Medium s02e18 Episode Script

S.O.S.

ALLISON: Grief.
Envy.
Love.
Most basic human emotions are communicated in ways others can easily understand.
Through words, behavior, facial expressions.
And then there's fear.
I believe that, when people are alone and vulnerable and afraid, they put out a sort of distress signal.
An alarm of sorts.
An S.
O.
S.
It's not visible or audible.
At least not to everyone.
Just certain people.
What are you doing, huh? Hey, it's Saturday.
We got another half hour or so.
Lay back down.
Hmm? I don't think I can.
I I saw a girl slip and fall.
I got to call somebody.
What? Got to find the phone book.
What are you talking about? Slipped and fell? Now you're doing slips and falls? What happened to kidnappings and assaults and murders? It's a Saturday.
Yes.
Mariposa State Park.
She looked like she was around 18.
She had long blond hair.
She was wearing a white T-shirt with the name of some sorority on it.
No.
I didn't actually witness her fall.
ARIEL: No, it's not.
BRIDGETTE: Yes, it is.
Well, you have to show someone.
Like who? Mom or Dad.
But what if I don't want to? Well, you'd better.
Hey, hey, hey.
What's going on? Your baby sister's still asleep.
What's this? It's a class project.
What kind of class project? Well, we're doing this art project about what our parents do for a living.
And I'm doing mine about Mom.
That's nice, Bridge.
Tell him what it means.
What do you mean, "what it means"? It's her job.
Okay, I get that.
I'm just curious.
What do you think Mom's job is? Well, she's a guesser and a dreamer.
One more time? Well, she makes guesses about things, and sometimes she dreams about things.
And she tells all this stuff to District Attorney Devalos, and he puts people in jail.
I'll be right back.
No, Lee, I know the park is not your jurisdiction, but I called Park Services, and I couldn't seem to get anyone's attention.
Well, can you just give him a call? Okay.
Can you call me back? Thanks.
Hey, have you seen this class project of Bridgette's? That collage thing with the photographs and pictures from magazines? No.
Not yet.
You might want to take a look at this thing.
She's got some pretty eerie ideas about what you do for a living.
Eerie crazy or eerie accurate? That's a pretty tough call.
In the kitchen? We still doing that Family Day thing? Yeah.
Remember? We decided to go to the mall.
The mall? It's so sunny out.
Yeah, well, it's Arizona, Allison.
It's always sunny.
Well, I know.
It The mall's so stuffy.
They've been there a million times.
I kind of want to do something outdoors.
Experience nature.
Nature? What do you mean? I don't know.
I thought maybe we could go to the park.
Go for a hike.
Climb some rocks.
Wow, honey.
Is this what you think Mommy does for work? Uh-huh.
This would be a good thing to talk about at the park while we go for a hike and climb some rocks.
JOE: It's great up here, huh? It's beautiful! It's boring.
I don't understand.
What happened to the mall? Didn't we vote? Isn't this a democracy? What'so great about the mall? What do they have at the mall? You're joking, right? How about clothes?! Well, I hate clothes! Well, there is something wrong with you.
Mom, there's an emergency.
We have to call the hospital.
This little girl is not my sister.
Mom? Al? Al? You know, it was your idea to come up here in the first place.
The very least you can do is participate in the stimulating conversation.
What are you looking for? You guys figure out a place to have a picnic.
I'll I want to look at something.
Okay, I'm confused.
What is it about that sign that you do not understand? I'll be right back.
Terrific.
BRIDGETTE: I don't get it.
Isn't Mommy a guesser and a dreamer? There is no job called a guesser or a dreamer.
Bridgette, Mom works for the District Attorney's office with a lot of other people.
She helps them investigate things-- figure things out.
So she's a "figurer"? ALLISON: Daddy's right.
I guess I'm kind of an investigator.
You don't dream? Well, sure, I do, but that's not uncommon.
Lots of people dream about their work once in a while.
I dream.
I think.
I feel.
I explore.
And then I follow my instincts.
