Major Crimes s06e12 Episode Script
By Any Means Part 3
1 Previously on "Major Crimes" Less than 24 hours ago, Emma told me that she thought Phillip Stroh was back in Los Angeles, and now she's dead.
As the police were checking out the gate to Emma's backyard, I had a Sniffy in my pocket, giving me their contacts and the picture they were anxious for me to text them infected all their devices with malware, and now I have autonomous control of their cells.
They're practically staring at us.
Look.
I need to take off for a few days.
Get ready for a quick exit.
- Don't worry.
I have this.
- I hope so.
Half the fee depends on your finding my mother before they do.
I was with another woman.
Don't worry, it was my boss's mum.
I have the name and address for the woman who used to be Gwendolyn Stroh in San Marino, right next door to Pasadena.
Well, what's her name? [KNOCKING.]
Good evening.
I'm Lieutenant Michael Tao, L.
A.
P.
D.
You are Abigail Atwood, I presume? - Gwen.
- Did you say "Gwen"? I hope you're not talking about my mother that way.
Sorry, who are you? Hunt Sanford, and Abigail Atwood, - she's my mother.
- What the Oh, you're kidding me! All of my businesses and properties have cameras, including Abigail's home.
They store locally on SD cards in the camera Shit! Locally! What is that? More importantly, who is that? That's no one, Lieutenant Geezer.
[CHUCKLES.]
That's no one.
Buzz, what happened? BUZZ: I don't know, sir, but there shouldn't be anything wrong with the file.
TAO: We'll see.
SYKES: That man in the video, I feel like I recognize that guy.
Yeah.
Yeah, he does look strangely familiar.
[SCOFFS.]
It's not enough of my face.
No, you can't tell anything from that.
Mike, find anything on that file? I think the video has been deleted.
It appears to have been corrupted remotely.
FLYNN: Remotely? How is that possible? What about the cloud? No, it's all local.
[SIGHS.]
How is that possible? PROVENZA: I hate technology.
I don't give a damn what anybody says.
It does not make us safer.
How could it just disappear? SYKES: Unless it was designed to blow before we picked it up.
MASON: Whenever you get a clue as to what's going on here, Lieutenant, let me know.
Maybe we should try unplugging our system and rebooting it.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Shit, shit, shit.
What the hell are you doing? You unplugged your system without turning it off.
Do you know how dangerous that is? BUZZ: That video you wanted me to find, sir, is ready to play in Electronics.
Reboot, reboot.
Son of a Come on.
Reboot.
Reboot! [BEEP.]
Well? I think someone's spying on us.
They knew we were watching the video of Gwendolyn Stroh's visitor, and they knew how to corrupt the file.
TAO: Spying on us? How? We have really serious safeguards on the L.
A.
P.
D.
intranet.
PAIGE: And if that were breached, I.
T.
division would know immediately.
BUZZ: But the new smartboard in the murder room isn't on the intranet because we wanted to be able to download stuff off the web.
And our cellphones, they're not on the intranet, either.
My cellphone has a passcode and a thumbprint.
All of us have that.
Are you saying just one of us was hacked or? It may be everybody.
How could that have happened? We were all at Sharon's funeral together.
Someone could have set up a clone cell tower to override and substitute our own Wi-Fi connections.
Our cellphones aren't as secure as you think.
If someone figures out how to gain control remotely of our audio and camera functions, spying on us would be pretty simple.
PROVENZA: So, we've been hacked.
By who? Wait, Buzz, where is your video from Emma's house? I was thinking the same thing.
That neighbor guy, Karl.
Holy crap.
He texted Wes a photo of the gate, and Wes sent it to the rest of us.
Yeah, but not me, so, uh, my phone is probably safe, right? All right, Buzz.
Hold on.
Here.
Let me fast forward to the gate.
That's our witness who said he lives behind Emma Rios, and it's the same guy from the surveillance video in Gwendolyn Stroh's bedroom, and he fits the profile.
Stroh usually has an accomplice he can manipulate.
And he has no history of hacking skills.
So Stroh's partner posed as the neighbor and walked the crime scene with us? Why? Well, that's how the, uh What do we call them now, Mike? Threat actors.
That's how the threat actor uses the uh, w-w-w-what is it? - Homemade pineapple.
- Right, right.
Uh, homemade pineapple to interrupt the, uh, what? The Wi-Fi connections on our cells superimposed with one of his own.
Except my phone, which I had mistakenly left on airport mode after the funeral.
You mean airplane mode.
Whatever.
So how did this kid jump the Wi-Fi? [SIGHS.]
Through the phone's Bluetooth.
People saw him turn it off.
In C.
I.
, we exploit that vulnerability on the bad guys.
Should have expected they'd do the same thing to us.
Stroh definitely bugged the L.
A.
P.
D.
? Well, actually, it was, uh, just Major Crimes.
And he's been listening to us for days.
I assume that we actually helped him find his mother.
It might be why he murdered her ex, Jim Bechtel, in the first place to prod us into getting her new identity.
What if this this hack is a breach of the L.
A.
P.
D.
intranet? I called Lieutenant Markham.
He already did a sweep of unauthorized entries.
Didn't find a thing.
But the only way to be completely sure is do a system-wide shutdown and a reboot.
If we do that, though, it raises a big red flag.
Stroh will know we found him, and he could disconnect.
And we would miss the chance to manipulate him the way he has us.
You want to keep the department's Internet online just so you don't spook this guy? That's dangerous, Chief.
If Stroh's accomplice gave him access to our servers, he could delete or download crucial material from thousands of investigations.
Excuse me, Chief.
I know mostly I just turn things on and off, but the computerized part of the murder board isn't connected to the L.
A.
P.
D.
intranet.
The hacker probably took over the embedded cameras through my cell, which is a paired device.
Well, what makes you think he stopped there? I have a theory I didn't ask you, Lieutenant.
I asked Mr.
Watson, who is so eager to join the conversation.
Well, sir, I-if this threat actor had the technical skill to hack into our servers, why would he risk showing his face to the very detectives hunting for him? Plus the way he grabbed our phones, I could do that.
So could Lieutenant Tao.
You, too, probably.
I'd call our hacker brazen, not sophisticated.
Good point.
Yes.
Good point.
PROVENZA: If you were still head of intelligence, Chief, and you had the opportunity to mislead suspects uh, uh, threat actors uh, the bad guys, you would do it, wouldn't you? You know or you wouldn't ask.
Computers are not my strong suit.
But I trust Tao with all of that technical stuff completely.
And Buzz Buzz set up my printer.
So just hear me out.
I have a plan that I think may help us lead Stroh into a trap.
Due to L.
A.
P.
D.
's limited resources, Chief Mason has decided we need to reallocate personnel.
W-What do you mean by "reallocate"? It means we can't have 24/7 protection on certain subjects.
Which ones? Stroh's mother, Gwendolyn, to start.
We've had six undercovers outside her residence for the last couple days.
FLYNN: You can't put people's lives at risk - Hello, Dylan.
- over concerns of the budget.
- Any progress? - So, unfortunately, I-I am having trouble getting into your almost-stepbrother's computer.
But we still have unrestricted access to our idiot detectives.
[CHUCKLES.]
They're pulling back on Gwen's security detail.
FLYNN: What if Stroh shows up at his mother's house? He was looking for her, and now he found her.
Oh.
So they know about your visit with my mother.
That was unavoidable, Phillip.
But they still have absolutely no idea who I am.
So just watch a moment while they discuss whether you're gonna kill your mother.
If I wanted to kill my mother, she'd be dead already.
FLYNN: besides the former Gwendolyn Beck? What about the boys? Rusty and Gus? We can keep the SIS officers inside, but the ones outside the towers have to be reassigned.
Oh, come on.
That's complete bullshit, Fritz.
You're turning my stepson and his friend into live bait! Andy, they're perfectly safe.
I promise you.
TAO: We can release Stroh's picture.
- Finally.
A relevant idea.
