High Potential (2024) s02e14 Episode Script

If You Come for the Queen

1
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
- It's good to see you again.
- [DOTTIE] What took you so long?
Why don't you get ready?
I'll take you back.
Okay, Dottie.
I made sure to get you your favorite room.
Oh, thank you. I really needed this.
Get settled. I'll be back in a minute.
Thank you.
[SIGHS] Finally.
- [KNOCK ON DOOR]
- Come on in, Kai.
- I'm ready for you.
- [DOOR OPENS]
My calves could use your thumbs.
I wish you had more than two.
[MOANS SOFTLY] Okay.
["KEEP MOVING" PLAYING]
[HUMMING] Oh, why not?
Just throw it on the floor. No problem.
There we go. Thank you. Oh!
Ta-da.
Mom, have you seen my controller?
Ah, you're gonna have to be
a little more specific.
The one for my S75K drone
with a three axis gimbal.
I don't know why I asked.
That didn't help.
I looked everywhere.
Don't think you're supposed to be
taking it to school.
- Good morning.
- Hey, do you need any help?
[GASPS] Chloe, what's for breakfast?
Ooh, mashed bananas.
"Ooh, mashed bananas"? What's going on?
Do you have good news to share?
How do you do that? Was it that obvious?
I mean, I am your mom, but yes.
Well, I'm gonna need you to give me
a ride Saturday mornings.
- Starting this Saturday.
- No way!
- A ride where?
- Oberlin Design Center.
I got into that art class
that I applied for.
They said I beat out 60
other students for the spot.
Ava, I'm so proud of you.
Congratulations, Ava.
That's a 1.67% acceptance rate.
That's more competitive than some Ivies.
Not sure how you know that.
- But thank you.
- [PHONE BUZZES]
Good morning, Lieutenant.
Do you have good news to share with me?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[HEART RATE MONITOR BEEPING]
Hey, how's she doing?
Unconscious but stable.
CT scan didn't reveal any brain damage.
Right now we just have to
wait for her to wake up.
Her masseuse found her unconscious.
He did CPR.
If he hadn't gotten there when he did…
And I doubt she saw whoever did
this since they pinned her to the table.
- I didn't know they were close.
- [SELENA] Yeah.
Dottie's been a mentor
to Daphne since she joined the LAPD.
- Hey.
- Daphne, listen,
if you don't feel comfortable
being part of this investigation
No, no. I'm good.
All right, I'm happy to hear that
because I want you
running lead on this case.
I've never led an investigation,
and Dottie and I are close.
Which is why you have
contexts that we don't.
I know you won't let
any feelings that you have
interfere with your ability
to find who did this.
- No, we will find them.
- Good.
Karadec is already on his way to a
suspicious overdose
case on the east side.
I'll have Oz join him and then we
can update them on Dottie later.
But for now, Morgan,
I want you to stick with Daphne.
You got it.
She's gonna be okay.
[CHUCKLES] That woman is as tough
as it gets. She'll be all right.
I didn't realize you
and Dottie were so close.
She was my field training officer.
We spent five years in a patrol car
seeing every kind of mess
you can think of.
I made detective around the time
Dottie started teaching full-time,
but we stayed close.
Dottie was like a surrogate mother to me.
And like most
mother-daughter relationships…
It's complicated.
She wanted me to take the sergeant's exam.
- I thought that's what you wanted.
- I did.
Okay, so what happened?
I've watched what Soto and Dottie
have put up with for years,
the hoops, double standards.
I just figured, what's the point?
And Dottie disagreed?
She said some things.
I said some things.
We haven't talked since.
I mean, Dottie comes in every Tuesday
morning for the 60-minute deep tissue.
Well, it looks like this place
does a lot more than massages.
Yeah, I mean, we offer IV drip treatments,
Botox injections, laser removal,
chemical peels, stuff like that.
What's with
the sensors on everybody's arm?
Uh, they're proprietary vital sensors.
They track hydration, temperature.
We use them on all of our treatments.
That would explain
the adhesive on Dottie's wrist.
Can you tell us exactly what happened
after Dottie went into the massage room?
I got paged to the front desk.
This delivery person was trying to
drop off some oils that I didn't order,
but was insistent
that I pay for them anyway.
- How long were you gone, do you think?
- About ten minutes or so.
I went back to the room.
