01x03 - Of Puppies and Monsters

[bunniefuu]

Previously on "The Family"...

I am announcing my candidacy for governor.

Joanna: We need to influence public perception with this.

We'll need the whole family.

I think we go traditional.

John: Life isn't a straight sh*t, my friends.

It's full of hills and valleys.

Confront your grief, and you'll take away its power.

Nina: Tell me about the man in the woods.

He has holes in his face.

What about the place he kept you in?

What could you see?

A red dragon.

He was breathing fire right at me.

Woman: An emergency hearing was held this morning which declared Asher a free man.

Hank: Where's my mom?

She passed, Hank.

Oh.

I didn't take that little boy's ship.

I don't even know how it got there.

My brother used to be a patient here, and we thought it might be nice to have his dental records.

Your sister already picked them up.

Oh.

M-My name is Adam.

♪

[Lock disengages, door opens]

John: Have you ever done something you can't undo...

... you can't forgive, you can't forget?

So you tear yourself apart.

Why were you so sure that I was dead?

I don't know.

I was waiting.

Adam...

Why'd you stop looking for me?

I don't know.

[Breathing heavily]

Have you ever done something that wrong?

[Water running]

I have.

Willa: Daddy?

Did you do it?

[Ball bouncing]

[Both laugh]

What's that smell?

Contempt.

We'll see these on camera...

"Bless this happy home." "Coolest mom ever."

Uh, "home," so it looks like Claire crocheted it herself.

[Laughs]

The American people want to know we're in a good place.

We're not.

This interview could get Mom the endorsement, so I need you to stay relatively sober till it's over.

I can go two days without a drink, so you don't really have to worry.

Just don't overreach.

Just drink to maintain.

[Laughs]

Okay, you're gonna put him on national TV, and you're worried about me?

What does that say about you?

Bye, Ad.

Bye.

Hey, hey, um, is he going to the dentist anytime soon?

How should I know?

♪

[Door opens, closes]

Jane: Those bunkers are actually part of the oil refinery.

So basically anyone who has ever worked at this refinery could've known how to get into that tunnel.

Uh, if you can get us contact info for current and former employees, that would be more than helpful.

That I can do.

[Chuckles] How far along?

Oh, technically, six months.

When I try and get off the couch, 20.

Mm.

You have kids?

No.

We're not the most modern around here.

Uh, we're computerized from 2002.

Before that, our records are paper... so much paper.

Paper, paper, paper.

Just send it all over.

[Telephone rings]

Gabe: Detective Meyer?

Gabe Clements.

I should've introduced myself before.

I was taken with your board over there.

Very, uh, "Beautiful Mind."

Anything else you need from me?

Why? You going somewhere?

Aren't I?

Oh, 'cause I'm the Fed, I'm supposed to say, "This is my case and we play by my rules, so you're on desk duty"?

You live here. You know the players.

We'll worry about you testifying in court and all that when we catch our pock-marked man.

'Cause I'll probably only catch him if you help me.

You drive.

We'll stop for better coffee on the way.

I like the coffee here.

This is my case, and we play by my rules.

♪

He set the fire to destroy any potential forensic evidence, and so far it's worked.

We're not getting prints or DNA.

And you're sure it's the place?

Oh, my God.

Claire: So you came here to tell us that, or is there something you want?

We'd like Adam to revisit the scene.

The scene of his imprisonment and t*rture?

I know it's a lot to ask for.

You have no idea.

John: Just hear her out, Claire.

Our hope is that the visceral experience of being back there might trigger some memory.

Claire: Or a complete breakdown.

I-I get you want to protect him, but look at him.

Look what he already survived.

He's strong.

You don't hear him at night.

He has nightmares.

No, he's not ready. Let's wait a week.

I want to go.

Till your interview's over?

This isn't about that.

I want to go.

The hell it's not.

I want to go!

I'm not a little kid that you need to protect.

Not anymore.

♪

[Sighs]

So, when did it start?

What?

You sleeping with the dad.

I'm FBI. We're perceptive.

Few months after.

I'm not judging.

Just wondering if it ever clouded your vision.

Hmm, my vision was cloudy before that.

You were looking at the neighborhood sex offender.

Who wouldn't? But statistically, most child murders are someone in the family.

So, the kids went to get ice cream.

Mm-hmm. Haven't we been through this?

There are just a few gaps in our time line.

What gaps?

Was John with you at the rally the entire time?

Yes, why?

Didn't leave your side, not even for a second?

I don't think so.

But you're not sure?

I-I was shaking so many hands that night, I don't...