- If I release his picture and someone recognizes him when we're not there, Stroh might attack.
He is quick on his feet, and he always seems to have a backup scheme.
Sounds like you impressed them.
Yeah, I'm not sure about that, but things are definitely not going to plan.
I want the police spread thin, and now they're regrouping.
FRITZ: shouldn't be just protecting people Anything else happen while I was gone? Like what? better suited to SOB resources.
They're not just detectives, you know.
They're a bunch of bureaucrats.
Budgets are more important to them than outcomes.
They're idiots.
that Stroh ends up killing.
[ SIGHS.]
I know you disagree with this.
I'm sorry, guys.
Yeah.
Well, save your apologies for the dead.
If anybody calls, I'll be in the office.
FLYNN: You notice he didn't say anything about pulling protection from his wife.
TAO: 'Cause that's not happening.
Great handicap, not getting into that office with Provenza.
Who cares? He's alone.
TAO: Let's keep sorting through Stroh's past associates, see if anyone's giving him a hand.
Where's Julio Sanchez? And why did he leave his phone at his desk? SANCHEZ: Okay, so here's where we are.
I've gone on Zillow.
Zillow? What's Zillow? Uh, it's a real-estate website.
And it shows that the house behind Emma's on the other side of that gate is a rental.
So how come you know about this Zillow? Uh, nearly everyone knows about Zillow, sir.
But I-I've been using it lately.
I'm looking to, um, move closer to Mark's school.
I'll I'll I'll explain later.
Anyway, whoever leased this property behind Emma's hasn't been home since the murder.
He just said that the rental agreement was managed online and he never met the tenant.
Obviously Carl.
I've sent patrol to search and asked ID to print and collect DNA, sir.
DNA takes time.
Damn this boy.
Well, the, um, vase that he left at Stroh's mother's house, we don't have his prints, and neither does the FBI.
But we do have lots of good stuff from the crime scene video to try with facial recognition programs, though we may need help from some foreign governments.
Oh, great.
What else is it that we don't know? The Czech patient that we found on Emma's computer with lung cancer does not match Stroh's DNA, sir.
So, Stroh is not dying.
No, he is, sir, because we're gonna kill him.
PHILLIP: Forget about the cops for now.
What I want to know is, Dylan, where's my mother's money? DYLAN: When Gwen was diagnosed with dementia about two years ago, she turned over the living trust created in her new name, Abigail Atwood, to your almost-stepbrother, Hunt.
Hunt has his own wealth management company, Telegram Capital, very successful, and he has been very good with your mum's assets.
Great.
Has he kept those assets separate from his? Yes, but he eventually closed all of Gwen's joint accounts, which is why your money in Cyprus disappeared.
So, how do I get my $15 million back from Hunt? We still have the capacity for immediate transfers, don't we? Sure.
Uh, we can get the money out as planned and into the Bitcoin wallet I set up for you, but I need access to Hunt's business accounts and You said you could hack anything.
I did not say that.
I told you I could grab phones, individual computers, and wireless networks.
Normally, that provides me with enough information to go the distance, but Hunt runs a large financial institution.
I-I'd need a-a good username or names and possibly many passwords to access your mother's trust.
I need floor plans to his offices and houses and his calendar.
Can you get me his schedule? Floor plans to his house? Uh He has a wife and two kids.
You don't care about having to kill his kids? Let me see if I can help you with this.
I want you to look at these people like insects.
Ants, for example.
Ants that don't get into your house are fine.
Ants in your kitchen need to be exterminated.
How do you feel when you step on an ant, Dylan? Do you ever really ask yourself if that ant was a child? Right.
I see.
Well, uh Unlike Gwendolyn's house, Hunt's is covered by surveillance cameras inside and outside, some of which transmit live video to a security company it would take me days to hack into.
Days? Risky.
One other thing.
Once we get access to your brother's accounts, there's no reason we can't pick his company clean.
He manages upwards of half a billion dollars.
I mean, instead of just taking your mother's money - No.
- We don't No, we are not doing that.
Kill a few people here and there, nobody cares.
But you take $500 million, and the law will never stop looking for you.
And the more money you steal, the easier it is to trace.
We can't just think about what we want, Dylan, but how we might become vulnerable.
Like your girlfriend.
You realize, I'm sure, that she is how they'll catch you eventually.
She or somebody like her.
There's no one like Ella.
She's the reason I've stuck by you.
- She's - Ella is part of a pattern that you repeat that the police Ella is not a pattern! She's the love of my life! Hey, you want to talk about patterns? Uh, you have a pattern of murdering people.
Maybe that's how you'll get caught.
Do not talk to me about Ella.
I love her.
And love [SIGHS.]
You know nothing about love.
True.
But I am an expert on sex offenders.
Never mind.
Ella is dead weight, and I don't really care what happens to you when we're done.
Let's go back to Hunt.
If he is heavily guarded, I really need that calendar.
Is there a way you can get me his schedule? RUSTY: I still don't understand how Stroh finds these weirdos who are willing to partner up with a psychopath.
I mean, who are these people? As you can see here in the case of Mary Wellington, Stroh's own mother.
Mary Wellington.
Who is that? Stroh's first victim from 1985.
He raped and murdered her while they were both still in high school together.
And where did you find her? Stroh's mother confessed to helping Phillip hide this girl's body.
[SIGHS.]
I mean, I sort of understand it.
She's just trying to protect her son.
GUS: But protected him in a messed-up way, not what Sharon did for you.
Stroh took part in a sex crime, and his mother shielded him from the consequences.
She didn't know what he would be like as an adult.
You mean a lawyer? Sorry.
It's It's just relatable, and that's what Mom told me to keep in my mind.
Anyway, that's not what's freaking me out here.
Well, what's the deal, then? It's just I don't think that's all there is to the name Wellington.
But still, it makes me wonder if his mom really knew how Phillip would end up, maybe she would have been scared enough to turn him in.
You know what? That's a good point.
It's worth a shot.
What's worth a shot? This just in Chagrin Falls Police found the skeletal remains of a female adolescent right where Stroh's mother said she and Phillip buried Mary Wellington.
[SIGHS.]
Look at all these young blond women.
That one murdered during an attempted sexual assault.
Those five raped and strangled to death.
SANCHEZ: The judge, Stroh's college friend, that was an ugly death.
The Uber driver whose body was found in the Salton Sea.
BUZZ: Probably those five other people listed as accidents and a suicide, then Emma, his stepfather, Jim Bechtel.
Oh, and don't forget what happened to Stroh's accomplices.
One in jail for the rest of his life, and the other, Wade Weller, was shot to death.
FLYNN: And then all the prisoners that he befriended in County and had murdered.
And then there was that freak, Burning Man, the god Mars.
Remember that guy? Stroh betrayed him, too.
STRYKER: Yeah.
Is there anybody who deals with Stroh who he doesn't end up killing? Are you ready? TAO: Okay, Buzz, print the screen, - collate it.
We'll keep - Dylan: Um Yeah, I don't I don't think it's a great idea for you to come with me, actually.
We've planned this out.
I sit in the back, monitor the L.
A.
P.
D.
phones, and you drive.
Might find an opportunity.
Humor me.
Put the password into your little deadman's switch in case we're late getting back.
[SIGHS.]
PROVENZA: How's our Phillip Stroh play going? [DOOR CLOSES.]
Flynn in the running for an Oscar? I don't know about that, but if Stroh's accomplice has been listening, he's got a lot to think about.
Anything in there? Interpol just identified our hacking threat actor.
Name Dylan Baxter.
At last, a familiar face.
Dylan's 24, British.
With a good American accent.
Studying computer science at Trinity College Cambridge.
He was kicked out his sophomore year for hacking into the webcams of co-eds.
Yeah, no charges were filed, though, but Dylan also has an appetite big surprise for computer equipment he ought not to have.
Which the Cyprus police discovered when he was arrested two years ago for using credit cards he'd swiped off tourists' cellphones.
Yeah, he was picked up purchasing tickets to fly out of Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus in the company of a 15-year-old girl with whom he was having an affair.
