Wild Cards (2024) s03e08 Episode Script

1
[MAX] Previously on Wild Cards.
- Vivienne?
- [MAX] Where have you been for the past 15 years?
I have been on the
run from Gedeon Varga.
I love Jessica, but it doesn't mean I
should have to choose between her
and my best friend.
- Who are you?
- This is Tomo Hayashi.
You are going to steal us a diamond.
I know how we're going
to get the diamond out.
- How?
- With magic.
♪
[VIVIENNE] Good morning.
That's funny. I didn't
hear the doorbell.
Oh, you really should
get that lock upgraded.
I've got it down to three seconds flat.
Mhm. Ah, coffee. Thank goodness.
I hope it's not that hazelnut nonsense.
We got that French roast that you like.
Question for you. Who is
Dan Vartel?
Oh, this lovely real estate agent I met.
Why is it on my fridge?
Are you looking to buy something?
No. To sell.
- Uh, sugar?
- Left cabinet.
Do you own a property
that I don't know about?
Because if you do, I'm sure the
coffee over there would be really good.
No, it's for you to
sell this pied-à-terre.
You should always have a sale
in place before a big job.
- But this is my home.
- No, it's a trap.
You set down roots and then
you wake up one morning and realize
you've been living next to
the same people for 25 years.
Same faces, same casserole smells,
same tedious book clubs.
That's not freedom, darling.
That is just captivity
with better drapes.
Some people would call
that stability, Mom.
"Stability". That's
just fear wearing pearls.
Trust me, I was born into it.
Family estates, summer homes,
portraits of long dead relatives
staring down at you every dinner.
I gave that all up for your father.
And the thrill of the con.
And I have never once regretted it.
I loved it, too.
But this is my home.
- My life.
- We must be prepared to
leave in a moment's notice,
especially given the
current circumstances.
So give him a call. He's also very cute.
Maybe a sale and a fling
might help ease the transition.
Okay, I'd love to stay and chat,
but I have a police charity event today,
and I have no idea what I'm gonna wear.
Why didn't you tell me?
I have already been in your closet,
but I'm sure we can find something
acceptable for you to wear.
[SIMMONS] All right. You
just make sure that champagne
is chilling by the time we get there.
No, you the man.
Hot dog, Yates.
That fit is fitting.
Thank you.
Had to crush a housewife's toe
just to get it on Black Friday.
Wow. Looking good, Chief.
Thank you. As do you both.
- Standing pants?
- Oh, yeah. Of course.
- Same.
- Standing pants?
Yeah. Trim fit, knife edge crease.
Pants that look great standing up, but
- too tight to sit in comfortably.
- As opposed to sitting pants,
when you're sitting
around working all day.
Oh, well, I just hope that you two
have been practicing
your photo wall poses.
- Bam!
- Watch out now.
Because I've been
practicing mine all week.
I think I might get
discovered tonight, boys.
Yeah. You will.
Well, look what the cat
named Marc dragged in.
You clean up nice, Detective.
Thank you, Yates. Looking good yourself.
- Standing pants?
- Oh, yeah.
Wow. Hello, hot stuff!
Right back at you, baby.
You got wings about yourself ♪
Anyone can see ♪
[MAX] Look at you guys. You're
the best dressed cops in the city.
[LI] Okay, let's get going, kids,
before fashionably late
turns into just late.
See you out front.
That's a beautiful dress.
Thank you.
I've never seen you in a tux before.
It's a rental.
You should keep it. You wear it well.
Maybe I will.
[PHONE RINGS]
Uh, I should take this.
I'll catch up with you?
Okay. I'll see you out there.
Hi, Mr. Vartel.
I'm sorry, Dan. I'm not
ready to sell right now.
I apologize that you were
given this information,
but I'm busy tonight, and tomorrow.
Bye.
[TONI] Heads up. A 911 call
has been routed to the bullpen.
I got it, Toni. Thanks.
- Hello?
- [WOMAN] Hello?
- Is anybody there?
- Yeah, this is Max at the
Metro Police Department.
What's going on?
I've been kidnapped. Please!
Please, you have to help me!
[THEME MUSIC]
- What's your name?
- Veronica Dreskin!
Please, please, you have to help me!
It's a woman named Veronica.
She said she's been kidnapped.
Hey, Veronica?
I have my boss here, Chief Li.
Veronica. This is Chief Patrick Li.
Can you tell me where
you're being held right now?
I don't know.
- I don't know.
- [MAX] It's okay.
Breathe. We're gonna get through this.
[LI] Veronica, I need to get some
information from you so we can help you.
Can you tell me if you
saw your kidnappers?
No. I was walking this
morning on my way to City Hall,
and it started to rain,
so I ducked down the alley
off Sixth to go in the side entrance,
And then this van pulled up
beside me and two men jumped out,
and before I knew it, they
threw a bag over my head.
They threw me in the van
and they zip tied my hands,
which are-which are still bound,
and then they didn't take
the bag off my head until I
until I got into this room.
- [LI] Are you hurt?
- No.
I'm just
- I'm just freaking out.
- [LI] It's okay.
Do you know what time
this happened around?
It was around 8:45 this morning.
Okay. You said you were in a van.
Do you have any idea how
long it was driving for?
