06x06 - Conspiracy Theory Part 1

[bunniefuu]

BOGGS: Oh, finally, a detective!

I phoned this in
more than minutes ago!

People say there's
no crime in the Palisades,

but, uh, I'd call this
a crime, wouldn't you?

- [SIREN CHIRPS]
- Uh-huh.

It's a crime.

And we need to tent off this car.

[CAR DOORS CLOSING]

TAO: I'm thinking the two sh*ts
were fired from about here,

pretty close up.

Oh, well, thank you
for joining us, Julio.

SANCHEZ: I'm sorry I'm late, sir.

I had to wake my neighbor
and ask her to look after Mark.

So, what'd I miss?

Well, earlier tonight,
the one-and-only Bonnie Pearl,

lawyer to the downtrodden and abused,

was sh*t to death
parked in the middle of the road

behind the wheel of her Mercedes.

So, what happened?

She stopped, rolled down the
passenger window, and adios?

Ha!

You know who people in
the Palisades stop for?

Nobody. Who the hell are you?

Frank Boggs. AKV Security.

He was first on the scene.

PROVENZA: I tell you what, Frank.

Why don't you take
a little stroll outside

and see if you can find
anything we may have missed?

Of course, sir.

Ah, keep on eye on
Barney Fife here, if you would,

in case he decides to walk off
with some souvenirs.

Ah, that's why we couldn't find casings.

My guess? A copper-jacketed .
fired from a revolver.

Kendall?

KENDALL: It's very straightforward, guys.

Our victim faced the sh**t
and one b*llet struck her

above the nasal cavity,
passing out the back

of her skull and through
the driver's side window.

- She d*ed instantly.
- Oh, my God.

- What? What?!
- These pearls... They're fake!

- What?
- Those pearls

were her signature. And they're phony?

Might explain why someone took the purse

and not the necklace.

This is what I'm talking about!

All right, Frank. What is it?

Must have ricocheted under a shrub.

Take a look.

It's a solid-lead, bullnose,
medium-caliber b*llet, sir.

Two different b*ll*ts.

Two different g*ns.

DR. MORALES: This is the b*llet
that k*lled your victim.

It's the only one
that tested positive for blood

and, unlike the pearl necklace,
it's very real.

Commander, what are you doing
here in the first place?

I mean, I think we can
handle an autopsy prelim.

It's a very high-profile m*rder
of a prominent attorney.

And two kinds of b*ll*ts
suggest that there are

two K*llers lying in wait.

Yes, but Bonnie's purse was stolen.

I mean, this m*rder could be random.

Nothing random happens in the Palisades.

Bonnie Pearl was always
David taking on Goliath.

Could be some Goliath
hired a couple of sh**t

to fight back.

Would Craig Curtis qualify?

- Uh, who's Craig Curtis?
- Who's Craig Curtis?

Former Heisman Trophy winner,
first round draft pick.

Oh. Well, it's not like he was
nominated for an Oscar.

Craig Curtis was injured his
fourth season in the pros.

He retired. He started a chain
of restaurants, didn't he?

Oh, yeah. Um, Tackles!

Huge TVs, big burgers, cute girls.

Tasteless... the way they dress
those waitresses there.

There's a reason they
call them "breastaurants."

SYKES: Right. Well, Bonnie Pearl
was representing several

former Tackles employees who are suing

for having been forced to retire
at the ripe old age of .

- Really?
- Well, that sounds reasonable.

Who wants to go the same job
their whole life long?

And I'm telling you, if Bonnie Pearl

had her sights on Craig Curtis,
then he had a motive.

SHARON: Amy, check
Bonnie Pearl's Wikipedia page.

Didn't she go through
a tough divorce recently?

Ah, yes, from Jerry Pearl.

Wow. It says she pays him
$ , a month in alimony.

You don't k*ll someone who's paying you

a ton of spousal support.

No, or I would've been dead years ago.

I'm not finding Jerry Pearl in L.A.

What about her son?

Uh, Stan Pearl.

Says he's an associate at her firm.

Well, I think
it's time that we did a good

once-over at Bonnie's office.

We should try to notify
Bonnie's son and her ex-husband

before they hear about
all this on the news.

[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]

TAO: LAPD.

Why is the press here?
Did they show up on their own?

No, Bonnie's holding a news
conference when she arrives.

Regarding?

Wrongfully terminated Tackles employees.

May I help you with something?

What? Help us?

Uh, oh, yeah.

