Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent (2024) s03e06 Episode Script
Family Meal
1
[NARRATOR]: In Toronto's war on crime,
the worst offenders are
pursued by the detectives
of the Specialized Criminal
Investigations Unit.
- These are their stories.
- [ECHOING GAVEL]
[BELL DINGING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- Can I help you?
- You sure can.
Would you mind moving your
bike out of the bike lane?
Oh, I'm just waiting for my
wife. She'll be right back.
A lot of kids out here
trying to get to school.
Come on, man. Just give me a break.
I'm gonna be here for a minute.
A lot of things can happen in a minute.
You sit here and little Joey
back there veers into traffic,
falls off his bike or
worse, he gets hit by a car.
Police show up, road gets closed,
hundreds of commuters get diverted.
- I'll move the car.
- [ENGINE STARTS]
How you settling in, Eli?
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Good.
Accommodation rental is quite nice.
And I'm excited to eat out.
Food scene here seems
to be really taking off.
That's right. They told me
about you, the gourmand, right?
I'll have my secretary send
over some recommendations.
- [OFFICE PHONES RINGING]
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
So, not sure you made
it through my brief
I did, Price.
Delayer as much as possible
by the end of the quarter.
You want me to make your
company resemble your watch.
Rose gold?
[CHUCKLING]: Swiss movement.
Never build something with nine
cogs that can work with eight.
I find beauty in simplicity, efficiency.
Great.
Um, here's your security pass.
You report to me.
As far as anyone else is
concerned, you're not even here.
Hmm, that'll change soon enough.
In my experience, bad news travels fast.
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Quinn?
Sorry, I'm late. [SIGHING]
I had to drop my kid
off at a friend's house.
Took me a minute to realize
the reservation was under Grace.
- [SOFT MUSIC PLAYING ALOUD]
- My middle name.
[SIGHING IN UNDERSTANDING]
Subterfuge. It's a bit odd.
Is it hard to keep the two
versions of yourself separate?
Well, I actually quite like it.
It makes me feel powerful.
Oh, I'm sorry. We didn't order this.
It's from the kitchen.
They know me here.
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Thank you.
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- Wyatt.
What's your team's
customer acquisition cost?
$70 per customer. Give or take.
And your conversion rate?
[GRUNTING]: Currently it's 1 %.
- But it's been a slow quarter.
- Hmm.
Um did I pass or? [NERVOUS CHUCKLING]
It's not a test.
But what I can tell you is
that your team's conversion rate
is 10 % less than your competitor.
Your CAC is twice as
expensive and your CLV
drops to 12 % after the holiday season.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES]
You know what they say?
A fool uses statistics the
way a drunkard uses a lamppost.
For support. Not illumination.
Anything else you'd like
to add to your evaluation,
on the record?
[KITCHEN DIN]
[SOFT JAZZ MUSIC]
It's nothing personal.
The data speaks for itself.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[THUDDING]
- [GLASS BREAKING]
- [PATRONS GASPING]
- Excuse me. Sir!
- Oh, my God.
- Are you hurt?
- Sir!
No.
Uh okay. That
That was a lot. Uh sorry, folks.
Why don't we wash out this
bad taste with some champagne.
Yes. Hey! Bubbles. Round.
- Are you okay, yeah?
- Yes, yeah.
Biggest tragedy's not finishing
that delicious cheesecake.
Okay. That we can
do. We will get you two.
Is there anything
else we can do to help?
[WHISPERING]: I would love a
tour of the kitchen if possible.
Yeah, that would be
our pleasure, of course.
Uh, let me just Let me get you
- a new table, in the meantime.
- Thank you.
Come with me. I'm Tayiah.
- Eli.
- Nice to meet you.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[CITY DIN]
[PHONE DINGING]
[EXHALING LOUDLY]
[PHONE DINGING]
[DOOR UNLOCKING]
Hello?
Hello? [KEYS JINGLING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[GASPING] [SCREAMING]
[THEME SONG]
Victim is Eli Parker.
30 years old. BC driver's licence.
Cleaning woman who found him at 7 AM
said that he's been at
this rental for a month.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
Um killer hits him with the bookend,
suffocates him with the pillow.
Looks like they came in
through the patio door.
When are you writing
your Detective Boards?
- [DISTANT SIRENS WAILING]
- Next month.
Good luck. [SIGHING]
[SIGHING]
Killer bashes him in the head.
He's, uh, hurt bad, but not dead yet.
Why not finish the
job with another blow?
It's faster than a suffocation.
Well, neighbours are pretty close.
Guy screams for help,
the killer panicked and
put the pillow on him. Lights out.
A B&E gone wrong?
Short-term rental.
Not the smartest place for a turnover.
Very few valuables.
Didn't even take the laptop.
Normally, thieves have
a methodical system
for going through drawers.
Start at the bottom,
move to the top, but this is
overkill.
Yeah, like the B&E.
See, usually the trick is to, uh,
break and enter through
the same passageway,
but our killer didn't
come through the patio.
- [POLICE SIRENS WAILING]
- After they, uh, broke the door,
they would've tracked
glass inside, but
I don't see any shards on the carpet.
Break-in was staged,
as was the turnover.
Because our killer
wanted to hide the fact
that they walked through the front door.
Yeah. Meaning they had a key,
or Eli here opened the door for them.
We know if he was here on business?
Could be. With a side of,
uh, pleasure? Borealis guide.
[EXHALING LOUDLY]: That
is out of my price range.
A rare splurge at a
world-class restaurant
sets the soul aflame.
Okay.
Any idea who was last
to see Eli Parker alive?
We're still working on that.
[GRUNTING]: Two, three.
[SIGHING]
[SIGHING]: Yeah, put him back.
[PHONE DINGING]
[SIGHING]
[GRUNTING]
Maybe Quinn Hartnet because Eli missed
five calls from him last night.
[ECHOING GAVEL]
Eli was a client.
I'm a wine importer.
I was helping him build
out a cellar back home.
Five calls after 8 PM?
It's, uh, not exactly business hours.
I was able to source a
special bottle for him.
I needed his go-ahead before purchasing.
Must've been out of a Beaujolais.
Can we come inside, please?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[DOOR SHUTTING]
We slept together a couple of times.
We met at a bar,
we both liked good food,
so we had a few dinners.
It was stupid.
But last week he ghosted me.
I called him. I wanted some closure.
And where were you last night?
At Sonneta.
An Italian place on King. I
was celebrating a friend's 40th.
And what else do you know about Eli?
He worked for a massive company.
He was pulling 80-hour weeks.
[INHALING DEEPLY]
Last we spoke,
he said that he was about
to make some enemies at work.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Our victim was a business
management consultant at McQueen?
Yeah. The company that
advises other companies
on how to run more efficiently.
Though Eli's boss said
that he was one of McQueen's
top consultants because he was
relentless and uncompromising.
So, we have a young, overpaid
victim whose purpose it was
to tell older, more
experienced employees
how to do their jobs better.
That will buy you a
long list of enemies.
Yeah, Eli's from the, uh,
McQueen Vancouver office,
but he's practically a nomad,
living out of a suitcase,
ready to be deployed to a new city
at the drop of a hat
for months at a time.
Uh, he's been stationed in
Toronto for the last month
at an e-commerce giant
by the name of Solara.
He's been working on labour
analysis for the company.
What were his findings?
I'm sure he hadn't finished his report.
Yeah, he was last seen
leaving Solara's offices
last night at 6:30 PM,
so that paired with Da Silva's
pathology report, that, uh,
places his time of death
between 9 PM and midnight.
Anything else about this
man, aside from his job?
Yeah. Uh, so, in his scarce spare time,
Eli would use his
expense account to, uh,
fund his one apparent hobby,
eating out of the
city's best restaurants.
It's his credit card statement.
- [BUZZING NOISE AFAR]
- Man after my own heart.
Edulis?
PSP? Alo?
Dreyfus! [GASPING]
These are all
Borealis-starred restaurants.
I save for a birthday or
an anniversary to go here.
Not me.
Look, I like food as
much as the next guy,
but take me to Burger
Drops, I'm a happy girl.
All this fine dining pomp
[GRUNTING]: Some people like
to eat with their cutlery.
[CHUCKLING]
A little pomp is okay
once in a while, but, uh,
no, this guy? He'd go back
to some of these places
two or three times.
I'd be a regular at any
of these places if I could.
For Eli to have an expense
account as bottomless as this?
He'd have to be one
hell of a consultant.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
Looks like Eli brought
his expertise and scrutiny
to everything he did.
I found his blog on an
open tab on his computer.
Check out these posts.
"An Efficient Market is a Happy One."
"Oligopoly of Umbrian Truffles."
"Anaxagoras," Ancient Greek philosopher.
That's a deep cut, uh
What's that post about, huh?
It wasn't published yet.
