FBI: International (2021) s01e20 Episode Script

Black Penguin

1 - [ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC.]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
♪ [SPEAKING GERMAN.]
And I'm the queen of England.
Your Majesty.
♪ Thomas.
Tanja.
So how long have you been in Berlin, Thomas, throwing parties you don't wanna attend? Two years.
Artist? Student.
At Kunstgut.
You must have rich parents.
I mean, this quarter is very posh.
- [CLEARS THROAT.]
- I didn't meant to It's fine.
I've been running away from that my whole life.
Good.
Yeah.
My friend Noah, it was his idea to celebrate.
I got into DAAD.
- It's this fancy - I know what DAAD is.
I have artist friends who'd give up their kidney to get in.
[LAUGHS.]
Yeah.
My parents, they aren't so enthusiastic.
[PENSIVE MUSIC.]
♪ You don't look like someone who cares what your parents think.
I don't.
Late as usual.
If you say Thomas gets it from my side of the family, I'm gonna have Levinson take you out to the alley.
Your dad was late to our wedding.
- By five minutes.
- [CHUCKLES.]
[KNOCK AT DOOR.]
Thomas? [SCOFFS.]
Oh, for God's sake.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
Thomas? ♪ [GAGS.]
[COUGHS.]
Thomas! Gabriel! [SPLUTTERING.]
Gabriel! Thomas! Thomas! You've gotta help him.
Levinson, call an ambulance! - What's happening to him? - I don't I don't know! Do something! Is he breathing? - Please, hang on, baby.
- Thomas! - Thomas! - [CRYING.]
Thomas! He had no cause to fire you.
Smit didn't need cause.
He needed an opportunity, and he took it.
Why's he have it out for you? We had a joint case.
An organized crime outfit running a prostitution ring across Germany.
That case made Smit's career.
He arrested the ringleader and was promoted.
But I had reason to believe that he was working both sides and paid off the right people.
- You filed a report? - [LAUGHS.]
Damn right I did.
It was supposed to be confidential, but nothing happened.
I was soon hired by Europol and put it all behind me.
But then, two years ago, Smit joined Europol as a senior director.
I knew it was a matter of time before he came for me.
What a bastard.
I have two weeks left.
I'm still fighting.
[SPEAKING GERMAN.]
In German, it means "the song is not yet over.
" - Ambassador? - Ambassador.
Uh, this is the U.
S.
ambassador to Hungary, Frank DeLillo.
Katrin Jaeger, our Europol liaison.
- Katrin.
- Nice to meet you.
And this is the U.
S.
ambassador to Germany, Amy Schwartz.
Special Agent Jamie Kellett.
We need to speak to Scott Forrester right away.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
[BUTTONS BEEPING.]
[DOOR BUZZES.]
I've never had one ambassador in my office, much less two.
And since you're here in person, I'm guessing you need something urgently? And with discretion.
An American art student studying in Berlin was found unresponsive this afternoon.
Drug overdose.
- Dead? - Hospitalized.
In critical condition.
Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but this sounds like a job for Bundespolizei.
The father of the boy is Gabriel Watts.
The billionaire.
And he wants answers.
Oh, well, I'm sorry to waste your time, ambassadors, but we're not a rich man's personal detective serv This would be a personal favor to the president of the United States, who called me directly this morning.
If you need further convincing, I'm happy to phone the director of the FBI.
♪ You'll receive any assistance you need from the German National Police in Berlin.
Thomas Watts, a 19-year-old kid found OD'd in his apartment in Berlin two days before his graduation.
His parents flew in from Palo Alto.
Thomas was supposed to meet them for lunch.
They went to his apartment when he didn't show.
If they had arrived five minutes later, their son would've been dead.
Zero posts.
Thousands of followers.
Mostly likely spillover traffic from his dad's social media footprint.
Gabriel Watts, founder of Force Innovation.
Seventh richest person in the world with a net worth of $62.
5 billion.
Imagine having to live up to all that.
A privileged kid OD'ing isn't exactly uncommon.
Not to speak out of turn, but why are we on this? $62.
5 billion.
That's why.