Yeah, maybe a half hour, 45 minutes?
Yates. Get a map set up
in the conference room.
Check all the CCTV footage
around the City Hall at that time.
Veronica. Did they say anything?
No, not a peep.
Okay. Where are the Kidnappers now?
I don't know. I heard their footsteps
go down the hall.
- I-I don't think they can hear me.
- They let you keep your cell?
- No.
- How are you calling us?
I built a phone.
I, um I found
a painted over wall cover, and so I-
I was just hoping there'd
be an old phone jack inside,
so I tried to find
something to open it up,
and when I did, there was no phone jack,
But there were these these phone wires.
So all I needed was a
way to hear and be heard.
Every smoke alarm has this,
like, small speaker inside.
So I was able to hook
it up and then I, um,
I tapped out 911 with the
wires and I just prayed
that someone would answer and you did.
You built a phone?
What are you, MacGyver?
I'm a building inspector for the City.
I never thought that would
pay off in an emergency,
- but here we are.
- [LI] Veronica, when they took
the bag off your head, did
you see your kidnappers?
Yeah. There was, um, a
big guy in a ski mask.
Um, he took the bag off
my head, took a picture
with his phone, and then
and then he just left.
Simmons. Get a trace on this.
Find out everything you
can about Veronica Dreskin.
Veronica, do you have any idea
who might have kidnapped you or why?
No. I mean,
it can't be for ransom. We're not rich.
- We?
- My husband, Todd, and I.
- He's middle management.
- [ELLIS] Veronica. This is Detective Ellis.
Are you connected to anybody
who could afford to pay a ransom?
No. My parents are gone,
and my brother's just a mechanic.
Where can we reach your husband?
He works at Groundpin.
It's an HVAC company.
Uh, he's there right now.
- He's-he's got a really big presentation today.
- [ELLIS] Okay.
We'll go track him down.
Veronica.
Can you tell us anything
about the room that you're in?
It's small.
Maybe 300 square feet.
No windows. Seems like a basement.
Maybe an old commercial building.
That's great. What else?
The floors are cracked linoleum.
The door is metal. No handle inside.
Sir. It's ready.
Thank you, Veronica.
Just hold tight a minute.
We're going to map
out our next move here.
- No, no, don't hang up, please!
- We're still here.
We can hear you, okay?
We're not going anywhere.
Come with me. It's gonna
get loud in here in a minute.
I got them to set up
a private area for you.
Me?
Veronica is on that phone.
The conference speaker
is an open channel
to us in the bullpen so
we can talk to each other.
Now, the monitor will allow
you to see exactly what we see.
Stay on with her. Keep her calm.
Get as many details as you can.
I need to go set up the TRT unit.
Are you sure you want
me on the phone with her?
Shouldn't we call in
like a hostage negotiator?
Max, I was sitting on a bomb
and you got me through it.
I can't think of anyone better
to help her through this.
Uh, sir? Wait. Are there any
protocols I should follow, or tips?
Just be yourself.
If you can talk a mark
out of a million dollars,
you can talk her into staying calm.
Max
You got this.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Hi, Veronica, it's Max again.
Hi, Max.
Okay, I'm going to be
on the phone with you
- until we find you, okay?
- Okay. Thank you.
Yates. Tech has the map ready for you.
Great.
- Max.
- Veronica, give me a second.
All right, I'm here. What do you need?
We got the map up. Can you see it?
- Yeah. Got it.
- Okay, great.
We need to narrow down
where she might be.
Okay. Where do we start?
We need her to walk us
through the incident again.
Okay. Sounds, smells, anything.
People can always remember
more than they think they can.
Okay. Putting her on.
Veronica, I have
Detective Yates on with us.
Hi, Veronica.
- Hi.
- [MAX] Okay. Veronica,
you said you were grabbed
in the alley off 6th.
Then you were in the
car for about 45 minutes.
Can you think back to when
you were first in the van?
It's downtown.
Was the road smooth?
Bumpy?
Actually, yeah. Um
the road was smooth, and then
after a couple of minutes,
we turned right and the road got bumpy.
Okay, good. Bumpy,
how? Like speed bumps?
Or maybe a construction zone?
Like construction. Like those, um,
you know those metal plates they
put in the road when they're working.
Wait, that must have
been Carlton Street.
They're-they're um,
working on the sewers there.
How long were you on, Carlton?
Uh, a couple minutes, I think? Uh,
uh, I don't know. And then, um
And then we turned and the
road smoothed out again.
Okay. What else?
I don't know. I don't know. That's it.
Okay, think hard. Close your eyes.
Put yourself back into the
SUV. What can you remember?
Downhill.
Yeah. We went down a steep grade,
- and then the road noise changed.
- Changed how?
The tires made, like,
a-a different sound.
Like we were going over,
like, a metal grid or something.
Wait, I got it. That must
be Monroe Street Bridge.
- Are you sure?
- Yes, yes, it's an open, grate
bridge at the bottom of a hill.
- I go over it all the time.
- The Monroe Street Bridge.
She's going east out of the city.
That went on for a couple
of minutes, and, um
Nothing else stands out.
- Did that help?
- Absolutely. Great work.
- What you got?
- Based on what Veronica has told us,
she's somewhere in the
eastern section of the city, here.
