01x01 - John Cardinal

Episode transcripts for the 2017 TV show "Cardinal". Aired: June 16, 2017 to May 2020.*
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"Cardinal" is a crime drama revolving around detectives investigating the m*rder of a young girl.
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01x01 - John Cardinal

Post by bunniefuu »

[Sweeping Instrumental]

♪ ♪

[Whirring]

♪ ♪ ♪

[Eerie Music]

[Suspenseful Music]



[Heavy Breathing]

[Suspenseful Music]



[Gasp]

[Soft Instrumental]



[Knocking]

You're not answering your phone.

It's off.

Were you sleeping?

No.

Dyson sent me.

They found a body.

Where's McLeod?

Delorme: No, she doesn't want McLeod.

She wants you.

Look at this, Delorme.

A young couple gets a new TV set.

You'd think it'd be a happy day.

These two hate each other right now.


Cardinal.

It's not my department anymore.

[Whirring]

[Whirring]

It's a child.

They think it might be her.

[Dramatic Music]

♪ ♪

Commanda: I thought you were in exile.

Cardinal: So did I.

You got the call on this?


Commanda: Yeah. First on the scene was one of ours.

Cardinal: Gentlemen, who's been inside?

Collingwood: Collier and our civilian.

The guy was here stripping wire.


I took a look inside too, sir.

I thought I'd get a little jump on things.

Okay.

All right.

Gentlemen, suit up. In you go.

Let me know what you need.

Fox, come here.

Yeah.


There's a lot of snow to cull here.

We're gonna need tents, generators, the whole circus.

I mean, I can put in the call if you like.

Constable, I'm gonna need your boots.

My boots?

And then I want you to go home.

You're dismissed.

Sir.

Cardinal: You have kids? Pets?

Carpet in your TV room?

I have... two kids.

Their DNA is now contaminating the crime scene, the unprocessed crime scene that you chose to enter.

Sir, I swear, I...

Let me tell you something.

If one day we're lucky enough to get this guy, I can't have you serving up freebies to his defence attorney.

So... off they come.

[Police Radio Chatter]

[Bang]

Coroner Barnhouse: Facial features partially obliterated, and likely by animal interference.

Left eye missing.

Right eye damaged but intact.

Body is clothed.

Denim jeans cover the lower portion.

Torn away at the left leg.


Commanda: There's a spot up top where it looks like water collects.

I bet she's resting on a drain.


Coroner Barnhouse: Partially detached from her skull.

Filled up around her.

Froze solid.

[Dreamlike Eerie Instrumental]

Cardinal: It's her.

You're sure?

Blue hoodie.

She was wearing it when she disappeared.

Dyson: Okay. Well, let's do this then.

Let's have our moment.

I'm serious, John.

If you want to say I told you so,
now's your chance.

I don't have anything to say.

She could have run away.

She could have been with some cousin in Temiskaming.

We didn't know.

That's why you keep looking.

Dyson: We tried.

We failed.

We moved on.

You should put on that on the crest.

If I make you the lead on this, I need to know that you're not gonna drift.

Yeah.

So McLeod can't be your second.

He's in court all month.

Cardinal: Who then?

You're kidding. She just transferred.

Lucky her.

She gets to learn from the best.

I'm glad to be working on this with you.

[Whirring]

[Haunting Music]

♪ ♪

["Familiar"

Agnes Obel]



♪ Took a walk to the summit at night, ♪
♪ you and I ♪
♪ To burn a hole in the old grip of the familiar, ♪
♪ you and I ♪
♪ And the dark was opening wide, ♪
♪ do or die ♪




Cardinal: How long were you in Financial Crimes?

Delorme: Five years.

Any homicide rotations?

Scene work?

Anything?

No.

But look, I know this case.

I know the history.

Everyone thought Katie Pine ran away, except you.

Lot of good that did her.

How'd you know she'd been abducted?

What was your thinking?

You want to be careful.

Those questions got me kicked off homicide.

I thought yelling at your Sergeant got you kicked off homicide.

Cardinal: Is that what you heard?

What I heard is that you ran through a year's manpower on this one case, ran everyone ragged and then fell asleep driving home one night, crashed into a dumpster.

Wrong.

It was a hydro box.

Much more expensive.

Here's what I need you to do.

