Take Two (2018) s01e09 Episode Script
Shadows of the Past
1 SAM: Okay, I'm seriously intrigued.
Has Christine called you to a crime scene before? Well, it's the first time I've been officially called to a crime scene since leaving the force.
Coroner's van.
- This has to be a murder case.
- Yeah, high-profile, too.
The guys from Robbery-Homicide are here.
Sorry, police only.
CHRISTINE: It's okay.
They're with me.
Come on through, guys.
What's this about, Chris? I need your eyes on something.
We've got a homicide.
It's the third victim of a serial killer.
[MOUTHING.]
Serial killer? He's dropping a body every three months two women, now a man.
Are you sure it wasn't two different perps? Well, most serial killers target one gender.
We did, like, 20 serial-killer episodes on my show.
Well, this guy likes to vary his diet.
All three victims were killed the same way and then dropped in the woods within a mile of here.
And then there's this.
He draws it on the victim's eyelids.
Looks weird.
Looks like some sort of math symbol.
A math symbol, stick figure, some kind of weird iconography.
The Behavioral Science Unit is trying to figure out what it means.
Any witnesses? A park ranger saw a white RV driving away about an hour before the body was found, but we're not sure it's related.
- Any other leads? - Enough with the questions, Valetik.
You're not a cop anymore.
Eddie, you remember Detective Elder.
Jay.
And this is Sam Swift.
Oh, right.
The actor.
And private investigator.
I'm a hyphenate.
Well, don't go thinking we called you in to crack the case.
Then why did you call us? 'Cause of this.
Your business card was found in the victim's pocket.
[CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING.]
Oh! Eddie, Sam.
Lovely to see you.
Mick.
The body.
Yeah, right, yes.
Um, okay, so, as with all of the, uh, previous victims, this gentlemen was killed elsewhere and and then deposited here.
Uh, the cause of death is strangulation by way of a very thin wire.
The killer used a garrote? That's so old-school.
Yes, it's very old-school, yes.
It was first used by the Romans in the first century B.
C.
, actually.
But Whoever did this, uh, applied great force and and and produced some rather, um, gruesome injuries.
That's Ken Hopkins.
So you do know him.
Yeah, he's a client or was.
He just hired us to find his wife.
She's been missing for three months.
KEN: The L.
A.
P.
D.
have gotten nowhere.
I didn't know where else to turn.
The police keep implying that she left me, but Alison wouldn't do that.
- She couldn't.
- Are you sure, Mr.
Hopkins? Sometimes people keep secrets from each other.
You don't understand.
Alison has a blood condition.
She's on medication.
I don't even know how long she can survive without it.
And then this turned up in a pawn shop.
Is that Alison's laptop? She had it with her when she went missing.
Someone erased the drive, but I hired a data-recovery company.
They salvaged a few files, including a video.
What kind of video? It's a video call or part of one.
Alison's talking to some guy.
She's wearing earrings I had just given her, so I know it's close to when she disappeared.
This man, I think he's got something to do with what happened to her.
Let's take a look.
You can see me, but I can't see you.
It's not fair.
MAN: [DISTORTED VOICE.]
I prefer it that way.
There are things I want to to say to you, in-person.
Then maybe we should meet.
CHRISTINE: She's agreeing to meet with someone.
Did you find out who Alison's talking to? No, we just started investigating, running background on her.
So the wife video-chats with this creep, goes missing.
A few months later, hubby gets iced.
They're either the world's unluckiest couple or the cases are connected.
Your client's dead.
Does that mean his case is dead, too? If Ken wanted us to find Alison, this gives us all the more reason to.
In fact, our investigation might intersect with yours, so I'm happy to share intel if you do the same.
We're not bringing you on board, Valetik.
You're a civilian.
Worse.
Jay, he's looking for the wife of our victim.
It's another set of eyes.
We're not outsourcing this investigation.
EDDIE: How's that working for you, Jay? You got three dead bodies and counting, no leads.
What have we got to lose? He's on a parallel track.
It may not connect with our case, but what if it does? [INHALES SHARPLY.]
[EXHALES SHARPLY.]
CHRISTINE: Okay.
All right, we need L.
A.
P.
D.
's case file on Alison and a copy of the Murder Book.
Keep Detective Rollins in the loop.
Stay in your lane, Valetik.
We'll be in touch.
Detective Elder not your biggest fan.
Ah, he has his reasons.
This is just so surreal, Eddie.
I mean, we were just talking to Ken Hopkins the other day.
How many serial-killer cases have you worked? Too many.
But it's been a while.
Look, we find Alison, maybe it'll lead us to the killer.
Captions by VITAC BERTO: Just got to say, it's pretty weird trying to find a serial killer.
Weird as in fascinating.
I've read numerous articles on psychopathy.
EDDIE: Actually, what we're trying to do is find Alison Hopkins.
She's still a missing person.
And what we're looking for is anything that connects her to the other victims Marsha Roberts and Cathy Avillard.
I see something that connects them.
- They all look alike.
- Yeah.
The killer may have a type, which means we can't rule out the possibility that he took Alison, too.
But then why hasn't anyone found her body yet? MONICA: It's true.
The killer left the bodies in the woods but not Alison's.
Which means she might still be alive.
MONICA: Or it's an anomaly, like targeting two women then a man.
All cases have anomalies.
We can't always read into them.
You guys keep digging.
Where are you going? Pick up where we left off on Alison's case talk to her only family, her brother.
EDDIE: What does the file say about him? SAM: Tim Stepansky.
Looks like he's a tech investor, launched a bunch of Silicon Beach start-ups.
What are you thinking? I can't get Alison off my mind.
I want her to still be alive.
Do you think it's even possible? There's always a chance.
TIM: Alison's been gone for three months.
After all this time, I'd given up hope, and now a serial killer? With Ken dead, - does that mean my sister Well, there's no evidence of that.
Right now, she's just missing.
Then there's still hope.
Alison she had a rough childhood.
We both did.
Our mom ran off, dad was a drunk, abusive.
If she survived that, she could survive this, too.
Did Ken mention the video? He showed it to me.
I don't know who Alison was talking to.
I wish I did.
Did she chat with people online? Was she social like that? Not that she ever said, but she's very trusting, Alison - too trusting.
- In what way? She sees the best in everyone.
It's why she teaches at a school with high-risk kids, why she volunteers serving meals on Skid Row.
Did she ever have any problems with anyone there? If she did, she kept them to herself.
What about enemies? There was one man, but I already told the police.
Why don't you tell us? Alison rented out a basement apartment to this grad student.
A few weeks before she disappeared, she had to evict him.
Drugs were involved.
He threatened her.
It got pretty ugly.
RUMENS: Of course I was angry at Alison.
But I didn't do anything to her.
So why'd she give you the boot? She found drugs in my place.
Well, that seems like a good reason.
They weren't mine.
She planted them there to break the lease and kick me out.
Why would she do that? I didn't understand.
Then I ran into her contractor.
He said Alison wanted me out so she could build a safe room down there.
I think she was afraid of something, but it wasn't me.
Where were you last night? You mean do I have alibi? For what? Ken Hopkins' murder.
Ken's dead? It wasn't me, all right? I've got nothing more to say.
His DNA, just case we need it.
[CELLPHONE BUZZES.]
A text from Christine.
They found another body.
If the killer only kills every three months, how is there a new body? - Do you think they found Alison? - Hope not.
What have we got? New victim, sadly.
I'm just commencing the autopsy.
Michael Pedraza.
Do you recognize him? Has he shown up in your investigation? No, afraid not.
Those are bruises on his knuckles.
Signs of a struggle, - like he fought off his attacker.
- He did.
Same cause of death, same symbol, same woods, but this time, the victim was attacked while jogging.
- The guy's escalating.
- MICK: Hello.
