Reacher (2022) s01e04 Episode Script
In a Tree
1
Finlay.
Any luck tracking down Spivey?
Dead end. You?
Well, found out Hubble's
been lying to his wife.
Hasn't worked at the bank in a year.
Guess we could throw that
onto the "What the Heck
Does That Mean" file.
Anything else?
Potential lead on your
brother's rental car.
A driver called in a burnt-out vehicle
a few hundred yards
west of mile marker 97,
off of Rural Route 9.
On my way.
Who else knows about it?
Only those who need to.
Time to stop for a snack, I see.
Worked up an appetite.
It was on the way.
- No, thanks.
- Missing out.
Yeah, on heart disease.
Farmer chasing down one
of his pigs found it.
Roscoe told Teale the plates matched
one of Morrison's old collars
to throw him off the scent.
- There are no plates.
- Yup.
Someone took pains to hide
it from the road with brush,
but last night's rain
washed away the cover.
Joe would have wanted
an SUV for headroom.
Still doesn't mean
it was your brother's.
We're in Big Car
Country. Could be stolen.
Would've been reported missing by now.
Fire didn't start in the
engine or the gas tank.
Burn's darkest in the
center, then spreads out.
Accelerant and a match.
It's Roscoe.
Hey.
What are we looking at?
This Joe's car or what?
Think so. Can't be 100%.
Charred pretty bad.
Might be able to get a partial VIN.
We can send photos to forensics.
Old army trick.
When you run out of gun
oil, acetic acid from ketchup
and salt for abrasion
make a great metal cleaner.
And you put that in your body.
Tastes good.
All right, I'll get
Picard to run the VIN.
A Fed'll get faster results
than a detective from nowhere.
How'd it go at the Blue Cat?
South Americans got
to Spivey before I did.
- Found him stashed in their trunk.
- Shit.
Well, you told me you had
a dead end, not a dead body.
We got to find these guys
before they kill any more of our leads.
I know where you can
find the South Americans,
- but they won't talk.
- Why not? I'm a good interrogator.
Not that good.
Seven.
Seven bodies since you
set foot in my town.
They charged me and they were armed.
- Fine. I get it.
- The real number's eight. Hubble's dead, too.
- We just haven't found him yet.
- You're either not talking
or saying the exact
thing to piss me off.
Okay, what matters is
we lost the chance of figuring out
who sent the South Americans here.
Where the hell are you going?
- Get rid of those bodies.
- They're evidence.
- We don't destroy evidence.
- Those bodies get found,
we'll be flooded with
state cops, county cops.
We don't know who we can trust.
We need to keep them hidden
until we find out who killed Joe
so we can keep this
investigation between us.
I know.
I'll keep an eye on him.
Oh, my God. His legs.
I did that after.
It's like Tetris.
That's an exit wound.
You shot them in the back.
You just told Finlay they charged you.
I told Finlay what he needed to hear.
This isn't the movies.
I had a chance to kill them and I did.
What happened in Baghdad?
You've been talking to KJ.
No. He's been talking to me.
But don't change the subject.
If we're gonna see this thing through,
I need to know what kind
of person I'm working with.
So what happened in Baghdad, Reacher?
It wasn't Baghdad.
It was a small village 40 klicks north.
I was tracking an AWOL PFC.
Group of boys ten, 11 years old
played soccer in a
bombed-out hangar every day.
Whenever they'd see me, they'd wave.
I waved back.
One night it got real
late. They hadn't returned.
Between insurgents and IEDs,
I wanted to make sure
they got home safe.
I went back to the hangars
so they wouldn't have
to walk back alone.
Three men from the village
were abusing the boys.
You can fill in the blanks.
I sent the kids away,
but stayed to give the adults a choice.
They could turn themselves
in to Iraqi police
or they'd answer to me.
I knew they'd come for me
so when they did,
I was ready.
How did KJ know about this?
Kliners have money.
Money buys access and information.
So you have a problem
with me killing people
who hurt children?
'Cause I want to know the kind
of person I'm working with.
No.
I guess I don't.
Good.
Now, let's get to the
airport and dump these bodies.
Oh, fuck's sakes.
Oh, fuck.
Done.
What?
Nothing.
Just
when I asked Mosley what kind
of business Kliner was in,
he said trucking,
real estate, chemicals.
Know what he didn't say?
Agriculture.
I already told you, a delivery
like that's pretty normal
for these parts.
Still
it was a hell of a lot of animal feed.
- Is this really necessary?
- Lots of Jags in this city,
but only one with
plates we'll recognize.
We need a room.
From floors three to
seven, if you have it.
- King or two queens?
- Two queens.
Only two-queen I have left is a suite.
Not a problem.
Oh. Okay, then.
I just need to see some form of ID.
Put it under Officer
Welty, first name Eudora.
E-U-D-O-R-A.
Where'd you get all that cash?
From our friends in the trunk.
Apparently, people get
paid a lot to kill me.
If those guys were
working for counterfeiters,
you just paid for our
room with counterfeit cash.
Not my problem.
Eudora Welty?
Fan of her writing?
I'm surprised you've heard of her.
I like short stories. They
get right to the point.
- No nonsense.
- My guess is Welty is your go-to,
but when you travel,
it's Margaret Mitchell.
Her prose is too
long-winded for you, but
Georgia born and bred. Got to represent.
What, do you moonlight for
the psychic phone network?
You can tell a lot about a
person by their pseudonyms.
Take from it what you will, but I like
forgotten vice presidents
and Yankees second basemen.
Oh. If I'd known that, I
would have checked us in
under Willie Randolph.
Early a.m., we go to
Pete Jobling's address.
Talk to his wife. See if we can suss out
why whoever killed Jobling
wanted my brother dead, too.
Sounds like a good plan.
- What are you doing?
- Buying time.
In the unlikely event
someone tracks us here,
this won't keep them out,
but it'll slow them down.
Give me a few extra
seconds to get my shot off.
What if the maid busts in?
She'd be a very strong maid.
You know we're on the seventh floor?
No one's got the wingspan to
reach that window, not even you.
