R.J. Decker (2026) s01e08 Episode Script

1
[R.J.]
Previously on R.J. Decker
I'm Emi Ochoa.
Lucas is my stepbrother.
And that's the man
who almost killed him.
I was working on the robbery
at Mel and Cath's house.
Is this a suspect?
Getting too close to a family
like mine could earn you
a return trip to Apalachee.
-Is that what you want?
-I don't know what I want.
Pleasure to finally meet you.
I thought it was time
-you and I had a chat.
-About?
What exactly
are your intentions
towards my daughter?
Are you sure I can't
interest you in a drink?
No. I won't be staying long.
I asked you
what your intentions
are towards Emilia.
I'm still waiting
for an answer.
Well, obviously,
we're gonna get married,
pop out a couple of kids
and do everything
we can to make sure
they don't turn out to be
terminal narcissists
like their grandpa.
I think what you're really
asking Victor
may I call you Victor?
is what are my intentions
towards you?
Am I coming for you
because of what you
and your family
did to me two years ago?
Am I using Emi
to get back at you somehow?
The answer
to both questions is no,
because the truth is, Victor,
I know this
is gonna blow your mind,
I haven't really
thought about you much
since I got out of Apalachee.
I do find that hard to believe.
So I'd like
to make you an offer.
Stay away from my family
and in exchange,
I'll see to it
that your criminal record
gets expunged.
Given your new profession,
the risks you have to take
for your clients,
things like trespassing,
invasion of privacy
to always be skating
on such thin ice,
not wise for a man
on conditional release.
One false move,
you could find yourself
back in prison.
[R.J. scoffs]
What if I don't want
a single damn thing from you?
Then you will definitely
find yourself back in prison.
Your conditional release
officer was Lucy Penmar,
correct?
What do you mean "was"?
You're gonna get notified soon
that she's been reassigned.
You have a new CRO.
Someone who,
with a single call from me,
will violate you
back to Apalachee.
That look.
I imagine that's the look
you gave my son Lucas
right before you assaulted him.
Yeah, I imagine it was.
By all means, Mr. Decker.
Come at me.
See how that goes.
Think about my offer.
Just don't think long.
[customer] See? That's me.
I'm that Florida man.
[Wish]
Hey, Cellie, help me out here.
[clears throat]
Got "Florida man tries to claim
beehive as passenger
in HOV lane."
Free drink or no?
I mean, I respect
the full-tilt weirdness,
but all that driving
can't be good for the bees,
right?
[chuckles]
I need to talk to you.
Hey, man, what is it?
So, you turn down
Mr. State Senator's offer,
you go back to prison.
You accept it, and then boom,
got yourself a clean slate.
You ask me, partner,
this one's easy.
Take the damn offer.
What he's doing is illegal.
He's the one
that should be going to prison.
Right,
'cause politicians with money
and power and zero scruples,
they go to prison
all the time, right? Yeah.
I don't understand.
What's going on?
Are you mad at me?
Damn straight, I'm mad!
I mean, this whole thing
you got going on
with Emi Ochoa, it's wrong,
and you know it's wrong.
And would you like to know
how I know
that you know it's wrong?
Because if you didn't,
you'd have told me
about it a long time ago.
You would have told Catherine,
Mel, somebody.
-Wish, I--
-No, no. no, no, no, no, no.
Uh-uh. No, no.
You play with fire,
and now I'm supposed to
blame the matches
'cause you got burned?
[clicks tongue]
[sighs]
Do you love her?
[chuckles]
We haven't even been on a date.
That's not what I'm asking.
[swallows] No.
She's my friend.
Well, then I repeat myself.
Accept the offer.
Because you were built
for exactly
18 months in prison, R.J.
Not a day more, not a second.
'Cause when you see wrongs,
you can't stop yourself
from trying to right them.
That ain't sustainable
in a place like Apalachee.
It ain't survivable.
You get sent back,
I I don't believe
you'll ever get out.
-[client] Mr. Decker.
-Mm-hmm?
We can do this in the kitchen
if you'd be more comfortable.
Uh I'm, uh, I'm good.
Just a bit more
of a bird guy myself.
I'm a goldfish man.
-My dad was a little different.
-Yeah.
Like I was saying,
his body was found
about a week ago.
He was dumped
in a pile of green waste,
leaves, branches, palm fronds.
Just off the service road
out by Seabreak Golf Club.
Do the police know
where he was killed?