How did he get free? We don't know except charges were dropped, his fingerprints disappeared, and Dylan vanished.
I assume bribery was involved.
His family is pretty wealthy, though they seem to have disowned him after the Peeping Tom business.
It would We have Interpol coordinating with Cyprus authorities.
And I'm trying to see if the FBI can find any financial connection to Stroh.
So, what's next? Well, I think now that we know beyond doubt that our spy is a hacker that maybe we should, um, offer some kind of a challenge.
DYLAN: He's completely covered by some very serious-looking guys.
And I imagine they're heavily armed.
Guards don't matter.
Long as you can get close enough to download Sanford's phone.
DYLAN: It's gonna depend on their driving formation.
There's more of them than I expected.
Probably means two vehicles.
Let's try some positive thinking, Dylan.
Assume we grab Hunt's schedule, and I can find myself a spot on his calendar.
[ENGINE STARTS.]
How long to complete the financial transfer? That depends entirely on how fast he cooperates.
What are you doing? Is the street not clear? I'm pausing so the traffic light to my right turns red and I have a shot for Hunt driving up beside me.
Just let me handle this, okay? I know what I'm doing.
Can I help? Yes.
You can be quiet so I don't have to talk to you when Hunt pulls up next to me.
[DIALING, RINGING.]
- [CELLPHONE RINGS.]
- Hello? [SOUTHERN ACCENT.]
Hi, there.
Is that, uh, Mr.
Hunt Sanford? Yeah.
Who's this? Hi.
My name's Dennis Angler.
I'm calling from California Sunshine.
Uh, we're trying to inform all of our L.
A.
customers Okay, look about an exciting opportunity to install solar panels for a 50% discount, but we really Listen, I'm not interested.
Please take my number off your list.
[DEVICE BEEPS.]
[CELLPHONE CLATTERS.]
I just pretty much cloned his whole phone E-mail, calendar, contacts, credit cards.
- And he'll never know.
- Oh, he'll know.
But not tonight.
Let's go home.
It's easier to collect notes on your phone.
I have apps you can have You know, if Stroh goes to trial, my phone will get subpoenaed and I may never see it again.
Plus, a notebook can't get hacked.
Here it is.
Here it is.
Aaron Dunn.
Aaron Dunn.
His former mother-in-law is Alice Wellington.
That can't be a coincidence.
His ex-wife Liz is probably Mary Wellington's sister.
And, uh, Liz is the, uh, the florist from, uh, Colorado who died in the the single-car accident? Right, yeah.
And I have her mother's cellphone number because Aaron said he uses it so his children can FaceTime their grandmother.
If she is Mary's mom, too I can help.
Let me help you.
I'm being protected, too.
- [FACETIME RINGING.]
- You're not alone here.
Unless you want to be.
- [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
- I don't I don't think it's working.
WOMAN: It's working, Grandma.
They can see you.
Just talk.
Oh.
It's a boy.
Hello.
Do you see me? Hi.
Hi.
Uh, Mrs.
Wellington, my name is Rusty Beck.
I'm actually the assistant to a deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County, and she's in charge of prosecuting a case.
Oh.
Is the man who killed Mary in Los Angeles? That's where the police said that they got the information about, um, where her body was hidden.
Mrs.
Wellington, if I could just ask you a few questions.
Um, back when Mary went missing, were you friends with a woman named Gwendolyn Stroh? Oh, you Oh, you mean Gwen Bechtel? Yes, yes.
Gwen Bechtel.
You knew her? Yes.
Her and her family went to our church.
Uh, the the Bechtels, especially Gwen, were very, very kind to us after Mary went missing.
And, in fact, they, uh, they offered, uh, to help with extra searches for our local police.
Interesting.
That That That's, um, that's very interesting.
And And, um, did you keep in touch with Gwen afterwards? At first.
My daughter Liz, she was just so, um, disturbed by everything that had happened, and and Liz was Oh, she You know, she just kept on hunting for for Mary even after the rest of us had stopped.
And, uh, Gwen, she just went out of her way to help get Liz back on track.
She, um, offered to, uh, pay for a college degree if she'd just sign up at a-a-a university.
So So Gwen Bechtel gave you money? It It was Liz that that she kept sending cash.
Even after she, uh, you know, graduated up until, um, oh right before, um, my poor Liz passed.
[CHUCKLES.]
I'm so sorry.
[CHUCKLES.]
You know, you think you've cried over something for the last time.
[LAUGHS.]
It just I-I know.
Um Nothing hurts more than losing family.
Thank you for talking to me, Mrs.
Wellington, and, um, my condolences.
It was very kind of you people to help bring Mary back.
And I thank you.
Excuse me.
[SIGHS.]
What kind of mother pays off people - to hide her son's killing spree? - I don't know.
But if she did it once, odds are she did it a lot.
Okay.
Stroh's law professor cut back on travel, and his science teacher I wonder.
Hey.
Your mother said not to play detective.
So, I've been looking through my father's old financial records, and I'm finding years and years of statements from a bank account that he shared in common with a Gwendolyn Stroh.
I'd never heard of her before.
And this account shows yearly cash transfers of $10,000 starting in hold on uh, 1981.
Hmm.
What else happened in 1981, uh, that you can remember? Oh.
He had to take off work because of an accident he had in school.
Um, what kind of accident? He'd done a demonstration with sulfuric acid, and the next day, one of his students, not realizing how dangerous the acid was, he accidentally splashed my father's shoulder and arm with it.
Dad washed it off with water as fast as he could, but he still had to go to the hospital with burns.
It's funny, you know, some boy recently called me about a former student of my father's a Phillip Stroh.
Is he related to Gwendolyn? She's his mother.
Joan, Phillip Stroh was the student who splashed your father with acid, and it was not an accident.
I don't understand.
Why would his mother pay my dad so much money? Best not to think about that.
Did this Phillip Stroh did he murder my dad? Well, we can't rule it out.
Okay.
Uh I'll get all of this to you as fast as I can.
PROVENZA: Thank you, Joan.
We appreciate it.
And we'll talk to you as soon as we know more.
So, what is going on here? Stroh is murdering people he missed the first time and who his mom bribed to keep quiet? Ms.
Wellington did say that Liz kept searching for her sister long after everyone else stopped.
- Lieutenant Provenza.
- What is it, Buzz? We figured out how to trick Dylan into grabbing malware on a file that we've corrupted Uh, uh, you lost me at "malware.
" Show me.
Don't tell me.
Take me to the demonstration, please.
They seem to be at an impasse.
So are we.
Well, it looks like Hunt's schedule is fully booked for at least the next four months.
And I don't think we can play the waiting game here.
Uh, I guess I could text him a photo, see if he No.
Look.
He has an hour appointment at 9:00 a.
m.
tomorrow morning and every other Friday till the end of the year.
Wonder what that is.
No description, but there is an address.
Find out what's in that building.
[KEYBOARD CLACKING.]
Showtime.
Sir, we got a hit from Interpol on the identity of our threat actor.
His name is Dylan Baxter.
Printing his mug shot and rap sheet.
- What the hell? - Originally from London.
They know who I am.
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
What? How How do they know who I am?! [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
Holy cow.
Guys, that's the kid who showed us the gate at Emma's house, who called himself Karl.
Let me grab the crime scene video.
You bunch of wankers! Uh Uh They know who I am! They know who I am! Calm down.
Go back to getting me the details on that building, all right? - But look - Sit down.
Look! They have my face! Yes, they have my face, too, yet here I am.
TAO: Oh, my, he's got a record for - Sit down.
- spying on young girls.
He's a hacker.
How about that? Should we just assume stereotypes are true and the hacker's a puny, little mama's boy too scared of his own shadow for the real world? STRYKER: That's not always the case.
Some guys just get into hacking to steal nude photos of girls they can never, ever have.
I don't do that anymore, you bitch! I have a real girlfriend now, someone who loves me! Caught trying to leave Cyprus with a 15-year-old girl.