I know half a dozen sharpshooters
that could take us
out on the 15th floor.
Don't sleep with your head where
it's expected to be, either.
- Molly Beth.
- Uh, sorry for calling so late.
I hope I didn't wake you.
No, I figured you'd call.
I, um, I tracked down
a lot of Joe's files
pertaining to this case.
I-I don't know if it's
everything, but it's
voluminous.
I'll have it copied and
collated by the morning.
My flight lands at ATL at 5:00 p.m.
Can't meet you there.
Too many cameras at the airport.
You're breaking at least
four laws I can think of
handing us those files we don't
want any record of this happening.
Molly Beth, take the train
to Five Points station.
No real security there.
I look forward to finally meeting you.
Not under these circumstances,
of course. It's just
Joe told me so much about you.
- I'll see you tomorrow.
- Hey.
Hold on a minute.
You're having this woman
fly across the country
and deliver papers she
could have just shipped.
You want to meet her just
as much as she does you
to talk about Joe,
so why wait?
Just talk.
Hi. Uh
You two must have been
close if you let him bore you
with stories about me.
How long did you work together?
Uh, I started two years ago,
but Joe had already been
there a while at that point.
Already made a name for himself.
Top to bottom, everyone respected him.
A real lead-by-example
kind of guy, you know?
Yeah, I do.
He'd go on about how smart you are.
Maybe too smart for your
own good, he'd say, and
a pain in his ass sometimes.
But he said you were a good man
and that even though you
were his little brother,
he was the one who looked up to you.
Yeah, for me it was
the other way around.
He was the only man I
ever felt small next to.
I'm glad he found you, Molly Beth.
My brother was a very
particular kind of person.
He didn't take to people
easily, so you must be special.
He must have cared about you very much.
I, um
I cared about him, too.
Very much.
Uh, I should get back to work.
Um, I will see you tomorrow.
- Good night.
- Good night.
You okay?
I'm fine.
Losing family's a special kind of pain.
When my parents died, I was
old enough to remember all of it
and young enough to
understand none of it.
You're hurting,
and you still tried
to comfort Molly Beth.
Joe's right.
You're a good man.
I'm gonna shower.
We didn't order room service
and we don't need housekeeping.
If anybody tries to
come through that door
shoot 'em.
Who's watching the door?
So, uh, we might get some
pushback from Jobling's wife.
Husband's murdered, no leads
she's not gonna be liking cops too much.
Got it.
I'll talk.
Okay.
Hey, um
So, about last night
as far as I'm concerned,
it changes nothing.
We've got a job to do.
Okay.
Morning, ma'am.
Is this Pete Jobling's residence?
It is. May I help you?
We're the police, ma'am.
Officers Welty and Randolph.
We'd like to talk to you about Pete.
Something wrong?
We'd just like to speak for a moment.
We can do it outside if that
makes you more comfortable.
Uh, no, I I guess
it's okay to come inside.
Pete's back in the kitchen.
Some police officers
say they need to speak with you, Pete.
Everything okay?
You're Pete Senior.
You're looking for our son.
Is Petey okay?
- Well
- He's fine, ma'am.
Uh, there was a string
of hijackings recently
at his trucking company.
He wasn't involved,
but we want to ask him some questions,
see if maybe he can help us
at all with our investigation.
Thank goodness. You had me scared.
This happens sometimes, you know.
People getting my Petes confused.
But Junior hasn't lived
with us for a while now.
He's over in Brookhaven
with his wife, Judy.
Here's his address.
- Thank you.
- Thanks.
Why'd you lie?
They would've gotten emotional.
- We don't have the time.
- Oh.
Thought maybe after Charlie
Hubble and Molly Beth,
you needed a breather
from breaking bad news.
We don't have the time.
You wanted to see me, sir?
Captain, come in.
Don't bother. This'll be brief.
Word's going around town
you've been harassing Mr. Kliner.
I was investigating the Morrison murders
like you directed me to.
He says you threatened to
put a part of your anatomy
up into a part of his anatomy.
Something about your foot and his ass.
Things, regrettably, turned acrimonious.
- Not my best moment.
- Let me make things crystal clear for you.
Kliner is one of Margrave's
most important citizens,
and as such, we treat him and his family
with due respect.
That rule is as hard as the tip of
my walking stick. You understand?
Completely.
He suggested I consider
removing you from your job.
Which is ironic, seeing how
his donations to our
force allowed us to match
your bloated New England salary
demands when we hired you.
And I'm appreciative of that, sir.
Then show it.
That file contains the rap sheets
of a dozen ex-cons who
had a beef with Morrison.
Now, I got a town full of anxious voters
waiting for me to restore order.
Do a deep dive into those papers.
Find who killed
our brother-in-arms.
And maybe we can see if that
inflated paycheck of yours
can be pumped up a little bit more.
We on track?
All four wheels.
And this last bit I'm
gonna spell out for you
like we're in kindergarten.
You're not to do a single goddamn thing
on this matter without
my approval first.
One step out of line,
you're off the case.
Two steps, you lose your career.
Stick or carrot.
Choice is yours.
Excuse the interruption, Chief.
Finlay, your father's on the line.
Says it's urgent.
Do I have your permission
to take this call?
Don't fuck with me.
- Hey, Pops.
- Hey.
Uh, I got that recipe you asked about.
But I can't read some
of the ingredients,
so I'd prefer to just give you a copy.
Much as I like to see you, Dad,
I can't leave right now.
But I have some friends in the area.
Then send 'em on over to pick it up.
- 2S, 3
- W from my place in an hour.
And what about Mama?
And my little sisters?
They're doing okay.
That's what I like to hear.
Talk soon.
All right.
Just got off the phone
with Captain Finlay.
Is everything okay? Any news?
Nothing you need to worry about.
But I do need to go and relay
some sensitive information
about the investigation.
In person.
Is someone coming to relieve you?
We can't let any more
people into the fold.
But I'll only be gone a few hours.
It's okay.
No one knows you're here.
I'm not supposed to do this, but
Do you know how to use this?
My father took me to the range.