What have we here? It's a hair, brown, unlike Mr.
Pedraza's, which is decidedly black.
From the killer? Uh, quite possibly, yes.
It perhaps transferred during the struggle.
Run tests on that hair, Mick.
I need everything you can tell me about who it came from.
With all due haste.
SAM: First Ken, now Michael Pedraza.
Well, maybe there's some kind of tie between him, Alison, and the other victims we're not seeing.
Three murders, months apart.
But now another one a day later? The relief he gets from the act isn't lasting.
Yeah, which means he's gonna kill again soon.
Did you get anywhere on Alison's video? The voice is too crushed to ID, but I'm working on cleaning up the image so that maybe I could figure out where she was when she took that call.
But I have been looking into Michael Pedraza's social media.
Look at this.
Wait, is that Michael Pedraza at L.
A.
Outreach? That's how he tagged it.
Eddie, that's the homeless shelter where Alison volunteered.
Yeah, and so did Ken Hopkins.
He posted this just a week ago.
There's Ken volunteering at the L.
A.
Outreach soup kitchen.
EDDIE: L.
A.
Outreach.
Maybe that's the connection we've been looking for.
Maybe the killer is another volunteer, someone who the victims knew, you know, who gained their trust.
Or one of the homeless.
Do you see what I see? Yeah, RVs.
Christine said a white RV was seen leaving the area where Ken's body was found.
[CELLPHONE RINGS.]
- Valetik.
- CHRISTINE: Hey, Eddie? I have news on our possible killer.
The hair Mick found is from a white male, northern European, likely to be in his 30s or 40s.
Well, that doesn't exactly narrow it down.
She's not got to the good part yet.
So quick to denigrate.
Analysis of the hair shows he took anti-psychotics and then transitioned to street drugs.
So he's mentally ill and off his meds.
You know, Chris, the guy we're looking for could be homeless or living on the edge.
- Based on? - It's just a theory for now, but if it turns solid, I'll call you back.
When Alison went missing, we were devastated.
And now Ken and Mike Pedraza it's just a tragedy.
Yeah, did, uh did Mike know Ken and Alison? Maybe casually.
I'm sure he met them.
They probably had shifts together.
Did they ever report having any problems with any, uh, of the men here? Maybe someone who was mentally ill? A lot of our clients fit into that category, but nobody comes to mind.
Alison, Ken, Mike they're all excellent volunteers.
No conflicts at all with the folks here.
Then maybe it wasn't about conflict.
There any client who took special interest in them? Uh, well, I do remember this one guy used to leave Alison notes.
And what kind of notes? - Poems that he would write.
- Like love poems? Nothing over the line.
She would've told me.
She, uh she actually said they were very good.
This man, does he drive a white RV? Uh, yeah.
As a matter of fact, he does.
We need his name.
Phillip H.
Neal.
N-E-A-L.
Date of birth 10/13/1984.
He was infatuated with Alison Hopkins, and he drives a white RV, California plates HAL-1031.
We'll run it down.
All right, look, if he has a record, would you send it my way? We got this, Eddie.
I I can't have you chasing after a suspect.
I put myself out there to keep you inside this investigation.
Yeah, because you know I get results, and we both want to catch this guy.
I just need his background to see how else he connects to Alison.
- Am I gonna regret this? - Come on, Chris, it's me.
That's why I'm asking.
- I'm just gonna - Actually, don't tell me.
The less I know, the better.
I'll send whatever files we have to Berto.
We're gonna try to find Phillip Neal, aren't we? Oh, yeah, starting with the woods where the bodies were found.
Finding him is our best shot at finding Alison.
Phillip Neal, numerous arrests assaults, disorderly conduct.
He was a computer-science major at Cal State till he got diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Well, that explains his use of anti-psychotics, right? And why he started spiraling when he stopped taking them.
It's classic.
Hey, check this out.
He was institutionalized and released a year ago, right before the killings started.
At Sunshine Hills Clinic.
I know that place.
It's a super high-end psychiatric facility.
One of my professors works there.
Uh, where are you going? Sunshine Hills.
Without me? MONICA: Dr.
Santos, thank you for meeting with me.
Monica.
This is unexpected.
What brings you to my door? A patient, Dr.
Santos Phillip Neal.
I'm not sure I understand.
You know me as a psych student, but I do a bunch of other stuff, like work with a private investigator.
We're trying to find him.
I'd like to speak to whoever treated him.
That's highly inappropriate.
You took my ethics class, so you know full well patient information is confidential.
Unless that patient poses a threat to himself or others, which Phillip Neal does.
We think Neal may have killed at least four people, and we're trying to stop him before he hurts someone else.
Professor, please.
If I can't speak to his doctor, is there anyone here who knew him, who he might have confided in? Did you and Christine work together in Homicide? Well, she was still in uniform when I was there.
She worked her way up the ladder after I left.
She's formidable.
Yeah, I've noticed.
I've also noticed that every time we're at crime scene, you're in your element.
- How so? - You go on point.
You take everything in.
You ask all the right questions.
I bet you were a great cop.
Well, I had my moments.
I see the way the other cops look at you, how Elder treats you.
I know that feeling.
It's not easy to live with for me, at least.
It's the consequences of being me and the decisions I made back then.
I broke the Blue Code.
It is what it is.
[CELLPHONE RINGS.]
Hey, Monica.
Any news? Just breaking.
I talked to a clinic patient who knew Phillip Neal.
- Well, how'd you manage that? - Doesn't matter, but I asked if she might have known where he'd like to go or hang out.
She did.
Where? The contact said Phillip liked being in the woods.
It was his special place.
Did she pinpoint where? Was it Griffith Park where the bodies were found? No.
The woods at Stone Canyon Park.
Eddie, there.
That's the same plate number.
That's his RV.
Stay behind me.
SAM: So, this thing between you and Elder, is it professional or personal, because it looks personal.
You know those dirty cops I blew the whistle on? - One of them was his brother.
- Mm.
CHRISTINE: Hey, Valetik! You went after him when I specifically asked you not to.
I thought we had an understanding.
I had a lead.
I couldn't risk losing him.
SAM: Was it Phillip Neal? Is he the killer? We found the murder weapon along with trophies.
He took personal items from all the victims jewelry mostly.
There's the murder weapon, a necklace and rings from the first two women, Ken Hopkins' money clip, Michael Pedraza's exercise watch.
What about Alison? You find anything of hers? I'm afraid so.
Those are the earrings she was wearing in that video.
I was hoping we'd find her.
I know.
But Phillip Neal won't hurt anyone else because of you.
That's a win.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
Me, too.
EDDIE: I feel like we're missing something.
I still don't understand why Phillip Neal went after Ken Hopkins.
It fits no conventional profile.
I mean, why kill Alison's husband three months after killing Alison? Maybe he was coming unraveled, decompensating.
Or maybe it's like you said.
Every case has anomalies.
I got something to run past you.
I cleaned up the picture and got a better view out the window behind Alison.
That's a high-rise building, looks like downtown.
It is downtown.
That building is at Flower and 7th, which means the video was taken from the office building across the street.
I can probably figure out exactly where, but since the case is done Do you still want me to? - Chase it down.
- Got it.
CHIEF KENNEDY: We now know that, without question, Phillip Neal is the man responsible for these brutal murders.
I'd like to give special thanks to Detectives Elder and Rollins and their team - for bringing this case to a close.
- [SIGHS.]
We will continue to bring you more - as this unfolds.
- [KNOCKS ON DOOR.]
Hey.
What are you doing back here? SAM: I couldn't sleep.
My mind's still going 100 miles an hour.
How do you shut it off? Well, if I knew that, I wouldn't be here.
What's this? I thought we were done.
You don't think Phillip Neal's the killer.
Something about it it's too easy.
But we tied him to the last three victims.
