Cold Case s03e01 Episode Script

Family

Congratulations, Jimmy.
Hey, Mr.
Wyatt, thanks.
Even though you tanked my final, you held onto your B.
Well, I've had a lot of stuff on my mind.
Math kind of took a backseat.
Jimmy! You haven't signed my yearbook yet.
- I'll do it later.
- I'm saving page 26 for you.
There's a candid of us in chemistry lab.
We have our goggles on, but you can definitely tell it's us.
Yeah? Cool.
Hey, Jimmy, what do you say, huh? Coach.
You look weird in a suit.
Hey, tell me about it.
I feel like I'm at a funeral.
And I am, in a way, losing my star runner.
My loss, Villanova's gain, right? Excuse me, coach.
- Quinn.
- It's time.
Hi.
- Hi.
You got a lighter? Can't smoke in here.
- Morning.
- Hey, Lil.
You know Lindsey Dunlay, child services? Since tenth grade.
Is she one of yours? Yeah.
Claire Tate.
17.
Knows everything, hates everyone.
Great kid.
Her dad was killed in 1988.
Grad night.
Adams high.
- Was he a teacher? - A student.
His girlfriend was pregnant.
Had the baby that night.
Which, in the wisdom of teenagers, they left in a trash can.
Claire was that baby? Jimmy was hit by a car that same night.
They never found the driver.
We got new direction? Claire was approached by a man yesterday, talking about his murder.
Can I smoke on that balcony? Answer a few questions first.
Can you describe the guy you met, Claire? He was old.
He drove a white van.
Old like 30 or old like 60? In between.
And this was at your school? - Yeah.
He pulls up, wants to talk to me.
Says, "I know who killed Jimmy.
" Meaning your dad.
But, when I said that, he says, "Jimmy wasn't your dad.
I was.
" Did you get a name, Claire? A license plate? One of the teachers came out and chased him away.
He was probably lying.
We'll find out.
Can I go smoke now? You shouldn't.
Who you gonna tell? My parents? Got an edge, huh? - Yeah.
We'll have uniforms in the area watch out for a white van.
There was one more thing.
What's that? Before he drove off, he said he'd be coming back for me.
Read about George's burial? No one there but the grave diggers.
Ask me, potter's field is too good for his bones.
So did you guys hear about the parachuter? No.
Sutton.
You going to elaborate? A girl, coming to homicide.
Parachuting in from northeast detectives.
What's her inside drag? Dad was Tommy Sutton.
Died on the job.
'81.
Shot in a traffic stop.
Yeah.
So who's goinna say no to a fallen hero's daughter wanting to come to homicide? Gil Sherman worked northeast.
Maybe he knows her.
Already asked.
Said she's a looker.
Can't hold that against her.
You can if she throws it around.
Who says she does that? Word I hear, some type of scandal involving her sergeant.
Sexual nature.
That's ill-advised.
I got a sixth sense on this.
This girl's gonna be trouble.
Jimmy Tate, 18.
Graduated June 11, 1988 killed outside the school that night.
- Hit and run.
Theory was some drunk kid did it, never came forward.
Jimmy's girlfriend, Quinn Ellis, gave birth at the party that night, then left the baby in a trash bin.
Did two years for reckless endangerment.
Lost custody, never bounced back.
She's been in and out of trouble ever since.
Lives in a halfway house in Fairmont.
Was she a suspect? No license, no car.
She was picked up a few hours later walking along the parkway in a daze.
A partial tire impression at the scene was I.
D'd as a Firestone, new tread.
A fairly common brand, but it's something.
So who's this guy coming around now telling Claire he's her dad? Maybe just a crank.
Someone wants to mess with her mind.
As if being thrown away by her parents didn't do that.
I do needlepoint because I don't know how to knit.
Me neither.
I'm not too good with skills.
So, Quinn, we're looking back into Jimmy's hit-and-run.
That night just about sunk me.
Losing Jimmy? And the baby.
Yeah, but losing her was voluntary.
It was a bad decision.
Tell us about it.
Well, I had her in a stall in the girl's bathroom.
Tough place to give birth? You know what though? It wasn't too bad.
It wasn't easy or anything, but I handled it.
So why ditch her in the trash? I was 18 and dumb.
Just couldn't think of anything else right then.
And Jimmy was? Gone.
Right after she was born.
Quinn, Claire was approached yesterday by a guy that claimed he's her dad.
That's crazy.
That's mean and crazy.
Anyone you can think of would say that? - No.