Still a big area, but
better than before.
- Yeah.
- Also, Ellis was able
to track down Todd, Veronica's husband.
Wasn't he at work?
No, he was not.
[TODD] What? Veronica's been kidnapped?
What, you expect us to believe
you have nothing to do with it?
Of course I don't.
So you're saying you haven't
received a ransom call?
No. This is the first I'm
hearing about any of this.
- When did this happen?
- This morning.
You told your wife you
had a big presentation,
and our officers find you at
home in bed with another woman.
- Sheila.
- Convenient timing.
Oh, it's classic. Get your
wife out of the picture,
then you and your mistress
ride off into the sunset.
Nice little payday.
I swear I had nothing to do with it.
- Is she okay?
- For now.
- Thank God.
- Do you have anything that's ransom worthy?
Cash? Expensive art? Rare collectibles?
What? No.
We're gonna need to take
a look at your financials.
Life insurance policies.
We don't have life insurance.
I cancelled our policy months ago.
- Why would you do that?
- I couldn't afford it.
You and your wife have steady jobs, no?
Yeah, but financing a double life
can be pretty expensive, right, Todd?
Listen, I may be a bad husband,
but I have nothing to do
with Veronica being kidnapped.
I swear.
And you have an alibi
this morning? 8:45?
Sheila came to my place at 8:30.
Right after Veronica left.
Do you have any idea who would
want to kidnap Veronica or why?
No clue.
Everyone loves Veronica.
Everyone loves Veronica
except her cheating husband.
Hey, I just spoke to Todd.
He says he was at home at 8:30,
and his mistress can confirm it.
So Todd has an alibi, but he still could
have hired someone
to take out his wife.
I don't know, we just
checked his financials.
[ELLIS] He can barely
afford to put gas in his car.
Well, her husband is bad,
but maybe not kidnap bad.
What should we do with him?
Keep him here. Kidnappers may call him.
All right. I'll let Simmons know.
I'll check in with tech,
see about the phone trace.
What are you gonna tell her, Max?
Well, I'm not gonna tell
her that her husband's
a lying, cheating, dog-breath scumbag.
She's already got enough on her plate.
Yeah. Good call.
Okay.
Hey, Veronica? I'm here.
Hi. Did you get a hold of Todd?
Has there been a ransom call?
Oh, well, we finally located
him, but no ransom call.
He didn't know that
you've been kidnapped.
Wait. So they haven't
even contacted him yet?
I don't-I don't understand.
What's the point of a
kidnapping with no ransom?
Well, that's what we're
trying to work out.
Unless, of course I'm
never getting released.
Don't go there. We're gonna find you.
Okay.
Wait. Max
You said "finally located him".
Those were your words. You said
"finally located him" but I told you
that he was at work for
a big presentation today.
Well, I can find out the details
from the officers that picked him up.
He was with her, wasn't he?
Sheila?
Tell me the truth, please.
Veronica, I'm sorry.
He was with his mistress
while I was being kidnapped.
You knew about her?
[SNIFFS]
Yeah.
Few months back I saw some texts,
but he promised to end it.
[MAX] But he didn't.
We did therapy and all that,
and, I don't know, I guess
some part of me knew
he never ended anything.
You know, the irony is I even
planned us a surprise trip,
hoping we could reconnect.
I guess that was just a
Band-Aid solution for the real problem.
I've just been in denial.
[SNIFFS]
I feel so stupid.
You're not stupid. And
you're not to blame, okay?
Okay, you don't have to say
that just to keep me calm.
I'm not.
Sometimes it feels easier
to just avoid some things altogether.
My whole job is about
finding flaws in buildings.
I couldn't even see the
cracks in my own marriage.
[LI] Max.
Veronica. Hold on.
- Yes, Chief.
- We just heard back from tech.
They can't trace the line.
It's like it doesn't exist.
- Well, how can that be?
- They don't know.
Well, she's a building inspector.
Maybe she will.
Veronica, we're having a
hard time tracing the line
you're calling from.
Our techies say the
number doesn't exist?
Any idea why that might be?
Because it's a ghost line.
What's that?
In abandoned commercial buildings,
the phone numbers drop off
the telecom provider's um, records.
There's no paper trails
or database entry. It's like
it's like the phone version
of ghost in the walls.
Which makes it impossible to trace.
Does that mean you're not gonna find me?
It means we're gonna
have to find another way.
Veronica, this is Detective Ellis.
He's my partner.
Can you think of anybody who
might have a grudge against you?
Honestly, no, I can't. I-
[MAX] Veronica. Breathe.
Take a breath, okay? Think.
Okay. Um
What was the question?
Is there anyone you can think of
who might want to harm you?
Maybe somebody at work?
That's crazy. I-I
can't think of anybody.
I just
Wait a minute.
No. There is a guy. He's, um
He's a real estate developer
with, like, a really scary temper.
He left me a bunch of
threatening voicemails yesterday
I can't believe I didn't
remember that. I-I just
It feels like so long ago.
Okay, you're doing great,
Veronica. What's his name?
[THUD]
- Oh, my God, I hear something.
- [MAX] Veronica?
I hear something. Someone's coming.
- Veronica!
- Veronica.
Are you okay?
If you can hear us, we're still here.