Yeah, but not the first two.
And what about this? We still don't know what it means.
But we were there.
We found him.
We saw the evidence.
Are you sure this is about the case? - What do you mean? - Being at a crime scene, working a high-profile investigation.
Oh, what, you think I don't want this to be over? What I want is to make sure that we have the right guy.
Okay.
Then let's make sure.
If you're right, Phillip Neal was framed.
I want to check his autopsy in the morning.
I want to make sure it really was suicide.
BERTO: According to the angle of view, Alison was here on the 27th floor when she made that call.
MONICA: A lawyer's office.
Why would she come here? I don't know, but this is the place.
Same office building.
Same bad art.
I'm sorry.
May I help you? Uh, yes.
I'm Roberto Vasquez.
We're with Valetik Investigations.
Did you see this woman here? Yes, Alison Hopkins.
I saw on the news she was killed by that awful man.
Do you know why she came here? To meet about a legal matter.
What kind of legal matter? I can't reveal that, but our firm specializes in criminal defense.
Can you tell us what day that was? I guess there's no harm.
Uh, let's see May 3rd.
May 3rd.
That's the day she went missing.
So, right after talking to that guy, she disappeared.
Do you recall Alison video-chatting with someone? Yeah, on her computer.
She stepped away to take the call.
Did you hear the conversation? No, but afterward, she asked for directions to the Willis Hotel.
That must be where she met him.
Thanks.
MICK: Look, I'm sorry, Eddie, but everything here points to suicide, right? The ligature marks on his neck are consistent with hanging rather than strangulation, and his blood tests show near-fatal levels of fentanyl.
So then it's possible that he was drugged and then strung up.
You and I both know that victims of suicide are often highly intoxicated beforehand to work up the nerve, or in Phillip Neal's case, to make sure he actually ended up dead this time.
So this wasn't his first attempt? See for yourself.
Both wrists.
I sincerely doubt he cut himself shaving.
Yeah, those are deep cuts.
They would've severed the tendons, right? Undoubtedly, yeah.
And you said that the victims were garroted with great force.
So if the tendons were severed, how did he have that kind of grip strength? [CELLPHONE RINGS.]
Hey, Berto, what's up? BERTO: I'm at the office.
I got a lead off that video.
You need to come see.
BERTO: So, we figured out that Alison took the video call at the law office the day she vanished.
Where she was meeting a lawyer about some kind of criminal matter.
Right after the call, she went to the Willis Hotel to meet someone.
- The man from the video? - That's what we're thinking.
Well, does the Willis have security cameras? They do.
I know a girl who works I.
T.
there, so it took some serious begging to get her to give me the footage.
Which was very entertaining.
[GRUNTS.]
So, watch this.
This is the lobby of the Willis Hotel the day Alison disappeared.
That's Alison.
Eddie, you were right.
That guy doesn't look like Phillip Neal.
Who is he? Keep watching.
That's Tim, Alison's brother.
So, what am I looking at here? Alison Hopkins being led away the day she vanished by her brother.
So? So he never mentioned seeing Alison that day, not to me, not to the L.
A.
P.
D.
So you think her brother killed her? We think he killed all of them.
Based on your many years as a TV cop.
What are you doing to me, Chris? Making you listen.
Phillip Neal had a history of violence and mental illness.
Why would Phillip Neal kill Alison and then kill her husband, Ken, three months later? Who knows why, but he did.
Now, we found the trophies he took off his victims.
They were put there for us to find.
By master criminal Tim Stepansky, who's never had a speeding ticket? Stepansky is a donor and board member at the Sunshine Hills Clinic.
That's how he knew about Phillip Neal, knew he'd be the perfect fall guy.
Ken found the video of Alison.
Tim knew that it could lead back to him, so he killed Ken to try to shut it down.
And I think he killed Mike Pedraza so Ken's murder wouldn't stand out.
You trying to embarrass the department again? You know, get us to bite on this weak-ass theory of yours so we all look like a bunch of idiots? Is that your angle? No, his angle is trying to stop the real killer.
Always the hero, Valetik.
Come on, Chris.
You know something's off.
I have to tread lightly.
The Chief already made the announcement.
Then at least have Forensics test the trophies, see if any trace evidence or DNA points back to Tim.
That I can do.
I bet Tim was too careful to leave evidence behind.
Yeah, so do I, but it's a place to start.
Alison's video.
Maybe she somehow realized that Tim killed those two women.
The call was her wanting to confront him.
But she was afraid of what he might do, what might happen to him, so she consulted a criminal lawyer.
How could he kill his own sister? EDDIE: He's a sociopath.
They're about as close as you get to pure evil.
There you are, Mr.
Valetik.
I apologize for just dropping in.
Mr.
Stepansky, what can I do for you? You've already done all you could to find Alison.
Now she's gone because of that monster, Phillip Neal.
Hey, Berto, can you get Mr.
Stepansky some water, please? Thank you.
That's very kind.
Of course.
This must be terribly upsetting for you.
It was Ken who hired you, of course, but I wanted to pay you for your efforts.
It's the least I can do.
Oh, we can't take your money.
But I insist.
We haven't wrapped up the case yet.
You think someone else is involved? We haven't ruled it out.
And who would this someone be? We're still gathering evidence.
Such commitment.
That's what distinguishes you, Mr.
Valetik.
I have been searching for someone with those qualities to head up my corporate security.
I think I finally found him.
There could be a position for you as well, Ms.
Swift.
No thanks, I'm good.
Salary in the six figures, pension, health, car allowance.
Of course, you'd have to drop all other investigations so you could truly focus on the job.
What do you say? I say that's a lot to take in.
Think about it, Mr.
Valetik.
I'll be in touch.
Oh, here, I can take care of that for you.
That's okay.
I'm still thirsty.
Nice try.
He's too smart for that.
He came here to buy you off.
And to see what we knew.
We need to nail that son of a bitch.
BERTO: We put the board back up and built it around Tim Stepansky as the killer.
We got a hold of one of Alison's photo albums and pulled more photos.
We also dug deeper on Stepansky.
Wait, is that another victim? That's actually Tim's mom.
She abandoned the family when Tim was 12, leaving him and Alison to be raised by their father, a drunk who knocked him around so much that Family Services eventually placed him and Alison with relatives.
[SIGHS.]
He kills women that look like his mother because he hated her for abandoning him.
An untrained but astute observation.
How'd he find these women, women that look like his mom? - I'll try and figure that out.
- And where'd he kill them, 'cause he didn't kill them in the back of that RV.
Eddie, look at this.
Look at the sidewalk.
It's the same symbol.
Yeah, look, and he's holding a piece of chalk, which means he drew it.
You said that Alison and Tim went through Family Services.
Who was their case worker? DAHLIA: There they are, Tim and Alison.
Sometimes I use these old tapes for training.
How well do you remember them? Some kids you never forget.
Their dad beat them.
They were so afraid of him, they made up their own language using symbols.
It's coming up right here.
DAHLIA: What are you drawing there, Tim? Would you like to share it with me? Is that a person, Tim? It looks like what we've been seeing, except it's a stick figure.
Who is it? It's Dad when he's mad.
Dad is the man he was afraid of.
Now it's the man he's become.
SAM: Watching that video, I think I know why no one ever found Alison's body.
It was Tim and Alison against their dad, against the world.
Tim loved her.
He couldn't kill his sister and leave her in the woods.
So what did he do with her? [CELLPHONE RINGING.]
Valetik.
TIM: Hey, Eddie, it's Tim Stepansky.
How'd you get this number? I was wondering if you've considered my offer.
I have.
I'm not interested.
Come on.
Sam, make him see reason.
This is a crossroads moment, Eddie, and I'm not someone who takes "no" for an answer.
So don't make a decision you'll regret.
I'd hate to think this is the end.