I do not like this, either, so let's just figure out where the kid got the drugs as soon as possible and be done with it.
I've just spoken with the BKA in Berlin.
They are expecting us.
♪ [SPEAKING GERMAN.]
Danke, Leon.
This is Special Agent Scott Forrester of the FBI, Special Agents Kellett, Raines, and Vo.
Leon Honsel, Senior Chief Inspector, Berlin Police.
You may use our conference room if that satisfies you.
- It does.
- This way, please.
How long have you worked in Narcotics? Five years, as of one month ago.
Six months as Senior Chief Inspector.
Any word on Thomas Watts' toxicology report? Yes, he had oxycodone in his system and trace amounts of fentanyl.
Fentanyl is quite rare here.
We call it "America's problem.
" Fentanyl is a supplier's dream: a fraction of the cost and exponentially more addictive.
Have you seen a spike in fentanyl ODs in Germany? No, no.
Thomas Watts' exposure was an anomaly, I assure you.
Here we are.
- Danke, Leon.
- All right.
Everybody, unload here.
Raines, Vo, I want you to head to Thomas' apartment.
See what you can find that might point to a dealer.
Friends, neighbors, scraps of paper, anything that BPOL already has, I wanna know about it.
Kellett, you and me are gonna head to the hospital to interview the parents.
And Jaeger, if you've got contacts outside of Bundespolizei, now would be the time.
Senior Chief Inspector Honsel seemed a little quick to deny fentanyl overdoses are happening here.
I caught that as well.
I'll reach out to my counterparts at Interpol in Berlin, okay? Okay.
You ready? [KNOCK AT DOOR.]
Mr.
and Mrs.
Watts? I'm Special Agent Scott Forrester.
This is Special Agent Jamie Kellett with the FBI.
Finally.
Uh, Gabriel Watts.
My wife, Marian.
[DOOR SLAMS.]
And this is, uh, Mark Levinson, personal security.
He's been with the family for 15 years.
He's cleared to hear anything pertaining to Cleared by whom? By me.
I'm sorry this happened to Thomas, Mrs.
Watts.
You'll find who poisoned him? That's why we're here.
I know what you're thinking.
Affluent son rebels against his parents, but that's not Thomas.
He never caused us trouble.
He never dabbled in drugs.
He never asked for a dime.
Not that we didn't want to give him more.
You know, I tried.
I begged him.
When he said he was moving to Berlin, I said, "Private security.
Personal driver.
" Thomas rejected all those things.
He said that he was an adult now and he could make his own decisions.
He craved normalcy.
You have kids? No.
Listen to me when I tell you that you would give everything, every dollar you have, every every stitch of clothing you own, every fiber of your being to keep your son safe.
And then he grows up and you can't.
[SOLEMN MUSIC.]
My parents were very practical.
So when Thomas was accepted into art school, I convinced Gabriel to let him go.
It was both of our decisions.
It was the right thing to do.
We are just beginning our investigation.
But I have to ask, can either of you think of anyone who would've targeted Thomas specifically? Why? Personal grudge.
To get to you, your money, through your son? No.
No one.
Thomas makes friends wherever he goes.
♪ [SPEAKING GERMAN.]
Ah, we haven't found evidence of opioids on-site, but CSS are sending samples to the lab for testing.
Security cameras? The building has one camera in the lobby, and uh, there are two security cameras in the foyer across the street.
We have been using them to identify the guests at the party.
They're en route to give statements.
We'll explore in the meantime.
Oh, yes, yes, please.
Anything you need.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
♪ Raines, how many shirts do you have in your closet? Couple dozen.
More than this? Witnesses are here in case you would like to assist us in conducting the interviews.
We would.
Finn Mueller.
Graduated from Berlin Art Institute seven years ago.
Now living in Munich.
What were you doing at a party here? I work for DAAD.
Yes, in Munich.
[LAUGHS.]
Maybe you don't know it.
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst.
German Academic Exchange Service.
- I know it.
- Ah, yeah.
Excuse me.
I work, uh, in admissions with DAAD.
He was he was quite an impressive artist.