I knocked on the door.
When I didn't hear anything,
I went inside and I found her unconscious.
No one heard Dottie's attack?
I mean, she must have put up a fight.
The massage rooms are soundproof.
Mm-mmm. Mm-mmm.
Okay, thank you. If we have
any more questions, I'll be in touch.
As if I needed another reason
not to want a massage.
- Not how you like to unwind?
- No.
Lay face down,
try not to think about anything
for an hour, can't see who's touching me.
No thank you.
Dottie used to say,
"You can't pour from an empty cup."
Yeah, well,
she might want to find a new happy place
because this spa
is a perfect place to get attacked.
Yeah, and without her weapon she was
relaxed and vulnerable, an easier mark.
Yeah, and that delivery sounded more
like a distraction
than a mistake, right?
So, who would know that
she was getting a massage?
Well, like he said,
her spa appointments were routine.
So, a whole lot of people at the
LAPD. Her classroom is a place to start.
- [INSTRUCTOR CHANTING CADENCE]
- [CADETS REPEATING]
Dottie runs 51 continuing ed courses
here at the police academy.
Forensics, interrogation, ethics.
She earned those weekly massages.
Do you know anyone
who would have wanted her dead?
Dottie is very by the book.
Anytime she sees any misconduct,
she would report it, and that…
Not everyone appreciated that.
They didn't like her doing her job?
Well,
not everyone loves being told how to act.
- Especially by a woman.
- And a woman of color.
[SIGHS] This is her office.
Okay, Morgan, you want to start
over there? I'll check out over here.
You got it.
- No way.
- What?
Look at you two.
Oh, wow, she framed that.
That was from the day I made detective.
- [CHUCKLES] That's cute.
- [SIGHS] Nothing seems out of place.
Yeah, might not look like it, but…
We'll always be the difference between…
[MORGAN] When I took Dottie's class,
everything was always in order.
Perfectly tidy stacks of things.
Papers clipped the same way, top left.
[CLEARS THROAT]
But those papers are clipped top right.
These binders are out of alphabetical
order, and that tray is a mess.
You know what? For Dottie, this is a mess.
Okay, wait,
you think someone went through her stuff
and then tried to clean it up after?
- What are these?
- Let me see.
These are mandated reports.
They just haven't been filed.
[OFFICER] Anytime she sees any misconduct,
she would file it.
Not everyone appreciates that.
I know who was here.
Right there, the red hair.
Not you. Him.
- [GRUNTS]
- Give me your hand.
Did you just tackle your first suspect
as a lead investigator?
You're not gonna say things
like this the whole case, are you?
I probably am.
[SIGHS]
Any word on Dottie?
I just got off the phone
with the hospital.
I'm still waiting for an update.
And now this guy's gonna be
Daphne's first solo interrogation.
Yeah, we're not exactly easing her
in, having her
question a fellow officer.
Hmm, Daphne can handle it.
Dottie wasn't her only mentor.
Time to see
how she puts your training to use.
You mean our training.
By the way, I got an update
on Arthur's attacker.
His name's Eric Hayworth.
He's from New Jersey.
He's in a hospital across town
after the beating Arthur gave him.
As soon as the doctors clear Hayworth,
we'll bring him in for questioning.
[DOOR OPENS]
There she is.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[EXHALES]
You know, when I woke up this morning,
I didn't expect to get
a lesson in excessive force.
I didn't expect to have to give one.
Officer Hoff, we've detained you today
under suspicion for the attempted
murder of Dorothy Reynolds.
Can you describe
your connection to the victim?
What? Did you get that from a textbook?
How about you focus on my question?
How about you find me someone
who doesn't need training wheels?
- Took you down, didn't I?
- Well, luck finds everyone at least once.
[DAPHNE CHUCKLES]
Questioning a cop like me
on an investigation like this?
You're out of your league. I can tell.
- Hey, should we
- Mm-mmm.
Since you brought it up, um…
let's talk about what kind of cop,
I mean, probationary cop,
loses his gun outside a Rams game.
Okay, one mistake and Reynolds writes
me up, and all of a
sudden I'm radioactive?
You know what something like this
does to my career? My life?
It's not your life I'm worried about.
It's Dottie's.
Okay, I heard that she might have not
reported the files, so yeah, I panicked,
but do you have any idea
what it feels like
to have everything you've
worked for dangled off a cliff?
