High Potential (2024) s02e16 Episode Script

1
["HOT TO GO!" PLAYING]
H-O-T T-O G-O
Snap and clap and touch your toes ♪
H-O-T T-O G-O ♪
H-O-T T-O G-O ♪
You can take me hot to go ♪
H-O-T T-O G-O ♪
You can take me hot to go ♪
Hey, buddy.
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS]
[GASPS]
[THEME MUSIC PLAYS]
Updates on Willa Quinn?
Still keeping a low profile
since she landed in LA.
I checked with county.
She tried to visit Erik Hayworth
in jail two days ago.
You were right to put her
on the restricted visitors' list.
- They turned her away.
- I'm sure she loved that.
[SCOFFS]
Let's put Hayworth in protective custody.
You think she'd send
an inmate after him?
I don't know what that woman would do.
Hayworth mentioned her
in Roman Sinquerra's abduction.
I'm sure she wants to silence him.
Let's not give her a chance.
What about our wiretap? Are we up yet?
I put in the request,
but the DA's dragging their feet as usual.
- I'll stay on them.
- Captain Wagner also pulled some strings
and got a surveillance detail
on her hotel.
They're keeping track
of who's coming and going.
Nothing notable yet,
but they'll keep us posted.
[PHONE BUZZES]
Ooh, in the meantime, duty calls.
Body spotted on a building in Mid-City.
- You mean in a building?
- No, on.
Multiple 911 calls
about it dangling off the side.
I'll text you the address
and have Morgan meet you there.
[MORGAN] This building is…
I don't know what this building is.
Looks like somebody dropped some spaghetti
on the blueprints
and just kind of went with it.
Hmm.
Tyler Villanueva, 24, extensive rap sheet.
Hmm. Let me guess. Vandalism?
- Looks like he's been busy, huh?
- Yeah, blunt force trauma.
Vic was hit with a hard cylindrical
object before he fell.
Not sure what yet.
Been dead for a few hours,
so killed early this morning.
They found him hanging
off the side of the building?
Witnesses spotted him caught
on an architectural feature there.
Unis think he was two floors up
when he was struck, fell over a balcony.
Poor guy.
Ready to take a look?
You said a cylindrical object
to the head, right?
[SHUTTER CLICKS]
I don't think spray cans are hard enough
to cause that kind of damage.
- Wow. This is very
- Disgusting.
Mmm. No, I was gonna say
cool because it's art.
Vandalism is not art, Morgan.
It's a misdemeanor
and misdemeanors are not cool.
Right. Yeah, no, totally right,
misdemeanors are not cool.
You never painted over anything
when you were a kid?
Right, I forgot.
You weren't a kid when you were a kid.
Man, it is hot in here, huh?
No wonder Tyler tagged at night.
Well, it's an abandoned building.
That means no utilities.
You can't just turn on the AC.
Hey, we've got blood over here.
Looks like the vic was struck here,
fled his assailant that way,
probably disoriented,
already losing blood,
hit the ledge and went over.
Sound about right?
[SHUTTER CLICKS]
This is the last piece
Tyler was working on before he got killed.
The colors match the paint on his hands.
- Defunct. Must be his tagger name.
- Mm-hmm. Yeah, but check this out.
This is not Tyler's.
He was ragging somebody else's work
before he got killed.
- What's ragging?
- Ragging, capping, painting over.
- Ah. Roman, huh?
- Mm-hmm.
Yeah, the LA graffiti scene is
how he got his start as a muralist.
He said that taggers live by a code.
Does that code mean
some spray paint can get you killed?
Well,
if the tagger does some quick line
work and somebody
rags it, not a big deal.
[TAGGER] Oh.
[MORGAN] But if the artist did line
work, and started to add some shading
and then somebody paints over it, not
cool, but also not the end of the world.
But painting over a completed piece
that took time and skill…
that's a problem.
And that could get violent.
Or in this case, deadly.
Okay, well,
I'll have forensics process this area,
and tell everybody
else what we're thinking.
Yeah, okay, I'll see you when you land.
Morgan and Karadec are coming back
from the crime scene.
The victim was a tagger,
went by the name Defunct.
Sadly prophetic.
Yeah, and they think
the killer might be a rival artist.
You got a name of the rival?
Not yet,
just some graffiti they left behind.
The gang unit keeps a graffiti binder
to track activity throughout the city.
I'll put in a call.
Hello, Selena.