I advocated for Thomas, so when he was accepted, I came to Berlin to congratulate him.
- How long did you stay? - Half hour.
Like you said, I wasn't going to hang around university students all night.
Did you observe any drug use at the party? With artists there's always that possibility.
I did not observe it directly, though, no.
None of it makes sense.
Tom is so straight-laced.
One beer and he's passed out on the couch.
You know his parents won't let me into the hospital to see him? Family only.
Unbelievable.
I'm Thomas' closest friend.
- How'd you meet? - First week of school.
Tom was introverted.
Never told any of us his last name or whose son he was.
And we didn't care.
He was just Tom, you know? Eventually, he admitted his dad bought him this posh Mitte flat.
Made me swear to keep it a secret.
What can you tell us about the party? It was just a few friends celebrating.
There were over 100 photos from that night tagged at this location.
You didn't let me finish.
I tried to keep things small.
12 people maximum.
But then social media, and a party is a party.
Is it not this way everywhere? ♪ It was a blank canvas before the party.
I'm sure of it.
You know her? Tom was talking to a girl.
I didn't recognize her, but she had dark hair like that sketch.
And she was wearing black, how do you say, um, army boots.
She seemed older.
Maybe 25.
I saw them come in here, but I only caught the back of her head.
When did they return? They didn't.
It is so rare for Thomas to be with a girl, much less a stranger.
I wasn't going to throw off his vibe.
But when he didn't come home Home? I meant to say, um Noah, I know Tom doesn't live here.
Bureau's empty, no laptop, no person effects.
Only art supplies.
He may paint here, but he doesn't live here.
Tom has a flat in Kreuzberg.
He said his parents would never let him live in that quarter.
♪ This is Thomas' idea of slumming it? Look in all the drawers.
Don't stop until you find something.
There's nothing here.
Tear this place apart if you have to.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
♪ [OBJECTS CLATTERING.]
Drop the gun.
♪ Drop it.
Scott Forrester and Jamie Kellett, FBI.
We are on official business with Bundespolizei.
Lower your weapons.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Everybody, stand down.
Put away the hardware.
We're all on the same team.
♪ What the hell is this? What is going on? These guys work for Gray Desert.
- Oh, man.
- It's nothing personal.
Gabriel Watts has employed them for many years.
He's asked for reassurances, safeguards.
That's not how this works.
Well, my understanding is, the FBI is here as guests to the German government, correct? If you need confirmation, I'd be happy to make They are contaminating an avenue of investigation.
Tossing this place is a damn raid.
Any chance we have of finding evidence is now gone.
I'm just following Gabriel Watts' directives, same as you.
- Same as me? - We don't work for Watts.
I'll rephrase that.
Just wanna find out who gave Thomas a hot batch of OxyContin.
That is our only agenda here.
Hey! Uh-uh.
Per Mr.
Watts' instruction, Gray Desert reviews everything first.
Now, I'd be happy to share our findings if you'll reciprocate.
The Berlin police Senior Chief Inspector Honsel gave us his consent.
Electronic devices belonging to Thomas are Gabriel Watts' extended personal property.
Then maybe you didn't hear us before.
We do not work for Gabriel Watts.
Then I suggest you take that up directly with him.
You contacted every politician that you know to bring in the FBI, and then you went off and started your own private investigation.
That's my son in there.
I leveraged all resources at my disposal to find out who did that to my boy.
Identify multiple possible solutions.
That's how you increase productivity.
That's how you innovate.
You're undermining our investigation and slowing us down.
Gray Desert will send that laptop and that phone to Tel Aviv.
They will crack it, yes, and they will be thorough, but it will take three days minimum.
We have an agent on our team right now, here in Berlin, who will have them spilling their secrets in one hour, guaranteed.
Give Agent Forrester what he needs.
Sir, the folks at Gray Desert Do it, Mark.
♪ - Ilse, thanks for meeting me.
- Always, Katrin.
You were at Bundespolizei before Interpol, yes? I was.
What can you tell me about Senior Chief Inspector Leon Honsel? He's not corrupt.
Just in over his head and desperate to please.
How so? His father's in Parliament.
Say no more.
