02x08 - Alexi

[bunniefuu]

- Banzai!
- ♪ Get up, get up ♪

- Excelsior!
- ♪ Get up ♪

- ♪ Get up ♪
- Geronimo!

[WHISTLE BLOWING]

[ANNOUNCER] Alexi Zinman wins
the faceoff for the Bullfrogs.

Nice sh*t, Alexi!

[CROWD CHEERING]

Way to follow up!
Way to follow up. Good!

[SOUND SLOWS DOWN, OMINOUS THEME RISES]

[WHISTLE BLOWS]

Nice sh*t, Alexi!

- Hey, hey, hey, hey!
- Take it easy!

- [COACH] Alexi, no! No!
- [WHISTLE BLASTING]

- Go, go, go!
- Alexi!

- [GRUNTING]
- Back on the bench!

- [WHISTLE BLASTING]
- Do not go out there!

- Get Alexi outta there!
- Hey!

- [BLOWS LANDING, SHOUTING]
- Break it up! Break it up!

- Break it up!
- Hey, get up!

[BLOWS LANDING]

Where's Alexi?

Where's Alexi?

[SKIRMISHING CONTINUES]

Where's Alexi?

- Hey. You wanted to see me?
- Close the door.

Wow.

What'd I do? Doesn't sound good.

Well, I got an email from
the Department of Prisons

about your rescheduled
visit to Frackville.

Yeah, the Logan Barlowe interview.

I had to reschedule it
because of the storm.

- Why'd they email you?
- It was a courtesy.

Problem is that Homicide was copied,

which means that Inspector Braun

could find out what we're doing here.

Hmm.

I think maybe you're
being a little paranoid.

Braun took Logan Barlowe's
confession himself. Okay?

He hand-delivered him to the D.A.

It is his case, Jay.

I-I-I know that. So what is your
point? What are you saying?

If he's going to find out from somebody,

I want it to be from me.

- I need to get ahead of this.
- I don't know,

I think it's better to
beg for forgiveness

than to ask for permission.

When have you ever begged
for forgiveness, Jay?

Uh...

Fifth grade.

I broke a buddy of mine's retainer,

and his parents were very upset, so I...

I need to respect the chain of command.

- That's all.
- That's fair, Nik,

but I think respect is earned,

and suspicion is also earned.

What do you think that
Braun has earned more of?

I don't trust him any more than you do,

but I need to do some
damage control here.

I'll call.

[DIALING NUMBER]

Ah, yes, this is Captain Batista.

Um, does the Inspector
have an opening today?

- Good morning.
- Good morning, Officer Brooks.

[PHONE RINGING]

Oh, uh...

Detective Adebayo.

This is Officer Franks
from the 9th District.

I just picked up one of
your C.I.s, shoplifting.

Uh, I'm sorry, my what?

She claims to be one of your informants.

Has your business card and everything.

Uh... [CHUCKLING]

... can I speak with her?

Hey, Kemi.

Maya, is that you?

You said if I ever needed
anything, I could call.

Well, I'm calling.

Excuse me...

Uh, excuse me.

A-are you Bud Bingham?

Wow, it's been a minute
since anyone recognized me.

Um, I'm Mike Sherman.

It's a pleasure to meet you.
I'm a really big fan.

Ah, I appreciate that, so...

so, do you work for the
Missing Persons Unit?

- Yes, sir.
- I need to talk to someone.

I think one of my boys is in trouble.

Alexi seemed fine
during the sh**t-around,

then a couple minutes
into the first period,

he and his man drop their
gloves, and they go at it.

When the dust cleared, Alexi was gone.

I mean, we searched everywhere.

Was... was fighting a
frequent thing with Alexi?

Never.

No, his game was speed and finesse.

Guys like me made their living
making sure the guys like Alexi

never got touched on the ice.

I was what you might call an agitator.

[CHUCKLING] Yes, you were.

I mean, I watch your fight
highlights all the time.

I mean, you was whipping people's a...

You know, he's one of only
ten Black pro hockey players

in Philadelphia history,
so, I'm a big fan.

Well, it's a real honor
to meet you then, Bud.

Well, those days are long gone.

Look, I never had a family of my own.

These kids are my world.

Especially Alexi.

The boy's got the heart of a champion.

What's he like off the ice?

[BUD] He's a good kid, you know?

Ah, maybe a little more
sensitive than most.

His uncle's doing his best
to take care of him,

but man, that kid can fly.

