01x06 - What You Have Left

[bunniefuu]

Previously on AMC's The k*lling...

You think I k*lled Rosie?

We found the letters that you wrote her.

Stan, I know this guy who works at Rosie school.

Says the cops have been nosing around there again.

Dad, I'm doing this my way.

Is that what you call sleeping with your candidate?

Let me tell you something, mayor. Politics is w*r.

You thought I was the leak?

I've always wondered about Mr. Ahmed's wife.

She was one of his former students.

The Larsen girl? What about ammonium hydroxide?

It was on her hands, nails, in her lungs.

She's not supposed to be with God.

She's supposed to be with me.

Thought you'd like some breakfast.

Noticed you didn't come home last night.

I'm trying to finish up.

Where's Jack?

Think he's looking for your partner.

So, are you still leaving tonight?

Yeah. Red-eye.

We'll be out of your hair soon.

It'll be good for Jack.

I've found that certain states of transiency --

Eh, well, it's worse for kids than adults.

Jack's fine. He's strong.

Yeah, sure. He didn't drop far from the tree.

That look.

15 years old, and you already had that look on your face.

Right there.

The "already learned to live alone" look.

And strength like that...

Well, can prohibit other things --

You know...

Friendship.

And joy.

They become elusive. I'm old. I can talk.

Yeah, well, you were a lousy social worker, so don't start with me again.

Hey. Find your new BFF?

No one says that, mom. That's Ret*rded.

We're leaving tonight, so make sure you're packed.

Why can't we just stay? Nash's party's tomorrow.

Because our flight's at 11:30.

How much you want to bet we're gonna miss it?

I'll bet you $50 million that we don't.

And no welshing, either.

You're gonna work your whole life to pay that off.

Hey, it's our last day.

You want to take the boat out, chief?

Yeah. Sure. Let's go. All right.

You coming?

I have some stuff to finish here, but I'll catch up.

You almost lost him, Sarah. Don't let it happen again.

So, you really think the Larsen girl could've been a serial job?

These were all working girls from around Seatac.

Rosie doesn't fit the profile.

But, still, it's worth looking at. Mm-hmm.

I found ammonium hydroxide, a cleaning compound, in the teacher's apartment --
Ditto on Rosie's tox screen.

What was he doing with cleaning fluid?

He was supposed to be sanding his floors, but he canceled his appointment and lied about it.

He was home all weekend, alone.

So you're thinkin' she went over to his place after the dance?

What?

Did the reasoning that informs a dress code escape you, holder?

The idea is that the public can feel we're competent professionals who can be trusted.

You look like you donate plasma for a living.

I had it since I was, like, 19.

Well, are we getting a search warrant on Ahmed's place, or what?

Look up the word "circumstantial."

A.D.A. Bernstein's not signing off on any ammonium whatever the hell it is.

I mean, he's been lying since day one!

He married one of his old students.

We might have a crime scene, lieu.

He could be destroying evidence as we speak.

Well, then, you better get to work.

She picked them out for father's day.

I tried telling her --

"Your daddy doesn't really need anything like that."

I pulled those buttons off my shirt --

Cut holes in the cuffs.

It was Christmas she gave them to me.

No.

No, y-you wore them to Christmas mass, but she bought them for father's day.

No, no, she left them under the tree.

It had to be Christmas.

I was there when we bought them.

She was 5. I remember that day.

She had to be older because tom was there --

No! No, he wasn't!

She was 5, Stan! She was 5!

Hey.

Do you need me for anything?

No, we're --
We're just, um...

You want to check on the boys for me?

Make sure they're dressed?

Please?

Sure.

I'm sorry.

Gwen. Can we talk?

The new tv spot's been airing all morning.

Would you like to see it?

It was a lousy thing to do. I should never have doubted you.

Or we can do debate prep first, go over your talking points again.

Jamie's coming back to the campaign.

I knew he wasn't the leak.

It was my chance to get at Adams, and I took it.

Smart play.

Jamie must be proud.

I've worked with him for over 10 years. I trust him.

But not me.

When does it end, Darren?

The keeping me out?

I mean, what are we doing here, Darren?

Oh, is that the commercial? Nice!

Let's have a look.

Ah. All right.

Are we gonna strategize tonight's debate, or do we need to indulge in a little family therapy first?

Have you memorized your talking points?

Hit Adams on crime and infrastructure.

We've been over this for weeks.

Good.

Tonight is our best chance to switch momentum.

You do this right --
Kennedy/Nixon.

A Principal Meyers is here to see you.

Mr. Ahmed. Bennet Ahmed.

The police have been looking into him.

For the Rosie Larsen m*rder?

I thought you should know.

I know he does a lot with your programs.

Thank you. Yeah. Thank you.

I appreciate it.

Um, I'm up for school-board election next spring.

If I had your endorsement, it'd go a long way.