Oh, you'll be seeing me again.
- Next time, I'll be coming to you.
- [CELLPHONE BEEPS.]
Where did he get your private number, and how did he know I was here? - He's just trying to scare us.
- Well, it's working.
- He's not after us, Sam.
- No? Look at me.
Long, dark hair, petite I'm totally his type.
He could just be waiting for me to be alone to strike.
He could be lying in wait inside of my house.
We'll make sure he's not.
That's a nice bat there, slugger.
Well, a girl's got to protect herself.
All right, look, all the doors and the windows down here are locked.
All the ones upstairs are, too.
I just don't see sleep in my immediate future.
[GASPS.]
Eddie.
- Look, did you see that? - See what? In the backyard.
I thought You thought what? What did you see? A shadow.
Human-sized.
I'll cover you.
[SIGHS.]
Nothing.
It was probably just the shadow of a car going by.
Yeah, probably.
[SIGHS.]
You gonna be okay? Y-Yeah, I'll I'll be fine.
Maybe I should stay.
News flash you're gonna blink first.
BERTO: I figured out how he found his victims.
Mike Pedraza tracked his runs with a sports watch.
That's what killed him.
I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure his sports watch didn't strangle him.
Tim monitored the watch's GPS data.
That's how he knew Mike was jogging in those woods.
Running stats are private.
Are you saying Tim's a hacker? He doesn't need to be.
One of his companies does data mining.
With in-depth profiles on millions of people, that's how he found his victims.
I should've seen it.
The signs pointed to Phillip Neal.
Not all of them.
I was too busy thinking that I cracked the case when I got on to L.
A.
Outreach.
I was just following the breadcrumbs that Tim left for me.
You weren't the only one.
[GRUNTS.]
All that time you spent in Homicide, cases like this, how'd you keep the darkness from getting to you? Well, sometimes you can't.
It's why so many murder cops drink, get divorced.
How did you protect yourself? By reminding myself I was making a difference.
What made you want to be a cop anyway? Um my parents.
- They were on the job? - No, no.
They were, um they were immigrants.
My dad had a store in Echo Park.
And there were these guys in the neighborhood that kept pushing him around.
Yeah, and one night, they they burned down his store.
I was 7 years old.
I remember watching the flames and the tears in his eyes.
My dad was my hero.
That's why I became a cop to stand up for the people who can't stand up for themselves.
And, you know, when I saw those dirty cops do the same thing that those guys did to my dad You miss it, though, being a cop.
Well, I miss what being a cop should have been.
[CELLPHONE CHIRPS.]
It's Mick.
He says it's urgent.
Ah, good.
You two are here.
You'd asked for those additional forensic tests.
Well, the lab results from the killer's trophies came in.
Yeah, did they find any DNA from Stepansky? No.
No DNA or forensic evidence that implicates him in any way.
They did, however, recover skin cells from the earring that is a match to Alison Hopkins.
That doesn't sound like it helps us.
Well, I didn't think so either, at first.
But note the image on the left.
Those are the cells found on her earring.
And on the right, we have a slide with a random skin sample that's roughly three months old.
Do you see the difference? The left looks pillowy, less dried up.
Correct.
That's because Alison Hopkins' skin cells are no more than 48 hours old.
That means that, when those earrings were removed from her ears, Alison was still alive.
The skin cells prove that Alison's alive.
Tim must be keeping her someplace, right? Just got to figure out where.
He has a condo in Palm Springs and a house in Malibu.
Wait, if she's alive, that must mean that he's giving her the medication she needs.
Maybe we could track the prescription.
I already have Berto and Monica on that.
According to Zillow, the house in Malibu's on 10 acres and it's gated.
So it's secure, remote.
- That's our best bet.
- Let's go check it out.
I'll call Christine on the way, see if she can get a warrant.
- Well, what if she can't? - We'll go in anyway.
BERTO: Wait, we just got something.
Alison's prescription ran out a few weeks after she vanished, turns out the drug she's taking is super rare.
So Berto hacked into the distributor's database, and we found a new prescription that started around the same time that Alison's lapsed.
Who wrote the prescription? Doctor at the clinic where Tim is a donor.
Sunshine Hills.
Alison? Alison, we have to leave.
ALISON: Where? That island I told you about.
It's warm, beautiful.
You'll love it.
I have your passport.
I have your medicine.
They found out what you did, didn't they? We just need a fresh start.
I'll be better there.
We'll both be better.
I won't go unless you tell me the truth.
How many women did you kill? Alison.
What can I say? I'm good with voices.
Told you next time I'd come to you.
Tim Stepansky, you're under arrest.
For what? Let's start with kidnapping and false imprisonment.
Alison chose to be here.
She knew she needed help.
Just ask her, Mr.
Valetik.
She'll tell you.
I'll be out by this afternoon.
He can't just walk away after all this, can he? Right now, we don't have proof he killed anyone.
With a defendant like him, it's an uphill fight.
Well, you can at least charge him with kidnapping, right? That'll depend on Alison.
[SIGHS.]
EDDIE: Jay.
Got to admit, you're the last person I expected a call from.
Alison Hopkins won't talk to us, not until she talks to you.
But I need a word first in private.
Now, you and me, we still got our differences.
But you did okay on this.
Is that some kind of compliment? As much as you'll get from me.
Mm.
So, I'm supposed to ask you, what is it you want, Valetik? I don't follow.
Well, you didn't take credit, didn't make us look bad.
The way the Chief sees it, well, she owes you.
That's a pretty big chit.
So you think about what you want.
ALISON: I just wanted to thank you.
I heard you were still looking for me when everyone else had given up.
We're just glad that you're safe.
It's important that you talk to the police, Alison.
Do you know how many times the police came to our house when we were kids and did nothing? If they would've stepped in sooner, Tim would've been okay.
Was it the photos of the victims that tipped you off? I saw them on the news.
They both looked so much like our mother.
That's when I realized I should've never left him alone.
What do you mean by that? I always worried about him, his rage.
I was the only one who could pull him out of it, the only one who understood.
Then I went off and got married.
That's when he slipped away into the darkness.
This wasn't your fault, Alison.
I should've just turned him into the police.
If I had, maybe Ken would be alive.
Well, when you confronted him, did he admit what he'd done? He denied everything.
Then he put me in that clinic, and he kept me doped up.
It doesn't matter what he said to me, though, does it? You guys have evidence on him, right? Well, not enough.
After what he did to those women, to Ken, he's gonna get away with it? Not if we can help it.
You can't help it.
Tim has money.
He's gonna hire the best lawyers.
Alison, we think he took his victims somewhere, someplace secret.
Do you have any idea where that could be? [BUZZER.]
You should've taken my offer.
You know, that jailhouse blue really brings out your eyes, Tim.
My bail hearing's in two hours, then I'm out of these for good.
I wanted to tell you that I will personally make sure my legal team turns you and your business to dust.
Do you see the irony? You declined my offer, but I'm still gonna own you.
Alison told us about the house.
You used a shell corp to buy the old family home.
Feeling sentimental? All those happy memories? There's a crime-scene unit there now.
They found blood and DNA from at least three victims.
You're not getting out of here, not in two hours, not ever.
[CHAIR CREAKS.]
We'll see.
Hey.
Hey.
So, looks like we got him.
And Alison's alive.
So, what did Detective Elder want? Well, he had a message from the Chief.
He said the L.
A.
P.
D.
owed me and to think about what I might want.
Do you think they were maybe asking you back? I think the door's open.
Is it something you're considering? You know, ever since I walked away, I wondered if I made the right choice.
But I don't know.
Going back wouldn't feel right.
You know, I've been thinking about what you said about protecting yourself from the darkness.
Well, what helps most is having a partner who has your back.
And, um And this.
A St.
Michael's medallion? The patron saint of cops and detectives.