If the need arises, do
not hesitate to use it.
Hesitation will get you killed.
Uh, cream, sugar?
Uh, black. For both of us, please.
There you go.
So
Regarding your husband
He's dead, isn't he?
Yes.
Yes, he is. I'm so sorry for your loss.
I'm not.
Okay. That's not the reaction
- that we were expecting, Mrs. Jobling.
- Miller.
I didn't take his name.
Ms. Miller.
Why don't you care that
your husband's dead?
It's not that I don't
care. I'm just not sorry.
I warned him over and over
that it was gonna catch up to him.
- What was?
- You know any other truck drivers
with a place like this? Who can
pay off their parents' mortgage?
You ever say anything?
When I want to.
So, you suspected
that your husband was
engaged in illegal activity?
Yeah. He was stealing from
his company. From Kliner.
He was hauling air conditioners
for them down to Miami.
Now, he never admitted this,
but with the money he was pulling in,
something tells me not all
those AC units were getting
where they were supposed to go.
Knew he'd piss off the
wrong person eventually.
That wrong person shot
your husband from behind,
left him to die in a field.
Now you speak to say
something like that?
Yes. Someone I care
about was killed, too.
So if you have anything to share,
share it now.
I can show you the boxes.
From his work.
I assume he took the units,
reboxed 'em, sold 'em
on the black market.
It was always boxes
coming in and out of here.
It's amazing what you'll tolerate
when a guy can throw
a good hump into you.
The night Pete was killed, you had
no idea who he was going to meet?
No. He was always getting
calls at all hours,
running out, not coming home for days.
At first I'd ask,
and that just led to more fighting.
That why you didn't report him missing?
That and I just stopped giving a shit.
Woman can only take so much, right?
You can bury his ass in
potter's field for all I care.
I'm flying out of here
first thing tomorrow.
I'm gonna stay with my folks
till I can sell this place.
I'm done with Georgia,
and I'm done with that asshole.
Finlay.
2S, 3W. Got it.
On our way.
We need to go.
You need to change out of that uniform.
Jobling would have to move
more ACs than General Electric
to afford those two houses.
Only thing he cared about
moving was fake cash for Kliner.
Molly Beth said your brother shut
down counterfeiting on U.S. soil.
Bills are produced in South
America by whoever employed
the guys we left in long-term parking.
Money's shipped to Florida.
Jobling drives down with
real air conditioners
to keep up appearances. Fills
the empty boxes with phony cash.
Takes 'em back up to
Margrave for distribution,
but not before he skimmed
some off the top for himself.
You sound confident.
It's a working theory.
Hoping Joe's files confirm it.
Sure we're in the right spot?
2s, 3w. Two blocks south,
three west of Picard's office.
We're in the right spot.
Here he comes.
Count to four, then follow.
- Everyone holding up okay?
- Yeah, we're fine.
What about Charlie and the
kids? Who's watching them?
Nobody. But she can handle
herself for a couple hours.
What'd you get on the VIN?
Registered to a Chevy Equinox
owned by a car rental company.
Someone picked it up last week,
then the plates get pinged at a motel
40 miles outside Margrave.
Only problem,
both car and motel were
under the name Ron Hassey.
That's Joe.
He used the names of
Yankees backup catchers.
Good thing I didn't
write this off, then.
You know, chances are he never
checked out of that motel.
He might have left
something important behind.
It's possible.
He kept meticulous
records, lots of notes.
Motel address. 1517 Oglethorpe Road.
Memorize it, toss it.
Do me a favor, guys.
Hurry up and close this thing out.
I'm stuck in the sticks
and I'm gonna lose my job.
Appreciate your help.
Well, you got mothers all over town
They're screaming and crying
Yeah, Ron Hassey stayed here.
- How come you're asking?
- We need to see
if he left behind some personal items.
He did.
Briefcase and a garment bag.
They were picked up
about 20 minutes ago.
By who?
Ron Hassey.
What did he look like?
About medium height. Foreign.
Maybe Hispanic or something?
They got a 20-minute head
start and could've gone
in any direction. That briefcase
- is good as gone.
- His briefcase doesn't matter.
- You said he takes field notes.
- He does.
And he knew someone
might come after 'em,
so he'd put 'em where
they wouldn't look.
If you were walking out of there
with Joe's stuff, looking for
his paperwork, what would you do?
Get lost before his
giant brother found me.
Right. You'd move fast.
Keep the briefcase,
dump the garment bag.
Fuck.
Okay, Joe.
Let's see if you're as
smart as I think you are.
No way.
Looks like a punch list.
- Oh!
- Cover!
- The tire's blown.
- Soon as I fire, we run in opposite directions.
Harder to hit us if we split up.
On three. One, two, three.
Son of a bitch.
Mateo!
You just killed my cousin.
Now I'm gonna paint your skull
all over the ground
Thanks.
You made them follow you
'cause you had Joe's note!
Yeah, so you'd stay alive.
I don't need you looking out for me.
I'm a fucking cop, not some
girl who needs your protection.
- Clearly.
- We agreed last night changed nothing.
What the hell were you thinking?
I was thinking when Joe died,
there was almost no one left
in the world I cared about.
And that felt bad.
And then I met you
and I felt better.
Come on, we got to change a tire.
Finlay.
- You find anything?
- Yeah.
And then a couple of guys found us.
More bodies?
You know what I want to know?
How the hell those guys got
to the motel before we did.
Stevenson took the call from Picard
and forwarded it to the main line.
He could have listened in.
I mean, anyone at the
station could have.
Or I don't know.
Maybe Stevenson's innocent
act is just that: an act.
Picard's called me at the station
a few times over the past year.
Stevenson could have known his voice,
deciphered the meeting
location and Kliner could have
had guys ready and waiting
by the time you arrived.
When I found Spivey in
the trunk of that car,
there was surveillance gear.
It's not a stretch to think
they listened on parabolic mics.
I can't believe Stevenson's dirty.
But
I guess he was asking
a lot of questions.
Pretending to be concerned
about the Hubbles.
God, that sneaky piece of shit.