No, but I do know that you had motive,
means, and a history of losing
your little temper with colleagues.
Hey! That's not true!
You know what I think?
I think fear makes
people do stupid things.
And right now, you don't look angry to me.
You look scared.
Tell me, Officer Hoff,
where were you this morning?
I was at home with my girl.
I made the coffee…
No, no, wait.
She made the coffee.
I made the toast. I burnt it again.
Nice work in there, playing the newbie
to make him feel in control.
I thought I'd give it a try,
see if it worked.
Talk to me. What's your gut tell you?
We have him on B and E,
but I don't think he's our guy.
His speech pattern shifted
when he talked about his alibi.
He stumbled, doubled back,
added details later.
That's how real memory works.
- Liars stay smooth.
- Good instincts.
Now it's time to find out
who else wanted Dottie dead.
You can ask her yourself. She's awake.
Sixty minutes of peace
every Tuesday is all I ask for.
So sorry, Dottie.
We were really worried about you.
Are you sure you're ready to talk?
The sooner we do this,
the sooner we find whoever attacked me.
What do you remember?
- Hold up. Selena made you lead detective?
- Just this one time.
She wouldn't have done it
if she didn't think you were ready.
Can we not do this right now?
Okay, Dottie, can you think
of anybody who might want you dead?
Every LAPD officer since 1995
has been through my classes
or seen my signature
on their walking papers.
In some circles, I ain't too popular.
Okay, well,
I saw the calendar in your phone.
Looks like you've been busy.
You had an ethics convention,
keynote speaker at a sorority
alumni event, town hall meeting.
Anything unusual happen at any of those?
Not that I can think of.
I honestly have no idea who would do this.
It's okay. We're gonna find them.
Hey, is Morgan okay?
She's fine. How are you?
[CHUCKLES] I'm a sitting duck in
here for whoever sent Hayworth after me.
You should have thought of that
before you beat the man half to death.
The man ambushed me first, remember?
So, what do you expect me to do?
Just turn the other cheek?
No, I expected you
to be smarter than that.
[SIGHS]
What did Hayward say?
Tell you the truth, we didn't get to
talk that much because
I ran out of time.
But what I did find out is that the man
is ex-military, most
likely special forces,
and that's why it took me a minute
to get him to confess to taking Roman.
There's such a thing
as a forced confession.
But what if it's true?
Then he can tell us
where he took Roman that night.
Exactly.
And who ordered it.
Come on, you have one job.
Morgan, what's going on?
Every single pen
is betraying me is what's going on.
Fill me in, Daph.
Well, Officer Hoff's alibi checked out,
so we cut him loose.
Dottie offered a few names,
cadets she failed, officers she reported.
- Oz.
- Yeah?
Give me a couple of your pens.
I'll take a peek at your overdose case.
Really?
Morgan, we're good.
Keep your eyes on the Dottie board.
Actually, it couldn't hurt.
The sooner you wrap up that case, the
sooner you two can get back on Dottie's.
- All hands on deck.
- Beat it.
- Mm-hmm.
- Okay, what do you got so far?
[OZ] Luke Knight, 28. Personal trainer.
Found dead in his apartment
after an ibuprofen overdose.
[KARADEC]
The amount in his system indicates murder.
Lack of pills in his stomach
and the injection site
on his arm suggests
he was dosed intravenously.
Time of death was sometime between
8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. last night.
Anybody else find it weird
that both victims went to the same spa?
Wait, are you saying our cases
are connected? How do you know that?
You see this stuff on Luke's wrist?
Dottie had that in the exact same spot.
The ME said it was some kind of
adhesive residue.
Yeah, it's from the sensors
that the spa uses to track vitals.
Or a number of other things.
Not once you add in these
red marks on Luke's wrist.
You could have just pointed.
The spa puts those sensors on with
an adhesive that
has lithium salts in it,
but in someone whose pH levels
are all over the place,
you get a chemical reaction.
So, the marks mean Luke
wore the same sensor from the spa?
And according to
Dottie's masseuse, these
sensors are specific to this spa only.
- So, same patches…
- Same killer.
I suggest we go find him.
- Dottie.
- Come for the queen, you best not miss.
What are you doing here?
She checked herself out
against doctor's orders.
Damn right I did.