And we could work together.

For the city.

Yeah. I-I'll be in touch.

Working with law enforcement to keep criminals off our streets.

His opponent? Well, he's given a lot of speeches.

Darren Richmond. Action. Not talk.

For a safer Seattle.

What?

Thanks. I hate it when somebody brings me coffee.

Don't be like that.

I got you a going-away present.

B-but I'm saving it for when you, you know...

Actually go away.

We'll canvass this block.

Maybe we get lucky, find somebody who saw her.

I'm starting with Ahmed's neighbor.

The other side of the street's yours.

Hey. Give me a second.

First one of the day. It always tastes the best.

After I leave and they give the case to somebody else and you're working traffic, you can smoke all day.

Morning. Seattle police department.

Can I ask you a few questions?

Mm-hmm. I guess you's the police.

Wouldn't know if it was fake, I suppose.

Thanks for your time. Have you lived here long?

16 year.

You mind if I ask you some questions about your upstairs neighbor, Bennet Ahmed?

Got that white wife. Real pregnant.

Yo, Linden! I got something!

Excuse me.

Like I was saying, I knew the time.

I had to close early to pick up my daughter.

It was 10:00, Friday night.

And you saw a girl go into the building?

Yeah. White, like he said. Dark hair.

She had to knock a while before somebody let her in.

Did you see her leave?

No, like I was saying, I had to pick up my daughter.

How well could you see her?

Real good. The porch light was on.

Excellent eyes, me. My whole family, good eyes.

Good enough to tell if that was her?

Yeah. That's her. No doubt.

Thanks very much.

We're gonna have to move those boxes so we can get some more tables there.

Yeah?

Want me to get a --
Get a jack?

No?

L-let me help you with this one. I'll get this side.

Spoke to my buddy at the high school.

Said he'd find out what he could, call me later today.

He says the cops know who did it.

Here. Let me help a little bit.

I always thought this was so pretty on you.

Let's try it.

It's...

The other way?

Remember how I'd fight when you'd try to dress me?

You were such a brat.

You look pretty.

Come on, boys. Come on.

Carpet will be better for crawling.

We should've done this in the first place.

You sure he's not gonna pull that mobile down?

She's not gonna pull it down.

Sorry. I'm sorry.

It's okay.

Do you wish it was a boy?

What?

Amber, no. Of course not.

Well, good.

'Cause you got two of us now, buddy. You're outnumbered.

Is that right? Mm-hmm.

We're gonna be okay, aren't we?

Yeah. Yeah, sure we are.

Yes? What?

Did Rosie Larsen drop by last Friday?

What?

You mean here? A week ago?

Yeah.

The night of the dance.

The night she went missing.

You know what? Um...

This is crazy, but -- But she did.

She returned a book.

I am so sorry. I forgot. I --

Hey, you know, it happens.

This is the second time you have failed to mention a critical detail to us, Mr. Ahmed.

Yeah, well, it was so brief.

And -- And -- And like I said, I j-- I just forgot.

What time was she here?

Late, I think. After the dance.

I should have remembered.

This whole thing, it's been a shock.

Yeah.

She ran up, returned the book...

And -- And took off.

What book did she drop off?

Uh, some -- Some schoolbook, I don't know.

Um, one of the --

The victorian novelists, I think.

Can I take a look at it? Not without a search warrant.

I got to go.

I have a funeral to attend.

All right, Mr. Ahmed.

I need you to check all the footage of the dance.

Watch the time stamp and tell me the latest you can find Bennet on film.

Thanks.

That's it?

What the hell?!

Let's put this mope in the box, Linden!

Everything that we've got is circumstantial.

Man, perception is circumstantial.

Talk to the neighbors, see if anybody can I.D. Bennet around here 10:00 P.M. Friday night.

He was here. He let her in. He was lying.

No sh*t, he was lying.

About letting her in.

The ad's already aired 10 times across 3 networks.

I pulled the rest of the buy, and I replaced it with our old environmental spot.

We've got to approach these things like Adams already knows.

Or, if he doesn't, he will soon enough. He's gonna bring it up.

And when he does, I'll say that Bennet Ahmed is not a formal suspect.

"Being looked at" doesn't mean anything.

They looked at me, Jamie. Oh, come on.

The car's attached to your campaign.

Ahmed's attached to your program.

You got to start to distance yourself, Darren.

Innocent until proven guilty.

I was a public-interest attorney for 15 years.

I'm not about to give up those principles.

And I will not ruin this man's life by effectively declaring him guilty in public!

Well, then, there's a question you need to answer.

What kind of candidate do you want to be?

What kind of man do you want to be?

Do you skate by and maybe make things worse for this man?

Or do you stand up for what you believe in?

Spare me the social-justice crap, Gwen. It's who I am.

Who you are is five words --

"Dead girl in a trunk"!