No, just how. Back of the head.
The killer used a blunt object,
something heavy.
The Seabreak,
that's out near Pompano, right?
Yeah. Unfortunately, Pompano PD
is feeling a little JV.
That's why I called you,
actually.
You don't think
they're on the right track?
They have asked about
my dad's criminal record twice,
as if this has something to do
with two stolen cars
back in 1986.
And they're beating
the wrong bushes.
He got out of Tomoka
three years before I was born.
He did his time,
and he learned his lesson.
It is possible to make
a mistake and come back
from it, you know?
I do.
Terrence, I gotta ask,
what's the deal
with all the snakes?
-[Terrence]
These are Burmese pythons.
-Yeah.
After Hurricane Andrew,
a bunch of them got loose
in the Everglades.
Now they are everywhere.
And I do mean everywhere.
They'll grow to be 20 feet.
They can crush
and swallow gators,
pets, even kids.
Yeah, I heard about this.
The state's got
its own bounty program, huh?
Mm-hmm. After he retired,
Dad started working for
some researchers,
tagging specimens,
logging GPS data,
mapping out breeding zones.
And of course,
every summer, there's
the Python Bounty Blitz.
It's a ten-day contest,
open registration, big prizes.
I think that may be
what got him killed.
How so?
Winner takes home 50 grand.
And Dad
won the last two years running.
This year,
he jumped out early again.
He had three snakes on day one,
topped the leaderboard,
and then he was gone.
Yeah, well, Terrence,
people have killed for a lot
less than 50,000 dollars.
That's why I was hoping
you could talk to the people
who are in the lead now
before the contest ends
and they all,
you know, slither away.
Snakes in the grass
You'd better move fast ♪
You'll be poisoned
Or be strangled to death ♪
Their fangs, they bite deep
And their venom will creep ♪
You up there?
That's me in third.
Should be tied second.
Man, big daddy
on the hook this morning.
He come up,
grab me by the ankle,
and, well, bye-bye shoe.
[R.J. laughs]
Wow, look at that.
I'm glad he left the foot.
[both laugh]
My name is R.J. Decker.
I wanted to talk to you
about someone that wasn't
so lucky. Curtis Middleton?
-He was my dude.
-Yeah.
They figure out
what happened to him yet?
I think it might
have something to do
with this contest,
but I'm trying to get a sense
of where the people
in the roundup were
the night of the murder.
Oh. [scoffs] No telling.
Who else do you think
I should be talking to?
Where were you
the night of the murder?
I was at night school,
wrist-deep in a dead raccoon.
I'm training
to be a taxidermist.
Anyone else can vouch
you were there that night?
Suppose anyone
at the bingo parlor.
You and Curtis,
you guys got along okay?
-We was peaches and cream.
-So you were buddies then?
We're talking about the guy
with the hook for a hand?
-I'm sorry?
-I guess
it's a different Curtis.
-Who else
should I be talking to?
-Teddy Tran.
-Teddy Tran.
-Teddy Tran.
-[R.J.] Teddy Tran.
-[grunts]
So why do you think
your name's on the tip of
everyone's tongue, Teddy?
-Bro, envy.
-Yeah?
-Check the board.
I'm up by four snakes.
-Yeah.
Guys start getting
a little weird when
there's big money on the line.
Yeah, that's my theory too,
but I'm working off
the premise that
Curtis would have been
ahead of you on the leaderboard
-if someone hadn't killed him.
-You're not a cop, so
No, I'm not a cop.
Okay, I just wanna know
where you were
the night of the murder.
I was alone,
just like half the field.
I was out near Hillsboro Canal.
Well,
that's pretty near Pompano,
where Curtis's body was found.
Listen, man,
you're late to the party,
all right?
I've already been cleared.
Yeah. Pompano PD grilled me
for three hours straight.
Hooked me up to a lie detector
and everything.
And you passed?
Even when they tried
to rattle me.
Showed me pictures of Curtis.
I mean, it was messed up, man.
Just seeing him like that,
his head all caved in
and his body all sandy.
Sandy? What do you mean sandy?
Like he was down at the beach.
I told them
it didn't make no sense.
What do you mean?
Look, I don't know
if he took the night off,
but pythons
don't go to the beach, bro.
[phone ringing]
Hey, I just tried to find you
at your place.
I need to tell you something.
It's important.
Call me back.
-Nice shot.
-You must be Mr. Decker.
