High Potential (2024) s02e10 Episode Script

1
["WRONG ONES" PLAYING]
All right, check your gear.
This is rarefied air, my friends.
HALO jumps aren't something
a lot of civilians get to do.
- [SKYDIVERS CHEER]
- [LAUGHS] Yeah!
We're jumping at 30,000 feet.
Mask up. Stay calm.
Remember your training.
Let's go, guys.
[ALL CLAMORING]
Whoo! That is what I'm
talking about, baby. [LAUGHS]
[PERSON] Damn, you landed like a bullet.
Hey, guys, I think there's
something wrong with Padilla.
Padilla! Hey!
I am so excited about this one.
Okay, Morgan.
Dare I ask why?
The guy's alive when he jumps,
and dead when he hits the ground.
You're not excited to figure out
how you kill someone midair?
We can't assume that.
Could be he lost consciousness midair
and died on impact
when he hit the ground.
Why would we be here if the medical
examiner didn't think it was murder?
Just try to keep your enthusiasm
at an appropriate level.
What do we know?
Captain Alonso Padilla,
retired Air Force Special Recon.
Worked as a therapist on base
but still served in the reserves.
Taught skydiving here twice a week.
Seemed like everyone liked him,
until this. It was a routine jump.
ME found this in his jumpsuit.
[KARADEC] "I know what you're doing.
Stop or die."
One of Padilla's students
could've slipped that into his pocket.
Or maybe someone else
did it on the ground.
The point of the note was to get him
to back off whatever he was doing.
Why threaten the guy
if you're about to kill him?
Plus, this wasn't written today.
I left my phone in the car. Give me yours.
Uh, the last time
I let you borrow my phone
I changed the ringtone to "Baby Got Back".
I haven't heard the end of it.
Just give me your phone.
This is work-related.
It wasn't funny.
[MORGAN] See, when you write
with ink, at first, the line is sharp,
but because the ink has solvents in it,
over time, the line fades.
That's why you get
that little halo around the letters.
A few days later, the solvent
evaporates, and the
dye stays where it is.
So, this was written
at least a few days ago.
And Padilla was just walking around
with a death threat in his pocket?
Maybe he was trying
to figure out who wrote it.
Maybe he was using it as motivation.
Well, whatever it is,
it's safe to say Padilla didn't stop
and the killer followed through.
I think it's time to talk to his students.
Couldn't he just had a heart attack,
plain and simple?
Why? Did Padilla mention feeling sick?
Anything unusual?
No, he was in good spirits.
Had a good talk with Suzie,
the medical examiner.
- She gets it.
- She gets what?
- Hi, I'm Morgan.
- Ethan.
I was just about to ask
how long you'd known Alonso Padilla.
Couple weeks. I just started coming here.
[KARADEC] Did he seem nervous
about the jump?
Not from what I could tell.
Look, I wish I could help you out,
but if you want to speak to someone
who knew him much better than I did,
that would be Tina.
I own this place,
and even I took lessons from Padilla.
[KARADEC] Mmm.
His love of skydiving was infectious,
and his military experience,
that was a big draw.
But I don't know, lately it seemed
like he didn't wanna talk about it.
Well, Tina, from the moment
Padilla arrived here today
until he went up in the jump plane,
did you notice anything suspicious?
No, everything was perfectly normal until…
[BREATHES SHAKILY]
Sorry, I'm still processing all of this,
so… Um…
He was a really good guy.
[KARADEC] Well, Tina, thank you.
If we have any further questions,
we'll let you know.
[MORGAN] Hmm.
- This is interesting.
- A blank white key card.
The key card itself
isn't that interesting,
but the fact that it's here is.
It doesn't belong.
They use metal keys here.
Mm-hmm.
[KARADEC] This could be for
a million different things.
Well, then let's go
whittle it down, big guy.
All right, let's see what we have here.
ME's report.
[SELENA] Oh, God.
How did you get that so fast?
I don't know what to tell you. I'm
extremely charming, Lieutenant, okay?
- Suzie fast-tracked it.
- Which we will talk about later.