Which, I guess, is what a lot of investigators do.
Oh.
So, Sherlock, did you find whatever it was you were looking for? No.
In fact, I did not, which is probably a good thing.
Anybody want to play Frisbee? Sure.
Marie and I will play, as long as you promise to try and throw it in our general direction.
I can't help it if the Frisbee doesn't pay attention.
Oh, girls, be careful over there by the rocks.
Look out for snakes.
Hmm.
An investigator, huh? And what case are we working on today, Magnum Dubois? You figured that out, huh? You're not the only one with instincts around here.
That dream that I had Slipping? Falling? I do recall that.
This is where it happened.
At least this is where I thought it happened.
Damn accident victims.
You just can't count on them.
That's why I tell all my investigator wives to stick with crime victims.
Kidnap.
Murder.
Rape.
Horrific, but dependable.
BRIDGETTE: Mom! Dad! I found something! Bridgette? JOE: What you got there, kiddo? Maybe there's money in it.
Where did you find this? Over there.
Ariel! Quick! Come on.
Sit down.
Sit down.
Stay here while your daddy goes and looks.
What's going on, Al? You want to tell me what I'm looking for? The rest of her.
I hate family day.
Can we go photocopy my face again? You know what, honey, I don't want to walk away right now.
I mean, if your father wants to take you You know, we've already got about six photocopies of your face, Bridge.
Tongue in, tongue out, finger in nose, finger in ear.
Why don't we just I'll be right back.
DEVALOS: Her name is Amy Asher.
She was an out-of-state freshman from Wheaton, Illinois.
That's her, that's the girl I dreamt about, I called you about.
Wait a second, you dreamt about this girl? You actually saw her being sexually assaulted and strangled to death and then you had a conversation with Detective Scanlon about it before it ever happened? No, I dreamt about a girl climbing really high to try to spray paint a boulder and then slipping.
When she called we had no idea this thing was going to end up like this.
I called Park Services, they went looking for a girl disabled by a fall, never found her.
Hold on.
You guys know more about this than I do.
She was sexually assaulted and strangled? According to the girls we spoke to over at the sorority, she was sent to paint Skull Rock as an initiation task.
She left her house around 4:30 this morning so she could do it without being spotted by the park rangers.
Okay.
I had my dream right after sunrise.
Based on some very preliminary work, the folks over at forensics are saying it looks like she fell, she broke her left ankle and then was dragged to where your husband found her.
They believe that's where she was sodomized, raped and then eventually, strangled to death.
The attack was apparently quite savage.
How much did your kids actually see? Nothing, thank goodness.
Joe got there first.
Well, Bridgette found her backpack.
It was about 15 yards from where Joe found her body.
We might need to interview the both of them at some point.
Of course.
What are the chances? A girl falls, breaks her ankle and the one person who happens to cross her path is a sexual predator and killer.
Let's get out of here.
Maybe we can salvage a little of our Saturday.
Anything you can tell me? Not here, not now.
You okay? Yeah.
It was pretty grisly.
It was pretty awful.
Her face I'm so sorry.
I guess you were right, we should've gone to the mall after all.
It's not your fault.
I don't know, I don't understand.
What? You don't understand what? Oh, I'm just thinking about my instincts-- I had an instinct about this girl slipping and falling-- and how besides the point it all seems right now.
It's kind of like sensing that you're sailing into a little rain when you're onboard the Titanic.
Okay, I get it now.
Mom's an investigator.
But you know what's weird? Your face? Nuh-uh.
Us going to the park.
We never go to that park.
Just 'cause we never go there doesn't make it weird.
Well, don't you think it's weird that we went hiking? Lots of people go hiking.
My friend Rachel Donnelly goes hiking all the time.
Yeah, but we don't.
What's your point, doofus? And don't think I didn't notice you didn't brush your teeth.
I mean the one time that we go hiking, we find a dead body.
Don't you think that is weird? I think you're weird.
I think this conversation is weird.
Well, think about it.
Doesn't it seem like everywhere Mommy goes she finds dead bodies? She told you, she's an investigator.