As my new partner, I need you to cover off my active cases, unsolved B&Es, dozens of them, stretching back a year.

Get up to speed.

Okay.

[Indistinct]

See, the thing with John is two-fold.

First, whatever you do, stand up to him and don't be a yes man.

I'm not.

And second?

Never disagree with him.

Huh.

Sure.

[Dreamlike Music]

♪ ♪

Cardinal: Katie's remains have been transported to the forensics lab in Toronto.

Okay.

Cardinal: It'll take a few days and then we'll release her to you.

There will be more questions
and we'll have to go over some ground we've already covered.

I'm sorry to put you through that again.

We're gonna throw everything we have at this, Dorothy.

You said that before.

Then you stopped looking.



[Violin Strings Plucking]



Commanda: There'll be a fire later for Katie.

You're welcome to come if you want.


I don't know, Jerry. It wouldn't-wouldn't feel right.

Commanda: Hey, John.

People are gonna think what they think.

But I know you did everything you could for Katie.

[Suspenseful Music]



[Phone Vibrating]

Delorme: Delorme here.

Cardinal: Katie Pine wasn't this guy's first victim.

You wanted to know my thinking.

There it is.

He's a predator.

She didn't know him.


Delorme: A little girl gets m*rder*d, you look close.

A neighbour. An uncle.

I looked, Delorme.

Babysitters, band mates, cousins.

I talked to them all.

I know her life inside and out.

Favourite song was "Shake It Off".

Favourite food, canned peaches.

Best friend, Tina.

Boyfriend, Arnold.


I know Katie Pine and this guy is not from her world.

He stalked her.

He picked his moment and he struck.

And who does that?

A repeater.

But there's just one small problem.

No more bodies.

Cardinal: Unless we missed it.

When I first took this case, another file caught my eye.

Billy LaBelle.

Age ten.

He drowned in the lake.

You remember?


Yeah. An accident.

There were witnesses.

Cardinal: No.

LaBelle's mom went for smokes.

When she came back, Billy was dead.


No one saw it happen.

Delorme: No one saw what happen?

A serial k*ller swoop in at that exact moment?


Cardinal: LaBelle was found face up in the water.

I talked to three different coroners.

They all say that's unusual.

The weight of your limbs keeps you face down.

Unless, it wasn't an accident.

Young kid.

All alone.

Small.


Vulnerable.

That's how these guys start.

He holds LaBelle under until his lungs fill.

Looks him in the eye while he does it.

The biggest thrill of his life.

What does Dyson think?

Forget Dyson. I'm asking you.

It's a stretch.

LaBelle's mom was right there.

The timing doesn't work.

I'll see you in the morning.

We're done?

Good night.

Josh: And that's the new partner?

What did he want?

He wanted to hear himself talk.

[Dramatic Music]



Maureen LaBelle: Westbrook building is clear.

I'm gonna head to Chalmers Street.

Yeah.


Security Dispatch: Copy that.

Who are you?

Cardinal: Mrs. LaBelle, I am Detective John Cardinal.

Maureen LaBelle: I told him not to go in.

Told him to wait until I got back but, you know, he's such a water rat.

That's all he ever wanted to do.


So you're there, uh, for about an hour and then you go back up to the car for cigarettes.

Is that right?

And how far away was the car, would you say?

I don't know. Five minutes, if that.

Is there something wrong?

I told all this to the other cop a bunch of times.

Mrs. LaBelle, I know this is difficult.

I'm just, uh, I'm just doing some follow up.

So, uh, gone ten minutes and when you come back that's, that's when you see Billy in the water.

And that was about ten a.m.?

Yeah.

Mrs. LaBelle, I spoke with your friend, uh, Rosalyn this morning, Rosalyn Garret.

She was with you the night before Billy d*ed.

Do you remember that?

You were at the legion together.

Sounds about right.

And you stayed pretty late, closed the place down.

Maureen LaBelle: What's this got to do with Billy?

I'm just, I'm just trying to get the timeline straight here.

So up until two a.m., uh, having a good time and then first thing next morning with your son at the beach.

Mrs. LaBelle, I couldn't help but notice in the pictures of the scene, I didn't see anything like a blanket or a picnic basket.

[Scoffs] Picnic basket?

Sorry. I don't own a picnic basket.

Cardinal: Mrs. LaBelle, I know this is difficult.