Understood.
You guys wanna know how Padilla died?
Hypoxia. It's lack of oxygen.
He suffocated.
Wait, the techs checked his gear.
His helmet and oxygen mask
were working properly.
Any chance
it was a rare medical condition?
No. Doesn't explain the death threat.
We'll continue
to investigate this as a murder
unless we have reason
to believe otherwise.
A midair homicide.
I will work this case for free.
I don't mean that.
That's just something people say.
Nice to see such dedication.
Solomon.
What a nice surprise.
How can we help you?
Internal Affairs received information
that Ms. Gillory interfaced with our ME
without proper supervision,
instructing her to, quote,
"Put a rush on the Padilla case.
That's a direct order
from the higher-ups."
Well, no. That's maybe
a bit of a paraphrasing on Suzie's part.
I just… She just… She did me a favor.
That favor cost us $12,000 in rush fees.
- What?
- Morgan.
I appreciate you letting us know,
and I will make sure that
this never happens again.
- Yeah.
- Will you?
Can you honestly say that this
isn't just the most recent example
of her flouting procedure at every turn?
Okay, hang on there for just one second.
I've never flouted anything.
Thank you very much.
You sure about that?
- She's got a…
- Get off me. [ECHOES]
Oh.
Wait.
Yes, I am.
This marks one overstep too many.
I'm sending you
to Detective Training Academy.
[CHUCKLES]
Sorry, that… that's not a thing.
Detective Trai…
Okay, that sounds like
obedience school for cops.
More or less.
Once you've completed the course,
you may resume regular duties.
[SIGHS] Are you serious?
Ugh.
All right, just…
I'm gonna finish this case,
and then I'll go to…
[MOCKINGLY] …your academy.
Uh, no, you may not.
And if you don't pass,
there won't be any more cases.
Look, I know you're being sent
for training,
you don't want to learn rules
that you will not follow.
Wow, you're good.
But, full disclosure,
I helped create the course.
[SCOFFS] Of course you did.
Great. I was worried I wouldn't
know exactly who to resent
while I'm stuck here.
[SIGHS] Please just keep an open mind.
Are you asking me not
to start a fight with anyone?
That is exactly what I'm asking.
Adam. You're looking well.
Dottie. You haven't changed a bit.
Morgan. This is Sergeant Dottie Reynolds.
She runs the course.
Hi, Dottie, nice to meet you.
Listen, you seem like a busy lady.
You do not need to be babysitting me.
I had an idea.
Why don't I just take the final exam?
- [KARADEC] Morgan.
- That's not how it works.
But with an open mind, it could be.
It appears you're doing
the Lord's work with this one.
- [KARADEC] Hmm.
- Mmm.
Why would she say that?
What does that mean?
She read the memos.
[SCOFFS] There's no memos.
IA sent Morgan to detective school?
Yes, yes, I know.
Silver lining though. I think
that this will be really good for her.
Oh, I don't care about the class.
I need to know what's going on in
my squad so I can stay ahead of things.
I got it under control.
- Do you?
- Mm-hmm.
I heard about your case.
Padilla was Air Force, which means at
some point, JAG is
gonna try and step in.
Which is exactly why
I reached out to my contacts.
Oh, good, because my contacts
already got back to me.
[CHUCKLES]
So, you already reached out
to your contacts on my case.
Military cases are sensitive.
So, I threw around some rank
to keep JAG from getting in the mix.
Well, thank you for the assist.
I can take it from here.
Well, I'm actually going
to Padilla's house with Karadec.
Because you need to throw rank around
at the victim's house?
You're down a consultant, Lieutenant.
Thought I'd lend a helping hand.
And when I need one, I'll come find you.
I'm already here.
Consider me your new secret weapon.
[INHALES DEEPLY, SIGHS]
Your silence speaks volumes.
Oh, yeah? What does it seem to be saying?
You don't want me on this case.
More like I'm wondering why
you wanna be on this case.
Good leaders don't solve problems
from their desks.
Captains aren't
usually out in the field.
And yet time and time
again, here you are.
