec?
Mick, you okay?
Yeah.
I just had a weird encounter with a perp.
You all right?
- Um
So, DPD, what'd they say?
And did they find Jimmy Scanlon?
No, not yet.
But he did have a bank account that
his wife didn't know anything about.
Was getting some pretty hefty payments
from a company called S.O.K. Holding.
What kind of company is that?
I don't know, but pretty suspicious
for a sheet metal worker, right?
Particularly since he was
hiding it from his wife.
Maybe that's what he was arguing
about with Taylor Yoon at 7 Brothers.
Yeah, or maybe he was
hiding something else.
DPD got ahold of Scanlon's text messages.
The last one he sent
was to a woman named Melissa.
They were supposed to meet
after work at the 'usual spot,'
but his wife didn't know
anything about her.
Maybe she was his girlfriend.
Maybe they disappeared together.
Maybe she killed him.
Or maybe Melissa is also a sex worker.
Maybe she knows
what happened to those women
and Kacey.
See if Scanlon was ever busted for
solicitation. Maybe
that'll lead us somewhere.
And I'll see if I can find
out anything on S.O.K. Holding
and Scanlon's bank account.
- God.
Mick?
- Yeah.
Watch your back around the office, okay?
We're gonna find her.
All right. I gotta go.
Are you looking to get out of Philly?
Maybe I'll join you.
Delaware taxes, right?
Hm.
How's the job coming along?
Truly?
I don't know.
Ahearn's on my ass all day long.
It's like I can't do anything right.
I mean, I didn't expect special
treatment because we go back,
but I didn't expect him
to put a shit pile on me
at every opportunity,
either, you know?
I'm starting to
to I doubt myself.
Everybody makes mistakes.
You just keep at it,
follow protocol.
Two pair, jacks and queens.
- Ah!
I'm telling ya, he cheats.
Nobody's cheating. You're
just a man who happens to be
exceptional at losing.
It's that fricking bird.
He's got it trained to signal him
if you're holding a losing hand.
If I could train Carmichael to do that.
I wouldn't be sitting here
with you two chuckleheads.
I'd be in Atlantic City
making some real dough.
Come in. It's open.
Hey.
- Hey, Mickey.
What are you doing here?
Hey, you know your grandpa cheats, right?
Can I talk to you
- Yeah.
for a second?
Carmichael, play my hand.
See?
That bird knows things.
Didn't think I'd see you
so soon after the other night.
You need to yell at someone or something?
I'm throwing a birthday party for Thomas,
and I would like you to come.
Hm. Simon's not taking him to the Sixers?
He won't answer my calls.
So, no.
Good.
Kid doesn't need that deadbeat in his life.
- So will you come?
It's important.
Thomas needs his family around.
Yeah, of course.
I'll come to the kid's party.
Thank you.
No, don't need to thank me.
That's what family does, right?
Like I told you before, the
two of us is all Thomas needs.
You still ain't found your sister.
No.
- Leave it be.
You're better off.
Mickey, they're really good.
You okay?
Kacey was supposed to be here.
The concert was optional.
She's probably back at the PYC.
I want to hear the whole orchestra one day.
I'm sure you will.
Oh, I love Dvorak.
That horn solo
it just sounded so
content.
Just calm,
satisfied,
unperturbed.
'Unperturbed,' huh?
Yeah.
- I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I loved it.
When I was still at settlement, I thought
I'd study at the Curtis Institute one day.
You still could.
You should audition.
No. You don't get into a school
like that unless you have parents
who put you in lessons
when you're three years old.
Being the best in your high
school orchestra doesn't exactly
qualify you.
Hey, here's the thing.
You are different.
I mean, it's hard to explain,
but you just got something
potential,
whatever you want to call it.
I noticed that the first day I met you.
They might notice, too.
I'll see you Monday.
Hey.
- Hi.
Where the hell were you?
I was at the concert.
- What concert?
I told you it was a Youth Club trip.
Remember, you said
- Whatever. Whatever. I don't give two shits.
While you were out with your little
friend, your sister came home drunk,
and broke the fucking window.
She's 12, for Chrissake.
I Okay.
Hey.
- Oh.
If you'd get your head out of
your ass and do a better job
looking out for your sister,
this kind of crap wouldn't happen.
Okay. I'm sorry.
You're right.
Come here.
Get off me!
- Let me help you.
I don't need your help.
Why do you do this?
Why can't you make
smarter decisions, Kacey?
Every time you get
in trouble, Gee blames me.
I guess only you can be right all the time.
I didn't say that.
- But you meant it.
Because you always do the right thing.
Just let me help you. I
Kace
Kace.
We're all we've got, okay?
We have to be there for each other.
But you're not, Mickey.
You're out there.
Not if you can be with him.
When I was a kid,
they didn't have gift bags.
You went to a party,
you brought a gift.
What about when your girls were little?