And he loved the game like I did.

Running out in the middle like that?

Makes no sense.

I don't know, maybe there was
something said during the fight?

There were scouts at the game today.

Only the program's top players
get the scholarships,

and Alexi was the best
we've seen in years.

Today's game would've
closed the deal for him,

and he knew it!

He wouldn't just walk away,
not if he had a choice.

You think one of the other kids
was angling for his scholarship?

I don't know what to
think. I don't know.

I'm assuming you tried calling him?

[BUD] Alexi doesn't have a phone.

I tried calling his uncle,

but apparently the line's out of order.

Uh, what about his teammates?

[BUD] Nobody's heard a thing.

He's a great player, Captain,

but he's just a kid...

and I'm scared as hell.

Thank you.

Yeah, Bud Bingham was the man

for a young Black kid
growing up in Philly.

You know he once scored a
goal without taking a sh*t?

See, there was an empty net, and he...

Just-just-just... one second.

I don't, uh, understand hockey.

I'm glad that you're excited,
but I don't understand the game,

I don't... I don't like the game.

I don't know why people like the game.

What is "icing," anyway?
Explain that to me.

It's when you're behind
the red center line

- and you dump the puck...
- "Dump the puck"?

Right. Whatever. You call
yourself a sports fan?

All right. This is Alexi's stuff.

Bud said it has not been touched
since he left this morning.

[MIKE] Skates are still
here. Pads, stick.

This stuff's not cheap, either.
In fact, it's brand-new.

I thought Bud said they
were barely getting by.

I don't know. Either way,
it's not the kind of stuff

you'd leave behind, unless
you're in a rush, right?

Yeah. This is also us guessing.
There's no witnesses.

_

Maybe one.

I'll be right back.
Put all that stuff on.

[MIKE] All right, we want
to see the footage

right after the game started.

What exactly we looking for?

I didn't hear about a break-in.

It's actually a break-out.
That's the angle right there.

There he is.

- That's him.
- Yeah, that's Alexi, all right.

Okay. Lookit, he's running like
the bogeyman's chasing him.

- He's scared.
- All right, I'm calling Nikki.

We need the alert.

[PHONES BEGIN BLARING]

- _
- [ALERT NOTICE BLARING]

_

[CROWD CHEERING]

[GOAL HORN SOUNDING]

All right. So this is
our missing person,

um, Alexi, and his uncle, Jerry Zinman.

The hockey league had
an address on file,

but it was for a motel
that they haven't stayed at

- for the last six months.
- And according to Bud Bingham,

Uncle Jerry spent every
last cent that he had

on the hockey program.

He also thinks that Alexi
has the talent to go pro.

Yeah, which makes running
out in the middle of a game

all the more suspicious.

Speaking of suspicious, the
names Alexi and Jerry Zinman

come up empty on the system,

and that much nothing means something...

they're using fake names.

Why use an alias?
Who are they hiding from?

Alexi's teammates also confirmed
that he wasn't a fighter.

I mean, that's the last thing
he did before he disappeared.

- So why pick a fight?
- Not to get technical,

but in the game footage,

it looked like they both
dropped their gloves.

It's a common hockey thing
if you want to settle a beef.

I don't know, maybe the kid from
the other team can enlighten us.

Yeah, go talk to him. Find out how
bad he wanted that scholarship.

And worst case, maybe it can get
us to the mysterious Uncle Jerry.

- Let me see.
- [NIKKI] Hopefully.

All right.

[KEMI] Mmm...

Can I get a minute?

- Yeah, of course.
- Thank you.

She is all yours, Detective.

Thank you. I'll take it from here.

Hi.

Long time no see.

- Thanks so much.
- Mm.

- Can I have another bowl?
- In a minute.

Walk with me, and explain yourself.

- Well, things were better...
- Uh-huh.

- ... after you guys dropped me off.
- Okay.

But for about two weeks, though,

until my parents told me
I was going to boarding school.

What?

Sacred Academy in New Jersey,

and if the name didn't give it away,

- it's supes religious.
- Yeah.

Day one, the teacher told us to
turn to page 55, and rip it out.

I thought it was gonna be about,
like, creative writing, but nope!

It was about same-sex relationships.

The teacher just told us
to throw it in the trash.

Look, I can appreciate how
that must've made you feel,

but can you skip to the part
where you got busted

for shoplifting?

I bailed, okay?

I didn't have any friends there.

No one I can be myself with.