Crystal said
you were looking for me.
I'm Jeff Gillibrand,
the GM here.
I'm happy to chat,
but you really can't be
out here in denim.
Well, I'm, uh
I'm not teeing off.
I'm investigating a murder.
It's just our policy.
Okay.
What's your policy
on moving dead bodies?
Curtis Middleton.
Your grounds crew said
they found him on a green waste
pile up the road.
That's right.
Well, I'm told there was a lot
of sand stuck to his skin,
and we're miles away
from a beach,
so, you know, weird.
Unless of course,
you found him in one
of your sand traps.
Is that possible?
Look, all I wanna know
is where you really found him.
It can be just between us.
I'm not gonna go call the cops
or anything like that.
Okay, look, the morning
the body turned up,
my head groundskeeper
called me in a panic.
You have to understand,
we were about
to host our biggest
member-guest of the year.
-If we call in the police
-Yeah.
the tournament
would have been dead.
And Curtis was already dead,
so really you were just
averting another tragedy.
-We didn't cover anything up.
-Mm-hmm.
I just told him to "find"
the body off property.
-Right.
-But yes,
the man who was killed
was originally
in the bunker on 16.
When we found him,
there were no footprints
or any other,
I don't know, evidence
that anyone else had been here.
If there had been, we wouldn't
have moved the body.
Very considerate.
I just mean
there was nothing here
that would have helped
their investigation.
-What?
-[sighs] I don't know, Jeff.
You know, generally,
I think cops like to have
the murder weapon.
[Jeff] Is that
Is that blood on that thing?
[line ringing]
[on phone] Pompano police.
Hi. Can I talk
to whoever's in charge of the
Curtis Middleton investigation?
Whoa. Hey, hey. You said
You said you weren't gonna call
the police.
Yeah, well, I lied.
You moved a body, Jeff.
You're kind of screwed.
-It's supposed to be
my day off, Mel.
-[speaks Spanish]
I'm so sorry that we got handed
a huge break
on a silver platter.
This murder weapon,
you're sure it connects to
the Van Allen homicide?
Hundred percent. Showed up
on a golf course nearby.
Eight days we've been looking
for that thing.
Whoever found it,
I'm gonna kiss 'em.
Oh, hey. You hear?
I found something
you guys were looking for.
Pucker up.
Ignore that. Uh Explain.
Yeah, I was working a case
down in Pompano.
My client's father,
Curtis Middleton,
got his head bashed in.
Pompano PD
just didn't know with what.
We heard it was
some kind of award.
Yeah.
Realtor of the Year Award,
engraved to a lady whose name
I recognized from the paper,
the victim in your homicide.
-Fiona Van Allen.
-[clicks tongue]
So one weapon, two murders.
We're both
looking for the same perp.
I showed you mine.
You wanna show me yours?
That's Fiona Van Allen, 55.
She was beaten
to death in her home
around 10:00 p.m. last Tuesday.
Nice gated community,
backs right up
to the golf course
where you found
the murder weapon.
See, 16th hole
is just over their back fence.
That's where the grounds crew
at the club found my victim,
Curtis,
before they moved him
to a green-waste pile about
half a mile in that direction.
[Bill]
Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale.
Different police departments,
and we all thought
different cases.
Bodies were found
on different days, and the MOs
weren't a perfect match.
Blunt object
was used on both victims,
but ours, Ms. Van Allen,
got the business end
at least a dozen times.
It was personal.
The murder of your client's dad
was more matter-of-fact,
a single blow, one and done.
So did you guys
land on a suspect?
-Ms. Van Allen's husband.
-Why?
'Cause it's always the husband.
We dug up
plenty of actual reasons too.
We know he had opportunity
and motive.
Orlando Van Allen,
he goes by Lando.
He's a total trophy husband,
even took Fiona's last name.
And now he's gonna take
everything else.
So he kills his wife,
he flees the scene,
he runs into poor
Curtis Middleton
looking for pythons.
Curtis sees him
holding the murder weapon,
he gets brained for it.
Except now that you told us
exactly where you found
that award,
our theory's out the window.
There's no way
Lando could've done this.
Main reason we didn't put cuffs
on him the night of,
is the absence
of a murder weapon.
Now we never will,
because of the timeline.
Traffic cams
and doorbell footage
show Lando
coming home at 10:03 p.m.
10:04, he calls 911.
The neighborhood security guys
are on the scene by 10:06.