Catch you at a bad time?
[DAPHNE] I wonder how long
Soto's gonna let her sweat in there.
She look like she's sweating to you?
We're gonna figure out the connection
between Willa and Roman.
We just don't have the answers yet.
No, we certainly don't.
So, maybe we're asking
the wrong questions.
Ah, Morgan. Whatever you're thinking
about doing, don't.
She's not under arrest.
There's no reason I can't speak to her.
I know that this is
extremely frustrating,
but you need to let Soto handle this.
Any luck on the binders?
- Flagged a few that could be the tagger
- [MORGAN] But they're not.
- You sure?
- Yeah, I flipped through it.
Tagger styles are very specific.
Letter shape, spray speed.
Our guy's not in there.
If we want to find that guy, we need
someone connected to the graffiti scene.
[DAPHNE]
Taggers aren't known to help the cops.
I know someone who will.
I already called her.
I know. I know it's hard for you
to take a back seat on this.
Hayworth didn't pull her name out of
nowhere. She knows
what happened to Roman.
You're right, and I have a plan. Trust me.
I hope our interrogation room
isn't too unpleasant.
Our ballroom is being renovated.
A room's a room.
So, what brings you to LA?
Well, after what you
told me in New York,
I had to come and clear my good name.
Is that right?
If Erik Hayworth is making accusations
against me,
I need to get to the bottom of it. I
need to clear it up and put it to bed.
Well, Mr. Hayworth is unavailable.
Yeah. So I noticed.
So, I come with an offer.
You told me that you had an old case,
a missing person, um…
Roman Sinquerra.
Well, I have contacts and I can help you.
And then we both get what we want.
You get Sinquerra
and I… I get to prove that I had nothing
to do with whatever happened to him.
See, I think that you're scared
that we'll get to him first
and that you won't be able to make sure
that he's gone forever.
Trust me, Selena, you want me as a friend.
I have enough friends. Thank you.
Including Erik Hayworth these days.
He's been very cooperative.
You remember that BlackBerry
I found in Roman Sinquerra's backpack?
I told you my techs were working on it.
We pulled these messages off of it.
They're in some sort of code,
so we can't really read them just yet,
but the days and the times match
the night that Roman disappeared,
like they're instructions. See that?
So, I put a call in to the DA.
They're setting up a talk with me
and my new friend, Erik Hayworth.
I'm pretty sure he'll help us read them.
[CLICKS TONGUE]
Wow.
Now I'm invested.
So, do tell me how that all goes for you.
And if you change your mind
about working together, let me know.
Offer still stands.
I am free to leave, right?
This time.
What is she doing?
Wait, she's just gonna let her go?
Hey! Hey! We are not done here.
- Morgan, calm down.
- Don't tell me to calm down, okay?
- Morgan!
- Let go of me!
- This is your plan?
- Morgan! As a matter of fact, yes,
I needed to see her face,
and now I'm sure Willa Quinn is scared.
And with Hayworth's help,
we're about to find out why.
[KARADEC] Make anything of them?
No.
Well, Soto will get it out of Hayworth
when she talks to him.
- Hey, we're close.
- [SIGHS]
[PHONE BUZZES]
- [KARADEC] Hmm.
- Mmm.
That's a fancy restaurant.
That's Lucia's favorite.
We're celebrating.
She put in an offer on a house
in Lafayette Park,
and the seller just accepted it.
Wow, that's a good school district.
- Think she'd mind if my family moved in?
- [CHUCKLES]
Unless she's already planning
on maybe having a roommate one day?
- Well, we talked about it.
- What?
[STAMMERS] Okay. [CHUCKLES]
You guys have been back together
for, like, five minutes.
Isn't that kind of rushing things
a little bit?
I said we talked about it. That's it.
But if that changes,
you'll be the first to know.
I don't need to be the first to know.
You might want to notify
your utility companies. [CHUCKLES]
[CLICKS TONGUE] Nicole, hi.
- [NICOLE LAUGHS]
- Aw.
- Morgan.
- It's so good to see you.
God, it has been
forever. Last time I saw
you, you were pregnant
with your daughter.
Ava. She's 16 now.
- Sixteen? It doesn't seem possible.
- Ah. Tell me about it.
- And you know what else?
- [CHUCKLES] Hmm?
She's an artist as well.
Like her dad.
- Yeah, like her dad.
- [NICOLE] Aw.