Jimmy was my one and only.
To this day, he was the best thing that ever happened to me.
So how did it go wrong? Getting pregnant messed us up.
Sine, opposite over hypotenuse.
Cosine, adjacent over hypotenuse.
Can you meet me tonight? No.
My parents.
Jimmy! Quinn! My way or the hallway.
Dork, huh? Hey, what's wrong? Nothing.
- Don't tell me nothing.
You're crying.
I'm scared you'll hate me.
- Quinn.
You know how I haven't been feeling that good? Well, it turns out I'm pregnant.
- Are you sure? - Yeah.
Did you take one of those Home tests? Yeah.
It was blue.
It was just that one weekend.
We need to fix it.
Yeah.
We'll take care of it.
But we didn't really take care of it.
Time got away from us and we had her.
How about leaving her at a hospital? A church? That would have been better.
Yeah, I found that baby.
It was a head trip.
So how did you happen to be looking in the trash that night? I was drunk, weaving down the hall, and there was this cry from the closet.
I thought I was hearing things.
But, no, it was a real live baby.
See anyone around? I ran back to the party, told everyone.
Got around real quick it was Jimmy and Quinn's.
Did people know Quinn was pregnant? - No.
Well, most people, anyway.
But you did? Well, I happened to be in the nurse's office one day when Jimmy came in.
Jimmy.
- That ankle acting up? - Oh, no.
It's better.
So what can I do for you? Well, um I'm in a situation with my girlfriend.
Yes? She's, uh you know, pregnant.
I borrowed some money, $200.
We want to take care of it.
I just don't know where to go.
I see.
Well, first of all, it costs more like $900.
And you'd both need parental consent.
We can't.
And you know, Quinn would never be able to have children again.
- No.
I I didn't know that.
I have some photos you should see.
Can you imagine having your legs and arms broken, and then suctioned away? Huh? - You'd probably scream, just like the babies do.
I thought if it was early, it was easy.
Murder isn't easy.
Well I guess Thanks, nurse Laura.
So this nurse had an agenda.
Nut job.
Jimmy come from money? His dad left them early.
Mom was a sometimes waitress.
So how do you figure he got the 200 bucks? He was on the track team, had kind of an extra close relationship with the coach.
You got a name? Bruce something.
You know, I could find it in my yearbook.
Call you.
It turns out this school nurse was big into operation choose life in '88.
And built up a sheet doing it.
Laura Graham, three arrests.
'86, assaulted a patient going into a clinic.
Same year, broke windows at a doctor's office.
Strange extracurriculars for a school nurse.
And my personal favorite, after his shift at a woman's health center.
In her caddy Cimarron.
Firestone tires? Just like the car that killed Jimmy.
Lieutenant Stillman? I'm Josie Sutton.
- Nice to meet you.
- You, too.
I'm really glad to be here.
I knew your dad.
I was at his funeral.
All I remember about the funeral were the gunshots.
They scared me, and in retrospect, seem kind of inappropriate.
Sit down.
How'd you like it at northeast? It was fine.
Look, I'm sure you know the rumors going around about sergeant White and you.
- Yeah.
Now, I don't need to know what happened.
- No.
I just don't want trouble here.
Me neither.
Fair enough.
Hey, boss.
Scotty Valens.
Detective Sutton.
Hi.
Josie.
Uh, from northeast? - Yeah.
Yeah, we heard you were coming.
- Uh - congratulations.
- Thanks.
Did you find that track coach? Wasn't at his last known.
Guess his wife tossed him.
Going to his workplace now.
Why don't you take Sutton with you? Yeah.
Sure.
So two scared kids want to end their pregnancy, but you had other plans for them.
I counseled Jimmy.
No, you lied to him.
You showed him gruesome photos.
I thought he should see what they do at the killing mills.
Oh, bite me.
We hear Quinn never looked pregnant.
So, maybe, by June, you thought they'd gone against your advice.
- No.
Maybe now you wanted to punish Jimmy? And we know your cadillac's your weapon of choice.
I got through to Jimmy.
Right after the holidays, he asked for the name of an obstetrician.
So, you see, there was no need for punishment.
Excuse me.
Claire, don't you have school right now? Just American history.
Who cares? You want your diploma, Claire.
I don't like school.
So why are you here? He came back.
The guy in the van? Yeah, asked me to go with him.
You get a good look this time? Yeah.
We talked.
Said we should have dinner, father-daughter.
Claire, he could be dangerous.
- He was nice.