Oh, Sheila used to spend
so many hours on those.
She'd hand-wrap the cookies,
curl ribbon around the handles.
But she was way over the top with it.
These are gonna be great.
Did you find anything out about the
holding company that was paying Scanlon?
Hm. You know what's weird?
I checked the Department of State website.
S.O.K. is a registered business in Delaware,
but there's no other information as to
what they do or who the principles are.
The address is a P.O. Box
and there's no phone number.
So we don't know why
Scanlon was getting paid.
You remember my friend Aura,
the medical examiner?
She has a husband who works for the DA.
He's mainly been working on
corporate litigation cases, so
maybe he can figure out what Scanlon
had to do with those dead women.
You gotta be careful, Mick. You're
not supposed to be looking into this.
You know, the DA's favorite job is
catching cops not toeing the line.
Mm-hm.
Are you sure you can trust this guy?
- I can.
I trust Aura, anyway.
And she's got good taste in
men, better than I do, at least.
You know, you gotta make sure that
all these bags have the same toy,
or else you're gonna have
a rebellion on your hands.
Jolly Rancher.
Is that bad?
- Nope. Very popular.
What if Melissa's not even her real name?
What if that's what one of the
victims went by on the street?
Maybe we should check in
with her next of kin.
Elizabeth O'Connor lived
in an encampment
on Emerald with her boyfriend
that was cleared out last week.
So we're not gonna be able to find him.
But
Taylor Yoon's parents may know why
Taylor was hanging out with Scanlon.
I can check in with them.
And it's a plan.
What?
What?
Were you gonna invite me?
Oh, my God, Truman, I am so
sorry. I With everything
Relax. I'm just busting your chops.
Will you come?
I thought you'd never ask.
You're hitting Joe's sweet spot.
He just finished a case in front
of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
arguing abuse of corporate power.
Do you think it matters that S.O.K.
Holding's registered in Delaware?
Joe's favorite thing about Joe
is that he has connections.
I'll ask him tonight.
Thank you.
- Wait one sec before you go.
For Thomas.
Oh, you can give this to him
at his birthday party.
Mickey, much as I love Thomas,
one of the biggest perks
about my child-free lifestyle
is not having to go to
birthday parties at Land-O-Fun.
Okay. Yeah, I figured. Yeah.
I can't believe he's already eight.
He's growing up so fast.
Is Simon going?
No.
That a good thing?
- Maybe.
But I did invite Truman.
Hm.
Stop. We are just friends.
- Okay.
He was my partner.
Okay.
- You're impossible.
I'm just saying, let yourself
have some fun. All right?
Oh, my God.
Now, unless you want to stay
for the festivities
I'm sure he's a lovely guy,
but duty calls.
There you go.
But I want a burger and fries.
We've talked about this.
It's veggies today, okay?
But he's having a burger.
That kid's gonna turn into a criminal
if they keep feeding her salad.
I should have had an option for them.
Why, it's the Land-O-Fun.
Everybody knows what to get.
They look all right.
You should go talk to them.
Go ahead, I'll make sure none of
the kids drown in the ball pit.
Thank you for coming.
Carlotta could not stop
talking about this party.
She loves Thomas.
- Thomas feels the same way.
So any other family or just the two of you?
Uh, that's his great-grandfather.
Oh, that's so nice.
We're gonna be so sad to see Thomas go.
- I'm sorry?
Oh, I guess Thomas just
mentioned something to Lila.
You know
Last year, there was another family
who had a situation like yours.
It's because of my job.
I I work odd hours, so I
need Thomas to be closer to work.
That's why he has
to go to a different school.
Would you excuse me?
Your education is the most important thing.
That's not what Gee thinks.
It's not Gee's decision.
Both my parents are dead.
- So it is his decision.
He won't sign my FAFSA forms. So
I'll help you fill out the applications.
I
- What is it, Mickey?
We've talked about this.
- I can't just abandon her.
Look, she's getting into trouble all the time.
She's got friends who aren't good for her.
What's it gonna be like
if I'm not around at all?
I know you love your sister.
But you need to worry
about yourself sometimes.
I'm all she's got.
Mickey, look at me.
I know you.
I know your sister, too.
You've always been the responsible
one, but now it's your turn.
You have to think about your future.
You can't just think about
Kacey. You got to think about you.
What do you want?
Daddy!
Hey, buddy.
Simon.
What are you doing here?
I thought you said you weren't coming.
I I just wanted to drop off the
present and tell you in person that
Daddy, come to the slide with me.
No, no, I'm just saying Happy birthday.
I just wanted to give you this.
Do you want a burger or something?
- Yeah. I can't stay.
I'm just dropping this off.
Daddy, come to the slide with me.
- Thomas, I can't.
Thomas. Thomas. I can't.
Come to the slide Come
to the slide with me.
I can't. I have to go.
I gotta go, okay?
Please, Daddy, no.