[SIGHS]
Now, your silence is speaking volumes.
Well, what do you think it's saying?
It's unclear.
Yeah, that's what worries me.
Padilla's house is immaculate.
Every book squared to the edge,
every object in its place.
A soldier's precision in civilian life.
If I didn't know better,
I'd have guessed you lived here.
[SCOFFS]
Let's bag that up when we go.
I'm guessing your view of the military
isn't a very good one, Captain.
I don't see how an institution built
on hierarchy and obedience
jives with a man who lives in the gray.
Well, you misread that one, Detective.
I respect the military.
The discipline it instills isn't at odds
with knowing when
and how to bend the rules,
especially when someone
on your team is in trouble.
You may be surprised to learn,
the most honest part
of our body is our feet.
- [WHISPERS] That does surprise me.
- Something to say, Ms. Gillory?
Well, yeah, mostly I'm just trying
to pace my attention span.
Are we going to move on anytime soon,
or are we gonna camp out
in the feet world for a bit?
The material here
is of extreme importance.
Okay.
For example,
we've all been trained by experience
to hide what we're feeling on our faces.
Well, most of us.
But our feet are hardwired
into our fight-or-flight instincts.
When our ancestors
were being chased by a tiger,
they didn't have time to craft
a polished response, they just ran.
So, when someone is comfortable
in a conversation,
their feet are relaxed, facing forward.
But when they are uncomfortable,
when they are lying,
or eager to get out of a conversation,
their feet tell the story.
I have to step out.
My kids' school is calling.
A couple of tardies and suddenly
I'm raising criminals.
I'll be right back.
You'll barely miss me.
Okay, let's move on to lips.
["BABY GOT BACK" RINGTONE PLAYING]
She did it again.
Morgan, you can't be calling me.
[MORGAN ] Yes, I know.
Listen, you have
to question Ethan Wolfe again.
What? Why?
Chapter two, interview
and interrogation.
His feet were all over the place.
I think he's lying.
- Morgan, if you get caught…
- I'm helping you.
[FOOTSTEPS]
Morgan, we gotta go.
Why? What's going on?
[CRASHING]
Stop! LAPD!
[GRUNTS]
[GRUNTING]
[HANDCUFFS CLICK]
What do we know about this guy?
He's an aerospace engineer
for Flagstone Defense Systems.
So, if anybody has the skills
to plan a midair murder…
Daphne sent his picture
over to the clinic at the Air Force
to see if anyone recognized him.
Turns out he was seen arguing
with Padilla a month ago.
- [KARADEC] Mmm.
- Now we just need to know why.
[CLEARS THROAT] You ready to talk?
We already got you
on breaking and entering.
And resisting arrest.
But you know what's
a whole lot worse than that?
Go ahead, tell him.
Murder.
[NICK] Hey, there he is.
Finally got your attention.
Start talking.
My brother Silas was a test pilot for
the Air Force, code name Thunderbird.
He had PTSD pretty bad.
And a few weeks ago, he, uh…
he wrapped his car
around a telephone pole.
We're sorry for your loss, Ethan.
[SNIFFLES] Padilla was his therapist,
and he failed him.
I was upset. I was angry.
I let it get the best of me,
and after my brother's funeral,
I went over to his office to confront him.
Why take a skydiving class with Padilla?
Was it to make sure
he stopped moving on with his life?
How could I… How would I have killed him?
He died midair.
You're the aerospace engineer.
You tell us.
Tell us why you were at Padilla's house.
I think he's earned a trip
to the holding cell.
Hey, let's get a full workup on this guy.
Financials, socials,
phone records, anything
Hold off on that for a second.
Wolfe's too smart to leave anything
in his digital record.
The real dirt is going to be in his house.
Daphne and Oz should head there.
But we don't have probable cause
to search his home.
I'll get us a warrant within the hour.
You heard him, prep the search.
Lieutenant, look,
I see what you're dealing with.
Do I look like I want to
talk about this right now, huh? Do I?
I'm sorry, all right? I just…
I will deal with Captain Wagner
in my own way, okay?
- Understood.