- Well, I need to talk to him.
Did you get a name? - No.
Look, I saw your mom yesterday.
- So? She asked about you.
Why do I care? She'd like to see you.
No, thanks.
Bruce Johnson.
Yeah? - We're here to talk about Jimmy Tate.
Jimmy Tate? Great kid, personality plus.
We hear you were kind of a father figure to him.
Yeah.
Yeah, I was.
He didn't have a real dad, and his mom didn't exactly pick up the slack.
Something wrong with her? Nice lady.
Just couldn't handle the basics, you know? Wounded bird type.
So when Jimmy got into trouble with Quinn Another wounded bird.
You gave him the 200 bucks for the abortion? Yeah.
I didn't want to see him throw his life away.
Obviously, he disagreed.
Why do you say that? Because he returned the money.
Because now they were gonna keep the baby? Never mind a future in track, a free ride to Villanova, he figured let me get married at 18 instead.
I'm guessing you tried to talk him out of it.
Yeah, it fell to me to show him the light about the girl.
Keep the money.
Don't be crazy.
We're gonna have it.
Jimmy, that's a big mistake.
No.
We'll be a family.
Earlier than I ever thought but What about the track scholarship? Maybe in a year or two Won't happen.
Your time is now.
I have to think of Quinn.
Look, kid I hate to say this but, uh, are you sure it's yours? - Huh? I've seen her with other guys, when you're not around.
Talking, maybe.
- No.
Not just talking.
I'm sorry.
But maybe it's not your mistake at all.
So Quinn had other boyfriends? I don't know if I'd call them boyfriends.
She made the rounds.
Was this something you knew or just your opinion? She was oversexed, okay? But how do you know? Some girls just put it on the glass.
And you think this is relevant somehow to Jimmy getting killed? - Yeah, I do.
Because what if he wised up, huh? What if he told Quinn to beat it? And what if, in a female rage, with a baby and no man, she just went out and mowed Jimmy down? Jimmy was your one and only, huh, Quinn? Like I said.
That ain't what I'm hearing from his old coach.
Why are you talking to him? Quinn, I'm busy, and you're wasting my time! I don't know what you mean.
I mean if you had multiple boyfriends, I got multiple suspects.
I didn't.
No? The coach is making that up? Hey, Quinn your daughter is being stalked by some freak who says he's her dad.
Now I know you didn't give a crap about her when you were 18, because you wanted your young, fun life, and a crying baby's a real buzz kill.
- That's mean.
- But you were 18 then.
How about being an adult now, and owning up? What do you want to know? Were there other guys? One.
How'd you get out of swimming? I said I had my period.
We wish.
I didn't want this either, Jimmy.
I know, I know.
I I was just joking.
I thought we were gonna be happy about it.
We are.
I'm just hearing things.
Like what? Maybe I'm not your only guy.
- Who said that? - Coach Johnson.
Coach Johnson's a jerk.
He's a teacher.
He wouldn't lie.
I went to the locker room one time.
And he was in the office.
He said he, he liked me, and that I was pretty, and he started touching me.
I just, I just kind of froze, Jimmy.
No.
No! It was over really quick.
I don't believe this.
I couldn't either.
I don't believe you! It's true.
I I don't think we can be together anymore.
Jimmy.
If I can't trust you But I didn't want to.
It's over.
God, what about the baby? I'll think of something.
So he broke it off? We weren't gonna raise the baby together anymore.
What were you gonna do? Jimmy came up with another plan.
Found someone to take her.
Who? I don't know.
That night in the bathroom, he just said "it's all over," and went to get them.
You sure you didn't go looking for Jimmy? - No.
Because Jimmy bailing like that could be seen as motive.
Jimmy dying ruined my life.
Why would I do that to myself? There's a lot of people ruin their lives.
Looked through the records at Dr.
Sterling's office.
The doctor nurse Laura recommended? Jimmy and Quinn went to see him March 14, '88.
That help us? Keep reading.
An adult had to accompany them, since they were minors.
Guess whose signature is on the chart? Nurse Laura's.
Jered Wyatt, their math teacher.
Worth a conversation.
- Lil? Hey, Lindsey.
Claire's school called.
She disappeared this afternoon.
What do you mean, disappeared? She was abducted outside the school.
The guy in the white van.
Guess who ain't answering his phone all of a sudden? The track coach.
Plus he owns a white Dodge van.
Guy had an unnatural interest in Quinn, maybe now he's got it for the kid.