So last weekend, I took a train
to Philly, and I just stayed.

It was cold, I needed gloves,
I got caught. Whatever.

Why didn't you call your parents?

I'm pretty sure my dad
would've let me stay in lockup.

Oh, and you think I won't?

Maya, I gave you that
number for emergencies,

not a get-outta-jail-free card.

If you can't help me, I get it.

I just wasn't sure what else to do.

[KEMI SIGHING]

Is your homework in there?

Okay, good, because
you're gonna finish it all

while I think about what
I'm gonna do with you.

[KNOCKING]

Captain Batista?

I'm Sheriff Dan Masset.

I have some information
about your missing person.

Come in. Sit down.

I'm just down from Montgomery
County, New York.

- Upstate.
- [NIKKI] Mmm.

Look familiar?

[NIKKI] Is this Alexi?

He's my son.

His name is Alexander.

His uncle started calling him "Alexi"

when the kid took a shine to ice hockey.

Were you aware that your son
was here in Philadelphia?

- No, ma'am.
- No?

His mom d*ed five years ago,

and things between us went downhill.

I, um, buried myself in work,

and the kid's uncle Jerry,
my wife's brother...

you know, started putting
thoughts in the kid's head

about having a future in hockey.

It's all he talked about.

Apparently he's got talent.

I couldn't say.

But what I can tell you is that
Jerry is a cheat and a liar,

and I tried to warn Alex
that he was gassing him up,

but the kid didn't wanna listen
to me. Of course, right?

- Yeah.
- I didn't want to fight,

so I just...

I let them go.

You know, I figured
that sooner or later,

Jerry's true colors would come through,

and Alex would come home to me.

You probably don't think I'm
too much of a father, huh?

I think being a parent doesn't
come with instructions.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

Yeah.

Um, soon as I saw your
alert, I came down here.

So, can you tell me anything?
You got any leads?

Well, respectfully, Sheriff,

I will update you as soon as
we have anything concrete.

- This is my son we're talking about.
- Until then...

I-I understand, okay? Completely.

But my team's on top of it.

Actually...

your son was using the
last name "Zinman."

Does that, uh... does that
mean anything to you?

No.

But his Uncle Jerry's last name,

my wife's maiden, was "Rimbaud."

- Mmm.
- That's "-B-A-U-D."

- Okay.
- See what that gets you.

Well, thank you, and I
appreciate your patience.

I will contact you as soon
as I hear anything. Okay?

Alex is a really good kid.

His uncle just put some
crazy thoughts in his head.

We'll find your son.

You get anything, you call me. Please.

Of course.

[JASON] All right, go.

Jerry Rimbaud falls off
the map three years ago,

about the same time Alexi
joins his hockey league.

Yeah, well, the sheriff said

that he wasn't the most
upstanding citizen.

Maybe he got them into
some kind of a jam?

Yeah, maybe, but still, no
matter what he was doing,

he's gotta be invested in
this kid's future. Right?

What do you think? Sports
parent smelling a payday?

Maybe. Either way, you still
gotta believe in the kid.

- [WHISTLE BLOWS]
- [COACH] Hurry up!

You know why you lost?

You lost because we got careless.

We got careless because we got tired.

Weak passes, giveaways,
flybys, no back check,

not covering the point.

It all comes down to conditioning.

Back on the line. We're going again.

Actually, uh, Coach... Coach?

Can we just get one second
of your time? Please.

[COACH] Tryin' to work here.

We're trying to work too.

We're with the Philadelphia
Police Department.

What's this about?

We need to speak to one of your players.

I mean, they kind of look
like they could use a break.

Their time would be better
spent improving their game.

- You can wait.
- [MIKE] No! That's not gonna happen.

There's a kid missing.

Anyway. Uh, Ed! Where's Ed?

Uh, scrappy kid from the other night.

Got into a fight during the game.

Edward? Eddie?

- No?
- All right, look, you can talk to us,

or you can keep doing
sprints and then talk to us.

Is Ed here or no?

Apparently, I am not Spartacus.

Ed, come forward.

Thanks, Coach. Just be a minute.

[COACH] Back on the line!
We're goin' again!

We just want to know about Alexi...

the kid you fought on the
Bullfrogs the other night.

- What do you want to know?
- How well do you know him?

We used to be teammates before
I was traded to the Dragons.

League moves us around sometimes.

Well, according to the stats sheet,

you were number two behind Alexi.

That upset you?

Why should it?