[LINE GOES DEAD]
[ELLIS] Damn it!
Veronica?
Chief, it's been 10 minutes.
- We have to go get her.
- [LI] Max,
we can't call back a ghost line.
Look, I just got off the phone
with Veronica's supervisor, okay?
The building developer
that she was talking about?
His name is Arturo Bianchi.
Some glorified slumlord with mob ties.
Go talk to him. I'll get Simmons to run
a background check on Bianchi for you.
What if we lost her? What
if they already got her?
Max, we don't have enough
information to panic yet.
Well, that's never stopped me before.
We're doing everything that we can.
Let's just focus on what we can control.
- [MAX] Okay.
- TRT are prepped and ready
- when you have a location.
- I'll update them.
Max, stay on the phone.
You're the voice that
she's gonna wanna hear
as soon as she gets back online.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I appreciate you dressing
up for me, Detective,
- but I only got five minutes.
- Mr. Bianchi.
I hear you recently clashed
with a Veronica Dreskin?
Of course I did. I'm a developer.
And " Sherlock Holmes inspector"
is costing me millions.
How's she doing that?
Well, she loves to spot
the tiniest little details
other people don't even notice.
Which makes her a real pain in my ass.
All her code violations
are going to set me
back at least a month.
You know what that's going to cost?
Sounds to me like she's good at her job.
Uh-uh. Other inspectors,
they understand the big picture.
They know I got deadlines.
Veronica is always nitpicking.
Veronica's been kidnapped.
Whoa.
- You're kidding, right?
- No.
You think I had
something to do with that?
Well, you did threaten her when
she wouldn't drop the violations.
Well, yeah, I was angry,
but that's just how we talk.
You ever worked a construction site?
Look, I didn't do anything
crazy I'm a businessman.
Where were you this
morning at 8:15 a.m.?
I was here. I've been
here since sunrise.
Ask anyone.
I'll need a list of all your
properties that have basements.
Yeah, not a problem.
Veronica. She's a pain,
but she's a smart lady.
I respect that, so
whatever I can do to help.
Thanks for your time.
[TONI] Max?
We got her back. 911
is patching her through.
Veronica?
- I'm okay.
- Oh. What happened? Did they hurt you?
No. They just brought me food.
- Food?
- Yeah, he just handed it to me and left.
That's a good sign, right?
Maybe they won't kill me.
Veronica? It's Detective Yates again.
Can you tell us more about
the food and be detailed?
Yeah. It's, uh
It's a cheeseburger and
fries from The Golden Bun.
Were the fries curly or straight cut?
Yates. What are you doing?
Their curly fries are to die for, sir.
- Not you, Veronica.
- [MAX] I think Yates
is on to something.
Are the fries still hot?
Yeah, yeah, they're still warm.
Yates. She's gotta be near a Golden Bun.
Mhm.
Okay. There are 25 Golden
Bun locations in the city,
but we know she's in the
eastern section of the city,
so that cuts the number
down to 15 locations.
And if Veronica is right,
and she did go over the
Monroe Street Bridge,
we can eliminate these five locations.
- Leaving 10 locations.
- Mm-hmm.
And warm fries means that she's
within five minutes of one of them.
Toni!
The kidnappers picked up an order
of a cheeseburger and fries,
and Veronica's line dropped.
We need to figure out which Golden Bun
took that exact order within
that specific time frame.
- You got it, Chief.
- [YATES] Toni.
Pick me up a number five, would you?
Extra pickles and cheese.
Get yourself something, too.
Thanks.
I haven't had a burger in over a year.
- Why not?
- Todd was really into clean eating,
healthy habits and I was
just trying to be supportive,
But from now on, I'm eating
whatever the hell I want.
Fries before guys.
- Amen, sister.
- Oh, hold on, Veronica.
[PHONE RINGS]
Please have some good news.
[ELLIS] Bianchi's alibi holds up.
None of the properties he owns
match the kind of building
Veronica is being held in.
Okay, well, what about
the threatening voicemails?
Apparently, she's relentless about
finding even the
smallest code violations.
All the builders call
her "Sherlock Homes".
You know, spelled like H.O.M.E.S.
I get it.
Boys are so lame.
Bottom line, Bianchi's a dead end.
Maybe not. I'll call you back.
- [MAX] Veronica?
- Still here.
- Any leads?
- Just your nickname.
Oh, you mean "Sherlock Homes"?
Spelled H.O.M.E.S.
You make these idiots lives miserable
by focusing on the tiny details, right?
Proudly, yes.
So put that funny hat on
with the ear flaps, okay?
Look around the room.
What do you see? Take your time.
Stare and tell me the story.
[SIGHS]
Uh
Okay. The ceiling
is panelled, probably suspended,
which is normal for
a commercial building.
The door frame is wide, which
means cinder block masonry.
There's a metal beam on the wall,
which, uh, is non-combustible.
It means this building is
probably more than six floors.
Okay. That's good. What else?
Rockwool. It's, uh
it's been re-insulated.
- How do you know?
- The insulation doesn't look degraded.
It means it was probably insulated
with asbestos, initially.
Is someone coming?
Whoever approves the removal of asbestos
is supposed to leave a
tag right at the edge here.
[METAL CLANGS]
That's the building inspector's ID.