Still a work in progress.
55, 92 136. Was
that a hidden password?
An asterisk denotes multiplication,
but if so, he needs to
get his math checked.
[GRUNTING]: Everything
has a natural explanation.
I don't see Eli as the type
to make a careless mistake.
I was also able to crack
into his work files.
Here's what he was working on
for Solara. It's intense.
Oh. What are we looking at?
These groups represent
all 300 employees,
but he gave them codenames.
He was analyzing the workflow
of the entire company.
He was trying to figure out who to fire.
Kiwi Wing Group. Combined
income of $6,000,000.
[CHUCKLING]: I like
this kid. He's smart.
Kiwis are flightless
birds, hence the, uh,
kiwi wing is, uh, redundant.
Hmm.
Eli wasn't just any consultant.
He was a corporate executioner.
Question is:
Did someone kill him before
he could have them fired?
As Chief Transformation Officer,
it's my job to optimize Solara.
- [OFFICE PHONE RINGING]
- Reorganize.
With AI coming for us,
we need to be agile.
Lean.
So you hired Eli to essentially
figure out who to fire.
Eli was tasked with delayering.
[CHUCKLING]
Hey, delayering. Is that
what we're calling it now?
Okay. Uh, who else knew
that Eli was delayering?
Myself and the Board.
[OFFICE DIN]
Well, I think you oughta know.
"Sanson"?
That is the name of, uh,
Marie-Antoinette's executioner.
Hmm.
Come on, Price.
New face, hermetically
sealed temporary office,
personal printer? I think you, uh,
underestimate the
intelligence of your employees.
[MUFFLED INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Eli interviewed everyone at our company.
We said it was just for analytics, but
it's possible that some
may have figured it out.
We're going to need to see
the employees listed in the Kiwi Wing.
The what?
Uh, the name of the group
Eli was planning to delayer
$6,000,000 in salary?
Eli never gave me any list.
He was still conducting evaluations
and was supposed to present his findings
at a Board meeting tomorrow.
Oh.
But I'm sure a smart CTO like you
would've nudged Eli in the direction
of where best to trim the fat.
Yeah. Middle management.
It's where we have a
lot of redundancies.
And did any of them get the feeling that
Eli was coming after them?
Did they feel the shadow of the blade?
Yeah. Wyatt Turner.
After his interview yesterday,
he waited outside till
Eli left for the night.
- [DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- Security had to intervene.
I just wanted him to cut the crap
and have an honest conversation
yesterday. That's it.
Is that why security was
dispatched to intervene?
- [CONSTRUCTION DIN]
- I was frustrated.
Fair enough. But that's all.
I mean. [SCOFFING]
Do you know how much I make?
$200,000.
I told Eli he should be hunting whales.
And not wasting his
time chasing minnows.
Sounds like you should be infuriated.
Learning some kid is in
charge of your future?
He said that,
"If I deserve my job,
that I have no problem
and that, uh, the data
will speak for itself."
When was the last time you saw Eli?
- [INTRIGUING MUSIC]
- After work.
I did wanna talk more.
You know, to make my case.
But he said he had a meeting
and hopped on his bike and left.
Wyatt's husband was his only
alibi at the time of the murder,
so he's still a suspect.
- What do you got?
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Eli's, uh, bikeshare Toronto account.
Uh, seems that right after
his conversation with Wyatt,
he, uh, picked up a bike outside Solara,
dropped it at Harbord and Spadina, 7 PM.
What if Wyatt followed him?
To where? Uh, Eli didn't have
any credit charges on Monday.
But, remember? He did, um.
He did have this in
his pocket. Pineapple.
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- Symbol of hospitality.
- Or swingers.
- [APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS]
Oh, I know where that's from.
I pray it's the former.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
Isadora
My favourite new restaurant.
Got its star in its first year.
Helmed by a bad girl Chef
turned industry darling
and they post their menus daily.
Oh, my God. Today there's sweetbreads.
Uh, Inspector?
- Oh! Yes, uh
- [CLEARING THROAT]
Look at the top.
[ECHOING GAVEL]
Yesterday we were slammed.
7 PM. Eli Parker. Two
Two tasting menus and
a travel supplement.
Yeah, they were, uh, bawling
out right up until the blow-up.
I had to comp the entire room's
drinks to smooth that over.
Cost me $500 out of pocket.
So you're the owner?
I am living the dream.
One day at a time.
So, this blow-up. What happened exactly?
I have no idea. You should
ask my brother, Jonah.
He's the GM and my eyes
and ears at the dining room.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
After, uh, Eli's guest paid the bill,
something changed.
He got loud and aggressive
and this guy just
flips the table on the way out.
Is this him?
No, no. He was white
and had a nice suit.
Well, maybe Eli took Wyatt's advice
instead of chasing minnows.
- [INTRIGUING MUSIC]
- Finally got himself a whale.
His name is Price Chambers.
Yeah. That's the guy.
When you see him, tell him he
owes us a new set of plates.
[WHISPERING]: So, well,
Price was Kiwi Wing
and Eli was about to tell
the Board to fire him.
No better way to get
off the chopping block
than to kill the executioner.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
Eli sandbagged me.
He picked that pricey restaurant,
he waited until after I paid
the bill to begin his evaluation.
I couldn't believe it.
I hired him.
[SCOFFING]: What he
was doing was illegal.
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- Uh, no.
Eli reported to the Board.
So if he thought you were redundant,
he would be well within
his rights to tell them.
Well, I begged him to drop it,
but the kid was so stubborn.
He kept going on and on
about how he had an obligation
to share his findings.
I mean, who says that?
A man with a strong moral compass.
For the record,
Solara would be nothing without me.
Yeah, well, we'll find
out about that soon enough.
Uh, because, uh, we
do feel an inclination
to share Eli's findings with Solara.
And why would you do that?
Because we can.
So, after you've had your
little tantrum at Isadora,
where were you?
Drinking.
Trying to figure out my next move.
- [DOOR BUZZING]
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Just got off the phone with Bar Raval.
Price was there until last
call, after Eli's murder.
Know, I've been thinking.
We've been so focused on Solara,
but at the end of the day,
Eli's most important meeting
was outside the office.
So, all of Eli's fancy meals.
You thinking they were more
than just breaking bread?
Well, he's in a new city.
Who's he dining with night after night?
What if all these dinners
were just important meetings?
Well, more business gets done
over restaurant linens
than Board room tables.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
I was able to pull footage
from several of the
restaurants Eli visited.
- You two were onto something.
- Hmm.
He dined out with the same
person every single night.
Himself.
I guess he was really
just there for the food.
Alone, alone. Night after night.
No phone, no book. It's my nightmare.
Well, unlike you, Don Juan,
some of us don't get the choice.
Play that back.
[COMPUTER FEEDBACK]
Hey, Bateman, hungry?
[ECHOING GAVEL]
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- All in all,
underwhelmed.
[CHUCKLING]
That's what you get
for a two-star lunch.
How was everything? [GRUNTING]
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYING ALOUD]
Terrific. Thank you so much.
I was able to pull Eli Parker's
reservation file for that night.
Set course dinner.
Can I ask, did he order
one glass of wine and one
non-alcoholic beverage?
- Mm-hmm.
- And did he
mention a dietary restriction?
Um, on the day rather than in advance?
Yeah. How'd you know?
Lucky guess. Thank you.
[GRUNTING]: I didn't wanna
risk sounding daft before,
but I've always been
fascinating by the elusive nature
of the Borealis inspector, you know?
They frequently throw a
curveball at the kitchen
to see how they react.
And they've been known
to, um, drop their napkins
to see how long it takes
front of house to notice.
- [INTRIGUING MUSIC]
- I'm thinking.
What if Eli didn't eat out
night after night for fun?
What if he was working?
Lines up.
Inspectors are anonymous.
They all have day jobs.
Actually got my own guide
and duplicated Eli's.
He, uh, bookmarked eight
restaurants that he visited.
Well, he could've been scoping
them out for next year's guide.
They rate each restaurant yearly
to make sure they're
maintaining their stars.
Hey, not to be the odd gourmand out,
but, uh, just wanna do a
quick temperature check.
A restaurant guide.
We think this connects
to Eli's death how?
THE restaurant guide.
Toronto's restaurant
industry is cutthroat.
$15,000,000,000.
- Billion.
- Yearly in revenue.
Big money. Big money backing
some of these top spots.
Having a star and not can
mean the difference between
a restaurant thriving
and being forced to close.
One of the places he snubbed
could've killed him out of revenge.
Before we entertain this
theory too much longer,
why don't we just go
straight to the source?
[ECHOING GAVEL]
You're putting me in a
very difficult position.
Revealing the identity of an inspector
would compromise Borealis'
core tenet of anonymity.
Well, unfortunately,
we're gonna need to insist
because failing to investigate
murder would compromise
our core purpose, investigating murder.