I guess he found out Joe's fake name
and the motel, and they beat us there.
Yeah, well, we're the
ones that walked away.
All right, we need to go
through what you found.
- But not over the phone.
- I I know a place.
An abandoned farmhouse.
Far enough outside
Margrave, totally secluded.
I'll text you the location.
All right, see you soon.
It was good we were
careful around Stevenson.
You still mad at me?
I know you don't need protection,
but I went with my instinct.
Just like I was taught.
This wasn't some butterball,
snot-nosed step-kid.
Your boy pummeled a
brigadier general's son.
That Bishop boy has been a problem
ever since we set foot in Okinawa.
My boys were only standing
up for Billy Docette.
Well, the Docettes don't
want to get involved.
His dad's thinking about his career.
As should you, Stan.
It's a disagreement between kids.
Correct.
And your kid smashed
another kid's face in.
So what are we talking about here?
Joe's a minor there's
not much they can do to him.
But Bishop's gonna take it out on Stan
- any way he can.
- What have you heard?
He's gonna find some
reason to bust you down a rank.
Cut your pay.
Transfer you out of Okinawa to some
shit assignment in Germany.
- Jesus.
- But Stanley didn't do anything wrong.
There must be some way to fix this.
I would if I could, Josephine, truly.
But Bishop's a vindictive S.O.B.
Always has been.
He's gonna torpedo my whole career.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but
just wanted to give you the heads-up.
Appreciate it, Butch.
You're a good man.
Boys, come here.
Is what he said true?
Yes.
It's not fair that you get in trouble.
That's right.
Should have thought of that
before you did what you did.
He hates me.
- I'm gonna take care of this.
- No.
You're not.
You're 12, Reacher. I'm not
letting you get involved.
But, Joe, I can
Your instinct was to
keep your mouth shut.
It was the right one.
Now stay out of it.
E Unum Pluribus.
Out of one, many.
Should be "out of many, one."
E Pluribus Unum. It's backwards.
Do you think that's just a mistake?
Joe never did anything by mistake.
Well, P.H. is obviously Paul Hubble.
W.B.? Anyone know that area code?
Hmm, beats me.
The next one's S.C.
- That's New York.
- I led a joint investigation
with the Air National
Guard out of Memphis once.
- Think J.
- W's 901's the area code there.
But these two I don't get.
Joblings' Garage and Gray's Kliner file.
Already been to Jobling's garage.
Empty boxes that didn't tell us
anything we didn't already know.
And Gray didn't have a Kliner file.
When he died, I went through his office
and his house, cleaned out everything.
There's nothing on Kliner anywhere.
Let's run a search on these
numbers, see who they belong to.
Or we could call them.
Or we can do that.
I'll take the mystery number.
I'll try New York.
Memphis.
United States Environmental
Protection Agency.
How may I direct your call?
- Hello?
- Okay.
So "W.B." is William Bryant,
Economics Professor at Princeton.
According to his voicemail,
at a conference in Europe,
due to return in three
days, not checking messages.
Strange, my number went
to the economics department at Columbia.
S.C. is Professor Stephanie Castillo.
Also at the European conference,
also back in three days.
Let me guess, you called Memphis State?
No. Memphis office of the EPA.
What the hell does any of this
have to do with counterfeiting?
What does Hubble's number being
in my brother's shoe have to do with it?
Or South America?
- Or animal feed?
- Okay.
You got to give the last one a rest.
It was a hell of a lot of animal feed.
Bottom line, we need to jump
on the Memphis EPA lead ASAP.
If Joe was looking into crooked agents
at the federal level, they can do
a lot more damage than
college professors.
You can't go to Tennessee.
Molly Beth lands in less than an hour.
And there might be
shorthand in your brother's
files only you understand.
Right, and you two need to
keep up appearances with Teale.
I know a PI who can help.
Someone we can trust?
Trusted her with my life
on countless occasions.
She hasn't let me down once.
- Reacher.
- Hello, Neagley.
How'd you know it was me?
Only person with my private
number other than my dad.
And this time of day, he enjoys
the jurisprudential musings
of one Judge Judy.
It's been a minute and a half.
What's up?
Gonna run it down fast and clean. Ready?
Hit me.
My brother was working
for Secret Service.
He was looking into
counterfeiting in Georgia.
Last week, he got too
close to the truth,
someone killed him for it.
Shit.
You okay?
My brother was killed, not me.
My mistake. Forgot who I was talking to.
Joe's notes had the number
to the Memphis EPA office,
next to the initials
J.W that's all I have.
- Number and initials.
- All I need.
I'm on it.
And, hey, boss.
If you want to talk
We just did.
You're an emotional dumpster fire.
You know that? Stop dissembling.
Goodbye, Neagley.
She always talk to you like that?
No. Sometimes she speaks her mind.
We should get going.
Molly Beth will be landing soon.
We should leave the Jag here. Bullet
holes are a bit of a neon sign.
I'll drive. Hope you like .38 Special.
Oh, you're serious.
I never knew there'd come a day
It says Molly Beth's
plane lands in 15 minutes.
She's just dropping off papers,
so she doesn't have any checked bags.
Ten minutes to disembark,
five to use the ladies room,
ten to walk to the airport subway,
two to get a ticker at the kiosk.
Train departs every five minutes.
How long's the ride
from ATL to Five Points?
15, 20 minutes?
Okay, so we should get there
between one and six
minutes before she does,
depending on traffic.
We don't know what she looks like.
How is she gonna find us?
She knows what Joe looks like.
And I look like Joe.
So caught up in you, little girl
Know you're a blues guy,
Reacher, but come on,
you got to feel this.
No.
You caught me, baby, you taught me
How good it could be
- Okay.
- It took so
She'll either be on the
gold or red northbound train.
They arrive on different platforms.
Looks like we found her.
She wants to meet us at
the top of the escalator.
Where is she?
Well, she must have missed
us and walked right by.
No one misses me when they walk by.
Something's wrong.
We need to split up.
You take the stairs,
you take the elevator.
To the side, to the side.
Oh, fuck.
Okay okay. Hey.