Uh, we'd like to see
Ms. Pearl's appointment calendar

and call logs for the past week.

Oh. I can't share that with you.

Coffee?

Excuse me, Detectives. Leslie Kraus,

Bonnie's personal assistant.

We need her permission
to show you her schedule.

- She'll be here shortly.
- Oh, I doubt that, ma'am.

Can you tell us where
Ms. Pearl's son is, please?

Stan can't override me.

Bonnie's call logs are
privileged and confidential,

and I... Actually, they're not.

And we have a warrant.

Fine, Lucy, go ahead and print up

Bonnie's appointment calendar.

Where would we find Stan Pearl, please?

We're not asking again.

In the office down the hall,
just past the supply closet.

- Uh, Lieutenant?
- Hmm?

I should, uh, speak to
the wrongfully terminated

ladies just to eliminate
them as suspects.

Wes, these women were her clients.

What motive could they possibly have?

We're not leaving here till I find out.

[SIGHS] Okay, look.

For five years, I lived undercover

surrounded by girls
with swastikas tattooed

on their bodies, okay?

Maybe I'm a little desperate,

but I have to start
meeting new people, sir.

Go. Go.

♪

Sorry to interrupt. Detective Sanchez.

Detective Paige. LAPD Major Crimes.

We need to talk to you
about your mother, sir.

It'll have to wait.

I'm helping her with a news
conference any second now.

You have more time than you think.

Could you tell us where
your mother was last night?

Uh, at a late meeting with
our clients in the Tackles case.

And when did you last
speak with her, sir?

Uh, she said hello to me
in the hallway yesterday.

And your father? Any idea
where we might find him?

Sleeping with whatever barfly

was sitting next to him at last call?

We're not close.

What's this about?

I'm sorry, Mr. Pearl.

But just after midnight,
your mother was found

sh*t to death in her vehicle,
a short distance from her house.

You're mistaken.

This is a publicity stunt
of some kind, isn't it?

It's not a publicity stunt.

Mr. Pearl, do you still
own a condo on Blazedale Drive

about a mile south
of your mother's estate?

Uh, yes. Yes, wait.

Hold on. She's really dead?

Oh, God.

[SIGHS] Oh, God!

This is gonna be really big news!

Mr. Pearl, we prefer that you not make

a public statement
about your mother's death.

We're only just getting
started investigating.

Well, this isn't about you, is it?

No. It's about your mother
and finding her k*ller.

Right. You do your job.

I'll do mine.

Leslie?! Oh, Leslie?

I need you to pull my mom's
estate documents ASAP.

And follow the trail of
empty liquor bottles to my dad.

Oh. And tell him if he even
thinks about trying to sue

for my Mom's assets, I will crush him

like a bug.

Crush him!

Her assets? What?

- [CLAPS]
- We're getting started early.

Here. Come together.

All right, come together. Tighter.

Okay. I begin today with terrible news.

Last night, while traveling
home from a work session

with these women, who were wrongfully

terminated by Tackles restaurants,

my mother, Bonnie Pearl,

was assassinated in her car.

Please, please.

- [WEEPING]
- Oh, I'm sorry.

Excuse us. I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

My mother's, uh, personal
journey may be over,

but her mission continues,
and her spirit presses us on.

Buzz, turn that down.

I guess the cat's out of the bag.

Out of the bag? It was just
run over by an -wheeler.

Stan Pearl seems to be something
of a chip off the old block.

More like a splinter.

MASON: Well, he's certainly
turned this investigation

into an all-out Major Crime.

Buzz, the volume?

...and we will use
every last legal resource

at our disposal to make sure
that justice is served!

And we will do that, too.

Thank you.

[KNOCKING AT DOOR]

[SIGHS]

Hey. Hey.

- I have it.
- No, I'll carry it. No, I got it.

Don't just grab it from me
and shut the door.

Gus, I said I have it.
At least let me say a decent goodbye.

This may be the last time
we see each other.

You really want it to go this way?

[DOOR CLOSES]

Don't apologize again
for sleeping with Aiden.

I don't want to hear
how sorry you are, okay?

Okay.

What's that on your wall?

Oh. Uh, those are people
who d*ed recently,

and they're connected to Phillip Stroh.

It doesn't concern you.

How can you say that?

Of course I'm concerned.

Phillip Stroh?

- Are you safe?
- Gus, I... I have

an undercover detail
that goes with me everywhere.

They're outside right now,
monitoring the garage

and the elevators and the stairs.