I've been considering your American overdose.
What's this? I've cross-referenced guests at the party with previous arrests.
Yes, yes, yes.
We already did that.
Oh, I know, Katrin.
So I cross-referenced guests with previous hospitalizations.
Maybe Thomas' supplier is a user himself.
And can lead you to the drug lord.
♪ Katrin.
Ugh, not now.
While you are a Europol investigator, you still report to me.
And that's what's missing: reports.
The United States' president is personally asking Europol for updates on this case.
I have nothing to tell my supervisor.
Herr Smit, I will say this clearly so there will be no mistake.
This is my last case, and I intend to solve it.
Politics.
Thomas' laptop, completely vanilla on the surface.
Schoolwork, family photos.
But then, a one-key recovery partition he didn't want anyone to find with active social media under a pseudonym.
Thomas wanted to separate his talent from his last name.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
Go back to his social media.
Any new followers after the party? There.
♪ Tanja Kessler.
Graduated from Freie University six years ago.
She's an artist like Thomas, but doesn't seem to have had as much success.
Got an address.
♪ Berlin's supposed to be a mecca for young artists, but it's unaffordable unless you get accepted into a fancy residency or you have rich parents.
Or talent.
- I'm sorry.
What's this about? - Thomas Watts.
How well did you know him? We only met a couple of nights ago.
There was a party at his apartment.
Heard about it on Snap.
So you wandered into a stranger's apartment and ended up talking to a kid all night whose dad happens to be worth what, $62 billion? I knew none of that.
Tell us how you got talking.
Uh, I was on my way out.
Party wasn't my taste.
But then I looked over and I see Thomas.
He was just as bored as me.
We had a really nice time.
Or I had a really nice time.
I thought I'd hear from him after, but He's in the hospital.
Overdosed.
What? Just walk us through what happened.
What, is he okay? We don't know.
Um Thomas told me he got into DAAD.
That might mean nothing to you, but it's a huge deal for artists.
So I said, "Let's celebrate.
" I meant drinks, but he brought out drugs.
He did? Yes.
Had you done oxys before? [LAUGHS.]
I won't pretend to be a white flower.
Thomas, though, he seemed conservative.
I was surprised.
But then he took out two pills, and we each swallowed one.
Just one? At the start.
Then Thomas became manic.
He started saying, "I wanna draw you.
Let me draw you.
" Thomas had his easel and charcoals out.
Then he took more and more pills.
I kept asking if he was okay, but he just kept drawing like he was possessed.
So what, he got sick and you just left? No.
The sun came up.
Thomas said he was sleepy so I told him to call me, and I went home.
[EXHALES HEAVILY.]
I liked him.
You know that feeling when you first meet someone and they just see you? Sure.
You know how rare that is? Did he tell you where he got the drugs? He said someone was in town and hooked him up.
♪ No misdemeanors, no unusual credit card activity, no regular cash withdrawals.
Inherited some money after her grandmother died.
No employment history since.
She's pointing the finger at someone outta of town who supplied Thomas with the drugs, so Ah.
What? Finn Mueller.
He came in from Munich to congratulate Thomas on his acceptance to the art residency, correct? That's what he said.
Well, Finn Mueller has been in Berlin before.
You didn't tell us that you overdosed in Berlin six months ago.
Why keep that detail from us? I knew you would react like this.
With judgment.
I'm not a dopehead, okay? Your toxicology report said you had enough opioids in your system to knock out a school bus, yet you survived because you build up a tolerance.
Tell us again you're not a dopehead.
I was clean for a whole year.
Hardest thing I've ever done.
Yeah, stress triggers relapses.
I've a new job where artists' futures depend on me.
The pills they helped.
You dropped by Thomas' house to congratulate him, right? Did you try to help him too? Every day I wake up, my brain fights to deprive my body of what feels like air.
I would never pull anyone into that.
The information you have could help us find whoever did this to him.
Everything works through apps now.
By referral only.
Super high-end, as easy as Uber Eats.
And you were Thomas' referral? [SCOFFS.]
No.
I just told you.
No.
We're gonna need that app.
It's Schwarzer Pinguin.