Hey. Oh, God.
Joe
Finlay.
Any luck tracking down Spivey?
Dead end. You?
Well, found out Hubble's
been lying to his wife.
Hasn't worked at the bank in a year.
Guess we could throw that
onto the "What the Heck
Does That Mean" file.
Anything else?
Potential lead on your
brother's rental car.
A driver called in a burnt-out vehicle
a few hundred yards
west of mile marker 97,
off of Rural Route 9.
On my way.
Who else knows about it?
Only those who need to.
Time to stop for a snack, I see.
Worked up an appetite.
It was on the way.
- No, thanks.
- Missing out.
Yeah, on heart disease.
Farmer chasing down one
of his pigs found it.
Roscoe told Teale the plates matched
one of Morrison's old collars
to throw him off the scent.
- There are no plates.
- Yup.
Someone took pains to hide
it from the road with brush,
but last night's rain
washed away the cover.
Joe would have wanted
an SUV for headroom.
Still doesn't mean
it was your brother's.
We're in Big Car
Country. Could be stolen.
Would've been reported missing by now.
Fire didn't start in the
engine or the gas tank.
Burn's darkest in the
center, then spreads out.
Accelerant and a match.
It's Roscoe.
Hey.
What are we looking at?
This Joe's car or what?
Think so. Can't be 100%.
Charred pretty bad.
Might be able to get a partial VIN.
We can send photos to forensics.
Old army trick.
When you run out of gun
oil, acetic acid from ketchup
and salt for abrasion
make a great metal cleaner.
And you put that in your body.
Tastes good.
All right, I'll get
Picard to run the VIN.
A Fed'll get faster results
than a detective from nowhere.
How'd it go at the Blue Cat?
South Americans got
to Spivey before I did.
- Found him stashed in their trunk.
- Shit.
Well, you told me you had
a dead end, not a dead body.
We got to find these guys
before they kill any more of our leads.
I know where you can
find the South Americans,
- but they won't talk.
- Why not? I'm a good interrogator.
Not that good.
Seven.
Seven bodies since you
set foot in my town.
They charged me and they were armed.
- Fine. I get it.
- The real number's eight. Hubble's dead, too.
- We just haven't found him yet.
- You're either not talking
or saying the exact
thing to piss me off.
Okay, what matters is
we lost the chance of figuring out
who sent the South Americans here.
Where the hell are you going?
- Get rid of those bodies.
- They're evidence.
- We don't destroy evidence.
- Those bodies get found,
we'll be flooded with
state cops, county cops.
We don't know who we can trust.
We need to keep them hidden
until we find out who killed Joe
so we can keep this
investigation between us.
I know.
I'll keep an eye on him.
Oh, my God. His legs.
I did that after.
It's like Tetris.
That's an exit wound.
You shot them in the back.
You just told Finlay they charged you.
I told Finlay what he needed to hear.
This isn't the movies.
I had a chance to kill them and I did.
What happened in Baghdad?
You've been talking to KJ.
No. He's been talking to me.
But don't change the subject.
If we're gonna see this thing through,
I need to know what kind
of person I'm working with.
So what happened in Baghdad, Reacher?
It wasn't Baghdad.
It was a small village 40 klicks north.
I was tracking an AWOL PFC.
Group of boys ten, 11 years old
played soccer in a
bombed-out hangar every day.
Whenever they'd see me, they'd wave.
I waved back.
One night it got real
late. They hadn't returned.
Between insurgents and IEDs,
I wanted to make sure
they got home safe.
I went back to the hangars
so they wouldn't have
to walk back alone.
Three men from the village
were abusing the boys.
You can fill in the blanks.
I sent the kids away,
but stayed to give the adults a choice.
They could turn themselves
in to Iraqi police
or they'd answer to me.
I knew they'd come for me
so when they did,
I was ready.
How did KJ know about this?
Kliners have money.
Money buys access and information.
So you have a problem
with me killing people
who hurt children?
'Cause I want to know the kind
of person I'm working with.
No.
I guess I don't.
Good.
Now, let's get to the
airport and dump these bodies.
Oh, fuck's sakes.
Oh, fuck.
Done.
What?
Nothing.
Just
when I asked Mosley what kind
of business Kliner was in,
he said trucking,
real estate, chemicals.
Know what he didn't say?
Agriculture.
I already told you, a delivery
like that's pretty normal
for these parts.
Still
it was a hell of a lot of animal feed.
- Is this really necessary?
- Lots of Jags in this city,
but only one with
plates we'll recognize.
We need a room.
From floors three to
seven, if you have it.
- King or two queens?
- Two queens.
Only two-queen I have left is a suite.
Not a problem.
Oh. Okay, then.
I just need to see some form of ID.
Put it under Officer
Welty, first name Eudora.
E-U-D-O-R-A.
Where'd you get all that cash?
From our friends in the trunk.
Apparently, people get
paid a lot to kill me.
If those guys were
working for counterfeiters,
you just paid for our
room with counterfeit cash.
Not my problem.
Eudora Welty?
Fan of her writing?
I'm surprised you've heard of her.
I like short stories. They
get right to the point.
- No nonsense.
- My guess is Welty is your go-to,
but when you travel,
it's Margaret Mitchell.
Her prose is too
long-winded for you, but
Georgia born and bred. Got to represent.
What, do you moonlight for
the psychic phone network?
You can tell a lot about a
person by their pseudonyms.
Take from it what you will, but I like
forgotten vice presidents
and Yankees second basemen.
Oh. If I'd known that, I
would have checked us in
under Willie Randolph.
Early a.m., we go to
Pete Jobling's address.
Talk to his wife. See if we can suss out
why whoever killed Jobling
wanted my brother dead, too.
Sounds like a good plan.
- What are you doing?
- Buying time.
In the unlikely event
someone tracks us here,
this won't keep them out,
but it'll slow them down.
Give me a few extra
seconds to get my shot off.
What if the maid busts in?
She'd be a very strong maid.
You know we're on the seventh floor?
No one's got the wingspan to
reach that window, not even you.