Investigators are always finding dead bodies.
Today was just a coincidence.
I hope so, because I don't want to grow up and have kids and have to explain why their grandma always had dead bodies hanging around.
Do you forgive me? Huh? Do you forgive me? I forgive you.
What did you do? I dragged you all to the park today.
Yeah, well, it still beats going to the mall.
Putting you and the kids so close to all that ugliness.
I still can't believe I did that.
I can't believe you saw what you saw.
Hey, I can't believe I saw what I saw.
And frankly, if I never see another naked girl with that look of horror permanently etched on her face, that's just fine with me.
As for the kids, Bridgette told me that she wants a coffee machine of her own for her birthday.
Darling, I swear, there's nothing for you to apologize for.
Just it'd be nice to get a little sleep.
Yeah? Lee, it's Allison.
I'm sorry to wake you.
I need your help with something.
What's going on? What's wrong? I had a dream.
This girl was driving through the desert.
Her car ran out of gas and her cell phone doesn't work.
Okay.
Well, what do we do? What do you mean, what do we do? It sounds like a AAA problem to me.
I told you, her cell phone doesn't work.
Allison, look, I think you're amazing, but it's 4:00 in the morning and I'm a homicide detective.
Oh, I know.
Normally I wouldn't bother you with something like this, it's just after what happened today I don't know, there must be some reason I saw it.
It has to have some importance.
Well, that's fine, but I guess I could call the highway patrol.
Okay.
Tell me anything specific you might have seen.
Describe the girl, describe the car, describe the road.
( groans ): Kill me now.
( ringing ) It's Sunday.
Come on, who the hell is calling this hour on a Sunday? Hello? That girl you called me about a couple hours ago, you said she was driving a silver sedan? Uh-huh.
I think we found the car.
Trucker called it in last night.
Looks like it just ran out of gas on the side of the desert highway about 40 miles outside the city.
What about the girl? Yeah.
?? ( shower water running ) We're still waiting to hear from forensics.
They think that he offered her a ride, ( water stops ) raped her and then strangled her.
Is it just me or does this kind of thing seem to be going around? I know, I thought the same thing.
What? Maybe it's broken.
I'm sorry, you lost me.
( sighs ): I don't know.
When these girls popped into my dreams, it was like I was receiving distress signals or somethg.
I saw them alone, ey were in need of help.
They were not in danger of being killed.
Wait, you still saw them.
You just you didn't get the whole story.
That's the thing-- I felt like I did.
I felt like from the moment they came into my dreams, these girls, their lives were not in danger.
They were just stuck, they were stuck on the side of the road needing gas, stuck on an out-of-the-way trail with a broken ankle.
So? So how did he know? How did he find them? I don't know.
Luck? Maybe-Maybe we're jumping the gun here, Allison.
I mean, we can't even be sure that both of these attacks were committed by the same person.
I mean, think about it, some homicidal maniac gets this lucky twice.
No, I know.
You're right, it makes no sense.
It doesn't make it any less tragic, but Looks like it's going to rain.
What do you want to do with the girls? BRIDGETTE: Mom, I'm ready.
Coming.
I'm coming.
You're late, Ms.
Dubois.
We're gonna have to mark you tardy.
I'll have my mommy write me a note on Monday.
Fire when ready.
"My mom's an investigator for the District Attorney.
"The District Attorney is a lawyer who works for the people.
"When someone is arrested for murdering somebody, "the District Attorney is supposed to prove they did it.
"This is lucky because it seems like everywhere my mom goes "she's always finding dead bodies.
"A lot of times my mom's instincts tell her where to be "to find dead bodies.
"Just the other day, my mom said, 'Let's go for a hike.
' We never go on hikes, but" ( groans ): Oh, boy.
( ringing ) Yep, I'm going to go get that.
JOE: Hello.
Bridge Good morning, sir.
Mommy doesn't see dead bodies wherever she goes.
Sure you do.
Don't you remember? That's what you told me.