Well, you both wanted the same thing,

and it looks like he was gonna get it.

We're friends, okay?

[JASON] Then why'd you fight?

I mean, I know it's part of the game,

but, I mean... asked around,
he's not much of a fighter,

so it's kinda on you, no?

Just trying to help him, buddy. Come on.

[SIGHS] We fought 'cause he asked me to.

- Come again?
- He said he was gonna hit me,

and I better hit him back.

I didn't think he was serious,

but then he dropped the
gloves, so I did too,

and then they split us up,
and... he was gone.

Well, he ever say why?

Have you spoken to him since?

He was waiting for me before practice,

said he needed some money,
and couldn't go home.

What, to his uncle?

Okay. Did he say where he
was going, by any chance?

No? You know where him
and his uncle stay?

Yeah.

[JASON] That's blood.

[TV PLAYING]

On me.

[MIKE] It's the uncle.

sh*t twice.

All right. Two sh*ts to the chest.

Whoever did this knew he was dead.

Somebody else came in
here, checked his pulse,

- made these footprints.
- Yeah. We can pull trace,

but my money says that Alexi
found him like this and cut out.

sh**t's still out there.
Alexi might be the next target.

Great.

[MIKE] I'll call Homicide.

- [ELEVATOR DINGING]
- [MAN] Captain.

- Captain.
- Inspector.

I thought our meeting
wasn't until later.

Well, I just got looped in by Homicide

on the dead body that your men found.

The time of death was about


which would've meant
that your missing person

was still with his team.

So Alexi isn't the sh**t.
He just found the body and ran.

I'll have ballistics sent to your desk.

You let me know if there's
anything else you need.

Thank you. Uh...

Inspector, that's not why I, uh,
I scheduled a time with you.

It's about the Logan Barlowe case.

The car bombing? What about it?

Well, it's more about
Logan Barlowe's confession.

There are some concerns.

Exactly whose concerns
are we talking about?

It's not mine, the man
who took his statement.

It's not the District Attorney's,
who signed off.

Is it yours?

Well, it's out of respect
to both you and the D.A.

that I wanted to make you
aware of my concerns.

I see. You're trying to
control the narrative,

- is that it?
- I wouldn't say that.

Well, Captain, here's the only narrative

you need to be focused on.

Your commanding officer, that's me,

is giving you a direct order to drop it.

The Logan Barlowe bombing case

is miles outside of your
purview at the MPU.

Stay away from it.

[LOGAN BARLOWE] Why you wanna help me?

Logan Barlowe, uh, there's
two things I know about you.

One, you're an expert with expl*sives,

and, two, you're gonna be in
here for a very long time.

So, um, I need something.

You help me out,

I can, uh, I can help you.
I can talk to the Warden.

Anyway, um...

I served overseas in Afghanistan,
and while I was there,

I came across a bomber who was a...

a bad guy, a scumbag,

used kids as triggers, that kinda thing.

And now I have reason to believe
that he's here, in the States.

Um...

show you some photos.

This is, um... an expl*si*n
at a Boston boatyard.

Both of these and these three

are from a... a garage in
New York just last week.

Um, now, I think that my guy
had motive to do both of these,

but what I can't prove

is that the same guy built
both of these bombs,

so that's what I'm asking
you to help me out with.

[GRUNTING OBLIGINGLY]

Uh, guy knows his stuff.

Detonator in this photo

could've caused this blast pattern.

What'd he use, C-4?

Semtex?

Y-y-you can't tell from
looking at these photos?

Ah, I'd be guessing.

Where'd he plant the b*mb
in relation to the driver?

You know, I'm really
not much of a car guy,

but y-you can't tell from looking
at these... make or model?

Look, man, I'm tryin' to help,

but how in the hell you expect
me to know if you don't?

Because all of these photos

are from the car bombing that
you've already confessed to.

Explain that.

What the hell's goin' on here?

I don't know. I-I... You tell me.

I mean, who put you up to this?

You're crazy.

Oh, I'm not crazy. I've seen
your rap sheet. Okay?

You're connected to a lot of car
bombs, but zero dead bodies,

and, unfortunately, you don't
have long to live. All right?

I mean, you're not the
guy you hire for this job.

You're the guy that you hire
to take the fall for this job.

So tell me, please, who
paid your insurance policy?

That's all I want to know.

Guard!

We're done here.

[JASON SIGHS]

Enjoy your stay, Logan.

What do you got on Alexi's uncle?