- Hey, I'm Jo Sutton.
- Yeah.
Uh, Lilly Rush.
- Hi.
I was getting tired of being the only girl on the line.
Hey, Vera.
We know this dude.
Timmy! - Where's your windex? - Oh, yeah.
You guys.
You seen that white van everyone's talking about? I don't, uh, get involved.
How about some beer? What brand? You choose.
Live it up.
Well, yeah, I seen it.
Uh, drove alongside this girl walking.
When was that? I'd just be guessing, because I don't really keep up with time.
Was this guy driving? That's the mug of the man.
Yeah.
He force the girl in? Oh, no, chief.
She got in herself.
What, like, willingly? Yeah, feet up on the dash.
Going for a nice spin.
Voluntary.
Jered Wyatt? Lieutenant Stillman.
I have to teach a night class in an hour.
We just want to get to the bottom of your name being on this doctor's form, Mr.
Wyatt.
Um I helped out Jimmy and Quinn because they were nice kids.
- That all? - That's all.
Well, taking an interest is one thing, but acting as their guardian during a sonogram? - Can I be frank? - Please.
I was married.
And? - And I wanted to stay that way.
And, well Jimmy had something over me.
Mr.
Wyatt, I - Whoa.
- Oh, my god.
Nurse Laura? Hey, Jimmy.
Do something, Jered.
Ho, ho, hold on a second.
Jimmy? Jimmy! Hey, hey.
Take it easy, okay? I'm not gonna say anything.
- It's Jimmy, I have a fragile home situation.
- Yeah, sure.
- No, no, no.
This is important.
You do me a good turn here, I'll do you one.
What do you mean? I know about Quinn.
Your problem.
I want to help, if I can.
We're fine.
Hey.
Hey, you can talk to me.
We broke up, but We still have the baby coming.
Can I help at all? There is something we need for this appointment.
I took them to the doctor.
Now we both knew each other's secrets.
Insurance.
And what'd Laura do for insurance? I don't know.
But boy, she pitched a fit after Jimmy walked in on us.
I'm talking warpath.
Oh, you play like you're all virtue and piety, don't you, Laura? But the truth is, uh not so much.
If you're asking if I was compromised with Jered Wyatt, yes, I was.
And Jimmy was witness to this.
That's also true.
That couldn't have sat well.
You had a reputation to uphold.
And a job to keep.
- Look I know something that could probably be helpful.
Talk to Angie Parrington.
- The girl who found the baby? - She was in my office every day.
I had to watch her take her medication.
- What kind of meds? - Antipsychotics.
What's that got to do with Jimmy? She was obsessed with him, talked about him nonstop.
So Angie's troubled.
Okay, but why would she suddenly snap? Because she went off her meds for graduation.
- You didn't come today, Angie.
- No, I didn't.
It's been three days.
I'm not taking that poison anymore, and I just graduated, so you can't make me.
Jimmy! Uh, I know, I gotta sign your book.
No, it's not about that.
It's something else, - and I know you're gonna like it.
- Could I find you later? No, Jimmy, I have something for you.
Quinn needs me right now.
I don't know why you still like Quinn.
- Angie Because she's like nothing.
She's like a background girl.
No she's not.
She's shy, but You don't know her.
Yeah, well, I think she's fat.
Jimmy! I'm gonna find you.
So Angie's pretty determined to get Jimmy alone.
And she was the kind of girl who got what she wanted.
You think she was capable of violence? She quit her meds once before, her sophomore year.
Lit a cheerleader's hair on fire at a pep rally.
I hear my girl Angie was kind of nutso? I'm sorry, man.
Easy come, easy go.
So has this one pulled anything yet? Uh, no.
Not really.
Give her time.
Claire sent a note to her foster parents.
- Yeah? She doesn't want to be found.
"Don't worry about me.
I'm with my dad.
" Lieutenant, um, I've been going over new car purchases from June '88.
You have? - New tread on the tires, new car That's needle-in-a-haystack territory.
But I found something.
One of the buyers was Angie Parrington.
My Angie who found the baby? And who was pining for Jimmy.
Bought a corvette on June 10th.
The day before Jimmy was killed.
Oh, Angie Say it ain't so.
Yeah, I bought a car.
It was Jimmy's graduation present.
That's quite a gift.
I'm generous.
So how does a high school girl have that kind of dough? My parents missed graduation.
Out of guilt, they said I could buy any car I wanted.
So what did he say? He kept blowing me off when I tried to tell him about it.
I finally cornered him in the parking lot.
