Nancy Drew (2019) s02e06 Episode Script

The Riddle of the Broken Doll

1 Two weeks after surviving a death curse, you'd think there'd be nowhere to go but up.
And for some of us, that's been the case.
You won't believe it, - but I was just thinking about you, Ace.
- Bessita.
How's yacht life? Oh, wonderful.
I'll be home soon.
My chakras are aligning by the minute.
I've been thinking about getting that done.
Oh, my God, this is amazing, Millie.
Millie, seriously, this is so good.
Your mom's catfish recipe is definitely going in The Claw menu.
Uh-huh.
I don't know whether to be alarmed or relieved that you two have gotten so close.
Uh, found your supplies for Hallowtime.
Um, Allhallowtide.
It's Horseshoe Bay's festival for remembering the dead.
Kids make lanterns and release them at the shore to represent souls passing on.
Pagan holiday? Wait, I don't know what "pagan" means.
It's No, no, no, no.
What? N-No, no.
No, Mom, it's not a pagan holiday.
- It's a children's party.
- What is "pagan"? It's a children's party, okay? It George is leaving her sister in charge while the rest of us are at Nancy's.
Tell your mom it's gonna be a nice, non-pagan game night.
Gonna be a nice, non-pagan game night.
No, it's Mom.
Some of us are moving on full speed ahead.
And me? Where did I move on to? A morgue.
I moved on to the morgue.
My God, you're still talking.
I'm reflecting on the irony.
There's nothing ironic about burglarizing my morgue, being arraigned for it, and being assigned 500 hours - of community service as punishment.
- Here.
That's the that's the irony.
You should make different life choices.
Well, I have 446 hours to figure out what I'm gonna do next.
- It's only November.
- Dad, Charles wants a grown-up to play with.
Leo, I'm still working, buddy.
Mommy plays with me when I ask.
Well, Mommy would normally be with you after school, but Mommy had to take an extra shift at her flower shop.
Can you please play with me and Charles? Not right now.
Drew.
- Hmm? - Take a break from mopping.
Watch my kid for a minute.
Um, babysitting is not a part of my community service.
Uh, you were sentenced to the morgue.
Kid's in the morgue.
You're watching Leo.
Hi, Leo.
What have you got? Boris, Jagger, and this is the new guy, Charles.
He's the coolest one.
He can catch bad guys, and he talks for real.
- What? What does he say? - It's a toy.
Don't indulge him.
Charles says the spinning berries make the world go round.
Hey, Doc.
Got a weird one for you.
What, are you playing with dolls, Drew? Male, mid-20s.
Found buried in a backyard garden.
Neighbor's border collie wouldn't stop barking and clawing at this one patch of dirt.
Spinal column fully lacerated and haphazardly stitched together.
Body looks several days old, judging by the decomp.
Yeah, someone really did a number on him.
- Cut him up and - Sewed him back together like a doll.
Oh, don't mind me.
I am just mopping.
- Sorry.
- Got the homeowner in custody, but I can't file charges without a cause of death.
- Can you handle it? - Oh, of course.
- I'll take good care of Body 670.
- Thanks.
I'll check back with you in a couple hours.
Well, it's gonna take longer than that.
What? It's just me around here.
Sorry this isn't New York.
I know.
I've tried your bagels.
Hey, Detective.
Who's the suspect? You know I'm gonna find out anyway.
You missed a spot.
What do you mean, I didn't read the schedule? I What forwarded e-mail? Never mind.
It's fine.
I can take him.
Y-Yes.
I got him.
Okay.
All right, Leo.
Let's hit the restroom, then I can take you to your thing, okay? But Nancy didn't get to play with Charles.
Well, next time, okay? I'll punch your time card when I get back.
Keep your hands to yourself.
You're on camera.
Couple of months ago, I would've convinced myself that was nothing.
Hey.
Nancy.
Listen, I'm not gonna be able to meet you for lunch today.