I'm not sitting around eating Jell-O
while y'all do the hard work
to find whoever did this.
So, who wants to get me up to speed?
You're saying the person
who tried to kill me killed this guy.
[KARADEC] That's our working theory.
So we find the connection between
you and Luke Knight, we find our killer.
- Have you ever seen him before?
- Not a day in my life.
So what's next?
We take it from the top,
go over everything. Oz, what do we know?
Dottie and Luke were
at the same spa at different times.
Our killer went after Dottie at the
spa, but went after Luke at his home.
Maybe the attempt
at the spa got interrupted somehow?
Or that was the killer's plan all along,
you know, two different murders
in two different places,
hoping we wouldn't make the connection.
Okay, so we know Dottie's
movements to and from the spa,
but we need to track Luke.
Morgan, you and I go back to the spa
to see who Luke interacted with.
[DOTTIE CLEARS THROAT]
Dottie, would you like to join us?
Why not? Not every day
I get to revisit my attempted murder.
Okay.
Why don't you guys go?
I got stuff to do back here.
Yeah, the killer could be a staff member
or a guest who tracked them there.
Okay, Karadec and Oz, go to the gym
where Luke trained his clients.
See if anyone there
had motive to kill him.
Cross reference them with
anyone who had an issue with Dottie.
And we can ID who wanted them both dead.
All right, let's go.
I knew something was wrong
when Luke didn't come in.
I see him every morning at 4:45 a.m.
when he starts training clients.
Sounds pretty dedicated.
What kind of clients was Luke bringing in?
Celebrities. High earners.
Luke was just starting out,
but he was on the rise.
He was all over social media.
- Was he on bad terms with anyone?
- Not that I saw.
Most people only care about results,
and Luke always got them there.
Do you recognize this woman?
Hmm. Sorry.
Yeah, well, Phyllis,
thanks for your time today.
- If we need anything else, I
- I'll be here.
[OZ] Yeah, she's right.
- Luke had some high profile clients.
- Oh, wait, is that…
Yeah. Caption says,
"Taking my new trainer
"to Malaysia." Posted
that three weeks ago.
Well, who was his old trainer?
Vaz Amadi.
Maybe Luke poached him from Vaz.
And if Vaz blamed Luke
for stealing his golden goose…
That's motive. We need to talk to him.
Well, I don't think we have to go far.
There you go. There you go. Push it.
Squeeze it. Squeeze it.
[OZ] Did you train this man?
Yeah, I was his trainer.
Must have stung when Luke
took such a high-profile client.
Look, Luke was young and hungry.
He was chasing my career.
- You gotta admire the hustle.
- Do you recognize this woman?
Where were you at 9:00 last night?
Training Teddy for a military movie.
We did a live.
It's on there.
One last hold. Hold.
You see how Teddy's keeping
his core tight?
That's the key right here.
Demons out right here, Teddy.
Come on. High resistance. Go!
I've been baking all afternoon.
I'm good, thanks.
- What's wrong?
- Nothing.
Well, that's not true.
You want to tell me what's going on,
or are we just gonna do this all night?
- [SIGHS]
- [PHONE CLICKS]
"I can't believe Ava got in,
but I think we all know why."
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Is this Justin kid suggesting that you
got in this class because you're Black?
Sounds like it.
Oh, my love.
You know, I am very familiar with being
underestimated for all kinds of reasons.
But the color of my skin
has never been one of them.
And I can sit here and talk to you
until I'm blue in the face
about how talented I think you are
or how I know that you belong in
every single room that you're in…
but I don't think that matters right now,
does it?
[MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYING]
I'm sorry. What can I do? How can I help?
You can't.
Do you want me to put a hit out
on this child?
- Mom.
- Because I will.
I know.
I think I should
figure this one out on my own.
Okay.
I'm right here.
I hear I have you to thank
for saving my life.
You know I couldn't let
my favorite client go out like that.
Never did get that massage.
Yeah, well, we'll fix that
when you finish your investigation.
On the house.
- What?
- Nothing.
Ms. Reynolds. Hi, Kirk Hartford.
I own the spa.
Ms. Reynolds,
words cannot express how sorry I am.
Relax. I have no plan to sue,
unless you give me a reason.
We think Dottie wasn't the only target.
Another guest, Luke
Knight, was killed in
his apartment between
8:00 and 10:00 p.m.