All my partners had one.
You should, too.
Thanks.
Partner.
Has Christine called you to a crime scene before? Well, it's the first time I've been officially called to a crime scene since leaving the force.
Coroner's van.
- This has to be a murder case.
- Yeah, high-profile, too.
The guys from Robbery-Homicide are here.
Sorry, police only.
CHRISTINE: It's okay.
They're with me.
Come on through, guys.
What's this about, Chris? I need your eyes on something.
We've got a homicide.
It's the third victim of a serial killer.
[MOUTHING.]
Serial killer? He's dropping a body every three months two women, now a man.
Are you sure it wasn't two different perps? Well, most serial killers target one gender.
We did, like, 20 serial-killer episodes on my show.
Well, this guy likes to vary his diet.
All three victims were killed the same way and then dropped in the woods within a mile of here.
And then there's this.
He draws it on the victim's eyelids.
Looks weird.
Looks like some sort of math symbol.
A math symbol, stick figure, some kind of weird iconography.
The Behavioral Science Unit is trying to figure out what it means.
Any witnesses? A park ranger saw a white RV driving away about an hour before the body was found, but we're not sure it's related.
- Any other leads? - Enough with the questions, Valetik.
You're not a cop anymore.
Eddie, you remember Detective Elder.
Jay.
And this is Sam Swift.
Oh, right.
The actor.
And private investigator.
I'm a hyphenate.
Well, don't go thinking we called you in to crack the case.
Then why did you call us? 'Cause of this.
Your business card was found in the victim's pocket.
[CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING.]
Oh! Eddie, Sam.
Lovely to see you.
Mick.
The body.
Yeah, right, yes.
Um, okay, so, as with all of the, uh, previous victims, this gentlemen was killed elsewhere and and then deposited here.
Uh, the cause of death is strangulation by way of a very thin wire.
The killer used a garrote? That's so old-school.
Yes, it's very old-school, yes.
It was first used by the Romans in the first century B.
C.
, actually.
But Whoever did this, uh, applied great force and and and produced some rather, um, gruesome injuries.
That's Ken Hopkins.
So you do know him.
Yeah, he's a client or was.
He just hired us to find his wife.
She's been missing for three months.
KEN: The L.
A.
P.
D.
have gotten nowhere.
I didn't know where else to turn.
The police keep implying that she left me, but Alison wouldn't do that.
- She couldn't.
- Are you sure, Mr.
Hopkins? Sometimes people keep secrets from each other.
You don't understand.
Alison has a blood condition.
She's on medication.
I don't even know how long she can survive without it.
And then this turned up in a pawn shop.
Is that Alison's laptop? She had it with her when she went missing.
Someone erased the drive, but I hired a data-recovery company.
They salvaged a few files, including a video.
What kind of video? It's a video call or part of one.
Alison's talking to some guy.
She's wearing earrings I had just given her, so I know it's close to when she disappeared.
This man, I think he's got something to do with what happened to her.
Let's take a look.
You can see me, but I can't see you.
It's not fair.
MAN: [DISTORTED VOICE.]
I prefer it that way.
There are things I want to to say to you, in-person.
Then maybe we should meet.
CHRISTINE: She's agreeing to meet with someone.
Did you find out who Alison's talking to? No, we just started investigating, running background on her.
So the wife video-chats with this creep, goes missing.
A few months later, hubby gets iced.
They're either the world's unluckiest couple or the cases are connected.
Your client's dead.
Does that mean his case is dead, too? If Ken wanted us to find Alison, this gives us all the more reason to.
In fact, our investigation might intersect with yours, so I'm happy to share intel if you do the same.
We're not bringing you on board, Valetik.
You're a civilian.
Worse.
Jay, he's looking for the wife of our victim.
It's another set of eyes.
We're not outsourcing this investigation.
EDDIE: How's that working for you, Jay? You got three dead bodies and counting, no leads.
What have we got to lose? He's on a parallel track.
It may not connect with our case, but what if it does? [INHALES SHARPLY.]
[EXHALES SHARPLY.]
CHRISTINE: Okay.
All right, we need L.
A.
P.
D.
's case file on Alison and a copy of the Murder Book.
Keep Detective Rollins in the loop.
Stay in your lane, Valetik.
We'll be in touch.
Detective Elder not your biggest fan.
Ah, he has his reasons.
This is just so surreal, Eddie.
I mean, we were just talking to Ken Hopkins the other day.
How many serial-killer cases have you worked? Too many.
But it's been a while.
Look, we find Alison, maybe it'll lead us to the killer.
Captions by VITAC BERTO: Just got to say, it's pretty weird trying to find a serial killer.
Weird as in fascinating.
I've read numerous articles on psychopathy.
EDDIE: Actually, what we're trying to do is find Alison Hopkins.
She's still a missing person.
And what we're looking for is anything that connects her to the other victims Marsha Roberts and Cathy Avillard.
I see something that connects them.
- They all look alike.
- Yeah.
The killer may have a type, which means we can't rule out the possibility that he took Alison, too.
But then why hasn't anyone found her body yet? MONICA: It's true.
The killer left the bodies in the woods but not Alison's.
Which means she might still be alive.
MONICA: Or it's an anomaly, like targeting two women then a man.
All cases have anomalies.
We can't always read into them.
You guys keep digging.
Where are you going? Pick up where we left off on Alison's case talk to her only family, her brother.
EDDIE: What does the file say about him? SAM: Tim Stepansky.
Looks like he's a tech investor, launched a bunch of Silicon Beach start-ups.
What are you thinking? I can't get Alison off my mind.
I want her to still be alive.
Do you think it's even possible? There's always a chance.
TIM: Alison's been gone for three months.
After all this time, I'd given up hope, and now a serial killer? With Ken dead, - does that mean my sister Well, there's no evidence of that.
Right now, she's just missing.
Then there's still hope.
Alison she had a rough childhood.
We both did.
Our mom ran off, dad was a drunk, abusive.
If she survived that, she could survive this, too.
Did Ken mention the video? He showed it to me.
I don't know who Alison was talking to.
I wish I did.
Did she chat with people online? Was she social like that? Not that she ever said, but she's very trusting, Alison - too trusting.
- In what way? She sees the best in everyone.
It's why she teaches at a school with high-risk kids, why she volunteers serving meals on Skid Row.
Did she ever have any problems with anyone there? If she did, she kept them to herself.
What about enemies? There was one man, but I already told the police.
Why don't you tell us? Alison rented out a basement apartment to this grad student.
A few weeks before she disappeared, she had to evict him.
Drugs were involved.
He threatened her.
It got pretty ugly.
RUMENS: Of course I was angry at Alison.
But I didn't do anything to her.
So why'd she give you the boot? She found drugs in my place.
Well, that seems like a good reason.
They weren't mine.
She planted them there to break the lease and kick me out.
Why would she do that? I didn't understand.
Then I ran into her contractor.
He said Alison wanted me out so she could build a safe room down there.
I think she was afraid of something, but it wasn't me.
Where were you last night? You mean do I have alibi? For what? Ken Hopkins' murder.
Ken's dead? It wasn't me, all right? I've got nothing more to say.
His DNA, just case we need it.
[CELLPHONE BUZZES.]
A text from Christine.
They found another body.
If the killer only kills every three months, how is there a new body? - Do you think they found Alison? - Hope not.
What have we got? New victim, sadly.
I'm just commencing the autopsy.
Michael Pedraza.
Do you recognize him? Has he shown up in your investigation? No, afraid not.
Those are bruises on his knuckles.
Signs of a struggle, - like he fought off his attacker.
- He did.
Same cause of death, same symbol, same woods, but this time, the victim was attacked while jogging.
- The guy's escalating.
- MICK: Hello.
What have we here? It's a hair, brown, unlike Mr.