Child molester.
I am not a child molester! She came onto me, you assholes! Hey! FLYNN: 10 bucks says we find the little creep.
He wets his pants trying to tell us everything we want to know 'cause that's how molesters behave.
We have to get out of here.
We have to get out of here right now, soon as we can.
Stop panicking.
If we finish this by tomorrow, they will never see your face again, so stop worrying about it.
Sit down.
TAO: Here we go.
Interpol is all over Dylan Baxter.
He's gonna be a cinch to find.
Has the tip line started sending updates? Just now.
Maybe something good will turn up.
Let's go find our security detail.
Bye, Andy.
There's something happening in that building tomorrow.
We need to find out what it is.
Just give me a second.
The building.
I want to grab this tip line folder off Lieutenant Tao's phone and Dylan, the building.
If we get caught, it'll be all your fault.
Okay.
Nothing yet.
But if he opens that document, it'll lead us back to him? BUZZ: Eventually, yes.
Let me get my team ready to jump.
One second.
[SIGHS.]
I don't like just standing here.
But you've been right so far, Lieutenant.
Let's hope Stroh takes the bait and we can keep him from escaping.
By any means.
By any means.
You want to talk about anything? Not really.
No.
All right.
Good night.
All right.
Good night.
Okay, uh As hard as I've been trying to figure this out, I don't understand what Stroh is up to.
I mean, he's he's been trying to find his mom so hard, maybe even killing people to find out her new name, and then he doesn't even go to see her, sends this Dylan freak instead.
What? Do Do you have an idea? Yeah, I do.
And I talked to Andy about it, and he actually said he agreed with me.
Wait, you told Andy about this idea before me? What are you talking about? Look, we've been trapped here together night after night, and I am bunking on this sofa.
No, just just listen.
Since I could be killed for caring about you, isn't it a little nuts that we can't sleep together? And Andy's fine with me sharing your bedroom.
I don't know.
I mean, um We wouldn't even be in this position in the first place - if if it weren't - Oh, my God.
So many terrible, awful things have happened because of Phillip Stroh.
Can't something good come out of this? Does it all have to be a terrible disaster? Just one night.
Just give me a chance.
Don't I deserve a chance? FLYNN: What if he only wants the money? Maybe it's not related to witnesses or revenge.
Maybe Stroh is focused on all of his mother's joint checking accounts that were closed by Hunt Sanford.
As hard as this is for me to say, I agree with Flynn.
The only common thread we found through the victims is that Mama Stroh was paying them off.
Except DDA Rios.
Sleight of hand, boss.
He misdirected us.
Had a file planted on Emma's computer to trick us into thinking he had a bucket list and was crossing off names the hard way.
Now we know better.
Stroh isn't dying.
And it's an undeniable fact that all of these people lost money because of Hunt! Well, maybe Stroh was in the same situation.
He knew who his mother was paying off from his earlier life.
He thought maybe they know where she is.
And when they couldn't tell him, like Jim Bechtel, he knocked them off, sir.
PROVENZA: Which means, in my humble opinion, that the person most in danger right now is Hunt Sanford.
And Sanford won't listen to us, and we have no grounds to pick him up, sir.
So, we were hoping that you would call him on our behalf, use your rank, that amazing voice of yours just to inform him of the situation.
Where are we in locating the hacker? Why don't we have Stroh's accomplice in custody? PAIGE: We will, boss.
Once we blow this up into something that looks huge to him, he'll click on that tip folder.
He won't be able to resist.
PROVENZA: In the meantime [CELLPHONE RINGS.]
Yes? Mr.
Sanford, Assistant Chief of Police Leo Mason, L.
A.
P.
D.
- You have a moment? - Not really, but if you can be quick, I'll try and fit you in.
I'll hurry.
Our detectives are looking at some bank accounts opened by your mother over a period of several decades that you closed once the courts awarded you her power of attorney for all things financial.
Those accounts were ridiculous.
Most of them had money going in every year and disappearing, and she couldn't explain what they were for.
Why? Do you recall the locations of those accounts? Uh, Michigan was one, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and a really big one overseas in Cyprus.
$16 million shrinking at the rate of about $400,000 a year.
Do you remember the name in which that account was jointly held? Mr.
Sanford? [BREAKING.]
Hello? Hello? Do you remember the name on your stepmother's [BREAKING.]
account in Cyprus? Sorry.
You're You're breaking up.
- [BREAKING.]
Mr.
Sanford? - Hello? Hello? Cyprus.
Confirmation he closed Stroh's account.
Okay.
Let's try and figure out where Hunt is and augment his bodyguards with an SIS security detail.
Julio, I need an answer by end of business tomorrow.
No harm, no foul if you pass.
Yes, sir.
Uh, chief, uh [DOOR CLOSES.]
Don't tell me I'm on schedule.
Well, you're not late, sir.
[CAR DOOR CLOSES.]
Takes 88 seconds to get from here to the office.
I have less than 40.
This is why you're in therapy, dude.
We're here, sir.
[DOOR OPENS.]
[BEEP.]
[BUZZER.]
We'll be right here, sir.
Sorry I'm late, Dr.
Perez.
The ride took longer than normal.
Why is it so dark in here? Doc Dr.
Perez? Oh, shit.
Ah! Hi, Hunt.
Nice to finally meet you.
I would like your help, but if you scream, I'll be forced to shove this knife through your neck and let your bodyguards find you about an hour from now.
Are you Phillip? I am.
And you're the guy who closed my mother's bank account in Cyprus.
[BREATHING SHAKILY.]
Please.
D-Don't kill me.
I have a wife and kids.
Oh, I know.
I know you're a family man.
Just cooperate.
Everyone will be safe.
Okay.
Let's have a seat.
Please.
Please.
[GROANS.]
As I was saying, cooperate, or I will rape and murder your wife and kill your kids.
Nod, please, if you understand me.
Thank you.
Okay.
Now, you should know, these walls have been soundproofed so that patients can shout and weep and not be heard.
I suppose a gunshot might give me away, but I'm using a knife.
It's very effective.
Ask your shrink.
In order for you to avoid winding up in his position, I need you to take this computer, log in to Telegram Capital, access my mother's living trust in a very big hurry.
I said hurry.
Um [KEYBOARD CLACKING.]
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
[CELLPHONE RINGS.]
We're good.
Put him on the phone.
Just do as you're told.
I'll tie you up, be on my way.
DYLAN: Uh, hey, Hunt.
I need you to log into your Telegram password ending in the numbers 1228.
[KEYBOARD CLACKING.]
[KEYBOARD CLACKING.]
[KEYBOARD CLACKING.]
Well? Your money's out of the country.
Thank you for your cooperation.
[SIGHS.]
[EXHALES SHARPLY.]
Shit.
Now, if you'd please stand up.
You won't get away with this.
Yeah, people always say that to me.
[GRUNTS.]
[GROANS.]
You'll be happy to know that, despite everything, we're still on schedule.
[TELEPHONE RINGS IN DISTANCE.]
We're up on Cyprus.
Tracked down Gwendolyn Bechtel's account over there held jointly with a Dr.
William Tom.
Gets worse.
The bank employee in charge of administering Stroh's account in Cyprus found dead three weeks after all the money was withdrawn.
That'd be where Stroh started his latest run.
So Let's give them a suspect.
Cami, get in touch with the local authorities in Cyprus.
Feed them whatever name Stroh was using to access that account.
And we've got a new start to our timeline.
I'll call Interpol.
Assuming Stroh left Cyprus under his alias, maybe we can start locking down his travel route.
Thank you, Amy.
Thank you.
You know what the deal is with Sanchez? Mason offering him another job.
More of a promotion.
Uh, lieutenant, criminal intelligence.
Homicide is kind of tough on a single parent.
Don't worry about it.
This time, we're gonna catch the son of a bitch.
But we're still behind.
If we lose Stroh this time, Mike, we'll never see him again.
I don't just want Stroh because he's dangerous.