Show him the new set of wheels.
Yeah.
He saw it.
He kept walking.
Sees a corvette and doesn't slow his pace? I know.
I'm, like Jimmy, it's a corvette.
But no interest.
He was just rambling about finding Mr.
Wyatt.
The math teacher? Why was he looking for him? I don't know.
And I'll never know why he was so into Quinn.
But you should have seen the way he looked at her.
Now, you didn't get so upset that you turned that corvette on him, did you, Angie? I can't even drive stick shift.
Ever have kids, Jered? No, we never did.
We've done some looking.
Seems you and your wife poured a lot of time and money into trying for a baby.
- Maybe for a short period.
- Six years.
Well, we adjusted.
We have hobbies, pets.
But that kind of thing can make a marriage shaky.
There was some strain.
How were you gonna turn things around? How about a baby? What are you suggesting? Oh, why else would Jimmy come looking for you same night Quinn had that child? There's no proof of anything.
Well, throw in that you were at the sonogram, seems like you were a prospective parent.
Please Jered.
It's no crime, wanting a baby.
That's all Helen and I ever wanted.
Sure.
Our marriage was dying every day we couldn't conceive.
And these two kids pop out a baby when they don't even want one.
One weekend and they're pregnant.
They had a problem, we had a problem.
I really thought this baby could could save us.
So what went wrong? I got the car seat, diapers, formula.
I thought of everything.
- So boy or girl? - Uh, girl.
- So is Quinn bringing her? - Uh, no.
Mr.
Wyatt, I can't do it.
No, no, no We're all set.
I'm sorry.
What? - Look, I know I'm going back on our plan, and I'm sorry about it, but after seeing what I saw well, I realized, those two girls are all I want.
I'm trying to save my marriage here.
I'm trying to save something, too.
This is my last hope.
Helen is waiting! Sorry, Mr.
Wyatt.
Maybe you can adopt or something.
We have already tried that! Jimmy listen to me now.
Jimmy! This is my life I'm talking about! Jimmy! Questioned documents got an imprint from Claire's note, a phone number.
We trace it? Viking motel, Spring garden.
There she is.
Hi, Claire.
How'd you find me? That doesn't matter.
Claire, what's going on? You want to stop there? The hell with that.
No! You're under arrest.
Endangering the welfare of a child.
His family left him.
I'm all he has.
But you're not his.
Look at me.
We brought your mommy.
What? She was real worried about you.
My god.
I can see Jimmy all over your face.
Not that you care.
I do.
I do, baby.
Don't call me that! I messed up.
Bad.
I was just so sad that Jimmy didn't want me anymore.
He did want you.
We know who hit him that night.
It was Jered Wyatt.
- Yeah And you know the reason, Claire? You.
- What do you mean? - He wanted you for himself.
But Jimmy said no, because the second he laid eyes on you, no way he was parting with his girl.
Jimmy said that? He was on his way back to you.
"It's all over.
" That's what Jimmy said to you.
Now I know what he meant.
Oh, my god.
You did it! - No.
- You did.
I've never done anything, Jimmy.
You just did.
You did the most amazing thing.
It's a girl.
Yeah? She's real small, Quinn.
No, I can't.
Sure you can.
- I'll drop her.
- No.
Look how you're holding her.
A baby girl.
It's all over now.
I know.
I have to find him.
I just want to hold her a little more.
I'll be right back.
Jimmy Jimmy! Oh, Claire No matter what happens, baby, your mom and dad loved you.
# Peter GabrielÀÇ 'In Your Eyes' # # Love # # I get so lost, sometimes # # Days pass # # and this emptiness fills my heart # # When I want to run away # # I drive off in my car # # But whichever way I go # # I come back to the place you are # # And all my instincts, # # they return # # And the grand facade, # # so soon will burn # # Without a noise, # # without my pride # # I reach out from the inside # # In your eyes # # The light the heat (In your eyes) # # I am complete (In your eyes)# # I see the doorway (In your eyes)# # to a thousand churches (In your eyes)# # The resolution (In your eyes)# # of all the fruitless searches (In your eyes)# # I see the light and the heat (In your eyes)# # Oh, I want to be that complete (In your eyes)# # I want to touch the light The heat I seen your eyes # # The light the heat (In your eyes)# # I am complete (In your eyes)# # I see the doorway # # to a thousand churches (In your eyes)# # The resolution (In your eyes)# # of all the fruitless searches # # I see the light and the heat (In your eyes)#
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