I'll see you at the tv studio.

It's like there's two of me.

And one of them...

He knows exactly what to do. In every situation.

The p-problem is that...

It always ends up in the same place.

And t-then there's the other me, the one I'm supposed to be.

He's just weak.

Your choice which one to follow.

So, what's happening with the case?

The --

Looks like the teacher did it.

You close to an arrest?

Maybe.

I should probably get going.

Hey!

Stan. The father.

18 years ago, he was thick with the Kovarsky mob --

Muscle for Janek Kovarsky.

Seriously?

Had a gambling problem, too.

Pretty serious, as I recall.

He didn't have a record.

Dead men don't press charges.

Linden.

You're sure he was at the dance that long?

Thanks.

Dad. Yeah?

Can I help?

Yeah. Hey, Jeff.

Let him in here.

Bennet could've never let Rosie in. He's on tape at the dance at 11:20.

And that storeowner saw Rosie at the apartment at 10:00.

So, who let her in? His wife was at her sister's that night.

So talk to the sister, confirm it.

Detective!

The funeral's started, councilman.

I was late getting away.

I wanted to be here to...

Acknowledge the tragedy.

Well, they don't want anybody who's not friends or family.

I was just leaving.

I was wondering if you'd share something with me.

Not if it pertains to the Larsen case.

I know you're looking at Bennet Ahmed.

Who told you that?

So you are.

Do you think he did it?

Off the record.

Have a good day, councilman.

What time was that, Friday night, that your sister arrived at your place?

It was nearly 1:00 in the morning.

Amber was real upset.

What about?

Her husband. What else?

I mean, I try not to harp on it.

You don't like Bennet?

I would just say...

I don't think he's right for my sister.

Leave it at that.

Mine doesn't come off.

Did she tell you, specifically, what upset her that night?

Mm, she felt like Bennet was keeping secrets.

She didn't say about what.

But she'd been crying. I could tell.

Amber say why she was late getting to your place?

No.

She's not happy.

We knew she wouldn't be.

Barely see her now.

It's like he's made her shun her whole family.

With the world what it is...

I mean, there's a w*r on...

And I --

I don't mean to sound prejudiced, but it seems pretty clear which side is which.

Right.

Amen to that.

I was surprised to get your call, senator.

Councilman. Thanks for meeting.

My daughter admires you, thinks you're a good man.

We're not here to talk about Gwen, are we?

No.

There's a saying that successful politicians come to understand --

First, you win. Then, you do good.

Well, I appreciate your point, senator, but I'm missing --

People are watching, Darren...

Thinking about your future in the party, talking about how far you might go...

People with the means to build that future.

But there's concern that you don't know how to win...

That maybe you're not capable of it.

Is that some kind of thr*at?

It's a warning.

You can't win, you're no good to anyone.

Keep away from that teacher.

Cut him loose.

Anything else will be su1c1de.

I'll handle this my way.

Then we'll see how the chips fall.

Good luck tonight.

It's so Rosie can find us when she flies over.

Come on.

Where were you?

You sent your father to talk to me?

What? You really think that would work?

It was me.

I called.

Figured you'd be pissed, but it was necessary.

What the hell are you talking about, Jamie?

Look, we're at w*r, Darren, and, all due respect, you show up at a gunfight with more than just your good looks.

You called my father?

Well, well, well, look who we have here.

You haven't been answering our calls, Jamie.

Like to hedge your bets, huh, kid?

Mr. fair play. Mr. transparency.

What a load of sh*t.

Not my fault you snapped him up as soon as he hit the water, is it?

Love the new commercial.

We know you're not that hungry, but try to eat anyway, okay? Okay.

I'm sorry.

Mrs. Larsen.

So glad you could come.

So sorry for your loss.

Sorry Jasper couldn't make it.

I think the kids are mourning in their own way.

Hi.

Want something else? Sure you got enough?

Okay.

Do you --
Do you want to sit, maybe?

No?

Are you guys hungry?

I just got them sandwiches.

Well, you do realize you're not part of this family, right?

Guys, want to eat some vegetables?

Yeah?

The teacher?

Eat.

Yeah, he's here now.

I got that call from my friend.

He says it's the teacher. Bennet Ahmed.

The black guy standing behind you right now.

I should go.

Okay.

Hey. How are you, sir?

So I guess you a real detective.

You said that you had information when you called?

I need you to arrest this dirty old man with the telescope across the way.

Tell him to stop spying on people.

He lives in that building there?

He's always peeping out of that window.

Tell me he's watching stars. Like I'm stupid.

You can't see no stars in the city.

You watch out your window a lot, sir?

Well, yeah, sure.

The stars. With my telescope.

Can I take a look?

Uh, yeah, the thing is that, uh --

You --

So, you've got quite a view into your neighbors' backyards, don't you?

Is this about that girl?