He had residue from one of
your fancy hydration trackers,
so we're thinking he was here yesterday.
Let me check.
Um, Luke Knight.
Huh. No record of that name as a guest.
But he had on one of your trackers.
Maybe Luke used a different name,
or one of your employees
took him on as a client off the books.
We closed early for an all-staff
meeting. Everyone was here at 9:00 p.m.
Which means no one who works
here could have killed Luke.
[DAPHNE] It doesn't make any sense.
Why would Luke wear a custom sensor
from a spa he never went to?
Did you guys find anything at the gym?
Vaz lost a client to Luke, but he
was live streaming during the murder.
TID says it's legit.
So, we've got nothing.
Hey, it's not on you.
I'm the lead detective.
Of course it's on me.
Look, until we tie Dottie with Luke,
we're right where we started.
Well, maybe what we all need is
some sleep and the clarity of a new day.
Yeah, let's just pick this up tomorrow.
- [AVA] Hey.
- [DAPHNE] Ava, are you okay?
You know
your mom already left for the day?
I know. I had my friend Brittany
give me a ride over here.
I was wondering if you had time to talk?
Yeah, have a seat.
[DOTTIE GRUNTS]
Dottie, you feeling all right?
Fine. But y'all need to up
your snack game in your kitchen.
- [GRUNTS]
- Dottie.
- Whoa, hey. I got you. Come on.
- [DAPHNE] Dottie.
I'm fine. I just need to sit down.
Okay, I am taking you
back to the hospital.
You don't need to stay here all night.
I'm sure you have better places to be.
I am exactly where I wanna be.
I think about our fight.
And what I could have said differently.
I think about what you could
have said differently as well.
However…
I feel like every time we talk,
it's about what I should do next.
And sometimes I need you to listen.
I do listen.
Like now.
[DOTTIE] Go on.
I don't want to take
the sergeant's exam because
Because Soto got passed over.
I know. So what?
Why not just take the damn test?
Why not show them who you are?
Why don't you keep
throwing yourself at the wall?
That's how we break through.
Because I don't want to spend my whole
life trying to make
people believe in me.
So what do you want?
[PHONE BUZZES]
- You sure it's okay I came by?
- Yeah, yeah.
What's going on?
- I got into this design class.
- Yeah, I heard.
- You did?
- Yeah.
Your mom pretty much told the entire LAPD.
She's really proud of you.
She said you were so excited.
I was until I saw this post.
The quiet disbelief that
a Black woman is good at something.
I've had front-row seats
to this show many times.
I showed it to my mom,
but this isn't her battle to fight, so…
What do you do when people
say stuff like this to you?
Well, first I put them in their place.
And then I show them how wrong they are.
I just can't help thinking
that other kids agree with Justin.
He's just the only one
who actually said it.
And now you're wondering
if you should even take the class.
Why would I sit in a room full of kids
who don't even think
I deserve to be there?
What do you think I should do?
What is your heart telling you to do?
Hey, so I know you told me
not to fly my drone at school.
I don't love where this is going.
And technically I didn't.
I went across
the street to test the gimbal.
That's what keeps it steady
whenever it's tracking a moving target.
Oh, we're targeting people now.
Oh, just for fun.
I was tracking a kid running laps,
and that's when I saw someone
shatter Mrs. Kim's window.
Wait, really?
Yeah, and everybody thinks it was Theo
because he hates Mrs. Kim
for always giving him detention,
but it wasn't Theo.
It was actually a delivery guy
unloading equipment from his truck.
Hang on.
Everybody thought it was
the kid who hated this lady,
but really it was a total stranger?
Yeah. I think we should tell the school.
[DOTTIE] In some circles,
I ain't too popular.
[DAPHNE] Are you saying
our cases are connected?
I honestly have no idea who would do this.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think we should.
["12 TO 12" PLAYING]
I think I've figured out
what we've been doing wrong.
Looking for someone with motive.
That's usually how we conduct
a murder investigation.
Yeah, if the attacker knows the victim.
But what if it was a total stranger?
What if it was someone who had no
idea who you were
until they studied you?
You think someone's been following Dottie?
I do. And in order to figure out who,
I've done a little
light stalking myself.
According to your doorbell camera,
you leave your house
around 8:00 every morning.