[INHALING DEEPLY]:
This is our victim, Eli Parker.
That's awful.
He seemed like a lovely man.
Yeah, that's what
people have been saying.
We're gonna need a list of the
restaurants that he covered.
[GRUNTING]
How long was he an inspector?
- Eli wasn't an inspector.
- Pardon me?
That man was never an
inspector for Borealis.
I'm sorry, um, how
did you recognize him?
He came by a few weeks ago.
- He was a consultant for McQueen.
- And what did he want?
He was working on a
project for a food group.
Wanted to be put in
touch with an inspector
who covered fine dining establishments
for market research.
- And you connected him?
- Yes.
Well, what about your
core tenet of anonymity?
For a modest fee and a signed NDA,
- we made an exception.
- [INTRIGUING MUSIC]
I connected him with an inspector
who focuses on fine wine.
[INHALING DEEPLY]
Who is this inspector?
[INTRIGUING MUSIC CONTINUES]
She's been with us for five years.
Quinn Hartnet.
- [GATE OPENING]
- [SIGHING]
You wanted to talk?
Yeah.
The police were here,
asking questions about Eli.
That man?
He found out about your
your little side hustle.
I just wanted to tell you the
same thing that I told him,
I don't want anything to
do with it and I never did.
Well, it's too late to
back out now, isn't it?
You've no idea what
you're talking about.
You've no idea what
you're stepping into
Tay
Pre-shift.
Do you wanna invite your
friend for family meal?
- No.
- No need.
I was just leaving.
- [DISSIPATING FOOTSTEPS]
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Hey, I just got off the phone
with our guy from McQueen?
He said Eli never worked
for any food company.
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- He was bluffing.
What? Using his credentials to, uh,
gain access to the biggest secret
in the restaurant industry,
who are the inspectors.
Quinn Hartnet?
Why?
Eli wasn't an inspector, but
he sure was acting like one.
Well, he was, wasn't he?
All those dinners?
Um, running tests on everything.
It's like he was checking
someone's homework.
He, uh, was inspecting the inspectors.
Do you think he was looking into Quinn?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
That blog post Eli was, uh, drafting?
Yeah, anaxa something Greek?
Anaxagoras, among other
things, was one of the first
individuals to recognize
the sun as a burning star.
Those asterisks.
They weren't shorthand
for multiplication.
- They were Borealis stars.
- Hmm.
One star, 55. 55,000.
Two stars, 92,000.
Three stars, 136,000.
This isn't a password or an equation.
No, this is Quinn's price list.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC SWELLING]
I told you, I called Eli
because we had an affair
and he ghosted me.
Could you remind me where you two met?
At a bar.
Just a chance meeting, was it?
You sure about that, Quinn?
Okay, 'cause we spoke
to your boss at Borealis
and he seemed to think
that he set you up with Eli
for market research.
Now, I don't mean to be salacious here,
but I'm starting to wonder
if you even slept with him.
[LIGHTS BUZZING SOFTLY]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Fine.
No.
That's genius.
That's absolute genius.
No, it's not really.
That's half-smart, you know?
Lying about an affair to
cover up something juicier.
- I don't follow?
- Oh, sure you do.
Eli played you and
uncovered your operation.
Selling Borealis stars,
starting at the low,
low price of $55,000.
Not in a chatty mood?
We could have financial crimes
come in with their calculators
and, uh, spreadsheets.
If you think we're fun
[WHISTLING LOWLY] They're a party.
Okay. Okay.
[INHALING DEEPLY]: I
[UNEASY GRUNTING]
Eli asked me if I was open
to giving his client's
restaurant a favourable rating
in exchange for a bonus. [SCOFFS]
For brevity's sake, we
call that, uh, bribery.
Um, extortion fraud.
But potato, potato.
Alright, Quinn.
Break it down for me.
I own a restaurant. I
wanna get it in that book
or whatever. What do I do?
For the record, I don't solicit.
- They come to me.
- They come to you in person?
No.
No. It's-it's more discreet. They
[SHAKY BREATHING]
They send the money through PaySafe.
It's it's anonymous.
Until Eli uncovered your scheme.
The night of the murder, you,
uh, you called Eli five times.
And now we know it wasn't
over a broken heart.
[SIGHING]
Why did you call him?
[SIGHING]: A restaurant
that I sold a star to
told me that Eli was onto me.
Was it Isadora?
Yeah.
The Chef, Tayiah?
She texted me, freaking out.
So I called Eli to
run some damage control.
But he didn't pick up.
So you called him again
and again and again
and then you paid him a house visit?
No. I
I never saw him.
I was-I was at
Sonneta. Another client of yours.
I'm telling you, I was there.
I-I can connect you with the Chef.
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- [CITY DIN]
Manager showed me the
tapes of Quinn's table.
They ordered six bottles of
wine and stayed till 2 AM.
[SIGHING]: That does
sound like quite the party.
Now, Borealis is conducting
an internal investigation
into the fraud.
I get the impression it's
gonna be very very hush-hush.
Yeah, but there's still
another angle here, though.
If news of the scandal broke,
the chefs who bought a star
may be destroyed.
Tayiah.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[KITCHEN DIN]
What are you doing here?
Look, I just wanna see Tayiah.
No. No. Get out now!
Whenever you show up, I'm
left picking up the pieces!
Jonah, stop!
I you need to leave right now.
Yeah. You know where to find me.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES]
So what would he want?
- Why would he be here?
- [WHISPERING]: I don't know.
When was the last time you saw him?
Ages Like, a year ago.
- You promise?
- I promise.
What?!
Tayiah, you have been doing very well.
- [CHUCKLING]
- Don't laugh, this is serious.
You have been doing very well,
but you could lose this in a second.
I know.
[STAMMERING]: I won't let that happen.
Tayiah Sinclair.
George Brown graduate.
Rose the ranks, working in
some of the city's top kitchen.
Maven, Gray Gardens, Giulietta.
But in 2022 she was fired
after she was caught
using cocaine at work.
Hmm. And this is all at Giulietta?
No, Songbird. Keep up.
Toronto Life chronicled her downfall.
The industry loves to
tear down our idols.
Exposés with former coworkers,
turns out Tayiah's drug
problem was very big indeed.
She would pay off drug
dealers using comped meals,
bottles of wine, money from the till
So, after Songbird, she ODs, she
almost dies, she goes to rehab,
she gets clean, she
becomes the face of sobriety
in Toronto's kitchen.
She would organize pre-work run
rather than post-shift partying.
She makes straight edge look so cool.
She opens her own place,
- Isadora.
- Wait.
I'm not even halfway through.
This article ongoing clean. Listen.
"My work as a Chef gives me
both discipline and motivation
to stay clean. Having a purpose
in life, a goal to strive for
has been instrumental in my journey."
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Well, sounds like if the scandal broke,
she'd lose a lot more than just her job.
[WHISPERING]: Yeah.
When, uh, Eli came for
a tour of the kitchen,
I thought he was a fan.
You know, like handshakes.
Selfies. The usual
People do that?
But that didn't happen.
He, um, he said an
inspector sold us a star
and that he was gonna try
and expose her operation.
Why'd he tell you at all?
I don't know.
He said he wanted me to get
ahead of the news or something.
I imagine that that
was difficult to hear?
That Eli was gonna
jeopardize your entire career.
Yeah. It is.
Especially because I didn't buy a star.
I was trying to tell him
that, but he wouldn't listen.
Well, why did you reach
out to Quinn Hartnet?
So she could tell him
that I didn't buy a star!
[CHUCKLING INCREDULOUSLY]:
Show me proof I bought it!
The app that Quinn
Hartnet uses to get paid,
it's anonymous, it doesn't keep records.
Okay, great. So it's
one crooked inspector's
- word against mine?
- Nailed it.
- [DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- Okay. I can prove it.
I have Jonah!
[SIGHING SHARPLY]:
Can you please show them
Isadora's bank accounts,
books, everything?
- What's going on?
- Just please? Just take a look.
I've put everything
into this restaurant.
I know where every dollar's going out.
- It's right there.
- Yeah. Can't wait.
But we'd also like to know
where you were Monday night
between 9 PM and midnight.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- [CHUCKLING]
- I'm here. I'm here.
[STAMMERING]: I work till
midnight at the earliest.
What are you implying?
Well, can anyone else account for that?
Yeah, I can.
[STAMMERING]: She was the last one here.
Oh, forgive me, but I'm
gonna need evidence to confirm
your protective younger
brother's opinion.
The prep schedule. She's here.
Every minute was accounted for
Hang on.
[GRUNTING]
Okay, this is pretty tight, so.
Judging my Monday's schedule,
you were here, prepping a stock.
From 10 PM till midnight.
Why so late?
It is for our lobster pasta.
It's a 10-hour process,
we cook it overnight.