Uh, Nicole Heisler,
this is Detective Adam Karadec.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
Nicole is a professor of urban art,
but when I met her,
she went by the name Nicole-Angelo.
- I was hoping you'd forgotten that.
- It's a tough one to forget.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
- Thank you for coming in.
- Yeah.
We wanted to see
if you could help us identify a tagger.
This is what our victim was working on
when he was killed.
Wait, Defunct is dead?
- You knew him?
- I knew his work.
He was an up-and-comer in this scene.
Well, the piece we're
actually interested
in is the one that he was painting over.
Do you recognize that style?
Um, well, you see the flares,
and the drip marks along the side?
They're as unique as a signature.
Yeah, Psyclops.
Half of these are Psyclops.
And if I am remembering right,
he and Defunct had beef,
ragged over each other's work before.
- Do you know Psyclops' real name?
- Sorry, I don't.
Well, if these are all Psyclops's,
I know where he works.
These paint cans are all
from the same store.
Well, how do you know the guy worked there
and wasn't just a customer?
Well, anyone on a budget knows
that dented food cans get restocked
and resold at a discount.
Same goes for dented spray paint cans
unless the dent is along the seam
because then they could explode.
These are safe because they're empty,
but these cans really should have gone
back to the wholesaler,
so Psyclops didn't buy them
from the store,
he intercepted them
because he worked there.
Hmm.
- What?
- Nothing.
[CHUCKLES] It's just, I'm surprised
you're working with the police.
You seem happy.
- [SIGHS]
- I like it.
Well, you know, free coffee.
[NICOLE CHUCKLES]
[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING]
- Hey, order yourself something.
- No, I'm good.
I see the cigars
and bacon haven't killed you yet.
[CHUCKLES] Which one
do you think will get me first? [LAUGHS]
Look, Dad, I got a job to get back to,
and you don't summon me
unless you need something.
So, what's up?
I've asked the city council to launch
a panel to look into corruption.
You? That's rich.
I'm considering a run for Senate,
so I'll be the face of it.
It plays well with the voters.
Yeah, that makes more sense.
I've heard about this Morgan Gillory,
consultant of yours, right?
I think she'd be perfect for it.
Full benefits,
opportunity for advancement.
I'm sure we could pay her a little
bit more than what LAPD's giving her.
Wait, wait a second.
You want to offer her a job?
Yeah, she's smart, problem solver.
Won't take no for an answer. Perfect.
And you know a hundred people
who fit that description.
Why are you looking
at someone from my squad?
[LAUGHING] I touch a nerve there, Nicky?
Come on, Son, you and I both
know that she's special. Hmm?
I also know that she's not
gonna wanna work with you.
Well, how about we let her decide that.
Present her with the opportunity.
Are you asking me to do this,
or are you telling me?
Ah, you're a big boy. I'm sure you'll do
what's best for everyone.
[DAPHNE SIGHS]
Oh, wow.
[SIGHS] That's just, wow.
I had to wear a Hawaiian shirt and jorts
the summer I worked
at Knott's Berry Farm.
This is much worse.
- Can I see a picture? Please.
- No, God, no.
Excuse me? Hey,
we're looking for someone that works here.
He goes by the name of Psyclops.
Do you know him?
[POP MUSIC PLAYING]
Police, move!
[BRAKES SCREECH]
How is he moving so fast
with that stupid costume?
Stop!
[MUSIC ENDS]
You got about two feet of foam sticking
out from behind that dumpster, genius.
Come on out.
Damn it, I didn't do anything.
Yeah, well, tell that to Tyler Villanueva.
Who?
Defunct. He was killed this morning.
Someone killed Defunct? Yo,
I didn't have anything to do with that.
Really? Your rival just so happened
to get murdered
while he was painting over your work?
We were rivals, but we called a truce.
- We were working a job together.
- What kind of job?
That weird building, EnCase.
We were being paid to tag it.
[KARADEC] These pictures make you
pretty upset, huh, Anton?
How would you feel if someone drew
on one of your parking tickets,
or whatever you cops care about?
Well, I can tell you
we wouldn't kill anyone for it.
I didn't kill the guy. Like I said,
me and Defunct had a truce 'cause
we were both hired to tag that building.
- Okay, so who hired you?
- I don't know.
Someone. I didn't even get a name.
I never met the guy.
- Nothing.
- [OZ] We're gonna need more than that.
[MORGAN] Why do you smell like an ashtray?