I'm really sorry, but I promise we can reschedule.
Oh.
- You're upset.
- No.
No, it's okay.
I'm sure, whatever it is, it's probably big.
It's a case.
One that can help repair my reputation.
And this particular client will pay very well if I win.
Well, I have total faith that you will.
Thanks, but this one won't be easy.
Why? Did they find a body in her backyard or something? Oh, you got that case.
Where are you right now? Nowhere in particular.
You're doing your community service at the morgue, aren't you? Okay.
I'm gonna hang up now.
I'll call you back later.
Bye.
Leo, sit tight.
I'll be right back.
You missed a spot.
I didn't have time to cook.
How much food is George letting us take from The Claw for game night? Enough for five people.
Ah, so five cans of tuna? Let's order from Lu Chow's.
I can pick it up on the way.
Yeah.
We can make Nick pick it up.
Maybe pizza.
That's always easy.
Plus, we made Nick get food last time from that weird place Bess wanted to try, so Is everything okay? Hold on, I'll call you back.
Ted, you want one or two? - I want three.
- Very wise, Ted.
My mom's catfish is outstanding.
Um, why do you shake it in the bag like that? Yeah, hasn't that poor fish suffered enough indignity? Millie said every step is crucial, and I am not deviating.
Now, where is that corn oil? What's going on? We're gonna die! We're gonna die! - We're gonna die! - No, no, nobody's dying.
- What's happening? - We're fine.
We're fine.
Stay there, Ted.
Stay there, Ted.
Nobody's dying.
Nobody's dying.
Everything's fine.
Everything's fine.
Right, George? - Right? - Yeah.
Totally fine.
What happened? Shouldn't we be asking you that? I went to go get corn oil.
- No, you got olive oil.
- No.
Millie specifically said not to use olive oil because of the low smoking point.
Did you burn your knuckle hair again? No, it was just an oil mishap.
Is it time? I'm gonna destroy all of you.
Game night Ace crushes.
Please please tell me that's a decoration for game night.
Nancy, did you kill someone? What? No, Bess! This body was brought to the morgue today.
And the next thing I know, it fell out of my cabinet.
He follow you home? How? I don't know, I don't know.
Okay, and we-we're sure he's actually dead? No, no, no, don't, don't, don't touch him! - Oh, he smells.
- Right, okay.
So I'm calling the cops.
No, you're not.
If you call the cops, we all get arrested.
She's got a really good point Detective Tamura already thinks we got a thing for dead bodies, so I Yeah, Tamura is not woke to the supernatural.
So I think that this body wants me - to solve his murder.
- Are you sure this isn't you just feeling aimless and grasping for a sense of identity - during your gap year? - This body is clearly haunted.
Something was done to it and I found this in its mouth at the morgue.
Yeah, that's probably why he followed you home.
My mom says never steal from the dead.
Yeah, I think it's from a ritualistic practice, or a calling card from a serial killer.
- Ooh.
- Yeah, you know, I don't think that a, a normal coroner is gonna be able to wrap his head around this.
No, even worse.
They could get hurt, you know? We have no idea what this haunted corpse is capable of.
I hate to say this, but we do have more practical experience with the supernatural than Connor the Surly Coroner.
Exactly, which is why we need to be the ones to figure out what happened.
So if you could just hang tight and keep an eye on him, maybe figure out what that thing is? - And ? - And examine the body for a potential cause of death.
No, we are not performing an autopsy - in your kitchen.
- No, you're absolutely right, Nick.
We should do it in the living room there's more space.
I'm not proposing anything formal.
I just think that it's an opportunity for observation and conjecture.
I concur.
It's not every day that you get the opportunity to look at a haunted corpse.
Precisely, take your opportunities when they come.
So, I won't be gone long with plenty of time to return the body to the morgue before anyone realizes that he was gone.
What? And-and you'll be where, exactly? I will be talking to the one person who may know more about this victim than she's letting on.