Ah, very little. Just confirmation
that Alexi's mother,

who d*ed five years
ago, is Jerry's sister.

[MIKE] All right, what
about the financials?

He maxed out a few credit
cards at a supermarket,

but they were all for gift cards.

You know, ride shares,
food delivery apps,

a few pre-loaded debit cards.

So that anybody on his trail

- wouldn't be able to track him.
- Exactly.

Sheriff Masset said
that Jerry had enemies.

Sure looks like he's trying
to stay off the grid.

Well, Alexi has no phone,

and there's zero social
media on the uncle.

Now, his phone is shut down,

but I was able to get the cell provider

to connect me to his app accounts.

- I was just about to start digging.
- I mean, these guys were broke,

- so it's likely just gonna be food...
- Yeah.

- ... and essentials.
- What about his teammates?

- Eavesdrop much?
- Mmm.

[MIKE] We questioned
the teammates already.

They don't know anything.

You should check their socials.

The uncle might be off the
grid, but no one my age is.

Check the filter hashtag: "Bullfrogs."

[TYPING]

[KEMI] The Bullfrogs' social page.

Well, lookie here. There's Alexi.

[MIKE] The team's out celebrating a win.

Yeah. Hang on.

This photo here, it's a different date,

but it looks like the same place.

Wait, wait, wait, wait! Zoom in on that.

Yeah.

[TYPING]

That's Charlie McGannon's bar.

The Irish mob?

A-as in Nikki's old C.I.?

Hmm.

Nice work.

Now get your butt down here.

We would've been happy
to come to you, Charlie.

No, I don't love it when cops come by.

No?

I'm always enjoying
seeing you, though, Nikki.

[CHUCKLING]

What's with the chaperone?

I have a case.

And it's got nothing to do
with your primary income.

I'm intrigued.

[MIKE] You, uh, know
the name Jerry Zinman?

He's got a nephew named Alexi.
Plays on a hockey team

that you seem to have
hosted a number of times.

Yeah, the Bullfrogs, sure. Yeah.

Alexi, now, that guy... he's
more of a hockey prodigy.

I dabble in sports representation.

Secondary income, you know?

Yeah. I'm gonna sign that
kid soon as he turns 18.

So you're, uh, interested in his uncle?

What'd he do?

He was k*lled this morning.

Now Alexi's missing.

[GROANING] Oh!

You gotta be kidding me.

How well did you know him?

Well, one of my guys saw
that he had some talent,

so we kept a close eye on him.

You know, bought him some new gear,

let him eat at my place at a discount.

Made sure to keep them out of trouble.

What type of trouble you talking about?

Well, nothing locally.

I had my people put the
word out that, uh...

they're friends of ours.

[NIKKI] Now, you know
that if I'm asking,

it's because we're worried about Alexi.

We don't want anything to happen to him.

I'm guessing you don't either.

You know what happened to his mom?

[MIKE] Yeah, she passed
away five years ago.

So you don't know.

I'd look into it if I was you, Sergeant.

But you didn't hear that from me.

See ya, Nikki.

Charlie's a lot of things,
but wrong isn't one of them.

Check this out.

The coroner's file for Alexi's mother.

Blunt trauma as the result of a fall.

Ruled "accidental."

The lead investigator
was Sheriff Masset?

- Her own husband?
- Well, that's inappropriate.

I-I mean, you would pass it to a deputy.

Maybe even call in the Staties.

Assuming you wanted
to do it above board.


death to the coroner's ruling

is lightning speed, even
for an open-and-shut case.

Well, uh, I compiled game
footage from the league,

but I also canvassed the parents
for any of their footage, and...

it's almost like he stopped,
for some reason.

- Okay.
- Mmm-hmm.

And then I found, uh, this angle
from a smartphone camera.

[NIKKI] What is he looking at?

Uh, I was wondering that too,

so I matched the time stamp

with footage that was taken on the
other side of the arena, and...

[MIKE] That's Sheriff Masset.

He was at the game.

He told me that our alert
brought him here to Philly.

He lied right to my face.

Alexi saw him, picked a fight,
then used the chaos to disappear.

He's running from his own father.

_

[POLICE RADIO CRACKLING IN DISTANCE]

[CHUCKLING] Oh, hey.

Have you found Alexi yet?

Uh, no, not yet, but we will.

And your tip gave us a solid lead.

Thank you very much, Detective.

- [LAUGHING]
- What are you working on?

Oh.

Oh! Maya, this is wonderful.