Our guys, 10:08.
[laughs] Okay.
So now we're saying
he'd have to kill his wife,
hop the fence,
run 400 feet, kill Curtis,
get rid of the murder weapon
and make it back in time
to open the door for the cops.
All in under two minutes.
Lando looks athletic,
but unless he's Usain Bolt's
angry cousin
Okay. Okay,
let's focus on the good news.
Now that
we can tell Lando he isn't
our number one suspect,
maybe his lawyers will actually
let us talk to him.
I told you I didn't do it.
I mean, I know
what it looked like, but
Seriously,
I can't thank you enough, man.
I feel like
I wanna give you a hug now.
[Mel] I'm sure
Mr. Decker would settle
for you answering a few
more questions about your wife.
It may help us solve
that second homicide
we told you about.
[softly] Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, of course.
I mean, I wanted to help
from the beginning.
It's just
he didn't want me talking
while I was still a suspect.
Fiona had a showing
that afternoon with another
realtor, Denise Halpern.
I think she might have been
the last person
to see Fiona alive.
I've been thinking about
that question you asked me
that night at the house,
"Did anyone hate Fiona?"
I just can't picture it,
but some of her dad's family,
there's money there.
Maybe some old grudges.
And I can get you
all her online passwords too.
Fiona and I, we didn't have
any secrets, you know?
She had my info, I had hers.
So emails, social media,
anything you need, man.
Seriously, please just find out
who did this.
You're working today?
Ma'am, I don't work any day.
That's how it is
when you do what you love.
[Emi chuckles]
Your price is a little steep.
What if I just wanna sit
on the boat for 20 minutes,
maybe drink one of your beers?
You're talking
about the Ochoa family special.
-Where the hell
you've been hiding, sis?
-Mmm
I've missed you too, Lucas.
This doesn't suck. [chuckles]
Be careful.
I'm gonna have to alert
the palace if the princess
starts enjoying herself.
[laughs] Oh, shut up.
So you gonna tell me
what Dad's done now,
or am I supposed to guess?
[sighs]
He had Ray
break into a friend's home.
[scoffs] Freaking Ray.
Is anyone hurt?
This time? No.
I've decided I'm gonna
tell my friend the truth.
I just don't know
how he's gonna take it.
Are you vulnerable?
Criminally? No.
Personally?
-Damn, do I not miss this.
-Hmm.
[scoffs, sighs]
When was the last time
you heard from Dad?
About a year.
And he tried to lure me back
with some
no-show job at one
of his construction sites.
-[scoffs]
-Six figs.
Guess how long I considered it.
-Six seconds.
-[chuckles]
-Would have been nice
to pay off the boat
-Yeah.
and maybe
get my ass back in the will.
But, nah.
He's just too toxic.
[beachgoer] Dad, over here.
[Lucas] Speaking of
paying off the boat,
I gotta go pitch my wares.
Oh, yeah.
Hey,
word of advice for your friend.
When it comes to Victor Ochoa,
best thing to do is
to get away and to stay away.
Tell him you heard that
from an expert.
Sorry, are you making
your penne alla vodka?
You sound sad.
Yeah, Mel's gonna kick me out
before I can have any.
[chuckles]
No, my dinner invite,
it was contingent
on me making progress
on our two murders,
and I got nothing.
I thought she thought
it was the husband.
He is suspiciously tan,
but it turns out
he couldn't have done it.
Neither could the last person
to see the wife,
the other realtor.
She was recovering
from a facelift
the night of the murder.
So I'm down
to the wife's extended family,
and I'm having trouble
tracking some of them down.
-Let me see.
-What?
Stir.
-[stammers]
-Come on, get to work.
-[clicking tongue]
-All right.
I can run some of these names
at the Herald tomorrow,
maybe get you some
up-to-date addresses.
-Okay.
-[phone rings]
You're getting a call.
Oh. [scoffs]
You know,
I cracked your uncrackable code
a while ago now?
-E-O. Emi Ochoa.
-Mm-hmm.
-Go ahead, take it.
-It's fine.
Trouble in paradise?
-[Mel] We're home.
-Hey.
Hey, what's all that?
[stammers]
Recipes. Just some recipes.
Dinner's in 20.
You, shower. Hustle.
-Hi, baby.
-Hi.
And you.
I need you for a minute.
Come on.
Okay.
Stir.
[Mel] Thanks to Lando,
we got into Fiona's email.