Maybe he went to the bathroom...

Stoplight camera caught him driving across town.

Didn't clock him coming back for over an hour.

What are you trying to say?

I want to know where you went, John.

John: I went to get more fliers. I told you that already.

Well, they said that you were gone for an hour.

Why would it take an hour to get fliers? I...

I-I-I turned on the game, okay?

It was the last quarter.

The kids were off. You were fine by yourself.

So I drank a beer, and I turned on the damn game, okay?

Okay?

[Sighs]

It sounds lame, John.

What?

It sounds like a made-up story. I'm sorry. It just...

Would... Would you like to ask me something?

No, don't. But, ye...

'Cause it sounds like you really, really want to.

No, really. Stop it.

Stop, stop.

If you honestly believe that I am capable of hurting someone...

Okay, all right.

All right. Do you want me to ask you?

...let alone my own son!

Where were you, John?!

I told you!

You are lying!

I'm exhausted. I'm confused.

I just... just want him back.

[Chuckles]

You think I don't?

Every day I want him back.

But the hell if I'd ever turn on you.

[Door closes]

Honey...

You don't need to do this.

Ad?

I want to.

Careful... there's plastic on the steps.

We're still processing evidence down there.

You coming?

I just... I-I just need a minute.

Adam: Mom?

You don't have to do this, either.

[Sighs]

[Children talking indistinctly]

[Puppy whimpering]

Hi. Can I help you?

I want to buy a puppy.

[Dogs barking]

Bows on the girls and bandanas on the boys.

Otherwise, it's all one big ball of cute.

[Chuckles]

Okay, Mr. Hank, climb on in.

Why?

To pick your puppy.

♪

Mrs. Williamson: Or if you really want a friend for life, let the puppy pick you.

Ooh! [Chuckles] Oh, my!

[Laughs]

You're gonna be a great daddy, Hank.

Nina: Anything coming back, Adam?

Adam: Yeah.

I remember everything.

That's where I slept.

Over there was the bathroom.

Did you have a... a...

Bucket.

This was my kitchen.

But that right there... was the dining room.

I saved it for when he brought good food.

What was good?

Hamburgers and fries.

Anything have a logo? The bag or the boxes?

No, he always unwrapped it first.

Nina: Always? How often did he bring it?

About once every seven sleeps.

And was it warm, the food?

That's what made it good.

Three miles from the road and eight from the edge of the woods, but the food was warm?

Maybe he hiked it in in some kind of insulated bag.

Yeah, or maybe he drove.

We'll fan out, look for tire tracks.

It's worth a sh*t.

♪

Could I have a minute... alone?

Down here? You sure?

Just a minute.

I'll be right out there if you need me, okay, bud?

Yeah.

♪
♪

[Telephone ringing]

Do you think I k*lled him?

Do you think I k*lled my son?!

Drink.

That guy Asher... I-I saw him this morning just walking in the bagel shop, buying a bagel and schmear like it's a normal day.

He's a regular guy... nothing to see here.

Trying to get a warrant to search his house.

It's just not that easy.

Do you think I'm lying?

My wife does.

No.

Do you think I did something?

'Cause if you do, arrest me. If not, then...

I think you love your son.

I think you love him so much you're drowning without him.

[Sniffles]

[Sighs]

Tell me what it was like... down there.

Thought you didn't want to know.

Just tell me.

Well, he, um... he set it up just like our house.

Bathroom here, kitchen, bedroom, dining room.

[Sighs]

Even at 8 years old, he remembered the layout.

Do you want me to...

It's okay. Keep going.

Uh... big space.

It's high, not wide.

There's, um... smaller spaces inside it, like niches, and...

It was dark.

Cold.

No natural light. The brick walls are concrete.

Joanna: In terms of optics, colors can really make or break you.

We've found that Republican voters respond best to female candidates in red or blue.

To think I might have worn green.

Crisis averted.

[Chuckles]

Uh, to keep you on message, I've assembled a list of RNC talking points for the interview.

Oh, great.

I need to be myself here.

Joanna: And we've gone the extra mile and hired you an image consultant.

Perfect. No, no. That won't be necessary.

You're going to be on the national stage tomorrow, Claire.

It can be intimidating and exhausting.

Are you getting enough sleep?

I will make sure of it.

No, you know what's exhausting?

Sleeping on a closet floor with an innocent child who was kept in a bunker for 10 years.

Tell me what color you want me to wear, I'll wear it.

She's a little on edge, but when the time comes, she will knock it out of the park.

[Door closes]

The time is tomorrow.