Sounds delicious.
You know, my boss, she's a big fan.
Got me onto your socials,
every day posting a new menu,
each one more delicious than the last.
But the, uh, the menu for the day
after Eli visited your restaurant,
well, it seems that the, uh,
the lobster went walkabout
and was replaced by something else.
Now, there's dozens
of variables, reasons,
factors as to why a dish gets changed,
but I'm guessing that, um,
you didn't make the stock
because you weren't
here until closing, so
I'll ask you to answer
my partner's question
one more time.
Where were you between 10
PM and midnight Monday night?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC CONTINUES]
I was
Well, while you think of an answer,
we're gonna have to ask you to
accompany us down to the station
'cause we got a few
more questions for you.
Your victim, Eli Parker,
was going to expose
a crooked Borealis inspector,
effectively destroying
Tayiah's restaurant in the process.
Your positing she left
Isadora early to kill him.
Basing this on very
nebulous reasoning about
the cooking time of a stock?
Nebulous or not, the,
uh, the second we broke
her alibi, she clammed up.
Okay, but she still
claimed she never bought
- the star, correct?
- Oh, come on.
She's saving face.
Where are you on proof of purchase?
Uh, Isadora's bank account is
clean, but we'll keep digging.
You know, there's a dozen ways
she could've got the money.
Yeah, until then, we can't
say for certain she bought it.
But even if she didn't, she
still got motive to kill Eli.
I mean, he was about to
name her as one of the most
corrupt restaurateurs in the city.
- [BEEPING]
- She'd lose everything.
What about access?
Tayiah left Isadora an hour after Eli.
How does she know where to find him?
Ah.
Eli's restaurant booking account.
So, uh, to secure a table at Isadora,
he needed to leave a local address,
and Tayiah has access
to the service's backend.
Apply pressure.
- Single brakes.
- Mm-hmm.
It's not just a restaurant. It's
[LIGHTS BUZZING SOFTLY]
Did anyone explain to you
why we named it Isadora?
No.
Isadora was my mom's name.
[INHALING DEEPLY]
[EXHALING DEEPLY]
She was the greatest cook
[NERVOUS CHUCKLING]
[SHAKILY]: Um and after she died,
I would remember her
through her recipes. So
Isadora is basically her epitaph.
[SHAKY BREATHING]
Like, we made the
curtains out of her old
tablecloths and we
play her favourite music.
And that man was trying to
take that all away from me
- [INTRIGUING MUSIC]
- for something I didn't do.
So I
To answer your question,
I, like, have no idea
where he went after he left the kitchen.
Then where did you go that night?
Um
I was incredibly overwhelmed.
And it was weak
and dumb, but I
met up with a friend and we
did a bump and a line
and then, uh, more
Why didn't you tell us this before?
[SOMBER MUSIC]
Your brother.
I didn't want him to know.
I've already put him
through way too much.
He's the one who found me when I ODed.
He performed CPR on me
until the ambulance came,
like, he saved my life.
That's why he, uh,
works at the restaurant?
I never thought about
it like that before, but,
yeah, I mean, yeah. You're right.
Well, we're just going to need
your friend's contact
information to verify
that you were indeed together
between 10 PM and midnight.
There's no point, like,
we did blow in his car
and then I left. I was out of my head,
I was walking around all
night till the sun came up.
Leaving you unaccounted
for during the murder?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Tayiah, that is not good.
Can I go now?
Well, you're not under arrest.
[EXHALING DEEPLY]
Okay. Okay. I, uh
[INHALING DEEPLY]
I got a kitchen to run, so.
Frank.
This whole case hinges on
proof that Tayiah bought a star.
- Right?
- Gotta follow the money.
Exactly and there's only
a few ways to gain wealth.
Earn, borrow, steal.
Or inherit.
- Tayiah's mom.
- Here's her will.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- She left Tayiah $80,000.
- Yeah.
You haven't even
gotten to the best part.
Please remember every service matters.
We have built something incredible.
And if for some reason
people say otherwise,
they are dead wrong
because I know the hard work
and the passion that all of you
- [INTRIGUING MUSIC]
- put into this place and, um.
No one can take that
away from you, okay?
So have a great shift.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Yes?
Okay. Have a great shift.
Thank you.
Family meal's in the prep kitchen.
- Get ready. Get what you need.
- Thank you, Chef.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Sorry to interrupt your
family dinner. Um
Chef, um, my partner has
a few questions for you.
Would you mind if we gave
them some privacy, please?
It's fine. Go ahead.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Seems like a great team you have there.
Yeah, they rock.
Tayiah, do you ever wonder
why Eli tipped you off?
You see, we spoke with the
rest of Quinn's clients.
None of them heard anything.
You want me to tell you what Quinn said?
[MUTTERING]: What?
She said it's because your restaurant
Because you actually
deserve that star.
Quinn knew it, Eli knew it.
I think everyone's who's ever
walked through these doors knows it.
Thank you, I guess.
So, uh
[INHALING DEEPLY]
I don't understand what
this conversation is for.
Um
Do you-do you believe me?
We found something in your mother's will
that makes that difficult.
Okay, she left $80,000
to you and to Jonah.
Yes, she did. But I don't
have access to that money,
which is fair, I guess, I
mean, like, she didn't trust me
I was in rehab at the time
Jonah wasn't.
And just under a year
ago, he withdrew $55,000.
It's the exact price of your star.
How much longer do you think?
[LOWLY]: I'm sure it won't be long.
It's just a few questions.
She told you everything already.
Yes, well, the problem with
that, Jonah, is that she lied.
See, we
We know where she was on
the, uh, night of the murder.
And you know it wasn't here.
Where was she?
Why don't you go ask her?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
You bought a star?
- What?
- No, no, no.
Don't. Don't. Don't play with me.
They have proof you took
it out of Mom's money.
[SOBBING]: I wanted to earn that.
Why did you do that?
Everybody's cheating, Tayiah
- [SOBBING]: No, they're not.
- Everybody is.
No, literally every-every
place is cheating.
- [MUTTERING]: Oh, God.
- The game is rigged.
People, like, do this.
[STAMMERING]: But you
get so focused, like,
doing your thing and the art thing
and picking up dill with tweezers
- [SOBBING]: What are you saying?
- I did this for you!
- I did this for you.
- Why?
Jonah. Why was it so important
that you help her in this way?
Because this restaurant
is everything to her.
[SCOFFING]
Yeah, it keeps you stable.
It keeps you sober, it keeps you
Alive?
Yeah, actually, yeah.
It keeps you alive.
[STRAINED]: I am keeping myself alive
from the work that I'm doing every day.
- It's not fair that you
- No, you know what's not fair?
Finding you on the ground!
Not breathing, covered in your own puke.
- That was so long ago
- It wasn't!
You did all this to ensure
your sister's sobriety.
Do you think it worked?
[SOMBER MUSIC]
Tayiah?
[WEAKLY]: It was one time.
It was one time. I'm so sorry.
[SOBBING]: I slipped,
I slipped, I slipped.
It was only one time, but
I'm back on the program now.
And I'm not gonna do it again
It's never just one time with you!
[SOBBING]: Please don't
be mad at me, Jonah.
[GRUNTING IN FRUSTRATION]
[MUTTERING]: Tayiah, Tayiah,
Tayiah I don't get it.
Hey
[SOBBING]
I have come back from this before.
I can do it again and
we're gonna be okay.
I promise.
[SOBBING]: We're not gonna be okay.
Yeah, we're gonna be okay.
It's totally fine.
- It's not.
- It's fine.
[SOBBING]: I'm sorry. I can't.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
What happened?
[SOBBING]: I can't.
Yeah, you can. You're
gonna tell me what happened.
What happened with Eli?
[SIGHING]
I just wanted to talk to him.
I just Oh, my God.
I just wanted to talk
to him and he just
[INHALING DEEPLY] He wouldn't listen.
He just kept talking about,
like, the bigger picture
and, like, the system and efficiency.
And, um, "nothing's
personal," but, like,
[SOBBING]: this is literally personal.
This is our lives and
he's-he's ruining it.
[SNIFFLING]
It was an accident. It was an accident.
Like, like a slip. Like
you said, we slip, but we
[SIGHING]
We fought.
And then he started screaming.
And I just wanted him to stop screaming.
Sorry, Tayiah. Please,
I'm sorry. I love you.
No, it's okay.
- It's my fault, I
- Dumb
You were right not to trust me.
You were just trying to take care of me.
Um yeah. This is my fault.
Tayiah, please. I'm sorry I didn't
Tayiah, please!
Wait, wait, wait! Don't take him away!
[DISSIPATING FOOTSTEPS]
[DOOR OPENING]
What is it they say?
That you're only as
sick as your secrets?
Hmm. Secrets grow in the dark.
And we just have to
shine a light on them.