- Oh, sorry, I had lunch with the command.
- In an ashtray?
- [PSYCLOPS] I got nothing for you.
- [NICK SIGHS]
You took a job from an anonymous client
to tag a building?
Guys like me and Defunct throw our work
on online forums.
A couple months back, I saw a post
offering to pay taggers to cover EnCase.
Wait, someone posted a criminal-want ad?
I thought it might be the cops,
but it said the building was abandoned,
there'd be no security,
and they're paying
in crypto to keep both sides anonymous.
So, I DM back.
- Seems like a pretty big risk.
- In case you forgot,
I work as a dancing hammer.
I needed the cash.
Turns out the gig was legit. I got paid,
and as far as I knew,
me and Defunct were good.
You mind telling us where you were
between 5:00 and 7:00 this morning?
At my girlfriend's in Yorba Linda,
two hours away.
Oh, and your girlfriend would never lie
for you?
She might, but I'm guessing your boys
at Highway Patrol wouldn't.
Yeah, they pulled me over leaving there
on my way to work. Ask them.
[OZ SIGHS]
I never thought the cops would get me
out of trouble.
Why would someone pay people
to tag that one building?
To try to cover up
as much of it as possible?
Well, it doesn't look like
the owners are gonna be any help.
It says here
they're a Hong Kong consortium.
They ran out of money three years
ago and haven't been heard from since.
How consortium of them.
- What are you looking for?
- The architect.
It takes a lot of time and planning
to design a building like that.
They can't have been thrilled
at the new paint job.
- Does this job ever get to you?
- What do you mean?
Working at Major Crimes,
dealing with murder all day.
Yeah, I mean,
it doesn't help that I can remember
absolutely everything, but I like it.
- Why? Trying to fire me again?
- Oh, maybe the opposite.
City council's starting
an anti-corruption
panel, and your name came up.
[SCOFFS] Clearly they haven't seen
me help myself in the bulk foods aisle.
[CHUCKLES] You've been an asset here,
but it sounds like a great opportunity.
Well, thank you very much,
but I'm not looking for an opportunity.
You should think about it.
It's a 9:00 to 5:00
Okay, why are you trying to push this
job on me? You want to get rid of me?
Of course not.
Council's just asked me
to pass along the offer.
Okay, great. You did it.
You passed it along.
Can we, uh, get back to the job
that I like doing? Thank you.
Okay, Gerald Lee.
"EnCase is the culmination
of years of work." Blah, blah, blah, blah.
"An inseparable part of my soul."
Oh, come on.
Well, if anybody has thoughts
on that graffiti, it could be him.
[KARADEC] Thanks for coming in, Mr. Lee.
We assume you heard about what happened
at the EnCase building?
Yeah, it's awful. Um…
I feel so guilty.
[STAMMERS]
- The way I first reacted.
- Why? How'd you react?
My first thought wasn't
about the man who was killed.
I… worried what would happen
to my building.
Makes sense. You poured a tremendous
amount of time and energy into it.
Yeah. There's nothing like it
in the world.
The beams on the outside make
the support structure part of the design.
That's why I named it EnCase.
Did you know the taggers were hired
to deface the building?
- You're kidding?
- You didn't know?
Who would pay someone to do that?
That's what we were hoping
you could tell us.
I had no idea.
I mean, the building has its critics.
- Some people didn't get it.
- Really?
But if all that graffiti
was some kind of critique?
- Joke's on them.
- Why is that?
EnCase is finally going to get finished.
Until a few weeks ago,
the only people interested were developers
who wanted to tear it down for the land.
- That couldn't have felt good.
- You're right, it didn't.
But all that graffiti tanked the value.
Someone swooped in
- and bought it in a private sale.
- Private sale?
That means the name of the buyer
isn't public. Well, any
chance you know it?
I can… I can try and do some digging.
Yeah, or you could just tell us. See,
I think you know who the buyers are.
You just don't want us to know 'cause
they're about to finish your building.
We read about how important
this building is for your career, Mr. Lee,
but if that buyer had something
to do with Tyler Villanueva's murder
and you protect them, that's accessory.
So, unless you want to read
about your grand opening from prison,
you might want to think
about coming up with that name.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Mrs. Latmore,
I'm Detective Karadec, and this is
Finally. Brad, the police are here!
You're here about the graffiti?
Um… Actually, yes.
[GARAGE DOOR CLOSING]
- Subtle.