If you want our endorsement and our money, we need to feel confident that she'll toe the party line.

And right now, we don't.

You're a grad student where now?

Maine Tech... forensic science.

That's right. Sorry.

We've been pulling all-nighters trying to beta this baby... tracking microchip.

This one's bioengineered to graft with human cells.

It's gonna be huge. I mean, I haven't stopped...

Oh. You know what?

But, actually, my focus is more on DNA analysis.

I heard you guys did the I.D. test on Adam Warren.

Where'd you hear that from?

You did, though, right? How did that all work?

Like, what happened when the samples came in?

Um, I'm not really supposed to talk about that.

I-It would really help my thesis.

[Car door opens]

Danny: [Laughing] Your leg is like shaving a lemur.

Bridey: Shut up.

You're like a college dude, Cruz.

Oh, do you think we just sit around groomed and ready all the time?

That's what you get for booty-calling on a Tuesday.

I'm not drinking, okay? So I needed sex.

Oh, that's so romantic.

[Cellphone vibrates]

No, leave it.

No, no.

I-I... It might be my brother.

I got to pick him up from therapy.

[Vibrating continues]

Well, hurry up, because, uh, I'm doing you next.

All right, all right.

Whew!

Um, you live like a college dude, too, Cruz.

A clean house is a misspent life.

[Cellphone beeps]

Woman: You have three new messages.

To listen to your messages, press "1" now.

[Cellphone beeps]

Danny?

Yeah, in a minute.

So, how is he, your brother?

Was it your brother?

For real, you are like a stalker.

Senior Executive Director of Photocopying at Kinkos.

Hey, is everything o...

♪

John: Why were you in Hank Asher's house?

♪

We know who did this.

Willa!

It wasn't you.

What did you do?

Oh, I found Danny's secret stash.

Guess where it was.

I don't care.

Mm, ah.

I know alcoholics drink for volume, not flavor, but this taste like burnt hair.

Did you even look at the talking points?

You know what? I didn't.

I did not.

This endorsement is the race.

Your father saw it today... the place where Adam was kept.

No windows.

No sunlight.

No weather.

No clocks.

A concrete pit.

I'm so sorry.

I'm sorry I spent all those years taking showers and reading magazines and complaining about I don't know what...

Wi-Fi not working... while my little boy was alone, growing up in a hole.

They want me to say we're fine.

They want to know you can win.

I'm supposed to go on national television and soft-pedal it... act like it just didn't even happen.

Yes.

And what does that get me?

Power.

And power protects other kids.

[Camera shutter clicking]

[Indistinct conversations]

Gabe: We find any tire tracks yet?

Nothing that wasn't from department vehicles or the fire crew.

We just widened the perimeter.

Well, if you need a break, I can stand around here and look annoyed and impatient for a while.

You have kids, Detective?

Why do people keep asking me that?

Well, some agents think having kids makes them better at working kid cases... makes them more intuitive, more empathetic.

Those agents are wrong.

Being able to identify firsthand with a parent whose child has been tortured, m*rder*d?

It'll help you feel their pain, for sure.

But they don't want you to feel their pain.

They want you to do your job.

Treads... four sets.

Looks like they're all from the same vehicle.

We're having them cast in plaster.

We I.D. those tires, then see if anyone who's ever worked for the oil refinery drives that vehicle.

We're getting there!

We better be, before he hurts someone else.

[Brakes squeal]

[Engine shuts off]

♪

[Bag thuds]

[Gasps] Oh! Oh, God.

You are early.

I am still cooking.

I couldn't wait to see my baby.

Aww.

Both my babies.

Aww.

Hi.

Hi.

Mm.

All four sets of tracks in the woods are from the same vehicle.

We I.D.'d them as 22-inch Achilles Desert Hawks.

They're used in '04 and '08 Ram trucks.

I would high-five you, but I want to keep this moment cheese-free.

We're cross-referencing the digital employment records from the oil refinery.

Come on, up top.

You know what I keep meaning to ask?

Hmm?

Case file said a 911 call got you into Asher's house.

That's how you got around not having a warrant?

Yeah, so?

So the caller said they heard screaming coming from inside.

Was there any?

Not when I got there.

Ever find out who made that call?

Uh, I didn't have to. A-Asher confessed.

He took a 30-year plea.

Well, I guess you don't question it when you get what you want.

[Breathing shakily]

Willa: Daddy?

Did you do it?

Yeah.

So what happens now?

[Sighs]

We wait.

Woman: Got a 911 call of a disturbance at 18 White Knoll Terrace.