Your credit card shows me that you
get your coffee around noon every day,
which I don't know how you're
waiting that long, but that's on you.
Then you get home around 6:00 p.m.
every night.
You took in your neighbor's trash cans
when they went to Morocco.
You found a home for this very cute
little kitty who was living
underneath your porch.
Okay, now that's getting weird.
How do you know all that?
[MORGAN]
You posted it on Neighborhood Hub.
Most people use this forum
to complain about each other,
but Dottie uses it
to be nice and help people.
Okay, check this out.
This post is from three weeks ago
at 7:49 a.m.
To the jerk who blocked me in my
driveway and made
Cassie late for school,
next time, you're getting towed.
You see that motorcycle?
That's across from my house
right before I left for work.
Mm-hmm. This is
two weeks ago at 12:02 p.m.
Whoever keeps running over
the flower beds on West 7th, stop!
The community garden
right next to my favorite coffee shop.
Mm-hmm. And this last one, 5:55 p.m.
Will the guy who revs his motorcycle
every evening, please stop?
- I just put the twins down.
- [BABIES CRYING]
That's my neighbor Sam.
Like you said, I get home around 6:00 p.m.
And look at that motorcycle.
[DAPHNE] Okay, all these posts
showing the same motorcycle
around your daily routine,
this isn't a coincidence.
Morgan's right.
Someone's been following you.
And if Dottie's
attacker didn't know her,
then maybe Luke's
didn't know him either.
But we haven't found anyone
who had a reason to kill Luke and Dottie.
Because we're not looking for one killer.
We're looking for two.
Someone wanted Luke dead,
and someone wanted to kill me.
And they swapped targets so nobody
could connect them to their victims.
Our killers made a murder pact.
Everyone with a reason
to kill Luke has a solid alibi.
Same for anyone who might
have wanted Dottie dead.
But, if Morgan's right, the killers
made a deal and swapped victims.
So the one after Dottie killed Luke,
and the one after Luke
went for Dottie but botched the job?
Exactly. Now, we've run Luke's rivals,
clients he dropped.
Any of them could have agreed
to go after Dottie in a murder pact.
But only one of them
was at the spa when she was attacked.
Vaz Amadi,
trainer who lost his star client to Luke.
His digital signature
at the spa check-in was illegible,
but the staff was able to
ID him from his photo.
Please tell me we got more
on this guy than jealousy and a spa day.
I think you guys should see this.
I was going over Vaz's DMV records.
Now, that's his license plate number,
9Z9984.
Now check this Neighborhood Hub
post. See that motorcycle
outside Dottie's?
Can't make out all
the numbers on the plates, but
- It's a partial match.
- Yeah.
I can only think of one reason
Vaz would've been following Dottie.
Well, see if you can find us another.
I checked the garage.
No sign of Vaz's motorcycle.
And he left his door wide open.
Looks like our boy ran. And judging from
all these past due
bills, Vaz was in debt.
So Luke was cutting into his business
more than he let on.
Hmm. This strap matches
the ligature marks around Dottie's throat.
I bet Vaz used a strap like this to
strangle Dottie, but
when she fought back,
he had to tighten his grip,
which cut into his hand,
causing the need for these ointments.
Y'all like what I did there?
I was channeling my inner Morgan.
- How'd I do?
- Not bad.
Uh, but where is she?
[MORGAN] I'm in the bedroom!
[DAPHNE] What is all this?
Looks like Vaz was juicing?
All that pressure training celebrities,
makes sense
he might try to cut some corners.
Or this is all about recovery.
If you're Vaz, your body is your brand,
and if your livelihood
is dependent on performance,
you're gonna take every opportunity
you can to bounce back faster.
But I didn't see
any recovery supplements in his kitchen.
Vitamins, electrolytes, amino acids.
He was getting it some other way.
If we have these catheters tested,
I bet they're gonna find
traces of nutrients
that he was getting through an IV drip.
If Luke heard Vaz was getting
recovery IVs, he probably did the same.
And if the killer knew that,
he could switch out
Luke's IV filled with micronutrients
With a fatal dose of ibuprofen.
We need to find who treated Vaz.
If we're right, they could be
the other half of our murder pact.
Eric Hayworth.
Does the name Roman Sinquerra
mean anything to you?
Nope. Should it?
You abducted him 16 years ago.
I think I'd remember.