- My husband called a few days ago
when it happened.
We thought you guys weren't coming.
My apologies.
It's the first we're hearing.
It's definitely Defunct.
Meaning he was here just
before he died and looking to collect.
- Wait, someone died?
- What's this about?
Well, this is about your friend, Defunct.
Who?
The guy who wants you to pay up.
The thing is, Mr. Latmore,
we're here because your employer,
Rabner Hughes Industries,
just bought the EnCase building.
And you are their Head of Acquisitions.
Mm-hmm. Now, we were planning
to ask if you'd hired Defunct
and another tagger to deface the building,
but seeing this,
that's, uh, definitely a yes.
And you and Defunct
got into a dispute over the money.
Yeah, one sec. Your husband
hasn't been telling you the truth,
and the reason the police never showed
up is because he didn't
call 'em. Go ahead.
What happened? Defunct tried to shake
you down for extra, so you killed him?
I… I didn't kill anyone.
Rabner Hughes wanted EnCase,
and if I didn't deliver, I was out, but
the owner wouldn't budge on the price.
So, you hired the taggers hoping
their graffiti would
drive the price down.
Okay. And did Rabner Hughes pay for that?
No, I got the money
out of our girls' college fund.
- What?
- Oh, my.
So, if you paid him,
what's with the garage door?
Well, the plan worked faster
than expected and I tried to prorate.
Then he came by the house and I
paid him out. You
can see both transfers.
- Ma'am?
- [BRAD'S WIFE SIGHS]
Second payment's before Defunct
was killed. Brad had no motive.
- Any idea how he found your house?
- Uh, I think I can answer that.
You sent him a screenshot
of your bank balance.
Did he want to make sure
you had the money?
Yeah, you had your location turned on.
Just led him right to you.
- My mother was right.
- Sandy
Get in the house, Brad.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
Starting to feel
like Defunct wasn't killed
over anything to do with the tagging.
We should head back to the building,
maybe he walked in on something else.
[MUSIC ENDS]
Okay, so Defunct ragged Psyclops in there.
He got bashed right around here.
What did he see?
Why is it still so hot in here?
My pits are blasting.
Uh… Karadec.
That wasn't here before.
I think I see a propane torch.
And multiple propane tanks.
[OBJECTS CLATTER] I've got to shut it off.
[SPRAY CANS CLINK]
No. Karadec, wait! Stop, stop!
There's gasoline in that glove.
The whole place is gonna blow up.
- The glove?
- Yes.
- [LIQUID SLOSHING]
- [MORGAN] Gasoline dissolves latex.
That glove is basically just a a slow
fuse, and when it finally eats through…
Morgan, get out of here.
- Well What are you doing?
- Hey.
There's still time to turn it off.
I'm right behind you. Go.
Uh. [BREATHES HEAVILY]
[GRUNTS]
[PANTING]
[WHISPERS] Come on. Come on.
[EXPLOSION]
[SCREAMING]
Ah! [PANTING]
[CAR ALARMS BLARING]
No!
Oh, God! There you are. Are you crazy?
You're right.
I… I… I have to call this in.
- You okay? You okay?
- I… [PANTING] …Huh?
Oh, my God!
- Yeah… I am okay.
- Oh, no, no, no. Karadec.
- 911. What's your emergency?
- I'm okay.
I got you. Oh… I got you.
- [ECHOING] 911. What's your emergency?
- Oh, no. No.
Okay.
[MUFFLED] Officer down.
[RHYTHMIC BEEPING]
[SIGHS]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
Morgan?
Mm-mmm. I'll give you one more guess.
- Lucia. I… Ow.
- Easy, easy, Adam.
- I didn't mean…
- I know you didn't.
You look incredible.
Dinner. Lucia, I'm so sorry.
No, no, no. There's no reason to be sorry.
You're okay, that is all that matters.
[MORGAN] Oh.
Can you at least put some avocado on it?
No apple juice. Throw that
right in the trash. He needs protein.
Wait, bring him avocado toast
and just all the meats you have, okay?
He's a big meat guy.
Oh.
Sorry to interrupt. Lucia.
- Uh, hi, you look hot.
- [CHUCKLES]
You don't. You look bad.
You almost
got your head blown off, you moron.
- I'm glad you're okay.
- Thanks.
- What… What is this?
- [MORGAN] It's a gallbladder.
You know, the hospital gift shop.
It was that or a uterus.