- May I?
- Yeah.

Oh, my gosh. This is amazing!

How long have you been drawing?

After you guys found me,
I started seeing this therapist,

and I didn't really like
talking about myself

or what happened, so...

the doc suggested I find different
ways of expressing myself,

and I've always liked doodling.

I mean, this goes way beyond doodling.

You are very talented!

What a way to find out you're
good at something, huh?

Hmm.

Listen, I gotta go check in with Nikki,

but, uh, some of the guys ordered
some pizza. You hungry?

- Hell, yeah!
- Yeah. Come on.

[KEMI CHUCKLES]

[KNOCKING] Yo.

Sheriff Masset turned his cell off,

and the hotel says that he
hasn't been back in hours.

Well, uh, Helen ran
ballistics on the slug

they pulled out of Alexi's uncle

against Masset's service w*apon,

and it is not a match.

Well, he could easily
have a backup w*apon.

I mean, you like him that
much for the m*rder?

Masset lied about why he's here,

and his own son is scared of him. Okay?

That is the only theory
that makes sense.

And if he covered up that
investigation five years ago,

then who could Alexi go to for help?

It makes sense that he'd run.

Exactly.

Hmm.

What's up with you?

Uh, sorry. It's Maya.

I, uh... [CHUCKLES]

I wasn't naive enough to think

that sending her home
would fix everything,

but, I don't know, I assumed that...

I assumed that she'd be off the
streets a while. You know?

So things are still bad
with her parents?

Oh, no, this time,
it's her boarding school.

- Oh!
- Yeah.

- Right.
- [KEMI CHUCKLES]

Maya is... I don't know, she's sharp.

- Yeah?
- She has talent. You know?

But if she stays on this
path and gets expelled,

her entire future will be over
before it can start, and...

Nikki, I genuinely want to help her,

but there is only so much I can do,

even as a cop.

Mmm, well, you know, maybe
it's not Detective Adebayo

she needs help from.

- Hmm?
- Yeah.

- Hmm. Yeah.
- [PHONE RINGING]

Hold on.

Captain Batista.

[MALE VOICE] Your people
are looking for me.

I need you to stop.

Uh, you're gonna need to be a
little more specific than that.

It's Alexi. I saw the alert.
Leave me alone!

- I'm fine.
- [QUIETLY] Yeah?

[BUTTON CLICKS]

I'll run a trace.

Uh, ahem, you know, I'm afraid
that we can't do that, Alexi.

I, uh... why don't you just
come in and we can talk?

Okay? Just tell me where you are.

You know, you're not in any trouble.

You have my word.

Is my father with you?

No. No, he's not. Um...

Alexi, do you believe that
your father means you harm?

I can keep you safe.

He's my problem. I'll deal with it.

- Hello?
- [DIAL TONE]

All right! Let's go. Okay.

Please tell me you got something, Kemi!

Oh, I got a lock on the number.
Pulling the address right now.

Get Patrol up there immediately,
then call Jason and Mike.

- How was I not clear enough?
- Inspector...

And why the hell did Jason Grant
interview Logan Barlowe?

- Well, like I explained before...
- And as I explained,

this case is closed.

I gave you a direct order to back off!

You think I was joking?

I think that you're avoiding the truth.

Here's the truth. I'm gonna
write you and Grant up

- for insubordination.
- You leave Jay out of it.

I am Captain. It was my decision.

Don't play the righteous card with me.

Grant was out of pocket
long before this.

My mistake was believing
he was an outlier!

And where do you get off
with all this entitlement?

The man sitting in that prison
did not blow up Maritz

and his lawyer!

That should be more important
to you than your ego.

You're on thin ice, Nikki.
You watch how you speak to me!

Don't you thr*aten me!

You come after my career or Jason's,

I will have the press
so far up your ass,

you'll cough up a microphone.

What happens next is on you.

Remember that.

[SIRENS CHIRPING]

[MIKE] I mean, this is history.

I mean, is this not epic?

[WHISPERS] Don't touch anything. Please.

[DOG BARKING]

You guys want to sit, have
a drink, or something?

Uh, no, we're okay. Thank you very much.

I just want to make it clear.

Alexi did not break into my house.

All right, well, we traced
the call, it came from here.

Ah, maybe so.

But Alexi was welcome here.

Had his own combo for
my digital door lock.

Moose, my dog, knows him.

He didn't break in.

We understand that you don't
want Alexi to be in any trouble.