Well, I suggest
you think real hard about your next words,
unless you like the view
from inside your cell.
I'd rather take my chances with you
and be locked up than flip on her.
Who's her?
I don't know.
She doesn't have a name,
just the sound she leaves behind.
Lady, you have no idea
who you're dealing with.
But I do.
Which is why I'm not saying another word
until you cook up some things
that I'm gonna need to cooperate.
- What you got for me?
- We got the labs back.
It's confirmed. Vaz's catheters
contained IV recovery residue.
It means Vaz's partner in the pact
administered IVs
and used one to kill Luke.
But we know it couldn't have
been an employee from the spa.
So maybe our killer
supplied IVs to the spa.
That would give them
access to the sensors as well.
And then they used one to track Luke's
vitals as they were
slowly poisoning him.
- Yeah.
- Which means
Kirk Hartford wasn't being honest.
Maybe Dottie should call her lawyer.
[KIRK] Someone wanna
tell me why I'm here?
You said no one on staff at my spa
was involved in the attack, right?
That's right.
But someone you work with was.
Where do you get your IV bags?
IV bags?
What do they have to do with anything?
Quite a bit, including whatever it is
that you're hiding.
I have nothing to hide.
Then you won't mind giving us
the name of your IV supplier.
I wish I could, but any information
about my suppliers is confidential.
Is it? Well, you know what, Kirk?
Speaking of information, IV bags
typically have a lot of it on them.
Product name, composition, volume,
storage instructions.
But your IV bags are blank,
which makes me wonder,
is Kirk providing
bootleg formulas at his spa?
And if that's true,
you're looking at fraud,
health code violations,
reckless endangerment.
- Should I keep going?
- I don't think you need to.
[SIGHS]
Lately business has been tough.
I've been cutting costs, so I use
a black-market supplier for the IVs.
They give me a discount.
I give them some of our sensors.
We need a name.
Phyllis Martel.
Phyllis Martel worked at a trainer's gym,
an ideal place to sell
bootleg recovery IVs.
Seems like Vaz has been
her client for a while.
How do you go from wellness sessions
to a murder pact?
Well, if I had to guess…
Based on Luke's post, he stole
Vaz's big-shot client about a month ago.
Around the same time,
Phyllis must have been upset with Dottie
for some unknown reason.
So they vented to each other
about the people they hated,
but over time, all that
feeding off each other turned dark.
One of them probably
mentioned being better off
with their enemies gone and suddenly
A murder pact was born.
But we still don't know why
Phyllis wanted Dottie dead.
No. But I know who to ask.
[DOTTIE] Wow,
I have not thought of Phyllis in so long.
She was supposed to be
my big sister in college,
but it didn't exactly end up that way.
Big sister as in a sorority?
Phi Beta Nu.
My mother and aunts all wore the letters.
This wasn't a sorority about parties.
It was about pride, discipline,
striving for excellence in a world that
didn't make room for women like us.
But for Phyllis, I think it was
more about exerting power and control.
How bad was the hazing?
[LAUGHS] All the physical
and psychological abuse was so bad,
one of our pledges had to go to the ER.
So I turned in the chapter.
Well, that couldn't have been easy.
Eventually I joined
Phi Beta Nu at another school,
but I think Phyllis got suspended.
I don't know what happened
to her after that.
I do. Phyllis was charged with a felony.
She didn't do time, but with a conviction,
we know second chances
are even harder for us.
She wanted to do law school.
I guess that didn't happen.
This was all decades ago.
Why would she try to have me killed now?
Three weeks ago, a judge denied her
request to have her
felony record removed.
This was just before she crashed
your sorority alumni event
where she heard you speak.
So the judge turned her down,
then she saw me,
the person she thinks ruined her life,
and it pushed her over the edge.
Exactly.
Then a few days later, Vaz Amadi,
the man who attacked you in the spa,
started following you.
Because he agreed to kill me
if Phyllis took out Luke Knight.
Do we know where she is now?
We located Phyllis's RV. Morgan's on
the way, but I needed
to talk to you first.
- I'm going with you.
- Wait. Ah!
Daph, I need to see this through.
All clear. You can come in.
According to
the witness across the street,
Phyllis parked her RV
here a few hours ago.
They didn't see where she went,
but maybe something
in here can point the way.
So this is where she ended up, huh?