I want him because if I only get to do one thing while I'm in charge of Major Crimes, please please let it be removing this bastard from the face of the Earth.
As the police were checking out the gate to Emma's backyard, I had a Sniffy in my pocket, giving me their contacts and the picture they were anxious for me to text them infected all their devices with malware, and now I have autonomous control of their cells.
They're practically staring at us.
Look.
I need to take off for a few days.
Get ready for a quick exit.
- Don't worry.
I have this.
- I hope so.
Half the fee depends on your finding my mother before they do.
I was with another woman.
Don't worry, it was my boss's mum.
I have the name and address for the woman who used to be Gwendolyn Stroh in San Marino, right next door to Pasadena.
Well, what's her name? [KNOCKING.]
Good evening.
I'm Lieutenant Michael Tao, L.
A.
P.
D.
You are Abigail Atwood, I presume? - Gwen.
- Did you say "Gwen"? I hope you're not talking about my mother that way.
Sorry, who are you? Hunt Sanford, and Abigail Atwood, - she's my mother.
- What the Oh, you're kidding me! All of my businesses and properties have cameras, including Abigail's home.
They store locally on SD cards in the camera Shit! Locally! What is that? More importantly, who is that? That's no one, Lieutenant Geezer.
[CHUCKLES.]
That's no one.
Buzz, what happened? BUZZ: I don't know, sir, but there shouldn't be anything wrong with the file.
TAO: We'll see.
SYKES: That man in the video, I feel like I recognize that guy.
Yeah.
Yeah, he does look strangely familiar.
[SCOFFS.]
It's not enough of my face.
No, you can't tell anything from that.
Mike, find anything on that file? I think the video has been deleted.
It appears to have been corrupted remotely.
FLYNN: Remotely? How is that possible? What about the cloud? No, it's all local.
[SIGHS.]
How is that possible? PROVENZA: I hate technology.
I don't give a damn what anybody says.
It does not make us safer.
How could it just disappear? SYKES: Unless it was designed to blow before we picked it up.
MASON: Whenever you get a clue as to what's going on here, Lieutenant, let me know.
Maybe we should try unplugging our system and rebooting it.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Shit, shit, shit.
What the hell are you doing? You unplugged your system without turning it off.
Do you know how dangerous that is? BUZZ: That video you wanted me to find, sir, is ready to play in Electronics.
Reboot, reboot.
Son of a Come on.
Reboot.
Reboot! [BEEP.]
Well? I think someone's spying on us.
They knew we were watching the video of Gwendolyn Stroh's visitor, and they knew how to corrupt the file.
TAO: Spying on us? How? We have really serious safeguards on the L.
A.
P.
D.
intranet.
PAIGE: And if that were breached, I.
T.
division would know immediately.
BUZZ: But the new smartboard in the murder room isn't on the intranet because we wanted to be able to download stuff off the web.
And our cellphones, they're not on the intranet, either.
My cellphone has a passcode and a thumbprint.
All of us have that.
Are you saying just one of us was hacked or? It may be everybody.
How could that have happened? We were all at Sharon's funeral together.
Someone could have set up a clone cell tower to override and substitute our own Wi-Fi connections.
Our cellphones aren't as secure as you think.
If someone figures out how to gain control remotely of our audio and camera functions, spying on us would be pretty simple.
PROVENZA: So, we've been hacked.
By who? Wait, Buzz, where is your video from Emma's house? I was thinking the same thing.
That neighbor guy, Karl.
Holy crap.
He texted Wes a photo of the gate, and Wes sent it to the rest of us.
Yeah, but not me, so, uh, my phone is probably safe, right? All right, Buzz.
Hold on.
Here.
Let me fast forward to the gate.
That's our witness who said he lives behind Emma Rios, and it's the same guy from the surveillance video in Gwendolyn Stroh's bedroom, and he fits the profile.
Stroh usually has an accomplice he can manipulate.
And he has no history of hacking skills.
So Stroh's partner posed as the neighbor and walked the crime scene with us? Why? Well, that's how the, uh What do we call them now, Mike? Threat actors.
That's how the threat actor uses the uh, w-w-w-what is it? - Homemade pineapple.
- Right, right.
Uh, homemade pineapple to interrupt the, uh, what? The Wi-Fi connections on our cells superimposed with one of his own.
Except my phone, which I had mistakenly left on airport mode after the funeral.
You mean airplane mode.
Whatever.
So how did this kid jump the Wi-Fi? [SIGHS.]
Through the phone's Bluetooth.
People saw him turn it off.
In C.
I.
, we exploit that vulnerability on the bad guys.
Should have expected they'd do the same thing to us.
Stroh definitely bugged the L.
A.
P.
D.
? Well, actually, it was, uh, just Major Crimes.
And he's been listening to us for days.
I assume that we actually helped him find his mother.
It might be why he murdered her ex, Jim Bechtel, in the first place to prod us into getting her new identity.
What if this this hack is a breach of the L.
A.
P.
D.
intranet? I called Lieutenant Markham.
He already did a sweep of unauthorized entries.
Didn't find a thing.
But the only way to be completely sure is do a system-wide shutdown and a reboot.
If we do that, though, it raises a big red flag.
Stroh will know we found him, and he could disconnect.
And we would miss the chance to manipulate him the way he has us.
You want to keep the department's Internet online just so you don't spook this guy? That's dangerous, Chief.
If Stroh's accomplice gave him access to our servers, he could delete or download crucial material from thousands of investigations.
Excuse me, Chief.
I know mostly I just turn things on and off, but the computerized part of the murder board isn't connected to the L.
A.
P.
D.
intranet.
The hacker probably took over the embedded cameras through my cell, which is a paired device.
Well, what makes you think he stopped there? I have a theory I didn't ask you, Lieutenant.
I asked Mr.
Watson, who is so eager to join the conversation.
Well, sir, I-if this threat actor had the technical skill to hack into our servers, why would he risk showing his face to the very detectives hunting for him? Plus the way he grabbed our phones, I could do that.
So could Lieutenant Tao.
You, too, probably.
I'd call our hacker brazen, not sophisticated.
Good point.
Yes.
Good point.
PROVENZA: If you were still head of intelligence, Chief, and you had the opportunity to mislead suspects uh, uh, threat actors uh, the bad guys, you would do it, wouldn't you? You know or you wouldn't ask.
Computers are not my strong suit.
But I trust Tao with all of that technical stuff completely.
And Buzz Buzz set up my printer.
So just hear me out.
I have a plan that I think may help us lead Stroh into a trap.
Due to L.
A.
P.
D.
's limited resources, Chief Mason has decided we need to reallocate personnel.
W-What do you mean by "reallocate"? It means we can't have 24/7 protection on certain subjects.
Which ones? Stroh's mother, Gwendolyn, to start.
We've had six undercovers outside her residence for the last couple days.
FLYNN: You can't put people's lives at risk - Hello, Dylan.
- over concerns of the budget.
- Any progress? - So, unfortunately, I-I am having trouble getting into your almost-stepbrother's computer.
But we still have unrestricted access to our idiot detectives.
[CHUCKLES.]
They're pulling back on Gwen's security detail.
FLYNN: What if Stroh shows up at his mother's house? He was looking for her, and now he found her.
Oh.
So they know about your visit with my mother.
That was unavoidable, Phillip.
But they still have absolutely no idea who I am.
So just watch a moment while they discuss whether you're gonna kill your mother.
If I wanted to kill my mother, she'd be dead already.
FLYNN: besides the former Gwendolyn Beck? What about the boys? Rusty and Gus? We can keep the SIS officers inside, but the ones outside the towers have to be reassigned.
Oh, come on.
That's complete bullshit, Fritz.
You're turning my stepson and his friend into live bait! Andy, they're perfectly safe.
I promise you.
TAO: We can release Stroh's picture.
- Finally.
A relevant idea.
- If I release his picture and someone recognizes him when we're not there, Stroh might attack.
He is quick on his feet, and he always seems to have a backup scheme.