And they clear the condo
every time I come inside.

I am % safe.

A g*n? Seriously?

I... Sorry. I didn't...

think you that you would be
coming back to my room.

And this isn't...

Wait.

This isn't mine.

This is a gift that I gave to you.

Unless, of course, you don't want it.

I do.

I... I just thought...

I'll read it.

Look...

I won't say I'm sorry again.

But I will say that it's not
just you and me I screwed up.

My whole life is just kind of ruined.

How come?

You know what I'm doing right now?

I'm waiting tables at a diner.

Why are you doing that?

When... When I messed up
and I did what I did

with Aiden, and then I stopped because...

because I was still in love with you,

he fired me and said I couldn't
use him as a reference.

Oh. How many times?

What?

Did you "mess up" with Aiden?

How many times? You never did tell me.

Was it three?

Six?

You can't remember?

What do you need a g*n for

when you always go for the jugular?

You have a good life, Rusty.

I hope one day, we can be friends.

Maybe.

[DOOR OPENS]

[DOOR CLOSES]

♪

ALEX: We weren't trying to go
back to the way things were.

We just wanted to reach a settlement.

And to stop Tackles... or Craig, really,

because Craig is Tackles...
from doing this to other women.

SHARON: Just to understand...
the contracts at all

Tackles restaurants specify
you are models, not servers?

Calling us models gives Craig

a big say over our appearance.

Like how much we can weigh
and how old we can be.

Our contracts expire
on the day we turn .

'Cause everyone knows men can't
look at a -year-old woman

without vomiting.

Wow. Now, that is really, really rude.

Mm-hmm. And what does this
cordiality waiver mean?

Basically, whenever a guy slaps our ass,

we had to be a good "teammate"
and laugh it off.

- [SCOFFS]
- Craig told me,

"Men come to Tackles

for beer, burgers and boobs."

I think he was limiting my contributions.

- Hmm. I don't know.
- Chief!

What? No, I just mean
this cordiality clause

sound ridiculous.

Back me up, guys.

Back me up.

You're backing up just fine on your own.

BRIN: They put out a calendar every year,

and then they pressure
us into posing for it.

Here.

I'm September .

[GIGGLES] It's just a little past August.

You can see how they make us look.

Oh, [CHUCKLES] Past August.

ALEX: Last night, Bonnie said
she was negotiating with Craig,

but didn't want to take his first offer.

Look, I know he's a scumbag,
but at least this guy Curtis

told the women what
they were signing up for.

It doesn't matter how well
Tackles explained things.

Yeah, you can't legally
agree to be molested.

It voids the contract.

That's exactly what I was saying.

ALEX: ...until we can
figure out what's next.

You guys, we've all been forced into

a major, major career change.

Man, this calendar is...
very offensive, Commander.

Um... so last night,

you're in this diner
together when Bonnie leaves.

We all stayed behind.
Well, except Vanessa.

Vanessa has a different idea
on how she thinks

the settlement should work.

Because there
is not enough money in the world

to compensate me.

Trying to put a dollar amount
on what happened,

it's infuriating.

We can't get her to reasonable.

And that's a problem because
Craig won't settle

unless we all a...
Would you quit making this

all my fault?!

♪

I don't know what's gotten into her.

But the rest of us, we just
want to cash out and move on.

But now that Bonnie's dead,

I guess that really depends on Stan.

It's a shame this guy Craig Curtis

was at work last night
surrounded by customers.

Otherwise, he'd be perfect for this.

Here they are, Lieutenant.

Gosh, there's about of them.

We found so many press conferences

where Bonnie Pearl
att*cked powerful people,

that we've only pulled video
on cases where she took out

restraining orders
against the defendants.

Like rock star Troy Matthews,
who was accused of groping

his kid's nanny.

Oh. That makes me mad.

All right, Julio.
Then why don't you find out

where Troy was last night?

Yeah, and who he was with.
There were two sh**t.

BUZZ: Then we have real estate
developer Kyle Bixby,

accused of defrauding
his fiancée, a Tibetan princess,

before jilting her at the altar.

PAIGE: Can we turn up
her talking about this

Kyle Bixby for a moment?

I demand respect for all of my clients,

regardless of income, social status,

or country of origin.

Mr. Bixby is worse than a fraud.

He is an emotional r*pist.

Oh. I'll take Kyle and company,

though he sounds like a guy
who would hire somebody.

TAO: She may have had
the charm of a car alarm,

but she was pretty hard to ignore.