[THEME SONG]
[NARRATOR]: In Toronto's war on crime,
the worst offenders are
pursued by the detectives
of the Specialized Criminal
Investigations Unit.
- These are their stories.
- [ECHOING GAVEL]
[BELL DINGING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- Can I help you?
- You sure can.
Would you mind moving your
bike out of the bike lane?
Oh, I'm just waiting for my
wife. She'll be right back.
A lot of kids out here
trying to get to school.
Come on, man. Just give me a break.
I'm gonna be here for a minute.
A lot of things can happen in a minute.
You sit here and little Joey
back there veers into traffic,
falls off his bike or
worse, he gets hit by a car.
Police show up, road gets closed,
hundreds of commuters get diverted.
- I'll move the car.
- [ENGINE STARTS]
How you settling in, Eli?
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Good.
Accommodation rental is quite nice.
And I'm excited to eat out.
Food scene here seems
to be really taking off.
That's right. They told me
about you, the gourmand, right?
I'll have my secretary send
over some recommendations.
- [OFFICE PHONES RINGING]
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
So, not sure you made
it through my brief
I did, Price.
Delayer as much as possible
by the end of the quarter.
You want me to make your
company resemble your watch.
Rose gold?
[CHUCKLING]: Swiss movement.
Never build something with nine
cogs that can work with eight.
I find beauty in simplicity, efficiency.
Great.
Um, here's your security pass.
You report to me.
As far as anyone else is
concerned, you're not even here.
Hmm, that'll change soon enough.
In my experience, bad news travels fast.
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Quinn?
Sorry, I'm late. [SIGHING]
I had to drop my kid
off at a friend's house.
Took me a minute to realize
the reservation was under Grace.
- [SOFT MUSIC PLAYING ALOUD]
- My middle name.
[SIGHING IN UNDERSTANDING]
Subterfuge. It's a bit odd.
Is it hard to keep the two
versions of yourself separate?
Well, I actually quite like it.
It makes me feel powerful.
Oh, I'm sorry. We didn't order this.
It's from the kitchen.
They know me here.
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Thank you.
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- Wyatt.
What's your team's
customer acquisition cost?
$70 per customer. Give or take.
And your conversion rate?
[GRUNTING]: Currently it's 1 %.
- But it's been a slow quarter.
- Hmm.
Um did I pass or? [NERVOUS CHUCKLING]
It's not a test.
But what I can tell you is
that your team's conversion rate
is 10 % less than your competitor.
Your CAC is twice as
expensive and your CLV
drops to 12 % after the holiday season.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES]
You know what they say?
A fool uses statistics the
way a drunkard uses a lamppost.
For support. Not illumination.
Anything else you'd like
to add to your evaluation,
on the record?
[KITCHEN DIN]
[SOFT JAZZ MUSIC]
It's nothing personal.
The data speaks for itself.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[THUDDING]
- [GLASS BREAKING]
- [PATRONS GASPING]
- Excuse me. Sir!
- Oh, my God.
- Are you hurt?
- Sir!
No.
Uh okay. That
That was a lot. Uh sorry, folks.
Why don't we wash out this
bad taste with some champagne.
Yes. Hey! Bubbles. Round.
- Are you okay, yeah?
- Yes, yeah.
Biggest tragedy's not finishing
that delicious cheesecake.
Okay. That we can
do. We will get you two.
Is there anything
else we can do to help?
[WHISPERING]: I would love a
tour of the kitchen if possible.
Yeah, that would be
our pleasure, of course.
Uh, let me just Let me get you
- a new table, in the meantime.
- Thank you.
Come with me. I'm Tayiah.
- Eli.
- Nice to meet you.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[CITY DIN]
[PHONE DINGING]
[EXHALING LOUDLY]
[PHONE DINGING]
[DOOR UNLOCKING]
Hello?
Hello? [KEYS JINGLING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[GASPING] [SCREAMING]
[THEME SONG]
Victim is Eli Parker.
30 years old. BC driver's licence.
Cleaning woman who found him at 7 AM
said that he's been at
this rental for a month.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
Um killer hits him with the bookend,
suffocates him with the pillow.
Looks like they came in
through the patio door.
When are you writing
your Detective Boards?
- [DISTANT SIRENS WAILING]
- Next month.
Good luck. [SIGHING]
[SIGHING]
Killer bashes him in the head.
He's, uh, hurt bad, but not dead yet.
Why not finish the
job with another blow?
It's faster than a suffocation.
Well, neighbours are pretty close.
Guy screams for help,
the killer panicked and
put the pillow on him. Lights out.
A B&E gone wrong?
Short-term rental.
Not the smartest place for a turnover.
Very few valuables.
Didn't even take the laptop.
Normally, thieves have
a methodical system
for going through drawers.
Start at the bottom,
move to the top, but this is
overkill.
Yeah, like the B&E.
See, usually the trick is to, uh,
break and enter through
the same passageway,
but our killer didn't
come through the patio.
- [POLICE SIRENS WAILING]
- After they, uh, broke the door,
they would've tracked
glass inside, but
I don't see any shards on the carpet.
Break-in was staged,
as was the turnover.
Because our killer
wanted to hide the fact
that they walked through the front door.
Yeah. Meaning they had a key,
or Eli here opened the door for them.
We know if he was here on business?
Could be. With a side of,
uh, pleasure? Borealis guide.
[EXHALING LOUDLY]: That
is out of my price range.
A rare splurge at a
world-class restaurant
sets the soul aflame.
Okay.
Any idea who was last
to see Eli Parker alive?
We're still working on that.
[GRUNTING]: Two, three.
[SIGHING]
[SIGHING]: Yeah, put him back.
[PHONE DINGING]
[SIGHING]
[GRUNTING]
Maybe Quinn Hartnet because Eli missed
five calls from him last night.
[ECHOING GAVEL]
Eli was a client.
I'm a wine importer.
I was helping him build
out a cellar back home.
Five calls after 8 PM?
It's, uh, not exactly business hours.
I was able to source a
special bottle for him.
I needed his go-ahead before purchasing.
Must've been out of a Beaujolais.
Can we come inside, please?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[DOOR SHUTTING]
We slept together a couple of times.
We met at a bar,
we both liked good food,
so we had a few dinners.
It was stupid.
But last week he ghosted me.
I called him. I wanted some closure.
And where were you last night?
At Sonneta.
An Italian place on King. I
was celebrating a friend's 40th.
And what else do you know about Eli?
He worked for a massive company.
He was pulling 80-hour weeks.
[INHALING DEEPLY]
Last we spoke,
he said that he was about
to make some enemies at work.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Our victim was a business
management consultant at McQueen?
Yeah. The company that
advises other companies
on how to run more efficiently.
Though Eli's boss said
that he was one of McQueen's
top consultants because he was
relentless and uncompromising.
So, we have a young, overpaid
victim whose purpose it was
to tell older, more
experienced employees
how to do their jobs better.
That will buy you a
long list of enemies.
Yeah, Eli's from the, uh,
McQueen Vancouver office,
but he's practically a nomad,
living out of a suitcase,
ready to be deployed to a new city
at the drop of a hat
for months at a time.
Uh, he's been stationed in
Toronto for the last month
at an e-commerce giant
by the name of Solara.
He's been working on labour
analysis for the company.
What were his findings?
I'm sure he hadn't finished his report.
Yeah, he was last seen
leaving Solara's offices
last night at 6:30 PM,
so that paired with Da Silva's
pathology report, that, uh,
places his time of death
between 9 PM and midnight.
Anything else about this
man, aside from his job?
Yeah. Uh, so, in his scarce spare time,
Eli would use his
expense account to, uh,
fund his one apparent hobby,
eating out of the
city's best restaurants.
It's his credit card statement.
- [BUZZING NOISE AFAR]
- Man after my own heart.
Edulis?
PSP? Alo?
Dreyfus! [GASPING]
These are all
Borealis-starred restaurants.
I save for a birthday or
an anniversary to go here.
Not me.
Look, I like food as
much as the next guy,
but take me to Burger
Drops, I'm a happy girl.
All this fine dining pomp
[GRUNTING]: Some people like
to eat with their cutlery.
[CHUCKLING]
A little pomp is okay
once in a while, but, uh,
no, this guy? He'd go back
to some of these places
two or three times.
I'd be a regular at any
of these places if I could.
For Eli to have an expense
account as bottomless as this?
He'd have to be one
hell of a consultant.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
Looks like Eli brought
his expertise and scrutiny
to everything he did.
I found his blog on an
open tab on his computer.
Check out these posts.
"An Efficient Market is a Happy One."
"Oligopoly of Umbrian Truffles."
"Anaxagoras," Ancient Greek philosopher.
That's a deep cut, uh
What's that post about, huh?
It wasn't published yet.
Still a work in progress.
55, 92 136. Was
that a hidden password?