I know you've been through a lot and I'm not here to add to your pain.


My son is dead.

What do you think you can add?

Cardinal: If you weren't with him that morning, if you were sleeping it off and he was out there on his own, I need to know that.

[Chuckles Sadly]

I want you to go.

[Phone Ringing]

Uh, McLeod, you got a minute?

It's forensics on the line.

I could use an extra brain in the room.

♪ ♪
Len, it's John.

I've got, uh, Detective McLeod with me.

We're ready when you are.

Coroner Len Torres: All right. It's all very preliminary so bear with me.

[Clears her throat]

Doctor?

Before you start, I wanted to introduce myself.

I'm Detective Lise Delorme.


I'm second on the case.

You guys want to call me back when you're all sorted?

That's everyone, Len.

Go ahead.

Coroner Len Torres: Okay. A lot of animal predation so there's lots we can't know but, wrists and ankles have ligature marks so she was tied up.

Petechial hemorrhaging in her remaining eye shows that she suffocated, and we can thank the ice for that detail.

Cardinal: Strangled?

Coroner Len Torres: Maybe.

Not enough neck tissue to be sure.


Stomach, empty.

She hadn't eaten in at least twenty-four hours.

As for the k*ller, no blood, no hair.

Toxicology is positive for benzodiazepine but, and I can't say this with certainty,
there's no indication of sexual activity.

Now her right eye, this is a little different, four abrasions, two upper, two lower.

Leukotriene B4 is present and what that means is that there's inflammation and, uh, those injuries came before she d*ed.


And what do you make of that?

Could be some random injuries.

Certainly can't rule that out.

Or they could be from a speculum to keep her eyes open.

And that, for now, is all that I have for you.


Thanks, Len.

Sure.

Delorme: Hmm.

He wanted her to see him.

Just like Billy LaBelle, face up in the water.

Oh Jesus. Here we go.

He tell you his repeater theory?

Maureen LaBelle lied, Ian.

Billy was unattended the morning he d*ed.

John, you want my advice?

You have a victim.

Don't go looking for more.

Stay on the B&Es.

[Indistinct chatter, phone ringing]

[Knocking]

Cardinal: Mare?

I'm gonna need all the uncleared missing person files dating back two years, starting with minors.

You want locals or just passing through?

All of them.

[Sighs]

And Mary, do me a favour.

Hmm?

Keep this between us.

[Huffs]

[Suspenseful Music]



Cardinal: Hi. It's Detective John Cardinal with the Algonquin Bay Police.

I'm calling about a missing person.

Uh, yeah, thanks for getting back to me.

Question about a find...


Seventeen.

I'm wondering if there's any new information since?

I see. So he was seen in St. John's?

I'm gonna show you some pictures.

Can you tell me if...?

Well, if you hear anything more, will you let me know right away?

Yeah. I know it's an Alberta case but...

I see, so there's a history of...

Can you call me at this number when you have a minute?

Yeah. Hi. It's Detective John Cardinal.

She may have been...


[Suspenseful Music]



Phil Simpson: Stir plate, gone.

Grain mill, gone.

Six brand new ball-lock kegs.

He took them all.

And insult to injury, look at this.


Didn't touch the beer.

Linda Simpson: Maybe he prefers lager.

I've won awards with this beer.

He was a finalist once.

I got a friend at the paper says, uh, houses are getting robbed all over town.

Is that true?

Linda Simpson: Let her do her job, Phil.

Says it's been going on for months and you guys are nowhere on it.

Oh, I'm afraid I can't talk about other cases.

Phil: Guess everyone'll be focused on Katie Pine now.

Kinda surprised you're here at all.


What goes there?

Phil: Microwave.

I just got the thing.

I didn't even get a chance to install it.


And when was that?

Wednesday.

Is that important?

Commanda: The fire will burn for four days while Katie's spirit walks the world.

Dyson: Miss Pine,

I'm Noelle Dyson with the Algonquin Bay Police.

I'm so sorry for what you're going through.

I've, um, I've come with a message from my fellow officers.

I understand that you intend to give Katie a Christian service?

That's right.

On behalf of the police and the mayor's office, we'd like to offer you the use of the St. Francis church.

We'll cover the costs.


Why?

Dyson: Miss Pine, there are so many people feeling your pain right now.

I know that they would be very grateful for an opportunity to pay their respects.