Well, no one can deny
she turned press conferences

into an art form.

Speaking of artists, our primary suspect

from this list was
film director Erik Walsh.

Anyone remember this video
that went viral of him

losing it on the set of his last movie?

You're not gonna take your top off?!

You've known this scene has been coming

for the whole movie!

Where the [BLEEP] are you going, Craig?

- Remember it?
- That's right, get off my set!

How can we forget it?
They show this video

every year at our
sexual harassment seminar.

You're getting paid sick money
to show those tits!

All you do is just remove it.

You did it when you were a little kid.

We all have 'em, look! Boobies!

Big [BLEEP] deal!

Look, nothing... Nobody cares

if you take your [BLEEP] clothes off!

I'm gonna give you a little advice.

You should show your tits now
because in a couple years,

no one's gonna want to see 'em
and you're only gonna get hired

for your "talent."

Get off my set! Get off my [BLEEP] set.

Steve, if you cut, I swear to...

Didn't Erik Walsh
have to pay out something like

$ million to this young lady?

Yes, and afterwards, he was
picked up multiple times

on or about Bonnie Pearl's estate.

Was it six months ago, Buzz?

[ SIREN CHIRP]

And then, we have these.

[ ALARM SOUND]

FLYNN: This Erik Walsh dirtbag
obviously wanted to strike back

at Bonnie Pearl for quite some time.

But she was driving home alone at night.

She had to know how much Walsh hated her.

Why would she stop her car for him?

That's an excellent question.

Excellent!

Look. As an Uber driver,
I was well within my rights

to throw that guy out of my Prius.

He took his shoes off!

And he was smoking pot!

We don't care about that.

- What?
- Look, we brought you here

because Bonnie Pearl was found
sh*t to death late last night.

sh*t to death?

Mmm.

Wow.

Oh!

You think I was involved
because the bitch cost me

everything I own
and has me in directing jail

for the past five years
and counting, huh?

TAO: Andy, FYI... "directing jail" means

no one would hire Walsh to direct.

You honestly think weren't
smart enough to

figure that out?!

No, I'm pretty sure it's obvious.

[LAUGHS] What are you,
the bad cop or something, huh?

Why don't you take it easy there, pal.

Where were you last night?

I was in my studio apartment.

That's where I live... in Koreatown.

Was anybody with you?

No! If you asked a month ago,
I would've told you my wife.

But since she left me for
an actor... a freaking actor!...

and filed for divorce

last Friday, no, I was alone.

His wife leaving him might
answer the timing of it all.

But why would Bonnie stop
for Mr. Walsh and a friend?

PROVENZA: Well, according
to LAPD records,

you spray-painted Bonnie Pearl's

front gate with curse words,
dug through her trash

for compromising information...

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I keyed her car.

I, uh, slashed her tires.
I drained her pool.

Well actually, that's not listed here.

Well, you know what? Whatever! Okay?

I was nothing compared
to what that hag did to me!

And for what?

I was only asking
some ludicrously overpaid

actress to follow the script!

And yes, I undressed in front of her...

and members of the crew.

But the nakedness was to show
my vulnerability, okay?

Stuff like that happens every minute

of every day in Hollywood.

FLYNN: So you didn't do anything wrong?

I didn't say that, assh*le.

I was simply saying
that there's more of a gray area

to this situation

than people outside
the business would think.

Oh, you know what was funny?

As I'm digging through
Bonnie Pearl's garbage,

guess what I found?

Recyclables! Okay? So, yeah.

While she's paintin' me to be
some Neanderthal monster,

Bonnie is refusing to recycle.

Hypocrite!

Well, he seems mad enough
to k*ll someone.

But two people fired on Pearl.

And who would work with this guy?

The sh**t might not
have had an accomplice.

The b*ll*ts were different, yes.

But the rifling was,
in all practical ways,

identical on both.

Hold on. Francine,
are you saying two different

kinds of amm*nit*on
were loaded into the same g*n?

Sure looks that way. It's crazy, huh?

And the w*apon wouldn't jam?
It would just keep f*ring?

The reports would
be strikingly different.

But it would fire, yes.

So our victim was m*rder*d
by a single sh**t?

I don't know how many people were there,

but they only used one g*n.

Hey.

What is all that stuff
stacked beside your bed?

Uh, well, Gus insisted
on returning everything

that I left at his place.

So he came by. How'd that go?

Ah, we both have other things to do.

I... I have to keep my focus
on getting into law school,

And Gus is struggling
to find a decent job.