I know half a dozen sharpshooters
that could take us
out on the 15th floor.
Don't sleep with your head where
it's expected to be, either.
- Molly Beth.
- Uh, sorry for calling so late.
I hope I didn't wake you.
No, I figured you'd call.
I, um, I tracked down
a lot of Joe's files
pertaining to this case.
I-I don't know if it's
everything, but it's
voluminous.
I'll have it copied and
collated by the morning.
My flight lands at ATL at 5:00 p.m.
Can't meet you there.
Too many cameras at the airport.
You're breaking at least
four laws I can think of
handing us those files we don't
want any record of this happening.
Molly Beth, take the train
to Five Points station.
No real security there.
I look forward to finally meeting you.
Not under these circumstances,
of course. It's just
Joe told me so much about you.
- I'll see you tomorrow.
- Hey.
Hold on a minute.
You're having this woman
fly across the country
and deliver papers she
could have just shipped.
You want to meet her just
as much as she does you
to talk about Joe,
so why wait?
Just talk.
Hi. Uh
You two must have been
close if you let him bore you
with stories about me.
How long did you work together?
Uh, I started two years ago,
but Joe had already been
there a while at that point.
Already made a name for himself.
Top to bottom, everyone respected him.
A real lead-by-example
kind of guy, you know?
Yeah, I do.
He'd go on about how smart you are.
Maybe too smart for your
own good, he'd say, and
a pain in his ass sometimes.
But he said you were a good man
and that even though you
were his little brother,
he was the one who looked up to you.
Yeah, for me it was
the other way around.
He was the only man I
ever felt small next to.
I'm glad he found you, Molly Beth.
My brother was a very
particular kind of person.
He didn't take to people
easily, so you must be special.
He must have cared about you very much.
I, um
I cared about him, too.
Very much.
Uh, I should get back to work.
Um, I will see you tomorrow.
- Good night.
- Good night.
You okay?
I'm fine.
Losing family's a special kind of pain.
When my parents died, I was
old enough to remember all of it
and young enough to
understand none of it.
You're hurting,
and you still tried
to comfort Molly Beth.
Joe's right.
You're a good man.
I'm gonna shower.
We didn't order room service
and we don't need housekeeping.
If anybody tries to
come through that door
shoot 'em.
Who's watching the door?
So, uh, we might get some
pushback from Jobling's wife.
Husband's murdered, no leads
she's not gonna be liking cops too much.
Got it.
I'll talk.
Okay.
Hey, um
So, about last night
as far as I'm concerned,
it changes nothing.
We've got a job to do.
Okay.
Morning, ma'am.
Is this Pete Jobling's residence?
It is. May I help you?
We're the police, ma'am.
Officers Welty and Randolph.
We'd like to talk to you about Pete.
Something wrong?
We'd just like to speak for a moment.
We can do it outside if that
makes you more comfortable.
Uh, no, I I guess
it's okay to come inside.
Pete's back in the kitchen.
Some police officers
say they need to speak with you, Pete.
Everything okay?
You're Pete Senior.
You're looking for our son.
Is Petey okay?
- Well
- He's fine, ma'am.
Uh, there was a string
of hijackings recently
at his trucking company.
He wasn't involved,
but we want to ask him some questions,
see if maybe he can help us
at all with our investigation.
Thank goodness. You had me scared.
This happens sometimes, you know.
People getting my Petes confused.
But Junior hasn't lived
with us for a while now.
He's over in Brookhaven
with his wife, Judy.
Here's his address.
- Thank you.
- Thanks.
Why'd you lie?
They would've gotten emotional.
- We don't have the time.
- Oh.
Thought maybe after Charlie
Hubble and Molly Beth,
you needed a breather
from breaking bad news.
We don't have the time.
You wanted to see me, sir?
Captain, come in.
Don't bother. This'll be brief.
Word's going around town
you've been harassing Mr. Kliner.
I was investigating the Morrison murders
like you directed me to.
He says you threatened to
put a part of your anatomy
up into a part of his anatomy.
Something about your foot and his ass.
Things, regrettably, turned acrimonious.
- Not my best moment.
- Let me make things crystal clear for you.
Kliner is one of Margrave's
most important citizens,
and as such, we treat him and his family
with due respect.
That rule is as hard as the tip of
my walking stick. You understand?
Completely.
He suggested I consider
removing you from your job.
Which is ironic, seeing how
his donations to our
force allowed us to match
your bloated New England salary
demands when we hired you.
And I'm appreciative of that, sir.
Then show it.
That file contains the rap sheets
of a dozen ex-cons who
had a beef with Morrison.
Now, I got a town full of anxious voters
waiting for me to restore order.
Do a deep dive into those papers.
Find who killed
our brother-in-arms.
And maybe we can see if that
inflated paycheck of yours
can be pumped up a little bit more.
We on track?
All four wheels.
And this last bit I'm
gonna spell out for you
like we're in kindergarten.
You're not to do a single goddamn thing
on this matter without
my approval first.
One step out of line,
you're off the case.
Two steps, you lose your career.
Stick or carrot.
Choice is yours.
Excuse the interruption, Chief.
Finlay, your father's on the line.
Says it's urgent.
Do I have your permission
to take this call?
Don't fuck with me.
- Hey, Pops.
- Hey.
Uh, I got that recipe you asked about.
But I can't read some
of the ingredients,
so I'd prefer to just give you a copy.
Much as I like to see you, Dad,
I can't leave right now.
But I have some friends in the area.
Then send 'em on over to pick it up.
- 2S, 3
- W from my place in an hour.
And what about Mama?
And my little sisters?
They're doing okay.
That's what I like to hear.
Talk soon.
All right.
Just got off the phone
with Captain Finlay.
Is everything okay? Any news?
Nothing you need to worry about.
But I do need to go and relay
some sensitive information
about the investigation.
In person.
Is someone coming to relieve you?
We can't let any more
people into the fold.
But I'll only be gone a few hours.
It's okay.
No one knows you're here.
I'm not supposed to do this, but
Do you know how to use this?
My father took me to the range.
If the need arises, do
not hesitate to use it.