Right choice.
Is this
Chocolate chip cookie with all
the chocolate chips picked out.
And yes, I washed my hands
thoroughly before I jumped in there.
[MORGAN, KARADEC CHUCKLE]
Why not just a sugar cookie?
[BOTH] It's not the same thing.
Was anyone else hurt in the explosion?
Just a little cracked
concrete on one side.
- So the building's still standing?
- Mm-hmm.
Thanks to us,
we got there and called it in on time.
Were they able to…
[GROANS]
Okay. It's time to get some sleep, okay?
- Uh-huh.
- All right.
- Here.
- Oh. Thanks.
Yeah.
Are you okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
It's just dating a cop, you know this kind
of thing can happen,
but you're never ready for it.
Yeah.
Before I got the call,
I was, um, sitting in
the restaurant alone
and, uh, I had this flashback,
what it was like before.
Adam getting wrapped up in
a case and forgetting our plans.
Forgetting about me.
- But that didn't happen.
- No, he's different now, and I…
I think you had something
to do with that change.
Well, I think just after a whole
day with me, he's ready to go home.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
[INHALES SHAKILY]
It's just so hard to see him like this.
You know, he is the careful one.
- I'm the more leap before you look type.
- Same.
- You know, last year, I was in the ER.
- Really?
Mm-hmm.
I took a shortcut through
the park and slammed my bike
into a statue of George Washington
and took a hoof to the elbow.
- Oh.
- See that?
- Hoof elbow. The worst.
- Mm-hmm.
- Awful.
- [CHUCKLES]
[SIGHS] I'm gonna check on Adam.
Thanks for being there for him, Morgan.
You're a really good friend.
[SELENA] All right.
How's he doing?
They're gonna keep him a couple days
for observation,
but he's gonna be just fine.
So things have gone from a little graffiti
to someone trying to burn
down the whole building.
They sure did.
And it's looking like the killer
and the arsonist are the same guy.
ME thinks one of those
propane tanks is the murder weapon.
The shape of the cylinder
matches Defunct's head wound.
So the arsonist
and Defunct run into each other.
Mm-hmm. The first time this guy
tried to set the fire,
Defunct saw him,
so the arsonist killed him.
[SCREAMING]
[DAPHNE] Problem was Defunct ended
up dangling off the side of a building,
so the killer left
and then came back later.
Forensics, they're still
trying to lift prints and DNA off
what's left of the tanks,
but it's gonna take time.
So who would wanna take it down?
Uh, anybody with eyeballs.
Very ugly building.
But we were wondering the same thing.
We talked to Gerald Lee, the architect,
he talked about that
building like it was his baby.
Unlikely he would want to destroy it.
Same with Rabner Hughes Industries.
I mean, they bought it
to fill it with tenants.
Still wouldn't hurt
to ask Lee or Brad Latmore…
[PHONE BUZZES]
…just to see what their
thoughts are on the subject.
It's Wagner.
He is checking on Karadec and
seeing if he can help out with the case.
- Give it a thumbs down?
- Take him up on it.
Bring him along
on the requestion of Latmore.
And you two, go talk to the architect.
Sure, but only because Soto
is making me say sure.
Sent.
You know that job you mentioned?
If the offer still stands,
I think I'm interested.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Better hours, better pay, less murder.
Like you said,
I should at least consider it, right?
[SIGHS]
No, you shouldn't.
Why not?
Because you'd be working for my father.
He's spearheading the panel,
and the only reason why he wants you
is because he wants to use
you to make him look good.
I'm sorry, Morgan. [STAMMERS]
Obviously, this is your decision to make,
but you shouldn't be making
one without all the facts.
And I'm… I apologize.
I should have been
up-front from the start.
Yeah, you really should have.
Then I wouldn't have had to figure it
out for myself, which I did.
[SIGHS] Of course you did.
You mentioned city council,
your dad's on it.
It wasn't exactly
a Christopher Nolan movie.
So you're not interested in the job?
No.
I just wanted to see
if you'd be honest with me.
It took me a little
longer than it should have.
But you got there.
Thank you.
This panel's important to your dad, right?
How's he gonna feel
about me turning him down?
[SIGHS]
Honestly, Morgan, I couldn't care less.
You again.
- You're new.
- Brad Latmore.
- Captain Wagner.
- My wife took the kids.
They're staying with her mom,
so thanks for that.