The date is faded, but the year is 1998.
- Okay, can we look this up?
- It'll be in the records
- at City Hall.
- Okay.
That's amazing, Veronica.
I hear something.
What is it?
[MAN'S VOICE] Help!
[MAN'S VOICE] Please,
help! Help! Anybody!
Help! Help!
It's a man's voice
coming from the next room.
[MAN'S VOICE] Hey somebody!
Come help me, please!
He's yelling for help.
- [LOUD THUD]
- [GASPS]
They're coming.
Don't hang up! Okay?
[MAN'S VOICE] Where are you taking me?
Where are we going?
Please don't! Stop! Stop!
Don't hurt me! Please!
Max! Max, do you hear that?
They're holding somebody else here.
What does that mean? What do they want?
I don't know. Hang on.
- Chief?
- I heard.
Seems like we're dealing
with two kidnappings.
- Chief.
- Yeah.
So two people were kidnapped?
It seems like it.
Sounded like the other
person there was being moved.
Another hostage makes the no
ransom thing even weirder, no?
Simmons, look into reports
for the last 24 hours.
Let's make sure another kidnapping
or missing persons report
didn't get lost in the shuffle.
I'm on it right now.
You and you. Let's go. You're with me.
The Golden Bun's a dead end.
Hundreds of that exact meal were ordered
during the time frame
at those locations.
- Of course.
- We're gathering all their CCTV footage,
- but it's going to take hours.
- Damn it.
Thank you, Toni.
[VERONICA] What if I'm next?
Remember what I said. Don't go there.
You have big things to do,
like dump your sleazebag husband.
True.
I have an idea. Let's
play the alphabet game.
- What's that?
- We
go through the alphabet
one letter at a time.
I'll name something, and then you go.
I can definitely think of
a word that starts with a B.
Maybe we'll start with C.
On second thought, let's
go straight to D. Doughnut.
[SIGHS]
- Deception.
- Elephant.
Extensions. The cheap kind.
- Frog.
- Fake. Like her tan.
I'm sensing a theme here.
I know what you're doing, Max,
and I really appreciate it.
You have no idea what
it means to me to have
your voice on the end of this line.
You tell me in person when
you get out of there, okay?
I hope so.
[SOBS]
Okay. Where were we?
[VERONICA SIGHS]
The letter G.
- Guacamole.
- Gold digger.
- Hamster.
- Home-wrecker.
Chief, we've got ourselves
another kidnapping.
- Came in this morning.
- Talk to me.
All right. Name's Ramon Alvarez.
Witness says he was
snatched in broad daylight,
thrown in a vehicle
just outside his house.
Another black SUV?
Yeah, you guessed it, another
black SUV. Vanier Park.
How is this not on our radar?
Uniform went out, did a knock and talk.
His husband said there must be a mix up.
Ramon is just fine.
Sounded a little too
sure, if you ask me.
Call Ellis.
Tell him we need Ramon's
statement in person.
Hey, Chief.
We traced the inspector's I.D. number
from the asbestos-free tag.
He approved 36 buildings
in the city in 1998.
- How many in our zone?
- Twenty.
Tell Yates to get this up on the map.
- [MAX] Zebra.
- [VERONICA] Zipper.
[VERONICA] If only he'd kept his closed.
- Max?
- Veronica, hold on a second.
[LI] There has been a second abduction.
Ellis is following up,
and we've narrowed the
buildings down to about 20.
So let's try and get some more details.
Veronica, I have my chief here.
[LI] Veronica? All the
information you've give us
thus far has been a great help.
And we are getting closer.
Now, you mentioned that you're
in a commercial building.
How do you know this?
[VERONICA] Because of the
cinder block, primarily.
Cinder block like this
isn't normally used
for residential homes.
That's great. Anything else?
[VERONICA] Yeah. The mortaring.
These cinder blocks have
thick, irregular joints,
so the building's probably old.
Probably older than 1950, when
the mortaring style changed.
Okay, fantastic.
[VERONICA] You can call
the Public Works Department
and get a city engineer that
can help narrow that down.
Copy that. Thank you.
Nice work, Veronica.
Do you think it helped?
I know it did.
Hi. Detective Ellis. Metro P.D.
- I was hoping to speak with Ramon today.
- That's my husband.
I have some questions
about an abduction report.
Ramon!
Ramon, this is Detective Ellis.
He's here about the
whole kidnapping thing.
Oh. [LAUGHS]
Well, here I am, not kidnapped.
I'm very glad to see that.
Sorry you were sent
on a wild goose chase.
Your neighbour, Dorothy Banks,
reported that a black SUV
pulled up in front of your house,
Ramon was dragged inside,
and then it sped away.
Do you have any idea why she would have
made up such an elaborate
and specific claim?
- Dorothy is like 90.
- Yeah.
She calls 911 more times
than she calls her family.
I mean, she once accused me of
stealing pound cakes from her freezer.
Turns out she was sleep eating.
All right, well, I just
have to ask for our records.
Where were you both
when Mrs. Banks reported the kidnapping?
Oh, I was working in my home office,
and Landon was at the stadium.
I got home less than an hour ago.
I'm a relief pitcher for the Heat Wave.
He's converted ten straight saves.