[Spiritual Music]

♪ ♪

[Sighs]

[Grunts]

[Sighs]

[Scraping]

[Sighs]

Cardinal: Oh, man.

[Tape Ripping]

[Contemplative Music]

♪ ♪

[Whirring]

Cardinal: Good to see you too, Francis.

What happened to your truck?


I hit a squirrel.

Why so much this time?

You're not gonna count it?

I trust ya.

[Scoffs]

Heard they found that dead girl.

Night, Detective.

[Tires Squealing]

[Truck Revving]

[Eerie Music]



[Knocking]

Your phone is off again.

I have news on the B&E file.

Well, this is nice.


What happened to your face?

I was in the crawl space.

I hit it on a pipe.

What's your news, Lise?

Delorme: Well, starts with a microwave oven, brand new, bought four days ago.

Stolen the night before last.

Something about it rang a bell so I went back and checked.

Every one of the B&Es, there's always something new stolen, a computer, a stereo, something right out of the box.

And all of them were bought at one of the two big box electronics stores.

And what does that tell ya?

Our thief is staking out these stores.

He follows his targets home with their new stuff.

Then he hits their house later.

That's what you were doing when I found you spacing out by the mall.

You were looking for this guy.

Hm.

Whenever somebody left with a big ticket item,

I noted their licence plate and the licence plates of anyone who followed them out of the lot.

There you go. Last night's victim.

Let's see here.

Chu-cha-chu.

Left 4:30 with his microwave.

Followed out by five cars.


So one of these is our thief.

Cardinal: There you go.

Hmm.

When were you planning on sharing this?

I didn't know it would amount to anything.

I'll go meet the candidates.

[Suspenseful Music]

Hannam: Delorme.

Hey.


Check this out.

Delorme: Who's he?

Malcolm Musgrave, RCMP Staff Sergeant.

Delorme: To what do we owe the honour?

That's what I'm trying to figure out.

I mean, there's a rumour our department's under investigation.

What for?

Well, if they brought in the horsemen, it's gotta be a dirty cop or we'd handle it internally.

Well, that's just what we need right now.

Oh.

This fellow here, yeah, yeah, he stayed with us.

Cardinal: Todd Curry. You're sure?

Father Presnell: Uh-huh.

Cardinal: Can you tell me, uh, when that was?

Father Presnell: Uh, you'll have to forgive me.

We-we still do this by hand.

We upgraded the system a while ago but, I found our guests weren't crazy about being keyed into a computer.


There we go.

Let's see.

Todd Curry.

Stayed with us the night of January the 7th.

Hasn't been back.

Do you know where he was going?

If he was travelling with anyone?

Father Presnell: Well, like I say, we try to keep them fed and warm, no questions asked.

I recognize you, don't I?


You attended service for a while?

My wife and I.

Father Presnell: Didn't stick.

I figure it's best to keep my attention where my work is,
right down here in the dirt.

And your wife, um, Catherine Cardinal.

Right?

She came to us at a difficult time.

I hope we were able to provide some comfort.

She wanted to believe that faith could heal her and you let her.

Keep 'em.

If any of those kids come through, please call me.

Right away.

Father Presnell: Of course.

[Dramatic Music]



[Piano Keys Tinkling]

You look tired.

You know what I need?

Tea.

From a Styrofoam cup.

I need to call work, make sure everything's going okay.

Catherine.

I spoke to them last week.

Your students are covered.

Everything's good.

We need more firewood at the house.

I'll take care of it.

Well, I gotta get in touch with my dad about their visit.

I can't remember if I did.

Catherine.

I should come home.

[Dramatic Music]



[Church Bells Ringing]

Excuse me.

We could have used all this manpower when Katie Pine was still alive.

This isn't the time.

The k*ller's still out there and you've got half the force doing theatre.

We are paying our respects to a grieving mother.

Is that what this is?

Indeed.

[Chanting]

[Chanting]

[Dramatic Music]



Dorothy Pine's not coming.

Why?

Maybe she had better things to do.

[Chanting & Ceremonial Drums]

[Chanting & Ceremonial Drums]

Father Presnell: Detective, it's-it's Father Presnell.

I-I was just, uh, speaking with one of our volunteers who remembers Todd Curry.

Turns out he did come back.


To stay.

Father Presnell: No, no.