Most of her inbox is just
real estate contracts and spam.
That woman never learned
how to unsubscribe.
Pero, that's all right.
Turns out,
her drafts folder
is where the action is.
"Last night was so hot."
Three T's.
-"I crave you. Mañana ?"
Very spicy.
-Mm-hmm.
Oh.
Not seeing a name
under recipient there.
-No.
-No.
Because I don't think
she was ever gonna hit send.
Ah, okay.
You think Lando
wasn't the only man
she was sharing
her password with?
Mm-mmm.
Trading illicit messages
in a shared drafts folder
is a lot safer
than actually sending them.
Spies do it.
Cheaters do it, too.
-Maybe.
-No, definitely.
Look at what happens
when I search her old emails
for hot with three T's.
Same dumb spelling
and a bunch of ads
from a kickboxing coach.
Yeah. Shane Blanchard.
Uh-huh. Fiona was going
to this guy twice a week.
I think she was
getting her cardio in,
just not at the gym.
[R.J.] Ooh.
-[Mel] What do you think?
-[Shane grunting]
-He look capable of
a murder to you?
-Mm-hmm.
-Yeah, he looks capable of two.
-[grunts]
Mr. Blanchard,
thanks for coming in.
I'm Detective Abreu.
You sure
you're comfortable there?
Was I supposed to sit
somewhere else?
No, we just
we call that the hot seat.
We spell it
with one "T" though.
I know you like three of them,
right?
-[chuckles] Mmm.
-I saw your ads.
Most of my clients
are older women.
They think it's fun.
What's this about anyway?
The call I got said
you had background questions
about Fiona Van Allen?
Yeah. I wanted you
to take a look at something
we found in her drafts folder.
You weren't just
Fiona's kickboxing trainer,
were you?
You were sleeping
with a married woman.
What happened, Shane?
Did she break things off
with you?
You killed her,
hopped the back fence,
ran into poor Curtis Middleton
and did this to him?
No, I didn't kill anyone.
I was with a client that night.
Yeah?
You do a lot of kickboxing
at 10 o'clock at night?
Gwen and me weren't
It wasn't a work thing.
I mean, we went
to Rocco's bar and then--
Oh, I see. You and Gwen.
Are you a coach, Shane?
Or a gigolo?
If you have more questions,
talk to my attorney.
But talk to Gwen Staley first.
She'll tell you.
I didn't do this.
[Gwen] All right, ladies.
It's canasta, not improv.
Red threes down,
black threes freeze the pile.
Whose turn is it?
-Gwen,
looks like you have a visitor.
-Are you Gwen?
-Uh-huh.
-Yeah, hi.
I dinged a car out front,
and the lady said
it might be yours. I'm sorry.
Can I borrow her for a second,
please?
I wish it was my car, hon.
[chuckles] I walked today.
Well, uh, maybe you and I
could just talk
for a minute anyway.
[Gwen] Did you really
have to do this here?
You know why
we came to see you?
Shane called me,
and I'll tell you
what I told him.
I'm not gonna lie for him.
So, you weren't with him
last Tuesday night?
I have never been with Shane.
At least
not in the way you think.
Any idea why he'd think
you would vouch for him then?
I don't know. I-I like Shane.
I've tried to rope in
some friends for him
as clients, but this?
I'm done. I'm out.
I'm gonna have to take up
tennis or something.
I hope you solve your case,
but just leave me out of it,
all right?
You know, most people don't lie
to homicide detectives
unless they're guilty,
crazy, or really drunk.
Well, I think
she was just a little buzzed.
Yeah, well,
either Shane's full of it
or Miss Personality is.
Just got to figure out
which one.
[rock music playing]
Can I help you, ma'am?
Are you Wish?
I'm a friend of R.J.'s.
My name is--
Emi Ochoa. I'm aware.
Seen you around here
once or twice.
Just never put a name
to the face.
Not till recently.
You--
You haven't seen him today,
have you?
He and I need to talk,
but I haven't been able to
get a hold of him.
Good.
I'm sorry?
I mean, good for him.
Work must be keeping him busy.
Believe you me, work is just
what that boy needs.
It's funny,
when R.J. talks about you,
he makes you sound like
the sweetest guy alive.
Gotta say, not seeing it.
You said you're his friend,
yeah?
-I did.
-Mm-hmm.
[clicks tongue, sighs]
Well [clears throat]
mind your own biscuits
and life will be gravy.