Hesitation will get you killed.
Uh, cream, sugar?
Uh, black. For both of us, please.
There you go.
So
Regarding your husband
He's dead, isn't he?
Yes.
Yes, he is. I'm so sorry for your loss.
I'm not.
Okay. That's not the reaction
- that we were expecting, Mrs. Jobling.
- Miller.
I didn't take his name.
Ms. Miller.
Why don't you care that
your husband's dead?
It's not that I don't
care. I'm just not sorry.
I warned him over and over
that it was gonna catch up to him.
- What was?
- You know any other truck drivers
with a place like this? Who can
pay off their parents' mortgage?
You ever say anything?
When I want to.
So, you suspected
that your husband was
engaged in illegal activity?
Yeah. He was stealing from
his company. From Kliner.
He was hauling air conditioners
for them down to Miami.
Now, he never admitted this,
but with the money he was pulling in,
something tells me not all
those AC units were getting
where they were supposed to go.
Knew he'd piss off the
wrong person eventually.
That wrong person shot
your husband from behind,
left him to die in a field.
Now you speak to say
something like that?
Yes. Someone I care
about was killed, too.
So if you have anything to share,
share it now.
I can show you the boxes.
From his work.
I assume he took the units,
reboxed 'em, sold 'em
on the black market.
It was always boxes
coming in and out of here.
It's amazing what you'll tolerate
when a guy can throw
a good hump into you.
The night Pete was killed, you had
no idea who he was going to meet?
No. He was always getting
calls at all hours,
running out, not coming home for days.
At first I'd ask,
and that just led to more fighting.
That why you didn't report him missing?
That and I just stopped giving a shit.
Woman can only take so much, right?
You can bury his ass in
potter's field for all I care.
I'm flying out of here
first thing tomorrow.
I'm gonna stay with my folks
till I can sell this place.
I'm done with Georgia,
and I'm done with that asshole.
Finlay.
2S, 3W. Got it.
On our way.
We need to go.
You need to change out of that uniform.
Jobling would have to move
more ACs than General Electric
to afford those two houses.
Only thing he cared about
moving was fake cash for Kliner.
Molly Beth said your brother shut
down counterfeiting on U.S. soil.
Bills are produced in South
America by whoever employed
the guys we left in long-term parking.
Money's shipped to Florida.
Jobling drives down with
real air conditioners
to keep up appearances. Fills
the empty boxes with phony cash.
Takes 'em back up to
Margrave for distribution,
but not before he skimmed
some off the top for himself.
You sound confident.
It's a working theory.
Hoping Joe's files confirm it.
Sure we're in the right spot?
2s, 3w. Two blocks south,
three west of Picard's office.
We're in the right spot.
Here he comes.
Count to four, then follow.
- Everyone holding up okay?
- Yeah, we're fine.
What about Charlie and the
kids? Who's watching them?
Nobody. But she can handle
herself for a couple hours.
What'd you get on the VIN?
Registered to a Chevy Equinox
owned by a car rental company.
Someone picked it up last week,
then the plates get pinged at a motel
40 miles outside Margrave.
Only problem,
both car and motel were
under the name Ron Hassey.
That's Joe.
He used the names of
Yankees backup catchers.
Good thing I didn't
write this off, then.
You know, chances are he never
checked out of that motel.
He might have left
something important behind.
It's possible.
He kept meticulous
records, lots of notes.
Motel address. 1517 Oglethorpe Road.
Memorize it, toss it.
Do me a favor, guys.
Hurry up and close this thing out.
I'm stuck in the sticks
and I'm gonna lose my job.
Appreciate your help.
Well, you got mothers all over town
They're screaming and crying
Yeah, Ron Hassey stayed here.
- How come you're asking?
- We need to see
if he left behind some personal items.
He did.
Briefcase and a garment bag.
They were picked up
about 20 minutes ago.
By who?
Ron Hassey.
What did he look like?
About medium height. Foreign.
Maybe Hispanic or something?
They got a 20-minute head
start and could've gone
in any direction. That briefcase
- is good as gone.
- His briefcase doesn't matter.
- You said he takes field notes.
- He does.
And he knew someone
might come after 'em,
so he'd put 'em where
they wouldn't look.
If you were walking out of there
with Joe's stuff, looking for
his paperwork, what would you do?
Get lost before his
giant brother found me.
Right. You'd move fast.
Keep the briefcase,
dump the garment bag.
Fuck.
Okay, Joe.
Let's see if you're as
smart as I think you are.
No way.
Looks like a punch list.
- Oh!
- Cover!
- The tire's blown.
- Soon as I fire, we run in opposite directions.
Harder to hit us if we split up.
On three. One, two, three.
Son of a bitch.
Mateo!
You just killed my cousin.
Now I'm gonna paint your skull
all over the ground
Thanks.
You made them follow you
'cause you had Joe's note!
Yeah, so you'd stay alive.
I don't need you looking out for me.
I'm a fucking cop, not some
girl who needs your protection.
- Clearly.
- We agreed last night changed nothing.
What the hell were you thinking?
I was thinking when Joe died,
there was almost no one left
in the world I cared about.
And that felt bad.
And then I met you
and I felt better.
Come on, we got to change a tire.
Finlay.
- You find anything?
- Yeah.
And then a couple of guys found us.
More bodies?
You know what I want to know?
How the hell those guys got
to the motel before we did.
Stevenson took the call from Picard
and forwarded it to the main line.
He could have listened in.
I mean, anyone at the
station could have.
Or I don't know.
Maybe Stevenson's innocent
act is just that: an act.
Picard's called me at the station
a few times over the past year.
Stevenson could have known his voice,
deciphered the meeting
location and Kliner could have
had guys ready and waiting
by the time you arrived.
When I found Spivey in
the trunk of that car,
there was surveillance gear.
It's not a stretch to think
they listened on parabolic mics.
I can't believe Stevenson's dirty.
But
I guess he was asking
a lot of questions.
Pretending to be concerned
about the Hubbles.
God, that sneaky piece of shit.
I guess he found out Joe's fake name
and the motel, and they beat us there.