Struggling?

Why's he struggling?

Well, because when
they stopped sleeping together,

Aiden fired him.

And wouldn't give Gus a reference.

- What?
- Yeah.

That's the kind of guy that
Gustavo Wallace chose over me.

I'm not sure Gustavo
thought about it that way,

but the way Aiden is treating
him is, in fact, illegal.

- Illegal?
- Mm-hmm.

How?

You can't hold back
references or fire an employee

just because they won't sleep with you.

So you're saying that's a crime?

Well, we don't jail people for it,

but it's against the law, yes!

Gus could sue for damages.

Okay. Well, Gus says the restaurant world

has its own set of rules,
like not ringing up drinks

and money under the table.

It's lots of looking the other way.

It's irrelevant, your Honor.

It may be an atypical workplace,

but it is still covered
by the justice system.

FLYNN: His mother might have
thought he was smart enough

to practice law,
but Mini-Pearl strikes me

as just dumb enough to load
a g*n with different b*ll*ts.

And Bonnie probably
would've stopped for him.

And lowered her passenger window.

At midnight.

Mini-Pearl... I mean, Stan...
is Bonnie's sole heir.

I mean, except for personal bequests,

he inherits his mom's whole estate,

including her law practice.

And he lives just down the road
from where she was found.

What about our other potential suspects?

Troy, our nanny-groping rock star,

had a good alibi witness, ma'am.

- Who?
- Sydney, Australia,

where he's appearing in concert.

And after Mr. Bixby
jilted his Tibetan princess,

he was convicted of tax evasion.

So he's not really available.

It feels odd that
Craig Curtis isn't down here.

I know he has an alibi,
but Tackles was his whole...

Is it really out of the question?

Bonnie Pearl was about
to att*ck this guy's business,

and his character, at one of
her famous news conferences.

And Tackles has lots of security people.

Craig wouldn't necessarily have
to pull the trigger himself.

It is possible to follow up on Stan Pearl

and Craig Curtis at the same time.

Mike? Any progress
in decrypting the call logs

from Bonnie's office yet?

Unfortunately, no.

They're kept in a code
that I can't break.

Well, maybe we can find someone
who can decipher this for us.

STAN: What is wrong with you people?!

- Excuse me?
- Our financial advisor

just informed me that despite being

my mother's primary beneficiary,
probate cannot proceed

while I'm under investigation
for her m*rder?!

You're surprised
to find you're a suspect?

Yes!

And not only do I refuse
to answer your questions,

but I am also prepared
to sue unless you remove this

career-harming cloud of suspicion!

Fine. You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you say can
and will be used against you...

Wait, what?!
You're not going to arrest me!

We aren't? I thought we were!

Your mom was sh*t to death,
and you don't have an alibi!

No one benefits more
from her death more than you do,

and you're not answering questions!

But... but what if you're wrong?

What if I'm completely innocent?

Then we'll apologize.

We always do that when we're wrong.

We have no other suspects.

Come on. Of course
you have other suspects.

My mother was a vicious,
ruthless machine who destroyed

anything and everything in her path!

So you didn't like her very much?

Oh, I meant...

Yes, yes, yes.

I loved her.

I have so many great memories of, uh...

very personal moments.

We always had Christmas
together. [CHUCKLES]

Almost always.

Really often.

And forget that! Craig Curtis

is the one you should be investigating.

He has an entire chain of restaurants

that's up for grabs.

TAO: We heard Bonnie was trying to reach

a financial agreement with him.

Bullshit! She was going
to decimate Craig.

Whereas, I am prepared
to reach an immediate,

mutually beneficial agreement
between Tackles

and its wrongfully terminated employees.

And Craig knew that.

- This just got interesting.
- Mm-hmm.

So you were colluding with Craig
behind your mother's back.

Yes.

No! Wait! Uh, let me step back.

Uh, I need to figure out
the proper way to respond

to that question.

Oh. he's not a great lawyer, is he?

If you mean "not great"
by his intent to walk himself

on to death row, then no, not so great.

SANCHEZ: Before your mother's m*rder,

did you imply to Craig
that you'd go easier on him?

You keep trying to make this about me!

Craig Curtis has an empire
my mother was going to destroy!

Utterly!

I believe her goal was to find

a reasonable deal for her clients.

My mother would've
kept those women protesting

outside of Tackles
until Craig went bankrupt.

Right, because nothing
destroys a business faster

than lining up beautiful
young women outside it.