- But Morgan
- I'll go check on her.
- Yes.
Because if Solomon finds out
that she calls us
I will make sure that Morgan
is not breaking or bending any rules.
- Please, and thank you.
- Yeah.
[PHONE BUZZING]
- Lieutenant Soto.
- [ARTHUR] How's Morgan doing?
She's safe and worried about you.
We found your truck.
What happened?
Well, the guy tailing me wasn't gonna
let me get to the station,
so I pulled over, I left the truck
and got out of there quick
and dropped off the grid.
All right, well tell me where you are.
I can put you in protective custody.
No, no, no. That ship has sailed.
It's too late for that.
I got my own plans now.
Arthur, you can't go after him.
Hey, they came after me. Remember? Twice.
I understand that,
but what if it becomes a third time?
Then what the hell are you gonna do?
No, I don't think you do understand.
See, Roman was like a brother to me.
Now this guy, he must know
something about what happened to him.
And if you find him, then what?
Oh, I'm gonna get him to talk. Believe me.
It's as simple as that.
No, simple is you letting me
and my team find out who did this to you.
I don't need you on my list.
Then don't add me to it.
- Arthur.
- [LINE DISCONNECTS]
[SIGHS]
[SIGHS]
- Please tell me that's a Reuben.
- It is a Reuben.
Does this Reuben come with
an elaborate plan to get me out of here?
It does not.
Then what are you doing here?
I'm just trying to make sure you survive
today, so we can catch
bad guys tomorrow.
- That's very sweet.
- Mm-hmm.
Also, you absolutely cannot call us,
Morgan.
Because if Dottie were to see that
and tell Solomon, it would be
I knew that's why you were here.
Will you relax, please?
- Dottie didn't see anything.
- [PHONE BUZZING]
Oh. Dr. Maeve Sloan, the flight surgeon
who runs the mental health department
where Padilla worked, wants to talk.
Okay, well, text me
if you hear anything interesting.
Did you not hear a word
I just said 30 seconds ago?
I heard exactly what I wanted to hear,
and I'm starving.
So, either stay or get out of here.
Eat, and please behave.
Forgot the pickles.
[SLOAN] This is the mental health wing
where Padilla worked.
You said you think you know
who's responsible for his death?
I wouldn't go that far, but if it were me,
I know where I'd be looking.
Last month,
after Thunderbird died, Silas Wolfe.
Padilla started acting different.
He felt guilty,
like he'd missed something.
He told me he was worried
the same thing was happening
with some of his other patients.
Something other than PTSD? Any idea what?
I'm not sure he ever figured it out,
or even if he was right.
But he started requesting
medical workups for patients,
grounding pilots, which delayed
deployment of their missions.
That would have made Padilla enemies.
One bad evaluation could ruin a career.
Yeah. Plus, if the pilots
weren't fit to fly
and the top brass had been told
but ignored it…
Padilla would be a liability
that they needed to take care of.
Do you know the names of the patients?
Projects they were assigned to?
I don't, but even if I did,
I couldn't violate HIPAA guidelines
without a court order.
Could we maybe look in his office?
Just even his personal effects
might tell us something.
That I can do.
Like I said, we were close.
That's one mystery solved.
We found a key card exactly like that in
Padilla's locker at
the skydiving school.
Ah, yes, these things
control our lives around here.
Parking, getting in the building,
the copier, one card to rule them all.
I'll be next door if you need me.
- [NICK] Thank you.
- Thank you.
Image of perfection, just like his house.
[KARADEC] Mm-hmm.
Look at this frame though.
It's weird, right?
It's thicker than it needs to be.
- Look at the Thunderbird in the corner.
- [OZ] Yeah.
That was Silas Wolfe's handle.
He was Padilla's patient who died.
So, maybe these pictures at the top,
touchdown, whiskey,
samurai, ace, are test pilots too.
And possibly Padilla's patients as well.
Makes sense.
But what is this board trying to tell us?
Huh. If we only had someone good
at puzzles at our disposal.
Well, we don't. We can't use Morgan.
I'm in the business of catching bad
guys, Detective Karadec. She can help.