Go Heat Wave!
Well, thanks for your time, gentlemen.
- Yeah.
- Appreciate it.
Yeah.
[ELLIS] They're lying.
Landon and Ramon say nothing happened,
but the marks on Ramon's
wrists tell a different story.
They look like zip tie marks.
[LI] Veronica's wrists
are still zip tied.
Now, why would Ramon and his husband
lie about him getting kidnapped?
[ELLIS] Because they're
hiding something.
I just found something
that can prove it.
[ELLIS] We got this
from your neighbour's
doorbell camera this morning.
Why did you lie to me
about the kidnapping?
I promised Landon I
wouldn't say anything.
What, has he got
something to do with this?
No.
I mean, it's complicated.
The kidnappers took me to get to him.
And when he did what they
said, they brought me back home.
What do you mean, he did what they said?
I'm sorry. I can't tell you.
If the truth ever came out,
it would ruin his career.
You do realize obstructing justice
can also ruin your career, right?
After the kidnappers took Ramon,
they called me with instructions.
All right. Which were?
Do you know anything about baseball?
More of a football guy myself.
I'm a relief pitcher.
I throw one, maybe two
innings a game, tops.
The kidnappers told me
that during my inning,
my first pitch had to go into the dirt.
My second had to be a fastball.
My third had to be a curveball,
and my fourth had to be sinker.
All right. Why such specific pitches?
They must have been fixing a micro-bet.
What is that?
Ramon's kidnapping wasn't about ransom.
It's a sports bet hustle.
Not just any regular game fixing.
Micro-betting.
- Explain.
- It's not like traditional betting
where you're betting on wins and losses.
Instead, you're betting on
a specific moment of a game.
Yeah. Like betting on how
many times a tennis player
would bounce the ball
before he serves it.
Or each pitch of an
inning, like Landon did.
The kidnappers told Landon
which pitches he had
to throw in the game.
So he did what they said,
and then they released Ramon.
Yeah.
- Max?
- [MAX] Oh, hold on, Veronica.
No, no, no, don't mute me.
Veronica. Do you know
anyone in pro sports?
- No.
- It could be anyone even remotely related.
A ball boy, a caddy, anyone.
My brother, Freddy.
He's on Justin Allgaier's pit crew
for the NASCAR O'Reilly series.
[ROCK MUSIC]
[ANNOUNCER] Former
champion Justin Allgaier.
Justin, what would you
say to the other drivers
on the track today that
are competing against you?
Yeah, I mean, they're going to
have a tough road ahead of them.
You know, I think that this
is going to be a big battle.
We're excited, We're
ready for the challenge,
and we'll see what happens.
[ENGINES RACING]
[PHONE RINGING]
- Yeah.
- Freddy, this is Chief Patrick Li
from the Metropolitan
Police. Listen very carefully.
We know your sister
Veronica has been kidnapped,
and we think the abductors
have contacted you.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Listen, Freddy, this
is Detective Ellis here.
Now, I know you're scared, and I know
I'm just a voice on the phone,
but we are trying to save
your sister, and we're
running out of time.
If you want to see her again,
you're gonna have to help us.
Have they contacted you to fix the race?
Uh, yes, they have.
Is she-is she okay?
[LI] Yes, but we need to
find her as soon as possible.
Now, tell me exactly
what they told you to do.
We've been making tire stops all day.
They don't usually last
longer than 15 seconds,
but they told me to slow it down
by at least a second each time.
- And you've been complying?
- Of course.
- I can't let them hurt her.
- Of course.
You're doing great, Freddy.
Get the race up on our monitor.
They told me this next stop
needs to be two seconds slower.
That ain't gonna be easy.
Just do exactly what they say, Freddy.
Yeah. I'll do whatever it takes.
[CREW CHIEF] Crew stability.
You're losing time on turn four exit.
[JUSTIN] Ten-four, man. Pit this time.
Right side only, guys. Nice and easy.
We can't lose anything this stop.
[ENGINES RACING]
I gotta go. Justin's
coming in for a stop.
- Let's go.
- Okay.
[ANNOUNCER] And it is one heck of a race
we have tonight, folks.
Allgaier's coming into the pit.
The 88 car hot on his tail.
Allgaier's pit has a very
tight turnaround here.
They need to get it back
out there immediately.
Time is of the essence.
And what an unbelievable race
we have here today, folks.
This is neck and neck competition.
Oh, and he dropped a
lug nut in the stop.
That's gonna cost him two seconds.
Justin's crew chief gotta be
sweating something awful right now.
Good job, Freddy.
[ELLIS] It's a parlay.
Pardon?
It's a series of micro bets.
Could be one game, could be multiple
across different sports.
If you hit on all of your bets,
you're walking away with a huge payday.
How huge?
The odds of you hitting on
every one of your micro-bets
is astronomical.
It's like betting on every shot
in a championship game
and getting them all right.
Simmons and I ran an estimate,
and if you were to bet $10,000,
say, on Landon's pitches,
and on top of that, you correctly picked
the timing from every
one of Justin's pit stops,
- The payout is
- [YATES] Over ten mil?
I'm starting to think crime does pay.
I have a city engineer.
Yates, take that.
[PHONE RINGING]
Freddy.
I just got benched.