I think we know enough
to warrant a deeper inquiry

into Craig Curtis's life.

Detective Paige? Amy?

The man seems to have a thing
for attractive young women.

Mm.

Well, we're do our best,
but we're over .

Well, no one would ever know.
Police work keeps you young.

Look at my wife.

STAN: Curtis knew that
I was his only way out.

Okay. And this settlement

that you want to make,
your clients signed off?

Well, there's one girl
who might be a hold-out.

But we can always drop her
from the deal. [LAUGHS]

Do you recognize this call log

and all the hieroglyphics
beside each number?

- Of course.
- All right, then.

If you are really so innocent,

you'll decipher these codes for us.

Starting from the top,
working your way down.

We need to know everything.

[CLEARS THROAT]

CRAIG: Well, I guess you guys
are having trouble figuring out

which of the hundreds
of people Bonnie Pearl

pissed off was willing to
go the distance, huh?

You got to admire her, though.
Tough lady.

SYKES: She was, Mr. Curtis.

Though it's surprising
you seem to like her,

considering she was
threatening your livelihood.

And referred to you on multiple
occasions as a "sexist pig."

It was the game.

She would say something, I would respond.

I mean, it was all about publicity.

For both of us.

Look, every time Bonnie
trotted out those girls...

and they're still hot... I bet
every guy watching thought,

"If those are the girls
that Tackles fires,

can you imagine the girls
that they keep?"

Wow.

I mean, I even made
sure she knew my schedule...

Craig Curtis.

Man, what a career he was
supposed to have.

Yeah. We don't grill a guy who made

two Super Bowl touchdowns every day.

...guys who thought
it was their job to hurt me.

But you weren't concerned
about the impact

that her protests might have on
your restaurant chain, Tackles,

and your reputation?

Just the opposite.

Look, our newest location is
opening up in Hollywood tonight.

Ladies, consider yourselves invited,

- [CHUCKLES]
- And I am counting on

a big, noisy protest
to drum up publicity.

And as for when Bonnie and those
other rejects call me sexist,

I laugh... because nobody
appreciates women

more than I do. And my customers.

- Hm.
- So the culture you promote...

the outfits and the physical flirting...

Hey, if men wanted to be
served beer by little old ladies

covered head to toe in burlap,
I'd give 'em that.

They don't.

Everybody gets this,
including my investors...

who, by the way,
happen to be some of America's

most influential citizens.

Rick Fox partnered up with me.

He'll be signing books tonight.

We are not a p*rn team.

Chief. Commander.

I've been decoding
the call logs with Mini-Pearl,

and something jumped out.

For the past month,
there have been dozens

of incoming calls
about Tackles designated

by the cities "Burbank/Dallas SA"

with no phone numbers listed.

- Burbank? Dallas?
- How does Stan Pearl

explain that?

Well, he's not sure, but he thinks it's

a whistle-blower who worked at Tackles

in either Burbank or Dallas.

And the "SA" probably means
"Settlement Agreement."

But I can't find an employee
from both places.

Bill Landon... self-help guide to
millions...

Whoa. Did he just say Bill Landon
was one of his investors?

He'll be there tonight, too!

Bill has a sizable financial stake.

The Landon Method has tons
of fans on "Badge of Justice."

You work on "Badge of Justice"?

Well, yeah, I, uh, consult
and I write for them a little.

You watch?

No, but my mother loves that show.

Would she like to visit the set?

FLYNN: Do you mind, Michael?

Some of us are trying
to solve a m*rder here.

CRAIG: Bonnie wouldn't bother suing me

if she didn't know that my restaurants

were super successful.

SYKES: You claim to
hire women as "models,"

but your W- forms
list them as "servers."

A clerical error.

[SIGHS] Look, I cannot
imagine being questioned

by two more lovely ladies,
but can you tell me

why you are wasting your time with me

when Bonnie's ex-husband
is such an obvious suspect?

We've been looking for him.
How do you know Jerry Pearl?

Because he spends
a lot of time at Tackles.

As my guest,

always complaining
about how he despises...

despised his ex-wife.

Okay, I'm not gonna lie.

Jerry's a pain in the ass, but, hey,

it was a cheap way to drive Bonnie crazy.

Oh, we're not done here.

- Yeah, we are.
- One second, sir.

You want the LAPD off your back?

Why don't you use that phone and invite

your good friend, Jerry Pearl,

to the opening of your
Hollywood restaurant tonight?

'Cause he's already coming.