Look, as far as I-I expect stability in my routines, I...

I don't engage.

I just, uh...

I keep to myself.

But I was at that window, um, at 12:03
Saturday morning.

You always up at midnight?

Yeah, I track, uh, gamma-rads and, uh, radio waves, uh, ultraviolet emissions.

And you saw something?

Uh, that man with the dreads.

I -- Look, I don't make assumptions, you understand that?

You saw Bennet Ahmed outside, around midnight.

What was he doing?

Um, he was with a girl.

Uh, it was raining, so I couldn't --

I couldn't make out a lot of detail, but I did see that she was wrapped in a blanket.

Um, not moving.

And they were sort of carrying her, and then they all got in black car and drove away.

"They"?

That man...

And, uh, another...

Smallish-type person.

Um, kind of like you.

A woman?

Uh, yeah.

Amber wasn't supposed to be home, but she was.

She knows her husband's keeping secrets.

He's still at the dance when Rosie comes by...

So Amber goes off, loses her mind, and Bennet comes home and helps her cover it up.

That's why he canceled all the flooring guys.

And it explains what the neighbor saw.

You think we can get that search warrant now?

Seattle police department! We need you to open the door!

Mrs. Ahmed! We need you to open this door.

Mrs. Ahmed! Open the door right now!

We have a witness who saw the suspect and somebody else carrying the Larsen girl out of the building at midnight.

Think the accomplice was the wife.

She's not home, but we're headed out to pick up Mr. Ahmed now.

A.D.A. Bernstein will call back.

Hey, check this --
Old buddy of mine...

He said Stan Larsen used to be mobbed up with the poles.

He said he might've k*lled some guys.

Since when?

Got out of the game a long time ago and stayed out.

You didn't think to tell me this earlier?

The girl look like a mob hit to you?

Call Bennet right now.

And warn him we're coming? Hell no.

Holder...

Call him.

Rosie was a great kid, Mr. Larsen.

And, uh, she'll be missed.

Uh, you know, I should, uh, I should be going.

My wife is picking me up. I should call her.

Let me give you a ride.

You can tell me some more about Rosie.

Oh, you know what? You don't have to bother. Hey, hey, hey, hey.

You'd be doing me the favor.

I got to get out of here.

Can't take it anymore, you know?

Yeah. Yeah, sure.

Now, in contrast, I've shown a commitment to jobs and infrastructure.

And it's precisely those policies which have Seattle weathering this country's current recession better than the rest of the nation.

I don't think we should be satisfied with "better."

I don't think 8.7% unemployment is "better."

I don't think a-a 12% increase in crime is "better."

We've yet to hear a specific program or policy from you, though, councilman.

For instance, your approach to the problem of g*ng v*olence.

Community improvement under the aegis of green development...

Police outreach -- Describing a vague dream of a perfect world doesn't quite answer the question.

"In dreams begin responsibilities."

Those are wise words, Mr. mayor.

The dream of a better world. The dream of a better self.

These are the ambitions behind my campaign's programs.

Uh, the community-investment and sustainable-jobs initiatives.

You know, from time to time, we forget who we are and why we do what we do.

That's why we have elections --

To redefine where we're all going, together.

We define our dreams together.

And it does not seem naive to me to want more, to reach out for more than the mayor's corporate status quo.

Uh, I-I think you just missed the exit.

Mr. Larsen?

When you coddle the violent criminal, you approve the commission of crime a-and you let them loose again amongst our communities, our children.

And, again, I need to point out...

We see no concrete, viable alternative offered from the councilman.

Councilman Richmond?

Actually, I have the perfect example of the kind of initiative that the mayor has been disparaging all evening.

It is a community education program, and every neighborhood that's hosted it, every school we've gone into has witnessed not only significant decreases in g*ng activity, but increases in graduation rates.

Which program are you referring to?

A program I am very proud of.

It's called Seattle all stars, and it's been an unqualified success.

This is what I mean about coddling.

Now, isn't it true...

That one of your leading mentors in that program is the chief suspect in the Rosie Larsen m*rder?

It is ridiculous to consider that a man who has not been charged with a thing --

Councilman, is this true? No one has been arrested.

We have a thing called due process in this country, and it works.

I can't help but think your sympathies are misplaced, councilman.

This debate is not about the Rosie Larsen case.

It seems pretty relevant to me.

I think violent criminals should go to prison.

The councilman wants to protect their reputations.

You're done, son.

The state of Washington is off-limits.

So pack your bags, 'cause in two weeks, your little career flames out.

I will say it again --
The man is not a suspect.

He is a person of interest.

Is Bennet Ahmed here?

The teacher? He left.

Everybody left.

When did he leave, Mrs. Larsen?

He got a ride home with Stan.

Stay here. I'll follow the route back to Ahmed's.

And keep calling him.

What's going on?