Bye.
So what were you doing when the police found the body in your backyard? Sewing.
Sewing what? The hem in a men's pair of trousers.
I'm a seamstress.
It's my passion.
Huh.
Carson, hello, uh, you were running late, so I let Darlene in.
I was just telling Nancy I heard a ruckus out back.
I didn't pay it any mind.
Then the cops dug the body up under the maple tree.
And you weren't curious about that at all? I stay away from that tree.
Family superstition.
Nancy? Hmm? A moment? The stitching on the body at the morgue looked rushed.
Amateur.
Darlene sews professionally.
I don't think she did it.
Needlework isn't a defense.
And you're not my investigator.
You just being here compromises attorney-client privilege.
I'm trying to help you.
You told me that you had to win this case to rebuild your reputation and your finances It's not your job to worry about my finances.
- Oh, my God, how bad is it? - I-I can handle it.
Some things kids shouldn't have to handle.
If you want to help, please go bank a bunch of hours of community service at that nice, quiet morgue where you can stay out of trouble.
Yes, sir.
Okay, so we've got a pizza cutter, a paring knife and some scissors.
Before we open up a haunted corpse with a pair of scissors, it might be worth asking if any of us are really ready to invite all of this back into our lives? Everything we've done with Nancy the last few months gave me a sense of purpose.
Does anybody else miss that feeling? Yeah, I wasn't excited about game night anyway, so I'm gonna text Jesse.
If anyone can identify weird creepy bugs, it's her.
- Okay, so I'm thinking - we use the pizza cutter for the outside layers, and then the paring knife once we're inside, okay? What, you thinking the other way around? No, I was not.
See, it pays to be related to the president of the Audubon Club.
"Trigonoscuta yorbalindae"? And she sent a, sent a website.
Let me see that.
Okay, um, uh it says these beetles have been extinct for 100 years.
But they were inside a man who only died a few days ago? George, you want to call Jesse and ? Écoutez la vérité Je n'étais point femme mariée.
George? George? Were you singing in French? No.
I don't speak French.
You okay? Yeah, just a head rush.
Then you might not want to look at this.
But also you should come look at this.
Are those animal bones? - And flowers? - What kind of killer did this? You are no longer welcome here.
- Hannah, I know you're angry - Goodbye! Remove your foot and walk away.
There is a body in my kitchen.
A haunted one.
And I need your help.
And I know that you are upset about what transpired two weeks ago "What transpired"? You stole from me.
And destroyed my property.
Your actions could have compromised two centuries' worth of incredibly haunted objects and exposed - the town to unspeakable danger.
- I only took one thing.
But you opened all the boxes.
You exposed their contents to the living.
It could've reawakened whatever was inside.
That's why I begged you not to do it.
Even now the security system is still glitching.
I've tried to fix it, but I don't know if the archive boxes will stay closed.
Well, I have a friend who can help with that, Nick.
He can fix anything mechanical, even if it has a supernatural component.
I am sorry about the archive boxes.
But if this haunted body in my kitchen has anything to do with what accidentally occurred then I have to fix it.
This victim's corpse, it's filled with occult symbols and items animal bones, wildflowers, insects I have no idea what any of that means.
Get inside.
Don't touch anything! I just knew Carson would have a Nature in Maine book.
That's classic dad.
Oh, hey, look at this, it's called nightshade.
Highly poisonous to humans.
Do you think that's how he died? Bess, if he were poisoned, the flowers would've been in his stomach, not his lungs.
God, remember when we didn't have to know this kind of stuff? So how's George? Is she all right with everything? What, like that time she literally died? Yeah, she won't she won't talk about it.
And I don't want to push her before she's ready.
You know, I learned that lesson.
George isn't Nancy.
Yeah, but she is George.
And she doesn't get pushed.
That's true enough.
You know, I have some experience in the basically dead department.
I could have that conversation.