That dropped lugnut was our last chance.
You got to get back in there, Freddy.
Hey. What happened?
They just kicked Freddy out of the pit.
We're down under 100 laps.
That means there's
only one pit stop left.
Freddy, how long till the next stop?
Uh, about an hour.
He says about an hour.
Which means we've only got
an hour to save Veronica.
[ANNOUNCER] 97 laps to go here.
it's been a hell of a race.
Each team will need one more pit stop.
Freddy, you got to get
back into the pit crew.
Security won't let me through!
I got into it with my crew chief.
They tossed me off the track.
Let me talk to your boss.
I can't even get through
until the race is over!
[YATES] We got something.
Freddy. I'm gonna put you on mute.
I'm still here. Hang tight.
I talked to the city engineer,
cross-referencing all
the parameters we have.
He narrowed down the commercial
buildings that were built
with cinder block in the mortar style
that Veronica talked about.
That leaves eight possible
buildings where she could be.
How many laps left in the race?
- Ninety-five!
- An average of 45 seconds a lap.
2,660 seconds. 45 minutes.
What?
I'm extra good at math when I'm hungry.
That doesn't give our
TRT unit enough time
to check out all these buildings.
Where's the team right now?
[YATES] Here. They should
be entering any minute.
Okay. Instruct TRT to focus
on these five buildings.
Now, we're close enough
to this section here.
I'll hit these three buildings.
They're never going to be
able to make it there in time.
Copy that. Take Simmons with you.
Okay. Let's get suited up, Simmons.
I'll meet you at the car in five.
TRT, this is Yates.
- What if they hurt my brother?
- [MAX] They won't.
He's at the track. He's safe.
I can't imagine how scared
he's been this whole time.
Are you two close?
Yeah. We've always been
close. He's my little brother.
If I don't get out of here, he
is never gonna forgive himself.
You're amazing.
What do you mean?
Well, here you are,
kidnapped, alone and scared,
and all you're thinking about
is how this is affecting your brother.
You're a good person.
[ELLIS] Max?
Give me a sec, Veronica.
Hey, where are we with everything?
We've narrowed down
the list of buildings,
but we only have 45 minutes left.
Okay, what about her brother?
He just got kicked out of the pit crew.
Oh, jeez.
- Just don't tell her that.
- I won't.
Look, I gotta go, but I-I just
wanted to come here and tell you that
Veronica's really lucky that
you picked up the phone today.
- Gotta go.
- Hey, Ellis?
- Yeah?
- You have to find her.
Please.
Sorry about that.
Is everything okay?
Yeah. My partner is out
there looking for you.
And trust me, there is
no one I believe in more
to save the day than him.
Well, if you think that about
him, he must be a special guy.
He is.
Okay. All of this
is reminding me of a funny story.
It's summer of 2016
and I'm in a hotel in
Marrakesh with a belly dancer
and three drunk spider monkeys.
And the elevator gets stuck.
Oh, and let me tell you, drunk
spider monkeys do not like
So yes, maybe it was a petty
reason to end a relationship,
but maple syrup on popcorn?
I-I need a man, not Buddy the Elf, okay?
Veronica?
Are you there?
- I'm here.
- Did I put you to sleep?
No.
I've just been thinking.
Why would they let me go?
You know the other
person you heard in there?
They let him go.
- They did?
- Yep.
He's safe and sound.
Okay, great.
- [PHONE DINGS]
- [YATES] One more down, Chief.
Ellis and Simmons just texted.
The first building on
their list is empty.
They're on to the next.
[HEAVY FOOTSTEPS]
I hear something.
They're coming! They're coming!
I have to hide the
phone. Stay quiet, Max.
[INTENSE MUSIC]
Move.
[VERONICA] Please don't do this!
[MAN] Hey. Smile.
[FREDDY] Chief Li? Are you there?
Freddy, I'm right here.
I'm getting a call.
I think it's the
kidnappers. What should I do?
Okay. Conference them in so I can hear,
then answer it.
Hello?
Check your phone, Freddy.
I'm sending you a picture.
Just a reminder.
Only one more pit stop
and she can go home, as long
as you hold up on your end.
They kicked me out of the
pit for slowing things down!
You better find a way back in there,
or your sister dies.
- Yates, where's Ellis?
- I got him right here. Hang on.
Ellis, where are you?
[ELLIS] Yeah, the
first building's empty.
TRT is doing their
part, but we still got
two more buildings to clear.
How many laps until he
comes in for a pit stop?
- How many laps until the pit stop?
- I don't know! No more than 20.
- Twenty laps.
- That's not enough time to check both buildings.
- Well, we gotta choose one.
- Yeah? Which one?
[MUSIC INTENSIFIES]
Please. You don't have to do this.
You could just let me go.
Please. I promise I won't say anything.
If your brother comes
through, you'll be going home.
- If not
- Please don't do this.
Stay quiet until the race is over.
Please don't do this. I don't want
to end up a newspaper headline.
I said shut up!
[VERONICA] No.
Max, we need to make a choice.
[ANNOUNCER] Allgaier's gonna
come in to pit on the next lap.
They're coming in for the pit stop.
I know where she is.
[ENGINES RACING]
This is it. They call it a stop.
Your brother's got one last
chance to fix the big time.