That's Hank Asher's place.

Screaming coming from the upstairs is all they said.

I'm on it. Send backup.

♪

[Sirens wailing]

[Tires screech]

[Door crashes]

Move, move, move!

Clear!

Man: Go! Go! Clear!

John: Hey, got your message.

Did you find something?

Woman: 911. What's your emergency?

John: There's some, uh, screaming coming from an upstairs bedroom.

I can't tell who it is... maybe a kid.

Someone's being hurt.

What number are you calling from?

I can't make it out. It's a pay phone.

Do you have an address, sir?

18 White Knoll Terrace.

I was just walking, and I heard it.

Y-You need to send the police right now.

Can I get your name, sir?

[ Telephone clicks]

Sir?

You needed to get in that house.

And you got me in.

I thought he did it, okay?

I thought he took my son.

And you framed him for it.

Well, we all knew he was the guy.

It was just a matter of proving it.

The underwear drawer... it was a nice touch.

Little on the nose, but super creepy.

I wanted to get him, just like you.

Do you think that we're the same?

I thought what I was doing was right.

You knew what you were doing was wrong the second that you did it.

Your kid in that hellhole... that will always be on me.

But it's on me 'cause of you.

Get out of my sight.

♪

What are you doing?

Looking for his dental records.

What?

Don't try lying, Willa.

They already told me that you picked them up.

You need help.

Where are they?

I don't know.

Mom asked me to pick them up.

His doctors wanted them.

[Scoffs] Oh, come on.

What is wrong with you?

Why can't you just be happy he's back?

Because he's not back.

[Scoffs]

You really haven't done enough damage here?

What's that supposed to mean?

You should've been watching us.

Oh, so this is all my fault now?

I was 13, and you left me alone to handle it.

Kids get lost, okay? I'm sorry.

No, people lose them!

[Sighs]

They're ready to mike you downstairs.

Please don't screw this up for us, too.

Past 10 years, you've lived every family's nightmare.

It's the worst day of your lives.

The one moment you're together, happy, and the next, your son, your brother is gone, vanished.

But unlike countless other families in this country, you actually got a happy ending.

The nightmare became a wish come true.

It did, Julia. Mm-hmm.

So, I guess, for all the people who have followed your story and are watching tonight, the obvious first question has to be, how are you?

We're doing great.

We really are, Julia. We are.

Um, you know, we have a long way to go, but I know we'll get there.

Adam, it's so nice to see you with your family.

How are you doing?

What's it like to be back?

Good.

I never stopped hoping they would find me.

Julia: And, Willa, Danny, how is it sitting with your little brother?

Did you ever think this was possible?

I wanted to, but, as you said, so few people, uh, have a happy ending like this.

Danny, what about you?

I thought he was dead, so...

No, I didn't think we'd see him again.

And now?

It's like he never left.

Let me ask you, John, Claire, most marriages that go through the trauma of losing a child can't recover.

So what kept you two so strong through all this?

Um...

[Both chuckle]

I think it was just our bond, you know?

Um, and also, we had two other kids, so we needed to be there for them.

You were right.

Tastes like ass.

We got names and addresses of the Ram truck owners.

So, uh, unless you want to keep watching, let's go get our pock-marked man.

And what about now that Adam's back, Claire?

I mean, again, it's a dream come true.

But at the same time, the readjustment and with the attention, the media, the election, how do you handle all that?

Well, it's not easy, Julia.

It's, um... You know, we're... uh, just trying to take it slow.

[Sighs]

Claire, are you okay?

No, I'm not.

We are so lucky to have gotten our son back, but we are not okay.

And, honestly, I don't know if we're ever going to be okay.

A thing like this, it, uh... it changes you forever.

That's a very candid and understandable perspective, but does it also enable your detractors when they say that this might not be the best time for you to be entering the governor's race?

Well, you know, how can I worry about that?

Because it is exactly this experience that makes me want to make our state safer.

It is this experience that has informed and strengthened me for that fight.

And anyone who looks at the violent-crime statistics in this country knows that a fight is exactly what we have on our hands.

You think we're not doing enough as a nation to fight crime?

No, I know we're not.

Um, there are monsters all around us every day, and we need to protect ourselves.

Monsters?

Would you consider your neighbor Hank Asher a monster?

Yeah, absolutely. Yes, yes, I would.

Even though Mr. Asher was innocent?

He may have been innocent of taking Adam, but, um, he's not innocent.

He was a convicted sex offender, Julia, after all.

Let's not forget that.