No, honey, I never told you that.
Yes, you did.
You said you listened to your instincts, they tell you where to go, and that's where the dead bodies are.
Al? It's your boss.
Hold on.
Hello.
Sorry to bother you on a wet Sunday, but apparently the press is starting to grab ahold of this thing, and the deputy mayor was wondering if we could come in and give her a quick briefing on everything we know.
When do you need me? They gave him a name? Oh, yeah.
Why do they think it's one guy? Honestly, I don't think there's a lot of actual thinking going on here.
Although, there is some reason to suspect that we may be talking about a single individual What makes you say that? It's not the greatest link in the world, but when we found that girl on the side of the Sonoran Desert Highway, there was a large recent oil spot almost directly behind her car.
We checked her undercarriage and it's tight as a drum.
So we went back to Mariposa State Park and wouldn't you know it? We found another large oil spot in one of the parking spaces located in the lot closest to where that sorority girl was found.
And that proves? Nothing.
Lee, you know as well as I do that you can't even be sure that oil came from the same car.
As a clue, it's worthless.
It's not like you can trace the oil back to its owner.
Hey, I'm not telling you it's not a straw.
And I'll be the first to admit that we are grasping here.
This is ridiculous.
Has anyone looked at a map? Did you see how far apart these two incidents occurred? About 60 miles.
In my opinion, Ms.
Deputy Mayor, the only responsible thing to do is to call a press conference and reassure the city that in all likelihood, these were two tragic, separate and random acts of violence committed by two completely different individuals that the police department is doing everything it can to find the guilty parties, but that we are not looking at a murder spree being perpetrated by some psychotic Bad Samaritan.
Hey, this is Cindy.
Leave a message.
Cin, hey.
It's Taylor.
What's up? So, you know how my parents went away this weekend and I was totally psyched 'cause they finally let me stay home alone this time? Um, well, maybe it's not as cool as I thought.
'Cause honestly, it's kind of creepy being here all alone.
And I guess 'cause I watched this horror movie on cable that was hella scary and now there's all this lightning and thunder and This is going to sound kind of lame, and don't even repeat this to anyone 'cause if you do, I'll, like, totally deny it, but maybe you could come crash here tonight? I know it's so weak, but I just don't want to be here solo.
Um, so anyway, it's 11:35 right now.
Um, you can call me at home, not my cell.
It's 555-0178.
Come on, come on, come on, pick up.
TAYLOR: Hello.
Taylor, hi.
You don't know me.
My name is Allison Dubois.
I work with the District Attorney's office in Phoenix.
Don't ask me how, but I know that you are home all alone.
Now I need you to listen.
Who is this? My name is Allison Dubois.
Did Cindy tell you to call? No, Cindy didn't tell me to call.
I told you my name is Allison Dubois.
I think you might be in a lot of danger.
I need you to give me your address.
And I need you to go around and make sure all your doors and windows are locked.
Hello? This isn't funny.
I'm not trying to be funny! I need your address.
I need to know that you are going around and locking all your doors and windows so I can hang up with you and I can call the police and get them out there.
Hello? Hello? WOMAN: Phoenix Metro Police.
What's the nature of your emergency? My name is Allison Dubois.
I work with the Phoenix District Attorney's office.
I need the address of a house whose phone number is 555-0178.
Listen, butt brain, do not call here.
MAN: Taylor Greene? Yeah.
Who's this? This is 911 dispatch.
We have a car coming your way.
A car? Why? We received a call coming from someone in the District Attorney's office saying an intruder was trying to break into your house.
Hello? Hold on.
Don't hang up.
I want to check some stuff.
Who was this who called you? I don't know, ma'am.
Should I cancel the car or would you like me to stay on the line with you? Stay on the line.
Stay on the line.
No problem.
I'm right here.
Are you okay, ma'am? I'm here.
Just don't hang up.
Keep talking.
Hey, early bird.
What you doing, worm-catching? He struck again.
home alone.
I called her right before he got there, then I called the police.
Apparently, he was just about to break in, but she surprised him and he fled.