He's been pulled. There's no way.
Then he better find a way.
[MAN] Guess we'll see
how much he loves you.
[ENGINES RACING]
[JUSTIN] All right, let's go!
[DRILLS WHIRRING]
[CREW CHIEF] Nicely done! Let's go!
[ANNOUNCER] 6.7 seconds!
A great stop for the crew
and sends Allgaier back out
Son of a bitch!
Your brother just killed you.
No! Please!
[VERONICA] Please!
No! Please don't shoot me!
[VERONICA] No! Please!
[ELLIS] Drop the weapon!
- [SIMMONS] Get down!
- [GUNSHOTS]
Ellis, please!
[ELLIS] We got her. She's okay.
Oh. Thank God.
[SIGHS OF RELIEF]
Freddy, we got her. Your sister's safe.
[APPLAUSE]
[ENGINES RACING]
[ANNOUNCER] Justin has managed
to fight his way to only
a half car length behind the leader.
He's going for it!
He dives low, snags the bottom groove,
makes the pass, and he wins it!
An unbelievable come-from-
behind win for Justin Allgaier!
Sorry. I just really
needed to hug someone.
It's okay, I get it.
[EXHALES]
[KIDNAPPER GROANS]
You're safe now. It's over.
Is this the phone you made?
Yeah.
- Impressive.
- It worked in a pinch.
If you're up for it,
I think there's somebody
who'd like to meet you.
[YATES] Hell of a day.
You can say that again.
You all right, Chief?
Just getting old, Max.
- Max?
- Veronica?
I'm not hallucinating,
right? You're real?
I I don't know how to thank you.
No need to thank me.
Just so you know, we're
gonna be besties now.
Obviously. Mani-pedis, stat.
[MAX LAUGHS] Agreed.
So how'd you guys figure out
where Veronica was, anyway?
Well, the last time the kidnappers came,
they left the door open a crack.
I looked down the hall and
I saw the printing presses.
And when I heard her
mention that she was gonna be
a newspaper headline, I knew
that she was giving me a clue
that she was in the old
City Gazette printing plant.
I was hoping you'd pick up on that.
Veronica? Your husband
is still in holding.
Well, we can keep him for 24
hours if you want to make him sweat.
As much as I would enjoy that,
I don't want to waste one more second.
Bring me to that scumbag.
Toni, let's take care of her.
Will do, Chief.
Thank you.
Listen up everyone.
Today we did what we trained for.
And then some.
Max, you kept Veronica calm,
and you stayed the course.
At one point, you talked
to me about protocol.
- Wait, Max did that?
- Yeah.
Really proud of all the
hard work we did today.
Working together. The
handoffs were seamless.
- It was like
- A pit crew.
All right, well, we're
still in our swanky duds.
So someone say drinks,
let's say karaoke.
I'm thinking Spice Girls.
Yates, you're Baby Spice.
Yeah. This baby needs
chicken pot pie and bed.
And not necessarily in that order.
Well, I'm Scary Spice, and I really,
really, really want to go home.
Sorry. I gotta get the
hell out of these pants.
Something tells me you don't
know Mel C's rap from Wannabe.
- 'Fraid not.
- [LIGHT PUNCH]
- Ow!
- How dare you scare me like that?
I had it all under control, okay?
I promise.
Can I give you a ride?
No. I have way too much
adrenaline from today.
And I don't want this
dress to go to waste.
So I guess I'll just
go to karaoke on my own.
Okay. Knock em dead.
Send me a video.
[SLOW MUSIC TEMPO]
And things got ugly ♪
[VOICEMAIL] Hi, darling. It's mom.
So, Dan, the real
estate agent, called me
and I told him you'd reconsider
Ellis, wait! I'll take
that ride after all.
Mom, are you here?
I think we need to talk about
[VIVIENNE] We have company, honey.
Hello, Max.
To what do we owe the honour?
Oh, I just dropped by to make
sure everything is on track.
As you know, the clock is ticking.
I told Mr. Hayashi everything is fine.
Indeed. Couldn't be better.
Tickety-boo.
Nothing to worry about.
Oh, I'm not the one
who should be worried.
Need I remind you,
failure is not an option.
At least not one I'd recommend.
I save like you was my life ♪
But I couldn't have fallen ♪
We got this. Right?
- Of course.
- Yeah.
Okay. Because if we make
one wrong move, we're dead.
And so is everybody else we love.
I succumb to the pressure ♪
Begin German lesson for today.
[RECORDING] Lesson 14:
Expanding Vocabulary.
Listen first, then repeat.
My uncle suffers from
gout, but dances anyway.
Mein Onkel leidet an
Gicht, tanzt aber trotzdem.
Mein Onkel leidet an
Gicht, tanzt aber trotzdem.
Very good.
Danke. Next.
The miller's ox has an open sore.
Der Müllerochse hat eine offene Wunde.
Der Müllerochse hat eine offene Wunde.
Very good.
No, it's perfect.
Wunderbar. Next.
The angry monk has hidden
the sausage in the piano.
Oh.
I'll just bet he has.
I took a zig and a zag ♪
And things got ugly ♪
I grew numb to the pressure ♪
I succumbed to the pressure ♪
You can break ♪
From the pressure ♪
You can ♪