Pedraza's, which is decidedly black.
From the killer? Uh, quite possibly, yes.
It perhaps transferred during the struggle.
Run tests on that hair, Mick.
I need everything you can tell me about who it came from.
With all due haste.
SAM: First Ken, now Michael Pedraza.
Well, maybe there's some kind of tie between him, Alison, and the other victims we're not seeing.
Three murders, months apart.
But now another one a day later? The relief he gets from the act isn't lasting.
Yeah, which means he's gonna kill again soon.
Did you get anywhere on Alison's video? The voice is too crushed to ID, but I'm working on cleaning up the image so that maybe I could figure out where she was when she took that call.
But I have been looking into Michael Pedraza's social media.
Look at this.
Wait, is that Michael Pedraza at L.
A.
Outreach? That's how he tagged it.
Eddie, that's the homeless shelter where Alison volunteered.
Yeah, and so did Ken Hopkins.
He posted this just a week ago.
There's Ken volunteering at the L.
A.
Outreach soup kitchen.
EDDIE: L.
A.
Outreach.
Maybe that's the connection we've been looking for.
Maybe the killer is another volunteer, someone who the victims knew, you know, who gained their trust.
Or one of the homeless.
Do you see what I see? Yeah, RVs.
Christine said a white RV was seen leaving the area where Ken's body was found.
[CELLPHONE RINGS.]
- Valetik.
- CHRISTINE: Hey, Eddie? I have news on our possible killer.
The hair Mick found is from a white male, northern European, likely to be in his 30s or 40s.
Well, that doesn't exactly narrow it down.
She's not got to the good part yet.
So quick to denigrate.
Analysis of the hair shows he took anti-psychotics and then transitioned to street drugs.
So he's mentally ill and off his meds.
You know, Chris, the guy we're looking for could be homeless or living on the edge.
- Based on? - It's just a theory for now, but if it turns solid, I'll call you back.
When Alison went missing, we were devastated.
And now Ken and Mike Pedraza it's just a tragedy.
Yeah, did, uh did Mike know Ken and Alison? Maybe casually.
I'm sure he met them.
They probably had shifts together.
Did they ever report having any problems with any, uh, of the men here? Maybe someone who was mentally ill? A lot of our clients fit into that category, but nobody comes to mind.
Alison, Ken, Mike they're all excellent volunteers.
No conflicts at all with the folks here.
Then maybe it wasn't about conflict.
There any client who took special interest in them? Uh, well, I do remember this one guy used to leave Alison notes.
And what kind of notes? - Poems that he would write.
- Like love poems? Nothing over the line.
She would've told me.
She, uh she actually said they were very good.
This man, does he drive a white RV? Uh, yeah.
As a matter of fact, he does.
We need his name.
Phillip H.
Neal.
N-E-A-L.
Date of birth 10/13/1984.
He was infatuated with Alison Hopkins, and he drives a white RV, California plates HAL-1031.
We'll run it down.
All right, look, if he has a record, would you send it my way? We got this, Eddie.
I I can't have you chasing after a suspect.
I put myself out there to keep you inside this investigation.
Yeah, because you know I get results, and we both want to catch this guy.
I just need his background to see how else he connects to Alison.
- Am I gonna regret this? - Come on, Chris, it's me.
That's why I'm asking.
- I'm just gonna - Actually, don't tell me.
The less I know, the better.
I'll send whatever files we have to Berto.
We're gonna try to find Phillip Neal, aren't we? Oh, yeah, starting with the woods where the bodies were found.
Finding him is our best shot at finding Alison.
Phillip Neal, numerous arrests assaults, disorderly conduct.
He was a computer-science major at Cal State till he got diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Well, that explains his use of anti-psychotics, right? And why he started spiraling when he stopped taking them.
It's classic.
Hey, check this out.
He was institutionalized and released a year ago, right before the killings started.
At Sunshine Hills Clinic.
I know that place.
It's a super high-end psychiatric facility.
One of my professors works there.
Uh, where are you going? Sunshine Hills.
Without me? MONICA: Dr.
Santos, thank you for meeting with me.
Monica.
This is unexpected.
What brings you to my door? A patient, Dr.
Santos Phillip Neal.
I'm not sure I understand.
You know me as a psych student, but I do a bunch of other stuff, like work with a private investigator.
We're trying to find him.
I'd like to speak to whoever treated him.
That's highly inappropriate.
You took my ethics class, so you know full well patient information is confidential.
Unless that patient poses a threat to himself or others, which Phillip Neal does.
We think Neal may have killed at least four people, and we're trying to stop him before he hurts someone else.
Professor, please.
If I can't speak to his doctor, is there anyone here who knew him, who he might have confided in? Did you and Christine work together in Homicide? Well, she was still in uniform when I was there.
She worked her way up the ladder after I left.
She's formidable.
Yeah, I've noticed.
I've also noticed that every time we're at crime scene, you're in your element.
- How so? - You go on point.
You take everything in.
You ask all the right questions.
I bet you were a great cop.
Well, I had my moments.
I see the way the other cops look at you, how Elder treats you.
I know that feeling.
It's not easy to live with for me, at least.
It's the consequences of being me and the decisions I made back then.
I broke the Blue Code.
It is what it is.
[CELLPHONE RINGS.]
Hey, Monica.
Any news? Just breaking.
I talked to a clinic patient who knew Phillip Neal.
- Well, how'd you manage that? - Doesn't matter, but I asked if she might have known where he'd like to go or hang out.
She did.
Where? The contact said Phillip liked being in the woods.
It was his special place.
Did she pinpoint where? Was it Griffith Park where the bodies were found? No.
The woods at Stone Canyon Park.
Eddie, there.
That's the same plate number.
That's his RV.
Stay behind me.
SAM: So, this thing between you and Elder, is it professional or personal, because it looks personal.
You know those dirty cops I blew the whistle on? - One of them was his brother.
- Mm.
CHRISTINE: Hey, Valetik! You went after him when I specifically asked you not to.
I thought we had an understanding.
I had a lead.
I couldn't risk losing him.
SAM: Was it Phillip Neal? Is he the killer? We found the murder weapon along with trophies.
He took personal items from all the victims jewelry mostly.
There's the murder weapon, a necklace and rings from the first two women, Ken Hopkins' money clip, Michael Pedraza's exercise watch.
What about Alison? You find anything of hers? I'm afraid so.
Those are the earrings she was wearing in that video.
I was hoping we'd find her.
I know.
But Phillip Neal won't hurt anyone else because of you.
That's a win.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
Me, too.
EDDIE: I feel like we're missing something.
I still don't understand why Phillip Neal went after Ken Hopkins.
It fits no conventional profile.
I mean, why kill Alison's husband three months after killing Alison? Maybe he was coming unraveled, decompensating.
Or maybe it's like you said.
Every case has anomalies.
I got something to run past you.
I cleaned up the picture and got a better view out the window behind Alison.
That's a high-rise building, looks like downtown.
It is downtown.
That building is at Flower and 7th, which means the video was taken from the office building across the street.
I can probably figure out exactly where, but since the case is done Do you still want me to? - Chase it down.
- Got it.
CHIEF KENNEDY: We now know that, without question, Phillip Neal is the man responsible for these brutal murders.
I'd like to give special thanks to Detectives Elder and Rollins and their team - for bringing this case to a close.
- [SIGHS.]
We will continue to bring you more - as this unfolds.
- [KNOCKS ON DOOR.]
Hey.
What are you doing back here? SAM: I couldn't sleep.
My mind's still going 100 miles an hour.
How do you shut it off? Well, if I knew that, I wouldn't be here.
What's this? I thought we were done.
You don't think Phillip Neal's the killer.
Something about it it's too easy.
But we tied him to the last three victims.
Yeah, but not the first two.
And what about this? We still don't know what it means.