Just a little something
my mama used to say.
Said it went double
when it came to
affairs of the heart.
But seeing as how you and Arj
both have insisted
you're just friends,
I'm gonna tell you something
I can tell just by looking
at you that he didn't.
Him and your daddy?
They made
each other's acquaintance
the other day.
[doorbell dings]
[camera snapping]
-Hi.
-Hey, sorry. I heard the bell.
I was in the shower.
No, I'm sorry to drop by
like this unannounced.
I wanted to take a look
at your place for myself.
-How you doing?
-Good.
I wanted to talk to you
about something.
Something that might not be
easy to hear.
Okay.
Shane Blanchard,
Fiona's kickboxing coach.
Were you aware
of how close they'd gotten?
-Hey.
-[exhales sharply]
I don't want to be pissed
at her, you know?
I don't even know
how to feel right now.
Especially if Shane
if he was the one who did this,
I just--
Yeah, well, I mean,
right now he's someone
we're looking at.
-That's about it.
-[sniffles]
Did you find
anything helpful out here?
Any clues or anything?
No, not yet.
I mean, getting on
and off your property
without being seen on camera
is a bit tricky.
You'd have to know
the place well.
Do you know
if Shane ever came here
for Fiona's kickboxing lessons?
I don't know, man. I, uh
I don't think so.
But then again, I didn't know
about a lot of things, I guess.
Yeah.
Look, there is one thing
I did want to show you though.
What?
Look, a couple of weeks ago,
Shane asked Fiona
to invest in his business.
I told her I didn't think
it was a good idea.
Now, I know you're telling me
that they were together.
But I think
she might have listened to me.
Look, you see?
Maybe she turned him down.
[sniffles] I don't know.
Maybe that's the reason
he killed her.
Yeah, maybe.
Not that
it isn't nice to see you, mija ,
but what's so important
that it couldn't wait
till tomorrow?
I remember
when there used to be
a framed picture of Lucas here.
The one from high school,
when he forced that big fumble,
got the game ball.
It's been gone, what,
a couple of years now?
Makes me wonder what's gonna
take the place of my pictures
when the time comes.
Your friend, Mr. Decker.
He told you about the offer
I made him?
Actually, no.
I haven't been able
to get a hold of him,
probably
because of the offer you made.
Did you come here
thinking I might apologize?
No, of course not.
I came here
to make you an offer.
I'm about to start
lining up investors.
To buy your majority stake
in Ochoa Development.
And I'll have plenty of time
to do it
since I'm resigning
from my position
with your political office,
effective immediately.
-Emi--
-I'm not done.
Take the deal, forget you ever
heard the name R.J. Decker,
and you'll be richer than ever.
It's not just a good deal
for you.
It's a good deal for us.
We take the business
out of "family business"
and who knows?
Maybe, eventually,
we can just be a family again.
And if I say no?
I quit both my positions.
Walk away
from your political office
and Ochoa Development.
I saw Lucas yesterday.
It's been almost, what,
two years since he got out
from under your thumb?
And, go figure,
he's never looked
or sounded better.
Simple minds, mija ,
simple pleasures.
It's not just the boat
that makes him happy.
It's-- It's being away
from you.
You were molding him
to become your next Ray.
A henchman. A thug!
Because that was his ceiling.
That was all he would ever be.
But it's different with you.
You can go farther.
Even farther than me.
You can make this city,
maybe even this state,
bend to you.
To this family.
You can have power
you can't even comprehend now.
It's almost funny sometimes
[scoffs]
how little you know me.
Think about my offer.
I won't make it a second time.
-So this woman who died--
-Fiona Van Allen.
If she didn't report
a snake in her yard,
then why would my dad have been
back there when she was killed?
Actually, I think he was
in this yard here.
This is on a golf course
that reported a Burmese.
Close enough
to hear her scream,
the killer comes out back,
sees your dad curious,
looking over the fence.
Your dad sees him
holding the murder weapon.
Guy can't leave a witness,
so
Well, if you're right,
at least it wasn't
any of his snake buddies.
A few of them
have been reaching out,
asking about
a memorial service.
It'd be nice to know
we aren't hosting
the person that killed him.
[Victor] Michael. Michael.
We're not talking about
your bill getting through,
okay?
We're talking about mine.
Get me the votes.
Or maybe the ethics committee
hears about you
dumping all
of a certain company's stock
the day before the state
cuts ties with them.