There was an oil slick outside her house at the curb.
It's definitely the same guy.
But that makes no sense.
I still don't get it.
How does he find them? It can't be luck.
Three vulnerable, isolated girls, totally different parts of the city three times in a row.
How could he have known that this last girl was alone? Nobody could have known that but you.
Or somebody like me.
Yesterday, the Mayor's office assured us that the killing spree was over, that the two weekend murders had no connection.
Today, a third apparent attack, and now a bizarre new twist in the serial murder spree that has all of Phoenix in a state of panic.
I was just lying in bed and this lady called and warned me to lock the doors 'cause someone was coming.
Just like that, out of the blue? You know who she was? Well, why did you believe her? Um, I didn't at first, but then she said she worked for the District Attorney's office and it sounded kinda serious.
And then she said she was going to send the police.
And a minute later the police were calling.
And did you get this woman's name? Um, I only got her first name-- Andrea or Allison.
Something like that.
Who was this mystery caller? Your Action News has made repeated phone calls to the District Attorney's office and gotten no response.
And whoever she was, how was she able to warn the young victim before the serial killer struck? Could it be that the District Attorney, the Mayor's office and the Police Department know more than they're letting on? Stay tune Every channel's running a version of the same thing.
The papers are full of it, too.
I just got off the phone with the Mayor.
Everyone wants an explanation.
I think we have to give them one.
Hello.
Thank you for coming.
My name is Allison Dubois and I work as a freelance consultant and investigator for the District Attorney's office.
There's been much recent speculation about who in the District Attorney's office called Taylor Greene to warn her that someone was trying to break into her house, and how this caller obtained this information.
You might be surprised by my answer-- luck.
I'd been working late on, of all things, the Bad Samaritan case and I was driving home from work when I passed Ms.
Greene's house.
I saw a figure lurking about the perimeter of the house and it looked like a burglar, so I called 911.
They promised to send a police car.
Concerned about the safety of whoever might have been in the house, I requested a reverse phone number lookup from Ms.
Greene's street address and was immediately connected to her home phone.
Like I said-- luck.
But let me take this moment to clear up another misconception.
We cannot be certain at this time that the man who fled Ms.
Greene's house is the same person responsible for this weekend's two murders.
Naturally, we're using Ms.
Greene's description of the suspect and working in conjunction with the Phoenix police to help apprehend him.
Thank you.
Mom, you lied.
I didn't lie.
We don't know that those three incidents were the work of one man.
Everybody has an opinion.
I have an opinion, but since the Mayor went ahead and told everybody that he didn't think there was a connection That's not what she meant.
You weren't working last night.
You didn't drive by that girl's house.
Why did you say that you did? How did you know that that man would break in? Girls, Mommy works for someone.
When you work for someone Joe.
Ariel's right.
I lied, and that is really not something that I want to teach you girls.
And to answer your question, I don't know.
I don't know how I knew that man was going to be outside that girl's house.
I just did.
That happens to me sometimes.
I see something.
I just know things.
I just sense things.
I don't get to pick and choose what they are.
And I have learned most people don't understand it.
So it's not something that I talk about.
It's not something that I try to explain.
Do you girls understand what Mommy's saying to you? I know you girls know what I'm talking about.
I think a little bit of what I have has rubbed off on you.
I know that you've felt this thing.
But you have to trust me when I tell you very few people ever experience it.
And very few people understand it.
Which is why, for the moment at least, only you and Daddy and a couple of people at work know.
And I'm asking you, just for the time being, don't tell your friends.
Don't talk about it at school.
Don't share it with anyone.
Is that an order? No, honey.
No.
It's just a suggestion.
It's just a hope.
No parent has the final word on what their children say about them.
It's just People just don't understand it.
And I really don't want them treating you differently because of the way I am.
Now, come on, give me a kiss.
Let's get ready for bed.
( sighs ) What do you think? About what? Tomorrow is Bridgette's report.
If she's going to say something, tomorrow's the day.
I don't know.