If she gets caught,
she could lose her job, Captain.
I'm not asking. Text her the board.
[KARADEC SIGHS]
Control the scene, preserve the evidence.
If you fail at either, a killer goes free.
Our victim, 45, GSW to the chest,
robbery gone wrong.
Not a robbery though.
And why would you say that?
Well, for starters,
a loading dock is a pretty dumb place
to rob somebody, right?
There's gonna be a bunch of people
coming in and out. No privacy.
And then what? I'm gonna steal from
one guy and get maybe a hundred bucks,
but leave behind a fancy gold chain
that costs more than my car?
The whole thing just feels staged.
It is staged. Well. It's well done.
But you know what I'm saying.
Anything else?
Well, all the cigarette butts.
There's like half a pack
of butts over here.
Yeah, let's see.
So, if somebody's sitting around
smoking cigarettes,
waiting for somebody,
that means they didn't jump somebody,
which means it's gotta be personal.
In our scenario, the victim was
having an affair with the killer's wife.
- Ooh. Okay.
- Well done.
Thanks.
Let's talk about how to process a scene.
- [PHONE BUZZES]
- Secure the perimeter.
Make sure everyone who
is supposed to be here is logged.
Then before you touch a thing, document.
Photos, sketches, notes
[MORGAN] Are you breaking the rules?
Against my better judgment.
You have Captain Wagner, Daphne, and Oz.
Oh, hey, guys. Uh, get me out of here.
- Hey, Morgan.
- If we could, we would.
Morgan, we think each column is
for one of Padilla's patients,
but we need help making sense of the rest.
Okay, well,
the silhouettes are all symbols.
Anxiety, fatigue, confusion, headaches.
Those are all symptoms of PTSD.
Which is what Thunderbird supposedly had,
but according to Dr. Sloan,
Padilla had his doubts.
Well, yeah, I can see what he's
talking about. Look
at the Post-it notes.
There's a global color language for
danger so that everybody can understand.
White is safe, yellow's bad, red's worse.
- [ALARM BLARES]
- [ROARS]
Padilla was tracking their symptoms,
but look at the dates.
All these guys' symptoms started
and progressed around the same time,
but that's not how PTSD works.
It hits everyone differently.
So their symptoms were like PTSD
but caused by something else. What?
[KARADEC] No idea, but whatever it was,
it's starting to feel a lot like digging
into it is what got Padilla killed.
[NICK] Mm-hmm. All right, what's next?
[DOTTIE] Hanging up the phone?
Yes, absolutely.
- Can I just fini
- No.
Morgan, do what she says.
[DOTTIE] Next time, I'll take that.
- Not a child.
- What was that?
Yes, ma'am. That's what I was saying.
- [LINE DISCONNECTS]
- Exactly what I didn't want to happen.
We need to find the other test pilots,
let them know they're in danger.
Yeah, if they're still alive.
[NICK] Looks like we missed one.
Cadmus from Greek mythology.
But why doesn't Cadmus have
its own column?
Maybe Cadmus isn't a who.
It's a what. Because I also see a logo
for Flagstone Defense Systems.
Guess we're making a visit
to the holding cell.
Cadmus is the prototype plane
that Flagstone Defense Systems
is making for the Air Force, isn't it?
And because of the symptoms
Padilla saw in the test pilots,
he realized something
was wrong with the plane.
[BREATHES SHAKILY]
When I confronted him about Silas,
he told me what he suspected,
and he asked for my help.
Because of my clearance, I have
access to the diagnostics on the plane.
What did you find out?
There's a problem with
the life-support system.
There's not enough oxygen
getting to the cockpit.
Your brother didn't have PTSD.
He had hypoxia.
What about the other pilots?
They're still flying the plane.
I wanted to tell them
what's happening, but…
You're scared.
The stakes are huge.
Life-support system
sounds expensive to fix.
Billions.
It would delay the schedule.
Who had the skill set and the motive
to kill Padilla and keep this secret?
Ramsey Pike, lead engineer.
When I confronted him
about what I discovered,
he said we could find the root failure
after product launch.