But we were there.
We found him.
We saw the evidence.
Are you sure this is about the case? - What do you mean? - Being at a crime scene, working a high-profile investigation.
Oh, what, you think I don't want this to be over? What I want is to make sure that we have the right guy.
Okay.
Then let's make sure.
If you're right, Phillip Neal was framed.
I want to check his autopsy in the morning.
I want to make sure it really was suicide.
BERTO: According to the angle of view, Alison was here on the 27th floor when she made that call.
MONICA: A lawyer's office.
Why would she come here? I don't know, but this is the place.
Same office building.
Same bad art.
I'm sorry.
May I help you? Uh, yes.
I'm Roberto Vasquez.
We're with Valetik Investigations.
Did you see this woman here? Yes, Alison Hopkins.
I saw on the news she was killed by that awful man.
Do you know why she came here? To meet about a legal matter.
What kind of legal matter? I can't reveal that, but our firm specializes in criminal defense.
Can you tell us what day that was? I guess there's no harm.
Uh, let's see May 3rd.
May 3rd.
That's the day she went missing.
So, right after talking to that guy, she disappeared.
Do you recall Alison video-chatting with someone? Yeah, on her computer.
She stepped away to take the call.
Did you hear the conversation? No, but afterward, she asked for directions to the Willis Hotel.
That must be where she met him.
Thanks.
MICK: Look, I'm sorry, Eddie, but everything here points to suicide, right? The ligature marks on his neck are consistent with hanging rather than strangulation, and his blood tests show near-fatal levels of fentanyl.
So then it's possible that he was drugged and then strung up.
You and I both know that victims of suicide are often highly intoxicated beforehand to work up the nerve, or in Phillip Neal's case, to make sure he actually ended up dead this time.
So this wasn't his first attempt? See for yourself.
Both wrists.
I sincerely doubt he cut himself shaving.
Yeah, those are deep cuts.
They would've severed the tendons, right? Undoubtedly, yeah.
And you said that the victims were garroted with great force.
So if the tendons were severed, how did he have that kind of grip strength? [CELLPHONE RINGS.]
Hey, Berto, what's up? BERTO: I'm at the office.
I got a lead off that video.
You need to come see.
BERTO: So, we figured out that Alison took the video call at the law office the day she vanished.
Where she was meeting a lawyer about some kind of criminal matter.
Right after the call, she went to the Willis Hotel to meet someone.
- The man from the video? - That's what we're thinking.
Well, does the Willis have security cameras? They do.
I know a girl who works I.
T.
there, so it took some serious begging to get her to give me the footage.
Which was very entertaining.
[GRUNTS.]
So, watch this.
This is the lobby of the Willis Hotel the day Alison disappeared.
That's Alison.
Eddie, you were right.
That guy doesn't look like Phillip Neal.
Who is he? Keep watching.
That's Tim, Alison's brother.
So, what am I looking at here? Alison Hopkins being led away the day she vanished by her brother.
So? So he never mentioned seeing Alison that day, not to me, not to the L.
A.
P.
D.
So you think her brother killed her? We think he killed all of them.
Based on your many years as a TV cop.
What are you doing to me, Chris? Making you listen.
Phillip Neal had a history of violence and mental illness.
Why would Phillip Neal kill Alison and then kill her husband, Ken, three months later? Who knows why, but he did.
Now, we found the trophies he took off his victims.
They were put there for us to find.
By master criminal Tim Stepansky, who's never had a speeding ticket? Stepansky is a donor and board member at the Sunshine Hills Clinic.
That's how he knew about Phillip Neal, knew he'd be the perfect fall guy.
Ken found the video of Alison.
Tim knew that it could lead back to him, so he killed Ken to try to shut it down.
And I think he killed Mike Pedraza so Ken's murder wouldn't stand out.
You trying to embarrass the department again? You know, get us to bite on this weak-ass theory of yours so we all look like a bunch of idiots? Is that your angle? No, his angle is trying to stop the real killer.
Always the hero, Valetik.
Come on, Chris.
You know something's off.
I have to tread lightly.
The Chief already made the announcement.
Then at least have Forensics test the trophies, see if any trace evidence or DNA points back to Tim.
That I can do.
I bet Tim was too careful to leave evidence behind.
Yeah, so do I, but it's a place to start.
Alison's video.
Maybe she somehow realized that Tim killed those two women.
The call was her wanting to confront him.
But she was afraid of what he might do, what might happen to him, so she consulted a criminal lawyer.
How could he kill his own sister? EDDIE: He's a sociopath.
They're about as close as you get to pure evil.
There you are, Mr.
Valetik.
I apologize for just dropping in.
Mr.
Stepansky, what can I do for you? You've already done all you could to find Alison.
Now she's gone because of that monster, Phillip Neal.
Hey, Berto, can you get Mr.
Stepansky some water, please? Thank you.
That's very kind.
Of course.
This must be terribly upsetting for you.
It was Ken who hired you, of course, but I wanted to pay you for your efforts.
It's the least I can do.
Oh, we can't take your money.
But I insist.
We haven't wrapped up the case yet.
You think someone else is involved? We haven't ruled it out.
And who would this someone be? We're still gathering evidence.
Such commitment.
That's what distinguishes you, Mr.
Valetik.
I have been searching for someone with those qualities to head up my corporate security.
I think I finally found him.
There could be a position for you as well, Ms.
Swift.
No thanks, I'm good.
Salary in the six figures, pension, health, car allowance.
Of course, you'd have to drop all other investigations so you could truly focus on the job.
What do you say? I say that's a lot to take in.
Think about it, Mr.
Valetik.
I'll be in touch.
Oh, here, I can take care of that for you.
That's okay.
I'm still thirsty.
Nice try.
He's too smart for that.
He came here to buy you off.
And to see what we knew.
We need to nail that son of a bitch.
BERTO: We put the board back up and built it around Tim Stepansky as the killer.
We got a hold of one of Alison's photo albums and pulled more photos.
We also dug deeper on Stepansky.
Wait, is that another victim? That's actually Tim's mom.
She abandoned the family when Tim was 12, leaving him and Alison to be raised by their father, a drunk who knocked him around so much that Family Services eventually placed him and Alison with relatives.
[SIGHS.]
He kills women that look like his mother because he hated her for abandoning him.
An untrained but astute observation.
How'd he find these women, women that look like his mom? - I'll try and figure that out.
- And where'd he kill them, 'cause he didn't kill them in the back of that RV.
Eddie, look at this.
Look at the sidewalk.
It's the same symbol.
Yeah, look, and he's holding a piece of chalk, which means he drew it.
You said that Alison and Tim went through Family Services.
Who was their case worker? DAHLIA: There they are, Tim and Alison.
Sometimes I use these old tapes for training.
How well do you remember them? Some kids you never forget.
Their dad beat them.
They were so afraid of him, they made up their own language using symbols.
It's coming up right here.
DAHLIA: What are you drawing there, Tim? Would you like to share it with me? Is that a person, Tim? It looks like what we've been seeing, except it's a stick figure.
Who is it? It's Dad when he's mad.
Dad is the man he was afraid of.
Now it's the man he's become.
SAM: Watching that video, I think I know why no one ever found Alison's body.
It was Tim and Alison against their dad, against the world.
Tim loved her.
He couldn't kill his sister and leave her in the woods.
So what did he do with her? [CELLPHONE RINGING.]
Valetik.
TIM: Hey, Eddie, it's Tim Stepansky.
How'd you get this number? I was wondering if you've considered my offer.
I have.
I'm not interested.
Come on.
Sam, make him see reason.
This is a crossroads moment, Eddie, and I'm not someone who takes "no" for an answer.
So don't make a decision you'll regret.
I'd hate to think this is the end.
Oh, you'll be seeing me again.
- Next time, I'll be coming to you.