And statistics show that sex criminals re-offend exponentially more often than they don't.

Even after incarceration, treatment, reha... after our best efforts at rehabilitation, we let them report their own whereabouts?

We currently trust them to keep current with their own parole?

Mrs. Williamson: [Chuckles] I hope that you and Annie...

We let these people police themselves.

...will be very happy together, Hank.

[Gasps] Here you go.

Ooh. [Chuckles]

Oh.

[Laughs]

Sarah: You're that guy.

What?

Mom, it's on TV right now.

He's the guy they thought took that kid.

[Puppy whimpering]

What are you talking about, Sarah?

He's a child molester.

[Dog panting]

So, what's the solution, Claire?

Trackable microchips.

Y-You mean like the ones people put in their dogs?

Well, you can put them in anyone now.

So it seems reasonable to at least suggest that people who can't be trusted not to hurt our children be chipped and tracked.

If they've changed, if prison has cured them, there would be nothing to track.

But if it hasn't, there would be nowhere to hide.

And in the case of the rush to judgment of Hank Asher, if he had been chipped immediately after being convicted of his first sex offense, we could've cleared him...

of Adam's kidnapping, anyway.

Trackable microchips.

We've been pulling all-nighters trying to beta this baby... tracking microchip.

It's gonna be huge.

Gus: Did she just say that, as governor, she's gonna microchip perverts?

And the lab that processed Adam's DNA tests could make millions.

So work your source.

I don't have one anymore.

Julia: What's next for this family, Claire?

A big campaign?

Uh, well...

I stayed in politics because I truly believed that I could make a difference and make us safer.

I still want that.

But if people need to know that we're okay to vote for me, I don't think I should lie and say that we are.

[Voice breaking] It is a disservice to anyone who has experienced trauma and to their families and to their children.

I ca... I-I'm sorry.

I just, uh... I have to stop.

I, uh... I just can't right now.

[Telephone rings]

Hello? Nina.

Oh, my God.

Did they arrest someone?

Yeah. Uh...

No, okay. Yeah, no, w-we'll be here.

Thank you.

What?

[Telephone beeps]

Asher confessed.

What did he say?

She just said he confessed.

[Sighs]

Oh, my God.

[Sighs]

[Sighs]

I'm sorry.

I know.

I never really thought it, John.

No, I know.

I thought you did great.

Not that I matter, but what you said and how you said it, I-I heard you in it... the old you.

Might have cost me the race.

Well, even better.

[Chuckles]

# Mamabear is trending.

Individually, those are all words I understand.

But together... no idea.

Your message is out there basically spinning itself.

But next time, I need to know what the plan is.

Unless part of it is for me to look like I'm having a heart att*ck on nation TV, in which case, mission accomplished.

What are you talking about?

I-I should know if you're gonna go rogue.

Do you think that I planned all that?

Didn't you?

Oh.

Don't be so cynical.

It gives you wrinkles on your soul.

[Chuckles]

♪

Mayor Claire Warren lit up social media tonight when she vowed to microchip convicted sex offenders if elected governor.

Stay tuned for more updates on the story after this.

♪

[Pounding on door]

I got your story.

[Sirens wailing]

[Tires screech]

[Knock on door]

[Sirens wailing]

Gabe: Have you always owned that truck?

Never loaned it to anyone?

Nina: Thanks. Have a good night.

Willa: Ad?

I'm sorry.

It's okay.

You didn't mean to.

I messed up. I'm sorry.

It's okay.

You just...

You can't look at me like that.

I'm your sister, Ad.

I-I know.

I'm your sister.

I know.

♪

John: Have you ever done something you couldn't undo?

Gabe: It was a good idea, Meyer, but you'll have more ideas, and one of them will be the one that gets him.

Mint?

An offer, not a hint.

You're wrong, by the way.

Why? You have onions for lunch or something?

You need to get close to people to do what we do.

If you don't connect, you're lacking empathy.

And... without empathy, a case is nothing more than a puzzle to be solved.

So?

So cases are not puzzles.

They're people.

He's a person. He will screw up.

And that's how we'll get him.

♪

You can't let go of what you've done, so you punish yourself.

That's what most of us do, anyway.

[Chuckles]

Oh, gosh. I'm gonna fall.

I'm too top-heavy.

I got you. I got you.

[Chuckling] Okay.

We're almost there.

Okay.

You ready?

Yeah.

Surprise.

[Gasps]

Oh, Doug! We can't afford this!

I sold my truck.

How...

But a lucky few don't feel the guilt... because they never had a conscience to begin with.

♪