"Black Penguin" in English.
But it's useless without a code.
Every week, they change the referral code.
Without it, you can order all you want, but you won't get a response.
So get the code for us.
♪ There's no drug-ordering app on either side of the partition on Thomas' laptop.
On his phone then? The bodyguard only handed us a laptop.
What? Oh, I'm getting real tired of this.
- [PEOPLE SPEAKING GERMAN.]
- [MONITOR BEEPING RAPIDLY.]
[TENSE MUSIC.]
♪ [GASPS.]
[CRYING.]
Stand back.
Again.
[SUSTAINED HIGH-PITCHED TONE.]
[SOBS.]
Oh, no.
[BOTH CRYING.]
Oh, please, no.
Please.
Please, no.
No.
[SOBBING.]
[CRYING.]
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
♪ We are so sorry for your loss, Mr.
Watts.
And we're gonna do everything we can to find the persons responsible.
I, uh, Marian and I, we appreciate what you did to help, but my team will handle it from here.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
♪ Frankly, I thought you'd be pleased with this development.
Just this morning, you wanted to pawn this case off to the Bundespolizei.
Yeah, well, that was before a 19-year-old kid with his whole life ahead of him died in front BPOL is more than capable of continuing this investigation - without all of your - Not with Honsel leading it.
I'm sorry.
Who am I talking to here? As a courtesy to you, because I do cherish your collaboration, I am letting you know that we are not giving up on this case until we have a drug supplier in custody.
Should I get the director of FBI on the phone? Call him.
I'm sure he'd love to hear that a private security firm is running point on an international investigation.
In fact, I will call him myself.
♪ Perhaps you could give me an update on your investigation? We have Tanja Kessler, the last person to see Thomas Watts alive.
She denied giving him the drugs, but it was in her best interest to do so.
She pointed the finger at someone out of town who supplied the oxys that led us to Finn Mueller.
He's an admissions advisor at DAAD.
And Finn Mueller led us to a drug-ordering app, Black Penguin.
Now he claims he didn't give the app to Thomas, but because we don't have his phone, we can't confirm it.
Where are we on the phone? We are arranging for its transfer.
So you are speaking directly with Gray Desert? We welcome the assistance of outside entities, such as yourself, who can help us bring this case to a firm resolution.
Should we try the app? We should.
Fire it up.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
♪ Okay, Finn Mueller.
Ask for a menu.
10 blues, 5 snow? Tell 'em it has to be tonight.
♪ Okay, Raines, Vo, you collect the drugs.
Kellett, you and me will keep a distance, follow the delivery man, let him lead us to a stash house or the supplier.
And then joint bust, okay? Yes.
Okay.
[SPEAKING GERMAN.]
♪ [INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
There's nothing out here.
[PHONE BUZZING.]
Exit the club.
You will see a park across the street.
We're on the move.
I see you.
Go into the park.
♪ We're made.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Get down on the ground! [GRUNTING.]
[SIRENS WAILING.]
Get him up! Turn around! - Don't you move! - I got him! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? Executing our assignment.
This is just a delivery man! Are you serious right now? You compromised our bust! He almost got away.
You should be thanking me.
For ruining our only chance of trailing him to the source? There is your source.
[ZIP TIES CLICKING.]
♪ [SPEAKING GERMAN.]
This is absolutely ridiculous.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
This makes no sense to me.
Okay, you know what, let me ask you one question.
How did you work in Narcotics for five years and not know you don't report a police operation to a private security firm? I assure you, I was just keeping them up-to-date with the investigation so we may not cross-purpose our efforts! Senior Chief Inspector, we understand your position here.
A giant international spotlight is pointing right at the narcotics unit you run here in Berlin.
The quicker that spotlight goes away, the better for you to keep everyone thinking you know what you're doing.
But your incompetence has made things infinitely worse this time.
If you'll excuse me, I've a confession to obtain.
Of course.
Absolutely.
Guys, we have an update.
Levinson turned Thomas' phone over to the Bundespolizei.
Confirmed, the Black Penguin app was on it.
Any record of Thomas using the app last Friday? - Ordered a dozen oxy.