The problem is, he's already in trouble.

We need to find him.

I don't know where he is.

Why'd he have a code to your house?

[BUD] My door's always
open to my players,

especially the ones that need a meal,

a place to crash from time to time.

I grew up poor too.

These prep school kids have advantages,

kids like me and Alexi had
to overcome with talent

and hard work.

Nothing's come easy for that boy.

You find him, you bring him in safely.

You know what kind of trouble he was in?

Can't say that I do.

Can I ask you what's bothering
you, then, right now?

My g*n is missing.

Uh-huh. So Alexi's armed now?

Look, you gotta find him
before he does something

he can't take back.

Right. Thank you. Come on.

All right, so, after tracing Alexi's
phone call back to Bud's place,

I searched for any additional calls

that he might have made after
he called us, and there was one.

Uh, he made a call to a 518 number.

- That's upstate New York.
- Yeah.

- Try it.
- Yep. All right, uh...

[DIALING]

- There you go.
- [LINE RINGING]

[MAN] Sheriff's Department.

This is Captain Nikki Batista
from Philadelphia Police MPU.

Who am I speaking with?

Deputy Ward. How can I help you?

Deputy, were you working at
about 6:00 p.m. this evening?

Been here a lot longer than that.

Um, did you receive a
call just after 6:00?

I did, now that you mention it.

Took a message for the sheriff
that didn't make a ton of sense.

- What was the message?
- What's this all about?

Uh, Deputy, this is Detective Adebayo.

I've just emailed your office
the Captain's badge

and the case file of our
open investigation,

so consider your ass covered.

We really need to know
what that message was.

Okay. "Sheriff. 9:00 p.m.
Where you last saw me."

That mean anything to you?

Yeah, it might. Thank you, Deputy.

- [HANGING UP]
- All right.

- Jason?
- Uh-huh.

[LINE RINGING]

[JASON] Yeah.

Alexi left a message for his father
to meet him at 9:00 p.m.

where he last saw him.

It's quarter-to right now.

The last place he saw
him was at the game.

He's trying to get him
to come to the arena.

All right, we're not far.
We'll head there now.

Nik, we got reason to believe
that Alexi's armed.

Look, Alexi blames the sheriff
for his mother's death,

and he probably thinks that
he k*lled his uncle too.

He called him out.
Y-you guys better hurry.

All right. Do me a favor.
Have Patrol set up a perimeter

two blocks around the arena.

No one gets in, no one gets out.

No lights, no... no sirens,
no nothing. Okay?

We don't want a hostage
situation to pop off.

- Tell 'em to be quiet.
- We're on it. We're on it.

This is Captain Batista. Get me Patrol.

[LOUDLY] I got your message.

I'm here like you asked.

I miss you, kid!

Things haven't been the same

since your uncle took you away from me.

I read about your team in the paper...

how good you're doing,

and how you're a big reason why.

- I'm proud of you, Alex.
- It's Alexi...

[COCKING g*n]

... and you need to stop lying.

Okay, okay. You just calm down, Alexi.

Be careful with that, son.

Now, I-I know things have been
hard since your mom passed.

I know what you did!

Now, see, I knew your
uncle would lie to you

about what happened that night.

You listen to me.

Your mom, she'd been drinking,

and she took a bad step
near the basement.

You-you remember how loose
that-that banister was?

And she fell and she hit her head.

Yes.

It was tragic.

But you know what hurts me even
more is that your uncle Jerry

turned my own son against me.

No, no! You're the one
who's got it wrong!

I asked Jerry to get me away from you!

- Why would you do that?
- Because I was there!

Practice got canceled.
I came home early.

I saw you fighting, I saw
her slip down the stairs,

and I know it didn't k*ll her!

She was still screaming for help

when you k*lled her!

Okay, listen, you're making
a big mistake, kid.

Just calm down. Yeah?

[ALEXI YELLING] You k*lled her!

You found Uncle Jerry,

- and you k*lled him too!
- Shh, shh, shh.

You get Alexi. I'll flank the sheriff.

What now, Dad?

Am I next?

That's up to you.

Can you be smart about this?

- [sh*ts f*ring]
- Get down, get down!

Philly PD! Put down the w*apon! Now!

[f*ring]

Alexi!

[DOORKNOB RATTLES]

Drop it.

Put it on the ground.

Good, now kick it away.

Turn around. On your knees.

Hands behind your head.
Get on the ground.