Common ground.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah I-I appreciate that.
I got you.
Where'd that come from? Okay, yeah, Nancy needs to call an exterminator.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Hey.
Look.
Colic root it's been extinct since 1879.
So this guy has a bunch of animal bones in his gut, extinct beetles in his mouth, and flowers that have been MIA since the 19th century in his lungs? Hold on.
Guys, this place is infested with bugs.
Ew! Okay, very dead body suddenly bleeding.
We should call Nancy with another update.
I can't find anything about a corpse strewn with deathwatch beetles and unicorn root.
Try one that leaks blood.
I know some clergy who consult on post-mortem curses.
I'll put the word out.
They're in Greece and it's already nighttime there, so I will call you as soon as I hear anything.
Go home.
Keep an eye on that body.
Oh.
Maybe they'll go away.
Oh.
- Shh.
- Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Where is she? Where's who? Oh, is that your son? He looks just like you.
Yeah, my wife was supposed to take him, but then she had a floral emergency.
I don't have time to explain myself.
- Where's Nancy?! - Oh.
Oh, excuse you! What the hell? Leo, stay where you are.
Nancy, is there a bad guy in your kitchen? Leo, what are you doing here? Are you all out of your minds? What made any of you think this was okay? Hey.
I leave you alone in the morgue for two minutes.
I check on Body 670 an hour later, it's gone.
Last thing on the security camera was you pushing boxes in front of the lens.
You have a serious problem.
I'm calling the police.
Uh, to tell them what? That you left a proven burglar alone doing her community service in a morgue, against protocol? Giving her, clearly, plenty of time to take a murder victim home? I mean, that couldn't possibly - be good for your career.
- Ugh You stay out of my way.
I'm getting the gurney.
Now what? Leo, get in.
So If you say "Is game night back on?" I'm gonna propel myself through a window.
Okay.
But is game night back on? I owe you a new sponge.
That blood looks fresh.
But Body 670 was in the ground for days.
What kind of corpse bleeds like that? One that isn't dead anymore.
I know what you're gonna say, sweetie, and I know the answer.
The answer is "No".
Technically, no.
A child is not supposed to be riding in the front seat.
Yes, I'm aware.
I didn't ask.
Oh, your mother will, though.
Even if she doesn't say those words, she'll ask with her eyes.
"The coroner's van only has two seats.
How'd you get him home, honey?" Well, guess what? I was not supposed to be picking up a kidnapped cadaver today.
It is not my job to provide half-baked community service for teenage felons.
None of this is my fault.
No.
You know whose fault it is? - I can't.
No.
I mean, what is she? - Hmm? An omnipresent wizard.
Yeah.
That's what she is.
Hey, it's Connor.
Please leave a message after the beep.
Connor's still not answering.
Dad, stop! Charles lost his arm! - Leo, I've got a body in the back.
- Charles lost his arm! Oh, for the ever loving love of Stay here.
I'll find it.
Don't worry, Charles.
Dad's gonna find your arm.
What now? Are you following me? Hey! Hey, buddy.
You okay? Thanks, Hannah.
Okay, no sign of Body 670.
Ace, can you get your hands on your dad's police scanner, maybe? - Already fired it up.
- He was alive.
That man was alive.
Okay, so according to Hannah, that thing is not even a human.
It's an evil entity masquerading as one.
What kind of entity can even do that? So, Hannah said that it most likely belongs to a class of malevolent spirits called "therion", who are capable of growing humanlike bodies.
Her contact in Athens sent me a chart.
So, we thought it was the victim - when it's actually the monster? - Right.
How do we know which one it is, or what it even wants? I don't know.
That's what we have to figure out.
Um, can somebody drive Leo and Connor back to my house in the van? - Yes, I will do it.
Yeah.
- Great.
Come on, buddy.
Off we go.
- Mm-hmm.
It was alive.
- Come on, let's go.