What do you think? I thought you were amazing.
I thought you said everything just about perfectly.
I guess the rest is up to her.
And I think I'm all right with that.
I wish I didn't lie.
Well, you didn't lie.
You told a fib.
And you didn't fib to the girls.
You told them the truth.
And I think that is what they're going to remember.
I hope you're right.
What's so funny? Today.
This day.
For all of my "gifts," I didn't see this one coming.
Helping that girl last night.
Devalos calling a press conference.
The conversation with the girls.
This life thing is a tricky business.
Keep looking for a batting order, a table of contents something to let you know what's happening next.
( phone ringing ) Hello.
MAN: Is this Allison Dubois? Uh, may I ask who's calling? You don't know me.
I just saw you on the news, and I wanted to call and tell you how impressed I was.
Who is that? I'm sorry didn't catch your name.
That's because I didn't tell you my name.
That was quite a story.
The one about passing the house and seeing me.
It's him.
Really, who is this? You tell me.
You're the dreamer.
You're the one who sees things.
It was funny and strange watching TV and seeing someone else who had it.
Spent my whole life looking.
Never found anyone.
And then there you were on the television.
Someone else who can do it.
Someone else who gets the dreams.
You know, when I get off this phone, I'm going to have them trace this call.
Oh, I'm counting on it.
And you know, as soon as I get off this call I'm going to throw away this cell phone.
Well, I mean, you know after I pull away from the front of your house.
Al, what's going on? Oil.
Oh, my God, he knows where we live.
I can't trace the oil back to its owner.
I will trace and find that cell phone.
If he bought it on credit or left a fingerprint on it, we'll find that, too.
But short of that Well, what about tonight, what about tomorrow? I'm concerned about my family.
I'm going to leave a couple uniforms and a cruiser outside to stand watch.
If you're out and about and somebody looks at you funny, somebody makes you feel nervous, call me.
I'll have an officer there before we're off the phone.
My guess is, he's on his way to California by now, or New Mexico.
We've alerted the authorities in those states.
We've set up roadblocks.
But nobody quite knows who we're looking for, so it's hard to say how effective they'll be.
You holding up okay? It was scary that he was so close.
I'm just amazed that my kids have slept through this.
He sees them in his dreams, huh? It's too bad we couldn't get the bastard to work for our side.
Give me five more minutes.
I'll have my guys out of here and you two can go back to bed.
BRIDGETTE: Psst.
Psst.
The whole house is full of police.
What are you talking about? I think I liked it all better when Mommy wasn't special.
I think I liked it all better when Mommy was just Mommy.
Mommy is just Mommy.
Want to hop in here? ALLISON: I believe that when people are alone and vulnerableand afraid, they put out a sort of distress signal, an alarm of sorts.
An S.
O.
S.
It's not visible or audible.
At least not to everyone.
Just certain people.
What's going on? You all right? I'm good.
I'm great.
Everything's going to be just fine.
SCANLON: Yeah? Lee, it's Allison.
I know where he is.
WOMAN: And now we get to hear from someone I know I'm looking forward to.
Her mommy has been in the newspaper and on TV, and this morning I heard she was involved in catching a really dangerous criminal as he fled the state last night.
So let's hear from Bridgette Dubois.
"My mom is an investigator for the dis "for the District Attorney.
"The District Attorney is a lawyer "who works for the people "when someone is arrested for doing something bad.
"The District Attorney is supposed to prove they did it.
"My mom helps with this.
"You ask her how she helps, "she'll tell you she doesn't really know.
"I just know that when she's done, "she comes home and gets to be with me "and my sisters and my dad.
"She's a really good investigator, "but she's a really great mom.
"And I keep thinking, "if people would just stop doing bad things, maybe she could stay home and be a mom all the time.
" Morning, Mom.
Did you sleep good? Actually, I did.
How about you? Yeah.
Really good.
I even had a good dream.
A good dream? Really? Uh-huh.
It helped me figure out something that was bothering me.
I had one of those, too.
What was yours about?
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