And where's the proof?
I don't know. I-I gave it to Padilla
on a flash drive a few days ago.
He texted me yesterday,
said it was urgent we meet.
That's why you were
at his skydiving class.
He told me about the death threat.
When he ended up dead,
I went over to the house
to look for the file,
but I couldn't find it.
Ethan, we're gonna find those files and
get justice for Padilla
and your brother.
[KARADEC] Cadmus is the prototype jet
that Flagstone Defense
is developing for the Air Force,
isn't that right, Mr. Pike?
It is.
Were you aware that
all of your pilots have been showing
PTSD-like symptoms,
and one of them, Mr. Pike, is dead?
Of course I'm aware.
What happened to Thunderbird is tragic,
but we found no connection
between their symptoms and our plane.
You sure you looked hard enough?
What is that supposed to mean?
It means that there's something wrong
with your plane's life-support system,
and your pilots are slowly suffocating.
You think we didn't look into that?
You think I'd put a pilot
in that cockpit if it wasn't safe?
We think it's a design flaw
that would cost billions to fix.
[NICK] Makes it worth hiding.
Do you have proof of any of this?
We'd like to see your diagnostics.
Good.
Come back with a warrant,
get through my lawyers, and you can.
Mr. Pike, where were you this morning?
I was here. Talk to my team.
In the meantime, get out of my hangar.
- I really like that guy a lot.
- Yeah, he's a real charmer.
If you ask me,
Pike knew about the design flaw.
Padilla had the proof,
and he killed him for it.
Yeah, well, if you're right about that,
Padilla did a damn fine job
of hiding that proof.
Where are we with Padilla's computer?
It's still backed up with TID.
Could take a while.
[DOTTIE] The LAPD formed
the first American crime unit in 1968.
- [PHONE BUZZES]
- [DOTTIE] Then in '86,
the commissioner reorganized the workflow
by moving missing persons
under the umbrella of
Ms. Gillory, you have a question?
Well, it's actually more of a confession.
I am just now realizing
how all of these departments
really make up
the beating heart of the LAPD.
Take, I don't know, TID for example.
I-I feel like we all take it for granted.
I agree. Digital evidence is
the core of detective work.
- Chain of custody, encryption, all of it.
- Yeah, all of it.
And I feel like it would really
help us appreciate what they do
if we were to see 'em in action, you
know, rather than just hearing about it.
You know what? That's a fine idea.
I think a little field trip is in order.
Oh. Good idea.
[DOTTIE] TID handles everything digital.
Phones, laptops, cloud storage,
surveillance footage,
if it's got a hard drive,
it comes through this room.
- Now, chain of custody is key
- [LINE RINGING]
- [PHONE BUZZES]
- Hello.
[WHISPERS] Hey, it's me.
Morgan, where are you calling me from?
Wait, let me guess.
TID?
I wasn't supposed to use my phone.
You're not supposed to use any phone.
Okay, well, that wasn't made clear.
Guess what?
I got the password for Padilla's computer.
[KARADEC] What? From where?
A really sweet TID guy. His name's Lyle.
Do you know him?
Never mind. So before he died,
Padilla sent something
to his office printer.
It's still in the queue.
Padilla's key card.
[KARADEC] All right, thanks.
[PHONE RINGING]
- [MORGAN WHISPERS] Yeah?
- Morgan, we got him.
All the diagnostics on Cadmus
showing the design flaw.
Padilla got his hands on the proof.
Pike knew.
No way. That's amazing.
You have the wrong num
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yep.
Sorry.
[SOLOMON SIGHS]
Dottie's summation.
Oh, good.
"Miss Gillory presents
a litany of unique challenges."
Disruptive, chaotic,
difficult, stubborn,
a one-woman hurricane
who manages to stand
in the eye of the storm,
who has an affinity for knowing
when and how to break the rules.
But she demonstrates an ability
to connect with cases in ways
conventional detectives cannot.
"With proper supervision,
she can be wielded to great effect."
Dottie.
See? I knew she secretly liked me.