Overdue statements, maxed credit cards,
empty bank accounts.
Are there any toiletries in that bathroom?
- No.
- And there's no luggage.
She packed a bag. She's on the run.
And she's armed. Q-tips, oil.
She cleaned a weapon.
She left, but clearly not in her RV.
Nope, she took another bus.
That stop goes to the main station.
The only buses leaving around this hour,
route 137 straight to Tijuana.
I don't think she's going on vacation.
[SIRENS WAILING]
Hey. Drive. Go!
LAPD. Everyone stay seated
and remain calm.
[PASSENGER 1] Oh, my God. She has a gun.
- [PASSENGER 2] Someone help us!
- [PHYLLIS] Hey, hey. Quiet, quiet.
Phyllis Martel, keep your hands visible
and walk to the front door.
Damn it.
Phyllis, we can talk this out,
but I need you
to let everyone off the bus.
They can go, but I'm not leaving.
Go. Go. Just…
She's letting them out. Go! Clear them!
This way. Keep it moving.
Follow these officers.
Go, go. This way, sir. This way. Go.
She's not coming off that bus.
Her hate for me runs too deep.
I'm not gonna be the one
to get her off that bus.
Dottie's right, Daph. It needs to be you.
Phyllis, I'm coming on.
Phyllis, I'm coming in.
Coming up the steps slowly.
- Are you by yourself?
- Yes, it's just me.
No one else is coming on this bus, okay?
My name is Detective Daphne Forrester.
We both know that this can end quietly,
but I need you to put your gun down.
You don't know what I've lost.
Maybe not, but I know
what it's like to feel invisible.
You've spent your whole life
proving who you are
to people who have already
made up their minds.
You don't owe them that anymore, Phyllis.
Right now you can decide who you are.
Not them.
- I don't know if I can.
- Yes, you can.
And it starts with putting that gun down
and walking out of
here on your own terms.
A mistake doesn't define you.
Come with me, ma'am.
Hey, you wanted to see me?
Yeah, close that.
Hayworth's willing to talk,
but he wants full immunity in
exchange for his cooperation.
Are you considering it?
Arthur swears he's the one who took Roman,
and I believe him.
So far all Hayworth's given us
is the name of his employer,
a Willa Quinn.
Who that is and how she fits in all this,
he won't say yet.
When are you gonna tell Morgan?
In the morning.
How do you think she'll take it?
I don't know.
I heard you made some arrests.
We did. Vaz won't be coming after you
or anybody else.
- I'm glad Luke's family found closure too.
- Mm-hmm.
Thank you, Morgan.
It's the least I can do to pay you back
for all those nice things
you said about me
during my performance review, Dottie.
I don't remember saying
anything nice about you.
Thanks for proving me right.
You got it.
You looked good out there.
Hmm. I had a decent teacher.
I push you as hard as I do because
you're a bright light
that I saw dimming.
People like you don't get to fade out.
Not if I can help it.
I know, and I won't.
That's my girl.
["RIBBONS" PLAYING]
Hey, Morgan, you got a second?
Yeah, of course.
So I talked to Ava.
Yeah, I know. She told me.
If it's okay with you,
I want to talk to her again.
There are some things
I wasn't clear on at that time
Daphne, anything you want
to say to my daughter,
I trust you.
Okay.
Thank you.
- Hey!
- Hi.
- Thanks for coming.
- Are you kidding? I love it here.
Okay, I used to come here
all the time when I was a little girl.
- Really?
- Butterscotch pecan biscuits.
- Oh, yes. Absolutely.
- Okay.
- So you know?
- I know.
- Okay.
- Yes.
[BOTH LAUGH]
So have you decided about the class?
- Mm-mmm. Not yet.
- Okay, I still have some time.
Yesterday, when I asked about
what you wanted to do, I was deflecting.
Because what I needed to tell you,
I wasn't ready to hear for myself.
We cannot control what others say or do.
You don't have to change yourself
for any of that.
Decide who you are in this world,
despite how it sees you.
And do what makes you happy,
because your path
isn't about proving anything to anyone.
It's about choosing a life
that's most true for you.
Every single time. Okay?
Thank you.
- Yeah. Okay, now we eat.
- Okay.
All right, listen,
have anything you want, my treat.
Are you sure?
["RIBBONS" CONTINUES PLAYING]
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