See? I'm way ahead of you guys.

Now, if you'll excuse me,

I've got to run.

Well, we know how
we're spending our evening.

You expect me to authorize
overtime so your team

can go to one of these "breastaurants?"

Seriously? Even if we have to

stay there all the way to last call.

Major Crimes takes on
the tough assignments.

Is it just me, or is Craig Curtis'

knowing exactly where
Bonnie's husband is going to be

seen a little convenient?

[INSECTS CHIRPING]

GUS: Hey.

I, uh, didn't expect to see you here.

I, uh...

You want to come up?

I don't know if my new
roommate's home, but...

I'm not... I'm not going inside, okay?

I came to talk to you in-person because

what Aiden did to you
was against the law.

Oh, man.

Listen.

It was my mistake.

If you really want to go over this again,

then don't be mad at Aiden.

- Be mad at me.
- Oh, I am.

What you did...

hurt.

But what Aiden did
was illegal and actionable,

and you should sue.

You... You expect me to stand in court

and tell the whole world
that this guy screwed me,

and then he screwed me?

It's not worth it.

Okay. Well, maybe it
isn't just about you.

I got to go.

Is there anything else
you want to discuss?

Well, were you in love with him?

♪

[GATE BUZZES]

[DOOR OPENS]

♪

[GATE SLAMS, DOG BARKS]

♪

WOMAN: [CHANTING]
Say it loud, say it clear!

Dignity's worth more than beer!

Say it loud, say it clear!

Dignity's worth more than beer!

Okay, everyone. Spread out.

Find me inside the moment you have eyes

on Bonnie Pearl's ex-husband.

WOMEN: We are strong! We are bold!

STAN: Whenever a woman
has been wrongfully terminated,

Bonnie Pearl is there.

Whenever a woman is being paid
cents on a man's dollar,

Bonnie Pearl is there!

And whenever really
hot women are treated like

they're not really hot,
Bonnie Pearl is there, too.

Brin, we're looking for Vanessa.

Sorry, can't help.

Vanessa didn't bother showing up.

- Hey, Mike.
- Hm?

Get a load of this dirtbag.

He's barely old enough to be here.

Wait. I think I recognize him.

Dr. Landon brought his family
to the "Badge of Justice" set.

That's his son, um, Seth.

Wait, wait, wait.
Dr. Landon came to the set

of a television show?

Half our actors
have attended his seminars.

My line producer messengered me

one of Landon's books to
get it autographed

WOMEN: [CHANTING] We are bold!
Tackles can't say we're too old!

We are strong! We are bold!
Tackles can't say we're too old!

RICK: Craig sold this
to my business partners

as a sports bar.

I've never even been in a Tackles before.

This personal appearance
is brought to you by my reps.

Gonna be having a little talk
with them later.

Also with my date,
who I brought with me...

who was just over there.

Where did she go?

Rick?

Rick Fox?

Hey!

Hey, uh, would...

Would you mind signing
one of these for my wife?

I mean, she loves the Lakers.

- Thanks.
- [LAUGHS] Yeah.

- What's her name?
- Uh, Louie.

Uh, it's short for Louise.

Louie, okay.

VICKY: It's printed on
recycled paper and every dollar

goes to our foundation's
no-k*ll shelters.

Dr. Landon? I'm a long-time follower.

Would you mind signing
this to Ronnie O'Hara?

[LAUGHS] I love a dog-eared copy.

It means you're doing the hard work.

Good for you, Ronnie.

So your last name's O'Hara?

Uh, O-apostrophe-capital-H.

All right.

How do you know Craig Curtis, sir?

Well, uh, after he was
injured, put on the bench

for life, Craig came
to one of my seminars.

There you go, Ronnie.
My family may not totally agree

with how he applied the Landon method,

but, uh, we are proud of his work ethic

and his persistence.

Take care, Ronnie.

♪

Jerry Pearl?

Yeah?

What?

Who are you?

♪

SHARON: Well, I'm glad
we're not cutting into your

period of mourning, Mr. Pearl.

[DOOR CLOSES]

Is that a reference to Bonnie's death?

Because I am in pieces
over what happened to her.

And you're putting those
pieces back together

by attending the opening of a restaurant

populated by half-naked women?

- Is that it?
- [CHUCKLES]

Everybody mourns in their own way.

Have a seat.

Mr. Pearl, are you going
to deny there were

serious issues between
you and your ex-wife?

Uh, the divorce.

Okay, look.