An asterisk denotes multiplication,
but if so, he needs to
get his math checked.
[GRUNTING]: Everything
has a natural explanation.
I don't see Eli as the type
to make a careless mistake.
I was also able to crack
into his work files.
Here's what he was working on
for Solara. It's intense.
Oh. What are we looking at?
These groups represent
all 300 employees,
but he gave them codenames.
He was analyzing the workflow
of the entire company.
He was trying to figure out who to fire.
Kiwi Wing Group. Combined
income of $6,000,000.
[CHUCKLING]: I like
this kid. He's smart.
Kiwis are flightless
birds, hence the, uh,
kiwi wing is, uh, redundant.
Hmm.
Eli wasn't just any consultant.
He was a corporate executioner.
Question is:
Did someone kill him before
he could have them fired?
As Chief Transformation Officer,
it's my job to optimize Solara.
- [OFFICE PHONE RINGING]
- Reorganize.
With AI coming for us,
we need to be agile.
Lean.
So you hired Eli to essentially
figure out who to fire.
Eli was tasked with delayering.
[CHUCKLING]
Hey, delayering. Is that
what we're calling it now?
Okay. Uh, who else knew
that Eli was delayering?
Myself and the Board.
[OFFICE DIN]
Well, I think you oughta know.
"Sanson"?
That is the name of, uh,
Marie-Antoinette's executioner.
Hmm.
Come on, Price.
New face, hermetically
sealed temporary office,
personal printer? I think you, uh,
underestimate the
intelligence of your employees.
[MUFFLED INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Eli interviewed everyone at our company.
We said it was just for analytics, but
it's possible that some
may have figured it out.
We're going to need to see
the employees listed in the Kiwi Wing.
The what?
Uh, the name of the group
Eli was planning to delayer
$6,000,000 in salary?
Eli never gave me any list.
He was still conducting evaluations
and was supposed to present his findings
at a Board meeting tomorrow.
Oh.
But I'm sure a smart CTO like you
would've nudged Eli in the direction
of where best to trim the fat.
Yeah. Middle management.
It's where we have a
lot of redundancies.
And did any of them get the feeling that
Eli was coming after them?
Did they feel the shadow of the blade?
Yeah. Wyatt Turner.
After his interview yesterday,
he waited outside till
Eli left for the night.
- [DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- Security had to intervene.
I just wanted him to cut the crap
and have an honest conversation
yesterday. That's it.
Is that why security was
dispatched to intervene?
- [CONSTRUCTION DIN]
- I was frustrated.
Fair enough. But that's all.
I mean. [SCOFFING]
Do you know how much I make?
$200,000.
I told Eli he should be hunting whales.
And not wasting his
time chasing minnows.
Sounds like you should be infuriated.
Learning some kid is in
charge of your future?
He said that,
"If I deserve my job,
that I have no problem
and that, uh, the data
will speak for itself."
When was the last time you saw Eli?
- [INTRIGUING MUSIC]
- After work.
I did wanna talk more.
You know, to make my case.
But he said he had a meeting
and hopped on his bike and left.
Wyatt's husband was his only
alibi at the time of the murder,
so he's still a suspect.
- What do you got?
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Eli's, uh, bikeshare Toronto account.
Uh, seems that right after
his conversation with Wyatt,
he, uh, picked up a bike outside Solara,
dropped it at Harbord and Spadina, 7 PM.
What if Wyatt followed him?
To where? Uh, Eli didn't have
any credit charges on Monday.
But, remember? He did, um.
He did have this in
his pocket. Pineapple.
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- Symbol of hospitality.
- Or swingers.
- [APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS]
Oh, I know where that's from.
I pray it's the former.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
Isadora
My favourite new restaurant.
Got its star in its first year.
Helmed by a bad girl Chef
turned industry darling
and they post their menus daily.
Oh, my God. Today there's sweetbreads.
Uh, Inspector?
- Oh! Yes, uh
- [CLEARING THROAT]
Look at the top.
[ECHOING GAVEL]
Yesterday we were slammed.
7 PM. Eli Parker. Two
Two tasting menus and
a travel supplement.
Yeah, they were, uh, bawling
out right up until the blow-up.
I had to comp the entire room's
drinks to smooth that over.
Cost me $500 out of pocket.
So you're the owner?
I am living the dream.
One day at a time.
So, this blow-up. What happened exactly?
I have no idea. You should
ask my brother, Jonah.
He's the GM and my eyes
and ears at the dining room.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
After, uh, Eli's guest paid the bill,
something changed.
He got loud and aggressive
and this guy just
flips the table on the way out.
Is this him?
No, no. He was white
and had a nice suit.
Well, maybe Eli took Wyatt's advice
instead of chasing minnows.
- [INTRIGUING MUSIC]
- Finally got himself a whale.
His name is Price Chambers.
Yeah. That's the guy.
When you see him, tell him he
owes us a new set of plates.
[WHISPERING]: So, well,
Price was Kiwi Wing
and Eli was about to tell
the Board to fire him.
No better way to get
off the chopping block
than to kill the executioner.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC]
Eli sandbagged me.
He picked that pricey restaurant,
he waited until after I paid
the bill to begin his evaluation.
I couldn't believe it.
I hired him.
[SCOFFING]: What he
was doing was illegal.
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- Uh, no.
Eli reported to the Board.
So if he thought you were redundant,
he would be well within
his rights to tell them.
Well, I begged him to drop it,
but the kid was so stubborn.
He kept going on and on
about how he had an obligation
to share his findings.
I mean, who says that?
A man with a strong moral compass.
For the record,
Solara would be nothing without me.
Yeah, well, we'll find
out about that soon enough.
Uh, because, uh, we
do feel an inclination
to share Eli's findings with Solara.
And why would you do that?
Because we can.
So, after you've had your
little tantrum at Isadora,
where were you?
Drinking.
Trying to figure out my next move.
- [DOOR BUZZING]
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Just got off the phone with Bar Raval.
Price was there until last
call, after Eli's murder.
Know, I've been thinking.
We've been so focused on Solara,
but at the end of the day,
Eli's most important meeting
was outside the office.
So, all of Eli's fancy meals.
You thinking they were more
than just breaking bread?
Well, he's in a new city.
Who's he dining with night after night?
What if all these dinners
were just important meetings?
Well, more business gets done
over restaurant linens
than Board room tables.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
I was able to pull footage
from several of the
restaurants Eli visited.
- You two were onto something.
- Hmm.
He dined out with the same
person every single night.
Himself.
I guess he was really
just there for the food.
Alone, alone. Night after night.
No phone, no book. It's my nightmare.
Well, unlike you, Don Juan,
some of us don't get the choice.
Play that back.
[COMPUTER FEEDBACK]
Hey, Bateman, hungry?
[ECHOING GAVEL]
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- All in all,
underwhelmed.
[CHUCKLING]
That's what you get
for a two-star lunch.
How was everything? [GRUNTING]
[SOFT MUSIC PLAYING ALOUD]
Terrific. Thank you so much.
I was able to pull Eli Parker's
reservation file for that night.
Set course dinner.
Can I ask, did he order
one glass of wine and one
non-alcoholic beverage?
- Mm-hmm.
- And did he
mention a dietary restriction?
Um, on the day rather than in advance?
Yeah. How'd you know?
Lucky guess. Thank you.
[GRUNTING]: I didn't wanna
risk sounding daft before,
but I've always been
fascinating by the elusive nature
of the Borealis inspector, you know?
They frequently throw a
curveball at the kitchen
to see how they react.
And they've been known
to, um, drop their napkins
to see how long it takes
front of house to notice.
- [INTRIGUING MUSIC]
- I'm thinking.
What if Eli didn't eat out
night after night for fun?
What if he was working?
Lines up.
Inspectors are anonymous.
They all have day jobs.
Actually got my own guide
and duplicated Eli's.
He, uh, bookmarked eight
restaurants that he visited.
Well, he could've been scoping
them out for next year's guide.
They rate each restaurant yearly
to make sure they're
maintaining their stars.
Hey, not to be the odd gourmand out,
but, uh, just wanna do a
quick temperature check.
A restaurant guide.
We think this connects
to Eli's death how?
THE restaurant guide.
Toronto's restaurant
industry is cutthroat.
$15,000,000,000.
- Billion.
- Yearly in revenue.
Big money. Big money backing
some of these top spots.
Having a star and not can
mean the difference between
a restaurant thriving
and being forced to close.
One of the places he snubbed
could've killed him out of revenge.
Before we entertain this
theory too much longer,
why don't we just go
straight to the source?
[ECHOING GAVEL]
You're putting me in a
very difficult position.
Revealing the identity of an inspector
would compromise Borealis'
core tenet of anonymity.
Well, unfortunately,
we're gonna need to insist
because failing to investigate
murder would compromise
our core purpose, investigating murder.