- That's it then.
And the pills the delivery guy had on him, cut with fentanyl.
The same batch Thomas must have taken.
And what is the delivery man saying? The usual: he knows nothing, the pills were planted.
Says he's never heard of Thomas Watts or the Black Penguin app.
Thank you.
Thanks very much.
♪ Agent Forrester, no hard feelings, I hope.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Watts wanted me to assure you they're happy justice was served.
However we got there, I'm just glad we got there.
Will you be leaving Berlin then? Yeah, family wants to get back.
Start making funeral arrangements.
What's it been, uh, three, four days since you've been here? We landed Thursday.
Well, give the Wattses my sincere condolences.
Appreciate that.
♪ - They got there ahead of us.
- What? Thomas kept a secret apartment in Kreuzberg.
Secret even from his parents.
But Levinson was there before we arrived, confiscating the phone and the laptop.
The German police were sharing info with him.
Honsel admitted it.
But Vo and you discovered that location.
Kellett and I went straight to that apartment.
How could they have gotten there before us when only we knew the address? We checked the cameras outside of the party apartment in Mitte, right? - Right.
- I wanna see if there are cameras outside of the secret apartment in Kreuzberg, and I wanna know who visited Thomas there up until the time he left for that party.
♪ I'm gonna need you to answer a few questions.
I'm sorry, I thought Not you.
Him.
That's you, 11:00 p.
m.
Thursday night, walking up to Thomas' secret apartment in Kreuzberg.
No, that is not me.
Oh, you need a better angle? Here's one from the ATM across the street.
Okay, fine.
So what? Why were you at Thomas' apartment the same night that you and the Wattses flew in from California? Because I have been with this family for 15 years, and I have great fondness for Thomas.
So you told his parents you were gonna see their son at his secret apartment on the night you arrived? I've no idea.
I don't remember.
Everybody had jet lag.
Finn Mueller told us he never gave Thomas the app.
And Tanja Kessler said he had someone in town he knew who hooked him up.
- Someone he knew.
- Well, that's not me.
You kept that phone until you knew where we were going with our investigation.
Then you downloaded the app and pointed the finger at Black Penguin.
No way.
You have the guy.
You found the drugs on the dealer.
The baggie you pulled out of his pocket? I have the full capacity of the Federal Bureau of Investigation behind me.
Now, how long do you think it's gonna take until I know exactly when that app was downloaded on his phone? ♪ I want a lawyer.
- [DOOR CLICKS OPEN.]
- How could you? It was an accident! I didn't know! How could you? How could you? - [SPEAKING GERMAN.]
- It was my son! - Mr.
Watts! - Come on, Mr.
Watts.
- No! - It was an accident.
- [YELLS.]
- I'm sorry.
- Get him out of here! - Mr.
Watts! That was my son! That was my son! However we got there, I'm glad we got there.
[CUFFS CLINKING.]
I owe you an apology.
No, you were doing your job.
Same as me.
Well, as a diplomat, I could use lessons in diplomacy from you.
Ha.
No, you were caught in a tough position.
If there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to call.
You know what, actually, there is something.
How well do you know the higher-ups in Europol? [PENSIVE MUSIC.]
♪ I don't know how you did it.
Did what? I was fired today while you were reinstated.
The executive director said there was political pressure to remove me and keep you.
Katrin, what did you do? Good.
[SINGING IN GERMAN.]
♪ Yes, ma'am.
Thank you, ma'am.
No, of course, I know what this means.
Again, thank you.
I really appreciate it.
Who was that? Remember when we saved the attorney general from that assassination attempt? - Of course.
- Well, Forrester and I have been working on multiple fronts to Mr.
and Mrs.
Watts, thank you for coming.
I don't understand why we're here.
Yes, I'm sorry for the scant information, but I wanted to be sure.
- Be sure of what? - Thomas kept a partition on his laptop where he created a pseudonym for his artwork social media.
He wanted people to see him for his art and not his name.
[SOFT EMOTIONAL MUSIC.]
♪ These are his paintings.
♪ [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
♪ [WOLF HOWLS.]

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