- [g*n FIRES]
- [GRUNTING]

[BLOWS LANDING]

[CRASHING]

[CRASHING]

[MASSET CRIES OUT]

[GRUNTING]

Welcome to Philly, bitch.

Alexi?

Listen to me, buddy. I know why you ran,

but you gotta stop running now.

It's over, all right?

Uh-uh. Hey, hey, hey, hey!

Put the g*n down. Put the g*n down.

I'm not gonna hurt you. I am a cop.

So is he! How do I know
you're not working for him?

I'm not working for him. Okay?

He tried to sh**t at me. I am a cop.

Put the g*n down.

He tried to sh**t me!

Okay, good point. Good point.

You and I are both gonna
put our g*ns down right now,

and we're gonna have a conversation.

That's the only way this works, okay?

Down. Put the g*n down.

Put the g*n... Good.

Good. Now, listen to me.

Okay? Listen to me.

Look at me, Alexi. Okay?
You're not in trouble.

Okay? Nothing you did today

is something you can't come back from.

But if you do something
stupid right now,

if you continue with this,
you're throwing your life away.

- You understand?
- What life?

What have I got left?

All right, you got a future. Okay?

You got people who believe in you.

Your uncle, he believed in you.

Bud, he believes in you.

I think deep down,
you believe in yourself,

but you gotta put the g*n down and stop.

Put the g*n on the bench.

Alexi, look at me.

Put the g*n down on the
bench right now. It's over.

[SOBBING]

[JASON] Good.

I put my g*n away. It's over, all right?

Come on. It's over.

- I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
- Okay. All right. All right.

All right. You're okay.
You're okay, buddy. All right?

- [CRYING]
- Hey, hey, hey.

You're okay. You're okay.

No one's gonna hurt you anymore, okay?

All right? All right?
You're all right. Come on.

You're all right.

[NIKKI] Ballistics are in
from Masset's backup piece

you took off him.

They match the slugs
from Jerry's m*rder.

Well, looks like the
sheriff's gonna catch

the m*rder charge he deserves,

and Alexi's not even
gonna have to testify.

I just wonder where he goes from here.

Well, I made a call to Social Services.

They signed off on temporary custody,

as long as there's bi-weekly check-ins.

Wait. Custody with who?

They said you could stay with me.

- You serious?
- Yes.

It's all good. All good.

Okay? Let's get out of here.

Tell me that doesn't warm
your heart just a little bit?

Yeah, it does.

It's just, uh, we have another problem.

- [PHONE RINGING]
- That's my office line.

Can you catch me up in a second?

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

Go.

[PHONE RINGING]

[SIGHING HEAVILY]

- What's the coffee for?
- Us.

We have a long drive back
to Sacred Academy.

[MAYA SIGHING]

Maya, baby girl.

I can sympathize with a lot of things...

unloving parents, bigotry, check, check.

But being a quitter?

No.

Look, you don't get to choose
how people treat you.

You do get to choose if that treatment
defines who you are or not...

and you should never, ever give
someone that power over you.

After everything I've been through,

I don't even know how to define myself.

You know, when I was your
age, I had my own trauma,

and, uh, yeah, i-it changed me, but...

it ended up being a gift.

You know? It molded me
into who I am today.

And from what I saw in this journal...

... I think your trauma
is a gift to you too.

I mean, this could be your
path to a beautiful life.

You just have to work for it.

I don't even know where to start.

Look, if you finish school,

I will get you a summer
job at my friend's gallery.

And, I don't know, from there,

maybe you can apply to art school.

Can I think about it?

I mean, of course, yeah.

[BOTH LAUGH]

Look. I don't get a choice.

I have to take you back to school.

But, um...

you get to decide
where to go from there.

And that's an amazing thing.

Come on.

[KEMI] Come on, we've got a long drive.

[MAYA] Can I call DJ?

[KEMI] Fine, but you're
playing my music.

[MAYA] You got anything
from the last five years?

[KEMI] I said "music," Maya.

I'm-I'm very sorry that
I put you in this spot.

- Are you?
- Oh, but I love, love,

that you... you put him in his place.

Yeah, it felt good,

but if I were you, I'd check
in with my union rep.

I'm not worried about it.

The guy is a bureaucratic punk.

He don't want w*r.

A w*r that we might have started.

[FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]

[NIKKI] Hey, what's up, Mike?

You all right?

Yeah, that, um, phone call...

Inspector Braun just transferred
me out of the MPU.

Effective immediately.