It's a big secret, but
Her recommendation is that we retain
your services as a consultant
for Major Crimes with continued
training and close supervision.
Ugh. Really? Okay, fine.
Agreed. Sounds good.
Can I get back to my team?
'Cause we got work to do.
No.
Because I'm not taking her recommendation.
Your insubordination
isn't a quirk, Morgan,
it's a liability, and it's a shame.
Official paperwork
will go through tomorrow.
What paper Am I being fired?
Absolutely.
Life-support systems were indeed
giving the test pilots hypoxia.
[DAPHNE] It's right here in black and
white. Pike knew about the malfunction.
He scrubbed the information from
the reports he sent the Air Force,
so no one in command knew.
The good news is JAG
terminated his contract
and has opened a full investigation.
So those test pilots are safe.
Yes, but Padilla had to die for it.
And Pike had an alibi.
So we still can't prove he killed Padilla.
Or how.
We better find what we're missing or
this guy's gonna get away with murder.
Wouldn't mind having
Morgan here right now.
I assume you heard about Morgan.
I did.
She shouldn't have been working this case.
Lieutenant, I'm not gonna apologize
for using a valuable asset
who was aware of the risks
and helped anyway.
Wow.
You're a piece of work.
Please, don't stop.
Seems like you have a lot more to say.
- I promise you don't want to hear it.
- Don't worry about me.
Go ahead.
You take over my office.
You barge into my cases.
You undercut me in front of my team.
You keep finding all these new ways
to lord your position over mine,
a position that, by the way, I actually
more than earned,
and I sat here and I took it
because I thought
I was doing the right thing.
I was so wrong.
I should have told you this before.
Because now the moves that you're making
are affecting my team.
You knew it.
Morgan was on thin ice, and instead
of protecting her, you hand her a stone.
From now on,
as long as I sit in that chair,
you will treat me and my team
with the respect that we deserve.
If that doesn't work for you,
fire my ass too.
Understood.
All right. [SIGHS] What do we got?
We're taking the evidence from the top.
Padilla was fine before takeoff,
and he was fine in the air.
So what changed between gearing up
and making that jump
when every single piece of equipment
was checked and working perfectly?
In other words,
how did Pike commit a murder midair?
Morgan.
Wasn't expecting to see you here.
What do you mean? You're here, I'm here.
Morgan, you can't work the case.
[SIGHS, CHUCKLES]
- Is this 'cause I got "fired"?
- Yes.
You guys, come on.
You don't think this is gonna blow over?
[STAMMERS] That's crazy.
I'm valuable here. Dottie saw it.
Solomon put in the paperwork.
Well, we all know that could take
weeks if not months to process.
- More like hours.
- Okay, then we call the union, right?
File an appeal.
Morgan, there's no appeal.
I'm really sorry it worked out like this.
Oh.
Wow.
Okay.
Silver lining, I lasted a lot longer
than anybody thought I would, right?
- Including myself.
- [KARADEC SIGHS]
This is on me. I should've
kept you out of the investigation.
Stop it.
You think you could have done that?
It's okay.
It's okay. I'm okay.
In fact, did you know that
if you file something after 6:00 p.m.,
it doesn't get processed
until the next day?
So, technically, I am still on the books
until tomorrow morning.
See? I did pay attention
in detective school.
- You talking an all-nighter?
- I love an all-nighter.
Let's get to work.
Morgan, a word.
You should know I heard from Arthur.
He's safe.
But he still won't come in.
I don't expect you
to keep going with this.
The Roman situation has gotten
really dangerous, and I
And that's what I signed up for.
We're good.
[LIQUID SPRAYING]
Philip, you gotta make them
get you the real stuff.
That knockoff cleaner isn't gonna cut it.
[NICK] Your pilots are slowly suffocating.
There's a problem with
the life-support system.
[KARADEC] Padilla got his hands
on the proof. Pike knew.
"I know what you're doing. Stop or die."
[DAPHNE] His helmet and oxygen mask
were working properly.
Who am I calling? The morgue?
The evidence locker? The Air Force?
The lab.
I figured it out.