Did I make mistakes as a husband? Sure.

Could I have been more
attentive? Absolutely.

Should I have slept with
so many of her friends?

Probably not.

Bottom line, I treated her like crap.

I took her for granted.

And she left me.

And yet, you fought for half her assets.

[LAUGHING] Hey, we may not
have had a fairy-tale romance,

but, you know, for years,
we were partners.

Craig Curtis said that you told him

you despised your ex-wife.

What else was I gonna say?

The guy gave me unlimited free booze

and introduced me
to all the lovely young girls

who work here.

Even the older, over-the-hill ones, too.

And forget them. My ex-wife
and I were still very close.

Even... even Stan doesn't know this,

but after our divorce,
my sex life with Bonnie

actually improved.

In fact, when I heard the news,

you know the very first thing
that came through my mind?

There goes my next years
of spousal support.

You know the second thing
that came through my mind?

The k*ller had to be
that crazy director guy.

Erik Walsh. Total loon.

It was maybe, what, two weeks ago

and Bonnie and I were... at her place.

And, despite a restraining
order, this guy shows up again!

For the fifth time!

The last report we have
of Mr. Walsh being

at your ex-wife's house
was more than six months ago.

That's because Bonnie
started feeling sorry for him.

I mean, the guy shows up,
he's ranting about his wife,

left him, you know.

I mean, I thought he had
a g*n so I got rid of him.

But Bonnie, she refused to call it in,

and here we are.

Yes, Mr. Pearl, here we are.

♪

Wait, are all
the women here assigned names

of different places?

Not just places, Tao. Football cities.

♪

Pardon me, um, you must be Dallas?

Oh, that's right, honey.

I'm the Dallas in Hollywood.

And you are?

LAPD in Tackles.

And I have a few questions
I want to ask you.

But before that, do you have any idea

if there was a Dallas
at the Burbank restaurant?

Oh, sure. She's new, though.

The old Dallas in Burbank is suing us.

I think her name
was Vanessa or something.

♪

- [KNOCK ON DOOR]
- Excuse me.

Commander, I'm sorry to interrupt,

but I thought you should know this.

I think we found our Burbank/Dallas SA.

And her name is Vanessa.

♪

♪

Hey!

Rusty, right?

[CHUCKLES]

So dressed up!

You're off to your first communion?

[CHUCKLES] Yeah, it's, uh,

nice to see you again, too, Aiden.

Is there someplace private we could talk?

Right here works for me.

And, uh, if you wanted
to thank me for sending

Gus back to you...

Don't even act like
that's what you wanted.

Gus dumped you, not the other way around.

Yeah.

Okay.

I lost out to you.

Is that what you wanted to hear?

We even now?

Because, believe me, there's
plenty more where Gus came from.

Satisfied?

Not quite.

What you're gonna read there
is a summary I put together

of Gus' severance package
along with a glowing reference

that you're going to sign.

I would have asked you
to write it yourself,

but I'd rather not stay that long.

Gus wasn't up to the job.

Why would I give him severance
pay or a recommendation?

Because if you don't,
then I'm going to make sure

you're taken to court
for sexual harassment.

Ha!

Sexual harassment?

Look, I know you
don't want to believe this,

but Gus was more than willing.

Until he wasn't.

Which is when you fired him.

And you've said it, Aiden, there
is more where Gus came from.

Were there more before Gus, too?

Or was he the very first
employee that you

treated to promotions
all the way to your bedroom?

Because one well-publicized
court proceeding could

end up being just
the beginning of your troubles.

If I leave here today
without your signature

and a check covering
two months of Gus' pay,

you have no idea how ugly
this is going to get.

Or maybe you do.

NOLAN: All right, Miss Burbank/Dallas.

Let's return her glasses.

[INSECTS CHIRPING]

I just had an idea.

Assuming we're done here
at a reasonable hour,

how about grabbing a drink?

Let me guess. You struck out with Denver,

Miami, and Houston, so you decided

to take a swing at Highland Park?

Or maybe everything I was searching for

was right here on my doorstep all along.

After everyone else turned you down!

I love being someone's th choice.

You knock on doors until one opens.

[KNOCKS ON DOOR]

[DOOR HANDLE CLICKS]

Safety check?

♪

[DOOR HINGES CREAK]

♪

Vanessa?

Vanessa?

Are you here?

♪

Vanessa?

♪

Aw, man.

Oh, man.

Man.

♪

C'mon, C'mon, C'mon, C'mon