Something must be
seriously wrong
if you're asking me
to meet you at the house.
Something is wrong, Ray.
You're here because someone's
about to have an accident.
Hello, Gwen.
You lied to me.
The night
my two victims were killed,
you were
at Rocco's Bar and Grill.
Seven drinks,
two entrees, tableside guac.
The waiter
remembers you and Shane.
I pulled the receipt.
So, how was it?
The guac, I mean. Not the sex.
-I don't know
what you're talking about.
-Careful.
I get that you didn't want
to admit to slumming it
with Shane
in front of
your chichi friends.
But if you lie to me now,
I will have to consider
the possibility
-you are behind
Fiona Van Allen's murder.
-What?
Your kickboxing boy toy
starts kicking it
with somebody else.
You get jealous,
and you hire someone
to get rid of her.
That's ridiculous. I--
Okay, yes.
-Shane and I
had an arrangement.
-Mm-hmm.
But Fiona and me,
we knew each other
and we knew about each other.
I'm sorry, are you saying
you were sharing Shane?
When I found out,
I swear I thought it was funny.
She did too.
So you were friends?
More like acquaintances.
She asked me
for my divorce lawyer's info.
She was leaving Lando?
-Thinking about it.
-[phone dings]
But I don't think
she ever got the chance
to tell him.
Thanks.
Hey. Thank you.
How bad does
your trailer smell these days?
I'm finding it hard to believe
that this is a better place
for a meeting.
So I'm starting to think
Shane Blanchard isn't our guy.
He isn't.
Shane's alibi checked out,
but talk to me.
-Tell me how you got there.
-Okay.
This is the ME's original
report on Fiona Van Allen.
CSU thought
it was a right-handed attacker
with some kind of a club.
Killer wields a bat or a pipe
while Fiona reclines
on a couch.
Big swings
to explain the blood spatter
pattern. That was the theory.
But of course now we know
it wasn't a bat or a pipe.
[stammers]
No, it was her crystal ball.
Right.
So I met with the ME today.
Knowing that was
the murder weapon,
the blood spatter pattern
doesn't fit
the original theory.
Now they think the killer
had to be standing behind her
and he had to be left handed.
-Shane wasn't left handed.
-No, he's not,
but you know who is?
Lando Van Allen?
[R.J.] Yes. Well, I think so.
I saw him writing yesterday.
You know, he was
my favorite suspect day one,
and that was before
I knew she was leaving him.
What do you mean?
She was meeting
with a divorce attorney,
had an ironclad prenup.
Had their marriage ended,
Lando would have been broke.
So we're looking for a lefty
who had a motive
to kill Fiona--
I know-- I know the timeline,
so I know it's impossible.
Lando couldn't have ditched
the murder weapon
on that golf course
and gotten back
in time to be seen
by the first responders. Okay.
I just can't shake it.
He did both murders.
We just haven't
figured out how yet.
[Wish pants]
Well?
Nah.
Yeah, you're way too slow, man.
You're, like,
two minutes off the pace.
[scoffs] Ain't no way. Uh-uh.
Ain't no way this Lando guy
makes it out here,
kills Curtis in that sand trap,
and then runs back to his house
to let the cops in in time.
Uh-uh.
Yeah.
I won Field Day.
1986, Carter Elementary.
Look it up.
Well, that was
a few thousand beers ago.
Hey,
let's get you on the clock.
Even if I am a little faster,
it's not possible, Wish.
It just is not possible.
[Wish panting] Well,
I guess all we learned is, uh,
I gotta get back to the gym
and you need a new suspect.
Huh.
Can't help noticing
I've yet to be invited
to celebrate Victor Ochoa's
wiping your record clean.
Well, I haven't exactly
gotten back to him yet.
[scoffs]
[chuckles] Brother, you are
a damn gift horse's dentist.
Hey, tell me, is it harder
for you to get over Emi Ochoa
or harder to get over yourself?
I told you, man,
you go back to Apalachee,
you're never coming out.
Wish.
I know how he did it.
You couldn't have figured out
how he did it
before I ran all that way?
[R.J.] You said it yourself,
you need the exercise.
[people cheering, applauding]
You ever seen jai alai before?
No, not in person.
My uncle used to tell my mom
we were going for ice cream
and come here instead.
I was cover for his gambling.
I mean,
those trips and a Nerf football
when I was seven.
The only two positive memories
Uncle Timmy left behind.