Charles wants to stay with you in case the bad guy comes back.
Oh, I know, but we're gonna send you somewhere super, super safe.
Okay? Um, Ace and I are going - to keep looking for the not-dead monster.
- Come on.
Nice.
Uh, let's head to Darlene's house since that's where the body was buried.
Well, this is where they dug up the body.
Well, it looks like superstition's not the only thing Darlene kept from past generations.
Yikes.
- Hey.
- Hmm? It's from the Historical Society.
This is it.
In 1847, an Edith Yates signed for Box 12, which contains the vapor of a lamia, its soul.
Five bucks, Edith's married name is "Fowler".
Um, what's a lamia? One of the therion that preys on human victims.
And how did Edith Yates wind up with its soul in 1847? She was one of the Women in White.
Not much is written about them, except They were the first people to call to the Aglaeca.
Um, I think that's her.
They could have performed a vanquishing ritual to separate the lamia's vapor from its body.
Okay, great.
Well, we'll do the same thing.
We can't.
As you've mentioned, it involved a number of extinct creatures.
I'm guessing the process must have been very difficult.
That's why the vapor was sealed in Box 12, never to be opened again.
Until I broke into them two weeks ago.
That's when the lamia's vapor must have reunited with its body and begun to reanimate.
Hey, you can still fix this.
No one's gotten hurt yet.
Thanks, Hannah.
- How did the Women in White get involved? - What happened in 1847? Okay, Midsummer's Eve, 12 people were murdered on the same day.
And the murderer was never found.
Victims included Harriet Barnes, John Grover, Susan Manning.
- Hey, look how long they were alive.
- All the victims were children.
What if the lamia doesn't it doesn't just go for humans, it-it targets human children? Hey, Charles Fowler was a victim on this list.
Charles was Edith's son.
Hey, hang on.
Hang on.
I saw something outside.
Charles has been standing watch over the lamia's grave all this time.
Charles says the spinning berries make the world go round.
Spinning berries.
Can I see that? I think this belonged to Charles Fowler.
And that's who Leo has been talking to this entire time.
We have to get to him.
There's no word on the lamia.
You didn't miss anything.
I wasn't sleeping.
I used to space out a lot after my coma.
Kept going over all these weird memories in my head.
Being in the snow in my pajamas.
What do you remember from after you got hit by the harpoon? At first, it hurt like hell.
And then it all went numb, and I saw the sky.
The sunlight water.
And then, the water got darker.
And Nancy woke me up.
Is that where you go when you drift off? No.
I don't know where I go.
What if I never feel normal again? You're still you.
But you got to keep reminding yourself that.
I am glad you're back.
Um, he's not doing well.
It got up and ran away.
It got up and - ran away.
- Yeah, he just keeps saying that.
It ran away.
Got up and ran away.
Hey, Leo.
So, earlier, when you were saying that Charles talked to you, he was really talking to you.
Well, you know what, I should have listened to you earlier.
- We all should have.
- It's okay.
How-how long has Charles been talking to you? Ever since the bad guy showed up at Daddy's office.
Charles followed him there.
That's when Charles started protecting me.
You said that the bad guy was in my kitchen and that Charles was-was protecting you from from the bad guy.
So that is why the lamia ran away.
Because it was being warded off by the ghost of its victim.
Is that its weakness? What, you want to use the ghost toy to destroy the lamia? The toy only repelled it, but if we had multiple ghosts to work with The lamia's past victims.
Leo, what else has Charles told you about the bad guy? I don't want to talk about that anymore.
It's scary.
Okay, um, let me try some au pair magic.
All right, all right, I'm Boxy.
Oh, my God.
Hey, just see see where it goes.
Do you think Charles will talk to me? He's been trying.
Can you hear him? Oh, well, well, I'm guessing only other kids like you can hear him, Leo.
Why did Charles say that "spinning berries make the world go round"? It was his favorite toy.
His friends liked it, too.