He came to borrow a sleeping bag.


He found a place to squat.

One of the kids went to visit him.

You know where?

Father Presnell: Uh, it's an abandoned house.

Uh, from the description, it sounds like the one on Sparhawk Street.

Do you know that?


Cardinal: Yeah, I do, I do.

Thank you.


[Suspenseful Music]

♪ ♪

Dyson: First Billy LaBelle, and now Todd Curry.

Cardinal: Seventeen years old, last seen at that address.

If I can get in there, have a look around, maybe I can track him down.


Dyson: No judge will grant this warrant.

They will if you back me.

And when this kid shows up alive and well, what then?

You gonna move down your list until you've cleared every missing person in the province?

If this is real, we need to catch the guy and to catch the guy we need to act like it's real.

The Chief is considering handing Katie Pine over to the OPD.

What?

We've got a m*rder*d indigenous girl who has slipped through the cracks.

Everybody is watching.

I am trying to give you a chance here but you are gonna have to work the case that is in front of you or you are going to lose it.

Again.

So, you decide.

Get me the warrant.

[Train Whistle]

[Knocking]

Hi.

I'm Detective Delorme.

I'm here about a noise complaint.

Kristin: Okay.

Now we have reports...

Hi.

Hi.

Delorme: Of a loud engine sound.

We're trying to locate the source.


Oh, no. We haven't heard anything, Detective.

[Clears Throat]

Are you sure?

Nothing unusual?

Woody: No.

I mean a noise like that, it'd wake the boy and then
we'd know about it, that's for sure.

Is it just the two of you here?

With the boy.

Maybe someone else has heard something?

No. Just us.

I noticed all the skis.

Oh. Well, oh, they're mine.

Three different sizes.

Different conditions.

Well if you do hear that noise, Mr....?

I will call you, Detective.

Good luck with, uh, the noise complaint.

[Banging]

[Grunting]

[Heavy Breathing]

[Creaking]

[Eerie Music]



[Creaking]

[Phone Ringing]

Cardinal.

Woodrow "Woody" Baldwin.

He did three months in Drumheller for auto theft.

He's our guy.

I can feel it.

Good work.

Delorme: You should see him.

Thinks he can charm his way out of anything.


Cardinal: All right, listen, well, we'll put a patrol on him.

[Eerie Music]



Lise, I gotta call you back.

[Heavy Breathing]

[Creaking]

[Clinking]

[Crescendoing Instrumental]



[Banging]

[Crescendoing Instrumental]



[Heavy Breathing]

I'll call when I know more.

McLeod.

Yeah?

Your three favourite detectives on the OPD side.

Grab a pen, write them down.

We're gonna need help.

And I don't want their dregs.

Got it.

Lise?


Delorme: Yeah? Yeah.

You're not coming on scene, you're needed elsewhere.

Now?

Yeah. Now.

Don't keep 'em waiting.

[Ethereal Music]



[Pulsing Music]

Musgrave: I'm sorry to pull you away.

I know it's not a good time.

He suspect anything?


Delorme: No. He's focused on Katie Pine.

Okay.

I know it's early, but give me your generals.

Well, he's stubborn.

Smart.

Thinks he knows better.

He never would have found that second body if he'd done what he was told.

Musgrave: And?

Delorme: And...

I don't trust him.


[Dramatic Piano Chords]

Musgrave: What's discussed in here can't leave these walls.

Not to your Sergeant, not to your spouse.

Not even to members of my team.

We clear?

You'll know the name Kyle Corbett, Sudbury-based, came up in the 90's, controls the bulk of the drug trade north of Toronto.

Among his greatest hits, 2011, he blew up a rival's garage in Val-d'Or.

k*lled an eleven-year-old boy.


We have reason to believe that someone from our side is feeding Corbett information and we believe that that person is Detective John Cardinal of the Algonquin Bay Police Department.

Delorme's been transferred to Cardinal's section at my request.

She's our inside guy.

Hansen, I brought you in to work the Sudbury side.

The job is to draw a line between the two.


You find the link between Cardinal and Corbett.

Questions?

Hansen: You know John Cardinal?

Not well.

Hansen: Do you think he's the kind of guy who'd do this?

[Dramatic Music]

I don't find that question to be especially useful.

Did he?

That's all that matters.


[Climactic Music]
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