Thank me? Okay, all those stupid
things you did, that's my fault?
- What are you, one of my kids?
- Mind if we take this inside?
Yeah.
We wanted to buy EnCase, not level it.
That whole neighborhood's coming up
'cause they're putting
in a new rail line.
Rents are gonna go through the roof.
[NICK] Any idea who would wanna burn it?
We found evidence
of an arson attempt inside.
[BRAD] Really? Maybe we should have waited
to pull the trigger.
The price would be lower now.
- I'm joking.
- Hilarious.
Hey, you know your model's wrong?
It doesn't match the real thing.
It's rotated 90 degrees.
Oh, yeah, I think the original clients
asked for that change
at the last minute.
[GERALD] The beams on the outside make
the support structure
part of the design.
[SCREAMS]
[GERALD] That's why I named it EnCase.
Man, it is hot in here, huh?
No wonder Tyler tagged at night.
Have you ever been inside the building,
Brad?
- No.
- Tell you what, it's real hot in there.
- Hey, you're gonna break it.
- No, I probably won't.
But even if I did,
Sandy's gonna get it, right?
The way it is positioned now,
the side that gets
the most sun has a ton of concrete.
But the way you've got it,
the side that would
get the most sun doesn't
have that much concrete.
It's all glass and noodles or
whatever that's supposed to be.
That building's not supposed to get hot.
Part of the design is
it's supposed to stay cool.
- That could be a problem.
- What kind of problem?
Well, I'm not an expert, but that could
cause the whole structure to come down.
Well, that sounds bad.
Just a quick update on the case, please.
Shouldn't you be resting?
I can rest and listen.
- Where's Lucia?
- Sh-She stepped out.
Did you send her on a pointless errand
so you could call us?
[SIGHS] I sent her to get me some water.
- Hydration is not pointless.
- Mm-hmm.
Can we get to the case, please?
You mean before she comes back
and catches you on the phone?
Yeah, you got it.
Uh, we're thinking
that whoever rigged that fire did it
to hide the fact that
the building was about to fall down.
It's gonna come down?
[OZ] Morgan and the Captain
got the building plans
from that exec you saw, Brad Latmore.
We had the plans examined by experts.
You remember we felt like
it was really hot in there?
It was right before the building exploded
and you almost got
yourself killed like an idiot?
Yes, Morgan, my memory is intact.
He gets crabby when he
doesn't get enough exercise.
I am begging you to go on.
Well, it turns out
the original clients decided
to rotate the building at the last second.
They wanted the boss's
office to face the mountains.
[MORGAN] The problem is they
rushed the plans through,
so now the side of the building
with the most concrete
got the most sun, which made the
building get too hot,
and that's not good.
Like any high-rise here in LA,
EnCase has earthquake
shock absorbers at its base.
They're called seismic isolators.
But according to the experts we talked
to, if those shock absorbers get too hot
they lose their flexibility,
and they don't work.
The way it is now, any earthquake above
a five, and that building's coming down.
And now that we know this,
we realize the fire that you guys found
was specifically set up to damage
the concrete on that
side of the building.
Almost as if somebody
wanted to be able to redesign
one side of the building
without anybody asking why.
The architect.
- Lee.
- [MORGAN] Exactly.
He must have bumped into Defunct
while setting the fire.
- [DEFUNCT GROANS]
- And he knew he couldn't leave a witness.
[SCREAMS]
[KARADEC] His whole career was
hanging on the success of EnCase.
This lets him fix the mistake,
save the building, and avoid a scandal.
We've been trying to
reach Lee since yesterday.
Sent unis to his house, his office.
- He's in the wind.
- Oh. Hey, I gotta go. Bye.
[STAMMERS] You were trying to sneak
in a call. He was.
So busted.
You said before these new buyers,
it looked like
the building was gonna be torn down?
Yeah, that must be why Lee
felt the need to set the fire.
I mean, before that,
his problem was gonna take care of itself.
And the debris around
the blowtorch included spray cans, right?
You think he's trying to make
the fire look like the taggers caused it?
Yeah, absolutely. Those blowtorches are
the same ones the taggers use.
They help quick dry the paint
and control where the drips go.
We're guessing he checked
back to see if the fire worked,
and once he realized we got there in
time to prevent more damage, he fled.
[DAPHNE]
We've notified all the travel authorities,
flagged his passport, car, credit cards,
bank accounts.
The last purchase he made
before we stopped it
was a sleeping bag and a lantern.