Sounds like you impressed them.
Yeah, I'm not sure about that, but things are definitely not going to plan.
I want the police spread thin, and now they're regrouping.
FRITZ: shouldn't be just protecting people Anything else happen while I was gone? Like what? better suited to SOB resources.
They're not just detectives, you know.
They're a bunch of bureaucrats.
Budgets are more important to them than outcomes.
They're idiots.
that Stroh ends up killing.
[ SIGHS.]
I know you disagree with this.
I'm sorry, guys.
Yeah.
Well, save your apologies for the dead.
If anybody calls, I'll be in the office.
FLYNN: You notice he didn't say anything about pulling protection from his wife.
TAO: 'Cause that's not happening.
Great handicap, not getting into that office with Provenza.
Who cares? He's alone.
TAO: Let's keep sorting through Stroh's past associates, see if anyone's giving him a hand.
Where's Julio Sanchez? And why did he leave his phone at his desk? SANCHEZ: Okay, so here's where we are.
I've gone on Zillow.
Zillow? What's Zillow? Uh, it's a real-estate website.
And it shows that the house behind Emma's on the other side of that gate is a rental.
So how come you know about this Zillow? Uh, nearly everyone knows about Zillow, sir.
But I-I've been using it lately.
I'm looking to, um, move closer to Mark's school.
I'll I'll I'll explain later.
Anyway, whoever leased this property behind Emma's hasn't been home since the murder.
He just said that the rental agreement was managed online and he never met the tenant.
Obviously Carl.
I've sent patrol to search and asked ID to print and collect DNA, sir.
DNA takes time.
Damn this boy.
Well, the, um, vase that he left at Stroh's mother's house, we don't have his prints, and neither does the FBI.
But we do have lots of good stuff from the crime scene video to try with facial recognition programs, though we may need help from some foreign governments.
Oh, great.
What else is it that we don't know? The Czech patient that we found on Emma's computer with lung cancer does not match Stroh's DNA, sir.
So, Stroh is not dying.
No, he is, sir, because we're gonna kill him.
PHILLIP: Forget about the cops for now.
What I want to know is, Dylan, where's my mother's money? DYLAN: When Gwen was diagnosed with dementia about two years ago, she turned over the living trust created in her new name, Abigail Atwood, to your almost-stepbrother, Hunt.
Hunt has his own wealth management company, Telegram Capital, very successful, and he has been very good with your mum's assets.
Great.
Has he kept those assets separate from his? Yes, but he eventually closed all of Gwen's joint accounts, which is why your money in Cyprus disappeared.
So, how do I get my $15 million back from Hunt? We still have the capacity for immediate transfers, don't we? Sure.
Uh, we can get the money out as planned and into the Bitcoin wallet I set up for you, but I need access to Hunt's business accounts and You said you could hack anything.
I did not say that.
I told you I could grab phones, individual computers, and wireless networks.
Normally, that provides me with enough information to go the distance, but Hunt runs a large financial institution.
I-I'd need a-a good username or names and possibly many passwords to access your mother's trust.
I need floor plans to his offices and houses and his calendar.
Can you get me his schedule? Floor plans to his house? Uh He has a wife and two kids.
You don't care about having to kill his kids? Let me see if I can help you with this.
I want you to look at these people like insects.
Ants, for example.
Ants that don't get into your house are fine.
Ants in your kitchen need to be exterminated.
How do you feel when you step on an ant, Dylan? Do you ever really ask yourself if that ant was a child? Right.
I see.
Well, uh Unlike Gwendolyn's house, Hunt's is covered by surveillance cameras inside and outside, some of which transmit live video to a security company it would take me days to hack into.
Days? Risky.
One other thing.
Once we get access to your brother's accounts, there's no reason we can't pick his company clean.
He manages upwards of half a billion dollars.
I mean, instead of just taking your mother's money - No.
- We don't No, we are not doing that.
Kill a few people here and there, nobody cares.
But you take $500 million, and the law will never stop looking for you.
And the more money you steal, the easier it is to trace.
We can't just think about what we want, Dylan, but how we might become vulnerable.
Like your girlfriend.
You realize, I'm sure, that she is how they'll catch you eventually.
She or somebody like her.
There's no one like Ella.
She's the reason I've stuck by you.
- She's - Ella is part of a pattern that you repeat that the police Ella is not a pattern! She's the love of my life! Hey, you want to talk about patterns? Uh, you have a pattern of murdering people.
Maybe that's how you'll get caught.
Do not talk to me about Ella.
I love her.
And love [SIGHS.]
You know nothing about love.
True.
But I am an expert on sex offenders.
Never mind.
Ella is dead weight, and I don't really care what happens to you when we're done.
Let's go back to Hunt.
If he is heavily guarded, I really need that calendar.
Is there a way you can get me his schedule? RUSTY: I still don't understand how Stroh finds these weirdos who are willing to partner up with a psychopath.
I mean, who are these people? As you can see here in the case of Mary Wellington, Stroh's own mother.
Mary Wellington.
Who is that? Stroh's first victim from 1985.
He raped and murdered her while they were both still in high school together.
And where did you find her? Stroh's mother confessed to helping Phillip hide this girl's body.
[SIGHS.]
I mean, I sort of understand it.
She's just trying to protect her son.
GUS: But protected him in a messed-up way, not what Sharon did for you.
Stroh took part in a sex crime, and his mother shielded him from the consequences.
She didn't know what he would be like as an adult.
You mean a lawyer? Sorry.
It's It's just relatable, and that's what Mom told me to keep in my mind.
Anyway, that's not what's freaking me out here.
Well, what's the deal, then? It's just I don't think that's all there is to the name Wellington.
But still, it makes me wonder if his mom really knew how Phillip would end up, maybe she would have been scared enough to turn him in.
You know what? That's a good point.
It's worth a shot.
What's worth a shot? This just in Chagrin Falls Police found the skeletal remains of a female adolescent right where Stroh's mother said she and Phillip buried Mary Wellington.
[SIGHS.]
Look at all these young blond women.
That one murdered during an attempted sexual assault.
Those five raped and strangled to death.
SANCHEZ: The judge, Stroh's college friend, that was an ugly death.
The Uber driver whose body was found in the Salton Sea.
BUZZ: Probably those five other people listed as accidents and a suicide, then Emma, his stepfather, Jim Bechtel.
Oh, and don't forget what happened to Stroh's accomplices.
One in jail for the rest of his life, and the other, Wade Weller, was shot to death.
FLYNN: And then all the prisoners that he befriended in County and had murdered.
And then there was that freak, Burning Man, the god Mars.
Remember that guy? Stroh betrayed him, too.
STRYKER: Yeah.
Is there anybody who deals with Stroh who he doesn't end up killing? Are you ready? TAO: Okay, Buzz, print the screen, - collate it.
We'll keep - Dylan: Um Yeah, I don't I don't think it's a great idea for you to come with me, actually.
We've planned this out.
I sit in the back, monitor the L.
A.
P.
D.
phones, and you drive.
Might find an opportunity.
Humor me.
Put the password into your little deadman's switch in case we're late getting back.
[SIGHS.]
PROVENZA: How's our Phillip Stroh play going? [DOOR CLOSES.]
Flynn in the running for an Oscar? I don't know about that, but if Stroh's accomplice has been listening, he's got a lot to think about.
Anything in there? Interpol just identified our hacking threat actor.
Name Dylan Baxter.
At last, a familiar face.
Dylan's 24, British.
With a good American accent.
Studying computer science at Trinity College Cambridge.
He was kicked out his sophomore year for hacking into the webcams of co-eds.
Yeah, no charges were filed, though, but Dylan also has an appetite big surprise for computer equipment he ought not to have.
Which the Cyprus police discovered when he was arrested two years ago for using credit cards he'd swiped off tourists' cellphones.
Yeah, he was picked up purchasing tickets to fly out of Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus in the company of a 15-year-old girl with whom he was having an affair.
How did he get free? We don't know except charges were dropped, his fingerprints disappeared, and Dylan vanished.