And what did Charles say the other, uh, kids liked? Caramel apples and peppermint sticks.
Charles says take the purple flowers from where he stood watch.
That must be the the lavender by the angel statue.
And he says, "Remember our names, all 12 of us".
Ace? We just heard over the scanner, there's a nude man making his way eastbound on Bayside Drive.
Oh, wait, but the only place on Bayside Drive is The Claw.
Which was just full of kids.
George, your sisters.
Bye, Penny.
Thanks for coming.
Bye.
Thanks.
All right, guys, I am gonna get more tissue paper so you guys can finish this whole thing.
Okay.
Can you get more yellow? Yeah.
Yeah.
- Thank you.
- Let me see this.
That doesn't even look like a cat.
That's because she's in her astronaut suit.
There's no way.
All right, so, who wants what color? Ted? Charlie! Ted! Charlie! It has them! They're under its spell.
Nancy, hurry.
- We have to do it right, George.
- Please! Hurry! Come on, come on! Please, please, please! Hurry! Please! Come on, Nancy.
We call upon the souls of Elizabeth Roberts, - Nancy, no! - Caroline Ellis, Thomas Penwate, Henry Carter - Hey, no, no! - George! - George! George! - Get off me, Nick! Ryan Dorne, - William Baker, Benjamin Romero, - No! Catherine Lambert, Harriet Barnes, John Grover, Susan Manning, Charles Fowler.
Charlie.
Charlie.
George? They're sleeping.
They're asleep, I think.
It's okay.
Those ghost kids were awesome.
Yeah.
Glad they can rest now.
So you believe this was a prank? Some med school students in Orono thought it would be hilarious to steal a cadaver and make it look - like a serial killer did it.
- Hilarious.
They don't know who the students were, but they're investigating.
The body's back at the med school.
So they're investigating.
Okay, so I'm just supposed to take your word for it? Oh.
No, I wouldn't if I were you.
I mean, Connor's only lived here his entire life.
Knows the county, knows the people, knows the pranks they play.
I mean, can't a little mischief be forgiven on Allhallowtide? That's not a real holiday.
Not a real necktie.
Both of you get out of my office.
Thank you for listening to my son.
I underestimated him.
That's okay.
I did the same thing.
I mean, you forget how much kids can really handle.
And this lamia, can I tell Leo it's gone for good? Oh, absolutely.
It wasn't even a person.
Never alive.
It's, like, malevolence in human form.
I dated a girl like that once.
- Huh.
- Yeah.
Thanks.
See you tomorrow.
443 hours to go.
Thank God Ted and Charlie don't remember.
I promised Jesse I would explain later.
George.
Are you okay? The real answer is no.
I don't think that everything is okay with me.
Then we have to figure it out.
I got to figure this out by myself.
Funny thing happened.
Tamura says he's not filing charges against Darlene.
He's dropping the investigation something about a a med school prank.
Ah, an Allhallowtide miracle.
I told you your client was innocent.
That's the good news.
Bad news is, without a trial, I need to give Darlene a refund on her retainer.
Which means we are back to square one, financially.
- Nancy, that's my problem, not yours.
- I know, Dad, because kids aren't supposed to worry about these things.
And I get why people think that way, - but I am not a kid anymore, and - I know, I know.
And whatever hijinks you got into that helped my client today I'm glad you investigated.
I've always wanted to protect you, but there's no use in trying to stop you from doing what you do.
Frankly you're great at it.
And you should be compensated.
As it happens I'm hiring.
- You're serious? - I am.
I need clients, which means I need to keep winning cases, which means I could use a secret weapon.
Hmm.
I will work for you, part-time, so I can keep my job at The Claw.
George would be lost without me.
And I expect a paycheck, not an allowance, and only for the cases we win.
Lunches are included.
Were you singing in French? I'm still me.
No, you got olive oil.
I'm here.
I'm here, too.
Odette.
Enchantée.

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