- [CELLPHONE BEEPS.]
Where did he get your private number, and how did he know I was here? - He's just trying to scare us.
- Well, it's working.
- He's not after us, Sam.
- No? Look at me.
Long, dark hair, petite I'm totally his type.
He could just be waiting for me to be alone to strike.
He could be lying in wait inside of my house.
We'll make sure he's not.
That's a nice bat there, slugger.
Well, a girl's got to protect herself.
All right, look, all the doors and the windows down here are locked.
All the ones upstairs are, too.
I just don't see sleep in my immediate future.
[GASPS.]
Eddie.
- Look, did you see that? - See what? In the backyard.
I thought You thought what? What did you see? A shadow.
Human-sized.
I'll cover you.
[SIGHS.]
Nothing.
It was probably just the shadow of a car going by.
Yeah, probably.
[SIGHS.]
You gonna be okay? Y-Yeah, I'll I'll be fine.
Maybe I should stay.
News flash you're gonna blink first.
BERTO: I figured out how he found his victims.
Mike Pedraza tracked his runs with a sports watch.
That's what killed him.
I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure his sports watch didn't strangle him.
Tim monitored the watch's GPS data.
That's how he knew Mike was jogging in those woods.
Running stats are private.
Are you saying Tim's a hacker? He doesn't need to be.
One of his companies does data mining.
With in-depth profiles on millions of people, that's how he found his victims.
I should've seen it.
The signs pointed to Phillip Neal.
Not all of them.
I was too busy thinking that I cracked the case when I got on to L.
A.
Outreach.
I was just following the breadcrumbs that Tim left for me.
You weren't the only one.
[GRUNTS.]
All that time you spent in Homicide, cases like this, how'd you keep the darkness from getting to you? Well, sometimes you can't.
It's why so many murder cops drink, get divorced.
How did you protect yourself? By reminding myself I was making a difference.
What made you want to be a cop anyway? Um my parents.
- They were on the job? - No, no.
They were, um they were immigrants.
My dad had a store in Echo Park.
And there were these guys in the neighborhood that kept pushing him around.
Yeah, and one night, they they burned down his store.
I was 7 years old.
I remember watching the flames and the tears in his eyes.
My dad was my hero.
That's why I became a cop to stand up for the people who can't stand up for themselves.
And, you know, when I saw those dirty cops do the same thing that those guys did to my dad You miss it, though, being a cop.
Well, I miss what being a cop should have been.
[CELLPHONE CHIRPS.]
It's Mick.
He says it's urgent.
Ah, good.
You two are here.
You'd asked for those additional forensic tests.
Well, the lab results from the killer's trophies came in.
Yeah, did they find any DNA from Stepansky? No.
No DNA or forensic evidence that implicates him in any way.
They did, however, recover skin cells from the earring that is a match to Alison Hopkins.
That doesn't sound like it helps us.
Well, I didn't think so either, at first.
But note the image on the left.
Those are the cells found on her earring.
And on the right, we have a slide with a random skin sample that's roughly three months old.
Do you see the difference? The left looks pillowy, less dried up.
Correct.
That's because Alison Hopkins' skin cells are no more than 48 hours old.
That means that, when those earrings were removed from her ears, Alison was still alive.
The skin cells prove that Alison's alive.
Tim must be keeping her someplace, right? Just got to figure out where.
He has a condo in Palm Springs and a house in Malibu.
Wait, if she's alive, that must mean that he's giving her the medication she needs.
Maybe we could track the prescription.
I already have Berto and Monica on that.
According to Zillow, the house in Malibu's on 10 acres and it's gated.
So it's secure, remote.
- That's our best bet.
- Let's go check it out.
I'll call Christine on the way, see if she can get a warrant.
- Well, what if she can't? - We'll go in anyway.
BERTO: Wait, we just got something.
Alison's prescription ran out a few weeks after she vanished, turns out the drug she's taking is super rare.
So Berto hacked into the distributor's database, and we found a new prescription that started around the same time that Alison's lapsed.
Who wrote the prescription? Doctor at the clinic where Tim is a donor.
Sunshine Hills.
Alison? Alison, we have to leave.
ALISON: Where? That island I told you about.
It's warm, beautiful.
You'll love it.
I have your passport.
I have your medicine.
They found out what you did, didn't they? We just need a fresh start.
I'll be better there.
We'll both be better.
I won't go unless you tell me the truth.
How many women did you kill? Alison.
What can I say? I'm good with voices.
Told you next time I'd come to you.
Tim Stepansky, you're under arrest.
For what? Let's start with kidnapping and false imprisonment.
Alison chose to be here.
She knew she needed help.
Just ask her, Mr.
Valetik.
She'll tell you.
I'll be out by this afternoon.
He can't just walk away after all this, can he? Right now, we don't have proof he killed anyone.
With a defendant like him, it's an uphill fight.
Well, you can at least charge him with kidnapping, right? That'll depend on Alison.
[SIGHS.]
EDDIE: Jay.
Got to admit, you're the last person I expected a call from.
Alison Hopkins won't talk to us, not until she talks to you.
But I need a word first in private.
Now, you and me, we still got our differences.
But you did okay on this.
Is that some kind of compliment? As much as you'll get from me.
Mm.
So, I'm supposed to ask you, what is it you want, Valetik? I don't follow.
Well, you didn't take credit, didn't make us look bad.
The way the Chief sees it, well, she owes you.
That's a pretty big chit.
So you think about what you want.
ALISON: I just wanted to thank you.
I heard you were still looking for me when everyone else had given up.
We're just glad that you're safe.
It's important that you talk to the police, Alison.
Do you know how many times the police came to our house when we were kids and did nothing? If they would've stepped in sooner, Tim would've been okay.
Was it the photos of the victims that tipped you off? I saw them on the news.
They both looked so much like our mother.
That's when I realized I should've never left him alone.
What do you mean by that? I always worried about him, his rage.
I was the only one who could pull him out of it, the only one who understood.
Then I went off and got married.
That's when he slipped away into the darkness.
This wasn't your fault, Alison.
I should've just turned him into the police.
If I had, maybe Ken would be alive.
Well, when you confronted him, did he admit what he'd done? He denied everything.
Then he put me in that clinic, and he kept me doped up.
It doesn't matter what he said to me, though, does it? You guys have evidence on him, right? Well, not enough.
After what he did to those women, to Ken, he's gonna get away with it? Not if we can help it.
You can't help it.
Tim has money.
He's gonna hire the best lawyers.
Alison, we think he took his victims somewhere, someplace secret.
Do you have any idea where that could be? [BUZZER.]
You should've taken my offer.
You know, that jailhouse blue really brings out your eyes, Tim.
My bail hearing's in two hours, then I'm out of these for good.
I wanted to tell you that I will personally make sure my legal team turns you and your business to dust.
Do you see the irony? You declined my offer, but I'm still gonna own you.
Alison told us about the house.
You used a shell corp to buy the old family home.
Feeling sentimental? All those happy memories? There's a crime-scene unit there now.
They found blood and DNA from at least three victims.
You're not getting out of here, not in two hours, not ever.
[CHAIR CREAKS.]
We'll see.
Hey.
Hey.
So, looks like we got him.
And Alison's alive.
So, what did Detective Elder want? Well, he had a message from the Chief.
He said the L.
A.
P.
D.
owed me and to think about what I might want.
Do you think they were maybe asking you back? I think the door's open.
Is it something you're considering? You know, ever since I walked away, I wondered if I made the right choice.
But I don't know.
Going back wouldn't feel right.
You know, I've been thinking about what you said about protecting yourself from the darkness.
Well, what helps most is having a partner who has your back.
And, um And this.
A St.
Michael's medallion? The patron saint of cops and detectives.
All my partners had one.
You should, too.
Thanks.
Partner.