I assume bribery was involved.
His family is pretty wealthy, though they seem to have disowned him after the Peeping Tom business.
It would We have Interpol coordinating with Cyprus authorities.
And I'm trying to see if the FBI can find any financial connection to Stroh.
So, what's next? Well, I think now that we know beyond doubt that our spy is a hacker that maybe we should, um, offer some kind of a challenge.
DYLAN: He's completely covered by some very serious-looking guys.
And I imagine they're heavily armed.
Guards don't matter.
Long as you can get close enough to download Sanford's phone.
DYLAN: It's gonna depend on their driving formation.
There's more of them than I expected.
Probably means two vehicles.
Let's try some positive thinking, Dylan.
Assume we grab Hunt's schedule, and I can find myself a spot on his calendar.
[ENGINE STARTS.]
How long to complete the financial transfer? That depends entirely on how fast he cooperates.
What are you doing? Is the street not clear? I'm pausing so the traffic light to my right turns red and I have a shot for Hunt driving up beside me.
Just let me handle this, okay? I know what I'm doing.
Can I help? Yes.
You can be quiet so I don't have to talk to you when Hunt pulls up next to me.
[DIALING, RINGING.]
- [CELLPHONE RINGS.]
- Hello? [SOUTHERN ACCENT.]
Hi, there.
Is that, uh, Mr.
Hunt Sanford? Yeah.
Who's this? Hi.
My name's Dennis Angler.
I'm calling from California Sunshine.
Uh, we're trying to inform all of our L.
A.
customers Okay, look about an exciting opportunity to install solar panels for a 50% discount, but we really Listen, I'm not interested.
Please take my number off your list.
[DEVICE BEEPS.]
[CELLPHONE CLATTERS.]
I just pretty much cloned his whole phone E-mail, calendar, contacts, credit cards.
- And he'll never know.
- Oh, he'll know.
But not tonight.
Let's go home.
It's easier to collect notes on your phone.
I have apps you can have You know, if Stroh goes to trial, my phone will get subpoenaed and I may never see it again.
Plus, a notebook can't get hacked.
Here it is.
Here it is.
Aaron Dunn.
Aaron Dunn.
His former mother-in-law is Alice Wellington.
That can't be a coincidence.
His ex-wife Liz is probably Mary Wellington's sister.
And, uh, Liz is the, uh, the florist from, uh, Colorado who died in the the single-car accident? Right, yeah.
And I have her mother's cellphone number because Aaron said he uses it so his children can FaceTime their grandmother.
If she is Mary's mom, too I can help.
Let me help you.
I'm being protected, too.
- [FACETIME RINGING.]
- You're not alone here.
Unless you want to be.
- [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
- I don't I don't think it's working.
WOMAN: It's working, Grandma.
They can see you.
Just talk.
Oh.
It's a boy.
Hello.
Do you see me? Hi.
Hi.
Uh, Mrs.
Wellington, my name is Rusty Beck.
I'm actually the assistant to a deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County, and she's in charge of prosecuting a case.
Oh.
Is the man who killed Mary in Los Angeles? That's where the police said that they got the information about, um, where her body was hidden.
Mrs.
Wellington, if I could just ask you a few questions.
Um, back when Mary went missing, were you friends with a woman named Gwendolyn Stroh? Oh, you Oh, you mean Gwen Bechtel? Yes, yes.
Gwen Bechtel.
You knew her? Yes.
Her and her family went to our church.
Uh, the the Bechtels, especially Gwen, were very, very kind to us after Mary went missing.
And, in fact, they, uh, they offered, uh, to help with extra searches for our local police.
Interesting.
That That That's, um, that's very interesting.
And And, um, did you keep in touch with Gwen afterwards? At first.
My daughter Liz, she was just so, um, disturbed by everything that had happened, and and Liz was Oh, she You know, she just kept on hunting for for Mary even after the rest of us had stopped.
And, uh, Gwen, she just went out of her way to help get Liz back on track.
She, um, offered to, uh, pay for a college degree if she'd just sign up at a-a-a university.
So So Gwen Bechtel gave you money? It It was Liz that that she kept sending cash.
Even after she, uh, you know, graduated up until, um, oh right before, um, my poor Liz passed.
[CHUCKLES.]
I'm so sorry.
[CHUCKLES.]
You know, you think you've cried over something for the last time.
[LAUGHS.]
It just I-I know.
Um Nothing hurts more than losing family.
Thank you for talking to me, Mrs.
Wellington, and, um, my condolences.
It was very kind of you people to help bring Mary back.
And I thank you.
Excuse me.
[SIGHS.]
What kind of mother pays off people - to hide her son's killing spree? - I don't know.
But if she did it once, odds are she did it a lot.
Okay.
Stroh's law professor cut back on travel, and his science teacher I wonder.
Hey.
Your mother said not to play detective.
So, I've been looking through my father's old financial records, and I'm finding years and years of statements from a bank account that he shared in common with a Gwendolyn Stroh.
I'd never heard of her before.
And this account shows yearly cash transfers of $10,000 starting in hold on uh, 1981.
Hmm.
What else happened in 1981, uh, that you can remember? Oh.
He had to take off work because of an accident he had in school.
Um, what kind of accident? He'd done a demonstration with sulfuric acid, and the next day, one of his students, not realizing how dangerous the acid was, he accidentally splashed my father's shoulder and arm with it.
Dad washed it off with water as fast as he could, but he still had to go to the hospital with burns.
It's funny, you know, some boy recently called me about a former student of my father's a Phillip Stroh.
Is he related to Gwendolyn? She's his mother.
Joan, Phillip Stroh was the student who splashed your father with acid, and it was not an accident.
I don't understand.
Why would his mother pay my dad so much money? Best not to think about that.
Did this Phillip Stroh did he murder my dad? Well, we can't rule it out.
Okay.
Uh I'll get all of this to you as fast as I can.
PROVENZA: Thank you, Joan.
We appreciate it.
And we'll talk to you as soon as we know more.
So, what is going on here? Stroh is murdering people he missed the first time and who his mom bribed to keep quiet? Ms.
Wellington did say that Liz kept searching for her sister long after everyone else stopped.
- Lieutenant Provenza.
- What is it, Buzz? We figured out how to trick Dylan into grabbing malware on a file that we've corrupted Uh, uh, you lost me at "malware.
" Show me.
Don't tell me.
Take me to the demonstration, please.
They seem to be at an impasse.
So are we.
Well, it looks like Hunt's schedule is fully booked for at least the next four months.
And I don't think we can play the waiting game here.
Uh, I guess I could text him a photo, see if he No.
Look.
He has an hour appointment at 9:00 a.
m.
tomorrow morning and every other Friday till the end of the year.
Wonder what that is.
No description, but there is an address.
Find out what's in that building.
[KEYBOARD CLACKING.]
Showtime.
Sir, we got a hit from Interpol on the identity of our threat actor.
His name is Dylan Baxter.
Printing his mug shot and rap sheet.
- What the hell? - Originally from London.
They know who I am.
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
What? How How do they know who I am?! [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
Holy cow.
Guys, that's the kid who showed us the gate at Emma's house, who called himself Karl.
Let me grab the crime scene video.
You bunch of wankers! Uh Uh They know who I am! They know who I am! Calm down.
Go back to getting me the details on that building, all right? - But look - Sit down.
Look! They have my face! Yes, they have my face, too, yet here I am.
TAO: Oh, my, he's got a record for - Sit down.
- spying on young girls.
He's a hacker.
How about that? Should we just assume stereotypes are true and the hacker's a puny, little mama's boy too scared of his own shadow for the real world? STRYKER: That's not always the case.
Some guys just get into hacking to steal nude photos of girls they can never, ever have.
I don't do that anymore, you bitch! I have a real girlfriend now, someone who loves me! Caught trying to leave Cyprus with a 15-year-old girl.
Child molester.
I am not a child molester! She came onto me, you assholes! Hey! FLYNN: 10 bucks says we find the little creep.