Thomas, please. Get
Thomas!
No, please.
- Thomas, please.
Mickey, a little help, please?
Simon, what did you think
was going to happen? Daddy, no.
No, no, no, no. Stop.
- Thomas, bubba. Hey. Come here.
You fucking deadbeat jitbag.
- Come on.
You got some balls showing up here.
I knew this was a mistake.
- Damn right it was.
What I get for trying to do the
right thing, end this the right way.
Here you go, buddy.
- Daddy!
You're the worst fucking thing
that ever happened to that kid.
Daddy! Daddy!
Thomas, you've gotta
let him go. He's gotta go, okay?
I got Thomas, go get Gee.
- Come here, asshole!
Don't you walk away from me!
Daddy!
- Sweetheart.
Listen, listen. Hey.
I got Thomas. You go get Gee. Go get Gee.
Thomas, Thomas.
- Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!
I don't wanna fucking
You want to fucking fall with me?
Get off of him!
Get get off!
Just go!
- Hey.
'Nice' just doesn't fucking work
with you or your family.
I dropped off the goddamn gift,
and now I'm done.
Don't ever fucking call me again.
Babe, let's fucking go.
Those fucking psychos.
Hey, Thomas,
will you do me a favor
and split the chocolate shake with me?
I don't think I can finish a whole one.
Go ahead.
The kid okay?
Yeah, he'll be fine.
What about you?
Let me tell you
Twenty years ago, I'd have kicked his
sorry ass up and down the fucking street.
Oh, I know. I know.
What kind of place
won't even sell you a beer?
I gotta go.
- Wait.
Don't forget your goodie bag.
Happy birthday, kid.
May the road rise up to meet you,
may the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and to those who don't wish you well,
may they kiss your ass
in Wanamaker's front window.
It's a nice jersey.
He's not even on the team
anymore, Mom, he was traded.
It's the thought that counts, right?
I'm sorry for what happened at your party.
It wasn't your fault.
Why does Gee hate my dad?
Well, he hated my dad, too.
He just loves us,
and wants to protect us.
He was going to fight.
Some people express their love in
unusual ways.
That's Gee's way.
And it's not going to be your way.
Happy birthday.
Thanks, Mom.
Good night.
- Good night.
Hello?
Yes, this is she.
Thank you for calling me back, Mrs. Yoon.
Is is now a good time?
Hey.
- I thought you were on days.
I'm covering for somebody. I'm
gonna be back as soon as I can.
Okay.
Hey, I'm en route to the Yoons
right now. Can you meet me?
I can't. I'm having
dinner with my daughters.
Okay, I'll call you in the morning.
Mick.
- Yeah.
It's okay to let the world
turn without you for a night.
You and Thomas have had
a pretty dramatic day.
It's okay to be home with him.
Yeah, I can't.
Not with her still being out there.
Have fun with your girls.
Thanks, Mick.
Good night.
I'm not sure how helpful I can be.
Taylor
stopped talking to us before she
She thought I was judging her.
But I just wanted her to come home.
The last time you saw Taylor, did you
notice anything out of the ordinary?
Did she mention anyone new
she'd been socializing with?
Or associating with?
I don't
I wish I did.
She was there,
and then she wasn't.
She just slipped away,
and we didn't know what to do.
Does the name Jimmy Scanlon
mean anything to you?
No.
Melissa?
Did she ever mention anyone named
Melissa, or did she go by that name?
No. Why would she do that?
I'm just being thorough.
If I'd only tried harder,
then she
I was her mother.
I was supposed to protect her.
She was such a good baby.
Always smiling.
I look at these and try to find
the place where it all changed.
May I see this?
Mm-hm.
Could I take it out of
the frame? Do you mind?
Yeah.
Hm.
Taylor went to the Police Youth Club.
Yeah. Why?
It beats sitting at home, right?
You go ahead.
I'm gonna stay inside.
Look at this like a life lesson, okay?
You don't always get what you want.
Come on, Mick.
Come with us.
You guys should not be out here, and
you definitely should not be smoking.
'And you definitely shouldn't be smoking.'
Paula, I just don't want
you guys to get in trouble.
Stop playing fucking cop,
Mickey.
I'm not. I'm working, Kacey.
It won't kill you
to have some fun for a change.
Come with us.
- I can't right now.
You can't ever.
That is not true.
Please, come inside.
Come on, Kace. Let's go.
Look, I'm telling you,
you're going to get in trouble.
Who's gonna bust us? You?
Come on.
Her fucking boy toy.
It's okay. You got me.
Where are we off to?
- Uh
Truman, hey,
I need you to meet me.
Mick, you okay?
That's Taylor Yoon.
Taylor went to PYC?
And so did Elizabeth O'Connor.
Simon was their counselor.
They both went to Youth Club. They
both had Simon as their counselor,
and Paula said that the guy
in the video was a cop.
Do you think Simon could be the killer?