Yeah, well, we're the
ones that walked away.
All right, we need to go
through what you found.
- But not over the phone.
- I I know a place.
An abandoned farmhouse.
Far enough outside
Margrave, totally secluded.
I'll text you the location.
All right, see you soon.
It was good we were
careful around Stevenson.
You still mad at me?
I know you don't need protection,
but I went with my instinct.
Just like I was taught.
This wasn't some butterball,
snot-nosed step-kid.
Your boy pummeled a
brigadier general's son.
That Bishop boy has been a problem
ever since we set foot in Okinawa.
My boys were only standing
up for Billy Docette.
Well, the Docettes don't
want to get involved.
His dad's thinking about his career.
As should you, Stan.
It's a disagreement between kids.
Correct.
And your kid smashed
another kid's face in.
So what are we talking about here?
Joe's a minor there's
not much they can do to him.
But Bishop's gonna take it out on Stan
- any way he can.
- What have you heard?
He's gonna find some
reason to bust you down a rank.
Cut your pay.
Transfer you out of Okinawa to some
shit assignment in Germany.
- Jesus.
- But Stanley didn't do anything wrong.
There must be some way to fix this.
I would if I could, Josephine, truly.
But Bishop's a vindictive S.O.B.
Always has been.
He's gonna torpedo my whole career.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but
just wanted to give you the heads-up.
Appreciate it, Butch.
You're a good man.
Boys, come here.
Is what he said true?
Yes.
It's not fair that you get in trouble.
That's right.
Should have thought of that
before you did what you did.
He hates me.
- I'm gonna take care of this.
- No.
You're not.
You're 12, Reacher. I'm not
letting you get involved.
But, Joe, I can
Your instinct was to
keep your mouth shut.
It was the right one.
Now stay out of it.
E Unum Pluribus.
Out of one, many.
Should be "out of many, one."
E Pluribus Unum. It's backwards.
Do you think that's just a mistake?
Joe never did anything by mistake.
Well, P.H. is obviously Paul Hubble.
W.B.? Anyone know that area code?
Hmm, beats me.
The next one's S.C.
- That's New York.
- I led a joint investigation
with the Air National
Guard out of Memphis once.
- Think J.
- W's 901's the area code there.
But these two I don't get.
Joblings' Garage and Gray's Kliner file.
Already been to Jobling's garage.
Empty boxes that didn't tell us
anything we didn't already know.
And Gray didn't have a Kliner file.
When he died, I went through his office
and his house, cleaned out everything.
There's nothing on Kliner anywhere.
Let's run a search on these
numbers, see who they belong to.
Or we could call them.
Or we can do that.
I'll take the mystery number.
I'll try New York.
Memphis.
United States Environmental
Protection Agency.
How may I direct your call?
- Hello?
- Okay.
So "W.B." is William Bryant,
Economics Professor at Princeton.
According to his voicemail,
at a conference in Europe,
due to return in three
days, not checking messages.
Strange, my number went
to the economics department at Columbia.
S.C. is Professor Stephanie Castillo.
Also at the European conference,
also back in three days.
Let me guess, you called Memphis State?
No. Memphis office of the EPA.
What the hell does any of this
have to do with counterfeiting?
What does Hubble's number being
in my brother's shoe have to do with it?
Or South America?
- Or animal feed?
- Okay.
You got to give the last one a rest.
It was a hell of a lot of animal feed.
Bottom line, we need to jump
on the Memphis EPA lead ASAP.
If Joe was looking into crooked agents
at the federal level, they can do
a lot more damage than
college professors.
You can't go to Tennessee.
Molly Beth lands in less than an hour.
And there might be
shorthand in your brother's
files only you understand.
Right, and you two need to
keep up appearances with Teale.
I know a PI who can help.
Someone we can trust?
Trusted her with my life
on countless occasions.
She hasn't let me down once.
- Reacher.
- Hello, Neagley.
How'd you know it was me?
Only person with my private
number other than my dad.
And this time of day, he enjoys
the jurisprudential musings
of one Judge Judy.
It's been a minute and a half.
What's up?
Gonna run it down fast and clean. Ready?
Hit me.
My brother was working
for Secret Service.
He was looking into
counterfeiting in Georgia.
Last week, he got too
close to the truth,
someone killed him for it.
Shit.
You okay?
My brother was killed, not me.
My mistake. Forgot who I was talking to.
Joe's notes had the number
to the Memphis EPA office,
next to the initials
J.W that's all I have.
- Number and initials.
- All I need.
I'm on it.
And, hey, boss.
If you want to talk
We just did.
You're an emotional dumpster fire.
You know that? Stop dissembling.
Goodbye, Neagley.
She always talk to you like that?
No. Sometimes she speaks her mind.
We should get going.
Molly Beth will be landing soon.
We should leave the Jag here. Bullet
holes are a bit of a neon sign.
I'll drive. Hope you like .38 Special.
Oh, you're serious.
I never knew there'd come a day
It says Molly Beth's
plane lands in 15 minutes.
She's just dropping off papers,
so she doesn't have any checked bags.
Ten minutes to disembark,
five to use the ladies room,
ten to walk to the airport subway,
two to get a ticker at the kiosk.
Train departs every five minutes.
How long's the ride
from ATL to Five Points?
15, 20 minutes?
Okay, so we should get there
between one and six
minutes before she does,
depending on traffic.
We don't know what she looks like.
How is she gonna find us?
She knows what Joe looks like.
And I look like Joe.
So caught up in you, little girl
Know you're a blues guy,
Reacher, but come on,
you got to feel this.
No.
You caught me, baby, you taught me
How good it could be
- Okay.
- It took so
She'll either be on the
gold or red northbound train.
They arrive on different platforms.
Looks like we found her.
She wants to meet us at
the top of the escalator.
Where is she?
Well, she must have missed
us and walked right by.
No one misses me when they walk by.
Something's wrong.
We need to split up.
You take the stairs,
you take the elevator.
To the side, to the side.
Oh, fuck.
Okay okay. Hey.
Hey. Oh, God.
Joe