But no food rations?
Hmm.
Go check out his house, his office.
See if you can find any
clues to where he'd hide.
Do you really think you can lay up there
and pretend I didn't just see
you get off the phone with work?
I know you better than that.
And I know you better
than to think I can fool you.
Mm-hmm.
But I still might be able to surprise you.
[LUCIA GASPS]
I think I owe you a date.
- Is this Arlo's?
- Hmm.
How did you get Arlo's? [CHUCKLES]
[STAMMERS] I had it delivered.
- The nurses helped me set it up.
- Oh.
[KARADEC] Oh, also…
the best vintage I could find.
[LUCIA] Ooh.
This is exquisite.
Is it Napa?
- Cafeteria.
- Oh.
[CHUCKLES]
Cheers.
[CHUCKLES]
[BOTH] Hmm.
I love you, Lucia.
I love you too, Adam.
I wonder what his dating
profile interests are. Himself?
Laptop needs a password.
I'll get it to TID,
see if they can crack it.
What you got there?
I think this is what EnCase is made of.
It's called bendable concrete.
And it's not the first time Lee's used it.
Is that important?
Uh, yeah. 'Cause I think it just
helped me figure out where he's hiding.
He really loves an ugly gray wall.
I think he's gonna find
prison aesthetically pleasing.
How did that brick tell you where he'd be?
Oh, it's not a brick, it's a miniature.
This guy kept every
single sketch he ever made
and every article that
was ever written about him.
Which… I mean, okay.
But one of the articles
was about how he had planned
for years to build EnCase
ever since the first time
he worked with bendable concrete
when he was hired by a client
to build an underground bunker.
The sleeping bag and the lantern.
Yes, that explains why he
didn't have to stock up on food.
He knew the bunker would be completely
empty except for a big food supply.
But how did this thing
tell you it was a bunker?
[MORGAN]
When we were searching Lee's office,
I noticed a detail on the miniature.
See the rectangle on the top?
It's a door.
Nicole.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Uh, Nicole Heisler.
This is my boss, Lieutenant Soto.
I heard you were helpful on the case.
I was glad I could do something.
I got your message that
you caught Defunct's killer.
I've been talking to taggers who knew him,
they wanted me to say thanks.
That's nice.
You didn't have to come
all the way down here to do that though.
No. I also wanted to give you something.
Really, it's for Ava.
Roman helped get me out of the life.
He gave me that.
Wanted me to see
the difference a female artist could make.
I thought it might
inspire his daughter too.
She's really gonna love this. Thank you.
You know, she also might really love
to talk to you sometime
if you want to try not
to let 16 more years go by
- before we bump into each other.
- [CHUCKLES]
Call me anytime.
I will. Thank you.
Hmm.
Oh, wait. No, no.
You know you can't keep that, right?
I'm not gonna keep it.
I'm just gonna borrow it.
I'm just gonna swing by
the hospital and fill Karadec in, okay?
Good night.
[PHONE BUZZES]
["ON MY KNEES" PLAYING]
Ms. Quinn.
You still in LA?
Yes, and I thought I'd share some news.
I heard that the FBI took Erik
Hayworth into federal custody.
- Really? Nobody told me.
- Yeah, I just…
I just found out myself.
Apparently, they got a tip that
he had information on an old murder.
FBI Agent Lila Flynn.
In other words, you had Hayworth moved
somewhere I can't
get to him, but you can.
Oh, I'm sorry, dear, I have to go.
I'm just walking into a meeting.
But I'm sure we'll speak soon.
Bye.
Looks like I'm on my knees again ♪
One second.
Feels like the walls
Are closing in, in ♪
Looks like I'm on my knees again ♪
Hey, now. That is a 30-year-old whiskey.
I guess I should know better
than to expect you to ask politely.
- Hmm. You should.
- Good.
Hmm.
- And you're right, it is a 30-year-old.
- [SIGHS]
The owner of the club is a client.
I bought him the bottle.
- So any word from the prodigal son?
- Yes.
Nick is not sidelining Morgan Gillory.
For the time being she's
staying at Major Crimes.
So there.
I've done your errand and I'm out.
Whatever you're doing,
you have to find another way.
Well…
do I need to remind you
that we're in this together?
And I know where
all your bodies are buried.
If I go down, you're coming with me.
And you were right.
We are gonna have
to figure out another way.
Looks like I'm on my knees again ♪