[INHALING DEEPLY]:
This is our victim, Eli Parker.
That's awful.
He seemed like a lovely man.
Yeah, that's what
people have been saying.
We're gonna need a list of the
restaurants that he covered.
[GRUNTING]
How long was he an inspector?
- Eli wasn't an inspector.
- Pardon me?
That man was never an
inspector for Borealis.
I'm sorry, um, how
did you recognize him?
He came by a few weeks ago.
- He was a consultant for McQueen.
- And what did he want?
He was working on a
project for a food group.
Wanted to be put in
touch with an inspector
who covered fine dining establishments
for market research.
- And you connected him?
- Yes.
Well, what about your
core tenet of anonymity?
For a modest fee and a signed NDA,
- we made an exception.
- [INTRIGUING MUSIC]
I connected him with an inspector
who focuses on fine wine.
[INHALING DEEPLY]
Who is this inspector?
[INTRIGUING MUSIC CONTINUES]
She's been with us for five years.
Quinn Hartnet.
- [GATE OPENING]
- [SIGHING]
You wanted to talk?
Yeah.
The police were here,
asking questions about Eli.
That man?
He found out about your
your little side hustle.
I just wanted to tell you the
same thing that I told him,
I don't want anything to
do with it and I never did.
Well, it's too late to
back out now, isn't it?
You've no idea what
you're talking about.
You've no idea what
you're stepping into
Tay
Pre-shift.
Do you wanna invite your
friend for family meal?
- No.
- No need.
I was just leaving.
- [DISSIPATING FOOTSTEPS]
- [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Hey, I just got off the phone
with our guy from McQueen?
He said Eli never worked
for any food company.
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- He was bluffing.
What? Using his credentials to, uh,
gain access to the biggest secret
in the restaurant industry,
who are the inspectors.
Quinn Hartnet?
Why?
Eli wasn't an inspector, but
he sure was acting like one.
Well, he was, wasn't he?
All those dinners?
Um, running tests on everything.
It's like he was checking
someone's homework.
He, uh, was inspecting the inspectors.
Do you think he was looking into Quinn?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
That blog post Eli was, uh, drafting?
Yeah, anaxa something Greek?
Anaxagoras, among other
things, was one of the first
individuals to recognize
the sun as a burning star.
Those asterisks.
They weren't shorthand
for multiplication.
- They were Borealis stars.
- Hmm.
One star, 55. 55,000.
Two stars, 92,000.
Three stars, 136,000.
This isn't a password or an equation.
No, this is Quinn's price list.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC SWELLING]
I told you, I called Eli
because we had an affair
and he ghosted me.
Could you remind me where you two met?
At a bar.
Just a chance meeting, was it?
You sure about that, Quinn?
Okay, 'cause we spoke
to your boss at Borealis
and he seemed to think
that he set you up with Eli
for market research.
Now, I don't mean to be salacious here,
but I'm starting to wonder
if you even slept with him.
[LIGHTS BUZZING SOFTLY]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Fine.
No.
That's genius.
That's absolute genius.
No, it's not really.
That's half-smart, you know?
Lying about an affair to
cover up something juicier.
- I don't follow?
- Oh, sure you do.
Eli played you and
uncovered your operation.
Selling Borealis stars,
starting at the low,
low price of $55,000.
Not in a chatty mood?
We could have financial crimes
come in with their calculators
and, uh, spreadsheets.
If you think we're fun
[WHISTLING LOWLY] They're a party.
Okay. Okay.
[INHALING DEEPLY]: I
[UNEASY GRUNTING]
Eli asked me if I was open
to giving his client's
restaurant a favourable rating
in exchange for a bonus. [SCOFFS]
For brevity's sake, we
call that, uh, bribery.
Um, extortion fraud.
But potato, potato.
Alright, Quinn.
Break it down for me.
I own a restaurant. I
wanna get it in that book
or whatever. What do I do?
For the record, I don't solicit.
- They come to me.
- They come to you in person?
No.
No. It's-it's more discreet. They
[SHAKY BREATHING]
They send the money through PaySafe.
It's it's anonymous.
Until Eli uncovered your scheme.
The night of the murder, you,
uh, you called Eli five times.
And now we know it wasn't
over a broken heart.
[SIGHING]
Why did you call him?
[SIGHING]: A restaurant
that I sold a star to
told me that Eli was onto me.
Was it Isadora?
Yeah.
The Chef, Tayiah?
She texted me, freaking out.
So I called Eli to
run some damage control.
But he didn't pick up.
So you called him again
and again and again
and then you paid him a house visit?
No. I
I never saw him.
I was-I was at
Sonneta. Another client of yours.
I'm telling you, I was there.
I-I can connect you with the Chef.
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- [CITY DIN]
Manager showed me the
tapes of Quinn's table.
They ordered six bottles of
wine and stayed till 2 AM.
[SIGHING]: That does
sound like quite the party.
Now, Borealis is conducting
an internal investigation
into the fraud.
I get the impression it's
gonna be very very hush-hush.
Yeah, but there's still
another angle here, though.
If news of the scandal broke,
the chefs who bought a star
may be destroyed.
Tayiah.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[KITCHEN DIN]
What are you doing here?
Look, I just wanna see Tayiah.
No. No. Get out now!
Whenever you show up, I'm
left picking up the pieces!
Jonah, stop!
I you need to leave right now.
Yeah. You know where to find me.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES]
So what would he want?
- Why would he be here?
- [WHISPERING]: I don't know.
When was the last time you saw him?
Ages Like, a year ago.
- You promise?
- I promise.
What?!
Tayiah, you have been doing very well.
- [CHUCKLING]
- Don't laugh, this is serious.
You have been doing very well,
but you could lose this in a second.
I know.
[STAMMERING]: I won't let that happen.
Tayiah Sinclair.
George Brown graduate.
Rose the ranks, working in
some of the city's top kitchen.
Maven, Gray Gardens, Giulietta.
But in 2022 she was fired
after she was caught
using cocaine at work.
Hmm. And this is all at Giulietta?
No, Songbird. Keep up.
Toronto Life chronicled her downfall.
The industry loves to
tear down our idols.
Exposés with former coworkers,
turns out Tayiah's drug
problem was very big indeed.
She would pay off drug
dealers using comped meals,
bottles of wine, money from the till
So, after Songbird, she ODs, she
almost dies, she goes to rehab,
she gets clean, she
becomes the face of sobriety
in Toronto's kitchen.
She would organize pre-work run
rather than post-shift partying.
She makes straight edge look so cool.
She opens her own place,
- Isadora.
- Wait.
I'm not even halfway through.
This article ongoing clean. Listen.
"My work as a Chef gives me
both discipline and motivation
to stay clean. Having a purpose
in life, a goal to strive for
has been instrumental in my journey."
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Well, sounds like if the scandal broke,
she'd lose a lot more than just her job.
[WHISPERING]: Yeah.
When, uh, Eli came for
a tour of the kitchen,
I thought he was a fan.
You know, like handshakes.
Selfies. The usual
People do that?
But that didn't happen.
He, um, he said an
inspector sold us a star
and that he was gonna try
and expose her operation.
Why'd he tell you at all?
I don't know.
He said he wanted me to get
ahead of the news or something.
I imagine that that
was difficult to hear?
That Eli was gonna
jeopardize your entire career.
Yeah. It is.
Especially because I didn't buy a star.
I was trying to tell him
that, but he wouldn't listen.
Well, why did you reach
out to Quinn Hartnet?
So she could tell him
that I didn't buy a star!
[CHUCKLING INCREDULOUSLY]:
Show me proof I bought it!
The app that Quinn
Hartnet uses to get paid,
it's anonymous, it doesn't keep records.
Okay, great. So it's
one crooked inspector's
- word against mine?
- Nailed it.
- [DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- Okay. I can prove it.
I have Jonah!
[SIGHING SHARPLY]:
Can you please show them
Isadora's bank accounts,
books, everything?
- What's going on?
- Just please? Just take a look.
I've put everything
into this restaurant.
I know where every dollar's going out.
- It's right there.
- Yeah. Can't wait.
But we'd also like to know
where you were Monday night
between 9 PM and midnight.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- [CHUCKLING]
- I'm here. I'm here.
[STAMMERING]: I work till
midnight at the earliest.
What are you implying?
Well, can anyone else account for that?
Yeah, I can.
[STAMMERING]: She was the last one here.
Oh, forgive me, but I'm
gonna need evidence to confirm
your protective younger
brother's opinion.
The prep schedule. She's here.
Every minute was accounted for
Hang on.
[GRUNTING]
Okay, this is pretty tight, so.
Judging my Monday's schedule,
you were here, prepping a stock.
From 10 PM till midnight.
Why so late?
It is for our lobster pasta.
It's a 10-hour process,
we cook it overnight.