-Yeah, well,
now you have a third.
-What's that?
-He helped you
solve a double homicide.
-[referee whistles]
[announcer over PA
indistinctly]
[crowd applauding and cheering]
Hey. What's up, guys?
Nothing, Lando.
We're just big jai alai fans.
Crazy seeing you here.
Yeah, you look like
you're ready to play.
We're here to play a game too.
You remember I Spy?
I was going over the, uh,
photos I took at your place.
I spied a helmet.
But no bicycle.
That's because
it's not a bike helmet,
it's a jai alai helmet.
This is another shot
of your garage
taken by the police
the night of the murder.
Same spot yesterday.
See what's missing?
This wasn't there yesterday.
It's a cesta.
But you got rid of it
after the cops left.
I always thought
they were called scoops.
It's crazy
what you guys can do with them.
-Get away with murder,
for example.
-Whoa, what?
Yeah,
the night you killed Fiona,
you walked
through your front door,
smiled for the camera.
"Hey, honey. I'm home."
Fiona was laying on the couch.
She never saw it coming.
[Mel] After that,
it was all about timing.
You got your wife's
very round award.
You put it in your cesta,
and you hurled it
as far as you could,
all so you could
call the police
and tell them to get there
as fast as possible.
[R.J.] Poor Curtis Middleton.
Meanwhile, he's just out there
minding his own business.
Hunting for snakes.
You didn't mean to kill him,
but you did.
Curtis wasn't a witness
to anything.
There was no chase.
There was no timeline problem.
There was just physics
and bad luck.
This is insane.
That's impossible.
It's barely possible.
Took a heck of an arm.
We know you play
club jai alai now,
but once upon a time
you played pro.
You were on teams in Florida,
Spain, the Philippines.
You were the big lefty
from Boca Raton.
You guys are waiting for me
to say something stupid,
but I'm not gonna do it.
You'll never prove anything.
It's too crazy.
No, you know what's crazy?
We don't need you
to say anything.
CSU got up on the roof
of the house behind yours,
Lando.
That's your wife's blood
on their shingles.
Wonder how that got there.
You know what's worse
than living
under a cloud of suspicion?
Prison food.
[player grunts]
Numbers look good.
It's very tempting.
But?
[sighs] Look, I've known you
and your dad a long time.
I've helped finance what?
Two dozen
Ochoa Development projects?
And as much as I love working
with the company,
I'm just not sure
I want to own a piece of it.
You're not sure
you want to own a piece of it
without my father.
Emi, what you're doing here,
I respect it.
But is it wise?
[phone buzzing]
[exhales]
-Would you excuse me, Bruce?
-Of course.
Hey, you okay?
Pretty sure
Dad sent a message tonight.
But I don't know
if it was for me or for you.
Lucas, you're scaring me.
What What's going on?
[fire crackling]
He set fire to my boat,
my whole life.
[car approaching]
What are you doing here?
I heard
you finally met my father.
Is it safe to assume that's why
you haven't been
taking my calls?
It's okay. I-I wouldn't
take my calls either.
No, look, when we talked,
I just wanted to make sure
I said the right thing.
And?
[chuckles]
It still hasn't come to me.
It's this skill he has.
Making you question
everything you think you know.
I wish I could tell you
he can't actually get you
violated back to prison,
but he probably can.
And so
if this is the last time
we're gonna see each other,
I
I just wanted you to know I
-[thunder rumbling]
-I-I understand.
Well, I think I realized
what I wanted to say.
What?
Screw your dad.
[panting]
[thunderclap]
[Emi] I think I finally get
why you wear these
all the time.
It's very comfy.
I didn't find out
about what my father
said to you until yesterday.
Before that,
I was trying to reach you
because there was something
you needed to know.
The break-in
at your ex's house--
Yeah,
your dad was behind that too.
I knew
the second I saw him. I know.
Catherine
was looking into your family.
She told you she might even
write an article.
That tripped a wire.
He wanted to know
if she was on to anything.
I thought I'd found a way out,
but that was based
on the possibility
that he could change.
Now [scoffs]
the only way out
is to show people
what he really is.
You're right,
he was behind the break-in,
but that's not all
he was behind.
[sighs deeply]
Two years ago,
when you caught my brother
trying to steal
your camera equipment,
it wasn't just Lucas
being a punk.
It wasn't random.
Lucas was sent
to steal your camera.
It's time you found out why.
[suspenseful music plays]