Come to see me suffer up close?
No, that's just a perk.
Well, my company was everything,
and now it's gone.
- I have nothing left to lose.
- What about your freedom, sir?
Because we can prove
you killed Alonso Padilla.
The sudden onslaught of PTSD-like symptoms
in the death of Silas Wolfe
tipped Padilla off that there was
something wrong
with all the pilots attached to Cadmus.
So he started searching for answers,
causing a stir,
requesting medical tests.
And you were the lead engineer on Cadmus.
Somebody starts poking around,
ordering labs on your pilots,
I'd be nervous too.
So you started following him,
asking questions about him,
learning your enemy
to figure out how to take him down.
And you did find a way,
because when it came to skydiving,
Padilla wasn't a weekend thrill seeker.
He was ex-special recon.
That means HALO jumps,
which require high-altitude gear.
Specifically, an oxygen mask,
which is what you used to kill him.
See, an oxygen mask and tank
are a mini life-support system.
The tank feeds
pressurized air into the mask.
And when you exhale,
the carbon dioxide
is released through
the exhalation valve.
But if you put a valve in there
made from materials that
cannot handle extreme temperatures,
where's that carbon dioxide gonna go?
- That's what happened to Padilla's mask.
- Our labs confirmed it.
His valve was made with
a different material than his students.
[MORGAN] Yeah, it was an off-brand
that had been known to freeze
during high-altitude jumps.
And unless somebody had a reason, no
one would have tested
what it was made of.
[KARADEC] Ninety seconds after
he jumped, disorientation kicked in.
His lungs filled with CO2. He blacked out.
Then eventually died midair.
We knew he suffocated, but his
exact cause of death was hypercapnia,
an excess of carbon dioxide in the blood.
I've never met Padilla.
Where are you getting this?
With Air Force's help,
we've got satellite footage of you
breaking into the skydiving facility
the night before Padilla was murdered.
Yeah. You gotta put that hood up.
Ramsey Pike, you're under arrest
for the murder of Alonso Padilla.
Turn around. Hands, sir.
You wanted a word?
It's not an apology.
I stand by what I said.
I respect that.
You wanted to be in the loop?
Now you're in the loop.
When did you get these?
Does it matter?
Solomon went after one of our own.
And you're doing what you
have to do to protect them.
Now and always.
No matter where the danger's coming from.
I trust I have your support?
You do.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
- Good night.
- [PERSON] Good night.
I think I figured out
what your silence is trying to say.
- Can't wait to hear this.
- Hmm.
See, a guy like you doesn't take a job
he knows will keep him
from the thing he loves.
Being in the field.
Unless, of course, someone forced you.
So I have to ask, who's the one person
Nick Wagner is too scared to cross?
Hmm.
Have a good night, Captain.
Whatever you have to say,
you're wasting your breath.
You mind if I say it anyway?
Morgan just helped us save the lives
of four decorated servicemen
and got justice for another.
She can go too far sometimes.
I'm not even denying that.
But that kind of dedication
and those kind of results…
don't they count for something?
They don't count for enough.
I'm sorry. The decision stands.
Like I said, I had to try.
Does the chief know that you
and his wife are such close friends?
Is this really how you want to play this?
You?
Yes, it is.
[WISTFUL SONG PLAYING]
- Hi. Come in.
- Thank you.
Your doorbell though, Morgan, what's up?
It's still broken.
[SELENA LAUGHS]
Where is everybody?
Sleepover at Ludo's.
Just making banana splits
'cause I'm feeling sorry for myself.
You want one?
Yes, I do.
So what is this?
You here to discuss my severance package?
[CHUCKLES]
You're not getting a severance package.
[MORGAN CHUCKLES]
Because you're not going anywhere.
Solomon's had a change of heart.
Really?
- Why?
- I don't know. Just worked out that way.
Things like this don't just work out
that way. What do you mean?
[SIGHS]
- What's going on? I'm confused.
- Morgan, take the win.
Let it go.
Did you do something?
What did you do?
Nothing that you wouldn't do for me.
That's good.
[SONG ENDS]