He wets his pants trying to tell us everything we want to know 'cause that's how molesters behave.
We have to get out of here.
We have to get out of here right now, soon as we can.
Stop panicking.
If we finish this by tomorrow, they will never see your face again, so stop worrying about it.
Sit down.
TAO: Here we go.
Interpol is all over Dylan Baxter.
He's gonna be a cinch to find.
Has the tip line started sending updates? Just now.
Maybe something good will turn up.
Let's go find our security detail.
Bye, Andy.
There's something happening in that building tomorrow.
We need to find out what it is.
Just give me a second.
The building.
I want to grab this tip line folder off Lieutenant Tao's phone and Dylan, the building.
If we get caught, it'll be all your fault.
Okay.
Nothing yet.
But if he opens that document, it'll lead us back to him? BUZZ: Eventually, yes.
Let me get my team ready to jump.
One second.
[SIGHS.]
I don't like just standing here.
But you've been right so far, Lieutenant.
Let's hope Stroh takes the bait and we can keep him from escaping.
By any means.
By any means.
You want to talk about anything? Not really.
No.
All right.
Good night.
All right.
Good night.
Okay, uh As hard as I've been trying to figure this out, I don't understand what Stroh is up to.
I mean, he's he's been trying to find his mom so hard, maybe even killing people to find out her new name, and then he doesn't even go to see her, sends this Dylan freak instead.
What? Do Do you have an idea? Yeah, I do.
And I talked to Andy about it, and he actually said he agreed with me.
Wait, you told Andy about this idea before me? What are you talking about? Look, we've been trapped here together night after night, and I am bunking on this sofa.
No, just just listen.
Since I could be killed for caring about you, isn't it a little nuts that we can't sleep together? And Andy's fine with me sharing your bedroom.
I don't know.
I mean, um We wouldn't even be in this position in the first place - if if it weren't - Oh, my God.
So many terrible, awful things have happened because of Phillip Stroh.
Can't something good come out of this? Does it all have to be a terrible disaster? Just one night.
Just give me a chance.
Don't I deserve a chance? FLYNN: What if he only wants the money? Maybe it's not related to witnesses or revenge.
Maybe Stroh is focused on all of his mother's joint checking accounts that were closed by Hunt Sanford.
As hard as this is for me to say, I agree with Flynn.
The only common thread we found through the victims is that Mama Stroh was paying them off.
Except DDA Rios.
Sleight of hand, boss.
He misdirected us.
Had a file planted on Emma's computer to trick us into thinking he had a bucket list and was crossing off names the hard way.
Now we know better.
Stroh isn't dying.
And it's an undeniable fact that all of these people lost money because of Hunt! Well, maybe Stroh was in the same situation.
He knew who his mother was paying off from his earlier life.
He thought maybe they know where she is.
And when they couldn't tell him, like Jim Bechtel, he knocked them off, sir.
PROVENZA: Which means, in my humble opinion, that the person most in danger right now is Hunt Sanford.
And Sanford won't listen to us, and we have no grounds to pick him up, sir.
So, we were hoping that you would call him on our behalf, use your rank, that amazing voice of yours just to inform him of the situation.
Where are we in locating the hacker? Why don't we have Stroh's accomplice in custody? PAIGE: We will, boss.
Once we blow this up into something that looks huge to him, he'll click on that tip folder.
He won't be able to resist.
PROVENZA: In the meantime [CELLPHONE RINGS.]
Yes? Mr.
Sanford, Assistant Chief of Police Leo Mason, L.
A.
P.
D.
- You have a moment? - Not really, but if you can be quick, I'll try and fit you in.
I'll hurry.
Our detectives are looking at some bank accounts opened by your mother over a period of several decades that you closed once the courts awarded you her power of attorney for all things financial.
Those accounts were ridiculous.
Most of them had money going in every year and disappearing, and she couldn't explain what they were for.
Why? Do you recall the locations of those accounts? Uh, Michigan was one, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and a really big one overseas in Cyprus.
$16 million shrinking at the rate of about $400,000 a year.
Do you remember the name in which that account was jointly held? Mr.
Sanford? [BREAKING.]
Hello? Hello? Do you remember the name on your stepmother's [BREAKING.]
account in Cyprus? Sorry.
You're You're breaking up.
- [BREAKING.]
Mr.
Sanford? - Hello? Hello? Cyprus.
Confirmation he closed Stroh's account.
Okay.
Let's try and figure out where Hunt is and augment his bodyguards with an SIS security detail.
Julio, I need an answer by end of business tomorrow.
No harm, no foul if you pass.
Yes, sir.
Uh, chief, uh [DOOR CLOSES.]
Don't tell me I'm on schedule.
Well, you're not late, sir.
[CAR DOOR CLOSES.]
Takes 88 seconds to get from here to the office.
I have less than 40.
This is why you're in therapy, dude.
We're here, sir.
[DOOR OPENS.]
[BEEP.]
[BUZZER.]
We'll be right here, sir.
Sorry I'm late, Dr.
Perez.
The ride took longer than normal.
Why is it so dark in here? Doc Dr.
Perez? Oh, shit.
Ah! Hi, Hunt.
Nice to finally meet you.
I would like your help, but if you scream, I'll be forced to shove this knife through your neck and let your bodyguards find you about an hour from now.
Are you Phillip? I am.
And you're the guy who closed my mother's bank account in Cyprus.
[BREATHING SHAKILY.]
Please.
D-Don't kill me.
I have a wife and kids.
Oh, I know.
I know you're a family man.
Just cooperate.
Everyone will be safe.
Okay.
Let's have a seat.
Please.
Please.
[GROANS.]
As I was saying, cooperate, or I will rape and murder your wife and kill your kids.
Nod, please, if you understand me.
Thank you.
Okay.
Now, you should know, these walls have been soundproofed so that patients can shout and weep and not be heard.
I suppose a gunshot might give me away, but I'm using a knife.
It's very effective.
Ask your shrink.
In order for you to avoid winding up in his position, I need you to take this computer, log in to Telegram Capital, access my mother's living trust in a very big hurry.
I said hurry.
Um [KEYBOARD CLACKING.]
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
[CELLPHONE RINGS.]
We're good.
Put him on the phone.
Just do as you're told.
I'll tie you up, be on my way.
DYLAN: Uh, hey, Hunt.
I need you to log into your Telegram password ending in the numbers 1228.
[KEYBOARD CLACKING.]
[KEYBOARD CLACKING.]
[KEYBOARD CLACKING.]
Well? Your money's out of the country.
Thank you for your cooperation.
[SIGHS.]
[EXHALES SHARPLY.]
Shit.
Now, if you'd please stand up.
You won't get away with this.
Yeah, people always say that to me.
[GRUNTS.]
[GROANS.]
You'll be happy to know that, despite everything, we're still on schedule.
[TELEPHONE RINGS IN DISTANCE.]
We're up on Cyprus.
Tracked down Gwendolyn Bechtel's account over there held jointly with a Dr.
William Tom.
Gets worse.
The bank employee in charge of administering Stroh's account in Cyprus found dead three weeks after all the money was withdrawn.
That'd be where Stroh started his latest run.
So Let's give them a suspect.
Cami, get in touch with the local authorities in Cyprus.
Feed them whatever name Stroh was using to access that account.
And we've got a new start to our timeline.
I'll call Interpol.
Assuming Stroh left Cyprus under his alias, maybe we can start locking down his travel route.
Thank you, Amy.
Thank you.
You know what the deal is with Sanchez? Mason offering him another job.
More of a promotion.
Uh, lieutenant, criminal intelligence.
Homicide is kind of tough on a single parent.
Don't worry about it.
This time, we're gonna catch the son of a bitch.
But we're still behind.
If we lose Stroh this time, Mike, we'll never see him again.
I don't just want Stroh because he's dangerous.
I want him because if I only get to do one thing while I'm in charge of Major Crimes, please please let it be removing this bastard from the face of the Earth.