Sounds delicious.
You know, my boss, she's a big fan.
Got me onto your socials,
every day posting a new menu,
each one more delicious than the last.
But the, uh, the menu for the day
after Eli visited your restaurant,
well, it seems that the, uh,
the lobster went walkabout
and was replaced by something else.
Now, there's dozens
of variables, reasons,
factors as to why a dish gets changed,
but I'm guessing that, um,
you didn't make the stock
because you weren't
here until closing, so
I'll ask you to answer
my partner's question
one more time.
Where were you between 10
PM and midnight Monday night?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC CONTINUES]
I was
Well, while you think of an answer,
we're gonna have to ask you to
accompany us down to the station
'cause we got a few
more questions for you.
Your victim, Eli Parker,
was going to expose
a crooked Borealis inspector,
effectively destroying
Tayiah's restaurant in the process.
Your positing she left
Isadora early to kill him.
Basing this on very
nebulous reasoning about
the cooking time of a stock?
Nebulous or not, the,
uh, the second we broke
her alibi, she clammed up.
Okay, but she still
claimed she never bought
- the star, correct?
- Oh, come on.
She's saving face.
Where are you on proof of purchase?
Uh, Isadora's bank account is
clean, but we'll keep digging.
You know, there's a dozen ways
she could've got the money.
Yeah, until then, we can't
say for certain she bought it.
But even if she didn't, she
still got motive to kill Eli.
I mean, he was about to
name her as one of the most
corrupt restaurateurs in the city.
- [BEEPING]
- She'd lose everything.
What about access?
Tayiah left Isadora an hour after Eli.
How does she know where to find him?
Ah.
Eli's restaurant booking account.
So, uh, to secure a table at Isadora,
he needed to leave a local address,
and Tayiah has access
to the service's backend.
Apply pressure.
- Single brakes.
- Mm-hmm.
It's not just a restaurant. It's
[LIGHTS BUZZING SOFTLY]
Did anyone explain to you
why we named it Isadora?
No.
Isadora was my mom's name.
[INHALING DEEPLY]
[EXHALING DEEPLY]
She was the greatest cook
[NERVOUS CHUCKLING]
[SHAKILY]: Um and after she died,
I would remember her
through her recipes. So
Isadora is basically her epitaph.
[SHAKY BREATHING]
Like, we made the
curtains out of her old
tablecloths and we
play her favourite music.
And that man was trying to
take that all away from me
- [INTRIGUING MUSIC]
- for something I didn't do.
So I
To answer your question,
I, like, have no idea
where he went after he left the kitchen.
Then where did you go that night?
Um
I was incredibly overwhelmed.
And it was weak
and dumb, but I
met up with a friend and we
did a bump and a line
and then, uh, more
Why didn't you tell us this before?
[SOMBER MUSIC]
Your brother.
I didn't want him to know.
I've already put him
through way too much.
He's the one who found me when I ODed.
He performed CPR on me
until the ambulance came,
like, he saved my life.
That's why he, uh,
works at the restaurant?
I never thought about
it like that before, but,
yeah, I mean, yeah. You're right.
Well, we're just going to need
your friend's contact
information to verify
that you were indeed together
between 10 PM and midnight.
There's no point, like,
we did blow in his car
and then I left. I was out of my head,
I was walking around all
night till the sun came up.
Leaving you unaccounted
for during the murder?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Tayiah, that is not good.
Can I go now?
Well, you're not under arrest.
[EXHALING DEEPLY]
Okay. Okay. I, uh
[INHALING DEEPLY]
I got a kitchen to run, so.
Frank.
This whole case hinges on
proof that Tayiah bought a star.
- Right?
- Gotta follow the money.
Exactly and there's only
a few ways to gain wealth.
Earn, borrow, steal.
Or inherit.
- Tayiah's mom.
- Here's her will.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- She left Tayiah $80,000.
- Yeah.
You haven't even
gotten to the best part.
Please remember every service matters.
We have built something incredible.
And if for some reason
people say otherwise,
they are dead wrong
because I know the hard work
and the passion that all of you
- [INTRIGUING MUSIC]
- put into this place and, um.
No one can take that
away from you, okay?
So have a great shift.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Yes?
Okay. Have a great shift.
Thank you.
Family meal's in the prep kitchen.
- Get ready. Get what you need.
- Thank you, Chef.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Sorry to interrupt your
family dinner. Um
Chef, um, my partner has
a few questions for you.
Would you mind if we gave
them some privacy, please?
It's fine. Go ahead.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Seems like a great team you have there.
Yeah, they rock.
Tayiah, do you ever wonder
why Eli tipped you off?
You see, we spoke with the
rest of Quinn's clients.
None of them heard anything.
You want me to tell you what Quinn said?
[MUTTERING]: What?
She said it's because your restaurant
Because you actually
deserve that star.
Quinn knew it, Eli knew it.
I think everyone's who's ever
walked through these doors knows it.
Thank you, I guess.
So, uh
[INHALING DEEPLY]
I don't understand what
this conversation is for.
Um
Do you-do you believe me?
We found something in your mother's will
that makes that difficult.
Okay, she left $80,000
to you and to Jonah.
Yes, she did. But I don't
have access to that money,
which is fair, I guess, I
mean, like, she didn't trust me
I was in rehab at the time
Jonah wasn't.
And just under a year
ago, he withdrew $55,000.
It's the exact price of your star.
How much longer do you think?
[LOWLY]: I'm sure it won't be long.
It's just a few questions.
She told you everything already.
Yes, well, the problem with
that, Jonah, is that she lied.
See, we
We know where she was on
the, uh, night of the murder.
And you know it wasn't here.
Where was she?
Why don't you go ask her?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
You bought a star?
- What?
- No, no, no.
Don't. Don't. Don't play with me.
They have proof you took
it out of Mom's money.
[SOBBING]: I wanted to earn that.
Why did you do that?
Everybody's cheating, Tayiah
- [SOBBING]: No, they're not.
- Everybody is.
No, literally every-every
place is cheating.
- [MUTTERING]: Oh, God.
- The game is rigged.
People, like, do this.
[STAMMERING]: But you
get so focused, like,
doing your thing and the art thing
and picking up dill with tweezers
- [SOBBING]: What are you saying?
- I did this for you!
- I did this for you.
- Why?
Jonah. Why was it so important
that you help her in this way?
Because this restaurant
is everything to her.
[SCOFFING]
Yeah, it keeps you stable.
It keeps you sober, it keeps you
Alive?
Yeah, actually, yeah.
It keeps you alive.
[STRAINED]: I am keeping myself alive
from the work that I'm doing every day.
- It's not fair that you
- No, you know what's not fair?
Finding you on the ground!
Not breathing, covered in your own puke.
- That was so long ago
- It wasn't!
You did all this to ensure
your sister's sobriety.
Do you think it worked?
[SOMBER MUSIC]
Tayiah?
[WEAKLY]: It was one time.
It was one time. I'm so sorry.
[SOBBING]: I slipped,
I slipped, I slipped.
It was only one time, but
I'm back on the program now.
And I'm not gonna do it again
It's never just one time with you!
[SOBBING]: Please don't
be mad at me, Jonah.
[GRUNTING IN FRUSTRATION]
[MUTTERING]: Tayiah, Tayiah,
Tayiah I don't get it.
Hey
[SOBBING]
I have come back from this before.
I can do it again and
we're gonna be okay.
I promise.
[SOBBING]: We're not gonna be okay.
Yeah, we're gonna be okay.
It's totally fine.
- It's not.
- It's fine.
[SOBBING]: I'm sorry. I can't.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
What happened?
[SOBBING]: I can't.
Yeah, you can. You're
gonna tell me what happened.
What happened with Eli?
[SIGHING]
I just wanted to talk to him.
I just Oh, my God.
I just wanted to talk
to him and he just
[INHALING DEEPLY] He wouldn't listen.
He just kept talking about,
like, the bigger picture
and, like, the system and efficiency.
And, um, "nothing's
personal," but, like,
[SOBBING]: this is literally personal.
This is our lives and
he's-he's ruining it.
[SNIFFLING]
It was an accident. It was an accident.
Like, like a slip. Like
you said, we slip, but we
[SIGHING]
We fought.
And then he started screaming.
And I just wanted him to stop screaming.
Sorry, Tayiah. Please,
I'm sorry. I love you.
No, it's okay.
- It's my fault, I
- Dumb
You were right not to trust me.
You were just trying to take care of me.
Um yeah. This is my fault.
Tayiah, please. I'm sorry I didn't
Tayiah, please!
Wait, wait, wait! Don't take him away!
[DISSIPATING FOOTSTEPS]
[DOOR OPENING]
What is it they say?
That you're only as
sick as your secrets?
Hmm. Secrets grow in the dark.
And we just have to
shine a light on them.
[THEME SONG]